Luke chapter 9, I'm entitling
the message from what Moses and Elijah, the two men, it says
here, were talking to the Lord Jesus Christ about, found in
verse 30 and 31. Behold, they're talked with Him,
with the Lord Jesus. Two men. Two men. which were Moses and Elijah. Now, what is so amazing here
is that Moses and Elijah had been dead many, many hundreds
of years. And yet when the Lord appears
on the Mount of Transfiguration here, Moses and Elijah are with
the Lord as real men. who appeared in His glory, and
spake of His decease." They were talking about His death, which
He should accomplish. Now notice, when we think about
death, we usually don't look at death as an accomplishment,
do we? But His death was a great accomplishment
at Jerusalem. They were talking about, and
with the Lord Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. You know, I'm
of the same mind and determination as the Apostle Paul. I'm determined
to know nothing among you but Jesus Christ and Him crucified. But I want us to notice particularly
is that His death, that is what happened at Calvary, is spoken
of as an accomplishment, an accomplishment at Jerusalem. Not a defeat, not
a defeat, but rather a victory. A victory over sin, He put it
away. A victory over Satan, He crushed
his dominion. A victory over death, He ever
lived to intercede for us. Victory over hell and the grave. All this victory we have in Christ. The Apostle said, thanks be to
God who has given us a victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
I love that verse in the Revelation. Chapter 1 verse 18, where it
says, I am he that liveth and was dead. Oh, he died a real
death. I am he that liveth and was dead.
Behold, I am alive for evermore, and I have the keys of hell and
death. So here's the title of the message
in the form of a question. What did Christ accomplish in
His death? What did Christ accomplish at
Calvary? What did Christ accomplish in
His crucifixion? Now, this story here is a great
miracle. It is commonly called the Mount
of Transfiguration. But there's nothing common about
it, is there? There's nothing ordinary about
it. In Matthew, where it's recorded in Matthew 17, verse 1 and 2,
We find these words, the Lord took them up into a high mountain
and was transfigured before them. He was transformed, he was changed
before them. And his face did shine like the
sun. Can you imagine that? He's the
one who created the sun. He's called the son of righteousness
with healing in his wings. And his raiment was white as
light. It says in Mark chapter 9, whiter
than any fuller could wipe them. Bleach could not get them clean
enough. Now, there are several important
lessons that we can learn from these scriptures, and I pray
that the Lord will be our teacher. Our Lord, that all those who
have heard and have learned of the Father, you know what they
do? They skedaddle to the Lord Jesus Christ. All those who have
heard and learned of the Father, they come to the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, three things I want us to
look at, and we'll consider the last part of this where the Lord
speaks from heaven, said, this is my beloved Son, hear Him.
We'll consider that next week. But here's three things I want
us to consider. The third one we'll camp on.
But here, first of all, we see a glimpse of the Lord's eternal
deity, and a revelation of His glorious person, His Godhood,
when He peels back His humanity and His deity shines forth. Now, I kind of get a glimpse
in my puny mind, in my finite thinking, that the Lord Jesus
Christ just kind of peels back His flesh and His deity, His
glory of His person, the eternal God, shines forth like the radiant
sun, never, never being dim. Now, while the Lord Jesus Christ
is called the Son of Man, Twice in this chapter, look at verse
22, Luke 9, 22. The Son of Man must suffer many
things, be rejected of the elders and the chief priests and scribes,
and be slain, he must die, But he also must be raised up the
third day. Again, he's called the Son of
Man in verse 44 of Luke 9. Let these sayings sink down into
your ears, for the Son of Man shall be delivered into the hands
of men. Now, what can we learn from this?
The Lord Jesus Christ, He is the Son of Man. but He is also
the Son of God. He is the God-Man Mediator. Let
us never forget He is Almighty God even when manifest in the
flesh. He never laid aside His deity. He never laid aside His Godhood. In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was made flesh, and the Word dwelt among us,
and we beheld His glory." Let us never forget the Lord Jesus
Christ. When He was manifest in the flesh,
He never stopped being the eternal, sovereign, and holy God. Never a man spake like that man.
