And We Beheld His Glory
The Way, the Truth, and the Life: Studying Jesus Through the Gospels • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 1:08:10
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Introduction
Introduction
Much like last week, I want us to make a journey back in time before we get to where we are in our study of the Life of Christ. We will go back to when the Israelites have left Egypt, but not yet in the Promised Land. They are trekking thought the wilderness, and one of the things that you see often at this time is that despite God’s constant and miraculous provision for them, they complain so much against God and Moses, and this is the situation that we find them in now. Go with me to Numbers 21:4-9
4 And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way. [They were discouraged because their wandering. They were condemned to wander the wilderness without going into the promised land for forty years because when they had arrived, they chose not to trust God and were too scared to go in. So God said, “Fine, you will wander around in the wilderness until all of the generation that didn’t want to go in dies,” and that happened to be 40 years.” During this time, they complained a lot about their condition, but honestly, it was their fault. They could have been in the Promised Land, land that was so fertile that it was said to be flowing with milk and honey.]
5 And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread. [Now, despite their rebellion against God, He had been providing them with food and water and all of their necessities every step of the way, so their complaint is baseless and born of ingratitude and selfishness. So God sends a punishment.]
6 And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.
7 Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord, and against thee; pray unto the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.
8 And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.
9 And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.
I know some of you are wondering if we are going to be in the Life of Christ series since we started with this passage, and the answer is, “Yes, we will,” but I need you to just keep this passage in your back pocket for a little while because we will come back to it.
But before we get into our passage today, I want us to go back, almost to the very beginning of the series. In our sixth session of this series (this is sermon number 93, if you’re wondering...), we studied the introduction to the book of John. This introduction is an introduction to Jesus Christ, God in the flesh. However, in John 1:14, we see a passage that is really cool. John 1:14
14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
And notice the second part of the verse:
14 (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
Before you come to the passage that we are studying today, this particular verse seems to be just John acknowledging that Jesus was glorious here on earth, and just judging from the fact that Jesus was so different than others, because He had no sin, this would not be difficult to grasp. But this particular verse is not simply saying, “I saw Jesus, walked with Him, and talked with Him.” No, John is being very deliberate about how he words things.
He says, “We beheld His glory. Glory so glorious that it could only belong to the only begotten of the Father.” But if that were true, then why is it that the Bible says that He was not overly beautiful, Jesus was just ordinary? Well, because He was. But John is referencing a very specific event that happened to which only he and two other disciples were privy.
Peter was one of those disciples, and he also writes about it in his second epistle. 2 Peter 1:16
16 For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
So this is not speaking of witnessing Jesus during His earthly ministry, or even witnessing the risen Christ. It is referencing one event that we know as the transfiguration.
Before we go and read about it, let’s remember where we left off a couple of weeks ago.
Last session of this series (2 weeks ago), we saw that Jesus told His disciples that the cost of discipleship would be to give up their lives for His sake and the Gospel’s. Those who try to retain control over their lives and thus “gain their lives” would actually find that in the end they lose it. For those unwilling to come to Jesus for salvation, they will experience the extreme loss that is eternal separation from God, and for Christians that that will not submit to God’s guidance in their lives, they will suffer the experience of seeing all they worked for in this life go up in smoke — they will suffer loss of heavenly, eternal, and meaningful reward.
This time of reward is sure to come, as we see it repeated throughout the Bible, including in the passage that we studied last where Jesus declares that He will one day return in glory with the angels and will reward every man according to His works.
And right after that verse, we see that Jesus says something else that we did not get to cover for lack of time. But that is ok, because it is where we begin today.
The portion of Scripture that we will be studying today can be found in Matthew17, Mark 9, and Luke 9, and as we go, we will look at the different books to give us a complete picture of the events. This morning we will start at the end of Matthew 16 that leads into today’s passage.
28 Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.
