Greatest Discovery of Mankind- Jesus is God !

Matthew 14:22-33

Greatest Discovery of mankind- Jesus is God!

Matthew 14:22-33, Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. 23 And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. 24 But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. 25 Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. 26 And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” 28 And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” 29 So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. 30 But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” 31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 Then those

who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.” Chapter 13, Kingdom Parables were spoken. Chapter 13, Jesus says how the world is going to react to them. What it’s going to be like out there as they labour and minister in the harvest.

Matthew gives us from Matthew 13:53 till Matthew 16:12, eight incidents in the life of our Lord which illustrate the kind of response that there will be to the King. They are masterfully presented. 1st response: Matthew 13:53-58- Unbelief!

2nd response: Matthew 14:1-12 Fear that Forfeit’s Christ! 3rd response: Matthew 14:12-21 Faith for only materials! V 33, Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.” “The Son of God” – is an affirmation of the deity of Jesus Christ. It is used 45 times in the New Testament.

This is not speaking about Him submitting as a Son, but about Him being of the same essence as the Father.

It is very much like that common New Testament phrase “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,” which again is an emphasis of the fact that Jesus Christ is of the same essence as God. Father and Son are alike. They bear the same life principle.

The disciples are saying that “You are deity. You are God’s Son.” V 33, “You are God’s Son. You are one with God.”

• Very claim Jesus made repeatedly.
• Very claim for which He was crucified.

But they understood Him to be equal with God. Equal with God. God’s Son.

How did they come to that conclusion? How could they possibly say, in the words of Peter, “We are sure? Something happened here to convince them. What happened was so convincing that the next day when the multitude which showed up for another free meal after the feeding the prior day?

When the multitude left, the disciples stayed. Peter speaking for them said this. “We believe and are sure that you are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” You can’t make any greater discovery than that. The greatest discovery you can make, that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God.

V 33 is the first time they have ever said that. The Father said it at the baptism.

Matthew 3:17, And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

The demons said it on the eastern shore of the sea.

Matthew 8:29, And suddenly they cried out, saying, “What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?”

But the disciples have never said it before. They have seen miracle upon miracle. Healings, raising the dead, casting out demons. They have heard preaching and teaching without equal. They have been hearing it for two years.

Now they come to this monumental affirmation, which means that something very spectacular must have happened to cause such confidence. Such surety as indicated by their testimony in verse 33, and the next day in John 6:69, Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

The disciples worshiped Him as Jesus as Lord. That is a very essential reality in the New Testament. It tells us something very basic about Jesus Christ. It tells us that he is equal with God. In the Old Testament, God alone was to be worshiped.

Exodus 20:3, “You shall have no other gods before Me.

Exodus 34:14, (for you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God),

When God established the law by which man was to live. It is loud and clear through the monotheism of Jewish religion. One God and one God alone to be worshiped. However, in the New Testament, again and again we note that Jesus Christ also is to be worshiped, the simple conclusion then being that Jesus Christ is equal with God.

That is affirmed in the statement that he is the Son of God, that he is of the same essence as God. If we look at the New Testament, we will see the mark of the worship of Christ planted everywhere.

Gospels

Wise men worshiping Jesus.

Matthew 2:11, And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

The leper worshiping Jesus.

Matthew 8:2, And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”

The Gentiles worshiping Jesus.

John 12:13, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out: “Hosanna! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ The King of Israel!” Syrophoenician woman worshiping Jesus.

Matthew 15:25, Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, help me!”

A maniac out of the tombs worshiping Jesus.

Mark 5:6, When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him. A blind man worshiping Jesus.

John 9:38, Then he said, “Lord, I believe!” And he worshiped Him.

The disciple worshiping him at His resurrection, worshiping Him again in the mountain.

Matthew 28:9, And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him.

Matthew 28:17, When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. Worshiping at His ascension.

Luke 24:52, And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy,

Epistles

Hebrews 1:1-3, God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; 3 who

being the brightness of His 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 at the right hand of the Majesty on high, All the angels of God worship him.

Hebrews 1:6, But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says: “Let all the angels of God worship Him.” Philippians in the letter of Paul, God demands that every creature on the earth, over the earth and under the earth bow the knee to worship Jesus Christ.

