1 00:00:03,680 --> 00:00:07,720 All right, you can turn in your Bible to Matthew chapter 17. 2 00:00:12,640 --> 00:00:14,920 We got interrupted. I mean, every week we get 3 00:00:14,920 --> 00:00:17,240 interrupted because a lot of times we talk about how the 4 00:00:17,240 --> 00:00:20,720 moment is continuing. Here the idea continues, but you 5 00:00:20,720 --> 00:00:22,520 know, I have to stop at some point. 6 00:00:23,080 --> 00:00:28,320 So last week, of course, I missed, but six days have gone 7 00:00:28,320 --> 00:00:32,360 by since the last thing that happened. 8 00:00:32,360 --> 00:00:36,000 So as you look back through chapter 16, what happened there? 9 00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:40,040 The Pharisees and the Sadducees, they're demanding signs and 10 00:00:40,040 --> 00:00:42,600 Jesus rebukes them. He says, look, you're asking for 11 00:00:42,600 --> 00:00:44,960 a sign from heaven, which ironically enough had already 12 00:00:44,960 --> 00:00:48,080 been given. The God the Father has literally 13 00:00:48,080 --> 00:00:50,760 spoken out loud from heaven at Jesus baptism. 14 00:00:50,960 --> 00:00:54,040 He literally changed the stars in the sky to announce Jesus 15 00:00:54,040 --> 00:00:55,760 birth. So everything they're asking for 16 00:00:55,760 --> 00:00:58,480 has actually been provided. But Jesus saying I'm not going 17 00:00:58,480 --> 00:01:00,720 to give you what you're demanding in this moment. 18 00:01:00,720 --> 00:01:03,440 They're saying do a trick and prove something to us. 19 00:01:03,520 --> 00:01:05,640 Jesus says you're going to get the sign of Jonah. 20 00:01:05,960 --> 00:01:08,600 I'm going to go down into the grave and I'm going to come back 21 00:01:08,600 --> 00:01:10,760 out again. Then he continues and he warns 22 00:01:10,760 --> 00:01:13,520 his disciples about the leaven of the Pharisees and the 23 00:01:13,520 --> 00:01:17,920 Sadducees to make sure that they're not being, that they're 24 00:01:17,920 --> 00:01:21,200 not being infected, frankly, by a little bit. 25 00:01:21,440 --> 00:01:24,960 A little bit of infection goes a long way, unfortunately. 26 00:01:25,160 --> 00:01:27,800 And then we continue. Jesus is with his disciples. 27 00:01:28,120 --> 00:01:31,360 He's teaching them, he or he's asking them, who do people say 28 00:01:31,360 --> 00:01:34,200 that I am? And Peter makes that profound 29 00:01:34,400 --> 00:01:36,920 revelation. He has that profound revelation 30 00:01:36,920 --> 00:01:40,720 from the Father which leads to a confession, which is what saves 31 00:01:40,720 --> 00:01:42,400 us. It's the revelation that the 32 00:01:42,400 --> 00:01:45,760 Holy Spirit brings to us and then the confession with our 33 00:01:45,760 --> 00:01:48,720 mouths we make unto salvation. And Peter says you're the 34 00:01:48,720 --> 00:01:50,480 Christ, you're the Son of the living God. 35 00:01:51,040 --> 00:01:53,480 Jesus says this has been revealed to you by my Father in 36 00:01:53,480 --> 00:01:55,360 heaven. Jesus says the gates of hell 37 00:01:55,560 --> 00:01:58,200 will not prevail against his church. 38 00:01:58,480 --> 00:02:01,320 And from that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that 39 00:02:01,320 --> 00:02:04,760 he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things, that he 40 00:02:04,760 --> 00:02:06,880 should be killed and be raised from the dead. 41 00:02:06,880 --> 00:02:10,080 Peter rebukes him, He calls Peter Satan, tells him to get 42 00:02:10,080 --> 00:02:11,440 his mind on the things of the Lord. 43 00:02:11,720 --> 00:02:15,480 And then Jesus gives one of his many, one of the many times he 44 00:02:15,480 --> 00:02:18,760 does this, makes it plain and tells people, what does it mean 45 00:02:18,760 --> 00:02:22,280 to follow Jesus? It is a bit different from the 46 00:02:22,280 --> 00:02:23,760 version that some of us have heard. 47 00:02:24,040 --> 00:02:26,560 This is where he says, if you don't follow me and take up your 48 00:02:26,560 --> 00:02:29,600 cross to follow me, he says, you just heard me say I'm going to 49 00:02:29,600 --> 00:02:32,000 go die. Let me extend the let me extend 50 00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:34,280 this for all of you. You have to take up your cross 51 00:02:34,280 --> 00:02:36,480 too. If you want to be my disciple, 52 00:02:36,560 --> 00:02:37,960 you have to do what I'm going to do. 53 00:02:39,080 --> 00:02:40,520 So it's one thing to say, hey, I'm the leader. 54 00:02:40,520 --> 00:02:42,520 Watch this. It's another thing to say, you 55 00:02:42,520 --> 00:02:44,880 can't be my follower unless you're going to be like me. 56 00:02:45,560 --> 00:02:47,920 High expectations, high standards. 57 00:02:48,760 --> 00:02:52,200 And then he finishes in verse 28 there and says, truly, I say to 58 00:02:52,200 --> 00:02:55,880 you, there are some standing here who will not taste death 59 00:02:56,080 --> 00:02:58,600 until they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom. 60 00:02:58,880 --> 00:03:03,080 Six days later. That moment is fulfilled and 61 00:03:03,080 --> 00:03:05,080 this is where we come now to chapter 17. 62 00:03:05,080 --> 00:03:09,520 After six days, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John his 63 00:03:09,520 --> 00:03:12,840 brother, and LED them up on a high mountain by themselves. 64 00:03:13,320 --> 00:03:18,200 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like 65 00:03:18,200 --> 00:03:21,440 the sun, and his clothes became white as light. 66 00:03:21,920 --> 00:03:26,640 And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah talking 67 00:03:26,880 --> 00:03:30,360 with him. And Peter said to Jesus, Lord, 68 00:03:30,360 --> 00:03:33,360 it's good that we are here. If you wish, I'll make 3 tents 69 00:03:33,360 --> 00:03:36,200 here, one for you and one for Moses, and 1:00 for Elijah. 70 00:03:36,600 --> 00:03:39,880 He was still speaking when behold, a bright cloud 71 00:03:39,880 --> 00:03:43,240 overshadowed them. And a voice from the cloud said, 72 00:03:43,480 --> 00:03:47,280 This is my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased. 73 00:03:47,520 --> 00:03:51,000 Listen to him. When the disciples heard this, 74 00:03:51,000 --> 00:03:53,520 they fell on their faces and were terrified. 75 00:03:54,120 --> 00:03:57,360 But Jesus came and touched them, saying, rise and have No Fear. 76 00:03:58,240 --> 00:04:01,760 And when they lifted their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only. 77 00:04:02,360 --> 00:04:04,720 And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, 78 00:04:05,080 --> 00:04:08,240 Tell no one the vision until the Son of man is raised from the 79 00:04:08,240 --> 00:04:10,360 dead. And the disciples asked him, 80 00:04:11,120 --> 00:04:14,480 Then why did the scribe say that first Elijah must come? 81 00:04:14,800 --> 00:04:19,200 He answered, Elijah does come, and he will restore all things. 82 00:04:19,880 --> 00:04:22,680 But I tell you that Elijah has already come. 83 00:04:23,560 --> 00:04:26,680 And they did not recognize him, but they did to him whatever 84 00:04:26,680 --> 00:04:30,200 they pleased. So also the Son of Man will 85 00:04:30,200 --> 00:04:34,520 certainly suffer at their hands. Then the disciples understood 86 00:04:34,760 --> 00:04:37,760 that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist. 87 00:04:38,360 --> 00:04:42,480 God, we pray that You would give us fresh eyes to see and receive 88 00:04:42,480 --> 00:04:47,080 and be amazed, to be just, to marvel at the glory of Jesus, to 89 00:04:47,080 --> 00:04:50,600 marvel at your power. God, I pray that you would give 90 00:04:50,600 --> 00:04:54,040 us revelation, not just of the mountaintop that day, but what 91 00:04:54,040 --> 00:04:57,880 it means for us still today to marvel, to understand and see 92 00:04:57,880 --> 00:05:01,840 more and more of who Jesus is. That's our desire, that's our 93 00:05:01,840 --> 00:05:03,440 expectation, and we thank you for it. 94 00:05:03,440 --> 00:05:09,000 Now, in Jesus name, Amen. What a crazy passage of 95 00:05:09,000 --> 00:05:10,600 scripture. You know, if you've been around 96 00:05:10,600 --> 00:05:13,520 the Bible for a while, you've read this and you've heard this, 97 00:05:13,680 --> 00:05:16,800 but this is nuts if you'll just be honest for a second and go 98 00:05:17,640 --> 00:05:19,880 compared to their day-to-day interactions that they were used 99 00:05:19,880 --> 00:05:21,320 to. I mean, the miracles themselves 100 00:05:21,320 --> 00:05:23,360 are nuts. It's already crazy stuff going 101 00:05:23,360 --> 00:05:25,400 on. Hey, Jesus takes us up on the 102 00:05:25,400 --> 00:05:28,280 mountain. Jesus is going to pray and now 103 00:05:28,360 --> 00:05:33,000 Jesus face shines like the sun. His clothes are as bright as 104 00:05:33,000 --> 00:05:36,720 light. OK, Moses and Elijah are 105 00:05:36,720 --> 00:05:38,160 suddenly here on the mountaintop. 