The Transfiguration
Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 2 viewsNotes
Transcript
What is the hardest question you have been asked?
What is the hardest question you have been asked?
Many people ask a lot of questions. Maybe you are the question person. A lot of time my sister and I hang out, we sit there and have conversations and then ask “how does that work” then one of us google its and we have the answer.
We also do this thing in the youth that we call “Questions of the Ages”, and it is great because it allows them to ask hard questions about God, life, and the Bible. Let me tell you, there have been some solid questions that have been asked. But still, none of them have been the hardest question I think I have ever been asked
The hardest question I think that I have ever had to answer is when a toddler sits there and asks you “Why” over and over again. No matter what you do, there is no answer that is good enough for them. I have no idea how to solve those answers, nothing it is good enough.
But even as adults, we have the internet at the tip of our fingers, and we still have so many questions that come throughout the day. They can range from “how do I do this function in an excel sheet?” to “how does the world function?” and the list is so long of the questions that we ask over and over again.
It is easy and natural to ask questions, especially when we do not understand what we are told or understand what we see. It is how we learn and how we grow. How many questions do you think the disciples had during their time with Jesus? I can only imagine that we only read like a 1/10th of the questions that they asked, and this is probably one of those times that we do not read the question, but I know I would have had questions!
Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”
This was after Jesus gave the hard truth about bearing your cross. That you have to die to yourself daily and follow Him. That you have to sacrifice things in your life that Jesus calls you to in order to follow Him. Then He says this. Now what is your reaction?
I think there are two questions here. First, who is going to be alive, and then second, when is Jesus coming back? Both seem like valid questions because they would for sure be the questions that I have in my life.
The good thing is that Jesus does not wait long to answer these questions. As we dive into our passage today, if you are able I would ask that you stand for the reading of God’s word.
And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.
And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.” And the disciples asked him, “Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” He answered, “Elijah does come, and he will restore all things. But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands.” Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.
After reading this passage this week and trying to listen to the Lord and what He was trying to say, I had a lot of questions as well. Many that were trying to break down the different words, and figure out why there were certain people invited up on the mountain and not others. Why they wanted to make tents, and why would Jesus do this here and now? So many things, and really it was just myself trying to over complicate it, because in the end, the Lord kept laying on my heart and telling me the point of this passage is that
Jesus is the answer
Jesus is the answer
The beginning of this passage starts off here
And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.”
Six days after Jesus gave the hard word we just talked about, He takes Peter, James, and John with Him on top of this mountain. In case you didn’t know, those were the three guys. Those were Jesus’s inner circle, they were His closest friends, and so while He had the twelve with Him, He chose to take these three.
It also makes me laugh, because these three also seemed to be the most troublesome. I mean, James and John wanted to call down fire from heaven on people, and Peter would say something good, then put his foot in His mouth. Say something good, then put his foot in his mouth over and over again. Part of me wants to think that He picked these because He needed to keep a closer eye on them than the others.
But the first question that we asked here was
Who was Jesus talking about in Matt. 16:28?
Peter, James, and John.
When we read this passage, we can also look at other gospels and see that they record the same events in the same order. Both Mark and Luke record Jesus giving the word that some will live to see His coming, Mark says “until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.” and Luke says “until they see the kingdom of God.”
In both cases here, Jesus was and is the answer to that question. You see, broadly, the Kingdom of God Is the rule of an eternal, sovereign God over all the universe. More narrowly, it Is the spiritual rule over the hearts and lives of those who willingly submit to God’s Authority.
Here in this moment, Jesus is allowing Peter, James, and John a glimpse into that. They are able to see that He is that authority. That Jesus is and has been the answer to all the questions they have had and heard from the prophesies. That He is God in flesh walking on this earth at the time that was appointed by God, so that all men that look upon Him and say that He is the Lord and Savior of their lives may be set free. That His kingdom is here.
Using this definition, we know that Jesus is that authority, and this is a foreshadowing of that as well.
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Jesus is the God in flesh form, that came to bring the needed kingdom of God to man.
Peter, James, and John are the three that Jesus is talking about in 16:28
Who was Jesus talking about in Matt. 16:28?
Peter, James, and John.
Why was it 6 days later?
It was a call back to when God’s interacted with Moses.
The glory of the Lord dwelt on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. And on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud.
In fact, it is even more confirmation of what God was doing and showing His people even all the way back in Moses’ time. The passage that this verse is in, God calls Moses and three others to come up to the mountain. The three others would be told to wait, but Moses was going to be called forward to talk with the Lord. Before Moses went up though, he read from the book of the covenant, and this is what we read.
Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it in the hearing of the people. And they said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.” And Moses took the blood and threw it on the people and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.”
The blood of the covenant…sounds familiar doesn’t it. Jesus on the night that He was betrayed said something very similar didn’t He? He said
for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
God does not do things randomly, or sit there and say “wow that really worked out didn’t it. It is no coincidence that here in this moment, as Jesus is being transfigured that this moment calls back to when God’s glory dwelt on the mountain for 6 days. That, at the time of the Israelites, they were under the Mosaic covenant.
