The Lord's family. In Matthew
12, verse 46, the Scripture says, While he yet talked to the people,
behold, his mother, Mary, and his brethren stood without, desiring
to speak with him. And then one said unto him, Behold
thy mother, and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak
with thee.' But he answered and said unto them, Who is my mother,
and who are my brethren? And he stretched forth his hand
toward his disciples, and he said, Behold, my mother and my
brethren For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which
is in heaven, the same is my mother, my brother,
my sisters, and my mother." This is my family. Now, there is a
fellowship. There is a brotherhood. There
is a people. And they're scattered all over
this world. They're in America. They're in Mexico. They're in
Russia. They're in England. They're in
Ireland. They're in Australia. They're scattered all over the
world. A people, a brotherhood who have the same Heavenly Father and make up an eternal family
They'll always be a family. They speak a new and different
language. The world doesn't recognize the
language they speak. The world doesn't speak that
language, but they do. And they recognize that language
immediately. When someone else is speaking
the language of grace, they recognize it. They speak the same language. We read a while ago when Paul
was defending himself before the magistrates, read back in
the study a moment ago, Paul was defending himself before
the magistrates and before these Hebrew rulers and leaders. And when they heard him speak
Hebrew, their ears pricked up. And I tell you, when you get
around someone who knows something about the grace of God, and they
start speaking, you start listening. Ah, he's speaking my language.
I recognize what he's saying. And these people, though not
understood, they're not understood. And in most cases, they're not
loved. But they understand one another. And they love one another. And they're not of the world.
Our Lord said that. He said you're not of the world. If you were of the world, the
world would love you, but you're not of the world. And the world
doesn't love them. They're not of the world. They're citizens of another country.
They're looking, like Abraham, for a country and for a city
which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. Over in 1 Peter 2, the Lord identifies
these people. He says some things about them
here. In 1 Peter 2, He says in verse 9, they are a chosen generation,
a chosen people. He says in verse 9, they are
a royal priesthood, kingly Kings and priests unto God. He says
they're a holy nation. A holy nation. Made holy by the
righteousness of Christ. He says they're a peculiar people. That word in the margin said
a purchased people. Well, they are a purchased people,
but they're peculiar too. They have a spiritual peculiarity. They're different. They're different. That you should show forth the
praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous
light, which in times past were not a people. We were children
of wrath, even as others, having our conversation in the world,
of the world. But He called us out of the world
and out of darkness into His marvelous light, and we're now
the people of God. The family of God, the Lord's
family, people of God, which had not obtained mercy, but now
have obtained mercy. Back in the days of the apostles,
they had a name for these people, these people of God, this family
of God. They had a name for them. They
called them Christians. But they had another expression.
I want you to turn with me to Acts 19. They had another expression by
which they identified these chosen people, these peculiar people. In Acts 19, verse 9, it says,
now listen, But when divers were hardened and believed not, but
spake evil of that way, their people of that way, The way of
grace. The way of Christ. The way of
redemption. That way. I marked that right
there. That way. That's the way they
talk. That way. They speak evil of that way before
the multitude. He departed from them and separated
the disciples, disputing daily in the school of one Tyrannus.
Then turn to verse 23 in that same chapter. It uses that phrase
again, and at the same time there arose no small stir about that
way. You're in that way. You who believe
grace. That way. That way. Different from the religion of
this day. It's that way. That way. In Acts 22, turn over
there and let me show you this again. He kept talking about
that way. Acts 22, verse 3 and 4. And here
Paul is giving his testimony. And he says in verse 3 of Acts
22, I am verily a man which am a Jew. I was born in Tarsus,
a city in Cilicia, and brought up in this city at the feet of
Gamaliel. great teacher, renowned teacher
of that day, and taught. I was taught according to the
perfect manner of the law of Moses, of the fathers. And I
was zealous toward God, as you are this day, and I persecuted
that way. I was religious, he says, brought
up at the feet of a powerful teacher, taught in the way of
Moses and the law. I hated that way. And I persecuted
this way unto death, binding and delivering unto prisons both
men and women. And the high priest shall bear
me witness, and all the estate of the elders, from whom also
I received letters unto the brethren, and went to Damascus to bring
them which were there, bound to Jerusalem, and be punished,
the people of that way." Oh, how he despised. That way of
God, that way of grace. Over in Acts 9, it's used there
again in Acts 9, verses 1 and 2, telling us about this same
Saul of Tarsus. And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings
and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high
priest and desired of him letters to Damascus, to the synagogues,
that if he found any of this way, this family, that he might bring them, either
men or women, bring them bound to Jerusalem, put them in prison. Now, that way is not just the
way of religion. There's a lot of religion in
this day. There was a lot of religion in this day here, too.
