Impressed by Jesus (Part 1)

Thanks for tuning in to No Compromise Radio, with pastor and author, Dr. Mike Abendroth. Today on No Compromise Radio, we'll be hearing Pastor Mike open the Word of God in a recent message he preached at Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston, Massachusetts.

Now let's join Pastor Mike in progress as he preaches through the scriptures, verse by verse, with No Compromise.

The Call to Proclaim Jesus and Not Ourselves

You know, it's interesting, I sent an email out to the elders a few days ago, I said, make sure you talk about Jesus. We want to proclaim Him, right? Him we proclaim, Colossians chapter 1. We want to be like Paul to the Corinthians, he said, I've determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, even Him crucified.

We do that for lots of reasons, we're under divine mandate, but also, we aren't Jesus. And we could never be Jesus, and we have to remind our people, constantly, that we're not the shepherds of the church.

We might be under-shepherds, but Jesus is the one to look to, and when we preach ourselves, that would be horrific. So let's talk about who Jesus is. As John Hannah said to me this summer, God the Father is only impressed by Jesus Christ.

He's the only person that impresses Him. I've been studying Matthew all summer, so please turn your Bibles to the book of Matthew, and I want you to be impressed with the King Jesus. We'll probably take a few weeks for some cameos in the book of Matthew, to see our Lord Jesus front and center as the King of all kings, the Lord of all lords.

And then we'll get into the next book that we're going to get into in September, but a few cameos, verse-by-verse cameos in the book of Matthew, so you'll be impressed with Jesus. The theme of Matthew is the King, Jesus Christ.

The Messiah of Israel. Here we have Matthew, he used to be a tax collector. His name means the gift of the Lord. He's an apostle, and he's writing. He's Jewish, and the Jewishness, as it were, seeps into this book.

When Jewish customs are mentioned, they're not explained, because the readers are Jewish, and they understand what's going on. About 60 times the Old Testament is referred to, or quoted, more than any other gospel.

Jesus is called the Son of David. Everything about this shows you this King, Jesus. And I find it fascinating that even though sinfully, back in the day of Israel, they said, we want a king like the other nations.

Sinfully, they asked that, and now they're going to get the King, the real King. Savior, yes, Redeemer, yes, Friend, yes, Lamb, yes, but King, the King who will return one day on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory, Matthew 24.

The Transfiguration as a Revelation of Christ's Glory

Why don't we open our Bibles to Matthew, specifically chapter 17, the Transfiguration. The Transfiguration is gripping, and it's not just what happens, but why it happens. The Transfiguration of Jesus on the mountain will impress you.

And with Spurgeon, you will say at the end of the message, not because of me, but because of the text, you will say with Spurgeon, and we proclaim and enthrone God and His right to do as He wills. You're going to see power and authority and the scope of Jesus and the authority of Jesus.

Any kind of oligarchy or democracy or republic or voting blocks or bipartisanship, any of this kind of stuff just gets tossed and trashed as you see Jesus, the King. Everywhere you look in Matthew, it just shouts, King, the Sermon on the Mount, the Manifesto of the King.

Chapter 1, why all those names? It's the genealogy of the King, and unlike another Gospel writer going back to Adam, Matthew goes back to Abraham because it's the Jewish King. If I summarize the book of Matthew with one verse from Matthew, it would be Matthew 21, 5, behold, your King is coming to you, gentle and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.

Oh, and didn't Israel need a King at this time? The Roman occupation, they need to be delivered from such tyranny. Oh, to have a King, oh, to have a righteous King. And for 28 chapters, Matthew just shows Jesus is the King.

And so we come to chapter 17. There's all kinds of instruction by the King in chapters 16 through 20, and we parachute in now to Matthew chapter 17, what's called the Transfiguration. How many Gospels are there in the Bible?

Four, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The first three are called what? Synoptic Gospels. They're similar. They all three have this account of the Transfiguration. John doesn't. We don't know why John doesn't have it.

I mean, he was there, some say because John wants to show the glory of Jesus throughout all his chapters, not just the effulgent glory on the mountain. And the way Matthew writes, it's in present tenses, and it makes you think like you're there.

