Only Jesus - Part 6

 

Continued from previous post…conclusion...

 

            What was the message the Father wanted the three disciples to take down from the mountain? Was it, “Jesus has held a consultation with Moses and Elijah prior to embarking on an important trip to Jerusalem. In the future we should all consult the Law of Moses and the life of Elijah before embarking on any important trips or making any significant decisions”?

            Was it, “Jesus was facing some major decisions in His life and He thought it best to consult with Moses and Elijah before deciding what to do. Therefore, in the future we should always look to Moses and Elijah in order to determine what we should do”?

            What was it the Father wanted the three disciples to take with them down the mountain? It was, “This, this, this is My beloved Son, hear Him!”

            Hear Him above the cacophony of the religious world.

            Hear Him above the confusion of the world of psychobabble.

            Hear Him above the revelation of the month club.

We ought not to let revelation and illumination distract us from Jesus – for true revelation and illumination points to Jesus.

            We ought not to let revelation and illumination become places of dwelling or worship – our place is in Christ and in Christ alone.

            There are people in the valley of life that need us – and we can only really touch them when we touch them with Jesus…distinctly with Jesus.

There is a book titled “Jesus Among Other Gods,” but perhaps we need a book titled, “Jesus Among Other Good Things,” or “Jesus Among Other Christian Teachers,” or “Jesus Among Other Christian Revelations.”

When listening to teaching do we ask the question – where is Jesus Christ?

            When making personal and family decisions do we ask the question – where is Jesus Christ?

            When engaging in the marketplace or school do we ask the question – where is Jesus Christ?

            Is Jesus more relevant than the bottom-line in business?

            Is He more relevant than popularity and acceptance?

Are we listening to and looking for Jesus or is He only One among many options in our lives?

            After the resurrection the cry was, “We have seen the Lord.” It wasn’t, “God has reversed the corruption of the body by supernatural means and we may all look forward to the time when our physical bodies rise from the dead and we live forever.” The cry was, “We have seen the Lord!”

If, after our fellowship and worship today…I were to invite you to take a walk with me up the mountain of my own personal life…as we neared the top of the mountain – my own personal mountain, the high places of my life - what would you find? How many tabernacles would there be? Would there be one for Jesus, and one for my favorite mode of worship music and one for the type of prophetic teaching I like best, and one for a specific type of church government, and one for a certain way I like to do small groups, and one for a special Bible translation, and one for this favorite teacher and that favorite teacher and this author and that author and this radio program and that television program and one for a particular political agenda and one for…and one for…and one for…

            Why I seem to have run out of room on my mountain…unless of course I only have room for Jesus, for Jesus only to capture my heart, to captivate my life.

            Or if, after our time of worship and fellowship together you were to invite me to walk with you up your own personal mountain…as we neared the top…what would we see?

            But the story of Peter doesn’t end with going from a Wow! to an Ouch!...although he would experience the Wow to Ouch syndrome at least two more times…

            Let’s not forget that fifty days after his denial of Jesus with adamant oaths – this very same fisherman had a Wow! experience in which he preached to a Jerusalem crowd on the day of Pentecost…let’s not forget that this fisherman stood before the ruling Jewish Council for his steadfast confession of Jesus Christ…and that this council took note that this fisherman had been with (not Moses and Elijah) but had been with Jesus…

            Let’s not forget that Peter broke ethnic and cultural barriers by bringing the Gospel to Gentiles when he stepped foot into the house of Cornelius the centurion.

            And let’s not forget some of the final words this man wrote in 2 Peter 1:16 – 18, as he was preparing for death…looking back over his watershed experience on the Mount of Transfiguration:

            “For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty.  For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such a declaration as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory: “This is My beloved Son with whom I am well pleased”— and we ourselves heard this declaration made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.”

            Note that he doesn’t mention Moses…he doesn’t brag about Elijah…his focus is on One and on One alone…on Jesus…Jesus…Jesus…

            Peter learned that to remove the Cross from Jesus, and from our own lives, is to deny Jesus…and he also learned that to place anyone on anything alongside Jesus Christ, even Moses and Elijah, is to deny Jesus – for make no mistake, Jesus is God.

            The Scriptures tell us that after falling on the ground on the Mount of Transfiguration, that Peter, James, and John were touched by Jesus, and that Jesus said to them, “Get up, and do not be afraid.” And that lifting up their eyes, they saw only Jesus.

            Will you commit yourself to loving and following Jesus, and Jesus alone?

            Will our hearts belong to…only Jesus?

                       

Only Jesus - Part 5

 

Continued from previous post…

 

            Let’s go back to our fisherman Peter on the watershed mountain and see where the water flows.

            “Ah, we’re almost to the top,” Peter thinks.

            Once there a change comes over Jesus, His face shining like the sun, His clothes as white as light. And look – there are Moses and Elijah with Jesus, talking to Him about what will transpire in Jerusalem.

