I'd like to give you all a warm
welcome to our worship here this evening. Let us ask the Lord's
blessing in prayer. Let us pray. O Lord God of heaven
and of earth, do grant unto us thy felt presence as we gather
this evening hour, make it to be like that first day of the
week, then were the disciples glad when they saw the Lord. Do grant us, Lord, that blessing
that we may go on our way and start a week with that strength
and help that only Thou canst give. O Lord, who make Thyself
precious to us and help us to worship Thee, we ask through
Thy name, Lord Jesus. Amen. Hymn, 359. Tune, Carlisle 17. Let us read together from the
Holy Word of God, the Gospel according to Matthew, and chapter
17. We'll read the first 23 verses. We have one of our free Bibles,
that is the first book in the Old Testament, in the New Testament.
The first book in the New Testament, Matthew, chapter 17. And after six days, Jesus taketh
Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an
high mountain apart, and was transfigured before them. And
his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as
the light. And behold, there appeared unto
them Moses and Elias talking with him. Then answered Peter
and said unto Jesus, It is good for us to be here. If thou will,
let us make here three tabernacles, one for Elias and one for Moses. Sorry, one for thee, and one
for Moses, and one for Elias. 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. And when the disciples
heard it, they fell on their face and were sore afraid. And Jesus came and touched them
and said, Arise and be not afraid. And when they had lifted up their
eyes, they saw no man save Jesus only. And as they came down from
the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no
man until the Son of Man be risen again from the dead. And his
disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that
Elias must first come? And Jesus answered and said unto
them, Elias truly shall come first. first come and restore
all things. But I say unto you that Elias
is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him
whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of
Man suffer of them.' Then the disciples understood that he
spake unto them of John the Baptist. And when they were come to the
multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down
to him and saying, Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is lunatic
and sore-vexed, for oft times he falleth into the fire, and
offed into the water, and I brought him to thy disciples, and they
could not cure him. Then Jesus answered and said,
O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I suffer you? Bring him hither to me. And Jesus rebuked the devil,
and he departed out of him, and the child was cured from that
very hour. Then came the disciples to Jesus
apart and said, Why could not we cast him out? And Jesus said
unto them, Because of your unbelief, For verily I say unto you, if
ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this
mountain, Remove hence to yonder place, and it shall remove, and
nothing shall be impossible unto you. Howbeit this kind goeth
not out, but by prayer and fasting. And while they abode in Galilee,
Jesus said unto them, The Son of Man shall be betrayed into
the hands of men, and they shall kill him. And the third day he
shall be raised again. And they were exceeding sorry. Thus far the reading of God's
holy word. May he bless it to us and help
us in prayer. Let us pray. O Thou merciful
and loving Heavenly Father, we come to Thee through Thy beloved
Son. We do thank Thee for the gift
of him, that Thou didst not withhold him, Thine only begotten Son,
Thy dear Son, whom Thou didst love and whom Thou dost love. Lord, Thou didst offer him up
And Lord, we do thank Thee for that offering and for that empty
tomb and the acceptance of the sacrifice offered at Calvary. We thank Thee for our Lord and
Saviour, Jesus Christ, the one amongst ten thousand, the altogether
lovely, the only name given among men, whereby we must be saved. Lord, we do thank thee for him
that is an elder brother born for adversity, that is a near
kinsman and has a right to redeem, and we do thank thee for the
redemption that is in our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. O Lord, do hear prayer for each
gathered this evening, that thy blessing might be upon each soul,
that thy quickening grace to make alive, to give the new birth,
to quicken into life might be imparted, and that where that
life is, where there are new ears and eyes and feeling, that
thou hast be pleased to teach through thy word and draw on
and lead to full assurance of faith. O Lord, we would have
our ears open to what thou would have us to say. And Lord, the
people, Lord, may they be also like Cornelius of old in saying
to the apostle Peter, behold, we are all here gathered before
God to hear what thou art commanded of God to speak. And Lord, we
do seek, Lord, that expectation that thou who has said he that
hath an ear Let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. My, grant the word and grant
the blessing. O Lord, help us to be faithful
to thy word, and help each hearer to be as the Bereans to search
the Scriptures daily, whether these things be so. O Lord, do
grant unto us that secret of the Lord which is with them that
fear him. that we might be delivered from
every false way. Lord, we live in a day when there
are so many false ways, not just in our local village or town
or acquaintances that we might come across, but with the internet,
we may have every error from all the way around the world
