WEBVTT 00:00:01.499 --> 00:00:06.339 Happy Transfiguration Sunday. I am excited to 00:00:06.339 --> 00:00:08.699 be here with you and specifically to get to be 00:00:08.699 --> 00:00:12.660 here on the day of a calendar celebration like 00:00:12.660 --> 00:00:17.960 Transfiguration. This specifically, I checked 00:00:17.960 --> 00:00:22.440 my records and I forgot to preach for you last 00:00:22.440 --> 00:00:25.719 year on Transfiguration as well. So I don't know 00:00:25.719 --> 00:00:29.210 if it's becoming like a gig. that every year 00:00:29.210 --> 00:00:32.429 in transfiguration I have to come back with a 00:00:32.429 --> 00:00:36.950 completely different sermon, which is easy to 00:00:36.950 --> 00:00:39.649 do with any passage because there's so much to 00:00:39.649 --> 00:00:44.009 say about it. And a transfiguration is a passage 00:00:44.009 --> 00:00:47.350 that, as an event, shows up in four passages 00:00:47.350 --> 00:00:50.590 in scripture, three of them in the synoptic gospels, 00:00:50.810 --> 00:00:57.020 and also in 2 Peter 1. Peter, who was one of 00:00:57.020 --> 00:01:04.980 the witnesses, the first disciple also speaks 00:01:04.980 --> 00:01:08.939 about it with authority. We hear in the passage 00:01:08.939 --> 00:01:11.239 of the Transfiguration that the disciples are 00:01:11.239 --> 00:01:15.920 told to listen to the Son of God, and Peter uses 00:01:15.920 --> 00:01:20.000 it as a witness. That event told us that we have 00:01:20.000 --> 00:01:23.159 the witness of God confirmed more sure. so we 00:01:23.159 --> 00:01:25.799 should listen to his authority. And we'll look 00:01:25.799 --> 00:01:32.219 at that briefly at the end. But as the passages, 00:01:32.840 --> 00:01:37.439 in any event that shows up across multiple passages, 00:01:38.079 --> 00:01:41.120 across multiple books, from the recollection 00:01:41.120 --> 00:01:43.579 of different authors and their research into 00:01:43.579 --> 00:01:52.260 things, different aspects get emphasized. I think 00:01:52.260 --> 00:01:56.260 I was talking with somebody about, I was looking 00:01:56.260 --> 00:01:58.939 at what I had said last time, and I think I was 00:01:58.939 --> 00:02:02.799 discussing how the various different titles of 00:02:02.799 --> 00:02:05.439 the Messiah get used in the different passage, 00:02:06.040 --> 00:02:12.000 different synoptic gospels. And there's so much 00:02:12.000 --> 00:02:17.419 to say, but there's one aspect that really grabbed 00:02:17.419 --> 00:02:22.289 me this time through looking at Matthew 17. As 00:02:22.289 --> 00:02:24.469 with all of them having their various emphases, 00:02:24.849 --> 00:02:27.030 Matthew has emphases of some things that I want 00:02:27.030 --> 00:02:31.289 to point out that are not said in the other versions 00:02:31.289 --> 00:02:34.169 of the transfiguration, in the other accounts. 00:02:36.250 --> 00:02:40.009 Matthew 17 has a couple of phrases that are not 00:02:40.009 --> 00:02:48.569 used, the first of which is in Matthew 17 verse 00:02:48.569 --> 00:02:53.349 5. knew there was something that I had forgotten 00:02:53.349 --> 00:02:57.050 to do, and it was opening to my main passage. 00:02:59.370 --> 00:03:01.490 Looking for it with my mind a few minutes ago. 00:03:01.490 --> 00:03:03.870 What's the thing I'm trying to get done? Having 00:03:03.870 --> 00:03:08.250 Matthew 17 open. Here it is in verse 5. He was 00:03:08.250 --> 00:03:12.909 still speaking when, Behold, a bright cloud overshadowed 00:03:12.909 --> 00:03:14.909 them, and a voice from the cloud said, This is 00:03:14.909 --> 00:03:18.729 my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. 00:03:19.449 --> 00:03:22.560 Listen to him. That phrase, with whom I am well 00:03:22.560 --> 00:03:27.300 pleased, is not in the Luke and Mark versions. 00:03:30.060 --> 00:03:34.800 A second thing that is also used in this passage 00:03:34.800 --> 00:03:37.620 that is not in the others comes down in verse 00:03:37.620 --> 00:03:45.979 7. But Jesus came and touched them saying, rise 00:03:45.979 --> 00:03:52.099 and have no fear. In all of the passages it makes 00:03:52.099 --> 00:03:57.879 clear that the disciples were afraid. In Mark 00:03:57.879 --> 00:04:00.439 and Luke you actually get the emphasis that the 00:04:00.439 --> 00:04:04.460 fear starts with the shining of Jesus' face. 00:04:05.419 --> 00:04:07.900 In Matthew it later says that when the voice 00:04:07.900 --> 00:04:10.719 of God spoke to them that they fell to the ground 00:04:10.719 --> 00:04:17.660 in terror. But all of the passages agree that 00:04:17.660 --> 00:04:22.379 the experience was terrifying. You know, if you 00:04:22.379 --> 00:04:25.379 just read it through, you hear Peter saying, 00:04:25.959 --> 00:04:28.899 well, we should make three tenths, one for you, 00:04:28.899 --> 00:04:31.699 one for Moses, one for Elijah. The other passages 00:04:31.699 --> 00:04:35.300 emphasize the fact that he only said this because 00:04:35.300 --> 00:04:37.300 he was so afraid he didn't know what he was saying. 