WEBVTT 00:00:00.520 --> 00:00:08.259 Mark chapter 9, I want to challenge you this morning to never miss the message that's in a miracle. 00:00:09.759 --> 00:00:21.280 Often in scripture we read of unique miraculous events and we get so caught up in that event and how it happened and what it must have been like that we miss the why. 00:00:23.100 --> 00:00:26.460 Noah built that big old boat. 00:00:26.460 --> 00:00:30.440 It's really a message about how God saves. 00:00:32.320 --> 00:00:37.460 The burning bush, how did that bush burn and not be consumed? 00:00:37.660 --> 00:00:38.620 What was that all about? 00:00:39.439 --> 00:00:46.740 It's really about the calling and the commission of Moses, the one that God used to deliver his people. 00:00:46.740 --> 00:00:57.780 The plagues that hit Pharaoh, one right after another, were really attacks on the various gods of Egypt. 00:00:58.719 --> 00:01:03.500 The parting of the Red Sea was really about the delivery of God's people. 00:01:04.060 --> 00:01:08.359 Sarah's late age pregnancy in her 90s, miraculous. 00:01:08.359 --> 00:01:11.959 It's the fulfilling of the covenant of God. 00:01:12.739 --> 00:01:17.340 David, just a shepherd boy with a sling, defeated Goliath. 00:01:17.400 --> 00:01:22.799 That's really about the victory that comes when you give your battles to the Lord. 00:01:23.659 --> 00:01:27.000 Daniel in the lion's den is about the deliverance of the Lord. 00:01:27.219 --> 00:01:30.760 The fourth man in the fire is about Christ being in the mist. 00:01:30.760 --> 00:01:42.900 The sun standing still when Joshua asked God to, gave him that request, tells us that one, God hears us when we pray and God is fighting for us. 00:01:43.400 --> 00:01:48.219 The miracles of Christ is the salvation power of Christ. 00:01:48.320 --> 00:01:51.740 It all pointed to who the man himself was. 00:01:52.160 --> 00:01:55.500 The resurrection of Christ is the promise of eternal life. 00:01:55.600 --> 00:01:59.600 The ascension of Christ is the promise of the return of Christ. 00:01:59.599 --> 00:02:01.119 All of that. 00:02:01.280 --> 00:02:12.599 And what we find in Mark chapter 9 is couched late in the life and the ministry of Christ, but before his sacrifice. 00:02:13.659 --> 00:02:17.000 And it is a miraculous event. 00:02:18.060 --> 00:02:25.459 I have tried to wrap my head around it for decades to understand it completely. 00:02:25.460 --> 00:02:30.860 It's a rare passage, a rare event, unlike anything else we see in Scripture. 00:02:31.900 --> 00:02:36.840 Yet the message is powerful. 00:02:38.900 --> 00:02:42.920 It's not obvious, but it's powerful. 00:02:43.780 --> 00:02:47.700 Mark chapter 9, beginning in verse 1 it says, 00:02:47.699 --> 00:02:49.280 And Jesus said to them, 00:02:49.280 --> 00:03:10.979 And after six days, Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John, led them up on a high mountain by themselves, and he was transfigured before them. 00:03:10.979 --> 00:03:18.719 And his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them. 00:03:19.359 --> 00:03:25.339 And they appeared to them, Elijah, with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. 00:03:25.340 --> 00:03:32.300 And Peter said to Jesus, Rabbi, it is good that we are here. 00:03:33.300 --> 00:03:39.259 Let us make three tents, one for you, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah. 00:03:40.020 --> 00:03:42.140 For he did not know what to say. 00:03:43.520 --> 00:03:45.759 For they were terrified. 00:03:47.080 --> 00:03:50.120 And a cloud overshadowed them. 00:03:50.120 --> 00:03:54.000 And a voice came out of the cloud. 