How to See Jesus
Matthew 17:1-9
Sermon by: Rick Crandall
McClendon Baptist Church - June 21, 2009
*How do you see Jesus? Our popular culture certainly sees Him in a warped way. Their Jesus once made an appearance on "The Simpsons". He has often appeared on the raunchy cartoon "South Park" doing battle with Satan.
*Not too long ago, rapper Kanye West had his picture on the cover of “Rolling Stone” magazine. At the time, Kanye was wearing a crown of thorns and the picture was titled “The Passion of Kanye.” (I promise you that Kanye’s thorns were not punching holes in his scalp.) In the mocking comedy, “Talladega Nights,” Will Farrell played a NASCAR driver who liked to pray to an 8 pound 6 oz. baby Jesus who was wearing a diaper made from the golden-fleece. (1)
*That’s how much of our media sees Jesus today, but how do you see Jesus?
*In his book, “Vintage Jesus,” Mark Driscoll tells us that:
-Jehovah’s Witnesses say that Jesus was merely Michael the archangel, a created being that became a man.
-Mormonism teaches that Jesus was not God but only a man who became one of many gods; it also teaches that he was a polygamist and a half-brother of Lucifer.
-Universalism teaches that Jesus was not God but rather that he was a great man to be respected solely for his teaching and love.
-Muslims think Jesus was a prophet, but one who is inferior to Mohammed. Islam also teaches that Judas took Christ’s place on the cross. (1)
*These are just a few of the misguided ways the world sees Jesus. But let’s look into the Word of God to see the real Jesus.
1. First: See Jesus shining in the light of His glory.
*In vs. 1&2, we see Jesus shining in the light of His glory: “After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, brought them up on a high mountain by themselves, and was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.”
*What they saw that day in the face of Jesus Christ was a small part of the glory of God. If they had seen all of His glory, they would have died on the spot. But they saw a small part of the glory of God. And they saw the glory of God in Jesus because He is Almighty God, one with the Father and Holy Spirit.
*Jesus’ face shined like the sun. Can you imagine that? They must have shielded their eyes from His face, because no one can look at the sun without going blind. Why did the Lord reveal His glory to them like that? It is because He wanted the disciples and us and all the world to know that Jesus is Lord of all!
*Col 1:15-17 tells us that Jesus “is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.” Col 2:9 tells us that all the fullness of the Godhead lives in the body of Jesus Christ!
*Jesus certainly considered Himself to be God, and He used language for Himself that the Bible uses exclusively for God. For example, in John 8:56-59, Jesus told the Jews:
56. “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.’’
57. Then the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?’’
58. Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.’’
59. Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them and so passed by.
*When He called Himself “I AM,” Jesus was clearly referring back to Exodus 3:13-14 where Moses met God in a burning bush. There the Lord first called Himself by the same name:
13. Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?”
14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”
*Before He became a man, the Lord Christ of the New Testament was seen by Isaiah in the Old Testament. Isaiah 6:1-5 tells us:
1. In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple.
2. Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.
3. And one cried to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!’’
4. And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke.
5. Then I said: "Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.’’
*How do we know that Isaiah saw Jesus on the throne that day? How do we know that Isaiah saw the pre-incarnate Christ? John 12:35-41 tells us:
35. Then Jesus said to them (that is, the unbelieving Jews), "A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going.
36. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.’’ These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them.
37. But although He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him,
38. that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke: "Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?’’
39. Therefore they could not believe, because Isaiah said again:
40. "He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they should see with their eyes and understand with their heart, lest they should turn, so that I should heal them.’’
41. These things Isaiah said when he saw His glory and spoke of Him.
*These things Isaiah said when he saw (the Lord’s) glory and spoke of Him.
-We should see Jesus shining in the light of His glory!
2. But also see Him as Lord over the Old Testament.
*In vs. 3, “behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.” -- Moses and Elijah, two pillars of the Old Testament. Moses had been dead almost 1,500 years. Elijah had never died, but had been caught up by the Lord almost 900 years before Christ came. Moses represented the Old Testament Law, and all it stood for. Not a way of salvation, but a way to show us the holiness of God and our great need for a Savior. Elijah represented all of the Old Testament prophets, and the sure truth that God is going to keep all of His promises to us.
*What did they talk about on the mountain with Jesus? There is a lot they could have talked about. Moses could have talked about how he first saw the Lord in a burning bush, or how he led the Children of Israel out of slavery in Egypt, or how he delivered the 10 Commandments and all of the Old Testament law to the people. Moses could have talked about how he gave the people God’s precise instructions for escaping death through the blood of the Passover lamb.
*Elijah could have talked about how he prayed and a little boy was brought back to life, or how he prayed and the Lord shut off the rain for 3 ½ years. He could have talked about how he prayed and the rains began again.
*There were many other things they could have talked about on the mountain with Jesus, but Luke 9:30-31 tells us that they talked about the cross:
-“Then behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.”
*You see, Moses and Elijah may be two of the best men who have ever lived, but Jesus is Lord of all! And the cross of Christ is the most important event in all of human history. In Phil 2:8-11, Paul was talking about Jesus when he said:
8. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
9. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,
10. that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,
11. and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
*How should we see Jesus? See Him as Lord over all the Old Testament.