00:04:38.279 --> 00:04:41.040 So there's a point at which the Bible itself 00:04:41.040 --> 00:04:45.240 is saying Peter was babbling because he was scared. 00:04:45.680 --> 00:04:48.100 You know how you blurt stuff out when you're 00:04:48.100 --> 00:04:53.410 afraid. And it says in this passage that in the 00:04:53.410 --> 00:04:57.970 middle of him saying, making his suggestion born 00:04:57.970 --> 00:05:00.810 from fear, that God starts speaking and they 00:05:00.810 --> 00:05:03.889 fall to the ground. So he gets afraid and he 00:05:03.889 --> 00:05:06.589 gets more afraid. And what I want to point out 00:05:06.589 --> 00:05:11.370 from Matthew 17 verse 7 is that Jesus, it says, 00:05:11.889 --> 00:05:17.269 comes to them, touches them, and says, do not 00:05:17.269 --> 00:05:23.819 be afraid. There are two distinct moments in 00:05:23.819 --> 00:05:27.920 this passage the moment in which Jesus is gloriously 00:05:27.920 --> 00:05:31.019 revealed and all the disciples are in terror 00:05:31.019 --> 00:05:35.720 and the moment in which Afterwards he is explaining 00:05:35.720 --> 00:05:39.699 to them What their mission is what their responsibility 00:05:39.699 --> 00:05:42.300 is with this witness that they they need to hold 00:05:42.300 --> 00:05:44.920 off and not talk about this until after the resurrection 00:05:46.289 --> 00:05:49.610 How do we get from the point in which He is terrifying 00:05:49.610 --> 00:05:51.589 them to the point in which He is commissioning 00:05:51.589 --> 00:05:55.430 them to work? And it is that He has to go to 00:05:55.430 --> 00:05:59.850 them and relieve them of their fears. And this 00:05:59.850 --> 00:06:04.089 is not two different Jesuses. You know, it was, 00:06:04.129 --> 00:06:10.050 I think, an old thing in liberal scholarship 00:06:10.050 --> 00:06:12.430 in the last century to say that the Old Testament 00:06:12.430 --> 00:06:15.860 was One kind of God in the New Testament was 00:06:15.860 --> 00:06:20.100 another and in this People may even find that 00:06:20.100 --> 00:06:21.959 kind of an emphasis here and say well Why is 00:06:21.959 --> 00:06:24.939 there sometimes a scary Jesus and sometimes a 00:06:24.939 --> 00:06:27.879 comforting Jesus and what I want to point out 00:06:27.879 --> 00:06:33.019 is that? This is not two different Jesus's there 00:06:33.019 --> 00:06:36.620 is not a judgmental Scary Jesus and then also 00:06:36.620 --> 00:06:40.740 a lenient pleasant Jesus There is only one Jesus 00:06:40.740 --> 00:06:45.670 and the fact of the Transfiguration revealing 00:06:45.670 --> 00:06:51.589 His glory is intended to show us that the everyday 00:06:51.589 --> 00:06:54.449 Jesus that they walked around and talked with 00:06:54.449 --> 00:07:01.029 and ate with and slept near was God all along. 00:07:02.550 --> 00:07:06.470 In fact, one of the points of the Transfiguration 00:07:06.470 --> 00:07:12.089 is to clarify the fact that they are walking 00:07:12.089 --> 00:07:16.250 around with the scary God all the time. And yet, 00:07:17.250 --> 00:07:20.029 his presentation to them is one of comfort and 00:07:20.029 --> 00:07:24.870 of peace. You see this in, when you read the 00:07:24.870 --> 00:07:26.649 lion, the witch, and the wardrobe, the revelation 00:07:26.649 --> 00:07:33.149 that Aslan is, the friendly lion, is not to be 00:07:33.149 --> 00:07:36.649 dealt lightly with. He is safe, but he is scary. 00:07:41.000 --> 00:07:48.019 it is the same God whose character and law bring 00:07:48.019 --> 00:07:53.500 us up short and his law condemns our sin that 00:07:53.500 --> 00:07:56.959 same God also compassionately makes a way for 00:07:56.959 --> 00:08:03.540 us to be saved and he also comes to us and he 00:08:03.540 --> 00:08:07.139 comforts us that we can be saved and we hear 00:08:07.139 --> 00:08:12.199 that in Matthew 17 7 I think as a puzzle piece 00:08:12.199 --> 00:08:15.720 that helps fill this out, I believe we can talk 00:08:15.720 --> 00:08:18.120 about the puzzle piece as God's goodness and 00:08:18.120 --> 00:08:23.540 say this. Based on the transfiguration passage, 00:08:24.000 --> 00:08:27.019 it is the goodness of God and Jesus that both 00:08:27.019 --> 00:08:30.600 causes people to cower in fear, and that same 00:08:30.600 --> 00:08:34.159 goodness is also the goodness that raised them 00:08:34.159 --> 00:08:37.720 up, gave them forgiveness, gives them peace, 00:08:38.000 --> 00:08:41.340 and then calls them to joyful fellowship permanently 00:08:41.340 --> 00:08:43.679 with them and commissions them to that work. 00:08:44.919 --> 00:08:50.440 They not only are afraid of His goodness, but 00:08:50.440 --> 00:08:54.200 they are saved by His goodness. And then they 00:08:54.200 --> 00:08:57.200 are allowed to enjoy His goodness. And that's 00:08:57.200 --> 00:08:59.960 a pattern for us as well. There's nobody who 00:08:59.960 --> 00:09:03.940 comes to the Lord that doesn't get revealed to 00:09:03.940 --> 00:09:07.700 them that we are sinners. As the Bible says, 00:09:08.139 --> 00:09:11.379 we all stumble in many ways. We say we are without 00:09:11.379 --> 00:09:16.299 sin, we are lying. And yet the goodness that 00:09:16.299 --> 00:09:20.039 convicts us made a way for us through the cross, 00:09:21.120 --> 00:09:24.440 gives that goodness to us in our resurrection, 00:09:25.759 --> 00:09:28.740 and enables us to permanently enjoy that goodness. 