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[0:00] Luke 9, 28. Which was about to bring.

[0:32] He was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. Peter and his companions were very sleepy. But when they became fully awake. They saw his glory.

[0:43] And the two men standing with him. As the men were leaving Jesus. Peter said to him. Master. It is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters.

[0:56] One for you. One for Moses. And one for Elijah. He did not know what he was saying. While he was speaking. A cloud appeared and enveloped them.

[1:07] And they were afraid as they entered the cloud. A voice came from the cloud saying. This is my son. Whom I have chosen. Listen to him.

[1:20] When the voice had spoken. They found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves. And told no one at that time. What they had seen.

[1:33] And that is God's word. Can we even begin to imagine what it was like. To be one of the twelve disciples. Living with Jesus.

[1:44] Jesus of Nazareth began his public ministry. And calling twelve particular men. Who would literally follow him. Listen to him. Learn from him.

[1:55] And serve him. And that calling was a profound event. In every one of their lives. Well three of the very earliest. Disciples.

[2:06] Were a kind of inner circle. For Jesus followers. There was outspoken. Impetuous Peter. Originally Simon Barjona. Whom Jesus renamed the rock.

[2:20] Then there were the sons of Zebedee. James and John. Jesus renamed them too. Calling them Boagernes. Or the sons of thunder.

[2:30] I've sometimes wondered. What he nicknamed the other disciples. You ever wondered about that? Or what he would nickname me. What traits characterize me.

[2:44] Well. As this close knit trio of disciples. Got to know Jesus. And followed him. And were drawn deeper and deeper. Into his life.

[2:55] And into his ministry. They were learning some eye opening truths. Many of which were. Echoing the scriptures. They already knew. And many.

[3:07] That seemed new. That seemed to expand. Or even correct. Some of the interpretations. Of the rabbis. That had been teaching for years.

[3:19] So. I bet the emotions. Of Peter. James. And John. Kind of ran the gamut. Between hope. And fear. Between joy. And uneasiness.

[3:31] On the one hand. The masters teaching. And healing. And driving out the demons. Was gaining him. Such huge popularity. These massive crowds.

[3:42] Were following him. And at the same time. The leadership. Of the Jews. The political leaders. The religious leaders. They weren't overly thrilled.

[3:54] At Jesus success. And they were even suggesting. He was in league with Satan. Or was out of his mind. Still. Those three men.

[4:05] Became important witnesses. To some of the masters. Most striking acts. And events. In his life. They witnessed. A miraculous catch of fish.

[4:16] That filled both of their fishing boats. To overflowing. And that was only. The first of the many astounding things. That they saw Jesus doing.

[4:27] Proving that he was. The promised Messiah. The divine. One God would send. And as John the Baptist. Had told them. The Lamb of God.

[4:38] Who takes away. The sins of the world. They were Jewish. Fishermen. And the Jews. Of the Roman.

[4:48] Provinces. Of Galilee. And Judea. Had been dreaming. For hundreds of years. For this special. Great. Deliverer. To come. A prophet.

[5:00] Like Moses. Who would once again. Free God's people. From the domination. Of the Gentiles. A kingly figure. Like David.

[5:11] Who would restore Israel. To the status. Of a. A powerful. Prosperous nation. Among the nations. Of the world. Freedom. And glory.

[5:21] That's what the Jews. Were. Hoping for. They were praying for. They were waiting for. Freedom to do. And to be. Whatever they wanted. To fulfill their hearts.

[5:32] Desires. Without the chains. And burdens. Of cruel taxation. And task masters. The glory. Of wealth. And respect. And significance.

[5:43] And power. Such freedom. And such glory. Had only been available. To a few. Up to now. Those who. Collaborated.

[5:53] With the. Hated Roman. Occupiers. People like. The Herods. Who ruled. The Jews. Under the authority. Of Caesar. And the tax collectors. Who lined.

[6:04] Their own pockets. With the money. Of their countrymen. Well. The first couple. Years. Of Jesus. Ministry. Fixed. His identity. As the Messiah.

[6:15] Firmly. In the minds. Of the disciples. His compassion. For the poor. And the sick. And the demon. Possessed. Of the land. Proved.

[6:26] Jesus. Divine love. And his servants. Heart. Furthermore. They saw him. Take command. Over the powers. Of nature. By stilling.

