Both God and Man — Erlo Stegen

Today we've got a wonderful text in Matthew, Chapter 16. And then we'll also read from Chapter 17 up to the ninth verse. We've got a huge privilege to have the Bible. There is no book like the Bible. Here we find the good news about God.

The Son of Man Coming in His Kingdom

So we'll start reading from the last verse, which is Chapter 16, verse 28. Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who shall not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.

And six days later Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John, His brother, and brought them up to a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them, and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light.

And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. And Peter answered and said to Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will make three tabernacles here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.

While He was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them. And behold, a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. Hear Him. And when the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were much afraid.

And Jesus came to them and touched them and said, Arise, and do not be afraid. And lifting up their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus Himself alone. And as they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man has risen from the dead.

Stop reading there. What the Lord said here has confused many people, where He said that truly I say to you, there are some of those standing here who shall not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.

And then it goes on to say that after six days, And so they are confused, saying, But the Lord has died, and we are still alive. They say He died, and it didn't happen. But we get the answer here, that after six days, they experienced Him in His kingdom.

So if you take things out of context, you get to the wrong conclusion. In the original text, the Bible didn't have chapters and verses. That came later, where people put them in to make it easier for us to be able to find places.

And six days later, Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John, His brother, and brought them up to a high mountain by themselves. The Bible doesn't tell us what mountain this was. But according to history, it was the Mount Tabor.

Today they even have some places built up there, and they refer to it as the Mount of Transfiguration. But we cannot say that with absolute certainty. But according to tradition, everyone refers to it as that mountain where He was transfigured.

The Mountain of Transfiguration

If that is the case, the Lord chose a wonderful place. Because that mountain is like a ball in the midst of a huge plain in the region of Galilee. And it's about 2 ,000 feet above sea level. And they say there's no mountain as beautiful as this one in that whole region of Galilee.

It's a steep mountain. You can't just walk or go straight up it. You go zigzag as you wind your way up the mountain. Many years ago, there was a lot of vegetation on this mountain. Lots of grass and shrubs and trees.

And this mountain was in the midst of this huge plain. There were many fields that were cultivated with wheat. It was a beautiful area. And you could see the Jordan right to the Dead Sea. In the north, you could see the Lebanon mountains covered in snow.

And in the west, you could see as far as the Mediterranean Sea. And then in the south, the Judean mountains and the Dead Sea. They say it was a beautiful place. But the beauty of the event that took place there far surpasses any beauty, a natural beauty, that was found.

Jesus took three of his disciples and they went up the mountain. When they were on top, he prayed. While he prayed, Moses appeared. Moses had lived 1 ,500 years before this. And Elijah had lived 900 years before this.

So while the Lord was praying, they came down from heaven to visit the Lord Jesus. No one could ask the question, why did the Lord only take three of his disciples? The Lord, after all, had 12 disciples.

Why did he just choose a few of them? Did he give them preferential treatment, give them special treatment, which he didn't give the others? Did the Lord love these more than he loved the others? No, not at all.

He loved them all in the same way. But it's a fact that he did often take these three with him and was alone with him. But he was not in this way creating divisions and groupings within the disciples.

Even though some with a warped mind could say, well, Jesus did exactly that. He was just creating groupings within his group. Jesus knew his disciples. And he knew that these three specific disciples had the strength to carry things.

He also knew that if he told them not to speak to anyone about it, he knew he could rely on them not to. You know very well that there are many people who couldn't do that. The Lord also knew that these three specific disciples needed to experience this.

Because soon after that they would experience something tragic. Because it's these three disciples that were to be with him soon after that in the Garden of Gethsemane. Seeing him there in great distress.

And so he knew and realized that they would need this experience seeing him in his kingdom. And so he knew and realized that they would need this experience seeing him in his kingdom. Perhaps the others would just not have been able to carry the distress and the experience in the Garden of Gethsemane.

And they wouldn't have been able to know what to do with it and maybe even started doubting him as a result. The Lord Jesus was not unwise in doing things in this way. He knew why he was doing it. Yet if someone should think that it was a foolish thing for him to do, that person is actually foolish.

