FBC Sunday Evening Service

Alright, good evening. Welcome back. Beautiful day today. Hope you had a good afternoon restful afternoon, so it was a blessing this morning to see those a couple of baptisms and It's always you never know you never know what can happen in the the baptistry pool, right

Dave Yeah There you go expect the unexpected you're never surprised well anyway

Let's turn tonight. It's as we begin to number 574 574 am

I a soldier of the cross Stand together as we sing 574

I a soldier of the cross a follower of the

Lamb own his cause or blush to speak his name

Must I be carried to the skies on flowery beds of ease

Tell others fought to win the prize and sail through bloody seas

Are there no foes for me to face I not stem the flood

Is this vile world a friend to grace to help me on to God?

Sure, I must fight if I would reign increase my courage

Lord I'll bear the toll and do the pain Supported by my

It's open in prayer shall we My father in our God, I thank you today for the blessings that have already been ours in this

Lord's Day thank you for the Wonderful testimonies this morning your grace

Thank you for your word from which we've learned and challenged Thank you for the opportunity to regather tonight and to end out this day focusing on things of the

Lord the ministry of Christ as it is even ongoing today So bless this evening.

We pray in Jesus name. Amen Thank you may be seated Tonight I want to let's turn to Mark chapter 6

Mark chapter 6 be looking at this Passage this evening for a message

And it seems like an interesting juxtaposition of two things and you know, you kind of wonder well

How do these two things fit together? there's two events or episodes recorded in verses 1 to 13

Jesus is rejected and then he sends out the twelve So follow along in your copy of Scripture, let's read this passage

Speaking of Jesus says then he went out from there and came to his own country and his disciples followed him 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 Is not this the carpenter the son of Mary the brother of James Joseph's Judas and Simon?

There are not his sisters here with us So they were offended at him 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 now he could do no mighty work there except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them and He marveled because of their unbelief

Then he went about the villages in a circuit teaching and He called the twelve to himself and began to send them out two by two and he gave them power over unclean spirits

He commanded them to take nothing for the journey except a staff. No bag. No bread

No copper in their money belts, but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics also, he said to them in whatever place you enter a house stay there until you depart from that place 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 Assuredly, I say to you it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city so they went out and preached that people should repent and They cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them

Lord add his blessing to the reading of his word together tonight continuing on this theme of soldiers number 592 so what we're going to be focusing on or seeing tonight in that passage is that the rejection of Jesus turns into the expansion of his ministry and it's a an

Expansion that continues to this day as we are called to be Soldiers in the army of the

Lord if you will So 592 soldiers of Christ arise will sing this hymn together and then

I have some opportunity for some testimonies tonight as well 592

Soldiers of Christ And put your armor on The strength which

God supplies through his eternal son strong in the

Lord Oh The strength of Jesus trust is more than conquer stand then in his great

With all his strength and dude and take to arm you for the

Having all things done and all your conflicts

Or come through Christ alone and stand and tire at last

Leave no one guarded No weakness of the soul take every virtue every grace and fortify the whole

From strength to strength go on Wrestle and fight and hours of darkness down and win the very good so this evening a testimony of God been doing in your life this week.

How are things? How has he blessed you? How's he worked? What has he done?

What's he taught you anything this week? pause and think

So radio show used to go start off it's been a quiet week in Lake Wobegon has it been a

Quiet week in the Sauk Valley Lord hasn't been doing Anything at all

Thank the Lord for a good day yesterday. I Typically take Saturdays off last.

Let's see one more something Monday Monday. I Send a text to a pastor friend who's going through a particularly difficult time

In relationship to his church and and just texted him and they had I kind of mentioned it last week

They had this meeting that was one of those Baptist knock -down drag -out things, you know and So I sent him a text

Monday and said how to go. How are you doing? Etc. And he turned on called me and he said

What what in the world are you doing thinking about things of the ministry on a Monday? I Well Mondays, I don't take

Mondays off, you know and Mondays a workday and he said how in the world do you do that after Sunday because he says

I I've never been able to Do that. I just need a day Monday. I need to crash, you know So well,

I usually take Saturdays off. He says how in the world do you do that take Saturdays off before Sunday?

