December 9, 2005
Morning Worship
Text: Mark 9:1-13
Subject: The Transfiguration
Title: Fire on the Mountain
Last week we went to the valley of the dry bones to see how it is to be in a spiritual desert and what needs to happen to get out of it. Today we are going to the opposite end of the spiritual spectrum to see what it is like on the mountaintop and find out why it is that we can’t stay there.
I have to tell you about these dreams that I continue to have. I think I have alluded to them before, but I continue to have dreams about being lifted off the ground. Sometimes I just seem to levitate above the earth other times I am flying and sometimes I am very far above the face of the earth. It seems that this it what the rapture will be like. It is exhilarating and when I wake from those dreams I have this sense that there is something really important going on in the spiritual realm. Maybe it is just the fact that I am crossing over into a new phase in my life. The prophet Joel said that young men shall see visions and old men shall dream dreams. Maybe I’m crossing over into that old phase of my life. Regardless of the meaning, there is something significant going on and I am enthralled by it.
Last week Ezekiel saw a vision. Now I’m dreaming dreams. Today we are going to see the story of three men who saw Jesus in His glorified state. The latter is much more desirable but in all three cases there is a lack of understanding as to the meaning.
Today we are going to look at mountaintop experiences to see how we are to respond to them.
I. TIME TO GET AWAY (1-4)
A. The Purpose of Retreat. How many of you have ever just been worn out from ministry? Ministry is hard work and it is work that has to be done. You know there are times when Charlotte and I know that we just have to get away for some time alone. We like to travel and we are able to in a limited fashion so from time to time we take a week or 10 days and go. Sometimes you just need to get away from everything in order to refresh yourself. That is the invitation that Jesus extends to Peter, James and John in the passage today. I love the way that the gospel of Mark reads. It is a gospel of action. It moves from one story to another and even if you spread it out over a period of three and a half years, it is apparent that Jesus and His disciples were busy people. So in the events immediately preceding this passage we see in chapter 7 verse 31 they were in Tyre and Sidon. Then they moved to Decapolis and the Sea of Galilee, then to Dalmanutha, Bethsaida, and Caesarea Philippi. Looking at the map insert in your bulletin you can see how far they traveled (by foot) and by reading the gospel you can see the number of people they ministered to. Folks ministry is work and when you see something wonderful happen in the spiritual realm it takes something out of you. I can tell you from personal experience that when we have awesome moves of God here in church, when it is over I am exhausted. I’ve said all that to say this, Jesus realized the need to get away so He invited Peter, James and John to go up on a high mountain with Him. The purpose is to take some time to be refreshed.
B. The Place of Retreat. That word retreat may have some negative connotations for some of you. Retreat means to backtrack, or give up ground that was taken. But even in a military sense, retreat is protecting the worn and weary so they can come back and fight another day. Now Jesus took them up on a high mountain. It required a lot of work just to get there. But He knew that it must be a place where there would be no distractions. Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 6:6, “But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” You know that when we go to get away for a while it is normally a time of rest and light recreation and refreshing. But there is a spiritual aspect involved also. I love to go on vacation and visit some small A/G church and just enjoy being in His presence with no expectations on me. I remember the struggling little church in Woodland Park, Colorado where we visited. The pastor was a young man and the congregation very small. We were able to go and just worship the Lord and enjoy the day. It was a blessing to us but even more, it was an encouragement to the pastor to have new faces in the congregation. We visited a church of about 100 in Williamsburg, VA on the morning they were installing a youth pastor. It was a turning point for that small church and an encouragement to us knowing that we would someday be making that same leap of faith. Wherever it is you go to get away, just enjoy the time with God.
C. His Presence in Retreat. Wherever you go you can enjoy God’s abiding presence. Jesus told His disciples in verse 1 that, “there are some of you who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power.” One of Jesus’ main themes while He ministered here on earth was that the Kingdom of God was at hand. And now some would see the kingdom of God in power. Now He was referring to what they would see on the mount of transfiguration, but what He spoke could have easily been seen in the everyday ministry that he performed. You know that I said that when we see the manifestations of the Spirit in our services that I become physically and emotionally drained. At the same time I become so refreshed in my inner man knowing that God is who He says He is and does what He said He would do. That refreshes me because it takes me to a place where no one can steal the joy of His presence from me. Peter, James and John walked in the very presence of the One who initiated the kingdom and saw His miracles, yet they never really understood the magnitude of His person. Verse 2, “Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James and John and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them.” Jesus didn’t try to pull off some magic trick but He was changed right before their very eyes. “His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them.” Folks, listen! I think that the miracle isn’t that Jesus’ garments shone so brightly on the mountain. I think it was miraculous that He was able to veil the glory through three and one half years of ministry on earth. What happened on the mountain was the reality of His deity coming out as a physical exhibition of who He is. What a comfort to know that the same Jesus who walks with us every day is the same Jesus who was changed on the mountain.
