Alderwood Community Church April 12, Secure and Confident in Christ Behold and Worship Your King Sermon Series Matthew 17:1-27

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1 1 Alderwood Community Church April 12, 2015 Secure and Confident in Christ Behold and Worship Your King Sermon Series Matthew 17:1-27 This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to Him. Matthew 17:5 Intro: Think for a moment about the greatest disappointment of your life. (Brad having a boy Kay s breast cancer not getting to go to Dallas Theological Seminary) Crushed Expectations Peter (and the disciples expected a military King with a present day physical Kingdom. That was their expectations whenever Jesus spoke about the Kingdom of God.) (Brad think of a story about a significant time when my/someone s expectations were crushed. Suffering, set-backs, crushed dreams Context: In the transfiguration, God is infusing the disciples with confidence and security in Christ, in order to prepare them for their future usefulness in accomplishing the purposes of God. Big Idea: When you consider (carefully think about, ponder, reflect on) who Jesus really is, you are infused with confidence and security. *Read Text: Matthew 17: Consider His divine glory and worship Him with confidence. (vrs.1-13) This is the whole point of the transfiguration. The Father wanted Peter, James and John to gaze at the glory of Jesus, so they could get a picture of who He really is, so that they could be confident and secure in Christ. This reveals how good, wise and patient God is with us. This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to Him. Matthew 17:5 This is my Son Whom I love With him I am pleased Listen to Him He has my authority He speaks my words, my plans.

2 2 A. Worship involves focusing our attention on Him. In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God s glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful Word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. Hebrews 1:1-3 The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to Him from the Majestic Glory, saying, This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased. We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with Him on that sacred mountain. 2 Peter 1:16-18 Paying attention to someone also involves listening to them. The Father was clear, that he wanted Peter, James and John to move from awe and amazement to careful consideration, faith and obedience to the very Words of Jesus. I can t help but wonder, if James had this in mind when he wrote, Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. James 1:22 The presence of Moses and Elijah was significant. Moses represented the law and Elijah the prophets. All the law and the prophets point to Christ and are fulfilled in Christ. This was the point of God bringing these two men into the transfiguration moment before these 3 disciples. B. Worship involves focusing our affection on Him. Because of who Jesus is, Almighty God, He is worthy of our attention, our allegiance and our affection. This is why I believe Jesus summarized the entire teaching of the Scriptures when he said, Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and Love your neighbor as yourself. Matthew 22: Consider His patient power and serve Him with confidence. (vrs ) A. He is patient (when we are weak, misguided, do not understand or simply lack faith) The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for He knows how we are formed, He remembers that we are dust. Psalm103:8,13-14

3 3 B. He is powerful Vrs It is important to observe here that it is not the amount of faith which brings the impossible within reach, but it is the power of God, which is available to even the smallest faith. R.T. France Nothing will be impossible for you, must be interpreted as nothing Jesus has given you authority to do. In this case, it was the exorcism, because in Matthew 10 Jesus clearly already gave them the authority to cast out demons. Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose. Philippians 2:12-13 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his might strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms. Ephesians 1:18-20 Don t you limit God! When you tell God I can t after he tells you do this, that is not an expression of self-doubt, that is an expression of unbelief. That is not your opinion of yourself, like you think it is, that really is your opinion about God, because you are saying that God can t do what he has plainly said he wants to do through you! Example: An bold decision to follow Christ getting involved in a ministry using your gift, sharing your faith leaving the comfort of Alderwood and joining the team to launch one of our church plants forgiving someone who has hurt you deeply tithing saying no to temptation or breaking out of a habitual sin. Chemical or no chemical, deeply engrained habit or not, Jesus promises you the power to break free will you believe Him? 3. Consider His willing sacrifice and rest in the security of His love. (vrs a) This always blows me away knowing what laid before Him, he marched right into the painful rejection, mocking, betrayal, and brutality. He knew, as he later articulated in agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, that he would face the most horrific suffering, when he would be separated from the Father and bear the ugly torment of your sin and mine. Long before He laid down earth s foundations, He had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of His love, to be made whole and holy by His love. Ephesians 1:4 (Message)

4 4 It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for Him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved His own who were in the world, He now showed them the full extent of His love. John 13:1 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all of creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8: Consider His victory over death and rest in the security of your future. (vrs. 23b) A. We no longer fear death. Some of the greatest celebrations that I have been a part of, have been at memorial services as we have reflected back over the life of a follower of Christ who lived well. Why do we wait until people are dead to tell them how much they mean to us? We should celebrate people while they are still alive and can hear it for themselves, how much they mean to us. Ilus: I experienced a touching experience of this at my daughter Lauren s 25 th birthday party. B. We live for Christ and serve Him with confidence because we know the end of the story. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man (Adam) the resurrection of the dead also comes through a man (Christ). For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 1 Cor. 15:20-22, Consider His humble authority and live in the security of your dual-citizenship. (24-27) But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ Philippians 3:20 The point is that we are to live our lives out of our security not in security. Our real home, our real citizenship is in heaven. This is why Paul tells us in Colossians 3:1 to set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. And Jesus instructs us not to store up treasures for ourselves on earth but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven.

5 5 Some people criticize some Christians for being So heavenly minded they are of no earthly good. This is just the opposite of God s plan for your life and mine. We are to be so heavenly minded so we can confidently exert the greatest earthly good. We are to live our lives with the confidence of our dual-citizenship. Knowing our real home, our real citizenship is in heaven, and that in this life we are literally just passing through, we are to live confidently according to God s purposes. We need to remember that our real purpose is not simply to work hard, earn a good paycheck, be a good father or mother, take your family on some nice vacations, create great family memories, and just simply endure to the end when it comes to the evil and the progressive decay of our society. Rather, as Jesus told Peter to pay the temple tax so that we may not offend them. Jesus is revealing our purpose, in being good citizens of this earth. We are to be good citizens for our testimony s sake, in order to influence people toward Christ, in order to demonstrate the transformational grace and love of Jesus. This is why we are to be concerned about how unbelievers perceive us. Peter himself, later amplified his understanding of Jesus meant when he said, Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. Submit yourselves for the Lord s sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.1 Peter 2:12-17 Big Idea: When you consider (carefully think about, ponder, reflect on) who Jesus really is, you are infused with confidence and security. Conclusion: Turn your eyes upon Jesus Are you in Christ? How does a person get in Christ? By faith