​CHURCH AS FAMILY: Church as a loving family 5-3-26

​CHURCH AS FAMILY: Church as a loving family 5-3-26

INTRODUCTION

Church is family.

Church is a family of faith.

Church is a faithful family

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭22:34-40‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.'”

‭‭ Matthew‬ ‭22:34-40‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The command to love God and love our neighbor is not new to Jesus. It comes right from Torah. The Pharisees had finessed that fundamental law right out of everyday life, but Jesus not only showed us that we can’t live without it, he took it to the limit when he loved us all the way to giving himself on the cross, and continuing to give us His own life in this sacrament of love.

Pat Cunningham, Sermon Central, August 23, 2008.

Pray!

I.  LOVE FOR GOD

A certain medieval monk announced he would be preaching next Sunday evening on “The Love of God.” As the shadows fell and the light ceased to come in through the cathedral windows, the congregation gathered. In the darkness of the altar, the monk lighted a candle and carried it to the crucifix. First of all, he illumined the crown of thorns, next, the two wounded hands, then the marks of the spear wound. In the hush that fell, he blew out the candle and left the chancel. There was nothing else to say. 

10,000 Sermon Illustrations, Biblical Studies Press

A.  The true litmus test

‭‭1 John‬ ‭4:7-8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

‭‭1 John‬ ‭4:7-8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

B.  The sight test

‭‭1 John‬ ‭4:20-21‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.”

‭‭ 1 John‬ ‭4:20-21‬ ‭NIV‬‬

II.  LOVE FOR NEIGHBOR

A.  Love

A little girl stayed for dinner at the home of her friend. The vegetable was buttered broccoli, and the mother asked if she liked it. The child replied very politely, "Oh, yes, I love it." But when the bowl of broccoli was passed, she declined to take any. The hostess said, "I thought you said you loved broccoli." The girl replied sweetly, "Oh, yes, ma’am, I do, but not enough to eat it!"

"One cannot define one’s neighbor; one can only be a neighbor," Haddon Robinson said. "Your neighbor is anyone whose need you see, whose need you are able to meet." A neighbor is someone who says, "What is mine is God’s and what is God’s belongs to my neighbor because my neighbor belongs to Him."

Stephen Sheane, "Love Your Neighbor," 2/10/2009.

B.  Neighbor

"Love of God is the root, love of our neighbour the fruit of the Tree of Life. Neither can exist without the other, but the one is cause and the other effect."

Unknown source

III.  LOVE FOR REAL!

A.  Not partial

B.  Not for personal gain

C.  Not conditional

D.  Not contrived

E.  Not boastful

‭‭Luke‬ ‭15:11-32‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate. “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’ “ ‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ ””

‭‭ Luke‬ ‭15:11-32‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Paula and I visited to the DIA last December. We saw many amazing works of art. I especially remember Bartholomeus van Bessen’s “Return of the Prodigal Son.”

Austin W. Duncan wrote:

I was an art major in undergrad, which means I took more art history classes than any human should be required to sit through. And then, because God has a sense of humor, I spent an entire semester in seminary studying one painting. One.

Rembrandt’s The Return of the Prodigal Son.

Paper after paper after paper on this. But it’s become my favorite painting of all time. Not one of my favorites. My favorite.

Rembrandt painted it right near the end of his life, the same year he passed away. In the painting, the son is kneeling. His shoes are worn through. His clothes are ruined. His face is buried in his father’s chest. He’s come a long way to get there, and you can see it. But the part that gets me every time is the father’s hands. They’re resting on the son’s back. One hand is firm, almost strong. The other is soft, almost tender. And the father isn’t pointing back toward the pigpen. He isn’t giving a lecture. He isn’t reviewing the son’s mistakes.

He’s just holding him.

And then off to the side, almost in the shadows, Rembrandt paints the older brother. Standing. Watching. Arms stiff. He’s close enough to see the grace, but he’s not in it. He stayed home the whole time, did everything right on paper, and he’s the one who can’t enter the embrace. He’s too proud to need it.

