1 00:00:02,360 --> 00:00:08,800 Mark 99 reads, and as they were coming down the mountain, he 2 00:00:08,800 --> 00:00:13,440 charged them to tell no one what they had seen until the Son of 3 00:00:13,440 --> 00:00:17,400 Man had risen from the dead. So they kept the matter to 4 00:00:17,400 --> 00:00:21,760 themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead might 5 00:00:21,760 --> 00:00:25,600 mean. And they asked him, Why do the 6 00:00:25,600 --> 00:00:29,320 scribes say that first Elijah must come? 7 00:00:30,410 --> 00:00:34,250 And he said to them, Elijah does come first to restore all 8 00:00:34,250 --> 00:00:37,210 things. And how is it written of the Son 9 00:00:37,210 --> 00:00:41,050 of Man that he should suffer many things and be treated with 10 00:00:41,050 --> 00:00:44,570 contempt? But I tell you that Elijah has 11 00:00:44,570 --> 00:00:48,450 come, and they did to him whatever they pleased. 12 00:00:48,770 --> 00:00:55,770 As it is written of Him, Lord, we sincerely ask for the 13 00:00:55,770 --> 00:01:01,390 assistance of the precious Holy Spirit to illuminate our minds 14 00:01:01,390 --> 00:01:04,110 concerning this portion of Holy Scripture. 15 00:01:04,989 --> 00:01:08,950 We asked, Lord, that there would be a grace upon the transmission 16 00:01:08,950 --> 00:01:12,310 of this Word, and that Lord, it would be done with your great 17 00:01:12,310 --> 00:01:15,910 power and wisdom, and that, Lord, our hearts would be made 18 00:01:15,910 --> 00:01:17,630 ready. And we know, Lord, that there is 19 00:01:17,630 --> 00:01:21,950 the evil One who is ready to snatch away the seed of the Word 20 00:01:21,950 --> 00:01:25,190 from our hearts. We know that he is conniving and 21 00:01:25,190 --> 00:01:30,250 clever, and that he even now will seek to try to rob us of 22 00:01:30,250 --> 00:01:32,810 this truth. And so we pray for divine 23 00:01:32,810 --> 00:01:36,170 protection. We pray that you would silence 24 00:01:36,170 --> 00:01:40,410 him, and that you would cancel any assignment against us in 25 00:01:40,410 --> 00:01:43,290 this meeting. For those who are prone to 26 00:01:43,290 --> 00:01:45,730 distraction, would you give us a grace? 27 00:01:46,210 --> 00:01:50,170 For those who are anxious in heart and disturbed in their 28 00:01:50,170 --> 00:01:54,730 souls, would you speak peace to them so that they may hear you? 29 00:01:55,540 --> 00:01:59,260 Lord, we trust you that this word is spirit in life and that 30 00:01:59,260 --> 00:02:00,820 we would be transformed through it. 31 00:02:01,580 --> 00:02:03,580 In the name of the living Christ, we pray. 32 00:02:04,100 --> 00:02:05,540 Amen. Amen. 33 00:02:07,060 --> 00:02:08,620 We've seen this before, haven't we? 34 00:02:09,940 --> 00:02:14,700 We've seen the Lord Jesus on different occasions ask of those 35 00:02:14,700 --> 00:02:18,620 who are recipients of his miraculous power to remain 36 00:02:18,620 --> 00:02:23,460 silent about the matter. And unfortunately, in many of 37 00:02:23,460 --> 00:02:26,310 those occasions they did not take heed. 38 00:02:27,590 --> 00:02:31,630 And now the Lord Jesus Christ looks to his inner circle and he 39 00:02:31,630 --> 00:02:35,790 asked them the same, to keep what they have witnessed to 40 00:02:35,790 --> 00:02:38,870 themselves. And I can just imagine the 41 00:02:38,870 --> 00:02:44,910 temptation that these three felt when they saw what they saw. 42 00:02:44,910 --> 00:02:48,070 That spectacular sight of the glory of Jesus Christ, the 43 00:02:48,070 --> 00:02:54,010 appearance of Elijah and Moses, the visitation of God's glory 44 00:02:54,010 --> 00:02:58,210 through a cloud, the voice of the Heavenly Father himself 45 00:02:59,130 --> 00:03:05,570 speaking directly to them. You can imagine what grace was 46 00:03:05,570 --> 00:03:10,010 needed to keep them from going to the mountaintops and 47 00:03:10,010 --> 00:03:13,530 declaring to the masses what they have seen with their own 48 00:03:13,530 --> 00:03:16,530 eyes and what they have heard with their own ears. 49 00:03:17,650 --> 00:03:20,980 Regardless, regardless of the privilege, regardless of the 50 00:03:20,980 --> 00:03:23,820 splendor, regardless of the opportunity that they had 51 00:03:23,820 --> 00:03:27,260 received, the charge of the Lord Jesus Christ was clear. 52 00:03:28,020 --> 00:03:31,660 Do not say anything about what you have seen. 53 00:03:32,700 --> 00:03:36,100 And with that, the Lord does not give a reason. 54 00:03:37,420 --> 00:03:41,380 He doesn't explain why they should keep this to themselves. 55 00:03:41,660 --> 00:03:45,020 He doesn't elaborate. He doesn't try to satisfy 56 00:03:45,180 --> 00:03:48,340 perhaps their curiosity with such a strange instruction. 57 00:03:49,210 --> 00:03:56,210 He simply tells them what to do. And it reminds me how often that 58 00:03:56,210 --> 00:03:59,330 when we are in a certain circumstance or situation and we 59 00:03:59,330 --> 00:04:04,410 understand God's wisdom or will for that particular situation, 60 00:04:05,090 --> 00:04:08,810 How it doesn't necessarily satisfy our reasonings in that 61 00:04:08,810 --> 00:04:10,970 very moment. How? 62 00:04:10,970 --> 00:04:14,850 When we are faced with something, we believe at times 63 00:04:14,930 --> 00:04:18,329 that it's our way, our wisdom, our understanding that should 64 00:04:18,329 --> 00:04:22,290 prevail even at the expense of Christ's word. 65 00:04:23,330 --> 00:04:26,250 And there are times where you will have an opportunity to 66 00:04:26,250 --> 00:04:29,410 either obey or disobey, to trust and not to trust. 67 00:04:30,330 --> 00:04:33,010 And in those moments, would you do what these disciples are 68 00:04:33,010 --> 00:04:35,250 about to do? And that's simply believe what 69 00:04:35,250 --> 00:04:38,050 Christ has to say, even though you don't understand it. 70 00:04:39,570 --> 00:04:43,450 To simply continue on the path of obedience, even though you 71 00:04:43,450 --> 00:04:48,210 are being tempted in one way or another, stay on the path of 72 00:04:48,210 --> 00:04:50,770 obedience. Stay on the path of trusting 73 00:04:50,770 --> 00:04:52,890 Him. The answer will come. 74 00:04:53,530 --> 00:04:56,050 You can never go wrong in trusting the Lord. 75 00:04:56,490 --> 00:04:58,970 You can never go wrong and believing His word, even though 76 00:04:58,970 --> 00:05:02,410 it may seem to contradict human wisdom. 77 00:05:04,130 --> 00:05:06,010 We often think what we know is better for ourselves. 78 00:05:06,010 --> 00:05:08,210 We often, even sometimes think what we think is better for 79 00:05:08,210 --> 00:05:10,380 Christ. What? 80 00:05:10,380 --> 00:05:12,180 I'm trying to help you out here. What? 81 00:05:12,180 --> 00:05:13,740 I'm trying to promote you here. What? 82 00:05:13,740 --> 00:05:15,340 I'm trying to give you a better image here. 83 00:05:15,580 --> 00:05:19,300 He doesn't need our help. He wants your obedience and 84 00:05:19,300 --> 00:05:22,420 mine. And So what will these disciples 85 00:05:22,420 --> 00:05:23,860 do? Will they follow in the pattern 86 00:05:23,860 --> 00:05:27,700 of so many who've been told to remain silent and instead went 87 00:05:27,700 --> 00:05:30,220 on to declare what they were told to keep to themselves? 88 00:05:30,620 --> 00:05:32,460 Oh, you might be surprised because the disciples have 89 00:05:32,460 --> 00:05:34,700 disappointed us on many occasions, but not here. 90 00:05:34,860 --> 00:05:38,680 What do we read in verse 10? So they kept the matter to 91 00:05:38,680 --> 00:05:41,320 themselves. They did it. 92 00:05:41,880 --> 00:05:45,200 They actually obeyed. They actually trusted. 93 00:05:46,400 --> 00:05:50,480 And they might have not known why, but we know why. 94 00:05:51,040 --> 00:05:54,040 We know why the Lord told the disciples. 95 00:05:56,080 --> 00:05:58,440 I know it was amazing. I know it was glorious. 