00:00:00
you all ever get into a rut
00:00:03
you know like life's just same old same
00:00:06
old
00:00:07
we get so used to it things just sort of
00:00:09
become stale
00:00:12
it happens
00:00:14
good news Christ helps with this too
00:00:16
in Matthew 17 Jesus is transfigured
00:00:19
before the eyes of a handful of the
00:00:21
disciples
00:00:22
and there are many amazing things to
00:00:25
teach about from this passage but in
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this sermon I am teaching about what the
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father says this is my beloved Son with
00:00:34
whom I am well pleased
00:00:36
listen to him
00:00:39
he is guiding our attention to Christ
00:00:44
it is with this attention on Christ that
00:00:47
we live out our Mountaintop moments in
00:00:50
the everyday normal parts of our lives
00:00:54
Focus On Christ saves us from the right
00:00:57
it is my hope that if you are in a rut
00:00:59
that this sermon touches you but more
00:01:02
importantly that the hope of Christ
00:01:05
his word continues to sustain you to
00:01:08
eternal life
00:01:10
plus the sermon was a great excuse to
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talk about the Asbury Revival
00:01:15
enjoy my friend
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[Music]
00:01:26
[Music]
00:01:35
grace mercy and peace Beyond us all from
00:01:38
God our Father and our Lord and Savior
00:01:40
Jesus Christ amen
00:01:45
oh
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I could hear the saying stop and smell
00:01:52
the roses
00:01:55
who does that mean
00:02:00
what is that saying trying to remind us
00:02:02
of any ideas sorry I didn't warn you
00:02:04
it's we're going to start Interactive
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well what is that saying trying to tell
00:02:09
us to do
00:02:12
slow down
00:02:15
if any of you ever felt like life goes a
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bit fast sometimes
00:02:18
[Music]
00:02:20
I feel that way sometimes
00:02:22
it's strange because often when a single
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day is going on sometimes it can drag
00:02:27
and drag and drag but then you look back
00:02:28
and it's been several weeks or even
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years
00:02:31
the same stuff and smell the roses
00:02:34
you're right it wants us to slow down
00:02:36
and pay attention to the wonderful
00:02:38
things around us every day
00:02:44
our sinful nature makes us a little
00:02:46
unappreciative sometimes sometimes let's
00:02:48
just be honest
00:02:52
we have
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pretty blessed lives All Things
00:02:57
Considered
00:03:00
sure things are not perfect for us but
00:03:03
what we have is pretty good
00:03:06
Mustangs
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we have a blessed body of Believers to
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worship with
00:03:14
we have a roof over our head we have
00:03:16
food on our table even if it's not as
00:03:18
fancy as we want it to be
00:03:22
the jobs are college through school or
00:03:25
are blessed to be retired and every day
00:03:27
you have the opportunity to do something
00:03:29
wonderful to help people
00:03:33
to those of you who are still working
00:03:34
right now
00:03:38
it doesn't always feel like a blessing
00:03:41
work does not always feel like a
00:03:43
blessing work feels so ordinary the more
00:03:45
we do it same thing with family lives
00:03:48
last week I reminded us that our our
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husbands and wives are very gifts from
00:03:53
God making our lives complete
00:03:58
unfortunately after you see that person
00:04:00
like every single day sometimes you
00:04:03
start to forget that
00:04:06
we are prone to going into ruts
00:04:12
any of you all who have animals you know
00:04:15
what a rut is a rut is you know the
00:04:17
animal walks the same way
00:04:19
in the morning comes back the same way
00:04:21
and what happens to the ground it walks
00:04:23
on
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just gets grass starts to die it gets
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dug away and you can just see the groove
00:04:29
and they're just walking it not even
00:04:32
thinking about it and that's how we do
00:04:34
life sometimes
00:04:36
just kind of doing our thing not
00:04:38
reflecting not being grateful not trying
00:04:41
to grow in faith we're just literally
00:04:43
trying to get through the day so that we
00:04:45
can get back into our very comfortable
00:04:47
bed
00:04:52
even the disciples had this problem
00:04:56
they followed Jesus
00:05:00
