SPEAKER_00: Have you ever had a moment where you thought you knew what was coming in life, and then you realize you didn't at all?
SPEAKER_00: I think life has a way of doing that where or when things feel really steady and really predictable, and then suddenly everything shifts.
SPEAKER_00: And if we're honest, following Jesus can sometimes feel like that.
SPEAKER_00: We know that there are promises in his word to believe in him, to trust him.
SPEAKER_00: But when various trials come and we realize that this road can be harder than expected, we're caught off guard.
SPEAKER_00: Now, this morning in our passage, the disciples were kind of dealing with that themselves.
SPEAKER_00: A couple of weeks ago, we were looking at this cost that Jesus said it would take to follow him.
SPEAKER_00: After revealing to his disciples and others that he was about to be put to death, he mentions that it was about to get hard for those who chose to continue following him.
SPEAKER_00: And after about eight days, Luke tells us that Jesus takes three of the disciples up to a mountain to pray.
SPEAKER_00: And it is there where we get this incredible story of Jesus revealing himself to them in glory.
SPEAKER_00: The transfiguration, which is what this passage is often called, is really one of the most fascinating stories in all of Scripture.
SPEAKER_00: It really has it has everything.
SPEAKER_00: I mean, the scene has it all.
SPEAKER_00: It has Jesus transfiguring or changing his image and glory.
SPEAKER_00: It has dead men rising and speaking to him.
SPEAKER_00: It has God, a voice speaking from heaven.
SPEAKER_00: It even has a little comedy with the disciples sleeping through part of this spectacular event.
SPEAKER_00: But what are we to make of all of this?
SPEAKER_00: Is this just an amazing story of God's glory and power on display, or is there a deeper meaning behind it all?
SPEAKER_00: Well, I want to show us this morning why what happened on the top of that mountain was God's plan to comfort and assure Peter, James, and John.
SPEAKER_00: I titled this sermon, His Glory, Our Assurance, because the glory of Christ brought these men on that mountain some assurance that day.
SPEAKER_00: They were about to experience some hardships that I don't think they initially signed up for.
SPEAKER_00: They had no idea what the cost would be to follow Jesus and how much it would be, but Jesus wanted to assure them that they would have everything that they needed for what was ahead.
SPEAKER_00: And I believe he continues giving his followers, which is us, his disciples, assurance for our difficulties as well.
SPEAKER_00: He who is the same yesterday, today, and forever, continues to reveal himself to us, to comfort us and to assure us through various trials and hardships of our own.
SPEAKER_00: As we look at this passage, I want to point out four means by which assurance comes to us.
SPEAKER_00: And I know we use that word assurance when talking about assurance of our salvation.
SPEAKER_00: I don't mean that.
SPEAKER_00: I mean assurance of our protection, assurance of our security in Christ, assurance of his promises.
SPEAKER_00: How can the Christians gain assurance that God will be with us through difficulty?
SPEAKER_00: And I want to just again want to point out these four.
SPEAKER_00: Number one, assurance comes through prayer.
SPEAKER_00: Number two, assurance comes by being reminded of God's power.
SPEAKER_00: Number three, assurance comes by obedience.
SPEAKER_00: And number four, assurance comes through the presence of Christ.
SPEAKER_00: Assurance comes through prayer.
SPEAKER_00: Assurance comes by being reminded of God's power.
SPEAKER_00: Assurance comes by obedience, and assurance comes through the presence of Christ.
SPEAKER_00: Let's look at that first point.
SPEAKER_00: Assurance comes through prayer.
SPEAKER_00: Let's go back to verse 28 of the passage, where it says, Now about eight days after these sayings, he took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray.
SPEAKER_00: So Luke reminds us that it was around eight days after Jesus had revealed his death and told them that following him would be costly.
SPEAKER_00: So about a week after this, Jesus singles out Peter, James, and John to take them up to this mountain to pray.
SPEAKER_00: These were the three who seemed to be in his inner circle.
SPEAKER_00: And they were also, if you know the book of Acts, were key figures in the early church.
SPEAKER_00: And Jesus felt that it was necessary for these three to see what he was about to show them on that mountain.
SPEAKER_00: But even before revealing his glory to them, notice where it all starts.
SPEAKER_00: It all starts with prayer.
SPEAKER_00: You know, prayer is a theme that's found in Luke's gospel as he shows us that prayer is something that happens before a major event.
SPEAKER_00: You may remember Christ sets a time, set aside a time to pray before he begins his ministry and his baptism.
SPEAKER_00: Before he chose the twelve, he says he spends the entire night in prayer.
