Unity, No Matter the Cost

Intro

Turn to

Today, we are going to talk about unity.

We are unified by so many different things.

BROAD: gender (pottery barn head nod, mall in Dallas with the “man” area).

city you live in, age or generation

SPECIFIC: Job, neighborhood, school you attended

I’ve lived a few different places now, and I can tell you what I think the fastest way to feel unity with someone else is.....

SPORTS (you thought I was gonna say something about Jesus didn’t you! We’ll get to that)

Sports: the teams you root for are such a quick way to feel comrade with someone.

As a fan of the world’s best NFL team, the Dallas Cowboys, America’s Team, I’ve been able to find unity on this front no matter where I’ve lived or travelled.

We have to stick together when we get in hostile territory, which for Cowboys fans is basically anywhere in the country outside Dallas.

Not even all of Texas is safe anymore.

But

But we feel this sense of loyalty, this sense of commitment, this unity with other humans, based on a variety of different things in our life.

And of course what I want to talk about today is how the unity that we have with one another as followers of Jesus should be greater, deeper, stronger, than any other unity in our lives.

What I want to do is give you my

Here’s what I think we are going to see today, and what I think Scripture will prove:

Unity within the body of Christ is worth it, no matter the cost.

I

I

I think that first part is easy to agree with: Unity within the body of Christ is worth it.

It’s that second part that gets tricky. “No matter the cost.”

This is something I’ve definitely struggled with myself.

There are times when unity is the last thing on my mind, and usually what I’m more concerned about is how to get what I want, or get back at that person that wronged me, or at the very least let everyone in the church KNOW what happened to me so they can feel sorry for me and mad at that other person.

Yes, unity is important, but is it really worth it no matter the cost.

We

Maybe you’ve felt that way at church before, too.

When a change was made that not only do you not like, but no one even asked you about

Or that one person that you sort of wish would go to the other church down the road made another back-handed comment,

Or Ben didn’t sing that one song you really like

My dad led music at my church growing up, and I kid you not he once had someone mad at him because he skipped the 3rd verse of the hymn (like all good baptist churches do), and that was their favorite verse.

These, and a million other little things, can all tempt you to sacrifice unity for self-gratification.

This usually looks 2 different ways.

1, you stomp your feet and shout about not getting what you want. When something doesn’t go your way, you try to change it, or at the very least make sure people know about it.

Or, the other way unity gets sacrificed for self-gratification is by simply removing yourself from the situation.

Some problem occurs; that person said something rude to you, or the pastor said something you didn’t like, or your kid didn’t get the same amount of candy as that other kid, or whatever it is;

And instead of believing that unity is worth it, no matter the cost, we decide that we don’t much like getting up that early on Sunday mornings anyways, so let’s just stop going for a while.

Can I tell you, I understand the temptation for both reactions.

It feels good to have your voice be heard. And other times it’s easy to just run away and stay home, avoiding any conflict, any situation you find uncomfortable.

Bty, at any cost.

But God has called us to more than just a really shallow, basic relationship with each other, where we are constantly getting even and making sure we have our voice heard.

He’s called us to cast aside what our gut reaction would be, what the Bible calls the flesh, meaning how our old sinful selves like to think, and instead, CHOOSE to react how God has commanded us to.

He’s called us to unity, at any cost.

Flesh and Spirit

This isn’t easy! And when you hear stuff like that, about NOT giving in to your gut reaction, you might be thinking, “Well, dang, I’m terrible at that. I always just react how I want to, and then I usually think about it later and realize that was kind of dumb.”

I have a brief word of encouragement if that’s you; You are not alone.

Look at with me

Galatians 5:17 ESV

For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.

Okay, so this is a fundamental truth that we have to understand before we dive into a topic like the one we are discussing today.

What’s described here is the two natures that is within each and every Christian.

First, our flesh, our sinful nature that we inherited at birth, that every person on earth has inherited from Adam.

Then, there is this new nature that we receive from the Holy Spirit at the moment that we are saved. The same Spirit that releases us from the bondage of sin then invites us into this life of full devotion to God.

Now, what this verse tells us is that these two natures, the flesh and the Spirit, are opposed to one another.

They have very different ideas about your life and how it should look.

They are opposed to one another, at conflict with one another.

In fact, in , this topic is discussed again, and look at the language used to describe it.

(ESV) — 11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.

1 Peter 2:11 ESV

Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.

There could have been a whole lot of other language to describe this; a disagreement, a scuffle.

It’s called a WAR!

Now, we are a culture that is quickly becoming more disconnected from the reality of what war looks like than any other in the history of the world.

There are some of you who are old enough to remember when our country being at war didn’t just affect those who fought in it, but everybody.

Now, we have less than .5% of our country serves in the military, and we no longer resort to things like a draft, or rationing gas or food.

These are all great things, by the way, don’t misunderstand me.

But what’s happened is, verses like this one that describe “war,” are easily lost on us if we aren’t careful.

There is a war going on within us. And war can be brutal. It can be unfair, and it can leave you feeling worn out, yet still with plenty of battles ahead.

This is what’s happening inside the follower of Jesus. The old flesh is warring against the Spirit of God who wants to work in and through you.

They have opposite goals, and opposite plans for your life.

And every single day, we are drawn by both to go deeper. Our flesh, to dive deeper into self-gratification, and the Spirit into a deeper, more satisfying, more fulfilling, more hope-filled relationship with Jesus.

It’s this war within us over which today’s message will be laid. As I lay before you what God has asked us to do, how he’s asked us to behave as the Body of Christ, understand that it’s not easy.

It’s a massive battle that goes on between the flesh and the spirit.

But the God who conquered sin and death is on our side, and it’s HE who will fight this war for us, if we’ll only trust him.

And what I know is this; if we as God’s people will devote ourselves to unity, no matter the cost, that we will see God move in ways we could have never imagined.

I’m not saying it will always be easy, but it will be worth it.

Let’s turn to , and see a picture of the unity that God has called us to.

(ESV) — 1 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Philippians 2:1–4 ESV

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Let’s stop there and discuss these first 4 verses.

It begins by telling us what we should be, then tells us how to do it.