“Cross Over To The Other Side” (Luke 8:16-25)

“Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples. And He said to them, Let us cross over to the other side of the lake. And they launched out” (vs22).

First, “Take Heed How You Hear” (Luke 8:16-18)

Our purpose is to show the light of Christ, to let men see Him, so they might be saved. He didn't save you to be hidden, but to REVEAL who He is in glory.

Do not be ashamed.

Everything will be revealed in the Last Day, so that what you really are will be known (vs16-17). Hypocrisy doesn't succeed. It isn't enough to be Christian in name only.

If we don't practice what is preached, living by the glory of God in Christ unto good works, then we'll be exposed frauds. He says, “Therefore take heed how you hear. For whosoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him” (Luke 8:18).

Don't deceive yourself thinking that you can be a hearer only, that commitment and devotion to Christ is optional, that you can be saved and love someone or something more than Him, that you can live for something other than the Son. If He's saved you, then you love Him. Paul wrote plainly, “If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed when the Lord comes” (1 Cor 16:22).

Secondly, Do the Word of God - “Do It” (vs19-21)

His mother and brothers were kept from Him by the size of the crowd, illustrating that no one has a special place in the kingdom because of who they are. It is only as we do His will that we get the EQUAL rights of the saints (Gal 3:26-28). One may have differing gifts, but we are all the children of God by faith, equally.

You have no rights because of who you are in the flesh. You stand in Christ's grace, by His work, and in His choosing you for life by the blood of His obedience. You don't stand in your heritage, nationality, wealth, or privilege. You don't stand because of you at all, and if we're in Christ, then we're one.

We must do the word of God to be disciples. He says, “My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it” (vs21). We have no privilege because we hear it, were raised under it, and can quote its mysteries. We are in the kingdom by obedience, and only the obedient have access to God by faith (James 1:22). Only obedient people are disciples. It is not the hearer but the DOER of the word who shall be saved. He is heard in prayer. He really believes grace.

Thirdly, We'll Get to “The Other Side of the Lake” (vs22-25)

We will make it to the other side, if we get in the boat with Jesus. The command comes with promise, “Let us cross over to the other side of the lake”, so that we won't try to get there, but we'll make it surely (vs22). If you and I believe, then we'll be saved, forgiven, recovered, and strengthened (Rom 10:9). Everything needed to make us obey - everything that is required - will be given to us. We won't trust Christ, getting in the boat by faith, and then perish because of storms and wind. He will be with us surely.

It is a command to get into the boat, and the promise is that all will be well.

We may feel forsaken, feel unworthy, and feel helpless, but He is with us (Josh 1:9). Come to Him. Your faith is small, doubts are humongous, and trials are real, but He HEARS you, receives you, and He does for us the miraculous and impossible, proving that He is God by the salvation that He gives. No trial will be more than He can handle!

When He speaks, He calms our fears and gives tremendous peace. I have meditated on, “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You”, so that God saves us by believing on Him amidst the trials of life (Is 26:3). He keeps us inwardly happy by revealing His eternal and faithful care, His love, atonement, and His grace to us. We have sinned, but He has forgiven it freely. We have squandered our lives, but He is with us now in His will. We have no strength, but we have the Almighty, our Helper, to do in us what must be done.

In all trials, there is a powerful and comforting God who reveals His love, and herein, we have peace the world can't see. Christ said, “the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. Peace”, by obedience, “I leave with you”. He continues “My peace”, the joy of obeying Christ, “I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you” in sin and rebellion, “Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:26-27).

He rebukes us for our good, warns us, teaches us, and does all things to bring us to see His glory. We are wise to believe, and He teaches us the fact of it now.

Character of Divine Manifestation - James Stark, D.D.

“If any man will love me, and keep my words, my Father will love him; and we will come to him, and make our abode with him (John 14:23)”.

It may be said - it has often been said - “Is it not a fact tht many true Christians are often without comfort, and enjoy but in a small degree the peace of God, which passes all understanding? Admitting the fact, the question naturally arises, “What is the state of their mind and heart in reference to Christ and his words, when they are in this condition?” Are they, having his word, loving him? Are they, loving him, keeping his saints? If they are, we deny that they are - that they can be - destitute of comfort, except from the influence of mental or bodily disease. We must never doubt the declaration of the faithful and true Witness - “If any man will love me, and keep my words, my Father will love him; and we will come to him, and make our abode with him”. These words are too plain to be misunderstood; and while none can misapprehend their meaning, who dare question their truth? With the exception already made, want of siritual comfort on the part of Christians, must be traced to deficient or mistaken views of the gospel- of the salvation of Christ- or of the way in which it is brought near to them as sinners, and is to be received by them; or to some prejudice against the way of salvation, in its abgsolute freedom, originating in these deficient and mistaken views, leading them to expect comfort from themselves, and not from the finished work of Christ clearly revealed in the Gospel, and to place that dependence on fluctuating feelings which can be safely rested only on eternal truth; or, finally, to the indulgence of some sinful affection, or the neglect of some duty - the commission of some sin. They are not keeping Christ’s word; and it is therefore that he does not manifest himself to them - that he does not come and make his abode with them. The fellowship with God and Christ, which yields comfort, must be fellowship in truth, and love, and holiness. If the Christian puts the psalmist’s question, “Oh, when will you come to me?” the words which follow suggest the answer - “Walk in a perfect way. He meets him that rejoices and works righteousness,” (Ps 101:2; Is 64:5). Live in faith, and let faith work by love. Hold fast the truth. Do not “hold it” - confine it - “in unrighteousness,” and you shall not lack comfort or peace.

