The Disciple’s Unity

Introduction

Take your Bibles and join me in John 17.

Transition

This morning we are in the final message of this four week set of messages focusing on the disciple’s life in community.

We spent the first four weeks looking at the disciple’s personal call to following Jesus.

“Hear and Believe”

“Come and See”

“Follow Me”

“Go, Make Disciples”

This set of four:

Corporate Worship

Serving

Shared Life (Together)

This morning, we’re going to see, from John 17, that the great characteristic of a disciple in community with other disciples is UNITY.

Several years ago, in a Peanuts cartoon Lucy demanded that Linus change TV channels threatening him with her fist if he didn’t. What makes you think you can walk right in here and take over? asks Linus.

These five fingers says Lucy. Individually they’re nothing but when I curl them together like this into a single unit they form a weapon that is terrible to behold.

Which channel do you want? asks Linus. Turning away he looks at his fingers and says Why can’t you guys get organized like that?

Main Point of the Sermon

We are invited into the family of God to multiply His grace and replicate His love. The primary way in which we do this is through our UNITY.

John 17:20–26 (ESV)

“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

Context:

Jesus’ “High Priestly” prayer—this great prayer he is praying just hours before his arrest and crucifixion. He’s praying this prayer FOR HIS DISCIPLES in FRONT of his disciples.

(Side note) What if you KNEW Jesus was praying for you? What if you could HEAR Jesus praying for you?

Did you know he’s doing that for you right now? Hebrews 7:25 says that Jesus’s eternal ministry is to make intercession for us.

Main Point of the Text Jesus’ greatest desire for His disciples is their unity.

This is the MAIN POINT of his prayer (verse 21) — THAT THEY MAY ALL BE ONE.

In fact, He prays THREE TIMES in this text for the unity of His disciples (vs. 21, vs. 22, vs. 23).

Now, unity is hard to attain. Why? Because in the flesh we’re self-centered, self-serving, prideful people, we want our own way.

What I want us to do this morning is see the foundation of our unity then see the unity that springs from that foundation.

The unity that Jesus prays for is rooted in the unity of the Trinity. It is a divine unity. The kind of unity Jesus desires for His disciples isn’t unity around organizational principles. It’s not being united around a certain “cause” or a “radical movement.” No. It’s a divine/supernatural/other worldly kind of unity that can’t be manufactured.

You see, Jesus roots OUR unity—the unity he wants us to have with one another—in the unity He has with God the Father.

Verse 21 “JUST AS…you, Father, are in me and I in you”

Verse 22-23—“EVEN AS…we are one, I in them and you in me”

Jesus, the eternal Son of God, has lived in (existed in) this perfect relationship of LIFE AND LOVE AND GLORY with the the Father.

What does “in” me // “in” him NOT mean?

Three things in this whole prayer—ETERNAL LIFE, ETERNAL LOVE and ETERNAL GLORY

And, listen to this amazing good news—we get invited into this!

Verse 21—“you, Father, are in me, and I in you…THAT THEY ALSO MAY BE IN US.”

Verse 23—“we are one, I IN THEM and you in me.”

And now, if you are saved, if you’ve been born again, you have JESUS living in you. We get to be part of the relationship of the Trinity! Wow. Just think about that.

You receive eternal life! The very LIFE of God!

You receive the love of God!

You receive glory (righteousness and resurrection)!

It is Christ in us that makes us righteous—reconciling us to God and welcoming us in to the family of God. It is Christ in us that reconciles us as the family of God to one another giving us divine unity and it is Christ in us that calls the world to be reconciled to God through the testimony of our love and unity.

We are invited into the family (life and love) of God to multiply His grace and replicate His love. The primary way in which we do this is through our UNITY.

Three APPLICATIONS or TRUTHS that flow out of this:

1. We have a POSITIONAL unity.

Again, Jesus says three times that he is in the Father and the Father is in him. They live in perfect relationship with one another.

One of the foundational attributes of God is His holiness.

In verse 25, Jesus addresses God the Father as “O righteous Father.”

“Legal” aspect—justification // the same right standing with God the Father that Jesus has—YOU AND I NOW HAVE.

