The Feast of Grace: Entering God’s Family

• The Incarnation 00:42:16 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor describes the 'miraculous truth' that God became a man, took on flesh, and dwelt among us, emphasizing Jesus' full humanity.
• Jesus' Biological Family 00:42:48 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor discusses Jesus' family structure, noting he had a mother (Mary), a father (Joseph), and siblings, countering the idea of Mary's perpetual virginity.
• Spiritual Family vs. Biological Family 00:49:25 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor explains Jesus' teaching that spiritual kinship (doing God's will) supersedes biological lineage, using the example of Jesus redefining his family as his disciples.
• Historical Accuracy of Scripture 00:46:39 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor argues that the inclusion of Jesus' family's skepticism and attempts to control him serves as proof of the Bible's historical reliability.
• Listening as Obedience 00:52:28 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor redefines 'doing the Father's will' not as active works but as the posture of sitting at Jesus' feet and listening to his words.
• New Year Reflection 00:53:35 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor uses the transition into 2026 to invite the congregation to reflect on their spiritual posture during the past year.
• Identity in Christ 00:57:15 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor clarifies that doing God's will is a result of being in God's family, not a condition to enter it, using the analogy of matching t-shirts at a reunion.
• Adoption and Inheritance 01:00:15 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor cites Scripture (John 1, Galatians 4, Ephesians 1) to explain that believers are adopted children and heirs, not slaves, receiving full inheritance.
• Divine Love and Church Unity 01:02:31 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor discusses how God's unbreakable love empowers the church to love one another, referencing Hebrews and Ephesians.
• God's Love and Family Identity 01:01:45 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor cites 1 John and Psalms to establish that believers are cherished children of God, whose love surpasses earthly family bonds.
• Church Unity and Love 01:02:35 ▶️ 📄
  > He explains that God's unbreakable love empowers the church to love one another, citing Hebrews.
• Gospel Transformation 01:03:29 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor describes how the gospel transforms strangers into fellow citizens and members of God's household through Christ.
• Spiritual Growth and Discipleship 01:04:19 ▶️ 📄
  > He argues that experiencing God's love leads to a desire for His truth, community, and doing His will.
• Invitation to Salvation 01:08:45 ▶️ 📄
  > He extends an invitation to non-believers to confess sins and receive grace, emphasizing that Jesus invites everyone to become part of His family.
• The Lord's Supper 01:10:39 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor describes the communion meal as a costly, satisfying provision prepared by God, inviting believers to partake in remembrance of Christ.
• Spiritual Nourishment 01:21:15 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor asserts that Christ is actively nourishing and ministering to the congregation through his grace during the communion rite.
• Communion Invitation 01:21:20 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor references Jesus' invitation for the thirsty to come and drink, connecting it to the act of taking the blood of Christ.
• Posture of Receiving 01:21:49 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor prays that the congregation maintains a posture of receiving God, extending this spiritual state beyond the service into the new year.

• Sermon Illustration 00:41:40 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor references the '12 days of Christmas' season, noting that by January 4th, the world has moved on from Christmas decorations and music, providing a unique opportunity to focus on Christ.
• Sermon Illustration 00:46:11 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor cites the New Testament book of James, noting that James, Jesus' brother, became a key leader in the Jerusalem church and was martyred, illustrating the real-world impact of Jesus' family.
• Sermon Illustration 00:47:05 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor references Mark 3, where Jesus' family tries to 'take charge of him' because they think he is 'out of his mind,' illustrating the tension between Jesus' biological family and his ministry.
• Sermon Illustration 00:50:10 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor uses an analogy of a New England Patriots football team, describing their tight-knit brotherhood and the chant 'we all we got, we all we need' to illustrate the concept of chosen family.
• Sermon Illustration 00:49:53 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor references the 70s song 'We Are Family' and his fandom of the New England Patriots to illustrate the human longing for tight-knit, affinity-based brotherhood.
• Sermon Illustration 00:50:32 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor shares a personal anecdote about the New England Patriots' locker room chant 'We all we got / We all we need' to demonstrate deep camaraderie.
• Sermon Illustration 00:56:13 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor uses the analogy of the 'Helmer family reunion' with matching neon t-shirts to explain that outward signs (like doing God's will) identify family members, but do not create the family relationship.
• Sermon Illustration 00:55:03 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor references the biblical story of Mary and Martha to contrast busying oneself with agendas versus sitting at Jesus' feet to listen.
• Sermon Illustration 01:06:35 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor references a list of biblical figures (Judah, Tamar, Ruth, Bathsheba, Rahab, David) previously discussed to illustrate how God's grace works through unique stories of brokenness and blessedness.
• Sermon Illustration 01:10:53 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor uses a rhetorical comparison between the 'Epic Chop House' restaurant and the Lord's Table to illustrate the immense cost and satisfaction of the spiritual meal provided by Christ.

• Pastoral Charge 00:54:46 ▶️ 📄
  > Imagine sitting at Jesus' feet and receiving His blessing.
• Pastoral Charge 01:10:25 ▶️ 📄
  > Confess sins and receive salvation
• Pastoral Charge 01:12:03 ▶️ 📄
  > Come to the pastor at the table for prayer and instruction
• Pastoral Charge 01:14:39 ▶️ 📄
  > Come forward to receive Communion
• Pastoral Charge 01:17:15 ▶️ 📄
  > Come forward to Jim and Cheryl for personal prayer if you have a need.

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
I just wanna stand and pour my love on you
[00:00:07] I really give it all, all to you, all to you
[00:00:20] I just, I just wanna roll your heart
[00:00:25] Get caught within your gaze, right here in your presence
[00:00:31] God, it's where I want to stay, oh just to dwell in your house
[00:00:39] Waste my hours and my days on you, oh on you

[00:00:48] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]:
Is it a phrase that I'm gonna pour my oil on?
[00:00:57] Is it a love laid down?
[00:01:02] And here I'll give my vows
[00:01:04] Is it a song I sing?
[00:01:08] Here's every melody
[00:01:10] Tell me what moves you

[00:01:13] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
I wanna know, I wanna know

[00:01:15] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]:
Tell me what moves you

[00:01:16] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
I wanna know, I wanna know
[00:01:18] Tell me what moves you
[00:01:20] I wanna know, I wanna know
[00:01:22] Tell me what moves you
[00:01:23] I gotta know, I gotta know
[00:01:24] Tell me what moves you
[00:01:25] I wanna know, I wanna know
[00:01:26] Tell me what moves you
[00:01:27] You're the only thing that matters
[00:01:28] You're the only thing that matters
[00:01:29] You're the only thing that matters
[00:01:30] You're the only thing that matters
[00:01:31] You're the only thing that matters
[00:01:32] You're the only thing that matters
[00:01:33] You're the only thing that matters
[00:01:34] You're the only thing that matters
[00:01:35] You're the only thing that matters
[00:01:36] You're the only thing that matters
[00:01:37] You're the only thing that matters
[00:01:38] You're the only thing that matters
[00:01:39] You're the only thing that matters
[00:01:40] You're the only thing that matters
[00:01:41] You're the only thing that matters
[00:01:42] You're the only thing that matters
[00:01:43] You're the only thing that matters
[00:01:44] You're the only thing that matters
[00:01:45] I gotta know
[00:01:47] Cause I live to please you
[00:01:50] I live to serve you
[00:01:54] And I'm not ashamed of it
[00:01:57] I live to please you
[00:02:01] So tell me what moves you
[00:02:05] I hear the Lord say, you do, you do, you do
[00:02:09] I hear the Lord say, it's you, it's you
[00:02:15] It's you that moves me
[00:02:17] When you begin to sing
[00:02:20] When you begin to be
[00:02:23] It's you that moves me
[00:02:26] You without the talent
[00:02:30] You without the performance
[00:02:34] Oh, I'm so moved by your authenticity
[00:02:38] Authenticity
[00:02:39] You really move me
[00:02:42] You really move me
[00:02:45] You really move me
[00:02:45] You really move me
[00:02:48] You blow me away
[00:02:52] You blow me away
[00:03:00] He says you blow him away
[00:03:07] You blow him away
[00:03:15] When you just feel who you were meant to be
[00:03:20] His heart is moved
[00:03:23] His heart is moved by you
[00:03:28] You blow him away
[00:03:34] You blow him away
[00:03:42] You blow him away
[00:03:45] One hasn't prayed in a while
[00:03:46] You blow him away
[00:03:48] Yes, you do
[00:03:52] You blow him away
[00:03:56] You that just got the divorce
[00:04:00] I'm telling you
[00:04:00] You blow him away
[00:04:02] You that's been bouncing around from home to home
[00:04:07] You blow him away
[00:04:09] You that was adopted
[00:04:14] Oh, you blow him away
[00:04:15] You blow him away
[00:04:17] You blow him away
[00:04:18] It's you, it's you, it's you, it's you
[00:04:22] You blow him away
[00:04:27] I just wanna move your heart
[00:04:29] I just wanna move your heart
[00:04:33] It's all I wanna do
[00:04:36] I just wanna stand in awe
[00:04:41] Pour my love on you
[00:04:44] No matter how much I cry
[00:04:45] No matter how much the cost
[00:04:47] I freely give it all to you
[00:04:53] All to you
[00:04:57] I just wanna move you
[00:04:59] I just wanna move your
[00:05:01] Get caught within your gaze
[00:05:03] Get caught within your gaze
[00:05:05] Right here in your presence
[00:05:09] God, it's where I wanna stay
[00:05:13] Hold just to dwell in your presence God, it's where I wanna stay
[00:05:15] Hold just to dwell in your presence
[00:05:16] Your house
[00:05:17] Waits for hours in my days
[00:05:18] Your house
[00:05:19] Waste my hours and my days
[00:05:20] On
[00:05:21] On
[00:05:22] On
[00:05:23] On
[00:05:24] On
[00:05:25] On
[00:05:26] On
[00:05:27] On
[00:05:28] On
[00:05:29] On
[00:05:30] On
[00:05:31] On
[00:05:32] On
[00:05:33] On
[00:05:34] On
[00:05:35] On
[00:05:36] On
[00:05:37] On
[00:05:38] On
[00:05:39] On
[00:05:40] On
[00:05:41] On
[00:05:42] On

