[0:00] Good morning, happy birthday, happy grace. A warm welcome to the service this morning.
[0:11] We're going to begin this time of worship,! and we'll sing to God's praise from Psalm 46.! Psalm 46, and we'll sing verses 1 to verse 7.
[0:22] God is our refuge and our strength, and straight is our present aid. Therefore, although the earth remove, we will not be afraid. We'll stand to sing to God's praise.
[0:37] God is our refuge and our strength, in space and present aid.
[0:54] Therefore, although the earth remove, we will not be afraid.
[1:10] Lord, hills and mist the seas be found, The waters roaring may, and troubled thee, yea, over hills, By swelling seas to shame.
[1:45] A river glitz, who streams to lie, The city of our God, the holy place, Wherein the Lord most high hath been subpoed.
[2:22] God in the mist of her death, Nothing shall I remove, The Lord to her, On heaven for earth, On heaven for earth, On that quite deadly crew, The heathen rich to consciously, Not with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction with distinction
[3:36] The Lord of hosts upon our side, the cause that dear remain, the God of chief of staff refused, and safely to maintain.
[4:08] Amen. John chapter 15, the words of Jesus, This is my commandment, he said to his disciples, that you love one another as I have loved you.
[4:57] Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you.
[5:10] No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father, I have made known to you.
[5:22] Isaiah chapter 40, the Lord says, Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth.
[5:35] He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary, and increases the power of the weak.
[5:46] Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall. But those who hope in the Lord, those who wait upon the Lord, shall renew their strength.
[5:59] They shall soar on wings like eagles. They shall run and not grow weary. They shall walk and not be faint. Isaiah 43, but now this is what the Lord says, He who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel.
[6:17] Fear not, for I have redeemed you. I have summoned you by name. You are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. When you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.
[6:31] When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned. The flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
[6:45] Can I ask those who are able, please, let's stand as we observe two minutes of silence. Amen. Amen.
[7:07] Thank you.
[8:06] Thank you.
[8:36] Thank you.
[9:06] At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them. We will remember them. Amen. Please take your seats again as we pray.
[9:18] Let's pray. Amen.
[9:28] our heavenly father we thank you that we can come into your presence at this time in the name of the lord jesus your son our savior we thank you that in the stillness of this place we can know that you are god and that you are with us and we thank you that in the silence that we have observed we are able to remember we must remember those who laid down their lives those who sacrificed their hopes their dreams so that we could know peace and freedom and we thank you for all that we do enjoy not just today but week by week we confess often we take it for granted but enable us we pray to remember that this freedom this peace that we that we enjoy came at such a great price we pray lord today for those who remember loved ones and whose hearts are still sore as they relive the memories we pray that you would comfort those who lost loved ones who fell in service in conflict over the years we pray for families who today are anxious because those whom they love are out serving this country and the armed forces pray for those who deal with that anxiety day by day and for those who put their lives in the place of danger that you would protect them and that you would comfort and uphold families loved ones at home who care for them and remember them and pray for them we pray for some who have gone out on tours in the past and have returned physically that's safe but mentally struggling with scars and memories that cannot be erased from their minds and we ask lord that they would find comfort that they would find peace that they would know your touch upon their minds their hearts upon their lives we pray for all those whom we remember in different parts of the world to go into places of distress and unrest to seek to bring peace and protection help them lord we pray as they seek to help those who are weak and are unable to to protect themselves we pray as we are called to for those who are in authority over us for those who hold positions of power we pray for those in government pray for the king lord we ask that they would know their own limitations their own weakness and that they would look to the lord who reminds us that when we are weak we are strong as we look for the help that comes from above we thank you
[13:30] that you have promised that when we lack wisdom which is always we can look to you and you are the god who gives to us the wisdom that we need so we pray word for our country for this nation and for the nations we pray for peace and we pray for your hand to be upon us hear our prayers continue with us lead us and guide us we pray as we seek to worship you and we pray this in Jesus name Amen boys and girls it's good to see a few of you here today and if you would like to come forward Scott is going to say a word to you this morning it's good to have Scott back after a wee break so I'll hand this over to Scott good morning everyone good morning boys and girls you did very well being quiet for a whole two minutes feels like a lot longer than two minutes doesn't it when you're being quiet but it's a special thing to do it's an important thing to do and what I want to say to you today is it's an important thing to remember what people have done for you and remember what people do for you and certain things can remind us about what people have done for us and I've got this here it's a hammer fixing it's nothing special it's just a simple thing that helps you to hit something onto the wall and it won't move anywhere but when I use them or when I see them
