Mountain Top Experience

Scripture

Matthew 17:1–13 KJV 1900

And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him. 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. While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only. And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead. And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.

I don’t know about you but very often the place when I feel nearer to God is on top of a mountain. Mountain top experiences are great, and when I’m standing there, on top of a mountain enjoying the awesome majesty of God’s creation, that’s fantastic. And those who have been silly enough to follow me up mountains will agree with me that when you get there, you forget the pain of the climb, you just enjoy the moment.

I. THE MEN PRESENT.

A. WHO WAS THERE?

1. The Son of God was there.

2. Three servants of God were there.

B. WHY WERE THEY THERE?

“And it came to pass about an eight days after these sayings, he took

Peter and John and James, and went up into a mountain to pray.”

II. THE MISTAKE THAT WAS PROPOSED.

“Let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and

one for Elias.”

A. PETER WAS SLEEPING.

“Peter and they that were with him were heavy with sleep.”

B. PETER WAS STARTLED.

1. He saw the Master in all His glory.

2. He saw two men that had long been gone.

C. PETER WAS SPEECHLESS.

“For he wist not what to say; for they were sore afraid.”

D. PETER WAS SCARED.

“For he wist not what to say; for they were sore afraid.”

III. THE MANDATE THAT WAS PRECISE.

“This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.”

A. THE CONFIRMATION BY HIS FATHER.

1. This is my Son.

2. With whom I am satisfied.

B. THE COMMAND FROM HIS FATHER

“Hear ye Him.”

1. He is superior to Moses and the prophets.

2. He is supreme in majesty and power.

Closing

Some scholars have noted that Moses died, while Elijah didn't die...

...and so they may represent "the living and the dead" who are all under the care of God.

But it is Jesus, not Moses nor Elijah Who takes center stage!!!

Jesus is the One Who is "transformed..."

...and "His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as snow."

And Jesus is the One Whom God tells the disciples to listen to...

...and Jesus touches the disciples, tells them to "Get up" and "Don't be afraid."

And "when they looked up they saw no one except Jesus."

And isn't Jesus all we are to see as well?

No matter where we look we are to see no one but Jesus.

No matter where we are we are to see on one but Jesus.

No matter who we look at we are to see no one but Jesus!!!

That is what transforms us and our world--no one but Jesus!!!

In the Book of Daniel, it says that those who are wise will "shine like the stars."

But Jesus outranks all the wise; Jesus shines like the sun!!!

And the sun is where everything else gets its light, or reflects its light.

And Jesus' Light is so strong that it not only affects His face, but His clothing and His disciples as well!!!

They will, after all, eventually become like their Master, as Jesus Himself promised in Matthew 13:43: "the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father."

And Jesus calls us--you and me, even..."the light of the world!!!"

How are we living into our calling?

God says, "This is my Son whom I dearly love. I am pleased with him. Listen to him."

Wow!!!

Talk about a mountaintop experience!!!

And amazingly, I would guess that many of us who have experienced mountaintop experiences can, at least in some small way, relate to what the disciples experience on the Mount of Transfiguration.

God prepares us in our mountaintop experiences to endure the valley below.

These encounters can happen with a blinding light, but for most of us they happen in the ordinary moments of our lives.

For God is always with us.

Some have said that "the mountain was the way for God to prepare a human band of companions for the sacred journey, to offer something to hold onto when they descend into the crushing reality of the world below."

In any case, as soon as Jesus and the three disciples come down from this amazing experience they come across a crowd, and this crowd is gathered around a man and a son.

And the man kneels before Jesus, begging Him to heal his son who suffers from epilepsy...

A few verses later Jesus tells His disciples again that He "is about to be delivered over into human hands. They will kill him.

But he will be raised on the third day."

And then we are told that the disciples "were heartbroken."

On the Mountaintop, Jesus "shone like the sun."

He spoke with Moses and Elijah.

But the valley is where Jesus continued His ministry.

The valley is where Jesus was mocked, arrested and crucified.

But it was also in the valley where Jesus was raised to life!!!

For not even the evil and misery of the valley can keep the Son of God from rising from the dead!!!

And not even the evil and misery of the valley can keep those of us who follow Jesus Christ from rising from the dead, living in the Kingdom every day, and ministering to the hurting, the broken, the lost.

Not even the valley can stop us from having Mountaintop experiences with Jesus every day.

What happened on the Mount of Transfiguration?

The light of Jesus shined on His disciples and God told them and us "Listen to Him."

When we do this, living in the light, we can and will shine like stars, like the Son even--as we bring light and hope to a darkened world.