96 00:05:58,440 --> 00:06:03,000 But keep it to yourselves. Do you know why? 97 00:06:04,520 --> 00:06:07,590 Because these, the disciples who had witnessed the glory of the 98 00:06:07,590 --> 00:06:10,950 Messiah were also the disciples who were not ready to accept the 99 00:06:10,950 --> 00:06:15,230 suffering of the Messiah. And until they were ready to 100 00:06:15,230 --> 00:06:17,390 accept the suffering, the death, and the resurrection of the 101 00:06:17,390 --> 00:06:20,390 Messiah, they had no right to declare who the Messiah is and 102 00:06:20,390 --> 00:06:22,510 what He would do. How do we know that? 103 00:06:22,510 --> 00:06:25,830 Look at the rest of verse 10, questioning what this rising 104 00:06:25,830 --> 00:06:30,270 from the dead might mean. So they still didn't get it. 105 00:06:31,630 --> 00:06:34,930 They still didn't understand and the Lord knew this about his 106 00:06:34,930 --> 00:06:38,130 own, so he told his own just don't say anything. 107 00:06:39,610 --> 00:06:41,930 And he doesn't need to explain because he is the all knowing 108 00:06:41,930 --> 00:06:45,170 one. But the command was not simply 109 00:06:45,170 --> 00:06:48,210 for them to keep this to themselves, because it was not 110 00:06:48,210 --> 00:06:52,050 the will of Jesus Christ for this to be privatized forever. 111 00:06:52,490 --> 00:06:54,170 No. There was a time where they 112 00:06:54,170 --> 00:06:56,810 could make it known. And this is what the Holy Spirit 113 00:06:56,810 --> 00:07:00,720 says in verse 9 says here. He charged them to tell no one 114 00:07:00,720 --> 00:07:05,200 what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 115 00:07:05,840 --> 00:07:10,400 You will share what you have witnessed at a particular point. 116 00:07:10,520 --> 00:07:18,080 When I conquer the grave, when I overcome, when I rise, then you 117 00:07:18,080 --> 00:07:21,920 can declare what you have witnessed on this holy mountain. 118 00:07:22,600 --> 00:07:24,280 So this command is really twofold. 119 00:07:24,630 --> 00:07:28,110 Don't say anything, but there's a time where you can and you 120 00:07:28,310 --> 00:07:31,310 will say this. Did the disciples obey the 121 00:07:31,310 --> 00:07:34,150 latter portion? Yes. 122 00:07:34,190 --> 00:07:36,910 Do you know how we know? Through the writings of Peter. 123 00:07:37,230 --> 00:07:39,550 Turn your bibles with me. The Second Peter chapter One. 124 00:07:43,070 --> 00:07:47,950 Look at second Peter, chapter one, verse 16. 125 00:07:48,590 --> 00:07:51,710 Did Peter write this long after Jesus rose from the dead? 126 00:07:51,710 --> 00:07:54,190 Yes, he did. And look what he wrote. 127 00:07:56,070 --> 00:08:01,070 Second Peter 116 reads For we did not follow cleverly devised 128 00:08:01,070 --> 00:08:04,550 myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord 129 00:08:04,550 --> 00:08:06,310 Jesus Christ. Pause. 130 00:08:07,390 --> 00:08:12,550 He's assuring the readers of his epistle, hey, the the teachings 131 00:08:12,550 --> 00:08:15,950 that you heard from us concerning the return of Jesus 132 00:08:15,950 --> 00:08:21,470 Christ, the triumphant return of the Lord who will judge everyone 133 00:08:21,470 --> 00:08:25,870 and establish His Kingdom. That is not source from myths. 134 00:08:26,110 --> 00:08:29,710 This is not man made, and he gives his apologetic to why He 135 00:08:29,710 --> 00:08:34,070 gives his reason why. But we were eyewitnesses of His 136 00:08:34,070 --> 00:08:37,990 Majesty. We were eyewitnesses of His 137 00:08:37,990 --> 00:08:40,669 Majesty. At what point he tells us of 138 00:08:40,669 --> 00:08:44,059 verse 17. For when he received honor and 139 00:08:44,059 --> 00:08:48,660 glory from God the Father, and the voice was born to him by the 140 00:08:48,660 --> 00:08:53,540 majestic glory. This is my beloved Son with whom 141 00:08:53,540 --> 00:08:57,260 I am well pleased. We ourselves heard this very 142 00:08:57,260 --> 00:09:01,220 voice born from heaven, for we were with him on the holy 143 00:09:01,220 --> 00:09:06,380 Mountain. Remember what Jesus said in Mark 144 00:09:06,380 --> 00:09:08,750 9/1. He had promised some of his 145 00:09:08,750 --> 00:09:11,710 disciples, Well, all of them. But he assured that some of them 146 00:09:11,950 --> 00:09:18,550 would not taste death until a selected few would witness the 147 00:09:18,550 --> 00:09:20,830 coming of the Kingdom of God in power. 148 00:09:20,830 --> 00:09:24,630 You remember that right? And we agreed that that prophecy 149 00:09:24,630 --> 00:09:29,590 that Jesus made was fulfilled on the mouth of Transfiguration. 150 00:09:30,670 --> 00:09:34,550 It doesn't teach that the Kingdom of God has already come 151 00:09:34,990 --> 00:09:37,610 in power. Usually people believe that 152 00:09:37,610 --> 00:09:40,930 happened at 70AD. Nor does it convey that some of 153 00:09:40,930 --> 00:09:43,530 the disciples are yet still alive because the King of God 154 00:09:43,530 --> 00:09:47,410 has not yet come with power. No, we know that what happened 155 00:09:47,410 --> 00:09:53,370 on that mountain fulfilled that promise, and Peter confirms that 156 00:09:54,450 --> 00:09:56,490 again. He's saying We taught you about 157 00:09:56,490 --> 00:09:59,410 the second coming of Christ when He will come in power and glory. 158 00:09:59,770 --> 00:10:01,490 And do you know how this is true? 159 00:10:01,850 --> 00:10:05,090 We were eyewitnesses of His Majesty. 160 00:10:05,850 --> 00:10:10,690 In other words, Peter is saying that we saw a glimpse of the 161 00:10:10,690 --> 00:10:14,010 Kingdom of God coming in power. We received a sample of it. 162 00:10:15,930 --> 00:10:19,810 This is why this is important. If Peter believed that what he 163 00:10:19,810 --> 00:10:26,770 saw, Jesus unveiling his glory fulfilled the promise he made 164 00:10:26,770 --> 00:10:29,410 that some of you will not die until you see it, then why are 165 00:10:29,410 --> 00:10:30,970 we hesitant to believe it ourselves? 166 00:10:32,610 --> 00:10:34,610 Why are we going here and there with different teachings about 167 00:10:34,610 --> 00:10:37,530 end times when Peter himself here and Second Peter says no, 168 00:10:37,530 --> 00:10:41,570 no, no, we were eyewitnesses of that same glory, that majesty. 169 00:10:43,690 --> 00:10:45,170 And there's so much else to say here. 170 00:10:45,170 --> 00:10:49,130 But did you notice how Peter refers to the location of that 171 00:10:49,130 --> 00:10:50,890 experience? Look at verse 18 again. 172 00:10:51,970 --> 00:10:56,530 We ourselves heard from this very voice born from heaven, for 173 00:10:56,530 --> 00:11:00,210 we were with them on the holy mountain. 174 00:11:01,950 --> 00:11:04,390 Can I ask you something? Was there anything intrinsically 175 00:11:04,950 --> 00:11:07,630 holy about that mountain? This, this mountain is is not 176 00:11:07,630 --> 00:11:09,670 even named to us. There's debate about which 177 00:11:09,670 --> 00:11:13,390 mountaintop Jesus transfigured on, so we don't even have the 178 00:11:13,390 --> 00:11:17,550 exact geographical location. But was there anything about 179 00:11:17,550 --> 00:11:20,070 that mountain that was inherently sacred? 180 00:11:21,550 --> 00:11:24,830 No. Did Jesus choose a specific 181 00:11:24,830 --> 00:11:29,790 summit that would be appropriate to host that demonstration of 182 00:11:29,790 --> 00:11:32,420 his beauty and glory? No. 183 00:11:34,100 --> 00:11:37,820 It wasn't that Jesus took the disciples to a holy mountain. 184 00:11:38,500 --> 00:11:42,580 It was that Jesus in his glory made that mountain holy. 185 00:11:44,820 --> 00:11:48,940 It was where he was and what he did on that mountain that 186 00:11:48,940 --> 00:11:51,140 sanctified it. In a sense that made it 187 00:11:51,140 --> 00:11:54,340 something special. And when I thought about how 188 00:11:54,340 --> 00:11:58,660 Peter says this mountain was holy because of the Holy One who 189 00:11:58,700 --> 00:12:01,700 was there at that time and did something spectacular and 190 00:12:01,700 --> 00:12:04,380 majestic. I think about you and I. 191 00:12:05,500 --> 00:12:08,420 Is there anything inherently holy about you or me? 192 00:12:08,940 --> 00:12:14,540 We can all say no, far from it. In fact, the Bible tells us we 193 00:12:14,540 --> 00:12:16,700 are the very opposite of that which is holy. 194 00:12:18,620 --> 00:12:22,670 But because Christ shown in our hearts, because He has given us 195 00:12:22,670 --> 00:12:27,310 the gift of the ceiling of the Holy Spirit, you and I now are 196 00:12:27,470 --> 00:12:31,150 holy. We are sanctified. 