Philippians 2:9-11, Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Revelation, we find him being worshiped by all those in glory in chapters 4, 5, 11, and 19. So that this theme sweeps its way through the Gospels, the Epistles, and in the Revelation of the New Testament, that Jesus Christ is to be worshiped.

1 Corinthians 16:22, If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed. O Lord, come! Jesus Christ is to be worshiped, and that is something reserved for God.

When John, in the wonder of his visions in Revelation, fell down to worship an angel.

Revelation 19:10, And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

Revelation 22:8-9, Now I, John, saw and heard these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who showed me these things. 9 Then he said to me, “See that you do not do that. For I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.” Reaffirmed that single-worship perspective. Yet when Jesus was worshiped, never ever did he say, “Get up, for I am a creature as you are.” Jesus accepted the worship.

They worshiped Him.

They worshiped Him in verse 33 because it was clear to them that they had a right to that because He was the Son of God. They were sure after the event that occurred in this text. This particular account is therefore one of the great moments in all redemptive history, because it is a major step in the affirmation of the disciples.

They are the key to the kingdom in a sense. They are to be the rulers in the kingdom. They were the frontline to proclaim the kingdom. It was very important that they had an ever-increasing understanding of the King’s identity.

There are still many questions that they will have resolved as time goes on, many fears, anxieties, doubts, and they will recur in the future. But there is nonetheless a major step of affirmation that Jesus is in fact the long-awaited King, the Christ, the Messiah, the coming one, the prophet, the Son of God.

An important Scripture because it tells all of us about the protective love of Christ. It is a tremendous insight into God's care for you and for me as his children. Basically, as Christians we need to know that. We get ourselves into difficulties in life.

We get ourselves into places in life where we exhibit little faith. We fear that God has abandoned us. We wonder whether we can ever get out of it. This is a great text to encourage our hearts, that if we are walking in the road of obedience, we are in the way where God protects and cares for his own.

John the Baptist had asked a very important question.

Matthew 11:3, and said to Him, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?” That was a question on the lips of everybody. That was the question on the lips of the disciples. That was the question on the lips of the crowds. Some thought he was Elijah. Some thought he was Jeremiah. Some thought he was one of the prophets. Everybody was in the process of evaluating who this Jesus was. For two years Jesus had been demonstrating that He was that coming one.

• He was that prophet,
• He was that Messiah,
• He was that Christ,
• He was the Son of God,

• He was the King with a kingdom.

For two years Jesus had been demonstrating that with great power, mighty works, and mighty words. In the 3rd response feeding of 5,000 men which ended in verse 21, he had brought great anticipation to culmination. He created food for them all, monumental, vast, far-reaching, sweeping miracle.

Thousands of eyewitnesses to it. As a result of that particular miracle, He reached the crescendo of popularity. This was the climax of the popularity of Jesus. For two years His ministry had been on the rise. He had been proclaiming, He had been healing, He had been casting out demons, He was joined by His apostles who began also to proclaim to cast out demons and to heal.

Irresistible impulses began to seize the multitude as they saw the power and the wisdom of this individual. When Jesus was able to feed them and create food out of his own bare hands seemingly unaided in any way and they were all eyewitnesses to it and they all tasted it, they were convinced.

At this pinnacle of popularity of Jesus the people had a different idea.

John 6:14-15, Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.” 15 Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone. Immediately at that juncture when their hopes had reached the highest point, when it all looked like it was going to fall in their laps.

The people were saying, “We want Him to be the king!” At that moment,

• He sent the disciples away.
• He sent the crowd away.
• He went into a mountain by Himself.

The disciples in their little rowboat as they were pushing their way out to sea. They must have been unbelievably disillusioned. They must have been disappointed. Trying to figure out how you can spend two years getting to this point and when it’s in your grasp send it away.

Exactly that is what had happened. Jesus didn’t want their shallow commitment. He didn’t want their minimal devotion. The crowd had political ends and had self-indulgent ends. All they could think about was free food without labour. The next morning, they showed up for breakfast again.

John 6:26, Jesus answered them and said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.

The power that Jesus had

• He could overthrow the Herodians.
• He could overthrow the Romans.
• He could give us freedom from bondage.
• He can heal all our diseases, cast out all our demons, create food for us.

This is the kingdom. But Jesus did not respond. The crowd left Him walking with Him no more! The disciples, they didn’t leave.