106 00:05:38,400 --> 00:05:41,840 God the Father is speaking. We're being covered by a bright 107 00:05:42,040 --> 00:05:44,600 cloud. This is all, these are all 108 00:05:44,600 --> 00:05:47,480 things that are being fulfilled that we all saw in the Old 109 00:05:47,480 --> 00:05:49,960 Testament. Remember, Moses goes up on the 110 00:05:49,960 --> 00:05:51,960 mountaintop. The cloud comes down over him. 111 00:05:51,960 --> 00:05:55,080 His face shines. But remember, everything in 112 00:05:55,080 --> 00:05:58,160 Scripture comes through the filter of Jesus. 113 00:05:58,600 --> 00:06:02,360 Jesus is perfect theology. So we don't look to Moses and to 114 00:06:02,440 --> 00:06:03,560 Elijah. Look at y'all. 115 00:06:03,560 --> 00:06:06,440 You already got me way ahead in the sermon here where we don't 116 00:06:06,440 --> 00:06:10,320 look to Moses and Elijah and then see Jesus and go, oh, it's 117 00:06:10,320 --> 00:06:13,000 kind of like Moses. No, no, that's not what's 118 00:06:13,000 --> 00:06:15,320 happening. Moses and Elijah were always 119 00:06:15,320 --> 00:06:17,480 types and shadows of what's to come. 120 00:06:17,560 --> 00:06:20,800 Everything gets measured by Jesus from the past and from the 121 00:06:20,800 --> 00:06:22,680 future. He is the central figure of 122 00:06:22,680 --> 00:06:25,440 everything. So just because he sent Moses 123 00:06:25,440 --> 00:06:29,720 first, or he sent Elijah, or he sent others 1st and we go, oh, I 124 00:06:29,720 --> 00:06:32,200 kind of see how Jesus is kind of like that Old Testament thing. 125 00:06:32,200 --> 00:06:35,480 No, the only reason the Lord did that Old Testament thing to 126 00:06:35,480 --> 00:06:39,320 begin with was to preach Jesus. Everything's about Jesus, the 127 00:06:39,320 --> 00:06:42,920 whole Bible is about Jesus. Everything's held together by 128 00:06:43,040 --> 00:06:45,800 Jesus. Jesus is central, Jesus is 129 00:06:45,800 --> 00:06:49,520 supreme, and it pleases the Father to make it that way. 130 00:06:49,840 --> 00:06:53,320 So this is what's going on. So remember Matthew, who wrote 131 00:06:53,320 --> 00:06:55,880 this, who wrote this book? He wrote it. 132 00:06:55,880 --> 00:06:59,040 His audience was to the Jews. That was his audience. 133 00:06:59,040 --> 00:07:02,120 And remember the the chapter designations that we see here, 134 00:07:02,120 --> 00:07:05,160 We added those things later. So Matthew didn't write chapter 135 00:07:05,160 --> 00:07:07,360 16. He didn't write chapter 17. 136 00:07:07,360 --> 00:07:10,080 So his ideas just continued to flow there. 137 00:07:11,080 --> 00:07:13,840 So he hasn't made these designations and nothing that he 138 00:07:13,840 --> 00:07:16,920 writes is being lost, especially on his Jewish readers. 139 00:07:17,480 --> 00:07:20,560 As Moses and Elijah show up on the mountaintop, the Jewish 140 00:07:20,560 --> 00:07:23,800 readers are having to understand things and they do very clearly 141 00:07:23,800 --> 00:07:27,200 with what's going on and what the Lord chose to do and how he 142 00:07:27,200 --> 00:07:31,120 chose to reveal everything. So this experience that these 143 00:07:31,120 --> 00:07:34,400 three disciples are about to have with Jesus is like, I've 144 00:07:34,400 --> 00:07:36,400 told you what I believe. He was what Jesus was 145 00:07:36,400 --> 00:07:38,880 referencing when he was saying some of you won't even taste 146 00:07:38,880 --> 00:07:42,040 death before you see the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom. 147 00:07:42,200 --> 00:07:45,160 The phrase coming in His Kingdom gives me the image and gives me 148 00:07:45,160 --> 00:07:48,040 the idea of His second coming to rule the earth. 149 00:07:48,360 --> 00:07:50,600 And that's how many have read that and thought about that. 150 00:07:50,880 --> 00:07:53,640 But with the advantage of hindsight, we can obviously see 151 00:07:53,640 --> 00:07:55,880 that that's not what He meant. We can obviously see that's not 152 00:07:55,880 --> 00:07:57,640 what He intended because they did taste death. 153 00:07:57,960 --> 00:08:00,200 They all did. They all died, all, all of the 154 00:08:00,200 --> 00:08:03,280 apostles died and specifically even, you know, even the three 155 00:08:03,280 --> 00:08:04,360 were up on the mountain that day. 156 00:08:04,640 --> 00:08:06,600 So what was he saying? He's saying they're going to see 157 00:08:06,600 --> 00:08:08,880 my glory. Some of you are going to see the 158 00:08:08,880 --> 00:08:12,280 fullness of my majesty. Why hadn't they seen it? 159 00:08:12,280 --> 00:08:18,080 Well, because Jesus is wearing a veil, a human body, and somehow, 160 00:08:18,080 --> 00:08:21,200 someway, through the miracle of God, he has hidden those things. 161 00:08:21,200 --> 00:08:24,680 He has set those things aside so that we can participate with 162 00:08:24,680 --> 00:08:27,360 him, so that we can experience him and so that he can 163 00:08:27,360 --> 00:08:30,120 experience life as a man. There's a mystery there. 164 00:08:30,480 --> 00:08:33,240 We haven't fully decoded it, but we know it's true and we know 165 00:08:33,240 --> 00:08:36,760 it's good. So after six days, Jesus took 166 00:08:36,760 --> 00:08:40,039 with him Peter, James and John, his brother, and LED them up on 167 00:08:40,039 --> 00:08:42,799 a high mountain by themselves. There's a lot we could say. 168 00:08:42,799 --> 00:08:45,080 They're out. The the nugget that I'll give 169 00:08:45,080 --> 00:08:48,720 you, of course, is that Peter, James and John are are pulled in 170 00:08:49,000 --> 00:08:50,680 for more intimate moments at times. 171 00:08:50,840 --> 00:08:53,960 Also, Scripture talks heavily and constantly about the need 172 00:08:53,960 --> 00:08:56,480 for two or three witnesses to confirm a thing. 173 00:08:56,480 --> 00:08:59,080 So Jesus is mindful about everything that's going to 174 00:08:59,080 --> 00:09:01,720 happen and the testimonies that are going to take place. 175 00:09:02,040 --> 00:09:07,400 Then in verse 2, and he was transfigured before them and his 176 00:09:07,400 --> 00:09:12,600 face shone like the sun and his clothes became white is light. 177 00:09:12,600 --> 00:09:14,960 He was transfigured right in front of them. 178 00:09:15,000 --> 00:09:18,480 Jesus is up there to pray. So other gospel accounts tell us 179 00:09:18,480 --> 00:09:19,760 about what happened on the mountain that day. 180 00:09:19,760 --> 00:09:22,880 So we have some other contacts. He went up, He was praying, and 181 00:09:22,880 --> 00:09:26,280 then he was transfigured in front of them. 182 00:09:26,560 --> 00:09:30,640 The word transfigured refers to a complete and glorious 183 00:09:30,640 --> 00:09:34,560 transformation. Peter, James and John witnessed 184 00:09:34,560 --> 00:09:37,520 something that they did not expect when they woke up that 185 00:09:37,520 --> 00:09:41,200 morning and it's something that they will never ever forget. 186 00:09:41,720 --> 00:09:44,040 John writes about this in his gospel. 187 00:09:44,520 --> 00:09:48,560 So the Gospel of John and John chapter 1, John one verse 14, 188 00:09:48,680 --> 00:09:53,960 John wrote, we have seen his glory, the glory of the one and 189 00:09:53,960 --> 00:09:56,280 only. Peter will later write about 190 00:09:56,280 --> 00:09:59,960 this event to the church in first Peter chapter 1, verses 16 191 00:09:59,960 --> 00:10:01,440 through 18. Peter says this. 192 00:10:02,680 --> 00:10:07,360 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known 193 00:10:07,360 --> 00:10:11,080 to you the power and the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 194 00:10:11,680 --> 00:10:14,240 What a great point. What a great argument, as people 195 00:10:14,240 --> 00:10:17,080 still make that argument. Christianity is a cleverly 196 00:10:17,200 --> 00:10:19,560 devised myth. Peter's going, hey, just so you 197 00:10:19,560 --> 00:10:22,480 know, I'm not willing to be crucified upside down for a 198 00:10:22,480 --> 00:10:25,040 myth. I'm not willing to be crucified 199 00:10:25,040 --> 00:10:28,040 upside down for a lie. None of the apostles were going, 200 00:10:28,040 --> 00:10:30,040 hey, Jesus died. Bummer. 201 00:10:30,120 --> 00:10:31,720 He didn't. He wasn't raised from the dead. 202 00:10:31,960 --> 00:10:35,280 Tell you what, guys, let's play the world's biggest prank on the 203 00:10:35,280 --> 00:10:38,520 world and let's all take it to our to our torturous deaths. 