Today on the verdict with Pastor John Monroe. This is why we're studying Matthew's Gospel.
so that you would see Jesus. And as you see Jesus, There is a supernatural transformation. that we are becoming more like him. And we see Jesus then as we study the Word of God. Welcome to The Verdict, the Bible teaching ministry of Pastor John Monroe.
In this world of distractions, has there ever been a time when you stopped? Awestruck at the beauty and glory of our Savior. Today on the verdict, we're discussing the transfiguration. When three of the disciples saw the glory of Jesus unveiled, and their lives were forever changed.
Now Here's Pastor John Monroe with today's lesson. Last time, we learned that following Jesus Christ is a life of challenge, a radical life. but a life of fulfilment and joy. If we're going to be authentic followers of Jesus Christ, it is important that our eyes are not on ourselves or on the culture, but on the Lord Jesus. In today's message, we're going to get a glimpse of the Lord Jesus in all His glory.
The first verses of Matthew 17 deal with the transfiguration of Jesus. Keeping our eyes on Jesus is basic discipleship. Scripture tells us we are to seek the things which are above. We're to look to Jesus, the Founder. and the perfector of our faith.
So Let's come to the mountain and learn what it means to see and to hear Jesus. You have stood as I have stood under the night sky, overwhelmed by the innumerable. points of light. You've looked westward To the setting sun, watching the Sun paint, a beautiful kaleidoscope of color. in the western sky.
And uh these breathtaking experiences impact us, don't they? They impact us in deep and sometimes indescribable ways. They elevate our thinking, they widen our perspective, and they help us to deal. with sometimes the trivial things of life as well as the difficult things. Of life.
Some of you saw just for a few moments this morning the sunrise. Most of you are in bed, right?
Well just for a few moments. Around six o'clock, there's a beautiful sunrise. And uh I pointed it to my wife, who did get up a little later than I did. And by the time she saw it, It had gone. See these beautiful sights.
whether it's the stars at night. Whether it's the setting sun or the rising sun. These are wonderful experiences, but they don't really last, do they? This morning. We've been thinking about something much more beautiful than a sunrise and a sunset.
Even greater than the innumerable stars in the night sky. Yeah. putting our thoughts Yes, our eyes and our souls. on God. I've called this message to see And to hear Jesus.
I want you to see Jesus. You see, I'm not sure what that means. But just I can explain. I want you to hear From Jesus. Because remember, we believe.
That Jesus Christ rose from the dead. He's alive. And that Christianity is not just following some rules and regulations, as it were, it's not just coming to church and go through some procedures. We believe that this living Christ who conquer death. Who's alive forevermore?
And We who are his followers, we are told, we're going to see him face to face. Can't really imagine what that's going to be like.
Now we see him As Paul would say through a glass dimly. It's difficult for us sometimes to see the Lord. We want to. Every day we get up and we want to get our eyes on Jesus, but It's difficult, isn't it? The things around us, the worries.
The disappointments, the tragedies, the ups and downs of life, and even the joys of life and the mountaintop experiences of life, they too. Can keep her eyes off Jesus, can't they? Do you find it difficult? I find it difficult sometimes every day to keep my eyes on Jesus, to see him. Every day to hear him.
But that's what we want. And in our study of Matthew, Uh we come To Matthew chapter Yeah. I don't want you to open your Bibles there. A couple of weeks ago, we thought of the claim of Jesus at the closing verses of Matthew 16. Remember, Jesus said: if anyone wishes to come after me, Anyone here want to follow Jesus?
Anyone want to sign up to follow Jesus? Many of us would say yes. All right, says Jesus, you want to follow me? This is what you must do. You must deny self.
Oh, that's a real downer, isn't it? Who wants to deny himself? Deny self, take up your cross and follow me. If you try to find your life, you'll lose it. But says Jesus, if you lose your life for my sake and for the Gospels, you'll find it.
For what shall it profit a man? If he gains the whole world and loses his own.
So It's so easy, isn't it, to be shaped by our culture. And a desire to be cool, and a desire for people to think well of us, for the culture around us to squeeze us into its mold. Very easy to pamper ourselves, to make life as comfortable as we can for ourselves, and in that way. we in fact lose our lives.
Now Jesus is going to help us. See him. And Matthew Under the inspiration of the Spirit of God. gives us this marvelous passage so that we would see And here Jesus. To follow Jesus, to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all of these other things that are going to fall into place.
Now let's read. Matthew chapter 17. As we See Jesus. Are you ready to see? And here Jesus.
The heavens declare the glory of God. And as I watched the sunrise this morning for about 10 minutes, it was absolutely spectacular. And you understand something of the glory of God through a sunrise. But think of this. to truly See the glory of God.
It's not just to look at the sunrise. It is to look at God. himself. Matthew chapter 17 verse 1 After six days, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up to a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them.
and his face shone like the sun. And his clothes became white as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah talking with him. And Peter said to Jesus, Lord, it's good that we're here, if you wish. I'll make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.
He was still speaking. Here's a divine interruption. He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. Listen to him. When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified.
But Jesus came and touched them, saying, Rise. And have no fear. And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but... Jesus Online. Matthew's a good writer, isn't he?
