King - 6/6/26

Greeneville Seventh-day Adventist Church: It was a wedding back in the early eighties, I think, that really got something started. America's fascination with British royalty. You remember the wedding? How many watched Diana and Charles? Okay, a lot of old people here. That's good. And I remember I watched the wedding and I wasn't even too into weddings, but hey, this is something big. And it was. It didn't last, but it was big. this one's gonna last. I know that. That's a ministry wedding. But it's amazing though The Americans are so fascinated with British royalty. Why is that? We fought a war two hundred and fifty years ago to get away from that. And now we come clawing our way back. Almost every week, if not several times a week, there's a news article about something that Prince or King Charles' family is up to. It's usually not good. But we're still fascinated. Are we that fascinated with a King of Kings? What the King of Kings is you up to in the universe. The king, we we said, Well, he's the king of the universe. Yes, he is. He's the king of more than that. Because you realize the universe does not encompass him. He created the universe. So he's he's beyond the universe. And he's king of whatever we have no clue about, as if we had a clue about the universe. Are we fascinated by? With this king, the one who holds the only real power, does King Charles have any power? Basically he's an influencer. That's about it. God's an influencer too. And I hope He influences all of our hearts in a much better way. One thing I love about this book, it is simple enough for a child to understand, and complicated enough to keep theologians debating for centuries. And today's passage has kept me studying and praying for the past two weeks. I know the topic 'cause we're in a series on Matthew and Pastor Dawson and I, we divide it up. You take that text, I'll take this text. Well, I got this one. I'm like, ⁓ man. This one's tall. But Peter understood what Jesus meant when he said what he said here. And Peter is often referred to as rather dull. But he caught on. Let's see, let's get into it a little bit. Before we get into the text, though, that's caused 2,000 years of confusion. And I'm not claiming to clear this up, but hopefully get you on the right track. A bit of review might be helpful. Last time, two weeks ago, we saw where Jesus told his disciples very plainly what was about to happen to him. You remember that? Look at Matthew 16. Matthew sixteen Go down to verse 21. You'll remember this. From that time, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem. It's not optional, he must, and suffer many things from the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day. Now, this is, you remember, where Peter jumps in and rebukes Jesus. ⁓ these things will never happen to you. And Jesus says, ⁓ get behind me, Satan. Okay, you remember that? Last time. Well, Peter and his fellow disciples were so shocked by Jesus' prediction of his death on the cross that they completely overlooked what Jesus said at the end. That on the third day he would be raised to life. That seemed to just right over their heads. They were so overwhelmed by the bad news, they totally missed the good news. Are we guilty of the same thing? Thank you so much. The most beautiful sound in the world. Y'all take notice. We want more of those. Okay. Might we be guilty of the same thing today? So afraid of what is happening that what might happen next We don't catch on to. That Jesus is coming soon. We're so concerned with, this event and that event that's going on. Is that what's in the I'm a news junkie. I read this stuff. And I look at it and I go, ⁓ dear. ⁓ it's happening. ⁓ my. I'm just like the disciples. Wait a minute. This means Jesus is coming soon. Jesus told us to expect such things and that he would come right after that. Jesus told his disciples what to expect and then he would be raised. And it's hard to see the, and they all lived happily ever after, in the scariest part of the book. When I see someone reading their Bible, even if it's a stranger, I approach them. I'm fascinated by people reading their Bible, especially if it's out in public. And I'll approach them and not say, sorry, spoiler alert, I've read that book, The Good Guys Win. The good guys win. The disciples missed the spoiler alert that the grave would not be the end for Jesus. He told them how it was going to end and they missed it. He would rise again and ascend to the Father. His death would be the line between his role of Messiah as suffering servant and Messiah as king. They were not completely wrong in their expectations of the kingdom. But they, like the other Jews, did not realize that the kingdom was to come in stages, as we've talked about before. Like we don't have to wait on the second coming to have the kingdom of God in our hearts. If the disciples had been listening carefully to all of Jesus was telling them in Matthew 16, they would have had a better understanding of the progress of the kingdom. Not only does Jesus foretell his resurrection, but in verse 27, he plainly tells them of his second coming. Look at verse twenty seven. For the Son of Man will come in the glory of his father and his angels, and then he will reward each according to his works. The disciples could see that at the second coming, Jesus would not be coming as a baby in a dirty manger in a little town called Bethlehem. No, it would be in his father's glory with his angels. This reminds me of a text in Revelation. Keep your finger here and slip over to Revelation 19. That's almost at the very end of Scripture. Revelation nineteen, go down to verse eleven. This is exciting. Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on him was called faithful and true, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and his name was called the Word of God. Does take you back to John 1? In the beginning was the word. Verse 14, and the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed him on white horses. Now out of his mouth goes a sharp sword that he would, that with it he should strike the nations, and he himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He himself treads the wine press of the fierceness and the of the wrath of Almighty God, and he has on his robe and on his thigh a name written King of Kings and Lord Lords. This is the conquering king that they thought was coming 2,000 years ago. And it was. But he was just beginning to take his kingdom back. The cross had to come first. Following Christ's promise of his second coming is the verse that's caused readers to be so perplexed. Just look at it. I'd love to just skip it, but no, we're not going to do that. Verse 28. Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death. till they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom. That caused you to go, what? Wait a minute. And maybe before you've just kind of skimmed over the well, I don't quite get that. I know I have. Like, I'm not sure how what that means. The explanation for the passage have been many. Some try to come up with fancy ideas about what taste means and what the nature of death is. Some gloat that Jesus made a prediction that did not come true, thus proving he's not the Messiah. After all, Every one of his disciples tasted death before the second coming. As have most of the people we know, if you're old, they've tasted death. My father was not expecting to taste death before Jesus came. My mother was expecting to see Jesus come. Well, they are, but not before death. And we look at this, all the disciples are dead. What's going on? Many other explanations have been put forward between these extremes. In verse twenty seven, Jesus was speaking of the seventh second coming, but what was the topic of verse twenty eight? After much time delving into this study and prayer, I was led to ask another question. What did the disciples believe that Jesus meant? What was in their heads when he said this? We've talked a number of times already about how the kingdom of God was being implemented in stages. It seems that the disciples did not understand this until after the resurrection. They would have lived to see the resurrection, they would have lived to see the ascension and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, and some would even live to see the predicted judgment on Jerusalem in A D seventy. So what did they see Jesus meaning in verse twenty eight? I found the answer. From Peter himself. Turn to first Peter And keep your finger there in Matthew. 1 Peter. Sorry, 2 Peter. Go to 2 Peter. Chapter 1. If you're having hard time, it is right after First Peter. That that might be a hint. Second Peter chapter one verse sixteen. Here Peter's talking, remember dull Peter. For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord. Okay. Highlight that coming of our Lord. That's what we're talking about. When we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. Like we saw it. For he received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to him from the excellent glory. This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased, and we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with him where? On the holy mountain. So the answer to this question has something to do with them hearing this voice from the glory of God on the holy mountain. And if you want to read a few more verses there, perfectly fine. It's it further explains this. But we can look at that another time. It's always best to let the Bible explain itself. And what Peter says here, we're kind of coming around the back door here. What Peter says here is also backed up in Desire of Ages, page 422. The Savior's promise to the disciples was now fulfilled. Upon the mount, the future kingdom of the glory of glory was represented in miniature. Christ the King. Moses, a representative of the risen saints, and Elijah of the translated ones. So Ellen, why are you saying? This promise was fulfilled again on that holy mount in miniature. The coming of God. There's the King, there's the saints that are risen from the dead, there's the saints that were there alive when Jesus came. So, what experience is Peter talking about? Also, in interpreting Scripture, it is good to keep in mind the context of what we're studying. The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke all relay this same verse and all tell the same story of what happened next. The transfiguration. Remember the scriptures, they were not always divided into chapters and verses. This story just flows right into Matthew 17, verse 1. Now, Matthew 17, verse 1, after six days, Jesus took Peter, he's the one that relayed this to us just now. Peter, James, and John, his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them talking with him. Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here if you wish, let us make here three tabernacles, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. While he was still speaking, behold a bright cloud. Overshadowed them, and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear him. And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid. But Jesus came and touched them and said, Arise and do not be afraid. When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only. Now, as they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead. And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then do the scribes say that Elijah come first? Jesus and said to them, Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things. But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him, but did to him whatever they wished. Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands. Then the disciples understood that he spoke to them of John Mr. Okay. Did you see it? Did you see who was there? I'm not talking about Moses and Elijah. I'm talking about Peter. Six days earlier, Jesus had called Peter Satan. Just six days. As in the case of David and so many less than perfect Bible character, Peter's presence on the Mount of Transfiguration is an amazing statement about God's forgiveness and grace. There is indeed hope for you and hope for me. But Peter is not even behaving perfectly here. Neither are James and John. Luke tells us that Jesus had taken these three with him to pray, yet they became sleepy. Reminds you of something else? A certain garden? Gethsemane. Jesus took these same three disciples there. They failed him there as well. They fell asleep when they were supposed to be praying with him before the hour of his crucifixion. And here they fall asleep. Jesus so long suffering. Praise the Lord. Much debate is also stirred up as to what mountain they were on. It was first believed that it was on Mount Tabor. But archaeologists later found that there was a settlement on top of Mount Tabor during this time. The settlement would have been blown away by the glory of God. Others have suggested Mount Hermon, which is indeed tall, but it does not lie in the direction that the Bible says that they were headed after Caesarea Philippi. So basically, we don't know. But from whatever mountain it was, in that region, they would have had a view of Mount Carmel. And that's where Elijah defeated the prophets of Baal and said, Choose you this day what? Whom you will serve. The disciples have to make this very decision as well. They have been dwelling intently upon this question for six days. The disciples have spent six days in time in a time of trouble about the fate of their beloved master. Who is this Jesus that they've been following? They think they know, but he doesn't seem to fit their expectations. Are they following the right person? Are they standing up for the right thing? Has it all been a lie that they fell for? Did you know similar questions may be asked by sincere Christians before the second coming? When things don't go the way we thought they would. You know, we think, okay, we we have a pretty good idea. This event, then this event, and this event, and this event. But what if it doesn't happen quite the way we supposed? Are you going to reject God? Do you realize the Bible says a couple of times time will be cut short in mercy? Maybe something doesn't happen that you think is going to happen because God has merciful. And so time's cut short. I'm taking you home now. Well, I'm not going to be around, ⁓ wait, wait, wait, Lord. I don't want to go home yet because this didn't happen. I don't know. The disciples were in danger. Of rejecting Christ, and for six days they're in struggle because this is not what they were expecting. But the transfiguration not only answers their questions, but it encourages Jesus as well. Six days was a long time for them to stew over future events, but some have found it to be significant. Six days were considered the number of days necessary to prepare for a holy event in Israel. Creation had six days. Before the Sabbath. Moses waited six days on Sinai for the glory of the Lord. And now, after a six day wait, the glory of the Lord is revealed. The Jews to whom Matthew is primarily writing would not have missed this symbolism, all in preparation for so much to happen in one awesome event. Jesus glorified the appearance of Moses, the appearance of Elijah, and the voice of God from heaven saying, This is my son whom I love. With him I am well pleased, listen to him. Transfiguration plays an important role in Matthew's gospel. The glorification of Jesus. It you know, it said, his face shone like the sun. This doesn't mean when I I saw one of those sweet babies we have in our church just grinning out like, wow, what a sunny disposition. That's not what this is talking about. This is a literal his face shone like the sun. ⁓ You're blinding, you remember when Moses came down from the mountain after having just seen Jesus God's back and it was Jesus. Saw his back. ⁓ put a towel on it, Moses, we can't look at you. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. This would take the disciples' minds back to Exodus 34, the glory on Mount Sinai. They would see Jesus experienced a parallel to that of Moses, the great leader of God's people in Old Testament times, the man God used to establish the kingdom in Jewish history. And did you notice, just as a side note, have you thought about this? Moses was also there. What two things did God tell Moses he could not do? God told Moses, you cannot see my face. Here. Let me put you in a cleft of the rock, cover you with my hand, and you can take a peek at my back. And that's what blew the children of Israel away. Nope, you can't see my face. Number two, you cannot enter the promised land because you struck the rock instead of speak it. And what's Moses doing on the Mount of Transfiguration? He's in the promised land looking at God face to face. That is the grace of Jesus. When we come into the promised land, we too will be able to see God face to face. Not because of what we have done, but because of what Jesus has done. The appearance of Moses and Elijah are important for many reasons. But for one, they're recognized by the Jews as the supreme representatives of the law, Moses, and the prophets, Elijah. And they are talking with Jesus, who came to fulfill what the law and the prophets had looked forward to. Remember Matthew 5 17? Do not think that I've come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have not come to abolish them, but to what? To fulfill them, to do them. Another reason for their importance is that in Jewish thinking, both of these men were connected with the end of time. Elijah was to appear before the great and dreadful day of the Lord, Malachi four five, and all Israel expected the appearance of Moses, according to Deuteronomy eight fifteen, which we'll look at in a moment. But perhaps the most significant thing about Moses and Elijah is that Moses was raised from the dead, Jude 9. Elijah was translated to heaven without ever experiencing death in 2 Kings 2. Thus Moses and Elijah serve as the types of those who will be resurrected and translated when Jesus comes the second time. First Thessalonians 4 says this, just listen. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first, and then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds. Keep these clouds in mind. We're going to get back to the clouds. I was so thrilled when our hymn of praise this morning, they were singing about clouds. Wow, perfect fit. To meet the Lord in the air, and thus shall we always be with the Lord. I love the next words too. Therefore be comforted by these words. The transfiguration is a type of that glorious kingdom. Like the sanctuary service pointed to the cross and the plan of salvation. The transfiguration points to the second coming. Resurrection of the dead and the translation of Jesus. I remember reading this story as a kid, hearing the story as a young person, going, yeah, whatever. Let's find a different story. It didn't mean anything to me. And then, wow, you study this. This is an amazing story. Another significant aspect of the transfiguration is the voice that sounded from heaven. This voice shows that Jesus is not merely equal to the great heroes of the Old Testament, but that he is their Lord. He's not just another prophet, but the Son of God. The voice also recognizes him as the Messiah. The last three words, listen to him. Take us back to the words of Moses back in Deuteronomy 18. Deuteronomy 18, 14 says this for these nations which you will dispossess, listened to the soothsayers and the diviners. But as for you, the Lord your God has not appointed such for you. The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me. This is Moses talking, from your midst, from your brethren, ye shall hear him. Remember what God says? Listen to him. This is what Moses was talking about. Jesus came up from among the people from the a lion from the tribe of Judah. Hear him. And if you want more, keep reading in Deuteronomy 18. It goes on to talk about yeah, and if you don't listen to him, that's on your heads. Jesus is the fulfillment of what God told Moses. The transfiguration has an immediate effect on the three disciples. They fall on their faces in terror. It also has a lasting effect on what we saw a bit ago in Peter. He's talking about it years later. Yeah, this is what it meant. The three disciples now have the assurance that they needed, what they needed was there. Jesus was what they needed. They were on the right. come six days to sweat it out. But then God answered the question. Don't expect God to answer your yearnings immediately. Sometimes your yearnings need to be sweated out. You know, we call Friday the preparation day for the Sabbath according to creation. There were six days before the Sabbath. Six days before a holy event. Think about that when tomorrow starts. Hey, we're on our way to our next Sabbath. So the three disciples now know they're on the right track. I've mentioned to you this before that my family used to backpack up Mount Kenya every year. Mount Kenya ends the peak that we would climb close to 17,000 feet. Not much Arab. And there's several trails that will get you to the top, but when we took the students with us from Maxwell Adventist Academy, we always went on the same trail. And that trail was quite interesting. There was a large section right in the middle part, a large area where there was no path. And it was up at a steep angle, and it was called the vertical bar. It's the strangest thing. It was a swamp on the side of a mountain. I haven't seen anything like it. Puddles everywhere, and the puddles are always shifting and moving like a swamp and because of all the rain that hits that side of the mountain. And there's these tufts of grass around the puddles, and some of them are small and some of them are tall, and you've got to wind your way around all these tufts with your backpack on, and you're trying to find the way. But if you look down, you can't find the way because there is no path. No matter how many people hike it, there's no path. It always disappears. So you have to look up. And what you're looking for are guide posts. Or driven into the ground are posts, I don't know, maybe 10 feet high. And you're supposed to stop at one post, look until you find the