Every one of us has a family tree. We may or may not love every branch; some may be more complicated than we care to admit, but as we walk through life, the limbs of our tree can determine a lot about us. That is until we realize that through Jesus, we have been adopted into a new family tree. One where our perfect Heavenly Father has brought us into His fold as a loved son or daughter. That’s the tree where we grow from, the source of our strength and life.
Key Takeaway
You do not have to fight your natural family tree when you have been grafted into a new spiritual family tree. Instead of cursing, you can bless. Instead of harboring bitterness and resentment, you can forgive. And in that forgiveness, you will be set free.
DNA ancestry has picked up a lot of steam because people want two questions answered. Where did I come from? What are my roots?
We all are the results of a family tree. Some are simple. Some are very complicated, but they are all real and have power. When you are young, you think you'll NEVER do what your parents and grandparents have done, but you will. You'll make that face. You'll walk a certain way. You'll pick up habits.
The only tree that matters is Calvary's Tree, the Cross, in the middle of our story. The Gospel equation is this: Jesus Christ hung His life on Calvary's Tree so you could experience something much greater than just a denominational affiliation. God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to the tree you and I should have died on. His Son took the payment for our wrong, guilt, and shame. He took the sins of His innocent life and bore the wrath of a Holy God. He died where you and I should have died. Jesus was raised from the dead by the power of God, and when we put our faith in Him, miraculously, we were born again on the inside, spiritually reborn.
God doesn't care about your behavior modification system. He doesn't want you solely focused on improving your life. He died so you could be born again by the spirit of God so you could be free as a son or daughter of Almighty God. You're either born again, or you're not. There's no middle ground. See John 1: 12, 3:5-7.
You have an earthly, natural family tree, but you also have a spiritual one if you've put your faith in Jesus.
In the Spiritual Tree
- I am blessed. Whether you received the blessing from your earthly father or not, you are blessed by your Heavenly Father. In this blessing, you will always have enough blessings. You can't exhaust His love or deplete His goodness. His mercy awakens you. You'll never be forsaken. Jesus was forsaken, so you never would be.
- I can bless. In this blessing, you will find the power to forgive your father. Blessed people can bless people. If you say, "I will never forgive my father," remember that's the old you talking, the before salvation you. If God can overwhelm the grave, cancel the debt of sin, make peace between Himself and you, free you from death, and recreate you by His Spirit, He can certainly give you power over the past. He, in you, can be a curse-breaking force for generations.
Jesus didn't just die for all of my wrongs but all my dad's wrongs, too. Forgiveness is not sweeping things under the rug, releasing consequences of decisions, or continuing to put yourself in harm's way. Forgiveness is not releasing your dad from something. It's releasing him to someone. Romans 12:19 says vengeance is the Lord's. Because of Christ's power in you, you could write a letter that says:
"Dear Dad, you messed up my life, and I can't explain all the fallout from that, but I have seen the Cross, been forgiven, and in the power of that forgiveness, I am choosing to forgive you. I'm releasing you to God. You and God work out what you have done to me."
Why? Because the moment you offer forgiveness, you get to be free. Unforgiveness is false power. It just keeps you trapped in your past. Is your unwillingness to forgive bringing you more peace or less peace?
If you're not intentionally focusing on your new family tree, you'll act like you're only in your natural one.
When you can forgive, it is the oxygen of the Gospel. It turns things upside down. Anyone can walk around in their own strength, harboring bitterness and resentment. That's what normal people do, but we have resurrection power in us. So we can do things like forgive. We are free. You can look at your natural tree and not despise it. You become heartbroken for it because you realize all you have in your Perfect Heavenly Father. He enables you to bless your family tree. Through Christ, you have the power to reverse the curse. Romans 12:14 says to bless and not curse. You can't do that if you haven't been grafted into a new spiritual family tree.
By the grace of God, I am no longer a victim. I have the power in my mouth and heart to do the impossible.
Discussion Questions
- Have you ever done an ancestry DNA test? If so, why did you do it?
- How would you describe your family tree? Simple? Complicated?
- What things do you do that you said you would never do because you did not want to be like your parent or grandparents?
- Because of Calvary's Tree, we have been grafted into a new spiritual family tree. What is the significance of the Cross?
- What does John 3:1-8 say we must do to see the Kingdom of God?
- Read John 1:12. If we receive God and believe in His name, what do we gain the right to? What does this place us into?
- In the Spiritual family tree, what did Pastor Louie say we will never run out of?
- We also have the ability to bless our own family tree. In what ways could you be blessing your family?
- Do you believe that God can be a curse-breaking force in your life for generations to come?
- Have you forgiven your father? In what power would you be able to do that?
Scripture References
