Listen to God's Beloved Son

And therefore, we become unnecessarily disappointed. For example, Jesus promises joy, but that joy is preceded by the call to keep his commandments. If we love him, we will keep his commandments and we will have full joy. What a wonderful clarity he gives us on expectations. Preceding Matthew 17, which is where we are this morning in our study of Matthew, he's already told the disciples he must go to Jerusalem. He must suffer. He must die because God promised salvation. And he'll be risen again. He'll be raised. Predetermined pattern of God. This is what it required of God to keep his promises of old. That pattern is clear throughout scripture after the fall. Suffering precedes glory.

We also saw Jesus define discipleship.

Deny yourself, carry your cross, follow me.

What wonderfully clear expectations he gives us. And there in the middle, it is, carry your cross. That implies the Christian suffering, the persecution. I believe our text this morning, this transfiguration, or really a better translation would be transformation. That is the word there.

This appearing change in the glory of Christ. is there to make sure we have confidence, and especially these disciples have confidence, that the glory that he promised to come is sure, is real, is true, so that they persevere through the suffering. We will only be faithful and obedient inasmuch as we are assured the promise of his goodness and his glory It's true. We will only be storing up treasures in heaven in as much as we believe His promise that that is better and true. This morning, a simple summary of our message. Listen to the Son of God so that you might behold His glory. Listen to the Son of God so that you might behold his glory. I wanna do a bit of an overview of the text before we get into the outline or the points.

Anytime you see the disciples or God meeting on a mountain, especially a high mountain, buckle up, get ready. God's about to do something. God's about to say something. Something great is about to happen and we're not disappointed at all. We're left in awe and wonder This transformation, the transfiguration, his face shone like the sun. His clothes become white as light. There's a perfection, a beauty, a purity. Jesus is seen differently. He's seen as he is. Then they saw Moses and Elijah with him. And they're talking. Here they represent the law and the prophets. And then we have the first response of the disciples.

Peter speaks up. It's good to be here. Great observation, Peter, as always. And as he's saying, let's build three tents. A bright cloud that regularly represents God's glorious presence with his people. From Exodus to Daniel 7, a voice. declares,

this is my beloved son with whom I'm well pleased.

It's the second time many of them heard this voice.

It happened at Jesus' baptism. They heard a voice and they fell down in fear. And then Jesus touches them, says, fear not. And they see him and him only. The text is incredible as to what God says and shows that we hear and they saw. This morning, we're going to first consider Jesus is the son of God. Jesus is the son of God. We must see who he is first. Second, we're going to hear that command that that is unique to this passage over against baptism.

This is my beloved son with whom I'm well pleased. Listen to him.

And then our last point, behold the Son.

Jesus is the Son of God

Jesus is the Son, listen to the Son, see or behold the Son. First, Jesus is the Son of God. If you were with us a few weeks ago and Jesus asked the disciples, who do they say that I am? The prophet, John the Baptist, Elijah, who do you say that I am? The Son of the living God, the Father revealed this to you. This is the significant name of the second person of the Trinity.

He is the son of God. This is the most true identity we know of. He is the son from all eternity. The son of God is the same nature as God. The son is a relational term for us to know who he is in relation to the father. Every human by nature is made in the image of God.

That's our nature. But father, son, those are relational terms. A man becomes a father when he has a son. So we see here the one God who is perfect and glorious in his nature, there's two relationships in that God. We call this the beginning of the doctrine of the Trinity. The father has revealed his son. You, you, you become a father on earth. The divine father and the divine son have always been father and son. This is who they are for all eternity. The divine father speaks out in this bright cloud.

It's, it's not a dark cloud. It's a bright cloud. It's revealing. There's a glory to it. The voice of God gives a unique affirmation and identity. As Jesus is transfigured in his glory, his face shines like the sun, his clothes are bright. Then God reminds him, reveals again, this is my son. You see what? Jesus is glorious by nature.

