For Hank
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will”
Ephesians 1:3-5
Hank is my brother from a different mother. I have only known him for a few months now but in reality we have been brothers since before time began if God is truly sovereign and His election sure as God knew that one day Hank and I would cross paths and share life as members of God’s own family because of the uniting power of the blood of Jesus Christ. Have you ever heard the idiom, “Blood is thicker than water?”
If you ask a dozen people what the idiom means, most, if not all, will say that it means that our family relationships are the strongest, and are to be the most important and given the highest priority in life. The blood you share with your relatives represents a strong relationship and forms what we call family ties. “Water” on the other hand represents the connection we have with everyone else with whom we do not share "family or blood ties". Those relationships comparatively are not as strong as blood ties.
The truth is, the strongest relationships we can enjoy in this life are not necessarily our blood relationships but the ones we can share with people who share the “blood ties” of being members of God’s family, the byproduct of being Born Again by the Spirit of God. Jesus said in John 3:5-6, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” In Jesus way of thinking then, water is thicker than blood. Those whose lives have been washed by the blood of the Lamb enter into an eternal relationship so strong that not even death itself can break it since Jesus is the resurrection and the life.
Listen to something Sandy Adams said regarding Matthew 12:47-50, “Family mentality of many believers today. "In a valiant effort to stem the tide, many Christians have made the family everything. Every moment of every day, every involvement, every commitment, every engagement is measured and judged by the question, 'How will this benefit my family?' While this is generally commendable, it can degenerate into a family narcissism. The four walls of the home become a temple and only within and for those walls are sacrifices made. We commit domestic idolatry!" Never forget our real family - are those who follow Jesus.”
Being brothers in sisters in Christ means we are going to be family together for all eternity so we need to work out our differences as soon as possible to enjoy a better quality of life here and now. Thats why forgiveness is so important, and why humbling ourselves before one another in love makes so much sense. Jesus came to earth, born of a virgin to ultimately offer His shed blood on the Cross of Calvary to break down the walls of separation between our fellow man and unite us back to God.
Jesus said it best in Matthew 12:48-50, “…Who is My mother and who are My brothers?" And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother."
Yes, loved one, water is thicker than blood in God’s family where being washed and cleansed by the sacrifice of Jesus ushers us into God’s family and creates a bond so strong that not even death can sever the tie. This illustration was never more vivid for me personally than when I watched on line the memorial service for Peter Jon Courson, the oldest son of Pastor Jon Courson who went home to be with Jesus this past February after a long illness.
Pastor John talked about his son Peter being alive, in the very presence of God, and how in our times of Communion he is alive with us because Peter is alive in Christ and like everyone in Christ who has gone before us our connection to them is not broken, they have simply gone on ahead. Those that have gone before us remain part of the body of Christ just as we are, and while they are in God’s presence they remain with us in Communion as our bond in Jesus is stronger than death as we are united in Christ. Maybe that’s what the writer of Hebrews has in mind when he penned the words, “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses” (Hebrews 12:1).
Because Jesus unites us there is no distance between us because of Jesus. His body and His blood have made us part of His family, the family of God. Yes, loved one, water is thicker than blood when it comes to Jesus!
“having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth--in Him. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will”
Ephesians 1:9-11
I LOVE YOU!
Ephesians 1:3-5
Hank is my brother from a different mother. I have only known him for a few months now but in reality we have been brothers since before time began if God is truly sovereign and His election sure as God knew that one day Hank and I would cross paths and share life as members of God’s own family because of the uniting power of the blood of Jesus Christ. Have you ever heard the idiom, “Blood is thicker than water?”
If you ask a dozen people what the idiom means, most, if not all, will say that it means that our family relationships are the strongest, and are to be the most important and given the highest priority in life. The blood you share with your relatives represents a strong relationship and forms what we call family ties. “Water” on the other hand represents the connection we have with everyone else with whom we do not share "family or blood ties". Those relationships comparatively are not as strong as blood ties.
The truth is, the strongest relationships we can enjoy in this life are not necessarily our blood relationships but the ones we can share with people who share the “blood ties” of being members of God’s family, the byproduct of being Born Again by the Spirit of God. Jesus said in John 3:5-6, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” In Jesus way of thinking then, water is thicker than blood. Those whose lives have been washed by the blood of the Lamb enter into an eternal relationship so strong that not even death itself can break it since Jesus is the resurrection and the life.
Listen to something Sandy Adams said regarding Matthew 12:47-50, “Family mentality of many believers today. "In a valiant effort to stem the tide, many Christians have made the family everything. Every moment of every day, every involvement, every commitment, every engagement is measured and judged by the question, 'How will this benefit my family?' While this is generally commendable, it can degenerate into a family narcissism. The four walls of the home become a temple and only within and for those walls are sacrifices made. We commit domestic idolatry!" Never forget our real family - are those who follow Jesus.”
Being brothers in sisters in Christ means we are going to be family together for all eternity so we need to work out our differences as soon as possible to enjoy a better quality of life here and now. Thats why forgiveness is so important, and why humbling ourselves before one another in love makes so much sense. Jesus came to earth, born of a virgin to ultimately offer His shed blood on the Cross of Calvary to break down the walls of separation between our fellow man and unite us back to God.
Jesus said it best in Matthew 12:48-50, “…Who is My mother and who are My brothers?" And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother."
Yes, loved one, water is thicker than blood in God’s family where being washed and cleansed by the sacrifice of Jesus ushers us into God’s family and creates a bond so strong that not even death can sever the tie. This illustration was never more vivid for me personally than when I watched on line the memorial service for Peter Jon Courson, the oldest son of Pastor Jon Courson who went home to be with Jesus this past February after a long illness.
Pastor John talked about his son Peter being alive, in the very presence of God, and how in our times of Communion he is alive with us because Peter is alive in Christ and like everyone in Christ who has gone before us our connection to them is not broken, they have simply gone on ahead. Those that have gone before us remain part of the body of Christ just as we are, and while they are in God’s presence they remain with us in Communion as our bond in Jesus is stronger than death as we are united in Christ. Maybe that’s what the writer of Hebrews has in mind when he penned the words, “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses” (Hebrews 12:1).
Because Jesus unites us there is no distance between us because of Jesus. His body and His blood have made us part of His family, the family of God. Yes, loved one, water is thicker than blood when it comes to Jesus!
“having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth--in Him. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will”
Ephesians 1:9-11
I LOVE YOU!
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