would invite you to turn to Exodus chapter 33. As you're turning there, if you were somewhat confused by the bulletin for tonight, I will not be preaching from 2 Chronicles. That will be 2 Samuel. And that was my mistake, not the Secretary's mistake. So, 2 Samuel tonight. But now let's look at Exodus 33, starting at verse 12. This is the word of God. Then Moses said to the Lord, See, you say to me, bring up this people, but you yourself have not let me know whom you will send with me. Moreover, you have said, I have known you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight. Now therefore, I pray you, if I have found favor in your sight, let me know your ways that I may know you, so that I may find favor in your sight. Consider, too, that this nation is your people. And he said, My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest. Then he said to him, If your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here. For how then can it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not by your going with us, so that we, I and your people, may be distinguished from all the other people who are upon the face of the earth? The Lord said to Moses, I will also do this thing of which you have spoken, for you have found favor in my sight, and I have known you by name. Then Moses said, I pray you, show me your glory. And he said, I myself will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the Lord before you. and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion. But he said, You cannot see my face, for no man can see me and live. Then the Lord said, Behold, there is a place by me, and you shall stand there on the rock, and it will come about, while my glory is passing by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will take my hand away and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen." Now we turn to Mark chapter 9 looking once again at the Mount of Transfiguration And Jesus was saying to them, Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power. Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John and brought them up on a high mountain by themselves, and he was transfigured before them. and his garments became radiant and exceedingly white as no launderer on earth can whiten them. Elijah appeared to them along with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. Peter said to Jesus, Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us make three tabernacles, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah. For he did not know what to answer, for they became terrified. Then a cloud formed, overshadowing them, and a voice came out of the cloud, This is my beloved son, listen to him. All at once they looked around and saw no one with them anymore except Jesus alone. Let's pray and ask God's blessing. Father, we thank you for this word, and we do pray now that you would bless this word to our hearts, that we would see Christ in his glory. We pray it in Jesus' name. Amen. When last we looked at this passage, we considered an overview of the Mount of Transfiguration. It is important for us to be familiar with what exactly took place on that day if we are to begin interpreting its meaning. I am going to assume that the first sermon gave you a basic orientation. If you missed it, or if it is still unclear in your mind, I might suggest that you listen to that sermon again on Sermon Audio or through our church website. It's always important to understand what is being said before we seek to answer the next question, what does it mean? This is basic Bible study practice and should always be followed in our own personal examination of God's Word. What does it say? And then, what does it mean? And following that, you can go on to the next question. How should I respond to the Word of God? Application follows interpretation, and interpretation flows from examination. So examine, interpret, and apply. That is the correct order of things. So this morning we want to specifically consider what the Mount of Transfiguration shows us about our Savior Jesus Christ. And as I said last time, if you miss what this passage teaches about Christ, you have missed the main point. This is not secondary. This is not tertiary. This is primary. So I want to begin first with the glory of Christ revealed. Then we're going to look at the glory we share, and finally the glory that awaits. As Jesus, Peter, James, and John reached their destination on the high mountain, something dramatic happened without any announcement. As Mark tells the story, Jesus was transfigured before them, and his garments became radiant and exceedingly white, as no launderer on earth could whiten them. There is a radiance about him that suddenly and unexpectedly appeared. Now it's instructive to examine the parallel accounts in Matthew and Luke. We read in Matthew 17 verse 2, And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his garments became as white as light. Luke is along the same lines, saying in Luke 9.29, And while he was praying, the appearance of his face became different, and his clothing became white and gleaming. So Matthew supplements Mark's account by telling us that Jesus' face shone like the sun. Luke confirms this, stating that the appearance of his face became different. So it was not merely that his clothing was transfigured, but Jesus' very appearance. His face became different, shining like the sun. These two parallels tell us that the Savior's garments became white as light, white and gleaming. So there was an unnatural brightness to them. A dazzling, gleaming whiteness that is only comparable to white light. This reminds us of Paul's words in 1 Timothy 6 verse 16, where he refers to God who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. unapproachable light, this gleaming, shining, blinding, bright whiteness. Similarly, Hebrews chapter 1 verse 3 describes the sun as the radiance of God's glory. And again, light and whiteness is really clearly here. What happens therefore is the unveiling of the glory of Jesus Christ to the eyes of his three disciples. They see for themselves his glory as much as human beings can take in such a sight. Now to better understand this, listen to Jesus' own prayer in John 17 verse 5. Jesus prayed Now, Father, glorify me together with yourself, with the glory which I had with you before the world was." Now this clearly indicates that Jesus possessed and enjoyed glory with the Father before the creation of the world began. Throughout eternity past, Jesus was exceedingly glorious in his relations with the Father and the Spirit. In fact, all three possessed and exhibited this