Truth & Grace - “First Place”

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Christmas service in two weeks: Wednesday, December 18th at 6:00pm — all on-campus activities canceled

No Truth & Grace on December 24th; No Truth & Grace on December 31st

Lip Sync Battle December 31st 6pm

Message:

So one thing that I think makes me kind of weird (there are a lot of things) — but one thing in particular, is that I’m not really a competitive person. Like, I just don’t care. Growing up it would drive my dad crazy. He’d say something like “Hey, bet I can beat you to that spot in a race.” … and I’d be like “Yeah, you probably can.”

I never really cared about winning in sports… I didn’t care about beating other people. It just wasn’t really important to me. It’s still not. There are times Roger will be like “Hey, you wanna arm wrestle? I bet I’ll win.” And I’m like “Yeah, I bet you’ll win too.”

When it comes to competing against somebody, I Just. Don’t. Care.

UNLESS — I’m competing against my wife. Then — all bets are off. I don’t know what it is about me, but when Blaire and I are competing in something, I have to win. It’s like something within me builds up and not only do I have to win — but I have to beat her so bad that she walks away with her head down in shame.

Yes, I realize that probably makes me a bad husband.

For example — one time we were at a friends’ house. It was like a 4th of July party or something — there were a lot of people around and several of us were playing a card game. So I tried to play something — Blaire said it was against the rules — and this has been like ten years ago, but I STILL think she just said it because she knew she was going to lose.

So I pulled the card back, and I was furious. And then she got mad because I got mad. And we were like playing this game, slamming cards down on the table, and we had stopped speaking — to each other or anybody else at the table. It got really uncomfortable for people and it was really awkward. After it was all said and done I don’t even remember who won — I do know it was neither of us — but it was a really uncomfortable rest of the day.

But I couldn’t stand it.

I HAD to be first place.

Is there anybody else like that or am I the only jerk?

Here’s the thing: whether it’s a card game or some other priority in our life — we all have something we put in first place. And tonight, I want us to see why only Jesus deserves that spot.

And so if you’re a Christian in the room tonight — then the obvious answer to what should be first place in our lives is Jesus, right? But is that really the truth for us? If you’re a believer in the room tonight — can you honestly say that Jesus always takes first place in your life?

At least for me — sometimes the things that are competing with Christ for first place are things like my family — my kids and my wife, or my job, or hobbies, or other things that I’m involved in. For other people it might be money — or even sobriety, right?

Tonight my hope is that we can walk away challenged but encouraged to recognize that in our lives — God wants to be first place. And even when we’re chasing after God — we sometimes miss the point — even when it’s right in front of us.

That’s what we’re going to explore tonight. If you have your Bibles with you, we’re going to be in Matthew Chapter 17. If you’re new or newer to your Bible — Matthew is the first book of the New Testament.

So it’s important to understand what’s happening in the context of what we’re about to read. See, in Chapter 16, Jesus had just finished explaining His identity to His disciples — He told Him what His mission was — how He would suffer and die and then be resurrected.

And so in light of that, we’re going to be looking tonight at what happens next — it’s one of the most awe-inspiring passages in all of Scripture. It’s the transfiguration of Jesus — it’s this moment where some of the disciples see Jesus in His full glory. Peter, James, and John go up with Jesus to a mountain — and something incredible happens.

Let’s take a look. We’re in Matthew 17 — Verses 1 through 8.

Matthew 17:1–3 NLT

1 Six days later Jesus took Peter and the two brothers, James and John, and led them up a high mountain to be alone. 2 As the men watched, Jesus’ appearance was transformed so that his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as light. 3 Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared and began talking with Jesus.

Okay can we just talk for a second about how crazy this would be? “Jesus’ appearance was transformed so that His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as light.” There’s a lot to unpack there. Some scholars say that Jesus took on His the likeness of how He appeared in Heaven before coming to earth. Could you imagine seeing that? It’s hard to describe, right? These three disciples — dudes who were just fishermen not that long ago — are given just a small glimpse of what Heaven will look like — and what it will be like to worship the King of Kings. Cool, right?

And if that isn’t enough — then they get to see two Fathers of the Faith! Keep in mind — at this time they didn’t have the Old Testament and New Testament right — they’re living out what will be written in the New Testament later. They revered Moses and Elijah — they were the men who helped save their people at different points in history.

And some people smarter than me think one of the reasons it was Moses and Elijah were the ones talking with Jesus is because Moses represented the law, and Elijah represented the prophets — so together with Jesus — they represented the entire Old Testament:

The Law

The Prophets

and Jesus fulfills them both.

