Face to Face with Jesus

Face to face with Jesus. Mark chapter nine. And I first want to draw your attention to verse nine, okay? So, we're going to kind of start at the end of the passage here today. It says, and as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen till the son of man were risen from the dead and they kept that saying with themselves questioning one with another, what the rising from the dead should mean?

Now, I I start with this this morning just to draw our attention back to the message last Sunday morning which I entitled, are you listening? In Mark chapter eight, Jesus asked them, who others thought he was? And Peter replied, the disciples, well, some say you're Elijah, some say you're Jeremiah, some say you're John the Baptist, some say you're a great prophet but he said to them, who do you say that I am? And Peter piped up and said, you're the Christ, the son of the living God. For which Jesus praised Peter for having recognized who he really is.

But then, then, just a little while later, Jesus was telling his disciples how that it was necessary for him to go back to Jerusalem, to be arrested, to die on the cross, and then what? Rise again from the dead and immediately, Peter pulled Christ aside and said, no, no, no, no, no, no, that, that, that's not to be for you. And remember what Jesus said to Peter? He had just a moment ago told him that his confession of Christ as the Messiah was revealed to him by the father and called him a rock and now, he turns and trounds at Peter and says, get me by, get thee behind me what? Satan.

Satan. Because he was acting like Satan and that he was opposing the what? The will of God, the purpose for which Jesus came. For Jesus came to die on the cross for our sins and in all of that, the disciples missed something very important and that is at the end of Christ's statement, he said he was going to die, yes, but he said he was going to do what? He was going to rise again and I could tell they weren't listening very well because you get to the end of this passage in Mark chapter nine and he says again, not for them to tell, to spread this about what they had seen until he had risen a gun from the dead and they're scratching their heads thinking, what does he mean by rising again from the dead?

Obviously, they they were because in order for the rising again from the dead part to happen, first had to come the what? The dying and when they got to that part, they put their hands over their ears because they really didn't understand fully. The purpose for which Christ came. Yes, he is our king. He is my king.

He is my king now but one day, he will rule and reign on this Earth from Jerusalem. He will have a real kingdom. But the first time he came, he came to what? Came to seek and to say that was lost. In order for Christ to have subjects in his kingdom, he had to die for them and for their sins so that they might be what?

They might be saved and redeemed. Otherwise, there would be no subjects. There would be no subjects to be part of his wonderful kingdom or of his family. So, I just want to point that out as we start this morning. Reminder of last week, Sometimes, we read God's word and certain things we don't like.

Well, don't put your hands what? Don't put your hands over your ears or your eyes. Let God reveal his will to us and be willing to follow because God always knows what he's doing and very often we do not. But that brings us back to the passage this morning and and we'll go back now to verse one. Going back to verse one.

It says there and he said unto them, his disciples, verily I say unto you that there be some of them that stand here shall not taste of death till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power. So, what did Jesus mean about when he said this? Well, if he's talking about these men physically being alive until the time of his second return, well, he hasn't returned yet in physically to rule and reign his kingdom and those men are long dead. So, that was not what he meant with this statement. So what did he mean with this statement?

Well, could be that this statement is recorded so close to the passage that follows that these three men who went with went with him up on the Mount Of Transfiguration are are seeing him thus his kingdom and his power and glory just a glimpse of it there upon that mountain. So, they had seen that before they tasted death. It could also be that he is also speaking of his resurrection, ascension, and the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost which the Holy Spirit came in great power and we are part of God's kingdom right now. Not just in the future but right now as his children and of course, they were alive to see those things happen. The risen Lord, is ascension to the right hand of the father in heaven where he rules and intercedes in what?

In our behalf. And so I I'm not sure whether it's one or the other or both. But it's interesting that that verse is recorded so close to this this passage both in time and in the way it is recorded because it was just six days after Jesus made that statement to his disciples that some of those men three in particular, Peter, James, and John were taken by him up to the Mount Of Transfiguration. Now, I want to show you a picture here. There is a mountain, a a what I would call, I grew up in the mountains, alright?

What I would call a small mountain or a big hill called Mount Tabor that is in the middle of the Valley Of Jezreel in Galilee that that's not a picture of it by the way. That is often called the Mount Of Transfiguration. However, the Bible tells and tell us doesn't give this mountain a name but it does say that it was a very what? High mountain, okay? And in my estimation, Mount Tabor is not a very high mountain but this is the very high mountain that is in Israel.

