First Baptist Church
December 28th
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      • Matthew 17:1–5NIV2011

      • Matthew 7:24–27NIV2011

      • Matthew 7:28–29NIV2011

  • Welcome

    Good morning! And welcome to the most “in-between” church service that there could exist! This is one of those weeks where we are looking back on the year while also looking forward. Just on Sunday mornings we have covered Colossians, 1&2 Peter, Nehemiah, and our Advent series. This next year, there are two sections of scripture that we are going to spend a lot of time in. Starting around June we will be studying the book of Job together. Job is one of those Old Testament books that we can read and think, “What on earth is this about?” Job goes through intense trials and ends up having this remarkable conversation with God. That will be later in the year. But, starting in January, and kind of today, we are going to be looking at the Sermon on the Mount. The sermon on the mount is found in Matthew 5-7 and contains a lot of teaching about living in the kingdom of heaven. When we think about the kingdom of heaven, we often think that we have to wait for it. However, Jesus said that the kingdom of heaven had come near, and when we live according to how Jesus teaches in this sermon, we live out the kingdom of heaven here on earth. Todays sermon then, is going to act like a bridge to our study on the Sermon on the Mount. I want us to look at why we should listen and obey what Jesus teaches.

    Prayer

    Engage / Tension

    We have a tendency to treat Christmas like a seasonal decoration. On December 26th, we pack away the ornaments, the lights, and—subtly—the "Baby Jesus."
    A baby in a manger is easy to love because a baby is not demanding. A baby doesn't tell you how to spend your money, how to treat your enemies, or how to handle your anxiety.
    Christmas was the birth of the King. January is about the policy of the King. If we only celebrate His birth but never listen to His teaching, we have missed the point of the Incarnation.
    This morning then, we are going to look at Matthew’s account of the transfiguration of Jesus and look at how Jesus closes out the Sermon on the Mount so hopefully we will understand why we should follow Jesus’ teaching in it.

    The Divine Endorsement

    Matthew 17:1–5 NIV
    After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus. Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”
    Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up a mountain and Jesus goes through this transfiguration. Jesus’ appearance is no longer that of just a carpenter’s son from Nazareth, his body is transformed, his face changes, his clothes become extremely bright, here we see Jesus’ physical appearance demonstrate who exactly he is.
    On top of his appearance changing, two other people appear and begin to talk with Jesus, Moses and Elijah. Moses had died around 1500 years ago and his presence here is representing the Law, Elijah had been taken up in a chariot of fire to heaven about 900 years earlier and his presence represents the prophets. Yet, here they are standing on this mountain having a conversation with Jesus in front of some of the disciples. In this passage, we are seeing proof of the resurrection. God is not the God of dead people, God is the God of the living.
    Peter recognizes that this is a great moment and wants to stay here. Let’s put up some shelters if you want. But God the Father interrupts Peter. This interruption is what I want us to focus in on this morning.

    The Cloud

    A cloud appears and covers the whole area, and we hear God the Father speak to the disciples. God the Father says, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”
    This cloud that appears is referred to as “shekinah glory.” Shekinah means dwelling or settling, so this cloud is meant to show where God’s presence is dwelling. It shows the people the presence of God. God’s presence showing up in the form of a cloud doesn’t only happen in this passage though. Throughout the Old Testament the shekinah glory, this cloud of God, appears multiple times. This is the same cloud that led the Israelites in the wilderness. But at the time of Jesus, it had been 600 years since the last time anyone had witnessed this shekinah glory.
    Centuries before this, the book of Exodus tells us that God came down to Mount Sinai in a cloud. It was from that cloud that they heard the voice of God and everyone was afraid. Moses though, went to the top of the mountain and begged to see God’s glory. In chapter 33 we can read what Moses wanted… “Show me your glory, your infinite greatness and unimaginable beauty.” And God responded, “When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by, but my face cannot be seen. No one may see me and live.” Moses himself wasn’t able to see God’s glory directly. But, even just getting near to the glory of God was enough to make his face shine with the reflected glory of God.
    Now, what makes Moses’ encounter different from this one is that Jesus isn’t pointing to God’s glory. When Moses came down from the mountain and his face was shining, it wasn’t shining with Moses’ glory. This was just a byproduct of being close to the glory of God. Moses reflects the glory of God just as the moon reflects the light from the sun. Jesus on the other hand, produces the glory of God, it is shining out fully from him. Jesus doesn’t point to the glory of God like Moses, Elijah, and every other prophet, Jesus IS the glory of God in human form.
    God is telling the world: "The Law and the Prophets pointed to Him. Now, He is the final word. Listen to what He has to say.
    Before we open Matthew 5 , we have to agree on who we are listening to. We aren't listening to a philosopher or a life coach; we are listening to the Son of God, fully divine and fully human, the savior of the world.
    (Kids at camp or at school, “Why should we listen to you?! You aren’t my dad!”)

    The Blueprint for the Kingdom (Matthew 5–7 Overview)

    The Sermon on the Mount isn't a list of rules to heaven. It is a description of how people live once they are the Kingdom. Not a Ladder, but a Lifestyle
    The world says: "Look out for #1." Jesus says: "Blessed are the poor in spirit."
    The world says: "Get even." Jesus says: "Love your enemies."
    The world says: "Worry about tomorrow." Jesus says: "Look at the birds of the air."
    These aren't suggestions for living, these are teachings from the king of kings about how to live our lives.
    Now, we listen simply because of who Jesus is. But there is also some practical reasons why we should listen and obey Jesus. Jesus, like a loving parent would do, is teaching us how to live our lives in a way that is best for us. When we follow his teaching, it is building our life on a firm foundation. At the end of the sermon of the mount, Jesus tells us that putting these teachings into practice is like building a house on a rock.

    The Test of the Foundation

    Matthew 7:24–27 NIV
    “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
    These houses looked similar, but they had a big difference. Their foundation that they were built on was completely different.
    The Sand
    Building on human opinion, on cultural trends, hearing his teaching but not doing.
    The Rock
    Hearing the words of Jesus and building your life on them.
    The Certainty of Storms:
    The rain came. It wasn’t a matter of if storms would come, but when. Storms are a part of life. We are going to go through struggles and trials in our life. We will see Job go through many trials later on in 2026.
    But as we look at 2026, we don't know what the economy will do, what our health will do, or what the world will do. But we know the storms are coming.
    The only thing that survives the storm is a life built on the words of Jesus.

    The Authority that Amazes

    Matthew 7:28–29 NIV
    When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.
    The people will be amazed at Jesus’ teaching in the sermon on the mount. They are amazed because he has authority. Jesus speaks as one who wrote the laws of the universe, who spoke the world into being.
    This baby that we just celebrated last week grows up and teaches all of us how to live our lives.
    The Light that dawned in the manger is now the Light that shows us how to live.

    Conclusion

    Don’t wait to listen to Jesus. If you aren’t a believer in Jesus, try listening to him. Pray and ask him to reveal himself to you, but then, listen! And if you are a follower of Jesus, we all need to be reminded to listen to Jesus again and again. Listen to the God’s chosen one, listen to the Messiah, and hear the life giving words of the gospel directly from him.

      • Matthew 4:17NIV2011

      • Matthew 5:1–12NIV2011

      • Matthew 5:3NIV2011

      • Matthew 5:4NIV2011

      • Matthew 5:5NIV2011

      • Matthew 5:6NIV2011

      • Matthew 5:7NIV2011

      • Matthew 6:14–15NIV2011

      • Matthew 5:8NIV2011

      • Matthew 5:9NIV2011

      • Matthew 5:10–12NIV2011

First Baptist Church
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