Family Matters | Mark 3:31-35 | Pastor Kyle Alison

What does it really mean to be part of the family of God? In this message from Mark 3:31–35, Pastor Kyle Alison explores how God created the family, why it's worth fighting for, and how Jesus made a way for every person to be adopted into God's eternal family through the cross. Discover your place, your purpose, and the invitation to come home.

Transcript

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Well, today we are finishing off our series, Breaking the System, and we are going to be in Mark 3. I'll give you guys just a second, if you have your Bibles, to turn there to Mark 3. We're going to be in verse, starting in verse 31. If everyone's there, say there. If you see it on the screen, say there. There you go. The Sky Bible, as we like to call it sometimes. Says this, then Jesus' mother and brothers came to see him. They stood outside and sent word for him to come out and talk with them. There was a crowd sitting around Jesus, and someone said, Your mother and your brothers are outside asking for you. Jesus replied, Who is my mother? Who are my brothers? Then he looked at those around him and said, Look, these are my mothers and brothers. Anyone who does God's will is my brother and sister and mother. Let's pray. Lord, I just thank you for the opportunity that we have to meet freely to open up your word, to worship you and learn more about you. Lord, I just pray that you expand our knowledge and our truth. Reveal it to us. Challenge us, Lord, with your word. May your Holy Spirit have his way in this message and through the rest of this service. And in Jesus' name we all say, Amen. So last week we're going to go back because this is kind of a two-parter, if you will. Pastor Ty preached an amazing message on the passage right before us. I really enjoyed it because I was on vacation, so I had my phone out to watch the live stream. I was chilling in a hot tub. It was like 75 degrees. I'll tell you, like, I love showing up in person, but there's something about showing up to church in a hot tub that is just really, really nice. But this passage is kind of a two-parter, if you will. It's really important, unless you're reading through scriptures. I just encourage you guys always to go a little bit before and a little bit after. Because you want to get context. How many people know that the Bible is taken out of context way too much? So just to kind of recap a little bit of what happened before that, we see Jesus in the same house, and he's preaching, he's teaching, he's healing people, and he's also casting out demons. Now, the religious leaders, you'll remember from last week, they get a little peeved and they get a little jealous and they say, you know what, the only reason he can do that is because he's Satan. And Satan is the one that's casting out the demons, because they were kind of jealous about Jesus. Why? Because they couldn't do it themselves. And Jesus is obviously like, why would Satan cast out his own demons? Like that's absolutely ridiculous. So there was this tension that was building. So that's when we see his family here, they show up. Now, it would be awesome to say, oh, they showed up to support him, but they didn't show up to support him. They actually showed up because they wanted him to stop. We know that because last week we read it where it says they're going around to people saying he's out of his mind. Now, why would you go to people and say that your own son, your own brother is out of his mind? Probably because they were, I'm just assuming, a little jealous, a little worried about what everyone's saying, and they're worried about their reputation. So they're wanting him to stop what he's doing. So that's kind of the context that we read this out of. Jesus spent 30 years in his hometown around his family. No one knew him like his family did. And yet they didn't understand. They couldn't fathom his true identity, even though his mother kind of could. They couldn't understand what his mission was. So, what does that create within Jesus' family? It creates tension. And we see this tension kind of build between Jesus and his earthly family. Church, please hear me when I say this. That the enemy today, 2,000 years later, is still trying to do the exact same thing as he did in this passage. He is trying to create division and he's trying to create distance in the family. Whether it be divided by unforgiveness, whether it be divided by pride or addictions or broken relationships or countless other things that the enemy wants to try to use to divide families. I don't think it's a surprise to know that the enemy is after our families today. And just a quick side note, I'll just mention this. If he can't directly get to your families, just remember he will try to instead distract you. You know, it is so easy. I know I have two teenage daughters. I have one that's wrestling, another one that's going into FFA. They're busy, their schedules are hectic, there's shows to watch, things to go do. Life can get really, really chaotic, but we have to be careful not to get too busy that we forget to spend time as a family. See, the enemy knows that if he can get us busy, eventually we start drifting apart. Eventually there starts to be distance between us. I'm sure the enemy really loves the invention of screens. Because that's just another way to distract us from what matters most. Because he knows. He knows if he can get us disconnected. Husband and wife, father, son, mother, daughter. If he can start getting us disconnected, he knows pretty soon we'll have nothing in common but our last name. And as a family, we will become ineffective to the kingdom. How many