Hope

Unity

“ I, Thereforea prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.

Always be humble and gentle.

Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.

Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.

For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is overall, in all, and living through all. However, he has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭4:1-7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Lost in Translation Series - those things lost over the last years - my mission is to bring the word today and hopefully bring a revelation of what it means for us as a church to operate in unity - to guard the unity- to fight for the unity that we have been given.

We must match our conduct to our conviction, our behaviour to our beliefs, and application to the revelation

When we talk about “Unity” I am reminded of Psalms 133 -

behold, how good and pleasant it is

when brothers dwell in unity![a]

2 It is like the precious oil on the head,

running down on the beard,

on the beard of Aaron,

running down on the collar of his robes!

3 It is like the dew of Hermon,

which falls on the mountains of Zion!

For there the Lord has commanded the blessing,

life forevermore.

It’s so important that we walk in unity. That we guard unity. Unity isn’t just something the Lord is asking of us. It’s a behaviour we need to model. In the world we live now, we need to stand in unity as a church now more than ever.

So today as we dig into the word today - I want to show you a couple of things in the Holy Spirit-inspired writings of the Apostle Paul.

The way Paul wrote his letters was in 2 major sections.

The doctrine sections and the application section - the information and the direct application

Don’t just have doctrine, you need application. You need to live out what you know. We all need to live out our lives based on the revelation you have received.

The direct application you'll see in this instance is in the book of Romans

Romans is the excellent source for theology found anywhere in scripture

Paul clarifies the core concepts of the Christian faith: sin and righteousness, faith and works, justification and election.

Then in chapter 12, he shifts gears. And moves onto the application.

A Living Sacrifice

1Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.

2Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

There may be some Christians that have full of knowledge - theology- all that fancy book learning - but still have yet to offer themselves up as a living sacrifice - still haven't applied the word of God to your life and that ends up in deception.

So Paul says there is information then there is application.

Are we living our life based on the revelation that we have received in the finished work of Jesus on the cross or do we have a stack of notes sitting in a drawer or on your phone?

Let’s go to Galatians - spend four 4 chapters

Paul talks about Law without Grace produces bondage - talks about Abraham and his 2 sons - the difference between being a Son and Being a servant - and then the shift.

Then the shift - Chapter 5 -

Galatians 5

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

So Paul gives us 4 Chapters of Doctrine and theology about the difference of being under the yoke of the law vs the freedom in Christ but then brings it to us and puts it on us.

You have to stand on your Liberty and the freedom that he paid for. We have to recognize it and stand firm in it.

Application.

Now let’s move on to our text.

In Ephesians.

If you have been following us the past months with messages - we have talked about Who we are in Christ - What a Kingdom culture is - adoption - saved by Grace.

Ephesians 4 - we see the shift - information and theology - doctrine - application.

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.

The word ‘worthy’ means having comparable weight of another thing: equal weighting. It’s the picture

of a scale, where on one side is doctrine, theology, gifting, revelation. On the other side is application,

walking it out, conduct and behavior. They need to be balanced.

Dave Patterson says it this way.

When our doctrine and information outweigh our practice and application, it leads to deception

We can - go to church - hear good teaching - bible school - every bible study - every class on hermeneutics - theology - apologetic - all of it - and walk headlong into deception if you do not apply the word of God to your life.

James 1:22

New International Version

22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

James 1:22

New Living Translation

22 But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.

If I just hear good sermons and do nothing about it, it is self induced, self deception.

2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called;

5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism;

6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

Make every effort - exert energy -

Look at it this way

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++=++++

All in your life he does to relationships and He blesses unity - the work of the enemy is done through Division and separation - take it all the way back to the Garden of Eden right - we have the creator of the first creation of Adam and Eve - Lucifer's primary job is in those early days of creation he brought a division between the Creator and the created.

The enemy put a little wedge of division between the creator and the created - that wedge turns into a tear in the fabric of that relationship - it separates us. It divides us. Separation is always the work of the enemy that not God’s way. He wants restoration, peace, love, and….unity.