[6:36] A storm. With his word. They watched him. Make blind men. See. And. And lame men. Walk. Jesus. Had even. Raised the dead. Nothing.

[6:47] Seemed. Beyond. His power. To do. So. Here was a man. A prophet. A powerful. Descendant. Of David.

[6:58] Who could. Fulfill. The dreams. Of all Israel. Who could. Bring the entire world. To its knees. But then. Jesus.

[7:09] Began. To predict. Some things. They didn't want. To hear. Peter. James. And John. Heard him. Revealing. The true. Path. To freedom.

[7:21] And glory. The kingdom. Of God. That their teacher. Had been. Talking about. For so long. Came with a price tag. So big. They couldn't.

[7:32] Wrap their minds. Around it. Their beloved. Messiah. Had to be. Sacrificed. To make that. Kingdom. A reality. Jesus.

[7:43] Heavenly. Father. Was requiring. The death. Of his only son. To free us. From sin. And open the gates. Of heaven. To us.

[7:55] Three of the gospels. Give us an account. Of the transfiguration. This event. Came at a pivotal point. In the ministry. Of Jesus. And that inner. Three's time.

[8:06] With him. About a week. Before. Jesus. Had asked the twelve. Who people. Were saying. That he was. And they replied. Word was circulating. That he was one of the old prophets.

[8:18] Risen from the dead. Such a public opinion. Was. Understandable. Because. Elijah. And Elisha. Both performed.

[8:29] Many. Miracles. Similar. To those of Jesus. But the Lord. Then asked the twelve. Who do you. Say that I am.

[8:40] And Peter's bold reply. Was. You are the Christ. The son of the living God. Jesus blessed. And commended Peter. For his response.

[8:52] And promised that. This bold confession. Of Christ's. Deity. And divine sonship. Would become the bedrock. On which Jesus. Would build his church.

[9:03] Jesus called this spokesman. Of the disciples. Petros. Meaning a stone. But soon after this. Peter the rock.

[9:14] Would seek to talk Jesus. Out of returning. To Jerusalem. And submitting. To the arrest. Trial. And passion. That awaited him there. Just like the devil.

[9:25] Tried to do. When he offered Jesus. The kingdoms of the world. Just for. Bowing down. And worshiping. The devil. And avoiding.

[9:36] The way of the cross. Get thee behind me. Satan. Jesus said to Peter. You have not. In mind. The things of God. But the things of man.

[9:48] What things of man. Was Jesus talking about. The mindset of man. Is basically. Pragmatic. And hedonistic.

[10:01] Get the job done. With the minimum. Of suffering. And the maximum. Of pleasure. In pursuit. Of freedom.

[10:11] And glory. That's man's. Mindset. God. But Jesus. Then taught. The twelve. Once again. What would be the cost.

[10:23] Of true discipleship. Are you and I prepared. To take up our cross. And follow Jesus. Even to the place of death.

[10:33] Of ultimate sacrifice. Christ. We have to admit. That there is much. Very much. To gain. By following Christ. Eternal life. Eternal bliss.

[10:46] Pleasures. Forevermore. At God's right hand. We have his promises. That those who follow him. Will be richly rewarded. And we are called to believe.

[10:58] And cling to those promises. But. The cost. Was high. For that freedom. And glory. To come to pass. The cost was high.

[11:08] For Jesus. And according to Jesus himself. It is high. For us. For you and me. If you save your life. You will lose it.

[11:19] And only if you lose your life. For my sake. Will you truly find it. So the truth. The challenging truth. Was out in the open.

[11:30] Jesus admitted. I am the Messiah. I am the Christ. You have been waiting for. And yes. There is a kingdom. A kingdom. That begins now. With my coming into the world.

[11:42] But. It is a kingdom. I must pay for. With my life. And those who follow me. Must be prepared to die. With me. Be ready to deny yourself.

[11:55] Start life. All over again. With your crucified. Risen king. In charge. That's the plan. That's the deal. Is it any wonder.

[12:07] That the twelve. And even the three. In the inner circle. Had their doubts. And were confused. About the father's plan. For his son. Yes. We read about the suffering servant.

[12:20] In Isaiah 53. And we wonder. How could the Jews. Have possibly missed. Their Messiah. But we have to remember. The Jewish nation.