204 00:10:39,120 --> 00:10:40,920 Let's let's do it. Who's who's with me? 205 00:10:42,080 --> 00:10:44,120 No, no, who's with me? Everyone was with them. 206 00:10:44,120 --> 00:10:45,440 Everybody was all in on it. Why? 207 00:10:45,600 --> 00:10:47,840 Because it's the truth, Because it's the reality. 208 00:10:47,960 --> 00:10:50,120 It's why they wouldn't deny because like, I've seen him. 209 00:10:50,440 --> 00:10:52,360 It's too late for me. I've seen him. 210 00:10:52,560 --> 00:10:55,360 I walked with him. I was on the mountain that day 211 00:10:56,040 --> 00:10:59,080 when he was transformed before my very eyes. 212 00:10:59,160 --> 00:11:03,080 We did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known 213 00:11:03,080 --> 00:11:06,400 to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 214 00:11:06,400 --> 00:11:08,760 Let me make another point. I know you want me to finish 215 00:11:08,760 --> 00:11:10,200 that passage. We'll get there eventually. 216 00:11:11,120 --> 00:11:15,120 The whole Bible is awesome. The whole Bible is perfect, and 217 00:11:15,120 --> 00:11:17,960 everything in the Bible keeps pointing to Jesus. 218 00:11:18,160 --> 00:11:21,200 No man could have done it. I mean, don't you see how week 219 00:11:21,200 --> 00:11:23,000 after week how I show you things? 220 00:11:23,240 --> 00:11:25,560 I didn't put them in there. I'm not wrestling. 221 00:11:25,560 --> 00:11:28,920 I'm not shoehorning anyone. It's kind of like it's there 222 00:11:29,080 --> 00:11:30,640 because the Bible is that awesome. 223 00:11:30,640 --> 00:11:33,640 Because the Holy Spirit inspired all Scripture. 224 00:11:33,920 --> 00:11:35,720 So this isn't cleverly devised myths. 225 00:11:35,720 --> 00:11:38,360 Man couldn't have done it, and man wouldn't have done it. 226 00:11:38,640 --> 00:11:39,640 Why? How do we know? 227 00:11:39,640 --> 00:11:42,560 Because everything man builds makes man the hero. 228 00:11:43,120 --> 00:11:47,600 That's why every world religion except for one somehow makes you 229 00:11:47,600 --> 00:11:49,600 the hero. You accomplish the work. 230 00:11:49,800 --> 00:11:52,840 You Pierce the bubble of the universe like Siddhartha Buddha 231 00:11:52,840 --> 00:11:55,200 supposedly did. You are the one who keeps the 232 00:11:55,200 --> 00:11:58,000 five pillars of Islam. You are the one who does good 233 00:11:58,000 --> 00:12:01,320 enough things to be reincarnated to eventually achieve Nirvana. 234 00:12:01,480 --> 00:12:04,680 You did it, you earned it. Good job. 235 00:12:05,000 --> 00:12:08,200 That's what man made. Religion always creates the 236 00:12:08,200 --> 00:12:12,520 gospel, crushes the human ego and says you can't, you don't 237 00:12:12,560 --> 00:12:14,520 actually. You deserve death and punishment 238 00:12:14,520 --> 00:12:17,800 forever, and eternity won't be enough punishment for what you 239 00:12:17,800 --> 00:12:19,720 actually deserve. But it's all we can do. 240 00:12:19,920 --> 00:12:24,280 Eternity is the only option. But God, who is rich in mercy, 241 00:12:24,880 --> 00:12:27,280 God is the hero, God is the savior. 242 00:12:27,360 --> 00:12:30,040 So everything he does, his Old Testament connections to the New 243 00:12:30,040 --> 00:12:32,720 Testament connections, his sovereignty, his grace. 244 00:12:33,240 --> 00:12:35,600 To call it clever would be an understatement. 245 00:12:35,880 --> 00:12:38,920 It's brilliant, it's majesty, it's divine. 246 00:12:39,680 --> 00:12:42,480 These are not cleverly devised myths. 247 00:12:43,320 --> 00:12:45,400 We did not follow cleverly devised myths. 248 00:12:45,400 --> 00:12:49,600 Peter writing later in First Peter about the Transfiguration. 249 00:12:49,760 --> 00:12:53,040 We did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known 250 00:12:53,040 --> 00:12:56,080 to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 251 00:12:56,240 --> 00:13:00,560 But we were eyewitnesses of His Majesty, for when he received 252 00:13:00,560 --> 00:13:04,320 honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was born 253 00:13:04,320 --> 00:13:07,680 to him by the majestic glory. This is my beloved Son, with 254 00:13:07,680 --> 00:13:10,640 whom I am well pleased. We ourselves heard this very 255 00:13:10,640 --> 00:13:14,200 voice born from heaven, for we were with him on the holy 256 00:13:14,200 --> 00:13:16,440 mountain. Peter saying, guys, don't 257 00:13:16,440 --> 00:13:19,840 forget, this is not some cleverly put together story. 258 00:13:20,000 --> 00:13:22,040 I was there on the mountain that day. 259 00:13:22,560 --> 00:13:25,960 I ran my mouth as I've, as I've tended to do. 260 00:13:26,120 --> 00:13:29,320 That's me, Peter, and the Father said, you shut up. 261 00:13:29,920 --> 00:13:34,360 This is my son and he's greater than Moses and Elijah. 262 00:13:35,800 --> 00:13:38,160 Peter says I was there and I won't forget it. 263 00:13:38,480 --> 00:13:42,360 I saw the glory of Jesus, the eternal glory of Jesus, which 264 00:13:42,360 --> 00:13:45,920 had been hidden from them. I saw it for moments, for 265 00:13:45,920 --> 00:13:48,000 minutes. We don't know for how long, but 266 00:13:48,000 --> 00:13:50,480 it marked these men and they wouldn't forget it. 267 00:13:50,520 --> 00:13:56,520 What was the Transfiguration? It was a display of the majesty 268 00:13:56,520 --> 00:13:59,240 of Jesus. It was a revelation of the 269 00:13:59,240 --> 00:14:02,680 divinity of Jesus. It was a moment for him to 270 00:14:02,680 --> 00:14:05,240 receive honour and glory from God the Father. 271 00:14:05,440 --> 00:14:10,920 It revealed his authority over Moses and the prophets, and it 272 00:14:10,920 --> 00:14:13,920 prepared him for his journey to the cross. 273 00:14:14,560 --> 00:14:17,680 Those are the things and those are the purposes of the 274 00:14:17,680 --> 00:14:19,160 transfiguration. I'm going to tell you that 275 00:14:19,160 --> 00:14:21,720 again, what was the transfiguration? 276 00:14:21,720 --> 00:14:24,520 It was the display of the majesty of Jesus. 277 00:14:25,800 --> 00:14:28,560 It was a revelation of the divinity of Jesus. 278 00:14:29,280 --> 00:14:32,200 It was a moment for Him to receive honor and glory from God 279 00:14:32,200 --> 00:14:34,960 the Father. It revealed His authority over 280 00:14:34,960 --> 00:14:38,640 Moses and the prophets, and it prepared him for his journey to 281 00:14:38,640 --> 00:14:40,720 the cross. It continued to provide and 282 00:14:40,720 --> 00:14:43,440 prepare Him for strength for the cross. 283 00:14:44,760 --> 00:14:46,880 His face is shining like the sun. 284 00:14:47,480 --> 00:14:50,240 His clothes are as white as light. 285 00:14:51,080 --> 00:14:54,600 Peter, James and John are getting a glimpse of the eternal 286 00:14:54,600 --> 00:14:59,240 glory of Jesus that He has set aside or that He is hidden when 287 00:14:59,240 --> 00:15:02,280 He became man. It's important to understand 288 00:15:02,280 --> 00:15:05,160 Jesus is not putting on some new glory in this moment. 289 00:15:05,360 --> 00:15:08,960 There's not some new thing coming upon Christ in this 290 00:15:08,960 --> 00:15:12,120 moment. This is his natural state, and 291 00:15:12,120 --> 00:15:14,760 they're seeing him take off the mask for only a moment. 292 00:15:15,000 --> 00:15:19,240 This is who Jesus is. It's not whoa, look, he got like 293 00:15:19,240 --> 00:15:23,240 a power boost or something. Nope, this is him all the time. 294 00:15:23,960 --> 00:15:26,960 There's a veil on him, though, just like Moses when he came 295 00:15:26,960 --> 00:15:29,920 down off the mountain and his face was glowing because he had 296 00:15:29,920 --> 00:15:33,560 been talking with God and the people of Israel want this is 297 00:15:33,720 --> 00:15:37,000 too much for us. So Moses wears a veil just for 298 00:15:37,000 --> 00:15:38,920 the comfort of the people because they were terrified of 299 00:15:38,920 --> 00:15:40,880 God and they were terrified of Moses. 300 00:15:41,280 --> 00:15:44,240 So Moses wears a veil and he only takes off the veil to go be 301 00:15:44,240 --> 00:15:48,080 into the presence of God again. Oh, this is kind of like that. 302 00:15:48,080 --> 00:15:50,960 Nope. That was prophecy of the greater 303 00:15:50,960 --> 00:15:53,600 that's coming. Jesus fulfills the law. 304 00:15:53,920 --> 00:15:58,080 Jesus fulfills the prophets. So He's fulfilling everything in 305 00:15:58,080 --> 00:16:02,640 perfect righteousness. They've been seeing the mask and 306 00:16:02,640 --> 00:16:05,600 now they see the real thing. They're seeing the face of God 307 00:16:05,600 --> 00:16:10,480 in the glory of Jesus. So I told you back in verse 21 308 00:16:10,480 --> 00:16:14,240 of chapter 16, remember where Jesus? 