How Does God Approach His Family?

Well, happy Sabbath once again to everyone.

Last Sunday afternoon, we were blessed to have the three Beyond Today presenters here in Greater Cleveland to provide a message of hope and encouragement to a dying world. And if you read the daily news, it's obvious that this old world has lots of problems, few solutions, but there are certainly lots of problems. One of the main points the presenters brought out was that, first of all, God is in control of world events, that He knows exactly what's going on, that He has a plan, and His plan is unraveling exactly as has been indicated in biblical prophecy, and something else they emphasize very strongly, primarily what I want to talk about today, and that is that God is building a spiritual family and what it means to be part of that family. What I'd like to do in today's sermon is to discuss what it means to literally be a child of God, and the fact that we should desire to be a child of God. We should respond to God's calling, because when we do, we receive a very special blessing. When we become a child of God, God looks at us differently. His opinion and His attitude about His children, the depth of His love is different than He has for those who have not yet been called in or not as children. Now, God loves everyone, but it's part of a healthy family that you love and have a deeper sense of love for your very own family. We have a lot of little ones running around in this congregation, and I often tease and try to engage in them, from Dalton to Noah to Sarah. I'm teasing little kids all the time. Usually, they're looking at me like, you know, go away freak. But I try to engage in them. They're darling little kids, and I do love children. But as a grandfather, I have a deep sense of abiding love for my grandchildren. A deeper sense of love. That doesn't mean I don't love the other children. I certainly do. And I make an attempt to communicate with them. But I have a certain deep, abiding love for my very own. And that's healthy. And that's good. And that's natural. And that's the way God the Father is. He loves everyone. And ultimately, He wants everyone to be saved. And He has a plan to make that possible. But for those whom He calls, those whom respond to His calling, and become His children, He has a special relationship for those. Let's go to Luke 13 and verse 22 and see something that Jesus said to those who were in His generation. Luke 13 and beginning in verse 22.

It says, And He went through the cities and villages, teaching and journeying towards Jerusalem. Then one said to Him, Lord, are there few who are saved? And He said to them, Strive to enter through the narrow gate. For many, I say to you, will seek to enter, and will not be able. I want you to notice the first word that He uses in this sentence. He says, Strive. He doesn't say, Wait. He doesn't say, Take your good old time. He doesn't say, Take it easy.

He says, Strive. When you have an opportunity, go for it. Make that decision in your life.

Strive to enter through the narrow gate. Now, there's a wide world out there, and there's a lot of religious deception. There are a lot of human philosophies that attempt to answer everything from whether there's a God to what your particular lifestyle should be. There are all kinds of human answers to the problems in your life and the problems of this world. But what Jesus says is that the way to salvation is a narrow way. And it's narrow for this reason. He said in John 10, verse 9, I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and go in and out and find pasture. Jesus Christ was saying, I am the only way to salvation. It has to come through a relationship with me. It will require you to be my disciple. It will require you to make a lifelong commitment.

It will require you to have faith in my sacrifice as your Savior and as your God.

This means when he said that I am the door, it means to accept him as Lord and Savior and say, yes, I'll make that commitment to become a lifelong disciple. I will follow your teachings. It means, yes, I will develop a relationship with God the Father because he becomes my Father as well, just like he is the Father of Jesus Christ.

It means I will become a humble, devoted child of God, seeking him and desiring him in my life each and every day. There is no other human philosophy or religion that offers salvation. You have to go through that door. It's the only way, and the only way is through Christ. And the way to do that, he said, isn't to hold back. It isn't to study about it for the next 300 years. It's to strive for it. When you see it there in front of you and that pearl of great price is offered to you, that you seize it, that you do something about it.

Verse 25 says, when the master of the house has risen up and shut the door, so there comes a time when that opportunity is closed, and you begin to stand outside and knock on that door saying, open up, hello, I'm ready now. Open up for us, and he will answer and say to you, I do not know you where you were from. Then you will begin to say, but we ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets. And he will say, I tell you I do not know you where you come from.

Depart from me all you workers of iniquity. But I studied your Bible, but I attended church services sometimes. I think I've told you the famous story of my parents who are not faithful attenders of religious services.

