God’s Family – The Redesigned Family

Pastor Stephen explores the biblical evolution of family, tracing how God’s design shifted from earthly bloodlines to a spiritual inheritance through Jesus Christ. He emphasizes that while human efforts cannot restore a relationship with the Divine, the Holy Spirit acts as a seal that adopts believers into a universal family. This new connection breaks generational curses and replaces old biological patterns with a supernatural identity centered on obedience to God’s will. Believers are encouraged to function as one body, utilizing the same power that resurrected Christ to overcome personal struggles and addictions. Ultimately, he highlights the urgency of being a living witness, urging followers to lead their biological relatives toward this eternal, spiritual kinship.

Transcript

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We've been looking through the history of God's family over the past several weeks. And through our journey, we have seen how God designs, and then through biblical history, we see how God actually redesigns what families look like because of sin and the deterioration of sin. We see this through scripture that this redesigning of families was only a temporary move on God's part because God had a bigger plan at play for each and every one of us. Can you say, Praise the Lord? See, God always has a bigger plan in the making. You might not see it, it might take a lot longer than you expected, but God always has a bigger plan in the making. This bigger plan would need to run its course through who we studied about, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, all the way through Moses, leading the Israelites through the wilderness into the promised land, over to God's people walking into the promised land, claiming their territory as sons and daughters of God and the land flowing with milk and honey. Then after years, if you read through the Old Testament, you're gonna see there's years of rise and there's years of fall. There's years of obedience and years of disobedience. You can look and there's consecration to God, and then there's times of complete apostasy to away from God. Freedom and captivity. It is revealed through God's chosen people, and that's what we see all through the Old Testament. We realize through God's chosen people that humanity is incapable of being restored to God on their own. Please believe that this morning. You cannot do this on your own. You cannot have a relationship with God just by your own works, it just can't happen. How can families operate the way they were intended to operate? How can families accomplish the purpose of why they were created in the first place? God in his love, God in his grace and mercy, Yahweh and his desire to rescue, and we said Yahweh desires to have a relationship with you. He wants to have a relationship with his created, so he redesigns families one more time. But listen, this redesign of families was different than the last because it was restore family to what it was intended to be from the very, very beginning. But it would come at a great price. For families to be restored, God would have to send his only Son, Jesus Christ, to shed his blood as an atonement for us. For restoration's sake, for redemption's sake, so for redemption's sake, and for the sake of families. Families would once again be able to operate with God at the center and fulfill their assignment together. I want to turn in our Bibles this morning to the book of Romans, chapter 8. And we can read this together. For there is now no condemnation at all for those who are in Christ Jesus. Can you say amen? For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free. Turn to your neighbor and say, I am free. You're free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did, sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and as an offering for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh. But how do we walk according to the Spirit? Amen. Before Christ, the blessings of God were designated for one people, a select family line. We saw others would be grafted in, yet the door would not be opened for everybody. But when Jesus Christ dies on the cross and is buried and is resurrected on the third day, what Jesus does is he takes the key to death and the key to Hades and unlocks the future for all of humanity. No longer is life and favor and blessing and power available to only one group of people. But through our faith in Jesus Christ, anyone, and I'll say anybody has access to the full inheritance of God's family. Anybody has access. It doesn't matter how far you've run away from the Lord, how confused you've gotten, the mistakes that you made, everybody has access to the full inheritance of God's family through Jesus Christ. But listen to this, and it's so important in the book of Revelation, and we'll read it together. Revelation chapter 3, verse 20. Can we read this one together? Here we go. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him and I will dine with him and he with me. Can you say, Praise the Lord? In John chapter 14 through 23, Jesus answered and said to him, If anybody loves me, he will follow my word. And my father will love him, and he and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him. Do you notice that plurality? And we will come to him and make our dwelling with him. The Father, Son, the Holy Spirit wants to be involved in your life, wants to transform you into the image of Christ, wants you to receive the full benefits of what was what was designed for you from the very, very beginning. So Jesus dies on the cross, walls are broken, the veil is torn through Christ, whether a Jew or a Gentile, the promises of God in Him are yes in Him. Amen. What is this? What is going on here? There's a redesigning of families once and for all that restores unity with God. Praise the Lord. Oh, I'm so glad you're here this morning. Because we're gonna look at something in God's word, and I believe it's going to it's going to stir your heart. It could stir your emotions a little bit. But I believe this is what God wants you to hear today. Last week was Pentecost Sunday, and we celebrated the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon all flesh. We see that in the book of Acts. And this outpouring was only made possible through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And not only were people baptized in the Holy Spirit and they began to speak in tongues, not only were people empowered by the Holy Spirit to preach and accomplish the Great Commission with fearlessness, not only were people able to operate in the fruits of the Holy Spirit, but when the Holy Spirit was poured out upon all flesh, there was a unity that took place amongst believers. There was something that now bound us together as brothers and sisters, as sons and daughters of God, because