Holiness: A Family Resemblance

Becoming Like Jesus (Romans 8) Sermon 2 of 5

The connection with the CHURCH as God's FAMILY

April 1, 1990 PM

Romans 8:15-17;29

For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as children by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!" The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first- born among many brethren."

Introduction:

This past week, in southern Lebanon, a member of your family- - and my family— was murdered. You may or may not have read or seen in the newscasts that a William Robinson was robbed and killed by people who said that he was establishing an Israeli settlement in their country. Mr. and Mrs. Robinson had 29 Lebanese orphans in the little Christian orphanage they had begun there.

The newspaper said that Mr. Robinson belonged to a small fundamentalist Protestant Christian sect.

Did you notice those adjectives? (1) small, (2) fundamentalist, (3) Protestant, (4) Christian. And did you hear the noun? "Sect"!

In actuality, Mr. Robinson belonged to the greatest family on earth: the FAMILY OF GOD. If, as I believe he did, Mr. Robinson owned Jesus as Lord, then my brother and yours died this past week in Lebanon. [Does that make any sense at all??]

I. IS THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST REALLY ONE?

THERE IS CERTAINLY OPPOSITION TO UNITY IN CHRIST'S BODY
There is something that hates the very idea of all Christians actually and in fact being one in Christ!
1. [THE PRESSURE TO PRIVATIZE FAITH]
  The belittling designation of anyone who takes his Christian faith seriously is pretty much the rule, not the exception. Remember again how the newspaper pictured William Robinson? (Small: He was only caring for 29 orphans. Not very significant. Only about 29 more than most of US! Fundamentalist: pretty much a catch-word for anyone who takes any kind of stand on anything any more. Protestant: They probably got that right, but here in this market where there are many more Catholic than Protestant it makes Mr. Robinson definitely in the minority. Christian ... but SECT! A pejorative term, usually. A dissenting group, splintered away from the main body.)
2. [THE PRESSURE TO ISOLATE BELIEVERS]
  The mind-set of the media is to blur the TRUE distinctions of faith: (SUCH AS THE LORDSHIP OF JESUS CHRIST- which in all fairness they cannot understand, anyway) and to magnify artificial differences: (SUCH AS CULTURAL WAYS OF WORSHIP, or DENOMINATIONAL NAMES, or MINOR DOCTRINAL DOGMA) until finally each Christian becomes a religious movement of exactly ONE! [THE ENEMY WOULD HAVE US TO BELIEVE THAT WE ARE WEAK AND INSIGNIFICANT AND ALL ALONE!]
  It doesn't seem to matter what weirdness you believe, (so long as you are SINCERE), and it doesn't really matter how hungry you are for righteousness, or how much your heart cries out for God JUST SO LONG AS YOU KEEP IT TO YOURSELF!
IT IS CLEARLY GOD'S WILL THAT ALL WHO CALL JESUS LORD BE UNITED AT THAT POINT— OF THAT OBEDIENCE AND LORDSHIP TO JESUS!
IT WAS THE PRAYER OF JESUS: MAKE US HOLY, MAKE US ONE!)
1. This was Christ's High Priestly prayer. It was as much to bring us all together as it was to make us pure and holy!
2. IS THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST REALLY ONE? In one true and holy sense, THE ANSWER IS YES! CHRIST'S BODY IS ONE! All believers who share the Christ LIFE share a common life. (We ARE brothers and sisters to Mr. Robinson, if in fact he IS alive in Christ.)
3. IS THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST REALLY ONE? THE ANSWER IS ALSO "NO!" At least NOT IN THE WAY THAT IT CAN BE! It must BE more of a priority, if we are to heed our Lord's command.

[Transition: Which brings us back to "family."]