00:09:30.539 --> 00:09:33.000 The same thing that causes Peter to cower in 00:09:33.000 --> 00:09:36.259 terror also relieves his fear and restores him 00:09:36.259 --> 00:09:43.340 to fellowship with God. We see this kind of an 00:09:43.340 --> 00:09:45.879 event several times in the Bible, and it gives 00:09:45.879 --> 00:09:48.440 us a pattern to look at. And I want to look at 00:09:48.440 --> 00:09:53.059 two specific events that mirror this exact kind 00:09:53.059 --> 00:09:55.980 of experience. One of them is the call of Peter 00:09:55.980 --> 00:09:59.159 into ministry, and the other is the call of Isaiah 00:09:59.159 --> 00:10:04.100 into ministry. In the Gospel of Luke, we read 00:10:04.100 --> 00:10:10.120 that Peter, who was called Simon before Jesus 00:10:10.120 --> 00:10:13.659 called him Peter, Simon was fishing. They had 00:10:13.659 --> 00:10:16.779 been out all night fishing. They were failing 00:10:16.779 --> 00:10:21.059 to catch fish. And here comes Jesus, a non -fisherman, 00:10:21.080 --> 00:10:26.179 to give him advice about how to fish. And he 00:10:26.179 --> 00:10:33.899 says, well, we've been at this all night. But 00:10:33.899 --> 00:10:36.120 just to humor you, I'll go ahead and do what 00:10:36.120 --> 00:10:39.200 you're saying. And the surprise is that Jesus 00:10:39.200 --> 00:10:42.000 not only knew what he was talking about, but 00:10:42.000 --> 00:10:44.559 he seems to be revealed to somehow be in charge 00:10:44.559 --> 00:10:48.399 of all nature in that moment. He's in control 00:10:48.399 --> 00:10:51.200 of the fish, he's in control of the waters. We 00:10:51.200 --> 00:10:52.840 see this over and over throughout the Gospel, 00:10:53.600 --> 00:10:55.480 he's in charge of the wind, he's in charge of 00:10:55.480 --> 00:10:59.820 the waves. And when you come into an encounter 00:10:59.820 --> 00:11:04.360 with someone who is in control of nature, it's 00:11:04.360 --> 00:11:07.720 startling. And Peter is shocked by what he has 00:11:07.720 --> 00:11:11.580 been revealed. And it says in Luke 5 verse 8 00:11:11.580 --> 00:11:14.960 when Peter's when Simon Peter saw it he fell 00:11:14.960 --> 00:11:19.360 down at Jesus knees saying Depart from me for 00:11:19.360 --> 00:11:25.460 I am a sinful man. Oh Lord And a few verses later 00:11:25.460 --> 00:11:30.299 we notice that Jesus says to him do not be afraid 00:11:30.299 --> 00:11:35.340 For from now on you will be catching men and 00:11:35.340 --> 00:11:37.379 when they had brought their boats to land they 00:11:37.379 --> 00:11:40.990 left everything and they followed him. You see 00:11:40.990 --> 00:11:47.929 how he gets from terror to an issuance of forgiveness 00:11:47.929 --> 00:11:50.950 and now all of a sudden he wants to be with Jesus. 00:11:51.370 --> 00:11:52.929 A minute ago he didn't want Jesus near him, now 00:11:52.929 --> 00:11:55.110 he wants to be with him. I'm just going to leave 00:11:55.110 --> 00:11:59.730 my livelihood to follow after you. So the goodness 00:11:59.730 --> 00:12:03.909 that scares him comes to him and forgives him. 00:12:03.980 --> 00:12:06.799 gives him that goodness and draws him into a 00:12:06.799 --> 00:12:08.799 permanent relationship where he can experience 00:12:08.799 --> 00:12:15.000 that goodness from now on. But when Peter experiences, 00:12:15.059 --> 00:12:17.460 when he saw the goodness of Jesus and his power 00:12:17.460 --> 00:12:22.360 and his control, he didn't say to him, let me 00:12:22.360 --> 00:12:26.299 be with you. You're so, you're so capable, so 00:12:26.299 --> 00:12:30.500 powerful. I want to be near that. He said, get 00:12:30.500 --> 00:12:34.570 away from me. And we hear a similar story in 00:12:34.570 --> 00:12:38.409 Isaiah 6. In the year that King Uzziah died, 00:12:39.529 --> 00:12:43.529 I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne. This is 00:12:43.529 --> 00:12:47.929 Isaiah speaking. High and lifted up. And the 00:12:47.929 --> 00:12:50.710 train of his robe filled the temple. Above him 00:12:50.710 --> 00:12:53.009 stood the Seraphim, each had six wings, with 00:12:53.009 --> 00:12:55.149 two he covered his face, with two he covered 00:12:55.149 --> 00:12:57.629 his feet, and with two he flew. And one called 00:12:57.629 --> 00:13:01.750 to the other and said, Holy, holy, holy is the 00:13:01.750 --> 00:13:06.730 Lord. hosts the whole earth is full of his glory 00:13:06.730 --> 00:13:10.509 and the foundations of the thresholds shook at 00:13:10.509 --> 00:13:13.870 the voice of him who called and the house was 00:13:13.870 --> 00:13:19.950 filled with smoke and I said woe is me for I 00:13:19.950 --> 00:13:24.610 am lost for I am a man of unclean lips and I 00:13:24.610 --> 00:13:26.950 dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips 00:13:26.950 --> 00:13:31.110 for my eyes have seen the King the Lord of hosts 00:13:33.000 --> 00:13:37.500 Isaiah sees the glory of God, the pre -incarnate 00:13:37.500 --> 00:13:40.820 Christ sitting on the throne, full of majesty, 00:13:41.559 --> 00:13:45.100 full of royal perfection. And we hear the Seraphim 00:13:45.100 --> 00:13:48.679 specifically tell us that the holiness and the 00:13:48.679 --> 00:13:51.100 glory of God are being glorified in this moment. 