So many people who look at this painting instinctively identify with the younger son. We see ourselves as the one who wandered and came home. But the real challenge of the painting, and of the parable, is the invitation to become the one whose hands don’t push away. The one whose first instinct toward the broken person isn’t to correct but to hold. The one who doesn’t say, “Let me tell you everything you did wrong.” The one who says, “You’re home. That’s enough for now.”

Austin W. Duncan, Sermon Central, April 17, 2026.

CONCLUSION

Love God. Love your neighbor. Love for real!

INVITATION

It is our custom to offer an "invitation" following the preaching of the Word.  You may want to follow Jesus.  You may want to proclaim your faith.  You may want to repent (stop doing ungodly things and start doing Godly things).  Perhaps you want to be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins     and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Possibly, if you have already responded to God’s call in these ways, you would like to become a member of Kenwood Church.  If you have been moved by the Holy Spirit to make a decision in your life, you can come forward now.  If you would like, I would be honored to speak with you following the service about what God is doing in your life.

4-29-26 S.U.M. It Up!

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4-26-26 Kenwood Church of Christ Live Stream

 

​CHURCH AS FAMILY: Church as a faithful family 4-26-26

​CHURCH AS FAMILY: Church as a faithful family 4-26-26

 

INTRODUCTION

 

The Tater Family

 

Some families make church their home. Others find other uses for the church. Take the notorious Tater family, for example. Perhaps you’ve met some of them.

· The chief of the clan is old Dick Tater, who insists on running everything in church.

· His brother Ro Tater keeps everything in a spin.

· Aunt Agi Tater has a knack for stirring up trouble;

· and her husband, Irri Tater, is always getting under someone’s skin.

The next generation of Taters has its own characteristics.

· Hesi Tater and his wife, Vege Tater, would just as soon wait until next year whenever a new project is suggested.

· Aunt Imi Tater would love to create the first generic church.

· Devas Tater announces constantly that everyone in the church is doomed,

· Her husband Poten Tater promises he can lead the church out of trouble.

            Today in the Word, May, 1996, p. 8.

 

Faithfulness in the family

 

Animals that mate for life

 

Gibbons, swans, black vultures, French angel fish, wolves, albatrosses, termites, prairie voles, turtle doves, schistosoma mansoni worms (parasitic worms), bald eagle

 

1 Corinthians 4:1-5 NIV

 

“This, then, is how you ought to regard us: as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed. Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God.”

            1 Corinthians 4:1-5 NIV

 

DO WE UNDERSTAND FAITHFULNESS? 

 

Have you heard RHONDA VINCENT’S STORY OF FAITHFULNESS? Rhonda and her family were under contract at SILVER DOLLAR CITY TO DO 5—ONE HOUR MUSIC PROGRAMS A DAY. One day it was raining real hard. No one was in the crowd. No one, but the contract was for 5 shows. Rhonda and her family stepped to the stage and did their show as promised. A few days later Rhonda got an important phone call from a man named HOUSER. Houser was the GENERAL MANGER of the GRAND OLE OPRY in Nashville, Tennessee. He invited Rhonda and her band to come to Nashville to perform. She said: SIR, HOW DID YOU HEAR ABOUT US? He said: Last week we were on vacation at Silver Dollar City. It was raining real hard. We sat around the corner in the dry and we heard you and we liked what we heard. WHAT IF RHONDA VINCENT AND HER BAND HAD NOT PREFORMED THAT DAY BECAUSE NO ONE WAS IN THE CROWD? THEY ALMOST MISSED THE OPPORTUNITY?

            Wade Martin Hughes, Sr., Sermon Central, January 1, 2026.

 

Let us pray.

 

I.  FAITHFUL TO GOD

           

            A.  Faithful in life

 

Revelation 2:8-11 NIV

 

““To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death.”

            Revelation 2:8-11 NIV

 

           B.  Faithful in death

 

Dog named Bullet - Sarena Moore 44 in a wheelchair was the victim of a mass shooting of 9 people in October of 2015. As the shooter ordered Serena to get out of her wheelchair and shot her as she struggled, Bullet remained with her.  Bullet stayed by her side as she died. He was faithful in death.

