From Doing to Enjoying: The Grace of Abiding

• The Transfiguration and Divine Glory [00:33:26 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor connects the biblical event of the Transfiguration to the concept of glory and beauty, citing C.S. Lewis on the desire to be united with beauty.
• Transformation through Listening to Jesus [00:35:41 ▶️ 📄]
  > The core theological argument that believers are transformed by enjoying God and listening to His voice, paralleling Jesus' own transformation.
• Biblical Typology (Mount Sinai) [00:36:54 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor links the mountain setting in Matthew 17 to Mount Sinai in Exodus, establishing a pattern of God dwelling with His people and establishing covenants on mountains.
• The Transfiguration and Moses' Mediation [00:36:33 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor connects the Transfiguration to Mount Sinai, explaining Moses' role as mediator and God's revelation of glory.
• Human Desire for Tangible Experience [00:40:13 ▶️ 📄]
  > An analogy comparing the desire to experience art or concerts to the human desire to tangibly experience God's glory.
• Grace vs. Works (Peter and David) [00:42:01 ▶️ 📄]
  > Analysis of Peter's attempt to build tents and David's desire to build a temple as examples of trying to 'do' for God rather than receive His grace.
• Listening to Jesus vs. Self-Interpretation [00:48:02 ▶️ 📄]
  > The command to 'listen to him' is contrasted with the danger of 'main character syndrome' and interpreting scripture through one's own plans.
• Community in Suffering [00:51:09 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares a personal anecdote about finding support and hearing God through a discipleship group during times of sickness and stress.
• The Nature of Glory and Burden [00:52:41 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor connects the biblical concept of glory as 'weight' to the human experience of life's burdens, arguing that only God's glory can outweigh life's stressors.
• The Moving Goalposts of Human Desire [00:53:45 ▶️ 📄]
  > Using the example of Rory McIlroy, the pastor illustrates how human satisfaction is fleeting, as achieving one goal merely shifts the desire for more, highlighting the futility of seeking fulfillment in worldly success.
• Incarnation and Ordinary Life [00:57:06 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor emphasizes that Jesus's mission was accomplished in 'normal, everyday conditions of life,' contrasting heavenly glory with the humble reality of Jesus living among humans.
• Abiding and Obedience [01:00:32 ▶️ 📄]
  > Citing Melissa Kruger, the pastor argues that true obedience and powerful Christian living are only possible through abiding in Christ, rather than self-effort.
• Communion and Community [01:04:37 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor transitions to the liturgy of communion, framing it as a time of spiritual feeding and communal connection, where neighbors are seen as the 'holiest object' alongside the sacrament.
• Invitation and Exclusion from Communion [01:06:16 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor distinguishes between those who believe in Jesus (invited to the table) and those who do not (invited to observe and seek conversation rather than partake).
• The Institution of the Lord's Supper [01:07:03 ▶️ 📄]
  > Recitation of the biblical narrative of Jesus taking bread and wine, establishing the covenant and the command to remember Him.
• Prayer for Spiritual Nourishment [01:07:41 ▶️ 📄]
  > A prayer asking God to make the physical elements spiritually effective and to encourage the congregation through both extraordinary works and ordinary lives.
• Logistics and Preparation for Communion [01:08:21 ▶️ 📄]
  > Instructions on where to find bread and drinks (gluten-free, grape juice, wine) and an exhortation to prepare hearts inwardly before coming forward.
• Theological Reflection on Ordinary vs. Extraordinary [01:12:45 ▶️ 📄]
  > A reflection on how God uses sensible signs (bread/wine) and ordinary lives to point to the extraordinary salvation provided by Jesus.

• Sermon Illustration [00:31:25 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares a personal anecdote about watching Rory McIlroy play in the Masters tournament. He describes his own anxiety ('acting a fool', 'pacing around') as McIlroy struggled, contrasting it with the 'mountaintop experience' of the tournament and McIlroy's eventual victory, using this as an analogy for the disciples' reaction to Jesus' glory.
• Sermon Illustration [00:38:00 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor describes the biblical account of Moses interceding for Israel after the golden calf incident, where God reveals His glory but Moses can only see His back, resulting in Moses' face shining so brightly he must wear a veil.
• Sermon Illustration [00:40:13 ▶️ 📄]
  > An analogy comparing the human desire for tangible experiences, such as attending a concert or touching art in a museum, to the desire to experience God's glory.
• Sermon Illustration [00:42:01 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor recounts Peter's reaction to the Transfiguration, where Peter suggests building tents, interpreting this as an attempt to 'do' for God rather than receive His glory.
• Sermon Illustration [00:44:21 ▶️ 📄]
  > A reference to King David wanting to build a temple for God because he saw God dwelling in a tent while he lived in a palace, illustrating the human tendency to try to pay back God.
• Sermon Illustration [00:46:45 ▶️ 📄]
  > The story of Elijah on Mount Horeb, where he hears God not in wind, earthquake, or fire, but in a small whisper, and God asks him what he is doing there.
• Sermon Illustration [00:51:09 ▶️ 📄]
  > A personal story about the pastor's recent experience with sickness and busyness, and how meeting with his discipleship group helped him hear God's word amidst suffering.
• Sermon Illustration [00:51:52 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares a personal anecdote about his discipleship group where members were suffering and carrying heavy burdens, leading to a realization about the weight of glory.
