Church Sermon - February 6, 2005

Rev. Mark F. Bartels

Epistle Lesson; 2 Peter 1:16-21
Old Testament Lesson; Exodus 24:12-18
Sermon Text; Matthew 17:1-9

Jesus had been on this earth for 32½ years. His disciples had followed Him for 2½ years. And, about eight months before Jesus was crucified, He told the disciples something that they had never heard before. And, it greatly troubled them. It threw them into turmoil, and confusion. For the first time, Jesus told them that He was going to be arrested, that He was going to be put on trial, and that He was going to be put to death. And, when the disciples heard that, from the lips of Jesus, the One who they believed to be the Messiah, they were confused. "How could that be? If Jesus was the Messiah, if He had come to save the people, and He were put to death, how could He end up being the One who would save them?"

And so, they began to speak against Jesus, right to His face! They said, "Jesus, this could never happen." "This can’t be."

They just couldn’t understand how Jesus, the mighty One, who they thought was God, Himself, could ever be put to death. They were confused and they were troubled.

And so, Jesus had to show them something. Jesus had to show three of them something in particular. Those three disciples were Peter, James, and John. One day, six days after Jesus had told them that He was going to suffer and die (and Peter, James, and John were very confused how that could happen), Jesus took them to a high mountaintop. There on that high mountaintop, Jesus needed to show them that He was holding something back. He was holding something back, on purpose. And there, on that mountaintop, after 32½ years of holding it back, Jesus didn’t hold it back anymore.

But then, all of a sudden, on that mountaintop, the disciples saw Jesus transfigured! They saw Him and He did not hold back what He had been holding back for 32½ years, anymore. Now His face began to shine like the sun. (Can you imagine someone’s face as bright as the sun? They must have had to shield themselves from the brightness!) The gospel writers say his clothes were dazzling white, white as lightening, whiter than any launder could make them. His clothes were shining, like the sun. And, out of every pore of Jesus’ body, from every cell of Jesus’ body, He was shining forth, in all of His glory, before those three disciples. He was not holding back who He was! This was God, in the flesh! What an awesome sight! For 32½ years He had been holding back that divine power, in His human nature. Now, Jesus needed to show them who He really was.

But then, the glory stopped and He looked just like you and me, again. And, they went back down the mountain.

Now, why did they have to see that? In fact, Jesus told them, "Don’t tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead." You see, the disciples could not understand what was happening, really what was happening, until after Jesus had been raised from the dead. They simply couldn’t understand. But, when Jesus came back from the dead, then it all became very clear to them. Jesus very clearly explained it all to them.

And so, it was only after Jesus came back from the dead, that they understood why He died. Before Jesus died, they could not understand why He would die.

It was only then that they came to realize that when He went to the cross and died, He was taking our sins with Him.

And, it wasn’t until Jesus had risen from the dead, that the disciples even understood that was how Jesus was going to be the Savior of the world. So, it wasn’t until then that the disciples could understand why Jesus, for 32 ½ years, (in fact 33 years), held back on His divine glory.

You see, if Jesus had not held back, if when Jesus came to this world, as a little child, (or even when He turned 30 years old), He had let that glory shine to the whole world, and the world had seen His face shining like the sun, if He had used His full, divine, glory, might and power all of the time, in His human nature, what could they have never done to Him?

And so, on the Mount of Transfiguration, Jesus chose to show His disciples His divine glory. "I could use my divine glory, if I want to, but I am choosing to hold back on the full use of my divine power."

He wanted those three disciples to see that, so later on they could understand how much Jesus loves us. Jesus loves you so much that when He was being mocked and whipped, He could have used His full divine power and brought it all to an end, in a flash. However, He chose to hold back. He loves you so much that He chose, He chose, to hold back on the full use of His divine might and power, in His human nature, because He was thinking about you. He was thinking, "This is what they deserve for their sins. I do not want them to have to suffer what they deserve for their sins. So, I will hold back on the full use of my divine power, in my human nature, and I will let them do this to me, so that I can suffer for them."

Jesus held back on the full use of His divine power, in His human nature, until He rose from the dead. The disciples needed to see that. They needed to see that, nine months before Jesus went to the cross, so that in some way they could understand what was happening.

We are about to enter the season of Lent. Three days from now it is Ash Wednesday. That is when we begin to look at how Jesus was arrested, put on trial, suffered, and died for our sins. We, in the church, always begin the season of Lent, on the Sunday before Lent, and look at Jesus’ transfiguration. It prepares us. It prepares us to really see how much our Savior loved us, when He died on the cross. Even though He could have used His full, divine powers, in His human nature, and never let them put Him on that cross, He held back. He held back on the full use of His divine powers, in His human nature, for you, because He loves you so dearly. And so, this prepares us, as we begin to look at Jesus’ suffering and death.

