So Matthew chapter 17, beginning at verse 1. And after six days, Jesus took with him Peter, and James, and John his brother, and led them up on 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 do 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. Please be seated. And let me just begin this morning by first reminding all of us of the context here. For the events here in this morning's text, including our Lord's transfiguration, seem to be closely tied to the events which immediately precede it. And in fact, the very opening words of our text, would indicate that such a connection indeed does exist. Notice our text for this morning starts with a very specific reference to time, and after six days. And this is relatively uncommon in the Gospel accounts, until later on in the Passion Week. And again, I think it seems to underscore Matthew's intent here to tie these two events together. Our Lord's transfiguration with what comes immediately before it. And what came before it, first of all, is that great confession of Peter, whereby Peter testifies to Jesus being the Christ, the Messiah, Son of the Living God. And Christ, you remember, responds to Peter's confession by instructing the disciples that though they had other expectations, that Christ was actually to suffer. to suffer many things, and be killed, and on the third day be raised." Jesus begins to reveal to His disciples that though Messiah is to be exalted, ultimately He is to be exalted. The pathway to that exaltation for Messiah would be the cross. Messiah was to be exalted or lifted up by way of that cursed tree. In other words, the way to glory is the Calvary Road. And six days after that, Jesus goes up on a mountain with His most inner circle of disciples, Peter, James and John. And He is transfigured, or transformed, right before their eyes. His face shining like the sun, and His clothes appearing white as light. And this transfiguration of Jesus is nothing less than a spectacular display of His divine majesty. The divine majesty of the Son of God, who Himself is God. This is a glimpse into the divine glory of the Eternal Son who became flesh. These disciples get here a glimpse into the glory that the Son knew with the Father before His condescension by way of His Incarnation in other words it points back to the glory he once knew but as well as well it points ahead This is a foretaste of the glory that the resurrected Christ will enjoy and the glory in which he will one day come again to judge both the living and the dead as he himself will speak to later on in chapter 24 saying they will see the son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory, great glory. In other words, through the transfiguration here on this mount of Jesus, these disciples get a glimpse into that final exaltation of the Messiah. However, again, this glimpse into Jesus' future exaltation is immediately preceded by His declaration that He must go up to Jerusalem and suffer, suffer many things at the hands of the Jewish leaders, and die at the hands of lawless men. And this then serves to underscore the fact that the way to such glory, the path to exaltation for Messiah, is the road of self-humiliation, the Calvary road. In fact, the transfiguration is actually bookended by our Lord's teaching that He must suffer and be killed, as in verses 22 and 23 of this same chapter, Jesus again foretells of His suffering and His being killed. And so it is made clear here, first of all, that the path to exaltation, it is underscored, that the path to exaltation for Messiah is the road of humiliation, the cross. And inversely, it is clear that for Jesus, the Calvary road does indeed end in exaltation. He who is lifted up on that tree will be exalted to the right hand of God. But I would also remind us of what our Lord went on to say six days prior to this, six days prior to His being transfigured. Matthew 16 and verse 24, and if anyone would come after Me, if anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. to Calvary. The path to exaltation for Messiah would involve a cross, and apparently the path to exaltation, to glory for the disciple, would likewise involve a cross. His own cross. A cross upon which the disciple himself must be crucified with Christ. The disciple of Jesus too must die. The disciple must lose his life that he might find it. In other words, this is a cross upon which the disciple must crucify self. This is the cross of the disciple, is the cross upon which he must crucify self, that he too would proclaim with the Apostle Paul that it is no longer I that lives. It's not about I. It's not even I who lives, but Christ. It is no longer I, for I has been crucified. This death for the disciple is the death of self. The death of self-rule, self-determination and self-worship. However, there is more than just death here. Even death of self. This is not only about death. For six days after Jesus said this to his disciples, calling them to this costly discipleship, where they are to die to themselves, Jesus then took them up on a mountain, and on that mountain Jesus was transfigured before them. On that mountain Jesus gives to his disciples this awesome display of his glory. He gives them a glimpse into his divine majesty. The self-denial and cross-bearing that Jesus calls his disciples to is not all about suffering and death, but as well about life. life in Christ, new life, even exaltation in Christ. There is the putting off of the old self. Yes, self must die, but as well there is the putting on of Christ. The Christian life is about being done with self and the