How Vain is your Glory?

Lent 2019  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  27:47
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How Vain is your Glory?

The Honor of Men and The Glory of God

Luke 9:28–36 NIV
About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what he was saying.) While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.” When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves and did not tell anyone at that time what they had seen.

Glory vs. Vainglory

Glory Revealed

Several Hebrew words are translated “glory,”
most commonly kāḇôḏ, “heavy, weighty, burdensome”
hāḏār (e.g., the splendor of God’s work, Ps. 90:16)
hôḏ, God’s sovereignty over all things (Ps. 148:13),
more often translated “honor.”
The Septuagint translates with Gk. dóxa, unifying glory with its manifestations and encompassing the greatness and majesty of God.
The NT inherited this complex of meanings, also using dóxa in the classical Greek sense of “reputation” (cf. Luke 14:10), in the Hebrew sense of “weighty” (2 Cor. 4:17), and for the Shekinah, God’s tabernacling presence (1 Pet. 4:14).

Vainglory

Vainglory: inordinate pride in oneself or one's achievements; excessive vanity. "Vainglory" is the translation of kenodoxia, "empty glory" or "pride," nearly akin to vanity in the modern sense.
Romans 1:21–25 NIV
For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles. Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

Peter was Right, mostly...

Peter may have suggested to build 3 tabernacles for Jesus, Moses and Elijah out of the overwhelming sense of heaviness, the splendor of God, and acknowledging honor due God. But...
Immediately following Peter’s suggestion, The Father spoke audibly to everyone in a way that frightened the disciples. It was a rebuke or correction, to listen, on the chosen one, Jesus.

Here is Peter, getting ahead of himself, again...

He had previously rebuked Jesus before for telling them that he had to die.
He suggests 3 tabernacles as if Jesus, Moses and Elijah were equal in honor. As if Jesus were just another prophet.
Later, Peter denied Jesus out of fear, as Jesus is led to the cross.

If only Peter had learned here, before the Crucifixion.

What might have been different for him?

What might have been different for the disciples, even the next day?
Luke 9:37–43 NIV
The next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met him. A man in the crowd called out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. A spirit seizes him and he suddenly screams; it throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It scarcely ever leaves him and is destroying him. I begged your disciples to drive it out, but they could not.” “You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you and put up with you? Bring your son here.” Even while the boy was coming, the demon threw him to the ground in a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the impure spirit, healed the boy and gave him back to his father. And they were all amazed at the greatness of God. While everyone was marveling at all that Jesus did, he said to his disciples,
The disciples had just seen the previous day the visceral transfiguration in Jesus face and audibly heard the humbling voice of The Father claim Jesus as the Son.
After being asked to drive out an impure spirit/ demon, they could not, and Jesus responds with rebuke, calling them “unbelieving and perverse”.
What would be the point of rebuking his disciples as unbelieving if they did not have authority to do this?
They still disbelieved what was shown to them and what was spoken to them with authority.
So, Jesus had to do it.
But, there wasn’t much time left.
They were all amazed at the greatness of God.

Jesus says that we (whoever believes) will do greater things than he did.

John 14:12–14 NIV
Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
Peter may not have been fully correct, equating the glory of Jesus with Moses and Elijah, but he wasn’t wrong in celebrating the divinity to Jesus.

In understanding his error and reaffirming his faith in humility before Jesus, Peter was given leadership of the early church.

He had to leave the Honor of Men behind, and instead seek the Glory of God that transforms hearts and lives.

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