We want first of all to see the Lord Jesus. Peter, James, and John have this incredible Experience of witnessing the transfiguration of Jesus.
Now look back at Verse 28 of chapter 16. Chapter sixteen, verse twenty eight: Truly I say to you. There are some standing here. Notice what he's saying. There are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.
That wasn't asking that me.
Some say this refers to the resurrection of Jesus or his ascension or Pentecost. Or the spread of the gospel through these disciples as they extend the kingdom of God. But I think The way that Matthew has laid out his material makes it pretty clear, I think, that verse 28 refers to the transfiguration. which in turn is a foretaste, a foreshadowing Of the second return of Jesus Christ. And so Peter and James and John Here they are.
They are, to use the words of verse 28, they're standing here. And they're about to see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom. Not the full display of it, but a, can we say, a sneak preview. A foretaste, a foreshadowing of a greater, most glorious event. When the power and glory and majesty of the Lord Jesus Christ will be evident to all as he returns as King of kings and Lord of lords.
Habakkuk says That the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. Can you imagine this world? filled with the glory of God. That's what's going to happen. At the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.
You see? The disciples Had struggled with this idea that the Messiah would die. We saw that in chapter 16, verse 21. From that time, that's after Peter declares that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. After that time, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders, the chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.
to the disciples. A crucified Messiah doesn't make sense. But they had to understand That before the coming, Of this glorious kingdom of God in his full manifestation of the power and brilliance and majesty of this holy God that we've been singing about, before that's going to happen. The Messiah. God incarnate is going to die on a cross.
Cross. But now after explaining to the disciples That he is going to die, that he must suffer. Of course, he must suffer. There is no other way for your sins to be forgiven. He must suffer, but first, Before the coming glory.
There must be the cross. And Jesus graciously gives his disciples This foretaste of his coming glory. There is a cross, that is true. Jesus is saying Ah, but there's coming. Glory.
First the cross and then the glory. And he's going to give them. This taste. The sneak preview. of the coming glory of the Lord.
The text says here in verse 1 that it was a high mountain. We don't know what mountain that is. Traditionally, it's been Mount Tabor, which is not a particularly high mountain. There's Mount Hermon, present-day Syria, there's Mount Moron, there are other high mountains. Uh High mountains, we don't know.
The point is, he goes up to a high mountain and there he is transfigured. Transfigure, that's a strange word, isn't it? It is a translation of the the Greek word metamorphosis. You know what a metamorphosis is, as a little caterpillar metamorphoses into a butterfly, a change into another form. Here there is in the Transfiguration a temporary, notice that, it's a temporary manifestation of the glory and majesty of God Himself.
Now when Jesus was on earth in his incarnation, Was his glory? Always manifested to everyone, was it? No, it wasn't. If we saw the Lord Jesus, he didn't have a halo over his head. He didn't have a bright light shining on him.
In fact, Isaiah says regarding the Messiah, Isaiah 53, verse 2, he had no form or majesty that we should look on him, and no beauty that we should desire him. There was nothing in the physical features of our Lord Jesus Christ and his humanity that, as you looked at him, you thought, there is God. But to those who would eyes to see To those who had ears to hear, As he begins to teach, as he begins to touch the little children, as he begins to touch the leper. as he performs his various miracles there. Is a manifestation of the glory of the Lord.
But that glory is normally veiled. Ah, but now in the transfiguration is being revealed. The splendor. The light The brilliance. Of his deity.
Remember, Jesus is God. Luke says that the appearance of his face changed. Matthew writes here, verse 2, that his face shone like the sun. Difficult to understand, isn't it? These three disciples are seeing something of the glory and majesty of Jesus.
His clothes become white. A slide. Think of white lights. His face shining like the sun. His claws like Bright light.
Luke records in Luke 9, he says, They saw his Glory. Years later, Peter writes in his second epistle. Chapter 1, he says, We were eyewitnesses. of his Majesty. What's he referring to?
Peter is referring to this occasion on the Mount of Transfiguration. There they saw. They had this wonderful privilege, these three disciples, of seeing something of the glory and majesty of the Lord Jesus Christ. And this transfiguration is a confirmation that yes, Jesus is going to be killed. He is going to suffer on the cross.
That is true. But he will. Be victorious over death, and one day he's going to return in glory. You want evidence of that, disciples? Here is the transfiguration.
Look at me, look at what's happening. A taste. of the coming glory. of the Lord. If you're familiar with your Bible, you know that when the tabernacle uh was completed in exodus for day.
And when the temple was completed, in uh 2 Kings In 1 Kings rather chapter 8. On both occasions it says that the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. The glory of the Lord filled the temple. That there is the sign. That Moses and Solomon had done exactly as they had been instructed, and they build the very house of God, and when it's completed, the glory of the Lord.
is revealed. God Is there? It's a visible sign. of God's presence. And here on the mountain, God is declaring.
The uniqueness of his son. Notice. Only Jesus is transfigured. Moses and Elijah were great. Figure some of the outstanding men of God in the Old Testament, but it is only Jesus who is transfigured.