So I just explained I got into that routine when the kids were Small and at home and you know going to school

Monday through Friday and then they're off on Saturday is that I just I Just couldn't see you know

Going to the office and study and all that kind of stuff to get ready for Sunday and the kids are home You know, it's like when when do we ever do anything as a family, you know, so I just got in that routine

So it's been that way ever since Even though it's been a long time since the kids have been little but anyway

It's just a refreshing day yesterday good day with with my bride and Digging the last of the potatoes out of the garden

Anybody else? Do that this week dig stuff out of the garden to work in the garden

All right. Well, thank the Lord for his provisions Just remind your next

Sunday night will not be having this Sunday evening meeting Here the service will have the

Young married single adult meetings that will take place here that group will meet here in the fellowship hall and then everybody else

Let's meet in homes and get together and have times of fellowship next Sunday night next score

Saturday, we set our clocks back and Get an extra night's sleep an extra hour of sleep that night.

I did see an interesting Meme thing somebody posted on Facebook. It said

Said something about we lose an hour. We lose an hour of sleep next week I wonder where it's gonna go. It's something that effect is wait a minute

No, we gain an hour of sleep. We get that hour of sleep set our clocks back So somebody got that mixed up.

So don't forget to do that. So you're on a good routine Sunday All right.

Well, let's take our supplement book then and number turn number 52 Last song we sang soldiers of Christ arise and this hymn

Oh Church arise And let's let's stand together as we sing. Shall we number 52 and the supplement

Oh Church arise Hear the call of Christ our captain for now the we

Can say that they are strong in the strength that God has given with every

Truth will stand against the devil's lies an army bold With that old cry is love reaching out to those in darkness

Our call to are to love the captive soul but to rage against the captor and with the sword

That makes the wounded whole we will fight with faith and valor

When faced with trials on every side We'll know the outcome is secure and Christ will have the price for which he died an inheritance of nations

Come see the war us where love and mercy meet as the

Son of God is stricken And see his foes lie crushed beneath his feet for the

Conqueror has risen and as the stone is rolled away and Christ emerges from the grave this victory march

Continues till the day every eye and heart shall see him

So spirit come but strength in every stride give grace for every hurdle

That we may run with faith to win the prize of a servant good and faithful Old still line the way

Retelling triumphs of his grace We hear their calls and hunger for the day when with Christ we stand in glory

Thank you may be seated Well, oftentimes things come into our lives

Circumstances occur that leave us sort of scratching our head. We don't understand

Why this has happened or what's going on and we We long for some kind of an explanation and we don't get one that leaves us a little bit perplexed

We want answers, you know think for example of The Prophet Habakkuk remember

Habakkuk in the Old Testament He saw he looked all around him. He saw the sin and corruption that was really just surrounding him and he wondered

You know, what why in the world was God allowing this to continue and He just had to kind of stand away from it and he's scratching his head and then he appealed to God for answers

How can you let this be you are a purer eyes than to behold iniquity or think for example of the missionary

Adoniram Judson he gave up everything to serve the Lord in Burma modern -day

Myanmar and But what a cost what a cost he was there for 14 years or he was married for 14 years and there in Burma he had he had lost his three children and he ended up losing his wife after 14 years of marriage and having gone through all of that in such a relatively brief period of time and Under those circumstances

Lord I I've left all to serve you and to follow you and and I have now lost everything that I brought with me

You know, the only thing he brought with him was his wife And he was left to ask why?

Well, and what about in your own life maybe in the last week or the last month?

What's what's happened? That has left you kind of wondering Lord, why

I mean what what's what's going on here? What's your program? What's your purpose in this? Well in city in this evening's text,

I I can I can imagine that between verses 6 and 7 The disciples are kind of scratching their heads and wondering a little bit of why you know, they have they have

Seen they've come with Jesus. They've come to his hometown and they've seen as his own neighbors people he

Jesus grew up with and Who knew him knew his family?

