Following Jesus in the Valley

Mark 9 begins with what we could call a “mountaintop experience” literally & physically. Peter, James, & John follow Jesus up the Mount of Transfiguration, where they see His glory. Mountaintop experiences are wonderful.

Maybe you like getting away in nature to a deer stand or a fishing hole or a trail—all alone with God and your thoughts.

Maybe you’ve experienced a spiritual mountaintop during evangelistic services or a week of camp; a Christian retreat or a conference where you got away from the distractions & temptations & trials of life to immerse yourself in Christian fellowship and Bible teaching.

We’re close to many beautiful Christian camps & conference centers here in the foothills where you can literally go to a mountaintop for spiritual refreshing & recharging & reviving.

But do mountaintop experiences last forever? No. Eventually, you have to come down off the mountain. 

Last Sunday four college students went to Jones Gap for a mountaintop experience. They planned to hike up to Pretty Place which has this amazing view. But what they planned to be a breathtaking mountaintop experience turned into a heart-pounding nightmare as two of the students got lost on the mountains all night long. When search & rescue teams finally found them Monday morning, they 9 miles from where they started. They had no food, no water, no flashlights.

That’s the kind of stark contrast we see in Mark 9. This juxtaposition between a scene of glory on the mountaintop and a scene that’s gory in the valley. Jesus leaves the divine affirmations on the mountaintop for demonic attacks in the valley.

This morning we’re going to see that: Jesus is King in the valley, just as much as the mountaintop.