He's got a head of a donkey or a brain of a donkey. And the Lord knew exactly what his disciples could be. And he realized that things could go wrong further ahead. And so while they were on that mountain they saw the Lord transfigured.

They saw him in his glory. He was shining like the sun. His face shone like the sun and his garments became as white as light. In the book of Revelation he was also revealed in his glory where his face also shone like the sun.

His eyes were like flames of fire. His feet were like bronze out of the furnace. One could not look at him. They could not look at him for his glory was too great. And then a miracle happened on the mountain.

Jesus Christ Is Both God and Man

Jesus is both God and man combined within him. So while he was still in the womb he was both God and man. So when he left heaven he didn't leave behind that he was God. He brought that with him. He remained God but he also became man.

There is something that troubles the whites a lot where they eventually get to the conclusion that he was just a good teacher, a prophet. He was a man. He was not really God. That's blasphemous. Blasphemy spoken by a person who is full of the devil.

Jesus from the beginning was both God and man. But Paul writes he says he came down from heaven and he took upon himself the flesh or became man. Now a person, a human being looks upon him and he just sees another human being.

He sees man. He doesn't see God. But when you look closely at his words and his deeds then you see that he is God. Outwardly if you look at him just quickly you would think okay he's like any other man.

He sleeps. He eats. He's like any of us. But inwardly he was God, divine. Perhaps I could liken it to an earthly king who while he is king puts on the garments or the clothes of a tramp. He looks like a tramp even though he is a king.

If you look at him you don't realize he's a king. You would take him for a tramp. So the Lord Jesus was God and is God. But if you looked at him at that time you could have mistaken him for a man. But while on the mountain, the Lord Jesus who was just like a man before that revealed his divinity.

It came to light that he is God. His face shone like the sun. Even the clothes that he wore became as white as light. And it wasn't just the light that shone from heaven but it came from within. What was within was revealed and brought to light.

So that's amazing. And never listen to anyone. No teacher or professor whoever it may be who will tell you well he was God. Or if he was God he just came down and he was just a human being while he was here on earth like anyone.

No even while he was on earth he was God himself. This should leave no doubt in anyone's mind. Only a fool could doubt it. Like I said one with donkey's brains would doubt it that this is God himself.

So this should leave no doubt whether you're a white man, whether you're a professor, a theologian, whatever you are, whoever you are you shouldn't doubt for a moment that this is God himself. And then they also saw Moses and Elijah.

And it's amazing that when they appeared they immediately recognized them. Even though they'd lived the one nine hundred years before that the other one a thousand five hundred years before that. Yet they recognized them immediately to be Moses and Elijah.

Where had they come from? From heaven. Where had they come from? One thousand five hundred years. No nine hundred years. Some foolish people who don't even have the brains of a donkey. They say how is it possible that someone can come down from heaven?

Being in heaven, being in heaven, come back and tell us about his experiences. Here we see it. It happened. One having lived a thousand five hundred years before another nine hundred. Yet they came sharing with the Lord about what he was going to go through.

His passion and his death. Moses was a man of the law. Elijah was one of the great prophets. Moses referred to the Messiah in the law. And Elijah also with the prophets prophesied about the coming of the Savior.

And now here they meet with the Lord Jesus for the law and the prophecies come to fulfillment through Jesus. And in him. As you know Elijah was that prophet that never saw death. That fiery chariot came to fetch him.

And he was taken up into heaven and now he comes back down from heaven but now in his glorified body. And then there was Moses. To this day people don't know where Moses was buried because God had commanded him to go up onto the mountain.

Moses' eyesight was still very good. He could see like a young person. He didn't need any glasses. And his strength hadn't been broken. He was still full of strength. And God said climb onto the mountain.

And that's where he died. And God buried him. So no one knows where his grave is. And the Bible says that there was a great battle that ensued thereafter because the devil was after the body of Moses.

He wanted his body. And the archangel Michael intervened. And there was a great battle because the devil wanted Moses' body to snatch it from him. We don't know why. Maybe the devil said but Moses also sinned.

And God didn't allow it and that's where he sent the angel Michael to intervene that the devil did not get the body. And so when Elijah appeared there was Moses also. So there the Lord also raised him from the dead.

