Experience Limitless Possibilities: The Power of Active Belief

Welcome again to Bible study. It's that time and I hope that you have somebody to join in with you because we're going to get into the word of God tonight. And before we do that though, let's just take a moment to pray. So grab the hand of the person next to you or call them in the room and say, "Let's touch and agree in prayer because we have some needs and God is present to meet our needs."

So let's go before him now. Father, I just thank you for this time of Bible study. I thank you for everyone that has joined in. And I'm asking, Lord, that in this time as we study the scriptures that they will come alive. I'm asking, Father, that the revelation of Jesus will be real in these scriptures today.

And we will come to know you more intimately and more personally. And Father, while we're doing that, whatever the needs may be of my brother and sister as they're joining in, I'm asking that you would meet it. I'm asking that you would show yourself, reveal yourself to them in the areas of their need and that they will recognize that you are the source of their supply that everything that they need is in and flows from you.

So, Father, I'm asking for healing, restoration, recovery. I'm asking for resources. I'm asking for whatever is needed to be supplied in their lives. I pray, Father, that anything that may be tormenting them or keeping them from your purpose will be removed and disbanded from their lives in the name of Jesus.

I trust you and I praise you for doing this in your mighty name. Amen. Amen. All right, we are here in the Gospel according to Mark, the last chapter, Mark chapter 16. I hope you're ready. Tonight, we are going to dive in and see what the word of the Lord is for a topic tonight of stud of focus and study.

We're going to talk about the root of unbelief. The root of unbelief. The secondary topic is will you believe? Will you believe? Believe. Believe or believe. Throughout his time with his disciples, Jesus routinely taught and discussed the importance of belief. As we look in this chapter, we're going to see it over and over again. whether it was a promise of eternal life in John 3:16- 36.

As a matter of fact, before we go any further, let's take a look at John 3 16 and verse 36. It says this, "For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that he even gave up his only begotten or unique son that so that whoever believes there's a key word in, trusts in, clings to and relies on him the son shall not perish, come to destruction, be lost, but have everlasting life or eternal life.

And he who again believes in, has faith in, clings to, relies on the Son, verse 36 says, has now possesses eternal life. But whoever disobys, is unbelieving toward, refuses to trust in or disregards, or is not subject to the Son, hope you're getting that, will never see or experience life.

But instead, the wrath of God abides on him. God's displeasure remains on him. His indignation hangs over him continuously. So whether Jesus whether he was talking about the promise of eternal life that we just read in that scripture or the role of belief in escaping the power of death.

We see that in John chap 11. Let's run over to John chap 11 real quick verses 25 and 26. In this passage Jesus said to her, I am myself the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in, again, when we talk about believe, we're talking about adhering to, trusting in, and relying on me.

Jesus says, although he may die, yet shall he live. And whoever continues to live, and here's a key word, believes in, again, belief, talking about has faith in, cleaves to, and relies on me, Jesus said, shall never actually die at all. Oo, that's a promise. Then he asked the question, do you believe this?

So whether he's talking about the promise of eternal life or escaping uh the power of death, Jesus even describes its limitless possibilities in Mark chap uh 9 verse 23 when he's talking about belief. And in that passage, he just says all things are possible. all things are possible.

And he goes on and talks about the significance of it in uh Mark, I believe chapter 24, let's look at that verse. Yeah, chapter 11, I'm sorry. Mark chapter 11. He says, "Truly I tell you," when he's talking about belief, "Truly I tell you, whoever says to this mountain," he's talking about a literal mountain there, "be lifted up and thrown into the sea," and does not doubt at all in his heart, but believes that what he says will take place, again, believes, it will be done for him.

For this reason I am telling you whatever you ask for in prayer. Remember we just prayed right? Jesus said whatever you ask for in prayer believe. And when he says believe it says parenthetically trust and be confident that it is granted to you and you will get it.

