The True "Family Of Jesus"

A wonderful blessing is that of having a family

     a. A source of love and acceptance
     b. A stronghold of support and encouragement

But we are not limited to the blessings of a physical family...

    a. Jesus hinted at the existence of an extended family (Mk 10:28-30)

         1) A benefit of leaving all to follow Him

         2) Even if it meant leaving one's physical family     

     b. He used another opportunity to describe that family (Mt 12:46-50)

         1) As His physical family sought to speak to Him

         2) He described those who made up His "spiritual" family Jesus used this opportunity to identify true family (Mt 12:48-49)

He then described anyone who "does the will of My Father in heaven" as His brother, sister, and mother  (Mt 12:50)

Why would Jesus identify His disciples as His true family?

     a. Our physical families are only temporary 

          1) Begun at birth, ending at death

          2) Just as death ends the marriage bond, so it ends the familial tie (Rom 7:2-3)

-- Emotionally we might resist this notion, but the fact remains the same

     b. Physical unions do not always mean spiritual ones

          1) At the time Jesus spoke, His brothers did not believe in Him

          2) As often happens, family members do not always have the same interests, the same concerns

          3) Jesus taught that physical relatives might not accept the truth (Mt 10:34-37)

-- Thus the true "Family Of Jesus" are those who do His Father's Will
Bits and Pieces of Sermons from Matthew

God's Goodness

Our attitude toward Almighty God will determine the degree of darkness or light that we experience as we walk through the valley of the shadow of death. It is normal for individuals to feel grief at the loss of someone dear to them. Help is available for times such as these! King Solomon, the wisest man ever to live on the face of this earth, with the exception of Jesus, the Christ, in Ecclesiastes 3:1-4 (NLT), tells us: "There is a time for everything, a season for every activity under Heaven. (v. 2) A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest. (v. 3) A time to kill and a time to heal. A time to tear down and a time to rebuild. (v. 4) A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance."

It is obvious that King Solomon recognizes the hurts of life - but, He points out that help is available; and, that this help comes from Almighty God, whom the Prophet Nahum describes as being good! Yes, my brothers and sisters, the Lord God Almighty is good! We see the goodness of Almighty God in the world that He created! In the "Book of Beginnings" - in Genesis 1:31 (NLT) - we read: "Then God looked over all He had made, and He saw that it was excellent in every way. This all happened on the sixth day." Just look at these beautiful flowers that He created to be available during times of sorrow to bring comfort to those who are grieving!

We know the goodness of Almighty God through His Word! The psalmist, David, in Psalm 34:8 NLT), tells us: "Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who trust in Him!" In Psalm 107:1 (NLT), David goes on to say: "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! His faithful love endures forever."

We know that Almighty God is good because of the pains to which He went to bring about the redemption of mankind - both male and female! It was the goodness of Almighty God that sent His only-begotten Son to pay the price for our sins - your sins and my sins! The beloved Disciple/Apostle John, in John 3:16 (NLT), records Jesus, the Christ, Himself, saying: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have Eternal Life." Almighty God has tasted the sorrow that we feel and He does not have to feel our sorrow; but, because He is good, He does!

Almighty God - this good God - is our stronghold in times of trouble! Mankind - both male and female - has found this to be true in every situation of life! It is comforting to know that this good God invites us to come to Him in our hour of need! The Disciple/Apostle Matthew, in Matthew 11:28 (NLT), records Jesus, the Christ, Himself, saying: "Come to Me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens and I will give you rest."

Almighty God does not remove the difficulties and sorrows from our pathway; but, He does provide us with the strength to face them! The psalmist tells us, in Psalm 46:1 (NLT): "God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble." The psalmist goes on to tell us, in Psalm 121:2 (NLT), "My help comes from the Lord, Who made the heavens and the earth!" It is absolutely amazing what we can survive when we look to the Lord for help!

Almighty God - this good God - knows those who trust Him! There are some blessings that come from Almighty God to each and every one of us! The Disciple/Apostle Matthew, in Matthew 5:44-45 (NLT), records Jesus, the Christ, Himself, saying: "But I say, ’love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! (v. 45) In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in Heaven. For He gives His sunlight to both the evil and the good, and He sends rain on the just and on the unjust, too.’"

