Coming Together

Introduction:

Today, in the church, we are hearing a lot about unity. And Unity in the church is important. Jesus even prays that we would be one.

John 17:22 CEB

I’ve given them the glory that you gave me so that they can be one just as we are one.

I SAW personally an example of unity on Oct 13-14 of last year. Hundreds of church leaders met in Reynoldsburg from all over Pennsylvania and Ohio to create a new conference.

We came together.

That was healthy unity.

But not all unity is healthy. Germany was unified under Hitler, which led to the world suffering through World War 2.

Hitler's invasion of Poland in September 1939 drove Great Britain and France to declare war on Germany, and World War II had begun. Over the next six years, the conflict would take more lives and destroy more land and property around the globe than any previous war. World War II was the biggest and deadliest war in history, involving more than 30 countries.

That was unhealthy unity.

Unity can be either healthy or unhealthy. It is all dependent on why we are united.

Paul tells us in our passage today that there are two Distinctions that unite us.

The first distinction that unites us is...

You are a New Creation

2 Corinthians 5:17 NASB95

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

Psalm 51:10 NASB95

Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Ephesians 2:10 NASB95

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

John 3:3 NASB95

Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

The First & Second Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians (King James Version) H. The Ministry: Its Message, 5:17–6:2

Whereas a man was dead to God, as a new creature he becomes alive to God.

→ Whereas a man had no relationship with God, as a new creature he is given a relationship with God.

→ Whereas a man was not sure about God, as a new creature he is absolutely certain about God.

→ Whereas a man never fellowshipped and communed with God, as a new creature he fellowships and communes with God all the time.

→ Whereas a man was living in sin and immorality, as a new creature he lives in righteousness and holiness.

→ Whereas a man had to face death, as a new creature he never has to die.

→ Whereas a man was doomed to judgment and eternal separation from God, as a new creature he is destined to live eternally in the presence of God.

National Corvette Museum

On our way back from Nashville we saw a sign for the National Corvette Museum. Ed and I love cars, old cars, new cars, all cars. The opportunity to see Corvettes was overwhelming. As we were on the tour we learned this was the museum that had a sink hole open under it. Perhaps you remember seeing it on the news on February 12, 2014. Eight priceless Corvettes dropped into the 30 foot deep sinkhole.

“We were able to put some of the parts from the sinkhole Corvettes back into our cave, and we now have a web cam that allows visitors to actually search in the cave for the car parts,” said the Museum Manager.

Some of them could be restored, but some of them could not. General motors spend a lot of money to restore those broken and damaged corvettes. They had their engineers become restoration specialist.

The Good news this morning I God is not a restoration specialist. God does not take us in our broken and damaged condition and start to replace parts and pieces until we are restored at least as good as we can get. NO! God starts over on us. He makes us a new creation.

Listen to 2 Corinthians 5:17 again.

2 Corinthians 5:17 NASB95

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

Salvation is creation, re-creation, new creation.

John Stott

The first distinction that unites us is we are a new creation in Christ.

The second distinction that unites us is...

You are called to Reconciliation

2 Corinthians 5:18 CEB

All of these new things are from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and who gave us the ministry of reconciliation.

The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament 2644. καταλλάσσω katallássō

καταλλάσσω

The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament 2644. καταλλάσσω katallássō

To reconcile. Used of the divine work of redemption denoting that act of redemption insofar as God Himself is concerned by taking upon Himself our sin and becoming an atonement. Thus a relationship of peace with mankind is established which was hitherto prevented by the demands of His justice

Colossians 1:21–23 NIV

Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.

Romans 5:9–11 CEB

So, now that we have been made righteous by his blood, we can be even more certain that we will be saved from God’s wrath through him. If we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son while we were still enemies, now that we have been reconciled, how much more certain is it that we will be saved by his life? And not only that: we even take pride in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, the one through whom we now have a restored relationship with God.

1500 Illustrations for Biblical Preaching Reconciliation

Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s parents disapproved so strongly of her marriage to Robert that they disowned her. Almost weekly, Elizabeth wrote love letters to her mother and father, asking for a reconciliation. They never once replied. After ten years of letter writing, Elizabeth received a huge box in the mail. She opened it. To her dismay and heartbreak, the box contained all of her letters to her parents. Not one of them had ever been opened!

Today those love letters are among the most beautiful in classical English literature. Had her parents opened and read only a few of them, a reconciliation might have been effected.

The Bible is God’s letter of reconciliation to us. We should open and read it thoroughly and often.

PRAYER

Dear God,

We want unity, but we know that not all unity is healthy unity. We ask you now to remind us that our unity is grounded in two distinctions, first we have become new creations in Christ Jesus your son, and second we are reconciled to you. We confess that often we forget these distinctions, and instead seek unity on lesser grounds. For this we ask your forgiveness. Encourage us to seek unity that is healthy and restoring. Amen.