Dishman Baptist Church
Mark 3:31-35
  • God My Rock
  • Father Abraham
  • All I Have Is Christ
  • Come Behold The Wondrous Mystery

      • 1 John 3.1-2CSB

  • Introduction

    Good Morning everyone. First I would like to thank you all again for coming here today. Whether it is in person here or online. Welcome. We are going to continue with the book of Mark this morning. So far Jesus has started his ministry and left his home town and he went to Cap Er Num. While there he preached, taught, and performed miracles like healing and casting out unclean spirits inside and around the city in the local villages. He gained the attention of the local people including the religious leaders. People followed him to be healed or they just wanted to see what he would do next.
    The religious leaders were not happy with what Jesus was doing and they had started accusing him of breaking their laws and customs. They accused him of breaking the Sabbath, not fasting correctly and others. To the point that in Matthew they are already plotting to kill him.
    Jesus then left this area and started to travel out around the Sea of Galilee. Last week Chris showed us that the crowds were getting bigger. They still had the common people and religious leaders but the people were coming from all over, not just local areas:
    Mark 3:7–8 CSB
    7 Jesus departed with his disciples to the sea, and a large crowd followed from Galilee, and a large crowd followed from Judea, 8 Jerusalem, Idumea, beyond the Jordan, and around Tyre and Sidon. The large crowd came to him because they heard about everything he was doing.
    Jesus’ reputation was spreading and the crowds were getting more diverse. The entire time all of this was happening Jesus has been calling specific people to follow him and last week we saw that Jesus went up a mountain and selected and appointed his twelve apostles. After he selects the twelve he rejoins the crowd and this is where we pick up today.
    Today we are going to continue to look into the crowd around Jesus and the controversies that were starting to develop because of him. We will look at the accusers of Jesus, we will look at how Jesus responded to them, and then we will look at his warning, and finally we will look at what this means for us today. Open your bible with me to Mark Chapter 3 verses 20-30.
    Mark 3:20–30 CSB
    20 Jesus entered a house, and the crowd gathered again so that they were not even able to eat. 21 When his family heard this, they set out to restrain him, because they said, “He’s out of his mind.” 22 The scribes who had come down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and, “He drives out demons by the ruler of the demons.” 23 So he summoned them and spoke to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26 And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand but is finished. 27 But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can plunder his house. 28 “Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for all sins and whatever blasphemies they utter. 29 But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”—30 because they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”
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    The Opposition

    What we see here is Jesus has come down from the mountain back into the crowd and into his ministry. We see that he has entered a home and there are so many people there that are unable to even eat. Other translations add that there is so little room that they “say there isn’t enough room for them to even eat bread.
    How many of you are crowd people. You love the buzz and excitement and energy of a concert, sporting event or Blooms Day? How many of you are the opposite crowds give you anxiety and they are not your cup of tea. Think of being in a home so crowded that you cannot even eat bread.
    Jesus is in this house ministering to the people when we come to the first group of people who are opposed to what Jesus is doing.
    Mark 3:21 CSB
    21 When his family heard this, they set out to restrain him, because they said, “He’s out of his mind.”