[15:31] I remember someone called John from Harris he was a joiner and I'll leave it at that and I remember him showing me how to use these but when I remember when I use these I remember John and I remember how much John helped me in my house and showed me lots of different things to do when I was working on my house he helped me loads and I'm very thankful for John I can say thank you to John for all that he has done to help me and I can do other things for him in return for all that he has done for me so it's good to remember what people have done for us and to say thank you and to do something else for them today we remember all the soldiers and all the people that fought at war all the people that are fighting at war but especially remember all the people that have died at war and we remember them just with a simple thing not one of these but with a poppy because the poppies were growing in the fields where all these men were fighting all these people were at war and the place was a mess but the poppy grew in all the mud and where everything seemed seemed so bad and when the people would see the poppies growing in the field they would remember all the people that died for them and did so much for them but they couldn't say thank you to them anymore because they weren't with us anymore so they took the poppy and they would remember the people by the poppy when they would see it they would remember by the poppy but one of the most special ways that we could say thank you is just by being silent like we were because we can't say anything and in many ways they've done so much for us that we wouldn't know how to say thanks we can't do anything back for them so it's nice and good to remember what they have done for us and being silent together is in a way of us all saying thank you because they have given their lives for us so that we can be here and that we can be in church like this so it's a special thing to remember what people have done for us as we grew up the special thing to remember what the soldiers have done and all the people that were involved in the war to remember what they have done for us but it's a special thing also and most important to remember what Jesus has done for us dying on the cross for us he died for us because he loved us and when we see the cross we should remember
[18:40] Jesus when we open our Bibles every Sunday and every day we should remember Jesus and what he has done for us because he died for us and we are hugely thankful for what Jesus has done we pray to Jesus we sing and we come and say thank you because he is alive and he hears us when we pray he hears us when we sing and he is someone that knows us the soldiers that died they didn't know us and we don't know them but it's the right thing to remember what they did as they did it for us all but Jesus knows us and he hears us when we pray and it's all the greater to remember what Jesus has done for us on the cross okay so remember as you grow up remember how people help you okay and silly little things will help you to remember what people have done for you when you see something you'll always remember what your parents have done what your friends have done to help you when we see the poppy every year when you see the war memorial when you go through
[20:09] Tarbert when you go up to town and you see the war memorial on top of the hill it's good to remember all those that fought in war and died especially for us but we also remember Jesus who died for us to save us from our sins and the evil of sins and that he will protect us and keep us okay so remember these three things so we'll say our prayer will we put our hands together close our eyes our father in heaven we thank you that we can be here today we thank you that we can come to church we thank you that there is no one chasing us no one no nations at war here where we are we thank you for the peace that we have and the freedom to come to church and to open our bibles and to read it we thank you for people who have helped us we thank you and remember all the soldiers and people that were involved in the war and fought for us to protect us and to keep us safe and to give us the freedom that we have most of all as we pray we pray with thankfulness in our hearts praying to
[21:30] Jesus that hears us when we say thank you that hears us when we sing and that listens to us when we pray because you are a saviour that has set us free from sin which is an evil that we wish was not here but we know that in Jesus you can take all our sins away and that you will take us to be with you forever and ever and ever in our place in heaven where there will be no more sin and no more evil so we pray that we remember the soldiers we remember all those who help us we remember the emergency services the police the hospitals we remember those in hospital we remember those who are sick we remember Lydia especially we pray for her and we pray that you would strengthen her and we pray that you would be a God that will protect us and watch over us and help us to remember what you have done for us in the great love you have shown by dying on the cross for us we ask all these things in Jesus name
[22:48] Amen Amen so thank you boys and girls for listening and remember how people help you remember the soldiers everyone that died at war and remember Jesus so I'll hand back to David thank you Scott thank you boys and girls for listening so well we're going to sing now about the love of Jesus 987 in mission praise and the words on the screen here is love vast as the ocean loving kindness as the flood when the prince of life Jesus our ransom shed for us his precious blood who his love will not remember we'll stand to sing in a moment to God's praise!
[23:40] praise and love! love!! love love!!
[23:50] !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
[24:01] !!
[24:12] !!!!!!!!!!!
[24:23] ! Grace and love, thy mighty rivers, Lord, incessant from above, And hence peace and earthly justice, Kiss that guilty world in love.