On the Easter service, they were Methodist, and on the Easter service, when they were leaving, Pastor Griffith would say, thank you very much, and see you on Christmas. Because he figured out my parents, see? When God opens our minds to understand the gospel, my brothers and sisters, we need to respond. God is waiting, but he's only going to wait a certain amount of time for us to respond in this lifetime. And if we don't, he's going to close that door, and he may call us at another time after the kingdom of God has been well established on this earth. But if you have the precious opportunity to be called now in this life and to become one of his firstfruits, we should seize that opportunity.

Let's go to Matthew 10, verse 13, if you'll turn there with me. Once we make that commitment to respond, to enter that narrow gate, that door, our relationship with God changes forever. When we repent of our sins, when we humbly decide to start on that lifelong journey of discipleship, our lives change forever because God partners with us by granting us a very special and precious gift. And that is the gift of his Holy Spirit that becomes part of us.

And it changes how we view our purpose. It changes how we view other people. It changes what we do, why we do it, and how we do it. It begins a wonderful process of transformation from the very moment that we are a converted child of God. He views us differently than he viewed us before because we become family. And there's nothing as intimate and wonderful as a healthy, fully functioning family, which is what God is.

So he views us differently than before. As I said, God loves all of his creation. Everyone he desires to ultimately be saved in their time according to his plan, but he has a special, deep, special love for his children. Matthew 10, verse 13, it says, and they brought little children to him. They brought little children to Jesus Christ.

And just so we understand the background a little bit, it was a rabbinic tradition that occasionally people would bring their small children to the rabbi, and a rabbi would take a few minutes and bless the children. So that's where this tradition came from. Jesus was recognized as a great teacher.

Some even called him rabbi. So they brought little children to him that he might touch them, touching as an intimate, right? There's something special about touching someone, but the disciples rebuked those who brought them. He doesn't have time for you. We're busy doing a work. We've got too much going on. Get those little rugrats out of here.

But when Jesus saw it, he was greatly displeased. They used an English phrase, he was peeved. He couldn't believe what came out of their mouth. Why? Well, let's find out. And he said to them, Let the little children come to me and do not forbid them, for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly I say unto you that whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it. If you don't enter the family humble, wide-eyed, designed, desiring to learn, idolizing your daddy, and wanting to be obedient to pleased mom and dad, which are traits little children have, he said that's the kind of attitude that it takes to be a child of God, to get into the kingdom of God.

Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, who by no means enter it, and he took them up in his arms, and he put his hands in them, and he blessed them. He touched them. This is intimate. This is physical. You see, brother, this is a metaphor about how God the Father looks upon human beings who become his little children. Those who have repented of their sins, those who have been baptized, and those who have received the gift of the Holy Spirit. It's an intimate relationship built on love, not built on fear.

I find too many people who have a very poor concept of God's attitude towards them once they become converted. They think that God has a yardstick in one hand and a cattle prod in the other, and he's always measuring them to see how good they are, and if they're not measuring up, they're not. And that's not the way God is at all, as we'll see in a few minutes.

Let's see what Paul taught the Corinthian congregation about the importance of that intimate love, that intimate family relationship that God wants to have with all of us. Let's go to 1 Corinthians 12 and verse 30. 1 Corinthians 12 and verse 30. The chapter leading up to this he was talking about, he was commending the Corinthians, on all the gifts. They were very talented congregation. Some people had the ability to pray and other people would be healed. That's a spiritual gift. That's awesome. Some people had the ability to speak in many languages. Some people had the ability to translate foreign languages into another language. Some people had the gift to prophesy. They could basically encourage the brethren and inspire them with words that came from God. Very talented congregation. But you know what? They actually started debating on which one of those was more important. The congregation was being divided. They had all this raw talent, all these smart people, people who were called, but they actually started debating one another on what was the most important gift. Paul needs to make something very clear because Paul is all about family. Here's what he says. Do all have the gifts of healings? Of course not. There were some who could pray and their prayers were so powerful and that gift allowed them to pray and other people would be healed and things would be done. But not everybody's given that gift. That's true today. Not everyone is given that gift. Do all speak in tongues? Well, not everyone can speak five, six, seven different languages. Do all interpret? Is there anyone who, how many people have the ability to translate can hear four or five different languages and can translate it in one language, the language of the people that they're visiting or spending time with? That's a gift. Not everyone has that. He said, but earnestly desire the best gifts, yet I show you a more excellent way. What Paul is saying to them is all those gifts are good, but I am going to tell you about a gift that every one of you can have. Not everyone can speak in a foreign language. Not everyone can pray so someone can be healed. Not everyone can inspire and motivate people through prophecy. He says, but I'm going to tell you a gift that each and every one of you are capable of. So let's find out what he says. Verse one, he's putting it in the first person. He's talking about himself. He says, though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. He said, if I could speak five languages, but I don't do it with a motivation and an attitude that I love people and care for people, that I have that relationship with God, all it is is blah, blah, blah. It means nothing.

