Above all, Lord, we thank you. Your word reveals to us your son, our Lord Jesus Christ. In him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. He is the eternal word made flesh, the promised Messiah, the savior of sinners, and the Lord of glory.

And now as we hear the account of our Lord returning to his hometown, where many were astonished at his wisdom and mighty works, and yet took offense at him. Guard us from the same hardness of heart. Keep us from treating holy things lightly simply because they’re familiar to us. Preserve us from hearing the name of Christ often while failing to receive him with faith and reverence and obedience. And we ask all these things, Lord, in the name of Jesus Christ, the prophet greater than all the prophets, our Savior and our Lord, amen. congregation, our sermon text this morning is Mark chapter six, verses one through six, listen to God’s word.

And he went away from there and came to his hometown and his disciples followed him. 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? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joseph and Judas and Simon? And are not these his sisters here with us? And they took offense at him.

And Jesus said to them, a prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household. And he could do no mighty work there. except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them, and he marveled because of their unbelief, and he went away among the villages teaching. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever. One of the greatest dangers in the Christian life is not that you will know too little about Jesus, it’s that you become so familiar with Jesus that you stop listening to him.

You’ve heard his name for years. You know the stories. You know about Bethlehem and Nazareth, Calvary, and the empty tomb. You know the language of sin, grace, faith, repentance, and salvation. You know where to stand, when to sit, when to sing, when to pray.

But familiarity is not faith. You may know the vocabulary of Christianity and still be far from Christ. You may sit beneath faithful preaching and remain unmoved. You may know what the Bible says and quietly refuse to submit to what it says. This is the tragedy at Nazareth.

Now these people, they’ve known Jesus for years, they’ve watched him grow up, they knew his family, they knew his work, they knew his background, but when he stood before them as the prophet, the Messiah, the Son of God, they rejected him. They were astonished by him. but they would not believe him. They were impressed by him, but they would not obey him. They knew about him, but they did not know him.

And this passage forces a deeply personal question upon every one of us. Have you become so familiar with Jesus that you no longer tremble at his word, wonder at his grace, or submit to his authority? The central truth that we see in this passage today is that unbelief rejects the glory of Christ when he comes in humble and familiar form, that Christ remains the faithful prophet and Savior who bears our guilt, grants his faith, and enables us to continue in obedience. Let’s look at verse one.

He went away from there and came to his hometown and his disciples followed him. You see, you may be near Christ and still not know him. He returned to Nazareth. That’s where he’s grown up. These were his people. They knew his family. Some of them have probably seen him as a child. They’ve watched him work. They knew him as a local carpenter, but they did not know who he truly was.

Before coming to Nazareth, Jesus has calmed a storm, cast out a legion of demons, he’s healed a suffering woman, he’s raised a dead girl, and the disciples are beginning to see his glory, but the people of Nazareth thought they had already figured him out, already understood him. And that’s the danger before us.

You may have been near the things of Christ for years. You may have grown up in the church. You may have been baptized. You may have known the catechism. You may have a Bible beside your chair and another on your phone. But do you know Christ? Not merely do you know facts about him? Not merely do you believe that he existed? Not merely do you agree with Christian doctrine? Do you know him? as your Savior and Lord? Have you personally confessed your sin to him? Have you rested your whole hope of acceptance with God upon his righteousness and blood? Do you love him? Do you listen when he speaks? Do you obey him when obedience costs you? Now, the people in Nazareth could have said, we’ve known Jesus for years.

Jesus did not know them as his believing disciples. Don’t comfort yourself merely because you are a church member. Don’t assume that because you attend worship, you therefore possess saving faith. Don’t think that because your parents believed, you believe. Don’t confuse covenant privilege with conversion.

The Lord may have given you many advantages, but advantages rejected become greater judgment Some of you have heard the gospel hundreds, maybe thousands of times. You’ve been warned about sin. You’ve been told of judgment. You’ve heard Christ freely offered to you. What have you done with him? Have you come? Or have you simply remained near him? There is a difference between being near a fire and being warmed by it. There’s a difference between hearing of bread and eating it. There’s a difference between knowing the name of Christ and trusting Christ.

Now, parents, you must apply this to your children. Don’t presume that because your children have been raised in the church, they’re therefore converted. Teach them, pray for them, catechize them, bring them under the means of grace, but also call them personally to repent. and believe. Ask them about their souls. Don’t settle for outward respectability. Don’t be satisfied merely because they know the right answers.