next one. ⁓ there it is. And go. Sounds easy, but it's not. Those posts have been there a long time. Some of them are covered completely in lichen, which blends in with the mountain. Others, the paint, the black and white paint that was on them, has been blasted away by the weather. And so you might stand at one post, you don't dare wander away from it. You stand and you look at that. Where's the other post? And you you're with a group of people, and then, there it is. And you hike to the next post and you stop. Another problem with those posts is this mountain creates its own weather. And clouds will settle down over the mountain, and you have to stand by your post until the clouds lift. Because you don't know where the next one is. You don't dare strike out. And look for it yourself. You will miss it. So you stand there and patiently wait for the clouds to lift. ⁓ quick, look before they come back. ⁓ there it is. Let's hike to that spot now. Well, the transfiguration is a major signpost that the disciples are on the right track. We are going the right direction. No matter what this world throws at us, no matter what the swamps are, the puddles we're stepping in, we are going the right way. We're following the true Son of God, the Messiah. They can see beyond the suffering servant to the coming king. They have even seen how the prophecy of the coming of Elijah was fulfilled in John the Baptist. The same message being preached, choose you this day whom you will serve. So many awesome things happen all at once in this story, yet my favorite has to be, or maybe the part I can relate to the most, is Peter's reaction. Course Peter's the one who speaks up first. He always does speak up, even if he has nothing to say. And Peter's from Galilee, so he's got this for the building of Judaism. Lord, it's good for us to be here. Shall we set up three sheds for y'all? I mean, that they were they were considered uneducated Galileans. Y'all want us to build you some sheds? Peter, what are you talking about? This is Moses and Elijah and Jesus and God speaking. You want us to build you some sheds? Mark and Luke tell us that bold, fearless Peter was so afraid. He didn't even know what he was saying, obviously. Peter finds himself out of his league. The scene is before him, yet it is beyond. Then while Peter was still speaking this nonsense, a bright cloud enveloped them. And a voice from the clouds said, This is my son, whom I love, with whom I'm well pleased. Listen to him. Okay. This is my what? My beloved what? Son. Okay, this concept of sonship to God. was not a common thought in those days. We think about it all the time because you know, for God so loved the world he gave his only begotten son. Nicodemus was probably blown away when Jesus said that to him, What son? What? What's a son? Well you know, God is one. But Peter that's why that's why Jesus told Peter when he says you are the son of the living God. Well, you you didn't learn that from earth, you learned that from heaven. The Spirit taught you that. But here, Peter's declaration that Jesus was the Son of the Living God was confirmed by the living God. This is the son. Right. Right class gospel from highly significant, but nothing new. Just ask Moses who was there. He would have remembered it from the top of Mount Sinai. Exodus thirteen describes the mysterious cloud of God's presence. By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way. Later in Leviticus sixteen, this cloud came to rest not only above the newly built tabernacle, but inside it. The Lord said to Moses, Tell your brother Aaron not to come wherever he ch whenever he chooses into the most holy place to return. in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will die because I appear in the cloud over the atonement cover. The mysterious pillar of cloud continues to appear throughout scripture. Numbers nine, this cloud's associated with a time period evening till morning. In Daniel seven, the cloud accompanies one like the Son of Man as he approaches the ancient of days. Most shockingly of all, in Matthew 26, which we'll get to one day, Jesus of Nazareth stands before the high priest Caiaphas and says, You will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the mighty one and coming on the clouds of heaven. Caiaphas knew exactly what Jesus was saying. Jesus was equating himself with Yahweh, who had led Israel through the city. Caiaphas did something that was never supposed to do. He tore his clothes. In doing so, Caiaphas effective effectively annoyed the priest ⁓ annulled the priesthood, giving way to the new high priest who stood before him. Someday Caiaphas will witness Jesus, our high priest and king, returning to earth in this same Revelation 1 7 says this. Look, he's coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him. Get ready, Caiaphas. We need to choose this day whom we will serve. Are we going to serve the powerless kings of this worn out world who have no power? Or are we going to serve the all-powerful, eternal King of the universe and beyond? If we accept the glorified Christ as our Lord, his soon coming in the clouds will herald an eternity in the promised land, face to face with our God. Dear Father, we do rejoice. We're longing for the King to come and take us home so that we can live forever with you face to face and see the love that you have for us in your eyes. Until that day, may we accept you as King down here so that we can share your coming kingdom with those around us in Jesus.

2 Peter 1 · chapter mention Matthew 17:1 Matthew 17:1