309 00:16:14,240 --> 00:16:18,000 It says from that time on Jesus began to show his disciples that 310 00:16:18,000 --> 00:16:20,520 he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the 311 00:16:20,520 --> 00:16:24,520 elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed and on the 312 00:16:24,520 --> 00:16:27,480 third day be raised. Remember how I told you we 313 00:16:27,480 --> 00:16:29,800 shifted gears? We're in the last chapter of 314 00:16:29,840 --> 00:16:31,160 Jesus's story. At this point. 315 00:16:31,160 --> 00:16:32,680 You think, man, we got a lot of chapters left. 316 00:16:32,920 --> 00:16:35,760 Yeah, but that's because we slow down and we get into so much 317 00:16:35,760 --> 00:16:38,320 detail. Now we're in the final chapter. 318 00:16:38,560 --> 00:16:41,680 We saw early life, we saw early ministry. 319 00:16:41,800 --> 00:16:45,560 We're very likely in the last six months, very, very likely. 320 00:16:45,560 --> 00:16:47,760 You could argue for even shorter, But we're in the last 321 00:16:47,760 --> 00:16:50,720 six months with all the chapters that we have left in Matthew, 322 00:16:50,720 --> 00:16:53,360 and we're going to start to slow down and we're going to get day 323 00:16:53,360 --> 00:16:55,160 by day when we get into Jerusalem. 324 00:16:56,440 --> 00:16:59,000 And it's just, it's the awesome culmination. 325 00:16:59,000 --> 00:17:01,040 But this was the moment where it all shifts. 326 00:17:01,040 --> 00:17:04,079 And Jesus says from now on his start, he starts telling them 327 00:17:04,079 --> 00:17:06,240 over and over, here's what's going to happen. 328 00:17:07,119 --> 00:17:09,079 He's shifting gears to finish his mission. 329 00:17:09,920 --> 00:17:12,359 So what happens right after he's shifted gears to finish his 330 00:17:12,359 --> 00:17:13,119 mission? Mission. 331 00:17:13,280 --> 00:17:15,119 The Father comes to bless the Son. 332 00:17:16,240 --> 00:17:19,640 The Father comes to encourage the Son, to strengthen the Son, 333 00:17:19,880 --> 00:17:22,960 to show his delight in him and to sustain him for what's 334 00:17:22,960 --> 00:17:25,839 coming. Fathers, there's a lesson for us 335 00:17:25,839 --> 00:17:29,520 here, an important application that earthly fathers should make 336 00:17:29,520 --> 00:17:32,680 for us, for ourselves. We must do the same thing for 337 00:17:32,680 --> 00:17:36,120 our own children. Do not withhold your love and 338 00:17:36,120 --> 00:17:41,640 Your praise from Your children. They need this to fulfill their 339 00:17:41,640 --> 00:17:44,240 purpose. Do not exasperate your children. 340 00:17:44,440 --> 00:17:46,280 Do not discourage them with harshness. 341 00:17:46,480 --> 00:17:50,440 Give them your delight freely, even while you discipline 342 00:17:50,440 --> 00:17:54,880 wisely, calmly, and firmly. The Father God does it for Jesus 343 00:17:54,880 --> 00:17:57,840 to publicly praise and to bless His own Son. 344 00:17:58,080 --> 00:18:00,080 Us earthly fathers need to learn that same lesson. 345 00:18:00,360 --> 00:18:03,480 How great an impact might this have had on Jesus and been just 346 00:18:03,480 --> 00:18:06,680 more wind in His sails as he soldiers forward to be the 347 00:18:06,680 --> 00:18:08,800 suffering servant that he was sent to be. 348 00:18:09,640 --> 00:18:13,440 At his baptism and at the beginning of his ministry, the 349 00:18:13,440 --> 00:18:16,320 Father said out loud so that people heard it. 350 00:18:16,520 --> 00:18:20,120 This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased. 351 00:18:20,520 --> 00:18:23,040 And now again, as Jesus enters the final chapter of his 352 00:18:23,040 --> 00:18:27,440 ministry, the Father comes again and says, this is my son with 353 00:18:27,440 --> 00:18:30,280 whom I'm well pleased. Listen to him. 354 00:18:32,120 --> 00:18:34,600 This has to bless Jesus. How do we know that? 355 00:18:34,840 --> 00:18:38,320 Because Jesus has said before his only priority, his only 356 00:18:38,320 --> 00:18:42,160 desire is to please the Father. The disciples came to him once 357 00:18:42,160 --> 00:18:43,840 said, Hey Lord, you want you want something to eat. 358 00:18:44,080 --> 00:18:48,200 And Jesus goes, my food is to do the will of him who sent me and 359 00:18:48,200 --> 00:18:50,880 to accomplish his work. Jesus said, that's my 360 00:18:50,880 --> 00:18:53,240 sustenance. That's what fuels me up. 361 00:18:53,760 --> 00:18:56,840 And then sure, yes, Jesus also ate food, but he was saying the 362 00:18:56,840 --> 00:18:59,680 most important thing for me is to please the Father. 363 00:19:00,040 --> 00:19:03,320 Another time Jesus said, and he who sent me is with me. 364 00:19:03,640 --> 00:19:07,480 He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are 365 00:19:07,480 --> 00:19:10,120 pleasing to him. So Jesus wants to please the 366 00:19:10,120 --> 00:19:11,480 Father. That's his whole purpose. 367 00:19:11,640 --> 00:19:13,360 It's what he even prays in the garden. 368 00:19:13,520 --> 00:19:18,800 Again, not my will, he's saying, not, not what I would feel in my 369 00:19:18,800 --> 00:19:21,600 flesh that I would want to do to escape this torment. 370 00:19:21,840 --> 00:19:24,960 But your will be done, Father. If it's possible, let this cup 371 00:19:24,960 --> 00:19:28,160 pass from me. But I want to please you more 372 00:19:28,160 --> 00:19:31,800 than anything else. Keep going here in verse 3. 373 00:19:33,040 --> 00:19:37,920 And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah talking 374 00:19:37,920 --> 00:19:40,680 with him. This is something else entirely. 375 00:19:40,680 --> 00:19:44,760 Not only do we see Jesus in his glory, it's just weird. 376 00:19:45,000 --> 00:19:48,440 Now Moses and Elijah are here. I'll say it, it's weird. 377 00:19:49,200 --> 00:19:52,360 Jesus alone being transformed and transfigured is incredible 378 00:19:52,360 --> 00:19:54,320 and magnificent. That would have been enough. 379 00:19:54,320 --> 00:19:56,720 But now, like, where did these two come from? 380 00:19:57,760 --> 00:20:03,800 And not only that, why Moses, Why Elijah, why not Abraham, why 381 00:20:03,800 --> 00:20:06,240 not David? Why not pick your patriarch? 382 00:20:06,240 --> 00:20:10,040 Why not somebody else to come to come speak with the Lord? 383 00:20:11,680 --> 00:20:15,080 The reason that it's Moses, the reason that it's Elijah, is 384 00:20:15,080 --> 00:20:18,840 because Moses represents the law that God gave in the Old 385 00:20:18,840 --> 00:20:22,640 Testament. Moses in the Jewish mind is the 386 00:20:22,640 --> 00:20:24,800 law. They even referred to it as the 387 00:20:24,800 --> 00:20:28,240 Law of Moses. Now, it's not the law of Moses, 388 00:20:28,240 --> 00:20:31,320 it's the law of God, but it was often referred to as the law of 389 00:20:31,320 --> 00:20:34,160 Moses. And Elijah was the greatest 390 00:20:34,160 --> 00:20:38,360 prophet, and Elijah represents the prophets. 391 00:20:39,440 --> 00:20:41,560 So what's happening here? Why Moses? 392 00:20:41,560 --> 00:20:44,560 Why Elijah? Because the law and the prophets 393 00:20:44,560 --> 00:20:47,080 are represented right here. The law and the prophets are 394 00:20:47,080 --> 00:20:49,320 embodied right here on the mountaintop. 395 00:20:50,200 --> 00:20:53,400 Remember the Jewish reader, Moses and Elijah are there. 396 00:20:53,480 --> 00:20:55,880 I mean, we should be excited about Moses and Elijah too, not 397 00:20:55,880 --> 00:20:58,200 just the Jews. Moses is awesome. 398 00:20:59,040 --> 00:21:04,480 Elijah is awesome, actually. Truly, truly great men of God. 399 00:21:06,080 --> 00:21:08,320 They represent the law, They represent the prophets. 400 00:21:08,480 --> 00:21:11,440 So here we have the ultimate authority in the Jewish mind 401 00:21:11,440 --> 00:21:16,240 though the law and the prophets. And now again, the the Jewish 402 00:21:16,240 --> 00:21:18,040 readers aren't missing any of this at all. 403 00:21:18,320 --> 00:21:20,960 That's why it's so awesome what the Father does next. 404 00:21:21,280 --> 00:21:23,360 Why Moses? Why Elijah? 405 00:21:23,800 --> 00:21:29,440 Because Jesus fulfills the law and Jesus fulfills the prophets. 406 00:21:29,800 --> 00:21:32,600 They, they would always hold up and always look back, but the 407 00:21:32,600 --> 00:21:35,560 Father is going to continue to shift their perspective here. 408 00:21:36,600 --> 00:21:38,160 Now what else? We'll, we'll come back to that. 409 00:21:38,240 --> 00:21:41,280 What did they talk about? It says they were talking 410 00:21:41,280 --> 00:21:44,680 together, Moses and Elijah talking with Jesus. 