We Are Family! Kelly Durant 1-16-17 (Re 9-
Ps 68:4-6
4 Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH, and rejoice before him.
5 A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.
6 God setteth the solitary in families: he bringeth out those which are bound with chains: but the rebellious dwell in a dry land
2. Back in the 70s there was a picture of a young child carrying another child on his back. It looked like the one carrying the child was having a hard time since the other one was so big. Someone asked, “Isn’t he too heavy for you to carry?” And the child responded, “He aint heavy, he is my brother.”
Those that are family are never a burden, we do not get rid of them, they eat with us, they laugh with us, they share the deepest things of their heart with us, and they are in a special class that others do not have. We are a part of the family of God and His name is above all family names and we must live with the utmost respect, nobility, and honor.
All true Christians and those who know God promote families and the protection of women and children, today we will reflect on this. Part of the reason for my choice of this subject is because soon we will be participating in the Salvations Army’s anti-trafficking initiative which is a major assault on families.. Want to support? Visit the web, pray, be alert!
3. It was recognized in the past decades that Latinos and many immigrants had strong family ties and values. I recall in the 70s people would comment that the minorities and immigrants always brought with them a strong family value and this was good for the country. Today however, the disease of sin, the filth from Hollywood and media debauchery, has divided a majority of families, and immigrants have almost the same statistics as everyone else in the area of divorce, single motherhood, and criminality when compared to the rest of the population. The brainwashing has been too effective!
Notice in the Psalm verses of today, that as always we are prompted to praise God, and to be happy in his presence. And why is that? Because He is… A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, God in his holy habitation cares and knows about all our situations. This means that God is there for you and for those who do not have a family nearby. God is especially near to those with circumstances that make it hard for them to survive. My emotions went ecstatic when I read this verse for the first time and I suddenly felt and knew that God had replaced my earthly father in a way far beyond my expectations! The Word of my Father God, the wisdom, the comfort, the salvation, has impacted me beyond what any human can offer. Psalm 27:10 When my father and my mother forsake me, Then the Lord will take care of me.
And one of my favorite verses is the one of focus today: “God setteth the solitary in families: he bringeth out those which are bound with chains: but the rebellious dwell in a dry land”. Lets’ examine how God does this, how wonderful He is!
4. Throughout the world, in almost all churches, if you are a brother in Christ, then there is the idea that you have received a new spirit, and new way of life. Therefore, you become a person of trust, and brothers in the faith open their doors to you and you can stay with them as if they were family. If you are a lonely person and solitary then you could be close to a larger family and this is how we all become one big family in God!
Throughout the years Regina and I have stayed with dozens and dozens of Christians while traveling, or arriving in a new country, and most all of them treated us as family, some even lent us their own bed to sleep in! What a great thing to have the same Father God and Jesus Christ, to have a unity of purpose and faith. We too have had dozens upon dozens of people stay in our homes over the years too because this is just how Christian families work. God intended for his created humanity to live in love and harmony, that we would be One under His awesome presence. This is how the fist disciples lived.
Matt 19:29
29 And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.
With this verse you and I are impressed that the followers of Jesus had to give up their families in the flesh to do a greater work for God traveling and evangelizing, but by doing so they gained a hundred more families in the process!
5. Do you as a Christian right now have a half dozen friends that will take you into their home if you need it? Will you take into your home brothers of the faith? Families are not produced by indifference towards others; they are established by love, patience, and a good heart keeping them together! This is freedom, freedom from the chains of the materialistic world that puts money and food costs above relationships and compassion.
Let’s look at the second half of verse 6 in the verses of today in Psalm 68:6
“but the rebellious dwell in a dry land”. Some people do not have anywhere to stay because of their rebellion against God! No one wants complicated sinful people nearby bringing you problems!
What does this imply? Let’s look at family situations. What happens when sin gets in the middle of the fellowship, when one of the brothers or sisters starts living unholy, or speaking ugly things, or hurts another? When one is rebellious and does not support the home financially, or spiritually, what happens? Conflicts, fights, anger, bitterness, hate, vices, and then worse things happen right?