of the Holy Spirit. Ephesians chapter 4, it says this in verse 4 there is one body and one spirit, just as you also were called, in one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all, praise the Lord. And realize this there is one spirit working in and through each and every one of us. And then it says in First Corinthians, Paul says this in chapter 12 for just as the body is one and yet has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is who? Christ. For by one spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all to made to drink of one spirit. Praise the Lord. We've been going through our study, trying to get to this place where we realize that through Christ, now the Holy Spirit operating in our lives, we have access not only to God, but we have access to each other. To where we can be united in one spirit and accomplish what God has designed for us. When we give our lives to Christ, the Holy Spirit takes residence within us and begins to do a work. Through the Spirit, we become one body who, through the work of the Holy Spirit, we are transformed into the image of Christ. Remember, we are one body made up of all different parts. God has gifted you with beautiful things. God has made you unique because He has a purpose as part of the body of Christ. But we need to be working together as we are led by the Holy Spirit. We listen to conviction because of the Holy Spirit operating inside of us. We follow God's instruction in his word together as a family. Watch what we do. Together as the Spirit leads us, we deny the flesh and we walk in the Spirit. We do it together. And with the Holy Spirit at work in all believers, guess what? There's an identification mark. We've talked about this. It's a seal within us that says that you are a son or daughter of God. In Ephesians chapter 1, in him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of salvation, having also believed, you believed in Jesus Christ. What happens is you are sealed in him with the Holy Spirit of the promise. And that's just the first installment of your inheritance. Praise the Lord. In the regard to redemption of God's own people to the praise of his glory. We are one body. Can you say one body? We are God's own possession. Can you say God's own possession? We are God's family. Can you say that? We are God's family. How is this possible? How are we one body? How does this work? It's because the Holy Spirit is operating in your life and you've allowed it to. You've listened to the conviction of the Holy Spirit. You've listened to the promptings of the Spirit to say, get in the Word of God, let this be the bread that you're eating every day, and that your survival is dependent upon it. Romans chapter 8, the Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are who? Oh, I just heard this side say it. I don't know about these people. We are what? The children of God. And if children, guess what? Heirs also, heirs of God, fellow heirs with Christ, if we indeed suffer with him, that we also may be glorified with him. This morning I want to highlight an important designation that Jesus Christ makes about God's family. We are God's family. We understand what Jesus did on the cross. He made community with God possible once again. Community with God is the Holy Spirit working in us, identifying us as children of God, sanctifying us. With this redesigning of families once and for all through Jesus Christ, we find an opening where everybody is welcome into the family. But watch this. Everybody's welcome into God's family. But we also see with this redesigning of families through the Holy Spirit that there is a closing as it pertains to what family is truly all about. What am I talking about? We know that when we are born from our mother or our father, the genetic, well, when we're born from our mother, I should say that, the genetic makeup of our mother and father is passed down to us. You know what I'm talking about. We become part of their bloodline. And through your bloodline, you can trace your history from your mom to your grandmother to your greatest great-great-great-grandmother, and some people can probably do that all the way back. And I've heard it. Those of you who are familiar with any research in DNA and genetic testing know that they can follow health histories, even sicknesses, whether cancer or heart disease, mental health disorders, even eating habits can be traced back through your DNA and your bloodline. Through the bloodline, these can be transferred over to the next generation or the next generation or the next generation. Not only do you have mom's eyes or dad's nose, but you got their their high blood pressure. And you got their bad feet and their bad back. These are things that are handed down through the bloodline. But realize this: when you give your life to Jesus Christ, you become a new creature in Christ, and the old things are passed away, and you've been born again. John chapter 3, verse 5 through 6, Jesus answered, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born of water and the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which has been born of the flesh is flesh, but that which is born of the spirit is spirit. Why are people clapping when I said that that was your old bloodline, but now you are a new creature in Christ? Because you are born of the Spirit, you are operating under a whole new bloodline made possible through the blood of Jesus Christ. A whole new bloodline. You're walking in a supernatural. This means that the things that have been passed down from generation to generation to generation over to you do not need to be a part of your future or the generations that come after you. You notice I said, do not need to. They don't have to. You're not in bondage to those things any longer. You've been set free. Unfortunately, there are some people who choose to walk in that. The same spirit, and I find this so powerful, and I hope that you receive it. And not just today, but as you go on your Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, maybe you're gonna wake up on Thursday, and I hope that this comes, the Holy Spirit just reveals this to you in a mighty way. But the same spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells in you. The same spirit that raised Christ from the dead. That's the same spirit that you're walking around with, and you might not have even realized it. You have been given the authority to say to that mountain, you know what? Go throw yourself into the sea. I've had enough today. You have the opportunity to declare authority over depression, over addiction. The Spirit has given you the victory, and you are now the benefactor of heavenly things, good gifts that flow from the Father above. I believe this, and you know this. Family curses have been broken in the name of Jesus. When you allow the Holy Spirit to truly take over