You know why? He's the God-man, mediator. He speaks and the wind stops.
He speaks and the dead are raised up. He speaks and sins are forgiven. They said no man can forgive
sin, but God only. You're right. He is God who does
forgive sin based upon His sacrifice. He is the God-man mediator that we need to represent us
to the Father. We need a representative. He's
that one mediator. There's one God and one mediator
between God and men. That is the man Christ Jesus.
He's the only one sent of the Father as his representative
to us. The Lord Jesus Christ is God's
representative to us, and He's our Mediator. In the fullness
of time, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the
law to redeem them that were under the law. He's the only
one sent of the Father. Don't look for another. He is
the Messiah. He is the Christ of God. Sent
to represent us, represent God to us. And He's the only one
that can represent us unto the Father. And to present us to
the Father, holy, unblameable, unreprovable in God's sight.
He's a representative that you need. He's a representative and
a mediator that you need. Thanks be unto God for such a
Savior as the Lord Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul put it this
way. Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift. Who is the
Lord Jesus Christ? He's God's unspeakable gift given
unto His church, given unto His people. That's number one. Here's
number two. I want us to notice carefully
when the Lord appeared in this glorious Transfiguration, there
appeared with him two men, and it came to pass about eight days,
verse 28, after these things he took Peter, John, and James,
and went up into a mountain to pray. And as he prayed, the fashion
of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and
glistening. And behold, there talked with
him two men, which were Moses, and Elijah. Two men appeared
with Him. Now what does that teach us?
It teaches us and tells us that there is life beyond the grave. With Him there is eternal life. Now think about this. Moses received
the law. Moses the great prophet of God.
Moses had been dead at this time for over 1,500 years and yet
Moses is here. Now, his body is somewhere, but
Moses was with the Lord, right here, 1,500 years ago, and yet
here he is. Elijah, likewise, another great
prophet of God, was taken up to heaven in a whirlwind, remember?
2 Kings 2, verse 11, and that happened 900 years ago. But when they appeared with the
Lord, they had been in the paradise of heaven for many, many years,
yet they had at this time when they appeared with the Lord a
real body. A real body. Now, don't turn,
let me just read this to you because you're familiar with
this. This is 2 Corinthians 5 verse 1. We know that if our earthly
house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building
of God and house, not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. Here's something else we can
learn. Several things here. When believers
die, they go immediately into the presence of the Lord. Now,
I said when believers die, they go immediately into the presence
of the Lord. You remember the dying thief
who was granted faith and repentance in Christ? You remember what
the Lord said to him? Today, you're going to be with
me in paradise. The dying thief went to glory
with the Lord, and so does every believer when he dies. That's why the Lord said, precious
in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. You see,
to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.
For me to live is Christ. But to die for the believer is
gain. Death is not punishment to the
believer, it's promotion. When believers die, they don't
lose their individual identity. Moses was still Moses. Elijah
was still Elijah. Believers will know each other
in eternal glory and be with the Lord Jesus Christ forever. Forever. Our Lord says, If I
go away, I'll come again. If I come again, I'll receive
you unto myself, that where I am, there you may be also. Comfort
one another with these words. Believers in glory will be taken
up with one blessed subject in that glorious day. When we depart
from this life, we'll be taken up with one glorious subject.
And you know what it is? Him. Not us. Him. The Lord Jesus Christ. We'll
be taken up with His amazing love. That's what these three
were talking about. Moses, representing the law. Elijah, representing the prophets,
who appeared with him, and they were interested in declaring
what he accomplished at Calvary. And believers, when they're taken
to glory and eternal glory with the Lord, will all be consumed
with talking about, worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive
all honor, glory, blessings, and power, both now and forever. Did you notice through the study
and the revelation The theme of that book called The Revelation
of Jesus Christ, He appears in that book as a character of the
sacrificial Lamb, Behold the Lamb of God. Twenty-one times
He's referred to as The Lamb of God. He's seen there in His
sacrificial character because believers are taken up with Christ
and Him crucified here and there. will never weary of talking about
the Lamb that was slain for us. His amazing love for us. Here
in His love, not that we love God, but that He loved us and
sent His Son to be the sacrifice for our sin. You see, we sing
that song as redeemed unto Him who loved us and washed us from
our sin in His own blood. You see, we're taken up with
Christ here. and taken up with Christ there.