SPEAKER_00: Earlier, before Peter's confession that he is Christ, he spent time alone in prayer.
SPEAKER_00: And here again, he's about to reveal his glory to them, but first they must pray.
SPEAKER_00: Now, in Scripture, the mountain is a motif where heaven and earth meet.
SPEAKER_00: It's where God often speaks or reveals something to men.
SPEAKER_00: At Mount Moriah in the Old Testament, God tests Abraham's faith on a mountain.
SPEAKER_00: At Mount Sinai, God speaks to Moses and gives him the law on a mountain.
SPEAKER_00: At Mount Carmel, God answers Elijah with fire on a mountain.
SPEAKER_00: And here Jesus takes these three on top of the mountain where God again will reveal himself to man.
SPEAKER_00: But notice why they are going to the top of the mountain in the first place.
SPEAKER_00: It was simply to pray.
SPEAKER_00: Peter, James, and John had no idea of what God was about to do.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus didn't tell them what was about to happen.
SPEAKER_00: They were just following Jesus and doing what Jesus often did.
SPEAKER_00: Going someplace where he can be alone to spend some time in prayer.
SPEAKER_00: It was in the ordinary where God was about to reveal the extraordinary.
SPEAKER_00: God was about to reveal something to them and show them something extraordinary that will strengthen their faith and build them up while they were doing the ordinary daily discipline of prayer.
SPEAKER_00: This is often how God works to strengthen us.
SPEAKER_00: Whenever we need strength or assurance from God, sometimes we're looking for this big sign.
SPEAKER_00: Lord, show me something.
SPEAKER_00: Show me something big.
SPEAKER_00: Show me something spectacular.
SPEAKER_00: Show me something out of the ordinary to prove that you are with me in this.
SPEAKER_00: And sometimes he does.
SPEAKER_00: But if he does, it's usually not going to come without prayer.
SPEAKER_00: In fact, nothing usually comes without prayer.
SPEAKER_00: Prayer is one of the means by which God accomplishes his things and his purposes in our world, not only in the world without, but also in our hearts, also within us.
SPEAKER_00: What is it that often moves us to pray?
SPEAKER_00: What is it that often drives us to pray?
SPEAKER_00: It's usually our circumstances, our problems, our issues.
SPEAKER_00: We want God to do something for us or to answer one of our prayer requests.
SPEAKER_00: So it's often need that drives us to prayer.
SPEAKER_00: But what about when there is a need that we don't even see yet?
SPEAKER_00: What about if there's a need that is coming around the corner?
SPEAKER_00: See, Peter, James, and John had no idea of what was ahead of them.
SPEAKER_00: They had no idea of what was in store for their lives.
SPEAKER_00: They were starting to understand a little and they knew more than they did before, but they didn't know the extent of the hardships and the sufferings they were about to endure for the name of Christ.
SPEAKER_00: They couldn't necessarily pray for what was ahead of them because they really didn't know all that was ahead of them.
SPEAKER_00: But through prayer, God was about to give them strength for something they didn't even fully know they needed, which is what God often does when we pray.
SPEAKER_00: In prayer, a sovereign God who knows all, who knows things that we don't know, who knows tomorrow, a sovereign God will often answer prayer requests that we don't even have, but that we desperately need.
SPEAKER_00: As Romans 8 says, the Spirit intercedes when we don't know what to pray for.
SPEAKER_00: Because the Spirit knows our needs better than we do.
SPEAKER_00: Peter, James, and John were surely not praying for God's glory to be revealed.
SPEAKER_00: The fact that they were asleep during it all shows us that.
SPEAKER_00: But surely they spent some time praying for something.
SPEAKER_00: You know, one thing that often keeps the believer away from prayer is believing that we don't know how to pray.
SPEAKER_00: Or we don't know what to pray for.
SPEAKER_00: But again, God is not looking for these grand, extraordinary prayers.
SPEAKER_00: He often works in the ordinary ones.
SPEAKER_00: You know, sometimes you'll hear people say, pray big prayers, pray bold prayers.
SPEAKER_00: And I get that.
SPEAKER_00: We want to pray for God to do big things.
SPEAKER_00: But God is not asking for us to pray long, deep, complex prayers.
SPEAKER_00: He's just asking us to pray.
SPEAKER_00: When the disciples asked Jesus, teach us to pray, notice he didn't give them a 400-page book.
SPEAKER_00: In just a few verses, he taught them the simplicity of what it looks like to talk to God.
SPEAKER_00: And it is in often in that simplicity where God often works out these difficult things in our lives, doing the simple, daily discipline of prayer.