II. HOLINESS IS SOCIAL IF IT IS GENUINE

WE ARE SAVED ONE-AT-A-TIME INTO GOD'S FAMILY
The fact that we come one-by-one to Christ is highly reinforced by our American frontier mentality. We worship "individuality."
In emphasizing the INDIVIDUAL SIDE OF SALVATION (usually translated "I" and "ME") we are in danger of missing the BEST of what God intends that sanctification - holiness- will actually bring to us!
[What do I mean? Look at some examples:]
The way the word 'saint' or 'saints' is used in the Bible is very significant. The word "saint means "holy one." It is a name used for the people of God. We are called to be saints.
Did you realize that the word "saint" appears in the Bible exactly three times: two of them in the OT- in Psalm 106 referring to "the saint, Moses;" and in Daniel where the prophet has a vision of one saint talking to another. The lone place in the New Testament where the word "saint" appears is Philippians 4:21, where Paul says: "Salute every saint in Christ Jesus."
By contrast, the word "saints" shows up at least 95 times. Every place in the New Testament the word appears, it refers to the church— to the group— to the collective family of God.
The gifts of the Spirit, Paul tells us plainly (in Ephesians 4 and elsewhere) are for the building up of the body of Christ.
And here in the great Chapter on the Spirit-filled life we get the "family picture" again. We are adopted, not as "only children," but as part of a growing, happy, loving FAMILY!
Look at these text verses again: (15-17 We have not received a spirit of bondage and fear, but we have received (WHAT?): The Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry "Father! Daddy!
"The Spirit Himself tells us unmistakably that we are (WHAT?): CHILDREN OF GOD!
"And if we are children, then we are HEIRS .. HEIRS OF GOD AND JOINT HEIRS WITH CHRIST!"
We are in the family! We are together with Christ AS WELL AS WITH ONE ANOTHER!
We even have a family resemblance! (29) (We are) predestined to be conformed to the image of (God's) SON!
HOW IMPORTANT IS THIS CONCEPT OF 'FAMILY'??
WHY SAY "FAMILY?" What is "family?"
"Family" on God's terms is a place where torment and tormenting fear are ruled out; a place where bondage is replaced by responsibility discharged in liberty and freedom.
FAMILY IS VERY IMPORTANT!
THAT IS WHY A CHURCH IS DIFFERENT FROM SUPER STOP AND SHOP! [There isn't any LOYALTY involved in 'supermarket shopping.' But a CHURCH isn't really like that, if it becomes FAMILY! It isn't just a place to get your groceries! It is a place where we invest in each other's lives!]
Where there is deep commitment and loyalty, there is the promise of great reward! [Haven't your greatest JOYS as well as your deepest sorrows come from your earthly families?] This is something of what God expects in HIS BODY, the church!
IS FAMILY IMPORTANT? Is surely is!
[ What we begin here on earth will continue into the freedom of eternity:]
GOD WILL REVOLUTIONIZE OUR CONCEPTS OF FAMILY IN ETERNITY
Our most precious relationships here will not necessarily be destroyed— for in eternity we will "know as we are known." But our best relationships here are embryonic and incomplete in the light of eternity.
In Jesus Christ, in His image, we begin a relationship that is satisfying here and now, but that extends beyond the known and the seen into the greater realities of forever.
We cannot let the precious trinkets and imperfect promises of this passing moment overshadow the wealth of what it means to be a joint-heir with Jesus Christ in inheriting the riches of reality that will endure when Donald Trump's billions have vanished like smoke, no matter how the wisdom of this age undervalues them. We are God's family! ]

III. SANCTIFICATION AND THE 'FAMILY OF GOD'

[NOT EVERYONE WITH OUR NAME IS A RELATIVE!]
REAL LIFE TRUTH OFTEN BRINGS TENSION! [Jesus: "I came not to bring "peace" but a "sword!"]
In the tension that is truth, we need to be tough-minded, and to realize that not every group or individual that proclaims itself "Christian" really intends to follow Jesus and make Him Lord.
[BUT ALL OUR RELATIVES DON'T SPELL IT EXACTLY LIKE WE DO!]
By the same token, we need to be warm-hearted, and realize that not every group or individual that does worship and follow Jesus will agree with us on every detail. How can a family be "tolerant" and "intolerant" at the same time? [Illus:(?) My four sons explained that one to me without even trying. They fought among each other— but when one was threatened they CAME TOGETHER.]
THE KEY TO REAL FAMILY IS JESUS! "WHO IS JESUS TO YOU?"
IT COSTS TO BE LOYAL PERSONALLY AND TO A GROUP
Being "family" does not let the individual "off the hook." We are each one answerable to God. We are each one responsible to keep his or her spirit sweet, and in tune with the will of God. We are each one gifted (at least potentially) by the Holy Spirit in unique ways which benefit the family!
We must each one— you, me— be seekers after HOLINESS! WE MUST PERSONALLY BE SANCTIFIED WHOLLY— AND LOYAL TO GOD!
[Transition: But here's a DIFFERENT thought...]
HOW ABOUT AN ENTIRE FELLOWSHIP OF BELIEVERS SEARCHING AFTER HOLINESS? Can it be done? What level of participation will it take? What level of trust? What percentage of people will have to be serious about seeking the mind set which the indwelling Spirit brings?
How about setting out to find out how we can be a community that rejects bondage and legalism, and at the same time adopts the disciplines and the concentrated effort we need to discover what God would like to accomplish through His church, THIS CHURCH! ??
[Am I an impractical dreamer? Somehow I am sure that IF we ever see spiritual impact in any significant way we will have to learn what FAMILY — the family of GOD— means!]

Conclusion: How can we conclude this message?

Let us unite in prayer for the ministry of our murdered brother, William Robinson. If God was in it, let us pray it will confound the enemies of God and multiply. [And certainly let us pray for his widow and his loved ones.]
Let us pray for THE SANCTIFICATION OF the FAMILY OF GOD WHERE WE LIVE! Let God's great LOVE and POWER flow in concentric circles from each of us— in obedience to the Holy Spirit. Let it come to our homes— to our friends— to our entire church fellowship— through the churches of our district— to the brothers and sisters in our community, Protestant and Catholic— who are members of the FAMILY of God! O God, don't just "make ME holy!" Come upon us, and MAKE US TRULY YOUR FAMILY!!

Prayer: Closing Hymn #57(EH) The Servant Song