Luke 9:28-36: Responding To The Glory Of God
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Introduction:
Introduction:
No other passage exists that shows Jesus in all His glory throughout His ministry like this passage does
This is a very important moment in Jesus’ life and ministry
Soon they will be headed to Jerusalem for Jesus to give His life on the cross for the sins of the world
Again we see that prayer is an essential part of Jesus’ ministry since he went up to the mountain to pray once again v. 28
We’ve seen that Jesus has gone out to pray numerous times throughout the book of Luke
I can’t help but repeat over and over again how important prayer is in the life of the christian
We cannot expect God to give us direction, help us in our problems, resolve our doubts, help us to heal our wounds if we don’t spend time in private prayer with the Father
Here in this passage we can see:
Jesus’ glory
The conversation with Moses and Elijah
The Father’s approval of Jesus
And Peter’s response to Jesus’ glory
How do we see Jesus? Is He just a teacher? Is He just a prophet?
How do we respond when we are confronted to God’s glory?
Are we willing to listen when He speaks?
1. The Incomparable Glory Of God v. 28-31
1. The Incomparable Glory Of God v. 28-31
We see in v. 29 that the passage begins showing the glory of Jesus Christ
But it’s important to remember that this glory is seen throughout the Old Testament and will be seen completely in the future
God’s glory in the Old Testament
God’s glory in the Old Testament
God’s glory guided the people of Israel through the desert Exodus 13:21
21 And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night:
God’s glory passed in front of Moses when he was hidden behind the rock Exodus 33:18-23
18 And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.
19 And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.
20 And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.
21 And the Lord said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock:
22 And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by:
23 And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.
God’s glory covered the new tabernacle to the point no one could enter Exodus 40:35
35 And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.
God’s glory filled Solomon’s temple to the point they could not enter 1 Kings 8:10-11; 2 Chronicles 7:1
10 And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the Lord,
11 So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of the Lord.
1 Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the Lord filled the house.
Isaiah saw the glory of God Isaiah 6:1-4
1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.
3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: The whole earth is full of his glory.
4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.
The glory of Jesus
The glory of Jesus
So now we see that all of this glory throughout the Old Testament can be seen in the person of Jesus Christ
This is not a glory that was given to him by outside forces as if a flashlight was shining over Him
This is a glory that begins with His face shining and changing in fashion
Then his clothing begins to change and shine white as the light and whiter than any white could ever exist on earth Matthew 17:2; Mark 9:3
2 And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.
3 And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them.
All of God’s glory can be seen in Jesus
John said it this way John 1:14
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.
Peter said it this way 2 Peter 1:17-18
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.
We see that the glory just adds on to glory
It constantly increases on the mount
What happened on the mount that day is unexplainable
Peter, James and John were standing there witnessing all of it
Moses and Elijah
Moses and Elijah
And now on top of all this glory we see these two characters from the Old Testament on the scene with Jesus
Here we find Moses who represents the law and Elijah who represents the prophets
The entire summary and consummation of the Old Testament is here to end with prophecies and the whole sacrificial system
Jesus is the end of all sacrifices
Jesus is the end of the law
He fulfills and completes the law
I can only imagine the type of conversation being had among the three
The Bible tells us that they are speaking of his decease, departure, exodus, etc.
While the exodus in the Old Testament freed Israel from Egypt, Jesus’ exodus would free His people from sin
This would happen in Jerusalem
It would be accomplished in His death, resurrection and ascension
Maybe they prayed with Him
Maybe they encouraged Him to keep going and accomplish the work that was planned and has been moving forward for thousand of years
Maybe they thanked Him for the sacrifice that he was about to make
I imagine that Moses and Elijah praised and worshipped Him
The coming glory of Jesus
The coming glory of Jesus
This is all just a glimpse of the coming glory of Jesus Philippians 2:9-11
9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
One of the greatest pictures of the glory of Jesus is in Revelation 4
1 After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.
2 And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.
3 And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.
4 And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.
5 And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.
6 And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.
7 And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.
8 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.
9 And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever,
10 The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
2. The Unimaginable Response Of Peter v. 32-33
2. The Unimaginable Response Of Peter v. 32-33
Throughout the Bible we can see how so many people responded to the glory of God
Isaiah responded with fear and guilt as he recognized his sin Isaiah 6:5
5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.
Moses responded in worship Exodus 34:6-7
6 And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,
7 Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.
Paul responded asking Jesus what He wanted him to do Acts 9:6
6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.
But Peter just can’t seem to keep his mouth shut
Even though they were tired they stayed awake and were able to watch the whole event
As they saw that this scene was wrapping up Peter decides to interrupt Jesus, Moses and Elijah and they are saying their goodbyes
Peter is so happy because they are seeing Christ glorified
Surely he got excited because he thought they wouldn’t have to go to the cross anymore
But Peter’s problem is that he responded in the wrong way to what He saw
He had his own plans for Jesus
He had his own plans for Jesus
It’s interesting that instead of responding with worship, reverence or even silence he decided to tell Jesus what He needed to do
He didn’t give Jesus His rightful place
He didn’t give Jesus His rightful place
He wanted to make 3 tabernacles for 3 people
He didn’t put Jesus above Moses or Elijah
After seeing this great event all Peter could call Jesus is “Master”
He isn’t Lord, God or King
He’s just Master
His plans were opposite to God’s
His plans were opposite to God’s
Jesus had already announced His death
They already knew He was supposed to die
Peter wanted a crown instead of a cross
He didn’t want the message to go to everyone
Instead he wanted everyone to come to the mount
He didn’t know what he was saying
He didn’t know what he was saying
This tells us everything we need to hear
Peter is uncomfortable with silence
Peter thinks that he always has to have an answer for everything
Peter would rather say something that’s wrong than to not say anything at all
And that’s his big problem
I think many of us could identify with Peter here
We see God’s glory, we understand that He’s speaking to us about something, we hear Him speak to us through a sermon and the first thing we want to do is answer
We’d rather interrupt what God is doing and saying with our own plans and opinions
3. Hear Him v. 35
3. Hear Him v. 35
While Peter tries to interrupt Jesus’ farewells, God interrupts Peter
Once again we see God’s glory increasing and increasing
His face is shining
His clothing is shining
Moses and Elijah have come down to talk to Him
And now we see a great cloud come down over them
Finally the disciples show great fear
And we see God the Father give His opinion about what is going on
First we see that He declares His approval about Jesus Christ - His beloved Son
Second we see what He commands the disciples to do - Hear Him
Peter has been interrupted by God to tell him to shut His mouth and simply listen to what Jesus says
Jesus is different
He isn’t like Moses or Elijah or any other prophet
God the Father has spoken to us through His son Hebrews 1:1-3
1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
Being that Jesus is who He is, everything falls on us listening to Him
He says John 14:6; 7:37; Matthew 11:28-30
6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
37 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.
28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Listening to Him today
Listening to Him today
While many await an experience like the disciples, few are willing to hear his voice every day
We think that with a supernatural experience we would know exactly what God wants and many of our problems would be resolved
But Peter says the following 2 Peter 1:16-19
16 For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but 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.
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:
The more sure word is the Word of God that you have in your hands
And it seems like Peter learned his lesson “ye do well that ye take heed”
We want a mountaintop experience but we aren’t willing to open our Bibles
We want a mountaintop experience but we take the preaching of His Word as optional
We want God to work in our lives, jobs, families and church but instead of taking time to hear Him, we give all the answer to what we want, what we think and what we plan
His glory surrounds us but we are too busy to see it