SPEAKER_00: Philippians 4, 6 tells us, do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be known to God, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: When we are anxious about some things, we often think that a change in our circumstance will bring us exactly what we need.
SPEAKER_00: For example, if we're anxious about a doctor's report, we believe that once we get that good report, we'll be calm.
SPEAKER_00: That'll calm our anxiety.
SPEAKER_00: Or if we're anxious about our finances, we believe that once we have some money, we'll be okay.
SPEAKER_00: It'll calm our anxiety.
SPEAKER_00: But notice how the text here in Philippians doesn't say through prayer and supplications, let your request be known to God, and your prayers will be answered the exact way you asked them.
SPEAKER_00: It says, Let your request be known, and the peace of God will guard your hearts and minds.
SPEAKER_00: In other words, the real problem is not the circumstance that we're worried or anxious about.
SPEAKER_00: The real problem is that we're uncertain.
SPEAKER_00: And that our minds are starting to drift from faith to fear.
SPEAKER_00: But prayer has a way of centering us back on the right thing.
SPEAKER_00: The disciples were about to get put in some very anxious situations.
SPEAKER_00: And through prayer, God would guard their hearts and their minds and give them the peace that they needed.
SPEAKER_00: So, number one, assurance comes to us through prayer.
SPEAKER_00: Number two, assurance comes through being reminded of God's power.
SPEAKER_00: Look at verse 29.
SPEAKER_00: And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white, and behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.
SPEAKER_00: Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory, and the two men who stood with him.
SPEAKER_00: Now you may remember, if you know your Bible, in the Old Testament, Moses, after speaking to God on the mountain, he comes down, and the Bible says his face was shining.
SPEAKER_00: The NIV says that his face was radiant.
SPEAKER_00: Why?
SPEAKER_00: Because he was speaking to God and he got to witness the glory.
SPEAKER_00: However, here it was Jesus whose face was radiant, and his clothes became dazzling white.
SPEAKER_00: Not because Jesus encountered God, but because Jesus was God.
SPEAKER_00: In other words, this wasn't Jesus being affected by being close or near to the glory.
SPEAKER_00: This was Jesus exposing his glory.
SPEAKER_00: Moses and Elijah also appeared with him.
SPEAKER_00: And I'll get to the significance of these two in a moment.
SPEAKER_00: But here they appear talking with Jesus, and it says they spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish in Jerusalem.
SPEAKER_00: What does that mean, departure?
SPEAKER_00: Well, departure in the original language has a sense of being taken away.
SPEAKER_00: Leaving, not necessarily leaving on your own, but actually being taken away.
SPEAKER_00: In other words, they were talking with Jesus about what he was about to experience in Jerusalem when he would be handed over to die.
SPEAKER_00: So they came discussing what was about to happen to Jesus, his death, his burial, his resurrection.
SPEAKER_00: They must have somehow known a little, but they wanted a fuller sense of what was about to happen.
SPEAKER_00: They wanted to ask him questions.
SPEAKER_00: Maybe ask Jesus how he felt, if he was ready, could he tell them how this was all going to happen?
SPEAKER_00: Can you imagine the scene?
SPEAKER_00: What an amazing scene.
SPEAKER_00: What a wonderful thing to behold.
SPEAKER_00: And while all this was going on, notice what the disciples were doing.
SPEAKER_00: They were missing it.
SPEAKER_00: They were doing what they did best.
SPEAKER_00: They were sleeping.
SPEAKER_00: Up to this point, the disciples didn't really excel at much.
SPEAKER_00: But one thing they were great at was falling asleep while praying.
SPEAKER_00: Some of us might have that spiritual gift as well.
SPEAKER_00: But when they wake up, this is what they see.
SPEAKER_00: This is what they witness.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus, Moses, and Elijah having this conversation with Jesus, having this conversation together in glory.
SPEAKER_00: The glory of the Lord appearing in spectacular form was something that these men who knew a little scripture were certainly aware of.
SPEAKER_00: They were students of the scriptures as most Jews were.
SPEAKER_00: And they knew that whenever the glory of God was revealed, there was visible evidence of the power of God.
SPEAKER_00: In other words, the glory was often revealed with the power.
SPEAKER_00: Whether it was through a cloud or whether it was a fire or an earthquake or a thick presence, they knew that God's glory didn't come silently.
SPEAKER_00: So when they saw Jesus' face being altered and his clothes dazzling white, they knew that God was manifesting his presence with his power and his glory.
SPEAKER_00: But why?
SPEAKER_00: Why here?
SPEAKER_00: Why now?
SPEAKER_00: Well, again, it seems that Jesus wanted to reveal his glory and his power to assure them that they had nothing to fear.
