Refusing to Refuse

Refusing to Refuse
Words of Faith 4-29-24
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2024
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Mark 16
[9] When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons. [10] She went and told those who had been with him and who were mourning and weeping. [11] When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it.
[12] Afterward Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking in the country. [13] These returned and reported it to the rest; but they did not believe them either.
[14] Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.

Mark summarized Jesus' appearances after the Resurrection briefly and almost tersely. While each Gospel differs somewhat in its description of resurrection appearances, they do not contradict one another so much as they fill in from different perspectives a view of the most remarkable miracle of all time.
Interestingly, Jesus did not rebuke the Eleven disciples for any particular "sin" committed. He did not rebuke them for falling away or scattering at the time of the crucifixion. He did not rebuke them for any denials during the trial. Jesus rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who gave witness to the Resurrection.
It is the same today. The rebuke of Jesus comes not because of errors we have made or our inability to attain perfection. That is precisely why Jesus died-- we are unable to perfect ourselves. No, the rebuke of Jesus comes at our lack of faith-- when we stubbornly refuse to believe.
The reality is that sometimes we say the words of faith, but the truth of our lives is told in how we live. We talk about grace but continue to labor under a form of works righteousness. We speak of peace but bury ourselves in worry rather than trust that the God of the Resurrection can handle our lives. We claim the purifying blood of Christ with our words, but then we live in torturous self-condemnation. Jesus boldly proclaimed in the Resurrection that we are a new creation, but we stubbornly refuse to believe.
Sometimes, it is just too easy to be a skeptic. We hear about the power of what God is doing in a person's life, but cynicism creeps in. Our pride tells us that we know better. Just like the Eleven, who at first said the women were crazy with their reports of Resurrection, we often cast a look of doubt or roll our eyes when we hear of a miraculous healing or change in a person's life.
Are there some who "fake" God's work in their lives? Some who "manufacture" a testimony? Certainly, but God, in His grace, is at work even in such people as they cry out for attention. Far more often, we tend to miss the genuine miracle if our walk becomes jaded or our hearts grow hard.
The truth is that Christianity has a long history of "stubborn refusal to believe" that began a long time ago. The institutional church has always struggled to believe rather than control, but control has usually won out. Yes, there is a history of great believers and valiant men and women of faith, but often, such believers were imprisoned or burned at the stake for heresy!
Today, right now, very few of us have any excuse. There is no genuine fear of martyrdom. We can choose to break away from tradition. We can refuse to refuse to believe! We can refuse the stubbornness of our will and pride that finds doubt an easier path than faith. We can choose to believe the report of the women and the others who saw Jesus raised from the dead with their own eyes. We can choose to believe the reports of miracles and special blessings from the Lord. We can choose to believe that God is at work all around us, ready to invite us into His will and way and blessing. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.

Lord, I believe. I believe the report of the women. I believe the report of the Gospel writers. I refuse to refuse to believe. I refuse the stubbornness of doubt. I choose to believe that You are alive and that You bring life where once there was death. In Jesus' name, Amen.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2024
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2024 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.