Mark 4:35-41
35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” 39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. 40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” 41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”
Summary
▷ How do we respond when unexpected difficulty comes?
▣ Introduction_ Any danger can become an opportunity. The people prepared for this were the 7 Remnant.
▷ Today’s text shows the disciples riding in a boat with Jesus when a furious squall strikes, water even pouring into the boat, and in their fear they wake the sleeping Jesus and beg to be saved. At this point Jesus rebukes the wind and the sea and makes them still, and says to the disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
1. When fear close to death comes, those without the gospel and the covenant suffer great shock at that moment, and carry lifelong trauma, wounds, and spiritual problems.
▷ Knowing the gospel or not knowing it makes all the difference. Those who don’t know the gospel are ruled by Satan’s spirit; those who know it are ruled by the Holy Spirit.
2. For those who hold the covenant, this moment prepares something for their whole life. – What always makes us struggle is sickness, poverty, and incompetence. When those who hold the covenant see these things, these three are transformed into tremendous answers.
3. What happens in today’s text simply means: prepare the vessel. – You of little faith! Jesus is right here — why are you so afraid?
▣ Main_ How should I handle the difficulties and major accidents that come to me? Three things to remember
1. God gave it to us because we need it.
1) Disaster cannot defeat Christ, so it cannot defeat me, who has Christ
2) So he tells us to grow our faith. Nothing can block the gospel.
3) Jesus is with us, so know who I am, know my identity.
(1) Scripture calls out “Jacob, Israel” like this. We often, without meaning to, become Jacob, but our true identity is Israel.
(2) Whenever he speaks something important, the reason he says “the God of your father Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob” is that he is the God of the promise, but it also means: know who you are.
(3) Through five brushes with death, I came to know who God is and who I am, and God gave me, as a lifelong answer, the message that any difficulty can be overcome. (an evangelist’s testimony)
(4) It looked as though Joseph unjustly became a slave and went to prison, but God gave Joseph exactly what he needed most. David lived as a fugitive, but God gave David exactly what he needed most. Knowing this beforehand is what we call “faith.”
(5) The disciples, and we too, are people meant to evangelize the world, so no difficulty can defeat us.
2. It is a time to discover what matters.
1) A time to discover my own weakness – before the furious squall, I, science, my own effort — none of it can do anything; that is the human condition.
2) A time to discover Christ’s true power – Christ who blocked Satan and disaster and forgave us. When his name is proclaimed, the power that binds darkness and fundamental disaster appears.
3) A time to discover the meaning of the life of faith – the Lord is with me right now. We must know this meaning. If so, even a storm is no problem.
3. Speaking of an important beginning.
▷ Everyone has a past, a today, and a future.
1) The past that makes us sick, that never disappears – a beginning that makes it a complete stepping-stone
2) Eyes to see today – every storm and hardship is the beginning of blessing
3) The future – the beginning of world evangelization. This is what we must make certain.
▣ Conclusion_ Before going into slavery in Egypt or captivity in Babylon, take hold of the covenant, save yourself, and conquer. Gain strength beforehand, before sickness and hardship come. This is the real covenant.
▷ Three things we must do first, before praying and committing to the temple building
1. What is the lifelong theme I need restored? He will answer. Take this as your lifelong prayer topic, and do God’s final work – the temple building and prayer must fill you with anticipation.
2. The first church on earth to have a system that heals the 237 nations and builds them through the Summit. I take part in this – I must be grateful.
3. I will leave behind, before the next generation, a legacy that completely leaves behind a gospel culture. The answer must come to the point where I would be willing to give my whole life for it.
Transcript
Thank you. There are times unexpected danger suddenly strikes us. How we respond at that moment matters enormously.
▣ Introduction_ Any danger can become an opportunity. The people prepared for this were the 7 Remnant.
Let me state the conclusion first: you can turn any danger into an opportunity. The people prepared for that were the Remnant of the Old Testament era.
In today’s text, Jesus was riding in a boat with his disciples. Suddenly a furious squall struck. It wasn’t just that the storm hit — water was pouring straight into the boat. Right now, this is happening. Anyone would be terrified in that situation, right? The disciples were terrified and acted this way, but Jesus was asleep. At that point they woke Jesus. “We are about to die, and you’re sleeping? Save us.” That’s what they said. Jesus at once rebuked the sea and the wind and made them completely calm. And then he said this: “Why are you so afraid? Why do you have no faith?” He gave this great teaching.
