Sermon Oct 11
Mark 6:1-6
Jesus goes home. He does ordinary things extraordinarily well. “AND THEY TOOK OFFENSE AT HIM.” Why did they take offense? Sometimes what you think you know gets in the way of the truth. Prejudice. Ignorance is a dangerous thing! If you make a decision based on your prejudices you will make bad decisions. Truth matters but truth can be hard to find if prejudices stand in the way. Jesus connects FAITH with MIRACLES. MORE FAITH, MORE MIRACLES. NO FAITH, NO MIRACLES.
HOW DOES FAITH FACTOR INTO THE EQUATION? Does your faith allow God to have power? Faith is “pistis” in Greek which means, “trust, confidence, reliability.” The verb is “pisteo” meaning, “to believe, trust or rely.” FAITH is NOT just something you believe as a precept or truth; AN IDEA. FAITH is NOT a magical force. Jesus began His ministry inMark 1:15 by saying, “The Kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the gospel.” REPENT: “to turn from or leave behind your own will, understanding and ways.
BELIEVE: “to ALIGN with His will, understanding and ways. Then, in Chapter 5… the bleeding woman was healed and a child was brought back to life. Jesus said to the father and mother… “believe,” have faith (pistis). He said to the woman, “your faith (pistis) has healed you.” We can see that her faith is the means by which she participates in what Jesus is doing (alignment). Illustration: Filling a bottle requires three things: 1) A full bottle. 2) An empty bottle. 3) Alignment. Jesus is the full bottle. His power is never ending. Repentance is emptying yourself of yourself so you can be filled with the power of God. Alignment means that you are in agreement with God (pistis; faith) and His power will not miss you.
Discussion Questions
1. Jesus says, “repent and believe the gospel.” How does the bottle illustration help you understand what it means to repent and believe?
2. Faith is an active word. It represents holding your bottle in line with God’s truth. In practical terms what might it look like for you to align your life with God so that you can receive His power?
3. What happens if you try to align with God without first repenting? How does this affect your ability to receive His power?
