How Do You See Jesus Christ?
The Gospel of Matthew
Matthew 17:1-9
Sermon by Rick Crandall
(Prepared September 16, 2022)
BACKGROUND:
*Please open your Bibles to Matthew 17. By this time, Jesus was in the 3rd year of His ministry. J. Vernon McGee estimated the Lord was only six months away from the cross, and the Lord was viciously opposed by four evil groups: Scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, and Herodians.
*Normally, the scribes and Pharisees hated the Sadducees and Herodians, and the feeling was mutual. But these Christ rejecters had come together in their murderous hatred of Jesus. They were obsessed with His destruction, and had been plotting His death for months.
*That's why in chapter 16, Jesus withdrew to the non-Jewish region of Caesarea Philippi. It was 25 miles northeast of the Sea of Galilee. John Phillips explained that there on the edge of the Gentile world, the Lord tarried with His disciples for about a week. There Jesus began to speak plainly about His cross. And for the first time, He spoke about His Church. That's why Phillips called chapter 16 "the great divide" of Matthew's Gospel. (1)
*In Matthew 16:16 we saw Peter's great declaration of faith, as he told Jesus, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.'' But in vs. 21-23 we also saw Peter's great fumble, as he tried to steer Jesus away from the cross.
*Jesus strongly rebuked Peter, and then in Matthew 16:24, the Lord spoke of the high standards He established for His disciples. There Jesus said, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me."
*We must understand that the original word for "disciple" means "student," "learner," "follower," "imitator." And in that sense, all Christians are called to be disciples of Jesus Christ. Yes Christians, we are citizens of Heaven, children of God, friends of God, and much more, but we are also called to be the Lord's disciples. (2)
*Here in Matthew 17:1-9, Jesus led Peter, James, and John up on a high mountain, and there the Lord was miraculously transfigured before them. This great miracle is also recorded in Mark 9 and Luke 9. It was as if Jesus pulled back the curtain and gave them a glimpse of His glory, so as we read today's Scripture, please think about how we should see Jesus Christ.
MESSAGE:
*How do you see Jesus Christ? Our popular culture certainly sees Him in a warped way. Their Jesus was on an episode of "The Simpsons." He often appeared on "South Park" doing battle with Satan. In the movie, "Talladega Nights," actor Will Farrell played a NASCAR driver who liked to pray to an 8-pound, 6-ounce baby Jesus wearing a golden-fleece diaper. (3)
*That's how much of our mocking media elite sees Jesus. How do you see the Lord? Mark Driscoll tells us that: "Jehovah's Witnesses say 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. Mormonism also teaches that Jesus 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 was inferior to Mohammed." (4)
*These are the ways much of the world sees Jesus. But let's look into God's Word to see the real Jesus.
1. FIRST, WE SHOULD SEE JESUS SHINING IN THE LIGHT OF HIS GLORY.
*Verses 1-2 give us this revelation of our Lord: "Now 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." Luke 9:28-29 adds that Jesus took those disciples up on that mountain to pray. "And as He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening."
*What Peter, James, and John saw that day was a small glimpse of the glory of Jesus Christ. If they had seen all of His glory, they would have died on the spot. But they saw a small portion of the glory of God. And they saw the glory of God in Jesus Christ, because He IS Almighty God, one with God the Father and the 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 for more than a moment without going blind.
*Why did Jesus do that? Why did He reveal His glory like that? -- Because He wanted His disciples, and all the world to know that Jesus is Lord of all!
*Colossians 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." Colossians 2:9 tells us that all the fullness of the Godhead lives in the body of Jesus Christ! And Jesus' face shined like the sun on the mount of transfiguration, because He wanted everyone to know that He was not just an ordinary man.
*Jesus Christ is the Almighty Son of God, and He wants the world to know it! That is why the Risen Savior also revealed His glory to the Apostle John on the Island of Patmos. Listen to part of John's report from Revelation 1:10-18:
10. I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet,
11. saying, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,'' and, "What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.''
12. Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands,
13. and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band.
14. His head and His hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire;
15. His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters;
16. He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength.
17. And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, "Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last.
18. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hell and of Death.
2. HOW SHOULD WE SEE JESUS CHRIST? SEE HIM SHINING IN THE LIGHT OF HIS GLORY! BUT ALSO SEE JESUS AS LORD OVER ALL THE OLD TESTAMENT.
*Matthew 17:3 says: "Behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him." Moses and Elijah were like two pillars of the Old Testament. By this time Moses had been dead for over 1,400 years. Elijah had never died, but had been caught up by the Lord about 900 years earlier.
*Moses represented the Old Testament Law, and all it stood for. The Law was never the way of salvation, but God's way to show us His holiness, our sinfulness, 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 His promises to us. (5)
*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, how he led the Children of Israel out of slavery in Egypt, or how he delivered the Ten Commandments and all of the Old Testament Law to the people. Moses also could have talked about how he gave the Israelites God's precise instructions for escaping death through the blood of the Passover lamb.
*Elijah could have talked about how he prayed, and the Lord brought a little boy back to life, or how he prayed, and God stopped the rain for 3 1/2 years, then how he prayed, and the rains began again.
*There were many other things these two Old Testament heroes 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 were surely 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 Philippians 2:8-11, Paul said this about Jesus:
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.
3, HOW SHOULD WE SEE JESUS CHRIST? SEE HIM AS LORD OVER ALL THE OLD TESTAMENT, AND SEE HIM LIVING THE ONLY PERFECT LIFE.
*God the Father gives us this great truth in vs. 4-5:
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 is the only person who ever lived a perfect life! He is the only person who ever pleased our Heavenly Father in a perfect way. 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.
*Here is part of James Merritt's great explanation of this truth: "Jesus was not tempted to show that He could sin. He was tempted to show that He could not sin. He was tempted to prove that sin could not overcome Him." In John 8:46, Jesus asked a question: "Which of you convicts me of sin?" Or as the New Living Translation says, "Which of you can truthfully accuse me of sin?"
[1] AND NO ONE COULD EVER CONVICT JESUS OF SIN. HIS BEST FRIENDS COULD NOT.
*In 1 John 3:5, the Apostle John said this about Jesus, 'You know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin.' Peter said that Jesus was 'a Lamb without blemish, and without spot. who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in his mouth.' That's in 1 Peter 1:19 and 2:22.
[2] JESUS' BEST FRIENDS COULD NOT CONVICT HIM OF SIN, AND HIS BITTER FOES COULD NOT CONVICT HIM OF SIN.
*In Matthew 27:4 Judas the Betrayer said, 'I have betrayed innocent blood.' In Matthew 27:19 Pilate's wife said, 'Have nothing to do with that just Man.' In John 18:38 Pilate said, 'I find no fault in Him at all.' Then in Luke 23:41 the thief on the cross, who had at first blasphemed and cursed Jesus, said, 'This man has done nothing wrong.' And in Luke 23:47 the centurion who was in charge of Jesus' crucifixion said, 'Certainly, this was a righteous Man!'
[3] BUT MUCH BETTER THAN THESE EARTHLY WITNESSES, THE HEAVENLY FATHER DID NOT CONVICT JESUS OF SIN.
*God the Father said something about Jesus that God has never said about anyone else. Up until Jesus, God looked at the whole world, and in Psalm 53:3 God said, 'Every one of them has turned aside; they have together become corrupt; there is none who does good, no, not one.'
*Yet, when Jesus came, God the Father gave the same testimony both at the beginning and near the end of Jesus' ministry. The first was after the Lord's baptism in Matthew 3:17, and then here in Matthew 17:5, on the mountain of transfiguration: 'This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.'
