The Transfiguration

It would trip regarding Peter James and John. With this the Transfiguration of Jesus and Peter couldn't hold his tongue. Let stretch 3/10. Let's have three houses. I don't want to leave. This is a mountaintop experience. I'm never going to get over.

I have no interest in going to Jerusalem. I'm no interest in going back phratry are no interest in doing another leg to stand here and just bask in this glory.

How like all of us. Peter was wanting to stay there on the mountain was a life-changing event for the three disciples they witness something almost indescribable. But as amazing as it was Peter would later say that there is something more sure than that experience is Dr. RC Sproul preaching from the gospel of I'm sure it's the case with the vast majority of preachers when they rise to expositor the biblical texts play, suffer from a sense of personal inadequacy.

That's certainly true for me every time I open this book before you, but to speak from such a text is we've heard this morning only exacerbates that sense of inadequacy because this texts brings us literally face-to-face with one of the most profound moments that is ever taken place in the face of this earth and for me in just a few moments to try to plumb the depths of as it is not only a Herculean task.

An impossible one. And so we all made the help of God as we contemplate this marvelous event of the Transfiguration of our Lord Jesus Christ.

However, before Luke gives us that record. He mentions almost in passing the words of Jesus in verse 27 but I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God. There is no consensus as to what moment or event.

Jesus was referring to in this somewhat prickly statement, but I will say that there are many who suggest that since Luke Plaisted right before the Transfiguration that Jesus was referring to their witnessing that Transfiguration only a few days after he made this pronouncement. Others have suggested that Jesus was referring to the resurrection.

Still others to his ascension.

Still others to the day of Pentecost and still others to the fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. which is the view I favor but just in passing, I note that the language that our Lord uses here involves what we call a particular negative proposition signaled by the use of the word.

Some in the canons of logic and the laws of immediate inference one a particular negative is expressed. It assumes also the opposite and equal particular affirmative and simple language. What that means is when Jesus says some of you are standing here will not taste death until this event takes place strongly suggests that some of them would taste death before this event would come to pass, which makes it highly unlikely that just a few days hence. This prophecy would come to pass, so unlikely that Jesus was saying something could happen in the next 6 to 8 days and some of you are going to live to say it when we know that all embed live to see. So having said that, when we just dismiss out of hand the idea that our Lord was referring to the Transfiguration, and then move on to the Transfiguration itself, where Luke's account goes like this. Now it came to pass about eight days after these sayings that he took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray and then the description of the Transfiguration. If you're like me sometimes like to speculate about what it would've been like to been alive during the days of Jesus ministry on this planet and how wonderful would've been to been an eyewitness of the things that he did during those years to seeing the transformation of water to wine at that wedding feast of Canaan to see the resurrection from the dead of the would've name sunder gyrus's daughter or Lazarus to see the other miraculous healings that he performed were to abandon an eyewitness of the resurrection or of the ascension or even of the cross and when I think about that in tried to rate them on a scale of excitement.

It's hard to think of wanting to of seen anything more beautiful than the resurrected Christ, but short of that one event in all of human history that I wish I could've been an eyewitness of was this one that we just read this morning that moment when God removed the veil for the concealed deity of Christ burst through the cloak of his humanity displaying itself and nothing less, than the pure radiance Monroe Falls rooms of divine glory only three human beings May 5 were privileged to be eyewitnesses of that event. Three contemporary 72 who had been brought there from the past days of history, namely Moses and Elijah were told here that it was only the inner circle of disciples. Peter, James and John, who were invited to go with Jesus as he went up on the mountain to pray and the event took place not during Jesus conversation with the disciples but the event took place while Jesus was having a conversation with his father, presumably while he was on his knees speaking to the father while Peter, James and John were merely onlookers and on listeners, as it were suddenly the Greek calls a metamorphosis took place before their very eyes, a radical transformation of the visage of Jesus himself will reread that as he prayed the appearance of his face was altered metamorphosis chain there looking at him as he was deep in thought, communing with his father and mother looking at him before their Jesus face begins to shine. And if we look at the other accounts of this in the rest of the gospel.

