[0:00] Good evening. I'm really excited to be here. So many neat things that happen when you come to vision. I haven't seen Micah yet, but I saw Catherine for the first time in probably like four or five years, and that was really neat just to see. Where's Micah? Good to see you, Micah. I haven't seen you in a while. Anyway, where were we? Just really neat to see people, you know, and get to see everybody. I know my kids are super excited about being here. Wyatt's already in the back of the sound booth so he doesn't have to listen to his uncle preach, and it's really neat. I'm really excited to hear Graham preach. He's one of my favorite preachers ever, and I'm super excited about God using him, and I'm just excited to be here. I wanted to show you guys a few pictures. Before they show the pictures, you know, a couple of, about a year and a half ago, we found out that a man, a pastor, was stealing money from his church. He had been embezzling money. He had taken out a mortgage on his church property and on another church property, and basically, like, the church was basically condemned. They weren't going to be able to recover the property. He had stolen money from people in the church. It was just a really, really, really bad situation, and it was really sad, and a lot of people just wondered if it was worth it to be investing money in that same place, to be, you know, basically just throwing money at something that, at one point, was owned by a pastor in a church, and that was just going to be lost, and so, you know, vision got behind that and gave to that. Y'all gave a great part of that money for that church, and just let me tell you that it's always worth it to give to the work of the
[1:38] Lord. Philippians chapter 4 and verse 17, Paul says, I'm not looking for a gift. I'm looking for fruit that may abound to your account, and so, you know, thank God that we were able to pay for that. Obviously, the pastor was, you know, the church fired the pastor and asked him to leave, and that was a really good thing, and then the next part was finding somebody to take over that church, and so there was a young man in our church named Jimmy. I don't know if you can put that first picture up, but this is Jimmy Condori. Man, he is top-notch, one of the sharpest kids you'll ever meet, and really loves the Lord, loves the Word of God, and here he is teaching about reaching his community. That's a map, just like we have here at Vision with a mile and a half radius of the church and how we're supposed to reach our community, and so he took over as a pastor. He didn't want to take over, and I said, man, please, just give me one month, if you can just take over for one month, and he said, okay, one month, and then he said, David, the month is up. I said, tell you what, how about six? Let's go for six, and he's like, okay, you'll be the interim pastor for six months, and so when he got done being the interim pastor for six months, the church members came to me and said, David, we know his six months are up, and you better not take him anywhere, and I was like, okay, okay, so now he's going through for a year-long interim pastor, and maybe next year we'll do two. I just don't know how that's going to go. You can go to the next picture, but this is just young families that really had lost hope in the church, had lost hope in serving the Lord, and they're excited in serving. This is Norby and his wife. You can go to the next picture. This is Jimmy preaching at a Christmas event that the church did, where they preached the gospel. You can go to the next picture. This is a public park, and those are hundreds of kids that are out getting gifts and being preached the gospel to, and God's just using Jimmy in a great way. You can go to the next picture. This is me preaching. I got to preach at their missions conference, their missions month, and they run probably 100 people every Sunday, and I'm telling you, it is just a different church. They're excited. They're serving the Lord. Offerings are down because everybody's paying off their debts from the other pastor that stole their money, but they're going to go up in a couple of years, all right? So we're excited about that church. You can go to the next picture. This is Love Baptist Church, and this is a church that was just started a couple of months ago. We are really excited at the fact that we've got a Bible college where we're training people, and young men are going out and starting churches.
[3:54] This is in a new area on the outskirts of the city. It's Love Baptist Church. You can go to the next picture. This is their first service that they had. A lot of people came from other churches, and it was really exciting. Two young men got saved that night. You can go to the next picture. These are Bible college students that dressed up like... We're in Latin America, okay? And they do that, so they dress up like that to lure kids into our church, and it really worked. Gave them candy and everything. Next picture. And this is Paul and his wife, Paula.
