Well, brothers and sisters, here we are, Super Bowl Sunday. And people all across our land are bowing down at the altar of the television and they are glorifying football and football teams and star football players. And it's sad, isn't it? But I fervently hope and pray that you are here tonight to glorify not football or anything else, but to glorify Christ. We're going to be considering the glory of Christ tonight, so I would like for you to turn to Matthew chapter 16. And we're going to read from Matthew 16 verse 28 down through chapter 17 verse 13. So let's give our attention to the word of God. Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the son of man coming in his kingdom. And after six days, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, his brother, and led them up to a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them. And his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah talking with him. And Peter said to Jesus, Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah. He was still speaking when behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them and a voice from the cloud said, this is my beloved son with whom I am well pleased. Listen to him. When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, rise and have no fear. And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only. And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, tell no one the vision until the Son of Man is raised from the dead. And the disciples asked him, then why did the scribes say that first Elijah must come? He answered, Elijah does come and he will restore all things. But I tell you that Elijah has already come and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the son of man will certainly suffer at their hands. Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist. Mountaintop experiences. I think we've all heard that term, or most of us have, and it calls to mind certain ideas about what that might be and perhaps certain misconceptions that we've gathered from other places, other churches, other communions, and so on. But mountaintop experiences, are they real? Well, I believe they are those rare occasions when Christ draws you very close to himself and you are alone with the friend of sinners with no distractions for an overwhelmingly sweet time of communion and fellowship with our Savior. At such a time, you speak to him freely of the things of God and salvation and sanctification. You speak to him of your failures in Christian life, your struggles, the sins, you mourn your plans. And you receive from his word with especially bright illumination by his spirit, special comfort, assurance of forgiveness, and his intimacy that promotes a closer, stronger friendship with your savior. Well, today's passage is the ultimate mountaintop experience. It's the passage from which that phrase is drawn, mountaintop experience. Many Christians simplify this passage that since Christ's disciples had a mountaintop experience, we can too. Well, there isn't anything particularly wrong with that. As long as we realize that is not the primary purpose for this passage, and as long as we are careful about what we mean by mountaintop experience and how we think it happens. Let's be clear from the beginning. Christ gives them to us. We don't make them happen. Plus, we need to understand that he gives them to equip us for difficult times to come. Now, in the run-up to this moment, and it may seem a little odd to you that I started at chapter 16, verse 28, but there is a necessary preface there to the passage having to do with the transfiguration of Jesus. And so in the run-up to this moment, Jesus had warned his disciples that suffering and hardship would mark their path as it would mark his path leading right up to his death. He had warned them that self-denial and suffering were necessary components of a life of following him. He had also, however, given them reassurance about his own victory over death and some encouragements to help them through the Christian life. Now at this point then, Jesus provided an amazing event to reassure and equip three of his disciples so that through them he might similarly reassure and equip disciples like you and me throughout all time. So realize that the primary purpose for the event that we have read about here and its record in the scriptures is to give us what he gave them, namely a glimpse of the glory of Christ to equip the Christian during the Christian life. In the Transfiguration, Christ's people get a brief revelation of Christ's kingly, messianic, and divine glory. So the first thing that we want to see tonight is that the transfiguration was without doubt a revelation of glory. It talks to us about how Christ was transfigured and we see him there recorded before them as his face shining like the sun and his clothes became white as light. Now, this revelation of the glory of Christ was made to the inner circle, the so-called inner circle, those three disciples with whom he seemed to be the closest. Matthew uses language here that vividly invites the reader to live this mountaintop experience with Peter, James and John. to kind of look over their shoulders, so to speak, when in the original language, he says literally not Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John, but he says Jesus takes with him Peter and James and John, his brother, and leads them up on a high mountain by themselves. That kind of language just invites us to come right along with them and to watch over their shoulder at what's happening. Now, Jesus intends an especially intimate and yet intense experience of great impact for their lives. He leads them away from crowds, distraction, and their usual hard, tiring, spiritually draining service. Later, these three would have particular apostolic tasks in the spread of the New