What Manner Of Man Is This?

What Manner Of Man Is This?

Text: Matt.8: 23-27

Intro: Have you ever tried to imagine what Christ Jesus must have been like in person? Have you ever wondered how He must have carried Himself, or how His voice must have sounded? It must have been wonderful to walk and talk with the Savior, when He was upon the earth.

The disciples had the privilege of walking and talking with Jesus, and I’m sure they never fully learned all there was to know about His person and nature. The Scripture even indicates that at times, the disciples were utterly amazed and puzzled by their Master. This was especially true during their early days with Him.

In our text, we read of just such a time when the disciples were totally bewildered and amazed by Jesus. They had not yet come to the full realization that Jesus was not just some smart, new miracle worker who had come on the scene, but rather, He was the Son of God. This lack of understanding on their part led them to ask the question found in Matt.8: 27, “What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?”

Perhaps it would do us all good to remember what kind of man Jesus really was when He was upon the earth. There never was, nor will there ever be another man like Jesus Christ, for He was and is the God Man. Let’s take an imaginary walk through the pages of God’s Word today, in order to reacquaint ourselves with Jesus.

Theme: What manner of man is Jesus?

I. HE IS A MAN OF UNLIMITED POWER

A. He Is Lord Over All Creation.

1. Christ is the maker of all creation.

John 1: 3 “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.”

1 Cor.8: 6 “But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.”

Eph.3: 9 “And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:”

Col.1: 16 “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:”

Heb.1: 2 “Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;”

NOTE: Have you ever wondered why the earth is in its present form? Are our world’s present characteristics as they are simply because of evolution and happenstance, or are they the result of intelligent design? I believe everything about the earth, as well as creation as a whole, points to divine design.

GOD’S WISE DESIGN

Because nature is clouded by sin, it gives only an indistinct picture of God. Much of His great wisdom and marvelous design, however, can still be clearly traced. For instance, the earth rotates on its axis at approximately 1000 miles per hour. If that had been 100 miles per hour, our days and nights would be 10 times longer, and our planet would alternately burn and freeze. Under such circumstances vegetation could not live!

If the earth were as small as the moon, the power of gravity would be too weak to retain sufficient atmosphere for man’s needs; but if it were as large as Jupiter, Saturn, or Uranus, extreme gravitation would make human movement almost impossible.

If we were as near to the Sun as Venus, the heat would be unbearable; if we were as far away as Mars, we would experience snow and ice every night, even in the warmest regions.

If the oceans were half their present dimensions, we would receive only one-fourth the rainfall we do now. If they were one-eighth larger, our annual precipitation would increase four fold, and this earth would become a vast, uninhabitable swamp!

Water solidifies at 32 degrees above zero. It would be disastrous if the oceans were subject to the law, however, for then the amount of thawing in the polar regions would not balance out, and ice would accumulate throughout the centuries! To prevent such a catastrophe, the Lord put salt in the sea to alter its freezing point.

2. Christ is the maintainer of all creation.

Col.1: 17 “And he (Jesus Christ) is before all things, and by him all things consist.”

Heb.1: 3 “Who [Jesus] being the brightness of his [God the Father’s] glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;”