The family is such an important blessing from the hands of the God to the inhabitants of planet earth. We get to have a family in heaven and also experience family in the earth. Family is a bid deal. But, like all other blessings, there’s order and balance. We can allow any blessing from heaven to become bigger in our lives than the Blesser who bestowed it. That’s the danger. A Jesus follower has this issue to walk out. To enjoy the blessing of God all the while keeping God first in his heart and life. It’s a challenge for any disciple of Jesus. How are you doing in this all-important area?

[Tweet “Jesus, Abraham, Elisha, & the Apostles all fielded the family or God first question. What about you?”]

• Mark it down ‘real’ disciples of Jesus have the following issues settled.
  • Number one: they have the family issue settled
  • Two: they have the carrying the cross issue settled
  • Number three: they have the ‘math’ issue settled.
• So, let us talk about these three areas that Jesus mentions that real disciples have settled.

First: the Family area

• The question that Jesus asked is this ‘Do you love family more than me?”
• This area of family is the first thing that Jesus addresses.
• Now, we know that order is important in the Bible.
• This area of family is first on this list of discipleship traits.
• Why?
• One reason for this is because the strong yearning people have for family is an essential emotion in the human race.
• Everybody who is ‘normal’ has yearnings for family.
• If you think you are the only one who feels this, you are you kidding yourself.
• The whole planet has these emotional ties.

The Question of the Day

• What if Jesus told you to do something for Him that would ultimately mean spending less time with your family, would you do it?
• How do you think a disciple of Jesus should answer this question?
• There is precedent in scripture for this type of encounter with God.

Abraham Fields the God First or Family First Question

• Abraham was confronted multiple times with this situation.

• The Bible casts vision for you.
• It shows you within its pages what true discipleship is.
• The Lord told Abraham to leave his country and his family.
• Abraham obeyed these words.
• Can we say again, the disciple of Jesus has the family issue settled?
• What about God’s direction to Abraham to offer up Isaac?
• Wasn’t that another family first or God first challenge?
• Isn’t is a ‘do you love family more than me’ question?

Elisha Fields the God First or Family First Question

• Elisha was confronted with the same ‘do you love family more than me’ question.

• When it came time to choose between the anointing of God and his family and business, Elisha chose the will of the Lord.

Jesus Fields the God First or Family First Question

• What about Jesus Himself?
• How did He handle the question?

• Ask yourself this question, ‘Where are the families of the apostles in the Bible?’
• Go through the list in Matthew 10:1-2.

Matthew 10:1–2 (ESV) — 1 And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction. 2 The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;

• Where is Peter’s family?
  • There is a short mention of his mother-in-law in Matthew 8:14 and his wife in 1 Corinthians 9:5 but that’s it.
• What about Paul?
  • Where is his family?
  • You hear a mention about his nephew and his sister in Acts 23:16.
• What about the other apostles?
  • Think about Bible scriptures that speak of their families.
  • Can you find them?
• Does this mean that family is not important?
• No, it implies obeying God is higher than family.

Would God Pull a Person Away from Family Life?

• He did it with Abraham.
• He had done it with others.
• But why?
• Why would He do such a thing?
• One thought along this line is that you’re not the best witness for your family.
• Your own children, many times, will not hear you.
• Your unsaved loved ones in your family will not put stock in your words.
• In order to fix that, God has to pull another person in from outside your family to minister to yours.
• The logistics are simple.
• If they are going to come and minister to your family, they are going to at times have to leave theirs.

Are You Willing to Help Someone Else’s Children?

• The question is are you willing to extend yourself for someone else’s sons even though they are complete strangers?
• God does these kinds of things.
• That’s how important people are to Him.
• God will, and can, and does, move people half-way around the world in order to get one person ministered to.
• Missionaries are prime examples of individuals who have answered the call to leave family behind and minister to sons of strangers.
• And what is the big deal with God doing that?
• Why do we cling so much to the natural securities of life when eternity is just on the horizon?
• You will have all of eternity to hangout out with earthly family in each other’s mansions.
• How about helping someone else get to their mansion?

Call to Action:

Well, you fear that this is too much to ask. You may secretly hope that Jesus would not ask you to make such a sacrifice. Jesus wouldn’t ask you to do something He hadn’t already done. He left His Father for 30 year plus years and emptied Himself so that He might help other sons get to glory. Jesus didn’t have to do this. He had His Father God all to Himself. Can we learn a lesson from His example?