Those moments will hide themselves away, unsure as to their place in our routines. When the Bible says that Jesus was transfigured, it means that He became on the outside what He was on the inside. Copyright 2023 Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church. We forget what God said to us when we approached the altar during that sermon. But dont forget that six days prior, the disciples spent their own time in a theological fog, utterly confused about the proposed suffering and death of Jesus. As the transfiguration reveals, the voice of Majestic Glory in the Word is a fearful thing. To hear the voice of God in His Word is to be led to the mountaintop of glory and grace. The goal is "Living All Out For Jesus". from that experience knowing more about Jesus, more prepared to live and die for him! What Is the Significance of Mountains in the Bible? 17:5), and Peter and the disciples fall to their faces (17:6). Proclaiming the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. I wasnt so eager to leave the mountaintop. A sunrise view from the Solid Rock Hideaway our Vision. It was simply a huge heap of stuff (both good and bad) that he had climbed up in order to get to where he was. Define mountaintop. Just as Christ shone before the disciples in radiant majesty (2 Pet. Everything is tiny and nothing seems to matter when you are that far away from people. But, maybe you say, The church doesnt hear the voice like Peter did. I suddenly gained a perspective about life I had never had up until that moment. These men where dedicated and devoted to Jesus; these three men went on to be. That night on the mount of Transfiguration, the glory of God that was within shined-forth through his humanity. Just as the disciples heard the Word on the mountain (2 Pet. Thanksgiving Pancake Breakfast & Goodbye to Jack Liskey! It also known valleys are quiet places of rest and peace. Now, as we review Exodus 24 and Matthew 17, I want us to notice certain traits of mountaintop experiences. was the founder of Israels worship of God. Don't start to rationalize it, no matter how unbelievable it may sound to some. To hear the voice of God is to be led to the mountaintop. You feel overcome by a greater awareness of God's reality. Think of those wonderfully cheesy G.I. Husband of Orlena. Personally, I find waiting very hard to do. Amen, we all agree with that; to be on the mountain top in the presence of Jesus and to see His glory! How does a congregation go Consider how Peter engages this question in 2 Peter 1:16-21. Notice, too, that mountaintops offer a perfect setting for life-changing transformation. Waiting feels like a waste of my time. Above: Muhammad, Buda, Knish, or any other name. Dedication to the Lord still brings special blessings into our lives! We cant leave them behind us. Moses who represents those who die; and Elijah who represent those who are caught up and never die; will both see Jesus in his glory! Simon Peter and the brothers James and John accompanied Jesus one day up on a high mountain (Matt. Many people want special blessings, and mountain top experiences but they do not want to be dedicated to Jesus. These moments can be truly genuine and beautiful. Mountain top removal Definition | Law Insider To experience Christ in the midst of the Great Smoky Mountains. And then there was Jesus. Tag-along Tours run for past customers by the MTE club enable you to travel in your own 4WD vehicle, but with the confidence of knowing you are being looked after. But sitting each day in the shadow of the mountains made me wonder how we can find better ways to continue to connect with and draw inspiration from those brief moments when we have been on the mountain - meditating on the scripture or hymns that remind us of our mountain top experiences, bringing images back with us from our spiritual mountain tops and keeping them in places that call to mind our moments on the mountain. Salvation is not in a program, or a plan, but in a person-. Yet, if we keep going and if we keep climbing, the sum total of all those experiences will keep us moving upward in the right direction. God doesnt intend for us to live in a perpetual state of emotional highs when it comes to faith. If youve ever been to a mountaintop, then you are familiar with the idea of feeling miniscule. Living Your Mountaintop Experience Everyday - Spiritually Hungry Peter immediately recommended the building of three shelters, presumably so that all six people could stay together on the mountain indefinitely. It matters not that the mountain is composed of a lot of "stuff". Tabor. glory cloud Ezekiel saw rise from between the cherubim and move to the threshold of the Temple because of Israels apostasy and then slowly rising to be seen no more from the Mount of Olives. You respond in Worship, praise, awe, thanksgiving, tears, and joy!! It was their ultimate mountaintop experience. Now, even though Joanis Listen to Your Life conference in Atlanta took place in the suburbs rather than on top of nearby Stone Mountain (which is where, by the way, I proposed to Joani), she still refers to the conference as a mountaintop experience. Copyright www.personality-insights.com. Yet, right after this, Christians often go back into the valley where they seem to dwell most of the time. Climbing the mountain we now claim as Mt. The