• Sermon Illustration [00:54:23 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor recounts Rory McIlroy's reflection on winning the 2025 Masters, noting that achieving the 'career Grand Slam' did not bring final satisfaction but rather moved the goalposts, illustrating the human condition of endless seeking.
• Sermon Illustration [01:05:18 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor references C.S. Lewis's quote that 'next to the blessed sacrament itself... your neighbor is the holiest object presented to your senses' to explain the dual nature of communion as both vertical (with God) and horizontal (with community).
• Sermon Illustration [01:06:16 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor references C.S. Lewis's concept that 'the holiest object presented to our senses is our neighbors,' using it to welcome non-believers to the service as friends.
• Sermon Illustration [01:12:45 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor contrasts the human tendency to long for extraordinary things with the reality of God working through ordinary, everyday lives and the ordinary day of Jesus' life to accomplish extraordinary salvation.

• Pastoral Charge [00:50:48 ▶️ 📄]
  > Actively seek out and engage with Scripture.
• Pastoral Charge [01:03:09 ▶️ 📄]
  > Contact the pastors to join a discipleship group
• Pastoral Charge [01:06:29 ▶️ 📄]
  > Non-believers are asked not to partake in communion and to seek conversation with church leadership
• Pastoral Charge [01:06:01 ▶️ 📄]
  > Believers are invited to partake in communion
• Pastoral Charge [01:06:29 ▶️ 📄]
  > Non-believers are instructed not to participate in the Lord's Supper.
• Pastoral Charge [01:06:41 ▶️ 📄]
  > Non-believers are invited to seek conversation with church leadership to explore faith.
• Pastoral Charge [01:09:52 ▶️ 📄]
  > The congregation is invited to come forward to receive the elements.

[00:04:53] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:04:53] Good morning. Good morning and welcome to Midtown Community Church this morning. My name is Wally Tinsley. I'm one of the elders here and regardless of how you are arriving or from what you are arriving, whether that's family drama or challenging trip here or maybe you woke up this morning and you've had the right number of cups of coffee or had a pleasant walk and meditation before you get here. Regardless, you're welcome and you're called in
[00:05:24] into worship. And the beautiful thing is you're not called into worship primarily by me or by the elders, deacons, women's shepherding team here at Midtown or by the pastors. You're called into worship by an almighty God. You're called into worship by your Savior. And so we have a call
[00:05:39] to worship printed in the bulletin from Isaiah 43. And you'll see that it says, based on Isaiah 43, if you were to open your Bible and read Isaiah 43, you would see that all of the language is
[00:05:52] from God to us. And this morning we're going to put ourselves in the middle of that psalm and with a call and response we are going to respond to God as he calls to us his redeemed
[00:06:05] people and calls us into worship. So if you would stand with me if you're able and we will be called to worship as I read the leader portion and then if you would join me for the all.
[00:06:16] But now, thus says the Lord, He who created you, O Jacob, He who formed you, O Israel, fear not, for you have redeemed us.
[00:06:31] I have called you by name, you are mine.
[00:06:35] When we pass through the waters, you will be with us, and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm us.
[00:06:45] For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
[00:06:51] Let us worship our Savior.

[00:06:52] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:06:52] I still understand.
[00:12:34] The opportunity to confess what it is that we believe, and you'll see on the next page,

[00:14:40] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:14:40] today we've taken three questions from the Heidelberg Catechism.
[00:14:43] So if you would join me, I'll read the question, and then we'll answer together as we confess this Jesus in whom we believe.
[00:14:52] What kind of mediator and deliverer must we seek?
[00:14:59] One who is a true and righteous man and yet more powerful than all creatures.
[00:15:07] That is, one who is at the same time true God.
[00:15:13] Why must he be a true and righteous man?
[00:15:17] He must be a true man because the justice of God requires that the same human nature which has sinned should pay for sin.
[00:15:30] He must be a righteous man because one who himself is a sinner cannot pay for others.
[00:15:40] And why must he at the same time be true God?
[00:15:44] He must be true God so that by the power of his divine nature, he might bear in his human nature the burden of God's wrath and might obtain for us and restore to us righteousness and life.
[00:16:06] As we continue to worship, we will sing together a song of thanksgiving and at the same time an offering plate will be passed.
[00:16:13] the opportunity here is if you give in the context of the offering plate or perhaps you give at some other time online or in some other setting regardless this is an opportunity to consider what it is that God has given to us all the good gifts God has given to us and in thankfulness
[00:16:30] we respond as we give part of that back to him let's continue to worship

[00:16:35] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:16:35] and at this time kids you get to go to your classrooms if you want to meet your teachers

[00:22:08] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:22:08] up front. This is also a great time to meet someone new around you. If you'd like to find your way back to your seats, that would be awesome. Thank you. Well, good morning. My name
[00:24:14] is Anderson. I'm one of the pastors here at Midtown Community Church. So glad that you are all here this morning for us to be able to gather together in worship. Just a couple of announcements
[00:24:24] before we turn our attention to God's Word. You can find these announcements on pages 11, I believe in 12 of your bulletins, but the two main ones are on page 11.
[00:24:35] So if you consider yourself a young professional, there's a pickleball meetup today.
[00:24:41] This sounds like an awesome time from 12 to 2 p.m.
[00:24:45] You can see the details of that.
[00:24:46] It looks like they're meeting at Sandiford Road Park.
[00:24:49] This will be a great opportunity just to get to know some of the fellow young pros and enjoy this beautiful weather.
