The Glorious Christ – part 1
048 The Glorious Christ – part 1
Mark 9:1-8 (1-3)
June 21, 2026
You are aware that we spent the last 3 ½ weeks
Covering Peter’s confession of Jesus
And the instruction from the Lord that accompanied that confession.
· Peter was right about the identity of Christ,
· But had no clue what the purpose of His coming was.
· When Jesus revealed to Peter why He had come, Peter balked and confronted the Lord,
· And was subsequently rebuked by Jesus.
And in that rebuke, we learned a heavy but absolutely essential truth.
Mark 8:34-38 “And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? “For what will a man give in exchange for his soul? “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”
It is such an important passage.
It is also a very heavy passage.
· Jesus revealing that He is going to suffer and die and rise.
· Jesus calling us to lose our lives that we might find them.
THAT’S A VERY HEAVY REALITY.
And last Sunday night as we finished working through it
I told you that it is of such magnitude that
If we don’t get that there’s really no need in moving forward.
If we as a church do not grasp the necessity of our Christian confession
And the reality of what it requires it is really pointless to keep going.
· If we can’t grasp that Jesus is Lord and confess Him as such…
· If we can’t see that following Him requires death to self, taking up His cross, and following Him…
· If we aren’t willing to surrender our lives to Him…
Then it really doesn’t do us any good to just turn the page,
And move on to another subject and keep going through the motions.
We can’t just move on from that text.
We must embrace it.
We must believe it.
We must obey it.
And I’ll be honest, thinking about moving on from that text into the next
ALMOST SEEMED LIKE A LET DOWN TO ME.
What in the world are you supposed to talk about
After you have talked about something like that?
BUT IN REALITY, IMAGINE BEING THE DISCIPLES.
Imagine that you just heard that firsthand from the Lord.
· It would be incredibly difficult to just go about your day after a revelation like that.
Based on Peter’s reaction alone we know that the disciples
Were confused, they were grief stricken, they were fearful.
They were even a little rebellious to what Jesus said.
MAYBE YOU WERE TOO.
But the question is:
HOW DO YOU GO FORWARD FROM SOMETHING LIKE THAT?
How do you move on after having heard such a truth?
What in the world are you supposed to talk about next?
Everything else seems so shallow and insignificant
Compared to such a heavy truth.
WELL, WHAT WE FIND NEXT IS THAT
JESUS WAS AWARE OF THE STRUGGLE THE DISCIPLES WERE HAVING.
He knew that they needed.
· They needed reassurance.
· They needed confidence.
What they needed was to: SEE HIS GLORY
They needed to understand that
Even though Jesus spoke of His suffering and death,
He was not losing, and the plan was not changing.
They needed to see exactly who He is.
And that is why just a few days after rocking their world
Jesus moves to eliminate their doubts.
HE WILL SHOW THEM HIS GLORY.
And as we sort of introduce this passage this morning
I would remind you that this is NOT A NEW CONCEPT.
TURN TO: EXODUS 33:12-19
· Do you remember when the children of Israel had come out of Egypt?
· They had traveled to Sinai
· Moses had gone up the mountain to receive The Ten Commandments
· Down below the people fell into idolatry worshipping the golden calf
· God was angry and threatened to leave the people
· Moses was disillusioned
How could this be the plan?
Who was God after all?
· Moses pleaded with God and God agreed to go with the children of Israel.
And here is what we read: (READ 12-19)
Can you feel Moses’ confusion and fear and disillusionment?
· He can’t wrap his mind around what God must be doing at the moment.
· Moses needed assurance regarding the person of God.
· He asked God, “Show me Your glory!”
· And that is when God hid him in the cleft of the rock and passed by.
In a day of confusion Moses needed to be see of the glory of God.
A glimpse of God’s glory would give Moses everything he needed
To be the resolved leader of those people through the wilderness.
TURN TO: ISAIAH 6:1-8
Think about Isaiah.
· He lived among an idolatrous and rebellious people.