197 00:12:31,150 --> 00:12:34,990 We are consecrated. We are different, not because of 198 00:12:34,990 --> 00:12:39,430 you, but because of what He's done in you, because of what you 199 00:12:39,430 --> 00:12:42,430 do, but because of how you and I identify with Him and how He has 200 00:12:42,430 --> 00:12:48,270 identified with us. You and I before Christ were far 201 00:12:48,270 --> 00:12:50,500 from holy. Not just ordinary, no, no. 202 00:12:50,500 --> 00:12:54,860 We were evil, wicked, depraved, ugly, in light of the holiness 203 00:12:54,860 --> 00:12:57,860 of Christ, but because of Christ, just like that mountain 204 00:12:57,860 --> 00:13:00,660 was just an ordinary mountain. Now you and I are no longer 205 00:13:00,660 --> 00:13:07,380 ordinary people, a royal priesthood royalty, not because 206 00:13:07,380 --> 00:13:10,300 of you, not because of me, but because of the glory of Jesus 207 00:13:10,300 --> 00:13:18,300 Christ in here. And we see here that Jesus made 208 00:13:18,300 --> 00:13:22,860 this mountain glorious and holy. And we've been told by the 209 00:13:22,860 --> 00:13:25,660 prophets that there is a time coming when the glory of the 210 00:13:25,660 --> 00:13:29,540 Lord will cover the earth as the seas cover the earth. 211 00:13:30,380 --> 00:13:34,940 There's a time coming where Jesus will descend in his glory. 212 00:13:34,940 --> 00:13:38,620 And in descending in his glory and planting his feet again on 213 00:13:38,620 --> 00:13:44,940 this earth, the whole earth will be exposed to the aroma of the 214 00:13:44,940 --> 00:13:50,170 holiness of Jesus. So it's not just going to be a 215 00:13:50,210 --> 00:13:56,130 mountain, but every mountain, every valley, every city, every 216 00:13:56,130 --> 00:14:01,370 village, every institution, every Education Center, every 217 00:14:01,370 --> 00:14:06,730 home, every corner will be exposed and saturated with the 218 00:14:06,730 --> 00:14:10,610 holiness of Jesus Christ. You don't believe me? 219 00:14:10,610 --> 00:14:13,450 You think that's exaggeration? When you get the chance, look at 220 00:14:13,450 --> 00:14:16,890 how the book of Zachariah ends in chapter 14, and there's an 221 00:14:16,890 --> 00:14:18,970 interesting prophecy that we would kind of look over. 222 00:14:19,130 --> 00:14:23,410 We are told in Zechariah 1421 that when the Lord Jesus comes 223 00:14:23,410 --> 00:14:24,850 in his glory, you know what's going to happen? 224 00:14:25,250 --> 00:14:32,850 Every pot, every pot will be made holy unto the Lord. 225 00:14:34,570 --> 00:14:37,610 Every furnishing, every instrument for cooking will be 226 00:14:37,690 --> 00:14:38,970 sanctified. What is that saying? 227 00:14:38,970 --> 00:14:42,570 Even the mundane, even the ordinary will know something 228 00:14:42,570 --> 00:14:44,650 about the holiness of Jesus Christ. 229 00:14:44,810 --> 00:14:46,530 That's what's going to happen when he comes. 230 00:14:47,970 --> 00:14:50,610 So we're in this atmosphere here now, as the people of God, and 231 00:14:50,610 --> 00:14:53,450 we should sense something sacred and holy, not because of the 232 00:14:53,450 --> 00:14:56,570 building, not because of images, but because we are the church. 233 00:14:59,250 --> 00:15:04,140 But Can you imagine during the millennial reign where you go 234 00:15:04,140 --> 00:15:06,860 down to a specific area and probably you've driven through 235 00:15:06,860 --> 00:15:09,780 those areas and you have to go there and you feel evil, You 236 00:15:09,780 --> 00:15:12,340 feel darkness, you feel perversion. 237 00:15:12,340 --> 00:15:13,780 That's not going to happen. When he comes. 238 00:15:15,380 --> 00:15:18,020 Even the horses were told in Zechari that will have bells. 239 00:15:18,100 --> 00:15:21,020 The bells will be inscribed with holiness unto the Lord. 240 00:15:21,740 --> 00:15:26,060 Vehicles, pots and pans, furniture, it's all going to be 241 00:15:26,060 --> 00:15:30,140 known and consecrated unto him. I can't wait for that day. 242 00:15:31,810 --> 00:15:33,890 Now, while we're here in Second Peter, allow me to expand on 243 00:15:33,890 --> 00:15:35,610 something. Look what he says here in verse 244 00:15:35,610 --> 00:15:41,090 19, and we have the prophetic word. 245 00:15:41,410 --> 00:15:42,890 This is in light of what he just said. 246 00:15:43,250 --> 00:15:46,970 And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which 247 00:15:46,970 --> 00:15:50,570 you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining 248 00:15:50,570 --> 00:15:54,530 in a dark place until the day dawns and the morning star rises 249 00:15:54,530 --> 00:15:57,230 in your hearts. Look and focus with me on the 250 00:15:57,230 --> 00:16:02,190 1st phrase here, and we have the prophetic word more fully 251 00:16:02,430 --> 00:16:04,270 confirmed. This is a challenging verse 252 00:16:04,270 --> 00:16:07,070 because it's interpreted generally in one or two ways. 253 00:16:07,990 --> 00:16:10,910 One common interpretation is that Peter is pointing us to a 254 00:16:10,910 --> 00:16:14,750 source after just explaining what he had witnessed with his 255 00:16:14,750 --> 00:16:16,430 eyes, what he had heard with his ears. 256 00:16:16,430 --> 00:16:21,550 Now he's going on to say that there is a source more reliable 257 00:16:21,550 --> 00:16:25,770 than our experience. There is something that's more 258 00:16:25,770 --> 00:16:29,410 profound than an eyewitness account concerning the return of 259 00:16:29,490 --> 00:16:33,650 Jesus Christ on that mountain, and that is the prophetic word 260 00:16:33,650 --> 00:16:35,090 that is the scriptures he's saying. 261 00:16:35,930 --> 00:16:39,290 So after explaining what he had seen and calling him to trust in 262 00:16:39,290 --> 00:16:43,530 that as an apostle, he's now going on to say, listen, despite 263 00:16:43,530 --> 00:16:47,010 what we've seen, the word of God can be more trusted. 264 00:16:47,850 --> 00:16:52,030 The word of God is something that you can rely on much more 265 00:16:52,030 --> 00:16:55,150 than what somebody says they have witnessed, even what you 266 00:16:55,150 --> 00:16:57,470 have experienced. The word of God is greater than 267 00:16:57,470 --> 00:16:59,230 your experience. This is how some people 268 00:16:59,230 --> 00:17:02,110 interpret this passage. And that's a powerful truth. 269 00:17:02,110 --> 00:17:05,310 It it's a it's a strong case to make concerning the word of God 270 00:17:05,310 --> 00:17:06,750 and its reliability. But there's a second 271 00:17:06,750 --> 00:17:10,310 interpretation concerning this and it's not so much Peter 272 00:17:10,310 --> 00:17:13,790 saying despite our experience, there's something more reliable. 273 00:17:14,349 --> 00:17:17,550 What he's saying here is we have the prophetic word more fully 274 00:17:17,589 --> 00:17:20,880 confirmed. In other words, what we saw on 275 00:17:20,880 --> 00:17:26,000 that holy mountain. What we heard on that mountain 276 00:17:26,960 --> 00:17:32,600 confirms what the ancient prophets had said about the 277 00:17:32,600 --> 00:17:35,840 truth of the second coming of Jesus Christ. 278 00:17:37,240 --> 00:17:40,880 In other words, in those Hebrew writings that pointed to this 279 00:17:41,200 --> 00:17:45,750 Messiah coming in glory and power and might, what we 280 00:17:45,750 --> 00:17:51,310 witnessed confirms that this will indeed come to pass because 281 00:17:51,470 --> 00:17:55,590 Jesus gave us a glimpse, because Jesus trusted us with the 282 00:17:55,590 --> 00:18:00,390 experience to only compound and to say for certain it's going to 283 00:18:00,390 --> 00:18:05,910 happen, the Lord Jesus is coming again, and so you can see how 284 00:18:06,190 --> 00:18:08,710 both are really good. Which one do I choose, right? 