[00:24:56] It looks like it's going to get hot this week.
[00:24:57] get it in, get the pickleball in before it gets too hot, before we get spoiled again by 80 degree weather and complain about that. But awesome opportunity. Please be sure to go to that and meet some other people in our church. The other announcement that I have is save the day
[00:25:14] for a family table. So the date is in there, May 3rd. It's on a Sunday night from 445 to seven o'clock. There will be child care provided, and it's also, we will send out some sign-ups for
[00:25:28] just to be able to gauge how much food we should get. We will have a time where we're sharing, the leadership of the church will share where we believe God is calling us to in this next season.
[00:25:39] It is an amazing opportunity as well to get to know people because we will share a meal together afterwards, but we are setting up child care because we really want you to be there. We really
[00:25:51] desire to share with you the vision that God, we believe God is directing us to. And so it is a great night. I'm going to reference Family Table last year and maybe some of the ridiculous actions
[00:26:06] on my part, but please look for that sign up. This is an important event for the life of our church, just to be able to, for y'all to be able to ask questions as we get to share information to you
[00:26:19] of our gracious God and what he's calling us to. With that, we're going to pray and then we'll turn our attention to God's word. Thank you all for being here this morning. Join me as we pray

[00:26:37] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:26:37] together. Heavenly Father, as you have called us into worship this morning, so we approach the throne in prayer. You have redeemed us. We are a people bought with a price, the price of redemption in the death of your own son.
[00:26:55] Lord Jesus, our Redeemer, we stand in awe.
[00:26:59] We bring our worship, not of duty or some form of payback, but in response.
[00:27:05] We sing praises to you.
[00:27:07] We pray to you.
[00:27:08] We hear and listen as you speak through your word.
[00:27:11] We praise you as we are welcomed.
[00:27:14] We praise you as we are loved.
[00:27:16] We praise you as we are forgiven.
[00:27:20] Yes, Lord, even as we are called into worship and welcomed into your presence, we bring the baggage of sin.
[00:27:26] We praise you that on the cross the price and penalty was paid.
[00:27:30] We praise you that in the resurrection, death was defeated and the curse of the fall broken forever.
[00:27:38] And yet we confess a war within us, a struggle between our old selves, who would follow our father Adam into living out of what is right in our own eyes, versus our redeemed selves seeking to follow after you in all things.
[00:27:53] Forgive us when we have put ourselves above you.
[00:27:56] Forgive us when we have acted for ourselves instead of living as a people redeemed and loved by you.
[00:28:03] We thank you that you are ever present with us.
[00:28:08] We thank you that you do intervene in this world and in our lives.
[00:28:12] We thank you for your vast creation and our opportunities to explore it, whether we send astronauts around the moon or take a walk and enjoy the beauty you have made.
[00:28:22] We thank you for your loving care, protection, guidance as you walk with us each day.
[00:28:28] We thank you for families.
[00:28:30] We thank you for the safe delivery of a baby girl to Amy and Fernando Lemmy.
[00:28:35] We thank you, giving you glory for the work and the school that we were able to accomplish this week.
[00:28:41] We thank you for safety and travel.
[00:28:43] Lord, we pray that you would enable us to trust in your presence, believing your care.
[00:28:51] We pray that you give us the grace to hear from you, not only hear as your word is preached, but as we read and meditate and listen throughout each week.
[00:29:01] We do pray this morning for your servant Anderson.
[00:29:04] You have called him to preach to us.
[00:29:07] You have walked with him as he is prepared.
[00:29:10] Give him now the words to say, and open our hearts, open our ears to receive.
[00:29:16] In your name, Lord Jesus, we pray. Amen.

[00:29:29] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:29:29] Today's scripture comes from Matthew 17, verses 1 through 13.
[00:29:36] This is God's word.
[00:29:38] And after six days, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.
[00:29:47] And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light.
[00:29:55] And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him.
[00:30:00] And Peter said to Jesus, Lord, it is good that we are here.
[00:30:05] If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.
[00:30:11] He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.
[00:30:24] Listen to him.
[00:30:26] When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified, but Jesus came and touched them, saying, Rise and have no fear.
[00:30:37] And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.
[00:30:42] And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, Tell no one the vision until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.
[00:30:50] The disciples asked him, Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?
[00:30:56] He answered, Elijah does come, and he will restore all things.
[00:31:00] But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they pleased.
[00:31:07] So also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands.
[00:31:11] Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.
[00:31:18] This is the word of the Lord.
[00:31:25] Some of you, as I mentioned earlier, may remember last year, on this very day, that I was indeed a wreck.
[00:31:35] I was acting a fool, maybe some would say.
[00:31:38] It was at family table, and some of you may remember this, But for some reason, Pastor Lindsey put the Masters on the projector at dinner.
[00:31:48] And Rory McIlroy was starting to dwindle.
[00:31:52] Rory McIlroy was playing in the Masters tournament.
[00:31:55] Rory McIlroy is one of my favorite golfers.
[00:31:58] And he needed this one major, the Masters tournament, to complete the career Grand Slam.
[00:32:04] He hadn't won a major in 10 years.
[00:32:07] He choked away the 2011 Masters.
[00:32:09] And over and over again, he came to that very tournament carrying the weight of entering into golf's glory, to being one of only six people to ever win the career Grand Slam.
