Sermon

Who Is This Bedazzled Guy?

Christ the King Church Sermons

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  1. If you would open up your Bibles to Matthew chapter 17, this morning we're going to be

    Matthew 17 chapter mention

  2. looking at the transfiguration.

  3. And what I want you to help you to see is that the transfiguration is not just an historical

  4. event, it's a motivational event.

  5. And so would you turn now to Matthew 17?

  6. I'm actually going to start in verse 24 of 16.

  7. Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay

  8. each person according to what he has done.

  9. Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see

  10. the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.

  11. And after six days, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, his brother, and led them

  12. up a high mountain by themselves.

  13. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes

  14. became white as light.

  15. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah talking with him.

  16. And Peter said to Jesus, Lord, it is good that we are here.

  17. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.

  18. He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the

  19. cloud said, this is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.

  20. Listen to him.

  21. When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified.

  22. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, rise and have no fear.

  23. And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.

  24. And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, tell no one the vision

  25. until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.

  26. And the disciples asked him, then why do the scribes say that this first Elijah must come?

  27. And Jesus answered, Elijah does come, and he will restore all things.

  28. But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him

  29. whatever they pleased.

  30. So also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands.

  31. Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.

  32. Every day you must ask yourself a question.

  33. Who matters most today?

  34. Who matters most?

  35. According to what Jesus is calling to at the end of Matthew 16, Jesus is saying, today you

  36. have a choice.

  37. Either you're going to live for yourself in this world which is passing away, or you're

  38. going to live for me, the Christ, and his kingdom which goes on forever and will one day culminate

  39. in the restoration of all things.

  40. Choose this day who you will follow, yourself or the Christ.

  41. And so in Matthew 16, 24, Jesus says, if anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.

  42. And then what we see in verses 25 through 28 is Christ's rationale for it.

  43. Remember at the end of the sermon last week, I pointed you to those three fours in verse 25.

  44. Verse 25, do you see that in chapter 16?

  45. You read the word, for whoever would save his life will lose it.

  46. In other words, whoever will live his life now will lose it then.

  47. And then you see a four in verse 26.

  48. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?

  49. Let's say you gather all the money and all the possessions in this life, and then Jesus comes back,

  50. and on that day you forfeit your soul.

  51. What was the benefit of everything you acquired?

  52. And then he goes on to say, it culminates in verse 27, the last four, he says,

  53. for the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father,

  54. and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.

  55. And so he's saying, I'm going to come back someday, and I'm going to judge everyone.

  56. I'm going to repay them.

  57. So if you live this life now for yourself, I will repay you accordingly.

  58. But on that day when I come back, if you live this life now for me, I will repay you.

  59. You will find life.

  60. And then in verse 28, he says, truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death

  61. until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.

  62. What I want you to see is the connection between verse 28 and chapter 16 and verse 1 of chapter 17.

  63. Truly, I say to you, some of you here are not going to die until you see me a certain way.

  64. And then Matthew says in 17.1, six days later.

  65. The transfiguration is very much connected to this call to follow Jesus.

  66. It's part of Jesus' rationale to come after him.

  67. He's saying, come after me because I'm coming back.

  68. There's a future glory, and let me give you a glimpse of this glory now.

  69. The transfiguration is motivation to live for Christ.

  70. Getting a glimpse of the glory of Christ compels us to follow him in all of our life for all of our days.

  71. And so the transfiguration is not just a historical event.

  72. It's purposed by God to motivate you to follow Jesus.

  73. It gives you a glimpse of his glory.

  74. So for us, here's what this means.

  75. The transfiguration took place almost 2,000 years ago,

  76. and God intends it to have an effect on us today in 2017.

  77. To be followers of Jesus.

  78. It's fuel for followership.

  79. And so this one who calls us to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow him,

  80. he's the glorious one.

  81. He's breathtaking.

  82. He's overwhelming.

  83. And what we're going to see is his full glory,

  84. accompanied by an anticipation of a fullness of suffering,

  85. that's all designed to accomplish a full salvation,

  86. the restoration of all things.

  87. And it results in you fully following him.

  88. So here's how we're going to proceed.

  89. We're going to walk through verses 1 through 13 of chapter 17,

  90. and then I'm going to bring it to a point and ask you two questions,

  91. and then we'll bring it to bear, say amen, sing a song, and go follow him.

  92. All right.

  93. If you would look at chapter 17, verse 1,

  94. and after six days Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John,

  95. his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.

  96. Now here's what you've got to be aware of right away.

  97. Matthew, you really doesn't talk that much in terms of specific times.

  98. And so when he gets very specific about six days,

  99. it should catch your attention.

  100. Like, Matthew, why are you being so specific?

  101. It's because he's making a connection.

  102. He wants us to understand that what Jesus says in verse 28

  103. finds its fulfillment in what happens on this mountaintop six days later.