The shining of his face was so intense that it was as brightness of the sun before I go any further, let's think for a second. Of another episode in biblical history were somebodies face began to shine like this and you know when that happens thousands of years before this, the days of Moses. When Moses ascended Mount Sinai to meet there with God and after meeting God and beholding a portion of his glory. As Moses began to discern from Mount Sinai.

His space became so radiant it was shining with such a high degree of brightness that when he appeared to Joshua and to Erin and to the others, they were terrified because his face had been altered in his countenance was now radiating with heavenly glory that they after the put a veil over his face, because when people came close to Moses the intensity of the brilliance of that shining glory frightened, but we understand that in that episode. In the Old Testament that roof falls in glory that was coming from the face of Moses was simply a reflection, it wasn't the glory of Moses. It didn't come from inside of Moses, but was bouncing off of Moses because the glory that was being reflected there was a heavenly glory of divine glory and you recall that the Bible says that there different kinds of glories different levels of glory different levels of dignity and weightiness that God assigns to creatures.

There's a glory to the son a glory to the moon a glory to the animals glory to human beings, but those are all different levels and stages of creaturely glory, none of which can have her begin to approach the transcendent majesty of divine glory. There is a glory, a co-boat always emits that belongs uniquely and singularly to God himself is eternal glory which is made manifest throughout history and different times through the appearance of the Shekinah that cloud of radiance and brightness that blinds those who look at it.

It is that heavenly glory that God says he will share with no creature. I will share my glory with no one saith the Lord has so he doesn't even share his glory with Moses. He displays it and it is so bright that the face of Moses's orbit.

It can only reflect it. The difference between that and the Transfiguration of Christ is that in the Transfiguration. The radiance on the face of Jesus is not a reflection, it is not a glory from outside of him that is now refracted and bounced back by his human nature. If the divine glory coming from the second person of the Trinity who shares the fullness of the divine glory as we sing. Glory be to the father and the son and to the Holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning is now and forever shall be the eternal glory of the son of God that is hidden by the frame of his humanity burst out and now they're saying on his face and on his close is close, are altered as well.

They become white, wider than any launderer can make white that is your without any defect without any blemish. And so there is Jesus praying, Peter, James and John are watching this take place.

They see the glory of God.

The divine nature right before their eyes, and this experience beloved left and impression on these men that they were never to forget remember how John was there that day began his gospel: the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He goes on through the rest of the prologue to get the other probabilities is what and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory of the only begotten son of God for Christ's entrance.

John couldn't write that gospel without first destroying we saw is later, when Peter writes to the church in second Peter chapter 1 he says this for we did not follow cunningly devised fables, when we may known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were. I witnesses of his Majesty, for he received from God the father honor and glory.

One such a voice came to him from the excellent glory, this is my beloved son in whom I am well please and we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain. 00. Yes. During the ministry of Jesus, and even after his death and resurrection and ascension, Peter had his well-known moments of lapse. The one thing he never forgot is what he saw on that holy mountain. When Christ was transfigured before, and behold we read two men talked with him who were Moses and Elijah Moses, who represents the law Elijah who stands at the head of the long line of prophets so we can say here that what happens on the Mount of Transfiguration is that the divine nature breakthrough in the presence not only of the disciple, but of the law and of the prophets of Moses and Elijah, who had called the people's attention to the one who would come and this comes right after the Caesarea Philippi confession when Peter had said that thou art the Christ, the son of the living God that the Messiah would not just be an anointed human being, but he would be the divine son as well. One of the ironies of this text is that Moses is the end of his career is the mediator of the Old Testament on their own.

The Angels gave the law if it presented to the people. Moses was not allowed to enter the promised land they could look at it.

But God took his life before he could enter the promised land and now hundreds and hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of years later he gets in the promised land and there is a large both of these men taking a brief vacation from heaven where they beheld the glory of the father day and night came to the earth, to behold the glory of the sun and Moses and Elijah appeared in glory, the glory they brought with them and spoke of his that is Jesus demise her decease which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.

