Sermon – Glory – Changed before our eyes!
1. Introduction (joke, etc about being changed)
a. Joke:
i. Hospital waiting room. One rather self-important individual was getting impatient. Unwilling to wait any longer, he barged in and demanded to be seen by the doctor. "Don’t you know who I am?" Shouted the man. The secretary calmly pressed the button on the microphone of her loudspeaker system and asked the waiting patients. "I have a gentleman here who doesn’t know who he is. Can someone please assist him in finding out? Thank you."
ii. If you were to go around asking your friends, "What do people say about me?" Or "Who do you say I am?" they might take it as an evidence of pride or dementia. But what people believe and say about Jesus Christ will determine their destiny. Your confession concerning Jesus Christ is a matter of life or death.
iii. The Glory of God being unveiled in Jesus Christ affects what you believe about who Jesus is and why He came to this earth.
b. We have spoken of the glory of God being revealed for these past 3 weeks in Jesus Christ.
c. Hopefully you are remembering the number one priority of God is to Reveal His Glory.
i. He wants to make Himself known to His creation.
1. He wants us to worship Him and to take our place before Him in the role we were created for…to have a relationship with Him…and to worship Him.
2. Why are we studying the “glory of God.”
a. It doesn’t seem really practical…like what does it have to do with MY life?
i. But it is practical, because it is foundational to every human being.
ii. If you build your life on the assumption that you are at the center of the universe, that “its all about me,” then you will be sorely disappointed, both in this life and in the life to come.
b. We need to know that God is our creator, and that He indeed is God and that you and I are not. This must be our first step in the journey of our lives.
c. The second step is that we need to recognize that we are separated from God because of our pre-disposition to rule our own life.
i. The bible calls this “sin.”
ii. It is an attitude that says, “I want it my way.”
d. God saw your and my rebellion and desires to bring us back into a relationship with Him as our Head, as our Ruler, as God.
i. It is for this reason that He sent Jesus, His only Son, to come to earth, clothed in humanity, to bear the consequences of our sin.
ii. He did this so that by trusting in Jesus, we could experience a renewed relationship that would last forever with God.
ii. If you not in the middle of an intimate relationship with God right now, then you are missing the very best that God has for you.
1. You are choosing second best or worse.
2. You are choosing leftovers and are missing the wonderful life He designed you for!
3. Do you really want less than God’s best for yourself? He made you! He knows what will make you happiest. He, Himself is the answer to your deepest needs.
d. That is why we are pursuing this study of the Glory of God, because seeing the Glory of God, in your heart, through your spiritual eyes, will lead you to acknowledge God as God, to worshjip Him with all of your heart, and lead you to a life that is led by the One who created you!
e. So what is the glory of God?
i. The Glory of God can be defined as the Visible Majesty of the Divine Presence.
f. This morning, we will look at the third significant instance where the bible says that Jesus displayed his Divine Majesty.
2. Humanity of Jesus
a. I think it is important for us at this point to reflect upon the humanity of Jesus so that the context of this revelation of His divinity can catch us with the same surprise that it did those who knew Him.
i. Keep in mind that Jesus was born in a perfectly normal way, while his conception was miraculous, his birth was ordinary…he was delivered into the world as a small, frail and vulnerable infant. He grew up in a small village in Galilee and worked quietly as the son of a carpenter.
ii. When Jesus began his rabbinical ministry, kind of like a traveling preacher, it was the folks that knew him from his childhood that had the greatest trouble. In fact, Isaiah has prophesied that “Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? He grew up before him like a tender shoot and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire Him.” (Is 53:1-2)
iii. Have you ever wondered why Jesus disguised His divine nature?
1. Jesus even concealed his miracles to some degree, ordering some people not to tell anyone.
2. Why He didn’t come in a blaze of glory, reveal his power, and cause all men to bow before him?
3. It is in this context that his family, even his disciples knew or heard about him. They saw a man, who taught like no one else had ever taught, with authority, but nonetheless, they thought they saw just a man!
4. I believe that part of Jesus’ discipleship plan for his 12 disciples, was to help them see and understand His glory so that they would know who He really is!
3. Luke 9:28-36 - Some eight days after these sayings, He took along Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And while He was praying, the appearance of His face became different, and His clothing {became} white {and} gleaming. And behold, two men were talking with Him; and they were Moses and Elijah, who, appearing in glory, were speaking of His departure which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and his companions had been overcome with sleep; but when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men standing with Him. And as these were leaving Him, Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three tabernacles: one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah"--not realizing what he was saying. While he was saying this, a cloud formed and {began} to overshadow them; and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. Then a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My Son, {My} Chosen One; listen to Him!" And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent, and reported to no one in those days any of the things which they had seen.”
a. Analysis
i. This passage is filled with incredible detail.
