So if you have a Bible and we turn there, sometimes it just gets to be time to make a decision when you've been dating a woman for six years and there comes a time where she looks across the dinner table at you and says no more dates, no more movies, no more dinners, what's it going to be? It's time to make a decision. There's waitresses, they'll have to say that to you from time to time. I've got other tables, it's time to make a decision when Regis looks at you for the fourth time and says is that your final answer? Then it's time to give one. November the 7th, most of you I trust are going to stand in a voting booth, aren't you? And you're going to have to make a choice. You're going to have to make a decision. It's a decision day, it's election 2000. There's been lots of information given and lots of information printed and lots of debates and lots of lots for you to glean and discern and listen to. Now it's possible that there would be more that you could learn, more that you could discover, but that's in material. On November 7th, that's it, that's the only chance you've got and on that day you must make a decision. And so we come to Mark chapter 6 and understand that's the spirit of this passage. Jesus goes to his own hometown, he's been there his whole life and yet this is the day that he comes to them and says, you must make a decision. He sends his disciples out to all the surrounding villages and he says the same, it's decision time. And so it is for one king, there comes a day where all his dalliance with with John the Baptist and with Jesus is finished. It's time for him to pony up. There just comes a day where that's the case. I mean, they had to decide who is this Jesus. In the passage again, we're faced with the folks in Jesus' hometown saying, is he just a carpenter's kin? Is he just one of us? Is that all he is? Others were saying, perhaps he's John the Baptist raised from the dead. Perhaps he's a Elijah, one of the great prophets. Who is he? Jesus demands a decision. Think of the Old Testament when Joshua stands at the precipice of the promise land and he says to the people, what? You can follow the gods of your fathers. You can follow the gods of the Amorites and the nations around. But Joshua says to them, what? But as for me and my house, we're going with Yahweh. This is the day. This is the decision. It's declared, it's announced. And so it comes that way for people. They go to church, they're around, they like it, they hear it, they're mesmerized by it. It's interesting, they buy a few books, they listen to a few tapes, but there comes a day where you have to say in or out on the team or not. Fish or cut vape, right? Okay, I'm going to pollinate up or not. I'm in this thing or I'm not. There comes a time where you have to make a decision for me. I can tell you that as a child growing up in the church, I made those repeated decisions appropriate with age as you're growing from just a little toddler on up, going to vacation, Bible school, going to church every week, that Jesus was for me. But one point that I particularly remember was as a senior in high school. Entering my senior year in high school, I realized that now it was time to set the course for my life. And the course that had previously been set was a course of seeking popularity and running with the crowd and creating favor with the people that I thought would most enhance my reputation and all that stuff. And there was a point at which during the summer between my junior and senior year, there was a decision made. I'm going with Jesus. And if it cost me my friends, it cost me my friends. I'm determined. I love Jesus more than them. And I love Jesus more than anything. And I will die for Jesus. The none go with me. I can remember singing. Still, I will follow. The cross before me, the world behind me, I have decided to follow Jesus no turning back now in the ensuing years. Have I done real well at this? Am I all whim? Have I been half-hearted? Have I been lacked at times? The appropriate devotion? Every one of those things could be said, but I'll tell you this, I crossed the line that day. I belong to Jesus and I will devote my life to the service of Him. And from that, by His grace and His enabling, I've never turned back. There comes a day when you decide the issue is settled in your life.
And that day is today, for some of you. That day is today, because it's time to make a decision,
okay? Mark chapter six. Who is this, Jesus? He is the one who demands a decision. The first thing you can see in Mark chapter six that ought to be the most obvious is that Jesus is the rejected one. Wherever he goes, he is rejected. So the question is, is he rejected because there's a lack of evidence? That he has not made who he is clear. But we know that Jesus has healed the lame. We know that Jesus is healed the bleeding woman. We know that Jesus is cast out demons, even from the most a dire situation. We know that Jesus has miraculously still the storm. And in fact, he's even raised dead to life. So all the demonstration is evident. For anyone there, that Jesus is more than a carpenter, and he has everything he claims to be the very Son of God. And not just his actions, but we know his words. His words have been greeted by people saying, we've never heard anybody teach like this. The most