This is the way that Jesus finished up the discourse on losing your life for His sake and the Gospel’s to actually be able to gain it — to have something meaningful to show for it, something that glorifies the Father. And He says, “Some of you here present will not see death until they have seen the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”
The way Mark presents it is a little different, and we find it in Mark 9:1
1 And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.
To us, and to the crowd that was following Jesus (including the disciples), it probably sounds like a couple of these disciples should still be alive right now. The immediate interpretation of this would seem to be that there would be some of the disciples that would not die until Jesus had come in power with the angels and in all His glory to set up His kingdom on this earth. Spoiler alert — though that may seem like the simplest interpretation, it is not the correct one. How do we know this? Because of what happens immediately afterward in all three Gospels where this is recorded.
2 And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them.
The Transfiguration
The Transfiguration
We see in this verse, and in the parallel verses in Matthew and Luke, that Jesus takes Peter, James, and John to mountain. We do not know what mountain it was, but we do know the description of it — that it was a high mountain — and that it was in the region of Caesarea Philippi. There is a tradition that says that started around the 4th century AD that says that the mount of transfiguration is Mt. Tabor. But Mt. Tabor does not meat these two details — it is not a very high mountain, being only about 1,700 ft. above sea level, and it is located in Galilee, not in the area of Caesarea Philippi or its surroundings.
In the proper area, there is another mountain called Mt. Hermon, which stands about 9,400 feet above sea level, and is a possible candidate for this occurence.
Regardless, there was a mountain on which the transfiguration happened, and it happened in front of 3 of Jesus’ disciples, in an area of that mountain where they would be “apart by themselves” with Jesus. And when they got to that spot, Jesus was transfigured before them.
And before we go any further, we must define the word transfigure. That word in the Greek is the word metamorphoo, which is the same word that we get “metamorphosis” from. It means to transform or to change form.
Very much like a butterfly, which starts as a caterpillar that then forms a cocoon around itself and then emerges in a completely different form, Jesus transformed in front of these three disciples’ eyes.
I want you to notice what Jesus was doing immediately before the transfiguration.
28 And it came to pass about an eight days [where Matthew and Mark give an exact count of days (6), Luke gives the approximation (about 8 days)] after these sayings, he took Peter and John and James, and went up into a mountain to pray. [We have seen that it is Jesus’ practice to go up on mountains to pray. Sometimes He goes alone, sometimes He takes His disciples, and this time He took just three.]
29 And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistering.
As He prayed, Jesus began to transform. How so? The fashion of His face was altered. That word altered means to not be in the same form or nature. But not just that, His clothing was altered too. His clothes became so white they glistered. This is not the same as glitter. Glister is a word seldom used anymore, but it means that it shined out its own light. Yeah, it was sparkly, but it was not reflecting light, it was shining its own light.
Matthew 17 says that Jesus’ face shined like the sun and that his clothing was white as the light.
Look at what Mark says.
3 And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them.
A fuller was someone who treated wool to clean it, thicken it, and smooth it out and remove dirt and oil from it so that it could then be processed into clothing. This is the whitest clothing that any of the disciples had ever seen. And what we know about Jesus based on Revelation 21:23 is that Jesus is the source of light in the New Heaven and New Earth, and so, this being Jesus transformed into His glorified form, it is more likely that it was not His clothing that was shining, but that He Himself was shining so brightly underneath them that it penetrated the fabric.
But not only that, we see also that there with Jesus appear two other men — Moses and Elijah. Mark 9:4
4 And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus.
Now, as happens sometimes with the best of us, by the time they got to the top of that mountain, Peter, James, and John were tired and sleepy, and when they began to pray, they fell asleep before the transfiguration started. Luke 9:32
32 But Peter and they that were with him were heavy with sleep: and when they were awake, they saw his glory, and the two men that stood with him.
But they awoke, and when they woke up, they saw Jesus, transfigured into His glorified form, talking to Moses and Elijah.
The Conversation
The Conversation
Though Matthew and Mark do not tell us the details of the conversation, Luke does give us a bit about what Jesus was telling Moses and Elijah. Luke 9:30-31
30 And, behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias:
31 Who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem.
The disciples wake up and notice that Jesus is talking to Moses and Elijah about His decease. You would think that Luke would have just used the word for “death” here, but instead, Luke uses a Greek word that we are very familiar with — EXODUS. Some of you probably didn’t even know that Exodus was a Greek word, but there you have it. Exodus.
