UNITY IN JESUS: the obvious truth 11-13-22

UNITY IN JESUS: the obvious truth 11-13-22

 

Jesus’ prayer

Jesus’ example

A theological reality

A practical difficulty

What unity looks like

Doing life together

 

The pastor called a special meeting of the congregation to approve the purchase of a brand new chandelier.

 

After some discussion pro and con, an old farmer stood up and said, "Buying a new chandelier may seem like a good idea to you, but I’m against it for three reasons;

               • First of all, it’s too expensive and we can’t afford one.

               • Second, there isn’t anybody around here who knows how to play one; and

               • Third, what we really need in this church is a new light fixture.”

 

“More than half of the trouble that arises in church concerns rights, places, privileges and prestige. Someone has not been given his or her place, someone hasn’t been thanked, someone has been neglected, someone has been given a more prominent place on the platform than someone else and there’s trouble.”

                              K. William Barclay- Biblical commentator

 

“As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 

 

But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why it says: “When he ascended on high, he took many captives and gave gifts to his people.” (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”

                            Ephesians 4:1-13 NIV

 

I.  UNITY OF THE SPIRIT THROUGH THE BOND OF PEACE

 

Bob Russell said, "Critics don’t build churches; they inspect them."

 

“As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”

                            Ephesians 4:1-6 NIV

 

               A.  It’s a spiritual matter.

                              1.  One body

                              2.  One Spirit

                              3.  One hope

                              4.  One Lord

                              5.  One faith

                              6.  One baptism

                              7.  One God and Father of all

                                            a.  Over all

                                        b.  Through all

                                            c.  In all  

 

An African proverb says, "The man who tries to walk two roads will split his pants."

 

               B.  It requires peace.

                              1.  A life worthy of the calling you have received.

                              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.

 

II.  SO THAT

 

“So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”

                            Ephesians 4:11-13 NIV

 

J. Wilbur Chapman was a great preacher of the past but he wasn’t always that way.

When he started preaching in one church, the leaders got together and said, “This man can’t preach for sour grapes. We’re going to have to fire him.”

 

The chairman of the board asked who would go tell him that he was fired. All were reluctant. The chairman then said, “I won’t tell him either, but I will be down in the basement next Sunday at 8 a.m. to pray for him. All those who wish to join me are welcome.”

 

Eight men came that first Sunday. That prayer meeting began to grow and saw J. Wilbur Chapman become one of the more powerful preachers of his time.

 

When asked how his church seemed to always have a good preacher, one of the members said, “We make our preacher a good preacher. All we ask is that we have a man who is earnest and then we’ll make him good. We pay him a good salary, furnish him a good place to live, and look after his physical needs so he has no worry about those matters. THEN WE PRAY HARD FOR HIM. We keep him encouraged. We boost him. He is our man and his success is our success. We make him a good preacher by praying for him.”

 

               A.  Christ gave

                          1.  Apostles

                         2.  Prophets

                     3.  Evangelists

               4.  Pastor/teachers

               B.  The Body of Christ may be built up

                              1.  Until we all reach unity

                           2.  Become mature

 

III.  PERSONAL DECISION

 

A few years ago, at the Seattle Special Olympics, nine contestants, all physically or mentally disabled, assembled at the starting line for the 100-yard dash. At the gun, they all started out, not exactly in a dash, but with a relish to run the race to the finish and win. All, that is, except one little boy who stumbled on the asphalt,tumbled over a couple of times, and began to cry.

 

The other eight heard the boy cry. They slowed down and looked back. Then they all turned around went back... every one of them! One girl with Down’s Syndrome bent down and kissed him and

> said, "This will make it better." Then all nine linked arms and walked together to the finish line. Everyone in the stadium stood, and the cheering went on for several minutes.

 

“The freedom we have in Christ was made believable to an unbelieving world through the Love that was expressed in and through a healthy Biblical Community.”

                              Joe James

 

          A.  Requires Biblical faith

          B.  Requires effort

          C.  Requires maturity

          D.  Requires you

 

The Republican Methodist Church began on Christmas Day, 1793 in Manikintown Virginia. It was formed by several Methodist congregations who rebelled against the Methodist Episcopal form of government brought from England. Soon. There were several thousand members and whole congregations had joined them.

 

Representatives of the group met in August of 1794 in Surry County VA to make decisions as to how they would be governed and what they would be called. Since they had left the Methodist Church, they no longer wanted to be known as Methodists and they could hardly go around calling one another Republicans.

 

At a point in the meeting, a preacher named Rice Haggard stood up with the New Testament in His hand and said, "Brothers, this is a sufficient rule of faith and practice, and by it we are told that the disciples were called Christians, and I move that henceforth and forever, the followers of Christ be known as Christians simply." The motion was carried and from that time on they were simply called Christians. Their Church was, as a result, called the Christian Church. (The Stone-Campbell Movement by Leroy Garrett p. 80.)

 

Decisions are important, but action proves a decision was made.  Go and do unity!

 

CONCLUSION

 

Unity through the bond of peace, so that we reach unity and maturity, you have a personal decision to make

 

CHALLENGE

 

What will you do with what you have just heard?  How will you respond to the Holy Spirit working within you?  The Challenge is intended to give us an opportunity to contemplate what God is calling us to do in our lives.  Consider these questions and write down your answers.  

 

               1.  Do you live a peaceful life?

               2.  How has Christ gifted you?

               3.  Are you equipped for service?

               4.  Do you choose unity?

               5.  How will you “do” unity today?

 

INVITATION

 

It is our custom to offer an "invitation" following the preaching of the Word.  You may want to follow Jesus.  You may want to proclaim your faith.  You may want to repent (stop doing ungodly things and start doing Godly things).  Perhaps you want to be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Possibly, if you have already responded to God’s call in these ways, you would like to become a member of Kenwood Church.  If you have been moved by the Holy Spirit to make a decision in your life, you can come forward now.  If you would like, I would be honored to speak with you following the service about what God is doing in your life.