Kingdom Building Through Our Time and Talents: Mark 6:1-13

So in our prayer meeting this morning at 8 15, we meet every Sunday morning at 8 15 in a room down that hall to pray for the worship service.

We think that uh God hears and God answers those prayers.

And one of the prayers this morning was that as we see these children exit every Sunday down to children's church with such joy, anticipating church.

What about the big kids upstairs?

That's our prayer.

Lord, would would we the big kids have that joy in anticipating that we get to do church up here and we get to worship you and we get to hear your word?

We're in the Mark series, Mark chapter 6.

Mark 6 · chapter mention

And going to be reading verses 1 through 13.

And Jesus 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 this not the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James and Joseph and Judas and Simon?

And are not 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 home town, and among his relatives, and in his own household.

And he could do no mighty work there except that he laid hands on a few sick people and healed them.

And he marveled because of their unbelief, and he went about among the villages teaching.

And he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits.

He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff, no bread, no bag, no money in their belts, but to wear sandals, and not to put on two tunics.

And he said to them, Where whenever you enter a house, stay there until you depart from there.

And if any place will not receive you, and they will not listen to you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.

So they went out and proclaimed the people should repent, and they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them.

This is the reading of God's precious, powerful word.

Lord, we do thank you for this word.

We thank you for the journey that you share with us today through your scriptures.

We remember the prayer of Paul to the Thessalonians, and your gospel came to them with power, not simply with words, but with power.

Holy Spirit power.

Holy Spirit, just as you are still alive and working powerfully today, would you please do so in our midst this morning, in this room, in each heart.

We pray.

Amen.

The title of the sermon this morning is Kingdom Building Through Our Time and Talents.

Notice the preposition, it's not because of our time and our talents.

The cause is always God.

But God uses people like us to accomplish his work.

As many of you know, we are in a series this month in line, conjunction with our vision 2026: multiplying kingdom impact in our church, our city, and our world.

This morning we're looking at how God's kingdom grows through his people using their time and their talent to build the kingdom of God.

What a journey the disciples have been on.

We've seen.

From the time of their calling, we saw in Mark chapter 3, and some of what I say today may be reminiscent.

Mark 3 · chapter mention

You may be thinking, didn't I hear that recently?

Yeah, six weeks ago, I preached on Mark 3, where Jesus was calling his apostles and preparing them, but the scriptures are not afraid to repeat and also add and build on.

This is what's going on here.

Now Jesus is ready to send out his apostles on a mission.

As we saw in chapter 3, so that his disciples might be with him, so that he might send them to minister in his name.

Think of this period of time with the disciples as their internship.

Many of us have been through internships, right?

Many of us came to Washington, D.C.

That's where we started with our careers through internships on the Hill or elsewhere.

Well, this was an internship, about a three-year internship that Jesus had with his disciples, teaching them.

But internships are more than just teaching, they're about doing, having opportunity to put into practice what you observe.

And certainly that was the case here in this internship.

This was Jesus' third Galilean tour of ministry.

So he'd been doing ministry for a good while, and the disciples being with him, learning as he taught, learning as they watched.

And they've witnessed the power of God in extraordinary ways.

Remember just a few weeks ago when we looked at Jesus was with them in the boat?

I can't remember the last time I've had a phrase quoted back to me more than that one in a long time.

How many of you have told me, Don, thank you for reminding me that Jesus is with me in my boat?

My boat gets rocky.

The waves bounce me around.

And sometimes I think that I might perish.

Well, that's true.

The disciples thought they were going to die that night on the Sea of Galilee.

And what did Jesus do?

He woke up first.

He said, Peace.

Be still.

And the waves and the wind died down immediately.

Only God could do that.

Remember what the question was that the disciples had after they witnessed this?

Who then is this?

That even the winds and the waves obey him.

This is Jesus of Nazareth.

This is God in the flesh.