This is Mount Hermon. It is to the extreme north in Israel. This picture I took when I was there in April and it is still snow capped. The Jordan River gets the majority of its water off of this mountain as the snow caps melt in the spring. They run down through the mountain through springs.

They come out of place named Banias Springs that feeds the Jordan River and it was at these springs at the foot of Mount Hermon at a place called Caesarea Philippi that Jesus was when he asked his disciples, who do you say that I am? And that was only a few days. It would appear few days previous to this. So, I believe it's very likely that this is the mountain, not the mountain of ways to the south called Mount Tabor that's not nearly as high and never snow capped but Mount Hermon that Jesus was on and took his disciples up when he was transfigured before them. So, So, we we see the place, I do believe, where this happened but more important than the place and I believe sometimes God doesn't give us the name of the place.

There that in in Israel when they take tours, they love to say, this is the place this happened and that is the place that happened and you know what? The church, particularly the Catholic church and Orthodox churches did. What do you think they did? They built cathedrals and and temples and all these things on those places and those places sort of became an idol in themselves and rather than pointing people to Christ, they sort of distracted people from him and so sometimes, God doesn't give us the specific sites where these things happen. What is important is not where it happened, what is important is what happened.

What happened there. Now, having the profession of their faith in his deity, having the profession of the disciples, faith mentioned in chapter eight, in his deity, he further strengthens their faith by revealing himself in a somewhat glorified state to these three men, Peter, James, and John. It was only after their profession of faith in his deity and identity as the Messiah that Christ took them up on this mountain and revealed himself more fully to them. In manner. He didn't do it before they made this profession.

He did it what? After they made this profession. Thus, I think it's important to note that God does not choose to reveal himself more fully to those who are skeptics and unbelievers. In Romans, God says, that God has given them his creation. And God can be seen in his creation and that man who refuses to seek after the God of creation and know him is without what?

Is without excuse. God has given all of us his creation to see who he is. He has given us a conscience that I think even when we're very young. There's a little voice inside of us saying, there is a what? There is a god, there is a god to whom I'm accountable.

I need to find out who he is. And that we are without what? We are without excuse. Today, this God's word is in more languages than it has ever been before. And thanks to short wave radio and the internet, if people really want to seek God, they can what?

They can find him him and God says, they are without what? Excuse. But he must be accepted by what? He must be accepted by faith. He has not revealed himself to us in all of his glory.

At this point in time, we can't even see him physically like his disciples and others could in that day. But we can see him with eyes of what? Faith. We can know him through faith. We can receive him.

We can walk with him. We can be blessed by him. We can talk to him in prayer and we can do all of that by faith and we must. For without faith, it is impossible to please him. For he that cometh to God must believe that he is and he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

You must come to God by faith. We must choose to receive him as Lord by faith and not by sight. But the skeptic wants what? What is the skeptic want? The skeptic wants proof.

The skeptic says, show me and God says, I have shown you. Look at creation. God says, I have spoke to you. Listen to your conscience. God says, I've given you my words so that you can know me.

God says, I've spoke to you. I've revealed myself enough. That you should come to me by faith but the skeptics want a sign. Did that happen in Jesus' day? Yes, the skeptics earlier in our study, the skeptics, the Pharisees came to Christ and they said to Christ, show us a sign and if you remember, I remarked, what had he been doing for the past two years of his ministry?

He had been giving them sign after sign after sign after sign. Miracle after miracle he had put before them and they refused to what? They refused to believe. They refused to believe and so they came to him once again and said, show us a sign. I don't believe they were really that sincere, do you?

Jesus didn't either. And the skeptics came to Christ and you know what Jesus said? Jesus said, I will give you what? No sign. Except as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale so they'll sell the son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

What was he speaking about there? He was speaking of his death and his his resurrection which was his final sign. His ultimate sign of who he was and what he did but he said to the skeptics preceding this passage, he says, I'm not giving you any signs but yet, he took Peter, James, and John up on top of this mountain or a mountain and he was transfigured before them so they saw him in his somewhat glorified state right there in front of their eyes. Was that a sign? I think so.

I think that qualifies as a sign but it wasn't given to the skeptics. It was given to the what? It was given to the believers. It was given to his followers. Given to them to strengthen their faith.

Those who demand proof will not get it but those who trust and receive more and more proof every day. We receive as we walk with Jesus. Every day as we walk with Christ by faith, we get to know him more. Every day as we look into his word, every day as we walk with him, our faith is strengthened. By Jesus Christ, our savior.