And then look what happens next — verse 4:

Matthew 17:4 NLT

4 Peter exclaimed, “Lord, it’s wonderful for us to be here! If you want, I’ll make three shelters as memorials—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

Peter is like that person you know who can’t stand awkward silences — he’s always got a quick word when nobody else around knows what to say.

“Lord, it’s wonderful for us to be here!” Yeah, no crap, Peter. James and John had to be thinking, “So glad Captain Obvious could come with us on this trip!”

And bless his heart — Peter just can’t shut up.

“Jesus, if you want — I’ll make three memorials You — one for you — one for Moses — and one for Elijah.”

… Nobody likes a brown-noser, Peter.

But this is where Peter makes the mistake that many of us struggle with: he understands that He should honor and worship Jesus. But he tries to make the other things he sees — Moses and Elijah — just as important. It’s easy from our perspective to give Peter a hard time about this, but we’re really not that different. Peter wants to honor Jesus, but he also wants to elevate Moses and Elijah to the same level. How often do we do that same thing? We say Jesus is first in our lives, but then we elevate other things to His level, don’t we?

Our success

Our families

Our hobbies

Even the ways we serve other people.

In Peter’s mind he was doing the right thing here — by honoring Jesus, Moses, and Elijah.

How many times have you made your job more important than Jesus?

What about your kids?

Or your relationships?

Or your sobriety?

All of those things are important of course — but the point I’m trying to make is that none of them are more important than your relationship with Christ.

And in that moment — like He often does for us — God stops Peter right in the middle of his misunderstanding. Look at verse 5:

Matthew 17:5 NLT

5 But even as he spoke, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy. Listen to him.”

God interrupts Peter in the middle of his nonsense to correct him.

So let’s recap what we’ve witnessed so far:

Jesus has taken us up the side of a mountain.

We’ve gotten a quick peek at what He looked like in Heaven before coming to earth.

We’ve been able to witness just a small glimpse of what Heaven is going to be like.

AND we’ve seen Jesus talking with Moses and Elijah — two heroes of the faith.

And now, to top it all off — we hear the voice of God, coming from Heaven, interrupting Peter’s big plans to build some temples.

And God’s response makes it clear: Jesus stands alone.

God the Father interrupted Peter to give a verbal and a visual validation to His One and only Son: the King of Kings. This is only one of two times that God audibly speaks in the book of Matthew. The first time, was at Jesus’ baptism. The second time is here. And both times, He expresses His love for Jesus and what He is doing.

Let’s unpack why this is important:

God says “This is My dearly loved Son.”

God declares that His Son Jesus is superior in every way to Moses and Elijah. Not that they aren’t important — they were men who followed God and carried out His mission — but Jesus is the priority. He is the focus. He takes first place.

And then He says “with Whom I am well pleased.”

God takes delight in Jesus. He’s not just another figure in history — He’s the focus of God’s eternal plan.

And then finally He says “Listen to Him!”

Notice there He doesn’t say listen to Jesus — and Moses — and Elijah — just Jesus.

This is a reminder for us to prioritize His voice above all others.

Is He first place in your life tonight?

Look at what happens when God speaks from Heaven. This is how the disciples respond. Verse 6:

Matthew 17:6 NLT

6 The disciples were terrified and fell face down on the ground.

I think we’d probably all have the same response, right? It’d be one of those situations where you’d probably need to change your pants afterwards. First you’d say it — then you’d do it.

(That’s a joke about pooping your pants out of fear for those of you who didn’t get that.)

These guys had enough sense to take God seriously. I’d say it’s clear that Peter very quickly realized his error in thinking in this moment, wouldn’t you agree?

In a single moment — the power and presence of God totally shakes up their entire belief system. They thought so highly of people like Moses and Elijah but God shows them that they are missing the point. God leaves no room for confusion — Jesus must take first place in our lives.

But God’s declaration wasn’t just for Peter, James, and John… it’s for us too.

When we’re tempted to split our allegiance — God reminds us that only He is worthy of our worship and first place.

Verse 7:

Matthew 17:7 NLT

7 Then Jesus came over and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.”

Easy for You to say Jesus — did you just see what we saw!?

But like He always does — Jesus shows us that we don’t have to live in fear of God’s power — but that He displays this power so that we can worship only Him.