Moses on the mountain had said to God, Show me your glory. And he just saw it back. of the glory of God. And even that, you remember as he came down the mountain, his face was shining because he had been talking with God. Ah, but no.
in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. The glory of his deity is not just being reflected as it was on Moses, it is being manifested. Jesus does not merely reflect the glory of God. Yes, he is the image of the invisible God, but he is God, and it is only God who can truly manifest his own glory. The writer of Hebrews says.
regarding our Saviour, that he is the radiance of the glory Yeah.
Now you say that that's very interesting, John, but what's that to do with me?
Well, I want you. To see the Lord Jesus. You say, Well, I'm not on the mountain of transfiguration, I know that. But this is given to us for our instruction. that we want to see.
Something, not in his fullness. Here we are mortal people with all of the distractions of our life. trying to follow Jesus and we're so easily knocked off course aren't we? And we're to be still and know. Who God is.
We are to be still and see the Savior. This is why we're studying Matthew's Gospel.
so that you would see Jesus. And as you see, Jesus, There is the supernatural transformation. that we are becoming more like him. And we see Jesus then as we study the Word of God. Uh we see Jesus in the fellowship of of his people.
How wonderful it is. to see you without all your masks on.
Now there are some people. I wish to I was uh I was told I looked better with my mask on. There's always encouragers in church and I mean that may be true, but it's off. But seriously, as we see one another And as we interact with one another as the people of God. Isn't that wonderful?
when you see something of Jesus in that brother or sister. in that act of kindness. In an act of encouragement. In their patience, in their love, in their care. In their desire for truth, that we see something of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Christ. If we get away from this book... If we get away from the corporate gatherings of these people, If we neglect the ordinances of the church, what happens? We drift and drift and drift. and drift, and we find ourselves, don't we, becoming more like the ungodly world.
than our saviour. You ever find yourself in that situation? You wake up and you realize that in my life there has been spiritual. Drift. In John 20, when the disciples see the risen Christ, it says, John says, the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.
What's going to make us joyful? What's going to keep us strong? It is seeing Jesus. To see Jesus is to be transformed, is to be changed, is to be strengthened. Paul sets that out so beautifully in 2 Corinthians 3 as he talks about us looking at Christ and becoming more like him.
being transformed into his image. to see Jesus.
Now when we come to church, let me say this. Our goal is not to entertain you. Our goal is not so that you can feel good about yourselves.
So that's some kind of psychological uh inspir inspiring situation where it where you feel good about yourself. Did you notice that, Peter? Peter said, oh, it's good to be here. And God, in a sense, interrupts him. And says, Peter, it's not about you.
It's about my son. This is my well-beloved son. You say, well, John, isn't it good that we're here and we enjoy one another's company? Of course, it is. That's very important, as I said last week.
as we think of the church. But the priority is not for you to feel good. The priority is not for you to be entertained. Our priority is not to engage in some kind of Christian cheerleading. It's not to turn the sanctuary into a nightclub or a rock concert.
Or a political action center. It is not, I repeat, it is not to bring the world into the church. It is to bring heaven into the church. Remember We got enough of the world out there, don't we? And when I come With the people of God, the last thing I want is some church trying to see how close they can get to the world.
It's the very opposite. Remember the old song, Heaven Came Down? And glory filled my So we want to get a taste of heaven. I want us to behold God. I want us to see our Lord Jesus Christ.
This is the verdict featuring the Bible teaching of Pastor John Monroe. There's still more to hear when John returns in just a moment, so stay with us. From matters of truth and identity, to the subjects of love and grace, our world seems more confused than ever. but to find truth and certainty about who we are and find peace, we must turn our attention away from the world and look to the Word of God. To help you do that, John wrote a booklet titled Eternal Security, Finding Certainty in a Chaotic World.
Through this special resource, John shares his personal testimony, along with a careful examination of Scripture, to offer us clarity on matters of eternity. Get your copy today by visiting our website at theverdict.org. While you're there, consider making an investment in this Bible teaching ministry. Whether it's $5, $50, or more, your gift today helps cover the cost of sharing these gospel messages to listeners around the world. And if you haven't already, be sure to subscribe to the Verdict Podcast, featuring John's weekly podcast exclusive called Avizandam.
It's available wherever you get your podcasts, or simply go to our website. Again, that's theverdict.org. The verdict is a ministry of Calvary Church in South Charlotte. We're located on the corner of Highway 51 and Ray Road. If you've been looking for a church home or a community to help you grow in your walk with Christ, We invite you to join us for our Sunday services.
For more details about Calvary and our service times, visit theverdict.org.
Now, here's Pastor John Monroe.
Well, what's your verdict? Do you understand what it means to see Jesus? Peter says, We're to love the one we haven't seen. None of us have seen Jesus. But we love him.
And we see him with the eyes of faith. We understand something of the glory of the Lord as we focus not on ourselves but on Jesus and His kingdom. His priorities. I know you want to do that. This is a life of hope and joy, seeing something of the glory of the Lord.
So, Keep your eyes on Jesus. Thanks for joining us today on The Verdict. I'm Michelle Davies. Today's program with Pastor John Monroe was produced and sponsored by Calvary Church in Charlotte, North Carolina.
