Younity - Understanding Biblical Unity (Five Foundational Priorities) - (Part 4) - 01/30/2022

Pastor Wayne D. Mack Sermon Notes January 30, 2022 Understanding Biblical Unity Five Foundational Priorities John 17: 3-5; 9 & 11; 20-23 3 And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. 4 I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. 5 And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was. 9 “I pray for [the 12 Apostles]. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. 11 Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are. 20 “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; 21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: 23 I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made Page | 1 perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. Start Here Of all that is going on in the world right this moment – a state of UNITY is not one of them. Hardly anywhere on the seven continents, but especially on the North American continent, is there to be found what secular dictionaries define as the state of being united or joined as a whole, or the state of being in full agreement : HARMONY – whether politically, nationally, socially, relationally, or familial (or family). Where there is no unity the people are divided. And if people are divided then so are systems, values, governments, marriages, societies - and unfortunately some churches and people who profess to be Christfollowers. This morning, on this last “New Year” Sunday of January 2022 (already), I want make sure all of our members are clear on what God’s unity for the church looks like. It is not the same as secular or worldly unity. That’s what I call “common unity” and God is anything but common. God’s unity is different and every Born-Again Believer is required to know the difference. Knowing the difference will help us get along better and keep God’s purposes for the church the main thing. In other words, as members of God’s family, we will not be what the Apostles called ignorant troublemakers and loudmouths dogmatically promoting a brand of something that sounds sound and feels good but has no biblical basis whatsoever. Page | 2 Jude, Peter, and Paul denounced such as double minded, unstable, and selfish sowers of discord. I know that is strong language, but it’s also language that exposes us to the threats lurking right in the midst of churches today. Jude said for that cause, we must contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. 4 For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord [b]God and our Lord Jesus Christ. The Message Bible says in this way: Dear friends, I’ve dropped everything to write you about this life of salvation that we have in common. I have to write insisting— begging! —that you fight with everything you have in you for this faith entrusted to us as a gift to guard and cherish. What has happened is that some people have infiltrated our ranks (our Scriptures warned us this would happen), who beneath their pious skin are shameless scoundrels. Their design is to replace the sheer grace of our God with sheer license—which means doing away with Jesus Christ, our one and only Master. With that said, in this morning’s message, I want to share FIVE Foundations upon which biblical UNITY rests upon in God’s church. So, I’ve entitled today’s message: Understanding Biblical Unity ~ FIVE Foundational Priorities [Before I address the Five, let me explain What is UNITY according to the Bible? Page | 3 Biblical unity is oneness of purpose. [Whose purpose? God’s Purpose!] Unity is not sameness or majority agreement. It is distinctiveness going in the same direction to accomplish a common spiritual purpose. Unity is purpose driven, not people or persons driven. To illustrate this, look at John 17:4. Here Jesus says: I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. Likewise, everyone who has ever been born again and who names the name of Jesus, including the 12 disciple – have been given spiritual work to finish which is all moving in the same direction to accomplish God’s common spiritual purpose – that is: That He be Worshiped and Glorified. Although our gifts and assigned ministries might be different, the one common purpose is the same direction, • adhering to the same TRUTH, • upholding the same holiness and blood-stained banner, • believing in the same purpose, • seeking the same Jesus, hoping for the same eternal life, • serving and praying to the same Heavenly Father, • endeavoring to keep the same unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, • pursuing the same SEVEN Unities of Ephesians 4. . . one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. Page | 4 This is a picture of what biblical unity looks like -- everyone who is born of God is moving in the same direction to accomplish God’s will, not our own. So, unity is more than a definition. It is more about destination. It is the starting point to becoming one with the Son of God. If you have obeyed the truth of God’s Word and are abiding in it and Him in you, then you have oneness or UNITY with