He is the center of all things, right? As the Son of God, and
the Son of Man, and the Son of Righteousness. Now, here's the
main thing I want us to consider this morning, and we can use
the phrase, we're going to camp right here for just a little
bit. We're going to camp right here for just a little bit on
verse 30 and 31. Moses and Elijah were talking
with the Lord Jesus Christ, who appeared in this glorious state
and they spake of his departure, that word there, decease, is
departure, which he should accomplish his death at Jerusalem. Now, here is what I want to ask
you and try to answer that question. happened at Calvary. What did
the Lord Jesus Christ accomplish? It says here, when they were
speaking about His death, that there was an accomplishment.
There was something that was accomplished. What did Christ
accomplish at Calvary? We must never think of His death
as a defeat, but rather as an accomplishment, as all of our
salvation. We have no other hope but Jesus
Christ and Him crucified. You see, at Calvary's tree, when
He died for our sin, according to Scripture, He said, it's accomplished. He said, it is finished, it is
done, it is over. The Lord Jesus Christ dies the
appointed death, didn't He? Him being delivered by the determinate
counsel and foreknowledge of God. You have taken and by wicked
hands have crucified and slain the Lord of glory. But He died
the appointed death. Not only that, He died the appointed
time. You remember many times they
tried to arrest him, and tried to throw him off a cliff, or
tried to stone him, and he just simply passed on by. He said,
my hour has not yet come. And then finally in John 17,
he said, my hour has come. The hour appointed of God. He
dies the appointed death, and he dies at the appointed time.
He dies the way that God determined for him to die at the exact time. And know this, He died for the
appointed people as well. The Lord Jesus Christ died for
the sin of His covenant people. It is not true that He died for
all of the sins of all men everywhere. The Bible does not teach that.
The Bible teaches He died for the appointed people to put away
their sin. Call His name Jesus, He shall
save His people from their sin. John declares that the good shepherd
laid down his life for the sheep. So he dies the appointed death,
appointed of God. He dies at the appointed time.
He dies for the appointed people. This is God's determination.
And he died for the appointed reason. What was the appointed
reason? Think with me. What was the appointed
reason? His glory. His glory. That's what it's all about. His
glory. God forbid I should glory save in the cross of the Lord
Jesus. He prayed in John 17, Father,
I have finished the work You have given Me. Now glorify Thou
Me with Thine own self, with the glory which I had with Thee
before the world was. I have finished the work You
have given Me. I have glorified Thee on the
earth, having finished the work that You gave Me to do. You see,
it's all about His glory, isn't it? It's all about His goodness,
about His glory, dying for our sin for His church. In doing
so, accomplish all that the Father had given Him to do, We studied
in Luke 2, 49, remember? He said, I must be about my Father's
business. And then in John chapter 4, he
said to those disciples, my meat is to do the will of Him that
sent me and to finish His work. Now remember these three things
about the cross. of the Lord Jesus Christ, about
the Lord Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Now, I've given this
to you before, but it's worth repeating. Remember these three
things about the Lord Jesus Christ and Him crucified. First of all,
God planned the cross, right? God planned the cross. When did
He plan it? We read in the Revelation, from
the foundation of the world. The Lord Jesus Christ was a Lamb
slain. Before Adam ever sinned, the
Lord Jesus Christ stood as a surety of the everlasting covenant of
grace. The Lord Jesus Christ is the
eternal mediator and surety of His people. Now it says in Matthew
12 that the Pharisees went out and held a council and they planned
how they might destroy Him. But God, in eternity, determined
before their counsel and planned the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. The only way God can be just
and justify the ungodly is through Christ in Him crucified. God
planned the cross. Here, secondly, God presided
over the cross. Who was in charge that day? When
the Lord Jesus Christ was arrested and brought before Pilate, do
you remember what Pilate said to him? Do you remember what
he said? He said, don't you know that I have power over you to
crucify you or to let you go? And the Lord said, uh-uh, no,
no, no, you're wrong. You're wrong, Pilate. You have
no power over me except that which my Father gives you. God presided over the cross.