3. And see Jesus with the only perfect life.
*In vs. 4-5, Peter wanted to do something appropriate for the occasion:
4. Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’’
5. While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!’’
*Jesus Christ lived the only perfect life that has ever been lived. Jesus lived the only life that was fully pleasing to our Heavenly Father. As a man, Jesus is the only sinless, spotless Lamb of God, and that is why He is the only man who could have ever died for our sins. Yet Jesus is also God, and James 1:13 tells us that God cannot be tempted with evil.
*How then can we understand the temptation of our sinless Savior. James Merritt gave great insight when he said, “Jesus was not tempted to show that he could sin. He was tempted to show that he could not sin. To put it another way, Jesus was not tempted to show he would not sin, but to prove he could not sin. Jesus was tempted not to prove he could overcome sin, but to prove that sin could not overcome him.”
*So Merritt tells us that sin could not convict Jesus. Jesus asked a question in John 8:46, "Which of you convicts me of sin?"
*His best friends could not. John said about the Lord Jesus: "You know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin." (I Jn. 3:5)
-And often critical Peter said that Jesus was "a Lamb without blemish, and without spot. who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in his mouth." (I Pet. 1:19; 2:22)
*Jesus’ best friends could not convict him of sin, and His bitter foes could not convict him of sin.
-Pilate’s wife said, "Have nothing to do with that just Man." (Mt. 27:19)
-Pilate himself said, "I find no fault in Him at all." (Jn. 18:38)
-Judas said, "I have betrayed innocent blood." (Mt. 27:4)
-The thief on the cross, who had previously blasphemed and cursed Jesus, said, "This man has done nothing wrong." (Lk. 23:41)
-The centurion who oversaw his crucifixion, said, "Certainly this was a righteous Man!" (Lk. 23:47)
*But much better than these witnesses, the Heavenly Father did not convict Jesus of sin. -- God the Father said something about the Lord Jesus he never said about anyone else. Up until Jesus, God looked at an entire world and said, "Every one of them has turned aside; they have together become corrupt; there is none who does good, no, not one." (Ps. 53:3)
*Yet, when Jesus came, the Father gave the same testimony both at the beginning and the end of Jesus’ ministry: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
*Sin could not convict Jesus, and it could not control Him.
-Jesus never lost sleep over a guilty conscience.
-He never blushed over a shameful comment.
-He never regretted any sinful conduct.
-No unclean thought ever flashed through his mind.
-No unkind word ever crossed his lips.
-No unrighteous deed ever came from his hands. (2)
*What a Savior! How should we see Jesus? See Him with the only perfect life.
4. And see Jesus with amazing love for you.
*In vs. 4-9, we see the Lord’s love demonstrated in several great ways:
-Verse 4 reminds us that Jesus is patient with our misguided ideas:
4. Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’’
*That was not a good idea. There was work to do down in the valley, and work to do on the cross. Have you ever had a bad idea?
-It’s good to know that God’s love is patient with our misguided ideas.
*In vs. 6-7, we see the Lord’s love when He calms our fears.
6. And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid.
7. But Jesus came and touched them and said, "Arise, and do not be afraid.’’
*Have you ever been afraid? The Lord loves you enough to calm your fears.
-Then in vs. 7, we also see love in His touch: “Jesus came and touched them.”
-Touched by the Hand of Almighty God! -- What love!
*Philip Yancey told a story about Dr. Paul Brand who devoted his life to treating leprosy patients in India.
-During one examination Dr. Brand laid his hand on the patient’s shoulder, as through a translator he told the sick man about the treatment he would receive.
*To the doctor’s surprise, the man began to shake with muffled sobs.
-Dr. Brand asked: “Have I said something wrong?”
*The translator asked the patient and replied, “No, doctor. He says he is crying because you put your hand around his shoulder. Until he came here no one had touched him for many years.” (3)
*We usually take it for granted, but to be touched is incredibly important to us.
-And to be touched by God shows His love and affection in a personal way.
-We cannot be touched today by Christ’s physical hand, but Jesus will surely touch your life, if you will trust in Him.
*And there is another way the Lord demonstrated His love for us.
-The greatest way of showing the greatest love was on the cross, and Jesus reminds us of the cross in vs. 9, “Now as they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, ‘Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead.’
*Jesus spoke of rising from the dead, because He knew He was going to be dying on the cross for our sins. Paul spoke of this greatest act of love in Rom 5:7-10
7. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die.
8. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
10. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
*Have you received this love?
-It is your only hope for Heaven, and it is the only hope you need.
*Take a good look at Jesus tonight.
-See Him shining like the sun.
-See Him as Lord over all the Old Testament.
-See Him with the only perfect life ever lived.
-And see His amazing love for you.
*Take a good look at the Lord. -- Then commit your life to Him.
1. Adapted from http://www.kaleochurch.com/sermon/who-is-jesus/
2. Adapted from ChristianGlobe.com sermon “Nobody’s Perfect--Except Jesus” by James Merritt - Heb 4:15-16
3. SermonCentral sermon “The Deal of the Century” by Steve Shepherd - Matt 7:11
