The Unified Church (Part 1): A Prayer for Unity
The Unified Church • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 5 viewsOne of the greatest dangers to the Church is strife and disunity. In His high priestly prayer, Jesus prayed for His followers to be unified in Him just as He was unified with the Father. This message explores this prayer and challenges us to be The Unified Church.
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
9 I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. 11 And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. 13 But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. 14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth. 20 “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 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. 22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, 23 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.
1) Be Unified in Identity (v.9-11)
1) Be Unified in Identity (v.9-11)
9 I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. 11 And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.
“…those whom you have given me, for they are yours.”
“…all mine are yours, and yours are mine…”
“Holy Father, keep them in your name…”
19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
The context of this passage is about fleeing sexual immorality, but the implication of realizing that we belong to God at a very high price helps us to put into prospective that He must be our all encompassing identity.
We can associate ourselves with a lot of various affiliations, but first and foremost we must remember that we belong to God exclusively!
Belonging to God means that our highest ambition and desire is to glorify Christ in all things!
“I am glorified in them…” (v.10)
The Church is most unified when we prioritize, celebrate, and lavish in the fact that we are His and we seek to glorify Him together!
2) Be Unified in Integrity (v.13-19)
2) Be Unified in Integrity (v.13-19)
13 But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. 14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.
“I have given them Your Word… (v.14)”
“…keep them from the evil one. (v.15)”
“They are not of this world, just as I am not of this world. Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.”(v.16-17)
“…for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth. (v.18)”
“…these things I speak…that they may have MY JOY fulfilled in themselves. (v.13)”
We cannot be unified just for the sake of unity. We must be unified in the Word and the sanctification that comes from the Word.
Sanctification is a journey. We will all be at various places in the journey, but we are unified when rejoice in the journey together.
When we have a high view of scripture and lean heavily on the Word, the world will hate us…
…BUT when our identity doesn’t come from the world, our integrity and sanctification isn’t tied to the world either.
Jesus set Himself apart to be our life and salvation so that we may hold fast to His Word with a new heart, and a new mind, as a new creation.
14 For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; 15 and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.
The Church grows in unity when we hold fast to the Word of God and draw our integrity from His Word together.
3) Be Unified in Intentionality (v.20-23)
3) Be Unified in Intentionality (v.20-23)
20 “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 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. 22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, 23 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.
“…that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they may also be in us… (v.21)”
“…that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may be perfectly one… (v.22-23)”
“…so that they world may believe that you have sent me. (v.21)”
“…so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. (v.23)”
Being a unified church doesn’t happen by accident.
It requires us to have our minds set on being unified in Christ and in the integrity of the Word.
Being a unified church requires us to purposefully journey towards yield ourselves to Christ together.
The beauty of yielding to Christ together is that even when we disagree on what that looks like, we are able to give each other benefit of the doubt and intentionally exercise the love of Christ as we seek to grow towards Him together.
Our unity, especially in disagreements, shows the world a distinctiveness that out of this world.
Look at the world around us. It is polarized. The world is looking for a reason to be divided.
Rather than reflecting a polarized world, the Church should intentionally be looking for all the reason why we can be together, even if we disagree in some areas.
In the essentials Unity. In the nonessentials liberty. But in all things charity!
The Church displays unity when we intentionally seek to prioritize Jesus together, especially when we disagree on secondary issues.
CLOSING
CLOSING
We do not seek unity, just for unity sake. We seek unity for the sake of Christ’s collective work within us.
The unified Church is unified in Scripture-driven, Christ exalting Identity, Integrity, and Intentionality.
The Seven Unifying Statements of our Church:
God is triune in nature with Jesus being the incarnate Messiah and Lord of all.
God’s love is supreme.
In His love, we love others.
His Word (The Bible) is inerrant.
His calling to be disciples shapes our lives.
His command to make disciples shapes our purpose.
His love, His Word, His calling, and His purpose unite us together in Him.
If we will all agree to all Christ to define these seven statements for us and we then embrace and prioritize them, we will be a unified and growing church!
In his high priestly prayer before his crucifixion, Jesus could have prayed a variety of different things, but what He did pray for His church to be unified! How precious to our Lord is The Church Unified in Him!
