Commissioned Rejects

A Call to Worship

Good morning and welcome to First Baptist Church of Artesia. We're going to get started with our service, so if everybody could make their way to a seat, I'm going to start with some Psalm:

I will sing about the Lord’s faithful love forever; I will proclaim your faithfulness to all generations with my mouth. For I will declare, “Faithful love is built up forever; you establish your faithfulness in the heavens.”

— Psalm 89:1-2 (CSB)

Join us as we sing praises to the Lord this morning.

Good news of great joy for every woman, every man. This will be a sign to you: a baby born in Bethlehem. Come and worship, do not be afraid. A company of angels, glory in the highest, and on the earth peace to those whom he favors. Come and worship, do not be afraid.

My soul, my soul magnifies the Lord. My soul magnifies the Lord. He has done great things for me, great things for me. A company of angels, glory in the highest. Let every nation under heaven come and worship, do not be afraid.

My soul, my soul magnifies the Lord. My soul magnifies the Lord. He has done great things for me, great things for me. There will be no end to his kingdom, and he shall reign on David's throne. This Everlasting, Wonderful Counselor, his kingdom shall be everlasting.

My soul, my soul magnifies the Lord. My soul magnifies the Lord. He has done great things for us, he has done great things for us. He has done great things for us, he has done great things for us.

Oh, you've come to bring love, to be nearer to us. You've come to bring love, to be light to shine brighter. God, our deliverer, you are savior. In your presence, we find our strength over everything. Our redemption, God with us, you are God with us.

Oh, you've come to be hope to this world for your holy name, and you've come to take our shame and to conquer the grave. God, our deliverer, you are savior. In your presence, we find our strength over everything. Our redemption, God with us, you are God with us.

You are here, you are holy, we are standing in your glory. You are here, you are holy, standing in your glory. You are here, you are holy, we are standing in your glory. You are here, you are holy, we are standing in your glory.

God, our deliverer, you are savior. In your presence, we find our strength over everything. Our redemption, God with us. God, our deliverer, you are savior. In your presence, we find our strength over everything. Our redemption, God with us, you are God with us. You are God with us.

If my heart is overwhelmed and I cannot hear your voice, I'll hold on to what is true though I cannot see. In the storms of life they come, and the road ahead gets steep, I will walk by faith, I will believe. I remind myself of all that you've done, and the life I have because of your love. Love came down and rescued me. Love came down and set me free. I am yours, I am forever yours, mountain high, valley low. I sing that I am yours, I am forever yours.

When my heart is filled with hope and every promise comes my way, when I feel your hands of grace rest upon me, I stay desperate for you, God, staying humble. I will lift these hands and praise, I will believe. I remind myself of all that you've done, and the life I have because of your love.

Love came down and rescued me. Love came down and set me free. I am yours, I am forever yours, mountain high, valley low. I sing that I am yours, I am forever yours. Love came down and rescued me. Love came down and set me free, and I am yours, I am forever yours. Mountain high, valley low, I sing that I am yours, I am forever yours. I am yours, I am forever yours. I am yours, I am forever yours.

Amen. You may be seated. It's true, love came down to us. The Lord didn't drop down a rope ladder from heaven or expect us to be good enough to be acceptable to him. The good news of the Gospel isn't that we can ascend to God, but that God descended to us. He came down to save us, and because of his work in dying for us on the cross, not only are we saved from our sins, but we are adopted into his family. We can say that we are his and that he is mine because of the wondrous work of Christ. That's what we get to celebrate every Sunday morning here at this church.

If you have a Bible, go and grab it and open it to the Book of Mark. We've been going through this book, and last week we had a brief kind of side section in Matthew. This morning, we're picking up where we left off at the beginning of chapter 6, Mark chapter 6. It says this:

He left there and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished. “Where did this man get these things?” they said. “What is this wisdom that has been given to him, and how are these miracles performed by his hands? Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And aren’t his sisters here with us?” So they were offended by him. Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown, among his relatives, and in his household.” He was not able to do a miracle there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. And he was amazed at their unbelief. He was going around the villages teaching. He summoned the Twelve and began to send them out in pairs and gave them authority over unclean spirits. He instructed them to take nothing for the road except a staff—no bread, no traveling bag, no money in their belts, but to wear sandals and not put on an extra shirt. He said to them, “Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that place. If any place does not welcome you or listen to you, when you leave there, shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” So they went out and preached that people should repent. They drove out many demons, anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.

— Mark 6:1-13 (CSB)

Let's pray. Lord, we don't want to be like the people in this story who hear your word and then scoff at his messenger. Help us this morning as we listen to your word to be receptive, to see your glory, and to treasure Christ. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.