00:03:55.000 --> 00:03:56.620 This is my beloved son. 00:03:57.560 --> 00:03:58.420 Listen to him. 00:03:59.520 --> 00:04:06.599 And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them, but Jesus only. 00:04:07.879 --> 00:04:13.780 And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 00:04:13.780 --> 00:04:22.399 So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead might mean. 00:04:23.259 --> 00:04:29.560 And they asked him, why did the scribes say that first Elijah must come? 00:04:30.439 --> 00:04:34.199 And he said to them, Elijah does come first to restore all things. 00:04:34.319 --> 00:04:40.199 And how it is written of the Son of Man that he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt. 00:04:40.199 --> 00:04:42.979 But I tell you that Elijah has come. 00:04:43.800 --> 00:04:48.779 And they did to him whatever they pleased, and it is written of him. 00:04:49.759 --> 00:04:54.920 Now, Matthew tells us that that last verse there, when he talks about Elijah having come, 00:04:55.500 --> 00:05:02.779 that they realized when he said that, that what he was talking about is an Elijah-like figure had come in John the Baptist. 00:05:02.980 --> 00:05:06.000 And look what they had done to him. 00:05:06.000 --> 00:05:11.220 I spent many years trying to figure out the transfiguration. 00:05:11.939 --> 00:05:14.519 What in the world was going on here? 00:05:15.579 --> 00:05:19.439 And through much study, I've come to believe that it's both for the sake of Christ, 00:05:19.920 --> 00:05:26.240 as well as for the sake of the inner three that he let experience it, and thank God as well for us. 00:05:27.060 --> 00:05:34.060 For Christ, it is a midstream affirmation for him about what he's doing. 00:05:34.060 --> 00:05:45.000 I would say it's a holy, fatherly pat on the back of sorts to Christ, a reminder of the eternal consequences of what was facing. 00:05:45.660 --> 00:05:48.300 And you may ask, did Christ need that? 00:05:50.040 --> 00:05:54.840 And I'll tell you, I mean, you may say he's God, and you're right, he is. 00:05:54.920 --> 00:05:55.500 He is God. 00:05:55.500 --> 00:06:00.199 But I don't know if he needed it or not. 00:06:02.300 --> 00:06:06.240 I believe because Scripture tells me so that he was really tempted in the desert. 00:06:07.379 --> 00:06:08.600 It wasn't just a farce. 00:06:08.639 --> 00:06:09.439 It wasn't just a show. 00:06:10.779 --> 00:06:12.139 That it was real temptation. 00:06:12.139 --> 00:06:21.319 I believe, as I spoke of a couple of weeks ago, that he really set his face toward Jerusalem in Luke 9, 51, 00:06:22.399 --> 00:06:27.639 with a combo of dread as well as anticipation of his last days. 00:06:29.219 --> 00:06:35.479 I believe that he really suffered in his prayer in the garden before going to the cross. 00:06:35.480 --> 00:06:40.819 As much as I don't understand it all and may not do a good job of explaining it, 00:06:41.319 --> 00:06:47.939 he's not only 100% God, but he's also 100% man while he was on the earth. 00:06:48.879 --> 00:06:53.939 So I believe this is an eternal pat on the back like no other. 00:06:54.040 --> 00:07:00.120 However, the greatest message that we need to grasp is the one to those disciples that witnessed it, 00:07:00.120 --> 00:07:02.300 because that's what it does for us, too. 00:07:03.019 --> 00:07:07.579 I believe this message to them is a message to us. 00:07:07.660 --> 00:07:09.720 So what did they witness? 00:07:11.300 --> 00:07:13.899 I believe they witnessed a combo of things. 00:07:15.899 --> 00:07:19.300 One is I believe they witnessed a taste of his glory. 00:07:20.980 --> 00:07:24.519 In verse 1 of this passage that I just read, it says, 00:07:24.840 --> 00:07:25.620 He said to them, 00:07:25.680 --> 00:07:29.860 Truly I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God. 00:07:30.120 --> 00:07:31.680 After it has come with power. 00:07:32.759 --> 00:07:36.519 It's interesting how there are several ways people interpret that verse. 