WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.960 Well, tonight I'd like us to turn together to the passage that we read in the Gospel 00:00:06.960 --> 00:00:14.320 of Luke where we were reading about the great event known as the Transfiguration of Jesus. 00:00:14.320 --> 00:00:17.160 We can read again at verse 28. 00:00:17.160 --> 00:00:22.320 Now, about eight days after these sayings, he took with him Peter and John and James 00:00:22.320 --> 00:00:24.600 and went up to the mountain to pray. 00:00:24.600 --> 00:00:31.000 And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered and his clothing became dazzling 00:00:31.000 --> 00:00:33.000 white. 00:00:33.000 --> 00:00:41.520 Now, over the years, a lot of people have asked the question, where do you find the real Jesus? 00:00:41.520 --> 00:00:45.840 And that question arises very often out of the view that not everything that the Bible 00:00:45.840 --> 00:00:48.719 says about Jesus is true. 00:00:48.719 --> 00:00:53.840 So some people might say, well, the real Jesus was just a good teacher. 00:00:53.840 --> 00:00:56.920 Or the real Jesus didn't work miracles. 00:00:56.920 --> 00:01:02.000 He was just a good example of excellent moral conduct. 00:01:02.000 --> 00:01:07.480 Other people might say the real Jesus didn't actually die on the cross and he certainly 00:01:07.480 --> 00:01:09.960 didn't rise again. 00:01:09.960 --> 00:01:14.560 And so as a result of all these kind of thoughts, people have sometimes argued that the historical 00:01:14.560 --> 00:01:21.480 Jesus is not the same as the Jesus who's recorded for us in the Bible. 00:01:21.480 --> 00:01:24.359 And these kind of views have worked their way into popular culture. 00:01:24.359 --> 00:01:25.359 It's nothing new. 00:01:25.359 --> 00:01:27.920 It's something that stretches back across all the ages of history. 00:01:27.920 --> 00:01:34.320 And even today in books and in films, you get this kind of thing being emphasized. 00:01:34.320 --> 00:01:37.800 We have to be ready to respond to that because it's obviously not something that we believe 00:01:37.800 --> 00:01:38.800 ourselves. 00:01:38.800 --> 00:01:44.760 And there's lots of reasons why the suggestion that the Jesus of the Bible is not the real 00:01:44.760 --> 00:01:45.760 Jesus. 00:01:45.760 --> 00:01:49.400 There's lots of reasons why that kind of suggestion is unsound. 00:01:49.400 --> 00:01:55.400 But perhaps most important of all is to recognize the fact that the New Testament constantly 00:01:55.400 --> 00:02:00.320 refers to eyewitness testimony. 00:02:00.320 --> 00:02:06.400 When you look at the Bible, you see that the people who record these things are making 00:02:06.400 --> 00:02:09.120 it clear that they were there. 00:02:09.120 --> 00:02:13.879 If you look at the big events of the Bible, have you ever noticed that these incidents 00:02:13.879 --> 00:02:16.599 all have multiple witnesses? 00:02:16.599 --> 00:02:21.719 So whether it's Jesus' baptism, his miracles, the transfigurations we're reading here, the 00:02:21.719 --> 00:02:26.359 healings, the betrayal, the trial, the crucifixion, the resurrection, the ascension, these were 00:02:26.359 --> 00:02:30.280 all done in front of witnesses. 00:02:30.280 --> 00:02:34.319 That means that it's all open and it's all publicly verifiable. 00:02:34.319 --> 00:02:38.680 It's not a record of secret activities behind closed doors. 00:02:38.680 --> 00:02:43.079 The Bible is not asking you to believe unverifiable secrets. 00:02:43.080 --> 00:02:49.520 The Bible is actually asking you to simply listen to eyewitness testimony. 00:02:49.520 --> 00:02:54.120 And that's a really important thing because sometimes you'll hear people say, if I saw 00:02:54.120 --> 00:02:57.680 a miracle, then I would believe. 00:02:57.680 --> 00:03:01.280 And so they doubt the existence of God, they doubt the truth of the Bible, and they say, 00:03:01.280 --> 00:03:03.800 well, if I could just see a miracle, that would change everything. 00:03:03.800 --> 00:03:06.040 Why won't God do a miracle like that? 00:03:06.040 --> 00:03:07.280 Because then I would believe. 00:03:07.280 --> 00:03:10.520 Well, just imagine that God did that, okay? 00:03:10.520 --> 00:03:17.000 So imagine that tonight something absolutely extraordinary happened here in front of us. 00:03:17.000 --> 00:03:19.000 And we all saw it and it was undeniable. 00:03:19.000 --> 00:03:20.000 It would be amazing. 00:03:20.000 --> 00:03:27.040 And we'd be all thinking, wow, no doubt whatsoever, God has proved himself. 00:03:27.040 --> 00:03:28.040 Imagine that happened. 00:03:28.040 --> 00:03:34.920 Now imagine it's 50 years from now and your grandchildren come to you and say, I don't 00:03:34.919 --> 00:03:40.599 believe that a God, and you would say, are you crazy? 00:03:40.599 --> 00:03:48.079 50 years ago, I saw something amazing happen that proved that it was the case. 00:03:48.079 --> 00:03:53.039 And you would expect your grandchildren to believe your eyewitness testimony, wouldn't 00:03:53.039 --> 00:03:54.039 you? 00:03:54.039 --> 00:03:57.639 You would think, surely they'll believe what I'm saying. 00:03:57.639 --> 00:04:02.359 Well, the truth is, God has done the miracle. 00:04:02.360 --> 00:04:07.520 It's called the resurrection, and the New Testament is a record of the eyewitness testimony 00:04:07.520 --> 00:04:12.440 of that miracle and of the many other remarkable events that led up to it and which followed 00:04:12.440 --> 00:04:14.240 on afterwards. 