would you please join me in seeking the Lord in prayer. Ever-blessed God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we come as your people in great need. We need to hear the voice of our shepherds and we need ears to listen It is not enough for you to provide the words, but you must humble our hearts and enable us to hear you. You have given us your word and spirit so that we would not be a people tossed to and fro by false teachings, discouragements, sin, and the lies of the world. We are firmly rooted in Christ. And so I pray that you would accomplish your purposes in preaching this morning, Lord. Please. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. Mark chapter 8, starting at verse 31, reading all the way to verse 13 of chapter 9. Please give your attention to the Word of God. And Jesus began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things. and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed. And after three days, rise again. And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, get behind me, Satan. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man. And he called to him the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, if anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it. For whoever loses his life for my sake and the Gospels will save him. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? For what can a man give in return for his life? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation Of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels." And he said to them, "'Truly I say to you, there are some standing here who will not take death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.'" And after six days, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John and led them up a high mountain by themselves. He was transfigured before them. His clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses. And they were talking with Jesus. And Peter said to Jesus, Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah. For he did not know what to say. So they were terrified. And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud This is my beloved son. Listen to him. Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only. And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead might mean. And they asked him, why did the scribes say that first Elijah must come? And he said to them, Elijah does come first to restore all things. And how it is written of the Son of Man that he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt. But I tell you that Elijah has come. And they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him. Well, if you are going to be a disciple of Christ, follow him. You need your ears. you're going to have to be able to listen to Jesus Christ. There are all kinds of things that can make listening difficult. Someone could be speaking too low or too softly, and it's hard to hear them. So if you're going to be using your ears to love and follow Jesus, you need to know what are some things that can be barriers or obstacles to listening. A Google search can help with this. I googled, what are the most common objects that get stuck in your ear? First one, not too surprising, right? You get too much earwax. Gross, but not surprising. You get a dead bug in your ear. Happens to a lot of people. Food. You can also get ear bud accessories. I even read accounts of a battery getting stuck in a lot of people's ears. But in our sermon passage, we see that Peter is having some difficulty listening. And the Scriptures don't say that he has a dead bug or any of those things in his ear. I think our sermon passage shows us that one of the things, or two of the things, that makes it very difficult to listen to Jesus is when we have life stuck in our ear, or better ideas stuck in our ear. We've come to a bit of a high point in Mark's Gospel. All throughout the Gospel, people have been asking the question, who is this guy? He forgives the sins of the paralytic, and the scribes say, who can forget sins except God? And then the disciples have that incredible boat trip with Jesus, where he shows his divine mastery over the winds and the waves. The disciples ask, who can control the winds and waves like this? Who is this man? And so here we are, Jesus asks the question to his disciples, who do you say that I am? And Peter gets it right. You are the Christ. And we know that this is revealed to Peter by the Father, but Peter is right. You are the Christ. You are the Messiah. You are the one who is bringing the Kingdom of God. You are the Lord of the Sabbath who is bringing us rest. You are the one who has come to show mercy on the lepers, the blind, those who are in death and in sin. Jesus, you are the one we have been longing for. As we get this glory of Peter's confession, Jesus immediately brings Peter and his disciples and us this morning to the glory of his death and resurrection. That the Messiah that Israel has been longing for will suffer, will be killed, will be treated with contempt. And Peter doesn't like what Jesus is saying. And he hears Jesus talking about what must happen, that he must be killed. And Peter rebukes Jesus. He pulls Jesus aside, trying to show a little bit of respect. But he tells Jesus, you've got it wrong. This isn't the