If you have a copy of the Scriptures, if you
would open to the Gospel of Matthew to the 12th
chapter, we'll come to the final verses in this
chapter that we've been in quite some time now.
We'll look at 5 verses, verses 46 through 50.
Matthew writes, While he, that is Jesus, was
still talking to the multitudes, behold, his
mother, And brothers stood outside seeking to
speak with him. Then one said to him, Look, your
mother and your brothers are standing outside
seeking to speak with you. But he answered and
said to the one who told him, Who is my mother?
And who are my brothers? And he stretched out
his hand toward his disciples and said, Here
are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does
the will of my Father in heaven is my brother,
And sister and mother. Let's ask God to help
us. Father in heaven. Lord, what a wonderful
truth, Lord God. Lord, we have been united in
Christ. We have become eternal family. Lord,
shape us, Lord, this morning. Lord, as those
have been called out from the world. Called unto
Christ. Given your spirit. Lord, let us bear
that family resemblance. God, help us to walk
worthy of this high calling that we've received
in Christ. Lord, I pray for your enablement this
morning that, Lord God, I would sink very low
so that Christ might be held very high. Lord,
show us your son, we pray in his name. Amen.
Everyone has heard the old adage that blood is
thicker than water. And some people use it, and
when they use it, they mean that family bonds
and loyalty are more important than relationships
with people outside the family. The saying implies
that family takes precedence over all other relationships.
And that's true. I think in Lawrence County,
we hold to that. But it was especially true in
ancient Eastern cultures. In our text today,
though, it's something quite surprising because
the Lord Jesus, he's going to let us know that
there's something that's more important than
bloodlines. Even more important than family,
he says. And that's going to be the kingdom and
will of God. Now, Matthew is writing this gospel,
and the gospel of Matthew is all about the kingdom.
He's writing to show whoever might read this
gospel, particularly the Jewish people, that
the kingdom of God had arrived. But today there's
something that's a little bit surprising, particularly
to a Jewish mindset, and that is the kingdom
is not based on blood. It's not based on ancestry.
And that's an important thing because that would
have been shocking to the people of Israel, particularly
first century Israel. After all, these Jewish
Hebrew people, they are the physical descendants
of Abraham. And because of that, they were the
recipients of those grand promises that God had
given to Abraham. The Jews took pride in their
pedigree. That's why they hated the Samaritans.
There was a barrier there. Lineage was of the
utmost importance in the Jewish mind, which is
why they kept such meticulous records of genealogy.
They did it better than anyone. Because they
felt somehow that their physical descent from
Abraham automatically, and that's the key there,
automatically earn them a place in the kingdom
of God. But then there's Jesus, and he's letting
us know something. The ancestry, although important,
is not ultimate. The relationship that is ultimate
is not based on biology at all. God's people
are not defined by their lineage. but rather
by their obedience. Jesus said, whoever does
the will of my Father. Now in verses 46 through
50, you have to understand Jesus is now inside
a home. He's teaching the multitudes. When someone,
unnamed, we don't know, let him know that, hey,
your mother and your brothers, they're outside
and they're wanting to talk to you. Just letting
you know your family's arrived. But instead of
immediately leaving to go outside, Jesus then
asked a question. He said, well, who are my mother
and brothers? And then he turned to his disciples
and he said, here, right here. Here are my mother
and my brothers. Now we have to understand the
context. Why is Matthew putting this right here?
Because in chapter 12, the story begins with
a conflict between Jesus and the religious leaders,
really over Sabbath regulations. They've been
fighting about it this whole chapter. And the
conflict had escalated to the point where the
Pharisees, really they met together and they
wanted Jesus dead. And then they blasphemed him,
saying that he did his power by demonic forces.
Now it's clear that the religious leaders had
misunderstood him. And not only had they misunderstood
him, they misunderstood the nature of his mission.
But today there's another group. We're going
to see that even some of his own family misunderstood
him. For the very first time in Matthew's gospel,
apart from Mary and Joseph, we are now introduced
to Jesus' family. So they come to the home. He's
teaching them at home. And they're going to get
him, and they're going to take him home. They
want to rescue him, kind of. And the question
is, why? Well, Matthew doesn't record it, but
in Mark's gospel, in the parallel passage in
Mark, we are told that some of his own family
thought he's crazy. They thought he was, quote,
out of his mind. Mark chapter 3, verses 20 and
21. Then he went home and the crowd gathered
again so that they could not even eat. And when
his family heard it, they went out to seize him
for they were saying he's out of his mind. Now
we know from John's gospel that his brothers
did not believe in him at this point. Throughout
his whole earthly life they did not. In John
7, Now the Jewish feast of tabernacles was at
hand. His brothers therefore said to him, Depart
from here and go into Judea, that your disciples
also may see the works that you're doing. For
no one does anything in secret while he himself
seeks to be known openly. If you do these things,
show yourself to the world. There's some sarcasm
in there. Hey, don't hide. Go down to Judea.