Come on somebody say I'm going to get it. I'm going to get it because I believe. Hallelujah. Because I believe. So Jesus emphasized emphasizes the role of belief in the kingdom of God. Jesus along with his uh disciples. Subsequently he prepared those who would listen for the events shared in this particular chapter ahead of time.

He told them that he would be handed over to God's enemies to be persecuted and to die. He did that on numerous occasions. but that he would also rise from death's hold. Although they heard Jesus's words, those closest to him did not and had no desire to believe that these events would or could actually happen.

If you remember when we talked about Peter, Peter said, "God forbid that these things should happen to you, not on my watch." And then what he had just said that Jesus was the Christ. He had the revelation that Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God.

Jesus said, "Flesh and blood didn't reveal that to you, Peter. My father downloaded that to you in this moment." And then just a few seconds later, he's trying to keep Jesus from fulfilling his purpose of arriving here on the earth. And then what did Jesus said? He looked through Peter and he spoke to that which was operating within him and he said, "Get thee behind me, Satan.

You're an offense to God. they're trying to keep uh from happening that which God has already decreed. So, he didn't want it to happen. Yet, despite their inability to believe, Jesus believed because he was aligned with the father. He came into agreement with the father's will, his plans, and purposes resulting in the fulfillment of what he had he the father had spoken.

The disciples couldn't seem to believe beyond the function of their physical senses. They couldn't go beyond their ability to touch, hear, taste, smell, or to see. Jesus confronted their unbelief, noting that they only believed because they could see him with their physical eyes. But but he said, "To those who believe without the benefit of sensory perception, they are indeed blessed."

That would mean you and I, you and me, we are blessed because we don't see him right now today with our physical eye. We can't touch him with our fingers right now physically, but oh, we do so by faith because we have believed the message of who Jesus is.

And Jesus says, "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe." Are you a believer today? Are you believing and holding on to his promises? I know you are. All right, let's get into this. Accordingly, Jesus shared a significant truth in his story about the unjust judge in Luke 18:8.

At the end of that passage, these words Jesus spoke. He says, "Now when the son of man comes or returns, how many will he find on earth to have faith? when he comes back, how many will he find on the earth to have faith, to believe, have an active belief in who he is?

So the question is, will you be one who has active faith, active belief upon his return? That's a question for you tonight and that's a question for me. But in this chapter, we're going to look at and here's some points I want I would like for all of us to leave here to uh with today. one, what is biblical belief?

What does it mean to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ? Also, I would like for us to be able to describe the characteristics of a hardened heart. We'll see that in the passage. We should be able to concisely state the great commission as a result of our time today.

And then we should be able to identify what are the signs which accompany the lives of believers who share the good news of Jesus Christ and the kingdom of God. So those are four things I think we should be able to leave with today at the end of our time together.

So belief, belief, belief. We're looking and Jesus is throughout this this chapter he you'll see he keeps saying or there's a reference made that someone did not believe or someone did believe. What are we talking about when we say belief? When we talk about believe what are we really focusing upon?

Even in our subject we talks about we talk about the root of unbelief asking the question will you believe? So what are we talking about? When we say believe or believe in the New Testament, if we look at the Greek root, the Greek word there is pistus or pistio.

Pistio. And when we're talking about uh belief, we're talking about it conveys a sense of trust, a reliance upon someone or something. It is not merely an intellectual ascent, but it involves a deep personal trust and commitment. It's a transformative trust that leads to a new way of living.

So if we say I believe, I believe, I want you to say this with with me. I don't just give Come on. I don't just give my intellectual ascent. Come on. my intellectual ascent. But come on, come on, come on, say it so the person in the next room can hear you.

Say, but my belief involves a deep personal trust and commitment to Jesus Christ. My belief, come on, say it right where you are, involves a deep personal trust in and commitment to Jesus Christ. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. I'm transformed because I rely upon Jesus. My commitment to him has given me a brand new life because I have committed to him.

