Lessons From The Mount of Transfiguration
And The Pitfalls You Can Avoid

14 December 2008, 1st service, preached by Ps Joseph Prince

as noted by Yeo Choon Meng Terence [CD was of the 1st service]

Terence and Uncle Chris @ Mt Herman aka Mt of Transfiguration on 10 November 2008 - Day 10 (Off The Beaten Track tour organised by Omega Tours)

Introduction

Pastor informed us that he returned from travelling yesterday i.e. probably 13 December 2008.

Pro 19:17     He who has pity on the poor lends to the LORD, And He will pay back what he has given.

Eg: Peter lent his boat to Jesus, the result was a net-breaking, boat-sinking, load of fishes.

Faith – The Hand That Receives From The Invisible Realm

God has the answers before the need arises. Our answers to the global economic crisis are already provided. It did not take God by surprise. Eg. Unknown to Abraham, the ram which was ultimately going to be sacrificed in place of Isaac was going up the other side of Moriah as Abraham ascended Moriah intent on following God’s instructions to sacrifice Isaac.

If you have great Faith, you trust more in God’s realm — the invisible realm. You have less trust on doctor’s negative reports, bad economic data, etc but place utmost confidence in Jesus’ report. Likewise, if you have little Faith, you tend to dwell more in the visible realm.

Don’t have a judgment mentality

Don’t have a judgment mentality towards others.

Many of us don’t like to be in the presence of certain relatives. Why? In many cases, that adult grew up as a child under the constant judgment mentality of that relative.

Now grown up, that adult whenever they see an authority figure, be it a boss at work or care-leader at church etc, they automatically project that judgment mentality onto that authority figure and adopt a bad attitude towards any form of correction received from that authority figure. This ought to be avoided as many of the authority figures e.g. the care-leaders are correcting in love. However, these individuals because of their negative experiences during childhood perceive the loving correction as judgment.

If you are constantly judging other people, it probably means you lack practising God’s presence and thus have allowed a judgment mentality creep upon you.

The Closer you get to Tabernacle, you see Gold

The closer you get to the Tabernacle and closer to the Ark of Covenant, you see only Gold — a picture of divine righteousness. The further you move away from the Tabernacle and the Ark (which typifies God’s dwelling place), you see more and more bronze (e.g. bronze altar, laver, etc) which typifies judgment.

Therefore you can tell that the more judgment you have, the further you are from God.

The more judgment you have about other people, and this judgment spirit may manifest in your conversation, it shows that while you are a child of God, you are probably far from practising and enjoying God’s presence.

Likewise, if you are practising God’s presence and you are constantly walking in close fellowship with Him, you tend to be gracious to others rather than judgmental. Example: If a motorist attempts to overtake you in a rude way, instead of judging him and perhaps speeding up, you pity him, and perceive that he is hurrying because he is full of stress. You have compassion on the rude motorist and even pray to God to help de-stress him.

Jesus died so that God does not see us guilty. We need to realise that we had sin and that God has judged it. Now constantly identify yourself as the New Creation and you shall overcome sin.

The Only Vision of Reality that matters!

The typical human being receives his identity as to who he is from what his parents told him as he grew up or what his spouse tells him now about himself, etc. Therefore, you tend to define your identity usually from what people tell you about yourself. People tell you who you are.

HOWEVER, the truth is the only vision of reality of you is God’s and He sees you: Holy, Righteous and Blameless.

If man has to do right before God does right, then God will have to wait a long time. God is not like that, He rushed to save us to the uttermost even while we yet sinners.

The solution is not as one Greek philosopher puts it: to know thyself. It is KNOW GOD! The more you know God, the more you know yourself as God made us in His image and redeemed us in love.  The greatest revelation is KNOW GOD not know thyself.

Mt of Transfiguration – Hermon or Tabor?

Mt Hermon is probably the Mt of Transfiguration and not Mt Hermon. Not Mt Tabor.

Deu 3:25    I pray thee, let me go over, and see the good land that [is] beyond Jordan, that goodly mountain, and Lebanon.