            “Oh wow, this is great,” Peter thinks, “this is great, great, great. I’m back to a wow experience…Jesus is giving me a wow experience. This is great…now what to do?”

            “Lord,” Peter says to Jesus, “if it’s okay with you let’s build three tabernacles here, three places of communion, three monuments, three places of meeting, one for You, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”

            And while Peter continues talking, a bright cloud envelopes them and a voice from the cloud says, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him.”

            The disciples fall on their faces in fear….

            I wonder how long they lay there…faces to the ground…in fear of the awesome holiness of God?

            There is a tension in the Christian life that many people misunderstand. On the one hand God calls us into intimacy with Himself, He invites us into the very fellowship of the Trinity…and we’ll explore more of this on a future Sunday. As we come into this fellowship God’s perfect love casts out all fear – and that is the way we are to live in regard to fear…as most people commonly understand the term…but then…not only is God intimate…God is also transcendent…that means that God transcends everything there is and everything we know…and that while we are invited into the fellowship of the Trinity and into deep intimacy with God…and while God’s very life dwells within us…while all these things are true…that God is also other than us…He remains God and we remain His creation…He remains our Father and we remain His children…Jesus remains our Lord as we remain His servants…Jesus remains the One and Only Savior and we remain those whom He has saved…

            And to be in the Presence of this Holy God…is to know a holy and reverent fear…and it is good that our faces be on the ground.

            I wonder how long Jesus waited before He came and touched them? Did He allow the words of His Father to sink into the impetuous Peter and into James and John?

            What would our response have been were we in Jesus’ place?

            “Oh Peter, that’s okay, I know you didn’t mean to say what you did.”

            “Come on and get up guys…it’s alright…nothing to worry about. Let’s have a big hug.”

            “It’s okay…God didn’t really mean what He said…please don’t be upset.”

            I wonder what my response would have been? What would your response have been?

            From a wow to an ouch in under ten seconds. One moment Peter is basking in the glory of God and is privy to a holy conversation between Jesus, Moses and Elijah…the next moment God the Father rebukes him…from a wow to an ouch…Peter has done it again.

Jesus comes and touches them, saying, “Get up and don’t be afraid.”

            And…as they open their eyes…they see Jesus only.

            What if Peter had had his way? What if Peter had built three tabernacles, three places of communion…one for (of course) Jesus, one for Moses and one for Elijah?

 

To be continued…

Only Jesus - Part 4

 

Continued from previous post…

 

            A few weeks ago I was driving on I-95 through Fredericksburg and I tuned my radio to WXYZ.7 FM. I heard this “Christian” station billing itself as a “your positive radio station where you can hear positive music and your favorite personalities.” I think the word “positive” was used about once every 15 seconds. After listening to this for a minute or two I changed the station.

            Let’s go back to the Matthew 16 for a moment…Jesus talking about the Cross and Peter trying to protect Jesus. Peter did not like the idea of Jesus being rejected, tortured and crucified. In fact, Peter thought Jesus needed protection from Himself – Peter wanted to remove the Cross from Jesus.

            In Matthew 16 we see that as soon as Jesus corrected Peter that Jesus taught about the Cross, about us taking up our cross and denying ourselves and not seeking to save our own lives but rather that we are called to lose our lives for Jesus and the Gospel.

            If Jesus said to Peter, “Get behind me Satan,” what would He say today to those in His Kingdom who strive to make the Gospel some sort of touchy feely warm and fuzzy way of life that demands nothing and provides cotton candy in return? We think we have a duty to protect Jesus when of course we really want to protect ourselves. The writer of Hebrews exhorts us to go outside the camp bearing His reproach. Paul writes about the offense of the Cross and yet so often we want to lessen its offense – we say it is out of consideration for others, but it is really in consideration of ourselves…and it is certainly not in consideration of Jesus – for He is the Christ of the Cross – and it is a Cross of sacrifice and self-denial and atonement – it is not a Cross wrapped in velvet sold by some roadside vendor along with big plush teddy bears and day-glow images of Elvis.

            So we should beware of seeking to remove the Cross from the Gospel, from our lives and from the Person of Jesus Christ. And the best antidote to that tendency is expressed by Paul in Philippians chapter 3 when he cries, “I want to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings.”

            In Galatians Paul says, “God forbid that I should glory in anything but the Cross of Christ.”

            I’m afraid that radio station WXYZ.7 in its attempt to generate advertising revenue and broaden its listening audience has removed itself from the only frequency that really matters, the frequency of the Cross.

            But there is yet another statement of Peter’s that may be even more insidious than this business of removing the Cross from Christ and Christ from the Cross.

 

To be continued…

Only Jesus - Part 3

 

Continued from previous post…

 

            So while Peter is walking up the watershed mountain, as he is walking with Jesus and James and John up the mountain, inside his mind and heart and stomach, inside his gut – things are churning – for the fisherman has gone from the highest high to the deepest low.

