I'd like to give you all a warm welcome to our worship here this evening. Let us ask the Lord's blessing in prayer. Let us pray. O Lord God of heaven and of earth, do grant unto us thy felt presence as we gather this evening hour, make it to be like that first day of the week, then were the disciples glad when they saw the Lord. Do grant us, Lord, that blessing that we may go on our way and start a week with that strength and help that only Thou canst give. O Lord, who make Thyself precious to us and help us to worship Thee, we ask through Thy name, Lord Jesus. Amen. Hymn, 359. Tune, Carlisle 17. Let us read together from the Holy Word of God, the Gospel according to Matthew, and chapter 17. We'll read the first 23 verses. We have one of our free Bibles, that is the first book in the Old Testament, in the New Testament. The first book in the New Testament, Matthew, chapter 17. 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, It is good for us to be here. If thou will, let us make here three tabernacles, one for Elias and one for Moses. Sorry, 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 sore 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. And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man until the Son of Man be risen again from the dead. And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall come first. first come and restore all things. But I say unto you that Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of Man suffer of them.' Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist. And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him and saying, Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is lunatic and sore-vexed, for oft times he falleth into the fire, and offed into the water, and I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him. Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I suffer you? Bring him hither to me. And Jesus rebuked the devil, and he departed out of him, and the child was cured from that very hour. Then came the disciples to Jesus apart and said, Why could not we cast him out? And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief, For verily I say unto you, if ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place, and it shall remove, and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Howbeit this kind goeth not out, but by prayer and fasting. And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them, The Son of Man shall be betrayed into the hands of men, and they shall kill him. And the third day he shall be raised again. And they were exceeding sorry. Thus far the reading of God's holy word. May he bless it to us and help us in prayer. Let us pray. O Thou merciful and loving Heavenly Father, we come to Thee through Thy beloved Son. We do thank Thee for the gift of him, that Thou didst not withhold him, Thine only begotten Son, Thy dear Son, whom Thou didst love and whom Thou dost love. Lord, Thou didst offer him up And Lord, we do thank Thee for that offering and for that empty tomb and the acceptance of the sacrifice offered at Calvary. We thank Thee for our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, the one amongst ten thousand, the altogether lovely, the only name given among men, whereby we must be saved. Lord, we do thank thee for him that is an elder brother born for adversity, that is a near kinsman and has a right to redeem, and we do thank thee for the redemption that is in our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. O Lord, do hear prayer for each gathered this evening, that thy blessing might be upon each soul, that thy quickening grace to make alive, to give the new birth, to quicken into life might be imparted, and that where that life is, where there are new ears and eyes and feeling, that thou hast be pleased to teach through thy word and draw on and lead to full assurance of faith. O Lord, we would have our ears open to what thou would have us to say. And Lord, the people, Lord, may they be also like Cornelius of old in saying to the apostle Peter, behold, we are all here gathered before God to hear what thou art commanded of God to speak. And Lord, we do seek, Lord, that expectation that thou who has said he that hath an ear Let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. My, grant the word and grant the blessing. O Lord, help us to be faithful to thy word, and help each hearer to be as the Bereans to search the Scriptures daily, whether these things be so. O Lord, do grant unto us that secret of the Lord which is with them that fear him. that we might be delivered from every false way. Lord, we live in a day when there are so many false ways, not just in our local village or town or acquaintances that we might come across, but with the internet, we may have every error from all the way around the world thrust at us and brought before us. Oh Lord, do be pleased to preserve those who really desire to know the way of truth and leave them not to be drawn aside by so many false teachers and false shepherds. O Lord, do grant that each one of Thy dear people might be guided to where they