Matthew 2024

Matthew chapter 17, starting at verse 1.

After 6 days, Jesus took with him Peter James and John, the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There, he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun and his clothes became as white as the light. Just then, there appeared before them Moses and Elijah talking with Jesus. Peter said to Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here.

If you wish, I will put up 3 shelters, 1 for you, 1 for Moses, and 1 for Elijah. While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, this is my son whom I love. With him, I am well pleased. Listen to him. When the disciples heard this, they fell face down to the ground terrified, but Jesus came and touched them.

Get up, he said. Don't be afraid. When they looked up, they saw no 1 accept Jesus. As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them. Don't tell anyone what you have seen until the son of man has been raised from the dead.

The disciples asked him, why then did the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first? Jesus replied, to be sure, Elijah comes and will restore all things. But I tell you, Elijah has already come and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they wished. In the same way, the son of man is going to suffer at their hands. Then the disciples understood that he was talking to them about John the Baptist.

Thanks, Emma. Good evening. Is anyone there? Good. Yeah.

Brilliant. Just before we begin, I thought it would it would be helpful to share with you. I mean, we we did pray for for it this morning, but for those who who aren't aware, our 1 of our sisters Ruth Duvein, is in hospital at the moment. She she had a stroke on Wednesday, like, Wednesday, I wasn't an annex. And so, she's been pretty unwell.

She's been on the mend, but we're not sure the, complete, what's you know, why can't I speak today? Prognosis? Thank you. We're not sure what the implications are long term. So it would be really good to remember Ruth in in your prayers, this this week and and in the coming weeks and for Steve and for Alex as well.

We wanna we wanna be there for for that family. So let's let's pray for them, as we begin, let's pray for our time in in god's word. Let's pray. Father. We thank you.

That we can come to you with our our prayers and our petitions. And we thank you, that we can pray for our family members, and we do commit to you now Ruth in particular. We pray, that you will draw closer in this time of of of confusion probably, but why this has happened, in in sort of weakness and in sort of ailments, and we pray father that you'll help her to know, your love and your comfort right now. We pray father for, the doctors, and, for those who are who are treating her, that they will find answers quickly, and they will be able to have the skills and, have the correct prognosis to to help Ruth We pray father for Steve as well, and we thank you for him, and we pray that you will help him and draw close to him too, and for Alex, and that they will know your comfort that we as your, your family and their family that we will draw close to them, that we will support them where we can, that will keep them in our prayers. And so we do commit, the deveins to you now.

And we thank you now, that we can come, and we can look at your words. We thank you so much for the lord Jesus Christ in all that he is. And we pray that tonight, you will give us such a vision of Christ, that we will want to listen to him and that we want to follow him with the rest of our days. We pray these things now in his name, our men. Well, I think you'll all agree, that we are a people that love to experience things, don't we?

We love experience. We love to have our our senses filled. We love to hear things or to see things or to smell things or to enjoy people. That that's I think that's true of everybody. In fact, the older you get, you know, that's that's usually what you want for like Christmas and birthdays, isn't it?

You don't want socks anymore. Yeah. You want you want an experience. Give me a give me a gig. Give me a fear to production.

Give me all sorts of experiences what we want. People love experience. I mean, I I I was watching last week on telly, 2 2 things that people wanted to experience. 1 show, which, I can imagine was people I I would quite like and 1 that I watched the whole of and thought it was terrible. Yeah?

I'd see if you can guess which 1 millions tuned in on Saturday last week. What do they tune into? Dave, very happy because he knows 1 of them, being a crystal palace fan. Millions tuned into the FA Cup final, and they won finally something. It's now worth supporting them today.

Well done. But millions wanna be part of this sort of huge crowd at Wembly and all the the the sights and the smells that they walk up there and and enjoy being part of a of a fan base that sings songs together and I've taken up, but hopefully, that their their team wins. They they wanna experience that, don't they? The other the other TV show that millions tuned in. Did anyone know the answer?

You're a vision. I'm with you. Vena, put your hand down. It's a load of nonsense. Drew, Drew, she's like, let's watch your revision, and and she was looking at my face of absolute despair and disgust at this program.

But why the millions tune in? I I'm well, I'm still trying to work out why millions tune in. But I think it's because they want experience. They wanna hear good music. I'm not so sure that I'd much rather listen to our church band if I'm honest.

And it but millions want the experience of of being part of a huge crowd and enjoying these songs and enjoying some very questionable outfits. We love experience. Another way that people love experiences is through mountains. That's what we get in our passage today, don't they? They love the the anticipate I mean, there's lots of reasons why people climb mountains.

