See the Glory of Christ
Read the Text: Matthew 17
Memorize the Text: Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone wants to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me will find it." (Matthew 16:24-25)
Consider the Text: Matthew 17:1-13
Great Christian men and women adorn history. We know the stories of great martyrs of the faith who surrender everything for serving the Lord. Well-known believers serve as a cloud of witnesses that continue to proclaim the greatness of God, and often these people become symbols or memorials of faith. Throughout history, such men and women stand as examples and witnesses of walking faithfully in faith. But as followers of Christ, we need to make sure that we do not fall prey to giving these men and women the glory that God alone deserves. For example, in Matthew 7:1-13, we read the transfiguration event. At this moment, Peter, James, and John engaged heroes of the faith in Elijah and Moses and, for a moment, fall prey to sharing the glory of Christ with others. As a result, this event teaches us three important truths about properly giving Christ the glory he deserves alone.
We must NEVER LOWER CHRIST TO A LEVEL OF A GREAT MAN. The three disciples declare that they will construct three tents. Each tent would exist for the honor of Moses, Elijah, and Jesus. The concept of a tent symbolizes the idea of the tabernacle in the wilderness. Thus, the disciples desired to construct places of worship for Moses, Elijah, and Jesus. The disciples knew that Elijah and Moses were not God but that they were faithful men of God. By offering to construct a tent for each, they lowered the glory of Christ to the level of a great man. They equated the glory of Jesus as equal to the glory of Elijah and Moses.
Similarly, we face the temptation to trivialize the glory of Christ. We construct tents of activities, people, and places that we honor as much as we honor Christ. We give lip service to the Lord but pursue and glorify other things equal to Christ. As a result, we lower the glory of Christ. We neglect his nature and character. We forget the greatness of his glory alone. In what ways do we attempt to define Christ and lower his glory.
We must NEVER ELEVATE A GREAT MAN TO THE STATUS OF CHRIST. Peter, James, and John elevated Moses and Elijah to unhealthy honor and glory levels. They treated them as deities who deserved their glory. If they did not lower the glory of Christ, then they elevated these great men of faith to the level of Christ. As a result, the disciples refused to acknowledge the true nature of Christ's glory.
We struggle with the same threat. We elevate Christian artists, well-known Christian speakers or personalities, or great Christian men or women. We become awestruck when we have an opportunity to meet one of these individuals and approach them with a level of glory greater than deserved. This does not mean that we neglect to honor the life and ministry of faithful followers of Christ, but we do put such responses in a proper perspective. Who do we have the temptation to elevate to the glory of Christ? Who do we become awestruck in their presence?
We must SEE THE GLORY OF CHRIST AND GIVE HIM GLORY ALONE. As the disciples declared the offer to construct three tents, a voice came from heaven that refocused their attention to the truth that Jesus alone is the Son of God who is worthy of all glory. The honored life of Moses and Elijah occurred only because of the working of the Lord, and as a result, the Lord alone deserves the glory. Jesus, as the eternal Son of God, deserves all the glory. He is the Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer. He alone is worthy of all glory, honor, and praise. We must never divide our worship. Thus, we must evaluate and see if we give all glory to Christ because he alone is worthy of our praise.
Our life needs to reflect the glory of Christ. We need to see the glow of Christ's glory and respond as we experience the faithfulness of godly men and women, our praise out to extend to the Lord alone as the one who uses the unworthy for a mighty work. All glory belongs to the Lord, and our life must reflect that glory. So will you hear the great words of God and consider the people, places, and things in life that need to be rid of because they threaten to steal the glory of God in your life.
This blog is part of the Coffee and Quiet Time with Jesus Devotional Series found at equippingfaith.com. Join the journey of reading through the New Testament this year. More information can be found at equippingfaith.com.