John 6:67-69, Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?” 68 But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 Also we have

come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” The multitude left. The disciples stayed. They said, “We are sure.”

How would they get so sure? Because of what happened in this passage. He refused the kingdom that people offered. His kingdom was not of this world.

John 18:36, Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.” His kingdom was not the kind of kingdom men wanted.

When Jesus sent the crowd away and dealt with that little group of disciples in a boat, He was building his kingdom His way, for they would become the rulers of the kingdom. We see Jesus revealing Himself to them. The whole import of this passage then is to bring the disciples to the place where they really understand.

The disciples must have gone away disillusioned from that shore and no doubt were asking the question.

• Is Jesus a king?
• Is He the Messiah?
• Is He the Lord?
• Is He the one we thought?

They needed a regal, royal display. Divine nature of Jesus Christ.

1. Sovereign Authority

V 22, Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. The disciples knew that Jesus was the Son of God based on His divine authority. Jesus constrained the disciples to get into a boat and go before Him to the other side.

He sent the multitude away. Jesus controlled everything.

He controlled those who were His own and those who were not. He controlled the disciples who did not want to leave Him. The excitement and the great thrust of that effort to make Him king. They were captivated by the event, but He controlled them.

The multitude was going to kidnap and force Him to be a king. Jesus was able to control,

• The disciples,
• The multitude,
• The wind, and
• The waves.

Jesus had authority. He had authority over everybody and everything. This is evident in this incident as well as in others. In the Gospel record and we can see repeatedly the authority of Jesus Christ manifest.

John 5:21-22, For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will. 22 For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son,

Jesus had authority to judge all men and that authority was given to Him by the Father. Jesus had authority over time and eternity, over life and death, over destiny.

Mark 1:27, Then they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? What new doctrine is this? For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.” Not only did Jesus have authority over life and death and over time and eternity, over heaven, hell, and destiny. But He has authority over the supernatural world, over fallen angels. Jesus at his time of crucifixion said that if He had so chosen, he could have called a legion of holy angels to his aid.

Matthew 26:53, Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels? He not only has authority over the fallen angels. He has authority over the holy angels.

Matthew 7:29, For He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

He had authority over the minds of men.

Mark 11:27-33, Then they came again to Jerusalem. And as He was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to Him. 28 And they said to Him, “By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority to do these things?” 29 But Jesus answered and said to them, “I also will ask you one question; then answer Me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things: 30 The baptism of John—was it from heaven or from men? Answer Me.” 31 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 32 But if we say, ‘From men’ ”—they feared the people, for all counted John to have been a prophet indeed. 33 So they answered and said to Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus answered and said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

The sum of it all comes in Matthew 28.

Matthew 28:18, And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.

What is authority? Authority can be defined as ruling, sovereign control. Jesus was in control of everything.

• He made all the decisions about everything.
• He commanded angels, holy and fallen.
• He commanded men, redeemed and unredeemed.
• He commanded them in time and eternity.
• He commands them in hell.
• He commands them in heaven.
• He determines their destiny.
• He controls nature.
• He creates whatever he will create.
• He stops the storm whenever He will stop the storm.
• He causes the wind and causes the wind to cease.
• He can walk on water.
• He has authority.

Now that becomes clear to us in this passage. V 22, Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. Immediately after they had wanted to make Jesus as king, He constrained the disciples to get into a boat and go ahead of Him to the other side.

Jesus sends the disciples away first. They were no doubt delighted with the desire of the crowd. They surely wanted the kingdom to come.

They have been waiting a long time for this and they were ready to get their rank. They had all this anticipation. They had suffered for two years in their wanderings travel, antagonism, and hostility of the political and religious leaders.

Now when they saw the crowd reach this pinnacle moment, they could see it coming. They could see the kingdom beginning to open. They were excited. The Lord knew this was difficult for them, so He just sent them away, removed the temptation.

Fully aware of their weakness, their susceptibility of the political plans of the crowd to the confusion that they must already have had. They were on the northeast shore of the Sea of Galilee. They needed to go across the northern end to Capernaum.

Mark tells us they were headed to Bethesda. John says they were headed to Capernaum. Both Bethesda and Capernaum were side by side. Bethesda being suburb of Capernaum. So, it just means in that general direction, a very short trip across one little corner of the Sea of Galilee. Something they were familiar with and had done many times.