411 00:21:44,680 --> 00:21:50,240 What a privilege for those two. Luke 931 tells us, because Luke 412 00:21:50,240 --> 00:21:53,240 gives the account as well and tells more detail what was going 413 00:21:53,240 --> 00:21:55,480 on. It says they and they spoke of 414 00:21:55,480 --> 00:21:59,320 his departure, which he was about to accomplish at 415 00:21:59,320 --> 00:22:01,880 Jerusalem. That's what they talked about. 416 00:22:02,680 --> 00:22:06,440 Moses and Elijah have come to talk with Jesus and they spoke 417 00:22:06,440 --> 00:22:09,760 about his departure, which he was about to accomplish at 418 00:22:09,760 --> 00:22:12,440 Jerusalem. His departure has multiple 419 00:22:12,440 --> 00:22:14,480 meanings. One of the meanings is his 420 00:22:14,480 --> 00:22:18,640 death, His departure, which he was about to accomplish. 421 00:22:18,640 --> 00:22:21,480 Accomplish is not really the word you and I use when we talk 422 00:22:21,480 --> 00:22:24,560 about us passing on. It's just something that's it's 423 00:22:24,560 --> 00:22:27,800 necessary, but it's not welcome. But Jesus is going to 424 00:22:27,800 --> 00:22:30,600 accomplish. When he dies, He'll accomplish 425 00:22:30,600 --> 00:22:31,080 it. Why? 426 00:22:31,280 --> 00:22:33,400 Because nobody takes his life from him. 427 00:22:33,720 --> 00:22:36,400 He makes that clear. Nobody takes this from me. 428 00:22:36,600 --> 00:22:40,040 I lay it down. That's my accomplishment, and I 429 00:22:40,040 --> 00:22:43,120 will take it back up again. Jesus accomplishes his own 430 00:22:43,120 --> 00:22:45,720 death. You and you and me, we're just 431 00:22:45,720 --> 00:22:48,200 going to die. I'm not going to accomplish my 432 00:22:48,200 --> 00:22:50,400 death. Jesus accomplishes his death. 433 00:22:52,120 --> 00:22:53,840 His departure, though, has multiple meanings. 434 00:22:53,840 --> 00:23:00,480 The word departure means exodus. Again, God's perfect, He's 435 00:23:00,480 --> 00:23:03,120 brilliant. His departure is his death. 436 00:23:03,600 --> 00:23:05,560 But there's more to the exodus of Jesus. 437 00:23:05,560 --> 00:23:10,320 Moses LED an exodus, but the greater Moses was here now to 438 00:23:10,320 --> 00:23:12,520 finish the job in the hearts of men. 439 00:23:13,240 --> 00:23:17,240 Moses only led the people out of Egypt, but Moses could not get 440 00:23:17,240 --> 00:23:20,040 the Egypt out of the people. That was the problem. 441 00:23:20,040 --> 00:23:23,000 When they left Egypt, they still had Egypt inside of them. 442 00:23:23,160 --> 00:23:26,440 They're still worshipping a cow made of gold with their own 443 00:23:26,440 --> 00:23:28,960 hands, and they're saying this is our great God who has 444 00:23:28,960 --> 00:23:32,120 delivered us. Egypt was still deeply inside of 445 00:23:32,120 --> 00:23:33,280 them. Moses couldn't get it out. 446 00:23:33,800 --> 00:23:36,440 Jesus can. Jesus can get into my heart and 447 00:23:36,440 --> 00:23:39,960 get out all the idolatry and all the filth and all the sin. 448 00:23:41,640 --> 00:23:44,080 Moses couldn't do that, but the greater Moses can. 449 00:23:45,360 --> 00:23:48,400 Moses face shined on the mountain because he talked to 450 00:23:48,400 --> 00:23:50,840 God. Jesus's face is shining because 451 00:23:50,840 --> 00:23:53,520 he is God. The King has come to finish the 452 00:23:53,520 --> 00:23:57,000 work, the final sacrifice has come, and the Lamb of God will 453 00:23:57,000 --> 00:23:59,880 take away the sin of the world. That is what they're talking 454 00:23:59,880 --> 00:24:04,080 about, Jesus accomplishing his mission and fulfilling the law 455 00:24:04,600 --> 00:24:09,080 and fulfilling the prophets. The law is great and it points 456 00:24:09,280 --> 00:24:10,760 to the greater One who fulfills it. 457 00:24:11,040 --> 00:24:14,120 The prophets are great, but their prophecies point to the 458 00:24:14,120 --> 00:24:17,480 One, the perfect prophet, the perfect priest, and the perfect 459 00:24:17,480 --> 00:24:22,960 king in verse four. And Peter said to Jesus, Lord, 460 00:24:23,120 --> 00:24:26,600 it is good that we are here. If you wish, I'll make 3 tents 461 00:24:26,600 --> 00:24:31,120 here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah. 462 00:24:31,120 --> 00:24:33,920 He was still speaking when behold, a bright cloud 463 00:24:33,920 --> 00:24:38,400 overshadowed them and a voice from the cloud said, this is my 464 00:24:38,400 --> 00:24:40,920 beloved son with whom I am well pleased. 465 00:24:41,240 --> 00:24:45,680 Listen to him. Luke tells us in his account. 466 00:24:45,880 --> 00:24:48,400 He says Peter, who didn't know what he was saying. 467 00:24:48,720 --> 00:24:51,920 It's almost like Peter just kind of it got away from him before 468 00:24:51,920 --> 00:24:55,480 he could even stop himself. And he wants to prolong this 469 00:24:55,480 --> 00:24:57,960 occasion as much as possible, which is likely what's going on 470 00:24:57,960 --> 00:25:00,040 here. We don't fully know Peter's 471 00:25:00,040 --> 00:25:01,880 motive, but we know what he wanted to do. 472 00:25:01,880 --> 00:25:04,520 He probably wanted to build like a Tabernacle when they would do 473 00:25:04,520 --> 00:25:06,720 their their feast and they would build like their you would get 474 00:25:06,720 --> 00:25:09,000 sticks and you would get leaves and you would stay outside. 475 00:25:09,000 --> 00:25:11,200 And Peter's probably say, hey, let me, let me build a shelter. 476 00:25:11,200 --> 00:25:15,440 Like I want this to last. I want this to go on and on and 477 00:25:15,440 --> 00:25:18,120 on. Is Peter enjoying the glory of 478 00:25:18,120 --> 00:25:22,440 Jesus or is Peter excited about Moses and Elijah? 479 00:25:22,440 --> 00:25:26,760 It's Moses and Elijah. I got to keep them here as long 480 00:25:27,000 --> 00:25:29,880 as possible. But look at what the father does 481 00:25:29,880 --> 00:25:32,600 next. He makes things very clear and 482 00:25:32,600 --> 00:25:35,560 he's he interrupts script. The scripture says he interrupts 483 00:25:35,560 --> 00:25:37,320 Peter. So Peter's going, hey, I was 484 00:25:37,320 --> 00:25:39,440 thinking if maybe. And the father comes in in the 485 00:25:39,440 --> 00:25:44,000 cloud and speaks and he's essentially saying you've got 486 00:25:44,000 --> 00:25:47,600 the law of Moses and you've got the prophets, prophets through 487 00:25:47,600 --> 00:25:49,720 Elijah. But I want you to know that 488 00:25:49,720 --> 00:25:52,000 someone greater than them is with you. 489 00:25:52,000 --> 00:25:54,240 Now. This is my son. 490 00:25:54,400 --> 00:26:00,560 Listen to him. Moses, Elijah, Jesus. 491 00:26:00,720 --> 00:26:04,680 Listen to him. This is the the shift in the 492 00:26:04,680 --> 00:26:07,040 hierarchy for some. And they're thinking and they're 493 00:26:07,040 --> 00:26:10,480 going well, yeah, you got Moses, you got Elijah, you got Jesus 494 00:26:10,480 --> 00:26:12,280 again, What? What every world religion does, 495 00:26:12,280 --> 00:26:14,600 by the way, to Jesus, they want to make him. 496 00:26:14,600 --> 00:26:17,040 Oh, yeah, He's another great option out there. 497 00:26:17,720 --> 00:26:20,480 You know, you got this guy who died and wasn't raised from the 498 00:26:20,480 --> 00:26:22,760 dead. You got this guy, also dead, 499 00:26:22,800 --> 00:26:25,880 also not raised. You got this guy, also dead, 500 00:26:25,880 --> 00:26:27,560 also not raised. And then they pretend that Jesus 501 00:26:27,560 --> 00:26:30,840 is somehow equal. He's not. 502 00:26:31,200 --> 00:26:32,720 He's not. And actually, he's got nothing 503 00:26:32,720 --> 00:26:35,760 to do with false religions and demonic religions that have been 504 00:26:35,760 --> 00:26:41,080 created by Satan and his tools. But Jesus does come to fulfill 505 00:26:41,320 --> 00:26:44,080 what Moses has started and what Elijah has started. 506 00:26:44,080 --> 00:26:46,920 And the Father emphasizes this point. 507 00:26:47,600 --> 00:26:50,400 This is why it's so awesome to have the law and the prophets. 508 00:26:50,400 --> 00:26:53,760 And then the Father says, hey, hey, hey, don't get distracted 509 00:26:54,680 --> 00:26:57,400 and don't misunderstand. Listen to him. 510 00:26:59,080 --> 00:27:03,120 The law and the prophets give way to the one who sent them. 511 00:27:03,440 --> 00:27:06,520 The law and the prophets are not irrelevant. 512 00:27:07,000 --> 00:27:08,400 I need to say that to you, Church. 