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You may turn in your Bibles to 
Matthew chapter 12. Matthew chapter 12, as we come 
to the close of this particular chapter and the close of a particular 
section, chapters 11 and 12 record for us varying responses to our 
Lord Jesus Christ. I want to begin reading in chapter 
12 at verse 38, and then our focus this morning will be verses 
46 to 50. But beginning in verse 38, then 
some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, Teacher, we 
want to see a sign from you. But he answered and said to them, 
An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign 
will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For 
as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great 
fish so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in 
the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will rise 
up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it because 
they repented at the preaching of Jonah and indeed a greater 
than Jonah is here. The Queen of the South will rise 
up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it for 
she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon 
and indeed a greater than Solomon is here. When an unclean spirit 
goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and 
finds none. Then he says, I will return to 
my house from which I came. And when he comes, he finds it 
empty, swept, and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him 
seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter 
and dwell there. And the last state of that man 
is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this 
wicked generation. While he was still talking to 
the multitudes, behold, his mother and brothers stood outside seeking 
to speak with him. Then one said to him, look, your 
mother and your brothers are standing outside seeking to speak 
with you. But he answered and said to the 
one who told him, 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. Amen. Well, let us pray. Father, thank 
you for your word in this gospel according to Matthew. We pray 
for the Spirit now to truly be upon us and guide us and lead 
us into truth. Forgive us again for all of our 
sins, illumine our hearts and our minds, and help us to receive 
with gladness your wondrous word. And help us to see Jesus Christ 
in his glory and in his majesty and in his blessed reality, the 
blessed reality that he is our brother, that you are our Father. 
And we ask these things through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Well as I said there is along 
the way in chapters 11 and 12 this rising opposition against 
the Lord Jesus. But as well, Jesus along the 
way has highlighted certain characteristics or certain particulars about 
his person. He is the Lord of the Sabbath, 
according to chapter 12. He exceeds or excels or is supreme 
over the temple itself. So he is the high priest, the 
great high priest. As well, he's greater than Jonah. 
He is a prophet that exceeds Jonah, and he is a king greater 
than Solomon. Also, he is the son of David. 
Remember that the crowds, when he cast out that demon, the crowds 
asked, could this be the son of David? Well, all along the 
way, Matthew is telling us that Christ is these things. Christ 
does embody these very elements of biblical history. He is the 
servant of Yahweh, according to the prophet Isaiah, that we 
read at the outset of worship. That is given here in chapter 
12, and applied to our Lord Jesus Christ. He truly is magnificent. So as we look at those various 
things, He is Lord of the Sabbath, He is the Great High Priest, 
He exceeds the prophets, He exceeds the kings. All of these should 
cause us to stand in wonder and in amazement and marvel and worship 
and adore. As well, what we find here in 
verses 46 to 50, when he identifies with his people as a brother, 
when he identifies with his people in familial terms, when he identifies 
with us as being a part of his close relations, really ought 
to cause us to stand and marvel in amazement. So as I said, 11 
and 12, varying responses, the bulk is rising opposition, but 
there have been those snippets of people coming to the Lord 
Jesus. In chapter 11, at verse 25, Jesus 
says, I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you 
have hidden these things from the wise and prudent, and have 
revealed them to babes. So while humanity rages and rises 
in their opposition against Him, nevertheless He is saving His 
people from their sins. He is building His church. He 
is doing that work which the Father had given to Him. And 
we see that here at the end of chapter 12 as well. We'll break 
this down into two broad categories. First, the approach of Jesus' 
physical family, verses 46 and 47, and then secondly, the instruction 
concerning Jesus' spiritual family in verses 48 to 50. If you're 
using an ESV, you'll have to look at your margin to find verse 
47. It's an interesting thing about 
textual criticism. Metzger admits that most manuscripts 
contain verse 47, or a lot of good witnesses did, but it probably 
dropped out because of a scribal error. So they included the UBS 
margin and give it a C rating. It is part of the text. If we 
don't have verse 47, It's a peculiar way to read verse 48. Who's he 
answering? Who's he responding to if nobody 
has told him that in fact his mother and his brothers are present 
outside? So a little bit of preliminary 
there if you have an ESV. And if you're looking for verse 
47, it goes from 46 to 48. It's pretty amazing. I think even 
the NIV and the NAS have it in the context, or have it right 
there in the paragraph. It's the ESV that relegates it 
to the margin, which is another reason. No, I'm kidding. One 
more reason that we're marshalling up. Now let's look first at the 
approach of Jesus' physical family. It is good for us to be aware 
of the fact that the opposition to Christ is not total. The opposition 
to Christ is not total. I think at times, we as Christians 
can assume that it is. I mean, I just mentioned that 
the number of martyrs have doubled between 2012 and 2013. It is 
commonplace, again, not just in Voice of the Martyrs, but 
in mainstream media, to read of people dying for their faith. 
We hear every day about the rise of Islam and the numbers growing. 