It might be that they're doing a challenge for charities, as I did once, 3 peaks, did it in 25 hours an hour, too long. I was gutted. But there's other reasons people love to go off, and they they're anticipating a a beautiful sight. And they get to the top, and they have their their senses filled as they hear things and see, great views, or if your Jerusalem is sort of closing your eyes because you've got vertigo. Or or if you get up to the top of snowden, you're hoping for a great view, great experience, and usually what happens at the top of snowden is that it's cloudy.

You see nothing. It's rather disappointing. But the the the the point of the experience is there's this anticipation and then there's glory as a as you get a beautiful view, hopefully. And that's what we get in this story as we go up this mountain. We get anticipation, and we get glory.

We should feel the anticipation. From the get go. It starts in in verse 1 after 6 days, which connects it to the previous passage that Tom Smith preached to us last week. And the the the last words that would be ringing in the disciples is, is in verse 28. It says truly I tell you Some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the son of man coming in his kingdom.

Now there's lots of, explanations for what this means, but I think what it's saying is that some of you here Before your time is up, you will see something of my kingdom, something of my kingship, something of my majesty. And so that's ringing in our ears at the end of of chapter 6. And then we get that that sentence itself after 6 days. Now that should be starting to get us going. We should start to anticipate.

Well, so at the end of 6 days, you have the seventh day. So so we're usually thinking, oh, at the end of 6 days, something happens. So god, create Sabbath rest on the seventh day, or Moses himself, who we'll see in a minute, at the top of a mountain, when he was receiving the covenant between god and his people, was in this in the cloud for 6 days, and then a voice tells him to come. So we should be anticipating something here something special is about to happen. And the other thing that should give us anticipation is we're on a mountain.

And mountains are special places in the Bible. We did a en route it actually. We did a whole series just on mountains because our mountains, incredible things happen. And so when you're going up this mountain, you should be expecting anticipating something special is about to happen. And so the first thing that I would like you to see with me is to look at the majesty.

Look at the majesty. Grewed with me again verse 2 to 4. Well, 1 to 4. Sorry. After 6 days, Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John, the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.

There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. Just then appeared before hit them. Moses and Elijah talking with Jesus. Peter said to Jesus Lord.

It is good for us to be here if you wish. I will put up 3 shelters, 1 for you, 1 for Moses, and 1 for Elijah. So here you go, that they've journeyed up this mountain. Jesus has got these 3 disciples Peter, James, and John, they're plodding up, they're plodding up. They finally get to the top of the mountain, and you may be the the disciples may be thinking, we're at the top of a mountain here.

Dodd usually does some pretty amazing things on mountains. And sure enough, they turn around, and they look at Jesus. And suddenly, he's transfigured. But the word transfigured is is is metamorphosis. In other words, he sort of transforms you know, you're you've heard that word metamorph, you know, in in school when you learn about caterpillars.

Yeah. We all remember the caterpillar lesson, don't we? It was a great lesson, and the caterpillar changes into a butterfly. Which, yeah, and Jesus, but it doesn't change, like, species. No.

It's it's more like he's he's taking back a mask. He he's he's he's he's just drawn back a mask, and he's revealed who he really is. You know, you know, those shows that used to be on TV, like secret millionaire. And, there was he would be walking around like an an ordinary bloke. And suddenly, he he would give someone a million pound or undercover boss.

Where an a a a and bloke who who's who runs a company would go undercover and pretend to be a an employee just to see if his, if his if his workers were doing the right thing. Or there's, 1 of my favorite things is when, like, sports stars, they they disguise themselves. So Cristiana Ronaldo did this, he he dressed up as a hoe look at Isaac's a man you fan. He's very happy because they beat aston villa today. But and he's he's a last and middle of fan, so we can all laugh at him.

Sorry. So there he is. He's he he puts on this beard. He dresses up as a homeless person, and then he pays football with kids. And these kids are like, whoa, who's this guy?

And he takes back the beard. And it's Christiana and Arnold, though. Well, taking away the mask. And look at him. His face do you see his face?

It's it's it's shining like the sun? It's it's dazzling bright. It's blinding. You know, we, what, we were watching that terrible show your revision, hate to go back to it, and they have these strobe light, and we all have to be careful not strobe light in. Well, this would make strobe lighting look like a flickering dying candle.

He's so bright. And his and his look at his clothes. His his clothes became as white as the light. Now you may be looking at me, Gim, and he's got a fresh t shirt. He probably wore that t shirt for this sermon.

