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El Cajon SDA

Vincent Bujor

Are You Sure You Believe?

Father in heaven, Lord, we thank you for the wonderful plan of redemption.

Jesus, we thank you for what you have gone through here on this earth, the suffering, the torture, the humiliation, and everything else that you have endured for us.

As we pick up a story today that talks about what you wanted to share with your disciples and a story that encapsulates the plan of redemption, draws closer to you, help us to better understand scripture, better understand your character, and better understand our duty that we have today.

The duty and the privilege of being your disciples.

In Jesus' name we ask for your Holy Spirit now, Amen.

I want you to open your Bibles with me to Mark 9.

We're going to pick up the story in verse 2.

This story that we're covering today is found in 3 Gospels.

It's in Matthew 17 and also in Luke chapter 9.

But we're going to use the account of Mark 9.

And before we get to the actual story that we want to study together this morning, I want you to understand what just happened before the little narrative that we're studying.

And so we're reading together Mark 9, verse 2.

The Bible says, and after 6 days, Jesus taketh with him Peter and James and John and leadeth them up into a high mountain apart by themselves, and he was transfigured before them.

Just on Wednesday morning, Charles and I went on a little hike just not too far from here in Santee.

And there was a little area that was also a little steep so we had to climb up that little hill and I was just reminding preparing the sermon reminded of of what it must have been like for Jesus and his disciples to go up that mountain you have to imagine it was evening they spent the whole day preaching teaching healing people and everyone including Jesus well they were tired But Jesus took 3 of his 12 disciples and he said, hey, let's go together and let's go up that mountain.

So they went to the disciples, didn't ask a lot of questions.

They knew that Jesus often spent the night in prayer and they thought, you know, maybe we're just going there.

So they went up that steep hill that little mountain and they they climbed up there and as they were climbing up They were wondering you know why do we do this?

I mean we're all tired we're exhausted, but Jesus kept on going The sun was disappearing in the west and then it got dark.

Jesus came to a point on the mountain where he said to his 3 disciples, hey, you're going to stay here?

And Jesus went a little further away from them.

He started praying, pouring out his heart to the Father.

When the disciples saw that they were joining him in prayer, but after a little while, they got really tired and they fell asleep.

And as Jesus was praying, he saw his disciples, he saw how they felt, they were tired, they were also sad, there were a lot of things going through their minds at that moment, and he started praying for them.

There was a reason why Jesus took up the disciples up on that mountain.

He didn't just do that to have some better fresh air up there.

He didn't do that so that he had some special moment with them.

He did that for their benefit actually because he wanted to teach them something.

Those 3 disciples, Peter, James, and John were the ones or should be the ones later on who would go into the garden of Gethsemane with Jesus and see his anguish and his suffering and they were not prepared for that trial.

They were not prepared for what was about to happen.

You have to understand, this story, you know, takes place Mark chapter 9.

You have to understand that this story is already towards the end or more than the middle of Jesus' ministry.

So Jesus was already at this point talking a lot about his suffering, his death, the cross, and that he would rise up again the third day.

Sounds really logical to us today, but for the disciples it wasn't logical because they didn't understand what was going on.

The Bible says in Mark chapter 9, verse 10, and you can see this, that they didn't know what the rising from the dead should mean.

Jesus told them on that mountain again, hey, I'm gonna die, I'm gonna rise up again on the third day.

They were like, Jesus, why do you want to die?

I thought we're going to establish a powerful kingdom here.

And Luke 9.33 says, Peter didn't know what he said on that mountain either.

You know, something very remarkable happened after Jesus was praying.

He prayed for his disciples and as he was praying, he saw their grief.

He saw that they were not prepared for the trial that was coming.

So Jesus said Father show them something that can strengthen their faith and Jesus prayer was answered Just soon after that the heavens were open.

There were 2 people who appeared on that mountain and talked with Jesus, Moses and Elijah.

You might be wondering why Moses and Elijah?

Why didn't God send some angels to talk with the disciples to strengthen their faith?

Well, Moses and Elijah represented 2 groups of people.

1 that would be there representing those who would die before Jesus comes back and then be resurrected when he comes.

And the second group, that's Elijah, they would not see death and they would be translated when Jesus comes back.

And so Moses and Elijah came and you know, divinity was flashing through Jesus' humanity and they were all talking together.

There was obviously the disciples at this point woke up, right?

And the 2 prophets were talking with Christ.

They were talking about his upcoming trial, his suffering, his death.

And Peter, James, and John, you know, they saw that.

They didn't understand why this was happening.

They were like, oh wow, this is pretty cool.

Peter, in his amazement, you know, and excitement, and really, He had no clue what was going on said these words not thinking what the what what what he said And So Elijah and Moses talked with Jesus they both knew how it felt like to be alone If you study those stories Elijah and Moses, you know that right?

They both knew what it felt like to not be understood by anyone, what it felt like not to be in solitude, to work for the salvation of men and to experience hatred and persecution.

They were telling Jesus, don't be discouraged.

What an amazing and marvelous thought that God uses 2 people, sinful humans, to encourage the Son of Man in this hour.

And then the voice of the Father was heard, this voice affirming 1 more time, just like at the baptism before, He was affirming, this is my beloved Son in who I am well pleased.

And the mountain was trembling And there was a lot of noise and the disciples were so afraid that they fell to the ground and they hid their faces.

And when the light was gone and the noise was over and the transfiguration had taken place, Jesus went back to his 3 disciples and he touched them and he said, hey, don't be afraid, let's go.

The night was over and they went down the mountain again.

Just imagine with me how it must have been like for those 3 disciples to go down that mountain in the morning.

First of all, you have barely slept that night, and then you saw this crazy, marvelous, amazing revelation of God and 2 prophets, and you were just like, wow, This is something I have never seen in my life before.

They didn't know what to do, what to say.

And when they came down the mountain, They saw a big group of people mingling together.

Now, that atmosphere in that group wasn't that great.

You had the other 9 disciples, you had a father and his son, you had a bunch of scribes and spectators there.

People were arguing, the disciples were perplexed, they were embarrassed, they were discouraged and humiliated, and the scribes were actually humiliating or mocking the disciples.

Let me tell you what happened down in the valley while Jesus was up in the mountain.

There was a father who had brought his demon-possessed son to Jesus, or to his disciples rather, asking for help.

Normally, this shouldn't be a problem at all.

I don't know if you remember this but when Jesus sent out his disciples in Luke chapter 9 just a little bit earlier You know, he gave them a quoting scripture now the authority Over all demons and to cure diseases.

Okay, so just to understand this right the disciples had the power to cast out demons And they actually already did it before this young boy came they had already done it It was it was almost I don't want to say a routine It was surely probably something special, but it was not unusual to do this, okay?

Mark 6, 13 says, "'They cast out many demons and anointed with oil "'many who were sick and healed them.'" But you know, this time it was different.

This time When they had tried to pray and to heal this innocent poor boy, the demon mocked the disciples with a fresh display of his power.

It's like you're an elder at a church and you get a call from someone, hey, can you please go over to that lady?

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Are You Sure You Believe?

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