He humbled himself when he condescended into the womb of Mary. He set aside his glory, he stopped appearing as glorious, he took on a lower human nature. He now is appearing as he is in his glory. You see, he set aside his glory to become like us in our lower nature so that he could then bring us back up into his glory.

This is a kind of a preview of the resurrected state, a preview of who we will be in his resurrection. He's still visible as a man, there's clothed in white robes, but we see a glory of God. I believe this is a temporary revelation for his disciples, preparing them for what is about to take place with his suffering, death, and then resurrection. because they're going to then tell of this after the resurrection.

He is the son. The other way we think about the son here is Moses and Elijah are with him. This represents the law and the prophets. Moses is the first great prophet. Elijah, we see there in verse 11 and 13 that John the Baptist really is the Elijah figure who comes to point to Jesus, the first prophet, the last prophet. Our God speaks, and he has been speaking. The prophets here, well, they're communing with Jesus.

Now, if we just think about this for a moment. On earth, they're seeing Jesus appear in glory, and then all of a sudden, Elijah and Moses come down from heaven and are communing with God. This challenges everything I think I know about our time-space continuum in heaven. It's a wonderful text that leaves us with more questions than answers. Jesus is the son of God. These prophets represent how they're pointing to Jesus. And as Peter says, let's build tents. Let's keep the glory here. He's corrected. No, this is my son. There's only one son. And then they see him alone. We conclude here, Jesus is the son of God. This is a necessary confession of the gospel. We come to faith usually based upon what Jesus did.

He died on the cross for our sins in our place, and he rose again. But he's unable to do that unless he is the son of God, our creator, our sustainer. The God who created us came to save us. Only the God who has the power to speak what is into existence is the same God who came to speak new life for us and to provide it in his son who became like us. The significance of the sonship, he not only changes our nature by taking our nature on himself and transforming us, he restores us in our relationship with God. We're no longer distant from God, but we're actually called sons of God as well.

Listen to the Son

We're adopted and brought into a nearer relationship because he is the son. So God declares,

this is my son, my beloved son with whom I'm well pleased.

Now let's look at that command, listen to him. Listen to the son. Important declaration that I think we take for granted. Our God speaks. He is not silent.

The sun is his perfect revelation. The text gets us into all kinds of fun details. Again, they go up to a high mountain. There's this kind of constant play on with this transfiguration mountain and Mount Sinai. Moses is there. There's glory involved. Remember, Moses has this very unique relationship with God. He gets to speak to him as if a friend.

He gets called up to the mountain, and the glory of God shines on him in such a way that when he comes down the mountain, his face is still reflecting the glory of God in a way that terrifies other people. And they say, put a veil on your face. Sinai was a place of great fear. And as we heard Stephen teach Wednesday night, While God is giving his commandments for how to worship him, they're building a golden calf breaking at least the first three.

And so the end result of that communication is God revealing his name as merciful, full of grace, abounding in steadfast love. Sinai represents the law. Moses and Elijah represent the law and the prophets. Moses, the first great prophet, was promised another prophet will come after you. He will speak his word. Moses and Elijah both point to Jesus. You see, the law shows you your need for a savior. Jesus has come to be that savior. Moses taught that we need sacrificial lambs to pass over for God's judgment to pass over us. Jesus is the lamb who takes away the sins of the world.

The prophets all pointed to Jesus. They're all pointing forward to him. The righteous king will come and Matthew's gospel opens.

This is the beginning of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

Peter responds to this vision of Jesus being with the prophets, the prophets being the mouthpiece of God who spoke what God said to them, and Jesus is going to be a better revelation.

But Peter, again, remember what we mentioned last week. The disciples seem to always be confused that there's only one coming of Christ, not two. They seem to not understand there's a coming to suffer and die and rise, and a second coming for the final judgment. And so I believe what Peter's doing is wrong. God corrects him, he interrupts it, he stops it. This building three tent says let's keep this here, let's begin the kingdom with the prophets and Jesus and the glory, let's try to contain the glory and bring it down and keep it. He doesn't quite yet understand the gospel of suffering that precedes glory. Peter wants his glorious kingdom now with these tents and God the Father interrupts him.

