Mark 6:1-13
Luke 4:28-29
“Let us observe, in the last place, what was the doctrine which our Lord’s apostles preached. We read that ‘they went out and preached that men should repent. The necessity of repentance may seem at first sight a very simple and elementary truth. And yet volumes might be written to show the fullness of the doctrine, and the suitableness of it to every age and time, and to every rank and class of mankind. It is inseparably connected with right views of God, of human nature, of sin, of Christ, of holiness, and of heaven. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. All need to be brought to a sense of their sins, - to a sorrow for them; to a willingness to give them up; and to a hunger and thirst after pardon. All, in a word, need to be born again and to flee to Christ. This is repentance unto life. Have we ourselves repented? This, after all, is the question that concerns us most. It is well to know what the apostles taught. It is well to be familiar with the whole system of Christian doctrine. But it is far better to know repentance by experience and to feel it inwardly in our own hearts. May we never rest till we know and feel that we have repented! There are no impenitent people in the kingdom of heaven.” - J.C. Ryle
“All who enter in there have felt, mourned over, forsaken, and sought pardon for sin. This must be our experience, if we hope to be saved.” - J.C. Ryle
Discussion questions:
Familiarity breeds contempt. How would we know if our familiarity with Jesus was actually producing a quiet contempt for Jesus? Or, just as deadly but more subtle, an indifference to Jesus? What are the signs of such a spiritual disease?
What can we do to ensure that in our pursuit of Jesus we remain in awe of Jesus? How can we ensure that our normal spiritual rhythms - reading the Bible, prayer, gathering with God’s people - don’t lead us into any kind of spiritual complacency or indifference?
Jesus was rejected, even by his own friends and family. Jesus also prepared his closest followers for rejection. The New Testament teaches us also to expect trial (1 Pet 4:12) and suffering (James 1:2). Why, then, do so many Christians subtly expect their life to be comfortable and easy? In what ways do your own expectations for the Christian life need to be recallibrated in light of Scripture?
J. C. Ryle says, “All who enter [heaven] have felt, mourned over, forsaken, and sought pardon for sin. This must be our experience, if we hope to be saved.” How do we protect against a cold indifference to our own sin? How do we ight for regular, ongoing, genuine repentance?