Someone usually leaves because they do not wish to tolerate all the problems and abuse. And what happens in the end to those that are rebellious, who do wrong against God and their own kind? They suffer the judgments of God and end up alone and are cursed to live a life as one who lives lost in the desert with no friendships, joys, or happiness. I have known many people that no one wants to talk to because they have an angry ungodly character.
6. I have seen people leave families and even the church family due to the abuses they have suffered, because of the sins of another which hurt them. This is sad. Look up Prov 18:19 ‘A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city: and their contentions are like the bars of a castle’. But like it or not Jesus commands us to forgive all! But not everyone knows how to ask God to help them get through what they consider offensive.
Not just in our church family, but I am sure in your flesh family you have suffered through abuses and divisions, ex-communications, and even divorces. Sin is rebelliousness and it has its effects, it destroys family households and Christian fellowships! And as we see in riots today, angry sinful people that destroy everything they touch like a child of Satan! Only God can save them, but they have to ask Him!
In today’s world we see the disintegration of families so severe that only one in three people actually live in a family in the U.S.! Jesus and His love and forgiveness are the only answer to restore and heal and put people back together!
7. Today Satan is at war against families and society! Satan wants to destroy people cursing them to live spiritually in a dry desert land which is a type of hell, and then when they die the hell continues in their solitude and despair! Notice how has Satan has unprecedentedly destroyed families in the past millennia? We notice how wars between races, nations, and tribes provokes death and dozens of millions are forced to move and immigrate due to the conditions of suffering. Divisions, in-fighting, and hate and murder which goes with it separates everyone on massive scales. But Jesus love can bring us together like family!
And what about those that would have experienced the joys of having a family had it not been for abortion? What about those who would have fallen in love and made a family had it not been for someone convincing them that they were not cool and that to be accepted by the rebellious, political Hollywood crowd that they needed to have a relationship that goes against nature? Feminism and many other recent movements exist for the sole purpose of contaminating others with bitterness and hate so that people learn to reject the love of God and separate themselves from those that would love and support them. Political correctness is a set of anti-Biblical rules and they are destructive and self-sabotaging!
And now, what about families that were united and happy until politics obsessed the minds of a few to the point they preferred to part ways with their brothers and sisters? Satan’s pride and bitterness is alive today working through politics and religion and very few want to just ‘let things go’ when they have a different idea or a misinformed view of other people and events. I am tired of the demonization of others with fake news, no one is perfect except Jesus, and only God will judge guilty souls. But you and I should refuse to take part in throwing more gasoline on the fire! Even Paul rebuked others for identifying with men, wanting political and spiritual leaders as supreme guides. 1 Corinthians 3:4 For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?
8. The message of Jesus, and of this church is; we are family! The message of Jesus to all who receive Him is: I am family with you and I lay down my life for you! Despite our sins, despite the sins of others, God’s word promises us that we can still have a spiritual family, even if your own reject you! John 1:11
He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
So if you have kin who love to fight, divide, attack, and impose what they believe on you and others, just let them be. The rebellious live in a dry land and you should not follow them out to their dry places of misery! We are heaven bound!
You as a Christian have the job to forgive, heal and restore all who you can into God’s family! But not all will! A horse can be brought to the water but that does not mean he will drink! And it’s so strange when you think about how we as Christians can be close to those who are very different from ourselves in race and customs and it is all because we have the same faith in Jesus. What more does the word say about families? How should you behave? 1 Tim 5:8
8 If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
Keeping a family alive requires maintaining support, love, and care. In families there exists a required sense of responsibility, but if we are unfaithful to others in our own family of the faith, how can God bless us?
9. In heaven we will all be one big happy family, and there… there will no longer be any more class division, race, and sin issues! No more need to have people demanding social justice as God’s righteousness will reign over all. We will be dancing in the streets as one big family! Let’s live now on earth full of love for all as it is in heaven!
Do feel like you are in dry land spiritually? Do you know someone who is in a dry land in your family or church? Maybe it is because you have not opened the door of your heart and home to make them feel at home! But if you have and they have not wanted it, you did your part. Just pray for them, that’s what we do! Just live holy, loving, inclusive, and heavenly minded!
God never blesses selfishness; no one can expect others to take them in as family if they are not willing to take in others themselves! To make families and to be a church which is one family, we must seek to love with God’s love and receive all! Pray to have a spirit of family today! The family of God is our real family, amen?
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