We Are Family

We're going to be finishing up Mark 3 today. We're going to really just dial it back and go to where we were when this all started. So if you were at if your irregular tender have been visiting our church or whatever prior to this we had been going through the Book of Mark. We're kind of taking our time. I really enjoying the study really trying to connect the dots and and honestly, not not gloss over anyting. So this is what it's been really fun. I when all this covid stuff started Mike and I talked to decide what we do is just handle some more. Change it up butts. The the current sermon series and do some messages. Maybe just about God's sovereignty in and difficult times and how we can find comfort and it's been pretty great. But now we're the seems like perhaps a little bit of a new normal situation. So we figured let's just get back in here when we stopped meeting in the building and pick up in the in the sermon series why we're meeting here virtually. So it's great to see everybody virtually had course. I can't see anybody but myself but I see there's 15 people joined. So for those that are here, thanks for being here. Looking forward to being able to share with you. The really really really good news of the Gospel. So I will be finishing Mark today and the sermon series that has different titles of girl that sings We are family. So let's just Dive Right In I will read it and I'll pray and we'll get to it. So if you got your Bibles turn to Mark 3:31. If not, I should be on the screen here and you can read along with me and his mother and his brothers came and standing outside. They sent to him and called him and I cried was sitting around him and they said to him your mother and brothers are outside seeking you and he answered them who are my mother and my brothers and looking about at those who sat around and he said here are my mother and my brothers or whoever does the will of God. He is my brother and sister and mother. Let's pray. I have my father's day talk about family, especially at a time like this where we are perhaps much more familiar with our families that we have in it some time due to being home a lot more and maybe just there been on our minds. Morgan the situations in the world today Lord. We dive into the study and we see Jesus making it a pretty bold assertion hear about what what family really is when it comes to the family of God lord. I pray that our our hearts our minds will be open to your word. Sometimes family is a difficult subject for people Lord and I pray that in our in our time together here that the holy spirit will show us the gods family is unlike any other family at the head of this family. Is it somebody that will never let us down and never disappoint lord. It's a wonderful family to be a part of its the the best family that there could be and it's a family created by and for you and your glory Lord It's a not it's just it's a it's a wonderful thing to be a part of Lord and for all those that are part of my church family here and obviously part of the bigger Family of Christ the day Lord. I'm thankful for those that we are able to study together today and thankful for those that are out working very very hard not to help people that are sick or in trouble with this. The current thing is happening or that maybe don't have the luxury to sit home and enjoy the sermon or or study even perhaps they're four. They're so exhausted Lord. So very thankful for all that thankful for this opportunity to share this good news with all these people on Facebook and help us. Have a great time together in your today and then All right, let's get into it. We are family cuz I'm song like that. Don't you ever heard of it? Anyway song called We are family and I do a lot of song titles for sermon titles just because of that's what it comes to money for better or worse. So why what to do a quick recap? Like I said, it's been a few weeks since we talked about this but in Mark 3 up to now obviously been going all the way through my fixed sort of the most recent happenings here is Jesus's moving around and he's ministering to people a lot. So he's been Trucking around doing the work of the father teaching healing a great deal is casting out demons. If you were call and despite people being healed and saved powerful leaders are not pleased. There's a whole bunch of folks that are ticked off Pharisees Sadducees that didn't really care for what Jesus was doing a certainly the manner when she was doing it and we see earlier and Mark 3 even Jesus family was getting frustrated with them. They were thinking maybe you was out of his mind. I just because of the nature of everything was happening. Oops, Amina Carter V. The leaders displeasure became disdain and then blast me if you're called the last message just before we we called a call it a break for the covid-19. We saw Jesus talking about the the Eternal sin writer of the unforgivable sin if you will and that was blaspheming against the Holy Spirit and that was the the where we left off. Was it him basically saying that some of these accusations were coming in giving credit to Satan for the work of the Holy Spirit In Christ describe that as an as an it an eternal sin. Clearly. We don't want Eternal sin. And then we see that was an enemy transition to this area here where his family shows up yet again. So this is the second time in chapter 3 that we've seen his family Jesus's family coming to picture