Go down to Jerusalem and show everyone. Why?
Verse 5. For even his brothers did not believe
in him. In fact, we see that the brothers do
not come to faith in Christ until after he is
resurrected from the grave. So we come back to
the text, and we see Jesus inside, but his mother
and brothers are waiting outside. Now, I personally,
a lot of this is going to be conjecture, and
I will tell you which is conjecture and which
is not. They may have been concerned for his
safety, or perhaps even for his health. He's
keeping very long hours. But why would they be
concerned for safety? Well, he's been having
very intense conflicts with the religious leaders.
In fact, the Pharisees had already met in session.
And maybe word is now leaking out that the Pharisees
had met and they had formally decided that Jesus
needed to be put to death. So if you're his family,
you're naturally going to be concerned for him.
They know what's not safe for him to continue
and to attract massive crowds because that's
why the Pharisees are so mad. They're jealous
of him. They're envious. Or, we don't know, perhaps
he was keeping such a busy schedule up early,
going to bed very late. They're worried for his
health. I mean, any of us are going to have a
breakdown if you continue this pattern. But we
don't know the exact reason. But we are told
that his brothers and his mother came to get
him. Now, I don't think that it's possible for
Mary, the mother of our Lord, to have misunderstood
her son or his mission at all. I do not think
that's possible. Keep in mind all that the angel
had told Mary and all that she had personally
witnessed and experienced. Because it doesn't
say who thought he was out of his mind. It just
said some of his own, some of his family. But
I don't think it was Mary at all. For example,
in Luke chapter 1. Listen, I mean, there's no
way she could have felt that he was crazy. Then
the angel said to her, that is to Mary, Do not
be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with
God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb
and bring forth a son and shall call his name
Jesus. He will be great and will be called the
Son of the Highest. And the Lord God will give
him the throne of his father David. There's his
mission. And he will reign over the house of
Jacob forever. And of his kingdom there shall
be no end. Mary, incredulous as we all would
be, then said to the angel, well, how? I mean,
how can this be since I don't know a man? There's
her virginity. And the angel said to her, the
Holy Spirit, the third person of the divine trinity,
will come upon you and the power of the highest
will overshadow you. Therefore also that holy
one who is to be born, he will be called the
son of God. In chapter 2, 19, it tells us that
Mary kept all these things and pondered them
in her heart. She was just storing it up. Mary
remembered the night in which Jesus was born.
You have the shepherds in the field. They came
to see the child. Said they came with haste.
Later on... Perhaps months, even maybe years
later, there's a delegation from the far east.
There's these Persian monarchs known as the Magi,
or what we call the wise men. They come from
the east bearing very expensive gifts to give
them to her son. She was there when the angel
warned Joseph that she and Mary and the baby
needed to head to Egypt because Herod, that monster,
wanted to kill the child. And he killed all the
male boys in Bethlehem from two years old and
under. She remembered when she had to take Jesus
to the temple to dedicate him that there was
an older godly man named Simeon, apparently a
stranger, who picked up the child Jesus and notice
what he said. Lord, this is Simeon's words, now
you are letting your servant depart in peace
according to your word. For my eyes have seen
your salvation, which you have prepared before
the face of all peoples, a light to bring revelation
to the Gentiles. and the glory of your people
Israel. And Joseph and his mother marveled at
those things which were spoken of him. I mean,
if anyone on this planet knew about the uniqueness
of Jesus, it was the blessed mother of Jesus,
Mary herself. Now others probably doubted, no,
not probably, others no doubt doubted her. Yet
she knew in her heart that she had conceived
this child while still a virgin. She knew. beyond
a shadow of a doubt, that that child she gave
birth to was the Son of God. Now, I don't think
she understood every aspect of his mission, particularly
his cross and resurrection. But she certainly
would have known that Jesus was not out of his
mind as some of the family thought he was. So
I think, and this is conjecture at this point,
I think she came to the house because as a mother,
she's worried. The religious leaders, the body
that rules Israel is wanting to kill her son.
