Transfiguration Sunday

Radiance of His Glory: Transformation Through Encounter

Luke 9:28-43

Luke 9:28–43 ESV

28 Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray. 29 And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white. 30 And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, 31 who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 32 Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they became fully awake they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. 33 And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said. 34 As he was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. 35 And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!” 36 And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen. 37 On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him. 38 And behold, a man from the crowd cried out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. 39 And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out. It convulses him so that he foams at the mouth, and shatters him, and will hardly leave him. 40 And I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.” 41 Jesus answered, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.” 42 While he was coming, the demon threw him to the ground and convulsed him. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit and healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. 43 And all were astonished at the majesty of God. But while they were all marveling at everything he was doing, Jesus said to his disciples… This is the Gospel of our Lord! Praise to You Lord, Jesus Christ!

I have a coupe stories today to help us start off. At first, they may seem disconnected at best, but hang in there!

A young man named Jake was known for his messy room and disorganized life. One day, his mother decided to help him clean it. As they were going through piles of clothes, he found a lost video game he'd been searching for!

Think about a caterpillar that spends most of its life crawling around. When it goes into a cocoon, it looks like it’s just resting. But inside, a marvelous transformation is happening! When it emerges as a butterfly, it's breathtaking and soaring! Similarly, God’s power can transform us in ways we may not understand at first. Just like the caterpillar, we have to trust the process and enjoy the journey of transformation that God is orchestrating in our lives!

1. Shining Face of Faith

There are a couple of places in Scripture where God’s Glory was revealed to man. One was our Gospel reading, and we talked about Isaiah a couple of weeks ago, but today I want to look at Moses for a moment.

While Moses was born to Jewish parents, due to Pharaoh wanting to kill all Jewish babies, his mother hid him in the reeds where the daughter of Pharaoh would find him. Moses was ultimately raised to be the next Pharaoh, but the truth of his parentage was revealed to him and he was exiled. He spent forty years in the desert before God met him on the mountain and gave him the command to go back to Egypt and free God’s people from captivity.

We know the story of God delivering the people of God from Egypt, them crossing the Red Sea and now we find them at the foot of God’s Holy Mountain where Moses went up to speak to God ~ because the people said to Moses, “You!, You go up and speak to God for us and tell us what he says!” So, here we are…

Exodus 34:29–35 ESV

29 When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. 30 Aaron and all the people of Israel saw Moses, and behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him. 31 But Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and Moses talked with them. 32 Afterward all the people of Israel came near, and he commanded them all that the Lord had spoken with him in Mount Sinai. 33 And when Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face. 34 Whenever Moses went in before the Lord to speak with him, he would remove the veil, until he came out. And when he came out and told the people of Israel what he was commanded, 35 the people of Israel would see the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face was shining. And Moses would put the veil over his face again, until he went in to speak with him.

Moses' face shone with God's glory after communing with Him.

Can you imagine coming into direct contact with the very real and Holy Presence of Almighty God?

Moses’ very countenance was changed ~ transformed

How would your life be transformed by coming in contact with the Real Presence of God?

2. Sacred Call to Worship

Every week, we have a call to Worship. Every time we hear that call, we should recognize that these words are not simply the words of the person standing hear uttering them, but rather they are SACRED Calls for us to come into the Holy Presence of God!

In ancient Israel, despite the chaos of war and idolatry, the prophets would proclaim, 'The Lord reigns!' I often think about the courage they showed. One can imagine the fear in their hearts, but they chose to declare God’s sovereignty anyway. This inspires me—no matter how chaotic our world seems, we can remind ourselves and others that God rules. It’s a call to faith, even when life feels out of control.

Watching a sunset always reminds me of God’s reign. As the day ends, the colors blend in a beautiful display that only the Lord could create. Just as He paints the sky with His artistry, He orchestrates our lives with purpose. When I face struggles, I look to the beauty around me and remember that He reigns over all creation, turning chaos into a masterpiece—both in nature and in my heart.

David says it like this;

Psalm 99:1 ESV

1 The Lord reigns; let the peoples tremble! He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake!

In our answer to the Holy Call, the answer that is required for the transformative work of God to be manifested in our lives and Church? We MUST answer this call with Holy reverence.

3. Spirit-led Transformation

We read earlier from the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians in his second letter chapter 3 some important points. Let us not miss what we heard:

Moses had to veil his face when coming into contact with God’s presence.

The people of Israel hardened their hearts.

Paul said in Verse 15

2 Corinthians 3:15 ESV

15 Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts.

But verse 16 shows us something very important:

2 Corinthians 3:16 ESV

16 But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.

THAT IS ONLY THE BEGINNING!

Let’s venture further…

2 Corinthians 3:17–18 ESV

17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

Let’s answer the call, rip back the veil and gaze into the Holy Presence of God being transformed from Glory to Glory!

I love that Paul said it like this:

2 Corinthians 3:18 ESV

…being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another….

2 Corinthians 3:18 ESV

… For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

Maybe unveiled faces can encourage you to find real freedom in the Spirit!

Being liberated from the law’s constraints to mirror God’s glory.

This transformation is ongoing as we live in Christ.

It's a powerful reminder that openness to God's transformative work leads to greater reflection of His character, encouraging us to live confidently and boldly in our faith journey.

4. Transfigured in Glory

Let’s take a look at Christ and what happened on that mountain and recognize how they affect us.

Luke 9:29 ESV

29 And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white.

* We are transformed while Praying.

Luke 9:35 ESV

35 And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!”

When we are transformed in God’s Glory, God reveals His Glory in us. ~ and validates His Authority in us!

Luke 9:38 ESV

38 And behold, a man from the crowd cried out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child.

When we are transformed by God’s Glory, others recognize it.

Luke 9:39 ESV

39 And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out. It convulses him so that he foams at the mouth, and shatters him, and will hardly leave him.

Luke 9:42 ESV

42 While he was coming, the demon threw him to the ground and convulsed him. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit and healed the boy, and gave him back to his father.

When we are Transformed by God’s Glory, even the Demons are subject to God’s Glory in us

Radiance of His Glory: Transformation Through Encounter

Now, at the beginning, I gave us two illustrations. First, a dirty kid’s room and a butterfly.

I promised I would tie them together through our message today. So, let me do that.

When we allow God to transform our messy lives, He reveals the treasures that have been there all along!

We have to allow God even when we are ugly worms crawling through the dirt of life, to wrap us in His cocoon of His Transformative work so, we are able to come through and out of that hard, lonely time, so we are able to spread our wings and demonstrate His Glory to all we come in contact with!