*Jesus and sin were complete strangers. In 2 Corinthians 5:21 Paul said that Jesus 'knew no sin.' But in Isaiah 6:5, the great prophet 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.
*In Psalm 51:3 Israel's greatest king, David, said, 'I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.' And in 1 Timothy 1:15 the Apostle Paul said, 'Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.'
*But in John 8:29 the Lord Jesus said, 'The Father has not left me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.' No unclean thought ever flashed through Jesus' mind. No unkind word ever crossed His lips. No unrighteous deed ever came from His hands. What a Savior!" (6)
4. HOW SHOULD WE SEE JESUS CHRIST? SEE HIM LIVING THE ONLY PERFECT LIFE, AND SEE HIM HAVING AMAZING LOVE FOR US.
*In vs. 4-9 Jesus demonstrated His love in several great ways. Verse 4 reminds us of His loving patience toward us. Here Jesus was patient with Peter's misguided plans: "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? I've had plenty of them, so it's good to know that Jesus is patient with our misguided plans.
*Verses 5-7 remind us that the Lord loves us enough to calm our fears:
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!''
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. I once I heard Pastor Bruce Rux speak at a funeral about God calming our fears. Bruce reassured the family with a story from days as a seminary student in Pittsburgh.
*One of the professors asked this question: "Which commandment from God is repeated most often in the Bible?" Those eager students tried hard to answer his question. Some thought it must have been "love the Lord with all your heart" or one of the Ten Commandments. They were all surprised when the professor told them that the most frequent commandment in God's Word is simply, "Fear not." -- "Do not be afraid!"
*I looked it up and that command is found 71 times in God's Word! Life will seem scary at times, but "Fear not!" Jesus wants to calm your fears.
*But in vs. 7 we also see love in the Lord's touch. "Jesus came and touched them." Touched by the Hand of Almighty God! What love! We often take it for granted, but for us to be touched is very important.
*Paul Brand was the medical doctor who devoted 19 years of his life to treat leprosy patients in India. He then served 20 years at the leprosy center here in Louisiana.
*During one exam in India, Dr. Brand laid his hand on the patient's shoulder. And through a translator he told the sick man about the treatment he would receive. To the doctor's surprise, the man began to literally shake with quiet sobs.
*Dr. Brand asked, "Have I said something wrong?" The translator asked the patient and then 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." (7)
*We usually take it for granted, but to be touched by people who love us is incredibly important. The only thing better is to be touched by the Hand of God. The Lord's touch shows His love and affection in a personal way.
*But there is a greater way God showed His love for us. It's the greatest way of showing the greatest love, and it was on the cross of Jesus Christ. The Lord reminds us of His cross in vs. 8-9:
8. And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.
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 again from the dead, because He knew that He would be dying on the cross for our sins. And the Lord's death on the cross was the greatest act of love the world will ever see. The greatest act of the greatest of love: God's kind of "agape" love. The original words for agape love are found over 250 times in the New Testament. Probably the most famous is John 3:16 where Jesus said, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
*Paul gave us a wonderful description of this love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. There the Bible says: "Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."
*This is the kind of love that God has for us right now. It shows up all over the New Testament, but most of all, it shows up on the cross of Jesus Christ! And the world's only hope of salvation is to receive the agape love of our crucified and risen Savior Jesus Christ.
*When we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior, He gives us a sure hope that we will live forever with Him in Heaven. Christians: Moses and Elijah meeting on the Mountain with the Lord remind us that death is not the end for us.
*About 20 years ago, a young Christian lady named Jennifer went into labor. Tragically, both her uterus and bladder ruptured. The baby boy was deprived of oxygen too long to live. It was a miracle that Jennifer survived.
*I had never met Jennifer, but she was a friend of a friend, and I went to see her in the hospital. In God's perfect timing, Jennifer was there with her parents. It was just before she got out of the hospital.
