Changing into His Glory

Hey, good evening. Everybody. Welcome to Mountain City Baptist Church. I trust that you're having a wonderful week and that we're just glad to be here with you tonight and looking forward to sharing with you some encouraging words from the word of God tonight. I appreciate everybody's help this week with of all the meal delivery has been going really well. I think 3535 Mills went out tonight. I've got a lot of great feedback. We're going to try to do that at least one more week next Wednesday and hopefully they're going to lift the stay-at-home 1st of May and so we're at we're missing everybody. I know everybody is getting stir-crazy and there was a lot of people I talk to I asked him. What what do you miss the most? What are you going to do when you get out of here and when you when you get out of the house and a lot of people that they'll still make a comment I miss I miss my church family. I miss going to church and and I'm right there with you I tell you. I miss you all and I miss us being together. And I know when they left the stay-at-home it's not going to be there still going to be precautions in place and there's still things we don't know but more things are starting to come to light. So. We will be praying sick of the Lord's wisdom on what to do with when when we can come back and how we're going to do that and we'll we'll stay in touch with be praying for everybody. There's a couple of special needs I know in the church family. I mentioned to you all about tours the Wayans dad. I'm coming home on the hot dog was just trying to call me to get an update on that. I haven't heard any update on that but he was kind of came home and hospice care and then also miss Sharon price. She reached out to me or to my wife today and said that her son is going to have to have a procedure done on Friday and he's having to have a defibrillator put in his heart. So you be praying for Denny's Junior keep that in your prayer and dumb. I can't think of others seem like there's a couple other things but not coming to my mind right at the moment. We've got the operation Love Thy Neighbor. We appreciate all the donations come in for that that's been wonderful and amazing and you couldn't even recognize our son is going about their now. It's like a is really into a food pantry. I love it. I just wanted to do that and we'll be making deliveries again on Friday night. And sometimes we get some special ones during the week, but that's what's been a wonderful program. I love that and I'm so grateful for the opportunities that God gives us even in the midst of it a different time is a difficult time is it has been in for a lot of people and so but I'm glad to have And my girls with me here tonight, and then I'll so glad to have the live for girls. They've been helping us with the food food prep and things tonight and they're going to come and they're going to sing a song for us tonight.

All right, great job great stuff.

Alright, thank you girls that was wonderful and one of our favorite songs. We like to sing on on Wednesday nights and usually on Wednesday night. There's kids running everywhere around here. I've got King's kids and I full full force, and that's one of the King's kids songs. We sing on Wednesdays, and that's one of the things we really miss. Can't wait to get that going again. And tonight. We're going to be in the book of 2nd Corinthians. If you'll turn your Bibles with me to 2nd Corinthians chapter 3, and we're going to look at verse number 18 tonight and love this first love this whole chapter. Just a wonderful wonderful Passage. Like we're going to prick the thought here tonight. I'm being changed into his glory being changed into his glory and we're going to ask some questions and really look at this verse tonight and ask a few questions on on who who's supposed to be changed in his glory and in what what does that entail and why why does that need to happen? And when I What's the timing of that and how how do we do it? And I will that will try to answer those questions. We looking to God's word. I'm here tonight but said the Bible says NSYNC Christmas chapter 3 and Versa number 18. It says but we all with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord are changed into the same image from glory to glory even as by the spirit of the Lord and much of our life today. Is influenced by the media you have a the media has a and especially right during this pandemic what your favorite media Outlet is whether it be, you know, Fox News CNN BBC, whatever it is you like to watch some some of you a lot of people now just they don't watch the watch much TV. Where do you get your news from your phone and whatever your news might be and that is a huge influence in our life. Also social media. Social media is humongous have a massive influence has changed our culture that was not something that was even around when I was in high school and college and how social media is is everybody? I can go I can take you to the most remote Village in in Africa and they'll have some people have smartphones and they'll be held to have a Facebook account and it's really it's just amazing how that is is everywhere's world. Social media and many people will will check their social media account several times a day at even if even if they never post I don't post very much but I do I do look at it but it's a it's a tremendous