shall hear the truth and where they shall be blessed. Give them each individually discernment, gracious discernment, to be able to try the words they hear by Thy Holy Bible, by thy word, Lord, we do seek that we might be able to do that, and that thou dost leave us not then to be deceived. We do seek the application of thy word to our souls. Do fasten it there. Cause it to take deep root. Let not Satan rip it out of our hearts and minds, and let not the Things of this world choke the word that it become unprofitable, nor that, Lord, the offence of the word cause us to be offended at it. Do grant, Lord, that we might be unashamed of thee and of thy word in the midst of this generation. O Lord, we know many speak against it, many hate it, And thou hast said, I have given them thy word, and the world hath hated them. And so, Lord, do grant that thy word might be hid in our heart, it might be precious to us, we might feed upon it, we be unashamed of it, and that we might know that it is through thy word that thou dost reveal thyself to thy people and appear to them, just the same as with Samuel. O Lord, do grant it to us too, and be like Jeremiah, thy words were found, and I did eat them, they were to the joy and rejoicing of my soul. O Lord, bless us here and those that join with us online, we ask thy blessing to be upon them, and those who have heard thy word throughout the day, do seal that which has already been heard and attended to, whether here or Lamberhurst, or Pilgrim Home, or wherever thy word has gone forth today, we do seek thy blessing to rest upon it. And O send us not away, but that thou dost speak again through thy word. And Lord, if any have been disappointed, hither to, and have come seeking specific help to bless them through the word. We pray that thou remember thy people in the paths, especially of tribulation, that they are caused to walk through. Remember our dear brother, a deacon at Lambethurst, and do grant thy kind healing hand upon him. Strengthen him and appear for him in health, in providence, and in every way. We do say, Lord, that thou remember other brethren passing through tribulation at this time. And, O Lord, kindly appear for them and help them, comfort those that are in bereavement, bless medication to those receiving it, those that are unwell, those that are hoping to come over to visit here soon. And we do commit them unto Thee, our dear brethren, sisters in faith in Holland. O Lord, do hear prayer for them. And, Lord, that thou would remember Those of our churches in Australia, America, and Canada, Lord, do bless our churches there and loved ones that worship in those lands. And Lord, do be pleased to be with each gathering in this land. O, do send out thy light and thy truth. Lord, we would mourn that thy word is so trodden underfoot, so forgotten. that many will rise up in many other things, but not in the defence of thy word, and to return unto thee. O Lord, remember us as a nation that once we knew so many of thy blessings, and yet we have forgotten them. We have turned away from thee who delivered us in times of war, who set us free, and who's blessed us with so many liberties. And we thank Thee for that freedom of worship and the blessings that we have. O Lord, leave us not to abuse these things. Do grant Thy blessing upon us here and make us a blessing to this town and all that hear Thy word from here. We do seek Thy blessing upon the free Bibles sent forth. Do bless each copy of Thy word. Do work savingly in the hearts of those who receive Thy word. And Lord, we lay a petition for the meetings of the Creation Ministries International later this month. Lord, do grant thy blessing of health and strength to all involved and that the meeting might be able to go ahead and be made a blessing to many. Lord, do be pleased then to hear prayer and give us prayer, give us grace and graceful grace, and that we might receive of thy fullness, Lord Jesus. Lord, remember those who see what is required, see what is needed, see the need to be a believer, see the need to have faith, see the need to have those things that are required and set forth in the gospel. Lord, do grant that each might know that those provisions, those things, those graces are to be found in our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, and not in ourselves. O Lord, help us to seek unto Thee, for every grace and every favour comes to us through Jesus' precious blood. Remember those then that feel to be devoid of grace to be devoid of righteousness and holiness and prayer and life and hope and love and mercy and Lord do grant to them those things as gifts of grace from above that we might be able to say with the Apostle that I am what I am by the grace of God. Thou do give us the grace of the spirit of prayer and supplications. And then, Lord, do hear our poor prayers, but those prayers that thou hast given, and be pleased to answer them, that we might be unable to say that our help is in the name of the Lord, that made heaven and earth. We pray, Lord, for each year and our young people, do bless them. Guide them in life, provide for