A Terrifying Glimpse of Glory, Part 1

Today from Chuck Swindoll around the real-life.

There is one who put all of that in place, the son will vary in their unique orbit without a word. Your voice is not heard yet the heavens announced the creator God is here in all his in the middle of his earthly a few of the disciples witnessed Jesus take on a glorious appearance like nothing that ever witnessed before.

Standing high atop a mountain beside Jesus overcome with radiant light. The theological term scholars chose for this moment is Transfiguration today on Insight for living trucks went all this teaching from Matthew chapter 17 we find a fascinating account of this miraculous transformation over the next few days, Chuck will explain how this stunning event reveal God's awesome nature. Check title this message a terrifying glimpse of glory right. We are working our way through Matthew gospel and we come to one of the most significant, albeit brief moments in the training of the 12 and in the earthly ministry of Jesus. Whatever else you may have heard about the Transfiguration, which is what this passage is on about try your best to kind of's shift that out of your mind… Let this section Scripture speak to us. Is it for the first time were hearing this, turn to Matthew 16 a look at the last two verses of the chapter and then the first 13 verses of the 17 chapter I think they go together so will bypass the chapter break and act like it is even there.

As we move from Matthew 1627, down through 1713 for the son of man will come with his angels in the glory of his father and will judge all people according to their deeds. And I tell you the truth, some standing here right now will not die before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.

Six days later, Jesus took Peter and the two brothers, James and John and let them up a high mountain to be alone. As the men watched Jesus appearance was transformed so that his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as light. Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared and began talking with Jesus. Peter exclaimed Lord is wonderful for us to be here if you want I'll make free shelters as memorials one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah. But even as he spoke, a bright cloud overshadowed them at a voice from the cloud said this is my dearly loved son who brings me great joy. Listen to him. The disciples were terrified and fell face down on the ground.

Then Jesus came over and touch them. Get up. He said don't be afraid when they looked up Moses and Elijah were gone and they saw only Jesus as he went back down the mountain. Jesus commanded them, go tell anyone what you have seen until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead that his disciples asked him what the teachers of religious law insist that Elijah must return before the Messiah comes, Jesus replied Elijah is indeed coming first to get everything ready. But I tell you that Elijah has already come.

But he wasn't recognized and they chose to abuse him and in the same way.

They will also make the Son of Man suffer. Then the disciples realized he was talking about John the Baptist.

Our hope is that this passage will blend together in a way that we understand what transpired, as recorded in the narrative and how it speaks to us in this very day to study the book of Matthew with Chuck Swindoll. Be sure to download his searching the Scriptures. Studies by going to Insight world.or/studies and outlets listen to the message Chuck titled terrifying glimpse of glory. I know what the word glory meant and it it bugged me because I just son about it for over an hour, but now here I was sitting in the middle of the backseat of our 47 Chevy in Houston on a cold rainy oh winter night in early December as our family making our way home.

Back to East Houston, having just so long in the First Methodist Church in the magnificent oratorio of George Frederick Handel's Messiah of the un-understand that my my mother sang beautiful soprano might my sister and the lovely contralto voice of my brother. Beautiful piece and I pitched a little tender. We had gone Celica country-western group.net but I we had gone through the process of trying out for the for the acquire that saying there every year and and we had all passed. My dad told himself our designated driver so he drove as we did the performances. There were about four or five of them as I recall seeing under the renowned Walter Jenkins who led the entire orchestra 200 boys choir and massive pipe organ without a piece of music in front of it long since memorized it all the score he knew what he was doing on if you know the piece you know that it begins with a lyrical tenor, recitative, comfort ye, comfort you, my people speak it comfortably to Jerusalem and and it comes on Isaiah 40 and then he moves into the aria.

Every valley shall be exalted, every mountain and hill may load the crooked places straight and the rough places plain beautiful beginning to this magnum opus of the handle and then Dr. Jenkins had the choir stand in here.

I stood about 15 standing alongside real singers and then he began as he brought the baton down and the glory of the glory of the Lord shall be revealed never forget. I've never sung in a group like this and I like and I got real quiet and I just mounted so they could sing and I couldn't hold back the tears of illness with but that was his glory that was a major part of that first Cora Cora and I did know what it meant, so I said my sister sitting you're my brother sitting here and that is driving is a daddy what is glory, and he quickly use the famous father words, only three of them, but they're perfect. Ask your mother so I said mom is glory in her answer was, like many mothers when we got home, I want you to get the dictionary and I want you to look up the word glory and by the way, when I did I realize later in my life. It's the first time I ever became acquainted with truly a theological word magnificent work. Webster states that glory is great honor and praise or distinction given by common consent goes on adoration, praise and thanksgiving offered in worship majestic beauty, splendor, resplendent gets better doesn't it resplendent well over a decade later I found myself sitting in the classroom at double seminary beginning my studies as a young theological student and we came across Psalm 19 for the heavens declare the glory of God without a sound without a voice.

Neither is ever heard and it's heard around the world and I learned that the glory of the heavens represents general revelation, learn a little theology here regardless of your geography, culture, language, regardless of your religion or lack of such the heavens declare the resplendent is the magnificence the majestic beauty of their creator. You look up at any place around this earth and you realize there is someone who is put all of that in place, it could not address happened this crease without a word the stars make no sound.

