Thank you for listening to Servants for Christ. In all that we do, in all that we say, we want to give glory and honor to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Thank you for tuning us in as we get into the wonderful Word of God. For the next few minutes, let's take the beautiful Word of God and share it with each and every one of you as we have a sense of anticipation to take the word of God and to listen to its truth for each and every one. Matthew chapter 17 Matthew chapter 17 verses 1 through 13 and 2nd Peter chapter 1 verse 16 Just for a little while. I want to talk to you about inner circle of Jesus I wonder how many of you are really still in the inner circle of Jesus Jesus had at least three people that were really in the inner circle of his life and I want to talk to you about that because I Every one of us, when we look, this event was a picture of the coming kingdom and a proof that Jesus Christ is indeed the son of the living God. Moses would be there that represented the law, and Elijah would be there to represent the greatest of prophets. All of them converge in him, but the thing that Peter remembered most was the emphasis on the unchanging Word of God. And so the memory of visions will fade, but the Word will endure forever. So we've got to listen to that Word. Here we see in the inner circle of Jesus, if you have your Bibles ready, we see that in Matthew chapter 17 there's a story about Jesus that appears also in the Gospels of Mark and Luke and clearly it's important because it's the transfiguration and we love to look to see all the great things that Jesus has done He turned water into wine. He cured the maniac of Gardea, the breaking of the bread, the coming of the waves, the raising Lazarus, and not forgetting Jesus' own resurrection and ascension. But this is the thing that, of all the miracles, here we have a great example of that transfiguration. The place of that transfiguration, it was high. Many places in the Bible, Sinai, Mount Carmel, they were high. They were a secluded place, a place of soul searching. And sometimes we need to get into some of those high places in our life. We need to get into some secluded places where we can do some soul searching. And so the transfiguration of Christ is a most unusual experience, but Christ, And the disciples needed an unusual strength to face the future. The future held the cross for both. Christ had just entered the last stage of training his disciples. But the most important thing is that they would understand God's plan for the world. He was the Messiah. He was to save the world through death and not through the earthly power and conquest that all other kings, generals, and conquerors would do. was to be able to bear the cross for the sins of the world. But they too were to bear the cross if they were to follow Him. And so for some days now he had been drilling this message into his disciples. Soon he was to face the reality of the cross and they were going to fully understand the thrust of what he meant by their taking up the cross. They both needed a very special portion of strength to face what lay in front of them. The Transfiguration was God's answer to their need. God used several things to strengthen Christ and the disciples. There were about five things that he used to strengthen them. A high mountain in verse 1. God's glory in verse 2. The great saints in verse 3 because Peter, James, and John represented the church. And then we see a heavenly experience as well. in verse 4, because Peter said to the Lord, Lord, it's good for us to be here. If you wish, let us make three tabernacles, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. He didn't quite understand what was transpiring at that time, but we know that we see God's presence in verses 5, 6, 7, and 8. And then, lastly, we see the strength of the resurrection in verses 9 through 13. You know, as we look at the person of the transfiguration, it wasn't Moses, it wasn't Elijah. Here was a glorified high noon, a majestic glory, a vision of Jesus, praise God, as he would be foreglimpsed as we can be in the coming days. He's given us an example of ourselves in the coming day, a person that can be transfigured into the born-again Christian that we are today. And the purpose of that transfiguration is that we've been born the image of the earthly so that we shall bear the image of the heavenly, that we'll be like Him. So Jesus, he went there to pray, to be strengthened, to speak of his deceased. Moses knew of the rock in the wilderness. Elijah knew of a better sacrifice. But what about these three disciples, Peter, James, and John? They were the sponsors of the church. They were to witness the unity of the Old Testament and the New Testament saints. And so there was no introductions that were needed. And so here we see of that power, of that transfiguration, God's power to lift above the shadows. It proved God's power to keep, the power to transform glorified Old Testament saints, transfigured an entire world, a new heaven and a new earth. It's the power of His resurrection. That's what's so wonderful about Easter every time, that you hear it more at that time, but it's a message that should be preached every day of the year. And so, the glory of God's sufficient all grace of what's taking place here. His servants, eventually they go down and they serve in the valley. But here's what happened. Jesus had just told his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem to die. And he was fully aware of the fate that