people know today? We need to get intentional when it comes down to our families. And I tell you today, we need to protect our marriages. Can someone amen that? We need to protect our marriages. And I tell you, we need to protect our children. We need to protect our time together. We need to protect our time of worship together, time of opening up the word and opening up scripture. Because remember, whatever we fail to guard in life, the world will gladly want to influence. And family is way too important to put it on autopilot. That's why we have to be intentional. Intentional with our family. We have to be intentional with loving one another. Someone say intentional. We have to be intentionally pointing our kids to Jesus. And that's why this messed passage matters so much. Because Jesus isn't saying that this family is less important than this family. He's simply showing how important both families are. And he's about to redefine that that we'll see here in a minute. I have two points today. My first one is this God created family, so fight for it. Someone say fight. And I tell you, before there was a government, before there was the nation of Israel, before there was a church, pastors, or even potlucks, God created family. We see it in Genesis 2, 24. It says this. This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two united are united into one. See, before sin even entered the world, when the world was still perfect, God created family. I know it's so easy for the world to try to take credit for things. Like the government wants to take credit, and now they have you know marriage licenses and all this stuff. Like culture is like, well, we we came up with it. This is the Western invention or this is Eastern invention. The government is trying to say, this is design is from us. We we did it. And what do we see? We see them constantly trying to redefine what marriage is in the first place, being bombarded by this rhetoric of whatever the most popular social agendas of the day is. We see it this month more than most of the others. But I'm sorry to burst their bubble, I'm sorry to burst anyone else's bubble that thinks government has the right to redefine what a family looks like, but family was God's idea, it was his creation. And because of that, he is the only one that has a right to define it, and now more than ever, family is under attack. God, if God created it, can I tell you how many people can agree that it is worth fighting for and it is worth protecting? See, from the beginning, family was designed to provide love, it was designed to provide protection, identity, discipleship, and a place for you to belong. You know, too often we see this scripture is a bit misunderstood. We see it in like, oh, Jesus is minimizing the importance of family, but why would he do that? Why would he minimize something that his heavenly father put in place before sin ever entered the world? He wouldn't. He wouldn't minimize it. He's not replacing family at all. He's simply showing us that God's plan has always been bigger than marriage or genetics. See, when Jesus asks, Who are my mother and who are my brothers? He isn't dishonoring Mary, he isn't dishonoring his brothers or sisters. We see that he loved his earthly family. We see even dying on the cross in John 19 was one of the last things that Jesus says. From the cross, he looks down and he sees Mary and says, Woman, this is now your son, pointed to John. And he says, John, this is now your mother. One of the last things he ever did was make sure his mother is taken care of. He loved his family. He wasn't discounting them. Instead, in this scripture, he was expanding what the definition of family is. And the same God who created that earthly family is now inviting people into an eternal one. So what can we do? Number one, as I mentioned, we must protect our families above all else. Because there's a lot of attacks coming down. And then number two, we must make sure our families never become closed circles. What do I mean by that? I mean the world is a really dark place. And in the world, we got a lot of families that don't know love. I grew up without a father. I never knew what that was like to have the love of a father. We see families with broken families. We see families that don't know love, that don't know respect, that show up and are worried that they're gonna get beat. There is darkness in this world, and as Christians, we have an opportunity to not only share the love of Christ, but to share the love of family with those around us as well. See, I believe it is our responsibility today for us to take the love, to nurture it in our families, and then to share it with those around us so they can have an example of what it looks like. To be launching pads for the kingdom of God. We always talk about the importance of sharing the gospel, going and talking to loved ones, talking to neighbors, talking about to co-workers, about Jesus, inviting them to church. But can I tell you, it is so much more important that we first start in our home. How many people know that your home will always be the most important mission field you will ever step into? See, our home should be about raising disciples, not just making sure they graduate high school. Our home should be welcoming others and pointing them towards Jesus. See, the goal isn't simply to build a successful family, even though that's important. The goal should also be to build a family that loves Jesus and helps others find him. Here's my second and my my final point today. Jesus gives us a family that lasts forever. Let's look at Mark 3 again, verse 34. Says this. Then he looked at those around him and said, Look, these are my