thrust at us and brought before us. Oh Lord, do be pleased to
preserve those who really desire to know the way of truth and
leave them not to be drawn aside by so many false teachers and
false shepherds. O Lord, do grant that each one
of Thy dear people might be guided to where they shall hear the
truth and where they shall be blessed. Give them each individually
discernment, gracious discernment, to be able to try the words they
hear by Thy Holy Bible, by thy word, Lord, we do seek that we
might be able to do that, and that thou dost leave us not then
to be deceived. We do seek the application of
thy word to our souls. Do fasten it there. Cause it
to take deep root. Let not Satan rip it out of our
hearts and minds, and let not the Things of this world choke
the word that it become unprofitable, nor that, Lord, the offence of
the word cause us to be offended at it. Do grant, Lord, that we
might be unashamed of thee and of thy word in the midst of this
generation. O Lord, we know many speak against
it, many hate it, And thou hast said, I have given them thy word,
and the world hath hated them. And so, Lord, do grant that thy
word might be hid in our heart, it might be precious to us, we
might feed upon it, we be unashamed of it, and that we might know
that it is through thy word that thou dost reveal thyself to thy
people and appear to them, just the same as with Samuel. O Lord, do grant it to us too,
and be like Jeremiah, thy words were found, and I did eat them,
they were to the joy and rejoicing of my soul. O Lord, bless us
here and those that join with us online, we ask thy blessing
to be upon them, and those who have heard thy word throughout
the day, do seal that which has already been heard and attended
to, whether here or Lamberhurst, or Pilgrim Home, or wherever
thy word has gone forth today, we do seek thy blessing to rest
upon it. And O send us not away, but that
thou dost speak again through thy word. And Lord, if any have
been disappointed, hither to, and have come seeking specific
help to bless them through the word. We pray that thou remember
thy people in the paths, especially of tribulation, that they are
caused to walk through. Remember our dear brother, a
deacon at Lambethurst, and do grant thy kind healing hand upon
him. Strengthen him and appear for
him in health, in providence, and in every way. We do say,
Lord, that thou remember other brethren passing through tribulation
at this time. And, O Lord, kindly appear for
them and help them, comfort those that are in bereavement, bless
medication to those receiving it, those that are unwell, those
that are hoping to come over to visit here soon. And we do
commit them unto Thee, our dear brethren, sisters in faith in
Holland. O Lord, do hear prayer for them. And, Lord, that thou would remember
Those of our churches in Australia, America, and Canada, Lord, do
bless our churches there and loved ones that worship in those
lands. And Lord, do be pleased to be
with each gathering in this land. O, do send out thy light and
thy truth. Lord, we would mourn that thy
word is so trodden underfoot, so forgotten. that many will
rise up in many other things, but not in the defence of thy
word, and to return unto thee. O Lord, remember us as a nation
that once we knew so many of thy blessings, and yet we have
forgotten them. We have turned away from thee
who delivered us in times of war, who set us free, and who's
blessed us with so many liberties. And we thank Thee for that freedom
of worship and the blessings that we have. O Lord, leave us
not to abuse these things. Do grant Thy blessing upon us
here and make us a blessing to this town and all that hear Thy
word from here. We do seek Thy blessing upon
the free Bibles sent forth. Do bless each copy of Thy word. Do work savingly in the hearts
of those who receive Thy word. And Lord, we lay a petition for
the meetings of the Creation Ministries International later
this month. Lord, do grant thy blessing of
health and strength to all involved and that the meeting might be
able to go ahead and be made a blessing to many. Lord, do
be pleased then to hear prayer and give us prayer, give us grace
and graceful grace, and that we might receive of thy fullness,
Lord Jesus. Lord, remember those who see
what is required, see what is needed, see the need to be a
believer, see the need to have faith, see the need to have those
things that are required and set forth in the gospel. Lord,
do grant that each might know that those provisions, those
things, those graces are to be found in our Lord and Saviour,
Jesus Christ, and not in ourselves. O Lord, help us to seek unto
Thee, for every grace and every favour comes to us through Jesus'
precious blood. Remember those then that feel
to be devoid of grace to be devoid of righteousness and holiness
and prayer and life and hope and love and mercy and Lord do
grant to them those things as gifts of grace from above that
we might be able to say with the Apostle that I am what I
am by the grace of God. Thou do give us the grace of
the spirit of prayer and supplications. And then, Lord, do hear our poor
prayers, but those prayers that thou hast given, and be pleased
to answer them, that we might be unable to say that our help
is in the name of the Lord, that made heaven and earth. We pray, Lord, for each year
and our young people, do bless them. Guide them in life, provide
for them in life's journey in every way. And do be pleased,
Lord, to raise up a generation that shall tell to another generation
the wonderful works of God. Bless each seeker with being
