This Is My Family

Let's turn together for a few minutes to Mark chapter 3. Mark the third chapter. Verse 31. There came then his brethren and his mother, and standing without sentence to him, calling him, that is Mary our Lord's mother or mother of his humanity and his brothers his physical brethren stood without where our Lord was teaching and they said tell the master that his mama and his brothers are here want to see him and the multitude sat about him and they said unto him behold thy mother and thy brethren without seat they mother and your brothers are outside looking for you And he answered them saying, who is my mother or my brethren? And he looked round about on them which sat about him. Just like I'm looking at you. He looked at those folks sitting in front of him. And he said, behold, my mother and my brethren.

This is my family. For whosoever shall do the will of God, whosoever shall believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, that's what it is to do the will of God. Whosoever shall trust me, whosoever shall follow me, that's what it is to do the will of God. The same as my brother, my sister, and my mother. Doesn't matter what color of skin he is. Doesn't matter how poor he is or how rich he is. Doesn't matter whether it's a he or a she. Whoever it is that does the will of God, this is my family.

This is my mother. These are my brothers. I want to make a statement to you that I hope you'll get hold of and understand it. Understand it exactly as I mean it. Meditate on it. Nothing in this world is more important to me. Nothing in this world is as important to me as the folks I'm looking at right now. Nothing and nobody. Nobody.

I happen to be blessed of God in having my wife sitting in front of me. But our deepest, best, lasting relationship is not that of husband and wife. That's soon going to dissolve. that will soon dissolve. Yesterday morning, I gave my daughter to be another man's wife. I'm glad. It hurts, obviously. You go through stages in life that cause a little pain and difficulty that are good for you. And so it hurts a little bit, but at the same time, I'm tickled to death.

I've been raising her all her life to leave the house. I've been raising her all her life to be somebody else's wife. That's what I want for her. That's what I anticipate for her. And from that day forward, our relationship is totally different now. Totally different now. She's no longer subject to my words. She's no longer subject to my rules. I am no longer to be the chief object of concern and care in her heart and life. I don't want to be. I don't want to be. It'd be wrong if I was.

Understand that? This lady right here, she's my wife. Thank God for her. Love her, thankful for her. But one of these days, that relationship is going to cease. It's going to be no more. And I mean when she dies or I die. This thing's over. It's over as far as our marriage is concerned, as far as our earthly family is concerned.

The silly sentimental song, will the circle be unbroken, that kind of stuff. Let Johnny Cash sing about railroads and sing about prisons, he don't know anything about religion. He doesn't know anything about it. The circle that's not ever going to be unbroken in heaven is not my earthly family, it's God's family.

It's God's family. And that's all. Now, will we know one another in heaven? Oh yeah. Will we know our relationships? Oh yeah, it just won't matter. It just won't matter. And the less it matters here, the better. You understand that? The less distinction there is between my love for my wife and my love for Rex Bartley, the better off we all are. The better off we all are.

We're the family of God. We're the family of God. Now I want to talk about that just a little bit, about some of the privileges and responsibilities of it. I've been thinking about it a lot lately. We recognize and rejoice in the fact that God's church is made up of all true believers in the world in every age. I don't have to prove that to you. Let me give you this word though that I think will help you in reading the scriptures.

When you read terms in the Bible like church, the kingdom of God, the kingdom of Christ, the kingdom of heaven, the family of God, the bride of Christ, the body of Christ, all of those terms refer to the same people, it refers to the same group of people, it refers to us in differing relationships to Christ, but we are the church of God who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. God's elect, all who have been chosen, all who have been redeemed by the blood of Christ, all who are born of his spirit, called by his grace, are his church. Now some are already with him in glory. Some are sitting right here in front of me. But we're all one body in Christ. One church and kingdom of our God. We worship together with the saints of God around the throne of God.