It's very important, what he sees next is simply Jesus. They only saw Jesus, verse eight.

They saw no one but Jesus only.

There's a way in which it's stated twice to make sure we understand. Christian, all the scripture points to Jesus. The law and the prophets are foretelling who he will be. The New Testament is pointing back to who Jesus is and then how he's gonna come again. Our God speaks. He's always been speaking. He continues to speak. His Holy Spirit is helping us understand his words that he's given to the church. There's something unique about the sermon you're standing next to Moses and Elijah. The prophets could merely reverberate what they heard. They received it and then just echoed it. That's different than Jesus.

He's God, the Word. He is the revelation of God. He is the perfect voice of God. He is the very Word of God by which God spoke all things through existence, by whom He reveals Himself and by whom He saves us. The Son has come. Listen to Him as the simple command. Listen to the Son of God who came to die for you and rise again. Listen means we receive and believe so that we might understand and obey. Listen.

The call to be a disciple requires that we listen. This is why we seek to be a word-centered church. We seek to read the word, sing the word, pray the word, and proclaim the word, and practice the word. We wanna make sure that the word of God is at the center of what we're doing together so that it's at the center of all that we do together. We listen so that we'll speak his truth.

Something awful happens when we start mixing in lies with his truth. The challenge this morning, Christian, are you listening to Jesus? Or who are you listening to? We must all listen to him. Someone described our culture as

everyone is talking, no one is listening.

We live in a culture that insists we need to express ourselves. We live in an expressive individualism. We must be heard.

Just as much as Jesus said,

it is not what comes from outside of you that defiles you, it's what's already inside of you.

Countering everything we've gotten wrong, So too he counters everything that's wrong here. No, help comes from outside. We need to listen to the words of grace that will then heal us and perfect us inside. We need to hear one voice, the voice that speaks with all authority to give life. Our words are nonsense. until we've listened to God so that we trust him, know him, and are able to speak his truth and love.

Today, we have been able to celebrate baptism. Baptism, that public way in which we bring someone into formal church life and discipleship. And that great commission, what we oftentimes leave out is Jesus commands that we teach them to observe all that I commanded you. Baptism is the way into observing all that he's commanded as the way to remain and grow as a disciple. That's just double-clicking on listen. To be a disciple and to make disciples means we're teaching and embracing all that Jesus has said and obeying him.

Lillian, as our most recent baptized disciple, listened to Jesus and followed him. so that you'll be transformed by his grace and spirit to see him in his glory. Christian, the problem the church faces at some level is the many voices that come in. Jesus Christ is the head of our church. Jesus Christ alone must speak with absolute authority. We must hunger and thirst for his word.

With whom I'm well pleased

Listen to him. Before moving on, I want to consider that phrase that goes right before listen to him.

This is my beloved son.

I believe that's referring to the eternal divine relationship of father and son that is forever and perfect. The next phrase with whom I'm well pleased. I think that's referring to his incarnation. that the son is always pleasing to the father, but it's actually him who's come to be like us in every way, yet without sin, that I believe that is capturing with whom I am well pleased. The son loves his father in his humanity and has worshiped him. You see, we were designed, humans, all humans, to please God. As a parent is pleased, not a master, We're designed to please God. He delights to see his children grow up. He delights to see his children living wisely and maturely. Jesus pleased God. And he's the only one. Moses did not, Abraham did not, Elijah did not.

We can get confused with the different ways God speaks of the gospel here. All believers know they cannot please God in their own strength. All our works are filthy rags. Christ must come and put upon himself our sin so that then, after being forgiven, we are robed with his righteousness. This is the core teaching of the church. It's the gospel of justification. We are declared forever righteousness because of the work of Christ. No, amen. All right.

