evening in Matthew chapter 17
to start with the first 13 verses we're going to read and the lesson
or the consideration we're going to see today in that passage
and some others is it says Jesus only. We're going to see what
that has to be with. So join me in Matthew chapter
17. Well, the lights are on. Matthew
17, starting with the first verse. It says, and after six days,
Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John, his brother, and bringeth
them up into a 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, Lord, it is good for us to be here. If
thou will, let us make here three tabernacles, 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 this 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 first come and restore all things.
But I say unto you that Elias has come already, and they knew
him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise
shall the son of man suffer of them. And verse 13, then the
disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist. Okay, and so on the Mount of
Transfiguration, this account, they're up there and they saw
them with Moses and Elias talking with them and Peter said, it's
good to be up here. Let's make a tabernacle to the
three of you, three very important people in in their thinking and
in their teaching what God has revealed to them, but we're going
to see that the point of this and an important verse of this
is there in verse 9, I mean verse 8, I'm sorry, it says, And when
they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man save Jesus only. and I think to good purpose that
God did this, their eyes should not be on Moses, the law, and
the prophets, other than for what they were for and what their
purpose was and what they did do, and not for their own sake. And Moses, standing as the representative
of the law, the law was given through him by God, and he Representatives
stood for that, and that's how people view him and speak about
the law and the prophets. They speak about the books of
Moses that was given and the prophets. And the thing that
we want to see here, and we know this, but we want to see this
in several places we're going to look. is that the law spoke
of Christ. The prophets spoke of Christ. They didn't speak up for themselves.
All those, excuse me, all those many verses that we've studied
through a verse at a time that Norma studied and brought us
messages on through Leviticus and Numbers and Exodus and Genesis,
all those things, The point of those and the purpose of those
was pointing out the Messiah. the Lord was to come to take
care of the problem. And we have the passage, and
a lot of people think that as the first or earliest, I think
it's before that in Genesis chapter three, when the Messiah is promised
to take care of the issue, the sin issue that came because of
the fall. And the whole of scriptures,
that we have is to the church and to God's people, that's who
it's directed to and purposed for, and that being showing forth
our Lord and Savior in that. And all of those, the law and
all those did was point out the sin and capitalize the sin that
the condition of man is in by nature. and the prophets spoke
of Christ. But it didn't start with the
prophets. Look what we've seen in Leviticus
and Numbers of all the sacrifices and all the service that they
were doing and laid out that God prescribed for them to do.
Those we've seen time and time again were representations of
a facet of what the Lord was in reality, and spoke of Him
coming in not just for things to do. And we're going to see
that that's not what the Lord took pleasure in. It wasn't sacrifice
for the sake of sacrifice, but for the showing forth of the
need of a sacrifice to take care of sin for the people. And we
see that in Cain and Abel, we saw that Cain's sacrifice did
not picture him, Abel's sacrifice did. That was the difference
in the regard of the sacrifice was that the one showed no, it
showed the work of the hands or the work of the ground or
the work of nature. at best, the other sacrifice
of the lamb slain is a direct picture of the Lord himself as
the lamb slain before the foundation of the world. And we believe
that, and I believe that, Adam and Eve taught those boys a few
things. Abel had a different spirit with
him, as the scripture talks about other places, had a different
spirit about him. The Lord put that spirit and
changed that spirit and made him aware of some things. I don't think that those old
timers clear back in those days were cavemen morons. They were intelligent people
in a natural sense, and there were those of God's that he revealed
himself to them. How exactly in the detail they
had of that, we're blessed so much by the scripture that we
have completed scripture that they didn't have, but they indeed
did have the spirit that caused any desire and any growth and
any life in them still came the same way. And, Those men there
from the beginning on down to our day, God has always had a
people and the scripture has always been to feed the sheep
and to teach the sheep of the need of the, first the fact of
the fall and the need of someone to take care of that. A righteousness
that we can't, we have none. And if the Lord does not provide
that, We're at a bad spot. I was at a memorial service today
for a friend of mine's wife who had passed away. She was quite
a person, did quite a few things, was thought well of by a lot
of people. And one of the comments made by a friend of hers that
they had spoke about what happens when you die. Well, they kind
of came to the conclusion that your body was in the ground and
your soul was there too till later and stuff and they'd find
out what happens. And sad to say that's the best
man can come up with is those type of thoughts. The scripture
is all we have that can show us what the problem is and that
the need is. And it doesn't just come by study
because we've known people that have been very studied and missed
the point of the scriptures. It doesn't come by the will of
man as it says, it comes by God revealing himself through the
scriptures. So they, on the Mount of Transfiguration, they had
a tremendous, not just a picture of it, but the real thing in
front of him, of the Lord taking on some of the glory that he
is going back to in that, I believe when they was glowing in that
white as light, and just a glimmer of what his glory was going from
here back to the Father. And that was a real graphic when
they, the cloud covered all of them, the cloud cleared, all
they saw was Jesus only. And that's the, that's the boils
it down to when we, when we have a, we go to the scripture and
a message or lesson is taught, that better be the boil down
it, but he better be Jesus only we, that we see in the end of
that. And there was a message that
I listened to here a while back. It's an old message by, by brother,
Wayne Boyd, it's from Colossians 128, and they're speaking of
the Lord himself as the one whom we preach, in quotes, in that
scripture. And the point of that and of
his message is Christ is preached, warning every man and teaching