This is the one that we've seen in recent weeks who has divine power over nature, over demons, over disease, over death.

Pastor Josh reminded us of that last week as he raised Jairus' daughter from the dead.

Remember a couple weeks ago when we looked at the demoniac when he was, his demons were exorcised?

All 2,000 of them, at least.

Sent into the pigs, rushing into the water, drowning.

Do you remember what the demoniac wanted to do after he was healed by Jesus?

He said, Jesus, please let me go with you.

He's begging Jesus, let me go with you.

And what did Jesus say?

No, my friend, it's more important that you go home to your family and to your friends and tell them what I've done for you.

You think that's true about you?

Me?

I think so.

He says, I'm sending you back where people can see the gospel transform you.

That's a good thing.

Elder Mark Adams has reminded me that we've been talking about stewarding our time and our talent and our treasure for the kingdom of God, that there's maybe a fourth T.

I think he's right.

Testimony.

When God does a work in your heart, when God does a work in your life, there's a testimony.

There's something to say to point to Jesus and say, whatever change, whatever blessing, whatever good thing you see in me comes to me from Jesus.

And so everyone's marveling at the work of Jesus.

After the demoniac was healed, Mark tells us everyone marveled at what happened.

After Jairus' daughter was healed, raised from the dead, and they were immediately overcome with amazement.

These are can't, it seems like, can't miss opportunities to see the power of God unveiled in the Son Jesus until he comes to his hometown.

He goes back to Nazareth on this occasion.

By the way, have you noticed, this is one of the cool things about going through gospels.

And have you noticed how much time Jesus spent in boats?

I think it's hit me more this time than I think I've ever.

He's always crossing the Sea of Galilee.

He crosses again.

He comes to Nazareth, his hometown.

And on the Sabbath he began to teach.

And many were astonished, saying, Where did this man get these things?

He teaches like none other.

What do they do with it?

All of a sudden, though, the flesh really kicks in among them, and they say, Wait a minute, we know this guy.

See, Nazareth was 20 miles from Capernaum.

They knew, some of these, no doubt, had seen with their own eyes some of the works that Jesus had done.

They'd certainly had heard.

Wait a minute, but wait a minute.

He lived just down the street from me.

Our kids played with him.

We know him.

I mean, he's very familiar.

I mean, we had we shared maybe dinners together.

And then he says, even in his own household, how that must have hurt the heart of Jesus.

At this particular point, he had family that did not believe that he was the Messiah, that did not put their faith in him.

How soul-crushing that must have been in his own hometown.

No, we know who he is.

He's a carpenter.

The word means common laborer.

And then to inflict another blow, they say, Isn't he the son of Mary?

Now, why would that be a blow?

Because in that patriarchal culture, nobody ever called somebody by your mother's lineage.

They would have always said, Isn't this Joseph's son?

Some commentators say, no, Joseph was probably dead.

Even if he was, they would have said, Isn't this the son of Joseph?

They were so unimpressed.

It's kind of confusing, isn't it?

On the one hand, they're mesmerized by his words, but on the other hand, there's this unbelief.

Jesus says, only in his hometown will a prophet get no respect.

Familiarity breeds contempt sometimes.

It's verse 6 tells us, and he could do no mighty deeds there.

And then in a very literary, beautiful device technique, Mark shifts the focus from up till now through chapter 5, how everybody else was amazed at Jesus.

Now Jesus is amazed.

But he's not amazed by their faith.

What's he amazed by?

Their lack of faith, their unbelief.

No, Mark is not telling us that he lost his power.

He's what he's saying is that he was unwilling to release his power in the midst of such unbelief.

And you know, that still happens today.

People just kind of get very complacent about Jesus and about the Word of God.

It almost just becomes very casual.

So common.

Could this happen among us today?

Thomas Merton says, let us not be too sure that we know the Bible just because we have learned not to be astonished anymore by it.

I'm going to repeat that.