Here in this moment, Peter, James, and John, got to see a glimpse of what God was doing and showing. While God made the covenant with Israel all those years ago, He knew that man could not hold up their end of the bargain. He knew that man would sin and fall, and do so over and over again. But it was still a covenant that God made between His people. It was a blood covenant too.
The plan was never to have that be the permanent plan, because try as we might, we all fail at keeping our end of deals. We strive so hard to be perfect. We strive so hard to beat the sins that hold us captive, yet we continually fall and miss God’s holy and perfect standard. God knew this was the case, and knew that the only way was going to be by the shedding of blood of Jesus on the cross.
I have to wonder if the disciples picked up on this, or if they were just so awestruck by what was happening that they missed it. Was it something that finally clicked years later, after Jesus had rose from the dead? Whatever that timeframe was, we have the benefit here of seeing and reading what God was doing and showing. We get to see how in Exodus, God was showing that this moment was coming. Showing that there would be a perfect blood covenant to come. That His Glory would walk on the earth in human form and willingly give up His life, and shed His blood for the new covenant with God, that all who believe in Him will not die, but have eternal life with the Lord.
Do you see?
Jesus is the answer
Jesus is the answer
Then we get to the third question that I asked
Who was Jesus talking about in Matt. 16:28?
Peter, James, and John.
Why was it 6 days later?
It was a call back to when God’s interacted with Moses.
Why Moses and Elijah?
Both had similar experiences with God’s presence in their time.
Let’s start with Moses
Moses is probably the most famous person we think of when experiencing the glory of God. I mean in Exodus 34 we see that after his time with God, he came down from the mountain and his face was glowing. Read it, it says that it was glowing.
Fallout 4 joke?
But what really stuck out to me was before we see his face glowing, we see Moses’ request to the Lord.
Moses said, “Please show me your glory.”
Moses asked this of the Lord. Now Moses did not get to see God’s face because the Lord says that no man shall see me and live, and so He covers Moses’s eyes and allows His glory to pass by, and moses got to see His back.
But here!! Here is something different all together. Here is another answer to Moses’ request. Here he gets a glimpse at God’s glory through Jesus. And we know that the Glory of the Lord was also with Jesus before creation
And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.
Here moses gets to look upon the face of God’s glory. God made flesh now transfigured to reveal the Glory of the Lord. How cool is that?!?!
Then we have Elijah. His is one of my favorite passages as it’s a solid reminder that God speaks often speaks in stillness and the silence. That is a lesson for a different day, but that is found in 1 Kings 19:9-13. Elijah is fleeing and finds himself on this mountain top scared for his life that the people are trying to kill him. So he is there looking for the Lord.
First there is a great wind, and the Lord was not there. Then there was an earthquake, and the Lord was not in the earthquake. A great fire, not there either. Finally a still small whisper, and that is where the Lord was. Elijah then covered his face and walked out to speak with the Lord.
Now, here in the moment, much like Moses, He gets to experience the Glory of the Lord.
Second though, and probably more importantly,
Who was Jesus talking about in Matt. 16:28?
Peter, James, and John.
Why was it 6 days later?
It was a call back to when God’s interacted with Moses.
Why Moses and Elijah?
Both had similar experiences with God’s presence in their time.
To show that Jesus was the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets.
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
This is something that Jesus said in His sermon on the mount. It was what He came to do, and here in this moment, Peter, James, and John, get to see this first hand.
Here they have Moses, who brought them the law that was spoken by God to him, inscribed on the tablets, and given to the nation of Israel. Then there is also Elijah, who many would proclaim to be the greatest Old Testament prophets. In we read that John the Baptist came in the spirit of Elijah proclaiming Jesus.
and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”
Here in this moment, Jesus is confirming His words that He spoke in Matthew 5, that He is the fulfillment of the law and prophets
Jesus is the answer
Jesus is the answer
He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”
Does this sound familiar to anyone? It definitely should because these same words were spoken at the baptism of Jesus.
And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
From the moment that Jesus was born, to His baptism, to now on the mountain, God continues to hell the people that Jesus is the Messiah they have been waiting for, that He is who He says He is. He is both fully God, and fully man, that He is God’s son sent here to die for our sins. A death that He did not deserve, and yet here He is in human form. This time though, He speaks the words; “listen to him.” Can you imagine hearing that from God’s voice? I think that is something that you take seriously.
But again, God is saying right here, yet again
Jesus is the answer
Jesus is the answer
Now, Peter, James, and John have the very appropriate response in this moment.
When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified.
They fell to their face before the Lord. Why?
Who was Jesus talking about in Matt. 16:28?
Peter, James, and John.
Why was it 6 days later?
It was a call back to when God’s interacted with Moses.
Why Moses and Elijah?
Both had similar experiences with God’s presence in their time.
To show that Jesus was the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets.
Why did the disciples fall on their face?