every man in all godly wisdom and from the scripture that Jesus
only is the hope that his people have in his righteousness. And
that same hearing that, listening to that message brought this
to mind of that they saw Jesus only on the Mount of Transfiguration. I would like to look at a few
places, and I have notes on two pages that are shuffling them
together, that we're going to look at. And one
of them being in, I would like to turn to Luke, Luke chapter
24. And we go to this particular
spot. on a regular basis because of
what it says to us and who says it. In Luke chapter 24, I'd like
to read verses 31 and 32. This is the two on the road to
Emmaus, and the Lord was speaking to them as they walked along,
and he revealed some things to us. He told them a couple of things.
Verse 25 of Luke 24, the woman came to the sepulcher and he
was not there and found it. And so they kind of didn't take
it for what it was worth. They took it just, they thought
they were it wasn't true. And verse 25, the Lord says,
And he said unto them, O fools and slow of heart to believe
all that the prophets have spoken, ought not Christ to have suffered
these things and to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses
and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures
the things concerning himself. And then up in Verse 31, it says of the same,
it says, after he took bread and blessed it, break it and
give it to them, verse 31, and their eyes were opened and they
knew him and he vanished out of their sight. And they said
one to another, did not our heart burn within us while he talked
with us on the way and while he opened to us the scriptures? And they rose up the same hour
and returned to Jerusalem and found the 11 gathered together
and them that were with them saying, the Lord is risen indeed
and hath appeared unto Simon. said that, fools and slow of
heart, and all that describes all religious persons without
the Lord revealing these things to us and to all of, any person,
is that what the law and the prophets spoke about and of him.
And then, going down to verses 44 and following
the words of the Lord in verse 44, Luke 24, it says, and he
said unto them, these are the words which I spake unto you
while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled
which were written in the law of Moses and in the prophets
and in the Psalms concerning me. Then opened he their understanding
that they might understand the scriptures. And he said unto
them, thus it is written, and thus it behoove Christ to suffer
and rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and
remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations
beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these
things. And behold, I send the promise
of my Father upon you, but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem until
ye be endued with power from on high. And here again, he says
that these are the words that he spake to them when he was
with them, that all written in the law of Moses and in the prophets
and in the Psalms concerning me. Everything that God ever
said would come to pass and would be purposed, we know that that
is happens and it has happened, will always happen. But the important,
some of the more important things that will come to pass and had
to come to pass and sure things were those things in the law
of Moses to come to pass concerning him. Those are the important
things. Other events and stuff, there's
many events and things that are spoken of, and there are many
events and times and things that today people try to make them
other things than what the scripture says concerning Christ. And they're
much mistaken by trying to make things out of the scriptures
to say what they would like them to say, but they're very plain,
I feel, of what they say. In a couple more places along
the line here, in the Book of Acts, in the Book of Acts, starting with the second chapter
of the Book of Acts, and chapter two and let me find
this spot here. Okay, here, a Peter sermon here,
and verse 29, start with verse 29 and down a bit. It says, men
and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David,
that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us
unto this day. Therefore, being a prophet, and
knowing that God had sworn an oath to him that of the fruit
of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ
to sit on his throne. He, seeing this before, spoke
of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in
hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. This Jesus hath God
raised up, where we are all witnesses. Therefore, being by the right
hand of God exalted and having received of the Father the promise
of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this which you now see
and hear." And speaking on the day of Pentecost, those things
they saw, but here that says, he's seen this before, verse
31, spake of the resurrection of Christ that his soul was not
left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. And we see
that in the Psalms and other places that say similar things. And then in Acts chapter 3, starting
with verse 18 and down just a bit, it says, but those things which
God before had shown by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ
should suffer, he hath so fulfilled. Repent ye therefore, and be converted,
that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing
shall come from the presence of the Lord. And he shall send
Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you, whom the heaven
must receive until the times of restitution of all things,
which God hath spoken of by the mouth of all his holy prophets
since the world began." Again, the prophets and what the scripture
just spoke about are these things that they had just recently come
to pass and that the prophets spoke about
our Lord and for the healing of many. And we're gonna look
at several more places yet along this same line. And starting
with verse 22 and on a bit in Acts 3, it says, for Moses truly
said unto the fathers, a prophet shall the Lord your God raise
up unto you of your brethren like unto me. Him shall ye hear
in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come
to pass that every soul which will not hear that prophet shall
be destroyed from among the people. Yea, and all the prophets from
Samuel, and those that follow after as many as have spoken,
have likewise foretold of these days. Ye the children of the
prophets, ye are the children of the prophets and of the covenant
which God made with our fathers, saying, unto Abraham and in thy
seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. Unto you
first, God, having raised up his son Jesus, sent him to bless
you in turning away every one of you from his iniquities. And
here again, speaking and saying that Moses, and on Moses, it
says, was truly a prophet speaking of the Lord in these days that
were to come, as he's speaking about here of the Lord's death,
burial, and resurrection for the redemption of his people.