285 00:18:08,990 --> 00:18:11,430 Which one do I go with? And I'm under the persuasion 286 00:18:11,430 --> 00:18:13,670 that whichever interpretation you go with, the point is still 287 00:18:13,670 --> 00:18:17,170 the same down deep inside. It's true that the Word of God 288 00:18:17,170 --> 00:18:20,050 can be firmly, unquestionably trusted. 289 00:18:20,810 --> 00:18:24,970 It has made specific predictions that have come to pass, and it 290 00:18:24,970 --> 00:18:32,210 will, and it has fulfilled many of those predictions, and it is 291 00:18:32,210 --> 00:18:37,410 also filled with eyewitness accounts through and through 292 00:18:37,410 --> 00:18:41,130 reliable sources. Therefore, you can believe God. 293 00:18:42,220 --> 00:18:45,380 You can trust God for your tomorrow, what he says about 294 00:18:45,380 --> 00:18:49,260 tomorrow, despite your experience, despite what you've 295 00:18:49,260 --> 00:18:52,580 seen or heard or touched, because through and through in 296 00:18:52,580 --> 00:18:55,860 the Word we can rehearse and we can believe God said it. 297 00:18:55,980 --> 00:18:59,900 God fulfilled things already, therefore He will not change. 298 00:19:00,340 --> 00:19:04,540 We can expect that what's to come will come because he is to 299 00:19:04,540 --> 00:19:08,120 be trusted. So Peter's saying here, look 300 00:19:08,120 --> 00:19:10,480 what we what we saw in Mark Chapter 9. 301 00:19:10,640 --> 00:19:12,320 This confirms what the word of God says You. 302 00:19:12,360 --> 00:19:14,320 You can believe the word of God even more now. 303 00:19:14,960 --> 00:19:18,040 You should believe it at least. Now let's come back to Mark 304 00:19:18,040 --> 00:19:20,760 Chapter 9, shall we? I want to touch on something 305 00:19:21,160 --> 00:19:25,960 that we didn't touch on last time, verse 9 says. 306 00:19:25,960 --> 00:19:30,280 And as they were coming down the mountain, who are the day three 307 00:19:30,280 --> 00:19:32,600 individuals? Peter. 308 00:19:32,920 --> 00:19:38,730 James. John Jesus selected these three 309 00:19:38,930 --> 00:19:41,810 to come with him to this mountaintop. 310 00:19:42,890 --> 00:19:46,810 But Jesus did not select these three only at this time. 311 00:19:46,810 --> 00:19:49,170 He actually, in the Gospels, did it three times. 312 00:19:49,170 --> 00:19:53,010 He selected these three out of the 12 for three separate 313 00:19:53,010 --> 00:19:56,810 experiences where they were exclusively invited to something 314 00:19:56,810 --> 00:20:00,610 that the others were not. There is one experience before 315 00:20:00,610 --> 00:20:03,010 the mouth of Transfiguration, and there's one after it. 316 00:20:03,050 --> 00:20:05,450 Most of us know the one after in the Garden of Gethsemane. 317 00:20:06,160 --> 00:20:09,680 Or Jesus called the three to come to him, and he sought their 318 00:20:09,680 --> 00:20:13,760 prayers and he sought their support as he wrestled in that 319 00:20:13,760 --> 00:20:16,360 garden. And the one former, the one 320 00:20:16,360 --> 00:20:18,440 before. This is when Jesus brought these 321 00:20:18,480 --> 00:20:21,320 three to witness the resurrection of Gyrus's daughter 322 00:20:21,680 --> 00:20:26,440 in Mark chapter 5. And people tend to wonder, why 323 00:20:26,440 --> 00:20:29,600 did the Lord choose Peter, James, and John? 324 00:20:30,080 --> 00:20:33,560 Why did he select these three? Did he love them more? 325 00:20:35,630 --> 00:20:40,070 Did he trust them more? And the Bible doesn't say, so we 326 00:20:40,070 --> 00:20:41,830 have to be very careful to assume why. 327 00:20:42,510 --> 00:20:44,510 But I was thinking about this because you can't ignore it, 328 00:20:44,510 --> 00:20:46,550 right? He took them there in Mark five. 329 00:20:46,550 --> 00:20:49,150 He takes him here in Mark 9. He'll take him later at the end 330 00:20:49,150 --> 00:20:53,470 of this gospel account. And it's not so much the why, 331 00:20:54,590 --> 00:20:58,790 the why of these selecting to me, it's the how the Lord, even 332 00:20:58,790 --> 00:21:02,670 in selecting these three, handled them separately and 333 00:21:02,670 --> 00:21:05,350 individually. And this is going to go 334 00:21:05,350 --> 00:21:08,870 somewhere because it shouldn't encourage us as individual 335 00:21:08,870 --> 00:21:12,710 believers. And I wanted to encourage you 336 00:21:12,710 --> 00:21:17,190 because oftentimes believers are convinced concerning the Lord's 337 00:21:17,190 --> 00:21:20,990 affection for them based on what they see the Lord doing in their 338 00:21:20,990 --> 00:21:23,310 lives and what He's not doing in their lives and what He's doing 339 00:21:23,310 --> 00:21:26,750 in other people's lives. And you have you have believers 340 00:21:27,710 --> 00:21:31,470 who are discouraged, thinking that the Lord loves them less, 341 00:21:31,470 --> 00:21:34,030 cares for them less than the next person. 342 00:21:36,620 --> 00:21:40,060 But I see Jesus here at in choosing these three, He's 343 00:21:40,060 --> 00:21:42,460 choosing them to train them, obviously, for something 344 00:21:42,460 --> 00:21:45,580 specific. But even in this three will you 345 00:21:45,580 --> 00:21:47,260 have? More importantly, is the Lord 346 00:21:47,500 --> 00:21:51,420 handling the lives and the futures of individuals 347 00:21:51,420 --> 00:21:54,340 altogether? Let me prove it to you. 348 00:21:54,780 --> 00:21:56,380 So these three, they saw the same thing. 349 00:21:56,380 --> 00:21:57,780 They were invited to the same thing. 350 00:21:58,340 --> 00:22:00,900 Who was the first apostle martyr? 351 00:22:01,480 --> 00:22:04,880 Not the first Christian martyr. The first martyr as an apostle 352 00:22:05,080 --> 00:22:07,880 it was James James, the brother of John. 353 00:22:07,920 --> 00:22:10,800 Acts chapter 12. Historically, who was the last 354 00:22:10,800 --> 00:22:13,680 one? John, the brother of James. 355 00:22:14,320 --> 00:22:17,120 So James the brother John is the first impossible to to be 356 00:22:17,120 --> 00:22:19,520 killed. Historically speaking, many 357 00:22:19,520 --> 00:22:21,800 believe that it was John the brother of James who was the 358 00:22:21,800 --> 00:22:23,720 last one to be killed among the apostles. 359 00:22:24,640 --> 00:22:29,030 And even in Acts Chapter 12, you have James and Peter. 360 00:22:29,110 --> 00:22:31,750 So now we have James and Peter, the same James and Peter who got 361 00:22:31,750 --> 00:22:34,510 to see these things. And we're invited to these 362 00:22:34,510 --> 00:22:40,470 experiences and they experience the same persecution, the same 363 00:22:40,470 --> 00:22:46,430 trial by the same power, the evil power of Herod. 364 00:22:47,830 --> 00:22:52,070 OK, so if James and Peter, they saw Gyrus's daughter, right from 365 00:22:52,070 --> 00:22:54,030 that they were invited to see the Transfiguration. 366 00:22:54,030 --> 00:22:56,470 They were there with Jesus in the garden, and here they are 367 00:22:56,470 --> 00:22:57,750 now. They were both in the same 368 00:22:57,750 --> 00:23:01,350 chapter, arrested by Herod. Surely they're going to have the 369 00:23:01,350 --> 00:23:04,310 same outcome. Surely they're going to 370 00:23:04,310 --> 00:23:07,750 experience the same deliverance That true? 371 00:23:08,910 --> 00:23:12,790 No, The Lord sent an Angel for Peter. 372 00:23:13,630 --> 00:23:18,830 No Angel came for James. James was killed. 373 00:23:19,430 --> 00:23:25,180 Peter was saved and to the misguided uninformed. 1 might 374 00:23:25,180 --> 00:23:28,660 think, well, maybe the Lord favors Peter more than James. 375 00:23:30,700 --> 00:23:34,140 No? What about what about Peter and 376 00:23:34,140 --> 00:23:40,940 John and John? 21 Jesus tells Peter, follow me. 377 00:23:41,060 --> 00:23:43,860 And before that he prophesied to Peter the kind of death he would 378 00:23:43,860 --> 00:23:48,160 die in glorifying Christ. And Peter starts to follow. 