And I think at times the Christian, instead of having a righteous, 
godly fear of the Lord Himself and marching onward like men, 
we oftentimes look around us and believe that the opposition 
is total. We get paralyzed. We get relegated 
to the ghetto. We get relegated to the back 
room. We don't see ourselves as part of Christ's church seeking 
to march forward. We don't understand properly 
what Jesus says in Matthew 16 about the church. He says, I 
will build it and the gates of hell shall not prevail against 
it. When you consider that statement, 
what Jesus envisions is the church on the offensive. You see, gates 
are a defense mechanism, and that the gates of hell do not 
prevail against the church shows us that the church makes inroads. 
The church is the battering ram. The church is the one going forward 
in the name of God and for the glory of Jesus Christ. singing 
this altar, singing praises to God, preaching the gospel of 
truth, being faithful in our daily lives, shining as lights 
in a wicked and perverse generation, holding forth the word of truth. 
We need not fear, brethren. We need to fear God. We don't 
need to fear Islam. We don't need to fear humanism 
or Satanism or any of the isms of this world. The opposition 
to Christ is not total. Remember, there was a prophet 
who struggled with this. He had seen a great victory on 
Mount Carmel, and right after that, Jezebel wants to kill him. 
We find Elijah sitting underneath the broom tree, and he's despairing. What's one of the things that 
God says to encourage his heart? Yes, he feeds him. Yes, he gives 
him rest. More often than not, some of 
our spiritual problems have very physical help. We might just 
need a bit of rest, and we might just need a bit of food. But 
God tells the prophet Elijah, I have 7,000 knees. I have 7,000 
that have not bowed the knee to Baal. So as you read through 
chapters 11 and 12, this one short section in Matthew's Gospel, 
and you see the Pharisees rage against him, you see them plotting 
his demise, you see them engaged in conspiracy to try to ruin 
him and to try and destroy him. Never forget he has his family. 
Never forget He's on a mission to save that which was lost. 
Christ is not the loser. Christ is the Savior. And we 
need to understand that and appreciate that. And here in verses 46 and 
47, it says, while He was still talking to the multitudes, That 
goes back to chapter 12. After they plot against him, 
after they want to destroy him, according to verse 14, Jesus 
withdraws himself and the multitudes follow after him. The multitudes 
want to hear. Some in the multitude said, is 
this the son of David? They were people that were interested, 
they were people that understood the Old Testament Scriptures, 
and they were people that were genuinely questioning if indeed 
this is the Messiah promised of God. So Jesus is talking to 
the multitudes and then His mother and His brothers stood outside 
seeking to speak with Him. The Lord's physical family sought 
after him. Now, the lack of a reference 
to Joseph causes many to believe that perhaps Joseph was dead 
by this time, because it's just Mary and it's his brothers. If 
you want an identification of his brothers, you can look at 
chapter 13 at verse 55. Notice in Matthew 13 verse 55, 
is this not the carpenter's son, is not his mother called Mary, 
and his brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas? And there's 
a reference to his sisters as well, verse 56. And his sisters, 
are they not all with us? Where then did this man get all 
these things? The brothers are best understood, 
now get this, as his brothers. Roman Catholic interpretation, 
because of their dogma of the perpetual virginity of Mary, 
have argued that these are his cousins, or perhaps they were 
Joseph's children from a previous marriage. I like what France 
says concerning this, that Jesus' brothers and sisters, 1356, were 
children of Joseph and Mary, born subsequent to Jesus, is 
the natural reading of Matthew 1.25. He says it is dogma, not 
exegesis, which suggests that they were either cousins or Joseph's 
children by a previous marriage. This is the Roman Catholic error. This is wrong. She was not a 
perpetual virgin. She had other children with Joseph. And now Mary and his brothers 
come to speak with Jesus. Why they came, Matthew doesn't 
specify. In the parallel, in Mark's gospel, 
he specifies that they came because they thought Jesus was out of 
his mind, that he was pushing the envelope. Now I'll leave 
that to you to figure out, actually I won't. There's a theological 
perspective as to why Matthew does not include that. John Gill 
and Spurgeon seem to be influenced by that understanding in Mark 
3, and they portray that here. It is not stated here why they 
came. It is not indicated why they 
came. It is specifically told us that 
they came seeking to speak with Him. There's a bit of a parallel. 
The Pharisees and the scribes, they come and they seek after 
a sign. Now his physical family come 
and they seek to speak with Him. And then we see this man in verse 
47. Then one said to him, look, your 
mother and your brothers are standing outside seeking to speak 
with you. So that sets the stage for what 
he's going to teach in verses 48 to 50 concerning his spiritual 
family. So Jesus' mother, Mary, and Jesus' 
earthly brothers come to speak to him. And now we look at Jesus' 
instruction concerning his spiritual family. This is where we'll spend 
our time this morning. First, his question. Secondly, 
his general identification. And then thirdly, his specific 
explanation. But note the question. Verse 
48. He answered and said to the one 
who told him, Who is my mother and who are my brothers? Jesus 
is not looking for information. Jesus is setting up His answer 
in verses 49 and 50. This is a rhetorical device. And by saying this, we need to 
understand that he doesn't have enmity against his physical brothers, 
against his physical mother. Some have come here and camped 
on the reality of what's going on. Says, boy, he really doesn't 
care for his mother or his brothers. Now, were they converted at this 
time? Arguably, the brothers were not. 