Let us not be so sure that we really know the Bible just because we have learned to not be astonished by it.

Are you losing your astonishment?

Have you lost your astonishment?

Has the Bible become rather tame?

So well known, so familiar that it's almost like, I think I pretty much know what's here.

Have you lost your first love?

Oh, friends, this is why we need the Spirit.

To make the truths and the words of Jesus come alive in new ways, as only the Spirit can do.

Otherwise, we too can no longer be astonished by these gospels.

And then in verse 7, Jesus calls together the twelve, and he began to send them out two by two.

This morning, what we're going to do in the next couple minutes is look at how Jesus calls, how Jesus equips, how Jesus sends, and how Jesus grants authority.

Jesus calls.

As we said a few weeks ago in Mark chapter 3, there is no caller without a excuse me, there is no call without a caller.

Mark 3 · chapter mention

What a privilege to be called by Jesus Christ.

What a privilege to be called by Jesus Christ.

To be adopted into the family of God.

What a privilege.

We ought not to take that for granted.

That should not become so familiar to us that it loses its luster.

He not only calls his people to salvation, but he calls his people to mission.

He doesn't send us on mission without preparing us.

He did not do that with his apostles.

He does not do that with his disciples today.

They had their internships.

And they took advantage of those internships.

Did they learn everything?

No.

Nor do we.

But they learned enough by being with Jesus and seeing him and listening to him.

It comes a point, and he says, now he says, guys, it's time to get out of the classroom.

Go.

Go.

I'm sending you on mission.

That oftentimes makes us nervous too, doesn't it?

It's just much more comfortable to stay and to be in learning mode.

Jesus says, get out of the classroom.

I want you to be on mission.

I want you to join me on my mission, in your life, in your world.

Jesus indeed gives us gifts.

He gives gifts to his disciples.

We read in the book of Ephesians, chapter 4, about that, specifically, that when Jesus went to heaven after his ascension, he says in verse 7, but grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift.

Ephesians 4 · chapter mention

Therefore it says, when he ascended on high, he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men and women.

Every Christian has been blessed by Jesus Christ with a gift or gifts.

There is no Christian who has not been assigned gifts directly from Jesus by his Spirit.

That's very important that we understand that.

The New Testament gives us four different passages talking about these spiritual gifts, these spiritual talents that he gives his people.

And so we're reminded that the purpose of a gift is never for your benefit.

Did you know that?

The purpose of a gift is not for you, it's for other people, for you to serve, for me to serve other people with the gifts that Jesus gives us.

It's always outward focused.

Jesus gives gifts.

As was read earlier this morning from Romans chapter 6, having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them.

Romans 6 · chapter mention

Don't put your gifts in storage, don't sit on your gifts.

Use your gifts.

You might say, well, I'm not even sure what my gifts are.

That's not uncommon.

Well, we are going to offer this month a resource that we call discovering your divine design.

It's something that we've been using for years here.

It uses a spiritual gifts inventory that we're asking you, if you haven't done that, would you please consider using that?

However, I will say, as one of my friends told me recently, he had it in his hands four times before he actually took it.

Let's figure out how we can actually do it.

I think doing it with other people can be very helpful.

That's the first time my friend did it in a covenant fellowship group.

We did it together.

And it was really encouraging to hear each other's gifts after going through it and affirming each other.

I think a covenant fellowship group is a great place to do it, but maybe just with another friend.

What spiritual gifts has Jesus assigned?

That's what the word is, assigned to me to use to build the kingdom of God.

Vision 20, 26, multiplying kingdom impact in our church, our city, and our world is addressing that question.

What are my gifts?

I didn't say this in the first service sermon, but the Lord God gave it to me like almost immediately after as an example.

Not all seasons are the same, we know that.

Growing up in my home church in Pittsburgh, my father's church, what an amazing example I saw as a child.

Especially senior citizens, how they use their gifts.

As you get older, you have different opportunities.

