2 Peter 1:16-19 CONNECTING TO THE INVISIBLE
Last Sunday, the big thing in the news was that the people of Iraq voted. What gave them the confidence to vote? Up until that day, they were told by some of their fellow countrymen that if they voted, they would be blown up. They were being threatened by the terrorists that live in their country. And they had seen some of the different attacks that were being carried out. What gave them the confidence they needed to walk to a polling place and vote?
It was all that visible security. Did you see pictures of it? All the barbed wire fence surrounding some of the polling places. Concrete barriers. Heavily armed guards. When the Iraqis saw all that visible security, that gave them the confidence they needed to cast their vote last weekend.
We need to see things too, to bolster our confidence. If you find yourself walking down a dark street and there are some shady characters standing off to the side, watching you, it’s nice to see a police car, patrolling the area. We need to see things. If I lived in Iraq, I probably wouldn’t have voted unless I could see with my own eyes all the security that was being put into place. Seeing is believing.
And that’s why sometimes, it’s hard to be a Christian. God wants you to be a confident Christian. But he never lets you see him. Have you ever noticed that about God? Our God is a God who likes to hide himself, who likes to remain invisible. “I will take care of you,” God says. But as you drive down the road, as you go to work, as you spend time at home, or as you go about your day, you never, ever see God. “I’m in control of the world,” God says. But then you see things on the news – natural disasters, or crimes taking place, and you ask yourself sometimes, “Where is God?”
God describes himself in the Bible as a powerful and wise and loving and glorious God. But here on earth, you can’t see those things. And when you’re struggling with a problem, you might find yourself looking up to heaven and saying, “God, I wish just for once, you’d let me see you. Let me see that you are here. Let me see your glory. Let me see your power and your mercy. I want to see that you are really here.” When you say those things or think those things, do you realize that God is standing an inch away from your face, looking you right in the eye? You might not be able to see him, but God is here, right here, with all of his power and wisdom and grace and glory. He’s right here. But God is not going to turn the lights on so that you can see him. Instead – if you want to connect to the invisible God, you’re going to have to do it a different way.
Just think of all the invisible things that are out there, all around you and you can’t see them. As we sit here in church, there are radio waves all around you, even though you can’t hear the music or the talking. There are television signals in this room, and satellite signals, but you can’t see the pictures they are producing. The air is filled with cell phone signals, but you can’t hear anything. As you sit here with all five of your senses, you can’t perceive anything. It’s all here. The only way you can, is by connecting yourself to one of those signals with a special device – a phone, a radio, a television, a computer.
And as we sit here with our five senses, we can’t perceive God’s presence. His glory is here. His wisdom and power are here. But we can’t perceive those things. And yet, there is a way that you can connect yourself to the invisible God. And that is here, through the Word. This is how you can connect to God, and to all of his glory. And once you make this connection, and keep that connection going, you become more and more of a confident Christian. You become someone who doesn’t need to see God, because you have faith that he’s here.
The Apostle Peter speaks to us this morning from one of his letters, and encourages us to pay close attention to this special book we call the Bible. Instead of God walking next to you in a visible way, God stays invisible, but walks next to you here, in his Word. Instead of God speaking to you face to face, God remains invisible. But he speaks to you here, through his Word. Here is where God comforts you, encourages you, and gives you confidence to face all the ups and downs that life can bring you. This is where you can get connected to the invisible God.
Listen to how the Apostle Peter describes the Bible: “We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” This book isn’t a bunch of made-up stories, Peter says. Isn’t that a common way people look at the Bible today – a bunch of cleverly invented stories. This isn’t something to get excited about. If you’re looking for God, this isn’t the best place to go – it’s just a bunch of manmade stories. Isn’t it interesting, what lengths people will go to, as they try to connect themselves to God? There are all kinds of religious books out there that are loaded with a little bit of truth, and a lot of false doctrine, and those books are flying off the shelves. It’s amazing to me, what people will read, as they try to get closer to God. Normal, educated people, reading the strangest books. Why do people read all that weird stuff? It’s because many believe that the Bible is a bunch of “cleverly invented stories.”
That’s not the case, the Apostle Peter says. “We did not follow cleverly invented stories… but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.” If you want to get connected to the invisible God, then what better place to go than here, where you can read eyewitness accounts of the majesty of God. Peter is referring back to that moment when Jesus at the top of a high mountain, revealed his glory. Most of the time, Jesus hid his glory, and appeared as an ordinary man. But for a moment, Jesus gave his disciples a glimpse of his majesty. And not only did they see the majesty of Christ with their eyes. They heard it with their ears. Verse 17: “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.’” It must have been shocking for Peter to hear the voice of God, booming from the cloud. And what that voice of God emphasized was that Jesus, even though he looks lowly most of the time, really is the almighty and majestic God. “We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.”
That’s what makes the Bible unique. It was written by people who witnessed the glory of God. If you want to connect yourself to the Invisible God, if you want to get closer to him, get to know him better; if you want God to speak to you and guide you and encourage you and strengthen you, this is where you go. Do you know why we as Christians have such a hard time getting ourselves to read this book? Even though we are Christians, sometimes we lack interest in God’s Word? Have you ever noticed that about yourself? How is it that you can read the sports section so intently, and memorize all the different stats and trivia about the sports world, but you can’t get yourself to read God’s Word? How is it, that you can intently study the sales ads for clothing stores, or the catalogs, or spend hours surfing the internet for the best deals on things, but you won’t put half the energy into studying this catalog (the Bible)?
We are sinful people this way. That sinful nature that we’re born with, that’s what makes us shy away from this book. But there is good news in this book for sinners like you and me. Of all the glorious things that there are about God, the most glorious thing is the fact that this Jesus, who revealed his glory on that mountain, went to a different mountain, and hid his glory. Instead of being powerful and majestic, Jesus did something for you – he made himself lowly and humble. And he did that to take away your sins. Of all the majestic things that there are about God – his power over nature, his unbelievable intelligence – of all the majestic things – the greatest of them, was when God became nothing. When he hung on that cross. When Jesus, instead of bright, and shining, hung there in the dark, and took away the sins of the world. The greatest of all the teachings in this book is the fact that because of his sacrifice, you are a forgiven child of God right now, and that because of Jesus, God loves you right now.
If you want to connect yourself to the invisible God, then first connect yourself to Jesus Christ. Here in his Word, here is where he reveals himself to you. As Peter says, “And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place.” Here is where you can connect yourself to the invisible God. Here is where God gives you a glimpse of his glory. Here is where God can make your good days, even better. Here is where God can make your bad days, not seem so bad. Here is where God makes your laughter more enjoyable, your pain more bearable, and your confidence stronger every day.
And so if you want to see God’s glory, my suggestion to you is to be patient. Eventually you will see God’s glory, when he comes again on the last day. Until then, spend your time looking here, where God gets you ready for that day you will experience the same thing the Apostle Peter experienced on that holy mountain, when “the day dawns, and the morning star rises in your hearts.” Until that day, may God give you faith, and may that come to you as you spend time here, in his Word. Amen.
