Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus. The founder and perfecter of our faith. Atop a high mountain, a glorified Jesus appeared, along with Moses and Elijah, in the presence of Peter, James, and John.
Now that's a memorable small group meeting. Today, the significance of those who gathered on that momentous day. From the Moody Church in Chicago, this is Running to Win with Dr. Erwin Lutzer, whose clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line. Pastor Lutzer is showing us portraits of Christ in a series he's calling Come and See Jesus.
Pastor, you're teaching about the Transfiguration in Luke chapter 9. an event quite unlike any other. You know, Dave, not only is this event very unique, but this is another proof that Jesus Christ is not just one of a long line of teachers. He is indeed the Son of God. There's no other teacher in history that was able to take people to the top of the mountain.
and show them his glory. The reason I find this fascinating is because at the end of this message, I'm going to be giving you some contact info as to how a special book can be yours. It's entitled Christ Among Other Gods that will enable you to answer questions about Jesus and show why he has the credentials. to be a savior. It's such an important topic in a world in which everyone wants to blend the religions of the world.
They can't be blended. Jesus is special.
So for right now, let's go to the Mount of Transfiguration and then please stay tuned. For some very important information, they're talking about the Exodus. And one of the feasts of Israel was the Feast of Booths, and scholars tell us that it was the time of year, very probably, when the Feast of Booths. Mentioned in Leviticus chapter 23, was now being celebrated. It is the last of Israel's seven feasts.
And during the Feast of Booths, for one full week, they lived, as it were, in a tent. It was just a makeshift. tent or booth, oftentimes made with branches.
so that you could see the stars through it. And they lived there as a reminder. of what they endured in the desert. That's what the Feast of Booths was all about. A number of years ago, I was on a high-rise building.
Someone, I don't remember who, invited me to the top of one of the large buildings here in Chicago, the tall buildings. And as we looked down, we saw during the Feast of Booths here in the city, That the Jewish people keeping the Feast of Booths were building booze on the top of other high-rises. If you've never seen this, during the Feast of Booths, which is going to occur sometime after Passover, what you need to do is to go there and go to the top of the building, and you'll see that little structure there, and that little structure there as the Jewish people. The Orthodox Jewish people are still keeping the Feast of Booths.
So it seems to me here that Peter thinking about this says, let's celebrate the Feast of Booths here, and let's stay up here all week. And enjoy this.
Well, the Bible says he didn't know what he was talking about. Have you ever said anything and you didn't know what you were talking about? You ever had that experience? You ever had the experience of wishing that after you had said something that your mouth had been taped shut early in the morning? I came across a prayer, and I hadn't planned to share this, so I'm going to have to make it up a little bit.
But the prayer goes something like this: Lord. Lord I've not yet been angry today. Lord, I have not yet had evil thoughts today. Lord, I have not yet slandered anyone today. Lord, I have not yet misused my tongue in any way.
Lord. But Lord, you know that in a moment I'm going to get out of bed. God is saying, Peter, look. This is not the time to stay on the mountaintop. You've seen the glimpse of glory.
But I need to go to Jerusalem to die, Jesus is saying. And furthermore, Peter, when you stop to think of it, Jesus isn't exactly worthy to be in a booth with Moses and Elijah because he is an entirely different class by himself. And so Peter does not quite know what he is saying. And then you'll notice it says, As he was saying these things, now we get to the Father's affirmation. As he was saying these things, The cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered into the cloud.
And a voice came out of the cloud saying, This is my son, my chosen one. Listen to him. And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found there alone. And they were alone with Jesus. The voice from the cloud, the Shekinah glory of the Old Testament.
The Old Testament, whenever God accompanied his people, it was with a cloud. And the cloud was representative of the fact that he was with them. And now the glorious cloud of glory comes upon the top of the mountain, and out of that cloud comes a voice: This is my son. And the fact that Jesus Christ was God's Son means that He had the very nature of God. As Christians throughout the years have believed that the nature of Jesus is not similar to that of God the Father, but the same nature as God the Father.
