Little faith, the cross and the character of God.

“And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship... And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And [Jesus] was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?

  And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And He said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” Mark 4:35-41 

When the disciples asked Jesus, “don’t you care that we are perishing?” His response to them was “, Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?’

We can gather a few lessons from that brief statement:

• Fearfulness is the direct result of a lack of faith in God. The reason the disciples were fearful is because they had no faith.
• Secondly, and perhaps more importantly is the fact that to think Jesus doesn’t care whether or not His disciples perish (especially when stormy times come) is an evidence of having no faith.

I’d like to just dwell on the idea in the second point.

Notice the idea: The lack of faith on the part of the disciples is connected to the (incorrect) understanding they seem to have about the character of their Master. The disciples saw their boat shaken by the storm. While all this is taking place, Jesus is asleep. They interpreted this to mean that Jesus must not care. They looked at their circumstances as a sign of what God thinks of them, and as a result, they were afraid and without faith.

We can see the evidences of the idea that when one has a misunderstanding about the true nature of the character of God, it is hard for that person to exercise faith (in Him). It is difficult to exercise faith in a God who doesn’t seem to care whether or not one perishes.

“What we think God thinks of us (or others who have fallen) has a direct impact on our experience of faith.”

The character dilemma

Faith is essential to the Christian experience (Eph. 2:8). Thus, in order to get us to have full faith in Him, God, through the gospel, is doing His utmost best to rightly present His character to fallen, blinded humanity. What we think God thinks of us (or others who have fallen) has a direct impact on our experience of faith.

Satan, understanding this, does all in his power to lead humanity to misunderstand the character of God. This is the essence of every one of his deceptions: to misrepresent God’s character.

Do you have little faith?

I ask you, what is your understanding of the character of God? What kind of “person” do you think He is?

It is very possible that the cause of the great unbelief evident among many of those who claim to be God’s people is because of a faulty and broken understanding they have of His character. Many think that God is willing to let them (or perhaps others) perish.

Where is the character of god most vividly seen?

“God is love,” 1 John 4:8. That is the core of His character.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

To cause us have faith in Him, God must show us His character: that He is not willing that any should perish. The gift of His Christ on the cross is the highest expression of this.

The disciples lacked faith because they questioned whether or not Jesus cares if they perish. The reason many Christian fail in believing and trusting God today is primarily also because of the same faulty understanding of His character.

But “God demonstrated His own love toward us, in that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8.

Because God loves us, He is not willing that any should perish. His total unwillingness for any man to perish is seen in the gift of His Son to die on the cross. For our faith to be strengthened we must “Behold (pay attention, focus on) what manner of love the Father has given to us,” (1 John 3:1).

Carest thou not that we perish?

The question “Don’t you care whether or not I perish?” comes from a fearful heart that has no faith in God, especially when stormy times come. But God has given s strong response: “He gave His son that whosoever believes should not perish”

When we see the sacrifice on the cross, we see undoubtedly that Jesus does not want us to perish. The cross is an powerful response to the question “carest thou not that we perish.” And when we behold it, we shall find reason to have strong faith.

“Does God care whether or not I perish?” you may ask. Christ on the cross is your answer.

Thoughts on Faith, the Cross and the Mark of the beast (Part i)

In the time of the 3^rd angel’s message, men will be compelled to worship the beast and his image through receiving the mark o the beast. Obeying this command from the ruling earthly powers will be at the cost of their lives (Revelation 13:15-16, 18).

But God’s word commands that those who do worship the beast and his image will receive a punishment which is far greater than what the world authorities can give: those who worship the beast and his image will face “the wine of the wrath of God which is poured out without mixture.” Revelation 14:10

Thus the choice is between worshiping God, or worshiping the beast and his image: the main point of controversy will be the 4^th commandment. This is the main point at which the followers of God are at variance with the worshipers of the beast.

While the whole world moves towards receiving the mark of the beast, the worshiper’s of God will refuse to violate God’s commandments. The only, and highest argument that the followers have in going against the whole world in this regard will be that: “we ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29)

Every earthly motive for keeping the Sabbath will be removed. The only reason remaining for observing the Sabbath over the Sunday will be that it is because God said so.  Because they have put their trust in God, God’s people will chose to follow Him even if it is at the cost of their lives. They have learnt to trust that God’s way is ultimately the best, even if obeying is at the cost of life.

This will require an unyielding faith, a faith that will not be moved even by the threat of death. A faith will be required in Gods faithful such that they will obey Him even when it makes no ‘logical’ sense to. To obey God at the cost of one’s life is “unreasonable” to the worldly mind, but it is such a faith that is needed, and it is such a trust in His will that will keep them from following the whole world in worshiping the beast and His image.

