Well, today we're going to continue our heart
-to -heart talk regarding that wonderful event
that happened on the Mount of Transfiguration.
Next to the actual Transfiguration of the Master,
perhaps the most interesting fact of these hours
of glory on the Holy Mount was the presence there
of Moses. and Elijah, two of the most remarkable,
two of the most prominent figures in the Old
Testament. To me personally, this is one of the
most thrilling things that happened during the
ministry of Jesus. I have shed tears more than
once as I have feasted. on this portion of the
Word of God. I have scarcely owned a Bible that
has not had tear stains on the page where this
account was written. Oh, it was thrilling. I
pray that it will mean as much to you as it means
to me as we have our little heart -to -heart
talk together concerning it. Let me read it.
I may please. And if you have your own Bible
there, turn to it. The account is given in Matthew,
the 17th chapter. But as I told you in our last
heart -to -heart talk, that you cannot separate
the last verse in the 16th chapter from that
which follows in the 17th. So we shall read it
as one. Verily I say unto you, it's Jesus speaking
now, there be some standing here which shall
not taste of death till they see the Son of Man
coming in his kingdom. And after six days, Jesus
taketh Peter, James, and John, his brother, and
bringeth them up into a high mountain apart,
and was transfigured before, And his face did
shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as
the light. And behold, there appeared unto them
Moses and Elijah talking with him. Let's pause
right there. You know, I have scores of questions
that I would like answered. And one of these
days when I get home to glory, I'm going to find
Moses. I'm going to ask him some of these questions
that I've wanted to know for so long. I have
so many questions that I'm going to ask Elijah.
Oh, I could spend the first... thousand years
with each of these two men, these marvelous saints
of the Old Testament, just asking them questions.
If you think you have questions, questions that
are unanswered, believe me, I have them too.
And no man, no woman can answer these questions.
The Bible does not answer them for us. The answer
is only left to our imagination. But one of these
days, we'll know. One of the questions that I
want answered is whether or not that was the
very first time that Moses had seen Jesus. Now,
remember, Moses and Elijah were Old Testament
saints. All that they knew about Jesus was that
which the Spirit had revealed unto them. For,
remember, the Old Testament saints lived on the
other side of Calvary. It was as Isaiah, looking
down through the telescope of time, crying out
only as the Holy Spirit had given him the light.
it for our transgressions, bruised it for our
iniquities. He knew that one was to come in the
future, the very son of the living God, the lamb
that was to be slain for man's redemption. Yet
those Old Testament saints didn't know Jesus
as we know him today. We take so many things
for granted. I would like to know if this was
the very first time that Moses had looked upon
Jesus. Was this the very first time that Elijah
had conversation with Jesus? I wonder. I do not
know whether it's just a woman's curiosity or
not, but I pause every time that I read those
words. And behold, there appeared unto them Moses
and Elijah talking with him. What do you suppose
they were talking about? Maybe it's just a woman's
curiosity. I don't know. But I'm just curious
to know. what their conversation really was.
I'd like to know. I wonder if maybe they were
talking about some of their glorious experiences.
One thing I do know, Moses must have had some
memories carrying him back to the wonderful movement
out of Egypt. Oh, I wonder if in that moment,
in memory, he was carried back to the time that
God so miraculously came to the rescue. Oh, sure,
there it is. You and I have the account of it.
In that hour, it probably was a memory in the
mind of Moses as he was talking to Jesus on the
mount. The scripture is given in the 14th chapter
of Exodus. And the Lord said unto Moses, Wherefore
criest thou unto me? It's time now to stop crying.
It's time to stop praying. It's time for action
now. Faith without works is dead. Speak unto
the children of Israel that they go forth. Lift
thou up thy rod, stretch out thine hand over
the sea, and divide it, and the children of Israel
shall go on dry ground through the midst of the
sea. And I, behold, I will harden the hearts
of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them,
and I will set me honor upon Pharaoh. and upon
all his hosts, upon his chariots, and upon his
horsemen. And the Egyptians shall know that I
am the Lord, when I have gotten me honor upon
Pharaoh, upon his chariots, upon his horsemen.
Watch it now, and the angel of God which went
before the camp of Israel. removed and went behind
them, and the pillar of the cloud went from before
their face and stood behind them. And it came
between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp
of Israel. It was a cloud and darkness to them.
But watch it. And Moses stretched out his hand
over the sea, and the Lord caused the sea to
go back by a strong east wind all that night,
and made the sea dry land, and the waters were
divided. And the children of Israel went into
the midst of the sea upon the dry ground, and
the waters were a wall unto them on their right
hand. And on their left. Oh, what a victory.
What a glorious victory. I am wondering as Moses
stood that day on the Mount of Transfiguration,
whether he was talking to Jesus. About that glorious
time when God so wonderfully parted the waters
of the Red Sea. I'm sure of one thing. Though
it may not have been a part of the conversation,
I am convinced it was a glorious memory as he
stood there in the presence of the One. to whom
he had looked forward to in meeting. The very
son of the living God. I wonder what Elijah was
saying. I'd like to know, for the Bible clearly
says they were talking with him. I am not sure
that it was a part of the conversation, but I...