379 00:23:48,160 --> 00:23:49,960 And Peter does what most of us do. 380 00:23:49,960 --> 00:23:52,040 I mean, this is fascinating to me. 381 00:23:52,560 --> 00:23:55,480 Peter backslides. Jesus restores him. 382 00:23:55,480 --> 00:23:58,240 He says follow me. And right after he says follow 383 00:23:58,240 --> 00:23:59,240 me. And Peter does it. 384 00:23:59,520 --> 00:24:01,120 You know what he does? He looks at John. 385 00:24:01,480 --> 00:24:03,200 I mean, you just started to follow him again, and you 386 00:24:03,200 --> 00:24:04,360 already took your eyes off of him. 387 00:24:06,280 --> 00:24:08,920 He looks at John, and he says, Lord, what about this man? 388 00:24:11,160 --> 00:24:13,680 What about this man? So Peter's concerned. 389 00:24:13,800 --> 00:24:15,200 Yeah. You told me how I'm going to 390 00:24:15,200 --> 00:24:16,440 die. What about him? 391 00:24:16,440 --> 00:24:20,880 I want to know about his future. And Jesus says, hey, listen, if 392 00:24:20,880 --> 00:24:24,080 it's up to me that he remains until I come, what's that to 393 00:24:24,080 --> 00:24:26,200 you? Translation, Peter. 394 00:24:26,200 --> 00:24:27,400 I love you. Mind your business. 395 00:24:28,840 --> 00:24:35,120 You follow me, you follow me. And so even with this inner 396 00:24:35,120 --> 00:24:37,960 three, I don't want to get caught up with the fact that 397 00:24:37,960 --> 00:24:39,480 there's this inner three. I want to get caught up with the 398 00:24:39,480 --> 00:24:42,840 fact that even with this inner 3, Jesus is treating them 399 00:24:42,840 --> 00:24:47,280 uniquely. And Jesus equally loves them. 400 00:24:49,160 --> 00:24:51,200 And he has a plan for each of them. 401 00:24:52,120 --> 00:24:53,880 He has a future for each of them. 402 00:24:54,640 --> 00:24:58,200 He has a call for each of them. Tailor made. 403 00:24:59,640 --> 00:25:01,120 Don't think anything less for your life. 404 00:25:02,690 --> 00:25:05,090 He loves you. Not just the church. 405 00:25:05,290 --> 00:25:06,930 You. Yes, you. 406 00:25:08,490 --> 00:25:11,170 Well, I don't have the same opportunities as this guy and I 407 00:25:11,170 --> 00:25:12,690 don't see as much fruit as that person. 408 00:25:12,690 --> 00:25:15,210 And I'm not as known as that individual and I don't have the 409 00:25:15,210 --> 00:25:18,050 gifts like that person and and I'm suffering more here than 410 00:25:18,050 --> 00:25:20,250 that in that person. So no, no, no, no, no, no. 411 00:25:20,250 --> 00:25:25,210 You have to understand. He loves you and he cares for 412 00:25:25,210 --> 00:25:30,530 you and he's leading you perfectly, perfectly. 413 00:25:31,820 --> 00:25:34,380 Don't compare your life to the next person is just keep your 414 00:25:34,380 --> 00:25:38,260 eyes on Jesus Christ and trust his heart for you. 415 00:25:40,460 --> 00:25:42,300 That's what I take out of these three. 416 00:25:44,620 --> 00:25:47,340 And so we come now and and closing here before we partake 417 00:25:47,340 --> 00:25:49,820 of the Lord's table, verse 11 of Mark Chapter 9. 418 00:25:51,100 --> 00:25:55,500 So the disciples now they're wrestling a little bit. 419 00:25:56,740 --> 00:25:58,780 They're wrestling because they're trying to get their 420 00:25:58,780 --> 00:26:02,670 eschatology straight. Eschatology is a fancy word for 421 00:26:02,670 --> 00:26:05,350 the study of the end times, the last things. 422 00:26:05,430 --> 00:26:09,030 OK? And so here are these disciples 423 00:26:09,030 --> 00:26:11,790 who have somewhat of a grasp of the scriptures concerning the 424 00:26:11,790 --> 00:26:15,270 Messiah, who's to come. And now they believe that this 425 00:26:15,430 --> 00:26:17,110 Jesus who has come is the Messiah. 426 00:26:17,110 --> 00:26:19,470 But there's there seems to be some holes in their 427 00:26:19,470 --> 00:26:22,630 understanding. Remember, Peter had trouble 428 00:26:22,830 --> 00:26:24,550 believing that Jesus would suffer. 429 00:26:24,550 --> 00:26:26,950 He rebukes Jesus. Jesus in turn rebukes him. 430 00:26:28,310 --> 00:26:31,710 And Jesus, in wanting to encourage his own, chooses to 431 00:26:31,710 --> 00:26:34,710 manifest his glory, does he not to show them, yes, I will 432 00:26:34,710 --> 00:26:37,070 suffer, you're going to suffer. But that's not where the story 433 00:26:37,070 --> 00:26:38,390 ends. Check it out. 434 00:26:38,590 --> 00:26:44,350 This is what's coming. And so they're they're trying to 435 00:26:44,350 --> 00:26:46,830 understand all of these pieces and they're trying to put it in 436 00:26:46,830 --> 00:26:50,110 a straight line here. They're trying to get a timeline 437 00:26:50,110 --> 00:26:53,230 right. And so the only obstacle right 438 00:26:53,230 --> 00:26:55,750 we read in verse 10 that they're still questioning what this 439 00:26:55,750 --> 00:26:59,140 rising of the dead might mean. They still have don't have a 440 00:26:59,140 --> 00:27:01,540 full understanding of Jesus dying and rising from the grave. 441 00:27:02,420 --> 00:27:05,980 But that's not the only obstacle, because again, these 442 00:27:05,980 --> 00:27:09,860 are Jews who were exposed to teachings from the scribes who 443 00:27:09,860 --> 00:27:12,780 heard the scriptures, who knew of some prophecies. 444 00:27:13,940 --> 00:27:17,140 And so a question comes now, and this is the question in verse 445 00:27:17,140 --> 00:27:20,460 11. And they asked them as they're 446 00:27:20,460 --> 00:27:24,260 walking down the mountain, why did the scribes say that First, 447 00:27:24,300 --> 00:27:29,140 Elijah must come. That seems like a random 448 00:27:29,140 --> 00:27:31,420 question, doesn't it? Well, it's random if you don't 449 00:27:31,420 --> 00:27:36,740 know the Old Testament. Hey, Lord, we heard that before 450 00:27:36,740 --> 00:27:39,980 the Messiah comes, Elijah has to come. 451 00:27:41,260 --> 00:27:43,460 And I wonder if the visitation of Elijah prompted that 452 00:27:43,460 --> 00:27:44,020 question. Right. 453 00:27:44,020 --> 00:27:46,940 They saw Elijah with Moses. Like, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. 454 00:27:47,180 --> 00:27:48,500 We heard from the scribes. He's supposed to come. 455 00:27:48,500 --> 00:27:49,540 Where do you go? Why do you disappear? 456 00:27:49,540 --> 00:27:53,950 Holy Lord, we're trying to understand this whole thing. 457 00:27:53,950 --> 00:27:55,270 Messiah. We believe you're the Messiah. 458 00:27:55,270 --> 00:27:56,870 There's no doubt about it. You are the Christ. 459 00:27:57,670 --> 00:28:01,790 But where's Elijah? Not the appearance of Elijah. 460 00:28:01,870 --> 00:28:04,950 Where's Elijah, Who has come to restore all things? 461 00:28:06,070 --> 00:28:07,710 You know what Jesus does? Look at Bristov. 462 00:28:07,710 --> 00:28:10,790 And he said to them, Elijah does come first to restore all 463 00:28:10,790 --> 00:28:13,470 things. In other words, Jesus affirms 464 00:28:13,750 --> 00:28:19,110 that their understanding of redemptive timeline in terms of 465 00:28:19,150 --> 00:28:24,270 prophecy is right. Jesus confirms, hey listen, what 466 00:28:24,270 --> 00:28:26,230 the scribe said about Elijah coming. 467 00:28:26,470 --> 00:28:29,870 This is right. You're not wrong in saying this 468 00:28:30,870 --> 00:28:33,630 because what the scribe said in light of Elijah was according to 469 00:28:33,630 --> 00:28:35,190 the word of God. And I want you to see it in 470 00:28:35,190 --> 00:28:39,670 Malachi in the last book of the Old Testament turned there in 471 00:28:39,670 --> 00:28:43,390 Malachi chapter 4. And look at this prophecy that 472 00:28:43,390 --> 00:28:46,630 the prophet makes concerning Elijah and its relationship with 473 00:28:46,630 --> 00:28:57,830 the Messiah, Malachi chapter 4 and verse 5. 474 00:28:58,470 --> 00:29:01,310 Behold what that means. Hey, pay attention. 475 00:29:02,270 --> 00:29:06,390 Hey, look what I'm about to say. Behold, I, the Lord is speaking, 476 00:29:06,390 --> 00:29:14,350 will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day 477 00:29:14,430 --> 00:29:18,950 of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of 478 00:29:18,950 --> 00:29:22,550 fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their 479 00:29:22,550 --> 00:29:27,590 fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter 480 00:29:27,590 --> 00:29:31,950 destruction. Elijah is going to come before 481 00:29:31,950 --> 00:29:33,150 the great and awesome day of the Lord. 482 00:29:33,150 --> 00:29:36,990 And when he comes, he's not just going to show up with a flash on 483 00:29:36,990 --> 00:29:39,830 the Mount of Transfiguration, he's going to accomplish 484 00:29:39,830 --> 00:29:41,630 something. What's he going to accomplish? 