00:13:52.559 --> 00:13:55.899 And Isaiah's reaction is it to react to the holiness 00:13:55.899 --> 00:14:00.720 of God by praising his holiness or praising his 00:14:00.720 --> 00:14:08.480 glory? Is it to kneel at his royalty? No, Isaiah 00:14:08.480 --> 00:14:16.720 says not. You are so holy, but rather I am so 00:14:16.720 --> 00:14:24.799 unholy. When you are next to large things, you 00:14:24.799 --> 00:14:27.759 feel how small you are. And that comparison is 00:14:27.759 --> 00:14:31.639 being made clear to them. When I was in middle 00:14:31.639 --> 00:14:36.940 school or high school, my family took vacations 00:14:36.940 --> 00:14:39.620 to the Grand Canyon, a couple of them. One time 00:14:39.620 --> 00:14:41.480 we went to the South Rim and one time we went 00:14:41.480 --> 00:14:44.980 to the North Rim. My father was a photographer 00:14:44.980 --> 00:14:48.480 and he really admired the photographic works 00:14:48.480 --> 00:14:52.440 of Ansel Adams and other other photographers 00:14:52.440 --> 00:14:55.799 who documented the glory of the American Southwest. 00:14:56.759 --> 00:14:58.899 And he really wanted to see these things that 00:14:58.899 --> 00:15:02.679 he had been looking at in in photography books 00:15:02.679 --> 00:15:07.960 and working to imitate himself. So we had a family 00:15:07.960 --> 00:15:11.879 desire to go out there. And we had planned together. 00:15:11.919 --> 00:15:14.860 We had saved. We had daydreamed about this vacation 00:15:14.860 --> 00:15:17.179 for a long time. My dad would always get out 00:15:17.179 --> 00:15:20.399 maps and would have us measure the mile marker 00:15:20.399 --> 00:15:23.740 distances between the places. It was a big interactive 00:15:23.740 --> 00:15:29.480 planning for us. And so it was very exciting, 00:15:29.679 --> 00:15:32.960 this plan about what we were going to get to 00:15:32.960 --> 00:15:37.659 see. And on the way into the Grand Canyon National 00:15:37.659 --> 00:15:41.840 Park, there are scenic turnouts, overlooks into 00:15:41.840 --> 00:15:45.059 smaller gorges and canyons. I remember one that 00:15:45.059 --> 00:15:50.000 I think was called Wolf Gorge. And we had stopped, 00:15:50.740 --> 00:15:53.600 because if there was a scenic turn, if they decided, 00:15:53.850 --> 00:15:55.809 this is something that somebody would want to 00:15:55.809 --> 00:15:57.330 see, then we want to stop, and we want to see 00:15:57.330 --> 00:15:59.370 it, because we don't want to miss anything in 00:15:59.370 --> 00:16:06.230 this experience. And we were so tickled looking 00:16:06.230 --> 00:16:11.049 at how awesome it was. It was big, and it was 00:16:11.049 --> 00:16:13.509 beautiful. We couldn't believe how deep this 00:16:13.509 --> 00:16:17.190 gorge was, and it seemed powerful, and it was 00:16:17.190 --> 00:16:20.009 interesting. And we were just saying to each 00:16:20.009 --> 00:16:22.710 other, this is so amazing. I can't believe we're 00:16:22.710 --> 00:16:26.990 getting to see this. But then we proceeded toward 00:16:26.990 --> 00:16:29.490 El Tavar and the southern rim of the actual Grand 00:16:29.490 --> 00:16:33.129 Canyon. And I remember that as we got out of 00:16:33.129 --> 00:16:37.730 our car to walk toward the rail to get our first 00:16:37.730 --> 00:16:42.049 look at the actual Grand Canyon, that our excitement 00:16:42.049 --> 00:16:50.000 turned into utter disbelief. It wasn't big. It 00:16:50.000 --> 00:16:57.200 was enormous. It was utterly immense. It was 00:16:57.200 --> 00:17:02.019 unfathomably large. I remember that my father 00:17:02.019 --> 00:17:04.799 immediately, I mean, I want to say here that 00:17:04.799 --> 00:17:07.420 when you look at it in photographs, it looks 00:17:07.420 --> 00:17:09.359 big. And then when you look at it in person, 00:17:09.740 --> 00:17:12.720 it doesn't look like the same thing. You cannot 00:17:12.720 --> 00:17:15.119 capture in a photograph what you experience. 00:17:15.400 --> 00:17:19.180 in the depth and the distance of the Grand Canyon. 00:17:19.720 --> 00:17:22.240 And the fact that the distance recedes so far, 00:17:22.460 --> 00:17:33.079 it looks unreal. I remember my father immediately 00:17:33.079 --> 00:17:37.859 broke down crying and had to turn around and 00:17:37.859 --> 00:17:43.700 stop looking at it. He said, I wasn't prepared 00:17:43.700 --> 00:17:51.869 for this. It isn't big. It's scary. And this 00:17:51.869 --> 00:17:56.269 giant river bed is just a little cut in the whole 00:17:56.269 --> 00:18:00.029 of the Earth's crust. And our whole Earth is 00:18:00.029 --> 00:18:05.109 tiny compared to Jupiter or compared to the Sun. 00:18:05.130 --> 00:18:06.829 Do you know the volume of the Earth would fit 00:18:06.829 --> 00:18:10.890 into the volume of the Sun 1 .3 million times? 