They they basically rejected him they've been offended at him and He has to essentially leave

They've got to be wondering why? Well in the last half of the section that we read verses 7 to 13

I believe their questions are essentially answered and that is that Christ's rejection only

Serves to aid in the expansion of his ministry

So this section of this passage divides into these two parts his rejection and then the expansion so let's look at the the rejection in verses 1 through 6 as Christ's ministry is

Rejected as a prelude to that rejection in verses 1 and 2 Jesus journeys from Capernaum says then he went out from there and the there is

Capernaum and he came to his own country. That would be Nazareth Capernaum, of course was sort of like I guess one way to look at it is

Jesus Galilean headquarters, he often resorted to Capernaum and Kind of launched

Galilean ministry from that city on the Sea of Galilee So that was his kind of like his headquarters and Nazareth Nazareth, of course was

Jesus hometown And so he journeys from this Headquarters to his hometown.

It's a journey of about 20 miles. So it's a you know a day's leisurely walk

Getting from one to the other and he takes with him his disciples.

He includes his disciples Does at the end of the verse his disciples? followed him and The whole purpose for the disciples even being with him at any on any occasion is to learn

To learn along the way and he wants them to come with him to Nazareth because he's got something he wants them to learn there in his hometown of Nazareth as well and Again as a prelude as a prelude to the rejection hasn't come yet In verse 2 he taught in the synagogue

So Jesus his disciples come to Nazareth and it says when the Sabbath had come

They they went in the synagogue and Jesus began to teach in the synagogue and this was pretty common customary

Customary thing a rabbi who's visiting in a synagogue would often be asked to To say a word or to offer a teaching and Jesus would be recognized as a rabbi

Because he had a following because they had disciples so the people he was teaching and So, you know the opportunity was given him to speak and to teach and so he did and that left his hearers astonished verse 2 says says many who were hearing him were astonished and they were astonished at the the depth of wisdom that he had they were astonished at the extent of his authority

Because normally what would happen is a you know visiting rabbi would come and they'd say okay, you know

They're going to expand upon or expound upon some Passage in the law of Moses or something and and then they would and then they would spend most of their time talking about this

Is what the this is what the rabbis have said. This is what the Mishnah says This is the you know, it's like the commentary on the the law and and they would just talk about what others have talked about regarding the law

But Jesus didn't didn't didn't approach things that way Jesus basically just came and said this is the way it is

This is what you need to know And he didn't appeal to anybody else's authority.

He just taught he just came out and said this is the way it is And so this is astonishing to those who hear him.

All right, so that's the prelude to the rejection now what prepares the

Rejectors for rejecting him is a series of questions that they have and a couple things

I would point out about this one of them is that interestingly when somebody you know if you're working with somebody one -on -one and they you know with the gospel especially to share the gospel and they

They're getting a little uncomfortable. One of the things that they will do is ask Diversionary questions

They'll ask some kind of a question to take off take you off subject so that it gets the heat off of them they seem to think and so that that's a pretty common thing, but the questions that are

The questions that are behind the questions that these people raise are actually inherently

Legitimate questions they are questions that need to be answered before somebody's going to trust

Christ So the first question the first Essence of a question is the question.

Who is he? Who is he? Here's this teacher. He's teaching us these things Who is he?

Now the way they frame that question Isn't is seen in the beginning of verse 3 where they they say this is not this the carpenter

Isn't this the carpenter The son of Mary whose brothers are with us is in his brothers sisters with us.

Is not this the carpenter? What they're asking is who who really is he?

Who is he? now that is a that is an important question and that is a Legitimate question to consider related to Jesus.

You have to establish the identity of who Christ is Before you're going to be able to truly trust him for what he can do and what he has done so for example

You know in in Romans chapter 10, you know verses 9 and 10 if you confess with your mouth

Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God's raised him from the dead. You shall be saved. What's that?

What's that opening confession confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord That's confessing the identity of who

Jesus is Several years ago. There was a in that regard in that subject there was a big hullabaloo over the the idea of the teaching of the

Lordship of Christ, you know Lordship salvation and There was a a bit of a miss

Emphasized focus in that subject in that topic That almost bordered on a work salvation sort of thing but the essence of that idea of Quote Lordship salvation is not in error in in other words

Some would argue that you don't you don't have to accept Jesus as Lord. You just have to accept him as Savior Well, the problem with that is that the

Savior is the Lord and You have to you have to accept the identity of who

Jesus is and that's what Paul is getting at there He says you have to confess with your mouth. Jesus is

Lord If you if you look at Jesus as just a Savior, but not as your master

You're not accepting the whole Jesus for who he wholly is see that's that's the essence of that You have to understand the identity of Jesus.