You just get drawn into this narrative. You feel like you're there. You think you're there. And Jesus is going to encourage the men, and Jesus is going to be encouraged. Matthew 17 .1. Be impressed. After six days, Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John, his brother, and led them, Mark says, took them up a high mountain by themselves.

Six days after the end of chapter 16, Jesus takes the inner core, Peter, James, and John, up to a high mountain. Now before we see the context, because notice the first word in chapter 17 is and, and after.

Before we see the context, let's just focus on verse 1 a little bit. They go to a high mountain. Which mountain is this? Well, we're not told specifically. You got basically three options. Mount Tabor is one where church history says that Jesus went to.

Probably not a good choice because there was a Roman garrison on the top of this mountain in the days of Jesus. So it'd be hard to go there for the transfiguration. Second option is Mount Hermon, 9 ,200 feet up.

It's a striking mountain. It's a big mountain. It's Wachusett times 4 .2 or something like that. Is that true? Wachusett, I heard, is technically a mountain because it has to be 2 ,000 feet or higher to be a mountain.

And Wachusett used to be like 1996. So they added that rock and that tower or something else, and then they made it 2004. Is that right, Bob? Robert? Okay. Amen. The problem with Mount Hermon being the mountain is, Mark says after Jesus comes down from the mountain, there's a bunch of teachers from the Law of the Law, some scribes, and it seems not very probable that they're going out of their Palestinian jurisdiction into the Gentile area.

Maybe it was Mount Hermon. The other option is Mount Miron, M-I-R-O-N. It's about a 4 ,000 foot mountain right in between Capernaum and Caesarea Philippi. Here's the issue. What the mountain was doesn't matter.

What took place on the mountain does, right? If the exact locale mattered, then one of the writers would say something. But what happened on the mountain? I have another question for you. What happens on mountains in the Bible?

What often happens? Well, there are bushes that are on fire, but they're not on fire. They're not burned. That happens on a mountain. The Ten Commandments are delivered with lightning and thunder in Exodus 19.

That happens. You've got fire that comes down and eats up the sacrifice on Mount Horeb with Elijah. That happens. Satan takes Jesus to a high mountain to tempt Him. Mountaintop experiences? I guess. Listen to what Luke says some eight days later, about eight days, after these scenes, it came about that He took along Peter, James, and John and went up to the mountain to pray.

So Jesus takes His inner circle. He goes to the mountain to pray. Why would Jesus be praying? Well, because Jesus prays without ceasing. That might be an okay answer, but the right answer is more specifically, there's a context to this, and the first word in your English text, and hence, we should go backwards.

Go to verse 21 of the previous chapter. Why is Jesus praying? He's praying in light of what He's talked about in the last chapter. That is, His death, His crucifixion. He's going to be killed, and He is fully God.

That is for certain. But He's fully man as well, and He needs to pray to the Father. Fascinating that He never says to His disciples, and all that I know in the Bible, please pray for me. But He does go pray.

And now, why does He pray? Verse 21 of chapter 16, from that time, Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things, from the elders, and chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day, be raised.

Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, far be it from you, Lord. This shall never happen to you. Turned to Him and said to Peter, get behind me, Satan. You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.

Peter was just like us. We want the crown. We want the glory. And in God's economy, it's always suffering, and then glory. It's the cross, and then it's the what? Satan's way of thinking is prosperity gospel, Joosting gospel, name it and claim it gospel.

That's a satanic gospel. And Jesus has to go pray. He goes on in chapter 16. You're setting your mind on the things of God, but not on the things of God, but on the things of man, verse 24. It's not just Jesus that's going to need prayer.

If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever saves his life will lose it. Whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life?

Or what shall a man give in return for his life? The son of man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his father. And then he will repay each person according to what he has done. Truly I say to you, you're going to see the tie-in here.

There are some standing here, Peter, James and John, who will not taste death until they see the son of man coming in his kingdom. And we're going to get a flash of that. It's like when you see lightning strike in the middle of the night and for a split second everything seems crystal clear.