1. Some commentators say that this occurred about a year before his crucifixion. Others figure it a few days or weeks before the crucifixion.
a. If you examine the context, he has just asked the disciples who that they say He is…in other words, he is asking them to “confess verbally” who they believe Him to be.
b. They say first what other people say, “John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.” Then Peter says “You the Christ, the Messiah!”
c. It is in the answers they give that provide a prelude to this incredible revelation that they will have soon.
2. Then he takes James, Peter and John up to a Mount Hermon (9166 ft) to pray.
a. Note (prayer application): Jesus had a priority concerning prayer.
i. Many commentators call this experience a “Mountain top experience” but they neglect to note that in order to have a mountain top experience one must be willing first to pay the price in prayer.
ii. John Damascene is quoted as saying, “Prayer is the revelation of the Divine Glory”.
iii. Many Christians want to experience the victorious Christian life on the easy track.
1. There are no shortcuts to God’s presence or God’s glory.
2. Prayer is the only path to our experiencing God’s presence & glory.
3. If prayer is not your priority, then God is not either.
iv. If you are in the valley, you can get to the mountain top again, but you will have to do it by seeking God’s face in prayer.
b. We can read between the lines of the account to find out what Jesus is going up to Mt. Tabor to pray about.
i. It is the future agony he will be enduring for all of mankind.
ii. And Peter, James and John have a nap, which they will find to be a habit later Jesus is in the garden just before his crucifixion.
c. It is while He is praying that something strange happens to Him, and His disciples almost miss it. The brightness of the light awakens them and they awaken just in time to see & hear what is happening.
ii. What was happening to Jesus?
1. He was not becoming someone else here.
a. The Greek Word used here is Metamorpho, which is a combination of two words, “Change” & “Form.”
2. What actually happens to Jesus is that who He is, the fullness and the reality of who he is, is being revealed.
a. If you think about a caterpillar is metamorphosed into a butterfly, what has happened isn’t that the caterpillar ceased to exist.
i. Its outward form has changed to match its innermost being.
ii. Jesus is changing from glory to glory.
iii. Some of the cults try to say that this is when Jesus “BECAME” divine.
iv. But Jesus was already divine. But what was inside became REVEALED to those outside.
b. If you have ever seen an Alabaster Lamp, they are beautiful. Alabaster is a translucent material, that has a bulb inside of it. The whole lamp will glow from the light within.
c. What was happening to Jesus was the light of His divinity was becoming visible. In other words, the MAJESTY OF THE DIVINE PRESENCE was being made VISIBLE.
3. Listen to the description….from the three different accounts of the gospels:
a. And while He was praying, the appearance of His face became different, and His clothing {became} white {and} gleaming (Luke)
b. And He was transfigured before them; and His garments became radiant and exceedingly white, as no launderer on earth can whiten them. (Mark)
c. And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light (Matthew)
d. These descriptions…His face became “different”, it shone like the sun, his garments white as light, exceedingly white, gleaming.
e. They sound so much like some others we see in the Bible:
i. Ezekiel “High above the throne was a figure like that of a man. I saw that …he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire and…brilliant light surrounded him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord.”(Ez. 1:26-28)
ii. Daniel “As I looked, thrones were set in place and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool.“
iii. John (Revelation) “And when I turned I saw…among the seven lamp stands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire.”
f. John describes his face in the same terms Matthew used.
g. And Ezekiel and Daniel seem to be describing Christ in his “pre-incarnate” glory.
4. What did this change mean? It isn’t like Jesus is mere man, like Moses who when confronted with the glory of God has a shiny face. No, the entire being of Jesus glows, including his clothing.
a. Jesus displays the blazing glory that he had before time and that would be his again when he returned to Heaven.
b. Amazingly, the disciples weren’t overwhelmed by this sight. It wasn’t until they heard the voice from the cloud that they had a clue about what has happening.
b. Why was Moses & Elijah there?
i. Ripples in Time: But this is not sci-fi. Moses 1400 years before, Elijah 850 years before. Now they are standing in the present time, looking, I guess, like they did years before.
ii. How did the disciples “know” it was them?
1. Sure, Moses lived to 120, so they would expect to see an old guy. Elijah is reputed to not have died, but to have been taken up to heaven alive in a chariot of fire.
a. We can only scratch our heads and wonder how the disciples knew it was them.
b. They didn’t have any photographs, sculptures or drawings of what Elijah and Moses looked. (These were against the Law, as idol making).
c. We can only infer that they knew it was so either by the conversation they were overhearing, or that later Jesus filled them in on who was there.
iii. Moses – the Law, Elijah the Prophets.