            Have you ever gone from a “wow!” to an “ouch!”? Have you ever had a time of great morning devotions and you are praising God and feeling as if things just couldn’t get any better – when you can’t find your car keys and you are convinced your spouse has moved them?

            Or perhaps you’re in your car driving to work, listening to some of your favorite music…playing the drums on your steering wheel…singing along with the tunes…praising God…having your own praise and worship gathering with the heavenly host in your car…and then…as you are merging into traffic on I-81…someone decides not to let you into the flow of traffic…in fact…someone decides to be downright rude to you on the road…have you ever gone from a “wow!” to an “ouch! in the way you’ve responded to the ungracious person”?

            “Well,” Peter thinks as he climbs the mountain with Jesus, “this has got to get better. After all, wherever we’re going on this mountain, other than James and John, I’m the only one Jesus asked to go with Him. So even though I’ve gone from a wow to an ouch, things must be okay or Jesus wouldn’t have asked me to come along. I’m not too sure about these heights…I much prefer sea level, but I can live with this.”

            We know that Peter talked a lot, he seemed to always have something to say and he was usually not afraid to say it. And…as we have seen…Peter could go from a wow to an ouch in under ten seconds. When you think about Peter and things he said that you would not want to say, what do you put at the top of your list? If you were to take a poll of folks who know about Peter and ask them that question, what is their most likely answer to be?

            Yes, I think you’re probably right, I think most of us would think about Peter’s denial of Jesus in Jerusalem when Jesus was before the kangaroo court of the high priest.

            Just hours before Peter’s denial of Jesus what did Peter say to Jesus in the presence of the other apostles? He said, “Lord I will lay down my life for you. Even if everyone else leaves You and denies You I will never ever do so.” Wow Peter…that’s quite the thing to say…wow Peter, that’s quite the declaration…wow Peter…wow Peter.

And yet, when the time came for the rubber to meet the road…how many times did Peter deny Jesus? Yes, three times…and to make himself sound convincing he used oaths, he was adamant in his denial. Ouch Peter…how could you do that? Ouch Peter…it’s bad enough as it is…but after that declaration that you’d never desert Jesus this is really an Ouch…not just a simple basic ouch but one of the mother of all ouches!

            Now suppose I were to ask another question, once again about Peter. When you think about Peter and the things he said which you would not want to say – where do we find the most dangerous and insidious words – the words that we should be constantly aware of less they come out of our hearts and mouths…less we say them? Where are the dangers that come in under the radar screen, the attitudes that are difficult to detect, that may even feel good…and which are…therefore…all the more dangerous?

 

To be continued…

Only Jesus - Part 2

 

 Continued from previous post...

            “Oh master,” the disciples respond, “some people think you’re John the Baptist, others think you’re Elijah and still others are saying that you’re Jeremiah. Then there are others who are simply convinced that you are one of the ancient prophets raised from the dead…though they aren’t quite sure which one you are.”

            A pause ensues. Jesus looks at His followers.

            “But,” He begins, “who do you say that I am?”

            And Peter the fisherman replies, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

             “Blessed are you Simon the son of Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you but my Father who is in heaven.”

            Wow! What a high for Peter! God the Father has revealed God the Son to the fisherman. Peter sees that Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ, the Anointed One, the Son of the living God. Life is good. This journey with Jesus is good. Wherever we are going with Jesus has got to be great. What a trip!

            Have you ever had THE answer in a classroom or on the job? The teacher or the boss presents a problem, asks a question, and you know the answer…you’ve got it…and out it comes…not from Sam or Susie but from you…you’ve got the answer, you’ve got the solution…and every ear in the room hears your voice giving the answer, solving the problem…and the teacher or the boss looks at you with approval and affirmation…Wow! what a feeling…wow! this is great…wow! I could live in this moment for a long time.

            But then again, have you ever gone from a Wow! to an Ouch!

            After a few more minutes’ walk Jesus has some more to say. He talks about Jerusalem…but not about sitting on a throne, not about receiving the recognition and accolades of the country’s leaders and populace, not about ruling and reigning in a reconstitution of David’s kingdom…no…He isn’t talking about a ticker-tape parade…

            Jesus is talking about rejection, torture and death…and even though He also talks about resurrection…no one seems to hear that part…all they hear is rejection, torture and death…and Peter…not being able to bear the possibility any longer…for after all, he has just proclaimed Jesus as the Messiah…takes Jesus aside and rebukes Him:

            “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!”

            Then the same eyes of Jesus which had looked upon Peter as Peter had confessed, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,” now gaze upon Peter and Jesus says:

            “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God but the things of men.”

            Ouch! We’ve gone from a “wow!” to an “ouch!” We’ve gone from a partnership with the Father to being used by the enemy. We’ve gone from Jesus saying, “Blessed are you,” to Jesus saying, “Get behind me, get out of my way, Satan”

            I’d say that’s going from a “wow!” to an “ouch!”

            Have you ever had an experience like that?

 

To be continued…

 

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…..