Hold your hands here in Mark 3 and turn to Hebrews 12. I could give you many, many passages of scripture that clearly refer to the church in its universal aspect. But here in Hebrews chapter 12, the apostle is writing and says in verse 22, Ye are come unto Mount Zion and unto the city of the living God, to the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels. to the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speak of better things than that of Abel." Now, notice that the apostle says in verse 22, ye are come.

He's not talking about something that's going to happen, he's talking about something that has happened and is happening. We've come together now, if we've come together in the name of Christ, we've come together to worship God at the throne of God, and we are met together with all whose hearts meet theirs. You understand that?

That's called spiritual worship. We don't worship at a material altar here, our altar is Christ. And we come to Christ by faith, and we meet together around the throne of God with all saints who worship God wherever they are, whatever their name, whatever their condition in life. Those who worship our Savior, we're one with them and worship Christ with them, and we shall one day meet them in heaven itself. And yet, at the same time, while we recognize the universal aspect of God's church and kingdom, the family of God, we also recognize and rejoice in the great emphasis placed in the New Testament upon the local assembly, the local church, this family of believers right here.

Our Lord Jesus said in Matthew 18, we read it just a couple of weeks ago on Tuesday evenings, wherever two or three are gathered together in my name, Two or three come together to worship God. Two or three come together believing Christ, washed in His blood, clothed in His righteousness. Two or three gathered to hear God speak. Two or three gathered to worship the living God in the Spirit. If there's just two like that here, just two or three, the Son of God says, I'm right there.

When we come together in Christ's name, Now, this may sound mystical, it may sound far-fetched, but when we come together in Christ's name, as we come together as an assembly of believers, we become the temple of the Holy Ghost, and God the Holy Spirit resides right here. That's what 1 Corinthians 3 is all about. Don't defile the temple of God. God will destroy you if you do. This is his family. This is the temple of God. So we come together in Christ's name as the temple of our God and the church of God. Now, recognizing the importance of a local assembly, we must give ourselves to the business of the working minister of that assembly.

I may have told you this, I may not have, I don't remember. Last year, some of you will remember, I took Shelby out to San Diego, California for our 25th wedding anniversary. I had some frequent flyer miles accumulated and I wanted them to take me as far away as they would. So they took me to San Diego.

And Faith met us out there during the weekend. Faith and I one day sitting by the pool had a chance to chat a little bit. You may recall she'd been driving back and forth over here every weekend for services. And then going back to Codds and trying to be part of the church there at Codds Road as well.

And I just, I said to her, Faith, if you're going to live in Lexington, I'd love for you to live here. I'd love for you to be in Danville. I'd love for you to be in this congregation. But if you're going to live in Lexington, you need to be a part of that congregation.

You can't be part of others. You need to be part of building up the kingdom of God in that place and give yourself to it wholeheartedly. And that gave her a little relief, I'm sure. It took a little pressure off. But that's where she needs to be. She doesn't need to be coming back and forth over here, not when there's a gospel church there. And I'm telling you that we must devote ourselves to the building of God's kingdom in this place. And let's never cease to do so. Brother Rich Bird, about all of y'all know him, over at Todd's. He was converted under Brother Todd Niblett's ministry right after they started the church there at American Avenue. He's a pretty good trumpet player. He's got a PhD in blowing that horn.

And there's not a whole lot of demand for folks who blow a horn in Lexington. I mean, there's not a whole lot of demand making a living at it. And he had opportunity to go different places playing symphony orchestras and such as that. Make good money. Make pretty good money at it.

He was sitting in my living room one night over here. He'd been over giving music lessons down at Mercer County High School, and I was talking to him about what he was going to do, and he said, Don, I'm convinced that God would have me be right where I am, and I'm committed to spending my life building that church over there. Now, Rick's not a real big fella, but he got to be a giant real quick.

That's what you call commitment to the family of God, commitment to the cause of Christ. You just give yourself to it. Now we recognize that the local assembly was so important to our Lord Jesus that he committed the Great Commission to our hands. So that it is the business and responsibility of this local church.