your life, you're no longer walking in the flesh, but you're walking in the spirit. Oh, you can choose to get stuck on those things. But realize when you're walking in the spirit, you are demonstrating, you're showing evidence of who your family is and the bloodline that you belong to. I need you to receive all this stuff because now I'm going into the next part. And it says in Matthew chapter 12, while he was still speaking to the crowds, behold, we're talking Jesus. His mother and brothers were standing outside seeking to speak to him. Someone said to him, Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside seeking to speak to you. But Jesus replied to the one who was telling him and said, Who is my mother and who are my brothers? And extending his hand toward his disciples, he said, Behold, my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my father who is in heaven, he is my brother and sister and mother. Whoa. Turn to your neighbor and say, Whoa. And you might have to read it again to understand where the woe is coming from. Jesus lets the cat out of the bag. Jesus reveals that in this new resign redesignation of families, this new sorting out of what family looks like under the new covenant, Jesus outlines what the future of true family would look like that would begin with his death and resurrection. We saw from the very beginning what the purpose of family was. God formed Adam, then he formed Eve because man needed a helpmate. Man needed a companion, a teammate, a family God creates to fulfill the assignment that He gave them. We said before, God created family for this purpose. When families steps out, stepped out of their created purpose, sin entered into creation and the family became dysfunctional. Those who were just catching up. That was their assignment. That's why families were created right at the beginning. But yet they chose to step outside of the purpose as to why they were created. They chose to follow the desires of the flesh. God didn't tell them to do that, He told them not to do that. And so dysfunction entered into family. Families were created to have God in the center and to listen to the assignment that He gives them as a family. Listen to this. God didn't create families for the drama. God didn't create families so we can all applaud each other as we walk into the fire or off the edge of a cliff and hold hands as we walk down to hell and eternal torment. That's not why God created families. God didn't create families so we could all accomplish our dreams and our goals and fulfill our wildest dreams. You know what I'm talking about. Because this is the distortion of families. This is what we get caught up and think that why we're placed on this earth, why I have all these kids, why I have these brothers and sisters, why I have these aunties and uncles. It's not for the drama. Jesus reminds us what family is all about when he says in Matthew chapter 12, for whoever does the will of my Father who is in heaven, he is my brother and my sister and my mother. Hanging on the cross in his last breaths, what does he do? He reminds us, Jesus again redesignates what family looks like in John chapter 9. So when Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loves standing nearby, he said to his mother, Woman, behold your son. And he said to the disciple, Behold your mother. And from that hour the disciple took her into his own household. Does this mean that our brothers and sisters and our moms and dads are not really our family? I'll read that again. Does this mean that our brother and our sisters and our moms and our dads are not really our family? No, they are your earthly family. They are your family in the earthly realm. But listen to this and please take it with all grace. There will come a time, and the Bible says it, where heaven and earth will pass away. And God's word will never pass away. And when our term on earth is done, and the Lord takes us home, or when he comes back to take us home because we believe in the rapture of the church, I ask you this question Who will you be spending eternity with? Who will you be spending eternity with? I ask you this Who will you bow down and worship around heaven's throne with? Who will you enjoy the beauties of heaven with? Who will you be with when God makes a new heaven and a new earth? You know who you'll be with? You're gonna be with your brothers and sisters in Christ. You're gonna be with God's family. Understand this. Receive this. This could make you feel either two ways, especially if you love your family so much. You enjoy going on vacations, you enjoy family nights, you enjoy holidays. I love my family. I couldn't imagine what life would be without my family. And spending time with them, this could make you sad that your earthly family will not be with you forever. Or this could make you realize how important it is to be a witness to your family. How important it is to pray for your family. That they too would make a decision to follow Jesus Christ, that they too would make a decision to be a part of God's family. Why? So they too could enjoy the best parts of life everlasting together with God at the center. And notice what I said that we could be a witness to our families. Because here's the thing: it's not just about telling people about Jesus. I've hear a lot of people tell people about Jesus, but you look at their lives and there's no fruit of the Holy Spirit operating in their lives. There's no kindness, you're not a patient person. There's no, you're just there's no self-control. And the people that you're telling about Christ are just looking and saying, Why, why would I want what? Why would I want that? You notice I said witness, witness is more than just words. It's about compelling them to come out of the dark and into the light. It's about them seeing the way that you talk, the way that you operate, the way that you deal with things. It's when things start to fall apart, who do you put your trust in? These are the things that show your best witness that are going to be the best chance, the best opportunity, I should say, for your loved ones and those that you care about so deeply to say, I want to know who this Jesus is. Luke 14, chapter 23, it says, Then the master told his servant, Jesus is given a parable, he says, Go out into the roads and the country lanes and compel them to come in so that my house will be full. So that my house will be full. Compel them to come in. We've been given the Spirit of God. And people of God, the more that we lean into the Spirit, the more that we gain an understanding and a fearlessness. Now, we talked about Pentecost Sunday. You need to be baptized in the Holy Spirit because that's the empowerment there. To be as witnesses, that's the fearlessness there. To tell people that we love about Christ and show them who God is by the way that we operate in our lives.