awaited him. He knew that he would die a horrible, humiliating, painful death. Listen, Christian, we've got to remember that even though Jesus was God in the flesh, he was also fully human. He faced temptation as we faced temptation. He felt hunger as we felt hunger. The stripes that he received on his back from the Roman soldiers whip that tore flesh out of it every time that it struck the stripes that he received on his back. I'm going to tell you, the nails driven into his hand and feet, they hurt him as much as they would have hurt you if you hit your hand with a hammer or finger. He did not look forward to the cross, but he knew that in order to do God's will, he must endure it. And so here is that inner circle of Jesus. He knew the adversary that he was about to face, the difficulty for his disciples, and after telling them that he must go to Jerusalem to die, he took Peter, he took James, and he took John with him on a high mountain by themselves. And here we begin to read the marvelous Word of God. Amen? Because in all of this, We look and we begin to realize that God confirms Peter's earlier acknowledgement of the deity of Christ by transfiguring Jesus on the mountaintop. Jesus heals a demon-possessed boy. He predicts his own death. He instructs Peter to pay the temple tax with a coin found in the mouth of a fish later on. All of these things. But the thing that we see is the confirmation on top of the mountain. Jesus takes Peter, James, and John with him. And so, he tells us, And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, bringeth them up into a high mountain apart, and was transfigured before them. And his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. Here we see what they saw. Amen? And what they saw is the appearance of God's Messiah. His face and his clothes shining like the new day sun. The arrival of God's messengers, Moses and Elijah, appear and they speak to Jesus. Amen? They didn't need no introductions. Here the Lord is infinitely more glorious than men see Him to be. And while He prayed His face did shine as the sun, His raiment was white as the light. There was a double glory, that which shone out of heaven from the Father, that which shone out of Himself as the image of the Father. And the carnal eye saw no beauty in Him, but He was glorious within all the same. The hidden glory of Christ, the hidden glory of the Christian will both in one day yet be manifested, praise God. And so, the same Lord the Spirit who has transfigured our souls will also transfigure our bodies in the coming day. To be alone with the Lord is a glorious privilege. Jesus, as He taketh Peter, James, and John They went apart with Him to pray, and while alone with Him they beheld His glory, and they were the eyewitnesses of His majesty." Praise God. This was a premature outburst of the hidden glory of a man whose face was more marred than any man's. If we would know Jesus Christ in all of His glorious, in all of His fullness, let us be much alone with Him on the quiet mount of prayer, that we alone with Him in eternity We seek his presence each and every day when we go into our prayer clauses, when we get down on our knees. The death of Christ is the most important subject under heaven because even as Moses and Elijah talked with him, Luke says they talked about the deceased to be accomplished at Jerusalem, how the death of Christ had a wonderful significance to heaven, earth, and hell. Think of the contrast between the subject of their talk and the appearance of the one that was appointed to die on the cross. What would Moses and Elijah think of our present-day religious talkers who deny the atoning death of Jesus? And so, in verse 4, Then answered Peter, and he 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 Elijah. You know, that was what they saw. That was what they saw. But when we look at that. Peter wants to build three shelters, one each for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. And so he doesn't understand the significance of everything, amen. He is really way off base, amen. And so every one of us, when we look at Moses and Elijah discussing Jesus' death, Jesus needed to be strengthened to bear the weight and the pressure of the cross. The garden of Gethsemane experienced and his cry on the cross. And so to show that Jesus was the true Messiah, the Son of God, the one who was superior to the law and the prophets. Moses represented the law. Elijah, who represented the greatest of the prophets, represented the prophets. And these two men were honoring and ministering to Christ. And by such, they were symbolizing that the law and the prophets found their fulfillment in Christ. Christ was the one whom the Law and the Prophets spoke. Christ was the one whom the Law and the Prophets pointed. And the Old Covenant was now to be fulfilled and superseded by Christ who was the usher in the New Covenant. So Christ would soon fulfill his prophetic and priestly offices. Moses and Elijah symphonically transferring the old prophetic and priestly offices to him. I'm glad that here in 1 Peter chapter 1 verses 10 and 11 the Bible says of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you, searching what or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ was in them, did signify when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow." Something very significant is seen here. Believers who have gone on before are as alive, if not more alive than we are. They're living in a dimension other than our physical world, an eternal