So she's wanting to, let's take him, let's protect
him. That's what I think. I don't know. But now
why did the brothers come? Well, we're not told.
In this passage, they are left unnamed. But in
chapter 13, the very next chapter, they are named
in verse 55. Is not this, speaking of Jesus,
the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called
Mary and his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and
Judas? There they are. They're the names of his
brothers. He has sisters as well, we're told
in another passage. Now, give me a few minutes.
Let me explain who these brothers are. There
has been much debate throughout church history
over who the brothers are. So first of all, let's
just understand what the word brother in Greek
is. It's adelphos. You know the city of Philadelphia,
the city of brotherly love. Adelphos means brother.
In its natural use, it means a biological brother,
one who shares the womb. That's the natural meaning.
But that's natural meaning. You have a semantic
meaning. We talk about, oh, it's just semantics.
The semantic usage of this word for Adelphos
is far greater. For example, it can mean a close
relative. It can even mean a fellow countryman.
We're brothers, American brothers, if you will.
But in the Septuagint, which is a Greek translation
of the Hebrew Old Testament, when they were translating
from Hebrew to Greek and they were talking about
Abraham and Lot, they said Lot was the Adelphos
of Abraham and we know Lot was his nephew. But
they translated Adelphos. Why? Because Hebrew
did not have a word for that. So it's used as
a close family member. But nevertheless, the
natural use of that word is biological brother.
So there are three main views, and I'll share
them briefly, and I'll tell you which one I hold.
You can hold to whichever one you want. It doesn't
change any major doctrine. First of all, the
modern view, modern Protestant view, would say
these were biological brothers of Jesus. These
are the natural sons of Mary and Joseph who were
born after him. That is the dominant modern Protestant
view. It's not the early view of the church.
You don't find it in the early view, and it wasn't
even the view of the Reformers. Neither Calvin
nor Luther held that view. Second view is these
were the cousins of Jesus, and this is the dominant
Roman Catholic view today. Roman Catholics hold
a doctrine called the perpetual virginity of
Mary. They believe that Mary stayed a virgin
even after being married to Joseph, lifelong.
So they say that these brothers were the sons
of Mary, the wife of Clopas. Well, who's Clopas?
Joseph's brother. So they would say these sons
of Mary were Jesus' cousins. And they argue,
yes, the New Testament is written in Greek, but
the speakers in the background and the culture
was Aramaic and Hebrew. Since Aramaic and Hebrew
do not have a specific word for cousin, they
call them adelphos, close relatives. Well, it
is true. The semantic use of Adelphos could allow
for the word cousin. But here's why I don't think
that holds up. Because although it was translated
from a Hebrew and Aramaic culture, there is a
Greek word for cousin specific. And the Apostle
Paul, who is a Jew from a Hebrew background,
specifically used that word in Colossians 4 .10
when he's talking about the relationship between
Barnabas and Mark. They are cousins. And he did
not use Adelphos. He used the word cousin. So
I don't hold that. Number three. These were Jesus'
stepbrothers. They were sons of Joseph from a
prior marriage. Early, very early tradition says
that Joseph was an older man when he married
Mary. In fact, they say he was a widower. And
almost everyone agrees, and I don't know that
there's any exception to this, that Joseph died
sometime between Jesus' 12th birthday and when
he made his public debut there when John the
Baptist baptized him. We don't know when, but
anyways, when Jesus comes on the scene, no one
believes Joseph was alive. In fact, the very
last mention in the Bible about Joseph is when
Jesus was 12 years old and he was left behind
at the temple and Joseph and Mary had to return
because they were looking for him. But after
that time, he's never mentioned again. Now you're
saying, well, that doesn't mean he was dead.
I absolutely believe it does because at the crucifixion,
Do you remember when Jesus is dying and he looks
at the Apostle John and he has Mary, his mother
is there, he said, Behold your mother, woman,
behold your son. And he's giving care of his
mother into the hands of the Apostle John. That
never would have happened had her husband Joseph
still been living. And besides, this is an extremely
early tradition. The tradition of these being
Jesus' stepbrothers, the sons of Joseph, dates
back between 120 and 150. Keep in mind, the apostle
John did not die until about 100. So this is
not time for legend and lore to grow up. This
is very, very close in proximity to the time
of the apostles. So you have a letter, a document
written, and I'm hurrying through this. It's
called the Proto -Evangelium of James. It was
written in 150 AD. And in that, it describes
Joseph as an old man who was a widower. who had
several children. It's 150 AD, 50 years after
John. And then if you look at early Christian
art, and some of you have probably seen that,
you will always see Joseph depicted as an old
man with white hair, but you'll see Mary as a
very young woman. So this third view is that
these brothers, they are brothers, but they're
stepbrothers. They are the sons of Joseph, but
not of Mary. Now this is the view that I personally
hold to. You don't... I can't be dogmatic. And
it really doesn't matter because no significant
major doctrine is affected. But I think this
makes sense. And there's a whole host of reasons
that I really cut out why I do think that's true.
