“WHAT KIND OF MAN IS THIS?” (Outline)
February 6, 2011 -
Epiphany 5 -
MATTHEW 8:23-27
INTRO: Believers know and believe who Jesus is. By faith we are able to confess that Jesus is true God and true man. "For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men--the testimony given in its proper time" (1 TIMOTHY 2:5, 6). Our text today goes a bit deeper in our understanding concerning the God-man Jesus. Our theme is the question that the amazed disciples asked:
“WHAT KIND OF MAN IS THIS?”
I. This is Jesus -- a calmly sleeping person.
II. This is Jesus -- our calming, mighty Savior.
I. THIS IS JESUS -- A CALMLY SLEEPING PERSON
A. Matthew chapters 5-7 contain the words of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Crowds follow Jesus.
1. Jesus continues to teach. Jesus reveals his glory and his mercy in many miracles.
2. Verse 23. Jesus and his disciples take a boat onto the Sea of Galilee to have time alone.
B. Verse 24. The Sea of Galilee is nestled in a valley surrounded by the hills of Galilee.
1. Quite often the cool mountain air would collide with the warm, moist air of the sea.
2. Furious, violent storms were quite common. The waves wash over the boat. Jesus sleeps.
3. This is not a large boat. Jesus is getting wet from the water. Calmly Jesus sleeps.
C. Verse 25. Even the seasoned fishermen in the group are worried about drowning in this storm.
1. Jesus calmly sleeps. This could have been a clue for the disciples about trust, faith.
2. The disciples even have to wake Jesus from his sleep. Such a calm trust was an example.
D. Jesus came in the flesh as the fulfillment of prophecy. For a moment the disciples forgot all they had learned about prophecy fulfilled before their very eyes. The disciples became so concerned about themselves they even thought they might drown. Yet, here was God’s word in the flesh just as He promised long ago. "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel"(ISAIAH 7:14). Immanuel = God with us. Hundreds of years later the angel would come to Mary and Joseph and remind them of God’s promises. They would have a son and would name him Jesus. Jesus = save from sins. The angel also reminded them that their son would be called Immanuel, God with us. Jesus calmly sleeps in the boat trusting his heavenly Father.
E. Why would God come to live on earth to be with us? The simple answer is: sin. Adam and Eve first sinned in the Garden of Eden. We have inherited this sin. There is more. We continue to sin on our own. Day in and day out our evil thoughts are offensive to our God. Wicked words reveal the sin in our hearts. We are unable to pay for one single sin on our own. God’s plan of salvation was to sacrifice his Son as complete payment for our sins. Man cannot kill God. Jesus had to take on human flesh and blood so that his humanity could be sacrificed. "And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death--even death on a cross!"(PHILIPPIANS 2:8). Crucifixion was not a quick, easy death. Crucifixion took hours of torture to complete. “What kind of man is this?” Jesus dies for all.
F. There was another reason that Jesus left the perfectness of heaven to live in the imperfectness of earth. As a human Jesus was not exempt from anything that all of us face. Jesus was baptized. He went into the wilderness. Satan took the opportunity to tempt Jesus. This would not be the only time that the devil tried to make Jesus sin. But Jesus did not sin. "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympa-thize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin"(HEBREWS 4:15). Jesus who now reigns from heaven knows each one of us personally and intimately. Jesus knows the temptations that we face. Jesus helps us in our weakness. “What kind of…?”
“WHAT KIND OF MAN IS THIS?”
This Jesus is a person who pours out his life for our sins, all sins.
II. THIS IS JESUS -- OUR CALMING MIGHTY SAVIOR
A. Jesus and the disciples are in a boat on the sea. The storm comes up. Waves are filling the boat.
1. Verse 25. The disciples do not want to drown. Jesus is still sleeping. They have to wake him.
2. Jesus knew that his destiny did not include drowning in an accident on the Sea of Galilee.
B. Verse 26. Jesus wants his disciples to think with hearts of faith not the minds of men.
1. The disciples walked and talked with Jesus. They had seen Jesus’ powerful miracles.
2. Jesus asked: “why so afraid?” Their “little faith” did not yet fully trust Jesus’ power.
C. Verse 27. The disciples had seen miracles. They were still amazed that nature obeyed Jesus’ word.
D. The almighty power of Jesus was often surprising to the disciples. After all, they daily saw Jesus doing the same things as themselves. Jesus looked like them, talked like them, and acted like them (but without sin). The divine power of Jesus was hidden from the world by the human flesh that Jesus took upon himself. The power of Jesus was revealed from time to time in his miracles. Jesus’ power was seen on the cross. Jesus power was seen in the garden on Easter Sunday. Jesus’ almighty power is still seen by believers who are saved. It is only by God’s free grace that we are saved. "But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy" (TITUS 3:4, 5a). “What kind of man is this?” This is Jesus who saves us despite ourselves.
E. We cannot over emphasize the grace of God’s forgiveness. Today, all too many feel that there is something that a person has to do to save him or herself. No one can earn forgiveness. In fact, no one even deserves forgiveness. Consider the simple fact that we sin and continue to sin every day. Humanly speaking, who would want to forgive anyone who keeps on doing evil? It is the almighty power of Jesus, sacrificed on the cross that saves us. "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding" (EPHESIANS 1:7, 8). In communion the Lord Jesus vividly reminds us: “This is my body…This is my blood…given for you for the forgiveness of sins”! This is Jesus, true God and true man, who forgives.
F. From time to time we wander off on our own. This is the wide, broad path of destruction. Left on our own we would be lost – forever. Thankfully the Lord does not leave us to languish in eternal torment. The Lord God Almighty is our Good Shepherd. "He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake" (PSALM 23:2, 3). Notice all of the work the Lord does to keep us on the straight, narrow path that leads to eternal life. “He (God) makes…leads…restores…guides.” God does this all for his glory.
CONC: “WHAT KIND OF MAN IS THIS?” This is Jesus unlike any other human being that we know. This is Jesus willing to calmly offer his body as the perfect sacrifice for all of the sins of all of the world once and for all. This is Jesus who by his almighty power calms our troubled souls with his free forgiveness. Last week we ended with the Jesus telling his disciples to forgive without keeping track.
"The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith!’ He replied, ‘If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, `Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you’" (LUKE 17:5, 6). “A small faith…little faith” is far, far better and greater than no faith. We do not cast trees (or mountains) into the sea. There is no purpose in that. By grace God opens our ears and hearts to have enough “little faith” to inherit eternity. “WHAT KIND OF MAN IS THIS?” This is the question that causes us to daily stand in awe of our Savior Jesus. Amen. Pastor Timm O. Meyer
EPIPHANY 5 rdgs.:
ISAIAH 58:5-9a;
1 CORINTHIANS 2:1-5;
MATTHEW 5:13-20;
(PSALM 111)
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