Moses prayed in Deu 3:25 to “see” the “goodly mountain” in Lebanon. The only “goodly mountain” at Lebanon was Mt Hermon. Also, Mt Hermon could not be seen from the vantage point in which Moses prayed in Deu 3:25 which is beyond the Jordan, so he could not be referring to Tabor. In fact present Mt Hermon is shared between Israel, Lebanon and Syria.

Also, Mt Tabor is not a high mountain. In Matt 17:1, Jesus after 6 days took 3 disciples to a “high mountain”. Note also that the events of Matt 16 took place at the foot of Mt Hermon so it could not be that they straight away went south to Mt Tabor. They must have gone up to Mt Hermon.

Note the “six days” in Matt 17:1 are also a prophetic six days. [Editor: Matt 17:1 can thus be interpreted as foretelling the rapture in symbolic form.]

Lessons from the Mt of Transfiguration

Matt 17:1    Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves;

Matt 17:2    and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.

Matt 17:3    And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.

Matt 17:4    Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us  make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

Matt 17:5   While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!”

Matt 17:6    And when the disciples heard [it], they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid.

Matt 17:7    But Jesus came and touched them and said, “Arise, and do not be afraid.”

Matt 17:8    When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.

If you see a helmet of brass and not a rainbow crowning the preacher, RUN (reference to 7 December 2008 sermon). No judgment on this Mt of Transfiguration. Contrast with Mt Sinai.

In Matt 17:1 we can see from the names of the disciples that Jesus took with Him to the mountain that Grace has replaced the Law.  John’s name means: Grace. James means: replaced. Peter means: stone and be understood to represent the Law.

In Matt 17:3, we see Moses and Elijah talking with God. In the OT, it was God talking with Man. Here, they were talking with God. This shows ease with God.

Abraham had the same ease and friendship with God. In Gen 18:25, Abraham even ‘negotiated’ with God freely over the judgement of Sodom “Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” Under the New Covenant, we too have friendship and open access to the Father.

In Matt 17:4, we see that Peter wanted to build 3 tabernacles. The Transfiguration probably took place soon after the Feast of Tabernacles so the idea was still fresh in Peter’s mind.

Jesus is above the Law and Prophets

The mistake that Peter made in Matt 17:4 and which is made in some church circles today is to put the Law and the Prophets on the same level as Jesus! Worse still, there are those who advocate using Jesus to keep the Law i.e. they put the Law higher than Jesus!

In Matt 17:5, we are exhorted to hear only Jesus.

Any prophetic ministry today is not directional, it is ‘confirmational’. The prophetic Word ‘outside’ must confirm the inner witness inside us and the written Word of the scriptures. Under the New Covenant (Heb 8:10), the Lord puts his laws in our minds and writes them in our hearts. In other words, He places His desires in us.

In the OT, they had reason to fear, when they saw a cloud

For instance, in the OT when Miriam spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married, God’s anger was aroused. See narrative from Numbers 12:9-10

Num 12:9 So the anger of the LORD was aroused against them, and He departed.

Num 12:10    And when the cloud departed from above the tabernacle, suddenly Miriam [became] leprous, as [white as] snow. Then Aaron turned toward Miriam, and there she was, a leper.

So when a cloud appeared in the OT, it sometimes connoted judgment from God. The disciples in Matt 17:6 thus had some basis to be afraid when a bright cloud overshadowed them. They were expecting judgment.

But Grace came through Jesus Christ! Amen!  In Matt 17:7, Jesus touches his disciples and tells them to arise and to be not afraid.

Instead of receiving judgment and becoming leprous, the disciples received revelation from Jesus! This is the contrast between Old and New Covenants. Praise God!

In the New Covenant, having accepted Jesus as Saviour, you cannot sin and die as a penalty of that sin.

[Editor: The expression "sin unto death" occurs only in 1 John 5:16-17(KJV) and thus its application must be restricted to the predominantly Jewish target audience to which that epistle was addressed.]

In fact whenever Jesus attends a funeral, there is a resurrection. His very presence is Life!

See Jesus Only

In Matt 17:8, when the disciples lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.

Don’t be bound by the Law or the Prophets. Jesus’ main problem were not sinners but rabbis and other self-righteous religious people.

