Matthew
17:1-5 KJV 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.
This is the fourth part of a series I have been preaching concerning
the CHURCH ON THE ROCK.
On top of this mountain, or Rock, Christ was identified by the Father
as being His Beloved Son in whom the Father was wellpleased.
- This was spoken as an
interruption of Peter's words concerning the construction of three
houses on the mountain.
- The Lord wanted to build a
house on this mountain, but not as Peter thought.
Mat
7:21-27 KJV Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall
enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my
Father which is in heaven. (22) Many will say to me in that
day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name
have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
(23) And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart
from me, ye that work iniquity. (24) Therefore whosoever
heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a
wise man, which built his house upon a rock: (25) And the
rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon
that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
(26) And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth
them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house
upon the sand: (27) And the rain descended, and the floods
came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and
great was the fall of it.
Notice He concentrated on the aspect of a HOUSE ON A ROCK that CANNOT
FALL.
- This is associated with the
words in Chapter 17 about the Mountain of Transfiguration.
- And Peter, the one who
suggested building three tabernacles on the mountain, also spoke words
concerning entering the Kingdom and NOT FALLING.
So we not only have Matt. 16, Matt. 7 and 2 Tim. 2 all corresponding
together, but now these words of PETER:
2Pe
1:2-11 KJV Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the
knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, (3) According as
his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life
and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to
glory and virtue: (4) Whereby are given unto us exceeding
great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the
divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world
through lust. (5) And beside this, giving all diligence,
add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; (6) And
to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience
godliness; (7) And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to
brotherly kindness charity. (8) For if these things be in
you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor
unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (9)
But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and
hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. (10)
Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and
election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:
(11) For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly
into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Jesus and Peter both mentioned the note about coming into a place in
which we never fall.
- Jesus said a man who hears
and obeys His words builds a house on a rock that does not fall.
- Peter said that adding to our
faith seven elements of holiness causes us to never fall.
- And both also mentioned the
entrance into the Kingdom.
2
Peter 2:10 ...ye shall never fall: (11) For so an entrance
shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of
our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Mat 7:21 KJV Not every one
that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven;
but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Notice what Peter said about the DIVINE NATURE:
2
Peter 1 (4) Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and
precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine
nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through
lust.
A church built on the rock is only as strong as that rock.
- The qualities of the ROCK are shared by
the church built on top of it.
- And to become a partaker HIS
DIVINE NATURE is to BECOME AN IMAGE OF GOD.
Like a house on the Rock that never falls when the storms rise, our
lives are images of Jesus.
Jesus told us to hear His words and DO THEM in order to build our the
house of our Christianity on the Rock.
- Peter mentions the same note.
Matthew
7:21 KJV Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall
enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my
Father which is in heaven.
Mat 7:(24) Therefore
whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken
him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
2Pe 1:10-18 KJV
(10) Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your
calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never
fall: (11) For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you
abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ. Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in
remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in
the present truth. (13) Yea, I think it meet, as long as I
am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in
remembrance; (14) Knowing that shortly I must put off this
my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me.
(15) Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my
decease to have these things always in remembrance. (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.
Peter was directly referring to Matthew 17 where Jesus was transfigured
and the Father said, "This is my beleoved Son, HEAR YE HIM."
As God told Peter to HEAR THE WORDS OF JESUS, Peter is telling his
readers to HEED THESE WORDS.
Notice that Peter spoke of MAKING OUR CALLING AND ELECTION SURE.
This is the HOUSE Jesus spoke of that the wise man builds on the rock.
This is the CHURCH.
Making it SURE means PUTTING IT ON A FOUNDATION OF ROCK.
An entrance into the Kingdom is ministered to abundantly just as Jesus
said not every who says Lord Lord shall enter the KINGDOM.
And here Peter seems to be taking Matthew 7's words of entering the
kingdom, making a house of our callings and elections sure on a rock
foundation, and associating them with MATTHEW 17 and the mount of
transfiguration just as we have done in this series of sermons.
