A Visit with the Joneses

Carol Jones Saint: Hello, hello there. Come right in to enjoy a special time of family devotions at home sweet home. We have a very special visit planned. Do you know any family, anyone who is going through some storms of life?

Of course, it seems like every family, our nation, and the world were going through terrible storms and tragedies and wars and death and on and on the list could go. Well, we have some wonderful thoughts to share with you about the storms of life which we all must face. Bert will be reading from Mark 4, so get your bibles open.

Bert: And to prepare our hearts for this message, let us turn together for family devotions to Mark chapter four. The Gospel of Mark chapter four, and we shall begin reading with verse 35. The Lord Jesus Christ had had a very, very busy day. And then we read in verse 35, "The same day when the even was come, Jesus saith unto them, let us pass over unto the other side."

"When the disciples had sent away the multitude, they took Jesus even as he was in the ship. And there were with him also other little ships. And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship so that it was now full. 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 you 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?'"

May the Lord add his blessing to this reading from his holy word. And now Carol comes to sing a beautiful song that describes this very passage of scripture, "Master, the Tempest is Raging." "Master, the Tempest is Raging."

There you have heard the passage of scripture read to you from the Bible, Mark chapter four. And then you have heard Carol sing the song that describes that passage of scripture. You should keep the scripture in mind because there is much here for us to consider. First, we find here the storm of circumstance. And there arose a great storm of wind.

It's good for us to remember that there are many storms on the sea of life. The storms of illness and pain, and the storms of financial problem, and worry about whether I will have a job or lose it tomorrow. The storms of sorrow and death and disappointment and heartache, the storms of separation when a dear one is called to leave home and go to serve on a distant shore. Many, many storms on the sea of life.

It is good to remember that even in this warlike world, there are storms of circumstance that come to all people. Not only many storms, but they come to everybody. Remember in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told about two houses. A storm came, one house stood and the other fell. But not because one house missed the storm. Both houses went through the same storm. One stood because it was founded on the rock, one fell when it was founded on sand alone.

I think it's good for us to remember as we think of the storms of circumstance on the sea of life, Christianity does not do away with the storms. There are certain people who would almost lead you to believe that if you just become a Christian, you'll never have another storm. But that's not what the New Testament teaches. That's not what the Old Testament teaches. Christian faith does not do away with the storms.

Christianity does not necessarily provide an escape from every storm. Sometimes it does, but not always. But our Christian faith provides strength in the storm. And there's the difference. Strength in the storm that allows us to hear the voice of God say, "My grace is sufficient for thee." Therefore, we need to lower an anchor of faith to grip the rock that will hold steady in times like these.

In the Bible, we read of a man named Noah, who prepared for a coming storm. It was going to be the worst storm the world had ever heard about. But in that ark he was commanded to build, he also was commanded to build an upper window. An upper window through which he could always catch a glimpse of the Lord.

Now, that should help someone in the midst of the storms of circumstance. But this passage of scripture also speaks to us of the fear of conditions. Jesus said to the disciples, "Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?" It is the most natural thing in the world for human beings to fear the storm. We fear the conditions of life. And you have a right to be fearful. You have a right to fear the conditions of life.

If a dear one is being called to serve in a distant area where there may be serious gunfire and land battles and air battles and loss of life, you have a right to fear. Your mind certainly is given you to think and to be a thinking person and to sense the fears there are in life. And yet in reality, for the Christian, there should be no real fear down deep in the heart, for Christ has banished fear.

He has banished our greatest reasons for fear. First, he has banished sin. Jesus Christ went to the cross and he died for you and me, and he lives, the resurrected Christ, to win the victory over sin. And that means we can know forgiveness and cleansing and we have no fear of sin. Furthermore, he has won the victory over death. The victory over death won by his death on the cross and the resurrection as he says, "I am the resurrection and the life."

Therefore, to the one who knows Jesus Christ, in spite of the fear of conditions, which is perfectly natural, Christ says to us, even as he said to the disciples, "Why are ye so fearful?" In other words, don't you realize I'm here? Don't you realize I'm on board?

My father used to tell us often from his experience of living as a young person along the sea, an old saying of the sea that says, "If the pilot has come on board, why should the captain pace the deck?" Now for those of us who live inland far away from the sea, maybe a better explanation. If the pilot has come on board, why should the captain pace the deck?

You see, for instance, when a great ship comes to New York Harbor, or when a ship from some distant place comes to the Erie Harbor. That ship that may come from Brazil or from China or from India, that ship does not attempt to come into Erie Harbor with the knowledge of the pilot from that foreign country. Instead, as they approach the entrance to Erie Harbor or New York Harbor or any other great harbor in the world, the ship will stop and radio for a pilot to come. A pilot from the local area. A pilot who is called the harbor master.