  104. And notice that Jesus is bringing with him three of his disciples.

  105. These are, it's the inner group.

  106. It's Peter, James, and John.

  107. James and John are the sons of Zebedee.

  108. And Jesus brings them with them up on the top of this mountain.

  109. And these are the same three guys that in Matthew 26,

  110. Jesus is going to pull them aside in the Garden of Gethsemane.

  111. They played a special role.

  112. So Jesus brings them up onto this mountaintop.

  113. Now, if you're familiar with mountaintops and the Bible,

  114. you'll quickly remember that throughout the Old Testament,

  115. a lot of revelation of God's glory happens on mountaintops.

  116. And so Moses on the mountaintop in Exodus 19 and 24 and 34,

  117. God meets him there and reveals himself to him.

  118. And Elijah on the mountaintop in 1 Kings 19,

  119. when he squares off against the prophets of Baal,

  120. and God shows up in awesome, awesome ways.

  121. And so Jesus is very purposefully,

  122. in verse 1, bringing these three disciples

  123. up onto this mountaintop

  124. so that they would behold his glory,

  125. so that they would follow him.

  126. In Luke chapter 9, we learned that during this whole episode,

    Luke 9 chapter mention

  127. the disciples were really sleepy.

  128. And chances are this all happened at night,

  129. which is important for what's about to happen.

  130. So here's what I want you to see so far.

  131. Right now, in verse 1,

  132. Jesus is bringing his disciples up to the mountaintop.

  133. And he's just being faithful to what he said he would do in verse 28.

  134. So already, Jesus is being faithful to his word.

  135. And now in verse 2,

  136. we have this Christological light show that takes place.

  137. Do you like laser shows?

  138. Have you been to a planetarium thing at night?

  139. You know, dark lights.

  140. Been to fireworks recently.

  141. What happens on this mountaintop

  142. supersedes them all.

  143. We read in verse 2,

  144. Jesus is transfigured.

  145. Jesus is transfigured.

  146. And we get our word metamorphosis from that word transfigured.

  147. He was dramatically changed in his appearance before his disciples.

  148. His face shone like the sun.

  149. Have you recently tried to look at the sun around midday?

  150. You can't.

  151. Maybe for a little glimpse,

  152. and then your eyes get that kind of like,

  153. I can't see anything now for a little bit.

  154. That's what's going on here.

  155. Jesus has been transfigured,

  156. and now there is a brilliance coming out of him.

  157. His face shone like the sun,

  158. and his clothes became white as light.

  159. Do you know what to bedazzle means?

  160. You know, there's this like bedazzling.

  161. Ladies will bedazzle their purses.

  162. Bedazzle your jeans.

  163. Kind of bedazzle hats.

  164. I've seen bedazzled fingernails.

  165. They're kind of glimmer.

  166. And so Jesus,

  167. his clothes were bedazzled

  168. from the glory that he was emanating.

  169. Kind of harkens back to Revelation chapter 1

    Revelation 1 chapter mention

  170. where John, the son of Zebedee,

  171. has another vision of the glorified Christ,

  172. and he sees him in his brilliant glory.

  173. And in verse 17, he drops as a dead man.

  174. Here we have on this mountaintop,

  175. Jesus' brilliance on display.

  176. And I just want to pause here and ask a question.

  177. What kind of brilliance are we talking about?

  178. On a full moon,

  179. I can walk around my neighborhood

  180. because it's basically lit up.

  181. I can see pretty well.

  182. The moon is brilliant.

  183. It's a reflected brilliance

  184. because we all know that the moon

  185. does not generate its own brilliance.

  186. That the moon is simply reflecting

  187. the brilliance of the sun.

  188. But when it comes to the sun,

  189. the splendor of the sun,

  190. it is essential to its nature.

  191. The sun generates its own heat and light.

  192. And so the brilliance that we see here

  193. in verse 2 of chapter 17,

  194. it's not a reflected brilliance.

  195. Remember when Moses came down off the mountain

  196. and he had to veil his face

  197. because he was reflecting the glory of God?

  198. It's not that kind of brilliance.

  199. The brilliance on display here

  200. is a brilliance of God himself

  201. emanating outwards.

  202. It is a radiating glory.

  203. What we see happening here

  204. are the disciples are getting a glimpse

  205. of the unveiled essential splendor

  206. of the second person of the Trinity.

  207. This is the way he's always been like.

  208. His pre-incarnate glory,

  209. this is the way he's always existed.

  210. And when he comes back someday

  211. in Revelation 21 and 22,

  212. do you remember the light source

  213. of the new Jerusalem?

  214. Doesn't need the sun anymore.

  215. Jesus is lighting up the place

  216. because of his essential glory

  217. on display.