But, Jesus was also preparing those disciples for some other things, on the Mount of Transfiguration.

Peter even said to Jesus, "It is good for us to be here." He wanted to stay there. He wanted to stay there, so he said, "I will put up three shelters - one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." It was awesome to be there!

Jesus was preparing those disciples for what was ahead in their own lives. They were going to go through some severe trials, themselves. They were going to go through some great sufferings, themselves. There, Jesus gave them a taste of what to look forward to. He gave them a brief, small taste of what it is going to be like, when we finally get to be with our Savior forever, when we get to be with those saints, in Christ, forever. And that small taste of glory kept them focused, not on this earth, but on the life to come, (which they greatly looked forward to).

As we come here to church today, Jesus does the same for us. Here, Jesus shines forth in His glory, through His Word. Here, Jesus shines forth. And, He gives you and me a foretaste of what Heaven will be like. We live in a world where we go through trials and difficulties. Every one of you, here today, if I asked you to stand up and tell us some of the trials and difficulties you are going through, could do it. Whether it is

we all go through trials and troubles.

Here, today, Jesus gives us, (as He shines forth in His glory through His Word), a brief glimpse of what we have to look forward to in Heaven. The Word keeps us focused, not on the things of this life. It helps us understand the things of this life cannot and will not defeat us, because the victory is ours, in Jesus Christ. He shares that victory with us.

Peter, James, and John heard the voice of the Father, who said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased. Listen to Him!"

They fell down in terror, understanding they were before the holy God, they were sinners, and they did not deserve to stand in the presence of God. And so, when we confess our sins on a Sunday morning, we are saying the same thing. "God I don’t deserve to be in your presence. You are holy and I am not. I deserve to be punished by you."

But then, Jesus came up to those three disciples, as they were lying with their faces down to the ground. They felt the hand of Jesus on their shoulder, as He said to them, "Get up. Don’t be afraid."

When we hear the words of absolution today in church, that is the voice of Jesus speaking to us. He says, "Don’t be afraid. Get up. Don’t be afraid, because I have paid for your sins. Don’t be afraid. My Father will never hold your sins against you. Don’t be afraid. Your sins are forgiven. Don’t be afraid. I have purchased a home for you in Heaven. Don’t be afraid. Get up."

That gives us a brief glimpse of what Jesus has done for us, and the glory that awaits us, because of what Jesus has done.

When we sing our praises together, here with our fellow believers, it is a brief glimpse of the glory we will have when we will be in Heaven with all who have died in Christ, singing our praises to God! What we have to look forward to!

When we hear the scripture readings, God prepares us to walk through this life as pilgrims, not focused on the things of this life, but focused on what is to come. It is a brief glimpse of the glory that is ours, through Jesus Christ, our Savior.

When we take the Lord’s Supper, Jesus, Himself, (who is present in Heaven, where the saints see Him in all of His glory), that same Jesus they see, comes to you and me! There, He gives us His very body and His very blood. He is present with us, to strengthen us in our faith, to assure us that our sins are forgiven, and to assure us that Heaven is ours, because of what He has done. That gives us a brief glimpse of the glory that awaits us.

It keeps us going through this life, strengthened in Jesus, our Savior, no matter what comes. No matter what comes, nothing compares to the glory that awaits us, which Jesus has won for us.

Jesus was also preparing those disciples for another thing. Peter said, "Lord, it is good for us to be here. I will put up three shelters - one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." He would have liked to have just stayed there. He would have liked to just stay there, but Jesus did not permit it. He did not permit it, and so they went back down the mountain. And, when they went back down the mountain, they immediately ran into the depths of human suffering. There was a boy who was demon possessed. And, his father was greatly troubled. And yet, Jesus was with them. That Jesus, who was transfigured before them, had walked down the mountain, back into the world with them. What a comfort that must have been to them, to know who He is, what He is, and that He is with them, no matter where they go.

We can’t stay here in church forever either, can we? When the service is over, even though we may say, "I would like to stay here, hear my Savior’s Word, praise Him, and be in the safety of the other believers", we are going to have to go back - back to our homes, back to work, back to school, back to the troubles, back to trials, back to the temptations. We have to go back. We have to go back into this dark world. And yet, like the disciples, we walk away from this building, not alone.

And, who of us here cannot walk out of this building then in great confidence? We have great confidence, knowing the almighty God of the universe, who loves me so dearly that He was willing to hold back on His divine powers in His human nature, so He could suffer in my place and die for me, and now has power over all things, goes with me! That strengthens us. That strengthens us for our journey here below and keeps us prepared for the day when we finally get to be, forever, in the presence of our Savior in all of His glory!

Amen.

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