when we're in our at work or at school a
00:05:03
lot of times we Daydream don't we
00:05:05
how many of us have daydreamed about how
00:05:07
cool it would have been to be there with
00:05:08
Jesus
00:05:10
we daydream about that
00:05:12
and the reality of it for the disciples
00:05:14
is that they would go out Jesus would be
00:05:17
teaching
00:05:18
Jesus would cast out demons Jesus gave
00:05:22
them the ability to do that they could
00:05:24
walk up to somebody and
00:05:25
put their hand on them and cast a demon
00:05:29
out they could heal people it was
00:05:31
awesome
00:05:34
and then for the disciples it became
00:05:36
like
00:05:37
[Music]
00:05:40
one time
00:05:42
the disciples are out casting demons out
00:05:45
of people and they see somebody else
00:05:47
doing it too in the name of Jesus and
00:05:50
they don't know this guy
00:05:52
and John the Beloved runs back up to
00:05:55
Jesus and says Jesus Jesus there's
00:05:57
somebody else driving out demons in your
00:05:59
name
00:06:00
now you think
00:06:02
that just seeing this would be amazing
00:06:04
another human being in the Name of
00:06:06
Christ has Dominion
00:06:09
over the things that creep and crawl
00:06:12
around in the darkness that way men
00:06:14
Souls down they are weak before Christ
00:06:17
and driven out before the sight of all
00:06:19
mankind
00:06:26
John says yeah we told that guy to stop
00:06:29
because he's not one of us
00:06:31
he was doing our job and we didn't like
00:06:34
it
00:06:38
[Music]
00:06:40
driving out demons had become such a
00:06:44
normal part of their job that it
00:06:45
surprised and upset the disciples when
00:06:49
somebody else was doing it too
00:06:52
that's a run
00:06:54
of course Jesus says
00:06:59
don't be hard on that man no one can do
00:07:00
a mighty thing in my name and then turn
00:07:02
around and speak badly of me
00:07:04
Jesus refocused their attention on him
00:07:12
yeah
00:07:13
that focus of attention
00:07:17
I'm convinced is the central message of
00:07:20
the amount of transfiguration Jesus
00:07:23
Takes a few of those disciples guess
00:07:25
who's there John remember the guy who
00:07:27
said no no stop stop doing that you're
00:07:29
not one of us that's the guy who's there
00:07:31
this is the same week that Jesus told
00:07:35
Peter he was Satan
00:07:37
because he had in mind the things of man
00:07:39
and not the things of God this has been
00:07:41
a weird week for Peter
00:07:44
[Music]
00:07:45
and they're going up on the mountain and
00:07:47
it feels normal to them Jesus does that
00:07:50
this is just a thing Jesus is going up
00:07:53
on a mountain again boys grab the hiking
00:07:55
shoes it's go time
00:07:57
[Music]
00:07:59
so they do and they're not thinking
00:08:01
anything special Peter's ready he's got
00:08:03
tent supplies he knows that when Jesus
00:08:05
goes walking off he might be there a
00:08:07
while
00:08:09
and as a good friend as a good servant
00:08:12
Peter's ready to help that's his job
00:08:17
so is there doing his job
00:08:22
and something amazing
00:08:23
[Music]
00:08:26
Jesus blinds them with his Visage his
00:08:29
appearance it is so shiny they can't
00:08:31
look at him the guy that they've seen
00:08:33
eat and probably get food in his beard
00:08:36
starts shining with Radiance like the
00:08:39
sun and they are terrified
00:08:42
Peter
00:08:44
[Music]
00:08:46
he sees Moses and Elijah Heroes of the
00:08:49
faith the people that their fathers and
00:08:51
forefathers have followed the reason
00:08:53
that they are Jewish because that man by
00:08:56
the power of God let their people out of
00:08:58
Egypt didn't
00:09:00
plague after plague in the name of God
00:09:02
split the Nile
00:09:05
and Elijah who was like the greatest
00:09:07
Prophet ever who had food that never
00:09:10
ended
00:09:13
who asked a favor of God once
00:09:17
to raise a child from the dead and God
00:09:20
listens
00:09:23
[Music]
00:09:24
those are the two people standing there
00:09:28
and Peter says let me do my job please
00:09:31
but let me do it for you
00:09:37
I think that's powerful
00:09:40
let me do my job but let me do it for
00:09:43
you guys
00:09:45
let me do it for Moses and Elijah
00:09:49
and a cloud descends upon them
00:09:53
the father himself Bears witness and he
00:09:56
says this is my beloved Son with whom I
00:10:01
am well pleased and it has
00:10:05
listen to him
00:10:09
Peter's on his face at this point along
00:10:12
with James and John the cloud lifts up
00:10:14
they're scared usually when God descends
00:10:17
like that
00:10:18
all Heaven is about to break loose and
00:10:20
who knows
00:10:20
[Music]
00:10:23
hey look up it's just Jesus
00:10:25
and he's there with them as he has been
00:10:28
The Mountaintop experience goes away and
00:10:33