problem .read more Upon seeing Jesus shining as the sun, Peter offers a surprisingly casual and perhaps clueless initial response. The first time we see Jesus on a high mountain is in Matthew 4 when he is being tempted by the Devil. Youve never seen something so beautiful and peaceful. Both these men had talked with God on mountaintops before. It actually turned out to be a good place. Then, for another forty days he remained in the fiery cloud of Gods presence, receiving still more revelation from God. Their dedication and devotion to Jesus brought special blessings into their lives. Here is our startling recognition: the Christians mountaintop experience is to come in contact with the Word of God. V:29-his arraignment was white and glistening. TheLordwill keep you from allevil;he will keep your life. Now that you have you hot chocolate, it is time to relax. The other gospel writers say his raiment was white as snow, as no washer on earth could make them. Have you ever witnessed an altar call? This often propels us into a greater service for God. Recommended ResourcesEasy Bible Study Method, Bold LivingFaithSpiritual GrowthDevotions, I am an author, blogger, Bible teacher, and preacher. (Mark 9:2-3 ESV) Jesus takes his inner circle to a mountain with him and they experience a "God thing." It was something unlike anything they had ever seen. Then in Matthew 17, Jesus is once again climbing a mountaintradition says it's Mt. Herod asked about Jesus, who is this I hear such things about? Now for the Lords prophetic word: This is what the Lord is saying to the people of Mountaintop Worship Center. Moses climbing Mt. The Apostle who once fell at Jesus knees upon a miracle of Christ (Luke 5:1-11) now offers His skill in tent-making to the transfigured Messiah (Matt. Moses is a prime example of this. Since the first reported successful climb of that 29,000-foot peak in 1953 by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, more than four thousand different individuals have experienced the thrill. While we face the last couple of weeks of winter there are many things you need to do. What is your ultimate mountaintop experience? Peter, James, and John were transformed by the transfigured Christ. V:33-let us make here three tabernacles; one for you, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah. And dont forget that Jesus didnt make a move until he had spent his own forty days and night on top of a mountain, and thirty years plying his trade as a carpenter before that. They witnessed Jesus transfigurationa majestic visualization of the Lords divine nature as well as His approaching death and resurrection. The term mountain top experience comes from those moments in the Bible when God revealed Himself to people on a mountain. Thats when you see people all around you move forward as they listen to the call of their mountain top experience. You come down from the mountaintop ready for a changed life. The High Mountain became the Holy Mountain because he saw the glory of Jesus there! I love life! Jesus transformationcalled a transfigurationwas even more dramatic. The sun shall not strike you byday,nor the moon by night. Mountain Top Experience will be re-opening on June 1, 2023. Today would -The city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God did lighten it, and the lamb is the light thereof. The valley is not what you may think. We can do all things through Christ, who strengthens us. To save this word, you'll need to log in. Pastor James McDonald describes the biblical mountaintop experience as one that involves your mind, emotions, and will. For six days Moses lingered in the cloud of God at the top of the mountain. On one particular hike, the sun was setting, the warm air brushed against me, and the silence engulfed me. After surviving his 40 day and night fast, Jesus climbs down one mountain only to go up another, where he delivers the greatest sermon of all time, the "Sermon on the Mount.". Did we really experience change? Soaking in the memory of what God revealed to us on the mountain will remind us of our purpose in the valley. A review of both the Old and New Testaments makes it clear as daywhen it comes to entering sacred space where you can meet God and/or Jesus face to face, theres no substitute for a mountaintop. But the valley experience is just as important to our Christian walk. All Rights Reserved. Now suddenly, Jesus invites Peter, James, and John for an evening hike up Mt. This is the walk all . They see His Glory and they worship Him! the last of the apostles to die, he was exiled to the Isle of Patmos. BRICKS IN THE VALLEY Text: Matthew 17:1 - 9 We all know from the laws of gravity that what goes up must also come down. But never forget that it is a rhythmic, ordinary encounter with the Majestic Voice of God speaking in His Word. First off, there are a variety of flavors, from White Chocolate, Pumpkin Spice, Mint, Caramel and the list goes on. Climbing the mountains in Western North Carolina with my former youth from Indiana who made it a tradition to climb together early in the morning and then share affirmations on the mountain top at the end of a Montreat Youth Conference. Not sure of the resources you need for Bible study? But it will give us time and space to allow the intensity of those moments to sit raw and open as we transition back to the valley. It is interesting to imagine what it would be like to staff other peoples mountain top experiences. The sum total of all of the things he had done and experienced in life had brought him to the place where he stood at that moment in time. Both had been shown Gods glory on those mountains. The chosen son of God, the Savior of the world! 