Title: The Perils of Faith

Focus: Faith in Christ entails risks such as the risk of discomfort in life, exposure/hunger, personal danger, and exhaustion.

Function: To motivate the hearers to radical, active faith that leads them out of their comfort zone and into ministry

Text: Mk 6:6-31

Intro:
1.  Text:  Mark 6
2.  So far, have seen that faith is powerful, and absolutely necessary
3.  Text now will talk about a different aspect of faith
4.  Risk - Faith involves risk.     What?    Types:

I.  Risk of exposure and hunger (v.7-13)
	A.  Having faith does not mean sitting back and do nothing
		1.  Jesus passes on his mission and authority to his disciples
		2.  His expectation is that his followers will carry on his mission
	B.  Jesus tells them what to pack
		1.  ILL:  When go on a trip, we careful to pack all we need
		2.  They didn’t have to pack! No bag, money food, clothes
		3.  Why pack so light?
			a.  We would not dare go on mission trip like this
			b.  Had to “live on faith” - - day by day
			c.  Totally dependent 
				- No money, food
				- No tunic!  (Sleeping outside not an option)
		4.  Had to stay at the same house in a town
			a.  What if someone with better home offered?
			b.  They would not be lured by what people could provide
			c.  Materialism would not affect their message
	C.  ILL:  Man in bad wreck
		1.  Tried to help, asked him if he okay, kept saying “my bmw”
		2.  Noticed his arm missing - “my rolex, my rolex”
		3.  That’s messed up
		4.  Our biggest challenge not doctrinal, but materialism
	D.  So is it wrong to be rich and good to be poor?
		1.  After all
			a.  Jas 2 - God choose the poor
			b.  Blessed are the poor - kingdom of Heaven
			c.  Easier camel to go throuh eye of needle than rich to get in kingdom
		2.  Worldy thought - Disdain poor, want riches for respectability
		3.  Godly teaching on respectability
			a.  (1 Tim 2:9-10) - Inward person
			b.  (1 Tim 3:2) - “Respectable” is same word as “modest”
		4.  (1 Tim 5:17-19) - Problem is the love of money
	E.  Faith cause you to willingly take risk of exposure and hunger and not be motivated by things

But that is not the only risk involved with faith

II.  It involves the risk of personal danger
	A.  “Eagles may soar, but mice don’t get sucked in by jet engines”
		1.  I suppose this is to say there is something to keeping safe
		2.  Mice live out of site, in the walls
		3.  BUT Jesus called us out of the world and sends us into it
		4.  Not of the world and in the world can spell danger!
	B.  We know , but does the text say this?
		1.  (v.14-16) - Ministry drawing attention
		2.  (v.17-29) - Account of death of John
			a.  Reminds us of Ahab and Jezebel with Elijah
				1.  Ahab and Herod both manipulated by evil wife
				2.  Both Ahab and Herod weak on righteousness
					a.  v.20 - Herod feared John (respect)
					b.  Gladly listened to him
					c.  Teen girl wished evil, and Herod did it
			b.  Later, Jesus will assert John is Elijah
		3.  This is longest account of John’s death.  Purpose?
			a.  Could have went from v.16 to v.30
			b.  They were preaching repentance, and who hears?
			c.  Herod - The one who put John to death
			d.  NOW - The disciples are in danger!
	C.  ILL:  About three years ago, several brethren in jail in Laos
		1.  False charges brought against them
		2.  American brethren released, but several Laotians prison
		3.  Stayed for over 2 years
		4.  They exhorted other brethren to not stop meeting!!
	D.  Faith in Christ may mean you face personal danger
		1.  Slowly, Christians in our country are on fringes of society
			a.  This is not unusual
			b.  Kingdom of world and Christ in opposition to each other
			c.  Satan is ruler of this world, and lies in his power
		2.  For some it is danger of losing promotion, popularity, friends
		3.  For others in the world, it is danger of prison, torture, execution

But even if we have very low risk of personal danger, there is still another risk

III.  It involves the risk of exhaustion
	A.  This trip was likely stressful for them
		1.  They faced danger, exposure, and possiblity of going hungry
		2.  Now they are ready to come come
	B.  (v.30-31)
		1.  They come home and give a missions report
		2.  Jesus tells them to rest, they obviously needed it
		3.  After hard work comes rest
			a.  Heb 4:11 - Be diligent to enter heavenly rest
			b.  (Rev 14:13) - We will rest from our labor, deeds follow
	C.  ILL:  I’ve heard some people say go crazy on vacation
		1.  No one likes to do absolutely nothing (for eternity)
		2.  Man was not meant to be inactive - Was to tend garden of eden
		3.  But curse came - It became a burden
		4.  (Rev 22:3) - No longer any curse
		5.  (Rev 7:9-17) - Serve him, but not “labor”
	D.  But that rest comes only after toiling here on earth
		1.  Toiling come from faith in Christ
		2.  Submission and obedience are results of faith
		3.  Like the song:  Trust and obey, for theirs no other way
  
IV.  Faith is necessary
	A.  This text communicates this in a subtle way
	B.  Go back to Jesus’ instructions to his disciples
		1.  Not accepting Gospel is costly (v.11)
			a.  When Jews return from gentiles, they shake dust from 
			      feet to prevent bringing uncleaness home from those 
			      who were NOT GOD’S PEOPLE
			b.  Now the tables are turned
			c.  Insiders now become outsiders due to lack of faith
		2.  Faith will make your ministry effective (v.12-13)
	C.  And remember the reward - No longer any curse - rest from labors
	D.  But faith takes risks for it

Concl:
1.  So faith involves risk
	Exposure/Hunger - Personal Danger - Exhaustion
2.  Faith is absolutely necessary
3.  Do you have a true faith?
	a.  Without faith, impossible to please him
	b.  Faith will follow Jesus, even through the shadow of valley of death
4.  Some have followed him
	a.  At work, in making decisions concerning friends
	b.  In getting involved with VBS, missions, prison work, giving to support it
5.  Some of us have not figured it out.  IF so, time to pray
6.  Some have not expressed faith through baptism yet