May 9 = Life of Christ #091 The People of Nazareth Refuse to Believe (Matthew 13:53-58; Mark 6:1-6)

Jesus Rejected Again (Nazareth)
Matthew 13:53-58
Mark 6:1-6a


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Mark 6:5‐6 ‐‐ “He could not do any miracles there, except lay His hands on a few sick people and heal them.  And He was amazed at their lack of faith.”   

Jesus chose to become fully human to live and walk as you do.  He walked like you yet

He performed miracles, spoke great wisdom, and lived in a way that drew people to God.  While living on earth, He learned to commune and connect with God in a way that made Him an incredible conduit for God’s life and work to flow through Him.  

This verse presents the dichotomy of One who oozed faith and those whose faith was so weak that God was not able to touch their lives in the smallest way.  In your life, there are many areas where you exhibit great faith and experience God’s presence – but what areas have you closed off from God?  Where have you subconsciously or deliberately excluded God due to unbelief, doubt, or shame?  Even disobedience is a reflection of unbelief of who God is and what He says He will do.  

God wants to live and demonstrate His life in every area of your life.  There is no area from which God wants to be excluded.  The only thing that keeps God from demonstrating His life and power is your faith to invite Him to do so ‐‐ a faith that believes all things are possible because of God’s grace, love, and desire to be involved with you.  Jesus desired to do miracles in those people’s lives.  But their faith limited what He did among them.  Jesus wants you to walk and live as He lived.  Faith is the portal into God’s world.  Jesus is our greatest example of a Man who by faith allowed God’s full magnificence to be lived through Him.  May your faith not exclude God from any area of your life so that God’s full power, love, and glory might be lived through you!   

Hebrews 4:14‐16 ‐‐ “Therefore, since we have a great High Priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.  For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have One who has been tempted in every way, just as we are — yet was without sin.  Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” 

John 14:12 ‐‐ “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in Me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.”  

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May 3 = Life of Christ #087 Jesus Calms The Storm (Matthew 8:23-27; Mark 4:35-41; Luke 8:22-25)

Jesus Calms The Sea (Sea of Galilee)
Matthew 8:23-27
Mark 4:35-41
Luke 8:22-25


What is the worst storm you remember?

God is ... What do we learn about God in this passage?

We are ... What do we learn about people in this passage?

What is Jesus teaching his disciples by ignoring and then rebuking the storm?

What tone did Jesus use in Luke 8:25?

I will ... What has the Holy Spirit revealed to us in this passage? How will I apply it to my life this today?

Comparing your life to a storm, what would it be like right now: Partly cloudy? Lightning? Raging? Clearing up? What do you wish Jesus would do for you?

You can ... Who do you know who needs to hear this? Feel free to share with others by social media links at the bottom of this.

#Faith

#Fear

Other Resources:

Further Reading
“Who is this?”


https://youtu.be/CYlAMMW2VX8

Series Questions Jesus Asked

Title: Why Are You So Afraid?

Bookmark: Click Here

Opening Thoughts:

v  This time of year, some people go looking to make them afraid.

o   Sometimes fear does good work. “Be Ware of Dog”

o   Fear can be crippling sometimes.

o   What do you do with your fear?

 

Text: Mark 4:35-41

Jesus Calms the Storm

35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

 

Summarize main story: Describe the events of the story in your own words.

·          Review and retell the story.

Reflections for applications:

v  Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?

o   Fear is a reaction to the unwanted possibility of bad news.

v  Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?

o   Fear is a feeling. Faith is an action.

§  Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is being sure we will get what we hope for. It is being sure of what we cannot see.

§  Mark 9:24 Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

o   In the face of fear, act in faith.

§  Matthew 10:28-31 28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

o   Trust.

§  Stand on the solid ground of your faith. Trust God.

Digging Questions:

·         How will you respond to this question Jesus asked?

·         What do these biblical texts tell you about God and His nature?

·         What is God calling us to do?

Take Away Challenges

·         What has the Holy Spirit revealed to you in this passage? How will you apply it to your life this week?

