Mark 4:35 – And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side.

Mark 4:36 – And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships.

Mark 4:37 – And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.

Mark 4:38 – And he 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?

Mark 4:39 – 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.

Mark 4:40 – And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?

Hello readers, hope you’re going well today. Jesus said to his disciples, let us pass over unto the other side. He’d just preached quite a sermon about a sower who sowed the seed of the word of God. After this teaching and preaching, Jesus said, let us go over to the other side.

Believing the gospel brings about a new life that has a journey and a destination. No sooner had he taught them about the word of God and the different kinds of receiving of that word that we all have, then the same day he says let’s go over to the other side, and they hop into the ship to go over.

They start going over, and out of nowhere a storm rolls in, the ship starts filling up, and they can’t find Jesus anywhere. I’ve done a blog on the other side before, but in this blog I want to focus on the part of Jesus asleep in the hinder part of the ship.

So often Jesus seems to be asleep in our lives. Where is he in my life. I say that I’m saved and I go around with the name of a Christian, but there’s no evidence of him, there’s no reality of him, it’s really just spiritually dead life. You see, we get on the journey with Jesus Christ, and he ends up in the hinder part of the ship of our life.

We get distracted, we’re drawn away by lusts, we’re obsessed with our work and our sports, we have interests and hobbies, by and by he is just relegated to the back of our ship. But at least he was actually on board right, if you go the journey of life without Jesus on board, without being in the same ship as him… you’ll end up at the bottom.

Getting saved puts you in the same ship as Jesus  Christ. That’s where relationship and fellowship come from… note the “ship” part of those words. So often people live like they’re not aboard with Jesus Christ… because they’re not aboard with him. They can’t get on board with him because they don’t believe. They’ve already struck out at the parable of the sower, there was no good soil there for the word of God to produce new life and prosper.

So really you have to make sure of this thing first… maybe you’re trying to go to the other side in your life… but you’re doing it without Jesus Christ. Is Jesus aboard in your life? Have you been saved? Many people decide to do life themselves, they never get on board with Jesus Christ.

Believing the word of God is what puts you on board with Jesus, and thus a new journey begins. A journey of life that might hit a few storms, but those storms are to verify, test and prove our faith, to show us what it’s all worth. You don’t tend to value something that hasn’t gone through a little fire.

There is no other side for you if you’re not saved. People are always looking for the other side to their life, but they’re trying to get there, and can never get there without Jesus. There’s an other side to a life of unbelief, a life of sin, a life of rejecting Jesus Christ. There is also an other side to Christianity when you do get saved, a life where you impact others for Jesus Christ.

We are living in uncertain times for sure. That glassy lake is getting a bit choppy, and there’s troubled waters ahead. We’ve had it pretty good in the time and hour we live in, most of us anyway. We’ve enjoyed freedom, quality of life, and blessings many of which are due to our predecessors.

However you started out, Jesus has ended up in the back of your ship asleep. And now your life is taking on water and you’re going down. If God is the most High… and he is… why do we live like he’s not the most High in our lives? So often our priorities in life are all wrong. The word of God has been choked out, strangled by the affairs of this life and by our sinful waywardness and rebellion.

It’s funny how it takes tough times for us to go looking for Jesus. How many people blame God when things go wrong when they’ve lived a life rejecting God and enjoying all his grace on their lives, but when things go awry… where are you God?

So often we can get to feeling God doesn’t care about us. They said to Jesus… carest not that we perish? Think about that question. John 3:16 – For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. The whole point of Jesus Christ being there was so they wouldn’t perish, and they’re asking him, don’t you care that we perish?

Jesus had said we’re going over to the other side. And a storm blows in and turns out they didn’t really believe what Jesus had said. How quickly we get blown off course in our lives. And next we’re asking God stupid questions and accusing him of not caring for us.

Maybe Jesus is sleeping on you in your life. Your life is just empty religion. There’s no reality to it and you know it. You may live Christian, but there’s no quickening of the Holy Spirit, there’s no life, your life is withered up like that branch that doesn’t abide in the vine. It’s funny how we can live with him asleep in the hinder part… and we’re happy to have it like that.

They only needed him when they were at last resort. The ship was full of water. How much water does your life need to take on board before you go running to Jesus Christ? Where’s the tipping point to your life of sin? How low is sin going to take you before you finally go to Jesus Christ for salvation and deliverance from them?

Maybe they tried waiting the storm out, they tried baling some water, Jesus had come to them one night on the sea and they were rowing against a contrary wind. We’re likely to exhaust all other options before we seek Jesus Christ for the solution to our stormy problem.

The Bible says the just shall live by faith. The Bible says without faith it is impossible to please God. Life’s journey takes faith. The power of God was on that ship, power to calm the storm. It’s not our job or in our capacity to calm the storm and do God’s job for him. We are only required to trust in the Lord and trust what he’s said. This life’s journey only requires us to trust in he who has all power in heaven and earth.

Just how at the back of your life is Jesus Christ? Is he sleeping on you? Life is much better with him at the helm not in the hinder. God’s not the problem in your life… you are and I am. We are our own worst enemies. Life is a journey of faith, and Jesus doesn’t belong asleep in the hinder parts of your life’s journey. So often we can try and live Christian without Jesus Christ, we try and do life in our own strength, energy and understanding. And that’s why we fail, we can’t do it.

You know, life’s journey is as simple as this voyage. Get on board with Jesus Christ. And trust him, because he’s aboard and nothing is greater than him in what you have to face. Your life might take on a bit of water, storms might blow in and threaten your course, but trust in him.

Most problems in our life are because we’ve relegated Jesus to the back of our lives. Just you stay back there and don’t bother me Jesus. I’ve got this God. Maybe you’re even trying to do good things, you’re trying to go somewhere in life, but you’re doing it wrong, you’ve left faith, you’ve left your first love.

We need to make sure Jesus Christ is in our vessel, we need to make sure we are saved. We need to make sure we get on board with him with our direction and destination in life. This all happened in the same chapter as the parable of the sower, because God’s word is where it all starts, just believing his word and by faith setting on that journey. We need to get on board with him and stop trying to make him fit in our life and our journey and our destination.

There is an other side for your life and my life. But we are trying to get there with Jesus in the back, he’s my spare tyre, I only need him for emergencies. Peace will come in your life when you get him from hinder to helm… there is no peace until he is back at the center of our lives. It’s not much fun to do the lake journey with Jesus asleep. Maybe it’s time to awaken Jesus Christ in your life with the prayer of repentance, with the acknowledging of the truth.

Jesus did care that they perished, but they weren’t perishing, they just thought they were. It’s in the storm that we can’t seen any other side. How many people in the storms of life, and that storm is obscuring sight of the land on the other side. Well reader, with Jesus Christ, you’ll make land on the other side.

Believe him and trust him, stop looking at the waves and the circumstances and the impossibilities, go and call the Master and Lord of the boat, of your boat. Jesus Christ needs to be woken up in your life and in my life, and he needs to be at the helm… not being dragged along behind an empty profession and a spiritually devoid life.

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