I would ask you to turn with me to Matthew's Gospel and to the chapter 17. We have read already this morning Luke's account of this great incident and now we want to consider the opening verses of Matthew 17 and how the evangelist there records the event. And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James and John his brother and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, and was transfigured before them. And his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. And behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him. Then answered Peter and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here. If thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles, one for thee, and one for Moses and one for Elias. While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them. And behold, a voice out of the cloud which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear ye him. And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face and were so afraid. And Jesus came and touched them and said, Arise, and be not afraid. And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man save Jesus only. Amen. We know that God will bless the reading of His word. As we examine Matthew's account of the transfiguration here in Matthew 17, It is clear that it follows soon after the event that we studied last time in these studies in Simon Peter the servant. We remember that Peter uttered foolish words of rebuke to the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible says in Matthew 16 verse 22, after the Lord had spoken about the cross and about his resurrection, then Peter took him and began to rebuke him saying, be it far from thee Lord, This shall not be unto thee." And that foolish word, that word of rebuke to the Lord Jesus, drew forth a very sharp condemnation. Some of the strongest words that the Lord ever used. Get thee behind me, Satan! Thou art an offence unto me, for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men. We have to say that this was a tremendous rebuke to Peter and he deserved it because he was guilty of a grievous error and of sin. But it was not the end of his service for Jesus, far from it. It's just as well the Lord doesn't get rid of us just as soon as we say the wrong thing. He did not do that for Peter either. And in the aftermath of that foolish behaviour, we see that the Lord granted Peter to partake in a high spiritual privilege. Something that Peter wrote of with tremendous joy many years later. If you turn with me to the second epistle of Peter, and the chapter 1, and read from verse 16. Simon Peter writes by inspiration, For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this voice, which came from heaven, we heard when we were with Him in the Holy Mount." So that incident, which is recorded by Matthew and the other Gospel writers, Mark and Luke, is something that Peter looked back upon with great delight Now it's worth noting that the Lord spoke of His sufferings first, here in Matthew 16, and then of the glory that was to follow. Matthew 16 verse 21, from that time forth began Jesus to show unto His disciples how that He must go unto Jerusalem and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed and be raised again the third day. But when you come down to verse 28, he says, there be some standing here which shall not taste of death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom. And you come right into chapter 17, and the Lord is glorified before them. The sufferings followed by the glory. And I believe there is a glimpse here of that coming glory that was given in the events that followed in chapter 17. One day we shall see the Lord this way all the time. Now this particular order, the sufferings and then the glory, can be seen in a number of scriptures. For example, the Lord Jesus himself, talking about this very thing, said at the end of Luke's Gospel, in chapter 24 to be exact, verse 26, Ought not Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into his glory? Suffering and then glory. You see that that is something that was uppermost in the mind of Peter himself in his first epistle. Let me just briefly show you this. 1 Peter chapter 1 and verse 11. Notice carefully what he says. Searching what or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them, that's the prophets, did signify when it testified beforehand, mark this, the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow. You come then to chapter 4 of 1 Peter, verse 13. And here is this order again. But rejoice inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. The sufferings and then the glory. And then chapter 5 of 1 Peter. And verse 1. The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed. The sufferings and then the glory. And that is always the order. It's the order even for God's people. After we are here, as it were, in this veil of suffering, then in heaven we enjoy the glory. And Paul talked about that incidentally in Romans chapter 8. And he said that we need to get an eternal perspective on life. We need to not be focused too much on the present. Because, he says, Romans 8, 17 and 18, if children then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." There you have it again, the sufferings followed by the glory. And that was the order for Christ himself. Now, as we look at the events surrounding the transfiguration of Christ, It's my prayer that we will be blessed in such a way this morning as to say of God's house, as Peter did of that mountaintop, it is good for us to be here. It is good for us to be here. And as it was for Peter and the others, I trust it will also be for us when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no man save Jesus only. May the Lord show us himself. Now I want to consider the Biblical records of the Synoptic Gospels in Matthew and Mark and Luke and particularly I want us to notice what all of this meant for Simon Peter. I want you to think with me first of all about this, what Peter saw that day. What did Peter see that day? Matthew 17 verse 1. After six days, Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, and was transfigured before them." As we go on down this portion, we see that not only did he see a great change wrought upon Christ, but he saw two characters from the Old Testament in verse 3, Moses and Elias, or Elijah. We notice also they saw a bright cloud overshadowing them in verse 5. And in verse 8 we read, they saw no man save Jesus only. So there's quite a bit here concerning what Peter and the others saw that day. Now before examining the events in detail, I want us to simply note this. For Peter, this was another example of an especial privilege. Peter, you know, was a most privileged man. And we have to say that God grants to some what He does not grant to all. We believe that this is true as regards all men in general, that there are those who God, for His own eternal purpose, sets His love upon in salvation. But it's also true, even among the Lord's people, that God does not grant the same privileges to all that He does to some. That's very clear, even as we look at the band of the disciples. There were twelve disciples. Of course, one was the traitor, Judas Iscariot. But you will notice here that the Lord doesn't take the twelve. He doesn't even take the eleven up into the high mountain. He takes three. Peter, James and John. These three were part of that group often called the twelve, the disciples. But they were a special group. They were a privileged group. They were part of what we would call the inner circle. I want to prove that to you very quickly. Turn with me to Mark's Gospel and the chapter 5. And toward the end of this chapter there's the story of a girl who was sick. And who died? She was the daughter of Jairus. And without going into all the details of the story, it tells us that in verse 36, as soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe. And he suffered no man to follow him, save Peter, and James, and John, the brother of James. In other words, he didn't allow anybody else to come into the house with him where he raised Jairus' daughter from the dead, but these three, Peter, James and John. Then of course we have the account in Mark chapter 9 of the transfiguration and it tells us in Mark 9 verse 2 that after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter and James and John and leadeth them up into a high mountain apart by themselves. And he was transfigured before them. Here they are, privileged men among the disciples. Now go to chapter 14, Mark 14, verses 32 and 33. And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane. And he saith to his disciples, Sit ye here while I shall pray. He is talking now to the eleven. Judas is already gone to get that party of soldiers etc. to arrest the Lord. So he is talking to the eleven. Sit ye here while I shall pray. Now look at verse 33. And he taketh with him Peter and James and John and began to be sore amazed and to be very heavy. There you have these men again. They are privileged men. Peter was part of that inner group. As we come to the Acts of the Apostles, there's a number of mentions made of Peter and John. When you come to Acts chapter 12, it actually links the three of them again. Herod stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church, and he killed James, the brother of John, with the sword. There's James and John mentioned. And because he sought to please the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. So these were three, a triumvirate. who were particularly privileged. I say they were part of an inner circle of disciples. The Lord brought them into His confidence at times, where He did not bring the others. And then Galatians 2 verse 9 gives us this verdict. And when James Cephas, and that's the other name for Peter, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me in Barnabas the right hands of fellowship." James, Cephas, or Peter, and John. There you have the three of them mentioned as pillars in the work of God. My friends, there are some who are closer to the Lord. Now, it ought to be our aim and objective, all of us, to be close to the Lord. Oh, for a closer walk with God, a calm and heavenly frame, a light to shine upon the road that leads me to the Lamb. We should be singing and we should be praying, draw me nearer, nearer, blessed Lord, to the cross where thou hast died. Nevertheless, there are those who enjoy an especial privilege. All God's people enjoy the privilege of being close to the Lord. But is it not an interesting thing that some seem to be brought into a closer position, a