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A supernova is the brightest spectacle in the
universe. It is a glorious, powerful occurrence. A star which goes
supernova outshines its entire galaxy for eons of time. It’s the closest
thing I can wrap my head around to imagine Jesus in all of His glorious,
powerful, infinite brightness.
Luke clarifies that it was afternoon when
Jesus led His inner circle up the mountain to pray. It was a long, steep
climb, and when they reached the summit Jesus led them in prayer, and
somewhere in there these guys went to sleep. If the disciples were good at
anything it was sleeping when important things were going on. I take
comfort in this, that if Peter, James and John could go to sleep when Jesus
is talking, perhaps I shouldn’t be offended when some go to sleep on me!
Bro. Mike said he closes his eyes when he’s meditating passionately about
something spiritual...but that doesn’t explain when his mouth drops open!
But something woke their attention...Jesus
underwent an incredible metamorphosis right before their very eyes. It is a
snapshot preview of the coming kingdom of Christ upon the earth. One of
these days Jesus is going to return and establish His earthly kingdom and
rule and reign for 1,000 years. Last week in chapter 16 Jesus told them
about the cross. His cross and their cross which they must bear. Now in
chapter 17 He’s being glorified before them. He wants us all to know that
there always must be a cross before
there can be a crown. The pathway to glory is paved with
suffering.
First let’s look at
the MEN on the mountain:
Peter, James and John are 3 of the first
disciples to follow Jesus. They had been in the fishing business together
before, and now they form the inner circle. It was these 3 who earlier were
taken into the home of Jairus and watched Jesus raise the man’s daughter
from the dead. Then there’s this day we now study, and later in the Garden
of Gethsemane, just before going to the cross, they will be there in that
garden with Him.
On this day
they are going to gain courage for their own cross. James
will be the first disciple to die for Christ [Acts 12]. John will be the
last. And he will go thru severe persecution before he dies. Peter will
later experience many occasions of suffering and will wind up being
crucified upside down, by his own request. All 3 of these guys learned from
Jesus that it’s first the suffering, then the glory...first the cross, then
the crown.
Each of them needed confidence
in the Scriptures. And they found it on this mountain this day, for
who is it that shows up with Jesus? Moses and Elijah. Moses represents the
law, and Elijah the prophets. Moses stands for those who die in Christ, and
Elijah symbolizes those who are translated, or raptured away.
I love the appearance of Moses and Elijah,
for it reminds us of the very real truth that there is life after this
life. Each of us are eternal souls that will live somewhere forever, or
else die forever somewhere else. Some in our own church have died this
year. Do we really believe they are alive today in heaven? You’d better
believe it. They are more alive today than they ever have been. If you are
living your life as though what you see now is all there is, you need to get
a hold of this truth today. You will spend a very conscious existence
somewhere for all of eternity!
This also helps confirm the answer to the oft
asked question, “Will we know one another in heaven?” You got it partner.
Peter awoke from his sleep, and with no introductions knew they were Moses
and Elijah. How did he know? He just did! And when I get to heaven I’m
going to know people I used to know, and those I never did know. I’ll
recognize Bro. Steven, not because he’ll be hobbling on fake legs, because
he won’t be, and yet I’ll know him!
The Bible says these 3, Jesus, Moses and
Elijah were talking together. What about? About His upcoming sacrifice as
the Lamb of God for all the ages, past, present and future!
I can just hear Moses saying, “Lord, you’re
the only One Who has ever done it, but you fulfilled the moral law here on
earth in perfection, never sinning...go on to the cross, and fulfill the
ceremonial law on the cross, for every sacrifice of every spotless lamb from
my days all pointed to you. I’m in heaven on credit Lord, and I’m trusting
you now to pay in full my sin debt as you fulfill the moral law.”
I can just hear Elijah saying, “Lord, you are
the fulfillment of all the prophecies...
Malachi said You’d be born in Bethlehem and
You were.
Isaiah said You’d be born of a virgin, and
You were.
Jacob said You’d come from the tribe of
Judah, and You did.
The psalmist said You’d come speaking in
parables, and You have.
Isaiah said You’d be rejected by Your own
people, and You have been.
You are the culmination of all the prophets,
Lord.
