The Storm           by Justus Ondieki    "And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. 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? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm" (Mark 4:37-39). Master of all the children of men, do you not care if we perish? You are not going to perish because you came from God. You cannot perish, but what about us? He arose and started toward the front part of the boat; He had not yet spoken. The winds kept blowing, thunder kept rolling but the thunder's Master was on the boat. You may have trouble, but the Master is on the boat. Jesus kept going and stretched forth His hand and the winds kept blowing, the lightning kept flashing and the thunder kept rolling; He stood at the forepart of the boat as close as He could, but the storm was still there. He said, "Peace," and the winds kept blowing. He said, "Be" and it kept blowing. He said, "Peace, be still." The waves went to sleep and the winds went to hide. The Master had spoken. That was more than man. Someone said He was a prophet, but prophets cannot do that; someone said He was a preacher, but preachers cannot do that. Peter was a preacher and he did not do it. James was a preacher and he could not do it. Bartholomew was a preacher and he could not do it. These men were ordained and anointed of God but they could not do it. Jesus was the one; He is more than men. The man who will preach Jesus will ride the crest of the waves. Jesus was more than a man. He was more than a man when He came out of the tomb. He went in a man, but came out eternity. He did not have man's body when He came out of the tomb. The body He went in with was bruised and torn; nailed to the cross. The body that came out of the tomb was not the body that was nailed to the cross. When Jesus came out, He came out without a wound.

Mary stood and talked with Him in the garden saying, "Oh, please sir, will you tell me where they have laid my Lord?" She was talking to her Lord and did not know it. She had seen Him many times, she knew who He was in the old body, but she did not know Him in the new body. If she had known who He was, she would not have said, "Where have they laid my Lord?" She thought He was a gardener. She did not know the body, but when He spoke she knew that voice. He said, "Mary, Mary." She then fell at His feet. She tried to get hold of Him, but He said, "Do not touch me for I have not yet ascended to my Father." What did He want to go back to heaven for? To take a cup of blood to sprinkle on the altar in the sanctuary for all time. He took that blood into the heavenlies and sprinkled it on the altar for every one of you. He put the blood there so there would be a blood sacrifice on the altar. There had to be a blood sacrifice on the altar. It was given to Abraham as such and God's promise to Abraham is to a thousand generations. Under the old law in the Old Testament, the people would take two doves and go to the priest. They were not allowed to go to the holy of holies into the inner courts, so before they could get something they had to bring these little doves to be offered as a sacrifice. The priest would take the doves and hand them to another priest, finally they would reach the high priest on the inside and he would slit the throat of one of the doves and hold it over the altar and cry in the Name of Jehovah God. What did he do with the other dove? He turned it loose. I am that other little dove. Jesus died on the cross that I might be turned loose. I was bound for hell, doomed for destruction, but He gave the sacrifice and set me free

Under the old law they had cities of refuge. If someone committed murder, involuntarily, they could not remain in the city with other Jews, but they had a city outside the gates for these people. They could never come back into the main city as long as the high priest lived, but when the high priest died, they could come inside the city. We Gentiles had to stay outside in the city of refuge until the High Priest died. When He died, we were allowed inside the holy city. Jesus made a way. One of the prophets said, "When you see Him, He is altogether lovely." If you could just see Him according to this scripture. His hair was white and beautiful, fair and altogether lovely. Another prophet said, "When you shall see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him." The prophet who saw Jesus as not altogether beautiful and lovely saw Him as He was hanging on the cross; nothing to be desired, beaten, flesh torn, and blood dripping down. But the other one saw Him coming out of the tomb. He is more than a man. There Mary was, and Jesus said, "Do not touch me. Do not put your hands on my glorified body. I am getting ready to go into my Father's house, in the heavenly of heavenlies and the flesh is not going to inherit that. I have a glorified body and I must go before my Father in this glorified body" (paraphrased). Someone said that all the Jesus you will see is in one another. You mean this is the they body I am going to have when I get to heaven? I want the Spirit of God, but I want it in a glorified body. When we get there we will have a glorified body. You say, we will look like we do now, because the Bible says we shall be known even as we are known. Yes, the Bible does say that; however, it does not say you will look like you look now, but that you will be known even as you are known. Who knows you? You will be known then just as you are known, not by one another. God is the only one who knows you. He is more than man. No storm will ever overcome you in Jesus name! Ev. Justus