2005-02-27 Communion Dedication - Baldwin Christian Church

Mark 6:1-6

1. And he went out from thence, and came into his own country; and his disciples follow him.
2. And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands?
3. Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.

Obviously they had not concluded that He came from God.

4. But Jesus, said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.
5. And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them.
6. And he marvelled because of their unbelief. And he went round about the villages, teaching.

Isn't it so often true that people will condemn themselves by their own words? When I read verse 2, I read the confession of people who witnessed mighty works of Jesus, but they didn't believe Him, in fact, He was an offense to them! It makes me wonder if they ever put 2 and 2 together; the fact that they were offended at Him, and His mighty works ceased. This is a perfect example of God's love. Perfect love is unforced; it wants to help you, but it allows you to make your own decisions. If people didn't want to believe in Jesus, He, being the perfect gentleman, would not force a magic show on them. They couldn't reconcile in their minds the fact that this lowly carpenter was doing such great things, so they got mad at Him! People still do that today. They'll come up with excuses for their lack of faith, and they'll say, "If there is a God, then why does He allow suffering? Is He blind? Why doesn't He do something to end all the problems in the world today?" The simple answer is that there is One God, and He does see all our problems. He wants to help us, but He's a perfect gentleman, and He's not going to come in and force His help on people who are offended by Him. It makes me wonder if they'll ever put 2 and 2 together.

Ask for Communion Prayer in agreement for the defence of the public display of the Ten Commandments on March 2, before the Supreme Court.