The Love of Family

Ephesians 3:14-19 “For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God."

When asked: “What can you do to promote “World Peace?” Mother Teresa answered: “Go home and love your family.” You may have heard that “charity (kindness and the disposition to do good that leads to peace) begin a home.” To change a neighborhood, a community, a nation and the world, look at, love and invest in what is right under your roof. Pastor JJ continues his “Who owns you?” Sermon series with this challenge: “It starts with me. I need to be the change in the world that I want to see.” The basic and fundamental building block of society is the family and that was by God’s design. Peace comes from investing in our families and training them up in the ways of God. The Peacemaker doesn't want to make a spectacle, but goes out of their way to build and nurture the godly family. Do not miss the point that it’s not about us, but ultimately our loving God, the Father of the children of the kingdom of Heaven. Our Maker made families not to do whatever they want, but to follow the Lord by aligning our will with the will of God found in the Word of God and being an active part in His work today. Secular society places their trust in a government that increasingly chisels away at the building block of family. Don’t substitute an empowered government for family, but revolve around empowered parents to raise and produce balanced and godly families that reproduce balanced and godly families.

Romans 8:13-17 “If you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”  The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ.

The best gift you can give your kids is a good, solid godly marriage, because being mom and dad to a godly child is their greatest earthly joy. And don’t pour all the attention into the children, but cleave to our spouse. There was a line in the recent movie “Parental Guidance” where the mother told her daughter that “the kids grow up and leave, but your spouse stays.” Honor the marriage relationship and honor God’s structure of the family, passing on the values of the Kingdom of God.

Matthew 12:48-50 He (Jesus) 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.”

Our extended family is the family of God, our brothers and sisters in Christ. Even greater is this “family of God” as the foundational building block of “the next life” – the building of the kingdom of Heaven. There is something beyond this life and God wants to do something deeper – to be a part of His family. This is the will of the Father, to become Christ’s mother, and brother, and sister. Are you a part of the family of God, where the love of family abounds?

In Christ, Brian