script for the Messiah. Peter is doing what all disciples of Jesus Christ do when we have something that we don't like stuck in our ear. I don't like a Messiah who will suffer. I don't like that you're telling us we are going to suffer if we follow you. When you have a light stuck in your ear, what are you unable to do? One of the things that Jesus says to Peter is, you're not setting your mind on the things of God. Your concerns, how you view Jesus' life and ministry and purpose is all revolved around what you prefer or what you think is right. And when you are doing that, you are not listening to Jesus. Jesus is gracious. Even though Peter is not listening, Jesus continues to speak to him. Peter doesn't listen the first time and let the Lord continue to teach. He tells Peter and the disciples, not only will I suffer, but you will as well. Jesus will go to the cross, and yet he tells his disciples, you will take up your cross. Jesus will forfeit a worldly glory, and so too will his disciples. Jesus will lay down his life for the sins of his people that we may have peace with God, and those who follow him lay down their lives to be devoted to Jesus. And a failure to listen to what Jesus is saying to us A failure to listen to him would be being ashamed of his words. And did you see that in verse 38? For whoever is ashamed of me and my words, and the most recent words that we've been getting from Jesus, is his suffering, and the suffering that those who follow him will experience. And if you are ashamed of his words, when Jesus comes in the glory of the Father with his holy angels, He will be ashamed of you. Young people, this is a bit of an aside, but I think it's helpful. I'm sure you've been in plenty of situations where you have been encouraged or pressured to be ashamed of Jesus and His words. You know, that kind of face of repulsion. You're not one of those Christians. You believe this? And so there you are. in a setting where you have to decide, will I be ashamed of Christ and His words? And what a comfort it is to stand for the Lord Jesus when you are reminded that He is not ashamed of you. Despite your sin, your failures and shortcomings, Jesus is not ashamed to call you His brother or His sister. Jesus is not ashamed to present you before the Father, interceding and advocating for you in your life. And so when you are pressured or called to be ashamed, remember that Jesus is not ashamed of you, and claim His words and speak for Him. You know, I think if after Peter had said, you are the Christ, Jesus went straight to verse 38. That would make a lot more sense to Peter. You are the Christ, and you're going to come in the glory of the Father, and you're going to judge this adulterous and sinful generation. Of course, this would have been Peter's interpretation, but it would have made sense. Yeah, the Messiah comes, he defeats the Romans, he judges those wicked sinners, and he makes us all fantastic. But again, Peter is not listening. to Jesus. And Peter is confused about how the Messiah is going to have a glory that involves suffering. And it's not glory by inflicting suffering on other people. And even the suffering that Jesus is experiencing isn't coming from the Romans or the Gentiles, but from the leaders of their day, the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes. What glory is there for a suffering Messiah? And I believe this is why the Gospels, or at least Matthew, Mark, and Luke, preserve a particular order about where they place the transfiguration. We get the confession of Peter, you are the Christ. We get Jesus's prediction of his death and suffering and resurrection, his teaching, the need for disciples to take up their cross. Then we get. the transfiguration. And after we hear about the glory of his death and his resurrection, and maybe even are with the disciples thinking what glory can there be for a suffering Messiah, we get a glimpse of his glory. You remember in verse 1 of chapter 9, Jesus says I say that some who are standing here, that brings us back to verse 34. When Jesus is preaching and teaching, he's talking to a crowd as well as his disciples. And he says that in this crowd, some will see the power of the kingdom. And then we get verse 2, after six days. So the transfiguration is not this isolated event that just drops in, or a misplaced resurrection narrative as some critics suggest, but it is showing Peter and the disciples a glory that they do not believe can exist. Glory for one who is going to suffer? And so Jesus leads Peter, James, and John up the mountain. And Jesus, Luke's Gospel says, as he is praying, is transfigured before their eyes. Earlier in the worship service, John said, a scribe. What does that mean? And certainly, we could use that same for the word transfigured. What does transfigured mean? Well, it could just also be translated transformed. Visually, we get the description that Jesus had a radiance about him. And his clothes become intensely white. And you remember that Jesus is a man living in the ancient world. So he is probably doing all of his traveling by foot, and so normally his garments that would have sweat, probably dirt, sand, all kinds of stains, now is just pure light and glory. Visually, this is what Peter, James, and John are seeing. But theologically, or I guess