position of greater privilege? But remember this, that position of greater privilege brings about greater responsibility. To whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required. And all of us today can get closer to the Lord. But for Peter, what he saw that day marked him out as one who enjoyed a special privilege. But I want you to notice as well here that there is mention of an elevated place. And that elevated place is quite obviously the high mountain. That's what it's called in Matthew 17 verse 1. He taketh them apart. He taketh them up into a high mountain apart. That was literally true. It was an exalted place, it was an elevated place. You can see for a long way when you get up to the top of the mountain. I've done a little bit of hill climbing in my day and sometimes you get aspects from there that you're not likely to get anywhere else except from an aeroplane or a helicopter or such like. There's a clear vision in that exalted place. That was literally true of Peter. I believe it was also true spiritually. It was a place where the Lord took Peter and the others. He led them up into a high mountain. But not only was it a high mountain, it was a holy mountain. And it's interesting, is it not, to note again what Peter said in his epistle, 2 Peter 1, verse 18. This voice which came from heaven we heard when we were with him, listen to it, in the holy mount. Now, what was it that made this a holy mount? Was it a holy place, such as the holy places that people will visit today? They go on pilgrimages and such like because they imagine it to be a, quote, holy place. Now, why was this a holy place? Well, I think that there's one good reason why Peter described it as a holy place. It's because Jesus was there and God spoke there. And it was a place of prayer. Look at the third of the Gospels, it looks Gospel chapter 9 and we read earlier on from that portion. And I'm sure you noticed at that time the reason why Jesus went up into that mountain with the disciples. Matthew doesn't tell us this, neither does Mark, but Luke tells us. Chapter 9, verse 28, And it came to pass, about an eight days after these sayings, he took Peter and John and James and went up into a mountain to pray. And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistering. Oh, it was a holy mount, because it was a place where Jesus prayed. And would the Lord not take us into the place of prayer? And when the Lord takes us into the place of prayer, is that not a holy place? Is that not an elevated place? Is that not a place that is above the world and sin, spiritually speaking? Do we not need such times in our lives? Do we not need to sing, Lord, plant my feet on higher ground? Do we not need to sing, Lord, lift us, Lord, oh, lift us higher? From the carnal mind set us free, fill us with refining fire and give us perfect liberty. Do we not need the mountaintop experiences? We certainly do. The Lord knows that we need those times in the valley as well. But we need the mountaintop experiences. Do you know anything of what it is to enter in with Christ into the place of prayer? Peter did. Peter had an especial privilege. He was led to an elevated place. And notice he saw some exemplary people. This is rather remarkable. It's interesting. It tells us there that on the Mount of Transfiguration there appeared two men with Jesus. Moses and Elias. It says in Matthew 17 verse 3, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him. Mark puts it like this, in chapter 9, verse 4, And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. And then in Luke's Gospel, chapter 9, verse 30, And behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias. I say these were exemplary people. They were two Old Testament characters. Moses had been dead more than 1,500 years and now he appears in glory on that mountain. Moses who died and of course the devil and Michael the Archangel had an argument over his body. And then Elijah who never died. Elijah was taken up into heaven in a whirlwind. Now these men are seen here to be real. These are not ghosts. These are not operations. The men weren't saying things. It says here quite clearly in my Bible, and behold there talked with him two men which were Moses and Elias who appeared in glory. They were real. And I think it's worthy of note that at the end of the Old Testament, in fact the very last chapter of the Old Testament, Malachi chapter 4, These are the last two men mentioned in the Old Testament. Is that not a significant thing? I think it is. Malachi 4, verse 4 and verse 5. Remember ye the law of Moses my servant. And as we'll see, Moses is usually in Scripture associated with the law, with the giving of the law. Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb, which was a mountain, of course, for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord." Moses and Elijah. They were real men. But they were, I feel, also representative men. You think about this, why did the Lord not choose two other Old Testament characters to come and appear there on the Mount? I mean, He could have chosen somebody else. He could have chosen the psalmist David. He could have chosen even a woman, Ruth the Moabite or someone like that. But He didn't. He had appeared to Him on the Mount in Moses and Elijah. Why? Well, let me suggest why. Moses represents the Law. John chapter 1 and verse 17 says this about Moses, For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. And then there's Elijah, he represents the prophets. And there you have the Old Testament scriptures, the Old Testament revelation, the law and the prophets. That's how it was often described, the Law and the Prophets. Remember the rich man in hell, and Abraham told him about his brothers. He wasn't going to send Lazarus to try to talk to them. He said, they have Moses and the Prophets. Let them hear them. They have the Old Testament revelation. Now, that's significant, the Law and the Prophets they're representing. But notice that they talked with Jesus. They talked with Jesus. But what did they talk about? Luke 9, verses 30 and 31, And, behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias, who appeared in glory, that is, in glorious bodies, and spake of his decease, which he should accomplish at Jerusalem. I think that's wonderful. They talked with Jesus. And what did they talk about? They talked about the cross. That's what they talked about. They talked about His decease. Literally, the word is His exodus. Oh, that would be significant to Moses, wouldn't it? They talked about His exodus. Moses knew all about the exodus. The departure from Egypt. How did it happen? It happened because of the shedding of the blood of the Lamb. The Passover. That's how they were delivered from Egypt. By the sprinkling of blood. And so Moses, it would be significant for him to talk about the Exodus. But it wasn't the original one. It was that of which it spoke in type. Christ's decease, His departure, which He should accomplish at Jerusalem. They were talking about the cross. Discussing His approaching death. And what a theme that is for discussion. Here are men representing the law and the prophets. The Old Testament revelation. And what are they talking about? They're talking about the cross. You see, friends, that's what the Old Testament is all about. That's what the Law and the Prophets point to. They point to Christ. They point us in the direction of the Cross. And this morning you might profess to be saved, to be the Lords. Let me ask you this. Do you ever talk about the Cross in your everyday conversation? Do you ever talk about the death of the Lord Jesus Christ and what it means to you? But are we not right to say the Law and the Prophets point to the Cross? You read the Old Testament and you find that it's all directing you to Christ and His work. That's why we should preach from the Old Testament as well as the New Testament. Someone said to me, I'm a New Testament Christian. That's true, but I'm also a Two Testament Christian. Because I believe that the Old Testament is the New Testament concealed, and the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed. A great preacher once said, God only speaks with one mouth, but that one mouth has two lips, the Old Testament and the New Testament. A whole Bible. Get into the habit of carrying with you the whole Bible. I learned that very early on as a young minister. Don't go visiting some old saint of God with your New Testament and then ask them, what portion would you like me to read from? Well, I would like you to read to me from Isaiah. Sorry, I've only got the New Testament with me. Oh, it's a mistake. I don't despise the New Testament, obviously. But men and women, the Old Testament directs us to Christ and His work. And you can't understand the Old Testament except in the light of the New Testament. But we must read the Old Testament in order to look and see things in the New Testament that become clearer because of that study. But from there I want us to think about this. Peter saw some things. He saw some exemplary people. He saw an extraordinary phenomenon. And that phenomenon was the transfiguration of Christ, as we call it. Again, let me just go through these Gospels. In Matthew 17, verse 2, it says, He was transfigured before them. And his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment, or his clothing, was white as the light. In Mark's gospel, it tells us in chapter 9, he was transfigured before them. Verse 2 and verse 3, his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow, so as no fooler on earth can white them. And then, in Luke chapter 9, verse 29, And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistering. Now let me say the word transfigured comes from the Greek word, the root word for metamorphosis. What is metamorphosis? Well anybody who's been to school and studied biology will have learned about caterpillars and butterflies and moths and all that sort of thing and we learn about how that creature in its early stages then progresses until it comes to adulthood and maturity and it sheds that cocoon and so on and it becomes a butterfly in the case of butterflies. That is by a process known as metamorphosis. And metamorphosis is from two Greek words. It really refers to a change of form or appearance. And so when it says that Christ was transfigured, you might say He was metamorphized before them. There was a change of form or appearance. And as it is with that creature that is going through metamorphosis to become a moth or a butterfly, the change is from the inside out and it's manifested on the outside. And so that