ILLUS: A crowded airliner was just about to take off when a five-year-old boy began to throw a temper tantrum. His embarrassed mother does to tried to calm him down, but the boy continued to kick and scream.
Suddenly, from the rear of the plane, an Air Force General slowly walked up the aisle. He stopped beside the boy, nodded to the mother, and leaned down to quietly talk to the boy.
He motioned toward his chest, patted the boy on the head and walked away. As if by magic, the boy immediately calmed down and quietly fastened his seat belt.
All the other passengers burst into applause.
As the General slowly makes his way back to his seat, one of the cabin attendants touched his sleeve. "Excuse me, General, but what did you say to that little boy?"
The old man smiled serenely and said,
"I showed him my pilot’s wings, service stars and battle ribbons and explained that they entitled me to throw anyone I want out the door of any plane I’m on."
APPLY: It’s amazing how much people will listen to someone with the right kind of authority and who can back it up with the proper credentials.
The story we’ve just read in Luke 9 is meant to communicate that very idea.
Here on the mount of Transfiguration, God drives home the fact that Jesus had the right kind of authority and the proper credentials. And it was such a powerful lesson that it is recorded in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and Peter refers to it in one of his letters.
Jesus takes Peter, James and John up on a mountain to prayand while they were there, Jesus undergoes a “transfiguration” where his face begins to shine like the sun and his clothes radiate with light. And as if that weren’t enough, two men suddenly appear and begin talking with Jesus.
One is Moses (the man who gave God’s Law to Israel)
And the other is Elijah (one of the greatest of the Prophets)
Peter is so overwhelmed by what he sees that he wants to turn this into a worship time. He wants to build 3 shelters… one for Moses, one for Elijah and one for Jesus. But just then a thick cloud descends and a voice declares "This is my Son... Listen to him!"
When the cloud disappears, all they can see is Jesus.
Now, this wasn’t an accident.
This isn’t didn’t just happen.
This was pre-planned.
Jesus deliberately took His disciples up on the Mountain that day for a time of show & tell. And He did it this way because He wanted to drive home to His disciples that He had the authority and he had credential to demand their attention.
Whenever God’s wanted to get people’s attention it seems He takes to a mountain.
• He brought Israel to a mountain (Mt. Sinai) to receive the 10 commandments. And while they were there He came down upon the mountain with a cloud and filled the sky with thunder and lightning and He spoke with such authority that the people trembled.
His intention was make sure Israel never forgot what happened that day.
He wanted them to always remember that they served a powerful fearsome God who had the power, authority, & credentials to demand they listen to Him.
In the days of Elijah, God once again brought His people to a mountain (Mt. Carmel) and there He challenged the pagan prophets of Baal and Ashtoreth to a contest. And in the midst of that contest, God sent fire from heaven and consumed Elijah’s sacrifice.
His intention was make sure Israel never forgot what happened that day.
He wanted them to always remember that they served a powerful fearsome God who had the power, authority, & credentials to demand they listen to Him.
And now – once again – God brings people to another mountain, and His intention is to make sure that the disciples never forgot something.
He wanted them to NEVER forget that Jesus had something Moses never had; something Elijah never had. Because Moses and Elijah were merely servants of the most High God.
BUT Jesus is the SON of God.
This is my son – listen to Him!
God wanted the disciples to never forget that Jesus had the power, authority and credentials to demand that they listen to Him!
Philippians 2:6-9 tells us
“Jesus…being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!”
Jesus was God. He had the power, the authority the credentials but He put all that aside so that could come down from heaven and die for our sins to bring us forgiveness.
With Moses on Mt. Sinai and Elijah on Mt. Carmel God was telling His people:
You can listen to me… or you can get off my mountain.
I’m not sharing you with anyone else.
And here on the Mt. of Transfiguration – God saying pretty much the same thing.
This is my son – listen to Him!
Don’t try to make Him just another teacher, prophet, or moral leader. He’s far more than that. He’s far above even a great leader like Moses, or a powerful great prophet like Elijah.
He is my Son… listen to Him or get off the Mountain.
Peter later said in Acts 4:12:
“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
You’re not going to be saved by Buddha, Hara Krishna, Mohammed, or even Moses or Elijah. No one else will do what Jesus can do for you. No one else can remove your shame and guilt and bring you the promise of salvation.