A child may know every answer in the catechism and still not love Christ. And you have been raised in Christian homes. Don’t borrow the faith of your parents. You cannot be saved by your father’s faith, your mama’s prayers, or your grandparents’ godliness. You must come to Christ yourself.

The verse also says here, his disciples followed him. They were being taught through this rejection. They needed to learn that faithful ministry is not always successful in the eyes of men. They needed to see that even perfect preaching can be rejected. Some need to hear that. You may have spoken to a child, a friend, a spouse, a relative, a coworker about Christ. You’ve tried to speak lovingly and faithfully and they’ve just dismissed you. Don’t immediately conclude that your witness was useless. Examine yourself. Yes, were you harsh? Were you proud? Were you impatient? Did your life contradict your words? Confess where necessary, but don’t assume that every rejection means you failed. Christ himself was rejected. Look, you and I cannot regenerate another person. We can’t argue someone into the kingdom. You cannot force open a heart that is closed against God.

Our task, speak truthfully, pray earnestly, live consistently, and trust the Holy Spirit. And Christ enables you to continue because he continued. He was not silenced by rejection. He didn’t abandon his mission because people misunderstood him. When you are discouraged in witness, look to him. He’s not merely an example for you. He is your strength, and by his spirit, he gives you courage to speak, humility to confess your faults, patience to wait, and love for those who reject your words.

He was long patient with you and with me, was he not? We may have resisted the gospel for some time. We might not have, the very first hearing of it, immediately embraced Christ as Savior and Lord. It may have been taking long long time with us. I remember hearing it once or twice in snippets before the Lord had saved me.

And yet that rejection initially did not deter the work of Christ and of his Holy Spirit. So don’t be discouraged. Looking at verse two here, notice the text tells us, and on the Sabbath, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished. As his practice here, he goes and teaches there, and what we see here, you may be impressed by Jesus and still refuse him.

Now, these people were astonished. They did recognize something that’s extraordinary in his teaching. and asked, where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands? They can’t deny his wisdom. They can’t deny the reports of his mighty works.

They saw the evidence, but they refused the conclusion. You see, astonishment is not faith. You may admire Jesus and still be lost. You may admire his compassion for the suffering. You may appreciate his moral teaching. You may speak highly of his courage and wisdom and love, but admiration will not save you. Because Jesus does not ask merely to be admired. He commands you to repent and believe. He doesn’t present himself as one religious option among many. He claims absolute authority over your life.

So the question is not whether you find Jesus interesting. The question is whether you will bow before him. Do you receive his word when it rebukes you? Do you obey him when his will crosses your desires? Do you trust him when his providence confuses you? Do you submit when his commands offend the spirit of the age?

You know, there are people who want a Jesus who comforts, but does not command. They want a savior who forgives, but does not govern. They want a Christ who accepts them, but never calls them to change. That Jesus does not exist. The true Christ says, come to me. And he also says, follow me. He receives sinners freely, but he does not leave them unchanged. He forgives the guilty and then teaches the forgiven to walk in holiness.

Perhaps you’re glad to hear that Christ is merciful, but you resist his word concerning your bitterness. Maybe you praise his grace, but you refuse to forgive someone who has wronged you. Perhaps you confess his Lordship, but cling to secret sin. Perhaps you sing of his love, but refuse to love a difficult brother or sister. Perhaps you affirm the authority of scripture, but quietly set aside those portions that confront your habits, your money, your sexuality, your speech, your pride, or your use of time.

Well, then your problem is not merely that you fail to understand, your problem is you resist his rule. The folks here in Nazareth, they asked where Jesus received his wisdom, but they really didn’t want the answer. They wanted a reason to dismiss him. Now, be honest with yourself.

When scripture confronts you, do you ask sincere questions because you want to obey? Or do you ask questions to delay obedience? Do you say, I need to think about that when you really mean, I really don’t want to do that. Do you search for another interpretation because the plain meaning is too costly? Don’t hide rebellion beneath the language of careful thought.

Verse three, is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joseph and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us? So they reduced Jesus to what was familiar. He’s only a carpenter. They know his folks, his family, his history. They thought because they knew ordinary facts about him, that summed him up, that explained him.

But this carpenter, was the eternal son of God. The hands that shaped wood had created the heavens. The voice that is spoken in the synagogue was the voice that had called the world into being. The one who would live quietly among them was the Lord of glory.

