First Baptist Church Litchfield
May 10, 2026

      • Proverbs 31:25–31ESV

  • Shine Jesus Shine
  • Come Thou Fount

      • Luke 1:46–50ESV

  • He Who Is Mighty
  • Because He Lives
  • Goodness Of God

  • When Jesus Doesn’t Meet Our Expectations

    Just six days before the transfiguration of Jesus in Matthew 17, Jesus began to speak plainly about His mission. He told His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, suffer many things, be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter, hearing that, pulled Jesus aside and rebuked Him; “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” In other words, “Jesus, that is not the kind of Messiah I signed up for.” Peter had his expectations of Jesus. Jesus’ message about the cross, however, did not line up with those expectations. Jesus’ vision for redemption did not fit well into the box Peter created for Jesus.
    Last week we learned, like Peter, that we are tempted to want a version of Christianity that fits our expectations. We want the benefits of salvation without the cost of discipleship. We want resurrection without crucifixion. We want glory of heaven without suffering on earth. We want a crown without the cross.
    We find out, as Peter found out, that Jesus does not adjust Himself to fit our expectations, thankfully. Instead, He reveals more of his true nature so we can adjust to his expectations. And that is exactly what happens in our text.
    In Matthew 17, Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up on a high mountain, and for a moment, He pulls back the veil. The One they have been walking with… the One they have been listening to… the One whom they thought they understood…is suddenly unveiled in His true divine glory. His face shines like the sun. His clothes become white as light. Moses and Elijah appear. A cloud overshadows them. And then the voice of God the Father thunders from heaven: “This is my beloved Son… listen to Him.”
    In this extraordinary moment, Jesus is revealing his true divine nature to his disciples. Furthermore, as He does this, he breaks the box their finite minds put him, and gives them soul satisfying awe-inspiring glory.
    Peter may have been tempted to correct, reshape, and redefine Jesus according to his own preference. But on this mountain, God makes one thing unmistakably clear:
    Jesus is not just another prophet like Moses or Elijah. He is the greater Moses, the God who revealed his glory to Elijah. He is the divine Son. And He alone has the authority to speak and to save us. God the Father demands that we listen to Him.
    So the question this text presses on us this morning is,

    Will you listen to Him?

    Will you let go of your worldly thinking, your worldly expectations of Jesus so God can reveal more of His Son to you? This morning I want you to,

    Let your worldly expectations be confronted by Christ’s glory leading you to listen to Him alone for salvation and obedience.

    As we walk through this passage, we are going to see why this command is not just necessary, but it is life-saving.

    Let Your Worldly Expectations Be Confronted, So You Can See the Glory of the Son (Matthew 17:1–3; Exodus 24:12–18; Exodus 34:29–35)