And we are probably familiar with a very common definition of that word — exit or departure — as in, the book of Exodus is about Israel’s departure from Egypt. But did you know it has a couple other definitions?
Exodus means — an exit or departure; the close of one's career; one's final fate; departure from life, decease
So Luke chooses this word on purpose because Jesus is talking to these two men about not just His death, but the end of His earthly “career”, if you will. Jesus is talking to them about everything that He would accomplish in Jerusalem. This is not just the death, but His burial and resurrection and ascension.
And why is this important? Because Jesus is talking to Moses and Elijah, each of whom represent some very important things. Moses represents the Law, and Elijah represents the Prophets. Throughout Scripture, when referring to the Law, the phrase “the law of Moses” is used, or sometimes, simple, Moses. Not because Moses established the law or came up with it, but because the law was given to the nation of Israel by God through Moses.
Elijah, on the other hand, represents the prophets. Of all the prophets that God sent Israel and Judah, Elijah is the most respected and admired. And he represents the whole of the prophets of the Old Testament.
And the Law and the Prophets are speaking to whom? The Fulfiller of both!
And what are they talking about? How Jesus is going to fulfill the Law and the Prophets in His upcoming trip to Jerusalem. I can imagine that Jesus directs Himself to Moses and says, “Moses, remember the Passover? You are going to see it finally and spiritually fulfilled in me pretty soon. I’m going to die. And you know how? Well, Moses, remember that bronze serpent that you lifted up while everyone was getting bit by serpents? Remember how you had to lift it up on a pole and those that would look at it would live? Well, that is exactly how I am going to die. That was a picture of the cross that I will be hung upon, and those that would look to me in faith for salvation, they will have eternal life. But not just this generation, all generations.
“And Moses, do you know all those laws that were impossible to keep perfectly? Those were made to show everyone how imperfect they were, but Moses, I have kept them perfectly. And I, much like the Passover lambs and the lambs slaughtered on the Day of Atonement, I will quietly die and shed my blood, not to cover the sins of the people, but to take away the sins of anyone that looks to me in faith.”
And I imagine that Jesus spoke similarly to Elijah about the different prophecies that had been made throughout the Old Testament of the coming Messiah. If Jesus was speaking to them about what was going to be happening in Jerusalem, I imagine that Jesus told them about His upcoming entry through the gates of Jerusalem on a donkey’s colt. About how he would cleanse the Temple once again. About how one of His own followers was going to betray him for thirty pieces of silver. About the prophecies in the Psalms that speak of his agony on the cross. About being laid in a borrowed tomb. Jesus probably spoke of Jonah, and the sign that He would fulfill of being in the earth for three nights and arise on the third day. And then finally, of His ascension.
Jesus spoke to these two men about how he would fulfill all these things. And somewhere in that conversation, the disciples who had been napping, wake up! I wonder how much stuff they missed because they fell asleep.
Just a side note: If we are not doing the thing that we are supposed to be doing, we are probably going to miss out on some things.
But anyway… they wake up and one of them has something to say.
The Disciple’s Reaction
The Disciple’s Reaction
This is not a typo, I did mean to put the apostrophe where it is, because we only have one reaction that is recorded, and of course, it is Peter that has something to say. And the thing with Peter is that you never know what you’re going to get when he opens up his mouth. It could be something profound or encouraging, or it could be senseless and proud. Let’s see what he says…
33a And it came to pass, as they departed from him, Peter said unto Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here...
So far so good...
33 And it came to pass, as they departed from him, Peter said unto Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias: not knowing what he said.
Welp… that was not as great an ending as it was a beginning.
I want you to notice what Mark records. Mark 9:5-6
5 And Peter answered and said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.
6 For he wist not what to say; for they were sore afraid.
Peter didn’t know what to say. On top of that, they were afraid. I mean, imagine being them. Kneeling down on a mountain top after a long climb, starting your prayer, and dozing off right around the ‘on earth as it is in heaven’ part, and then waking up to see Jesus talking to two people who had not been there before you started praying. Not only that, but this isn’t Jesus like you’ve ever seen him before, and these are not just two ordinary men, it’s Moses and Elijah. You are looking at Jesus, glorified, in a way no one else alive has seen Him before, and He is talking to the two most important figures of Judaism.
