...and They Took Offense at Him...

Series: The Gospel of Mark
Title: Week 13 | And they took offense at him
Text: Mark 6:1-6

Transcript

Mark 6 And The Friend Zone

SPEAKER_01 0:00

If you have your Bibles, open up to Mark chapter six. Again, if you are new with us today, I just want to thank you so much for taking time to check things out. I really believe, whether this is your first time or your 400th time, that this is a place that you are being invited because there's a God who knows you, who loves you, and has been drawing you to him and who wants to speak with you this morning. And this is why we read the Bible together, because this is actually God's word, the means by which he is communicating himself to us. And we want to listen carefully. And so what we've been doing over the past several months is walking through the book of Mark together, and we find ourselves in Mark chapter six. But before I dig into this, I want to pause and just start off with a story. I'm going to take you back a little ways, all the way back to angsty 19-year-old first year of college, Andrew. There's a few of you who actually knew that, Andrew, and uh and you're like, uh-oh, what have we just gotten ourselves into? My first year of college, I did at a program up at Camp Kiwano's called Caleo. It's a partnership with Briarcrest College. Uh, it's an intense program, small, about 26 students when I was there. And as often happens in these types of environments, there were some boys and there were some girls, and there was a girl who caught my eye, and I had a crush on her. Uh Shannon's gone now. So before uh before you were like, oh, was that Shannon? It was not Shannon, because God, in his grace and mercy, knew that if Shannon had met Andrew when he was 19 years old, there would be no Shandrew. Okay. Like she would have been like, uh-uh-uh, God, I don't care what you have for my future. This is not it. But God knew that there was some refining work that needed to take place. And so he kept me from Shannon for several years before I was worthy to uh to pursue that woman. Uh, but there was this girl that I liked. And uh being a 19-year-old boy, I was also a total coward. And so I did not tell her that I liked her. Uh and uh Matt Parker was my roommate, and he would just make fun of me every single night because I'd be like, you know, sad because some other guy talked to her and she didn't talk to her. You know the, you know, the you know how it is. Uh finally, finally, last night before we were all about to disperse back to our homes, I finally worked up the courage to go and talk to her and have the define the relationship talk. So I'm like, hey, you want to go for a walk? She's like, well, okay, sure. We were friends, like we'd hung out, and so it wasn't like a super awkward thing to go for a walk and chat. Um, but then I was like, hey, so um, you know, I I really appreciate becoming like a friend. And I I just wonder if there's maybe something more. Do you want to explore that? And she's like, hey, that's really flattering, but no.

SPEAKER_00 2:45

I see you more as a friend.

