Mount Glory
Notes
Transcript
Intro: Theme/Topic (What’s the problem, the question, etc.)
Who is Jesus? This is a question that people have answered in many ways since the first century.
JW’s believe Jesus was the arch angel Michael.
Mormons believe Jesus is the spirit brother of Satan
Muslims believe Jesus was just another prophet.
The religious leaders of Jesus’ day saw Him as a blasphemer.
Some modern day intellectuals try to write Jesus off as being a delusional madman.
Other secular people believe Jesus was a myth.
Others believe Jesus was just a great teacher.
And some think He was a good example to live by.
In the 16th chapter of Matthew’s gospel Jesus asked His 12 disciples who the people His day say He is. They replied in v. 14, some say you are John the Baptist, other say you are Elijah, and others say you are Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.
Then Jesus turned the question to them, “Who do You say that I am?” To which Peter gave his famous response, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God!”
Peter got the right answer but it’s clear he didn’t REALLY know what that meant. So, in today’s text — the very next chapter in Matthew’s gospel — Jesus is going to SHOW them who He really is.
Scripture
Let’s get to the Word of God now. Please turn with me to Matthew 17:1-13. If you need to use a pew Bible, you’ll find today’s text on page 977. Once you’re there, please stand with me if you are able and follow along with me as I read...
And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.
And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light.
And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him.
And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.”
He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”
When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified.
But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.”
And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.
And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.”
And the disciples asked him, “Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?”
He answered, “Elijah does come, and he will restore all things.
But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands.”
Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.
This is God’s Word.
Prayer
Father, may these scriptures, breathed out by You open our eyes afresh to who Jesus really is. Teach us, reprove us, correct us and train us in righteousness this morning. In Jesus’ name we pray — AMEN!
Intro: Formal (give context to passage, setting the scene, big idea)
In this summer sermon series called Peaks of Grace, we’ve been hiking to the summits of some of the most significant events in biblical history to see what God has to teach us on the tops of these mountains.
In today’s text, Peter, James, and John go for an unforgettable hike with Jesus to the summit of high (unnamed) mountain. And it’s on this summit that we get a glimpse unlike any other — a glimpse of who Jesus really is. And when you have eyes to see Jesus for who He really is, it will change your life forever!
I’m going to use 3 more trail markers in this sermon as we make our way the summit of what I’m calling Mt. Glory...
Who Jesus Is
What Jesus Does
How We Respond
Let’s get hiking…
Who Jesus Is
Who Jesus Is
First, we see on this summit that Jesus is the ONE the entire OT pointed to. A common way of referring to the OT scriptures was to call them the “Law and the Prophets.” Now remember from last week what Jesus said in His Sermon on the Mount…
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
Isn’t it amazing this TREAD that connects all these mountain tops together!
Now on yet another mountain, who do we see appearing with Jesus? — Moses, who represents the law and Elijah, one of the greatest OT prophets, representing the prophets.
Both of these men had encounters with God on the tops of their own mountains and they are also pointers to the coming Messiah.
I mentioned this last week how Jesus is the prophet like Moses that was promised on Mt. Sinai when God gave the law to Moses. And Elijah is mentioned in the very last verses of the OT. The closing verses of the book of Malachi connect Elijah with the coming of the Messiah.
Now look what Luke tells us about Jesus. In Luke 24, after Jesus rose from the dead he appeared to 2 men on the road to Emmaus and in v. 27 Luke writes…
And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
I’ve heard Christians say things like this before almost disparaging the OT scriptures as second class because Jesus isn’t in them. Well Jesus begs to differ according to Luke 24:27! This should thrill your heart to know that while Jesus isn’t named explicitly, He is dripping off of every page of the OT for those with eyes to see Him there! When you understand this, it will truly change the way you read the OT!
The second thing we see about who Jesus is on this summit is that He IS the very glory of God!
Remember back to Exodus 34, where after spending time in proximity to God’s glory on Mount Sinai, Moses comes down with the law and it says his face was shining! And the people saw it and were afraid. So Moses covered his face with a veil.
Now verse 2 of our text tells how Jesus’ face shone like the sun! But there’s a difference between the face of Moses and the face of Jesus! Moses’ face shone because it was reflecting the glory of God. But Jesus’ face shone because He is the glory of God!