glory. When Jesus prepared to take on human flesh in the incarnation, he laid that glory aside. It is important to note that he did not lay his deity aside, but only his glory. And during his thirty-three years on earth, he was in the form of a bond-servant found in appearance as a man humbled to the point of death, even death, on a cross. He was not remarkable or outwardly glorious during his days on earth. If you or I had seen him in a crowd of people, We wouldn't have been able to pick him out. We would not be able to say, oh, that's obviously Christ. He would look pretty much like other people of his own day. There was no glory. There was no radiance. There was no outshining. He was veiled throughout his earthly life and ministry. That prayer in John 17 also indicates that Jesus requested and did receive the restoration of his glory when he ascended into heaven. And right now, the risen and ascended Christ reigns with glory from the throne of heaven. On the last day, he will return to earth in glory to judge the living and the dead. Jesus Himself describes this in Matthew 25 verse 31. But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His glorious throne. So when He returns, then we will know Him. We will see Him coming on the clouds, and we will know this is Jesus. Look at that glory! And as he sits upon his throne on earth to judge the living and the dead, it will be a glorious throne. And indeed, Jesus will possess glory for all eternity future. We will behold him constantly in his radiant glory as we are face to face with him in the new heavens and the new earth. So what is coming is what we see in this little snapshot here on the Mount of Transfiguration. We're coming back again to the Mount of Transfiguration. We can now see what happens here ever so briefly. What Jesus had once laid aside was now temporarily restored to him. His native glory once again shines forth to this select audience of five men. Peter, James, John, Elijah, and Moses. These five see something that no one else on earth in all of history has ever seen. They saw Jesus in his native glory. This becomes a foretaste of what will be for eternity future. He will ever be exceedingly glorious and we will behold him unveiled to our redeemed and glorified eyes. Well, there can be an understandable temptation here, something that we might easily and naturally fall into. And that temptation would be to suppose that Jesus' glory is really only about his radiant appearance and his gleaming garments. This mistake equates glory exclusively with the outward manifestations. While the gleaming white appearance conveys glory to the human viewer, It is truly about more than just how Jesus looks. What exactly do we mean by glory, especially when it refers to God or to Christ? Robert Raymond offers a good definition in his new systematic theology of the Christian faith. He writes, the Bible, however, mainly speaks of God's glory. When it does, it refers to what God is in his essential being or nature. That is to say, God's glory is simply the inescapable weight of the sheer intrinsic Godness of God, inherent in the attributes essential to him as the deity. So when it's talking about God's glory, it is about who and what God is, essentially, to His core. It's not just about outward appearances, but it's about what He is through and through. Many years ago when I was siding my house, I was over at Menards and talking to one of their professionals, And they told me that the siding that they were going to sell me was color fast throughout the entire piece of siding. So it wasn't just a color on a surface, but that color went all the way through the depth of the siding. And the point here was this color isn't just going to wash away, and then you've got a different color underneath. It's not just been painted on the surface. No, this siding is this color all the way to the core of the siding. When we're talking about Jesus' glory here, we're not just talking about superficial appearances, but He's different beneath the surface. This is about who and what He is through and through. This describes everything about Him. So when Moses asks the Lord in Exodus 33 to show me your glory, he is really asking to see who and what God essentially is. Moses wants to see something of the Godness of God. We see his glory when we come to know who and what God is and what he is like in his various attributes. And that's what the Lord tells him. I will cause all of my goodness to pass before you. You want to see my glory? See my goodness. Moses wants to know your ways so that I may know you. He wants to know what God is deep down. Don't just show me superficial sights that will dazzle my eyes. Let me know you is what he's asking. And this is really what we're thinking about here. We see his glory when we view his works. when we see how He has created all things out of nothing by the word of His power in the space of six days, when we see how He sustains and governs all His creatures and all their actions, and most especially, we see Him and His glory when we watch Him redeeming for Himself a people through the work of Christ. His glory appears in who and what He is and in all that He does." So you see, this is far more than just some shiny clothing or some bright white skin tones. Those changes represent to the eye a glimmer of all that God is and all that God does. It shows us His weightiness, His beauty, His majesty, His Godness. And this is glory when we see God as He is. This glory, this Godness of God, is seen as Jesus stands upon the Mount of Transfiguration. speaking there with Moses and with Elijah in full view of Peter and James and John. These three favored men are gaining new insight into who and what their Savior actually is. They come to appreciate what John says in the prologue of his gospel, and the word became flesh and dwelt among us And we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten, full of grace and truth." And this was just ongoing throughout their life together as followers of Christ. And it comes to special, special focus here on the mount But this is true throughout. As he's healing the sick, as he's preaching the gospel, as he is confronting the Pharisees and the Sadducees, as he is suffering and dying upon the cross, his glory is being displayed. And more and more they are seeing that their master was not a mere man. He was, in fact, God incarnate, the only begotten of the Father. As they listened to Him, they realized Jesus was full of grace and truth. And they were seeing His grace and truth displayed and manifested. This is the glory which Jesus possessed and which