[4:28] They're very creative with their names. Little son's named Paulie, and they are... He just graduated from Bible college, and he's going to be hopefully either going out to start a church or pastoring Love Baptist Church, so we're just really excited about all the workers that God's using and the great things that God's doing. That's the last picture, right? Got it? Okay. All right, so you're going to open your Bibles to the book of Mark, chapter 6. Book of Mark, chapter 6, and you know, I'm preaching this. I think I'll preach this to myself first because we all suffer from this. We all suffer from a lack of faith. I hope that we could say, like the father of the child in Mark, chapter 9, I believe, help mine unbelief. And so we can believe, and Lord, please help mine unbelief. And one of the most shocking passages in the whole book of Mark is Mark, chapter 6, verse 1 through 6. Why? Because it shows that someone can limit the work of God because of their unbelief. It shows that the unbelief of the people of Nazareth halts and stops the work of the Lord. And I hope that we're never guilty of that. And I know that we are, but I hope that we never are, that we never grow to be guilty of that or constantly guilty of that.
[5:38] And I hope that we can grow to trust Him. When you read this passage, when you read the book of Mark, chapter 6, verse 1 through 6, you should be thinking about what Hebrews chapter 3 and verse 12 says, Hebrews 3, verse 12 says, take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief and departing from the living God. You know, God takes unbelief, a lack of faith, very seriously, and we should too. We should take a lack of faith, a lack of belief very seriously in our own lives, in our own ministries, and what we do. A lack of belief, it will destroy our lives. If we cannot believe that God's going to do something, then God just won't. If we don't believe Him, if we don't have faith in that He will do something, then He won't. People reject Jesus, but Jesus here in the book of Mark, chapter 6, He goes back home to Nazareth. This is where He's grown up. Everybody's known Him. They've known Him for a long time. He's the kid that they've seen growing up on the street. He's been playing with His friends. They knew Him as a teenager when He started his job with his dad, fixing furniture and making things, and they've seen Him growing up all this time, and He's coming home. He's coming back to His hometown, and when He comes back to His hometown,
[6:50] He doesn't come back to His hometown as Jesus the carpenter. He doesn't come back to His hometown for a Thanksgiving meal. He doesn't come back just to visit family. No, He's coming to make a statement. Look at chapter 6 and verse 1. Mark 6 and verse 1. How does He go to Nazareth? It says, And He went out from thence and came into His own country. He goes back to His hometown, and His disciples follow Him. He comes back with His disciples. He comes back with a group of people following Him as a teacher. They're following Him because He is on a mission. He's on a mission to train His guys. He's on a mission to show them how to change the world. He's on a mission to preach the gospel. He's on a mission healing people and saving, and He's on a mission showing His power.
[7:30] And there's so many people that have believed. There's so many people that have believed that you wouldn't expect to believe, but they did believe. Just a chapter before, the demoniac of Gadara believes. A Gentile man believes. Jairus, another Gentile man, believes. A woman with an issue of blood believes on Jesus, and there's all this belief. But when He comes to Nazareth, He comes to preach, and He comes to teach, but He still is received with unbelief. And in verse 1, He shows up with His disciples following Him. And in verse 2, look what it says in verse 2. It says, And when the Sabbath day was come, He began to teach in the synagogue. He began to teach in the synagogue, and many hearing Him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? And what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by His hand? Jesus comes as Jesus the master. He comes as Jesus the teacher. He's recognized as a teacher. He's got disciples.
[8:22] He's going around to different synagogues, different places, and He's teaching. And people recognize His authority. And He's invited to the synagogue to teach in the synagogue. So people recognize that this guy, that's what they think, this guy has something to say. He's a teacher, so we're going to listen to Him.
[8:36] And so Jesus comes, and when He comes, He comes to preach that He is the way, the truth, the life. He comes to teach that He is the Son of God, that He is God. He comes to offer hope and life and salvation.