[25:18] Amen. That's one of these confusing hymns. There's a few versions in a database. 98.7 in the Mission Phase. Shouldn't pass the two versions. Boys and girls, you head to Sunday School and remember them, pray for them as they go.
[25:34] Amen. We'll turn in just a moment to Matthew chapter 16 into 17.
[25:55] But just before we do, I want to just highlight a couple of the notices. You've had the email notice giving the details of things for this week, but I'll just highlight a couple of these things.
[26:10] A warm welcome extended to all. There's some visiting with us and it's good to see you this morning. There's some who've been away for a while. Angus and Kirsty and you're back.
[26:21] It's good to see you back. Gordon and Gillian, it's good to have you back home as well, today as well. So a warm welcome to everyone. Tea and coffee at the end of the service as usual.
[26:33] And you're welcome to stay for that. Informal prayer meeting this evening before the evening service at 5.30, just in the room on my left. And the evening service, I'm sorry to disappoint you, which was going to be taken by Scott, is taken by me this evening.
[26:51] Scott's going to Calanish tonight instead, so you can be praying for him as he goes. I'm going to be away, God willing, from tomorrow through till Friday on the mainland.
[27:01] During that time, Scott is in full charge. So any pastoral issues, please get in touch with Scott or any of the elders. We had talked about having a brunch for Blysewood next Saturday in the church, but that's going to be postponed until a later date, so we'll let you know of the date as soon as we know it.
[27:26] Services next Sunday, the morning service at 11 o'clock, will be led by myself, God willing. And during that service, Scott will be ordained to the office of elder, God willing.
[27:40] And so please note that and be encouraged to come along to that service. A couple of other things. State for the diary is the 26th of November, the AGM, which is just part of the normal prayer meeting.
[27:57] We'll have the normal prayer meeting, and then a little about the business of the church, the AGM. I notice in the past, a lot of people don't come out for that evening. I think maybe you think there's going to be intense examination of accounts.
[28:10] There isn't really. It's a time to pray, a fellowship together, and then to ask questions about different things that are going on in the life of the church. So please note that as a date for your diary.
[28:24] The rest of the notices I'll leave you to read at your own convenience. I'll also just read this edict, which is required to be read for two Sundays before an ordination.
[28:38] And so let me just read out the former words in relation to Scott being ordained to the office of elder. Notice is hereby given that following a resolution by the Kirk Session of North Harris Free Church on 15th September 2025 to add one new elder to the Kirk Session by way of congregational meeting held on 29th October 2025, Scott McLeod, Dalnamara, Scalpy, was duly elected and approved by the Kirk Session.
[29:08] Notice is further given that if there is any person having any objection to the life or doctrine of Scott McLeod, they should present these objections, along with substantiation of them to the Kirk Session, which will meet at 10.30am on the Lord's Day, 16th November 2025 in the church building.
[29:27] If no objection is then and there submitted, the ordination admission of Scott will take place at the close of the morning service on the same day. So these, I think now, are all the notices.
[29:41] If you could turn with me, please, now to Matthew chapter 16. Matthew chapter 16.
[29:54] And we're going to read just from the last verse of the chapter, verse 28, through into the first section in Matthew chapter 17.
[30:05] It's the title. It's the passage that is entitled The Transfiguration, but the verse that precedes that. So Matthew chapter 20, chapter 16, sorry, verse 28.
[30:17] This is God's Word. Jesus says, Truly I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.
[30:31] He's speaking to his disciples and he says, Truly I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom. And after six days, Jesus took with them Peter and James and John, his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.
[30:50] And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. And behold, it appeared to them Moses and Elijah talking with him.
[31:03] And Peter said to Jesus, Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. He was still speaking, when behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them.
[31:17] And a voice from the cloud said, This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. Listen to him. When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified.
[31:31] But Jesus came and touched them, saying, Rise and have no fear. And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only. And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, Tell no one of the vision until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.
[31:49] And the disciples asked him, Then why did the scribes say that first Elijah must come? He answered, Elijah does come, and he will restore all things.
[32:02] But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands.
[32:14] Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist. Amen. And may God bless that reading of his word to us.
[32:27] We're going to sing again now to God's praise, and we'll sing again from Psalm 46 in Gaelic, the last two stanzas of the Psalm.
[32:38] Psalm 46, verses 10 and 11, Be still and know that I am God. Among the heathen I will be exalted, I on earth will be exalted high. Our God, who is the Lord of hosts, is still upon our side.