Then, Moses and Elijah depart, and Peter blurts out the first thing that comes to his mind. “Jesus, wait, we can make three tabernacles,” that is simply a word for a booth, think of it as a half shelter. “One for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah!”
These types of tabernacles or tents or booths that Peter is referring too are not meant as shrines or commemorative decorations or anything like that. These tabernacles were temporary shelters that one would make while traveling to get out of the elements. Look at a detail that Luke gives in Luke 9:33
33 And it came to pass, as they [Elijah and Moses] departed from him [Jesus], Peter said unto Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias: not knowing what he said.
How many of you have been taught or just thought that Peter’s intention was to worship Moses and Elijah along with Jesus? I know that I was told that by several Sunday school teachers and have heard it from pastors as well, but I do not believe that was Peter’s intention. Now, in the following verse it is obvious that Peter makes a mistake, but it is not the mistake of wanting to worship Moses and Elijah with Jesus.
Look at what he is saying:
“Master, we should stay here more. Why are they leaving? It’s good for us to be here.” Maybe he was disappointed that he was not going to be able to hear more of a conversation between Jesus and the other two. Maybe Peter had questions that he was dying to ask Moses or Elijah. So, as he sees them start to leave, he suggests the building of three booths, one for Jesus, one for Elijah, and one for Moses — not to worship them — but so they can stay and continue talking.
Again, these booths are not shrines or even memorials. They are temporary shelters made of sticks, leaves, and fabric.
So if Peter’s intent is not to worship Moses and Jesus and Elijah, then what does he want to do? He wants to listen to them. Peter reacts this way only when he sees that Moses and Elijah are leaving because, it seems, that he thinks that what they have to say is equally as important as what Jesus has to say.
God’s Reaction
God’s Reaction
Why do I draw this conclusion? Because in the next couple of verses, we get God’s reaction. And God, being one in nature and divinity with Jesus, does something that Jesus has been doing His whole ministry — He responds to Peter’s heart.
34 While he thus spake, there came a cloud, and overshadowed them: and they feared as they entered into the cloud.
35 And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him.
Look what Matthew says of this voice:
5 While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.
Notice that God does not say, “This is my beloved Son, worship Him.” He says, “Hear Him.” If there is one thing that God does not do is dance around a rebuke. He says exactly what He means. And this is a soft rebuke, a gentle reminder (if you can call being surrounded by the glory of God in a cloud and hearing His voice thunder in it, “gentle”) that Peter needs to hang on every word that Jesus says, not that Moses or the Elijah says.
Remember, it was Peter’s own confession that had previously said to Jesus, “Where would we go? You have the words of life.” So Peter knows this, but in this particular moment, he is caught up in his awe and fear and admiration for the situation that he says something that is foolish.
Because really, if you have Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Messiah, the Word, God with us, the Law giver and fulfiller right there with you, what questions could Elijah or Moses answer that Jesus could not? What could you possibly ask anyone else that you cannot ask Jesus? What information could anyone give you that would help you more ore guide you better than Jesus’?
What Peter does in saying, “Let’s make three booths so everyone can stick around and talk,” is to actually value Moses’ and Elijah’s word at the same level as Jesus’.
And this is where God steps in and corrects Peter. In fact, this is the first of three divine interruptions that Peter has. Here, Peter is interrupted by God the Father. Later, we will see Jesus interrupt Peter in the Capernaum regarding paying the Temple tax, and then in Acts 10, Peter gets interrupted once more by the Holy Spirit. Each was a time for teaching or reminding Peter of something important — in this case, that Jesus’ words are pre-eminent.