00:18:12.839 --> 00:18:17.579 And the sun is a relatively small star. We know 00:18:17.579 --> 00:18:21.099 of stars that we think are 1 ,000 to 2 ,000 times 00:18:21.099 --> 00:18:28.460 larger than the sun. The Milky Way, our galaxy, 00:18:29.019 --> 00:18:33.180 is measured at 1 ,000 to 200 ,000 light years 00:18:33.180 --> 00:18:36.720 across. Now, 1 ,000 to 200 ,000, that kind of 00:18:36.720 --> 00:18:41.400 sounds small after hearing millions of Earths 00:18:41.400 --> 00:18:44.869 in the sun. But the distance of what 1 to 200 00:18:44.869 --> 00:18:47.609 ,000 light years actually is, even this is actually 00:18:47.609 --> 00:18:53.329 with a measurement of 105 ,000 light years. If 00:18:53.329 --> 00:18:55.769 you were to try to fly from one side of the Milky 00:18:55.769 --> 00:18:59.049 Way to the other, and if you could get in a vehicle 00:18:59.049 --> 00:19:04.470 that traveled at a million miles per hour, it 00:19:04.470 --> 00:19:12.140 would take you 71 million years. to fly across 00:19:12.140 --> 00:19:19.900 the Milky Way. And this is just one of two trillion 00:19:19.900 --> 00:19:25.720 galaxies. And I want to point this out because 00:19:25.720 --> 00:19:29.599 that universe stands or falls at the command 00:19:29.599 --> 00:19:31.359 of the Lord who was sitting on the throne when 00:19:31.359 --> 00:19:35.940 Isaiah saw him. And when Isaiah beheld the king 00:19:35.940 --> 00:19:39.059 of the universe, he didn't say, you're so holy, 00:19:39.180 --> 00:19:43.940 hallelujah. He said, I am so unholy. Woe is me. 00:19:44.000 --> 00:19:49.480 I am cut off. I am a man of unclean lips. Isaiah 00:19:49.480 --> 00:19:54.299 saw God's glory and he felt destroyed. He saw 00:19:54.299 --> 00:19:57.339 God's perfection and he felt condemned with guilt. 00:19:58.720 --> 00:20:03.180 And you notice God did not threaten Isaiah. He 00:20:03.180 --> 00:20:06.960 did not accuse him. God did not rail at him. 00:20:06.980 --> 00:20:11.059 He did not rebuke him. He did not point out Isaiah's 00:20:11.059 --> 00:20:15.819 faults. He didn't have to. He merely revealed 00:20:15.819 --> 00:20:21.279 who he actually is. And when you stand next to 00:20:21.279 --> 00:20:24.940 something big, you feel really small. And when 00:20:24.940 --> 00:20:29.400 you stand next to perfect goodness, sinful humans 00:20:29.400 --> 00:20:34.980 feel evil and corrupt. Because we are. We don't 00:20:34.980 --> 00:20:37.519 feel it all the time. We're used to ourselves. 00:20:38.190 --> 00:20:40.849 but we're not used to looking into God's perfection. 00:20:43.710 --> 00:20:45.509 In fact, I don't know that we could function 00:20:45.509 --> 00:20:48.789 if we had to. This side of our resurrection, 00:20:48.930 --> 00:20:53.910 we couldn't function that way. I've often heard 00:20:53.910 --> 00:20:57.329 it said that God cannot bear to be in the presence 00:20:57.329 --> 00:21:00.089 of evil. I mean, I've heard it so many times. 00:21:00.569 --> 00:21:02.470 I actually don't think that that's anywhere in 00:21:02.470 --> 00:21:04.269 the Bible and it doesn't actually make sense 00:21:04.269 --> 00:21:07.420 because all the evil ever committed has always 00:21:07.420 --> 00:21:10.180 been committed in the presence of God. And even 00:21:10.180 --> 00:21:13.319 when God judges evil, he is the one present judging 00:21:13.319 --> 00:21:18.119 it. The psalmist says, where can I flee from 00:21:18.119 --> 00:21:19.940 your presence? If I make my bed in the depths, 00:21:19.940 --> 00:21:28.099 you are there. But it is crystal clear in scripture 00:21:28.099 --> 00:21:32.339 that sinful humans cannot bear to be in the presence 00:21:32.339 --> 00:21:37.630 of the revealed glory of God. It hurts. So what 00:21:37.630 --> 00:21:41.569 are we to do? The goal of the Gospel is that 00:21:41.569 --> 00:21:43.670 you're going to be with God forever. How can 00:21:43.670 --> 00:21:47.910 you stand it? Well the key is that God's goodness 00:21:47.910 --> 00:21:51.710 that judges us is the thing you need. You need 00:21:51.710 --> 00:21:54.869 His goodness to come get you. You need it to 00:21:54.869 --> 00:21:56.849 save you and you need His goodness transferred 00:21:56.849 --> 00:22:00.509 to you in order for you to get to experience 00:22:00.509 --> 00:22:04.890 God's goodness without pain forever. So let's 00:22:04.890 --> 00:22:06.910 focus on that. That's one thing I want to focus 00:22:06.910 --> 00:22:13.309 on. It's God's willingness to rescue us. God 00:22:13.309 --> 00:22:17.250 is willing to save us. What would motivate a 00:22:17.250 --> 00:22:20.630 holy God to take on our sin at the cross and 00:22:20.630 --> 00:22:26.950 to save us? It surely is a facet of His goodness, 00:22:27.750 --> 00:22:32.019 His compassion. He could merely have been stern 00:22:32.019 --> 00:22:34.220 and