I stress this local church. Not the responsibility of Todd's Road Church in Lexington. Not the responsibility of 13th Street Church in Ashland. Not the responsibility of Kitchen Street Church in Ball, Louisiana. It is the responsibility of this local church, if nobody else does it.

It's our responsibility to preach the gospel to the whole world. That's our responsibility. As much as lies within the realm of our ability, as God gives us gifts and opportunities and ability to do so, we must carry the gospel into the entire world. That's our responsibility.

Local churches then support and maintain pastors and elders. We send out missionaries and evangelists to preach the gospel. Brother Cody Gruber is going to Mexico and we're going to do what we can to help him. Anybody who preaches the gospel of God's free grace, if we have the means to do it, we're going to assist them in the work so long as there is need and opportunity for us to do so.

God has committed the ordinances. We're going to meet together here in just a minute and have the Lord's table. God's given us, as a local assembly, the privilege of meeting together and maintaining and carrying out and observing the blessed ordinances of the ministry and of the worship. And we are given the responsibility also, as we have been gathered in this place, in this little part of the country, in this little part of the world, to be as a miniature of the church universal. Let me show you. Turn to Ephesians chapter 2. Ephesians chapter 2. What is a local church to be?

In verse 20, the apostle tells us that we're built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets. That is, we're built on the same foundation they were built on, Jesus Christ himself, the chief cornerstone. Verse 21. In whom the whole building, all the buildings, fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord, in whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit."

That's what we ought to crave. That's what we ought to desire. That's what we ought to be. The habitation of God. The habitation of God. I keep praying for that. In measure we enjoy it. But all that we might have a greater knowledge of, a greater appreciation of, a greater enjoyment of, his spirit as we meet together in this place. I urge you, I urge you, though we come together in Christ's name, and he promises to be with us wherever two or three have met together in his name, don't ever just presume you're going to go meet with God. Don't ever just presume it. Don't ever ignore it, but rather earnestly seek it.

God meet with us today. God be pleased. Overcome, overcome whatever whatever hindrances Satan may put in the way, overcome the difficulties of the flesh. God, lead with us today. Give us a fresh awareness of your presence and of your spirit with us. And the local church is a family, a brotherhood, a body of believers united together in Christ.

Turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 12. Let me show you this. 1 Corinthians chapter 12 and verse 25. We're back up to verse 24. Our comely parts have no need, but God hath tempered the body together. I like that. God tempered the body together. I've been pastor here now for 15 years. And I have watched God temper the body together. And how he does it. How marvelously he does it.

They're not here, and I won't embarrass them. Ron and Pam Wood, Jennifer, they came here, and Amanda, a couple years ago. And just in God's confidence, they didn't know we were here. They came here, and God brought us together. Oh, how they have fit in the body together. Just fit in the body. That's God's doing. He puts people together.

Our Lord said to his disciples, you've not chosen me, but I've chosen you and ordained you. That word ordained means I've placed you. I've put you right where I want you in my kingdom, that you should go and bring forth much fruit and that your fruit should remain. He's tempered the body together, having given more abundant honor to that part which lacked.

That there should be no schism, no division in the body. Oh God give us that. Oh, for there to be no barriers between people, no walls, no tenseness, no uncomfortable feelings, no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care, the same care, one for another. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it. I want members to be honored. All the members rejoice with me. I illustrated two ways.

First, physically. I haven't had a tuxedo in only 26 years. Put one on yesterday morning and looked pretty good. You know, I cleaned up right good. But man, those shoes were not made for walking. They were made to go and stand for about 30 minutes, get you taken and go home. for killing me. I mean, killing me yesterday evening. And my feet hurting made everything hurt. Just as soon as I took those shoes off, what were they? What were they?