They take on board the harbor master from the local port. He knows every rock and reef, he knows every reef and shoal, he knows every spot where the channel should be and every spot where the channel's washed away. And so the local pilot comes on board and he brings the foreign vessel safely into port. Thus the saying, "If the pilot has come on board, why should the captain pace the deck?"

I think so often in the midst of the fear of conditions that you and I have, the Lord Jesus Christ says to us, even as he said that night to the disciples, "If I'm on board, why should you keep pacing the deck?" Oh, how good to have faith in the midst of the storm because we have known that faith in the midst of the calm. And we hear him say, "Fear thou not."

But then in this passage of scripture, we also have the message of the peace of the Christ. For we read that Jesus arose when they awakened him and he rebuked the wind and he said, "Peace, be still." Oh, my friend, in the midst of the storm of circumstances and in the face of our human fear of conditions, the Master speaks, "Peace, be still."

It's interesting to note that before he left and ascended into heaven, the Lord used the message of peace so often. For instance, before he went to the cross, in the upper room, he said to his disciples, John 14:27, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you, not as the world giveth give I unto you." You see, the world's peace is very temporary and at best it fails. How many times have summit conferences and national meetings and conclaves among the United Nations nations, all of these fail so often. But his peace continues.

Then after the resurrection, the most frequent greeting of the resurrected Christ was "Peace. Peace." You and I need to hear the living Savior speak to our hearts, "Peace. Peace." And the words of Isaiah 26:3 come with beautiful meaning, "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace because he trusteth in thee."

Would you know the secret of perfect peace in the midst of a stormy day? Here it is: to know his presence in the calm is to know his peace in the storm. In the midst of a storm, it's hard to find peace. But to know his presence in the calm is then to know his peace in the storm.

I've seen it work. How well I remember the day Mother was told, suddenly in the midst of a lovely spring day, "Your husband has died." The one who was here and brought you breakfast just a few moments ago, he's gone. He will not be back.

Mother rested back her head on the pillow of the bed where she was lying because she was so sick that day and had been for a week or more. And suddenly, as if she had planned it for years, we heard her saying, "The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away." Perfect peace in the midst of the storm.

That peace did not come suddenly in the storm. No. It came because she knew his presence in the calm. And to know the presence of Jesus Christ in the calm is to know his peace in the storm. Do you have this sweet peace?

Perhaps this has been a very stormy week for you and for your family. Perhaps this week a doctor said, "Well, your husband has cancer," or "You have cancer," or "Your child has a terminal illness." Perhaps this week you heard the boss at work say, "The end of this week, the shop is closing. No more work. After 35 years."

Perhaps it's been a stormy week. I don't know the kind of a storm, but I do know the peace that Jesus can give to you in the midst of the storm. Remember to know his presence in the calm is to know his peace in the storm. In the midst of the storm of circumstance and the fear of conditions, I hope you know the peace of the Christ. Let us pray.

Our Father, we pray that this hour this scripture shall have special meaning to someone. And someone who has never known the peace of the Savior, the peace of the Christ in the midst of the storm and the face of the fear of conditions, may this hour find Jesus Christ and know his peace.

Be with that one for whom all of life has tumbled in this week because the dearest one on earth has died or has been called away. Give that one thy peace for Jesus' sake, amen.

Carol Jones Saint: It has been a special joy to have you visiting at home sweet home for this time of family devotions. You know our world has been going through so many difficult problems and times in the last, well, take back to 9/11 and then all the times of war and death and tragedy and just so many terrible things in the world and in our nation and in every home. And so we are praying that the message of this visit has been of help and inspiration to you.

I would like to mention that if you would like copies of either my mother's song, "In Times Like These," or the song which Ruth sang just a little bit ago about having peace in your heart, if you would just write and let us know, we would be more than happy to get free copies of the songs to you.

You can either write us email via the email at visitjoneses@aol.com or our mailing address, Post Office Box 575, Erie, Pennsylvania, and the zip code 16512. If you say you would like "In Times Like These" and the song about peace, I'll know which ones that you mean, and they can be of real help and comfort to you.

You know we do have many expenses in this radio ministry, and any gifts to the ministry are tax deductible. They should be written to the legal name, A Visit with the Joneses. visitjoneses@aol.com or Box 575, Erie.

As we come to the close of this visit, I think it would just be good for us all to join in and sing, "In Times Like These You Need a Savior." Bill Pen is playing his trombone, Nyla's at the organ, and you sing right along. Goodbye.