a finder. Remember those that are troubled
and do give them thy fear not. Be pleased to lead those that
feel to be blind. And Lord, do fill those that
feel so empty. O Lord, satisfy thy pull with
bread, and do grant, Lord, that we might be given grace to labour,
not for the bread that perisheth, but that which endureth unto
eternal life. O Lord, we pray for this town
and for those round about us, many of whom we know, many of
whom we have spoken to. And O Lord, be pleased to come
and fill this house with hungering, thirsting souls. Do keep us,
Lord, in the way. Do keep us from sin. Do grieve
us not. Do grant us the fear of the Lord.
We do seek now the help of thy Spirit and thy blessing this
evening as we come to thy word. We ask thee, Lord, these things
through our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen. The announcements, God willing,
I'm expected to preach here on Thursday evening at seven o'clock,
the next Lord's Day at 11 a.m. and 6.30 p.m. We're not able
to give the collection amounts for last month. Our stewardship
website is down. You cannot give or find out what
is given from the site at the moment. So God willing, next
week we will do so. Hymn, 514. Tune, Regent Square 684. Seeking for the help of the Lord,
I direct your prayer for attention to Matthew, Gospel according
to Matthew chapter 17, and part of verse four. The words in the middle of the
verse, which Peter is saying to our Lord, It is good for us
to be here. The whole verse reads, 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. Matthew 17, verse 4, in the middle
of it specifically. This is an account of what the
Lord brought about and brought before Peter, James, and John. Wherever the Lord does something
like this, bring his people to a certain place, there is a purpose
for it, a reason for it. The Lord does not waste places,
times. He uses everything. We are told in Romans 8 that
all things work together for good, to them that love God,
to them that are the called according to His purpose. But when things
happen like this, sometimes there is a mixed view of what actually
the Lord is doing and what we should do. Now no doubt with
Peter, and this was a experience that had never, they'd never
seen anything like this before. We read how that they were troubled
and that they were afraid. And we're told that he really
did not know. In the other accounts, with the
account in Mark as well as Luke, John doesn't recount it, but
he says this in verse four, The Lord never referred or spoke
to him about the tabernacles, virtually overlooked that, and
then went about teaching what has been taught in this passage. But one thing was right, what
Peter said, and that was, it is good for us to be here. It is a reminder to us as well
then we are brought into situations we can have mixed feelings. Some things we say are right,
some things are not. We very seldom get the whole
picture right. I often think of the case of
Jonathan, Saul's son, going to David and encouraging him in
the wood. And he said to him, that I know
of a shorty, that thou wilt be king over Israel, and I will
be next unto thee. Well, he was right about David
being the king. He was not right about him being
next. He was to be slain with his father
in the same battle. And we need not be put off when
we have proved that in some things that we have said, some things
that we have thought, some expectation that we have had raised up, has
not actually been right. It hasn't been fulfilled. But
other things, they have been right. We are not to expect that
we respond and know immediately in everything we come into why
we have done it, why the Lord has brought it about, You think
of what the Lord said when he was to wash the disciples' feet. What I do, thou knowest not now,
but thou shalt know hereafter. Many times in the lives of God's
people, that is worked out. Sometimes like with Jacob, has
to wait 20 years before he finds out that Joseph is still alive
and that the dreams that he had, that they were to be fulfilled
and not just come to nothing. And so it is right to take the
word that Peter said here, that is a right word, a good word. He comes into this place, and
he comes into it with James and John, and he recognizes that
and says that it is good for us to be here. So I want to give
three reasons that Peter could say what he has said here. It is good for us to be here. These will be our three points. The first is this, it was a place
where Jesus had brought them. Or, if we look at Mark, led them
to, or if we Look at Luke, he has brought them to pray. Secondly, it was a place where
Jesus was with them. He was with them in this mount. For that reason, it is good for
us to be here. And then lastly, it was a place
where there was teaching and revelation. many things that
they knew after this time that they didn't know or had been
reaffirmed at this time. But firstly, it was a place where
the Lord had brought them. Now we might say, well, this
cannot be replicated today. How is this going to be a help
to us our lord is not on earth it cannot be literally that the
lord takes a people and leads them to a place but does that
mean then that the lord never brings a person to be in a particular
place or leads them to be in a place his providence shepherds
his people. We think of Joseph, we mentioned
him already, but what decisions did Joseph need to make to bring
him to Egypt? None at all. Providence shepherded
him every step of the way. All he did was to obey his father,
go and see his brothers, and then it was taken out of his
hand. Was Joseph in a place where the
