WEBVTT 00:00:16.550 --> 00:00:18.730 If you have a copy of the Scriptures, if you 00:00:18.730 --> 00:00:21.710 would open to the Gospel of Matthew to the 12th 00:00:21.710 --> 00:00:24.629 chapter, we'll come to the final verses in this 00:00:24.629 --> 00:00:27.070 chapter that we've been in quite some time now. 00:00:30.730 --> 00:00:33.770 We'll look at 5 verses, verses 46 through 50. 00:00:37.590 --> 00:00:40.950 Matthew writes, While he, that is Jesus, was 00:00:40.950 --> 00:00:44.070 still talking to the multitudes, behold, his 00:00:44.070 --> 00:00:47.850 mother, And brothers stood outside seeking to 00:00:47.850 --> 00:00:51.070 speak with him. Then one said to him, Look, your 00:00:51.070 --> 00:00:52.549 mother and your brothers are standing outside 00:00:52.549 --> 00:00:55.750 seeking to speak with you. But he answered and 00:00:55.750 --> 00:00:58.630 said to the one who told him, Who is my mother? 00:00:59.109 --> 00:01:02.250 And who are my brothers? And he stretched out 00:01:02.250 --> 00:01:05.569 his hand toward his disciples and said, Here 00:01:05.569 --> 00:01:09.890 are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does 00:01:09.890 --> 00:01:13.750 the will of my Father in heaven is my brother, 00:01:14.409 --> 00:01:18.590 And sister and mother. Let's ask God to help 00:01:18.590 --> 00:01:22.090 us. Father in heaven. Lord, what a wonderful 00:01:22.090 --> 00:01:25.310 truth, Lord God. Lord, we have been united in 00:01:25.310 --> 00:01:28.230 Christ. We have become eternal family. Lord, 00:01:28.230 --> 00:01:31.390 shape us, Lord, this morning. Lord, as those 00:01:31.390 --> 00:01:34.609 have been called out from the world. Called unto 00:01:34.609 --> 00:01:39.609 Christ. Given your spirit. Lord, let us bear 00:01:39.609 --> 00:01:42.510 that family resemblance. God, help us to walk 00:01:42.510 --> 00:01:45.370 worthy of this high calling that we've received 00:01:45.370 --> 00:01:48.469 in Christ. Lord, I pray for your enablement this 00:01:48.469 --> 00:01:50.790 morning that, Lord God, I would sink very low 00:01:50.790 --> 00:01:55.329 so that Christ might be held very high. Lord, 00:01:55.390 --> 00:01:58.569 show us your son, we pray in his name. Amen. 00:02:00.269 --> 00:02:03.230 Everyone has heard the old adage that blood is 00:02:03.230 --> 00:02:06.569 thicker than water. And some people use it, and 00:02:06.569 --> 00:02:08.810 when they use it, they mean that family bonds 00:02:08.810 --> 00:02:11.310 and loyalty are more important than relationships 00:02:11.310 --> 00:02:15.009 with people outside the family. The saying implies 00:02:15.009 --> 00:02:18.750 that family takes precedence over all other relationships. 00:02:19.229 --> 00:02:21.270 And that's true. I think in Lawrence County, 00:02:21.389 --> 00:02:24.870 we hold to that. But it was especially true in 00:02:24.870 --> 00:02:28.000 ancient Eastern cultures. In our text today, 00:02:28.120 --> 00:02:30.159 though, it's something quite surprising because 00:02:30.159 --> 00:02:32.599 the Lord Jesus, he's going to let us know that 00:02:32.599 --> 00:02:34.659 there's something that's more important than 00:02:34.659 --> 00:02:38.419 bloodlines. Even more important than family, 00:02:38.560 --> 00:02:41.520 he says. And that's going to be the kingdom and 00:02:41.520 --> 00:02:45.139 will of God. Now, Matthew is writing this gospel, 00:02:45.219 --> 00:02:47.460 and the gospel of Matthew is all about the kingdom. 00:02:47.919 --> 00:02:50.240 He's writing to show whoever might read this 00:02:50.240 --> 00:02:52.500 gospel, particularly the Jewish people, that 00:02:52.500 --> 00:02:55.879 the kingdom of God had arrived. But today there's 00:02:55.879 --> 00:02:59.180 something that's a little bit surprising, particularly 00:02:59.180 --> 00:03:02.860 to a Jewish mindset, and that is the kingdom 00:03:02.860 --> 00:03:07.580 is not based on blood. It's not based on ancestry. 00:03:08.379 --> 00:03:10.520 And that's an important thing because that would 00:03:10.520 --> 00:03:12.860 have been shocking to the people of Israel, particularly 00:03:12.860 --> 00:03:16.360 first century Israel. After all, these Jewish 00:03:16.360 --> 00:03:19.539 Hebrew people, they are the physical descendants 00:03:19.539 --> 00:03:22.680 of Abraham. And because of that, they were the 00:03:22.680 --> 00:03:25.860 recipients of those grand promises that God had 00:03:25.860 --> 00:03:29.520 given to Abraham. The Jews took pride in their 00:03:29.520 --> 00:03:31.819 pedigree. That's why they hated the Samaritans. 00:03:31.819 --> 00:03:35.020 There was a barrier there. Lineage was of the 00:03:35.020 --> 00:03:40.099 utmost importance in the Jewish mind, which is 00:03:40.099 --> 00:03:43.020 why they kept such meticulous records of genealogy. 00:03:43.400 --> 00:03:46.219 They did it better than anyone. Because they 00:03:46.219 --> 00:03:48.939 felt somehow that their physical descent from 00:03:48.939 --> 00:03:52.080 Abraham automatically, and that's the key there, 00:03:52.280 --> 00:03:55.780 automatically earn them a place in the kingdom 00:03:55.780 --> 00:04:00.500 of God. But then there's Jesus, and he's letting 00:04:00.500 --> 00:04:04.259 us know something. The ancestry, although important, 00:04:04.479 --> 00:04:09.099 is not ultimate. The relationship that is ultimate 00:04:09.099 --> 00:04:14.960 is not based on biology at all. God's people 00:04:14.960 --> 00:04:20.850 are not defined by their lineage. but rather 00:04:20.850 --> 00:04:25.410 by their obedience. Jesus said, whoever does 00:04:25.410 --> 00:04:28.930 the will of my Father. Now in verses 46 through 00:04:28.930 --> 00:04:30.949 50, you have to understand Jesus is now inside 00:04:30.949 --> 00:04:34.610 a home. He's teaching the multitudes. When someone, 00:04:34.769 --> 00:04:37.389 unnamed, we don't know, let him know that, hey, 00:04:37.410 --> 00:04:38.750 your mother and your brothers, they're outside 00:04:38.750 --> 00:04:40.790 and they're wanting to talk to you. Just letting 00:04:40.790 --> 00:04:43.410 you know your family's arrived. But instead of 00:04:43.410 --> 00:04:46.550 immediately leaving to go outside, Jesus then 00:04:46.550 --> 00:04:49.319 asked a question. He said, well, who are my mother 00:04:49.319 --> 00:04:52.100 and brothers? And then he turned to his disciples 00:04:52.100 --> 00:04:55.720 and he said, here, right here. Here are my mother 00:04:55.720 --> 00:04:58.839 and my brothers. Now we have to understand the 00:04:58.839 --> 00:05:01.120 context. Why is Matthew putting this right here? 00:05:01.920 --> 00:05:05.100 Because in chapter 12, the story begins with 00:05:05.100 --> 00:05:08.379 a conflict between Jesus and the religious leaders, 00:05:08.459 --> 00:05:11.120 really over Sabbath regulations. They've been 00:05:11.120 --> 00:05:13.300 fighting about it this whole chapter. And the 00:05:13.300 --> 00:05:15.300 conflict had escalated to the point where the 00:05:15.300 --> 00:05:18.720 Pharisees, really they met together and they 00:05:18.720 --> 00:05:22.139 wanted Jesus dead. And then they blasphemed him, 00:05:22.279 --> 00:05:26.240 saying that he did his power by demonic forces. 