[12:30] Had been under the heel. Of foreigners. For many many years. Much of their history. Their longing. For political freedom. Was intense. Plus.

[12:41] Most of their leaders. Couldn't admit. Or didn't admit. That they had a spiritual. Kind of bondage. That had to be addressed. A sin slavery. That required a savior.

[12:52] Even more. Than their political. Captivity. It's ironic. It's so revealing. That even after. The resurrection.

[13:04] Just before. The Lord's ascension. Into heaven. The disciples. Were still asking. The Lord. Lord. Are you now. Restoring. The kingdom. To Israel. The nationalistic.

[13:16] Dreams. Contained. A fiery. Fervor. That we can hardly. Imagine. Little wonder. That Jesus. Took his three. Closest companions. Up on a mountaintop.

[13:27] With him. In order to encourage. Clarify. And instruct them. With a taste. Of supernatural glory. Luke tells us.

[13:38] In his gospel. That he took those three. Peter. John. And James. Up on the mountain. To pray. To pray. It was probably.

[13:48] The evening. Since we're told. They were sleepy. And struggling. To stay awake. While the master. Was praying. Sometimes. Jesus would pray. All through the night. What was Jesus.

[14:00] Praying about. This night. Wouldn't you have loved. To hear. What he prayed about. We can only guess. But I imagine. He was asking. His father. For courage. And strength.

[14:11] To face. The danger. That lay ahead. In Jerusalem. Danger. At the hand. Of his enemies. And even. Danger. At the hand. Of one of his best friends.

[14:22] Friends. I'm also convinced. Jesus was praying. For his three companions. That they would be. Suitably impressed. And encouraged. By this vision.

[14:32] They were about to see. And the three of them. Would be faithful witnesses. Of that glory. And would never forget it. And if that was. Jesus prayer. It was certainly answered.

[14:44] Because both. John. And Peter. Make mention. Of that event. Vividly. In both of their writings. See John chapter 1. And 2nd Peter 1. 16 to 21.

[14:57] So what in fact. Did the three disciples. Witness. The gospel writers. Speak of a radical change. In Jesus appearance.

[15:09] While Jesus remained. Recognizable. As Jesus. His face. Was somehow. Altered. It began to shine.

[15:20] With a sun. Like radiance. That lit up the night. And perhaps. Woke up the sleepy disciples. From their drowsiness. Not only Jesus face.

[15:32] Was made bright. But his very clothing. Began to shine. And glisten. With a brilliant light. Like flashes of lightning. Mark's gospel. Chapter 9.

[15:44] Compares it. To the whiteness of snow. Whiter than any. Launderer's. Soap. Can make it. He wrote. Mark was a close. Companion to Peter. Later on.

[15:55] And was probably. Describing the scene. As Peter did to him. Later in his life. Luke tells us. That when Peter. James and John.

[16:06] Were fully awake. Quote. They saw his glory. And the two men. Who stood with. Jesus. Who were these two men. Talking with Christ.

[16:17] When he was transfigured. All three gospel writers. Tell us they were Moses. And Elijah. Moses. The lawgiver. Of the Old Testament. And Elijah.

[16:29] The prophet of Israel. Who was taken up to heaven. In a whirlwind. Without experiencing death. At the end of his ministry. Both of them. Luke wrote.

[16:40] Were talking to Jesus. About his departure. His exodus. His coming ordeal. In Jerusalem. Where the Lamb of God. Would be rejected.

[16:52] Betrayed. Arrested. Tried. Condemned. Beaten. Crucified. Killed. And buried. And rise again. That's Jesus departure.

[17:04] Think of the tremendous. Encouragement. That must have been. To our dear Savior. These two beloved. Saints. Were a witness. From heaven itself.

[17:15] That Jesus was indeed. The chosen. Messiah. Who would. Fulfill. What was predicted. In the law. And the prophets. Both of these men. Could testify. To the father's faithfulness.

[17:27] In bringing about. A successful end. To their own ministries. And could assure. Jesus. That his death. Would be certain. To achieve. What all the old covenant.

[17:39] Sacrifices. Promised. But could never. Fulfill. The eternal salvation. Of every believer. Think of the awesome.

[17:50] Lesson. This was. For Peter. James. And John. As Jesus. Moses. And Elijah. Discussed. What was going to take place. In Jerusalem.