them in life's journey in every way. And do be pleased, Lord, to raise up a generation that shall tell to another generation the wonderful works of God. Bless each seeker with being a finder. Remember those that are troubled and do give them thy fear not. Be pleased to lead those that feel to be blind. And Lord, do fill those that feel so empty. O Lord, satisfy thy pull with bread, and do grant, Lord, that we might be given grace to labour, not for the bread that perisheth, but that which endureth unto eternal life. O Lord, we pray for this town and for those round about us, many of whom we know, many of whom we have spoken to. And O Lord, be pleased to come and fill this house with hungering, thirsting souls. Do keep us, Lord, in the way. Do keep us from sin. Do grieve us not. Do grant us the fear of the Lord. We do seek now the help of thy Spirit and thy blessing this evening as we come to thy word. We ask thee, Lord, these things through our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen. The announcements, God willing, I'm expected to preach here on Thursday evening at seven o'clock, the next Lord's Day at 11 a.m. and 6.30 p.m. We're not able to give the collection amounts for last month. Our stewardship website is down. You cannot give or find out what is given from the site at the moment. So God willing, next week we will do so. Hymn, 514. Tune, Regent Square 684. Seeking for the help of the Lord, I direct your prayer for attention to Matthew, Gospel according to Matthew chapter 17, and part of verse four. The words in the middle of the verse, which Peter is saying to our Lord, It is good for us to be here. The whole verse reads, 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. Matthew 17, verse 4, in the middle of it specifically. This is an account of what the Lord brought about and brought before Peter, James, and John. Wherever the Lord does something like this, bring his people to a certain place, there is a purpose for it, a reason for it. The Lord does not waste places, times. He uses everything. We are told in Romans 8 that all things work together for good, to them that love God, to them that are the called according to His purpose. But when things happen like this, sometimes there is a mixed view of what actually the Lord is doing and what we should do. Now no doubt with Peter, and this was a experience that had never, they'd never seen anything like this before. We read how that they were troubled and that they were afraid. And we're told that he really did not know. In the other accounts, with the account in Mark as well as Luke, John doesn't recount it, but he says this in verse four, The Lord never referred or spoke to him about the tabernacles, virtually overlooked that, and then went about teaching what has been taught in this passage. But one thing was right, what Peter said, and that was, it is good for us to be here. It is a reminder to us as well then we are brought into situations we can have mixed feelings. Some things we say are right, some things are not. We very seldom get the whole picture right. I often think of the case of Jonathan, Saul's son, going to David and encouraging him in the wood. And he said to him, that I know of a shorty, that thou wilt be king over Israel, and I will be next unto thee. Well, he was right about David being the king. He was not right about him being next. He was to be slain with his father in the same battle. And we need not be put off when we have proved that in some things that we have said, some things that we have thought, some expectation that we have had raised up, has not actually been right. It hasn't been fulfilled. But other things, they have been right. We are not to expect that we respond and know immediately in everything we come into why we have done it, why the Lord has brought it about, You think of what the Lord said when he was to wash the disciples' feet. What I do, thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter. Many times in the lives of God's people, that is worked out. Sometimes like with Jacob, has to wait 20 years before he finds out that Joseph is still alive and that the dreams that he had, that they were to be fulfilled and not just come to nothing. And so it is right to take the word that Peter said here, that is a right word, a good word. He comes into this place, and he comes into it with James and John, and he recognizes that and says that it is good for us to be here. So I want to give three reasons that Peter could say what he has said here. It is good for us to be here. These will be our three points. The first is this, it was a place where Jesus had brought them. Or, if we look at Mark, led them to, or if we Look at Luke, he has brought them to pray. Secondly, it was a place where Jesus was with them. He was with them in this mount. For that reason, it is good for us to be here. And then lastly, it was a place where there was teaching and revelation. many things that they knew after this time that they didn't know or had been reaffirmed at this time. But firstly, it was a place where the Lord had brought them. Now we might