We are Family - Week 1 - Pastor Kipp Penrod

Thank you for listening to this message from

Lifehouse Church. It's good to have you here

this morning. We do have something special this

morning. We have a baby dedication, and I am

privileged to do this many times over here at

LifeHouse. We've had children dedicated many,

many times from different families, and I love

this because this is something special. It's

important. It's not something we just do out

of ritual. It's not something we do. you know,

just for something to do in the church. This

matters. This matters. The parents are dedicating

their children. It's important. It's generational.

So this morning we have the privilege of dedicating

Abigail Joy Andrews. Come on. Yes. And we want

to get you introduced just a little bit to Abigail.

So just turn your attention to the screens. And

right after that, we'll have Abigail bring her

parents to the stage. Come on, would you give

Ms. Abigail a hand as they come? We're going

to ask them to make their way up here on the

stage because they want to see you and not me.

And this is incredible to do this every single

time. And thank you so much for making the commitment

to do this, to dedicate your child back to the

Lord. And we do know this, right? The children

are amazing. They are a gift from God. They truly

are. They're amazing to watch. They're amazing

to, you know, see. I always talk to parents here.

That first year is an amazing year, right? It's

a year of wonder of watching all the changes

that take place and all the stages and how quickly

they shift and go from just virtually unable

to do anything for themselves to literally walking

a lot of times the first year or shortly after.

And these baby moments are incredible. How a

baby maybe stretches and yawns, right, for the

first time. Or the first time that they laugh

out loud. The first time that they look up at

you with those trusting eyes to your parents.

Or maybe the first time they sit or stand. All

of it's incredible. And God has blessed both

Zach and Chrisanna with some of these amazing

moments and many, many more to come. for sure.

But today, Zach and Chrisanna are taking time

and acknowledging that Abby is a gift from God,

right? Abigail is a gift from God that's been

given to them. And they are making and taking

time to say, we want to dedicate Abigail back

to God. They're doing this as a public declaration

of dedicating Abigail back to God. And they're

doing it today because they know that Jesus gives

us children as a gift. It's true. Isaiah 44 says

this, Thus says the Lord who made you and formed

you from the womb, who will help you, fear not.

It is God who formed Abigail in the womb. It

really is. And it's God who helps us in understanding

that and knowing that. Move out a little bit

further. They want to see you out front here

a little bit. And we read several accounts of

this, honestly, in scripture about where God

knew us from the womb, that he knew us before

we were formed, before we were made. Jeremiah

1 .4 says, then the word of the Lord came to

me saying, before I formed you in the womb, I

knew you. Before you were born, I sanctified

you. I ordained you a prophet to the nation.

She's ready to go. All right. The creator knew

Jeremiah in the womb, and he knows each one of

us before we're formed. Before we come into the

womb. God knows us in the womb. He knew Abigail

before she was ever formed. Before she ever came

to be Abigail. He knew Abigail before she was

a twinkle in Zach and Chris and his eyes. All

right? Before they had the longing to have a

child. Before either of you had a thought of

all of this, he knew her. Before you had any

idea who Abigail would be, what she would become.

what God would do in her life, what she would

look like. He knew all these things. He spoke

of all these things, right? And the beautiful

part of this is that he picked you two to help

her discover who she's going to become in Jesus

Christ. It's true. Every day, it is your job

to point Abigail to Jesus. Every day, it's your

job to point her towards heaven and let her know

of the Father and the one who created her from

the beginning. Psalms 127 .3 says this, children

are a gift. from the Lord. They are a reward

from him. How many know children are a gift?

Amen. Now listen, you need to remember that when

Abigail's screaming at three in the morning.

All right. You need to tell yourself, mumble

to yourself. She's a gift, right? You need to

remember when she's a few years older and she

talks back to you for the first time. You need

to remember she's a gift, right? You remember

when she's a few older than that, a little bit

older than that, she's in junior high, and she

realizes that you don't know anything at all

as parents, all right? She's a gift. When she

gets into senior high school and she drags some

boy home that she should have left at the curb

where she found it, right? You need to remember

that she's a gift. You really do. And God said

this. He spoke it. And children are a gift. And

we need to say it out loud. We need to say it

every day. And even today, right, on May 18,

2025, as you dedicate her back to the Lord, that

she is a gift. And the beautiful thing with a

gift is a gift is to be received and a gift is

to be given. So you received Abigail, you're

giving her back to the Lord, and one day you'll

give Abigail to the world around her for God

to use her gifts that are within her. So today,

I want to share one last verse, Matthew 19, 14.