[00:32:22] And all of you are so thrilled that I'm talking about golf on this Master's Sunday, but you know I enjoy golf, and you know that it is Master's Sunday, so I get a pass, right?
[00:32:34] The Masters is held at Augusta National Golf Club.
[00:32:37] It is known as one of the most intriguing tournaments, so much so that there's actually a lottery for people that want to attend the Masters, to be able to experience the food, the green grass, to witness the weight that the place holds for the golfers that play in the
[00:32:54] tournament. It's truly a mountaintop experience for anybody that gets to go to the Masters, and it is indeed a mountain that all golfers hope to achieve in their professional careers.
[00:33:06] Rory finally climbed that mountain last year.
[00:33:10] And while I was pacing around, not knowing how to act when he was dwindling, and not knowing how to respond when he finally won the tournament, I was dumbfounded.
[00:33:21] It was an amazing moment.
[00:33:24] Here's the connection.
[00:33:26] The transfiguration in Matthew 17 is indeed an amazing moment that we see in the Scriptures.
[00:33:33] It's full of history.
[00:33:34] It's full of imagery.
[00:33:35] There are so many questions that we have about this event.
[00:33:40] And obviously, I'm using mountain imagery, mountain language, for a reason, because it's in the text.
[00:33:46] It's in the Bible.
[00:33:49] You see, mountains in the Bible show us the dwelling place of God.
[00:33:54] It shows us that there's divine revelation, that God indeed wants to communicate something to us when mountains are involved.
[00:34:02] God uses mountains as the place where kingship is established.
[00:34:09] But here's the main thing that I want us to talk about today.
[00:34:13] Glory. Glory.
[00:34:16] We all desire glory in some type of way, to interact with it, to do something amazing, to be beautiful.
[00:34:25] We see this in the transfiguration, that there's glory, but there's also beauty.
[00:34:32] C.S. Lewis, in his book, Weight of Glory, says this about beauty.
[00:34:38] It's on the front of your bulletins.
[00:34:41] We do not want merely to see beauty, though God knows even that is bounty enough.
[00:34:48] We want something else which can hardly be put into words, to be united with the beauty that we see, to pass into it, to receive it into ourselves, to bathe in it, to become part of it.
[00:35:02] We desire to interact with beauty or glory in extraordinary ways, but also in everyday life.
[00:35:15] And the disciples, Peter, James, and John are just like us.
[00:35:18] We'll see today that their response to glory is well-intentioned, but maybe isn't what God desires for us.
[00:35:26] You know, Matthew 17 is showing us that we get to be truly transformed to do good works when we enjoy God and we listen to the voice of the most glorious person that has ever walked this earth.
[00:35:41] Enjoy God and listen to his voice.
[00:35:44] And we indeed, we indeed have the opportunity to be transformed just as Jesus did.
[00:35:52] I have four points for today, which you can find in your bulletin.
[00:35:57] The points are this, desire to do the extraordinary, the need to know the ordinary, abiding and aboding and so easy to forget. All right, point one. You know, there are many moments in the Bible that are just amazing, that reveal to us the glory of God and the responses that man
[00:36:20] has to them. You know, most of the time when we see this happen in the New Testament, we actually can go back to the Old Testament to see what is really going on in this scene. And so for verses
[00:36:33] one through four of our texts today, we're seeing a mountain when someone brought others with them.
[00:36:40] We're seeing a bright and shining appearance. And even specifically, we see that Moses is mentioned in this text. And so if you connect all of those dots, you go back to Exodus 19, Exodus 20,
[00:36:54] all through 34. And we see that this is indeed connecting us to the moment of Mount Sinai, where Moses had led God's people out of Egypt through the Red Sea and they arrived to this mountain
[00:37:07] and God desires to tell them something.
[00:37:12] See, upon this mountain, God comes down and dwells with Moses.
[00:37:17] Moses is climbing up and down the mountain about seven times and on in these scenes, we see that the covenant, the promise with God and God's people is established.
[00:37:27] We see Moses receiving the 10 commandments, instructions for the tabernacle the tent that God would indeed dwell in as the Israelites would go into the desert to pursue the promised land instructions for that to be built so many
[00:37:42] moments are happening in this section of scripture there were clouds thunder fire smoke trumpets were sounding and all of it was pointing us to the presence of God and his glory and one of the
[00:38:00] last ascent that Moses takes up to the mountain. Moses is interceding to God for the people of Israel. The people of Israel had just built a golden calf to worship. He's interceding on their behalf. And Moses wants to show that to the Israelites that he is indeed the mediator between
[00:38:23] God and between man, between them in this moment. And so he asked God to see his glory. And God says in Exodus 33. This is what God says to Moses wanting to see God's glory. This very thing that
[00:38:37] you have spoken I will do for you have found favor in my sight and I know you by name. Moses said please show me your glory and he said I will make all of my goodness pass before you and will
[00:38:52] proclaim before you my name the Lord and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious and I will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But in this moment, Moses is not able to look directly at God.
[00:39:09] He can't withstand the glory that is about to be shown. So God hides him in a cleft of a rock, and he only sees the back of God. And yet when he comes down from the mountain, his face is so
[00:39:22] bright that the people of Israel cannot look at his face. He has to wear a veil because God's glory. God's second-hand glory is that glorious. Here's what we need to take from all of this
[00:39:37] connection points that Matthew 17 is showing us this morning. God is choosing Moses to be a mediator, a prophet figure, one who speaks for God, but also that a king is being established upon this
[00:39:50] mountain, not only on Mount Sinai, but also on this Mount of Transfiguration. A king is being established. But another takeaway is that we get a picture into our humanity. We want to see and experience glorious things. Just like the quote from C.S. Lewis is talking about.