Testament Church after Christ's suffering, death, and resurrection. Think about them. James, the first apostle to be martyred. Peter, called upon to strengthen his brethren and used by the Spirit as the first to take the gospel to the Gentiles. He would author or oversee the authorship of a substantial portion of the New Testament. and particularly write down his witness of the power and coming of Christ. And then there was John. John was the disciple Jesus loved. Perhaps the most intimate friend of Jesus among the disciples. Perhaps even the most humble under the great love of Jesus for a sinner. John suffered a whole lot of persecution along the way, even though he was the only apostle who was not martyred. He, too, would serve long and would author a substantial portion of the New Testament, including his witness of the power and coming of Christ. And he would author the prophecy of the New Testament age about the future sufferings of Christ's church, the glorified Christ's involvement with the church, and his return in power and glory to take his people into eternal glory. We call it, of course, the Book of Revelation. Well, no wonder Jesus gave these disciples a mountaintop experience in which he would reveal his glory to them before his suffering. They were in special need of the benefits of a mountaintop experience for their strength and for their future service. And so then, the transfiguration itself. Jesus' appearance was transformed before their very eyes from his humble appearance in his state of humiliation. His face, as we said, shone like the sun. And his clothes looked as though they were made of light itself. This is not the only place in the New Testament where we see Jesus depicted this way. The other time we see this is after his suffering and his resurrection, when John, in the book of the Revelation, shows us that vision of the glorified Christ. Sometime when you have a few moments, just compare the two and see that Jesus was giving a glimpse of his glory ahead of time. His appearance became glorious. Instead of appearing in lowest humility as a bondservant and slave, he shone with the highest glory. This was a revelation of the glory of Jesus Christ that he showed beforehand. You see, for a little while, he drew aside the veil of his humiliation to reveal the glory of God inherent in his very person. He drew aside the curtain of his frailty with which he cloaked his glory when he emptied himself, taking the form of a bondservant, as Philippians 2 tells us. The heavenly realm broke through to the earthly realm as the glory and the voice of God himself and glorified saints also accompanied this event. to these three disciples and to every disciple since who has read or heard this passage, and that includes you, disciples. Christ gave a glimpse of his glory. Now, what were they seeing? In it, first of all, they were seeing a glimpse of Christ's kingly glory. 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. Jesus used the transfiguration as a preview of the glory he would have as the mediatorial king after his sacrificial death to atone for the sins of his subjects. What did he himself say? At the end of this same book, all authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. He would be given this authority and he would take up the place of power and rule at the right hand of God and would be king and head over all things to the church. His humiliation would earn exaltation for him. He would be raised from the dead, ascend into heaven to the right hand of God, receive the gift of the spirit to pour out in his fullness on the earth. And then as the glorified mediator, he would call the elect and advance his kingdom while he reigns and rules over it in glory as our king. Some of the apostles and the other disciples would live to see the work of the glorified king advancing his kingdom from Jerusalem to Judea and Samaria and heading out to the uttermost ends of the earth. John, live to see and record the revelation of the king in all his glory ruling over his church, comforting and reassuring it of his return at the end of their suffering. Christ gave them a glimpse of his glory when he was preparing them for the journey to Jerusalem to meet his death in order to save his people. Yeah, I think we, We read so superficially sometimes that we don't stop to think what kind of an effect these things would have on these men. What kind of an effect would it have on you to learn that your Savior was intentionally heading to Jerusalem to his death? And these men, involved as they were, needed this additional assurance and comforting with what faced them ahead. And that's exactly what Jesus gave them. You see, the prediction of Matthew 16, 28 was an encouragement to the apostles. But then for these three to receive a few days later, this glimpse of Christ's kingly glory was to be reassured in an especially personal and strengthening way that Christ's kingship would indeed follow his death. His death could not prevent him from fully establishing the kingdom of God and reigning over it. In fact, his death had to take place in order for it to happen. He was showing them, brothers and sisters, that His crown was absolutely certain to follow His cross, and no amount of persecution could stop God from installing His King upon Zion and giving Him the nations as His inheritance. I mean, here's your Messiah, here's your promised Savior standing before you, and He predicted His own death to them. Think about it. Wouldn't they wonder how in the world he could be ushering in the kingdom of God if he was going to die? This glimpse of his kingly glory would help put their doubts to rest and encourage them to go on with the work that would not be in vain. We are sometimes tempted to wonder whether Christ will bring in the fullness of his kingdom. Look at the condition