·         Whom do you know who needs to hear this?

·         What is God bringing to your attention in this discussion? What beliefs, thoughts or actions need to be addressed or changed?

Hash tags #Reward #Jesus #enemies

Sunday sermon link                      https://youtu.be/CYlAMMW2VX8

Kevin’s Blog Link to more resources: Click here for Kevin’s Blog Notes

Comments and resources with some more details:

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+4%3A35-41&version=NIV

 

The Chaotic Journey June 19, 2022 David Young

https://vimeo.com/722269466
https://youtu.be/HSnyXk7Mos0?t=1557

https://youtu.be/OC95Za6JYI8?list=PLFcO2Quu62KLWLVlxkB0OuOWSLiTAxz4n

April 25 = Life of Christ #081 Jesus Tells the Parable Of The Mustard Seed (Matthew 13:31-32; Mark 4:30-32)

Parable Of The Mustard Seed

Matthew 13:31,32

Mark 4:30-34

Parables -

Parables of the Mustard Seed and Yeast

Matthew 13:31-33

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Mustard Seed Faith — There are people all around you with low self-esteem, because everybody has insecurities.

In fact, studies have shown that the younger you are when you first experience rejection, the more serious implications it has in your life. It’s almost like a curse when people say, “You’re not going to amount to anything. You don’t matter.”

How do you reverse a curse? You start believing what Jesus says about you instead of believing what other people say about you. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 13:7, “If you love someone, you will be loyal to him no matter what the cost. You will always believe in him, always expect the best of him, and always stand your ground in defending him.”

Jesus wants you to believe in others the way he believes in you. Jesus affirmed people around him. When he looked at people, he saw their potential and what God intended them to be. He brought out the best in people not by labeling them but by saying, “I believe you can do it. I know you can do it.”

Look at this series of verses:

“If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17:20

“Everything is possible for one who believes.” Mark 9:23b

“Then Jesus told them, ‘I tell you the truth, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more.” Matthew 21:21

“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.” John 14:12

How is that possible? When Jesus Christ was physically on Earth, he could only be in one place at one time. Now, Jesus puts the Holy Spirit in me and you and anyone who believes in Jesus Christ as Savior. Jesus believes you can do great works because you have the Holy Spirit in you. He believes in you!

Jesus wants you to believe in others, too, and express to them the potential you see in them to do great things for God.

“Help each other with the faith we have. Your faith will help me, and my faith will help you.” Romans 1:12

Opening Questions — Get Us Thinking:

· If you think you are too small to be effective, you have never been in bed with a mosquito.

· Can you think of a person in your past who might have planted “mustard seed” in you?

The Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast — Matthew 13:31-35

31He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”

33He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds^b of flour until it worked all through the dough.”

34Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. 35So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet:

“I will open my mouth in parables,

I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.”

Research Questions — “Dig Deeper” to find God’s Will

1. What is the main point of this parable?

2. In these parables, what aspects of Jesus’ ministry seem small? What is the promise if the small seed is sown?

3. What does this passage say it takes to grow spiritually?

4. If these are the elementary things of the Word — what do you think would be the “mature” things?

5. At what spiritual age should a Christian begin to feed on the “mature” things?

6. When you see a mature Christian, what makes you identify him or her as mature?

7. What are some reasons why so many Christians remain at the elementary level?

8. How does the kingdom of heaven become evident to others?

9. In what ways can a church involve “infant” Christians and make them feel like members of the family?

Reflective Questions — Live it today.

1. Where (in your life or in Christ’s church) have you seen faith like “yeast” or a “mustard seed” have a great impact?

2. What are some telltale signs that we have our spiritual life separated from all the other areas of our life?

3. What would you become if you truly allowed God’s kingdom within you to penetrate all these vital areas: your intellectual life, your professional life, your social life, your recreational life, and your emotional life?

4. Have your feelings changed as you have matured in your spiritual life?

 God can turn small beginnings into great endings. Seeds of faith can become towering trees of spiritual strength and leadership.

Further Reading
Kingdom Parables