way of communication wait, we found out that just recently when we when the pandemic hit we haven't really use Facebook live mutchler church here, but you're the first the first laughing we did is just a real short challenging and we were we were really kind of just amazed on how how that took off and how many people watch that and it is a great way of communication. I Know It with Mission work. It's a great way to communicate things going on and and and in the ministry and just so you know, and whichever way you want to apply that it's a great way of communication. And you know a lot of times though, whatever is Seen On Media or social media is often is taking to be truth. It's just taking to be at face value. Yeah, but however, I want to bring out that usually the put trails that you see in the media the portrayals that you see on social media are often not accurate representations. What is really happening when you can you can paint whatever picture you want on social media the news media can they can spin it whichever way they want create whatever kind of narrative they want to create and it's amazing how two different two different sides can can report on a same story and make it look completely different just based on the Viewpoint that is being looked at from and but the media is is a is a big thing to say big things that people don't even communicate hardly. Verbally, there's a lot of people we we miss that just that social connection and it's just I I it's hard to relay any information anymore with without somebody knowing about it what they saw on Facebook and if somebody had a baby in like we saw it and but it's it's just amazing, but I think sometimes if we if we're honest that that we spend too much time on social media. We spend so much time watching the media watching the news and we spend too much maybe this past week. You need to think about this past week if you an inventory of your time, I think if we were all honest, we would all say hey I spent too much time in Facebook and not enough time in the good book and I I tell you that's that's convicting to me as I say this passage tonight how how my priority needs to be in this book and and we're going to look at the benefit of Being in this book and how it will help you and how it will change your life and you think about it. When all you do is look at the media all day everyday Manna can leave you with a spirit of fear Can it have yet? You can have an uneasy feeling when you start when you just see story after Story of all this stuff going on the news and and I even even things with with social media as as well and I am so you know in in also in this day and time we have a tendency to put more of an emphasis on on the you know, who approves Abbas on social media and who likes our status on social media and we put more emphasis on that then what we we do on what God thinks about it. Okay, we we put more emphasis on how it's been accepted socially then does God approve of this does he like it and and that's based upon his book. And so again it all it all depends on where you spend your time where you put your Folk. Where where where do you where do you spend your time studying in in things like that? Some might my point. My point tonight is not that not that social media is a sin. I'm not I'm not trying to say if I mean that would be a pretty pretty foolish. If I freeze the message about how evil faces look good and you're watching me on Facebook. I'm not I'm not against social media. I have I have a Facebook account, you know, our church has a Facebook account as you knows you're watching it and I have a I have LinkedIn I've got Instagram. I don't I don't really get on their mess. I know a lot of people use what's the L on Snapchat or how I don't really know that much about that one or but I'm not against I'm not against social media for say all right, but my point is that are the main focus in our life. It should not be on social media. All right are our main focus should be upon the word of And you know again if you do if you do an inventory of the time you spend every day, and and what what do you what do you go for you know, and that is convicting to me. You know, what what do you reach for? You know it first thing in the morning or you know went whenever when you know, it's it's I believe sometimes our priorities are or way way out of focus and and I and I'm I'm guilty Ma I tell you sometimes my wife feel loved jewelry priests my messages to me and she's really good at it and it shall be preached this song Take me to bring this and I guarantee it and I'm glad I need it. I need this as much as anybody does but let's look at 3 tonight. Let's look at things as we look at this verse here, but we all with open face beholding as a glass of the Lord are changed it to the same image from glory to glory even as By the spirit of the Lord. All right. So when we we we think about this thought being changed into his glory. All right. The first question I want to ask is who who who is this pertaining to and the answer the question is in the first phrase of this verse and verse number 18 says but we all we all every single one of us if if our focus is to be on the word of God and asked to be the number one thing in our life we put our Focus has to be our number one influence is the word of God R R R Us standard from what we what it what says that approves of what we do