of the world around us. I mean, it seems in our limited perception that the church militant is constantly losing ground. But a glimpse of Christ's kingly glory reminds us that our King reigns And it strengthens us to bear up under suffering and to continue with the work, even in difficult circumstances, and reassures us that our work is not in vain. Next, they were seeing something Besides his kingly glory, they were also seeing a glimpse of Christ's messianic glory. The text tells us, And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with him. This emphasized that Christ's glory was messianic glory. The appearance of these two Israelites, who had long been in heaven at that point, was particularly significant. First, they represented the law and the prophets, the Old Testament written word of God that promised the coming of the Messiah and taught Israel the gospel, even though dimly. Elijah. Elijah was not a writing prophet. He didn't write any of the Old Testament. But as one of the most significant prophets, he represents the entire prophetic age in this case. Second, both Moses and Elijah were prophets themselves. Moses predicted there would be other prophets, but ultimately predicted that the Messiah would come, that one whom Israel awaited. And so both men pointed forward to the Messiah as the great prophet, the fulfillment of all prophecy, and the one in whom the speaking of God to his people would be consummated. Third, Moses and Elijah represented two of the eschatological signs of the coming of the Messiah. Israel was looking for the return of Elijah in connection with the coming of the Messiah. They got John the Baptist as their new Elijah. They were also looking for the Messiah, the ultimate prophet whom Moses had predicted. Well, these signs, represented by the appearance of Moses and Elijah, represented Israel's hope of God's fulfillment of all of his promises, his redemptive plan in history, in the coming of the new age of salvation with the advent of his Messiah. Moses and Elijah were another marker to these three disciples that the Messiah had arrived in the person of Jesus and was standing in glory before them. Their mountaintop experience showed them that his messianic mission would lead to his glory. Fourth, Moses and Elijah prefigured Christ and were witnesses to his glory. Both of them had suffered rejection and hostility at the hands of the people to whom they were sent, just as Christ would suffer rejection and hostility. And they prefigured in this his messianic work. And yet both of them came to glory afterwards. It's a pointer to say that so would Jesus Christ. Each of these men had gone up Mount Sinai to meet with God and to see his glory. Here they were again, appearing on a mountain, seeing the glory of God the Son. Fifth, Moses and Elijah were themselves glorified saints. And here you have representatives of the church militant in the three disciples. and representatives of the church triumphant in Moses and Elijah appearing there, the church militant and the church triumphant for whom Christ is the only Messiah and Savior, were there to see and enjoy the light of his glory for a moment before he went on with his saving work in the estate of humiliation. The disciples, in their mountaintop experience, were given a glimpse of the glory that Christ would receive at the completion of his messianic mission to make a full atonement for the sins of his people, for you and me. Now, what can we learn from this? Mountaintop experiences of Christ's glory are tied to the word of God as it is consummated in Christ. Since the written word of God revealing Christ is complete, there is nowhere else for his glory to be specially revealed prior to his return. Notwithstanding all of the claims that some in some communions might make about encounters with Christ, we are not going to encounter him anywhere except in his word. Mountaintop experiences we find here often have to do with Christ revealing something about his messianic work of salvation. He often gives us a glimpse of his glory in the gospel. That gospel that he accomplished for his people in his sinless life and his sacrifice on our behalf. Think about it, brothers and sisters. What better way is there to build us up in our most holy faith and to prepare us to suffer for his sake than to reassure us that the gospel is absolutely certain and that the gospel is that which is for you and me? A glimpse of Christ's glory in a mountaintop experience comforts and reassures us of the eternal glory that awaits us when our glorified Messiah returns as well. And it also, here's something that we don't always notice, it also equips us for the pursuit of sanctification. Let's turn to 1 John for a moment. Join me in this, 1 John chapter 3. Looking at verses 2 and 3, I think this is an interesting brief text that a lot of people pass over very quickly. Now we are children of God and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that when he appears, we shall be like him because we shall see him just as he is. Okay, there's the glory of Christ and the promise that we'll be glorified along with him, but then verse three. And everyone who has this hope fixed on him purifies himself just as he is pure. When we think about the glory of Christ, we ought to be thinking, hey, here's a great motive for me to continue on in the grind of Christian life, pursuing holiness, dealing with sin by the grace and power of God, dying more and more to it, and living more and more to righteousness. Why? because when Christ appears, we're going to be sharing in his glory. A glimpse of Christ's messianic glory confirms that those who have fallen asleep in Jesus have not perished, but are in heavenly glory awaiting the resurrection on the last day, just like Moses and Elijah. Death had no sting for them because of the death