Mark 9:7    And a cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!”

Mark 9:8    Suddenly, when they had looked around, they saw no one anymore, but only Jesus with themselves.

In Mark’s account of the Mt of Transfiguration, we see in Mark 9:8 that the disciples saw no one anymore but “only Jesus with themselves“. This is such a precious and gracious statement because notwithstanding Peter dishonouring Jesus by placing him on the same level as Moses and Elijah, Jesus still remains with them. Indeed Jesus still remains with us when we fail from time to time.

Man of God may come and go. But only Jesus remains forever.

Let’s do away with man-made things like “This Man of God fasted X number of days or this Man of God said this principle, etc.” Instead let’s have more ministries unveil Jesus ONLY.

See this always: JESUS IS WITH ME!

It is a tremendous blessing when the LORD is with you.

Example: Gen 39:2-3 “And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand.” When the LORD is with you even the heathen (as in the case of Joseph’s master, Potiphar) can see that the LORD is with us (as in the case of Joseph)!

Having Jesus, you have everything

Rom 8:32     He that spared not his own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not WITH HIM also freely give us all things?

The operative words in Rom 8:32 are “with Him”. In Jesus Christ, comes all things! Having Jesus Christ, you have everything!

Mark 9:9    Now as they came down from the mountain, He commanded them that they should tell no one the things they had seen, till the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

Mark 9:10    So they kept this word to themselves, questioning what the rising from the dead meant.

Mark 9:11    And they asked Him, saying, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”

Mark 9:12    Then He answered and told them, “Indeed, Elijah is coming first and restores all things. And how is it written concerning the Son of Man, that He must suffer many things and be treated with contempt?

Mark 9:13    But I say to you that Elijah has also come, and they did to him whatever they wished, as it is written of him.”

Mark 9:14    And when He came to the disciples, He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them.

Mark 9:15    Immediately, when they saw Him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to [Him], greeted Him.

Mark 9:16    And He asked the scribes, “What are you discussing with them?”

Mark 9:17    Then one of the crowd answered and said, “Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit.

In Exodus 32, when Moses came down Mt Sinai with the original set of the 10 commandments in Exodus 32, he “cast the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain” and we can infer that God sanctioned this act as had Moses brought the Law into the camp of Israel, everybody in Israel would have perished.

In Mark 9:9, Jesus and the disciples come down the mountain. In Mark 9:15, all the people, immediately, when they saw Jesus, ran to Him.

This contrasts with Exodus 34, when Moses came down Mt Sinai the second time with the second tablets of stone which contained the words on the first tablets broken by Moses. The people ran away from Moses (Exodus 34:29-30) when he descended. The shine on Moses face condemns the people. Moses even had to call them back!

This second giving of the 10 commandments was tempered with mercy and grace.

Exodus 34:6-7 And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing [the guilty], visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.”

Notice the words of grace and mercy were absent from Exodus 31 which was pure Law.

When Moses came down with the second tablets of stone, his face shone (Exodus 34:29-30) but this splendour was a fading one, and it was one which drove people away in fear. After Jesus descended from the Mt of Transfiguration, people ran to Him!

In Luke 9:29, we are told that Jesus face was “altered, and His robe became white and glistening”.  In Matt 17:2, it is recorded that Jesus’ face “shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light”. It is probable that the people who ran to Jesus (Mark 9:15) were “greatly amazed” because of Jesus face still shining.

People are drawn to the mixture of Law and Grace / Mercy because of the Grace part. In such doctrine of ‘mixture’, people are saved by Grace and yet they want to do something to merit their salvation!

Disciples did not know answer to question pertaining to Jesus!

Mark 9:9-10 is a reference to Jesus Christ. Jesus was talking about Himself in these passages. He is the one who would rise from the dead.

Yet, while the disciples in Mark 9:10 did not know the meaning to “what the rising from the dead meant”, they asked about Elijah! Fresh from the Father’s exhortation at the Mt of Transfiguration, the disciples did not know the answer yet they asked about Elijah first rather than Jesus!

