We are One in the Lord!

Topic: We are one in the Lord and are to be a living sacrifices to God.

Romans 12:3–5 KJV 1900

For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.

Introduction

Romans 12:1-2 Describes our relationship to God

Romans 12:3-13 Describes our relationship within the Church

Romans 12:14-21 Describes our relationship to this hostile world

I We are one in God’s Mercy

Romans 12:1–2 KJV 1900

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

In today’s text Paul describes what being a living sacrifice looks like within the Church.

3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think,

We must be transformed by the renewing of our minds. In other words, our thinking must change.

Reject thinking of ourselves more highly than we ought to think and avoid thinking to lowly of ourselves also.

Don’t Think To highly:

I Cor 1 26 For [k]you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many [l]noble, are called. 27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; 28 and the [m]base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, 29 that no flesh should glory in His presence. 30 But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— 31 that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.”

Don’t Think To Lowly:

Eph. 2 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

but to think soberly,

Paul writes that one of the ways our minds must be transformed is in developing the ability to see ourselves accurately. We must develop "sober judgment," or an objective eye. We need to be honest with ourselves about our spiritual progress and maturity.

To think soberly is to remember that…

we are made in the image of God

we are filled with the Holy Spirit

We are part of God’s plan today

And to remember that God has given to each one of us a measure of faith.

We are to use our gifts (measure of faith) to bring glory to God not to ourselves.

Colossians 3:23–24 KJV 1900

And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.

Romans 12:4–5 KJV 1900

For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.

1 Corinthians 12:24–26 (KJV 1900)

… there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.

Ephesians 4:4–6 KJV 1900

There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

II We are of One in God’s Spirit

… and this One Spirit produces visible fruit in and through us ...

Galatians 5:22–26 KJV 1900

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.

III We are one in the Lord

… and this is what we all believe...

Jesus was born of a virgin

He came to die for our sins

He rose again bodily

We all acknowledge the Jesus is Lord

We all agree that Jesus is now in heaven at the right hand of God the father praying (interceding) for His church

We all confess that He sent his Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost

We confess the Jesus lives in each of us by the Holy Spirit

We acknowledge the reality of the new birth

We are looking forward to Jesus’s return

And we agree that after he returns that we will spend eternity together.

Verse 1

We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord.

We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord.

And we pray that all unity will one day be restored,

and they'll know we are Christians by our love.

Oh, they'll know we are Christians by our love.

Verse 2

All praise to the Father from whom all blessings come

and all praise to Jesus Christ, God's only Son.

And all praise to the Spirit that makes us all one.

Chorus

And they'll we are Christians by our love, our love.

Yes, they'll know we are Christians by our love.

Let us thank God for the demonstration of his unity that is being revealed in this local church family...

In Jesus Name...