Video to come.
Morning Message Texts: 2 Corinthians 3: 12-4: 2
12 Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold.
13 We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away.
14 But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away.
15 Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts.
16 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
18 And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
1 Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart.
2 Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God.
Morning Message:
We come once again to Transfiguration Sunday. This has become for me one of the most difficult subjects to preach on. Not really to preach, but to prepare and plan. You see, this is one of those subjects that you don’t want to skip over, but how many ways can you find to preach about this amazing event? I always want to retell the story because it is so uplifting and important to our faith, and I never want to assume that everyone has heard it. If my math is correct, I have now preached on this subject twenty-two times. I do try to put a lot of thought and effort into my sermon preparation, always trying as I get older to not become one of those old preachers who say the same things repeatedly. I guess in my mind I think that someone in the congregation is going to say, “You preached that same sermon five years ago.” In reality, most people probably don’t remember what I preached last week. I lost an old friend a couple months ago; he was an Elder at my previous church. I could always count on Bob to tell me the same stories over and over again, but now I remember them so well, and I wish that I could hear Bob tell them again.
Jesus went up on that mountain and took witnesses with him. Peter, James, and John got to see one of the most magnificent sights ever seen with human eyes. What did they see? They saw Jesus talking with Moses and Elijah, and they saw Jesus transfigured. They saw him as he would be after his resurrection. Transfigure means to change in outward appearance, to change so as to glorify or exalt. This is a heavenly scene: Moses and Elijah, the great prophets of Israel’s history; Jesus, the Son of God, and at the end of this experience, the voice of God the Father saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.” So, I just did it again. I told you most of the story. I just can’t resist. I heard a story this week. (You will have to be in church or watch on TV to hear it).
I want to talk about the two definitions of transfigure. When we come to Jesus and accept him as our Lord and Savior we are transfigured. The glory and the permanence of the New Covenant is because of Jesus’ once-for-all sacrifice. Because nothing can replace or supersede His work, Christians can live with hope and be very bold when testifying! The change that takes place inside of us is for what purpose? So that we can glorify or exalt Jesus. Let’s talk for a minute church. When you came to Jesus you felt something change inside of you, didn’t you? Okay, that’s for you to think about, but if you felt that change, that Holy Spirit movement in your soul, why do you think you felt it? Was it just to make you feel good about yourself? That’s good, it should do that, but that is not the main reason you were changed. You were changed to glorify and exalt Jesus.
The Israelites were afraid to have direct contact with God. They felt, and maybe rightfully so, that they were unholy and could not hear from a Holy God without perishing. So Moses would go up on the mountain and receive instructions from God and bring them back to the people. The problem for the people was that when Moses came back down from the mountain his face glowed from being exposed to God’s glory. So, the solution was to put a veil over his face until the glow wore off. This was a very real fear, and there is some credence to it. Before Jesus died on the cross for the sins of mankind, we were dead in our sins and unable to approach a Holy God. But now there is no need for a veil, no need for the godliness that has been placed inside of us to be hidden. On the contrary, it is necessary for people to see God shining through us.
That brings us to the other definition of transfigure. To change in outward appearance. Every day a war rages within us — the Spirit verses the flesh; the new man verses the old. The primary role of the Holy Spirit is to reproduce the life of Christ within his followers. We are to be transformed into His image. It is not our work but His. That doesn’t mean that we can just set back and say to ourselves, “Oh well, it doesn’t feel like God wants me to move and do anything for him today.” You can’t make your outward appearance change, but we also shouldn’t try to hide who we really are. We go about our lives living out our faith like secret agents. The Holy Spirit inside of you wants to shine, but many times we are afraid that the glow of God streaming from us might offend someone. Someone might actually tell others that we must be a Christian. We could lose friends; we might not get invited to certain functions. Better to cover our faces and only talk about Jesus where it is safe. I love Jesus, but don’t tell anyone. I am a secret agent for my Savior.
Transfiguration is a reminder of what you were created to be. God created us perfect, without sin, but with free-will. God walked with Adam and Eve in the cool of the evening. They were naked, but they had no idea what that even was because their minds had not been polluted by sin. No need for coverings, no need to fear a loving God, no veil to hide the glory of God that radiated from their sinless faces. Jesus came to restore us to that place of holiness and glory. Our faith, our salvation, the mercy that God has shown us, is not supposed to be a secret. If Jesus is your Savior, you are a new creation, and you have been transformed back into the glorious creature that you were created to be.
In Christ’s Love and Peace,
Pastor Bob
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