And his family shows up again. I say it's doubtful. They were there just to visit but it's possible chances are given the current status of what's going on. His family is there was a very specific agenda and that is to attempt to calm this down again there people that are upset that leadership is upset the people around them are upset. There is a great deal of turmoil. I guess you could say busyness, wherever Jesus goes. There's just a lot going on and it's probably just dressing for his family because they're tired of having to put up with this right? He's all these people coming around and constantly wanting to be healed and wanting friends to be healed or whatever and there's not any peace and we can't even sit down to eat. So they show up they called him they send for him and prices with the apostles and they say hey Jesus your family's not so many words. Obviously. We just read it. But hey, you're your mom and your sisters outside. Course Jesus Christ right away teachable moment, right Jesus points out that his family are those that do the will of God typo 50 that do the will of God. It would be a typical Christmas sermon if I didn't put a typo on the slide, I guess. And I imagine the folks would have been taken aback by this assertion. So this is basically saying, you know, my family is the people that do the will of God.

Got knocked them. If you will write the fact that they say your family is here. And now well, I've got you know, they want to come see you at Jesus as well. My family is who's who's my family? My family is supposed to do the will of God and he's not a surly saying that his family is not his family, but he's he's now he's now compounding this into it a different setting right when you talked to Chris about his family. It's clearly more to him than just those people that showed up.

Make a point here. That family is important to us. I think those of us that are Here For Better or Worse family is going to be important to us, but it was hugely important in Jesus time. Even if you had issues with your family you had to deal with that family was like a fundamental organizing structure in many regards inheritance is were based off of your family Rises and Falls to and from Power based on that the whale and was allocated people. It was just it was a much different scenario when we talked about the way family operated then our families are very important to us today. We also have inheritance but it's quite common today for somebody that perhaps has a quote on quote falling out with her family to be able to just sever relationships or move away. That would have been extremely rare in in the time of Crisis because the nature of the world Why does Jesus do this? I've just been talking about this. He could have met with his family than talk later. Right but but fundamentally Jesus describe. What would I would be a new family unit and he uses this opportunity where his family is there? And as I kind of said perhaps not just to say hey, it's Jesus go visit Jesus. He's probably you know up to something. We'll see what he's been up to. They definitely have an agenda most likely to try to talk to him simulator how they spoke to him early in the chapter about calling this down. You've got to settle settle down what you do with your your your it is just this is insane you're making a people upset, but we can't get a moment's restaurants coming over to us now probably asking if we'd could get you to spend some time and over here to Helaman just they're probably very frustrated. We don't think about it too much but family actually has a definition. I love definitions. Hopefully we have to be able to read this on screen. But this is real name Webster and I like this because when we talk about family, it can mean a lot of things. We have a truth family. I've got a family that my immediate family, right? So this fits the definition of it, but hear the top the basic unit in society traditionally consisting of two parents with children Rites of this some sort of the Year Potomac family your immediate family write a traditional family and a spouse and children. So, you know a lot of times if you were talking and I said, oh my family is excited about this. I'm not generally talking about you know my entire Relation everybody that's ever been related to these excited about that. I'm not going to speak for them. However, I could have absolutely account for the folks that are in my house because we've likely talked in depth about that. Haven't we talked about the second definition of a group of individuals living Under One Roof and using under one head that could absolutely be the case. Then that's a pretty good indicator. I think of what we would indicate a family to be a good measure that if you had perhaps some some parents that have moved in with you or are we have some friends that that is not so much adopted kids but a a a a child at Pier one of their kids biological kids are adopted kids that becomes so close and spend so much time that you would say other not part of my family because they effectively live here Under One Roof and they said underneath the headship of the of the father of the house that the head of the household and then we see beyond those move down a group group of persons of common ancestry says be a bigger family, like all of our family reunions for instance would be pretty boring if it was just my household, but if it's 10 that come out to the family reunions, I see everybody related to Any number for here and they did most of these are getting wider and wider and wider write a group of people United by certain convictions or a common affiliation of Fellowship staff of the official such as president and I'd case I don't think that Jesus family is a a a a structure of Staff necessarily and then finally a group of things related by Common characteristics. So when we talked about Christ Family changing up the the notion of family, there's something new here and it really focuses in on the definition for would be certain convictions are common affiliation. There's a United a group of people United by this, right? So everything else the first three here are basically what we live together, perhaps we we spent a lot of time together. We're not blood related, but there's a closeness there because of a relationship on earth, right you've moved into the house or Obviously we've adopted you into her home or something along those lines or you know, I was born into the line in my last name is heacock. All the Hecox are my family that I'm related to and I can connect the dots on that who gave birth to him and so on and so forth or family because we share common ancestry that's not a choice that I made necessarily to be part of a family adoption is a different situation summerguard right? But but clearly that I'm being those that I was born to shows without any say-so for me to you know, have me