SPEAKER_00: Who do you fear, Peter?
SPEAKER_00: Who do you fear, James?
SPEAKER_00: Who do you fear, John?
SPEAKER_00: Do you fear the Romans?
SPEAKER_00: Do you fear the Jews?
SPEAKER_00: Do you fear the power of man?
SPEAKER_00: Well, let me show you who is for you.
SPEAKER_00: Let me show you the power of God.
SPEAKER_00: Let me assure you that what you might fear is no match for my glory.
SPEAKER_00: There's a story in the Old Testament where the prophet Elisha upsets the king of Syria.
SPEAKER_00: And the king sends an army to the city to go and seize him.
SPEAKER_00: And when Elisha's servant saw the army coming for him, he was afraid.
SPEAKER_00: So Elisha prays to God that God would open the eyes of his servant so that his servant would see what Elijah saw.
SPEAKER_00: And when God opened the eyes of the servant, he saw the army of God in chariots of fire surrounding the Syrian army.
SPEAKER_00: Elijah's servant was afraid when he looked up and saw the Syrian army.
SPEAKER_00: But he was assured when he saw the army of God.
SPEAKER_00: Elijah's prayer was for God to open his servant's eyes so that he can see what was really there.
SPEAKER_00: That this Syrian army was no match for God's army.
SPEAKER_00: And sometimes we have to be reminded of this ourselves.
SPEAKER_00: That the power on our side is infinitely greater than the power on the other side.
SPEAKER_00: That all of the strength and all of the forces that are against us is no match for the one who is for us.
SPEAKER_00: 1 John 4, 4.
SPEAKER_00: Little children, you are from God and have overcome them.
SPEAKER_00: For he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
SPEAKER_00: You know, whenever Scripture uses this word world, it's usually speaking of those things that are opposed to God.
SPEAKER_00: Not the world as in traveling the world, but the world as in that which stands in opposition to God.
SPEAKER_00: And if you are in Christ, then you belong to God, which means that the world stands in opposition to you.
SPEAKER_00: And we feel that every day, don't we?
SPEAKER_00: We feel the attacks and the pressures of the world which stand in opposition to us.
SPEAKER_00: That's why we have to be reminded of the power of God and how He can do in an instant what man can't even do in a lifetime.
SPEAKER_00: You know, we can spend our entire lives trying to weave and duck and shield ourselves from the attack of the enemy, or we can trust the power of God.
SPEAKER_00: Or we can trust that he, God, is greater than he, Satan, or sickness, or doubt, or fear, or loss, or anxiety, or depression, or whatever name he comes by for you in this world.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus thought the disciples needed to see his glory and his power so that they could be assured.
SPEAKER_00: I believe he still wants us to be assured by this glory and his power.
SPEAKER_00: Let it remind you that there is nothing greater.
SPEAKER_00: And one of the ways that he assures us and reminds us is through his word.
SPEAKER_00: It's by reminding us of his power, which is confirmed to us in the scriptures.
SPEAKER_00: Out of all the figures in the Old Testament, it's interesting that it's Moses and Elijah who appear.
SPEAKER_00: Not Abraham, the father of their faith and of the race, not David, the great king and their nation's history.
SPEAKER_00: But Moses and Elijah.
SPEAKER_00: What is the significance here?
SPEAKER_00: Well, to the Jews at this time, Moses represented the law books of their scriptures.
SPEAKER_00: He was believed to be the author of what most of what they would call, most Jews would call the Torah.
SPEAKER_00: And Elijah was known as the great prophet of the Old Testament.
SPEAKER_00: The Jews would speak, often speak of the scriptures as the law and the prophets.
SPEAKER_00: Well, here Moses represents the law and Elijah represents the prophets.
SPEAKER_00: Together they represent the totality of the scriptures that Peter, James, and John would have known.
SPEAKER_00: God wanted them to see that Jesus is confirmed and affirmed by the scriptures.
SPEAKER_00: This must have been assuring to them because if they ever doubted that this Jesus, who they left some things behind to follow, wasn't the Messiah, they can put those doubts to bed.
SPEAKER_00: Because here is Moses and Elijah affirming that Jesus is the one.
SPEAKER_00: The power of God manifested in glory is confirmed by the scriptures that they believed and trusted in.
SPEAKER_00: And it's the same way we can be assured through whatever difficulty that we might face, through uncertainty, God wants us to find assurance of his strength and of his love and of his promises in the scriptures.
SPEAKER_00: In his word.
SPEAKER_00: Romans 15, 4 says, it was written so that through its encouragement we might have hope.
SPEAKER_00: We find them in the Bible.
