Transfiguration Sunday, 2018
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual
The Gospel
Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn #135 Tis Good Lord To Be Here
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn #135 Tis Good Lord To Be Here
The Glory of the Son
The Hymn # 249 Isaiah Mighty Seer - Luther
The Hymn # 249 Isaiah Mighty Seer - Luther
The Preface p. 24
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn #45 Now the Hour of Worship
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn #45 Now the Hour of Worship
2 Peter 1 16 For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
17 For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. 18 And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount. 19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: 20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
Matthew 17 And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, 2 And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. 3 And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him. 4 Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. 5 While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. 6 And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. 7 And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid 8 And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only. 9 And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead.
SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY
O merciful and everlasting God, heavenly Father: We thank Thee that Thou hast revealed unto us the glory of Thy Son, and let the light of Thy gospel shine upon us: We pray Thee, guide us by this light that we may walk diligently as Christians in all good works, ever be strengthened by Thy grace, and conduct our lives in all godliness; through the same, Thy beloved Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.
Background for the Sermon
Lenski, p. 650: "The exact interval of time is stated, "after six days," in order to connect the new occurrence with what is recorded in 16:13-28. Jesus is preparing his apostles for the close of his earthly life and work. So after the great confession of his divinity in 16:16, the announcement of his passion, etc., in 16:21, and the words regarding the coming judgment in 16:27, 28, Jesus reveals his divine glory. Luke gives only the approximate interval, "about eight days," meaning"about a week."
2 Peter 1 - We were eyewitnesses of His majesty.
John 1:15 - (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,)
John 8 12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
People often comment on the rainbow as God's symbol of His Promise, that He will never flood the earth again. But light is another representation of God - often borrowed by the occult for their satanic purpose. God created light first, before the sun, stars, and planets, so He is the source of light - their light symbolizes His light.
The Glory of the Son
2 Peter 1 16 For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
The religious nature of man can be seen in the manufacture of many religions and the combination of religions, one merged with another (which we see in Asia). And even in atheism, there are quite a few fellowships and confessions of unfaith. The American Humanist Society has leaders. people honored (the list is shocking), and their anti-religious materials. Some atheists are more open in denying God. Others start with Universalism and merge with the atheists in Unitarianism, who began with one god and progressed to no gods of any kind.
Each group, whether pagan religion or atheistic, has its cunningly devised fables. Luther once said, "Where man builds a cathedral, Satan builds a chapel." But now - Where man builds a chapel. Satan builds a cathedral and calls it Church Growth or Missional or Emergent until it collapses. That sours many on that fake Christianity, which people were told was the real, relational, and relevant Christianity for today's world.
So it is good to see what God planned for us, to bring us into His Kingdom, the Kingdom of Grace established by His Son. That is why we should be especially wary of the rationalists who would tear it down by injecting their own opinions.
First of all, as the Gospel of John teaches, directly from the Son of God, the Creating Word - Jesus the Savior taught the divine Word and performed great miracles with His teaching. Those miracles were intended to how people undeniably that the teaching they heard was from God.
That was important in teaching the masses, who heard this teaching and saw the miracles. And it was even more important to establish among the disciples who would continue the work of Jesus. Each man needed to be absolutely certain of Jesus as the Son of God. Therefore, all the apostolic teaching was founded upon the ultimate miracle - God's power over death - the resurrection of Christ.
As great the dread was when Jesus was crucified and impaled by the sword, even greater was the faith in Him when He showed Himself as risen from the dead. He defeated our three main enemies - sin, death, and Satan. He conquered sin by His righteousness, which we receive through faith in Him - sin is drowned in an ocean of grace.
Many are troubled about the past, when the powers of this world dragged them away and down into harmful, even Satanic practices which are promoted everywhere as special, unique, and known only to the elite. Or they are disguised in various forms of hedonism. The temptations do not come from figures dressed in red woolens and a pitchfork, but from so-called friends. A doctor told us a story about "friends" influencing his child - nothing dramatic - but the effects were alienating. Friends?
Against the temptations and weaknesses we have, God builds a fortress, the righteousness of Christ. Nothing is too great for Him to forgive - only denying trust in Him. And this is where Satan works his deeds. For some, it is intellectualism because the elite are not only well educated by smooth doubters. Sometimes it is "friends" who are agents. Often it comes from those who pretend to teach but are only eroding faith.
Jesus made His disciples especially strong in faith by His public and more limited miracles. The Transfiguration was seen by only a few. That was their extra strength when doubts assailed them. They saw the glory of the Son of God.
As Lenski described it - Jesus was transformed before their eyes, so that He and His garments glowed with a supernatural brilliance, the divinity He cloaked in His humanity. That was a clear message - "You and the rest will only see My Human Nature most of the time, even on the cross and in burial. But My Divine Nature is always present, always powerful, always more than the human eye can bear.
This Greek word for transfiguration is used for the butterfly - metamorphosis. Many have heard that, and many use the butterfly as a symbol for resurrection. There is an important detail that people need to remember, which shows how the Creating Word left a special message in the "normal" life of every butterfly.