    Jesus Accused By His Family

    His family is watching what is going on around Jesus and there must be something different in the size or intensity of this situation. There response to what Jesus was doing is Let us go and restrain him. This means they wanted to APPREHEND him. The word also means to take him into custody. Kind of like an intervention. They are going to fight through the crowd and capture their Jesus and get him out of here.
    Why do they want to capture him? They thought he was out of his mind. This literally means they believed he was insane. His family is with him and has been going along with him but he has now selected 12 special men that will be working with Him to spread his teachings. They are looking around the crowd and this is no longer little Jesus drawing a crowd. They are hearing murmurs that the religious leaders want to kill him and he is drawing attention from every where. They are worried about him and want to protect him.
    Have you ever been part of something that starts one way. It is really exciting and growing. It is gaining momentum and then things change. It seems to get out of hand or really uncomfortable. You start to wonder what people will think if you are associated with what is going on. On a small scale this is one of the huge road blocks to evangelism in the church. We are on board until it get a little uncomfortable. And our response is to flee. His family want to flee with him and let this blow over. They could be be fearful of their reputation, consequences from Roman authority and Jesus authority.
    There is an interesting contrast today between the church’s reaction to this type of crowd and the worlds. Celebrities and athletes are applauded for drawing a crowd. How many followers do you have on social media. A celebrity comes to town and all sorts of people come out to get just a real life glace of them but isn’t it the opposite for the church. We just don’t have the same desire to be connected to people that might be religiously controversial. We are afraid to be connected with some people. But Jesus did not seem to be bothered at all. He knew the hearts of the people around him. Even the next group of people that we find in opposition to Jesus.
    Mark 3:22 CSB
    22 The scribes who had come down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and, “He drives out demons by the ruler of the demons.”
    This accusation seems to come out of nowhere. But Luke gives us more information on what is going on.
    Luke 11:14–15 CSB
    14 Now he was driving out a demon that was mute. When the demon came out, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowds were amazed. 15 But some of them said, “He drives out demons by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.”
    So while the crowd is there Jesus is casting out a demon and at the conclusion of the event the Scribes accuse him of all things, being possessed by a demon himself. Now these were not the local Scribes or religious leaders. These were the Scribes from Jerusalem. These were the Jewish National Leaders. They had traveled all the way to this area to see for their own eyes what this Jesus man was doing. They watched him cast out a demon and then the accuse him to the crowd of being possessed himself. Specifically possessed by a demon called Beelzebul.
    Beelzebul is translated as the Lord, Prince or the leader of demons. In the old testament this name was given to a pagan Philistine Deity. Over time the name would be associated with Satan’s minions and even Satan himself. Regardless of the specifics, the point the Scribes were making was that Jesus was a man that was possessed by powerful demon of Satan. We will look at Jesus response in a second but there are some consequences of what just happened.
    The Jewish people in the crowd just heard the most learned men in their society, the most well respected men they knew just claim publicly that Jesus was just a man possessed by the prince of demons. The confusion that would have started at that moment would have lasting effects.
    As Christian’s there is a note to take from this: be careful of who you follow and deeply understand the responsibility and influence you have on those that follow you. God says go and make disciples teaching them to obey… We should always be learning to obey from those who have come before us and teaching what we have learned to those who are coming behind.
    Now we get back to Jesus’ response.
    Mark 3:23–27 CSB
    23 So he summoned them and spoke to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26 And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand but is finished. 27 But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can plunder his house.

    The Response

    They were making this accusation to the crowd not Jesus. So Jesus summons them to himself. He then proceeds to refute their logic with one of the only 3 parables recorded by Mark. He makes is crystal clear what they are claiming. He asks them how can Satan drive out Satan? He is defining the spirit he just cast out as an agent of Satan and Beezebul as Satan or also an agent of Satan. He starts with a threefold illustration to prove how ridiculous their claim is.
    First he gives a worldly illustration that people would understand: “If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.” What do we call a kingdom divided against itself? At the one end of the spectrum it is unrest and at the other it is civil war. We can relate to this all over the world today. On Wikipedia it records in 2019:
    4 Major Wars = 10K death last year
    4 Wars = 1K - 10K
    17 Minor Conflicts: 100 - 1000
    20 Skirmishes: less than 100
    45 conflicts resulting in close to 100K casualties last year and 3/4 of a million people dead since 214.
    Do you think these countries are in a state that is growing or declining. Even in our own country we have seen how much progress is slowed down when a country divides itself into different ideals. Just look at our political climate. Regardless of who you think is right my guess is most here would agree it is a mess and not as effective as it could be.
    The second Illustration is a social one: If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.
    We see this played out in marriages and households all the time. when one part of the household attacks another there is only one eventual conclusion to the conflict. A broken home. And with 50% of all marriages ending in divorce, even in the church, we can understand this as well.
    Then he gives the spiritual illustration: And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand but is finished. Realize Satan wants to win the battle. He will not do anything to weaken himself or his quest.
    The other nuance of this accusation is found in Luke
    Luke 11:19 CSB
    19 And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons drive them out? For this reason they will be your judges.
    Jewish exocists would cast out demons as well. So if their claim is true then the Jewish people were also casting out demons through the power of Satan. This was just an absurd claim.
    Jesus continues with:
    Mark 3:27 CSB
    27 But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can plunder his house.
    He is telling them that he is the man who has already tied up the strong man, Satan, and he has the authority and power to plunder Satan’s house.
    He has rebuked them and shown how foolish their claim is. He finishes the encounter with a warning:
    Mark 3:28–30 CSB
    28 “Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for all sins and whatever blasphemies they utter. 29 But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”—30 because they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”

