Sermon “Isn’t this the Carpenter”

Mark 6:1-5

Jesus has just left the area where he healed the demon possessed man, the women and raised the daughter from her death bed. He had performed these incredible miracles of faith. Now he finds himself home, the place where he grew up. The place he worked with father Joseph as the carpenter's son. I'm sure they had heard the stories and even seen him grown up.

Now he is a man and he has started his ministry, his life work, he is fulfilling his calling. He arrives with his disciples and he begins to teach and to perform miracles. The people are amazed! "What wisdom! And he does miracles"

Then there is a voice that rises above the crowd, a voice that everyone could hear a voice of "reason", a voice of doubt. "Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't he the son of Joseph? Isn't this Mary's son? Aren't his brothers and sisters here? Who does he think he is, he is no different from me and you! He has the nerve to come in here to lecture us! He is one of us, he isn't above us…he has no authority here! The people now where offended!

Like a fast poison the hearts of the crowd change, this voice has managed to silence the crowd and has hardened the hearts of all who heard. Jesus now was unable to perform any more miracles, except just a few simple healings. The town he had grown up in had rejected him.

Hometown

Jesus was rejected by the people who knew him or thought they knew him. He was rejected by preconceived ideas. They had already made up their mind about who he was. He was a common laborer.

Looking at this story we can say it is a story about the lack of faith. The people didn't have faith in Jesus and his message. In fact their lack of faith hampered what Jesus was trying to do, to change people lives. The people lacked faith. Have you ever thought you can keep Jesus from working in your life because you lack faith?

The thought that if we lack faith in Jesus and what Jesus can do, who Jesus is, we keep him from working in our lives, we don't believe in miracles, so miracles don't happen. How about changing our church, how about changing Rocklin, how about changing the people in our family? If we doubt Jesus, we can stop his work in us. How many blessings have we missed because we didn't believe?

If we believe Jesus can do a mighty work in this church, he will do a mighty work! If we believe Jesus can transform the city of Rocklin, through this little church, he will change the city. If we believe we can raise $10,000 dollars to send out four missionaries to Czech Republic, He will do it. It's all in believing and having faith in the faithfulness of God. Jesus said if we have the faith of a mustard seed, we can move mountains. If we put our faith in Jesus he can accomplish anything, "with man it is impossible, with God all things are possible". We serve a big God who can do incredible works, if we believe. It's all about faith.

Rejection

Jesus was rejected by the people closest to him. He was rejected by his hometown, his brothers and sisters rejected him. They thought he was 'out of his mind" and tried to convince him to stop. So if Jesus was rejected by those closest to him what can we expect? Many of our closest friends and family are going to reject you for your faith. Jesus said, "Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division.
From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three.

They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law."
(Luke 12:51-53)

Our family members and close friends know our warts; they know where we came from. Some are going to have difficulty getting pass that, so all we can do is live our live consistently in front of them. Let them see you putting your faith into practice in front of them. Be the first one there when life has its turns, show them the love of Christ and be ready to share.

Missed Opportunities

The main point for me is simply missed opportunities. How many times do we miss something because we have preconceived ideas, we have thought about something in our minds, we have heard something and we simply don't see it. We opened with a video of a man playing a violin in a subway station…here is the rest of the story.

Joshua Bell emerged from the Metro and positioned himself against a wall beside a trash basket. By most measures, he was nondescript—a youngish white man in jeans, a long-sleeved T-shirt, and a Washington Nationals baseball cap. From a small case, he removed a violin. Placing the open case at his feet, he shrewdly threw in a few dollars and pocket change as seed money and began to play.

For the next 45 minutes, in the D.C. Metro on January 12, 2007, Bell played Mozart and Schubert as over 1,000 people streamed by, most hardly taking notice. If they had paid attention, they might have recognized the young man for the world-renowned violinist he is. They also might have noted the violin he played—a rare Stradivarius worth over $3 million. It was all part of a project arranged by The Washington Post—"an experiment in context, perception, and priorities—as well as an unblinking assessment of public taste. In a banal setting, at an inconvenient time, would beauty transcend?"

Just three days earlier, Joshua Bell sold out Boston Symphony Hall, with ordinary seats going for $100. In the subway, Bell garnered about $32 from the 27 people who stopped long enough to give a donation.

How many times have we missed Jesus working in our lives because we were too busy? How many times have we simply missed Jesus trying to teach us something from service or through someone else because we didn't think the opportunity meant anything? In America we live our lives at break neck speeds. We feel ashamed if we stop or slow down. If we don't seem to be 'busy'.

People this morning I give you permission to stop, to slow down. Take time to look around! Stop and

spend time with your family! Stop and turn off the T.V., turn down the radio and just listen to God. Pray! And read your Bibles in the quiet somewhere, seek to know Christ. Rearrange your lives and stop to listen! Some of you are saying right now I can't Steve, I got to do what I'm doing. Here is what I will say to you, if it is important to you, you will find a way. If it means something to you, you'll find a way.

When that new T.V. show comes on, the one everyone is talking about, you find a way to watch it. People arrange their entire schedule, but they find a way. If you want to go see a concert, or watch a game you find a way. If you want that new car, you find a way. Why then when it comes to church, or reading our Bibles and praying we don't have time?

But what I fear the most is we simple don't see God working in and around our lives because we don't recognize him.

Cary Grant a famous Hollywood actor once told how he was walking along a street and met a fellow whose eyes locked onto him with excitement. The man said, "Wait a minute, you're ... you're--I know who you are; don't tell me--uh, Rock Hud--No, you're ..." Grant thought he'd help him, so he finished the man's sentence: "Cary Grant." And the fellow said, "No, that's not it! You're ..." There was Cary Grant indentifying himself with his own name, but the fellow had someone else in mind.

John says of Jesus, "He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him" (John 1:10 NIV). And even when Jesus identified who he was--the Son of God--the response was not a welcome recognition, but rather the Crucifixion.

This morning make it a priority in your life to know Christ.

-ps