Grace Revolution: Experience the Power to Live Above Defeat (19 page)

Not long ago the Lord opened my eyes to see, in the account of what happened on the Mount of Transfiguration, how important it is to hear God’s Son and be established in His words of grace. Let’s look at the story with an open heart to hear His now word to us.

In the accounts found in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, we see how our Lord Jesus brought His disciples Peter, James, and John up a high mountain to pray. Scripture tells us that “as he was praying, the appearance of his face was transformed, and his clothes became dazzling white” (Luke 9:29
NLT
). Then two of the most illustrious figures in the Jewish faith, Moses and Elijah, appeared and began talking with Jesus. The disciples, who had initially fallen asleep as Jesus was praying, woke up. Imagine their shock and awe when they saw these two great men—one representing the law and the other representing the prophets—appearing with Jesus in glory!

Peter, feeling he had to say something but not knowing what to say, blurted, “Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three
tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah” (Luke 9:33).

Now, Peter didn’t realize that by saying this, he was putting Jesus on the same level as Moses and Elijah, and the Father had to correct Peter. While Peter was still speaking, a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!” (Luke 9:35). When the disciples heard this, they hit the ground, greatly afraid. Jesus came over to them, touched them, and said, “Arise, and do not be afraid” (Matt. 17:7). When they dared to look up, they saw no one but the Lord.

Now, imagine this: you’ve just been overshadowed by the bright cloud of the
shekinah
glory of God and heard the Father say from heaven, “Hear My Son, Jesus!” As you are facedown on the ground, absolutely terrified, don’t you wonder what Jesus will say? What His first words will be? Then the Lord Jesus comes over to you, touches you in assurance and warmth, and says, “Arise, and do not be afraid.”

Isn’t that so beautiful, so like our Lord Jesus? His first words when His disciples were terrified were not words pertaining to a new law or commandment. They were words of grace. In fact, in the original Greek text, we get a fuller picture of how affirming and encouraging His words were. The word “arise” here is the Greek word
egeiro
, which means “to lift up.”
³
Jesus, seeing Peter, James, and John flat on their faces, didn’t just touch them—He literally lifted them up as He spoke reassuringly to them. This is the nature of our Lord. His presence and His words will always lift you up—spirit, soul, and body—when you are feeling down or in fear.

It’s also significant that the Lord Jesus brought specifically these three disciples—Peter, James, and John—up the Mount of Transfiguration. Peter’s name,
Petros
in Greek, means “stone,”
⁴
which is a picture of the law (see 2 Cor. 3:7
NLT
). James is derived from the Old Testament name Jacob, which means “supplanter.”
⁵
John’s name in Hebrew,
Jochanan
, is derived from a root word that means “grace.”
⁶
So if you put the three names Peter, James, and John together, there is a hidden message for us:
the stone (or law) has been supplanted (or replaced) by grace
! My friend, grace has come in the person of our Lord Jesus and replaced the law. Hear Him today. Hear His words of grace!

The Father said very clearly, “Hear
Him
,” not “Hear
them
.” On that mount of our Lord’s transfiguration, Moses and Elijah were standing right there together with Jesus. Who was Moses? The lawgiver. Who was Elijah? Not just an Old Testament prophet, but also the law-restorer (in the Old Testament, when Israel went after other gods, Elijah came to the people as the restorer of the law).

For the believer, the law of Moses has served its purpose to bring man to the end of himself. The prophets have also served their purpose of reminding man of God’s laws. Both have served their purposes. Now it is the day of grace. It is the day of the Son of God—not the
servants
of God, but the
Son
of God Himself.

Unfortunately, there are many believers today who put Jesus—grace—on the same level as the law of Moses. They see themselves as law-restorers and fight for the law of Moses to be restored. But that’s not the heart of the Father. This is why the Father spoke and said, “Hear
Him
.”

I believe that people who advocate bringing back the law of Moses don’t realize that by the law is not the knowledge of holiness or God, but the “knowledge of sin”! Look at Romans 3:20–22:

Notice that in the above passage, Apostle Paul says, “But
now
the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed” (emphasis mine). Do you want to live in the
now
or in the past? And do you want the latest revelation from God? Well, the latest revelation from God is grace! It’s the revelation of the righteousness of God given to you as a gift apart from the law, and this revelation came through the Son. This is why Moses (the Law) and Elijah (the Prophets) were both witnesses to how we are to “Hear HIM,” the Son—grace alone—today.

