A Glimpse of Glory

Well, any of you have a Bible, it's Luke chapter number 9.

Luke chapter number 9, if you are able to stand for the reading of God's Word, I ask that you would.

Luke chapter 9, if there is any children's church in here, 1st through 5th grade, they can go ahead and slip out.

Luke 9 · chapter mention

Children's church is already back there.

But it is wonderful to be in the Lord's house.

I'm thankful that love went deeper.

I'm thankful that He knew me, and yet He loves me.

That gets to me every single time.

And I love the burden that Brother Nathaniel shared.

And I encourage you to be back tonight as He preaches and just lays some of that out a little bit more.

But God has called us all to be part of the mission.

And we're going through the book of Luke right now, Jesus and His mission.

And He's walking here on this earth to show us how to live, how to love.

He's going to give His life for us so that we can take that message to others as well.

So if you found your place there in Luke chapter 9, we're going to begin reading in verse 28 where the Bible says this.

Luke 9 · chapter mention

And it came to pass, about in eight days after these sayings,

these sayings is when Peter said,

Thou art the Christ, and then Jesus said,

Hey, this is what it looks like to be a follower.

You have to deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me.

And they're kind of reeling from all of these things and trying to figure out what's going on.

And so after these sayings, He took Peter and John and James and went into a mountain to pray.

And as He prayed, the fashion of His countenance was altered, and His raiment was white and glycery.

And behold, there talked with Him two men, which were Moses and Elias, or Elijah,

who appeared in glory and spake of His decease, which He should accomplish at Jerusalem.

But when Peter and they that were with Him were heavy with sleep,

Peter always is taking a nap, it seems like.

He wakes up and he's thinking, What is going on here?

And the heavy was sleeping.

When they awake, they saw His glory and the two men that stood with Him.

And it came to pass, as they departed from Him,

Peter said unto Him, Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here.

Let us make three tabernacles, one for thee and one for Moses and one for Elias,

not knowing what He said.

Verse 34,

While He thus spake, there came a cloud and overshadowed them,

and they feared as they entered into the cloud.

And there came a voice out of the cloud saying,

This is my beloved Son, hear Him.

And when the voice was passed, Jesus was found alone.

And they kept it close and told no man in those days any of those things which they had seen.

This morning I want to preach a message entitled this,

A Glimpse of Glory.

They've had a really rough kind of week, and Jesus knew that.

But He wanted to show them that, hey, this suffering talk,

this taking up your cross, me dying and leaving,

it's not the end of the story.

He wanted to show them a little bit of, hey, what's coming?

A coming attraction, so to speak.

So I think it's going to be a help to us this morning.

Let's go to Him in prayer, and then we'll dive right in.

Father, thank You for this opportunity to be in Your house.

Lord, thank You for just the beautiful songs that we were able to sing,

that we heard sung this morning,

that remind us of Your love for us.

And we see it even here in our text.

Lord, that You're showing us who You really are.

Lord, that's what I ask this morning,

that You would make that known to every single person under the sound of my voice.

That there's someone that needs to know You as their Savior,

that today would be that day.

For those that need to be encouraged,

and as they're walking maybe a difficult road,

and it feels like just trials and suffering,

and all the things that this world brings,

Lord, to remind us that this world is not our home.

That we're just passing through,

and there is a coming glory.

Lord, I pray You be with me now.

Empty me of self.

Fill me with Your Spirit,

that I might be a help to Your people.

In Christ's name, amen.

Thank You so much for standing.

You may be seated.

Have you ever wished you could just freeze time?

You know, always superhero powers.

I wish I could fly.

I wish I could run fast.

I wish I could jump, dunk.

You know, that whole little thing at the beginning,

that was to help you dunk a basketball.

That's what it's for.

So maybe some of you boys can dunk a basketball one of these days.

But you know, there's times in these superpowers,

like, man, I'd love to freeze time.

Maybe there's moments in your life,

and I remember maybe when Mackenzie was born,

our firstborn, and I held her,

I thought, wow.

