Only Jesus - Part 1

 Good morning, 

This week I want to share a message I preached in 2006. It has two wings to it, just as an airplane. Can you see them?

The lesson, or "takeaway" and call to obedience, from the Mount of Transfiguration is something I first encountered as a teenager, it was planted deep into my soul. Frankly, even though I could mouth the point of the message, it took years for it to bear fruit in my life - something that brings me deep sorrow. 

Yet, I rejoice that our Father is faithful - and I hope you will never forget that - what our Lord Jesus has begun in me, in you, in us, He will indeed complete.

May we now, and always, have eyes only for Jesus.

Much love,

Bob

Only Jesus - 

Have you ever gone from a Wow! to an Ouch!? Have you ever gone from a Wow! to an Ouch! in less than ten seconds?

            About four months ago George Allen was living in a Wow! [This was preached in 2006]. He was so far ahead of Jim Webb in the VA senatorial race that national Republicans and Democrats weren’t paying all that much attention to VA. But then, in the midst of George Allen’s Wow! he went to an Ouch! in just a few seconds, a few seconds was all that it took for him to say something stupid concerning a heckler, a few seconds was all that it took for him to utter words that could be construed as having racial overtones. A few seconds is all it took to destabilize VA’s senatorial race – and all of sudden because of George Allen’s Ouch! the Old Dominion’s senatorial race was making national headlines.

            Have you ever gone from a Wow! to an Ouch!?

            Sometimes we call it putting our foot in our mouth, open mouth inset foot. As soon as the words are out we usually realize we’ve messed up – but then it’s too late – for we are the master of our words before we speak them, but once spoken they become our master. Of course, it’s never too late for an apology, and never too late for repentance, and never too late to learn from the experience – but having said all that, my question remains, have you, yourself…ever gone from being on top of a situation, or from experiencing a wonderful relationship…when all of a sudden, whether from your actions or your words or from a combination of both…in zero to ten seconds you go from a Wow! to an Ouch!?

           

             Let’s turn in our Bibles to Matthew chapter 17:1 – 8.

            This event, which we call The Mount of Transfiguration, is a watershed event in the Gospels. When Vickie and I were on our recent vacation out West we passed signs indicating we were at the Continental Divide. That meant that rain that fell west of the divide would make its way down to the Pacific Ocean and that rain that fell east of the Divide would make its way down to the Atlantic Ocean. The Continental Divide is a watershed, it sheds water in two different directions.

            The Mount of Transfiguration is a watershed; on one side of the watershed is the birth of Jesus, the childhood and young adulthood of Jesus, and most of the public ministry of Jesus. On the other side of the watershed everything flows to the death and resurrection of Jesus.

            Matthew, Mark and Luke all record this watershed event, and Luke writes these words shortly after the experience, “Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem,” Luke 9:51. Luke also tells us what Jesus, Moses and Elijah talked about, they discussed Jerusalem, they discussed the departure that Jesus was about to accomplish in Jerusalem.

            Furthermore, Matthew, Mark and Luke all tell us that just prior to ascending the Mount of Transfiguration that Jesus talked to His disciples about His rejection, death and resurrection in Jerusalem. The Mount of Transfiguration was a watershed event – for on the other side of this mountain lay Jerusalem and the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

            This mountain was also a watershed for a fisherman named Peter, a man accustomed to earning his living at sea level.

            How do you feel about heights? Are you okay with being up in the air or do you get a bit squeamish? I’m a bit better than I used to be but I have to admit that I’m still not very comfortable being close to the edge of a cliff or to the edge of the roof of a high building. When I was in property management, I had a building engineer named Charlie at a high rise building in Baltimore. Charlie could walk around the outside ledge of his building on the penthouse level and I suppose his heart rate didn’t go up at all – but there was no way I was going to climb over the parapet wall and go out there with him. It made my stomach queasy just to watch him. But again, heights may be no problem at all for you.

            We don’t know how Peter felt about heights but we do know that he was accustomed to working, to earning his living, literally at sea level, for after all he was a fisherman and that this mountain is characterized as being a “high” mountain.

            We do know that Peter’s trip to the mountain had been a bit rocky – we know that it had been a trip of highs and lows, in fact, we might say that Peter had the highest high he could have imagined only then to have the lowest low…for on Peter’s way to the mountain…as he was walking with Jesus and the other disciples…Jesus began a conversation that went like this:

            “What are people saying about me these days? Who do they think I am?”

To be continued…..