God's Family
Gospel of Mark • Sermon • Submitted
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Good evening students. I am so glad to see each and every one of you here tonight. Open in your Bibles with me to the Gospel of Mark. This will be our last message in the Gospel of Mark before turning back over to Ephesians for about three weeks. As we have been going through the Gospel of Mark, we have been looking at the life of Jesus while He was here on earth. In Mark 1-3, so far we have seen that Jesus has been teaching, healing, and living for God while being attacked by the religious leaders continuously. The Pharisees and the Sadduccees have been after Jesus repeatedly.
Last week, the Pharisees and the scribes placed Jesus within the same league as satan which led to Jesus’s teaching about the unforgivable sin. Does anyone remember what the unforgivable sin is? That’s right, the unforgivable sin is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit which is rejection of Jesus. As Jesus has finished teaching about the unforgivable sin, his family shows up in tonight’s passage.
I am sure every one in here has a family whether they like to admit it or not. We are just getting back into the swing of things coming off of Christmas break. I am sure that during Christmas break many of you spent time with family over the holidays celebrating the birth of Jesus. Our families are oftentimes the closest people to us in our lives. Some of us are very family oriented and find comfort in being with family. On the other hand, some may not have the best family life. Maybe family life is divided and you don’t feel close to your family. Whatever the case, if you are a Christian there is another family that you are a part of which is more significant than your earthly family.
Tonight, we will be looking at the family of God and how Christians are adopted into this family through faith in Jesus Christ.
Let’s look at Mark 3:31-35
31 And his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him. 32 And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, seeking you.” 33 And he answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” 34 And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.”
Pray.
In tonight’s passage, Jesus is inside of a house teaching a crowd of people. This was very typical of Jesus as we have witnessed throughout the Gospel of Mark. Crowds would follow Jesus some seeking to hear what He had to say, some seeking what He could do, and others seeking to believe He is the Messiah. Whatever their motive in following Jesus, Jesus is here teaching a crowd of people.
As Jesus is teaching this crowd, we see that Jesus’s mother and brothers came to get Him. Remember, Jesus’s mother is Mary and Jesus did have brothers. Jesus’s brothers were James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas (Not Iscariot). These brothers along with Mary came seeking Jesus. Why would they come seeking after Jesus?
It is believe that Mary had travelled to rescue her Son from the crowds that gathered around Him and the attacks that He was receiving. Meanwhile it is believed that Jesus’s brothers came to get Jesus because they believed that He was out of His mind.
Ultimately, Jesus’s family came seeking to protect Jesus because they love Him. While that is probably true, Jesus has a very shocking response.
The crowd calls to Jesus, interrupting His teaching, to inform Him that His mother and brothers are looking for Him outside of the house. Hearing and receiving the crowds interruption, let’s look back and see how Jesus responded.
33 And he answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?”
Jesus responds with a question. Jesus asks, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” Why would Jesus ask such a question? Does Jesus not know who His mother and brothers are?
Yes, Jesus does know exactly who His mother and brothers are. Jesus is using this interruption from the crowd as a teaching moment regarding the family of God. Jesus would oftentimes ask questions that He knew the answer to all for the sake of making a point or teaching others. So, here Jesus asks who are my mother and brothers for the sake of teaching this crowd about the family of God.
Let’s continue to look at Jesus’s response.
34 And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers!
So, after asking a confusing question about who His mother and brothers are, Jesus then looks around the room at the crowd. The parallel account of this situation in Matthew says:
49 And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers!
The parallel account says that Jesus pointed at His disciples after asking the question of who His mother and brothers are.
Then, Jesus answers His own question by saying, “here are my mother and brothers!” This is a shocking statement especially in the culture where Jesus lived. The family was held in high regard within the Hebrew culture and this time period.
R. Kent Hughes writes, “These would be startling words in any culture, but in Hebrew culture, where the family was so sacred, they were shocking!”
Jesus’s family had travelled all this way to see Him, and here Jesus responds by saying that all this crowd are His mother and brothers. This was not a slam at His parents. Jesus loved His mother, Mary. He loves her so much so that as He hung from the cross about to die, He instructed John the disciple to take care of Mary. So, Jesus was not making this statement to hurt His family.
