Sermon #35                                                 Series: Matthew

 

            Title:            DEITY DEMONSTRATED 
            Text:             Matthew 14:22-36

            Subject:        Proofs of Christ’s Divinity

            Readings:    Office: Rex Bartley Aud. Bob Poncer

            Date:           Tuesday Evening – March 7, 1995
            Tape:            R – 10

 

Introduction:

 

            The title of my message tonight is Deity Demonstrated. Many who claim to be Christians and claim to worship God deny the deity of Christ. That is to say, They deny that Jesus Christ is himself God. Many others, who claim to believe that Jesus Christ is God, ascribe to him attributes of weakness, helplessness, frustration, and failure, which of course are a denial of his true deity as much as the doctrine that denies. The religion of such people, the religion of the liberal, or the Arian who denies Christ’s deity, and the religion of the freewill, works religionist, whose doctrine denies Christ’s deity, is nothing but a religion of moralisms and philosophy. Such religion is of no more benefit to a man’s soul than the teachings of Plato or the ancient, pagan religions of the Gentile world.

 

            We are Trinitarians. We worship one, holy, sovereign God in three separate but equal persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We do so because the Lord God has revealed himself, from the beginning as One subsisting of a plurality of divine Persons.

 

 

Not only are we Trinitarians, we fully believe that Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the man who walked this earth for thirty-three years and died by Roman crucifixion, just outside Jerusalem two thousand years ago, is himself over all God, blessed forever (Rom. 9:5). That man is “God manifest in the flesh” (I Tim. 3:16). We believe that he is God because the Word of God declares that he is God, because he claimed to be God, because both angels and men worshipped as God while he was upon the earth, and because our entire salvation stands and falls with his absolute deity – If Jesus Christ were not God

 

 

To deny Christ’s deity is to deny his honesty and integrity as a man, for he claimed to be God and received worship from men as God. The Jews took up stones to kill him because he, being a man, made himself equal with God! All he had to do to stop their wrath was to say, Wait a minute, You misunderstood me. I did not mean to imply that I am God!

 

            Having said all that, I am fully aware that it is not possible to prove Christ’s eternal power and Godhead to an unbeliever. I can no more prove the deity of Christ than I can prove the existence of God. Such proof cannot be given because God never made any attempt to prove his Being. The only way God can be proved is by faith. If you believe God, you know God. If you don’t believe God, you can’t know him. And you hope that he is just a myth.

 

            However, the Lord God has given us numerous demonstrations of his Being. He has given us such demonstrations of his Being, that no same man can deny that God is, and such demonstrations that every believer simply laughs at those who deny him. Even so, we have in the New Testament numerous demonstrations of the deity of Christ. Those are given not to prove that Christ is God, but to reassure and strengthen the faith of all who know him, worship him, and love him as God our Savior.

 

            In our text every thing is moving in one direction. The events before us come to a climax in verse 33, when the disciples “came and worshipped (the Lord Jesus) saying, Of a truth thou are the Son of God.” The Father had declared this at his baptism (3:17). And the demons in Gadara confessed it in Matthew 8:29. But this is the first time the twelve apostles unequivocally declared of Christ, “Thou art the Son of God.” They made this declaration because our Lord Jesus had so powerfully demonstrated his deity that they simply could not refrain from worshipping him as their God. In our text we are given six demonstrations of the fact that….

 

Proposition:

 

            The man Christ Jesus is himself God.

 

I.                     Verses 22-23 give us a demonstration of Christ’s Divine Authority.

 

Notice that our text says, “Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship.” Then “he sent the multitudes away.” He made the disciples take a ship across the Sea of Galilee that they did not wish to take. Then he sent the multitudes away who wanted to take him by force and make him a king – (John 6:14-15).

 

A.  Thus he demonstrated his authority as God over all things.

 

            He has authority over the lives and destines of all men, including their final judgment – (John 5:22). He has authority over all the supernatural world, including satan and the fallen angels (Mk. 1;27). He has sovereign authority over all the holy angels, whom he could have summoned at anytime to his aid (Mt. 26:53).

 

  1. He taught as one having authority” (Mt. 7:29).
  2. He sent out his apostles with his authority over unclean spirits, to cast out demons and heal the sick – (Matt. 10:1).
  3. It is his authority that inspires his church to preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mt. 28:18-20).

 

Jesus Christ, because he is God, has control and authority over everything in heaven, earth, and hell. He commands and controls all men. He commands and controls all angels. He commands and controls all demons. He commands and controls all the elements of nature.

 

 

B.  Yet, this God is so much one with us in our nature that, as a man he walked before God in perfect faith and was a man of prayer. (v.23).

 

            The Lord Jesus always went some where to pray when – 

 

 

II.  Verses 24-25 give us a demonstration of our Savior Divine Omniscience.

 

 

A.  Try to imagine what was going through the minds of these men.

 

1.       They were in this mess because the Lord made them get into the ship – He put them in it!

2.       They are to be admired for their obedience.

3.       But you can imagine the terror and confusion they must have felt – The Master was not with them this time! -- Yes, he was! They just didn’t know it!

 

B.  In the time of their great need, “Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.”

 

1.      He knew where they were.

  1. He waited a long time to come to them.
  2. He knew infinitely better than they what they needed.

NOTE: When the storm arose and they were alone in the sea, these disciples forgot all they had seen and heard before. All they could think of was the storm. All they could see was danger. All they could see; was fear!

 

III.  Verses 26-27 show us the blessedness of Christ’s Divine Protection.

 

            Being God full of compassion, he understood their frailty and came to them, “Walking on the sea.” He did not come “walking on the sea” to teach them how to do it, but to teach them and us that since he is God over all we can and should trust him absolutely.

 

A.  He has absolute power and control over all things.

 

B.  He can and will do whatever is needed to protect us.

 

C.  We will never find ourselves a place where we are beyond his eye and his reach – There is no storm from which he cannot save us!

 

D.  The place of obedience to Christ is the place of safety

 

            Illus: Paul – “I believe God” (Acts 27:25).

 

IV.  Verses 28-31 give us a beautiful picture of our Redeemer’s Divine Faithfulness.

 

 

A.  Peter’s Request (v. 28 – “If” – Since).

 

            Better to be with Christ in the sea than in the boat without him!

 

B.  The Savior’s Command – (“Come” – v. 29).

 

C.  Peter’s Weakness – (v. 30. “He saw the wind and was afraid.”)

 

D.  The cry of Faith – (v. 30).

 

E.  The Faithfulness of our God and Savior (v. 32).

 

 

V.  Verses 32-33, along with this entire incident, clearly demonstrate Christ’s Divine Omnipotence.

 

 

A.  “The Wind ceased!”

B.  “They worshipped him saying, of a truth thou are the Son of God!”

 

VI.  Then, in verses 34-36, we are given a marvelous demonstration of Christ’s Divine Goodness and Grace.

 

            “As many as touched him were made perfectly whole.”

 

A.  His knowledge was spread.

B.  The sick and needy were brought to the Savior.

C.  Prayer was made.

D.  Grace was found.

 

Application:

 

            Take these simple lessons home with you and ask God to seal them to your heart.

 

1.      Christ has absolute power over all things.

2.      We make trouble for ourselves by our unbelief – Peter.

3.      Our great God and Savior is full of mercy.