The brothers were not, according to John 7, 3-5, Jesus is fearful, 
not fearful the way you and I are fearful, but Jesus is hesitant 
to go into Judea because they want to kill him. And his brothers 
encouraged him to go into Judea. It seems that at the resurrection, 
that's when his brothers came to know that Christ was Lord 
and Savior. James, his brother, became a 
leader in the early church. James wrote the epistle of James, 
but at this time arguably they were not. Where was Mary at this 
particular point? I simply do not know and Matthew 
does not instruct us. He just tells us that they came 
seeking to speak with him. But I think Spurgeon and Carson 
capture the meaning here. Spurgeon says he does not reject 
the tender ties of his human nature, but he exhibits their 
true position as secondary to the spiritual bonds which united 
him to the spiritual family. He's not against family. He's 
not against his mother. He's not against his brothers. 
He's not the incorrigible son of the book of Deuteronomy. In 
fact, in Matthew 15, he's going to use that particular argument 
to silence the scribes and the Pharisees. Carson says it this 
way, Jesus' searching question of verse 48 and its remarkable 
answer of verses 49 and 50 in no way diminishes his mother 
and brothers, but simply give the priority to his father and 
doing his will. Now, in the context of the book 
of Matthew, this makes legitimately perfect sense. Remember, when 
he calls his first disciples, Peter and James and John, what 
do they do? They leave their father, they 
leave their nets, and they follow after him. In Matthew chapter 
8, when that man comes to him and he wants to follow the Lord 
Jesus, and Jesus says, He says, let me first go bury my dead 
father. Jesus says, let the dead bury 
their own dead. You follow me. It's an issue, 
or it's a question, or it's a matter concerning priority. First, the 
kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be 
added to you. Matthew 6, 33. Matthew 10, 37. The Lord Jesus says, He who loves 
father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. And he who 
loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. This is the emphasis here in 
verses 48 to 50. He is highlighting spiritual 
discipleship, belief in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, following 
the Son of God, following David's son, following this one as your 
Lord and Savior, trumps every other concern in life. That's 
the point. You see, this is a word for our 
day, when we think that we fit Jesus into our priority structure 
where we like Him to be. You know, I love my wife most 
of all, and then I love my little children, and then Jesus. I really 
like my job. I really like my money. I really 
like Bale. I really like this rock band. 
I like this iPod. Whatever it is. We've got priority 
structures that oftentimes betray a profession of faith in Christ. 
Three persons have asked to be baptized. I always believe that 
a baptism is a good time for us to reflect upon our own baptism. It is a means of grace for the 
party baptized, but as well, when we watch a believer go into 
that water and publicly identify with the triune God, it ought 
to be a time of self-examination. Am I living consistent to what 
I said when I went into that baptistry? Am I living consistent 
with my admission and my confession that Christ is my Lord and Savior? And when we come to passages 
like these, I think it's a good time to examine ourselves. What 
comes first for me? Who's most important for me? 
You know, if you listened to my list of idols previously, 
you'll see that I left off the biggest and most common idol 
to everyone. It's ourselves. You may not favor 
the iPod, you may not favor the Rolling Stones, you may not favor 
whatever celebrity preacher, you may not favor whatever piece 
of money or man-man, but every one of us struggles with a devotion 
to ourselves. Not me, brother. Well, you're 
the lone exception. You see, a design behind the 
cross, according to 2 Corinthians 5, is that those who lived for 
themselves should no longer do so, but live for Him who died 
for them and rose again. What's our priority? Is our earthly 
relationships more important than Jesus Christ? Again, it's 
not as if Jesus says you need to kick your father in the knee. 
You need to plot the demise of your mother. You need to trip 
your child. You need to hurt them. That's 
not the point. It's a matter of priority. He 
has to be chief among 10,000 in your affections. He has to 
be the altogether lovely in your universe. He is the gem and the 
jewel of heaven and he must be treated as such. That's the point. Who is my mother and who are 
my brothers? Now notice his general identification, 
verse 49. He stretched out his hand toward 
his disciples and said, here are my mother and my brothers. 
This is glorious. It's amazing. This is beautiful. He's identifying with us. He's 
identifying with the rabble. Remember back in 913? Why does 
your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners? Why do we have this 
idea that the disciples spoken of here, or that believers spoken 
of here, came out of the womb thus? They didn't. They broke 
the same decalogue you and I break. They had the same idols you and 
I have. They took the same name of Yahweh in vain. They broke 
the Sabbath day just like we do. They dishonored lawful authority 
just like we do. They murdered. If not physically 
cutting people's jugglers, they actually murdered in their hearts. 