  218. Who is this guy?

  219. Who is this guy on this mountaintop?

  220. He's true to his word

  221. and we have an unveiling of his glory.

  222. This past Wednesday night,

  223. I was coming back from being here

  224. at the building.

  225. Brian Whittington had just taught

  226. another installment

  227. in his apologetics class

  228. and I was coming back

  229. and it was, you know,

  230. this rainy craziness

  231. that's been happening

  232. and so it's been pretty dark

  233. and I live by Lincoln Park

  234. so I'm driving by Lincoln Park

  235. and there's been this whole

  236. kind of softball tournament

  237. going on all week

  238. at Lincoln Park

  239. but it got rained out

  240. but the lights were still on

  241. and so I'm driving down 22nd Avenue

  242. and I see this glory

  243. coming over Lincoln Park.

  244. I'm like, what's going on?

  245. It was lit up!

  246. And so if you were at the base

  247. of this mountain

  248. here at Matthew 17

  249. at night

  250. and you look up

  251. and you see

  252. this wonderful glory

  253. happening on the top

  254. of this mountain,

  255. you'd be like,

  256. what is going on?

  257. Who is this guy?

  258. Shining like the sun

  259. on the mountaintop.

  260. This is the one

  261. who has called you

  262. to deny yourself,

  263. take up your cross

  264. and follow him.

  265. That's who this is.

  266. He lights up your heart.

  267. He compels you

  268. to follow him.

  269. Would he get a glimpse

  270. of his glory?

  271. You want to follow him.

  272. In verse 3,

  273. we realize

  274. that this amazing event

  275. on the mountaintop,

  276. Jesus has some people

  277. with him

  278. besides the disciples.

  279. Look at verse 3.

  280. Who is this?

  281. And behold,

  282. there appeared to them

  283. Moses and Elijah

  284. talking with him.

  285. If it weren't enough

  286. that Jesus

  287. is,

  288. his glory

  289. has been revealed

  290. and he's lighting up

  291. the place,

  292. there are two other guys

  293. with him,

  294. Moses and Elijah.

  295. Let me ask you

  296. this question.

  297. If you had to answer

  298. who are the top

  299. two presidents

  300. of the United States

  301. of America,

  302. how would you answer?

  303. It'd be interesting,

  304. wouldn't it?

  305. Mine would be

  306. George Washington

  307. and Abraham Lincoln.

  308. George Washington

  309. is known

  310. for our first president.

  311. He's the one

  312. that started off

  313. our nation,

  314. right?

  315. Abraham Lincoln,

  316. 16th president

  317. and he's known

  318. for the Emancipation

  319. Proclamation

  320. in which slaves

  321. were delivered

  322. from slavery.

  323. The deliverer,

  324. the establisher,

  325. and the deliverer.

  326. And so when we think

  327. about George Washington

  328. and Abraham Lincoln

  329. in the history

  330. of our nation,

  331. we think certain things.

  332. Moses.

  333. Now when Jews

  334. would think about

  335. the key players

  336. in Israel's history,

  337. their minds

  338. would go certain places.

  339. Moses

  340. led the people

  341. out of Egypt.

  342. On Mount Sinai

  343. was given

  344. the law.

  345. He is the law giver.

  346. When you hear

  347. Moses,

  348. you think law.

  349. And then there's

  350. Elijah.

  351. Mount Carmel,

  352. 1st Corinthians 19,

  353. defeats the prophets

  354. of Baal.

  355. He's early

  356. 2nd Kings.

  357. He doesn't die.

  358. He's taken up

  359. in a chariot of fire.

  360. In Malachi 4, 5,

  361. there's this

  362. prophecy

  363. of Elijah.

  364. That Elijah

  365. will be sent

  366. before the great

  367. and awesome

  368. day of the Lord.

  369. And the understanding

  370. is he would

  371. usher in

  372. the restoration

  373. of all things.

  374. He's a prophet.

  375. When you hear

  376. Moses,

  377. you think law.

  378. When you hear

  379. Elijah,

  380. you think

  381. prophet.

  382. So these

  383. are heavy

  384. hitters

  385. from Israel's

  386. past.

  387. Representing

  388. the law

  389. and the prophets

  390. and they're

  391. in the presence

  392. of Jesus

  393. and they're

  394. having a conversation.

  395. Don't you wish

  396. Matthew told us

  397. what they were

  398. talking about?

  399. Wouldn't you

  400. like to know?

  401. I don't think

  402. Jesus was saying,

  403. Moses,

  404. I don't think

  405. you've ever met

  406. Elijah.

  407. This is Elijah.

  408. Elijah,

  409. this is Moses.

  410. Seems like

  411. that they're

  412. having a conversation

  413. well into it

  414. that they knew

  415. each other.

  416. it's a good

  417. thing that

  418. Luke 9

  419. tells us

  420. what they

  421. were talking

  422. about.