[8:49] He comes bringing the same message that He's taken everywhere else. He's coming to Nazareth to preach and to teach, to say the same thing that He's always said, that I am the way, I am the truth, I am the life. No man cometh to the Father but by Me. He comes saying, I am come to give life and life more abundantly. He comes saying these things, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. He comes saying that He is the Savior of the world, and He has everything that they need. In Jesus, you have everything that you need. Let me tell you, I don't know, there's a lot of people that I don't know here tonight, but if you don't know Jesus, if you haven't put your faith and trust in Him, let me just tell you, He has everything that you need.
[9:30] There's nothing more in this world that you need, more than Jesus. You just need Him, because Jesus is God, and He's God made flesh, and He came to this earth to give His life a ransom for many. Mark chapter 10, verse 45 says that the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister and to give His life a ransom for many. He came to save, and He is all you need.
[9:54] The book of Colossians is one of my favorite books in the Bible. They call me Mr. Colossians sometimes in Peru, but Colossians tells us about Jesus and who Jesus is. Jesus is the image of the invisible God. Look at Colossians chapter 1 and verse 15. I'm sure it'll pop up on the screen. It says, who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature? You jump down four more verses, and in verse 19, it says that all of God is in Jesus. It says, for it pleased the Father, it pleased God, that in Him, in Jesus, should all fullness dwell. So all of God lives in Jesus.
[10:29] All of God is in Jesus, and it dwells permanently. And in chapter 2, it goes even further. Look what Colossians chapter 2 and verse 9 says, for in Him, in Jesus, dwelleth, lives permanently. He permanently lives all, all of the fullness of the Godhead bodily. Man, there's so much to unpack in that verse, but basically it's saying this, that all of God lives in all of Jesus's physical body forever.
[10:59] Jesus is God. And in Jesus, you have everything you need. One of my favorite verses in all of the book Colossians, the first 10. It says, and ye are complete in Him. All you need is Jesus. All we need is Jesus. All I need as a missionary is Jesus. All I need as a pastor is Jesus. All I need as a husband is Jesus. All you need for salvation is Jesus. All we need is Jesus, because in Him, I am complete.
[11:32] I don't need other people's acceptance. I don't need other people's approval. I don't need others' finances. I don't need to change my appearance. I don't need to gain weight or lose weight. I don't need any of those things to be complete, because in Jesus, I'm complete. Ye are complete in Him, which is the head of all principality and power. I don't need the world's acceptance. I don't need anything. All I need is Jesus. And Jesus comes in Mark chapter 6, and He's basically saying that. He says, I'm God. I'm God made flesh, and I'm here to give you life. But isn't it ironic?
[12:09] Isn't it ironic that the people that should most easily believe are the ones that don't? The people that most easily should say, ah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I know him. I knew that guy when he was a kid. I carried him. Yeah, I believe he's God. Yeah, those people, they reject him. The people that should most easily believe are the ones that don't. And the people that shouldn't believe, those dirty, rotten, nasty, demonic sinners, those are the ones that accept him. The unclean woman with the issue of blood, the demoniac of Gadara, Jairus, all these people, those are the ones that shouldn't believe, but they do. But the people that are closest to Jesus are the ones that don't believe. Let me stop right here and just say, it doesn't matter how long you've been in church. It doesn't matter how much you've grown up in church. But the fact is that just because you're close to Jesus doesn't mean you're going to have faith in Jesus.
[12:55] And just because you're close to Jesus doesn't mean you're going to be saved by Jesus unless you believe on him. So Jesus comes in verse one and he says, he went out from thence, he came to his own country, brings his disciples and he teaches and he teaches and he teaches and he teaches. And these people don't believe. These people don't believe. Look at how they answer. Look at how they answer in verse two. It says, who's this guy? Basically, that's their question. Who's this guy? It says, from whence hath this man these things? Hey, Steve, you remember? He fixed your rocking chair.