It says, but Jesus said, let the children come

to me and do not hinder them, for such belong

to the kingdom of heaven. Children are a gift

from God. They're special, and they are a little

slice of heaven here on earth. They really are,

as we get ready to dedicate. So Zach and Chrisanna,

go ahead, Zach. You got to do the dad thing.

Go ahead. All right. We'll wait on you, man.

He's good. And it is a gift indeed to be a parent,

to go through the struggle. He's wanting to be

a part today. All right. But Zach and Kristen,

I'm going to ask you to do this publicly. I want

you to, and you can answer by I will, but do

you declare today and do you speak today that

you will raise this daughter of yours to love

the Lord God with all her heart, mind, and soul?

Do you publicly declare that? All right, they

will. And church family and family that have

come along to share in this day, do you also

love and support this family? And will you back

up these parents as they raise their child in

the Lord? And if you will say, I will. All right,

I'm going to ask you if you'd stand up this morning.

As a church body, as a family. We're going to

take time and we're going to pray over Abigail.

And this is a prayer of dedication. So I'm going

to ask both parents to have a hand upon her.

And we're going to pray together. And Father,

we just come before you. In the matchless name

of Jesus Christ. And we thank you for this gift

that's been given to this family. God, I thank

you for Abigail. I thank you, Lord, for the joy

that she truly brings to this family. And Lord,

to those around her. And God, we pray that your

hand would be upon her. God, we dedicate her

back to you today. Lord, believe in that. Lord,

it is your hand that will cover. her future.

God, you know who she was in the womb. God, you

formed her. So Lord God, I pray that you would

be with her. God, that you would surround her,

that your favor would fall upon her. Before her,

Lord, let your favor go. And Lord, we thank you.

We give you praise. We give you glory. And I

thank you for this couple, God, who has dedicated

themselves and dedicated her back to you. And

we give you glory in Jesus' name. And everybody

said together, amen and amen. Thank you both.

for taking time to do this. This is special and

amazing. God bless you. Listen, give them a hand

as you're seated. Y 'all want a picture? If you

want a picture, snap a picture. But God bless

you. Listen, we got something that represents

this day that we do with every couple. And this

is important. And we give them three roses. To

commemorate the day. And the first one is the

white rose, which represents Jesus. And the love

of Jesus for Abigail and for both of you. The

red represents you two. It's the bloodline, right?

And it represents the love that you have for

your daughter. And the pink represents Abigail.

It is the mixture of the two that will be so

special. She loves the flowers. That's awesome.

She's smiling. So we want you to have that this

morning. We also want to give you a beginner's

Bible. The Word of God, which is a lamp unto

her path and a light to it, right? A light to

her path and a lamp for her feet. We want this

for you to take this and to pour the word of

God into her. And then a certificate to mark

the day that you dedicated Abigail. Amen. All

right. God bless you. Thanks. You got to carry

everything. All right. Give them a hand as they

go down, please. Come on. Some of you are nodding

your heads right now. Eric, Pastor Eric Stanton,

back in the booth back there. All right. If you

haven't guessed it yet, I'm starting a message

series on family this morning. Amen? I was looking

for a little theme. For all of you who know the

70s, come on, say amen. The rest of you are like,

where does that song come from? I've never heard

that before. Maybe at a ball game, right? But

I really, this morning, I wanted to start this

message series and begin a series to talk about

family. We are family. Now, if we would, I want

to start this message series off right. So I

want us just to bow and praise. All right, if

we pray this morning. Father, we come before

you, Lord, as we get ready to go into your word.

Guys, we begin to take the next few weeks and

discover what your word says about family, about

who we are in the family. God, I ask, Lord, that

you would guide us and direct us, that you would

speak into our hearts. God, every word that comes

forth and every truth that is brought to light

and comes into our ears, write it on the flesh

of our hearts. God, that we might know you. God,

that we might worship you and that we might give

you glory and step out what you're speaking to

us. And we give you praise in Jesus' name. And

everybody say it together. Amen, amen. Listen,

I think it was the right way to start the message

this morning. And one of the incredible benefits

of following Jesus as Lord and Savior is that

you have family. You've got spiritual family

right here in the house. You've got spiritual

family who's listening online. We've got spiritual

family who are outside the house, some down the

street. You've got siblings, literally spiritual

siblings across the globe. You've got brothers.

You've got sisters in every country on the planet.

And if you know Jesus as Lord and Savior, if

you share the same spiritual father, it doesn't

matter if you've never met someone. It doesn't

matter if you've never met me before. If you

know Jesus as Lord and as Savior, I am your long

-lost brother. All right? Hey, man, turn to somebody

right now. Say, what's up, sis? What's up, brother?

Come on. If you know Jesus as Lord and Savior,

the person sitting next to you, whether you know

them or not, whether you've never met them, if

Jesus is Savior of their lives, if you've never

laid eyes on them, you have no idea of their

name, right, where they're coming from or where

they're going, they're family. They're family.