1. They signified the Law of Sin, the unattainable demands of righteousness.
2. Jesus comes to fulfill the Law in His body, Jesus would be righteousness personified.
a. Moses gave the law, which told people what to do.
b. We know that the commandments told us what sin was.
c. But Jesus comes not just to tell people what to do but to enable them to do it. To empower men from within.
d. Jesus would not be giving an external law (like Moses), but an internal one, that would involve a heart change.
i. God desires to change people from the inside out, not the outside in.
ii. If you are trying to win God’s approval by your outer actions, by performance, by coming to church, by doing all the right things, and have not let Jesus come into your heart to change you, then you are still living according to the law of Moses.
iii. Jesus came to change us in such a way that our lives are lived out of gratitude and not duty.
iv. And here on the mountaintop, he is meeting with the two great leaders who helped bring God’s revelation of Himself to a point that the Law and the Prophets would be fulfilled in One person.
v. No longer would the Law and the prophets be the rule for life, but rather, a Person would become life itself.
vi. That is why Jesus would say things like “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no one comes to the Father except through me.”
e. Elijah preached righteousness, and here, Jesus isn’t going to preach it, he is going to give it away at the cross.
i. The exchanging of our sin for His righteousness is what is described as “the great exchange.”
ii. Jesus takes our sin, our punishment, and gives us His righteousness, His goodness and His right standing before God.
iii. It doesn’t sound like a fair trade, Jesus gets the lousy end of the bargain! But that is what grace is! It is free. It is why Jesus comes…to reconcile us to God.
c. What were the disciples experiencing?
i. What did the disciples have to say about this experience later?
1. Peter (2 Peter 1:16-18) “For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory, "This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased"-- and we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.”
2. John reflected on this experience in the beginning of His gospel: “The word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we BEHLD HIS GLORY, the glory as the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”(Jn. 1:14)
ii. They were seeing into the spiritual realm (how we witness glory as well)
1. Have you ever seen with spiritual eyes
2. Most of us don’t. We only see the visible realm.
a. I think that John, in his vision at Patmos, saw the invisible realm of glory.
b. I think that the prophets like Daniel and Ezekiel saw with spiritual eyes.
c. I believe that Stephen, when being stoned for his belief in Christ, got to see into the spiritual realm and see Jesus on His throne.
3. And I believe that the disciples were experiencing something that was crossing from the spiritual realm into the physical realm. They were seeing realities that men don’t see.
a. You might remember Elijah in the Old Testament. Here he is on the mountain too. But Elijah was surrounded by an army one day, and Gehazi his servant was very nervous. Elijah kept telling him that God’s army was sufficient, but Gehazi wasn’t too sure. Then Elijah prayed that God would open Gehazi’s eyes, and Gehazi saw into the spiritual realm and saw a huge angelic army standing between them and their enemies, ready to do battle.
b. Seeing into the spiritual realm is something that God allowed Balaam’s donkey to do. The donkey saw the angel of the Lord but Balaam, who was walking and seeing by the flesh, was blind to that reality.
c. I believe that the glory of God is something that we have to have spiritual eyes to see.
i. And I believe that many of us have seen it and did not realize what we were seeing.
ii. Have you ever been in a worship service and you are so awed by God’s presence that you can hardly stand? You want to fall to your knees?
iii. Have you ever witnessed someone making a decision to follow Christ, and wondered why your emotions flow watching such a miracle?
iv. Have you ever been in the middle of an answered prayer, where every coincidence comes together and you suddenly know that you know that you know God sent the answer?
d. If so, you have experienced and witnessed God’s glory. Remember what His glory is? The Glory of God can be defined as the Visible Majesty of the Divine Presence.
i. The Majesty of God’s Presence becomes visible, it becomes reachable, it can be touched, felt, seen in some way, even if it is through spiritual eyes and not physical ones.
4. Responses:
i. A cloud comes upon them while Peter is mumbling and bumbling.
ii. A voice comes from the cloud saying: “this is my beloved Son, hear him”
1. Their Response: Falling upon their faces, they now know they are in God’s presence.
iii. They know they have just witnessed God’s glory on Jesus. They now know that they have been in the very presence of God…and that they very well may be still in His presence.
iv. Then Jesus is left alone. In response to Peter’s bumbling about wanting to honor Moses and Elijah, they vanish and an instruction “This is my son, listen to Him” comes from the cloud.
1. No more Moses, No more Elijah. Just Jesus.
2. Not Jesus plus something else. Just Jesus.
3. That is what God calls you and I to. Just Jesus.
4. Don’t add anything to Him. Receive Him and watch Him change your life..
v. Won’t you let Him do that for you today? What are you holding onto that is keeping you from letting Jesus be the only priority in your life?
vi. What is your response to God’s glory?
1. He desires to reveal his glory to You.
2. He wants you to see Him High and Lifted up, standing in His glory.
a. Because He desires you to be a worshiper, one who follows and knows Him for who He is and to experience His plan for your life.
3. Will you let Him rule you? Will you submit to Him as God?
a. Or will you ignore His glory, His revealed majesty, and push Him away? Saying, Yeah, you might be god, but I don’t need you. I’m happy being miserable!