First I thought, how in the world am I going to do this?

Still trying to figure that out 14 years later.

But when you have those moments,

you just kind of want to freeze the time.

Maybe you've been somewhere,

you've been on a vacation,

been at a beautiful sight in the world,

and you just kind of want to,

you're overwhelmed by this breathtaking view,

and you just want to kind of pause time

and just take it all in.

Maybe, rarely,

you're sitting around the dinner table with your family,

everybody's getting along,

and you think, man, if I could just freeze this.

We all like each other,

we all agree on the meal.

This is a moment in history.

You know, there's times like that in our life

where we just want to push the pause button,

just kind of hang out right there.

And we've all had moments like that,

moments we wish we could just bottle up

and never lose.

And as we come into our text today

in the Gospel of Luke,

we see that Peter's having kind of

one of those moments.

Maybe you've heard these verses,

it's the Mount of Transfiguration.

And after a really tough week

and some really tough things

that the disciples had to hear,

and they're trying to kind of ingest

and figure out what it means in their own life,

Jesus takes them up to a mountain,

and he is transformed.

It's not, he didn't become a different person,

he kind of just lifted the veil a little bit,

just to let him see who he really was.

And they began to get that glimpse of him,

and Peter's there, and he wakes up,

and he sees what's going on,

and in typical Peter fashion,

he doesn't know what to do,

so he just speaks.

You know people like that?

You're thinking, it'd be better

if you just didn't say anything at all.

And Peter says, man, you know what?

Jesus, let's just freeze time right here.

Hey, you remember all that suffering talk?

Forget about that.

Let's just camp out right here for a while.

Let's just stay on top of this mountain.

But God had a different plan.

Jesus didn't bring Peter, James, and John

up to the top of the mountain

for them to live there.

This wasn't supposed to be a permanent situation.

Here's really what it helps us to do.

It helped them,

and it's going to help us in our own life.

This mountaintop was meant to prepare them

for the valleys that were coming.

Because I don't know if you found this out in life yet,

there are some mountaintop experiences,

but there are some deep valleys as well.

And we can walk through the valley of the shadow of death.

And we can fear no evil.

Why?

Because Jesus is with us,

and he was reminding his disciples both then

and now that the same is true.

And I really believe when we come to this passage

that that's what it's really all about.

That when life is hard,

when discipleship is costly,

when following feels like a struggle,

we need moments to see his glory,

to see who he really is,

to see who we really are following.

And what it does,

it strengthens us for the road ahead.

That's what the transfiguration is.

This isn't just some light show.

Hey man, this is a cool little side.

Hey, there's some hard things,

and we're going to see when he comes down the mountain

there's some hard things.

So let's just kind of hang out for a minute.

No, it's much more than that.

See, last week we saw in verse 22

that Jesus said,

here's what's going to happen guys.

I'm going to suffer many things,

and I'm going to be rejected by the chief priest,

and they're going to kill me.

Now we mentioned this.

Nobody killed him.

He laid down his life.

But he said,

this is what's going to happen.

This is where this is heading.

And then he added,

if that wasn't hard enough for them to handle,

and if you want to follow after me,

you're going to sign up for the very same things.

That if any man come after me,

let him deny himself,

and take up his cross daily and follow.

And I think you got the sense last week,

if you were here,

those are heavy words.

They were thinking crowns,

and they were thinking power,

and they were thinking prestige,

and they were thinking,

hey man, we're on the ground floor

of this whole Messiah thing.

They didn't see a cross.

They didn't see suffering.

They didn't see difficulties in the future.

And for about a week,

we see that they're trying to process this.

This is not what they signed up for.

You ever signed up for something?

Thinking, nope,

this is not what I signed up for.

That was basically me,

K through 12th grade.

I'm like,

this is not what I signed up for.

Especially in middle school,

they just took my recess away.

I'm like,

how am I supposed to live?

I mean,

life is recess.

But no doubt the disciples

were beginning to really feel the weight.

I mean,

these were men that had left everything.

They had left their nets.

They had left their jobs.