The Prophet in His Hometown

Here in Southern California, we're spoiled with lots of celebrities. I'm flying out to Louisville this week, and when you go to Louisville, they don't have many famous people. If you drive around the downtown, there are these gigantic signs with the faces of noteworthy individuals that came out of their city that they're proud of—Muhammad Ali, the famous boxer; Colonel Sanders, amazing chicken. The idea is that somehow the greatness of these individuals gives pride to their own city's greatness; if you root for Muhammad Ali, you're also rooting for Louisville.

At this point in Mark's gospel, Jesus is becoming more and more of a celebrity. His news is spreading throughout Judea. He's starting to gather large crowds that are coming to him, and people are buzzing about Jesus and his work. But rather than taking pride in Jesus, Jesus' hometown doesn't have any goodwill towards him. In fact, it says here that they're scandalized by him.

What about you? This is going to be the main idea for us this morning: to expect opposition as you follow Jesus. To expect opposition as you follow Jesus. There are two points for us this morning: number one, Jesus rejected; and second, we see Jesus represented with the commissioning of the disciples. So, Jesus rejected, and then Jesus represented.

Let's look at Point number one: Jesus rejected. Look at verse 1 with me:

He left there and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished. “Where did this man get these things?” they said. “What is this wisdom that has been given to him, and how are these miracles performed by his hands? Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And aren’t his sisters here with us?” So they were offended by him.

— Mark 6:1-3 (CSB)

Jesus arrives in the hometown of Nazareth, and on the Sabbath, he stands up in the middle of the synagogue and begins to teach. The people are astonished at his teaching. This isn't anything new that we've seen throughout the Book of Mark. We've seen people astonished at his teaching; in fact, they were more astonished at his teaching than the casting out of demons. Jesus' teaching was unlike anyone else's authority because he wasn't just referencing the scholars of the day or giving clever, pithy statements for you to take home and think about throughout the rest of the week. He was teaching like one who had authority.

The Offense of the Ordinary

Except that's not the reason why the people in Nazareth are astonished. These people are not primarily astonished because of what Jesus is teaching—the content of his message—but because of who Jesus is. You can imagine them saying, "Who's that talking? Is that Jesus? You mean the carpenter? Isn't that Mary's kid?" And the people, after recognizing who Jesus is, are offended by him. Another way of saying it is that the people are scandalized by Jesus. For Jesus, this hometown kid, to stand up and to teach something as though he had something that was worth saying was offensive and scandalous because of Jesus' profession.

Now, to be fair, being a carpenter was a perfectly respectable job to be a craftsman in that day. To make stuff was actually pretty useful. Everyone in town would need different things—tables, doors, you name it—and a craftsman is able to develop tools and provide skillful labor to meet the needs of the community. There was nothing wrong or embarrassing about being a carpenter.

As a side note, I think it's worth noting that Jesus lived the majority of his earthly life as a carpenter. Jesus' ministry lasted for three years, from when he was 30 years old until he was 33. But for the years as an adult before he began proclaiming the kingdom of God, he was a woodworker, a carpenter, a craftsman. There's nothing undignified about secular work. In fact, one of the ways that we glorify God most as we go about our weeks is through our work.

In 2 Thessalonians 3, Paul talks about how even he himself, when he was among the Thessalonian churches, worked and toiled day and night in order to not be a burden to them, despite having the right to receive support from them and do full-time ministry. He deliberately chose to work in order to be an example to them. It goes as far as to say that if they see anyone who's a busybody instead of someone who actually worked, to not associate with any brother or sister who is idle and doesn't work. For all of us who work or have worked, who put in hours and received wages, God is honored through the work that you do. You don't have to stand behind a pulpit in order to honor the Lord.

God is still honored as you walk into your office, as you care for the sick, as you drive your car. The godly, Christlike character that you model as you go about your secular job honors the Lord. As you seek to love your neighbor by serving them, by offering services, and assisting other people, it displays the honor that Christ is due. As people see you model Christlike living in your jobs, they're able to see the Lord's work in your life. Jesus never wasted his time, and he was content to spend the majority of his life doing secular work.

But you don't expect a carpenter to be giving lectures at USC, right? For the Nazarenes, it's a big chasm from being a carpenter to being a teacher. Jesus didn't go to Biola University, or Cal Baptist, or Cerritos College, right? He never studied under the greats like Dr. Steve Darus, right? And suddenly he stands up as though he's some big-shot academic, as though he has something worth saying. For these people, they're thinking, "Are you telling me that the guy who made my dining room table is going to use those same hands to heal the sick? We know this guy. Jesus is just a normal dude."