formal with us, and just given us rules, 00:22:34.400 --> 00:22:37.000 and told us where to stand, and okay, this is 00:22:37.000 --> 00:22:40.980 what salvation is. But he didn't. The Bible says 00:22:40.980 --> 00:22:45.960 he is close to each one of us. It says he cares 00:22:45.960 --> 00:22:48.900 for us. Cast all of your anxieties upon him, 00:22:49.200 --> 00:22:53.920 for he cares for you. We might say with Psalm 00:22:53.920 --> 00:22:58.259 8, what is man that you are mindful of him? He 00:22:58.259 --> 00:23:07.880 is mindful of us. We hear, I guess the Lord took 00:23:07.880 --> 00:23:09.900 that one out of my head. I had it a second ago, 00:23:09.900 --> 00:23:13.839 but I'll take my direction there. I forgot what 00:23:13.839 --> 00:23:19.319 it was. God's goodness not only makes him willing 00:23:19.319 --> 00:23:26.380 to save us, but it gives us the mechanism for 00:23:26.380 --> 00:23:30.130 salvation. And it's not discussed in the Matthew 00:23:30.130 --> 00:23:32.750 17 passage, but we know what it is from the rest 00:23:32.750 --> 00:23:37.049 of the Bible. The mechanism of our salvation 00:23:37.049 --> 00:23:42.730 that Jesus as God died on the cross for our sins 00:23:42.730 --> 00:23:45.690 and that God raised him from the dead for our 00:23:45.690 --> 00:23:50.170 life. That is his goodness at work, his willingness 00:23:50.170 --> 00:23:54.309 to die in our place, to give his goodness to 00:23:54.309 --> 00:23:59.759 us. and it is explained in Matthew 17 .5 at this 00:23:59.759 --> 00:24:02.920 level remember I said what was said in this passage 00:24:02.920 --> 00:24:06.180 that wasn't said in the others this is my beloved 00:24:06.180 --> 00:24:11.900 son in whom I am well pleased we know that that's 00:24:11.900 --> 00:24:14.900 how salvation works is that God is pleased with 00:24:14.900 --> 00:24:18.759 Jesus God is pleased with Jesus and when he was 00:24:18.759 --> 00:24:21.720 made to be sin he who knew no sin was made to 00:24:21.720 --> 00:24:25.500 be sin he who did so that we might become the 00:24:25.500 --> 00:24:28.140 righteousness of God in Christ. He was pleased 00:24:28.140 --> 00:24:32.160 with Jesus, and now He is pleased with me. That 00:24:32.160 --> 00:24:35.680 is even, He is able to give that to me because 00:24:35.680 --> 00:24:40.099 of His, because He is good. Because Jesus is 00:24:40.099 --> 00:24:42.339 good, God the Father can give Jesus' goodness 00:24:42.339 --> 00:24:48.740 to me. This passage not only tells us that Jesus 00:24:48.740 --> 00:24:52.460 is the Son who is pleasing to the Father, It 00:24:52.460 --> 00:24:54.660 also tells us that the Son of Man will be raised 00:24:54.660 --> 00:24:58.599 from the dead. Don't tell about this vision that 00:24:58.599 --> 00:25:01.200 you've seen until after the Son of Man is raised 00:25:01.200 --> 00:25:03.880 from the dead. Raised from the dead, why is he 00:25:03.880 --> 00:25:06.980 dead? Because he was on the cross. So this passage 00:25:06.980 --> 00:25:09.160 mentions the cross and it mentions the goodness 00:25:09.160 --> 00:25:11.960 of Jesus. So you've got some neat little points 00:25:11.960 --> 00:25:15.619 wrapping up the explanation of the Gospel there. 00:25:17.400 --> 00:25:19.700 And it clearly, the Bible tells us, if you confess 00:25:19.700 --> 00:25:22.279 with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe 00:25:22.279 --> 00:25:24.220 in your heart that God raised him from the dead, 00:25:24.700 --> 00:25:29.700 you will be saved. I want to point out that God's 00:25:29.700 --> 00:25:33.480 goodness transforms the disciples. When Jesus 00:25:33.480 --> 00:25:38.740 touches people, it is transformative. You remember 00:25:38.740 --> 00:25:43.380 legally that lepers who are unclean legally, 00:25:43.859 --> 00:25:47.140 if they come in contact with other people, the 00:25:47.140 --> 00:25:52.339 other people become legally unclean. It transfers 00:25:52.339 --> 00:25:58.220 to other people. But Jesus freely touches lepers. 00:25:59.559 --> 00:26:02.920 And when he did touch lepers, he didn't become 00:26:02.920 --> 00:26:08.339 unclean, they became clean. When he touched them, 00:26:08.359 --> 00:26:12.319 he healed them. So it was not he that was affected 00:26:12.319 --> 00:26:15.920 by the touch, it was the leper. When Jesus touches, 00:26:16.380 --> 00:26:19.569 the power of God goes out from him. and the one 00:26:19.569 --> 00:26:23.190 who is touched is restored. In fact, he touches 00:26:23.190 --> 00:26:27.609 the eyes of the blind, and they can see. He uses 00:26:27.609 --> 00:26:31.690 his touch to stake his claim. He grabs, takes 00:26:31.690 --> 00:26:34.369 children from their parents that they hand to 00:26:34.369 --> 00:26:38.170 him, and he holds them and sets them on his lap 00:26:38.170 --> 00:26:41.369 and says, my kingdom belongs to one like these. 