Lord had brought him, where the Lord had led him? You may not
have felt it at first, but afterwards, he said, the Lord sent me before
you to preserve your lives. He was there in the providence
of God. Thomas Watson, I think it says,
said he'd put a lot more weight upon providence than he would
of having a word from the Lord, because we can be mistaken sometimes
in a word, but in providence we cannot be. In reality, with
guidance from the Lord, we really need three things to meet up
together. We need it to be according to
the Word of God. We need it to be according to
providence. And we need it to be that we
have been made willing to do so. If a person is looking for
a place of employment, they might be willing to be employed in
a certain place, But the position is not offered to them. They
might be willing and the place is offered to them, but it is
not according to the word of God. It's working in a place
of iniquity, or a place where they shouldn't be. And so we
need to make sure that those three things, it is according
to the word of God. The Lord has made us willing.
and the Lord has opened up providence and not put a shut door before
us. But here it could be clearly
said, here the Lord had brought them, and each of the evangelists,
they each put it in a different way. They've either been led
there, they've been brought there, they've been brought there, to
pray, a place where the Lord would have his people to pray,
and that makes it to be a good place. And we think of how many
prayers, the best place for prayer is places of tribulation, places
of fear, places of trial, place where They cry unto the Lord
in their trouble and he delivers them out of their distresses. Sometimes that would be the last
place we think that the Lord would lead his people into trouble
or into a place which is not what we expected, but where it
is brought that prayer is there. Then that is a blessed thing
to realise it is a place that the Lord has brought us to. It's
a sad thing if we are in a place in providence or walking in a
path and we've got that in our conscience that says you shouldn't
be here, you shouldn't be doing that, you shouldn't be in this
place. On the other hand, if we're in
a place and we've got tribulation, it's not what we thought, and
there's troubles and there's trials, but we can look back
and you can look back on providence You can look back on the word
of the Lord that's been our lamp and direction. You can look back
to answers to prayer and you can see very clearly that we
are where we are because the Lord has brought us there, because
he has put us there. And to be able to say then in
that place, Lord, it is good for us to be here. And sometimes
this word might just flow in maybe in our own homes. The Lord
has given us our home and where we are and we think of other
places where we've been and we look at perhaps what the Lord
has given us and it comes over. Lord, it is good for us to be
here. This is just suitable for us as a family or a person to
be in this home and in this place the Lord has provided it. And
that's a blessed thing to realise that we are where we are, we're
dwelling where we're dwelling because the Lord would have us
to be there. And especially when we realise
that we have blessings the Lord has blessed us there, we can
have it when we realize we're in the country the Lord has brought
us to, and to feel it is good for us to be here. These things
can suddenly come, you feel these things. I remember when I first
visited Cranbrook, it was in 1988, before I was called into
the ministry at all, and in my book of photographs of Cranbrook,
there is Jockey Lane, and I took a photograph of it, not because
of the place, but there was a sports car there that I thought was
quite unique and took a photograph of that. But just walking up
Jockey Lane the other evening, these words, they just dropped
in, Lord is good for us to be here. I thought all that happened
since that photograph was taken, all in the providence of God
and brought back to this land and back to this town and established
here. And it's good to feel that, to
be able to see the Lord's hand, to be able to join with Peter
and to say it is good for us to be here. And specifically
good in this first point because we feel we're being placed here
or led here or brought here And it's been a place that has been
profitable in that, that has been a place of prayer. I hope
continue to place a prayer. And may you think that in your
places of employment, it's good for me, good for us to be here. Or in the place of worship here
this evening. I hope you can say, I hope you
will say, it is good for us to be here. those times that we
are brought to be under the Word, to hear the Word of God, that
there are times that we are able to see the Lord has brought us
there, and that it is good for us to be here. That's the first
reason. It's a place where Jesus had
brought them, led them, caused them to come, and it was a place
of prayer. The Lord does lead his people. He led them forth by the right
way that they might go to a city of habitation. When the good
shepherd, he putteth forth his sheep, he goeth before them. My sheep, they hear my voice,
they follow me. I will be able then to see that
and to look for that in every place that we come. I'd much
rather be in a place of trial, of trouble, and sorrow, of affliction,
and see clearly the Lord has put us there and brought us there,
than to be in a place of peace, of prosperity, of wealth and
ease, and yet be troubled in the mind, whether we really actually
put our hand to it, and we're really where we shouldn't be.