*As I got ready to leave, I felt led to say, "Some people wonder if you will be able to recognize him in Heaven." Jennifer said, "We want to think that we will." I replied, "Yes, you will. Remember when Jesus was on the mountain of transfiguration? Moses and Elijah were there with Him, and everybody there knew who they were. 'There's Moses and that's Elijah,' so you will know your baby when you get there."
*Jennifer's mom then amazed me by saying, "Do you know what the baby's name was? It was Elijah. I know that the Lord led you to say that. That's the reason He brought you here today. That's what we needed to hear."
*Glory to God! This is the sure hope we have in Jesus Christ, the hope that comes from His perfect love.
CONCLUSION:
*So, take a good look at the Lord today. See Jesus shining like the sun in the light of His glory! See Him as Lord over all the Old Testament. See Him living the only perfect life. And see Jesus with amazing love for us all.
*Take a good look at Jesus, and worship Him with all your heart. But if you have never received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, call on the Lord to save you now as we go back to God in prayer.
(1) Adapted from:
-THROUGH THE BIBLE WITH J. VERNON MCGEE by J. Vernon McGee - Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville - Copyright 1981 - "Jesus Announces His Death and Resurrection" - Matthew 16:21-28 - Downloaded to e-Sword by Rick Meyers - Copyright 2021
-BARCLAY'S DAILY BIBLE STUDY SERIES - NEW TESTAMENT by William Barclay - Revised Edition - Copyright 1975 - First published by the Saint Andrew Press, Edinburgh, Scotland - The Westminster Press, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - "The Scene of the Great Discovery" - Matthew 16:13-16 - https://bibleportal.com/commentary/section/william-barclay/the-scene-of-the-great-discovery-matthew-1613-16
-EXPLORING THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW by John Phillips, Kregal Publications, Grand Rapids - "Peter and the Christ" - Matthew 16:13-20 - Downloaded to "Bible Study 6" from Olive Tree Bible Software, Inc.
(2) Sources:
-STRONG'S HEBREW AND GREEK DICTIONARIES - from Strong's Exhaustive Concordance by James Strong, S.T.D., LL.D. - Published in 1890; public domain. - Downloaded to e-Sword by Rick Meyers - Copyright 2000-2019
-THAYER'S GREEK DEFINITIONS - Published in 1886, 1889; public domain. - Downloaded to e-Sword by Rick Meyers - Copyright 2000-2019
-VINE'S COMPLETE EXPOSITORY DICTIONARY OF NEW TESTAMENT WORDS - W. E. Vine, Merrill F. Unger, William White, Jr. - Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville TN - Copyright 1984, 1996 - "Disciple"
(3) Adapted from online sermon "Who Is Jesus" by David Fairchild - Kaleo San Diego Church - 10/15/2006 - http://www.kaleochurch.com/sermon/who-is-jesus/ - Link missing in 2022
(4) Adapted from VINTAGE JESUS by Mark Driscoll - Source: http://www.kaleochurch.com/sermon/who-is-jesus/ - Link missing in 2022
(5) Sources:
-JOHN GILL'S EXPOSITION OF THE BIBLE by Dr. John Gill, D. D. - 1697-1771 - Published in 1746-1766, 1816 - Matthew 17:3 - Downloaded to e-Sword by Rick Meyers - Copyright 2021
-BELIEVER'S BIBLE COMMENTARY by William MacDonald - Edited by Arthur Farstad - Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Copyright 1995 - Matthew 17:1-8 - Downloaded to e-Sword by Rick Meyers - Copyright 2021
-WORD PICTURES IN THE NEW TESTAMENT by Archibald Thomas (A. T.) Robertson - Published in 1930-1933; public domain - Matthew 17:3 - Downloaded to e-Sword by Rick Meyers - Copyright 2021
(6) Adapted from Sermons.com Sermon "Nobody's Perfect -- Except Jesus" by James Merritt - Hebrews 4:15-16
(7) SermonCentral sermon "The Deal of the Century" by Steve Shepherd - Matthew 7:11
