The Divine Exchange 7:
Our loneliness for His family!
John 1:12-13
Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God
- The home unit in the majority of Americans lives is broken or dysfunctional. IN a survey from 2015 it was reported that 56% of teenagers from ages 15-17 had never understood or known what a whole family unit was like. Either their parents where never married, divorced or had been separated for a period of time. That is 1 out of every 2 kids that knows some level of division or brokenness.
- Check this out in January a report came out declaring that 60% of Americans feel lonely or live a lonesome life.
- This is a real situation where it plays a huge role in the life of the believer and in their journey the Lord has had them on.
- For me, I come from a broken dysfunctional family. We had love as we knew or understood it but we were so far away from what the ideal family situation would look like and lacked a lot in a lot of areas
- It played a huge role in my behavior, my actions and how I dealt with situations
- Even though my family was dysfunctional, they are my family and we have always been committed to one another and loving toward one another.
- When I got saved I noticed that I began to take on a new family.
- I literally started to trade in my broken, dysfunctional family experience for the family of God.
- Not that I traded my family in but the impact of growing up and experiencing a broken and dysfunctional family unit.
Mark 3:31-35
There came then his brethren and his mother, and, standing without, sent unto him, calling him. 32 And the multitude sat about him, and they said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren without seek for thee. 33 And he answered them, saying, Who is my mother, or my brethren? 34 And he looked round about on them which sat about him, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! 35 For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.
- In first-century Graeco-Roman and Jewish society, it was a person’s family that primarily determined identity and social standing.
- Jesus’ teaching radically modifies this custom by prioritizing participation in the kingdom of God
- To have Jesus’ mother calling for Him and Him to openly and publicly break from her, was a serious thing.
- It was something Jesus had to publicly demonstrate that YES, family is important, but God’s will being accomplished in our life is even more important
- For it was Jesus that said,
Matthew 10:37
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
- With the commitment to the Lord above everything else comes an access to all the Lord would have for you
- As Jesus said in Mark’s gospel “The ones that does the will of God is my family”
- Jesus also promises at another place that
Matthew 19:29
And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.
- This is not that you ever stop being important to the natural family unit or have obligations to the natural family unit, but if obeying the Lord causes you to have to leave, or be dismissed from a family unit because of your obedience to Jesus not to worry there is a 100 fold reward.
- Jesus is not wanting us to dismiss the natural family for that is contrary to His word
- He is wanting us to know that there should not be any allegiance on par with our allegiance to Him
- We don’t loose a family, but we gain a family.
- Look how Jesus entrusts His mother to John while He was on the cross.
- She had other sons, and other children, but here Jesus calls on His followers to embrace her and care for her as if she was part of their own family.
John 19:25-27
But standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He *said to His mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then He *said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” From that hour the disciple took her into his own household.
- You see when we make the decision to surrender to Jesus and make Him LORD over all we enter into a family
- A family that is not broken, a family that is not and should not be dysfunctional
- A family that is committed to us, loving toward us, forgiving toward us and helps us grow into what the Lord has called us to be
- When I got saved and started going to Church those folks became my family. I loved them and they loved me
- They were so proud of me and what the Lord was doing in my life
- They were proud to watch me grow and God to use me
- When I went to College they were more excited and enthused about my decision to follow the Lord then anyone else in my life at the time
- Some of them were educated, some of them were old and well experienced and wise, some of them were good husbands and fathers and I began to learn how to glean from each of them
- I learned what it look like to be around well to do, educated people
- I learned what it was like to be a husband, and father figure
- I learned what it was like to have goals and dreams that reached past my sphere of influence growing up
- My family, the family of God helped form and shape me, and then I was leaving
- When I got to Bible College there was some lonely times
- Sure you had friends and room mates but I missed my family and my CHURCH family
- I read a verse that has set with me for over 16 years now.
Psalm 68:6
God sets the lonely in families,
he leads out the prisoners with singing;
- When I was preparing to go to Bible college I thought I could preach at a church to earn money to help me through school
- My pastor said that would probably not happen until my second or third year.
- My first two weeks in Bible College I preached at a boys home in Marrianna Florida, and then was invited to apply for a youth pastor position in Quincy, Florida
- All of this activity I was still very lonely, missing my family and my Church family
- I was set to be voted on by the Church in Quincy to be their youth pastor but had an opportunity in Two Egg Florida to preach at a little country Church
- I went to that country Church the first week and as soon as I walked in the Lord said this is where you belong.
- That Church had gone through a hard time just before I showed up with all my college friends that first Sunday
- However what happened that day is the LORD set the lonely in a family
- Every single person that was and is a member of that Church has meant the world to me these last 16 years
- They have walked with me, helped me, cried with me, loved me, encouraged me, listened to some terrible messages, laughed with me, fed me, fed me again, blessed me and watched me grow into a man, a husband and a father
- I tell people I was born in Deland, but raised in TWO EGG
- God has a way of taking the lonely and putting them in a family, HIS family
Ephesians 2:19
Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household,
- Once again I found myself in a lonely isolated place on the other side of the world
- Testimony about my wedding in Vietnam