learned people of our day have never spoken with such wisdom and such clarity and such authority and such power. So all the evidence is there. You need to understand, and yet what's Jesus met with? He's met with rejection. You see it in the passage and his preparation of the disciples. He's sending them out to buy two and sending them to the villages. And he prepares them for when they go. He says, you will experience what? Rejection because he tells them what to do when they're rejected. He says, you'll take off your shoes and you will shake the dust out of your shoes and you will mark that community out as an unbelieving pagan community by doing that. Now, I want to tell you something. Don't do that today. There are always literalists in every place that hear something like that. That's what God wants us to do. And I'll see you tomorrow and I'll drive by and you'll be somewhere shaking the dust on your neighbor's lawn and proclaiming them. Really, that's not what God wants you to do. 2,000 years ago, it was a rabbinic practice to say that if we are polluted by that which is Gentile, then to make ourselves clean, this ritual act of shaking out the dust was to suggest that we are the people of God and these people are not and we separate ourselves from this uncleanness and this darkness. So Jesus knows that he'll be rejected. There's no surprise. The prophet Isaiah says what of Jesus? He was despised and forsaken of men. A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief and like one from whom men hide there what? He's like one from men will hide their face. He's despised. He's not esteemed and he prepares his disciples to experience that very thing. Now, second, in the passage, we see the John the Baptist, Jesus' emissary, experiences the ultimate in rejection, right? He's executed. Is he executed because he's wicked? He's executed because he tells the truth and men find the truth intolerable. But the crux of this passage of the rejection and this passage comes when Jesus returns to all places his hometown. Now, he's been there before. I think it's Luke chapter 4 tells us that when Jesus previously had been to his hometown, he went into the synagogue and he opened the scrolls and he began to teach from Isaiah and they became so enraged, they grabbed him, they ran him out to the edge of town and they prepared to throw him off a cliff, that good old fashioned hometown hospitality. Now, Jesus appears again in his hometown because it's time to make a decision. It's time for them to decide about him. And yet the Bible says that Jesus performs very few miracles, a very few displays of his power and authority in that place because he's met with such unbelief. He has met with such a derision. It may look fairly simple. We have a saying that familiarity breeds what. So maybe they're just too familiar with him to see but understand underneath that there's more than just the hometown boy. We can't really imagine that he's God. We saw him when he needed his diapers changed. How can he be good? God. There's more to this than that and you can see it by the caustic nature of their common. Isn't this not the carpenter's son? Do we not know his brothers? Do we not know his sisters? But the one particularly pointed line is, is this not Mary's son? Now you have to understand that a Jewish boy was never referred to as the son of his mother. Unless, of course, nobody knew who his father was. So what the town people are saying is we're supposed to believe that the Messiah was born to a whore named Mary. We're supposed to believe that this bastard child is the Messiah. He is despised in his hometown. He is not nearly shuffled aside. He is hated. He is rejected. There's nothing subtle about this passage. There's nothing subtle or nuanced about this rejection. He is is brazen hatred. Why? Why? What's he done? What's the explanation for that? Jesus is hated because he is what? God. You know, I've asked that in three straight services not once. Now usually you don't call out answers because you know that I'll say you're wrong and embarrass you publicly and I understand that. But in three straight services, nobody's even whispered that answer because we don't even like to acknowledge the fact that the conditions of the condition of our heart is such as that man hates God. The Bible is very clear. Man despises God. What would happen if God made himself vulnerable and put on human flesh and came and lived in the midst of us with no angelic protection or a heavenly host looking after him. He just made himself a common man and lived in the midst of him. What would happen to God then? What's the answer? The nail and so a tree is what would happen. They bleed him to death. They suffocate him. They torture him and they would reject him. And so every Christian, every pastor, every missionary, every Christian teacher that's gone forth in this world ought to know that this message you bear will always be rejected. Now it's common in our day for people to have the mindset that well everybody would be a Christian if God was just more out with it. I mean after all it's hard to believe in an unseen God. And then the problem that there's so much unbelief in this world is really with God. He hasn't presented a very good case. I mean all we have is this ancient Bible that who knows if it's really true