First of all, I think if these were the biological
sons of Mary, custody of Mary would have never
been given to John at the cross. So I think these
are sons of Joseph. They had moved out and therefore
were at the cross. John takes Mary home. And
I said I wasn't going to give you other reasons,
so I'm going to stop there. We go back to the
text, all right? Now, we do know this from Mark's
gospel. Some of them, we don't know exactly who,
thought Jesus was crazy. That's what out of his
mind means. Now, I still told you, I don't think
Mary did for a moment. I think she's genuinely
concerned for her son. But I think some of these
brothers, their stepbrothers are like, you know,
this is crazy. Now, Matthew, keep in mind, he's
been showing this contrast between the religious
leaders and Jesus. people who should have known
better, and his own disciples. And now the chapter's
closing, and he shows another contrast. It's
no longer between the religious leaders. It's
between those who are related to Jesus, contrasted
with his disciples, who left everything to follow
him. So the point that Matthew's making, and
I hope to hammer this home in a few minutes,
is God's family is not biological. It is covenantal.
Verse 46 to 48. You know the text. I'm not going
to reread it. He's in the house. He's teaching.
He gets word. We don't know from whom. Hey, your
mother and brothers are outside and they're waiting
for you. Now, at that time, family ties were
powerful social realities. Your identity, your
loyalty, your responsibility, all that was tied
to your family. So to ignore your family's request
would have been a major sign or act of disrespect.
This is why Jesus' question about, who are my
mother and brothers, was shocking. We look at
it and we're like, what's the big deal? It's
shocking to them. Now Jesus was not disparaging
family at all, but he was subordinating it to
the kingdom of God. We cannot miss the forest
because of the trees here. Two chapters earlier
we saw the same idea. In chapter 10, Jesus teaching
his disciples, he said this, whoever, he who
loves father or mother more than me is not worthy
of me. And he who loves son or daughter more
than me is not worthy of me. Jesus clearly taught
that loyalty to your family cannot override your
loyalty to God and his kingdom. Now in chapter
12, he's practicing what he had always preached.
Now ancient protocol would expect the Lord immediately
to stop what he's doing, stop teaching, go out
and attend to his family waiting outside. But
he didn't do that. Why? Because as important
as family bonds are, and they are important,
no one's saying they're not, they cannot compare
to your loyalty to the work and will of God.
Jesus was busy doing his father's work, and that
took precedent. So the Lord is using this occasion
to teach his disciples an incredibly important
lesson. After all, these men, we do know the
12 are there. There's a lot more. But at least
the 12 are going to be called to give up everything.
including their lives, to follow him. Peter's
worried about that. Peter's like, so what's going
to happen to us? We're giving up everything.
He asked that. In Matthew 19, Peter asked that
literal question. It says, then Peter answered
and said to him, see, we've left all and followed
you. So what are we going to get out of this,
basically? What shall we have? Jesus didn't rebuke
him and say, oh, Peter, what's self -interest
have to do with it? Jesus said, assuredly, I
say to you, that in the regeneration, when the
kingdom has come in its fullness, When the Son
of Man sits on the throne of his glory, you who
have followed me, you also sit on twelve thrones,
judging the twelve tribes of Israel, and everyone
who has left houses, or brothers, or sisters,
or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or
lands, for my namesake, that's a key, will receive
a hundredfold and inherit eternal life. See,
for the disciples listening, this was not just
theoretical. It was going to be very practical
because soon they're going to be called upon
to live this out. Jesus then looked at his disciples
and he said, who are my mother and brothers?