Not only do the Nazarenes know Jesus' work, they also knew his family. They knew Jesus' parents. They played with Jesus in the park. They saw him in the synagogue. He doesn't come from a mighty dynasty. His last name doesn't carry any significance like Rockefeller or Kennedy. And now this Jesus has the gall to stand up in front of everyone and teach the word of God. "We know this guy, he's Mary's kid, and who does he think he is?" Their familiarity only adds to their offense. How dare this guy stand up and act as though he is somebody.

Proximity vs. True Belief

And Jesus sees their unbelief, so he responds in verse 4. There, Jesus said to them:

“A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown, among his relatives, and in his household.”

— Mark 6:4 (CSB)

Jesus responds with a double negative: a prophet is not without honor except in his own hometown. No one would dare ever disrespect a prophet—telling a person who's a herald of God's word and spitting in his face—unless you played kickball with him. In fact, the closer you are to the prophet, the more likely you are to reject him. In Mark 3, earlier, we saw Jesus' own mother and brothers come and try to stop Jesus from doing his ministry.

You see, there's a difference between proximity to Jesus and belief in Jesus. You can be near Jesus without actually being close to him. They were in the same locality, but they weren't loyal to Christ. Because there's a difference between being around Jesus and believing him. You can grow up going to church your whole life. You can "amen" every single prayer. You can sit through every sermon, sing every hymn, shake every hand, and still go to hell.

In fact, sometimes proximity can make things more difficult because you get hardened to the message of the Gospel. You get so used to hearing the gospel that you don't think that you need it anymore—that the gospel message is for those other people and not for me. It's like keeping life-saving medicine at arm's reach while never bothering to administer it to yourself.

Do you believe? Do you believe that you're a sinner in need of God's grace? Do you see God as infinitely holy and worthy of your life? Do you see the ugliness of your sin and the reality of God's wrath? Have you seen the finished work of Christ on the cross, his resurrection from the dead, and trust in him alone for your salvation? Are you walking in obedience with him today in the fellowship of a local church?

Christianity is not about being in a church; it's about being changed. What separates a Christian from someone who's not a believer is not where we are, but what we believe. And for the Nazarenes, they had seen Jesus so much that they were desensitized to him. In fact, they were offended by him. And that rejection was reflected in Jesus' ministry there. You can see that in verses 5 and 6:

He was not able to do a miracle there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. And he was amazed at their unbelief. He was going around the villages teaching.

— Mark 6:5-6 (CSB)

Faith, Suffering, and God's Sovereignty

Jesus was not able to do a miracle there. Now, some look at a passage like this as evidence that healing only happens if a person has enough faith to receive it. You might have heard or watched programs on TBN or other false teachers that will try to make it seem as though if you just have enough faith—if you meet a certain faith or spiritual belief quota—then God will just heal you of all the illnesses that you have. And if you don't get healed, it's not the fault of the preacher or the Lord; it's yourself. It's because you don't have enough faith. Some have even tried to describe Jesus in heaven looking down, desperate to give us what we need but unable to do it because of our lack of faith. What they do is they corrupt the gift of grace and they turn it into a work.

That kind of teaching couldn't be farther from the truth. For one, Jesus does heal some people in Nazareth. You see some sick people coming, and Jesus does lay his hands on them and they are made well. But more importantly, faith is not necessarily a prerequisite in order for Jesus to be able to perform a miracle. The most obvious example is that Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. It's really hard to have faith when you're dead.

If any of you are currently suffering, enduring great struggles day by day in order to continue to hope in the Lord, you are not depriving yourself of God's healing power. That's not what's happening here. God's not disappointed and punishing you by making you suffer. Rather, quite the opposite: if you're suffering right now, you are examples to a watching world—not in living a problem-free life, but in that you trust not in this world, but in the world to come. Even though your joints may creak now, and you might still struggle with pain, trials, and tribulation, you believe that in the new creation, all things will be made new—that everything sad will come untrue.

In fact, in 2 Corinthians, God tells Paul that his power is perfected in his weakness. If you're enduring great suffering right now, you—just by enduring that suffering—are displaying the power of God to a watching world in ways that you would not if everything in your life was going according to your plan. Because you're showing the world that there is a hope that's greater than your own immediate problems, that your faith goes deeper than your own convenience. You see, Christians are not people of privilege; we're people of promise. We don't place our bets in this life, but in the life to come.

Now, while it's true that faith is not required in order for Jesus to heal someone, that doesn't necessarily mean that faith is unimportant. Jesus is not able