00:05:27.279 --> 00:05:29.899 Now it's clear that the religious leaders had 00:05:29.899 --> 00:05:32.779 misunderstood him. And not only had they misunderstood 00:05:32.779 --> 00:05:35.420 him, they misunderstood the nature of his mission. 00:05:36.399 --> 00:05:39.060 But today there's another group. We're going 00:05:39.060 --> 00:05:42.579 to see that even some of his own family misunderstood 00:05:42.579 --> 00:05:45.680 him. For the very first time in Matthew's gospel, 00:05:45.860 --> 00:05:48.680 apart from Mary and Joseph, we are now introduced 00:05:48.680 --> 00:05:52.579 to Jesus' family. So they come to the home. He's 00:05:52.579 --> 00:05:54.819 teaching them at home. And they're going to get 00:05:54.819 --> 00:05:57.220 him, and they're going to take him home. They 00:05:57.220 --> 00:05:59.139 want to rescue him, kind of. And the question 00:05:59.139 --> 00:06:02.500 is, why? Well, Matthew doesn't record it, but 00:06:02.500 --> 00:06:04.920 in Mark's gospel, in the parallel passage in 00:06:04.920 --> 00:06:08.439 Mark, we are told that some of his own family 00:06:08.439 --> 00:06:12.600 thought he's crazy. They thought he was, quote, 00:06:13.000 --> 00:06:16.800 out of his mind. Mark chapter 3, verses 20 and 00:06:16.800 --> 00:06:20.079 21. Then he went home and the crowd gathered 00:06:20.079 --> 00:06:23.879 again so that they could not even eat. And when 00:06:23.879 --> 00:06:28.420 his family heard it, they went out to seize him 00:06:28.420 --> 00:06:33.279 for they were saying he's out of his mind. Now 00:06:33.279 --> 00:06:36.240 we know from John's gospel that his brothers 00:06:36.240 --> 00:06:40.019 did not believe in him at this point. Throughout 00:06:40.019 --> 00:06:42.000 his whole earthly life they did not. In John 00:06:42.000 --> 00:06:45.560 7, Now the Jewish feast of tabernacles was at 00:06:45.560 --> 00:06:49.139 hand. His brothers therefore said to him, Depart 00:06:49.139 --> 00:06:51.699 from here and go into Judea, that your disciples 00:06:51.699 --> 00:06:54.620 also may see the works that you're doing. For 00:06:54.620 --> 00:06:57.720 no one does anything in secret while he himself 00:06:57.720 --> 00:07:01.519 seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, 00:07:01.680 --> 00:07:04.720 show yourself to the world. There's some sarcasm 00:07:04.720 --> 00:07:07.819 in there. Hey, don't hide. Go down to Judea. 00:07:07.819 --> 00:07:09.939 Go down to Jerusalem and show everyone. Why? 00:07:10.319 --> 00:07:14.959 Verse 5. For even his brothers did not believe 00:07:14.959 --> 00:07:17.699 in him. In fact, we see that the brothers do 00:07:17.699 --> 00:07:20.879 not come to faith in Christ until after he is 00:07:20.879 --> 00:07:24.120 resurrected from the grave. So we come back to 00:07:24.120 --> 00:07:27.259 the text, and we see Jesus inside, but his mother 00:07:27.259 --> 00:07:31.639 and brothers are waiting outside. Now, I personally, 00:07:31.699 --> 00:07:33.139 a lot of this is going to be conjecture, and 00:07:33.139 --> 00:07:34.899 I will tell you which is conjecture and which 00:07:34.899 --> 00:07:37.620 is not. They may have been concerned for his 00:07:37.620 --> 00:07:40.779 safety, or perhaps even for his health. He's 00:07:40.779 --> 00:07:43.319 keeping very long hours. But why would they be 00:07:43.319 --> 00:07:45.759 concerned for safety? Well, he's been having 00:07:45.759 --> 00:07:49.339 very intense conflicts with the religious leaders. 00:07:50.100 --> 00:07:52.759 In fact, the Pharisees had already met in session. 00:07:53.399 --> 00:07:56.620 And maybe word is now leaking out that the Pharisees 00:07:56.620 --> 00:07:59.639 had met and they had formally decided that Jesus 00:07:59.639 --> 00:08:03.319 needed to be put to death. So if you're his family, 00:08:03.379 --> 00:08:05.399 you're naturally going to be concerned for him. 00:08:06.309 --> 00:08:08.730 They know what's not safe for him to continue 00:08:08.730 --> 00:08:11.850 and to attract massive crowds because that's 00:08:11.850 --> 00:08:14.110 why the Pharisees are so mad. They're jealous 00:08:14.110 --> 00:08:17.670 of him. They're envious. Or, we don't know, perhaps 00:08:17.670 --> 00:08:20.170 he was keeping such a busy schedule up early, 00:08:20.310 --> 00:08:22.449 going to bed very late. They're worried for his 00:08:22.449 --> 00:08:24.310 health. I mean, any of us are going to have a 00:08:24.310 --> 00:08:27.189 breakdown if you continue this pattern. But we 00:08:27.189 --> 00:08:29.709 don't know the exact reason. But we are told 00:08:29.709 --> 00:08:31.810 that his brothers and his mother came to get 00:08:31.810 --> 00:08:35.080 him. Now, I don't think that it's possible for 00:08:35.080 --> 00:08:38.220 Mary, the mother of our Lord, to have misunderstood 00:08:38.220 --> 00:08:40.600 her son or his mission at all. I do not think 00:08:40.600 --> 00:08:45.379 that's possible. Keep in mind all that the angel 00:08:45.379 --> 00:08:48.500 had told Mary and all that she had personally 00:08:48.500 --> 00:08:51.220 witnessed and experienced. Because it doesn't 00:08:51.220 --> 00:08:52.860 say who thought he was out of his mind. It just 00:08:52.860 --> 00:08:55.820 said some of his own, some of his family. But 00:08:55.820 --> 00:08:58.000 I don't think it was Mary at all. For example, 00:08:58.000 --> 00:09:00.450 in Luke chapter 1. Listen, I mean, there's no 00:09:00.450 --> 00:09:03.889 way she could have felt that he was crazy. Then 00:09:03.889 --> 00:09:06.330 the angel said to her, that is to Mary, Do not 00:09:06.330 --> 00:09:08.250 be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with 