FBCWest 648 | True Family
Recorded On: 03/02/2025
Bulletin
Hymn # 1 “Holy, Holy, Holy”
SCRIPTURE READING – Isaiah 6:1 - 7
Giving of Selves and Our Offerings
OFFERTORY PRAYER
OFFERTORY MUSIC – Pru Hungate
Praise and Worship
“God Really Loves Us”
“At the Cross”
“Resurrecting”
Proclamation of the Word
Message by Pastor Joe
“True Family”
PRAYER TIME / Time of Reflection
“Good Grace”
Sermon Notes
Mark 3:20 Jesus and the disciples in such demand they can’t even eat a meal
Mark 3:21 Jesus’ kinsmen think he’s crazy
Mark 3:22 Religious leaders accuse Jesus of being possessed by Satan
Mark 3:23 – 27 Jesus responds Satan can’t cast out Satan that would be a house divided
Mark 3:28 – 30 There is an unpardonable sin – blasphemy against the Holy Spirit
Mark 3:31 & 32 Jesus’ mother and brothers come to Him and those inside let Him know that they were looking for Him
Mark 3:33 Jesus asks who are His family
Mark 3:34 Jesus says those who are present are His family
Mark 3:35 Whoever does the will of God is His family
Scritpures
Transcript of Service
You've probably heard it said that we're all children of God.
However, Jesus, the Son of God, says something quite different about what it means to be related to Him. So I encourage you to listen to today's message on what it takes to be a true family
(Music)
Gospel of Mark,
actually three groups of people.
The first group we will look at,
had a great opportunity to know who he was, who he is, and didn't understand.
The second group of people we'll take a look at,
should have known who he was and who he is, but refused to acknowledge who he was and who he is.
Then the third group of people we'll talk about afterwards.
So if you have your Bibles, and you should, and the reason I say that is not to be repetitive and not have my own little tagline, but it is in the sense of while we do present the Scriptures on the screen,
it is more important that you verify what I have to say when I read the Scriptures. Because sometimes I say things intentionally wrong,
so that you might catch it like when it says like,
"We are to rejoice always."
Sometimes I'll say, "We're to rejoice when I feel like it." Then you catch what I'm saying.
Sometimes I unintentionally read it wrong, so you need to have it there to make sure that what I have quoted and what I'm saying is scriptural.
I don't want you to think, "Well, we've deceived you by putting different scriptures on." So when you have the Bible, you can verify even though you may have a different translation than that we're using.
It's not a cute phrase, although I think it's a cute phrase. I want you to know,
and I want you to have your Bibles, even if that's in your phone. A lot of you use technology and don't have a Bible. I'm old enough to say, "I like the pages," but that's because I'm old. So if you have your Bibles and you should turn to the Gospel of Mark, chapter 3, and we're going to start with verse 20.
It says this, "And he being Jesus came home, and the crowd gathered again to such an extent that they could not even eat a meal." This is how popular Jesus is. They've heard about His healings and He's heard about His miracles, and they've heard about His casting out demons and all of these things. They've heard about His teachings, and there are people to such an extent that when He comes home, and that's probably Capernaum, not Nazareth, and it may be in the sense of home, as He may be hanging out at Peter and Andrew's home as opposed to, but He's in His hometown. And so in His own town, if you will, there is a popular reception, and He's so inundated with people that they can't even eat in peace.
And when His own people heard of this,
they went out to take custody of Him, for they were saying, "He has lost His senses."
This is the first group, His family.
The people who should know Him best, because He lived with them for approximately 30 years before He started His public ministry, they had an opportunity to see who He was, to hear who He was, to understand who He was. They should have known best. His mother knew that she was a virgin when she conceived, because she was a virgin when she conceived, and she had a conversation with an angel.
His guardian father, Joseph, had several visitations with an angel, one saying, "Don't worry, take Mary as your wife, that she's been faithful, that this one is Immanuel, God with us." And the angel appeared to him again when they were in Bethlehem, saying, "You know, it's a good idea for you to get out of here, because they're seeking to kill you." So he went to Egypt, then the angel showed up again and said, "It's now safe to return back." But instead of going to Bethlehem, he went back to Nazareth. So Joseph is aware of the heavenly connection.
