Dear Christian friends:

Sometimes through the mail you receive a small package. You open that and find some new food or soap. The company who makes these wants us to try it and see if we like it. We call these things samples.

The companies send us samples, because they want us to taste it or try it and then go to the store and buy a large box of it.

In our text today God has a sample for us. It is not a sample of food or soap. It is a sample of heaven. God wants us to get a little taste of heaven today, so that we will be more eager to hope for that and suffer now and serve Him faithfully although that is very hard.

We need God's sample of heaven to encourage us and strengthen us to take up our cross and follow Jesus through this wicked world.

So this morning with the help of God's Holy Spirit and from the text I want to give you:


Jesus took Peter, James and John up into a high mountain. While they were in the place talking Jesus slowly changed before their eyes. His face did shine as the sun, and His clothes became white as the light. And then two men appear and talk with Him about His future suffering and death. They are Moses and Elijah.

Then a bright cloud came over them and a voice out of the cloud said, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him." (verse 5) When the three disciples heard the voice they fell on their faces and were very much afraid.

The three disciples here see Christ in His full glory, as the Son of Man. Most of the time while He lived on earth Jesus hid His glory and power. Once-in-awhile He showed a little as at the wedding changing water to wine, changing the weather on the Sea of Galilee etc. But His life on earth was humiliation. He did not always and fully use His glory and power. He made Himself humble to suffer and die for us.

But now on the mountain He shows His glory as He will appear on the Last Day, the Judgement Day. Six days before Jesus told His disciples,"Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom. (Matthew 16:28) He meant Peter, James and John who now see Him "in His Kingdom" of glory on the mountain.

Also the three see Moses and Elijah talking with Jesus about His suffering and death. That will be what we and the angels and all the saints in heaven will talk and sing about day and night. Jesus the Lamb of God who died and rose again will be the chief subject of conversation in heaven. People and angels in heaven will never get tired of talking and singing about that surprising, wonderful work of Jesus for man's salvation.

Now here on earth even we Christians get tired of hearing about it and singing about it, because we are so dull and not very spiritual.

The three disciples also hear the voice of God the Father and fall on their faces, because they can't stand the wonderful voice of God. They are sinners like Adam and Eve who hid at God's voice. But in heaven we will not be afraid of God's voice. We shall enjoy talking and visiting with God just as Adam and Eve did in the Garden of Eden before they fell into sin.

So we have here a wonderful foretaste of heaven. And we need such foretastes as we travel through this sinful, troubled world. The three needed that taste of glory, so they would not fully give-up faith in Jesus while He suffered shame and death on the cross and lay in the grave for three days. That is one reason why Jesus let them have this taste of His heavenly glory.

Also for our faith He let them see His glory here. Peter and John both later wrote about this wonderful event. They write to many, many Christians since Jesus' day and until today: "We were eye-witnesses of His glory" (1 John 1:3, 2 Peter 1: 16-18) God let this happen so our faith in Jesus may be sure and strong, and not fail or doubt in time of temptation, trouble or persecution.

Six days before Jesus told His disciples that He must suffer and die and the third day rise again. Then He told them: "If any man will (wishes) to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up His cross and follow Me." (Luke 9:23)

We who follow Jesus must deny ourselves man things that the world enjoys and boasts of. We must take up our cross and follow Jesus. We must suffer the mockery and shame connected with the cross of Christ. The proud sinful world mocks Jesus and His followers. We must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of heaven.

If we preach and teach that there is forgiveness and salvation only through faith in Jesus' blood then the Masons, Jews, Unitarians and many others are against us.

So we need the hope of heaven and the glory waiting for us. You know if you are working hard or suffering much you can bear it if you know at last there will be victory. Just like a good soldier will fight hard and suffer cold and heat and danger and pain, even death if he has hope of victory and glory.

So we must get a taste the future glory now then we will receive strength to suffer on as good soldiers of the cross.

Amen.