You have more time, perhaps.

I learned so much by seeing so many senior citizens in my home church serving God with their time and their talent in some beautiful ways.

It had a big impact on me, and I know not just me.

I could not go back to that church after I grew up and moved away.

We'll come back, you know, for Christmas, back to the home church.

I could hardly ever come back with some some dear lady saying to me, Tommy, you know I prayed for you every day.

And she wasn't making up words.

There was more than one lady that prayed for me every day.

Who gets that?

Outside of your family.

Do I think that has something to do with my life today?

You bet I do.

Talk about a gift.

Intercessory prayer is a beautiful gift.

You don't need to leave your home.

You can do it right where you are.

There's all kinds of ways that we can use our time and our talents for Jesus to discover our gifts.

God uses our gifts, and I you know I put in my notes, parentheses, his gifts.

They're not really our gifts, but we're stewards.

We can use his gifts to build his kingdom.

He says that over and over again, Jesus does in the New Testament.

The parable of the talents.

He gives one person ten talents.

That's a lot of talents, abilities.

And he took it to heart and he went out and he invested it and he used it and he got back ten more talents.

Another one he gave five talents.

He took those five talents and he went out and used them, invested them.

He got five more talents.

And then he gave one man one talent.

He sat on it.

He didn't do anything with it.

Jesus said, I'm going to take the talent I gave you.

I'm taking it back.

Do you know the Bible's very clear in teaching that one day we're all going to give an account for how we've used our talents and our time?

Did you know that?

Jesus is talking about that a lot in the Bible.

We really need to wake up if we're not already alert.

Why are we here?

We are not here for our pleasure.

We are not here for our comfort.

We are not here for our glory.

We are here to take the talents and the treasure and the time that God has given us and to make the most of it.

This is what Jesus is telling the apostles.

This is what he's telling us, his disciples.

He sent them out two by two.

That's wise.

Never do ministry alone if you can do it with somebody else.

Gospel teams are powerful.

When gospel teams go out in the power of Jesus, when gospel teams pray, they're powerful.

When you get discouraged, there's somebody beside you to encourage you.

And then you can flip rolls.

You can pray together about your ministry.

You can combine, you can work together collaboratively with your gifts.

Two by two.

It's always better when we can.

So here's a question this morning.

Jesus, what is your mission for us?

The elders have spent the better part of a year asking him on our knees, literally praying, Jesus, what is your mission for us?

We believe that he gave us vision 2026.

This didn't come from us.

Now, about the members, what is your understanding to that question?

Jesus, what is your calling, your mission for me in this season of my life?

Not talking about five years ago.

Not talking about ten years ago.

Now, in the next two years specifically, and don't get hung up on vision 2026 like, oh, it's all about the next two years.

No.

It's the next two years are just the bridge.

It's the next step.

Lord, in what ways are you awakening me?

Are you going to empower me to use my time and my talents to help build the kingdom of God?

That's a beautiful prayer.

We're asking him that.

I do think there's a difference between time and talent.

I don't think it's redundant.

We've been talking about gifts and talents, because Jesus does give us spiritual gifts and talents to use.

It's something that's something that you say, yeah, I mean not proudly, but yeah, I am pretty good at this.

God's given me gifts to do this.

And the Bible typically distinguishes between speaking gifts and serving gifts, not that they're mutually exclusive, but as soon as I say that, most of you know my gifts are more in the area of serving.

Some of you know my gifts are maybe more in the area of speaking.

But they come from Jesus for his kingdom.

How about time?

You know, I I think a good example of this is devoting our time doesn't necessarily require using your gift.

And that's okay.

There's lots of things you can use your time that don't require your gifting.

Why would you do it?

Because you're in a family.

Isn't that the way it works at home?

You know, what do you say?

What do you say to your 10-year-old when you say, hey, I want you to help me clean the house?

No, thanks.

That's not my gift.

How's that fly?