· He referred to himself and them as “people of unclean lips”
· He had been filled with hypocrisy.
· He was misunderstanding who God was and what God expected.
The solution to the problem was simple.
Isaiah needed to see the glory of God.
(READ: 1-8)
Isaiah went from being a hypocrite to being a missionary.
God’s glory turned his hypocrisy into devotion.
TURN TO: EZEKIEL 1:1-4
Or maybe you remember the prophet Ezekiel.
· Actually a priest deported to Babylon
· Perhaps just as apathetic as all the other priests
· But God confronted Ezekiel as well.
But God would reveal Himself to Ezekiel
(READ 1-4)
THAT WAS THE GLORY OF GOD.
· You read all about the 4 living creatures
· You read about the chariot God rode
· You read about the whirring wheels
But skip down to EZEKIEL’S RESPONSE:
(READ 1:26-28)
GOD GOT EZEKIEL’S ATTENTION.
(READ 2:1-4)
GOD TURNED EZEKIEL’S APATHY INTO CONVICTION.
He would become the prophet with a forehead as hard as theirs
A prophet who spoke whether they listened or not.
HE HAD SEEN GOD’S GLORY.
I THINK YOU GET THE POINT.
· When God’s people were confused like Moses…
· When God’s people were hypocritical like Isaiah…
· When God’s people were apathetic like Ezekiel…
GOD ANSWERED WITH HIS GLORY AND RIGHTED THE SHIP.
Christ is about to do the same with the disciples.
· He is about to show 3 of them His glory.
· Peter, James, and John would be invited to behold the glory of Christ.
Peter would later write:
2 Peter 1:16-18 “For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory, “This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased”— and we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.”
John would write:
John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
James would refer to Him as:
“the glorious Lord Jesus Christ” (James 2:1)
THEY WOULD GET THE MESSAGE.
WELL THAT IS WHERE WE GO NEXT IN MARK’S GOSPEL.
(It’s really the only place we could go after such a heavy truth)
Jesus has revealed to us that He is going to suffer and die and rise.
IT’S THE NEW TOPIC of discussion.
· In fact, He’ll bring it up several more times.
Mark 9:12 “And He said to them, “Elijah does first come and restore all things. And yet how is it written of the Son of Man that He will suffer many things and be treated with contempt?”
Mark 9:31 “For He was teaching His disciples and telling them, “The Son of Man is to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill Him; and when He has been killed, He will rise three days later.”
Mark 10:32-34 “They were on the road going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking on ahead of them; and they were amazed, and those who followed were fearful. And again He took the twelve aside and began to tell them what was going to happen to Him, saying, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and will hand Him over to the Gentiles. “They will mock Him and spit on Him, and scourge Him and kill Him, and three days later He will rise again.”
Mark 10:45 “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
IT IS THE NEW TOPIC OF CONVERSATION.
And to prepare our hearts for such a difficult truth
He first reminds us of who He is
So that we will not be confused but confident in Him.
So this morning let’s look at: THE GLORIOUS CHRIST
Commonly referred to as “The Transfiguration”.
I want you to see 4 truths that Jesus was showing these 3 disciples.
On the heels of the revelation
That following Jesus is a calling to follow Him to death,
There are 4 things you need to know.
#1 THE KINGDOM IS NOT IN DOUBT
Mark 9:1
“And Jesus was saying to them, “Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.”
This is really a huge statement from the Lord
Given what they have just learned.
· Jesus just told them that He was going to suffer and be killed.
· That they too would be asked to lose their lives for His sake.
· It was a grim revelation.
· We’re all going to death.
Everything they EXPECTED about the coming Kingdom
Was just DESTROYED in a matter of minutes.
They had followed Jesus because He had promised a kingdom.
Mark 1:15 “and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
The kingdom was supposed to be here.
· They were looking for that earthly throne.
· They were looking for that unending kingdom.
· They were looking for glory and dominion and peace.
But now Jesus said He was going to die.
· It sounded like defeat.
· It sounded like there would be no kingdom.