No, the Lord can overrule things in that way, but it should be
a special help when perhaps we're tempted to escape out of a situation. It is good for us to be here. The second thing is that it was
a place where Jesus was with them. Again, we might say, well,
that cannot be replicated. the same today. But we think
of the promise, though I'm with you all way, even unto the end
of the world. The Lord has promised his presence
with his people. Now is his presence known? His
presence is known by his spirit and by his grace. That which
he reveals to his people, his word, is in demonstration of
the spirit and in power. God's presence that is everywhere
is specifically known by the people of God as a manifested
presence. And how it is manifested is really
in a way that was here. They were brought to see Jesus,
and we come to this more later, but brought to see the Lord Jesus
Christ in a way that they'd never seen him before. And we may say
that those especially of us who've been brought up under the sound
of the truth, we've heard his name, we've heard him set forth,
we've seen him in the word pictures of the preached word again and
again, but blessed be that time when we see the Lord as we have
never seen him before. when he is revealed to us in
a way that we have not seen him before. And there must be that
change in Isaiah 53. He's declared to be as a root
out of dry ground, there's no form nor comeliness that we should
desire him. And yet we read unto you which
believe he is precious. There has been a change, there's
been a difference. And so with the Lord's presence,
That is known, where we see him in a different way. The Lord's presence is known
by the power, by the spirit, revealing the things of the Lord
Jesus Christ. He says in John 10, that my sheep,
they hear my voice, they follow me. You think of Jacob leaving
home, having the stones for his pillow, And the Lord appears
to him in a vision. There is a ladder set up on earth
and extending into heaven. The angels ascending and descending
upon it. And the Lord speaking to him
in that vision. And he says, how dreadful is
this place. This is none other than the gate
of heaven. He realized the blessing of that
place by the blessing that he had and how the Lord met with
him. That which is known of the Lord
is experienced by the people of God, is known and felt, and
the word of God is a living word, and the Lord is a living saviour,
and he says that no man can come unto me except the Father which
sent me. Draw him, and I'll raise him
up at the last day. where we are drawn to the Lord.