and we can't see him and the church doesn't really do miracles to help us out anymore. So I mean after all if God was a little more convincing than more people would believe friends we've got to call that the lie it is. When Jesus stood in the midst of people and demonstrated his awesome power and might most of the people rejected him it's not a lack of evidence it's the stone cold heart that is our problem. And so it's true today if you're sitting in this place and you say listen if I had more evidence if there was more evidence that God Jesus Christ is God then I too would number myself amongst the Christians but you know even Christians fall into this even Christians will tell their friends okay grand and we can't prove it there's nothing you can prove about this you just have to take the leap of faith. And after all why don't you take the leap because maybe it's true and shoot you know you don't want to really toast and help for all eternity so jump out there there's no really reason to believe this I can't prove it to you but you know it's better than than the possible alternative. You know what a bunch of blinding. The Bible says that there's no blind faith to this God came in the flesh he's revealed his glory for all men to see it has given us eyewitness accounts and there comes a time you have to decide whether you believe it or not and whether you'll repent and not hide behind some idea the lives don't have enough information. You'll never have enough information about any decision you ever have to make do you know that because we're finite creatures we can never know everything there is to know we always have to take the information available and make decisions based on that. People say it's a blind leap but picture being on a mountain and a horrible storm blows over this mountain the whole mountain is fogged in it's an ice storm and you're going to die if you stay on that mountain and yet you can't get off you can't see five feet in front of you and before you is a huge gorge. Well there's a lot of people run around and say just leap. Got a better chance if you jump and if you stay there because you can stay there you'll surely die that's not Christianity Christianity doesn't say just leap. Now what do you do if you're in that situation you go help that's what you do you cry out for help and what does the Bible say about those who will realize the desperate plight of their condition and cry out for help the Bible says if you seek me you will find me if you seek me with all your heart man falls into these and says god help me help me and so you cry out from the side of that mountain help and the voice comes back I can help you I can help you I know this mountain who are you I'm the Lord of this mountain I made this mountain well wait a second that's not good enough I'm going to have to jump off this mountain any more than that fine you ask all the questions you want to ask you mind the credentials and the evidence before you and finally you say so what do you want me to do and the voice says John 15 feet down there's a ledge you land on the ledge and there's a cave there you can walk back in the cave where you'll find shelter for the night and you will be fine but ultimately it comes down to this you must jump you cannot see but it's not a blind leap it is a fully informed rational leap that any person using their brain would come to that conclusion this is the right thing to do but the tragedy of mankind is that most men women and children die on the mountain they won't cry out for help in the first place or if that help is offered they simply will not jump understand that's not for a lack of evidence that's for an unwillingness of the heart to bend the knee to surrender to Jesus to repent brothers and sisters I'm standing here on this day in March telling you what there comes a time where you have to jump you will experience the embrace of Jesus Christ when you jump but there comes a day where you must do that and don't you dare think you can stand before God at the end of time and say okay okay okay I realize I never made a commitment to you I never made that decision but I was never given proof because I'm gonna run from the back of that room and scream at the top of my lungs that's a lie October 15th of the year 2000 I told you I told you the day had come for you to make a decision folk die on the mountain because they will not jump second thing we see revealed about Jesus in Mark chapter 6 is not just that he is the rejected one but but to the contrary and beautifully that in a face of incredible hostility he is the one who men will follow he's the one who men and women and children will follow even unto their death the story that we read in Mark chapter 6 the passage is not in chronological order before the disciples are sent out to preach something has already happened that we read later in the passage what's that John the Baptist is already dead every one of those men know that John the Baptist is already dead what do you think they communicate to them if they would kill John the Baptist then then guess what's gonna happen to us these men weren't idiots they could put two and two together they were gonna die two and of course from our perspective in history we know that every one of them does die Jesus sends them out by twos to proclaim his