glory that was concealed in our Lord's human frame, that people never got to see, but very infrequently, it was manifested for a short time. There were occasions when the Lord just gave men a glimpse of His glory. I think of another occasion, in the Garden of Gethsemane. We read about it in John's Gospel, and what an amazing record this is, of how these people came to arrest the Lord. John chapter 18, And when Jesus said, Whom seek ye? Of course, he knew who they were seeking, but he asked them anyway. They said, Jesus of Nazareth. And Jesus saith unto them, I am he. Literally it is, I am. The he is in italics in our authorised verse. I am. It says, As soon as he had said unto them, I am, they went backward and fell to the ground. What happened? They saw just a little glimpse of his glory. He just gave them a little peek of His glory. And men and women, that glory concealed in our Lord's human frame, if it ever was manifested fully, men could not have lived with the sight. Because the Bible says of God that He dwells in light that no man can approach unto. That glory burst forth from our Lord's human frame. It was a glimpse of glory. It was a revelation of majesty. Again, that's how Peter describes it in 2 Peter 1 verse 16. We were eyewitnesses of His majesty. They saw the King in all His glory. And what Peter and others got to witness temporarily, every believer will get to see permanently in heaven. His glory, fully manifested, a revelation of majesty. And yet while we must wait for that beatific vision, that's what it's called, the vision of God and of Christ in His full glory, while we have to wait for that, and by the way, Jesus prayed for it, It's going to happen to every one of God's people. John 17, 24, Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me, for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. Believers in heaven have seen the Lord in His glory. But friends, we can see that glory today by faith. 2 Corinthians 4 tells us that if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost, in whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel, and it's literally the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who as the image of God should shine unto them, for we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake." Now watch this, "...for God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness." That's the original creation. hath shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." In the new creation, in regeneration, every true believer has seen spiritually what Peter saw literally, the glory of Christ. And you know, we can continue to see that glory. That's part of our sanctification. If you look at the context of 2 Corinthians 4, 6, you'll notice that the previous chapter is talking about glory. It's talking about the experience of Moses. And it's talking about how that his face shone. Look back at 2 Corinthians 3, verse 7. If the ministration of death, that's the dispensation of law, written and engraved in stones was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not steadfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance? Which glory was to be done away? How shall not the ministration of the Spirit be rather glorious?" The whole subject down here is glory. And when you come down to verse 17 and verse 18, Paul says, Now the Lord is that Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with open face, beholding as in a glass or a mirror, the glory of the Lord are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. You know, it's interesting that this is the same word changed into the same image. It's the same Greek word. It's metamorphosis, as is used of the Lord Jesus Christ. So all of God's people in sanctification are being metamorphized. We're being changed. Romans 12 verse 2, by the way, uses the same word. It's the same root word. It's metamorphosis. Be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed. There it's transformed in the English. Changed. Transfigured. It's the same word. Metamorphosis. made to mature in Christ. What is he saying here in 2 Corinthians 3.18? As we meditate on Christ, especially in His Word, as we read the Bible, the Spirit of God transfigures us. He metamorphosizes us, if I could put it that way. And we become more and more like Christ. That's what the Bible means. That's what Peter means when he says, but grow in grace. and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. The Lord doesn't want you to be a baby Christian. He wants you to mature and to grow, and that's a lifelong process. Metamorphosis. Until we will in the end be entirely like Him, perfectly like Him, when we see Him as He is. Oh, Peter saw an extraordinary phenomenon And what he saw that day was truly marvelous, and yet we too as Christians today in a measure can know something of communion in the heavenlies by faith. By the way, Moses had been on another mountain, and Paul refers to that there in 2 Corinthians chapter 3. And on that occasion it was preceded by a prayer. You know what Moses prayed? It's a great prayer for us to pray. Exodus 33, 18. Lord, I beseech thee, show me thy glory. Lord, I beseech thee, show me thy glory. And God answered that prayer. And the Lord said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee. The Lord told him there