Matthew 17:4 - 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 Elias.
In the beginning of chapter 17, we come to what is commonly referred to as the Mount of Transfiguration. As Jesus ascends up the mount, He takes with Him Peter, James, and John. While there, these three disciples see Christ transfigured before them. After viewing the glorified Christ, they also notice Elijah and Moses. It is at this point Peter speaks up and says that they should build three tabernacles, or tents, and continue the worship and fellowship.
Many truths can be taken away from this event, but let me give just one today: they allowed the past glory to cloud the current glory and working of Christ. The three disciples, like many of the religious rulers and teachers of their day (17:10), were looking for God to do what He did in the past, just as He did it in the past. But what they missed was that God not was working just as He did in the past, but was doing a greater work by revealing Christ to them.
Often today, we look back to the past when the Church and Christianity had a greater impact, and we want to see it today. But our error is often the same error of these three disciples: we want it done just as it was in the past. Moses and Elijah were great men of old that God used in a mighty way. But we cannot allow our vision of a great past to cloud our vision for a greater now. God is still God and He changes not in attributes - but He does change in how he deals with people.
A great Bible example of this would be Moses when he smote the rock and God gave them water. What a great victory and blessing that Moses experienced; but he allowed this past glory to cloud his vision for God's new plan to get the water to the people - by just speaking to the rock. Instead of listening to God's new plan, Moses falls back on his past experience and smites the rock to no avail. So, he does so again and because of his disobedience to God he misses out on the Promise Land.
Let's not allow the glory of the past dictate to us how we will listen and obey God today; and lets not be afraid of doing something different if it is what God has called us to do. If we are always looking back, we will never be able to look forward.
In the beginning of chapter 17, we come to what is commonly referred to as the Mount of Transfiguration. As Jesus ascends up the mount, He takes with Him Peter, James, and John. While there, these three disciples see Christ transfigured before them. After viewing the glorified Christ, they also notice Elijah and Moses. It is at this point Peter speaks up and says that they should build three tabernacles, or tents, and continue the worship and fellowship.
Many truths can be taken away from this event, but let me give just one today: they allowed the past glory to cloud the current glory and working of Christ. The three disciples, like many of the religious rulers and teachers of their day (17:10), were looking for God to do what He did in the past, just as He did it in the past. But what they missed was that God not was working just as He did in the past, but was doing a greater work by revealing Christ to them.
Often today, we look back to the past when the Church and Christianity had a greater impact, and we want to see it today. But our error is often the same error of these three disciples: we want it done just as it was in the past. Moses and Elijah were great men of old that God used in a mighty way. But we cannot allow our vision of a great past to cloud our vision for a greater now. God is still God and He changes not in attributes - but He does change in how he deals with people.
A great Bible example of this would be Moses when he smote the rock and God gave them water. What a great victory and blessing that Moses experienced; but he allowed this past glory to cloud his vision for God's new plan to get the water to the people - by just speaking to the rock. Instead of listening to God's new plan, Moses falls back on his past experience and smites the rock to no avail. So, he does so again and because of his disobedience to God he misses out on the Promise Land.
Let's not allow the glory of the past dictate to us how we will listen and obey God today; and lets not be afraid of doing something different if it is what God has called us to do. If we are always looking back, we will never be able to look forward.
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