idolatrous worship of self and selfish living in order to gain something to worship in the place of self, namely Christ. It is a laying down of one's own self, but it is a laying down of one's own self to take up Christ. It is the end of self-worship to worship Christ. It is, as the Apostle Paul put it, to no longer live for self, but for the One who died for us and was raised. It is the putting on of Christ, the following after Christ, where to live is now Christ and to die is to gain Christ, where our all is Christ, our greatest love is Christ, our only treasure on this earth is Christ, what we desire above all else is Christ. In other words, it is the end of idolatry. The end of idolatry in gaining Christ. Verse 25 of 16, For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. Whoever crucifies self to gain me, says Jesus, is the one who will find the true and abundant life in him. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his life? Or as he put it in Luke 12.15, take care and be on guard against all covetousness, which the Apostle Paul makes clear is idolatry. In Colossians 3.5, covetousness which is idolatry. Take care and be on guard against all idolatry, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. Christ calls His disciples to renounce all that they have, to let go of it, to in effect lose everything, even their very lives, to gain, to gain Him, to gain everything. And then He takes them up on a mountain and reveals Himself to them. He gives them a foretaste of His glory. That glory that His bride will one day behold in all its unveiled fullness. He gives them a foretaste of that so-called beatific vision. He gives them a view of just what they have gained in leaving everything to follow Him. that they would not be tempted to turn aside like that rich young man did because he had a lot of stuff, a lot of earthly treasures. Jesus calls His disciples to costly discipleship, that they may gain Him. And then He gives them a peek into that heavenly treasure that they have gained in Him. A peek into that treasure hidden in the field. A glimpse of that pearl of inexpressible worth, Christ Himself. He allows them to peer into His own divine majesty. His majesty that had been previously hidden from them, behind that veil of flesh. He gives them this awesome display of His majesty and glory that has them face down on the ground trembling, and in so doing reveals to them that the disciple of Jesus is out nothing in losing everything to gain Him. Amen? And this is what it means to be a Christian. This is what it means to be a Christian. to be dead to self and alive to Christ, dead to self and awakened to the glory of Jesus Christ, the majestic glory of the Son of God. And to now find our delight not in selfish pleasures, satisfying the lusts of the flesh, but in the glory of Jesus Christ. Finding our delight, taking pleasure in the glory of the Son of God, Jesus Christ. And may God grant every soul here eyes to behold that glory. And I have four headings, four headings under which we will gaze upon Jesus Christ as he is revealed here. in this morning's text. Four ways Christ is revealed in his transfiguration, and they are, one, Christ as the prophet. Christ is the prophet who was to come. Secondly, Christ as Messiah. Jesus as Messiah. Thirdly, Christ as the fulfillment of all things Old Testament. Christ is the fulfillment of all things Old Testament. And finally, Christ as the love and delight of His Heavenly Father. Christ as the very love and delight of God Himself. So first, Christ as the Prophet who was to come. Again, verse 1, And after six days Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up on 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." So not only is Jesus transfigured before the disciples, but as well, Moses and Elijah appear to them, interacting with Jesus. Apparently conversing about his Passion Week, according to Luke's accounting. Notice the text says they appear to them, to the disciples. Moses and Elijah appear to the disciples for the disciples to see. So they are here for a reason. So we should ask, what is the significance of Moses and Elijah appearing here with Jesus for the disciples to see? We'll take Moses first. Moses was, of course, a type of Christ. Moses typified Christ. In fact, in Deuteronomy 18, 15, Moses himself declared to the people, the Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers. It is to him you shall listen. Moses points the people to the Prophet that is to come, and exhorts them to listen to Him when He does come. And this is exactly what God exhorts these disciples to do here on this mount regarding Jesus, His Son. Verse 5, And a voice from the clouds said, This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him. Listen to Him. And so Moses, who himself foreshadows Christ, appears here to magnify Christ. to magnify Christ as the greater Moses, the prophet who was to come, to whom Moses actually pointed. What we are to see here is that Jesus Christ is far superior to Moses. For while Moses was indeed a prophet of God, in fact, one used mightily of God, Jesus Christ, on the other hand, is said to be the prophet. The prophet. And that doesn't mean He is merely the last and greatest of the prophets, for that title is actually given by Jesus Himself to John the Baptist. Jesus Christ is the prophet in that in Him is the culmination of all things prophet. He Himself is the very fulfillment of prophet. For He Himself is the very Word of God now given to the people. Moses, as a prophet of God, delivered the Word of God to the people. That is