Being a Unified People

Sermon Series: Biblical Ways of Being
Proverbs 6:16-19 and John 17

January 13, 2008

Manuscript

Big Idea: Being a unified people glorifies God and positions our church to be blessed by God and used by God in life changing ways.

Last week:

We began a new series of messages entitled: Biblical Ways of Being.

The initial weeks of a new year are often weeks where we do some evaluating of the past year and some dreaming about the year to come. It’s a time where we have some fresh perspective and renewed intentionality and we resolve to improve some things about our lives this year that we felt were not as healthy or as productive as they could have been.

A New Year is a great time to:

Think about the status of the relationships in our lives and dare to dream about how we can make them better this next year.
Think about the kind of person we are and dare to dream about the kind of person we want to become.
Revisit the kind of people we are as a community of believers here at Church of the foothills and dare to dream about where God might takes us in this New Year.

A key truth that each of us must wrestle with is that says, “In the end, we are answerable for the kinds of persons we have made ourselves. ...As Aristotle was among the first to insist, we become what we are as persons by the decisions that we ourselves make.” (Bill Bennett in his Book of Virtues in the introduction to the section of writings on Responsibility p. 186)

As we stand on the dawning of a New Year today, you have 352 days to make decisions about the kind of person you are going to be. As I pointed out last week, the kind of person we are impacts every relationship we have. For sure, the decisions we make are personal decisions but they touch every relationship we have.

The first Biblical Way of Being that we looked at last week was Being a Committed/Dependable people. The Bible calls you to be...a person of your word...a person who lives a committed-intentional life...that God and others can count on. Being a committed/dependable person impacts every relationship in your life...Husbands with wives. Wives with husbands. Dad and Mom with your kids...kids and students with your parents. Employer with your employee...employee with your employer. And most importantly, being a committed-intentional person impacts your relationship with God.

What’s more...I want to point out that this first Biblical way of being really sets the foundation for the other ways of being because each subsequent “Way of Being” depends on your decision and commitment to be that type of person. And your commitment to God is the power source that enables you to be that type of person.

Today’s Biblical way of being is: Being a Unified People. Here’s the reality each one of us have to embrace - the cooperate experience of unity starts with a decision in each one of our hearts to be a person who is committed to contributing to unity in your choices of attitude and behavior. Unity as a group is only possible if each member of the group is committed to establishing it and preserving it.

It’s also important for you to realize that in a church like ours, the Bible absolutely insists on unity. The bible places a very high value and a sincere call on believers in a church like ours to be a unified people. It is a huge deal. I fear that because disunity is often so common in churches, we are at risk of settling for it...growing accustom to it...and thereby lowing our commitment to work for it and guard it. But, as we begin a New Year as a church together, I think it is really crucial that we refresh ourselves in this call on our lives as we do community together as a church.

[Transition] - You know what you’ll find as you read the Bible with an eye on God’s posture toward unity? You will find that God is very, very serious about the issue of unity. Let me give you some examples. Again this week I want us to begin in the Wisdom literature of Proverbs chapter 6.

God loathes disunity and the behavior that breeds it (Proverbs 6:16-19).

This chunk of Proverbs is a fascinating piece of Scripture. What’s fascinating in this numerical riddle type structure...“six, yes even seven...things God hates” is that it actually places emphasis on the “seventh” thing. In clear and concise words Proverb really cuts to the chase about the things that are the most disturbing to God. And last, but not in any sense least, on the list of God’s top seven things that are detestable is a person who stirs up dissension among brothers.

In fact, Proverbs 16:28 calls a person who contributes to dissention “perverse.”

These Proverbs makes it pretty clear that one of God’s highest values is unity among those in a family or church community like ours. Now, the point is this: you and I are to be the kind of people that hate the things God hates and value the things God values.

Let me ask you: Are you a disunity hater? Are you committed to unity? Are you a person who pays attention to how you work for unity within our church community? Do your actions, attitudes and speech demonstrate your God-like value for unity? Can you identify any ways in your conduct or speech that do not contribute to unity?

[Transition] – God’s passionate value of unity is just present in the New Testament as it is in the Old. Unity is so crucial that Jesus prays for it and Paul repeatedly prioritizes it. Turn in your Bibles to John Chapter 17:20-26.

Unity is so crucial that Jesus prays for it and Paul prioritizes it.

Jesus values unity so deeply that he makes it high priority in his prayer!

20"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21that 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. 22I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: 23I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. 24"Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. 25"Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them."

Time out for a point of theology: The first thing I want you to see in this prayer is that the foundation of unity among believers is the perfect unity that God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit enjoy within the trinity. Jesus prays for unity to be enjoyed among believers as it is enjoyed within the Godhead. This is probably one of the chief reasons God holds the value of unity so high (20-21a).

Another reason God values unity so highly is that it sends a huge message to non-believers. Jesus identifies unity as a key trait that will actually prove to the World that Jesus is real and has done a powerful work in the lives of believers. This is so true. When the church fights and bickers and gets ugly with one another, the World looks at that and says, “hypocrites,” “Christians are no different than non-Christians.” “Why should I become a Christian?” But, when the Church overcomes all obstacles and bonds together and works together overcoming weaknesses and bridging differences to mobilize themselves to love on their community...the World sits up and takes notice...because that kind of love and that kind of unity can only be super natural (21b-23).