Now you and I are sons and daughters of God, but we're sons and daughters by adoption. We're grandfathered in. We do not have the nature of God. But Jesus has the very nature of God. And then the Father says, in whom I am well pleased.
That's what Matthew includes. In whom I am well pleased. And in saying that, the Father says, I agree with everything that Jesus has done, and I'm going to agree with everything that He's going to accomplish, and my pleasure rests upon Him. And then we notice in the text, And you ought to really underline that. Listen to him.
Last part of verse 35. Listen to him. When he tells you that he's going to Jerusalem to die, listen to him. When he tells him that you should take up your cross and follow him, listen to him. When he tells you that he is the way, the truth, and the life, and that no man can come to the Father except through him, listen to him.
People say, well, I want to know how to please God. Fine. Find what the sun said. as recorded in the New Testament, and listen to him. And then they're left alone, just with Jesus.
What an experience. Peter talks about this in 2 Peter later on. talks about the glorious experience on the mountaintop. wonderful, gracious experience. and to be alone with Jesus.
Moses is gone, the law is gone, the prophets, yes, they've spoken and they still speak to us today, but then there's Jesus alone. Just give me Jesus. Is not that the song that we heard recently? Just give me Jesus. Okay.
What difference should this story make to us? First of all, what did it mean? You know, when the Bible uses the word glory, it's speaking of the sum of God's attributes. When the Bible speaks of glory, it's speaking of God in His brilliance, God in His holiness, God in His might, God in His dazzling. light and brightness.
In fact, the Hebrew word glory means heavy. You know, we use the word today when we say, well, you know, he told me that, and that's pretty heavy. What we mean is weighty. The glory of God is the most weighty thing in the universe. It is the purpose to which all things have their source, their support, and their end, and they all contribute to it.
I was at a conference. This past week came back yesterday, and I, in one of the messages, was emphasizing the little phrase in the book of Ephesians, that we should live to the praise of his glory.
Now at this point we have to think very carefully. What this meant to Jesus was a great encouragement. Because Jesus is anticipating not the horror that you see in the Passion movie. Terrible though that is. What Jesus is anticipating is that in a space of three hours, all the horrors of hell that someone would experience for all eternity are going to be comprised into those three hours.
That's something that can never be portrayed on a movie. And so Jesus is anticipating that. And he begins to realize, yes, first comes the cross. But on the other side is the crown. First of all comes the agony.
And then comes the glory. First of all, there's Jerusalem, and then there's heaven.
Now, isn't it interesting that when Jesus prayed in John 17, this is what he says: Father, he said, Glorify thou me with thine own self, with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. Here, here, I was thinking about this this week. I have to preach a couple of messages on the glory of God sometime. Listen, that it is so important to realize that when Jesus came from heaven to earth, he left glory behind. But he brought some with him.
And that's what was seen on the Mount of Transfiguration, but that's only a sliver of the glory. that he actually has.
So, this for Jesus was a great, great encouragement. It's going to be okay. It's going to be okay. It's going to end all right. What did it mean to the disciples, Peter, James, and John?
Well, to them, Get prepared them for death. I believe that when James came to die, you know, the Bible says in Acts chapter 12 that James had his head cut off by Herod. He beheaded them. It's this James. He's the first of the inner circle of the apostles to die.
Now, we know that Stephen died before that time, but Stephen was not part of the inner circle of 12. Judas, of course, had died, yes, most assuredly. He will die later on. He will have died before James. But of the eleven who were true to the faith, James is the first to die.
And I can imagine that when that time came for beheading, He probably said to himself, It's not that bad. I've seen glory. I've seen what it's like on the other side. I saw Jesus, I met Moses and Elijah. By the way, could I throw this in at no extra cost?
I don't think in heaven we're going to need name tags. I don't get any hint here that Jesus had to say, now, Peter, James, and John, this is Moses, and this is Elijah. And Moses and Elijah, I want you to meet these three fishermen of mine over here. No, no, no, no, no. We're going to have intuitive knowledge in heaven.