The moon and the sun all of those planets there there in their unique orbit and without a word, their voice is not heard and yet the heavens announced the creator God is here in all of his glory. He made it all hollered when I got into the depths of the New Testament language that the word in the New Testament for glory is duck sauce. We get our word doxology from it it it means bright shining radiance of brilliant light when applied to a person close within majestic splendor would be another way of putting water trauma Smith captures it in the closing. One of the closing verses of his wonderful him immortal, invisible, all praise we would render. Oh, help us to see is only the splendor of light. The glory of God the Shekinah that burn from heaven into the holiest place was the glory of God telling this holiest place on the earth in the tabernacle, the Hebrew word I learned later, was his cold, who it means heavy, which is a heavy word for wow, or paying events profound but seriously it has in mind the profound totality of God's nature, character and attribute that is his glory now try to get our arms around all of that. We almost needed personified and that is why were grateful, so grateful for this magnificent transfiguration. Jesus speaks of this I believe at the end of the 16th chapter of Matthew 20 says that the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his father and will judge all people according to their deeds. Obviously a reference to that time when he will come yet future when you will calm and establish his kingdom and fulfill the promises to Israel set up his rule and reign. And then he adds a verse that can be confusing if you only get with that, rather than the transfiguration. Look at the next verse and I tell you the truth, some standing here right now will not die before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom. Look at that we could render that in his kingly splendor is glory that you make that only the second admin. It doesn't make sense because all of the disciples died before he would, still future toward so I believe it fits best to think of it is what follows you or your you're going to live to see glory appear before your very eyes. I would suggest he had his transfiguration in mind and they are about to witness it before we go there just a little more information that I think will help because our focus on Jesus is almost always on his earthly being as a man conceived birth reared training at home.

Worked alongside Joseph in the carpenter shop and around the age of 30 was baptized. He began his ministry, which went on for three three-minute years during which time he healed the sick can he cast out demons and he performed miracles and walked on water and on and on and on. The list goes. But he also slept and ate and talked and walked and looked just like another Jewish adult is his humanity is easy to forget when his focus on only the humanity of Jesus that he is also undiminished deity, but at the same time true humanity. Two natures that do not mix but remain in one person forever is what is known as the God man undiminished deity, true humanity, and one person. The disciples are walking with the one they could easily think of is simply true humanity, of course, easily seen miracles that only God could do, and they've heard words, God could only God could have said and act carried out that only God could have carried out, but it is easy when you're walking with someone eating with them sleeping beside them, becoming very familiar with them, but you forget there was that other natures of Jesus decide now is the time for them to see evidence of my full person, which is what the transfiguration is all about. Now the glory becomes manifest displayed see how it unfolds. As we get into chapter 17.

Follow six days later, Jesus took Peter and the two brothers, James and John and let them up a high mountain to be alone. They were in Caesarea Philippi the mountaineers that would be Mount Herman. Further north. I rather suspect it was there rather than mount table or as some teach. I believe he went up the slope. Herman noticed it was for the purpose of being alone. I I want to highlight throughout my message the value of time alone time of silence, time to drink in the full scene which could not have been done in the busy streets with the crowds and all done where they had been so he deliberately takes these these three with him. They go up the mountainside to be alone. Watch closely. Just as amended, as the men watched meaning Peter James and John noticed it came without an announcement.

He is transformed before their eyes. As the men watched Jesus appearance was transformed metamorphic. Oh is the word word metamorphosis from it. It means to change into another form just simply defined that weight, he changed into another form. Still, a man, but now his face shone like the sun, and his clothing became as white as light member earlier the comment about the effulgence the resplendent's of God's light like presence here this this one who has walked with them. Talk with them. Good teaching and training them now. Immersion is in this glowing glowing presence and that isn't enough, Moses and Elijah appeared and began talking with Jesus about figure correctly. Moses admitted at about 1400 years, Elijah has been dead about 900 years, which helps reassure all of us that though we may pass through death. We continue to live. Death only in the sense of our earthly bodies perish, but our eternal insights. Our eternal spirit sold live on. So Moses and Elijah come and now appear alongside him but I don't want to rush through this. What you see as he is transformed in your mind. We have artist renderings of Jesus when he walked this earth. Many of them from ancient days were the only way they knew to do it to reveal the two natures was to put a halo over you see them pictures like that. Or to put a glow around him trying to depict both natures, but many of them and and ensure that there is no depiction. This is reality. He shines brightly in his clothing is is a blinding in in in brightness, there is ever a moment to stand and let the wonder in it now. Now. But of course when you're addicted to talking is one of them was gonna say something so Peter exclaimed what is wonderful for us to be here if you want to make three shacks, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah to put it on street level talk comes across like that but you know what we need is more information. First of all, we read that Moses, Elijah and Jesus are talking, but were not told what they said to each other over the talking about. You can't know from Matthew's account, so you need to correlate you need to look for a parallel passage in another of the gospel writers that covers the same event and fills in what Matthew doesn't mention. I found it is a parallel in Mark nine and in Luke nine.

So with me, go back there are go-ahead to their fine Mark 9 Holger Pl. will come there second. First let's look at Luke nine and locate verse 31. They were glorious to see meeting Jesus Elijah and Moses there that they and they were speaking here we go. Matthew didn't tell us this. Luke does they were speaking about his exodus from this world, which was about to be fulfilled to Jerusalem talking about what's living at what's up just ahead see when you're in the eternal state. Everything is in one panoramic view. You see it all. That's another subject.

I knew if I said that you and you want to go there we will go there right now.

Some of the time, but they knew was coming, and if so there talking with Jesus about what's coming when he gets to Jerusalem, namely his arrest, trial, the resurrection of the talking about all of humor way late in the program were just getting started with Chuck Swindoll's message called a terrifying glimpse of glory. This is insight for living learn more about this ministry to see what resources are available for today's topic, please visit us online@insightworld.org learning more about Jesus doesn't stop here and so we encourage you to spend personal time in God's word discovering new things on your own to help you dig deeper into the book of Matthew. I'll remind you that Chuck wrote a full-length commentary and if you're looking to get better acquainted with the real Jesus, the one that writers like Matthew described.

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