We're connected by our Lord and Savior. We're

connected by the Father. We're connected together,

and we are family. It is one of the beautiful

attributes of the family of God, the kingdom

of God. And it is different from any other kingdom

that you will experience on the face of the planet,

past, present, or in the future. God's kingdom

is made up of 100 % population of family. Everybody's

connected. God's kingdom isn't just some organized

form of government made up of individuals who

will serve a role or position to move a kingdom

forward, right? The kingdom of God is not some

cold societal construct organized to keep us

distanced from the king and to simply bring wealth

and prosperity into the kingdom. That's not what

it is. God's kingdom, Jesus' kingdom, is filled

with family. And it is a big, big, big family.

Last week, First Lady Keisha Wellington was here.

She did an amazing job on Mother's Day. And she

talked about family. She brought the word of

God. She referenced several different things.

And she talked about legacy and leaving a legacy.

And she even talked about her home. Now, I think

I got the stats right. I didn't actually text

her. But I think somewhere along in her message,

she said she had 12 siblings. How many of you

know that's a big family? By any standard, right?

I have two siblings personally. I have two sisters.

And I understand something about birth order.

I understand something about structure inside

of a family. I understand something about bigger

families and smaller families. And how many know

birth order is a thing in families? It really

is. It's a deal. It is something. Being the oldest

or being the youngest or being somewhere in between,

it seems to come with certain roles and responsibilities

and expectations that are kind of unwritten.

If you're a firstborn in the house, firstborn

in your family, raise your hand right now. Firstborn,

whoo, we've got a lot of firstborns, all right?

Firstborn, how many know the firstborn is always

the policeman and the boss of the family? Right?

If you're an only child, you definitely are,

right? You're the first boss. The firstborn is

usually the policeman. They're usually the boss.

They lead the rest of the herd, right? And how

many know perfection must be achieved with this

child? It's mom and dad's first child. We must

be perfect. Everything must be perfect. When

the firstborn comes along and the binky hits

the floor, how many know you pick it up and you

boil it, right? All germs must be eradicated

with the firstborn. Every moment of their lives

is documented and redocumented. There are...

photo album after photo album of the firstborn.

There are shrines that are built on a wall, right,

of the firstborn. Pictures in every stage of

life. They are the boss. They are the policeman.

They are large and in charge, right? Even though

no one ever told them that. That's the firstborn.

We had three. Now there's the middle child. How

many middle children we got in here? Amen. Thank

you. I'm a middle child as well. All right. Listen,

the middle child has a completely different responsibility.

Their responsibility is to be the agitator of

the family. Okay? The middle child, and we take

this very seriously, by the way. Their role and

perspective is that I must create tension above

and below in the birth order. All right, this

is my job, to divide and conquer somewhere in

the birth order. I must stir up the ranks. I

must change things, right? And there are far

less pictures of the middle child because the

parents are too busy breaking up the fights that

they started. And the binky, they were sterilized

with the first one, and when it's dropped under

the floor with the second child, you just run

it under some water because how many know that

gets 50 % of the germs, right? And it builds

up their immune system anyway. This is the middle

child. How about the baby of the family? How

many babies of the family have you got? Yeah.

Come on, babies. They're like, oh yeah, that's

me. Right? How many of your parents are just

tired at this point when they have you? So the

baby can get away with anything and everything?

Right? Because mom and dad are just too tired

to take care of anything else, right? Anything

can happen. And the parents don't worry about

it too much because if anything does happen,

the firstborn's going to report it because they're

the policeman, right? The second one's going

to get in trouble because it's probably their

fault right off the bat. And the third one just

keeps going on, right? And the parents have no

idea. They've kind of given up on the idea of

total control and order in the family, right?

Listen, the goal is after three, anytime you

have three children or more, the goal is, first

of all, nobody's missing for more than a day,

and nobody's bleeding arterially for more than

a couple minutes, right? That's the goal. I've

experienced all this. I understand the intricate

workings of family this size, but I can't even

imagine having 11 siblings and figuring out the

birth order, what that look like, right? Had

to be pandemonium, had to be amazing. But no

matter what your idea of family consists of,

whether it's one, two, three, a dozen, it's minute

compared to the family of God and the family

that we're adopted into. If Jesus is your Lord

and Savior, your family is enormous. The family

support system stretches across the world, across

the globe, in every corner. I need you to think

about this. In every corner of the globe, you've

got family. You've got family in this world and

out of this world, literally, right? And the

crazy thing is, even though you've not met most

of your family, your spiritual family in the

kingdom, as soon as you bump into one of these

unknown family members, As soon as you realize

that they're connected and they have the same

Heavenly Father that you do, there is this instant

connection that takes place. It changes everything.