So when we talk about Jesus and he's coming down to his family is fundamentally is Jesus against families. So I think when we when I cover this, it's important to note that the albino means the copal here. But Jesus is not Auntie family. He's not sending his family away or things are dead to me or I don't I don't know them anymore. I don't care for them at all. That's not the case at all. And we don't want to muddy the waters here to be very clear God created marriage. He created reproduction ecrater the notion of parenting God. The family unit is constructed by God. It's built by God the Father the Son all of these things are very well known by God part of his creation. So family is critical. We see Commandments related to it instructs parents and families. No surprise here. Is not this isn't something that man is come up with and we're just figuring out on our own and Jesus the Same. Yeah, you guys have families all wrong. It's not what's going on here. Jesus notion of families of parallel family unit if you will. So this is what we talked about the family of God. It doesn't necessarily replace my family on Earth. I don't become a Christian and then immediately you don't recognize my mother and father as a mother and father nor my sister is my sister. It's working together. It's a combined effort. I have a family on Earth and I have a family in Christ it what Jesus is using. Here is a teachable moment, right when his family shows up he saying what what if I were to tell you I've got another family and that family is. Who does the will of God these are the people I would consider my family not to say so send those other folks away. I don't want to see them ever again. He's just teaching about this idea of a new family a different a better family and one that's focused on something different. Then I was born to such-and-such or adopted by such-and-such adoption kind of toes the line between the two to be honest. I haven't talked about the family of God in this family. So you're talking about this then if it's probably a logical next pressure for those sitting around Christ. So, how do I do this? Right you're saying that your family is those who do the will of God? I think I want to be in your family. If you imagine at this time sitting around table Jesus watching him heal and cast out demons and teach them knowing that he's the son of God. He is who he says he is now he's talking about look at these people around me. You're my family. I'm at your people just on the other side of that wall. I thinking I'd like to be part of that family and we see Christ says it right whoever does the will of God simple enough membership requirement. Just do the will of God you're in Good follow-up. What exactly is the will of God right? I think this is kind of what the Crux of all of this is most people myself included with very much like the idea of saying well here is the long and short of it. The will of God is Bing Bing Bing. You just need to do these three things on this list and boom you're in that picture of that and of course when it comes to doing the will of God, it's sometimes easier to focus on perhaps the the show me what it is that I can do what I have to do and maybe it's not quite so clear because when it comes to the will of God, we want God to to instruct us not necessarily men, so I can't tell you exactly exactly for you. What the will of God is going to be in the next 5 10 15 minutes, but I can tell you to go to the word. Let's talk a little bit about what it's not I do this a lot for better or worse. Perhaps people are annoyed by this but for me, this is how my brain works.

