Ch, Ch, Ch, Changes

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Ch, Ch, Ch, Changes

Intro - [After thanks] So much of what we do, and what we are, and what we think, comes from what we are looking at. It is an inevitable part of who we all were made to be, really. And today, I want us to look at what our life would be like if we could take our eyes off of what we want to see - be it hardship, best case scenarios, or even blessing - and try to find God in the midst of all the chaos around us. And finding Him, to then allow ourselves to be changed just as he was changed in our very text.

Luke 9:28–36 ESV

Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray. And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white. And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they became fully awake they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said. As he was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!” And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen.

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Scripture -

Pray

[Death and Taxes] They say that there are two things that are inevitable in life - Death and taxes. But that just isn’t right, really. In fact, it isn’t even really a healthy outlook! There are many things in life that are inevitable - things that are just going to happen, but if I had to boil them down to just two they would be this - There is God and Change.

Those are the sure things of this life. There is always God, whether we see Him or not, and there will always be change confronting us, and guiding our thoughts - and especially - guiding what we are looking at.

Luke 9:32–33 ESV

Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they became fully awake they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said.

[] You see that in our text today. In this moment of unbelievable glory, and miraculous verification of all that Jesus was, and that Peter - who just eight days before this moment - had claimed Jesus to be, we see in that moment a tremendous reminder of how we often view God.

You see that in our text today. In this moment of unbelievable glory, and miraculous verification of all that Jesus was, and that Peter - who just eight days before this moment - had claimed Jesus to be, we see in that moment a tremendous reminder of how we often view God.

[read]

We have those moments too, don’t we. Those times in our lives when the very miraculous power of God is right there in our midst. God is confirming all that we have every thought about Him, and showing us His unbelievable power and plan for us - in this case it was Jesus talking about his departure, his death - but there in those moments we aren’t looking at what changes are coming. We aren’t looking directly at the miracle that we so desperately needed. We aren’t looking at the changes that God needs us to make to understand His glory, no, we are too busy looking at those things that we want to see, or that we can understand and approve of.

[picofmosesandelijah] That is really what this moment is. You see, Peter and the rest of the disciples were still devout Jews. They understood the importance and power of Moses and Elijah. That was something they grew up with. It was tradition. It was God as they ALWAYS knew Him!

And those feelings are powerful, aren’t they?

We have those same feelings too. You do. I do. Everyone does. Those things we were taught as children, especially those things that were fully committed to memory before we moved on from concrete to abstract thought. Those can become for us, non-negotiable can’t they?

Well that is what we are seeing here to. For the disciples, the glory in this moment isn’t that Jesus was changed and that his face and clothes were suddenly radiant, no it was that there were with Him these other people that they knew and venerated.

In other words, they missed the miracle by looking for what they wanted to see!

Luke 9:33 ESV

And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said.

[] Even the text confirms that. Not only by outlining Peter’s words and intent, but by EXPLICITLY saying that - and I quote - “He did not know what he was saying.” And church he didn’t know what he was saying, because he didn’t see what God was doing!

Even the text confirms that. Not only by outlining Peter’s words and intent, but by EXPLICITLY saying that - and I quote - “He did not know what he was saying.” And church he didn’t know what he was saying, because he didn’t see what God was doing!

And how similar we are! We see God’s provision and miracle around us, but we are waiting for something else. Something that maybe we prayed for. Something that we were expecting perhaps, or that we have been taught to want from God. We are looking for the Moses and Elijah while right in our midst, Jesus is working miraculously to provide and guide us to His reality!

But our insistence on Him saving us OUR way stops us from seeing the salvation that He is providing for us all. It stops us from seeing that not only has HE changed, but that WE OURSELVES must be changed too!

[Our outlook determines our outcome] In short, our outlook determines our outcome. Not that we can just think or pray things into existence, I don’t mean that. What I mean is that what we are looking for will determine whether we find it or not and more importantly, will determine which direction we are heading.