As a pastor, I have had to marry people. And what's the scripture you often see in the marriage vows.

Matthew 6:19

So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

God has put marriages together - one man one woman - until death do us part. God created that - that is a biblical covenant vow - the plan of the enemy of every marriage is division - to bring something in between you and your spouse - to bring a wedge - with is a separation which will lead to divorce

He wants to put a wedge between families - to separate them - to separate churches - denomination against denomination - church against church - pastor against pastor.

Just before Covid last. There was a meeting where many churches around Kelowna met. Prayer meeting at Evangel. It was an amazing time of prayer. The significance of the moment is the I believe 17 churches - many diff denoms - many diff beliefs on the non-essential issues - but all believed in the same God that sent his Son to die for our sins.

God works through unity - enemy through division.

Luke 11:17

17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls.

The Final Words of Jesus - this is the prayer that he prayed - just hours before he died.

John 17:20-23

New International Version

Jesus Prays for All Believers

20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message,

21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—

23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

Did you see that?? Unity in the church is the way that the world will know the Father sent Jesus to the cross to die for the sins of the world.

What does that mean?? It means that the responsibility of Guarding the Unity of the church is on us - not on Jesus - he already paid the ultimate cost it’s up to us to Guard the Unity. Guarding Indicate that there is something to guard.

There is a cost to unity - Jesus paid the price already - we have to walk it out - but there is a cost - the cost

Have to give up being “right" to maintain unity.

We let politics - religious differences - disagreements petty arguments - many non-critical - non-essential issues keep us from unity

The Apostle Paul wasn’t blind to the differences in language, culture, gender, or economics just as we shouldn’t be. but his attention was fixed elsewhere.

The church shows the power of God’s grace and mercy—the church is a collection of people who have been rescued, reconciled, and restored………..hear this church ……..regardless of what divides us.

All of these things are the product of what Jesus did on the cross and if he gave his life, we can fight for unity so other people can know what Jesus did on the cross.

Paul is really saying two things. First, the bible is saying “make unity a priority.” And second, the word is saying “unity is something that needs to be treasured, kept, and guarded.”

Here are a few things I want us to understand from this text - there is more - so much - before we move to how Guard the Unity

Unity is a gift from God.

In Ephesians 2, Paul explains how unity comes as a result of salvation. What This means - unity among fellow Christians is a gift of grace - like salvation itself. As Ephesians 2:13–16 teaches, Jews and Gentiles were made “one new man” by the death and resurrection of Christ.

We cant afford to look at unity among believers as a luxury item, like heated seats or an entertainment system. unity in Christ and unity in the body of Christ is what the church IS. and thats why we have to Guard it and fight for it.

Unity is most opposed by pride and self-interest.

(Ephesians 4:2)Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.. Without these things - application items - all of our structure and systems will fail.

As we pursue a deeper relationship with him and become more and more a disciple of Jesus, be like Jesus —rather than following the behaviours and thoughts shallow than the arrogant bravado of our world leaders and entertainment stars—will those spiritual fruits take root in our life. But when they do, when love roots our pride and gentleness replaces impatience, then we will see unity catalyzed in the church.

Unity does not mean uniformity.

As we see in verse 7, Paul stresses that the unified body has many various gifts. And here the gifts are people (see vv. 8–11). Indeed, because the gospel unites people from every nation, every race, every language and culture, it unites people that the world cannot and won’t unite

. It does not mean everyone looks the same, talks the same, or thinks the same. It means, however, that because we believe the same gospel, we can grow in grace together guard unity together.

Unity requires a doctrinal center – the gospel.

In Ephesians 4:4–6, the word one is listed seven times. In these same verses, the unity of God is expressed in these core elements of the gospel.

There is one hope because there is one Lord, one faith, and one baptism. That is to say, there is one way of salvation centred on Jesus Christ; there is one faith for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3–4), and there is one baptism in the Spirit by which all men and women are unified to Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12–13).

