An Intimate/Relational Family
Living Together Series • Sermon • Submitted
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· 6 viewsLet our relationship with God and forever family be intimate
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Intimate
Intimate
When you think of intimate what do you think of?
Defined as: (adj)
Closely acquainted; familiar, close.
Private and personal
We all have some intimate relationships in one sort or to one level or another (insert illustration of mine). This series as mentioned before is about our living together here on earth and as a church family. Previously discussed are we a community of believers or a group of anonymous worshipers. As mentioned I believe we are a community of believers who are concerned for one another and always can use ways to grow and improve and protect from becoming the other as we grow in our church.
Last week we did the intro into this series and were short on scriptures, well tonight we are going to get into this and get into scriptures and look at what Jesus has to say and teach concerning the church He would build and how we should be in our intimate forever family.
I. Different world views of Church
I. Different world views of Church
Today’s world view
Institution
Organization
Then there are some of the titles you may hear or see
Associate Minister
Director of Children’s ministry
Director of song, music, worship
Are we talking about a church, a fellowship of believers or a business, a corporation? Don’t get me wrong we are to have some organization for God is not the God of confusion (1Cor14:40)
But all things must be done properly and in an orderly manner.
Jesus world view
Family is the one’s doing the will of the Father in heaven. MT12:46-50, 6:8-9; 1Pt2:17; 1Tim3:15)
46 While He was still speaking to the crowds, behold, His mother and brothers were standing outside, seeking to speak to Him. 47 Someone said to Him, “Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside seeking to speak to You.”
48 But Jesus answered the one who was telling Him and said, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” 49 And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, “Behold My mother and My brothers!
50 “For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother.”
Mt12:50
There are many other places this is found too, where we are told to address the Father in heaven as father.
16 and to those who were selling the doves He said, “Take these things away; stop making My Father’s house a place of business.”
8 “So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. 9 “Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
Mt
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the Apostles speak of family
17 Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.
We are a brotherhood, a family of believers
17 “Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate,” says the Lord. “And do not touch what is unclean; And I will welcome you. 18 “And I will be a father to you, And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,” Says the Lord Almighty.
Another verse you maybe familiar with from Paul
15 but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.
1Tim
We are a household, we are the church, under the care and protection of the living God.
We are not an institution, we are an intimate family, we are not an organization but a fellowship of believers united into the family of God.
Sometimes we may display the intimacy, sometimes we may need a little help in doing it and seeing it in each other.
II. Intimacy in Family
II. Intimacy in Family
Interpersonal relationships
We are to be like little children (Mt18:1-4)
1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 And He called a child to Himself and set him before them,
3 and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 “Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
We are to be submissive to one another (Eph5:21)
We are not to lord over each other, but serve each other
We are to be interdependent on one another for we are one. (1COr12:12-13)
12 For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. 13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.
Then there is our concern for one another (Mt17:5-7)
5 “And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me; 6 but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. 7 “Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks! For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to that man through whom the stumbling block comes!
We are to build up, not put stumbling blocks before each other. There will be those things, but together we can help each other over them.
For the one who strays to help him be restored (Gal6:1)
1 Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted.
Or staying with the Matthew passage (Mt18:10-14)
10 “See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven. 11 “For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.
12 “What do you think? If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying? 13 “If it turns out that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray.
14 “So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones perish.
Be willing to help the lost sheep, be willing to look for the lost sheep. For the will of the Father is that none perish.
Sometimes family needs discipline and we need to do that to one another, but from a place of love, with gentleness and respect. (Mt18:15-17)
15 “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. 16 “But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed.
Mt18:17
17 “If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.
IF we ere to look at another passage in 2The3:6-15 we would see.
First we are commanded, stay away from unruly (v.6)
We know the example we should follow (vv.7-10)
Don’t be a busybody, work for a living (v.11)
As a family we don’t live and allow unruly behavior, we know the examples set before us in the scripture including and not limited to gossiping and living off others, we are all to contribute to our household, our wellbeing and our family.
Tough love for the erroring brother maybe hard, but is necessary. withholding family relationship is geared to help bring them back to the fold not to put them out forever, better the flesh be destroyed than the soul.
As an intimate family we are to forgive each other. (Mt18:21-22)
21 Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.
We are not to keep a record of wrongs done or offenses made. In doing that it hinders and hampers the intimacy of the family. Family forgives (1Cor13:5; Col2:13; Mt18:35)
5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered,
Remember we are to love one another, love forgives
If we need a reminder, remember our Father who is in Heaven forgave us
13 When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions,
We are commanded to forgive even and you can look at that in Mt18:23-35. Just look at this last verse
35 “My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart.”
We must forgive for when we don’t the Father does not forgive. Not just words, but must be done from the heart!
Then as an intimate family we are to serve one another (Mt20:25-28)
25 But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. 26 “It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant,
27 and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
Mt20:27-28
We serve one another as we would our physical family. Maybe you remember the line from a song long ago.
“He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother”
We serve one another by being willing to carry each others burdens. (Gal6:2)
2 Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.
The law of Christ is love (1Cor13:13)
13 But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.
Intimacy within our forever family is important, it may be the only thing people notice when they walk through the door. Our church, our fellowship, our forever family is to be, a home away from home, a place of refuge and restoration. It is our eternal home with each other. The church is our true home.
III. Church our true home
III. Church our true home
In our true home, our forever home, while here on earth it is not easy in the forever family. In fact it can be costly
Could cost earthly family members (Mt10:34-39)
34 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 “For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
36 and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household. 37 “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.
38 “And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 “He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.
We have to be willing to forsake earthly family
We have to be willing to pick up our cross (burden) ad follow
Know that whatever the cost maybe, as difficult as it maybe at times the cost is eternally worth it. (Mk10:28-30)
28 Peter began to say to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You.” 29 Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake,
30 but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life.
Our intimate family, our true family can be a family to help those
disadvantaged that need a helping hand
Those who have no real family at all
The hurting, the sinners, the broken, the outcasts
Our true family is to be an available family to help the helpless and the hurting. Then there is those who are in dysfunctional situations maybe by choice, maybe by upbringing we can love them and help them to come to know the truth and to walk in the truth.
This leads to final point for tonight about our intimate church family.
IV. Building on Intimate Church Family
IV. Building on Intimate Church Family
It is spending more time together, being fed together. (Act2:42-46)
(v.42) Apostles doctrine, prayer, breaking of bread and fellowship
(v.44) be together, believe together, have all things (Jesus) in common
(v.45) helping each other in need
(v.46) be of one accord (one mind) - they shared meals together, they worshiped together with a sincerity of heart.
Consider do we make time to fellowship with one another or with new people, even when our schedule is busy? - - - i know this is an area I need to work on, I’m stepping on my own toes here.
It can be widening our circle of fellowship to others (Mk9:38-40)
38 John said to Him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we tried to prevent him because he was not following us.” 39 But Jesus said, “Do not hinder him, for there is no one who will perform a miracle in My name, and be able soon afterward to speak evil of Me. 40 “For he who is not against us is for us.
We may not agree with everything with everyone but when we have an open door there is an opportunity to “teach more accurately”. - - - expand on this, time permitting
Remember we are not a country club for saints we are a hospital for sinners
saving souls (act2:46)
restoring the erring (Gal6:1)
Edifying the saved (Eph4:12)
when we widen our circle we open the door for
preaching and teaching
exhorting and restoring
ministering to the needs, and helping others.
Let us put our hands to the plow for our intimate family, our forever family and make it a home that is open and available to all.
Lead to invitation
How do we become family
26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.