and disapproved what we do to be the word of God. If everything comes from the word of God and who who who does that apply to? Well it says we all okay, that's not just a few Believers if you're if you're born again Christian everybody we all This is not just for pastors. It's not just for Sunday school teachers to get in the Bible. All right, all of us should be getting into the Bible. Regularly. There was a time in history where people eat people that got into the Bible where the clergy and you know, what they call that time in history and they call it the Dark Ages and so get in the book. Don't just take my word from it be like the Church of Berea. They they they searched the Scriptures Daily to see whether these things were so get in the Bible and all of us should be getting into our Bible. Regularly. We need to be we need to be eager and we need to be eager as getting into the Bible as we do watching our our favorite News Channel or are checking our favorite social media site. We need to be eager to get in the word of God and the Hebrews 4:12 says the word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword piercing even the dividing asunder of joy. Send a marrow and is a thought it is Cerner the thoughts and intents of the heart if we look over in 2nd 2nd Timothy chapter 3 verse number 16 in the Bible says that all scripture is given by inspiration and is profitable for productive given by inspiration God's problem for doctor for correction reproof for instruction in rice. And so the word of God is very profitable. All right, it's it's it's very profitable. For me to know what the word of God says about something then it is for me to know what my buddy ate for lunch today. Okay. I mean that's what I like on Facebook. You know, you see what someone says I've had for lunch or breakfast or you know, it's funny, you know, but the board of God's Prophet was very proper for me and you know this morning I was in I was in The Book of Matthew and studying through the Book of Matthew and you know, God God dealt with my heart just to let you know right now Jesus he had he had compassion on people he had compassion when you even when he was having a very hard difficult day, he had compassion on people and God just blessed through that and then at that spoke to me, that's the problem. I need that I need that every single day. And so you two so who that that everybody needs to get in the book to be changed into his glory. And then now when we ask the question what You know, what is this until but we all with open face beholding as as in a glass of the glory of the Lord. So when we get into the Bible we go into this and it's like a a glass. All right. It's and it's the Bible says specifically we go in with an open face. So when we go into the word of God and was Tire time to study the Bible we should go into the word of God with an open face know, what does this mean? That means that we should go in we should be very receptive of what is getting ready to be told us or getting ready to read what we're getting ready to study. What's getting ready to study us how you can talk. You can tell a lot by somebody's face by the Countess their face when you're talking to them if they're receptive of what you're telling them. You can tell somebody is just they're not buying this or are they just going to they're just open up against what you're saying, but you know, you can tell alot when you pee Send people you can look at faces. You can tell who's with you who's not you know, Jeremiah says don't don't be don't be so don't be afraid of their faces and but you can tell a lot by somebody's face when we go in with an open face. All right, that means we need to look we need to look with open face. We need to look and be be looking for what needs to be changed you think about looking in a mirror and and and knowing what needs to be changed and if you don't look in the mirror, you don't know. All right, if you don't look at the Bible a lot of times if you never look at the Bible, you never know anything's wrong. There's a lot of people out there you ask him. So you going to heaven so yeah, you know, I'm pretty sure I'm pretty good person. But I tell you what when you get studying the Bible and you get stuck in the wall and in-laws a Schoolmaster the point is to Christ. You start figuring out how I'm not I'm not that I'm not that good after all and you know, you you start learning the true so that you know all have sinned and come short. I'm not I'm not very good at off all very short and I need Jesus and and so so we need to look and we look at work looking in a mirror. So every single morning, you know, you love her everyday, you look and say what is God the word it wasn't going to show me today. All right. What is what is what is on on me that needs to be changed? It's not right and you know you going with that state of alertness and if you don't if you don't look in a mirror, you don't know you ever, you know, walked into the room, you know, maybe you feeling confident and everybody's laughing at you and you don't know what's wrong and you somebody tells you, you know, you got this big in a black thing in your teeth or something like that and yet you didn't know my wife was laughing at me. And I was helping my son. We are just trying to teach him out of to cook and it's usually when it happens it turns into a complete catastrophe, but you