And look at how this passage ends — Verse 8:

Matthew 17:8 NLT

8 And when they looked up, Moses and Elijah were gone, and they saw only Jesus.

Why was Jesus the only One they saw? Because Jesus isn’t just one of many faithful servants of God. He is superior to them all. The ministry of Moses and Elijah ultimately pointed toward Jesus Christ. That’s what the entire Bible is about! All of Scripture places it’s focus on Jesus Christ. Are we placing our focus on Him tonight as well?

SPURGEON QUOTE

I love the way Charles Spurgeon put it:

“I wish that our ministry—that mine especially—might be tied and tethered to the cross. I have no other subject to set before you but Jesus only.”

- Charles Spurgeon

So then how do we do this? How do we make sure Jesus is our priority? How do we keep Him in first place?

There are three simple ways I think we can start:

1. Prioritize His Kingdom

We have to trust in God’s provision and on what truly matters. That means that we always place our focus on Him. No matter what is going on in the world — or the things happening at home — or the stuff happening at work — Jesus is the sole focus of our attention and we plan and focus everything in our lives around Him.

And in doing this — it means that we have to stop trying to control everything in our lives, amen? When we understand that our Heavenly Father knows our needs before we do, then peace replaces anxiety — because we know that we don’t have to be the ones worrying about it.

Placing Jesus first gives us fulfillment and peace, teaching us that only through Him can we experience true contentment — even in the middle of the chaos of life.

So it’s important to ask yourself — what is taking first place in my life? Be honest with God about the things you’ve placed above Him. Examine your heart daily to see if there are areas that you’ve made more important than God. What would it look for you to trust God in a specific area of your life this week?

Next, we should

2. Pursue the Better Part

Y’all remember the story of Mary and Martha? Take a look:

Luke 10:38–42 NLT

38 As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. 39 Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. 40 But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.” 41 But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! 42 There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Some translations of verse 42 say Mary has “pursued the better part”… meaning that when we get distracted from all the things that have to be done around us, we often lose sight of Jesus in our lives. We have all this stuff that we have to “DO” and we miss out on all Jesus has already “DONE”.

We have to focus on worship, not works.

See when the disciples witnessed all this with Jesus, Peter’s instinct was to build something, right? He said “Lord, if you want, I’ll build a temple to You and Moses and Elijah.”

But Jesus doesn’t ask us for buildings and monuments. Jesus wants our heart, our worship, and our love.

We’re called to spend time in God’s Word every day. God told the disciples to listen to Jesus. Are we listening? When we are spending time with God daily in His Word, then His voice will guide our decisions and our priorities. When He is first, everything else falls into place, amen?

So embrace those moments of quiet and stillness in your life — that time allows us to hear God speak to us through prayer and through His word.

We have to examine our heart daily and ask ourselves if we’re pursuing Jesus in that way. When was the last time you chose stillness over busyness?

And finally, we have to

3. Press Toward the Prize

I think Paul gives us one of the greatest examples of making Jesus a priority in our lives. Paul had a determination to press on toward knowing Jesus Christ more fully. Look at Philippians 3:12-14:

Philippians 3:12–14 NLT

12 I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. 13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

This focus on the prize shows us how to prioritize Jesus over everything else — so that we reach the end of the race that Paul is talking about here.

This calls us to constantly reassess our goals in light of our relationship with Christ. Do they align with what we’re called to do in Scripture? When we keep the wonder of Jesus Christ at the forefront of our minds, it naturally leads us to align our will with His, amen?

Look, this isn’t just a nice idea. In this season of Advent we’re in — where we’re counting down the days ‘till Christmas and we’re waiting for the coming Messiah — if we don’t have Him as first place in our lives, then these misplaced priorities will rob us of our joy and peace. If we try to elevate anything to the place of Jesus — it’s gonna fail us, amen? But when He’s first, everything else finds it’s proper place.

Matthew 6:33 NLT

33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

The bottom line is simple — Jesus isn’t just important — He’s everything. Moses and Elijah were great servants of God, but they point to Jesus. All of the blessings in your life are great things God has given you — but they point back to the work of Jesus Christ in your life.

Jesus alone deserves to be first place in our lives.

CHAMBERS QUOTE

I’ll leave you with this quote from Oswald Chambers:

“Jesus Christ had a twofold personality: he was the Son of God revealing what God is like and Son of Man revealing what man is to be like.”

- Oswald Chambers

No testimony tonight. But it’s my prayer that your life is a testimony to Jesus Christ being first place in your life. Let’s pray.

Pray