They committed the sin of adultery. They looked upon a woman or they 
actually engaged in that act. Or they looked upon a man and 
engaged in that act. They stole, they lied, they cheated, 
they coveted. All those things that are true 
of humanity at our time was true of them. And yet Jesus stretches 
out his hand and he says, these are my brothers, these are my 
mothers. He identifies with us. The whole 
multitude was probably not his disciples. The twelve certainly 
were, and there were others also. The disciples of Christ are identified 
as his mother and his brothers. And then notice in verse 50, 
sisters. A lot of times in the scriptures, 
the Bible uses the word man as an inclusive. There's nothing 
wrong with that. Jesus peculiarly highlights the 
reality of sisters. There is redemptive privilege 
for both men and women. There is redemptive equality 
for both men and women. When Peter comes to tell husbands 
to dwell with their wives according to knowledge, he tells them that 
the wife is a co-heir of the grace of life. Now I want to 
consider this statement. He stretched out his hand toward 
his disciples and said, here are my mother and my brothers. 
There are two things that I find not only amazing about this, 
and I hope you will too. This is interesting because two 
weeks ago we looked at 1st John 3.1. Behold what manner of love 
the Father has bestowed on us that we should be called children 
of God. And we are! And here we come 
to consider the family of our Lord Jesus Christ. Tonight, 1 
Timothy 3, 14-16, how does Paul identify or what is one of the 
monikers he gives to the church? He calls it the house of God. You see, the Lord is serious 
about relationship with us. And this is amazing for two reasons. First, because we're creatures. Consider the Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, He's fully man, He's fully 
God. According to John 1, 1-3, Jesus 
made this world and all things in it. According to Colossians 
1.15-20, Jesus made this world and all things in it. According 
to Colossians 1.17 and Hebrews 1.3, Jesus upholds this world 
by the word of His power. He is the creator. He is the 
governor. He is sovereign in His providence. 
In the prophet Isaiah, when the prophet is rehearsing his call 
to gospel ministry, and I call it gospel ministry, because that's 
what Isaiah was. He's more of an evangelist than 
a prophet. But he recounts that scene where 
it was the year that King Uzziah died. He says, and I saw the 
Lord high and exalted. I saw the train of His robe fill 
the temple. And the angels, now consider 
this, we're considering Jesus as creator. The angels who are 
holy, the angels who are unfallen, the angels who are elect, the 
angels who are secured in that place, have six wings. And with those wings, they cover 
their feet, they cover their face, and they fly. And they 
cry out day and night. This is their job. You ask these 
angels, what is your job? I cry out to the Lord, holy, 
holy, holy. You say, well that doesn't sound 
like a very exciting job. There is no more exciting job 
than to stand in the presence of the Holy Christ and to speak 
of his glory. That's what we're gonna be doing 
in heaven. If you think it sounds boring, you need to repent. And 
you need to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. I think there's 
going to be other things that we do too. But you notice that 
they have to cover their faces. Why? Because He's holy, holy, 
holy. And the holy elect angels cannot 
behold His glory without covering their faces. that Christ would 
stretch out his hands among creatures and identify them as my brothers 
and my sister, or my brothers and my mother, is absolutely 
amazing. Listen, there's two reasons. 
One, because we're creatures. Two, because we're sinners. The Lord Jesus is the holy God 
of heaven and earth. As we continue in the prophet 
Isaiah, the holy elect angels cannot look upon the pre-incarnate 
Christ. When the prophet Isaiah gets 
a view, what happens to him? Something we need to take note 
of. There is a casual approach that people have with God that 
isn't altogether biblical. There is this buddy-buddy approach 
to God that isn't altogether biblical. Jesus is a friend for 
sinners. Absolutely. But when the prophet 
sees the glory of God, he cries, Woe is me, for I am undone. When the prophet Ezekiel is by 
the river Kabar, and that chariot comes and displays the glory 
of God, and as he begins to describe the appearance of the Lord, notice 
he has to keep saying, it's like, it's like, it's like, it's like, 
it's like. There's nothing I can explain it with without some 
metaphor from the physical world around me. When the prophet says, 
I saw the glory of the Lord, I fell as a dead man. In the 
book of Revelation, when the Apostle John is exiled on the 
island of Patmos for the Word of God and the testimony of Christ, 
when the ascended, risen, glorified Lord comes to John, what does 
John do? Hey Jesus, how's it going? Does 
he continue shaving his face? Does he sip his latte? Does he 
have his hand in his pocket? It's the way we approach. It's 
the way we come. Several years ago, there was 
a charismatic man who said that when he shaves, Jesus would come 
and talk with him. John MacArthur says, when you 
saw Jesus, did you fall down? Did you fall down? Because that's 
the testimony of Scripture. So John falls as a dead man at 
his feet. It's Jesus that lays his hand 
on his shoulder and says, rise, I'm the first, I'm the last, 
I have the keys of death and Hades. You see what the point 
is? When sinners come into the presence of the thrice holy God, 
it is not sipping lattes, it is not with hand in pocket, it 
is not in the same sort of manner in which you talk with the buddies 
at work. He's the Holy Christ of heaven and earth. And for 
him to wave his hand, he doesn't just wave his hand, stretches 
out his hand, he looks at very particular people and he says, 
these are my brothers and these are my mothers. For a glorious 
Holy Lord to say that about sinful man ought to blow our minds. 
it ought to cause us to stand in awe. The Lord Jesus, according 
to the book of Hebrews, is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate 
from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens. The 
Lord Jesus washes these sinners, the Lord Jesus cleanses these 
sinners, the Lord Jesus forgives these sinners, the Lord Jesus' 
righteousness is imputed to these sinners, and in Hebrews 2.11 
it says He is not ashamed to call them brethren. I think at 
times we're ashamed of each other, but the Lord isn't ashamed of 
us. Isn't that beautiful? You see what power this has? 
