The Family
Notes
Transcript
Background
Background
If we have not had the pleasure of meeting my name is John Colunga and I have the privilige of serving as lead pastor here at New Day Pasadena
I also have the privilige of bringing this weeks sermon
So if you have your Bibles, please turn to Matthew 19
If you forgot your Bible please use the one in front of you and if you dont have a Bible at all, please take home the one in front of you as a free gift to you
Matthew Series
Magnifies Jesus as King of Kings
In Matthew 5 discourses - in depth teachings of Jesus
Outside of the discourses are more narratives by Matthew
first discourse (Sermon on the Mount) chapters 5-7
second discourse (Commissioning of the Disciples) Chapter 10
third discourse (Parables of Christ and his reign) Chapter 13
Fourth discourse (Living as in the Kingdom of God chapter 18
And in that fourth discourse Jesus is teaching how we are to live
That we are to have the humility of children to depend and trust in God
That we are to resist temptation and to resist it at great lengths
We are to reconcile and forgive
Matthew 19 Background
And today as we look at chapter 19
We find that after this teachings, Jesus is approached in three different ways
And each narrated story has to do with a different topic
We find the topics of marriage, children, and salvation/blessings of that salvation
But for us, the question I ask today is How do you approach Jesus with your marriage?
How do you approach Jesus with your kids?
And How do you approach Jesus as a beloved child of God?
We talk a lot about having a high view of who God is
And what we know is that Jesus is part of the trinity of God
And within the trinity he is the Son of God
He was and is the redeemer for all of Gods people
And so we say and believe that Jesus must be at the center of your life
And because he is at the center of your life, he must also be at the center of every relationship, every conversation, every action.
To have a high view of God is to also have a high view of who Jesus, what Jesus taught, and what Jesus accomplished in his life and death
And because Jesus was perfect, because Jesus was God, in his teachings we find a high, holy, and righteous standard that stems from a perfect love
And this perfect love of Jesus spills into every aspect of matters of living
Do we have a high, holy, and righteous standard that stems from love for the way we live?
Because when we dont have this love and standard, when we are not striving to live in the spirit of God, then we will be more suseptable to approaching Jesus in unworthy manners
If you are able to stand, I ask that you please do so for the reading of God’s word. I’ll read it as you follow along,
Now when Jesus had finished these sayings, he went away from Galilee and entered the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. 2 And large crowds followed him, and he healed them there. 3 And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?” 4 He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, 5 and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” 7 They said to him, “Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?” 8 He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. 9 And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.” 10 The disciples said to him, “If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” 11 But he said to them, “Not everyone can receive this saying, but only those to whom it is given. 12 For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is able to receive this receive it.” 13 Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people, 14 but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” 15 And he laid his hands on them and went away. 16 And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” 17 And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” 18 He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, 19 Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 20 The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. 23 And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” 26 But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” 27 Then Peter said in reply, “See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” 28 Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.
This is the Word of the Lord - You may now be seated
Pharisees & Marriage
Pharisees & Marriage
Testing
Immediately we find in the text that the Pharisees were seeking to test him
Their appraoch to Jesus was of a hardened heart
They did not trust him, they thought Jesus was lying, and they were looking for any chance to disprove who Jesus was claiming to be
And so the pharisees ask Jesus a question about marriage
“Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?”
And as they are asking this question they are hoping that Jesus answers the question politically
That he would either be liberal or conservative with his answer
And that way, no matter which way he answers - they would have an o1`qpposing argument ready to jump on him
But Jesus doesnt answer politically - he answers with the intention of God - that in the origination of creation,
In the perfected state of creation God created them male and female, 5 and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”
Jesus gives a response that in perfect love divorce is never an option
That perect love makes way for a perfect marriage
And Jesus - being there at the cration of man and woman loves marriage and the way that it was created
Second Question
The pharisees then try trip up Jesus by bringing up Moses and how even Moses allowed for divorce
And Jesus’ answer to that is simple - man was no longer perfect
And becuase man is imperfect - there has to be protection for woman
In the time of Moses the men would divorce their wife, not provide for her, but when they get jealous that she may be with another, they could accuse her of being the one breaking the marriage
To protect the woman - Moses allowed the certificate of divorce so that if her husband would divorce her - he couldnt come
“Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.
And so again, Jesus goes back to the original, perfect, creation of marriage
And because divorce was so prevelant in that time Jesus sets a narrow standard for when a divorce is acceptable
9 And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.”
Now, if you are hearing this for the first time and you have no frame of reference of other scriptures
Your immediate thought is, man this is harsh
And your mind probably wonders to circumstances of abuse, separation, desertion, and so forth
And to address everything and the words of Jesus would require an entire collection of sermons
Looking at other texts within scripture, Pauls writings - where many of these are addressed
And so I dare not take on this task today
But the truth of matter is Jesus said what he said
And his strak contrast to what was permitted in that day left the disciples in disbelief
And dont feel like you are the only one feeling like this is an imposible standard
Because even the disciples then, questioned Jesus about this
Then Jesus, wouldnt it be better if we just stayed unmarried?
Jesus then addresses singleness which is another big and important topic fo another time
But by the end of this section, it is clear that Jesus loves marriage as instuted at the beginning of creation
And Jesus desires for marriages to endure hard times in our imperfected state
Children Witheld
Children Witheld
Witheld
Next we find children wanting to approach Jesus
And Jesus just got done using children as an example in chapter 18
That the children depend on their parents to care for them and so they have humility knowing who loves and provides for them
In the same way, we are to depend on and trust in God
And that God loves his people and pursues his people when one of them is straying
And here, we have actual children being brought forth by their parents so that Jesus could lay hands on them and pray for them
And the disciples are stopping them and rebuking them
It is believed because the disciples thought was that Jesus’ work was too important for them
But instead, Jesus said -
“Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”
A couple of weeks ago we talked about God allowing some to see, hear, and understand the kingdom of God
And here Jesus tells us that God even allows for children to see, hear, and understand the kingdom of God
So the disciples in a sense were not understanding that salvation and the teachings of Jesus is also for the kids
It wasn’t too hard, it wasnt like trying to teach 12th grade math to a first grader
But simply, that becuase we submit that God is sovereign and that God is love, that God does allow the children to see, hear, and understand the truths of God even when some adults cant!
