Harvest Pointe Christian Church, Milford Ohio is a non-denominational Christian Church (Church of Christ) on the Eastside of Cincinnati OH

Fear of God getting out of my Box | Series: Fearless | 10-18-09

Fear of God Getting Out of My Box
Series:  FEARLESS
Matthew 17:1-8

   I. What Peter, James, and John saw.
  II. What Peter, James, and John heard.
 III. What Peter, James, and John felt.

Full Text 

I found an interesting website this week.
It is "God-in-a-Box"!  For real!

You can choose from historical gods or create your own.
I believe it has been created to promote atheism and humanism.

We can laugh at something like that, but a lot of people do have God neatly wrapped in a little box they have made.  You've heard them.  And they are serious!

Maybe they give their god only one quality:  LOVE.  They view God as a doting old grandpa, spoiling His grandkids that He loves so much.  Grandpas will laugh at and even encourage behavior that they punished their own kids for.

And you hear these people say, "My God is a God of love.  He would never send anyone to Hell.  Everyone is going to be saved.  So, I can live however I want."

Others give their god the characteristic of HAPPINESS.
They view God as a best friend who just wants them to be happy so they don't care what they do.

You will hear them say, "I know God doesn't want me to do these things or say those things, but my God understands.  God wants me to be happy, doesn't He?  So, I can live however I want."

Some have a god in their box who is more like a LONG DISTANCE FRIEND.  Definitely not in their every day life,
but in the end he'll get them to Heaven. 

They say things like, "I don't believe in organized religion.  I would never go to Church.  But God and me, we talk sometimes.  We have an agreement.  I'm special.  I can live however I want."

Now, this next one, I've never heard anyone use these exact words, but if you listen carefully, this is what they are saying.

"God is like a genie in a lamp.  My God is always there for me.  I pray to Him whenever I need something.  But as long as I don't need something, I keep Him in my box and  out of my life.  That way, I can live however I want."

This next one is sometimes the most frustrating.  This is when people think of God as POWERLESS.  Even devoted Christians often squeeze God into this tiny little box.

"God can't help me."
"I've sinned too many times to be forgiven."  Or,
"I've committed a sin too bad to be forgiven."
"My problem is too big for God to get me through."
"God can't heal this."
"God can't do anything about this situation or this relationship."
"God cannot give us success."
"God cannot help us accomplish something.
"God cannot do anything great through us."
"God cannot help me change.  I will always be like this."
"God can not do whatever."

So we give up and God is tossed aside as useless.
He is considered helpless to do anything.  He is ineffective.  When God is stuffed in a box He is restricted and His authority and power are chained up.  We give up and quit when something great could be accomplished.  We are not used of God to our potential.  We do not allow God to change us.

And very importantly, if we cram God into a box and restrict His power, then God is not really all powerful.  And if we do not believe God is an all powerful being, then we can give Him the personality we want Him to have.  And when we do that, we humans are accountable to no one.

And hopefully you caught on that when God is in a box, when we humans are accountable to no one, we can live as we please.  God cannot and will not punish.

And that is the number one reason people are afraid to let God out of the box.  If we do, our lives will be changed forever.  And we do not like change.

Putting God in a box is nothing new.  Peter, James and John must have done it.  Maybe, traveling with Jesus and seeing so many miracles, they began to take Him for granted.  Maybe they became too familiar with Him.

Peter would argue with Jesus.  When Jesus said he would be crucified and die and be buried and then raise back to life, it was Peter who argued that Jesus would not die.  Peter wasn't going to let it happen!  And when Jesus warned the disciples that they would desert Him, it was Peter who adamantly argued that he would never deny Jesus!

And it was James and John who were wanting to be number 2 and 3 when Jesus became King.  After all, John was the disciple that Jesus loved!

I just wonder if Peter, James and John hadn't been with Jesus so much and seen so many miracles that they had lost their awe of Jesus.

So, Jesus decided to do some mountain climbing with the "Three Amigos".  Let's read about what happened.

Matthew chapter 17, beginning with verse 1.
"1After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. 3Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus. 4Peter said to Jesus, 'Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters-one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.'
5While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, 'This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!'
6When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. 7But Jesus came and touched them. 'Get up,' he said. 'Don't be afraid.' 8When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus."

From this experience, I want you to focus on what Peter, James, and John saw, heard, and felt.  And I want you to experience a Jesus who is outside of any box.

First of all today,
I. What Peter, James, and John saw.

Verse 2 tells us, "2There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light."