1. When fear close to death comes, those without the gospel and the covenant suffer great shock at that moment, and carry lifelong trauma, wounds, and spiritual problems.
Now, when an unexpected crisis close to death suddenly strikes us, what happens? At such a moment, those without the gospel or without a prepared covenant suffer great shock. Knowing the gospel or not makes all the difference. I’m truly sorry to say it, but those who don’t know the gospel are ruled by that satanic spirit. Right? No matter how imperfectly you may feel you’re living out your faith, those who are saved, who know the gospel, are ruled by the Holy Spirit. When sudden crises hit, many people develop trauma and get wounded this way. Even if it seems small, it lasts a lifetime.
Someone I know was wounded in the Vietnam War, but the wound itself wasn’t the problem. This person developed a spiritual problem. I watched him struggle with it his whole life, unable to break free.
2. For those who hold the covenant, this moment prepares something for their whole life. – What always makes us struggle is sickness, poverty, and incompetence. When those who hold the covenant see these things, these three are transformed into tremendous answers.
When this kind of sudden, huge danger comes, for those who hold the covenant, something lifelong is being prepared. In our childhood, the first thing that came to trouble us was poverty. And what always made things hard for us was sickness. Our whole country was like this, but the third and biggest problem that came to us was our lack of ability. We were simply incompetent. If only we had ability, but we didn’t. Because I personally witnessed these three things, for me they turned into a tremendous answer.
3. What happens in today’s text simply means: prepare the vessel. – You of little faith! Jesus is right here — why are you so afraid?
You must become someone for whom this is a time of covenant, today. Simply put: prepare the vessel. What’s happening here today is simple: it means prepare the vessel. In that sense he said, “Why are you afraid? You of little faith, why are you afraid? Jesus is right here — why are you so afraid?” He gave this word. Whatever danger comes to you, if you hold onto this covenant you will see something amazing. How do you handle a difficulty that’s already with you? Something like a huge accident suddenly strikes you. What must you do? You must remember three things.
▣ Main_ How should I handle the difficulties and major accidents that come to me? Three things to remember
1. God gave it to us because we need it.
First. God gave it because we needed it.
1) Disaster cannot defeat Christ, so it cannot defeat me, who has Christ
So this disaster cannot defeat Christ. Disaster cannot defeat the gospel. Then disaster cannot defeat you. That’s what today’s text shows us. “Look,” he says. “Even when this storm, this furious wind, strikes, can’t it still be overcome?” This means Jesus overcame it.
2) So he tells us to grow our faith. Nothing can block the gospel.
Why does he give us what we need? He tells us to grow our faith. Grow your faith. Whatever comes, you can be certain: “disaster cannot block the gospel.”
3) Jesus is with us, so know who I am, know my identity.
“Do you know who you are?” This is what he’s teaching right now. Right? Jesus is present, and though they are disciples, they’re terrified — so at this moment he’s making them realize their identity.
(1) Scripture calls out “Jacob, Israel” like this. We often, without meaning to, become Jacob, but our true identity is Israel.
This appears often in Scripture. “Jacob, Israel” — the same person, with the old name “Jacob” and the new name “Israel,” appears often in Scripture. He cleverly calls both names together. “Jacob, Israel.” If we’re not careful, we become Jacob. Right? But our true identity is “Israel.”
(2) Whenever he speaks something important, the reason he says “the God of your father Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob” is that he is the God of the promise, but it also means: know who you are.
This comes up often in Scripture. Whenever he speaks something important, it comes up often. What does it say? “I am the God of your father Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” That means “I am the God of the promise,” but it’s also asking, “Who are you?” Does he say “the God of your father Abraham” to just any unbeliever? No. So it’s said to believers. “The God of your father Abraham” — he says this because you need it.
