From Crisis To Christ-Is

When COVID-19 spread across the globe, suddenly everyone faced huge uncertainties.  Many were confronted with a level of unprecedented crisis. So many had to deal with upheavals to our lifestyles, our jobs, our finances, our health and even our faith!  Even though that phase has passed, yet there continues to be different forms of crisis that we may be confronted with.

In this blog we deal with the issue of crisis! Since many uncertainties are caused by crisis or the uncertainties are itself causing crisis to many.  

How can we survive crisis?  How can we thrive in times of crisis?  In this blog, we look at Mark 4:35-41 where the disciples faced a crisis and they discovered that Christ-Is the solution to their crisis. 

Mark 4:35-41 (NIV) 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!"

I will make 3 crucial observations that help us turn from crisis to Christ-Is.

Recognition that Christ-Is with us

Mark 4:37-38 (NIV) “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?"

Imagine the small boat caught in a huge storm and huge waves.  The boat nearly capsizes as big waves crash over it.  Even the experienced fishermen amongst the disciples were beginning to panic. They were doing everything to keep the boat from being capsized but they are losing the battle against the storm.  Peter was yelling out orders, “Lower the sails quick before we are blown over. Andrew hold the rudder steady, face the front towards the waves.  Men row harder! Someone bail out the water!  We need more hands!  Where is Jesus?”

Up to that point, nobody thought about Jesus.  They were too caught up with the whole crisis situation.  Finally, someone realised Jesus Christ is with us!  Recognising that Jesus was with them was the starting point to get out of the crisis!

We must recognise that Christ-Is present with us.  For Christ-Is already with Christians, through the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Where is Jesus Christ? As far as we are concerned?  The real issue is not so much where He is, but do we realise or recognise where He is!?  We must recognise that Christ-Is present with us.  For Christ-Is already with Christians, through the Holy Spirit in our lives.  Jesus is in our hearts through the Holy Spirit.

Galatians 4:6 (NIV) Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father."

But often we fail to recognise that.  We function as if Christ is not with us.  At times, we are running around like chooks with our heads cut off. “Help! God!”  And He is like “Uh Guys?  I am right here!”

It reminds me of one time in my university days.  I was at a friend’s place so engrossed with TV show that I failed to notice a church friend had joined me in the room.  I wasn’t paying attention other than what I was focussed on.  It must have been about 5 minutes later that I turned and saw her standing there.  We do that a lot to Jesus!

If we fail to recognise that Jesus is with us, then we fail to gain from Him being with us.

If we fail to recognise that Jesus is with us, then we fail to gain from Him being with us.  We fail to take comfort.  We fail to gain strength.  We fail because we simply do nothing even though He is present with us.

In late 2015 BBC hosted a number of Adele impersonators. They impersonated Adele because they adored her.  Each one of them got on stage to impersonate Adele singing.  One by one they did their best.  Then the last impersonator Jenny got up looking rather nervously to sing.  When she started singing, one by one the impersonators gasped when they realised that it was actually Adele!  Adele had disguised herself and even spoke with a different accent.  None of the impersonators realised it was her even after hanging out with her for a few hours.  None of them had paid that much attention to her.  After Adele revealed herself, they all had fun singing together and learning from her.  But only after they recognised she was there with them.

Why do we often fail to recognise Christ-Is with us?  Because many fail to become familiar with His presence.  Many fail to become attuned to His Presence.  To know in our head is not the same as knowing in our heart.  Crisis have an uncanny ability to expose what is actually in our heart.  Because in emotional times, we often act out of what is in our hearts, rather than in our minds. Under pressure, we often act out of what we feel, more than what we know.

How do we get out of this failure?  Learn to recognise His Presence in our lives.  Recognise His manifest presence with us.  Recognise His hand upon our lives.  When I am ministering, I gain deep comfort when I sense God’s tangible presence with me.  The ability to discern this makes a big difference in my ministry.  Remember that after all, Jesus has promised to be with us.  Matthew 28:20 (NIV) … surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Start by turning our eyes away from crisis to recognising Christ-Is with us. 

How can we deal with crisis?  Start by turning our eyes away from crisis to recognising Christ-Is with us. 

Significance of Christ-Is with us

Mark 4:39 (NIV) “He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.”

Right there and then, Jesus demonstrated that He had authority over the wind and waves. Up to that point, even though the disciples had seen miraculous healing, they still did not understand the significance of Jesus as the Son of God.  They did not understand the significance of Jesus Christ being with them! If they knew, they would not have panicked.  They would have woken Jesus, “Can you please tell the storm to stop?”

There is great significance to have "Christ-Is with us." 

There is great significance to have "Christ-Is with us."  What does it mean to you to have Jesus Christ with you?  Imagine if Bill Gates came and sat beside you.  What would you say to him?  You ask, “But what is he famous for?” “He founded Microsoft that produces the most popular PC operating system in the world. You might say, “Gosh, I know very little about computer software – I don’t know what to say to him.” But what if you knew he is also the world’s 3rd richest man?  And one of the world’s biggest philanthropist? Having given away more than 55 billion USD? Suddenly you realise you could ask him to help fund your favourite projects.

