Show Me Your Glory (Part 2) Series

Show me Your Glory (Part 2)

Matthew 18:1-13

Pastor Jefferson M. Williams

Chenoa Baptist Church

10-26-2025

The Future’s So Bright…

What if I offered you 50 million dollars and all you had to do was not eat chocolate for a year? Yes, at the end of 365 days of no chocolate, you would receive 50 million dollars. Would chocolate tempt you?

What if it was listening to Barry Manilow?

Let’s up the ante. What if it was no coffee for a year? Do you think you could hold on for 365 days for 50 million dollars?

What if I told you that you would go through suffering - physically, emotionally, spiritually - in your lifetime, but at the end of it all, you would get something better than 50 million dollars?

What if I told you that your future’s so bright you’ll have to wear shades?

Would that give you hope to hold on through the tough times?

That’s exactly what our verses for this morning are going to show us!

Part Two

This is part two of the sermon from last week. (If you missed it, you can always watch it on Facebook, YouTube, or our website)

In Exodus 33-34, we watched as the people stood at the entrance of their tents and watched Moses enter the tent of meeting and meet with God. Moses was a God-chaser. He wouldn’t settle for a second-hand relationship with God.

When God told Moses that He would send an angel to lead the people, Moses said, “If you don’t lead us, we’re not going anywhere.”

Then Moses prayed one of the most audacious prayers in the entire Bible - “show me your glory.”

God partly answered that prayer. God is totally holy and other than us. Because of our finiteness and sinfulness, we can not experience God in His fullness.

Just as Moses was shielded from God’s full Presence in the tent of meeting, God covered him in the cleft of a rock in order to allow him to see just a glimpse of His glory.

Moses was changed by his encounter with God. When he returned from the cleft of the rock his face glowed. Moses’ face reflected the afterglow of God’s presence.

Moses had prayed, “show me Your glory,” but the real answer to this prayer wouldn’t be answered for another 1,500 years!

Please turn with me to Matthew 17.

Prayer

The Text in Context (Matthew 16)

Everyone had an opinion about Jesus. If you would go to the market, people would be talking about Jesus. If you went to the synagogue, you would hear heated discussions about the wandering rabbi from Galilee.

In fact, the religious leaders had decided that He was demon-possessed (Matthew 3:22). Even His mother and siblings thought He had lost His mind (Matthew 3:31) Some said He was a saint, and others said He was a demon.

Some loved Him, some feared Him, and still, others hated Him so much that they wanted to kill Him. No one was neutral.

Unfortunately, most people were very confused about who Jesus was.

“ They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah, and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets” (Matthew 16:14)

The disciples have been out among the people. They have heard the whispers. Three theories emerged about who Jesus was.

Some people thought Jesus was John the Baptist. Also, the rumor was going around that Jesus was Elijah or Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.

The crowd was confused. But Jesus was really more interested in what His disciples thought so He asked a second question.

“But what about you?’ he asked. Who do you say that I am?’” (Matthew 16:15)

For three years, this group followed Jesus and watched Him. They saw Him up close and personal. They saw His miracles and heard Him pray. Now it was time for their final exam.

Peter speaks for the group and gives the answer that changed their direction geographically. After this event, Jesus resolutely heads south toward Jerusalem and to the cross. This question also changed the course of history.

Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” (Matthew 16:16)

Peter spoke for the group and his words still echo through history. Jesus was not John the Baptist, Elijah, or Jeremiah. He was the promised Messiah or “Anointed One” on which all the Old Testament hopes had been placed.

Peter calls Him the “Christ” -the Greek word for Messiah. This was not Jesus’ last name but a title that described Jesus’ mission of salvation.

He also calls Him “the Son of the Living God.” Jesus was no mere man. He was the unique God-Man.

Although Peter’s confession was correct it was not complete. All the disciples had been raised with an expectation of Christ. The only problem is they completely misunderstood who Christ would be.