Chapter 42
THE FAMILY OF GOD
(Matthew 12:46-50)
Before we begin our study let us pray,
Dear Heavenly Father, Almighty God,
We come before You in the name of Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Holy Father we ask You to please reveal to us the tremendous blessings You have bestowed upon those who are truly born-again believers in Jesus Christ. Help us Lord to better comprehend the fact that as true born-again believers in Jesus Christ we now belong to Your family and have been given citizenship in Heaven.
Amen
INTRODUCTION
We begin this study by reading the following Scriptures,
Matthew 12 46-50
"[46] While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. [47] Someone told him, "Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you." [48] He replied to him, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?" [49] Pointing to his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers. [50] For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.""
The key to being a member of the family of God is provided to us in:
Matthew 12:50
"[50] For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.""
As one reflects upon the above Scripture, one might ask: "What is the will of God the Father for me?" Jesus gave the answer to this question during the time when He explained to the people then and now us that He came to do the will of God the Father. To find out what He said, let us read from,
John 6:38-40
"[38] For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. [39] And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. [40] For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.""
To further appreciate and grasp the significance of what we have just covered we will,
1. Briefly review the spiritual situation and condition of those who are not yet born-again believers in Jesus Christ.
2. Review what the spiritual blessings are, and the spiritual position is, for those who are true born-again believers in Jesus Christ.
With this introduction in mind let us begin with a brief review of,
THE SPIRITUAL SITUATION FOR THOSE WHO ARE NOT YET BORN-AGAIN BELIEVERS IN JESUS CHRIST
The New Testament of the Bible teaches us that prior to being born-again, whether we are Gentile or Jew,
WE WERE SPIRITUALLY DEAD AND UNDER GOD'S WRATH
To see this let us consider the following,
Ephesians 2:1-3
"[1] As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, [2] in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. [3] All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath."
Let us notice the following verses,
1 … Prior to our new birth we were dead in our transgressions and sins.
2… Prior to our new birth each one of us followed the ways of this world and the ruler of the kingdom of the air, who is Satan.
3 … Consequently, all of us (Jew and Gentile alike) were objects of God’s wrath.
As if the above state or position was not bad enough, those of us who are Gentiles were even in worse shape because,
AS GENTILES WE WERE ALSO WITHOUT HOPE
To see this let us read from,
Ephesians 2:11-12
"[11] Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called "uncircumcised" by those who call themselves "the circumcision" (that done in the body by the hands of men)-- [12] remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world."
Let us notice in particular the following verse,
12 … We must remember that Israel was God’s chosen nation. It was to them that the promise and hope of the Messiah was given.
It is further noted that according to the Bible the eternal future for either Jew or Gentile who are not yet born-again believers in Jesus Christ is,
THE LAKE OF FIRE
The Bible clearly reveals this to us when we read about the last great judgement that is described in,
Revelation 20: 11-15
"[11] Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. [12] And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. [13] The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. [14] Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. [15] If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire."
Let us notice the following verse,
15 … Let us recall that as an unbeliever we were dead in our trespasses and sins. Thus, our name was not yet written in the “Book of Life.” Consequently, our future was to spend eternity in the Lake of Fire.
However, as we read the New Testament, we discover that for the true born-again believer in Jesus Christ, and especially for those who are not Jewish, their spiritual position and situation has dramatically changed. To better appreciate this let us now explore,
THE SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS AND SPIRITUAL POSITION OF THE BORN-AGAIN BELIEVER
The New Testament teaches us that when a person becomes a born-again believer in Jesus Christ a miraculous and dramatic change occurs in their life.
First of all, the Bible teaches us that the born-again believer is no longer spiritually dead. Their previous spiritual condition has changed for they have been
MADE ALIVE IN CHRIST
This truth is described for us in,
Ephesians 2:4-10
"[4] But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, [5] made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved. [6] And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, [7] in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. [8] For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- [9] not by works, so that no one can boast. [10] For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
For this study, let us notice the following verses,
5 … We are no longer dead but are alive with Christ. In other words, our names are now written in the “Book of Life.”