So this is a good question. Who is he a Second question that they ask in essence the essence of their question is

What is his wisdom? What is his wisdom? in the middle of verse 2

They ask where did this where did this man get these things? What wisdom is this which is given to him and And this also is an important issue to settle

What wisdom what is his wisdom in order to trust Jesus as Lord and Savior You must also accept the fact that Christ is truth when

Jesus said I am the way the truth and the life and the interesting thing about the framework of their question is that his wisdom was given to him and That's one thing they don't understand about the nature of his wisdom it wasn't given to him it is his

He is the wisdom that he is that he is teaching But that is a good question to ask.

It's a legitimate question. It has to be asked and answered To in order to trust Christ because here's the thing if you don't come to the conclusion that Jesus is true

That he is the truth Then you have to conclude he's something other than the truth and If he proclaims himself to be the truth, and he's not the truth, then what does that make him?

It makes him in essence a fraud and untrustworthy What is his wisdom?

It's a good question a third question that is really just preparing for the rejection to come is

The essence of their question is where did he get his power? Where did he get his power?

so at the end of verse 2 What wisdom is that which is given to him that such mighty works are performed by his hands?

This gets to the idea of his authority by what authority does he do what he does?

remember there are other occasions when another occasion when Jesus had cast out demons and Pharisees are criticizing him and they're saying that by the authority of Satan.

He's casting out these demons Well, where did he get his authority to do what he did?

To accept exercise the power that he exercised Again, it's a good question to ask because in order to release truly trust

Christ as one Savior You need to accept his authority trusting him as Lord and Savior if his power is not a divine power

Then he is something someone less than God less than divine

So these are good questions that need to be asked legitimate questions but then comes the rejection itself and the rejection is

Expressed in verse 3 when you come to the end of the verse, it's clear that they have rejected him

So the problem look the problem here is not that they had some questions that needed to be answered but but what's behind those questions the attitude that is behind those questions and the attitude comes out in what they in the frame of in which they put their questions and And as you read their questions as they phrase them

You see that they have they have an unhealthy attitude that lies beneath them

And the unhealthy attitude is simply this my mind is already made up about the questions that I'm asking

I've already got the answers to these questions and you see that in the way they in the way they ask them

So their attitude is my mind is already made up. So don't confuse me Don't confuse the issue here with facts, you know with some other idea.

I I know the answers to the questions I'm asking and Any other answer must therefore be wrong.

That's the attitude that underlies these questions Now look at the answers to their questions and you can see you can see the phrasing of their rejection

Before it's even clarified for us. Who is he is the underlying question, right?

Their self answer at the beginning of verse 3 is that he is the son of Mary Who is he?

Well, he he's the son of Mary Now that says a lot That says that they are looking at him only as a human being

Only as the son of a woman that they know and not as the

Son of God and Even the even the way they phrase this is this this is the son of Mary Normally a son would be identified with his father and so they don't even they don't even express this that he is the son of Joseph and there may be

There may be a dig here Well, a lot of the Bible scholars commentators see in this a

Sort of an assault on the legitimacy of Jesus birth Accusing him of being an illegitimate child.

He's not the son of Joseph and Mary or the son of Joseph He is the son of Mary And so even in that there is a term of derision.

Who is he? Well, I've got the answer to that He's just the son of Mary and Then there are other questions.

Okay, where did he get his wisdom? Where did this come from? Their answer is expressed at the beginning of verse 3 when they say is not this the carpenter

The carpenter he's nothing more than a carpenter. He's merely a carpenter the only schooling the only training he's had is in How to carve a leg to make a table

Or how to whittle away something to make a door lock or something of that nature Who is he's just he's just a carpenter.

He has no rabbinical training. He has no formal schooling He's just a carpenter.

So whatever he's teaching here this wisdom that he's

Sharing here. He's gotten it from somebody else. He's just a copycat

He would be like today's one of the things that's happened in recent months or so is

Some some very well -known Pastors have gotten caught plagiarizing other works you know, so like the

The current president of the Southern Baptist Convention just got elected back in June shortly after he was elected

It it came out that he had preached a message where he had plagiarized Another another minister another pastor and I think it was the previous president of the

SPC I'm if I'm not mistaken and in the in the message where he Plagiarized that other pastor.