So they should have been at least telling the other brothers and sisters, that this is Immanuel, God with us.
He's only, if you will, your half-brother.
These people should have known him best, and yet their conclusion is he's crazy.
He's lost his senses.
He doesn't know Him. But unfortunately, there's still a group of people who still kind of think that there was even a person who wrote, and his statement was, that Jesus was either a liar, a lunatic, or the Lord.
And so, if you will, his family who should know him the best have come to the conclusion at this point, that he's a lunatic, that he's crazy. They've gone to take him home so he doesn't hurt himself or others.
Now there's a second group of people. Now let me say that this first group of people, the resurrection changes everything.
James, Jude, his brothers, not only become believers, but become influential in the church and write letters.
Here's a second group of people. "The scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, he is possessed by Beelzebub, and he has cast out demons by the ruler of the demons." So they've come from their theological perch in Jerusalem to condemn him, saying that basically he is working by the efforts of Satan.
Now this group of people, again, ought to know who he is, because they have the Scriptures. And the Scriptures tell us plainly who the Messiah is, who this one who is going to be and is Emmanuel.
They would search the Scriptures. They would know that when he taught, he teaches according to the treat scriptures the way the Messiah would, that he would perform the miracles that he has performed and the healings that he has performed the way the Messiah would. So if they simply understood the Scriptures, which is their quote unquote job as being religious leaders, should know.
But they refuse to acknowledge who he is. Instead, they determine to say that he comes by opposite authority. He doesn't come by the authority of God. He comes by the authority of Satan.
And he called them to himself and began to speaking to them in parables.
Now, I want you to understand something,
that from this point on, as Mark says, he starts teaching others in parables.
Matthew tells us why. The reason that Jesus starts teaching in parables is because these are so hard hearted that they will, as we will see, send away their opportunity, that he will not give them plain teaching so that by hearing, they would not ever understand. And by seeing, they would have no clue because of what they're about to do and what they have now done. Jesus says, I'm going to speak to you in parables so that you don't understand, so that you don't have the opportunity to be saved.
Of all the people in the scriptures, these are the ones that should be most miserable.
They have send away their opportunity for grace because refusing to understand, and not only, but then blaspheme and attack who Jesus is.
We will see is unforgivable. So he says, so he called them to himself and began to speak in them in parables. And he says, how can Satan cast out Satan? So we asked him a question and it's, I find it interesting. Jesus does and God, the father oftentimes does when somebody sins, God asks you questions
to see what you're thinking or not thinking and to have you come to the point of understanding that you're wrong, that you've sinned, that you're on the wrong path. And so he, so he asked him a legitimate question. How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. So he says, if I've come and I'm, I'm casting out demons, that's against the work of Satan. So his kingdom would be divided. One group of people would be fighting against another group of people that are trying to, quote unquote, establish their own kingdom. Jesus goes, it doesn't make any sense.
If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. So Jesus answers the question. It can't. It is no longer logically
understandable that if you're fighting amongst yourselves, it will fall apart.
If Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but he is finished.
If you're saying that Satan is fighting Satan, he loses.
God wins.
Here are these people who are so proud of being intellectual theologians.
Can't stand. Stand the son of God's logic and theology.
But no one can enter the strong man's house and plunder his property unless he first binds the strong man and then he will plunder his house.
Jesus says, if there is this really strong person in his house and you want to steal his stuff, you've got to bind him up. You've got to render him incapable of stopping you. So you've got to bind him up in order to rob his house,
which means unless you surprise the owner of the house, you've got to be stronger than him.
Jesus, by the statement of saying, I am stronger than Satan.
Because I am able to enter his house, bind him up and do whatever it is I want to do.
You're accusing me of working with Satan. I'm telling you, I am stronger than Satan and I am entering his house and taking his stuff. Not the other way around.
Truly, I say to you, all sins shall be forgiven, the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter.
But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness that is guilty of an eternal sin.