00:04:14.240 --> 00:04:20.240 And that is recorded for us so that we will know that it's true as well. 00:04:20.240 --> 00:04:24.199 And all of that's reinforced by the fact that even Jesus' enemies acknowledged that he 00:04:24.199 --> 00:04:27.400 performed miracles and that he claimed to be the Son of God, because that's the whole 00:04:27.400 --> 00:04:29.680 reason why they killed him. 00:04:29.680 --> 00:04:34.000 So don't ever be intimidated by the argument that says the Jesus of history and the Jesus 00:04:34.000 --> 00:04:36.000 of the Bible are not the same. 00:04:36.000 --> 00:04:44.000 The New Testament is a thoroughly reliable collection of multiple eyewitness testimonies. 00:04:44.000 --> 00:04:50.600 So I want to just make that clear at the start, but we're still left with a question, where 00:04:50.600 --> 00:04:52.519 do you find the real Jesus? 00:04:52.519 --> 00:05:01.159 In other words, if you want to know who Jesus really is, where do you go? 00:05:01.159 --> 00:05:04.680 And there's maybe many answers to that question that we could give, but tonight I want to 00:05:04.680 --> 00:05:14.639 suggest that if you want to find out who Jesus really is, then you need to go to the top 00:05:14.639 --> 00:05:18.439 of the Mount of Transfiguration. 00:05:18.439 --> 00:05:24.560 Now that might seem a bit strange, because when we read through this passage in Luke 00:05:24.560 --> 00:05:32.079 chapter 9 about what happened on top of that mountain, it all seems a bit unreal. 00:05:32.079 --> 00:05:34.120 Jesus' appearance changes. 00:05:34.120 --> 00:05:36.399 Moses and Elijah seem to appear out of nowhere. 00:05:36.399 --> 00:05:39.519 A cloud descends and a voice speaks from heaven. 00:05:39.519 --> 00:05:42.040 None of that is normal. 00:05:42.040 --> 00:05:47.759 But the astonishing truth is that all of this is giving us a glimpse into what is really 00:05:47.759 --> 00:05:55.519 true about Jesus, what is really true about the Bible, what is really true about humanity, 00:05:55.519 --> 00:05:57.759 and what is really true about salvation. 00:05:57.759 --> 00:06:04.759 In other words, here we are going to see the real truth about life. 00:06:04.759 --> 00:06:09.079 And so I want us to think about that a wee bit together, and we're going to look at six 00:06:09.079 --> 00:06:11.240 things very briefly. 00:06:11.240 --> 00:06:12.800 So I'll keep an eye on the clock. 00:06:12.800 --> 00:06:15.079 Six things very briefly. 00:06:15.079 --> 00:06:21.079 So first of all, we see on the top of the Mount of Transfiguration, here we see who 00:06:21.079 --> 00:06:24.319 Jesus really is. 00:06:24.319 --> 00:06:27.240 Now whenever you're reading the Bible, it's always important just to notice the little 00:06:27.240 --> 00:06:30.599 phrases that are thrown in there that seem insignificant. 00:06:30.599 --> 00:06:34.079 And there's one here, if you look at that verse, you can see at the start there's a 00:06:34.079 --> 00:06:40.000 very almost innocent looking phrase at the start that's really important. 00:06:40.000 --> 00:06:47.199 It says, about eight days after these sayings, he took with him Peter, and James, and John. 00:06:47.199 --> 00:06:51.600 That we phrase there eight days after is referring us back to something. 00:06:51.600 --> 00:06:56.680 It's referring us back to that great confession that Peter made in verse 20, which Derek 00:06:56.680 --> 00:06:57.680 read. 00:06:57.680 --> 00:07:00.560 Jesus had asked the question, who do you say that I am? 00:07:00.560 --> 00:07:03.040 And Peter had given a marvellous response. 00:07:03.040 --> 00:07:05.759 And we've got this eight day gap. 00:07:05.759 --> 00:07:09.040 And we don't really know what happened in those eight days. 00:07:09.040 --> 00:07:10.439 There's no additional details given. 00:07:10.439 --> 00:07:15.200 But just imagine that you could have bumped into Jesus and his disciples during those 00:07:15.200 --> 00:07:16.200 eight days. 00:07:16.200 --> 00:07:18.080 What would you have seen? 00:07:18.080 --> 00:07:22.960 Well you'd have seen a normal looking man named Jesus. 00:07:22.960 --> 00:07:26.840 And he would have had a group of pretty normal looking people around him. 00:07:26.840 --> 00:07:31.120 The Old Testament in Isaiah chapter 53 tells us that there was nothing particularly remarkable 00:07:31.120 --> 00:07:33.640 about Jesus' appearance. 00:07:33.640 --> 00:07:37.160 And as for his followers, if anything, they probably looked quite weak and maybe a little 00:07:37.160 --> 00:07:38.160 bit perplexed. 00:07:38.160 --> 00:07:44.520 And you get a walk past that group as they walked along and you wouldn't necessarily have 00:07:44.520 --> 00:07:48.760 noticed anything different or significant about them. 00:07:48.760 --> 00:07:53.400 And that's part of what's involved in Jesus becoming human because his body was a normal 00:07:53.400 --> 00:07:55.960 human body like yours and like mine. 00:07:55.960 --> 00:07:58.400 And his appearance was a normal human experience. 00:07:58.400 --> 00:08:02.200 There was nothing that made him stand out in that way. 00:08:02.200 --> 00:08:08.080 And for most of his time here on earth, he lived a pretty normal life. 00:08:08.079 --> 00:08:12.879 But the truth is that although Jesus looked normal in that sense, the reality is that 00:08:12.879 --> 00:08:16.599 he is absolutely unique. 00:08:16.599 --> 00:08:22.719 And in taking that human body, there's a sense in which Jesus has come down to a lower level 00:08:22.719 --> 00:08:27.159 and he has not held on to the status that he truly has. 00:08:27.159 --> 00:08:31.719 And all of that means that if you walked past Jesus during these eight days and thought, 00:08:31.720 --> 00:08:38.840 well, there's a normal man, then you are not seeing the whole truth. 