Lord’s Day, Vol. 7 No. 47
In the Holy Mount
The Apostle Peter encouraged the persecuted believers scattered all over Asia Minor to persevere in the faith with these last words in 2 Peter 1:16-18, “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.”
The transfiguration of Christ made a lasting impact in Peter’s heart. The sight of Christ’s glory gave strength within his heart to press on with life amidst great trials and difficulties.
Peter encouraged the believers to look forward to the Second Coming of Christ. The transfiguration was a foretaste of meeting his Lord in eternity’s glory, the believer’s blessed hope. Peter encouraged them to persevere in their walk with Christ. The hymn “Pressing on!” by Dr SH Tow comes to mind, as our Lord prepares the hearts of His inner circle of disciples Peter, James and John for the battles ahead by helping them to see the victory that will come through their Master when they saw His power and glory in the holy mount.
There’s a glorious battle to be fought today by the soldiers of the King;
Time is hast’ning comrades let us not delay in the fight our all we fling!
Chorus
Pressing on! Pressing on!
For Christ count everything but loss;
To the mark press on, for the prize
‘Tis the glorious call of Christ.
See the foe comes sweeping onward as a flood O ye saint be not dismayed!
We shall conquer Satan by the Saviour’s blood, He our ransom price has paid!
Over land and sea wherever men may dwell make the glorious gospel known!
Break the bonds of Satan storms the gates of hell, see the tempter overthrown!
Fight the good fight, holdfast on the truth we stand: we shall never, never fall!
Soon we’ll gather comrades, in the Promised Land, praise to God our all in all!
Chorus
Pressing on! Pressing on!
For Christ count everything but loss;
To the mark press on, for the prize
‘Tis the glorious call of Christ.
Jesus is God Incarnate
When Peter, James and John saw Jesus in the splendour of His divine majesty and glory, it was a moment of truth sealed in their hearts that Jesus is indeed God incarnate.They were witnesses to the Truth. The Word made flesh, Immanuel.
Jesus is 100% God and 100% man, truly God and truly man, very God and very man. The Westminster Shorter Catechism’s answer to Question 4 “What is God?” defines the attributes of God as follows: “God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal and unchangeable in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness and truth.” That Jesus Christ in His incarnation retained all these divine attributes of Deity when He took to Himself all the essential attributes of humanity. Jesus is one person with a fully divine nature and a fully human nature. His nature is without mixture, without change, without division and without separation.
Matthew 17:5-7 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.
The Father in heaven bore witness of His Son. The first time God spoke from heaven was at the giving of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1).
The second was during Jesus’ baptism, at the inauguration of His ministry. The third was described for us here.The Father Himself authenticated the ministry of His Son, well-beloved, accepted, approved.
The disciples were commanded to “hear” Jesus’ instruction and obey them. It is in the present imperative. Make it a habitual part of their life to obey the words of Jesus.
The disciples fell on their faces when they beheld Jesus’ glory. They were afraid because they saw the glory of Christ, His majestic power and realize their feeble self in the sight of God. Our Lord also showed to His disciples the cost of discipleship with its sufferings and how they are to bear the cross at the end of Matthew 16 just before this account of the Lord’s Transfiguration.
Matthew 16:24-28 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. 26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? 27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works. 28 Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.
Here, is given to them the reward after the message of the cross. They were treated with the vision of His glory. He wanted them to have a deep impression of future glory with Christ to undergird and strengthen their feeble hearts for the great trials ahead. God will use them to be His instruments of righteousness for the propagation of the gospel.
May the Lord strengthen His people for the advancement of the gospel cx0for His glory. Amen.
Yours lovingly,
Pastor Lek Aik Wee