what prophets did. They were God's mouthpiece by which God spoke to the people. Moses gave the Word of God to God's people. Jesus Christ, on the other hand, is the very Word of God come to us. The Word that was in the beginning, with God, and who is Himself God, and through whom all things were made, and who became flesh, that He might take our sins upon Himself, to that cruel tree, and there be punished in our place, to suffer and die for our sins, and to be raised again for our justification, thus preaching to all of humanity the love of God towards us. Moses delivered the Word of God to the people, pointing them to the way of right fellowship with God. Jesus is Himself the Word of God given to us, and thus becomes Himself the only way to right fellowship with God. John 1 14, And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory. Glory is of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. Moses on the top of a mountain cried out to God, please show me your glory. Jesus on the top of the Mount of Transfiguration revealed himself to be that glory. And that is a stark contrast between Moses and Jesus. Jesus does not come as merely another Moses, even a better Moses. Moses heard the voice of God declare His sovereign grace. I will be gracious to whomever I will. And Jesus Christ is sovereign grace. Jesus Christ is God being gracious to whomever He will. Moses heard of grace. Jesus Christ is the fountain of grace. And from His fullness we have all received grace upon grace. Moses went up on a mountain and beheld the glory of the Lord indeed. Jesus went up on a mountain to reveal that He is the glory of the Lord. The radiance of His glory, the exact imprint of His nature. Having beheld the glory of the Lord, Moses' face shone with a fading glory. Jesus Christ himself shines like the sun as the very radiance of the glory of God, the exact imprint of his nature. And so we see Christ as the Prophet. And secondly, Christ as Messiah. And we turn now then to Elijah, and ask the same question of Elijah. What is Elijah doing here? Well, while the appearing of Moses here would have the disciples of Jesus looking backward, Elijah's appearing would have them looking ahead. For Elijah was said to be the forerunner to Messiah. And the disciples are indeed thinking along these lines here. Verse 9, 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. Thus reminding the disciples of his prediction that he must suffer and die in Jerusalem. And this prompted the disciples to ask, With Elijah on their mind, verse 10, then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come? And what they mean by that is Elijah was to come and restore all things, make things right for the coming of Messiah. And therefore this idea of Messiah suffering many things and being killed just didn't seem to them to fit the narrative. And so they ask, what about Elijah? Isn't he to come first and set things right? How then can Messiah be rejected and even killed by the nation of Israel? And Jesus actually confirms the teaching of the scribes that the disciples are referencing. Verse 11, He answered, Elijah does come and he will restore all things. You are right, Elijah is the forerunner, and he will restore all things. However, Jesus goes on now to correct their misinterpretation of that teaching. And they are failing to recognize that Elijah has already come. And in so doing, Jesus then reveals Himself to be Messiah. Verse 12. 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. And so Peter's confession is here confirmed. Jesus is Messiah, for Elijah has come, the forerunner has come in the person of Jesus Christ, in the person of John the Baptist, and of course John bore witness of Jesus. And cried out, this was he of whom I said, he who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me. Elijah had come in John the Baptist, and he bore witness to Jesus as Messiah, and with his baptism of repentance, John indeed prepared the way for Messiah. And when his mission was accomplished, John would suffer the same fate as those prophets who came before him. In other words, John's mission for God, like all those prophets before him, got him killed. And it would be no different for Messiah, the prophet, who was to come. So also, says Jesus, the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands. Messiah's mission would likewise get him killed. But unlike John and the rest of the prophets, for Jesus, getting killed was his mission. Getting killed was his mission, his passion. For Jesus, getting killed wasn't the fallout of his mission accomplished. For Jesus, getting killed or laying down his life was his mission accomplished. His suffering and death was at the very center of His being sent of God. John 3.16, and to give His life as a ransom for many. Christ's very mission was to lay down His life for His sheep, to save His sheep, to save His own, those whom the Father had given to Him, to save us. And so we see here, Jesus as Messiah. And thirdly, Thirdly, we see here Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of all things, Old Testament. Or said another way, in Christ and in his kingdom, the Law and the Prophets are fulfilled. Surely we can all agree that Moses himself can be thought of as signifying the old covenant law. It was Moses that was given the law on Mount Sinai, and Moses that then gave the law to the people, and it was Moses that was used of God to actually pen or author the Pentateuch, which is specifically referred to as the law. Moses, perhaps more than anything else, signifies the law. And so it is here, on this mountain. Moses