They would have said to themselves, We've seen the glory. That's how James died. Peter died by being crucified upside down, tradition says, because when he was martyred, he said, I'm not worthy to die. Like Jesus did, crucify me, but let me hang upside down. That's the way he died.
John. lived a normal life but with an awful lot of persecution and eventually was exiled on the island of Patmos. But can you imagine the difference that it made? Can you imagine that they said to themselves, we will never view death the same again? We have seen the glory.
That's what it meant to them. What should it mean to us?
Now, We come to Indescribable blessing. If this were not in the scriptures, I wouldn't believe it. But Jesus said it, I believe it, I'm listening to him.
So I accept it. He says in John chapter 17, as he begins to pray for us near the end of his wonderful prayer. He says, oh father. The glory which thou hast given me. I have given them.
Wow. You've got glory. You really do? You've got glory. Well.
Just look at me.
Well, I'm looking at you right now. With the eye of faith, I see glory. And what happens is When Jesus comes in glory, the Bible says we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. I assume, even though the text isn't as clear as we might want it to be, that Moses and Elijah had a body something like Jesus, even though I'm sure it was not as beautiful and shining as much, but they too had glory because it's going to end okay. We're headed for glory.
And And what I want you to do is to get started on your glory hunt. How do we do it? You know that that word metamorphos, transfiguration, it occurs twice somewhere else in the New Testament? For example, in Romans chapter 12 it says this, Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed. There's the word, but be transfigured by the renewing of your mind.
If you renew your mind through the scriptures, You begin to imbibe more of the glory, the transfiguration. And then 2 Corinthians 3, verse 18, where it says, We all with open face behold as in a mirror the glory of the Lord. We are being transformed from one degree of glory to another degree of glory, even by the Lord the Spirit. How do we begin even in this life to experience glory? Tell you how.
by what we think. and by what we look at. We're to think the scriptures. Transformed by the renewing of the mind, and having thought the scriptures, we then are transformed also by gazing at Jesus and becoming like him. him.
A number of years ago, I told you the story, and it's coming to mind, and so I'm going to tell it again. You remember the story of the Great Stone Face, Little Ernest? What happened is, there was this village on the side of a mountain, and across the valley, on the other side of the mountain, there were stones that were thrown together in such a way that they resembled. A man's face, kind man it appeared. And there was this legend in the village that says someday somebody is going to come who is going to be like the great stone face, who will resemble him.
So everybody looked for him. One day a poet came to the town and they said, This is the great stone face. This is the man. Because he had such a kind disposition. But as they looked at him and they got to know him, they said, No, this isn't it.
Then they said, Well, here's a philosopher who's coming, and he resembles the great stone face.
Now little Ernest. Brought up in this village, just loved and adored that great stone face. For hours he would sit on a rock, look across the valley, And look at that great stone face. Day in and day out, he never missed a day from looking at. The Great Stone Face.
Well, you probably figured out how the story even ends when he became a man. He was giving a speech in the little village, and they could see the silhouette. They could see his silhouette, and off in the distance they could see the great stone face, and they said, Ernest is the one. who resembles the great stone face. Don't miss it.
We become what we gaze at. You become what you gaze at. You gaze at television, you become what you gaze at. You gaze at the word beyond the sacred page, I see thee, Lord. We begin to imbibe the glory.
as we look at Jesus.
So, my word to you today is to worship, and we should worship tomorrow. But tomorrow morning, remember, glory's coming. This world doesn't have a lot of glory. Today, what you can do is to take the letter L out of the word glory, and you get gory. That's about what we've got.
Just read your newspapers. Gory. But glory. is coming. A woman by the name of Frances Chadwick back on the 4th of July 1952 was going to swim from Catalina Island to the California coast, 21 miles.