[32:51] The God of Jacob, our refuge, forever will abide. These two verses of Psalm 46 will remain seated to sing to God's praise in Gaelic.
[33:13] ... ... ...
[33:25] ... ... ...
[33:37] ... ...
[33:49] Thank you.
[34:19] Thank you.
[34:49] Thank you.
[35:19] Thank you.
[35:49] Thank you.
[36:19] We pray as we have sang that you would still our hearts, that we would be enabled to be still and to know that you are God and that you are with us.
[36:33] We pray for the children.
[37:33] For those in the Sunday school, for those in the creche. And we ask, Lord, that you would minister to them as they hear the gospel in a simple way in the Sunday school classes.
[37:46] We pray for those who come to Jam and connect and root it as well, who may not go to church, to any church, who may not hear much of the gospel anywhere else.
[37:56] And we pray for them as well.
[38:26] We pray for those in the Lord, that you would ask, Lord God, that you would be building your church, that Holy Spirit, you would be at work. Drawing those who are drawing those who are drawing those who are saved closer to the Savior, that they and that we may be made more like Jesus.
[38:47] We pray for those in the Lord. We pray for those in the Lord. We pray for congregations we are connected with, countries that we are connected with, people that we have left behind for a period. And as they come to our mind's eye, we pray for them and ask, Lord, that you would be working in their lives.
[39:05] We thank you that you're the God who is working in all places at all times. And so we carry them to you in prayer as we remember them. And for those who would desire to be here this morning, but who are ill, who are struggling, we ask that they would know your presence with them.
[39:24] And that they would know that they are not overlooked or forgotten, but that they are remembered. And we pray that you would encourage them. And for those who have no desire to come to this church or any church, we ask, Father, that you would send the Holy Spirit, that they would be awakened as we were once awakened.
[39:46] We know that this is not a work that we do ourselves or that we can do for anyone else. The Holy Spirit, you are the one who awakens souls and who shows us our sin and who shows us that Jesus is the Savior.
[39:58] So work in the hearts of those that we think of and pray for by name, even in the silence of our own hearts just now.
[40:10] And for any who maybe once walked with you, Lord, but who now are at a distance and whose hearts are cold. We pray for that touch that brings life back to hearts that once were full.
[40:27] So be at work, we pray, and help us now to understand your word and speak into our hearts, we ask in Jesus' name. Amen.
[40:41] If you could have your Bibles open at Matthew chapter 16 into 17, please. You'll find that helpful. Now, often when stories are being told, whether we're reading a novel or whether we're watching a TV series, very often a chapter can come to an end or an episode of a box set can come to a climax and a statement that will be made at the end of the episode or the end of the chapter that leaves us wondering, what did that actually mean?
[41:26] It's a kind of preview. It's a link from one chapter, one episode to the next. And Matthew 16 concludes in that kind of way.
[41:39] Jesus makes a statement at the end of Matthew 16 and verse 28. He's speaking to his disciples and he says to his disciples, truly I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.
[42:00] The Son of Man was the phrase that Jesus used to speak about himself. And so he says to his disciples, some of you will not taste death until you see me coming in my kingdom.
[42:16] And I think it's fair for us to ask the question, what did that actually mean? Because it's a kind of cryptic, enigmatic statement.
[42:28] What did that actually mean? I mean, it can't mean that some of the disciples will stay alive until the second coming of Jesus. Because all the disciples died not too many years after this.
[42:45] And it can't mean that Jesus' second coming is just about to happen. Because 2,000 years plus later, we're still waiting for Jesus to come back to the world.
[43:00] So what was Jesus talking about when he made this statement? Well, I believe that Jesus was talking about the transfiguration, which is the heading that we have in the ESV for the first section in chapter 17.
[43:20] Jesus would take some of his disciples, not all of his disciples. That's why he says, some of you. Jesus would take some of his disciples up a high mountain.
[43:32] We don't know the name of the mountain for sure, but Jesus said he would take some of his disciples up a high mountain and there they would get a glimpse of the glory of Jesus.
[43:45] First point, just to help us to step through this section, is the shining glory of Jesus. That's what the disciples see in this experience.
[43:55] They see the shining glory of Jesus. Verses 1 and 2. The points you're seeing there are the points for this evening.
[44:09] You're getting a preview into a dark chapter this evening. But point number one for this morning is the shining glory of Jesus.
