Equipped And Empowered - 1.1

Focus Verses

Mark 6:4–7 “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. And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them. And he marvelled because of their unbelief. And he went round about the villages, teaching. And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits;”

Mark 6:12–13 “And they went out, and preached that men should repent. And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.”

Truth About God: God is greater than all our preconceptions.

Truth For My Life: I will surrender to Jesus to minister through me.

I. Homecoming

The Temple in Jerusalem had been destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BC, and the majority of survivors had been marched to Babylon to live out their lives in captivity.

Israel could not longer celebrate feast days at the Temple.

Seventy years after the first deportation, the exiles began returning under Persian King Cyrus . Without a temple for their traditional feasts and sacrificial worship, the people started meeting in their communities for Sabbath where the practice of reading from the scrolls started.

Synagogue: Transliteration of the Greek word synagōgē, meaning “a gathering together.” It is used more than 50 times in the NT, mostly for the religious gathering places of Jewish communities in Palestine and throughout the disperson. The word synagōgē is usually the Greek rendering of Hebrew words in the OT that speak of the assembling or assembly of the people. Only in one place is the word “synagogue” used in some English translations of the OT (Ps 74:8 kjv). Psalm 74 speaks essentially of the destruction of the temple, and probably verse 8 is probably better translated “every place where God was worshiped in the land” (niv). It is doubtful whether the synagogue had been developed at the time when the psalm was written.

The synagogues were regarded as the central space for prayer scripture reading, and instruction in the Law; vital practices in the Jewish Community.

A. Jesus Taught in The Synagogue in Nazareth

Mark 6:1–2 “And he went out from thence, and came into his own country; and his disciples follow him. 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?”

On the Sabbath, Jesus would interact with the people and perform miracles in the synagogues wherever he would go. In the Jewish community, the synagogue on the Sabbath, would be the place where majority of the people would gather, providing an opportunity for Jesus to teach and heal them.

After spending time in surrounding communities, Jesus returned home during the Sabbath and as it was his custom, he entered into the Synagogue and began to teach. The news about the miracles and teachings of Jesus began to circulate; increasing curiosity.

Luke 4:17–19 “And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.”

Each week, a portion of the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings were read aloud during the Sabbath service in the Synagogue. Jesus opened the scroll of Isaiah 61.

B. Jesus’ Family and Hometown Friends Rejected Him as Messiah

When Jesus read from the book of Isaiah, he was reading the prophecy regarding the coming Messiah. Luke 4:20–21 “And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.” He was making the claim that He was the Messiah that they were waiting for.

Mark 6:3–4 “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. 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.”

The familial connection (e.g., family lineage, conceived while Mary and Joseph were still engaged, etc.) was made to humanize Jesus. They were making the point, that Jesus was one of them...

Consider how his own family members (e.g., siblings) could have been embarrassed by his claim of being the fulfillment of the prophecy in Isaiah 61. It was also blasphemy to make those claims if it were note true.

In Luke 4:22-24, he referenced two examples from the scriptures where the outsiders (Gentiles), not the people of Israel, received miracles and the favor of God.

Elijah was sent to The Widow in Sidon - not the many widows in Israel during the famine

In the time of Elisha, although many lepers were in Israel, Naaman the Syrian was cleansed

Those gathered in the Synagogue understood that Jesus was implying they would be “passed over and replaced” by the Gentiles. There excitement and curiosity turned into anger and they “all rose up, forced Him out of the city and to the edge of the hill, intending to throw Him over the cliff.”

C. Nazareth Missed Out on Miracles because of their Unbelief

Mark 6:5–6 “And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them. And he marvelled because of their unbelief. And he went round about the villages, teaching.”

The lack of miracles was not because of Jesus’s inability to perform the miracles but was because of their lack of faith. Wherever Jesus went, he would teach from the scriptures and heal the sick - If those in Nazareth with have embraced the good news of the Savior and believed the same wonders could happen, they would have seen many miracles.

QUESTION: What would have been possible in Nazareth if their response had been acceptance and faith?

D. I Will Believe Jesus is Who He Said He is

Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

Faith in Jesus yields powerful testimonies - WE MUST BELIEVE Jesus is and He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

UNBELIEVER: To many people, Jesus is just a man who lived a long time ago and is no longer relevant; they are skeptical of reports of miraculous healings and deliverance from addictions THROUGH PRAYER AND FAITH IN THE NAME OF JESUS.

BELIEVER: Have confidence He lives and He is ever present in our lives. He is the Lord of Glory, the one holy God who came in flesh and lived among us.

Jesus came to fulfill all righteousness and provide access to a spiritual kingdom and the promise of everlasting life.

Matthew 3:14–15 “But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.”

John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:14 “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”

QUESTION: How does our belief about Jesus affect our ability to believe in miracles, sigs, and wonders?

II. JESUS SENT HIS TWELVE DISCIPLES

Mark 6:6 “And he marvelled because of their unbelief. And he went round about the villages, teaching.”

Without missing a beat, we see the transition from “he marvelled because of their unbelief” to his continuing mission: “he went round about the villages, teaching.”

If we reject Jesus’s message and His Miracles - He will find another hungry and willing to accept

A. Although Rejected Nazareth, Jesus Sent His Disciples to Minister

Mark 6:7–8 “And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits; And commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, save a staff only; no scrip, no bread, no money in their purse:”

Jesus multiplied His Ministry when he called the Twelve Disciples and empowered them to spread the message of the Kingdom

He taught them to go out in faith. They would learn to depend on God to provide.

B. Jesus Ministered through the Twelve to Preach and Work Wonders.

Mark 6:12–13 “And they went out, and preached that men should repent. And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.”

Their obedience to Jesus and faith enabled them to see miraculous results.

They learned Jesus could also work through them to accomplish great signs and miracles they saw Jesus work.

QUESTION: Discuss how you can work together with others in your church to serve.

C. I Will Surrender to Jesus to Minister through Me

He has empowered and equipped us in this world to fulfill the commission and continue the purpose for which He came.

John 14:12 “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.”

Mark 16:15–18 “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.”

Jesus is present in EVERY PERSON who receives His Spirit. He is working in us to fulfill the purpose.