Mark 9:11 And they asked Him, saying, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”

The true spiritual man focuses on Jesus. The disciples should have asked why Jesus had to rise from dead.  They should have seen Jesus and no one else!

Like the disciples, often new believers want to read the OT and book of Revelation first! Why? It attracts the flesh! [Editor: It is good practice to major on the Pauline epistles first as it reveals the new covenant truths written to the Church.]

Yet Jesus in Mark 9:12-13 is so gracious that He answers the disciples about the Elijah who “has also come” referring to John the Baptist.

The disciples should have asked about Jesus in the beginning, not Elijah.

Law nullifies Faith

In Mark 9:14, the scribes are disputing with the disciples. Scribes are those who teach the Law. Here we can see them as those who say that Jesus alone is not enough and that qualifications and laws must be added.

Jesus immediately zeros in on these trouble-makers and asks his disciples “what are you discussing with them”

Law ‘kills’ Faith and that is why disciples by engaging in a discussion with the scribes could not cast out the evil spirit from the boy (Mark 9:17).

The Law added conditions to disqualify the disciples from casting out the devil. The Law tends to do this to all things of God — it disqualifes one from receiving the free gifts of God freely!

Mark 9:18 And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not.

Mark 9:19    He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me.

Mark 9:20    And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming.

Mark 9:21    And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child.

Mark 9:22   And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us.

Mark 9:23    Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things [are] possible to him that believeth.

Mark 9:24    And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.

Mark 9:25    When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, [Thou] dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him.

Mark 9:26    And [the spirit] cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead.

Mark 9:27    But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose.

Mark 9:28   And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out?

Mark 9:29    And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.

The marginal rendering in most English bibles will tell you that the words “and fasting” in Mark 9:29 were added later. There is nothing that disqualifies the Believer from casting out devils in Jesus’ name. Hallelujah!

Luke 9:37 Now it happened on the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, that a great multitude met Him.

Luke 9:38    Suddenly a man from the multitude cried out, saying, “Teacher, I implore You, look on my son, for he is my only child.

Luke 9:39    And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out; it convulses him so that he foams [at the mouth]; and it departs from him with great difficulty, bruising him.

Luke 9:40    So I implored Your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.

Luke 9:41    Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.”

Luke 9:42    And as he was still coming, the demon threw him down and convulsed [him]. Then Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the child, and gave him back to his father.

Luke 9:43    And they were all amazed at the majesty of God. But while everyone marveled at all the things which Jesus did, He said to His disciples,

Luke 9:44    “Let these words sink down into your ears, for the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men.”

Luke 9:45    But they did not understand this saying, and it was hidden from them so that they did not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask Him about this saying.

We see in Luke’s account of the story of Jesus’ casting the devil out of the child that this particular child was the ONLY child of his father.

Jesus, God’s only son, full of the Holy Spirit, meets another only child, full of the devil, and frees him!

Pastor believes that the rebuke contained in Luke 9:41 (“O Faithless and pervese generation …”) was primarily directed at the scribes amongst the people at the scene.

In Luke 9:43, the people were amazed at the majesty of God. Indeed the Bible reveals the majesty and truths concerning Jesus Christ.

For instance, when Moses came down Sinai, the people fled, whereas the people ran towards Jesus went he came down from the Mt of Transfiguration. Under Law, when Moses saw the people possessed with the devil and naked, and worshipping the golden calf, there was no solution except to kill the people. Under Law, there was no power to cast out the devil, and the sinner had to be killed. The sin could not be separated from the sinner. In the New Covenant, Jesus cast the devil out of the child and gave him back to his father.

In Luke 9:44, Jesus again emphasized his impending death at the Cross but the disciples so soon after the transfiguration failed to understand this!

Life is a series of forgiveness – Marriage / Family application

Life is one in which you ought to be continually forgiving each other.

If you are honest, often in marriage, the thought of divorce arises. Often this is caused by unfair expectations that the respective spouses place on each other. This often comes about when the respective spouses have a Law perspective and places demands on the other spouse and expects him or her to do things or behave in a certain way.

But realise this: marriage is a series of forgiveness.

If you have to ask how long must I forgive, don’t marry in the first place!