485 00:29:41,630 --> 00:29:44,630 We're told that he will turn the hearts of the fathers to their 486 00:29:44,630 --> 00:29:47,190 children and the children's hearts to their fathers. 487 00:29:47,190 --> 00:29:50,350 You know what that means? That the ministry of Elijah to 488 00:29:50,350 --> 00:29:55,910 come is going to cause a repentance at a nuclear level. 489 00:29:57,350 --> 00:30:00,190 There's going to be relationships restored within 490 00:30:00,190 --> 00:30:04,190 households, and in turn they will now turn to the Lord. 491 00:30:04,710 --> 00:30:11,870 So we're talking about revival, significant, sweeping awakening. 492 00:30:12,510 --> 00:30:15,280 This is what the Elijah is supposed to do, My preparation 493 00:30:15,280 --> 00:30:19,840 for the great and awesome day of the Lord. 494 00:30:20,720 --> 00:30:22,920 Now this is what Jesus says. He says yeah, you're right. 495 00:30:23,520 --> 00:30:25,520 Describes. They quoted the scriptures 496 00:30:25,840 --> 00:30:27,840 correctly. Elijah will come. 497 00:30:29,600 --> 00:30:31,600 But then look at verse 13. This is where things get a 498 00:30:31,600 --> 00:30:39,800 little tricky of Mark Chapter 9. But I tell you that Elijah has 499 00:30:39,800 --> 00:30:45,190 come, and they did to him whatever they pleased. 500 00:30:45,750 --> 00:30:50,110 As it is written of him, All this is getting interesting. 501 00:30:50,110 --> 00:30:54,710 Now Elijah will come. OK, hey, check it out. 502 00:30:54,790 --> 00:30:59,510 He already did. He already did. 503 00:31:00,110 --> 00:31:02,310 Well, it can't be what he did on the mountaintop because we're 504 00:31:02,310 --> 00:31:05,190 told that he's going to come and he's going to bring a revival 505 00:31:05,190 --> 00:31:07,710 that will turn people over to the Lord and repentance, and 506 00:31:07,710 --> 00:31:09,190 there's going to be reconciliation among these 507 00:31:09,190 --> 00:31:11,630 people. So it can't be that what we just 508 00:31:11,630 --> 00:31:13,690 saw. When did he come? 509 00:31:15,010 --> 00:31:16,890 What do you mean Elijah has come? 510 00:31:17,930 --> 00:31:23,210 And Mark omits A commentary that Matthew provides. 511 00:31:23,210 --> 00:31:26,170 So Matthew's parallel account of this very same text. 512 00:31:26,570 --> 00:31:28,610 Let's get the confirmation of who this individual is in 513 00:31:28,610 --> 00:31:39,130 Matthew 17, Matthew 17. Let's look at verse 12, Matthew 514 00:31:39,130 --> 00:31:45,340 17, verse 12. This is the Lord speaking again. 515 00:31:45,460 --> 00:31:50,340 But I tell you that Elijah has already come and they did not 516 00:31:50,340 --> 00:31:55,820 recognize him interesting, but did to him whatever they 517 00:31:55,820 --> 00:31:58,940 pleased. So also the Son of Man will 518 00:31:58,940 --> 00:32:02,540 certainly suffer at their hands. Verse 13. 519 00:32:02,820 --> 00:32:06,540 Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of 520 00:32:06,540 --> 00:32:16,830 John the Baptist, and Jesus didn't correct that Elijah will 521 00:32:16,830 --> 00:32:18,990 come. Malachi said he's going to come. 522 00:32:19,950 --> 00:32:26,270 Jesus says he's already come. Matthew tells us it was John the 523 00:32:26,270 --> 00:32:30,750 Baptist. John the Baptist was Elijah 524 00:32:32,070 --> 00:32:38,030 reincarnated descending from heaven after he was taken up on 525 00:32:38,030 --> 00:32:39,630 a chariot of fire. Remember that? 526 00:32:40,520 --> 00:32:45,360 So has he come down. Made you wonder why some of 527 00:32:45,360 --> 00:32:49,400 those disciples came. Those Pharisees rather 2 John 528 00:32:49,400 --> 00:32:51,520 and John, chapter one and say hey, are you Elijah? 529 00:32:52,960 --> 00:32:57,000 You wonder why they asked that. It didn't help that he looked 530 00:32:57,000 --> 00:32:59,000 like Elijah. He wore the same outfit as 531 00:32:59,000 --> 00:33:01,840 Elijah. It's like, hey, we heard of your 532 00:33:01,840 --> 00:33:04,640 description in Kings. You're wearing the same outfit. 533 00:33:04,640 --> 00:33:05,840 We're seeing things very similar. 534 00:33:05,880 --> 00:33:13,780 Are you him to confirm that John the Baptist fulfilled that 535 00:33:13,780 --> 00:33:17,420 prophecy? In Malachi chapter four, we have 536 00:33:17,420 --> 00:33:20,620 the testimony of Jesus Christ who said it's him. 537 00:33:21,060 --> 00:33:24,500 But we have another testimony of an Angel who came to John the 538 00:33:24,500 --> 00:33:28,100 Baptist's father and gave him a prophetic word about what his 539 00:33:28,100 --> 00:33:31,420 son would accomplish. And tell me if it sounds 540 00:33:31,420 --> 00:33:33,780 familiar. There's a lot of scripture 541 00:33:33,820 --> 00:33:34,780 That's OK. We're in church. 542 00:33:36,700 --> 00:33:39,220 Luke chapter one. Luke chapter one. 543 00:33:39,220 --> 00:33:41,780 Let's look at this prophecy together in verse 16 and 17. 544 00:33:47,920 --> 00:33:53,840 This is about John the son of this priest, John the Baptist. 545 00:33:54,800 --> 00:34:00,560 Matthew, excuse me, Luke 116. And he will turn many of the 546 00:34:00,560 --> 00:34:04,640 children of Israel to the Lord, their God, and he will go before 547 00:34:04,640 --> 00:34:09,440 him in the spirit and power of Elijah. 548 00:34:10,760 --> 00:34:14,429 There's the clarification in the Spirit and the power of Elijah 549 00:34:14,630 --> 00:34:17,750 To do what? To turn the hearts of the 550 00:34:17,750 --> 00:34:22,310 fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the 551 00:34:22,310 --> 00:34:29,750 just to make ready for the Lord. A people prepared, not Elijah 552 00:34:29,750 --> 00:34:33,190 reincarnated, not even Elijah himself coming back from where 553 00:34:33,190 --> 00:34:35,830 he left off. This is why when they asked him 554 00:34:35,830 --> 00:34:37,389 and John one Hey, are you Elijah goes? 555 00:34:37,389 --> 00:34:41,429 Nope, because what they were asking is are you flesh and 556 00:34:41,429 --> 00:34:44,790 blood? Elijah is like no, no, that 557 00:34:44,790 --> 00:34:47,830 doesn't mean that he denied that he fulfilled Malachi's prophecy. 558 00:34:49,429 --> 00:34:52,790 Because we're told that the Angel said to the father of John 559 00:34:52,949 --> 00:34:56,670 before he entered into the world that he will be coming in the 560 00:34:56,670 --> 00:35:04,470 spirit and power of Elijah. We can close our Bibles here, 561 00:35:04,470 --> 00:35:07,570 right? OK, John, the Bathus was Elijah. 562 00:35:07,570 --> 00:35:08,890 You're the Messiah. It makes sense. 563 00:35:08,890 --> 00:35:12,210 He fulfilled that prophecy. And so great. 564 00:35:14,650 --> 00:35:17,970 But when you ask the Bible questions, sometimes you're not 565 00:35:18,010 --> 00:35:23,970 immediately satisfied. So here's me coming to this text 566 00:35:24,010 --> 00:35:26,170 and going, OK, he's on the bath, There's no denying it. 567 00:35:26,530 --> 00:35:28,690 He would come in the spirit and power of Elijah. 568 00:35:29,210 --> 00:35:30,890 He would look like Elijah. He would produce the same kind 569 00:35:30,890 --> 00:35:33,370 of results and fruit that Elijah's ministry did in his 570 00:35:33,370 --> 00:35:36,730 preaching. He fulfilled Malachi 4. 571 00:35:37,650 --> 00:35:44,250 Or did he go back to Malachi 4? I will send you Elijah. 572 00:35:45,610 --> 00:35:47,810 OK, He's going to turn the hearts of the children to the 573 00:35:47,810 --> 00:35:50,530 fathers. But there's a timing when this 574 00:35:50,530 --> 00:35:53,570 Elijah is supposed to be coming. Do you remember the timing? 575 00:35:54,370 --> 00:35:57,290 Here's what I says. Verse five of Malachi 4. 