SPEAKER_00: And they are there to remind us and to assure us that through whatever trial or temptation or tribulation or valley that we might find ourselves in, he will hold us fast.
SPEAKER_00: And the hands of the ones that hold us are mighty and powerful.
SPEAKER_00: Next, assurance comes through obedience.
SPEAKER_00: Look at verse 33.
SPEAKER_00: And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, Master, it is good that we are here.
SPEAKER_00: Let us make three tents one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah, not knowing what he said.
SPEAKER_00: And he was saying these things, as he was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud.
SPEAKER_00: And a voice came out of the cloud saying, This is my son, my chosen one, listen to him.
SPEAKER_00: So after witnessing this glory that was upon Jesus and Moses and Elijah, Peter, as he often does, speaks without thinking.
SPEAKER_00: He says to Jesus, Let me make these three tents, one for each of you.
SPEAKER_00: This was in reference to what the Jews celebrated during the Feast of Tabernacles.
SPEAKER_00: This was a Jewish feast where they would remember the time when they dwelt in tents after they were rescued out of Egypt.
SPEAKER_00: Jews would often, in remembrance of this, would often build these temporary shelters or booths to remember God dwelling with Israel in the wilderness.
SPEAKER_00: Now, Peter's mistake here was twofold.
SPEAKER_00: First, he mistakenly places Moses and Elijah on the same level as Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: Notice what he says.
SPEAKER_00: Is it good?
SPEAKER_00: It is good that we are here.
SPEAKER_00: Let me make three tents, one for you and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.
SPEAKER_00: He was putting these three on equal footing.
SPEAKER_00: He wants to build these equal tents as if Jesus was no greater than Moses or Elijah, when in fact he was.
SPEAKER_00: Moses and Elijah were great men, but Jesus, he was the Son of God.
SPEAKER_00: And here's the second mistake Peter made.
SPEAKER_00: He wanted to harness the glory of God and preserve the moment for as long as he could.
SPEAKER_00: That's why he wanted to make the tents.
SPEAKER_00: So they can dwell there, so they can stay there.
SPEAKER_00: And that that gl so that the glory could and would remain.
SPEAKER_00: He was speaking without thinking, as he often does.
SPEAKER_00: He wanted things to be done his own way.
SPEAKER_00: After seeing the glory appear, the first thing that he does is consult himself for what to do next.
SPEAKER_00: Now, to be fair, in Matthew's account, he does ask for permission to build the tents, but he still seems to be leading by intuition rather than waiting for what to do next, waiting for God's word, waiting for Jesus to speak.
SPEAKER_00: Just then he and the others, they hear a voice from heaven saying, This is my beloved son, listen to him.
SPEAKER_00: As if to say, Peter, rather than doing what you feel is right or what you think is right, follow and obey the words of my son because he is right.
SPEAKER_00: Just like at his baptism, the Father confirms that Jesus is his son.
SPEAKER_00: Up to this point, as we've been going through Luke, the demons and the angels confessed who he is.
SPEAKER_00: Peter earlier in the chapter confesses who he is.
SPEAKER_00: And once again, God, the Father, confesses who he is.
SPEAKER_00: This is my son, and you need to listen to him.
SPEAKER_00: God knew that these men were going to experience hardships of the likes they had never seen before.
SPEAKER_00: And what they needed most was not to follow their own instinct or follow their own wisdom or their own intuition, but they needed to obey whatever Jesus told them or would tell them to do.
SPEAKER_00: During difficulty, we often react on impulse, just like Peter.
SPEAKER_00: We do things without thinking, we say things without considering how they sound, because the pressures of life get to us.
SPEAKER_00: And we often, the pressures of life often make us respond in ways that aren't always helpful.
SPEAKER_00: And instead of making things better, we make things worse.
SPEAKER_00: And we keep digging a hole for ourselves until we hit rock bottom and we we stop and we ask ourselves, how did we even get here?
SPEAKER_00: Well, the answer to that question is often by listening to myself instead of listening to God's word.
SPEAKER_00: And you know, when we're going through those things, we we don't trust anything, we're not sure of anything, and and and we question every decision and move that we make, wondering, is this the right move?
SPEAKER_00: Is that the right move?
SPEAKER_00: Is this the right decision?
SPEAKER_00: And am I going to make things better or worse?
SPEAKER_00: Again, what's the answer to all this?
SPEAKER_00: The answer is obedience.
SPEAKER_00: The answer is trusting God's ways over my own.
SPEAKER_00: It's obeying God and following his path instead of trying to carve out my own path.
SPEAKER_00: You know, we don't often connect obedience to the nearness of God, but scripture does.
