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Mark 9.1-13

¹ And He said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power.” ² Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. ³ His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them. ⁴ And Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. ⁵ Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”— ⁶ because he did not know what to say, for they were greatly afraid. ⁷ And a cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!” ⁸ Suddenly, when they had looked around, they saw no one anymore, but only Jesus with themselves. ⁹ Now as they came down from the mountain, He commanded them that they should tell no one the things they had seen, till the Son of Man had risen from the dead. ¹⁰ So they kept this word to themselves, questioning what the rising from the dead meant. ¹¹ And they asked Him, saying, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” ¹² Then He answered and told them, “Indeed, Elijah is coming first and restores all things. And how is it written concerning the Son of Man, that He must suffer many things and be treated with contempt? ¹³ But I say to you that Elijah has also come, and they did to him whatever they wished, as it is written of him.”

The Kingdom of God is coming with power. The word ‘power’ is Δυναμιν (Dunamin) which is where we get the word ‘dynamite’ and it appears many places in the NT but it is in these other places I want to concentrate:

Luke 24.49 Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.

And in Acts 1.8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

The power of Christ by His Spirit is with us right NOW. It came at Pentecost and spread through the Roman Empire, then N. Africa, then Europe, then America, and finally Asia so that 50% of the globe has been reached in the last 50 years alone and yet we, in the UK, have become pessimistic about the gospel but the devil has never been so scared. In Europe and America (which is only 12% of the world) the gospel is diminishing in its effectiveness mainly because of compromise. The missionary movement…infected by western philosophy…has watered down the quality of the Gospel and where westerners have gone in the world they have taken this gospel of the culture with them so that places like South Korea that received the gospel have also received a culture that has led to the highest divorce rate in Asia and it is the same AMONG CHRISTIANS. The quality has to be renewed and regained. There is now no longer any time for compromise – we Christians need to be those of no compromise – divorce, fornication, self-pleasing is the world – it is not supposed to be us. Now we may have compromised in the past – but that is the cool thing about repentance!

What is up with us? We come together to worship a great God who is awesome in power and majesty who created the universe by just speaking a word and then we have no faith that this God, the same God whom we have worshipped, is not able to deal with the problems in our lives and change the lives of others around us. Why is that so? How is it we have become so faithless? Has God’s power diminished? Is the Kingdom of God no longer here? And is God’s power not here? Has it changed? Of course not!

What has changed is that we have pessimism rather than faith. We have ceased to be effective for the gospel – BUT the Spirit of God desires to work in us effectively for the Kingdom of God. I will build my church, God says, do you want to be a part of it? So, stop being faithless and start believing that the Gospel has power to save today for there is power in the preaching of the Word of God. You are endued with power – dynamite! This is something that does not leave things the way that things were before. It has an effect. If we are endued with power then we should be leaving a trail – not of destruction, perhaps – but this Gospel that turns the world upside down.

During the week I woke up with the thought that I should pray bigger prayers – which I thought was a profound thought as it is not the kind of thing I would normally wake up thinking. After I got up the first thing I read was this article on the Christian Post called ‘Dream Bigger Dreams’ and I thought that this can be no coincidence.

When we pray are we expecting God to answer us? Why does it seem that we don’t pray the kind of prayers that God would expect us to pray?

We need to ask God to speak to us and then we need to trust that God can do what he says.

Ancient Israel after coming out of Egypt were told by God to go and take the land before them but they were overcome with fear because of the giants in the land and so for 40 years they wandered around the desert instead and achieved nothing but to die there but even there they saw the providence of God.

A lack of trust in God means that the desert is where we are destined to stay. God has great plans for us and this fellowship but it is our decision whether it will come about.

God says he will build his church and the gates of hell shall not prevail – so, why are the churches empty? I ask this question so many times. Does it not look like a desert that we are in? There is a time of small things and we are not to despise them however this then becomes an excuse for staying the way we are rather than seeking God for his will to be done and his kingdom to come in power. May your will be done and your Kingdom come.