say, well, this cannot be replicated today. How is this going to be a help to us our lord is not on earth it cannot be literally that the lord takes a people and leads them to a place but does that mean then that the lord never brings a person to be in a particular place or leads them to be in a place his providence shepherds his people. We think of Joseph, we mentioned him already, but what decisions did Joseph need to make to bring him to Egypt? None at all. Providence shepherded him every step of the way. All he did was to obey his father, go and see his brothers, and then it was taken out of his hand. Was Joseph in a place where the Lord had brought him, where the Lord had led him? You may not have felt it at first, but afterwards, he said, the Lord sent me before you to preserve your lives. He was there in the providence of God. Thomas Watson, I think it says, said he'd put a lot more weight upon providence than he would of having a word from the Lord, because we can be mistaken sometimes in a word, but in providence we cannot be. In reality, with guidance from the Lord, we really need three things to meet up together. We need it to be according to the Word of God. We need it to be according to providence. And we need it to be that we have been made willing to do so. If a person is looking for a place of employment, they might be willing to be employed in a certain place, But the position is not offered to them. They might be willing and the place is offered to them, but it is not according to the word of God. It's working in a place of iniquity, or a place where they shouldn't be. And so we need to make sure that those three things, it is according to the word of God. The Lord has made us willing. and the Lord has opened up providence and not put a shut door before us. But here it could be clearly said, here the Lord had brought them, and each of the evangelists, they each put it in a different way. They've either been led there, they've been brought there, they've been brought there, to pray, a place where the Lord would have his people to pray, and that makes it to be a good place. And we think of how many prayers, the best place for prayer is places of tribulation, places of fear, places of trial, place where They cry unto the Lord in their trouble and he delivers them out of their distresses. Sometimes that would be the last place we think that the Lord would lead his people into trouble or into a place which is not what we expected, but where it is brought that prayer is there. Then that is a blessed thing to realise it is a place that the Lord has brought us to. It's a sad thing if we are in a place in providence or walking in a path and we've got that in our conscience that says you shouldn't be here, you shouldn't be doing that, you shouldn't be in this place. On the other hand, if we're in a place and we've got tribulation, it's not what we thought, and there's troubles and there's trials, but we can look back and you can look back on providence You can look back on the word of the Lord that's been our lamp and direction. You can look back to answers to prayer and you can see very clearly that we are where we are because the Lord has brought us there, because he has put us there. And to be able to say then in that place, Lord, it is good for us to be here. And sometimes this word might just flow in maybe in our own homes. The Lord has given us our home and where we are and we think of other places where we've been and we look at perhaps what the Lord has given us and it comes over. Lord, it is good for us to be here. This is just suitable for us as a family or a person to be in this home and in this place the Lord has provided it. And that's a blessed thing to realise that we are where we are, we're dwelling where we're dwelling because the Lord would have us to be there. And especially when we realise that we have blessings the Lord has blessed us there, we can have it when we realize we're in the country the Lord has brought us to, and to feel it is good for us to be here. These things can suddenly come, you feel these things. I remember when I first visited Cranbrook, it was in 1988, before I was called into the ministry at all, and in my book of photographs of Cranbrook, there is Jockey Lane, and I took a photograph of it, not because of the place, but there was a sports car there that I thought was quite unique and took a photograph of that. But just walking up Jockey Lane the other evening, these words, they just dropped in, Lord is good for us to be here. I thought all that happened since that photograph was taken, all in the providence of God and brought back to this land and back to this town and established here. And it's good to feel that, to be able to see the Lord's hand, to be able to join with Peter and to say it is good for us to be here. And specifically good in this first point because we feel we're being placed here or led here or brought here And it's been a place that has been profitable in that, that has been a place of prayer. I hope continue to place a prayer. And may you think that in your places of employment, it's