  423. Would you

  424. flip over

  425. there to

  426. Luke chapter

    Luke 9 chapter mention

  427. 9?

  428. I hope

  429. your heart

  430. is starting

  431. to beat

  432. a little

  433. faster.

  434. Because in

  435. Luke 9

  436. we have a

  437. very interesting

  438. thing that's

  439. being talked

  440. about in

  441. verses 30

  442. and 31.

  443. And behold,

  444. two men

  445. were talking

  446. with him.

  447. Who are

  448. they?

  449. Moses and

  450. Elijah.

  451. Verse 31,

  452. who appeared

  453. in glory and

  454. spoke of his

  455. departure.

  456. So notice,

  457. they've appeared

  458. in glory too

  459. and they're

  460. speaking of his

  461. departure.

  462. Do you see a

  463. little number

  464. next to that

  465. word departure

  466. in your Bible?

  467. It's from a

  468. Greek word

  469. that's called

  470. exodus.

  471. They were

  472. speaking of his

  473. exodus.

  474. Now let's

  475. look at the

  476. next clause

  477. that was

  478. about to

  479. which he was

  480. about to

  481. accomplish in

  482. Jerusalem.

  483. They're talking

  484. about the

  485. second exodus

  486. Jesus was

  487. about to

  488. accomplish in

  489. Jerusalem through

  490. his suffering,

  491. death, and

  492. resurrection.

  493. They're talking

  494. about the

  495. salvation that

  496. he would

  497. accomplish in

  498. Jerusalem by

  499. dying on the

  500. cross and

  501. being raised

  502. from the

  503. dead.

  504. They were

  505. talking about

  506. him ushering

  507. in the

  508. kingdom of

  509. him through

  510. his death,

  511. inaugurating the

  512. kingdom that

  513. would consummate

  514. into the

  515. restoration of

  516. all things,

  517. which means our

  518. relationship with

  519. God, our

  520. relationship with

  521. ourselves, our

  522. relationship to

  523. each other, and

  524. even our

  525. relationship to

  526. this world, this

  527. created place.

  528. That's what they

  529. were talking about.

  530. God's plan for

  531. the fullness of

  532. time.

  533. Moses and

  534. Elijah are

  535. talking to

  536. Jesus about

  537. what he's

  538. about to do

  539. and accomplish

  540. in Jerusalem.

  541. What it gets

  542. at is God's

  543. plan of

  544. salvation.

  545. God has had a

  546. plan from the

  547. beginning of the

  548. world.

  549. And Moses and

  550. Elijah, they

  551. recognized they

  552. were moving in a

  553. direction that

  554. would be fulfilled

  555. in Jesus, the

  556. Christ.

  557. And so when

  558. Jesus says in

  559. Matthew 5, 17,

  560. do not think that

  561. I have come to

  562. abolish the law

  563. and the prophets.

  564. I have not come to

  565. abolish them, but to

  566. fulfill them.

  567. He's talking

  568. about his work

  569. of salvation on

  570. the cross that

  571. Moses and Elijah

  572. and all the

  573. prophets pointed

  574. to.

  575. Who is this

  576. guy?

  577. Who is this

  578. guy?

  579. He's faithful to

  580. what he says.

  581. He's shining like

  582. the sun.

  583. He's surrounded

  584. by big hitters

  585. like Moses and

  586. Elijah who are

  587. talking about what

  588. he's about to do

  589. in Jerusalem.

  590. And then we

  591. come across verse

  592. four and it's a

  593. bit bizarre.

  594. Look at that

  595. with me.

  596. And Peter said

  597. to Jesus, Lord,

  598. it is good that

  599. we are here.

  600. If you wish, I

  601. would make three

  602. tents here, one

  603. for you and one

  604. for Moses and

  605. one for Elijah.

  606. And so here's

  607. this grand display

  608. of awesome things

  609. and Peter starts

  610. saying, Jesus,

  611. I'll start making

  612. tents, buddy.

  613. What do you need

  614. me to do?

  615. In Mark 9, Mark

  616. explains Peter's

  617. behavior by saying

  618. he didn't know

  619. what to say for

  620. they were all

  621. terrified.

  622. Luke says, not

  623. knowing what he

  624. said.

  625. In other words,

  626. he is speaking

  627. without thinking,

  628. which for Peter

  629. is somewhat

  630. normal.

  631. So if you have

  632. a rash person

  633. who is terrified,

  634. stupid things

  635. typically happen,

  636. don't you think?

  637. That's my personal

  638. experience with

  639. myself.

  640. Now, here's

  641. what I do.

  642. I imagine,

  643. here's Peter

  644. talking.

  645. Can I make

  646. tents for you

  647. guys?