The fear of a Holy God.
Moses had a similar response in Exodus
Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
Moses here is encountering God, and he is afraid to even look at the Lord. Which is an important lesson for us to learn. That God is Holy, and we are not, and in our unholiness, we cannot be in the presence of God.
Why do you think that Adam and Eve were kicked out the garden? Because once they sinned, they were no longer perfect and holy, and as we read in Exodus, any unholiness cannot be in the presence of God. That created a riff between us and God, and one that no animal sacrifice can fill. One that no amount of good works can make up for, and no matter what we do, when we get to Heaven, we will be in the same position as the three here and falling on our face before the Lord in fear.
But yet again, we see here, and say it with me this time
Jesus is the answer
Jesus is the answer
But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.
This is where Jesus shows us what He will do for us in that moment, but also what He is doing for all believers now…standing in the gap for us.
You see, without Jesus there is no change in our position with God. But with Jesus, no longer does God see unholy, but Holy. No longer does God see unrighteous, but righteous. No longer an enemy, but a child. No longer a sinner, but a saint. For those that call on the name of Jesus, He stands interceding for them daily
Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.
I love that phrase “the uttermost” because it means to the utmost degree, meaning completely, meaning that there is nothing we have done, or will do that will keep us from being saved by the blood of Christ as long as we have turned toward Jesus and made Him the Lord and savior of our lives.
That passage continues to say this
For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself. For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever.
Because of Jesus we are made clean. Because of Jesus we are made Holy. Because of Jesus we can stand in the presence of the Lord. Because of Jesus, when our sin is laid out before us, and we want to be as small as can be, because the weight of the holiness of God is upon us, He intercedes for us and says “I paid for this one. His slate is made clean.”
To even add to this point, there is a reason that it was Jesus alone that the disciples saw. This just goes to add more weight that it is by Jesus that we are saved, and it is to Jesus that we should look to for our salvation.
Jesus is the answer
Jesus is the answer
Then we finish the passage here with this
And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.” And the disciples asked him, “Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” He answered, “Elijah does come, and he will restore all things. But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands.” Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.
Who was Jesus talking about in Matt. 16:28?
Peter, James, and John.
Why was it 6 days later?
It was a call back to when God’s interacted with Moses.
Why Moses and Elijah?
Both had similar experiences with God’s presence in their time.
To show that Jesus was the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets.
Why did the disciples fall on their face?
The fear of a Holy God.
What is Jesus talking about in the final verses?
His death on the cross.
Here in this moment, the disciples just witnessed something amazing. We talk about Mountain top experiences from youth camps, and Epic Weekend, or whatever other church event you call it, this was for sure a mountain top experience experience for them. With this, the disciples ask a very appropriate question “why does it say Elijah must come first?”
What they are quoting is from
“Remember the law of my servant Moses, the statutes and rules that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel.
“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”
The disciples just saw both Moses and Elijah here, but they still did not understand what that had to do with the Messiah dying. Based on the prophecies, and being told that the Messiah will set them free, they are probably thinking that this is the time that is going to start. They are probably super excited about what is going to happen, and then Jesus tells them that He is going to die and be raised from the dead. Naturally more questions.
Jesus then explains to them what has happened, and we referenced it earlier out of Luke.
and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”
The words that were given to Malachi the prophet are the same words that are given to the angel to speak to Zechariah when John the Baptist is being born. The three disciples finally got it. They understood that John the Baptist was the Elijah to predict the Messiah coming, and they knew that He must die, and will rise again. Here they probably really started to understand that
Jesus is the answer
Jesus is the answer
He is the Messiah that was promised. He is the payment for their sin. He is the Son of God that was sent from heaven to save. He is the answer to the prayers that they have prayed their whole lives, and He is here walking with them!
What about you? What are the questions that you have? Maybe questions like why do I feel so broken and lost all the time? The answer comes in the form of Jesus. You need Him. He came to make you whole. He came to bring joy (contentment outside of circumstances) even when things suck, because we have a savior who loves us enough to die a death that we deserved. He came to bring hope that tomorrow is going to be better than today because it is one day closer to Jesus.
Maybe your question is something like “why can I not kick this sin that I struggle with so much?” Again, the answer is Jesus. He is the one who took our sins on the cross so that we no longer have to be a slave to sin any more. We no longer have to live in the guilt and shame cycle, but can walk free in the salvation that He free gave us. Furthermore, we are told that He will provide a way out of our sin, we only need to turn to Him
The whole point of this moment that we read in scripture was to show that Jesus is the answer. He is. That He is who He said He is, both fully God and fully Man, and He came for you and I so that we can have eternal life through Him. If you do not know Him, I will be here at the front, and would love to walk you through that. If you want to do it right were you are sitting, that is fine as well abc’s.
If you are a believer, and maybe this is something that you have forgot, and you need prayer, we would love to pray with you. Or maybe there are just somethings that you need to lay down at the alter, feel free to come up and do that. Let’s pray.