Mark chapter 3, I titled this message, The True
Family of God. He tells us here in these few
verses who they are that are his, the
true family. Now in the previous verses, the
scribes accuse him of being in league with Satan. Trials come in many forms, don't
they? They come in many forms. Some of them are so disguised
you wouldn't even recognize it as a trial. As a trial. I remember Henry said one time,
Years ago, this happened years ago, someone got offended over
something that happened in the nursery and left, didn't come
back. And he said they don't realize
that they were tried of God. They went through a trial and
failed, and they left. Trials come in many forms, disguised
in many ways. Here, our Lord's family, They
come and try to call him away from his duty. Mary has forgotten
what our Lord said back in Luke chapter 2 when he was just a
little fella. I must be about my father's business. This is why I'm here. I am here
on business. I am here on my father's business. She had forgotten that. Satan
is so subtle, he will use even a supposed good motive to stop
or interrupt the progress of the gospel. I'm sure they were concerned
about his health. In the previous verses, it says
they thought he was beside himself. They thought he was beside himself,
his family. They thought he was doing too much, taking too much
upon himself. This is God. He can handle it. He can handle it. He's doing
what he's supposed to be doing. He's saving his family. He's calling out his sheep. He is about his father's business. Now let's look and start in verse
31. There came then his brethren and his mother, and standing
without, sent unto him calling him. They came to draw him away
from the crowd and to take him home. You see, they thought that
he was taking too much on himself. They feared for his safety. I
think they feared because there was such a crowd there. Then
you had the scribes who were casting these aspersions upon
him about being in league with Satan. And they were afraid of
that. It's evident. It's evident they
had not yet comprehended who this man is. He'd take care of
himself. This is God. This is God in the
flesh. Even Mary, who believed. She believed him. She believed
on him. She trusted him as her savior. She trusted him. But even Mary
who believed did not fully understand what was going on. It was the
disciples that said, do you remember when they was in that storm and
our Lord rose up and He spoke and He calmed the wind and the
waves? And they just stood back and said, what manner of man
is this? Were they saved or lost? They
were saved. Salvation is not in me knowing
everything. It's in me knowing Christ and
believing on Him. Believe me, we're going to be
shocked how much we don't know when we stand in His presence.
There's a whole lot we do not know. Just as they, you know,
when they were on that boat and He did that, They believed He
was the Son of God. They believed that. They believed
that He was the Messiah, but yet at that time they go, what
manner of man is this? Salvation is believing on the
Lord Jesus Christ. Listen to this. And this is in
John 6, 40, and this is the will of Him that sent me, that everyone
would seeeth the Son and believeth on Him. believeth on him may have everlasting
life, and I'll raise him up at the last day. And the multitude that saith
about him, and said unto him, and they said unto him, Behold,
thy mother and thy brethren without seek for thee." They're looking
for you. They want you to come to them, and you're going to
go home. They want you. We're a symptom by the multitude.
Here's more pressure. They didn't just go in and want
them to go in. No, they talked to this one and
then this one, and next thing you know, the whole multitude's
saying, stop. Your mother's out there. Your
brother's out there. They want you. What they did not realize was
that he's with God's family. He's with the family. Seated
there, his disciples, those who believed on him, surround him
in a circle. He's sitting there, and I believe
they're in a circle sitting there listening to him. He's with his
family. You who believe. We who believe. We are the family
of God. Let that sink in. I had to sit
back today. from my desk and let that sink
in. This is not a fairy tale. This
is real. I'm speaking tonight, and I believe
this, I'm speaking tonight to true children of God. The family of God right here
is God's family. And I tell you what, if this
is the family of God, He's here. He's here. Where two or three
are gathered together in his name, he's in the midst of it.
He's with his family. He's never separated from his
family. Ever. Ever. He's with his family. Mary and
him standing out there, and they said, you go in there and tell
him we want him to come out here. And he answered them. That multitude
there and those who said that, he answered this and said this
to the whole multitude there, saying, who is my mother or my
brother, my family? Who's my family? Who is the real
family of God? Throughout creation, what, there's
a seven billion people living on this earth right now? Is God
the father of seven billion people on this earth right now? No.
Because he clarifies this. He's the father of all who believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ, he said, and do his will. He's the father of them. He's
the God and judge of all others. Of all others. But I want you
to notice something here. I want you to notice how Mary
is treated and is not with disrespect. Believe me, he did not treat
her with disrespect, but he put her and his brethren in their
place. He put them in their place. Let
me show you something here over in John chapter 2. Go over in
John chapter 2. John chapter 2, and the third
day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee. And the mother of
Jesus was there. And both Jesus was called and
his disciples to the marriage. And when they wanted wine, the
mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine. She saith
unto him, They have no wine. Can we do something about her?