world that is perfect and free from all sin, suffering, and death. What a glorious hope that we have. Paul said that we're comforted, I say, and willing rather be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. And so here That verse four that we just read that there was strength of a heavenly experience. The three disciples were tasting glory. They were in the very presence of God himself. They were tasting some of heaven's joy, some of heaven's peace, some of the heaven's security and fulfillment and perfection. And they did not want to leave this hollow ground. Boy, it's like getting in a church service and all of a sudden the sky drops out. Man, heaven comes down right where you're at. Peter, he offered to build three shelters for Jesus and the two prophets. And by this act, he hoped to extend the stay of these heavenly guests and the glorious experience. The shelters offered the booths made of the branches and the grass, which could be quickly built, the kind often built by travelers on their stops along the road night. And so he said, if thou will, Peter, even in a moment as glorious as this was, would not act against the Lord's will, imagine the devotion and the loyalty. This is a great need to learn something. God knows exactly how to meet every believer's need. He knows just what kind of experience is needed. God will do whatever it takes to meet our need. If we truly seek Him, if we must remember something, our experiences must conform to God's Word and God will not go against His Word and fact. in order to give growth and experiences. The experiences that come from God are the experiences that conform to His Word. And in fact, spiritual experiences and growth usually come about as a result of, listen, listen, reading and studying God's Word. A deep spiritual experience with God is always a wonderful, glorious time. Nothing can compare to a session of deep communion with Christ. And there's always the wish that we could remain in that presence, remain in that church service, remain in that message, remain in that song that's being sung by that saint of old that is precious, that can hit the heaven tops and go down into the low valleys. Praise God that such is not our calling. Not now, but our present call is to bear the cross and its message and not to wallow around in the deep spiritual experiences. Our spirits do occasionally need to be spiritually renewed, but they are always renewed for a purpose. And the strength in us for going out and bearing a much stronger witness for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Isaiah said, it's not your purpose, I'm putting that in there, to deal thy bread to the hungry, that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house. When thou seest the knave, thou shalt cover him, and thou shalt hide not thyself from thy own flesh. That is the reading of Isaiah 58, 7. And so the book of Acts tells us, I've showed you all things, how that so laboring you ought to support the weak and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said it is more blessed to give than to receive. And so here Paul says, when then that are strong ought to bow the infirmities of the weak and not to please ourselves. I'm glad Paul said, bear you one another's burdens and so fulfill the law. And so every one of us, when we continue looking at the Word of God and what God wants to do with us, amen, that's what they say. And so we read on in verse 5, he says, While ye yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them. Behold, a voice of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear ye him. What they hear, the glory of the Lord can put little appreciation on our present state. But I'm going to tell you, the voice that must accompany the glory, it terrified them. They fell on their face. They were so afraid. Moses had to be hit in the cleft of the rock to see the back parts of the divine glory. Paul called up into paradise, heard and saw what was unspeakable in the third heaven. The high priest never attempted to explain the Shekinah glory. And enough for us that God graciously gives us as we are able to bear. There's some things that we can't bear. There's some things that we can't understand in this old fleshly body. But to hear the Word of the Lord is a divine command. This is my beloved Son. Hear ye Him. We should hear Him because the Father is well pleased with everything that He says. The voice of His Word is a great teacher come from God and a message to all sinful men. The voice of His works that bear witness, praise God, the works of miracle and mercy. The voice of His blood that speaketh better things than that of Abel out of the ground. Jesus' blood speaks of satisfaction to God and to the peace of all mankind, praise God. And so we see the voice of His Spirit who maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered and who seeks to transform us into the image of Christ. Hear ye Him and be made like Him, praise God. And so, in verses 6, 7, and 8 of the King James, And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face. They were sore afraid, and Jesus came. He touched them, and He said, Arise, and be not afraid. And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man save Jesus only. Boy, I'm going to tell you, each and every one of us, there's strength in God's presence. That the cloud also covered the disciples, the voice of God terrified them, caused them to fall immediately upon their faces, prostrated, unable to look up. As mortal men, they were crouched in fear, paralyzed