A Compelling Testimony: Maintaining a Disciplined Walk, Christlike Character, and Godly Relationships as God's Servant

Ses s i on 2: The Di sc i p l i ned L i fe

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[25] And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” [26] And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. [27] And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?” 3. God, who is the author and creator of the laws of the universe, can intervene in those laws for the accomplish ment of his own purpose and grace, Isa. 50.2-3 – Why, when I came, was there no man; why, when I called, was there no one to answer? Is my hand shortened, that it cannot redeem? Or have I no power to deliver? Behold, by my rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a desert; their fish stink for lack of water and die of thirst. [3] I clothe the heavens with blackness and make sackcloth their covering.

D. Spiritual development has been revealed to us through the analogy of the harvest.

1. The principles of spiritual effectiveness and growth have been linked to the analogy of sowing and reaping (e.g., Gal. 6.7-8).

2. The power of metaphor : comprehending the unknown through the known

3. The strength of analogy: A is to B as C is to D.

a. The ratio is clear: the principle spells out the nature of the relationship.

b. The ratio is defined: the interpreter must determine the boundaries of the analogy (i.e., what is similar and what is dissimilar).