[44:22] It says in verse 1, Now for the disciples, at this point, for those who are following Jesus at this point, things were beginning to get tough.
[45:01] They were following Jesus. They were Christians. They were Christ's ones. They loved Jesus. They trusted in Jesus. But not everyone was with them.
[45:13] Not everybody felt the same way about Jesus as they did. At this point in time, there was growing opposition to Jesus. There was many voices.
[45:26] There were powerful voices. There were highly religious voices. And what they were saying was, Jesus is evil. And those who are following Jesus are fools.
[45:40] So for the disciples, things were difficult. The disciples needed encouragement.
[45:52] And they received encouragement as they followed Jesus up this high mountain. J.C. Ryle says, There can be little question that this was one of the main objects of this wonderful vision.
[46:07] It was meant to encourage the disciples by giving them a glimpse of good things yet to come. That his face shining as the sun, and that clothing white as light, were intended to give the disciples some idea of the majesty in which Jesus will appear to the world when he comes the second time.
[46:31] And all his saints with him. The corner of the veil was lifted up to show them their master's true dignity.
[46:46] So at this point, they're following Jesus, the disciples, and he looks absolutely ordinary. There's nothing remarkable about his appearance.
[47:00] He had no striking good looks. He had no sense of great power, extraordinary power, in the way that he spoke.
[47:12] And those who looked on on Jesus, they weren't impressed. The Pharisees, the Sadducees, they weren't impressed by him. In fact, they despised him. And they were gathering a crowd that was very much vocally against Jesus.
[47:29] And so the disciples were feeling more and more under pressure, more and more vulnerable, as they were following Christ. And that left them discouraged.
[47:41] And so God, in his goodness and in his mercy, just for a moment, takes them up to this high mountain and lifts back the curtain. And they see Jesus in all his shining glory, just for a moment, so that they can be encouraged and given strength to keep on following.
[48:08] So they see the shining glory of Jesus. And for us today, we need a fresh vision of the shining glory of Jesus.
[48:25] For us today, those who are trusting Jesus, for those who are following Jesus, still it can be difficult to be a Christian. people are actually still saying all the same things about Jesus that they were saying back then.
[48:40] They're still saying that Jesus is not who he said he was. And people are still saying that Christians, those who follow Jesus, are only simple people, foolish people, narrow-minded, bigoted people.
[48:55] That's what the world says. So, as we try to follow Jesus, sometimes, it's tough. And we can become discouraged.
[49:11] So we need what the disciples needed. We need encouragement. And where do we get encouragement? Well, one place we get encouragement is just from each other.
[49:27] I think we underestimate hugely the amount of encouragement that we are able to give to each other.
[49:42] Hebrews chapter 10, verse 25 says, let us not give up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another. And all the more as you see the day approaching.
[49:56] So, even as you and I sit in these chairs and come together just for a little over an hour on a Sunday morning and Sunday evening, there's huge encouragement that we receive from each other.
[50:09] And we need that to keep on keeping on. But the other place that we get encouragement is we get encouragement as we are given a fresh vision of Jesus.
[50:29] And where has Jesus chosen to reveal himself to us? He has chosen to reveal himself to us in his word. The Bible. So, for you and I, as we put down our phones for a while and pick up our Bibles, there is encouragement because we see the glory of Jesus in his word.
[51:02] And as we thank God for this day, the special day that he's given us where we are commanded to stop work, as we take time to be still and be with him, there is encouragement as we see afresh the glory of Jesus.
[51:29] There's a hymn that we sometimes sing, maybe we should have sung it this morning, which says, 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.
[51:50] So, the first thing that we see in this section is the shining glory of Jesus. The disciples are shown the shining glory of Jesus and that encouraged them.
[52:00] We need to see the shining glory of Jesus in his word if we are to be encouraged to keep on keeping on. The second thing we can see in this section is the sure and certain hope for those who are with Jesus.
[52:16] Look at verse 3. Disciples are on the top of this hill. They've seen something of the glory of Jesus, a glimpse of it. And then, behold, exclamation mark, underline, that's the word that is used to highlight what is coming.
[52:33] Behold, there appear to them Moses and Elijah talking with Jesus. So, let's think about this just for a moment. Who was Moses?
[52:45] Well, Moses was a man of God. Moses himself, remember, had been led up a high mountain, Mount Sinai, and there he had received the law of God.