The world may not understand but we who know Christ most certainly You may ask me how certain I am that Christ Jesus died on my cross on the cross for my sins that he rose again from the dead. He ascended to the right hand of the father that he received me by his grace through faith when I came to him. That he's given me a home in heaven that he has prepared for me. You can ask me how certain I am of that and I will tell you, I am more certain than I am standing right here in front of this pulpit preaching to you this morning. Maybe this is a dream but that is not.

I am just as certain. Now, how do I know that? I haven't seen heaven. I haven't seen Jesus but I know that by what? I know that by faith and every day I walk with Jesus, that faith is what?

That faith is strengthened. As Jesus reveals himself more and more to me and as he reveals himself more and more to you. Three of his first four disciples, Peter, James, and John, the same three who took part with him in prayer or they were supposed to be in the Garden Of Gethsemane later on. Are these three that Jesus took up to the mountain? Jesus knew something about these three men that no one else knew and chose to reveal himself in ways to them that he did not to others at least not at the time.

What an honor and privilege was theirs. Even above the other disciples. See, where's that? Trying to find. There it is.

Jesus said, all things are delivered unto me of my father and no man knoweth the son but the father neither knoweth any man the father save the son and he to whomsoever what? The will reveal him. These men They didn't sit in king's palaces on the earth. They didn't have great authority given them by man. They weren't privileged with great wealth.

And fame They were privileged to see the son of God in his glory. Before anybody else. Why? Because Jesus did what? Because Jesus chose to reveal himself.

And his father in this wonderful way to them is Jesus prerogative to reveal himself to man as he sees fit Not to mention as I already have that he has revealed himself in so many ways already. But what a privilege it is for we who know Christ to know him better. To know him more. And one day, you know what? One day, we will see him like this.

And even more so. In heaven. Because you are privileged to know Christ as well. First John three two. Beloved, now we are the sons of God and it does not yet appear what we shall be but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him for what?

For we what? For we shall. Him. See him as he is. One day, we won't see him even as they saw him.

We'll see him in what? All. All of his glory. We will be privileged so because we are his children. We will privilege so because sin will be done away.

And we will be able to look upon God, the righteous one, the holy one, the glorified one, in all of his glory because we who know Christ will have this privilege one day as well. To others, these three did not likely appear to be anything special but Jesus saw something in them and in the 12 in general that others couldn't see. It may it may be that God sees something in you. That he can use that others might not see as well. It maybe that God sees something special in you particularly if he lives that makes you special also Without Christ, I am nothing special I am a sinner.

But with Christ, I am a child of who? I am a child of God. And God and his grace and mercy can do things in my life and through me that I never imagined possible. And believe me, when I was in high school, what I'm doing now, I never imagined possible. Because it scared me to death to stand up in front of anybody and say anything.

But God's grace is far greater than we realize and God will use us and God sees something in us that he created that others may not see. So, don't sell the Lord short. You not only chose him but he also chose you. And he will use you. Reveal himself to you.

If you are willing to follow him. In ways you might not imagine. As to these men here. Do you think when they were walking up that mountain, they imagined what they were going to see? And as we walk through life, sometimes we can't imagine what God's going to do in our life much we are going to see of him but trust him and follow him up the mountain.

Matthew says that his face shown as the sun and his raiment is white as light. As he was partially revealed in his glory and holy state, which he so willingly emptied himself of so that he could come to redeem us. Jesus is not just the person they saw walking around most of the time. But Jesus left something behind when he left heaven. He left that glory behind.

He left that position behind. He submitted himself to the will of the father. He chose to become a man and live with many of those limitations. The same as we. He got hungry.

He got tired. He did all of that that he might become one of us. That he might dwell among us. That he might reveal to us as much as we could see at the time the glory of God and then die on the cross for our sins and rise again. In John one fourteen, it says, and the word was made flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory.

The glory is the only begotten of the father full of grace and truth. Now, I believe that Jesus reveals the father to us in Hebrews. It tells us that in the Old Testament, God revealed himself through prophets but in the New Testament, the time of Christ, he has revealed himself in the person of Jesus Christ, the Messiah. So, Jesus revealed for those who would receive and hear and see by faith, who he was, he revealed the father to man in a way that man had never known the father before. But the man who wrote these words, John, was one of the man that was where?