[13:34] How does this guy say these things? Like what kind of authority does he have? Hey, who did he study under? What rabbi taught him? Because who gives him the authority? From whence does he say these things? Who is this guy? It says, from whence hath this man these things? And what wisdom is this?
[13:53] Who's taught him this? Which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands. Who said he could do these things? They know him. See, the thing is, these people know Jesus.
[14:07] They know him. They know him really well. They saw him in school. They saw him growing up. He might have made some furniture, hung up some doors for him. Remember, you know, he's a carpenter, all that. Who is this guy? They know him. They know him real closely, but they don't believe him.
[14:25] They don't appreciate him. They don't care about him. They say, who's this guy? They know him, but they don't see. You know, one person said that it's like somebody that sees a work of art, and somebody that looks at a work of art and goes, I don't know. I don't know. There's a bunch of flowers. I don't know. Who's Picard, Picard, Picard what? Picasso? I don't know. I don't know.
[14:50] My printer does a way better job. I don't know. Just take a picture of it, last longer. And the criticism isn't on the work of art. It's on the dummy looking at it, right?
[15:05] These people see not a work of art, but they see the Son of God, and all they see is a carpenter. All they see is the Son of Mary. All they see is somebody that doesn't have what they need or they want. He has nothing to offer us, and it's not the problem with the work of art. It's a problem in their heart that they do not recognize who he is and what he has come to do, and so they criticize him. Look at the next verse, verse 3. It doesn't say he in Spanish. It's pretty straightforward. They call him este. Like, is not this the carpenter? He's just a middle-class guy. Isn't he the carpenter?
[15:44] The son of Mary? Isn't this guy, like, they just criticize him. They criticize his works. They criticize everything, and they insult him. You know, it seems like something nice that it says the Son of Mary, but nobody recognizes a kid by his mom's name. Like, nobody. Nobody.
[16:00] I love my mom to death. She's awesome. Best mom ever. Second best mom ever. My wife's the best mom ever. So, I'm closer. All right? That's the power of the Holy Spirit right there.
[16:13] But nobody knows David Gardner as Betty's son. Nobody knows David Gardner as Betty's son. I went to a church last night, and I walked in. I said, hey, how you doing? David Gardner. They said, oh, you're related to Austin Gardner? I was like, it's my dad. In all my life, I've been known as Austin Gardner's son and Chris Gardner's brother, and I'm okay with that.
[16:32] I'm okay with that. When they say, son of Mary, they're basically saying, oh, he's that kid that was born out of wedlock? Oh, he's that illegitimate kid? Oh, he's that? Oh, oh, he's come to teach us. Oh, he's going to teach us. What has he got to offer? Says the son of Mary, the brother of James. I know his brothers. I know his brothers. They aren't that smart.
[16:54] How did he come out that smart? Said, and Joseph, and of Jude, and of Simon, are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended by him. They don't, they not only know him, they criticize him, they're offended by him, and they're offended by the fact that he comes saying, I am God. And honestly, like, just real quick, you might know about Jesus.
[17:14] You might have grown up in school, in Sunday school, and in church, hearing about Jesus. You might have gone to Christian school. Your parents might have done daily devotions with you, and you just don't believe. You just don't believe. You just don't understand how that Jesus could be the one that I'm supposed to believe on. But let me tell you, it's not a problem with him. It's not a problem with what he hasn't proven. It's a problem with the beholder.
