Gospel Living

The Unbelief of False Believers | Mark 6:1–6 Shaun Marksbury | Quacco Baptist Church Sunday Evening Service | 30 July, 2017 This week, we are looking at how unbelief operates.  More to the point, we’ll see how unbelief operates among supposed believers.  So, we are examining the unbelief of false believers. What do we see?  First, unbelief causes false believers to be scandalized by Christ (vv. 1–4).  Second, unbelief causes false believers to be separated from Christ (vv. 5–6).  Let’s start our examination. Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gq3oLjZLmnk Audio: http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=8417223560 Sermon Notes: I.                Introduction Over the past few weeks, we’ve seen some of the most incredible miracles in Scripture.  Jesus has calmed the storm that the disciples saw as their death.  He casts out the legion of dem...

"I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed" (Gal 1:6–9). Video: General Session 2 - Phil Johnson - Shepherds’ Conference 2017 from Grace Community Church on Vimeo . Audio: ( MP3 ) For more information, visit  shepherdsconference.org

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.” 5  And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6  And he marveled because of their unbelief.  And he went about among the villages teaching. Others marveled at Christ (5:20; 15:5), but here, Christ is astounded at faithlessness amid His truth and verifiable miracles.  Last time, we considered the scandal of Christ, that He brings the truth too near to bear on the collective soul of Nazarene people.  They knew Him as a child, so they couldn’t believe that He had the power to heal, even though they were witnessing it firsthand.  The bigger stumbling block was that He now preached repentance and belief in His gospel message (1:14–15; 6:2).  Their initial excitement faded to offense.  They may have believed in God, but they disbelieved they needed t...

He went away from there and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. 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? 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. It’s difficult to imagine that the Christian sitting in the pew next to us is, well, not a Christian.  It’s even more difficult to imagine that you might not be the believer that you claim to be.  Even so, we see a repeated theme in the gospels—members of the God-believing covenant community coming to Christ, having good initial reactions to Him, but ultimately rejecting Him in their own lives.  In this passage, as well as the following verses, we not only see believer who prove themselves to be...

21  And when Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered about him, and he was beside the sea. 22  Then came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, and seeing him, he fell at his feet 23  and implored him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well and live.” 24  And he went with him. Jesus, rejected by the people on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, returns to Capernaum on the northeastern shore.  Not much time had passed, so we are not surprised to find this crowd of people awaiting Him.  Indeed, the crowds of the opposing shores represent opposing reactions to the ministry of Christ—one of rejection and one of welcome.  Nonetheless, Jesus didn’t follow just anyone in the jubilant crowd, and we see a hint of the only reaction to Christ that means anything. It’s not enough to simply have a positive view of Je...

16  And those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and to the pigs. 17  And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region. 18  As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. 19  And he did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” 20  And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled. The townsfolk come to see what happened to the herd, and they’re stricken with fear.  Even though the “fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge” (Pv 1:7), unfortunately, they didn’t move forward in knowledge.  On the other hand, the demoniac, now set free, develops an instant affection for the Lord.  We see both begging Jesus in these verses, and we note in them two different responses ...

And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him. 7  And crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.” 8  For he was saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” One of the most terrifying passages in all of Scripture is from the Sermon on the Mount.  There, Jesus doesn’t just say that He will cast out unbelievers , but also many calling Him “Lord, Lord” (Mt 7:21–23)!  Here, we see pictured false prayers to Jesus from the demons in this man, and we must learn from their negative example.  The demons “worship” as they speak to Jesus.  The term “fell down” is a term that means “bowed down” (NASB) and can mean that they “worshipped” (KJV, NKJV).  Even so, the mere act of prostrating oneself before Jesus doesn’t constitute true worship—the Roman soldiers would also bow down, but in mockery (15:19).  Assuming a physica...

30  And he said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? 31  It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, 32  yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.  33  With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it. 34  He did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples he explained everything. While it’s not the smallest of all seeds, the mustard seed is the smallest of all kosher seeds sown into the earth.  A large plant (from which we get everyone’s favorite condiment) sprouts from this seed, even though it’s only a tenth of an inch in diameter.  Similarly, the kingdom of God begins small, with the Word and the work of twelve, but it grows exponentially. ...

8  And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold. … 20  But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold. One can talk about faith in parachutes, but faith is knowing where one is, putting it on, and jumping from a falling aircraft.  Similarly, as He closes this parable, Jesus gives us three verbs to contemplate in relation to Scripture.  Only when all three describes you can you have hope of bearing fruit. Those who bear fruit must first hear the Word.  Nothing happens within a soul without the Bible, for “faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Rm 10:17).  This is why joining a church that reads and teaches the Word of God is important and why being daily in Scripture grows spiritual lives.  You must have the Word of God for...

5  Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. 6  And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. 16  And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. 17  And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. Why do people excited about God and the Bible walk away without warning?  We’re continuing to study the parable of the sower, and today we’re considering the seed that fell on rocky ground.  A farmer may see soil, but the rocks lying just beneath the surface will block roots from reaching the water table.  As he broadcasts out the seed in that direction, those plants may seem to spring up faster.  Unfortunately, because the roots don’t go as deep...