  648. Moses looks

  649. over at Jesus

  650. and says,

  651. are you sure

  652. you want to

  653. build your

  654. church on him?

  655. And then

  656. Elijah is like,

  657. he has a good

  658. point.

  659. And then

  660. there's verse

  661. five.

  662. as Peter

  663. is speaking,

  664. we have

  665. the introduction

  666. of a whole

  667. new thing.

  668. A bright

  669. cloud.

  670. A bright

  671. cloud

  672. overshadowed

  673. them.

  674. Do you remember

  675. when God

  676. led his people

  677. out of Egypt?

  678. He led them

  679. out as a

  680. pillar of cloud

  681. by day

  682. and a pillar

  683. of fire

  684. by night.

  685. If you were

  686. listening carefully

  687. to Rick

  688. when he opened

  689. up the service

  690. in Exodus

    Exodus 34 chapter mention

  691. chapter 34,

  692. God came down

  693. on the mountain

  694. as a cloud

  695. and met

  696. with Moses.

  697. When Solomon

  698. dedicated the

  699. temple in 1 Kings

  700. 8, a cloud

  701. filled the

  702. temple.

  703. A cloud of

  704. the glory of

  705. God, his

  706. presence.

  707. temple

  708. and then

  709. Ezekiel

  710. very tragically

  711. that same

  712. cloud

  713. which was

  714. in the

  715. temple

  716. gradually

  717. departs

  718. the temple

  719. signifying

  720. God's

  721. judgment

  722. and departure

  723. from being

  724. among his

  725. people.

  726. This bright

  727. cloud is

  728. the presence

  729. of God

  730. the Father

  731. and it

  732. says it

  733. overshadowed

  734. them

  735. which is a

  736. really interesting

  737. way to talk

  738. about it

  739. because it's

  740. a bright

  741. cloud at

  742. night so

  743. maybe the

  744. better word

  745. would be

  746. it over

  747. brightened

  748. them.

  749. Whatever the

  750. case it was

  751. overwhelming

  752. because then

  753. if that

  754. weren't

  755. enough

  756. a voice

  757. is heard.

  758. This is

  759. my beloved

  760. son with

  761. whom I'm

  762. well pleased.

  763. It's the

  764. Father speaking.

  765. It's identical

  766. language to

  767. Matthew 3

  768. 17 after

  769. Jesus has

  770. been baptized.

  771. This is my

  772. beloved son with

  773. whom I'm

  774. well pleased.

  775. What is

  776. going on

  777. here is

  778. this.

  779. In Matthew

  780. 16 16

  781. Peter says

  782. you are the

  783. Christ the

  784. son of the

  785. living God

  786. and now

  787. God the

  788. father on the

  789. mountaintop

  790. is saying

  791. yep

  792. that's my

  793. boy

  794. my beloved

  795. one and I

  796. am well

  797. pleased in

  798. him.

  799. He's talking

  800. about the

  801. faithfulness of

  802. Christ.

  803. I'm delighting

  804. in him and

  805. he's delighting

  806. in what

  807. Christ has

  808. made known

  809. about himself

  810. that he's

  811. going to go

  812. to Jerusalem

  813. that he's

  814. going to

  815. suffer that

  816. he's going

  817. to be

  818. crucified and

  819. he's going

  820. to be

  821. raised.

  822. That's

  823. right.

  824. That's

  825. my son.

  826. He's on

  827. my plan

  828. and I'm

  829. delighting in

  830. him.

  831. with whom

  832. I'm well

  833. pleased is a

  834. reference to

  835. Isaiah 42

  836. 1 which is a

  837. reference to

  838. the suffering

  839. servant my

  840. son.

  841. Peter,

  842. James,

  843. and John

  844. hear this

  845. voice of

  846. God from

  847. the cloud.

  848. This is my

  849. beloved son

  850. with whom

  851. I'm well

  852. pleased and

  853. they're undone.

  854. They drop

  855. prostrate face

  856. down.

  857. But before I

  858. get there

  859. there's a

  860. difference between

  861. what the

  862. father says in

  863. Matthew 3 and

  864. Matthew 17.

  865. There are

  866. three words

  867. difference.

  868. Listen to

  869. him.

  870. This is my

  871. beloved son

  872. with whom

  873. I'm well

  874. pleased.

  875. Listen to

  876. him.

  877. It's kind of

  878. like an

  879. immediate rebuke

  880. of Peter who

  881. is just kind

  882. of talking

  883. blah blah

  884. blah blah

  885. blah.

  886. Listen to

  887. him.

  888. But we need

  889. to ask

  890. ourselves the

  891. question what

  892. has Jesus

  893. just said in

  894. the gospel of

  895. Matthew?

  896. And what

  897. he's just

  898. called us

  899. to is to

  900. if anyone

  901. would come

  902. after me he

  903. must deny

  904. himself take

  905. up his cross

  906. and follow

  907. me.