This family is not based on your genealogy or relationship. So to do the will of God is not dependent on your family on earth. Right? So the fact that I'm in Ace in this family not that family or my dad's a pastor or my dad The Gambler or a marauder or whatever that does not have anything to do with my ability to do the will of God. It's also not dependent on my people. So because I'm an American or I'm a nun Reach people group in the middle of you know, some some desolate area in a country. That's perhaps ever heard the word announced that mystery shows up. I'm sorry, you can't, you know, you you need to be a part of this specific people group up. God has blessed America or has blessed. You know, you're up or Germany. That's not true will of God is Not depending on where you are in this world when people give me rub and it's not dependent on your spouse or lack thereof. So the notion here as well. I would I would do the will of God but me and oh my I'm not married to a Christian. So I can't or I chose to you know, I'm single and I'm not going to be able to do the will of God until I married not trip. So doing the will of God has no dependents on that. You do not need a spouse to to be a part of the family of God. And if you have a spouse that's not going to be a limiting factor at all. There's no excuse to not be your commune with the with the father because you are married or or this one comes up a lot when we talked about. Well, I I really like to come to church I'd like to participate but I do know my husband doesn't my wife doesn't want to and she doesn't want to bother with the kids and she thinks that this is silly and so it's just not going to work out for me and that's not true. Right? You can absolutely be doing the will of God this by the situation like that. The last photo is they do however have an impact on you and your knowledge of God clearly. If you are born into a family that is has been a Christian family would say for a few Generations now and is very centered on the Bible and and spends time with Jesus and knows him as Lord and Savior proclaimed in a people group that allows open worship and easy study of those things and you you don't have grown up in a people group. Now where there's other spouses that are going to be Believers that you're going to commune with regular Church, perhaps to start courting and eventually marry those three things will have a big impact on your ability to spend time with effectively in their prep understand. We're deeply who Christ is because it's been part of you it's been Something that you've dealt with and seen in in practice by others is very helpful. And if you don't have that it becomes perhaps more difficult, but it's not where it was as an impact. It's not a limiting factor. So just because you didn't grow up in a church bring family or an area that that had open and accessible worship of Christ or no access to a spouse that was a was helpful in your walk with Christ. They don't limit you out but they will have an impact as Believers when we talk to others about joining this family. If someone comes in a background of family that's been really destructive in their life are hateful. It's good for us to remember that it's good for us to know that that's going to impact them and their knowledge of God and they could have a tarnished herb or a poor view of God because of the nature of the world around them and Christ can overcome that Christ does and will overcome that he does it every day. Does it all the time but it's something for us to at least be aware of it for some people might be easier than others.

It's not based on finding Jesus teaching a good lifestyle. This one hits home for me because up. In a in a society that we're in here, especially like in America here in Indiana where I'm where I am today. It's very, if you say hey, do you believe in God answers? Yes. Absolutely believe in Jesus. Yes, you believe he's the son of God. Yeah, absolutely and dancers going to be yes to all those questions because people are generally heard how this goes. But the reality is they say yes. Jesus is a good guy and his lifestyle is good. That is that is not qualification enough for family membership in the family of God is something more than that. It's easy to think that not setting is enough. Well because I'm a good person. If you will look here I didn't do this. I didn't help this person and I I could have taken that money, but I didn't I could have cheated on that exam, but I didn't and that's good because of bad because Jesus said don't steal I didn't steal now. I think I'm part of God's family. That's not enough. It's easy to think that going to church and Performing good works is enough. No doubt going to church isn't going to hurt you necessarily but going to church and taking us checking off a box or earning something or punching a card, you know, it is wrong we go to church so that we can commune together gather Fellowship is important and I think we also go to church because it's a great opportunity for us to learn and study together. Yes corporate worship is a wonderful time but corporate study is even better corporate worship is do is doing its job or actually studying God then as well all of this focused on keeping God in his proper place as a group and encourages one another and people that are trying to figure out 8 + idea of worship and when we gather together, that's great. But in and of itself walking through those doors aren't magical. They don't save us it's not enough to be a part of God's family to just show up the church or do good things. I hope this old lady across the street when she was having trouble I paid for the groceries a person behind me. Are those good things sure. Those are good things to do for people to very kind thing to do but that's not what God's family is about. It's not about doing good things or doing good works going to church and thinking that we'll look at what I'm doing. I'm doing good thing. So that's enough. It's not enough. Jesus is talking to those who sat around him here. Not everyone that was there that were probably people outside his actual family was there for instance. It doesn't say everybody here is a part of my family one big giant family all people the whole world over in not true. He said who's that? He's talking to people that around here. There are plenty of people that found a benefit in Jesus and today find a benefit in Jesus say I like the way that it is, you know, he helped me out and then first Pacific people getting healed people wanting to be healed people in a demons cast out. They were lined up trying to get a benefit from him. But they were not considered his family not necessarily now.

