Gospel of Mark: Jesus- Light into Darkness

9, starting in verse 2 through 229, and you'll find it in your church Bibles on 1012.

So starting at verse 2.

After six days, Jesus took Peter, James, and John with him and led them up a high mountain

where they were all alone.

There he was transfigured before them.

His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them.

And there appeared before Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus.

Peter said to Jesus, Rabbi, it is good for us to be here.

Let us put up three shelters, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.

He did not know what to say. They were so frightened.

Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud.

This is my son, whom I love. Listen to him.

Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus.

As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen

until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

They kept the matter to themselves, discussing what rising from the dead meant.

And they asked him, Why do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?

Jesus replied, To be sure, Elijah does come first and restores all things.

Why then is it written that the Son of Man must suffer much and be rejected?

But I tell you, Elijah has come, and they have done to him everything they wished,

just as it is written about him.

When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them

and the teachers of the law arguing with them.

As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him.

What are you arguing with them about? he asked.

A man in the crowd answered, Teacher, I brought you my son,

who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech.

Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground.

He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid.

I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.

Oh, one believing generation, Jesus replied, How long shall I stay with you?

How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.

So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into convulsion.

He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.

Jesus asked the boy's father, How long has he been like this?

From childhood, he answered.

It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him.

But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.

If you can, said Jesus, everything is possible for him who believes.

Immediately, the boy's father exclaimed, I do believe. Help me overcome my unbelief.

When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the evil spirit.

You deaf and mute spirit, he said, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.

The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently, and ran out and came out.

The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, He's dead.

But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up.

After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, Why couldn't we drive it out?

He replied, This kind can come out only by prayer.

Thank you.

Let's pray.

Let's pray.

Almighty God, you sent your Son, the Lord Jesus,

to call us out of darkness and into your brilliant light.

Help us to understand what that means.

And we pray that as we see Jesus in this passage this morning,

that we ourselves would understand him better and be able to reflect the light of Christ

as we enter into the darkness of the world.

Lord, pour out your Spirit upon us and help us.

And may not one of us leave this morning

without being impacted,

without being changed

by you today.

We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Well, as is our custom, while on holiday,

Ethan, Rebecca, and I climbed up a mountain.

Some were not as adventurous and took the chairlift.

Isn't that right, Kirsty?

It was a long struggle,

but the experience at the top

was breathtaking.

The clear skies,

the beautiful sunshine,

the cool breeze blowing through the trees,

the silence,

and the panoramic views of the River Rhine

meandering down through the valley.

I could have stayed there all day,

basking under the shade of the trees.

It was a spectacular sight.

But we soon had to go back down

into the valley.

The stifling, sweaty heat.

The hustle and bustle of the town.

Dirty roads and noisy traffic.

The contrast could not be greater.

I longed to be back on top of the mountain.

Well, in Mark's account,

we are all taken to the top of a high mountain.

There we are to witness

the beauty and the brilliance of Jesus.

But before we can stay and enjoy it,

we are taken down into the valley.

And there we experience the darkness

and the disorder of the world.

The contrast could not be greater.

The light of Jesus on the mountain

and the darkness of Satan in the valley.

How the disciples longed to stay on the mountaintop.

But Jesus surprisingly takes them down

into the depths of the valley.

Let's follow them as they take their journey.

First, we are taking up the mountain.

Look at verse 2.

After six days,

Jesus took Peter, James and John with him

and led them up a high mountain

where they were all alone.

And something extraordinary happens.

There he was transfigured before them.

Literally,

the outward appearance of Jesus

was completely changed

and transformed.

Verse 3.

His clothes became dazzling white,

whiter than anyone in the world

could bleach them.

The brightness from this pure light

was dazzling and blinding.

But what was it all about?

Well, we should know from the Bible

that mountains are always seen

as significant places.

Primarily, mountains are where God appears

and reveals himself to his people

because he has something important to say.

Look at verse 4.

And there appeared before them on the mountain

Elijah and Moses

who were talking with Jesus.

You remember Elijah and Moses,

the great prophets,

the great leaders from the past.

They had both had their mountaintop experience.

They had both met God on a mountain.

God had come down to them

and spoken to them

and through these prophets

displayed his awesome power

as they went out to lead the people.

But now,

the focus is all on Jesus.

Elijah and Moses

are now in the presence of Jesus.

They were only a picture

of God's chosen king

who was to come.

So can we begin to see

what this is?

God is saying that Jesus

is my promised king

with supreme authority

and absolute power.

Verse 7.

