More on the Deity Of Jesus

The Bible is filled with references to the deity of Jesus. I ran across another one in my daily reading. Read Psalm 89:9 with me.

You rule the swelling of the sea; When its waves rise, You still them.

Does that sound familiar? Oh yes, it is in the New Testament, but, it seems that the Holy Spirit, in inspiring the Old Testament, wanted to lay a firm foundation (no pun intended) for this additional testimony as to Jesus being God. He used sea waves. Let’s explore the OT first.

Job 9 finds him lamenting his situation and responding to the Bildad’s “comforting words” that God rewards the good, so, by inference, Job must not be “good.” Job begins a long defense of, not himself, but God. Job 9 records it, but we will excerpt portions.

5 “It is God...8 And tramples down the waves of the sea....”

Psalm 107:29 continues our thought. That is even more explicitly mirrored in the NT.

He caused the storm to be still, So that the waves of the sea were hushed. 

Now let’s follow this thought into the Gospels.  Matthew 8:26, 27

He said to them, “Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm. 27 The men were amazed, and said, “What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”

Matthew 14 gives us a second instance. This is the well-known time that Peter walked on the water. V. 32, 33

When they got into the boat, the wind stopped. 33 And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “You are certainly God’s Son!”

Mark 4:39, 40 repeats this.

And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. 40 And He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” 41 They became very much afraid and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”

This is notable, because Peter, who was probably the source of Mark’s account, did not include the water-walking episode. I am convinced that it was omitted, not to save Peter the embarrassment of admitting his lack of faith, but to downplay his valor in the incident. He was the only one who stepped out of the boat. But I digress.

Luke 8:23-25 is the final version.

But as they were sailing along He fell asleep; and a fierce gale of wind descended on the lake, and they began to be swamped and to be in danger. 24 They came to Jesus and woke Him up, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And He got up and rebuked the wind and the surging waves, and they stopped, and it became calm. 25 And He said to them, “Where is your faith?” They were fearful and amazed, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him?”

The answer to their query, “Who is this?” is very simple. Just glance back to the Old Testament. Clearly, the Holy Spirit was preparing the path for these guys to “get it.” Jesus, in their presence, performed acts that only God, Himself, could do.

The answer, is, that He is God. A casual reading of the Old Testament, Psalms in this instance, just leaps out of the page calling out, “Who did this?” Or, “Who could do this?” Our quick search removes all doubt as to the identity of the One Who literally did this.

The Old Testament writers were speaking theoretically. They had not seen this happen. It reminds me of chemistry class. I would give the students the concept, then we would conduct an experiment to observe it in action. God, in principle, can do these things. But the disciples literally went into the lab and did the “experiment.”

The Lord graciously opened the book of proofs, the answer book for educators in our group, for us to know beyond doubt that Jesus Christ is Lord–God. Glory, what a Savior.

Plea

As I was thinking about a lesson on the Lord’s prayer, I was in the process of preparing our newly planted landscaping patch in front of our porch. I even lay awake at night “dreaming” or something, about hoeing all of the pesky little green intruders that pop up after every rain. We are going to put down the black fabric that supposedly blocks weeks, but I am taking no chances. I am going to excise as many of those pesky interlopers as possible before we make the final installation. Then we will lay a smooth bed of stones on top of that to finish the look of our shrub line. We do not want any unplanted or unplanned vegetation protruding from our rocky plot.

Previously, I had cut out the rotted bases of the six “decorative” posts that seem to hold up the roof over the porch. I replaced those with solid, treated lumber so the whole affair is stronger, sturdier, and longer lasting than the original was when the house was new. We are fixing this place up with new shingles on the roof and new BLACK gutters. They look sharp.

As I was contemplating what I have left to do, a thought flashed into my mind. “Are you fastidious in preparing for eternity and warning others as in preparing a landscaping plot or avoiding COVID-19?” We know people who do not meet anyone and very rarely venture out of their own house and yard. We hopefully, all wear masks when out and assiduously wash our hands or disinfect them at every station in the stores that we enter and leave. And we wash for 20 seconds, just long enough to pray the Lord’s prayer, when we get home.

What about it? Are your preparations for what comes next as choreographed and determined as what you use for “daily chores” or other activities? The consequences of poor preparation will be some nuisance weeds interspersed with the shrubs. Careless or negligent hygiene may expose us to this virus, which, in some instances may even be fatal.

But failing to properly prepare for what comes after death has eternal, everlasting consequences. We join Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:20

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

Paul is begging you, on behalf of Jesus Himself, to turn to God. Turn before it is too late. We beg you as well. There is nothing on earth that will compensate for missing this invitation. Nothing.

And, just for good measure, turn this around and pass it on to any and everyone you know. This is not just weeds in a garden. It is not just life and death. It is eternal separation from the Lord Who loved you and gave His life for you on the cross.

Romans 5 says that death came to all men (and women) because of Adam’s sin, which we all have copied. Adam died, physically, but he accepted the sacrifice that was made to cover his nakedness. That was a literal picture of the spiritual transaction that took place and culminated on Calvary. Jesus died as a substitute for Adam, and Eve. And He died for you and me. The sin debt was satisfied by the death of the Perfect Substitute, not an innocent lamb as in the Garden, but of the Innocent Lamb on Calvary.

Beg is not a strong enough word. When people came to Jesus to ask Him to heal their children they often sprawled on the ground in front of Him, grasping his feet. They did not need to portray such anguished pleading. His heart was ready to answer even before they asked.

Just as we ask for “bread” for the day, we need the living bread that Jesus talked about in John 6. We have to ask for it to have life. To have eternal life. Please ask today. We beg you. If I could grab your feet and hold on until you asked, I would. But that is not how Jesus works.

You have a free will, to choose. Choose Jesus. Choose Him today. There is nothing more important and no other option. We beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.