Joseph Prince - Discovering The Sea of Galilee
Here we are, at the Sea of Galilee, where many of our Lord’s miracles took place. And you’re looking at the same sea that our Lord would look at. A lot of it’s unchanged. Of course, the mountain, mount Arbel, right over there, and all the way here, heading north. Together, we’re gonna see what the Lord has for us, for his now-work for you, and it’s a great fun-filled, wonderful, revelatory day for all of us. We’re gonna see Jesus, most of all. Come. Follow me.
So, here we are at the Sea of Galilee, looking at just a simple boat ride across the lake. But this is the very lake where we see so many miracles happen in the gospels. I want to particularly share with you, because I always believe in a rhema word for the audience. And, perhaps, you are going through some things that, because of the events that happened 2,000 years ago, Jesus, being the same yesterday, today, and forever, will answer that need.
So, as we behold Jesus more and more, because to behold him is always to be transformed to be like him. See, we’re not transformed by our efforts. We’re not transformed by our discipline. We are transformed by beholding the glory of the Lord. So, the Spirit of God transforms us as we behold. If we’re not beholding him, he has no material to work with. Because the Holy Spirit works with us as we behold Christ. The Bible says we are transformed from glory to glory, even by the spirit of the Lord. So, let’s look at our Lord Jesus and what happened, here, all those years ago that still speaks to us today. Because the Lord is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Now, if you look at the Sea of Galilee, right where we are, let me just give you the orientation. Over to my right is Capernaum, the town of Jesus, where, again, he did so many miracles. He staunched the blood issue of that woman that came behind him and touched the hem of his garment. And he raised Jairus' daughter from the dead, there. And there, he called Matthew, the tax collector, to be his disciple.
So many things happened, right over here, to my right, in Capernaum. And, right across is Gadara, the place where Jesus cast out all those demons. I’m gonna share a segment of the story that happened when Jesus was teaching on the parable of the sower, because the events took place right after he taught the parable of the sower. Now, in the parable of the sower, our Lord Jesus talks about that he sows the word, and the word is received by different hearts, four types of ground. But we look at the first one, because there’s a lesson here for all of us to learn from. He says that when the word is sown into the heart, and if the person does not understand the word, doesn’t have a Revelation of the word, satan comes immediately to steal the word.
And that’s exactly what happened, right after he finished the seven parables, including the parable of the sower. He says to his disciples, «Let us go over to the other side». Now, the other side, for the Jewish people, is actually the place of the gentiles. «Let us go over…» Note these very words that he used: «Let us go over to the other side». Now, he said «Go over:» he didn’t say «Go under».
So, if the disciples would have taken the parable of the sower seriously, and, when he taught them that for those who don’t bear fruit, no results coming out of their lives is because they don’t understand the word, what would they have done? They would have meditated on the word. And that’s the key to success in receiving the word preach. It’s not enough just for us to receive the word: we need to meditate on it. So, what did Jesus say over here? «Let us go over to the other side». So, you can meditate on the word. Every word has significance. Every word is crackling with his power and his divine virtue. So, they would say, «Let us go over…» They would meditate on it. «Let us go over. Let us go over». And, later on, in the parable, it says, «When satan comes», all right, «To steal the word».
Note that satan’s objective is always to steal the word from your heart. Perhaps, you are facing a challenge, right now, and you have marital difficulties, or some parenting challenges: or you have a problem struggling with some addiction, or depression. My friend, the Lord Jesus wants you to meditate on this word. Because our minds always focused on our troubles, and we have a pessimistic point of view, and we’re stuck living darker and darker in our thoughts, the Lord wants you to come out of it. And the first way out of it, like, the Bible says it’s finally whatever one thinks of: virtue, things of good report. Think on these things.
So, let’s take the words of Jesus. Right at the end of the parable, he told the disciples: «Let us go over to the other side». That’s the only thing he said: «Let us go over to the other side,» the side of Gadara. And, immediately, right after he said that, he fell asleep in the hinder part of the boat. And these experienced fishermen started bringing the boat to the other side, but, the Bible tells us there was a great storm, not just a storm. A windstorm, a megastorm, in the Greek. It was a huge storm. But, nothing woke Jesus. He was in peace.