It's said in John 10, the Lord said, no man takes my life from
me. I lay it down. I lay it down in myself and I
take it again according to my will, my purpose, my power. When
they came to arrest the Lord Jesus Christ there in the garden
when he was betrayed by Judas, He could have easily walked away
as He did on other occasions, but He surrendered up, obedient
unto death, even the death of the cross. God planned the cross. The Lord God Almighty presided
over the cross. God was in charge that day. Nothing
happened that day except what was ordered and decreed of God.
And here's what men don't understand. God participated in the afflictions
of the cross. Yeah, you heard me right. When
it pleased the Lord to bruise him in our room and in our stead,
Jeremiah lamented, Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by?
Behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which
is done unto me, wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me in the
day of his fierce anger. How can God be angry with His
Holy Son? Because He was made sin for us. And when sin was found upon the
substitute, the Lord Jesus Christ, the wrath of God, He was baptized
in the wrath of God for His people. Now, think about this. It was
not what men did to the Lord Jesus Christ at Calvary. That's
not our hope. Now, they did some wicked things.
They put nails through his hands. They put nails through his feet. They nailed him to the tree.
He suffered and bled and died. They put a spear in his side. But it was not what men did that
day. That's our hope. It's what God
was doing. You see, this is God's Lamb that
takes away our sin. This is God's sacrifice for our
sin. It was what God was doing at
the cross. That's our hope. He suffered
once. for our sin, the just for the
unjust, that He might bring us unto God. God planned the cross. God presided over the cross.
And God participated in afflicting the Lord Jesus Christ on account
of our sin. So, what was accomplished? I mean, did He just die? Without
an accomplishment? No, my friend. He accomplished
the purpose of God. Now, here's five things I've
jotted down here, and I'm going to give them to you here in about
15 minutes. Five things. The first and foremost is this,
the Lord Jesus Christ and Him crucified is a fulfillment of
all Scripture. Is a fulfillment of all Scripture. You have the book of Luke there.
Turn to Luke chapter 24. Luke 24. And let me, while you're
finding that, let me read this to you over here in 1 Corinthians
15. You find Luke 24 verse 44. And let me read this to you. In 1 Corinthians 15, he said,
I delivered unto you, first of all, that which I also received,
how Christ died for our sins according to the Scripture. Lord
Jesus Christ was buried according to the Scripture. He rose again
the third day according to the Scripture. How that Christ died
according to what God said would take place. And in doing so fulfilled
every type, picture of the Old Testament. Christ fulfilled them
all in His life and in His death. Now Luke 24. Verse 44, "...these
are the words which I spake unto you while I was yet with you,
that all things must be fulfilled which are written in the law
of Moses." You remember, our Lord said, Moses wrote of me.
And in the prophets, to him give all the prophets witness. And
in the Psalms, David wrote of Christ, the greater David, concerning
me, concerning Christ. Then he opened their understanding
that they might understand the Scripture, and said unto them,
Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ, to rise to
suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day, that repentant
and remission of sins There could be no repentance and remission
of sin had he not died, according to the Scripture, should be preached
in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are
witnesses of these things." So the first thing we see is this.
What did he accomplish? He fulfilled all Scripture for
us in his death. Secondly, what was accomplished?
