Home, Cynical Home, Part 3

Hi this is Dave Speicher reminding you the June 30 list this Wednesday March the end of the financial year for Insight for living to give a much-needed donation go to insight.org today on Insight for living from Chuck Swindoll should never overestimate the importance but I've learned that family members are not always right. Family responses are not always the ones I need to rely if I'm following the Lord Jesus and the advice of others, including even family members means less in the direction Jesus asleep in the decades passed by and were distanced from childhood roots. It's natural that we embellish the memories of yesteryear nostalgia Morse into selective memory. We tend to romanticize. Growing up in the neighborhood was really like today on Insight for living. Chuck Swindoll re-creates the moment when Jesus returned home to Nazareth only to receive a cynical review of his own people. Jesus said this about his cool reception, a prophet is honored everywhere except his own hometown and among his own family. Chuck titled today study in Matthew 13. Home. Cynical Jesus had finished telling the stories and illustrations. He left that part of the country and he returned to Nazareth hometown so he took the journey they walked. Of course, about a two day walk. The lid finally came to that little sign that says Nazareth. It's there. Jesus formed his earliest impressions about life.

It was their life made up its mind for him but his name was not all over Israel and and of all things.

This this man comes back. But remember their memory is not of the great crowds send in all the significant words that he had spoken that their memory is 30 years of growing up so were traveling among the community and did you hear that Mary son is going to preach no doubt Josephus did never mentioned in his adult life, so Mary gathers the family and no doubt many of them were were married by now and having grown up with Jesus. They had the standard brother opinion and sister opinion. There he stood, it had their meals with them for almost 30 years they'd seen his work conversed argued had the standard relationship you have. But now he's standing in the synagogue and he speaks with such wisdom and authority.

It says look at it. They were never blown away and never talk like this when he was having supper with us when our member speeches that he gave her great works. He did so, they naturally ask where is as though the power to do miracles may lately leave and scarf said he is the son by the way Joseph had nothing to do with his conception. But of course they thought Joseph was his daddy and then admit we don't marry his mother and and and and we know all brothers, James and Joseph and Simon a Judas by the way not believe in all of his sisters have become. And then we read, they were deeply scandalized 80 Robertson it is finding work word pictures in the New Testament rights but the people of Nazareth could not comprehend was how one with the origin and environment of Jesus here in Nazareth could possess the wisdom which he appeared to have in his teaching that is often possible. People how a boy whom they knew could become the man he apparently is after leaving home. They think they stumbled at him. They were they were offended and we read. They refused to believe it. There it is, by the way, that didn't last forever. What we encouraged by that you named earlier as the one who Judas who wrote the book of Jude just before the end of our Bible just before Revelation not only did he believe that in the program wrote a letter in James did as well and we believe until the resurrection and the many believe he really did went fullbore and became a leader in the in the early first century church. So they came around the gives us hope doesn't doesn't give you little encouragement you who have tried to reach her brothers and sisters and moms and dads and and family members to no avail.

Do not think that because you have spoken of Christ, and it wasn't received that it will never be meaningful to them. Your words no doubt will never be forgotten. Our brains have a way of creasing them into the cells and some time that life's most difficult turning points. We remember things and we were told pain will bring thoughts to us. Loss link the illnesses near death struggles many a person I talked to tell me before.

We later bury him or her. It was not until recently I realized what my daughter had in mind or what my cousin meant when he said to me, told me of Jesus I now see, but for right now nobody seems who knows, maybe some of them got up and walked out. It's hard to believe because you would think for the privilege of being able to hear Jesus teach me how long the line would you stand in with a wooden. In fact, we read this after they didn't believe in them. Then Jesus told them, look at this, a prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his own family. The sentence literally reads a prophet is not dishonored, except in his native town and in his house, which probably means household family and with that reproof we read something else that eloquent. The very last sentence in the chapter and so he did. Only a few miracles there because of their unbelief. Your Bible read a similar way, what shut it down with a response he read on their faces and maybe heard of the murmurings they want nothing to do with what I have to say I'll say more about the moment but I'll tell you audience reaction means an enormous amount to someone communicating truth and he's very sensitive.

He realizes that was home. Those from his family had little interest in what you say is a couple of applications I want to draw from this simple vignette you been so patient to listen as we worked our way through it. Here's the first thought I want to leave with you. We should never overestimate the importance of family and friends should never overestimate the importance of family and friends. You will often hear words like that from me because I'm such a family man, but I've learned that family members are not always right, and I've learned that family responses are not always the ones I need to rely on if I am committed to following the Lord Jesus. If we often say hook line and sinker. If I am fully committed to him, then the advice of others, including even family members means less in the direction Jesus is leading the old Aesop's fable comes to pass again. Familiarity breeds contempt.

Now, in this case we have a classic illustration. He was shut down because of their unbelief. And he then reprove them, which included a reproof to his own family here I come.

For whatever reasons I had in mind.

And I find the axiom here again a prophet is without honor in his own hometown. Here's a second, we should never underestimate the importance of others response their response to Jesus hinder him from saying anything else I got I think you may have entered his message before you plan to.