Verse two, he says, if I have the gift of prophecy and I understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith so that I could even move mountains, but I have not love, I am nothing.

Pretty powerful words. He doesn't say, if I could do these things, but I don't have love, then I'm spiritually immature. He doesn't say that. He doesn't say, well, then I would be weak. He says, no, if I have those abilities, but I don't have that connection of who and what God is, I am zilch, zero, nada, nothing. Pretty powerful dogmatic statement by him. Why does he say this so strongly? Because he agrees with the apostle John who wrote in 1 John chapter four and verse eight, he who does not love does not know God for God is love. Let me say that again. He who does not love does not know God for God is love. Doesn't matter how much of the Bible we know.

Doesn't matter how prayerful we are. It doesn't matter if we can prophesy. It doesn't matter if we have enough faith to move a mountain. If we have love, then it's everything. If we have those qualities without love, it is nothing. There is no relationship with God without love.

Knowledge is not part of that relationship. Faith is not part of that relationship. None of that matters if it isn't embedded in an attitude and a mindset of love towards God. All of those things alone without love are shallow, are empty. The phrase Paul uses is that they are nothing. Verse three, and though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. There's no gain. It doesn't impress God. It doesn't really achieve anything. Again, very powerful words. What he's saying here is that love is a gift that all of us can have. It's not just restricted to a few people. It's something that we're all capable of. And why is that so important? Because that's the connection of the family.

That's what the important part is about God creating a family. The glue, the concrete, the connection is love. And without that, the knowledge, the faith, all of these other things, again, use Paul's phrase, is nothing. Very powerful. Let's take a look at verse four.

Love suffers long and is kind. Love does not envy. Doesn't say, I wish I could have a new car like that. I wish I had their car. I wish I had their clothes. I wish I had their spouse. I wish I had their bank account. Right? Love does not envy. Love doesn't parade itself. Oh, it's all about me. Let me put a spotlight on myself and tell everybody what a great work I am. Some ministers have done that. There are many around today who continue to do that. Love is not puffed up. It does not behave rudely. It does not seek its own. It's not about me. It's about God's will. Love is not provoked. It thinks no evil. It's not judgmental, but it gives others the benefit of the doubt. It doesn't jump the judgment. It does not rejoice in iniquity. Oh, goody, goody, someone's going to get killed.

How exciting! Someone's going to get fried for being evil. That's not what love is. But it rejoices in the truth. Bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail.

Prophecy is important. And we study prophecy. We're a prophetic church. But you know what Jonah found out firsthand? Prophecies fail. God can change his mind. People may surprise us and repent. And the prophecy won't need to happen. So prophecies will fail. And whether there are tongues, they will cease. Do you know that every 14 days a language goes extinct on planet earth? You think Paul was kidding? It's estimated between the year now and 2020, 3000 human languages will become extinct. So do you think he's kidding when he says and where there are tongues they will cease? Languages come and go. They evolve. Sometimes they die. They expire. They don't exist anymore. Whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. I look at literature. I read books that I had from the 60s and 70s that was considered knowledge at the time. Looking back on some of those things, they're so obsolete that it's almost humorous to read some stuff from the 60s and 70s. The other day I was looking at our family bookcase. We have medical books in there from when my wife and I were in our 20s, just thumbing through it. The medical stuff is so obsolete. What quackery! The technologies and the abilities of medical science to cure some of these diseases and take care of some of these problems is phenomenal today. What happened to that knowledge that was so important in 1970? It became obsolete. It vanished away. It was replaced by something better. It was replaced by newer, more accurate knowledge. So Paul knows exactly what he's talking about here. He says, for we know in part and we prophecy in part, but when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. We're physical beings. We live in a physical world. We're not as smart as we think. We have partial knowledge. We have partial understanding. And that's why it's so important to have that linkage with the family of God, that linkage, that relationship with God. Verse 11. He's talking about going back in actual context of how younger in his ministry, remember he was a Pharisee. There were so many things that he thought were all about God were so important, so vital to knowing God. And as he grew and he mature, he changed his views on that. He says, when I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, and I thought as a child, but when I became a man, I put away childish things. I grew up spiritually. And the things that I thought were so important, so essential to salvation, so essential to righteousness, I've come to see that they were, it's a phrase he uses, nothing.