Nazareth Amazed Then Offended

SPEAKER_01 2:48

Yeah, 19-year-old Andrew got friend zoned real hard. Now, here's the thing the reason I start with this story is because there was something that was actually going on. You see, this girl was familiar with me. We spent the whole year in college, and and because she was familiar with me, she had this picture of who I was in her mind. And when I came to her and I presented a different image of who I could be, she just couldn't see it. And in the end, it led to her rejecting me. Now, no, no knock on her. She was smart. She knew this guy's not ready, okay? But here's the thing: this dynamic isn't just true in these, you know, define the relationship friend zoning type of moments. It's true even of Jesus. The story that we're gonna read today is a story where Jesus enters into his hometown and he's close with all these people. They're familiar with him, they're even a little bit impressed by him. But when Jesus presents an alternative vision for who he is and invites them to step into a new kind of relationship with him, they can't see it. And in the end, they reject him. And what we're gonna see is that in their familiarity, they're willing to be fans of Jesus, they're willing to cheer him on, they're willing to be like, hey, this is cool that you got all this stuff going on. But when Jesus calls them to a faith that will lead them to be followers, they will have none of it. So as we get ready to dive in, a couple of just reminders. Last couple weeks, uh, two weeks ago, Andrew did a great job of just reminding us of this story that Jesus said, of these works that he did. And so just a quick, quick recap. Jesus is walking around in the city, and some gal comes and touches the hem of his robe. She's been having this bleeding disorder for 12 years, and she just touches his shirt and she gets cleaned. She gets healed. And Jesus is going to a house of a man whose daughter is sick and his daughter dies, and Jesus raises her from the dead. So there's this moment of momentum, of potency and power. Jesus has been casting up multiple demons. He's been doing all these amazing works. But then we get to our chapter, uh, chapter six, verses one to six a day, and it's kind of like a want-want moment. Because it's like after all of that, Jesus goes to his hometown and they're kind of like, I don't know about you, Jesus. And what I want us to see today is that not everyone who encounters Jesus receives what he offers. And that's not because Jesus changes, but it's actually because of our posture towards him. So let's dive in. Chapter 6, verses 1 and 2. Jesus left there and he went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. And when the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue. And many who uh heard him were amazed. Where did this man get these things? They asked. What's this wisdom that has been given to him? Where are these, uh, what are these remarkable miracles he's performing? So Jesus again, he's been on this ministry momentum. He's been casting out demons, been healing people, and then he decides, man, I'm missing mom's home cooked meal. I gotta go home and spend time with the fam jam. And so he goes and he takes his homeboys with him, his disciples, and in and they get to his town. And what I want us to see here is that Mark has intentionally placed this little story in between Jesus performing miracles, and then as we're gonna see next week, Jesus then sends out his disciples on mission. And I think there's a very intentional reason for that. Because if you are here today, it's because Jesus is calling you to be his disciple, he's calling you to be his follower, which means he's calling you to join him in your in his mission. But before you get sent out, you need to properly understand what to expect. And so Mark is helping us understand that it's not just highs, there's gonna be some misses. And so, if you're here today and that's you, you're a follower of Jesus, I want to invite you to step into the shoes of the disciples. Disciples, all we find out is that they're with Jesus. They don't really interact in the story. And I think that's intentional. Mark is inviting us to step into this observation mode, to see what goes on with Jesus so that we can prepare ourselves for when he sends us out. But there's a second group of people here as well: the crowds. And this particular crowd is familiar with Jesus, it's made up of his family, his uh childhood friends, the people who watched him grow up as a snotty-nosed kid, people who are very familiar with him. And I want to just offer to you this idea that some of you are here today, and maybe you've been in church for a really long time, and you're familiar with Jesus, but you're not yet a follower. Maybe you've been checking out Jesus, but you're not ready, you're not all the way in. And the invitation for you is to continue to see this through the eyes of the crowd, see Jesus' warning, and respond in kind. So, what will we see? Jesus comes in the synagogue, and in this is almost like a repeat of everything that's happened in any other synagogue story. Jesus starts teaching, people are amazed, they look around, they're like, whoa, he's got wisdom. Whoa, what are these signs? The people are fans. Initially, they're all in, they're all big team Jesus, they're cheering them on. It reminds me a little bit of that hometown hero story, you know, the kid who goes off and makes it. Um when I when I was a kid, I went to Sanish Baptist Church, and uh Tom and Dina Clark are not here today. I wish they were because uh they would have stories to tell. But uh in grade seven, Dina Clark was my Sunday school teacher. And I am I'm not being hyperbolic there. Like she kicked me out of Sunday school every second week. You know, I just shot my mouth off, talked, goofed off, made fun of. Like I was not like a good, well-behaved church kid. Um, and I imagine if you talk to Dina today or Tom, people who saw me growing up, they'd be like, you know what? I never could have seen Andrew up on that stage. Like that kid, I mean, we literally sent him to be with his mom every second week because he was not well-behaved enough to stay in our Sunday school class. But every once in a while, Tom comes up to me after a gathering when I've preached or done something, and he's like, man, it's just so nice to see you up there. Because they saw me growing up and they're they're excited, they're like, root me on. It's such an encouragement to me. But that's that's kind of like where the the the people of Nazareth were at. They were like, man, look at look at Jesus the carpenter, the guy who grew up here, the guy who made the yoke for my oxen, and now he's out and he's doing some teaching and preaching and he's healing people. That's kind of cool. Two thumbs up, Jesus. We're fans, we're cheering you on.

SPEAKER_00 9:42

Way to go, bud. That's awesome. But just because they're cheering him on, just because they know him, doesn't mean they've been moved to a place of trust yet.