That's exactly the way it is in the body of Christ. I brought her up in the hospital, then in and out of the hospital for the last year and we've been separated with her. I hope you have, I know some of you have, care for her because she's part of his body. She's part of his assembly. at the same time yesterday we had the joy of seeing our daughter married and you folks just how you rejoice with us how you rejoice in the honor and I'm so thankful so very thankful this is what Paul's talking about here he says now we are the body of Christ all of you together and members in particular each one of you placed as God would have you in his church and kingdom.

I realize that many folks think little of church membership. Many who profess to be believers are not identified with a local church, are committed to a local assembly. And that's not as it should be. I recognize in God's providence there are people who just don't have a local assemblage where they are.

Now providentially feasible for them to be a part of a local assemblage. Don told you this morning that he and Shaddock's family meet together and watch our videotapes. That's what they have. That's what God in his providence has given them. And we're delighted to have that part of ministry with them.

But I think he will be first to say that's not ideal. That's not what you want. That's not what you want. there and be part of it. This is something in the New Testament that was just common. It was ordinary, it was accepted. When men and women followed Christ by one means or another, they applied for and obtained membership in local churches. Somebody said, local membership is not important. Oh, I think it is. I think it is. It's kind of like folks saying the wedding ceremony is not important, let's just live together. No, when you do that, you don't have any commitment. When you do that, you don't have any responsibilities.

You can move out whenever you take a notion. And in a local church, the Apostle Paul, when he was converted, assayed to join himself with the disciples. He assayed to be part of that assembly that was meeting together in Jerusalem. In Romans 16.1, when Phoebe came to Rome, the Apostle wrote a letter and said, now you receive her. You receive her, she's a faithful servant of Christ. And so by one means or another, she became part of a local assembly by public commitment. She publicly committed herself to that assembly, as Paul did to the assembly of Jerusalem. Now in many ways, church membership is similar to baptism.

I was baptized long before I moved to Danville, but when I came here and joined this assembly, I publicly identified myself with this congregation, with its doctrine, and with its purposes. I publicly committed myself to you and to this assembly. I said this people is my people, their God is my God, and here we'll be. This is it. We've come together.

That's called public commitment, public identification. And the fellowship of believers in a local church is absolutely vital to spiritual welfare. Our spiritual growth in the grace and knowledge of Christ, in many, many ways, depends upon our relationship to and our fellowship with the body of Christ. Believers need fellowship with one another. We just need it. I don't understand many women who profess to be believers who are content to live to themselves. I just don't understand it.

I talked to a fellow, been several years ago, came to hear me preach. He got ahold of some tapes and was impressed with the doctrine, you know. And I can be impressive as long as you don't know me. But this fellow came down to listen to me preach at another place and he was talking about living way back in the backwoods of Canada. Way up in Canada.

All by himself. He and his family didn't have any interference from anybody. Ever. Ever. I said, how come you live up there? He said, well, they want to be influenced by the world. I said, God didn't call you to live up there by yourself. Well, I don't want my family to be influenced by the world. God didn't call you to live like that. God's people aren't hermits. God's people don't live to themselves. And in a family, in a congregation, you'll pull up from one side of the stage and say, oh no, believers need fellowship.

The sheep. The sheep. And sheep don't, they just don't grow by themselves. I remember hearing my friend brother Herbert Wilson preach on this one time and he goofed up and he said the only time you see a sheep living by herself is when she's over there and she's wagging her tail and anything she oughtn't to pee in. But that's not, that's not what he meant. He meant to say when they're sick, that sometimes they're by themselves. And that's exactly right. The only time the beavers when something's wrong with them. Something's wrong, they need some help.

We need one another, we need encouragement, we need strength, we need, we just need one another to rub shoulders with each other, so that we're fitly joined together in the body of Christ. I heard a fellow preaching down in Australia when I was down there a few years ago, out of that passage in Ephesians 2, talking about being fitly joined together, and such a good illustration.

He said, when they built the temple, They didn't cut the stones in the quarry to fit exactly. And they didn't use mortar to make them fit. And they didn't use chisels to make them fit. There would not be heard a sound of a hammer, or a chisel, or a saw in that building.