When Peter stated that “Salvation was found in no one else” he wasn’t preaching to the choir. He hadn’t gathered around himself an audience that believed his every word. He was standing before the Sanhedrin on trial for preaching about Jesus. When he stated those words he did so fully understanding that they might punish him or even have him stoned for his belief in Christ.
But Peter was convinced that Jesus had the right to demand his allegiance – that didn’t matter.
Peter was a soldier of Christ and Jesus was His commander in chief, and Peter was willing to even die for Him because Jesus had ALL the right credentials.
But does He have all the right credentials?
The Bible tells us that you need 2 or 3 witnesses to confirm whether some thing is true.
So, what witnesses does Jesus have?
1st – you have the testimony of the Father.
Not only did the voice of God declare on this mountain that Jesus was His Son, but 100s of times throughout Scripture God declared that SOMEONE was coming, and when that someone came, He would live in a certain way, die in a certain way, and rise from the dead. In all there were over 300 prophecies that spelled out what this coming Messiah would be like.
And Jesus fulfilled them all.
These prophecies are like a paper trail pointing directly to Jesus.
No other man has ever come close to fulfilling these prophecies.
And no other religious leader has ever had the kind of documentation that the Bible gave to Christ.
• About 500 years before Jesus was born, Buddha walked the earth and taught things that impressed so many people that his followers formed a religion around his teachings that exists to this day. But no one had ever prophesied that a man like Buddha would be born, and live, and teach as he did.
• About 500 years after Christ was born, Mohammed walked the earth and taught things that impressed so many people that his followers formed a religion around his teachings that exists to this day. But no one had ever prophesied that a man like Buddha would be born, and live, and teach as he did.
By contrast Jesus’ was preceded by hundreds of years of documentation that confirmed His claims and His credentials.
So 1st, you have the testimony from the Father – both verbally and in His written word
2nd – you have the testimony of Jesus’ life.
No man ever lived the kind of moral life He lived or taught the kinds of things He taught.
Many of the world’s religions have taught that the poor are beneath us, or that those who suffer were getting what they deserve.
But Jesus touched - and healed - the lepers the lame and sick, He helped poor and the destitute and spent time with the unwanted and the rejected.
Jesus once declared:
"It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." Luke 5:31-32
ILLUS: Back in the 3rd-century a pagan named Celsus said to Christian leader named Origen, "When most teachers go forth to teach, they cry, ’Come to me, you who are clean and worthy,’ and they are followed by the highest caliber of people available. But your silly master cries, ’Come to me, you who are down and beaten by life,’ and so he accumulates around him the rag, tag and bobtail of humanity."
And Origen replied: "Yes, they are the rag, tag and bobtail of humanity. But Jesus does not leave them that way. Out of material you would have thrown away as useless, he fashions men, giving them back their self-respect, enabling them to stand on their feet and look God in the eyes. They were cowed, cringing, broken things. But the Son has set them free."
3rd – you have the testimony of those who saw Jesus risen from the dead.
Paul writes (in I Corinthians 15) that after Jesus rose from the grave “He appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than 500 of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.
Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.”
Paul was telling his audience – if you don’t believe me go talk to these hundreds of eye-witnesses to His resurrection.
4th you have the testimony of those whose lives have been changed by Jesus.
ILLUS: Years ago in England there was a man named Hugh Price Hughes who was well known for ministering to the poor in the slums of London. A noted atheist named Charles Bradlaugh challenged Hughes to a debate on the validity of the claims of Christ.
Hughes immediately accepted the debate and in doing so added one challenge of his own:
Hughes said. "I propose to you that we each bring some concrete evidences of the validity of our beliefs in the form of men and women who have been redeemed from the lives of sin and shame by the influence of our teaching. I will bring 100 such men and women and I challenge you to do the same.
"If you cannot bring 100, Mr. Bradlaugh, I will be satisfied if you will bring 50 such men and women who will stand and testify that they have been lifted up from lives of shame by the influence of your teachings.
If you can’t bring 50, then bring 20 people who will say that they have a great joy in a life of self respect as a result of your atheistic teachings.
If you cannot bring 20, I will be satisfied if you bring 10.
"Nay, Mr. Bradlaugh, I challenge you to bring one, just one man or woman who will make such a testimony regarding the uplifting of your atheistic teachings."
Bradlaugh withdrew his challenge. Because he couldn’t.
Jesus changes lives.