As we travel the interstate highways of this great nation of ours, we find rest areas for weary travelers; however, they are only helpful to those who use them! It is the very same thing with the promises of Almighty God! This good God, that the Prophet Nahum offers to us, waits for us to look to Him today!  ~Bits and Pieces of Sermon by George Dillihunty

LIFE'S VOYAGE

Some of you set sail in big ships; you put to sea to do business in faraway ports.  Out at sea you saw God in action, saw his breathtaking ways with the ocean:  With a word he called up the wind—an ocean storm, towering waves!  You shot high in the sky, then the bottom dropped out; your hearts were stuck in your throats.  You were spun like a top, you reeled like a drunk, you didn’t know which end was up.  Then you called out to God in your desperate condition; he got you out in the nick of time.  He quieted the wind down to a whisper,  put a muzzle on all the big waves.  And you were so glad when the storm died down, and he led you safely back to harbor.  So thank God for his marvelous love, for his miracle mercy to the children he loves.  Lift high your praises when the people assemble, shout Hallelujah when the elders meet!  (Psalm 107:23-32 MSG)

LIFE AT BEST IS UNCERTAIN
As brief as our lives are, a person is indeed foolish if they attempt to journey on life’s uncharted seas without God. Let no day pass without praising and thanking God for the multitude of blessings that He bestows upon us daily. Since we cannot be sure about tomorrow, let us glorify His Name today.

“Behold, Thou hast made my days as a handbreadth; and my lifetime as nothing in Thy sight”. (Psalm 39:5)

“You do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.” (James 4:14 NASB)

"Man, who is born of woman, is short of days, and full of trouble. Like a flower he comes forth and withers. He also flees like a shadow and does not remain.”  (Job 14:1-2)

WE ARE MUCH LIKE THE FRAIL SHIPS OF OLD

Doubtful in severe storms; increasingly fragile with the passing years; battered when tossed upon the rocks; helpless when run aground upon the unseen sand bars and uncharted reefs of life.

1. Storms of doubt; fear; distress; confusion; disappointment, etc.

2. Rocks of temptations; opposition (often by family and friends)

3. Sandbars of discouragement; weariness in well doing.

Some storms are of our own making while other storms are beyond our control or power to prevent. But we must never forget that however frail or weak we may be, His grace is always sufficient and His strength is always accessible to us.

“He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”  (II Corinthians 12:9)

THE STORMS OF LIFE REVEAL THE POWER OF GOD

Almost any ship can safely sail on calm seas...but the seas of life are rarely calm. The power of God is revealed when we have exhausted our strength. God knows our frail condition. “Then they cry out to the Lord in their trouble, and He brings them out of their distresses. He calms the storm, so that the waves are still. Then they are glad because they are quiet; so He guides them to their desired haven.” (Psalm 107:27-30)

God has a purpose in every storm, shipwreck, tragedy, disease, or whatever comes upon His children. All these things do not necessarily come from God but they are used by God to bless and strengthen our faith.

Chance, happenstance or “luck” play no part in the life of the life of a godly Christian. There is a divine purpose for every thing that happens in our lives. For Paul, the ship-wreck at Malta became an opportunity to win that island to Christ. The blessings that come out of the trials and tribulations we experience may not become immediately obvious to us as they did to Paul on that occasion, but hold firm to the truth of Romans 8:28 and in God’s time, they will.

“If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.” (Colossians 3-4)

Stay focused! Keep your eyes on Jesus, all the while remembering that to those who “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, all these things will be added” to them. (Matthew 6:33)

Live victoriously, knowing that “God will supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19)

Bits and Pieces of Sermon by Kenneth Trent

WHERE THERE IS NO VISION, PEOPLE PERISH

Solomon, in his wisdom and under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit wrote, "Where there is no vision the people perish."  Proverbs 29:18

Once God has given us a vision we must never let people distract or discourage us, but we must also continue to listen to the Lord for His guidance and direction as we move forward.  In Nehemiah 4:6-12 – 6, we see God gave Nehemiah a vision and there were people with little faith that became a discouragement to that vision. Where God is at work, the enemy is also at work. Rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem was certainly no exception to this. When people take kingdom priorities seriously, Satan stirs up agitators to block the work of God. Nehemiah did finish the wall and God’s vision was accomplished in spite of all the opposition and seeds of discouragement that were planted. Nehemiah faced the threats and did three practical things:

1. He prayed to the Lord and asked for Divine intervention (v.9)
2. He Placed a a guard day and night to meet the threat (v.9)
3. He Reorganized the priorities (v.13 - “Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest point of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows.”)
4. He asked the people to get focused in the Lord and to praise Him (verse 14“…Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome…”)

As it was with Nehemiah and so many others, it is with us as well. Once God gives us a burning vision within us to be a blessing to the Kingdom and to the King's people then we must take time, make time, to quietly listen to the Lord as He guides us into His glorious future.