00:09:08.250 --> 00:09:10.850 God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb 00:09:10.850 --> 00:09:12.649 and bring forth a son and shall call his name 00:09:12.649 --> 00:09:16.509 Jesus. He will be great and will be called the 00:09:16.509 --> 00:09:19.490 Son of the Highest. And the Lord God will give 00:09:19.490 --> 00:09:21.789 him the throne of his father David. There's his 00:09:21.789 --> 00:09:24.450 mission. And he will reign over the house of 00:09:24.450 --> 00:09:27.269 Jacob forever. And of his kingdom there shall 00:09:27.269 --> 00:09:30.669 be no end. Mary, incredulous as we all would 00:09:30.669 --> 00:09:32.950 be, then said to the angel, well, how? I mean, 00:09:32.950 --> 00:09:37.049 how can this be since I don't know a man? There's 00:09:37.049 --> 00:09:40.769 her virginity. And the angel said to her, the 00:09:40.769 --> 00:09:44.149 Holy Spirit, the third person of the divine trinity, 00:09:44.210 --> 00:09:47.429 will come upon you and the power of the highest 00:09:47.429 --> 00:09:51.009 will overshadow you. Therefore also that holy 00:09:51.009 --> 00:09:54.269 one who is to be born, he will be called the 00:09:54.269 --> 00:09:57.759 son of God. In chapter 2, 19, it tells us that 00:09:57.759 --> 00:10:00.399 Mary kept all these things and pondered them 00:10:00.399 --> 00:10:04.360 in her heart. She was just storing it up. Mary 00:10:04.360 --> 00:10:06.080 remembered the night in which Jesus was born. 00:10:06.100 --> 00:10:07.700 You have the shepherds in the field. They came 00:10:07.700 --> 00:10:11.399 to see the child. Said they came with haste. 00:10:12.039 --> 00:10:14.519 Later on... Perhaps months, even maybe years 00:10:14.519 --> 00:10:17.080 later, there's a delegation from the far east. 00:10:17.200 --> 00:10:19.759 There's these Persian monarchs known as the Magi, 00:10:19.759 --> 00:10:22.259 or what we call the wise men. They come from 00:10:22.259 --> 00:10:25.159 the east bearing very expensive gifts to give 00:10:25.159 --> 00:10:29.419 them to her son. She was there when the angel 00:10:29.419 --> 00:10:31.960 warned Joseph that she and Mary and the baby 00:10:31.960 --> 00:10:34.960 needed to head to Egypt because Herod, that monster, 00:10:35.200 --> 00:10:38.080 wanted to kill the child. And he killed all the 00:10:38.080 --> 00:10:40.919 male boys in Bethlehem from two years old and 00:10:40.919 --> 00:10:44.309 under. She remembered when she had to take Jesus 00:10:44.309 --> 00:10:46.690 to the temple to dedicate him that there was 00:10:46.690 --> 00:10:49.769 an older godly man named Simeon, apparently a 00:10:49.769 --> 00:10:52.669 stranger, who picked up the child Jesus and notice 00:10:52.669 --> 00:10:57.350 what he said. Lord, this is Simeon's words, now 00:10:57.350 --> 00:10:59.149 you are letting your servant depart in peace 00:10:59.149 --> 00:11:02.649 according to your word. For my eyes have seen 00:11:02.649 --> 00:11:05.090 your salvation, which you have prepared before 00:11:05.090 --> 00:11:08.769 the face of all peoples, a light to bring revelation 00:11:08.769 --> 00:11:11.649 to the Gentiles. and the glory of your people 00:11:11.649 --> 00:11:15.769 Israel. And Joseph and his mother marveled at 00:11:15.769 --> 00:11:18.330 those things which were spoken of him. I mean, 00:11:18.350 --> 00:11:21.070 if anyone on this planet knew about the uniqueness 00:11:21.070 --> 00:11:25.370 of Jesus, it was the blessed mother of Jesus, 00:11:25.490 --> 00:11:28.950 Mary herself. Now others probably doubted, no, 00:11:29.049 --> 00:11:32.470 not probably, others no doubt doubted her. Yet 00:11:32.470 --> 00:11:35.049 she knew in her heart that she had conceived 00:11:35.049 --> 00:11:40.240 this child while still a virgin. She knew. beyond 00:11:40.240 --> 00:11:42.120 a shadow of a doubt, that that child she gave 00:11:42.120 --> 00:11:45.659 birth to was the Son of God. Now, I don't think 00:11:45.659 --> 00:11:48.940 she understood every aspect of his mission, particularly 00:11:48.940 --> 00:11:52.820 his cross and resurrection. But she certainly 00:11:52.820 --> 00:11:55.240 would have known that Jesus was not out of his 00:11:55.240 --> 00:11:59.480 mind as some of the family thought he was. So 00:11:59.480 --> 00:12:01.100 I think, and this is conjecture at this point, 00:12:01.179 --> 00:12:03.279 I think she came to the house because as a mother, 00:12:03.399 --> 00:12:08.059 she's worried. The religious leaders, the body 00:12:08.059 --> 00:12:10.600 that rules Israel is wanting to kill her son. 00:12:11.639 --> 00:12:13.379 So she's wanting to, let's take him, let's protect 00:12:13.379 --> 00:12:16.000 him. That's what I think. I don't know. But now 00:12:16.000 --> 00:12:19.320 why did the brothers come? Well, we're not told. 00:12:20.039 --> 00:12:23.299 In this passage, they are left unnamed. But in 00:12:23.299 --> 00:12:26.080 chapter 13, the very next chapter, they are named 00:12:26.080 --> 00:12:30.139 in verse 55. Is not this, speaking of Jesus, 00:12:30.220 --> 00:12:32.919 the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called 00:12:32.919 --> 00:12:35.960 Mary and his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and 00:12:35.960 --> 00:12:39.440 Judas? There they are. They're the names of his 00:12:39.440 --> 00:12:41.279 brothers. He has sisters as well, we're told 00:12:41.279 --> 00:12:44.820 in another passage. Now, give me a few minutes. 00:12:44.840 --> 00:12:47.320 Let me explain who these brothers are. There 00:12:47.320 --> 00:12:49.759 has been much debate throughout church history 00:12:49.759 --> 00:12:52.659 over who the brothers are. So first of all, let's 00:12:52.659 --> 00:12:54.759 just understand what the word brother in Greek 00:12:54.759 --> 00:12:57.360 is. It's adelphos. You know the city of Philadelphia, 00:12:57.580 --> 00:13:00.919 the city of brotherly love. Adelphos means brother. 00:13:01.419 --> 00:13:04.840 In its natural use, it means a biological brother, 00:13:05.000 --> 00:13:08.179 one who shares the womb. That's the natural meaning. 00:13:08.679 --> 00:13:10.759 But that's natural meaning. You have a semantic 00:13:10.759 --> 00:13:12.399 meaning. We talk about, oh, it's just semantics. 00:13:12.580 --> 00:13:15.200 The semantic usage of this word for Adelphos 00:13:15.200 --> 00:13:18.899 is far greater. For example, it can mean a close 00:13:18.899 --> 00:13:22.000 relative. It can even mean a fellow countryman. 