Jesus’ Consolation
Jesus’ Consolation
Think of how you must feel if you are Peter at this moment. Ashamed? Embarrassed? Worthless, perhaps? Kicking yourself going, “Stupid, stupid, stupid…” Not only did you make a fool of yourself and accidently either lower Jesus’ status or elevate men’s status to that of Jesus, but you did it right in front of Jesus, in front of two off your best friends, and in front of the two most important figures of the Old Testament. And then, God Himself, with His own voice corrected you.
That’s a heavy thing to cope with. And I love that God led Matthew to include this detail that is not included in the other two:
6 And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid.
7 And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid.
The cloud was the same cloud that descended on the mountain where Moses would go and talk to God. This Cloud was brilliant, full of God’s glory, and it had descended onto the mountain and surrounded the three disciples. This was a scary thing.
They were afraid, and on top of that, Peter was probably embarrassed. But Jesus goes and puts a hand on them and says, “Hey, it’s ok. Don’t be afraid. Let’s head on down.”
A Secret to Keep
A Secret to Keep
And as they head down, Jesus tells the three to keep this a secret until after he has risen from the dead. And again, this should be a reminder to Peter, James, and John that Death has no power over the church, much less the founder of the church which is Jesus Christ. So, once again, Jesus announces His death to these disciples.
9 And as they came down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead.
10 And they kept that saying with themselves, questioning one with another what the rising from the dead should mean.
As plainly as he’s telling them, even after they heard part of the conversation with Moses and Elijah, they still do not understand that Jesus is close to dying.
So instead, they begin asking some questions of their own.
10 And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come?
11 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things.
12 But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them.
13 Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.
We discussed this back in session 6 of this series how Elijah would come back, but we can also read in Revelation that Elijah does in fact come back before the end of the Tribulation period, before Jesus fights off and finishes of Satan prior to His Millennial reign.
But we remember that John the Baptist, Jesus said, is the one that had come in the spirit of Elijah, to set things straight for Jesus’ ministry. And at that time, the disciples realize this truth.
Invitation
Invitation
I take you back to the third passage that we saw today, 2 Peter 1:16-18
16 For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
17 For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
18 And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.
Peter was obviously impacted by this experience. Eyewitness to his majesty, this impacted Peter for the rest of his life.
It impacted John too. We read what he wrote in John 1:14
“14 …(and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”
It Impacted them so much that they were willing to give their lives.
Every time we encounter God it should change us. Let me rephrase that: Every time we encounter God it changes us. It either changes us for the good or for the bad.
Think of Pharaoh, of whom we studied briefly last week. Every encounter he had with God hardened his heart more and more because he had already had a hard heart toward God. Every encounter made him more and more stubborn.
Think of Judas. He lived and walked and talked with the Son of God face to face for years on nearly a daily basis, and yet, because he was not looking for God in Jesus, since Judas was only looking for a savior that would benefit him, his heart was hardened toward God.
The other disciples though, they experienced Jesus in a way that others knew, simply by listening to them speak, that they had been with Jesus. Their lives had been changed into something that was Christ like.
And so many of us have few true encounters with God and with His glory. Let me ask you this:
When was the last time you experienced God’s glory in your life? When was the last time that you saw God’s glory?
For most, I dare say, this will be a difficult question to answer, so I am not even going to ask you to raise your hand for it.
But I will say this. We need to pray like Moses did.
I will close with this, if you’ll go with me to Exodus 33. In this passage we see Moses asking God for three very important things. I think we often ask for two of them, but we skip out on the most precious and impactful one.
12 And Moses said unto the Lord, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight.
13 Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people.
The first thing that Moses asks for is, “God, shew me your way.” I think that this is a common thing that we ask for as well. “God, show me the path in which I must walk. Lead me. Guide me.”
The thing is, I want you to see Moses’ motivation — that I may know you and find grace in your eyes. Be honest with yourself right now, the last time you asked God to guide you, to show you His ways, was it motivated by a desire to know Him, or was it motivated by a desire to get through a certain situation with peace? or to thrive in a certain scenario? or to just not have to worry about making decisions?