they still have Jesus and then they go
00:10:35
down if you remember the first thing
00:10:37
they do is drive out demons again they
00:10:40
get right back to work but things are
00:10:43
different because of Jesus
00:10:48
we use this phrase Mountaintop
00:10:51
experience for those moments where we
00:10:54
are really on cloud nine those times
00:10:57
when our spirit truly feels alive where
00:11:00
we're at peace where we're joyous when
00:11:02
we're on fire for Christ one of the
00:11:04
reasons we keep sending our kids to the
00:11:06
National Youth Gathering those are one
00:11:08
of those moments surrounded by God's
00:11:11
people calling out on his name seeking
00:11:15
his Praises among your peers is a
00:11:17
beautiful powerful Mountaintop
00:11:20
experience
00:11:21
we get those in church sometimes when we
00:11:24
baptize a baby in the name of God we put
00:11:27
his name on them and welcome that son or
00:11:31
daughter into his people forever
00:11:35
that is a beautiful moment to be
00:11:38
happening in these four walls
00:11:46
how about the every other day though
00:11:50
when we're doing our jobs whether our
00:11:53
job is mom or dad grandma grandpa
00:11:56
Employee Service man or woman
00:11:59
foreign
00:12:00
maker
00:12:02
whatever our job is
00:12:05
is it is enriched
00:12:08
by the presence of God and a reminder to
00:12:12
follow him
00:12:15
that is after all why we have Lutheran
00:12:17
School teachers
00:12:18
spoiler it is not for the money
00:12:23
Aaron and Charlotte reminded me a couple
00:12:26
weeks ago I mentioned you know tons of
00:12:28
people in their workplace are taking
00:12:30
stuff from work he's like yeah I think
00:12:31
we're the exact opposite we're giving
00:12:33
things to our job and oh boy teachers do
00:12:36
those schools School rooms are supplied
00:12:39
off of
00:12:41
them
00:12:43
and they are there because they love
00:12:46
serving God and serving your sons and
00:12:48
your daughters
00:12:55
whatever your job is
00:12:58
you too are able to serve God it's not
00:13:01
always glamorous sometimes it's changing
00:13:03
a diaper I've done that before nothing
00:13:05
glamorous about that and yet it serves
00:13:08
God
00:13:09
when we have transitions in life when we
00:13:12
change jobs when things go very
00:13:14
different very suddenly we may have a
00:13:17
moment where we're not sure who we are
00:13:22
I've known many a commander to retire
00:13:24
from white men and have no idea what to
00:13:26
do that Monday morning my advice to them
00:13:29
is always the same you are still a child
00:13:31
of God what you're doing may change but
00:13:35
your service to him
00:13:36
does not
00:13:40
and that helps
00:13:45
I should say of course
00:13:49
on this idea
00:13:52
of a Mountaintop experience
00:13:55
whether you have those or whether you
00:13:58
don't the teaching is still the same
00:13:59
listen to Jesus I don't know if you know
00:14:02
right now but there's actually one of
00:14:04
these Mountaintop experiences happening
00:14:07
and it's been happening for like two
00:14:09
weeks out at the Asbury University in
00:14:12
Wilmore Kentucky are you all familiar
00:14:15
with that have you seen any pictures
00:14:16
from this yet
00:14:17
so basically in Chapel they have a
00:14:20
service Monday and Wednesday and Friday
00:14:22
and Wednesday the 8th it was just a
00:14:26
short little prayer service you know
00:14:28
singing some hymns praying going back to
00:14:30
class except the church service never
00:14:33
ended yeah
00:14:35
it's actually still going on
00:14:38
they're calling it a Revival because
00:14:39
that's their tradition that's what they
00:14:41
call those things and what we have here
00:14:43
is a picture of local students and
00:14:47
people coming from all over the country
00:14:48
to be singing praises to God and I
00:14:52
really laughed hard at one of the posts
00:14:54
about this they're like you know I
00:14:56
didn't see a fog machine
00:14:58
I didn't see flashing lights I didn't
00:15:01
see a coffee bar I didn't see
00:15:04
a rotation of six pastors all blinged
00:15:08
out we kept singing the same songs over
00:15:10
and over and over again
00:15:14
and God is still working
00:15:17
through his word
00:15:20
I like that a lot of people now are
00:15:23
debating whether or not this is real or
00:15:25
whether it's not I'm indifferent to
00:15:27
saying whether or not it's real
00:15:28
manufactured or whatever all I know is
00:15:31
where the word of God is proclaimed it
00:15:34
works is picture of that we've got some
00:15:37
back in the balcony praying for each
00:15:41
other in the middle of their day
00:15:47
that's a good thing
00:15:50
now of course like with all movements it
00:15:52
gets weird after a little while and now
00:15:55