Today, despite whatever you are facing in life, take time to hear Him. If you are concerned about symptoms in your body, keep hearing and hearing about how our Lord Jesus loved to heal and still heals today. Hear how He bore the cruel Roman lashes for you, so that by His stripes you are healed (see Isa. 53:5). Hear how He went about doing good and healing ALL who were oppressed (bodily, emotionally, and mentally) by the devil (see Acts 10:38, Matt. 9:35). Hear how when He saw the crowds waiting for His healing touch, He was moved with
compassion—He didn’t see them as people with impossible demands, but as sheep without a shepherd (see Matt. 9:36). And hear how He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (see Heb. 13:8). Faith will infuse your spirit, and His divine healing and health will flood every cell, organ, and system of your body!

Beloved, if you are anxious about the needs and demands of tomorrow, keep hearing how God is for you and not against you. Hear how He has freely given you ALL things through Christ (see Rom. 8:31–32), so that all you need to do is to freely receive ALL of His blessings, including the favor, wisdom, healing, and supply you need for whatever challenge you may be facing. Hear the Son remind you of your loving heavenly Father, Who knows your every need and promises He will take care of you as you cast your cares on Him and simply seek first His gift of righteousness (see Matt. 6:31–33). My dear friend, as you listen and become established in His grace toward you, every worry and anxiety will evaporate like mist as the morning sun comes up, and you will see His fresh supply of favor for every new need.

And if you’ve experienced the sting of betrayal, if you’ve been hurt by the words of people close to you, or if you are just feeling plain discouraged, hear the Lord’s words of affirmation. Hear Him say to you, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Let these words restore your heart, bring stability to your emotions, and give you the faith to boldly say, “The L
ORD
is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” (Heb. 13:5–6).

My friend, to really grow in grace and see its fruit manifest in our lives, we need to keep hearing the Son and His words of grace, because it is so easy to slide back into being law-or demand-conscious, as opposed to being grace-or supply-conscious. Just look at what Peter, James, and John did after what happened on the Mount of Transfiguration.

In Matthew’s account, the chapter ends with Peter and Jesus going to Capernaum (see Matt. 17:24–27). When they were there, the collectors of the temple tax came to Peter and asked if Jesus paid the temple tax. “Yes, He does,” Peter replied confidently and without hesitation.

We then read that Jesus asked Peter, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes, from their sons or from strangers?”

To Jesus’ question, Peter replied, “From strangers.” Jesus said, “Then the sons are free.”

Now what was all that about? You see, Peter had been very quick to say yes to the temple tax collectors and again had not quite known what he was saying. What was the issue really about? Under the law of Moses, the temple tax was for the maintenance of the temple, which was built for God. But Jesus as the Son did not have to pay the temple tax because He was greater than the temple. The Son of God had come and was right there.

Without being conscious of it, Peter had brought Jesus to the same level as Moses just as he had on the Mount of Transfiguration. Now, Peter’s motive was good—he was doing it for Jesus’ honor. He didn’t want people to think that Jesus didn’t pay the temple tax. But he was unconsciously looking at our Lord Jesus as a mere man and didn’t
know that in his earnest zealousness, he had actually lowered our Lord by bringing Him to the same level as the law.

Whom was Peter “listening” to? He was still thinking of Moses and what Moses had said about the temple tax. He didn’t even ask or consult the Son. Earlier, on the Mount of Transfiguration, he had heard the Father say clearly, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear
Him
!” And yet, before the chapter is over, you find that Peter again “listened” to Moses.

But look at our Lord Jesus. Was He offended? Look at what the Lord said to Peter: “Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you.”

Isn’t the Lord wonderful? He patiently showed Peter that the temple tax did not apply to Him because He was the Son of the Father, and He was patiently telling Peter He would demonstrate this truth by summoning the wealth of the lake as the Creator. And as quickly as Jesus had revealed Who He was, He humbled Himself and paid the temple tax for Himself
and
for Peter. He is meekness and majesty, glory and humility personified! These are the excellencies of our beautiful Lord and Savior. Doesn’t your heart just fill up with warmth and love as you behold Him? This is Whom the Father wants us to lean in to and listen to. And as we do, we are transformed to be like Him, from glory to glory.