It is white, isn't it? It's new. But this is nothing compared to the the whiteness of of Jesus' clothes. And here is the curtain drawn back. You know, you remember when you were when you're in a dark room and the and the curtains are drawn, and then there's just cracks of light.

Now and then you get a little crack of light. That's like Jesus has been doing that in his ministry. He's just been showing little cracks of light. An amazing sermon here, the calming of the storm here, just revealing little bits about his identity cracks. But here, Did did you ever have that thing where, like, an annoying brother or parent?

And I'm a heavy sleeper. So this really wound me up. You know, you become like a vampire or a death seeker because they come in, and they're, like, really happy about it in the morning. Just go away. And they take the curtains.

They they do that. Hey, morning. I knew, like, I hate you. Anyway, but and you're blinded by the light. Like, oh, That's what's going on here.

And Jesus has been glimpsing of his identity, but now his true identity is on show here. This is this is no longer just the man. This is the man who's now drawn back the veil to show that he is the god man, he is very, in very nature god. See, they understood that Jesus was the Messiah in chapter 6 verse 16. They understood that he was the chosen 1 who would come.

But now they see that Jesus is god in human form. There's light everywhere. When you see light, In the Bible, it's about god. It's god revealing himself. He's perfect in purity, and he reveals things.

And it it the the Psalmah says he wraps himself in lights. This is god here. God on a mountain with the disciples. And then in verse 3, Moses and elijah turn up. What's going on here?

And I all and I've said this before, How did they know it was Moses and Elijah? Did Jesus just shout? Hello, Moses? Hello, Elijah? Or did they have lanyards on?

Like we were wearing the other day in authentic training? I'm Moses. I'm Elijah. Now how they know, I I don't know. But why are they there?

Well, I think there's a few reasons why Moe's been allowed to turn up. 1 thing is, is that they both had mountain experiences. You might might remember on on Mount, I think Horb Elijah's there. He's running away from Jezebel, and he's feeling pretty down about himself. And god comes to him on Mount Horb.

And then and then Moses on on Sinai, receives the law. They both they both fasted actually for 40 days and 40 nights. Jesus fasted for 40 days and 40 nights. And I think the significance of Moses and Elijah is that Moses represents the whole of the law And Elijah represents the prophets in the Old Testament. And so together, the law and the prophets, the whole of the Old Testament represented on a mounted, and they point to Jesus.

They're saying, we are here The old testament is here to say that Jesus is the 1 that we were all looking forward to. I mean, Moses himself is told in deuteronomy that there are pro that prophet will come that they need to listen to, which is interesting when we think about this passage. Right? Now there is a difference between Moses and Jesus though. So you might remember, Moses's mountainside experience of god.

You remember he asked to see the glory of god, and because god's glory is so perfect and pure and holy. He can't see all of god's glory. He must be put into the crevice of a of a mountain and god he can only see the back of his glory. And then when he walks down the mountain, his face is beaming with light. It's reflecting what he's just seen.

Now some of you may go on holiday and you go to a hot country and you come back. And your your your beam, you're glowing. Some of us burn. But some but Moses is coming down. He's seeing the glory of god, and he's beaming out.

But Jesus isn't just reflecting. Jesus face is the very light of god. It's the source of glory and majesty. And so here, Moses and elijah, they've come to talk with Jesus. They're having a chat with Jesus.

And and I think we would all be sort of like, what do we do here? Like, you're the disciples. You're thinking, I don't know what to what should we say? What should we say? And, of course, our best friend, Peter is the man to step up and make a fool of himself as he always does.

Look at in verse 4. He's you can hear him blustering, can't you? Lord, it's good for us to, to be here. If you wish, I'll I'll put up 3 shelters, 1 for you, 1 for Moses, 1 for for, Elijah. And you think, well, he's had 6 days of not putting his foot in it, and he's gonna put his foot in it again.

I mean, it starts good, doesn't it? He's like, yeah. It's good to be here. It is good to be here. But his problem is he's saying, Jesus, Let's stay here forever.

We could stay here forever. And, we could do we could set up some tents, for you for you 3, and we'll just have, like, a a a table ex a a a a tent experience, tent tours with Moses, Jesus, and Elijah, 3 legends. Come and have a look. Now interestingly, the word tent is the same word. It's actually the word tabernacle.

And said Tabernacle in the old testament is the thing that you met god in. And he's saying we should stay up here. Surely, the presence of god will be with us up here, and we'll stay here forever. The problem is he's still getting it wrong. He's still getting it wrong.

