Untitled Sermon

The Mount of Transfiguration

Tonight, we all have made the decision to gather in this room. You have driven here. Some have served and set up all day. Some were just invited maybe a few moments ago, and some have been looking forward to this for weeks. Regardless of why your here, or how you got here, I want to begin tonight with extreme clarity as to what we pray will be true for every single one of us tonight. I pray we encounter God. Not that we just merely see, observe or watch, but Encounter HIM. This life is inundated with things we see, watch, and observe all the time. And we are never impacted by it. But when you encounter something, you leave different. {My encounter Story} So before the first song is sung, or the first thing happens. I’m not going to lead in prayer, I am not going to transition in prayer, I am going to ask that all of us fall before Jesus face and we cry out to him. All of our voices praying, out loud, and crying out that God would cleanse us from sin that it is stifling us, That God would show himself in a way that we could never imagine tonight, and that you, you personally, encounter God tonight! Let us do that now.

When we first began to pray over what this night would be, we quickly landed on the name encounter and what we wanted to see happen tonight. I knew immediately where the Lord had my heart for our scripture. I said it at that coffee table and havent looked back since.

Matthew 17 is where we will be. This passage is famously called the the Transfiguration. Which is kind of big unusable common word. This story is recorded in 3 of the 4 gospels and occurs near the end of Jesus ministry. There are two parts of the story and I want to break it down as such tonight. We will read the first part and then worship and we will close tonight with the second part because I believe this with my whole heart. Mike Ditka, hall of fame football coach once said, Action without vision is a nightmare and vision with no action is just a daydream. So seemingly tonight we are praying for an encounter. And in this story Jesus, Peter, James, and John have an encounter. But an encounter without action is just an observation. And the second part we will see Jesus’ call to action.

English Standard Version Chapter 17

17 And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. 3 And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 4 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.” 5 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.”

Can you imagine, first of all from Jesus perspective. Jesus has been on what we would call a mission trip away from home for 34 years. Gone from his throne in heaven, Gone from his father and all those in heaven which he knew. And he gets to have this intimate moment with God. I have to imagine the temptation was great and something that if it were me, knowing the cross is right around the corner and THESE PEOPLE WILL NOT LEAVE ME ALONE. I would be saying alright Dad, I have had enough I am coming home. But not Jesus. This encounter is one that changes him physically and prepares him spiritually for what is to come. Maybe thats the encounter you need tonight……

Then there is Peter’s Perspective. Peter is encountering something he has never encountered before and I love his response. WHY WOULD WE EVER LEAVE?!! JESUS I will set up tents for all of you and we will stay right here. Right in this very moment. Heaven is seemingly meeting earth and Peter has seen enough to know this is A GOOD THING! Jesus doesnt rebuke him nor do I think Peter is wrong. Honestly I think I need to be more like this, when Jesus is doing something and I encounter him just not wanting to move from it. See this is a two edged sword and we will talk about the second danger later. But man the first is sometimes its ok to just be in awe and worship when encountering Jesus. There are so many SUndays. so many times, that my life, my heart is dictated by the clock and less by my desire and tearning to expereince Jesus. He will be moving through music and moving through Donnys word and I am like ah man thats good….welll times up time for the next service, time to go home, time to fix a problem, time to do whatever and yet I am not even finished with him.

I Dont know sometimes I feel like we just come eat move our table and we leave. Dont come to my house and do that…..

But Peter was interupted by the main character God

English Standard Version Chapter 17

5 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.

Yall do you want to encounter God tonight? Do you want to worship him in sprit and in truth, then lets get it straight. We arent encountering a prophet, a good teacher, a politician, a magiciain, a genie in a bottle, a good luck charm, a picture on a wall, or your homeboy. IT IS THE SON OF GOD! JESUS the Messiah, the savior, the one and only. the King of Kings. With whom God is well pleased. So listen to him tonight. Spirit of God Rest on us.

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English Standard Version Chapter 17

5 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.” 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. 7 But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” 8 And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.

9 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.” 10 And the disciples asked him, “Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” 11 He answered, “Elijah does come, and he will restore all things. 12 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.” 13 Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.

You know what question I have asked most through the years when I have encountered God, more specifically AFTER I have encountered Him. What now? Whats next. And Jesus is not here to ridicule you but he touches them and says Rise and fear not.

Do you know what the easy thing would have been to do. What Jesus could have done and what we know Peter wanted to do? To just stay there. I havent seen my wife in a week, She got home at 2 last night and I was here this morning and then setting up and then grocery shopping and back here. You know where I wanted to be when I came back here tonight if I am honest at home with Rachel. There had to have been a part of the fully human part of Jesus tha wanted to stay right there on the mountain. But that is not what they do. Jesus says do not tell anyone about this. Elijah came they ignored him. But the son of man must come and suffer at their hands and die.

You see we want Mt Transfiguration, but we want to skip Mt Golgotha.

What is your whats next tonight. With this encounter, what are you being called to, because we arent just gonna sit in a room and sing all day