was a place and he was to stand there. And he said, it shall come to pass while my glory passeth by that I will put thee in a cliff of the rock and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by. And that's where that hymn writer got the idea. He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock and he covers me there with his hand. And you come into Exodus chapter 34 and what happened when Moses had that experience of looking upon the glory of God. When he received the law and he came down from the mount, it says Moses wist not, he didn't know that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him. Exodus 34 verse 30, And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come nigh him. Why did his face shine? Because he had been in the presence of the glory of God. And they had to cover his face with a veil. because it was reflecting the very image of God. But now in New Testament days, here in Matthew 17 and these other scriptures, Moses is a witness of Christ's glory. On another mount, there he is, and he sees the face of Jesus shining. But before we leave this, I want you to note with me this. What Peter saw, we already said, is what every believer sees in heaven, and I think I have proof of that, because in Revelation chapter 1 and verse 16, the Bible says of Christ, He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was as the sun shineth in His strength. Isn't that what they saw there? They saw His face shining. Matthew tells us His face did shine as the sun. That's the way it is in glory. And that, by the way, is why the Bible says that in heaven there's no night there and they don't need any light of the sun. For the glory of God did lighten it. The glory of Christ. That was the great privilege that Peter and the others had. Seeing Jesus in His glory, is it little wonder that Peter said, it is good for us to be here. It is good for us to be here. Oh, what an experience that was for the servant of God. But from what Peter saw that day, very quickly I want us to notice what Peter said that day. And we're going to be coming back to this next Lord's Day in the will of God. But I just want to deal with this second point. What Peter said that day. We know from our studies so far, and we will see, God willing, in the future, Peter didn't always say the right thing. Now before you say anything about that, neither do you, and neither do I, always say the right thing. All that we did. Would to God that when we opened our mouths, we thought about what we were going to say before we said it. But we don't, many times. And Peter was just like that. And once more, Matthew 17 verse 4 points out that Peter was the first one with his mouth open. You don't hear James or John. It's then answered Peter. Typical Peter. Always first to open his mouth. Talking without really thinking. You say, well, that's a bit harsh, isn't it? I don't think so. Not when you read what the Bible says in Mark chapter 9 and verse 6. It tells us, for he wist not what to say, for they were sore afraid. He didn't know what to say, so he just said something. That's never a good thing. Open the mouth and insert the foot, or even change feet. That's often the way it is with us, even as God's people. I want you to notice as well in Luke chapter 9 verse 32 it says, But Peter and they that were with him were heavy with sleep. And of course it was when they woke up, verse 33, that Peter said unto Jesus, Master it is good for us to be here and so on. They were heavy with sleep, the disciples were tired out, the mountain climb may have been too much for them. Remember Matthew 17 verse 1 says it was a high mountain. And sometimes you go up into a high mountain, there's a lack of oxygen, the air's thin up there, it makes you sleepy. They fell asleep. And then they woke up suddenly, and then Peter started talking. I don't know about you, but I'm afraid that sometimes when you're only half awake, you talk nonsense. I'm sure that's true of you as well. You're half awake and you don't even know what you're saying. I believe that's the way it was with Peter. Maybe you don't need to be half awake to do that. But notice this, what Peter said was meant in a good way. And of course, the first thing he said was a good thing. He said, it is good for us to be here, and that was true. But then he spoiled it. He said, let us make three tabernacles. Lord, I would like to have three shelters built here. Three booths, three lean-to's. Let's build three of them. One for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah. Good idea Lord. He didn't know what he was talking about. For he was not what to say. It was the wrong thing. Matthew 17 verse 4 tells us what he said. If thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles. One for thee, one for Moses, one for Elias. And at the end of verse 33 of Luke chapter 9 it tells us not knowing what he said. He didn't even know what he was saying. Peter suggested a construction project, three booths or tent-like structures that could be set up. It was the wrong thing to say. Now you might ask, well, why was it the wrong thing to say? Let me suggest the chief reason why it was the wrong thing to say or to do. Because by that he was implying that Jesus and the other two were somehow of equal standing. One for Moses, one for