[18:01] Surely. This was an antidote. To Peter's objections. Lord. This shall never happen. To you. If the saints. In heaven.

[18:11] Were expecting. Christ. To die. In Jerusalem. Who was Peter? Who was anyone. On earth. To deny it. And yet.

[18:22] Peter. Was definitely. Not ready. For Jesus. To depart yet. And he wasn't. Too thrilled. About Moses. And Elijah. Leaving either. Not really.

[18:32] Knowing. What to say. Peter. Never let that. Stop him. He just said. What popped. Into his head. Master. It's good. For us. To be here. And let's make. Three tabernacles.

[18:44] One for you. One for Moses. One for Elijah. In other words. Let's stay here. A while. In fact. The longer. The better. Do you think.

[18:55] It was really. That big. A mistake. Peter was making. By. Suggesting. That Jesus. Moses. And. Elijah. Deserved. Equal treatment. Well. Maybe.

[19:06] But you know. It was. A sign. Of humility. He was saying. Let's build. Shelters. For you. Three. And. We. Three. Poor.

[19:16] Mortals. We'll. We'll. Just sleep. On the ground. We don't need. A shelter. Around us. And they were. According. Jesus. A. An authority.

[19:28] That was. At least. As equal. To the authority. Of these other. Two men. Whose authority. Was. Beyond question. I'm sure.

[19:39] If we'd. Have been. There. We would have been. Equally. Impressed. And unsure. Of what to say. It must have been. So strange. And so wonderful. And glorious.

[19:50] To think of. Returning. To the valley. Of the ordinary. And mundane. Didn't have much. Attraction. To those three. But then. Just think of.

[20:01] The overwhelming. Power. Of what happened. Next. A cloud. Came. And overshadowed. Them. Matthew. Called it. A bright. Cloud. So many.

[20:12] Believe. It was the. Shekinah. Cloud. The cloud. Of glory. That signaled. God's presence. That led. The Hebrews. In the wilderness. And later. Filled the tabernacle.

[20:23] And the temple. In Jerusalem. Something about. The cloud. Caused. Fear. To grip. The hearts. Of the three. Disciples. And their fear. Was heightened. As they heard. The voice.

[20:33] Of God. Identifying. Jesus. As my. Beloved. Son. And then. The voice. Commanded. Listen. To him. Suddenly.

[20:45] The cloud. And the two. Heavenly. Witnesses. Were gone. Matthew. Wrote. That the three. Disciples. Had fallen. Face down. On the ground. Out of fear. Terrified.

[20:55] But Jesus. Came. And touched. Them. Get up. He said. Don't be afraid. Isn't that. Exactly. What we'd expect. Our gracious.

[21:05] Lord. To do. Say. To his. Closest. Friends. I realize. You've just. Seen a glimpse. Of something glorious. But fellows. Isn't it. There's no need to fear.

[21:16] I'm with you. Get up. Let's be on our way. Let's think about. What this event. Teaches us. About our Lord. First of all.

[21:27] We see both. His humanity. And his deity. Both God. And man. In one person. Of course. As a genuine. Human being. Jesus was tempted.

[21:38] Just as we are. And yet. He lived a life. Of perfect. Obedience. That's why. He could go to the cross. For us. As the. Spotless. Lamb of God.

[21:49] To pay for the sins. Of all of his people. The wonderful gospel. That we. Were reminded of. This morning. That we never grow tired. Of hearing. Still.

[22:00] As a man. Subject to all the limitations. And temptations. Of humanity. He needed. The encouragement. And reassurance. Of his heavenly father. Strengthening him.

[22:12] To fulfill his mission. And offer up his life. As a ransom. For many. We can't expect. For clouds of glory. Or departed saints.

[22:23] To show up. Or the voice of the. God the father. To come and. Give us encouragement. Or strength. In our day. Can we? Or can we? Think of the uniqueness.

[22:36] The power. The authority. Of the scriptures. The very words. Of God. The three in one. Printed and proclaimed. In our own language. Yes.

[22:47] They are the words. Of men. But written down. Under the guidance. And infallible. Gifting. Of the Holy Spirit. Reading. And studying. And meditating. On these pages.

[22:58] We are being. Virtually visited. By men. Like. Moses. And Eli. Elijah. And David. And. And Daniel. And Peter. And James. And John.

