United To Jesus

Ephesians 1:3-14 NLT

In all my years as a Christian and a Pastor the biggest question I struggle with is why does unity among Gods people often seem so elusive?

Some of my earliest memories of Church have to do with the inability of a group of people to unite with each other to fulfill God’s mission through their local church.

Illustration Dad coming home mad after every board meeting....in the end it had more to do with Dad’s willingness to unite with Jesus than it did with others unwillingness to work with dad.

If my dad was really close to the heart of Jesus he would not have been so critical of his fellow board members.

If I were to ask you for similar stories I am sure you all would be able to point to a time where you or someone you loved was unable to unite with others as well.

You might have a story about a relative that can never apologize for a mistake, a co worker that’s never at fault, or even a time or two when you were so commited to your own will that it cost you in relationships to others.

When we are not united with Christ we are also disconnected with the very people we are called to be the most united with. Family, Friends, co workers and last but not least other Christians.

Scripture teaches that unity with others is directly connected with how united Christ followers are to Jesus himself.

This means that the farther apart we are from others the father we are from understanding the word of God.

We often struggle with unity in the body of Christ becuase we have a misunderstanding of Jesus mission to apply His teaching to the world.

3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Ephesians 1:3

The blessings we receive are spiritual blessings not material rewards.

This is an important distinction becuase so much of the preaching today revolves around the idea of having things, having perfect health or having the right politics is a sign of being united to Christ.

In fact we see volumes of both Christian fiction and Christian non fiction be dedicated to extrapolating the idea that blessings from God are mainly physical in nature.

However Paul does not say this here…Paul is excited not because God has blessed the us with material things, health or political power...but becuase God designed and implemented the means by which we are saved.

The Blessing is salvation This is what unites us to Christ…This has always been the Sacred plan of God for all of creation.

9 God has now revealed to us his mysterious will regarding Christ—which is to fulfill his own good plan. 10 And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth. 11 Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan. Ephesians 1:9-11

What is God’s plan? To bless humankind with salvation. To bless humankind with spiritual blessings and at the right time (God’s Time) To unite all of Creation to God self!

Why Becuase spiritual blessings lead to eternal blessing.

An unhealthy focus on the comforts of this world will lead to a superficial disjointed faith a best. It leads us to having to explain why some Christians have and some have not. It takes the focus off of the real blessings from God.

13 And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. Ephesians 1:13

God’s purpose in leaving Holy Spirit is not to make life easier or better…Holy Spirit’s purpose is to remind, empower and lead us into unity with God and each other.

14 The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people... Ephesians 1:14

To be God’s united people cannot and will not happen unless we allow Holy Spirit to help us value the true blessing (Salvation) instead of material blessings.

When you find yourself in opposition of people who are on the same team our first question must be where am I disconnected from Gods will.

Wesley lists six ways expressed by Paul by which a person can break unity in Christ:

“Unprofitable” conversation that lacks a ministry of grace to people; dehumanizing people that do not think like you

Developing a bitter attitude;

Allowing anger to control the person,

Developing a less-than-tender-hearted attitude;

Failing to forgive one another;

Vulgar speech; or gossip and backbiting which centers around the faults and shortcomings of another.

The Holy Spirit will continue to reunite your will with the will of God and the result will be unity with others. In order to strengthen the ties the bind you to God we have to sever those things that bind us to desire our own will.

16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16,17

If we are not in the Word of God allowing these things to happen we are being controlled by someone other than God and that is who or what we are truly united with.

Imagine the effectiveness of a Christian Community if every individual was strongly united in Christ.

Being united with Christ will naturally lead to being united with others.

When this is the case Holy Spirit makes the impossible possible…It takes people who have different personalities, desires, political agendas, and ideas of life and makes them one in the power of God.

This type of unity among God’s people will also lead to transforming the lost to found... and enables other miracles that lead others to salvation.

If we want to see the supernatural power of God in our community we must fall in love with salvation not the supernatural expressions of it.

What if for the next 2 weeks we asked God to reveal to us through scripture and Holy Spirits prompting when our Pride, Preference, or need for Convenience Comfort, or Influence are driving our disunity with others? ...

Communion

This is the point in the service where we come to receive communion, which is a way uniting with Jesus,

It is a remembrance of the blessing and miracle of salvation and a reminder of Jesus second coming.

The Lord’s Supper is a means of grace in which Christ is present by the Spirit. It is to be received in reverent appreciation and gratefulness for the work of Christ.

All those who are truly repentant, forsaking their sins, and believing in Christ for salvation are invited to participate in the death and resurrection of Christ.

We come to the table that we may be renewed in life and salvation and be made one by the Spirit.

In unity with the Church, we confess our faith:

(Repeat after me) Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.  

On the night in which He was betrayed, He took bread, gave thanks, broke the bread, gave it to His disciples, and said: “This is my body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”

Let us partake of the body together.....

Likewise, when the supper was over, He took the cup, gave thanks, gave it to His disciples, and said: “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this in remembrance of me.” Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Let us partake of the cup together.

Now Receive this Benediction from 2 Pet. 3:18 - May you grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.