The Transfiguration of Our Lord
Notes
Transcript
The power of God
The power of God
Everything in the world has a warning label on it these days. My coffee cup says “careful, the beverage you’re about to enjoy is extremely hot”. Terms and Conditions about how you must give Amazon your DNA sequence if you need to make a return. In CA they have this warning called Prop 65 and it is supposed to be on everything that could cause you cancer. You end up with these giant stickers on new car windows.
Somehow these warnings have become so commonplace that we just ignore them. Like everything is harmful to us except the power of God. Instead of reading the scriptures and taking them at face value we have domesticated our God.
Christianity has become a bumper sticker and hijacked by our emotional sensitivities and desire to not be labeled boring.
But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God.
In our increasing efforts to make God relevant we have sugar coated the work of God.
This is the harsh reality of our lives, we would rather fear the heat of our carefully crafted beverages than the power of our God. We, like Peter, want to confine God’s power to our own patterns and understanding.
Look at this:
And Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.”
Here let’s literally build three little houses, three little domiciles!
Let’s domesticate this! Why?
For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified.
Yes, this is probably an allusion to Sukkoth, the jewish festival of booths where the harvest was brought in and stored in little- booths.
Peter is both literally and figuratively trying to compartmentalize the craziness of what is going on.
Isn’t this exactly what we try and do when faced with the inexplicable? We try to find an explanation? We try to put it in its proper place. We don’t like to be out of control.
What is something in the revelation of God that you don’t want to accept? (A hard doctrine? of law or grace)
When we try and tell God what to do with His power- His glory ends up being too much for us.
The bible is littered with these little stories about people encountering the living God and being transfigured by it.
Elisha asks for a double portion of the spirit and instead he ends up tearing his cloak in two
Moses strikes fear into the heart of Israel because His face is glowing after God passed over him
Jacob, who became Israel, has his hip displaced
Our Psalm records this:
Our God comes; he does not keep silence; before him is a devouring fire, around him a mighty tempest.
Isaiah has this great account:
Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”
The angels are hiding their eyes because they can’t see the glory of God either.
Isaiah screams!
So where does that leave us? If God is far too hot for us to handle then we must reconsider our practice when handling the things of God.
We must receive God on His own terms
We must receive God on His own terms
If we cannot domesticate or tamper with God’s Word we must deal with God as He has decided to deal with us. His Glory has been too much for us to see, comprehend, or handle. That is until...
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
The point of the transfiguration is to move past two incredible figures of the OT and look at the one who harnesses all of God’s majesty and power.
And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.”
As we talk about all this power and majesty pushed and contained it reminds us of last weeks message on the Authority of Christ. He casts out demons, He raises the dead, He created the world.
See our world is consumed with this idea of power. I think the reason why we are so obsessed with labels and warnings is not because of lawsuits and liability (though that certainly exists)
It is because we have settled for lesser glories! We like to wield smaller powers.
Big fish in a small pond
We like to listen to ourselves over the living God.
John 12:43 reminds us of this
for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.
This desires to drink really hot coffee, or create nuclear fission, or be esteemed by our colleagues are all a shadow of a greater glory
You want to see glory- watch the resurrection. “Whoever believes in me though he die - yet shall he live.
Watch the world go from DECAY to New Birth.
The realignment of the transfiguration
The realignment of the transfiguration
Look at Mk 9:1
And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.”
All those other warnings are warnings against the power of death. Today we hear that the power of God is the power of life! This is encapsulated beautifully in Jn 10:10
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
You are the exclusive purveyors of the living word of God- you!
for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
You get to talk about JESUS! The Word Made Flesh - The Grace and Glory and Love of God revealed in flesh.
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Further- that power is Harnessed for you. When we take communion, when we are baptised that power is FOR YOU. That taste- the bread and wine mixed together is literally the taste of the resurrection, Of life overcoming death.
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
Friends God is using His power in Christ, even now to give you new life. To refresh you in this weary season. This week, reflect on those little ordinary Glories- the label on your bleach, the prospectus from you 401k, and then consider that God used the greatest Glory of His Son to save you and all of creation.
God commands us to listen to Him. Hear what Jesus says:
“I am the resurrection and the Life”