And perhaps it was for that reason that the devil had wanted the body of Moses. That this would not happen. Perhaps he knew that this was going to take place and he wanted to prevent it. We don't know.

We cannot fathom all those mysteries, those heavenly mysteries. We don't know everything. And so they spoke to the Lord about how he was to leave this earth. And when Peter and the disciples experienced this wonderful event, Peter said Lord it's so wonderful here.

Let us build three tabernacles. One for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah. It was wonderful to be together there. Yes. What wonderful fellowship. And that reminds us how wonderful it will be when we get to heaven.

When we will be there together with the saints that have gone on before. How wonderful will it be together. But tell me will you be there? Will you be part of that crowd? Or are you just together? But you'll never be part of that crowd if you're not part of it here already.

Holiness, Judgment, and Belonging to Christ

If you are here with the wrong friends, smoking, drinking, running after men. If you as a man burn with lust for women and you're just after them all the time. You won't be part of that crowd. You won't be there.

You'll end up in hell. If you still steal, tell lies. You think you'll be in that kingdom? You're just playing the fool. If you're not faithful, you're a hypocrite. You're just playing around. You're just playing around.

You will just end up in the plains. You'll get no further than that. You'll never end up on the mountaintop to experience the Lord there. You'll never be in that kingdom. Even if you've got membership of the best church in your area or wherever it is.

You'll never get into that kingdom. You're just like Judas Iscariot. You cover up sin for fear of disturbing the peace. You cover up sin for fear of disturbing the peace. Or maybe even saying, they'll kill me if I bring this thing to light.

And you don't realize that even if they would kill you, you just get to heaven quicker. You keep quiet when there's sin. And you say, I don't want to disturb our relationship. And I don't want to create any trouble.

So I'd rather keep quiet. You see, you don't have life in you. Like Jesus had God in himself. You don't have any life. You've got the devil in you. Because you're hiding that sin. And Moses and Elijah, they experienced the Lord.

They're on that mountaintop as they had experienced him in heaven. They came to us to have fellowship with their Lord. And oh how they appreciated that time of fellowship with their Lord. When they had finished speaking to the Lord, the time came for them to return to heaven.

And Peter then, his reaction, he was totally overwhelmed by that glory that he experienced. And that was just there on the mountaintop. Imagine what it will be like in heaven. The glory that will be there.

I feel sorry for every one of you who will miss out on that. They appeared there. And one could see who they were. One recognized them. So in heaven one will be able to see who is there and recognize who is there.

So you will see who is there. But you will also see who is not there. And if your child doesn't serve the Lord, is disobedient, goes, lives in sin, you will see that child being thrown into hell. And you will know that it has deserved it because it allowed sin in its life.

Someone said, but how will you be happy in heaven if your child is not there? Well you only speak that way because you don't know the Lord. You know about John Bunyan who wrote Pilgrim's Progress? The mother was a true Christian and she had two sons.

One of them was John. She said to John, her son, she said, John if you don't serve God and live for Him, I'll be the first one to testify against you on judgment day. Those are mothers, real mothers, that can tell the child.

There's a word in English, I'll be a quick, or what? A swift, swift. I'll be a swift witness against you. Is your mother like that? That you say, my child, if you don't serve the Lord, I'll be the first one to testify against you.

I won't say, you know what I mean. He has to go to hell. I testified against him. I taught him the truth, but he didn't listen. And I said to him, if you don't serve the Lord, I'll be the first one to testify against you.

That's what he said, he said, I'll be the first one to testify against you. You don't serve the Lord, so you can't be the first one to testify against me, because you can't be the first one to testify against me.

Children when they're sin and their immoral lifestyle they assist and even support them and even the children that come out of that life lifestyle and then when the children at school do wrong things you come and you defend your children those people we don't need maybe you must go to another church where they'll be happy if the benches are filled on a Sunday we don't need such people here then we can understand that John Bunyan became a John Bunyan because of having such a mother.

The milk she gave him to drink was strong milk and she wasn't a fool like you let your child know that you tell your child my child I expect you to live for God if you don't I'll be a swift witness against your judgment day.