Verse 12. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then, the kingdom after Jesus returns, then face to face, now I see in part, but then I shall know, just as I am known, I'll be fully present in a world with all knowledge and all understanding, all mysteries revealed, all understanding what prophecy is and was all about. And now abide faith, hope, love, these three, but the greatest of these is love.

When we have the kind of love that Paul talks about, it not only changes your perspective on life, but it changes how you view others who are trapped in a world of sin, who are blind to God's values and His laws. You don't become angry and condemning of others who are trapped in sin and evil because you pity them. You genuinely feel sorry for the trap that they are in, for the hurt that they bring upon themselves and their loved ones and what they're doing to their lives. You feel sorrow, you feel pity, you feel compassion, you don't feel judgmental anger. Let's look at some examples and see if God, with some individuals in scriptures who had some problems, let's see if God practices what He preaches. Let's see in the lives of these individuals if God practices thinking no evil and not being envious and not behaving rudely. Let's see if God walks the walk in the way that He relates to other people who have problems. Let's begin. You'll turn with me to Genesis 16. Genesis 16, beginning in verse 1. In the previous chapter, God told Abram that his descendants would be of the stars of heaven. You're going to have descendants everywhere. They're going to do remarkable things. And Abram said, Lord, I go childless. The heir of my family is my servant named Eliezer of Damascus. I don't even have a son of my own. God said, trust me. I promised it. It's a prophecy. Believe what I tell you. Then we enter chapter 16. Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children, and she had an Egyptian maidservant whose name was Hagar. So Sarai was a wife of his.

So Sarai said to Abram, See now the Lord has restrained me from bearing children. Please go into my maid. Perhaps I shall obtain children for her. And Abram heeded the voice of Sarai. And Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar, her maid, the Egyptian, and gave her to her husband, Abram, to be his wife after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan. So he went into Hagar and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, this is Hagar, her mistress, speaking of Sarai, her mistress became despised in her eyes. Then Sarai said to Abram, My wrong be upon you. Now being a husband, I've never heard my wife say, I made the mistake, but it's your fault.

I'm sure as husbands, none of you could relay that that's ever happened in your lives. But she says, my wrong be upon you. It's your fault, Abram. I gave my maid into your embrace, and when she saw that she had conceived, I became despised in her eyes. It's your fault.

The Lord judged between me and you. So Abram said to Sarai, as a smart husband, he says, indeed your maid is in your hand, due to her as you please. And when Sarai dealt harshly with her, she fled from her presence. So he wasn't about to get himself inserted in the middle of that problem.

Well, Abram is not a perfect man. Before he becomes father of the faithful, do you know what he was? He was father of the faithless. He tried to fulfill God's promises his way, instead of waiting in faith for God to give him a son. At other times, he lied to kings, telling them that Sarai was his sister, because she was so beautiful. He was afraid that when he went into these nations, that they would kill him so that she would be able to become part of the king's harem. And why did he ask his wife to lie? Why did he lie? Because he lacked faith that God could protect him.

When he was first called out of Haran, he was clearly told to not take any of his family members, yet he took his nephew Lot with him in direct violation of what God had told him to do in Genesis 12 and verse 4. You see, Abram is not a perfect man. He's a man with flaws and sins. Yet, he's a child of God. He has a very important quality. He's humble. He seeks God. He attempts to do what is right and be obedient, though he is certainly not perfect. And sometimes he falls short, and he acknowledges his weaknesses and his sins. So what's God's attitude towards Abram and towards Abram's personal failings? In looking at the events of Abram, does God suffer long?

Is God kind to him? Does God behave rudely? Did you see where God was provoked and he smote Abram for lying or doing these things? Does he think evil of Abraham?