SPEAKER_00: In John 14, 21, we read, Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me, and he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus says that he will manifest himself to those who love and keep his commandments.
SPEAKER_00: To manifest is to make something visible, it's to make something evident.
SPEAKER_00: And no, that doesn't happen by the silly trend of visualizing what you want and bringing it into existence.
SPEAKER_00: In this case, Jesus said he will willfully manifest himself, make himself evident, make himself known in the lives of those who love him and keep his commandments.
SPEAKER_00: Love and obedience in Scripture are connected.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus said elsewhere, if you love me, you will keep my commandments.
SPEAKER_00: How do we know we love Jesus?
SPEAKER_00: By just saying it, by just telling others we do?
SPEAKER_00: No, by keeping his commandments, by obeying him, by following his word.
SPEAKER_00: And it is those, those who obey, who he will make himself evident to.
SPEAKER_00: And when Jesus is evident in our lives, and when we know that he's near, we fear very little.
SPEAKER_00: We aren't too worried about what's coming next when we know that Jesus is next to us.
SPEAKER_00: Robert Murray McShane once said, if I could hear Christ praying for me in the next room, I would not fear a million enemies.
SPEAKER_00: Yet distance makes no difference.
SPEAKER_00: He is praying for me.
SPEAKER_00: It's truly a theme that is found in Scripture.
SPEAKER_00: We're told in James to draw near to God and he would draw near to us.
SPEAKER_00: In Ephesians, we are told to grieve not the Holy Spirit.
SPEAKER_00: Scripture seems to show us that our obedience will bring us closer to God and God to us.
SPEAKER_00: And when God is near us, his presence is near, and his love is near, and his peace is near, and his wisdom is near, and everything that we need for the moment, everything that we need to assure us that we are going to be okay in the hands of God is right there to comfort and console us.
SPEAKER_00: But those things are distant when we're walking in disobedience and when we choose to do things our way instead of God's way.
SPEAKER_00: You'll hear people say things like, Well, I meant well, or I'm just following my heart, or I'm just doing what I thought was right and what would make me happy.
SPEAKER_00: I didn't mean to disobey God.
SPEAKER_00: I was just doing what I thought was right.
SPEAKER_00: Peter thought the same thing, didn't he?
SPEAKER_00: He was sincere in wanting to build those tents.
SPEAKER_00: For all we know, he didn't have any wrong motives.
SPEAKER_00: But his problem wasn't his motives.
SPEAKER_00: His problem was not waiting for direction from God.
SPEAKER_00: Motives and sincerity are never an excuse for disobedience because those things can easily lead us down the wrong path.
SPEAKER_00: And before you think it's too hard to obey, I do want to point out the grace in all of this.
SPEAKER_00: Some of you might remember when Moses in the Old Testament went up to the mountain and received the law from God.
SPEAKER_00: And there God spoke to him, and the people heard his voice from heaven.
SPEAKER_00: There's a lot of similarities between that event and this one here in our passage this morning.
SPEAKER_00: There's a mountain, there's a cloud, there's a revealing of the glory of God, and there is a voice that is heard from heaven.
SPEAKER_00: Look what it says in Deuteronomy chapter 5, verse 22.
SPEAKER_00: These words the Lord spoke to all your assembly at the mountain, out of the mist of the fire and the cloud and thick darkness, with a loud voice, and he added no more.
SPEAKER_00: And he wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me.
SPEAKER_00: And as soon as you heard the voice out of the mist of darkness, while the mountain was burning with fire, you came near to me all the heads of your tribes and your elders.
SPEAKER_00: And you said, Behold, the Lord our God has shown us his glory and greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire.
SPEAKER_00: This day we have seen God speak with men, and men still live.
SPEAKER_00: Now therefore, why should we die?
SPEAKER_00: For this great fire will consume us.
SPEAKER_00: If we hear the voice of the Lord our God any more, we shall die.
SPEAKER_00: For who is there of all flesh that has heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the midst of fire as we have, and as still live?
SPEAKER_00: Go near and hear all that the Lord our God will say, and speak to us, all that the Lord our God will speak to you, and we will hear and do it.
SPEAKER_00: Now notice this is the old covenant, this is the old testament.
SPEAKER_00: Notice the people of Israel, they were terrified at hearing the voice of God, because they were sinners and they were in the presence of this holy and righteous God, and we all know that can be a frightening thing.
SPEAKER_00: They didn't even want God to speak to them.
SPEAKER_00: They said, No more, let us hear him no more.
SPEAKER_00: They wanted God to speak to Moses.
SPEAKER_00: God, you speak to Moses and let Moses speak to us, let him be the mediator.