God – and are now one of the special called out ones charged to endeavor to keep or maintain the unity of the Spirit. Jesus Himself said “unity is the condition of being one with Christ through salvation and the truth just as Christ is One with the Father”. In John 17: 20 -23, Jesus is speaking to those who would come after Him who would become believers after hearing the Apostles gospel. Here’s how He framed true biblical Unity: He said: 20 “I do not pray for these alone [Meaning His 12 disciples], but also for those who will believe in Me through their word [Everyone who would be saved by the Truth of the Apostle’s preaching]; 21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: 23 I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. Page | 5 This is a perfect picture of biblical unity. Jesus here in Chapter 17 is praying His third prayer for all new believers. (BTW – Chapter 17 is known popularly as The true Lord’s Prayer]. In this chapter, Jesus first prayed for Himself and secondly for His 12 disciples. And, Thirdly, he prayed for all other believers that would be saved by the Apostles preaching and beyond. The message that Jesus’ prayer holds for us is that unity among Believers results from the indivisible unity of God (10:38; 14:10-11, 20,23; 15: 4-5). Now, here are the FIVE Foundational Priorities of Unity for the Believer as found in the Bible: 1. FIRST, Biblical Unity is Spiritual. It is God-breathed, God-governed, and is a supernatural state of being that belongs to God. The fact that it is Spiritual automatically signals that it is not driven by the will of man, but God alone. It has no equal and therefore man’s definition of unity does not rank or compare. It is a one-of-a-kind UNITY that is unmatched by anything in the natural earth realm. Man’s secular unity is designed to forge comradery and agreement (Sororities, Fraternities, Work Groups, Sport’s Teams – none of these have eternal value. God’s divine unity is designed to unite those who obey His truth and move them supernaturally into a place of oneness with Him and Jesus our Lord. 2. Biblical Unity is Driven, Preserved, and Fueled by God’s Truth, Page | 6 The foundation of Biblical Unity is based in the Word of God, not the world. In John 17, Jesus talks exclusively about unity in the form of oneness by using these words in verse one: 17 Jesus spoke these words [that symbolizes TRUTH from the mouth of Jesus Himself. Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, Again, Ephesians 4:3 says of unity: 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. 3. Biblical Unity is Found Only in the Church – The Body of Christ. Only those who are the called out, that is, the universal Church, are privy to God’s supernatural spiritual unity. It can’t be replicated or duplicated by the world and its systems. Here’s an example: John 17:9 & 20 9 “I pray for [the 12 Apostles]. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. Page | 7 20 “I do not pray for these alone [the 12], but also for those who will believe in Me through their word [that’s us and everyone who has ever answered the call to salvation. 21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. Unity is Baked Into the Church; it is not based on some secular or business world concept. Believers do not create unity but are to preserve the unity already established. What that means is that God has already built in or placed unity in the Church, the Body of Christ as opposed to the believers having to work at bringing unity. It is our pleasure to enjoy the UNITY God has already planted in the Body. Spiritual unity is exclusive to the church. Such unity can only be found in the body of Christ. 4. Biblical Unity is Steadfast, Unwavering and Tamperproof. Biblical Unity can Never Be Overthrown; The most that any outside or inside entity can do to biblical unity is frustrate it with bad conduct or behavior. The unity we are required to endeavor to keep and to maintain is not something that depends on our strength, fears, rather – it is required of us to depend on God’ divine order and submit to the unity He has already gotten for us and placed within. Page | 8 Eph. 4: 4 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, 2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Biblical unity should be free of selfishness, competition, discord, division, and disunity. 5. Biblical Unity is the Epitome of Jesus Prayer to the Father on Our Behalf. Jesus’ prayer for us in John 17:20 was really a prayer request to the Father for all Believers to be One just as He and the Father are One. Let us submit to Jesus’ hope for us and make it a Praise Report. It’s not about just doing it, but rather: Being it! Unity means that there is but one God, who is indivisible. Finally . . . Unless everyone who is a member of Grace Place get these principles and understands them, like any of God’s churches, the unity we aspire to live out will be threatened everyday of our existence. Thank God, biblical unity can’t be affected by natural means. Understanding Biblical Unity Five Foundational Priorities Page | 9