Redemption was accomplished. Redemption. Turn to the book
of Hebrews, the book of Hebrews, and find Hebrews chapter 9. When
He by Himself purged our sin, He sat down on the right hand
of the Majesty on high, He accomplished redemption, that is, deliverance
from sin for His people. In Hebrews 9, Verse 11, But Christ,
being come a high priest of good things to come, by a greater
and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hand, that is to
say, not of this building, neither by the blood of goats and calves,
but by his own blood he entered at once into the holy place,
having obtained eternal redemption for us. Now in the same chapter,
Hebrews 9, look at verse 26, The middle part of it, now, once
in the end of the age, end of the world, hath He appeared to
put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. The Lord Jesus Christ
accomplished and obtained for us eternal redemption with His
own blood. He bought the church with His
own blood. We are redeemed. How? How are
we redeemed from our sin? How are we delivered from our
sin? Not with corruptible things such as silver and gold, our
work or tradition, but with the precious blood of Christ. That's
how we are redeemed. Now, never think of the death
of the Lord Jesus Christ as an attempt to put away sin, or to
put us in a savable state, or to make salvation a possibility.
He did not die to make salvation a possibility. The Lord Jesus
Christ died to make salvation an absolute certainty for those
for whom He died. Christ actually put away the
sin of His people when He died, and He put away their sin affectionately,
did He not? Certainly He did. How effectual
is the blood atonement of Christ? God Almighty said, their sin
and their iniquity will I remember no more. In whom we have redemption
from our sin, the forgiveness of our sin according to the riches
of His grace. We have redemption through His
blood. So He fulfilled all Scripture.
What was accomplished? He fulfilled all Scripture in
His death, in His life and in His death. Secondly, He redeemed
us with His own blood. Thirdly, let's find this scripture. Can you find 2 Corinthians chapter
5? He reconciled us unto God. So He redeemed us and then He
reconciled us. Reconciled us unto God. Find
2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 18. All things are of God who reconciled
us. All things are of God who reconciled
us. Who did it? He reconciled us
to Himself by Jesus Christ and given to us the ministry of reconciliation
to wit. Namely, that God was in Christ
reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses
unto them, and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did
beseech you by us. We pray you in Christ's stead,
now be ye reconciled. Lay down your rebellion. For
He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we
might be made the righteousness of God in Him." Now, we have
a problem. You know what our problem is?
Sin. Do you know what sin caused? Separation. Isaiah 59-2, God
said, Your sin hath separated you from God. Are we going to
be reconciled? Sin separated us, right? How
are we going to be reconciled? Back to God. Only in Christ. Because He took care of our sin,
therefore we have reconciliation in Him. Let me read you this
Scripture. Colossians 1, 19 and following,
For it pleased the Father that in Him should all fullness dwell,
having made peace through the blood of His cross, peace to
the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto
Himself. By Him, I say, whether they be things in earth or things
in heaven, and you that were sometimes alienated, enemies
in your mind by wicked works, yet now have He reconciled in
the body of His flesh through death to present you holy, unblameable,
unreprovable in His sight." That's reconciliation. Holy? Unblameable? Unapprovable in
His sight? Yes! Sin has been dealt with
and we are reconciled unto God in Christ. Being justified by
faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Now, what else was accomplished?
All Scripture fulfilled. Redemption was accomplished.
Reconciliation was accomplished. Fourthly, righteousness was accomplished. Righteousness was accomplished.
Turn, if you will, to Romans chapter 4. Back to the book of
Romans. Righteousness was accomplished.
You see, his obedience was obedience that was perfect to the will
of God. In perfect obedience. He lived
as a man without sin. He had no sin, knew no sin, and
did no sin. The Lord Jesus Christ, upon His
faithfulness, upon His obedience, upon His sacrifice, we are made
righteous in Christ. Romans chapter 4, look at verse
3. What saith the Scripture? Abraham
believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. What
did Abraham believe? Our Lord said, Abraham saw my
day, and was glad, and rejoiced in my day, Righteous, it was
counted unto him for righteous. Now to him, verse 4, that worketh
is a reward, not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him
that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly,
his faith is counted for righteousness. Now read on, even as David also
described the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputed
righteousness. There it is. Imputed righteousness
without works, without your contribution, saying, Blessed are they whose
iniquities are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is
the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. The Lord Jesus
Christ is my personal righteousness before God. And He is that to
every believer. Now, the best I have, and the
best I can bring, you know what God says? It's filthy rags, be
dung with it. That's why Paul said, I count
all things but loss, dung and ruin, that I may win Christ and
be found in Him, in His faithfulness, who is the Lord, our righteousness. He is our redemption. He is our
reconciliation. He is our righteousness. By one
man's disobedience, many were made sinners, So by the obedience
of another, this is Romans 5.19, shall many be made righteous.