Elijah and one for you Lord. Now I don't know that Peter believed that or even meant to imply that but that could well have been the net outcome of it and so it never took place. The Lord didn't allow it. Before it could ever happen a cloud came down and a voice spoke and we'll be coming to that in due course. Friends we need to take great care what we say. Peter didn't always do that. And especially what we say in relation to the things of God. You think of the last time we met, we were talking about Peter's rebuking of the Lord Jesus. Jesus said to the disciples for the first time, look, I'm going to Jerusalem, I'm going to be badly treated, I'm going to be killed, and then I'm going to rise the third day. And Peter takes the Lord and he said, Lord, be it far from thee. Pity thyself is the idea. Have pity on yourself Lord, this shall not be unto thee. He didn't know what he was saying. What a terrible thing to say. I'm a firm believer in preaching. It's good to prepare for what you're going to say. Usually ministers who come to say the first thing that comes out of their mouth end up saying the wrong thing. Peter did that here. He didn't know what he was saying. Now perhaps he wanted to build those shelters in order to prolong their time on the mountain. We don't know. Of course, that was a laudable thought. Lord, I would like to stay here. It's good for us to be here. Can we just stay here? That's the way it is, is it not? When the Lord brings us into those kinds of mountaintop experiences, we would like to stay there. We don't want to go back down the hill to meet the devil's crowd. We'd just like to stay where we are. I know having experienced some of that in times of Weeks of prayer with our ministers are times when you think, boy, I wish I could just stay here for another week and not have to go back down the mount. But what we do know is that God acted immediately and God spoke. And when God spoke, Peter and the rest of them listened. Look at Matthew 17 quickly in verses 5 and 6. While he yet spake," this is Peter, still talking, "...behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud which said..." Not, look at Moses and look at Elijah. Look at the law and look at the prophets. He said, this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. Hear ye Him. All the focus was now on Jesus. And we're going to look at this further, God willing, but in closing, I want you to see in Luke chapter 9 and verse 36 that when the voice was passed, Jesus was found alone and they kept it close and told no man in those days any of those things which they had seen. Of course, the Lord told them not to talk about it. But the fact is, Peter and the others did not do a lot of talking about these events. There was no boasting and bragging about their exalted spiritual experience. Later on, by inspiration, he wrote about this. But he didn't do a lot of talking about it at the time. I think that's important. I'm always rather suspicious of those who want to talk a lot about their prayer lives and how good it is and their close walk with God and their deep communion with the Lord. have reason to be very skeptical of that kind of thing. If you're going to talk, then speak of the Lord and not of yourself. And if you do give a testimony, and I'm not against that, let it be to the glory and praise of Christ. Let it be with the object of lifting Him up. And that's what Peter did when he eventually wrote about these things. And what Peter saw and what Peter said is really best summed up by his words in 2 Peter chapter 1. He says, We have not followed cunningly devised fables when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. You know the testimony of an eyewitness is a very strong testimony. Were you there? No. I knew somebody that was there. Doesn't count. Were you there? Yes. Did you see anything? Yes. Here's what I saw. That's a strong testimony. eyewitnesses of his majesty for he received from God the Father honor and glory when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased and Peter says and this voice which came from heaven we heard when we were with him in the Holy Mount and we have also a more sure word of prophecy oh how important the scriptures are Peter had an eyewitness testimony about the transfiguration. He said, I was there. I saw things. I heard things. But I want to tell you, there's an even stronger word of prophecy than that. It's the Scripture. The Bible tells us so. And that's how we know what we know, because we have it recorded in the pages of Holy Writ. As we return to this subject, I trust the Lord will bless our meditation upon it. And once again, it is our prayer that the Lord will make it a good thing for us to be here. Let us all pray. Our Father, we thank Thee for Thy Word. We pray that we might meditate upon it, that we might meditate upon Christ. Lord, we recognize that that event was for the purpose of teaching Peter and the others many things. And the chief lesson that they learned, no doubt, was that Jesus is the only one that we are to worship. And Jesus, His is the only word that we are to obey. The Lord teaches those lessons, we pray. And I pray that each of us will be transfigured. Each of us will be metamorphosed. through looking at Christ and His Word. We pray this in Jesus' name, Amen and Amen.