[00:05:43] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
I hope to see the dawn of the darkest day.
[00:06:08] Christ on the road to Calvary.
[00:06:18] Tried by sinful men.
[00:06:22] Torn and beaten men.
[00:06:26] Nailed to the cross of the Lamb.
[00:06:31] This the power.
[00:06:38] Amen.
[00:06:38] On the cross, Christ became sin for us.
[00:06:49] Took the blame for the land we stand forgiven at the cross.
[00:07:03] Holy, holy, holy, holy.
[00:07:19] Oh, to see the pain written on your face.
[00:07:27] Bearing the odds.
[00:07:31] Wait.
[00:07:33] Every sin, every desert thought, every evil deed, crowning your blood-stained brow.
[00:07:49] Now the daylight flees, now the ground beneath quakes as its maker bows his head.
[00:08:08] Curtain torn in two, dead are raised to life.
[00:08:17] Amen.
[00:08:19] It is the victory cry on the mount of the cross.
[00:08:33] Christ became sin for love, took the blame for the red wind.
[00:08:49] We stand forgiven.
[00:08:50] We stand forgiven.
[00:08:51] We stand forgiven.
[00:08:52] We stand forgiven.
[00:08:53] We stand forgiven.
[00:08:54] We stand forgiven.
[00:08:55] We stand forgiven.
[00:08:56] We stand forgiven.
[00:08:57] We stand forgiven.
[00:08:58] We stand forgiven.
[00:08:59] We stand forgiven.
[00:09:00] We stand forgiven.
[00:09:01] We stand forgiven.
[00:09:02] We stand forgiven.
[00:09:03] We stand forgiven.
[00:09:04] We stand forgiven.
[00:09:05] We stand forgiven.
[00:09:06] We stand forgiven.
[00:09:07] We stand forgiven.
[00:09:08] We stand forgiven.
[00:09:09] We stand forgiven.
[00:09:10] We stand forgiven.
[00:09:11] We stand forgiven.
[00:09:12] We stand forgiven.
[00:09:13] We stand forgiven.
[00:09:14] We stand forgiven.
[00:09:15] We stand forgiven.
[00:09:16] We stand forgiven.
[00:09:17] We stand forgiven.
[00:09:18] We stand forgiven.
[00:09:19] We stand, we stand, we stand, we stand, we stand.

[00:09:49] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
We stand, we stand, we stand.

[00:10:19] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
We stand, we stand, we stand, we stand.

[00:10:49] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]:
We stand, we stand, we stand, we stand.
[00:11:19] We stand, we stand, we stand.
[00:11:49] We stand, we stand, we stand.
[00:12:19] We stand, we stand, we stand.
[00:12:49] We stand, we stand, we stand.
[00:13:19] We stand, we stand, we stand.
[00:13:49] We stand, we stand, we stand.
[00:14:19] We stand, we stand, we stand.
[00:14:49] We stand, we stand, we stand.
[00:15:19] We stand, we stand, we stand.
[00:15:49] native New Englander from Lynn, Massachusetts, and he's also my Patriots football buddy,
[00:15:55] and so we just want to say thank you so much, Corey. You're a huge blessing to us, and we're
[00:15:59] really grateful. All right, so I want to give us just a moment now to transition into the service.
[00:16:17] You might notice, of course, we still do have this Christmas stuff up, because on the church
[00:16:22] calendar, Christmas isn't just one morning. It is a 12-day-long celebration where we get to
[00:16:29] kind of joyfully reflect on the good news of Christ's birth. It's a wonderful opportunity,
[00:16:35] actually, for us to let this good news sink in, even as the world is moving on. It's the good
[00:16:41] news that Christ has come, and that is such a glorious mystery that, you know,
[00:16:47] 12 days are appropriate. Really, 1,200 days would be appropriate for us to marvel in it.
[00:16:53] Martin Luther said this. He said,
[00:16:55] There is such a richness and goodness in this birth that if we could see and deeply understand it,
[00:17:03] we would be dissolved in perpetual joy. This must be our daily exercise, to be transformed into
[00:17:10] Christ, being nourished by this food. Then will our hearts be filled with all joy, and we will be
[00:17:17] strong and confident.
[00:17:17] We will be confident against every attack. So today, I want to invite you to come and experience
[00:17:24] and encounter that joy with us as we stand together and sing.
[00:17:28] Thank you.

[00:17:47] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
Let your prayer come from heaven. Fill our hearts with your life. We are here for you.

[00:18:17] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
We are here for you.

[00:18:24] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
Your hearts are open. Nothing is hidden. You are one design.
[00:18:35] You alone are holy. Only you are worthy. God, let your fire fall down.
[00:18:47] You are worthy.
[00:18:48] Let us shout. Be your apple. Your renown. Fill this sky.
[00:18:57] We are here for you. We are here for you.
[00:19:07] Let your word move in power. When death comes by.
[00:19:16] We are here for you.
[00:19:17] We are here for you. We are here for you.
[00:19:17] We are here for you, we are here for you, your hearts are open, nothing here is hidden, you are one design, you alone are holy, only you are worthy, God lets you fight for them.
[00:19:47] We are here for you, we are here for you, your hearts are open, nothing here is hidden, you are one design, you alone are holy, only you are worthy, God lets you fight for them.
[00:20:17] God of love, we welcome you in this place.
[00:20:21] We welcome you with praise.
[00:20:23] We welcome you with praise.
[00:20:26] Almighty God of love, we welcome you in this place.
[00:20:36] To you our hearts are open.
[00:20:39] Nothing is hidden.
[00:20:41] You are our one desire.
[00:20:46] You alone are holy.
[00:20:49] Only you are worthy.
[00:20:52] God, let your fire fall down.
[00:20:57] To you our hearts are open.
[00:21:00] Nothing is hidden.
[00:21:03] You are our one desire.
[00:21:08] You alone are holy.
[00:21:11] Only you are worthy.
[00:21:14] God, let your fire fall down.
[00:21:16] God, let your fire fall down.

[00:21:46] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]:
Seen your goodness on the mountain
[00:21:52] Felt your love within the valley
[00:21:58] And your grace just announced
[00:22:05] That you've been good to me
[00:22:08] You've been good to me
[00:22:11] Sing that again.
[00:22:12] Seen your goodness on the mountain
[00:22:19] Felt your love within the valley
[00:22:25] And your grace just announced

[00:22:31] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
That you've been good to me
[00:22:34] You've been good to me
[00:22:38] And I
[00:22:42] My soul sings
[00:22:46] My soul sings
[00:22:52] With all my heart
[00:22:56] I love you, Lord
[00:23:02] You're my first love
[00:23:09] You're my first love
[00:23:12] You're my first love
[00:23:12] You're my first love
[00:23:13] You're my first love
[00:23:14] You're my first love
[00:23:15] You're my first love
[00:23:16] You're my first love
[00:23:17] You're my first love
[00:23:18] You're my first love
[00:23:19] You're my first love
[00:23:20] You're my first love
[00:23:21] You're my first love
[00:23:22] You're my first love
[00:23:23] You're my first love
[00:23:24] You're my first love
[00:23:25] You're my first love
[00:23:26] You're my first love
[00:23:27] You're my first love
[00:23:28] You're my first love
[00:23:29] You're my first love
[00:23:30] You're my first love
[00:23:31] You're my first love
[00:23:32] You're my first love
[00:23:33] You're my first love
[00:23:34] You're my first love
[00:23:35] You're my first love
[00:23:36] You're my first love
[00:23:37] You're my first love
[00:23:38] You're my first love
[00:23:39] You're my first love
[00:23:40] You're my first love
[00:23:41] You're my first love

