Pillars (14)
Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 2 viewsNotes
Transcript
Growing Families
Growing Families
We have a few more weeks in this series. This morning we are going to be talking about growing families. Now when you talk about families there are two types of families in the church. There are blood families and there are spiritual families.
Some of you share the same jeans, but if we are saved, than all of us share the same Spirit. I believe Spirit trumps blood any time because ultimately we are all in the family of God and one day our blood line will be erased when Jesus comes to call up His people. I am of the belief that when we receive Jesus our blood line no longer matters and that we become part of a bigger picture and bigger family.
Romans chapter 11 tells us that we are grafted into the vine in which the root of the vine is Jesus Christ and we are the off shoots of that vine and we bear fruit according to the root of that vine. Paul states that it doesn’t matter what the background of the person or what label the world has placed onto that person that when we come to Christ we are bearers of His image and members of His family. In that sense We are to grow and mature in the family of Christ and we are to help others grow and mature in that family as well.
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,
One translation states that you are in God’s family. The term members of the household is one word in greek and is translated to say family.
14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,
15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,
We are named after the Father. How many of you know this morning you bear the name of God. When my wife married me she took on my last name. She became part of the Heuer family. But when we receive Christ as Lord and Savior we are given God’s name. We not only bear his image, but have his name.
Think about, for a moment, the importance of this statement because one of the pillars of this church is to be a hospital for the hurting. When I first began to pray about this statement and what it means to the church I realize now I was thinking and believing too small. When I first launched this statement, that I believe is from God, and part of our mission, I was thinking about the wounds of the outside world.
Everyone knows we are in a war (a Spiritual war) and in that war there are multiple wars going on. People warring against themselves. _Self harm. People waring against each other. Groups of people waring against groups of people and so on. When I was thinking about healing people I was thinking about healing those who come from the world into the church. Since then God has widened my view because the longer I am a Pastor in charge of a hospital We have received injuries from what is known as
Friendly Fire.
This term is a military terms for when someone gets hurt by weapon from their own side. For some reason Christ’s family will hurt each other. And Friendly Fire hurts the most. When someone who you thought was on your side shoots you or stabs you in the back.
I’m not going to get to far into this but we need to understand something. Growing Families, Growing the Kingdom, and helping each other grow is a messy and painful process. I have done an amazing Job protecting my kids from the crazy of the outside world. I have done a horrible job protecting my kids from the crazy that comes from within the family. Why? because to love people unconditionally with Christ’s love will hurt. This aspect of growing together is the most painful, but necessary pillar in of this church.
We are imperfect people in an imperfect world Serving a perfect God.
So how do we grow families.
Love as Christ Loved
8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
But Pastor those who are in the church aren’t sinners any more. They become Children of God. So that statement doesn’t work and you are right partially.
Well pastor you say all the time that you don’t like the Christians saying that they are sinners saved by grace. You state that we should no longer identify ourselves as sinners, but as children of God. That is true as well.
But here’s another truth. Just because you are adopted into the family of God doesn’t mean you understand all the rules. And it doesn’t matter how long you been in the family because some sin is rooted so deep that it will take years to remove.
I have a friend who is a foster parent. And has adopted a child while having two older children of his own. The adopted took on his last name and is officially part of the His family. And everyday I hear of the struggles that they have with this child that he didn’t have with his natural born children. My bother in law who is 19 and was adopted at birth to this day still has struggles that are foreign to my wife’s family. Why? Because healing not only takes time, but healing is a choice that has to be chosen and walked in. And I don’t care how long someone in the Christian family has been grafted in or adopted in there are still wounds that are left open from before their adoption.
There is still sin and affects of sin in each and every one of us. And that sin will cause us to hurt people. But Christ calls us to love them while they are still hurt. Christ calls us to love them unconditionally. They may need to be loved from afar. Because we aren’t punching bags. but we are still called to love them and pray for them. And when we can do that the hurt they caused us begins to heal as well.
2. Forgive as Christ Forgave
How many of you know that you have the power to forgive sins as Christ forgives sins.
I want you to notice something here:
23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”
Now before this verse are several passages that explain this verse. Jesus came to His disciples, after Jesus was resurrected from the dead, but before his ascension and breathed on them giving them the Holy Spirit. In essence. Giving them His Spirit.
6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”
7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
This is an explanation of what is happening in John 20:23. God gave you, upon salvation, his spirit
22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
This is where we see the receiving of the Spirit. One you receive the Spirit of God scripture tells us that we can forgive sins. By holding a grudge we stifle the growth of the family and we reap the same consequence because the warning is this:
37 “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven;
What does the bible say:
The key to receiving healing from Christ is giving healing to others who have harmed us.
Now you think I planned this out but I couldn’t have timed this more perfectly than Christ has because in this I have some news about our family. Ruth and Her husband Bob as some of you know left our church. They state that God is moving them, but the list they gave us for reasons didn’t include God in at all. Much of that list was driven by hurt, anger, and pride and I wasn’t sure how to address this with you all, but as I was writing my sermon it seemed fitting to sandwich it here. Between forgiving/healing and praying for the family. Ruth and Bob made choices that will have a lasting effect on our family. Both as a church and in many of our homes personally. I can tell you youth min is still going on. Children’s church is still going to happen and it will open doors for many of who to step up into. My wife will be putting together class schedules and stuff so side note if you are interest in helping with Children’s min please see my wife.
But with limited answers- because I know we all have questions. I still have unanswered questions and unaddressed hurt how do we move on?
Well one begin the path of forgiveness. Processing your feelings and letting go of what cannot be answered. but
3) We pray for Family.
Ruth and Bob although, not part of this church family is still part of the family of Christ. And like many of us we hurt and have our wounds that need to be healed. In order to grow families we must pray for our family.
18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,
To address the first sentence. We need to pray in the Spirit for people. This scripture stands in the middle of the armour of God and speaks about the only offensive weapon we have. The sword of the Spirit. Now this isn’t only talking about speaking in tongues and our heavenly prayer language as we will discuss that a different time but it’s talking about
26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.
it’s putting aside our fleshly desires and allowing Christ to speak through us. Sometimes it’s praying scripture over people. Sometimes, it’s praying blessings when we feel like praying curses. Sometimes it’s listening to our inner Spirit and speaking what we hear. Sometimes it’s praying in our unknown heavenly language and giving the wheel of our mouth completely over to Jesus.
But it’s always praying God’s will and words for those in the family of Christ in order to grow and develop the family of God.
As the family of God we are called to a higher standard of living because Christ first gave us all the benefits he asks us to bestow on other people. Before you even knew who he was he has forgiven you-some of you even before you forgave yourself. He has called you. and equally important he has equipped you. I know as earthly and faulty people we don’t always measure up to the high standard of scripture. I fall short of the glory of God on many occasions. I have failed. But Christ has forgiven.
First if you need to recieve that forgiveness I invite you to raise your hand and we will pray, but then if you need to forgive someone or begin the journey of healing so that you can forgive I want to pray with you as well.