The Need and the Gift of Courage
Assuming the goodness to be here, because it is the dwelling place of the Lord, and that a day in His courts is better than a thousand elsewhere.
Assuming the goodness to be here, because here is a place where we hear the Father’s voice, This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased – listen to Him and get to listen to Christ and hear that we too are beloved children in Christ,
Assuming the goodness to be here, because here is a place where we can lift up our eyes, and in the midst of a life in which we see so many things, we are reminded to at times see Jesus only –
What fears do you bring here today?
It is good that you are here. And it is good that you have brought your fears with you.
Despite the many differences of fears we might all have brought here, there is one thing that need in common and that is courage.
Wait on the Lord, and be of good courage. Courage, for the Christian, doesn’t make the things we were afraid go away, courage helps us face the fears with confidence that Jesus on our side.
And with hope in God that ultimately we will not be put to shame.
Courage, for the Christian, is brought about by our Lord when we make known our fears –
fears of not being enough,
fears of not having enough,
fears of what is happening to our body, and fears of what is plaguing our souls –
and we sing and hears others sing the truth of Psalm 27 – The Lord is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear?
The Sunday in which we consider the Transfiguration of Jesus is a wonderful Sunday, as all Sunday’s are, to receive courage.
Our Lord Jesus Christ has promised trouble in this world. He has promised His disciples, you, too, rejection and the attacks of the devil.
Right before Jesus is transfigured, Jesus had began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.
Peter took Jesus aside and began rebuke Jesus, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you!”
That gives us some context to Peter’s desire to stay on that mountain where Jesus is transfigured. Going down from the mountain means Christ will again hide the brightness of His glory and goes to His humiliating death.
It seems good for Peter to just stay there where it is safe and the fears are far away. But Christ’s to Peter’s rebuke is good for us to here, too:
Get behind me, Satan. You are hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.
The things of God include Jesus suffering for our sin on a cross, so that we might not have God rightfully made at us, but instead have God with us to give us courage to face our fears.
The things of God include the call for us to deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow Him. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for His soul?
For that call we need courage – courage to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him, rejoicing in His will and walking in His ways.
What fears do you bring today?
Jesus is Lord.
He showed Peter, James and John a glimpse of his divinity – His Lordness -as He is transfigured before them, and His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became white as light.
Be of good courage!
Moses and Elijah appear – all the Bible and all of life witness and find their center in Christ.
Be of good courage.
A bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him!
Be of good courage!
And one of the things that’s interesting when you come here is what happens with Peter, James and John next – it’s the opposite of courage, they become terrified!
When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified.
Being here strips us all. Of all the things that fear, at the top should be the fear of God and the fear of righteous judgments against us
Listen to Him –
Boy, I don’t do that as I should. We too often listen to the world. We too often listen to our sinful flesh. We too often listen to what other people are saying. And for that we deserve God’s wrath. Fear His wrath above all things.
That God is here is not in and of itself good news because He could be here to give me what I deserve for not listening as I should and that should terrify us.
All other fears should melt away in comparison to that fear.
But Jesus came and touched them saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.
Jesus only saying Rise, and have no fear.
The Son of God whom we should fear above all things,
who on the day of His transfiguration had His clothes become white as light, clothes you with His righteousness.
He allowed all of the shame and sin and dirt that come sullied with to go upon Himself.
He who was powerful enough that people were being healed just by touching his clothing,
He allowed Himself to be stripped and beaten, and then His clothes to be put back on Him as after His judgment He picked up His cross and carried it to the place where His clothes would be stripped again, divided among the soldiers, with the beautiful piece having cast for it, to show you His love,
to show you that He sees you and one clothed in Him,
washed in His blood.
You need to listen to that often for your courage.
It is good Lord to be here that we here again to receive that promise again.
Listen to Him – wait on Him – and be of good courage!