00:08:38.840 --> 00:08:45.000 In other words, you're not seeing who Jesus really is. 00:08:45.000 --> 00:08:52.560 But if you had followed Jesus up this mountain, then you would see the real truth. 00:08:52.560 --> 00:08:58.759 Because as we read in these verses, at the top of that mountain, Jesus' face changes. 00:08:58.759 --> 00:09:01.720 His clothing becomes dazzling white. 00:09:01.720 --> 00:09:05.480 The imagery here is of extraordinary brightness and whiteness. 00:09:05.480 --> 00:09:09.039 In other words, it's a description of stunning glory. 00:09:09.039 --> 00:09:16.319 And for this moment, the astounding glory of God is seen in the Persian of Jesus Christ. 00:09:16.319 --> 00:09:19.879 And that, of course, should make perfect sense to us for two reasons. 00:09:19.879 --> 00:09:22.480 Firstly, because Jesus is truly God. 00:09:22.480 --> 00:09:24.039 He is the Word made flesh. 00:09:24.039 --> 00:09:27.039 He is God himself dwelling among us. 00:09:27.039 --> 00:09:29.759 And secondly, Jesus is truly human. 00:09:29.759 --> 00:09:32.079 He's the perfect human. 00:09:32.079 --> 00:09:37.159 And what's the great goal and purpose of humanity? 00:09:37.159 --> 00:09:41.519 It's to bear the image of God. 00:09:41.519 --> 00:09:45.199 And so here on the Mount of Transfiguration, we see who Jesus really is. 00:09:45.199 --> 00:09:46.799 He is God himself. 00:09:46.799 --> 00:09:51.559 Within this normal looking man is the astounding glory of God. 00:09:51.559 --> 00:09:53.279 And he is the perfect man. 00:09:53.279 --> 00:09:54.639 He bears the image of God. 00:09:54.639 --> 00:10:00.240 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature as it's described 00:10:00.240 --> 00:10:05.439 so brilliantly in Hebrews chapter one. 00:10:05.439 --> 00:10:12.039 So this phrase here, after eight days, it's pointing us back to the confession that Peter 00:10:12.039 --> 00:10:13.559 made in verse 20. 00:10:13.559 --> 00:10:16.919 Peter had said, you are the Christ of God. 00:10:16.919 --> 00:10:20.439 Now that's an easy thing to say. 00:10:20.440 --> 00:10:24.880 It's here on the Mount of Transfiguration that Peter, James and John are seeing what 00:10:24.880 --> 00:10:28.560 that really means. 00:10:28.560 --> 00:10:30.360 Jesus is God himself. 00:10:30.360 --> 00:10:36.000 Within him is this dazzling glory, this spotless purity, this astonishing splendor. 00:10:36.000 --> 00:10:37.440 That's who Jesus really is. 00:10:37.440 --> 00:10:42.160 And I am sure that that's part of the reason why John could say in the beginning of his 00:10:42.160 --> 00:10:48.920 Gospel, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory. 00:10:48.919 --> 00:10:56.279 He must have been thinking at least in part about the Mount of Transfiguration when he 00:10:56.279 --> 00:10:57.639 wrote that. 00:10:57.639 --> 00:11:02.839 So when you think of Jesus, yes, at one level, remember him walking and talking among normal 00:11:02.839 --> 00:11:08.719 people in a normal way, but at the same time, we must always think of the Mount of Transfiguration 00:11:08.719 --> 00:11:15.959 because that is where we see who Jesus really is. 00:11:15.960 --> 00:11:23.480 Another thing we see is that here we learn what the Old Testament was really saying. 00:11:23.480 --> 00:11:27.879 Alongside the dazzling transformation of Jesus' appearance, one of the other really remarkable 00:11:27.879 --> 00:11:36.600 things about this event is the appearance of two people, Moses and Elijah. 00:11:36.600 --> 00:11:37.800 There we have it in verse 30. 00:11:37.800 --> 00:11:43.879 Two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, 00:11:43.879 --> 00:11:46.399 which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 00:11:46.399 --> 00:11:49.720 Now, why would these two men appear? 00:11:49.720 --> 00:11:51.600 What is this telling us? 00:11:51.600 --> 00:11:52.600 What are we learning? 00:11:52.600 --> 00:11:56.639 Well, there's a lot we could say, but I just want to highlight really just a simple point 00:11:56.639 --> 00:12:01.519 that Moses and Elijah are two of the key figures from the Old Testament era. 00:12:01.519 --> 00:12:03.439 So you have the whole Bible. 00:12:03.439 --> 00:12:08.840 We can divide it into two great eras, if you like, the Old Testament and the New Testament. 00:12:08.840 --> 00:12:13.039 Moses and Elijah are two key figures from that Old Testament era. 00:12:13.039 --> 00:12:17.319 Moses was the great leader of God's people at the time of the Exodus when they came 00:12:17.319 --> 00:12:24.120 out of slavery in Egypt, and he was the means through which God gave his law to his people. 00:12:24.120 --> 00:12:27.319 So often we think of Moses, we think of law. 00:12:27.319 --> 00:12:31.399 Elijah was one of the great prophets of the Old Testament. 00:12:31.399 --> 00:12:34.519 Throughout the Old Testament, God sent several prophets. 00:12:34.519 --> 00:12:41.879 These are basically messengers, spokesmen who communicate God's message to his people. 00:12:41.879 --> 00:12:49.120 Elijah was a great prophet who called the people of God back to God's ways and back 00:12:49.120 --> 00:12:50.600 to God's law. 00:12:50.600 --> 00:12:55.480 In Elijah's time, Elijah came quite a bit after Moses, in Elijah's time the people had 00:12:55.480 --> 00:12:57.080 turned away from God. 00:12:57.080 --> 00:13:01.960 They'd abandoned the law that Moses had given them, and Elijah was calling them back. 00:13:01.960 --> 00:13:05.720 So looking back at the Old Testament, these are two of the biggest figures. 00:13:05.720 --> 00:13:12.639 This is the lawgiver, Elijah the prophet, and yet here we find them talking to Jesus. 