[52:57] Moses had been commissioned by God to lead his people into the promised land. That's who Moses was. But there had been almost 1,500 years since Moses died.
[53:14] And yet, as the disciples looked up on this hill, they saw him. and they saw Elijah. Who was Elijah?
[53:26] Well, Elijah was a prophet of God. He had done battle on the top of a hill with 450 of the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, and God was with him.
[53:38] He won the battle. He was a notable, a remarkable prophet of God. But there had been almost 1,000 years since Elijah was taken up from this world.
[53:53] And yet, on top of this hill, the disciples saw him. So what, by their presence, are they telling us?
[54:05] Well, they're telling us two things. Telling us two things. first of all, they're telling us that Jesus is the fulfillment of the law and the prophets.
[54:20] Moses was the law man. Elijah was the prophet man. And everything that they were doing was pointing forward to Jesus. So they're telling us, even by their presence on the top of that hill, look to Jesus.
[54:36] And Moses and Elijah, just by their presence there in bodily form, they're telling us that there is life after death.
[54:53] There is life after this world. Because one was taken 1,500 years prior, another 1,000 years prior, and yet they're standing there.
[55:09] Recognizable, physical, bodily figures. And they're telling us there is life after this world.
[55:21] And that's the promise of God for all who are with Jesus. If we are with Jesus, if we are trusting in Jesus, there is the sure and certain hope of resurrection to eternal life.
[55:48] So can I ask you, are you with Jesus? Because you're either with him or against him, that's what he said.
[55:59] if you're against him, the Bible is crystal clear, there is no hope. There's no hope after death.
[56:13] But if you are with him, there is the sure and certain hope of resurrection to eternal life. it's promised to all who trust him, all who are with him.
[56:29] Freely given if you'll take it. The shining glory of Jesus, the sure and certain hope for those who are with Jesus.
[56:41] The third thing to note here is the spoken word of Jesus. Now again, if we just try and think ourselves into the experience the disciples were going through, there's a lot going on in this passage.
[56:55] There's a lot for the disciples to try and take in. Jesus, on a normal day we imagine, he says, right guys, put your boots on, take a packed lunch, we're heading off up this high mountain.
[57:09] And they head up this high mountain, and once they're at the top of this mountain, all of a sudden the appearance of Jesus changes. The curtain is pulled back. For a moment they see with their eyes the heavenly glory of Jesus.
[57:26] His face shines like the sun. His clothes shine with heavenly light. And then the disciples see two of the most revered men in the history of the people of God.
[57:42] They see the resurrected Moses, they see the resurrected Elijah. standing with Jesus, shining in all his glory. That's a lot to process.
[58:00] And for some people, the way they process things is to go quiet. For some people, the way they process things is just to speak lots of words.
[58:12] And that was Peter. Peter processes things just by blurting out the first thing that comes into his head. So Peter speaks.
[58:25] He's overwhelmed on the top of this mountain with all that he sees and feels. And Peter speaks in verse 4. And Peter said to Jesus, Lord, it's good that we are here. If you wish, I'll make three tents here.
[58:38] One for you, one for the Moses, and one for Elijah. So what is Peter actually saying as he blouts all this out? Well, what he's saying is he's asking Jesus, can we stay up here?
[58:54] It's pretty dark down there. It's very ordinary down there, but I'm loving it up here. So can we just stay up on the top of this mountain? This is an amazing experience.
[59:04] Let's just build some shelters and let's just make ourselves comfortable up here. That's what Peter was saying. We can't blame Peter for saying that because it must have been such an incredible experience.
[59:18] But what Peter should have done was just been silent. He should have just been still in the presence of God.
[59:33] And in a moment, Peter is made to be silent. verse 5, Peter was still speaking, when behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, this is my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased.
[59:57] Listen to him. When his disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. died. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, rise, and have no fear.
[60:15] And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only. so what happens here is that God the Father speaks from heaven.
[60:36] And when he does, the disciples are absolutely terrified. They fall on their faces at the sound of his voice. But what does God the Father say?
[60:49] God the Father actually, in verse 5, interrupts Peter.
[61:04] Because as we open verse 5, Peter's still blabbing. Peter's still speaking. And God the Father interrupts and says, Peter, listen to the Son that I love.
[61:22] Listen to the Son that I am well pleased with. Stop speaking for a minute, Peter, and will you listen? And that was a word for Peter, but it's not just a word for Peter, it's a word for you, and it's a word for me.