One of the greatest disappointing statements is this. Even when we sin intentionally, we have the hope that God will forgive us.
We hear Jesus says, Father, forgive them. They do not know what they're doing.
Jesus says, there is a sin that you can commit that you will never be forgiven for.
It is an eternal sin.
There is a denomination who talks about mortal sin.
This is one of those where if a person commits it, they can't be forgiven.
Christians usually are very fearful of this because we never want to be not forgiven.
And when you, there was a time in my life that there was a preacher who was on TV and he was preaching and he had a,
let's say, a not accurate view of the Scriptures.
And I criticize that person, not to his face because he's on TV and whatever. And all of a sudden I was afraid I committed that sin because maybe this guy was someone preaching and I was wrong and I was fearful. And I came to a couple of conclusions.
Number one, I didn't say that this man was violating the Holy Spirit, so I didn't blaspheme the Holy Spirit. Now you can say all kinds of matter of bad stuff about me. People say all kinds of bad stuff about Jesus.
That's forgivable. When you claim that the Holy Spirit is doing something counter to what the Holy Spirit is doing, you're condemned. So for those of you who are afraid that maybe you might have committed the unpardonable sin, the fact that you're afraid that you might have committed the unpardonable sin means you did it. Because if you had, your heart would be so hardened that your heart would be so hardened that you would never understand the Scriptures anyway. You wouldn't care. And you will see that these religious leaders do not care. They from early on in Jesus' ministry sought how to kill him, to destroy him, and they've never changed. And so the only thing that Jesus does now is he starts teaching them in parables so that they will never understand. And they never understood even when he was raised from the dead, what was their response? Here's some money. Tell them that the disciples stole the body.
They still lied in the midst of a truth. Because they were saying he has an unclean spirit. So the fact that these people who were religious people, who should have known the Scriptures and should have known who Jesus was and is, send away an opportunity. Which is why I keep saying read the Scriptures.
Don't follow what religious people tell you. Don't follow what you think good people tell you. What does God say?
"Then his mother and his brothers arrived and standing outside, they went, sent word to him and called him." Because there's so many people in the house and everybody's sitting around listening. So they're listening to Jesus' teaching and doing these types of things. So again, so the first part of the they came because they thought it was crazy. So they now come to get him. So they've shown up, but they can't get inside the house because there's too many people to get inside. So they're saying, "Hey, can you pass on? We need to see." So Mary says, "I need to see my son." And the brothers go, "We need to see our brother." So they sent and they called out to him.
"And the crowd was sitting around him. They said to him, "Behold, your mother and your brothers are outside looking for you." Now I want to come. There are certain denominations who say that the Virgin Mary was always a virgin. Even in the earlier gospel we talked about, it said that Joseph kept her a virgin until after the birth. That phrase said, "He kept her a virgin until," which means she wasn't always a virgin. Second, this just tells us that he had other brothers and sisters and the other brothers and sisters. We know two of them, James and Jude.
They say, "Well, to get around this," they say, "Well, he's talking in the kind of the spirit, who's might run." That makes no sense by what Jesus is about to say. If these people aren't really his mother and his brothers and sisters.
In answering them, he said, "Who are my mother and my brothers?"
Jesus is always causing us, you see, everybody talks about, "Well, you Christians just have blind faith." Jesus always calls us to think. He asks questions. He asks questions for us to learn. He asks questions for us to avoid sin. He asks questions so that we might understand with our minds and follow with our heart who he is. So he asks them. There's some people outside who say that they're mother and my brothers. So my question is, "Who are my mother and my brothers?" Kind of like, if you will, Cain said, "My brother's keeper." He asks questions. And so then he says this, "And looking about at those who were sitting around him, he said, "Behold, my mother and my brothers." Jesus says, "There are people who are my family by
genetics, who don't understand who I am, though they should. And there were religious leaders who should know because of the scriptures who I am. And not only do they not understand, they refuse to understand. And now they have no opportunity to understand." But there is a group of people who are sitting, trying to understand history teaching and trying to follow him in his teaching and who he is. They're not perfect. Some of them will abandon him, some of them. And that's why he's going to teach a parable next about these various people. But he's saying, "There is a group of people who are trying to understand." He looks around and says, "These people,
look around and say, "Behold, my mother and my brothers." But then he makes a statement that is kind of contrary to what we oftentimes profess. "For whoever does the will of God
is my brother and sister and mother." People love to say that we're all God's children. Jesus says, "God created us all. But to be in his family, you need to be doing the will of God."