You can see everything perfectly and then the lights go out. Jesus is praying because he's on his way to Calvary and he has set his face towards the cross. He knows the agony, he knows the suffering, he knows what it's going to be like when the father turns his back, as it were, and Jesus says, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

And so they go to pray in view of the passion. Verse 2 of Matthew 17, and he, Jesus, was transfigured, transformed. We get the word metamorphosis. Before them, before their very eyes, changed. And then there's two aspects to this.

His face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light. The Good News Bible translates the metamorphosis as a change came over Jesus. A change came over him. It doesn't do justice to it. The eternal Son of God has been cloaked with humanity, and forever will be cloaked in humanity.

And we're getting a little hint of the essence of God, the Son, and the character of God, the Son, and the nature of God, the Son, as it were, streaming out from him. And there's a change. And look at the text.

His face shone like the sun. Luke says his face became other. But Matthew says it was shining. It was beaming. His face shone like the sun. Ever look at the sun? I mean, I want to tell you, after service, go stare at the sun for a while.

But kids, you may not. But when you do stare at the sun, it's bright. It's brighter than anything we know. It's interesting. Something happened to his clothes, too. This is so intense. This is so radiant, so glorious, so dazzling, so impressive.

His clothes become white as the light. Gleaming white clothes. Mark 9, listen to this. His garments became radiant and exceedingly white. And then I like what Mark says. As no laundry on earth can whiten them.

My favorite all-time dry cleaner is in Santa Cruz, California. It's called Vapor. V-A-P-O-R. Just the name sounds cool. His garments are so radiant. This is not some kind of, you know, you've got some white garments and you've just got some special, you know, Palestinian tide or something.

This is getting affected. It's bright when there's a nuclear bomb and things change colors. His face is shining. The garments are all white. And think about the mountain. And think about this glory. Moses, true or false?

There was glory on Moses' face. True. But it was on his face and it was reflected glory. And now from the inside out we have the glory of the eternal God coming out. How do you know it's from the inside out?

The other two times this word is used in the epistles. It's talking about the transformation of the believer's likeness into Christ's likeness. That is the word metamorphosis. Do you recognize from these two verses?

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind. Romans 12. Do you recognize this one? Talking about the inner transformation, the inner transfiguration. Yes, it happened on the outside, but stemming from the inside.

And we all, with unfailed face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed, transfigured, metamorphosized into the same image from the one degree of glory to another. Moses is not the eternal Son of God.

He absorbs some glory, but then it fades away. Who Jesus is at essence level, at nature level, at character level, is the eternal Son of God. And the Shekinah glory is pouring out. And when I read 1 John 1 .5 now, it is impressive.

God is light. And there is no darkness at all in Him. I wonder if people down below were looking up there. If it was Mount Hermon, there would probably be snow at the top. And the snow doesn't look so bright.

Laundered clothes don't look so bright in comparison with the Son of Man. Listen to Daniel 7. I kept looking until thrones were set up, and the Ancient of Days took His seat. His vesture was like white snow, and the hair of His head like pure wool.

His throne was ablaze with flames. Its wheels were a burning fire. The eternal Son of God. That's why when I was in California, and I get the knock, knock, knock, and two people come to my door. And I already know what's going to happen.

It's going to be bad. You're going to come to my house, and try to damn me and my children, and say bad things about Jesus. Dishonorable things about Jesus. Things that only an anti-Christ spirit would say, 1 John 4.

And the two Mormons are like, we're here to talk to you about Jesus. And I'm thinking, you're going to defame Jesus, and dishonor Him. Matthew takes 28 chapters to try to show you that He's the eternal Son of Glory.

And now you're going to tell me, He's some created being. How foolish. Remember, 1 ,500 years earlier? Exodus 33, Moses said, I pray Thee, show me Thy glory. And 1 ,500 years later, Moses had to be tucked to the side.

God said, I will make all of my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the Lord before you. I'll be gracious to whom I'll be gracious, and show compassion on whom I'll show compassion.