Does that fly at home?

We're a family.

Jesus wants you to use your time, not just in your area of specialty, the nursery.

In the first service, we have over a hundred kids almost every week now.

Downstairs.

Children's church, nursery, second service as well.

A lot of kids.

You don't have to be a child psychology expert to help.

You just have to care that, wait a minute.

I can hold those kids.

I can teach those children.

I can sing with those children.

Right?

Can you do that?

Can you hold them?

Can you pray over them?

I mean, unless there's some very specific reason why you shouldn't, and sometimes there is.

I want to honor that.

Not everybody should be downstairs, but most of us should.

Why?

We're just saying, I want to help the family.

So that the people that are down there aren't down there every week.

They get to come upstairs.

Make sense?

Free them up.

Let them come have more time in the sanctuary with us.

What mission does Jesus have for you in this season of your life?

To offer your time and your talent.

Oh, I'm tempted to just go on because I was just reminded during this time during the services.

Your time, hospitality.

Andrea, could you use some more help?

I'll take that as a yes.

Hospitality.

Can you come a little bit early and make the coffee?

Prepare it to set up.

Can you come really early, Drew?

Now, Drew, it's not super early, is it?

But Drew's been doing this for years.

Started way back in Delray Baptist.

Can you come early and because somebody has to turn on the lights, literally?

Somebody has to open up the building, prepare things so that when all the other people come, I have to stop, right?

But the list goes on.

How can I give my time?

How can I give my talent to serve Jesus and his people?

Jesus sends, boy, we read that.

He charged them to take nothing for the journey except a staff.

No bread, bag, money, belts.

Don't take any extra clothing.

Travel lightly.

I mean really lightly.

He says, I want you to stay with the people that will provide you lodging.

I don't want you to be looking for an upgrade.

Seriously, he's down on that.

If somebody offers their home to you and says, oh, come on in, and you know, the next day you see, oh, these people have a much nicer house.

And they happen to invite you.

He says, Don't take that invitation.

He says, I want you to learn to be content.

I want you to learn how to rely on what I give you, not what you make for yourself.

He wanted to teach them to be completely dependent and reliant on him, likewise for me, likewise for you.

Don't we pray?

Give us this day our daily bread.

I think he means that.

Give me what I need today, and may I be content with what you give me today.

I will trust you for tomorrow.

Verse 12 and verse 13, so he went and proclaimed that people should repent, and they cast out many demons and anointed people with oil, many who were sick and healed.

You know what he's describing?

Although this, albeit this was the apostles' ministry, it's not our ministry specifically, it was the apostles.

They had these supernatural powers, some of them, but they were given by the Holy Spirit.

But there's still a valid, a valid, important ministry for his disciples today.

And essentially what that is, is a ministry of word and deed.

That still continues.

It was said of Jesus after his resurrection on the road to Emmaus.

It was said that about him.

We had heard that he was a prophet, mighty in word and deed.

Jesus is still ministering through word and deed ministries, mercy ministries.

It's all important.

You know, many of us have heard the phrase, people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.

You know, that's true.

You know that's true.

When you know that somebody really cares about you, it just matters.

It makes a difference.

You're more apt to listen to what they have to say.

We don't need to be apostles for Jesus to use us today, but we all must be his disciples first.

Jesus still works through ordinary people like us.

There's a lot of ego in Washington, D.C.

That's not a news flash.

There's a lot of ego in Washington, D.C.

A lot of people like to be superstars.

A lot of people that like to get the corner office.

A lot of people that like to rise up.

You know, it's hard for Jesus to use people like that.

Jesus says, I'm looking for the humble.

I'm looking for ordinary people that want to do extraordinary things through the work of the Holy Spirit.

That's what gets people's attention.

There are many among us today, as I look around this service, as I looked around the first service, there are people in this church, there are people in worship with us today because of so many people that are using their time and their talent.

I don't know, I guess I better not start, huh?