[00:23:42] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
I have breakfast in my body

[00:23:52] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
I have a life inside of me
[00:23:59] And I cannot help but praise you
[00:24:05] God, you've been good to me
[00:24:09] You've been good to me
[00:24:13] My soul sings
[00:24:20] My soul sings with all my heart
[00:24:30] I love you, Lord
[00:24:36] I love you, Lord
[00:24:39] I love you, Lord
[00:24:39] You're my first love
[00:24:43] You're my reward
[00:24:50] And through the years
[00:24:58] You've been good to me
[00:25:05] So good to me
[00:25:09] So good to me
[00:25:11] So good to me
[00:25:18] And I'm dancing on
[00:25:32] The rising sun
[00:25:35] To the hopeful future
[00:25:39] To the dreams to come
[00:25:42] When the seasons change
[00:25:45] No, I won't give up
[00:25:49] Cause you've never failed me
[00:25:52] You know I'm not one
[00:25:55] And I'm dancing on
[00:25:59] The rising sun
[00:26:03] To the hopeful future
[00:26:05] To the dreams to come
[00:26:09] When the seasons change
[00:26:16] No, I won't give up
[00:26:18] Cause you've never failed me
[00:26:19] You know I'm not one
[00:26:21] And my soul sings
[00:26:23] And my soul sings
[00:26:25] And my soul sings
[00:26:27] And my soul sings
[00:26:29] And my soul sings
[00:26:31] And my soul sings
[00:26:33] And my soul sings
[00:26:35] And my soul sings
[00:26:37] And my soul sings
[00:26:44] And my soul sings
[00:26:49] With all my heart
[00:26:56] I love you, Lord
[00:27:02] You're my first love
[00:27:04] I love you, Lord
[00:27:07] You're my reward
[00:27:12] And through the years
[00:27:20] You've been good to me
[00:27:27] So good to me
[00:27:34] So good to me
[00:27:40] So good to me
[00:27:46] So good to me

[00:28:04] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]:
Would you please join me
[00:28:06] in saying together this call to worship?
[00:28:11] Jesus, Son of the living God,
[00:28:16] splendor of the Father, eternal light.
[00:28:19] Lord, we praise you.
[00:28:22] Jesus, King of glory,
[00:28:24] Son of justice,
[00:28:25] Son of the Virgin Mary.
[00:28:27] Lord, we praise you.
[00:28:29] Jesus, wonderful counselor,
[00:28:32] everlasting Lord,
[00:28:33] Prince of peace,
[00:28:34] Lord, we praise you.
[00:28:36] Jesus, gentle and humble of heart,
[00:28:40] our help and our refuge.
[00:28:42] Lord, we praise you.
[00:28:44] Jesus, God of peace,
[00:28:46] friend of all,
[00:28:47] source of life and holiness.
[00:28:50] Lord, we praise you.
[00:28:52] Jesus, brother of the poor,
[00:28:55] goodness without measure,
[00:28:56] unending wisdom.
[00:28:59] Lord, we praise you.
[00:29:00] Jesus, good shepherd,
[00:29:03] true light,
[00:29:04] our way and our life.
[00:29:07] Lord, we praise you.
[00:29:09] Amen.
[00:29:10] You can be seated.
[00:29:11] Pray with me.
[00:29:12] Father,
[00:29:13] as we come into this place
[00:29:16] singing these songs
[00:29:18] about the goodness
[00:29:19] that you've shown to us in our lives,
[00:29:23] proclaiming these promises
[00:29:25] that we are here
[00:29:26] because we believe that you are here.
[00:29:31] God, we open our hearts to you today.
[00:29:33] Amen.
[00:29:34] We pray that however we've come into this space,
[00:29:39] whatever baggage we may be bringing,
[00:29:42] whatever excitement of the things
[00:29:45] coming around the corner in this new year,
[00:29:48] we pray, God, that we could lay those at your feet,
[00:29:52] that we could trust you in this next hour
[00:29:54] to be the Lord of creation
[00:29:57] and the king of our hearts.
[00:30:01] We pray that you would speak powerfully to us,
[00:30:03] that you would make the world
[00:30:04] the words that we have just sung true in our lives,
[00:30:08] that you would fill this space with your glory
[00:30:13] and that you would not allow
[00:30:17] a single one of us to leave here unchanged.
[00:30:21] Lord, we pray this in Christ's name,
[00:30:24] praying the way you taught us to pray,
[00:30:27] saying,
[00:30:28] our Father,
[00:30:29] who art in heaven,
[00:30:31] hallowed be thy name.
[00:30:33] Thy kingdom come,
[00:30:34] thy will be done
[00:30:36] on earth as it is in heaven.
[00:30:39] Give us this day our daily bread
[00:30:41] and forgive us our debts
[00:30:44] as we forgive our debtors
[00:30:46] and lead us not into temptation
[00:30:48] but deliver us from evil.
[00:30:52] For thine is the kingdom
[00:30:53] and the power
[00:30:54] and the glory forever.
[00:30:56] Amen.
[00:30:57] Amen.
[00:30:58] Well, everybody, welcome again to the Center Church.
[00:31:01] I'm so glad you're here with us.
[00:31:02] And we are about to collect,
[00:31:04] our tithes and offerings.
[00:31:05] And so I want to invite our ushers to come forward.
[00:31:08] At this time, you can also throw in your prayer cards.
[00:31:10] We would love to know how we can be praying for you.
[00:31:13] As we head into this new year,
[00:31:15] I'm sure we all have lots of goals
[00:31:17] and dreams and hopes set before us.
[00:31:20] And I want to encourage you
[00:31:21] to make this a year where
[00:31:23] you are graciously following the Lord,
[00:31:27] where your life is committed and connected to Him,
[00:31:30] and where, of course,
[00:31:31] we are giving back out of this,
[00:31:34] this great blessing that He's given to us.
[00:31:36] If you're here visiting with us,
[00:31:37] please don't feel like you have to give.
[00:31:39] We're glad that you're here.
[00:31:41] And as we collect this,
[00:31:42] we're going to learn a new song
[00:31:43] that we're going to be singing in the next few weeks.

[00:31:56] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
Light of Christ,
[00:31:59] wash over me.
[00:32:01] Wash over me.
[00:32:03] Wash over me,
[00:32:06] though sin has stained me.
[00:32:10] Light of Christ,
[00:32:13] come speak for me.
[00:32:17] Light over me,
[00:32:21] cleanse your glory.
[00:32:24] We need the blood.
[00:32:28] We need the blood.
[00:32:32] Receive your blood,
[00:32:33] receive your blood.
[00:32:33] Receive your blood,
[00:32:33] See the blood, the blood of Christ.
[00:32:39] We need the blood, we need the blood.
[00:32:47] See the blood, the blood of Christ.
[00:32:54] We need the blood, we need the blood of Christ.
[00:33:24] We need the blood, we need the blood of Christ.
[00:33:24] We need the blood, we need the blood of Christ.
[00:33:54] We need the blood, we need the blood of Christ.
[00:33:54] We need the blood, we need the blood of Christ.
[00:34:24] We need the blood, we need the blood of Christ.
[00:34:54] We need the blood, we need the blood of Christ.
[00:35:24] We need the blood, we need the blood of Christ.
[00:35:54] We need the blood, we need the blood of Christ.
[00:36:24] We need the blood, we need the blood of Christ.

[00:36:54] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]:
We need the blood, we need the blood of Christ.
[00:37:24] We need the blood, we need the blood of Christ.

[00:37:54] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
We need the blood, we need the blood of Christ.
[00:38:24] We need the blood, we need the blood of Christ.
[00:38:54] seats and join me
[00:38:56] as we sing the doxology.

[00:39:01] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]:
Praise God
[00:39:04] from whom
[00:39:05] all blessings
[00:39:07] flow.

[00:39:09] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
Praise
[00:39:11] the all-precious
[00:39:13] in the
[00:39:15] Lord.
[00:39:17] Praise
[00:39:18] the all-mighty
[00:39:21] heavenly
[00:39:23] Lord.
[00:39:25] Praise
[00:39:26] our Son
[00:39:28] and Holy
[00:39:31] Lord.
[00:39:37] Amen.