But when he talks about that way, that way, that family, understanding
but not understood, people of God, family of God, Christ said,
my brothers and my mother and my father, my brother and sister
and my mother. It's not the way of religion.
It's not just the way of morality. The Pharisees were in the way
of morality. The Pharisee could stand in the
temple and say, I'm not like other people. I'm different.
But he wasn't of that way. And that way is not just to believe
in God. Not just to believe in God. If
you'll turn over to John 16, I'll show you something most
unusual. This way I'm talking about is
not just to believe in God. Because there were people, the
people who persecuted that way believed in God. Our Lord said in John 16 verse
1, these things have I spoken unto you that you should not
be offended. They, religious leaders, will
put you out of the synagogues. They'll put you out of their
churches. They'll ask you to leave. The time cometh that whosoever
will kill you will think that he doeth God a service. He'll
believe he's actually, when he persecutes you and your gospel,
your love for Christ, and grace, and that which Brother Chuck
read a moment ago, I am the Lord. Have I not purposed it, will
I not do it?" Folks that will suppress you and persecute you
will feel like they are doing God a favor. And these things will they do
unto you because they don't know the Father. You know Him, but
they don't know Him. And they don't know me. They
don't know me. That way has nothing to do with
religion. It has nothing to do with morality. That's not the way. The way is
Christ. And the way is not to be in the
same bloodline, in the same family. Turn to Romans chapter 9. Listen
to what he says here. It's not just to be in the same
bloodline. Same family. Brothers in the
world. Sisters. Brothers in the world.
In Romans 9, verse 10, and not only this, but when Rebekah also
had conceived by one, even our father Isaac, with the children
being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the
purpose of God according to election might stand not of works, but
of him that calleth, it was said to Rebekah, the elder shall serve
the younger. Jacob have a love, family, that
way. He shall have a hated. And this,
that way has nothing to do with age. It has nothing to do with
the color of a man's skin. It has nothing to do with the
way he dresses. It has nothing to do with his
possessions or his intellect. What does it have to do with?
I want you to turn to 1 Peter, chapter 1. 1 Peter, chapter 1. 1 Peter, chapter 1. And here, Peter
writes a general epistle to all believers, to all of this
family of God, wherever they are, scattered abroad, Pontus,
Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, Bithynia, wherever they might be found,
he writes to these people who believe Christ, people of God,
family of God. And he identifies the people
of the way. And I want you to underscore
some words. I've gone over this chapter before,
but I want to do it again. We've been talking these past
few weeks about this message of grace, this gospel of grace.
doctrines of grace. And I don't believe there's any
chapter that is clearer in its presentation of the characteristics
and the nature of these people of the way than 1 Peter chapter
1. And here Peter says in verse
1, Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers, scattered throughout Pontus,
Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. They're strangers.
Well, they're not strangers to God. Why does he call this family
of God strangers? They're not strangers to God.
Our Lord said, I know my sheep, and they know me. They know me. They hear my voice. Well, they're
not strangers to the angels. And to the heavenly host, do
you know that this family of God, the people of the way, they
are known in heaven? Angels know them. Let me show
you that in Scripture. In Matthew chapter 18, I love
this. Matthew 18, the Lord is talking
here about His little children, His children. In verse 3 of Matthew
18, He says, I say unto you, except you be converted and become
as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of
God." In verse 6, he talks about, "...whosoever shall offend one
of these little ones," little children. He's not talking about
5 or 6 year olds. He's talking about believers. They're his children. They're
his little children. You know, John wrote, I write
unto you little children. And that he calls his believing
people children. And here in verse 10, he said,
Now take heed that you despise not one of these little ones,
one of my family, one of my children. For I say unto you that in heaven
their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is
in heaven. They're angels. They're guardian
angels. They're keeping angels. That's
right. His family, the angels. God gives
His angels charge over you. He says that the angels are sent
to be ministers to the heirs of salvation. And so, when Peter
calls us strangers, we're not strangers to God. We're not strangers
to the heavenly host. You're known in heaven. And we
are not strangers to one another. Let me read you from Mark chapter
10. This is very special. Here to
Mark chapter 10. They are not strangers to one
another. Believers, this family of God,
this family which loves Him, they love each other. They have
all things common. They have a common faith and
a common salvation and a common bond and common trials. When one hurts, the other one
hurts. When one rejoices, the other rejoices. They love one
another. They identify. They're family. You know what a family is. You've
got your family right here in your home. And what affects one
affects the other. And you love each other. Well,
this family of God, they love each other. And they shared everything
they have. Nobody calls anything his own.
