WHAT DOES GOD MEAN TO YOU?

Base Text: Matthew 16:13-16

"When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, 'Who do people say the Son of Man is?' They replied, 'Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.' 'But what about you?' he asked. 'Who do you say I am?' Simon Peter answered, 'You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.'" (Matthew 16:13-16)

INTRODUCTION

Jesus asked the most important question a human being can answer. He didn't ask what people thought, but: And you, who do you say I am?

The answer to that question defines absolutely everything. It defines how you live, how you pray, how you face crises, how you treat your family, how you handle money, how you face death.

Many say "I believe in God." But, what does God mean to them? There are people who have reduced the Creator of the universe to an idol, a concept, a religion, or a hobby. And that explains why their faith doesn't transform anything.

Today we are going to examine 5 ways people see God, and at the end, we will discover how we should see Him according to His own Word.

I. GOD IS AN IDOL — Isaiah 40:18-20

"To whom, then, will you compare God? What image will you compare him to? As for an idol, a metalworker casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it with gold and fashions silver chains for it. A person too poor to present such an offering selects wood that will not rot. They look for a skilled worker to set up an idol that will not topple." (Isaiah 40:18-20)

Many people have a god molded to their convenience. A god who:

• Does not confront — never says something is wrong
• Does not demand holiness — everything is allowed
• Blesses all their decisions — even those that go against His Word
• Is molded according to emotions — changes depending on how the person feels

This is an idol. A manufactured, tailor-made god that does not speak, does not correct, and does not transform. An idol will never make you uncomfortable, but it will never save you either.

Isaiah describes it precisely: they look for wood that won't rot, a skilled craftsman, to make a carved image that won't move. A static, controllable, predictable god. That is not the God of the Bible.

II. A GOD I DON'T KNOW IS A CONCEPT — Acts 17:23

"For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you." (Acts 17:23)

In Athens, Paul found extremely religious people who worshiped a god without a name, without a face, without a relationship. The same thing happens today.

Nicodemus went to Jesus at night and told Him:

"Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him." (John 3:2)

Nicodemus knew about God, but he did not know God personally. There is a vast difference between knowing about someone and knowing them.

Today many people talk about:

• "A higher energy"
• "A force of the universe"
• "Something bigger than us"

That is a concept, not a relationship. An impersonal god doesn't confront, doesn't love, doesn't save, doesn't answer prayers. It's comfortable, but it's empty.

III. GOD AS RELIGION — Genesis 4:3-5

"In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor." (Genesis 4:3-5)

Cain brought an offering. He did something religious. But he did it without heart. It was a mechanical act, just to comply, perhaps out of tradition or obligation.

For many, God is a religion:

• Doing things out of obligation — "I have to go to church"
• Family tradition — "My grandmother went, my mom went, I go"
• Rituals without transformation — repeating prayers without feeling them
• Complying out of social custom — pretending to be spiritual

But God rejects empty worship:

"These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me." (Matthew 15:8)

The difference between Cain and Abel was not the offering itself, but the heart behind it. Abel gave his best, his first, the fattest. Cain gave what was left over. God doesn't want religion. He wants a relationship.

IV. GOD AS A HOBBY

A hobby is something that:

• Is practiced when you feel like it — if not, it's left alone
• Is not a priority — there is always something "more important"
• Does not generate real commitment — it can be interrupted without consequences
• Can be abandoned at any time — without guilt or pain
• Is always secondary — never the main thing

Sound familiar? For many, church is a hobby. Praying is a hobby. Reading the Bible is a hobby. They serve God when it suits them, when they have time, when there's nothing better to do.

"I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth." (Revelation 3:15-16)

God does not accept a half-hearted relationship. You cannot treat the Creator of the universe as a Plan B. When God becomes something optional, your faith becomes superficial, and when a crisis comes, that hobby is not going to sustain you.

V. WHEN I SEE GOD FOR WHO HE IS

Peter gave the right answer:

"You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." (Matthew 16:16)

What does it mean to see God for who He truly is?

1. God is the LIVING God

He is not a wooden idol. He is not a philosophical concept. He is not a dead tradition. He is alive. He speaks, acts, intervenes, transforms.

"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands." (Acts 17:24)

2. God is POWERFUL

He created everything that exists. The sky, the earth, the seas, the stars, life itself. He does not need us to defend Him. He does not need us to help Him. He is sovereign.

3. Before God we will give ACCOUNT

"So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God." (Romans 14:12)

This is not a hobby. This is not a concept. One day we will stand before Him and answer for our decisions, our words, our actions. Are you ready for that day?

4. God is LORD of all

Not just of the church, not just of Sunday. He is Lord of your work, your marriage, your finances, your time, your mind, your decisions. Everything belongs to Him.

5. God is a loving FATHER

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)

"Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, 'Abba, Father.' So you are no longer a slave, but God's child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir." (Galatians 4:6-7)

You are not a number. You are not an accident. You are a child of the living God. And a father who gave his own Son for you, how will he not also give you all things?

CONCLUSION

When God becomes something optional, faith becomes superficial.

The question remains today: Who do YOU say Jesus is?

• Is He an idol you mold to your convenience?
• An abstract concept that does not confront you?
• A religion you observe out of tradition?
• A hobby you practice when you have spare time?
• Or is He the living, powerful, sovereign God and loving Father who deserves YOUR WHOLE life?

Is your faith sacrificial or superficial?

Peter understood it. He left the nets, he left his old life, and he followed Christ to the death. It wasn't a hobby. It wasn't religion. It was the Christ, the Son of the living God.

And you, what does God mean to you?

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

1. Have you molded God according to what suits you? Or do you accept Him as He reveals Himself in His Word?

2. Do you know God personally or do you just know things about Him?

3. Is your life of faith by conviction or by family tradition?

4. Is God your priority or something you do when you have spare time?

5. If you had to give an account to God today, what would you say to Him?

🎥 Watch Full Preaching

Watch on YouTube: What Does God Mean To You? — Pastor Josue Angarita

Outline by Pastor Josue Angarita — MMM Portal Campestre Church, Giron, Santander, Colombia.