Introduction: Grace be to you and peace, from God our Father, and from our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Our text is the Gospel Lesson just read, from Matthew 17. We begin with prayer.
Dear fellow disciples of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ:
- In our text, the account of the transfiguration of the Lord Jesus Christ in front of His three closest disciples, the whole scene comes to a critical climax – when Peter’s speaking was interrupted by the bright cloud which overshadowed them and a far more important voice spoke, the voice of God our Heavenly Father. His message was fairly simple, threefold: 1] Jesus is My Son; 2] I am well pleased with Him; 3] so you listen to Him.
- The impact of this on the disciples was immediate and dramatic – “they fell on their faces and were terrified.” Well, we do not have any of these dramatic effects here present today – but the message of Almighty God, the only True and Living God remains the same in regard to Jesus! And if we are to have any deference to God, any reverence and respect for Him, it has to begin right here – with His Son, and with our “listening” to Him.
- The first thing that He says, God’s Son, Jesus – and we, like the disciples, should especially listen to this, is simple: “Rise, and have no fear.” This is the whole import of God sending His Son into this world, and the message of the entire Scriptures: “God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
- Hopefully, we all know this – and have already put our faith in trust in Jesus, that He is the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world, and that in Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of all of our sins. In this faith we are not afraid of God, though we have great joy and reverence for Him in the assurance of His love, mercy, forgiveness, and His free gift of salvation in Christ Jesus.
- But God wills that we have even more joy and blessedness – and so He tells us: “This is My beloved Son, with Whom I am well pleased; listen to Him.” But just how do we go about this today? How shall we continue in Christ’s Word, so that in accord with His own promise we come to know the truth, and are set free by that truth? First we note that:
I. Everything In The Bible, In God’s Word, Is Based In Eyewitness Accounts
A. The Eyewitness Account Of Moses, The Author Of The Old Testament Lesson For Today – He Was There With God On Mount Sinai When God’s Glory Dwelt On The Mount
OT Lesson: “then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. The glory of the Lord dwelt on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days.”
B. Peter Makes The Same Point In The Epistle Lesson – In Regard To The Apostolic Preaching And Writings
Epistle: “For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to Him by the Majestic Glory, ‘This is My beloved Son, with Whom I am well pleased,’ we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with Him on the holy mountain.”
C. All Of The Apostles Bear Witness To The Glory Of Jesus
1. To His Deity, that He is God
John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
2. And especially His work of redemption, His atoning sacrifice made on the cross, and His glorious resurrection
Heb. 1:3 “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature, and He upholds the universe by the word of His power. After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.”
Acts 10:39-43 [as Peter asserted] “And we are witnesses of all that He did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put Him to death by hanging Him on a tree, but God raised Him on the third day and made Him to appear, not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with Him after He rose from the dead. And He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that He is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. To Him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name.”
Statement: When we hear from the eye-witnesses we are “hearing” Jesus, for they relate to us by His command and authority all that He did, all that He taught, and all that He commissioned them to relay to us. None of the writings in Holy Scripture are “cleverly invented myths,” mere stories consisting of creative writing to advise some “philosophy” or “world-view” or “ethic.” No, these are historical narratives written by eye-witnesses, and they all bear witness to Jesus, the Son of God, and to the great love of God for fallen and sinful humanity, and the great redemption and salvation that He has accomplished for us in Christ Jesus!
Application: So if you haven’t yet, “LISTEN TO HIM,” to Jesus, the Son of God, and find joy in Him, God’s love in Him, and your salvation and eternal life in Him – as God’s free, gracious, and loving gift to you! This is God’s will for you, what He wants for you, and what He sent His Son to do for you!
Transition: And there is no doubt or question that in the words of the prophets and apostles, the Word of Holy Scripture, we have God’s Word, the Word of the Lord Jesus Christ, in all truth and purity, for:
II. All Of God’s Word, The Preached And Written Word Of The Prophets And Apostles, The Bible, Is Inspired And Given To Us By God Himself
Epistle: “And we have something more sure, the prophetic Word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the Morning Star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”
Statement: It is Christ Who grants the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit speaks what He hears from the Father and the Son. And the Spirit bears witness to Jesus – to the love of God Who has provided us with such grace, mercy, forgiveness, and salvation! So all of Holy Scripture points to Jesus and His redemption, and all of Holy Scripture comes from Jesus – the very Word of God.
Application: And God says simply: “This is My beloved Son, with Whom I am well pleased; listen to Him.” And what blessedness is ours if this is precisely what we do – pay heed to the Word that He has given us as His prophets and apostles were moved by Him and “carried along by the Holy Spirit.” If we do “LISTEN TO HIM,” then we will learn about our Heavenly Father, His great love for us, and we will come to know Him, and to rejoice in His loving gift of salvation and eternal life. Yes, we will be drawn ever closer to Him, and the light of His Word will continue to shine light in our hearts – yes, Jesus Himself, the Morning Star shall rise in our hearts! And this is precisely God’s loving and blessed will for each of us, and for every human being.
Conclusion: So through the eyewitnesses we also have seen His glory, and we too have heard His Word: “Rise, and have no fear.” We know our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and through Him we know our Heavenly Father. And through His Word – the Holy Scripture – we are blessed to continue “listening” to Jesus, our blessed Lord and Savior!
We may not have all the dramatic effects around us here this morning – but we do have this same Lord and Savior with us today, and we still have His blessed Word, and His blessed Sacrament of His presence and forgiveness. May it be for us that just as the Father is well-pleased with His Son, that we are also well-pleased with Jesus. And may it be for us that just as the Father said “This is My Son . . . listen to Him,” that we do indeed just that – and listen to Him! God grant such blessedness to each of us, Amen.
Votum: And the peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds in the truth faith, which is in Christ Jesus, even unto life everlasting, Amen.