Text: Mark 9:1-12
Title: What do you want to see before you die?
Introduction
If you are young today the title of today’s sermon may never have even crossed your mind. However if you consider yourself much older and wiser you may actually have asked this question of yourself many times.
What would you like to see before you die is a great question. For if you could take a moment and answer that question this morning what you would be really doing is saying a lot more about yourself as a person.
1. It reveals one’s greatest dream.
2. It reveals one’s greatest passion.
The one thing we would like to see before we die may be different for everyone.
example 1. Red Sox to win the world series.
example 2. Irish immigrant to return home.
So now that I got you thinking about what that one thing is you would like to see before you die let us bring this question to our scripture passage.
When Jesus said in Mark 9:1 “I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God come with power” I wonder what kind of reaction his words brought among his disciples?
Like the disciples of Jesus we should want to see some spiritual things happen before we die. The one thing we should want to see is the kingdom of God come in power!
Now when we die and wake up in heaven we will see the kingdom of God in power. We will see for ourselves what Paul the Apostle saw in 2 Corinthians 12 and John saw in the book of Revelation. But what about here and now? Can we see the Kingdom of God and its power before we die? Did not Jesus tell us to pray “thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”Could we not see before we die mountaintop experiences with God?
The kingdom of heaven coming in power are mountaintop experiences.
1. Mountaintop experiences are unforgettable
moments with God.
A certain churchgoer approached their pastor after a Sunday Morning service complaining that some of those who attended the church were too excited and emotional for her liking. “You never saw Jesus acting like that in Church “she said shaking her head in disapproval. The wise old pastor responded, “True, but those he touched did.
2. Mountaintop experiences are faith lifters.
It’s a place in your life when God came through
big time.
3. Mountaintop experiences are barrier breakers.
a.You share your faith for the first time
b.You preach your first sermon
c.You begin to tithe
d.You memorize your first scripture
e.You read the bible from cover to cover
God wants us to have many mountaintop experiences with him. Right now you and I should be climbing some mountain in our Christian life.
If you and I are spiritually satisfied then listen to what the Apostle Paul said in Philippians 3:12-16
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.
Only let us live up to what we have aready attained.
The definition of someone who is spiritually mature is;
someone who has not arrived yet.
4. Mountaintop experiences are when we see Jesus as
he really is.
“There he was transfigured before them. His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them”(v3)
You don’t have to look far to discover not everyone thinks the same things about Jesus. For too many people he is only a swear word. For others he is no different than one of us. To those who think this I would like to ask “when was the last time they were transfigured?”
One of the greatest mountaintop experiences is to see Jesus as he really is.
5 Mountaintop experiences may also have biblical character like Moses and Elijah come alive for us.
“And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus”(v4)
I just want to quickly say that we need to see the Old Testament as a living book.
Studying great people like Elijah and Moses can bring a mountaintop experience to us. In fact this was James may have had in mind when he used the example of Elijah
as reason to keep praying. (James 5:17)
6 Mountaintop experiences can also be times when we hear from God. (v7-8)
a. Hearing from God will always change what you see
next.
b. Hearing from God is a great cloud lifter
Conclusion
If we are to see the kingdom of God come in power before we die we must prepare ourselves.
1. We must want it.
Mountaintop experiences don’t just happen by themselves. We must want them. In verses 5-6
Peter did not entirely know what was going on but one thing we can say with confidence, Peter wanted to be there.
a. 99% of seeing the kingdom of God come in power before we die is wanting to see the kingdom of God come in power. (see Mark 11 where Jesus asked blind Bartimaeus want did want him to do.)
2. We must pay the price.
It will cost us to see the kingdom of God come in power.
a. It will cost us our time.
b. It will cost us our priorities.
The only people who get to the mountaintop are those who love the Son. Every time we love Jesus we move one step up the mountain.
3. We must keep persevere.
Notice the fullfillment of the promise was later.
It was 6 days later for Peter, James and John but much
later for Elijah and Moses.
Delay makes the view from the top so much greater.
4. We must begin at the cross.
Notice that Jesus told his disciples not to tell anyone what they saw till after the cross.(v9-10)
The starting point is the cross of Calvary. This mountaintop experience is a complete love affair.
In the cloud we see God’s love for his Son. In the Cross we see God’s love for us.
We do not climb the mountain to get salvation but because we have salvation.
Keep climbing and we will see the kingdom of God come in power before we die.