6 …We are now seated with Jesus Christ in the heavenly realms. Notice, this is not future but present tense. As we will see later in this chapter this means we are now citizens of Heaven!
8-9 … It is by His Grace, which means God's unmerited favor towards us, we are saved from His wrath. Specifically, through faith in Jesus Christ and what He accomplished for us on the cross we are saved from receiving the death penalty that was due us for our sins. Hence, we are no longer spiritually dead in our transgressions and sins but are now alive in Christ Jesus. It was nothing we earned; it is God's free gift to you and I.
The Bible also teaches us that the true-born again believer is now a,
NEW CREATURE - THAT IS A NEW PERSON
To see this let us read from,
Ephesians 2:13-18
"[13] But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. [14] For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, [15] by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, [16] and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. [17] He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. [18] For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit."
Let us notice the following verses,
13 … Through the Blood of Jesus Christ, we have been brought near. In other words, because of the blood Jesus shed on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins, He has opened the way for you and I to enter into His Kingdom.
14-17 … In addition to purchasing for us eternal life, His purpose was also to create in Himself a new man out of the two, which is the born-again believer. Therefore, there should no longer exist any hostility between the born-again Jew and the born-again Gentile. In Jesus Christ, all born-again believers are a new person.
Thus, “Anyone (Jew or Gentile) who is in Christ Jesus is a new creature; the old has gone, the new has come.” This is recorded in,
2 Corinthians 5:17
[17] Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
To expand upon this a bit we go to,
Galatians 3:26-28
"[26] You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, [27] for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. [28] There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."
As one reflects upon this one might ask: "How does one become a new creature?" More specifically, when we acknowledge our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and ask Him to save us: "What change does He bring about to make us spiritually alive and a new creature?"
To find out let us read what Jesus once said to the Jews and now us during the great Jewish Feast of Tabernacles. His discourse is recorded in,
John 7:37-39
"[37] On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. [38] Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." [39] By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive…"
Let us notice the following verses,
37(a) … This is not the thirst for physical water but is the thirst for righteousness, holiness and for a close relationship with God. If you thirst for these things, that is repented or sincerely want to live a life away from your sins, then,
37(b) … Go to Jesus and drink! Cry out to Him for this spiritual water.
38 … If we believe and have faith in Him and go to Him to quench our thirst for righteousness and holiness, Jesus will provide you streams of living water to flow from within you.
39 … This living water is not physical water but is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, this is the new birth! This is how Jesus changes us to become spiritually alive and a new creature.
Now that we found that we, as born-again believers in Jesus Christ, have God the Holy Spirit living within us, the Bible also teaches us that,
WE ARE A TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
To see this, let us read a warning that was written to those who would destroy or, as some translations read, defile a born-again believer in Jesus Christ. This warning is given in,
1 Corinthians 3:16-17
"[16] Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? [17] If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple."
Let us notice the following verses,
16 … You, the born-again believer, are God’s temple and God the Holy Spirit lives in you!
17 … God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple!
Let us pause for a moment and consider what we just read. Specifically, prior to our new birth we were spiritually dead and destined for the Lake of Fire. But now, through faith in Jesus Christ, we have been made spiritually alive, been made into a new creature or person and have become a sacred temple for God the Holy Spirit. Can we ever thank God enough for such a blessing and privilege?
But there is more, for the Bible also teaches us that since the Holy Spirit, that is the divine nature, dwells within us, then,
WE ARE CHILDREN OF GOD
To strengthen our faith and belief that you and I as a born-again believer are children of God, let us first read what the Holy Spirit wrote, through the Apostle John, in,
1 John 3:1
"[1] How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! ..."
In addition to what is written in the Bible, we also find that the Holy Spirit Himself bears witness to our spirit that we, that is you and I, the born-again believer, are God's children. This truth is recorded for us in,
Romans 8:16
"[16] The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children."
As a child of God, the Bible teaches us that,
WE ARE SEALED AS GOD'S CHOSEN
In other words, we have become God's possession. This glorious blessing is clearly taught to us by reading from,
2 Corinthians 1:21-22
"[21] Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, [22] set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come."