He's already told Peter in chapter 6 that he's gotta go and suffer. And so Peter really is is sort of getting in the way of that again. Peter thinks that these 2 blokes are on a level. They're on par with Jesus. And it's that's not it.

Jesus is the only 1 that you should be looking at. That's the point of this. It's not most an elijah beaming full of light showing that the the that they're god. It's Jesus that he's showing that he's god. And so he's the 1 to look at Cornerstone.

And so here's a question. What are you looking at? What are you looking at? What are you using your eyes to look at? There's so many things that that want your attention and want your eyes upon them in this world.

There's so many little trinkets and shiny things and and and and and people to look at. And we can consume ourselves with these things when then when actually the the thing that you need to look at is Jesus. He's so glorious. We're we're we're gonna sing a song afterwards. It's turn your eyes upon Jesus.

Look full in his wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace. If you put up the things that you're looking at and compare them to Jesus, they're just dull. He is glorious. He is gorgeous. He is stunning.

That's a vision that you wanna see at the top of a mountain. So look at the majesty. But secondly, listen to the son who god loves So there you have Peter Waffling. He's waffling on getting it wrong again. And then you can have this bright cloud suddenly appear in in verse 5, and it covers them in the words envelops them.

It it it it sort of overshadows that you can sort of feel the weight of this I I always feel that you can feel the you know, if you've been in a in a deep fog or something and it sort of presses upon your chest. This is a weighty cloud that's around them. And then once that cloud's over, then you'll notice that a a voice from the cloud comes. And so we have the presence of god again. The father has turned up the the the cloud is the shekinah glory or the shekinah glory.

Never know how to say it. Someone will direct me at the end. This is the very presence of god has come. The father has come onto this mountain. You know, when I'm often snowed in, And the clouds there, it ruins the experience.

But when god comes in a cloud, it enhances the experience. And this voice booms out. And what is it that the voice says? It says, this is my son, whom I love. With him, I am well pleased, listen to him.

What does the voice say? It says, my boy. I love that. My boy. It's a proud father that sees his son or his daughter.

He says, my love I delight in you. And beams when they they they light up ear to ear smile. My boy, And he is so pleased with him. He's so pleased with his boy. The son has made the father proud.

He's done the right thing. Pleased is that the father has accepted the son. He affirms the son. I think often we think this is just for us. That voice.

But actually, I think this is for Jesus as well. This is a an encouragement for the lord Jesus who is gonna go to a cross. And the father comes onto this mountain and says, I approve of you. For eternity, I have loved you. And for the last 30 years or so, I am pleased with how you have lived.

I'm well pleased with you. And so what is the command to the disciples? Listen to him. See, it's not about talking. It's not about working out what you have to say or working out what you have to do.

Peter, it's not about building shelters. It's not about you using your voice at this point. And brothers and sisters, you may think what do I have to do in the Christian walk? Well, primarily, it's not what you have to do, and it's not what you have to say, and what you have to work out, you have to say. Primarily, is that you must listen to the lord Jesus Christ, but he is the only 1 worth listening to.

And so are you listening Are you listening? There's all sorts of messages in this world. Constant preaching to you, adverts, newspaper, TV, songs, messages bombarding you and bombarding you and telling you to live for all sorts of things and telling you to listen to them. And it's all all enhanced at our age, isn't it? By the phone?

What a terrible invention that was? There you have those there you have people, and we've all we're all guilty of this, I'm sure, if you've got a mobile phone, and you get involved in doom scrolling. Does anyone know when you're doom scrolling? And there you are. Just looking and and listening and taking in all these messages.

You're taking them in, you're scrolling, the scrolling, scrolling, you're not listening to the 1 who needs to be listening to it. Are you not looking at the 1 who should be looked at? Or maybe you just listen to your own voice. I'll decide what message I listen to, and I'll decide what the message is. Are you listening to the son who god loves and affirms.

Now you'll notice in verse 6, when they hear that voice, they fall face down. It's this is what happens when you get an encounter with god in the in in the Bible. Might remember when we looked at ezekiel. When he came for when he came to see the glory of guards, he was prostrate. When when when when Daniel got a vision of god, he was down on his face as if dead.

When John sees him in Revelation 1, which I think is the same sort of vision that we're getting here, he falls down as if dead. And so the disciples, they've they've seen this vision of Jesus. They've seen this cloud come down and say the the pronouncement of affirmation towards the sun, and it floors them as if dead, but why aren't they dead? Why aren't they dead? Surely, they should be dead.