00:13:22.500 --> 00:13:24.679 We're brothers, American brothers, if you will. 00:13:25.419 --> 00:13:28.000 But in the Septuagint, which is a Greek translation 00:13:28.000 --> 00:13:30.679 of the Hebrew Old Testament, when they were translating 00:13:30.679 --> 00:13:32.779 from Hebrew to Greek and they were talking about 00:13:32.779 --> 00:13:35.879 Abraham and Lot, they said Lot was the Adelphos 00:13:35.879 --> 00:13:39.539 of Abraham and we know Lot was his nephew. But 00:13:39.539 --> 00:13:42.019 they translated Adelphos. Why? Because Hebrew 00:13:42.019 --> 00:13:45.559 did not have a word for that. So it's used as 00:13:45.559 --> 00:13:49.139 a close family member. But nevertheless, the 00:13:49.139 --> 00:13:52.120 natural use of that word is biological brother. 00:13:52.720 --> 00:13:55.159 So there are three main views, and I'll share 00:13:55.159 --> 00:13:57.440 them briefly, and I'll tell you which one I hold. 00:13:57.539 --> 00:13:59.659 You can hold to whichever one you want. It doesn't 00:13:59.659 --> 00:14:02.620 change any major doctrine. First of all, the 00:14:02.620 --> 00:14:06.399 modern view, modern Protestant view, would say 00:14:06.399 --> 00:14:10.059 these were biological brothers of Jesus. These 00:14:10.059 --> 00:14:12.919 are the natural sons of Mary and Joseph who were 00:14:12.919 --> 00:14:17.720 born after him. That is the dominant modern Protestant 00:14:17.720 --> 00:14:19.700 view. It's not the early view of the church. 00:14:20.399 --> 00:14:22.360 You don't find it in the early view, and it wasn't 00:14:22.360 --> 00:14:23.919 even the view of the Reformers. Neither Calvin 00:14:23.919 --> 00:14:28.440 nor Luther held that view. Second view is these 00:14:28.440 --> 00:14:31.399 were the cousins of Jesus, and this is the dominant 00:14:31.399 --> 00:14:34.700 Roman Catholic view today. Roman Catholics hold 00:14:34.700 --> 00:14:36.600 a doctrine called the perpetual virginity of 00:14:36.600 --> 00:14:39.200 Mary. They believe that Mary stayed a virgin 00:14:39.200 --> 00:14:41.740 even after being married to Joseph, lifelong. 00:14:42.179 --> 00:14:45.539 So they say that these brothers were the sons 00:14:45.539 --> 00:14:49.379 of Mary, the wife of Clopas. Well, who's Clopas? 00:14:50.129 --> 00:14:53.570 Joseph's brother. So they would say these sons 00:14:53.570 --> 00:14:57.570 of Mary were Jesus' cousins. And they argue, 00:14:57.649 --> 00:15:00.809 yes, the New Testament is written in Greek, but 00:15:00.809 --> 00:15:04.110 the speakers in the background and the culture 00:15:04.110 --> 00:15:07.870 was Aramaic and Hebrew. Since Aramaic and Hebrew 00:15:07.870 --> 00:15:12.009 do not have a specific word for cousin, they 00:15:12.009 --> 00:15:17.289 call them adelphos, close relatives. Well, it 00:15:17.289 --> 00:15:21.620 is true. The semantic use of Adelphos could allow 00:15:21.620 --> 00:15:23.879 for the word cousin. But here's why I don't think 00:15:23.879 --> 00:15:26.779 that holds up. Because although it was translated 00:15:26.779 --> 00:15:30.820 from a Hebrew and Aramaic culture, there is a 00:15:30.820 --> 00:15:32.980 Greek word for cousin specific. And the Apostle 00:15:32.980 --> 00:15:34.740 Paul, who is a Jew from a Hebrew background, 00:15:35.000 --> 00:15:37.980 specifically used that word in Colossians 4 .10 00:15:37.980 --> 00:15:40.059 when he's talking about the relationship between 00:15:40.059 --> 00:15:42.480 Barnabas and Mark. They are cousins. And he did 00:15:42.480 --> 00:15:45.379 not use Adelphos. He used the word cousin. So 00:15:45.379 --> 00:15:49.200 I don't hold that. Number three. These were Jesus' 00:15:50.019 --> 00:15:53.240 stepbrothers. They were sons of Joseph from a 00:15:53.240 --> 00:15:56.940 prior marriage. Early, very early tradition says 00:15:56.940 --> 00:15:59.179 that Joseph was an older man when he married 00:15:59.179 --> 00:16:01.779 Mary. In fact, they say he was a widower. And 00:16:01.779 --> 00:16:03.679 almost everyone agrees, and I don't know that 00:16:03.679 --> 00:16:06.179 there's any exception to this, that Joseph died 00:16:06.179 --> 00:16:09.620 sometime between Jesus' 12th birthday and when 00:16:09.620 --> 00:16:11.720 he made his public debut there when John the 00:16:11.720 --> 00:16:14.429 Baptist baptized him. We don't know when, but 00:16:14.429 --> 00:16:16.909 anyways, when Jesus comes on the scene, no one 00:16:16.909 --> 00:16:19.110 believes Joseph was alive. In fact, the very 00:16:19.110 --> 00:16:22.409 last mention in the Bible about Joseph is when 00:16:22.409 --> 00:16:24.970 Jesus was 12 years old and he was left behind 00:16:24.970 --> 00:16:27.590 at the temple and Joseph and Mary had to return 00:16:27.590 --> 00:16:30.049 because they were looking for him. But after 00:16:30.049 --> 00:16:32.730 that time, he's never mentioned again. Now you're 00:16:32.730 --> 00:16:33.809 saying, well, that doesn't mean he was dead. 00:16:33.909 --> 00:16:37.269 I absolutely believe it does because at the crucifixion, 00:16:37.659 --> 00:16:40.279 Do you remember when Jesus is dying and he looks 00:16:40.279 --> 00:16:43.360 at the Apostle John and he has Mary, his mother 00:16:43.360 --> 00:16:47.639 is there, he said, Behold your mother, woman, 00:16:47.740 --> 00:16:51.299 behold your son. And he's giving care of his 00:16:51.299 --> 00:16:54.419 mother into the hands of the Apostle John. That 00:16:54.419 --> 00:16:56.919 never would have happened had her husband Joseph 00:16:56.919 --> 00:17:01.179 still been living. And besides, this is an extremely 00:17:01.179 --> 00:17:04.140 early tradition. The tradition of these being 00:17:04.140 --> 00:17:07.700 Jesus' stepbrothers, the sons of Joseph, dates 00:17:07.700 --> 00:17:11.660 back between 120 and 150. Keep in mind, the apostle 00:17:11.660 --> 00:17:15.099 John did not die until about 100. So this is 00:17:15.099 --> 00:17:18.440 not time for legend and lore to grow up. This 00:17:18.440 --> 00:17:20.980 is very, very close in proximity to the time 00:17:20.980 --> 00:17:24.480 of the apostles. So you have a letter, a document 00:17:24.480 --> 00:17:26.579 written, and I'm hurrying through this. It's 00:17:26.579 --> 00:17:28.539 called the Proto -Evangelium of James. It was 00:17:28.539 --> 00:17:31.460 written in 150 AD. And in that, it describes 00:17:31.460 --> 00:17:35.519 