    The Warning

    This is a section of scripture that can really hang people up. When we talk about the unforgivable sin what does that mean and how does it apply to us today. Jesus says “truly” People will be forgiven for all sins and whatever blasphemies the utter. Jesus says people will be forgiven for two things, sins and blasphemies. How many sins? All sins. The word all means constituting the full quantity or extent: complete. People WILL be forgiven, not might be, they will be be forgiven all sins. He also says people will be forgiven whatever blasphemies the utter. to blaspheme means to speak falsely, irreverently, or against God. To make false claims or to slander God. He said that everything that comes out of peoples mouths will be forgiven.
    He then seems to contradict himself with
    Mark 3:29–30 CSB
    29 But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”—30 because they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”
    This is not a contradiction. Jesus is turning the table on these religious leaders. Up to this point they were the ones accusing Jesus of blaspheming against God. Now he is accusing them of the same thing and actually he is accusing them of something worse. This specific pair of verses was directed to those who Jesus encountered during his earthly ministry. I looked up 4 different sources to verify this interpretation. This was a very specific action of blasphemy.
    In the book Biblical Doctrine by MacAurther and Mayhue the definition of The blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is:
    “The willful and final rejection of the Holy Spirit who is working through Jesus, by attributing God’s work in Christ to Satan”.
    This sin could only be committed during the time Jesus walked on the earth. It was the rejection of Jesus and the Miracles of Jesus that were performed by the power of the Holy Spirit. These men watched the son of God do amazing feats. They were watching their own prayers being answered. The prophecies of the Messiah were being fulfilled right before ther eyes and the conclusion they came to was: It was the work of Satan.
    For us today when Jesus said all sin will be forgiven, he ment it. To those today there is no line that can be crossed that cannot be redeemed from. Every evil thing that humanity can create is forgivable. It is not about the point of no return. It is about the point of return. The second you return or returned to Jesus from your lost condition you returned home. You are sealed, you are forgiven, there is a place for you in heaven.
    Romans 10:9–10 CSB
    9 If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation.
    The line between unforgiven and forgiven is a single line. A line that is so narrow and safe but to the lost it looks a deep cavern of no return. Have you ever seen a cattle guard? So what should we take home from the word this morning.

