Sermon Response Guide

Guia del Sermon en Espanol

PRIMARY SCRIPTURE: 
Matthew 17:1-13 ESV

1 And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. 3 And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 4 And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 5 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; listen to him.” 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. 7 But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” 8 And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.
9 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.” 10 And the disciples asked him, “Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” 11 He answered, “Elijah does come, and he will restore all things. 12 But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.

Key Points

• When the going gets tough:
  1) We lose perspective
  We lose hope and sometimes we lose faith. We stop trusting God is moving all things forward toward his purposes.
  2) God gives perspective
  By his grace, God gives us perspective through his Word, and through the presence of his Spirit. We need to be quiet and listen to God.
  3) We gain perspective
  With our new, God-given perspective of future glory, we can live with certainty about where all of life is heading. We know who holds the future, so all our challenges are seen from God’s eternal perspective.
• The work of God in the life of a Christian is that we are being transformed from the inside out.
• When we see the glory of God, it changes us, we take it with us, and it strengthens our faith in God.
• We often need to stop talking and let Jesus speak to us.
• This is the Christian life: Jesus ONLY. Not Jesus plus something.
• The transfiguration of Christ reminds us Jesus is Lord of the past, present, and future.
• Our realized hope in Jesus gives us a completely different perspective in the here and now.

Memory Verse

Ask God to write this word on your heart this week:
“And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.”
-Matthew 17:8 ESV

Questions for Reflection

Take time to reflect and respond to these questions on your own in the presence of the Holy Spirit, or with trusted friends or family members:
 
1: Peter, James, and John needed to see the true deity of Jesus revealed in his glory to press on. When was a time Jesus showed you more of his glory to help you press on through what was ahead?
 
2: Looking back, how did Jesus also show you more of his glory through what you went through?
 
3: Jesus shows these three disciples who he is in his glory on the mountain in Matthew 17, but sends them back to the valley as witnesses. In John 1:18, who is Jesus in relation to God the Father, and what is Jesus doing?
 
4: In keeping with Matthew 17 and John 1:18, who are we, and how are we to live?
 
5: Reflect on this week’s memory verse (Matthew 17:8). When was a time in your life you felt like, when you lifted up your eyes, you saw no one but Jesus only?
 
6: In view of your present challenges, how could seeing Jesus only give you hope today?
 
7: When we need a new perspective, we often don’t know where to find it, and we look in all the wrong places. What if we seek to gain perspective from God this week through:
 
God’s people
·      Where in your life do you need a fresh perspective?
·      Who is someone you know who has either been there before, or is there right now?
·      How could you seek a fresh perspective from that person this week?
 
God’s presence
·      Pray about something that has been concerning you each day this week.
·      Each day, ask God to give you his perspective.
·      By Friday, see if God has changed your perspective through prayer in his presence.
 
God’s promises
·      Read Romans 12:1-2 each day this week, asking God to renew your mind.
·      Consider how you can live out Romans 12:1-2 in your present circumstances.
·      Write Romans 12:1-2 in your own words, with your own circumstances in mind.

Pray

Lord, help us to see you, and you only. We confess it is often difficult for us to see beyond ourselves and our present circumstances. Give us eyes to see your fresh perspective we need to press on. Lord, renew our minds and strengthen our faith in you, and you only.
 
*Note: We invite you to pray with us in Ellis Chapel Monday through Friday from 11am to 1pm through April 15, 2022.