Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

So much of growing up is watching your parents, isn’t it?

We have a baby in our house, and I can attest to the fact that we come into this world not knowing how to do very much.

And, the way that we learn is by watching what our parents do.

And so, over time, against our will and emphatic statements, we can begin to see how we kind of transform into our parents.

Now, from the parent perspective, what’s scary is that we quickly learn that our children don’t just adopt the good things from us; they also take to the bad things, don’t they?

It’s amazing how bad some of our words or phrases sound coming out of the precious lips of our children.

Or, when you see them get frustrated with something and slam it on to the ground.

Here’s what we learn: We become like what we behold.

That is, whatever or whoever it is that we devote our time and attention to, slowly we begin to look like them and act like them and talk like them.

And here’s what I want you to see this morning: So much of the Christian life boils down to gazing upon Jesus.

says, “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.”

So, Paul is saying this: Gaze upon Jesus.

Look deeply at Christ.

Stare at him, and don’t look away.

And, beholding him you will gradually find yourself transformed into his image and his character.

This morning, I really want to spend our time gazing upon Christ so that we might be encouraged and transformed.

What we

God’s Word

Read

The Beginning of Fulfillment

“some standing here will not taste death until they see the Son of Man in his kingdom” I want to start this morning by going back to the enigmatic final two verses of chapter 16.

These seem to be mysterious verses and have caused many Christians to leave quite perplexed as to what to think.

So, I’m going to try to explain how I think all of this works together.

Let’s read them together.

Read .

So, here’s what it says.

It says that some, not all, of Jesus’ disciples are going to behold Jesus coming into his kingdom in the glory of his Father before they even die.

And, of course, what makes this confusing is that it sounds to us like Jesus is telling his disciples that they will still be alive when He returns to collect his church, and all of us know that we are still awaiting the second coming of Christ today.

Many liberal scholars have pointed to this passage and said, “See.

Jesus wasn’t inerrant or infallible.

Jesus was even way off on his timing.”

And, then for Christians who take their Bibles very seriously, it causes tension in their hearts as they wonder: “Is it possible that Jesus got this wrong?

Is it possible that the second coming has already happened?

Maybe, I should just watch the History channel.”

Unveiled Glory

“And he was transfigured” Throughout the Bible, we often find prophetic passages that read as though they will be fulfilled all at once, when in fact, they are to be fulfilled over the course of time.

That is, they are incrementally, or progressively, fulfilled over a period time, and sometimes a very substantial period of time. is an example of this.

It’s the famous “For unto us a child is born” passage.

And, it’s interesting because we know that it will be fulfilled over the course of at least three different events.

The birth of Cyrus, who was a king that God used to deliver his people, the birth of Jesus who was the child born as the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace, and the return of Jesus when He will establish and uphold the throne of David forevermore.

And, I think that applies to our passage today.

All three gospel writers who give us an account of the Transfiguration link immediately to the statement that Jesus has just made about seeing him in the glory of Father before they die.

And so, I think we are seeing the beginning of fulfillment.

Today, they will behold Jesus in his unveiled glory and only a short time later they will behold him after the resurrection establishing his Kingdom, both of which are a foretaste of the final and ultimate consummation of Jesus returning in his glory to establish the New Heaven and the New Earth.

Unveiled Glory

“And he was transfigured” The scene on this day is a remarkable one, isn’t it?

This day in which Jesus gives three of his disciples a glimpse of his glory.

I think it’s important for us to think for a second as to why Jesus had to do this.

Our text uses the word ‘transfigured’ to describe what happens to Jesus on the mountain.

‘Transfigured’ means that he changed forms.

The actual word that used here is the word ‘metamorphosis’, which we often use to describe the transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly.

It’s the transformation of something from one form to another.

And so, the Bible says that on the mountain that day that Jesus changed forms so his disciples might behold him in some degree of his glory.

Jesus had to reveal his glory to his disciples because it was veiled by his human flesh.

We have to be patient with the disciples.

They are following a man who sleeps like they sleep and gets sick like they get sick and requires food and water the same way that they require food and water.

He seems powerless politically and friendless in his own hometown.

His own family often seems skeptical of him.

In other words, as extraordinary a man as Jesus is, it’s still hard to believe that He could be God.

God doesn’t sleep and God doesn’t thirst and God isn’t homeless.

But, Jesus’ flesh was only a veil.

On the mountain that day, Peter, James, and John glimpsed Jesus in a form that made clear his true identity.

The disciples were seeing Jesus as the Father had always seen him -- as He truly is.

You can almost hear in Matthew’s attempt to write out what was seen how there were no words that were adequate.

He says that it appeared as though Jesus wore light for clothes.

The purity of his righteousness and the potency of his majesty was so spectacularly white that it was every color in the universe being completely manifested in him so that he glowed with glory.

The brightest light that a human has ever known is the light of the sun, and this is what the evangelist uses to describe the face of Jesus.

His glory was so bright and so overcoming that it would have been impossible for them to look directly at it, just as it is the sun.

A Foretaste of Future Glory

But, the transfiguration is but a foretaste of the glory that lies ahead for the risen Christ.

() In the New Heaven and the New Earth there will be no moon, and there will be no sun, for you could not see them even if they were there.

The glory of God is so bright that it bleaches out the sun.

The glory of God will shine as the lamp that eliminates every corner of darkness in the cosmos so that wherever you look and whatever you behold the very glory of God will be reflected in spectacular form.

And, it was but a fraction of this, a foretaste of the days to come that they were beholding that day.

Jesus’ Majesty Will Get You Through

16 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.

17 For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” 18 we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain.

APPLICATION: Oh, how this day would get them through the hard days ahead!

In , Peter writes: “16 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.

17 For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” 18 we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain.”

This is what got them through the days of their persecution!

This is what got them through the days when they felt like they were wasting their time with people!

Jesus had shown them his majesty, and they knew that His mission was worth it!

And, this is what will get you through the hard days too!

Jesus has proven himself as God and shown himself as glorious.

On your hard days, remember his majesty!

Remember his glory!

It’s going to be fully revealed, just hold on a little longer, Christian!

More Glorious than Moses and Elijah

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version.

(2016).

().

Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

“there appeared to them Moses and Elijah” As Jesus is transfigured, Matthew tells us that some remarkable guests make an appearance.

Two of the greatest figures of the OT, Moses and Elijah, appear in a conversation with Jesus that Luke tells us is about Jesus’ upcoming crucifixion.

I think there are two primary reasons that these two great OT figures make an appearance on the mountain that day.

First, they are there to minister to Jesus and to give him words of encouragement and preparation for the cross that’s coming.

We are certain exactly what they are saying, but in speaking of his departure, they most certainly are being used by the Father to the encouragement of his Son.

Greater Than Moses, Greater Than Elijah

The other purpose of Moses and Elijah is to further reveal the glory of Jesus.

They are bearing witness to Jesus’ disciples that day that this is the Messiah of the Bible, this is the promised one of Israel.