A Terrifying Glimpse of Glory, Part 3

In Matthew chapter 17. The gospel writer describes a moment when Jesus took a few of his disciples away to a mountain during their getaway. Jesus was illuminated with bright lights from heaven, Moses and Elijah appear a voice from heaven cleared his pleasure with Jesus and the moment was so shocking that the disciples fell to the ground today on Insight for living.

Chuck Swindoll helps us grasp the enormity mysterious transfiguration and what it means to you and me today.

He titled his message a terrifying glimpse of glory is easy to forget that he is also undiminished deity follow the same time true humanity to nature's that do not mix but remain in one person forever is known as the God man on the member's deity, managing, and one person walking with the one they could easily think of is simply true humanity. So Jesus decides now is the time for them to see evidence of my full person, which is what the transfiguration is all about.

Now all the glory becomes manifest displayed see how it unfolds. As we got in chapter 17. 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 meaning Peter James and John noticed it came without an announcement.

He is transformed before their eyes. Still, a man, but now his face shone like the sun, and his clothing became as white as light here this this one who has walked with them. Talk with them. Teaching and training them now. Immersion is in this glowing glowing presence that isn't enough, Moses and Elijah appeared and began talking with Jesus moment to stand and let the wonder in it now, but trying what is wonderful for us to be here if you want to make three shots, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah. You know what we need is more information is a parallel in Mark nine and in Luke nine. So with me find Mark nine. Hold your place will come there second.

First let's look at Luke nine and locate verse 41, 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 look nuts.

They were speaking about his exodus from this world, which was about to be fulfilled in Jerusalem, so they're talking with Jesus about what's coming to Jerusalem, namely his arrest, trial, the resurrection of the talking about all of it and notice also that Luke gives us a little more information about the disciples. Peter and the others had fallen asleep but they always turn with a start, and we read when they woke up they saw Jesus glory and the two men standing with him as Moses and Elijah were starting to leave Peter watch, not even knowing what he was saying, blurted out to build three memorials one for you. What will you okay before saving more or less look at Mark nine, verse five, Peter exclaimed Rabbi is wonderful for us to be here, let's make three shelters is memorials one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.

He said this because he didn't really know what else to say, for they were all terrified.

Now you see the value of correlation.

Plus you understand why we pause here for draw upon it because this is that this is an unusual moment that required absolute silence. Just take it again if one should speak. It's the one being transfigured. If anyone has something to say. He's the one to say it but cloud overshadows them in, and a voice from the cloud says love this.

This is my son dearly beloved one. This is my one and only.

This is the one I give you is a gift from glory. And then he adds, he brings it brings me great joy. Listen to him soon.

Even in the silence. Jesus is speaking his change of countenance is a message this awesome interruption as God breaks on the on the scene as Peter is speaking and God says listen to the one I sent there.

Finally, terrified we read and they and they fall on their faces. I love it that that Jesus came over and found them on the ground on their faces and and touch them and simply said get up every free when they look up Moses and Elijah were gone and they saw only Jesus. Now we find them in verses nine through 13 coming down the mountain and there's a brief dialogue when they remember their days in synagogue school and what they were taught by their teacher was a good time to mention this because they had just seen Elijah they want to know. They went back down the mountain.

Jesus commanded them, don't tell anyone what you have seen until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead. So they asked him one of the teachers of religious law insist Elijah must return before the Messiah conference. Good question.

They've been taught that but they were never given it in context and I would fit into the scheme of things over the chronology of the eschatology of events the plans for the future. What is always about so Jesus replies. Elijah is indeed coming first to get everything ready. But I tell you this is so like Jesus and his teaching. He switches a little bit of the subject makes you think deeper and you realize later what it was. He was getting at visas, but I tell you Elijah is already come, but it wasn't recognized and they chose to abuse him in the same way they will make the Son of Man suffer. He uses that as an analogy to his own suffering. That's in the future when they get to Jerusalem and then we read then the disciples realize he was really talking about John the baptizer. Interesting how Jesus switched to that without telling them what he was doing, but as they may remember we read of it in Luke 117 speaking about John, who was yet to be born. He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah.

He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord Jesus says that's the role Baptist baptizer filled, and they finally put it all together now II understand how you must be sitting there wondering how this ties together. I wrestle with this application, wondering how to shape it for our times, and I've come to realize it really has something to say for us in this day I want to stand against three long-standing habits of our times as I apply what we have just gone through the habits or moving too fast talking too much in reacting to quickly. It's a habit easily formed when you operate in the press of the crowd and in the midst of a busy city life which is ours to live moving too fast you soon discover that you are staying to shallow the Lord wants us to go deeper. He wants us to think deeper. He wants us to be men and women who think his thoughts after him, and none of them come naturally. Time to work that into our thinking so I remind you today to slow down so happened this time to be facing a good season to do that but if you're not careful it will be all about gifts you buy project to deal with trip to take plans to make people get the feed holding slowdown. The people are that way because they learn to pace themselves even in the press of our day and talking too much. We we we listen to little and therefore learn less than we could so be quite sightless. I often say to people we bring to Israel and enjoy the tour with us often begin the journey with the opening little disc devotion where I see all were together, let's let's walk a little slower.

Let's talk a little less the sink a little deeper.