Phyllis.

The first service this morning, I'm looking at a man that was saved just over a year ago because of your ministry in Linconia.

And there's people that are in the transportation ministry.

There are people that get up and drive out of their way, they go to another part of the city, and they pick up people that otherwise could not come here.

I had a nice conversation with that man this morning after the service.

He met Jesus here because people will get up and go pick him up and drive him here every Sunday.

And he's not the only one.

Thank you all for, I mean, using your gifts, your time and your talent, it makes a difference.

It makes an eternal difference.

Let that sink in.

It's not just a nice deed.

It's not just a nice deed.

An eternal difference.

People coming into the kingdom of God through the ministry of people here, using their time and using their talent, people that you're going to be with in heaven forever.

People you're going to walk to new heavens and a new earth with.

I don't know about you, but that excites me.

I want my life to count.

Get off the couch.

Get on mission.

Ask them though, what is that mission?

What does that look like for me this season of my life?

If you say, I don't know if I'm ready.

I think I need more learning.

I think I need more education.

I think I need more training.

Enough.

Okay.

Please.

No.

Go.

I think some of that is ego.

We Washington Tony and sometimes we struggle.

Well, I'll do anything that I do well.

Is that holding you back?

I will do anything that I do well.

Come on.

You see the ego in that if it may if I look good doing it?

Get over that.

This is not about me looking good.

This is about me being the hands and the feet of Christ.

Do you believe that?

God will use you.

In evangelism.

Many Christians never witness because they feel like they aren't properly fully trained.

Get over it.

If you're a Christian, you have a testimony.

Ask Jesus to open doors for you to share your faith.

Ask Jesus to give you opportunities to share the good news.

You don't have to wait.

Let me tell you, most of the people that I've met in ministry who've just wait, wait, wait, get all that education, don't do it anyway.

Use what Jesus is giving you.

Use what he's giving you.

And watch what he'll do.

Watch how he'll bless your life and their lives.

Which brings us to the last point.

He grants authority.

Jesus supplies the power and he grants his authority.

Power is the ability to do something.

Authority is the right to do it.

As one commentator I read this week put it pretty well.

Sometimes people have the power to do something, but not the authority.

Then if they proceed to use their power, they're abusing it.

For example, a street gang may have the power to control a neighborhood, but they don't have the rightful authority.

By contrast, a police officer may have the authority to stop the gang violence in that neighborhood, but if he doesn't have backup, he may not have the power.

When Jesus sends you on mission, it's not multiple choice.

He says, I will give you my power and I will give you my authority.

You are going to make a difference as you go on mission with me.

Do you believe that?

I can't make you believe that.

Only the Holy Spirit can.

May the Holy Spirit convince each and every one of us that Jesus wants us to be on mission with him.

Particularly as we focus on vision 2026, what's in front of us?

We have his authority.

Remember what he said before he left this world at the Great Commission?

As he gathered his disciples around him before he ascended, he said, Go.

In my name.

All authority in heaven, all authority on earth has been given to me, and I'm giving it to you.

Go.

Whatever you're doing, take it to your restaurant.

Okay?

Wherever your office is, your neighborhood, your sports teams.

You're not gonna go alone.

He's gonna go with you.

And he's gonna give you his power and he's gonna give you his authority.

And people's lives are gonna be changed because you went.

This is the gospel.

Would you pray with me?

Father, would you please, would you, Holy Spirit, take this truth and sink it deep into our minds that we would be renewed, our hearts that we would be changed?

Lord, we we can get kind of squeamish about some of this stuff.

Forgive us.

Forgive us when we stay because we're living for comfort.

Forgive us when we have no faith.

Give us faith today, Jesus, please.

Give us faith.

Give us insight to see the mission that you're about.

Show us how using our time and our talent is going to serve you and serve others.

Grow us.

Use us for your glory.

We pray in Jesus' name.

Amen.