00:13:12.639 --> 00:13:19.920 And I would simply like to say that that is telling us that Moses, Elijah, and Jesus are 00:13:19.920 --> 00:13:20.920 friends. 00:13:20.920 --> 00:13:23.560 Now what is that, what do I mean by that? 00:13:23.560 --> 00:13:26.160 Well, what I mean is this. 00:13:26.160 --> 00:13:33.120 Jesus has not come to abandon what Moses and Elijah fought for in the Old Testament. 00:13:33.120 --> 00:13:36.960 Moses has not come to replace or correct or contradict the Old Testament. 00:13:36.960 --> 00:13:39.080 He has come to fulfill it. 00:13:39.080 --> 00:13:44.519 And the fact that Moses and Elijah are talking to Jesus is showing us that the great words 00:13:44.519 --> 00:13:49.799 and actions of the key figures in the Old Testament are pointing forward to the coming 00:13:49.799 --> 00:13:52.200 of Jesus Christ himself. 00:13:52.200 --> 00:13:56.560 You could almost imagine Peter going up to Moses and Elijah saying, do you know Jesus? 00:13:56.560 --> 00:14:01.080 And they'd say, of course we do. 00:14:01.080 --> 00:14:06.040 He's the one that we've been waiting for this whole time. 00:14:06.040 --> 00:14:11.600 And these three standing at the top of the Mount of Transfiguration is a powerful demonstration 00:14:11.600 --> 00:14:14.879 of the fact that the whole Bible fits together. 00:14:14.879 --> 00:14:18.600 The Old Testament is pointing forward to the coming of Jesus. 00:14:18.600 --> 00:14:23.080 It's in him that the law and the prophets find their fulfillment. 00:14:23.080 --> 00:14:30.160 But there's a really interesting point that's shown to us in the way that Luke records this 00:14:30.159 --> 00:14:38.919 because it's a clear emphasis in the fact that Jesus is superior to the other two. 00:14:38.919 --> 00:14:40.480 You can see that in verse 32. 00:14:40.480 --> 00:14:42.439 Peter and those who are with him were heavy with sleep. 00:14:42.439 --> 00:14:51.519 But when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. 00:14:51.519 --> 00:14:54.759 It's Jesus who has the glory. 00:14:54.759 --> 00:14:59.079 And Luke makes it very, very clear that he stands out. 00:14:59.080 --> 00:15:01.720 Peter suggested building a shelter for all three of them. 00:15:01.720 --> 00:15:08.000 And that maybe implies that he saw them as equals, but his request is clearly inappropriate. 00:15:08.000 --> 00:15:12.200 And when the voice speaks from heaven, there's no mention of Elijah, no mention of Moses. 00:15:12.200 --> 00:15:14.800 The focus is entirely on Jesus. 00:15:14.800 --> 00:15:17.879 And it's all highlighted in the fact that the Old Testament is pointing towards its 00:15:17.879 --> 00:15:19.879 fulfillment in Jesus Christ. 00:15:19.879 --> 00:15:22.040 That's what the Old Testament is really all about. 00:15:22.040 --> 00:15:26.360 And that's something that we always want to remember when we read or when we sing the 00:15:26.360 --> 00:15:30.759 words of the Old Testament. 00:15:30.759 --> 00:15:35.800 The third thing we see is that here at the top of the Mount of Transfiguration, we learn 00:15:35.800 --> 00:15:39.440 what Jesus has really come to do. 00:15:39.440 --> 00:15:44.000 So in verse 31, we read that Moses and Elijah and Jesus were speaking about a particular 00:15:44.000 --> 00:15:46.639 topic. 00:15:46.639 --> 00:15:50.800 It says there that two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah. 00:15:50.800 --> 00:15:52.399 Sorry, I missed that one out. 00:15:52.399 --> 00:15:54.000 We'll go to the next one. 00:15:54.000 --> 00:15:56.720 I've missed a slide. 00:15:56.720 --> 00:15:57.720 Never mind. 00:15:57.720 --> 00:15:59.919 If I go back, I should have found it. 00:15:59.919 --> 00:16:00.919 The one I want. 00:16:00.919 --> 00:16:01.919 There we go. 00:16:01.919 --> 00:16:03.919 That's the one I want. 00:16:03.919 --> 00:16:04.919 Okay. 00:16:04.919 --> 00:16:11.080 Behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, who peered in glory and spoke 00:16:11.080 --> 00:16:16.360 of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 00:16:16.360 --> 00:16:20.480 Now that word, departure, is really, really interesting. 00:16:20.480 --> 00:16:24.039 Does anyone know what that word is in Greek? 00:16:24.039 --> 00:16:25.879 Don't worry, I'm not testing you. 00:16:25.879 --> 00:16:33.800 But it's a really interesting word because in Greek, the word that's used is Exodus. 00:16:33.800 --> 00:16:39.680 So it says Moses and Elijah were speaking to Jesus about his Exodus. 00:16:39.680 --> 00:16:45.120 That's a fascinating word because it immediately points us way back to the Old Testament and 00:16:45.120 --> 00:16:51.799 to the great act of salvation that was performed by God in rescuing his people out of slavery. 00:16:51.799 --> 00:16:57.519 But at the same time, it's pointing us forwards because Jesus's Exodus is about to be accomplished 00:16:57.519 --> 00:16:59.039 at Jerusalem. 00:16:59.039 --> 00:17:03.519 So Moses, Elijah and Jesus are talking about the fact that in the coming days, Jesus is 00:17:03.519 --> 00:17:09.319 going to go to Jerusalem and there he is going to accomplish a great Exodus. 00:17:09.319 --> 00:17:13.519 And at one level, that speaks about the death of Jesus because he is going to leave this 00:17:13.519 --> 00:17:20.839 world, but at the same time, and I think even more so, it speaks of the rescue of God's 00:17:20.839 --> 00:17:25.720 people because that's what the cross is going to achieve. 00:17:25.720 --> 00:17:29.680 The Exodus from Egypt is in fact just a shadow. 00:17:29.680 --> 00:17:31.079 It's not the main event. 