· It sounded like all the promises they had ever read must have been wrong.
Whatever they expected regarding the coming kingdom,
We are sure that it wasn’t death.
Now they must wonder if they’d ever see the kingdom at all.
So Jesus’ words must have been very reassuring.
“Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.”
That certainly helps!
“I’m not sure what Jesus meant by all that suffering and death talk,
but at least we’re not far from seeing the kingdom.”
“At least we won’t all die before the kingdom comes.”
WHAT IS MORE Jesus promised a kingdom that “has come with power.”
They had already seen the kingdom to some degree.
· They heard Him speaking with authority.
· They had seen Him overthrow the curse with miraculous healings.
· They had witnessed countless demons surrendering to Him.
· They had seen Him command nature and raise the dead.
They had already seen lots of stuff,
But still not to the degree they had hoped.
After all, Jesus had taught:
Mark 4:30-32 “And He said, “How shall we picture the kingdom of God, or by what parable shall we present it? “It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the soil, though it is smaller than all the seeds that are upon the soil, yet when it is sown, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and forms large branches; so that THE BIRDS OF THE AIR can NEST UNDER ITS SHADE.”
Right now the kingdom was small and seemingly insignificant.
They wanted to see the glorious kingdom that was promised.
And here Jesus said that some of them would.
NOW, IT IS WORTH NOTING THAT
Jesus had also alluded to this in the previous chapter.
Even when He was talking about suffering and death and resurrection
WE DID HEAR HIM SAY:
Mark 8:38 “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”
Jesus said that He would come
“in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”
Though the suffering and death of the Christ was a new idea to the 12,
Jesus had still not abandoned the promise of a totally glorious kingdom.
AND HERE HE PROMISED TO SHOW IT TO THEM.
So even though Jesus surprised us by talking about HIS death…
And even though Jesus surprised us talking about OUR death…
We do realize here that this promise of death
Has not hindered the promise of the coming kingdom in any way.
Suffering and death is not an obstacle to the kingdom,
It is the means through which Christ would bring it.
Remember Hebrews 2?
Hebrews 2:14-15 “Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.”
· Death ISN’T a problem.
· Death ISN’T a setback.
· Death IS the plan.
Jesus said:
John 12:23-26 “And Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. “He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal. “If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.”
· Death isn’t the negative you think it is.
· Death is part of life.
· Death precedes resurrection.
· Death precedes glory.
Christ will die.
His followers must lose their lives.
But that truth does not put the kingdom in doubt.
The kingdom is here and the kingdom is coming.
Jesus promised to show it to some of His disciples before they died.
And you need to understand that.
· When you suffer.
· When circumstances arise that you do not understand.
· When you cannot see any possible good coming from your trial.
And you are tempted to wonder if the kingdom of heaven
Really has any jurisdiction at all.
Listen to Jesus here.
The kingdom is not in doubt.
It is coming and it Is coming “with power”.
The Kingdoms is not in Doubt
#2 THE KING IS NOT IN DANGER
Mark 9:2-3
One of the things that the disciples struggled with
Was the notion of the Messiah suffering and being killed.
In their minds, that just could not happen.
A LIVING KING seems to be a necessity for an enduring kingdom.
It’s hard to claim victory
When your king is being abused and ultimately murdered.
That is why this moment of seeing Jesus is so important.
Jesus was not the weak and frail King many of His opponents thought.
There was much more to Jesus that you and I just couldn’t see.
· He was wearing a veil.
· And that veil was hiding a glorious truth.
“Six days later, Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John, and brought them up on a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them;”
· Tradition says the mountain was Mt. Tabor which was in southern Galilee right near the valley of Jezreel, but it is unlikely that they made the trek from Caesarea Philippi down there in 6 days.
· Most likely it is Mt. Hermon which stands over 9,200 ft and is the highest point on the easter side of the Mediterranean Sea.
But the real important fact is that “He was transfigured before them;”
“transfigured” translates (meta-mar-FAY-o)
It’s where we get our word “metamorphosis”
It means “to change into another form; to transform; to transfigure”
It is also the word used to describe the work of sanctification in the life of the believer.
