The Mountain of The King - Part 2

Bryan Chapell: If you still had a plan for Moses. If you could still use Elijah. Do you still have a plan for me? Can you still use me? Will you yet forgive me? And the great message of the scriptures from beginning to end is not just, "You are not your redeemer," but God has made a redeemer. And he has come for people who are sinners and has made a way out of the difficulty of this world by the provision of his son.
Bryan Chapell: So glad you joined us for today's Unlimited Grace. The audio broadcast ministry of Pastor and author Bryan Chapell.
Bryan Chapell: In today's lesson, Pastor Bryan continues his message from Matthew 17. In this passage, we not only see the miraculous transfiguration of Jesus, but we are also reminded that he is the redeemer whose coming had been prophesied. You can find this lesson and many others when you visit unlimitedgrace.com.
Bryan Chapell: And while you're there, look for Pastor Brian's book, Unlimited Grace. Dr. Chapell reminds us of the power and mercy of God's grace that motivates and inspires us to serve our Heavenly Father.
Bryan Chapell: Let's hear now from Dr. Bryan Chapell as he shares the second half of the lesson, The Mountain of the King.
Bryan Chapell: If you saw the title of today's message, you'll see it's called The Mountain of the King, which may sound like something from Tolkien's Lord of the Rings.
Bryan Chapell: There is a Lord and there is a mountain, but it's a very different Lord.
Bryan Chapell: We'll look at verses 1 through 9, though I'll cover more of the chapter as we go. But here is where the display of the Lord's glory is not only so intense, it is so meaningful.
Bryan Chapell: I'll ask that you stand as we honor God's word, Matthew chapter 17, verses 1 through 9.
Bryan Chapell: And after six days, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them.
Bryan Chapell: And his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light.
Bryan Chapell: And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah talking with him.
Bryan Chapell: 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, one for Elijah."
Bryan Chapell: He 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. Listen to him."
Bryan Chapell: When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified.
Bryan Chapell: But Jesus came and touched them saying, "Rise and have no fear."
Bryan Chapell: 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 the vision until the Son of Man is raised from the dead."
Bryan Chapell: Let's pray together.
Bryan Chapell: Father, this, your word, speaks of blinding light from the person of your son. But may we not be blinded. Yet give us eyes to see that the one being disclosed with such radiance becomes our own glory and strength and hope.
Bryan Chapell: Grant that we may see him more and more this day. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Bryan Chapell: Please be seated.
Bryan Chapell: In both Moses and Elijah, we see people critical to God's plan who nonetheless experienced great weakness in the face of obstacles that were just part of being human and in this world.
Bryan Chapell: So how is this amazing grace?
Bryan Chapell: Because 1500 years later, after God has said to Moses, "You can't go into the promised land."
Bryan Chapell: He appears on a mountain in the promised land.
Bryan Chapell: Elijah, 900 years after God has taken him to heaven, because of his cowardice, God has him appear again on the mountain. And what are both of these failures doing? They are affirming the greatness and the goodness of the plan of God.
Bryan Chapell: As though God is knowing we down here in the valley may need to have him write large on the rim so that we can see it. And he says, "Remember 1500 years ago, I said to Moses, 'You haven't done what you're supposed to do.' 900 years ago, I said to Elijah, 'You haven't done what you were supposed to do.'"
Bryan Chapell: And both of them are still in my plan and both of them are still here to bless the world. I, I can deal with people in their wickedness, their weakness, their hopelessness and bless them nonetheless.
Bryan Chapell: There is an amazing grace that's on display here.
Bryan Chapell: Now, if we just stopped right there, what would be your takeaways?
Bryan Chapell: If you said, "I, I know this kind of strange incredible account of the transfiguration, what would be my takeaways if I just stopped there? Moses and Elijah appear to point to Jesus and say, 'Here's the one long expected.'"
Bryan Chapell: I, I think you could just very readily say, "Listen, you are not your redeemer, but God clearly provided one."
Bryan Chapell: So, you don't have to trust you, not not your wisdom, not your performance, not your competence, not your courage.
Bryan Chapell: Look at those that God saved, look at those that God was using. You are not your redeemer, but God is sending one, and he's pointing him out.
Bryan Chapell: What would be another takeaway?
Bryan Chapell: Maybe it would simply be this: God's got a plan better than your plan.