[23:08] And the holy presence. Of Jesus. And his heavenly father. So that we can be challenged. And cheered. And changed. From one degree of glory.

[23:18] To another. By the Lord. Who is the spirit. The Bible. Constitutes. Like no other book. In the world. The voice.

[23:29] God. God. Transfiguration. Also tells us. That. Jesus. Is the fulfillment. Of both. The law. And the prophets.

[23:40] Representatives. Of. The whole. Old Testament. Revelation. Appeared. On that mountaintop. In effect. Leaving their. Divine authority. In the keeping. Of Jesus.

[23:51] Of Nazareth. God's beloved son. As it reads. In the book. Of Hebrews. God. Who at various times. And in various ways.

[24:02] Spoke in time past. To the fathers. Through the prophets. Has in these last days. Spoken to us. Through his son. Whom he has appointed.

[24:13] Heir. Of all things. So we are called. To listen. To him. To read. And interpret. All of the scriptures. Both old.

[24:23] And new testaments. In light of. Who Christ is. And what he's accomplished. God is our help. In ages past. But he's likewise.

[24:34] Our hope. For years to come. He's both our shelter. From the stormy blast. And our eternal. Home. The transfigured.

[24:44] Jesus was given. The old testaments. Stamp of approval. For all he was doing. And would finally. Accomplish. With his earthly mission. Why were Moses.

[24:57] And Elijah. Discussing. Christ's departure. With him. On that mountaintop. Not just to impress. Those three. Bewildered disciples. Who gazed.

[25:07] At the heavenly glory. But also. To assure. A very human. Jesus. And all his. Very human. Followers. That God.

[25:18] Keeps his promises. promises. And that fulfillment. In the future. Is just. As sure. Just as certain. As the many.

[25:29] Fulfilled promises. Of the past. And finally. This event. Gives us. Great assurance. That. All who trust. Those promises.

[25:39] Moses. Like. Moses. Did. Like. Elijah. Did. Will find. A rich. Reward. In heaven. Because of the life.

[25:50] Death. And resurrection. Of Christ. God's. God's. Beloved. Son. The Lamb. Of God. You know. There's a grand old. Gospel song.

[26:01] By John W. Peterson. Goes. Heaven. Came down. And glory. Filled. My soul. Went at the cross. The Savior. Made me whole. Perhaps.

[26:11] Peterson. Had the transfiguration. In mind. When he wrote about. Heaven. Coming down. But one thing. Is sure. Made perfectly.

[26:22] Plain. Through this experience. On the mountaintop. Heaven. Was shown. To be. No fairy tale. The death.

[26:35] Of our bodies. Doesn't constitute. The end. For God's. Faithful followers. This world. Is not. My home. I'm just. A passing. Through. The moment.

[26:47] This passing. World. Is done. With us. Believer. We need not fear. Heaven. Is real. Heaven.

[26:58] Is waiting. And because of Christ. Heaven. With all. Its glory. Is ours. Let's pray.

[27:13] Our father. In heaven. We are. Amazed. We are. Struck. Dumb. We are. Struck. In our. Hearts. And in our.

[27:24] Minds. At the glory. And splendor. That. Must have. Appeared. To those three. Bewildered. Disciples. Lord.

[27:35] They were. Commanded. Not to speak. Of it. As they came. Down the mountain. Not until. The master. Was. Crucified. And. Raised. From the dead.

[27:46] And yet. Lord. You have. Commanded. Us. Not to be. Silent. To spread. The message. To spread. The good news. That you.

[27:58] Will fulfill. All of those. Promises. Through your. Perfect. Work. Through your. Perfect. Obedience. Through your. Sacrificial. Death.

[28:10] As a man. As a human. Being. On that cross. Pouring out. Your life. Blood. For us. Lord. That's.

[28:22] Amazing. Love. Help. Us. To. Share. The message. Of that love. Wherever we go. Whatever. We're doing. As we have.

[28:32] Opportunity. Lord. May we. Share the news. Of the glory. To come. That you. Have promised. To those.

[28:42] Who trust you. And help us. Lord. To grow. In that faith. To grow. In that love. And to grow. In our.

[28:53] Faithfulness. To you. For we ask it. In Jesus name. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.! Thank you.