Transfiguration at Epiphany on February 26, 2006

Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. (2 Peter 1:2)

(2 Peter 1:16-18) We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. {17} For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." {18} We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.

Praise to you, O God, maker of all things. You gave us life and breath. You sent your Son to cleanse us from sin and your Spirit to make us glad. You are the one and only true God. There is none other like you. To you alone be honor and glory now and forever. Amen.

Is Christianity the only true religion?

1. Christ’s transfiguration proves that it is

2. Christ’s transfiguration proves where we are going

 

Buddhism, Islam, Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witness, Judaism, Christianity, Satanism, Wiccan, Scientology, – these are all different religions. Which one is right? Which one is the true religion? Or are they all different paths leading to the same place? Are we all praying to the same God, just calling him by different names?

These are important questions to answer in our American culture where every god is presented as equal – and no god as supreme.

Is that the way it is? Are all gods equal? Are all religions equally valid? Or, is Christianity the only true religion?

Today we are going to let the apostle Peter answer the question – "Is Christianity the only true religion?" Peter tells us that Christ’s transfiguration proves that it is. Peter also says that Christ’s transfiguration proves where we are going.

1. Christ’s transfiguration proves that it is

How can Christians say theirs is the only true religion? Aren’t we being elitist when we confess that ours is the only true religion? Aren’t we a bit egotistical to say that Christ is the only Savior? Listen to what Peter says in verse 16: "We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty."

I would have expected Peter to say something like this in defense of Christ and Christianity: "I was once a hardened fisherman. I lived a wicked and impulsive life. I was raised in a totally different religion than Christianity. But then I met Jesus. He called me to follow Him. When I did, everything changed for me. My life took on new meaning. My life turned a hundred and eighty degrees. I became a preacher and an apostle. I have had such an amazing relationship with Jesus ever since. Surely Jesus is the only Savior. Surely Christianity is the only true religion."

If I were testifying about Christ I might say the same thing. Jesus Christ has set me free from my self-destructive habits. He makes me feel accepted and loved. I no longer live in fear and shame. My marriage has been saved. I have been healed by Jesus. He has made my home happy again. He has set my priorities straight. I feel wonderful.

That all sounds great and true, doesn’t it? And then you hear that John Travolta has found exactly those same things in Scientology. And Mary Tyler Moore has found them with Eastern Meditation. And Donny and Marie have found them with the Mormons.

If all these other religions claim these same things, then where is the power and uniqueness of the Christian message? Why should people leave whatever they have found elsewhere and come to Jesus Christ as Lord? What makes him the one and only true God? What makes Christianity unique and precious in a world of religions and spiritual therapies?

Peter didn’t rely on personal experience or cleverly invented stories to prove Christianity is the only true religion. Peter appeals to objective, historical facts. He said they he was an "eyewitness" to these facts.

And then Peter recalls one particular time, one particular event in the life of Jesus, of which he was an eyewitness: "We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.’ We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain."

Peter specifically mentions the time he (along with James and John) was with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. I'm not sure we give this event the weight of importance that the Scriptures do. It's covered three times in the gospels. We heard about it this morning from Matthew.

Apparently, this was a very decisive event in the lives of those three apostles. Peter could have mentioned any of a great number of wonderful events he had witnessed. He could have chosen the Ascension of Jesus, or seeing Jesus risen and alive after His crucifixion, or he could have talked about any number of miracles he had seen personally. Why did he choose this event - the transfiguration of Jesus on the mountain? How does Jesus’ transfiguration testify that Christianity is the only true religion?

Lots of people have different teachings and opinions about God. Many claim that there are various ways of reaching the final resting place for souls. If other religions make these claims, how can Peter say that Christianity is the only true religion?

To that Peter says, "I was there on the mountain. I saw the glory and majesty of who Jesus was. I know about the meaning of His death. That conversation with Moses and Elijah wasn't just small talk. They were talking about Jesus' death and all that this would accomplish for mankind. And then, there was something else - something very important. God spoke up there on that mountain! I'm not just telling you what I think about Jesus Christ and His kingdom. God spoke. I heard the voice myself. I heard the words. God endorsed His Son, Jesus Christ. God testified that Jesus is the only true God. God the Father backed up everything his Son said and did. That's how I know this is all true. That's why Jesus is different. That's why your faith must be my faith. God says so! God the Father says, ‘Put your faith in Jesus. Listen only to Him!’"

Joshua once said the same thing. He told the Israelites to get rid of worshiping their false gods and worship only the true God: "But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." (Joshua 24:15) The people had a choice to make. They could either worship these false gods or the true God. One or the other. These gods and the true God are not the same. Just as the god of Islam or Mormon or Judaism is not the same god as the true God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Though our present religious climate in America wants all gods to be equal and no gods to be supreme, that is not what the Bible says.