It all shifts in a moment in time. If you've

ever been on a mission trip and you've gone into

a foreign land where people don't speak your

language and you don't speak their language and

you bump into somebody and you find out they

have the same father that you do, that they're

serving the Lord God and you're serving the Lord

God, it's the funniest thing because you just

want to hug them. Sometimes it's really awkward

because how many know you can't communicate?

So you stand there like two mute people looking

at each other, and you're grinning from ear to

ear, right? You don't know whether to hug them,

shake their hand, you know, just put your arm

out. You don't know what to do. But there's this

strange connection that takes place. You know

that you're tied together. So one of the benefits

of being saved is that you have family big time.

You have family, and it's enormous. John 1 .10

says this. He was in the world. This is speaking

of Jesus. He was in the world and the world was

made through him and the world did not know him.

He came to his own and his own did not receive

him. Now, before I go into this next verse, you

got to understand what's being talked about here.

This is speaking about Jesus and the ones who

didn't receive him were the Jews. They were the

Jewish culture. Jesus was born a Jew, and Jesus

came and ministered to the Jews. He spoke to

the Jews. He healed the Jewish people, but they

didn't receive him. But look what the next verse

says. Verse 12 says this, but as many as received

him, Jesus, to them he gave the right to become

children of God, to those who believe in his

name. who were born not of blood, nor of the

will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but

of God. If we believe in the name of Jesus, if

we are born again, if we are blood -bought, spirit

-filled, set free from sin, right, on our way

to heaven because of the shed blood of Jesus,

a shunning hell, all of those things, if that's

true, I am a son or a daughter of God. I am kin.

to God. I'm kin to God. Say that. Mumble to yourself.

I'm kin to God. Come on, mumble. I'm giving you

a chance to mumble. I want to hear some mumbling,

right? I'm kin to God. I'm in the family. We're

in the family. I am literally a child of God.

I am a king's kid. Sometimes you got to say that.

I'm a king's kid. And this is not a metaphorical

sense of the word. This isn't where you stand

and say, well, this is really nice, right? This

isn't a sentiment thing where we say, oh, well,

yeah, I know. I'm like a child to the most high.

It's not, you know, sometimes we talk about other

people in relationships. Well, they're like a

child to me. It might be somebody that's a relative

or a friend or just a relative. No, this means

that you are a child of the king. This means

that you're a king kid. This means that you are

his. Verse 12 said, as many as receive. To them

he gave the right to become. Say the right. The

right to become children of God to those who

believe in his name. There is a spiritual legality

that takes place here by the sacrifice of Jesus

and by your faith in him. I have a right to sonship.

There's a legal adoption thing that takes place

in the spiritual realm. This means that in the

courts of heaven, Jesus paid the price on the

cross for me to come in and to receive him and

to become a son or a daughter. An adoption that

is finalized. I don't know if you've ever been

part of a finalized adoption, but I've had the

privilege of doing that twice. I've got invited

to go to the courtroom when somebody was adopting

a child, all the paperwork was done, all the

money was paid for that to take place. And you

sit in this courtroom, probably the only time

I actually want to really be in a courtroom,

right? But you sit in this courtroom and the

judge pronounces, he declares, and it's such

a... Cool celebration. Even in the judicial system,

somebody has now declared a son or a daughter

to a couple who has gone through the process

of adopting them. And I can't even describe it.

I teared up both times it's happened, right?

It is an amazing thing. It is not a sentiment

thing in the kingdom of God. This is a family

statute. Jesus paid an enormous price for our

adoption process. I don't know if you know it

or not, but a typical adoption in the United

States costs anywhere between $20 ,000 and $45

,000 to adopt a child. Tons of paperwork, lots

of legal hoops to jump through. But Jesus paid

far more. He paid with his life. He paid with

his blood. He paid to give us the right to become

sons and daughters of God. He did not just buy

you citizenship. Into the kingdom of heaven.

He didn't buy you just citizenship. He took it

to a whole other level. He took it to sonship.

And daughtership. You know it's one thing. To

be a citizen of a kingdom. It is another thing.

To be a son or a daughter of the king. In that

kingdom. I mean that's a very different place

to be in. Right? That's a very different place

to stand and to function in. You know, I can

assure you that President Trump's children carry

a few more rights and privileges than you and

I do, right? If you're a child of the king, there's

rights and privileges that come along with that.

There's places you can go that others can't go.