00:17:31.079 --> 00:17:36.960 It's the shadow pointing towards the real rescue that God is going to provide for us 00:17:36.960 --> 00:17:41.400 through the salvation that Jesus accomplished on the cross. 00:17:41.400 --> 00:17:46.000 And the reason that Elijah and Moses and Jesus are talking about this is because this is what 00:17:46.000 --> 00:17:49.960 Jesus has really come to do. 00:17:49.960 --> 00:17:54.480 And again here, we see a really interesting connection between the amount of transfiguration 00:17:54.480 --> 00:17:59.480 and what Peter said eight days earlier because when Peter had made that confession eight 00:17:59.480 --> 00:18:04.960 days earlier, immediately afterwards in verse 22, Jesus had started to explain to his disciples 00:18:04.960 --> 00:18:06.440 that he was going to go to Jerusalem. 00:18:06.440 --> 00:18:11.680 He was going to suffer and he was going to be killed, and Peter was horrified at the 00:18:11.680 --> 00:18:13.559 thought of that. 00:18:13.559 --> 00:18:17.519 Luke doesn't record that, but Matthew does, tells us Peter took Jesus aside and said, 00:18:17.519 --> 00:18:18.519 this is not going to happen. 00:18:18.519 --> 00:18:20.960 This will never happen to you. 00:18:20.960 --> 00:18:22.799 You're not going to go to Jerusalem. 00:18:22.799 --> 00:18:23.799 You're not going to die. 00:18:23.799 --> 00:18:31.039 And Peter was rebuked by Jesus because Jesus did not entertain for one moment the thought 00:18:31.039 --> 00:18:33.799 that the cross could be avoided. 00:18:33.799 --> 00:18:37.240 And all of that is emphasized and reinforced by the fact that when we get to the amount 00:18:37.240 --> 00:18:42.759 of transfiguration, when Jesus speaks with Moses and Elijah, they don't try to tell Jesus 00:18:42.759 --> 00:18:44.879 that his death won't happen. 00:18:44.879 --> 00:18:46.039 They do the very opposite. 00:18:46.039 --> 00:18:51.480 They openly talk about his departure because they know that that is the real reason why 00:18:51.480 --> 00:18:53.200 Jesus came. 00:18:53.200 --> 00:18:55.399 So he did not come just to be a good teacher. 00:18:55.399 --> 00:18:57.599 He didn't come just to be a good example. 00:18:57.599 --> 00:19:00.039 He did not come just to point people to God. 00:19:00.039 --> 00:19:03.960 He came for an exodus. 00:19:03.960 --> 00:19:11.839 He came to rescue us from sin by dying on the cross and rising again. 00:19:11.839 --> 00:19:13.680 So we see who Jesus really is. 00:19:13.680 --> 00:19:16.279 We see what the Old Testament was really saying. 00:19:16.279 --> 00:19:18.799 We see what Jesus has really come to do. 00:19:18.799 --> 00:19:26.960 Fourthly, here we see what heaven and earth really need. 00:19:26.960 --> 00:19:34.960 Because this passage is really interesting because the fact that Moses and Elijah appear 00:19:34.960 --> 00:19:40.600 because it's raising the whole question as to how heaven and earth are connected because 00:19:40.600 --> 00:19:45.960 Moses and Elijah died a long, long, long, long, long time before the amount of transfiguration 00:19:45.960 --> 00:19:47.920 and yet here they are. 00:19:47.920 --> 00:19:51.960 And that raises the question, well, where did they come from? 00:19:51.960 --> 00:19:54.240 Why are they here? 00:19:54.240 --> 00:19:59.120 What happened to people in the Old Testament when they died? 00:19:59.120 --> 00:20:02.759 And that's a big question. 00:20:02.759 --> 00:20:09.599 How does heaven and earth, how do they relate particularly in regard to the Old Testament? 00:20:09.599 --> 00:20:11.799 Well, there's different views about it. 00:20:11.799 --> 00:20:18.799 And some people out of the view that when people in the Old Testament died, they went 00:20:18.799 --> 00:20:24.440 into a realm of the dead, which they would call she-all. 00:20:24.440 --> 00:20:29.519 You sometimes see that word in your ESV Bible or in some of the other translation. 00:20:29.519 --> 00:20:32.399 And it's like a realm of the dead, possibly even a realm of hell. 00:20:32.399 --> 00:20:37.279 So people are the view that even someone like Abraham when he died, he went there. 00:20:37.279 --> 00:20:43.919 And it was only when Jesus died in the cross that Jesus then descended into hell and rescued 00:20:43.919 --> 00:20:44.919 them. 00:20:44.919 --> 00:20:45.919 Some people love that view. 00:20:45.920 --> 00:20:50.360 Some people are in here out of that view and there's probably various reasons why people 00:20:50.360 --> 00:20:53.000 do come to that conclusion. 00:20:53.000 --> 00:20:55.640 I wouldn't agree with that myself. 00:20:55.640 --> 00:20:59.759 And I don't think that that's what Scripture reveals to us. 00:20:59.759 --> 00:21:07.600 And I think that this incident here is a key reason why it's difficult to hold that view. 00:21:07.600 --> 00:21:11.840 Because yes, when Old Testament saints died, their bodies went to the grave. 00:21:11.840 --> 00:21:14.840 I think that's what she-all refers to, just the grave. 00:21:14.839 --> 00:21:17.559 That their souls went to heaven. 00:21:17.559 --> 00:21:23.159 And that's where Moses and Elijah have come from just now. 00:21:23.159 --> 00:21:31.679 But I think that there is a sense in which in this period before the coming of Jesus, 00:21:31.679 --> 00:21:37.559 there is a sense in which the souls in heaven are still looking forward to the day when 00:21:37.559 --> 00:21:40.439 Jesus is going to die on the cross. 00:21:40.440 --> 00:21:46.279 Now we're kind of stepping into the realms of mystery here because there's obviously 00:21:46.279 --> 00:21:48.120 we can't be definitive on this. 00:21:48.120 --> 00:21:50.160 But I think that that's what the Bible reveals to us. 00:21:50.160 --> 00:21:54.720 Here you have Moses and Elijah who have been taken to heaven, but they are still looking 00:21:54.720 --> 00:21:58.039 forward to what Jesus is going to accomplish on the cross. 