Why should it only be in Africa and Asia that churches grow? Is God regional? Is He not God of the World? Is it his desire that all people should be saved?

Surely the gospel saves people today as it did 2000 years ago and still today it is doing its work in various countries of the world. So, what is wrong here, then? We have forgotten that the gospel has power to save through the movement of the Holy Spirit. The gospel has power.

Is it just possible that God, our God, is able to do anything that we ask? Now, all we have to do is ask! John 15. ^7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.

So Dream Bigger Dreams

It seems to me that we think that the idea that people can get saved right here in Ely is preposterous.

But I am not one for believing that…pray bigger prayers, dream bigger dreams – OK God – I am asking for 1000 people to become part of the Church here and that this church will plant another church that will also grow to a 1000 over in Caerau. Is that big enough for you, God? Perhaps I am still not dreaming big enough!

Today we have shallow evangelism with gross pessimism that destroys faith and so it is hardly surprising that the churches are empty. I want us to rediscover what the Gospel is and its inherent power and get rid of these counterfeit gospels so that we can be used of God and see God’s Kingdom coming in power to Ely.

We are allowed to dream dreams and believe that God is able – God has called us here for a work that will infallibly prosper as we preach the Word of God for it cannot return empty. We have been endued with power from on high. We’re dynamite!

We need to get a Revelation of Jesus – not a Jesus meek and mild – but a Jesus who is glorious and majestic and powerful and one who will judge the world. A revelation of Jesus as was revealed on the Mount of Transfiguration. The allusion to Moses in this passage should not be lost – he was on a mountain for 40 days and nights and his face shone reflecting the glory of God when he received the law. Jesus also was on the mountain but he was not reflecting the glory of God HE IS the glory of God. Jesus Himself was shining.

When we have a true Revelation of Jesus then nothing else will do.

In v.7 God says Hear him!

Who are we listening to? God says listen to Jesus. Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly (Col 3.16). What is our criterion for truth? Science? History? Soaps? Our neighbours? Everything should be subservient to the Word of God including us. The word of God should shock our cultural norms. Culture is only here for a short time before it has moved on but the Word of God has to be trusted for it is forever. How are we different from the world or are we a product of it. God’s Word has been trusted these 2000 years and now it is no longer trustworthy? Oh, come on! Science is ever changing – new theories soon out place old ones – Evolution is at the top now until a new theory out places that and most scientists don’t really believe it anymore. Science is being treated as in opposition to God when it is not science but of science unproven, untested, in opposition to God by people who are in opposition to God. Science simply proves the existence of God who created all things and put things in order. Does the Word of God enthral us? Do we get excited about what it says?

Last week we were told to listen carefully in Isaiah 55.2 – and here we are being told to hear.

Peter writes about his experience:

2 Pet 1. ¹⁶ For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. ¹⁷ For He received from God the Father honour and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” ¹⁸ And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. ¹⁹ And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.

His experience on the mountain is still subjected to the prophetic word of God. The Word of God is authoritative. The ultimate authority is the Word of God.

Did you know that most people do not apply what they hear. 90% is forgotten at the end of a service – 90%! God’s Word insists that we hear and do. We should be asking: How does this word apply to me? How can I apply this to my life today?

As a Pastor there are only so many applications I can preach in a sermon – so we need to apply the Scripture to ourselves for the application that God wants in our lives.

So, what about today? Be bold, be confident in God’s word and his gospel. The Gospel is powerful and can save today even in places where there is little evidence at this time and so we should pray and dream bigger and put aside a counterfeit gospel of compromise.

Let’s hear Jesus in his word and become doers of the word –don’t be the 90% who forget – we are each responsible for the way we hear – it is the same word that will judge us according to John 12.48 the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.

Mark 8 links into Mark 9 – and the last verse of chapter 8 says this:

³⁸ For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.

We have nothing to be ashamed of.

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