Sermon Notes - June 9, 2024
Follow Me / Mark 6 / Offense & Unbelief
Pastor Chris Pletcher
Recap: Mark 1-5 // Who is this Man?
He commands unclean spirits and they flee
He shows compassion for the lepers and they are cleansed
He lifts the paralyzed to their feet
He has the authority on earth to forgive sins!
He infuriates and confuses religious people
He teaches with AUTHOR-ity and casts out demons
He speaks to violent windstorms and they obey
He brings deliverance to oppressed outcasts that no one else can help
People that touch Him in faith get healed from incurable diseases
People that He touches get raised from the dead!
THE SECOND ADAM IS HERE, AND HE IS SUBDUING THE EARTH.
He is binding the strong man and plundering his house.
He is re-establishing dominion for mankind.
He is restoring the devastated places of His creation.
THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A MAN LIKE THIS BEFORE.
He does the things that NO ONE ELSE can do. Many are experiencing the inbreaking of His Kingdom, but many others are not so sure about this carpenter from Nazareth.
Mark 6 //
Jesus Rejected at Nazareth
He went away from there and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. 2 And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands? 3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. 4 And Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.” 5 And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6 And he marveled because of their unbelief. And he went about among the villages teaching.
Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Apostles
7 And he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. 8 He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belts— 9 but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics. 10 And he said to them, “Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you depart from there. 11 And if any place will not receive you and they will not listen to you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” 12 So they went out and proclaimed that people should repent. 13 And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them.
The Death of John the Baptist
14 King Herod heard of it, for Jesus' name had become known. Some said, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead. That is why these miraculous powers are at work in him.” 15 But others said, “He is Elijah.” And others said, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.” 16 But when Herod heard of it, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.” 17 For it was Herod who had sent and seized John and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, because he had married her. 18 For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife.” 19 And Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death. But she could not, 20 for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he heard him gladly.
21 But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his nobles and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. 22 For when Herodias's daughter came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests. And the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it to you.” 23 And he vowed to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom.” 24 And she went out and said to her mother, “For what should I ask?” And she said, “The head of John the Baptist.” 25 And she came in immediately with haste to the king and asked, saying, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.” 26 And the king was exceedingly sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he did not want to break his word to her. 27 And immediately the king sent an executioner with orders to bring John's head. He went and beheaded him in the prison 28 and brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother. 29 When his disciples heard of it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.
Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand
30 The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. 31 And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. 32 And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves. 33 Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. 34 When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things. 35 And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late. 36 Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” 37 But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.” And they said to him, “Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?” 38 And he said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” And when they had found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.” 39 Then he commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties. 41 And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And he divided the two fish among them all. 42 And they all ate and were satisfied. 43 And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. 44 And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men.
Jesus Walks on the Water
45 Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. 46 And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray. 47 And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. 48 And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them, 49 but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, 50 for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”51 And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, 52 for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.
Jesus Heals the Sick in Gennesaret
53 When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored to the shore. 54 And when they got out of the boat, the people immediately recognized him 55 and ran about the whole region and began to bring the sick people on their beds to wherever they heard he was. 56 And wherever he came, in villages, cities, or countryside, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and implored him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well.
1) Familiarity Breeds Contempt // Beware of the spirit of OFFENSE!
This spirit questions so that it can discredit… but ultimately, its goal is to secretly spread offense so that it can create atmospheres of UNBELIEF.
Questions WISDOM
“Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him?”
Sometimes those closest to you can’t accept the unique wisdom or anointing that God has given to you. You will spot them by their questions and by their offense. Don’t be discouraged when you are misunderstood by your family or your friends. Even Jesus was. Don’t return the offense. Bless and love them.
The ultimate goal of the spirit of OFFENSE is to rob people of the FAITH that could actually be the key to their breakthrough. If the enemy can get people to trip on the stumbling stone of offense, then they will fall short of what Jesus wants to do in their hearts and lives… if only they could believe.
Questions POWER
“How are such mighty works done by his hands? 3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon?”
For some reason, we get offended when God gives wisdom and power to other people. And if we fall into this trap, we unknowingly become a hindrance to the miraculous occurring around us. Offense kills faith, which means offense kills the atmosphere REQUIRED FOR MIRACLES TO HAPPEN.
Acts 4:7-13 // And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” 8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, 9 if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, 10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. 11 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. 12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” 13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.
Anyone who will invest time to be with Jesus can become a disciple that serves, helps, heals, teaches, shepherds, wins the lost, carries wisdom, or discernment, or authority that can impact the world around them. And this is exactly what we see happen next…
Mark 6:7-13 // And he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. 8 He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belts— 9 but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics. 10 And he said to them, “Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you depart from there. 11 And if any place will not receive you and they will not listen to you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” 12 So they went out and proclaimed that people should repent. 13 And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them.
2) Familiarity also Breeds AUTHORITY (for those who have FAITH)
The simple and amazing truth about those closest to Jesus. Those who cannot accept His words become offended and hardened. Those who trust and treasure His words become entrusted and commissioned.
In Nazareth, familiarity killed the atmosphere for revival… but in the surrounding villages, Jesus’s students did greater works than Jesus Himself could do in His hometown! We cannot overstate the importance of FAITH as the dividing line.
FAITH //
Hebrews 11:1-6 // Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible… And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
FAITH = Believing that the word of God has more creative power than anything
FAITH = Believing that God interacts with and rewards those who seek Him
Romans 4:13; 16-21 // For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith… 16 That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, 17 as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. 18 In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” 19 He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. 20 No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21 fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.
FAITH is clinging to what you’ve been told even when what you see looks different.
FAITH is something that can weaken or strengthen depending on your FOCUS.
FAITH must be tested in order to separate the faithless from the friends of God.
3) John’s Beheading // Our first true glimpse of the COST and the CROSS
Mark 6:17-20 // For it was Herod who had sent and seized John and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, because he had married her. 18 For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife.” 19 And Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death. But she could not, 20 for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he heard him gladly.
This is a very important passage for the times we are living in. We see a prophetic, spiritual leader calling out the King, a political leader, for breaking the law. And Mark offers no disclaimer, no suggestion that religion and politics should stay separate… He is simply stating the fact that the political world of the King was being influenced by Jesus and by John, and that at least John was speaking directly into the political world, calling its leaders to account.
4) Those who guard the SEED of God’s word produce the BREAD that feeds God’s people.
Mark 4:3-9 // “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. 5 Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil.6 And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. 8 And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” 9 And he said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
What’s amazing is that the feeding of the 5000 came as they followed Jesus and His invitation to a desolate place of REST. Did you catch that?
Mark 6:30-33 // The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. 31 And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. 32 And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves. 33 Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things.
It is often at our weakest that God can use us in the mightiest way.
It is often in our exhaustion that God will teach us that His resources go beyond the natural laws.
It is often when we feel like we have no time for ourselves that God reminds us of His great compassion for others. It is often our simplest, smallest offerings of faith that God multiplies beyond our wildest dreams.
Response Questions //
Are you carrying any questions or offense towards those in spiritual authority?
Has unbelief been allowed to take root anywhere in your life?
In what area can you cling to what you’ve been told even when what you see looks different?
How can I begin to obey God and honor a weekly Sabbath day of rest?