Fans Of Jesus Versus Followers

SPEAKER_01 10:04

For those of us who maybe identify more with the crowd, you you're interested in Jesus, you're a fan of Jesus, but maybe you haven't yet stepped into that place of being a follower of Jesus. There's there's probably a lot of good reasons for that today. I mean, I'm not trying to be political or antagonistic, but we literally live in a society right now that can't even figure out the difference between a man and a woman. When you have that kind of instability, Jesus starts to look real, real good. I mean, one of a one of my friends told me recently he was talking to a young man that he mentors, and the young man said to him, You know, coach, Jesus is cool now. Being a Christian is cool now. I mean, literally, we have Joe Rogan going to church. Charlie Kirk, maybe one of the most celebrated Christians of our time, was memorialized after his assassination. Why? Because not just only his political viewpoints and his activism, but because of his faith. Richard Dawkins, maybe the most famous new atheist, came out and said, I'm a cultural Christian. Christianity is cool, guys. But guess what? Amen. It is awesome. And I'm so excited about this cultural moment. I mean, I'll tell you, like, I when I hear stories about, especially young men who are like finding their way to faith in Jesus, like that stirs my heart. That excites me. And if that's you and you're on this journey, you're like, man, I am looking at a world that feels like it is running around like a chicken with its head cut off, and I just want something that makes sense and is stable. And this Christianity thing, this Jesus thing looks looks like it makes a little bit more sense than what's out there. That's awesome. That's incredible. I really do believe in this cultural moment there's a God who is in pursuit of people. Amen. But being a fan of Jesus is not sufficient. Because admiring Jesus is not the same as following Jesus. And Jesus isn't interested in having you be impressed by him. Jesus calling you to repent and believe in him. If you have our Bibles, just flip back a couple of pages to Mark chapter one. The very core message of Jesus' sermon was this, chapter one, verse 15 the time has come, the kingdom of God has drawn near. Repent and believe the good news. Jesus was making a claim, and this is what we're gonna see becomes the thing that his hometown family and friends could not accept. Jesus wasn't just saying, I've come to do some good things, I've come to be a good teacher, I've come to heal some people. He was saying, I am God invading your reality, and it's time that you recognize, turn from the path that you were on, and join me in my kingdom.

SPEAKER_00 12:58

This is what Jesus is calling his disciples to. Admiring Jesus is not the same as following Jesus.

SPEAKER_01 13:11

For those of us who are sitting here and we're the disciples, we're watching this all play out. Jesus is reminding us as we prepare to be sent on his mission that initial excitement about Jesus does not equate to genuine faith in Jesus. As I said, we're in this really beautiful cultural moment where things have gotten so bad that people are just grasping for something that makes sense, and that's that's a good thing. I think that's the grace of God. But let's not mistake interest for surrender. Because Jesus isn't trying to form fans, he's calling followers. In fact, if we fast forward to Mark chapter 8, Jesus starts to tell his disciples, and for sake of time, I won't go through it, but he says, if anyone wants to be my disciple, he must take up his cross daily and follow me. Saying, literally, if you want to follow me, that means you got to go to yourself and say, self, you're dead. Like every single day, I am going to crucify my will and surrender myself to the will of Jesus. Church, this is what we as disciples are actually trying to form. When disciples make disciples, they make people who are cross-formed people who daily pick up their cross and say, Not my will, but yours be done. And when this message starts to come across, we see a tone shift.

SPEAKER_00 14:41

They move from questions of wonder to start to reduce Jesus. Listen to what they say.

SPEAKER_01 14:51

Verse 3 Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon? Aren't his sisters here with us? And they took offense at him. I mean, everyone knew Jesus' family. He had lived here as an anonymous person, part of the community for 30 years. People had watched him grow up. They knew the story about how one uh one Passover Jesus had decided to take a little siesta in the temple while his family left behind. They knew the times when he tripped and scraped his knee.

SPEAKER_00 15:30

They had bought things from him that he had crafted as a carpenter. And so when Jesus starts to present a new way of understanding him, they don't ask what does this mean? They move towards skepticism. How can we make sense of this without changing anything? And they took what was extraordinary and they shrunk it down to what was familiar.

SPEAKER_01 16:07

Just think about this analogy for a second, a fan. Man, so many of us are fans of different sports teams. I mean, I don't follow sports at all, so this is probably a terrible analogy for me. But some of us are like, man, we're obsessively following sports teams. But guess what? None of us actually want to shift our life because of a sports team. Like, we can cheer our team winning. We're happy to go to the game, we're happy to stay in the stands, but it's not like we're gonna change our workout routine or our morning routine on a frequent basis because of this. Because fans can sit there and cheer because it doesn't cost us almost anything. And if you're like, that was a terrible analogy, it cost me everything. I live in perpetual disappointment because I'm a fan of a Canadian hockey team. I apologize. Fans are comfortable with a version of Jesus that they can cheer on and yet costs them nothing. And when Jesus calls them to more, the community becomes offended. And the Greek word there that gets translated by the NIV is offended is scandalizomai, which actually could, it's where we get the word scandalized. Like they were scandalized. They were like, Jesus, who do you think you are? Did you forget where you grew up? You grew up here, Jesus.