SPEAKER_00: But but notice that Peter, James, and John didn't have this same reaction.
SPEAKER_00: They didn't fear.
SPEAKER_00: They didn't say, I don't, I don't want to hear from God.
SPEAKER_00: I'm afraid.
SPEAKER_00: Notice how their reaction was different.
SPEAKER_00: Instead, Peter actually wanted God's glory to remain.
SPEAKER_00: What was the difference?
SPEAKER_00: The difference was the mediator.
SPEAKER_00: It wasn't Moses, it was Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: God was revealing something on that mountain that day of the transfiguration.
SPEAKER_00: He was revealing a shift from the old covenant to the new.
SPEAKER_00: At Mount Sinai, God gave the law and said, obey it.
SPEAKER_00: Here, God gives his son and says, obey him.
SPEAKER_00: In other words, my blessing will no longer rely on what you do with the law, but it will now rely on what you do with Jesus, on what you do with my son.
SPEAKER_00: Moses is no longer the mediator of your obedience.
SPEAKER_00: Now Jesus is.
SPEAKER_00: Listen to him.
SPEAKER_00: There's grace in that because Jesus is not only the one we obey, but he is also the one in whom we obey through.
SPEAKER_00: He's the one who gives us the strength to obey.
SPEAKER_00: And when we obey him, we are following his way and his path.
SPEAKER_00: His path that was already traveled upon, his obedience that was already perfected, his ways which are sure and safe.
SPEAKER_00: We don't obey out of fear, we obey out of love.
SPEAKER_00: Because we love Christ and we want to follow our shepherd.
SPEAKER_00: And this is what God was showing Peter, James, and John.
SPEAKER_00: If you want to be assured that you're walking the right way and you're going the right path, if you want to be assured, even when the valley is the shadow of death, you need to listen to my son.
SPEAKER_00: You need to obey him.
SPEAKER_00: You need to keep your eyes on him.
SPEAKER_00: For he is the great shepherd that will lead you.
SPEAKER_00: Follow his voice.
SPEAKER_00: Our obedience will often come with the assurance that God is with us through Jesus Christ.
SPEAKER_00: Amen.
SPEAKER_00: And lastly, assurance comes through the presence of Christ.
SPEAKER_00: Verse 36.
SPEAKER_00: And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone, and they kept silent and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen.
SPEAKER_00: So after hearing the voice, and after witnessing the spectacular display of the glory of Christ, and after seeing Moses and Elijah on the mountain, they looked up, and the only one that is left is Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: Now surely they must have wondered, will he be taken away from us?
SPEAKER_00: I mean, they knew about Elijah.
SPEAKER_00: They knew that Elijah was in this whirlwind one time when he was on earth, and he was taken away.
SPEAKER_00: Can this be what was about to happen to Jesus?
SPEAKER_00: Will God take him away in glory?
SPEAKER_00: But though the glory was gone, and the cloud was gone, and Moses was gone, and Elijah was gone.
SPEAKER_00: Look who's still there.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus was present.
SPEAKER_00: As if to say, I'm still with you.
SPEAKER_00: And I will always be with you.
SPEAKER_00: This must have been assuring for the disciples to see and for the disciples to behold.
SPEAKER_00: That Jesus was there, that Jesus remained with them.
SPEAKER_00: Now Luke only gives us the disciples' response as they kept silent, as it says, they kept silent and told no one what they had seen.
SPEAKER_00: But in Mark's account, we're told that Jesus tells them to not tell anyone until he had risen from the dead.
SPEAKER_00: Of course, the reason we know this story is because they eventually told someone and when it was written and recorded for our benefit.
SPEAKER_00: Yet in the immediate context, this happened to encourage these three men.
SPEAKER_00: It happened to encourage Peter, James, and John for what they were about to face.
SPEAKER_00: But in the fuller context, this happened to encourage you.
SPEAKER_00: It happened to encourage me, to assure us and to remind us that God has a way of preserving us and keeping us.
SPEAKER_00: Even through the face of trials and tribulations that we face in this world.
SPEAKER_00: And one of the most powerful ways that he does this is by reminding us that Christ is still there, that he hasn't gone anywhere, that he's still present.
SPEAKER_00: Just as the disciples knew that Christ was theirs, when they looked up and saw no one but him, we can know that he is ours, who are likewise his disciples, and believe in his name.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus will never abandon his own.
SPEAKER_00: In Matthew 28, we read about the Great Commission.
SPEAKER_00: Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.
SPEAKER_00: And what do we always say?
SPEAKER_00: We say that's for the church.