Or had they fit? They almost fit. And they'd bring them and place them in between two other stones, and they'd rub together. and rub together, and rub together, and after a while they stand. That's just right. That's exactly the way we are made to fit and grow together in the body of Christ. Rubbing together. We need the rubbing. We need to have the rough edges knocked off. Church membership then is an avowed commitment to Christ's body.

Turn to Philippians chapter 2. Philippians chapter 2. Paul was writing to the Philippians from his jail cell, and he encourages them in this thing of unity and fellowship. He says, if there be any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, fulfill ye my joy, that you be like-minded, having the same love being of one accord and of one mind.

Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory. That would cure almost any difficulties we might have with one another, wouldn't it? In your home, if you have difficulties because somebody has had their pride offended a little bit, and they're going to, I'm going to get my way. I'm going to get my way. If it makes you suffer, I'm going to get my way. And in the church of God, whenever you have difficulties, unless it's difficulties involving the gospel of God's grace, the root is strife and vainglory.

Don't do anything out of strife and vainglory, but in lowliness of mind, As Christ did us, let each esteem the other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things. That means that Buddy Darty and Shirley Darty ought not, in this relationship, in this business in the church, in our family relationship, don't be concerned about getting what you need, what you want.

Let those who die look after that. And it leads you to say, don't you be looking at what you need and what you want. But it leads you to look after that. What's that? Look not every man on his own things. Don't be concerned about me and mine and what's right for me and my demands and my wants. No, that's peevish and childish.

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation. and took upon him the form of a serpent, and was made in the likeness of man. And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death on our behalf, even the death of the cross." He became obedient to God for us.

What I'm saying is this, God's people are family. And families require commitment. I'm committed to my family. Both that one that resides back here behind me and the one sitting right here, committed to it. I prefer my family to everybody else. I seek the welfare of my family, and be careful preacher, I seek the welfare of my family above my own welfare. Now that's just fact, that's just fact. I prefer her welfare to my welfare. And honestly, before God, I prefer your welfare to my welfare. That's what commitment involves. I seek the happiness of my family above my own happiness, and the comfort of my family above my own comfort.

God's people are a family, and members of God's family are committed to one another. If I am truly committed to this family of believers, I pray for it, support it, serve it, speak well of it, promote it, and enjoy your company. And I do enjoy your company.

I'll quit preaching this long enough to say it. Pastor one time was visiting some folks in the congregation, one of the men who had become a little lax and indifferent, hadn't been in the fellowship for a while, and they were just sitting and chatting, sitting by the fireplace in the wintertime, and the pastor reached in there and took out one of those white hot embers. He just pulled it out and placed it right beside the pipes there, and they talked a little They talked a little while longer. They talked a little while longer. And as the pastor was trying to encourage this fellow, showing him his need of congregation, he reached with his hand and picked up that stone cold. Pastor, I understand. I'll be there Sunday. I'll be there Sunday.

I've got to have you. I've got to have you. As a believer I can't exist without you. I can't enjoy the blessed life of the family without you. I've got news for you. You've got to have me too. We're in this thing together. We've got to have each other. If we would grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ and serve him we've got to have each other. So let's devote ourselves to one another even more fully for Christ's sake.

And that's one aspect of this Lord's table. You men, if you will, come on up here and we'll serve the Lord's table. Then we'll sing a hymn after that. While they're preparing this, I want to read a passage of scripture too. David, come help me please.

Oh I'm sorry Bobby you were up here I didn't see you come on up here that's fine that's fine listen to this the cup of blessing which we bless is it not the communion of the blood of Christ and the bread which we break is it not the communion of the body of Christ For we, being many, are one bread and one body, for we are all partakers of that one bread. One bread, one body, members of one another, for we are united to one head, Jesus Christ the Lord.

This Is My Family

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This Is My Family

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