SPEAKER_00 17:30

We saw you, we know what you're about. Don't come at us like you're something special. Again. What they're doing here is they're trying to reduce Jesus into a manageable space that they can accept.

SPEAKER_01 17:50

They're fine being fans, but Jesus is calling to be followers, and they're like, no, no, no, no. Just we we don't we don't need to follow you. I think again, for some of us, we're on this journey, and the temptation right now is to just stay in that fan zone. And there's so many people in this, again, cultural moment that are fans of Jesus. Why? Well, Jesus was a good teacher. I was listening to a podcast and someone was making this card. He's like, I'm a Christian. You know, I don't believe everything the Bible says, but you know, Jesus taught really good moral foundational concepts. He was a good teacher. Or for some of us, we look at Jesus and he's like, man, he's the one who makes me feel better. He's like our therapeutic counselor. Like when I'm feeling depressed, when I'm feeling anxiety, I just read a good, nice word from Jesus and it makes me feel better. For some of us, Jesus is the political activist, the one who's going to point out all the bad things in our world and lead us towards change and transformation. But all of these are a reduction of who Jesus actually is. Jesus is not a political activist, he's not a therapeutic counselor, he's not a good teacher. Jesus is our Lord. And he is calling you and I to repent. That means change our allegiance and put our faith in him. Because we don't get to define Jesus.

SPEAKER_00 19:21

If he's our Lord, he defines us. Again, for those of us who are in that space where we're disciples, we're observing all this take place. What is Jesus? What is Jesus telling us here? What is it that he wanted us to see?

SPEAKER_01 19:45

When Shannon and I first moved to Victoria, our next door neighbors uh had been there for a couple months. Uh they had kids around the same age as our kids, and we got to know them. And we just started inviting them into things. And over time, they got really interested and they started coming out to our missional communion. They started coming out here on Sunday mornings, and they were involved for a really long season. Uh, kind of in the middle of COVID as things were kind of wrapping up, uh, they just sort of disappeared. Uh, not relationally, like we still hung out with them every once in a while, but just from all the church type things. And finally, I had an opportunity to sit down with the husband, just ask him, like, hey, um, you guys were like all in. Like you were literally talking about getting baptized, and then you just stopped. What happened there? And he explained to me that there was one uh evening where we were in a DNA group together and we were talking about spiritual things and we were talking about the demonic realm. And he's like, you know, when I heard you guys talking about that, I realized I just don't really buy that stuff. It's like Jesus was cool. I mean, he has some really good like moral things, but I don't really think I need all this other stuff. They were really comfortable being fans. Fans that added some Jesus sauce to their already good moral lives. But when it came to acknowledging the spiritual realm, it acknowledged a deeper need that they had, that there were forces in this world that they could not overcome in and of themselves, and they needed someone who could do it for them, and that was a step too far. I think for those of us who are disciples of Jesus, Jesus is inviting us to recognize that there are gonna come moments when people seem like they're pressing in.

SPEAKER_00 21:30

But when they actually get confronted with Jesus' call to become followers, they say they're out. In church. Believe it or not, this is good news. You're like, that doesn't sound like good news, Andrew, but it is good news.

SPEAKER_01 21:53

Here's why. You're gonna hear us at a church like Westfield talk about going out where you live, learn where. Can play, being on mission all the time. All the time. Because we really do believe that this is what Jesus called us to. But there are going to be moments when you do everything right and someone still says no. And you can sit there and you can be devastated, like, oh, what did I do wrong? What did I fail at? What why didn't I just say this? And you beat yourself up. And Jesus is actually inviting you to understand that if they rejected him, when they he was literally standing in front of all these people in the synagogue who had watched him heal, who had heard all the stories of what he did, watched him preach and teach, knew him intimately, and still said no, that there are going to be people that you share your faith with, and they still say no.

SPEAKER_00 22:55

Now, I'm going to pause here for a second because I know some of you.

SPEAKER_01 23:01

And some of you are like, oh, well, you know, people are just going to reject me, so I'm just going to go out and say whatever I want. I'm going to go up to someone and be like, well, you're a wicked, horrible sinner. You're headed to hell. So, you know, oh, oh, you don't like me. Well, Andrew said, people are going to reject me, so I'm all good. No, well, I'm not talking about being a jerk. You actually have to give people good news. The good news is that there's a God who made us in his image to be in relationship with him. Yet we in our rebellion turned away from him. Yet God in his grace and mercy would not stop his pursuit of love for us. So much so that he went to the cross to die for our sins so we could be with him for eternity. That is good news. People reject you for that. That is on them.