(3) Through five brushes with death, I came to know who God is and who I am, and God gave me, as a lifelong answer, the message that any difficulty can be overcome. (an evangelist’s testimony)
When I was young, I had about five experiences of thinking, “Ah, I’m going to die!” Two of these involved water. There’s a quiet spot in our village where some people come during summer, but normally there’s no one there. There was a reservoir. Since I was young, and there was no one there, I went into that reservoir. I think, from my guess, there was a deep spot there. I fell in. I fell in, and at that moment the feeling I had was, “Ah, so this is how you die!” I actually felt that. So without even knowing it, I must have gone under and come up over and over. Things flashing before me, sinking again — in that moment what I remember feeling was the very smell of the water. That’s how sharply I felt it. So I was dying. But that wasn’t a place people usually passed by. Someone happened to walk by, saw me, and pulled me out. Even though it was a short time, when I was young, it was a huge experience for me.
And then there was another time, when I was a young evangelist, still a student, and we ran into a storm heading to a retreat. There was probably a storm warning issued, but back then people didn’t follow the rules strictly, so they loaded the kids up and set out, and it suddenly started raging. Little by little more people gathered, and we were headed to Gadeokdo, with about seven of us aboard along with luggage. It was a fairly small boat. It was fine when we departed, but at some point along the way, past a certain point, it suddenly started raging. I became extremely flustered. But what made it even more alarming was seeing how flustered the captain steering the boat became. “Oh no, this is serious,” I thought. It wasn’t just me — everyone aboard was struck with the fear of death. How can I even describe that feeling in my heart? “Ah, so this is how I die,” it felt like that. Wasn’t the boat about to capsize? And I especially can’t swim. I’d have to somehow get out and walk, but that wasn’t possible. At that moment the thought suddenly came to me: “Ah, I’ll be in tomorrow morning’s news.” Those moments kept coming one after another, and it didn’t just end quickly — it kept happening. Then a navy ship came. They must have realized it was dangerous. So we boarded a large naval vessel and were rescued. It happened, I think, because there was a naval base nearby at just the right time.
Even more dramatic — strangely, I’ve experienced fire three separate times. Once as a child, our entire village burned down. But I crawled out of the fire, like this. Since I was so young at the time, all I remember is “fire, fire broke out” and crawling out holding my mother’s hand — that’s all I remember. Even adults died. In those days, everything was shanty housing, all packed together tightly, so the houses were all narrow and connected at the top, back then. Once the fire caught there, what happens? When I was young, I crawled for hours holding my mother’s hand, escaping like that. It’s almost a miracle that we made it out alive, but when a certain adult saw me and touched my head, my head just crumbled apart in pieces. Even so, my face was unharmed. So experiences like “Ah, I’m going to die!” — once I came to understand the gospel, these became something tremendous for me. “I faced death five times, but I couldn’t die!” I came to know who God is, who I am. “God is giving me the message that any difficulty can be overcome” — that became my lifelong answer through experience. If handled wrongly, this could have become trauma and wounds, but for me it became my lifelong answer.
(4) It looked as though Joseph unjustly became a slave and went to prison, but God gave Joseph exactly what he needed most. David lived as a fugitive, but God gave David exactly what he needed most. Knowing this beforehand is what we call “faith.”
You must remember this today. What looks like difficulty coming to me is actually God giving me what I need. It looked as though Joseph unjustly became a slave, but God gave Joseph exactly what he needed most. Right? Then your perspective changes. Your answers change. It looked as though he was unjustly framed and sent to prison, but God gave Joseph exactly what he needed most. David spent a long time as a fugitive facing death, but God gave David exactly what he needed most. Knowing this beforehand is what we call “faith.”
(5) The disciples, and we too, are people meant to evangelize the world, so no difficulty can defeat us.
Because they lacked this, he said, “Why do you have no faith?” Who is Jesus? Who are the disciples? They weren’t people meant to tremble and die in that storm. Right? That’s what he was pointing out. You are children of God. You are evangelists meant to save the age. You are not people meant to die from the storm and hardship happening right now — that’s what I’m saying. That’s the first message in today’s text. You must hold onto this firmly. We’re not forcing comfort onto ourselves. If you really are meant to evangelize the world, can a storm swallow you? Right? Even more important — Christ is with you, so how could darkness win? It can’t win. That’s the first message of today’s event.
2. It is a time to discover what matters.
What’s the second point? It’s a time to discover what matters. What did they discover?
