This sermon is from the Rev. Charles G. Dennison sermon archive, part of the “Misc. Matthew sermons” series, and was preached at Grace Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Sewickley, PA, during a worship service on Sunday, March 28, 1993.
Scripture reading in Matthew chapter 17. We will be looking at chapter 17 in Matthew this morning. Let me begin reading at the first verse. After six days, Jesus taketh Peter, James and John, his brother, and bringeth them up into a high mountain apart, and was transfigured before them.
And his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. And behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elijah talking with him. Then answered Peter and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here. If thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles, one for thee and one for Moses and one for Elijah. While he yet spake, behold, A bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, hear ye him.
And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face and were sore afraid. And Jesus came and touched them and said, Arise and do not be afraid. And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man save Jesus only.” And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man until the Son of Man be risen again from the dead.
And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elijah must first come? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elijah truly shall first come and restore all things. But I say unto you that Elijah is come already. and they knew him not, that had done unto him whatsoever they listeth. Likewise shall also the Son of Man suffer of them.’ Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.”
Lord, we would not neglect to pray to the Lord of the Harvest that those workers which you would set aside would be raised up. Indeed, Lord, we see the answer to our prayers as the Church sees within herself sons raised up to proclaim the word to the ends of the earth. So even this morning, Lord, and upon this day, even from the morning through the evening, the greatness of our God shall be declared, and truly, Lord, your harvest shall be brought in. We pray in gratitude that we ourselves have been gathered, we pray in confidence, knowing that you shall perfect all of your purposes and your word will not return to you void. We ask, Lord, that you would hear us through Jesus Christ, amen.
My friend of a dozen years or so did not tell me himself about his decision, so I had to learn about it from other people, mutual acquaintances. He had been a devout Calvinist, a convinced Presbyterian. He was even thinking about the ministry he had fought in fact about ministry in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. But now I was informed he had left all of that behind him in order to join the Greek Orthodox Church. The last information I received about him was that he was putting up icons throughout his house and teaching his little daughter to kiss them.
A few years ago, the Presbytery of Ohio, the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, was rocked by the news that a very capable, talented young man, a youth group leader in our churches in Grove City and Harrisville, had not only left the OPC for the Roman Catholic Church, but had now become an ardent evangelist for Rome’s position against all the claims of Luther and Calvin.
Stories like these are multiplying They are reported regularly in the religious press, and they seem to know no denominational boundaries. The avalanche began about a decade ago with news that Elizabeth Elliot’s brother, Thomas Howard, had defected to Rome from the evangelical world. More recently, the news comes out of the Lutheran Church that their highly respected conservative theologian, Richard Newhouse, has abandoned his position as a Protestant spokesman for the higher clerical life in Mother Church. And then there is the story about Frankie Schaefer. the rather infamous son of the evangelical luminary Francis Schaeffer, who was now upset his mother, Edith, and many of his close friends, because he has rejected his past for the comforts of Eastern Orthodoxy.
But bringing matters still closer to this congregation Although it’s not Rome or Constantinople that is in view. But rather Canterbury. This congregation was in fact severely disappointed when two ministerial candidates close to it decided in favor of the liturgicism of the Anglican tradition rather than for the simple, plain-style Puritan worship revered by us.
I have wanted to address this subject for some time. I could wait no longer. I even had to put off the conclusion of Philippians. My intention is to speak to it more fully at a later time in a future series, a series in which I hope to address as well the perplexing issue now that has arisen within Christendom that of what is called contemporary worship style. For the moment, I want to speak to the narrow issue that of high church liturgicism. This becoming so pressing upon the conscious consciousness of conservative Christianity, evangelical and reform.
If you don’t see your friends, in fact, you may well see your children. I have chosen the story of the Transfiguration in Matthew 17 because I think that it sets before us this crucial issue. If we are confronted with the disciples and their perspective.
They move along a track that takes them in a direction just the opposite of where God would have them go. You see, it is possible to have religious experiences and not understand them. It is possible to have religious encounters and completely misinterpret them. Such phenomenon even has biblical backing. Such things do occur, you know.
The perspective of the disciples in the end proves to be no innocent variation upon a A position infected with certain improprieties, but at base, you know, acceptable. In light of what Scripture is saying here, the position of the disciples ends up being dead wrong. Yes. Yes, you can be dead wrong. and I am bold to suggest that their perspective is a position that matches up well with the high church liturgically dominated traditions of Christendom.
God on that mount of transfiguration sets before this small group of Jesus’ disciples a manifestation of Christ’s post-resurrection glory, that which is coming. It is as if Jesus in this setting were getting a preview of his promised exaltation, and that as an encouragement for him in the face of his coming crucifixion. But how do the disciples react to this revelation? You have them reacting through their captain, as it were, their spokesman, Peter. He wants to build booths. He wants to build tents. He wants to build what are called in the text tabernacles. is the significance of this suggestion. What are these tabernacles all about? Well, their meaning can hardly be their impressiveness, since what kind of structures are these disciples going to build up there on top of the mountain? No, it’s not their impressiveness that’s important, but if not that, then what?