in terror. But the cloud was a bright cloud, the Shekinah glory, the cloud that symbolizes God's presence. It was the cloud that guided Israel out of Egypt, that rested upon the tabernacle above the mercy seat in the most holy place. Oh, hallelujah! I'm glad that God dwells in the unapproachable light upon which no man can look. The Shekinah glory, the light that's so glorious and brilliant that there's no need for a sun. It's a light that radiates splendor. Peter called it the exoglory. I'm glad the bright cloud overshadowing Christ was in contrast to the dark threatening cloud that overshadowed the giving of the old covenant to Moses, the law. And there we see that the old covenant, the law was dark and threatening. The new covenant, the love of Christ is bright and given to save and to bless, not to threaten and to condemn, praise his holy name. And so the voice speaking says in the Greek, praise God, this is my son, the beloved one. I think God Christ is God's son. He's the beloved one. And I'm glad he's the only begotten. He was to be given for the world. And I'm glad that the Lord stood there alone. The representatives of the Old Testament and the covenant law had faded away. The bondage, darkness, the terror of the law were now gone. Christ now stood in the law's place, and the new covenant was soon to take effect, and the new covenant of light, the new covenant of love, the new covenant of liberty was now replacing the old covenant of darkness, fear, and bondage, and here we see Peter, James, and John's experience can be applied to every one of us in the future of a born-again Christian to his appearance before God in the great day of redemption. In fact, that this is just what is happening to Peter and James and John. They find themselves in God's presence. And here, the believer's experience when he meets Christ face-to-face undoubtedly. Oh, I tell you what an experience that we begin to experience the Shekinah glory of the full manifestation upon Christ. The believer, as we hear the voice proclaiming Christ to be the Son of the Living God, hallelujah of His redemptive work, and how that we rejoice that we've heard it and that it will be heard throughout all eternity, and that we fall upon our face, we prostrate before Him in adoration and awe and worship. Here we experience the Lord's intercessory work and the Lord's hand reaching out to touch and to lift each and every believer up and stand in the Lord's righteousness and perfection in a state of glory forever. How often God would grant a clearer intense of his presence that we would only get along with him for a little while to meditate and pray How much power would be present in our lives? How much power would be in our ministry if we just got along with God for long periods of time? The believer will witness and experience the Lord's preeminence throughout all eternity. And so, the message of God was, is and ever will be. This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased, hear ye him. And so we look and we begin to realize of the scriptures of how powerful that it is, amen, that that is exactly what they do, amen? They fall to the ground, terrified, and they're reassured by Jesus. But then we see the conversation coming down the mountain. The Lord is only sufficient to comfort the troubled heart. He touched them. I'm glad in verse 8. When the loving word of God touches the sorrowful or the terrified soul, it's enough. All else should fail, every comfortable feeling flee. I'm glad that Jesus is our gem. He's the light, the touch of the word that's sufficient to bound up every wound. And so in verse 9, here they're coming down the mountain. Before, they were on top of the mountain. But here they're coming down the mountain. And the Bible says in verse 9, 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. I'll tell you, here was that command, amen? The resurrection of the Lord is the foundation of the gospel and so here that glory must come after the gospel of the cross. If Christ be not risen, then our preaching is in vain. But Christ is risen and therefore tell out the vision of his glory. He's exalted to be the priest, the Savior, the Lord of Lords. He's the King of Kings. But he said in verse 10, and his disciples asked him, saying, why then say the scribes that Elias or Elijah must first come. Boy, I'm glad that when we look and begin to realize that they're confused. They want to know if Elijah will come before the return of the Messiah. And here that we look and we begin to realize that of all the things that the Lord wants to do in our life, amen, here he wants to give us some of the greatest blessings that we could ever receive, praise God, because God knows exactly what we need before we ask it. Amen. Here we see that confusion. He goes on in verse 11, and Jesus answered and said to them, Elias truly shall first come and restore all things. Amen. In verse 12, but I say unto you that Elias has come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the son of man suffer of thee. Amen. In verse 13, then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist. Amen. Here we see that clarification, and I'm glad that Here, Elijah will indeed come. Elijah has already come, and by this they understood that of John the Baptist. Amen. Every one of us, when we look and we begin to realize of what the Lord is doing in our life, though that we've seen Jesus' power and authority daily, This transformation of Jesus proved that Jesus was God's Son, the Messiah, the Deity, praise