Sharing the Resurrection II

Matthew 17:1-3

   Jesus is saying, until that of which I have told you has been accomplished. That which you do not want, and do not like, the cross, the crucifixion. Until the Son of Man, crucified has been raised from the dead, the resurrection, because Jesus knew until that happened, nothing would make sense to His disciples then, or to us today.

   Until the resurrection Gods plan for reconciling guilty sinners to Himself on the basis of the atoning sacrifice of our Lord Jesus and His triumphant resurrection could never make sense to them or us today. That’s why Paul said that the preaching of the cross is to those who perish foolishness. It is only those who are saved that it is the power of salvation.

  Because we have received Divine illumination that comes alone by the gift to the forgiven sinner by God of the Holy Spirit.  For t5he natural man, the man of this earth, receives not the things of the Spirit of God. They are foolishness unto him, neither can he know them. He is morally, intellectually, DISQUALIFIED, incompetent, as opposed to those reborn in Christ.

  The Fallen Man, as opposed to those reborn in Christ, whose human spirit is destitute of the Holy Spirit. These people dump on Christianity because the cant grasp it. In their cynical nature toward Christianity believe they are evidencing to the world their unique intellectual superiority. When the Bible say’s that He, the natural man, These people are evidencing to the world their ignorance.

  These people have never let God have time enough to talk to them long enough, so that they could know enough. That’s why Jesus said, only if you abide in my word, will you know the truth that can set you free. . So Jesus forbade Peter, James, and John to tell no one what they had seen or heard.  

   Lets turn to Luke 9:28 where the transfiguration is explained in more detail.

   When something is accomplished it is brought to a desired end. An accomplished artist, someone so well trained that when they finish a work it is an accomplishment. When Jesus died on the cross He accomplished the Divine end that He was born to accomplish. He fulfilled the words of the Prophets. We sometimes carry on as though we are carrying on the work Jesus began. Wrong, Jesus completed the work he began. He said it in his dying words, It Is Finished, he was not talking about his earthly life he was talking about his eternal work, and on the cross he accomplished that work, on the cross he battled Satan and won forever, the salvation of Gods chosen people. We, are simply disciples, witnesses of that work to a lost world, evidence of his atoning work in the trial we call life.

  Now, would we not imagine that the three disciples present to this incredible supernatural act, would not be sitting there enamoured, drinking it all in. Imagine Jesus, Moses, and Elijah all present at one time. Better yet lets imagine that instead of me preaching to you this morning. Jesus was delivering the message with Moses and Elijah here to lend support. If that were true millions, billions would come. A building big enough could not be built. You would have gotten here hours, days early to get the closest possible seat. You would no doubt sit absolutely fascinated witnessing this appearance, just as we imagine Peter, James and John were. Right…., Wrong, they were actually fast asleep through almost the whole thing. V.32  scripture

  See if you go to a meeting and somebody talks way over your head about things you cant understand, though you may try at first to stay awake, you can nestle in, get comfortable, then have a quite nap. That just what Peter, James and John did. But the bad part is that sometimes when one wakes up when they should not have been asleep its embarrassing and what usually happens is we say something to let everyone know we are wide awake and alert. This is very dangerous. Sometimes we don’t even remember where we are. That’s exactly what happened to Peter. He woke up, felt embarrassed and being Peter, felt the need to say something. And its recorded in V.33 read

  Something happened to Peter though, and if it has not happened already for you I pray it does Today, or very soon. What before was nonsense, now made sense.   1Peter 1:16 read

    Yes, something happened to Peter, What he did not want, made since to him now. Because he discovered the sure word of prophecy, the words recurred of Moses and Elijah and the prophets of old, not what everyone else was saying about Jesus but what God had to say about Jesus.

   That’s why you called me to be your Pastor, actually that’s why God sent me to you. So by beginning in this room, you, and this church, can tell this community, and together we all rediscover Jesus Christ and the Power of His Resurrection!