00:07:38.019 --> 00:07:40.120 Some believe that he's speaking of his return. 00:07:41.220 --> 00:07:46.060 And because he's not yet returned, well, he must be wrong. 00:07:47.319 --> 00:07:50.540 Well, I don't believe that, and I don't believe you believe that either. 00:07:51.560 --> 00:07:54.379 Others believe that he's speaking of his ascension. 00:07:54.379 --> 00:08:00.019 And it may very well be, because it did happen not many days after this. 00:08:00.120 --> 00:08:06.420 But when the angel said he will return as he went, they're definitely talking about the kingdom and its power. 00:08:07.660 --> 00:08:13.259 However, I believe the context, I believe you always have to read verses in context. 00:08:13.379 --> 00:08:17.560 I believe the context convinces me that he's speaking of this event. 00:08:17.560 --> 00:08:26.259 Because verse 2 states that just six days after he said this, the transfiguration happened. 00:08:27.259 --> 00:08:29.379 And although he said it to a larger group, he said, 00:08:29.639 --> 00:08:37.980 Some of you standing here will not taste death until you see the kingdom of God after its coming power. 00:08:37.980 --> 00:08:43.460 So that tells me that Mark believed this is the event he was talking about. 00:08:44.519 --> 00:08:47.279 Matthew 17 deals with it in the same kind of way. 00:08:47.279 --> 00:08:53.159 I believe Jesus is saying in verse 1, you're going to witness a taste of my glory. 00:08:53.220 --> 00:09:00.600 In other words, you're going to see a preview of the greatest event that this world will ever know outside the cross itself. 00:09:00.960 --> 00:09:04.039 That it's a preview of the second coming of Christ. 00:09:04.039 --> 00:09:08.899 Matthew 16, verse 27, in the same context says this, 00:09:09.199 --> 00:09:12.839 For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, 00:09:13.179 --> 00:09:16.319 and then he will repay each person according to what he's done. 00:09:17.379 --> 00:09:25.000 In other words, Jesus is going to come literally, actually, visibly, bodily. 00:09:25.000 --> 00:09:30.579 He'll come to earth, back to earth to receive us unto himself, 00:09:30.779 --> 00:09:33.659 that where he is we may be also, John 14, 3. 00:09:34.599 --> 00:09:45.519 This is a taste, an anticipating foretaste of the glory of God that is to come. 00:09:46.719 --> 00:09:48.019 They got to witness that. 00:09:49.240 --> 00:09:52.860 Not only that, but they also witnessed a view into eternity. 00:09:54.980 --> 00:09:56.099 It had to be something. 00:09:56.459 --> 00:09:59.240 I mean, along those same lines, this is a glimpse of the reality of eternity. 00:09:59.240 --> 00:10:00.840 And you know what? 00:10:00.879 --> 00:10:01.620 The day is coming. 00:10:03.620 --> 00:10:04.919 The odds are clear. 00:10:05.080 --> 00:10:06.500 One out of one die. 00:10:07.620 --> 00:10:09.440 It's coming, you know. 00:10:09.440 --> 00:10:13.780 Unless the Lord returns in our lifetime, we'll all die. 00:10:15.100 --> 00:10:17.340 And that death may be shocking. 00:10:19.420 --> 00:10:23.700 I saw on social media this morning, somebody was killed. 00:10:24.480 --> 00:10:27.680 Car accident right here in Cleveland, South Carolina, Highway 11. 00:10:28.720 --> 00:10:29.900 Motorcycle accident, actually. 00:10:29.899 --> 00:10:34.959 And his friends were tore up about the shock. 00:10:35.659 --> 00:10:36.559 How in the world? 00:10:38.519 --> 00:10:54.419 And then I spent the latter part of the week around the beds of people who are facing unexpected and natural death in the coming days or hours. 00:10:54.419 --> 00:10:57.579 Either way, it's coming, folks. 00:10:59.179 --> 00:11:01.360 And then eternity is forever. 00:11:02.939 --> 00:11:11.279 And I believe that when we speak of getting a taste of his glory, we must also realize that we're getting a view to remind us of eternity. 00:11:11.699 --> 00:11:16.059 That this life will end and all of eternity will be ushered in. 00:11:16.199 --> 00:11:18.419 And upon your death, it is immediate. 00:11:18.419 --> 00:11:23.719 Second Corinthians 5.8 says to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. 00:11:23.819 --> 00:11:24.620 That's for the Christian. 00:11:26.259 --> 00:11:36.279 To witness such an event, as they described in Mark chapter 9, I believe you have to swallow hard and think about eternity. 00:11:38.419 --> 00:11:43.939 People look at their impending deaths or the imminent return of the Lord differently. 00:11:44.339 --> 00:11:45.219 They look at it differently. 00:11:45.219 --> 00:11:47.099 It reminds me of a story I heard about a man. 00:11:47.100 --> 00:11:51.620 A man, years ago, who was sleeping in a chariot in Switzerland. 00:11:53.240 --> 00:12:00.120 And he was awakened in the early morning hours by a loud, roaring, rumbling, and cracking. 00:12:00.519 --> 00:12:01.580 And it frightened him. 00:12:01.639 --> 00:12:03.740 And for a few minutes, he thought, this is it. 00:12:04.340 --> 00:12:05.120 It's in the world. 00:12:06.820 --> 00:12:09.720 After the sun rose, he told his host what he heard. 00:12:09.840 --> 00:12:10.580 And it scared him. 00:12:11.160 --> 00:12:12.460 And he asked him what it was. 00:12:12.460 --> 00:12:18.500 And he said that was just the sun hitting the ice slopes. 00:12:19.160 --> 00:12:24.240 And the ice was cracking and melting as the sun came up in the morning. 00:12:25.340 --> 00:12:29.980 So what you thought was the end of the world was really just the dawn of a new day. 00:12:31.120 --> 00:12:33.960 My friend, that's what the return of the Lord is. 00:12:34.480 --> 00:12:37.019 It's the dawn of a new day. 00:12:37.019 --> 00:12:41.779 And what some people think of as the end will really be the dawn of a new day. 00:12:43.639 --> 00:12:48.819 I believe they witnessed a view into eternity. 00:12:48.960 --> 00:12:52.600 Not only that, but I also believe they witnessed a touch of his word. 00:12:52.600 --> 00:13:02.060 I want you to notice who met Christ on the mountain. 00:13:04.680 --> 00:13:07.500 One was Moses. 00:13:09.019 --> 00:13:11.379 What was the role of Moses? 00:13:12.879 --> 00:13:18.120 God used Moses to bring the law to the people. 00:13:18.120 --> 00:13:23.519 First five books of the Old Testament. 00:13:24.060 --> 00:13:25.580 Pentitudes written by Moses. 00:13:27.700 --> 00:13:31.460 And then the other one there is Elijah. 00:13:33.460 --> 00:13:35.379 Elijah is the prophet of prophets. 00:13:36.460 --> 00:13:43.960 A key representative of the prophets who God used before the word was complete. 00:13:43.960 --> 00:13:56.620 And so when we see Jesus with Moses and Elijah, you're looking at the law and the prophets. 00:14:01.200 --> 00:14:04.519 Do you know what the Old Testament was called by the New Testament believers? 00:14:06.780 --> 00:14:08.120 And by Christ himself? 00:14:09.720 --> 00:14:12.920 The law and the prophets. 00:14:13.960 --> 00:14:14.960 The word of God. 00:14:14.960 --> 00:14:17.379 Standing before Christ was the word of God. 00:14:19.019 --> 00:14:22.400 Christ fulfilled the law and all of his requirements. 00:14:23.460 --> 00:14:30.360 He kept it perfectly and provided the sacrifice for all the law looked to for fulfillment. 00:14:30.540 --> 00:14:31.620 Christ fulfilled it. 00:14:32.080 --> 00:14:34.980 And will fulfill every prophecy. 00:14:35.460 --> 00:14:37.060 Remember what John 1 says. 00:14:37.440 --> 00:14:38.540 The word was with God. 00:14:38.600 --> 00:14:39.759 The word was God. 00:14:39.759 --> 00:14:47.600 The fulfillment of a redemptive salvation as written in God's word is proclaimed in this meeting. 00:14:48.759 --> 00:14:52.279 They got a touch of his word. 00:14:54.480 --> 00:14:58.559 But they also witnessed an understanding of the eternal. 00:14:58.559 --> 00:15:06.799 There's a couple other messages that I believe are being proclaimed here that I want you to consider. 00:15:07.299 --> 00:15:08.299 I want you to think about something. 00:15:09.079 --> 00:15:12.539 Moses, when he lived his long life, he died. 00:15:14.619 --> 00:15:15.359 Moses died. 00:15:15.479 --> 00:15:19.059 Deuteronomy chapter 34, verse 5 and 6 tells us about his death. 00:15:19.059 --> 00:15:49.039 It said, 00:15:49.059 --> 00:15:52.459 The other one that was there is Elijah. 00:15:54.059 --> 00:15:57.279 And Elijah did not die. 00:15:59.359 --> 00:16:00.699 I want you to see this. 00:16:01.000 --> 00:16:01.919 This had to be something. 00:16:02.479 --> 00:16:04.739 2 Kings chapter 2, verse 9 says this. 00:16:04.740 --> 00:16:08.539 When they crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, 00:16:09.139 --> 00:16:12.419 Ask what I shall do for you before I am taken from you. 00:16:12.419 --> 00:16:16.740 And Elisha said, Please let there be a double portion of your spirit on me. 00:16:17.680 --> 00:16:19.960 And he said, You've asked a hard thing. 00:16:21.340 --> 00:16:25.740 Yet if you see me as I am being taken from you, it shall be so for you. 00:16:25.740 --> 00:16:28.100 But if you do not see me, it shall not be so. 00:16:29.039 --> 00:16:31.720 And as they still went on and talked, 00:16:31.879 --> 00:16:38.440 Behold, chariots of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. 00:16:39.039 --> 00:16:42.419 And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. 00:16:42.419 --> 00:16:46.019 And Elisha saw it. 00:16:46.819 --> 00:16:51.360 And he cried, My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and his horsemen. 00:16:52.299 --> 00:16:56.479 And he saw him no more. 00:16:58.519 --> 00:16:59.159 Hello. 00:16:59.159 --> 00:17:02.559 He never died. 00:17:05.079 --> 00:17:09.119 He was caught up in a whirlwind in a chariot of fire. 00:17:11.000 --> 00:17:12.920 Moses died and was buried. 00:17:14.420 --> 00:17:22.180 Elijah never died, yet both are on the mount with Jesus. 00:17:22.180 --> 00:17:32.960 This is a preview of the second coming of Christ when we'll meet the Lord in the air. 00:17:34.400 --> 00:17:37.539 1 Corinthians 15, 51 and 52 says, 00:17:37.640 --> 00:17:38.600 Behold, I tell you a mystery. 00:17:38.700 --> 00:17:41.000 We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. 00:17:41.920 --> 00:17:44.440 In the moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet, 00:17:44.500 --> 00:17:47.299 for the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised imperishable, 00:17:47.299 --> 00:17:50.799 and we shall be changed. 00:17:52.180 --> 00:18:05.700 Those like Elijah are caught up, alive, they'll be changed. 00:18:06.980 --> 00:18:10.640 Those that are like Moses who have died, he'll come for them. 00:18:11.380 --> 00:18:16.140 Those who are alive when he returns, like Elijah, they'll be caught up and changed. 00:18:17.880 --> 00:18:21.400 I know people who want to live until Christ returns. 00:18:21.400 --> 00:18:25.940 My grandfather wanted to be here when Christ returned. 00:18:27.480 --> 00:18:30.140 He was convinced he'd be here when the Lord returned. 00:18:30.660 --> 00:18:32.220 He died in 1979. 00:18:32.820 --> 00:18:33.400 Didn't make it. 00:18:35.100 --> 00:18:36.360 I'm telling you, it'll be something else. 00:18:36.600 --> 00:18:37.759 Charles Spurgeon said it this way. 00:18:37.800 --> 00:18:43.120 He said, I hope I die before Jesus Christ comes because I want to experience the thrill of the resurrection. 00:18:43.119 --> 00:18:49.979 Either way, my friend, the Christian has victory in the Lord. 00:18:50.099 --> 00:18:54.019 This is what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15, 53 through 55. 00:18:54.259 --> 00:19:01.000 For this perishable body must put on imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 00:19:01.000 --> 00:19:08.140 When the perishable puts on imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written, 00:19:08.279 --> 00:19:10.119 death is swallowed up in victory. 00:19:10.220 --> 00:19:12.160 O death, where is your victory? 00:19:12.319 --> 00:19:14.359 O death, where is your sting? 00:19:14.359 --> 00:19:16.219 Folks, listen. 00:19:16.539 --> 00:19:28.419 Those who are in the Elijah crowd, who are alive when he comes and are caught up, they can say, where is your sting, death? 00:19:29.919 --> 00:19:31.179 You never got me. 00:19:31.180 --> 00:19:41.160 And the Moses crowd, who have died in Christ, can say, where is your victory? 00:19:42.480 --> 00:19:44.920 Death, you did not win. 00:19:47.060 --> 00:20:00.660 The other thing I understand more about the eternal from this passage is how we will know our loved ones in eternity. 00:20:01.180 --> 00:20:03.940 Think about this. 00:20:04.580 --> 00:20:13.960 Have you ever wondered how Peter, James, and John knew that was Moses and Elijah? 00:20:17.420 --> 00:20:24.460 Do you think they went and got their children's Bible and looked at the paintings to see if it matched up? 00:20:26.060 --> 00:20:27.160 They didn't have one. 00:20:27.160 --> 00:20:32.700 They didn't know Moses looked like Charlton Heston. 00:20:34.120 --> 00:20:35.180 They didn't know that. 00:20:38.940 --> 00:20:40.519 So how in the world do they know? 00:20:42.519 --> 00:20:47.080 We shall know each other, even if we have never met. 00:20:47.079 --> 00:20:53.279 But even more so, we shall know Christ. 00:20:55.500 --> 00:20:59.679 They witnessed an understanding of the eternal. 00:21:01.879 --> 00:21:06.079 And lastly, they also witnessed a sense of the Savior. 00:21:06.559 --> 00:21:07.480 I hope you get this. 00:21:07.480 --> 00:21:11.259 Verse 8 says, and I love this scripture. 00:21:12.579 --> 00:21:19.380 And suddenly looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them, but Jesus only. 00:21:19.539 --> 00:21:20.480 My friend, listen. 00:21:20.880 --> 00:21:25.960 When it's all said and done, they saw Jesus and Jesus only. 00:21:27.720 --> 00:21:31.120 All points to Christ. 00:21:31.119 --> 00:21:34.059 All should point to Christ. 00:21:35.000 --> 00:21:39.319 When you look at creation, it ought to point to Jesus. 00:21:41.099 --> 00:21:47.519 When you look at the Israelites pursuing the promised land, you ought to see Jesus in the cloud and in the fire. 00:21:48.559 --> 00:21:51.779 When you read the prophecy, you ought to see Jesus. 00:21:51.779 --> 00:22:00.839 When you read all of the wisdom literature and the Psalms, Solomon tells us at the end of Ecclesiastes, it all comes back to the Word of God. 00:22:01.019 --> 00:22:02.139 He is the Word. 00:22:02.240 --> 00:22:03.220 It's all about Jesus. 00:22:06.200 --> 00:22:10.819 When you walk through your valley, look to Jesus. 00:22:13.220 --> 00:22:17.200 When you need salvation, look to Jesus. 00:22:17.200 --> 00:22:30.860 When you need direction and guidance and comfort and strength, look to Jesus. 00:22:32.180 --> 00:22:39.319 When death is encroaching, look to Jesus. 00:22:40.519 --> 00:22:46.640 When you think of all of eternity, my friend, look to Jesus. 00:22:47.200 --> 00:22:57.980 The most profound message of the transfiguration of Christ, a marvelous, miraculous event. 00:22:58.980 --> 00:23:05.380 The message was and is, look to Jesus. 00:23:06.420 --> 00:23:08.420 Look to Jesus. 00:23:09.240 --> 00:23:11.000 The Father affirmed Him. 00:23:12.279 --> 00:23:14.319 We commit our lives to Him. 00:23:15.440 --> 00:23:16.840 We trust Him. 00:23:17.200 --> 00:23:18.940 We rest in Him. 00:23:19.600 --> 00:23:21.220 We live for Him. 00:23:22.160 --> 00:23:26.700 We change the pattern of our lives for Him. 00:23:28.779 --> 00:23:31.779 We look to Jesus. 00:23:32.759 --> 00:23:33.680 I'm going to tell you something. 00:23:34.819 --> 00:23:41.200 There's a lot of shiny and there's a lot of flashy in the world in which we're in. 00:23:41.200 --> 00:23:43.200 There's a lot of 00:23:43.200 --> 00:23:46.940 There's a lot that can distract us from where we ought to look. 00:23:46.940 --> 00:23:51.080 Whatever it may be, my friend. 00:23:51.079 --> 00:23:52.079 Don't be distracted. 00:23:52.079 --> 00:23:54.179 Don't be distracted. 00:23:54.179 --> 00:23:57.699 Look to Jesus. 00:23:59.439 --> 00:24:00.419 Look to Jesus. 00:24:01.559 --> 00:24:04.500 That's the message in the miracle. 00:24:04.500 --> 00:24:07.539 With every head bowed and every eye closed. 00:24:07.539 --> 00:24:13.259 I want to ask you today, if you've ever come to the point in your life when you've given your heart and life to the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:24:13.259 --> 00:24:16.480 I don't believe it comes by church affiliation. 00:24:16.480 --> 00:24:19.480 I don't believe it comes by familiarization. 00:24:19.480 --> 00:24:24.119 I believe it comes from a personal commitment to follow Christ. 00:24:24.119 --> 00:24:38.179 If you've never asked Him to forgive you of your sins and remove those things that are a barrier between you and Him, today I encourage you to commit your life to Christ. 00:24:40.439 --> 00:24:42.019 You just come down and let me know. 00:24:42.619 --> 00:24:44.519 If you've done that, I'll be happy to guide you in that. 00:24:46.519 --> 00:24:48.779 Greatest joy of my life, leading people to the Lord. 00:24:48.779 --> 00:24:54.720 Maybe you're here and you've made that decision privately, but you've never made it publicly. 00:24:56.480 --> 00:25:06.019 And I want you to know when you proudly proclaim your faith through a public confession and baptism, how that all points to Christ. 00:25:06.680 --> 00:25:08.180 It just points people to Christ. 00:25:12.180 --> 00:25:15.359 Maybe you're here this morning and God's drawing you to Pickens First Baptist Church. 00:25:15.359 --> 00:25:22.539 If you've been alongside us for some time, but you feel like the Lord is leading you to be a part of this church. 00:25:23.039 --> 00:25:26.019 If that's what the Lord is leading you to do, I encourage you to come. 00:25:29.419 --> 00:25:36.959 And then for the rest of us, what is it? 00:25:36.960 --> 00:25:46.440 What is it in your life that is distracting enough to keep your eyes off of Christ? 00:25:50.779 --> 00:25:53.600 Whatever that is, will you lay that down before the Lord today? 00:25:55.400 --> 00:25:58.500 You might want to come to this altar and just lay it down before Him and say, 00:25:58.500 --> 00:26:04.259 Lord, I don't want anything to come in the way of me looking to you in all things. 00:26:07.759 --> 00:26:12.319 Let's just look to Jesus and let nothing hinder us. 00:26:13.599 --> 00:26:14.859 Heavenly Father, I love you. 00:26:16.779 --> 00:26:20.359 And I thank you that you meet us where we are and you give us what we need. 00:26:20.359 --> 00:26:29.199 And I ask, dear God, today that you'll allow every person here to sense that presence of the Spirit of God. 00:26:30.419 --> 00:26:34.199 And, Lord, as you direct, I pray that we'll be obedient to follow you. 00:26:34.899 --> 00:26:39.339 Nothing more, nothing less than following what the Spirit of God leads us to do. 00:26:40.479 --> 00:26:42.579 In Jesus' precious name, amen. 00:26:42.579 --> 00:26:43.039 If you would.