Who Do You Say I Am? Part 9 “One to whom we need to listen” Mark 9:1-13 February 26th, 2017
I. Jesus REVEALS His IDENTITY. (v.2-4)
A. An OTHER-WORLDLY moment. (v.2-4; Ex 24:15-16)
B. Two UNEXPECTED GUESTS. (v.4)
C. An EXPERIENCE they weren’t PREPARED for. (v.2-4)
Last week we came to the heart of the book of Mark, the literal statement of the
question – Who do you say that Jesus is? This week we get a powerful answer from
God. The inner circle (Peter, James, and John) are headed up the mountain with Jesus
for an even that nothing could have prepared them for. It’s a glimpse of the full truth.
1. When have you had a moment with God that you definitely weren’t prepared for or
expecting, either positive or negative? What was that like?
2. Why do you think Moses and Elijah were there? What is the significance?
II. RESPONDING to the MYSTERY of God. (v.5-6)
A. Words – CONTROL and DEFINE the moment. (v.5-6)
B. “Rabbi” – Make it FIT to what we UNDERSTAND. (v.5)
C. “Shelters” – JUSTIFY our presence with ACTION. (v.5)
There is something about the “transfiguration” that confronts us with the fact that God is
more than we can comprehend. He doesn’t fit our nice little boxes. There is some huge
mystery about Him and we need to live with that mystery. Peter tries to control it, or
corral it, much like we often do.
3. What does it mean that Peter tried to “control” or “define” the moment with words?
Have you ever done something like that in a situation where you didn’t know what to
do?
4. On a scale of 1-10 (1 being “not” and 10 being “very”) how comfortable are you with
the parts of God that you don’t understand? Why do you think you are that way?
5. How comfortable are you “not taking action” at times? Is you weren’t able to ”act” for
some reason, how would that impact your faith?
III. God ANSWERS Mark’s QUESTION. (v.7)
A. Deeply LOVED Son of GOD. (v.7)
B. God GUIDES our RESPONSE. (v.7)
God the Father clearly communicates who Jesus is. And He tells us what that means
for us. The word listen here is from the same root as “acoustic”, but it carries with it the
idea of hearing and acting…otherwise known as obedience.
6. If God answered from heaven and said something to everyone about you, what
would He say? Why do you think that?
7. What does “Listen to Him” look like in our day to day lives?
8. What gets in the way of our “listening”?
IV. How WILL you RESPOND?
A. Fearfully KEEPING it to YOURSELF? (v.10; Lk. 9:43-45)
B. THEOLOGICALLY planning the FUTURE? (v.11, Mal. 4:5-6)
C. Living by LISTENING and OBEDIENCE. (v.7,12; Ex. 20:19)
When we come face to face with Jesus, with things we don’t understand or
comprehend, things that terrify or confuse us, what will we do? We can run away from
it, or try to manage it, or just let it be what it is. To listen and obey. To follow. That’s
how we answer the question…who do you say that I am?
9. Do you keep your thoughts to yourself when it comes to spiritual questions or do you
verbalize them to God and to others? Why or why not?
10.Theology is a good thing, but how can we know if it becomes a smokescreen for us
to keep from dealing with real issues in our lives