Part 2 / FAMILY MATTERS: GODS TABLE. (Family Matters).

Matt McCloghry

Colonial Church Messages

Family Matters! • Sermon • Submitted 3 years ago

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Ephesians 2:13-19 “13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. 17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,”

MSG title “Its time to EAT”.

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PRAY

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19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,”

FAMILY MATTERS!

Family Matters / What matters? Family does. Family is incredibly important to God.

God has always wanted to DWELL together with his people...

From the time of Genesis.... Where God was with his kids walking.

Genesis 3 it talks about God being Present and walking in the Garden in the cool of the day (&they hid themselves).

So God always intended to be with hiis people… but we see this flow through scripture

The tent of meeting.....

to the Tabernacle which essentially means dwelling. was where God dwelt and the tribes surrounded the tent

To the temple, To the House of God in now we understand to be the church.

Family matters to God. and He has a place for you in His house. You belong. You are known. You are supposed to be in his house. its a place for unified. its a strong place. its a place to belong.

Psalm 84

Psalm 84 ESV

To the choirmaster: according to The Gittith. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. 1 How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts! 2 My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God. 3 Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God. 4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise! Selah 5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion. 6 As they go through the Valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools. 7 They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion. 8 O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah 9 Behold our shield, O God; look on the face of your anointed! 10 For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. 11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. 12 O Lord of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you!

THE HOUSE… THE HOME… INSIDE THE HOME - Taking a peek in here

**in our house there is important features or things that make up the comfort of the house, but even more than that you have things that make up function and comfort.

Function would be: BedRooms, Bathrooms, Kitchens, Doors....

Comfort would be.... Couches.... Bed’s.... Chairs..... etc..... Porch swing!

......

But taking that a bit further - what about items of things in the home that serve a greater purpose?

**story we have a dining table that i love its farmhouse style. its a bit rugged and its sturdy. It can take the beatings that a family gives it!! but its so much more than just a structure, its a place where amazing things happen....

Whats significant about a table in a family and how does it relate to Church and Family Matters - Here we go.

1.The Table is where the FAMILY joins together:

Ephesians 2:19-21

Ephesians 2:19–21 ESV

19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.

Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.”

THE TABLE… THE SPIRITUAL BODY OF BELIEVERS… THE GATHERING OF THE CHURCH: its a meeting place. this is a union moment. its a level playing field.

its a CENTRAL point of MEETING in the home. Its where the family sits down together and has a meal.

(this is what we are doing here at church)

FAMILY MATERS: The Table is where the FAMILY PRAYS TOGETHER

Do you give thanks at every meal? can i encourage you. this is a place where some of the most profound prayers are prayed in our home. OUr youngest charlie loves to pray. and im telling you - we LEAN into that prayer moment because his little heat and mind and

**Lets be cautious of the culture of phones and tech and screens and things. The table is a place, even just family where its important to connect over a meal, in a relationship

BUT COME TO THE TABLE HERE TOO! - THIS IS YOUR SPIRITUAL TABLE!

Midweek events at church arent really a thing we do so we can say that we do miweek events - they are because we want to invite more and more people to the table. to be apart of what is happening.

To Be at the table more often.

There is actually so much you can be apart of at Colonial Church.

Woven / Wildman / Grill & Chill / Sisterhood Dinner parties / Dinner parties / Exchange Young Adults / Youth House / Life Courses / Essentials next weekend.....

Ephesians 2:19-21 “19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.”

The structure of the Body of Christ, is the Church and WHEN THE CHURCH GATHERS.

Lets not forsake or forget how important it is to GATHER

to JOIN TOGETHER.

TO BE IN COMMUNITY!

DNA:We have a saying here at our church and its this “it wouldnt be the same without you”..... Or “its different when youre not here”

2.Table is where THE FAMILY eats together (& is nourished).

What we do when we sit down is we don’t just sit there - WE EAT. We are nourished. We are enriched. Our physical bodies are BETTER off because we go to the table.

its where the nourishment happens

ITS AT GODS TABLE WHERE WE FEED ON THE WORD..... & IT NOURISHES US!

I wanna show you a few verse about the word:

Hebrews 4:12 “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.”

james 1:21 “21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.”

Isaiah 55:11 “11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”

Matthew 4:4 “4 But he answered, “It is written, “ ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ””

The word is living and active - its fresh

The word is what we can receive.

The word it comes from the Mouth of God.

Its Gods very word. and WE ARE CALLED TO LIVE ON IT.

WE ARE CALLED TO BE NOURISHED BY IT!

Jeremiah 15:16 “16 Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O Lord, God of hosts.”

Its at the table that we get it -

We get the active alive word.

and its transforms us.

Truth to WRITE DOWN: The Bible FEEDS ME and TRANSFORMS ME.

Its at the TABLE..... WITH THE FAMILY.... WHEN WE COME TO THE TABLE - ITS WHHERE WE GET FED THIS WORD.

TRUTH: if we aren’t at the table. We don’t get FED.

Im giving you a simple natural picture here but this is what happens in the spiritual family of GOD. We get to EAT. What do we eat? We eat the word of God

(If i DON’T Eat, i go hungry and i get weak.... and get desperate ...... Now think about it spiritually.... If i don’t read the bible,if im not in the WORD.... i go hungry and i weaken and my soul suffers as a result.)

**some of you are so struggling in life and relationships and feel like youre backwards and weak and all messed up - But its simply because your spiritually malnourished. You’re spiritually STARVING YOURSELF.

its at the table we get nourished: The Word… is the nutrition for our SOULS.