We no longer have the sentence of death hanging over us—we have received life.

Reconciliation to God

Verse 22 — “glory” shared // holiness

The only way we can have union with God is through the righteousness of Jesus. We are made holy. Our debt is paid and our record of sin is cancelled.

2. We have a RELATIONAL unity.

When we are born again and are united with Christ, there isn’t just a legal “change” that takes place. There is a relational change.

When we get saved, we get adopted by God as His children.

This isn’t just simply a legal standing that we have before God the Father—the righteous (or, just) One.

This is a relational unity of LOVE.

You stand before a judge—but there’s no love relationship there. That’s a legal “relationship.” Not love. Not personal.

We’ve not only been reconciled to God and adopted as His children…but we have been welcomed into His FAMILY. It’s a family with a lot of family members.

God has reconciled us to one another. Sin brings brokenness and division. You probably have some of that in your own biological family. All you’ve got to do is look at the very first family in the Bible—Adam, Eve, Cain and Abel.

So much division in our country. I mean, this week—whether you agree or disagree with what has gone on with the former president—I think we can unanimously agree that our country is divided. It’s fractured. People have said to me before, “I wish you would say more things about politics or Trump or Biden in your preaching.” My response is—you realize how divisive it is out there, right?

I recently listened to an audiobook and watched a documentary about the Coltilda—last ship to bring slaves into America. It actually brought them to Mobile, AL illegally. In 1860 when trans-Atlantic slave trade had been outlawed, a wealthy plantation owner in Mobile made a bet with some friends that he could successfully send a ship to Africa and bring back slaves without getting caught. He hired captain William Foster and Foster brought back over 100 enslaved Africans.

Just a couple of years ago, the wreckage of the Clotilda was found and in a powerful moment, a descendant of Captain Foster met with descendants of the African slaves at the wreck site and they hugged and wept. These are men who are so different from one another and whose ancestors were enemies…This is what the descendents of the slaves said—“we’re not looking for reparations. We’re looking for reconciliation.”

Not only are we reconciled to God by our union with Christ, we are reconciled to one another.

As you look around this room // where else in the world will a group of people this diverse…

So what/Now What?

Why does this matter to Jesus? Why should it matter to us? Is the end goal for us to sit around and sing Kumbaya?

3. We have a MISSIONAL unity.

Jesus’ desire for his disciples is our unity. We’ve seen the foundation of our unity—the unity of God and our union with Him. But what’s the purpose? The end goal?

Verse 21 —“so that the world may believe that you have sent me”

Verse 23 —“so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me”

Jesus’ plan for continuing to make the Father’s name and love known in the world is THROUGH HIS DISCIPLES!

How is the world going to believe in Jesus? Jesus in us. Through the testimony of unity and love of His disciples (vs. 23 & 26).

A church that’s unified under the authority of Jesus, a church that’s unified in its love for one another, a church that’s unified around the gospel and a burning desire to see their city and the nations come to a saving knowledge of Jesus—that’s an unstoppable mission force in this world.

Do you think Satan wants this? No! He wants to sow seeds of division. He wants you getting angry or bitter or unforgiving toward a brother or sister here in the body. He wants you to gossip. He wants cliques to form.

Because an unbelieving world wants nothing to do with that…and if we’re consumed with all of that we’re not consumed with the mission!

“Unity Baptist #3” (Probably a 3-time church split)

Jesus’ greatest desire for His disciples is their unity.

We are invited into the family (life and love) of God to multiply His grace and replicate His love. The primary way in which we do this is through our UNITY.

GUITAR OR PAD STARTS

So what? Next Steps

1. Do you have union with God? Have you received forgiveness of sin and righteousness? If you died today, where would YOU spend eternity? The only way you can be forgiven of your sin that separates you from God is by calling out to Jesus in faith, repenting/turning from your sin, and surrendering your life completely to Him.

2. Is there someone you need to be reconciled to?

3. Who in your life needs Jesus? Everyone knows someone who doesn’t know Jesus. Everyone knows someone who—if they died today—they would spend eternity separated from God in hell. Everyone knows someone who needs to be reconciled to God.

Who is that ONE you can introduce to Jesus.