good for me, good for us to be here. Or in the place of worship here this evening. I hope you can say, I hope you will say, it is good for us to be here. those times that we are brought to be under the Word, to hear the Word of God, that there are times that we are able to see the Lord has brought us there, and that it is good for us to be here. That's the first reason. It's a place where Jesus had brought them, led them, caused them to come, and it was a place of prayer. The Lord does lead his people. He led them forth by the right way that they might go to a city of habitation. When the good shepherd, he putteth forth his sheep, he goeth before them. My sheep, they hear my voice, they follow me. I will be able then to see that and to look for that in every place that we come. I'd much rather be in a place of trial, of trouble, and sorrow, of affliction, and see clearly the Lord has put us there and brought us there, than to be in a place of peace, of prosperity, of wealth and ease, and yet be troubled in the mind, whether we really actually put our hand to it, and we're really where we shouldn't be. No, the Lord can overrule things in that way, but it should be a special help when perhaps we're tempted to escape out of a situation. It is good for us to be here. The second thing is that it was a place where Jesus was with them. Again, we might say, well, that cannot be replicated. the same today. But we think of the promise, though I'm with you all way, even unto the end of the world. The Lord has promised his presence with his people. Now is his presence known? His presence is known by his spirit and by his grace. That which he reveals to his people, his word, is in demonstration of the spirit and in power. God's presence that is everywhere is specifically known by the people of God as a manifested presence. And how it is manifested is really in a way that was here. They were brought to see Jesus, and we come to this more later, but brought to see the Lord Jesus Christ in a way that they'd never seen him before. And we may say that those especially of us who've been brought up under the sound of the truth, we've heard his name, we've heard him set forth, we've seen him in the word pictures of the preached word again and again, but blessed be that time when we see the Lord as we have never seen him before. when he is revealed to us in a way that we have not seen him before. And there must be that change in Isaiah 53. He's declared to be as a root out of dry ground, there's no form nor comeliness that we should desire him. And yet we read unto you which believe he is precious. There has been a change, there's been a difference. And so with the Lord's presence, That is known, where we see him in a different way. The Lord's presence is known by the power, by the spirit, revealing the things of the Lord Jesus Christ. He says in John 10, that my sheep, they hear my voice, they follow me. You think of Jacob leaving home, having the stones for his pillow, And the Lord appears to him in a vision. There is a ladder set up on earth and extending into heaven. The angels ascending and descending upon it. And the Lord speaking to him in that vision. And he says, how dreadful is this place. This is none other than the gate of heaven. He realized the blessing of that place by the blessing that he had and how the Lord met with him. That which is known of the Lord is experienced by the people of God, is known and felt, and the word of God is a living word, and the Lord is a living saviour, and he says that no man can come unto me except the Father which sent me. Draw him, and I'll raise him up at the last day. where we are drawn to the Lord. Those are blessed places where we see the Lord, especially in the house of God, but in our homes, I've often felt, and we move to a different home. I long for that first time that the Lord sanctifies it with his felt presence, with a blessing upon the word, with our hearts drawn out to him, and him meeting with us, perhaps in the family worship, more privately and to know the blessing of the Lord in that place. May we always desire that the Lord be with us. If we go into places where we couldn't expect or ask the Lord to come, then we may question, why are we here? If the Lord, if we would not want the Lord to come the second coming and find us in that place, why are we in that place? In his temple everyone does speak of his glory, but in the world they only consult to cast him down from his excellency. If we were to look for the Lord's presence, there are places that we could go on this earth that we would know, we would not expect it. We would know that we were walking wrong in going to such places, that when we come To the house of God, may it be that our expectation is, like those that were going up to the feast, will Jesus appear? Will he come to the feast? That was the question. The Lord's blessed promise, and doesn't just apply to a church's meeting for discipline, but it applies to every assembly, that where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I. in the midst of them. Unto him shall the gathering