It's also true that those who are in Christ and who are indwelt by a spirit are being transformed and renewed to be a spiritual offering that pleases God. It's Romans 12. You cannot please God in your works on your own, but because of the grace of Christ, because of the power of the Holy Spirit working inside of you, you're a new creation being transformed into glory that can be pleasing to God. If you only believe you're filthy and need forgiveness, which is true, you're never going to actually be transformed and start pleasing God as a sacrifice having been transformed. It's not that you finally did enough for God's love. It's not that you finally outwork your sin.

It's that the God who saves you doesn't just forgive you, he renews you so that you might live the happy life that pleases the Lord. And the only way to live in that tension is to listen to him. Hear the words, he forgives you. Hear the words, His grace is sufficient for you. Hear the words, He's come to transform you and make you His new creation. If you want to know how to please the Lord, you must listen to Him.

Behold the Son

Finally, behold the Son. Jesus is the Son of God, listen to the Son of God, behold the Son of God. This is one of the themes that has really captivated me for the last 20 years of my life, Because it's one of those themes that runs from the beginning of the Bible to the end.

The very nature of sin. In Genesis 3, Satan says if you disobey God, you'll see better than God. You'll see like God. Sin begins at the very heart of wanting to see something that God has not given you. And because we fell into that temptation and we rebelled against God, we lost sight of God. We had to be removed from him. And then you see that high mark in Sinai that we read earlier, Moses asking that bold and courageous question.

Let me see your glory.

God says you can't. But I'll give you a little taste of it, a glimpse of it, a shadow of it. And then what we read earlier in John 1, 14 to 18.

No one has ever seen God. But the only begotten son who comes from the father's side, he has made him known.

When disciples ask, show us the father,

when you see me, you see the father.

Christ has come to restore our sight. Christ has come to restore that we might once again behold him. Because of his grace, we might see his glory. This is where I think we expect too little of God. Praise God he forgives us. Praise him pursuing him to see more of his glory. As we look at the imagery here, verse two,

he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun. His clothes became white as light.

We will see Jesus like this if we're believers. John 3, when he comes, when he calls us in the air, we will see him as he is and we will be transformed to be just like him.

That entire episode of Moses is meant to be a contrast Moses could not see the glory. The glory he had on his face was because of how great the glory of God is in the reflection, and they were terrified of it. Jesus isn't reflecting glory here. He's being transformed back to his own glory. He appears in his own glory and brightness, and it never fades. It's a temporary taste of that glory.

This is where we need to understand there's a few places where this word transfigure, transform, take place. One is Romans 12, be transformed in your mind that you might be a pleasing sacrifice. Another one I encourage you to really meditate upon this week, 2 Corinthians 3.18, where Paul tells us that by the spirit we have access to behold his glory with unveiled face. The spirit is transforming us to transform us from one degree of glory to another. Christ came down from glory to transform us by his grace and his spirit into from one degree of glory to another that we might see more and more of his glory. This is why listening is so important. You will not see any glory if you're not listening. We're a hearing religion. It's a hearing faith. We hear Christ, we believe him, we obey him, and he pulls us into his glory. The danger is we're too easily distracted by usually good things, but not glorious things. Behold his glory.

This was a great request of Moses that was denied in its full, but I believe Jesus will give us in the end. Jesus will give us a full vision of who he is in the end, and we should long for a more pure vision of who God is now. Paul speaks of spiritual eyes with a heart in Ephesians 1. He prays,

may the spirit open the eyes of your heart.

I don't believe we're gonna see this glorious appearance. This is a very unique, temporary transfiguration to prepare these disciples and to encourage us that the glory is real so we'll persevere. We're not supposed to have a visual worship, kinda. Most of what we do is spoken and heard. I believe God has given us three visual aspects of worship, and only three.

