1  Then He went out from there and came to His own country, and His disciples followed Him. 2  And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, "Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands! 3  "Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?" And they were offended at Him. 4  But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house."

I. The Historical Truth about Jesus is that he had Siblings

(Jn 7:5; Mt 13:55; Lk 8:19; Mk 3:31-35)

A. This truth contradicts the Roman Catholic 1854 teaching about “ever virgin, ever sinless Mary” and the Immaculate Assumption.

B. This truth is in accord with the clear statements of the Scripture (Truth=best explains all the facts {Revelation/Reason/Reality})

Ro 3:23  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

1Ti 2:5  For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,

C. Satan’s blatant denial of Truth results in countless people trusting someone or something than Jesus, and missing God’s blessings.

Ac 4:12  "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

II. People miss the Truth because they tend to defer to the “Cult of the Expert”

”Darwin, Kinsey, Spock and Freud got it terribly wrong at our expense. They may have impacted all of us in ways we may not yet recognize.”

A. Sometimes we don’t want to know the Truth because we’re lazy, don’t care, or want to avoid responsibility

Mk 4:19  the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

Ex 20:19  Then they said to Moses, "You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die."

Joh 12:48 He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words...the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.

B. Our filters (psychological, experiential, spiritual) prevent us from seeing the objective convergence of Revelation/Reason/Reality

2Tim 2:15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Ac 17:11...more noble-minded...received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily whether these things were so.

C. “Experts” or Majority Opinion are not a substitute for individual responsibility and qualified submission to the Body.

Rom 14:5 One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind.

Rom 14:23  But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin.

Eph 5:21  Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

III. We get offended/stumble when God’s Words & Works are at odds with our Expectations and Experience

A. We have difficulty learning from those close to us because of pride, cover-ups, comparison, complaints, and lack of discernment

Lk 4:28 heard...filled with wrath 29 thrust Him out of the city...that they might throw Him down over the cliff.

Ro 15:14 I am confident, my brethren, that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.

B. Instead of getting angry at God or His messenger (Js 1:13,19)  humbly listen (1:19), repent, accept (1:21) and DO the new (1:2)

Jas 1:21 lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

C. It’s never to late to do the right thing, God specializes in picking us up after we stumble (1Jn 1:9) (cf Jn 7:5 - Ac 1:14)

1Tim 1:15 faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.16...I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life.

Questions for Reflection/Discussion/Response:

1. What are some of the biggest “stumbling blocks” for people: 1) coming to Christ; 2) growing in Christ; 3) serving Christ?

2. Why do some people “get it” right away, others take a while, and others never do? What can we do to be more receptive to God?

3. How did the popular expectation of a Messiah compare to the reality of Jesus? What’s the popular expectation of the Christian experience?

4. What does it say about us if we are only open to certain input, delivered a certain way, at a certain time, by certain people?

5. What emphasis does the scripture place on the role of our brothers/sisters in Christ in helping us grow? (Heb 12:15; 1Cor 14:26)