With God's help this evening,
I want to turn for a few moments to the three passages that we
read together this evening. You will notice in those passages
there is a common theme or a common occurrence in each passage, and
that is that there is the audible voice of God heard each time. And of course, the whole word
from Genesis to Revelation is the word of God, especially the
words of Jesus, we could say, the word of God incarnate speaking.
But on these occasions we have the words of the Father speaking
audibly from heaven and was heard by others. The first time, Matthew
3, we read of Jesus' baptism. That occasion we read that the
voice from heaven was heard saying, this is my beloved son in whom
I am well pleased. The second time we read of was
at the time of the transfiguration, again when the voice came from
the cloud and said, this is my beloved son in whom I am well
pleased, hear ye him. So very similar words but closes
with hear ye him. And finally, the occasion that
we read of in John 12, slightly different on this occasion, the
voice from the Father where he says, I have both glorified it
and will glorify it again. These are the only three occasions
that we read of when the voice of God is heard audibly, the
voice of God the Father that is speaking to Jesus. Firstly, we have this time of
the Lord's baptism in Matthew 3. Of course, this is the beginning
of Jesus' ministry. His public ministry began by
his baptism, the declaration that he was now, as it were,
set apart for public ministry, for public service. and from
that time on we read of his calling of the disciples, his miracles,
his teaching and so on. This is, apart from the bits
that we read of his birth and early years, this is really the
beginning of what we read of the teaching and works of the
Lord Jesus Christ. And he comes to John and is baptised
in the River Jordan at the beginning. And therefore, what encouragement
it must have been When we consider what was before the Lord, when
we consider the things that he must do in the coming three or
so years, the places he must go, the people he must meet,
the suffering he must endure, the scorn he must go through,
the difficulties, the tiredness, the homelessness, all of these
things that were before him in those years of being set apart
in public ministry. And as he identified himself
in that role and walked through the waters of baptism, there
at those times, especially encouraging, that the voice from heaven is
heard, this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased." Here
we have the confirmation of pleasure. As the father looks on his son
in what he is doing as he is baptised and what he will do
now in his ministry, the father confirms to Christ that he is
well pleased with the steps he is taking, and encourages him,
therefore, I believe, to go on. Of course, Christ, sinless and
perfect and wholly obedient, of course, he would have continued
in holy obedience throughout his life. But there are these
times, almost it seems of encouragement, as the father draws near to him,
and the father audibly declares that he is well pleased with
his son, well pleased with his life, his holy life, the steps
and walk that he is taking. So here, the beginning of his
ministry, how significant that the Father declares, I am well
pleased, the voice from heaven. The second time we read of was
at the time of the Transfiguration, and of course we have gone on
some distance in the life and ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ,
turn to Matthew 17 now, The Transfiguration really marks the beginning of
the end of his ministry. It marks the time where from
now on he is to go down from Galilee, the area where the Mount
of Transfiguration is, down to Judea, to Jerusalem and ultimately
to the Cross at Calvary. And as he comes to the Mount
of Transfiguration with Peter, James and John, We know that
he is found speaking in his glorified state with Moses and Elijah,
and we read in another gospel of what they were speaking about.
They were speaking about the decease that he would accomplish
at Jerusalem. They were speaking of his suffering
that was before him, the fact that he would die the fact that
he would go to the cross. But of course, as it's pointed
out many times, what is significant in those words is that it was
the seat that he would accomplish. And I believe therefore, in a
sense, in the conversation between Christ, Moses and Elijah, they
were also looking beyond the suffering. They were looking
at the accomplishment that would flow from the suffering that
he was going through. They were looking at the glory
beyond. What he would win, how he would
buy his church, how he would give them life, how he would
pay the price for them, and how he would ultimately be glorified
as he ascends, as he rises again, as he ascends into heaven, a
conqueror, a king, the victor over sin and death. They were
speaking of his death that he would accomplish. They were looking
beyond, they were looking what the suffering would bring and
they were looking at beyond what that would bring to Christ and
his people. So again, how significant that
at the time that Christ is, as it were, coming to the beginning
of the end, is now going to walk to Calvary is now going to suffer
that he might bring life to his people, that in that place again
we hear the voice of the Father. Again we hear his words, this
is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased, hear ye him. We'll come to the last hear ye
him in a moment. If you think of the same words
here as it was at the baptism, I am well pleased. Confirmation
again. Encouragement again. I am well
pleased with the walk, the work, the words, the ministry of my
son. I am well pleased that he is going to accomplish suffering
and death at the cross. I am well pleased that he is
setting his face to Jerusalem. I am well pleased with my son. Again, what encouragement that
as God sees His Son going to Calvary, He is well pleased that
through His sufferings, glory will be brought to God. This
is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. Well, the third
occasion is that occasion we read of in John 12. And this
occasion is slightly different. We have moved on in time. Christ
is now in Jerusalem, we are after the entry into Jerusalem, what
we call Palm Sunday, and he is now in Jerusalem and these Greeks
come and seek after him. They come to Philip, he goes
to Andrew, he goes to Christ. And it seems to be in that context
that Jesus then speaks these very important and wonderful
words in John chapter 12. And he says, from verse 23, the
hour is come that the son of man should be glorified. Verily,
verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the
ground and die, it abideth alone. But if it die, it bringeth forth
much fruit. Well, we know from the context
and from these verses that Jesus is clearly speaking about his
own death. His own death is not far, it's not many days in the
future now. At the Mount of Transfiguration
it is some time. He is starting the road. Here
he is only a few days from Calvary. He is speaking of his death.