When you start doing things on your own and refuse to follow God’s Vision he will not punish you but he will let you go and suffer the consequences. As a loving father God will be right there waiting for your to return to His arms of love. Just accept Divine guidance and leave this Church today with the attitude of a conqueror. You are victorious, you are blessed, you are God’s chosen child and even if people try to discourage you can always lift up your chin and tell them who you are in Christ. 

How does the Lord want us to achieve this?   After waiting God answers Habakkuk.

And then God answered: 
 “Write the vision.
        Make it clear on tablets
            so that anyone can read it quickly.
The vision will still happen at the appointed time.
    It hurries toward its goal.
    It won’t be a lie.
    If it’s delayed, wait for it.
    It will certainly happen.
    It won’t be late.
(Habakkuk. 2:2-3 GWT)


1. Connect:  Jesus had a team He "did life" with. He ate with them, walked with them, and ministered with them. He developed meaningful relationships with them and developed a strategy through which all humankind could be reconciled. 

The early church connected in very natural, organic ways: "Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts" (Acts 2:46 NIV). They loved to eat a good meal together, laugh together, and pray together in one another's homes as well as in their large temple gatherings.

2. Grow:  Jesus "grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man" (Luke 2:52 NIV). Once you have connected in relationship within the church, it is time for you to grow!

3. Serve:  Serving enables us to use our gifts in the body of Christ and in the world so we can become all God has created us to be. We are poised as weapons in God's hand to do great exploits and accomplishments for His kingdom: "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" (Eph. 2:10 NIV).

 ~Bits and Pieces of Sermon by Antonio Silveira

~Through life experience, I have found sharing a God-given vision is an important way to ensure the calling is fulfilled. It is His purpose and plan for you to share you vision with others. (Habakkuk 2:2)  ~Joan Hunter

Growing in the Knowledge of God - Day 17 - Knowledge Will Increase Sorrow and Grief

The second downside to receiving the knowledge of God in your life is that it will start to increase your sorrow and grief over different things. This incredible piece of revelation is coming from King Solomon. Here is what he says:

“For in much wisdom is much grief, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.” (Ecclesiastes 1:18)

What I believe God is trying to tell us with this piece of revelation is that once you start to receive His knowledge not only on the personal things in your life, but also on the “big picture” with the way that He has things set up – your eyes will be opened and you will start to “see” things from God’s perspective and viewpoint.

And once you are able to start to see things from God’s point of view – then sorrow and grief will start to set in. Why? Because you will have developed a good understanding of the big picture and why things are the way they are.

You will see that there really is a God and a devil, a heaven and a hell, and that there really is good and evil and that everyone is being tested in this life.
You will see that we all have to be born into an imperfect, cursed, and fallen world as a result of what happened in the story of Adam and Eve.

You will see that God has given each of one of us a free will, and as a result, a certain amount of people are going to choose to live this life on the dark side. As a result, a certain amount of people are going to end up getting murdered, robbed, raped, killed, abducted, cheated, scammed, and hurt in this life. Bad things are going to happen to even good people.

As a result of the curse of Adam and Eve still operating on this earth, we also have to put up with all kinds of different sicknesses, illnesses, diseases, accidents, and eventually the physical death of our bodies. People will suffer, and in some cases, there will be extreme suffering.

You will see that not everyone is going to make it into heaven, that the Spirit of God will not strive with a man forever in trying to get him saved. As a result, a certain percentage of human race is going to end up in the worst and most horrible place imaginable.

You will start to grieve and cry out for the lost, especially for the ones who will refuse to accept what Jesus has done for them with His death on the cross.
Once you sit back and see the big picture for what it really is – you won’t be able to stop the sadness and sorrow that you will feel at times on all the bad and terrible things that can happen to anyone of us at anytime.

