This morning, we’re

continuing our message series, “3F”; faith, family, and freedom.

Family.  I conjures up different thoughts and emotions

depending on your life experience.  To

some, it stirs up fond memories of a safe place full of support, fun, and

encouragement.  To some, it stirs up

painful memories of betrayal, conflict, and brokenness.

There are different

types of families and the Bible refers to them all.

In the New

Testament, the Greek words are used:

– genos meaning a

biological relationship or of the same kind

– adelphos meaning

more of a brotherhood or friendship

– patria meaning

that you have the same nationality or ancestry

– oikia or oikos

meaning people who dwell together as a household

To some, the bonds of family are stronger outside of your biological relatives.  Perhaps you have a close-knit group of friends that you consider your family.  Perhaps you consider your family to be the members of your community or neighbors.  Perhaps you find your family in those of your same national identity or ethnic heritage.  Perhaps your family is the members of a social club like a sportsman’s club or motorcycle club.

Hopefully, you’ve found some of the closest and most meaningful relationships in your spiritual family; your brothers and sisters in Christ. Our mission here at New Hope is to be less of a religious organization and more like a family.

Family was God’s

plan from the very beginning.  In fact,

every idea and concept that we have of family began with a simple, biological

family.  God created a single man, Adam,

from the mud of the recently created earth and breathed life into him.  Adam noticed that all of the animals had

mates and felt the pain of loneliness.

When realizing that

it wasn’t good to be alone, God created a woman using a rib of Adam and brought

them together in marriage.  To this day,

this is why it is still traditional for the father to give the bride to her new

husband.  Then, God told them to go forth

and multiply.  God said:

Genesis 2:24

That is why a man

leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one

flesh.

From this union came

every other person on the face of the earth. 

They multiplied and created great cities leading up to Noah whose family

multiplied and became nations.  Shortly

after, God gave them all different languages and spread them across the face of

the earth as mankind still remains to this day.

A single family is

where it all began.  Of course, a single

family is where heartache began as well. 

It was Adam and Eve’s children responsible for the first murder.  The Bible records some awesome, healthy

families and how redeeming and amazing family is such as in the case of Ruth

and Naomi.  The Bible also records broken

families.

It isn’t often realized, but Jesus has brothers and sisters (Matthew 13:55; Mark 6:3) who were technically half-brothers and sisters.  From the little peek that we get into their lives, we get the impression that things weren’t the greatest in their relationships with one another.

John 7:1-5

1 After this, Jesus

went around in Galilee. He did not want to go about in Judea because the Jewish

leaders there were looking for a way to kill him. 2 But when the Jewish

Festival of Tabernacles was near, 3 Jesus’ brothers said to him, “Leave Galilee

and go to Judea, so that your disciples there may see the works you do. 4 No

one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing

these things, show yourself to the world.” 5 For even his own brothers did not

believe in him.

Now we know that His

brother, James, did come around to believe in Him and became a leader in the

early church.  However, even Jesus had a

difficult family life.  His dad almost abandoned

his mother while she was pregnant with Him. 

His brothers didn’t believe in Him. 

As far as we know, neither did His father.  He had a pushy mother who forced Him into His

first public miracle of turning wat