Bryan Chapell: There's large writ the plan of redemption in this passage.
Bryan Chapell: But it's reminding us that the reason we trust God in the small things is because we've learned to see him operate so faithfully in the large expanse of history.
Bryan Chapell: God may have a better plan not just on the broad scope, but in the individual aspects of our lives too.
Bryan Chapell: Ultimately, what God is saying, if we have not followed that plan, in this chapter is, "Your sin need not be the final chapter of your life."
Bryan Chapell: Yes, God's got a better plan than the one you may be following. But if you're able to confess that, able to acknowledge that, then what has God said by Moses and Elijah?
Bryan Chapell: He has said, "The sin, the weakness, the failing is not the final chapter."
Bryan Chapell: We, we can still say, "God, I still need your help. I, I still need to acknowledge that what I have done is not right before you, but if you still had a plan for Moses, if you could still use Elijah."
Bryan Chapell: Do you still have a plan for me?
Bryan Chapell: Can you still use me? Will you yet forgive me?
Bryan Chapell: And the great message of the scriptures from beginning to end is not just, "You are not your redeemer," but God has made a redeemer. And he has come for people who are sinners and has made a way out of the difficulty of this world by the provision of his son.
Bryan Chapell: It is a wonderful message that he is providing for us, and it's so wonderful that he just kind of begins to put spotlights and highlights around it, not just by telling us of an incredible plan and an amazing grace, but an overwhelming glory.
Bryan Chapell: I mean, I, I know the words are before you, but could you just kind of picture them as they are? Verse 2, "He was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light."
Bryan Chapell: It's in some way supposed to take us back to the account of Moses when he received the Ten Commandments. And you remember that when he received those Ten Commandments, his, his face shone like the sun, so people veiled their faces so they didn't want to see him. Finally, he veiled his face so they would not have to be blinded by the light.
Bryan Chapell: But there's a key difference between Moses and the Jesus of this passage. And here's the difference: Moses' light was a reflection of the glory of God, as the moon reflects the sun. But in this passage, the glory comes from Jesus himself.
Bryan Chapell: As God is making clear to us, "This is the divine one. This is the God from on high who has come down." This is part of the amazing grace. This is the even greater glory. The divine has come down to you.
Bryan Chapell: And we did this a year ago as we were going through Daniel. This is Daniel 10 in reflection. His face is like lightning, his clothes are white. He's the man in white linen of Daniel 10. As Daniel projected 600 years before, six centuries before, "There will come a redeemer," and here he is, now standing, just as Daniel said, "Face like lightning, clothes that are white."
Bryan Chapell: And God is saying, "This glory is to show you how great is my grace and my goodness toward you."
Bryan Chapell: Now, as as much as we may see that in this moment, you must understand, the disciples did not get it.
Bryan Chapell: They're standing there, watching the transfiguration, and they don't get it. Verse 4, "Peter said to Jesus, 'Lord, it is good that we are here.'"
Bryan Chapell: "If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, one for Elijah."
Bryan Chapell: So in the theological language that my wife uttered after the first service, she said, "You know, sometimes Peter's just a knucklehead."
Bryan Chapell: Now, here is Jesus transfigured. And Peter says, "Well, let's make three temples of worship, three tabernacles, one for Moses, one for Elijah." And, and while he is still speaking, look at that, verse 5. "He was still speaking." As though God, "Do you mind if I interrupt you?"
Bryan Chapell: He 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. Listen to him!" Exclamation point, underline, italics.
Bryan Chapell: You know, "This is him! What, what are you doing talking about tabernacles to multiple figures? They come to affirm him."
Bryan Chapell: He is the one. As though Moses has come from all history past, Elijah from all prophecy past, the apex of their ministries now pointing to Jesus on that and saying, "He's the one. This is the one."
Bryan Chapell: "This is the one we've been speaking about for so long and so well."
Bryan Chapell: So verse 6 made sense when the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified.
Bryan Chapell: Verse 7, "But Jesus came and touched them saying, 'Rise and have no fear.'"
Bryan Chapell: You're listening to Unlimited Grace, the audio broadcast ministry of Pastor and author Bryan Chapell.
Bryan Chapell: Change, real change is hard. In fact, some people would claim that no change is really possible. But the truth is, it is possible. You can be different. You can overcome your struggle with sin or that addiction. But it won't be happening simply by turning over a new leaf or trying a little harder.