00:26:44.069 --> 00:26:46.609 When Jesus touches someone, it is a blessing 00:26:46.609 --> 00:26:50.410 and a claim on them. Here Jesus touches those 00:26:50.410 --> 00:26:55.970 who are made afraid by their own fault by their 00:26:55.970 --> 00:27:00.329 own guilt by their own sin and Yet he touches 00:27:00.329 --> 00:27:03.670 them unafraid that their sin will contaminate 00:27:03.670 --> 00:27:09.789 him rather. He will remove their sin He come 00:27:09.789 --> 00:27:13.609 to he touches he comforts and he says rise up 00:27:13.609 --> 00:27:20.000 and do not be afraid You remember the story of 00:27:20.000 --> 00:27:22.539 Lazarus, even though Lazarus was dead when Jesus 00:27:22.539 --> 00:27:26.640 said, rise up. Lazarus rose up. He's speaking 00:27:26.640 --> 00:27:29.859 to Jairus' daughter. He says, little girl, arise, 00:27:30.000 --> 00:27:34.619 and she arises. So the same thing about Jesus 00:27:34.619 --> 00:27:36.859 touching someone also goes for the words, rise 00:27:36.859 --> 00:27:40.059 up. They are spoken to those who are lame, but 00:27:40.059 --> 00:27:44.339 are being healed. When Jesus decides to tell 00:27:44.339 --> 00:27:47.359 somebody to rise up, He's speaking to those who 00:27:47.359 --> 00:27:52.599 are dead who need new life. Jesus goodness is 00:27:52.599 --> 00:27:56.579 capable of giving us restoration and new life. 00:27:58.059 --> 00:27:59.779 If you don't hear anything else this morning, 00:28:00.579 --> 00:28:04.900 hear that Jesus offers new life. Even if you 00:28:04.900 --> 00:28:09.099 are a sinner, of course because we all are. Even 00:28:09.099 --> 00:28:13.059 if your sin says to you, you should cringe before 00:28:13.059 --> 00:28:16.950 the good and holy God. Jesus comes to you and 00:28:16.950 --> 00:28:21.029 touches you and says, do not be afraid. He's 00:28:21.029 --> 00:28:23.210 not saying this because your sin doesn't matter. 00:28:23.710 --> 00:28:25.410 If your sin didn't matter you wouldn't cower 00:28:25.410 --> 00:28:30.009 in fear. But he's saying this because he is bigger 00:28:30.009 --> 00:28:34.990 than the problem. His work is bigger than the 00:28:34.990 --> 00:28:38.049 guilt. When our hearts condemn us, God is bigger 00:28:38.049 --> 00:28:45.029 than our hearts. Verse John tells us. You notice 00:28:45.029 --> 00:28:49.349 that Peter, when he was called, he was made afraid. 00:28:49.670 --> 00:28:52.930 He said, I'm a sinner, depart from me. And five 00:28:52.930 --> 00:28:55.029 minutes later, Peter has been called to be an 00:28:55.029 --> 00:28:58.950 evangelist. He says, Peter, you're going to be 00:28:58.950 --> 00:29:01.589 fishing for men for me. And then Peter drops 00:29:01.589 --> 00:29:08.970 everything and goes with him. Isaiah says, I'm 00:29:08.970 --> 00:29:12.670 a man of unclean lips. And five minutes later, 00:29:12.910 --> 00:29:15.509 after the coal has touched his lips, after God's 00:29:15.509 --> 00:29:19.809 work of cleansing him, Isaiah is asked, here's 00:29:19.809 --> 00:29:22.450 the question, who will go for us and who will 00:29:22.450 --> 00:29:25.650 send out our message? And Isaiah says, look at 00:29:25.650 --> 00:29:28.910 me, me. Now, this is the same guy that couldn't 00:29:28.910 --> 00:29:30.950 be looked at a minute ago. And now is saying, 00:29:31.250 --> 00:29:36.569 directing God's attention to him. This is the 00:29:36.569 --> 00:29:39.740 audacity, I think, and this. As a positive thing, 00:29:39.960 --> 00:29:42.640 it's prescribed for us in the Lord's table. You 00:29:42.640 --> 00:29:47.920 know that the day of the Lord, Sunday is called 00:29:47.920 --> 00:29:51.339 the day of the Lord in the Bible. And the day 00:29:51.339 --> 00:29:53.259 of the Lord up to that point had been a reference 00:29:53.259 --> 00:29:55.339 to God's judgment. It's the day of judgment. 00:29:55.579 --> 00:29:58.200 You come to the Lord's table, you're calling 00:29:58.200 --> 00:30:02.400 down His, look at me and judge me. But when you 00:30:02.400 --> 00:30:04.880 see me, you see the blood applied to me as in 00:30:04.880 --> 00:30:10.180 the Passover, Passover me. It is so consequential 00:30:10.180 --> 00:30:15.380 that Jesus did his work. It is not a trick. You 00:30:15.380 --> 00:30:19.039 don't have to worry about it failing. It worked. 00:30:19.420 --> 00:30:24.059 You are forgiven. Not something that he says, 00:30:24.460 --> 00:30:27.339 calm down a minute. We'll talk about this later. 00:30:27.380 --> 00:30:29.579 We'll work out the details later. When he says, 00:30:29.980 --> 00:30:34.460 rise up, do not be afraid, he means it's done. 00:30:34.799 --> 00:30:39.970 Your sin is gone. I have forgiven you. You get 00:30:39.970 --> 00:30:43.150 to actually come with me. I'm actually recruiting 00:30:43.150 --> 00:30:46.970 some guys. I want you to come with me. And you 00:30:46.970 --> 00:30:50.670 don't have to say, well, but I was shown to be 00:30:50.670 --> 00:30:52.549 a sinner. He says, I knew that when I came and 00:30:52.549 --> 00:30:57.250 told you I forgave you. God demonstrates his 00:30:57.250 --> 00:30:59.890 own love for us in this, that while we were yet 00:30:59.890 --> 00:31:02.869 sinners, Christ died for us. It wasn't a surprise 00:31:02.869 --> 00:31:08.000 to him that we were sinners. He forgave us. Do 00:31:08.000 --> 00:31:10.079 you have to believe that? Here's the question. 