I love what it says about Jesus at the beginning of the book of Hebrews — that He IS the RADIANCE of the glory of God!
So, if you had to compare Moses’ face to Jesus’ face you could say that Moses’ light was like the light of the moon that reflects the light of the sun. But Matthew writes to tell us that Jesus is the very sun itself!
But you see, in Jesus’ earthly ministry this is a reality that Jesus laid aside choosing not to use it to His advantage. This is what Paul means when writes in Philippians 2:7
but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
It’s almost like Jesus is like Clark Kent. He concealed the fact that he was really super man choosing to appear like everyone else and not using his powers to his advantage in is day to day life. So, here on this mountain, Jesus is giving these 3 disciples a brief glimpse of His true identity as the very Glory of God!
And what do we mean by GLORY? That is kind of a churchy word. Glory is a word that essentially conveys importance, significance, or weightiness. And when you understand the true glory of God you know that He is so significant that everything else seems so insignificant. This is what we mean when we say that a certain idea or argument has more weight — we’re saying that it is more significant.
So, Jesus is the fulfillment of all the Law and the prophets. And He is the very Glory of God…
The third thing Jesus reveals about Himself is that He is also the very presence of God!
No Jewish reader could look at this passage and not be struck by the mention of the cloud in v. 5. This would immediately suggest to them the Shekinah glory cloud in the Old Testament. The Hebrew word Shekinah is a word that means dwelling! This cloud in the OT was a manifestation of the very presence of God!
We see God in the form of this cloud in Exodus as He led His people out of slavery in Egypt.
It was probably this same cloud that enveloped the top of Mount Sinai when Moses received God’s law.
Later, when the tabernacle was completed this cloud filled it so completely that not even Moses could enter it!
And it was this cloud that filled Solomon’s temple at its dedication so that the priests were unable to enter it!
Jesus is showing us here that He us unlike Moses and Elijah because He doesn’t point the way to God — He doesn’t just bring us to God — He is the very presence of God in human form. He is the Glory of God — And the one all of the OT scriptures point to!
Now let’s observe the next trail marker as we consider what this passage tells us Jesus does…
What Jesus Does
What Jesus Does
First notice that when the bright could envelopes them and the voice of God speaks, these 3 disciples hit the deck to their faces in terror.
Remember when the glory of God descended upon Mt. Sinai and person or animal that got too close would be killed!
At the end of Exodus chapter 33, Moses asks God to show him His glory! And the Lord grants his request but under a condition. God would put Moses in the cleft of a rock and cause His glory and all His goodness to pass by him.
But God would cover Moses with His hand until He passed by and then He would take it away and Moses could look upon His back. You see Moses could not look the pure glory of God in the face. God told him that no man can see His face and live!
Modern people find this kind of stuff a little strange and confusing — maybe even a little offensive. Why does God have to be so hard? Why do people have to die?
Remember a couple of months ago, there was that tragic accident with the submersible that was taking people down to see the Titanic. What happened was that as the vessel plunged deeper below the sea, the weight of all that water overwhelmed the materials used to make the submersible and it imploded — it was crushed. It couldn’t withstand the force of all that water bearing down on it. It’s just a fact of science.
So, in a similar way, anyone who get’s too close to the presence of God begins to feel the moral weight of His infinite glory and goodness. And because we’re finite and flawed, we can’t bear His being. It’s a fact.
When Isaiah comes near to the presence of God in Isaiah 6, what does he say —
And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”
Or towards the end of the book of Job, when God draws near in a whirlwind, Job says this…
I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you;
therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.”
Now think of this… in order for the presence of God to dwell among His people, He instructed them to build a tabernacle and the Shekinah glory cloud would dwell in the innermost part — an area called the holy of holies.
Do you realize what God was doing… He was shielding the people from His presence for their protection! The tabernacle and later the temple was a shield to protect God’s people from His glory and presence.
Now, no one can say with certainty what the reason was for Peter’s comments in v. 4 about building tents (or tabernacles) for Jesus and his guests. But I found it interesting that one commentator suggested one possibility was that Peter was thinking about protection.