Concentrate on being that person, your spouse would hate to leave or hate for you to leave from the marriage to be with another. Live your life in such an excellent way that your wife would dread to see you leave (figuratively speaking).

Live excellent lives such that your children long (not dread) for you to come home from work.

In marriage troubles, there is too much “I” instead of “us” i.e. there are too  many “I” needs instead of caring for the family or spouse’s needs.

Endure for the sake of the children or family, etc. Don’t divorce.  Marriage is a series of enduring for the sake of the family.

CAVEAT: If there is a major marital sin such as repeated adultery or spouse beating, etc, of course there is room for marital separation after repeated counselling has failed.

Jesus is not on the same level as other Jewish males – He does not pay temple taxes

Matt 17:9    Now as they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, “Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead.

Matt 17:10    And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?

Matt 17:11    Jesus answered and said to them, “Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things.

Matt 17:12    But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished. Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands.”

Matt 17:13    Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist.

Matt 17:14    And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying,

Matt 17:15    “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water.

Matt 17:16    So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him.”

Matt 17:17    Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.”

Matt 17:18    And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour.

Matt 17:19    Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?”

Matt 17:20    So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.

Matt 17:21    However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” [EDITOR: This verse is omitted in some versions]

Matt 17:22    Now while they were staying in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men,

Matt 17:23    and they will kill Him, and the third day He will be raised up.” And they were exceedingly sorrowful.

Matt 17:24    When they had come to Capernaum, those who received the [temple] tax came to Peter and said, “Does your Teacher not pay the [temple] tax?”.

Matt 17:25    He said, “Yes.” And when he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes, from their sons or from strangers?”

Matt 17:26    Peter said to Him, “From strangers.” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free.

Matt 17:27    Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money [EDITOR: Greek stater, the exact amount to pay the temple tax (didrachma) for two]; take that and give it to them for Me and you.”

Peter answered incorrectly in Matt 17:25 that Jesus had to pay the temple tax. The temple, its objective and its purpose, after all was for Jesus. Nevertheless, Jesus was gracious and counseled Peter (Matt 17:27)  to go fishing and from the gold coin in that fish they would find the money for the tax.

Here, the lesson is that Peter so soon after the Transfiguration, failed to consult Jesus first, moreover, he placed Jesus on the same level as other Jewish males who had to pay the half shekel temple tax.  Jesus is far above all other Jewish males.

In every major decision, consult Jesus, not our myriad laws and traditions.

“This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” – Matt 17:5

Peter made the mistake of having his reference point his Jewish laws, he ought to have seen Jesus, not see Moses (figuratively speaking). Peter failed to “Hear Him” only (Matt 17:5).

In a situation where Peter opened his mouth and mis-spoke, Jesus redeemed Peter’s mouth and actions and caused gold to come forth instead. The grace and mercy of God!

The first fish in 17:27 that came up got hooked and lost the gold coin in its mouth. The fish lost its gold coin by opening its mouth in haste. LESSON: Don’t open your mouth rashly, lest your own ‘gold coins’ are stolen from you like the fish.

Who is the greatest?

Luke 9:46    Then a dispute arose among them as to which of them would be greatest.

Luke 9:47     And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a little child and set him by Him,

Luke 9:48    And said to them, “Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me. For he who is least among you all will be great.”

Matt 18:1    At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

Matt 18:2    Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them,

Matt 18:3    And said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

Matt 18:4    Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Matt 18:5    Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.

Matt 18:6    Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

Mark 9:30    Then they departed from there and passed through Galilee, and He did not want anyone to know [it].

Mark 9:31    For He taught His disciples and said to them, “The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him. And after He is killed, He will rise the third day.”

Mark 9:32    But they did not understand this saying, and were afraid to ask Him.

Mark 9:33    Then He came to Capernaum. And when He was in the house He asked them, “What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?”

Mark 9:34    But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who [would be the] greatest.

Mark 9:35    And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.”

Mark 9:36    Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them. And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them,

Mark 9:37    “Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me.”

James and John so soon after the lessons of the Mt of Transfiguration were engaging in one-upmanship in the parallel passages above.

We all indulge in this, from to time, without saying it aloud. We want to be the greater or greatest.

