TITLE: YOU CAN’T PARK HERE
SCRIPTURE: ST. MATTHEW 17:1-8
We attended the State Congress of Christian Education in Tulsa two weeks ago. The classes were very good and the Congress hotel was located downtown, which was very nice as well. As you find in most downtown City hotels the on-site parking was rather limited. If you returned to the hotel too late in the evenings the on-site parking which was gated was full and you had to park out on the city streets. We were fortunate to park on the hotel property until the final evening of our stay. When we arrived rather late after meeting and having dinner and fellowship with a few of the Pastors and wives, we returned to the hotel and the lot, which was gated, was full.
On that last evening of our stay we had to park our vehicle out on the street. We noted a sign on the street which said – no parking between 8 AM – 5 PM.
• Indicates certain hours you can park
• At a certain time you had to move your vehicle
• We could park there temporarily between certain hours
• Between 8-5 it is understood – You Can’t Park Here
• If you were found parked during those hours it was understood your vehicle would be “Towed Away”
If the sign had not been there on the street – many would park their vehicle there all day long which would bring its own set of problems through the busy work day. I began to think to myself my Brothers and Sisters, this is also true in our daily lives. If we are not careful we have the tendency to want to stay or park if you will in the wrong place. Some have been parked so long your spirituality has been towed away. I have a simple message for us this morning – You Can’t Park Here.
In our text we find the disciples of Jesus trying to camp out and park. Jesus had less than a week before pointedly revealing to his disciples that He was the Christ! And He immediately started to tell them what that meant –
• That He would go to Jerusalem
• That He would Suffer
• That He would Die
With these words hanging in the air for the past 6 days, the very next thing the Gospel writers detail is the TRANSFIGURATION. In those six days, we can only wonder what ran through those disciples' minds.
• Was the truth about Jesus starting to sink in?
• That he was a suffering Messiah
• Not a triumphant conqueror?
• Were they perhaps becoming doubtful about him?
• What's this crazy talk about death and resurrection, anyway?
• And what did He mean by they will see him coming in His Kingdom?
Every time I read this text it absolutely blows me away. Every time I read it I can’t help but get that ‘WOW’ feeling. I wish everyone could have that WOW experience when reading and studying the Word of God.
I am reminded of a television show that aired on CBS from 1988-1998. The show stared Candice Bergen. The Television SITCOM was called - “MURPHY BROWN”
I recall one particular episode in which for some reason she asks the staff about their thoughts or feelings about God. There were different responses from different characters – one was an agnostic, one was a Baptist, and so on. But the response of the character Jim stands out. He said he was a Presbyterian and went to church every Sunday with his wife. He said something on the order of --- “I HAVEN’T HAD ANY EXPERIENCE OF GOD. I GO BECAUSE IT IS OBVIOUS TO ME THAT THE PEOPLE WHO ATTEND ARE EXPERIENCING GOD, AND I AM HOPING THAT ONE DAY I WILL TOO.” I wonder how many real-life “Jims” there are in our pews waiting -- waiting for that experience.
This text contains such an Experience - one of the most important, yet one of the least understood parts of the Gospel. To me it encapsulates the essence of Christ’s ministry on earth. The Transfiguration is a pivotal moment, and the setting on the mountain is presented as the point where –
• Human nature meets God
• The meeting place for the Temporal and the Eternal
• With Jesus himself as the connecting point
• Acting as the bridge between Heaven and Earth
This particular day outlined in our text starts off ordinary enough. It must be a critical event for us to understand since Matthew – Mark – Luke all write about it in their Gospels.
• Jesus and his three closest friends – Peter, James, and John – go up on a high mountain
• Nothing unusual
• Jesus often went off from the crowds to pray and rest
• All very ordinary
But from here on, ordinary ends. No sooner do they arrive than Jesus is suddenly “TRANSFIGURED.”
• Transfigure literally means to change shape or form and this is what happened here
• Jesus changed in appearance before their very eyes
• His face shone like the Sun
• His clothes became as White as the Light
He “Glowed.” Mark writes in his recording ST. MARK 9:3 “AND HIS RAIMENT BECAME SHINING, EXCEEDING WHITE AS SNOW; SO AS NO FULLER ON EARTH CAN WHITE THEM.” Not only out of the ordinary, but absolutely out of this world.
• CLOROX – could not get His Clothes that White
• OXI CLEAN - - could not get His Clothes that White
• WAL-MART BARGAIN BRAND BLEACH – could not get His Clothes that White
• If this text does not excite you spiritually something is wrong
There is something about a Mountain Top Experience. Have you ever experienced those in your lifetime?