Then the thing Peter feared happened in v. 5 — The Shekinah Glory Cloud appears and overshadows them! In terror they drop to their faces in the dirt thinking this could be it for them!
But look what happens next… they don’t die. Why? V. 7 tells us! Jesus drew near and touched them saying, “RISE, and have no fear.” And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw only Jesus!
It’s interesting, in John 2 Jesus says to the religious leaders, “Tear down this temple and in 3 days I will raise it up again.” Jesus was referring to His body when He said that!
Do you see the connection. If Jesus is our temple, then Jesus is our shield. Instead of us being crushed like that submersible under the weight of God’s glory — Jesus was crushed — His body, the temple was torn down when He took our sin upon Himself and died in our place on the cross!
And now for those who trust Christ as their savior, the NT says you are now a temple, and God, who was once fatal to you now dwells in you and gives you life eternal!
But for this to be possible that would mean that Jesus, the Son of God would have to suffer and be killed! This is something that the disciples had no category in their minds for: A Suffering Messiah. But this is what must happen for Jesus to be our shield — He must suffer.
This idea is all over the place here in our text. First notice the words spoken by the Father in v. 5 “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
This is a reference to Psalm 2:7 which identifies Jesus as God’s Son and is combined with a statement from Isaiah 42:1 That describes the promised suffering servant.
Now look at v. 3 where Jesus is talking with Moses and Elijah. Well, what are they talking about? Well Luke tells us in his gospel that they were talking about Jesus’ departure, which Jesus was about to accomplish in Jerusalem. They were talking about his death on the cross.
We see another reference to Jesus suffering in v. 9 when Jesus tells them He must be raised from the dead. And lastly in v. 12, He tells them that he must suffer as John the Baptist did before Him.
In all of these references to suffering Jesus’ point is that His CROSS must come before His CROWN. His path to Glory and our salvation runs only through the cross! This is what Jesus came to do.
Now in our final trail marker, How should we respond…
How We Should Respond
How We Should Respond
Notice the final thing the voice of God says in v. 5
We already covered the fact that the first two parts are references to Psalm 2 and Isaiah 42. But the final part is a reference to Deuteronomy 18. We must listen to Him. Look how Peter cites this passage in his speech in Acts 3:22-23
Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you.
And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people.’
We must listen to Him or be crushed under the weight of glory. Now would do well to listen to everything Jesus says, but in the context here, we must listen especially to what He says about His death and resurrection.
In Matthew 26, Jesus institutes the Lord’s Supper — we observed this earlier in the service today — Part of the meaning of this meal is to remember that Jesus’ broken body and shed blood on the cross is for the forgiveness of sins to all who will trust Him to save them!
Have you trusted Jesus to be your shield? If not start there! Start there today!
With this as our starting point, another way we must respond, is to grow in our obedience to all of God’s Word. If Jesus is the very glory of God, His supreme significance demands that He be the center of our lives and the one around whom everything revolves!
Jesus didn’t die for you and rise again so that He can be on the periphery of your life — a hobby you pay tribute to one morning out of your week.
You see, Jesus’ glory is actually a threat to you if you only see following Him as giving up things you like and doing things that seem boring.
The antidote to this is to respond in more way. We need to see Jesus as the source of all true beauty and pleasure. Glory absolutely means importance but it also means beauty
V. 5 tells us that Jesus is the very embodiment of the pleasures of God! Jesus’ glory will be a threat to you, unless you truly see His supreme beauty and know that He is the source of your greatest Joy!
Conclusion/Response (Gospel & Repent/Believe)
This is what God wants us to see in Jesus on Mt. Glory...
He’s the one all the scriptures point to.
He’s the very glory and presence of God.
He’s our shield and salvation!
He is of supreme significance which demands our full devotion
He’s the source of our greatest purest joy
I’ll end now with these words from a hymn written by John Newton…
Our pleasure and our duty
Though opposite before,
Since we have seen his beauty
Are joined to part no more.
Prayer
Closing Song:
Benediction
Jesus is the Son of God with whom He is well pleased — listen to Him. If you’ve never surrendered to Jesus, He calls to you today, “come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Church we all know people who will one day be crushed under the weight of God’s glory. Pray and seek opportunities to share the glory and beauty of Jesus with them this week.
[May] The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Numbers 6:24-26