They had left their professions.

They had forsaken all to follow Christ.

And now it seems like,

this is not good.

And Jesus knew it.

Let me remind you,

Jesus always knows.

I don't know what you're walking through.

I don't know the difficulties

you might be facing in your life right now

and the struggles,

but He knows.

And if anything this morning,

I just want you to see

just a glimpse

of who Jesus really is.

because when we get

a good picture of that,

it changes how we live our life.

So He took Peter

and He took James

and He took John up this mountain.

Why?

Because He was preparing them

for what was to come.

Listen,

Jesus cares so much

about His followers

and His disciples.

He doesn't leave us in the dark.

No,

He promises never to leave us

nor to forsake us.

And He wanted them

to really see

who He was.

Man,

they had seen Him

feed a bunch of people.

That's cool.

They had seen Him

heal some people.

I mean,

that's amazing.

When they thought

they were going under

in the boat,

He just calmed the wind.

Man,

that's pretty awesome.

And they were beginning

to kind of get these puzzle pieces

of who Jesus was

and kind of

it's starting to come into view.

But now He's going to

pull the veil back

and show them really

who He is.

That's the first thing

that I want us to see

this morning.

Number one is

we need to look

at the glory

of the Son of God.

In verse number 29,

the Bible reminds us

that He came into

this mountain to pray

and as He prayed,

the fashion of His countenance

was altered

and His raiment

was white and glycerine.

Matthew's account,

Matthew 17,

tells us that His face

shone as bright

as the noonday sun.

Think about it like this.

It's so bright.

I mean,

when the disciples are there,

they're looking like that.

Kind of like you were

last night

when you opened the fridge

at midnight.

You know,

trying to find something

in there.

I mean,

a blinding light.

It's going to just,

you can't even fathom it.

The Bible kind of describes

His clothes

in multiple accounts.

They're dazzling

and it's like lightning

was kind of woven

into the fabric.

I know that's kind of crazy

but that's just how

I read the Bible.

I mean,

they can't even look upon Him.

Peter's thinking,

what is going on?

They're sleeping.

Every time they get

an opportunity,

they always seem

to fall asleep

in the most important moments.

But simply put,

it was very evident

when they came to,

when the disciples woke up,

that this was no ordinary man.

This wasn't just some rabbi

that was a really good teacher.

This wasn't just some

miracle worker

from Nazareth.

No,

they're beginning to realize

who He truly is

and Peter already said,

thou art the Christ.

And now Jesus is saying,

I am.

You can see me

for who I really am.

And God is pulling back

the veil of His humanity

and He's revealing

that He is glorious

and He's divine

and He's eternal.

And this isn't the first time

God's glory has shown up

in Scripture like this.

We see Moses,

when you study

the life of Moses,

He goes up into Mount Sinai

and He's in the presence

of God for those 40 days

and when He comes down

from the mountain,

He's been in the presence

of God so long,

He had to wear a veil

on His face

because His own face

was shining.

And that was just

a reflection of God's glory.

It was just a fading afterglow.

When you study Solomon's temple

and Solomon begins to pray

to dedicate the temple,

this cloud comes down,

the glory of God,

the Shekinah glory

is what we call it

in Scripture.

It comes down

and it fills the whole house.

And Israel is like,

whoa, what is going on here?

Maybe you know

the life of the Apostle Paul.

He was on the road to Damascus.

He was going to arrest Christians

and to get rid of them

and Jesus of Nazareth showed up,

the risen Savior.

And the Bible says

that He's shown

bright as the noonday sun.

It blinded Paul

and it changed his life.

But here in our text this morning,

the disciples are not seeing

a reflection or a symbol

or a bright light.

They are seeing Jesus

for who He truly is.

They were seeing

the very source of glory.

See, Jesus doesn't borrow it

from anybody.

No, He is.

You see in the end

that there's going to be

no need for the sun

because He's going to be

in the city.

He is the light

that we are searching for.

And in verse 30,

we see He's not alone,

that He's having

this conversation.