The same peace that he wants to give to you, the peace that passes human understanding or comprehension. The peace of God: the peace that he left behind in the upper room the night before he was crucified. He says: «Peace I leave with you. My peace I bequeath. The same peace you saw me operating in when I was asleep in the midst of a storm, that peace, my peace, not as the world gives, I bequeath, I give, to you». What’s our part? He says: «Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid». So, our part is through «Let not». So, I cannot «Let not» for you. Your pastor cannot «Let not» for you. Only you can «Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid».
So, there’s a difference: you can be troubled, but not be afraid, or, you can be afraid and not troubled. But, it all starts with being troubled. Don’t be troubled. Don’t allow your heart to be troubled. You know, I believe that the Lord’s saying to us: if you keep your heart, I will keep everything outside. You don’t have to worry about everything that’s outside you. Your circumstances and things that aren’t going the way you want them to go, and things that seem to be at odds against you, and you’re being challenged. The devil wants you to be focused on all these things. But the Lord, Christ in you, the hope of glory, wants you to just guard your heart. He says: don’t worry about guarding your children: don’t worry about guarding your finances: don’t worry about guarding your marriage. You don’t have to worry about all these areas. Let me take care of them. You just guard one thing: let not your heart be troubled.
Guard your heart, and I’ll guard everything else in your life. And it actually seems easy, right? Yet, you know, it’s the most difficult thing for us to do. And the Lord gave me a vision some years ago that whenever I let go, he takes over. His strong hands take over. And when you let go in your mind. But every time I worry, I’m anxious for something, and I wallow in those thoughts, those hard thoughts about God, and… I’m actually, in effect, holding onto it. Now, God will respect you. If you wanna hold onto it, he will back off. He cannot take over when you are holding on. Like to Moses before the Red Sea: «Moses, stand still». Let go. Relax. Let go and let God. Amen.
So, the very first thing for us to do is to rest in that. And then, Jesus demonstrated that he took a nap. And there was a storm that rose in the midst of this lake. And the disciples, and these experienced fishermen, and they were so afraid. They caused their hearts to be troubled, and they were worried, and they were afraid. And they went to the Lord and this is what they said: «Lord, don’t you care that we perish»? Instead of just saying, «Save me».
Notice the root of their fear. Their troubles, their worries, and their anxieties came out by saying, «Lord, don’t you care»? And, sometimes, here in our hearts, if we are honest, we’ll think of our Lord with hard thoughts. Instead of the Lord being compassionate, loving, powerful, to come in and intervene in the affairs of our life, because he loves us, we ask the question: Lord, do you care? Do you really care about what I’m going through? Do you really care about this situation? Are you so high and glorious that you can’t even pay attention to my little needs.
Well, friend, there’s nothing too little. He says even the hairs of your head are all numbered. So, if the disciples took seriously the parable of the sower, right now, satan is causing that storm. Satan’s causing that wind to sweep over the lake. And, what’s the purpose of satan? Well, in the parable, again, Jesus said he comes to steal the word from people who don’t understand, from people who are not meditating on it. Because to meditate on it is to hold onto it. So, you hold onto the Word of God. Like God told Joshua: «Meditate on my word day and night». And what’s gonna happen? «You’ll make your way prosperous and you will have good success».
I noticed many years ago, while reading the scriptures of meditation, that success, the Hebrew word «Tsalach», prosperity, success is tied up with meditation. Psalms 1: «His delight is in the law of the Lord. And in his law doth him meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree that’s planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth his fruit in his season. His leaf also shall not wither». You know, the leaves of the tree, in the Book of Revelation, is a type of healing.
It says, in Revelation 22:2, that the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. When it says the one who meditates on God’s word, his leaf will always be green, his leaf shall not wither, that means you’ll be evergreen. He’ll keep you young. He’ll keep you strong. He’ll keep you healthy. And whatsoever, notice that. The same thing in Joshua 1:8, God’s promise to Joshua: «You meditate on my word day and night, you will make your way prosperous and you will have good success». And here in Psalms 1: «His delight is in the law of the Lord. In his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted». Not a tree that’s growing, you know, by itself in the wild. But «Planted» means it’s cared for. It’s planted by someone who cares for it.