Bryan Chapell: The real power of change is ignited when we take hold of God's amazing grace.
Bryan Chapell: And in the book Unlimited Grace by Pastor Bryan Chapell, he shows you how. Unlimited Grace takes you on a journey to discover how grace not only frees you from the guilt and shame of a sinful life, but also provides the daily fuel needed for joy and strength in your Christian life.
Bryan Chapell: Take hold of God's grace, and it is the key to finding true life change.
Bryan Chapell: Request your copy of Unlimited Grace, that's the title of the book, when you go online to unlimitedgrace.com. And the web address again, unlimitedgrace.com.
Bryan Chapell: And now, more from Bryan Chapell on today's Unlimited Grace.
Bryan Chapell: Verse 7, "But Jesus came and touched them saying, 'Rise and have no fear.'"
Bryan Chapell: So many wonderful things there.
Bryan Chapell: The Lord of glory touches them.
Bryan Chapell: It's the incarnation in small letters.
Bryan Chapell: The King of glory became flesh and dwelt among us and he, he touched them.
Bryan Chapell: And then said those words that he catch them, "Have no fear."
Bryan Chapell: Oh, we've heard that before, haven't we?
Bryan Chapell: From the very beginning, in the garden, when Adam and Eve sinned, and they hid from God. And God said, "Why are you hiding from me?" And they said, "Well, we were afraid."
Bryan Chapell: God said, "Well, we're going to have to take care of that."
Bryan Chapell: And perhaps the most common phrase in all of scripture begins to appear, "Do not fear."
Bryan Chapell: "Do not fear, do not fear."
Bryan Chapell: So that when the angels announced the coming of Christ and the shepherds fell terrified, the angelic host saying, "Do not fear."
Bryan Chapell: It's the same thing that was said to Mary, said to Joseph, said to Simeon, over and over again, "Do not fear, do not fear, do not fear." And now to the disciples themselves.
Bryan Chapell: And when Jesus will be resurrected and will appear in glory, what does he say? "Do not fear."
Bryan Chapell: I have a sense that for maybe all of us, when we enter the, the glories of heaven, that the first thing God may say to every one of us, "Do not fear."
Bryan Chapell: "You have a redeemer. You have one who stands before you, who gave himself for your sin, who intercedes for you, who now provides a way of grace for you. Do not fear."
Bryan Chapell: And with that great expression of the Gospel that's in front of them, they're ready for the next thing.
Bryan Chapell: Did you catch it? Verse 8, "And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus." You know, if there's any way of saying, "Where should you focus now?" "There's no one but Jesus."
Bryan Chapell: It's, it's the great Gospel statement of all time.
Bryan Chapell: That we don't look to us, we don't look to others, we don't look to our performance, we don't look to our confidence, we don't look to our, our baptism, our parents, our background, the church. There's no one but Jesus.
Bryan Chapell: Trust him. He's the one who made a way. He's the one who's provided the grace.
Bryan Chapell: And, and that is the message for you from, from the garden to the manger, to our new birth, to our birth into heaven.
Bryan Chapell: He is saying, "Do not fear."
Bryan Chapell: But turn to no one else but Jesus. It is a marvelous perspective from the rim.
Bryan Chapell: But it's not the only perspective in this text.
Bryan Chapell: Matthew 17, you know that Jesus and the disciples will come down the mountain. And then what?
Bryan Chapell: The view from the raft.
Bryan Chapell: Verse 14, "And when they came to the crowd, a man came up to him and kneeling before him, said, 'Lord, have mercy on my son.'"
Bryan Chapell: "For he has seizures and he suffers terribly. For often he falls into the fire, and often into the water." Here is a family in the rapids.
Bryan Chapell: "My son is really strong, he's hurting, and, and I can't fix this." And, and he often falls in the fire and he falls in the water. And these, these waves of life, these, these currents are threatening to, to take us under and take him under.
Bryan Chapell: God, I just need your help now. I just need your help.
Bryan Chapell: I'm, I'm glad that you're the big God of the rim and the infinite plan.
Bryan Chapell: But would you just come into my life right now?
Bryan Chapell: I've mentioned to you with some frequency that at our distance from the Bible, we, we tend to look at the miracles of the Bible and think they're just happening one after another after another. And that is not right at all. There are vast epochs in which there are no miracles. In fact, we are told there are no miracles.