All right, let's get into this chapter. Let's do a quick overview for those who might be in a rush and you just want to find out what this chapter is about. We're going to go through that very quickly and then we're going to come back and look at some uh focus points.

Mark chapter 16 verses 1-8. It talks about the announcement. There's a testimony. There's something going on that's being announced announced there. We see an angel. We see at the end of chapter uh 15 uh Jesus has died and they have taken him down from the cross. Joseph of Arya he has put him in his own tomb.

He has already wrapped his body and put it there. But then we see if you look in another uh another book uh account I think it's Matthews or Luke's account it talks about how uh the Jewish leaders uh went to Pilate and went to the governors and said hey his disciples uh this man while he was alive he often said that he was going to raise up in three days.

So let's put a stone over there. Let's set some soldiers over there to guard unless his disciples come and steal his body and make it seem like what he was talking about talking about comes to pass. So they agreed and gave them some soldiers and they even put a large stone in front of the grave.

So here in chapter 16 we have the Marys. We have two Marys and Salom. They're going to do to prepare the body. They're going to anoint the body, put some incense on the body. So the body doesn't stink as much when it decomposes. And so they're going over on the first day of the week.

Well, as soon as they get there, they encounter an angel. An angel meets them. And the women were amazed and filled with terror. He tells them, "Don't be amazed. Don't be filled with terror." He shows them, "Take a look. This is where Jesus's body uh was laying. You're coming looking for Jesus, but he's not here.

He is risen just like he said he would. And he says, "Now, why don't you go and tell his 10 disciples or his disciples and Peter, tell the disciples and Peter that what you see right now that he has raised from the dead just like he said." And then he says, "Now I want you to go ahead over to Galilee and meet up with Jesus because he's going to meet you there just like he already told you that he was going to do."

All right. Then in verses 9 through13, we have some close encounters. Somebody say close encounters. Close encounters. On Sunday, uh Jesus appeared again after the ladies are g have been there. uh he appeared again, excuse me, to Mary Magdalene. She shares that encounter and with the disciples, but the scripture says the disciples did not believe.

Afterwards, Jesus appears again and there were two men traveling on a road. The Bible, another uh another book, I think it's in Matthew that says they were on the road to Emmas. two men and Jesus appeared to them and he talked to them and they didn't recognize him.

It even says he he he appeared to them in a different form. So their their understanding or perception of who he was, it was unclear at that moment. The men share the news of the encounter with the disciples. The disciples again did not believe them. Now, these are people who had heard Jesus tell them on occasion, I'm going to be delivered over.

I'm going to suffer at their hands, I am going to be put to death, but I'm going to rise again. Now, we have uh people who have had in uh encounters, close encounters with Jesus, declaring that he had raised up as he had already told them, yet they did not believe.

They chose not to believe the report that they heard, but rather they chose to side with their sensory perceptions and their own ability to understand and comprehend. They chose their own circumstances over what the word of the Lord had already stated. So before we go any further, let's go let's go on down to verse 14.

The revelation here Jesus personally this time he says okay you've had the announcement from the angel you've had uh the witnesses of close encounters of Mary and these two men on the road to Emmas and now Jesus shows up himself to all 11 including Peter all 11. And what happens when he appears?

Oh, first they're afraid and they think they're seeing a ghost. And so we'll read in another passage uh in Luke and in Matthew's translation a little bit later how Jesus says, "Hey, okay, you think I'm a ghost now. Will a ghost eat? Give me some food." So he ate.

Okay, touch me. You Thomas, you said you wouldn't believe unless you put your hands where um the nails had gone in my hand and or or touched me in my side where they pierced me. Come on, Thomas. Now, do you believe? So, what what happened when Jesus appeared?

Jesus rebues them. He didn't just console them. He rebukes them for unbelief and hardness of heart because they didn't believe the testimonies of those who had seen him. He rebuked the fact that they trusted in their own understanding more than they trusted in his word. And he said the reason because of that, the root of that was because their hearts were hardened.