Then a cloud appeared

and enveloped them

and a voice came from the cloud.

This is my son

whom I love.

Listen to him.

It's all about Jesus.

He is the light

who has come to dispel

the darkness.

He is the one to restore

and to renew.

Peter later writes

what he experienced

on this mountain.

The quote is there

for you on the screen.

This is what he says.

We were eyewitnesses

of his majesty.

For he received

honour 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.

The majestic king

with all power

and all authority

Jesus is.

But they're in

for a surprise.

Look at verse 9.

As they were coming

down the mountain

Jesus gave them orders

not to tell anyone

what they had seen

until the Son of Man

had risen from the dead.

Jesus is the Son of Man.

The Son of Man

is a title

which signifies

his universal rule

his unrivaled power.

And now he's talking

about rising

from the dead

which means

only one thing

doesn't it?

If you're going

to rise from the dead

it means you have

to die first.

The disciples

were clearly

confused.

Verse 10.

They kept the matter

to themselves

discussing

what rising

from the dead

meant.

I mean we've just

seen him up

on the mountain.

This majestic king

with all glory

and honour

the brilliance

and the brightness.

He's the one

who's to come

with the armies

from heaven

to destroy

the enemy.

What's he talking

about dying for?

Kings don't die

when they're going

into battle.

Verse 11.

And they asked him

why did the teachers

of the law

say that Elijah

must come first?

They knew their

Bibles well

and they knew

that the scriptures

taught that

the promise

had been made

that there was

an Elijah type

prophet who was

going to come again

and restore

and put everything

that was right

and put everything

good into order

and he was going

to prepare the way

for God's promised

king who was going

to establish

his perfect kingdom

and everything

was all beginning

to match up.

The pieces of the puzzle

were all together.

They've just seen

Elijah on the mountain

and Jesus is obviously

this great king

so why on earth

is he talking

about having to die?

That piece

doesn't fit.

Well Jesus explains

it all to us

verse 12.

Jesus replied

to be sure

Elijah does come first

and restores

all things.

Why then

is it written

that the son of man

must suffer much

and be rejected?

Oh yes

you're quite right

he says

the scriptures

look forward

to an Elijah

who's going to restore

and prepare the way

for the king

but read the rest

of your Bibles

he says

because the scriptures

also talk about

the king

who will have to suffer

the king who will be

rejected

and die.

He's already told them

that but they don't

seem to get it

into their heads.

Chapter 8

verse 31

just back a few verses

chapter 8

verse 31

Jesus began

to teach them

that the son of man

must suffer

many things

and be rejected

by the elders

the chief priests

and the teachers

of the law

and that he must

be killed

and after three days

rise again.

Jesus is saying

to them

and to us

I am the one

with all power

and all authority

but the way

that full

complete restoration

is going to come

is not through

the waving

of a sword

but through

my suffering

and death

on a cross.