00:21:58.039 --> 00:22:04.360 Because they know that their full salvation, remember full salvation is for body and soul, 00:22:04.360 --> 00:22:09.440 is dependent on Jesus fulfilling his work on the cross. 00:22:09.440 --> 00:22:13.960 In other words, it's not just the people on earth who are looking forward to the coming 00:22:13.960 --> 00:22:15.920 of the Messiah. 00:22:15.920 --> 00:22:18.799 It is also the souls in heaven. 00:22:18.799 --> 00:22:23.759 Both heaven and earth were longing for the day when the power of sin would be broken, 00:22:23.759 --> 00:22:27.920 when victory over death would be won, and when the kingdom of God would be established 00:22:27.920 --> 00:22:30.720 with Jesus on the throne of the universe. 00:22:30.720 --> 00:22:33.960 That is what heaven and earth both need. 00:22:33.960 --> 00:22:39.279 And I think that's part of the reason why when Jesus was born, the host of heaven sang 00:22:39.279 --> 00:22:44.519 for joy because that day has finally come. 00:22:44.519 --> 00:22:48.759 And that's why Moses and Elijah are looking forward to the cross because it's through 00:22:48.759 --> 00:22:55.480 the cross that both heaven and earth shall be renewed and restored and their full salvation 00:22:55.480 --> 00:22:57.519 is accomplished. 00:22:57.519 --> 00:23:02.559 We can maybe easily think that God's priority in salvation is just maybe earthly, but the 00:23:02.559 --> 00:23:07.039 real truth that's been shown to us in the Mount of Transfiguration is that heaven and 00:23:07.039 --> 00:23:14.319 earth are waiting in anticipation for the saving work of Jesus on the cross. 00:23:14.319 --> 00:23:20.440 And the great point that that's teaching you and me is that every single person, whether 00:23:20.440 --> 00:23:25.960 it's from the era of the Old Testament or from the days of the new right up until today, 00:23:25.960 --> 00:23:33.559 every single person needs Jesus. 00:23:33.559 --> 00:23:38.559 And that's why Jesus came down from this mountain. 00:23:38.559 --> 00:23:41.839 Now just think about that for a moment. 00:23:41.839 --> 00:23:47.119 Here we are getting a glimpse of who Jesus really is, a glimpse of the glory that he 00:23:47.119 --> 00:23:48.879 really has. 00:23:48.879 --> 00:23:55.079 This is the realm where Jesus really belongs in dazzling light and in glorious splendor. 00:23:55.079 --> 00:24:02.279 That's where Jesus really belongs, and yet he came down from it again. 00:24:02.279 --> 00:24:10.440 And the reason he came down is because humanity desperately needs him to go to the cross. 00:24:10.440 --> 00:24:19.279 And that's why later in this chapter you'll read that Jesus set his face to go to Jerusalem. 00:24:19.279 --> 00:24:24.839 Here we see what heaven and earth really need. 00:24:24.839 --> 00:24:32.919 Chapter five, here we see what humanity is really like. 00:24:32.919 --> 00:24:37.639 So on this mountain you see the dazzling splendor of Jesus. 00:24:37.639 --> 00:24:40.439 We have this remarkable appearance of Moses and Elijah. 00:24:40.439 --> 00:24:42.519 We see the whole of the Bible coming together. 00:24:42.519 --> 00:24:46.639 We see heaven and earth jointly looking forward to the cross. 00:24:46.639 --> 00:24:54.799 And at the same time we see three weak disciples who don't know what to do and who don't know 00:24:54.799 --> 00:24:55.799 what to say. 00:24:55.799 --> 00:24:56.799 There we are. 00:24:56.799 --> 00:24:57.799 I'm going too far. 00:24:57.799 --> 00:25:06.879 Now Peter and those who are with him were heavy with sleep, but when they became fully 00:25:06.879 --> 00:25:10.680 awake they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. 00:25:10.680 --> 00:25:13.759 And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, Master, it's good for us to 00:25:13.759 --> 00:25:14.759 be here. 00:25:14.759 --> 00:25:20.200 Let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses, one for Elijah, not knowing what he 00:25:20.200 --> 00:25:21.200 said. 00:25:21.200 --> 00:25:24.279 And again there's a lot we could say here, but I just want to highlight the fact that 00:25:24.279 --> 00:25:29.519 I think that's a very, very clear demonstration of what humanity is like. 00:25:29.519 --> 00:25:33.200 Here you have Peter, James and John and they don't know what to do and they don't know 00:25:33.200 --> 00:25:34.700 what to say. 00:25:34.700 --> 00:25:42.759 So along on the mount of transfiguration you see the glory of Jesus alongside the weakness 00:25:42.759 --> 00:25:44.759 of humanity. 00:25:44.759 --> 00:25:49.920 And we may very well feel like criticizing Peter, but I think we all know that we would 00:25:49.920 --> 00:25:52.720 have done no better if we were there. 00:25:52.720 --> 00:25:58.680 Standing there these men must have felt utterly overwhelmed. 00:25:58.680 --> 00:26:04.839 Standing before the presence of God they must have looked and felt like dust. 00:26:04.839 --> 00:26:09.240 Isaiah, one of the other prophets in the Old Testament, had exactly the same experience. 00:26:09.240 --> 00:26:15.600 He saw the throne of God and he said, Woe is me for I am lost. 00:26:15.600 --> 00:26:20.480 And we have been reminded very powerfully that before God we are nothing. 00:26:20.480 --> 00:26:28.319 We've got no words, no worthiness, no strength, there's no comparison. 00:26:28.319 --> 00:26:30.680 We've got no right to come anywhere near Him. 00:26:30.680 --> 00:26:32.960 We seem like nothing before Him. 00:26:32.960 --> 00:26:37.000 And when you think of Peter and James and John on this mountain it must have been the 00:26:37.000 --> 00:26:41.360 most humbling experience of their lives. 