Just think about it, what if Peter wasn’t looking for what used to be? What if he was looking, in this moment, only for the change that God provided. Not that he could know, but what if while following Christ, Peter EXPECTED things to change and for Jesus to do the “new thing” that we are all supposed to perceive!

What if his only expectation from following Jesus was to be completely changed by Christ?

[go off script...Weight loss, praying for a million dollars, rich young ruler tie in...we have done everything why can’t we just have things our way? If Peter would have had things his way, he would have kept Jesus, Moses, and Elijah up on that mountain forever. And then we wouldn’t know Christ. But thank God he didn’t.]

But the point for us remains, if he would have expected change instead of looking for what he wanted, he wouldn’t have wanted to build those tents, that’s for sure. You see, that response is one that harkens back to Moses, who after seeing God and receiving the commandments and the plans for the tabernacle was glowing - literally - with the Glory of God! And the people, they couldn’t take it. So they asked Moses to put a veil over his face so that they didn’t have to look at the work God had done and was doing!

[picofamirror] And that, church, is all of us! We aren’t looking for the change God has done, we aren’t expecting a new thing, we want things as they always were don’t we? The good old days! Back when things were perfect, right? At least in our heads they were.

So we see God at work, we see all that He is doing and wants us to do, and we put a veil on it! We cover it with something we can understand. We alter the plan, and then pray that God doesn’t alter it further!

But what if we expected change? What if we considered following Christ a call to deny ourselves, and take up our cross and follow Him. You know, like He tells us.

What if we followed God up those mountains in our own lives not looking for verification of all that we hold as truth, like Peter, but instead, we followed Him explicitly to experience the change that He brings in our lives and our world?

Luke 9:35 ESV

And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!”

[] After all, that is EXACTLY what God wants us to do!

After all, that is EXACTLY what God wants us to do!

We aren’t called to follow only to lead! We aren’t called to follow to dictate to God just how far He can reach in to this world, and through whom and by what method He is allowed to function! We are called to change! We are called to sacrifice and to serve and to deny ourselves! NONE OF THAT IMPLIES THAT WE WILL GET WHAT WE EXPECT OR WANT! In fact, all of it implies that we will not.

Church, if we really follow Christ, if we really listen to Him, we will find out that what we expect, what we want, should only be what He gives us. Not only that, but what we really must want isn’t what always was before. Listen, what was is gone, and what is can only be either what God needs or what we want! And if we are going to follow Him, then we must lay down our expectations, and begin to expect the change that God needs to reach the world around us!

[WinterJam pic] And that begins with our expectations about our faith. Church, it is so easy to treat church life, and our broader life of faith, as simply a weekly meeting in which our spiritual desires are satiated. Where we sing the songs we want to sing, and I say words you expect me to say and then we go our separate ways doing little to show the world that we follow the God of change - the God of transfiguration.

Church, we are so much like Peter! We expect God to look a certain way, or act a certain way, and we expect it so much, that we look for that and not for what God is really doing!

Here is the truth, church, God takes us all up that mountain at some point. He brings us into His very presence, sometimes daily! He confronts us with ALL of His glory, and in those moments, He gives us an opportunity to see the change in our own lives!

Maybe He shows it in the face of someone you hate. Or maybe in your spouse, who I pray you don’t hate! Perhaps He comes in the form of a homeless person, or a drug abuser, or a person who just doesn’t view this life the same as you. No matter how He does it, He does! Every single day He does a new thing in our lives. In our world. He transfigures Himself in the hopes that not only do we see Him, but most importantly, that by seeing Him we are changed!

2 Corinthians 3:18 ESV

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

2 Cor 3:[2 cor...unveil our lives] I think that is what God really wants to show us in this text. You see, Peter’s view of what was important had to change. Our view of what is important has to change. Once you claim to be a follower of Christ, no longer does what once was have as much importance as what we are called to do or be! That is where we find true glory in Christ!

