How to Go From Suffering to Glory, Pt. 2

Click HERE to access this program’s Study Guide

Sometimes you discover that the people you thought you knew are much more than what they seem to be. Suddenly you see them in an entirely different light. Pastor Nick Gatzke reveals what Peter, James, and John saw and how it completely changed the way they understood Jesus.

After the long journey up the mountain, Luke tells us that Peter, James, and John needed to sleep. And as they awoke, it says in verse two, that he was transfigured before them and his clothes became radiant, intensely white as no one on earth could bleach them. You ever wake up sometimes and feel groggy? as you’re entering back into reality, and you can’t really tell if you’re awake or if you’re dreaming. Your vision is blurred a little bit, and those sounds that you’re hearing in your head, you’re wondering, is that what was happening in my dream, or is that what was happening in real life?

And as you begin to come to, you begin to perceive what the reality is around you. I feel like that happens to me almost every day. I can only imagine what it must have been like for the first of the three disciples to wake up and see the radiance of Jesus intensely as his white clothing shone with a light shining forth that must have pierced through the grogginess of his eyes. And immediately as he shook himself back into… A wakeful state. He grabbed hold of the men beside him to wake them up as well so that they too could behold the glory of the Lord.

The description is so brief, it’s tempting to look past it, but don’t do it. The word transfigured is the Greek word for metamorphosis. It means to be changed. It’s used only four times in the Bible, and every time it denotes a radical type of transformation. And so Jesus was changed before their very eyes. Now that begs a whole slew of other questions. If Jesus is God and God never changes, he’s the same yesterday, today, and forever, then what’s actually happening here? And it’s important to note that the change that Jesus underwent in their midst was a change simply of his physical appearance or physical nature.

I mean, he’s already displayed that he’s fully God again and again and again and again through his many words and many actions in the first eight chapters of Mark. His God-ness did not change, but the physical appearance of his glory did change. But for a few moments, here it was like the veil was being pulled back and the disciples were able to see the appearance of this God man that would come more in line with his nature. Now, when you are in the depths of despair and when you’re questioning, everything you’ve just committed yourself to, like the disciples had for these disciples, this would be exactly the encouragement that they needed.

Jesus really is God. He really is glorious. He really is perfect. He really is pure. He really is powerful. He really is eternal. And when you see him for who he really is, when you see and behold his glory, you are willing to trust him even to the point of suffering with him and for him. And as they look, they see Moses and Elijah. speaking with him together. And the imagery now becomes incredibly rich and profound as the whole plan of God is seeing to come to fruition in unity. Because both Moses and Elijah had spoken with God on the mountain.

Moses in Exodus 33 and Mount Sinai, Elijah, Mount Horeb and 1 Kings 19. Both Moses and Elijah had seen glimpses of God’s glory. Both had miraculous departures from earth. Both Moses… Elijah are representative of the Old Testament. Moses represents the giving of the Old Testament law. Elijah represents the tradition of the prophets. And so the law and the prophets, the entire Old Testament is personified in these two men. And wow, what it must have been like to hear the conversation that Moses, Elijah, and Jesus were having.

Well, We do get a glimpse into the broad topic at hand. Because Luke 9:30-31 says, “behold, the two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish in Jerusalem.” What does the eternal son of God, the lawgiver of the Old Testament, And the heir of the prophetic tradition or the founder of the prophetic tradition, what do those three talk about while being glorified on top of the mountain? They talk about death, resurrection, and ascension.

They spoke about the very suffering that Jesus had just told his disciples about and caused them such great discouragement. They talked about the fulfillment of the mission of the Messiah. And in this way, they spoke about how his mission fulfilled the Old Testament, all of it, of which Moses and Elijah represented. In fact, Peter would later testify to this very thing. In Acts 10:43, he stood in front of the synagogue and said, to him, meaning Jesus, “all the prophets bear witness. That everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

And Jesus himself would testify to this in Matthew chapter five. He said, “do not think that I’ve come to abolish the law or the prophets. I’ve come not to abolish them, but to fulfill them.” And so the three disciples witness the glory of Jesus. It emboldens their faith through the encouragement that it gives. They bask in that glory for but just a moment. And in fear, Peter opens his mouth. He offers to make tents for Elijah and Moses and Jesus to stay.

Now, whether Peter was just grasping for something to contribute or whether the glory was so great that he never wanted it to end, He wanted to remain in the presence of this glory forever

to go back down the mountain to suffering. We don’t really know. Perhaps it’s a bit of both. But as he spoke, God the Father made himself known. It says that he descended as a cloud, just as he had led Israel through the wilderness to the promised land as a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, just as he had descended as a cloud to meet Moses on Mount Sinai, as he filled the tent of meeting with a cloud, just as he would later fill Solomon’s temple with a cloud, God was there.

And says in verse seven, that the cloud overshadowed them and a voice came from the cloud.

“This is my beloved son. Listen to him. And suddenly looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them, but Jesus only.” God publicly affirmed the ministry of Jesus, pointing to his divinity three times. He did it at his baptism. He did it here at the transfiguration. And he did it, though not audibly, but physically at his crucifixion. And this is just what those disciples needed the most because they were in the depths of doubt and despair and confusion. And God reminds them, that Jesus really is his son.

