8 March 2009
Second Sunday in Lent
U.S. Army Chaplain (MAJ) Ken Harris
Fortress Chapel
Contingency Operation Site (C.O.S.) Sykes
Tall-afar, Iraq
BIG IDEA: The Synopsis Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) share with us Peter, James, and John’s Mountaintop Experience with Jesus, Moses and Elijah, but ONLY LUKE tells us WHAT they talked about.
REFERENCES: Matthew 5:17 (ESV) Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
Romans 8:17 (KJV) And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; If so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together; Romans 4:24-25 (ESV) but for our also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification; 2 Peter 1:16-21 ESV (Peter speaks of Christ’s Glory and the Prophetic Word); Revelation 19:10 (ESV) Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God.” For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy; Mark 8:31-38 (Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection); Mark 9:2-9 (The Transfiguration); Matthew 17:1-8 (The Transfiguration); Luke 9:28-36 (The Transfiguration); Psalm 22:23-31 (Why Have You Forsaken Me?); Deut. 34:6 ESV (and he buried him in the valley in the land of Moab opposite Beth-peor; but no one knows the place of his burial to this day); 2 Kings 2:11 (ESV) And as they still went on and talked, behold, chariots of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven; Exodus 34:30 (ESV) Aaron and all the people of Israel saw Moses, and behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him;
I. ANNOUNCE THE PERICOPE: Luke 9:28-36 (ESV)
II. READ THE PERICOPE: Luke 9:28-36 (ESV)
III. READ THE TEXT: Luke 9:30-31 (ESV) 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.
IV. PURPOSE: To motivate the hearers to affirm to others that Jesus spoke to Moses and Elijah about His departure and His Funeral Arrangements for Life.
V. SERMONIC THEME: “Funeral Arrangements for Life”
VI. INTRODUCTION:
I think everyone, in here, this morning can attest to the fact that “we are not going to live in this “shell of a body” forever. If this news comes as surprise to you. I apologize for sharing such morbid news with you. But, Job 14:1 (KJV) says: Man that is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble. In other words, we are not going to live forever on this side of heaven. So, we need to make “Funeral Arrangements for Life” . And this can be done by accepting Jesus Christ as our personal Savior today.
Still, and rightfully so, funeral discussions aren’t very popular topics. Folk don’t like to talk about funerals. People don’t like to hang-out in funeral homes. And children don’t play in graveyards.
In fact, usually when discussions about funerals occur, it’s because someone has died or someone is going to die. People do not like to talk about dying.
Yet it’s something that many of us will experience. We will either be the subject of the conversation or we will be discussing the subject with the appropriate professionals.
In our Scripture today, we find the giver of life discussing death with individuals that are absent from the body and are present with God.
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MOVE 1: We have heard the reading of God’s Word from the Book of Mark – Chapter 9, verses 2-9.
a. Many of you, this morning, may already be aware of a similar reading regarding the “Transfiguration” in Chapter 17 of The Gospel According to Matthew.
b. But, what you may not have known is that there is also a parallel reading of the “Transfiguration” in The Gospel According to Luke from which our text is taken.
c. All 3 Gospels share with us the “Mountaintop Experience” of Peter, James, and John. But, only Luke’s version of the “Transfiguration” shares what they discussed.
d. Please turn with me to the Book of Luke; Chapter 9; Verses 28-31. Listen to the Word of God from the English Standard Version of The Bible:
e. 28. Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray. 29. And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white. 30. And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, 31. Who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 32. Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they became full awake they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. 33. And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah” – not knowing what he said. 34. As he was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. 35. And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my son, my Chosen One; listen to him!” 36. 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. Now, our text is taken from Luke 9:30-31 (ESV). Listen as I re-read these verses: 30. And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, 31. Who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.
******* TAKE 5 BEATS *******
MOVE 2: About 8 days prior to our Scripture Reading, we find our Savior talking to his disciples about “Taking Up Their Cross and Following Him”.
a. He says to them all (in Luke 9:23): “…If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”
b. In other words, the person who desires to become a disciple of Jesus or a Christian today must do 3 things:
c. First, He must Deny himself – and say No to his own personal desires and selfish wants;
d. … while at the same time he must accept and obey the desires and the will of the Lord in his life.