You get to do things that others don't get to

do. You get privilege in places that others don't

get privilege of. And when God, when Jesus paid

the price for our sin and our redemption, he

didn't just buy you citizenship into the kingdom

of God. He bought you sonship and daughtership,

right? But 1 John 3, 1 says this, behold, what

manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us,

that we should be called children of God. Therefore,

the world does not know us because it did not

know him. Beloved, now we are children of God,

and it has not yet been revealed what we shall

be. But we know that when he is revealed, we

shall be like him. You're not like somebody when

it's just citizenship, right? This is sonship.

This is daughtership. For we shall see him as

he is, and everyone who has this hope in him

purifies himself just as he is pure. Romans 8

.14 says this, For as many that are led by the

Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you

did not receive the spirit of bondage again to

fear, but received the spirit of adoption, by

whom we cry out, Abba, Father. The Spirit himself

bears witnesses that our spirit, that we are

children of God. If then children, then heirs.

Heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. If

indeed we suffer with him, that we might also

be glorified together. We are king's kids. Say

it with me. We are king's kids. We're not just

citizens. We're king's kids. We're not, we don't

just have a residency in the kingdom of God.

The word of God here says above what we just

read that we'll be like him, right? That we'll

change and we'll be like him. Heirs and joint

heirs with Jesus Christ. Suffering with him that

we might be glorified with him. How many know

in family when one suffers, they all suffer?

And when one's glorified, we all glorify, we

all rejoice together. One of the benefits of

being saved is that you're in the family of God,

big time. You're adopted. You're a son. You're

a daughter. Are you seeing yourself this way?

Not just a citizen. You have the right to sonship

and daughtership. And I can tell you that family

is the most powerful group on the planet. It's

the most powerful conglomerate of people on the

planet. More than any other association or more

than any other group on the face of the planet.

More than any government, even the U .S. government.

More than groups like the NAACP or the ACLU or

the AARP. I keep getting letters from them. All

right? The American Academy of Family Physicians,

right? You can name them. The American Humane

Association, even the Christian Coalition of

America. The family is far more powerful. The

family affects far more. Family is a powerful

thing. It's the most powerful organization on

the face of the planet. It really is. And I got

family here today, and I've made this comment.

One or more of them on more than one occasion.

Family has the power, right? My physical family

has the power to raise me up or to trash me.

Do you know that? Your family has that power.

Family can make us or they can break us. Family

can raise you up or they can take you down. Family

has the power to help you soar mentally, emotionally,

physically, or they can shoot you right out of

the sky. They can cause you to crash and burn.

I've said some version of this all along the

way with family in some manner because it's true.

It's true. It's powerful. Listen, if somebody

out in the world says something about me, you

know, if they call me a name or they don't like

me for some reason, I can kind of live with that.

That's like, okay, I don't love it, but it's

okay. Right? And I'm probably not going to lose

a week's sleep or a month's sleep or probably

not even a night's sleep over somebody who doesn't

like me out there in the world or who doesn't

care for what I say or whatever accusation they

might come up with. I'm probably not going to

lose more than a day's sleep. But if my family,

if things aren't right with my family, if things

aren't right with my spouse, right, if they aren't

right with my children, if they're not right

with my grandchildren, how many know that messes

you up? You can be. You can lose sleep for a

month over dissension in the family, tension

in the family. Things aren't right. It can be

heartbreaking. It can weigh on you. It becomes

baggage, right? It gets difficult. I've talked

with those many, many times who talk about hurt

that took place way back when in their family,

20 years ago, 30 years ago. 40 years ago, abusive

words, whatever it was that brought the tension

between the two, abrasive words of some kind,

and they're still dealing with it. Decades later,

right? Family is powerful. We need to be careful

how we treat family. We need to be careful with

our physical family. We need to be careful with

our spiritual family, right? In the house, in

this house. We need to handle those gifts. In

our lives, because family is gifts, with care,

we need to be so careful with our spouses, with

our children, with our extended family, right?

We need to be so careful with my brothers and

sisters that are in the family of God. We do.

I got into a conversation with somebody, literally,

it happened just this week. It happened this

week. I got into a conversation, and this person

began to unfold what took place when they were

young. And this happened inside of a church.

And they were just small. And this person described

how affected they were by a spiritual leader

in that church who was hard on them, who came

down on them. And it was for the silliest of

things. This child was supposed to memorize something

and couldn't seem to handle memorizing it. And

this spiritual, supposedly spiritual leader in

this church just railed on them. And it happened

more than one time. And this person talked about,

and I'm talking about somebody who was middle

-aged, talked about how this stuck with them,

how they felt harm and hurt from all that. And

for years, they drifted away from God. But the

good news is that same person continued to tell

me about how they had made a mistake in their

young adulthood and sinned, and really there

were repercussions for all that, and they were...