the false teachers have come up and
00:15:56
they're proclaiming some weird things
00:15:58
you know all these Things Fall Apart
00:16:00
inevitably because of the Wolves
00:16:03
but
00:16:04
I thought this something was interesting
00:16:07
about this this is a Mountaintop
00:16:08
experience for these people genuine or
00:16:11
not manufactured or not these people are
00:16:14
feeling closer to God now they are in
00:16:17
live enlivened in prayer in singing his
00:16:20
praises
00:16:24
and they didn't cancel classes for this
00:16:28
the uh
00:16:30
Seminary president I think is the one
00:16:33
who gave this quote you know they're
00:16:34
asking him why didn't you why didn't you
00:16:36
shut things down this is a magnificent
00:16:38
moment this is why you're here why
00:16:40
didn't you shut down
00:16:43
he says this is why no this is not
00:16:47
business as usual far from it there is
00:16:49
talk of little else in every in every
00:16:51
Chapel in every classroom every hallway
00:16:54
conversation I suspect in every home and
00:16:56
apartment in our community we're all
00:16:59
talking about this moment and what God
00:17:01
is doing and how people are coming to
00:17:03
him how they are confessing their sins
00:17:05
how they're calling on his name how they
00:17:07
are praying with the joy that they have
00:17:09
not had before
00:17:11
our desire is to mainstream this renewal
00:17:16
into the very fabric of our lives so
00:17:19
that we are transformed where we live
00:17:21
where we work and where we study we love
00:17:25
these Mountaintop experiences but we
00:17:27
know it must be lived out in the normal
00:17:30
rhythms live
00:17:39
he gets it
00:17:42
our Mountaintop experiences with God
00:17:45
those times where you are beaten down
00:17:47
and you open your Bible and it's like he
00:17:50
wrote that word of encouragement just
00:17:52
for you those moments where you see the
00:17:55
per the people you love live Faithfully
00:17:58
that Joy you have in your heart those
00:18:01
moments when you are singing praises to
00:18:03
God and you feel your spirit sing
00:18:07
those Mountaintop experiences are to be
00:18:11
lived down
00:18:14
[Music]
00:18:18
that's what saves us from the wreck
00:18:21
that's what saves us from being bored
00:18:24
and unappreciative of our day in and day
00:18:27
out you have had a Mountaintop
00:18:29
experience
00:18:31
the Lord Christ Jesus spilled his blood
00:18:34
for you for your forgiveness
00:18:38
you are baptized into his name a chosen
00:18:42
child of God who has
00:18:44
eternal life
00:18:46
that gingers who are each and every day
00:18:49
so that now no matter what you do even
00:18:53
Grumble and don't like it
00:18:56
you are doing it in the name of
00:19:00
the transformative power of God is now
00:19:03
at work
00:19:05
in your everyday
00:19:07
through you
00:19:10
so that the people you study with the
00:19:12
people you work with the people you
00:19:15
speak with online those you work
00:19:18
together with even if you're just
00:19:19
connecting remotely
00:19:25
you are doing all these things in the
00:19:27
Name of Christ Jesus
00:19:29
[Music]
00:19:32
and I pray as your pastor
00:19:35
that in all of these Arenas of life you
00:19:38
do one thing
00:19:41
listen to Jesus
00:19:43
that was the point of the Mountaintop
00:19:46
moment whether in Asbury
00:19:49
or on the Mount of transfiguration it is
00:19:51
to focus us on Christ
00:19:54
we are coming upon land Ash Wednesday is
00:19:57
this Wednesday this is a whole season
00:19:59
about each and every day focusing our
00:20:03
life on Christ that's why people give
00:20:06
things up we're not giving things up to
00:20:08
be trendy or cool or fashionable or to
00:20:11
lose weight we are giving things up to
00:20:14
be reminded that whatever is closest to
00:20:16
our hearts
00:20:17
if it's not Jesus it is expendable
00:20:22
that we do not live on bread alone or
00:20:25
Starbucks or Mountain Dew or rum and
00:20:27
coke or Xbox or whatever your thing is
00:20:32
you live on every word that comes from
00:20:36
the mouth of God the words of
00:20:38
encouragement the words of teaching
00:20:46
I pray that in your lives you listen to
00:20:49
Jesus I pray that in this season of lent
00:20:52
you listen to Jesus that your faith is
00:20:55
at the Forefront of your minds
00:20:58
as a father as a mother as a son a
00:21:01
daughter a brother or sister as a
00:21:04
neighbor as a worker as a co-worker in
00:21:08
all of these ways that you listen to
00:21:10
Jesus
00:21:14
in his name
00:21:16
amen
00:21:18
and now May the peace of God who
00:21:20
surpasses all understanding which
00:21:22
transcends Mountaintop moments and
00:21:24
Valley drudgeries
00:21:26
and guard our hearts and Minds each and
00:21:29
every day in faith