Joseph as an old man who was a widower. who had 00:17:35.519 --> 00:17:39.380 several children. It's 150 AD, 50 years after 00:17:39.380 --> 00:17:41.799 John. And then if you look at early Christian 00:17:41.799 --> 00:17:43.539 art, and some of you have probably seen that, 00:17:43.619 --> 00:17:46.180 you will always see Joseph depicted as an old 00:17:46.180 --> 00:17:49.380 man with white hair, but you'll see Mary as a 00:17:49.380 --> 00:17:54.220 very young woman. So this third view is that 00:17:54.220 --> 00:17:56.359 these brothers, they are brothers, but they're 00:17:56.359 --> 00:17:59.619 stepbrothers. They are the sons of Joseph, but 00:17:59.619 --> 00:18:02.380 not of Mary. Now this is the view that I personally 00:18:02.380 --> 00:18:06.009 hold to. You don't... I can't be dogmatic. And 00:18:06.009 --> 00:18:08.769 it really doesn't matter because no significant 00:18:08.769 --> 00:18:12.390 major doctrine is affected. But I think this 00:18:12.390 --> 00:18:14.430 makes sense. And there's a whole host of reasons 00:18:14.430 --> 00:18:16.809 that I really cut out why I do think that's true. 00:18:16.970 --> 00:18:18.730 First of all, I think if these were the biological 00:18:18.730 --> 00:18:21.109 sons of Mary, custody of Mary would have never 00:18:21.109 --> 00:18:23.390 been given to John at the cross. So I think these 00:18:23.390 --> 00:18:25.309 are sons of Joseph. They had moved out and therefore 00:18:25.309 --> 00:18:28.470 were at the cross. John takes Mary home. And 00:18:28.470 --> 00:18:29.730 I said I wasn't going to give you other reasons, 00:18:29.890 --> 00:18:33.819 so I'm going to stop there. We go back to the 00:18:33.819 --> 00:18:36.519 text, all right? Now, we do know this from Mark's 00:18:36.519 --> 00:18:39.359 gospel. Some of them, we don't know exactly who, 00:18:39.420 --> 00:18:42.119 thought Jesus was crazy. That's what out of his 00:18:42.119 --> 00:18:45.460 mind means. Now, I still told you, I don't think 00:18:45.460 --> 00:18:47.099 Mary did for a moment. I think she's genuinely 00:18:47.099 --> 00:18:48.920 concerned for her son. But I think some of these 00:18:48.920 --> 00:18:50.799 brothers, their stepbrothers are like, you know, 00:18:50.839 --> 00:18:55.200 this is crazy. Now, Matthew, keep in mind, he's 00:18:55.200 --> 00:18:56.900 been showing this contrast between the religious 00:18:56.900 --> 00:19:02.900 leaders and Jesus. people who should have known 00:19:02.900 --> 00:19:05.779 better, and his own disciples. And now the chapter's 00:19:05.779 --> 00:19:09.799 closing, and he shows another contrast. It's 00:19:09.799 --> 00:19:11.420 no longer between the religious leaders. It's 00:19:11.420 --> 00:19:15.440 between those who are related to Jesus, contrasted 00:19:15.440 --> 00:19:18.539 with his disciples, who left everything to follow 00:19:18.539 --> 00:19:21.420 him. So the point that Matthew's making, and 00:19:21.420 --> 00:19:22.960 I hope to hammer this home in a few minutes, 00:19:23.140 --> 00:19:28.339 is God's family is not biological. It is covenantal. 00:19:29.869 --> 00:19:32.490 Verse 46 to 48. You know the text. I'm not going 00:19:32.490 --> 00:19:34.809 to reread it. He's in the house. He's teaching. 00:19:35.190 --> 00:19:38.230 He gets word. We don't know from whom. Hey, your 00:19:38.230 --> 00:19:39.670 mother and brothers are outside and they're waiting 00:19:39.670 --> 00:19:44.529 for you. Now, at that time, family ties were 00:19:44.529 --> 00:19:48.589 powerful social realities. Your identity, your 00:19:48.589 --> 00:19:51.529 loyalty, your responsibility, all that was tied 00:19:51.529 --> 00:19:55.190 to your family. So to ignore your family's request 00:19:55.190 --> 00:19:58.529 would have been a major sign or act of disrespect. 00:19:59.500 --> 00:20:02.900 This is why Jesus' question about, who are my 00:20:02.900 --> 00:20:07.380 mother and brothers, was shocking. We look at 00:20:07.380 --> 00:20:08.599 it and we're like, what's the big deal? It's 00:20:08.599 --> 00:20:11.099 shocking to them. Now Jesus was not disparaging 00:20:11.099 --> 00:20:13.920 family at all, but he was subordinating it to 00:20:13.920 --> 00:20:17.079 the kingdom of God. We cannot miss the forest 00:20:17.079 --> 00:20:19.839 because of the trees here. Two chapters earlier 00:20:19.839 --> 00:20:22.539 we saw the same idea. In chapter 10, Jesus teaching 00:20:22.539 --> 00:20:25.380 his disciples, he said this, whoever, he who 00:20:25.380 --> 00:20:28.559 loves father or mother more than me is not worthy 00:20:28.559 --> 00:20:30.900 of me. And he who loves son or daughter more 00:20:30.900 --> 00:20:35.440 than me is not worthy of me. Jesus clearly taught 00:20:35.440 --> 00:20:38.559 that loyalty to your family cannot override your 00:20:38.559 --> 00:20:41.859 loyalty to God and his kingdom. Now in chapter 00:20:41.859 --> 00:20:44.299 12, he's practicing what he had always preached. 00:20:44.880 --> 00:20:48.140 Now ancient protocol would expect the Lord immediately 00:20:48.140 --> 00:20:51.339 to stop what he's doing, stop teaching, go out 00:20:51.339 --> 00:20:55.200 and attend to his family waiting outside. But 00:20:55.200 --> 00:20:58.450 he didn't do that. Why? Because as important 00:20:58.450 --> 00:21:00.589 as family bonds are, and they are important, 00:21:00.789 --> 00:21:04.069 no one's saying they're not, they cannot compare 00:21:04.069 --> 00:21:08.210 to your loyalty to the work and will of God. 00:21:08.630 --> 00:21:11.750 Jesus was busy doing his father's work, and that 00:21:11.750 --> 00:21:14.730 took precedent. So the Lord is using this occasion 00:21:14.730 --> 00:21:17.829 to teach his disciples an incredibly important 00:21:17.829 --> 00:21:20.690 lesson. After all, these men, we do know the 00:21:20.690 --> 00:21:23.910 12 are there. There's a lot more. But at least 00:21:23.910 --> 00:21:26.410 the 12 are going to be called to give up everything. 00:21:27.450 --> 00:21:30.869 including their lives, to follow him. Peter's 00:21:30.869 --> 00:21:32.250 worried about that. Peter's like, so what's going 00:21:32.250 --> 00:21:33.549 to happen to us? We're giving up everything. 