If you know your Bible, When you encounter and you come face to face with the living god, you should be obliterated. You we know that the only 1 person, 1 man, was allowed to go into the the glory of god, and 1 day, The most high priest would have to go into the most holy place 1 time, but this is 3 ornery blokes, they're fishermen. And they come into contact with the presence of a holy god, and they're not dead. Why? Well, they're with Jesus.

That's why. They're with Jesus. The 1 who came in human flesh. Who dwelt with his people in John 1, the word being tabernacled with them. He came so that we can be in the presence of guards.

And so this is not a vision to terrify them. This is a vision to encourage them. And so I love how Jesus then responds in verse 7. Look at it with me again. But Jesus came and he touched them.

Guess up, he said. Don't be afraid. Just in revelation when he says to John, don't be afraid. Don't you love that in tenderness and compassion He's just showing that he is the god of the universe, and he draws close to them, and he touches them, and he speaks a word. Don't be afraid.

I I I love the picture because you can see them. They're sort of cowering with their their hands over their face, their arms over their head, and as they peek out, you know, just peek out. And what do they see as they lift their eyes up? Only Jesus. Only Jesus now.

Moses and Elijah are gone, paled into insignificance in a sense. It's only Jesus. He's the only 1 to look at. He's the only 1 to listen to. And once you've looked and once you've listened, then thirdly, follow the son of man to a cross and to glory.

So here they go. They leave this, this mountain verse 9. As they're coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, don't tell anyone what you have seen. Whenever I see though, I'm sure you're you're similar to me. When have you see those sort of verses?

You always think, why? You know, it was, like, last time, you know, in in chapter 6, you're the Messiah. Yes. Now don't tell anyone. Why?

Please. And why can't I tell anybody? You're the 1 that we've been waiting for, and you tell me I can't. And then they've gone, they've gone to the mountain. They've seen that he's god.

Don't tell anyone. Why? Because they're not ready yet. You may have noticed It's not don't tell anybody ever. He says, don't tell anyone until the son of man has been raised from the dead.

I love the detail. I think it's in Mark, where where they then discuss together. They're like, What does he mean being raised from the dead? And I think you think, Lads, what else could it mean, but being raised from the dead anyway? But they don't ask that question to Jesus.

They then go on into verse 10. They say, why then did the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first, which feels to me like a bit of a left field question. But I think what the what they're saying here is is that, oh, you are the Messiah, you are god. You're coming to bring your kingdom. It's about to be on its way, but surely The the we're meant to see Elijah first.

And we've just seen Elijah then. So what's going on here? But you seem to come first. And and the the they're referring to a prophecy of Malachi chapter 4 and verse 5. You can look at it later if you would like, but they're saying, what's going on here?

And so Jesus responds to them in verse 11 to 12. He says, to be sure, it was great that Emma read that being Irish. I never knew he was Irish, but there you go. To be sure, Elijah comes and will restore all things. But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but I've done to him everything they wished.

So Jesus says you're correct. Elijah does come first. He does restore things. In fact, he did come. That's who John the Baptist was, what what John John the Baptist was doing.

He was preparing the hearts of men and women so that they may receive the kingdom of god, the lord Jesus Christ himself. But we know that John the Baptist did suffer. He was arrested. He was beheaded on the orders of of of herod. And so just like all the other prophets that have gone before him, He suffered and he died.

And they're the that's when they realized verse 13 that that was John the Baptist. But Jesus says something else, doesn't he? Second part of verse 12. In the same way, The son of man is going to suffer at their hands. See, just as my prophets before me suffered, I too must suffer.

Just as John the Baptist was killed for being the prophet of guards, IT will be killed, but his death is totally unique. But he will rise. He will rise. He will rise to eternal glory. And so you must follow him.

They must follow him. And that's what he was saying in chapter 16 verse 24, whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves, take up their cross and follow me. So follow him. And so I I think what and I think what's going on here is Jesus has given them a little picture of what he's already put into action 30 odd years ago. This is what the incarnation is.

They've just seen who god who Jesus is truly, that he is god that he is the 1 who deserves all adoration and all praise, and all our devotion. Here's the very darling of heaven. Here's the 1 that has always existed who sustains this world. He is the 1 who deserves the highest position. That's what he's shown on top of this mountain.

Yet he has come to be a man. And he's come to be a man to die on a cross. And so you can see them as they traips down that mountain, maybe in silence after this question. Footstep, after footstep, after footstep, they follow Jesus. And they follow him to another mountain.

