41 Preaching and Teaching/Mark 9:1-Glory Manifested

The Text: Jesus took his inner circle (Three Disciples) to reveal himself to them in a powerful way.

The Sermon: Slowing Down on the Mountain!

Application: Will you be ready to learn on the mountain

This weekend was a mountain top experience

When I was younger I received a black belt.

I received a college basketball scholarship.

Marrying Heather Dec 6, 2003

Having kids-that is a mountain top experience.

Graduating college.

Receiving a Dr. Degree in ministry.

I could go on.

This weekend was a mountain top experience for us: State Tournament with our two sons-Last time they will play together.

But much of life is not lived on the mountain top. It is lived in the everyday ordinary life.

As a matter of fact in the passage today right before the mountain top the disciplew were in the valley before and after this experience.

What about your mountain top experiences you have had with God.

The Time when you began a relationship with him

The time you were baptized

The time he showed up when you did not think it was possible

Today we are going to be seeing Jesus on the mountain top with his disciples.

We don't seek the mountain top experience for experience sake.

We seek the Lord and if we seek the Lord we will have mountain top experiences.

Many times these mountain top experiences will propel us in the valley.

Today let me take us up on a mountain so that we can get refocused

Today let us go up on the mountain top so God can equip us to live out our mission.

1. We must remember the lessons on the mountain because

We are in danger of drifting from our mission [discipleship] (2a).

Mark 9:2 NASB95

Six days later, Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John, and brought them up on a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them;

What is our mission? Our mission is to make disciples of all the earth. We want to spread the most significant message of all time and then teach people how to grow as disciples and make more disciples. It is the only thing I have found that is eternally worth living for. 

The mission is hard.

We are at a transition point in the book of Mark. Jesus comes on the scene, and he proclaims the good news. He heals, does all kinds of miracles, feeds the 5000, and everyone follows him around. And then, in Mark 8, he talks about how he is not just the messiah, but he is the suffering Messiah (Mark 8:31). Now, just put this in perspective: the Jewish people were looking for a conquering Messiah. One who would overthrow the Romans and give them back what is rightfully theirs, and he tells them that he will suffer and die when. Peter confesses to Jesus and pushes back to the suffering messiah idea. Jesus, this is not your mission. Don't you love when we tell God what to do? Jesus then rebukes Peter, getting behind me, Satan. But are we not the same way? To not embrace this suffering messiah who tells us to take up the cross and follow him? We have to embrace that we have a suffering messiah who died, and even though this mission is clear, it is hard. One of our most challenging things is that we live in such a busy and distracting culture. Is anyone in here busy? Does anyone in here ever get distracted? Does anyone here like to suffer? But this is the messiah we follow. On the mountaintop, we can get recentered on our mission. Lord, what are you calling me to do today? When we acknowledge it is hard, we can recenter and move forward. 

"By Themselves"

-Aren't we a society obsessed with bigger is better? Come on, we live in Texas, where everything is more significant. How much money do you make? How many people were at the game? Don't we always think bigger is better? If I were attending a church conference and someone asked how your church is doing, they would ask: How many people go to your church? And Jesus takes the time to pull not even all 12 of them aside but three of them. He may be getting these disciples ready because he knows they will lead the church. Because Jesus wants to reach the world more than anyone. But he knows you reach it with the individual, not the masses. This should be so encouraging because God can reach the world through you! He wants to meet with you, get you on the mountain, and recenter you on the very purpose he has created you for. 

ILLUSTRATION: Heather in college was at an FCA meeting, and it was there on the mountaintop that her life was changed. She was sitting there in worship, and suddenly, God revealed himself to her so that she realized that she was playing games with God. She and all of her friends went to FCA. One of the girls lifting her hand in worship was the girl who said party at my place afterward. She saw God afresh this night at FCA; She felt they were all hypocrites. She felt hypocritical. She realized she needed to be all in or out with Jesus during this mountain top. She left that night changed. I would not be married to this fantastic woman if she had not recently stepped on this mountaintop. 

APPLICATION

Life is not lived on the mountain tops. Right before this passage, they were in a valley. Right after this passage, they glow to be in a valley. But God uses these mountaintop experiences so that we can get back on a mission with God. The God of this universe has a plan for you and me. When was a time that you had a mountain top experience? Are you ready for God to have another mountaintop experience with you? Let's slow down and learn from these experiences so that we can live on mission with him.

2. We must remember the lessons on the mountain because

Our view of God is refreshed (2b-8).

There is nothing more important than how we view God. Our view of God is way too small. For many of us the American dream can become greater than our view of God.

Jesus in all his glory (Transfigured 2b)-

Mark 9:2 NASB95

Six days later, Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John, and brought them up on a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them;

The Bible Knowledge Commentary 9:2–4

Jesus was transfigured in the presence of the three disciples (cf. 2 Peter 1:16). “Transfigured” (metemorphōthē, cf. Eng. “metamorphosis”) means “to be changed into another form,” not merely a change in outward appearance (cf. Rom. 12:2; 2 Cor. 3:18). For a brief time Jesus’ human body was transformed (glorified) and the disciples saw Him as He will be when He returns visibly in power and glory to establish His kingdom on earth (cf. Acts 15:14–18; 1 Cor. 15:20–28; Rev. 1:14–15; 19:15; 20:4–6).

He just told the disciples he was going to suffer and die, and they were freaking out.

