Who is your family?

Renan Guedes da Silva

Sermon • Submitted 4 years ago

0 ratings

· 9 views

Notes

Transcript

Introduction

Maybe the concept of what it means to be a child of God has not been so twisted as it currently is. Some people mix the concept of being created by God with the concept of being a child of God. The latter is possible just when we put our faith in Jesus Christ. According to the Bible, just those who believe in Jesus as their savior receive the power of being called child of God.

But the concept of believing in God sometimes is really misunderstood. Some people think that because one prayed the faith prayer, everything will be ok and you’re now a child of God. But I think the Holy Spirit did a perfect job when inspired Matthew to write about the main features of those who belongs to God’s family.

If I am a child of God, how do I know that? What are some of the marks which tell me that?

I- If you are a child of God, you prioritize the spiritual bonds

A. A child of God prioritize his family in Christ

Although Jesus was the God in flesh, He had a family. By looking at Jesus ‘ministry we can notice some conflicts between Jesus and his family: (1) According to Mark report of the same episode, Jesus was teaching at home and his family was not there; (2) someone outside the family had to tell Jesus that his family wanting to speak to him; (3) Jesus’s answer to the man is shocking. It looks like Jesus is really out of his mind as his family thought in Mark’s report; (4) Mary in the banquet in Cana at Galilee was in despair asking Jesus to do a miracle. Jesus called her of Woman and not Mom or mother. Jesus was making it clear that in that moment that was not a conversation between mom and child, but between Lord and Servant. And Jesus did everything in that day in secret.

By those evidences we realize that Jesus priority was not his biological family, but the Kingdom. The will of his Heavenly Father. It by no means Jesus didn’t care about his family or even about his mother. The proof of that is that when Jesus was on the cross he looked at John and Mary and said to John: Hey, now she will be your mom. What Jesus was saying was: take care of her. Luke also said that Jesus was submissive to Mary as her son.

When Jesus used the word family he didn’t mean a metaphor or that his disciples were like his family. They meant the disciples were indeed his family.

Jesus was not concerned on how people would define him. The Pharisees identified him as a heretic; his own family defined him as a crazy man.

Let me tell you something regarding priorities regarding the Kingdom. The people that is sitting next to you, if he is a disciple, he is not like your brother. He is your brother. This church is not something similar as a family, we are a family. Our commitment is not to be popular; our commitment is not fill this church with people and that’s fine. Our priority is with God’s Kingdom.

I can’t help asking you: What have you prioritized in your life? Where are you putting the reason of your existence? Is it your mom? Your husband? Your wife? Your son? Prioritize the spiritual bonds. Prioritize God’s will and everything will be added to your life.

What ultimately brings us together is not that we speak the same language; it’s not the same taste for music; it’s not even the same denomination or nationality. But that we have the same Father and that our sin was paid by the same price, the blood of Jesus.

Sometimes I get myself thinking: “I’m so far away from home. Big part of my family is in Brazil”. All the times we think like that is the same we are saying to God: “This family that you put in in my way here falls short. You know God, I prefer the family that’s blood of my blood and not bought by your blood”.

Brother and sisters please, I urge you let’s put value on the spiritual bonds God has given us here. Don’t disregard what Jesus did on the cross for the people who is sitting by your side.

You’re are not alone here. You don’t have simply an interesting community here, you have a true family in here. You don’t have just friends here, you have brothers in here. It doesn’t matter if we are thousands and thousand of miles away from homeland. You’re not alone! Prioritize the spiritual bonds with your brothers. That’s the same as put value Jesus ‘blood.

II- If you are a child of God, you prioritize his word

If you ever had the chance to read a good book from an excellent writer you’ll notice that the author uses to put emphasis on what he thinks is important for the reader to catch. Matthew, guided by the Holy Spirit, set aside 2 paragraphs to say the same thing from different perspectives. He’ll say that Jesus ‘family was outside wanting to speak to him. First Matthew says it; second, Matthew reports it from the view of the characters. What Matthew is saying here is: Hey reader of the Gospel! Pay attention to this! That’s really important for your life!

But what is it that is really important? Come on! Let’s think through it together. (1) if you’re really interested in hearing someone speaking how could you be out of reach? If you go to your favorite band show, would you like to stay outside? If you go to the stadium, would you be happy to stay outside of that atmosphere? No! Of course not. Jesus biological family was outside; (2) Jesus was speaking but they were insisting they wanted to speak to him.

Two takeaways: (1) Who prioritize God’s word never stand outside instead of listening by being inside; (2) who prioritize God’s word is always committed to God’s will not with his or her own will.

A. Who prioritize God’s word never stand outside instead of listening by being inside

Mark said the Jesus ‘family was looking for him because they thought Jesus was out of his mind. See that they were concerned just with their own situation. They didn’t want even listen. They didn’t care at all to what Jesus had to say. John the apostle once said that Jesus ‘brothers didn’t believe in him. They just wanted to speak but never listen. They wanted just the ‘come to us’ but never the ‘may your will be satisfied’.

And there are many people who present themselves as children of God but doesn’t want to listen to what God requires at all. Many people think that having the Bible on the nightstand next to bed opened to the is equivalent to be a child of God. No! It’s not!

Judas Iscariot listened to the best sermons ever; he had the best leader ever; he studied in the best theological school; he was learning straight from the source. And look at his end? Listened to good sermons is critical, but Judas ‘life prove it’s not enough.

Open your Bible every single day. You might not read ten chapters a day but choose a passage that speaks to your throughout the day. The word says: blessed are those who meditates in God’s word. Don’t just read, but internalize it. Make every single verse the God’s Word part of who you are. Memorize the word. Talk about the word. Teach the word. Preach the word.

Listen; understand; dig as deep as you can; ask about it. Who you’re depends on it.

B. Who prioritize God’s word is always committed to God’s will not with his or her own will.

There are so many people with their bodies inside the church, but with their heart outside. Many no longer come to the church to give, but to receive.

Jesus ‘family in that occasion was just concerned with their own desires. They had their priorities. Talking about good writers again. You know, for a good writer every single detail matter.

Matthew could have been reported this event like this: “The man came to him and asked: your mother and brother are stood outside wanting to speak to you. And Jesus said: Who are my brother and who are my sisters?”. But that’s not what Matthew does. He writes: “Pointing to his disciples”.

Please, don’t miss this! When you point to something or someone, what are you trying to do? You are identifying something or someone. Jesus was doing exactly the same thing. Jesus was giving his disciples their identity and also the base of it.

Look. I am not just Renan Guedes da Silva. You are not Maria Gonzalez or John Smith. You are a child of God. Again, this is not a metaphor or a figure of speech. This is the very nature of a Christian when he accept Jesus Christ.

Do you know what Jesus is saying when he says that those who fulfill God’s will are part of his family? He is saying that in the Kingdom of God what you do proves who you are.

You might be thinking, how am I going to obey God’s commandments? It’s too hard and harsh. Let me give you an illustration: Have you have got on an airplane? Have you ever think of the complexity there is to make that huge vehicle to fly? An airport; pilot; co-pilot; a whole crew; tons of steel and screws. All that complexity to make it fly safe. Now have you ever looked at a bird? A small bird I mean. What is the complexity for it to fly? It just flips its wings. It’s been made to fly.

So it’s the children of God. Their very nature is made to obey Jesus; To love Jesus; to love his Word.

Listen is very import, the only thing so important as listening is to practice.

Conclusion

If you truly are a child of God, you will prioritise your spiritual bond in Christ and you will prioritise his word by listening and living according to it.

Related Media

Related Sermons