If you would please turn in your Bibles to Mark chapter 6. Mark chapter 6 if you would please. Mark chapter 6 in our text is verses 7 through 13. Mark 6, 7 through 13. is what we planned ourself this morning. Mark 6, verses 7 through 13, the word of the Lord. And he called the 12 to himself and began to send them out two by two and gave them power over unclean spirits. He commanded them to take nothing for the journey except a staff, no bag, no bread, no copper in their money belts, but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics. He also said to them, in whatever place you enter a house, stay there till you depart from that place. And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them. Now surely I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city. So they went out and preached that people should repent. And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them. The word of the Lord. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you for your goodness. We thank you for your word. We pray you'll be pleased to bless this family of faith, that you'll be pleased with this gathering that our worship offered to this morning would be worship in spirit and in truth. Holy Spirit, we pray that you would take that which you have prepared for us this morning and that you would be so kind to make application of it to each and every one of our particular situations. You are the one who was intimately acquainted with us from the crown of our head to the tips of our toes to the very most inner part of our being. Lord Jesus, I pray that it would be anyone here this morning or anyone listening to this message has not placed their faith, their trust in you. They have not looked to you and for the promise of forgiveness. Lord, we pray that you would look to the Father on their behalf, asking him to be so kind, merciful to them by drawing them unto himself through saving faith in you. Lord, I pray you be pleased to bless thy servant's work on your behalf. Help me to speak boldly, accurately, clearly. If I should speak anything amiss, Lord, I pray your forgiveness in advance, and I pray your wisdom for these, my dear brothers and sisters in Christ. In your holy name we pray, amen. Beloved, last week, we considered the fact that being a disciple of Jesus Christ is very serious business. Being a learner or being a learner follower, that's what a disciple is, one who learns from him and one who follows him. Being a learner follower of Christ is not something to be taken lightly. The moment one is converted to Christ, they are set at odds with the unbelieving world. The moment one becomes a Christian, there is hostility that automatically manifests itself between the new convert and the unbelieving world. That hostility not only manifests itself from without, but also from within. We even have difficulty with ourselves at times. Becoming a Christian put ones at odds with the unbelieving world and with oneself. The new convert, beloved, suddenly finds him or herself at odds with the principle of sin that resides within and wages war against the spirit desire to faithfully follow the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And so needless to say, being numbered among God's people, being numbered among his beloved adopted sons and daughters in Jesus Christ, while it is a most absolutely glorious thing, glorious beyond any imagination, it comes with the reality of the manifestation of hostility from both within and without. As followers of Christ, One of the primary responsibilities we have is proclaiming the gospel, that is calling sinners to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. And so imagine that for a moment, preaching the gospel to unbelievers, whom the Apostle Paul says in Romans 3.11, do not understand that they are sinners, and neither do they have any interest in seeking after God. And so that is what we find Jesus doing early on in his earthly ministry, preparing his followers, his disciples, to face the hostility of the unbelieving world as they go and make disciples of Christ from other people. Preaching the gospel, baptizing, and teaching believers what it means to be a Christian, what it means to be a learner, follower, of Jesus Christ. Earlier in our journey through Mark's Gospel account, we read about the time when Jesus chose from his followers 12 who would be his apostles. We read about that in chapter 3, verse 13 through 19. This brings us to today's passage of Holy Scripture here in the Gospel according to Mark. verses seven through 13, a passage of scripture that tells us of the time when Jesus sends the 12, when he sends the 12 that he'd chosen out to ministry. Let's read verses seven through 13 of Mark 6, our passage, and then we'll look to the Father once again in prayer. Beginning with verse seven. And he called the 12 to himself and began to send them out two by two and gave them power over unclean spirits. He commanded them to take nothing for the journey except a staff, no bag, no bread, no copper in their money belts, but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics. Also, he said to them, in whatever place you enter a house, Stay there till you depart from that place. And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city. So they went out and preached that people should repent And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them. Let us pray. Our Heavenly Father, we thank you for this opportunity to consider your word here in Mark 6, 7 through 13. We pray you'll be pleased with our worship and that you would bless this congregation. In your name we pray, amen. Again, verse seven, and he called the 12 to himself and began to send them out two by two and gave them power over unclean spirits. In Matthew chapter nine, verse 35 through chapter 10, verse four, we read the following. Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion for them because they were weary and scattered like sheep having no shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, it is in response to what Jesus is witnessing, the people as a sheep with no shepherd. Weary, he saw them with compassion. In response to that, he said to his disciples, the harvest is truly plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore, pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into the harvest. Beloved, As Jesus went about preaching and teaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, he took notice that people were distressed, that they were dispirited, and as a result of his observation, he could not help but to have compassion for them. And as he surveyed the people, he could not help but to view them as sheep without a shepherd. He understood their need to be shepherded, he understood their need to be shepherded, and so he calls the 12 to himself And then he begins to send them out two by two to shepherd the people. Two by two, he gives them the authority to exercise power over unclean spirits. The 12 would go out. teaching and preaching the gospel of the kingdom. And when necessary, they would exercise authority given to them by Christ to deliver men, women, and children from demonic possession, thus advancing the kingdom of God and assaulting the kingdom of darkness. Beloved, as we noted very early on in our study of Mark, the kingdom of God has come in the person and work of Jesus Christ. And with the choosing of the 12, he effectively establishes the nucleus of the new Israel. The 12 tribes were the nucleus of the Israel of old. The 12 apostles are the nucleus of the new Israel, the New Testament church. And so Jesus sends them out in pairs, two by two. So one might ask the question, why two by two? Why not individually? Why did Jesus send them out in pairs rather than individually? Individually, couldn't they cover more area? Why did he send them out two by two? Beloved, listen to what Solomon says. in Ecclesiastes 4, 9 through 12. Two are better than one. Why are two better than one? Two are better than one because they have good reward for their labor, for if they fall, one will lift up his companion. but woe to him who is alone when he falls, for when he has no one to help him up. Again, if two lie down together, they will be warm, they will keep warm, but how can one be warm alone? Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him, and a threefold cord is not quickly broken. And so two is better than one, and become two, they can help and encourage one another, you see? Christ sent them out two by two because he understood that they were gonna face adversity, that they were gonna face hostility, and that there will be occasions when they will need to be a help to one another. Help and encouragement. is very much needed beloved in this lost and hostile world. As we go out and share the gospel of Jesus Christ, as we go out and call sinners to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, our experiences have, at one point in time we've experienced this, we've experienced hostility. We've experienced discouragement. And as we've witnessed before, as we've witnessed on TV or social media, some experience physical abuse for the witness. And so it is good to have a helper, a companion to be with us. In addition to encouraging and helping one another, they can also protect one another from false accusations. Throughout Holy Scripture, we find We find the command not to receive an accusation except by the testimony of at least 2 witnesses. Numbers 3530 we read, whoever kills a person, the murderer, shall be put to death on the testimony of witnesses, plural, witnesses. But one witness, the scripture goes on to say, but one witness is not sufficient testimony against a person for the death penalty. Matthew 18, 15 through 16. Moreover, if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. But if he will not hear you, take with you two or more. Why? That by the mouth of two or three witnesses, every word may be established. And then there's First Timothy 519. Paul tells Timothy, do not receive an accusation against an elder except from two or three witnesses. And so as you can see, there is much to be commended in Jesus sending out the 12 two by two. They can be a help to one another. They can encourage one another. They can protect one another, defend one another, and keep one another from being falsely accused. This brings us to verse eight. What do we read in verse eight? beginning with verse 8, we read, he commanded them to take nothing for the journey except a staff, no bag, no bread, no copper in their money belts, but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics. Beloved, as the twelve went out into the hostile world, teaching and preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, They were to bring only that which was absolutely necessary. One might ask, isn't a bag money and food necessary items? Aren't those necessary items? Aren't they essentials? Yes, beloved. And the disciples necessities will be provided by the heavenly father. That's what they were going to learn. They were going to learn that the Heavenly Father will provide for them. They were only to bring that which was necessary because God will provide their other needs and they would learn to trust in Him for those things. They would learn to rely entirely upon God as they went out about the Father's business, teaching and preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, calling sinners to repentance and faith. In other words, As we read in Matthew 6, they were to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, learning that as they do, as they put God first in everything in their life, as they do, they will learn that our Heavenly Father, which knows our needs, that He will provide for them. And we see the same principle Paul saying in first Corinthians chapter 9 14 that The principle is that God most often provides for his messengers through the generosity of his people Thus Paul says that the minister of the gospel is to live from the gospel you see God provides for his people he provides for his messengers through the generosity of his people and What do we go on to read in verses 10 through 11? We read these words. Also he said to them, in whatever place you enter a house, stay there till you depart from that place. And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them. Surely I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city. And so what are we to learn from what Jesus says here? One of the things that we learn is, is that the 12, they were to receive and be content with the hospitality offered to them. Again, Jesus says, in whatever place you enter a house, stay there till you depart from that place. They were not to make demands on their host. God will provide their needs through the hospitality of others. So they were to stay at their host's house until it was time for them to move on to another city, another place. They were to learn, beloved, how to be content in times of leanness and in times of plenty. They were to learn that they could do all things through Christ. Jesus goes on to say in verse 11 to the disciples that any region, town, and household refusing to listen and welcome them, they were to consider them unclean they were to consider them unclean beloved