He certainly stopped doing a great works among we should never underestimate the importance of others responses. This gives me a chance to do something I rarely do not want to do it today I want to talk to you about you. You know me well enough to know that I'm not going to blow smoke here okay but I can tell you you're the best when it comes to responses. I had never preached before a gathering more receptive when it's serious. You're as silent as a tomb. That's good you not fiddling around you not rustling around your riveting is a great response not to me but to the truth.

Your hearing something is funny laugh. I have a been a church is where I've set something up with meant to be fun is like okay I learned that when they go there you not like that at all. Very spontaneous fact that list of faces that you looked at earlier. Those guest preachers.

Every one of them loves to come back to this place to preach you why you had number of them say have never had a congregation like that.

I mean check that got there they bring their Bibles on it. What you think they're going to bring. Time magazine surely going to bring revival is that you know when I say something from the Scriptures like and I say turn here that will not all summer U-turn Alyssa listen but most of U-turn you know why your responsive stay that way.

It is is contagious. It gives energy to the one who is pouring out his soul. William Barclay addresses this in a beautiful way and I share his words with you. He writes the prophet as so often happens, had no honor in his own country, and their attitude to him raise the barrier which made it impossible for Jesus to have any affect upon them, and he goes on. There's a great lesson here in any church service.

The congregation preaches more than half the sermon to know that your charge when the messages over you preached The sermon with every congregation preaches half the sermon. The congregation brings an atmosphere with it.

That atmosphere is either a barrier through which the preacher's word cannot penetrate or else it is such an expectancy that even the poorest sermon becomes a living flame. Your model of that that's cultivated over the years, we learn to listen. We learn to found you prepared messages we learn to observe insightful comments and make him on her own as we go back to the biblical text, and draw from it truth for our lives.

That's why when you go home sermon still lives in you can return to Matthew 1353 to 58 and relive the scene at Nazareth because you got home within you want those 40 miles you slept under the stars you stood before family that's frowning at him and I think some of that came from Mary as well. Who is he I change his diapers have seen them grow up. 12 of the song Mary did you know there's that line in there.

He will soon deliver you.

Mary he will soon deliver you one day in her life. She realized I've given birth to my Savior, my Lord, what a response. Tumbling response or humble response. Never lose your love for gatherings like this it's it's like a magnet. I'm serious though I'm away for a little while I'll tell you is in a Sunday the comes and I don't think Kevin Steve gets to preaches enemy.

One may not exactly like that but I have thoughts like they have the joy of standing with this congregation and delivering their souls and having that appreciate appreciate.

I can't tell you what that me the late Holly Hendrick used to say to me when we talked about various students, some of whom are losing heart for their studies. I asked prof why would that be made on the kind of guy that's on the edge of his seat. I never want the prof to go home. I wanted I wanted more but some did Lisa get over forward to critical. They probably don't have anybody at home, encouraging very insightful to give yourself to the truth of the Scriptures. It needs to be appreciated and you do a marvelous job of that, I mean that with my whole heart knowledge say to you who still can't quite find herself able to respond like this. Maybe it's because you never realize the power of the cross and what was accomplished.

There are recently of a man who would heard the message of Christ. It was presented to him very carefully very thoughtfully and appropriately, and he died without Jesus.

He now knows, but it's too late. The power of the cross. If you have the ability to respond in a way that's great: excited.

It may be that you just never met the one who wrote the story or the one who would hold to Nasser.

I love you to meet him today that with me will you just sit very quietly. One of Jesus disciples once wrote. He came unto his own, but his own did not receive him. Interesting nuance in that statement John wrote it could be rendered. He came to his own things, but his own ones did not receive.

That's what it means he saw the hills and the lakes. He saw the great sea, all of which he had made on this planet and all of it received in and continue to obey him even when he said, peace be still, stop, and the wave stopped in the storm went away, but not even his own household welcomed. They were offended by if you never met the Lord Jesus. Your offense may be brought on by a misunderstanding. He's not just another hometown boy grown-up good he's the master he's the Savior.

He who has the son has the life SO in he who does not have the son of God does not have the life trust.

The sun, release your grip set aside your resistance and humbly taking do it now, you may not have tomorrow. We would now thank you father for this so nostalgic journey back to a place that most will never visit except in the mind. Thank you for the opportunity to relive the scene and can it be that we should gain an interest in the Savior's blood died he for me died he for me who knew no sin.

Thank you father for the Savior.

Thank you that he died. We love you, father, and we worship your son Jesus in his name we worship and pray she always people said amen.

It's worth noting that the same Jesus to return to his hometown 2000 years ago is prepared to have an encounter with you today and even at this moment he's touching the lives of men and women like you who live far from Nazareth but are saying yes to his call your listening to Insight for living Chuck Swindoll is teaching from Matthew chapter 13, he titled today's message home, cynical home. If they stay with us because Chuck is in the studio to deliver a closing comment just for our radio family and if you'd like to learn more about this ministry.

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EL Chuck, we often remind our listeners that they're not alone when receiving these daily programs.

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Dave many in our listening family were surprised to learn that inside the living can be heard in eight additional languages other than the English language. Of course no one is more surprised than I am.

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