• When God blesses you in a Powerful way
• When you have prayed and God comes through in a Powerful way
• When God seems to be blessing you over and over again
• When God blesses you financially and you did not even see it coming
• When God turns your health around in spite of what the Doctors said
• ST. LUKE 6:38 “GIVE, AND IT SHALL BE GIVEN UNTO YOU; GOOD MEASURE, PRESSED DOWN, AND SHAKEN TOGETHER, AND RUNNING OVER, SHALL MEN GIVE INTO YOUR BOSOM…”
If you have ever had a Mountain Top Experience – you have the tendency to want to stay right there. You want to park right there and stay on the Mountain Top.
• On the mountain, we encounter Almighty God -- in the Valley, there is an encounter with the demonic
• On the mountain we encounter our Faith’s Heritage -- in the Valley, we encounter those who consider questions of faith as occasions for battle
• On the mountain, God’s calming Voice is heard -- in the Valley, human argument is heard
• On the mountain, disciples are in a Mood for Worship -- in the Valley, the disciples are spoiling for a fight
• On the mountain, the glory of God is Revealed -- in the Valley, the power of sin and unbelief is revealed
Can I tell you that a mountaintop experience is like DESSERT. If that is the extent of our spiritual diet, we will be poorly fed.
• Our faith will be unhealthy
• It will be not much more than a spiritual rabbit’s foot
• Something that protects us from problems
• Instead of Divine cures for Sickness
• Instead of Divine cures for Financial Worries
• Instead of Divine cures for the Anxieties of Life
• There is Glory on the Mountain Top
As we are about to find out in our text after experiencing Blessings from the Lord – You Can’t Park Here. So Jesus is TRANSFIGURED right in front of Peter, James, John. If that were not strange enough the text goes on to say something else now happens. Jesus is Transfigured and if that is not out-of-the ordinary enough -
• Two of faith’s most honored heroes suddenly appear by Jesus’ side
• MOSES - the great law-giver
• ELIJAH - the prophet par excellence
• The Law and the Prophets
• Paying respect to Jesus, in whom both are brought together
Two Old Testament Prophets, Elijah and Moses, appeared on the mountain and were having a conversation with Jesus. These two prophets stand out in the prophetic tradition -
• Moses as the great lawgiver
• Elijah for his ability to convince sinful Israel to repent and turn back to God
• Moses who had now been dead for about 900 years
• Elijah who was translated to heaven about 1,500 years prior
• They appear on the Mountain and begin talking with Jesus
• MALACHI foretold this in the closing Versus of the Old Testament
Moses, moreover, is also known as the representative of the Law, while Elijah is the Representative Of The Prophets. And it was significant that these two men should appear on the Mount, for they were vitally related to Jesus’ mission to this world who came to fulfill the “LAW AND THE PROPHETS.” ST. MATTHEW 5:17 “THINK NOT THAT I AM COME TO DESTROY THE LAW, OR THE PROPHETS: I AM NOT COME TO DESTROY, BUT TO FULFILL.” Here is the Law Giver and Chief Prophet standing on Mountain with Jesus. Thus Moses and Elijah appeared as Jesus’ witnesses, substantiating --
• His Deity
• His Mission
• His Teachings
• His Good Works
• His Sacrifice
• His Sufferings
• His Death
• His Resurrection
• His Victory over Death – Hell - and the Grave
• His Millennial reign
• For of all these things the Prophets wrote
It has always fascinated me the disciples of Jesus knew and were able to identify these two Great Prophets of old. Peter was given this Divine Revelation by the Holy Spirit as to who these two visitors were which were now communicating with Jesus. It is the Gospel writer Luke that gives us the content of their conversation.
• They “SPOKE OF HIS DEPARTURE, WHICH HE WAS ABOUT TO ACCOMPLISH AT JERUSALEM” - ST. LUKE 9:31
What an experience this must have been for these three disciples to be included in this scene that was now unfolding on the Mountain. Jesus is Transfigured and after that these two Patriarchs appear on the Mountain and began conversing with Jesus.
• This is both literally and figuratively a “mountain-top experience”
• No wonder Peter, James, and John are terrified
Of course, a little terror never stopped Peter from speaking up. For lack of any other ideas, he suggests ERECTING THREE TENTS TO COMMEMORATE THE EVENT! Peter 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.” What is Peter saying here?
• Well first the scripture lets us know Peter was not sure what he was saying
• I’m sure I would be lost for words if I experienced what Peter saw
• However, Peter seems to say, “this is great here, let’s never leave”
Up on that mountain these disciples had been given nothing less than a glimpse into the future.