Romans 12:2 “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”
2 Corinthians 3:18 “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.”
JESUS CHANGED FORM.
Paul taught us that during His incarnation:
Philippians 2:6-7 “who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.”
When Jesus came to earth He took
“the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.”
That is such a telling statement.
“form” there is (mor-FAY)
It speaks of “essential characteristics”.
Jesus took of the essential characteristics of humanity.
“appearance” there is (SCHE-ma)
(as in “schematic”)
Meaning that He looked human.
So at His incarnation Jesus took on complete human form.
He looked human, He had human characteristics.
You could not recognize the divine just by His appearance.
Isaiah 53:1-3 “Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, And like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty That we should look upon Him, Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him. He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.”
WHAT YOU AND I MUST REALIZE IS THAT
Though this is the form of Jesus we are most familiar with,
It is not the best representation of who He is.
From eternity past, Jesus had not been in human form.
The second person of the trinity
Was clothed in glorious splendor, not human flesh.
Paul said that He had “existed in the form of God”
That is in the (mor-FAY) of God.
He had all the essential characteristics of divinity.
It has only been for the past 30 or so years that He had looked human.
The real and most accurate depiction of His nature had been concealed.
But on this day, for just a moment,
Jesus would reveal what that looked like!
“He was transfigured”
On this day, He glory shone through.
(3) “and His outer garments became radiant and exceedingly white, as no launderer on earth can whiten them.”
· Luke said He “was gleaming”
· Matthew said “His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light.”
It was glory.
It is full deity on display.
Hebrews 1:3 “And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature…”
Jesus “is the radiance of [God’s] glory.”
THINK ABOUT THAT FOR A MOMENT.
Exodus 24:15-18 “Then Moses went up to the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. The glory of the Lord rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; and on the seventh day He called to Moses from the midst of the cloud. And to the eyes of the sons of Israel the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a consuming fire on the mountain top. Moses entered the midst of the cloud as he went up to the mountain; and Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.”
· Do you remember how the people were warned not to come near or touch the mountain?
· Do you remember how the people were terrified and told Moses to listen to God for them and relay the message?
That was the glory of God.
That was Christ!
How about when Solomon finished the temple:
2 Chronicles 7:1-3 “Now when Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the house. The priests could not enter into the house of the Lord because the glory of the Lord filled the Lord’s house. All the sons of Israel, seeing the fire come down and the glory of the Lord upon the house, bowed down on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave praise to the Lord, saying, “Truly He is good, truly His lovingkindness is everlasting.”
Incidentally, it is the glory of Christ that is revealed later to John in the book of the Revelation.
Revelation 1:12-18 “Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands; and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His chest with a golden sash. His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire. His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters. In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength. When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.”
You may wonder why John was afraid.
He had seen the glory of Christ many times at this point.
· He had seen at the transfiguration
· He had seen Him at the upper room after the resurrection
· He saw Him again near the Sea of Galilee
It’s not the sort of thing that humanity gets used to.
· It’s the glory that caused Moses to bow in humility.
· It’s the glory that caused Isaiah to cry out in fear.
· It’s the glory that put Ezekiel and John on their faces.
IT IS THE PURE GLORY OF GOD.
Revelation 21:22-23 “I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb.”
Maybe that gives you some idea
Of the brightness that was coming off of Jesus on that mountain.
When you consider the person of Jesus
Let me assure you that it is not His glory that is the aberration,
It is His humbled humanity.
You see why we call His incarnation a humiliation.
The glory of God concealed behind unimpressive human flesh?
The glory of God hidden by the appearance of a servant?
WELL ON THIS DAY THE GLORY CAME OUT!
THIS IS WHO HE REALLY IS!
Think about all those glorious pictures of God that Isaiah gave us.
· Like the ones about God pouring the oceans from the palm of His hand.
· Or the ones about God measuring the heavens by the span.