SPEAKER_00 23:49

If they reject you for being a jerk, that is on you. But at some point, rejection will come.

SPEAKER_01 24:02

Jesus says to the crowd, a prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his home. He could not do any miracles there except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was amazed at their lack of faith. I don't know if you catch this, but this story isn't just a unique story. It's a foreshadow story. It's a means by which Mark is helping us see what's about to happen on the cross. If you remember back to this past weekend, Easter weekend, you'll see some of these familiar pieces. Palm Sunday, we celebrate the crowds recognizing Jesus, celebrating Jesus, amazed by Jesus. And then only a week later, those same crowds, when they're presented with who Jesus actually is, scream out, crucify him, crucify him, crucify him. Who are the crowds? They were his country people, the Jews, the people who he had come to, God's chosen people rejected him. Nazareth is just a microcosm of what happens on the cross. Jesus comes to those who are his own. He calls them to know him, and they reject him. And this parable or proverb that Jesus utters, a prophet is not without honor except in his own hound among his relatives and in his home. That's not just like some witticism that Jesus is saying. God's people continually were sent prophets, the very words of God given to people to warn them, to call them, to pursue them. And they continually rejected them, rejected them, rejected them. And then Jesus, the divine revelation made flesh. That's what John says. The word made flesh who made his dwelling among us comes and lives among his people. And once again, we reject him.

SPEAKER_00 26:11

Jesus is saying that at a certain point, when he confronts our heart and calls us to be not fans but followers, we're gonna have a choice to make.

SPEAKER_01 27:09

Can you do something about that leg, Jesus? And Jesus, like, um, no. Well, why, Jesus? Uh, because your faith cup isn't filled enough, Joe. But Jesus, I'm right here. I'm I'm telling you, I need my leg healed. Well, no, Joe, your faith isn't big enough. I can't heal it. Like, how ludicrous is that? Right? That's a silly idea. Jesus wasn't limited because people's faith wasn't enough. He was limited because people weren't coming to him at all, because they didn't have faith that he could heal them. The few people who came, Jesus healed. It wasn't like he couldn't heal. It's that people weren't in a posture to receive his healing. Reminds me of that old basketball adage: you miss 100% of the shots you don't take. You miss 100% of the opportunities to receive what Jesus has to offer that you don't ask for. Jesus wasn't sitting there waiting for their faith to get up to a certain level so he had the magical powers to be able to heal. He's not like Santa Claus, where he, you know, thrives on belief. No. What was happening is people didn't have the faith to humble themselves and come to Jesus in dependency. I mean, just look at the contrast between chapter five and chapter six. This woman in desperate straits comes to Jesus and she thinks, man, if I only touch his coat, I will get healed. This father who comes to Jesus and his daughter is sick, and then he finds out she's dead, and Jesus says, believe, and he does, and Jesus heals her. Why? Because he asked, because she asked, because she came to them, came to him.

SPEAKER_00 28:48

And when Jesus sees this lack of faith, the Bible says that he was amazed by it. Amazed.

SPEAKER_01 28:59

Now I think sometimes when we hear that word amazed, if you're anything like me, you you just automatically put a positive spin on it, right? Like amazed means really good. Like, oh man, that's incredible. No, no, no. That's not what Mark is communicating here. It's not like amazed, like, wow, I'm surprised. That's such an awesome thing. It's it's man, I am so deeply grieved that it's almost unbelievable that this is happening. Just think about some of these moments that we hear about. Someone is in the throes of addiction and they hit that rock bottom moment. Their family is torn apart, their kids are taken away, and the only hope that they have is to reach out in desperation and get into like a rehab program. And someone comes and they offer it to them.

SPEAKER_00 29:51

And they flip them the proverbial bird and go back to the needle or go back to the bottle.

SPEAKER_01 29:59

And if you're in that moment with that person, you are sitting there and you are amazed. Like, how could you not take this opportunity? It is your only way out. Why would you not choose it? This is what Jesus is feeling in this moment. Here's these people, and Jesus is coming to them, God in the flesh, offering them life abundantly, and they still say no.

SPEAKER_00 30:33

For those of you who've been sitting in the seats as a fan, here's something I want you to understand. Jesus is a gentleman. He will never force himself upon you.

SPEAKER_01 30:48

He will call you, he will invite you, he will have his arms embraced open for you. He will knock on the door incessantly and ask you if he can come in.

