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1 MARK 6a REMARKABLE UNBELIEF Intro: Mark 6:1 Then He went out from there (Capernaum) and came to His own country, (Nazareth) and His disciples followed Him. Chuck Smith – Do not picture just 12 disciples… There were hundreds…Jesus chose 12 to be Apostles from among the many disciples… How many of you have decided to be followers of Jesus Christ? o Me too! 2 And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, "Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands! Luke 4:16 records another incident when Jesus was in the Synagogue where they honored Him by asking Him to do the reading… Jesus read the prophecy of His own coming in Isaiah 61. THAT… Does not happen in His hometown of Nazareth… They realize that miraculous things are taking place… BUT… They DO NOT accept Jesus as the Son of God… o AS GOD… o Listen as they begin to question His authority… 3 Is this not the carpenter, (They are familiar with Him) the Son of Mary, (Apparently, Joseph has died – OR these were rumor mongers who did not believe in the virgin birth) and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?" (They knew the family of Jesus) So they were offended 2 (entrapped in scandal) at Him. He’s NOT God… They murmured… Many of the cults who knock on your door DO NOT believe that Jesus is the Son of God… That He too was present at creation… That He is one of the three members of the Trinity… o WE DO! We believe this because we believe the Bible! o We believe that Jesus was more than just a good man – HE IS GOD! o We believe that Jesus is more than a prophet - HE IS GOD! o We do not believe that Jesus BECAME a God like the Mormons believe… We believe that Jesus always was God and that HE IS GOD! HE IS GOD! In the home town of Jesus Christ… They sadly did not believe this. 4 But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house." Jesus’ own family did not believe at this point… His customers did not believe in Him… His hometown was unimpressed with His ministry so far… But… That will change for many of them. 5 Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6 And He marveled because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching. Unbelief DID NOT hinder the power of God… Unbelief just shortened the line of people to be healed. I am encouraged by the fact that God can do whatever He desires… 3 o AND… I take heart that it is His desire that all people are saved… o All people who come to Him will be saved… My prayer is NOT that God can do this or that… I KNOW HE CAN! o My prayer is that my loved ones will WANT to get in line for Him to touch them. I want each of my grandkids to WANT to be saved. I desire a long line of people in Simi Valley to come to Jesus for His touch… The line in Nazareth was short… THAT… Is sad! Even Jesus marveled at the remarkable unbelief in His hometown. o What was there to gain from rejecting Him? Think of the eternal regret that people will have to live with because they submitted to Satan, rather than to Jesus… No man is excluded from calling upon God, the gate of salvation is set open unto all men: neither is there any other thing which keeps us back from entering in, save only our own unbelief. John Calvin "Unbelief is never cheap; it costs more than it pays." - Woodrow Kroll Be courageous! BELIEVE! Jesus moves on… Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Apostles TWO BY TWO… 7 And He called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out two 4 by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits. There is great wisdom in having a partner in ministry… I am very blessed to have a wife who is also a minister… A teacher… A prayer warrior…. AND… Who listens carefully to hear the guidance of the Holy Spirit. To those of you, half of you, who are single believers… You are NOT without a partner in ministry… The Holy Spirit IS your willing partner in life. He is with you… He is in you whether you are listening or not. BTW – The power over unclean spirits is also the presence of the Holy Spirit. WHAT TO BRING… 8 He commanded them to take nothing for the journey except a staff (The word for staff here can mean a club, a scepter, and a walking stick) Think of all that Moses did with his shepherd’s staff… o He led people… o He struck the rock… o And he raised it to demonstrate the power and the presence of God… o The disciples were to be ready to lead people as well – And indeed they were used to begin the church we are today! 8b no bag, no bread, no copper in their money belts— Asking for and amassing money was never a part of Jesus’ ministry – Nor was it to be a part of His church… When did it become OK to do this? We receive requests for money from rich ministries all week long – Everyday – It is embarrassing to have to pick them up from our rented mailbox every day. I hope the 5 people at the UPS store don’t think that we too are in the money raising ministry… The message to His Disciples was a famous Calvary Chapel Mantra: Where God guides, God provides. He tells them to live simply… 9 but to wear sandals, and not to put on two tunics. I am amazed at how simply Calvary Chapel missionaries live on the mission field. Please help them by giving to the missions fund, won’t you? THE PRINCIPLE IS NOT that missionaries should live by faith, but the rest of us get a guarantee! Listen: Habakkuk_2:4 "Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith. Romans_1:17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH." Galatians_2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. Galatians_3:11 But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for "THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH." Hebrews_10:38 NOW THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH; BUT IF ANYONE DRAWS 6 BACK, MY SOUL HAS NO PLEASURE IN HIM." Let’s all complete this sentence: 2017 will be different for in three ways because I will live it by faith: (Today’s homework) I will ____________________________ I will ____________________________ I will ____________________________ HOW LONG TO STAY… 10 Also He said to them, "In whatever place you enter a house, stay there till you depart from that place. 11 And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them. IE – Don’t pick up the sins of the people you are witnessing too… o It is NOT that we believers don’t have enough of our own sin to deal with, right? o Don’t go unto every nation and sin like they do… We need to be different… Simple… Righteous… Reflectors of our Heavenly Father… Forgiving people… Sober people… Kind people… Who will be the judge of people? (NOT us…) What will be the punishment for rejecting Jesus? Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!" WHAT TO PREACH… 7 12 So they went out and preached that people should repent. RESULTS OF PREACHING… 13 And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them. NEXT WEEK - THE PRICE OF GREATNESS… The Death of John the Baptist Smith25