message that the king has come and all men must repent and he prepares them for rejection doesn't he he sets up a little test he says when you go you don't bring any food you don't bring any money you don't bring any bedroll you don't bring any provision there's a couple reasons for that one is you'll be utterly dependent on the people that village if they don't provide for you you will not be provided for and so it will be instantly known if they accept you and they care for you then they care for me if they don't then it's known this is a village that rejects Jesus there's another reason for it and that is these men are being called to live life that way a sober and purposeful life he's being so they're essentially being told this isn't a social call you're not gonna bring it you know five bags with some summer outfits and some winter outfits and you know you're you're you're you're into this village because they have to reach a decision and they have to do it right now you're not staying a long time the die is to be cast right now it's time for a decision when you coach athletics you have to teach the the folk in your charge how to play the game or the sport but then you will also have to go a step beyond that you have to teach them how to play in front of people okay so it's one thing to perform it's another thing to perform with composure in front of a crowd right or witnesses and then you have to go a step beyond that what's that you have to teach them how to perform not just in front of a crowd as in their parents their friends their classmates and their community you have to teach them how to perform in front of a hostile crowd you have to teach them how to perform in front of people who when they go to shoot a free throw with one second left in the game are all gonna stop and make as much noise and scream and how and yell okay so you've got to perform in the midst of hostility with referees that may side with the home team far away from home having made a long bus trip or a long plane ride in an environment you're not familiar with in a cold dingy locker room with an entire crowd yelling and screaming and hoping you don't succeed now that's a whole different deal isn't it Jesus is starting to prepare his warriors I am sending you out into hostile territory and I am going to teach you and train you how to perform on the road how to be road warriors how to go do what you are assigned to do despite all opposition and hostility and I will take care of you you have my authority John the Baptist is one of those road warriors isn't it sent from heaven John the Baptist comes into this world do you think he's got his game based on John the Baptist he eats bugs you think he's settling into this world you think he's shacked up at the Ritz Carlton experiencing the good things he's got his game based on he wears sack cloth he doesn't shave his face he's never touched alcohol he comes into this world with a mission and if that mission has him standing before King Harrod telling King Harrod you should not have your brother's wife you know it's the woman that King Harrod has a link up with her name is what her name is the same name as his name because she's from the same family she's not only his brother's wife she is the daughter of one of his other brothers this is disgusting by any standard the world know this is disgusting and John the Baptist walks in with fire in his eyes and says this is wrong you should not have this woman and that earns the ire of that very woman who takes advantage of her husband's drunkenness and drunken with booze and lust and pride and John the Baptist has his head severed so it has been for two thousand years for God's people an awesome thing willing to follow him whatever the cost Shadrach Mishak and Abednego saying to Nebuchadnezzar what we will not bend to me to that idol you can throw us in the fire and God has the power to save us but if he does not so be it we will not bend to me and so it is with Daniel we will not eat the King's food we will not obey the kings that eat it cannot to pray and so it is with Peter being sacrificed upside down with Paul and Silas chained and singing in the prison you cannot crush our spirit so it is with with Steven being stoned to death preaching before the people and refusing to be silent this is our legacy the people of God so it is with that woman in India who Amy Carmichael recruits to nurse the little Indian baby lest she die who's then killed by her husband for doing that so it is for that SS guard in world war two who let a young woman go and told her he was doing it because of his personal faith in Jesus Christ and and as she escapes she looked back only to see him gun down by the other guards so it is for the Christian prisoners in those death camps in Germany who many said we saw them walk to the showers walk to be gas the death singing hymns so it is for the seven Koreans hung in April so it is for the Christians in east to more by the thousands who are being slaughtered right now so it is for the Columbian pastor who was a recently kidnapped so it is for the Sudanese Christians who are suffering and so it's been for two thousand years Paul says in Philippians it has been granted to us the privilege of suffering for the name of Jesus not just to believe in him but also to suffer for his sake my