SCRIPTURE: Matthew 12:46-50 (ESV)
DATE: 9-7-25
As always it’s a joy to be with all of you this weekend at Gateway Church. And there’s one thing I want you to know — and this is true if you’re worshiping with us for the first time or are with our friends in Bucyrus — I want you to know that God loves you and that I love you too.
SERIES INTRO
And today is our ministry celebration weekend. A time where we look back over the past year and celebrate God’s faithfulness to us as a congregation. You’ll hear from a variety of staff members today who are going to share what’s been happening in their ministry areas and how God has uniquely helped their ministry to help us be a faith family around here. For that’s the theme for us today. Of our five discipleship characteristics — the five goals we have for every follower of Jesus here at Gateway — that we’d be…
- Word and Spirit Christians
- Generous
- Family
- Disciples who make disciples
- And Kingdom-minded
This year the staff thought we would celebrate how God has and is forming us into the family he desires us to be. So — with that in mind — let me pray for us — and then we’ll look at something that Jesus said about family.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, even how we address you reminds us of this discipleship value — you’re our Father — which means — we’re a family. You’re our Heavenly Father. Our good, kind, merciful, holy, just, and creator of all things Father — who’s adopted us into your family.
Spirit, it’s your work in our lives that calls us into your family. This is the work you do when you apply all that Jesus accomplished in his life, death, and resurrection on our behalf. You give us new life — a new life as part of your family.
And, Jesus, us being adopted into a new family — into your family — is only possible because you love us. And — in your love — you gave your life so we could and can be part of your family. Help us to celebrate what it means to be part of your family today. Not because we’re awesome — but because you are. And we pray all of this in your name. Amen
GOD’S FAMILY
In the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke — we find a moment in Jesus’ life recorded three different times. The three gospel accounts are virtually identical — so this morning we’ll look at how Matthew records the moment. We’re in Matthew chapter twelve — beginning in verse forty-six.
Matthew 12:46–50 ESV
46 While he (Jesus) was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him. 48 But he replied to the man who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” 49 And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”
A brief defense of Jesus and then an observation that should stir in all of our hearts amazement and thankfulness.
Here’s my brief defense of Jesus: He’s not being a jerk to his earthly family. It’s easier than you may realize to read into Jesus our sinfulness when he makes a statement like the one he says here. But we can’t forget that — while he hung on the cross — Jesus made sure his mom would be taken care of after his death. Jesus loved his earthly family — so that’s not what his statement is about here in Matthew.
So what is Jesus saying? What he’s saying is a truth that should stir in all of our hearts amazement and thankfulness. For when he was told that his family was waiting outside for him, Jesus said, “Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother” — that’s another way of saying, “They’re my family.”
Though none of us are part of Jesus’ earthly family — we all have the opportunity to be part of his heavenly family. This is what I was referring to earlier during my prayer — it’s what theologians call our adoption. You see, when a person believes in Jesus Christ — that his life, death, and resurrection are the only means of salvation and rescue and everlasting joy and hope — when one believes in Jesus — they’re adopted into the family of God.
This is the moment when we become a child of God and brothers and sisters in Christ. Where our relationships transform into that of spiritual mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters — and even children — with each other. And — we even become brothers and sisters of Jesus — that’s what he tells us.
Now for some bad news: Not everyone is a child of God. Not everyone is part of Jesus’ family. For — as Jesus says, “It’s only those who do the will of his Father in heaven who are my brothers, sisters, and mothers.”
So — before we celebrate all of the ways that God has been growing us together as a faith family this past year — I want to extend an invitation to all who are listening: an invitation to become part of Jesus’ family. But — before you say yes — know that there’s a cost to being part of this family: You must die to yourself, give up your way, stop living for things, people — even for yourself — and instead — live for your Father in heaven. It’s quite the cost — for sure — but it’s a cost that’s infinitely worth it. For it comes with an amazing return on the investment:
- Eternal life.
- Eternal hope.
- Eternal joy.
- Eternal rest.
- Eternal comfort and peace in knowing that — all that your heart desires — for example — an end to the conflicts and suffering you’ve experienced — an end to the hopelessness and depression you may know intimately — an end to wars and famine and disease that plague our world — and end to it all — and only neverending and overflowing joy is the return on the investment of giving your life to Christ — the One who gave his life for you.
So as you hear story after story of the wonderful ways that God has and is shaping us into a family — know that these stories can be part of your story — and that you can be part of our story and part of our family — if you allow your story to be in the hands of Jesus Christ.
BENEDICTION (Prayer teams available)
May you go with thankfulness to God for the way he’s shaping us into his faith family. Amen.
God loves you. I love you. You are sent.