Perhaps you and I had the same limited perception of this change. I saw the caterpillar creating his cocoon and gradually changing into a butterfly over time. I did this with two Monarchs and saw the change in colors as the cocoon matured and the butterfly emerged. I always thought of the creatures as developing those parts based on the original chassis. But no - the caterpillar becomes a liquid and then reforms itself as a butterfly. That liquid that was always an ugly worm knows how to be a beautiful, colorful flying insect.
I would call that a great symbol of the resurrection of Christ - the man, the Teacher, the Rabbi - changed into the risen Savior, similar but changed forever as the revealed and glorified Son.
17 For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
This Father-Son relationship is taught more in the New Testament than generally recognized - witnessed by the Holy Spirit. The Son receives the glory from the Father for His sacrifice, and the Son honors the Father. All the revelations of glory - since as the Baptism of Jesus - are declarations of this relationship.
This event prepared the disciples for the Passion, because their faith - though almost shattered - did not fail. As Jesus foresaw, Judas did not have sincere faith and fell away into betrayal.
These episodes of glory are significant for all believers, because they highlight the everlasting power of God in the midst of great trials and difficulties.
We can never predict outcomes, so we must rely on God to do the work He has chosen to do through us. Many times He moves us into new work through difficulties, as He did with the Roman Empire persecutions. Or we may head our own way and He sends some force, like a whale, to make an express delivery to Ninevah.
There is no conflict, only harmony between the Father and Son, so whatever the Son reveals is true of the Father. This is important for those who have been given the wrong idea about the Father being angry and condemning toward us.
18 And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount. 19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:
Since the apostles are the chosen instruments of God to speak about His glory, their Word is reliable and certain. Mankind lives in darkness, which is our default position, unless we have the light of Christ. The tiniest light shines in the darkness and changes all perceptions. The glorious light of the Gospel illuminates everything and shows us reality.
As we all know, partially seeing something can give us the wrong idea, especially if we are feeling nervous or experiencing a threat. The bright light of the Gospel removes doubt, but we have to hear and trust that Word for the truth to shine forth.
20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
This counters the familiar claim that every verse of the Bible can be understood a different way. I agreed with the Mormon missionaries about this - "Sure 100 ways, Yes, 99 wrong ways and one correct way. Is God so poor a communicator that He cannot get His truth across?"
Notice they were attempting that old method of "many opinions and many versions so trust ours alone." After casting doubt on all these interpretations, they were really casting doubt on the power of God to reveal His truth as it is. That is what we get - exactly - from the Eugene Nida School of Modern Translations - "Oh, that is too difficult to understand in the KJV. We have changed it, so this is what the Holy Spirit would have revealed if He had our skills." - NIV, ESV, Surfer Dude, The Message, etc.
The thought that God's Word judges all books and all opinions should direct our minds to see the Scriptures as the foundational authority and the final authority.
As you will see from the Calvinism book, the alternate reading of the Bible, imposing man's opinion, will set up another Gospel (a false one), another view of man which is harsh and condemning or completely self-centered.
Uncertainty means we can turn to the Word to have a better understanding and a firm faith in the graciousness of God. The Scriptures do not promote confusion but confidence in God and His Word.
Genesis 1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. 3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
People often comment on the rainbow as God's symbol of His Promise, that He will never flood the earth again. But light is another representation of God - often borrowed by the occult for their satanic purpose. God created light first, before the sun, stars, and planets, so He is the source of light - their light symbolizes His light.
The Glory of the Son
2 Peter 1 16 For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
The religious nature of man can be seen in the manufacture of many religions and the combination of religions, one merged with another (which we see in Asia). And even in atheism, there are quite a few fellowships and confessions of unfaith. The American Humanist Society has leaders. people honored (the list is shocking), and their anti-religious materials. Some atheists are more open in denying God. Others start with Universalism and merge with the atheists in Unitarianism, who began with one god and progressed to no gods of any kind.
Each group, whether pagan religion or atheistic, has its cunningly devised fables. Luther once said, "Where man builds a cathedral, Satan builds a chapel." But now - Where man builds a chapel. Satan builds a cathedral and calls it Church Growth or Missional or Emergent until it collapses. That sours many on that fake Christianity, which people were told was the real, relational, and relevant Christianity for today's world.
So it is good to see what God planned for us, to bring us into His Kingdom, the Kingdom of Grace established by His Son. That is why we should be especially wary of the rationalists who would tear it down by injecting their own opinions.
First of all, as the Gospel of John teaches, directly from the Son of God, the Creating Word - Jesus the Savior taught the divine Word and performed great miracles with His teaching. Those miracles were intended to how people undeniably that the teaching they heard was from God.
That was important in teaching the masses, who heard this teaching and saw the miracles. And it was even more important to establish among the disciples who would continue the work of Jesus. Each man needed to be absolutely certain of Jesus as the Son of God. Therefore, all the apostolic teaching was founded upon the ultimate miracle - God's power over death - the resurrection of Christ.