He didn't he didn't give credit. He didn't say, you know, by the way, this is what so -and -so This is so -and -so's outline.

He just went preached it as if it were his own Well, that's exact that's essential and he got no kinds of you know,

I got no kinds of hot water for that and so that's essentially what these

People of Nazareth Nazareth are saying about Jesus. He's a copycat. He's plagiarizing somebody

Where did he get his wisdom? And what about his authority? Where does authority come from his authority to do this stuff this power?

That he is expressing as they put it in verse at the end of verse 2 His authority is

He the only authority he has is rooted in his Nazarene family It's not this the carpenter the son of Mary and his brother

James Joseph Judas and Simon are with us and his sisters here with us as well He has no authority outside of the fact.

He's a he's a somebody from the Nazarene community the the point is that Nobody else in his family has any authority so he doesn't really have any legitimate claim to authority either

Where did he get this authority? It's not legitimate if you conclude that his authority is not a legitimate authority, then you're you're in the same camp as the the

Pharisees and the Sadducees who are Declaring that Jesus is a fraud and he's getting his power from the wicked one

This is at least their questions and the way they answered it themselves

But the bottom line is it's clarified at the end of verse 3 they they they're offended by him

So they were offended at him. They were they stumbled at him

They stumbled at their self -knowledge what they what they thought they knew about him

Caused them to reject him they stumbled at their inability to Reconcile what they're hearing and what they're seeing in the person who is before them

With what they know about him Whom they're hearing and seeing they couldn't reconcile the two so the conclusion is

We reject him we reject him And the outcome of that rejection is seen in verses 4 through 6

There's three three results of that rejection. One of them is that one of the results is that Christ identifies himself with rejected prophets

See this in verse 4 Jesus said to them a prophet is not without honor except in his own country among his own relatives and in his own house

We use the phrase Familiarity breeds contempt and Jesus is appealing to that fact from prophets of old who in their own communities in their own tribe tribal areas

They were rejected because people knew who they were I'm not gonna listen to this guy.

He's just one of us. Why would I listen to him? This is the same idea that the the citizens of Nazareth are expressing

I'm not gonna listen to him. He's just one of us So Jesus identifies himself with these rejected prophets.

It's one of the results of the rejection A second result is that Jesus limits himself in what he's going to do in his own hometown

Because of the unbelief so it says in verse 5 he could do no mighty work there

Except, you know He laid his hands on a few people and a few sick people and he healed them

The works and the results of those works are scanty in Nazareth compared to other places other places he did many mighty works in their midst and the third result in verse 6 is

That Christ modifies his program It says he marveled because of their unbelief and then he went about the villages in a circuit teaching rather than staying there in Nazareth and teaching and and and witnessing of himself to his fellow hometown people he left and he went out to the rural areas these little villages where the little pockets of people and And he preached there and he taught in those areas.

He changed his program if you will He modified his program So the outcome of the rejection is that Jesus leaves he's not welcomed he's not accepted and so he leaves

Now at this point, I want you to put yourself in the position of the disciples. You're you're watching all this you're listening to all this and And you're you've got to be kind of scratching your head a little bit, you know, like why

I mean these people know him Why wouldn't they? Why wouldn't they welcome him with open arms?

I had kind of a Kind of a Experience like this.

Let's see. It just occurs to me today is the end of our 19th year here

Right 19th year next Sunday begins our 20th year of ministry here in Sterling Well a little over 19 years ago

Before before I even made any contact with the church here A church the church in Lombard Grace Baptist in Lombard the pastor there left

Now the thing of it is that's the church where that's the church where Chris and I got married That's the church where we met

First time I saw her she was in sixth grade came into the church and I said

I'm an eighth grader. Okay coats kind of keep this in perspective here and she walks in and said hmm

Who's that, you know that kind of a thing she she looked at me and she said who's that?

