The Family of God (Matthew 12:46-50)
Gary McManus, 05/14/2017Part of the Life With Jesus is Better series, preached at a Sunday Morning service
May 14, 2017
Matthew 12:46-50
Mother’s Day and most everything has changed since 1908!
Check the statistics yourselves.
So, what to preach about on Mother’s Day?
1 Thessalonians 4:10
And in fact, you do love all of God’s family throughout
Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters,
to do so more and more,
To Jesus, with regard to family and family members
. . . genetics don’t mean much.
. . .home life does not mean much.
What matters to be in Jesus’ family
is doing the will of the HEAVENLY FATHER.
Being in the family of God isn’t about
Lots of things churches often think matters.
Mothers ARE important. Jesus Had a mother!
Support ALL moms.
Support believer Moms.
Still, to Jesus,
the important thing is the Family of God.
“The family of God” (1 Peter 2:9)
Brotherhood—familyhood--Family of God
Duty of the believer:
--to respect ALL people
--to LOVE the believers
Jesus’ other statements with regard to
a follower’s family and Jesus.
—leave the dead to bury their own dead (Matthew 8:22)
--Jesus would be like a sword cleaving and dividing
(Matthw 10:34-37)
\Following Jesus MIGHT entail the literal leaving
behind of family.
This is the correct understanding because Peter himself
Said it:. . .”Lord, WE DID LEAVE EVERYTHING
BEHIND to follow you. . .”
To Jesus commitment to him matters above all else.
Seek FIRST the Kingdom of God. (Matthew 6:33)
Not all family members will be happy about that.
Perhaps the church would be the Pastor’s family.
If you lose your family, the Family of God gains you.
“. . .all these things will be given to you as well.
Jesus warned that weeds will grow among the wheat
of the church and that love will be a tough road EVEN
among believers (Matthew 13:25ff., Matthew 18:15,
Matthew 18:21).
Examples of the power of the Family of God.
Jesus was always in Victor’s peripheral vision.
Possible through the Family of God:
--church services
--speakers at those churches
--a married couple in a church took Victor Marx under their wing
--in the Marines, a member of the Family of God, befriended him
With God, All Things Are Possible
by Victor Marx
“God is ready and eager to heal you and restore you.
He can tenderly pick up the BROKEN pieces of
your life, bit by bit, and reshape them into beauty
and strength. This is God’s desire for you my friend!
. . .Don’t be discouraged if your restoration looks
hopeless. It took me a while to come to this place
of healing. But I can say without a doubt,
Jesus wants to do the same for you!”
Those not fit for the Family of God can, through Jesus,
become a part of the Family of God.
Because Jesus makes us do good things
Because with God, all things ARE possible.
A blessed Mother’s Day to you in the Family of God. Amen
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