Sunday Setup – Matthew 17:1-13

[music] [music] [music] [music] [music] >> Hey Cross Church family, and welcome to the Sunday setup. This is our time each week where we gather together digitally Thursdays at 2:00 [music] to pray through our piece of scripture that we're going to be studying through this week. And as we pray through this, we are getting our hearts ready for Sunday where we're going to praise, we're going to continue to pray, we're going to preach through this text so that we can [music] practice it next week. And here's what's exciting is we've been going through the miracles of Jesus and it has all kind of the lead to [music] this last miracle that we're going to see and all these are shadows of what is coming on the cross, shadows of the greatest miracle of dying on a cross and raising again, but this is kind of the pinnacle on that road. And it's in Matthew chapter 17, it's the [music] transfiguration where Jesus reveals his authority in a way that we see nowhere else in scripture. He's given us all these little snapshots of his authority over nature and demons and disease and sin and death, but here we see his authority on full display. And we pick up our passage in Matthew chapter 17 starting in verse 1. It says after 6 days, Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother John. And he led them up high on a mountain by themselves. He was transfigured in front of them and his face shone like the sun. His clothes became as white as light. Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared to them talking with him. Then Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it's good for us to be here. If you want, I will set up three shelters here, one for you, one for Moses, and one [music] for Elijah." While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud covered them and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased. Listen to him." When the disciples heard this, they fell face down and they were terrified. >> [music] >> Jesus came up, he touched them, and he said, "Get up. Don't be afraid." And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus alone. This passage is something that we see these words and we hear about this experience, but it's one of those that you wish you could be right there in the moment to see what these three disciples saw, which they would later use as a pivotal moment through their ministry to point back to after the resurrection of Christ of why he is God. But I think as we prepare for this this coming week and we wrapping up this series and see the full authority of Christ on display, verse 8 has this amazing line. This is when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus alone. And we think of this that this is not only what physically happened, but it's also a picture of our faith. Now, there is one God alone who can save us. There's one God alone who can give us eternal life. There's one God alone who created us. There's one God alone that sustains us. There's one God alone that we will spend eternity either with or separated from. And our prayer prompt is a prompt of worship as we start this time off in the full worship great scene we see in here is God, you are alone because God, you are alone in your own class. You are greater than anyone. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. God, you are alone as God because and just name some attributes of why Why is God alone above every other God and every other thing that we know in our world? Because he is holy. Because he is powerful. Because he is all loving. Because he is full of grace. Is [music] God, you are alone in this own stratosphere because [music] Just pray some time of worship of how we serve a God who is alone above all others. >> [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] >> God, you are alone because you are the only one that is worthy, the only one that is holy. Lord, you are above all other gods. >> [music] >> There are other forces in our world. There are demons. There are things we have created. There are men and women who have elevated themselves to positions of power, but all of them are nothing. All of them cower. All of them are so small compared to you and your glorious amazing self. God, you alone are our creator, >> [music] >> our sustainer, and the one who ultimately gives us new life now and for all of eternity. God, we worship you because of how amazing you truly are. God, not only do we worship you because you alone are great, >> [music] >> but we also see the action step that this passage gives us in verse 5. This voice from heaven comes down as Jesus will be alone in there in just a second. It's so bright. All of a sudden, Elijah and Moses disappear and it's just Christ. But the spirit for this voice, this booming voice that is from the Father that comes down from heaven, it says, "Listen to him." Listen to him. Listen to who? Listen to Jesus. Listen to God. Listen to the word of God that we have in our everyday lives. And this is our second prayer prompt as we recognize that God is a god alone. He's in his own class. No one else compares. We worship him. He is worthy of our worship. But our second prompt is that we need to actually listen [music] to him and follow him. And here's our simple prayer prompt is Lord, let me listen to you in Lord, let me listen to you in Maybe let me listen to you in fixing my marriage, in trying harder. Let me listen to you in kicking an addiction. Let me listen to you in sharing the gospel with my neighbor. Let me listen to you in seeking restoration in a different relationship or being the best mother or father that you can be. Lord, let me listen to you in Finish that prayer prompt. Pray that to Father. >> [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] >> Lord, let us listen to you in your word as our guardrail. God as our accountability to make sure that we are not falling into heresy, falling into our own will, falling into us our own ways. Lord, let us listen to your word. God also let us listen to your spirit. As you take us to as you call us to take bold steps in reaching our city, in reaching our neighbors, in reaching our family members, in reaching our friends. Lord, that we not ignore for God, we not get busy and drown out your voice with other stuff [music] of our world, but that we can listen to you and be obedient, and we can make a kingdom impact because of the things that you call us to do. God, you alone are worthy. And God, you call us to listen to you and be obedient to your voice. Lord, we just thank you for this time. We thank you that you are the ultimate miracle maker that we have studied who has all authority, and we thank you that you have revealed your authority to us. God, just be with us in this time. Prepare our hearts to gather together as a church this Sunday. And Lord, we just lift all this up in Jesus' name. Amen. >> [music] >> Thank you guys for joining us. We cannot wait to wrap up this series this Sunday. Have a great rest of your week, and we'll see you there. >> [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] >> Mhm.