Look at the next thing that Moses asks for:
14 And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.
15 And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence. [Moses is asking God for not just a map, not for God just to give him directions, but to give him His presence. “Go with me, because if you don’t go with me, it’s not worth it.” He says, “Don’t take me somewhere, even if it is the Promised Land, if you aren’t going to be there with me.” I think that this is a thing we often ask God for as well. “Lord, please be with me as I…,” fill in the blank. We want God’s presence. But why? Look at why Moses wanted God’s presence.
16 For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not in that thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth.
“Lord if you don’t go with us, how will others know we have found grace in your sight?” Go with me so, not for my benefit. Go with me so that other may know. Give me your presence so that the world can see that you are with me and I am with you. THAT should be our prayer. I’m different, not because I follow a set of rules, not because I go to church, not because I read my Bible, not because my radio preset is on 100.9. I am different because God is with me, and let me tell you about Him.
We often ask for God to give us direction. We often ask for God to be with us, even if it is not in the right motivation. But the thing that we most often miss as Christians is the one thing that Moses begged for, even more than God’s direction and His presence —those he asked for, but this next thing he begged for— is for God to show us His glory.
18 And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.
The word beseech means to beg, but it means to beg for it NOW. Moses wasn’t just saying, “God, I sure would like to see you glory someday…” NO! Moses was begging God, “Lord, show me your glory NOW! I want to see your glory, no, I must see your glory. Not later, not someday, not maybe, but NOW! PLEASE!”
And God told Moses, “Moses, if you were to see what you’re asking for, you’d die. But tomorrow, I will show you a little of my glory. I’ll put you on a ledge, and as I walk by, I’ll cover you with my hand. But when I take away my hand, you will see just the back of me as I walk away from you.”
Ladies and Gentlemen, this was a defining moment in Moses’ life. Read chapter 34, it is a most interesting chapter to read, Exodus 34. Because when Moses comes down off the mountain, Moses’ face was so radiant that he had to put a veil on. The people of Isreal could not look him in the face because he shined so brightly. Moses was a walking streetlight at night. And every time that Moses met up with God, his face would recharge and he would shine again.
But we don’t care about that. “God be with me and show me the way.” That’s all we care about, and usually for the wrong reasons too.
Some of you can remember the last time when you really saw God’s glory, and I am not talking about shining lights outside your window or a bright cloud. I am talking about God moving in such a way in and around your life where there was no other way to explain it other than this was God and His glorious work in my life.
Some of you remember. But it has been a long while. It’s been a long time. Maybe there was a time when you used to ask for God to show you His glory every day. And everyday, you caught glimpses of it, and saw God working. But how long has it been?
For some of you, you’ve never seen it. Or at least you’ve never noticed it. Or if you have, it has always been God’s glory in someone else’s life.
One of the saddest passages in the Bible is found in Exodus 33. Exodus 33:7-11
for lack of time I will not read it all, but the basic thing is this - God tells Moses to set up a tent outside the camp where anyone that wants to go and meet with God can. This would be a temporary tent, something that would be replaced by the tabernacle. But the only people that went to the tent were Moses and Joshua. Everyone else, when Moses would go, would just stand at the edge of their own tent and worship God from afar.
They held God at a distance.
IT was only Moses who begged and beseeched — Show me your glory.
Church Prayer - God Show Us Your Glory, We Beg You!
Life Group
Life Group
1. What stood out to you from the sermon? Any questions or concerns?
2. What do you usually ask God for more often: direction, His presence, or a deeper experience of His glory?
3. How do you think this mountaintop experience shaped Peter’s confidence and message later in life?
4. Have you ever valued another voice (teacher, author, podcast, tradition, friend) almost as much as—or more than—Jesus’ own voice in Scripture?
5. When was the last time you prayed something close to Moses’ prayer, “Show me Your glory,” not just “show me Your will” or “be with me”?
6. If “hear Him” is the Father’s command, what might it look like this week to treat Jesus’ words as absolutely preeminent over other influences in one concrete area of your life?
7. Thought for the week: Identify one “tent door” habit—something you do that keeps you at a safe distance from deeper encounter with God (busyness, distraction, fear, sin you won’t face). What is one concrete step you can take to move past that this week?