You see what being in the family of God means? You see what it 
involves? That we as creatures, as sinful 
men and women, boys and girls, are called by Jesus Christ Himself, 
brother, sister, mother, and that not begrudgingly, but because 
of the powerful grace of God Most High? He's not ashamed to 
call them brethren. He brings many sons to glory. This is something that Jesus 
Christ is pleased to do. He is happy in this. It is His 
delight to do the will of the Father. The Father said, go and 
save these miserable sinners. I give them to you. Jesus Christ 
undertakes on behalf of that covenant, and He executes it 
fully to secure the salvation of a great multitude, which no 
man can number. And then He comes along and says, 
you're my brothers, you're my mothers, and you're my sisters. 
That's beautiful. He's Lord of the Sabbath. He 
exceeds the temple. He exceeds the prophet Jonah. 
He exceeds King Solomon. He's our brother. He's our elder 
brother. He brings us into contact with 
the Living Father. He calls us His own. And when 
we look at this passage, when He says He stretched out His 
hand toward His disciples, never forget, these disciples, these 
believers, these first century Christians were sinners just 
like you and I. It wasn't like they were a special 
class, it wasn't like they were a particularly holy class, it 
wasn't like they were some that were uniquely set apart. But 
the idea is true today. Paul tells us in Ephesians 1, 
4 and 5 that God chose us in Him before the foundation of 
the world, that we should be holy and blameless. He says in 
love He's predestined us onto adoption as sons. Galatians 4, it says that He 
has given us the spirit by which we cry, Abba, Father. If you come from a bad physical 
family, and you're a member in the family of God, you've got 
lots to be thankful for, and lots to be happy about. In fact, 
I think that this is a beautiful application of so much of what 
we do see in Matthew's Gospel. You see, not only does Jesus 
tell us that we need to love Father, we need to love Mother, 
we need to love Him more above them, but He tells us that in 
the family relationship, He comes to bring division. When some 
reject and others believe, what do the rejecters do? They oftentimes 
hate those who believe. In a situation where fidelity, 
where following the Lord Jesus Christ may cost you everything, 
He doesn't leave you alone. In fact, Davies and Allison say 
it this way, although religious commitments may well weaken family 
ties, the disciple will not thereby be left alone. You ever get that? If somebody you're talking to 
about the Gospels, if I believe, I'm going to lose everything. 
What's your answer to that? Well, yeah, it will cost you 
your job, and it will cost you your status, and it will cost 
you your privilege, and it will cost you your relationship. Do 
you really respond that way? Are you saying, you don't lose 
everything, you gain everything? Right? Well, if I come to Jesus, then 
I'll lose the respect of my colleagues. But you gain the honor of the 
Father. You see, there's everything to 
gain in coming to Christ. The church does itself no favors 
by saying, well, you know, just tack Jesus on. Just put him into 
your day planner. Just include him into your plans. 
No. He is all or he is nothing. Bonner 
says in his words to winners of souls, men know that if religion 
means anything, it means everything. Don't go into those waters of 
baptism. Don't say, I want to follow the Lord Jesus Christ, 
until you say yea and amen to that. If religion means anything, 
it means everything. You're sitting here this morning 
concerned about the claims of Christ and about your state before 
the Lord God Most High should you die right now in one of these 
pews? You say, well that could never 
happen. Read Acts 12. Those of you who are trucking through 
the McShane calendar just read this morning, or God willing 
will read sometime this afternoon or tonight, that Herod was eaten 
by worms right in front of men as he received the adulation 
of men. You're concerned about this. 
You're concerned about your soul. You should be concerned about 
your soul. But you cannot barter with God. You do not trade with 
God. You do not truck with God in 
the sense that, you know, Lord, I'll come to Jesus if you preserve 
this. I'll come to Jesus if you let 
me keep this. This isn't the bargaining table. 
This isn't Switzerland. This isn't where world leaders 
go to exchange watches and drink hot chocolate and discuss how 
not to bomb each other's countries. You don't do that with the living 
God. You come on His terms. You believe the gospel. You're 
included as a family member in the family of God. And you follow 
His Son. It's about allegiance to Christ. 
That's what's in view here. Again, Davies and Allison, although 
religious commitments may well weaken family ties, the disciple 
will not thereby be left alone without a family. Rather, the 
Christian will join the household of faith, the church, in which 
there is a father and in which there are many brothers and sisters. 
Thus, Jesus' demand to forsake family is only made in view of 
the Christian family, which awaits new members with open arms. It 
is not a call to a solitary existence. There's everything to gain. Now 
notice thirdly and finally, verse 50, the specific explanation. 