SPEAKER_00: That's not just for the disciples, that's for all disciples.
SPEAKER_00: Well, in the same passage, Jesus adds this promise that he will be with them always, even until the end of the age.
SPEAKER_00: If the Great Commission is for everyone, then the promise is for everyone.
SPEAKER_00: If you are a disciple of Jesus Christ, if you are a follower of his, then you can rest in this same promise that he will be with you always.
SPEAKER_00: Not sometimes.
SPEAKER_00: Not only when things are going good, not only when things are going great and well, but even when life is giving you a beating, you will face nothing alone.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus will be present.
SPEAKER_00: Peter, I will be with you.
SPEAKER_00: Even when you are thrown into prison, even when you are persecuted for my name.
SPEAKER_00: John, I will be with you.
SPEAKER_00: Even when you're exiled on that island and you feel like you're alone, you won't be alone.
SPEAKER_00: I will be there.
SPEAKER_00: James, you're going to be the first of my apostles to be killed and martyred for my name.
SPEAKER_00: But even through your death, I will be with you.
SPEAKER_00: What these men witnessed on that mountain was meant to assure them.
SPEAKER_00: It was to assure them that the Son of God, the one who the scriptures testify to, the true light of the world, arrayed in splendor and glory, full of power and might, is on their side, and he belongs to them.
SPEAKER_00: And he belongs to us too.
SPEAKER_00: He belongs to all who believe and trust in him for salvation.
SPEAKER_00: Christian, are you afraid of what tomorrow might bring you?
SPEAKER_00: Do you have uncertainty of what might be coming your way?
SPEAKER_00: Be assured, my brother or sister, that Jesus isn't going anywhere.
SPEAKER_00: And that he will be present.
SPEAKER_00: Deuteronomy 31, 6 says, Be strong and courageous, do not fear or be in dread of them.
SPEAKER_00: For it is the Lord your God who goes with you.
SPEAKER_00: He will not leave you or forsake you.
SPEAKER_00: Unless we think this is a promise only for the old covenant, Hebrews repeats this promise in the new covenant for believers.
SPEAKER_00: Just as Israel could have confidence that God would be with them through whatever they face, we can have that same confidence.
SPEAKER_00: We can be assured that he will never leave us or he will never forsake us.
SPEAKER_00: His love is everlasting, his compassion will never cease, his mercies are new every morning, his strength is unmeasurable, and his grace will never run dry.
SPEAKER_00: And he wants you to know that these things are for you.
SPEAKER_00: Isaiah 41, 10.
SPEAKER_00: Fear not, for I am with you.
SPEAKER_00: Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
SPEAKER_00: I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
SPEAKER_00: Now, if it was anyone else saying or telling me, don't worry, I'll be with you, I'll be beside you, I'll be here as long as you need me.
SPEAKER_00: I might find some comfort in that.
SPEAKER_00: That might be nice to hear, but to be honest, I might still be a little afraid.
SPEAKER_00: But believer, Christian, the one who is saying those things is not just anyone.
SPEAKER_00: It is God, the giver of life.
SPEAKER_00: It is the one who created everything out of nothing.
SPEAKER_00: It is the one who spoke everything into existence.
SPEAKER_00: It is the one who commands the winds and the storms and directs their paths.
SPEAKER_00: He is saying to you, do not fear, I will uphold you by my righteous hand.
SPEAKER_00: Just like Peter, James, and John, we sometimes need to be reminded of the God that we serve.
SPEAKER_00: That he's not like man, but that he is full of power, that he's full of glory, and that he is for us in whatever we will face.
SPEAKER_00: So as we close, here's the question for us Are we disciples of Jesus Christ?
SPEAKER_00: Are we followers of him?
SPEAKER_00: If so, then Jesus wants to remind you of two things.
SPEAKER_00: One, he wants to remind you of who he is, that he's powerful.
SPEAKER_00: That in his glory and his might there's none that can match him.
SPEAKER_00: And number two, he wants to remind you that this powerful, glorious God is on your side.
SPEAKER_00: He's for you.
SPEAKER_00: And he will be there every step of the way.
SPEAKER_00: Even when it seems like everything in the world is against us, Jesus is not.
SPEAKER_00: And that's good news for you.
SPEAKER_00: And that's good news for me.
SPEAKER_00: The transfiguration shows us that Jesus is mighty.
SPEAKER_00: And he's mighty to save Christians who are walking through the deep, deepest and darkest despairs of life.
SPEAKER_00: Let his glory assure you that what you face today and what you will face tomorrow are no match for the one who holds you in his mighty hands.
SPEAKER_00: Amen.
SPEAKER_00: Let us pray.