    Conclusion

    Following Jesus will get uncomfortable at some point.
    Like Jesus, as you grow into his likeness and become more like him, your friends and family will want to restrain you because you are out of your mind. You will spend your time differently, you will care for people in a way that does not make sense, you will do weird things with your money.
    If you never find yourself uncomfortable then do you have another growing area in your life.
    As Christian’s we need to be careful of who we follow and deeply understand the responsibility and influence we have on those that follow us. We have the precious, priceless, saving, gift of salvation to share with the world. How we present it is important. I have learned a lot the last 6 months that the more important the message the more care need to be taken in presenting that message. Bad or negative communication will overshadow an important message. What am I getting at hear? Does Jesus want sinners saved? Does heaven rejoice when a lost sheep has returned? Then we need to be as well. We need to communicate that when we take a stand on biblical truths like abortion, biblical marriage, and other issues, people understand we are for them to return to Jesus. That their hope remains in him. If we only stand against peoples sin period. Then they miss the most important part, why we stand against sin. We stand against sin because a relationship with Jesus is the most important thing in the world.
    Unity is so important in all aspects of life but more specifically unity with Christ in all aspects of our life is so important. Do not be divided.
    We should take comfort that as Christian’s all of our mistakes are forgivable and forgiven. Does this mean we go on sinning? Nope. Our love for Jesus should create a desire to please him and to show him we love Him by obeying his commands.
    If you are not a Christian and you have not made that decision to follow Jesus today could be that day. If you are waiting to clean up your act or if you think you are past the point of no return, urge you to cross the point of return. Talk to me or anyone else. We will help you understand and answer all of your questions. You to can leave here today knowing that you have eternal life in heaven.
    As we pray, keep this in mind:
    1 Peter 5:8 CSB
    8 Be sober-minded, be alert. Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour.
    1 Thessalonians 5:23 CSB
    23 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely. And may your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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  • Introduction

    Good morning and welcome to Dishman Baptist Church. We are so glad that you’re here with us today. Please take your Bibles and turn in them with me to , . We’ll finish up this great chapter this morning. Whether you are here physically or virtually we appreciate you and are thankful that you joined us in worship of our great God together this morning. Know that we count it a privilege and an honor to bring God’s Word to you today.
    When you hear the word family - what comes to mind? Maybe for some of you there are fond memories of family growing up. Webster’s Dictionary defines family as the basic unit in society traditionally consisting of two parents rearing their children. Which many of us would agree with - it is the mom and the dad and the 2.5 kids. Of course in my family’s case it’s 4.5 kids. But then listen to how the dictionary continues the definition: also : any of various social units differing from but regarded as equivalent to the traditional family. It seems we really don’t know what a family is. We have categories of families - blended families, dysfunctional families, single parent families, grandparent families, nuclear families.
    Maybe for some of you the image of family evokes anything but fond memories. For some of you the idea of family evokes a visceral reaction possibly of anger or even hatred. And for that I am profoundly sorry. Why is there these disparate reactions within each of us with regards to family. The most fundamental answer of that question is the presence of sin in each of us that corrupts all of our relationships. But another aspect is, with the exception of the singularly intimate relationship between a husband and a wife, there is no other relationship that holds greater capacity for joy but also greater capacity for pain than those found within the family unit.
    We’re going to learn a lot about the family today through the picture that Mark gives us of Jesus immediate family - we’re going to learn what the family is and what the family is meant to be. With all that in mind let’s take a look at .
    Mark 3:31–35 CSB
    His mother and his brothers came, and standing outside, they sent word to him and called him. A crowd was sitting around him and told him, “Look, your mother, your brothers, and your sisters are outside asking for you.” He replied to them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” Looking at those sitting in a circle around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”
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    Kyle did a great job last week of setting the table for us today. Now he and the youth are off at winter camp and I’ve heard that some good things are happening there. We’re going to continue to look at the back end of this book end passage. Mark starts the passage off with the mother and brothers of Jesus seeking Him and he returns to this condition following the interlude with the Pharisees. Some commentators say that this is because Mark was allowing the family of Jesus time to travel from Nazareth to Capernaum. This could be the case or they could have been following Jesus around - either way Mark is now ready to tell us what happens when the family of Jesus finally gets to Him.
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    Should Have Known Better

