Discovering Jesus: Divine Being
Discovering Jesus • Sermon • Submitted
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· 6 viewsThe disciples closest to Jesus, witnessed an incredible sight that proves Jesus was not just an ordinary man, but was in fact the divine Son of God.
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1 The Mighty One, God, the Lord, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to where it sets. 2 From Zion, perfect in beauty, God shines forth. 3 Our God comes and will not be silent; a fire devours before him, and around him a tempest rages. 4 He summons the heavens above, and the earth, that he may judge his people: 5 “Gather to me this consecrated people, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice.” 6 And the heavens proclaim his righteousness, for he is a God of justice.,
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1 When the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. 2 Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here; the Lord has sent me to Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. 3 The company of the prophets at Bethel came out to Elisha and asked, “Do you know that the Lord is going to take your master from you today?” “Yes, I know,” Elisha replied, “so be quiet.” 4 Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here, Elisha; the Lord has sent me to Jericho.” And he replied, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went to Jericho. 5 The company of the prophets at Jericho went up to Elisha and asked him, “Do you know that the Lord is going to take your master from you today?” “Yes, I know,” he replied, “so be quiet.” 6 Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here; the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.” And he replied, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them walked on. 7 Fifty men from the company of the prophets went and stood at a distance, facing the place where Elijah and Elisha had stopped at the Jordan. 8 Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up and struck the water with it. The water divided to the right and to the left, and the two of them crossed over on dry ground. 9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?” “Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied. 10 “You have asked a difficult thing,” Elijah said, “yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours—otherwise, it will not.” 11 As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. 12 Elisha saw this and cried out, “My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!” And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his garment and tore it in two.
3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.
Discovering Jesus: Divine Being
Discovering Jesus: Divine Being
Introduction:
When I was 7 years old, my family made our first trek to the magical land of Disneyland. It was the biggest vacation we had ever taken up to that time and I still have memories from that trip though I have been back to Disneyland a few times since and it is sometimes hard to identify in my memory, which visit I am remembering. However, there is one memory that I remember very well as from that first trip. It was my first ride through the Pirates of the Caribbean. Even though I have taken that ride every time I have been there, that first time stands out in my mind and I can still feel the flood of emotions I felt in that moment.
If you have never been on that ride, you need to know that you get in a boat. As the boat floats into the building, you find yourself in a dark, humid place that is supposed to be a bayou in the Caribbean. And all around you there are these little flashes of light in the darkness. I asked my mom, “what are those little lights” and she told me they were supposed to be fireflies.
Now I had a book about a firefly, but as a southern Idaho girl I had never seen one. Here in this fake Caribbean ride, I was fascinated with them and wished I could see a real one.
My memories of that day are so livid, that I can still remember the feel of the moisture on my face and the smells around me as well as the detail of what I was seeing.
There is another day I remember with that same kind of clarity. It was the night in 2008 in Eastern Tennessee when I witnessed my first real lightening bug. It was much larger and brighter than the manufactured version in the Pirates of the Caribbean. I was so fascinated, the people around me who had grown up with them used to tease me that they had never seen an adult get so excited over a stupid lightening bug before.
In today’s story, we find three of the disciples witness an amazing sight that proves beyond any doubt that Jesus is not just an ordinary man. This experience will be one that will stand out with this same kind of clarity in the days to come. Stand with me as we read our passage from Mark 9.
2 After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. 3 His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. 4 And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus. 5 Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6 (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.) 7 Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” 8 Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus. 9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
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Sermon
Jesus and His disciples spent a lot of time in this upper region of Galilee, but now is the time for them to proceed south toward Jerusalem. (Map) At this point, Jesus has left the crowds to spend time alone with his disciples teaching them and preparing them for what is to come.
Some 6 or 7 days prior to today’s event, Jesus suddenly asks them, “Who do people say I am?” They answer with the various theories the people have regarding Jesus identity. Then Jesus looks directly at them and asks, “Who do you say I am?” Peter in the impetuous manner we have come to expect of him declares, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus commends Peter and shares that this has been revealed to him by God the Father. Then, as we have found to be characteristic of Jesus up to this point, He cautions them not to disclose this.
Then Jesus speaks plainly about what is to happen. He will be rejected by the Jewish leaders and teachers of the law. He will be beaten and persecuted and will be put to death.
Now, you see there is a flaw in our human nature. When we have learned something that is not true, it is difficult to hear what is true. We tend to translate things in our mind by what we have previously understood. That is why you will hear teachers say we have to “unlearn” what we have previously understood in order to learn the truth.