576 00:35:57,290 --> 00:36:03,220 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet, before the great 577 00:36:03,260 --> 00:36:05,980 and awesome day of the Lord comes. 578 00:36:06,940 --> 00:36:09,380 We're Christians, right? We think that what Jesus did on 579 00:36:09,380 --> 00:36:12,020 the cross was great and awesome, but that's not what the prophet 580 00:36:12,020 --> 00:36:16,060 meant. That phrase, great and awesome 581 00:36:16,060 --> 00:36:20,620 day of the Lord, is a prophetic utterance concerning not the 582 00:36:20,620 --> 00:36:24,540 coming of Christ to say, but the coming of Christ to judge. 583 00:36:26,300 --> 00:36:28,140 Read Joel 2. Read Zachariah. 584 00:36:28,140 --> 00:36:31,120 One that phrase. The great and awesome day of the 585 00:36:31,120 --> 00:36:36,360 Lord is utilized to describe what will happen when the Lord 586 00:36:36,360 --> 00:36:42,000 comes and brings worldwide chastisement and judgment 587 00:36:42,000 --> 00:36:44,800 against the wicked. It's a dreadful day. 588 00:36:44,800 --> 00:36:47,000 It's a terrifying day. It's great and awesome. 589 00:36:47,000 --> 00:36:49,560 Not in the happy, happy feeling in the wow. 590 00:36:53,600 --> 00:36:55,640 The Lord is here to clean up all this mess. 591 00:36:55,640 --> 00:36:57,440 That's the great and awesome day of the Lord. 592 00:36:58,540 --> 00:37:03,100 No question about it. Do you feel the dilemma now? 593 00:37:04,860 --> 00:37:08,380 I will send you Elijah. OK, John the Baptist according 594 00:37:08,380 --> 00:37:11,340 to Jesus says it's according to Jesus John the Baptist. 595 00:37:13,300 --> 00:37:14,860 But did Jesus come to judge the world? 596 00:37:16,980 --> 00:37:20,460 Elijah will precede the great and awesome day of the Lord. 597 00:37:21,180 --> 00:37:23,860 Jesus says Elijah's to come. He's already come. 598 00:37:24,380 --> 00:37:28,320 But Jesus didn't come to judge the world, did he? 599 00:37:29,880 --> 00:37:34,000 No, he didn't. So is John really that Elijah? 600 00:37:34,000 --> 00:37:36,240 If Malachi said he's supposed to come before the great and 601 00:37:36,240 --> 00:37:37,640 awesome data? Do you understand the question? 602 00:37:40,920 --> 00:37:43,000 And perhaps this is the difficulty that the disciples 603 00:37:43,000 --> 00:37:46,360 had. OK, Elijah's to come. 604 00:37:47,600 --> 00:37:51,520 Elijah's coming. The great and awesome day of the 605 00:37:51,520 --> 00:37:53,280 Lord. How does this all fit? 606 00:37:53,280 --> 00:38:01,020 See, they're trying to organize the timeline of prophecy, and 607 00:38:01,020 --> 00:38:04,620 This is why people interpret Jesus's words in the following 608 00:38:04,620 --> 00:38:06,180 way. Maybe you hold to this view. 609 00:38:07,140 --> 00:38:12,020 John the Baptist is that Elijah like fulfillment? 610 00:38:12,420 --> 00:38:18,820 But he's more of a preview, he's more of a partial fulfillment. 611 00:38:19,580 --> 00:38:21,700 Why? Because Malachi says Elijah's 612 00:38:21,700 --> 00:38:24,060 going to come before the great and awesome day of the Lord. 613 00:38:25,170 --> 00:38:28,450 If John the Baptist is Elijah, where's the great and awesome 614 00:38:28,450 --> 00:38:34,050 day of the Lord? And so many would say John 615 00:38:34,170 --> 00:38:37,570 partially fulfills it. But there's going to be the 616 00:38:37,570 --> 00:38:41,730 complete fulfillment before the 2nd coming of Christ where 617 00:38:41,730 --> 00:38:45,050 Elijah will come, and many believe he is one of the two 618 00:38:45,050 --> 00:38:47,050 witnesses in Revelation 11. Understood. 619 00:38:49,170 --> 00:38:51,730 So I'm trying to chop find, chop this so I don't lose anybody. 620 00:38:53,000 --> 00:38:55,000 So many people are content and it's not. 621 00:38:55,000 --> 00:38:58,720 It's not necessarily a bad view. John partially fulfills it. 622 00:38:58,800 --> 00:39:02,280 We're still waiting for the complete fulfillment of the 623 00:39:02,280 --> 00:39:06,600 actual Elijah to come, and he will prepare the great and 624 00:39:06,600 --> 00:39:08,320 awesome day, the Lord through his preaching and ministry. 625 00:39:12,560 --> 00:39:14,280 But Jesus says he is that Elijah. 626 00:39:15,920 --> 00:39:20,440 He is. So how do we make sense of this? 627 00:39:22,320 --> 00:39:27,560 The answer is in Mark nine. Look at verse 11. 628 00:39:27,560 --> 00:39:33,040 Let's read this together. And they asked him, why do the 629 00:39:33,040 --> 00:39:35,320 scribes say that first Elijah must come? 630 00:39:35,480 --> 00:39:39,040 And he said to them, Elijah does come first to restore all 631 00:39:39,040 --> 00:39:40,840 things. Now if you read that and in 632 00:39:40,840 --> 00:39:42,480 verse 13, you're still in a dilemma. 633 00:39:42,480 --> 00:39:45,040 But there's something sandwiched in between those two statements. 634 00:39:45,840 --> 00:39:47,600 Look what he says. Oh, I love the Lord. 635 00:39:48,440 --> 00:39:53,220 And how is it written of the Son of Man that he should suffer 636 00:39:53,220 --> 00:40:00,580 many things and be treated with contempt, right. 637 00:40:01,140 --> 00:40:04,620 What does this mean? So they're asking about 638 00:40:04,620 --> 00:40:06,780 prophecy. Lord, it's prophesied that 639 00:40:06,780 --> 00:40:08,300 Elijah's supposed to come. Where is he? 640 00:40:09,100 --> 00:40:10,540 Jesus. Yeah, he's supposed to come. 641 00:40:11,780 --> 00:40:14,060 You're missing another prophecy, though. 642 00:40:17,140 --> 00:40:18,980 You're concerned about Elijah coming? 643 00:40:20,000 --> 00:40:22,840 And you're right in, you know, believing that he's to come. 644 00:40:23,240 --> 00:40:26,040 But what about the prophecy about the Messiah, who's 645 00:40:26,040 --> 00:40:33,600 supposed to suffer and die? The trouble with the disciples 646 00:40:34,360 --> 00:40:36,840 is that in all the things that they heard about the Messiah 647 00:40:36,840 --> 00:40:42,360 coming, they only believed in one coming of the Messiah. 648 00:40:43,280 --> 00:40:45,520 Was this not the trouble? This is the trouble for Jews 649 00:40:45,520 --> 00:40:51,620 today, today, because they're expecting the Messiah to come 650 00:40:51,620 --> 00:40:55,220 and fulfill what we believe will happen when Jesus comes back. 651 00:40:57,620 --> 00:41:02,060 Where's his government? Where's international peace? 652 00:41:04,780 --> 00:41:07,780 Where are the the, the, the swords and the javelins being 653 00:41:07,980 --> 00:41:09,580 transformed into farming equipment? 654 00:41:09,580 --> 00:41:10,780 Where? Where is this? 655 00:41:10,780 --> 00:41:13,140 Because we see this in the Old Testament through and through 656 00:41:13,140 --> 00:41:17,300 and through. So the disciples believed like 657 00:41:17,300 --> 00:41:20,090 juice today that when the Messiah comes, she's going to do 658 00:41:20,170 --> 00:41:24,170 everything at one time. And what Jesus is saying is 659 00:41:24,650 --> 00:41:26,250 there are two comings of the Messiah. 660 00:41:31,090 --> 00:41:34,050 Yes, Elijah is going to come before the great and awesome 661 00:41:34,050 --> 00:41:35,450 day, the Lord. That's a prophecy. 662 00:41:36,530 --> 00:41:38,610 But there's an interval between those two things. 663 00:41:39,650 --> 00:41:42,410 Elijah will come. There will be a great and 664 00:41:42,410 --> 00:41:46,530 awesome day of the Lord. But what about those prophecies 665 00:41:46,530 --> 00:41:51,020 where that Messiah that Elijah will prepare for has to die? 666 00:41:54,660 --> 00:41:58,180 Oh, so here's what I proposed to you. 667 00:41:59,340 --> 00:42:03,580 Jesus is saying Elijah will come, but Jesus is also putting 668 00:42:03,580 --> 00:42:05,980 in a peace that's missing. In their understanding. 669 00:42:07,060 --> 00:42:09,500 There's a there's a peace missing, and he's feeling that 670 00:42:09,500 --> 00:42:12,340 now Elijah will come. There will be a great and 671 00:42:12,340 --> 00:42:16,700 awesome day of the Lord, but in between that, this Messiah has 672 00:42:16,700 --> 00:42:21,680 to suffer. He has to die, he has to ransom, 673 00:42:22,040 --> 00:42:27,880 he has to provide a sacrifice. And so he is completing the 674 00:42:27,880 --> 00:42:31,160 timeline of their understanding of prophecy. 