This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, July 01, 2007, and was taken from Mark 6:1-13.
The Christian world view does not dominate our culture like it once did. People haven’t quit believing in God, they have just begun to believe in a multitude of gods. They feel a natural connection with the sacred. People say “I turn to the power within in times of crisis.”, trusting in that personal, experiential truth, as opposed to that revealed truth found in God’s word. “I’m very spiritual, I’m just not religious.” which really means “I don’t like rules or institutions like the church.” We believe in anything and everything, which means we believe in nothing. Increasingly spiritual, America, by biblical standards, is a nation of unbelievers. In many ways we are a secular society.
And we have been asked to take the gospel to an unbelieving world, which is much like the first-century Greco-Roman world where the Christian gospel first appeared.
How do we remain faithful to the task of bringing this message to a people who don’t want to hear? There is a gospel witness on television and radio. There are churches on every corner, and yet people are definitely not interested.
How do we take the gospel to this world? We find some answers in the text of this message today. Our mission is to take the gospel to an unbelieving world, trusting in Christ and leaving the results to Him.
1. In the person of the lord Jesus we find an inspiring example.
- The love and grace of God persists in coming again and again to the unbeliever. That is grace. He doesn’t owe it to anyone. Yet He comes back again and again.
- The love and grace of God will not be deterred by the heartache of hatred and rejection by his audience. Jesus stands his ground and preaches the truth.
- The love and grace of God works miraculously in spite of our unbelief.
2. He also gives us some invaluable instructions.
- there is the necessity of a divine commissioning.
- There is the need for total dependence.
- There is a need to deny your personal comfort. It’s not about your comfort, it’s about your mission.
- There is a need to declare the whole council of God, found in verse 11. The whole gospel is not presented until you warn the unrepentant of the dire consequences of rejection of God.
3. What is the end result? God is honored, Christ is exalted, and lives are changed.