question is what will that look like for you what will it look like to say I've crossed the line I've made a decision and whatever the cost I'll bear it for those in middle school and high school it may mean saying that there are parties I will not go to there are activities I will not participate in because they do not mark out the kind of life I'll have in this world they're a vain attempt by people around me to anesthetize themselves instead of choosing real life I've chosen Jesus I'm walking with him it means that sometimes students choose to go to a Christian college and their parents endorse it even though it'll cost that family a whole lot more money and it'll be a whole lot farther from home but that's all right there's cost to following Jesus and you pay the cost you embrace the cost it means that after the last service a woman walked up to me and she said thank you for that service I've been I've been tangled up I've been dating somebody who's a non-Christian and I decided this morning it's over whatever the cost I'll go with Jesus it may be it may be keeping someone from Kiev in your home oh I'm looking for the dramatic thing I'm going to smuggle Bibles into China for Jesus he hadn't asked you to do that but he's bought these folks from the other side of the world and said will you put them in your home it's doing the thing he sets at your foot feed that day to do so how about you I'm going to join this company you know when when Jesus went to his hometown they said he's a fool
when the apostles dropped their nets and followed after him particularly after he'd been hung on a tree people said their fools I know people thought John the Baptist think the way he looked think the way he acted what do you think the the consensus was about John the Baptist he's a fool do you think you're going to go out walking to heaven without being labeled a fool not going to happen the only way to get a life is to lose the one you've got and last of all who is this Jesus he is him he's not only the one who men reject and the one who men will follow other men will follow even to their death Jesus is the one about whom men must decide they must decide they must make a decision whether in his hometown whether in those surrounding villages or Herod just considers we conclude this the taste of Herod it ought to send shock waves through this room because Herod is like a great deal of people who go to church Herod protected John Herod listened to John Herod respected John Herod was convicted by John Herod was drawn to the word of God as it came from John so close but when the day came for Herod to repent of his immoral relationship he would not do it when the day came for Herod to repent of his immoral vow and rescue the life of John the Baptist he would not do it and I want to tell you something you can give 50% of your income and you can do this for God and you can do that for God and you can do that for God but if you will not give him the very thing he asks of you then you may as well have given him nothing because when it comes to this most most everything equals nothing Herod will not repent he would not decide in Jesus demands our life God don't you understand I want you to come and minister to me I want you to come and help me I want you to come and be for me and he said no I'm the king do you live for me you serve me I will not be one little part of your life it doesn't work that way surrender yield decide well I guess Herod killed John the Baptist he's done with that wasn't he you know the problem is if you walk from this room today and you said I've made my decision and this these Christians are a little too intense this minister is a little too intense for me and I don't think the Christianity has to be like that I'm going to take the half baked I'm going to take a lesser version Scott Jackson told you he tried that didn't he that's the way I'm going to go so I'm going to be done with this I'm going to be done I don't like to be convicted it the truth will never let you go Herod kills John the Baptist and when rumor when word comes that somebody's going around the villages feeling the the sect and the lame and raising the dead Herod is haunted he believes it's who John the Baptist is come back to life he thinks he's done away with this this provocateur or this one who who preached in him but let me tell you something the truth either it sets you free or it will haunt you but you cannot escape it so my question is what will it be for you are you ready are you ready to cross the line are you ready to say I'm not much I'll never be good this isn't about trying to be good so God will love me this is about recognizing that sovereign God has sent his son to provide the righteousness I need and he is Lord and he is King and I'm done with trying to live a life of self direction and self love I surrender Martin Lloyd Jones said there's only one true test which we can apply to ourselves with regard to our whole attitude to the question of Christianity it's not whether I enjoy it know whether I've been moved and disturbed by it nor whether I like it and agree with it but simply this has it led me to a decision have I taken a definite stand about it has it led to action which has affected the whole of my life in the absence of that all else is quite useless my friends it's time