So, you’ll be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth your fruit in your season. And the word, there, is in the «Kairos» moment, in the Greek, the septuagint version of the Old Testament, as well as Hebrew «Moed,» which is the «Kairos» word for, in Hebrew, «Moed». Kairos is a divine opportunity, a moment given that’s a moment of favor. And the Bible says you’re gonna bring forth fruit, in that kairos, in that moed moment. It goes on to say, and this, I love this part here, the result, it’s amazing, «Whatsoever he doeth shall prosper». Now, don’t limit God’s word. When God says «Whatsoever,» it means whatsoever. «Whatsoever he doeth shall prosper».
For those who live this life of meditating on God’s word, God says: I’ll take care of all your worries and cares on the outside. You just guard your heart and meditate on my word, day and night. Just keep focus on the word. You can’t sleep at night? If the devil’s keeping you away with worries and cares, just take that as an opportunity for you to meditate on God’s word. Get a word that speaks to you from the word. And just meditate on that word. Roll it around your mind. The word for «Meditate» in the Hebrew is «Hagah». «Hagah» is to mutter, speak to yourself in undertones. Just speak to yourself.
So, the disciples, if they had listened to Jesus' parable and they saw what the Lord was trying to teach them, and then, that evening of the same parable, when he preached it earlier, he had a physical demonstration of what he thought, and seeing whether they understood. He said: «Let us go over to the other side». Now, he didn’t meditate on that word: «We are going over». When the storm arose, and satan comes to steal the word, they will say: «No, he said 'let us go over, ' not 'let us go under.'» I cannot go under for going over. And he said, «Let us go over…» Where? To the other side. You’ll make it, and you’ll make it prosperously. Amen. But instead of that, they allowed their hearts to be troubled. They were fearful, and satan stole the word from their hearts. And they went to Jesus. And all these are hard thoughts, now, of Jesus. «Don’t you care that we perish»?
And it’s amazing, folks. Jesus did not wake up because of the storm. He did not wake up because of the winds that swept through the reeds, I mean, through the sea. He slept through the entire thing. What woke him up? The cry of his disciples. It’s like a mother to think of a baby, in the midst of a storm and howling winds. She doesn’t get up. But when the baby cries, just whimpers, the mother’s up. The Lord is like that. He hears the cries of his people in the midst of a storm. And the Lord got up, he looked at the winds and the waves. He rebuked the winds and the waves. And he says: «Peace! Be still». And then, he turned around, and the Bible says there was a perfect calm.
The word there is «A great calm». Megacalm. Just like there was a megastorm, now there’s a megacalm, just like, perhaps, like what we see, right now. But megacalm is more calm than this. And they look at him and say: «What kind of man is this? What manner of man is this that even the winds obey him»? And the Lord turned to them and said: «Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith»? See, he expected them to have faith. He expected them not to be fearful. Why? Because he taught them how to hold onto the word, to meditate on the word, let satan come and steal the word from their hands.
So, after rebuking the winds and the waves on the outside, he proceeded to rebuke the storm in their hearts. Because that’s where it all starts. And it says: «Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith»? Amen? Of all the things the Lord said, you know, people think that: «He’s looking at my good works, and my behavior, and all that».
Listen, friend, grace is all about heart transformation. It’s not about behavior modification. It all starts with your heart. And if you meditate on God’s word, God’s word will go deeper into your heart. Amen. «Let us go over». «I’m going over to the other side». Yes, you’ll make it through this storm. Yes, the Lord will be with you. It might seem as if he does not care, but he cares, my friend. Because he’s with you in the same boat. He never leaves you, nor forsakes you. You don’t have to go to him and say, «Don’t you care, Lord»? But meditate on his word. And, he’s always there to hear every cry in your heart. Maybe it’s time, this kairos moment, this divine opportunity for you to put your trust in the Lord, and to set your heart on his word, to meditate on his word.
Become a meditator of God’s word. The results are amazing. Even in the New Testament, it says: meditate upon these things. «Give thyself wholly to them, that thy profiting…» I like the word «Profiting», don’t you? «That thy profiting may appear to all». Amen? Again, it shows that your outward prosperity is tied up with your meditating hagah, on the Word of God. Meditate on his word, day and night, amen? And you don’t have time to be worried, or fearful, or anxious, as long as your mind is on his word. All the way from the Sea of Galilee comes this word of the Lord to you. «Peace. Be still. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid».