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How Our Great Things Can Kill Our God Things

Understanding the mountaintop experience:

^{Matthew 17:1-13, 3:17, 5:17, 12:6, Genesis 12:1-3, Exodus 3, 13:21, 24:15-18, 34:29-35, 40:34, Deuteronomy 18:15-19, 1 Kings 19:1-18, Daniel 7:9, Ezekiel 10:18-19, Malachi 4:5, Luke 9:31, Philippians 2:5-11}

To understand and , we need to understand a little about the and the .

Getting the whole picture:

“ !”

All of these things shouted that was standing in front of them.

How do we actually “Listen to Him”?

^{Matthew 17:1-13}

Loving God and listening to Jesus is all about and , not and .

We accomplish this by putting of our life under the of Jesus’ words.

WARM UP

1. This weekend, we learned about the Transfiguration (when Jesus briefly revealed His divine glory to a few disciples). This was one of the most epic moments in history and a memory they probably thought about often. What moment in your life do you wish you could stay in longer or relive?

   
   

2. In Jesus’ time, Moses and Elijah were seen as the two biggest cultural and spiritual heroes. Chris pointed out that the “action figures” of the time would have been modeled after them. What dolls or action figures did you have, or really, really want, as a kid?

   
   

3. What has stuck with you most from this weekend’s message?

   
   

KNOW IT

1. This weekend, we talked about two motivations for surrender: love and fear. In the Transfiguration, the disciples “fell facedown to the ground, terrified” (Matthew 17:6). Read Matthew 17:1–7 and Hebrews 4:14–16. In these passages, we see a God whose authority inspires fear but whose gentle touch picks us back up. Whether you’re more likely to surrender out of fear or love, how do these passages affirm or challenge your view of God?

   
   

2. The mountaintop was meant to encourage and prepare them for the suffering in the valley to come. Read Mark 14:32-42. What does it look like to surrender even during times of suffering? How did Jesus model surrender in this passage?

   
   

SHARE IT

1. Surrender is a lot easier to talk about than it is to actually live out. Why do you think surrender is so difficult for us as humans, even though we're surrendering to a great God?

   
   

2. Jesus walked around as a living miracle for 33 years, but it took the Transfiguration to pull back the curtain on His true glory for the disciples to get a glimpse of it. Have you ever had a moment where you realized you’d been missing a greater God than the box you’ve put Him in all along?

   
   

LIVE IT

1. Chris talked about how sometimes great things can get in the way of God things. What are the things in your life that you tend to do your way and not God’s way? How can you surrender them this week?