Jesus had told after the Caesarea Philippi commission that he had to go to Jerusalem to suffer in the die.

Remember that analyses about to make that journey. The father sends him Moses and Elijah probably in answers read scriptures and say what Jesus was praying about, but given his passion, given the intensity of his prayer in Gethsemane.

I can only guess this stuff but I guess that he was praying about that, that the father had placed before him in the father sends him Moses and Elijah to comfort him to encourage him concerning his coming death, Peter and those with him were heavy with sleep, and they were fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him and then it happened was they were parting for men. The Peter said to Jesus master.

It's good for us to be here.

Let's pitch 3/10.

Let's have three houses.

I don't want to leave. This is a mountaintop experience. I'm never going to get over. I have no interest in going to Jerusalem. I'm no interest in going back preaching no interest in doing elevated to stand here and bask in the score. How like all of us. Peter was wanting to stay there on the mountain so will make three tabernacles one for you, one for Moses, one for larger.

We don't mind sleeping on the stones, not realizing what it said. Again, with all his attempt to encourage Jesus once more Peter trying to dissuade him from his destiny while he was still speaking, a cloud was at the Shekinah or an ordinary claw doesn't tell us, but a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were fearful as they entered the cloud, which makes me think it was the Shekinah and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, this is my beloved son hear him only three time in the New Testament are we told that God speaks audibly from the heavens. You remember the first time at the baptism of Jesus would never though of the scented and heavens opened and the father spoke saying this is my beloved son in whom I am well please.

Now the message changes slightly the same affirmation of censorship is given. This is my beloved son, let's turn to. How could you not pay heed and want to hear every word that came out of the mouth of the one who was just been transfigured in front of you. If you've ever tasted the glory of God.

If you've ever had the slightest glimpse of the majesty of Jesus Christ. Why wouldn't you want to hear everything that he has to say. Here comes the cloud that's scary enough that just seen the glory and that terrified them. Now the coup de grace.

The voice from a Peter James John you know who this is, you know, this one is who is just displayed his glory before your very nice this is my beloved. This is my beloved son, here him when the voice had ceased Jesus was found alone, but they kept quiet and they didn't tell anyone in those days, any of the things that they had saying the later of course they couldn't stop talking about it and told everyone, but for now it wasn't time for talking. It was time for hearing which they have love it. Every one of us in this room who is in Christ Jesus. One day will see this same glory is inherent in Jesus, the author of Hebrews says that Jesus is the brightness of God's glory and the one we enter into glory and our mortal eyes are overwhelmed by the brilliance of the light which we enter and we tried appearance of that life and try to find the source of that lights will see Jesus not for a moment forever in the blinding glory of God. We miss the Transfiguration. The first, God willing, we won't miss it. The next when the glorious hope Peter and the other disciples found it difficult to believe that Jesus would have to suffer and die and they were no doubt troubled by our Lord's teaching. True discipleship involves suffering they needed encouragement.

They also needed assurance that all was going exactly as guided plan and its suffering for Christ sake would be worthwhile in the Transfiguration. They received that encouragement and assurance.

Glad you joined us today for Renewing Your Mind for Dr. RC Sproul series from the gospel of Luke and let me recommend that you request. Dr. Sproles commentary on Luke, his careful explanation of this section versus 28 through 36 of chapter 9 covers nearly 5 pages you'll be able to deepen your own study of Luke's gospel when you request the digital download of this commentary. Contact us today with your donation of any amount of our offices are closed on Sunday but you can contact us online to make a request@renewingyourmind.org hear the end of the program. Let me also remind you that our goal with leader ministries is to come alongside the local church. We would never desire that this program replace the fellowship you enjoy with your church family were thankful that you appreciate Dr. Sproles teaching. We also hope that your benefiting from God's means of grace in the proclamation of the word and administration of the sacraments in your own local fellowship Renewing Your Mind is the listener supported outreach of regular ministries inviting you to join us again that sports day