This is why King Solomon was able to come to this kind of revelation after he had received the knowledge and wisdom of God for his life. He was able to see the big picture for what it really is.

The knowledge that you will receive from God is like being given a two sided coin. On the one side is the “dark picture” – with all of the above things hitting you straight in the face.

There is no getting around it. This is the way things are, and this death that we see on a daily basis will not stop until Jesus comes back to us in His second coming to set up His 1000 year Millennium Kingdom. Until that event happens, we are all going to have to put up with demons and bad and evil people who will choose to live this life out on the dark side.

But there is also the other side of that same coin – the “good picture.” This life of death will not last forever. God the Father has made a way of escape for all of us from the fires of hell in the death and person of His Son Jesus Christ.

All can get saved and completely born again by accepting Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. As a result, we will all get to go straight to heaven when we die and cross over.

We will all end up with brand new, spiritual, glorified bodies that will never age, corrupt, or deteriorate ever again. We will never know disease, sickness, or death in any way, shape, or form ever again!

When Jesus comes back to set up His 1000 year Millennium Kingdom, God will be taking out Satan, all of his demonic spirits, and all the bad and unsaved people who have ever lived on this earth. All the bad apples – angelic and human – will be forever banished from the eternal scheme of things – and we will all be able to live happily ever after with God the Father, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, all of God’s good angels, and all the rest of saved humanity that has ever lived in a new heaven and a new earth.

There will be no more wars, no more terror, no more crimes, and no more disorder. We will all live forever in the heavenly environment that God had initially intended for all of us to live in.

Once the knowledge of God starts to get released in your life, you have to stay on top of this game and make sure that you see what is real truth. God will give you His eyes in which to see things from His perspective.

His truth will start to set you free, but realize that this is a two sided coin – and that you will see both the good side and dark side of this life and why things are they way they are. As a result, there will be times that you will experience sadness, grief, and sorrow in this life that will cut right through you like a knife.

~Bits and Pieces of Bible Knowledge.com

To Receive a Discerning Heart

Father, I thank You for creating within me a wise and discerning heart, so that I am able to distinguish between right and wrong.

This is my prayer: that my love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that I may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to Your glory and praise, O Lord.

Father, I trust in You with all my heart and lean not on my own understanding; in all my ways I acknowledge You, and You will make my paths straight. Through Your precepts I get understanding; therefore, I hate every false way. Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

Joseph, in Genesis 41:39-41 niv, was described as a discerning and wise man who was put in charge of the entire land of Egypt. As You were with Joseph, Moses, and other strong, godly men and women in the Bible, so shall You be with me. You will cause me to find favor at my place of employment, at home, or wherever I may be.

I make [special] request, [asking] that I may be filled with the full (deep and clear) knowledge of Your will in all spiritual wisdom and in understanding and discernment of spiritual things—that I may walk (live and conduct myself) in a manner worthy of You, Lord, fully pleasing to You and desiring to please You in all things, steadily growing and increasing in and by Your knowledge [with fuller, deeper, and clearer insight, acquaintance, and recognition].

Because Jesus has been made unto me wisdom, I listen and add to my learning; I discern and get guidance, understanding what Your will is.

In the name of Jesus I pray, amen.

    1 Kings 3:9 niv     Proverbs 3:1-4
    Philippians 1:9-11 niv     Colossians 1:9,10 amp
    Proverbs 3:5 niv     1 Corinthians 1:30
    Psalm 119:104,105 amp     Proverbs 1:5
    Genesis 41:39-41 niv     Ephesians 5:17 niv
    Joshua 1:5

Prayers That Avail Much Word Ministries, Inc.

Growing in the Knowledge of God - Day 16 - The Wisdom of This World is Foolishness With God

Once you start to receive the knowledge and wisdom of God flowing into your life, you will find something very interesting that will start to happen.

You will start to see the difference between the knowledge and wisdom of God versus the knowledge and wisdom of this world.

You will see that God is always right and that man is always wrong when the two are on opposites sides of the fence. A perfect example of this is the abortion issue – where you have the people who are pro-choice and their arguments versus the people who are pro-life with their arguments.

From God’s point of view, it does not take a rocket scientist to see who is on the wrong side of the fence on this issue.

As you will see in the two verses I will list below, the Bible tells us that the wisdom of this world is “foolishness with God.”