[00:40:13] We don't just desire to listen to an album. We want to go to a concert, right? Watching a basketball game. It's better to attend a game with those that are cheering for your team. It
[00:40:26] is an experience and it's an amazing experience. I feel like there's this inward desire in all of us when we see art, maybe in a museum, that we just kind of want to touch it. We just can't help
[00:40:37] ourselves. Don't touch it. But we desire to experience beautiful things in more tangible and sensible ways. The amazing thing about God is that he answers Moses's request in the affirmative.
[00:40:57] God desires to show his glory to his people, and Jesus is the same. He transfigured before the disciples. His face was shining like the sun. His clothes became white as light, and he is being
[00:41:09] established on top of this mountain as king to his people. R.T. France, who's a commentator, he has a commentary on Matthew. He says this about this moment where Jesus is showing his glorious appearance. He says, it's not as much putting the God nature on, but rather the dullness
[00:41:32] of earthly conditions temporarily being stripped away so that the true nature of God's beloved son can for once be seen. It's beautiful. Beautiful to be able to serve a God that desires to do that. You know, in this text, did y'all see Peter's reaction? With this story,
[00:42:01] you've probably heard about Peter not really getting it, that Jesus' disciples are sometimes acting in uninformed ways of what Jesus isn't doing. But in this case, I think Peter actually gets it. You know, during Mount Sinai, God has given instructions for the tabernacle, the tent
[00:42:20] that he would dwell in to be built. So Peter sees this amazing moment of Moses, Jesus on a mountain, shining like the sun, and he thinks, let's build some tents for these guys. For God does indeed say
[00:42:34] in Exodus 25, and let them make me a sanctuary that I may dwell in their midst. So Peter just thinks, yeah, the most logical step in this scenario is for us to build some tents, but he's interrupted
[00:42:51] by God. Y'all see that? Which means that he may not be doing something right here, and looking at the text, I believe it's at least this. He's trying to do rather than receive. He's trying
[00:43:09] to do something for God, for Jesus in this moment, rather than receiving his glory. He's trying to pay back rather than enjoy. How often when you see something beautiful or you're given a gift that is
[00:43:28] an amazing gift and you just have this inclination inside of you like, I don't know if I can accept that. You feel as if you have to do something for that person that gives a good gift or closely
[00:43:39] related. Do you operate out of fairness in your relationships? I get this time, you get this time.
[00:43:50] I scratch your back only if you scratch mine. God does not operate in that way. We saw that in the scriptures. God is a gracious God that desires to give grace. God is a merciful God that desires to
[00:44:05] give mercy. And sometimes it means that we need to throw off this desire to want to do, do, do for God. And we just simply need to enjoy him and his work. You are not the first person to operate in
[00:44:21] this way. We see it in Peter that he cannot help himself. We see it again in the Old Testament where King David, the king that was after God's own heart, desires to build God a temple. He sees
[00:44:34] the dirty tent that God is continuing to dwell in with his people, and he sees the palace that he is living in, and he's like, I just have to build something for you, God, and yet God did not ask for
[00:44:50] that. It's hard to accept the glory and grace of our God. How are you trying to be on equal footing with him. You know, a pastor I love once said, he said, you can't add to Christ without subtracting
[00:45:12] from Christ. Attempting to do or perform rather than enjoying who Jesus is could show that you don't fully understand how Jesus operates, that he is a gracious, gifting person, and sometimes just wants you to enjoy him. You know, a prayer that I have for myself that I have to go back to
[00:45:35] over and over again. It's a prayer for myself, and it is indeed a prayer that I have for us as a people. It's this. With our relationship with God, can we shift from I should do to I get to do?
[00:45:51] Out of enjoyment of him, we get to do the things that he asks of us, but we first must enjoy him.
[00:46:00] Otherwise, we're confusing the relationship. It's a similar concept to Mary and Martha Jesus in the Bible? Do we sit at Jesus's feet and receive and then enjoy him? Or are we always feeling like we need to do things for him? We desire to do extraordinary things for God. That's
[00:46:23] a good desire, but he wants us to enjoy him. Next point, know the ordinary. So Elijah shows up as well. And it's easy to ask, what's that all about? Well, Elijah had a moment on Mount Horeb, another
[00:46:45] mountain. It's actually thought to be maybe even the same mountain as Mount Sinai, at least in the same mountain range. So Elijah, he's seen as this important prophet in the Old Testament, even thought to be the next Moses. 1 Kings 19 shows us this. There's a parting of water. He's up on a
[00:47:05] mountain. He's in a cave, and he begins to hear from God. There's wind, an earthquake, fire, but he hears the voice of the Lord in a small whisper, and God says to Elijah, what are you
[00:47:23] doing here, Elijah? Simple question, and Elijah answers with complaints. He's stating these like, I'm the only one left that's trying to do your work, God.
[00:47:36] He's similar to Peter, maybe boasting about what he can do, what he knows, and trying to call Israel back to the promise that was made on Mount Sinai.
[00:47:47] God responds the same way to Elijah as he does to Peter.
[00:47:59] And it's simply listen, listen.
[00:48:02] That's why he whispers, listen to this, listen to this word.
