Mark 9:1-10
Heaven Came Down

The title of the message is a title to a popular Christian hymn by John Peterson.
We do not sing it here because it is not in our hymn book, but it describes what
salvation is to the believer.  It is heaven coming down to us and the glory of God
filling the believer.

O what a wonderful, wonderful day, Day I will never forget;
After I wandered in darkness away, Jesus my Savior I met.
O what a tender, compassionate friend, He met the need of my heart;
Shadows dispelling with joy I am telling, He made all the darkness depart!

Heaven came down and glory filled my soul,
When at the cross the Savior made me whole;
My sins were washed away, and my night was turned to day
Heaven came down and glory filled my soul.

I am fairly certain that this passage is what John Peterson had in mind when he
wrote that song.  The song is the story of a sinner coming to know Jesus.  It
describes the slice of heaven God sends down and inserts into the believer.  It
certainly should be true of the believe that a bit of heaven is in them and has
taken them out of darkness and placed them into glorious light.

Whether this is the passage that inspired the song or not, I do not know but if it
is, the circumstances are different.  This occasion is of Jesus as He is headed
for the cross.  God sends a little bit of heaven down to His Son.

Why did God sent a little piece of heaven down to earth?  I can think of two
reasons.
   1. I suspect that Jesus was getting a little homesick.  Every once in a
       while, as a Christian, we will say something like, "I’m getting homesick
       for heaven."  By that, we mean that we no longer count this world our
       home but look forward to the home that is being prepared for us. However,
       Jesus was from heaven.  He had been on earth for 32 to 33 years.  He was
       approaching the worst time of His sojourn on this sod.  He desired to
       be strengthened.  He desired to see something of home.  So God sent a
       little piece of heaven to earth to comfort and encourage His Son.
   2. I suspect that the disciples needed to see a little glimpse of what they
       were fighting to attain.  Old Testament Jews knew little of heaven.
       They had been promised a land, a King, and a kingdom.  However, Jesus
       had quit preaching about the coming Kingdom of God.  The Jews were
       rejecting that and so it was delayed.  Now, Jesus had started preaching
       about a place called heaven.  This was new to the disciples.  In addition,
       Jesus was preaching about the toil and suffering that would be required
       to enter into this place.  The disciples needed to see a little glimpse
       of this new place to encourage them in their upcoming labor.

\\#5\\ Peter does not understand all that is taking place that night, perhaps
those early morning hours.  But he does know that it was a good thing for him
to be there.

Let me share some reasons why it was good for these people to be there.

    I. It was good to be there because they were learning about Jesus.
        A. They knew who Jesus was and had even said so with their lips, but
            that is not like seeing it with your eyes.
        B. \\#2-3\\ That night, they got to see with their eyes that Jesus
            was God.
            1. The Bible says that Jesus was "transfigured."
            2. That means transformed, changed.
            3. The Greek word that is used is the word we get metamorphosis from.
            4. That is the word that we often use to speak of a lava (a worm) as
                it turns into a butterfly.
            5. The notion is that the lava was always a butterfly on the inside.
                It was just hid in a worm’s body.
        C. \\#7\\ That night, they got to hear with their ears that Jesus was
            God.
            1. But not only did they see it with their eyes, but they heard it
                with their ears.
            2. This was the voice of God speaking to them>
        D. Do you think they ever needed anyone else to confirm what they had
            seen with their eyes, heard with their ears, and handled with their
            hands?

1 John 1:1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we
have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have
handled, of the Word of life;

   II. It was good to be there because they were learning about glory.
        A. Glory is something you and I are going to have to see and experience
            to understand for there is nothing like it on earth.
            1. Like these men, you and I have heard of the glory of God, but we
                have never seen or experienced it.
            2. Heaven, and the glory of it, came down to them that night.
        B. God’s glory must be unlike anything that this world can offer.
            1. Bible descriptions says it is bright.

Mark 9:3 And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no
fuller on earth can white them.

Matt 17:2…his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the
light.

Luke 9:29…the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was
white and glistering.

            2. I can imagine that it is beautiful. Have you seen something bright,
                flickering, and were entranced by it?
        C. However, along with the beauty of glory. I wonder if there is not also
            something that you FEEL from being around God’s glory.
            1. Glory is associated with the presence of God.
            2. I think there would have to a feeling of holiness to it.
            3. Those who have had a physical encounter with God describe the
                effect that it had on them.
                a. They were struck with fear, with awe, with wonder.
                b. When we come into God’s glory, I suspect that we will somehow
                    feel it.

  III. It was good to be there because they were learning about the Father.
        A. Like Jesus’ claims of divinity, these men had always heard about
            God but they had never heard directly from God.  They did this
            night.
        B. You can tell this is NOT heaven because it still had human frailty.
            1. As long as humans are in their unglorifed state, there will be
                human frailty.
            2. Another point of the message could be that it was good for them to
                be there that night because they learned about themselves.
            3. But then again, we humans seldom really learn much about ourselves.
                a. They could have learned that they would sleep when they should
                    have been praying.
                b. They could have learned that they would speak when they should
                    have quite.
            4. Peter offered to make three tabernacles, one for each of the
                unique personages standing on the mountain.
        C. God could not allow a confused Peter to stay so confused.
            1. A cloud (a bright cloud) \\#Matt 17:5\\ suddenly appeared
                and covered everyone.
            2. While they were all hid in the cloud, God spoke, "THIS…"
                Jesus " IS MY BELOVED SON.  HEAR YE HIM."
            3. Jesus is never to be confused with the glorified dead. (Someone
                tell the Mormons.)
        D. What should they have learned about God that day?
            1. God is Father to the Son.  There is a relationship there.
            2. God loves the Son.  God has no pride in the human sense of
                vanity or selfish arrogance, but I can almost hear in His
                voice the respect of His Son’s devotion and obedience.
            3. God exalts the Son.  The Father remained silent and was content
                to let Moses and Elijah speak to Jesus until Peter confused
                glorified men with the divine Son.  Then God Himself stepped
                in to exalt the Son as He was worthy to be exalted!

   IV. It was good to be there because they were learning about power.
        A. Just like I believe the glory produced a atmosphere on this mountain
            that I believe could be felt so I believe the power of God produces
            a atmosphere that can be felt.
        B. I have never truly felt the power of God like I believe it is possible
            to feel.
            1. I believe when heaven comes down, we will see some early church
                phenomena come with it.
            2. I believe when heaven comes down, the power of God will produce
                some miracles.
            3. I believe when heaven comes down, the power of God will heal some
                sick.
            4. I believe when heaven comes down, the power of God will save
                multitudes of souls (5,000 were saved on the day of Pentecost).
        C. I have read of true revivals where the power of God feel on the people
            like a blanket.  Oh, that God would send heaven down!

But what will it take that heaven would come down?  I have mentioned already that
God’s people will need to desire it and that they will need to see their need for
it, but there is one more thing.  God’s people will need to make a place for
heaven.  We call that repentance.

God does not force Himself into a place where He is not wanted.  We must create
a vacuum, a place for Him to rule.  We are so full of ourselves that there is no
place for God in our lives.  We must repent—cast out self.  If we see the need,
desire heaven come down, and rid ourselves of self, God will send it.

Oh, would it not be good to be in such a place!

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