  908. We must

  909. listen to

  910. him.

  911. A disciple

  912. listens to

  913. his or her

  914. master.

  915. And so

  916. when you

  917. hear those

  918. words listen

  919. to him

  920. here's what

  921. you need to

  922. understand.

  923. He's saying

  924. obey him.

  925. Not just

  926. to listen to

  927. gain knowledge

  928. but listen

  929. to obey.

  930. So for us

  931. this is what

  932. it means.

  933. We need to

  934. take to heart

  935. what Jesus

  936. has already

  937. said all the

  938. way back to

  939. the Sermon on

  940. the Mount.

  941. Listen to

  942. him.

  943. Obey him.

  944. And then to

  945. hear this call

  946. of disciples we

  947. must listen to

  948. him and obey

  949. him.

  950. And when we

  951. get into

  952. Matthew 18

  953. and 19

  954. where Jesus

  955. starts telling

  956. us about what

  957. are the

  958. kingdom norms.

  959. What is

  960. kingdom greatness?

  961. It's humility.

  962. We must listen

  963. to him and

  964. obey him.

  965. What's kingdom

  966. purity?

  967. What are kingdom

  968. marriages like?

  969. What is kingdom

  970. peacemaking like?

  971. What are all

  972. these things?

  973. We listen to

  974. him and obey

  975. him.

  976. If anyone

  977. would come

  978. after me let

  979. him take up

  980. his cross and

  981. follow me.

  982. Let him deny

  983. himself.

  984. Who is this

  985. guy on this

  986. mountaintop?

  987. He's the one

  988. who's faithful to

  989. his word.

  990. He's the one

  991. shining like the

  992. sun.

  993. He's the one

  994. who fulfills the

  995. Old Testament and

  996. he's hanging out

  997. with big hitters

  998. from Israel's

  999. past.

  1000. He's beloved

  1001. by his father

  1002. because he's

  1003. doing the

  1004. father's will.

  1005. And all of a

  1006. sudden upon

  1007. hearing the

  1008. father's voice

  1009. the disciples

  1010. fall prostrate

  1011. terrified.

  1012. It's a

  1013. theophany.

  1014. It's an

  1015. appearing of

  1016. God.

  1017. It's not

  1018. unusual.

  1019. When God

  1020. shows up people

  1021. drop down on

  1022. their face

  1023. terrified.

  1024. They're

  1025. overwhelmed by

  1026. the voice of

  1027. God.

  1028. It's what

  1029. happened in

  1030. Exodus chapter

  1031. I think it's

  1032. 20 or 21

  1033. where the

  1034. people hear the

  1035. voice of God

  1036. from the

  1037. mountaintop and

  1038. they plead with

  1039. Moses don't let

  1040. him say anything

  1041. to us anymore.

  1042. And in verse

  1043. 7 we see Jesus

  1044. do something that I

  1045. hope does good to

  1046. your soul.

  1047. He sees them

  1048. drop.

  1049. He sees them

  1050. terrified.

  1051. And this

  1052. glorious one

  1053. shows how

  1054. gentle he is.

  1055. he goes to

  1056. them

  1057. touches them

  1058. and says

  1059. rise and have

  1060. no fear.

  1061. Now they're no

  1062. longer hearing the

  1063. voice from the

  1064. cloud.

  1065. They're hearing the

  1066. voice of their

  1067. master saying

  1068. fear not.

  1069. When they pick up

  1070. their heads it's

  1071. just Jesus.

  1072. the cloud is

  1073. gone.

  1074. Moses and

  1075. Elijah are

  1076. gone.

  1077. Jesus unveiled

  1078. brilliance is now

  1079. veiled.

  1080. It's just

  1081. normal.

  1082. Dark on a

  1083. mountaintop.

  1084. But it's not

  1085. normal.

  1086. These men have

  1087. seen the glory

  1088. of Christ.

  1089. They've been

  1090. changed.

  1091. If you want to

  1092. jot down if

  1093. you're taking

  1094. notes.

  1095. 2 Peter chapter

    2 Peter 1:16–17

  1096. 1 verses 16

  1097. through 17.

  1098. It's Peter's

  1099. account of what

  1100. happened on the

  1101. mountaintop.

  1102. Jesus is alone

  1103. there.

  1104. Who is this

  1105. guy?

  1106. Who is this

  1107. guy?

  1108. He's the one

  1109. that calls you

  1110. to follow him.

  1111. He's the one

  1112. that calls you

  1113. to deny

  1114. yourself,

  1115. take up your

  1116. cross,

  1117. and follow

  1118. him.

  1119. In verses

  1120. 9 through 13

  1121. Jesus and

  1122. his disciples

  1123. make their

  1124. way down

  1125. the mountain.

