Epistles: Unity

Introduction:

Wrapping up our series studying through the Bible

We actually have only 4 more weeks

Two weeks ago we looked at Acts

And saw the humility of God in his desire to partner with humanity

And we saw the faithfulness of God to finish what he started

Last week we sat in for the amazing time of baptisms

People declaring they belong to Jesus

The only parts of the Bible we have left are the epistles and Revelation

We are usually more familiar with this portion of scripture

And over the next weeks we will be looking at some of the bigger topics we find in these books

Today in particular we are going to be looking at the importance of Unity in the Epistles

Scripture Reading:

1 Corinthians 12:12–27 (CSB)

For just as the body is one and has many parts, and all the parts of that body, though many, are one body—so also is Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and we were all given one Spirit to drink. Indeed, the body is not one part but many.

If the foot should say, “Because I’m not a hand, I don’t belong to the body,” it is not for that reason any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I’m not an eye, I don’t belong to the body,” it is not for that reason any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But as it is, God has arranged each one of the parts in the body just as he wanted. And if they were all the same part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” Or again, the head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you!”

On the contrary, those parts of the body that are weaker are indispensable. And those parts of the body that we consider less honorable, we clothe these with greater honor, and our unrespectable parts are treated with greater respect, which our respectable parts do not need.

Instead, God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the less honorable, so that there would be no division in the body, but that the members would have the same concern for each other. So if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

Now you are the body of Christ, and individual members of it.

What is an Epistle?

A letter

It’s honestly pretty strange—to be reading other people’s letters

Most of the New Testament is a collection of letters from 2000 years ago

But these aren’t just any letters—these are words from God

And they are vital for Christians all over the world for many many generations

(Slides)

“In Acts, we read about Paul; in his Epistles, we hear from Paul directly. Conversely, in the Gospels, we hear from Jesus directly; in the Epistles, we hear about the ramifications of Jesus’s work for believers.”

And two of the most important things to keep in mind are:

(SLIDES)

1. The epistles are not written TO us but written FOR us

Context

Historical/Cultural context

A translated language

History between two people

We can’t read it as written directly to us

but it is God’s word for us

(SLIDES)

2. They are more often than not, written to church communities—not individuals

They contain:

Correction/Rebuke

Encouragement

Instruction/Doctrine

Often we can individualize the epistles, but they are written to groups of people

Here are a couple of my favorite verses

(SLIDES)

Philippians 1:6 (CSB)

I am sure of this, that he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

(SLIDES)

Ephesians 2:8–10 (CSB)

For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—not from works, so that no one can boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.

Expound:

The Scriptures are just as concerned with personally holiness as they are with our community reflecting holiness

(SLIDE to main)

And we have to keep these things in mind as we read them…

And today we are going to be talking about one of the central problem in the early church and one of the main problems today in the church

What these letters are written to address…

It’s not the Romans who want the Christians dead… but their main problem is:

Division and disunity

The Main Problem in the Early Church—Disunity

In Acts, the Church is unstoppable…

We see that the threat of the church hardly comes from the outside… its almost always from within

Sin—Ananias and Sapphira

Complaints and disagreements

False Teachers

Judaizers

One of the problems right at the center of the Church in the NT is division:

Division over Discipleship - Paul, Apollos, Peter, etc.

Division over Jew/Gentile

Division over Social/Economic Status

Division over Sin/Interpersonal Conflict

And think about how hard of a job it was to bring people together

You have people from vastly different backgrounds

Jews (who are the people of God) and Gentiles (who were seen as separated from God)

Rich people and the poor

Powerful people and powerless people

Pharisees like Paul and Nicodemus and prostitutes and tax collectors

Fishermen, widows, tent-makers,

All living in community together; sharing meals, living life together

And we face the same problems today

The real threat of the Church is not out there…

Politics/Leaders

Laws

‘Culture’ that pollutes

The real threat is within

Are we going to divide over things we really shouldn’t?

Are we going to be happy with our little circle and not branch out to be a part of a bigger community?

As Christians, we are called to live in community with one another

Church isn’t optional; its necessary if we are serious about following Jesus

Fortunately in the past they had to work through their problems and strive for unity

But in today’s day, we can just go to a new church down the street

Or just sit in the back, never actually getting to know anyone

Or just spectating online watching a stream

We can just ignore the people we don’t want unity with

But not only that, the world we live in is pressuring us and pushing us away from community

For a very long time in the west, we have focused on our individualism

Which is not bad… but it can be

And our relationship with God has been impacted by this

Even my own relationship in high school and college

Mainly up to me—between me and Jesus

Church is optional—pep talk/learning

And I could get that online—podcasts and sermons

Meanwhile:

I had no one to talk to about Jesus—other people didn’t understand

I had no way to talk about my struggles and ask for help

It wasn’t until after college that I discovered the importance of Christian community

That our relationship with God is actually more than just me and him

We have been brought into a family

We need others and we are needed by others

And just like any family—there’s drama and hurt

But throughout the epistles we are told to strive for unity—to not be divided

That our journey in life isn’t a lone path

But it path we are all taking together

So I want to end today talking about our Unity in Christ

Unity in Christ

What comes do your mind when you think of unity?