00:21:33.750 --> 00:21:36.369 He asked that. In Matthew 19, Peter asked that 00:21:36.369 --> 00:21:39.390 literal question. It says, then Peter answered 00:21:39.390 --> 00:21:41.829 and said to him, see, we've left all and followed 00:21:41.829 --> 00:21:44.170 you. So what are we going to get out of this, 00:21:44.190 --> 00:21:47.009 basically? What shall we have? Jesus didn't rebuke 00:21:47.009 --> 00:21:48.549 him and say, oh, Peter, what's self -interest 00:21:48.549 --> 00:21:51.450 have to do with it? Jesus said, assuredly, I 00:21:51.450 --> 00:21:53.930 say to you, that in the regeneration, when the 00:21:53.930 --> 00:21:55.950 kingdom has come in its fullness, When the Son 00:21:55.950 --> 00:21:59.210 of Man sits on the throne of his glory, you who 00:21:59.210 --> 00:22:02.109 have followed me, you also sit on twelve thrones, 00:22:02.109 --> 00:22:05.670 judging the twelve tribes of Israel, and everyone 00:22:05.670 --> 00:22:09.430 who has left houses, or brothers, or sisters, 00:22:09.529 --> 00:22:12.589 or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or 00:22:12.589 --> 00:22:17.609 lands, for my namesake, that's a key, will receive 00:22:17.609 --> 00:22:21.609 a hundredfold and inherit eternal life. See, 00:22:21.650 --> 00:22:23.490 for the disciples listening, this was not just 00:22:23.490 --> 00:22:26.130 theoretical. It was going to be very practical 00:22:26.130 --> 00:22:27.769 because soon they're going to be called upon 00:22:27.769 --> 00:22:31.670 to live this out. Jesus then looked at his disciples 00:22:31.670 --> 00:22:34.289 and he said, who are my mother and brothers? 00:22:35.130 --> 00:22:37.049 And he lifted his hands and he pointed to them 00:22:37.049 --> 00:22:40.490 and he said, right here. Here are my brothers, 00:22:40.630 --> 00:22:43.089 my mother and brothers. Now think about when 00:22:43.089 --> 00:22:44.490 he's asking that question. Can you imagine the 00:22:44.490 --> 00:22:46.210 guy that knocks and says, hey Jesus, your mom 00:22:46.210 --> 00:22:48.190 and brothers are outside. And he says, well, 00:22:48.230 --> 00:22:50.579 who are my mother and brothers? That guy's probably 00:22:50.579 --> 00:22:52.880 like, the ones I just told you, they're waiting 00:22:52.880 --> 00:22:54.920 outside for you. They're standing outside and 00:22:54.920 --> 00:22:57.579 Jesus said, no, you misunderstood it. That's 00:22:57.579 --> 00:23:00.259 not my mother and brothers. And he points to 00:23:00.259 --> 00:23:01.880 his disciples, those whom he's teaching, said, 00:23:02.000 --> 00:23:06.839 right here. Here's my family. Here's my mother 00:23:06.839 --> 00:23:10.180 and brothers. Jesus was not rejecting his family 00:23:10.180 --> 00:23:13.319 at all, but he was redefining what family is 00:23:13.319 --> 00:23:20.059 in the kingdom of God. Verse 50. does the will 00:23:20.059 --> 00:23:23.859 of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister, 00:23:24.099 --> 00:23:28.359 ladies aren't left out, and mother. What's Jesus 00:23:28.359 --> 00:23:32.519 saying? God's family is not defined by blood. 00:23:33.980 --> 00:23:37.460 Jesus said those who do his Father's will are 00:23:37.460 --> 00:23:40.079 his family. Who are they? They're the ones who 00:23:40.079 --> 00:23:42.619 left everything to follow him. Now I want you 00:23:42.619 --> 00:23:45.079 to notice what Jesus did not say. He did not 00:23:45.079 --> 00:23:47.599 say family was unimportant, but he said it was 00:23:47.599 --> 00:23:52.250 not all. I mean, we would be wrong to think that 00:23:52.250 --> 00:23:55.490 family isn't a concern for ours. I mean, it's 00:23:55.490 --> 00:23:57.329 extraordinarily important. After all, the very 00:23:57.329 --> 00:24:01.049 fifth commandment of 10 says you are to honor 00:24:01.049 --> 00:24:05.329 your father and mother. But Jesus is rejecting 00:24:05.329 --> 00:24:09.349 any claim that our family might have on us that 00:24:09.349 --> 00:24:12.809 would keep us or hinder us from doing God's will. 00:24:13.589 --> 00:24:17.650 So anytime a choice is required by loyalty to 00:24:17.650 --> 00:24:22.000 Christ, and loyalty to your family, Christ must 00:24:22.000 --> 00:24:26.960 win. Obedience to Jesus Christ is the deepest 00:24:26.960 --> 00:24:31.460 and our most ultimate allegiance. And by the 00:24:31.460 --> 00:24:33.859 way, the same dynamic is at play in our relationship 00:24:33.859 --> 00:24:36.940 to the law. The law of the land is very important, 00:24:37.140 --> 00:24:41.819 but it is not ultimate. Anytime man's law, doesn't 00:24:41.819 --> 00:24:43.319 matter if it's from the Supreme Court or not, 00:24:43.559 --> 00:24:47.319 anytime man's law contradicts God's law, the 00:24:47.319 --> 00:24:52.240 Christian, out of conscience, must obey God rather 00:24:52.240 --> 00:24:58.319 than man. Why? Because God and his kingdom are 00:24:58.319 --> 00:25:01.859 our ultimate priority. That's what he's saying 00:25:01.859 --> 00:25:04.279 here. This is why he's always taught that. Back 00:25:04.279 --> 00:25:06.220 in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6 .33, 00:25:06.440 --> 00:25:11.460 seek first primacy. Seek first the kingdom of 00:25:11.460 --> 00:25:15.420 God and his righteousness. So the point's clear. 00:25:16.039 --> 00:25:18.400 Your ultimate allegiance has to be, friends, 00:25:18.519 --> 00:25:21.079 not to your family, but to God and his kingdom. 00:25:21.759 --> 00:25:24.759 Now we also see a very important point, and this 00:25:24.759 --> 00:25:27.019 is an exciting point. Entrance into this kingdom 00:25:27.019 --> 00:25:31.119 is open to all people. Anyone may enter. No one 00:25:31.119 --> 00:25:33.539 is excluded by your birth or your class or your 00:25:33.539 --> 00:25:36.279 sex or your ethnicity. Anyone. Jesus said whoever. 00:25:37.039 --> 00:25:39.059 Whoever it is who does the will of my Father. 00:25:39.319 --> 00:25:41.299 You're saying, isn't that salvation by works? 00:25:41.460 --> 00:25:44.059 No, it's not salvation by works because Jesus 00:25:44.059 --> 00:25:48.440 did not say that through whoever does God's will 00:25:48.440 --> 00:25:52.319 enters my family. He didn't say that. He's saying 00:25:52.319 --> 00:25:55.359 whoever does the will is my family. This is the 00:25:55.359 --> 00:25:57.940 hallmark. In fact, you're saying, well, what 00:25:57.940 --> 00:26:00.420 is the will of the Father? I'm glad you asked. 