And it was a very foggy day, and she got into the water. She had already swum the English Channel. She got into the water, and it was so foggy, and the water was cold that day. But she kept on going, and eventually she became so exhausted that she said to the people in the boat who were next to her, Please take me out of the water, I can't continue.
Well, they took her out of the water. And they discovered that they were only one-half mile from the shore. And she said this later. She said, I could have made it. If only I'd been able to see the shore.
Her problem was not ultimately the cold or the or weariness, though that certainly played a part. The problem was the fog. The fog obscured the shore. And so she didn't make it. The transfiguration of Jesus reminds us so explicitly and vividly.
My friend, that's the shore. It's gonna be okay. Keep going. Let's pray. Our Father, today we are so thankful for Jesus.
We thank you for this vision of him in glory and beauty and holiness and light. We thank you, Father, that with the eye of imagination, We can try to begin to think about what the kingdom will be when the king comes. And we thank you that along with Peter, James, and John, every believer who's trusted Christ as Savior will be there. to enjoy the glory, to participate in the glory. For Jesus has granted us the glory that He Himself is.
Lord, I'm reminded of the words of Cowper: how thou canst think so well of me and be the God thou art. It's darkness to my intellect, but sunshine to my heart. For these mercies, we thank you in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen.
Well, my friend, this is Pastor Lutzer. I certainly hope that you have a pen or pencil handy because in a moment I'm going to be sharing with you some very important contact information. We're living at a day and age in which there are so many religious statements that are made that are incorrect. People are beginning to interpret reality based upon what they think rather than what the Bible teaches. We here at the Ministry of Running to Win are deeply committed.
to the gospel of Jesus Christ and the transformation of lives. But in order for our ministry to increase and go around the world, We need your help. Let me ask you a question. Would you consider making a gift to this ministry? If you knew that during this month your gift will be doubled?
Well, of course, very quickly you can do the math. $5 becomes $10, $25 becomes $50. Five hundred becomes a thousand. We are so grateful for the many of you who support this ministry. Would you consider making a gift like that knowing?
that it will be doubled during this month? and as an expression of our appreciation. We would like to send you a book entitled Christ Among Other Gods.
Now, what this book will do is to help you defend the faith. What if you're talking to a neighbor or a friend who says, well, I think that Jesus is just one among many. I'm in a different religion, or I believe differently. How do you defend Jesus Christ? in an age of unthinking tolerance.
That's what this book is all about.
Meanwhile, I want to thank you in advance for helping us. By the way, that contact info, here's what you do: you go to rtwoffer.com. Maybe I said that too quickly. rtwoffer dot com or call us at one eight eight eight two one eight ninety three thirty seven. That's RTW offer.
Of course RTW offer is all one word. RTWoffer dot com. Thank you in advance for helping us. We believe that your gift will be used to share the gospel around the world. It's time once again for you to ask Pastor Lutzer a question about the Bible or the Christian life.
All agree that some theological pursuits are a waste of time, such as asking how many angels can fit on the head of a pin. but one of our thoughtful listeners has come up with this challenge for you, doctor Lutzer. Are there now all the angels that there will ever be, or will more, be created?
Well, I think that uh first of all the Bible doesn't speak to that, but I am of the conviction that there will not be more created. I think when God decided to create the angelic host and I love that phrase in the Psalms that says He commanded and they were created. I think God created myriads and myriads of angels, and He probably created enough.
So I don't think more are going to be created. Simple question, simple answer. Thank you, Dr. Lutzer. If you'd like to hear your question answered, go to our website at rtwoffer.com and click on Ask Pastor Lutzer or call us at 1-888-218-9337.
That's 1-888-218-9337. You can write to us at Running2Win 1635 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois, 60614. Running to Win comes to you from the Moody Church in Chicago to help you understand God's roadmap for your race of life.
Next time on Running to Win, the price for our salvation is about to be paid as Jesus prays in the Garden of Gethsemane. Make it a point to listen for Come and See His Agony. For Pastor Erwin Lutzer, this is Dave McAllister. Running to Win is sponsored by the Moody Church.