And they follow him to the Mount, go Gotha, the place of the school. And there, they see the darling of heaven hang on a cross. On a cross. They see the 1 who the father said, my boy, now cry out a cry of dereliction. The glorious 1, who wanted deserves all praise abandoned by his father.

And that's what Philipp talks about. Jesus, who being in very nature god, did not consider a quality with god something to be used to his own advantage. Rather he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant. Being made in human likeness and being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. And that's what they've just seen, isn't it?

But he will rise. See, the way up has to go down first. We talked about it a few weeks ago in ezekiel. This is the cross This is the the night tick. You go down.

He goes down to the grave, yet he rises and is risen to the the place that is higher than it ever was. It goes on. God exalts him to the highest place and gives him the name that is above every name that at the name of Jesus, every niche of bow, in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is lord, to the glory of God, the father. Jesus rises from dead. And he goes to a higher position, and we were talking about this enrouted today.

He goes to a higher position than he even had before. He was once It's so hard to say. You say he was just the son of god. What if we say says that is. But now he's the the god man who deserves all our praise and honor.

And it threw the cross. Through the cross as he hangs there, he enacts the process of church building that we started last time. He allows you like Peter, James and John on that mountain to have access to the father. That you don't can go into the presence of a Holy God finally and not be obliterated, but actually with the the same voice that that God the father pronounces on Jesus, that this is my son, whom I love. He will say that about you.

Wow. This is my daughter whom I love because of what Jesus did on a cross. And so the beam, the smile, the my boy, that is given to Jesus is afforded to you if you will just trust in him. And so you've looked at him. You've listened to him.

Now follow him. See, it's not better that they stay on that mountain, Peter. You must go and follow him all the way to a cross. It's quite a significant moment for the disciples, isn't it? John and his gospel in John 1, 14.

He says we have seen him, and he is full of glory and of grace. This was massive for them. And then Peter in 2 Peter, you might wanna turn to it. It's a massive moment for Peter in 2 Peter chapter 1 verse 16 to 18. At the end of the Bible says this.

For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our lord, Jesus Christ in power. But we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. He received honor and glory from god the father when the voice came to him from the majestic glory saying, this is my son whom I love. With him, I am well pleased. We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.

This this moment is so significant. This vision that they get on the mountain, and then follow him to a cross so grips their hearts. This voice so grips them that for the rest of their days, they will take up their cross and they will follow the lord Jesus Christ. This is the voice that they're now gonna seek to obey. And they will follow, and they will follow, and they will follow all the way to their death.

And if tradition is to be, believed, Peter himself goes all the way and is crucified upside down for his savior, but he will rise. He will rise and he he realized that the glory was worth it. You know, you it was it was very powerful, wasn't it to hear about Somalia? So powerful. And thank you, Laura, for for giving that.

My heart broke. What is it that they need? What is it that those brothers and sisters need to keep going? They need a vision of Christ like this. They need to see that he is glorious.

But the glorious 1 suffered for them to give them everlasting glory. Forever and ever and ever. That should be our prayer for Somalia that should be our prayer for ourselves. So what about you? See, you've looked tonight.

I hope you've seen the lord Jesus Christ in all his glory. You've looked at him. You've listened to him. The question is, will you now follow him? Will you follow him?

Follow him all the way to a cross. Die to yourself and be raised to eternal glory with him. And Christian it's really simple, isn't it? Been a Christian in 1 sense? Keep looking.

Keep gazing at him. Don't be tempted to put your eyes on other things in this world. They're no they're not even comparable. Keep listening to his voice. There's competing voices all around you.

But don't listen to them. Don't let them drown out the voice of our our savior and keep following. Let him be our vision. That's what we're gonna sing in a moment. Be thou my vision.

Let's pray. Father we thank you for your word. We thank you for how you show us in scriptures, the lord Jesus Christ. And despite the efforts of, a weak man, we thank you that through your spirit you have shown us, the glory of the lord Jesus Christ. We thank you that he is the 1 who was in very nature god.

We thank you that he gave this vision to the disciples to show his true identity. And we're blown away by the fact that that 1, the king of heaven himself that we sang about at the start of the service, is the 1 who would go to the cross and be abandoned by you. But we're thinking that the story doesn't end there, that Christ rose again to eternal glory. And for us that trust in him, we pray that you will help us to keep on looking at him for he is the only 1 worth looking at. And that we will listen to him alone for he is the only 1 that's worth listening to, and we will follow him for he is the only 1 worth following.

And so we pray these things in Jesus' name, amen.