Kind of devastated from all that. And they walked

back into a different church. And there was a

pastor there who came up. And this person said,

I'll never forget it. This pastor came up to

me and with the grace that I have never experienced

from someone else, welcomed me and began to share

with me. And knew everything that had taken place

in my life. And came with grace and began to

speak over me. And this individual said, this

is the first time I ever experienced the grace

of God. And it was coming out of that man, that

pastor. And they continued on to walk in the

faith and now is serving God with a whole heart.

And they talked about the healing that took place

in their lives as they begin to walk through.

Family can raise us up. and family can take us

down. Family is powerful. It has the power to

infuse gifts in our lives, or it has the power

to rob us of gifts. Family has the power to give

us a deep sense of identity and heritage and

really biblically healthy levels of self -esteem,

or can steamroll us and create deep confusion

and uncertainty. Family can be a built -in, ever

-present, positive support system. Or family

can tear away at the very fibers of who we are

and what strengthens us. Family done right can

provide protection and peace, right? But done

poorly will cause us to hide and recoil in some

kind of way. Family can help us soar in life,

or it can load us down with baggage that we carry

for decades. Family can provide a healthy supply

of love and a healthy supply of security, or

it can give us an unhealthy... hurt and shame

in our lives. We can feel valued, or we can feel

cheapened. We can feel raised up, or we can feel

struck down. We can feel embraced, or we can

feel abandoned. And I'll stand by here today

to tell you, I don't know what... your earthly

family left with you. I don't know the legacy.

You might be here, and it might be good, bad,

or something in between. You might have things

that are great. You might have had a great family

that helped you soar in life, or you might have

a family you're struggling, and you're trying

to figure out, how do I wade through the mess

that was way back there? And I've got good news

for you today, because the family that you came

out of, your physical family, does not determine

where your future lies. It does not give you...

the identity placed upon you or stamp you with

an identity that you can't walk out from under,

right? Where you were born, where you came from,

the background that you're from, the social economic,

whatever it is that came in from your past and

the physical family, I'm here to tell you that

Jesus is a family that you can walk into. And

if you came out of function or dysfunction, he

can shift all that and change who you are. Amen?

Family is powerful, especially when your father

is the father of all things, right? It's true.

Galatians 3 .26 says this, For you are all sons

of God through faith in Jesus Christ. For as

many of you as were baptized into Christ have

put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek.

There is neither slave nor free. There is neither

male nor female. For you all are one in Christ

Jesus. And if you are Christ, then you are Abraham's

seed and heirs according to the promise. So many

times we miss these words. Heirs according to

the promise. Your background, your family name

does not disqualify me from living like a king's

kid. It really doesn't. My gender, social, economic

standing. Does not negate my right to live as

a child of God. Nothing in my past can hold power

over me in the finished work of Jesus Christ

and who I am and who God meant me to be. Some

of you need to hear this this morning. Some of

you need to hear this. This is Jesus' kingdom

family dynamics. And it overrides anything that

was back there. It overrides it. It changes you.

It can make you new. Some of you need to hear

what I'm speaking. Some of you, you're living

in the only tribe. that you're living in and

the identity that you're living in it it stems

from where you came from and who you came from

you keep hanging on to those earthly identities

right you keep living out of that dysfunction

that was part of who you were and how you were

brought up you keep believing that it makes you

who you are and what you will become and jesus

says if you believe in me If you're a king's

kid, you have to understand that I have given

you the right to be free of all of that. I've

given you the right. Everything that he provides

for you in the family overrides what was back

there. Romans 8 .28 says, and we know that all

things work for good for those who love God to

those who are called according to his purpose.

All things work for good. He didn't say it's

always going to feel good. He didn't even say

it was always going to be good. He said it will

work out for the good in Jesus. Amen? Worship

team, I'm going to ask if you'd come. I'm going

to show you one last portion of scripture that

shows us just how powerful it is to be in family.

Luke chapter 20, the Sadducees of Jesus' day,

Luke 20 · chapter mention

it was a particular group or sect of people of

Jesus' day, were trying to trip Jesus up with

presenting him. with a made -up story, a hypothetical

story, to drive home a thought or an error that

was actually in their doctrine. And the Sadducees,

they didn't believe in the resurrection. They

didn't believe in the, of course, Jesus wasn't

resurrected yet to this point, but they did not

believe in the resurrection of the saints. They

did not believe that saints would be one day

resurrected. And they were trying to trip Jesus

up. And Jesus has this discussion, but you have

to hear what he speaks about at the end of this

discussion. Luke 20 and 27 says this, then some

of the Sadducees who deny that there is a resurrection

came to him and asked him saying, teacher, Moses

wrote to us that if a man's brother dies having

a wife and he dies without children, his brother

should take his wife and raise up offspring for

his brother. Now I need to explain, this was

a Jewish tradition back then. In the Jewish culture,

they wanted family lines to continue. So if you

were, you had brothers, one of you got married

and That particular brother died before he had

children to carry on the name. The brother could

take that person's wife to continue on the family

name. It was a common practice back then. So

they're using this to bring this scenario to

Jesus. And verse 29 says this. Now there were

seven brothers. This is the made -up story that

they come up with. And the first took a wife

and died without children. And the second took

her as wife, and he died childless. Then the

third took her, and in like manners, seven also.