The Lord sent them away, but they didn’t want to go. “He constrained them.”

• They must have resisted certainly because they didn’t want to leave the action of the moment.
• They didn’t want to leave the Lord alone.
• They probably saw the storm starting.

But Jesus sent them anyway, and this shows what happens when you are in authority. They went anyway. What is amazing is it they continued their journey. When the wind was contrary to them any normal person would just want to return to the shore. But not them.

Even though they weren’t making any headway, they continued in the path of obedience to the authority of Christ, sovereign authority. The multitude couldn’t resist His authority. V 22, while He sent the multitudes away. He would send the multitude away.

Total authority.

V 23, And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there.

Where did the multitude go? They went all over the place and went to sleep. They could sleep in that area of Bethsaida Julia and that hillside where he had fed them dinner. He just sent them away and they went to sleep.

How do we know they went to sleep? Because they woke up the next morning. When they woke up the next morning, they were all in the same vicinity.

John 6:22-25, On the following day, when the people who were standing on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, except that one which His disciples had entered, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with His disciples, but His disciples had gone away alone— 23 however, other boats came from Tiberias, near the place where they ate bread after the Lord had given thanks— 24 when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they also got into boats and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. 25 And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, “Rabbi, when did You come here?” From this time on Jesus spent more and more time with the disciples and less and less time with the crowds.

This is that very peak from which things begin to descend to His crucifixion. He sent them away. He shot their dreams to pieces because He would not be made a political leader on their terms. V 23, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there.

The hope of any rest and quiet was gone. The hope of any debriefing with the disciples was gone. The miracle of that day had only added to the excitement. This was a temptation of Christ. Third aspect of Satan’s temptation similar in Matthew 4.

Matthew 4:8-9, Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” Very similar situation.

What has Christ wanted but to be king? Jesus can bypass the cross. The people are willing to push him into Jerusalem, sweeping down in the Passover season.

What a timing? Passover all the people gathered up in Jerusalem.

• To raise up the Messiah.
• With His power.
• He can overthrow the Herod’s.
• He can dethrone the Romans.
• Bring freedom, provides the kingdom elements.

Certainly, this is a temptation to avoid the cross. Jesus gained the victory with the fellowship and communion with the Father that He enjoyed in that mountain prayer. It was a familiar place to be in the presence of the Father.

He went there very often at night to find rest for His soul. To find that great fellowship for which he longed.

John 17:5, And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was. He wanted to have the sweet communion with the Father. V 23, it was evening.

This would be second evening. 1st evening 3 to 6 pm,

2nd evening 6 to 9 pm. Jesus is alone in the mountain and there praying.

Whom does Jesus pray? John 17 gives us the answer. He prayed for the sweet fellowship with the father. He prayed for His disciples. He prayed for those who will put their faith in Him.

Luke 22:31-32, And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”

The High Priestly work of Christ. Right now, this moment at the throne of His Father He prays for us. We see his authority as He commands.

• the multitude,
• the disciples,
• the Father’s protecting care for His own. 2. Omniscient-Divine knowledge.

V 24, But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.

The lake of Gennesaret, the Lake of Galilee, the Sea of Galilee. The boat is in the middle of the sea. John’s Gospel says 25 to 30 stadia or furlongs out into the sea, which is about an eighth of a mile, puts them out somewhere between three and four miles into the sea.

The trip from where they were on the shore at Bethsaida Julia across to Capernaum and Bethesda West couldn’t have been more than four-and-a-half mile. We don’t know exactly because what spot they were in, but a three or four-mile trip.

It is only seven or eight miles across the sea in the middle. They were well in the middle. They were being tossed with the waves, and the wind is contrary. The disciples doing their best to be obedient. They are pushing that bow in the right direction.

• Confused,
• disillusioned,
• disappointed,
• upset, and

• questioning.

But they keep going towards the goal. Now they left after the meal was served in the first evening. They are trying to navigate four miles. Instead, they were in the middle of the lake afraid they are going to be drown. Mark adds that they were distressed in their rowing.

The word here you notice in V 24, “tossed.” The same word translated in Matthew 8 as “tormented.” It means to test by torture. They were being tortured for their lives. John tells us that not only was the wind contrary but

John 6:18, Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing.

