Snapshots Series: "Disobedience, Rejection & No Blessing"

Snapshot34 Mark 12:1-12     6.24.12

Questions for Community Groups

1.  Are you practicing fruitless religion?

2.  Are you expecting a blessing but not obeying Jesus or are rejecting a way of life He has for you?

3.  Are you in willful disobedience or rejection?

4.  Is there a sin in your life that God keeps nudging you to repent of?

Big Idea: We gain blessings from the Lord when we accept Him and obey Him. 

Parable: simple story to illustrate a spiritual truth

The theology and explanation of the parable

Vrs 1 Ower of the vineyard = God  Tenants = Israel

Vrs 2  Servants = Prophets Time and again God had sent prophets to Israel to gather fruits = repentance and righteousnessbut His prophets were abused, wounded, and killed BKC

Looking at the OT prophets God was continually calling the people to turn from sin and pursue righteous living.

Vrs 3-5 The beat and killed many prophets.  Jeremiah was beaten 27:7 & 37:15,  According to tradition Isaiah may have been killed under the evil reign of Manasseh.  The people did this because of their rejection and disobedience.  These are illustrations of the ugliness of sin.

Vrs 6  The owner sent his Son = Jesus

Vrs 7  The son’s arrival may have caused the tenants to assume that the owner had died and this son was his only heir. In Palestine at the time, a piece of land could be possessed lawfully by whoever claimed it first if it was “ownerless property,” unclaimed by an heir within a certain time period.  The tenant farmers assumed that if they killed the son they could acquire the vineyard.  BKC

Vrs 8 What they did to his son, killed him

Vrs 9 What will the owner do?   Destroy the tenants and get new ones. 

New Tenants = Gentiles  GOSPEL message

Vrs 10-11 The challenge to the leaders to understand what was going on...they were rejection God and they knew what God had to say but still chose to reject and disobey

Vrs 12 the leaders (builders) understood that Jesus (The stone) was rebuking them.

The application of the parable

There are a few application questions I would like to ask...

1.  Are you involved in fruitless religion?

Where was the fruit if the vineyard?  The text does not mention it.   Were they greedy and kept if for themselves?  Was there no fruit?  Was the fruit bad?  Vrs 7 talks about the inheritance but not the fruit. 

The prophets were looking for fruit, repentance and righteousness and they did not find it.  But the people were very religious. 

Is that you?  You go to church, pay your dues, no impact on you, your heart is hard.  you don't see much happen in your life of spiritual significance because you don't care much. 

Something should be happening, we should see the hand of God moving among His people.   Often times what happens in churches is something is happening but all that is, is a bunch of people complaining, causing trouble and creating unnecessary work.  That should not be us. 

How do we combat fruitless religion?

Starts with the heart...

Do you really want to see people come to know Jesus?

Do you really want to help people grow in their faith in Jesus?

Do you really want to help people by meeting their physical, emotional and spiritual needs?

If not your heart is in the wrong place and you need to bear some fruit in repentance and righteousness. 

The biggest rut that we can fall into as church is thinking the church exists to meet my own personal needs.  You know sometimes when people leave churches some of their reasoning is "it does not meet my needs"  I can agree on some different levels, through your church you should be fed the meat of the Word,  you should be encouraged and have opportunities to serve, you should have ministries where you can enjoy fellowship with other believers, you should be empowered and have opportunities to win your friends and family members to Christ and I realize that each person or family will have seasons in which they can serve more, give more and help more but to come to church and just be self centered, self serving, negative and critical is fruitless religion.  

2.  Are you expecting a blessing from God but living in disobedience or rejection of Him? 

Many times in life we expect a blessing from the Lord and we are disobedient.  Why would God bless us when we disobey?  The religious leaders wanted the blessing of keeping their high position but were disobedient and rejecting.

-God bless my relationship but I am in sin

-God bless my finances but I am bad steward

-God bless me with a good job but I am lazy

-God bless me with a good church but I don't want to serve in it.  I heard a pastor say that in his 15 years of ministry the people that seem to complain the most do the least in the church. 

-God bless my children but I am uninterested in parenting

-God bless my school work but I will not study and work hard

The list can go on and on but do you see how foolish it sounds.  It would be like when my daughter is older and a young man asks for my blessing to marry her but he treats her like garbage, not only would I not bless it I would want to administer some wrath upon that young man.

Sometimes we get so messed up in our thinking and get so focused on the blessing that we start to blame God and say things like God you are unfair, why do bad things happen to me. 