And here in Mark 10, verse 28, Peter began to say unto the Lord
Jesus, Lo, we have left all and followed Thee. And Jesus answered
and said, Verily I say unto you, that there is no man that hath
left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife,
or children, or lands. That's natural families. for
my sake in the gospel, but he shall receive, watch it now,
a hundredfold. Now at this time, right here
in this land, houses and brethren and sisters and mothers and children
and lambs with persecution. And in the world to come eternal
life. Christ is saying here that when God brings you to hear his
word, hear his gospel, Not just here, but here. And gives you
this spiritual life and divine life. And you know Him. And you can say, Abba, Father. And some of your natural family
moves away from you. You lose fellowship with them
because they don't understand you. They don't believe what
you believe. They don't love what you love.
They don't talk like you talk. They don't rejoice in the things
in which you rejoice. They may be religious, and most
of them are, but it's a religion of works, and yours is grace.
It's a religion of deeds, and yours is His righteousness. It's
a religion of an impotent God. Yours is a sovereign God. It's
a religion that brags on them. Yours gives glory to God. It's
different, and you're different. It's a bunch of people just like
you. They love what you love. They take you in. That's what
he's saying here. You lose this fleshly brother,
but you gain a spiritual brother. You may lose houses and land,
but you gain an eternal inheritance, incorruptible, undefiled, it
faded not away. You may lose some so-called friends,
but you gain a family. See, that's what he's saying.
That's what he's saying. And life everlasting. Oh, yeah. They're not strangers to God.
They're not strangers to angels and the heavenly host. They're
not strangers to each other. There's a bond and there's a love that holds
them together. But I tell you, they're strangers
to the world. Turn to John 15. Here's what
he's talking about. In John 15, look at this. John 15, verse 16. You have not chosen Me, but I
have chosen you. You have not chosen Me, I have
chosen you. What He says to the disciples,
He says to these disciples here in this building tonight. And
I have ordained you that you should go and bring forth fruit,
and your fruit should remain. That whatsoever you shall ask
of my Father, of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
These things I command you, that you love one another." You love
one another, this family of God. The world hate you, you know
it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own.
They get along, but they just don't get along with you. The
world loves its own. But because you're not of the
world, but I've chosen you out of the world, therefore the world
will turn against you. But I tell you, when they turn
against you, this family of God turn to you and love you. That's right. We're in the world,
but we're not of it. And we must, while we're here,
while we go through this world, we've got to cultivate friendships. As much as life within you, live
peaceably with all men. You want to live peaceably with
all men. You want to cultivate friendships and fulfill responsibility. But I tell you this, there'll
never be a lasting friendship again with the people of this
world. You get along with them and you
cultivate friendships and fulfill your responsibilities as an earthly
brother, as an earthly sister, mother and father, and as a worker,
and whatever your responsibilities are in this world. But I tell
you this, if you really know Christ, really love Him, love
His gospel, His enemies are your enemies. That's just right. And you'll
never, never again, I'll announce this publicly and truthfully,
you'll never again, you'll never again have a lasting friendship
with this world. A man cannot be a friend to this
world and be a friend to God. That's right. That's right. This is the family. I'm telling
you, they're strangers. They're strangers. Alright, he gives another word
about these people in verse 2. He says, they are elect. They
are elect. Is this a scriptural word, elect?
You know, I wish people would buy a Bible and then buy a concordance
and use a concordance and look up words in the scripture. The
word elect, elected, and election is used over and over again in
the Bible. You may not want to turn to all of these, but let
me just read you a few verses. In Matthew 24, talking about
the word, just the word, election. Matthew 24, verse 22. It says here in verse 22, our
Lord is talking about that great tribulation. Verse 22, He said,
And except those days should be shortened, there should no
flesh be saved, but for the elect's sake, Those days shall be shortened. Then if any man shall say unto
you, Lo, here is Christ, or there, don't believe him, for there
shall arise false Christs and false messiahs, false prophets,
and there shall show great signs and wonders, insomuch that, if
it were possible, they would deceive the very elect." The
elect. God's family. That's what he's
talking about. Look at Luke 18. Luke chapter 18. And here the word is again in
Luke 18 verse 7. And shall not God avenge his
own elect? Who is he talking about here? His sheep, his church, his people,
believers, the family. God shall avenge His own elect
which cry unto Him, which cry day and night unto Him, though
He bear long with them. He doesn't come running immediately. He comes in His own time, in
the fullness of time, in due time, in a good time, in the
right time to strengthen and to help. In Romans 8, verse 33, You've read this over and over
again. Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's what?