They had hardened hearts. And then we move on from there to verses 15- 18. After Jesus rebukes them, he tells them, "Now, everyone in this room, I want you to go and proclaim the good news. I want you to go and preach the gospel, the good news, uh, to everyone that you encounter."

Then he he states to those who believe, not unbelievers. He states to those who believe the proclaimed good news and signifies this with baptism, uh, that they will be saved. Those who believed and who are baptized will be saved. And he says, "Then those who do not will be condemned.

They will not experience this salvation that is afforded to those who believe." Then he reveals also that to those who believe, there's going to be accompanying signs which follow them when they share the good news of the gospel. What are these accompanying signs? He says in this passage, he says, "Well, you're going to drive out devils, those who are oppressed to those who believe, they're going to drive out devils.

They're going to speak in new languages, speak in new tongues. They're not going to be harmed by snakes or poisons, and they're going to heal the sick by the laying on of their hands." All these things Jesus said would happen. Then after that, we have the ascension in verse verse 19.

Jesus after he told them that he was taken up to heaven and the Bible says he sat down on the right hand of the father of God the father remember he said on the on the cross already he said it is finished it is it's already finished so now he's carrying that out and he sat down because his work was done but remember he already promised even in the book of John I'm not leaving you without help I'm sending a helper hallelujah somebody says I have the helper I have the helper the Holy Spirit living on the inside of me.

All right. Then in verse 20, we see the confirmation. The believers went out. They shared the gospel everywhere that they went. And then the word of God says Jesus, the Lord Jesus worked with or through them and confirmed the gospel message with those signs that he already talked about.

So they went out, they drove out devils. They pronounced the kingdom of God is at hand. Jesus is alive. Salvation comes through Jesus Christ alone. Repent and give your life over to Jesus. And those who heard and believe. And while they were out there, the disciples says, "Oh, there are sick among us in Jesus' name be healed."

They laid hands. Oh, those who were oppressed by the devil. They begin to drive out the the oppression, drive out the presence of of demonic of demons from their lives, breaking their strongholds and commanding them to go in the name of Jesus. These signs flowed and it caused the fury around them.

It caused the commotion and people began to give their lives over to Jesus. We see these things in Mark chapter 16. That is a overview of what this chapter is all about. The disciples hearing witness that Jesus arose. They chose not to believe. The reason they didn't believe because he said their hearts were hardened.

Even though that there were witnesses, then Jesus commissions them after he reveals himself to them personally. And he says, "Now go do the work that I have trained you to do. Announce that the kingdom of God, the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, announce and and demonstrate the kingdom of God wherever you go.

There are a couple of points I want us to look at here and then we're going to wrap up our time here today. Mark 16, chapter 14. There's so many things you could pull out of this chapter, but as I was studying in preparation, these are some of the things that I believe the Lord want me wants me to share with you tonight.

Mark 16:14, it says this, the Amplified Translation. Then he appeared to the 11 themselves while they were eating, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart because they did not believe those who had seen him resurrected. Hardness of heart. Hardness of heart. Jesus rebuked them for hardness of heart.

Weren't these the ones that were handpicked by him? Weren't these the ones who who were with him day by day? And he was teaching them. He was training them on how to live the kingdom, how to carry out his purpose after he had physically left the earth. But yet and still, even in that moment, the Bible says because of their unbelief, he rebuked them because of hardened hearts.

The Greek word for hardness of heart is sclerac. Let me do this. The sclerero cardia. There we go. Scaracl. I had it last night and it just left me right now. Scarcard. Scarcadia. There we go. It's in the outline. If you don't have the air outline, download it.

My tongue's going to get loose and wake up here in a minute. Hallelujah. Clay rockardia. Scllay rockardia. There it is. There it is. It's flowing now. Okay. And what does that talk about? the hardness of heart. It's a spiritual or moral condition characterized by an obstinate, unyielding, and insensitive heart.