You are about to fulfill Zechariah 11:2, and
be sold for 30 pieces of silver.
You are about to fulfill Isaiah 53:7 and
stand silent before Your accusers.
You’re the One Who will fulfill Psalm 22:16
when they pierce Your hands and feet.
You are my prophet, my priest, and my King!”
The disciples needed confidence in the Word
of God, the law and the prophets, and each of them would later pen much of
the New Testament themselves. Peter got the message and said in...
2 Peter 1:16-18 16 we...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.
But look at the very next verse...
2 Peter 1:19
We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take
heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and
the day star arise in your hearts:
That day star is the bright and morning star,
a supernova of spiritual proportions, the Lord Jesus Christ!
And the most wonderful thing that can happen
to us as Christians is not for us to have some mountaintop experience with
bright lights, but just to hear and study and know the Word of God!
So, this experience gave them courage for
their cross, and confidence in the Scriptures...
Also, it gave them commitment
to the Son of God.
Are you awestruck with Who Jesus
truly is? Can you take in His glory and His majesty? We’ve seen the men on
the mountain, and can learn plenty just from them, but the crux of this
passage is not these men, but the Master
on the mountain!
v. 2 “Transfigured” is one of the
most interesting words in the Bible. The Greek word here translates into
our word metamorphosis. It is literally a change on the outside that comes
from the inside.
Ill.—Transformers are back! I could play all
day! “More than meets the eye.” When what is inside unfolds it takes a new
shape.
Ill.—take a woolly caterpillar / he will wrap
himself inside a cocoon / some great changes happen while inside that cocoon
/ then it unfolds revealing a beautiful butterfly.
And all of a sudden all that Jesus
truly was on the inside, hidden in a cocoon of human flesh was revealed
outwardly. Jesus Christ has always been God, even when He walked this
earth, but His glory was veiled until this day. On this mountain
His glory was not reflected from above, but
radiated from within.
John 17:5
And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which
I had with thee before the world was.
And when He returns someday, it will be in
His glorified presence.
Revelation 21:23
And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it:
for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light
thereof.
Some think the transfiguration was for the
purpose of showing Jesus’ deity. I disagree. He had done nothing but show
His deity in so many ways. This story is recorded in Matthew, Mark, and
Luke, but not in John. John passes over it. Why? What was the purpose of
the Gospel of John? To show Jesus’ deity. [John 1:1] I believe this
really was the proclamation of His pure humanity. What do I mean?
Ill.—the way you test an expensive crystal is
by putting heat to it. The flame will find any flaw or imperfection, and
will crack that crystal.
If there had been one blemish in
Christ the glory this day would have ruptured the man Jesus and all He
teached and preached would have shattered into a million pieces. And if any
fault had been found in Him, He could not have died for our sins, he would
have had to die for His own sins, just like we deserve!
Friend, God wants to do the same thing with
your life...He wants to change you on the inside in a way that will radiate
to the outside.
Romans 12:2
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed[same word] by the renewing of your mind,
that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect,
will of God.
Christian, there ought to be a glow about
your life...a radiance of the beauty of Jesus inside. Matthew 5 says we are
to be like bright lights shining on a hillside.
Spirituality cannot be forced from the
outside in with rules and regulations. I’m all for standards, but they must
be real and come from the inside out!
2 Corinthians 3:18
But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord,
are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the
Spirit of the Lord.
Translation:
The child of God looks into the Word of God, sees the glorious Son of
God, and then we are transformed by the Spirit of God to radiate the
glory of God.
Hearing the Word is good, but not enough.
Reading the Word is recommended, but still not enough. It is only when we
OBEY the Word that we are changed.
I want you to know that these 3 disciples
never forgot this experience. They carried it with them the rest of their
lives.
2 Peter 1:16 16 we...were eyewitnesses of his
majesty.
John said in John 1:14
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.
James said in James 2:1 He is the Lord of
glory!
What a privilege to see Him in all of His
glory today. And to think that we will one day be like that ourselves.
1 John 3:2
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we
shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for
we shall see him as he is.
Of course we won’t be gods ourselves, but
just as he created us in His image, He glorifies us in the same way. If
you’ve been saved then you have been justified. And ideally, you are being
sanctified. How marvelous that one day we will also be glorified!
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