You see, the Lord Jesus cried, He is made unto us, but of Him
are you in Christ, who of God is made unto us wisdom, righteousness,
sanctification, and our redemption. The Lord Jesus Christ honored
the law of God for us and fulfilled every jot and tittle of that
law, every precept of that law, and every penalty of that law.
The Lord Jesus Christ honored it and glorified it, God said,
this is my beloved Son in whom I am well. Please, is Christ
all your righteousness before God? Are you going about to establish
your own? I hope not. That's futile. Don't
go there. Don't do that. Christ is our
righteousness. Christ is our redemption. Christ
is our reconciliation before God. The Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled
all Scripture for us. Now here's the last one. Here's
the last one. The Lord Jesus Christ, He's our
resurrection. He's our resurrection. Turn to
John chapter 11. He is our resurrection. He is
our resurrection. The Lord said, I am the resurrection
and the life. John chapter 11. You remember,
Lazarus had died. Mary and Martha were heartbroken. And they said to the Lord, if
He had been here, He wouldn't have died. Oh yes, He would.
Verse 23, And the Lord said, Thy brother shall rise again.
John 11, 23. And Martha said unto him, I know
that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.
And the Lord said to her, I am the resurrection and the life. He that believeth in me, though
he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth
in me shall never die. Believest thou this? Yes, I do. The Lord Jesus Christ is the
believer's resurrection. He was delivered for our offenses,
right? Romans 4.25, and delivered for
our justification. Now, let me read this to you,
1 Corinthians 15. If in this life only we have
hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. 1 Corinthians
15, 20, But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the
firstfruits of them that slept. By man came also the resurrection
of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even
so in Christ shall all be made alive, that every man in his
own order. Christ the firstfruits, afterward they that are Christ
at his coming." You see, the firstfruits, guarantees the whole
crop, the first fruit. The Lord Jesus Christ said, because
I live, you shall live also. The first fruit of His resurrection
is a guarantee to our resurrection at the last day. Now, what Christ
accomplished in His satisfying substitutionary death is the
whole of our salvation. is the whole of our salvation,
not part of it. All of it. We have a good hope
through grace. His blood and His righteousness. Now, it's just not that blood
was shed. It's whose blood? God bought
the church with His own blood. And we have the very righteousness
of God in Christ. His death and His resurrection
is all of our hope of salvation. When He by Himself purged our
sin, He set down the right hand of the Majesty on high. And think
about this, we have right now, He appears in the presence of
God for us as our intercessor, There He sits on the throne of
God as our intercessor, making our worship even acceptable in
His sight. He is able to save to the uttermost
all that come to God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make
intercession for us. The Lord Jesus Christ is our
only Mediator before God, the God-Man, the Lord Jesus Christ,
and He is our Advocate right now. John writes, my little children,
these things I write unto you that you sin not, but when you
do, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the
righteous. And my friend, the Lord Jesus
Christ, is all our salvation, therefore He is our only Savior. And I love the way the Scripture
calls Him, God our Savior. He's God our Savior. That means
my salvation in Him is certain and sure, and He cannot fail
in everything that He undertakes for us. Christ Himself is all
our salvation. Now, what did they speak about? Moses and Elijah who appeared
in this glorious scene with the Lord Jesus Christ, they spake
of His death that He should accomplish. Now, what did He accomplish? All things in salvation. And
He did that for His people.