And those things were ever there. There were those we know in all
times in the church, from early on, from those that were saved
by the ark and following that God has always had his people
and he has always shown him the same truth and the same way that
we are redeemed, that we are delivered from the sinful nature
and the sin that we have and through the Lord Jesus Christ.
And that was always the same message. It wasn't a different
message as we've read time again. that it was under Abraham was
this preached. And not only that, but we know,
like I said, that Cain and Abel were aware of the same things
because one showed that he was by the sacrifice that he, and
his hope wasn't in that sacrifice. His hope was in the one that
that sacrifice represented and pointed to. In Acts chapter 10, again, Peter speaking, and these
are not obviously the only places to go to, but we're going to look at a couple
of others beside, but in chapter 10 of Acts, starting with verse 34, and Peter's with Cornelius, and
he's speaking there, and he says in verse 34, it says, then Peter
opened his mouth and said, of a truth I perceive that God is
no respecter of persons. But in every nation he that feareth
him and worketh righteousness is accepted with him. The word
which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by
Jesus Christ, he is Lord of all. That word I say ye know, which
was published throughout all Judea and began from Galilee
after the baptism which John preached. how God anointed Jesus
of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power, who went about
doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil,
for God was with him. And we are witnesses of all things
which he did, both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem,
whom they slew and hanged on a tree. Him God raised up the
third day and showed him openly, not to all the people, but unto
witnesses chosen before of God, even to us who did eat and drink
with him after he rose from the dead. And he commanded, excuse
me, and he commanded us to preach unto the people and to testify
it is he which was ordained of God to be the judge of quick
and dead. "'To him give all the prophets
witness "'that through his name, whosoever believeth in him, "'shall
receive remissions of sins.'" And again here, "'To him give
all the prophets witness "'that through his name, whosoever believeth
in him, "'shall receive remissions of sin.'" And up above here that
we read in verse 35, it said, "'But every nation he that feareth
him and worketh righteousness." That is not the Pharisee's righteousness,
or as we may have, or maybe still are in at times, working righteousness
in air quotes. of things that we can do or accomplish
by our doing. And there's a tract that is out
and about that the title of it is Do or Done. And the point
of that being, do we work for righteousness that will stand
before God, or do we receive righteousness, His righteousness,
and that He has done the works of righteousness, he is the provider
of the righteousness. So everyone that worketh righteousness
is him that stands in that garment, in that cloak of, in that robe
of righteousness is provided to his people. And here, as down
here, like I said, in verse 43, where it says, to him, give all
the prophets witness, not just a few verses that we can pick
out. some that we really like or that are very plain to us,
but all of them, that's what they're speaking about. All the,
from Hosea, and you see some issues, some of those prophets
were in some pretty bad spots, and yet through that, those conditions
and places that they were in, circumstances, were for the preaching
to the people, of the true righteousness that only he can provide. And
with that in mind, the prophets in all of scriptures have a different
meaning than just approaching them to just see what has to
say. But if we know who it's speaking
of, and we know that it's speaking to us about him. In the book
of Romans, one spot in the book of Romans in chapter 16, Actually, two places, two spots
in chapter 16 of Romans. Chapter 16 of Romans, starting
with verse 26. Actually, verse 25, I'm sorry.