God. And so, every one of us, for whose benefit did the transfiguration occur? Was it for Jesus? Was it for Peter, James, and John? Or was it for us? The answer It is all of the above because Jesus needed the transfiguration experience as he prepared for the difficult road that he was facing. Peter, James, and John needed it too. They needed to get a glimpse of who Jesus really is. And here today, we need the truths this story teaches to help us live as faithful disciples even as we face adversity. We know for certain that we face adversity at some time in the coming future. No matter how good things are right now in your business or your career, there are going to be times ahead when you have to face difficult challenges. No matter how good your marriage might be at this moment, there are going to be times in the future when you face some off-road moments. There will be rough patches to endure. And no matter how great things are going for you spiritually right now, no matter how close to God you feel, there are going to be times in the future when His presence isn't quite so intuitive, when you feel, when you struggle with sin, and when you struggle with the will to obey. There are going to be times ahead when doing the right thing hurts, and it's a fact of life that we're all going to face times of adversity. And so, some of you can see it right on the horizon. For others, the threat may seem as clear. Either way, we all need to know how to prepare for it, just like soldiers go to boot camp to prepare themselves for combat. Athletes go to the spring training to prepare themselves for the season's competition. We need to learn to get away before things get too tough. and get God's perspective on the situation and get his instructions for our lives. And I'm glad from where you sit, maybe you can see the storm in the distance. Maybe the driving wind is already beginning to toss you around. It's time to prepare for the rough patch. It's time to prepare for the tough decision. Hey, the inner circle of Jesus, amen. These are the very simple principles that we follow. Praise God. Here is what we need to do. Remember, get along with God. Jesus went up on a high mountain just himself and his three closest disciples to spend time in the presence of God. And as Luke's gospel said, he went up on the mountain to pray. Praise God. I don't know about how you feel about this, but I'm going to tell you when you're facing adversity, every one of us, maybe self-consciously, subconsciously, you're thinking that God must be mad at me or he wouldn't put me through this trial. Or maybe I think I'm getting what I deserve. Or maybe in my arrogance, I think I can handle it on my own regardless. Listen, The first inclination at the sight of a storm is to pray less and not more. Needless to say, that's wrong. You need to get alone. You need to stay in the inner circle of Jesus. And by staying in the inner circle of Jesus, you need to get alone with God. Amen? Every one of us. Because the first defense in facing adversity is to get away from the grind of the daily life and get alone with God. And maybe you need to get alone for a week. Maybe you need to get alone for a weekend. Get alone for an afternoon. Maybe you need to get away. How long? Until you see what the disciples saw. A glimpse of the glory of God. The Bible says that they went up on the mountain. Praise God! And here the disciples got a glimpse of who Jesus really was. Maybe you need to get along and see a glimpse of what Jesus is really all about. Hallelujah. And the key prophets of the Old Testament of Moses and Elijah, that they came from far reaches of eternity into His presence to talk with Him. They got a glimpse of the glory of Jesus. I believe the transfiguration was done for Jesus' sake too, but I'm glad that they needed a glimpse of this. Hallelujah. You need to get in a glimpse of the presence of God and get a glimpse of the glory and prepare to face adversity and take time out of your schedule to get alone and get a glimpse of Him, praise God. Get a glimpse of His glory. Meditate on His presence and remember that He is with you no matter what storms may come your way. Remember that He said, praise God, that He'd never leave you nor forsake you. Surely I'm with you always to the very end of the age. Meditate on His power. as you're in doom with the hand that is strong, the right hand that is exhausted when you're feeling weak and helpless. Meditate on this purpose in your life. The adversary you face is not meaningless. Jesus didn't face the cross simply because events would get out of control. There was a reason for his suffering. There was a reason that you're going through suffering. God is doing a work in your life, a storm that you face that's necessary in this next chapter of your journey. And these things are things that will build your faith. I'm glad that every one of us, when you get along with God at the onset of a storm in your life, Get a glimpse of his glory meditate on his presence and his power and his purpose at work in your life praise God because then I'm glad when you get along with God the second thing that you have times through the Hardship of in that inner circle of Jesus listen Listen to God Open your heart to him. Pour it out before him. Tell him all of your woes. Tell him the point that you're going through right now. And when you stop talking and start listening so that you can get his perspective on your situation. When Peter got a glimpse of God's glory, he said, Lord, it's good for us to