On the Mount Of Transfiguration and so even more so, when John writes, the word was made flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory, the glorious of the only begotten of the father, the man who's writing that is one of the men that stood on that mountain and saw Jesus transfigured before them. He knew of what he spoke. God had him recorded so we could know at least in part and understand what he knew. That Jesus Christ is who? He is God.

He is the son of God. And though we may not see him now and though the world back then saw him not with all of his glory. One day, all of us who come by faith will see him. As he is. And we can know that.

For he is And he has the power to redeem and to save. This reminds us also of the time God partially revealed himself to another special man. Not just John and Peter and James but there was another man that saw Jesus. They saw God in this manner. Anybody ring a bell there?

Paul. Well, I wasn't thinking about Paul. Yeah, that would be true too. Let's go back to the Old Testament. Moses.

Moses. Moses saw the hinder part of God's glory. He was allowed to see on Mount Horeb, Mount Sinai and the Bible says that his face what? His face glowed and I don't think that's just a manner of speech because he had to put a veil over his face when he came down the mountain because his face glowed with the glory of God. God reveals himself more and more to those who are prepared to see him.

Not only does he reveal himself to those who trust in him by faith but he reveals himself more and more as we prepare our hearts as Christians to see him and to know him. How do we prepare to see him but by following him in faith? Day by day as his disciples did. As looking for Jesus where? His word by listening to his spirit by looking for his hand in answer to our prayers, working in our life.

There are many ways that God reveals himself more and more to us but we have to step out in what? We have to step out in faith. You know, there's some of you that have seen God's hand at work in your lives more than others. One of the reasons maybe that some of us are a little bit more hesitant to do what? To step out in faith.

But we only get to see God's hand at work in our lives we trust him and step out in faith and when we do, we see more and more of his power revealed in us. If you aren't looking for Jesus, guess what? You're not apt to see him as much. As those who are digging into God's word and spending time with him but if you are, your face may not light up as Moses did. But you will certainly be changed.

You will certainly be changed. Don't you think the man who wrote these words who had already been changed was changed a little more. After this encounter. I say he was. And the more we see Jesus in the word, the more we spend time with him, the more you are going to be changed.

Also, Second Corinthians three eighteen, says, but we all with open face beholding as in a glass, the glory of the Lord are changed into the same image from glory to glory. Even as by the spirit of the Lord. You say, but I haven't seen him like this. No. But you're privileged to see him through this.

As the spirit enables you who lives inside your heart and as you look and see him through this, you will also be what? You will also be changed. As well. When we come to Christ in faith to be saved we are never the same as we were before. Second Corinthians five seventeen, if any man be in Christ, he is a what?

New creature, old things are passed away, behold, all things are become new. When we come to Christ, we humbly pour ourselves out before him in faith and save, save me, Lord. We're never the same again. But we also were transformed day by day into the image of Christ as we look daily into his word and spend time in prayer with our God. We're renewed in our mind.

We are cleansed in our spirit and conscience. We are changed in our heart, in our desires. We are filled with his love. When we spend time getting to know him more and you don't have to wait to heaven to get to know him more you can do that today but interesting enough as we read through this passage, not only did they see Jesus but they also saw who? This also saw Moses, Moses, and Elijah.

Now, why did, why were Moses and Elijah there? Well, the Bible doesn't actually tell us why. So, we move into a little bit of conjecture here. But I say this, Jesus said earlier in his ministry that he is not the God or the Lord of the dead but the God of the what? The God of the living and when Elijah and Moses appeared, do you think that strengthened?

Peter, James, and John's faith? For here, we're men who were some of their greatest heroes. True heroes. Those who led Israel out of Egypt through the wilderness and into the promised land who who displayed the power of God in his life over and over again. A matter of fact, in Deuteronomy, it says, that there will be another prophet that will come like unto Moses and though the people didn't always listen to Moses, one day, they wouldn't listen to him.

Who is that prophet? That prophet is the Messiah. That's Jesus Christ. And so Moses appeared with him on the Mountain. Did Moses die?

Yes, he did. On Mount Nebo, God buried him. He did die but he wasn't really what? He wasn't really dead. His body was buried there but Moses was still very much alive.

Elijah was taken up in a whirlwind in the Old Testament. So, so he didn't bodily die and he was most definitely still what? Alive. In Malachi four, five, and six, it says this, behold, I send you Elijah, the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. Not only was Moses connected to Christ but so was who?