Rarely do we ask "Am I in disobedience or rejection and that is why God is withholding a blessing?"

3.  Are you willfully disobeying or rejecting?  (based on vrs 10-12)

The Chief Priests, Scribes and Elders knew the Scriptures and they knew what they should obey but they did not obey.  That is why Jesus reminded them of the scripture in Psalm 118:22-23

What Scriptures do you know that you are ignoring, I realize that this is a broad question but your heart knows the one I am referring to, the Holy Spirit is tapping on your shoulder and saying "why are you walking away from me on this point, you know what is right and you know you are wrong" "Why do you keep doing this?" 

Can you see the connection in which you are not being blessed in that area?

If continue on that path do you know what you can expect? 

Not a blessing

But if you accept and obey the Lord Jesus you will be blessed

Snapshots Series: "Jesus & Authority"

Community Group Questions "Jesus and Authority" Mark 11:27-33 6.10.12
1. Do have difficulty with authority structures?
2. Do you have a place of authority in any area of life?
3. Have you ever had a situation in which you had to challenge authority?
4. Have you ever had a situation in which you had to disobey authorities in order to obey God?
5. How do you feel about the authority structure in the family?

Last week we looked at Jesus cleaning the Temple so obviously He was acting as someone who had authority.  Anytime someone acts in authority there will always be those who challenge that authority.

Today we are going to answer a few important questions...who is in authority and how do we as Christians respond.

Vrs 27-28  The Priests and Scribes wanted to know where Jesus got His authority

Interestingly enough Mark 2:10  Jesus proves His authority early on. When He forgave the paralyzed mans sins and then proved He could by healing Him.

Vrs 29-30 

William Lane states "answering a question with a question was common in rabbinic debate"

The ministry of John the Baptist affected the split between the people and their leaders.  When John came on the scene proclaiming the path for the Messiah it caused a rift between the people and the leaders.

Vrs 31-32  Their dilemma, If they say from man the people will revolt because they saw John as a Prophet and if they say from heaven they were saying John and Jesus where sent of God.

The started to realize that without the support of the people they had no real authority.

So they said "we don't know"

Vrs 33 Neither will I tell you, the sentiment here is Jesus is saying you don't really want to know for yourself you are just trying to cause trouble for Him and keep your high position of authority.

The chief priests and scribes authority was being challenged by Jesus and by the fact that the people no longer wanted to believe them.

Jesus question leads us to believe that there are two schools of thought on where authority comes from.  Man & Heaven (God)

Where does true authority come from?

Man?  If these men realized it did not come from man they would not have feared what man thought about them.  They most likely believed that other people where the reason why they remained in authority so they did not want to upset those people.

If authority solely came from man we may be in trouble.  Here are a few things the Bible says about man...

Authority is not from people

-There is a way that seems right to people  Proverbs 14:12

-People betray  Luke 22:48

-People Lead others astray  Psalm 40:4

-Some trust in people  Psalm 118:8  Micah 7:5-7

Authority comes from Heaven. 

If authority comes from heaven what is that authority saying and shouldn't we listen? 

What is heaven telling us?

-Wrath against unrighteousness Rom. 1:18

-Do not fear man  Heb 13:6

-The gospel from heaven, through the spirit, through others 1 Peter 1:12 GOSPEL

-Jesus will judge all.  1 Peter 4:5

-Well done for serving  Matt 25:21

-Jesus is coming again  1 Thess 2 Thess 1:7

So if authority does not come from man...how come people are in authority, where does their authority come from?, How should we respond? & Should we question authority?

A Christian and Authority

-Authority always comes from God Romans 13:1-7

-Obey secular authorities Col 3:23

-Obey spiritual authorizes Heb. 13:17

-Family authority structure.  Parents Eph. 6  Husbands Eph. 5:22

-Make sure authorities are doing right.  Acts 17:11

-Obey authorities unless they conflict with the Lord.  Acts 5:28-29

Bottom line is...

When we listen to heaven (Jesus) we don't have to be overly concerned about what man has to say.  Because true authority comes from Heaven.