But it was that church and you know, I was a part of that church for Eight years, you know through junior high and high school years and in college years and she was that was her home church as well and they were without a pastor and Somebody I can't remember who it was but somebody who was

Familiar with the church there and the need knew that I needed to get into a ministry and Said hey, did you know

Grace Baptist is looking for a pastor? So no, I didn't know that So I okay, you know, they said send us to send your stuff to this person the chairman of the pulpit committee whom

I knew I mean, I knew his name. I knew who he was from childhood. I Sent my letter sent my resume, you know, very cordial You know,

I'm the hometown boy kind of thing, you know and never heard a word from him

Not a word not even a thank you for First for writing to us nothing not a word

Well, okay, I think back of my junior high high school years Maybe I can understand why they wouldn't be interested in even considering me for the ministry there

The Prophet is not without honor Jesus said Except in his own home his own country among his own relatives in his own house familiarity breeds contempt

So the disciples are seeing this and have to be scratching their heads a little bit I all these places where Jesus is gone and he's he's taught and people hung on to every word

He says they followed him they wanted to hear more from him and they were They were they were eagerly interested and see goes to his hometown and they reject him.

Why? Why? Well in verses 7 to 13 the second half of this section we read

Christ Expands his ministry as a result of that rejection

Now Jesus has been preparing his disciples all along the way back in chapter 3 verse 14

Jesus chose these 12 to be with him to learn of him to to gain all they could from their experience of Ministry traveling in ministry with him and Jesus gave them gave them special insight as he's preparing them remember back in chapter 4 after he told the parable of the of the sower the seeds in the soil and They they didn't understand it and they wanted to know what this is all about Jesus says to them to you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God But to those who are outside all these things are coming in parables.

I'm gonna I'm gonna I'm gonna give you insight I'm gonna give you insight and He's been preparing them all along these disciples of his by allowing them to witness his consistent ministry

Everywhere he went he taught and he and his teaching was always consistent never contradicted himself

And and they saw they heard his teaching They saw his work in showing compassion on those who were in need and they saw the

Extraordinary power as he exhibited exhibited it in casting out the demons and healing the sick even raising someone from the dead and Most recently stilling that storm

Still on the on the sea They saw all of this and the point of course is that all that the disciples have been through With in their experience with Jesus is to bolster their faith in the in the in the

Lord Jesus Whom they are going to be proclaiming. I mean if they're going to be proclaiming

Jesus is the Messiah Then they have to be convinced in their own heart of hearts that he is the

Messiah Jesus has been preparing them to come to a place of full confidence in him whom they are to proclaim

So he's been preparing them all along and now he also

Empowers them for some special tasks. He's done so before back in chapter 3 verses 14 and 15

Verse 14 says he appointed the twelve that they might be with him and then he might send them out to preach and To have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons and here in chapter 6 verse 13

You see that here as this ministry expands That's exactly what they do

They cast out many demons and they anointed with oil many who were sick and they healed them

Now this ability on the part of these disciples unlike Jesus Was not an inherent and an inherent ability

It wasn't a learned ability. In other words There wasn't a formula that they had to an incantation that they had to use to get these things to happen

No, it was a given Christ given delegated ability

He gave them this ability to heal the sick to cast out the demons

And I think by way of application here What we could should understand is that Christ enables us to do what he has given us to do

We're not left to our own devices and our own formulas of power and authority or anything like that Whatever whatever work whatever ministry whatever life that Christ has called you to He equips you to the doing of that as he has for these disciples here and in verses 8 to 10

Notice how he has Instructed them for some special situations He instructs them in verses 8 9 to trust

God to provide for them He commands them to take nothing for the journey except a staff

But to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics. He says, okay, don't don't make all kinds of provision

Don't get a 45 -pound backpack to put on your pack full of all kinds of provisions Trust God to take care of you and in verse 10

He essentially tells them by way of special instruction use good sense as a guest wherever you go

He says to them in whatever place you enter a house Stay there till you depart from that place now

He's telling me a couple different things here that make good sense One of them is don't snub one host for a wealthier host

Whatever place you whatever place takes you in just stay there. You know, don't be looking for you know, don't be looking for a

Better a better feathered nest somewhere else just stay there Because if you if you snub that guest or that host who's provided for you a place to go someplace

That's nicer Then how are they gonna? But then on the other hand, he says don't wear out your welcome

You need to depart at some point. You need to depart don't wear out your welcome The Lord is providing some guidelines

For the service that these disciples are to be engaged in so he instructs them but then then notice how he in this special situation

He guides them in reacting to this situation and here's where you get the connection

Between verses 1 through 6 and verses 7 through 13 in verse 11

He says who will ever 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

And here's the thing They had just lived with Jesus What was?

anticipated somewhere down the road they watched as Jesus takes them to his hometown and Those in his own hometown reject

Jesus and What does he do? they watched his hometown people reject him and As Jesus left the area they followed

Jesus as Jesus left the area and went into these other villages to teach in other words

Christ is verbalizing in his instructions what he himself has just practiced

What does he tell him the first part of verse 11? Don't force your ministry on those who reject it

Whoever will not receive you or hear you leave depart from there the people of Nazareth They wouldn't listen to him.