And the cloud dissipated and the father and Elijah and Moses disappeared. And it says, they no longer saw anyone with them, but only Jesus. Only Jesus. And Jesus was enough. How are they gonna make it through? The days that were ahead. How would they make it through the suffering that would be coming upon them? Well, God encouraged them. He peeled back the veil for just a few moments, showed them glory. He gave them a glimpse of eternity. He encouraged them, but he also commanded them. It was so quick that you might be tempted to skim past it, but he commanded them “This is my beloved son.” And here’s the command. “Listen to him. Listen to him. Listen to him.” How would you make it through the suffering for the gospel that is going to come to you? Listen to him. And this is the command for me and it’s the command for you just as much as it is the command for the disciples back then. Because life is hard. You know this. Following the Lord Jesus can be hard. It’s not always hard, but it can be very hard sometimes. Yes, God blesses you when you follow him. Yes, there’s great joy that comes to you when you serve the Lord Jesus.

Yes, your purpose for life is made clear when you know the Lord. Yes, your soul has hope and security and a future when you follow Jesus. but it doesn’t always feel that way. And sometimes you might be tempted to wonder as the disciples wondered, is this worth it? This is harder than I thought it was going to be. Does God see my pain? Does he hear my prayers? I don’t know if I’m going to make it through this suffering. Is glory something that is still for me? Those are the questions. that people ask all the time.

Friends, let the Lord encourage you because listening to the words of Jesus enables you to follow him through suffering all the way to glory. It’s getting increasingly hard to be a Christian who’s faithful in this society. It is still easier than other places, some other places in the world, but it’s not surprising to you whether it’s the Christian lifestyle choices or the rejection of a Christian worldview or a mockery of the authority of the word of God or the dismissal of morality in the political realm.

You’ve heard me say it before, but none of this is a surprise. For the first 240 years of our nation’s existence, there was positive reinforcement and positive pressure to follow the Lord and at least acknowledge the things of the Lord. But all of that has changed in the last eight years. We’ve come over the precipice. And for the first time in the history of America, the trend and negative pressure toward following the Lord is real and it’s felt and you are living in it. Things are changing and it’s hard and it’s probably going to get harder.

How are you gonna make it through? How do you make it through difficulty and suffering? How do you make it all the way to glory? You listen to the words of Jesus. Listening to the words of Jesus enables you to follow him even through suffering. All the way to glory. Listen to him when he says, come to me all who are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls. My yoke is easy and my burden is light.

Listen to him when he says, all authority in heaven and on earth is given to me. or I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. Listen to him as he instructs a new commandment I give to you that you are to love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this, all people will know that you are my disciples if you love one another. Listen to him. As he reminds us, let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. Listen to him as he invites you into forgiveness.

As he says, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me. And listen to him as he boldly proclaims, I am the first and the last, the living one. I died and behold, I am alive forevermore. And I have the keys to death and Hades. And listen to him. the truth should compel you to suffer with him. As he says, if anyone comes after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, but to forfeit his soul?

Listening to the words of Jesus enables you to follow him even through suffering all the way to glory. And as the disciples head back down the mountain with Jesus, they had been told that they were following a suffering Messiah, that they would see his death that would pay the ultimate penalty for sin for anyone who would have faith in him, even to criminals, even to religious leaders, even to themselves, even to you. And they also learned that in following him that they too would suffer. Up the mountain, they were encouraged.

They saw the divinity of Jesus and they heard the command of God to listen to him. And now the mountaintop experience was coming to an end. Going back down the mountain, it says in verse 11, “they asked him why the scribes say that Elijah must come first. And he said to them, Elijah does come first to restore all things. And how it is written that the son of man that he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt. But I tell you that Elijah has come and they did to him whatever they please as is written.”

The Messiah would suffer. John the Baptist was the example of his followers. He was the new Elijah and he suffered and now they too will suffer. Down the mountain, suffering. Top of the mountain, glory. Coming back down the mountain, back down to suffering. But listening to the words of Jesus enables you to follow him all the way through suffering to glory. You know, suffering comes in a variety of ways, doesn’t it? Sometimes it’s persecution. Sometimes it’s frustration. Sometimes it’s in the waiting.

This is the history of those who follow Jesus. And it’s your history as well. In fact, in the early Western missionary movement, whether it was William Carey to India or Hudson Taylor to China or Adoniram Judson to Burma, Adoniram Judson, after preparing for five years and having six years of work and praying and translating the Bible and being imprisoned for 19 months in two separate prisons and losing eventually his wife and all of his children, In 1819, he baptized his first convert to Christianity.

Six years of work for one person. By 12 years, there were 18 believers in Jesus there. And when Judson began his mission in Burma, he had a goal of translating the Bible and founding a church of 100 members before he died. But when he died, he left the Bible, 100 churches, and 8,000 Christians. How did he do that? How did he make it through all of the pain, all of the difficulty, all of the suffering to get to glory? How can you do that? Listen, listening to the words of Jesus enables you to follow him through suffering, even the suffering you might be going through right now, all the way to glory.

Let’s pray. Father, we thank you for giving us the encouragement that we need when we need it. Help us, we pray. Encourage us all the more, we pray. Give us resolve to suffer with grace, we pray. And may we too enjoy the glory that comes. Amen.

###

This transcript was generated using AI transcription technology and reviewed for accuracy, but may contain errors. Please refer to the original audio for precise wording.