One of the parables that Jesus will teach is about a father who had two children, two sons.
And he told the sons to do something. And the first son said he would and then didn't do it. The second son said, "No, I'm not going to do it." Then thought better of it and did it. And then his question is, "Who did the will of the father?" It's not what you say, it's what you do, doing the will of the father. Now I wish, and it's too late for me to be the third son, but I wish there was a third son who said, "Yes, father, I'll do it." And then did it. Wouldn't it be awesome if we were children like that who do what we're told to do as opposed to what most of us are? Hopefully the second one who says, "Man, I don't want to do it." But then we think better of it and do the will of God. So to be in the family of God, to be related to Jesus, isn't to simply be created, but it is one you can know that you are by doing the will of the father, by doing God's will.
You see, our family membership isn't by DNA, it's by his blood. Now I'm going to save you a whole lot of money because you're going to go, "Okay, well, then I need to know what the will of God is."
And there's a bunch of books out there about telling you what the will of God is.
And some of them are kind of cheap and some of them are expensive. But if we would read the scriptures, you would need to buy the other books. But I want to give you a cliff notes version of the scriptures of the will of God so that you'll know that. And then I'll encourage you to investigate further. What's the will of God? To believe that Jesus is the son of God and that the father sent him and in believing in him, we would be forgiven our sins. To confess with our mouth, Jesus is Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised him from the dead.
If we love the father with all our heart, all our mind, all our strength, all our soul,
and then the second one, to love our neighbor as ourselves. And then to love the family of God, the way Jesus loved us and gave himself for us, to keep ourselves from immorality,
to rejoice always, to pray without ceasing, and in everything give thanks, for this is God's will in your life.
There it is. Those are God's will. So oftentimes we would say, "Well, does God want me to be a lawyer, a doctor, a baker, or candlestick maker?" He may. Or when you become a doctor, lawyer, baker, or candlestick maker, you do the will of God in the context of your life.
Because even if you're supposed to be a doctor and you become a doctor, but you don't follow the will of God, then what would benefit you for being a doctor? You just should have been a candlestick maker. It didn't make any difference. Doing the will of God.
And sometimes, and I understand because I'm human, which is not an excuse because I'm human, I don't do the will of God as I ought to. And I'm that second son who eventually tries to get around to it. But it's not about us. It's about Him. That's why when we sang the song, "I'm so glad I'm a part of the family of God," one of my favorite parts of that is it says, "I'm unworthy, included, but thank God I belong."
He calls us not because we're worthy. He calls us because of who He is and what He has done and how much He loves us and keeps us. And just like these ones who send away their opportunity for eternity to be forgiven, once we follow Him, we are eternally secure in our faith in Him. "I'm so glad I'm a part of the family of God." Not because I'm worthy. Not because I've got all the answers. But because I want to, in an imperfect way, do the will of God. And by knowing that I'm trying to do the will of God, even in that imperfect way, even as those people who are sitting around Him, and some of them were true believers, and some of them were trying to be, but didn't understand, and some of them are going to, because of cares and worries and whatever, will fall away. We are bound by His blood and by His sacrifice and His calling for us. It is not so much important that I call Jesus "brother," but that He calls me "brother."
All too often we want to talk about, "I'm a friend of God." I'm a friend of God. Is God a friend of mine? Am I doing His will?
And that is not for me to point to you and say, "You are or you're not doing the will of God." That is for you to inspect within your life, understanding we're not perfectly doing the will of God. But as He gives us life, we should. And instead of being, as I mentioned earlier, like Adam and Eve, who ran from Him because of their sin and shame, being like Isaiah, who after having been forgiven, to hear Him I, send me. Your will is more important than my desires.
And All God's people said.