And Jesus said if we hear His words and DO THEM, we build a house on
the rock!
- Back in Matt 17 Peter had a
somewhat correct concept about building a house, but he had the nature
of the house all wrong.
- Jesus wants us to build a
house on the Rock or MOUNTAIN of His word!
- And we do that without
physical wood and nails, but rather the wood and nails of the TRUTHS OF
THE CROSS.
So the ROCK is CHRIST, ZION or HIS WORD.
Hearing his sayings and doing them are like building a house ON THE
ROCK.
So the KINGDOM OF ZION, Jesus Himself and HIS WORD are really all the
same thing.
When our HOUSES are SURE< they do not fall insce they are on a
foundation.
Jesus said those who do not enter are those whom He NEVER KNEW in Mat
7:23.
- "Know" means DEEP MUTUAL LOVE
in this context.
- He loves us, but by KNOWING
US it becomes a case of BOTH OF US LOVING ONE ANOTHER.
- Jesus said if we love Him we
will keep his commandments - DO HIS WORDS.
John
14:15 KJV If ye love me, keep my commandments.
LOVING or KNOWING JESUS in MUTUAL LOVE requires keeping his
commandments.
- His words concern the cross,
following Him and denying self.
If we must do the will of the Father in order to enter into the
Kingdom, and JESUS MUST ALSO KNOW US to enter the kingdom, then
obviously doing God's will is how Jesus COMES TO KNOW US
Recall that Peter said we are made partakers of his divine nature if we
heed these things.
2Pe
1:4 KJV Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious
promises: that by these ye might be
partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption
that is in the world through lust.
This means we are made into God's image.
And after saying we should heed his words, because he was there when
The Father spoke to Jesus about being His Son on the mount of
transfiguration, we then read:
2Pe
1:19 KJV 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:
MORE SURE.
Jesus shone like the sun on that mountain.
And Peter said when we take HEED, THE LIGHT SHINES IN A DARK PLACE, and
the day dawns and the daystar arises in our hearts!
The wonder of it all is that JESUS WAS TRANSFORMED.
- Transfigured in Matt 17 comes
from the same greek word TRANSFORMED elsewhere.
Romans
12:2 KJV And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by
the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good,
and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Sis Joyce said the SAVING OF THE SOUL is literally the REFUSAL TO
CHANGE YOUR WAY OF THINKING.
- It is refusal to LOSE your
old way of thinking, and that thinking is self preservation and refusal
to deny self and take up the cross.
- But to GET THIS CHANGE OF
THINKING and accepting the cross will TRANSFORM YOU AS WELL.
Moses went atop Horeb and saw the GLORY OF GOD.
Exodus
33:13 KJV Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in
thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find
grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people.
HE WANTED TO KNOW GOD.
Exodus
33:18 KJV And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.
He knew it was by seeing God's glory.
Exodus
33:23 KJV And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my
back parts: but my face shall not be seen.
Exodus 34:29 KJV And it came
to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of
testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses
wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him.
HE SHONE JUST LIKE JESUS SHONE!
This is what we can experience!
2Pe
1:19 KJV 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:
You will be TRANSFORMED JUST LIKE JESUS, when you seek to KNOW HIM by
hearing his words and doing them, so you can be on a ROCK!
Your MIND changed to ACCEPT CROSS and SELF DENIAL is what Jesus was
talking about with Moses and Elijah when he was literally TRANSFORMED.
- Rom 12:1-2 speaks of that
SACRIFICE concept and says we are TRANSFORMED by the renewing of our
minds.
- Jesus' transformation
prefigured this.
- He is saying that our
acceptance of the cross and self denial will transform us with a power
of resurrection upon us.
- Jesus was speaking to Moses
and Elijah about HIS DECEASE and it was while HE WAS TRANSFORMED.
- This shows that RENEWING OUR
MINDS to this truth of the cross and sacrifice TRANSFORMS US.
Romans
12:3 KJV For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man
that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to
think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man
the measure of faith.
"NOT TO THINK" more highly.