    Mark started off this section saying that Jesus family had come seeking Him because they thought He was out of His mind. The betrayal of family cuts deep.
    Mark 3:20–21 CSB
    Jesus entered a house, and the crowd gathered again so that they were not even able to eat. When his family heard this, they set out to restrain him, because they said, “He’s out of his mind.”
    ​
    There are some who try to say that these aren’t really Jesus brothers - that they were cousins or close family relatives. This is mainly in an attempt to establish the ideal that Mary remained a virgin her entire life and is therefore worthy of veneration or worship because she is the perpetual virgin mother of our Lord. But the Psalms prophesied that Jesus would have actual, physical brothers. says
    There are some who try to say that these aren’t really Jesus brothers - that they were cousins or close family relatives. This is mainly in an attempt to establish the ideal that Mary remained a virgin her entire life and is therefore worthy of veneration or worship because she is the perpetual virgin mother of our Lord. But the Psalms prophesied that Jesus would have actual, physical brothers. says
    Psalm 69:8–9 CSB
    I have become a stranger to my brothers and a foreigner to my mother’s sons because zeal for your house has consumed me, and the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.
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    And Matthew tells us that Joseph waits until after the birth of Jesus to consummate his marriage to Mary. The Bible also attests to the fact that Jesus had real literal brothers. Later in the Gospel of Mark we’ll read
    Mark 6:3 CSB
    Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And aren’t his sisters here with us?” So they were offended by him.
    Mark The authors of James and Jude were the brothers of Jesus. James was one of the pillars of the early church in Acts and presided over the Jerusalem council that is recounted in . But they did not always start out that way. Early in Jesus ministry they refused to believe in Him, almost even mocking Him.
    The authors of James and Jude were the brothers of Jesus. James was one of the pillars of the early church in Acts and presided over the Jerusalem council that is recounted in . But they did not always start out that way. Early in Jesus ministry they refused to believe in Him, almost even mocking Him.
    John 7:3–5 CSB
    So his brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea so your disciples can see your works that you are doing. For no one does anything in secret while he’s seeking public recognition. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” (For not even his brothers believed in him.)
    ​
    But here they show up with Mary and seek to take Him home. There have been many questions and speculations as to why Joseph is not named. I think it is very likely that he died somewhere between the story of the families travel to Jerusalem told in and when Jesus became an adult and started His ministry. The absence of Joseph would also lend another reason to why the family would have come to seek Jesus. We were actually given a clue in the passage from that we read
    Mark 6:3 CSB
    Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And aren’t his sisters here with us?” So they were offended by him.
    Notice here that they say “Isn’t this the carpenter” not, as Matthew renders this saying in “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son”. Jesus would have grown up with Joseph learning a trade and now it seems very likely that He would have had a reputation in the region for being a very capable carpenter. Early church tradition suggests that Jesus and Joseph had been plow and yoke makers, supplying the farmers around Nazareth with implements for growing crops.
    As the oldest male in the family it would have fallen to Him to return, care and provide for His family. Yet here is Jesus galavanting across the countryside, preaching in Synagogues and very likely ruining the families reputation and business prospects back in Nazareth. It was a well known fact that He had come out of Nazareth and as His popularity ebbed and flowed and the religious leaders turned against Him, they could also have strangled the family business back in Nazareth making it hard for His family to make a living.
    And so here are his brothers standing outside the home and calling Him out. This is quite the picture of faith even here. His brothers, who are seeking Jesus not because He is the Messiah but because He is their human brother who is responsible for providing for the family, are outside the home and His disciples, who are learning to seek Him for the spiritual benefits that He will impart to them, are on the inside. His family is unwilling to get close to Him because of the social stigma associated with Him by this time. The Pharisees and scribes were conspiring how to kill Him and had just tried to discredit Him by associating His ministry with demons.
    It’s not hard to understand why His brothers would be there seeking Him. But surely not Mary. She would have known better. After all she’d been the one the angel appeared to as told by Luke in Luke 1:31-33
    Luke 1:31–33 CSB
    Now listen: You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will have no end.”
    Christian Standard Bible Chapter 1

    31 Now listen: You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. 33 He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will have no end.”