Those are blessed places where we see the Lord, especially in
the house of God, but in our homes, I've often felt, and we
move to a different home. I long for that first time that
the Lord sanctifies it with his felt presence, with a blessing
upon the word, with our hearts drawn out to him, and him meeting
with us, perhaps in the family worship, more privately and to
know the blessing of the Lord in that place. May we always
desire that the Lord be with us. If we go into places where
we couldn't expect or ask the Lord to come, then we may question,
why are we here? If the Lord, if we would not
want the Lord to come the second coming and find us in that place,
why are we in that place? In his temple everyone does speak
of his glory, but in the world they only consult to cast him
down from his excellency. If we were to look for the Lord's
presence, there are places that we could go on this earth that
we would know, we would not expect it. We would know that we were
walking wrong in going to such places, that when we come To
the house of God, may it be that our expectation is, like those
that were going up to the feast, will Jesus appear? Will he come
to the feast? That was the question. The Lord's
blessed promise, and doesn't just apply to a church's meeting
for discipline, but it applies to every assembly, that where
two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I. in the
midst of them. Unto him shall the gathering
of the people be. And God is greatly to be feared
in the assembly of the saints, to be had in reverence of all
them that are about him. And you see this effect especially
on this Mount of Transfiguration. On to look then lastly that it
was a place where Jesus was teaching them, and a place of revelation. We already said that it was a
place of prayer, but as we read this account, the first thing
that we read, that our Lord Jesus was transfigured before them. In verse two, his face did shine
as the sun, his raiment was white as the light. The glory of the
Lord is seen here. It is good for us to be here. It is good when we see the glory
of the Lord. In the hymns of Our Lord's coming,
we read, failed in flesh, his glory. And we think of the
type in the Old Testament of the ark, and how the ark was
all made and overlaid of gold. It was made of timber, but overlaid
with gold. A rectangular box, some forefoot,
long two foot by two foot and over top of him the cherubims
on each end and the mercy seat and it was carried on the shoulders
of the Levites but it was never seen because it was in the holy
of holies with the veil over it and when they took down the
temple they covered it and the veil was that which was of badger
skins. And over the veil there was then
put a blue covering. The blue is like setting forth
grace. When our Lord was on earth, even
his adversaries and enemies, they couldn't resist the grace.
They said, no man speaketh like this man. They wondered at the
gracious words that proceeded out of his lips. But then, as
it were, they saw him. They saw him as the carpenter's
son. They saw him as a poor man. And
they stumbled at that. But his disciples, especially
when you have a case like when they were in the ship and he
arose and rebuked the winds and the waves and there was great
calm. And they said, what manner of man is this? Even the winds
and the waves obey him. So on one hand, they saw him
asleep in that ship. On the other, when he was awake,
they see his power, his glory, is like that veil lifted and
they saw just a little glimpse of the glory and of the gold. And that's what it's like here.
They go up into the mountain and he was transfigured before
them. His face did shine as the sun,
His raiment was white as the light. May the Lord, through His Spirit,
show us His glory, and we see His glory. One mark of the people
of God. Yes, it is to be revealed, especially
in heaven. That's why the Lord prays, and
He said, Father, I will that they whom thou hast given me
be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory. The glory
is of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. May we come to a place where
we get a glimpse, able to see his glory. You know, this vision
was soon passed away, It's only for a short time. They never
forgot it. Peter speaks of it later on in
his epistles. The hymn writer says, sweet the
moments rich in blessing, rich before the cross we spend. And
often those blessings are short and those things that we've seen
and the beauty or the glory that we've seen is only for a short
time, but we're never forgetting what the Lord has shown us. So
that was the first thing. The second, they heard. They heard what they were speaking. And this is what, not Matthew,
but Luke in chapter nine, verse 31, he speaks of. And what they
were talking about was of his decease and that which he should
accomplish at Jerusalem. what he should accomplish at
Jerusalem. Not just reading about or hearing
about, hearing Moses and Elias speaking of his crucifixion,
of his death, but what he should accomplish at Jerusalem. What should be done there. This is what in this place they
heard. And may we also have a place
that we say is good for us to be here because we also have
heard of what the Lord has accomplished at Jerusalem. What he has done. He has conquered death. He has
conquered hell. He has redeemed his people. He has suffered, bled, died and
risen again. He has fulfilled the scriptures. He has brought in eternal life. He has done this, he has finished
the work that his father gave him to do. To hear what the subject
was, what they were speaking together of. We may say in that
as well, that what they heard, they heard that Moses and the
prophets, the law and the prophets, they all agreed with what was
to happen at Jerusalem. They all agreed with his decease
there. If you think of those two on
the way to Emmaus, they had struggled to see that this was so. We trusted it should have been