• They are being tormented.
• Bad night.
• They are trying to be obedient, but they are not having much success.
• The storm is violent.
• The water is angry and worst of all, no Jesus.

The last time they got in a storm like this Jesus was in the back of the boat and all they had to do was wake Him up and have Him stop the storm. He did that. But this time Jesus is not there in the boat. To make it even worse, He can’t get there because they took the only boat.

John 6:22, On the following day, when the people who were standing on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, except that one which His disciples had entered, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with His disciples, but His disciples had gone away alone—

They took the only boat and so they have no Jesus. They know Jesus isn’t going to come because there isn’t any boat for Him to come to them. But all the while there in the middle of the sea going through all this trauma Jesus is up on the hill somewhere praying.

While His own are down being buffeted, tormented, tortured, and tossed by the storm, He quietly calmly is in the Father’s presence on their behalf. They don’t know it, but they are secure! Five or six hours they have been at it trying to go four miles with no success.

Is not it comforting to know that Jesus knows? V 25, Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. Jesus just took a walk on the sea. For Jesus to walk on water was not any big deal. It was He who made the sea could walk on the sea if He chose.

Jesus came walking on the sea. He knew where to walk, by the way! He knew right where they were. It didn’t matter that he couldn’t see Him. Jesus divine knowledge. Jesus knows everything. Darkness is no barrier. Today we read Psalms 139:12, Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, But the night shines as the day; The darkness and the light are both alike to You.

• Darkness is no barrier.
• Distance is no barrier to the knowledge of the Son of God.
• He knows where we are.
• He knows our distress.

• He knows our circumstance.
• He knows how to get to us.

Fourth watch of the night. 1st watch 6 to 9 pm. 2nd watch 9 to 12 pm. 3rd watch 12 to 3 am 4th watch 3 to 6 am. They have been at this all night now. They were in great anxiety and fear. But Jesus waits a long time. Do you realize that if you never have a storm, you never know that He can handle a storm?

You never really understand the power of God in your behalf until you are strung out to the extremity. Why do you think our Lord didn’t go to Martha and Mary until Lazarus was so dead? Because it was in the impossibility of that extremity that they would see His power.

Jesus could have just turned around on the top of the mountain and hushed the storm. He could have made sure the storm never started.

He ran them out to their extremities so that they would learn that in that extremity He was there. Jesus does know everything.

• He knows your down sitting and your uprising.
• He knows everything there is to know about you.
• He knows where you are.
• He knows what your needs are.
• He has known you from your womb.
• If you ascend into heaven, He is there.
• If you make your bed in Sheol, He is there.
• If you take the wings of the morning and if you dwell in the uttermost part of the sea, there shall His hand lead you and His right hand will hold you up.

Doesn’t matter where you are, He knows. He knows because He knows everything.

Exodus 3:7-8, And the Lord said: “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. 8 So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites.

God says I know where they are. I know what they are enduring. I know how difficult it is. I am going to deliver them. Genesis 22. Abraham got Isaac on the altar. Isaac in whom all his hope resides. He was lying on the altar. Abraham lifts his knife into the air to plunge it into the heart of Isaac to kill him.

Right at that moment he starts to plunge the knife and the angel of the Lord says.

Genesis 22:11-12, But the Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” So he said, “Here I am.” 12 And He said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” Abraham, the test is over. You passed!

What happened if God was just a couple minutes late? No.

• He knows.
• He knows where you are.
• He knows what the storm is like.
• He understands your boat.

When it is time and you are out to the end of the extremity, God will be there.

Exactly that is what Jesus was teaching them. He not only came in the storm, He came on the storm. He uses the very trial as His footpath. The howling wind, the crashing waves they don’t affect Him. As He was walking on the water, I can just see the water just sort of flattening out and becoming placid.

I don’t even think Jesus got wet. “He came toward them.”

Why? Because they had needs and they were at the end of their rope. They were in the extremity.

Proverbs 15:3, The eyes of the Lord are in every place, Keeping watch on the evil and the good.

Hebrews 4:13, And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.

We have a High Priest who knows every single thing about us.

What a comforting thought?

Matthew 10:30, But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

Matthew 6:32, For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.

Do you remember Jesus’ introduction to Nathaniel?

John 1:48, Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”

John 2:24-25, But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, 25 and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man. Revelation tells us he has eyes that are piercing. He sees everything.