in Mark chapter 16 to start off, and I gave you a little handout there. So Mark 16, we'll do one through 14 first. Just while you're turning there, everybody knows, you know, Mark is a gospel, so that means it is about the life and works of Jesus. Chapter 16 is the last chapter in the book of Mark, so this is the last chapter when Jesus ascends, and we all know this is the chapter that has a great commission in that. We're gonna read up to the great commission, and we'll look at some things here. So Mark chapter 16. And when the Sabbath was passed, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Salome had brought sweet spices that they might come anoint him. And very early in the morning, the first day of the week, they came into the sepulchre at the rising of the sun. And they said among themselves, who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre? And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away, for it was very great. Entering into the sepulcher, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment, and they were affrighted. And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted, ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified, he is risen, he is not here. Behold the place where they laid him, but go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee, there shall you see him, as he said unto you. And they went out quickly, fled from the sepulcher, for they trembled and were amazed. Neither said they anything to any man, for they were afraid. Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils. And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept. And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had not been seen of her, believed not. After that, he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked and went into the country. And they went and told it unto the residue, neither believed they them. Afterward, he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. So this evening we talk about the preface to the miraculous. We know that the Great Commission's right after that. It's interesting here in verse 14, Jesus rebukes his disciples. He rebukes them for their lack of faith, their hardness of heart against unbelief that he was risen. That is what happens right before the Great Commission. You say, why does he do that? Because God can't use hardened people. You look through the Bible. The people that are used, they're humble. They're repentant. So that's why I put Psalm 51 on there. So flip over there real quickly. So only turn two places. Keep your finger in Mark 16. We'll go to Psalm 51. You say, why Psalm 51? You probably know the background of Psalm 51. It's King David, after he kills Uriah and takes Bathsheba. And Nathan the prophet comes to David and tells him the story about the rich man and the poor man. And he says, the rich man took the poor man's only lamb to give to a wayfaring stranger. And David gets angry and he says, that rich man's gonna pay. Nathan the prophet puts his finger in David's nose and says, you're the man, David. What is David's immediate reaction? I have sinned against the Lord. immediately. Psalm 51 is David's response to that happening. So we're looking at the hardness of the disciple's heart. We're looking at the hardness of a believer's heart. Psalm 51 is the example of repentance. Example of David's repentance from his hardened heart. You see in the account there with Bathsheba that David's reactions are changed. David is not soft. David does not care about his men when they're killed, because his heart is hardened through his sin. So before the disciples complete the Great Commission, they have to repent of this hardness. This is the example. Look at Psalm 51, and you've got on your sheet there a few thoughts of six handholds or six truths for repenting of a hardened heart. We'll read this quickly. Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Thy lovingkindness, according unto the multitude of Thy tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. wash me throughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. So the first thing there, forgive me. If you have a hardened heart, you must first ask for forgiveness. The second thing here, verse three and four. For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, the only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight, that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. I have sinned. David takes personal responsibility for his sin. Nobody else made me do this. Lord, it was against you. But David's the anointed king of Israel. He's leading the people as God's chosen king. So he says, I have tarnished your ability to lead the people. That's why he says, thou mightest be justified when thou speakest and clear when thou judgest. He's not talking about himself, he's talking about the Lord. So first he says, forgive me, God. And then he says, I have sinned. And I know this, my transgressions are in front of me. Continue here, verses five to 10. Behold, I was shaped in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. Praise me with hyssop and I shall be clean. Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Hide thy face from my sins and blot out all mine iniquities. So what's he talking about? Change me, God. I was shapen in iniquity. I know I have evil in me. I mean, David, everybody knows. Nathan the prophet says, David says, I know what dwells in me. I know what's in here. And I know that I am powerless to change this without the Lord. So God, forgive me. God, I'm taking responsibility for my sins, and I know I can't defeat them by myself. So God, you change me. I was shapen in iniquity. That's all that comes out of me. That's all I have to offer people. So you have to ask the Lord to change. Verse 10 to 12. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence. Take not thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation, and uphold me with thy free spirit. So 10 to 12, renew me. He's asking to change sinful nature, but renew my spirit. Get me back to the point where my perspective lines up with the Lord, with God. Help me to see the things I need to be doing. Help me to again see through a biblical perspective. He's not doing that to this point. His heart is hard and he's looking through a sinful lens, saying, God, renew me back to where I was. Take me back to before all of this happened. Give me back the perspective I once had. Help me to see through your eyes, God, give me what I need to do. Get me back to that point. In verses 13 to 15. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways, and sinners shall be converted unto thee. Deliver me from guiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation, and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. O Lord, open thou my lips, and my mouth shall show forth thy praise. So David's repenting, and he's saying, I commit to serve. You bring me back to God. You bring me back to where I was. I will tell others about you. I will teach transgressors thy ways. Lord, I will work for you. I will serve you. I will try to bring people to you. That shows repentance. It shows David is getting back to the point where he says, my life, the biggest thing, the greatest thing I can do is bring others to God. But he has to get this sin out of his life. He has to get this through his repentance to a point where there's nothing between him and God so that he can do this, so that he can be used. He can't be used right now. He's hardened. There are things between him and God. There is a block from him being used to his abilities, to be reaching his full potential. And despite this, David's still the greatest king in Israel. You ask a rabbi who's the greatest king in Israel? It's David. They will tell you that. And yet this is the man who is here pleading before God for forgiveness, pleading before God of a hardened heart. Of a sinful pattern, of a horrible thing that he's done. But God renews him, he grants him this request. The last thing here, 16 to 19. For thou desirest not sacrifice, else would I give it. Thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion. Build thou the walls of Jerusalem. Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with whole burnt offerings. Then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar. So what does that have to do with anything? The key to repentance, he tells us here. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou will not despise. What does God despise? Unbelief. What is disciples being reproached for, rebuked, upbraided by Jesus? The hardness of their unbelief. But David says, a broken and contrite heart, a humble person that comes to the Lord, he will not despise. So the key to this repentance is a broken heart, humility before a holy God. I'm giving you your handout just so you don't have to turn to all these different scripture passages. Look at Matthew 11. So the same word is there, upbraideth. It doesn't give us, in verse 14, it doesn't give us the conversation that Jesus had with his disciples. But this is an example of Jesus upbraiding a city, some cities. So Matthew 11, verse 20. Then began he, this is Jesus, to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not. Woe unto thee, Chorazin! Woe unto thee, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago and sat clothed in ashes. But I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment than for you. And Al-Capernaum, which are exalted unto heaven, shall be brought down to hell. For if the mighty works which have been done in thee had been done in Sodom, who would have remained until this day. But I say unto you, they shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for thee." What's he talking about? Unrepentance. These cities have seen Jesus do miraculous things. To the point that Jesus tells the one city, Sodom and Gomorrah would still be standing if I had done the things in that city that I have done in front of you, and you are still unrepentant. You're still in repentance. And he says, in the day of judgment, you will be judged harsher. But every time the punishment is shown in front of us, there's always mercy. Because as long as you're here, as long as you're breathing, as long as you are upright, God is merciful to you. And there's a chance for repentance. So we continue here in verse 25. At that time, Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father, for it so seemed good in thy sight. All things are delivered unto me of my father, and no man knoweth the son but the father, neither knoweth any man the father save the son. And he to whomsoever the son will reveal him. Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. So Jesus gives a harsh rebuke. Your judgment will be harsher because you've seen miraculous things. But he still says, you come to me, I'll give you rest. Pastor preached on hell this morning. You don't have to go there. This judgment, this unrepentance, you don't have to have that. Jesus says, you've got something you can't handle, bring it to me. You got a burden that's too big, bring it to me. You've got a sin, you got a sin problem, you have unrepentance, you have something in your heart that you won't give up, bring it to me and I'll give you rest. It doesn't make sense. The trade-off doesn't make sense. God says, bring me your problems and I'll make your life easier. Give me your hardships and your yoke will be easy. It doesn't make sense. But God is loving. A love that is infinitely greater than ours. An understanding that we don't have. A love that's not here. A love that we don't have. So that's two examples of this upbraiding, this rebuking in a negative sense. So I'll put James 1 on here, look at this. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God that giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering, For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord. A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways. So what does that have to do with the disciples in Mark chapter 16? If any of you like wisdom, let him ask of God that giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not. Jesus has just two examples here of God, this is Jesus, upbraiding, rebuking people. But this says, he upbraideth not. But what's the difference? In James 1, you're asking in faith. And it says, when you ask in faith, God gives you liberally. God gives you freely. He will not abrade you. He will not despise you if you ask him in faith. What does God despise? Unbelief. A hardened heart against God, an unwillingness to humble yourself before a holy God. And it meant I am culpable. I have personal responsibility for my decisions. But you don't have to stay there. If any of you lack wisdom, we talked about Wednesday, we talked about Proverbs chapter one with the teenagers. It says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. If you lack wisdom, ask of God. It even says that knowledge starts with a fear of God. What is hardness of heart? What is human pride? It's a lack of fear of God. It's a lack of faith in Him. It's a lack of, He is who He says He is. He's not gonna punish me, I can do what I want. Or I feel God pulling me this way, but I'm not gonna do it. You think about Jonah, what was Jonah's reaction? Jonah was called to do a miraculous work, and he said, no, I will not. Pastor preached on sin this morning. In John chapter three, Jesus talks to Nicodemus. What is he telling him? For this is the condemnation. This is why people go to hell. Light is coming to the world and men love darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. Because man is underpinned. Because we like ourselves. Because I, at my core, am selfish and I want what's best for me. And I don't really care about other people. What's the driving force then that changes me to have the love that I should have and show that to others? It's God. It's the working of the Holy Spirit in believers. That's how you get to the point. So in Psalm 51, David had to deal with the hardness of his heart before he could be used. The disciples in Mark 16 had to deal with their hardened lack of faith before they could fulfill the great commission. If you want to see what God can do with your life, you must first humbly come to God and repent. God cannot use a hardened, unrepentant person. But what happens here? Let's see the rest of Mark chapter 16. So we'll go back to verse 14 and read to the end. Afterward, he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. And he said unto them, go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature, He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. But he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe. In my name shall they cast out devils. They shall speak with new tongues. They shall take up serpents. And if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them. They shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven and sat on the right hand of God. And they went forth and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the words with signs following. Amen. What's the proof that they did that? We're here tonight. The proof that they repented and they fulfilled their great commission is the fact that we're in a New Testament church right now. The fact that I got saved. The fact that I heard the gospel from somebody else proves that they went out. So despite this rebuke of Jesus rising, their unbelief that people told them Jesus has rid him from the dead. When countless times through all of the gospels, Jesus tells them that before he dies, and they still say, I don't believe it. Jesus on disciples didn't believe it at first. It took a rebuke from a loving savior, a last act of mercy on his disciples to allow them to repent. And then he gives them the great commission and they complete it. So what does that have to do with us? If you want to see miraculous things in your life, and I'm not talking about a Mercedes popping up in your driveway. But if you have a calling, if you have something, if you are dealing with something, if you want God's power, if you want to see God work, you have to be on the path of obedience to him. Nothing between my soul and the Savior. so that his blessed face may be seen, nothing preventing the least of his favor. Keep the way clear, let nothing between. It's one of my favorite hymns, but the striking, the most striking part to that is the last phrase of the chorus. Keep the way clear, let nothing between. It shows that there is a level of personal responsibility on the believer to keep sin out of your life in order to stay close to God. Keep the way clear, let nothing between. I cannot Go to God for you. I'm not a priest. Jesus is our only priest. I thought of the teenagers and it's like, I can't spiritually develop someone else. I have a hard enough time spiritually developing myself. I can't do it for somebody else. That doesn't happen by accident. Just keeping your way clear. Let nothing between. That doesn't happen by accident. Repentance does not happen on accident. Obedience does not happen on accident. Spiritual development does not happen on accident. No one else can do it for you. Miraculous things in your life on the path of obedience to God do not happen on accident. If you wanna see what God can do with your life, if you wanna see the miraculous things that God can do with you, you must make sure there's nothing between you and God. before the disciples could fulfill the miraculous things God was calling them to do, they had to first repent of their hardened unbelief. You say, well, that's harsh. That's hopeful to a sinful person. When I say, how could I live up to the disciples? How could I live up to the examples of the Bible? And Jesus says, you know what? Before I sent them on the Great Commission, he rebuked them for unbelief. And I'm like, oh, well, if they could do that, then I can do that. If they can repent, then I can repent. If all these people in the Bible had to humble themselves before God before they were used, I should probably do that. If God is calling on you to do something miraculous, you need only follow their example. Repent of your sins. We have the example in Psalm 51. Lean into what God is telling you to do and watch what God can do with a clean, obedient vessel. The preface to the miraculous is repentance and a humble spirit before God. If there's anything between you and the Savior, you must get it out of your life so it can be used to your full potential. And when you see God show up in your life, get the sin out. So when we go to church camp, we remove distractions. That's what really, nothing between my soul and the Savior, that's what it's talking about. There's nothing between. It even talks about habits that aren't necessarily sinful, but you prioritize them above God. Now I'm being harsh and whatever, but it's hopeful because we know we have this sinful pattern. I know that I do these things. I procrastinate and it drives the pastor crazy. But I do, so when we think about procrastination, you think about maybe more physical things, you know, procrastinating work. procrastinating writing a paper, procrastinating planning a trip, procrastinating doing this, that, whatever. You can also spiritually procrastinate. I'll do that later. I'll get close to God later. I'll get on a Bible reading plane consistently later. I gotta get this stuff out of my way first. That's not how it works. You first go to God and ask forgiveness. You take personal responsibility for your sin. You ask God to change you. You ask God to renew you, bring me back to where I was before I had this problem. You commit to serve God. Prioritize God. Whatever you want me to do, I will do it. Whether it's here at the church, whether it's in your own life, whatever that is, you wanna see God show up, get the sin out of your life. In order for the disciples to fulfill their great commission, probably the greatest command in the Bible, it started with a rebuke and a repentance. that's hopeful to sinners. So, if there's anything between you and the Savior, get it out of your life so that you can be used to your full potential. You can be as close to God as possible, and he will guide you where you need to be. I will pray, Pastor. Dear God, I thank you for this day, Lord. I thank you for your word, God, the ability we have to look at.