And they stumbled because God’s glory came in humble form. And you may be stumbling the same way. See, God often gives great grace through ordinary means. You may say, it’s just a sermon, but through faithful preaching, Christ himself addresses his church. You may say, it’s only bread and wine, but Christ appointed the supper to strengthen the faith of his people. You may say, it’s just a small church, but Christ is present among even two or three gathered in his name. You may say, he’s just an ordinary preacher.

Well, yes, ministers are ordinary and weak and sinful men. But when the word is faithfully preached, you are responsible to receive that word as the truth of God. Don’t confuse the weakness of the messenger with weakness in the message. Don’t despise truth because it comes from someone you know well. And this is especially necessary in families.

You know, a husband may dismiss a wise word from his wife because he knows her weaknesses. A wife may refuse correction from her husband because she remembers his failures. Children, they may disregard godly counsel from parents because they see their faults up close. Members of a congregation may dismiss a pastor’s preaching because they know his limitations.

Now, certainly no human word is infallible. Every teaching must be tested by scripture, but take care that you do not use another person’s weakness as an excuse to ignore God’s truth. The people in Nazareth weren’t wrong that Jesus had been a carpenter, but they were wrong in thinking that this exhausted the truth about him.

And then Mark says, and they took offense at him. He became a stumbling stone, a rock of offense to them. Why were they offended? Because they would not remain, or excuse me, he would not remain within the category they had assigned to him. He didn’t fit in their box. He spoke with authority. He exposed their unbelief. He demanded a response.

See, Christ still offends the proud. He offends when he says that our righteousness is his filthy rags. He offends us when he says that apart from him, we can do nothing. He offends when he commands us to deny ourselves, take up the cross and follow him. He offends us when he tells us to forgive those who have sinned against us.

He offends us when he says that the first will be last, the humble will be exalted, and that friendship with the world is enmity with God. Where does Christ offend you? What command do you continually resist? What sin do you defend? What part of your life have you marked Christ may not enter here?

Now don’t answer too quickly. Be like the psalmist, search me, oh God, and know my heart today. Try me and see if there’d be any wicked way in me. Search yourself, maybe it’s your anger. Perhaps your self-pride, maybe it’s your love of money. Maybe it’s your need for the approval of others. Perhaps it’s your unwillingness to reconcile. Perhaps it’s your refusal to admit that, you know what, I am wrong. Perhaps it’s your neglect of worship or prayer or scripture. Perhaps you want Christ to save you. not as Lord, but Christ cannot be divided. That one who saves you is the one who rules you, and yet he doesn’t command you to obey in your own strength.

See, Christ fulfilled all righteousness for his people. He obeyed where we disobeyed. He submitted perfectly to the Father. He bore the penalty of our rebellion and then risen from the dead, he gives his spirit to his people. So he doesn’t merely say obey, he gives a new heart that desires obedience. He doesn’t merely command repentance, he grants repentance. He doesn’t merely demand faith, He creates faith through His Word and Spirit. So when Christ exposes your sin, don’t run from Him, run to Him, confess it, bring the very sin that shames you to the Savior who died for sinners. And then ask Him to strengthen you by His Spirit to put that sin to death.

In the third place, notice, that you must choose whose honor you value. Verse four says, and Jesus said to them, a prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household. So he identifies himself with the rejected prophets. You see, God’s messengers were often dishonored by those closest to them. Joseph, he’s hated by his brothers. Moses, resisted by Israel. David’s despised within his own family. Jeremiah, he’s opposed by people in his hometown. And now Jesus, the greatest prophet, is rejected by his own.

But Jesus is more than a prophet. The prophet said, thus saith the Lord, Jesus speaks, but I say to you. You see, with his own divine authority, the prophets carry God’s word. Jesus is the word made flesh. The prophets pointed forward to salvation. Jesus came to accomplish salvation.

Yet he was without honor among his own. He came to his own and they despised him. Nazareth points forward to Jerusalem. The contempt in his hometown anticipates the cry, crucify him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. He was despised, mocked, stripped, beaten, and nailed to a cross.

He bore shame before men, and he did so for us. He was dishonored so that you might be accepted. He was cast out so that you might be brought near. He was treated as guilty so that you might be declared righteous. He bore the curse due to your unbelief and pride and rebellion.

