Sharon Reformed Presbyterian Church · Sermon study sheet

Hard Hearts

Bryan Schneider · January 14, 2023

Mark 6:1-29

sharonrpc.org/sermons/hard-hearts

Summary

The contrast between lifelong unbelief and late-life conversion raises the difficult question why some hard hearts are changed while others remain resistant.
Nazareth knows Jesus' family and former trade but is offended when he teaches with authority; familiarity with a reduced picture of Jesus breeds contempt for the true King.
Christians may likewise be dismissed by relatives and acquaintances, but they are responsible for faithful testimony rather than producing another person's conversion.
Immediately after rejection in Nazareth, Jesus sends the Twelve in pairs with few provisions so they must depend upon God while preaching repentance.
Some towns will refuse both message and hospitality; shaking off their dust testifies to judgment, yet rejection does not cancel the church's commission.
Herod Antipas enjoys hearing the holy John while refusing repentance, and Herodias actively hates the rebuke of their unlawful marriage until John's murder becomes possible.
John's death shows the possible cost of moral courage when God's law confronts sexual sin, political power, pride, and public reputation.
Evangelistic success belongs to the sovereign Spirit, who uses the preached Word to save whom he wills; believers therefore speak courageously, leave outcomes to God, and refuse to measure faithfulness merely by visible institutions or numbers.

Why do some people raised near Christian truth reject it while others believe late in life?
How did familiarity with Jesus' family and work distort Nazareth's response to his authority?
What responsibility belongs to a Christian witness, and what outcome belongs to God?
Why does Jesus send the Twelve with so few provisions after being rejected at home?
What does shaking the dust from an unreceptive town signify?
How does Herod's interested hearing differ from repentance and saving faith?
What did John risk by confronting Herod's unlawful marriage?
Which present relationships or situations tempt you to remain silent about sin and Christ?
How should God's sovereignty encourage rather than discourage evangelism?
Why must ministry success be measured by faithfulness instead of numbers or institutional survival?

Hardness of heart: Spiritual resistance that takes offense at Christ, enjoys religious speech without repentance, or actively suppresses God's truth.
Regeneration: The sovereign work of the Holy Spirit giving spiritual life, removing a heart of stone, and enabling faith in Christ.
Repentance: Turning from sin to God in response to his Word rather than merely hearing it with curiosity.
Commission: Christ's authoritative sending of his disciples to proclaim repentance and the gospel while depending upon God.
Moral courage: Faithfulness that names sin and obeys God's law despite threats to safety, status, relationships, or reputation.
Means: The instruments God ordinarily uses to accomplish his purposes, including believers who carry and preach the gospel.
Evangelistic faithfulness: Loving, truthful witness that obeys Christ and entrusts conversion and visible results to the Holy Spirit.