He gives a general identification in verse 49, he stretches out 
his hand toward his disciples and he says, here are my mother 
and my brothers. Now verse 50 explains, for whoever 
does the will of my father in heaven is my brother and sister 
and mother. Notice the exclusivity of inclusion 
in the family of God. The exclusivity, the one way 
alone of being included into the family of God. Jesus says, 
whoever does the will of my Father in heaven. The privilege of inclusion 
is being called brother, sister, and mother. It is being close 
relationship. It is being near. It is being 
welcomed in. It is being received into the 
very family of God Most High. The doctrine of adoption is certainly 
taught in this passage. We'll look at that in more detail 
when we come to conclude. But what does Jesus mean when 
he says, whoever does the will of my father in heaven? Calvin says, when he says that 
they do the will of his father, he does not mean that they fulfill 
in a perfect manner the whole righteousness of the law. For 
in that sense, the name brother, which is here given by him to 
his disciples, would not apply to any man. You see, we've already 
met this phrase in Matthew 7, 21. Not everyone who says to 
me on that day, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven. 
Many will say, did we not prophesy? Did we not cast out demons? Did 
we not do miracles in your name? And he says, then I will say 
to them, depart from me you who practice lawlessness. He says 
it is those who do the will of my Father in heaven. Now Calvin 
says it's not a complete obedience to that law. Again, let me just 
read this. He says, "...in a perfect manner 
the whole righteousness of the law, for in that sense the name 
brother, which is here given by him to his disciples, would 
not apply to any man." Here's what he says, "...but his design 
is to bestow the highest commendation on faith." On faith. What is it to do the will of 
my Father in heaven? If you hear this message this 
morning and you go home and you sit in your closet and you resolve 
to never sin again and to be perfect from here on out, you 
will still go to hell. One, the obvious reason is because 
you won't obey that well. I guarantee it. Absolutely, positively. I'm not a prophet or the son 
of a prophet, but I know this much. You cannot probably do 
a whole minute of perfect righteousness and obedience to the will of 
God. What's the chief commandment? You shall love the Lord your 
God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your 
mind, and with all your strength. And the second is like unto it, 
you shall love your neighbor as yourself. Now if anyone in 
this room can say, you know, I've got those mastered, you 
need to open your ears. You need to pay attention. You're 
not listening. But if, for the sake of argument, 
you're 25 years old, you go home today and resolve to never sin 
again, and let's just say from 25 to 60, you never sin, what 
happens to the 25 years of sins you piled up before you made 
that resolution and resolve? We need forgiveness. We need 
the imputation of righteousness. And this does not come by our 
obedience, but by Christ's obedience. It does not come by our doing. 
It comes by Christ's doing. It is His life. It is His death, 
it is His resurrection, and as Calvin says, what Jesus commends 
here is faith. Those who believe on the Lord 
Jesus, those who look from themselves to Him. Those who, in the language 
of John 3, when that brazen serpent was lifted up in the wilderness, 
they looked and they lived. They didn't suck the poison out 
of their womb, they didn't go to the doctor, but rather they 
looked and they lived. That's what Christ says in terms 
of doing the will of the Father. Again, just so you don't think 
this is isolated to Calvin or to Jim, Gil says, this is not 
to be understood of a perfect obedience to the will of God 
revealed in his righteous law. For since this cannot be performed 
by any mere man, no one could be in such a spiritual relation 
to Christ. But the obedience of faith to 
the will of God revealed in the gospel, which is to believe in 
Christ, and have everlasting life. Now I cite Gil and I cite 
Calvin because just like in Matthew 7.21, they're the only commentators 
that I have in my study that tell us about John 6.40. John 
6.40, Christ says, this is the will of Him who sent me, that 
everyone who believes in Him may have everlasting life, and 
I will raise Him up at the last day. Christ is commending faith. How do we enter the family of 
God? Faith in Christ. How do we call 
God, Abba, Father? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. How do we know something of the 
pardon of sin and the imputation of Christ's righteousness? Believe 
on the Savior. Isn't that the great purpose 
in the Gospel records? Isn't that the great purpose 
in the New Covenant documents? But to call sinners to look unto 
Jesus, to believe on Him, and to be saved. You see, Christ 
obeyed perfectly. Christ died as a substitute. 
Christ rose again, so that everyone who believes on Him will have 
everlasting life. It is truly glorious information. Now obviously those who believe, 
those who come, those who look, those who live will then follow 
the Lord. This ends similarly to what we 
found in Matthew 11. Back in 25-30, Jesus praises 
the Father for sovereign grace and election. You have hidden 
these things from the wise and prudent, you have revealed them 
to babes. On this foundation, Jesus says in verse 28, Come 
to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give 
you rest. You see, you believe on the Lord 
Jesus Christ, He gives you rest. Rest from your labor, trying 
to do what the Pharisees said. Rest from your heavy ladenness, 
all that burden of sin. He gives you rest and then what 
does He say? Take my yoke upon you, learn 
from me, follow me. So you see when we see here in 
Matthew 12, the family of God are those who by God's grace 
have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ and now follow Him. They really sing 505 all the 
way My Savior leads. They are those shown to us in 
Revelation 14. They follow the Lamb wherever 
He goes. This is what discipleship looks 
like. Discipleship is belief on the 
Lord Jesus and then following the Lord Jesus, living as the 
Lord God Most High calls us to. Parallel in Luke 8 says, but 
he who answers, I'm sorry, but he answered and said to them, 
my mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God 
and do it. That's his family. Those are 
disciples. Those are the ones that Jesus 
is not ashamed to call brother, sister, and mother. Isn't that 
amazing? Like, for me as a young man, 
for my sisters that are young women, we're brothers and sisters. 