Think of the sins you are most ashamed to confess. Christ bore the wrath of God against the guilt of his people. Think of your coldness toward God. Think of the sermons you’ve ignored. Think of the prayers you have neglected. Think of the times you have known what was right and refused to do it. Think of the ways that you’ve sought the praise of men more than the praise of God.

Christ went to the cross for sins such as these. He was rejected in the place of those who had rejected God. And then the father raised him from the dead and crowned him with glory and honors. You see, the judgment of Nazareth did not determine his worth. The verdict of Jerusalem did not determine his identity. The father’s verdict did. This is my beloved son. You see, the one men rejected has been exalted above every name. And that means you must decide whose approval matters most to you.

Are you living for the honor of Christ or the approval of people? Do you remain silent about your faith because you fear what others will think? Do you soften clear biblical truth because you dread being thought narrow or unloving? Do you compromise in conversation because you want to fit in? Do you avoid obedience because family members will misunderstand you?

You cannot serve Christ faithfully while making human approval your ruling desire. Fear man lays a snare. And some of you are trapped in that snare. You replay conversations in your mind. You worry continually about how others see you. You become angry when you are misunderstood. You feel compelled to defend yourself. You need everyone to approve of your choices. Look to Christ. He was rejected. And yet he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. Because you are united to Christ, you don’t need the approval of every person.

If God has accepted you in his son, you possess the acceptance that matters most. That doesn’t make you careless about your reputation, doesn’t excuse arrogance or needless offense, but it frees you from slavery to human praise. You may speak truth with gentleness, You may endure misunderstanding without bitterness. You may admit wrong without feeling destroyed. You may remain faithful when others disapprove. You may bless those who speak against you because Christ enables this. Because his rejection. Secured your acceptance. The 4th place knows that unbelief does not weaken Christ, but it will ruin those who do not believe.

Look at verse 5. and he could not do mighty work there except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. Now, that doesn’t mean that he lacked power. The unbelief of Nazareth did not make him weak. He didn’t attempt miracles and fail. Rather, he would not grant an abundance of signs to those who had stubbornly rejected the light already given. Matthew says about this, and he did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief. You see, Jesus’s works were not entertainment. He didn’t perform miracles to satisfy idle curiosity or to reward hardened resistance. His works were signs of the kingdom and acts of mercy. And where people obstinately rejected him, he withheld further displays of power.

Understand this clearly. Your unbelief cannot reduce Christ. But it can ruin you. If you refuse to believe in Christ, He remains Lord. If you reject His word, His word remains true. If you deny the resurrection, Christ remains risen. If you refuse His authority, He remains King. Your rejection changes nothing about Him. but it changes everything about you. You see, you may imagine by refusing Christ, you remain independent.

In reality, you remain under condemnation. You may think postponing repentance preserves your freedom. In reality, every delay strengthens the habits of unbelief. You may assume that another opportunity will come. Look, you have no promise of another sermon another Lord’s Day. Or another call to repentance.

Do not presume upon the patience of God. The verse says that Jesus still healed a few sick people. Even here in Nazareth, mercy appears. See, Christ showed compassion where it was not deserved. And you know what? That’s true for you and for me as well. Every temporal mercy, every temporal blessing is a mercy. Every breath is mercy. Every day of life is mercy. Every opportunity to hear the gospel is mercy, but don’t misinterpret patience as approval.

But do not, do not pass by the kindness of God shown to you because it is meant to lead you to repentance. You see, the fact that judgment has not yet fallen doesn’t mean it will never fall. The fact that Christ still calls you does not mean that you may safely refuse him. And then verse six, and he marveled because of their unbelief. See, faith appeared in places where it seemed unlikely. but unbelief appeared where faith ought to have flourished. Nazareth had lived close to Jesus and remained hard. Can that be said of you?

Have you sat near Christ in the means of grace and remain unchanged? Have you heard his warning so often that they no longer trouble you? Have you heard of his cross so often that it no longer moves you? Have you sung of amazing grace while ceasing to be amazed?

When was the last time the Word of God cut you? When was the last time you confessed a particular sin because Scripture exposed it? When was the last time you changed your conduct because Christ commanded it? When was the last time you rejoiced that your sins are forgiven? When was the last time You approach worship with holy expectation.

