Good can come out of Nazareth

Salutation: Acts 6:4 >> But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.

Core Scripture: John 1 vs 43-46

Mark 6: 1-11

• Jesus could not do any miracles there
• There was one thing that Jesus couldn’t do, it was to override the unbelief of the people that He wanted to heal, that he wanted to serve
• Jesus was born in Bethlehem but he grew up in Nazareth
• Jesus never did most of he’s ministry in the place that he grew up because sometimes in order to be used by God you need to leave what is familiar
• Jesus was rejected to the people that were closet to him
• John 1:11>> He came to His own, and His own did not receive
• It is very sad when the people around you don’t appreciate you and support you
• It was interesting how people closest to Jesus took him for granted
• The people in Nazareth had a hard time seeing Jesus as the Savior because they saw Jesus in diapers
• Zechariah 4:10 >> Despise not the days of small beginnings
• It was difficult for them to believe that Jesus would save the world when they saw him playing with mud in he’s toddler years.
• Its very difficult to see the miracle in something that you have become familiar with.
• When Jesus started preaching they were amazed but later on one said wait but he is one of us
• Familiarity breeds contempt >> means that extensive knowledge of or close association with someone or something leads to a loss of respect for them or it.
• The moment they categorized Jesus as one of them He became common to them
• The minute you see something or someone special and treat it as common you miss your miracle eg seeing a service as a common gathering
• What is consistently taken for granted and eventually taken away
• Luke 8:43-48 >> Woman with the issue of blood >> never took Jesus for granted
• Is quite interesting how some of us will not cherish the house of God, yet we have people coming out of Windhoek to come to CLMI
• A lot of miracles are locked up in familiarity
• When Jesus enters into Nazareth, he comes with power for all kinds of miracles to take place but the people in Nazareth have lost their appreciation of He’s power and because of this they have limited the potential of the power of God to be released in their lives
• In the old testament they used to sacrifice bulls, goats, pigeons, lambs and they would feel the value of the sacrifice because they would see and smell the blood but we have accustomed ourselves to the blood of Jesus that it has lost its values to us because it has become a common thing.
• For some of us the miracle is right there in front of us but we can not see because we are not amazed with the things of God
• Do not get comfortable with church always be amazed with Jesus
• Vs 3: they called Jesus a carpenter a common name, there were a few people in Nazareth and everyone knew the other’s name, why didn’t they call him Joseph
• The called him the son of Mary, in Jewish custom you don’t call a child by the name of the mother
• He cant be special he is one of us
• He came from Nazareth, a small village with a limited number of people
• Sometimes in our lives we have gone through so many bad things or failures that we think that nothing good can come out of us
• We have got so many bad things that have happened to us in the past, some of them are not even your fault, that the make you think can anything good come out of me
• Maybe you were sexually molested at a very young age and that has dominated what you future will be
• You could have been in a relationship or marriage that failed 5 years ago but you are in a Nazareth position
• If you believe in your life that you are worthless then it will be difficult for you to worship a God that said you are worth dying for
• Sometimes in life you are not rejected because of who you are but because of where you came from
• For most of us if we had been rejected in our home town that would have been the end of our mission.
• You don’t have to stay were you started, you don’t have to be who you were
• Nazareth might not necessarily be a place it might be a perspective (the way we think about certain things in our lives)
• 1 Chronicles 4:9-10 >> Jabez
• Jesus was amazed at their lack of faith in Nazareth
• There is nothing as painful as being rejected by the ones that you love, it could be a child, a spouse or a parent that you could have done a lot for
• Jesus could have done 10 times more the miracles in Nazareth because he knew the people there
• We get so worried about rejection that we don’t see Gods new direction for our lives
• Nazareth is a place that people said you couldn’t make it
• Nazareth is a place that you failed but you had great expectations
• Nazareth is a place that those that said they would be there for you were not there
• Rejection is not the end, after Jesus was rejected he went to near by villages and started ministering there
• Some of our greatest blessings can come on the other side of rejection
• The Lord brought the disciples to Nazareth because he wanted to teach them how to handle rejection in vs 11
• Jesus knew that the disciples were not ready to minster until they had been rejected
• The road to resurrection is paved with rejection
• Psalm 118:22 >> The stone that was rejected became the corner stone
• Jesus had shown the disciples how to heal the sick, how to take authority, how to cast out demons but he had one more thing that he had to teach them, how to handle rejection
• Friends and family may reject you but God will never reject you.
• God will select what men rejects, people selected Saul but God chose David
• Can anything good come out of
  • Lack
  • Being divorced
  • Bareness
  • Rejection
  • Drug abuse
  • Poverty
  • Sickness

Look at 10 examples in the word of people that were in a Nazareth position

1. Naomi >> Ruth 1 : 1-5
2. David >> 1 Samuel 16: 1-12
3. Joseph >> Genesis
   • Rejected by he’s parents
   • Rejected by he’s brothers
   • Sent to prison for a crime he didn’t commit
   • Lied to that he wanted to rape
   • Wanted to be killed by he’s brothers
   • Sold into slavery
   • Forgotten by the cup bearer
4. Legion >> Mark 5: 1-5
5. Saul >> Acts 7: 54-58
6. Gideon >> Judges 6: 11-15
7. Rahab >> Joshua 2: 1-4
8. Esther >> Esther 2: 7
9. Sarah >> Genesis 21: 1-2
10. Mephibosheth >> 2 Samuel 4:4

Conclusion

Job 14:7-9 >> There is hope to the dead situation.

Prayers

1. I reject the spirit of the tail and I claim the spirit of the head, in the name of Jesus.
2. I command all evil records planted by the devil in anyone’s mind against my advancement to be shattered to pieces, in Jesus’ name
3. Lord, transfer, remove or change all human agents that are bent on stopping my advancement.
4. I receive the anointing to excel above my contemporaries, in the name of Jesus.
5. O Lord, help me to identify and deal with any weakness in me that can hinder my progress.
6. I bind every strongman delegated to hinder my progress, in the name of Jesus.
7. O Lord, despatch Your angels to roll away every stumbling block to my promotion, advancement and elevation.
8. Let power change hands in my place of work to the hands of the Holy Spirit, in the name of Jesus.
9. I receive the mandate to put to flight every enemy of my breakthroughs, in the name of Jesus.
10. You spirit of rejection, I bind and render you to naught in my life, in the mighty name of Jesus.

Giving

Pastor Anna