[61:41] Because like Peter, we are much more likely to speak than we are to listen. So we need to be told by God over and over again, listen to the word of Jesus.
[62:00] Believe the word of Jesus. And when we do, when we listen to, when we trust in Jesus, what Jesus says to us is what he said to the disciples.
[62:13] What did he say to the disciples? In verse 7, he said, have no fear. They're on the ground, terrified. They've just heard the voice of God, the Father. They're on the ground, they're absolutely terrified, and Jesus touches them, and he says, have no fear.
[62:32] You're with me. And when we are with Jesus, when we are trusting in Jesus, we don't need to fear. some of us, you know, find in our lives, we are crippled by fear.
[62:50] We're terrified of all kinds of different things. And Jesus speaks into our lives this morning, and he says to us, if you're with me, you don't need to fear.
[63:05] I can take the fear away. If we are trusting in Jesus, think about this, we don't need to fear death.
[63:19] We can put our head on the pillow tonight, and not worry about whether we make it through the night. Because we have the promise that those who believe in Jesus shall not perish, but they'll have eternal life.
[63:38] We've got nothing to fear. fear. When we are with Jesus, we don't need to fear the devil and his attacks because he's defeated. Jesus defeated him on the cross.
[63:53] Don't need to fear him. When we're with Jesus, we don't need to fear the future. because Jesus knows the future and he holds the future and he says to us, I will be with you in whatever your future looks like.
[64:13] Don't worry about it. So Peter listened to the spoken word of Jesus.
[64:26] And years later, Peter writes a letter to the church and he's thinking back about this day and he's not forgotten the lesson that he learned.
[64:40] 2 Peter chapter 1 verses 16 and 19. Peter, speaking about this event, he says, we were eyewitnesses of his Jesus' majesty. For when he received honor and glory from the Father, God the Father, and the voice was born to him by the majestic glory, this is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased, we ourselves heard the very voice, born from heaven, and we were with him on the holy mountain, says Peter.
[65:10] And then Peter says this, and we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed. We've got the Bible, he says, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place.
[65:32] the spoken word of Jesus, Peter listened, question and application I suppose for us is, are we listening? Not just week by week as we sit here, but day by day, are you and I opening our Bibles?
[65:57] Are we saying to the Lord, will you speak to me? I need to hear your voice, I want to know your presence. Are we listening to the spoken word of Jesus?
[66:12] Fourth point, we're almost there, the secrecy of Jesus. Verse 9, and as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, and think about this, they've just seen the most amazing thing they've ever known.
[66:30] when we see something amazing, we're bursting to share it with other people. And as they're coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.
[66:47] There's a secrecy about Jesus here. Sometimes we are asked to keep secrets, we're asked to hold things in confidence, tell no one, they say.
[66:59] And in this verse, and then if we look back to the last chapter as well, Jesus says twice, tell no one about this. Chapter 16 and verse 20, after Peter realizes for the first time Jesus is the Christ, he's the Messiah, and Jesus says, you're right Peter, well done, you're at the top of the class for this one, you see it now, and then Jesus says to Peter, tell no one.
[67:27] not now. Which is a kind of mysterious thing for us to try and figure out. Why the secrecy? If Peter can see who Jesus is, why does he have to keep it a secret?
[67:42] If the disciples have just seen how majestic Jesus is, why the secrecy? Well, the reason was because if the people, the crowds, saw the glory and the power of Jesus at this point, they would want by force to make him the king.
[68:06] They would want to lift Jesus up to the place of a celebrity. But Jesus had work to do.
[68:18] And Jesus didn't come to be the kind of king they were looking for. Yes, Jesus would wear a crown, crown, but it wouldn't be a golden crown, it would be a crown of thorns that was pressed into his head until the blood ran down his face.
[68:37] Yes, Jesus would be lifted up, but not to a stage, but to a cross, to die.
[68:49] that was why he came. That was his mission. And the secrecy of Jesus at this point was to ensure that that mission would not be compromised, but that he would carry on to the cross.
[69:07] That's why he says at this point, quiet. The secrecy of Jesus. The last point is the suffering of Jesus. Verse 10, And the disciples asked him, Why did the scribes say that first Elijah must come?
[69:26] He answered, Elijah does come, and he will restore all things. But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they pleased.
[69:40] So also, the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands. then the disciples, then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.
[69:57] So Matthew just, as we finish, Matthew, he lets us listen into the conversation that happens as Jesus and these disciples make their way down the mountain.
