God’s Questions That Deserve Our Honest Answers

God’s questions that deserve our honest answers

Review: Jesus finished ministering to a multitude. It is night time He tells His disciples to get into a boat with Him to go to the other side. He falls sound asleep in the back of the boat and a storm brews. It gets so bad the boat is sinking, the disciples panic, while Jesus stays asleep! How can anyone sleep with all this going on?

Point: God allows storms, difficulties, things to go wrong, for us to be in danger. When difficulties come we should not ask why is this happening? Our Lord goes to sleep and allows storms to come.

They awaken Him with an accusation:

“Teacher, don’t You care we are perishing?”

          They are saying, “Teacher, You are unconcerned about it all!”

He calmly rebukes the sea to stillness and then asks the disciples 2 questions that we also as His disciples needs to provide honest answers:

Why are you afraid?

Where is your faith?

          This account is recorded in Matthew, Mark and Luke.

Sunday we dealt with the first question but tonight we need to address the second question, “Where is your faith?”

          He is rebuking His disciples with this question. They should have not been in a state of panic. Matthew says it this way: “O ye of little faith.” He is rebuking them for taking on fear and agitation while He is with them in the boat.

          This may sound harsh but I think the Lord is revealing a great lesson that we have to apply to ourselves and that is:

It is wrong for a Christian to ever be in such a condition where he has lost control of himself. A Xn should never be like the worldly lost person. This may be a typical reaction for someone without Jesus, but why is it wrong for a Christian?

          I think these two questions we should keep before us for several weeks and every time we have a trial we should speak them to ourselves out loud as a reminder.

Faith is a gift – Romans 12:3

Every man is given a measure of faith.

This faith is the same faith Jesus has – Gal. 2:20

“I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live,

yet not I, but Christ lives in me. The life I NOW live,

I live by the FAITH OF THE SON OF GOD,

Who loves me and gave Himself for me.”

God expects us to use this same faith to overcome every storm, trials.

It is interesting that God calls every trial – a trial of faith. Every trial/test you will every go through is a trial or testing of your faith!

See I Peter 1:5-9

“You who are kept by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” – Protected by faith

But the next verse reveals we do have some “necessary trials”.

“In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a season, IF NECESSARY, you have been distressed by various trials,” vs 6.

“That the TRIAL OF YOUR FAITH, being much more precious than gold that is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”  Vs 7.

“and though you have not seen Him, you love Him. . . and believe in Him with great joy. . . OBTAINING THE OUTCOME OF YOUR FAITH THE SALVATION OF YOUR SOULS.”  Vs 8-9.

Salvation – sozo = the present experience of God’s power to save, preserve, deliver, to heal, to make whole the human soul.

Our spirit is saved and sealed at spiritual birth. But our soul is being saved and being made whole. Soul = mind, will and emotions. It is being saved by being brought under the Lordship of Jesus ruling in our Sspirit.

There are parts of our soul still needing healing – mind, emotions and areas we still are not totally free of fear, anxiety, anger, jealously, lust, hurry and worry. Our soul is under our control and should be kept in a state of CPR.

We have this exterior life and this interior life. Inside the interior life of a Xn is a river of HS that is made to flow freely through all areas. As the river is flowing freely through all areas it brings renewal to all parts of us, spirit, soul and body.

          I went to a counselor and he always began the session with

“How’s your soul doing?”

          The soul is the most important part of you. If the exterior part of your life is everything you ever wanted: Plenty of health and money. But your interior life is not operating with the faith God gave you – you are not well.

          The interior life of the soul is meant exercise the faith God gave it to live in harmony with God and with CPR regardless of the circumstances of the exterior life.

“What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul?”

Your interior life (your soul), is the most important part of your life! Take care of it, feed it the living Word of God, exercise it to the glory of God and to your own amazement!

Jesus is asking you, “Where is your faith?”

The question is revealing. You have faith, but where is it at this moment? It ought to be here, where is it? Why aren’t you taking your faith and applying it here? You already have it – why aren’t you using it?

Faith does not work automatically, it must be exercised and applied by us!

          The disciples should have applied their faith and said, we are not going to panic. I am not going to be controlled – you assert your faith, speak to yourself out loud. Yes the water is filling the boat, yes it looks scary but Jesus is with me. I don’t understand it all greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world, or quote some scripture out loud. I wonder what would have happened? Faith reminds itself of scriptures.

Two words that make any situation a possibility for a miracle.

“BUT GOD” 

A good Bible study would be to look up verses with “but God”.

          Your next trial of faith is an opportunity to apply what you have and keep your soul free of worry, hurry, or fear.

Concl: Notice how gracious the Lord was with the disciples. He calmed the storm. Though He was disappointed with their response He did not turn away from them. He knew this would take some time and He would give them some more opportunities later. So the next time the Spirit whispers in your mind, “Why are you afraid?” or “Where is your faith?” Make certain you are using it to keep your interior soul free from fear, worry or panic. Jesus is with you – there is no need to be afraid.