[00:39:40] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]:
Our reading
[00:39:41] this morning comes from Matthew chapter
[00:39:43] 1 and Matthew chapter 12.
[00:39:46] This is
[00:39:47] the genealogy of Jesus
[00:39:49] the Messiah, the Son of
[00:39:51] David.
[00:39:51] The Son of Abraham.
[00:39:54] Jacob,
[00:39:55] the father of Joseph, the husband of
[00:39:57] Mary, and Mary was the
[00:39:59] mother of Jesus who was called the Messiah.
[00:40:02] Thus there were 14 generations
[00:40:03] in all from Abraham
[00:40:05] to David. 14
[00:40:07] from David to the exile to Babylon
[00:40:09] and 14 from the exile
[00:40:11] to the Messiah.
[00:40:14] And then Matthew chapter
[00:40:15] 12 verses 46
[00:40:17] through 15.
[00:40:19] While Jesus
[00:40:20] was still talking to the crowd,
[00:40:21] his mother and brothers stood outside waiting to speak to him.
[00:40:26] Someone told him, your mother and brothers are standing outside wanting to speak to you.
[00:40:31] He replied, who is my mother and who are my brothers?
[00:40:37] Pointing to his disciples, he said, here are my mother and my brothers.
[00:40:43] For whoever does the will of my father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.
[00:40:49] This is the word of the Lord.
[00:40:51] You can be seated.
[00:40:54] Pray with me.
[00:40:56] Lord, as we open up the word today,
[00:40:58] I pray that you would speak
[00:41:00] through it. We trust,
[00:41:02] God, that you
[00:41:03] are giving us the words from
[00:41:06] your mouth as we open this book. And so I pray,
[00:41:08] Father, that everything else would fall away.
[00:41:10] I pray, God, that you would help us to
[00:41:12] see you clearly. And God,
[00:41:14] that you would change our lives
[00:41:16] as we encounter you.
[00:41:18] We pray this in Christ's name.
[00:41:20] Amen.
[00:41:21] Okay, so this whole 12 days of Christmas thing that we're doing at the church, I need to tell you, I didn't grow up celebrating the 12 days of Christmas, but over the years, I have begun to see that it really is a much needed practice in the church today.
[00:41:40] Today is January the 4th.
[00:41:42] And so that means, for the most part, the world has moved on, right?
[00:41:47] We've moved on from Christmas shopping, the radio stations.
[00:41:51] They're back playing pop music again.
[00:41:53] Santa, reindeer, elves on shelves.
[00:41:56] They've all been packed away.
[00:41:59] And that means
[00:42:00] from December 26th
[00:42:02] up until January 5th,
[00:42:04] we actually have a chance
[00:42:06] to focus on what
[00:42:08] Christmas is about.
[00:42:11] Christ.
[00:42:13] We have nearly
[00:42:14] two weeks here where we get to
[00:42:16] linger over the glory
[00:42:18] of what we call the incarnation.
[00:42:21] This
[00:42:21] miraculous truth
[00:42:23] that God
[00:42:24] became a man.
[00:42:26] That he took on our flesh
[00:42:29] and that he dwelt among us.
[00:42:32] And scripture tells us that.
[00:42:33] It tells us that when God was born,
[00:42:36] he truly became
[00:42:37] a human being.
[00:42:38] He was a human being in every way.
[00:42:41] He cried. He laughed.
[00:42:44] He went through puberty.
[00:42:46] He was a person.
[00:42:48] He even
[00:42:48] had a family.
[00:42:50] He was married.
[00:42:51] Joseph, he had siblings.
[00:42:54] Well, he had half siblings, right?
[00:42:57] And that brings us to our passage today.
[00:43:00] Throughout this season of Advent,
[00:43:01] we've been looking at this series
[00:43:03] in the genealogy of Matthew,
[00:43:06] looking at the women that he mentions
[00:43:07] in Jesus' family tree.
[00:43:09] But today, as we wrap up this series
[00:43:11] and as we wrap up the Christmas season,
[00:43:15] we are going to see
[00:43:16] the reason why
[00:43:17] God was born.
[00:43:19] We're going to see the reason why
[00:43:21] he,
[00:43:21] he entered into human history
[00:43:23] and he connected himself
[00:43:25] to this lineage that we read.
[00:43:28] It was so that
[00:43:30] he could bring all of us
[00:43:32] into his family tree.
[00:43:35] That's why he did it.
[00:43:36] So one last time,
[00:43:38] I'm going to say Merry Christmas.
[00:43:40] And I want us to look at
[00:43:42] three things in this passage
[00:43:44] that tell us, one,
[00:43:46] who is in God's family,
[00:43:48] what it means to be
[00:43:50] in God's family,
[00:43:51] and then how being
[00:43:54] in his family can change
[00:43:56] 2026.
[00:43:57] So who is in God's family,
[00:43:59] what it means to be in his family,
[00:44:00] and then how being in his family
[00:44:02] can actually change 2026,
[00:44:04] and not just 2026, even beyond.
[00:44:07] Okay, so who is in
[00:44:08] God's family?
[00:44:10] If you were with us on Christmas Eve,
[00:44:11] there were a lot of people here,
[00:44:13] many of them who I didn't recognize,
[00:44:15] so that's the fun thing of Christmas in the South.
[00:44:18] But if you were here on that Christmas Eve service,
[00:44:21] you know we look at you,
[00:44:21] and we looked at the life of Mary,
[00:44:23] and we saw this beautiful,
[00:44:26] faithful response of this
[00:44:27] young woman,
[00:44:29] who God gave this incredible
[00:44:31] calling. We saw just the
[00:44:33] wonderful example she is
[00:44:35] to all of us, but here,
[00:44:38] in Matthew 12,
[00:44:40] this story is
[00:44:41] quite the contrast,
[00:44:44] actually, from that one.
[00:44:46] This passage, Matthew 12,
[00:44:48] is, it's actually
[00:44:49] caused a lot of headaches for
[00:44:51] people who have desired
[00:44:53] to make Mary into
[00:44:54] something more than she really was,
[00:44:56] something more than a normal,
[00:44:59] imperfect human being.
[00:45:01] In fact, over the millennia
[00:45:03] of being the church, some traditions
[00:45:05] have added a lot
[00:45:06] to the lore of Mary.
[00:45:08] They've claimed things that
[00:45:10] aren't really taught in Scripture. Ideas like,
[00:45:13] well, even after Mary
[00:45:15] had Jesus, she was perpetually
[00:45:17] a virgin. They've taught that she
[00:45:19] didn't have any other children whatsoever.
[00:45:21] But Scripture
[00:45:23] says something else.
[00:45:25] Scripture, this passage, communicates
[00:45:28] the very opposite of that, and it does it,
[00:45:30] Matthew does it twice, actually. He does it again
[00:45:31] in chapter 13.
[00:45:34] When Jesus is teaching, and people
[00:45:36] are having difficulty accepting
[00:45:37] his words because he's from their town,
[00:45:40] it says that they start to ask,
[00:45:42] isn't this the carpenter's son?
[00:45:44] Isn't his
[00:45:45] mother's name Mary? And aren't his brothers,
[00:45:48] James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas,
[00:45:50] aren't all his sons?
[00:45:51] Aren't all his sons?
[00:45:51] Aren't all his sons?
[00:45:51] Aren't all his sons?
[00:45:51] Aren't all his sisters with us?
[00:45:53] Where then did this man get all
[00:45:55] these things? So
[00:45:57] Scripture tells us that after the birth
[00:45:59] of Jesus, Mary did have other children.
[00:46:02] And not only did she
[00:46:03] have other children, but we know from
[00:46:05] church history that some of these other
[00:46:07] children became important leaders
[00:46:09] in the early church. For instance,
[00:46:11] James, who gets mentioned
[00:46:13] there, James went on to become
[00:46:15] one of the most important leaders
[00:46:17] in the church of Jerusalem.
[00:46:19] He authored the New
[00:46:21] Testament book of James, and
[00:46:23] he was even martyred
[00:46:24] for his faith.
[00:46:27] And so weirdly,
[00:46:29] the reason I bring this up is because all of this
[00:46:31] means, this and even the parallel
[00:46:33] versions of it, because this same story
[00:46:35] is told in Mark 3 and Luke
[00:46:37] chapter 8, these stories are a great
[00:46:39] proof of the
[00:46:41] historical accuracy
[00:46:43] of the Bible, the reliability
[00:46:45] of Scripture.
[00:46:47] This is one of those passages
[00:46:49] that even the most skeptical
[00:46:51] scholars look at it, and they say, well, that
[00:46:53] must have happened. Because
[00:46:55] it makes the early leaders
[00:46:57] of the church look terrible.
[00:46:59] Right? It makes the
[00:47:01] holy family look terrible.
[00:47:03] And if you read it in the Mark version, there's
[00:47:05] even some added context. It says,
[00:47:07] Jesus entered the house, and
[00:47:09] again a crowd gathered so that
[00:47:11] his disciples were not even able to eat.
[00:47:14] When his family heard
[00:47:15] about this, they went to take
[00:47:17] charge of him, for they said,
[00:47:19] he's out of his mind.
[00:47:21] Mark tells us that
[00:47:23] his family was trying to interrupt him.
[00:47:25] His family was trying to divert
[00:47:27] him, right?
[00:47:28] It's not the kind of story that you make up
[00:47:31] if you're trying to start
[00:47:33] a religion with these people leading it.
[00:47:35] I doubt that James
[00:47:37] and Jude
[00:47:38] enjoyed sharing this story
[00:47:40] as they read through
[00:47:42] the gospel narratives.
[00:47:46] It certainly didn't help
[00:47:47] anybody who wanted to lift up Mary
[00:47:49] as some kind of angelic
[00:47:51] sinless figure herself.
[00:47:54] No, the reason this is here
[00:47:55] is because it's the truth. It's telling
[00:47:57] us that at this point in Jesus'
[00:47:59] life, his family
[00:48:01] was still attempting to control him
[00:48:03] rather than submitting
[00:48:05] to him and calling him Lord.
[00:48:08] I imagine
[00:48:09] at this moment, Mary was afraid.
[00:48:11] What would happen if her son
[00:48:13] kept talking like this?
[00:48:15] What would happen if he kept carrying
[00:48:17] himself with this kind of authority in front
[00:48:19] of these vindictive,