Can you do something about it? I want you to notice what this
is, because listen. He's her Lord. He's her King. He's her God. And he says to
her in verse 4, Jesus said to her, he didn't say Mary, he politely,
I think, puts her in her place, woman. And that's the way they
spoke back then, especially back then. He said, woman, what have
I to do with thee? Mine hour has not yet come. This is her Lord. She's trying
to tell him what to do. No, that's not the way it works,
is it? It doesn't work like that. He's God, he's king, he's Lord. We submit to him. And let me
go back here and read. She got it. She got it. Listen
to her. His mother said unto the servants,
whatsoever he says to you, do it. She got it. Whatever he says,
you do it. But notice here how she's treated.
This is important, too, because many believe that Mary, or they
put Mary on equal footing with Christ. Actually, they put her
above him. Many pray to Mary as though she
were a mediator between sinners and God. Hail Mary, mother of
God, pray for us poor sinners. Well, you're in trouble. You're
in trouble. Because she's not the mediator.
And she never pretended to be the mediator. She called herself
blessed among women, not above women. She said she was blessed
among women. If you're blessed among men and
women, you believe God, you're blessed too. You're blessed too,
because Christ dwells in you. You're blessed. Now Mary was
a godly woman. She was a godly woman. But she was a sinner. She was
every bit as much a sinner as Rahab the harlot. Being a virgin
did not make her not being a sinner. She was a sinner. She was a sinner
just as much as you and I. By birth. By birth she was just
as much a sinner. I tell you what, and by action
too. And by action. Her thoughts were just like our
thoughts. Our ways are just like our ways. If anybody is truly holy and
righteous, they are that way in Christ. Made that way in Christ. Made the righteousness of God,
it says, in Christ. And there's only one mediator.
The scripture teaches us this. There's only one mediator between
God and men, and that is the man Christ Jesus. It is through
him we come to God. No man comes unto the Father
but by me. It's not but by me and Mary.
It's but by me. He's the only mediator. That's
what it says over in 1 Timothy 2.5. We call on God, but we call
on God through the name of Christ and only Christ. Nobody else's
name. There's only one name given under
heaven whereby we must be saved. And that name is Jesus Christ.
No other name. No other name. And then God is
to be obeyed rather than family. God is to be obeyed rather than
family. When all is said and done, I must know. and do the will
of God myself. Myself. I must seek to know and
do the will of God myself. It doesn't matter if everyone
else stands against me. If I believe that's the will
of God, do it. Do it. Most of the time, the family
would be against it anyway. It's rare to find a family where
the Lord has saved most of the family. That's rare. You'll find
one here, one there, saved in a family, you know, here and
there. And most of the time, the family is... Now, when it
comes to the gospel, they let you get religious. I mean, that's
all right. You can get religious all you
want. But when you believe the gospel of the sovereign grace,
you're going against most of the wishes of the family. Good
example, Abraham. Abraham would have never left
home if he'd listened to his family. Abraham, where are you
going? I don't know. Well, that sounds
like a real plan, Abraham. Sounds like he'd gotten together.
What are you talking about you don't know? Walter Gruber would
have never went to Mexico if he'd listened to the family. This is what our Lord is teaching
us here. God is to be obeyed, His will is to be done, to the exclusion of all others.
All others. We are to let nothing deter us
from doing what we believe is the will of God. You know, when it comes to preaching,
You believe it's the will of God for you to preach. You know,
Eric up here preaching, and Dale comes up here and preaches, and
Frank comes up here and preaches. When it comes down to it, I stand
here and preach, when it comes down to it, it's not whether
this one or that one or that one thinks I'm called. No. That's
between me and God. That issue comes down between
me and Him. Doing His will, and doing it when you know it. Listen, turn over to Acts chapter
20. Paul, here in verse 22, And now, behold, I go bound in
the Spirit into Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall
befall me there, save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every
city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me. But none of these things
move me, neither can I my life dear unto myself, so that I might
finish my course with joy. And the ministry which I have
received of the Lord Jesus to testify the gospel of the grace
of God." Paul said, I know what's awaiting me, but they don't move
me. I'm not going to not go. I'm going to go. I want you to
look at another scripture. Look over in chapter 21. Let
me find the verse I want to start at.
Let me start in verse 11. And when he was come unto us,
he took Paul's girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said,
Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind
the man that owns this girdle, which belonged to Paul, and shall
deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles. And when we heard
these things, both we and they of that place besought him not
to go up to Jerusalem. The man just said that the Holy
Ghost revealed that the man who owns this girdle is going to
be bound at Jerusalem. And others said, Paul, you can't
go. You're not going to change God's
purpose and will. Then Paul answered, What mean
ye to weep and to break mine heart? For I am ready not to
be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of
the Lord Jesus. And when he would not be persuaded
to stay and not go, we ceased saying the will of the Lord be
done." Be done. We are not to let nothing deter
us from doing the will of God, even if it cost us our life.
That's what Paul said. Paul said, I don't count my life
dear to me. Now he gives us a revelation
here in verse 34 of his family. They came to him, and the multitude
said, Your brethren, your mother is outside waiting on you. They
want to see you. And he looked round about on
them which sat about him, those fishermen, publican. Not ashamed to call them brethren. And he said, behold, I'm going
to teach you something. I'm going to tell you something.