be here. If you wish, I'll put up three shelters, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. Luke's comment was, he says this about Peter. He did not know what he was saying. Peter, as was his custom, got a little bit ahead of God. He probably thought worshiping Jesus on this mountain is a lot more enjoyable than going to Jerusalem to watch him die. Let's just stay here forever. He had a point. Have you ever been on a retreat? Have you ever wanted to end? You just wish that it could just go on forever, never stop. I'm glad that's the thing. As close as we get to heaven on earth, but it can't last because we're not called to pursue a state of perpetual retreatedness. We're called to live in a day in day out grind of the real world and Peter's idea may have sounded good to him, but he didn't have God's perspective on the situation. So God got his attention and he said while he was still speaking, A bright cloud enveloped him. A voice from that cloud said, this is my beloved son, whom I love. With him I'm well pleased. You've got to listen to him. And so, every one of us, as we do that, don't be afraid when we face adversity. and we try to hide and overcome with fear. Jesus tells the disciples, and he tells us, get up. Don't be afraid. Have courage. What you're about to face may be tough, but you're not alone. I'm with you. Many times that we face the storm, God, get me out of this. And often, you know, we want to get out of it and hurry up and get through it. Get up. Don't be afraid. When you take time to listen to God, you have a chance to filter out and begin to listen to the gentle voice of encouragement. Don't be afraid, you can do this. Thirdly, I tell you, not only do, first you get along with God from the storms, listen to God, but thirdly, the next thing that you need, that you don't have to be afraid because you can stay in the inner circle with Jesus is wait on God. Because as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, don't tell anyone what you've seen until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead. Boy, I thank God. What I want you to notice is that Jesus reminds them that there's going to be a resurrection. It's true. I'm going to face adversity. It's true. I'm going to have to go to Jerusalem to be killed. It's true. But it's not the end of the story, Peter. James. Hey, John. It's not the end of the story. There's going to be a resurrection. Praise His holy name. I'm going to be raised from the dead. Wait until that time. Then you go around. Boy, I'm going to tell you, and you tell people that you are in the inner circle of Jesus. You go around and tell them, I'm raised from the dead. You're going to face adversity. The same is true. But the story doesn't end with a storm. The story doesn't end with defeat. It ends with victory in Jesus. You may face some trials. You may face some tribulations. But on the other side, of adversity is a resurrection with your name on it. In preparing for the adversity, we must ready ourselves to wait it out until victory comes. Wait on the Lord. Wait on God. Wait for the resurrection. And as I close out of the inner circle of Jesus, Listen, I'm not being no doomsday prophet when I say that adversity is just around the corner, especially in this day of pandemics and people that's in the White House that we don't realize that we voted for. Somehow or another, they got in there. However that happened, I don't know. I'm going to tell you, it's not going to change no matter who's in the White House because God's always in control. But it's a fact of life that the rain falls on the just and the unjust alike. But if we're prepared, it's a battle that we're sure to win. How do we prepare? Listen as I close out of the inner circle of Jesus. Get along with God until you get a glimpse of His glory, until you're confident of His presence, until you're confident of His power, until you're confident of His purpose in your life. Get along with God and listen to God until you get His perspective on what's happening to you, until you hear His encouraging words, get up, don't be afraid. Get along with God, listen to God, wait on God until the storm has passed. They're going to be a new day. They're going to be a new resurrection. Your family's done gone on. But in the transfiguration of Christ, we get a glimpse of Jesus Christ in his power and his glory. And that inner circle of Jesus, this same power is available to you no matter what kind of adversity you face. Father, thank you so much. Thank you for giving us everything that we need. and the time frame that we're in today, Father. You know exactly what we need before we ask. And now, Lord, I ask you, help us to realize that, Lord, that you are the King of kings and the Lord of lords. And Lord, as even these three disciples begin to share a glorious experience, maybe they didn't understand it. It was too incredible to grasp all about the resurrection. But help them, Lord, as you did with them, help us to grasp and to tell the magnificence of the resurrection as they had seen Elijah with Christ and Moses as well. Lord, may we announce that you are the Messiah and proclaim your message and tell everyone about the gospel story, just as John the Baptist was prophesied, to go and to tell and to preach the glorious message of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, that we pray, Lord, that you'd have your way and will, the inner circle of Jesus. of the coming of Christ, that we're his eyewitnesses. In majesty, in Jesus's mighty name, amen.