And you notice how he goes on to speak of his suffering. Verse 27, now is my soul troubled. What shall I say? Father, save
me from this hour, but for this cause came I unto this hour. It's a little bit like the words
we read when he's in Gethsemane, isn't it, when he says that the
cup might pass from him. We have a little glimpse of the
soul trouble, the agony in his soul that Christ enters into,
as he sees what is before him and the suffering that he must
endure, his soul is troubled. He is bowed under the weight
of what he must pass through. He is bowed under the weight
of the physical cross that he must bear in the coming days. He is bowed under the weight
of the sins that he must carry, of the wrath that he must endure. And he says, Father, save me
from this hour. Not that he is not willing, not
that he is not willing to go to the cross, not that he wants,
as it were, to be brought out of the situation, but he, as
it were, as any of us would, shrinks from the reality, from
what he must do, from the physical reality of the cross, as we all
would in a natural way. But then he says with this, as
it were, this faith and this assurance and this boldness,
but for this cause came I unto this hour. This is why I'm here.
This is why I've come. This is the accomplishment. This is the death I must suffer.
For this cause I came unto this hour. So he's speaking of his
death and he says, Father, glorify thy name. Glorify thyself. glorify thy very being, thy Godhead,
all of the attributes of God. Father, glorify thy name. And that is when we have the
third occasion. In the extremity almost of his
soul trouble and the desire that God will be glorified, then there
is the voice. I have both glorified it and
will glorify it again. What a word to hear. I have been well pleased. I have been glorified through
my son. In what he has done, in all his
life, past 33 years, I have been glorified through him. And I
will glorify it again. What Christ is going to pass
through, what he is going to suffer, God will be glorified. I will glorify it again. Again? What encouragement, what
confirmation, what love to His Son at this time that He would
glorify, He will answer that prayer and glorify His name. You see, these three occasions,
beginning of his ministry, the beginning of the end, and at
the very end, the days before his suffering, is the voice from
his beloved father, that he is well pleased and that he will
glorify himself through his son. Well, what do these occasions
teach us? What do they say to us today? Very briefly, think of the first
occasion, the baptism. This is my beloved son in whom
I am well pleased. Does it not tell us that the
Lord God Almighty is well pleased when his people are obedient?
That his people follow him. That when his people, as it were,
are set apart, set apart in their lives, belonging to God, walking
in a profession, walking in the way that God has called, then
he is well pleased. as he was well pleased with his
son, of course, in a slightly different sense, we're not his
son, we're not God, we're not holy, we're not sinless in that
sense, but he is well pleased nonetheless, when his people
in obedience are set apart and follow him. in his ordinances
as his children. What does the second occasion
tell us on the Mount of Transfiguration? Well, on this occasion we're
told, really, what we should do? He says, this is my beloved
Son in whom I am well pleased, hear ye him. What is the lesson
for us in this word? That we should hear Christ. That
we should listen to him. And though we are blessed with
Moses and Elijah, the Law and the Prophets, ultimately all
is fulfilled and all is made glorious in Christ. Hear Him. Listen to Him. Obey Him. Take your eyes off following
any other. Follow Him. He is the Way, the
Truth. and the life. That is the lesson
in these words in Matthew from the Transfiguration. Hear Him. What is the lesson on the final
occasion? Well, Christ tells us Himself. This voice came not
because of me, but for Your sakes. No doubt it was encouragement
for the Lord. No doubt it was confirmation
for Him from His Father. But it was for Your sakes that
this word was spoken. Why is it spoken? for us. Why was it spoken for the disciples
in that very time? Well, I believe when the disciples
came to a time when they saw Christ as it were taken and suffering
and abused and beaten and crucified, they needed a word from God himself
that says that through this I am glorifying my name. I will glorify
my name. And he tells us as he says, if
I be lifted up from the earth will draw all men unto me, that
as Christ is lifted up and as we see him as a crucified suffering
saviour today, that God is glorifying his name. So he encourages us
to look to a lifted up saviour, to a crucified saviour, and God
is glorified through His crucified Son. He teaches us, even through
the words that He speaks at this time, to look unto Him, to listen
to Him, to follow Him. Just one other thought in conclusion. These three occasions, beginning
of ministry, beginning of the end, days before crucifixion,
God himself spoke to his son and he heard him. You think of
that time Christ is on the cross, in the depth of agony, suffering
for sin, the wrath of God poured upon him and in utter physical
and spiritual darkness for three hours. And he then, in his extremity
and depth of suffering, he cries out, my God, my God, why has
thou forsaken me? And there is no answer. There
is no voice from heaven. There is no encouraging words
that this is my beloved son and whom I am well pleased. There
is utter darkness and utter silence. We get a little glimpse there
of what anguish and what depth of suffering the son of God enters
into. That his father speaks of these
times and yet in his very extremity of need, crying out to his father,
there is but darkness. there is but silence. He is still
a highly beloved son. He is still well pleased in his
son, but at that very time, on that cross, that day, though
he was well pleased, though he was beloved, yet there he must
pour out his wrath And there his son must, as it were, be
separated. He must be forsaken for the sins
of his people. And God must turn away. And Christ must enter the experience
of hell. He must go to that suffering.
He must pay the price. He must experience that darkness,
that forsaking. And there is no answer. and he
goes to die. We see a little glimpse that
though his father was so loving and so glorious, and his father
encouraged him, his father was with him, and yet there is silence
at the cross. What a saviour! What a salvation! Well, may God add his blessing
tonight. Amen.