know, I had a flower we were what we're making We're making those mushrooms. Yeah, and a my wife is laughing at me. Like what she said you got flour and you know, I love your face and I didn't know I couldn't see it. But you know, she can see it but you know, a lot of times there's nothing is wrong with your life and you have no idea but when you get studying in the word of God will guard shows it to you. He shows uses. You know what Daniel, you know, you really you really need to change you need to change this about your attitude. You need to change this about how your you know, you're you're looking at this thing or or whatever and and and God God does that for you? And so we go in we going with that open face and just this man today God. Will you search me will you search me today? When I when I go to read the word of God, will you show me what I need to learn today? And if you going with that mentality and you go in every time you read your Bible, it'll it'll mean a lot more to you. It'll not be adjusted a box that you're checking off every morning. All right, you going with that open face and neck? Yeah, there's an alertness there's an eagerness. There's a priority that is getting in the word of God. And so everybody is who everybody a lot we go in with an open face and then we look at the why why why are we doing this as we looking up 2nd Corinthians chapter 318 but says with an open face beholding as in the pass, the glory of the Lord are changed into the same image from glory to glory. All right. So when I go and of the word of God and I go with an open face, I have a purpose in mind. There's a reason why I'm doing this and the Bible says it's because I'm I'm beholding as a glass the glory of the Lord. I'm looking I'm looking at at the mirror, but I'm also looking at Christ in the Bible and it is it is as a glass. It's the glory of the Lord I can see God's glory and the Bible and you know often when we watch the news and we watch We look at social media or trying to find out you know, what's the bad news is going on today or you know, what's this person up to her that person up to or what's going on with in my you know, social network and trying to find out you know, that the lowdown on things like that. But you know, how would our life and attitude how much different would it be or how would it change if we went to the Bible to find out more about the glory of the Lord if that was a goal every day and I want to see the glory of the Lord. I want to see the glory of the Lord and it's a wonderful thing when you meet with you when you meet with a little it really is I think many of times in and my my devotions in my life man. You just need to meet with the Lord a lot of a lot of sweet sweet services and in the church house with with God's people and man. We just have a sweet meeting with the Lord may be a Revival meeting, but I want want to see I want to see the glory of the Lord and and and see you often. Often become like the objects that you concentrate on whatever your focus is, you will kind of concentrate you'll mold to that. And so when we go to the Bible and we focus on the glory of God and what God is like wait, wait wait, we tend to change more to that. Okay. So the goal is to be changed to that it is. Okay. So if we concentrate on the glory of the Lord and we concentrate on the person of Christ in the Bible, we are changed into that image. So the point is this the goal of the Christian life is to be like Christ that is that is my goal as a Christian that is your goal is to be like Christ. How do I how do I do look I got to get in the Bible. I got to see the person of Christ in the Bible. You want to know what Christ looks but don't look at these. You know, these all these pictures that were that were made most of them were painted in the Dark Ages on what Jesus looks like. Look at the Bible that will show you what what Jesus looks like in and the goal is to be like Christ and I want to see and he you know, God is not what you think him to be God is not what I think him to be God is what he declares himself to be in his book. This is God's word to us and he declares who he is in this book, and I'm so if I'm going to reflect the glory of God a motor and I'm going to reflect that to a lost and dying world. It's impossible for me to reflect this Glory. It's impossible for me to accomplish my goals of Christian and he changed into his likeness without ever getting into his word. That is so important. That is so important. You have to get in the word and and so You can go to church that's a good thing and everybody needs to go to church and you know, you can go out tonight and go out and do Outreach it something I did very good. Very good. Everybody needs to do that. But I'm in your life or Philippe really changes when you personally get an in his word. I can man. I love to see my kids. I love to see them and end up in the Bible and a lot in what my favorite thing is when I when that when they're doing it on their own, it's not me teling but I know they're just they're just getting in the book and that's that's that's God works through that. God works through that and I can you know, I was as it as a kid, I can remember you're not going to church all the time. But it was I was a little bit older before I really started getting in the word myself and it was just me taking the initiative and that's when really my life