The Mountain Top Experience

8/3/25

Message; “The Mountain Top Experience.”

Scriptures: Exodus 24:12-18, Matthew 17:1-9 and 2 Peter 1:16-21

Exodus 24:12-18

(12) The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and stay here, and I will give you the tablets of stone, with the law and commands I have written for their instruction.”

(13) Then Moses set out with Joshua his aide, and Moses went up on the mountain of God.

(14) He said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we come back to you. Aaron and Hur are with you, and anyone involved in a dispute can go to them.”

(15) When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it, 

(16) and the glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai. For six days the cloud covered the mountain, and on the seventh day the Lord called to Moses from within the cloud. 

(17) To the Israelites the glory of the Lord looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain. 

(18) Then Moses entered the cloud as he went on up the mountain. And he stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

Matthew 17:1-9

The Transfiguration

(1) After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 

(2) There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. 

(3) Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.

(4) Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters–one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”

(5) While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”

(6) When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. (7) But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.” 

(8) When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.

(9) As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, “Don’t tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”

2 Peter 1:16-21

(16) We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 

(17) For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” 

 (18) We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.

(19) And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 

(20) Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came

about by the prophet’s own interpretation. 

(21) For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

This is the word of God, for the people of God. Thanks be to God.

  I’ve tilted this week’s message “The Mountain top Experience.” The term “mountain top experience” comes from those moments in the Bible when God revealed himself to people on a mountain. Like the receiving of the Ten Commandments and the transfiguration. So, “Mountaintop experience” is a figure of speech that comes right out of Holy Scripture.

 So what, biblically speaking, is a mountaintop experience? And if such an experience is to be sought after, how can the Christian have a “Mountain top experience”, time and time again? If we use the bible as our guide, there’s no better place to meet the divine than on or around a mountain. At least, that pattern held true for the likes of Moses, Elijah, Jesus and His disciples .

 Scripture gives us stories of literal mountain top experiences that help us change our perspectives, and our expectations for what it means to encounter God during those experiences.

 Moses climbed Mt. Sinai again and again to commune with God to better understand not just the essential laws, for the life of his community, but the rhythms and cycles of what their covenantal life together should be like in the Promised Land.

 Jesus climbing of mountains was not only to receive, but to give a new interpretation and understanding of those laws shaping our communal life together as Christians through the Sermon on the Mount. And in our text today to reveal who He is to us all.

 In our lesson from Exodus, the Lord says to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and stay here, and I will give you the tablets of stone, with the law and commands I have written for their instruction.” Then Moses set out with Joshua his aide, and Moses went up on the mountain of God. This turned out to be one of the most pivotal events in human history. For there he received the Ten Commandments.

 Then in Matthew 17 we read about another pivotal and mysterious event that occurred on a mountain. Jesus is on the mountain with his three closest disciples Peter, James and John. On this mountain these three disciples saw Jesus transfigured, and identify by God as His son.

 In our reading from the epistle, Peter testifies to that startling event. He writes, “We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.’ We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.”

 I want to give you an invitation to learn today about mountaintop experiences“. The mysterious things that happen while waiting on God during” mountaintop experiences”. Maybe like Peter, you can be an eyewitness to the presence of God revealed in your “mountaintop experiences”.

 A little boy asked his mother, “Marriage makes you have babies, doesn’t it, Mom?” The mother reluctantly answered her son, “Well, not exactly. Just because you are married does not mean that you have a baby.” The boy continued his inquiry: “Then how do you have babies?” His mother, not very enthusiastic about continuing, answered, “It’s kind of hard to explain.” The

boy paused and thought for a moment. He then moved closer to Mom, looked her right in eye, and carefully said, “You don’t really know how it works, do you, Mom?”

 Believe it our not, this is one of the most dreaded Sundays by many pastors. Why? Because it deals with the Transfiguration of Jesus.

 Generally, this is one of those “What does that mean and how am I supposed to explain that?”, sort of passages. It’s difficult because, like the little boy told his mother, we “don’t really know how it works.” And when you don’t know how something works, it’s hard to explain.

 In our gospel reading, Jesus led Peter, James and John up a high mountain. The account in Luke 9:28-36, tells us to pray. So, Jesus takes sort of a midweek mini retreat and invites three of the four original disciples to go with him. I’m almost sure they were excited. There up on the mountain top they’re praying up a storm when all of a sudden Jesus flips open his communicator and says, “Two to beam down Mr. Scott.” And then there’s Moses and Elijah standing with Jesus. Like an episode of Star Trek, Moses and Elijah are suddenly standing there like two ghosts from the past. They appear right out of thin air.

 Well that’s not the way it really happened. But in the light of today’s readings,I hoped and prayed that it would get your attention.

Scripture says the disciples were terrified. I’ve always wanted to tell the author, “No fooling?” We would have been terrified. Out of the clear blue the guy we’ve been traveling with for the past two or three years starts to glow and shine like some special effect in a science fiction movie. And then ghosts of two of Israel’s most powerful and beloved ancestors are standing with him. You bet we’d be terrified. Then just as suddenly as they appeared, Moses and Elijah are gone and Jesus is back to normal. But not before we hear from God. And not before Peter sticks his foot in his mouth. Talk about a strange passage. What are we supposed to make of this passage? And how does it fit into our daily lives?