They wake up

and the disciples

start looking and say,

whoa, who are those people?

And they had a little name tag.

It said, hello, I'm Moses.

Hello, I'm Elijah.

I don't know how it was,

but they realized real quickly

who this was.

And the Bible,

that's what it says

in verse number 30,

Behold, there talked with Him

two men which were Moses

and Elias.

See, Moses represented the law.

Moses was their hero.

Abraham and Moses,

these men of the Mount Rushmore,

so to speak, of Israel,

he was the great deliverer.

And I'm sure many of you

are familiar with the Exodus

and how God used this man,

Moses, to deliver his people

out of bondage in Egypt.

He was the one

that God gave the commandments

through and the tabernacle

and the priesthood

and the sacrifices.

And you think,

what was all that about?

Here's what it was about.

It was about pointing forward

to Jesus.

That the Old Testament

is just a shadow

of things to come.

But Jesus is the fulfillment

of that and He is

the true deliverer

and He is the final sacrifice.

And He's there

with Elijah the prophet.

I mean, you talk about

a prophet that was bold,

a prophet that wasn't afraid

to speak the truth.

This was the man

that rolled right up

into the most wicked king

in Israel

and his wife Jezebel

and said,

hey, God said

it's not going to rain.

And Elijah was that kind

of prophet

that stood for the Lord

and called Israel back

in a time of great apostasy.

And really,

the prophets in general,

as a whole,

proclaimed the hope

of a coming Messiah.

Proclaimed the hope

that God would restore

His people

and establish

His kingdom.

So we see these two men here.

Why?

Well, I think because together

the law and the prophets,

they summed up

the entire Old Testament

revelation.

And here's what the Old Testament

is saying.

He's coming.

The Messiah is coming.

The Savior of the world

is coming.

Behold,

a virgin shall conceive

and you shall call

His name

Emmanuel,

God with us.

and they're here

not as equals

with Jesus

but bearing witness

that He is the one

that the law

and the prophets

were pointing to.

That is the idea.

Well, what are they

talking about?

Verse 31.

Who appeared in glory

and spake

of His decease

which He should accomplish

at Jerusalem?

We're going to come back.

We're going to circle back around here

in just a minute to that.

But here's what

they're talking about.

What's going to happen

when He dies?

In the midst

of all the glory

of God,

in the midst

of this

great transfiguration,

here's where

Jesus' focus was.

The cross.

It reminds us

that the song

of the Jerusalem

love went deeper.

That even when

everything was pointing

to Him

and they're beginning

to realize

that He is God

in the flesh,

true glory

always centers

on Christ

and His finished work

on the cross of Calvary.

That's where glory

is found.

See,

Peter and James

and John,

they thought it was found

in prestige

and in power

and making Israel

great again.

That's what they were

looking for.

You look at the

triumphant entry

of Christ,

they thought,

you know what?

They're going to kick

all the Romans out

and we're going to be

where we should be.

No,

the triumphant entry

was this,

that He was coming

to die.

And that's what

Moses and Elijah

are talking about

with Him.

That's their conversation.

Let me just remind you,

every other glory fades.

We can search

for glory

in our own world,

but careers

can vanish,

reputations

can be ruined,

possessions wear out,

break down,

left behind,

but the glory

of Jesus

never fades.

And the same

Christ who shone

so brightly

on this mountain,

He went down

into the valley

and carried

across up

Mount Calvary

and died there

for our sins.

But that wasn't

the end of the story

either.

He rose triumphant

and His glory

is eternal

and His work

is finished

and His victory

is yours

if you belong

to Him.

But what we see

with the disciples

is the same thing

that we can find

ourselves in.

We're looking for glory

in all the wrong places.

We're going to see them

in a couple chapters.

They're fighting

about who's number one.

Who's the number one

disciple?

And James and John's mom

made little stickers.

James and John,

number one.

I mean,

that's in there.

That's in the Bible.

Mama came and tried

to speak up

for her boys.

Like,

I know these other guys

are good,

but there are no

James and John.

I mean,

James and John

are special.