Some have suggested that we see in these tabernacles a connection with other tabernacles in Israel’s history. Those that belonged to Israel’s celebration during the Feast of Tabernacles in the fall of the year, that feast marking The events of the wilderness wanderings as the people of God moved throughout the desert, poor and humble, dwelling in tents or tabernacles, until the time they entered into the land of Canaan. But you will note that Peter here is not suggesting tabernacles for him and his friends, James and John, structures that would be appropriate to their humility in light of the revelation that had been given. Rather, he is proposing here tabernacles for the glorified Christ and for the heavenly visitors, Moses and Elijah.
And what need have they of tabernacles reminiscent of humility and the days of humility in the wilderness wanderings? The truth is that these tabernacles actually have the character of shrines. These tabernacles have the character of shrines, more closely related to, more closely tied to the Old Testament tabernacle, singular, the precursor to the temple than to the booth built by the children of Israel year by year during the Feast of Booths and Tabernacles. Why would the shrines be appropriate?
Because, you see, Peter and his friends do not envision Moses and Elijah leaving. nor do they envision the glory which they are beholding presently in Christ as fading or disappearing. These tabernacles will serve as religious centers in which these three glorious personages may conceal their glory while commanding the attention of the world. And who knows what lies in the future for these poor, humble shacks on that mountain?
I can envision them becoming cathedrals. There are, of course, multiple problems with Peter’s suggestion. First, and obviously, it fails to realize that Jesus has not as yet reached his goal. Jesus reminds them of that goal as they come down from the mountain, you will note. That goal is his rendezvous with the cross at Jerusalem. and beyond that, the resurrection into glory that takes him beyond all of the shrines and cathedrals of this world. Secondly, Peter’s suggestion fails to appreciate what the work of Jesus is designed to accomplish.
Peter is a good Jew. He sees, accented here, some sort of enterprise that will continue what has been. Making it better, of course, but in a sense continuing what has been. But the true objective is no mere perpetuation of the old order with its concentration upon external matters, its concentration upon an earthly administration and things visible.
The appearance of that cloud that seems so prominent in the narrative testifies to the arrival of something new, a redefinition The cloud, you will recall, in the Old Testament filled that Old Testament tabernacle. Thus, that Old Testament tabernacle had placed upon it the seal of God, testifying of his presence. The cloud here now envelops not buildings, but persons present on the mount. They stand apart from human structures. and it is from that cloud that the father of all glory points out the supremacy of his son and gives command with respect to the commandments of the son.
This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased here. The focus is upon the It’s plain style, folks. It’s plain style, even from the mount of transfiguration, regardless of your aesthetic sensitivities, regardless of how you want to cultivate your aesthetic character and the dimensions of your personality that are artistically bound and determined. My friends, it is plain style that is set out to you here in the New Age. The focus is upon the Word. Moses and Elijah will leave. Jesus himself in his body will leave.
Peter will be proscribed from establishing those structures on the mountain, in order that the focus might be elsewhere. The first, therefore, of this revelation is away from the Old Testament administration. A new tabernacle is coming that displaces the old. Neither Peter’s tabernacles nor the Old Testament tabernacle and structures will do. But it is as if the high church liturgicism of Christendom has determined within itself to build those tabernacles that Peter was kept from building. But I want you to note that this tradition within Christendom has done one better than even Peter.
For they have invested their religious traditions and their structures with those things that no self-respecting Jew would ever invest their structures. To be sure, we see the vestiges of an old testamentalism in the ceremonies of Rome and the tradition of Constantinople as well in Canterbury, and it is a shame. It is a tragic shame that could break our hearts that the Christians bound to these ceremonial traditions and these practices cannot see the anachronism of their priestly parades, their religious garb, their sacramental dramas, their incense and their temples. But there is also the matter of their sinfulness, a sinfulness that blinds them. made all the more apparent when these people, in the absence of the living personages who had gathered together on that mount, made for themselves images of those very persons in order to decorate their shrines. Peter has now been elevated to such a height that he is judged worthy of having a shrine of his own. Can you imagine Jesus saying, No, Peter, I’m not going to let you build a shrine for me, but I’m going to build one for you.
This is madness! This is madness! At this point, we are no longer dealing with an attempt merely to hold on to Old Testament formalism and ceremony, Old Testament externalism and earthiness. We have actually wandered into the territory of paganism. Do you remember? The Israelites were strictly forbidden not to make images. Much better that we take our cue from a mature Peter, who in the end directs our attention above. Do you hear what he says?
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ which, according to his abundant mercy, hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you.” Much better we take our cue from a mature John. who records the story of Jesus’ encounter with the woman of Samaria.
In that encounter, Jesus says this, that an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth. For such people the Father seeks to be his worshipers. God is a spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
Amen. Let’s pray. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. and one of those things was the character of worship. And O Lord, as in fact the Mount of Transfiguration and its proper meaning informed them, may it inform us. May our hearts be directed above, may we be concerned about those things which are invisible, May we be determined to listen to your word and to obey, and may we rejoice in that spirit wherein the hidden God communes with the hidden heart through the word and the spirit. For such worship as this, Jesus died. to inaugurate.
The sermon text provided above is derived from the sermon audio recording making use of generative tools. It has not been manually edited. While transcription tools have a high degree of accuracy, the output may include generative textual, punctuation, and/or formatting errors.