[17:41] And there's a problem with us a lot of times. How do we see Jesus? Not only for salvation, but his work? He's enough to save me. He's enough to save my soul from sin, but is he enough to provide for me? Is he enough to rescue my marriage? Is he enough to restore my life? Is he enough to give me victory over sin and hidden sin? Is he enough to provide in my ministry? And is he enough to help me on my deputation? Is he enough for those things? Is he enough for that? Because a lot of times, it's not a problem with Jesus. He's the same yesterday, today, and forever. And he's the God of the Old Testament. And he's the God of the New Testament. I mean, he created the world in six days. And he helped the Israelites go through the Red Sea. I'm thinking in Spanish. I'm sorry. He's done all these things for the people of Israel. He's done all these things throughout the Old Testament. He's fulfilled all the prophecies. He died on the cross, and he rose on the third day. He's everything. But how do you see him? How do you see Jesus? Now, the Bible says that his resurrection power works in us now. But there's unbelief. There is unbelief. And it says, that Jesus said unto them, Jesus said unto them, this is the result. A prophet is not without honor, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house. That's not a fact. That's an insult. That's an insult to them. That's he saying, you guys missed it, man. You missed it. You missed it. Verse 5, one of the most shocking verses you'll ever read.
[19:22] The only thing that limits God's omnipotence is your unbelief. The only thing that limits God's omnipotence is my unbelief. And he could there do no mighty work. He could not. That's what he's saying. He could not do a mighty work there. He could have done it everywhere else. He did it everywhere else. He's healed people, raised people from the dead. And people know his reputation when he's coming into Nazareth. But they limit the work of God. It says, and he could there do no mighty work save that he laid hands on a few sick people, a few of them that believed, and healed them. It's very sad to think that he could only heal a few. It limits the power of God. It limits his omnipotence.
[20:12] He says, I'm not going to work where somebody doesn't believe. I'm not going to work where somebody doesn't believe. You know, it limits God's work in our life. It limits God's work. It limits God's work of salvation. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5 that he has reconciled the world unto himself. And salvation is available and free to everybody. But your unbelief, your unbelief, the fact that you just won't believe on this Jesus. Stop right there. That's it. That's enough.
[20:43] So you could do there no mighty work. It limits God's omnipotence. In verse 5 it says, verse 6, sorry. It says, and he marveled. You know, there's only three times that Jesus marvels. Three times that Jesus marvels in the Bible, in the Gospels. He marvels twice at the centurion's faith. But this is the only other time that he marvels. He's marveled. He's in shock. He's like, he can't explain. He is amazed the fact that they wouldn't believe. He's marveled at the fact that they wouldn't believe. He is amazed, it says. And he marveled because of their unbelief. And he went around the other villages teaching.
[21:32] When we don't believe God, his work is limited. I say this because I think I'm one of the most guilty ones. And I would like to say, I believe, help mine unbelief. I would like to be able to say that about my ministry, about my work. I want to come to him with faith, knowing that he's going to work. You know, my dad came to Peru last year in October. We were driving around, I was showing him all this, and we were talking about even Omega, the church that I pastor, and the piece of property.
[22:05] It's just going to cost a lot of money, and we can't find a good piece of property. And I'm like, basically saying, I'm never going to find a piece of property. And basically, you know, my dad, in a very subtle way, because my dad's very subtle in the way he says that, super subtle.
[22:16] He just basically said, hey, you don't have faith. He's like, you don't think God can provide for a piece of land? You don't think God can provide this, can provide that? And I was like, I never thought about that. You're right. I don't have faith. He says he marveled, and he couldn't do a mighty work.
[22:36] But without faith, it is impossible to please him. For he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he's a reward of them that diligently seek him. If we want to please him, we must believe him. If we want to know his power, we must believe him. We must believe that he's able to give a new life and to save even the most wretched, wicked sinner. We must believe that he can restore a marriage, that he can give victory over sin. And we must believe that he can work in our children's lives and save our children. We must believe that he can raise our support. We must believe that he can help us get to the field. We must believe that we can start a church, that we can buy a piece of property. We must believe that we can train leaders. We must believe that God is going to work through our lives and come to him and ask him. Because if we, being evil, know how to give our children good gifts, then our Father in heaven, he wants to give us everything that's good. And if he wants to give us everything that's good, then let's just believe him. Let's just believe him and come to him and ask for him to work.