Instead, Jesus was speaking of a family that extends beyond this world. This family is greater than flesh and blood. The family Jesus is speaking of is an eternal family.
Look at verse 35
35 For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.”
Notice what Jesus says, “whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.” Here, Jesus provides us with the explanation for His previous statement. Jesus is saying that those who are obedient to God the Father are His brothers and sisters. Those who place their faith in Him are members of the family of God. Obedience to God is a sign of faith in God. Therefore, what Jesus is saying is that those who are obedient to God’s will have the sign of having faith in God, and those that place their faith in Jesus are members of God’s family.
Many will take this passage of Scripture and twist it. For instance, some will claim that this passage of Scripture speaks to what is call universalism. Universalism says that all will go to heaven because we are all children of God. I have even heard people make the statement that we are all children of God which is false. Only those who are Christians are children of God.
It is the truth of Scripture that some will place their faith in Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection resulting in adoption into the family of God and salvation. Others will commit blasphemy against the Holy Spirit which we talked about last week which is rejection of Jesus which will result in eternity in hell because one is not a member of the family of God. We must understand that truth because that is what God’s Word teaches.
I have a few verses that present this to us.
12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,
Here we see that to all those who place their faith in Jesus, they will become children of God.
14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 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.
Upon placing our faith in Jesus, we receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit who leads us to walk in right relationship with God the Father. Likewise, through salvation, we can now pray to God as our Father because we are adopted as His children.
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.
If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, understand that you have been adopted into the family of God and have an eternal family that is secure. While not everyone will accept Jesus and enter into the family of God, each of you here either are already members of God’s family or have the opportunity to enter into God’s family tonight.
For those of us who are children of God, meaning we have placed our faith in Jesus, what does it look like to be a child of God?
Look back at what Jesus says in verse 35
35 For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.”
To be a child of God is to do the will of God. The will of God is found in the Word of God. Children of God are to living according to the Word of God and for the glory of God. In doing so, a child of God will be fulfilling the will of God. You see, we were are born with a sin inclined nature that leads us to sin against God. As we sinned against God, we were in need of forgiveness. That is why Jesus came. Jesus came to fulfill the Law that we broke. Jesus came and lived perfectly, never sinning. Likewise, blood had to be shed for us to have forgiveness of sins.
22 Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.
In living in perfect accordance with the Law, Jesus had to shed His blood on the cross to save us from our sins. Then as Jesus died upon the cross bearing God’s wrath our sins were forgiven. Then, Jesus would raise from the dead on the third day proving that He is the Messiah and Victor. You see, Jesus died for the sins of the whole world; however, only those who place their faith in Jesus will have their sins forgiven, eternal life, and adoption into the family of God.
John MacArthur writes, “They (Christians) obeyed the will of the Father, which is that sinners would believe in the Son to whom the Holy Spirit bears witness and receive eternal life.”
Once one places their faith in Jesus, they are then called to obedience. As a child of God, you are called to obey the Father. This is just like you are called to obey your parents. So children of God are called to obey God the Father just as Jesus did while on earth.
31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,
Christians (Children of God) are to abide in the Word.
Christians (Children of God) are to abide in the Word.
That means that for those of us who are Christians we are called to live in the Word of God. One of the primary issues within the church today is that Christians are neglecting to live in the Word of God. We must seek to read the Word. Many of you may be thinking but I just don’t like to read. It doesn’t matter whether you like to read or not. The call remains the same abide in the Word. Read the Word of God.
Others may think, it just does not make sense or it does not apply to today.
12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
God’s Word is alive and speaks to your life today. Therefore, we must read the Word in order that we as children of God are seeking to understand and be fully obedient to God our Father.
Now, I want to turn tonight to those who do not have a relationship with Jesus Christ. As I said earlier, we are all born with a sin nature and we all fall to sin. In doing so, we dishonor God and stand before Him condemned because of our sins. But God loves us so much so that He gave up His One and Only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for our sins so that God can gain us as sons and daughters if we accept Him.
8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Jesus died for you. He knew the sins that you would commit and He shed His blood for them on the cross. Now, every sinner is faced with a decision when hearing the Gospel. Will you repent and believe that Jesus is the Son of God Who died on the cross for the sins of the world and was raised to life on the third day. Or will you reject the Gospel.
9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Let’s pray.