Verse 25, it says, now to him that is of power to establish
you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ
according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret
since the world began, but is now made manifest, and by the
scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting
God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith, To
God only wise be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen. And then here that in this prayer
at the close of this, that he is the only one that can establish,
as it says, according to the gospel and that gospel being
the preaching of the Lord Jesus Christ and his righteousness
and having paid and taken care of the the sin, and he was the
only one that could do that. And now we are not just considered
as righteous, we are seen as righteous by God in him. I don't
think we can wrap our mind around that position that we have in
him. And that's the point. And as
that message by Brother Wayne Boyd that says, It's him whom
we preach and not other things. And it's been said by others
and probably over time, many times by godly preachers and
about them, that they only have one message. It may take on a
lot of different shades and portions from the scriptures, but it's
only one message. And then, Just, I would like to just mention,
because time is not going to let us go through all of what
we have to say, but in Isaiah chapter 52, for just a couple
of moments, Isaiah and many passages in Isaiah that
just speak to God's people about his providing for us in the covenant,
the everlasting covenant. But in Isaiah chapter 52, let's
see. in a, stay with me, just a couple
of verses, a couple of different places, a couple of verses at
a time. Verse seven, it says, how beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth
peace, that bringeth good tidings of good, that publishes salvation,
that saith unto Zion, thy God reigneth. Verse eight, thy watchman
shall lift up the voice, with the voice together shall they
sing, for they shall see eye to eye when the Lord shall bring
again Zion. Break forth into joy, sing together
ye waste places of Jerusalem, for the Lord hath comforted his
people. he hath redeemed Jerusalem. And
those verses are as apt when they were written of all time
to us today, that he comforts his people for he hath redeemed
his people. And then verse 13 of the same
chapter, it says, behold, my servant shall deal prudently.
He shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high. As many were
astonished at thee, his visage was so marred more than any man,
and his form more than the sons of men. So shall he sprinkle
many nations. The kings shall shut their mouths
at him, for that which had not been told them shall they see.
and that which they had not heard shall they consider." In this
speaking of our Lord Himself and that He would go through
for the salvation of His people. And then in chapter 53, the whole
chapter, of course, speaking about our Lord and those things
that had to be accomplished that only he could do to bring redemption
to his people. And just a couple of spots in
here. starting with verse four, and
not to slight the rest of any of it, but chapter 53, Isaiah,
verse four, it says, surely he hath borne our griefs and carried
our sorrows, yet did we esteem him stricken, smitten of God
and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions,
he was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace
was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep
have gone astray, we have turned everyone to his own way, and
the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed
and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth. He is brought
as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before shearers is
dumb, so he opened not his mouth. He was taken from prison and
from judgment, and who shall declare his generation? For he
was cut off out of the land of the living, for the transgression
of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the
wicked and with the rich in his death, because he had done no
violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased
the Lord to bruise him. He hath put him to grief. When
thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed,
he shall prolong his days, and that "'Pleasure of the Lord shall
prosper. "'He shall see of the travail
of his soul "'and shall be satisfied. "'By his knowledge shall my righteous
servant justified many, "'for he shall bear their iniquities.'"
And just a portion of this. And if you notice that most every
sentence of most every verse, it says he and tells what was
done. It doesn't say there's no we
there, there's no him, and somebody else, or he and somebody else,
all those things that he did, as it says, for us, for the church,
for his people, that he did, and those things were all on
his shoulders, and he provided those things for us. and continue
down in chapter 54, At Your Leisure. It goes on in a similar but different
vein, but still speaking of those things that he did. Well, we're gonna read it. Isaiah
54, verses eight through 10. In a little wrath, I hid my face
from thee for a moment, everlasting kindness will I have mercy on
thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer. For this is as the waters of
Noah unto me, for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should
no more go over the earth, so have I sworn that I would not
be wroth with thee nor rebuke thee. For the mountains shall
depart and the hills shall be removed, but my kindness shall
not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace
be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee. And we know there's countless,
all of scripture that speaks of our Lord and what he has done
and does do and will always do for his people. And that's the,
I think the point that was being made in a very big way to those
men was when the cloud parted and saw Jesus only. And I think that we can use that
as a judge when the gospel is preached or the supposed gospel
is preached if that is the case. And we know that if it's not
the case, then that is not As it says in one of Paul's books,
that's not another gospel. That's just plain not the gospel
if it isn't of him. So again, we come to the end
of another session. Thank you for joining us and rest in him. Thank you.