[00:48:06] And in verse five, he's saying to Peter, Peter's still talking about what he could do when behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them and a voice from the cloud said, this is my beloved son with whom I am well pleased.
[00:48:20] Listen to him.
[00:48:25] Peter talks about this experience in 2 Peter.
[00:48:29] We heard this very voice born from heaven and he goes on, he says some other things about prophetic words and I won't talk about that, but in verse 20, he says this.
[00:48:39] Knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. This is what is dangerous about Elijah's mindset, about Peter's mindset, about our mindset, is that sometimes we're coming up with our own plans by just listening to ourselves. Peter's pointing this out as well,
[00:49:06] that the scriptures should not come from someone's own interpretation. We need to hear from the voice of Jesus. We need to hear from the voice of other brothers and sisters. When you're trying to do
[00:49:20] things by yourself or interpreting the Word of God by yourself, you're in danger of creating your own form of Christianity. Are you listening to your plans? Are you listening to God's beloved Son, the voice of God saying, listen to my beloved Son? The Bible, the Old Testament, and the New
[00:49:37] is pointing to one main character, Jesus Christ, our King.
[00:49:46] I'm learning this new saying, this new word.
[00:49:50] Main character syndrome, have y'all heard of this?
[00:49:53] So much of our lives are centered around my cares, my desires, my success, my space, and even my sufferings.
[00:50:04] We need to let God into our everyday ordinary lives.
[00:50:09] We need others to be able to speak into our everyday, ordinary lives.
[00:50:15] And these relationships are hard to establish.
[00:50:19] I get it.
[00:50:22] They're hard to establish, especially when suffering and fear is all about you.
[00:50:28] And so establishing these relationships before those things come is so important to do.
[00:50:35] So that when those times do come, you have a support system.
[00:50:40] You have people that love you.
[00:50:42] You are listening to the word of God before suffering comes.
[00:50:46] Seek it out.
[00:50:48] Seek out his scriptures.
[00:50:53] You know, one thing I was wondering about this passage this week, there's so much glory and beauty in it, but how does it address our lives when it feels opposite?
[00:51:09] This past week, I hadn't felt like I was experiencing God's glory.
[00:51:14] The circumstances of sickness in our home, the busyness of work, feeling overwhelmed. It made it really hard for me to listen to God or even to want to listen to God. You ever have seasons like this? But then, thankfully,
[00:51:34] it was scheduled. I got together with my discipleship group. Discipleship groups are small groups of three or four people where we're just trying to help one another, to encourage one another, to keep going. And when I got together with my discipleship group, we were all suffering.
[00:51:52] in very similar ways.
[00:51:58] It was evident from our conversation that we were carrying burdens, just wanting to find a way out of these burdens.
[00:52:08] And thankfully, like God, for some reason, God speaks to me in an incredible way.
[00:52:12] It is a gift for me to preach here on Sundays because God speaks directly into personal applications for me all throughout the week.
[00:52:20] It's like I should preach every week.
[00:52:24] Not because Lindsay's a bad preacher, it's because it's a gift to me.
[00:52:28] It's a gift to be able to stand up here and preach God's word to you.
[00:52:33] And this is what happened.
[00:52:34] If you look at verse 6, we see the disciples on their faces, terrified of the glory of God.
[00:52:41] You know, this verse pointed me to this deeper meaning behind glory in which the Bible talks about it as weight.
[00:52:50] It leaves a mark.
[00:52:54] It's interesting because when you're suffocating under the burdens and stressors that life comes with it, What is the word that we use for it?
[00:53:04] Weighty, really weighty.
[00:53:09] We're just hoping for relief and to finally receive something to fix our lives.
[00:53:13] A new way of living, a new doctor, more brain smarts, a new idea of how to keep the week organized.
[00:53:19] Over and over again, we're just trying to find something to lift the weight of the weightiness of our lives.
[00:53:26] But the truth of the matter is that the only thing that can outweigh the weighty things in our lives is the glory of God and his gracious nature to show it to us. We're all seekers. We try to find
[00:53:45] something that seems to make life a little bit better. We seek it again and again, and when we finally arrive to something, we move the goalposts, like we try to find something else to help fix
[00:53:56] our lives. We keep getting hoodwinked by our own hearts. So, Rory McIlroy did indeed win the 2025 five masters. And he said this one year later after experiencing the thing that he was chasing after. He said, now that I've been able to do it, I maybe didn't realize the burden I've been
[00:54:23] carrying all of this time. He then gets asked, so what's your story now? Like, what's the story about you now? And he says this, I think the story as it relates to me is what do I do from now on
[00:54:35] onwards? What motivates me? What gets me going? What do I still want to achieve in the game? I think that's the story. And there's still a lot that I want to do. You think every time you achieve
[00:54:47] something or have success that you'll be happy, but then the goalposts move. And they just keep nudging a little bit further and further out of reach. And I think what I've realized is if you
[00:55:01] can just really find enjoyment in the journey, that's the big thing. Because honestly, I felt like the career Grand Slam was my destination. And I got there, and then I realized it wasn't the destination. Isn't that a story of human condition? Goalposts keep moving. What is the
[00:55:26] story for you? Will you be like Rory and keep moving the goalposts, or Elijah and thinking you can do it all by yourself? This is the ordinary, simple, everyday truth that we need in our lives. God is seeking you out and he is wanting to talk to you. God is seeking you out
[00:55:50] and he is wanting to talk to you. In your everyday pursuit of glory, fulfillment, trying to find that piece of information that will make you whole, the glorious God is seeking you out and he gives you
[00:56:03] the answer. He wants to tell you the answer and we can find it in abode and abide. Here's the difference between the glory of God and the glory that we're constantly seeking for. One ends up
[00:56:19] with our faces on the ground again and continuing to be terrified, and the other ends up with our heads being lifted, our heads being lifted up to see peace, freedom, and joy. Verse six, when the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified, but Jesus came and
[00:56:42] touched them, saying, rise and have no fear. And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only. The they saw no one but Jesus only can actually read more like Jesus himself
[00:57:00] alone, confirming that he's come to them and he's returned back to his ordinary human body.