 

II.  FAITHFUL TO FAMILY

           

Some of us can remember the Sunday morning terrorist bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut, in which hundreds of Americans were killed or wounded as they slept.

Many of us can still recall the terrible scenes as the dazed survivors worked to dig out their trapped brothers from beneath the rubble.

 

A few days after the tragedy, Marine Corps Commandant Paul X Kelly, visited some of the wounded survivors then in a Frankfurt, Germany, hospital. Among them was Corporal Jeffrey Lee Nashton, severely wounded in the incident. Nashton had so many tubes running in and out of his body that a witness said he looked more like a machine than a man; yet he survived.

 

As Kelly neared him, Nashton, struggling to move and racked with pain, motioned for a piece of paper and a pen. He wrote a brief note and passed it back to the Commandant. On the slip of paper were but two words -- "Semper Fi" the Latin motto of the Marines meaning "forever faithful." With those two simple words Nashton spoke for the millions of Americans who have sacrificed body and limb and their lives for their country -- those who have remained faithful.

            J. Dobson & Gary Bauer, Children at Risk, Word, 1990, pp. 187-188.

 

            A.  Our family

 

1 Timothy 5:8 NIV

 

“Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”

            1 Timothy 5:8 NIV

 

            B.  Our church family

 

Hebrews 10:24-25 NIV

 

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

            Hebrews 10:24-25 NIV

           

            C.  Faithful to who we are

 

III.  FAITHFUL TO GOD'S PLAN

           

John Wesley once said: "Give me a hundred men who love nothing but God and hate nothing but sin, and I will shake the whole world for Christ."

 

            A.  Jesus

            B.  Believe

            C.  Repent

            D.  Confess

            E.  Baptism

 

THE CHURCH

 

Hebrews 10:23 NIV

 

“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.”

            Hebrews 10:23 NIV

 

Author Keith Miller tells of an outgoing 40-year-old woman who was part of a sharing group he led. Here is her story:

 

"When I was a tiny little girl, my parents died and I was put in an orphanage. I was not pretty at all and no one seemed to want me. But I longed to be adopted and loved by a family as far back as I can remember. I thought about it day and night, but everything I did seemed to go wrong. I must have tried too hard to please the people who came to look me over and what I did was to drive them away.

 

"But then one day the head of the orphanage told me that a family was coming to take me home with them. I was so excited that I jumped up and down and cried like a little baby. The matron reminded me that I was on trial and this might not be a permanent arrangement, but I just knew that somehow it would work out.

 

"So I went with this family and started to school. I was the happiest little girl you can imagine, and life began to open up for me just a little. But then one day a few months later, I skipped home from school and ran into the front door of the big old house we lived in. No one was at home, but in the middle of the front hall was my battered suitcase with my little coat thrown across it. As I stood there it suddenly dawned on me what it meant---I didn’t belong there anymore."

 

Miller reports that when the woman stopped speaking there was hardly a dry eye in the group. But then she cleared her throat and said almost matter-of-factly, "This happened to me seven times before I was 13 years old. But wait, don’t feel too badly. It was experiences like these that ultimately brought me to God---and there I found what I had always longed for---a place, a sense of belonging, a forever family."

            Bruce Howell, "The Essence!" 2/21/2009.

 

That is what our faithful Father and our faithfulness can do for others who need a forever family.

 

CONCLUSION

 

How can we ignore what God has done? We must be faithful to God. We must be faithful to our family and church family. We must be faithful to God’s plan.

 

Who should we reach?

            Look around you

            Reach you

            Missionary planted in Livonia today

 

INVITATION

 

It is our custom to offer an "invitation" following the preaching of the Word.  You may want to follow Jesus.  You may want to proclaim your faith.  You may want to repent (stop doing ungodly things and start doing Godly things).  Perhaps you want to be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins     and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Possibly, if you have already responded to God’s call in these ways, you would like to become a member of Kenwood Church.  If you have been moved by the Holy Spirit to make a decision in your life, you can come forward now.  If you would like, I would be honored to speak with you following the service about what God is doing in your life.