mother and brothers. Anyone who does God's will is my brother and sister and mother. So to point it out again, just to reiterate, Jesus is not neglecting his biological family. He is not pushing them away, he is actually pulling everyone else in. Never seen a more perfect example of what the gospel message actually looks like. Jesus pulling people to him. See, Jesus isn't reducing the family, he's expanding it. And I tell you, every single one of us was created with a desire to belong somewhere. I know as a kid I always wanted to have cool clubs with uh my friends. Anybody ever came up with like basically completely made up clubs, and you're like, yeah, this is a club that I have, and you invite all your friends, and then your mom's like, you gotta let your sister be in the club. And it's like, I don't want my sister in the club, then it's not a cool club anymore. Like, and she's like, No, you're either gonna do it or you're gonna stay home. I'm like, fine, you can be in the club, right? We we are all created with this desire to belong together. That's why loneliness hurts so much. That's why rejection cuts so deep. That's why people are constantly searching for acceptance in relationships, in careers, in friend groups, in sports, in sports teams, politics, social media, anything else that the world has to offer to try to give people a fake and a superficial place to belong. Meanwhile, Jesus is here reminding us that you belong to me. Don't think about this. We got the creator of the universe who decides it is this important that in Genesis 2, right after the seven days, when the next thing he creates, family. It was important to him. In the Garden of Eden, we see God establish his family by joining Adam and Eve together. And then what happens right after that? Sin enters into the world. And with sin, we see a division. First, we see it between God and man. Because what happened? Adam and Eve, they ate the fruit, they realized they were naked, God shows up, and what do they do? They hide and they create a division. Then the very next thing, God's like, yo, I'm God, I can see you, I know you're right there. And they come out, and what is what does Adam do? It's the woman's fault. And you see a division between the husband and wife. Then they end up out of the garden, and we see Cain and Abel get in an argument, fight. Abel ultimately is killed. Division and the siblings. And then lastly, Cain is then cast away, and we see a division between the parents and the son. And tell you, division is a result of sin. And the enemy's tactics haven't changed much in however many thousand years. See, the enemy is still trying to destroy what God first created. How many people can thank God though that the story doesn't end there? See, we see with Jesus, when he steps onto this earth, how many people know everything starts to change? We see that he lives a life that we couldn't live, and then he died a death that we deserved. Here's the thing when he stretched out his arms on that cross, we always focus on the sin that he overcame. And that's important. That's critical, that's our salvation, that's our grace. But he did more than just give us a sacrifice for our sin. He also gave us an opportunity and an invitation to join his family. Church, Jesus didn't merely die to forgive you, he also died to adopt, someone say, adopt you into his family. Here's the thing the gospel isn't simply about escaping hell, it is about coming home to your true home, the Lord's home, and being welcomed into the family of God. That's why Jesus could look around the room and say, These are my brothers, these are my sisters, because he knew soon his sacrifice would open the opportunity for people to accept that invitation. We see this concept of adoption. It's in Romans 8. If you want to turn to there, it'll also be on the screen, Romans 8, 15 through 17. It says this. So you have not received the spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God's spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him Abba Father, for his spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God's children. And since we are his children, we are also his heirs. In fact, together with Christ, we are heirs of God's glory, but if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. See, when we place our faith in Jesus, we don't just receive the salvation and the grace, we also received his invitation to join a family. See, God becomes our heavenly father. And we see that we become heirs with Christ in his glory, and also we get to receive part of that inheritance of eternal life. You know, it's a sobering thought. But remember, at some point, your earthly family will be separated by death. It's going to happen. One day there will be an empty table there at Thanksgiving around the table. One day every family reunion will eventually end. But not with God's family. See, God's family is everlasting. There would never be a final goodbye. There would never be another funeral. There would never be another broken relationship. Remember, one of Christ's last words, right before he rose up into heaven, he says, I go to prepare a place for you. What does that mean? He says, Now that you are a family, I'm about to put some add-ons to the house. I'm about to build some more rooms for you to come and live in my father's house. See, that's why the church is more than just a building. And how much more is this than just a weekly event that we show up with? This is the 11 o'clock crew. You guys are a little more rowdy than the 9:30. I like you guys. I appreciate you. But the church is more than just a building. The powerhouse is more than just a group of strangers that get together once