Jesus manifested. It is also a glory which we will share. Jesus says this in John 17 22, The glory which you have given me, I have given to them, that they may be one, just as we are one. You see, the Father gives glory to the Son, the Son gives glory to His people. We share in His glory because the Son has given us what the Father has provided. And as we begin to participate, to share in that glory, it binds our hearts together as a community of glory. A community of people who are bound to Christ and who together, as a group as well as individually, we share in His glory. Paul suggests this in Romans 8, 17. He says, "...and if children heirs also, heirs of God, and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with him, so that we may also be glorified with him." Suffering is unto glory. We join in his sufferings, we share in his sufferings, we take up the cross, and follow Him and we follow Him to glory and we share that glory again in Colossians 3 verse 4 Paul writes when Christ who is our life is revealed then you also will be revealed with Him in glory what Christ has you will share Because you're united to Him by faith. It only makes sense that you would share not only in His sufferings, but you will share in His glory. And then in 2 Corinthians 4, Paul again comments on this, Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. for momentary light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond comparison. Do you ever think about this when you're going through a hard time? Do you ever realize these light and momentary afflictions that I'm having to suffer right now are achieving for me an eternal weight of glory? a glory that far outweighs these light, temporary, momentary troubles of my life? Or do you instead, like I often do, just complain? It's not fair! I have a right to be happy! And we don't realize these troubles are being used by God for glorious purposes. And there's no way to attain to this glory apart from those struggles. And surely this has to change the way we think about trouble in life. God has ordained these things. He is using them to achieve something for us which is great, beautiful, delicious and glorious. Christ enjoys His glory not for Himself alone, not as some selfish exercise in self-promotion, but rather Christ joyfully and willingly shares His glory with us, so we are glorified through our union and fellowship with Him. Coming into contact with Him, His glory reflects upon us, and in us, and through us. Now this points ahead to what awaits, the glory that awaits, the glory that is yet to come. Now however you read the book of Revelation, Whether you think that book is all about the future or that perhaps some of it was fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, however you read it, you must admit that what awaits us is exceedingly and surpassingly glorious. What is described in Revelation 21 and Revelation 22, the new heavens and the new earth and the new Jerusalem, it is all pure glory. It's an unadulterated glory. This is the glory that awaits us as God welcomes us into his eternal presence in his glorious new creation. Now I think that the very heart of our future hope is really Christ himself. We will see him in all of his native glory. And it's an even greater glory than what he originally had. For in eternity future, he will be the incarnate God-man, eternally victorious over Satan, death, hell, and the grave. Just listen to how Paul describes this in Philippians 2. For this reason also God highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Doesn't that just dazzle you? To think about the entire human race on its knees, confessing Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the Father, and there is Christ in His beauty, in His majesty, in His radiance, shining forth with such glory that we cannot begin to comprehend it. As we live in the presence of our glorious Savior, face to face with Him who loved us and who gave His life for us, we will be constantly saying what Peter said on the Mount of Transfiguration, Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. It is good for us to be in your presence, enjoying your glory. Now, unlike Peter, we will not be offering up foolish proposals about building three tabernacles. Neither will we be terrified, because the terror will be taken away. And in its place, you will be thoroughly, deeply, and richly happy. You will be contented like you have never been contented here on earth." Saturday morning, we got up, packed our things, and were ready to have breakfast with Christian and head out. As I was standing in the parking lot at Dort, the sun was just coming up and the leaves and the trees. I thought, what a beautiful, peaceful scene. I love fall. And what a nice day for a drive. And we get to go eat some Dutch pastries at Casey's Bakery before we drive and while we drive. I was pretty content. You know, what we're going to experience in the new heavens and the new earth will be so far beyond our best experiences here in this world that they probably won't even really compare. It will be apples and oranges. Oh, we had some happy days back there on earth. We had some relatively peaceful times during our lives. But what we have now in the presence of Christ and in our glorified state is just going to be so mind-bending that we cannot comprehend it here. And so this is for you, my dear brothers and sisters. This is what your God has in store for you. And I think this should really buoy us when life tries to pull us down. You know, we're coming up on an election. And the elections always look promising before they happen, and almost always disappointing after they've happened. And maybe even if most of your candidates won, some of your candidates lost. And so there will be certainly disappointment on Wednesday. And you know, as you face just the realities of this world and this life, there are disappointments. Life does pull us down. But when it does, remember this, those light momentary afflictions are producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison. And the day is coming when you, in your risen, glorified body, will stand before the glorious Christ, and you will see Him as He is. and your heart will rejoice. Let's pray together. Lord, thank you that you have glory and that you showed Peter, James, and John your glory on the mountain. We thank you that that glory is for us too. And we look forward to that day when we will be with you in the new heavens and the new earth, when we will see you and when our hearts will say it is good for us to be here. Lord, speed that day, we pray, in Jesus' name, Amen.