Jesus is unique in His ability to transform lives and remove the guilt of sin from people’s hearts.
So, Jesus has the credentials to be who He said He was.
But now… what are we going to do about it?
Just because we “claim” to believe Jesus is the Christ the Son of the living God that doesn’t mean that we’ve taken it seriously.
ILLUS: Back in the 90’s when George Bush Sr. was President, our nation went to war the 1st time against Saddam Hussein & Iraq. During that conflict, Ann Landers asked people to send letters of encouragement to the soldiers. They called it Operation Dear Abby
Billy Graham’s son, Franklin Graham, heard about the campaign and decided to get involved. He purchased a million tracts printed in Arabic and distributed them to Churches, who in turn gave them to their members to send with their letters to the soldiers to distribute in Saudi Arabia.
Now, this created a problem.
The Arabs were glad to have the Americans shed their blood to defend them, but they didn’t want to have them to share their faith. Soldiers weren’t even allowed to wear a cross.
General Schwarzkopf asked a Military Chaplain to call Franklin and tell him the religious materials were not allowed. The Chaplain told Graham:
As chaplains, are not here to evangelize. We’re here to provide for the spiritual needs of our men and women in uniform. Our responsibility is to them only. Is that understood, Mr. Graham?"
They had an extended conversation which concluded with the Chaplain telling Graham: "I understand what you’re trying to do... But I’m under orders . .
Graham replied “So am I, sir - orders from the King of kings and Lord of lords - to go into all the world and preach the gospel and make disciples of every nation.”
This chaplain who SAID he believed in Jesus, but he actually gave his allegiance to someone else. I realize he was faced with a very difficult situation, but what he should have done was tell General Schwarzkopf “I’m sorry sir, but my first commitment is to Jesus Christ. You may court martial me if you wish, but I will not disobey my Savior, and what Mr. Graham is doing is what he should do. I will not obey this order.”
Romans 10:9 tells us that when we become Christians we should confess that “Jesus is Lord”.
That means is that when we became Christians we make Jesus the owner of everything
• our jobs
• our possessions
• our families
• our marriages
• our dreams and hopes
They all belong to Him.
But it’s one thing to SAY we believe that… it’s another to actually give those things to Him
• Have you given your job to Jesus? Does it belong to Him?
Eph 6:7 says when you work “Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men”
• Have you given your possessions to Jesus? Do they belong to Him?
ILLUS: I talked to a man this past week who told me, “I don’t have much, but what I have I want to use to build the Kingdom of God”
• Have you given your family to Jesus? Does it belong to Him?
Psalm 127 says that children are a blessing from God. They belong to Him and we’re expected to protect them and raise them to glorify His name.
• Have you given your marriage to God? Does it belong to Him? Do you treat your husband/ wife in a way that Jesus would be pleased?
God tells us “Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.” (1Peter 3:7)
Even though this verse is addressed to husbands, the principle is the same for both husbands and wives. As a Christian your spouse belongs to God and if you mistreat them God will not listen to your prayers.
We need to take our allegiance to God seriously
You might say “well I go to church!”, and it’s nice for you to come to church.
You might say “I prayer and read my Bible,” and it’s nice for you to do those things.
You might say “I always listen carefully to Jeff’s sermons and I always pat him on the back and tell him what a great job he does” and you should.
But until you make Jesus the ruler of your life – your commander-in-chief - you’re just playing church. You’ve not seriously committed yourself to making Jesus your LORD.
Because once Jesus is in charge your life changes. It changes because your priorities change.
CLOSE: When a young man left home for his freshman year of college, his mother was concerned that he wouldn’t keep his dorm room in order. So when she visited him at Thanksgiving, she was not surprised to find his room in total disarray. Papers and books were scattered all over the place. But what shocked her the most were the obscene pictures hanging on the walls.
At Christmas time, she sent her son a box of presents, including a portrait of Jesus. He thanked her for the gifts but didn’t say anything about the picture. In the spring, when she visited the school again, her son was eager for her to come to his room. Upon entering, she found on the best wall space the picture of Christ. All the other pictures were gone. Wisely she said,
"Jack, there is something different about your room. Did you get a new rug?" "No."
"Is this new paper on the wall?" "No."
“When I was here before, it seemed to me you had more pictures than now." "Yes, I did, Mother, but those other pictures seemed out of place after that one of Jesus came into the room."