    Luke 1:
    She was there in the stable and heard the shepherds. She had been there when the wise men arrived and told of the star. She and Joseph had no doubt shared stories of their angelic visits. If there was anyone on earth who knew who Jesus was and would support His ministry it would be His mother.
    John 7:3–5 CSB
    So his brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea so your disciples can see your works that you are doing. For no one does anything in secret while he’s seeking public recognition. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” (For not even his brothers believed in him.)
    John 7:3-5
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    And yet here she was. Outside the house with His brothers calling for Him and planning to take Him home. Oh Mary, the one who had sung
    Luke 1:46–50 CSB
    And Mary said: My soul praises the greatness of the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, because he has looked with favor on the humble condition of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed, because the Mighty One has done great things for me, and his name is holy. His mercy is from generation to generation on those who fear him.
    Luke 1:46-
    And yet she, just like John the Baptist later in Jesus ministry, would allow the daily concerns of life to crowd her vision and she would lose sight of who her Son was. She would seek to save Him from the dangers that were posed by the Pharisees, the Herodians and the Roman government. But she would also seek Him as the provider of the family who would look out for her in her older years.
    She knew the plans that God had made known to her regarding her Son and yet she would seek to impose her own plans on God’s and subvert the very reason for Christ’s coming. Maybe she had never gotten out of her head the prophecy of Simeon at Christ’s circumcision
    Luke 2:34–35 CSB
    Then Simeon blessed them and told his mother Mary: “Indeed, this child is destined to cause the fall and rise of many in Israel and to be a sign that will be opposed— and a sword will pierce your own soul—that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
    Luke 2:34-35
    So in spite of knowing the promises of God here she was seeking to bring her Son home.
    And you know - we do the exact same thing. Please don’t hear me being too hard on Mary or disparaging her character at all. She was only human and had human desires, needs and wants. She wanted security. She wanted safety for her family. So she lost sight of God’s plans in light of her own. How often do we, despite the fact that we read and profess and claim all the promises of this book, try to subvert or to advance or to hurry God’s plans for our lives, for His church, for the salvation of others because we want it in our own timeline or according to our own plans.
    So what would you do if your family came seeking you thinking you were making a mistake, that you were out of your mind to be following this Jesus religion. That your faith was out of step with societal norms and therefore hurting the family reputation. What if they came seeking you to bring you home?