Better than any Transformer or Power Ranger, Jesus was transfigured.  Right in front of their eyes, He changed!  Jesus did not just start glowing.  It wasn't like some pale green aura like you would see in a SciFi movie. 
It was like someone turned on a switch and the flood lights suddenly blinded them.  Jesus shone brightly like the sun!  It was more like time to squint!

And his clothes became bright white as well.  Maybe Jesus' deity was shining through the clothes.  We don't know.  Maybe His clothes changed, too.  God can do that.  God can do anything.

And that is just the point.  Jesus was no regular guy.  He is not just another man.  Jesus is powerful!  No box can hold Him.  Not even your imagination can contain Him!

Later, John wrote of Jesus and said in John 1:3, "Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made."  Jesus was with God in the creation of the universe.  He had a part in it.

That's why we read in Genesis 1:26, "Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image…'"  "Let US!"  "OUR image!"  Jesus was creating with God.  He has awesome power.  The real God is all powerful.  You cannot stuff Him into a box!

Philippians 2:6-8 is a fascinating Scripture.  It talks about Jesus and says,
"6Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.  8And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-even death on a cross!"

Jesus did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, to be held onto at all costs.  It says Jesus "made himself nothing."  Literally in the Greek it says He poured Himself out, He emptied Himself.  It referred to taking a pitcher or cup and just turning it over and emptying it all out.  In order to become a human like us, Jesus literally dumped out all of that power and glory that is the nature of God.

And even after doing that,
Jesus could heal the sick and raise the dead.
He could walk on water and calm a storm.
He could multiply bread and fish.
He could turn water into wine.

Why?  Because even emptied out, Jesus is still creator of the universe.  Never try to squeeze Jesus into a box.  Let Him out.  Let Him help you through the hard times of life.  Trust Him when life gets tough.

He has the power to forgive your sins.
He has the power to change your life and your personality.
He has the power to work things out, even when we can't see how.
He has the power to do wonderful things through you.
He can help you accomplish great things.
Will you let Him out of the box?  Will you let Him help you?

Peter, James, and John saw the transfigured, powerful Christ.  And then secondly,
II. What Peter, James and John heard.

Now, right after Jesus was transfigured, Moses and Elijah appeared.  This would make a great Halloween story.  You see, Moses had died about 1400 years before.  Elijah had died about 900 years before this.

Why Moses and Elijah?  Moses was the great law-giver.  It was through him that God gave the 10 Commandments and all the laws the Jews were to live by.  It was through Moses that God led the Israelites from slavery in Egypt to the land of Israel.

Elijah was a mighty prophet of God.  He performed awesome miracles and stood up to wicked kings.  He even defeated 450 prophets of Baal single-handedly.

These were the 2 great spiritual leaders of the Old Testament times.  And these 2 long-dead men start talking with Jesus.  Luke tells us they were talking about Jesus' death that was to come.

Peter, James, and John are caught off guard.  Who else, but Peter speaks up.  He was always opening mouth and inserting foot.  So Peter says, "Wow!  This is awesome!  Let's put up 3 shelters.  Maybe they'll come back and talk again!  Then we'll know where this special place is so we can find it again.  Three great teachers.  Wow!!"

But before Peter is done talking a bright cloud comes along.  Suddenly they are in a bright, spooky fog.  It's like the Twilight Zone!  Let's read what happens.

Matthew 17:5.  "While [Peter] was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, 'This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!'"

Yes, Peter, James and John had heard Moses and Elijah.  But now they hear something far more wonderful.
They hear the voice of God Himself.  Not the sound of a god in a box, but the voice of the unleashed Creator whose voice had brought the world into existence!

God can be so firm and yet so gentle at the same time.  Peter had made a monstrous blunder.  He had put Moses and Elijah on the same level as Jesus.  Or, more accurately, had brought Jesus down to their level.  Peter had stuffed Jesus into a box.

God said, "Jesus is My Son."  God said, "I love Jesus."  God said, "Jesus pleases Me."  But very, very, importantly, God said, "You listen to Jesus."  Moses, the great law-giver, Elijah, the mighty prophet, are nothing next to Jesus.  Hear Jesus and forget about Moses and Elijah.  They are mere mortals.  Jesus is the Son of God!  Jesus cannot be contained in a box with them.

And even today people try to put Jesus in a box with other great teachers of this world.  They try to bring Jesus down to the level of Buddha, Mohammed, Confucius, Ghandi, and Yoda.  Yes, Yoda.

You think I'm just trying to be funny, but I was reading that there really is a new religion based on Star Wars!  The head calls himself a master Jedi, like Yoda.  He wasn't permitted into a store because he refused to take his hood off.  The store had been robbed and would not let anyone in with a hood up.  The man accused the store of religious discrimination.  The judge obviously has good taste in movies.  He pointed out that Yoda had his hood down more than up.  He ruled in behalf of the store.  People can be so gullible.