Or:
Isaiah 40:21-26 “Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been declared to you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in. He it is who reduces rulers to nothing, Who makes the judges of the earth meaningless. Scarcely have they been planted, Scarcely have they been sown, Scarcely has their stock taken root in the earth, But He merely blows on them, and they wither, And the storm carries them away like stubble. “To whom then will you liken Me That I would be his equal?” says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high And see who has created these stars, The One who leads forth their host by number, He calls them all by name; Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power, Not one of them is missing.”
WHEN YOU CONSIDER THAT GOD,
Are you really worried that man might somehow overthrow Him?
No way!
Or how about:
Isaiah 43:10-13 “You are My witnesses,” declares the Lord, “And My servant whom I have chosen, So that you may know and believe Me And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, And there will be none after Me. “I, even I, am the Lord, And there is no savior besides Me. “It is I who have declared and saved and proclaimed, And there was no strange god among you; So you are My witnesses,” declares the Lord, “And I am God. “Even from eternity I am He, And there is none who can deliver out of My hand; I act and who can reverse it?”
Are you really worried that man might thwart the plan of that God?
Of course not!
Or:
Isaiah 14:27 “For the Lord of hosts has planned, and who can frustrate it? And as for His stretched-out hand, who can turn it back?”
Man can’t thwart the plans of God.
You’d never even consider that man could do anything to Him.
Well guess what…
THAT GOD IS JESUS!
We read Isaiah 6 at the beginning of the sermon.
How Isaiah saw the Holy One and fell in fear.
John 12:38-41 “This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet which he spoke: “Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” For this reason they could not believe, for Isaiah said again, “He has blinded their eyes and He hardened their heart, so that they would not see with their eyes and perceive with their heart, and be converted and I heal them.” These things Isaiah said because he saw His glory, and he spoke of Him.”
Did you hear what John said?
That Holy One Isaiah saw…THAT WAS JESUS!
HE IS GLORIOUS!
And what a perfect reminder for these disciples.
Jesus just announced that He was going to suffer and be killed and be raised.
· To them that sounded like a major kink in the plan.
· To them that sounded like a loss on the scorecard.
Only because they didn’t know who He really was.
If they had known,
Then they would have not been worried about Him in the least.
His kingdom is not in doubt!
And this King is not in danger!
He is the glorious Christ and none can thwart His plan.
Suffering, death, resurrection, ascension…
Those are all part of His glorious plan for the kingdom,
They are not obstacles.
Jesus Christ is God in human flesh.
He does whatever He pleases.
· If He suffers it’s because it’s part of His plan.
· If He dies it’s because death is necessary.
· If He rises it’s because He wants to.
· If He ascends He’s got His reasons.
· If He returns it will be when He wills.
· And if He calls for His followers to lose their lives then that is part of His plan to save them too!
This King is doing exactly what is required to usher in His kingdom!
There’s more to talk about in this regard tonight,
But I want to leave you with Psalm 2.
You’ve heard it many times.
It is quite familiar.
But the message of that great Psalm
Is precisely the message that Jesus is revealing to these disciples
As He shows them His glory.
Psalms 2 “Why are the nations in an uproar And the peoples devising a vain thing? The kings of the earth take their stand And the rulers take counsel together Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, “Let us tear their fetters apart And cast away their cords from us!” He who sits in the heavens laughs, The Lord scoffs at them. Then He will speak to them in His anger And terrify them in His fury, saying, “But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain.” “I will surely tell of the decree of the Lord: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. ‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, And the very ends of the earth as Your possession. ‘You shall break them with a rod of iron, You shall shatter them like earthenware.’” Now therefore, O kings, show discernment; Take warning, O judges of the earth. Worship the Lord with reverence And rejoice with trembling. Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!”
· He is the glorious Christ!
· He is the Anointed King!
· No rebellion against Him will succeed!
· He will reign!
· He will rule!
· His enemies will perish!
· And all those who lose their lives for Him will be glad they did!
· All those who take refuge in Him are blessed!
HE IS ABSOLUTELY UNSTOPPABLE!