00:26:41.360 --> 00:26:43.759 And this is showing us what humanity is really like. 00:26:43.759 --> 00:26:45.039 We are nothing before God. 00:26:45.039 --> 00:26:48.720 We've got no words, no strength, there's no comparison. 00:26:48.720 --> 00:26:54.640 We are totally, totally unworthy and totally, totally helpless. 00:26:54.640 --> 00:27:01.519 And yet when Jesus spoke about His exodus and when He came back down from this mountain 00:27:01.519 --> 00:27:10.319 and when He set His face to Jerusalem to die, who was He doing that for? 00:27:10.319 --> 00:27:15.039 He was doing it for these three helpless men. 00:27:15.039 --> 00:27:19.839 And He was doing it for you. 00:27:19.839 --> 00:27:27.319 And this is why on the one hand Christianity will humble you more than anything else. 00:27:27.319 --> 00:27:32.200 Because Christianity shows you that you're nothing before God. 00:27:32.200 --> 00:27:36.839 And that's what a lot of people hate about Christianity because the human race is a proud 00:27:36.839 --> 00:27:37.839 race. 00:27:37.839 --> 00:27:43.960 But the truth is every claim of greatness that we find in humanity is nothing before 00:27:43.960 --> 00:27:44.960 God. 00:27:44.960 --> 00:27:45.960 It's laughable. 00:27:45.960 --> 00:27:50.120 Even the greatest men and women of history, if you had placed them on the top of this 00:27:50.120 --> 00:27:54.920 mount of transfiguration they would have been just as humbled and just as pathetic 00:27:54.920 --> 00:27:57.000 as Peter and James and John. 00:27:57.000 --> 00:28:01.880 Through Christianity will humble you like nothing else because it shows you that you 00:28:01.880 --> 00:28:06.039 are nothing in comparison to the God of all glory. 00:28:06.039 --> 00:28:14.799 But at the very same time as it humbles you, Christianity shows you that you are more precious. 00:28:14.799 --> 00:28:20.599 Than you could ever imagine. 00:28:20.599 --> 00:28:25.279 Because the God who shone in dazzling splendor at the top of this mountain, he came down 00:28:25.279 --> 00:28:36.319 again and he went all the way to the cross to give his life as a ransom for you. 00:28:36.319 --> 00:28:46.919 Jesus set his face on the path to death because you are so precious and because he loves you 00:28:46.919 --> 00:28:49.519 so much. 00:28:49.519 --> 00:28:54.799 So yes Christianity should humble you but it also tells you that you are astonishingly 00:28:54.799 --> 00:28:56.639 precious to God. 00:28:56.639 --> 00:29:02.439 That he loves you so much that he gave his very own son for you. 00:29:02.440 --> 00:29:07.320 And that raises a really, really important point, well really two really important points 00:29:07.320 --> 00:29:12.279 and I really, really want to emphasize these. 00:29:12.279 --> 00:29:18.440 It's never possible to be too pathetic for God. 00:29:18.440 --> 00:29:24.400 It's never, ever possible to be too pathetic for God. 00:29:24.400 --> 00:29:26.519 Often we feel so pathetic before Him. 00:29:26.519 --> 00:29:30.320 We think we are such failures that we have fallen so far short that there's so much wrong 00:29:30.319 --> 00:29:32.599 with us that God would never want us. 00:29:32.599 --> 00:29:39.079 But that is not true because in all your weakness, all your frailness, all your uselessness, all 00:29:39.079 --> 00:29:42.200 your failings Jesus says come to me. 00:29:42.200 --> 00:29:49.039 It is impossible, absolutely impossible to be too pathetic for God. 00:29:49.039 --> 00:29:57.039 But it is possible to be too proud for God. 00:29:57.039 --> 00:30:02.720 And you can think I don't need Him or I don't want Him. 00:30:02.720 --> 00:30:07.680 And that kind of pride is incredibly dangerous because that's the pride that could take us 00:30:07.680 --> 00:30:09.879 to hell. 00:30:09.879 --> 00:30:13.639 So if you feel useless and pathetic before God then that's a good thing. 00:30:13.639 --> 00:30:15.559 Just run straight to Him. 00:30:15.559 --> 00:30:20.319 But if you're proud before God and you think that you don't need Him then please, please 00:30:20.319 --> 00:30:27.079 pray that you would change and that your perspective would become more accurate. 00:30:27.079 --> 00:30:31.319 On the Mount of Transfiguration we see what humanity is really like. 00:30:31.319 --> 00:30:39.480 And then last of all, number six, here we see what God really wants from us. 00:30:39.480 --> 00:30:45.519 The climax of the Mount of Transfiguration comes in verse 34 and 35 which we have there. 00:30:45.519 --> 00:30:51.000 We see, as He was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them, they were afraid 00:30:51.000 --> 00:30:52.440 as they entered the cloud. 00:30:52.440 --> 00:30:57.680 And a voice came out of the cloud saying, this is my son, my chosen one. 00:30:57.680 --> 00:30:59.000 There's so much we could see here. 00:30:59.000 --> 00:31:03.599 That cloud coming points us back to the glory presence of God in the Old Testament. 00:31:03.599 --> 00:31:09.759 If you read about the temple in the Old Testament or the tabernacle, in say you could read Exodus, 00:31:09.759 --> 00:31:15.000 maybe the last 10 chapters of Exodus you'll read all about God's presence in a cloud. 00:31:15.000 --> 00:31:17.720 The voice of God speaks through this cloud. 00:31:17.720 --> 00:31:20.160 Jesus identified as the Son of God, the chosen one. 00:31:20.160 --> 00:31:22.039 There's so many things we could look at here. 00:31:22.039 --> 00:31:26.599 It highlights how unique and special Jesus is and that is all absolutely amazing. 