of the people be. And God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, to be had in reverence of all them that are about him. And you see this effect especially on this Mount of Transfiguration. On to look then lastly that it was a place where Jesus was teaching them, and a place of revelation. We already said that it was a place of prayer, but as we read this account, the first thing that we read, that our Lord Jesus was transfigured before them. In verse two, his face did shine as the sun, his raiment was white as the light. The glory of the Lord is seen here. It is good for us to be here. It is good when we see the glory of the Lord. In the hymns of Our Lord's coming, we read, failed in flesh, his glory. And we think of the type in the Old Testament of the ark, and how the ark was all made and overlaid of gold. It was made of timber, but overlaid with gold. A rectangular box, some forefoot, long two foot by two foot and over top of him the cherubims on each end and the mercy seat and it was carried on the shoulders of the Levites but it was never seen because it was in the holy of holies with the veil over it and when they took down the temple they covered it and the veil was that which was of badger skins. And over the veil there was then put a blue covering. The blue is like setting forth grace. When our Lord was on earth, even his adversaries and enemies, they couldn't resist the grace. They said, no man speaketh like this man. They wondered at the gracious words that proceeded out of his lips. But then, as it were, they saw him. They saw him as the carpenter's son. They saw him as a poor man. And they stumbled at that. But his disciples, especially when you have a case like when they were in the ship and he arose and rebuked the winds and the waves and there was great calm. And they said, what manner of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him. So on one hand, they saw him asleep in that ship. On the other, when he was awake, they see his power, his glory, is like that veil lifted and they saw just a little glimpse of the glory and of the gold. And that's what it's like here. They go up into the mountain and he was transfigured before them. His face did shine as the sun, His raiment was white as the light. May the Lord, through His Spirit, show us His glory, and we see His glory. One mark of the people of God. Yes, it is to be revealed, especially in heaven. That's why the Lord prays, and He said, Father, I will that they whom thou hast given me be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory. The glory is of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. May we come to a place where we get a glimpse, able to see his glory. You know, this vision was soon passed away, It's only for a short time. They never forgot it. Peter speaks of it later on in his epistles. The hymn writer says, sweet the moments rich in blessing, rich before the cross we spend. And often those blessings are short and those things that we've seen and the beauty or the glory that we've seen is only for a short time, but we're never forgetting what the Lord has shown us. So that was the first thing. The second, they heard. They heard what they were speaking. And this is what, not Matthew, but Luke in chapter nine, verse 31, he speaks of. And what they were talking about was of his decease and that which he should accomplish at Jerusalem. what he should accomplish at Jerusalem. Not just reading about or hearing about, hearing Moses and Elias speaking of his crucifixion, of his death, but what he should accomplish at Jerusalem. What should be done there. This is what in this place they heard. And may we also have a place that we say is good for us to be here because we also have heard of what the Lord has accomplished at Jerusalem. What he has done. He has conquered death. He has conquered hell. He has redeemed his people. He has suffered, bled, died and risen again. He has fulfilled the scriptures. He has brought in eternal life. He has done this, he has finished the work that his father gave him to do. To hear what the subject was, what they were speaking together of. We may say in that as well, that what they heard, they heard that Moses and the prophets, the law and the prophets, they all agreed with what was to happen at Jerusalem. They all agreed with his decease there. If you think of those two on the way to Emmaus, they had struggled to see that this was so. We trusted it should have been he that should have redeemed Israel and This is the third day. They'd seen him redeeming, but they hadn't viewed it as being told by Moses and Elijah and the prophets. And so the Lord began, and in all the scriptures, the things concerning himself. But here in this place, it was good for them to be here. they were brought to see what was accomplished or would be accomplished at Jerusalem. Also in verse 5, we hear the Father speaking from heaven. 