513 00:27:08,400 --> 00:27:10,000 I don't want to overstate the case. 514 00:27:10,000 --> 00:27:12,800 And you go, Yep, I don't need my Old Testament anymore. 515 00:27:12,920 --> 00:27:16,520 That's a lie. And that is a that is a very 516 00:27:16,520 --> 00:27:19,600 false claim. You need your whole Bible. 517 00:27:19,840 --> 00:27:21,320 Why? Because the whole Bible is about 518 00:27:21,400 --> 00:27:24,400 Jesus and the whole Bible brings you more light and revelation on 519 00:27:24,400 --> 00:27:26,760 Jesus. So your whole Bible is good. 520 00:27:27,600 --> 00:27:31,040 Every single command in the old old covenant does not apply to 521 00:27:31,040 --> 00:27:34,600 you any longer. Many still do the 10 522 00:27:34,600 --> 00:27:36,680 commandments. They still apply to you. 523 00:27:37,240 --> 00:27:41,000 Jewish dietary law does not. I'm not going to break down all 524 00:27:41,000 --> 00:27:44,720 the details of how we make those distinctions, but the point is 525 00:27:45,040 --> 00:27:47,840 the whole Bible is good. The whole Bible is useful and 526 00:27:47,840 --> 00:27:50,880 profitable for you and I still today, but they are to be 527 00:27:50,880 --> 00:27:53,560 viewed. Everything in Scripture is to be 528 00:27:53,560 --> 00:27:55,920 viewed from the future and from the past. 529 00:27:55,920 --> 00:27:58,360 It's to come through the through the lens of Jesus. 530 00:27:58,800 --> 00:28:01,600 That's how you read Moses, through the lens of Christ, 531 00:28:01,800 --> 00:28:03,280 that's how you read the prophets. 532 00:28:03,400 --> 00:28:05,960 Through the lens of Christ. That's how you read the 533 00:28:05,960 --> 00:28:08,360 revelation through the lens of Christ. 534 00:28:08,560 --> 00:28:11,240 Everything filters through Jesus. 535 00:28:11,720 --> 00:28:14,600 It's why time itself and the calendar is built off of Him. 536 00:28:14,760 --> 00:28:17,320 It counted up to Him and now it's counted from Him. 537 00:28:17,560 --> 00:28:19,480 He is the central figure for everything. 538 00:28:19,920 --> 00:28:22,360 Whether or not man, when they were messing with the calendar, 539 00:28:22,360 --> 00:28:24,880 understood that and God's sovereignty, He accomplished 540 00:28:24,880 --> 00:28:28,720 that. Jesus has been teaching them. 541 00:28:28,840 --> 00:28:32,120 But the Father brings another testimony, so Jesus doesn't 542 00:28:32,120 --> 00:28:35,920 testify about himself. Moses testified of Jesus in his 543 00:28:35,920 --> 00:28:38,320 writings. Elijah testified of Jesus in his 544 00:28:38,320 --> 00:28:41,400 ministry. But now they are sent in person 545 00:28:41,480 --> 00:28:43,600 to testify. But their testimony is 546 00:28:43,600 --> 00:28:47,840 overshadowed by the testimony of the Father himself, which is the 547 00:28:47,840 --> 00:28:49,800 only testimony that matters to Jesus. 548 00:28:50,000 --> 00:28:54,560 And he makes that plain whenever he's praying later before his 549 00:28:54,560 --> 00:28:58,320 crucify a couple days before the crucifixion, and he's praying 550 00:28:58,320 --> 00:29:00,880 and he says, Father, glorify your name. 551 00:29:01,040 --> 00:29:05,480 And the Father speaks out loud in front of this whole crowd and 552 00:29:05,480 --> 00:29:09,080 says I have glorified it and I will glorify it again. 553 00:29:09,600 --> 00:29:12,040 How? Through you, son, through his 554 00:29:12,040 --> 00:29:14,840 own son. And everybody goes, everybody 555 00:29:14,840 --> 00:29:17,640 hears it. And the cynics do what cynics 556 00:29:17,640 --> 00:29:19,760 do. You know what they said it 557 00:29:19,760 --> 00:29:23,880 thundered. That was that was Thunder. 558 00:29:25,440 --> 00:29:26,880 What are they? Who are they trying to convince 559 00:29:26,880 --> 00:29:31,320 themselves for the fear of God? The right response is God, 560 00:29:31,320 --> 00:29:34,080 forgive me and let me be humbled before you. 561 00:29:34,560 --> 00:29:40,600 But the hard heart goes, That was Thunder as it wets itself in 562 00:29:40,600 --> 00:29:45,280 fear for what it knows it really was Jesus. 563 00:29:45,320 --> 00:29:47,680 But Jesus after the Father spoke, Jesus didn't go. 564 00:29:47,680 --> 00:29:49,720 That's right. Look at me. 565 00:29:49,880 --> 00:29:53,560 Jesus said that voice was not for me, That was for you. 566 00:29:55,120 --> 00:29:58,400 I didn't need that. I'm with the Father and I'm one 567 00:29:58,400 --> 00:30:00,160 with the Father. That was for you. 568 00:30:00,800 --> 00:30:03,680 It will be for your salvation or for your condemnation. 569 00:30:03,680 --> 00:30:06,920 You'll get to pick. So the only testimony that 570 00:30:06,920 --> 00:30:10,320 matters to Jesus is not the testimony of Moses or the 571 00:30:10,320 --> 00:30:12,520 testimony of Elijah. Jesus going hear what Moses said 572 00:30:12,520 --> 00:30:15,400 about me, like he sent Moses to say it about him. 573 00:30:15,800 --> 00:30:17,920 He sent Elijah to say it about him. 574 00:30:18,400 --> 00:30:21,160 Their obedience is is good and wholesome. 575 00:30:21,160 --> 00:30:26,720 It's right and it's commendable. Godly men, awesome men, but 576 00:30:26,720 --> 00:30:28,960 still, who are they compared to Jesus? 577 00:30:28,960 --> 00:30:32,120 The testimony of the Father now comes and that is the testimony 578 00:30:32,120 --> 00:30:34,720 that matters most to Jesus. This is just another one of 579 00:30:34,720 --> 00:30:37,960 those wide eyed moments for for the for the Jewish readers of 580 00:30:37,960 --> 00:30:39,160 Matthew's Gospel. Go on. 581 00:30:39,680 --> 00:30:41,720 Whoa. Like Matthew has made it plain 582 00:30:41,760 --> 00:30:45,000 over and over and over, and Jesus has said things over and 583 00:30:45,000 --> 00:30:47,240 over and over. Remember back in the Beatitudes, 584 00:30:47,440 --> 00:30:51,480 what was he doing? You've heard it said the law and 585 00:30:51,480 --> 00:30:56,080 the prophets. But I say, and he brings a 586 00:30:56,080 --> 00:30:58,000 deeper revelation. Did he undo? 587 00:30:58,000 --> 00:31:00,120 No, he didn't come to undo the law and the prophets. 588 00:31:00,280 --> 00:31:03,240 He came to fulfill them. The problem is you don't 589 00:31:03,240 --> 00:31:05,880 understand what the law and the prophets were talking about. 590 00:31:06,160 --> 00:31:09,200 I am the lens that you can see the Old Testament perfectly 591 00:31:09,200 --> 00:31:11,120 through. Everybody was reading the Old 592 00:31:11,120 --> 00:31:12,400 Testament. They're going, this means this, 593 00:31:12,400 --> 00:31:13,840 and this means this, and this means this. 594 00:31:14,360 --> 00:31:17,280 It's all out of focus. You have to put on these glasses 595 00:31:17,280 --> 00:31:20,160 called Jesus. And now you go, oh, that's what 596 00:31:20,160 --> 00:31:21,960 it meant. Yeah, you misunderstood. 597 00:31:21,960 --> 00:31:23,280 You were trying. Fair enough. 598 00:31:24,120 --> 00:31:26,000 But it's only when you put on Christ. 599 00:31:26,000 --> 00:31:30,440 So you go, oh, so that's why Jesus brings revelation and 600 00:31:30,440 --> 00:31:32,680 clarity and detail. You thought it meant this. 601 00:31:33,040 --> 00:31:35,360 You've heard it said this, but I say this. 602 00:31:35,360 --> 00:31:37,440 He raised the standard of holiness. 603 00:31:37,520 --> 00:31:40,400 He didn't make it less. People say, oh, the Old 604 00:31:40,400 --> 00:31:43,160 Testament's a bunch of commands, but the New Testament, hang on, 605 00:31:43,160 --> 00:31:47,000 don't finish that sentence. The New Testament has hundreds 606 00:31:47,000 --> 00:31:51,280 and hundreds of commands. OK, now they're fulfilled and 607 00:31:51,280 --> 00:31:53,040 simply loving God and loving your neighbor. 608 00:31:53,960 --> 00:31:56,240 But there are many commands in the New Testament. 609 00:31:56,240 --> 00:31:59,480 There are many commands to you and I as Christians don't. 610 00:31:59,600 --> 00:32:01,080 Well, but we have a relationship, right? 611 00:32:01,080 --> 00:32:03,440 Of course we do. Of course we do. 612 00:32:03,800 --> 00:32:07,360 You have a Father who loves you. I love my children. 613 00:32:07,360 --> 00:32:08,720 Do you think I have commands for them? 614 00:32:09,760 --> 00:32:12,560 That's how they know that they're loved, because there are 615 00:32:12,560 --> 00:32:14,400 many commands, there are many standards, there are many 616 00:32:14,400 --> 00:32:16,320 fences, and there are many boundaries. 617 00:32:16,560 --> 00:32:18,040 That's what a loving father does. 618 00:32:18,520 --> 00:32:19,920 That's what any loving leader does. 619 00:32:19,920 --> 00:32:22,560 I provide. I provide the protection and the 620 00:32:22,560 --> 00:32:25,920 perimeter and I say, you can go this far and no farther. 