[00:48:21] religious leaders?
[00:48:23] Whatever the motivation
[00:48:25] was for the family,
[00:48:27] Matthew lets us know that they had
[00:48:29] no problem sending somebody
[00:48:31] into the room to interrupt Rabbi
[00:48:33] Jesus while he was teaching.
[00:48:35] They thought, hey, we're
[00:48:37] the family members. We have a right
[00:48:38] to his attention. We have
[00:48:40] a right to interrupt
[00:48:42] regardless of what else is going on,
[00:48:45] regardless of who else is around.
[00:48:48] And
[00:48:48] so our passage now, when Jesus'
[00:48:51] finds out that his family is
[00:48:52] outside, he takes the
[00:48:55] opportunity to teach.
[00:48:56] And he makes this statement.
[00:48:59] Pointing to his disciples,
[00:49:01] he said,
[00:49:03] Here are my
[00:49:04] mother and brothers.
[00:49:06] For whoever does the will of my Father
[00:49:08] in heaven is my
[00:49:10] brother and sister
[00:49:12] and mother.
[00:49:15] Okay, so Jesus,
[00:49:17] you should know, he's not condemning
[00:49:18] Mary or James or any of his
[00:49:20] other
[00:49:21] siblings, but instead he's trying to make a point
[00:49:23] here. He is trying to
[00:49:25] say to the people in the crowd and to
[00:49:27] all of us who would read this later
[00:49:28] that the biological
[00:49:30] family that I am a part
[00:49:33] of
[00:49:33] is less significant
[00:49:36] than the spiritual family
[00:49:39] I've come to build.
[00:49:41] This lineage that
[00:49:42] I descend from, it's important,
[00:49:45] but it is less important
[00:49:46] than this spiritual family
[00:49:49] that I am creating
[00:49:50] now.
[00:49:53] And I think we like this idea
[00:49:54] as a culture, at least, right?
[00:49:56] We like the idea that we can
[00:49:58] build our own families based
[00:50:01] off of affinity and the
[00:50:03] people who are like us.
[00:50:05] You know, I think of that
[00:50:06] 70s song, right? We are family.
[00:50:09] Right? We sing that stuff.
[00:50:10] Or this year, like, I'm a big Patriots
[00:50:12] fan, right? We just gave Corey his jersey.
[00:50:15] This year's team
[00:50:16] is like one of my favorite teams, maybe,
[00:50:18] that I've ever watched. It's just so much
[00:50:20] fun because they are so
[00:50:22] tightly knit, right? They talk about
[00:50:24] this brotherhood that they have, this
[00:50:26] connection that they have. I was watching
[00:50:28] a video with one of the leaders of
[00:50:30] the team, and there's this chant that they
[00:50:32] say at the end of the game. He's like,
[00:50:34] hey, I love you boys. And then he says,
[00:50:37] we all we got.
[00:50:39] And they say, we all
[00:50:40] we need. And they all, you know,
[00:50:42] give their break and they go off. And I'm just like,
[00:50:44] this is awesome. You know,
[00:50:46] we long for this stuff. We
[00:50:48] want that kind of
[00:50:50] connection.
[00:50:50] That kind of
[00:50:51] camaraderie. And maybe you've
[00:50:54] experienced that. I bet a lot of us have
[00:50:56] experienced something like that in our
[00:50:58] lives, where we form
[00:51:00] a bond with a group of friends
[00:51:02] that ends up being much
[00:51:04] deeper, even more meaningful
[00:51:05] than the bond we have to our
[00:51:08] biological family, maybe to our
[00:51:10] siblings. But
[00:51:12] that's not exactly what Jesus
[00:51:14] is saying. What Jesus is saying
[00:51:16] is even deeper than that.
[00:51:19] We read
[00:51:20] in this verse, he says, whoever does
[00:51:22] the will of my
[00:51:24] Father in heaven
[00:51:25] is my brother
[00:51:27] and sister and mother.
[00:51:32] Now, we might think when we read that
[00:51:34] that Jesus is saying,
[00:51:36] my real family is the people who obey.
[00:51:39] But that's not quite
[00:51:40] right either.
[00:51:42] Listen to this. This is a quote from
[00:51:44] one of the commentaries I read.
[00:51:46] Bruner, he says,
[00:51:48] by literally putting his hand
[00:51:50] out over his disciples,
[00:51:52] Jesus, in effect,
[00:51:54] blesses his disciples
[00:51:56] again, and he pronounces
[00:51:58] them, my mother and my
[00:52:00] brothers. But the
[00:52:02] disciples, they don't seem to be
[00:52:04] doing anything to deserve
[00:52:06] that accolade.
[00:52:08] In fact, according to Mark,
[00:52:10] they're just sitting around.
[00:52:13] So pay attention.
[00:52:14] Pay attention here. Jesus says
[00:52:16] that his family members are the
[00:52:18] ones who do his Father's work.
[00:52:19] They're the ones who do his Father's work.
[00:52:20] They're the ones who do his Father's will.
[00:52:20] But what is actually happening?
[00:52:23] Who are the people
[00:52:24] in that moment doing his Father's will?
[00:52:28] It's the people who are listening.
[00:52:30] It's the people who are
[00:52:32] hearing Jesus' words.
[00:52:35] It's the people
[00:52:36] who have made space
[00:52:38] in their life
[00:52:39] to simply sit at
[00:52:42] his feet
[00:52:42] and receive from him.
[00:52:48] At this point in the story, it's
[00:52:49] the very thing that his biological
[00:52:51] family isn't ready to do yet, right?
[00:52:53] They're standing outside. They've got their own
[00:52:55] ideas. They've got their own plan for action.
[00:52:58] They've got their own plans for Jesus.
[00:53:00] They have their own ideas about what should
[00:53:01] happen right now.
[00:53:03] But the disciples,
[00:53:05] the men and the women
[00:53:07] gathered to hear him speak in that little room,
[00:53:10] those are who Jesus says
[00:53:11] are his true mothers and
[00:53:13] brothers and sisters.
[00:53:16] Even though they hadn't done
[00:53:17] anything yet. Even though
[00:53:19] they hadn't done anything especially holy.
[00:53:21] They hadn't done anything especially
[00:53:23] obedient. They were doing
[00:53:25] the Father's will because they listened
[00:53:27] to Jesus.
[00:53:30] Okay, so it's only the second
[00:53:31] Sunday of Christmas,
[00:53:33] but it's also, of
[00:53:35] course, the first Sunday of the new year.
[00:53:38] 2025 is in the
[00:53:39] books. 2026 is
[00:53:41] right out there ahead of us.
[00:53:43] And I think in light of this statement,
[00:53:46] it would be
[00:53:47] worthwhile for us
[00:53:49] to just take a second
[00:53:51] in your own minds and
[00:53:53] reflect on the year that's just passed.
[00:53:57] Jesus says the people who sit and listen
[00:53:59] to him, those are his mother
[00:54:01] and brothers and sisters. It'd be worthwhile
[00:54:03] just asking
[00:54:04] what was the
[00:54:07] posture?
[00:54:09] What was the pace of my life
[00:54:11] in 2025?
[00:54:14] Did I
[00:54:15] sit at Jesus'
[00:54:17] feet and hear
[00:54:19] his words?
[00:54:21] Or was I more like the siblings
[00:54:23] outside? Just
[00:54:25] trying to hurry him up. Trying to get him
[00:54:27] to go along with my
[00:54:29] agenda.
[00:54:31] Were my prayers less
[00:54:33] about sitting and listening to
[00:54:35] his voice and more like
[00:54:37] horn honks from the driveway, right?
[00:54:39] Hey Jesus, I'm over here. Let's get going.
[00:54:43] Well, as you look back on the year,
[00:54:46] I want to invite you
[00:54:49] to just imagine yourself in this
[00:54:50] moment. Imagine
[00:54:53] sitting at his feet
[00:54:55] and seeing him stretch his hands
[00:54:57] out over you.
[00:54:59] Imagine
[00:55:00] him in that moment like he was
[00:55:03] with Mary and Martha, right? You remember that story?
[00:55:05] Martha busying herself
[00:55:06] while her sister Mary actually was taking
[00:55:08] time to sit and listen.
[00:55:10] And what did Jesus say to her? Can you hear
[00:55:13] him saying it to you?
[00:55:15] You spent last year
[00:55:17] worried and upset.
[00:55:19] About many things.
[00:55:22] But few things
[00:55:23] are necessary.
[00:55:25] Indeed, only one.
[00:55:28] See, as
[00:55:29] we see this scene, we need to know that
[00:55:31] right now, Jesus is
[00:55:33] inviting us to
[00:55:35] slow down.
[00:55:37] To abide in him
[00:55:38] in 2026.
[00:55:41] He says his family members
[00:55:43] are the ones who do his
[00:55:45] father's will.
[00:55:47] But before
[00:55:47] any of us can do anything,
[00:55:49] anything for Jesus,
[00:55:51] we have to learn to be
[00:55:53] with Jesus. Amen?
[00:55:56] Well, that's who's
[00:55:57] in God's family.
[00:55:58] Now let's talk about what it means
[00:56:00] to be in that family.
[00:56:03] Actually, do any of you guys come from
[00:56:04] large families?
[00:56:06] Do you have the kind of family where they
[00:56:09] have a big reunion and everybody wears
[00:56:10] the matching t-shirts kind of thing?
[00:56:13] I've never been
[00:56:14] blessed with that, but
[00:56:16] this is the Helmer
[00:56:18] family.
[00:56:19] This is the Helmer family reunion.
[00:56:21] I have no idea who the Helmers are.
[00:56:23] They are first on Google
[00:56:25] when you look up family reunion with
[00:56:27] t-shirts.
[00:56:29] But there they are, all in their
[00:56:31] neon with their matching logos.
[00:56:33] I want you to just imagine,
[00:56:35] suppose you went to the park that day
[00:56:37] and you're looking around
[00:56:39] and someone comes up to you and asks
[00:56:41] you, hey, how do I know who's in the Helmer family?
[00:56:43] What would you say?
[00:56:45] They're the ones in the neon shirts, right?
[00:56:47] They're the ones in the neon shirts, right?
[00:56:49] They're hard to miss.
[00:56:51] But let me ask you this
[00:56:53] question. Does wearing
[00:56:55] a neon shirt
[00:56:57] make you a Helmer?
[00:56:59] No, right? Of course not.
[00:57:01] People are wearing those shirts
[00:57:03] because they belong to
[00:57:05] the family.
[00:57:07] And that is actually the same
[00:57:09] kind of thing that
[00:57:11] Jesus is saying here about doing the
[00:57:13] Father's will.