And they're missing it.

So I just want to ask you

before we move on,

where are you looking

for glory?

The only glory we have

is in Christ

and Him crucified.

It's by the grace of God

we are who we are.

You know,

maybe you're looking

in your accomplishments

and your stuff.

Here's where we should be looking,

Jesus saying,

at your Savior.

All that glory fades.

That new car smell

that you worked so hard for,

probably smells like

french fries right now.

You know,

we talked about it last week.

You've never eaten in here.

Man,

there's probably more french fries

under your seat

than there were in your mouth.

That dream vacation,

it's going to,

you've got to come back

to reality at some point.

Everything fades in our life.

Our hair fades.

Sometimes it just leaves us.

I'm not looking at anybody.

I'm not looking at anybody.

Don't judge me here.

But Jesus is just reminding us,

he's reminding his disciples,

this is the only glory

that's going to last.

This is the only glory

that lasts forever.

And see,

on this mountain,

the disciples saw the glory

of Jesus with their own eyes,

but now they needed to hear

the truth with their own ears.

And God the Father shows up

and he has a command.

This is my beloved son.

Hear him.

Hear him.

That's what we see

the fathers say.

But there in verse number 32,

Peter,

he's overwhelmed,

he's in awe,

and he should have

just been quiet.

You know,

he thought,

man,

last time I spoke up,

I said something really good.

I'm going to say something again.

And he wakes up

and he sees Jesus

in his glorified version.

He sees Elijah and Moses

and he says,

hey,

guess what?

It's good for us to be here.

He's like,

come on,

that's what you came up with?

That's what he decided to say?

He said,

and then he,

you know,

I don't know where he got them,

but he pulled these blueprints

out of his back pocket.

He said,

okay,

here Jesus,

look at these.

I've seen a plan on Pinterest

for three tabernacles.

We're going to build it right here.

And we're going to put it right here,

right here,

and one for you,

and one for Elijah,

and one for Moses,

and we're just going to hang out here.

But before he really can finish

his building plans,

that's when God the Father shows up.

It's like,

Peter,

be quiet.

Peter,

stop talking.

You're missing the point.

What Peter's trying to do,

and you're going to see it multiple times

in Peter's life,

he tries to get Jesus

to kind of go around the cross

and right to glory.

It doesn't work that way.

He was trying to get him

to miss the suffering

and go right to the power.

But the Father made it very clear.

This is my beloved son.

That Jesus wasn't just a prophet

like Moses and Elijah.

He wasn't just some priest.

No,

he is not one among equals.

He has no rivals.

He is the beloved son of God.

And because of who he is,

listen to him.

You see,

Jesus,

prophets spoke of the word.

Jesus is the word.

The priests,

they offer the sacrifice,

but God is reminding them

and reminding us

that Jesus is the sacrifice.

Kings rule for a time,

but Jesus reigns forever.

Religions point to a path,

but Jesus is the path.

And that's why God said,

hear him.

Because only Jesus can save.

Only Jesus can satisfy.

Only Jesus can bring us to God.

And this is not the first time

that God's voice

has thundered with authority.

You can go right

to the very beginning

of the Bible,

and God said,

let there be.

Listen,

God's voice creates.

God's voice calls personally.

He came to Samuel.

Samuel,

Samuel,

here am I.

Well,

what would you have,

Lord?

Lord,

the voice of God

came to Elijah

in a still small voice,

and it comforts

in that weakness.

At Jesus' own baptism,

his voice affirmed,

thou art my beloved son

in whom I am well pleased.

And here again

at the transfiguration,

he reminds us

that God's voice

also directs.

You see,

the same voice

that spoke light

into darkness,

who called prophets

by name,

who whispered comfort

to Elijah,

who affirmed Jesus

at the Jordan,

is now commanding

his disciples,

and he's commanding us,

hear Jesus.

Hear him.

Hear what he's got to say.

Have you noticed

that life is noisy?

I mean,

especially if you've got kids.