A Biblical Definition:

Not just on the same team; or being able to work with another person

Unity means one-ness

Where we actually care for each other out of love, sacrifice, and compassion

Like we read in the scripture reading: our bodies

Our bodies work in unity—all of the cells, tissue, and organs

expound

(SLIDES)

Ephesians 4:1–6 (CSB)

Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope at your calling—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.

Another way to describe Unity is as humility, and considering others more than yourself:

Listen to Paul’s words in Philippians:

(SLIDES)

Philippians 2:1–4 (CSB)

If, then, there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, make my joy complete by thinking the same way, having the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look not to his own interests, but rather to the interests of others.

And remember, this is not just with the people we like and gravitate towards—this is with everyone who believes in Jesus

Can you consider the person next to you as more important than yourself?

What about the person in this room that you’ve never spoken to?

What about the person that you can’t stand?

So unity sounds so nice and easy in concept… but it is very difficult

It means denying ourselves

It means loving people we wouldn’t naturally think much of (true love—sacrificial)

To love somebody—is opening ourselves up to be hurt by them

We can love, and sacrifice ourselves for others—just for them to take it for granted

I have a very difficult truth to share with you this morning: The Church will hurt you

If you are committed to following Jesus in community—you are going to be burned, offended, taken for granted.

And it is a hard truth

It’s because all of us are still human, we still make mistakes, we still have our selfish tendencies

But on the flip side there is another hard truth: You will hurt people in the Church

Whether you think it is reasonable or not, you will fail people, ignore people, take people for granted

You will have to ask people for forgiveness and receive forgiveness

And with all of this—we will be tempted to leave—pack our bags and find a new community

But we are not called to take the easy path, we are called to love, and forgive, and reconcile, for the sake of unity in Christ

As Paul says:

(SLIDES)

Colossians 3:12–14 (CSB)

Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and dearly loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a grievance against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you are also to forgive. Above all, put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.

So before we talk about the purpose of this unity I do want to take some time to address forgiveness and relational hurt

If you are here today and you are harboring bitterness and resentment towards another person

God is calling you to forgive them

It is not an easy process or a one-time event

But he’s calling us to forgive because

(1) He has forgiven us (parable of servant)

(2) Its what’s best for us (drinking poison)

So if you feel a disunity in your life with others

We as followers of Jesus are called to be peacemakers

People who love our enemies

People who forgive the unworthy

And this is not easy—it is one of the hardest things we can do

So if you need help, prayer, wisdom, guidance, we are here to walk through this with you

But I want to end today with the grand purpose of unity—To display the love of God

Listen to Jesus’s own words:

Here we have Jesus praying—the night before he is crucified—and hes actually praying for you and me (which is crazy)

And what is he praying for? — Unity

John 17:20–23 (CSB)

“I pray not only for these, but also for those who believe in me through their word. May they all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us, so that the world may believe you sent me. I have given them the glory you have given me, so that they may be one as we are one. I am in them and you are in me, so that they may be made completely one, that the world may know you have sent me and have loved them as you have loved me.

Being brought into unity with God

“May they also be in us”

This is the gospel

we are forgiven so that we can be made one with God

Jesus says it twice: He desires unity with us and for us so that the world might know that He was truly sent by God

In other words: True Unity in the Church is a witness to the truth of the gospel

We are to be so loving, forgiving, gentle, kind—for the sake of unity—because what God has done

That the world scratches it’s head

Something is different here

(Back to main Slide)

Story: Steven M.

Best friend in college

Atheist—ex-catholic

Hurt me deeply —Girl Drama

In my response—I knew I had to forgive him

I kept loving him

And hes not a Christian—but it opened so many conversations with us

He knows that if people actually follow the way of Jesus its revolutionary

But he also knows that its not the case for most people

Which brings me to the reality of our present circumstances:

How is the church seen by the world around us (not saying this stuff is true):

Arrogant

Bigoted

Uneducated

Dogmatic

Judgmental

Hypocritical

I think this is widely because the Church has forgot it calling to unity

We’ve divided and called others names

We’ve considered our own rights more than others

We’ve cancelled people and cut them off

Or we’ve aligned with a political party more than the kingdom of heaven

And guys, perhaps the greatest witness to the world in this time of chaos and division is our unity

The way we love those who are different than us

The way we listen to those who disagree with us

The way we sacrifice ourselves for the sake of others

This is life-changing

We have a unique opportunity in our time to be united in love and be peacemakers

So as we wrap-up, these next couple of weeks, I encourage you to read the epistles

As you read them you can’t help but see one of the major themes is unity

That Jesus himself, on his last night, prayed for our unity

We have been made one with Christ—we have been brought into the love of God

God sees us (not in sin) but in Christ

And we stand in unity with one another—beckoning and inviting others into the same unity

(SLIDES)

So as we end I want to leave you all with a question:

Am I living in unity with other Christians?

If not, how can I work towards unity with others?

Do you have any relationship with other Christians?

Do you have a strained relationship with other Christians

If so, who can I invite (who doesn’t know Jesus) into this unity?

It’s not about keeping ourselves happy—its about spreading this love to all