Can you imagine being called the mother of Jesus? You dear 
older ladies have that blessed, blessed privilege. Notice there's 
no fathers. There's one Father over the household 
of God. He calls us as near relations 
to Him. As I said, this section holds 
forth to us, by way of conclusion, first of all, the biblical doctrine 
of adoption. The biblical doctrine of adoption. And what a wondrous doctrine 
it is. As I've already referred to it, it starts in eternity 
past. Ephesians 1, 4, and 5. In love, having predestined us 
unto adoption as sons. It's a word that scares some 
people. Election, predestination, sovereign 
grace. It's a word that must encourage 
people. Those are words that must thrill 
people. Those are words that must cause 
us to reflect in wonder and in awe that our God set his affections 
upon us. The Father sent the Son into 
the world to secure their salvation. Galatians 4, 4-6, referred to 
this, but it bears repeating. In the fullness of the time had 
come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the 
law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might 
receive the adoption as sons. So you see, the Father purposes 
it. The Father ordains it. The Father 
predestines it. The Father elects onto it. And in time and space and in 
history, we're moving from covenant of redemption to covenant of 
grace. The Father sends His Son. The Son undertakes. The Son is 
the executor of this covenant. The Son willingly takes upon 
Himself full obligation. He fulfills the law in our place. 
He dies in our place. He rises again. so that Paul 
can say he was delivered up because of our offenses and raised for 
our justification. Christ secures the salvation 
of all those whom the Father had elected. And then He gives 
us the Spirit. Notice in verse 6, And because 
you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your 
hearts, crying out, Abba, Father. Therefore you are no longer a 
slave, but a son. And if a son, then an heir of 
God through Christ. And the Father has promised to 
bring these sons to glory. Ephesians 1, 13 and 14. It's 
giving you a biblical theology, a la Robert Raymond, of the biblical 
doctrine of adoption. Begins in eternity past. It's executed by the Son, who 
secures their salvation. The Spirit then seals and gives 
assurance to the children of God whereby they cry, Abba Father, 
and the Spirit Himself serves as the guarantee, the down payment, 
that there is an eternal inheritance light up for us. Notice in Ephesians 
1.14, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption 
of the purchased possession to the praise of His glory. In the 
language of the shorter catechism, adoption is an act of God's free 
grace whereby we are received into the number and have a right 
to all the privileges of the sons of God. He welcomes us in, 
He calls us His own, and He gives us everything that we need. Secondly, 
there are privileges in the membership of this family. Do you ever count 
it a privilege that you get to call God Father? Isn't that what Jesus taught 
us to pray in Matthew 6? Our father? Some come from backgrounds 
where their father wasn't the greatest guy. They can't connect 
that way. We live in some sense in a fatherless 
generation. to be able to call the God of 
heaven and earth Father. Now this isn't the universal 
fatherhood of all men. This is the redemptive fatherhood 
of God to His elect, to those blood-bought children of His 
Son. We can call him father. Do we count it a privilege to 
have Jesus say to the likes of us, creature and sinner that 
we are, you're my brother, you're my sister, you're my mother. 
And not only that he calls us that, but he's not ashamed to 
call us that, Hebrews 2.11. Ryle says there is rich encouragement 
here for all believers. They are far more precious in 
their Lord's eyes than they are in their own. Think about this, 
okay? Listen to what Ryle says. If 
you're snoozing, if you're gonna fall asleep, grab the inside 
of your thigh and give it a good pinch. We don't have much longer. Pay attention. What benefit is 
there of Matthew 12, 46 to 50? If you are a believer in Christ, 
there's every benefit here. Ryle says there is rich encouragement 
here for all believers. They are far more precious in 
their Lord's eyes than they are in their own. Their faith may 
be feeble, their repentance weak, their strength small, they may 
be poor and needy in this world, but there is a glorious whosoever 
in the last verse of this chapter which ought to cheer him. Whosoever 
believes is a near relation of Christ. The elder brother will 
provide for him in time and eternity and never let him be cast away. 
He doesn't let us go. He doesn't renege. He doesn't 
fail. He doesn't adopt us into his 
family and then lose us. Spurgeon says, concerning that 
doctrine of perseverance, those who deny it, he says, such a 
gospel, I abhor. How could we think for a day 
we're saved and another day we're lost? Where's the comfort there? Where's the encouragement there? 