[70:11] The disciples are quite reasonably trying to understand what on earth had just happened and what was going on. And where did this fit in the whole picture of the scriptures?
[70:23] So they asked Jesus about Elijah because they knew that Elijah was to come before the Christ. And Jesus tells them, in plain speech, Jesus tells them, Elijah was John the Baptist.
[70:39] John the Baptist came first before Jesus. And Jesus says, John suffered. Remember, John suffered. We have the record of that in Matthew chapter 14.
[70:51] John died at their hands. He suffered and he died at their hands. And Jesus says, the Son of Man will certainly suffer. Jesus says to the disciples as they go down this mountain, having seen his glory, Jesus says to these disciples, I will suffer.
[71:14] I will die, says Jesus. Now, today, this morning, it's right for us to remember those who suffered.
[71:33] It is right for us to remember those who were called up and those who were sent out on missions, not knowing as they went out if they would live or die through them.
[71:50] It's right for us to remember that. Why did they do it? Well, they did it because they loved the people that they were fighting to protect.
[72:04] They did it for the sake of the peace and the freedom that we enjoy. And so we remember them. Take this away as a final thought.
[72:24] Jesus, he was not called up to serve. We think about soldiers who were called up, waiting for letters to come, hoping they'll never come, but then the letter arrives and they're called up and they have to go.
[72:40] And they go. Jesus was not called up to serve against his will. Jesus willingly came down, down from heaven, down to earth, earth, on a mission to seek and save sinners.
[73:06] And he came knowing that he would certainly suffer. He came knowing, Isaiah 53, that he would be pierced for our transgressions and he would be crushed for our iniquities.
[73:25] Jesus came knowing that he would not maybe, but certainly, he would die. So why did he do it?
[73:43] Because he loved us. Because he wanted to secure for us peace with God, peace that is eternal, freedom from sin, and life that never ends.
[74:11] Lifted up was he to die, it is finished was his cry. Now in heaven, exalted high, not just transfigured, but exalted high.
[74:27] Hallelujah. What a Savior. Have you asked him to be your Savior? That's the question.
[74:41] Have you asked him to be your Savior? Let's pray. our heavenly Father, we thank you for sending your son into this world to be our Savior.
[75:09] We thank you that he willingly came, that Lord Jesus, you came willingly into this world on this mission to seek and to save sinners, knowing that you would suffer, knowing that you would die, that you would lay down your life to pay the wages of our sin.
[75:28] God, we thank you that that mission was completed. We thank you, Lord Jesus, for the words that rang out from the cross as you laid down your life.
[75:42] It is finished. we thank you that with that cry, heaven's gates were opened, death was crushed, Satan was defeated, and eternal life was offered to all who will come to Jesus.
[76:02] We thank you for the resurrection, that we remember each Lord's day, the fact that Jesus did not remain dead, but he rose from the grave.
[76:14] And we thank you that his promise was that those who believe in him also will rise to eternal life. what an offer is extended to us in the gospel, cleansing from sin, and the promise that we never have to fear anything in life and death and in eternity, because those who are with Jesus will never perish.
[76:50] What a tragedy for any of us to sit here, to hear that offer, and to turn away to destruction.
[77:03] Lord, we pray that you would be working in the hearts of any who may still be distant, who may still be disbelieving, and that you would change these hearts so that we may all be able to say that Jesus is our Savior, that we are trusting, that we are following him.
[77:25] We pray these things in his name and for his sake. Amen. We sing to conclude 458 in mission praise, man of sorrows, what a name for the Son of God who came, ruined sinners to reclaim, hallelujah, what a Savior.
[77:42] I've lost our homes for the name, for the Son of God who came, who let sinners do reclaim.
[78:15] Hallelujah, what a Savior. Then in Shea, I'm strongly heard, in my place, strong and deep stood, still my pardon with this blood.
[78:43] Hallelujah, what a Savior. Guilty, violent, deathless weep, but the best Lamb of God was He.
[79:02] Full atonement, can it be? Hallelujah, what a Savior.
[79:15] Lifted up was He to die, it is finished, was His cry.
[79:28] Now in heaven, they're so thin high. Hallelujah, what a Savior.
[79:42] When He comes, our glorious King, all His sons come to Him.
[79:54] Then I knew His song will sing. Hallelujah, what a Savior.
[80:12] And now may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the fellowship, the comfort of God the Holy Spirit, be with us all now and forevermore. Amen.