He says

if you are to

share in my glory

if you want

to be part

of my kingdom

if you want

this mountaintop

experience

to last

for all eternity

if that's

what you're after

I've got to die

I've got to die

but that was not

the only shock

look at verse 13

he says

I tell you

Elijah has come

and they have

done to him

everything they wished

just as it is

written about him

Elijah had come

Elijah was the

John the Baptist

character

that we met

in chapter 1

he was the one

who came

to prepare

the way

for the coming

of Jesus

and what happened

to John the Baptist

well his brutal death

has gone down

in history

everybody knows

what happened

to him

he was sent

to the executioner

and beheaded

you see

like the disciples

we much prefer

to stay

on the mountain

don't we

where everything

is bright

and beautiful

and perfect

like Peter

we want to set up

our little shelters

and we want to

stay there

and to

take it all in

and just to

enjoy it all

we want to

stay and rest

in the beauty

and the brilliance

of it

we want the glory

now

we want

everything to be

bright

and beautiful

now

we want

all the suffering

and the evil

to go

now

but says

Jesus

the glory

is going

to come

my kingdom

will be

established

but we must

prepare

to suffer

first

John the Baptist

suffered

I'm going

to suffer

and if you

follow me

you too

will suffer

we can't

stay on this

mountain

we must

go into

the valley

of darkness

and confront

the forces

of evil

with the light

the glory

is going

to come

but suffering

comes first

so

they venture

off the mountain

and down

into the valley

of darkness

verse 14

when they came

to the other

disciples

they saw

a large crowd

around them

and the teachers

of the law

arguing with them

as soon as all the people

saw Jesus

they were overwhelmed

with wonder

and ran to greet him

was there something

about the brightness

of Jesus

still there

what are you

arguing with them

about

he asked

clearly

there's a problem

and no one

seems to be able

to do anything

about it

verse 17

a man

in the crowd

answered

teacher

I brought

you my son

who is possessed

of a spirit

that has robbed

him of speech

this is no

ordinary

sickness

in this case

it is very specific

it is the work

and influence

of an evil spirit

and it has left

a young boy

on the edge

of death

and it has left

his father

full of fear

verse 18

whenever it

seizes him

it throws him

to the ground

he foams

at the mouth

gnashes his teeth

and becomes rigid

it's a desperate

hopeless

situation

something

this poor family

have lived with

through their

whole life

down at verse 21

Jesus asked

the boy's father

how long

has the child

been like this

from childhood

he answered

it has often

thrown him

into the fire

or into the water

to kill him

the evil spirit

is destructive

and death

threatening

and the problem

to them all

is this

go back up

to the end

of verse 18

I asked

your disciples

to drive out

the spirit

but they could

not

the boy

the parents

and now

the disciples

are left

facing the

reality of a

broken

and disordered

world

which they

can do

nothing about

they are

confronted

with the

darkness

of evil

and the

destructive

work

of Satan

and they

are completely

hopeless

isn't this

the world

we live in

broken

and disordered

isn't this

what we see

and experience

all around us

the images

that we've seen

on the television

this week

the violence

and the bloodshed

that is crippling

Egypt and Syria

men

women

and children

maimed

blown apart

poisoned

the hundreds

of thousands

of children

who have been

subject to

slavery

working in

the sweatshops

others who've

been sold

into the

sex industry

the brutal

regime

of a

North Korea

or a

Zimbabwe

that have

left

countless

millions

in poverty

ruined

and broken

and then

think of

the countless

acts of

unreported

murder

rape

all kinds

of abuse

corruption

and greed

breaking

and destroying

individual

lives

ruining

families

and

relationships

every

single

day

and yes

people are

responsible

but behind

it all

stands the

sinister

work

of

Satan

God

the Bible

tells us

that our

struggle

see it on

the screen

there

our struggle

is not

against

flesh

and blood

but against

the rulers

against the

authorities

against the

powers of

this dark

world

and against

the spiritual

forces of

evil

now we

must be

very careful

not to

assign

every

illness

and sickness

to an

evil

spirit

does my

daughter

Rebecca

have an

evil

spirit

is that

why she

is deaf

no

we

simply

live

in a

world

that is

broken

where

disease

and

disorder

and

death

and

the

darkness

of

evil

is at

work

all

around

us

and

like

the

disciples

in the

face

of it

we

are

powerless

to do

anything

about

it

well

the

reason

Jesus

came

down

into

the

valley

was to

confront

the

forces

of evil

full on

the

brilliance

and the

brightness

of God's

king

has come

down to

deal with

the darkness

and the

disorder

of

Satan

look at

verse 19

let's read

and let's get

this story

what's happening

here

oh

unbelieving

generation

Jesus

replied

how long

shall I

stay

with you

how long

shall I

put up

with you

bring the

boy to

me

come

come here

come here

so they

brought him

and when the

spirit

saw

Jesus

it

immediately

threw the

boy into

a convulsion

the spirit

could see

that in

Jesus

was supreme

authority

and absolute

power

and he

fell to the

ground

and rolled

around

foaming

at the

mouth

Jesus

asked the

boy's

father

how long

has he been

like this

from

childhood

he answered

it

it

has

often

thrown

him

into

the

fire

and water

to kill

him

but if

you can

do

anything

take

pity

on us

and help

us