The truth is that Jesus is the greatest. We are to exalt Jesus only. Not others.

Gossip

We gossip because we want to feel superior and it ‘feels’ good to be pushed ‘higher’ and others lower.

However, when you gossip, you are really going down!

If each of you have certain preferences in life, you don’t have to attack the other individual to value your preference.

Declare yourself independent of the opinions of others!

In football, it is a foul when you ‘climb’ over an opponent’s head and ‘push’ or press him down. Don’t foul or push people away to go higher.

NOTE: If you spot an incident in Church which is wrong, and people are hurting, you must report it. This is the exception to the gossip guidelines above.

The child is the revelation!

Luke 9:47 And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a little child and set him by Him,

Mark 9:35    And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.“

Mark 9:36 Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them. And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them,

Mark 9:37        “Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me.”

The revelation to – being last of all and servant of all – is the little child.

Jesus must have had the child in His arms (Mark 9:36).

How to become servant of all?

You become service-oriented, when you realise that Jesus wants you in His embrace (like the child).

Most children allow themselves to be loved and hugged (like Jesus did for this child) — to be the one whom Jesus loved.

Personalise Jesus’ love for you and allow Him to hug you!

Most adults especially guys are resistant to embraces and hugs. It takes humility to be loved like that. Folks, you must learn to personalise Jesus’ love for you and thereby be the  ‘disciple whom Jesus loved’.

As can be seen above, James and John had also forgot the lessons of the Transfiguration so quickly.

Party Spirit or Sectarianism

Luke 9:49    Now John answered and said, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow with us.”

Luke 9:50    But Jesus said to him, “Do not forbid [him], for he who is not against us is on our side.”

Mark 9:38    Now John answered Him, saying, “Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow us.”

Mark 9:39    But Jesus said, “Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me.

Mark 9:40    For he who is not against us is on our side.

John also so soon after the Transfiguration of Jesus was filled with a party or sectarian spirit. John who later became the apostle of love was quite a legalist then.

The lesson for us is not to be so quick to say that our own church is the only true church or have words or actions to that effect. We are all in the body of Christ.

So John in Luke 9:49 was bound by the power of the Law and we see this in more than one incident in the same chapter. All the disciples had failed to heed the lessons of the Transfiguration of Jesus.

All these stories were put AFTER the Transfiguration of Jesus, so we can learn from the pitfalls.

Power of the Amen

Pastor taught the power of the AMEN in his recent trip to Israel with the NCC pastors. [Editor: This is expounded on in the 28 December 2008 sermon.]

Calling down fire like Elijah?

2 Kings 1

7 Then he said to them, “What kind of man was it who came up to meet you and told you these words?”

8 So they answered him, “A hairy man wearing a leather belt around his waist.”
And he said, “It is Elijah the Tishbite.”

9 Then the king sent to him a captain of fifty with his fifty men. So he went up to him; and there he was, sitting on the top of a hill. And he spoke to him: “Man of God, the king has said, ‘Come down!’”

10 So Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, “If I am a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men.” And fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.

11 Then he sent to him another captain of fifty with his fifty men.
And he answered and said to him: “Man of God, thus has the king said, ‘Come down quickly!’”

12 So Elijah answered and said to them, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men.” And the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.

13 Again, he sent a third captain of fifty with his fifty men. And the third captain of fifty went up, and came and fell on his knees before Elijah, and pleaded with him, and said to him: “Man of God, please let my life and the life of these fifty servants of yours be precious in your sight.

14 Look, fire has come down from heaven and burned up the first two captains of fifties with their fifties. But let my life now be precious in your sight.”

15 And the angel of the LORD said to Elijah, “Go down with him; do not be afraid of him.” So he arose and went down with him to the king.

16 Then he said to him, “Thus says the LORD: ‘Because you have sent messengers to inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron, is it because there is no God in Israel to inquire of His word? Therefore you shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.’”

17 So Ahaziah died according to the word of the LORD which Elijah had spoken. Because he had no son, Jehoram became king in his place, in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah.