D. His Power in Retreat. There is power that is inferred in the word “transfigured”. This is the Greek word metamorphoo, which means to transform. It is composed of two words, meta (G3326) and morphoo (G3445). Meta means beyond and morphoo means to fashion or form. Jesus was changed beyond what the disciples had previously known. They saw another side of who He is – the second person of the Trinity; God the Son. It isn’t a big mystery for us. It is the change that takes place in the lives of individuals as they come to faith in Christ. Their physical bodies may appear the same but there is a spiritual transformation that takes place in each one’s spirit. You were transfigured. Your life that was once covered by the darkness of this world has now become illuminated by the glory of God. Revelation talks about this transformation. In Revelation 19:8 John writes about the Bride of Christ (the Church) and says, “And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright…” verse 14, “And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.” That cleansing took place on the day you were saved. You became like Jesus in that you became white and clean like no launderer on earth could make you. Now, when we get away we get away for a purpose, to a place that is away from the normal activity of life, to rest in the presence of God and be changed by His power. He alone has the power to restore you. He brought dry bones back to life. How much more could He do for one who actively seeks a time of refreshing?
II. A TIME FOR A NEW PERSPECTIVE. (5-8)
A. An Emotional Response. How many of you have heard people say, “I need to get away to go find myself.”? Jesus didn’t take the three disciples up on the mountain in order for them to find themselves. He wanted them to see Him for who HE really is. Look at Peter’s response. First of all verse 6 says he was afraid. Now when we get in a situation where we do not know what to do or how to respond human nature will always revert to what is natural. In Peter’s case we see that this maxim holds true, for he doesn’t know what to say so he says something on impulse. That’s Peter! Unfortunately, his impulsive statement makes absolutely no sense. For Peter to want to build a tabernacle (or literally, to erect a tent) for Jesus, Moses and Elijah says two things. 1) Peter would have liked to set up camp and just stay there. How wonderful it would be if, when we experience some awesome supernatural event, that we could just stay at that point. 2) Peter still did not have a complete understand of who Jesus was, for he was placing Him on an equal level with Moses and Elijah. Jesus was not on the same plane as these other two. He is the Son of God; He is God. We have seen people make emotional responses to salvation. Several years back we participated in a production called Heaven’s Gates and Hell’s Flames. I think I have shared this with you before. It is a power gospel presentation, but if I have one complaint about it, it would be that the drama spurs people to make a response to the altar strictly on an emotional level. The intellect is not really involved. They respond out of fear often without understanding in their minds what is taking place. What we have found out is that often those who respond on emotion only are less likely to stick with it because emotions wear off. But if it is accompanied by understanding, it will be more likely to stick.
B. A Verbal Confirmation. Look at verse 7. “And a cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud saying, ‘This is My beloved Son. Hear Him’.” Did you notice that? God spoke and said, “He’s not Moses. He’s not like Elijah. He’s My Son! Now to confirm to them that it was God speaking, the voice came out of the cloud, the Shekinah glory of God. It’s the same cloud that was with Israel in the desert. It’s the same glory cloud that met with Moses at the tent of meeting. It’s the same glory that stood by the door of the tabernacle. It’s the same cloud that filled Solomon’s temple at the dedication so the priests could not minister. It is the same cloud that overshadowed Mary as she conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit. It is the cloud of glory that received Jesus at His ascension and it is the same cloud of glory that Jesus will return on to receive the church unto Himself. And out of the cloud God said “Hear Him” The Greek word translated hear carries with it an element of understanding. So God does not leave any doubt as to the significance of whom Jesus is.