The disciples are human just like us. They are doing the same thing. They are confused by what Jesus is saying as it does not line up with their expectation. Where did their expectations come from? Teachers who interpreted the law based on what they wanted instead of based on what God was actually saying. Jesus is trying to “unlearn” the disciples so He can help them see the truth in God’s Word. Scripture is rife with verses indicating the Messiah will suffer and die and be resurrected to life again, but as much as they have memorized the scriptures, they have missed this part entirely.
They are so resistant to hear the truth that Peter even rebukes Jesus for saying such things. Remember when I said that Satan can sometimes plant thoughts in our minds, even when we are faithful? Well this was just such a case and Jesus calls it for what it is.
Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
Jesus ends that conversation with an incredible prediction.
And he said to them, “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see that the kingdom of God has come with power.”
Now, move forward 7 days and we find Jesus with his three closet companions, Peter, James, and John, climbing a mountain to pray. We are told it was a “high mountain” so it took a good portion of the day to reach their destination near, if not at the top.
Now here we see the disciples in a pattern that we see again in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus is praying and they fall asleep. In all fairness, they had climbed a high mountain that day, but so had Jesus. But like Gethsemane, I believe it is a heaviness of what is to come that is driving Jesus. He has been teaching of what He was going to experience.
Jesus suffering was essential to our salvation, but that does not mean that He gleefully looked forward to the things He would suffer. A person with cancer may look forward to the day they are cancer free, but they still dread the treatments they must endure to get there.
So with heavy heart, Jesus would seek His Father to be strengthened and encouraged as we saw in a previous week. While He is praying, the disciples fall asleep, but in this event we find they awake to a vision.
All three have the same vision. They awake see Jesus glorified. His face and clothes gleam with unnatural light. Beside him are two men who Luke describes as appearing in “glorious splendor.” Without being told, Peter, James, and John instantly know them as Moses and Elijah. When you think about it, these men of heard of Moses and Elijah all their lives, but I do not know of any pictures that existed of them, so it could only be a revelation of God that they would recognize these men for who they are.
They are ministering to Jesus, encouraging Him.
So, what is the significance of Moses and Elijah? They represent the very message of the entire scripture up to this point. Moses was God’s appointed deliverer of the Hebrews who lead them out of the Egyptian captivity and through whom God delivered the Law. What we know as the Ten Commandments.
Elijah was a representative of the prophets. He essentially represented all the prophets and their messages. They were looked upon as the Fathers of this nation of Israel. They were God’s servants who delivered God’s messages to His people.
What these disciples are witnessing is so supernatural that it causes fear. Peter once again, his impetuous nature takes over. He stumbles over himself to react and gain their favor by offering to erect tabernacles for them.
Tabernacles were small shelters built with limbs and branches. Probably similar to a lean to one may build for shelter in the wilderness. But unlike our shelters built to protect us, these shelters were built to symbolize God tabernacling with us. That is, God in residence with us.
The Jews have a Feast of Tabernacles where they create these simple shelters and live in them for a week in commemoration of God’s delivering them from Egypt and their dependence upon Him in the wilderness. The Feast of Tabernacles/Sukkot as they often refer to it is still celebrated today.
Essentially, Peter is saying. Stay here with us like this. We should hang out here together. This is a good thing you are here. You see, Peter is still not catching on to the truth that Jesus must die. He hopes that the three of them will remain together and take control of political power.
But then God moves in to their midst. God descends on them in the form of a cloud, just like in those days of Moses.
The Lord said to Moses, “I am going to come to you in a dense cloud, so that the people will hear me speaking with you and will always put their trust in you.” Then Moses told the Lord what the people had said.
Like in the days of Moses, God now speaks to these three disciples.
Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”
Essentially, God is saying. Stop acting on what you want to happen and listen to my Son who is trying to tell you what MUST happen. Listen carefully to what Jesus is saying. It is important and you need to understand it.
When the cloud cleared, they find Jesus back to His normal state and the other two men are gone.
It appears to be morning by this time (good thing as I doubt they could fall back asleep at that moment anyway) and they begin to make their way back down the mountain. Here again, we find Jesus demanding secrecy, but this time it is with a time limit. They are to keep quiet about what they have seen until after the Son of Man has risen from the dead.
So, what was the point of what they saw if they cannot share it? Just this, they are to be witnesses to it later on. They had essentially witnessed Jesus in His true glorified state. No one else would experience that until after His resurrection from the dead. Now, step back with me to the week previous. What had Jesus told them?
And he said to them, “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see that the kingdom of God has come with power.”