First, baptism. What a beautiful, powerful image of your sin being washed away and you being raised again. Next is the Lord's Supper, or the Eucharist. Taking the bread of Christ, which he says is his body broken for us, and drinking the cup of the new covenant, which points to his blood that was shed for us. Both visuals that point to his grace. The third visual is, well, look around. It's us, gathered. A bunch of rascals who would not otherwise be in the same room apart from Christ. We need to be clear we understand expectations.

I believe you're supposed to long to see more of his glory, but it's not gonna be with the eyes and your face until we see him face to face He has come down in His grace so that we might behold Him in His glory. Again, 2 Corinthians 3 makes it clear we are being transformed in holiness because sin is what keeps us from seeing Him in His glory. His transformation allows us to see him more clearly so that we repent of more sin and then see him more clearly. Or Romans 12,

be transformed in your mind.

The very word of God is what transforms you so that you're a pleasing sacrifice.

Worship is learning to think more of God. To contemplate his grace, his power, his glory. Some folks want to pretend you can have an empty head and a full heart, lots of love, no thoughtfulness. Some folks have full hearts and empty heads, all doctrine, no love. Jesus came to save all of you, your body, soul, mind, heart, so that you would know him and worship him with your entire being. You cannot love who you do not know. And you only know God by listening. And if you really know God, you love him because the only way to know him is if he loved you. And if he loved you, he abounds in love to you and makes his love known to you. And as we're walking in that love and rejoice in that love, we're being transformed by that love.

Christian, is your vision of God growing bigger and more glorious? Is your vision of God growing bigger and more glorious? Or are you just content, or maybe pretend you might tame God? It's comfortable now. We oftentimes stop growing to see the greatness of God when we stop obeying. Jesus is God's only begotten son, his beloved son. He has come down so that we can hear God, listen to God, know His grace, and behold His glory. I do not believe you'll see with these human eyes as they did, but someday you will. I want to take us back to Matthew 5, 8.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Is that promise in the future? Yes. Is that something you should long for now? Yes.

What should you expect from Jesus?

Though the more we're purified, the more we will see him and behold him. They're told not to say anything after the resurrection, because after the resurrection, the Holy Spirit will come when he's ascended and restore us. So Christian, what should you expect from Jesus? You should expect that his power is sufficient to get you to his promised glory. You should expect that he provides comfort for you and the world on your way to his glory.

I believe this event is unique for the disciples to prepare them for the suffering that is ahead. They're given a glimpse of the glory so that they are assured that that glory is to come and worth suffering for. This is why Peter was so bold in acts. It was not his own strength. It was knowing the glory was sure.

Christian. you should expect suffering. Jesus explains in verses 10 to 13, it's how they treated the prophets, it's how they treated him, it's how the world's gonna treat you. Your theology must be prepared for suffering. This is what Jesus means by carry your cross. It is what discipleship is, carrying your cross on the way to the glory.

Christian, you should expect repentance. As you hear the voice of Christ, as you listen, you'll see more of your sin and you'll see more of his grace. You'll always see more of his grace if you're listening. This is what Jesus means by deny yourself. Christian, you should expect to be obedient. That's why Jesus said follow him.

You should expect that his grace is sufficient, it's abounding, it's always more. Christian, you should expect that his love is perfect and draws him near to you and you near to him. Christian, you should expect that his word will go out with power to bring life transformation for you and those who listen. Christian, you should expect his comfort and care He is the God who is with you always. Christian, you should expect to be transformed by the glorious God who came to be humbled for your sake, to be transformed through suffering for His name's sake, that will lead you closer to His glory.

Will you pray with me? Father, we thank you that you have revealed yourself truly, clearly. Thank you that now, even though we see you in a mirror dimly, we long to see you face to face. But Lord, may we see you more clearly by your grace. As we see your sin, may we know your grace abounds. more than our sin abounds? As we long to see your glory, Lord, remove every distraction, every obstacle. Help us, Lord, to know how to push each other and encourage each other to trust the one gospel of grace that leads us to true glory. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.