At the 2015 Bible Conference  at Sovereign Grace Baptist Church in Globe, AZ, Justin Peters highlights how the Word-Faith movement is anti-gospel and antichrist.  He shows clips from Benny Hinn, Creflo Dollar, Paula White, Paul Crouch, etc.  This is an adaptation of Peter’s presentation, “ Clouds Without Water .”

The sons of Aaron…offered strange fire before the LORD…and fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them. —Leviticus 10:1–2 In case you've missed the buzz, the announced 2013 Truth Matters Bible Conference has been stirring the hornet's nest.  John MacArthur contended for years against the charismatic chaos erupting in Evangelical circles.  Now, prior to the release of his new updated book on the subject, Strange Fire , his church will host a conference by the same name that exposes the present dangers of the movement.  Obviously controversial, this challenging conference will call us to consider whether our worship finds its grounding in Scripture, or in the experiences and traditions of men.  MacArthur anticipates criticism by answering whether his questioning something that benefits others is a loving act: Here's the release: The Lord calls His people to honor Him, to treat Him as holy. Leviticus 10 pictures the consequences ...

Taped outside the LDS Temple in Salt Lake City:

(HT: Apologetics 315 ) In this lively audio, the late great   Walter Martin   debates Van Hale   on the topic:   Is Mormonism Christianity?  Martin is author of a number of excellent counter-cult books, including   Kingdom of the Cults . Full   Debate MP3 Audio here .   (90 min) Enjoy.

This concise explanation from Defcon : And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an ANGEL OF LIGHT. Holy Bible / 2 Corinthians 11:14 T here have also been ministering angels in the Church which were of Satan appearing as an ANGEL OF LIGHT. Joseph Smith / Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith / Page 214 / 1842 T he angel who fell from before the presence of the Eternal God, and became the devil…that being who beguiled our first parents, who transformeth himself nigh unto an ANGEL OF LIGHT. Book of Mormon / 2 Nephi 9:8-9 W e learn from the revealed word that Satan was once an ANGEL OF LIGHT, then known as Lucifer, a Son of the morning. James E. Talmage / Articles of Faith / Page 56 / 1988 S atan wants us to believe in his false prophets, false healers, and false miracle workers. They may appear to be so real to us that the only way to know is to ask God for the gift of discernment. The devil himself can appear as an ANGEL OF LIGHT. ...

From Defending. Contending. : With NASA’s planned bombing of the moon this Friday (see the news article here ), I have to ask again ( as I did last year when the announcement was first made), Will the Mormon church be able to stop NASA’s planned assault of the moon? Since Mormon leaders have taught that the moon is populated (along with the sun), I anticipate that the LDS church will vehemently protest this planned attack on the moon . I expect to see the LDS church publicly confront NASA on their disregard for human life and their insensitivity to the inhabitants of the moon. This NASA experiment has the potential to not only harm the human inhabitants of the moon, but if the moon dwellers are growing any of those spiritual LDS vegetables , those crops and their entire agricultural infrastructure are sure to be decimated as well. Can the LDS save the moon people and spiritual veggies in time? If they don’t take a stand here and now Kolob may be next!

Stories like this make me ill. This church has decided to sell sex rather than provide hope and life from the Scriptures. Where do sex-obsessed people seeking God go when the church is just as pornographic as the culture? there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality , and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. ... (2 Pet 2:1-3) Since Jesus overturned the tables of the moneychangers in the first century, I often wonder what He would overturn in today's "churches." I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites , and by smooth talk and flattery they decei...

A few weeks ago a person at church asked how we as Christians should treat the Law. One extreme is to ignore it. The other is to try to put Christians under it. The third option is to see it in light of the New Covenant. Consider this: we learn about the God we serve through the Law. For instance, nearly half (48%) of occurrences of the Hebrew word for holy, qodesh , occurs in the first five books of the Bible —the Law. Since the primary revealed attribute (not to be confused with saying that He has "greater" or "lesser" attributes) is His holiness, it's instructive that the concentration of OT teaching on holiness comes in the Law . Further, the command in Leviticus to " be holy " comes on the basis that God is holy (19:2; 20:7). The command is even repeated for NT believers in 1 Peter 1:16. If holiness is revealed in the Law, then we can discover invaluable truths about holy living in the Law. The problem is that we are not under the Law (for i...

Rick Holland, Speaker Rick opens by recounting the life of John Knox, the Reformer who brought the message of the Gospel to Catholic Scotland. Mary, knowing Knox’s prayers against her and the Catholic crown, said she feared his prayers more than all the armies of Europe. Knox feared no man, but labored because of his love for Christ. Today, Knox’s grave is a parking spot, a symbol of what Scotland has done with the Gospel. We should look at 2 Cor 11. In verse 23–27, we read of Paul’s bravery in the face of awesome trials. However, this bold man said he was afraid in verse 3 of the same chapter. He was afraid that the Corinthians would be led astray. There are false teachers, prophets, apostles, and brethren in the church: enough for anyone to fear. Rick calls us to note three applications of pastoral theology: 1. A Fearful Ecclesiology In verse 2, Paul says he “ betrothed ” the Corinthians to Christ. Paul doesn’t call them to allegiance to himself, he wanted to present a trea...