    The Type and Shadow

    It is the crowd that alerts Jesus to the presence of His family. They were outside the door calling for Him and the word gets passed through the crowd “Look your mother, your brothers and your sisters are outside asking for you.” No doubt they expected Him to get up and go see what His family needed. But instead He offers an intriguing question.
    “Who are my mother and my brothers?” It would seem on the surface that Jesus is saying that the physical family is no longer important and so the ties to His family were no longer important. But if we were to assume that we would be mistaken. Jesus is setting the crowd up for what He really wants to drive home to them. He is about to elevate the importance of the family as a type and shadow for what the true family is.
    Note first though that elsewhere in Scripture Jesus chides the religious leaders for their neglect of family responsibilities and also provides for His own family.
    First the religious leaders. Later in Mark, we will study this more in depth when we get there later this year, Jesus will chide the religious leaders saying
    Mark 7:11 CSB
    But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or mother: Whatever benefit you might have received from me is corban’ ” (that is, an offering devoted to God),
    Mark 7:11–14 CSB
    But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or mother: Whatever benefit you might have received from me is corban’ ” (that is, an offering devoted to God), “you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother. You nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many other similar things.” Summoning the crowd again, he told them, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand:
    Mark 7:11–13 CSB
    But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or mother: Whatever benefit you might have received from me is corban’ ” (that is, an offering devoted to God), “you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother. You nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many other similar things.”
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    And then later as He would hang on the cross, Jesus takes the time to do exactly what Mary had sought Him to do here. says
    John 19:25–27 CSB
    Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple he loved standing there, he said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.
    John 19:
    But Jesus would never repudiate the importance of the physical family as it was the building block, and still is the building block, of His church. It had always been meant to play a central role in the plan of salvation and sanctification. That is why we see the fabric of the family degraded so quickly following the Fall and continue to see it unravel through out the Old Testament narratives. The entire Old Testament is a family counselor’s nightmare if they were to have to counsel the families directly involved but it is also an incredible resource to provide healing to families today.
    Immediately after the Fall we see the formation of the first family as Adam and Eve conceive and bear two children - but one becomes jealous of the other and kills his brother. Noah’s son Ham turns out to be quite the rogue. Ishmael is banished so that Isaac can have the inheritance of Abraham. Isaac then has Jacob and Esau and the dysfunctional relationship they had. Jacob has twelve sons and one is sold into slavery by his own brothers. Later in the Old Testament David’s family is marred by rape, murder and subversion of David’s authority as his son seeks to claim the throne out from under him. And that is just a few examples. The Old Testament is the story of Israel’s failure to live out the intentions of God for them as a nation and it is most deeply demonstrated in their failure to uphold the most basic of commands given to them in
    Deuteronomy 6:7–10 CSB
    Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them be a symbol on your forehead. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your city gates. “When the Lord your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that he would give you—a land with large and beautiful cities that you did not build,
    Deuteronomy 6:6–10 CSB
    These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them be a symbol on your forehead. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your city gates. “When the Lord your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that he would give you—a land with large and beautiful cities that you did not build,
    Deuteronomy 6:6–9 CSB
    These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them be a symbol on your forehead. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your city gates.
    ​
    ​
    Pass them on within your family. The family was to be the basic teaching place and the fundamental building block of the nation and later, as I’ve already said, the church. And the attacks against the family just keep coming.
    And it has been this way for decades. During his time of ministry Martyn Lloyd-Jones commented on this “Whether we like it or not, a breakdown in home-life will eventually lead to a breakdown everywhere. This is, surely, the most menacing and dangerous aspect of the state of society at this present time. Once the family idea, the family unit, the family life is broken up—once that goes, soon you will have no other allegiance. It is the most serious thing of all.”
    Whether we like it or not, a breakdown in home-life will eventually lead to a breakdown everywhere. This is, surely, the most menacing and dangerous aspect of the state of society at this present time. Once the family idea, the family unit, the family life is broken up—once that goes, soon you will have no other allegiance. It is the most serious thing of all.
    Sargent, T. (2007). Gems from Martyn Lloyd-Jones: An Anthology of Quotations from “the Doctor” (p. 117). Milton Keynes, England; Colorado Springs, CO; Hyderabad, AP: Paternoster.
    We see challenges to the family and the family unit (one man married to one woman with the potential kids that result) through the combined fronts of the sexual revolution, abortion, divorce among many others societal “norms” that undermine the very sanctity of the family unit. Our schools seek to take away a parent’s right to know anything about what their children are doing or learning. They force vaccinations on us that have been proven to harm children - now before I get in trouble with my wife I should make it clear that I’m only talking about the proposed mandatory HPV vaccine not the Measles, Mumps and Rubella or the other beneficial vaccines that have been given for years.
    And yet the family endures - just as traditional marriages endure - because it is a part of the plan of God to demonstrate the truth that Jesus wants most to get to here in this text and to which we will now turn our attention - the idea that spiritual birth ushers us into a spiritual family that does, in some ways, supersede our physical family because it is the true and better family that we were all meant to be a part of. It doesn’t do away with our physical family - what it does is it gives us a picture of how our family is meant to be. You see our physical families will one day cease to be - we will all be a part of the same family of God as we live with Him for eternity. And Jesus clarifies exactly that for us now.
    ​