I think that is what God really wants to show us in this text. You see, Peter’s view of what was important had to change. Our view of what is important has to change. Once you claim to be a follower of Christ, no longer does what once was have as much importance as what we are called to do or be! That is where we find true glory in Christ!

It isn’t in our worship, our traditions, or even the things that we know to be good things to do! It is wholly and completely found in WHATEVER it is that He has brought us to! BUT WE MUST BE LOOKING FOR IT!

We must look for the change! Look for God in EVERY moment! Because when we do that, we take off that veil! We remove that stuff that stands in between us and God’s plan and glory!

So we don’t resist the changes He calls us to! Because honestly, whatever He is calling for us to do, or even not do, is such a small price to pay for knowing that the Creator of everything you see is not only a part of your life, but is leading you! And not leading you from futility to futility - but from strength to strength! From glory to glory!

And as He leads us, and changes us, we will begin to glow with the glory and power of the God who is leading us for His purposes!

And then we all - ALL THOSE WHO LOVE CHRIST! ALL THOSE WHO ARE LOOKING FOR THE CHANGES HE CALLS US TO. ALL THOSE WHO EXPECT HIM TO CREATE IN US A NEW THING. WE ALL LIVE OUR WHOLE LIFE NOT BY COVERING UP THAT CHANGE. NOT BY PRETENDING THAT WE HAVE DONE THIS GREAT THING BY BUILDING A TENT - A HOME FOR OUR EXPECTATIONS OF GOD - THOSE STANDARDS THAT WE THINK GOD ASKS OF US; NOT BY THAT, BUT BY SEEKING AND EXPECTING CHANGE! AND NOT CHANGE IN THEM OUT THERE, BUT CHANGE IN US! A CHANGE THAT SHOWS THE WORLD WHOSE WE ARE!

AND THEN, CHURCH, THEN WE ALL, WALK OUT INTO THIS WORLD UNASHAMED! WE DON’T PUT A VEIL OVER OUR LIVES OR OUR HEARTS! WE DON’T COVER UP THE WORK OF CHRIST, NO WE ALL, WITH UNVEILED FACES - UNVEILED LIVES - ARE BEING TRANSFORMED! AND WE GO OUT INTO THE WORLD REFLECTING THAT GREAT LIGHT AND GLORY OF THE ONE WHO DIED FOR ALL CREATION!

WE AREN’T STAYING THE SAME! WE AREN’T THINKING THE SAME WAYS! WE ARE NOT STATIC!

WE ARE TRANSFORMED, JUST AS CHRIST WAS TRANSFORMED! WE BECOME THE CHANGE THAT GOD WANTS TO SEE IN THIS WORLD! AND CHURCH, TO BE CHANGED WE MUST BE WILLING TO SACRIFICE ALL THAT WE THINK IMPORTANT - JUST LIKE PETER - IN ORDER TO FIND WHAT GOD REALLY WANTS US TO HOLD IMPORTANT!

[changepichere] We must be changed. And not just changed once, church. Every day we must wake up and go out into the world expecting God to change us. To change our thoughts. To change our actions. To change our will. To change our wants.

To change our hearts.

He brings us up to the mountaintop not to verify, but to challenge to change. And if you are a follower, you not only know that change is coming, but you look for it. You expect it. You desire it. You move on from those hearts of stone that only want what they have always had, and ask God to change your heart.

Isaiah 45:9 ESV

“Woe to him who strives with him who formed him, a pot among earthen pots! Does the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’ or ‘Your work has no handles’?

Can a pot tell the potter what to be? Of course not. We are the clay, church, and we must expect to be molded into whatever He wants us to be. So we ask today that God change our hearts, so that we not only expect change, but we begin to thrive in it, and to find God in all that we do and see.

[] Can a pot tell the potter what to be? Of course not. We are the clay, church, and we must expect to be molded into whatever He wants us to be. So we ask today that God change our hearts, so that we not only expect change, but we begin to thrive in it, and to find God in all that we do and see.