But what could inspire such a faith in the followers of Christ? What could drive them to exercise such a trust where the only reason they have to obey God is because of who He is?

1. The cross of Christ

Those who are justified by the blood of Christ, shed on the cross, will not receive the wrath of God (Rom. 5:9). These are not the ones who worship the beast and his image. What we find is that the experience that the redeemed have with the experience of Christ on the cross will be what keeps them from worshiping the beast and his image, even at the cost of their lives. This will be what keeps them still abiding in Christ through the time of trouble.

“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:  That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.“  John 3:14-15

When Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, the Israelites were going through and experience of fiery serpents biting them because of their own murmuring and rebellion. They were being bitten and had no way of escape. Picture them trying to run from the snakes, only to find more snakes in whatever direction they turned, imagine them, some already bitten, with blood on their clothes, and other still having the serpents still hanging off of their flesh. In vain are their efforts to wrestle and fight off the serpents. Realising that all this was the result of their casting God away as their protector, the Israelites cry out to Moses and to God for deliverance.

In this terrible ordeal, God gives them in instruction which, should they follow, would be their only way of escape from the terrible torment. “And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.” Number 21:7. Picture the scene: they are in pain, they are surrounded by snakes, and this is the way of escape God offers them, without any other alternative. They were to look, to behold the bronze serpent on the pole, and this was to be their source of deliverance from the biting snakes around them: the only other option was death.

Now to the examining mind this does not make sense. What is the logic in looking at a pole with metal shaped like a serpent on it? The children of Israel could have reasoned with Moses that it does not make sense to look at the serpent while they were dying, but this was the only option they were given. They were to look and live, and there was no time to debate about how it is that looking would save them from the bites of the poisonous serpents, especially because all their own efforts to save themselves from the snakes were in vain. They were in a hopeless situation. Their only way of escape was to look and live. They had to exercise a faith in the word of God which was solely dependent on His trustworthiness: that looking at the bronze serpent would give them life and deliver them from the biting serpents. Although, to them, this did not make any sense at all, the only other alternative was death.

“And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.“ Numbers 21:9

Because God’s word is true, when men looked at the serpent that Moses made, they lived, even everyone whom the serpents had bitten. Even so then, “as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up.” The same way that the serpent was the only way of escape form the deathly bites of the serpents, even so, Jesus lifted up is the only deliverance form the deathly bites of the serpent of sin, self and satan. As useless as the efforts of the children of Israel were to save themselves from the snakes, even so are men’s efforts in vain to save themselves from the death bite of transgressing His law. It is only in looking to Christ lifted up as the serpent was that men may be saved from sin:

“And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all [men] unto me. This he said, signifying what death he should die.” John 12:33-34

 Jesus Christ being “lifted up” is a reference to His death on the cross. As the Israelites found life and help only as they beheld the serpent on the pole, even so must those who are in need of deliverance from sin behold Christ on the cross, suffering on the sinners behalf. As they thus fix their eyes on Christ, as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, realisating that that is the only way of escape available, they are then exercising faith. As men look to the sacrifice of Jesus, not as a historical event that took place one Friday some 2000 years ago, but realizing that that is the only available way of escape from the sting of sin, they experience the promise that “whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:15.

"The primary reason why the serpent of sin still has its grip is that men have not beheld Christ on the cross, have not beheld him with the same mind-set that the Israelite's were to behold that serpent on the pole..."

As with the Israelite's in the wilderness, this way of escape is seemingly without sense. It does not follow with the “rational” mind, yet the only other alternative is death. While it seems like the serpent of lust has been wrestled of, the sting of pride and self-love is felt, the bites of immodestly is cast away while the serpent of hatred leaves its marks. Look and live is the only way of escape offered. This faith in Christ on the cross, as the only way of escape form sin, rises far above man’s feeble logic. Look, behold, realise in that sacrifice of Christ on the cross, the only way of escape offered. The primary reason why the serpent of sin still has its grip is that men have not beheld Christ on the cross, have not beheld him with the same mind-set that the Israelite's were to behold that serpent on the pole.

"This faith in the sacrifice of Christ on sinner’s behalf is the surest preparation for the second coming of Christ..."

This faith in the sacrifice of Christ on sinner’s behalf is the surest preparation for the second coming of Christ. It is those who would have cultivated this kind of faith that will be willing to obey God even at the face of persecution and death. They have realized, by their experience with the cross, that even though trusting God may seemingly be above reason, it is only the most reasonable choice: because all other alternatives are death and in vain.

“And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive [his] mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God…” Revelation 14:9-10

“Much more then, being now justified by his blood [shed on the cross], we shall be saved from wrath through him.” Romans 5:9

To be continued…