Salvation is is God's game. Not are so this is this isn't a game of accusations. I certainly don't want to spend this as well. You know, what sounds to me like Chris is trying to make decisions as to who's going to be saved and not know God has already made all those decisions for cease describe this process in his word. That's why I'm trying to communicate but in this section what we see here, it's the same a blanket statement of hail everybody here, you know, if you see me, you're welcome to the family. And all I got to do is say you want to be in your in know there's people here that found Christ and we're close to him in a way that exceeded just the pure benefits. They didn't get healed and leave. These are his followers, right? These are Folks at see him as a lord. They've made him Lord of their life, even then while he was here on Earth and those two people. He considered his family. Then how do we do the will of God we talked or what? It's not is a great question. First you must know the little guy and we have a book for that the Bible be read a little bit from it a while back, but obviously there's a lot more than just the end of Mark 3 and as we see and I use one of them up here, but it is it's as we study the word we start to see God unfolding for us through the holy spirit all of this understanding that we don't have to work on ourselves. We don't need to sit down and meticulously crafted constructive AAA Matrix based on our understanding of what God's will is in our lives that God will reveal that to you'll do that for he's done for me. Is that it for a lot of other people and it's not some magical Seance thing. This is a matter of saying well, I mean, I guess in some regards pretty concise and clear we talked about this and price termite. Yeah. We have a great commandment. We have a Great Commission. Is that the end of it now there's more to it than that, but that's a good place to start. How do I fulfill that many of these things will see her or somewhat open-ended like do the will of God. What's the will of God?

Treat others as yourself. Well, how do I do that is actually right you need to start understanding those questions and back into the word we go. We should see comforted Luke clarifies this further and Luke 8:21 is the what it says, but he answered them my mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it the same scenario here and look the same the same section. If you will the same part of of the stale and Luke phrases at this way my mother and my brothers are those that those who hear the word of God and do it step 1 hear the word step to do it. apricot Drive I thought good works when enough. Correct. Just to reiterate is the good works than cells have no power to save so reading the word and doing the action. I'd like reading Leviticus. Let's say for filling Leviticus for the sake of fulfilling Leviticus with no concept of Christ and who he is or what he did is not enough good work. Do not save us good works of Jesus as Lord are just good work. Terrible. Terrible. People can do great things for other people. That's fine. Right someone has committed an unrepentant murderer could could help somebody by their groceries. That's not going to save them. Not going to save them. It needs you need more than good works good works with Jesus as Lord become become acts of worship and indicators indicators of Salvation not secure, right? You're not buying salvation with good work with it with your good works and you're not. You're not earning points with Jesus in that regard. If you're doing good works with Jesus as the Lord of your heart and he's good works are born of a an act of worship. Well, then that's a different story altogether. Right what we see now is wow. This salvation is had an impact in this person and they are now spewing forth. If you will good works in the name of Jesus. They're not just doing good works as well. Hopefully I do enough of these. Set the piano. I understand where I rank on the scale Jesus on one side and entire set of the world is on the other. He beats it. So I don't need to bother with trying to earn my way out of anything. But what price is called me to do I will do and if price is called me to do the will of God that I need to spend time in the world to discern for myself with the help of the Holy Spirit. What the will of God is make sure that what I'm going to going to do for Christ as an act of worship a wines biblically and then I'm going to do that for Christ's disciple here being saved by Christ direct us to do the good work taught by Christ for the glory of the father. That's what it all boils down to that's what it all boils down to it. Isn't it? Isn't he turning my way? It's not be punching cards and Christ said to do this or else no price to save me and because of what he has done in my life I now seek to do what Christ would have me do what can I do for you? You save me I'm indebted to you. How can I ever repay you away? I can't then I'll do exactly what you told me to do until I no longer on this world. And that's what we see. Good works are born of our Salvation. They don't earn it. They don't they don't Grant it but they're born of it. We hear the word god changes our hearts. We confess Jesus is our only hope and salvation. We get back into the world learning about God's will it doesn't in there? We don't we don't say Jesus is my Lord and Savior and then I wander away. That's it. That's a terrible recipe to be Meandering for Aegis know I got to get back into the word. I'm going to drama to the work learn about God's will the holy spirit that directs our lives to good works and we are now members of the family of Christ. If you remember back those that do the will of God.