Snapshot Series: "Jesus is Displeased"

Snapshot32 Mark 11:12-25 Community Group Questions 1. What are some areas in which you bare fruit? 2. What are some areas in which you have not witness fruit in your life? 3. Have you ever oct direction in following the Lord? 4. We learned about the three things that will help us not displease Jesus, Faith, Prayer and Forgiveness. Which of these is your strongest areas? Which of these are your weakest areas? 5. What do you need to change so you are no longer weak in that area? In life we may find ourselves displeased with other people and rightfully so... Maybe you are a parent who has an adult child that has made a mess of their life, or a parent with a little child that will not change the error of their ways... and you are displeased. Maybe you have a parent that has dropped the ball on parenting or being there for you or is unfair to you... and you are displeased. Maybe you have a spouse that has made decisions that has or is negatively affecting your life and the life or your family and you are displeased. Maybe you have a friend that has betrayed you or has been an uncommitted friend...and you are displeased with them. Maybe you are looking at the Christians around you and they are not living for the Lord...and you are displeased with them. If you have ever been displeased with the actions of another person you have experienced a small glimpse of how Jesus often feels about us. Today in this passage we are going to look at two things that Jesus is displeased with and then we will look at what we can do to avoid being displeasing to Jesus. The two things Un-Fruitful lives Vrs 12-14 Jesus judgment on fruitless lives The promising but unproductive fig tree symbolized Israel’s spiritual barrenness despite divine favor and the impressive outward appearance of their religion BKC The illustration of the fruitless fig tree helps us to understand the uselessness of this tree. This tree had green leaves and evidently was alive but had no figs...and Jesus wanted figs because he was hungry and that is what is expected from the fig tree. So we see a live tree, green leaves not figs. What does being unfruitful look like? It could look like this tree. A healthy life that appears to be very alive but not making any eternal difference whatsoever. Many times as Christians we look at other Christians and try to judge whether or not they are in fact Christians because Jesus said "you will know them by their fruits" Here is what Dr. Charles Ryrie says to that point. 1. Every Christian will bear fruit. 2. That does not mean they will always be fruitful. Titus 3:4 and 2 Peter 1:8 encourage believers to be fruitful. 3. This does not mean their fruit will always be outwardly evident. What should we look for in ourselves? Gal. 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.(Galatians 5:22-23 ESV) Loss of direction Vrs 15-19 Jesus discovers that the temple courtyard has been turned into a market. Dealers are exchanging everyday money for temple coins, while others are selling animals and birds for sacrifices. Business and commerce have taken over the place of prayer. Visiting pilgrims are being harassed and exploited. The Bible Guide In His indictment against the leaders (v. 17), Jesus quoted Isaiah (56:7) and Jeremiah (7:11), both of whom had condemned the nation for its sins in the temple (Isa. 1; Jer. 7). A “den of thieves” is the place thieves go to hide when they have committed a crime. The religious leaders were using the worship of God as a cover for their sins! Wiersbe, W. W. They were using the temple as a place for profit and causing the people to not follow the Lord's commands. They lost true direction and where following sinful ways. What does that mean for our church today? 1. The church is not a business and should not be run like a business. There will be principles resources that the church uses that may be used by the business world but the church does not exist as a business. 2. The church is for worshipping Jesus. In our modern day people think worship is singing songs, that is only a small expression of worship. 3. Leaders need to direct others to follow the Lord. We proclaim the Gospel, make disciples and help people. As we move forward I want us to have this mindset. Is what I am doing...proclaiming the gospel? Making disciples? Or helping people? If the answers are no then what am I doing? (Illustrate this with some examples) 4. We all need to be sensitive to staying on focus. The church is the body of Christ with many members. When each member does his or her part we remain focused on following Jesus If Jesus is displeased with un-fruitful lives and a loss of direction... How do we avoid displeasing Jesus? Vrs 20-25 answers that. Vrs 20-21 the fig tree Faith Vrs 22-23 Move mountains is a metaphor for the impossible is possible with the Lord. Many times we become unfruitful or lose direction because something bad happens or is happening. So Jesus tells us to have faith in Him, He will take care of the details. Because the object of our faith is Jesus He is powerful and can see us through those situations. He displays His power through the GOSPEL Prayer Vrs 24 we avoid being unfruitful and losing direction by being people of prayer. This means we go to Jesus. Not only in times of need but is times of thanksgiving. If you are not praying you will not bare much fruit and you will have a hard time staying focused "nothing significant can happen without prayer" Forgiveness Vrs 25 If we are not willing to forgive those who have wronged us we often time render ourselves unfruitful and we lose our direction. When don't forgive we get bitter. This morning we remember the forgiveness the Lord Jesus offers by celebrating communion.