[00:57:15] It's important for us to hear that because you need to
[00:57:17] know the message of Christianity
[00:57:19] is not, if you do
[00:57:21] this list of things,
[00:57:23] then you will be
[00:57:25] in God's family.
[00:57:27] So when Jesus says,
[00:57:29] for whoever does the will of my
[00:57:31] Father in heaven, that is my
[00:57:33] mother and brother and sister,
[00:57:35] he's not telling us
[00:57:37] this will make you a child of God.
[00:57:39] He's actually telling us how you can
[00:57:41] recognize the children of God.
[00:57:45] He says you can tell, just like you can tell
[00:57:47] the member of the Helmer family
[00:57:49] because they're wearing those silly shirts,
[00:57:51] you can tell
[00:57:53] the members of Jesus's
[00:57:55] family because you
[00:57:57] can see their transformed lives.
[00:58:01] God's family, it's
[00:58:03] different than any earthly family.
[00:58:05] It's different because
[00:58:07] it spans across all
[00:58:09] nationalities.
[00:58:11] It spans across all ethnicities.
[00:58:13] All social classes. It even
[00:58:15] spans across all of human history.
[00:58:17] But,
[00:58:19] in the very same
[00:58:21] way that you can tell a member of my
[00:58:23] family by the shape of our faces,
[00:58:25] you can
[00:58:27] tell a member of Jesus's
[00:58:29] family by the shape of
[00:58:31] their lives.
[00:58:33] And so that means that if you meet a Christian
[00:58:35] in Cairo or Beijing or
[00:58:37] Rio de Janeiro or Mooresville
[00:58:39] or even ancient Rome,
[00:58:41] they will all share
[00:58:43] one trait in common.
[00:58:45] They want to be
[00:58:47] with Jesus.
[00:58:49] They want to live
[00:58:51] a life that
[00:58:53] glorifies God.
[00:58:57] They want to do the Father's will, not so they
[00:58:59] can earn God's approval, not
[00:59:01] because they are anxiously
[00:59:03] hoping that one day
[00:59:05] He might let them into the family, but they
[00:59:07] are living for Him with joy
[00:59:09] because He's already
[00:59:11] welcomed them into the family.
[00:59:13] Amen?
[00:59:15] Okay, now, again, let's
[00:59:17] pause here for a second because
[00:59:19] I know some of us come from
[00:59:21] what you might call dysfunctional families.
[00:59:23] And so the idea
[00:59:25] of any more fathers or
[00:59:27] brothers or sisters or mothers, it doesn't
[00:59:29] sound that appealing, right?
[00:59:31] So I want to take a
[00:59:33] moment here and just let Scripture
[00:59:35] break down
[00:59:37] some of our misconceptions
[00:59:39] about family and
[00:59:41] let Scripture tell us what it
[00:59:43] means to be in
[00:59:45] the family of Jesus.
[00:59:47] Okay, one of the
[00:59:49] most famous passages we read around
[00:59:51] Christmastime is John chapter 1.
[00:59:53] And in verse 12, it says,
[00:59:55] To all who received Him,
[00:59:57] to those who believed in His
[00:59:59] name, He gave
[01:00:01] the right to become children
[01:00:03] of God. Children
[01:00:05] born not of natural descent,
[01:00:07] nor of human decision
[01:00:09] or of a human's will, but born
[01:00:11] of God.
[01:00:13] And so right off the bat, it says in God's
[01:00:15] family, faith alone
[01:00:17] makes us His children.
[01:00:19] And then Paul,
[01:00:21] he goes on and he elaborates
[01:00:23] on this idea. In Galatians chapter 4,
[01:00:25] he says, But when the
[01:00:27] set time had fully come,
[01:00:29] God sent His Son,
[01:00:31] born of a woman, born
[01:00:33] under the law, to redeem those
[01:00:35] under the law, that we might
[01:00:37] receive adoption to
[01:00:39] sonship. Because
[01:00:41] you are His sons, God
[01:00:43] sent the Spirit of His Son into
[01:00:45] our hearts. The Spirit who
[01:00:47] cries, Abba, Father,
[01:00:49] He says that we're
[01:00:51] heirs. He tells us that
[01:00:53] He says, So you are no longer
[01:00:55] a slave, but God's
[01:00:57] child. And since you are His
[01:00:59] child, God has made you an heir.
[01:01:01] That means in His family, there
[01:01:03] are no black sheep.
[01:01:05] There are no
[01:01:07] outcasts. Everyone who comes to
[01:01:09] Him gets treated like one of the
[01:01:11] firstborn, getting the full
[01:01:13] share of the inheritance.
[01:01:15] And then in Ephesians 1,
[01:01:17] it says, In love,
[01:01:19] He predestined us for adoption to
[01:01:21] sonship through Jesus Christ in
[01:01:23] accordance with the pleasure of
[01:01:25] His will.
[01:01:27] So that means that in His family,
[01:01:29] all children are cherished.
[01:01:31] He brings
[01:01:33] us into His family out of
[01:01:35] His love and pleasure,
[01:01:37] it says. That means
[01:01:39] not only are there no black sheep
[01:01:41] in this family,
[01:01:43] but everyone is delighted
[01:01:45] in. Each
[01:01:47] and every one of His
[01:01:49] children are cherished.
[01:01:51] 1 John, He says,
[01:01:53] See,
[01:01:55] I see what great
[01:01:57] love the Father has
[01:01:59] lavished on us,
[01:02:01] so that we should be called children
[01:02:03] of God. And that is
[01:02:05] what we are.
[01:02:07] His love's
[01:02:09] lavished on us.
[01:02:11] The love of our
[01:02:13] Father, it is greater than the love
[01:02:15] of any earthly father, any earthly
[01:02:17] mother, any earthly family.
[01:02:19] Psalm says,
[01:02:21] Though my father
[01:02:23] and mother forsake me,
[01:02:25] the Lord
[01:02:27] will receive me.
[01:02:29] And He says,
[01:02:31] This kind of love, this
[01:02:33] great love is actually the love
[01:02:35] that defines the way we relate to each other
[01:02:37] in this family of God.
[01:02:39] Hebrews goes
[01:02:41] on, He says, Keep on loving
[01:02:43] one another as brothers and sisters,
[01:02:45] because God has said,
[01:02:47] Never will I leave you.
[01:02:49] Never will I forsake you.
[01:02:51] That kind of unbreakable love
[01:02:53] is what empowers the love of the church.
[01:02:55] He says,
[01:02:57] Never will I leave you. Never will I
[01:02:59] forsake you. And look, okay,
[01:03:01] I've been preaching a lot of years
[01:03:03] now, and I know that's too
[01:03:05] many verses. Okay? That's too
[01:03:07] many to read all at once. That's too many to put
[01:03:09] on slides. I know if you're trying to take notes, you're mad
[01:03:11] right now. I'm sorry.
[01:03:13] But here's one more.
[01:03:15] Okay. Ephesians chapter 2.
[01:03:17] It says,
[01:03:19] Consequently, you are
[01:03:21] no longer foreigners and strangers,
[01:03:23] but fellow citizens with
[01:03:25] God's people and also
[01:03:27] members of His household.
[01:03:29] Folks, this is the gospel.
[01:03:31] We were far off.
[01:03:33] We were enemies.
[01:03:35] We were strangers, but in Christ
[01:03:37] God is
[01:03:39] gathering up His people.
[01:03:41] He's bringing us into His
[01:03:43] household. He's making us a part of His
[01:03:45] family, and He will
[01:03:47] forever cherish you.
[01:03:49] And protect you.
[01:03:51] And pour
[01:03:53] out His blessings on you
[01:03:55] because of Christ.
[01:03:59] So, if that's the truth,
[01:04:01] let me ask, what does all that
[01:04:03] do to us? What does this new
[01:04:05] reality do in our
[01:04:07] lives? When you
[01:04:09] think about this, when you recognize
[01:04:11] that God loves you this much,
[01:04:13] how does that make you
[01:04:15] feel about God?
[01:04:19] Well, I'd say the more we experience His
[01:04:21] love, the more we
[01:04:23] experience that welcome,
[01:04:25] the more we want to be
[01:04:27] with Him.
[01:04:29] The more we want to draw near
[01:04:31] to Him, the more we hunger and
[01:04:33] thirst for His truth.
[01:04:35] The more we
[01:04:37] desire to actually do something like
[01:04:39] read His word every day.
[01:04:41] Sing
[01:04:43] songs of praise to Him, or come
[01:04:45] here and gather up with our spiritual
[01:04:47] siblings.
[01:04:49] And the more that we
[01:04:51] spend time with the Father who
[01:04:53] loves us this way,
[01:04:55] the more our hearts start to become
[01:04:57] like His.
[01:05:01] The more we start to become
[01:05:03] a people who actually do His will,
[01:05:05] like Jesus says. See,
[01:05:07] folks, the whole point is, in His family, it's
[01:05:09] the gospel that changes
[01:05:11] everything.
[01:05:13] That's what Jesus means when He
[01:05:15] extends His hands out to His
[01:05:17] disciples, and He says,
[01:05:19] basically, hey, there's people out
[01:05:21] there in the world, and they're
[01:05:23] looking around, and they're saying,
[01:05:25] how can I tell who is in God's
[01:05:27] family?
[01:05:29] And the answer is,
[01:05:31] well, it is a bond deeper than
[01:05:33] any biology.
[01:05:35] No, it's the
[01:05:37] people who live their lives listening
[01:05:39] to Jesus.
[01:05:41] It's the people who, when you see
[01:05:43] them, it seems like they have
[01:05:45] been with Jesus.
[01:05:47] Those are the ones
[01:05:49] doing the Father's will.
[01:05:53] And so, that brings us to
[01:05:55] the third point.
[01:05:57] How being in
[01:05:59] God's family like this can actually change
[01:06:01] our year.
[01:06:03] How it can change 2026, how it can
[01:06:05] change beyond
[01:06:07] 2026.
[01:06:09] See, Jesus says His mother
[01:06:11] and brothers and sisters are those who do His will.
[01:06:13] Those who sit at
[01:06:15] His feet.
[01:06:17] Those who know that their
[01:06:19] children are loved by God.
[01:06:21] Those who show His love
[01:06:23] to each other.
[01:06:25] And of course, you know, this past month,
[01:06:27] if you were here, we spent a lot of time
[01:06:29] looking at some of these
[01:06:31] different people who were in God's family.
[01:06:33] Maybe you can help me remember them.
[01:06:35] I don't have the list in front of me.
[01:06:37] There's Judah and Tamar.
[01:06:39] Who else did we do?