interpretively, what does it mean about his ministry? Well, the Father is giving a preview of the Son's glory, the glory that will only be surpassed by his death and his resurrection. But simply answering what does transfiguration mean doesn't get rid of all the questions in this passage. Another question is, why did Moses and Elijah show up? Now, if you would like a reading assignment for the rest of your life, it's going to take you the rest of your life, Read all the responses in the Christian tradition as to why it's Moses and Elijah. So many different answers, all very useful, right? Moses and Elijah both had these mountaintop experiences with God. One of the favorites of the ancient church was that this is the law, Moses, and the prophets, Elijah, pointing to Christ. Moses, in his mountaintop experience, the glory of God shows up on his face. And his brothers have to hide themselves from it. But that glory on Moses is not proper to him. But here, the glory that the sun displays belongs to him. It is his glory. But there's two reasons that I think are particularly useful for us and would have been helpful for Mark and his readers in this gospel. And I'm going to present them in two categories. One is vindication. And the other is fulfillment. You remember that Jesus has a reputation. And not everybody has something nice to say about the Lord Jesus. One of the things that they say about Jesus is, he doesn't follow the law of Moses. He's touching lepers. That breaks the law of Moses. He is breaking the Sabbath. And so he is in opposition to Moses. Another accusation raised against Jesus is what? He's an idolater. He is likening himself to God. Hence, the scribes ask the question, who can forget sins except God? And so here, with Moses and Elijah on the mountain, it is this vindication of who Jesus is. He is not one who has broken the law of Moses. He is not an idolater, because here is Elijah with Jesus, not opposing him as he does King Ahab or the other idolatry that the people of God did back during the time the time of the kingdom, but Jesus is being served by Moses and Elijah. This moves to the second category, fulfillment. Moses and Elijah played significant roles in the history of God saving and redeeming his people. But Moses and Elijah also had significant roles in determining when the new age, would begin when God's kingdom would break into the world. Some of Moses' final words to the Israelites were, The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers, and it is to him you shall listen. And the Lord says of this prophet, I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. And whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I myself will require of him." Of course, we have Malachi 4, where the prophet says that before the great and awesome day of the Lord, Elijah will come. Before this great and decisive act of God on behalf of his people, Elijah will show up. And so with Moses and Elijah standing together with Jesus on the mountaintop, it is the clear sign that the new age has started, that the beginning of a new world, the turning of the ages, God's kingdom has come. Luke, in his gospel, he makes this very clear. He says that Moses and Elijah were speaking with Jesus about his departure. Another way that we could render that also, as it's in the Greek text, exodus. Elijah and Moses are speaking with Jesus of this exodus that he will perform by his suffering, his death on the cross, and his resurrection. For it won't be the blood of any old lamb that will cause God's judgment to pass over, but it will be the blood of Jesus. It won't be those waters of the Red Sea that will be parted, but God's wrath will be parted. And Jesus will lead his people to the heart of the Father. Moses and Elijah show that this exodus has come. Could you come up with a better idea than that? This consistent scriptural witness from Moses all throughout the prophets of the Messiah who would come and perform this new exodus. Could you think of something better than that? Of course, if you're in church, you're going to say, no, not at all. But Peter has a better idea. Peter is witnessing this incredible sight, something that will stick with him forever. In fact, when we get to 2 Peter and he's writing to the churches, he brings it up. We were there, we saw Jesus being glorified on the mountain. And you know what's interesting about where he goes after he makes that point. that such a sight moved us to the prophetic witness, the scriptures, that this word is certain and trustworthy. I mention that because we could be kind of saying to the Lord, how come Peter and James and John get to see this grand sight, but not us? But notice that Peter sees this glorious sight, and his comment is not, man, you should have been there. But listen to the prophetic word. Listen to the prophets testify to Jesus. But Peter still has that better idea. I think it's funny that he addresses him as rabbi, teacher, master. So it's like, you who give the instruction, let me instruct you. You who is the master, let me tell you what you need to do. And so Peter says to Jesus, why go to the cross? Why have this glory that involves death, being treated with contempt, when you can just stay here? Where you can have this earthly, worldly glory? It sounds a little bit