Snapshots Series: "Spiritual Blindness"

Snapshot 31 Mark 10:46-52 Vrs 46 Bartimeus, that is, the son of Timeus; which, some think, signifies the son of a blind man; he was the blind son of a blind father, which made the case worse, and the cure more wonderful, and the more proper to typify the spiritual cures wrought by the grace of Christ, on those that not only are born blind, but are born of those that are blind. MH Vrs 47 Son of David, occurring here for the first time in Mark, designated the Messiah as David’s Descendant (2 Sam. 7:8-16) and became a recognized title of the Messiah-King BKC Bartimaeus’ using that title probably indicated that despite his physical blindness he believed Jesus of Nazareth was Israel’s Messiah, in contrast with the blind unbelief of most Jews. Later he addressed Jesus more personally (“Rabbi,” Mark 10:51) and followed Him. Jesus did not silence him, implying He accepted the title. "Have mercy on me" is one of the oldest recorded prayers that people uttered to God His plea for help, “Son of David, mercy me!” is the cry of a dependent, childlike spirit Holman Vrs 48 They rebuked him telling him to be silent Blind? He sees more clearly than any of the disciples! ODM Notice he did not listen to them and kept calling out to Jesus "Have mercy on me" We are going to look at Spiritual Blindness We are going to look at three Causes...Satan, The World, The Flesh Then we will look at the cures. Cause: Satan 2 Cor 4:4 (blinds), 1 Peter 5:8 (lion) Satan will tell you... God is not real, you are worthless, He is not there for you, If He loves you why would you be having such a hard time? Cures: -Realize Satan's character. John 8:44, Liar -Put on the full armor of God Eph 6 It is a spiritual battle Cause: The World Eph 2:2 following the course of the world, The world will tell you..."they" told Bartimaes to be quiet. Why do you rely on God? God does not care, Jesus is not real, We can explain everything through Science. You only live once. Cures: -Realize your citizenship Phil 3:19-20 Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself. (Philippians 3:19-21 ESV) -Seek His kingdom Matt 6:33 Some of you have a righteous annoyance with people who do not appreciate our country and how others laid their life down for it. We should have a greater righteous annoyance at Christians who do not live out their faith for the Kingdoms sake. One of the main reasons why Christians don't live out their faith is because we only focus on this world not the next. Jesus laid down His life so we can glorify Him in this life and He will have us enjoy the next GOSPEL The gospel and Jesus kingdom should be the first thing we care about. Cause: Our Flesh Romans 8:7-8 the flesh, your flesh will tell you... It is only a little sin, everyone does it, this feels good. you deserve this, as long as it does not affect anyone else. -Cures -Realize your fleshly passions. 1 Peter 2:11 -Clothe yourself. Rom 13:14. This means everyday when we wake up we pray and ask the Lord to fulfill his desires not our own. When we are spiritually blinded for so long it takes some time to learn how to walk with our spiritual sight... In his book, An Anthropologist on Mars, neurologist Oliver Sacks tells about Virgil, a man who had been blind from early childhood. When he was 50, Virgil underwent surgery and was given the gift of sight. But as he and Dr. Sacks found out, having the physical capacity for sight is not the same as seeing. Virgil's first experiences with sight were confusing. He was able to make out colors and movements, but arranging them into a coherent picture was more difficult. Over time he learned to identify various objects, but his habits--his behaviors--were still those of a blind man. Dr. Sacks asserts, "One must die as a blind person to be born again as a seeing person. It is the interim, the limbo . . . that is so terrible." This is the discipled life in progress, constantly learning how to navigate this life in view of Jesus and His Kingdom. With Spiritual Sight...its dying to self living to Jesus. Vrs 49 then crowd encouraged him because Jesus was calling him. Were they enlightened at this point? not absolutely sure but they were willing to back off. Interesting enough... Satan has to back off in the name of Jesus. 1 John 4:4 He that is in The world many times when they observe our obedience they back off and start to respect, who we are for following Jesus. Know us by love And when we start to make less provision for the flesh the sinful activities that once attracted us no longer have that same power over us. Psalm 37:4-6 Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.(Psalm 37:4-6 ESV) These areas back off a bit because we learn how to have victory over them. Vrs 50-52 Bartimeaus response -By throwing aside his cloak, Bartimaeus evidenced readiness for mission By following Jesus on the way to Jerusalem, Bartimaeus accepted the way of His suffering Lord. Finally, Jesus had a disciple who saw. Holman -Bartimeaus expressed faith in faith in Jesus and because of that he was no longer blind. Are you still spiritually blind?