[01:06:41] Ruth, Bathsheba,
[01:06:43] Rahab, David.
[01:06:45] All these people, each one
[01:06:47] of them, right, they had this unique
[01:06:49] story of blessedness
[01:06:51] and brokenness. And as we
[01:06:53] went through the story of their lives, we saw
[01:06:55] how each one of those unique
[01:06:57] stories brought out some
[01:06:59] different aspect of God's
[01:07:01] grace, of God's glory,
[01:07:03] what it means to be a part of
[01:07:05] Jesus' kingdom.
[01:07:07] And we're ending here
[01:07:09] on this passage because this passage
[01:07:11] reminds us
[01:07:13] that Jesus has come to bring
[01:07:15] you into His family tree as well.
[01:07:17] And in the
[01:07:19] same way that He did it in their
[01:07:21] lives, He intends for
[01:07:23] your life to
[01:07:25] uniquely show off
[01:07:27] His grace and His glory.
[01:07:29] Amen?
[01:07:31] And so,
[01:07:33] as we head into 2026,
[01:07:35] and maybe more importantly as we
[01:07:37] head to this table in just a second,
[01:07:39] we have an opportunity.
[01:07:41] If you're a Christian
[01:07:43] here, you've got an opportunity
[01:07:45] to examine your heart.
[01:07:47] To ask
[01:07:49] whether any of this is true.
[01:07:51] Whether you really have been
[01:07:53] sitting at the feet of your
[01:07:55] Savior.
[01:07:57] If you have been
[01:07:59] receiving His love and allowing
[01:08:01] it to deeply change you.
[01:08:03] See, when we come
[01:08:05] here, we are reminded that
[01:08:07] Jesus invites
[01:08:09] us again today to come and sit
[01:08:11] at His feet.
[01:08:13] To come and receive.
[01:08:15] To be still.
[01:08:17] To recommit
[01:08:19] your life to Him.
[01:08:21] To stop being
[01:08:23] like those family members outside
[01:08:25] of the building. To let go of your own
[01:08:27] agenda.
[01:08:29] And instead come in
[01:08:31] and find joy in the feast
[01:08:33] that He's prepared for you.
[01:08:37] Both right now in this moment,
[01:08:39] today, but also in the rest of this year
[01:08:41] to come.
[01:08:43] And of course, if you're here today
[01:08:45] and you don't know Him,
[01:08:47] well, you also have an opportunity.
[01:08:49] Jesus tells us that
[01:08:51] anyone
[01:08:53] can become His mother
[01:08:55] or brothers
[01:08:57] and sisters.
[01:08:59] But notice what He leaves out there, right?
[01:09:01] He doesn't say fathers
[01:09:03] because He wants you to know
[01:09:05] there is only one Father.
[01:09:07] There is only one
[01:09:09] Heavenly Father and He gives
[01:09:11] the same invitation to each
[01:09:13] and every person.
[01:09:17] He sent His Son.
[01:09:19] For you.
[01:09:21] See, Jesus Christ,
[01:09:23] He was born into this world
[01:09:25] and Scripture tells us He
[01:09:27] experienced every single bit
[01:09:29] of the misery that it has to offer.
[01:09:31] And then He even went to the cross.
[01:09:35] He did that so He could bring you home.
[01:09:39] This table, that's what
[01:09:41] it's about. It is telling us
[01:09:43] the story that Jesus, our brother,
[01:09:47] allowed Himself to be cut off
[01:09:49] from the Father's love.
[01:09:51] So that each of us,
[01:09:53] by faith in Him,
[01:09:55] we could have the Father's love
[01:09:57] lavished on us
[01:09:59] forever.
[01:10:05] We're all longing for that connection.
[01:10:07] We're all
[01:10:09] longing for that community.
[01:10:11] We're looking for that family
[01:10:13] where we can truly belong.
[01:10:15] And I want you to know
[01:10:17] it's offered.
[01:10:19] Freely.
[01:10:21] To everyone who'll come.
[01:10:23] So won't you come?
[01:10:25] Won't you
[01:10:27] confess your sins
[01:10:29] and receive
[01:10:31] His grace
[01:10:33] and His salvation today?
[01:10:39] This is a meal
[01:10:41] unlike any other meal.
[01:10:45] This is a meal that
[01:10:47] the Lord has prepared.
[01:10:49] He prepared it
[01:10:51] at great expense.
[01:10:53] You think Epic Chop House is nice?
[01:10:55] This is the most expensive meal
[01:10:57] that has ever been prepared.
[01:11:01] The blood of the Heavenly Father.
[01:11:05] The blood of the Son, shed for you.
[01:11:09] It's also
[01:11:11] the most satisfying meal
[01:11:13] that's ever been made.
[01:11:15] Because when you eat it, it says
[01:11:17] not only will it satisfy your desires,
[01:11:19] but your heart will
[01:11:21] become a river flowing.
[01:11:23] It's the only bread
[01:11:25] that satisfies the deepest longings.
[01:11:27] And so it's made
[01:11:29] for you. Not for you who've done it
[01:11:31] all right.
[01:11:33] Not for you who look perfectly
[01:11:35] identifiable
[01:11:37] as the sons of God this week.
[01:11:39] But for people
[01:11:41] who need His power again.
[01:11:43] Now
[01:11:45] if you're here this morning and you don't quite
[01:11:47] believe that yet,
[01:11:49] I want you to know my invitation
[01:11:51] is true.
[01:11:53] I would encourage you
[01:11:55] don't take this if you don't believe.
[01:11:57] Don't take this if you don't believe that
[01:11:59] the power of Christ is available for you.
[01:12:01] But if you today want this,
[01:12:03] come to me at this table
[01:12:05] and I want to pray with you.
[01:12:07] I want to tell you about Christ's love for you.
[01:12:09] And know that He
[01:12:11] absolutely will receive you.
[01:12:13] This is a meal that we all
[01:12:15] come to and we come to it with gratitude.
[01:12:17] And so I want us
[01:12:19] to say this liturgy of thanksgiving together.
[01:12:21] It goes like this. The Lord be with you.
[01:12:25] Lift up your hearts.
[01:12:29] Let us give thanks to the Lord.
[01:12:33] It is right
[01:12:35] and good and a joyful
[01:12:37] thing always and everywhere
[01:12:39] to give thanks to you
[01:12:41] Father Almighty, creator
[01:12:43] of heaven and earth.
[01:12:45] Because on the night that Jesus was betrayed,
[01:12:47] after giving thanks,
[01:12:49] He took bread and He broke it and He said,
[01:12:51] this is my body
[01:12:53] given for you.
[01:12:55] Take and eat of it.
[01:12:57] All of you.
[01:12:59] Then
[01:13:01] in the same way after the supper,
[01:13:03] He took the cup and He said,
[01:13:05] this cup is the new covenant in my blood.
[01:13:09] As often
[01:13:11] as you drink of it,
[01:13:13] do this in remembrance of me.
[01:13:15] Because as often
[01:13:17] as we eat this bread and we drink this cup,
[01:13:19] we proclaim the Lord's death
[01:13:21] until He comes again.
[01:13:23] And together,
[01:13:25] we proclaim this mystery of the faith.
[01:13:27] Christ has died.
[01:13:29] Christ is risen.
[01:13:31] Christ will come again.
[01:13:33] Christ our Passover lamb
[01:13:35] was sacrificed for us once
[01:13:37] and for all at Calvary.
[01:13:41] These are the gifts of God
[01:13:43] for you, the people of God.
[01:13:45] Take them in remembrance
[01:13:47] that Christ died for you
[01:13:49] and feed on Him in your heart
[01:13:51] by faith
[01:13:53] and with thanksgiving.
[01:13:55] Now I want to give us a little bit of instruction here
[01:13:57] before we come.
[01:13:59] We have bread here.
[01:14:01] We're going to form two lines.
[01:14:03] And actually, Karen, could I ask you to serve with me
[01:14:05] one of our elders?
[01:14:07] In the center of our tray, there's juice in the lighter cups.
[01:14:09] There's also gluten-free wafers
[01:14:11] for any who require that.
[01:14:13] We're going to come down
[01:14:15] and take a few moments
[01:14:17] and go back to our seats
[01:14:19] and we'll take it together at the end.
[01:14:21] I want to encourage you to use this time
[01:14:23] for prayer and reflection.
[01:14:25] Let this be a moment
[01:14:27] when the Lord ministers to you.
[01:14:29] And David, can I ask you,
[01:14:31] since you're coming down to help dismiss the rows,
[01:14:33] we're going to start on this side
[01:14:35] and go around.
[01:14:37] If you're hungry and thirsty
[01:14:39] for the righteousness of Christ,
[01:14:41] please come.
[01:14:45] Let's pray.
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[01:16:25] Thank you.
[01:16:55] Thank you.
[01:17:15] If anybody has a need for prayer at this time,
[01:17:18] Jim and Cheryl are available and would love to pray with you.
[01:17:25] If anybody has a need for prayer,
[01:17:55] Jim and Cheryl are available.
[01:18:25] Jim and Cheryl are available.
[01:18:55] Jim and Cheryl are available.
[01:19:25] Jim and Cheryl are available.
[01:19:55] Jim and Cheryl are available.
[01:20:25] As we sit in this moment,
[01:20:26] I just want you to see Jesus doing what he did that day,
[01:20:32] extending his hands,
[01:20:36] saying, these are my mothers and brothers and sisters.
[01:20:45] You've been welcomed into the family of God.
[01:20:50] Take and eat the body of Christ.
[01:20:55] You've been welcomed into the family of Christ.
[01:20:56] You've been welcomed into the family of Christ.
[01:21:11] Christ's invitation is not an empty one,
[01:21:13] but he promises even in this moment
[01:21:15] that he is nourishing us and ministering to us by his grace.
[01:21:20] He says, if anyone is thirsty,
[01:21:22] let him come to me and drink.
[01:21:25] Take and drink the blood of Christ.
[01:21:35] Father, as we've received these gifts from you,
[01:21:38] our hearts know we need more of you.
[01:21:46] We pray, God, that this moment would not stop
[01:21:49] when we walk out this door,
[01:21:50] but that you would keep us in a posture of receiving.
[01:21:53] We pray that this Sunday afternoon, Monday morning,
[01:21:59] that 2026 would be a new year with a new posture,
[01:22:06] with our hearts directed towards your gaze.
[01:22:10] Lord, would you fill us to overflowing,
[01:22:12] and would you make us a blessing to the world around us,
[01:22:15] we pray in Christ's name, amen.
[01:22:19] Would you stand with us as we sing our closing song?

