HH, Sir Godfrey Gregg D.Div

And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into a high mountain apart, ² And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. ³ And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him. ⁴ Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. ⁵ While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. ⁶ And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. ⁷ And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. ⁸ And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only. ⁹ And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead. Matthew 17:1-9

²⁷ But I tell you of a truth, there be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the kingdom of God. ²⁸ And it came to pass about eight days after these sayings, he took Peter and John and James, and went up into a mountain to pray. ²⁹ And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistering. ³⁰ And, behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias: ³¹ Who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem. ³² But Peter and they that were with him were heavy with sleep: and when they were awake, they saw his glory and the two men that stood with him. ³³ And it came to pass, as they departed from him, Peter said unto Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias: not knowing what he said. ³⁴ While he thus spake, there came a cloud, and overshadowed them: and they feared as they entered into the cloud. ³⁵ And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him. ³⁶ And when the voice was past, Jesus was found alone. And they kept it close and told no man in those days any of those things which they had seen. Luke 9:27-36

Let us take a look at the two passages above that will be the setting of the subject. This was an awesome experience for Peter, James and John, so much so that they wanted to build 3 tabernacles there. Getting close to the Lord is an experience unequalled in this world. I want to use this experience to show how to have a mountaintop experience with the Lord.

1. 1. We have to listen to the Call of God to come up to a higher plain. “Draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you.” If you are satisfied with where you are, you will never hear the call, “come up higher.”
   2. We have to leave the crowd. Let us notice the recording in Matthew 17:1, Jesus took them “up into a high mountain apart.” “Apart” means “Private,” and “Separate.” Some people will never have a mountain-top experience with God because they are unwilling to separate from those that keep them involved in sin and rebellion. Let us take a look at 2 Corinthians 6:14-18.

1. 1. We have to leave the cares that consume us behind. In verse 4, Peter said, “it is good for us to be here.” Having a mountain-top experience with God will require us to leave our cares behind. The things that consume our time and thoughts and take us from a deep, personal, peaceful and joyful Christian life will have to be cast upon the Lord. David said in Psalm 55:22, “Cast thy burden upon the LORD and he shall sustain thee.” It is impossible to have a mountaintop experience when your life is filled with care of all sorts. Give them to God!

1. 1. We have to lighten our collection of things. Mountain climbing requires we carry only the bare essentials. The book of Hebrews 12:1-2 where we are to “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. There are some things in life that will keep a true believer from a mountain-top experience. We cannot go up to the higher ground with God with things like drugs, alcohol, immorality, tobacco products, ungodly music, ungodly dress styles and any other thing that offends the holiness of God. We do not do these to be saved; we do them because we are saved.

1. 1. We have to give God complete control of our lives. Matthew 17:5 says “While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.” They are now unable to see the surroundings and are at the Lord’s mercy. They lost their point of reference and God said out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.” That is all we have to do: “Hear ye him.”

1. 1. When all else is in order, we can see Christ only and clearly. Matthew 17:8 tells us “And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only.” There are some conditions for having a mountain-top experience with God:

• You must be saved;
• you must be cleansed from sin;
• you must yearn for fellowship with God and
• you must learn in order to be a servant of God.

There are some things that will keep us off the mountain with God: Unconverted; unconfessed sin; uncaring attitude, and unconcern for the will of God. We cannot get closer to God on our terms.

IF YOU ARE READY, HE IS READY! It is time for us to get ready for this experience as we prepare for our 21 Days of Fasting and Prayer. Let us go forth in the Name of the Lord for our Mountaintop experience in this year 2020.