This Week’s Pewsheet & Sermon
- Highlights the biblical significance of the number 40 (e.g., flood, Israel’s wandering, Moses on Sinai, Jesus’ 40 days), symbolizing trial and preparation.
- Jesus, led by the Spirit after his baptism, fasts 40 days in the wilderness, facing temptation at his weakest.
- Temptation 1: Turn stones to bread; Jesus cites Deuteronomy, prioritizing God’s word (spiritual sustenance) over physical needs.
- Temptation 2: Test God by jumping from the temple; Satan misuses Psalm 91, but Jesus again quotes Deuteronomy, rejecting putting God to the test.
- Temptation 3: Worship Satan for worldly power; Jesus affirms exclusive worship of God, after which angels minister to him.
- Connects Jesus’ obedience with Adam and Eve’s disobedience in Eden; clarifies the serpent as Satan and notes the text never specifies an apple.
- Describes Satan as a fallen angel (Lucifer) and contrasts his eternal rebellion with Adam and Eve’s sin in time; Jesus, the “second Adam,” remains sinless.
- Frames Satan’s tactics as the “three Ds”: deception, distraction, discouragement; only Jesus fully resists, securing salvation (echoing Romans).
- Offers the “three Cs” as a response: conviction, confession, conversion; cites 1 John on confessing sin and God’s faithful forgiveness.
- Encourages Lent as positive spiritual discipline—either giving up or taking on practices—praying for strength to continue beyond Lent as a life-giving habit.
- Mountains in Scripture symbolize places where heaven and earth meet; encounters with God transform us but send us back into ordinary life changed.
- The sermon centres on the Transfiguration in Matthew as a pivotal revelation of Jesus as the bridge between heaven and earth.
- Jesus brings Peter, James, and John up the mountain to pray; his face shines like the sun and his clothes become dazzling, revealing divine glory.
- Moses (Law) and Elijah (Prophets) appear, speaking with Jesus about his coming departure in Jerusalem, foreshadowing the cross.
- The Transfiguration holds both radiant glory and the shadow of suffering, preparing disciples for the passion and modelling how prayer faces real-world pain.
- Peter’s impulse to build shelters is corrected by the divine command: “This is my Son… listen to him,” emphasizing attentive listening over impulsive action.
- Prayer is portrayed as an adventurous ascent with rare spiritual “peaks,” amid mostly ordinary, sometimes arduous, daily faithfulness.
- Personal anecdote: “Climb Every Mountain” from The Sound of Music evokes the joy and perseverance of spiritual climbing and moments we wish to “bottle.”
- As Lent begins (Ash Wednesday service on the 18th at 10am), the congregation is invited to prepare intentionally through prayer, fasting, almsgiving, and a Lent course.
- Like mountaineering, Lent requires preparation; the Transfiguration strengthens faith to follow Jesus through light and darkness toward the cross and resurrection—trust him, follow him, listen to him.