They wouldn't accept what he had to say. They were offended by him Well, Jesus didn't stick around He wasn't gonna force himself and force his ministry on those who rejected a second thing he verbalizes is he says compel them to think about what they have done and He uses this very vivid

Methodology he says when you depart from there shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them

To shake the dust in this Jewish culture now to shake the dust was was communicating that They're pagans declaring that you you're just a pagan a pagan community and it is

Calling for those who witness this shaking of the dust to reflect upon what they have done to Reflect upon what was rejected so the people of Nazareth Would be called upon to stop and think about what have we done?

Yeah, we thought we knew who this was but but what authority with what authority he taught and with what power he worked and With what wisdom he expressed his teaching

What have we done? Because we've now lost this This is what this is what that communicates the shaking off of the dust to compel people to think about their actions and then he verbalizes

He verbalizes to disciples recognize the greater responsibility those have who have rejected

He says I say to you it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city for that city

So going back to Habakkuk, all right Habakkuk Wondered he questioned why?

Why and what Habakkuk ultimately saw? Was that God is indeed going to act?

All of this sin all of this corruption is abounding why Lord why? I'm about to act

Adoniram Judson saw after all of the heartache and the grief that he went through and Teetering on insanity through it all

Adoniram Judson saw the greatest fruit of his ministry after his wife and children had died and it was because the

The tragedies that he went through as the Burmese people witnessed him handling those tragedies it it caused their hearts to be softened to the gospel and the disciples

The disciples here in this text they finally realized Why Christ allowed the rejection experience to happen?

Again, remember this didn't take Jesus by surprise Jesus took his disciples to Nazareth for a purpose he wanted them to learn something to prepare them for the expansion of Ministry to prepare them to be able to minister effectively

Without him being right there with them as he sends them out two by two They will know how to deal with the very thing that Jesus experienced and I think this is the principle that needs to guide us when we are also facing

Circumstances that may lead to anxiety or the question of why? God is teaching me

God's training me. God is in some way purifying and shaping me

To the ultimate glory of him. So rejection leads to expansion challenges difficulties questions lead to depth and breadth of Service for the

Lord our Father in our God. We do. Thank you tonight For what you take us through Because you teach us in those things and Lord.

I Know full well, and I think everyone here would also admit That we don't enjoy going through some of those things that lead us to ask the question why?

But I pray that in those times we would exercise faith in the one who knows the answers and what he's what you're preparing us for So Lord use us and shape us and mold us and we pray it in Jesus name.

Amen Well, let's take our hymnals and sing a few stanzas number 541 number 541 the song

Lord speak to me That I may speak song basically is Asking the

Lord to to train us to mold us to shape us to prepare us To be more effective in our service for him.

This is he did with his disciples. Let's stand. Shall we as we sing 541? Sing the first second and the last and then we'll have our quarterly meeting here just a moment

Oh Dust in part and wing my words that they may reach the hidden depths of many are and the last

Oh use me Lord use even me just as thou wilt and when and where until thy blessed face

I see Thy joy thy glory

Share All right. Thank you. You may be seated and Dan is coming with a quarterly report financial report

Let me call this meeting to order Quarterly third quarter business meeting

So in the clerk's absence tonight, we'll have to defer reading of minutes from the last quarterly meeting

Last quarterly meeting amounted to basically this very same thing. Just the sharing of the financial report from the previous quarter

So just go right into this financial report as you receive it here in just a few moments

While Dan's passing those things out, let me and maybe you can scan over this while I'm Yacking but just to give an update on the canopy out front here just the other day finally received what is probably the final drawings for the for that repair and replacement project those things take time there's there's the initial drawing that the architect has to draw up and It all has to be subjected to an engineering review

Subjected to City Building code codes and all that kind of thing