So was Elijah and God said that before Christ returns, Elijah come. Jesus said to his disciples and others, if you will receive him and his message, John the Baptist came in the stead of Elijah. They didn't as a general rule except John the Baptist and his testimony, Israel didn't nor Jesus Christ. One day, there will be two prophets that will show up in Jerusalem during the tribulation period. I believe very likely one of those two prophets will likely be who?

Will likely be Elijah. Again, and maybe Moses. I don't know. Some people think the other prophet Enoch because Enoch is the other man who didn't want, who didn't physically die. But by then the rapture will have happened and there will be many, maybe us who didn't bodily die either.

So, Elijah, Moses appeared. If nothing else, just to give more testimony as to who this other person standing there with them was. Jesus Christ. Peter requested to be allowed to construct three tabernacles or tents for them. Now, I'm not sure what was going through Peter's mind.

If you look in the passage, I don't think Peter knew what was going through Peter's mind. It says, he was sore what? Afraid. It said, he wished not what he was saying in one of the gospels. He was so astonished that he he didn't know what to say.

So, this came out of his mouth. I don't know if he was wanting to build tabernacles to worship them. I don't think that was the case at least on Moses and Elijah's part. If it was, he was a little bit misled because God doesn't want us worshiping Moses and Elijah, does he? No.

There's one to worship and that's God. He may have wanted to build them three tabernacles and tents. In Luke, it says, for this reason because it says, right before he made this statement that they were getting ready to depart. So, I think maybe Peter didn't want this to what? He didn't want this to end.

He didn't want this to end. So, he said, hey, let's let's build three tavern, three tents here. So, that because he wanted them to what? He wanted them to stay. What a beautiful place to stay.

Reminds me of the song we sang. I come to the garden of love. Come to the garden. Low and while the dew is still on the roses and so forth and so on. While I'm there, this personal time alone with God.

He walks with me and he talks with me and he tells me I am his own and the writer of the hymn laments when this time of quiet time is has to to be over and there's work to do. And you know, Jesus never bids us to leave him. And the Bible says, he'll never leave or forsake his children. But we can't spend the entire day in the prayer closet, can we? No, we have work to do.

And Jesus will go with us and he's still with us but if you do spend time with God each day, you know what a wonderful time that can be and there's times when you just don't want to you just don't want to leave and I think that's the thoughts of the writer of the hymn in the garden. I think maybe that's what Peter was thinking. He didn't want them to leave. Not only did they see Jesus in such a state but they heard the voice from out of out of heaven and the clouds saying, this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased, hear you him. There were three times that a voice from heaven said that.

Jesus baptism, the mount of transfiguration, and on the day of the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. Three times, God spoke. Sad to say in most of those cases, not very many people were listening. But these three men, I believe we're listening to that. And God spoke to them as he spoke to John the Baptist as he spoke to those listening on the triumphal entry the day that he entered Jerusalem.

To strengthen their faith again. This is my beloved son. This is my beloved son. This is my beloved son. Hear him.

You don't have to hear me today but I plead with you. Please hear Jesus. He wants to know you. He wants to be your savior and Christian, he wants to know you more. He wants to reveal himself to you more.

If you will take time, if you will step out in faith, and he will. Again, God gives to those who trust him more and more reassurance of who he is and who we are in him. For those who are listening, God's spirit speaks to us, reassuring us day by day that we are the children of God through faith this the son of God. Says in Romans eight fifteen and sixteen, for we, you have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you have received the spirit of adoption whereby we cry what? Abba father, the spirit itself bearing witness with our spirit that we are the children of God.

Close this morning with this question. It says, the spirit itself bearing witness that with our spirit that we are the children of God and I just like to ask a very simple question, are you? Are you a child of God? Does the spirit bear witness with your spirit? Do you know him?

Because if you do, I believe you know it today. If you came to him by faith and received him, you know it. And you should be growing in him but maybe there's one here this morning I don't know. Who doesn't know him? Who doesn't understand what we're talking about this morning?

But you can. For he says, he that cometh to me, I will what? I will no wise cast out. For whosoever shall call in the name of the Lord shall be saved. We're going to sing a hymn of invitation, hymn 204 in your hymn book.

Hymn 204, turn your eyes upon Jesus and the Lord has spoke to your heart today. Just bow your head and spend some time in prayer with him or if you've never trusted Christ as savior, come. As we stand and sing this hymn of invitation, hymn 204, standing please. Turn your eyes