Those mothers can nurse rightfully a man like John Bunyan but not these that are on drugs and fool around confess and then back like a dog or a pig like a pig into the mud again. You don't carnage. You go here too early.

And the muttah. So the Easter side do you can fit dumped side your muttah. So you mothers are you like that. I want you to make that plain and clear today. Settle that matter before God. Are you on the mountain or not.

Booze. I need a bomb. I'm an inch. I don't. I need both. Cool ninja. Do you fool. Routine. It's a little Conan. I'm Sanjay Silla not a boy. Say. The same goes for your father to your father's. I get massive a cretino umos we lit by Nama la la la pindele.

So after this Moses and Elijah departed again returned to heaven laughing II for love and balls. And a cloud came and covered them. And then lifting up their eyes they saw no one except Jesus himself.

And a voice and a voice from heaven said this is my beloved son with whom I'm well pleased. Hear him. He had only one beloved. And all the men of all mankind. Well one dream of a bunker baby's only. He was the only beloved for all the others were sinners.

Jesus is the only beloved son. He's not an ancestral spirit that that's of of hell. Those are demons. But Jesus is the beloved son of God. But if we believe in the beloved son and if we do what he says if we hear him then we too can become beloved children of God.

That voice came out of the cloud saying this is my beloved son. Hear him what he says. You must do. Do it. What he says. You mustn't do. Don't do. Guess in his cartoon manga fickle moon talk or why. What is into as ends.

Are you. There's in daikon. Oh my oh who's with you. Oh who can take a conch on. Some men take a conch on. No I don't show you who went to a challenge this hook up seal into your moon talk. Or why you.

When you see an experience some people who call themselves Christians when you hear them speak what they say and what they do. You're amazed. You say how is such a thing possible. Because what he what he professes doesn't correspond with what he does and what he lives.

He says things that a Christian should never say. Read the Bible. Read Matthew Mark Luke John read right through to Revelation and read what he says and ask yourself whether you keep it. Do you do what he tells you to do.

Do you leave what he tells you not to do a pipe a leaning or so good. A question later on on judgment day we'll have to give account of everything even all the idle words that we have spoken in the book of Revelation we read about the Lord Jesus.

And this isn't even judgment day yet. But there he was walking and moving among the churches. And when John saw him he fell down on his face like one who was dead and the Lord lifted him up. If you're a here's Jesus do you know this Jesus of whom God the Father said all he says.

You just go now take Matthew start from the first chapter read it see what the Lord says and ask yourself do I keep what he has said in that chapter. And then you go to the second and the third chapter read what the Lord said and ask yourself whether you do what he's told you and you go through the whole Bible like that oh my say best argument I mean which is what he knew not really moved when you now when they came down from the mountain the Lord said to the disciples don't tell anyone about what you've seen and they kept what he told them why banga who's for him for the Lord knew that the others wouldn't have had the strength to carry this when shortly after this when Judas Iscariot came with those soldiers and those guards to arrest the Lord they would have and could have doubted and said but we've just seen him in his glory.

Where is that glory now what's gone wrong with him and they could have doubted as a result and that's why the Lord says they mustn't know about this until I've been raised from the dead then they can hear about it.

No, Baba, I'm not alone. I'm not alone. I'm not alone. I'm not alone. The heart of a man is an evil thing and I could have easily said but where is that glory now why isn't aren't we seeing it now and they could have quickly criticized found fault.

Peter took out his sword and cut off the ear of that high priest servant and Pete and the Lord said Peter put that sword back but he didn't doubt. He knew what they had seen was the truth. So one day we will see Peter.

We'll see John. Will you see them together with all the Saints? Are you living that life that you will be one of that crowd? We will only see them and be with them if we do all that which he has told us to do.

Prayer for Faithful Obedience

Let us close our eyes. We thank your God that you reveal such matters to us, such mysteries. You love us Lord and we are so privileged to hear of these things that happen in heaven and beyond death. All these heavenly mysteries and also things that happened long and long ago and you know each one of us Lord.

You also know whether we are doing all that which the Lord has commanded us. What he says we should leave that we leave it. What he commands us to do we do. Help us not just to hear your word but also be those that do it.