1) A time to discover my own weakness – before the furious squall, I, science, my own effort — none of it can do anything; that is the human condition.
They discovered their own weakness. When a storm hits with a furious gale, human beings are helpless. Even with a furious storm raging, science is powerless. What good would effort do in the middle of a raging storm? It’s impossible. The storm strikes with full force. “Ah, we humans can do nothing!” — that’s the discovery.
2) A time to discover Christ’s true power – Christ who blocked Satan and disaster and forgave us. When his name is proclaimed, the power that binds darkness and fundamental disaster appears.
At this moment they discovered true power. That furious wind was stopped by a single word from Jesus. The only one who has ever overcome the existence of Satan is Christ. Everyone else says, “if you sinned, take the punishment,” but the one who said, “I will block the disaster for you,” is Christ. Every religion teaches that you’re punished according to what you’ve done. Only Christ said, “I will forgive you.” This is the gospel. They saw true power. I believe this. How could such power appear wherever the name of Christ is proclaimed? Darkness is bound to be restrained. The fundamental disaster that destroys you is bound to kneel before Christ. This is what they discovered.
3) A time to discover the meaning of the life of faith – the Lord is with me right now. We must know this meaning. If so, even a storm is no problem.
What else did they discover? They discovered meaning. You must know the meaning of the life of faith. The Lord is with me. You must know this meaning. The storm is frightening, but Jesus is in that boat. You too must know the meaning of your worship, right? Some people say “I can’t pray,” and ask, “How do I pray?” There’s no need for that. It’s simply the 3-9-3 prayer to God — try giving meaning to everything, just once. If you do, your meaning becomes tremendous. The Remnant of 7 believed in the God whom no one believes, not even the kings of the mightiest nations. Right? It’s easy to be misled — “the nation is so vast, why would there be a God?” No. Every great power has fallen. Isn’t there proof? Every great power has fallen, I tell you. Even today, without the gospel, even a great power will meet ruin. Someone needs to boldly tell America. Someone needs to boldly tell Europe. They’re hiding it. Going forward, there’s a real possibility that 100 percent of people could become mentally ill. Right now it’s already at 30 to 50 percent — it’s practically chaos already.
Go out and see for yourselves. Doesn’t it feel strange? It is. These days you have to watch what you say wherever you go. Why? Because there are so many people who have lost their minds. If I ever have to drive, even when it’s not my fault, I automatically say “I’m sorry.” Even when the other person is clearly wrong, I say “I’m sorry.” There are so many people who’ve lost their minds — it’s terrifying. These days, people even kill their own parents. In the old days it was over money, but now it’s not even about money. There’s no reason at all. They just kill. This will hit 100 percent, going forward. Only Christ can solve this. Right now the developed nations don’t understand this. Japan doesn’t understand. Even Japan’s great prime ministers don’t understand this. Even America’s great past presidents don’t understand why spiritual problems came to America. The adults don’t understand. It’s completely abnormal. The Remnant are the ones who stay connected, paying attention and praying and watching. It’s completely abnormal. That’s why I keep saying, “Remnant who are not armed with the gospel, don’t go study abroad.” You shouldn’t go. A Remnant armed with the gospel is now like a vast field — that’s what it is. You must know the meaning. Christ is with you — that’s what I’m saying. If so, even a storm is no problem at all. That’s what I’m explaining today.
3. Speaking of an important beginning.
This is the final, third point. Speaking of an important beginning. What good is it to just know the covenant? We need to make an important beginning. Everyone has a past, a today, and a future.
1) The past that makes us sick, that never disappears – a beginning that makes it a complete stepping-stone
Today, what covenant is Jesus teaching you to hold, through the lesson of this event? Your entire past never disappears. It must become a stepping-stone. People say “the past is gone,” but that’s not true. It’s what kills people. Right? Those who fall ill fall ill because of it. So we must make our past into a complete stepping-stone.
2) Eyes to see today – every storm and hardship is the beginning of blessing
What is today? How should we view today? Turn all this hardship and storm into a blessing.
3) The future – the beginning of world evangelization. This is what we must make certain.
What is the future? No matter what anyone says, it is the beginning of world evangelization. That is our future. This must be made absolutely certain. You must hold this covenant firmly.