Peter says that there is only one real God to worship and adore and love and listen to. This is the God of Christianity. Our Christian faith does not rest on second hand accounts of religious seekers, but on the eyewitness testimony of God's endorsement and vindication of His Son, Jesus Christ. No other religion can claim that. No other religion has the eyewitness of accounts of God’s apostles. No other religion has God’s divine approval. Only Jesus Christ is God’s Son and our Lord and Savior. Christ’s transfiguration proves that Christianity is the only true religion.

2. Christ’s transfiguration proves where we are going

Christ’s transfiguration also proves where we are going. It proves that Christianity is the only true religion that will take us to heaven. When we used to drive from Kentucky to Wisconsin to see our family, it often turned into a difficult and frustrating journey. Bad weather. Traffic in Chicago. Motorists who have no idea what turn signals are. Car problems. Whiny kids. Expensive meals. Little girls who needed frequent bathroom breaks (although I always encouraged them to hold it for another couple of miles). But when we finally arrived at Grandpa and Grandma’s house, the journey seems worth it. Shelley and I could relax and enjoy. And the girls would then have Grandpa and Grandma wrapped around their little fingers.

Shortly before they entered the most difficult part of their journey together, Jesus took his disciples to a mountaintop to give them a glimpse of where they were going. There he was transfigured before them. Years later, Peter wrote that "we were eyewitnesses of his majesty." You can almost feel Peter’s excitement in writing those words: "We were there! We saw it! We heard it! For one moment, the majestic glory of Jesus was revealed! The doors of the throne room of heaven were opened, and we peered inside!"

Shortly after Jesus and the disciples came down from the mountain, Jesus went to Jerusalem to die. The disciples needed this glimpse of Jesus’ glory to remind them that he really was Savior of the world. They needed to hear the Father’s voice from heaven testify that Jesus was really God’s Son. They needed to be eyewitnesses of Christ’s majesty to get them through the difficult days ahead.

We need it, too. When the boss says, "Sorry, we are going to have to lay you off"; when the one you love says, "I don’t love you anymore"; when your doctor says, "I’m afraid there’s not much we can do," we need to remember that Jesus’ transfiguration proves where we are going. That reminder will enable each of us to say, "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." (Romans 8:18)

When cancer is eating away at our loved one or when we place his body into the grave, Christ’s transfiguration allows us to say with Paul: "The Lord Jesus … will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body." (Philippians 3:21) As Jesus was glorified on the mountain, so we and our Christian loved ones will also receive glorious bodies when we reach heaven.

When we see our own body growing old or wasting away with disease, we need that clear vision of heaven to be able to say with Job, "I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God." (Job 19:25,26) Jesus’ transfiguration proves that though we will one day die, in our glorified flesh, our Redeemer will allow us to see God.

When Satan says to you, "Look at the mess you’ve made of your life. How could God possibly love you?" we need to remember where we are heading: "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore, they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; … And God will wipe every tear from their eyes." (Revelation 7:14,15,17)

The journey of life is not always easy or happy. It can often times seem difficult and frustrating. But joy is in our hearts, because we are on the way home. We know where we are going. Christ’s transfiguration proves it. No other religion can make that claim.

I played soccer in high school and college. I’ve coached soccer for WLS and other teams for years. As much as I love watching football, because I’ve played soccer, soccer is far better than football. In college, there was always a debate between the soccer and football players as to who were the better athletes and which was the better sport. At home, I have a poster that I think settles it. It says: "In soccer there are no time outs, there are no helmets, no shoulder pads, no commercial breaks, no warm dugouts, no halftime extravaganzas. So if that’s what you need, play another sport. You big wuss." I also have a bumper sticker that states: "Men play football. Intelligent men play soccer."

I may think soccer is best. You may think its football. With the Winter Olympics, someone else might think downhill skiing or the luge is the best sport. But you know what? Those are all opinions. It can’t be proven which one is the best.

However, it can be proven which religion is true. All the other religions of the world may claim that they are right and the only true religion. They are wrong. Not because I think so or because I like Christianity better. Peter says it’s because of Christ’s transfiguration. Christ’s transfiguration proves that Christianity is the only true religion because both the glory of the Son and the testimony of the Father prove it. Also, Christ’s transfiguration of glory and majesty proves that we are going to heaven to partake in the same kind of glory and majesty.

Christianity is the only true religion, not because we follow cleverly invented stories, but because it is based upon our Lord Jesus Christ. No other religion can make that claim. Amen.

"Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen." (2 Peter 3:18)