I mean,

it feels like a million

things are going on,

and they're all telling a story,

and then you're turning

the TV up,

trying to hear what it is.

You know,

when you can't see it,

you turn it up, right?

I'm not the only person.

I'm like,

okay,

let me turn it up

so I can see it better.

You know,

I'm trying to like,

focus on what's going on.

Maybe you got the GPS,

and you're holding it,

trying to drink your coffee,

and do all these things,

and there's so many things

that are calling us,

so many things

that are pulling us away,

and sometimes Jesus' voice

gets drowned out.

Maybe you think,

man,

I've been walking through

some really difficult things.

Let me just ask you this.

Whose voice

are you listening to?

Whose voice

are you trying to decipher

through the crowd

and the noise?

Because sometimes

if we're honest

with ourselves,

we ignore Jesus' voice

because it's still

and it's small

and maybe it's not

as loud as the others,

but let me just encourage you

and remind you,

ignoring Jesus' voice

is very costly.

Culture is calling for us.

Social media is calling for us.

Our own doubts are calling,

but the Savior is here

and He's speaking truth

and hope

and life.

See,

the mountain revealed

who Jesus was

and who He is,

and the mission

would reveal

what He came to accomplish

there on the cross,

and that meant

a path of suffering

came before the crown.

The last thing

I want us to look at

this morning is this,

that we need to learn

from the suffering

of God's servant.

We need to learn

from the suffering

of God's servant.

I want us to circle back.

I said that we would

in verse number 31.

When Jesus,

who appeared in His glory

and spake

of His decease,

which He should accomplish

at Jerusalem.

That word,

decease,

it's not a word

that we would use

all the time,

but here's what it

literally means

in the original language,

Exodus.

Jesus is speaking

of His Exodus,

and He's there

with the great deliverer

of Israel,

Moses,

and do you see it?

I hope that you do,

that just as Moses

led Israel out of bondage

in Egypt,

Jesus,

the reason that He came

is that He was going

to lead His people

out of sin and death

at the cross of Calvary.

See,

He didn't come

to set up

an earthly kingdom.

No,

He came to die

that we might live,

and they're talking

about it,

and it reminds us

that glory

is not an escape

from suffering

many times,

and most of the time,

it's reached

through suffering.

And Jesus was willing

that He humbled Himself

and He became obedient

unto death,

even the death

of the cross.

The writer in Hebrews

reminds us

that for the joy

that was set

before Him,

He endured the cross.

Why?

For you.

For me.

He came,

and He had this

exodus planned

so that we wouldn't

have to be servants

to sin,

that we wouldn't have

to live with guilt

and shame

and fear

and regret

and worry.

No,

He came to give us life

and to give it to us

more abundantly

and peace

and joy

and all the things

the world is looking for,

it's found in Jesus,

and it's accomplished

through the cross.

See,

Jesus would not wear

the crown

without first carrying

the cross.

You see kind of this

played out through Scripture

in different ways.

We saw that Joseph,

he was betrayed,

he was imprisoned,

he went through

difficult things,

but at the end,

God raised him up.

That suffering

before glory.

We saw Job,

he was broken,

he was tested,

but God restored him.

David was hunted

by others,

he was in hiding

for a lot of his life,

but ultimately

he was crowned.

Paul was beaten

and shipwrecked

and jailed

and all these other things,

but he rejoiced

because God was working

in his life.

And Jesus,

he endured the cross

and now he's enthroned

forever,

forever.

And it's a principle

we see in our own lives

and athletes know

that there's no medal

without sweat.

Soldiers know

that there's no victory

without a battle.

Parents know

that there's no peace

without surviving bedtime.

Just bring it real close

where we live.

What does this mean for us?

Sometimes we read this

and think,

well, man,

what a cool story.

He's on a mountain,

he turns really bright

and some cool stuff happens.

What Jesus is reminding us

is this,

that don't be surprised

when following Christ

costs you.

See,

this is coming off the hills

of taking up your cross

and following him.

That the cross

always comes

before the crown.

But there's great hope too.