SPEAKER_00 31:00

But he will not force himself upon you.

SPEAKER_01 31:05

Jesus is asking you to come to him in faith, to trust him, to open yourself to him. And faith is not some abstract, vague sense of belief and some facts being true. Faith is bringing your real, actual need to Jesus. Jesus is not calling you to click like on his profile picture, to heart his content, even to attend his gatherings.

SPEAKER_00 31:35

Jesus is calling you to put your trust in him. And he's telling you, you can do that willingly. Because when you look at the way that he lived his life, the fact that he went to the cross for you, and yet he overcame death, then you can trust that he is actually the person who can restore whatever is needed in your life.

SPEAKER_01 32:12

Now, for those of us who are looking at this through the lens of the disciples, I want to just remind us that what Mark is inviting us to see is like this is where these two paths collide. Because you don't graduate from this space. The Christian life is not moving from need to strength. It's not like, well, Jesus, I needed you over here and now I'm good. I don't need you anymore. No, it's graduating from dependence to greater dependence. You never stop needing Jesus. In fact, the longer you've been a Christian, the more you need him, the more you recognize your need, the more you go in dependence on him, the more you say, Man, not my will but yours be done. And as these disciples are preparing to be sent on a mission, they need to understand this. As you and I are preparing to go out into the places where we live, learn, work, and play, we need to understand this. We never graduate from needing Jesus. Amen. And when we get this, when we take on this light yoke and this easy burden, what does it do? What actually empowers us to go out there with the right heart and the right posture? We can share our faith deeply. We can show our faith in tangible ways. We can invite people to enter into the community of faith. And we can do that without the weight of the results because we know that those rest on his shoulders. I said this a few weeks ago. We do not convert, convict, or convince anyone. We can't. But when we put that weight on ourselves, it will crush us. But Jesus is inviting us as he sends his disciples on a mission to recognize that they can rest that weight on him.

Gospel Hope And Reflection Questions

SPEAKER_00 33:54

I'm gonna invite the band to come up as I finish off. I said this earlier, but Nazareth, this scene, it's a preview of the cross. The people who knew him rejected him. They didn't just question him. At the cross, they crucified him.

SPEAKER_01 34:19

And I just want to remind us whether you identify more as a fan or a follower, every single one of us has Nazareth-like tendencies.

SPEAKER_00 34:31

I know I do.

SPEAKER_01 34:34

I have a temptation to reduce Jesus, to keep him at a distance, to admire him, but resist his actual call on my life. Sometimes my heart posture says, Jesus, I like what you say about love, but I'm not sure I want to dig into what you say about surrender.

SPEAKER_00 34:57

I'll take your encouragement. But I don't know about your lordship. And let me make this very clear.

SPEAKER_01 35:09

Even though we don't fully reject Jesus, every single one of us knows in our hearts that we don't fully trust him either.

SPEAKER_00 35:20

And the Bible has one word for this unbelief. But church, here is the scandal of the gospel.

SPEAKER_01 35:32

You see that very same Jesus that you and I resist, reject, reduce is the same Jesus who goes to the cross for us. And he who was rejected by his hometown, his people, the crowds, even his own disciples, the very people who are in the room watching this, does so so that we, those of us who have rejected him in our hearts, could still be received by God. And here's the beautiful thing when we embrace that, he takes our resistance, our pride, our unbelief, and he carries it to the cross on our behalf in exchange. Do you know what he offers us?

SPEAKER_00 36:15

Forgiveness, restoration, and new life. So the question today isn't this Have you heard about Jesus? The people in Nazareth had.

SPEAKER_01 37:05

Trust him with your life. Surrender to him as Lord. And the promise of the gospel is this. Everyone who comes to him in faith will not be turned away. Is that not good news, church? As I close off, I'm just gonna offer you three questions to reflect on. I don't have time for us to sit and dig into this. And so if you have your phone, take it out, take a picture of these questions. I say this often, but we don't want to just be hearers of the word. We want to be doers of the word. I can preach a sermon to you, but only the Holy Spirit can actually preach that sermon to your heart. So I just encourage you, make space for that. Whether it's your journal or you do this in your quiet time, you talk about this as a family over lunch or some friends as you go out to eat or with your missional community, or in a DNA group? Take some time and just ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you what he has. Here are three questions that can make space for that. Number one where am I admiring Jesus but not actually following him? Number two, where have I reduced Jesus to something more manageable? And number three, what need am I holding back instead of bringing it in faith to him?