started to change. That's when I really started to grow and the Lord mature as a Christian and so so you know you get in And and in the point is you want to get into the word he want to see the glory of the Lord and your changed into his likeness. So as you study the word of God, you become like God you become change in and God begins to change email to transform the way you think he has a transform the way the way of the way you are and eat you just eat it said the process of sanctification and so let's look at the fourth question. Let's look at when and as we look again at this verse it says but we all with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord are changed into the same image from glory to glory by so when the Bible says we are change the same as image from glory glory to glory. Alright from glory to glory. All right, there's there's there's always there's different stages. Okay, there's glory to glory. There's different stages. It's not a one-time thing. All right, you can't come to this church, you know, if you if you're struggling with something are you come to the church? You come to the Altar and I encourage you to do that. That's a great thing. That's if that's a step in the right direction. But you know after that that doesn't change everything as far as what what you is what God wants to do in your life as far as changing you according to the image of his son won't talk about in this verse. It is a process. It's a process and salvation is a one-time thing. But we're talking about here is this is a process called sanctification and that's that's becoming more like Christ and that's so growth in the Christian Life. It happens one step at a time. It really does. It happens one step at a time. You start out with a milk of the word. Then you go on you take a few steps and get to the meat of the word and and it's a day-by-day thing. So the problem here is is that an r and r Culture in our society. We want everything right now. We don't have to wait on nothing. I mean everything, you know, I don't want to wait on nothing. I don't want to I want everything to be easy. I want at my fingertips Unifour Gees not good enough anymore. I want 5G if it's got to be, you know, if I ain't I can remember I have you remember dial-up internet Father's Day is going to just like, you know, nobody wants to wait on it. And if you want something you order something on Amazon Matt, it better be here in two days. And if you pay a little extra get here in one day so but you know, everything is right by sanctification it it requires some time. Alright, it requires some time. Will it be in a chapter 1 verses has been confidence very thing he would have begun a good work in you will performance today. Jesus Christ just takes some time. Be patient. Wait on the Lord wait, I say on the Lord and and and continue to get in the book and A lot of times there's so there's a frustration somebody struggling with something says, okay. I'm going to go to church. I'm going to get it right I go and I have a you know, I haven't enjoyed the service. Space in my heart. I come to the altar but when I leave the church man, I got hit in the face of something again and Monday I'm back to where I was and I tried it didn't work. You got to give it you got this look. Like I said, this is a win. This is an everyday thing. This is an everyday thing you always so everybody needs to be getting in the book. We need to go in every single day with with an open face of the reason why is cuz we have to be changed. We have to be changed into the image of his son. God got a purpose and a plan for your life let you know God will God will I love how brother Glenn said this and in the Freedom At Last Year's Day. God God will come and he will meet you wherever you are. He'll come wherever you are as you are, but God. Never leave you where you are God's going to change you if you follow God, he's going to change you he's going to bring you along in and so that that is what we must we must do the so the problem here is that we text time it takes to take some consistency. And our problem is we waste a lot of time. We waste a lot a lot of time, you know, you could easily spend the next six hours just binge watching a show right and and you don't even that you're that wow, or that's 6 hours and you know, we can waste a lot of time we have to redeem the time and we need to be conscientious of this and be conscious of the time that we must spend time in the word of God. We must in time focusing on the Lord our time. I got to spend my time wisely if I'm if I'm at work and I got a huge project to do that. And all I do is just goof around all day and at the end of the day the boss comes in and in the projects is sitting there. She is untouched haven't even worked on bosses. Don't say what what are you doing? What you do all day, what are you doing with your time? And and so we must discipline ourselves my wife. She's he has a process of doing things and I don't know how you know, I don't know how she does that cuz Mom at home with the kids. It's rough and I will get by but it's it's rough and I'm just as she is able to but didn't she just have the processing and I guess she just she just got a plan. It's like a plan of attack or something then how about we have to be like that. We got to have a plan. We got have a strategy and and this is the most important thing in your life is