This is where we get the word metamorphic, like a caterpillar that turns into a butterfly. Jesus, when he was all man and all God, at this moment, they saw God more straightforwardly than you could ever imagine. These men know the glory of God. 

Jesus Holiness (3)-

Mark 9:3 NASB95

and His garments became radiant and exceedingly white, as no launderer on earth can whiten them.

This was exceedingly white, like whiter than white. One of the traits of God is that he is holy, and I think in our culture, this is one that we do not emphasize. It is his perfection; God is set apart from us because he has never sinned.

This illustrates the fishermen fishing all night for fish and not catching any. Jesus shows up, and he says toss your net over there. Then they see so many fish the boat is about to sink. It is a picture of when Peter experienced the holiness of God (Luke 5:8).

Luke 5:8 “But when Simon Peter saw that, he fell down at Jesus’ feet, saying, “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!””

When we come face to face with the holiness of God, the only thing we can say is the same, and we realize our need for a Savior. It was my time at JBU when, for the first time in my life, I was presented with God's holiness, and all I could say was the same. Lord, you are holy, and I am unholy. We are all sinners. GOSPEL MOMENT. When I accepted Jesus was this not a mountain top experience. I still look back on that today and it changed my life.

Jesus > Greater (4-6)

Mark 9:4–6 NASB95

Elijah appeared to them along with Moses; and they were talking with Jesus. Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three tabernacles, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” For he did not know what to answer; for they became terrified.

Could you picture this scene? You are all of a sudden with two of the most famous people of your faith who had died years ago. Notice they did not need an introduction. They just knew they were in the presence of Moses and Elijah, Exodus 33:20. 

Exodus 33:20 “But He said, “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!””

Moses (Law) 4-5-Jesus is the greater Moses Deuteronomy 18:15; there was an anticipation that there would be a more excellent Moses, Jesus was that more fantastic Moses. 

Deuteronomy 18:15 ““The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen, you shall listen to him.”

Elijah (Prophets) 4-5=Jesus is the Great prophet. There were a lot of prophets in the O.T., but Jesus was THE PROPHET. 

The disciple's confusion: Should we build three altars here, one for each of you? The disciples were still trying to escape the fact that they did not want to suffer. They thought these three were equals. Jesus is the greatest of all time. HE IS GOD>.

The Father's endorsement (7-8)-

Mark 9:7–8 NASB95

Then a cloud formed, overshadowing them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is My beloved Son, listen to Him!” All at once they looked around and saw no one with them anymore, except Jesus alone.

At the beginning of this book of Mark, the Father said this is my son who I am well pleased (Mark 1:11).

Mark 1:11 “and a voice came out of the heavens: “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.””

Jesus does all these miracles and it would be easy to be this is the messiah. Remember the disciples were thinking he is going to set up his earthly kingdom now. BUT Jesus just shared with his disciples that he will suffer they are struggling with this, and in this mountain top experience he reveals his glory to them, and again we see the endorsement of the Father. This is he. He is the one who saves because he is the one who has defeated death. 

Tom Constable’s Expository Notes on the Bible Exposition

The heavenly voice assured the disciples that, even though the Jews would reject Jesus and the Romans would execute Him, He was still pleasing to the Father (cf. 1:11).

Application:

How is your view of Jesus right now?

Does it need to be refreshed.

Do you think he is just a little bigger.

We must remember the lessons on the mountain because

our faith is often forged in the valleys (9-13).

Mark 9:9 NASB95

As they were coming down from the mountain, He gave them orders not to relate to anyone what they had seen, until the Son of Man rose from the dead.

We do not live on the mountain top (9)

Even this weekend with the boys games there were way more valley's than mountains. First game we looked like we had it wrapped up then all the sudden we looked like we were going to lose. In my mind I was like this game is over. Nate get's a rebound he puts it in and we are up and we stop them at the buzzer. Then in the championship game Aiden had this cut on his hand. Aiden shoots 90% from the free throw line. We have a chance to get within 1 and he has two free throws. At the beginning of the game he fell to the floor and got a floor burn on his hand. He thought the ball was wet but it was really his hand. He missed two free throws which I have never seen him do, but right away he goes after the ball steals it and passes to a teammate. Why do I share those two plays. They did not happen on the mountain, they happened because they had work all year when no one was watching to prepare them for this moment. These little things got them on the mountain to win a state championship.

Mark 9:10–13 NASB95

They seized upon that statement, discussing with one another what rising from the dead meant. They asked Him, saying, “Why is it that the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” And He said to them, “Elijah does first come and restore all things. And yet how is it written of the Son of Man that He will suffer many things and be treated with contempt? “But I say to you that Elijah has indeed come, and they did to him whatever they wished, just as it is written of him.”

Application:

Just like my boys we have to be disciplined to do mountain top things even when we are in the valley.

How are you devotions going right now?

Today I want to ask specifically how is your prayer time going?

Closing-

It was awesome winning state this weekend. I mean awesome. I was so excited especially for my two boys, but here is the reality, that is nothing compared to the mountain we are going to stand on for all eternity for all those who believe in Jesus. As amazing as this experience was for us this weekend it is nothing like eternity will be. Here is what the Bible says for us if we are believers.

Philippians 1:6 NASB95

For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

Let’s remember these lessons that God teaches us on the mountain as we leave here today!!

Application:

One way we get our view refreshed is to spend time with God regularly. Every time we spend time with God does not mean it will be a mountain-top experience. But we will not have mountain-top experiences if we do not spend time with him. We need these moments so God can refresh us.

Are you spending time with God regularly right now.