Behold The Family Of God Series

BEHOLD THE FAMILY OF GOD

Mark 3:20-21; 31-35

This is the time of year when we celebrate the birth of our Savior. On the night He was born, the Angel of the Lord announced His birth to some faithful shepherds. (Luke 2:9 and, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.)

The “good tidings of great joy” that these shepherds received was for “all people”. This means that this good news is for you and me as well. As a result of Jesus’ birth (and eventual sacrifice and Resurrection) we have the opportunity to be born into the family of God.

- We often sing a song that says:

I’m so glad I’m a part of the family of God

I’ve been washed in the fountain …cleansed by His blood

Joint heirs with Jesus ….as we travel this sod

For I’m part of the family …The family of God.

There is no greater privilege than being part of God’s family. Paul said in - Galatians 4:4 But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. 6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. 7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

What an amazing reality! God sent His only begotten Son into the world to save sinners. Because of His redemptive work we can be adopted into God’s family. We are more than servants; we are the sons and daughters of God. Then to top it off, we are told that we are joint heirs with Jesus!

In our selected text, Jesus teaches a great lesson about His true family. His earthly family came to where he was and sought Him out. Someone said to Jesus “your family is outside desiring to see you”.

Mark 3:34 And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother."

- In this passage, Jesus was essentially saying… “behold my family”. I would like to further examine this concept and preach on the thought “Behold The Family Of God”.

It is my prayer that you are a part of this family that I speak of, and if you are not, I pray that this will be the day that you realize that you can be born into the family of God.

For some time Jesus had been traveling the region, preaching in the synagogues, healing the sick, casting out demons, forgiving sins and changing lives. Great multitudes followed Him as He journeyed throughout the area. Not all who were in these multitudes were friends of Jesus. Not all of them were intrigued by His teaching; in fact there were some who were infuriated by His works and His message.

- Opposition was nothing new to Jesus, but on this day it came from a surprising source. Let’s examine Verses 20-21 and see:

I. WHAT JESUS’ FAMILY SAID ABOUT HIM

Verse 21 says that “His own people …went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, "He is out of His mind." When Mark says “His own people”, He is referencing Jesus’ earthly family. (v31 “His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him.”)

By this point in Mark’s gospel we should not be surprised that Jesus is facing opposition from the Scribes and Pharisees. But it is rather surprising that Jesus is confronted by the members of His own family. Word had reached them concerning all of the things that Jesus was doing among the people. They were concerned about Him and they came to take Him home.

- By their actions:

A. THEY PROFESSED THEIR DOUBT

v20 Then the multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread. 21 But when His own people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, "He is out of His mind."

When Mark says that they came to “lay hold of Him”, this literally means to take Him by force. Mark uses this same term numerous times to describe the action of arresting someone.