And they left no children and died. Last of all,

the woman died also. Therefore, in the resurrection,

which they didn't even believe in, whose wife

does she become? They're trying to trip up Jesus.

For all seven had her as wife. This is the hypothetical

they sent to Jesus, right? They're speaking to

Jesus. And Jesus answered and said to them, the

sons of this age marry and are given in marriage.

Because we do that. In this life, we marry and

we're given in marriage. But those who are counted

worthy to attain that age, the next life, the

resurrection from the dead, neither marry or

are given in marriage. And once we get beyond

this passage, we start to see Jesus talking about

what it is to be a son or daughter of the Most

High. He says this, nor can they die anymore,

for they are equal to the angels and are sons

of God, being sons of the resurrection. Now,

that might not excite you, but I get pretty jazzed

up when I see that. Because one, he said there'll

be no more death. No more death. Nothing dies

in the next kingdom, in the next life, in the

kingdom of God. Everything you know right now,

right, moves from life to death. Everything in

the world around you moves from life to death.

In the kingdom of God, it's the opposite. Everything

moves from death to life, and it stays alive.

It continues in life. You should get excited

about that, right? And then it goes on, and God

says, as sons of God and as daughters of God,

you're going to be equal. with the angels. Now,

you might not get excited about that if your

perception of an angel is sitting on a cloud

and strumming a gold harp with little white wings.

How many guys are like, yeah, I want to do that,

right? But you know, you got to look into Scripture

and see what Scripture has to say about angels,

because angels were authorized messengers of

God. In the Bible, they are protectors and they

are guardians. Some of the angels are warriors.

Some of them are executors of God's will, worshipers

of God himself. And the next one is just way

too cool for school. Angels can move anywhere

they want in the universe at any given moment

with no restriction whatsoever. That's awesome,

right? They can be in one place one moment, and

they can will themselves into another place.

They've got no constraints of time, of friction,

of gravity. None of that has a hold on them.

The Word of God says that you're going to be

equal to the angels. I can't wait. I don't know

where I'm going to shoot to, but I'm going to

shoot to somewhere, right? I'm going to be here,

and I'm going to be over there at some other

point, right? This is what the Word of God says.

We are family. We are family. We are together.

Why am I preaching this? Why am I saying this

this morning? The devil does not want you to

know who you are in the kingdom. He wants it

hidden. from your eyes. He doesn't want you to

understand what it is to be a son or a daughter

of God. He does not want you to walk in your

authority. He does not want you to step into

your future. He does not want you to know what

your rights and privileges are in the kingdom

of God. As a matter of fact, if he can keep you

down, if he can keep you looking at what's around

you, if he can keep you looking at your past,

he will hold you down and he will keep you in

a little tight circle where he wants you. But

when you understand the family, When you understand

who our daddy is, do you understand when who

you are in the kingdom of God, you will humbly

and gratefully begin to walk in authority and

you will walk right out of your past. You will

walk right past what has been thrust on you.

You will stand in a new place. I'm going to ask

you to stand this morning. We are kin to the

king. If you know Jesus as Lord and Savior, if

you're listening online this morning, you know

Jesus as Lord and Savior, you are kin to the

king. You need to say this. I am kin to the king,

if you're saved. I am kin to the king. I read

John 1, 12 to you. It said, but as many as received

him, to them he gave the right to become children

of God, to those who believe in his name. If

you're in a house today and you don't know Him

as Lord, you don't know Him as Savior, you don't

know Him as your Heavenly Father, if you're listening

online to me this morning, the Word of God is

very simple. He said, as many as receive Him.

If you receive Him as Lord, if you receive Him

as Savior, if you believe on who He is, you can

come into the kingdom and you can get your adoption

papers. Hell will be a thing that's no longer

in your future, and heaven and the kingdom of

God will be in your future. It will be your future.

It'll be your now. If you're here this morning,

know that. All you have to do is believe and

pray. And if that's you, I want to talk to you

after this gathering. You want Jesus to be Lord

and Savior of your life? You want to be in the

kingdom? You want to be adopted? I want to talk

to you after the gathering. I'll talk to you.