Let's write a little more. Let's let the wonder in because God doesn't hurry up to catch up with us. We slowdown to walk with him and his you know he's in no hurry.

And when you walk with him to learn. You must not talk learn to listen. Third, our tendency in this fast-paced lifestyle is to react to quickly and we wait therefore to sell.

Take time, slowdown, the quiet take time.

Let's commit ourselves for the next several weeks to those three priorities some time ago I wrote some things out that I want to read to you as I close, I don't want you to think about leaving him what you think about listening. So here I worked on my words carefully, boisterous noise, hectic schedules and constant talking dull our senses they close our ears to what God is trying to say to us is still quiet voice they make us insensitive and numb to his touch.

I added this for 23 years my family and I lived in the Los Angeles area. We truly enjoyed those years of greater freedom and numerous opportunities for personal growth and and many unexpected understory undeserved blessings from God for all the things I'm forever grateful. However, I found myself as did Cynthia becoming weary of the noise, the incessant crowds at every turn. The accelerated pace. The endless rush of traffic, the relentless press of activities will be thoroughly enjoyed close friendships and an expansion of ministry involvements. There were times we long for relief for the enviable presence of silence and stillness, we would occasionally escape to the mountains to a retreat about an hour and 1/2 from our home were relived in the busy city where we went was removed from the blaring horns in the grinding roar of the freeways and the constancy of too much shallow and superficial clock sitting together up there in the mountains at about 6000 feet we often leaned against a massive ponderosa pine or 100-year-old oak we would absorb the therapy of the forest saturating our souls with majestic stillness. Quiet reigns of autumn washed away the dust of summer inviting the cold winds of winter which turned overnight into soft falling snow that blanketed the forest floor with a white so bridge in our eyes hurt such visual feasts mixed with the inevitable sounds of silence made both of us more sensitive to the spirits presence and leading more thankful for God's matchless grace more aware of his majestic glory. In a word, those so calming excursions drove us deeper deeper than we would ever have gone without such time last night alone in my study with just a lamp burning. I turned to a couple of sections of what Clarence Edward McCartney has written what is is this piece he writes there's nothing so impressive as silence. He writes I like to wander into some great cathedral and standing alone in the knee. Listen to the silence of the immense pillars the soaring arches, the angels and saints looking down upon me from stained-glass windows above and finally from his book Bible epitaphs.

I have no dread of the cemetery. Sometimes it's better to be there and have fellowship with the dead who were married, then walked down the streets of our cities and meet the unburied did that is, those in whom faith and hope and love and purity have long been dead, leaving only the animal alive in the cemetery.

The Bible of life is open and a passionless voice reach to us the great lessons and tells us to apply our hearts unto wisdom. Sometimes we can learn more from the silence of the dead from the speech of the living, whether it be a little churchyard were under agent Elms the dead like close to holy walls or the dark spaces of some cathedral were the dead sleep under sculptured sarcophagus and lettered marble or some wilderness battlefield where the nation is gathered, the bodies of the soldiers who get you there gave her last full measure of devotion or some rural hillside for the wind blows free by the banks of a river that flows silently and swiftly away like man's life wherever it may be the resting place of the dead has always something worthwhile to say to the slowdown. The client take time, they rebel together this quiet place is maybe the first time for you and most of your adult life to be this quiet when your quiet and always when you're alone, your thoughts reflect on where you been, what your life is been like if you look back over the pages of your past and cannot find a time when you truly gave your heart and soul to Jesus, the master of the Savior do that now you have to say a word. You have to do a thing in your mind, acknowledge, I come before you.

Oh God, distant and lost, and I realize my need for Jesus.

Please occupy my life I receive him now enter my soul. I take him into my heart. If you been moving into faster clip. I suggest you slough starting today for tendency is to talk too much. I suggest silence, the discipline of silence for an extended period of time through the type to react to whatever you suggest you take time to let the wonder in drive a little slower think a little deeper look only to Jesus, the father made the mind of Christ our Savior live in us from day to day in May his beauty rest upon us as we seek the loss by the word of God become diet time with you, Mark will leave this place different than when we came made that difference continue through this week. And through this season. Jesus said, listening to the Bible teaching pastor and author Chuck Swindoll titled today's message a terrifying glimpse of glory and to see what resources we have available for today's topic, please visit us online@insightworld.org but just before time is gone for the day.

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It's written in the refreshing style. Chuck is known for laid out in a format that's easy to navigate as well so I left a note on our website recently and they commented that their copy of this study Bible is well-worn and this person added. I want to thank God for your wisdom, clarity and simplicity in writing. While the Swindoll study Bible represents decades of personal study by Chuck preparing for sermons and writing books and it belongs in your personal collection of study tools to discover the different options available to you and to purchase a copy of the Swindoll study Bible go to Insight.org/offer.

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We provide ample opportunities to pause and let the wonder. Our goal is to create special moment when you deepen your love for the Bible and draw closer to your ward experience an unforgettable 12 day tour to Israel Chuck Swindoll Insight for living ministries March 6-17, 2022. To help you grasp the significance of each slight you will be accompanied by handpicked Israeli guidance and we choose the best, along with some of the retrained pastors and professors to enhance your spiritual journey, no organization I know of offers this level of exceptional in depth instruction and personal care for holy land travel. Learn more or call 1-888-447-0444.

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