Mark 6

Opening Illustration — “The Santa Clause”

The Santa Claus…

In putting on the suit and entering the sleigh the wearer waives any and all rights to any previous identity, real or implied, and fully accepts the duties and responsibilities or santa claus in perpetuity until such time that wearer becomes unable to do so by either accident or design.

“What does that mean?”

“It means you put on the suit, you’re the big guy.”

One of the main ideas in this movie is that you cannot see Santa Claus until you believe in him.

This is a common theme in fairy tale movies.

Transition

The Bible is not a fairy tale… it is true, historical fact.

Jesus is a true, historical figure, who actually lived in space and time.

But we see an element of this truth of faith in Jesus’ teaching as well.

As we look at Mark 6 this evening, we are going to see that faith plays a vital role in what God allows us to experience.

What we are going to see in Mark 6 is that God does not perform miracles and reveal Himself to those who express unbelief.

But to those who come to Him in faith, they do have the privilege of experiencing His power and presence.

Proposition — Faith is the key that unlocks God’s power

1. The Results of Unbelief

In these first three stories of Mark 6, we see the results of unbelief.

a. Jesus’ Power is Withheld

Mark 6:1—6.

Summary

Jesus preaches in his home town.

They marvel at his teaching, but refuse to believe in him because of their familiarity with his family.

Jesus withholds his power because of their unbelief.

Key Idea — We may not be experiencing Jesus’ power because of our unbelief

It’s not that Jesus can’t do miracles… but that He chooses not to because of their lack of faith.

b. Jesus’ Presence is Removed

Mark 6:7—13.

Summary

Jesus sends out His disciples to preach and heal.

He commands them to receive the generosity of those who accept them, but to leave those towns that refuse to accept and believe their message.

They are not to stay there and continue speaking.

Key Idea — We may not be experiencing Jesus’ presence because of our unbelief

The disciples follow Jesus’ method of preaching, and validating their teaching with the power of healing.

They do end up healing many because of their faith.

But those who refuse to listen are left with judgement.

c. Jesus’ Restraints are Withdrawn

Mark 6:14—29.

Summary

We learn of John the Baptist’s death.

When he hears of Jesus, he thinks John the Baptist has been raised from the dead.

He loved to listen to John the Baptist, but apparently this never resulted in His true saving faith.

Key Idea — We may know and love Jesus’ teaching, yet remain unchanged

Herod loved to listen to John, but the message didn’t sink into his heart.

Because he rejected the teaching of John, God began to remove the restraints in his life.

This is what led him to kill John even though he was innocent and had done nothing wrong.

This is consistent with Romans 1.

2. The Results of Faith

In the next three stories in Mark 6, we see the results of faith in Christ and His teaching.

To those who express faith…

Jesus Leads and Guides

Mark 6:30—44.

Summary

Jesus and his disciples have been crazy busy, but people continue coming to them.

Jesus has compassion on them because they are like sheep without a shepherd.

So he teaches them to lead and guide them.

Key Idea — Jesus will be a faithful shepherd to us when we come to Him in faith

This is the heart of Psalm 23… the Lord is my shepherd.

He longs to lead and guide those who come to Him.

Jesus is Present in the Storm

Mark 6:45—52.

Summary

The disciples cross to the other side in a boat while Jesus takes time to pray.

Jesus sees that they are battling a cross-wind, and walks on the water to come to them.

He calms their fears, and the wind stops.

Key Idea — Jesus will be with us, even when we meet trials of various kinds

We are not promised that God will take away all of our problems when we come to Him in faith.

But we do know that Jesus will be with us!

Jesus is our Healer

Mark 6:53—56.

Summary

When they reached the other side, everyone came to Him to be healed.

Because of their faith, Jesus is able to do many miracles.

Key Idea — Jesus has the power to heal in this life, but most importantly… the life to come

We need to have faith that Jesus can heal in this life.

Sometimes I wonder if we don’t see healing more because of our lack of faith.

But ultimately our hope is in Jesus’ ability to raise our bodies from the dead, and give us eternal bodies that will never again experience sickness and disease.

We will be in His presence for all eternity!

Closing

This is only possible through our faith in Jesus Christ!

There is no amount of works that can be done to earn God’s salvation.

When we have unbelief, then:

We do not experience Jesus’ power, or presence, and He actually gives us over to ourselves.

When we have faith, then:

Jesus leads us like a shepherd, is present with us through His Spirit, and will ultimately heal the weakness of our earthly bodies.

Proposition — Faith is the key that unlocks God’s power

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Where in your life do you see evidence that you lack faith?

In what ways do you think you can seek to grow your faith?