And that's why

he kind of pulled

the veil back

and I got a little glimpse

of it because here

is the hope

that if we share

in his sufferings,

we will also

share in his glory.

Not because we deserve it,

because that's what

he offers us.

Because that's what

he gives us.

I love what Paul tells

the Romans in Romans 8, 17.

The spirit itself

beareth witness

with our spirit

that we are the children

of God.

That if we know

Christ is our Savior,

God confirms that

and if children,

then heirs.

Heirs of God

and joint heirs

with Christ.

So be that

if we suffer with him

that we may also

be glorified together.

Verse 18,

for I reckon,

you didn't know

Paul was texting.

Paul's reckoning

right here.

For I reckon,

listen to what Paul says,

that the sufferings

of this present time

are not worthy

to be compared

with the glory

which shall be revealed

in us.

You know what Paul's saying?

Yes, it's hard.

And I'm not belittling

anything that anybody

is walking through,

has walked through,

or will walk through.

But Paul says,

listen, there is coming a day

that when we see Christ

face to face

and we stand before him,

everything we went through

in this life,

we're going to realize,

you know what?

It really wasn't

that big a deal.

Look what God has given us.

It eye hath not seen,

ear hath not heard,

nor has it entered

into the heart of the man

the things that God

has prepared for them

that love him.

That's what Jesus

wanted them to see.

See, with Christ,

suffering is not

the end of the story.

It's the road to glory.

That's what he wants us to see.

So we've seen

the glory of the Son,

we've heard the voice

of the Father,

and we've learned

the path of suffering

that leads to glory.

But the question

that I leave you with

this morning is,

how will you respond?

How will you respond?

I think for those

that follow Christ

and know him

as your Savior,

the message is encouraging.

That when you're weary,

remember that glimpse

of glory.

When you're confused,

listen to the voice

of Jesus.

When you're hurting,

trust the path

that leads

through the cross

to the ground.

Jesus said he is the way

and the truth

and the life.

See, this passage,

what it is doing

and what it is reminding,

it is calling us

to steady obedience.

Keep following.

Keep listening.

Keep trusting.

Maybe you're here

and you're just still

kind of really weighing out

who Jesus is.

You love a lot of things

about him.

You love church

and some songs

and you read your Bible

every once in a while,

but you're still

kind of just searching.

Listen,

the Father wants us

to do one thing,

wants you to do one thing.

Hear Jesus.

What does Jesus say?

I am the way

and the truth

and the life.

No man comes

to the Father

but by me.

Jesus also told

Mary and Martha

and John chapter 11,

John 11 · chapter mention

I am the resurrection

and the life.

He that believeth in me,

though he were dead,

yet shall he live.

Jesus told the disciples

in John chapter 6,

John 6:37

verse 37,

he that cometh to me

and I will in no wise

cast out.

He preached the gospel

there in Mark chapter 1,

Mark 1:15

verse 15,

repent and believe

the gospel.

Repent and believe

Jesus Christ.

Jesus calls to all,

come unto me,

all you that labor

and are heavy laden,

and I will give you rest.

Maybe that's what you

need to hear today.

There is a God

that loves you

and he came to this earth

and he lived for you.

He lived a life

that we could not live.

Where we failed,

he succeeded.

Where the first Adam failed,

the second Adam

made all things new.

And this same Jesus

who laid down his life

at Calvary

took the punishment

of sin that we all deserve

and rose again in victory.

And now he offers

the same to all of us.

See, ignoring Jesus

is like ignoring your doctor

when he offers you the cure.

It's like ignoring a lifeguard

that's trying to throw you

a rope.

You're drowning

and you just ignore it.

See, to reject Jesus

is to refuse

the only hope

of salvation.

So today,

whether you're a believer

or you're maybe still searching,

the Father's command

is the same.

This

is my beloved son.

Hear him.

Will you hear him?

Will you obey him?

Will you follow him?

Because when you realize

who Jesus is,

he's worthy

of all those things.

He is the son of God.

Would you stand

with your heads bowed?

With your eyes closed.