Pay attention. Pay attention. Behold my mother and my brethren. And he's looking at his disciples. Then he clarifies this. He doesn't
just take a hand and sweep over the whole crowd and say, All
you are my mother, brother, sisters, and mother, relatives, my family.
Because it's our son. It's just our son. He says, for
whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother,
my sister, and my mother. The same is my family. That's
my family. Our real family are those who
believe God. Am I right? Is that not the real
family? It's the saints. The real family are the saints
of God. The Lord loved his earthly brothers,
and sisters, and Mary. He loved them deeply. He loved
them, I tell you what, he loved them like a brother ought to
love his sister. I bet he never did have a fight with them. I
bet he never argued with them. I doubt that he ever did. I don't
think he ever did. Never had a falling out with
him. They took something, he said, take it. Take it. I like my two grandkids, they're
sitting there ready to knock each other down. He says, you
can have it. Here, take this one too. Take
this one too. He loved him deeply. He loved
them perfectly as far as a brother and a sister, as far as a family
relationship. He loved them. I know he did.
We love our family in the flesh. I have brothers and sisters.
Four sisters, two brothers. I love them. Mother and a father,
I love them. But the real family now is you. There's coming a day. coming today, when me, my two
brothers, my four sisters will all die. And the relationship
we have in this life will be over. The connection I have to
them in this flesh and my parents will be over. But the connection
I have with you and them, if they believe on Christ also,
but the connection we have with one another, It's forever. This relationship
right here is going to grow and it's going to grow and it's never
going to stop growing in love and fellowship and joy. It's
never going to stop growing. This relationship that we have
with one another in Christ is eternal. It's eternal. You know, right now, there are
different age groups in here. Younger ones, older ones, but
someday we'll all be young. We'll all be young. And we'll enjoy each other's
company and presence forever and ever and ever. That's right. If you don't enjoy it now, you're
not going to enjoy it later, that's for sure. We enjoy it now, don't we? I
enjoy, I enjoy coming over here and being with the family. This
is the family. This is it. The Lord reveals that the true
family of God are those that believe on Him and do His will. That's the fact. The true family of God are all
those who are born of God. They are His sons and daughters,
those born of God. And here's great comfort for
all believers, and I'm going to close. The one seated at God's right
hand is really and truly now, get a hold of this, our brother. Our brother. I have a brother that, as far
as his flesh goes, I have a brother that lives in Hurricane, I have
a brother that lives in Barberville. But my real brother, my elder
brother, my elder brother, the Lord Jesus Christ is seated in
glory at God's right hand. He has taken possession of heaven
for the whole family of God. He's taken possession of the
Holy of Holies for the whole family of God. He's there representing
the whole family of God and many of His Brothers and sisters are
there now. They've gone on. I've known some
of them over the years that have gone on to be with them. You're a great comfort for all
who believe. The one seated at God's right hand is our brother. In Christ we are heirs of God. It says in joint heirs with Christ.
It says in Romans 8.17. And if children, then heirs,
heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ, Christ our brother,
so be that we suffer with him, that we shall also be glorified
together with him." Listen to this, 1 John 3, 1-3,
Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us,
that we should be called the Sons of God. Therefore the world
knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now, right
now, are we the sons of God? Man, that means a lot. I believe it will mean a whole
lot more when you're lying there taking your last breath. Son of God. Not like the Pharisee. He said,
you are of your father the devil. Saved from darkness. Saved from
your sins. Saved from your rebellion. Saved
from the curse of the law. Now are we the sons of God. It
does not yet appear what we shall be. We couldn't handle it. We could not comprehend it. You
know, when Paul went to the third heaven, he said, I heard things
unlawful. He doesn't mean it was wrong
to say it or put it into words. There's no words to put it into.
What he saw could not be put into human language. He just
said, there's no reason for me to even explain it. It can't
be comprehended in this life. It does not yet appear what we
shall be, but we know that when He shall appear, we know this,
we shall be like Him. We shall be like our brother, holy, undefiled, spotless, for we shall
see Him as He is. And when the Lord looked round
about, on that crowd to reveal God's true family. He said nothing
about race. He said nothing about sex, male
or female. He said nothing about social
status. He spoke of faith and obedience. There may have been
a rich man there, and probably some who were more prosperous,
and there were some there who were just poor as could be. But if they believe in the Lord
Jesus Christ, they're my brothers. That's what he said. They are
my brethren. These are the marks of the family of God. Or I can say it like this. These
are the traits. You ever see somebody has family
traits? You can just see it in a family.
You can see a family and you can see certain traits throughout
that family. Well, the family traits are these. Faith and obedience. That's the mark of sonship. That's
the mark of the family. Faith and obedience. Faithfulness. Faith and faithfulness
is a family trait of God's children. Am I a child of God? Do you believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ? If you do, you are a son of God. You are part of the family. And if not, you're not His.