A Samaritan Village Rejects the Saviour

Luke 9:51    Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem,

Luke 9:52    and sent messengers before His face. And as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans, to prepare for Him.

Luke 9:53    But they did not receive Him, because His face was [set] for the journey to Jerusalem.

Luke 9:54    And when His disciples James and John saw [this], they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?”

Luke 9:55    But He turned and rebuked them, and said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of.

Luke 9:56 For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save [them].” And they went to another village.

In Luke 9:54, James and John wanted to call down fire from heaven to consume the Samaritans who rejected Jesus. In wanting to follow the example of Elijah, again they showed that they had so quickly forgotten the message of the Transfiguration of Jesus.

Like James and John, it is possible for us to take our type or pattern from the OT and completely miss Jesus, and thereby misapply the passages!

Jesus wanted His disciples (James and John) and us to have His spirit NOT Elijah’s spirit.

The correct response to rejection is what Jesus demonstrated in Luke 9:56 — simply go away to another village or elsewhere where people accept or celebrate you. Don’t call down fire!

These are not the days of Elijah. These are the days of Jesus!

In this New Covenant, God does not send punishment to His children. He does not use violence to punish us. He does not make us sick, etc. Even for earthly fathers who abuse their kids, the criminal justice system takes care of them. So do not accuse our Heavenly Father of punishing us with violence!

However, God does use His Word to discipline us in love. Example: You may feel verses in the bible rising up in your spirit to correct or guide you. Thus you feel ‘wrong’ sometimes because verses rise up to correct you in your spirit.

Cloud of Blessing

In Matt 17:5, Luke 9:34, and Mark 9:7, we have a cloud of blessing not of judgment.

In the presence of Jesus, every prayer is answered. Prayers in Jesus are answered exceedingly and abundantly above all that we can ask or think (Eph 3:20).

Rom 8:32    He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?

In Abraham’s case, the ram was climbing up the other side of Moriah to be the substitute for Isaac.

In Matt 17:4, Peter prayed a nonsensical prayer in that he wanted to place Jesus on the same level as Moses and Elijah and to build 3 tabernacles for them.

But God over-answers Peter’s prayer ! The Grace of God ! The cloud overshadows Jesus and His 3 disciples on the mountain. The shekinah presence of God, His tangible presence tabernacled over them. With God’s very presence, there was no need for any of Peter’s proposed man-made booths! Hallelujah. The cloud of God became their house, their tabernacle!

God over-answered Moses prayer too!

In the OT, we know that in Deu 3:25, Moses asked to see Mt Herman – the Mt where Jesus was transfigured. We know that this prayer was not answered then, under the Old Covenant (Num 20:12 – Moses was not allowed by God to enter into the promised land) . This was Moses’ punishment for mis-representing God as a harsh God before the people. Moses had struck the rock in Num 20 instead of speaking to it to yield water as God had commanded.

Once the Rock has been hit (at the Cross), do not strike it again by making the people feel that God is a legalistic God and calling the people “rebels” (Num 20:10). Under the new covenant of Grace, you need only speak and agree with the blessings of God for them to manifest.

But see here in Mt of Transfiguration, Moses was finally in bodily form in the promised land and on the “goodly mountain” 1,500 years after he first uttered that prayer in Deu 3:25.

Why only after 1,500 years? This was the length of the Dispensation of the Law. Under Law, prayers are not answered when you sin.

Now with Jesus ushering in the New Covenant, Moses’ prayer is finally answered.

All prayers under Law, even back-prayers are answered by Jesus! The Grace of God!

Moses is in heaven now!

IN CHRIST, ALL PRAYERS ARE ANSWERED AND ALL PROMISES FULFILLED.

HEAR AND SEE JESUS ONLY.

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IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: THE ABOVE NOTES WERE DRAFTED BY, DEVELOPED, COMPILED AND ORGANISED BY YEO CHOON MENG TERENCE IN HIS PERSONAL CAPACITY ON 31 DECEMBER 2008 AND THEY ARE NOT REPRESENTATIONS OF, ATTRIBUTABLE TO OR IN ANY WAY CONNECTED WITH NEW CREATION CHURCH OR JOSEPH PRINCE MINISTRIES