621 00:32:25,920 --> 00:32:29,000 But Jesus clarifies all of that. He says My love is deeper than 622 00:32:29,000 --> 00:32:31,240 you ever thought. I'm better than you imagined, 623 00:32:31,520 --> 00:32:34,960 and my standards are so much higher than you ever dare dream. 624 00:32:35,160 --> 00:32:37,800 You will fail at all of them. Well, that's bad news. 625 00:32:38,120 --> 00:32:43,280 And yet God, who is rich in mercy, will make you new and you 626 00:32:43,520 --> 00:32:48,440 can also be transfigured. Your New Testament uses that 627 00:32:48,440 --> 00:32:50,800 word in other places. Do you know where it uses it? 628 00:32:51,000 --> 00:32:54,480 It uses it to describe the work of God inside of the people of 629 00:32:54,480 --> 00:33:01,400 God. Keep going. 630 00:33:01,520 --> 00:33:04,640 We're in verse 6 when the disciples heard this. 631 00:33:04,640 --> 00:33:07,120 What the voice of the Father. When the disciples heard this, 632 00:33:07,320 --> 00:33:10,280 they fell on their faces and were terrified. 633 00:33:13,520 --> 00:33:15,280 What do we see here? The presence of the Lord 634 00:33:15,280 --> 00:33:17,920 produces fearful reverence among His servants. 635 00:33:18,320 --> 00:33:20,320 But their response was too much. How do we know? 636 00:33:20,720 --> 00:33:23,400 Because verse 7. But Jesus came and touched them, 637 00:33:23,680 --> 00:33:30,760 saying, rise and have No Fear. The presence of the Lord also 638 00:33:30,760 --> 00:33:33,800 brings a comforting reassurance. We don't have to fear the 639 00:33:33,800 --> 00:33:35,920 Father. Jesus wants to bring that 640 00:33:35,920 --> 00:33:37,560 revelation fully. You don't have to fear the 641 00:33:37,560 --> 00:33:40,560 Father in terror. Now, if you reject the Father, 642 00:33:40,880 --> 00:33:43,560 of course you should. If you reject the Son, of course 643 00:33:43,560 --> 00:33:46,400 you should. So there is a a fearful 644 00:33:46,400 --> 00:33:49,120 reverence that's appropriate, but it can go too far. 645 00:33:49,600 --> 00:33:52,640 And Jesus says get up and don't be afraid. 646 00:33:53,320 --> 00:33:55,080 That's your father. I don't want you to be afraid of 647 00:33:55,080 --> 00:33:57,760 him. In verse 9, as they were coming 648 00:33:57,760 --> 00:34:00,680 down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, tell no one the 649 00:34:00,680 --> 00:34:04,960 vision until the Son of man is raised from the dead. 650 00:34:05,480 --> 00:34:07,800 So there's some speculation as to why Jesus said this. 651 00:34:08,040 --> 00:34:12,040 I think that it's likely that he doesn't want anyone to have any 652 00:34:12,040 --> 00:34:14,600 more misunderstandings. He knows that the three who are 653 00:34:14,600 --> 00:34:16,520 just with him on the mountain top, they don't have full 654 00:34:16,520 --> 00:34:18,199 revelation on what in the world just happened. 655 00:34:18,800 --> 00:34:21,000 They know what happened technically, but they don't 656 00:34:21,000 --> 00:34:22,679 understand what happened meaningfully. 657 00:34:23,400 --> 00:34:27,480 So instead of running down to the others and saying here's 658 00:34:27,480 --> 00:34:29,679 what we just saw, here's what just happened, here's what we 659 00:34:29,679 --> 00:34:32,199 experienced, then they're going to apply their own meanings to 660 00:34:32,199 --> 00:34:33,280 it. They already had 661 00:34:33,280 --> 00:34:35,480 misunderstandings still about who he was as the Messiah and 662 00:34:35,480 --> 00:34:38,280 what he was still going to do. Remember the Old Testament 663 00:34:38,280 --> 00:34:40,760 readers, They were still reading the Messiah and going, He's 664 00:34:40,760 --> 00:34:44,480 going to take over the world and Jesus going, I absolutely am 665 00:34:44,480 --> 00:34:47,280 going to take over the world. Global domination is most 666 00:34:47,280 --> 00:34:51,239 definitely going to happen, just not the way you think it's going 667 00:34:51,239 --> 00:34:52,480 to happen. I'm going to take over the 668 00:34:52,480 --> 00:34:55,159 hearts of men, the thing that no one else could ever take over. 669 00:34:56,880 --> 00:34:59,400 So they don't understand that. So I think This is why. 670 00:34:59,400 --> 00:35:02,400 I think that's likely why Jesus is doing this, because they're 671 00:35:02,400 --> 00:35:05,920 wrong ideas and He wants to delay their misunderstandings. 672 00:35:06,640 --> 00:35:10,280 Notice what He says here until don't tell anybody until the Son 673 00:35:10,280 --> 00:35:13,680 of Man is raised from the dead. He tells them over and over and 674 00:35:13,680 --> 00:35:15,240 over that he's going to die and be raised from the dead. 675 00:35:15,240 --> 00:35:18,200 It's easy to just breeze past it, but this is new information 676 00:35:18,200 --> 00:35:21,920 to them, even though it's prophesied in the law and the 677 00:35:21,920 --> 00:35:24,400 prophets. It's there, but he's he's making 678 00:35:24,400 --> 00:35:28,680 it clear crystal clarity after I'm raised from the dead. 679 00:35:28,680 --> 00:35:31,840 Stop, stop, stop saying I wish he'd stopped talking about that 680 00:35:32,120 --> 00:35:33,760 because it remember a few days earlier. 681 00:35:33,960 --> 00:35:37,440 Peter was like no, Lord never. And this time he just sends 682 00:35:37,440 --> 00:35:39,200 their silent like he keeps talking about being raised from 683 00:35:39,200 --> 00:35:40,360 the dead. That means he's got to die. 684 00:35:41,000 --> 00:35:44,800 He'll keep showing them over and over and over, which is 685 00:35:44,800 --> 00:35:47,880 fascinating at their unbelief. When he finally goes to die and 686 00:35:48,400 --> 00:35:51,360 they're not expecting the resurrection and even after the 687 00:35:51,360 --> 00:35:52,720 resurrection, they're like, no way. 688 00:35:55,720 --> 00:35:59,760 It's shocking. My ability to not believe God is 689 00:35:59,760 --> 00:36:02,000 shocking to me is your shocking to you? 690 00:36:02,520 --> 00:36:05,080 My ability to doubt him is fascinating. 691 00:36:05,800 --> 00:36:08,680 It's wild. These jokers were on the 692 00:36:08,680 --> 00:36:12,080 mountain and saw the glory and majesty of Jesus, and then the 693 00:36:12,080 --> 00:36:13,680 women came and said he's been raised from the dead. 694 00:36:13,680 --> 00:36:18,560 And they're like, I don't know what dude you were. 695 00:36:18,560 --> 00:36:20,360 You've been a part of everything. 696 00:36:20,520 --> 00:36:23,240 That's crazy. What's the problem? 697 00:36:23,240 --> 00:36:30,520 The human heart is the problem. What a sticky, tricky, idol 698 00:36:30,520 --> 00:36:36,720 producing little factory it is. Who can save us? 699 00:36:36,760 --> 00:36:40,960 Only the King, only the Lord. Lord help us to believe. 700 00:36:40,960 --> 00:36:47,640 Lord help us to trust. Help us to love after the Son of 701 00:36:47,640 --> 00:36:49,320 Man is raised from the dead. Then you can share that 702 00:36:49,320 --> 00:36:50,960 testimony. Keep going. 703 00:36:51,280 --> 00:36:55,000 We're going to finish up here in verse 10 through 13. 704 00:36:56,040 --> 00:37:00,080 And the disciples asked him, then why do the scribes say that 705 00:37:01,000 --> 00:37:05,080 Elijah must first come? He answered, Elijah does come 706 00:37:05,560 --> 00:37:11,560 and he will restore all things. But I tell you that Elijah has 707 00:37:11,560 --> 00:37:15,800 already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him 708 00:37:16,160 --> 00:37:20,400 whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man will 709 00:37:20,400 --> 00:37:25,520 certainly suffer at their hands. Then the disciples understood 710 00:37:25,520 --> 00:37:28,440 that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist. 711 00:37:29,520 --> 00:37:33,200 So their question comes because they know their Bibles and they 712 00:37:33,200 --> 00:37:36,920 know Malachi who was quoting Elijah. 713 00:37:37,600 --> 00:37:40,920 So they know that Elijah is supposed to 1st come. 714 00:37:40,920 --> 00:37:45,680 They've just seen Elijah. Jesus says, don't tell anybody. 715 00:37:45,680 --> 00:37:48,480 Tom raised from the dead. And they've got this question. 716 00:37:48,480 --> 00:37:51,520 They know Jesus is the Messiah. They've been rightly taught that 717 00:37:51,520 --> 00:37:53,800 Elijah comes to prepare the way for the Messiah. 718 00:37:54,480 --> 00:37:56,840 So was that Elijah's coming Lord? 719 00:37:56,840 --> 00:37:58,600 Like what's when does Elijah come? 720 00:37:58,600 --> 00:38:00,480 You're here now. When's he going to come and do 721 00:38:00,480 --> 00:38:02,680 his thing? Jesus clarifies. 