We also find this promise given to us in,
Ephesians 1:13-14
"[13] And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, [14] who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession--to the praise of his glory."
Let us notice the following verses,
13 … When we believed, that is when we became born-again; God placed His mark of ownership within us. This mark of ownership is the promised Holy Spirit.
14 … He, the Holy Spirit, came not only to make us into a new person and seal us as God's possession but He also came as a deposit to guarantee our inheritance.
In other words, the Bible teaches us that in addition to all the previous spiritual blessings God has bestowed upon the born-again believer in Jesus Christ, He also gave them
AN INHERITANCE IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD
To see this let us read from,
1 Peter 1:3-5
"[3] Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, [4] and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you, [5] who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time."
Let us notice the following verses,
3 … Because of God’s great mercy, He has given us a new birth through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
4 … In other words, we have been born into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade away. This inheritance is in Heaven and is being kept by God for you!
5 … It is through our faith in God that He shields and protects us from the evil one's attempts to seduce us away from Him. He does this until the appointed time arrives for you and me to receive our inheritance.
As we continue our reading of the New Testament, we discover that not only do we have an inheritance in Heaven but,
GOD HAS ALSO MADE US CITIZENS OF HEAVEN
As we reflect upon all the incredible blessings that God has bestowed upon us and our new position (relationship) with Him, we come to realize that our position or standing here upon earth has also changed. In fact, as a child of God, with an inheritance in Heaven, we find we no longer belong to the kingdoms and governments of this world. True, we are physically here upon the earth, and when it does not conflict with God’s will, we are to be in subjection to its rulers and authorities. But, our true citizenship is now in Heaven. We find ourselves in a similar position that Jesus was in. He too was physically here upon earth and under subjection to its rulers and authorities and yet clearly His citizenship was in Heaven. In fact, this is exactly what Jesus said to Pontus Pilate.
John 18:36
"[18] Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place.""
For us to more clearly understand that the kingdom we now belong to is not of this world, let us read from,
Colossians 1:13-14
"[13] For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, [14] in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."
To amplify what we just read, let us read the above scriptures again. However, this time let read them as they are translated in the “New King James” version of the Bible:
“He has delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our sins.”
Thus, as a child of God that has been translated into the Kingdom of God, we find that
WE ARE PILGRIMS, STRANGERS AND ALIENS IN, BUT NOT OF, THIS WORLD
To see this, let us notice how the Holy Spirit, through Peter, addresses God's children in,
1 Peter 1:1-2
"[1] Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God's elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, [2] who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance."
To bring this truth closer to home insert the name of the city in which you now reside in place of Bithynia.
So that there is no mistake about the fact that we are now foreigners to this world’s system, let us read the following exhortation to abstain from sinful desires,
1 Peter 2:11-12
"[11] Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. [12] Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us."
Let us notice the following verses,
11 … Again, the Holy Spirit addresses the born again-believers as aliens and strangers in the world. This does not mean we are to abandon our families and/or friends. To see this, let us consider the following verse,
12 … We are instructed to live good and loving lives among those who are still non-believers. Even though we may be persecuted for doing good, we do it out of love and concern for them and so that, God, our Father, would receive honor, praise and glory.
Now that we are strangers and aliens to this world, we find that,
WE ARE NO LONGER STRANGERS OR ALIENS IN GOD'S HOUSEHOLD
To see this let us read from,
Ephesians 2:19-22
"[19] Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, [20] built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. [21] In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. [22] And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit."
For this study let us notice the following verse,
19 … As a child of God, we are also members of God’s household. In other words, we belong to the family of God and people such as Moses, Abraham, Sarah, Esther, Isaiah, Elijah, Ruth, John the Baptist, Martha, the Apostles, Paul, etc. are now our relatives, that is they are our brothers and sisters.
This is why Jesus said: "Whoever does the will of my Father in Heaven is my brother and sister and mother." (Matthew 12:50)
AMEN
Before we close this study let us read the following words of praise from,
Romans 16:25-27
"[25] Now to him who is able to establish you by my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, [26] but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all nations might believe and obey him-- [27] to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen."
Blessed be the Lord forever,
Amen and Amen