• There is an unwritten "rule" that exists in ministry. It’s a "rule" most ministers recognize. The rule: "Never return as pastor to your childhood church." So often going back home just won’t work, because folk in your childhood church often know you too well to ever accept you as their pastor.
• In the 17th century, a writer, Matthew Henry, commented: "...ministers are seldom so acceptable and successful in their own country as among strangers; familiarity in the younger years breeds a contempt, and the advancement of one felt an inferior begets envy."
• This was even true with Jesus. Let's look at his Class Reunion, or homecoming.
Mar 6:1 He went away from there and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him.
• Nazareth, the town where Jesus was raised after His family moved back from Egypt.
• There, Joseph set up his business, working with wood.
• He was not a home builder, but more of a furniture and tool builder.
Mar 6:2 And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished, saying, "Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands?
Mar 6:3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him.
• Jesus left Nazareth as a carpenter, but came back as a traveling Rabbi with students and a following.
• Why did the people take offense?
• First, they were confused about His doctrines.
• “Where did this man get these things?”
• Other places were amazed that He didn't teach as the other traveling Rabbis but as one having authority.
• Second, they were confused by His wisdom. “What is the wisdom...”
• The indication is that they had issues with some of His sayings so they questioned Him.
• His answers were swift and reasonable, not something they could easily argue with.
• Third about His sudden gifts of miracles. “How are such mighty works done....”
• Jesus had lived with them twenty-five plus years and they didn't recall Him doing miracles.
• I can assume, and you may join me, that Jesus live an unassuming quiet life.
• This passage answers questions for me whether Jesus went about as a youth doing miracles.
• No, He was just a hometown boy no one expected to rise above the carpentry shop.
• “Isn't this the carpenter?”, they ask?
• They didn't ask if He was the carpenter's son.
• He had assumed the occupation of His earthly dad, quietly, as early as he could carry a hammer.
• Fourth, they were amazed by his heritage.
• “Isn't this Mary's son, and we know His brothers and sisters?”
• This was probably even said in a derogatory way.
• People were not referred to by their mothers in those days.
• To do so may have indicated that they always suspected something fishy about His birth.
• No doubt, He probably didn't look a bit like Joseph.
• The sum of these amazements was not acceptance or marvel, but rejection.
• They were offended by Him.
• Hometown boy was the last one to be expected to rise above His History, Heritage and Home.
• Jesus pulls out an old proverb to emphasize the point.
Mar 6:4 And Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household."
• I find it interesting that Jesus begins with the home town, then the extended family (relatives), and then the household.
• I believe He is saying, the closer one get's back home, the less serious He is taken.
Mar 6:5 And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them.
• One of the saddest verses in the Bible.
• The issue isn't that Jesus did not have the power to do mighty works.
• Jesus said “All power is given to me in heaven and earth.”
• The shocking reality is the same as we have discussing for several weeks.
• God honors our right to choose.
• God chose not to violate the system He established.
• Let me point out something I hope we do not miss.
• No might works were performed, but just some healings.
• As we have been mentioning, we tend to look at healings as the most major manifestation of God's power.
• Isn't it interesting that God, in His Holy Word, refers to healings as though they were minor miracles?
• Jesus wants to do something bigger in your life than physical healing and well-being.
• This body is temporary. However, our souls are eternal.
• Any work God does in our souls is much bigger than any healing He would do in our bodies.
Mar 6:6 And he marveled because of their unbelief. And he went about among the villages teaching.
• The word used for marvel does not even slightly suggest anger, disappointment, or shame.
• It does portray amazement. So Jesus was amazed and moved on.
• The term village means neighborhoods. It could mean people.
• The Church was offended, so He went to the neighborhood.
• He couldn't do mighty works in the Church, so He went to the people.
• Sometimes....sometimes, church hurts our relationship with God.
• It doesn't have to, but it can. We should seek to safeguard against it.
• Look at the people here. They were:
• Amazed at His teachings.
• Marveled at His Wisdom.
• Wondered at the testimonies of other places.
• Blocked by their familiarity.
• WOW!
• What does that tell us today.
I. Familiarity can dampen our worship.
• There are some things here that are painful to recognize.
• What God blessed yesterday doesn't mean that is the path to blessings.
• Yesterday, we sought God with our whole hearts.
• God honored that, and we sang songs to honor Him.
• Just like the Israelites of old, we can easily shift our worship from Him to the things He blessed.
• We can worship the music. Order of service.
• We can come to Church, just like we always have, and worship the place where He used to meet with us.
• What does God want from us in our worship?
• Hearts that focus on Him, not that we sing the right songs.
• Prayers that are focused on Him, not the phrases we have always said in prayer.
• We need to make sure that our worship is “Him-focused”, and that nothing beyond seeking Him is sacred.
II. Familiarity can weaken our faith.
• I believe God want to do a new thing here in Eula.
• He wants us to be a part of it.
• However, familiarity can tempt us to think, “Things will never change here.”
• “People don't change. We have asked for this before.”
• “I have prayed for old so-and-so for years and they are just going to stay the same.”
• We set our expectations by what we know, what we have seen.
• However, I remind you that God is bigger than what we know.
• He can do more that what we have seen.
• He is calling for a new faith, a new trust.
• I still believe that “... the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him.” 2 Chronicles 16:9.
• I still believe that God can part the waters and make a way of escape when we see no way.
• ...that God can send us to battle with five small stones to take on the biggest, meanest Giant we've ever seen, and He will fight for us.”
• I still believe that I can do all things through Christ who is my strength, my God supplies all my needs through Christ Jesus, and all things work together for my good because it is for God's glory.
• We need to make sure we don't believe that what we have seen in the past is the limit for God today.
• We need to believe in a bigger, stronger, limitless God who loves us more than we can know.
III. Familiarity can stop the work of God.
• If familiarity can hinder our worship and weaken our faith, I assure you that it can stop the hand of God in Eula.
• Familiarity can cause God to move on.
• It can stop God in our neighborhood, in our ministry to our relatives, and in our households.
• What can break the bond of familiarity in our homes, families and community?
• There is something God has given us to defeat tendency.
• It is the power of a changed life.
• Something we have with those who are most familiar with us that a missionary, traveling evangelist or stranger carrying God's message does not have is the testimony of our changed lives.
• Yet, we have to be willing to let God do a work in our lives.
• We have a tendency to think we have it down perfectly.
• We have a tendency to accept our flaws and expect others to accept them.
• But let's be honest. I am not as perfect as I think.
• And you are not as accepting of my quirks as I hope.
• My flaws stop the flow of Christ in my life, limit the transformation He wants to do in my life, and weaken my testimony.
• My friends are all too familiar with my sinfulness.
• And your friends and family members are familiar with yours.
• But what happens to their hearts when they see God make authentic changes in your life?
• It blows the familiarity away, opens them up to faith and draws them to worship of the Almighty God who could change even you. (transition)
• Not only were the people amazed, but Jesus was amazed, and I believe He too was offended.
• I don't want to offend God with my percieved familiarity with Him.
• I want to believe my God is bigger than I understand and loves me more than I can know while I am on this earth.
• “Jump son”, “But dad, I can't see you.” “Son, I can see you. That's all that matters. Jump.”