Elect. God's elect. Romans 9, one page
over, verse 11. For the children being not yet
born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose
of God according to election might stand. Romans 11, over one page, verse
5. Even so, then, at this present
time, there is a rendement according to the election of grace." Verse
7, "'What then? Israel hath not obtained that
which he seeketh for, but the election hath obtained it.'" 1 Thessalonians 1, verse
4, all writing to the church of Thessalonica, he says, "'Knowing,
brethren, your election of God. And Paul, sitting down there
in prison, wrote to the young Timothy and he said, talking
about his bonds and his sufferings and his imprisonment, he said,
I endure this, I endure all this for the elect's sake, that they
might come to knowledge of Christ. God called the Lord Jesus Christ,
mine elect, in Isaiah 42. He calls all believers in Colossians
3, 12, the elect of God. So my friends, instead of people
arguing about election, I think it would do well for them to
do what Peter says over here in 2 Peter chapter 1. In 2 Peter 1, verse 10, "...wherefore
the rather brethren give diligence to make your calling and election
sure." That's the thing to do. Make your calling and election
sure. All right, let's go back to the text in 1 Peter 1. They're strangers, they're elect.
And he says in verse 2, they elect according to the foreknowledge
of God the Father. Picture what does that mean.
Foreknowledge. Did God look down through the
years and see what a man would do and then choose him? No. That
word foreknowledge is to know before. To know before. To ordain. That's what it means. To know before. Same word. Now
watch this. I'll show you, give you a little
help on this. It's the same word used in Acts 2, verse 22 and
23. Turn over here and let's look
at that word. It's the same word. In Acts chapter
2, 4, "...elect according to the foreknowledge of God." That
God's elect according to His foreknowledge. It's the same
word here in Acts 2, verse 22. Now listen to this. Peter was
talking about our Lord Jesus Christ being crucified. You men of Israel, Acts 2 verse
22, you men of Israel, hear these words, Jesus of Nazareth, a man
approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs,
which God did by him in the midst of you, as you yourselves also
know, him being delivered, now watch it, by the determinate
counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken but wicked
hands have crucified and slain." All this that went on here in
Jerusalem, when they laid hands on the Son of God, and they crucified
Him, nailed Him to a cross. Did God ordain that because He
knew they would? No. No, sir. He knew they would, and He ordained
it. You see, they did Acts 4, one other turnover in Acts 4.
He talks about his death in verse 28. He said, "...they did whatsoever
God's hand and counsel determined before to be done." So we're
elect according to the determination and will and purpose of Him from
the foundation of the world. God's chosen. We're elect. Same word. Now watch this. They
elect according to the foreknowledge of God, back to the text, 1 Peter
1 verse 2, through sanctification of the Spirit, the Holy Spirit singled us out,
quickened us, gave us life, brought us to Christ. Unto obedience
and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ, grace be unto you
and peace be multiplied. Now verse 3, let me give you
two or three other things and I'll quit. In verse 3, Paul calls
these people, strangers, elect, and he says in verse 3, they
are born again. They are born again. Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according
to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again. Again. Now we are born the first time
of natural parents. You've got a birth certificate
and you know you were born. We had a new baby born to Ava
and Michelle this week. Lindy Kay. Brand new little girl
born into family here in the church. That little baby girl
has life, natural life. She got that life from her mother
and father. Natural life. But that little
girl, does not have this life here that he's talking about.
This family. Now that's, I said a little girl's
born to a family, a natural family. Well, we're born into God's family.
That little girl became a part of that family because she was
born into that family, born of those parents. She's not my little
girl, she's their little girl. And she's born of them, and she
bears their likeness and characteristics. She has flesh and blood and bones,
just a human being. But this says about God's family
that they are born again. Now let me help you for Ken. I gave an illustration this morning
some of the young people liked about the parade. Let me give
you an illustration about this new birth. There are several kinds of life.
several kinds of life, life, L-I-F-E, life. There's mineral
life. We have geologists and engineers
in this church that know that this energy and life in the rocks,
this coal that burns and oil that has power, there's life
in the rocks. That's a mineral life. And then
There is another life that's plant life. Plants live. Plants live. Flowers bloom and
they're alive. And then they die. That's life. And then there's animal life.