[01:22:23] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
Come now, O expected Jesus,
[01:22:40] born to set thy people free
[01:22:45] from our fears and sins.
[01:22:49] Release us.
[01:22:52] Let us.
[01:22:53] Let us find our rest in thee.
[01:22:58] With your strength and consolation,
[01:23:04] hope of all the earth thou art.
[01:23:09] Dear desire of every nation,
[01:23:15] your every loving heart.
[01:23:23] Your faith can graduate all with the grace and hacia of Jesus,
[01:23:31] your aqueles of all churches throughout the world,
[01:23:41] your people, your
[01:23:49] lineage,
[01:23:51] the inch,
[01:23:51] relationship with your Lord.
[01:23:52] Amen.
[01:23:52] .
[01:23:52] This is your kingdom,
[01:23:52] this is your kingdom,
[01:23:52] accepted in Christ.
[01:23:52] This is your kingdom,
[01:23:52] and this is your kingdom,
[01:23:52] the kingdom of all,
[01:23:52] for all,
[01:23:53] who is your measure to the world,
[01:23:53] O Spirit, ruling all our hearts along, by thy all-sufficient merit, lead us to thy glorious throne.
[01:24:12] Come, thou long-expected Jesus, born to set thy people free.
[01:24:25] From our fears and sins release us, let us find thy rest in thee.
[01:24:37] Give us strength and comfort.
[01:24:42] Give us hope of all the earth, thou art, dear desire of every nation, joy of every longing heart.
[01:25:01] Dear desire of every nation, joy of every longing heart.
[01:25:12] Dear desire of every nation, joy of every longing heart.

[01:25:16] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]:
Amen.
[01:25:17] Amen.
[01:25:18] Well, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year.
[01:25:23] Hear this benediction from the Lord.
[01:25:25] May the Lord bless you and keep you.
[01:25:28] May the Lord make his face to shine upon you.
[01:25:31] May the Lord be gracious to you.
[01:25:33] May the Lord turn his face towards you and give you peace.
[01:25:37] In the name of Jesus, amen.

[01:25:42] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
In the name of Jesus, amen.