The answer is difficult. Don’t excuse yourself by saying, well, that’s just my personality, or I’ve been a Christian for a long time. Long familiarity should deepen wonder and not destroy it. The more you know Christ, the more precious he should become to you. The more you understand your sin, the more amazing that grace should be shown to you should appear. The more you come to the Lord’s table, the more you should marvel that the Holy Son of God gave his body and blood for you. So pray for a tender heart.

Don’t merely pray, Lord, give me more information. Pray, Lord, make me willing to receive what I already know. Show me where I’m resisting you. Don’t let me hear your word without obeying it. Pray keep me from becoming cold beneath holy things. Parents, pray this for your children. Church, let’s pray this for one another. Let’s pray that we would not be a congregation that knows much truth but bears little fruit. Pray that our doctrine would produce humility, holiness, love, courage and repentance and mercy. And then Mark says, and he went about among the villages teaching.

Nazareth rejected him, but Jesus continued. He didn’t surrender his mission. He didn’t become bitter. He doesn’t alter his message to win their approval. He goes on teaching. That is the faithfulness of Christ. Men reject him, but his kingdom endures. One place refuses the gospel, but Christ gathers his people elsewhere. One generation becomes cold, but Christ raises up another. One church declines, but Christ does not cease to build his church. And this must shape our obedience.

Don’t stop praying because you have not yet seen the answer. Don’t stop witnessing because someone dismissed you. Don’t stop inviting others because others have refused. Don’t stop teaching children because they seem inattentive. Don’t stop encouraging the discouraged because progress appears slow. Don’t stop doing good because few notice. And do not measure faithfulness only by visible results. You see, your task is not to produce the hardest. Your task is to sow faithfully.

And Christ gives the growth. And Christ enables perseverance. When you’re weary, he strengthens you. When you are rejected, he reminds you that he was rejected first. When you fear man, he assures you of the father’s acceptance. When you’re tempted to compromise, he gives courage. When visible fruit is small, he teaches you to walk by faith and not by sight. The Christ who continued teaching after Nazareth continues his work through his church today.

So the people of Nazareth knew Jesus, but they did not know him. They heard his wisdom, but they rejected his authority. They knew his history, but they failed to see his glory. Do not repeat their sin. Do not confuse familiarity with faith. Do not confuse church attendance with conversion. Do not confuse admiration with submission. Do not despise the ordinary means through which Christ ministers to his people. Do not allow the fear of man to keep you from honoring Christ. Don’t imagine that unbelief makes Christ less glorious.

It only leaves you without his saving benefits. So come to him. Don’t merely admire him. Trust Him. Don’t merely speak well of Him. Submit to Him. Don’t merely say that you know Him. Follow Him. And Christian, don’t allow long familiarity with Christ to cool your love for Him. Look again at His glory. Listen again to His Word. Confess your sins honestly. Receive His grace gratefully. Obey His commands promptly. Bear rejection patiently. Continue in witness faithfully. The people of Nazareth took offense at him. But bless is the one who is not offended by him.

Let’s pray. Lord Jesus, you are the eternal son of God, the true prophet, the only savior of sinners. Forgive us for the ways we have grown familiar with holy things while remaining cold in heart. Forgive us for hearing your word without trembling, receiving your mercies without gratitude and knowing your commands without obeying them. Deliver us from the unbelief of Nazareth. Keep us from admiring you without trusting you, speaking well of you without submitting to you, claiming to know you while resisting your rule. Search us and reveal the sins we excuse, the commands we avoid, and the parts of our lives that we have withheld from your authority.

We thank you that you were rejected so that we might be received. You were dishonored so that we might be clothed with glory. You bore the guilt of our pride and unbelief and rebellion on the cross. You rose again to give us life and have poured out your spirit to produce faith and obedience in us. Give us tender hearts beneath your word. Restore wonder at your grace.

Strengthen us to obey promptly, to repent honestly, to forgive freely and to bear witness courageously. When we are misunderstood or rejected, keep us from bitterness or fear. Remind us that the Father has accepted us in you and enabled us to continue faithfully even when visible fruit is small. Lord, grant that we would not merely know about you, but know you, love you, trust you, follow you. Keep us from hardening our hearts.

Make us a congregation marked by humble faith, sincere repentance and holy obedience and patient endurance. and most of all, a deep love for Christ. Continue your work among us by your word and spirit, and gather many who will honor you as Savior and Lord. And we ask all this in your holy and precious name. And God’s people say, amen.