Title: Leave it to Jesus
Contents
One day he got into a boat with his disciples and said to them, "Let's cross over to the other side of the lake." So Jesus fell asleep as he set out on the way. Just then, a gust of wind struck the lake, and the boat was full of water, and it was in danger. The disciples came to him and woke him up, saying, "Lord, Lord, we are about to die." Jesus awoke and rebuked the wind and the waves, and it ceased and there was a calm. And he said to his disciples, "Where is your faith?" They were afraid and marveled, and said to one another, "Who is this that he commands the wind and the water, and they obey him?" (Luke 8:22-25)
Today, we would like to learn a lesson from the record of the incident where the disciples who carried Jesus met a storm while crossing the Sea of Tiberias in a boat. Perhaps the words of the Bible are thought of as events that reflect our current situation as it is, and the lesson given here is also thought of as a lesson only for our generation today. It is more reasonable to think of this river and mountain where we live as a ship, and even larger, think of this Earth as a ship. In particular, it is clear that this Earth is a ship floating in orbit in the vast ocean of outer space. The disciples and Jesus are in this boat, and Jesus is sleeping. The very God that Jesus is in this earth is the one who is hiding behind the history. This ship has been hit by waves and storms several times so far, but it has been operating as it is. The storm we are facing this time is really a severe storm that separates life and death.
It is peculiar that these days, the people who speak of the end of the earth and the end of mankind are not the fantastic religious prophets of the Middle Ages, but world-class scientists. In other words, they were first-class sailors who I believed were experts in rowing this boat. These eminent scientists speak of the planet's lack of resources, and it is today's raw material wave that large countries and politicians are seizing and securing resources to live one more day without giving up their own resources. Whether it's communism or humanitarianism, in reality, if it's urgent, they're all just looking for a way to live in their own country and their people. But the problem is that they are all on the same boat. Both the US President and the Prime Minister of the Soviet Union have already given up on the idea of saving the world. Right now, from the southernmost tip of the earth to the northernmost part of the earth, from the westernmost part to the easternmost part of the earth, the world and humanity are going into a state of confusion without knowing where they will or will go.
The problem that has arisen this time is not limited to the people on the boat, but is caused by nature, that is, the wind and the sea. Today's world problems are not only military, moral, cultural and economic problems, but also problems such as air, water, sea, grass, trees, food, and insects. Solving one problem does not solve all problems. Now, if you solve one problem, you're in a state where the detox is several times more severe than the solution. Indeed, as we now know, we have reached a point where there is little left for humans to do. At this time, when it was impossible to do this and that, and almost died, the disciples in this boat said, "Lord, Lord, we are about to die." It appealed to human despair. If there is only one way left for the world to be saved from frequent earthquakes, abnormal climates, wars and famines, it would be none other than throwing away all human pride and confessing to Jesus with a sincere confession, "Lord, Lord, we are about to die now." I believe in waking up.
I now believe that the problems of today's world are something that only God can do, and there seems to be very little problem that can be solved with human strength and wisdom. Even if it can be solved with human wisdom and ability, I think that humans today are unable to find that wisdom because their eyes are dark and dull, and they are unable to exercise their abilities. Even today, we can see with our own eyes the fact that the world cut off from God, the nation cut off from God, and the end of human beings cut off from God will also enter into such inevitable ruin. I believe that today, the only thing this generation can do is to awaken and seek the Lord who is in charge of this history, the destiny of the earth and mankind, but who lives there.
History students, who express human history characteristically for each period, divide the Middle Ages into the Dark Age, then the Renaissance and Reformation, the age of stage names, then the Age of Reason, then the Age of Science, etc. , what era will the end of the 20th century be today?
Today is the age of the universe. However, the space age is a state characterized by the end age of the universe and mankind. It is clear that this is the age in which God is sleeping, the age in which God has been pushed aside by the development of human science and civilization, and the age in which God was executed and put in a grave. Even if there is a God, there are only hypocrites and the church, and it is clear that the age of the church that pursues true fellowship with God and only His will is poor. When we reach this point, the earth is shaken, mankind is at a standstill, and humans have forgotten the standard of value for life.
Here we must turn back to the age of God. From all over the world, we are slowly hearing the cries of seeking God. The time to awaken Jesus by saying, ?쏬ord, Lord, we are about to die??has come. When Jesus got up, he did two things. One rebuked the wind and the sea and calmed them, and the other rebuked the disciples, saying, "O you of little faith." Today's nature problems will be solved only by bringing them into harmony with God's creation order.
It is said that the conclusion was reached at a seminar by renowned environmental experts in the United States. In other words, we must establish a natural order that conforms to the purpose of God's creation. It is to bring about a movement to restore the order of creation according to the Bible. Even if humanity is a little uncomfortable, we need to restore what has been excessively destroyed by human greed. The consistent view of nature in the Bible is that when humans conform to God's creation order, nature also conforms to humans; Therefore, the theological attitude of theological students now has a mission to create an environmental philosophy and environmental theology. Until now, this truth was not absent from the church, but the Lord of this truth was put to sleep. We need to be alert now and wake up this Lord so that every human being, every ruler, every scientist is committed to conforming to God's creation order.
Next, to this world, Jesus rebukes them, saying, ?쏽ou who do not believe!??To express the true meaning of the Word more positively, it is saying that this age should be the age of faith. It is saying that this society, this country, and this world can only live in the age of faith, not the world of reason and science from now on. The historical event that gives consistent lessons in the Old and New Testaments is the Exodus event. Where is the core of the Exodus event? When human wisdom or power reaches the limit, only God's wisdom and power can bring about liberation, freedom, and peace. It is a consistent argument of As recorded in Hebrews 11, the attitude of moving forward with faith and faith is the history of salvation in the Bible.
We must now make this generation the generation of faith in order to live. This belief is not blind superstition, but a bold act of trusting in the wisdom and power of a more absolute God. This is the age that shows the omnipotence of faith. The last part of this Bible text says that everyone on the boat was astonished. It is a time when today's churches and believers should see truly amazing things. We must raise the facts that can show the amazing work of God that will make the human impossible possible.