and resurrection of the Messiah. how greatly we can be reassured and comforted and strengthened and equipped just by looking into God's word to get a glimpse of Christ's glory, especially when Christ gives us, now and then, one of those mountaintop experiences of our own. Next, the disciples were also seeing a glimpse of Christ's divine glory. And I ordered it in this way so that this one would be last, because this is the one that we really need to sort of focus on and needs to be the foundation for the rest. You see, the father made a glorious testimony of his son that day, and he emphasized that Christ's glory was divine glory. with the all-glorious Christ not to be thought equal with Moses and Elijah who prefigured him. Such as Peter made the mistake of thinking for a moment. Now Peter's motive was good in what he suggested but his zeal was misplaced and so God corrected him. Peter said, it is good for us to be here and admitting that the revelation of Christ's glory in communion with him was of great edification and pleasure. But it was classic Peter when he said, if you wish, I will make three tabernacles here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah. Now, Peter did not intend to steal God's glory, Christ's glory, but he did. And so the father, father's own glory appeared in that cloud. And you know, every time you see a cloud mentioned in scripture in connection with God, you really ought to think that's not one of those cumulonimbus things up in the sky. It's a cloud of glory because of the presence of almighty God. The Father's own glory appeared in that cloud and his words, this is my beloved son, corrected the disciples by pointing to Christ's greatness as he stood before them clothed with light. You'd have thought Peter would catch hold of that before he opened his big mouth and put his big foot in it as he had a tendency to do. But God testified to them in correcting them that Jesus was the Son of God and God the Son and himself the one true and living God. Christ's glory, he was saying, was of his divine essence. He who was clothed in light before them had to be both divine and human. And therefore, God had to be that one God in three persons. They were being schooled in theology and Christology in their mountaintop experience. God deepened their knowledge of Christ and devotion to him and strengthened their faith. That would reassure them when they face the road of hard service and suffering later, particularly after Jesus arose, ascended, and put them into the midst of their apostolic tasks and simply living the Christian life. How reassuring it is in difficult times to know that the one who is for you and against your enemies is God himself, What does the scripture say? If God is for you, who can be against you? A mountaintop experience when the Lord reveals to you a glimpse of the great glory of his being in person will do the same things for you. Our Lord will often use a mountaintop experience to reveal something that serves as a reproof and a correction for us. But that too is a cause for rejoicing, is it not? Beyond that, God's voice also thundered out, listen to him. Christ himself is the final word. Not Moses, not Elijah, Christ himself is the final word. He speaks now by his spirit through his word, and we are to hear and heed our prophet, priest, and king. We who listen to him must even repeat this same command from God to the unbeliever. Listen to Him. Listen to Christ, for there is salvation in no one else. For there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved. In the glimpse of Christ's glory, the disciples found by the testimony of God the Father to Jesus as God the Son, that His glory is divine glory. What an experience. We don't know how long it lasted. but it doesn't appear that it was very long. So finally, they had to follow Jesus down from the mountain. There are two things about this we need to notice. In the first place, it was for Jesus a return to the estate of humiliation. Jesus gently touched the disciples and gently told them to put away their fears and get up off of their faces. His appearance had returned to that of his humility. The respite of the mountaintop was over. It was time to return to suffering and service. Peter had wanted to remain on the mountaintop. Can't really blame him for that. But the glimpse of glory was over. They must return to service and problems and crowds and distractions and enemies and battles with sin and whatever else awaited them at the foot of the mountain in the everyday grind of Christian life. Christ will not let mountaintop experiences go on indefinitely. We're not in heaven yet. We must use our newfound strength and refreshment from these special manifestations of his presence, communion, grace, and glory to continue in the Christian life, do the work of the church, serve others, face the future, deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Christ. And the second thing we need to notice here is that this was a realized eschatology. Everyone other than this inner circle of three would have to discern the order of events on the redemptive timeline by their unfolding in time. But the inner circle needed an answer to a question that came up in their minds in order to reconcile the things that this glimpse of glory revealed with what the prophetic word of God had predicted. Elijah had not stayed. As far as they knew from the book of Malachi, Elijah had to return first before Christ could accomplish his work, be glorified, and take up his kingship. Many of the Jewish leaders mistakenly took Malachi's Elijah to be the Messiah himself. And so the disciples are confused now. But at least they were thinking scripturally. and trying to work things out into a consistent system of belief. Their mountaintop experience had really gotten their spiritual and theological