00:26:00.900 --> 00:26:04.079 John 6. They said to him, What shall we do? That 00:26:04.079 --> 00:26:06.500 we should work the works of God. And Jesus answered 00:26:06.500 --> 00:26:08.599 and said, there's one work. This is the work 00:26:08.599 --> 00:26:12.500 of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent. 00:26:13.640 --> 00:26:15.859 God's will, folks, is that you repent of your 00:26:15.859 --> 00:26:19.680 sin and believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ. You 00:26:19.680 --> 00:26:23.039 can never, ever obey your way into God's family. 00:26:24.039 --> 00:26:28.339 God requires absolute, perfect, 100 % obedience. 00:26:28.779 --> 00:26:31.359 And by the way, we're disqualified in our birth. 00:26:32.099 --> 00:26:35.259 Because we are born in sin, guilty before God 00:26:35.259 --> 00:26:37.259 from the inherited guilt we received in Adam. 00:26:37.960 --> 00:26:40.920 So we're disqualified from birth. Instead, God 00:26:40.920 --> 00:26:45.319 must adopt us into his family by grace. Ephesians 00:26:45.319 --> 00:26:48.380 2, the Apostle Paul. For by grace you have been 00:26:48.380 --> 00:26:50.579 saved. Through faith, that's the instrument. 00:26:51.440 --> 00:26:53.680 And that, that whole thing, that's not of yourselves. 00:26:54.500 --> 00:26:59.220 It's a gift of God. Not of works, unless anyone 00:26:59.220 --> 00:27:02.130 should boast. entrance into the family of God 00:27:02.130 --> 00:27:05.990 by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ 00:27:05.990 --> 00:27:10.109 alone, to the glory of God alone. Galatians 3, 00:27:10.210 --> 00:27:15.130 Paul said, for you all are sons of God through 00:27:15.130 --> 00:27:19.789 faith in Christ Jesus. But the lesson is true 00:27:19.789 --> 00:27:22.690 faith is never alone. It will be accompanied 00:27:22.690 --> 00:27:26.609 by two things, love and good works. Jesus in 00:27:26.609 --> 00:27:30.440 John 14, 15 says, if you love me, Keep my commandments. 00:27:31.339 --> 00:27:33.059 Don't tell me you love me and disobey me the 00:27:33.059 --> 00:27:34.960 whole time. Don't call me Lord and then don't 00:27:34.960 --> 00:27:37.779 do what I'm telling you to do. The evidence of 00:27:37.779 --> 00:27:42.440 love for Christ is obedience to Christ. Even 00:27:42.440 --> 00:27:44.339 in the Ephesians passage that I just read, for 00:27:44.339 --> 00:27:46.279 by grace you have been saved through faith, that 00:27:46.279 --> 00:27:48.420 not of yourselves, it's a gift of God, not of 00:27:48.420 --> 00:27:50.200 works, lest any man should boast. If we keep 00:27:50.200 --> 00:27:52.680 reading, Paul explains it in verse 10. For we 00:27:52.680 --> 00:27:55.559 are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus, 00:27:55.660 --> 00:28:00.589 what? For good works, which God... prepared beforehand 00:28:00.589 --> 00:28:02.950 that we should walk in them. Now let me just 00:28:02.950 --> 00:28:05.609 say this. If God has foreordained something, 00:28:05.730 --> 00:28:10.130 it's going to happen. In Christ, God has foreordained 00:28:10.130 --> 00:28:13.589 that his children walk in good works as his chosen 00:28:13.589 --> 00:28:19.029 masterpiece, showing forth his praises. You are 00:28:19.029 --> 00:28:21.930 God's masterpiece in the world, showing his praises. 00:28:22.170 --> 00:28:26.730 So a living, true relationship with Jesus results 00:28:26.730 --> 00:28:31.700 in obedient discipleship. Jesus said that again 00:28:31.700 --> 00:28:34.299 in Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7. He said 00:28:34.299 --> 00:28:36.940 this, Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, 00:28:37.000 --> 00:28:39.859 will enter in the kingdom of heaven, but who 00:28:39.859 --> 00:28:42.940 does the will of my Father in heaven. That's 00:28:42.940 --> 00:28:45.759 who enters the kingdom. We obey. Absolutely, 00:28:45.920 --> 00:28:49.079 that's true. But our obedience flows from our 00:28:49.079 --> 00:28:54.039 union with Christ and our love for him. Because 00:28:54.039 --> 00:28:56.579 we've been adopted by God, we have a love for 00:28:56.579 --> 00:28:58.740 God and a desire to obey God, not perfectly, 00:28:58.940 --> 00:29:00.940 which is why we confess our sins every Lord's 00:29:00.940 --> 00:29:04.640 Day. But love for God and obedience to him are 00:29:04.640 --> 00:29:08.380 the hallmark of those who belong to him. And 00:29:08.380 --> 00:29:10.440 that message is throughout the entire New Testament. 00:29:11.400 --> 00:29:13.579 But friends, let me just say this. We can only 00:29:13.579 --> 00:29:18.380 love him because he first loved us. He's the 00:29:18.380 --> 00:29:22.220 initiator. It all flows from him. Notice Jesus 00:29:22.220 --> 00:29:26.400 did not say whoever does God's will. He said 00:29:26.400 --> 00:29:30.019 whoever does the will of my Father. That phrase, 00:29:30.119 --> 00:29:34.079 my Father, centers everything on Jesus being 00:29:34.079 --> 00:29:38.240 the unique Son of God. That means Jesus' family 00:29:38.240 --> 00:29:41.980 is defined by relationship that he has to his 00:29:41.980 --> 00:29:46.180 Father, which I said this way. The true family 00:29:46.180 --> 00:29:49.809 of God... is created by the Father's will, but 00:29:49.809 --> 00:29:52.990 it is mediated through his one and only begotten 00:29:52.990 --> 00:29:57.789 Son. It's all about the relationship that Jesus 00:29:57.789 --> 00:30:00.490 enjoys with his Father, and we are brought into 00:30:00.490 --> 00:30:04.250 that, adopted into that. We have an incredible 00:30:04.250 --> 00:30:06.789 privilege, church, of being brought into the 00:30:06.789 --> 00:30:10.549 family of God and being extraordinarily loved 00:30:10.549 --> 00:30:15.829 by him. J .C. Ryle said this, speaking of this 00:30:15.829 --> 00:30:18.460 passage. Yet here we see that all his believing 00:30:18.460 --> 00:30:21.900 people are counted as family. And he loves them 00:30:21.900 --> 00:30:24.579 and feels for them and cares for them as members 00:30:24.579 --> 00:30:27.819 of his family. Bone of his bone and flesh of 00:30:27.819 --> 00:30:30.680 his flesh. They are far more precious in the 00:30:30.680 --> 00:30:33.500 Lord's eyes than they are in their own. Their 00:30:33.500 --> 00:30:35.599 faith may be feeble. Yeah, I can relate to that. 00:30:36.119 --> 00:30:38.279 Their repentance weak. Yeah, I can see that. 00:30:38.720 --> 00:30:42.480 And their strength small. They may be poor and 00:30:42.480 --> 00:30:45.380 needy in this world. But there is a glorious 00:30:45.380 --> 00:30:47.359 whoever in the last verse of this chapter which 00:30:47.359 --> 00:30:51.559 ought to cheer them. Whoever believes is a near 00:30:51.559 --> 00:30:56.980 relation of Christ. So now what as we close? 