he that should have redeemed Israel and This is the third day. They'd
seen him redeeming, but they hadn't viewed it as being told
by Moses and Elijah and the prophets. And so the Lord began, and in
all the scriptures, the things concerning himself. But here
in this place, it was good for them to be here. they were brought
to see what was accomplished or would be accomplished at Jerusalem. Also in verse 5, we hear the
Father speaking from heaven. 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 here The witness and testimony of
the Father. Our Lord said that His miracles
that He did, they did testify of Him, the Father working in
them and working them through Him. But here is this testimony
from the Father, and Peter refers to that in his epistles. May we know also the Holy Spirit
and the Father, the witness of a triune God, extolling the Lord
Jesus Christ. Yeah, this morning it pleased
the Father that in Him should all fullness dwell. And it is
essential that Jesus of Nazareth had the authority, witness, and
seal of the Father. that these apostles, that they
heard this and knew this. The scribes, they said to the
Lord, by what authority doest thou these things? They wanted
to know. We're here. The authority of
the Father is given. Really, the greatest seal is
the empty tomb. Our Lord raised from the dead
by the Father, by himself, and by the Holy Spirit. Also, they were taught Jesus
only. At first, they saw Moses and
Elias. They saw the law represented,
they saw the prophets, and then they see the Lord. Peter, he
thinks, well, we're going to make three tabernacles, but then
they only see one. And in this gospel day, we are
not lifting up the prophets, we're not worshipping them, we're
not pinning our hopes upon the law, all is pointing to the Lord
Jesus Christ. And that's a vital lesson for
us all, a place to be called a good place to be here when
we see that there is none other name given among men whereby
we must be saved but the Lord Jesus Christ. And all the law,
all the prophets, all the scriptures point to that one redeemer, one
saviour, one way of escape, Jesus only. Blessed thing to learn
that lesson and be able to say it is good for us to be here
to learn that lesson, to be taught that lesson. But then they were
taught of the rising from the dead. In verse 9, the Lord chanced
them, and they came down from the mountain, saying, Tell the
vision to no man until the Son of Man be risen again from the
dead. What a statement to them. They
wondered what was this that was being said. But how the Lord,
this is one of those times, other times He said it as well. that
he hath commandment from the Father to lay down his life and
to take it again. But here, the disciples were
clearly told, here is something, you don't speak about it until
this event happens. In other words, I will rise from
the dead. We've been speaking about my
decease with Moses and the prophets, but it won't just be decease. It will be arising from the dead
and then you can speak of those things that you've seen and heard
here. There's a time to speak, a time
to be silent. He's had a blessing here, the
three of them, and yet they're not to speak of it yet. Many
of the Lord's people, as the Lord begins to bless them as
they seek his face, may be the first blessing. Second
one, they're still not able, they still don't make it publicly
known. They never forget it. And then there comes a time when
they do speak it, when they are to speak. Be encouraged in that. If you have those blessings and
helps you have not yet spoken of, there is a time to speak. In this case, the time to speak
was when they saw a risen saviour, when they saw their Lord ascended,
when they saw the empty tomb, when they knew that price was
paid. Not when they saw him die, but
when they saw him rise again for our justification. It's a blessed thing to know
that sometimes we have a blessing and our mouth
is sealed, and other times we cannot but speak of those things
that we have seen and heard. The last thing that they had
here, they had a question, and it related to what they had seen
on the mount. And his disciples asked him,
saying, why then say the scribes that Elias must first come? You had those things that were
shown, those things you've been blessed, and yet you've got a
question. If this is the case, why this?
and how does that reconcile with what I have had? And the Lord was pleased to answer
it for them. He said, Elias truly shall first
come and restore all things. But I say unto you that Elias
is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him
whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of
Man suffer of them. Then the disciples understood
that he spoke unto them of John the Baptist." How many times
the dear people of God cannot understand, the eunuch couldn't
understand the scriptures. The disciples, when Peter went
first, the Lord was going to wash their feet, he didn't understand. Peter and Emmaus didn't understand
at first. What had been done before their
eyes, don't be surprised. There are things in our lives
that we don't understand. Not for a while, but then there
came the time here that they did. And you think when the Lord
rose from the dead here, then opened to their understanding
that they might understand the scriptures. Well, if their understanding
is open, there'll be those times that we don't understand. But
here is this time where Peter said, it's good for us to be
here. And it's a good place where the
Lord does open our understanding, where there is teaching. And
in this one event, this one time, there's many things that were
taught. So may we also have those places
that we can say, and there's a reason why we say it, it is
good. blessing. Amen. Hymn, 420. Tune, Cambridge 16. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,
the love of God the Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit,
Be with you all now and evermore. Amen.