Does he rejoice in Abraham's iniquities? Well, in spite of Abraham's personal failings, does God bear all things, believe all things, hope all things, and endure all things about Abraham in spite of his personal weaknesses? God absolutely does. Regarding Abraham, does God believe that love never fails? He was with Abraham all the way in spite of Abraham's weaknesses and problems. Now, don't misunderstand the problems that Abraham's sin caused in his family were still there. He still had to deal with the problems in his life that were caused by his sins, just like you and I. His punishment was not God's condemnation, but living with the results of his sins. Yet God's attitude towards Abraham was that Abraham is my friend, he is a work in progress, and God's grace was reflected in his love. So much so that James wrote in James chapter 2 and verse 23, he said, Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness, and he was called the friend of God. In spite of his flaws, in spite of his problems, Abraham was considered by God to be his friend.

Yes, even though Abraham lied and sometimes he lacked faith, he broke his marriage vows, he had a dysfunctional family, God still loved him and he gave him some wonderful promises. And, oh, those promises didn't come through in his lifetime because of his faith and dedication to God. We enjoy those promises today. Let's take a look at another example. Second Samuel chapter 11. Let's look at the example of King David.

This is not a good time in David's life. He's obviously at a stage, he's going through a season in which he lacks purpose. And we know that by the very first verses. And it happened in the spring of the year, the winter months are gone, the weather's warming up, spring of the year, at the time when the kings go out to battle. That's what kings do. That's why they give you the title king. You're supposed to lead your army to battle. That David sent Joab and his servants with him in all Israel and they destroy the people of Ammon and beseech Rabah. But David remained at Jerusalem. David, where are you? This is the time when kings are supposed to go out to battle. And what's David doing? He's hanging around the palace, aimless, purposeless. You know what the problem is with him? The same problem with a lot of men, frankly. Right now, he's got too much time on his hands. He doesn't have a purpose. He doesn't have a reason to get up in the morning and do something productive in life. And where does that always lead to? Well, let's find out. But David remained at Jerusalem again. He should have been with his army. Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked out on the roof of the king's house. Again, farmed too much time on his hands. And from the roof, he saw a woman bathing. And the woman was very beautiful to behold. And I'm sure David was so disgusted that he probably turned his head six times. So David sent and inquired about the woman. And someone says, is this not Bathsheba, the daughter? If Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite? Then David sent messengers and he took her. She came to him and he lay with her, for she was cleansed from her impurity. And she returned home to her house. And the woman conceived and she sent and told David and said, I am with child. And David sent to Joab saying, send me Uriah the Hittite. And Joab sent Uriah to David. So here's a man who's called in Scripture a man after God's own heart. From this point in time, this stage in his life where he's aimless, purposeless, and now he's got himself in trouble, he's going to quickly degenerate into a web of lying and deceit and murder. And according to biblical scholars, this lasted like seven months. He commits adultery with another man's wife.

And ancient Israel really should have been stoned. He tried to hide his sin from everyone with a series of deceitful coverups. You may remember the story. First, he gets Uriah the Hittite to have a leave of absence. So he can come home hoping that he will have relations with his wife so that they can say eight, seven, eight months later, oh, a preemie! Congratulations, Uriah, you have a son! But Uriah is a man of honor. He's got more honor than David does, and he says, look, my buddies are out there lying in the trenches at night, ready to go to battle. I can't go into my wife and spend time with her. I'd be ashamed of myself. We're a band of brothers. I won't do that. So that ruins David's plan. Then he has Uriah sent to the heat of the battle purposely so that he will be killed. And then David can literally take possession of her like a trophy, take possession of Uriah's wife. Second Samuel chapter 24, he takes a census of Israel's military, and because of his decision, 70,000 innocent people died from a plague. Regarding this situation with Bathsheba and all that happened, eventually God sends his prophet Nathan, the chastised David, and to give him a reality check. And David bitterly repents. Let's take a look at just a few verses of his repentance in Psalms chapter 51. This is one of the traits of God's children. God's children are humble, and when God's children realize, get out of an episode of self-deception and denial and realize sometimes just how far short we have fallen. We repent. We go to our Father in deep forgiveness, asking that God will restore us the joy of his salvation, to forgive us of our transgressions. He says here in Psalm chapter 51 and verse 1, Have mercy upon me, O God, according to your loving kindness, according to the multitude of your tender mercies. Blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me, even though he knew that God would forgive him of his sins. David knew he could never forgive himself. This was not a high point in his life. He would be an old, old man in regret, committing adultery with another man's wife. Regret sending a man in the heat of battle to purposely have him killed.