Your dog has life. Your cat has life. Your cows
have life. But it's far above plant life. You don't love your plants like
you love your pets. The plants die and there's no
grieving over them. But you love your pets. They've
got life. But there's a life above animal
life, and that's human life. And human life is far above animal
life, and animal life is above plant life. You don't grieve
over a pet like you do a son or a daughter. or a friend, the
human life. And that's what this little girl's
got. She's got human life. Got it from her parents, mother
and father. But there's another life. And
this other life is so far above human life, it's indescribable. It's so infinitely above human
life, there's no comparison. It's as far above human life
as that Human life is above an animal. And that's spiritual
life. That's the life of God. That's
what Adam had in the garden before he sinned. God said, Adam, eat
of the tree and die. Well, he ate of the tree and
he died. He didn't die physically. He
lived 800 years. I'll tell you how he died spiritually.
He lost the life of God. He lost eternal life. He lost
spiritual life. He lost the life of God. He died.
And I'm born dead in sin. Isn't that what Scripture says? I'm born without spiritual life. I'm born without the life of
God. I'm not a member of the family of God because I'm born
into this world of natural parents. We're born again. Christ said
that to old Nicodemus. When this religious man wanted
to talk to the Lord about some heavenly things, he said, you
can't understand what I'm talking about. If a man is not born again,
he can't understand the Kingdom of God. He can't see the Kingdom
of God. He can't enter into the Kingdom
of God. He can't even converse about
the Kingdom of God. Natural life, animals don't understand
that. Human life, You can't teach an
8th geography or algebra. He doesn't understand. He doesn't
know anything about the things you know. And I'll tell you,
Paul went to the third heaven. He came back and said, I heard
things, and you know, you see him trying to tell you. And you
couldn't understand. Spiritual life. Things of God. That's what we have here. He
hath begotten us again. Again. He has begotten us again
to a living hope. Unfortunately, that little girl
will die. Born of natural parents, you'll
die. But little girl, if you're born
again, you'll never die. And boys, If you're born again
by the Spirit of God, you'll sleep, but you'll never die.
It's a living hope. It's a blessed hope. It's a good
hope. It's a great hope. It's a good hope through grace.
But you see, this is language the world doesn't understand.
I wish they did. I wish they did. But this family
does. Like I go down into Mexico or
Russia or wherever, and they start talking. I don't understand
them. I don't know what they're saying. And that's people come
and hear us preach the gospel of grace and some of them go
away sassy. I don't understand anything he
said. You do, don't you? You understand this? This is
heavenly language. This is the language of grace.
And I can tune a preacher in on television, I can tell you
just almost in minutes if he's talking this language. You can
too. You can too, just in minutes.
You can listen to people you work with, the religious people,
and in just minutes, if they start talking about God and about
eternal life and about heaven, in minutes you can know whether
or not they're talking this language. It's a heavenly language. It's
the language of life, spiritual life. And then verse 4, these
are rich people. They have an inheritance, incorruptible,
incorruptible. They have an inheritance that's
undefiled. It won't fade away like everything
here. And it's reserved. It's reserved. Now wait a minute,
I want to show you something before I let you go. It's reserved
for somebody. I'll tell you for whom it's reserved.
It's reserved for you, comma. I used to read this and I didn't
see that comma. Not a period. It doesn't say
it's reserved for you as if it's a blanket thing for the whole
world. Comma, it's reserved for you. Comma, who are kept by the power of God. The same
power that chose you and redeemed you and called you and keeps
you. You're kept by your Father's
power. He won't let you go. And you're the only ones kept. You're kept by the power of God
through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed at the last
time. It's for you. It's family. It's
for the family. This inheritance is. One of your
dads here, when you die, you make out your will. You leave
it to your family. Your family. And God does too. The last will and testament is
for the family. It's for you who are kept. And one other verse I want to
show you down here in verse 18. Well, anyway, verse
7 says these people are tried people, and verse 8 says they're
people. Look at verse 8, this family.
Talking about the Lord Jesus Christ, His appearing. It says
in verse 8, "...whom having not seen you love, You love Christ,
in whom now you see Him not yet believing, you rejoice with joy
unspeakable. But down here in verse 18, here
is the foundation of that good hope, and I want you to see these
two words for you again. In verse 18, for as much as you
know that you are not redeemed with corruptible things as silver
and gold from your vain conversation received by tradition from your
fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb
without blemish and without spot, who verily was foreordained before
the foundation of the world, but was manifested in these last
times for you." See it again? For you. This is
distinct and particular effectual work of grace. He said this inheritance
is reserved for you. who are kept by the power of
God, and this Savior who was ordained before the world and
manifested in this last time, He did this for you, common,
who by Him do believe in God. For whom did Christ die? For
you, who by Him do believe in God. For whom did he shed his
blood? For you, who by him do believe
in God, that raised him from the dead and gave him glory,
that your faith and hope might be in God." All right, I pray
that will be a blessing to your family of God.