[00:57:06] And a commentator says this about this scene. This scene is confirming to us that Jesus's mission will be accomplished, not in heavenly glory, but in normal, everyday conditions of life.
[00:57:22] And Peter describes just how Jesus accomplished this mission in his letter, that he committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return.
[00:57:35] When he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree that we might die to sin and live to
[00:57:49] righteousness. By his wounds you are healed. Every time we chase after glory and something else, we're continuing to choose something less glorious than God, which is a sin in his eyes. But Jesus, in the everyday monotonous way of life, decided to put on human flesh to go to the cross and to pay
[00:58:11] for our misguided glory seeking so that you may die to sin and live to righteousness, that you may be transformed, people of God, that you may be transformed.
[00:58:24] He lived perfectly in the ordinary life so that you may have hope in the everyday life.
[00:58:30] He died on the cross for your sins, doing an extraordinary thing so that you would have an eternal home, eternal safe place with the glorious one.
[00:58:40] Jesus eternally aboding with us so that we may abide in him.
[00:58:46] It's really quite amazing.
[00:58:49] It's quite amazing how this story builds and shows us that Jesus is not only the better Moses and the better Elijah, but that he indeed is God, fully glorious.
[00:58:59] The glory that God held in his appearance and his voice in the Old Testament is fully in Jesus.
[00:59:06] The Gospel of John tells us that Jesus came to tabernacle among us, to dwell among us, and so that the full glory of God can be indeed with his people.
[00:59:16] It is good news, friends.
[00:59:18] How can we know this to be true?
[00:59:21] He tells us.
[00:59:24] Jesus asked his disciples to tell no one what they had just seen until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.
[00:59:32] It's all because of the resurrection.
[00:59:36] Jesus carried out his mission of dying for us on the cross, but he did not let death hold him down.
[00:59:42] He rose on the third day, appeared to his friends that he is alive and then ascended into the heavens, but he did not leave us alone. Y'all, the Holy Spirit is aboding with us now. The greatest gift that we can have as we live on
[01:00:00] this earth is the Holy Spirit. He is our comforter. He's reminding us of Jesus and all of his glory, all of the extraordinary things that he has done for us so that every day we may abide in him.
[01:00:14] Tapping into that power of glory.
[01:00:16] Tapping into the everyday life with the Holy Spirit with us.
[01:00:27] We desire to be obedient.
[01:00:29] Obedience is a great thing.
[01:00:31] It's good for us.
[01:00:32] Melissa Kruger said once that if we want to obey, we must abide.
[01:00:37] And that if we don't abide in the vine, we will not live powerful Christian lives.
[01:00:43] But if we do abide, we will live powerful Christian lives.
[01:00:48] friends. Last point. Verses 10 through 13, I don't really know what to do with it.
[01:00:59] It looks to me like the disciples are kind of getting it, beginning to understand who Jesus is, but at the same time, their actions don't match up with what just happened on this mountain.
[01:01:11] I mean, they just saw Jesus transfigure on top of a mountain, and now they're just chatting about, oh, John the Baptist is Elijah. That's cool. It just seems to me like their reaction could have been a bit different. Yes, obeying Jesus and not telling others about like what just happened
[01:01:31] until he is raised from the dead. Good job, disciples. I love these disciples because they're just like me. But they could be talking to one another about the experience that they had.
[01:01:42] Hey, what was it like for you to be like that fearful of the glory of God? And then Jesus lifting up our face to see him. I think this is the example for us, y'all. Because it's easy for
[01:01:59] us to do the same, to just meet with God's people on Sundays and talk about theology or the weather or children's activities, board games, whether Rory is going to choke it away this year. Y'all,
[01:02:11] these are great things to talk about, especially the Rory one, because friendships are built on these conversations. The glory of God is with us. His Holy Spirit dwells in us and is wanting us to
[01:02:29] not be conformed to this world, but to be transformed.
[01:02:34] And so we get to ask one another questions about what's been hard lately, how it's hard to die to self.
[01:02:41] That is a hard thing to do.
[01:02:44] But to talk about how Jesus is at work and how he's transforming us.
[01:02:49] Glory was once something that seemed far off, but now it's not too bright for us because of the work of Jesus.
[01:03:01] Friendship is a beautiful, beautiful thing.
[01:03:05] Discipleship groups, it's something that we want to invest more and more time in.
[01:03:09] If you want to be a part of a discipleship group, reach out to Lindsay and myself.
[01:03:14] We're trying to get this thing rolling because we have all, those that are in discipleship groups, you'll hear about it at Family Table, have experienced life-giving moments from them.
[01:03:26] To share something that's hard and then to receive the eyes of Jesus back to you where the brothers and sisters look at you and tell you you're still loved.