It denotes a state of being resistant to God's will, truth, and love. It's a spiritual blindness and stubbornness of those who re who refuse to accept divine truth or guidance. Wow. Resistance to a spiritual blindness. It's a rebellion against God. It's a refusal to heed to his commandments.

It's it's something that flows from the inner man. It's not just head in his head. Hard hearts. It's a the hearts are hard because there's a lack of the oil uh from the presence of the Holy Spirit. Hearts hearts are hardened and it prevents them from believing and from uh carrying out the will of God.

The the hardened heart is the root of their unbelief. So the question is there again, will you believe? Will you believe? What are characteristics of a hardened heart in this chapter? They were looking for his body. The women were looking for his body in the grave when he said already that he was going to rise.

Matthew 28:6 in the New English translation says this. Uh the angel said, "He is not here for he has been raised just as he said." Jesus had already told them, you know, and another translation, I think it's in Luke here, let's look at Luke chapter 24:es 5-9 and verses 11 through 12.

Again, the New English New English translation says this, "The women were terribly frightened and bowed their faces to the ground." This is while when they arrive at the tomb. In Luke's account, they talk about the appearance of two angels, and Mark only focuses in on one. But the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead?"

That's the question right there. If Jesus already told you that he was going to rise up after three days, that he was going to rise up, this question is very much pertinent. Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here but has been raised.

Hallelujah. And another passage of scripture says what? If that same spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells in you, then he will also make alive your mortal body. So why are you looking for this one who was now alive again among those who were who's dead? Remember how he told you verse 6 says while he was still in Galilee that the son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise again.

Verse eight then the women remembered his words and when they returned from the tomb they told all these things to the 11 and to all the rest. Verse 11 says, "But these words seemed like pure nonsense to them." Uh-oh. And they did not believe them. These words seemed like pure nonsense.

Oh man. Obstinence, unyielding, and insensitive heart. A state of being resistant to God's will, his truth, and his love. That sounds very much to me like a hardened heart. But verse 12, Peter got up and ran to the tomb. He wanted to see for himself. He couldn't bear the witness of somebody else.

He bent down and saw only the strips of linen cloth. Then he went home. And this is what the scripture says. Wondering what had happened. Jesus already told you what was going to happen, Peter. And you have to go down and see. You're like, "Well, what happened? What happened?

Jesus already told you, I'm raising up after the third day. How else is this uh hardened heart uh characterized and displayed? It says there was a disregard for Jesus's instructions in Mark 14:28. He says, "But after I am raised to life, I will go before you into Galilee."

Yet the disciples were here in Jerusalem. They didn't believe that. They didn't go ahead and go to Galilee. Another point, they were refusing to believe the testimonies of the witnesses. We saw that verses 9- 11. Early on the first day of the week after he arose, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene from whom he had driven out seven demons.

That's a characteristic of those who belong to Jesus. We drive out, we cast out devils in Jesus' name. Amen. She went out and told those who were with him while they were mourning and weeping. And when they heard that he was alive and had be had been seen by her, they did not believe.

All right. Mark 16:12-13 says this in the New English translation. After this, he appeared in a different form to two of them while they were on their way to the country. They went back and told the rest, but they did not believe. The root of unbelief comes from a hardened heart.

They gave room to doubt and fear instead of belief. That's a characteristic we see here in Luke 24. Another account of this verses 36-4. It says, "While they were saying these things, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, peace be with you." But they were startled and terrified thinking they saw a go ghost.

Then he said to them, "Why are you frightened and why do you doubt? Why does doubt arise in your heart? Look at my hands, my feet. It's me. Touch me and see. A ghost does not have flesh and bones like you see I have. When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet.

So they were giving room, giving way and room to doubt and fear in their hearts instead of belief. So Jesus ultimately had to do what? He had to open their heart and minds to receive and understand the truths about him and the kingdom of God. Verse 24, chapter 24 of Luke, verses 44 and 45.

Then he said to them, "These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the psalms must be fulfilled." Then he opened their minds so that they could understand the scripture.

