We have been looking at the book of Luke and encounters that people have had with Jesus Christ.

  1. Storm that the disciples had no faith and were rebuked by Jesus.  Mark 4: 39
  2. Then a couple of examples come across their path of people that have incredible faith.
  3. Luke 8 Jairus if you will come, my daughter will be healed.
  4. Woman with an issue of blood comes up to Jesus and states if I can touch Him I will be healed.
  5. Then Jesus sent out the disciples into the labor fields.  Ekbello, to thrust into the harvest fields..  You are like sheep being tossed out among wolves, but do not fear.

 

  1. Jesus in home town.

There is a situation between the healing of Jairus daughter, woman with issue of blood, and Jesus sending out disciples as sheep among wolves.

Mark 6: 1 – 6

  1. People are amazed at stories that they have heard. Vs 2
  2. Flip from their amazement to a mockery of who he is.
    1. We know who you are.
    2. No awe of the person of Jesus
    3. Grew up with you and have been in this thing since the beginning.
    4. Have quite a family here with us.
    5. Offended at Jesus
      1. Stumbling block
      2. cause us to distrust and desert one whom we aught to trust
      3. Entangles our feet and annoys us.
  3. Now Jesus is amazed at their unbelief.

 

This verse can blow out my theology.  We have a God who can do anything at any time yet, he was hindered by their unbelief. “Because of their unbelief he could not do any miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick people.”

2. Problem of seeing and believing

  1. Disciples knew Jesus and didn’t trust him in a storm
  2. Neighbors grew up with Jesus and didn’t believe in him
  3. Jairus didn’t know him and trusted him to raise a dead daughter
  4. Woman didn’t know him and trusted just touching him would heal her.

 

EXAMPLE:  New believers that were living together and ran out of toilet paper.  They just believed God and prayed for some.  A neighbor came running over with a roll. they knew God could answer any prayer no matter how small

In our maturity and familiarity, we lose that. How?

We start to become professional

  1. We sing, but no longer hunger for the glory of God.
  2. WE go to more and more studies, yet we apply it less and less to our lives.
  3. Amazed by stories of what God is doing all over the world, but in our hometown?  Never.
  4. Not a passive issue because Hebrews 11: 6 without faith, it is impossible to please God.

3. First Partakers.

2 Timothy 2: 6 hardworking farmers should be the first to enjoy the fruit of their labor.  Thin about this and God will give you understanding.

We have to be first in understanding this if others are going to be changed.

Romans 4: 17 Father of many nations This happened because God who brings the dead back to life and who creates something out of nothing.

Doesn’t always start big though it is fought in the smallest battles.

  1. Vs 18 kept hoping even though there was no reason to hope.
  2. Body was as good as dead Vs 19
  3. Abraham never wavered in fact his faith grew stronger. (You are going to do a great work and my lack of faith is not going to stand in the way of it happening.
  4. Fully convinced God is able to do what he promised.
    1. Feet get all tangled up in “Yeah what about this?”
    2. We stumble over what we see instead of what the Bible says.
      1. Hebrews by faith we believe world was created out of nothing at God’s command.
      2. Noah built a boat that saved him from a world wide flood.
      3. Red Sea opened up and people walked through it.
  5. Fully convinced in small battle that made Abraham the father of many nations.

Here is the first fruit partaker.

Vs 23, 24, a It wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit.  It was recorded for our benefit too.

Imitate the Faith of Abraham.

4. Jesus thrusting us out into the harvest fields.

 

WE can follow the examples of Jairus and the woman who had the issue of blood, or we can follow the example of the home town of Jesus.  The disciples stepped out in faith and took that first step.