Fourth Watch of the Night (shared by Jim Miller) referring to Matthew CH. 14:22 Sometimes the will of God leads us INTO storms. John Gill comments on this passage: “The first watch began at six o’clock in the evening, and lasted till nine; the second began at nine, and ended at twelve, which was midnight; the third began at twelve, and closed at three; the fourth began at three, and ended at six in the morning.” By evening (6:/7:00 pm) disciples were dispatched, crowd dismissed, Jesus begins climbing slope of a mountain to find a place to pray. Storm arises while they are in “the middle of the sea” [Mark 6.47] – i.e.,about four miles from shore. How long does it take to row four miles? Puts the time near midnight (10pm/12:00am), say around 11pm. This begs some questions: Why did Jesus wait until the fourth watch of the night (after 3:00 am) to respond to their prayers? Why didn’t he go to them immediately? Surely, they were praying. Surely he knew that they were in the storm. Apparently, Jesus’ delay in coming to them was intentional. The Lord had a lesson he wanted to teach them. But they were not ready. They had abandoned hope. Their faith had crashed. When they saw something coming toward them on the water, they had by then given up on the possibility that Christ would save the. the timing was wrong. It was “too late.” He would have answered before now. Surely he would not have left them in this scary place. But Jesus had sent them into the storm in the first place Very often you can expect Jesus to come to your rescue only after all other means of rescue are gone. The Fourth Watch represents those times of hopelessness and helplessness we all feel from time to time. The Disciples on the storm-ravaged Sea that night, by the fourth watch, were exhausted. 1. They were physically exhausted. They had fought the storm for, maybe, six hours. 2. Their prayers were exhausted. Surely, they had fervently prayed throughout their ordeal. 3. Their expectations were exhausted. Certainly, they had expected a more prompt response to their emergency. 4. Their hope was exhausted. If Christ was coming he would have come before now. 5. Their faith was exhausted. When Christ finally appeared they thought he was a ghost, a hallucination. We all face our Fourth Watches. These are times of despair when Jesus often comes to us. A. Fourth Watch of Illness. 1. The woman with the issue of blood had exhausted all means of healing when Jesus came to her. 2. Luke 8.43As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. 44She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped. 45Who touched me? Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you. 46But Jesus said, Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me. 47Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. 48Then he said to her, Daughter, your faith has healed you. B. Fourth Watch of Death. 1. Jairus was desperate when his daughter lay at the point of death. 2. Luke 8.40Now when Jesus returned, a crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him. 41Then a man named Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, came and fell at Jesus’ feet, pleading with him to come to his house 42because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying. . . . .49While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. Your daughter is dead, he said. Don’t bother the teacher any more. 50Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed. 51When he arrived at the house of Jairus, he did not let anyone go in with him except Peter, John and James, and the child’s father and mother. 52Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for her. Stop wailing, Jesus said. She is not dead but asleep. 53They laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. 54But he took her by the hand and said, My child, get up! 55Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat. 56Her parents were astonished, but he ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened. C. Fourth Watch of Sin. 1. The penitent thief on the cross was certainly in a hopeless situation when Christ forgave him. 2. Luke 23. 36The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar 37and said, If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself. 38There was a written notice above him, which read:|sc THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. 39One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us! 40But the other criminal rebuked him. Don’t you fear God, he said, since you are under the same sentence? 41We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong. 42Then he said, Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. 43Jesus answered him, I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise. D. Fourth Watch of Christ’s Coming. 1. When Christ comes mens hearts will be failing them for fear for looking at the things coming on the world 2. Luke 21.26, (The Message) talks about a time when the world will be “in an uproar and everyone all over the world in a panic, the wind knocked out of them by the threat of doom, the powers-that-be quaking.”
Posted on: Thu, 07 Aug 2014 04:47:52 +0000
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