The Family of God
Notes
Transcript
If you have your Bibles turn to 1 John 3. Did that catch you off guard?
We are taking a one week break from Matthew to think about what it means to be part of the family of God. I thought it was fitting considering the baptism we have been able to be part of this morning and to joyfully
Think about your family for a moment. For some, family is something that brings you joy. For others, it is something that brings pain. Some think of family and get a sense of peace and safety, others mostly feel fear and danger at the idea of family. Some have their sense of family fulfilled through their natural family and friends and others have a deep longing to belong to a family. Most of us have some mix of it all.
But have you ever thought about what it means to be part of the family of God? When we sing songs about the family, when we read verses that talk about adoption, when we call each other brother and sister, what is it that we are really saying? Who is it that is part of the family of God? What is the foundation for being able to say these things?
1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.
The Family of God
1 John 3:1 (ESV)
1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.
The Perks of being in the Family of God
1. A Mediator between us and God
32 For he is not a man, as I am, that I might answer him, that we should come to trial together. 33 There is no arbiter between us, who might lay his hand on us both.
Job recognizes his need for a mediator!
A mediator is a go-between who can represent the interests of both parties. As God, Christ brings divine justice and mercy to bear on our relationship to our Creator, and as man, Christ brings the perfect human obedience we need to be reconciled to God.
5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
25 Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.
And this mediator can sympathize with us!
15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.
2. The Holy Spirit as a Guide and Intercessor
26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.
3. The killing of sin and the putting on of righteousness
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
4. The conquering of sin and death through Christ
1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 (ESV)
13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep... 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.
3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
5. We have been made co-heirs with Christ!
16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
As part of the family of God we have a grand hope!
Who is part of the Family of God?
46 While he was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him. 48 But he replied to the man who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” 49 And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”
24 Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.
How to know we are part of the family of God? Keep His Commandments
The One Another Commands
60 commands for Christians on how they are to interact with one another!
Love one another (John 13:34 - This command occurs at least 16 times)
Be devoted to one another (Romans 12:10)
Honor one another above yourselves (Romans 12:10)
Live in harmony with one another (Romans 12:16)
Build up one another (Romans 14:19; 1 Thessalonians 5:11)
Be likeminded towards one another (Romans 15:5)
Accept one another (Romans 15:7)
Admonish one another (Romans 15:14; Colossians 3:16)
Greet one another (Romans 16:16)
Care for one another (1 Corinthians 12:25)
Serve one another (Galatians 5:13)
Bear one another's burdens (Galatians 6:2)
Forgive one another (Ephesians 4:2, 32; Colossians 3:13)
Be patient with one another (Ephesians 4:2; Colossians 3:13)
Speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15, 25)
Be kind and compassionate to one another (Ephesians 4:32)
Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs (Ephesians 5:19)
Submit to one another (Ephesians 5:21, 1 Peter 5:5)
Consider others better than yourselves (Philippians 2:3)
Look to the interests of one another (Philippians 2:4)
Bear with one another (Colossians 3:13)
Teach one another (Colossians 3:16)
Comfort one another (1 Thessalonians 4:18)
Encourage one another (1 Thessalonians 5:11)
Exhort one another (Hebrews 3:13)
Stir up [provoke, stimulate] one another to love and good works (Hebrews 10:24)
Show hospitality to one another (1 Peter 4:9)
Employ the gifts that God has given us for the benefit of one another (1 Peter 4:10)
Clothe yourselves with humility towards one another (1 Peter 5:5)
Pray for one another (James 5:16)
Confess your faults to one another (James 5:16)
Becoming a member of the family
23 And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.
Hebrews 4 speaks of those who will not find rest in God and it is those who will not believe in Christ and will not follow His commandments
If you are here this morning and you have heard all these commandments of God
A final encouragement
28 And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming. 29 If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.
Brothers and sisters, we have been given the outrageous honor of being invited into the family of God. Do not take that lightly, treating it like some sort of free ticket into an amusement park. If we a