Verse 4, Against you you only have I sinned, and done this evil in your sight, that you may be found just when you speak, and blameless when you judge. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me. He said, I've been carnal, and self-absorbed, and selfish since the day that I squawked and took my first breath. I've been struggling with my carnality my whole life. Behold, you desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part you will make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, that I shall be clean. Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me hear joy and gladness, that the bones that you have broken may rejoice. Now, he meant he was just aching. He was so ashamed and humiliated with his conduct, and the fact that he didn't just sin, he was a sinner, that he ached, and he hurt, and he felt putrid all over, and he wanted that to go away. He wanted those feelings to go away.

Again, it's estimated that it was about six to seven months after he committed adultery that he lived in deceit and self-denial until Nathan the prophet came in and corrected him and openly humiliated him. So again, just as a quick recap, here's another person with many problems. He broke his marriage vows. He committed adultery with another man's wife. He lied about the situation. He tried to hide it. He caused an innocent man to die so that he could acquire his wife as a possession. He took a census of Israel's military and caused great suffering in the nation. Yet, as frustrated as God may have gotten with David at times, he looked beyond David's problems and saw him for what he someday would be, for what David someday could be. Think about that. Seven months from the time of his adultery until Nathan comes in. What is God's attitude towards David and David's personal failings? Does God suffer long, or did God just have him die in his sleep the night after he committed adultery, or did God strike him with a palsy the next day, or give him a cancer a month later? Is God kind here? Does God behave rudely towards David? Is God provoked?

Does he think evil of David? Does he rejoice in David's iniquities in spite of David's personal feelings? Does God, regarding David, bear all things, believe all things, hope all things, and endure all things regarding the life and purpose of David? Regarding David, does God's love ever fail? You see, my friends, yes, David had many problems just like we do, but he had traits which endured him to God. He was repentant. He was humble. He was teachable. He praised God.

He believed what God told him. Now, again, please don't get me wrong. The consequences of David's poor decisions didn't go away. He had to pay the price for creating a very dysfunctional family. He had too many women involved in his life. You may recall his son, Amnon, committed incest with his own sister. His son, Absalon, rebelled against his father. As an old man, David's got to flee Jerusalem because his son's trying to take the throne from him. David suffered mightily from the sins and the problems he had as a father and as a husband. He suffered mightily, but his punishment was not God's condemnation, but living with the results of his sins.

God's attitude towards David was that he was a work in progress, and God's grace was reflected in his love. The prophet Jeremiah himself, looking to the future as God does, said in Jeremiah 30, verse 9, but they shall serve the Lord their God, speaking of when God's kingdom is established on his earth and David their king, whom I will raise up for them. So David will be resurrected and will be a king once again. Again, in great compassion and patience and the kind of love that Paul spoke about is how God primarily viewed David and how he views us as his children, not as the limited and troubled souls, the things that we struggle with today, for what we shall be. Like David in his lifetime, we are living construction sites, and if you've ever been to a construction site, there is debris and dirt and junk everywhere until opening day.

Until it's finished and they sweep the floors and they get everything vacuumed and get the carpeting laid and it's ready for opening day, construction sites are an absolute mess, just like some of our lives are. Let's take a look at one more example. Let's go to the New Testament and look at a man who had flaws and problems. Matthew chapter 26 and verse 69. If you'll turn there, we're going to look at the example of the disciple Peter. It's our last example in the sermon today. Jesus had told Peter, who was very arrogant, who usually spoke before he thought, he told Peter that he would deny Christ three times before he heard a rooster crow in the morning. And of course, Peter arrogantly told Jesus that that would not happen. You don't know me, Jesus. I'm incapable of doing that. I'm going to be with you to the bitter end. Matthew chapter 26. Now Peter sat outside the courtyard. This is after Jesus has been arrested. Trials going on. Very tense times. They're looking for scapegoats. They're looking for people to blame. They're looking for those who followed Jesus. Peter sat outside the courtyard and a servant girl came to him saying, you also were with Jesus of Galilee, but he denied it before them saying, I do not know what you're saying. And when he had gone out into the gate, I got to get out of here. They're recognizing me. I'm going to go somewhere else. Another girl saw him and said to those who were there, this fellow also was with Jesus of Nazareth. But again, he denied with an oath. Now Jesus said, your yes should be yes and your no should be no. You shouldn't even be giving oaths. You shouldn't even be swearing and making vows. I do not know this man. And a little later, those who stood by came up and said to Peter, surely I recognize you. Yeah, surely you also were one of them for your speech. You sound like a Galilean. Your speech betrays you. Then he began to curse and swear, saying, I do not know the man. Immediately the rooster crowed. And Peter remembered the words of Jesus who had said to him before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times. And so he went out and he wept bitterly. See, that's a trait that God can use. This is a repentant attitude. This is someone, yeah, he's got problems. He's very impetuous. Unfortunately, too much stuff that comes in here happens to come out of his mouth. And that's not healthy. He's struggling with that, but he's humble. He's repentant. He's emotional. He realizes he has weaknesses and faults, and he wants to be loved by his father. He wants to be in the family.

