Mark. 8 Verses 34 to 38
[36] For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? [37] Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
Prov. 3 Verses 5 to 6
[5] Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. [6] In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Fighting against the plan of God is pointless. “There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan / that can succeed against the LORD” (Proverbs 21:30). This is why the Tower of Babel was never completed (Genesis 11:1-9), why Daniel’s detractors were thrown to the lions (Daniel 6:24), why Jonah spent time inside a fish (Jonah 1:17)
These five men that perished on the Titan Submersible relied on equipment that failed. What happens in an implosion? “When a submarine hull collapses, it moves inward at about 1,500mph (2,414km/h) - that's 2,200ft (671m) per second, says Dave Corley, a former US nuclear submarine officer. Human bodies incinerate and are turned to ash and dust instantly.” They become vaporized.
And Psalm 39: 11 confirms this: " Surely every man is vapor.” “We are not to boast about tomorrow. Our lives are a "vapor.". " Come now, you who say, ' Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away." (James 4: 13-14).
Their destiny is destruction” (Philippians 3:18-19). “This is the fate of those who trust in themselves” (Psalm 49:13). Each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.” “A man’s own folly ruins his life, / yet his heart rages against the LORD” (Proverbs 9:3). This is a very insightful verse. When a man foolishly wrecks his life, he may yet insist on blaming God, or perhaps “Fate.” In this way, he persists in his folly.
What do you think when the unthinkable happens? We read in Isaiah 1:18a, “Come, now, let us reason together. . .” While this verse declares God’s ability to cleanse us from sin, it also teaches in principle about His willingness to reason with the crown of His creation, within reason. Isaiah further exhorts, “Seek the Lord while He may be found, / Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, / And the unrighteous man his thoughts; / Let him return to the Lord, / And He will have mercy on him; / And to our God, / For He will abundantly pardon. ‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, / Nor are your ways My ways,’ says the Lord. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, / So are My ways higher than your ways, / And My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:6-9). We read in Isaiah 26:3, “You will keep him in perfect peace, / Whose mind is stayed on You, / Because he trusts in You.”
The focus of our reading, as someone explains, is “about that other ‘unsinkable ship’—the frail boat on the Sea of Galilee, unsinkable because the Master of land and sea was asleep on a pillow in the after part of the vessel. Thank God He still lives and rides the billows and controls the storms, and when the children of men take their only true Pilot back on board, we will ride out the present storms and He will bring the vessel through to the fair harbor of our hopes.”
We read in Mark 4:35-41, “On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, ‘Let us cross over to the other side.’ Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, ‘Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?’ Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace, be still!’ And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, ‘Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?’ And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, ‘Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!’”
Russell L. Kelfer (1933-2000) Into His Likeness, explains, “His message was about another unsinkable ship— a tiny frail fishing boat, which was being tossed and beaten upon the waters of the Sea of Galilee. This one was unsinkable because there was asleep on a pillow in the after part of the vessel, the Master of land and sea— His name was Jesus.
What a comfort to know that it isn't the size of the ship or the value of its cargo that guarantees its safety through life's waters. It is the credentials of the captain that assures its safety. For there is nothing in life of less value than a ship that leaves the harbor with fanfare and festivities, with high hopes and elevated expectations; with pomp and circumstance and promoted promises, but never reaches its destination. Somewhere along the way the contrary winds begin to blow, and the ferocious waves of life begin to beat against it, and suddenly down into the frantic waters it goes, taking cargo and crew to a watery grave, burying with it all those dreams and all of those promises.”
We read in Hebrews 4:14-16, “Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses but be in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us, therefore, come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
Many all over the globe have been fascinated, and are now grieved, at the news of the implosion of the submarine carrying 5 men seeking to view the Titanic wreckage.
Please forgive me if I'm commenting too early during a time of grieving. But time is of the essence. I see key lessons here that you and I need to share with our neighbors, as the media continues to focus on this tragedy. I have heard people say that the Lord has allowed this tragedy, despite the many prayers, so that we will rightfully focus on Him, Almighty God, the Creator, the giver of life. We're also to focus on the Good News, the gospel of Yeshua the Messiah, Jesus the Christ, by which we have an opportunity to reject the world and instead choose eternal life with Him before we die. The time is short before His soon return.
We are not to boast about tomorrow. Our lives are a "vapor." And those five in the submarine vaporized as the vessel imploded. " Come now, you who say, ' Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away." (James 4: 13-14).