it was believed in that day it was believed that after traveling through heathen or or or non-jew territory that one needs to shake off the dust from their sandals from their shoes before re-entering the holy land why for fear of rendering sacred objects unclean for fear of rendering sacred objects And so this actually served for the disciples and for those who refused to hear, those who refused to receive. This actually served as a sign against those refusing to listen and to welcome them. Their rejection left them accountable to God. It was a sign that they were considered to be unclean, unworthy, not right. with the Lord. Think about this for a moment. Consider this for a moment. For those who rejected the disciples, who refused to hear, who refused to welcome them, and for many people today, to be so privileged to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ, to be so privileged to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ, realizing its gracious offer of salvation, only to reject it, only to reject Christ, to regard such a gracious offer from the Lord God Almighty is to position oneself to receive a much worse judgment than what Sodom and Gomorrah experienced. To reject God, who can not only destroy one's body, but also their soul, is a very fearful thing. Fear not him who can kill you, the author of Hebrews says. Fear Him who can destroy both body and soul. It is only by God's grace, beloved, that we exist. In Christ, all things exist. All things are upheld by the word of His power. The only reason why that we have oxygen in our lungs this morning, the only reason why we are sitting here this morning, that we are here this morning, is because of God's grace. The only reason. The only reason why we woke up this morning is because of God's unmerited favor. It is only by God's grace we are here this morning. It is only by God's grace Jesus Christ came and secured redemption for all who believe. And it is only by God's grace one hears and understands the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. The mere fact that an unbeliever is given the privilege to hear the gospel, to understand the gospel, is an act of God's grace. And so to reject such grace, to reject such a gracious offer, to reject the gracious gift of God's son, to reject such grace is to ask for a much worse judgment than that of Sodom and Gomorrah. This brings us to the last couple of verses in today's passage. What does Mark record for us in verses 12 through 13? So they went out and preached that people should repent. and they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them. So what they were doing is when they went out and they preached that people should repent, what they were doing is, was, is that they were preaching that men should be converted. You need Christ. You're in your sin, you're gonna die in your sin. You are living under sin's condemnation. You are not right with the Lord God Almighty. Your sin condemns you to hell. There's nothing you can do to save yourself. God the Father sent Jesus Christ to secure redemption for all who believe. He accomplished the work of redemption. All that you need to do is to believe in Christ. Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God. Repent of your sins. Be converted. Embrace Jesus Christ. as your only hope. That's what they were doing. Calling people to be converted. Beloved, Jesus understood that it was time for his chosen 12 to go out and to preach the kingdom of God. His ministry, his following was growing so much, had grown so much that it was time for his disciples to pair up and to join him in spreading the good news of the kingdom of God. And in fact, the kingdom of God was indeed advancing and would continue to advance with the 12 joining Jesus in the preaching of the gospel, calling sinners to be converted, to repent and believe. And beloved, as we noted earlier, we're only here by God's grace. A sinner, any of us, believer or unbeliever, only exists by God's grace. Tomorrow is not promised. This afternoon is not promised. And so for the unbeliever to reject Christ, to reject the gospel after hearing and understanding His gracious offer, again, it is to ask for a much worse judgment than that which was received from Sodom and Gomorrah. What does Scripture say? Today's the day of salvation. Amen? Today's the day of salvation. Harden not your hearts, but heed His voice. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for the saving of your soul from eternal damnation. Beloved, we are to be about our Father's business, preaching and teaching the gospel, calling, urging sinners to repent and believe. And with each conversion, person embracing Christ, the kingdom of God advances, and the kingdom of Satan shrinks back. It shrinks, becomes smaller. If we've truly been converted, then we need to be about our Father's business, advancing the kingdom through the teaching and preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Amen? That is what we are called to do. is to preach the gospel, calling others to be converted, to repent of their sins and to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. And he called the 12 to himself and began to send them out two by two and gave them power over unclean spirits. He commanded them to take nothing for the journey except a staff, no bag, no bread, no copper in their money belts, but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics. Also, he said to them, in whatever place you enter a house, stay there till you depart from that place. And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them. Surely I say to you it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city. So they went out and preached that people should repent and they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them. Let's pray. Our Heavenly Father, We thank you for the wonderful gift of your son, Jesus Christ. Father, as we enter into the Christmas season, this time of year, in which the world, the majority of the world, centers its attention on the birth of Jesus Christ. Father, may we see this as a glorious opportunity A door swung wide open for the opportunity to share the reason for the season, Jesus Christ. To share the gospel with those who still yet have to believe. Heavenly Father, we thank you for granting us faith in your Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. May we always be found faithful in that which you've called us to do. and that is to advance the kingdom of God through the preaching and teaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ, in whose name we live and move and have our being and pray, amen.