    The True and Better

    Jesus looks around at the crowd before Him even as the question “Who are my mother and my brothers” hangs there in the air. He clarifies for them - “Here are my mother and my brothers. Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.” He is making a statement that elevates our vision from the temporal to the eternal. One commentator writes “The Lord’s point was that the only relationship to Him that matters eternally is not physical but spiritual.” Now don’t overlook the importance of that word eternally. Christ is not saying, I am not saying that our physical families don’t matter - but eternally our spiritual family is without a doubt more important.
    And just think - no matter what kind of family you have had here on earth, no matter how messed up or disappointing - you are a part of a family comprised of believers in God that is so much more beautiful. This is a promise through out Scripture. Paul writes in
    Ephesians 1:4–6 CSB
    For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him. He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he lavished on us in the Beloved One.
    Ephesians 1:
    My family just got a great picture of what an adoption can do in the life of one person. For those of you who may be new, my wife and I just completed a 2 1/2 year journey to adopt our little girl Nyah out of the foster system. And in our own imperfect way we are a demonstration of what God does for each of us a He pulls us out of the hell-bound life of sin that we were in, gives us a new home, a new name and a new hope. He gives us the right to be called children as John writes in
    John 1:12 CSB
    But to all who did receive him, he gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in his name,
    and then later in his epistle of 1 John he would write
    1 John 3:1–2 CSB
    See what great love the Father has given us that we should be called God’s children—and we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it didn’t know him. Dear friends, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that when he appears, we will be like him because we will see him as he is.
    1 John
    What a beautiful realization that we can be a part of the family of God. That we can be called brother and sister of Christ. Just rest for a moment in that truth - that if you’ve put your faith in His Son and repented of your sins that you are no longer an enemy or a foreigner or a slave but a son or daughter of God, a member of His very household as Paul tells us in .
    ​
    There truly is not greater truth than this. As we look around and see the erosion of the family units in our society we mustn’t lose heart. The beautiful truth is that if we do the will of God that we have membership in a more perfect, more true and better family that can never be taken away, will never fall apart and will always share our burdens. This is the picture the church is meant to fulfill - this familial bond, this desire for the good for everyone involved, this love for one another that spurs us on to weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice. That seeks the best out of and for everyone involved.
    But there is a requirement here - that we do the will of God. We must put our faith in Jesus Christ, confess our sins and trust in the salvation that He paid for on the cross on our behalf in order to become a part of this family. If you have never done that. If you’re having a hard time trusting a new family or maybe even your own family because of hurts that have been inflicted on you in the past oh please come and join this family. The hurts will not be magically taken away, but the truth of the love that will shower over you, the joy that God will bring into your life and the healing that can happen when you know that your eternal family is a reality both in the future and the right now.
    Maybe you’re here and you’ve heard these truths and you wanted to believe but the concerns of life (interestingly you may hear that phrase again next week) are crowding in and you’ve lost sight of God’s plan. Return to Him, submit to Him, give your desires over to Him and know that He will care for you in a way that only He can.
    If you’re already a member of His family then celebrate, be joyful, relish in this familial bond that we share with one another and more importantly that you share with Christ.

    Conclusion

    ​

      • Mark 3:31–35CSB

      • Mark 3:20–21CSB

      • Psalm 69:8–9CSB

      • Mark 6:3CSB

      • John 7:3–5CSB

      • Mark 6:3CSB

      • Luke 1:31–33CSB

      • Luke 1:46–50CSB

      • Luke 2:34–35CSB

      • Mark 7:11–13CSB

      • John 19:25–27CSB

      • Deuteronomy 6:6–9CSB

      • Ephesians 1:4–6CSB

      • John 1:12CSB

      • 1 John 3:1–2CSB

  • O Praise The Name (Anástasis)

      • 1 Thessalonians 5:23CSB

Dishman Baptist Church
kharrison@dishmanbaptist.org
509-926-0575
http://www.dishmanbaptist.org
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