Those five men now are lost souls, adding to the 1,300 or more who were lost on the Titanic over a century ago.
These recent five relied on equipment that failed. Question: did they rely earlier on the Risen Christ? Had they repented and come into His Kingdom? Were they converted, truly born again? Were they saved from an eternity without Him?
Several aboard reportedly were billionaires. Make the voyage costs $250,000 a person. In that sense, they had "gained the whole world." One can be wealthy and be a Christian, seeding into Christian ministries. But our Lord Yeshua/ Jesus makes a vital point for each of us: " Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man will also be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels." (Mark 8: 34-38)
One other point. There were five in that vessel. The number five and vessels point us to the key parable in Matthew 25: 1-13, the Wise and Foolish Virgins. It's worth reviewing His Word, here in the amplified version:
Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.
Five of them were foolish (thoughtless, without forethought) and five were wise (sensible, intelligent, and prudent).
For when the foolish took their lamps, they did not take any [extra] oil with them.
But the wise took flasks of oil along with them [also] with their lamps.
While the bridegroom lingered and was slow in coming, they all began nodding their heads, and they fell asleep.
But at midnight there was a shout, Behold, the bridegroom! Go out to meet him!
Then all those virgins got up and put their own lamps in order.
And the foolish said to the wise, give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.
But the wise replied, 'There will not be enough for us and for you; go instead to the dealers and buy for yourselves.'
But while they were going away to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were prepared went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut.
Later the other virgins also came and said, Lord, Lord, open [the door] to us!
But He replied, I solemnly declare to you, I do not know you [I am not acquainted with you].
Watch, therefore [give strict attention and be cautious and active], for you know neither the day nor the hour when the Son of Man will come.
Did you know you have an enemy who wants to target you? He wants to hit you at the right place at the right time. He’s hanging around at your port, listening to your words. If you’ve been struggling with the same sickness, disease, financial trouble, or relationship woes, the likely culprit behind your current struggles is your very own mouth. Now it’s time to make a change!
“Mordecai Ham used to say that the sinking of the Titanic in 1912 was God's object lesson to America, but we never learned it. Many ships have gone down, but that this 'unsinkable' masterpiece of shipbuilding should go down on its first trip and that simply encountering a massive hunk of ice, still seems uncanny - not just an accident -- but an event accompanied by strange and sinister circumstances that allow no explanation. We are living in an hour when we seem to be on a toboggan slide out of control, worshipers of ourselves in the putridity of this age of humanism. 'Judgment day' and 'the end of the world’ have disappeared from our vocabulary. The remedies for the world's troubles proposed by experts are pitiful. Recently, I heard the observation that the remedies offered for our malignancy are about as sensible as changing chairs on the deck of the sinking Titanic. One day each man must face death whether he likes it or not. The Scriptures envision judgment day and heaven and hell. We have a date with destiny and an appointment with the Almighty. Every person has such an hour in God's Book whether he has noted it or not. We could be nearing that time, and only faith in the Christ who believed it and taught it can save us. Any effort to arrange for eternal life otherwise is like changing deck chairs on a sinking Titanic."
Paul the apostle writes in Galatians 5:16-26, “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such, there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.” [Emphasis mine]
Do you have an unsinkable relationship? From Romans 8:28-39 we read, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to conform to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died and is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, or sword? As it is written: ‘For Your sake, we are killed all day long; / We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.’ Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Are you a part of an unsinkable fellowship? Jesus Christ says, in Matthew 16:18b, “On this rock, I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” We desire to be a part of “The Fellowship of the Unashamed” and “The church within the church”.
Are you partnering in unsinkable stewardship? We read in 1 John 2:15-17, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.” Are you wasting, spending, or investing your time, talents, and treasures? Under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, we will give an account of our life to Him.
May we heed the warning of the unsinkable ship. We must use wisdom and discernment, stop jumping on every bandwagon that shows up, and stop running after the church in-crowd or the world in-crowd. Stop it with the itching ears. We know what happened to the people who followed Jim Jones, itching ears, worshipping man and not God. Worshipping people, places, and things will get us in trouble, it will also get us killed. When you lean on your own understanding, the enemy will set you up to set you up, and people will try to sell you a bag of goods. Listen, God's guidance never fails.
This is a very complex issue, and we will start with what the Bible does not teach. Fate is usually thought of as a predetermined course of events beyond human control. A typical response to a belief in fate is resignation—if we can’t change destiny, then why even try? Whatever happens, happens, we can’t do anything about it. This is called “fatalism,” and it is not biblical.