00:30:58.660 --> 00:31:02.059 In the Jewish mind, if you were a descendant 00:31:02.059 --> 00:31:04.599 of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, they thought you 00:31:04.599 --> 00:31:07.119 automatically were given a spot in the kingdom 00:31:07.119 --> 00:31:10.619 of God. That's what they thought. And then Jesus 00:31:10.619 --> 00:31:13.680 Christ comes on the scene and... While with his 00:31:13.680 --> 00:31:16.160 biological family standing outside the house 00:31:16.160 --> 00:31:18.279 where he was teaching, he then points to his 00:31:18.279 --> 00:31:20.839 disciples and he said, here, right here, right 00:31:20.839 --> 00:31:23.500 in front of me are my mother and brothers. Here 00:31:23.500 --> 00:31:26.240 is my family. For whoever does the will of my 00:31:26.240 --> 00:31:28.960 Father in heaven, that is my mother, my sister, 00:31:29.079 --> 00:31:33.539 and my brothers. He's teaching. He was teaching 00:31:33.539 --> 00:31:35.400 his disciples that there's something stronger 00:31:35.400 --> 00:31:37.940 and greater than family ties and genealogy. What 00:31:37.940 --> 00:31:41.380 is that? It's this relationship we have God and 00:31:41.380 --> 00:31:44.799 the kingdom of God. The Apostle Paul in Galatians 00:31:44.799 --> 00:31:47.180 3 taught a very similar thing that was just as 00:31:47.180 --> 00:31:50.660 shocking, and I'm closing with this. In Galatians 00:31:50.660 --> 00:31:52.960 3, 28, he said, There is neither Jew nor Greek, 00:31:53.160 --> 00:31:57.380 neither slave nor free, male nor female, for 00:31:57.380 --> 00:32:00.559 you are all one in Christ Jesus. Now this is 00:32:00.559 --> 00:32:04.740 the shocking part. But if you are Christ's, it 00:32:04.740 --> 00:32:07.279 doesn't matter if you're a Gentile, then you 00:32:07.279 --> 00:32:12.019 are Abraham's seed. And you too are an heir according 00:32:12.019 --> 00:32:15.779 to the promise. Now that is absolutely radical, 00:32:15.940 --> 00:32:19.900 people. Because Paul, that great Jewish apologist, 00:32:20.140 --> 00:32:23.119 he said, there's no Jew, there's no Greek, there's 00:32:23.119 --> 00:32:26.099 no distinction in Christ. In Jesus you are equal. 00:32:27.099 --> 00:32:29.299 Gentiles aren't less and Jews aren't more. There 00:32:29.299 --> 00:32:31.500 is no distinction there. You are one in Christ. 00:32:31.680 --> 00:32:37.180 There is a new family created by God. And it's 00:32:37.180 --> 00:32:39.299 not based on your ethnicity nor your ancestry. 00:32:40.160 --> 00:32:42.759 Praise God for that. Jesus said, whoever does 00:32:42.759 --> 00:32:45.339 the will of my Father in heaven, that's my family. 00:32:45.400 --> 00:32:50.539 Paul said, all who are in Christ are sons of 00:32:50.539 --> 00:32:55.700 God and heirs of the promise. So what's the lesson? 00:32:56.900 --> 00:33:02.240 God today is creating a new family. Not relegated 00:33:02.240 --> 00:33:06.240 to some... geography there in the Middle East, 00:33:06.380 --> 00:33:09.640 but this new family, it's not formed by your 00:33:09.640 --> 00:33:11.440 ethnicity, it's not formed by your bloodline, 00:33:11.519 --> 00:33:13.160 has nothing to do with who your parents are, 00:33:13.259 --> 00:33:15.420 but it has everything to do with your relationship 00:33:15.420 --> 00:33:19.299 to his one and only begotten son. Which is why 00:33:19.299 --> 00:33:22.480 the Apostle Paul said, for you are all sons of 00:33:22.480 --> 00:33:28.960 God through faith in Christ Jesus. We're going 00:33:28.960 --> 00:33:32.140 to come to the table. That means the person taking 00:33:32.140 --> 00:33:34.660 communion today who is seated next to you, they're 00:33:34.660 --> 00:33:38.279 not just a fellow church member. They are your 00:33:38.279 --> 00:33:45.059 brother or your sister. Friends, this is our 00:33:45.059 --> 00:33:49.559 eternal family because we share a common Father 00:33:49.559 --> 00:33:55.640 in God the Almighty. You have been adopted. You 00:33:55.640 --> 00:33:58.579 have been clothed with Christ. And according 00:33:58.579 --> 00:34:01.170 to the Apostle Paul, You are an heir of that 00:34:01.170 --> 00:34:04.509 great promise given to Abraham. Let me just say 00:34:04.509 --> 00:34:10.230 this. You are a blessed, blessed people. Celebrate 00:34:10.230 --> 00:34:12.829 that as we go to the table and we remember the 00:34:12.829 --> 00:34:16.550 death of our Lord that secured our place in his 00:34:16.550 --> 00:34:20.969 kingdom. Let's pray. Father, we thank you this 00:34:20.969 --> 00:34:25.150 morning. How good you are to us. How good you 00:34:25.150 --> 00:34:30.489 are to your people, Lord. Lord, we have nothing 00:34:30.489 --> 00:34:32.369 that we can boast of. Lord, our obedience did 00:34:32.369 --> 00:34:35.869 not earn us a spot in your kingdom. Lord, in 00:34:35.869 --> 00:34:38.070 fact, we were told that while we were yet dead 00:34:38.070 --> 00:34:41.570 in our sins, aliens from the Commonwealth of 00:34:41.570 --> 00:34:44.730 Israel, strangers from the promises, Lord, without 00:34:44.730 --> 00:34:48.510 hope and without you in this world, you took 00:34:48.510 --> 00:34:52.099 mercy and pity upon us, Lord. And you have united 00:34:52.099 --> 00:34:54.320 us to your son and you have raised us up with 00:34:54.320 --> 00:34:56.500 him and given us new life in him. In fact, you 00:34:56.500 --> 00:34:58.500 said that you seeded us with him in the heavenly 00:34:58.500 --> 00:35:01.659 places, Lord. God, we can't even imagine. We 00:35:01.659 --> 00:35:04.179 can't. Our minds are blown. Lord, thank you that, 00:35:04.219 --> 00:35:07.039 Lord, no longer do we must be a child of Abraham 00:35:07.039 --> 00:35:09.719 physically. But, Lord, we can be a son of Abraham 00:35:09.719 --> 00:35:13.199 spiritually through faith in the true seed, Christ 00:35:13.199 --> 00:35:16.579 himself. Faith in the true Israel, Christ himself. 00:35:17.300 --> 00:35:19.940 Lord, we need you, Lord, today. Lord, we celebrate 00:35:19.940 --> 00:35:22.059 your goodness and your grace. Lord, thank you 00:35:22.059 --> 00:35:24.800 for all you've done for us. And we praise that 00:35:24.800 --> 00:35:27.659 blessed, glorious name for what you've done for 00:35:27.659 --> 00:35:31.239 us in your son, in whose name we pray. Amen.