And again, its not for us to question God, but only to submit that we should not limit God or limit his power of what he is able to do
Even the children can understand by the mercy and grace of God
Jesus loves the children
Arrogance or Pride
Arrogance or Pride
Self
In the case of the young ruler - he approached Jesus with all arrogance and pride
A man who has everything - who buys whatever he wants
Snaps his finger and he is no longer lacking
But he is lacking eternal life - and in his arrogance he believes he keeps the law perfectly
He believes that getting eternal life will be an easy task
But upon the news that he must give up all he has - he has found something he cannot do
He has found something that he can never receive
And so we walks away sorrowful
Now one of the Jewish beliefs is that the more wealth you have, the more favor you must have with God
So you can imagine that wealth was something to be desired and be the goal
And here is Jesus saying that that is wrong
“Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”
And so the astonished disciples ask the question
“Who then can be saved?”
“With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
And finally, Jesus concludes that the greatest reward is eternal life and with that the blessings of eternal treasures
Application
Application
Marriage?
How do you approach Jesus in your marriage?
Do you trust that Jesus is working in your marriage?
Are you living in such a way that keeps Christ out of your marriage?
Are you leaning in your own strength and willpower to keep your marriage together?
Wether we think it or not - Keeping our marriage together is a day in and day out kind of joy
And when we look at Jesus who loves marriage and points to it as a beuatiful union instituted by God
How dare we ever look or take marriage lightly
Men should be loving their wives as Christ loved the church
And we remember what Christ did for his church - he died for her
Men, are we sacrificially loving our wives daily?
The bride of Christ (the church submits to Jesus)
And so the wife submits to the husbands leading of the family
That the wife helps in leading the family and works for unity and peace within the home
And not one is more important than the other - but that the two become one and live out their calling as given by God
And so if we approach Jesus in our marriage as the center - approaching Jesus with all authority and respect -
If we approach Jesus as little children - humbly depending on him to sustain our marriage -
Then and only then will we have the love, grace, patience, forgiveness, faithfulness, goodness, and self control to keep our marriages together
Children
How do we appraoch the raising of our Children?
Do we fully trust that God has a plan for them?
Do we keep the word of God away from them by not talking about Jesus in the home?
Do we think and believe that we got this parenting thing down and will consult God when needed?
Wether we think it or not, pointing our kids to Christ is a day in and day out kind of joy
Parents - dont you dare rely on this church to be the primary disciple maker for your kids
This church is a secondary place for your kids to learn about Christ and is a secondary place for them to be discipled
(Iv’e enjoyed being an uncle/tio cause I can hold my nephews and then I can give them back)
You are the primary disciple maker of the home
God gave your kids to you - to love, and bless, and teach, and steward
Their spiritual life is something you are to help steward
Are you sharing Jesus, teaching about Jesus, and pointing to Jesus in the home?
When you are going through your own devotion and private time - you can share or teach theat to them
When God is teaching you something or has done something in your life - share it with your kids
When you fail and have to ask for forgiveness - tell your kids and teach them about the forgiveness and mercy of Jesus
I promise you this church is here to help - they will learn about Jesus here, they will be loved here, they will be safe here, but you are primary catalyst
At the end of the day - we should approach Jesus like children for our children
We humbly submit they are in Gods hands and we trust that as we steward their souls
that one day their eyes will be opened, their ears will hear, and they will understand the truths of God
We believe that God can do a might work in the lives of our children
As I think about my own conversion in the first grade - and as ive questioned it through the years was that the time when I was truly saved
I cannot help but remmeber the peace and joy I had in Christ growing up and the providence he has had in my life
Trust in Christ as you lead your kids and share him with your kids in the home
Church
Do you trust in Jesus to build his church
Do you trust him that he can build this church and the global church
Do you sit back as a skeptic assessing the landscape and making judgements on what you see?
Do we think that we have the power to build this church on our own?
Do we keep others from hearing the gospel by not sharing the gospel message to others?
According to Jesus who loves his church - we are not alone
Who then can be saved? “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
And as we believe and trust in God, we must also then believe that there is not a soul alive that God cant do a mighty work in
Oh that person is too far gone
With man - it is impossible, but with God all things are possible
And so with our faith in Jesus, in our belief of who he is, we believe that if he is at the center of our life - at the center of every thing we do - it is possible for him to work through us to do his will
That because of God in you he can work through you to repair and strengthen your marriage
That because of God in you he can work through you to bring your child to Christ
That because of God in you he can work through you to bring others to Christ
Jesus loves marriage
Jesus loves children
Jesus loves his church
Announcements
Announcements
Connect Card - Please fill out, we want to connect with you
Pasadena Spotlight - The entire church is welcome to join New Day Oak Forest at 6pm on Wednesday for their Mid-Week Gathering. They want to specifically pray for Pasadena and encourage us. It will also be good for us to see how God has blessed them. Food is served at 6pm, 6:30 the gathering starts, Colunga’s and Vitovsky’s are willing to drive you if you need to carpool
New Day Reading Plan - Hebrews 7- Hebrews 11
Benediction - Colossians 3:15 “May the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.” Amen