This sermon explores the concept of being known by God, our adoption into His kingdom, and our responsibility to invite others into this family of faith.
Welcome to our fourth and final week together in our current series, Known. To briefly recap we began by exploring how we are perfectly and intimately known by God Himself, the very Creator of the universe. He knows us so well in fact that He knows what’s best for us, He knows how we were created, and He knows - better than anyone - that we were made for relationship and fellowship.
As we discussed last week many of us struggle to have deep and meaningful relationships with others. Maybe it has something to do with the overly connected and yet disconnected world we live in. Maybe it’s us, maybe it’s others. Either way, something amazing happens when we give our lives to Christ. He literally takes us, as 1 Peter 2:4-5 says, and builds us into the spiritual house.
Amazingly, our once isolated lives become embedded into the greater family of Christ. Instantaneously we gain brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers in the faith all over the world. And it’s through Christ that we learn to grow in relationship and fellowship. We find ourselves both known by and knowing others and frankly, it’s fantastic.
Actually it’s so wonderful that it’s worth sharing. Again and again and again if given the opportunity...and with anyone who will listen!
In fact, that’s the plan we’ll be exploring today. As believers who have freely received grace, mercy, redemption, and more...we are called to freely give it all away to others.
We share the kingdom.
It’s what we do, it’s who we are.
In Christ, you are fully known and fully immersed into the family of faith.
Our main passage for the day comes from the book of Ephesians and it talks powerfully about the “togetherness” of our faith; “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.” - Ephesians 2:19-22
If this sounds a lot like our passage from last week, that’s because it is. In fact, both Paul, the author of this passage, and Peter describe how the people of God are being built up together into a dwelling place… a spiritual home.
I love that Paul adds into this passage the idea that when you come to faith in Jesus you are no longer foreigners or strangers… Or said another way, you’re no longer unknown and far away from fellowship. Rather you are fully known and fully immersed into the family of faith.
Let me say that last part again… In Christ, you are fully known and fully immersed into the family of faith.
Paul says it so perfectly when he calls us fellow citizens with God’s people and members of His household…
Fellow Citizens
There’s something amazing about being part of a family, about being known, wanted, and loved… Listen to this story; “Rubel Shelly tells of his friends Rich and Patty White, who traveled to a 3rd world country to adopt a little girl named Olona ... View this full sermon with PRO Premium
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