The Family of Christ
by Rev. Kirby Williams
Learning what is required to be a member of Christ's spiritual family.
Text: Luke 8:19-21
Date: 10/30/2022, the Combined service.
Series: "Luke: Thy Kingdom Come" Part 80
Description:
When Jesus' mother and unbelieving brothers come to visit Him one day, they are blocked outside the house where He is teaching by an overflow crowd. When Jesus is told they are there, He surprisingly seems to disown them by pointing to those around Him as His "mother and brothers". But Jesus is actually using the situation to pose a profound Theological question: "What is required to be a member of Christ's spiritual family?" Since this message was given on Reformation Sunday, we will try to answer that question by defining two of the central doctrines to come out of the Reformation: Justification by faith alone, and membership in God's family through Adoption. We will realize that Luke has placed this story where it is to emphasize the principle of "hearing" and "doing" the Word of God in the context of the parable of the Sower. Ultimately we will celebrate God's glorious plan of redemption as He justifies those He calls out of darkness and adopts them into the family of Christ.
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I. Introduction
II. Exposition of the text, Luke 8:19-21.
A. Context
1. Luke's ordering.
2. Mixing metaphors.
a. The metaphor of the Sower and the soils.
b. The metaphor of Light.
c. Additional metaphors.
3. Recognizing a developing theme.
B. Jesus' earthly family comes to visit.
1. The arrival of the family, vs. 19.
a. Continuing the focus on "hearing", Luke 8:8, 12-15,18.
b. Jesus' earthly family.
i. Jesus' mother.
1) The missing name, Luke 2:34,51,4:22; Mark 6:3.
2) Searching for the reason, Acts 1:14.
ii. Jesus' brothers.
iii. Noticing the absence of Joseph.
c. Blocked outside.
i. The purpose of the visit, John 7:5, Mark 3:21.
ii. The growing theme of unbelief, Luke 4:28, 6:11, 7:19.
iii. A growing rift, Luke 8:10, 17.
2. Telegraphing the message to Jesus, vs. 20.
a. Expanding the scene, Mark 3:31-32.
b. The problem of entitlement.
3. Jesus' spiritual family, vs. 21.
a. Jesus' view of the family.
i. Noting Luke's compressed version, Matt. 12:48,49; Mark 3:34,35.
ii. Jesus' respect for His family, Ex. 20:12, Luke 2:51.
b. What makes the spiritual family, John 14:15.
c. A deeper understanding, Rev. 1:12,13,17,18,20.
C. Interpretation
1. Those who will NOT be included.
a. What we have learned from Luke.
b. Supporting Scriptures, Matt. 8:11-12, 1Cor. 6:9-10, Rev. 22:15.
2. Those who are members.
a. In a nutshell.
b. Digging deeper, James 1:22, Matt. 5:20, Heb. 1:1-2, John 6:27-29.
III. Application
A. The principles behind the story.
1. Justification by faith alone.
2. Kingdom access through Adoption, Gal. 4:5, Eph. 1:5.
3. Sola Fide, Heb. 11:6.
B. From Jesus' perspective.
IV. Conclusion