But the point is, Jesus is not just another good teacher.
Jesus is the Son of God.
Jesus is deity.
Jesus is Truth.

Even Jesus' critics admitted that no one ever taught like Him.  Jesus taught with authority.  Why could Jesus do that?  Other teachers taught what they thought about God and spiritual things.  They taught what they thought God wanted.  But Jesus knows first hand what God wants.
Jesus is in very nature God.
If you see Jesus you see God.
Jesus is God.

Never try to blend the teachings of great men with the teachings of Jesus.  Jesus is the one and only authority.  People who try to stuff God in a box try to say there is no absolute authority.  But Jesus is that authority.  God said,
"Hear Him."
Listen to Him.
Pay attention to what He says.
Forget about the others.
Peter, James and John heard the voice of God elevate Jesus above all other teachers.  Jesus is the only authority for our lives.

Peter, James and John saw the power of Christ.
And they heard the voice of the Creator saying Jesus is the only authority.  Now, let's see
III. What Peter James and John felt.

Put yourself in Peter, James, and John's sandals for a few minutes.  You have done a dangerous thing.  It is probably night-time because that is when Jesus normally went up into the mountains to pray.  So you follow Jesus up this mountain in the dark.

There is near consensus among scholars that it was Mt. Hermon. which is 9,400 feet high.  We're talking about a couple of thousand feet higher than the Smokies.  Folks, do not do this at home.

You get up there and all of a sudden Jesus doesn't glow, He starts shining like someone threw a light switch.  Then two dead guys appear talking with Him about His death.  Next thing you know you are inside of a glowing cloud and God Himself starts talking to you.  And in essence the voice says "Shut up.  You guys don't know what you're talking about!"

How would you react?  What would you do?  Probably the same thing that Peter, James and John did.  Realizing they were in the presence of God, power beyond imagination, they fell to the ground in fear, respect and awe.  Let's see what happened next.

Matthew 17:6-8.
"6When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. 7But Jesus came and touched them. [They felt the touch of Jesus]'Get up,' he said. 'Don't be afraid.' 8When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus."

And Jesus led them back down the mountain and gave them more instructions.  And you know what?  We never read of them saying, "Jesus!  Stop bossing us around!"  Why?  Because God had said, "Hear Him."  And they knew what that meant.

Maybe some of you have had an experience like me.  You are rough-housing with your boys and things begin to get out of hand.  That's because little boys just keep winding up more and more and don't know when to back off.

So, Marsha steps into the room and says, "Settle down before someone gets hurt!"  Of course, I would immediately, obediently, back off.  But the boys would stay in high gear.  So Marsha would say, "Did you hear me?"  And for some reason I would be the one getting the death stare.

Now, we all knew what she meant when she said, "Did you hear me?"  She was not asking if the sound waves emanating from her mouth had reached our ears and penetrated our thick skulls.  She was asking if we were listening, if we were paying attention to her.  She wanted to know if we were going to obey her.

And when God commands to hear Jesus, He wants more than learning the words.  God wants us to listen,
to pay attention.  God wants obedience.

I believe one of the reasons Peter, James and John were terrified is they realized they were in the presence of One who is greater than any king or ruler on earth.  Jesus had exploded from the box that they had pressed Him into.  Jesus was loose and powerful beyond imagination.  Jesus is truly the King of kings and Lord of lords.

And Peter, James and John felt the touch of the Lord of the universe.  He told them to get up.  Then they headed back down the mountain and got back to work.

Throughout this series we have been talking about easing fears.  But this fear, this deep respect of God is a good fear.  It causes us to fall before Jesus and yield our lives to Him.

Earlier we referred to people who keep God in a box and treat Him like a genie in a lamp.  People act like it is all about them.  People think God is there for them.

But nothing could be further from the truth.  It is all about God.  We exist for Him.
Ephesians 1:12 tells us we exist "for the praise of his glory"
Philippians 1:11 says we are to live righteous lives for "the glory and praise of God"
Peter writes in I Peter 1:7 that our faith results "in praise, glory and honor"
I Peter 4:11.  "so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ"
It is NOT all about you.  It is all about you bringing glory and praise to God because it is all about Him! 

Don't try to stick God in a box.  Turn Him loose and discover your purpose in life.

Do you have God safely tucked in a box some where?  Don't be afraid.  Set Him loose in your life and give your life to Him.

If you are ready to do that this morning, come forward when we sing and confess Him before others and be buried with Him in baptism.

Or maybe you have already done that and would like to place your membership with us.  Then come as we stand and sing.