“Six days later Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John the brother of James and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. And His appearance changed dramatically in their presence; and His face shone [with heavenly glory, clear and bright] like the sun, and His clothing became as white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Jesus. Then Peter began to speak and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good and delightful and auspicious that we are here; if You wish, I will put up three [sacred] tents here—one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and [a]a voice from the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased and delighted! Listen to Him! “When the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were terrified. But Jesus came and touched them and said, “Get up, and do not be afraid.” And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus Himself alone. And as they were going down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Do not tell anyone what you have seen until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead. “The disciples asked Him, “Then why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” He answered and said, “Elijah is coming and will restore all things; but I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not recognize him, but did to him as they wished. The Son of Man is also going to suffer at their hands. “Then the disciples understood that He had spoken to them about John the Baptist. When they approached the crowd, a man came up to Jesus, kneeling before Him and saying, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is a lunatic (moonstruck) and suffers terribly; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. And I brought him to Your disciples, and they were not able to heal him.” And Jesus answered, “You unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him here to Me.” Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was healed at once.” (Matthew 12:1-18 The amplified Bible)
In life we have some moments where we get away, rise above the everyday things we have to deal with. It might be a long weekend, extended by a holiday. It may be a much deserved vacation. You may not have not traveled anywhere, but merely enjoyed one of those times in life that can be described as sailing on the peaceful sea of life. Still, maybe you renewed the joy of your relationship with your spouse, or perhaps you found out soon after the wedding service, the honeymoon does not last forever; every day issues and relationship challenges will make their presence know. Here is one more “moment example. It is actually only a couple of days after your glorious experience in the presence of the Lord, on this Tuesday, just two days after worshipping the Lord at your local church with the saints of God. Oh, what a time, what a moment we had, right? Well keep reading, my friend.
Most of the moments I just mentioned can be categorized or characterized as “Up” Moments.” Well, there are three things I want to point out this morning, things that we will all face after our “Up Moments.” First, understand that after your “Up Moments” you will have to come down and face unexpected circumstances, unwanted experiences, unanticipated issues, and other undertakings that threaten to be an undoing of the “Up Moment” you just experienced. Definitely you will face the undeniable work that we must do in many areas of our lives, including the area of church work, serving, meeting the needs of others. The “come down” experience that follows “Up Moments” happened in the passage above and it will certainly happen in our lives. Second, when you come down from your “Up Moments,” the solution to what awaits you on the downside of up can be expressed in one word, “Jesus.” That was the case in our text and that same remedy, turning to Jesus, is what we will need to do after our “Up Moments.”
Third, as in the passage above, when you come down from your “Up Moments,” be ready to bless somebody. As a matter of fact, why not do so this Tuesday? Remember, as you go through the day, you can depend on Jesus! Yes, Jesus! The One who had the ultimate, yet not pleasant, “Up Moment” on Calvary’s cross. But when He came down, after being buried, and after God raised Him from the dead on the third day, and after 40 days of appearing showing that we serve a living Savior, Jesus continued the work! He’s still working! Now, as they say, “Have a good one!” That’s what “they” say. I say, Go to work! Be blessed!
“Who then will condemn us? Will Christ? No! For he is the one who died for us and came back to life again for us and is sitting at the place of highest honor next to God, pleading for us there in heaven.” (Romans 8:34 The Living Bible)
Committed to the climb,
Mark L. King