722 00:38:02,680 --> 00:38:07,840 John the Baptist was the Elijah to come, not in the way that 723 00:38:07,840 --> 00:38:10,520 they expected. Again, the Old Testament, you 724 00:38:10,520 --> 00:38:12,920 read it and until you have Christ, you don't have the 725 00:38:12,920 --> 00:38:15,320 perfect lens. You go, that verse has to 726 00:38:15,320 --> 00:38:21,200 obviously mean that and you're like, well, you would think, but 727 00:38:21,240 --> 00:38:22,960 Jesus is going to clarify everything. 728 00:38:23,440 --> 00:38:26,960 So now with Christ, we have that 2020 vision to look at all of 729 00:38:26,960 --> 00:38:31,400 Scripture and to know Jesus is perfect theology and every he is 730 00:38:31,680 --> 00:38:34,480 the cornerstone that everything's built upon. 731 00:38:34,800 --> 00:38:40,600 He is the factor that you interpret by John the Baptist 732 00:38:40,600 --> 00:38:42,960 was the Elijah to come, not in the way they expected. 733 00:38:42,960 --> 00:38:47,840 He wasn't literally Elijah. He dressed like Elijah. 734 00:38:48,720 --> 00:38:51,920 He prophesied to a wicked generation like Elijah did. 735 00:38:52,120 --> 00:38:55,960 He was bold like Elijah. He rebuked the wicked rulers 736 00:38:56,080 --> 00:38:59,040 like Elijah did. He doubted himself like Elijah 737 00:38:59,040 --> 00:39:01,520 did, but how did how did Elijah come? 738 00:39:02,560 --> 00:39:06,400 He came or John came in the spirit and the mantle and the 739 00:39:06,400 --> 00:39:09,400 anointing of Elijah. And that was the way that that 740 00:39:09,400 --> 00:39:12,240 scripture was fulfilled. Well, how is that determined? 741 00:39:12,320 --> 00:39:16,360 The Lord determines it. He he interprets his own 742 00:39:16,360 --> 00:39:19,480 scripture and he fulfills the scripture and he goes, I didn't 743 00:39:19,480 --> 00:39:20,800 think that's how that would have been interpreted. 744 00:39:20,800 --> 00:39:23,680 And the Lord goes, yeah, there's a lot you didn't think and I'll 745 00:39:23,680 --> 00:39:26,920 keep teaching you. I'll keep showing you my ways. 746 00:39:30,040 --> 00:39:35,040 Transfigured, transformed. I told you a few minutes ago 747 00:39:35,040 --> 00:39:38,440 that is the same word used to describe the work of God. 748 00:39:38,600 --> 00:39:42,760 And you and I, as he continues to we, we actually get our word 749 00:39:42,760 --> 00:39:45,320 metamorphosis from the root of these words. 750 00:39:45,480 --> 00:39:50,320 This transformation. You were the Caterpillar, kind 751 00:39:50,320 --> 00:39:54,240 of gross, kind of weird. You became the butterfly, 752 00:39:54,600 --> 00:39:58,560 beautiful and majestic. This is the word used to 753 00:39:58,560 --> 00:40:02,800 describe the work of God in you. What Jesus received, He gives to 754 00:40:02,800 --> 00:40:08,160 you, and in being transformed by Him, we become like Him. 755 00:40:09,240 --> 00:40:11,400 God makes our heart new. That is the miracle of the new 756 00:40:11,400 --> 00:40:17,200 birth. I was dead and now I'm alive and 757 00:40:17,200 --> 00:40:22,160 I still have this mind that must be renewed every day. 758 00:40:22,160 --> 00:40:26,320 It must be renewed every day. It must be transfigured. 759 00:40:27,040 --> 00:40:30,880 It must be transformed. My mind is the thing that gives 760 00:40:30,880 --> 00:40:35,480 me trouble. My heart seeks and wants the 761 00:40:35,480 --> 00:40:39,200 right thing. And then at the same time I have 762 00:40:39,200 --> 00:40:44,440 this flesh that tempts me, that pulls me, that persuades me. 763 00:40:45,800 --> 00:40:47,960 But the Lord is continuing to transform His people. 764 00:40:48,240 --> 00:40:52,000 Our food and our life and our energy come from doing what He 765 00:40:52,000 --> 00:40:54,200 likes. That is the pleasure, That is 766 00:40:54,200 --> 00:40:57,320 the satisfaction of the Saints is to please their Master. 767 00:40:58,480 --> 00:41:03,560 And the more we grow, the more love we develop, the more 768 00:41:03,560 --> 00:41:08,320 fellowship we have, the more the transformation continues because 769 00:41:08,320 --> 00:41:11,920 it is a progressive work. The sanctification, the holiness 770 00:41:11,920 --> 00:41:15,640 of our lives, the maturity of our lives is a progressive work. 771 00:41:16,320 --> 00:41:18,920 The salvation was the moment that the Holy Spirit guilt 772 00:41:18,920 --> 00:41:21,520 brought you the revelation and you made the confession. 773 00:41:22,360 --> 00:41:27,080 Salvation. You're secure and now being 774 00:41:27,080 --> 00:41:30,120 secure being in this family, Now it's time to what? 775 00:41:30,560 --> 00:41:32,760 Put off the old man and put on the new. 776 00:41:34,240 --> 00:41:35,960 You're not broken as a Christian. 777 00:41:36,400 --> 00:41:40,400 You're not unique as a Christian because you still have sin and 778 00:41:40,400 --> 00:41:44,200 temptations. Read your New Testament, there's 779 00:41:44,200 --> 00:41:45,480 a lot to it. Do you know why the New 780 00:41:45,480 --> 00:41:48,040 Testament has so many books? It's because the church was 781 00:41:48,040 --> 00:41:49,920 constantly being corrected for sin. 782 00:41:51,080 --> 00:41:53,600 He wasn't saying, hey, you guys are all saved and perfect. 783 00:41:54,160 --> 00:41:57,320 See in heaven, you know, just wanted to say, hey, the whole 784 00:41:57,320 --> 00:42:00,360 letters were let's correct this, let's correct this, let's 785 00:42:00,360 --> 00:42:04,160 correct this. Don't be conformed to this 786 00:42:04,160 --> 00:42:07,640 world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds. 787 00:42:07,800 --> 00:42:13,560 Be transfigured, be renewed, be refreshed. 788 00:42:14,720 --> 00:42:18,160 Keep looking at Jesus, look at His Majesty, look at his glory. 789 00:42:19,960 --> 00:42:21,960 And as you do that, you're going to want to be more like him. 790 00:42:23,120 --> 00:42:26,040 God, we pray that you will continue to reveal Jesus to us, 791 00:42:26,520 --> 00:42:28,480 help us to see him and to enjoy him. 792 00:42:29,040 --> 00:42:32,240 Holy Spirit, continue. We you've already been sent as 793 00:42:32,240 --> 00:42:35,200 the down payment, as the deposit, as the seal. 794 00:42:35,200 --> 00:42:37,560 We have been sealed by the presence of the Holy Spirit. 795 00:42:37,560 --> 00:42:41,440 It's a guarantee that we've been saved by the blood of Jesus 796 00:42:43,720 --> 00:42:47,760 through his cross, through his gospel. 797 00:42:48,680 --> 00:42:51,120 And still, Lord, we want growth and maturity. 798 00:42:52,400 --> 00:42:54,200 We don't want to stay in one place. 799 00:42:54,200 --> 00:42:56,760 We want to look more and more like him. 800 00:42:57,000 --> 00:43:01,240 Transfigure us, Lord, renew our minds, mature us. 801 00:43:02,280 --> 00:43:05,640 Let us be marked by growth. Let us be marked by repentance. 802 00:43:06,080 --> 00:43:08,240 Let us be marked by forward progress. 803 00:43:10,480 --> 00:43:12,520 We love you. We honor you. 804 00:43:12,600 --> 00:43:20,880 Jesus, Peter, James and John, they got to see with their own 805 00:43:20,880 --> 00:43:23,120 eyes. You said blessed are those who 806 00:43:23,120 --> 00:43:26,160 have not seen and still believe. We believe. 807 00:43:27,240 --> 00:43:32,480 We trust our eternity and our Sunday afternoon into your 808 00:43:32,480 --> 00:43:35,200 hands. Apart from you we can do 809 00:43:35,200 --> 00:43:36,360 nothing. You are the vine and we're the 810 00:43:36,360 --> 00:43:38,800 branches. God, we love you. 811 00:43:40,200 --> 00:43:45,800 Bless your people today. Lord, bless them with the 812 00:43:45,800 --> 00:43:47,680 sweetness of your presence and your fellowship. 813 00:43:48,160 --> 00:43:51,120 Jesus, I pray that you would touch them, You would cause them 814 00:43:51,120 --> 00:44:01,610 not to be afraid, that they would receive full cleansing, 815 00:44:01,610 --> 00:44:05,970 that they would receive full peace, that they would receive 816 00:44:05,970 --> 00:44:08,290 full love from you and from one another. 817 00:44:09,650 --> 00:44:12,970 Help us to love and to care for one another, to bear one 818 00:44:12,970 --> 00:44:17,850 another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. 819 00:44:21,720 --> 00:44:23,800 And now the Lord bless you and keep you. 820 00:44:25,080 --> 00:44:28,960 The Lord make his face Shinedown upon you and be gracious to you. 821 00:44:30,040 --> 00:44:33,400 The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you great 822 00:44:33,400 --> 00:44:37,480 peace in Jesus name, Amen.