Faith means living for the promised people

SLOW

I’m going to say series of words, and I want you to put your hand up as soon as you think you know the connection.

(Take not of first hand but maybe keep going)

Mum

boss

rival

citizens

church

brothers

sisters

friends

colleagues

associates

customers

enemies

Relationships. We are coming out of global pandemic. One of the biggest things people have enjoyed is the freedom to gather with family and friends, colleages. It’s part of being human - we are made for relationships.

What is our relationship with the church?

All kinds of ways might answer. Depends whether we see church as a service, or set of sermons, or singing, or whether we see it as it’s suppost to be seen - set of people.

In our series running byFaith

See that Faith is about trusting Jesus

knowing him as friend

listening to his voice

looking forward to promised land. Eternity

today we see.

Faith means living as the promised people

(wiggle 10 fingers)

Going to go back to story of Abraham. God made promise to Abraham. Big promise!

To make him a great nation.

To bless him, and bless every family through him

to make his name great.

At heart of this God was promising that through Abraham he would make a special people for himself.

Tha’ts what we read in Genesis 17.

Chosen people. People who would be his representatives in the world. He would be their God and they would be his people. Big promise.

He is problem. Abraham and Sarah - they were OLD! Abraham was 99. Sarah 90.

But Abraham trusted God. Through the doubts he clung to the promise. Because His God is trust worthy.

Through faith Abraham fathered God’s family

Hebrews 11:11–12 NIV

And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise. And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.

And God kept his promise, Abraham became a Father of Faith, as Issaac was born to Sarah. Against all odds. And through Issaac God fulfilled his promise that through Abraham’s faith, God would give him descendents, as numerous as stars in sky - (have you tired counting)

and countless as sand on the sea shore (have you ever counted grains of sand.

Who were these decsendents? Who are these people that God promised? This family. And how do we enter it?How can we be part of the promised people?

Through faith we enter God’s family

As we read through OT, we find that God’s people didnt trust God as Abraham did. They turned their back on him again and again, and because of the sin, by end of OT are left scattered, broken, and God is silent, except for a glimmer of hope. The promise remains. God’s promises to send someone to rescue and restore. A descendent of Abraham, who would call lost people back to God, and make a way for us to be part of the the promised people.

Jesus. God’s Son, and chosen King. Who died in our place for our sin to offer new life, as children of God. As we saw a few weeks ago, as we trust him in our heart, trust him as Lord and Saviour, follow him whatever the cost, he makes us right with God. We become part of the promised people. Not just a people - but a family.

This is what Jesus said about those who follow him.

Mark 10:29–30 NIV

“Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life.

Through faith we live as God’s family

I wonder if you have ever thought about this.

Whoever trusts Jesus and Lord and Saviour is part of the promoised people. God’s family/

Visible church. In this room. The people around you trusting in Jesus. We are family. Let that sink in. Has massive implications for how we relate to each other. These people, not perfect, but they are your family. Tied by blood - the blood of Jesus. United in him.

Turn to someone near you - say you are my brother, you are my sister.

It means that Christians in other local churches are our brothers and sisters. it means that Christians in other parts of the world are our brothers and sister. It means that Christians in Afghanistan, whose lifes are in danger, are our brothers and sisters, mothers and Father in Jesus.

Surely that changes how we feel about each other.

Faith means we are to live for the promised people.

John 13:34 NIV

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.

Faith means that we are to love one another as brothers and sister in Christ.

We are to love those who are older - learn from them, honour them, care for them, as if our own biological parents.

We are to love those who are our peers, not just those who are like us but those who are different.

We are to love those we know really well, and get to know those we might not know so well.

We are to love those who are younger, not dimissing, but encouraging them and teaching them the glorious truths of the gospel, and of Lord Jesus.

We are to rejoicing with those who are rejoicing and mourn with those who are mourning.

Because all of this is what it means to be a family.

We are to commit to one another both locally and across the world. Praying for one another.

Sunday morning is not just a service, but a family gathering.

Lifegroups are not meetings, but part of doing life together.

As much as we able we are to spend time together. And for those who are not able, we are to make every effort to love them in their circumstances.

We are to pray for those who are persecuted, and find ways of loving them.

Do you see other believers as your family in Christ. As you trust him, will you live for the promised people, as those who you will spend eternity with. What might it look like for you to love your brothers and sisters this week?