But you cannot see my face, for no man can see me and live. Behold, there's a place by me, you shall stand there in the rock. It will come about while my glory is passing by. I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and cover you with my hand until I have passed by.

Then I'll take my hand away, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen. The glory of God, the majesty of God, the Old Testament idea of glory is heavy. There's a lot of weight. It leaves an impression.

If you do stare at the sun today for 20 seconds, and then turn away and close your eyes, you'll still see the sun, because there's a lasting impression in your eye. On some mountain, we see a little hint of who Jesus is.

Perfectly timed. I'm on my way to the cross, and how does this encourage the disciples? We'll see. Sinclair Ferguson said this. His glory was seen. His power and kingly majesty were momentarily visible.

Sinclair Ferguson. It was a foretaste of that day when his kingdom would come with power in his resurrection. It was a foretaste, too, of the day of his final glory. Now, you know I respect Sinclair Ferguson, and what he said is true.

But he could have added as well. It was also more than just future-looking. It was also, what was Jesus like before his incarnation? The pre-incarnated Jesus is now on display. I love John 17. And now, Father, glorify me, Jesus said in your own presence, with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.

And now, for a split second, the Word has become flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory. I know John is talking about a different glory than this. But all the same. Verse 3. What is going on here?

Mark says with very, I mean, Matthew says with very Matthean language, and behold, look, you've got to pay attention to this. As I've said to you many times, people read the Bible way too fast. It's one of their problems.

Problem one is we don't read the Bible enough. Problem two, when we read it, we don't read with understanding. Too fast. And behold, there appeared to them, Peter, James, and John, Moses and Elijah, talking with him.

Now, wait a second. How did they know it was Moses? How did they know it was Elijah? Say, well, maybe Moses said, Mr. Elijah, or Elijah the prophet. We don't know, but they recognize him. And I can't prove it, but I would say, if you're worried that people in heaven won't recognize you in your resurrected, glorified body, I wouldn't worry about it.

I think they'll recognize you. Vice versa. Moses and Elijah. Moses dies 1 ,400 years prior. Elijah dies 900 years prior. And now we have the man who exemplifies and embodies the law and the man who exemplifies and embodies the prophets.

All of the Old Testament is bearing witness to this great Jesus, the law and the prophets. Moses sees the glory of God on Sinai. Elijah sees the glory of God on Horeb. And now the two main divisions of the Old Testament, law and prophets, are being fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

Jesus had already said in Matthew 5, didn't He? Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or prophets. I have not come to abolish them, but to what? Fulfill. I, Moses, representing the law, give testimony to the fact that Jesus in the Old Testament is going to suffer and die and be raised.

The prophets give testimony. I, Elijah, representing them, when I look at the Old Testament prophets and I look at Isaiah, I look at Psalm 22, Jesus is going to suffer and then be raised. It's cross, then crown.

It's suffering, then glory. Witness number one. Witness number two. All the Bible witness. And what were they talking about? They were talking. Mark gives the language that it went on for a long time.

They talk for a long time. You know how I love S. Lewis Johnson. He said, You think they ought to have spoken about how the Jericho Juleps and the Jerusalem Jimbos were getting ready for spring training for baseball season?

Or they were thinking about how the Beersheba Bears and the Dan Donkeys will do in the coming National Football League race this fall? Or maybe politics, when will he get the ax? Who shall succeed Herod?

What were they talking about? The Jesus Seminar? New perspectives on Paul? Some other weird kind of theological thing? Turn to Luke chapter 9, we're told exactly what they're talking about. And it is the theme of heaven.

It is the centerpiece of the universe. Moses and Elijah were talking with Jesus about His death. About Calvary. And as the angels ministered to Jesus when He was getting tempted, now we have all of the law, all of the prophets.

We have Moses and Elijah coming alongside, encouraging the God-man.

Please come and join us. Our service times are Sunday morning at 8 .30 and 11 a .m. and Sunday evenings at 6 p .m. We're located on Route 110 in West Boylston, Massachusetts. You can check us out online at bbcchurch .org or by phone at 508 -835 -3400.

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