Hear His Voice

Matthew 17:1-5

And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into a high mountain apart,

And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.

And behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elijah talking with him.

Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.

While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased: hear ye him.

Some time ago, one of the best selling books on the market was one like no other that has ever been written.

It not only created a lot of conversation, but even was made into a movie.

The book, entitled, “The Horse Whisperer”, tells the story of a man who has learned how to train unbroken horses by talking to them.

I have a friend who recently went to such a demonstration, she watched a man training an untamed horse that had never been ridden.

The man was successful in riding the horse within a few hours simply by talking to the horse in easy, whispering tones.

It is amazing what words can do.

Words have a way of affecting us.

Words can hurt or enliven.

They can either bind or release you.

Words can strengthen or tear down.

Words can worry you or set you free.

The power of a few words are amazing.

That’s why I feel it so important to analyze the story of the Mount of Transfiguration.

Notice something very important as you look into what happened with Jesus and three disciples.

I read through the story of the transfiguration and found a question I had never given much thought about.

Jesus took Peter, James, and John with him to the mountain for a special event in their lives.

Something was scheduled to happen that had never happened and these three men are about to meet two others that they had never seen.

What was the real reason for this dramatic scene?

How did Jesus expect to speak to his disciples through such an experience like this?

If you and I had been there, we would have probably done what the disciples did and started the process of erecting a monument, that would have allowed the world to have known not only what had happened, but who had been a part of it.

I really don’t think the reason for the transfiguration was to get the disciples attention as to who he was.

They already knew this.

Peter had within hours of this scene recognized him and proclaimed him the Christ, the Son of the living God.

I don’t think the reason was to display his power.

It had already been displayed in such a great way, because a few days earlier he had fed the multitude with the loaves and fish.

I don’t really think it was so that the disciples could be mesmerized by his glory. His glory was radiant in the miracles and wonders everywhere he went.

I attempted to analyze this and quickly was drawn to something important.

There appeared to them a bright cloud overshadowing them.

Out of the cloud came a voice which made a proclamation of great importance.

“This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; Hear ye him.”

Why did the voice speak these words?

The voice could have said anything at this point.

Any word stated at this point would have been reveled by the disciples, yet he chose these simple phrases.

Not only did He have a message for the Disciples, but he also was trying to get our attention.

The voice spoke and the voice gave direction.

The purpose, was simply that we might know we could hear him.

This transfigured man was not just a normal man, but he was the Son of God.

He was not just flesh and blood, but inside him was the divine spirit of the Almighty.

He did not just have great knowledge, but he knew the end from the beginning.

He was not just a great instructor, but he was to be the savior of the world.

So the greatest instruction the heavenly Father could provide to us was that we could hear him.

We should hear him.

We must hear him.

In this hour, we need to hear from God and listen to his voice.

It is necessary for our salvation that we hear him and follow the direction of his voice.

The world has been affected in many ways as a result of people’s voices.