Hello from the other side (Part Two)

Mark.4:35-41

That day as evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 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?”

He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

 

HELLO FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF FEAR AND SHAME

 

Way too many Christians know they have been forgiven of their sins, but they are impeded from moving fully into the future Jesus is inviting them into because they are heavily ladened by the stench of their fears and shame that follows them.

 

In the passage above, we find that for the disciples, they knew Jesus was amazing, but the wind and the waves were just too big. They were fishermen who had probably experienced a storm or two in their life, but this one storm, the storm outside of the boat on this evening, was bigger than what they could control.

In our lives, no matter our experience or natural abilities, fear and shame are always driven by things that we feel we have no control over. We will lie awake night after night dwelling and fretting on things that are out of our ability to control.

Shame has more power over us than we realize. It takes what we were born to do and causes us to shrink in the face of it, or alternatively, to façade our way through it!

 

“fear and shame are manipulative emotions that can trick us into living a boring and shallow life”

 

In the book of Genesis, we find that the first things to go when man-kind sinned was intimacy with God and the authority they had from God. And this is how shame has worked ever since. Once we allow shame to hold us captive, true intimacy and real authority (with God and with others) will always feel just beyond us. We will set up camp this side of fear and shame and never move on.

 

The church have for too long given up their god-given design for intimacy and authority because of her fear and shame! Fear that we’re not cut-out for a radical future because we are still caught up with the shame of our past.

 

Two things that get us moving to the other side of our fear and shame:

 

1.Know that Jesus is Lord in the storm

In the face of our deepest fears and horrendous shame, Jesus is not stressed out, anxious or wringing his hands. He’s not out of ideas or resources! In fact, the disciples found him sleeping in the middle of this massive storm. This wasn’t because of his lack of concern or empathy, but rather because Jesus’ future (and subsequently ours!) would not be determined by outside factors or circumstances. You can take courage knowing that Jesus is with you. Always.

 

2.Know that Jesus is Lord over the storm

As Jesus was awoken from his nap, he got up and spoke with authority to the elements, “Quiet, be still!” And the wind and the waves did exactly what they were told. What gives us courage to walk into our futures, leaving fears and shames behind isn’t just the fact that Jesus is with us, but also the understanding that he is powerful! There is no sin too great that Jesus can’t forgive. There is no illness too hard for him to heal. There is no circumstance, fire, storm, anxiety or fear that Jesus can’t walk us through.

 

For us to move to the other side of our fear and shame, we have to believe that Jesus is with us and he is for us. And if the wind and the waves respond in obedience to his voice, it is with full confidence that we can do the same.

 

Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s go to the other side”