a week. I tell you, once you accept Jesus, we all become part of an everlasting family. We start celebrating together. We should be grieving together. We should be carrying one another's burdens, praying for one another's burden. Another and serving one another. What does it sound like to me? It sounds like family. That's what families do. In church, if we're going to call ourselves the family of God, and especially for those outside looking in, wondering what this place is all about, we need to start acting like it. So conclude, I have a few challenges for each person here. Number one, we need to love our earthly family well. Two, we need to fight for our marriage. Three, we need to disciple our children. And four, we need to protect our home. But please do not stop there. Because God doesn't think that this family he has is complete. He still wants to add to his family. And he is calling his children. Each person here, every person watching online, he is calling us to step up. It is up to us as his children to invite people into the house. To invite people into his family. Because here's the reality: everyone is searching for something. This generation, more than any generation previously, is searching for truth. They are searching for purpose. They are searching for hope. And they're searching for a place to belong. Not realizing that Jesus has already made a place for them at his table. See, our mission as children of God is not just to build strong homes, but is to also fill God's house. God created family. And because of Jesus' death and resurrection, every person, doesn't matter your past or your present, you have an invitation to join his family. I got two questions to end tonight. The first one is this are you part of the family? And if not, are you ready to accept his invitation? See, Jesus made the invitation available, but it is up to us to respond. I'm going to tell you, for those that don't know, Jesus came to earth and he lived a perfect life. A life that led him to the worst death you could imagine, a death on a cross. Tortured and scourged. He paid the price that we could never afford. And then three days later he rose again, paying that debt and giving us the opportunity that we hadn't had never had before, which was to join his family. If I can just have every head bowed and eyes closed, just spend a little time with you and God right now. If you feel far from God, I tell you, you don't have to stay far. If sin has separated from you, hit you from him, Jesus has made a way back. If you feel like you don't belong anywhere, can I tell you there is a place for you in the family of God? Today you can be forgiven. Today you can be adopted. Today you can come home. If that's you today. And if you are ready to accept the invitation that Jesus has made, if you are ready to turn from your sin and make Jesus Lord of your life, to become part of the family of God right now, wherever you're at, will you just raise your hand? I want to pray with you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Church, will you just pray this prayer with me? Dear Jesus, I know I need you. I believe you died for my sin and rose again. Please forgive me. Today I turn from my old life and choose to follow you. Thank you for saving me and making me part of your family. Jesus' name. Amen. You can look up here for every person that is here today. I have a few more questions I want to challenge you with. If you are a part of God's family right now, I want to ask you, are you living like it? If you are a parent today, are you fighting for your family? Are you making them a priority? Because outside of God, family should come first. Are you protecting your home from the influence of the world? And for every person here, are you inviting others into God's family? Because remember, our mission is not just to build strong homes, but to also fill God's house. So if you are ready to step up today and fulfill your calling as a child of God, I want to ask you this last question. It will be on the screen. Who is one person God is calling you to help bring home? Have you one more time, if you can just bow your heads? I just pray right now that the Holy Spirit will give you a name. Maybe it's one name, maybe it's two, maybe it's three names. People that He wants to give an invitation to. That He is calling you as His child, someone who's accepted Him as Lord, to go out and give that invitation. To tell that person about Jesus, about what He did, to invite them to church, to give them an opportunity to say yes. Church pastors can't do it by ourselves. We need every person here to be actively pursuing those that need Jesus. And I believe he is giving each person right now a name. Maybe it's two, maybe it's three, of someone this week that you are going to go and talk to, whether it's just to invite them to church or to tell them about Jesus on the spot. Lord, I just thank you for each person here. Lord, I thank you that we can have courage right now to step out of our comfort zone and to go and share the gospel message with whoever it is you want us to share it with. We know each one of us has a name. Lord, I thank you for your son that he died on a cross and rose again so we may have an invitation to join your family. Lord, help us make sure what matters most stays our priority. That is you first, then our family. Help us to protect our family from this world, to disciple them and raise them up in your truth. And Lord, again, give us that courage that as we go, may we be lights to the world to invite all we come in contact with to hear about your love, to hear about your goodness, to hear about your sacrifice, and say yes to you. In Jesus' name. Amen.