TEXT: Mark 9:2-10

SUBJECT: Meeting the Lord #8: Transfiguration

Today we continue the study we began two months ago. Its title is "Meeting the Lord". The others who met Him, it seems, met Him for the first time. The men who met Him this day, though, already knew Him--knew Him well. But never had they seen Him in this light before. Never would they forget it. Years later, one of them wrote, "We were eyewitnesses of His majesty...when we were with Him on the holy mountain".

With reverence and joy, let's go with them to "Behold His glory".

The Story.

The story takes place near Caesarea Philippi, about thirty miles east of Tyre. Our Lord has just told His disciples that He must suffer and die. And not He only, but they too must "take up their crosses and follow [Him]". The men are shocked at the news--and deeply distressed.

A few days later, He takes three of them for a walk. Where are they going? To the highest mountain they can find. Why are they going there? The disciples must think it's to pray. Our Lord is a famous Man who needs the privacy remote places afford.

Has He come here to pray? No He hasn't. He's come to be "transfigured before them". His clothes take on a whiteness no dry-cleaner could match. And His face begins to shine with brightness of the sun.

As the disciples gaze in wonder, He's joined by two old friends: Moses and Elijah. They've come to this place to discuss His death and to pay tribute to His Lordship.

Peter is knocked out! "Rabbi--he exclaims--"It is good for us to be here! Let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses and one for Elijah!"

Why did say that? He loved the Three Prophets, of course! What a privilege to be with them! The booths might keep them a while and make their stay more pleasant. How we admire his motives. But not his words, for they only prove "he did not know what to say".

God corrects him with a heavenly rebuke: "This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!" Peter and His friends are startled by the Interruption. When they "come to", they "Looked around and saw no one anymore, but Jesus only".

The Moment is over.

Our Lord takes the men back to town, and on the way, He commands them: "Tell no one what you have seen till the Son of Man has risen from the dead".

They obeyed His Word, of course, still wondering what He meant by "rising from the dead".

The Meaning.

That's the story. It evokes a strong feeling of worship and adoration. Give into it! We need more sacred tears and holy outbursts of praise!

"The LORD--He is God!

The LORD--He is God!"

It is good to be stirred with emotion, but we mustn't stop there. We must go on to ask: What is the meaning of this story? Why is it here? Of all the things Mark might have written about our Lord, why did he choose this one?

The meaning cannot be fathomed, but it can be stated. It is the supreme glory of Jesus Christ.

Underline the word, "supreme". For the glory of God shines everywhere. "The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament shows His handiwork". In creation we see, for example, "His eternal power and godhead". In the Word, it shines more clearly and brightly. But it is not in the world or in the word that we see "the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person". No! That is seen in Jesus Christ alone! The God Who "at sundry times and in diverse manners spoke to the Fathers through the prophets, has in these last days, spoken to us...in His Son!"

His glory is unique in that it is an intrinsic glory, that it, it is "of Himself". Other faces have shone, maybe as brightly as His. Moses, Stephen, the saints in glory all shone with the glory of God. But their shining faces were like a sunburn--the result of an outer brighter. His radiant Face is like the sun--bright within and shining out. Only Christ is the

The two men who met Him on "Holy Mount" were well-chosen. They were the biggest names in Hebrew history. Moses and Elijah, chief spokesmen for God and wonder workers deluxe. Yet even these men defer to Jesus Christ. And the Voice from heaven makes it plain: It is not Moses who must be heeded, nor Elijah, but "My Beloved Son".

"Christ Over All".

This is the meaning. "No other Name"!

The Application.

How does it apply to us? Many things can be said with profit, but I must limit myself to a few brief comments.

The first is: If Jesus Christ is supreme, He must be supreme in our private lives. Many believers are not Christ-centered. I do not doubt their motives, but I must object to their orientation. The center of the Christian life is not the Ten Commandments! It is not the Church. It is not the ministry. It is not Calvinism. It is not Revival. These things are good in their place--but they must be kept there! Secondary to Jesus Christ. Only He is "Lord of all".

Secondly: If Jesus Christ is supreme, He must be supreme in the Church. This means, negatively: Pastors are not supreme, Confessions of Faith are not supreme, Church Covenants are not supreme. They often claim the primacy, but they must not have it and we must not yield it to them! Our Lord is "The Head of the Church". No one else.

This also means, positively, the gifts Jesus Christ gives the Church must be looked for, recognized, and eagerly put to use. Who decides "who does what" in the Church? This may sound hopelessly naive, but it's still true: Jesus Christ makes those decisions! At Antioch, His Spirit led the "prophets and teachers" to choose "Saul and Barnabas for the work to which [He] called them". At Jerusalem, the Apostles and elders said, "It seemed good to us and to the Holy Spirit..." Before consulting the elders, the deacons, or the members, the Church ought to consult Jesus Christ and plead with Him to make His will known to His people. He commands us to do this. When we do, we won't "Seek [Him] in vain". The pragmatist says, "It won't work". But I wonder if it's even been tried? Jesus Christ must not be a "paper head" of the Church, but the "Living Head".

Thirdly: If Jesus Christ is supreme, He must be supreme in the interpretation of the Bible. The Old Testament is a promise; the New Testament explains its fulfillment in Jesus Christ. This means, for example, the Mosaic Law does not stand "as given". It must be interpreted in a Christ-centered way. If it is not, the interpretation is wrong--no matter how well we understand its grammar, context, and background. It also means the history of the Old Testament must be read--not as a list of heroic tales--but as "The Mighty Works of Christ". "Search the Scriptures, for it is they which testify to Me".

Fourthly: If Jesus Christ is supreme, He must be supreme in our Evangelism. It is amazing to me how few believers know what the Gospel is--or at least how few can explain it. When speaking to the Lost they bring up everything from "Election" to the "Law" to the "Second coming of Christ". As those these things were the Gospel. They aren't! Objectively, the Gospel is "Christ died for our sins, was buried, and on the third day, rose again". Subjectively, the Gospel is "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved". In either case, the Gospel centers on Jesus Christ, "Delivered for our offenses and raised for our justification".

In his early ministry, Arthur Pink spent a lot of time on "The Doctrine of Last Things", going into much detail and all but "setting dates". Later in life, though, he saw the folly of his ways, and wrote,

The Gospel is not: "Jesus is coming again", but "He has come" to die for sinners and to offer mercy to everyone who believes.

Finally: If Jesus Christ is supreme, He must be supreme to every unsaved person. You are lost without Christ. It doesn't matter how good you are, how often you go to church, how hard you pray, or how much you read the Bible. Outside of Christ, you are lost. Outside of Christ, you cannot be saved. So...why stay outside of Christ? Why not come into His fellowship through faith alone? The offer of salvation is sincere; it is universal. Why not take it? Why not now?

In Jesus Christ, you will know the forgiveness of sin. You will live a holier life. You will obtain a hope for heaven. And, in time, the hope must be fulfilled. So, why not believe in Jesus Christ? If you want to believe, but can't, plead with Him, "Lord I believe, help my unbelief". He will help you. God give you faith, for Christ's sake.

And, "Lord, increase our faith". Amen.