And he lifted his hands and he pointed to them
and he said, right here. Here are my brothers,
my mother and brothers. Now think about when
he's asking that question. Can you imagine the
guy that knocks and says, hey Jesus, your mom
and brothers are outside. And he says, well,
who are my mother and brothers? That guy's probably
like, the ones I just told you, they're waiting
outside for you. They're standing outside and
Jesus said, no, you misunderstood it. That's
not my mother and brothers. And he points to
his disciples, those whom he's teaching, said,
right here. Here's my family. Here's my mother
and brothers. Jesus was not rejecting his family
at all, but he was redefining what family is
in the kingdom of God. Verse 50. does the will
of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister,
ladies aren't left out, and mother. What's Jesus
saying? God's family is not defined by blood.
Jesus said those who do his Father's will are
his family. Who are they? They're the ones who
left everything to follow him. Now I want you
to notice what Jesus did not say. He did not
say family was unimportant, but he said it was
not all. I mean, we would be wrong to think that
family isn't a concern for ours. I mean, it's
extraordinarily important. After all, the very
fifth commandment of 10 says you are to honor
your father and mother. But Jesus is rejecting
any claim that our family might have on us that
would keep us or hinder us from doing God's will.
So anytime a choice is required by loyalty to
Christ, and loyalty to your family, Christ must
win. Obedience to Jesus Christ is the deepest
and our most ultimate allegiance. And by the
way, the same dynamic is at play in our relationship
to the law. The law of the land is very important,
but it is not ultimate. Anytime man's law, doesn't
matter if it's from the Supreme Court or not,
anytime man's law contradicts God's law, the
Christian, out of conscience, must obey God rather
than man. Why? Because God and his kingdom are
our ultimate priority. That's what he's saying
here. This is why he's always taught that. Back
in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6 .33,
seek first primacy. Seek first the kingdom of
God and his righteousness. So the point's clear.
Your ultimate allegiance has to be, friends,
not to your family, but to God and his kingdom.
Now we also see a very important point, and this
is an exciting point. Entrance into this kingdom
is open to all people. Anyone may enter. No one
is excluded by your birth or your class or your
sex or your ethnicity. Anyone. Jesus said whoever.
Whoever it is who does the will of my Father.
You're saying, isn't that salvation by works?
No, it's not salvation by works because Jesus
did not say that through whoever does God's will
enters my family. He didn't say that. He's saying
whoever does the will is my family. This is the
hallmark. In fact, you're saying, well, what
is the will of the Father? I'm glad you asked.
John 6. They said to him, What shall we do? That
we should work the works of God. And Jesus answered
and said, there's one work. This is the work
of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.
God's will, folks, is that you repent of your
sin and believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ. You
can never, ever obey your way into God's family.
God requires absolute, perfect, 100 % obedience.
And by the way, we're disqualified in our birth.
Because we are born in sin, guilty before God
from the inherited guilt we received in Adam.
So we're disqualified from birth. Instead, God
must adopt us into his family by grace. Ephesians
2, the Apostle Paul. For by grace you have been
saved. Through faith, that's the instrument.
And that, that whole thing, that's not of yourselves.
It's a gift of God. Not of works, unless anyone
should boast. entrance into the family of God
by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ
alone, to the glory of God alone. Galatians 3,
Paul said, for you all are sons of God through
faith in Christ Jesus. But the lesson is true
faith is never alone. It will be accompanied
by two things, love and good works. Jesus in
John 14, 15 says, if you love me, Keep my commandments.
Don't tell me you love me and disobey me the
whole time. Don't call me Lord and then don't
do what I'm telling you to do. The evidence of
love for Christ is obedience to Christ. Even
in the Ephesians passage that I just read, for
by grace you have been saved through faith, that
not of yourselves, it's a gift of God, not of
works, lest any man should boast. If we keep
reading, Paul explains it in verse 10. For we
are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus,
what? For good works, which God... prepared beforehand
that we should walk in them. Now let me just
say this. If God has foreordained something,
it's going to happen. In Christ, God has foreordained
that his children walk in good works as his chosen
masterpiece, showing forth his praises. You are
God's masterpiece in the world, showing his praises.
So a living, true relationship with Jesus results
in obedient discipleship. Jesus said that again
in Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7. He said
this, Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord,
will enter in the kingdom of heaven, but who
does the will of my Father in heaven. That's
who enters the kingdom. We obey. Absolutely,
that's true. But our obedience flows from our
union with Christ and our love for him. Because
we've been adopted by God, we have a love for
God and a desire to obey God, not perfectly,
which is why we confess our sins every Lord's
Day. But love for God and obedience to him are
the hallmark of those who belong to him. And
that message is throughout the entire New Testament.
