Sharon Reformed Presbyterian Church · Sermon study sheet

The God-Man

Bryan Schneider · November 5, 2022

Mark 4:35-41

sharonrpc.org/sermons/the-god-man

Summary

Jesus' sleep in the boat displays his true humanity: after ministering throughout the day, he is physically exhausted.
The violent storm exposes the disciples' fear and their suspicion that Jesus does not care whether they perish.
Jesus rebukes the wind and commands the sea to be still, and creation responds with immediate calm.
The Psalms identify the stilling of the sea as God's work, so Jesus' authority over the storm reveals his true deity.
The disciples' question, 'Who can this be?' points to the mystery of the one person who is both fully God and fully man.
Jesus does not abandon his fearful and weak disciples; he corrects their unbelief while carrying them safely through the storm.
Because the God-man created, sustains, redeems, and rules, believers may trust him amid suffering, injustice, depression, death, and every threat to body or soul.

What does Jesus' weariness and sleep teach me about the reality of his human nature?
What does his command over the wind and sea reveal about his divine identity?
When suffering rises suddenly, do I interpret it as proof that Christ does not care?
Which fear currently seems greater to me than the authority of the Lord Jesus?
How does the truth that Christ is both God and man strengthen confidence in him as mediator and Savior?
Where is Jesus correcting my little faith without casting me away?
Am I approaching the Lord's Table trusting the crucified, risen, and reigning God-man rather than my own strength?

God-man: The Lord Jesus Christ, one person with a complete divine nature and a complete human nature, without confusion or separation.
Incarnation: The eternal Son of God taking a true human nature while remaining truly God.
Providence: God's holy and wise preserving and governing of his creatures and all their actions.
Sovereignty: Christ's absolute authority over creation, history, bodies, souls, and every visible or invisible power.
Faith: Trusting the person, promises, and saving work of Christ even when present circumstances provoke fear.
Holy fear: Reverent awe before the majesty and authority of Jesus, distinct from panic before the storm.