Bryan Chapell: But rather in these four or 500-year cycles, there are miracles. Echoing the covenants that I was just telling you about before. At, at points where there's the inbreaking of some major message of God's Gospel kingdom. Is at those moments that there are bursts of miracles.
Bryan Chapell: All right, be a good Bible student.
Bryan Chapell: What's, what's the message that's bursting into the scene right now as Christ is going to do? Verse 18, "Jesus rebuked the demon and it came out of him, and the boy was healed instantly." What, what's the message?
Bryan Chapell: He is the God of the rim. He is the God of the, the mountain.
Bryan Chapell: And he is the God who cares this intimately for a father in need and a child with absolutely no ability to help himself to be saved.
Bryan Chapell: What's your message?
Bryan Chapell: There is grace greater than all our sin, provided by the God of infinite power for a people of intimate need.
Bryan Chapell: I'm glad to know that there's a God of the rim, but, but in the rapids of life. I, I need to know that that God of eternity cares about my eternity.
Bryan Chapell: And he will do whatever is best in, in health, in struggle, in witness, in struggle to claim my soul and your soul for eternity. And when you see the God of the rim, when you are going through the rapids and know he's willing to get in the raft for your eternity.
Bryan Chapell: You can go through any rapids you got to go through. Anyone.
Bryan Chapell: Had an amazing experience this week.
Bryan Chapell: A man came to my office at the invitation of one of you, a man who's a former Muslim. Now he has ministry to Muslims in a closed country, which means it is dangerous to minister to Muslims in that country. He's a former Muslim himself, now having been converted, he goes back to that country to minister to the underground church.
Bryan Chapell: He simply said, "When I became a Christian, I went back to that country of my home to, to minister to Christians and other Muslims. I met with a group of eight church leaders. They will not even tell each other where their churches are, so if they are tortured, they cannot tell what they do not know."
Bryan Chapell: He said, "Of those eight leaders, three have now been martyred."
Bryan Chapell: He still goes back.
Bryan Chapell: I ask him, the preacher thing, "With all those struggles, with all those dangers, why did you become a Christian?"
Bryan Chapell: This is what he said, "There is no human explanation. I read the Bible and was convinced by the covenant with Abraham."
Bryan Chapell: Now, in four decades of ministry, I'd never had anybody say that.
Bryan Chapell: "I was convinced that the God who had an eternal plan included me."
Bryan Chapell: "And that brought me to faith."
Bryan Chapell: I love it and need it. For when my heart or my family is going through the rapids, it is so easy for me in just knowledge of history to believe in a God of the rim.
Bryan Chapell: But in the rapids, I need the God of the raft. And this is what I know. No matter how intense the waves, no matter how much they threaten to pull us under.
Bryan Chapell: If we know that God is in the raft with us, we can go through it all and be eternally secure in our faith in him. Why I put faith in him? Because he's the God of the rim who got into the raft for you and me and still will.
Bryan Chapell: Trust in him and let him take you through the rapids to the eternity that he plans for you. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Bryan Chapell: Father, it's not a history lesson. It's your Holy Spirit ministering to our hearts. So teach us well that the God who is so big made himself nothing and came to this earth for you and for me, fellow believer. Or fellow who's just seeking to believe.
Bryan Chapell: God has shown you how big is the power of the rim so that when we go through the rapids of our lives, we will invite him into the raft with us and he'll come. He'll come. For whatever we have to face. Trust him. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Bryan Chapell: That's Pastor Brian Chapell and you've been listening to Unlimited Grace. If you've missed anything that you'd like to hear once again, just visit unlimitedgrace.com. And when you do so, you can sign up for Pastor Brian's daily devotional, sent right to your inbox. While you're there, also be sure to request a copy of the book from Dr. Brian Chapell called Unlimited Grace. We'll send you a copy right away as our way of saying thank you for your most generous financial support.
Bryan Chapell: Once again, go to unlimitedgrace.com or you can give by calling 844-41Grace. That's 844-414-7223.
Bryan Chapell: Please be sure to join us next time as once again we endeavor to put Christ at the center of our efforts so that lives might be transformed by his Unlimited Grace.
Bryan Chapell: This ministry is brought to you by Unlimited Grace Media and continues to be made possible with your generous financial support.