10.1.2017 Sermon Notes & Slides
Engulfed in Glory
Matthew 17:1-8
Pastor John Sloan
Introduction: As human beings, we long for the day when glory will come. Rightly so, our hearts yearn for an end to suffering and pain. The prophet Isaiah says that when glory comes, the eyes of the blind will be opened, the ears of the deaf unstopped, the lame will leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. Even the barren ground will be lush with flowing water (Isaiah 35). One day, glory will be revealed. And in fact, one day, at least for a moment, it was.
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Questions For Discussion & Discovery
1. What does it mean that Jesus was “transfigured” (verse 2)?
2. What is the significance of the appearance of Moses and Elijah with Jesus on the mountain?
3. How did Peter’s religious sensibilities kick in the moment he witnessed the glory of Christ? In what ways are you inclined to imitate his response?
4. God the Father commends to the disciples Jesus as his “beloved Son.” On what other occasion did this happen? What does the Father’s voice convey here?
5. Geerhardus Vos once wrote: “On every page of Scripture, [the believer] finds traits and traces of the Mediator.” How does the written word bear witness to the Living Word?
6. How does the glimpse of glory in this passage encourage you in your present struggles?
Sermon Notes
1. Read Matthew 17:1-3
2. “As [the disciples] would come to realize, they were being privileged to glimpse something of Jesus’ preincarnate glory.” – Don Carson
3. “We were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,’ we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain.” – 2 Peter 1:16-17
4. “The two represent a way of saying that the whole of the Old Testament revelation found its fulfillment in Jesus.” – Leon Morris
5. 01. The Scriptures are written to point to and magnify Jesus, who is the glory of God.
6. “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” – Genesis 3:15
7. “With the possible exception of John 3:16, no verse in the Bible is more crucial and definitive than Genesis 3:15.” – Derek Thomas
8. Read Matthew 17:4.
9. 02. Our default inclination is always to work rather than worship.
10. “Peter betrays an endemic egocentricity.” – Frederick Bruner
11. Read Matthew 17:5-6.
12. Read Matthew 17:7-8.
13. 03. By his mercy, Jesus lifts and strengthens his disciples, who cower in fear at God’s holiness and unflinching demands.