4WD Adventures - Mountain-Top Experience Jesus does not fall to temptation but whips the Devil soundly on the mountain, and the Evil One slinks away, biding his time until he can harass Jesus again. V:30-31-And behold, two men talked with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his decease, which he should accomplish at Jerusalem. Jesus would rise in a glorified body, ascend to heaven and sit on the right hand of the throne of God. So many of us begin to desire to leave God's mountaintop through lax engagement with God's Word because the experience feels so ordinary. Confront the Danger. Enjoy the teamwork of tackling 4WD challenges, being part of caring community and learning about history and nature as we travel. The next time you have a mountain top experience, whether its at church, on the mission field or in the comfort of your room for not all experiences are charged with emotion know those moments arent wasted. I have ordered from them with great satisfaction for over 20 years. We are to listen to no voice that contradicts his voice, his word! If there ever was a time for silence, this was it. However, the truth of the matter is simply this: the mountain really is made out of a lot of stuff (both good and bad). How do we come down the mountain and begin living normal life while holding onto what weve learned? Taborthis time with his three closest disciples, Peter, James, and John. All nations will stream to it, and many peoples will come and say, Come, lets go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. It is regularly updated with the latest 4WD developments, and with amusing anecdotes and stories . 1:20). This works in making work more enjoyable too. to love God more than anything else, and love your neighbor as yourself. for a mountain-top experiences is that you will: Jesus was not alone on the mountain, two famous men from the Old Testament show up. It was a Mountain experience, because JESUS was there! , it was a manifestation of the presence of God, the form in which God revealed himself to Israel. Mountain Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster Life is a continually ascending and descending in our religious experiences. Became pastor of the church in Jerusalem, and was martyred for Preaching Jesus. The story in our text today is recorded in Matthew, Mark and Luke and I believe it's the source of the phrase "A Mountain Top Experience. This is so prevalent that the mountaintop experience has become a Christian clich of excitement and zeal. We long for the mountaintop. A variety of day trips, long weekends, and extended . Dear Lord, I thank you for every mountaintop experience I have had and look forward to more of them. If we stifle what weve seen and heard and done during those mountain top experiences, then we wont know how to carry them with us into the valley. But now Moses is getting to see the glory of God face-to-face, in the person of Jesus Christ. while Peter is still talking; God interrupts Peters speech. The sum total of the Christian life is listening to and doing what Jesus says. Time to forget about any work you have to do, and treat the weekend as a weekend. This reminds me of Church! Still others need to spend time contemplating it all in the quiet of their own prayers. What we should do is go back every now and then to the memories, the journal entries, the conversations. David Benner says, Our challenge is to unmask the divine in the natural and name the presence of God in our lives. The second part of Listen to Your Life is just as important and that is developing the gift of listening to each others stories. Those who separate themselves to pray are the ones who see the Glory of Jesus! And you don't have to settle for regular milk! I have placed you on the mountaintop for my glory in the last days.. mountaintop [ moun-tn-top ] SHOW IPA noun the top or summit of a mountain. The greatest experiences of my life have been the times when God moved in power, and make himself none to me through his word and by his Spirit; making Jesus real to my heart! But as great as it will be to see our loved ones, the main person we will want to see will be JESUS! Yes, he would soon be nailed to a cross. Tabor. We cant disqualify a mountain top experience as just an emotional reaction. For Jesus alone has the words of eternal life. Get our latest tips and leader helps with our free monthly e-newsletter. On this mountaintop; theyre going to see who Jesus is; theyre going to see the glory of the son of God; theyre going to hear the voice of God as he says this is my beloved son. Stick with that original version of your mountain-top experience--the way you have experienced God. To hear the voice of God is to be led to the mountaintop. It so happens that I know of somebody thats had a mountaintop experience just this past week.
When Will The Red Nova Happen In 2022,
What Did The Geonosians Do To Captured Clones,
Fast Food Employment Statistics Australia,
Articles M