God’s Forever Family
Young gal rough past “why does God need us?” – no concept loving people, only using people
- Needs no one & no thing
- Wants us & a family
God is a forever Family
Luke 1:35 “the angel answered her [Mary], “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High [Father] will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God [Jesus].”
- God’s Family was at the announcement of Mary/Joseph’s family
- Jesus went from Heavenly to Earthly family
- Don’t think physically
- Do think emotionally, spiritually, relationally
God is a loving forever Family
1 John 4:8 God is love
John 3:35 The Father loves the Son
John 14:31 I [Jesus] love the Father.
Galatians 5:22 the fruit of the Spirit is love…
God wants a loving divine family
Job 38:4-7 “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
Angels =Worshippers /Messengers 300X Bible, roughly 90% of the books
· “innumerable angels”, “a thousand thousands and ten thousand times ten thousand”
+ “sons of God”, “the gods”,
- No human body, gender, physical limitation
- No divine attributes or qualities
Satan attacked the divine family
Revelation 12:7-9 Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, but he was defeated…And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
- NOW 2 families – God’s & Satan’s @ war
God wants a loving forever human family
Genesis 1:26-28 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion…so God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
- God’s family made men and women to make human families
We rejected God’s love and His forever family
Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned
Ephesians 2:3 “…by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind…”
God adopts sinners into His loving forever family
Ephesians 1:4-6 he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.
- A good father is determined to make, love, and heal the family
God wants you to be part of a loving church family
- God has a BIG FAMILY – Universal Church
- God has little families – Local Churches
Galatians 6:10 …as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.
- Early churches largely met in houses = extended family
1 Timothy 5:1-2 Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity.
- Church family made up of families
2 Timothy 1:3-5 …I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day…I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.
- Physical mothers/grandmothers
Romans 16:13 Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord; also his mother, who has been a mother to me as well.
- Spiritual mothers/grandmothers
CLOSE
TODAY we honor:
1. Physical mothers
2. Spiritual mothers
-3 generations @ TC our Family
= Heaven is a family reunion w/perfect love