M, almost positive. That Elijah, too, was standing
there with the glorious memory of that time when
he challenged the prophets of Baal. Oh, I love
it. I love it. It's given over there, sure you
know. In the 18th chapter of 1 Kings, oh, here
it is. Here it is. Elijah meets Ahab, and he
challenges him to one of the greatest feats that
has ever been known to man. Watch it. And they
took the bullock which was given them, and they
dressed it, called to the name of Baal, from
morning. even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear
us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered,
and they leaped upon the altar which was made,
and yet nothing happened. And it came to pass,
at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice,
that Elijah the prophet came near and said, Lord
God of Abraham, of Isaac, of Israel, let it be
known this day that thou art God in Israel, and
that I am thy servant, that I have done all these
things at thy word. Hear me, O Lord, hear me.
that this people may know that thou art the Lord
God, that thou hast turned their heart back again.
Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the
burnt sacrifice and the wood and the stones and
the dust and licked up the water that was in
the trench. And when all the people saw it, they
fell down on their faces and they said, The Lord.
He is the God. The Lord. He is the God. I am
wondering if perhaps that glorious, marvelous
incident was a part of that which they talked
about on the mount. If Elijah might have turned
to Jesus and said, Oh, it was glorious. It was
marvelous. I stood there amazed as the power
of Jehovah God was manifested. Even though it
might not have been a part of the conversation,
I know it was a glorious moment. memory in the
mind of Elijah as he stood face to face with
Jesus on the mount. But I want you to see something.
A significant statement by Luke is worth giving
some consideration in this connection. When they
were fully awake, they saw his glory. and the
two men that stood with him. Now, the significance
of the statement is that the glory in which Moses
and Elijah stood upon the mount was his glory.
Read it again. It was Jesus who was transfigured
before them. It was his face. that did shine
as the sun. It was his raiment that was white
as the light. Moses and Elijah stood in his glory.
There was no glory that radiated from them. It
says nothing about their raiment being as white
as light. It does not say that their face shone
as the sun. Where was the glory? The glory was
upon the Lord. The glory came forth from Jesus.
And they stood in the light of his glory. Oh,
to me that's glorious. His glory. Moses and Elijah
stood upon the mount in his glory. They stood,
these saints of the Old Testament, these saints
of the Old Covenant, in the light in which they
shall abide forever. There upon the mount stood
these representatives of the service of the past.
Moses had died with sadness in his heart. Oh,
sure. Methinks, the critical, the skeptic, the
unbeliever in his day, looked upon him and said
in his last closing hours, he died of failure.
Ha! One day he stood. And as he stood, The waters
of the Red Sea did parch. But look at him now,
in his last hours. He lives a broken -hearted
man. He dies a broken -hearted man. Moses died
with sadness in his heart. People whom he had
led for 40 years were still outside the promised
land, and yet he had to lay down his work before
it was completed. Elijah. One day he stood there
challenging the prophets of Baal, literally.
The courage that was supernatural. He stood there
as the mighty... The rock of Gibraltar, all the
forces of hell, could not shake him. He stood
there without flinching and dared to challenge
the false prophets. And the prophets of Baal
were awed by the man of - And yet, it was not
long after when the same man, tired in body,
hungry, discouraged, sat under the juniper tree
and prayed to die. Human. Soul. The greatest
saint that ever has lived is living the day I
will continue to live. He's very human in his
off -guarded moments. You and I are only strong
in the Lord. In the flesh, we're as weak. As
the weakest human being that lives, our strength,
our courage comes from the Lord. Our might comes
from Him. That is the reason. Ours shall never
be the glory. The glory is in Him. And we only
share in the light of His glory. Weak. Human?
Oh, sure. And the skeptic, the unbeliever, might
have said, look at him now. One hour. A glorious
spiritual giant. One hour he stands there challenging
the false prophets until even they cry out, the
Lord, he is God. And in the next moment. weary
in flesh, saying, I can't take more. Take me,
Lord. Take me. And Elijah was translated very
quickly after the terrible experience under the
juniper tree. And the people were still living
in idolatry. He had been called away. The skeptics
said he died in defeat, even as they might have
said that Moses went out with a broken heart.
But watch something. These men did their work,
and they laid it down unfinished. But God had
gathered them into the glory of his final kingdom,
and now upon the mount had given them the promise
that, all they had left undone would yet be perfectly
accomplished. And the work of both was finally
accomplished, even though they did not see it
accomplished in their day. Oh, to me that's glorious.
Here's something. Through all the ages, he will
gather his workers. He'll gather his children.
He'll gather the faithful. And at the last final
victory, they will understand the meaning of
their work. Every one of us will have to lay
down an unfinished life's work. For nothing can
be competed here, nothing. And yet, at last,
no piece of work faithfully done will be lost.
Know that. I promise you that upon the authority
of God's word. No piece of work faithfully done
will be lost. He will gather Moses and Elijah
and all the company of his faithful servants
and show how their work emerges into the work
of Jesus. And there finds its crown and its reward.
That, my friend, is how much God cares. This,
my friend, is what real faithfulness means to
him.