▣ Conclusion_ Before going into slavery in Egypt or captivity in Babylon, take hold of the covenant, save yourself, and conquer. Gain strength beforehand, before sickness and hardship come. This is the real covenant.
Now, let me draw the conclusion. What must you do to receive this blessing? Before going into slavery in Egypt, take hold of this covenant, don’t go into slavery — save Egypt instead. This is God’s will. Before being taken captive to Babylon, already take hold of the covenant, don’t become a captive — conquer Babylon instead. This is the real covenant. You might gain strength by praying after you fall ill. But God’s will is that you not fall ill at all, and gain this strength ahead of time. That is the truer covenant. Of course we may face hardship. If we face hardship, we can overcome it. But before that hardship comes, already hold God’s covenant firmly and conquer. That is the gospel covenant. God’s plan does not change. You must go as a slave, a captive, a subject nation. Why? Because you’re not doing missions. Because you don’t even know what missions means. It’s about blocking darkness. Blocking the darkness that simultaneously destroys the whole world, transcending time and space — that is evangelism and missions. Because you don’t go, you’re sent. If you don’t go, you’ll be sent. That is slavery, captivity, subjugation. In other words: realize this and take hold of the covenant before it comes to that.
▷ Three things we must do first, before praying and committing to the temple building
This week, too, must become a time when you hold the covenant and enjoy a tremendous blessing from God. As we begin praying about the temple building, don’t just pray randomly, and don’t make any commitment carelessly either — first do these three things.
1. What is the lifelong theme I need restored? He will answer. Take this as your lifelong prayer topic, and do God’s final work – the temple building and prayer must fill you with anticipation.
What is my lifelong prayer topic, the theme I need restored? Pray holding onto this. God will answer first. Through the Remnant who held the covenant, didn’t God give it to them first?
What is your biggest problem? Take this as your lifelong prayer topic, and do God’s final work. Pray about that. Try holding onto it and praying, and see what happens. Fight bravely against poverty. Hold onto that and pray. We have no reason to be afraid. Fight against sickness. Grasp that prayer topic firmly.
What’s the second thing? So the first prayer is that the temple building must fill you with anticipation. Right? If there’s truly no anticipation in your heart, that’s not prayer. It means you haven’t yet understood. So those who know worship feel anticipation when they come to worship. “Ah, what word will God give me today, with even more grace?” That anticipation — that’s what it means to know worship. Someone told me this: before they were married, this couple used to walk a long road together, and yet it always felt too short. Now they drive, but the road feels long. That anticipation has disappeared, you see. That’s how it is. If you truly discover the real thing, you’ll feel that anticipation. “Wow, what will God plan and accomplish through this temple building?” — think about that for a moment. As you may know, our Immanuel Church is being watched by other denominations and by the whole world. Especially you, and Pastor Ryu Gwang-su, are being watched with fiery, intense eyes. We’ve already won in Seoul, and buying that church building was no easy task. As we live, why did even our own denomination oppose it? They even broadcast messages opposing us on CBS radio. Time will tell. Don’t be afraid. You must have anticipation. Why? Because you know what God is going to do. Scripture never shows mere prayer without this.
2. The first church on earth to have a system that heals the 237 nations and builds them through the Summit. I take part in this – I must be grateful.
What’s the second thing? It is the first church on earth to create a system that heals the people of the 237 nations and builds them through the Summit. I get to take part in that. I must be grateful.
3. I will leave behind, before the next generation, a legacy that completely leaves behind a gospel culture. The answer must come to the point where I would be willing to give my whole life for it.
There’s a third thing. Before the next generation, I will leave behind a legacy that completely leaves behind a gospel culture. This is shocking. You must know this and pray. The answer must come to the point where you’d say, “It’s fine even if I give the rest of my life to this.” The early church reached the answer that it was fine even to die. That kind of person cannot be defeated. I bless you in the name of the Lord Jesus that this week truly becomes a week where you take hold of God’s certain plan. I will pray now.
Prayer
Thank you, God. Help us realize what truly matters. Help us understand the meaning of the storm. Help us realize the reason and mission of those who are saved. Give us a covenant from God that can overcome any danger. Make us people of God who are equipped with strength before danger even comes. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.