May 2 2021- How to Gain Love and Unity
6th May 2021
You gave yourself for us – that we might have life in You. Speak into our hearts as we learn to love one another. In Your Name we pray.
It is important to recognize that there are divisions – but we can’t focus on that. Jesus placed an emphasis on love and unity.
Jesus said:
John 17:23 22 "The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one
He is speaking of unity – and gives a very high bar for it! We should be as united as Jesus is with the Father! And of course, our response is – IMPOSSIBLE! And then Jesus explains how it can happen:
; 23 I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.
The trinitarian God is the source and the power – and the resource for us to have this kind of unity in the church. For all eternity – before Creation existed, Father, Son, Holy Spirit lived in eternal unity of love – like this flow of giving and receiving love – kind of like a dance – and all of us have been invited into that relationship! Father, Son, Holy Spirit, Us!
We get to participate in that – and by understanding and living this out – our unity is made perfect and we establish our witness to the world.
Christ in us –
Jesus wants to love others through us, and He wants to love us through one another. So we need to love others, because Christ is in them – and we are to be loved by others, because Christ lives in each of us.
Colossians 3:14 And beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.
Love and unity are connected – unity is only possible if we learn to love one another. Unity in a community is a byproduct of love.
Unity cannot be forced, coerced, guilted, or shamed-into! That kind of unity never lasts. True unity takes place when we love one another.
1 John 4:20 If anyone says, "I love God" and yet hates his fellow Christian, he is a liar, because the one who does not love his fellow Christian whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.
We demonstrate our love for God by loving one another.
There are two big problems when it comes to loving others! 1) Sometimes, God’s people are hard to love! They can be disagreeable and irritating and make me uncomfortable.
2) I can be hard to love! I can be disagreeable and irritating and make 0thers uncomfortable!
Is there a certain kind of Christian you are having a hard time loving? Not an individual, but the kind of Christian we have a hard time loving. What is that kind of Christian?
Second – how do we love those who are hard to love?
Third – how do we live in unity with those with whom we disagree?
Ephesians 4:3 With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
How do we get unity? With humility. It requires a heart of unity.
16 Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty but associate with the lowly. Do not be conceited. (Romans 12:16)
Ephesians 4:3 (NET) With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Eph. 4:3 NET)
Romans 12:16 16 Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty but associate with the lowly. Do not be conceited.
So we need an attitude of humility and not pride, arrogance and conceit. Spiritual pride and arrogance can be the most dangerous kind of all.
Some examples – our dedication to religious rules and codes for the purpose of creating an elite class of disciples.
Pharisees – an attitude of superiority over others – determining who is in or out.
Spiritual rules, codes, and traditions are important, but are never to be used to create a superior class of Christian.
The second is this: thinking we have discovered a superior understanding of the Bible – that we have a corner on the truth.
It comes out like – we are Biblical! The true, New Testament incarnation of the church?
Like THE Ohio State University!
I have THE Biblical truth!
I have THE Biblical community.
What is important to understand – throughout history – think of all the denominations – and every one of those started because the church they were in, at some point, maybe, drifted, and they said, we need to go back to THE biblical way of doing it!
Luther
Calvin
Mennonites
Anabaptists –
And we say – they are all so different, and they all believed that they were doing it to become more Biblical.
Paul said, when we compare, we are ignorant.
A third way of spiritual pride – what we do. We’ve got the preaching thing down in this church! Or worship – this is the WAY it should be done – when it is really just styles. Or communion, mission – whatever.
And a dash of humility wouldn’t hurt Christians today.
We are ALL trying to do it the Biblical way! I have friends who are pastors in different traditions, and they are all trying to do it in best service to God. We just need humility
Eph. 4:3 – Gentleness.
That character quality has been lost in this country – We probably don’t know what it means.
With patience, bearing with one another in love.
The greatest test of our love and disrupter of unity – is our response to others’ flaws, failures, mistakes, and ignorance. How we respond is often what destroys unity.
Paul says clearly: Patiently bearing with one another.
There is a continual acceptance – the offering of grace, mercy, and forgiveness.
Making every effort to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace
We work together with the Holy Spirit to create this unity. We are to make every effort – think about that! This was so important – we need to work hard at love and unity – it must be a priority for all of us.
If you struggle with some form of spiritual pride – and we all do – even to the point of – I’m just so broken.
There is a vaccine for you – Romans 12:16
Associate with the lowly. If you want to deal with pride and arrogance – associate with the lowly. That takes many forms – our concepts of the lowly might be different from one another. IN the New Testament – it was the poor – and in the Roman Empire – 65% of people lived at or below the SUBSISTENCE level! Those with illnesses were marginalized. The people with disabilities – were separated and outcast. Race issues – Samaritans/Gentiles. And of course, the poor is always part of that.
Let me throw out others – The elderly – those who can’t get out. People who have been alone for a year! We need to associate and make contact. Safely. However we can.
Immigrants!
Mental illness – are seen as the lowly.
Physical disabilities and we have our Samaritans. All of us have a Samaritan – and we need to recognize and know that – so we can address that in our own lives.
Jesus gave a great example – if anyone gave a great example of that – it was Jesus – being the highest to become the lowest.
If Jesus can be God to come to you – that step down is infinitely greater than us stepping down to be with the lowly.
Philippians 2:1 Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, 2 make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.
If/and indeed
And we can just say – God’s joy is complete in us when we do these four things.
Paul is speaking about unity – not unanimity – an attitude, spirit, purpose – there will always be disagreement over theological and doctrinal issues – there will be disagreement over style and tradition – but none of those need to prevent us from doing these four things in verse 2!
Philippians 2:3 3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; 4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. 5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,
This was Jesus’ attitude for coming to earth as a human, and this is how Jesus loves other people through us. When we take His attitude of humility into ourselves and live it out toward others. Remove selfishness and pride – and consider others more important – and become active in meeting needs – Jesus did not hold – grasp – hold on to being God – but set aside the privilege, advantage and position – to be a servant and slave – and give His life.
Paul is saying – the same attitude we need to take in our love for one another. Only as we do that will we be able to address the issues that divide us today. We will not address these issues by coming to the right understanding of those issues
Whether racial/gender/political/style/doctrine divide –
John 13:34 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."
Back to John 17 – I in them, You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity – that the world may know –
We are His disciples when we have love for one another – and the world is watching! Our witness to the world is directly and completely tied to our love and unity for one another.