As great the dread was when Jesus was crucified and impaled by the sword, even greater was the faith in Him when He showed Himself as risen from the dead. He defeated our three main enemies - sin, death, and Satan. He conquered sin by His righteousness, which we receive through faith in Him - sin is drowned in an ocean of grace.
Many are troubled about the past, when the powers of this world dragged them away and down into harmful, even Satanic practices which are promoted everywhere as special, unique, and known only to the elite. Or they are disguised in various forms of hedonism. The temptations do not come from figures dressed in red woolens and a pitchfork, but from so-called friends. A doctor told us a story about "friends" influencing his child - nothing dramatic - but the effects were alienating. Friends?
Against the temptations and weaknesses we have, God builds a fortress, the righteousness of Christ. Nothing is too great for Him to forgive - only denying trust in Him. And this is where Satan works his deeds. For some, it is intellectualism because the elite are not only well educated by smooth doubters. Sometimes it is "friends" who are agents. Often it comes from those who pretend to teach but are only eroding faith.
Jesus made His disciples especially strong in faith by His public and more limited miracles. The Transfiguration was seen by only a few. That was their extra strength when doubts assailed them. They saw the glory of the Son of God.
As Lenski described it - Jesus was transformed before their eyes, so that He and His garments glowed with a supernatural brilliance, the divinity He cloaked in His humanity. That was a clear message - "You and the rest will only see My Human Nature most of the time, even on the cross and in burial. But My Divine Nature is always present, always powerful, always more than the human eye can bear.
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| His jade coffin has golden nails. No one knows the purpose of the golden nails, but I think that is on purpose. "Because I can do that." |
This Greek word for transfiguration is used for the butterfly - metamorphosis. Many have heard that, and many use the butterfly as a symbol for resurrection. There is an important detail that people need to remember, which shows how the Creating Word left a special message in the "normal" life of every butterfly.
Perhaps you and I had the same limited perception of this change. I saw the caterpillar creating his cocoon and gradually changing into a butterfly over time. I did this with two Monarchs and saw the change in colors as the cocoon matured and the butterfly emerged. I always thought of the creatures as developing those parts based on the original chassis. But no - the caterpillar becomes a liquid and then reforms itself as a butterfly. That liquid that was always an ugly worm knows how to be a beautiful, colorful flying insect.
I would call that a great symbol of the resurrection of Christ - the man, the Teacher, the Rabbi - changed into the risen Savior, similar but changed forever as the revealed and glorified Son.
17 For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
This Father-Son relationship is taught more in the New Testament than generally recognized - witnessed by the Holy Spirit. The Son receives the glory from the Father for His sacrifice, and the Son honors the Father. All the revelations of glory - since as the Baptism of Jesus - are declarations of this relationship.
This event prepared the disciples for the Passion, because their faith - though almost shattered - did not fail. As Jesus foresaw, Judas did not have sincere faith and fell away into betrayal.
These episodes of glory are significant for all believers, because they highlight the everlasting power of God in the midst of great trials and difficulties.
We can never predict outcomes, so we must rely on God to do the work He has chosen to do through us. Many times He moves us into new work through difficulties, as He did with the Roman Empire persecutions. Or we may head our own way and He sends some force, like a whale, to make an express delivery to Ninevah.
There is no conflict, only harmony between the Father and Son, so whatever the Son reveals is true of the Father. This is important for those who have been given the wrong idea about the Father being angry and condemning toward us.
18 And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount. 19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:
Since the apostles are the chosen instruments of God to speak about His glory, their Word is reliable and certain. Mankind lives in darkness, which is our default position, unless we have the light of Christ. The tiniest light shines in the darkness and changes all perceptions. The glorious light of the Gospel illuminates everything and shows us reality.
As we all know, partially seeing something can give us the wrong idea, especially if we are feeling nervous or experiencing a threat. The bright light of the Gospel removes doubt, but we have to hear and trust that Word for the truth to shine forth.
20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
This counters the familiar claim that every verse of the Bible can be understood a different way. I agreed with the Mormon missionaries about this - "Sure 100 ways, Yes, 99 wrong ways and one correct way. Is God so poor a communicator that He cannot get His truth across?"
Notice they were attempting that old method of "many opinions and many versions so trust ours alone." After casting doubt on all these interpretations, they were really casting doubt on the power of God to reveal His truth as it is. That is what we get - exactly - from the Eugene Nida School of Modern Translations - "Oh, that is too difficult to understand in the KJV. We have changed it, so this is what the Holy Spirit would have revealed if He had our skills." - NIV, ESV, Surfer Dude, The Message, etc.
The thought that God's Word judges all books and all opinions should direct our minds to see the Scriptures as the foundational authority and the final authority.
As you will see from the Calvinism book, the alternate reading of the Bible, imposing man's opinion, will set up another Gospel (a false one), another view of man which is harsh and condemning or completely self-centered.
Uncertainty means we can turn to the Word to have a better understanding and a firm faith in the graciousness of God. The Scriptures do not promote confusion but confidence in God and His Word.