if you

can

if you

can

said

Jesus

everything

is possible

for him

who believes

Jesus

invitation

to this

hopeless

and helpless

and broken

father

is just

to say

to him

believe

trust

in who

Jesus

claims

to be

that he

is the

God

man

with

absolute

power

and supreme

authority

he is

the majestic

king

who rules

and who

reigns

verse 24

immediately

the boy's

father exclaims

oh I

do

believe

help me

overcome

my

unbelief

you see

it's not

about the

measure of

his faith

or even

the quality

of his

faith

it's not

anything to

do with

us but

who

we have

faith in

where we

place our

faith in

this world

that's what's

important

and Jesus

is making

it clear

to us

and to

the father

here

it's not

about you

it's not

about your

ability

it's all

about me

and what I

am able

to do

and what I

am willing

to do

for you

this is why

I have

come

do you not

understand

oh unbelieving

generation

verse 25

when Jesus

saw that a

crowd was

running to

the scene

he rebuked

the evil

spirit

you deaf

and mute

spirit

he said

I command

you come

out of him

and never

enter him

again

the spirit

shrieked

convulsed him

violently

and came

out

the boy

looked so

much like a

corpse

that many

said

he's dead

but Jesus

took him

by the

hand

and lifted

him to

his feet

and he

stood up

the little

broken

boy

renewed

and restored

running

and playing

and talking

talking

for the

first time

the light

has come

and the

darkness

has gone

and life

reigns

where death

once

threatened

one of my

favorite scenes

from the

lord of the

rings

trilogy

is the

battle at

helms

deep

you may

remember that

scene

surrounded by

the evil

forces of

Sauron

they're

fighting for

their survival

and then

Aragorn

he remembers

the words

of Gandalf

look to

my coming

at first

light

on the

fifth day

at dawn

look to

the east

and then

as they ride

out into

the battle

this light

appears

on top of

the mountain

and Gandalf

is there

in his

brilliant

dazzling

white

light

and his

white horse

and he

rides down

the mountain

into the

valley

and his

brightness

blinds the

evil forces

and they're

defeated

well Jesus

came from

the mountain

down

into

the valley

but ultimately

Jesus has

come down

from the

glory of

heaven

to this

sin

broken

world

his journey

was going

to take him

into a much

darker valley

to the

cross

itself

and there

at the

cross

he defeated

the power

of sin

and death

and the

one who

holds the

power of

death

Satan

himself

he destroys

it once

and for

all

and three

days later

he proved

his victory

by rising

from the

dead

and promised

to return

again

that is

why he

had to

die

the story

invites

us

to put

our trust

in the

light

of who

Jesus

is

look at

verse 28

after

Jesus

had gone

indoors

his

disciples

asked him

privately

why

why

couldn't

we

drive it

out

Jesus

replied

this

kind

can

come

out

only

by

prayer

you

see

prayer

is

the

means

by

which

we

express

our

faith

it is

a cry

of

desperation

an

expression

of our

trust

that the

power

is not

in

ourselves

but

it's

in

God's

son

and we

must

follow the

example

of the

struggling

father

who said

in verse

24

I do

believe

but help

me overcome

my unbelief

faith is

recognizing

our

weakness

our

frailty

and our

inability

and asking

God

for the

ability

to trust

in him

alone

who is

able to

restore

the

brokenness

and renew

the

disorder

we

live

in a

dark

and broken

world

and we

know

people

who are

facing

the

darkness

and are

in it

yet

Jesus

has come

to save

us

and to

rescue

us

and his

invitation

to us

is to

cry out

in prayer

and to

trust in

him

alone

of course

that does

not mean

that every

illness

will be

healed

or that

every act

will be

overcome

immediately

but what it

does tell us

for sure

is that he

will heal

all sickness

and he

will banish

all evil

when he

comes again

in his

glory

and from

the darkness

of the

valley

where we

walk

we are

people

of faith

who continue

to cry

out in

faith

and look

forward in

faith

to his

coming

we long

for the

day

when Jesus

appears in

his brilliant

dazzling

light

just as he

did on the

mountain

on that

day

we will

watch

and the

light

of glory

will banish

the forces

of darkness

once and for

all

the light

will rid

the suffering

and the evil

will be gone

and all

who follow

him

and all

who have

trusted in

him and

cried out

like the

father here

will share

in his

glory

for all

eternity

the glory

of the

mountain

is

coming

but for

now

we walk

through the

darkness

of the

valley

and as

we walk

in this

darkness

we shine

the light

of the

gospel

of Jesus

Christ

we bring

the hope

the only

one who

can deal

with it

and pray

that people

will put

their trust

in him

lord

i do

believe

help me

overcome

my unbelief

let's pray

father

each one

of us

here

has

our

own

stories

to tell

of

very

difficult

situations

that

friends

are in

or family

are in

or perhaps

we are

in

and we

walk

through the

valley

of the

darkness

and we

cry out

afresh

lord i do

believe

help me

overcome

my unbelief

help me

to look

with the

eye of

faith

to the

coming

of christ

in all

his

brightness

and glory

where he

will dispel

once and

for all

all evil

satan

will be

no more

sickness

and suffering

will be

gone

father help

us to keep

walking in

faith

and to

trust you

and please

will you

help us

as we

walk out

into this

world

please help

us to

point people

to jesus

may they

find in

him

one who

has

compassion

and one

who has

mercy

and one

who will

help

because he

is able

come lord

jesus

come

amen

he

he

Amen.