Since God is all-perfect in His being and in His knowledge – then this obviously means that God is always right and that man and the world is always wrong when they are not on the same page.

So the first thing you will need to get worked into your mindset and way of thinking is that God and all of His ways and all of His knowledge is always right.

You will really need to ground on this because the wisdom of the world can be very enticing at times. You will be tempted at times into believing what the world has to say instead of believing what God is trying to tell you is right.

Our young teenagers are constantly battling this reality. They are constantly being tempted and enticed to get into drugs, heavy drinking, and premarital sex.

If they have not been grounded in the Word and in their faith from a good, solid, Christian upbringing by their parents, they can be very easily swayed to enter into some of this dark side activity.

You will start to see the difference between God’s knowledge and how He likes to operate versus the business world in general. Many in corporate America are constantly pushing the envelope trying to get as far as they can, get as much as they can, and not caring who they run over and hurt in the process.

The almighty dollar is their god and they will do anything and everything they can to try and make more of it.

Many Christians end up getting sucked into some of their unscrupulous, business practices and they thus end up going against God Himself by some of the shady things they end up doing.

Each Christian has to stay true, loyal, and faithful to His God and to His ways when they are faced with these kinds of heavier temptations.

Study these next two verses very carefully, as they really do set the stage as to what is going on in the spiritual realm when you compare the knowledge of our God versus the knowledge of this world.

Let no one deceive you. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. FOR THE WISDOM OF THIS WORLD IS FOOLISHNESS WITH GOD.  For it is written, “He catches the wise in their own craftiness,” and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.” Therefore let no one glory in men.” (1 Corinthians 3:18)                                                                                       

“But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing will be there. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.” (James 3:14)

The second verse perfectly describes what goes on in the dog-eat-dog business world. Many are self-seeking, jealous, and envious of one another, with everyone trying to run over everyone else to move higher up on the food chain.

Notice that God calls this kind of wisdom earthly, sensual, and demonic – and that it is not from Him. This is why God says in the first verse that the wisdom of this world is foolishness in His eyes. In others words – it’s a joke! All of these people who are choosing to live their lives in this kind of dog-eat-dog environment are heading down the wrong road.

Once God starts to really work with you, and starts transmitting His knowledge to you on many different areas of your life, you will really be able to start to see the truth on a lot of different things – not only in your own personal life, but also with the world in general.

Once this knowledge has been released to you and you have full understanding of it – God will expect you to believe in it and act on it when you are faced with the temptation to go with the wisdom of the world rather than with the wisdom of God. Always remember who you are serving. You are serving and following God and His ways for your life, not the ways and wisdom of this world.

~Bits and Pieces of Seeking after the Knowledge of God

PRAYER

Father, I thank You for creating within me a wise and discerning heart, so that I am able to distinguish between right and wrong.

This is my prayer: that my love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that I may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ — to Your glory and praise, O Lord.

Father, I trust in You with all of my heart and lean not on my own understanding; in all of my ways I acknowledge You, and You will make my paths straight. Through Your precepts I get understanding; therefore, I hate every false way. Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

Joseph, in Genesis 41:39-41 NIV, was described as a discerning and wise man who was put in charge of the entire land of Egypt. As You were with Joseph, so shall You be with me. You will cause me to find favor at my place of employment, at home, or wherever I may be.

I make [special] request, [asking] that I may be filled with the full (deep and clear) knowledge of Your will in all spiritual wisdom and in understanding and discernment of spiritual things — that I may walk (live and conduct myself) in a manner worthy of You, Lord, fully pleasing to You and desiring to please You in all things, steadily growing and increasing in and by Your knowledge [with fuller, deeper, and clearer insight, acquaintance, and recognition].

Because Jesus has been made unto me wisdom, I listen and add to my learning; I discern and get guidance, understanding Your will.

In the name of Jesus I pray, amen.

Scripture References:
1 Kings 3:9 NIV    Proverbs 3:1-4
Philippians 1:9-11 NIV    Colossians 1:9,10 AMP
Proverbs 3:5 NIV    1 Corinthians 1:30
Psalm 119:104,105 AMP    Proverbs 1:5
Genesis 41:39-41 NIV    Ephesians 5:17
Joshua 1:5


© 2011 Word Ministries, Inc.