 One thing is clear, the disciples witnessed Jesus like they’d never seen him before. On this day, they saw him as Moses & Elijah always see him. As God always sees him. They saw him as we will all see him when he returns. They saw Jesus in his full glory. It wasn’t Hollywood special effects or some kind of trick.

 We’re often to much like the parrot in the story of a brilliant magician who was performing on an ocean liner. But every time he did a trick, the Captain’s parrot would yell, “It’s a trick”. “He,s a phony. That,s not magic.” Then one evening during a storm, the ship sank while the magician was performing. The parrot and the magician ended up in the same lifeboat. For several days they just glared at each other, neither saying a word to the other. Finally the parrot said, “Ok, I give up. What did you do with the ship?”

 Contrast that with what we see taking place on the mountain. Jesus took Peter, James and John to the mountain top so they might renew their spirits and gain some spiritual insight. But Peter didn’t get it, right then. And you can’t really blame him. Talk about a Kodak moment. All those Biblical figures gathered in one place. 

 Once he got over his fear of the unknown and recognized the glory of the moment, Peter went into action. He wanted to memorialize the event. He wanted to build three shelters in which to worship. He basically put his foot in his mouth, by saying : “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up

three shelters–one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (17:4) Peter instantly expresses his lack of understanding.

 The “three shelters” or “tabernacles”, I believe, are not meant to represent the Mosaic tabernacle but more likely stem from the Feast of Tabernacles, (Leviticus 23:33-44) when many Jews built shelters out of branches and dwelled in them for the seven-day festival.

 Peter may have simply wanted to prolong the experience, but he was quite mistaken. His error is pretty clear. He has made Elijah and Moses equal to Jesus, and that will be corrected by God himself. They are God’s messengers; Jesus is His Son!

 So it’s pretty clear that Peter just blurts out the first thing that pops into his head. The other disciples are terrified and nearly speechless.

 I can almost imagine seeing Jesus give Peter the eye. As if to say, “No. Our work isn’t on the mountain, it’s back down in the valley.” And that’s when God got Peter’s attention by speaking up. Basically God said, “Be quiet and listen.” Matthew records it this way. “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”

 So, one of the things we can learn from this passage is to listen. To listen to God and to listen to Jesus, the Son of God. As a Psalmist wrote:”Be still, and know that I am God;”(Ps.46:10).

 The Mountain top experience teaches us to listen.

Matthew 17 records for us in verses 7-8 : “Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.” When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus”. Their mountaintop experience teaches us to not only listen to God but to have no fear when we focus on Jesus.

 We’re invited to listen to God. And we’re invited to see and focus only on Jesus. That’s hard to do. It was hard for Peter. It’s equally as difficult if not harder, for us. Look at all of the things we have to distract us. School, family, career, politics; all of those things can get in the way of our relationship with Jesus. Not to mention other things like computers, video games, TV,

radio, music, sports, career, movies, etc. They can all cause us to lose our focus on Jesus.

 We let other things, less important things, less meaningful things, sometimes even trivial things distract us from our purpose which is to love and serve God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength. We let other things get in the way of our relationship with God. When, what we are called to do, is stay focused.

 We’re called to stay focused and we’re called to help others stay focused, too.

By being an eyewitnesses of what God can do. We’re called to listen to God and to focus on Jesus only. And when that happens we will be transformed. 

You see I don’t think this passage is so much about Jesus being transformed

right before their very eyes. As it is a transforming moment for Peter, James and John. In this moment of transfiguration, it’s not just Jesus’ appearance that changes. Peter, James, and John’s perception of Jesus changes, too.   

 Until this moment, they suspected some things but they weren’t positive about who Jesus was. But from this moment on there could be no doubt.

God had spoken and all three of them had heard it. All three of them witnessed the transfiguration. All three of them saw Moses and Elijah standing with the one whom God called “His Beloved Son.”

 They were transformed by this experience. But it wasn’t an instant transformation. it was on ongoing, slow, day by day process. If it had been instant, Peter wouldn’t have run away at the crucifixion or doubted prior to Pentecost. For some, like the Apostle Paul, transformation happens overnight.   

 But most of us get transformed a little at a time, like building up your savings. We are transformed gradually by a faith relationship with Jesus and with others who love and serve Jesus. We’re transformed through the guidance and presence of God’s Holy Spirit in our daily lives. And by those every day mountaintop experiences, when God reveals who we are. His children!!

 Christianity is in the business of Transformation by God. Our “Mountain top experiences” they transform us from sinners to saints, from a life of turmoil to a life of peace, from a destiny of death to a destiny to life eternal. Because we who believe have been transformed into His children and one day if we live faithfully, as eyewitnesses to His grace, we may hear him say; This is my child, whom I love; with whom I am well pleased!

 Our challenge is to continue to listen to God and to stay focused on Jesus only. We may not really know how it works, but when we listen to God and focus on Jesus only, God’s work of “Transformation” continues. And lives are change a little at a time by, “The Mountain top Experiences” God provides.

In His service,

Pastor Joe