Let Christians beware of ascribing their want of the manifestations spoken of in the text, merely or chiefly to Divine sovereignty. God’s sovereignty invariably harmonizes with his wisdom, righteousness, and benignity. But this would not be the fact if - after having declared that He is the rewarder of them who diligently seek Him - that He fills such persons with joy and peace in believing - that they who love his law have great peace - that He will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are stayed on Him - that they who wait on Him shall renew their strength - that to them who, having his word, love his Son, and loving his Son keep his commands, He will come and make his abode with them - if, after all this, He should yet, without any reason but sovereign will, withhold or withdraw peace, hope, and joy, from those who are seeking Him, trusting in Him, waiting on Him, keeping his word, and involve them in darkness, perplexity, and cheerless despondency. He affronts God who, even in thought, imputes such caprice to Him. No; though sovereign, He is not capricious. He never withholds - He never withdraws - without a reason, and a good one. And when a Christian loses his comfort, it is wise in him to inquire, Is there not a cause? And what is it?

The practical consequences of indulging these mistaken views, as to the cause of want of Christian comfort, to which we are adverting, are most injurious. They prevent us from looking into OUR OWN hearts and lives for the causes of the lack of spiritual comfort in the enjoyment of manifestations of the Savior, and the presence of the Father with us; and from using the APPROPRIATE means of having these causes removed; they teach us to look on God with an unkindly and jealous eye, as if He were treating us with undue severity; they lead us to regard the despondency, and perplexity, and terror, which are the natural and threatened effect of backsliding in heart or life from God, as afflictions imposed on us for our trial - under which we may confidently look both to Christ and to our brethren for compassion and sympathy, without any exposure of our sin, or reproofs for it - and they discourage faith in the truth, dependence on the Savior, and holy obedience, by representing them as not effectual for the purpose which they are certainly intended to serve as the open channel for the communication of peace and comfort to the soul.

Love Truth and Peace (Zech 8:19)

“Thus says the Lord of hosts; The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts; therefore love the truth and peace.”

Love truth and peace because the end result of the gospel and love towards each other is joy.

God has promised a salvation that saves His way, and He will give the peace through the means appointed. We have sinned, do all manner of evil, and yet, He is RETURNED to us in love. He says, “Thus says the Lord; I am RETURNED unto Zion”, and, “so will I save you”, so that He pardons the sins, promises prosperity, and compels us to abide in Christ, doing God’s will (Zech 8:3, 13). He says that I am with you now, and the result is going to be peace – “not as the world gives”, a halting false peace in delusions and bubbles soon to burst. No, He says, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world gives, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. You have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If you loved me, you would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I” (John 14:27-28).

His peace is in the gospel of the ascended Christ, the equal with God, who came down here to obey perfectly. He has risen, come back for us in the Spirit, and taught us the gospel of God, that His exaltation is our salvation, for He was raised to proclaim redemption through His blood and sits enthroned to bring to pass our eternal good, causing us to rejoice in Him because He’s put love for Christ in the heart. This peace, which God’s Son gives, quiets the storms and makes us bold in God, no matter what.

Therefore, live the way that God says - trusting Christ and loving others - and you will experience the “joy and gladness, and cheerful assemblies” of the gospel (Zech 8:19).

The gospel isn’t a fairy tale of words only, but it changes people, brings peace, love, and strength to the heart: it DELIGHTS us – “And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be you clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed” (Matt 8:3). It is real, and as we love because we are loved, speaking truth and forgiving sinners, God will give us the pleasure He has promised.

Therefore, look to Christ to SATISFY you, and don’t take the fools gold of this world – “For before these days there was no hire for man, nor any hire for beast; neither was there any peace to him that went out or came in because of the affliction: for I set all men every one against his neighbor” (Zech 8:10).

The world PROMISES peace, but you end up with GOD against you, and when this happens, no amount of praise and applause from Adam’s race can alleviate the horror that comes from God - “Therefore it is come to pass, that as he cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear, says the Lord of hosts: but I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations whom they knew not. Thus the land was desolate after them, that no man passed through nor returned: for they laid the pleasant land desolate.” (Zech 7:13).

Choose peace towards others and belief of the truth, and you will have joy as the result – “For thus says the Lord of hosts; As I thought to punish you, when your fathers provoked me to wrath, says the Lord of hosts, and I repented not: so again have I thought in these days to do well unto Jerusalem and to the house of Judah: fear you not” (Zech 8:14-15).