So the proclamation of the gospel want among those who are true believers. Now, as we see in the latter part of that chapter, it includes the evidential signs of belief. There are evidential signs that we've already mentioned of belief. Mark 16:15-18 and then verse 20, he said, "Go into all the world, preach the gospel to all creation.

He who has believed in me and has been baptized will be saved from the penalty of God's wrath and judgment. But he who does not believe will be condemned. You will experience the penalty of God's wrath and judgment. These signs will accompany those who have believed in my name.

They will cast out demons. They will speak with new tongues. They will pick up speak up serpents. If they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them. They will lay hands on the sick and they will get well. And they went out and preached and everywhere everywhere while the Lord was working with them and confirming the word with the signs they that followed.

So you see here and you while you're studying you may see some notes come in different translations and they will say well this these verses here uh after uh that talked about them uh the these evidential signs they weren't in the oldest manuscripts and we see that they were added later on.

I said well you might want to say that and you might want to try and discredit what the word of God but we see it in other places as well in the scriptures. So the scriptures verify themselves. Let's look at Luke 10 really quick. 19 and 20. It says this.

Jesus already told them. Listen carefully. I have given you authority. Authority Exusia that you now possess to tread on serpents and scorpions and the ability to exercise authority over all the power of the enemy, Satan. And nothing will in any way harm you. So if we want to discredit those verses which we can't, we see he already said it again before.

Never ne again before. Yes. Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this that the spirits are subject to you that I've given you this authority. Don't make that your point of rejoicing. He says, "But rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven." That's the thing we celebrate that God knows my name and my name is written in the Lamb's book of life and it will not be taken out.

Hallelujah. Also in Matthew 10, he summoned his 12 disciples and gave them authority and power over unclean spirits, evidential signs of those who believe to cast them out and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. And as you go, preach, saying, the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you have received, now freely give. So the question is right there. Will you believe? God's got some of you here because you may see some characteristics tonight of a hardened heart. You may have heard time and time again the message that Jesus loves you.

That he wants you to have an eternal life with him. That he's gone to prepare a place for you. that where he is, you can be there also. That God has plans for you to succeed, to prosper you in this earth for his glory, not that you would fail.

And life's experiences, the things that you have experienced have come in to try to harden your heart. Well, I've got good news. Jesus had you here tonight because he wants to get to the root of unbelief. He wants to get at that root, which is the hardness of heart.

And he wants to soften hearts tonight. He's got you here because he wanted you to hear the good news that once you believe in him, you have a brand new life. So the question is will you believe not like the disciples who in the roughest times they could not find a way to believe because of the hardness but he's the question is tonight will you believe believe that Jesus took your place at Calvary believe that Jesus took on your sin that you rightly deserve and he took on the punishment for that sin when he took on that judgment he was wounded for your transgression. confessions and mine.

He was bruised for your iniquities and mine. The chastisement of our peace was placed upon him. He groaned in agony. But the Bible says with those stripes, you and I, we are healed. That's the power of believing on Jesus, our sins are forgiven and our lives are healed because of him.

So here's the thing. Examine your heart right now and say, "Jesus, I give you my heart. I surrender my heart. Jesus, I need you. I'm willing to I'm taking the step right now. I believe that you died for me. I believe that you took my place on Calvary.

I believe that you died and you rose again so that I can have eternal life. I receive your finished work for me right now." If you're praying that prayer, I want you to just receive Jesus. Receive what he has for you in the room right now. And while he's there, notice the freedom that's coming into the room even as we're praying for you as you're making this prayer.

So, let's receive Jesus. And for those of you who prayed that prayer, let us know in the chat. Let us know. And we celebrate you and we welcome you into the kingdom of God. And for those who are uh rejoicing, we invite you to come back next week because God's got something good in store for you.

Come on, somebody say it. Something good is going to happen to me and my family. Something good is going to happen to you in Jesus name. Come on back next week. God bless you.