The Spirit testifies with our spirit that we are children of 
God and as a result we are safe and we are secure. And that brings 
us to consider the safety in belonging to such a family. You 
ever think about this? Increasing persecution against 
believers. increasing martyrdom. There are 
people right now in prison for the cause of Christ. While we 
meet in this environment, while we meet in this peace, while 
we meet in this situation, there are believers right now that 
are suffering because they made the good confession. Ryle points 
this out as well. There is a solemn warning here 
to all who mock and persecute true Christians on account of 
their religion. Doesn't it bother you when you 
open up the paper and you see that some child was violated, 
or a child was abducted, or a child was kidnapped, or a wife was 
murdered? A situation that happened not 
too long ago here. Some lady was beat to death. 
Doesn't that bug you? I don't mean bug like, you know, 
an ant crawling on your steak. You'd like to find those people 
and give them a good shake. What if it was your wife? What 
if it was your child? Brethren, if that ever happens 
in this midst, we need to minister to the brethren so that they 
don't go out and take matters into their own hands. This is 
what Ryle is getting at. There is a solemn warning here 
to all who mock and persecute true Christians on account of 
their religion. They consider not what they are doing. They 
are persecuting the near relations of the king of kings. They will 
find at the last day that they have mocked those whom the judge 
of all regards as his brothers and as his sisters and as his 
mothers. Don't mess with Christ's family. There is a solemn warning there. 
So there's a biblical doctrine of adoption held forth. There's 
privileges of membership in this family. Thirdly, there's responsibilities 
of membership in this family as well. We won't rehearse this. We did this two weeks ago, 1 
John 3. Behold what manner of love the 
Father has bestowed on us that we should be called children 
of God and we are. What's the responsibilities? 
We've got the privileges. We are sons and daughters of 
the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Our elder brother is not 
ashamed of us. Those are privileges to be sure. 
It's responsibilities. We need to obey. We need to love 
brethren. We need to walk in truth. We 
need to pursue righteousness. All those things that are held 
forth. Raymond says he thinks the book of Ephesians, as the 
Apostle Paul develops a doctrine of justification in Romans, he 
says Ephesians, the doctrine is adoption. And in chapter 5 
in Ephesians, we are told three things in terms of being adopted 
sons and daughters of Christ. We are to walk in love, we are 
to walk in light, and we are to walk in wisdom. That is to 
typify children of God who call Him Father. Walk in love, walk 
in light, and walk in wisdom. And as well, there's responsibilities 
within the household of God. There's a lot of one another's 
in the New Testament. We're to love one another. We're 
to give preference to one another. We're to be hospitable to one 
another. We're to bear with one another. We're to expect, can 
I say this? We are to expect that just as 
earthly physical families have their squabbles and have their 
difficulties and have their trials, so will the spiritual family 
of Christ. Could it possibly be that at 
times your spiritual family won't always treat you as perfectly 
as you might be? We need to deal with it biblically. We need to deal with it righteously. 
We need to bear and forbear. And we need to man up and go 
to people that have hurt us and ask them to repent. We need to 
go to people, if we believe we've hurt them, and repent. We need 
to live like the family of God, in the house of God, which is 
the pillar and the ground of the truth. We need to exemplify 
that truth by our conduct as we enjoy the privileges of God's 
family. And then finally, in this passage 
we ought to see, not first and foremost, how wondrous the family 
of God is, but how wondrous the Lord Jesus Christ is. That He 
is not ashamed to call us brethren, that he is not ashamed to identify 
with us, that he is not ashamed to call us his brothers and his 
sisters and his mothers, says a lot more about him than it 
does say about us. It says that he is altogether 
lovely and cheap among 10,000. It says that he is wondrous and 
he is glorious, that he is awesome, that he is worthy of our belief, 
he is worthy of our allegiance, he is worthy of our adoration 
and our praise. Certainly every passage of scripture 
can be shown for it to hold forth the glory of Jesus Christ. And 
in Matthew 12, 46 to 50, as the Apostle ends a long section dealing 
with rising opposition, he gives us this snippet, this glorious 
view that Christ is not defeated. Christ has a family. Christ is 
building his church. Christ has those, he calls, brothers 
and sisters and mothers. If you do not know him, Do the 
will of the Father in heaven. Look. Believe. Look to Christ 
alone to save you from your sins. It is Jesus alone who does this. Believe in Him and you will be 
saved. And you will be called brother 
or sister or mother, depending on your age, depending on your 
gender, depending on where you fall out in this scheme of things. But there is no greater thing 
to be called. than this by our Lord Jesus Christ. Well, let us pray. Our Father, 
we thank you for this, your word. We thank you for the intimacy 
that we have with you, that you call us near relations, and God 
in heaven, we give you praise and glory for so great a salvation. We thank you for Jesus Christ 
who came, who lived, who died, and who rose again, that we might 
have everlasting life. I pray that you would just cause 
us to reflect upon our privileges, cause us to reflect upon our 
responsibilities, cause us to conduct ourselves as you would 
have us to do as those blood-bought children of God. Go with us now, 
we pray and we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.