can be thought of as representing the law. And Elijah, Elijah is that prophet of the Old Testament prophets that perhaps stands out the most. Elijah here represents the prophets. And so here we have Jesus transfigured. Jesus exalted in His glory. and appearing with him are Moses and Elijah, representing the Law and the Prophets, signifying in this way the whole of the Bible at that point, the whole of God's special revelation. And surely the point in having Moses and Elijah appear with Jesus while Jesus is transfigured is to exalt Christ far above them both. Surely Christ, here transfigured, with His face shining as the sun, and His clothes becoming white as light, stands out as superior to Moses and to Elijah, and even as supreme as it is His Divine Majesty, His Divine Majesty that is here on display. Surely these disciples are to understand from this that Christ is far superior, Christ is supreme over all the Law and the Prophets, over everything that came before Him, over Moses and Elijah. And that is why Peter is rebuked here for his offer to put up three tents. Verse 4, 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. Peter suggests three tents, one for Jesus, one for Moses, and one for Elijah, seemingly putting these three on the same level, as though these three are all worthy of the same honor, and God cuts him off even before he is done speaking it, and thunders down from heaven, pointing Peter and the rest to Christ, and Christ alone. In fact, this puts Peter on his face, trembling before the Lord, and when he lifts his eyes, we are told that he sees Jesus only. So ultimately, Moses and Elijah appear here so that they might disappear here in the presence of the glory of Jesus Christ. And this speaks to Christ not only as the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets, but as well as His superseding them. Listen to Him, thunders the Father from Heaven. Listen to Jesus. As the Law and the Prophets sort of fade out of sight in the glory of Jesus Christ, the Father commands us to listen to His Son. The Son is to be honored, even as the Father is honored. The Son is to be heard and obeyed. The Son is to be worshipped as very God. And so it is. We now look first and foremost to Christ to lead and to guide us. We look first and foremost to Christ as a lamp unto our feet. We look to Christ and honor Him as supreme and follow after Him. Christ as the fulfillment of all things Old Testament. And finally, finally Jesus Christ as the object of the Father's love and delight." Verse 5 again, Peter 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. Surely this verse is the climactic moment in this whole event, with the Father's declaration of His great love for Jesus Christ, and that in Christ, in Christ's very person, He, the Father, takes delight. This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." God loves Jesus and takes pleasure in Jesus. God looks down upon His Son and is filled with joy. God looks down upon Jesus Christ and is filled with love towards Him. And it is not the unconditional, self-sacrificial, forebearing love that He loves us with. For Jesus is not like us. Jesus is not an object of God's mercy or grace. The Father loves the Son, because the Son is altogether lovely. It is a conditional love that exists between the Father and the Son. The Father loves Jesus Christ, because Jesus Christ is lovely. The Father takes pleasure in Jesus Christ, because Jesus Christ is the radiance of the very glory of God, and the exact imprint of His nature. God loves His Son. God delights in Jesus Christ. For Jesus Christ, Colossians 1.15, is the very image of the invisible God. The Son is the perfect image of God. The perfect image in which dwells the fullness of God, and thus is Himself God. Colossians 1.19, for in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell. And so the Father looks upon the glory of the Eternal Son and is filled with joy and filled with love. He delights in what He sees because in the Son the Father is beholding His own glory. God must delight in what he sees when he looks upon Jesus Christ. For Christ is his own image. Christ is the radiance of his own glory. For God not to delight in God would be to fall short of the glory of God. And thus he wouldn't be God. For God to somehow fail to take delight in the beauty of His own essence, as beheld in the person of Jesus Christ, would be sin, idolatry, and God is no idolater. In other words, God does not fail to delight in His own glory as beheld in Jesus Christ. God is righteous, and when He sees beauty as displayed in Jesus Christ, he necessarily delights in it, in his righteousness. Idolatry is the failure to love and to find one's delight in God. The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Idolatry is the failure to love and to find one's delight in God. And God has made Himself known to us in the person of Jesus Christ. And thus our failure to love and to find our delight in Jesus Christ is idolatry. What did Paul mean by covetousness is idolatry? Well, to covet is simply to desire. And so Paul is basically saying that whatever you desire, whatever you desire is your God. Whatever you love most and delight in most is your God. Well, for the true disciple of Jesus Christ, For the man who has renounced all that he has, that he may gain Christ. The man who has been moved to count his life as loss, to lose his very life, that he may gain Christ. The man who has crucified self to put on Christ, that he might know Christ. For the true disciple, Christ is God. May we all be found coveting Jesus Christ. Amen.