00:31:26.599 --> 00:31:33.880 But I want us to focus on the fact that here we see what God really wants from us. 00:31:33.880 --> 00:31:38.359 And that's a really, really important question because it's something that countless people 00:31:38.359 --> 00:31:40.279 get wrong. 00:31:40.279 --> 00:31:47.240 People think that God wants us to try hard to be good enough for him, not true. 00:31:47.240 --> 00:31:51.759 People think that God wants us to wait for some remarkable, stunning experience in our 00:31:51.759 --> 00:31:55.079 lives, not true. 00:31:55.079 --> 00:31:59.319 People think that God expects us to have enough knowledge, not true. 00:31:59.319 --> 00:32:04.759 People think that God doesn't really mind what we do or think he'll save us anyway. 00:32:04.759 --> 00:32:05.759 That's not true. 00:32:05.759 --> 00:32:10.240 So what does God really want from you? 00:32:10.240 --> 00:32:19.440 Well the answer is at the end of verse 35, listen to him. 00:32:19.440 --> 00:32:25.720 God wants us to listen to Jesus. 00:32:25.720 --> 00:32:30.480 And that makes perfect sense because he is God. 00:32:30.480 --> 00:32:32.359 We need to learn from him. 00:32:32.359 --> 00:32:34.680 We need him to tell us what's true. 00:32:34.680 --> 00:32:37.480 We need him to show us the way. 00:32:37.480 --> 00:32:42.440 And that's exactly what Jesus has done. 00:32:42.440 --> 00:32:44.599 Jesus wants us to listen to him. 00:32:44.599 --> 00:32:51.680 That's why he's left us with words in the Bible. 00:32:51.680 --> 00:32:56.440 That's why the church proclaims a message, the good news of salvation. 00:32:56.440 --> 00:33:00.240 That's why faith comes by hearing. 00:33:00.240 --> 00:33:05.440 And that's why the Christian life is lived by obeying God's instruction. 00:33:05.440 --> 00:33:12.480 God wants us to listen, which is exactly what Derek was reminding us of this morning, the 00:33:12.480 --> 00:33:19.360 fact that we need to take the time to read God's word, to listen to God's word, and 00:33:19.360 --> 00:33:26.480 to apply it to our lives because God wants us to listen to everything that he's saying 00:33:26.480 --> 00:33:28.080 to us. 00:33:28.080 --> 00:33:34.400 And that's why it doesn't matter if you never have a remarkable experience like Peter, James 00:33:34.400 --> 00:33:35.400 and John. 00:33:35.400 --> 00:33:37.440 So often that can be a stumbling block to us. 00:33:37.440 --> 00:33:42.680 We think we need some kind of crash of lightning in our lives to prove that we are saved. 00:33:42.680 --> 00:33:45.920 That is not true. 00:33:45.920 --> 00:33:52.519 When I was looking at all this, I read a quote from G. Campbell Morgan, who don't 00:33:52.519 --> 00:33:53.519 know if you've never heard of him. 00:33:53.519 --> 00:33:56.280 He was a minister in the early 20th century in London. 00:33:56.280 --> 00:33:57.880 And there's a great quote from him there. 00:33:57.880 --> 00:34:05.360 He says, To many there is no amount of transfiguration, but there is for all the speech of the Son. 00:34:05.359 --> 00:34:07.719 That was true of the disciples. 00:34:07.719 --> 00:34:09.319 Only three of them were on the mountain. 00:34:09.319 --> 00:34:10.319 The rest weren't. 00:34:10.319 --> 00:34:11.559 And it's true of us. 00:34:11.559 --> 00:34:15.239 Some of us may be able to speak about remarkable experience that we've had. 00:34:15.239 --> 00:34:17.199 Most of us probably won't. 00:34:17.199 --> 00:34:21.759 But that is why if somebody wants to be baptized or if somebody wants to profess faith, if 00:34:21.759 --> 00:34:25.279 they've been brought up in the church, we are not looking for you to come to us and say 00:34:25.279 --> 00:34:29.359 that you've had this remarkable stunning experience in your life. 00:34:29.360 --> 00:34:35.640 We are looking for people to come and who are saying, I have heard the voice of Jesus 00:34:35.640 --> 00:34:41.559 say, come to me and rest. 00:34:41.559 --> 00:34:45.360 We need to listen to him. 00:34:45.360 --> 00:34:48.960 So where do you find the real Jesus? 00:34:48.960 --> 00:34:52.200 It's on the Mount of Transfiguration. 00:34:52.200 --> 00:34:55.400 And do you know the amazing thing? 00:34:55.400 --> 00:35:05.960 Is that if you are trusting in him, one day you are going to see him in all of this glory 00:35:05.960 --> 00:35:09.160 for yourself. 00:35:09.160 --> 00:35:12.519 Let's pray. 00:35:12.519 --> 00:35:22.360 Our Father, we thank you for your word and for all that it reveals to us. 00:35:22.360 --> 00:35:29.440 We would not know you in the way that we do, were it not for the fact that you have revealed 00:35:29.440 --> 00:35:31.440 yourself to us through your word. 00:35:31.440 --> 00:35:38.680 We thank you for everything that teaches us about you as our Father and about Jesus as 00:35:38.680 --> 00:35:43.559 our Savior and as about the Holy Spirit as our Comforter. 00:35:43.559 --> 00:35:50.079 And we pray, oh God, that your word would just be written on our hearts, that it would 00:35:50.079 --> 00:35:55.000 overflow through our minds, that it would shape the way we live our lives so that in 00:35:55.000 --> 00:35:59.319 everything that we do, we would do it with our eyes fixed on Jesus. 00:35:59.319 --> 00:36:02.840 Thank you for your mercy, for your love, for your goodness. 00:36:02.840 --> 00:36:07.360 Thank you for the great work that Jesus has done for us on the cross. 00:36:07.360 --> 00:36:12.400 We pray, oh God, that you would lead us all into a closer walk with you, that each one 00:36:12.400 --> 00:36:15.759 of us would have our trust in him. 00:36:15.759 --> 00:36:16.759 Amen. 00:36:16.760 --> 00:36:23.760 Thank you.