We're Part Of The Family

WHO IS YOUR FAMILY? YOUR SPOUSE, YOUR CHILDREN, YOUR PARENTS, COUSINS, AUNTS, UNCLES, GRAND PARENTS. THE SCRIPTURE THAT WAS READ A LITTLE EARLIER THIS MORNING EXPANDS OUR FAMILY TREE A LITTLE BIT DOESN’T IT BECAUSE IT SAYS,

Hebrews 2:11 Jesus and the people he makes holy all belong to the same family. That is why he isn’t ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters.

ISN’T THAT NEAT, I MEAN WE COULD ALSO SAY, THAT THE ONE WHO SAVES, AND THOSE WHO ARE SAVED ARE OF THE SAME FAMILY. WE SING, "I’M SO GLAD I’M A PART OF THE FAMILY OF GOD, I’VE BEEN WASHED IN THE FOUNTAIN AND CLEANSED BY THE BLOOD", OR WE SING "WE’RE PART OF THE FAMILY, THAT’S BEEN BORN AGAIN." BUT WHAT IS A FAMILY? AND DOES IT REALLY RELATE TO OUR CHRISTIAN WALK AND THOSE AROUND US?

COLLINS DICTIONARY DEFINES FAMILY AS; "A SOCIAL UNIT CONSISTING OF PARENTS AND THEIR CHILDREN, THE CHILDREN OF THE SAME PARENTS, OR A GROUP OF PEOPLE RELATED BY ANCESTRY OR MARRIAGE."

BUT HOW DOES THAT APPLY TO US AS THE SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF GOD? DOES BEING FAMILY IMPLY COMMITMENTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES AS WELL AS THE ENSUING BENEFITS AND BLESSINGS? AND DO THOSE RESPONSIBILITIES AND COMMITMENTS EXTEND BEYOND OUR HEAVENLY FATHER TO THE ONES WHOM WE CALL BROTHERS AND SISTERS.

AND SO LET US BEGIN OUR SPIRITUAL DISSERTATION THIS MORNING WITH A DEEP AND PROFOUND THOUGHT. YOU REALIZE AS WELL AS I DO THAT WE ARE NOT ALWAYS IMPRESSED WITH OUR FAMILY. THEY ARE NOT ALWAYS OUR FAVOURITE PEOPLE AND SOMETIMES THEY’RE NOT THE TYPE OF PEOPLE THAT YOUR MOTHER WOULD WANT YOU TO HANG AROUND WITH. RIGHT, YOU STILL WITH ME.

I’M SORRY PASTOR THAT MAY BE WHAT YOUR FAMILY IS LIKE BUT MY FAMILY IS NOT LIKE THAT I AM PROUD OF EVERYONE IN MY FAMILY. THOMAS FULLER SAID, " HE THAT HAS NO FOOLS, KNAVES NOR BEGGARS IN HIS FAMILY MUST HAVE BEEN BEGOT BY A FLASH OF LIGHTNING." LOOK ADMIT IT, EVERY FAMILY TREE HAS SOME SAP IN IT. SO PLEASE KEEP THAT IN YOUR MIND AS YOUR ENGRAVE THIS DEEP THOUGH PROVOKING THOUGHT DEEP INTO YOUR MEMORY, YOU READY, GOT YOUR BIRO OUT, RIGHT HERE GOES, "YOU CAN PICK YOUR FRIENDS, BUT YOU ARE STUCK WITH YOUR RELATIVES." AND FOLKS THAT PROFOUND THOUGHT GOES DOUBLE FOR THE FAMILY OF GOD.

THEY MAY NOT BE YOUR FRIENDS BUT THEY’LL ALWAYS BE YOUR FAMILY. SO LET’S LOOK AT FAMILIES.

1) FAMILIES ARE RELATED. DEEP ISN’T IT, SOMETIMES I WONDER WHERE I COME UP WITH THEM. IF YOU ARE FAMILY THEN YOU ARE RELATED, SOMEHOW, SOMEWHERE YOU ARE RELATED. NOW YOU CAN TALK ABOUT THIRD COUSINS ON THE LEFT FOUR TIMES REMOVED BUT THEY ARE STILL RELATED TO YOU.

I LOVE GRAND MANAN ISLAND, IT’S OUR TRADITIONAL FAMILY HOME AND EVEN THOUGH I HAVE NEVER LIVED THERE I AM CONSIDERED AN ISLANDER, ON THE OTHER HAND IF YOU WENT THERE AS A CHILD OF FOUR AND LIVED THERE UNTIL YOU WERE A HUNDRED AND TWO YOU WOULD ALWAYS BE A STRANGER FROM OFF THE ISLAND. AND EVERY BODY THERE IS RELATED, WHICH IF YOU KNOW ABOUT GRAND MANAN PROBABLY EXPLAINS A LOT OF ODD BEHAVIOUR. BUT WHEN EVER I INTRODUCE MYSELF, AND I’M ALWAYS "OH RIGHT, YOUR FATHER WAS ONE OF THE TWINS AND YOUR MOTHER IS STEVE BRADBURY’S GIRL" AND THEN THEY EXPLAIN WHY I AM RELATED TO THEM, "OH, WELL YOUR MOTHERS FATHER’S BROTHER WAS MY SISTER’S HUSBAND’S COUSIN’S NEPHEW’S FIRST COUSIN SIX TIMES REMOVED SO WE ARE RELATED."

FOR EXAMPLE BECAUSE ANGELA’S MOTHER IS AN ISLANDER AS WELL, ANGELA AND I ARE RELATED, YOU SEE ANGELA’S MOTHER’S, FATHER’S GREAT UNCLE WAS MY FATHER’S MOTHER’S GREAT UNCLE’S BROTHER. IN OTHER WORDS OUR GREAT, GREAT, GREAT GRANDFATHER’S WERE BOTH THE SAME FELLOW. I MEAN THAT’S HOW I AM RELATED TO MY WIFE BUT THE QUESTION STILL REMAINS, HOW AM I RELATED TO YOU. John 1:12-13 Yet some people accepted him

and put their faith in him. So he gave them the right to be the children of God. 13 They were not God’s children by nature or because of any human desires. God himself was the one who made them his children.

NOW WHAT JOHN IS SAYING IS THIS, THAT IF JESUS IS OUR LORD THEN GOD IS OUR FATHER AND IF WE AS CHILDREN ALL HAVE COMMON PARENTAGE THEN THAT MAKES US BROTHERS AND SISTERS. NOW THEN I WANT YOU TO TURN TO THE PERSON NEXT TO YOU AND SAY "HELLO BROTHER", OR "HELLO SISTER" NOW DO THE SAME WITH THE PERSON ON THE OTHER SIDE OF YOU.

NOW SOMETIMES WE THINK THAT WE’RE BROTHERS AND SISTERS BECAUSE WE ALL ATTEND THE SAME CHURCH, THAT WE ARE WESLEYAN BROTHERS AND SISTERS. AND THOSE OTHER PEOPLE WHO ATTEND THE CHURCH DOWN THE ROAD, WHY I KNOW THAT THEY ARE RELATED BUT LIKE THEY’RE THIRD COUSINS, ON THE LEFT FOUR TIMES REMOVED, I MEAN THEY ARE KIN, BUT NOT REAL CLOSE KIN.