One of the prayer team will talk to you. But

for the rest in the house, for those of us who

are already in the kingdom of God, do not let

the enemy place a foot on your neck and tell

you who you will be and what you're going to

do and how you're going to live and how you're

going to identify because Christ paid way too

big of a price for us to be free. Amen? That's

what I'm going to ask you to do this morning.

We're family. Family comes together. All right?

I'm going to ask you to step out. We're going

to close out. You're going to come up. We're

going to pray together. You're going to sing

one last song together as family. And we're going

to see some of you set free this morning. Just

make it up. As far as you can get up front, you've

got to make way for people to come in the back.

I'll back up. I won't spit on you. I promise.

If you can, if you're physically able, I want

you to move towards the front as close as you

can. This is so different in the kingdom of God

as compared to the world around you. The world

will tell you that your past has everything to

do with who you'll become. And in the kingdom

of God, it's just simply not true. We become

new creations. We become new creatures in Christ.

This family is the most powerful entity on the

face of the planet. Amen? It's true. Some of

you this morning, I felt deeply as I was preparing

for this message. Some of you this morning, you've

been living out of where you came out of. Most

of your life, if not all of your life, you've

been living out of what you came out of. You've

grabbed a hold of it. You've accepted it. You

think this is who you're supposed to be, what

you're supposed to be. And I'm here to tell you,

it's not. You are His. If you are saved and you

are redeemed, you are His. You have every right

to walk as a son or a daughter of the Most High.

He has a plan. He has a purpose. He knows what

he wants to work out in your life and how he

wants you to walk it out in your life. And it

doesn't matter if you're 10, if you're 20, if

you're 40, if you're 60 or 80 years old. You

can start today. And you can start to walk something

different. I've shared this many times. In the

past, fear had me. And by the way, that happened

in a church when I got back to the root of it.

Not anything evil. Just something that got thrust

on me, and I grabbed ahold of it, and I said,

this is who I am. And I lived locked up for 30

years like that. He wants you free. So I want

you to bow your heads. You know who you are.

The Holy Spirit's prompted. He's pulling on you

right now. It could be just one area or slice

of your life where the enemy's had you locked

up, and you've convinced yourself this is who

you are. This is how I function. This is what

I've always been. This is just me. No, it's not.

That is to say the blood of Christ does not have

the power over that area of your life. That is

not true. It has all power. So Father, we come

to you today. Lord, you know who's in the house.

God, you know, Lord, who God here is hearing

your word. And God, it is moving on their spirit.

It's moving on their soul. And Lord, they need

free this morning. And it might be one slice

of something that's had them bound for 10 years,

20 years, 30 years. God, somebody's told them,

this is who you're going to be. Maybe they just

told themselves, this is who I am because of

what I stepped out of. Lord, today, God, they

put it down. They laid at the feet of Jesus and

they say, Jesus, I will walk in what you say

I'm going to walk in. I will be who you say I

will be. I will put all this behind me. And Lord

God, I am going to step into the light and the

life of Jesus Christ. I am going to walk free.

I am going to walk whole. I am going to walk

in what has always been planned for me. And I'm

going to step one day from this life right into

the next and what God's got planned there. So

Lord, I come right now as a child. I am kin to

the king. I am a king's kid. And I am invoking

my right to be free today. In Jesus' name. In

Jesus' name I pray this. And amen and amen. Now

let me tell you what you're going to have to

start to do. Because the enemy is going to come

back. As soon as you walk out of here. The enemy

is going to come back with the same old thoughts

you used to have. Same voices are going to come

back in your head. You're this. You're that.

This is what you've always been. This is what

you did. Yada, yada, yada. It's going to keep

coming right back. You've got to begin to declare

what you know to be true. You've got to know.

I'm serious. You've got to declare it. You've

got to start speaking out. That is not who I

am. This is who God said I am. This is what I

stand on. You've got to. Man, some of you. Listen.

Some of you. You got to shake the devil up a

little bit once in a while, right? Speak the

word of God. Speak it out. Declare it. Make declarations.

Write them down. Post them on your wall. Paint

it on your wall. Whatever you got to do. But

you begin to declare what God said. And you begin

to declare it over your own life. Right? We overcome

by the blood of the lamb and the word of our

testimony. What you speak. That's the declaration.

It's the testimony. Amen? I don't know if this

is resonating with anybody. I hope it hit somebody

this morning. But hear me. We're going to talk

about family the next couple weeks. Amen? Amen.

Thank you for tuning in to this message from

Lifehouse Church. We pray that you were impacted

powerfully by this message. If you have been

personally affected by our ministry and you would

like to partner with us as we love God, love

people every day, visit our website at www .lifehousecog

.com.