00:31:10.200 --> 00:31:12.000 Do you have to believe that? Well, what's the 00:31:12.000 --> 00:31:15.700 consequence of the transfiguration? This is my 00:31:15.700 --> 00:31:19.140 beloved son in whom I am well pleased. Listen 00:31:19.140 --> 00:31:28.160 to him. Peter says later in one of his letters, 00:31:28.519 --> 00:31:31.980 2nd Peter, he says, for we did not follow cleverly 00:31:31.980 --> 00:31:34.380 devised myths when we made known to you the power 00:31:34.380 --> 00:31:36.990 and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We were 00:31:36.990 --> 00:31:40.529 eyewitnesses to his majesty. For when he received 00:31:40.529 --> 00:31:43.450 honor and glory from God the Father, and the 00:31:43.450 --> 00:31:45.789 voice was born to him by the majestic glory, 00:31:45.890 --> 00:31:48.589 this is my beloved son with whom I am well pleased, 00:31:49.509 --> 00:31:53.009 we ourselves heard this very voice born from 00:31:53.009 --> 00:31:56.549 heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. 00:31:56.789 --> 00:31:58.549 Here's the point of what I'm saying. Peter's 00:31:58.549 --> 00:32:02.430 repeating the experience here in his letter. 00:32:02.490 --> 00:32:05.230 He's saying, I saw this with my own eyes. This 00:32:05.230 --> 00:32:08.690 happened. And that listen to him is what he's 00:32:08.690 --> 00:32:11.670 focusing on. Here's the next verse. And we have 00:32:11.670 --> 00:32:14.410 the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which 00:32:14.410 --> 00:32:17.869 you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp 00:32:17.869 --> 00:32:22.470 shining in a dark place until the day dawns and 00:32:22.470 --> 00:32:25.970 the morning star rises in your hearts. This mirrors 00:32:25.970 --> 00:32:30.730 the listen to him. We saw his glory on the mountain. 00:32:31.470 --> 00:32:34.069 When Moses saw God's glory on the mountain it 00:32:34.069 --> 00:32:37.309 was to tell the people Listen to the law of God 00:32:37.309 --> 00:32:39.869 when Peter saw Jesus glory on the mountain it 00:32:39.869 --> 00:32:44.289 was to say Jesus gets to tell you what to believe 00:32:44.289 --> 00:32:48.509 Jesus is the author of scripture listen to him 00:32:48.509 --> 00:32:51.190 And I'm emphasizing that because this you are 00:32:51.190 --> 00:32:53.450 going to have a tendency to forget that you are 00:32:53.450 --> 00:33:00.130 forgetting It is really really hard to remember 00:33:00.319 --> 00:33:06.740 that your corruption is not the main thing. It's 00:33:06.740 --> 00:33:12.140 real. It's a problem. But it is not the powerful 00:33:12.140 --> 00:33:14.660 agent in the story. The powerful agent is the 00:33:14.660 --> 00:33:18.980 goodness of God. When our hearts condemn us, 00:33:19.079 --> 00:33:25.859 God is bigger than our hearts. Therefore, there 00:33:25.859 --> 00:33:27.960 is no condemnation for those who are in Christ 00:33:27.960 --> 00:33:33.859 Jesus. We don't have to downplay the seriousness 00:33:33.859 --> 00:33:38.880 of God's law in order to live at peace. You do 00:33:38.880 --> 00:33:42.440 have to care what God's Word is. And it is His 00:33:42.440 --> 00:33:46.660 Word that matters. Jesus, in fact, is the Son 00:33:46.660 --> 00:33:54.759 that God is pleased with, so listen to Him. Remember 00:33:54.759 --> 00:33:57.059 now that you have been cleansed, that you were 00:33:57.059 --> 00:34:00.319 called into His companionship. He wants you to 00:34:00.319 --> 00:34:03.170 go with Him. And you get to be in that state 00:34:03.170 --> 00:34:06.930 forever. And remember that the cleansing comes 00:34:06.930 --> 00:34:11.550 from Jesus as something that is complete. You 00:34:11.550 --> 00:34:13.909 don't have to shrink back saying, depart from 00:34:13.909 --> 00:34:17.969 me. You can say, here I am. Look at me, Lord. 00:34:19.409 --> 00:34:22.130 You don't have to say, leave me because I'm a 00:34:22.130 --> 00:34:25.070 sinner. You are free to boldly praise Him and 00:34:25.070 --> 00:34:31.030 say, you are so holy. You are so good. you have 00:34:31.030 --> 00:34:39.530 been so good to me let's pray father we read 00:34:39.530 --> 00:34:43.590 earlier in your in the songs today from Psalm 00:34:43.590 --> 00:34:47.829 34 I sought the Lord and he answered me and delivered 00:34:47.829 --> 00:34:52.090 me from all my fears those who look to him are 00:34:52.090 --> 00:34:55.230 radiant and their faith that shall never be ashamed 00:34:55.230 --> 00:34:58.480 thank you for transferring your goodness your 00:34:58.480 --> 00:35:02.380 glory to us as you forgive us our sins and call 00:35:02.380 --> 00:35:06.079 us to permanent new life. I pray that we would 00:35:06.079 --> 00:35:09.440 be able by your power to believe you that we 00:35:09.440 --> 00:35:11.440 would listen to you and know the truth of our 00:35:11.440 --> 00:35:14.380 forgiveness and your goodness. In Jesus name 00:35:14.380 --> 00:35:15.559 I pray. Amen.