Ernest is pretty simple.

It can't be that it can be and it is family the family of this family is Rock Solid and can't fail only because

It's very easy. Sometimes to compare the family of God to our families on Earth and our families on Earth than a Vibe. I've got some family members watching will perennially disappointed. I permanently disappoint my family too because I'm flawed and falling and busted and broken and I'm going to screw up and I depend on God for anything that's worthwhile in my life. I love my family dearly, but I know I let them know. I've got family that the head of that household doesn't have that problem. God never ever ever lets us down. If nothing else resume today. Please know that God is with us and for us he says so in his word, we may not always get that and understand it but we we shouldn't let the notion of our our our Earthly families temper. Our understanding of God's family. Family is Rock Solid and can't fail. This family is built by and for God's glory not ours I sit here today and I Call you today about God and His greatness in order to glorify God. That's what it's all about. God has built this family to glorify himself rightfully because he's worthy. Everybody that's ever been saved us because God chosen to be saved because it glorifies him to do. So when you're part of a family of the family of God, you're part of something that is built by God for God not us. It is not for us that we benefit from it because God is so good and so gracious but fundamentally, we are all for God and our church family are there now this would be necessarily law the larger family of God. Everybody would save our Christ brothers sisters mothers with Christ. That's huge. I can't see how big that is. It's it's really encouraging is awesome. In our church family is an individual Church bodies are should be a close approximation of that right those who do the will of God a part of that family and we want to be caring and we going to be understanding and try very hard to emulate in some regards the way the Christ Family should operate even on a small local churches shouldn't be combative and it should be divisive and we should be having a lot of infighting and struggled Christ family. That would be obviously not doing the will of God and that's not being a very good indicator what God's family to be like

So here's the call to action. If you're looking for a family for talking about family today and you thinking I've never experienced kind of like that my whole life. My family is a wreck or they don't talk to me. I don't talk to them. I don't know you found a family this my Church Calvary Heights Baptist Church in my local family those lines get blurred a lot. You may hear this and roll your eyes and say all you have the old is at the church family. I've heard all this before if you guys had a fan like my phone you would even want to go to church and I can't speak to that in your lives. Right? But I can tell you my church family is invaluable to my walk with Christ. They are an encouragement to me that there when times are different types of tough times like this covid 19 thing that's going on. The church family has been 100% blessing to me. The larger Church of Christ also, don't get me wrong. But if you're looking for a family a church family a family won't let you down. We would love for you to commit your life to Christ and enjoy your party with a family that cares for you. Yes, our church family everybody in our church believes will be there forever. We'll all hang out together and spend time with Jesus to be great, of course, but even now we have an opportunity to commune together here on Earth, but if you're just joining, we had a small group session this morning and I can't speak for everybody was on that call but it was so encouraging to see so many faces. We have time to pray together for all those that are sick. Everybody knows somebody right now. That's the scared to death of what's going on or very nervous. I'm it was just really really really nice to see the circle around a computer screen or various devices see each other's faces talk together and pray together. If you could do that same thing with her with your Earthly family, and I hope that many people here are touching base with your birthday family was checking on those you care about but sometimes I can be a little bit less fulfilling. Maybe you feel depressed when you leave or you don't know way to quell those fears for people. This family doesn't have that problem. Our family serves a God. That doesn't miss a beat. He was there before covid-19 start. He's going to be here long after this is all over he knows how all the sins and he's in control and that is really really comforting and if it's not comforting, please we'd love to pray with you if it's what I'm talking about bring beer to you. If you feel like you're on the outside looking in that you're confused at your this is sad and depressing and you try to be a part of a church family and it's never worked out or you might be a Christian but you're not sure we love to play with you. You can send a message through Facebook page or you can email office at Calvary Heights. Org and somebody will reach out to you now meeting in person is tricky business these days. But we could certainly we have some facilities here at the church to do the obviously phone calling. We want to play with you if you are if you are afraid and you do not know what happens when you die. We would love to play with you. Please don't just close this and move on by all means Reach Out.

Because if there's if there's no reason to wait another minute.

Adam