C. A Personal Savior. Verse 8, “Suddenly, when they had looked around, they saw no one anymore, but only Jesus and themselves.” You know, I talked about an emotional response to the gospel. As a Pentecostal people I have to admit that maybe there are some who are guilty of building their whole Christian experience on emotion. “Oh, that was a really good service. There were people dancing and shouting and the gifts were in operation.” Granted, all those things are to be expected and appreciated, but we have to go back to the purpose of the spiritual gifts. The gifts are not an end in themselves but are given for the edification or building up of the church. They are intended to draw us into a closer relationship with the Savior and not just to make us feel good about ourselves. One of the ministries of the Holy Spirit is to magnify Jesus. And look, when Jesus is magnified in the church through the gifts that are given, we are drawn closer to Him, and that is not always a comfy, feel-good, mountaintop experience. When we come into the presence of the Lord we may be shaken, falling in fear, convicted of sin, aware of our lacking and of His holiness. But when all the feel-good emotions wear off, Jesus stands alone.
III. TIME TO GO TO WORK. (9-13)
A. You Can’t Stay Up Here. Many of you know that I am a football fan, especially a St. Louis Rams fan. One of the things that really drew my attention to the Super Bowl winning team of 1999-2000 was their motto, “Time to go to Work.” And that is exactly how they approached the entire season that year. There was nothing flashy or conceited about that team. They had a job to do and just went out and did it. Now football is more than a physical game. To quote one of this generations great philosophers, Yogi Berra, “90% of the game is half mental.” So to be good at it there is meditation and reflection required. You have to think about it. The same hold’s true for Christianity. You can’t just ride the emotional high all the way into eternity. At some point you have to stop, reflect on what has happened to you, then go into action. Verse 9 says, “Now as they came down from the mountain, He commanded them that they should tell no one the things they had seen, till the Son of Man had risen from the dead.” Once Christ’s work of redemption was completed, their understanding of what they had seen would become more complete. 2 Corinthians 3:18, “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” God’s revelation of Himself to His people is not completed as a one-time event. He reveals Himself to us gradually – from glory to glory – and transforms us by His Spirit into the image given by that gradual revelation. If we got it all at once, 1) We would be afraid of it, 2) We couldn’t understand it; 3) we couldn’t live it. Verse 10 says, “So they kept this word to themselves, questioning what the rising from the dead meant.” They reflected on His words.
B. Reflection Creates Questions. Another question arises, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” What the disciples are trying to do here is to but two plus two together and come up with the right answer. If the scribes say Elijah must come first, and we saw Elijah, and God spoke to us out of a cloud and said that You are His Son, then what is all this talk about suffering? Why not talk about the restoration of the kingdom back to Israel? Good questions right? Look at the phrases used. The disciples refer to the teaching of the scribes, but twice Jesus refers them to what is written. The point is, the mountaintop experience has now brought the disciples to the point where they are meditating on the Word and asking questions. How do we find the answer to the questions we have? By continuing in the word. By the quickening of our spirits by the Holy Spirit concerning the Word. By God speaking truth into us through His Word. The ultimate purpose is for strengthening us in our faith to do work.
C. After the Fact. As Jesus is talking to them on the way down the mountain, He is preparing them for their first task – dealing with a demon possessed boy. No time to slowly get back into the flow of things. No time to wait for the pictures to be developed so you can relive the experience. The biblical pattern is that we go from encountering Jesus to ministry to encounter to ministry and so on. You know once you have been to the mountain with Jesus you can go back, but you can never stay. There is no need to. He is with you everywhere you go. Concerning the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, I’ve heard people say that others don’t receive because they are seeking the gift and they need to be seeking the giver of the gift, Jesus. I’ve got news for them, I don’t have to seek Jesus. I know where He is. He’s right here inside of me. Jesus didn’t tell the disciples to go and tarry in Jerusalem until He came. They were to wait for the Promise of the Father. So for us, we can see the glorified Christ when we see the work that He has done in us. It’s time to go to work.
So now we’ve gone from coming out of the valley of dry bones to standing on top of the spiritual world. God has never intended for anyone to stay in either place. Both places are places of extreme emotionalism. The first is the sense that God has departed from you and you just don’t know how to get Him back. It is a sense of great loss and despair. The second is the elation of seeing into the spiritual realm and never wanting to go back to the physical.
To take the motto from the Rams football team, It’s time to go to work. To paraphrase Ephesians 6 it’s time to come off the mountain and put on the football equipment of God. The shoulder pads of righteousness to block the devil, the football cleats of the gospel to stomp the devil, and the football helmet of salvation to protect your mind and thoughts against his attacks, and the playbook, the word of God, to go on the offensive against the devil.
Don’t you enjoy all the spiritual experiences we see when we come together? I do too. There is fire on the mountain but the burning takes place on the playing field. It’s time to come down from the mountain and go to work.