675 00:42:31,960 --> 00:42:37,080 Elijah will come, the Messiah will suffer the great and 676 00:42:37,080 --> 00:42:38,480 awesome day. The Lord will follow. 677 00:42:41,080 --> 00:42:43,280 That's why he says how is it written of the Son of Man that 678 00:42:43,280 --> 00:42:45,320 he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt. 679 00:42:45,360 --> 00:42:49,120 If we take this to be what Jesus is saying then we can rest 680 00:42:49,120 --> 00:42:52,640 satisfied in knowing okay. Now it makes sense that John the 681 00:42:52,640 --> 00:42:56,600 Baptist fulfilled that prophecy about Elijah because he did come 682 00:42:56,600 --> 00:42:57,920 before the great and awesome day of the Lord. 683 00:42:58,000 --> 00:43:00,440 The problem with the disciples and many of the Jesus that they 684 00:43:00,600 --> 00:43:04,080 they're not filling the gap. And the gap is the prophecies of 685 00:43:04,280 --> 00:43:10,220 Jesus being nailed on a tree. And in that we have a complete 686 00:43:10,220 --> 00:43:11,940 picture. Elijah will come, John the 687 00:43:11,940 --> 00:43:17,020 Baptist. Jesus will die in the cross, He 688 00:43:17,020 --> 00:43:20,180 will rise from the grave, and when he returns, it will be the 689 00:43:20,180 --> 00:43:23,140 great and awesome day of the Lord. 690 00:43:23,940 --> 00:43:27,340 Prophecies fulfilled, prophecies satisfied. 691 00:43:28,220 --> 00:43:31,060 And you and I hopefully are less confused than when we walked in 692 00:43:31,060 --> 00:43:33,700 here. Let me end it here. 693 00:43:36,490 --> 00:43:39,370 How true is it that we are like the disciples in many ways? 694 00:43:44,610 --> 00:43:47,810 That we tend to lose sight of the sufferings of Jesus Christ? 695 00:43:51,050 --> 00:43:54,610 That we lose our eyes, our focus, our gaze off of what the 696 00:43:54,610 --> 00:43:58,290 Lord has done for us? In this case it's different, 697 00:43:58,290 --> 00:43:59,370 right? They're trying to make sense of 698 00:43:59,370 --> 00:44:02,330 their theology. But practically speaking, for us 699 00:44:02,330 --> 00:44:06,010 as we even in our relationship with the Lord, we can so quickly 700 00:44:06,460 --> 00:44:09,580 get caught up in things and lose sight of the centrality of why 701 00:44:09,580 --> 00:44:13,940 we are Christians. He came, He died, he bled, he 702 00:44:13,940 --> 00:44:15,740 was buried, and he rose from the grave. 703 00:44:16,780 --> 00:44:19,900 This is what we are. This is our this is our belief. 704 00:44:19,900 --> 00:44:22,940 This is what makes us different. This is what makes us fathers of 705 00:44:22,980 --> 00:44:24,700 Jesus Christ. And the Lord knows that we're 706 00:44:24,700 --> 00:44:26,420 very forgetful people. So you know what he does? 707 00:44:26,740 --> 00:44:30,020 He provides a table. He provides an ordinance where 708 00:44:30,020 --> 00:44:32,620 you and I are forced to remember. 709 00:44:33,860 --> 00:44:37,340 It's by His grace. It's what he has done for us. 710 00:44:37,340 --> 00:44:39,940 And so at this time, we're going to prepare our hearts to 711 00:44:39,940 --> 00:44:43,460 partake. And here's my call before we 712 00:44:43,460 --> 00:44:45,380 sing. Hear a brief word and eat 713 00:44:45,380 --> 00:44:47,220 together. If you are a born again 714 00:44:47,220 --> 00:44:50,140 Christian, this is God's gift to you. 715 00:44:51,300 --> 00:44:54,740 This is for you. He invites you to this table, 716 00:44:55,740 --> 00:44:58,180 and he calls you to remember what he's done. 717 00:44:59,060 --> 00:45:04,180 His love for you, his redemption, his final sacrifice, 718 00:45:04,510 --> 00:45:07,230 represented through the bread, his body, the cup, his blood. 719 00:45:07,710 --> 00:45:09,390 It's not about your performance. It's not about your 720 00:45:09,390 --> 00:45:11,470 righteousness. You surrender that thought and 721 00:45:11,470 --> 00:45:15,550 that lie as you enjoy this feast. 722 00:45:15,990 --> 00:45:18,310 But if you're not a Christian, we kindly ask that you refrain 723 00:45:18,590 --> 00:45:22,190 from participating, for this is exclusive to followers of Jesus 724 00:45:22,190 --> 00:45:24,070 Christ. You're more than welcome to 725 00:45:24,070 --> 00:45:26,390 watch. You're more than welcome to 726 00:45:26,390 --> 00:45:27,630 understand what we're doing here. 727 00:45:27,630 --> 00:45:29,070 We're so glad that you can visit us. 728 00:45:29,070 --> 00:45:32,190 But again, we have a duty as ministers to protect this table. 729 00:45:33,460 --> 00:45:36,460 And so we asked you to consider your own salvation, to consider 730 00:45:36,460 --> 00:45:41,100 your standing with God. And I'd love to say this every 731 00:45:41,100 --> 00:45:44,460 time we do this, that as you witness people come to eat of 732 00:45:44,460 --> 00:45:47,460 this and to drink of this, you are witnessing people who are 733 00:45:47,460 --> 00:45:51,500 declaring emphatically, it's not by my own righteousness, it's by 734 00:45:51,500 --> 00:45:54,420 what the Lord Jesus Christ did 2000 years ago, coming into this 735 00:45:54,420 --> 00:45:57,740 world to rescue my soul. That's what you're witnessing. 736 00:45:57,740 --> 00:46:01,520 You're witnessing a people here who are far from perfect, who 737 00:46:01,520 --> 00:46:04,600 have no boast before God concerning their performance to 738 00:46:04,600 --> 00:46:08,160 inherit eternal life, but have at one point said, I am a 739 00:46:08,160 --> 00:46:09,960 wretched Sinner, I need to be saved. 740 00:46:09,960 --> 00:46:15,840 And Jesus is that Savior. And we pray and hope that there 741 00:46:15,840 --> 00:46:17,920 would be a divine jealousy in your heart. 742 00:46:18,480 --> 00:46:21,440 That as you see people confidently and corporately 743 00:46:21,440 --> 00:46:24,480 enjoying the grace that they have freely received in Christ, 744 00:46:24,480 --> 00:46:27,930 that you would say, I want to be in that number, I want to be 745 00:46:27,930 --> 00:46:31,970 connected to this Christ so I can have that same access and 746 00:46:31,970 --> 00:46:33,770 have that same confidence and joy. 747 00:46:34,610 --> 00:46:36,290 And we hope that you would respond. 748 00:46:36,650 --> 00:46:39,050 Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins. 749 00:46:40,010 --> 00:46:46,850 He bled, He suffered. He gave himself over so that you 750 00:46:46,930 --> 00:46:50,130 could see his great love and respond to it with surrender. 751 00:46:50,490 --> 00:46:53,650 And that you would say, this is what my sin has done, then I 752 00:46:53,650 --> 00:46:55,850 forsake it. And if it's all through faith, 753 00:46:55,850 --> 00:46:58,010 then I give him my faith. I believe that you are my 754 00:46:58,010 --> 00:47:02,770 rescuer and my Redeemer. And I am in need of saving. 755 00:47:04,130 --> 00:47:07,090 So, brothers and sisters, please prepare your hearts as we sing 756 00:47:07,090 --> 00:47:09,490 in a moment and we'll give further instructions. 757 00:47:10,290 --> 00:47:12,210 Listen, shed everything off, will you? 758 00:47:14,010 --> 00:47:15,610 Don't think about anything else now. 759 00:47:16,410 --> 00:47:18,170 Don't think about how bad your week was. 760 00:47:18,370 --> 00:47:21,970 Look to the cross. Look to the cross. 761 00:47:22,050 --> 00:47:25,180 If you're saved, be reminded that you have a future. 762 00:47:26,060 --> 00:47:29,980 You have heaven, your name is written in the Lambs book of 763 00:47:29,980 --> 00:47:35,660 life, and that you will be warmly greeted by him, not 764 00:47:35,660 --> 00:47:38,100 because of your merit, because of what he's done. 765 00:47:39,060 --> 00:47:44,660 If the team who helps us sing can come to sing so that we can 766 00:47:44,660 --> 00:47:49,220 sing with you. Lord, we thank you for this 767 00:47:49,220 --> 00:47:50,380 time. Prepare our hearts. 768 00:47:52,900 --> 00:47:56,820 Be glorified. Manifest your presence in our 769 00:47:56,820 --> 00:47:59,300 midst more than you already have. 770 00:47:59,900 --> 00:48:02,980 Thank you, Father, in Jesus name, Amen.