your relationship with God is God working through you. That's what God created you for that that's the purpose and and so we've got to spend that time and and We must discipline ourselves and we should always be looking at the progression. It's a progressive as some people would call it Progressive sanctification moving in the right direction. You either going forward are you going backwards? And you should always be progressing going from glory to glory from glory to glory. How have you progressed in the pandemic have you progressed or do you feel like you've taken a couple steps back and and really before you answer that question in whatever the answer is I guarantee it has everything to do with where you've spent your time if you spent a lot of time in prayer lot of time in the word. Well you you're probably right on track you drown close to God, but you spend time and not not not not in that way. Maybe, you know, maybe ever ever got got got things right in your life. And God is working in your life. And then maybe you that you know, you go back with some I don't know what some old friends old habits or something. I'll send you notice your man at Midas time. Something's wrong here. Latitudes different whatever that's that's what I'm talking about. All right, we must do this every day. It's from glory to glory. We've got to get in the book with gotta focus on the Lord. So we should all be progressing every single day. And then lastly we're going to look at that. How how how do we do this in the last part of the verse answers that question but we all with open face beholding as is a glass. The glory of the Lord are changed into the same image from glory to glory even as by the spirit of the Lord. And so this is accomplished by the spirit of the Lord. You've got to be connected to the spirit of God. That's that's the engine that drives the Christian Life that is the fuel for the Christian Life. It's a spirit of God. You got to have the spirit of God to succeed. You cannot do it on your own you cannot and we need God's help to get things done. Play footsie to cause you also will do it at greater is he that is in you than he who's been heated in the world who send you the spirit of God, you're still until the day of redemption and you've got to be yielded to that Spirit. You don't want to do anything to hinder that spirit and be yielded to that spirit. And so, you know trying to mow mow the grass with a push mower and I'm just going back and forth back and forth in the grass isn't getting caught and I'm like what's wrong and my wife comes out cuz you didn't start the mower and I mean that's kind of at the Battle of Streisand. But you know, that's the fuel that that's that's that's what you trying to do the Christian Life without the power of the holy spirit in your life. And you got you got to be yielded to the spirit of God. And so we need the spirit on us to help us accomplish what we need to accomplish in. My heart's desire is to see the people Mountain City Baptist Church. And whoever out there is listening to be the people that that will will look to the look to God look to his and go into it with an open face in and just allowing allowing the book to change them and change them into the image of Christ and reflect the glory of the Lord and and do so every single day every single day by day day by day and and that will be done in the power of the Holy Spirit. I'm telling you great things happen great things happen when you file that recipe and send Corinthians Chapter 3 Verse 18 what the powerful passage? I remember my former Pastor Brother Joseph, but he preached a message on this has been several years ago and I was just texting I was I was trying to get his outline and he said he couldn't remember it but it was I know a couple of points was was you know renew and reflect and that's what we are at work. You know, when when you get close to God and the more you depend upon God the more you grow and God all you're going to do is you're just going to reflect God and it is not you it's all him right, but you just reflect him and when you reflect God who gets the glory god gets the glory cuz people don't see you they see they see God and that's what I that's what I like. I like for people to look at my life and they they see God God in Me I was talking to a missionary friend of mine in Peru and man. He's doing such a work right now breech until about three or four hundred people every morning giving out food and preaching the gospel and that they're having a hard time down there, but man, he's just I don't I don't think the guy is sleeping, right? He's working hard. He loves his people and he he he sent me a message and I said I said, hey, I see I see God in you keep up the good work and that's what we want. We want to reflect the glory of the Lord and I thank you guys so much for joining us tonight. I hope you have a great week. We miss you and that we're looking forward to getting back together soon about a wolf Lord willing. We'll be right back here live streaming on on Sunday morning Freedom that last will be live streaming Friday night at 7, and anybody else got any announcements tonight. All right now if we're good, all right. Alright, well, thank you all and I still love seeing all your pictures up here on the on on your chairs. It's great and missing you, but I can't wait to see you soon. God bless. Have a good night.