  1126. What we see

  1127. in verses

  1128. 1 through

  1129. 8 is the

  1130. glory of

  1131. Christ on

  1132. the mountain.

  1133. Christ in

  1134. full glory.

  1135. And then

  1136. going down

  1137. the mountain

  1138. Jesus speaks

  1139. of a

  1140. fullness

  1141. of suffering

  1142. that he

  1143. will experience.

  1144. Would you

  1145. please take a

  1146. look at what

  1147. he has to

  1148. say?

  1149. Verse 9

  1150. And as they

  1151. were coming

  1152. down the

  1153. mountain,

  1154. Jesus commanded

  1155. them,

  1156. tell no one

  1157. the vision

  1158. until the

  1159. Son of Man

  1160. is raised

  1161. from the

  1162. dead.

  1163. Now this

  1164. may sound

  1165. strange to

  1166. you.

  1167. Jesus is

  1168. saying,

  1169. keep it on

  1170. the down

  1171. low guys

  1172. that what

  1173. you just

  1174. saw.

  1175. Why would

  1176. he say

  1177. this?

  1178. Because he

  1179. didn't want

  1180. to distract

  1181. them.

  1182. There's this

  1183. frenzy going

  1184. on at the

  1185. time for a

  1186. Messiah, a

  1187. political figure

  1188. to take over.

  1189. And he doesn't

  1190. want them saying

  1191. anything until

  1192. after his

  1193. resurrection.

  1194. It's the

  1195. resurrection that

  1196. will be the

  1197. greatest evidence

  1198. that he is the

  1199. Messiah.

  1200. And so he

  1201. tells them,

  1202. keep it on the

  1203. down low.

  1204. And as they're on

  1205. their way down,

  1206. verse 10,

  1207. the disciples

  1208. ask him,

  1209. then why do the

  1210. scribes say

  1211. that first

  1212. Elijah must

  1213. come?

  1214. What they're

  1215. asking is,

  1216. hey, we just

  1217. saw Elijah

  1218. with you.

  1219. The scribes

  1220. teach that they

  1221. must come

  1222. first.

  1223. What's up

  1224. with that?

  1225. And Jesus

  1226. essentially says

  1227. in verses

  1228. 11 and 12,

  1229. Elijah,

  1230. yes, they're

  1231. right.

  1232. He does

  1233. come and he

  1234. will restore

  1235. all things.

  1236. He will

  1237. usher in the

  1238. kingdom of

  1239. restoring all

  1240. things.

  1241. He says,

  1242. they're right.

  1243. But they

  1244. missed him.

  1245. Verse 14,

  1246. but I tell

  1247. you that

  1248. Elijah has

  1249. already come

  1250. and they

  1251. did not

  1252. recognize him

  1253. but did

  1254. to him

  1255. whatever they

  1256. pleased.

  1257. So also

  1258. the son of

  1259. man will

  1260. certainly

  1261. suffer at

  1262. their hands.

  1263. And so

  1264. Jesus clears

  1265. up this

  1266. Elijah question.

  1267. The scribes

  1268. had been

  1269. teaching that

  1270. but they

  1271. missed

  1272. John the

  1273. Baptist

  1274. when they

  1275. came.

  1276. John the

  1277. Baptist

  1278. was the

  1279. fulfillment

  1280. of the

  1281. prophecy

  1282. in Malachi

  1283. 4 or 5

  1284. of Elijah

  1285. coming before

  1286. the awesome

  1287. day of

  1288. the Lord.

  1289. But here's

  1290. what I want

  1291. you to

  1292. notice.

  1293. In

  1294. verse 9,

  1295. and as

  1296. they were

  1297. coming down

  1298. the mountain

  1299. Jesus

  1300. commanded

  1301. them,

  1302. tell no

  1303. one the

  1304. vision until

  1305. the son of

  1306. man is

  1307. raised from

  1308. the dead.

  1309. Coming

  1310. down to

  1311. reality.

  1312. me.

  1313. I'm

  1314. heading

  1315. towards

  1316. my

  1317. death

  1318. in

  1319. resurrection.

  1320. In

  1321. verse 12,

  1322. so also

  1323. the son

  1324. of man

  1325. will

  1326. certainly

  1327. suffer at

  1328. their hands.

  1329. As

  1330. John the

  1331. Baptist

  1332. went,

  1333. so will

  1334. the son

  1335. of man

  1336. go.

  1337. The

  1338. kingdom

  1339. will be

  1340. established

  1341. through

  1342. suffering.

  1343. So what

  1344. we see

  1345. going on

  1346. here is

  1347. this.