juices flowing. Well, when Christ reveals to us things from his word, it often consumes our thinking, and it should. It consumes our thinking upon the best things, the things of God. Jesus answered their questions so that this inner circle would form a biblical view of the order of events on the redemptive timeline. Elijah had already come first, but not the actual Elijah who they just saw in heavenly glory. It was one whom God sent in the same spirit and power of Elijah, the voice of one crying in the wilderness, make ready the way of the Lord, make his path straight. John the Baptist, Jesus answering this cleared the way for them. The way was clear for the death and resurrection of Jesus and his exaltation to his kingly, messianic, and divine glory, the glory of which they had received a glimpse. These events formed a realized eschatology, definite in the plan of God by which they could have all confidence because of the order and the certainty of the events. We too have a realized eschatology before us, a definite order of redemptive history from which we can draw all confidence that just as Christ now reigns in glory, he will return in glory. In the meantime, that we're back to the hard realities of Christian life as usual. just like you and I are every day. But they were all so much better equipped to face it, having received this glimpse of Christ's glory. Mountaintop experiences and glimpses of Christ's glory, brothers and sisters, are wonderful. And in a sense, you think about this for a moment, But in a sense, you've just been having one. By looking over the disciples shoulders in the Word of God, seeing their glimpse of Christ's glory. Well, how do we respond to this? Well, for one thing. Let's be careful about how we think about mountaintop experiences. We won't visibly see Christ, Believe it or not, I've talked to well-meaning Christians who have claimed that they have. We won't visibly see Christ or audibly hear the voice of God. I've heard that claim as well. That will not happen until the return of Christ to judge the living and the dead and to take his glorified people into heavenly eternity. Peter himself wrote, though you have not seen him, you love him. And though you do not see him now, but believe in him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory. It was only in the apostolic period that Christ appeared in glory on a very limited number of occasions. And there are no more apostles. So we're not in that apostolic period anymore. Their task and presence on earth ended when the authoring of scripture was complete. But that is the reason Christ revealed his glory to them at that time, so they could testify in scripture to his power and appearing. Let's turn to 2 Peter, briefly, chapter one. Beginning in verse 16. For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to him by the majestic glory, this is my beloved son with whom I am well pleased. And we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain. And so we have the prophetic word made more sure to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. We have the prophetic word made more sure. The prophetic word confirmed. not by human experience or vision or a voice from heaven in our day, but confirmed by the written word of God through the hands of the apostles, whose task it was to witness a glimpse of Christ's glory and record its significance, namely, that Christ's power and coming are sure and certain. We have the prophetic word confirmed by the written word of God that fully reveals the person and work of Christ in fulfillment of the scriptures of the law and prophets. A mountaintop experience for today's disciple of Jesus Christ will come through his means of grace to us, prayer and the word of God. And when the Spirit of God takes of the things of Christ in his word and reveals them to you in an especially intimate, intense, and powerful way, so that the grace and glory of Christ as King and Savior and Son of God are opened up to you, you will know that you're having a mountaintop experience. And for another thing, and we'll close with this, To seek a mountaintop experience is good. When you have them, it brings great delight, is a very pleasurable thing. But we mustn't neglect regular communion with the Lord by prayer and the word. Moments of profound spiritual understanding when you are alone with the Lord draw our attention, our affection, our delight, and our commitment all the more completely and strongly to Christ. But they won't happen if you are not praying and reading your Bible and listening to its teaching regularly. We need to seek, as the psalmist said, to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of our lives. To behold his beauty, the beauty of the Lord. And to meditate in his temple. Let us not think our communion with the Lord poor. If we don't have a mountaintop experience every time. Because you won't. But wait upon the Lord. and he will bring you to the mountaintop with him just at the right time of your need to equip you. Ask the Lord to show you his glory. Even a glimpse of his glory will strengthen and equip you. For whatever will come. Even a glimpse of Christ's glory. Is a mountaintop experience? Amen. Let's pray. Father in heaven, we bless bless and praise you that we have this record in the scriptures. We thank you for those moments when, oh Lord Jesus Christ, you draw us so near to you by your spirit through your word. But we thank you as well for what we receive from you every day. Just in the regular communion we have with you in prayer and the word, oh Lord, Enable us by your Spirit and stir us by your Spirit. Simply to seek to be faithful in that, and when it is time for us to be equipped for particularly hard suffering or service, please give us those experiences when you draw us near to yourself. We ask it in Christ's name, amen.