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 here The witness and testimony of the Father. Our Lord said that His miracles that He did, they did testify of Him, the Father working in them and working them through Him. But here is this testimony from the Father, and Peter refers to that in his epistles. May we know also the Holy Spirit and the Father, the witness of a triune God, extolling the Lord Jesus Christ. Yeah, this morning it pleased the Father that in Him should all fullness dwell. And it is essential that Jesus of Nazareth had the authority, witness, and seal of the Father. that these apostles, that they heard this and knew this. The scribes, they said to the Lord, by what authority doest thou these things? They wanted to know. We're here. The authority of the Father is given. Really, the greatest seal is the empty tomb. Our Lord raised from the dead by the Father, by himself, and by the Holy Spirit. Also, they were taught Jesus only. At first, they saw Moses and Elias. They saw the law represented, they saw the prophets, and then they see the Lord. Peter, he thinks, well, we're going to make three tabernacles, but then they only see one. And in this gospel day, we are not lifting up the prophets, we're not worshipping them, we're not pinning our hopes upon the law, all is pointing to the Lord Jesus Christ. And that's a vital lesson for us all, a place to be called a good place to be here when we see that there is none other name given among men whereby we must be saved but the Lord Jesus Christ. And all the law, all the prophets, all the scriptures point to that one redeemer, one saviour, one way of escape, Jesus only. Blessed thing to learn that lesson and be able to say it is good for us to be here to learn that lesson, to be taught that lesson. But then they were taught of the rising from the dead. In verse 9, the Lord chanced them, and they came down from the mountain, saying, Tell the vision to no man until the Son of Man be risen again from the dead. What a statement to them. They wondered what was this that was being said. But how the Lord, this is one of those times, other times He said it as well. that he hath commandment from the Father to lay down his life and to take it again. But here, the disciples were clearly told, here is something, you don't speak about it until this event happens. In other words, I will rise from the dead. We've been speaking about my decease with Moses and the prophets, but it won't just be decease. It will be arising from the dead and then you can speak of those things that you've seen and heard here. There's a time to speak, a time to be silent. He's had a blessing here, the three of them, and yet they're not to speak of it yet. Many of the Lord's people, as the Lord begins to bless them as they seek his face, may be the first blessing. Second one, they're still not able, they still don't make it publicly known. They never forget it. And then there comes a time when they do speak it, when they are to speak. Be encouraged in that. If you have those blessings and helps you have not yet spoken of, there is a time to speak. In this case, the time to speak was when they saw a risen saviour, when they saw their Lord ascended, when they saw the empty tomb, when they knew that price was paid. Not when they saw him die, but when they saw him rise again for our justification. It's a blessed thing to know that sometimes we have a blessing and our mouth is sealed, and other times we cannot but speak of those things that we have seen and heard. The last thing that they had here, they had a question, and it related to what they had seen on the mount. And his disciples asked him, saying, why then say the scribes that Elias must first come? You had those things that were shown, those things you've been blessed, and yet you've got a question. If this is the case, why this? and how does that reconcile with what I have had? And the Lord was pleased to answer it for them. He said, Elias truly shall first come and restore all things. But I say unto you that Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of Man suffer of them. Then the disciples understood that he spoke unto them of John the Baptist." How many times the dear people of God cannot understand, the eunuch couldn't understand the scriptures. The disciples, when Peter went first, the Lord was going to wash their feet, he didn't understand. Peter and Emmaus didn't understand at first. What had been done before their eyes, don't be surprised. There are things in our lives that we don't understand. Not for a while, but then there came the time here that they did. And you think when the Lord rose from the dead here, then opened to their understanding that they might understand the scriptures. Well, if their understanding is open, there'll be those times that we don't understand. But here is this time where Peter said, it's good for us to be here. And it's a good place where the Lord does open our understanding, where there is teaching. And in this one event, this one time, there's many things that were taught. So may we also have those places that we can say, and there's a reason why we say it, it is good. blessing. Amen. Hymn, 420. Tune, Cambridge 16. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, Be with you all now and evermore. Amen.