But friends, let me just say this. We can only
love him because he first loved us. He's the
initiator. It all flows from him. Notice Jesus
did not say whoever does God's will. He said
whoever does the will of my Father. That phrase,
my Father, centers everything on Jesus being
the unique Son of God. That means Jesus' family
is defined by relationship that he has to his
Father, which I said this way. The true family
of God... is created by the Father's will, but
it is mediated through his one and only begotten
Son. It's all about the relationship that Jesus
enjoys with his Father, and we are brought into
that, adopted into that. We have an incredible
privilege, church, of being brought into the
family of God and being extraordinarily loved
by him. J .C. Ryle said this, speaking of this
passage. Yet here we see that all his believing
people are counted as family. And he loves them
and feels for them and cares for them as members
of his family. Bone of his bone and flesh of
his flesh. They are far more precious in the
Lord's eyes than they are in their own. Their
faith may be feeble. Yeah, I can relate to that.
Their repentance weak. Yeah, I can see that.
And their strength small. They may be poor and
needy in this world. But there is a glorious
whoever in the last verse of this chapter which
ought to cheer them. Whoever believes is a near
relation of Christ. So now what as we close?
In the Jewish mind, if you were a descendant
of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, they thought you
automatically were given a spot in the kingdom
of God. That's what they thought. And then Jesus
Christ comes on the scene and... While with his
biological family standing outside the house
where he was teaching, he then points to his
disciples and he said, here, right here, right
in front of me are my mother and brothers. Here
is my family. For whoever does the will of my
Father in heaven, that is my mother, my sister,
and my brothers. He's teaching. He was teaching
his disciples that there's something stronger
and greater than family ties and genealogy. What
is that? It's this relationship we have God and
the kingdom of God. The Apostle Paul in Galatians
3 taught a very similar thing that was just as
shocking, and I'm closing with this. In Galatians
3, 28, he said, There is neither Jew nor Greek,
neither slave nor free, male nor female, for
you are all one in Christ Jesus. Now this is
the shocking part. But if you are Christ's, it
doesn't matter if you're a Gentile, then you
are Abraham's seed. And you too are an heir according
to the promise. Now that is absolutely radical,
people. Because Paul, that great Jewish apologist,
he said, there's no Jew, there's no Greek, there's
no distinction in Christ. In Jesus you are equal.
Gentiles aren't less and Jews aren't more. There
is no distinction there. You are one in Christ.
There is a new family created by God. And it's
not based on your ethnicity nor your ancestry.
Praise God for that. Jesus said, whoever does
the will of my Father in heaven, that's my family.
Paul said, all who are in Christ are sons of
God and heirs of the promise. So what's the lesson?
God today is creating a new family. Not relegated
to some... geography there in the Middle East,
but this new family, it's not formed by your
ethnicity, it's not formed by your bloodline,
has nothing to do with who your parents are,
but it has everything to do with your relationship
to his one and only begotten son. Which is why
the Apostle Paul said, for you are all sons of
God through faith in Christ Jesus. We're going
to come to the table. That means the person taking
communion today who is seated next to you, they're
not just a fellow church member. They are your
brother or your sister. Friends, this is our
eternal family because we share a common Father
in God the Almighty. You have been adopted. You
have been clothed with Christ. And according
to the Apostle Paul, You are an heir of that
great promise given to Abraham. Let me just say
this. You are a blessed, blessed people. Celebrate
that as we go to the table and we remember the
death of our Lord that secured our place in his
kingdom. Let's pray. Father, we thank you this
morning. How good you are to us. How good you
are to your people, Lord. Lord, we have nothing
that we can boast of. Lord, our obedience did
not earn us a spot in your kingdom. Lord, in
fact, we were told that while we were yet dead
in our sins, aliens from the Commonwealth of
Israel, strangers from the promises, Lord, without
hope and without you in this world, you took
mercy and pity upon us, Lord. And you have united
us to your son and you have raised us up with
him and given us new life in him. In fact, you
said that you seeded us with him in the heavenly
places, Lord. God, we can't even imagine. We
can't. Our minds are blown. Lord, thank you that,
Lord, no longer do we must be a child of Abraham
physically. But, Lord, we can be a son of Abraham
spiritually through faith in the true seed, Christ
himself. Faith in the true Israel, Christ himself.
Lord, we need you, Lord, today. Lord, we celebrate
your goodness and your grace. Lord, thank you
for all you've done for us. And we praise that
blessed, glorious name for what you've done for
us in your son, in whose name we pray. Amen.