    Matthew tells us that after six days, Jesus took Peter, James, and John up on a high mountain by themselves. And there, in a moment they could not have anticipated that everything they thought they understood about Jesus would be confronted. Matthew says, “He was transfigured before them, and His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became white as light” (Matthew 17:1–2).
    Luke adds that this happened as Jesus was praying. As Jesus communed with His Father, the veil of His humanity was, for a moment, pulled back. What the disciples saw was not a change in who Jesus was, but a revelation of who He has always been.
    The word used here is metamorphoō—from which we get our word metamorphosis. It speaks of a transformation, not in nature, but in appearance. Jesus did not become something He was not. He revealed what He truly is. His divine glory, normally concealed beneath His humanity, burst forth into visible radiance.
    For a brief moment, the disciples saw what Moses could never fully see.
    The text echoes Moses experience on the mountain. In Exodus 24, Moses ascends Sinai into the cloud of God’s presence. The text tells us the glory of the Lord settled on the mountain for six days. There was the Shikinah cloud, the voice, the fire, the overwhelming presence of God (Exodus 24:12–18). And yet, even there, Moses did not see the fullness of God’s glory.
    Later, in Exodus 34, after being in God’s presence, Moses came down the mountain and his face shone. But even then, that glory was reflected. It was not his own. It was borrowed glory; a fading glory.
    But here in Matthew 17, Jesus does not reflect glory. He radiates it. Moses went up the mountain to receive revelation. Jesus stands on the mountain as the revelation of God.
    The writer of Hebrews says it this way, “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature” (Hebrews 1:3). What the disciples are seeing is the fullness of God’s glory shining through the person of Jesus Christ.
    Try to see this moment through Peter’s eyes. Peter might be feeling somewhat conflicted. By the time Peter is standing in this moment, he was affirmed for his confession that Jesus is the Messiah, and even told he’s the foundation the church will be built, only to be severely rebuked for being a stumbling block to Christ’s going to the cross. Peter may have went up that mountain full of tension between his worldly expectations of Christ and the reality of the mystery of the divine nature of Jesus.
    I think we live in the same tension of Peter all the time. We tend to approach Jesus with worldly categories that are far too small for Him, as if he is no different than any other person we have encountered in this world. We do this because we want a manageable Messiah, one we can understand, predict, and fit into our plans. We want a Jesus who meets our expectations, not one who confronts them.
    But when Jesus reveals His glory, He shatters those expectations. He will not be put neatly into our boxes. Jesus is not the Messiah you make him out to be, He is the Son of God, the Alpha and Omega, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lord, who always was, is, and forever will be!
    Jesus’s transfiguration releases Peter’s tension by revealing his true glory as the Eternal Son of the Triune God. And once Peter see’s Jesus in His glory, his worldly expectations melt away, and he joyfully trembles. On the one hand, he is terrified, so much so he does what Elijah and Moses do when they see God, they hide their face. Yet, on the other hand he rejoices. He says it is good for us to be here.
    C.S. Lewis captures this tension of our expectations perfectly in The Chronicles of Narnia. When Lucy first hears about Aslan, she asks Mr. Beaver a very honest question: “Is he safe?”
    And Mr. Beaver responds, “Safe? Who said anything about safe? Of course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”
    That line always sticks to me. I think it is because it exposes unbiblical expectations I hold of Jesus.
    I want a safe Savior. I want a predictable Christ. I want a Jesus who fits neatly into my categories and makes me comfortable.
    But when Lucy finally sees Aslan, she trembles, and yet is joyful at the same time. Why? Because she realizes she is in the presence of a King far greater than she could ever imagine.
    I feel the same way when the Lord reveals the Son to me through His word. My soul does not crave an American sanitized Christian bookstore Messiah on a throw blanket. My soul craves the holy terrifying, yet soul satisfying transfigured Jesus as he is revealed on this mountain, and I need to see him everyday or I will be tempted to create Jesus in my own image.
    Peter, James, and John are not encountering a “safe” version of Jesus. They are seeing the glory of the Son of God, and it terrifies them, yet it is good for them to be there.
    When your expectations of Jesus collide with His glory, you realize, like Lucy, and Peter, He is far greater than your finite mind imagined. So stop reshaping Jesus into your image. Instead, submit your expectations to the Spirit, who uses Scripture to reveal the true beauty, power, and worth of Christ. Let Him correct your vision, confess where you have seen Jesus through the lens of man, and ask for new eyes to behold Him as He truly is.
    Ask the Holy Spirit to help you move from casual belief to reverent worship as you behold him in His word, in our singing, and in our preaching.
    The disciples believed in Jesus before this moment, but here, they begin to tremble before Him. True worship happens when belief collides with the glory of Christ. And once you see Him rightly, pray He gives your ears to listen to Him.

    Let God Speak into Your Expectations, So You can Listen to the Son (Matthew 17:4–6; Deuteronomy 18:15–19; Exodus 24:16)