If Jesus is only a man, even a wise man - it would make no difference to any of us.  What can He do to help us in our crisis? Because Jesus is God, it makes all the difference!  God who is all-knowing, all-wise, all-powerful.  He can truly help us through whatever we are struggling with. Then there is great significance when Christ-Is with us!

What hinders us from grasping the full significance of Christ-is with us?

The question is do we grasp the significance? What hinders us from grasping the full significance of Christ-is with us?  The key is this.  Knowing in our head, but not knowing in our hearts.  The information in our head has to become conviction in our hearts.  It has to get through to our hearts that Christ-Is far bigger than our crisis.  No crisis is too big for Christ. Mark 4:40-41 (NIV) 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!"

Christ-Is far bigger than our crisis.

It took Jesus’s disciples time to grasp the significance of Jesus with them.  It usually takes time for us to grasp it too.  It is as we walk with Him and experience His work in our lives that we begin to truly grasp the significance of Christ-Is with us.  What is our conviction today?  About God? That He is bigger than any crisis?

Trust in Christ-Is with us

Mark 4:40 (NIV) “He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?"

Basically, Jesus is saying, “Don’t you have faith in me?  Don’t you trust I can handle this?  After all, you knew I am present with you.  I am the Son of God!”  In the same way, I want to talk in terms of who Christ-Is to us.  Is He someone we trust? It is one thing to know that He is with us.  It is one thing to know He is God.  But do we actually trust Him? To help us through our crisis?

On June 30 1959, a huge crowd were watching the world-famous tightrope walker, Charles Blondin, in his attempt to cross the Niagara Falls.  A fall from such a height would kill anyone.  Blondin crossed the rope numerous times - a 335m trip, 50m above the raging water to great applause.  The story is told that he spoke to the crowd, asking if they believed he could take one of them across on a wheelbarrow.  Of course, they all enthusiastically shouted their agreement.  Then he asked one of them to volunteer.  But no one did.  They gave their mental assent but when it came to the crunch - they did not trust Blondin enough.

Do we trust God enough to get into God’s wheelbarrow?  Bible tells us that God is absolutely trustworthy and faithful.  He keeps His promises to those who follow Him.  Deuteronomy 7:9 (NIV) Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.

Many years ago, as a young believer, I knew what the Bible said about God trustworthiness and faithfulness.  But I also knew that I would struggle to get unto God’s wheelbarrow.  I knew that I did not trust God deeply.  What was the solution?  I had to get on the wheelbarrow.  That was the only way to experience God’s faithfulness and to learn to trust Him more.  That has been my journey with God the past 30 years.  I am still in the wheelbarrow with God.  God has proven Himself faithful and a keeper of promises.  God has provided for us and seen us through the highs and lows.  Through financial challenges, through my PhD, through my career as a research scientist.  Through major ailments, through various crisis.  Through all these, God has proven himself faithful.  Indeed, He has blessed us abundantly!

Remember that God is the Good Shepherd who cares for us.

Remember that God is the Good Shepherd who cares for us.  Psalm 23:1-4 (NIV) 1  The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. 2  He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3  he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4  Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

God is our Good Shepherd.  He cares for us and lovingly leads us to green pastures.  Even though there be valleys of death – God will guide us through it.  Are we willing to trust Him enough to bring us through our crisis? To get into God’s wheelbarrow?

God has the power to help.  God also has the heart to help.

God has the power to help.  God also has the heart to help.  This is shown by the most sacrificial act in the universe.  Bible reveals that we are all sinners.  Sin is rotting and destroying our lives and those around us.  We all experience the evidence of such sin.  The unforgiveness, the bitterness, the jealousy, the hatred, the selfishness.  Like a raging storm of darkness in our hearts. God who is absolutely holy has to judge this sin and expel it.  The judgment is eternal punishment, eternal condemnation in hell away from everybody else. So every person has been condemned because of this sin in our own hearts.

But God loves us so much that He could not leave us in such a state.  So God himself came and paid the penalty of our sins by dying on the cross for us.  He took the burden of sin upon himself.  But we have to make a choice, a commitment to accept what Jesus did on the cross.  We have to choose to place our trust in Jesus to save us from our sins. Only God can help us overcome the power of sin.

God did all of this because He wants to help us.  That is why God can be trusted.  Will you choose today to get into God’s wheelbarrow?  Will you trust in Him?

Conclusion

So in any crisis we may face, we can turn from crisis to Christ-Is.  How?  Recognising that Christ-Is with us – He is here for us now.   Understanding the significance of Christ-Is with us – that He is bigger than all our crisis.  Trusting in Christ who is here for us – He is the one who can deliver us, when we get into God’s wheelbarrow.

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