******* TAKE 5 BEATS *******
MOVE 2: Second, the new believer must “Take up his cross”.
a. It has been said that during Biblical times, “A condemned criminal was forced to carry one bar of his cross on “a one-way journey” to the place of his execution.
b. He could not turn back and he would not return.
c. This is the ultimate expression of self-denial.
d. Just as Jesus had willingly carried a cross of self-denial, so do those who desire to be a disciple of Jesus must willingly take up their cross.
e. This is not a one time event. It goes beyond the Season of Lent. In fact, Luke tells us all that it must occur “daily”.
f. Finally, the last thing that every new believer must do is follow Jesus.
******* TAKE 5 BEATS *******
MOVE 3: The point is the person who denies self and takes up their cross is following Jesus because they are going down the same path as Jesus.
a. The Good Book tells us (in Romans 8:17 KJV) that if we suffer with Him; we shall also reign with him.
b. Biblical History tells us that of the 3 disciples that travelled with Jesus to the Mountaintop, they all died tragically:
c. Peter was hanged upsized down on the cross; James was beheaded;
d. …And John was placed in exile on the Island of Patmos.
e. Still, the believers that deny themselves “daily” and take up their daily cross of challenges and follow Jesus will one day reign with Him.
******* TAKE 5 BEATS *******
MOVE 4: Afterwards, Jesus goes on to use a paradoxical phrase (in verses 24 and 25) by saying you will lose your life if you try to save it, but you can have eternal life by “losing’ your life for Christ.
a. In other words, the person who tries to selfishly secure for himself pleasure, wealth, and happiness in this life is actually doomed to failure.
b. Because he commits Spiritual Suicide.
c. But the person who gives of himself and denies his desires and will in order to follow after Christ in unselfish obedience “shall save it”.
d. Then later, 8 days later to be exact, after our Lord had predicted the Transfiguration, in verse (27) where the Lord says:
e. “But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.
f. In other words, Jesus was saying that “SOME” – specifically, Peter, James and John would not die until they had witnessed the Transfiguration with their own eyes.”
******* TAKE 5 BEATS *******
MOVE 5: Therefore, in our text today, we learn that while Jesus was praying, his countenance was altered and he took on the form of his heavenly glory.
a. The Gospel According to Mark says, in Mark 9:2, that Jesus was transfigured.
b. The word “transfigured” in the Greek Language is “mete-mor-pho’-the’” which is where the word metamorphosis comes from.
c. Metamorphosis is what a butterfly does when it changes from a caterpillar to a butterfly.
d. The caterpillar experiences a metamorphosis. In our Scripture today, Jesus experienced a metamorphosis.
e. His clothes were as white and radiant as “lightening” in full flare.
f. And behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elijah.
g. Two Biblical Historical Figures.
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MOVE 6: One was the great lawgiver (Moses) who had also had a Mountaintop Experience at Mount Sinai where his face shined because he had been talking with God;
a. … While the other (Elijah) was the great restorer of the law.
b. The Good Book tells us that Moses body was hidden and never found (Deut. 34:6 ESV);
c. …while Elijah was taken up into Heaven in a whirlwind (2 Kings 2:11 ESV).
d. Here, in this instance, my brothers and sisters, we have representation of the Law, The Prophet, and the Fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets in Jesus Christ.
e. For it was Jesus himself that said (in Matthews 5:17) “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
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MOVE 7: So, the question is What did the three of them discuss?
a. I submit to you this morning that verse 31 of our text tells us.
b. For the Scriptures says: who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.
c. Only the Gospel According to Luke tells us that the conversation is about Jesus’ departure.
d. The word departure in the Greek Language is exodon which is literally “exodus”. In other words “his death”.
e. The use of the word “departure” is looked upon by many theologians as being a bit unusual.
f. Although Peter also uses it in 2 Peter 1:14-15 when he says: since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me.
g. And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things.
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CELEBRATION:
The word “exodus” makes us think about the Exodus.
The Exodus had delivered Israel from bondage.
Jesus by His ”exodus” would deliver His people from bondage to sin.
In other words, Jesus was discussing His Funeral Arrangements in order for us to have Eternal Life.
Funeral Arrangements for Life.