  1348. We have

  1349. God,

  1350. the glory

  1351. of Christ

  1352. on display

  1353. on the

  1354. mountaintop,

  1355. and then

  1356. on the

  1357. way

  1358. down,

  1359. Jesus

  1360. is back

  1361. talking

  1362. about

  1363. the

  1364. fullness

  1365. of

  1366. suffering

  1367. he will

  1368. experience

  1369. to accomplish

  1370. our

  1371. salvation

  1372. and restore

  1373. all things.

  1374. Who is

  1375. this guy?

  1376. He is

  1377. the all

  1378. glorious

  1379. one,

  1380. full of

  1381. glory,

  1382. and who

  1383. will suffer

  1384. fully to

  1385. accomplish a

  1386. fullness of

  1387. salvation and

  1388. give you

  1389. fullness of

  1390. grace that

  1391. will result

  1392. in you

  1393. fully

  1394. following

  1395. him.

  1396. He did

  1397. it for

  1398. you.

  1399. He did

  1400. it for

  1401. his glory.

  1402. Who is

  1403. this guy?

  1404. He's the

  1405. one who

  1406. keeps his

  1407. word.

  1408. He is

  1409. the one

  1410. shining like

  1411. the sun.

  1412. He's the

  1413. fulfiller of

  1414. the Old

  1415. Testament.

  1416. He is

  1417. beloved by

  1418. his father

  1419. because he

  1420. does the

  1421. father's

  1422. will.

  1423. He is

  1424. gentle.

  1425. Rise,

  1426. do not

  1427. fear.

  1428. And he

  1429. will suffer.

  1430. And he

  1431. will suffer

  1432. greatly in

  1433. order to

  1434. accomplish our

  1435. salvation.

  1436. So let's

  1437. bring it all

  1438. the way back.

  1439. If anyone

  1440. would come

  1441. after me,

  1442. who's the

  1443. me?

  1444. He's the

  1445. Christ,

  1446. the glorious

  1447. one.

  1448. the one

  1449. who would

  1450. suffer in

  1451. order to

  1452. save so

  1453. that we

  1454. could follow

  1455. him.

  1456. It's just

  1457. not a

  1458. historical

  1459. event,

  1460. this

  1461. transfiguration.

  1462. It's a

  1463. functional

  1464. event.

  1465. It compels

  1466. us as we

  1467. see his

  1468. glory to

  1469. follow him.

  1470. Let me

  1471. just make

  1472. this connection

  1473. for you.

  1474. if this

  1475. is Jesus,

  1476. if this

  1477. is truly

  1478. who he

  1479. is,

  1480. who we

  1481. see on

  1482. the

  1483. mountaintop

  1484. is who

  1485. he is

  1486. now.

  1487. This is

  1488. who he

  1489. is.

  1490. This is

  1491. the true

  1492. Jesus in

  1493. his glory.

  1494. He's worth

  1495. everything.

  1496. Every

  1497. minute of

  1498. your day,

  1499. every

  1500. square inch

  1501. of your

  1502. life,

  1503. every

  1504. penny in

  1505. your bank

  1506. account,

  1507. he is

  1508. worth it

  1509. all

  1510. because of

  1511. who he

  1512. is,

  1513. what he's

  1514. done,

  1515. and what

  1516. eventually

  1517. he will

  1518. do.

  1519. tomorrow

  1520. morning when

  1521. you wake

  1522. up,

  1523. I hope

  1524. you're

  1525. asking the

  1526. question

  1527. today,

  1528. who

  1529. matters

  1530. most?

  1531. And after

  1532. getting a

  1533. glimpse of

  1534. the glory

  1535. of Christ

  1536. here in

  1537. Matthew 17,

  1538. I hope

  1539. you gladly

  1540. say,

  1541. oh Lord

  1542. Jesus,

  1543. I will

  1544. gladly deny

  1545. myself,

  1546. and I

  1547. will take

  1548. up my

  1549. cross,

  1550. and I

  1551. will follow

  1552. you because

  1553. you alone

  1554. are glorious,

  1555. and you

  1556. alone are

  1557. worthy of

  1558. my life.

  1559. Let's

  1560. pray.

  1561. God in

  1562. heaven,

  1563. would you

  1564. take these

  1565. words of

  1566. yours in

  1567. Matthew 17,

  1568. especially this

  1569. glimpse of the

  1570. glory of Christ

  1571. on the

  1572. mountaintop,

  1573. and would

  1574. you press

  1575. that into

  1576. our hearts

  1577. so that

  1578. we will

  1579. never forget

  1580. it,

  1581. so that

  1582. we wake

  1583. up day

  1584. after day

  1585. with the

  1586. sense that

  1587. Lord Jesus,

  1588. you are the

  1589. glorious one,

  1590. and that

  1591. when you

  1592. come back,

  1593. we will

  1594. see you as

  1595. you are,

  1596. and we

  1597. will rejoice.

  1598. It's in your

  1599. name we pray.

  1600. Amen.

  1601. Amen.