• They saw past the Suffering and Death of Jesus which the Master had predicted a few days before
• They saw past their Doubts
• They saw past their Fears
• For one brief shining moment God had cracked the door to the end of time and they had seen how history would be worked out, their own and the whole world’s
• And they would never be the same again
• And Peter suggests, let’s camp out here and never leave!
Peter says -- What a wonderful thing this is! “LET’S STAY HERE.”
• We can have our own Mountain
• We can have our own Temple
• How about a fresh start here, Jesus?
• On our own terms
• On our own mountain!
• Don’t have to worry about Paying Taxes
• Don’t have to worry about Paying Rent or Mortgage
• Don’t have to worry about Going to Work Every day to Earn a Living
• Don’t have to worry about Where the Next Dollar is Coming From
• Matter of fact, you don’t have to worry about going to Calvary
• Let’s Just Park Here
But the only answer is an interruption. A big enough deal so far, but now, a cloud overshadows the mountain. The damp air closes in and all the world slips away into a grayness. Then the voice of God echoes around them saying, “THIS IS MY SON, THE BELOVED; LISTEN TO HIM!”
• Glowing face and clothes
• Visits from famous figures of the past
• Hovering clouds and heavenly voices
• Spectacular Indeed
Just when the Disciples make the decision to Camp Out and Park and stay on the Mountain. God’s Presence and Voice Resounds and tells them in essence – YOU CAN’T PARK HERE!
• Kingdom work is not on the Mountain Top – But in the Valley
• Kingdom work is not in the Spiritual High of Worship – But in the Valley
• Kingdom work is not within the Four Walls of the Church – But in the Valley
Most of the time it is more Comfortable to Just Stand Still. Standing still is not God’s will. As Christians we are called to live lives that are counter to the values of the world around us and because of that, we push against the current of the world around us every day.
• If we stand still it will not be long until we are swept back
• You either move forward or back
• Standing still is not God’s will
Peter wanted to stay on the Mountain Top, But God responds – You Can’t Park Here. Like the Disciples on Sunday Mornings after Good Worship and Church service, I Too Want To Stay Here. But what about tomorrow? --
• You’ll be back out there in the world, struggling with day-to-day issues
• You’ll be dealing with all the pressures and problems and anxieties that seem to fill up our lives in this present world
• When tomorrow comes, will you remember what you heard here today?
• Will you carry God’s Word with you, and put it to work in your daily life?
I hope you will—but it’s not easy! Our immediate problems and concerns have a way of crowding God’s Word out of our minds. We get so wrapped up in this earthly home of ours that we tend to forget about our heavenly home, how we get there, and what we’re supposed to be doing on our way there. As a Christian, and knowing what you know --
• Can you keep the Good News to yourself?
• Can you be a child of God on Sunday mornings, and a child of the world the rest of the week?
• Is it possible to sit on your hands and conduct your life as if none of this ever happened?
• No! You’re naturally going to want to let others in on the Good News
• You’ll find yourself agreeing with the Jerusalem apostles, who said, “We cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”—Acts 4:19-20
• You’re going to want to apply God’s Word to every part of your LIFE - WORK – SCHOOL -- FAMILY LIFE - LEISURE TIME
Yes, my Brothers and Sisters – You Can’t Park Here – there is too much work to be done in the World in our Communities. We can’t stay on the Mountain. Instead, we must use our experiences as spiritual equipping for evangelism – rescuing lost sheep from hell and leading them to Jesus Christ.
• We must return to the marketplace of life
• We must go into the “HIGHWAYS AND HEDGES AND COMPEL” people to come
• Like Christ, we must seek and save the lost
As I close this morning - We are going to want to follow the instructions that came from the cloud there on the mountain top: “THIS IS MY BELOVED SON. HEAR HIM!”
--Keep on listening to the voice of our Savior
--Keep on learning from His Word
--The Bible will be an even greater power in your life than if you yourself had been physically present on the Mount of Transfiguration
--That’s what Peter said! Yes—he said—we saw His glory with our own eyes
--As Peter proclaimed – IT IS GOOD FOR US TO BE HERE
--It is also good for us to be here in this Sanctuary this morning
--But – You Can’t Park Here
--We can’t be satisfied with just a Sunday Morning Experience – You Can’t Park Here
--We can’t have the Benediction and doing nothing but return again next Sunday – You Can’t Park Here
--The Lord proclaimed out of the Cloud – “THIS IS MY SON, HEAR HIM”
--Let’s us hear the Lord and do what He has commissioned us to do – You Can’t Park Here
--Let’s make sure we are ABOUT OUR FATHER’S BUSINESS
--Tell everyone you encounter about the GOOD NEWS OF THE GOSPEL
--Let’s get busy because - You Can’t Park Here