Peter, like David, was an emotional and an impetuous man. He had a bad habit of speaking before he thought things through. He had assured Christ he would never betray him. But we see by this scripture that his courage was weak and his faith was very shallow. He was a man who had personal problems, yet God loved him. And I'm going to mention quickly a personal problem that he has 20 years later. So do people just grow and change and mature overnight? No, change is a process. Our growth is a process. Let's take a look at an event. 20 years after he's been converted, Galatians chapter 2 and verse 11. This time, this is really painful for Peter, because he's called on the carpet by the Apostle Paul publicly in front of a whole bunch of people. And if you're a male and you have any kind of an ego, you know that you do not want to be called on the carpet in front of a whole bunch of your peers. Galatians chapter 2 and verse 11. Paul is recurring an event that happened in Antioch. He's writing to the Delatian congregation. Now, when Peter had come to Antioch, he says, I was stood him to his face because he was to be blamed. For before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles. But when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision. And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy. This is prejudice. This is bigotry. Here, before some conservative elements come from Jerusalem, he's eating with Gentile believers, meaning those who were not circumcised adults. He's fellowshiping with them. He's, you know, they're doing great. But as soon as some of his peers come from Jerusalem, suddenly they're not good enough anymore. Suddenly, those who are circumcised are superior to those who are not circumcised. And Paul was livid when he saw this coming from him. Verse 14, and when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the Gospel, I said to Peter, before them all, open public humiliation. If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews? Paul is basically saying, Peter, you're not even a good Jew. Paul could say, look, I was a Pharisee. I know what Judaism is. I know what it requires. And Peter, you're a half-breed. You're not even a good Jew. So why do you require Gentiles to live like Jews if you don't live like a Jew?

That's pretty strong meat. You know, I've read and I've heard people say, well, you know, I think that Peter was the head of the New Testament Church. Well, do you? Someone forgot to tell Paul.

Is this the way that you discuss something with your boss? If someone you consider to be your superior or your boss, do you dress them down in front of everybody? No, you don't. Not if you consider them your boss. But here, unfortunately, 20 years after his conversion, Peter's a bigot. He thought the Jews were a superior race to the Gentiles, and that Gentiles were inferior to Jewish people. And this was something, obviously, hard for him to overcome. He intellectually knew that it was right, but his background got in the way. When he was involved in the conversion of Cornelius and the sheets of unclean meats came down, remember, and he said, I get it, I get it. I should not call any man common or unclean. I get it. He obviously did intellectually. But like all of us, even in our modern American culture, depending on how we were raised and what we heard at home, our background could be an impediment to go beyond intellectually, to treating everyone as God's children and as equals. Yet, in spite of these problems, Christ loved Peter, and he looked at what he could become. He looked at what Peter would become. Peter was repentant. He was teachable. He believed what Christ told him. And though he struggled, as we can see, with prejudices in his life, God worked with him. As a matter of fact, this is just a sidebar. His prejudice may have been why God was able to use Peter to call the gentile Cornelius, but God, knowing what was deep in his heart, God called some other individual, known as Paul, to preach the gospel to the gentile world. So that may be one reason why Paul was called, because God could read Peter's heart and say, this isn't going to work. He's not going to be able to do the great work in the gentile world, because deep down, I know that he despises gentiles. He thinks they're inferior to him. He thinks they're inferior to Jews. Let's now take a look at another scripture, John 21, verse 15. John 21, verse 15.