Fate and Destiny - Our Free Will
The Bible teaches that Man was created with the ability to make moral choices and that he is responsible for those choices. The Fall of Man was not a predetermined event in which Adam and Eve were hapless victims of a Puppet-Master God. On the contrary, Adam and his wife had the ability to choose obedience (with its attendant blessing) or disobedience (with its consequent curse). They knew what the result of their decision would be, and they were held accountable. (Genesis 3).
Often, when the Bible speaks of destiny, it’s in reference to a destiny people have brought upon themselves: “Many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction” (Philippians 3:18-19). “This is the fate of those who trust in themselves” (Psalm 49:13). “When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.”
“A man’s own folly ruins his life, / yet his heart rages against the LORD” (Proverbs 19:3). This is a very insightful verse. When a man foolishly wrecks his life, he may yet insist on blaming God, or perhaps “Fate.” In this way, he persists in his folly.
Fate and Destiny - God’s Sovereignty
Lest we get the wrong idea, we are not the sovereign masters of our fate. Only God is sovereign. His sovereign control is called “providence.” He has chosen to give us free will, and He has created a moral universe in which the law of cause and effect is a reality. But God is God alone, and there are no “accidents” in the universe.
An all-wise, all-powerful God must have a plan, so it should be no surprise that the Bible speaks of a divine plan. God’s plan, since it belongs to God, is holy, wise, and benevolent. The providence of God is working to bring about His original plan for creation.
God speaks in Isaiah 48:3, “I foretold the former things long ago, / my mouth announced them and I made them known; / then suddenly I acted, and they came to pass.” What God announces, He does (and He may announce it centuries ahead of time!).
Fighting against the plan of God is pointless. “There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan / that can succeed against the LORD” (Provers 21:30). This is why the Tower of Babel was never completed (Genesis 11:1-9), why Daniel’s detractors were thrown to the lions (Daniel 6:24), why Jonah spent time inside a fish (Jonah 1:17), and why I get in trouble when I sin.
Even what we would normally call “chance” or “fate” is under God’s control. “The lot is cast into the lap, / but it's every decision is from the LORD” (Proverbs 16:33). In other words, God does not take a “hands-off” approach to running the world.
Everything that happens in the world is made to work out according to God’s purpose. Evil exists, but it is not allowed to thwart God’s providence. God uses even sinful men for His purposes. God’s plan includes a reward for those who trust in Him, and He promises to glorify His children. “We speak of God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. As it is written: ‘No eye has seen, / no ear has heard, / no mind has conceived / what God has prepared for those who love him’” (1 Corinthians 2:7-9). Note the use of the word destined in this passage—and that it’s a destiny based on our love for the Lord.
Fate and Destiny - An Individual Plan
David recognized that the Lord had a plan for him. “Your eyes saw my unformed body. / All the days ordained for me / were written in your book / before one of them came to be” (Psalm 139:16). Because of this knowledge, David sought the Lord’s specific guidance in many situations, such as in 1Samuel 23:9-12).
Fate and Destiny - Putting It All Together
In (Acts: 9), Jesus appears to Saul of Tarsus with an interesting statement: “It is hard for you to kick against the goads” (verse 5). Jesus had a plan for Saul, and Saul had been (painfully) resisting it. Exercising our freedom against God’s plan can be painful.
Later, Jesus tells Saul that a man named Ananias would come to visit —and then Jesus tells Ananias (verses 11-12)! Jesus had a pre-arranged plan for Ananias as well. Now, Ananias didn’t want to visit Saul (verses 13-14). He could have been like Jonah and run the other way. If that had been his choice, God would have had a “fish” prepared to bring him back. Fortunately, Ananias obeyed (verse 17). Exercising our freedom to follow God’s plan brings a blessing.
In summary, the Bible teaches that God is in charge. At the same time, He has given us the freedom to obey or disobey Him, and there are some things that God does only in answer to prayer (James 4:2).
God blesses the obedient, and He is patient with those who disobey, even to the point of seeming laxity. He has a plan for our lives, which includes our joy and His glory both in this world and in the world to come. Those who accept Christ as Savior have accepted God’s plan (John 14:6)). From then on, it’s a step-by-step following of God’s best for us, praying for His will to be done (Matthew 6:10), and avoiding the sidetrack of sin (Psalm 32: 1-11; 119:59. (Hebrews 12:1-2
Blessings
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