All of this together -we find that the message of the gospel-centred on Jesus Christ is the unifying doctrine of the church.- more a church elevates this message and tests all doctrines by the gospel, the more it will grow in unity—not to mention maturity. Also - more a church elevates peripheral issues - non-essential item - the more it will divide it self turn away those that don’t know Jesus.

Unity is rooted in God, it’s a gift, but unity is also a behaviour.

Here are a couple ways that we can guard the unity. We take responsibility for our actions - our words -our behaviours.

The most vulnerable place of attack is wherever we are divided.

How to guard the unity

Identify and Eliminate a Critical Spirit.

Criticism:

IS the practice of Judging the merits and faults of someone

the expression of disapproval of someone or something based on perceived faults or mistakes.

Critical spirit

A negative attitude of the heart that seeks to tear and condemn and to destroy with words.

We have all been around critical people - around those that tear down God, church, family etc, we are all guilty of being critical.

Question

Are you comfortable with someone being critical of tearing someone else down if they aren’t there to defend themselves??

Or the come after a sibling - your pastor - connect group leader - a youth pastor.

1 Corinthians 12. Says in commandment form.

1 Corinthians 12

so that there should be no division (Scism..Cool word in KJV) in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honoured, every part rejoices with it.

Bring clothe and tear it.

Here is what happens - when you listen to criticism or entertain a critical spirit - when you do that -it puts little tear - a little wedge in where you are wanting to have unity.

Paul in Roman 16 warns us to stay away from that would cause tears - put wedge of division and stay away from them. The language he uses is strong and we need to realize how dangerous criticism is.

As a church, we should expect to be criticized. Jesus said be careful if everyone speaks well of you. He compares that to false prophets. That’s a whole other conversation. I want to be who God wants me to be not what the world say’s I should be.

If you are around critical people - and they are tearing the church, or your family, or your leaders.

Question:

What are they TALK ]ING ABOUT when they aren’t around you??

And the truth is about a critical spirit is this.

I am most critical when I am least prayerful - spend less time with Jesus - when I fill myself with the word of God intentionally be in his presence - less tolerance - less grace - this is true because God doesn’t speak criticism - but the enemy does that his first language

God speaks grace - hope - mercy - love - forgiveness -

Enemy is the accuser of the brothers and sister (brethern)

Hear this - we will speak most like the one we listen to most.

Disunity is not of God.

Here is an application -

Ephesians 4:29

New International Version

29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

Be unoffendable (Refuse to carry an offence)

Jesus said that in this life you will have the opportunity to be offended.

Someone will say something - our pastor - you will have the opportunity to be offended.

Offence is an event - carrying the offence is a choice. I have known people - offended at a church for years - lost relationships - lost ministries -

Proverbs 19:11

New International Version

11 A person’s wisdom yields patience;

it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense.

How do you overlook an offense? You are usually not offended with people you don’t have relationship with?

Guy cuts you off on the highway shake fist in anger - usually goes away and then you cool and its all good. --

Those that you know are the ones that will offend you the most - how do you overlook an offense from someon you know? - You look at their character - you look back into their history and realize they have done some grea loving things - and that they love God - they have shown they love you.

2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

We have to be humble, gentle, patient, showing each other love - even if we disagree with them, even if their political beliefs are different - even if their view of the church is different - we are called to something higher - we are called to such unity that people know how much God loves them.

We must match our conduct to our conviction, our behavior to our beliefs, and application to the revelation.

Unity is the indisputable proof that God is in the house

Even more, when the church is in unity in the gospel truth and humble love, it will display to those who don’t know Jesus what the gospel does.

In truth, the gospel is a message of grace, news that is heard not seen. But when that message is believed by a community of faith, and that community covenants to love one another, it makes the audible, visible—and the power, wisdom, and goodness of God is seen.

For that reason, pursuing church unity is worth the effort, And when that happens it strengthens believers and draws unbelievers to God’s power, love, and wisdom.

Lets Pray.