Jesus, of course, loved Peter greatly, because Jesus considered Peter to be part of the family.

John 21, verse 15. So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon's son of Jonah, do you love me more than these? Interesting, that word love. Going back to what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 12, Jesus didn't say, tell me, are you smarter than the rest of these guys? Tell me, do you have more faith than the other guys, the other disciples? Do you understand prophecy more than the other guys? Do you have the ability to speak other languages more than the other guys? Jesus doesn't say any of those things. He says, Simon's son of Jonah, do you love me more than these? You see, my friends, the core, the glue, it's all about loving God and having a genuine relationship with Him. And that is possible when we respond to God's call. And when we say, yes, I need to be baptized. I need to repent of my sins. I need to become a lifelong disciple of Jesus Christ. I need to be part of a work that He is doing that's changing people's lives every day. I need to be there and I need to be a part of that. And most of all, I need the gift of His Spirit inside of me. Let's continue here.

And Peter said to him, yes, Lord, you know I love you. He said to him, feed my lambs. He said to him a second time, Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me? And he said to him, yes, Lord, you know that I love you. He's getting a little bit testy. He said, I've already told you once.

He said to him, tend my sheep. And he said to him a third time, in biblical parlance three is the number of finality. Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me? Peter was grieved because he said to him a third time, do you love me? And he said to him, Lord, you know all things. Look into my heart. Look right here, Lord. My emotions, my deepest feelings. You know your God. Of course, I love you.

Jesus said to him, feed my sheep. For most assuredly I say unto you that when you were younger, you girded yourself where you wished. But when you were old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you off where you do not wish. He says, when you're young and cocky, you're going to go where you want to go. Yeah, you're going to be independent. You're going to spout off. You're going to do all the things that human beings do. You're going to be independent, the smart Ellech, and you're just going to travel wherever you want to go. But here's a prophecy for you, my friend. And here's the prophecy. When you are old, you're going to be bound with chains and ropes, and people are going to take you someplace you don't want to go. And you're going to have to be martyred, and you're going to have to give up your life to give me glory. He says here in verse 19, this he spoke signifying by what death he would glorify, God. And when he had spoken this, he said to him, follow me. You've got to be all in, Peter. Follow me. So the point is this, that God loved and praised these servants that we've looked at today. They all had problems. They all were sinners. They all sometimes sinned. But he looked on them for not simply what they were, but he looked into the future and saw what they would become. And, brethren, the same is true of us. God looks down on us, and he loves us in spite of our foibles, and our problems, and our challenges. He loves us because we acknowledge our limitations. We go back to him in an attitude of repentance, desiring change, desiring his mercy and compassion. We strive to change and grow spiritually in each spring holy day. In the days of Unleavened Bread, we are reminded of the need to acknowledge a Savior and the need to continue to get the sin out of our lives. He loves us for our desire to remain faithful into the end. He loves us because when we fall on our face, he offers to give us strength to get up and go forward. And usually we do. When God calls us, when you, my friends, become part of his family, it is to begin a special relationship. We become God's family, and that means he desires a loving, one-on-one, intimate relationship with us. He doesn't merely judge us by what we did yesterday. Love suffers long and is kind. He doesn't merely judge us by what we're struggling with today, our flaws and imperfections. But he sees into the future, and what he sees into the future is what we can be, what we should be, what we will be because of the transformative power of the Holy Spirit. He knows what our potential is. He knows what we're fully capable of.

One final scripture. 1 Corinthians 2 and verse 9, if you'll turn there with me.

For those of you who may be visitors today as the result of the presentation last Sunday, and probably many more who will be hearing this as an audio on our church website, I would like you to know that this may be your opportunity that God is calling you into his family.

Are you going to strive for that opportunity? Are you going to walk towards that gate and that door? Are you going to make the decision and realize that God has opened your mind to understand things thus far? That he very well may be calling you in this lifetime to become a member of his family?

And here's the way that Paul sums up that knowledge and that understanding that I'd like to leave all of you with today. 1 Corinthians 2 and verse 9, but as it is written, I have not seen, nor ear heard, neither has entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for them that love him. 2 Corinthians 2 and verse 9, but as it is written, God is calling children.

Are we listening?