OUR SOUL GETS FED WHEN WE READ OUR BIBLES. WHEN WE DONT READ OUR BIBLES OUR SOULS STARVE OUT.

(I LIKE TO EAT: MY SOUL LIKES IT AS WELL).

........this is what we are doing here at church: the Word of God. is our spiritual food. and when we sit down here at church we are all partaking in the consumption of the word of God, which is our spiritual food. WE ARE ALL EATING TOGETHER. We are BEING FED. This is why its so important to be in Church to GET the Preaching and teaching of the WORD. but also to be in the word every day as well.

.....This is where we see transformation all around us, because of the WORD.

BUT WE GOTTA GET THE WORD:

**i was told that i needed to read every day. like every day? yes, every day. My dinner party leader as a new believer told me, i have to pray and i have to be feasting on, eating, feeding on.. the bible every SINGLE DAY. He said IT was important because it GETS IN YOU. and it TRANSFORMS YOUR LIFE>

*AROUND 11% of CHRISTIANS in America read EVERY DAY (research). This is concerning: Because what are our souls feeding on then? .... well the counterfeit which is the world.

But what if i told you that you could very easily read your bible in one year>? What if i told you that YOU COULD READ YOUR BIBLE multiple times in one year reading a little bit each day?

Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life Reading God’s Word

reading three chapters every day and five on Sundays will take you through the Bible in a year’s time. Read three in the Old Testament and three in the New Testament every day, and you will finish the Old Testament once and the New Testament four times in a twelve-month span.

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT .... ITS BECAUSE IT CHANGES YOUR LIFE.

CHECK OUT THIS STUDY: CBE “THE POWER OF 4”.

The “Center for biblical engagement” did a study of 40,000 Americans ages 8-80. So a wide study.

they discovered something:

What bible reading over the course of a week-long/7day period week in and week out did.

READING ONE DAY a week - No impact.

2x a week - no impact

3 x a week no impact.... except a small blip on the radar of CHANGE≥

but 4x a week: It GOES EXPONENTIAL:

here is what happened - It became part of the MAJORITY of SOMEONES LIFE: CHANGE COMES.

here is what the found:

People who read their bible 4 days + per week

experienced these shifts:

......feeling lonely drops -30%

.........Anger drops -40%

.......Bitterness in relationships drops -40%

.....IN TERMS OF ADDICTIONS, HAS A SIGNFICIANT IMPACT: 4 days per week & the study found:

Alcolholsim drops 57%

Viewing pornography…… LISTEN TO THIS: DROPS 61%… (

68% less likely to have sex outside of marriage)..

THE WORD CHANGES YOUR LIFE.

....Psalm 119:11

Psalm 119:11 ESV

11 I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

Feeling spiritually stagnant drops 60%!!!!!!

So that’s some internal things:

Check out some of the EXTERNALs:

Sharing your faith SKYROCKETED UP 220%,

DISCIPLING OTHERS, 200%

Memorization of Scripture over 400%

** i want you to think about something very important here: Whats the tipping point or what is the weighting shift that happens beyond 3 days? When you go from 3 days to 4 days you go from being a minority part of the week to a majority of the week: ISNT THAT INTERESTING!

(storehouse plug).

SO DO YOU HAVE A READING PLAN? CAN WE HELP YOU!

(app plug).

So 1. the table is where we come together, The Table is where we eat..... and Finallty:

3.Table is where we are ALWAYS in the presence of JESUS.

Ephesians 2:19-21

Ephesians 2:19–21 ESV

Paul using the language f structure says that we are joined with Christ Jesus, himself being the cornerstone!

our identity comes when we sit at the table.

your table is your home and its at your table you find out who you are.

At the table of God its where you are in the presence of Jesus.

John 6:47–51 (ESV)

47 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

WHATS ACTUALLY ON THE TABLE - WHAT ARE WE PARTAKING IN? ITS CHRIST.

Notes:

in the Old Testament there is actually a table which God wanted to be a feature of Israel: Its the called the table of Shewbread or bread of the presence.... and it was clearly designed for a purpose..... and it would continually have 12 loaves representing the 12 tribes or the true israel and the bread would be renewed each sabbath....This bread consisted of twelve loaves made of the finest flour. They were flat and thin, and were placed in two rows of six each on a table in the holy place before the Lord. They were renewed every Sabbath (Lev. 24:5–9), and those that were removed to give place to the new ones were to be eaten by the priests only in the holy place (see 1 Sam. 21:3–6; comp. Matt. 12:3, 4).

The number of the loaves represented the twelve tribes of Israel, and also the entire spiritual Israel, “the true Israel;” and the placing of them on the table symbolized the entire consecration of Israel to the Lord, and their acceptance of God as their God.

Leviticus 24:5-9

Leviticus 24:5–9 The Message

5 “Take fine flour and bake twelve loaves of bread, using about four quarts of flour to a loaf. 6 Arrange them in two rows of six each on the Table of pure gold before God. 7 Along each row spread pure incense, marking the bread as a memorial; it is a gift to God. 8 Regularly, every Sabbath, this bread is to be set before God, a perpetual covenantal response from Israel. 9 The bread then goes to Aaron and his sons, who are to eat it in a Holy Place. It is their most holy share from the gifts to God. This is a perpetual decree.”

Here is why all this is interestiing.... because now.

The word is on the table each and every week, and our souls are nourished by FRESH bread every single week in the House of the LORD and when we come in here and listen to a message we aren’t just HEARING something but our SOULS are consuming GODS WORD AND ITS CHANGING US & TRANSFORMING US INTO NEW LIFE.

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