[01:03:36] God is still with you.
[01:03:41] God's glory is not too bright for us because Jesus has come as fully God, fully man to make it known to us.
[01:03:48] And now we have the opportunity to have his spirit.
[01:03:51] I'm closing with this, 2 Corinthians 3, 17 through 18.
[01:03:55] Now the Lord is the spirit and where the spirit of the Lord, there is freedom.
[01:04:02] And we all with unveiled faces, beholding the glory of the Lord are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.
[01:04:13] For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
[01:04:18] You're not alone.
[01:04:20] The Spirit is with you.
[01:04:22] People of God are with you.
[01:04:26] Let us tap into those beautiful truths.
[01:04:29] In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
[01:04:33] Amen.
[01:04:34] Let me pray.
[01:04:37] God, thank you that we get to celebrate communion today.
[01:04:40] that we indeed need you every day and this meal gets to show us that we are not alone and that you indeed desire to feed us and so let this be a glorious time where we get to be fed by you
[01:04:57] and where we get to walk down these aisles as brothers and sisters together only to the main character Jesus it's in his name we pray amen C.S. Lewis had this other quote that I just love. Next to the blessed sacrament itself, this blessed sacrament, your neighbor
[01:05:18] is the holiest object presented to your senses. Jesus desired to feed us so that we can hold something to remember him. And the beautiful thing is that we get to walk down with our neighbors,
[01:05:34] those that will call us to see his glory. And so that's what we're doing today. We are not only communing with our Lord Jesus, but we are also communing with one another. And so this meal is
[01:05:47] for those that have put their trust in Jesus, believe he is the only way of salvation, believe that they're sinful, believe that church is God's answer to bringing the word to the world.
[01:06:01] And so if you believe that you belong to Jesus, come, this table is for you. He desires to feed you. But at this time, if you do not believe that Jesus is the only way of salvation, we're so glad
[01:06:16] you're here. Honestly, you are part of that, what C.S. Lewis said, the holiest object presented to our senses is our neighbors. We're so glad that you're here, that we get to be friends with you.
[01:06:29] But if you have not come to this part of your journey, entrusting in Jesus as your Lord and your Savior. We ask that you would not partake of this time. Maybe this might be just a time where
[01:06:41] you ask God, God, are you real? Lindsay, myself, elders of this church, women's shepherding team of this church would love to have a conversation with you and would love to encourage you to have the boldness to be able to do so. Beloved of God, for I receive from the Lord what I also deliver
[01:07:03] to you, that on the night that Jesus was betrayed, Jesus took the bread, he gave thanks and broke it and gave it to his disciples saying, this is my body broken for you.
[01:07:15] Do this in remembrance of me.
[01:07:19] In the same way, after the supper, he took the cup saying, this cup is the new covenant in my blood.
[01:07:24] Do this as often as you drink of it in remembrance of me.
[01:07:29] For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's glory and that he indeed will come again.
[01:07:41] Let me pray. God, we thank you that you give us physical things to be able to encourage us spiritually. Would you indeed make this body and this cup spiritually your body and spiritually your cup? Because we need to be fed by you. We need to be encouraged by you. And we thank you
[01:08:04] that you are indeed with us now. Encourage us not only by your amazing, extraordinary works, but the ordinary, everyday lives that we get to live with one another.
[01:08:17] It's in Jesus's name that we pray, amen.
[01:08:21] If you have not taken the Lord's Supper with us at Midtown Community Church, there'll be stations up front where you can pinch off a piece of bread.
[01:08:29] We also have a gluten-free option that will be in my far right, your far left.
[01:08:33] The outer rings, which one?
[01:08:35] Outer ring is grape juice and the remainder is wine.
[01:08:38] Take into your conscience.
[01:08:41] Prepare your hearts as you come.
[01:08:42] If you'd like to take a moment just to pray before you come forward, or if you pray as you come, this is an opportunity for us to look inward and believe that we indeed serve a God,
[01:08:54] serve a Savior that is indeed gracious and wants to be gracious, that is indeed merciful and desires to show mercy.
[01:09:01] I'll invite you to come forward when we're ready.
[01:09:52] Come and receive, and then we will take the Lord's Supper together.
[01:09:55] Jesus said, this is my body broken for you.
[01:12:15] do this in remembrance of me. Jesus said, this cup is the new covenant of my blood. Do this in remembrance of me. Let me pray. God, thank you for these people. What a sensible sign that you
[01:12:45] give to us of your body and your blood, but also of your people, that we know that we all struggle in everyday, ordinary lives, and we try and long for extraordinary things, but we get to look to
[01:13:02] you, Lord Jesus, the one that took on the ordinary day of life for us and did extraordinary things for us to be saved so that we may indeed have a relationship with the glorious one.
[01:13:18] Help us to worship you as it is good for our hearts and our souls, and help us to continue to be transformed by dying to sin and living to righteousness only by the amazing Holy
[01:13:31] Spirit that you give to us.
[01:13:32] It's in Jesus' name that we pray.
[01:13:34] Amen.

[01:13:37] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[01:13:37] Let's stand and sing our final song together.

[01:13:57] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[01:13:57] To be able to commune with this benediction.

[01:17:42] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[01:17:42] Behold, the glory of God has been revealed to you.
[01:17:46] Go, knowing and believing that God's glory and his love is far weightier than all we could ask or imagine.
[01:17:55] Go in.