    Things escalate quickly on the mountain.
    Matthew tells us that Moses and Elijah appear, talking with Jesus. Peter, James, and John would have immediately recognized what was happening. They knew their Old Testament. They knew Moses, the great lawgiver who met with God on Mount Sinai (Exodus 33:18–23). They knew Elijah, the great prophet who encountered God on Mount Horeb (1 Kings 19). Both men had seen the glory of God. Both had extraordinary departures from this world.
    Moses represents the Law. Elijah represents the Prophets. Together, they summarize the entire Old Testament. And now they are standing there… talking with Jesus.
    This is a massive moment. God is revealing that everything in the Law and the Prophets points to Christ. Everything is converging on Him. But Peter doesn’t know what to do with it.
    Matthew tells us that Peter speaks up and says, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here—one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah” (Matthew 17:4).
    Mark tells us why, because he was terrified. Peter is not thinking clearly. He is reacting out of fear. And what does he do? He tries to manage this extraordinary moment where heaven and earth meet. He tries to systematize the glory his eyes are beholding. He tries to put Jesus on the same level as Moses and Elijah; “Let’s build three tabernacles,” as if Jesus is no different than one of the prophets.
    Now that word tabernacle is important. In the Old Testament, the tabernacle was the place where God met with His people. It was also a place of protection. God’s holiness is overwhelming. Sinful people cannot simply walk into His presence. So God provided priests, sacrifices, rituals—mediators—to shield His people from His glory.
    So when Peter suggests building tabernacles, he is essentially saying: “We need structure. We need mediation. We need protection from this glory.” But before Peter can’t even finish his thought; God interrupts him.
    A bright cloud overshadows them, just like on Mount Sinai (Exodus 24:16). And from that cloud, the Father speaks: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him” (Matthew 17:5).
    Do you hear what God is doing?
    Peter wants to build three tents. God says you do not need three tents. Obviously, you do not know whom you are following. You have my Son, my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. He will cover you.
    Peter wants to organize the moment into something he must do. God says, stop trying to work this out. Simply surrender. I am pleased with my Son’s work.
    Peter wants to speak. God says, “Listen.” And this is exactly what Moses foretold in Deuteronomy 18: “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me… to Him you shall listen” (Deut. 18:15).
    Jesus is not merely another prophet like Moses. He is the greater Moses. He is the final Word of God.
    And that means you do not evaluate Jesus as another man of God. You do not adjust Jesus to fit your religious categories. You do not place Him alongside other voices. You listen to Him, as the authoritative and sufficient Word of God.
    Spurgeon, preaching on this very passage, said that Christ is to be heard above all others, because He is the sum and substance of the Law and the Prophets. Let God speak into your expectations so you can listen to Him. And when you listen to Him, everything else fades away so you can follow the Son alone.

    Let Everything Else Fade, So You Can Follow the Son Alone (Matthew 17:7–8; cf. Luke 24:27)

    The disciples are overwhelmed. They fall on their faces, terrified at what they have seen and heard. And in that moment, Jesus comes to them, touches them, and says, “Rise, and have no fear” (Matthew 17:7). The same Jesus whose face shines like the sun is the One who stoops down to comfort trembling sinners. What beautiful grace in the midst divine terror. And when they lift up their eyes, Matthew tells us, “They saw no one but Jesus only” (Matthew 17:8).
    Moses is gone. Elijah is gone. Only Jesus remains. Why?
    Because Jesus fulfills the Law perfectly. He obeys where we have failed. He provides the righteousness we could never earn.
    Jesus fulfills the Prophets completely. He restores what is broken. He brings us back to God.
    The law and the prophets always pointed to Christ. As Jesus later teaches in Luke 24:27, all the Law and the Prophets speak concerning Him. Moses pointed forward to a greater lawgiver. Elijah pointed forward to a greater prophet. Now that Jesus has come, He stands alone as their fulfillment. He is not equal with them, He is the One they were leading us to all along.
    And the staggering reality about this moment on the mountain is the only reason Peter, James, and John could stand in the presence of God and live was because Jesus was covering them. And the same is true for you.
    We are tempted to build our lives on many voices, tradition, culture, self, even religion. We try to give them all a place, all a voice, all a measure of authority. But when God reveals His Son, everything else must give way. He is not one authority among many, He is the only One who stands. So, when everything else fades, will you follow Jesus alone, especially when He leads you to the cross?