What Jesus predicted to them the week previous has just been fulfilled. These three men are Jesus chosen witnesses of the hour. Think how remarkable that is. These men are not perfect by any means. They still do not get it. They still are resistant to any talk of Jesus dying. When Jesus is arrested, they scatter and hide. Peter doesn’t hide but then later seems to regret that he didn’t. They remain in hiding until after they discover Jesus alive and then they are shocked, but that is a story for another day in the near future (April :-)). Even as imperfect as they were, God chose them to reveal His secret to.
If God chose them, what makes you think He has not chosen you. I guarantee you are not any less perfect than these men. I do not know about you, but I identify all too closely with Peter’s weaknesses. It encourages me to see how God trusted Him with His church even though he was far from perfect. His mouth got him in trouble on more than one occasion, even after Jesus had returned to the Father. I can say the same.
God doesn’t call to us because we are perfect. He calls to us because He knows we have a heart that is seeking Him and because He knows we want to please Him even if we are not very good at it. We supply the desire and He supplies us the power to do as He calls us to.
Conclusion:
There are times in our lives when we witness interesting things that create memories that remain with us, but none are more powerful than when we experience spiritual moments that prove to us beyond any doubt that God is real and is involved in our lives.
I accepted Jesus as my Savior as a young child. I was so young, I do not even remember when I did so, I just remember always having a sense that God was there and involved in my life. However, as an adult I drew away during those early adult years as I was struggling to determine what to do with my life. The time came when I made the choice that whatever I did with my life, I wanted God to be a part. So, I recommitted my life to Him.
Several years later, I was challenged by various things happening in my life and I realized that I was working hard to be what God wanted me to be. Essentially, I had the desire but I was working within my own power. It was hard work and I felt chained to the Law of God. I felt that was okay as I had a good life in many ways. It was still better than the mess I had made of things when I had tried living without God. But like Elisha, I wanted to know if there was more. I wanted a full experience of God. So, I asked God and declared, if there was more of God that I could have in my life, I wanted it. What happened then is something quite remarkable. For two weeks, my life was turned upside down as God began to do a work in me like nothing I had ever experienced before. By the end of that two week period, I had an experience with God that I believe rivaled the disciples experience on that mountain top with Jesus. In fact, it was the same experience (though manifested slightly different) as what took place in the lives of the believers at Pentecost which is recorded in Acts 2. I felt so filled with God’s presence, I thought I would never sleep that night. Like Peter, I just wanted to camp out there. I was so filled with joy and excitement, I called my dad even though it was after midnight. This was one night he didn’t complain over the late hour.
Not only did I experience God’s presence, but God set my course that night and soon afterwards I departed for Colorado Springs and the Nazarene Bible College. No longer am I chained to God’s Law. Instead I live in the freedom of His power. I do what I do because my love for God gives me a desire to please Him. Love trumps the Law. The Law is fulfilled perfectly by love. My life has since been an adventure I never had expected to live.
Jesus is the Son of God and if we ask, His Spirit comes to live within us. The more we are willing to yield to the Spirit, the more incredible our experience of God becomes. It is nothing to be feared. In fact, God fills us with peace, love, courage, guidance and more. The longer we serve Him, the more these experiences increase. We see how He provides for our needs. We see how He brings peace when the difficulties of life come our way. Difficulties are part of this world due to the sin that is in our world. This earth is decaying and dying due to sin. Our bodies are aging, decaying, and slowly dying because of sin. But life does not end here. When we die, our salvation provides for us a new body that does not age or decay. It will never die. We are promised a glorified body of our own.
So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.
In the meantime, God directs our paths.
Our steps are made firm by the Lord, when he delights in our way;
Remember a few weeks back when I shared how Jesus saw Nathaniel under that tree and knew what was in Nathaniel’s heart. It is the same with us. God knows all that is up ahead of us. God created us and He knows what we are capable of and what will bring us fulfillment. If we follow Him, He leads us in the decisions in life that are the best for us with the best possible outcome. However, when we choose to go our own way, we often do not make the best decisions and then we suffer the consequences of our actions.
Eventually, this earth will pass away, but God has promised to create a new heaven and earth that will not decay. It will be free from the sin that destroys. All we have to do to receive these promises is to believe and follow.
Have you made that choice to follow Him yet? If not, do not delay. The sooner you choose, the sooner God can begin to work in your life making it new. He gives you a new beginning, a new direction that will bring clarity to your life. Direction for your future. Inner peace and comfort that you are loved and wanted. Even more than that, you are cherished!
Bow your heads with me. I want us to take a moment of silence. I want each and everyone to just spend a moment talking to God. Sharing with Him what is on your heart in this moment. Then, just be quiet and listen to hear what He is saying to you.
When I feel enough time has passed, I will close us in prayer.
Prayer