And how did the other two disciples, James and John, fare? If you read Luke’s account of the transfiguration in chapter 9, you’ll find that it is followed by our Lord Jesus not being welcomed by the people of a Samaritan village. When James and John saw how the Samaritans rejected Jesus and didn’t treat Him with respect, they spoke up and said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?” (Luke 9:54).

All three disciples had heard the Father say, “Hear My beloved Son,” yet we find Peter looking to Moses, and now we see James and John looking to Elijah as the example to follow. What did Jesus say to their suggestion to call down fire as judgment on the people? Jesus said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. The Son of Man is not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them” (Luke 9:55–56).

The spirit of Elijah is a spirit of judgment. Jesus told the two brothers very plainly that in saying what they did, they were not of the spirit of grace. What we see here is that as quickly as Peter returned to hearing the voice of Moses, James and John returned to hearing the voice of Elijah. My dear reader, this is not the heart of the Father. We have to be wise in order not to put our Lord on the same level as the law and the prophets.

There are many today still fighting for the voices of Moses and Elijah—the law and the prophets—not fully understanding that in the new covenant, it is all about hearing the voice of the resurrected Son of God. We are to hear the words of our Lord, Who is today seated at the right hand of God, having completed perfectly His work at the
cross, where He took upon Himself the punishment for all our sins once and for all.

The law of Moses demands, while the spirit of Elijah executes judgment, calling down fire on those who fail to meet the law’s demands. But I want you to see how our Lord Jesus has fulfilled both (see Matt. 5:17). He did not come to destroy the law or the prophets, but to fulfill them. At the cross He met all the righteous requirements of the law on our behalf and took upon Himself all the fiery judgment of God for our sins. His perfect sacrifice has fully satisfied God and silenced the law and the prophets. Today we hear
Him
!

Why does the Father want us to hear only the Lord Jesus? Why are we to focus on Jesus and grow in the knowledge of His grace? Because neither the law nor the prophets hold the answer to our deepest cry for intimacy and peace with God, and to enjoyment of His presence and power in every area of our lives. If you look at Scripture, you will see that while Moses and Elijah did mighty exploits, both great men of God still failed in the end.

Toward the end of his life, Moses hit the rock twice in disobedience, yelled at the people, spoke unadvisedly out of anger and impatience, and wound up not being allowed to enter the promised land. That’s how his ministry ended. Why were the consequences of Moses’
actions so severe? Because he misrepresented God. In his anger he represented God as angry and judgmental toward His people, when God actually loved and cared for them. This tells us that as preachers of God’s Word, we need to be very accurate in how we represent God.

What about Elijah? Despite amazing victories and evidence of the power of God in his ministry, in his last days, Elijah thought Jezebel was greater than God and fled from her. His ministry ended in depression and discouragement (see 1 Kings 19), with his mantle going to Elisha.

In comparison, where the law and the prophets failed, our Lord Jesus succeeded. Look at this beautiful prophecy of the Messiah in Isaiah 42:1, 3–4:

Whereas Moses failed and Elijah became discouraged, the Scriptures tell us that our Lord Jesus, the altogether lovely One, “will not fail nor be discouraged.” Whereas Moses was impatient, our Lord Jesus was patient with Peter, and He is patient with you and me today especially when we make mistakes and fail. And whereas Moses failed to bring God’s people into the promised land, our Lord Jesus finished the work His Father sent Him to do and has ushered us into all of God’s blessings and promises (see Eph. 1:3, 2 Cor. 1:20). Whereas Elijah became discouraged, Jesus was not discouraged by the Samaritans’ rejection of Him. He is your rock and your fortress when you are
feeling discouraged. All the greatest men of God in the Old Testament put together cannot compare with our beautiful Lord Jesus Christ!

This is God’s beloved Son and today He says to you, “Arise. Stand in My righteousness and be lifted up from defeat.” In the same way that our Lord Jesus could touch a man with leprosy and make him whole, He can touch any area of deformity, weakness, or shame in your life and transform it into wholeness and strength by His grace. This has been the experience of so many who have written in to tell me their stories of amazing breakthroughs after they began listening to the gospel of grace and allowing the Lord Jesus to lift them up and out of every pit they were in.