    Let His Glory Lead You to the Cross, Trust the Son’s Mission (Matthew 17:9–13; Daniel 10:5–6; Habakkuk 3:3–4)

    As they come down the mountain, Jesus begins to prepare His disciples for what is next. He orders them to tell no one what they have seen until the Son of Man is raised from the dead (Matthew 17:9). They do not understand. Instead, they question Him about Elijah. After all, they have just seen Elijah. They know the promise of Malachi, that Elijah must come before the Day of the Lord. In their minds, everything seems to be lining up for glory. But Jesus corrects them. Elijah has come in the ministry of John the Baptist, and just as John suffered at the hands of sinful men, so too the Son of Man must suffer.
    What the disciples do not yet see is that there is another mountain ahead. Not a mountain of glory, but a mountain of suffering. On this mountain, they will not see Jesus shining like the sun, but hanging on a cross as the world goes dark. They will not see Him clothed in radiant white, but stripped and humiliated. They will not hear the Father’s voice declaring His pleasure, but will hear the silence that follows, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Everything will seem upside down. The One revealed in glory will appear defeated in suffering. And yet, this is not a contradiction, it is the mission. The transfigured Christ is the same as the crucified Christ. You cannot have the glory without the cross.
    As I said last week, we want glory without suffering. We want a kingdom without a cross. But the law of Moses can only expose our sin; it cannot save us. Only Jesus, the radiant Son, can bear our sin, satisfy God’s wrath, and rise again to give us life. The glory on the mountain was given to prepare the disciples, and to prepare us, to trust Him when the path leads through suffering.
    On this side of the cross, we see the resurrected Christ. We see him ascended into heaven, sitting on His throne at the right hand of the Father. We have his prayers interceding for us. We see his resurrected glory, even though is is still veiled in faith for now.
    Let His glory lead you to the cross where your sins are atoned for and forgiven. Let His glory led you to the resurrection, where He is raised as King. Let His glory give you His Spirit, sealing into His kingdom forever. Let His glory remind you of these great glories so they can sustain you when you suffer in this world.

    Let Your Expectations Meet His Glory

    We began this morning with a hard but honest truth, we all come to Jesus with expectations.
    Like Peter, we want a Messiah who fits our plans. We want a Savior who avoids suffering, who brings immediate relief, who gives us glory without the cross. And when Jesus does not meet those expectations, we are tempted to correct Him rather than submit to Him.
    But on this mountain, God does not adjust Jesus to fit our expectations.
    He reveals His glory. He declares His Son. And He gives one command: “Listen to Him.”
    So what does it look like to respond?

    First, you must repent of false expectations.

    Stop trying to follow a version of Jesus that you have created. Lay down the idea that Jesus exists to serve your plans. He is the Son of God, you exist to follow Him. Let his glory shape you into the disciple he wants you to be.

    Second, you must listen to the Son.

    You cannot casually listen to the Son. You cannot have selective hearing when it comes to the Son. You must have ears to hear Him seriously and submissively. Open your Bible this week not to confirm what you already think, but to hear what He actually says.

    Third, you must follow Him, especially when it leads through suffering.

    The same Jesus who shines in glory walks toward the cross. And if you are going to follow Him, you must trust Him not only on the mountain, but in the valley.
    Brothers and sisters, most of your life will not be lived on the mountain.
    It will be lived either going down the mountain in the valley, or walking up the mountain. This is the path where expectations are unmet, where suffering is real, where faith is tested.
    Beholding the glory of Jesus changes how you live in the valley.
    You don’t follow Him because life is easy. You follow Him because He is the Son. You trust Him because He went to the cross for you. You listen to Him because His words lead to life.
    So as you leave here today, the question is not: “What do I expect from Jesus?”
    The question is:
    Will I listen to Him? Will I trust Him? Will I follow Him, no matter where He leads?
    Because when your expectations meet His glory, there is only one right response: Listen to the Son of God… and follow Him.

      • Matthew 17:1–13ESV

      • Matthew 17:1–3ESV

      • Exodus 24:12–18ESV

      • Exodus 34:29–35ESV

      • Matthew 17:4–6ESV

      • Deuteronomy 18:15–19ESV

      • Exodus 24:16ESV

      • Matthew 17:7–8ESV

      • Luke 24:27ESV

  • Before The Throne Of God Above
First Baptist Church Litchfield
pastorjason.fbcl@gmail.com
217-324-4232
http://www.firstbaptistlitchfield.org/
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