Let God be glorified Who has abundantly enriched us with grace and knowledge, having opened our eyes to principles of the kingdom and practices that make for prosperity, assuring us of divine provision of life and love, and divine preservation of loved ones.
Today, we shall continue in the line of divine preservation:
Title: DELIVERANCE FROM DANGER
Text: Matt.8:23-27
Our text relays the rise of a tempest capable of capsizing the boat in which lay the Master of the sea, to terminate His ministry and that of His disciples. But the Master tamed the tempest and preserved the lives of His disciples (v.26). He later promised to remain their Preserver unto the end of the Church age (Matt.28:20).
We dwell at a time described as perilous in 2Tim.3:1 (Perilous: Gk cholepos means hard to deal with, difficult, fierce), and dangers and difficulties lurk around every corner. It also falls in line with the time of manifestation of God’s power when divine preservation is enjoyed by the faithful (cons. Ex.11:6-7). The believer is not to fear death as departure is better (Phil.1:23, Matt.10:28); howbeit, premature departure is not an option, since one will be rewarded according to his works without sentiments (Gal.6:7). Therefore, carelessness must be rebuffed in all its ramifications as it can even lead to a deforming injury which can alter or hamper efficiency in service. It is therefore wise to opt to live and fulfil the earthly ministry.
There are 3 factors that will assure divine preservation:
1. FAITH
Faith is about the confidence developed in God and His capability (Mk.11:22, Matt.19:26). It grows with assimilation of truth ie knowledge of the word (Rom.10:17, 15:4). It has the capacity to move every creature, and even change times (Mk.11:23, Jos.10:12-14). Its absence can limit the operation of God’s finger in favour of an individual or a group (Heb.11:6, Mk.6:5)
2. WISDOM
Wisdom is the ability to make punctual and profitable use of knowledge. It is the master key of prosperity and takes possessors/nurturers to great dimensions of success (Prov.4:7, 8:11,17-23, 35-36, Job 28:12-14,18,20-22). True wisdom is conceived by the fear of God (Prov.9:10, Job 28:28)
3. KNOWLEDGE
Knowledge is the building block of success (Prov.24:3,4) and its lack or inadequacy is the bane of believers. There is a need for knowledge of the WORD (Jos.1:8, Ps.1:1-2, Col.3:16) and of the EVENTS in the world (Prov.22:3, 27:12). The Lord Jesus with the fullness of faith applied wisdom/knowledge to stay alive and fulfil His ministry (Jn.7:1,6-8, Matt.14:10-13). The Lord promises to keep His own at such a time as we are in (Ps.91:1,4,11-16, Heb.1:14).