better than what the devil tempts Jesus with. The devil is asking essentially the same question. Why go to the cross? I can give you the kingdoms now. And here Peter is saying, why suffer, Jesus? It's good for us to be here. Those words that you were saying to me earlier about your death and being treated with contempt, that's not good. But here, where everyone who would walk by could see your radiance and glory, this is good. You know, it's very interesting. In verse 5, we actually could translate it, and Peter responded. The Greek is not normally the word that we would use just for speaking. But what he witnesses prompts him to respond. And rather than worship him or remaining silent, which is a good response when you see the glory of God, he speaks and offers his better idea. And because that better idea is so thick and lodged into his ear, a voice comes from the clouds and says, listen to myself. That same voice that spoke when Jesus was baptized and said, this is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased, now speaks to Peter and all of the disciples of Jesus Christ. And with great wisdom and power and authority, sums up the Christian life in one command. Listen to Him. Friends, is that how you were seeking to live for the Lord Jesus? Your actions, your decisions, your plans, goals, your interactions with your family members, when you go to work, is at bottom listening to the Lord Jesus, listening to the one whom the Father has directed you to give your attention to. This is what we are commanded to do. Listen to Him. Beloved, your ears this week are in danger. Because there's all kinds of things that would like to drown out the voice of your Savior. You have your likes. I don't like what Jesus says about how I should treat other people. I don't like what Jesus says about self-denial and taking up my cross. That doesn't sound fun, fulfilling. I don't like what Jesus says about how I should view myself, that rather than being someone who can determine their own rules, their own morals, that I need to listen to the Son and follow Him. The likes persist. The better ideas persist. Lord, I can see that you're trying to conform me to your image, make me more like you by calling me to join in your suffering. I have a better idea for making me godly. Say yes to all my requests. Give me a nice, comfortable, easy life. Give me all the best things in the world, and surely that will make me a strong and devoted Christian. Lord, it seems like you want me to be holy in my marriage. I have a better idea. How about you just make me very happy in my marriage? The better ideas persist. And yet, through the preaching of God's Word, the reading of the Scripture, the voice persists. Listen to Him. Will you do that this week? Will you obey that single command, listen to Him? Because, of course, I'm sure that you guys would say, well, if I don't listen to Jesus, right, I would be maybe doing sinful actions, I wouldn't be walking in the right morals. But let me tell you what else you miss when you don't listen to Jesus. When you don't listen to Jesus, you don't know who you are. When your Creator is speaking to you through His Word about who you are, and you are closing your ears with light and better ideas, you do not have an identity. You miss comfort when you're not listening to Jesus. And I know many of you want comfort. You miss direction when you don't listen to Jesus. And you miss the great love that the Father has for you. Why is Jesus going to a cross? Why has the Son of God decided to take on the cross? So that you could have the love of the Father. So that you could know you belong to the Lord. And if you don't listen to Him, then you won't have that. friends, listen to Him. Encourage others to listen to Him. You know, they have this app on your phone. Actually, no, it's not an app, it just comes in with the phone. It's called Screen Time. Show of hands, everybody knows Screen Time? There we go. And Screen Time says, you've touched the news this many times, you were on your music station this long, you were staring like this for four hours, five hours, Friends, what would our response be if we were given ear time? You were listening to yourself for this long this morning. You were listening to the news for this long. You were listening to the world. Are you listening to the sound? Friends, listen to the Lord Jesus. Let's pray. Father, you speak great things to us of new life, of salvation, peace, and comfort. You have sent your Spirit so that we may hear. Open our ears. Remove all obstacles or barriers to our listening so that we may hear Jesus. Strengthen my brothers and sisters this week. Keep them from having things get in the way, from listening to the Lord, through the Scriptures, through preaching, through meditating over Your Word. Speak to them and enable them to hear. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, listening to Jesus is going to be It's going to come with some difficulties, after all, right? One of the things that He's telling us is to deny ourselves, to take up your cross. And so it's important to remember that not only are we commanded to listen to Jesus, but He listens to us. And that's what we get in Psalm 116. That the Lord listens to His people. Would you please stand to sing Psalm 116, Selection 2.