Ron Hutchcraft Ministries - The Home Folks' Hazard - #6256

Monday, January 3, 2011

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I was on a trip to Florida, and I had just a little personal time - enough to get over to Epcot Center at Disney World, which is a really cool place. You know, they've set it up so it's like you're actually in several of the big countries of the world; some of which I've actually been to for real. And it was just really great to be in touch with kind of the world that way. Now, I had a very busy working week, and I had to get over there quickly. I didn't really have a lot of time. So, I grabbed a van, actually part of a limousine service. And as we were getting near Epcot, I said to the driver, "Man, I'll bet you drive here in your sleep, don't you? I mean, this is something you do all the time. You probably do it with your eyes closed." He said, "Oh, yeah, man, I could. I've been here so many times." I said, "Yeah, and I'll bet you've been at Epcot many times, haven't you." He said, "Yeah, I have." I said, "Well how many times have you actually been in Epcot?" He said, "Oh, I... I've never been in." He just brings people there. Well, you know what, it's so often that way isn't it?

I mean, you live right on top of what tourists come from all over the world to see, but you don't go in there yourself. We moved to the New York area to Northern New Jersey, and we were really eager to explore what was there. And we'd say to people who were born there, "Hey, been over to the Empire State Building? Been to the Statue of Liberty? Been to this battlefield in New Jersey or this beautiful country store in this little country town?" And they go, "No, I think it's boring here, and no, I haven't been there." You know, we were discovering it. There was a lot of great stuff. They'd never been to see it. See, it's common for us to be close to something for so long that we miss it, including the one thing that we can't afford to miss.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Home Folks' Hazard."

Our word for today from the Word of God is found in Mark chapter 6. I'm going to read verses 1-6. Here's the home folks hazard. "Jesus went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed." Now, this is Nazareth, of course. "Where did this man get these things?" they asked. "What's this wisdom that has been given him, that he even does miracles! Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's son?" Then they took offence at him. Jesus said to them, "Only in his hometown, among his relatives, in his own house is a prophet without honor." He could not do any miracles there...and he was amazed at their lack of faith. Wow! This is a sobering passage, because the people who grew up with Jesus are the ones who expected no miracle.

Oh, they knew all about him. "What would you like to know about Jesus?" "Oh, we know his brother here. Oh, his sister lives right down the street. His Mom? Oh, yeah. I just saw her at the grocery store today. I used to play with them when we were little." They grew up with Jesus, but nothing happened between Jesus and them. It's sort of like those of us who live near some great sights and experiences, like my driver down in Florida, or people who live around New York and don't ever go to anything in New York. They take them for granted.

Now, maybe you grew up with Jesus in a sense. You've been around Christ for years. Well, there are two dangers for those of us who've known about Him for so long. First of all, you can underestimate Him. That's what happened to some people in this story. So many of us spiritual veterans are living in mediocrity; we pray little prayers; we live small Christian lives. Maybe it's been a long time since you've really lived dangerously and taken some risks for Christ and expected the supernatural. Has your relationship with Christ become boring, predictable, managed? New arrivals in the kingdom eagerly explore all that Christ can do, and He never disappoints them. But the people who lived around Christ would take Him for granted.

But the other danger is an even greater one, and that is that even though you've known all about Him for years, you don't know Him personally. You have never actually had a personal, saving transaction with Jesus Christ at His cross. You could be a candidate to be the smartest person in hell, with all the knowledge but no relationship.

If you're not really sure you belong to Him - you believe things about Him - but you've never really given yourself to Him, let this be your day. Would you go to our website and let me help you there make sure you belong to Him. Go to YoursForLife.net.

One of the greatest tragedies of all eternity would be if you'd been around Jesus your whole life and missed Him...and missed heaven.