Investing in My Family
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A Kingdom Perspective
A Kingdom Perspective
There’s a storm coming that we all go through, You possess your possessions or they possess you
Love people and use things, dont love things and use people
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.”
v.46 a staged intervention?
My possessions are just borrowed tools to be used in Kingdom work
From last week’s Last Thing:
Davidic covenant, , Parables of Jesus
God is… Man is… But God is… Bless God
v. 22 says Bless the Lord, all His works, in all places of His dominion.
Has He done a work in you? That work has the job of blessing Him!
Parables of Jesus
20 Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed,
21 nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”
When the words are red, who Jesus is speaking to is important.
Jesus tries, over and over again, to get those around him to understand this Kingdom would not be political or geographical. Whether He is talking to the Pharisees, gentiles, crowds or disciples, His message was about a Kingdom like none of them expected. Difference in how He talks to different people.
Maybe this kind of KIngdom was so unexpected because of the social and political unrest.
Maybe it was unexpected because it was hidden/not obvious, but it was still coming to pass! It was happening in people’s hearts! Just not theirs. When He says ‘in the midst of you’ (within you or within your grasp), we can take that one of two ways:
Jesus is saying, I’m here, so the Kingdom is here. Remember, half of bringing the kingdom here is Letting Jesus be King. He knew He had ultimate authority wherever He was, so the kingdom in their midst could have simply meant He is here! And folks, wherever the Lord shows up, HE IS KING.
The other way we might take this statement is in the contrast of ‘a political kingdom’ with one that would ‘transform their hearts’. [Let’s try to be as clear as possible: We enter the Kingdom. Believe. Follow. Surrender. Repent. And when we enter the Kingdom, the King takes up residence inside us. So the Kingdom is ‘within my grasp’ at the same time it is transforming me from the inside out!] [Ambassador.] If you belong to the King, the kingdom is working within and through you. And this is where we want to spend a few minutes.
their hearts’. [Let’s try to be as clear as possible: We enter the Kingdom. Believe. Follow. Surrender. Repent. And when we enter the Kingdom, the King takes up residence inside us. So the Kingdom is ‘within my grasp’ at the same time it is transforming me from the inside out!] The kingdom is working within you. And this is where we want to spend a few minutes.
When the kingdom comes ‘in our midst’, there are a few things that happen:
The things most important to Jesus start to become most important to me. [facets, difference]
Putting others ahead of myself.
Letting the old pass away and the new come.
Seeking first the Kingdom and the righteousness of God [prayer, teaching children, reaching those in prison, giving a cup of cold water]
I begin to value people more than things.
Which means I value things LESS than people. Sometimes we think this happens as we grow older. Perspective and all that. But age really has little to do with it. The more my love for the King grows, the more I line up with His values.
I become willing to use the things God as put in my control to minister to people.
I hold things with open hands - good but still passive
I look for ways to connect with people - becoming active ‘if it crosses my path’
I ask God to create those divine appointments - most active!
We need to understand that the King is working in our hearts/lives so that we can know how to use what He has put in our control to Invest in Our Family.
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.”
v.46 a staged intervention?
Whoever does the will of the father is our brother and sister and mother. That blows some biases out of the water. We’re not that different at all.
When my child needs me, what am I willing to do to meet that need?
When my parents need me…?
Some of you are what they call in that sandwich stage of life. You have kids and are taking care of aging parents. Some of you have the blessing of taking care of your parents while helping your kids, and taking care of grandkids, and even great-grands. All at the same time.
We talked about using our time and energy and resources for the Kingdom. If I just described you, for now, you are doing all that!
But I want to get back to a point. Some of you have the blessing of taking care of your parents. Some days it doesnt feel like a blessing, but it is. Remember the recorded words of Jesus on the cross?
25 but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.
26 When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!”
27 Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.
26 When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!”
27 Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.
Jesus knew He wouldnt have the blessing of taking care of His earthly mother in her old age, so He made sure someone else would. And He did it from the cross!! Can we recognize the importance Jesus attached to His mom?
When I invest in my family, I invest in the kingdom. And according to the Matthew scripture we looked at, my brothers and sisters in Christ are my included in my family.
What is the return on investment when we spend our time, energy and resources on our family?
Obedience to the King - There is always a blessing associated with obedience! That reward is based on His system of return. We get a glimpse of that in
6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
2 Corinthians 9:6-7
When we put a kernel of corn in the ground, do we get a kernel back? Or do we get that kernel multiplied many times over? Obedience!
So spend your time on the Kingdom! Exhaust your energy on the Kingdom! Use ALL YOUR RESOURCES on the Kingdom! The King has more!
And you’ll reap the reward of being obedient
Last thing:
Pray for your pastor this week
Where do you find God’s dominion addressed in scripture. Word study dominion.