[Transition] – Paul understood God’s high value for us to be a unified people. He champions unity repeatedly in his teaching. Turn to Paul’s Biblical Ways of Being challenge in Ephesians 4:1-7.

Paul champions unity repeatedly in his call to Biblical ways of being.

Ephesians 4:1-7- “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— 5one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”

In this Biblical Way of Being statement Paul not only calls for unity, but he helps us understand the kinds of attitudes and actions that we must have to accomplish it. Notice, unity, for Paul, is possible only when each of us practices-- humility, gentleness, patience and love with each other. And those types of traits...that type of style of relating with one another is only possible through the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Unity is possible as each of us allow the Holy Spirit to transform our lives and enable us to be humble, gentle, patient and loving. This is why further down in this same chapter in verses 11-13 Paul teaches us that the church community is to grow together “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.”

[Transition] – Paul is constantly reminding people about the importance of unity and the attitudes and actions that you and I must be intentional about and committed to if we’re going to promote unity in the relationships around us.

In Philippians 2:2-4 Paul says, “... make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 3Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

And in Colossians 3 Paul challenges us by saying, “Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

15Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.”

[Transition] - I really believe that God feels as passionately as he does about unity because he knows the destruction and pain of disunity.

He knows that disunity is one of the enemy’s chief weapons because it impairs what the church is called to do.

Disunity is one of the enemy’s chief weapons because it impairs what the church is called to do.

Think for a moment with me about the distraction and destruction of disunity:

Disunity drags the name of Jesus and his church through the mud in the community.
Disunity requires the time and energy of leadership and volunteers to be siphoned away from productive, forward moving efforts of ministry.
Disunity discourages people from being involved in church.
Disunity distracts us from our mission to love and serve our community and connect them with Jesus.
Disunity creates an unsafe environment for people to worship, learn, fellowship and serve.

Now, as I said at the beginning, a cooperate experience of unity starts with a decision in each one of our hearts to be a person who is committed to contributing to unity in your choices of attitude and behavior. Remember Aristotle’s point, “...we become what we are as persons by the decisions that we ourselves make.” Because of this, I tried to think through some of the key attitudes and behaviors that undermine and derail unity. Remember I said this series might get annoying at times. Think about these with me and let’s all do a bit of self-reflection and inventory.

Key attitudes and behaviors that undermine and derail unity:

When you see something or hear about something that you don’t agree with, you assume you know all the information and so you immediately form an opinion about it and then talk to others about it.
Assuming someone has a malicious agenda.
Insisting on your personal preferences to be the rule for everyone else.
Not talking to the right people or going to the right source for something and instead murmuring to others who don’t know the correct info, don’t have the ability to fix problem etc.
Hearing something negative or critical and instead of going to the source or someone who would know the accurate information, you spread the information to others...
Simply murmuring or grousing to those around you or in your small group just to blow off steam or show your disapproval.
Perhaps the main Petri dish that grows the destructive virus of disunity is the Petri dish called: lack of trust.

Now, here is one thing I have observed in my 20+ years of ministry in churches: Often those who have been around church the longest are the ones most prone to these types of unity crashers...as a result, they are the ones who must be the most intentional to avoid falling into these traps.

[Transition] – Folks, as we start another year together as a church, I want to refresh us in the Biblical call on our lives to be a unified people. The Bible calls us to unity because it of all its benefits for our personal lives and for our lives together in the church community. If disunity is one of the enemy’s chief tools to derail the church, know that unity is one of God’s chief tools to advance the church.

Unity is one of God’s chief tools to advance the Church.

Let’s think for a moment about all the benefits and blessing that unity can bring for a church:

Unity defeats the enemy in our midst. Unity puts one in the WIN column for God and his church.
Unity fosters healthy community and intimate relationships which we were built for.
Unity fosters healing and trust
Unity breeds safety and encourages risk taking
Unity fosters momentum and maximizes energy invested into the lives of people
Unity glorifies God and wins a good reputation for the name of Jesus in your community.

Romans 15:5-6 says, “May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Unity cultivates an environment that draws people to God.
Unity positions us for God’s blessing

Psalm 133, poetically describes the blessings that God gives to the people who are committed to being a unified people.

How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! 2 It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron's beard, down upon the collar of his robes.

Aaron’s anointing signified his total dedication to holy service. It’s the Psalmist’s poetic way of saying that unity uniquely sets God’s people apart for God’s blessing and God’s use. He goes onto say...

3 It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the LORD bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.

The dew that fell on Mount Hermon was consistently heavy and it would make the Mountains of Zion richly fruitful. It’s the Psalmist’s way of saying that a people committed to being a unified people will be richly and consistently blessed by God.

[Transition] - Being a unified people glorifies God and positions our church to be blessed by God and used by God in life changing ways. So, over this next year, we must all realize that each one of us must conduct ourselves in a way that promotes unity. Let me offer

Practical reminders for being a “unity preserving people”

Pray for unity within our church. If you were able to identify any ways in which your conduct or speech did not contribute to unity, bring that to God and allow him to forgive you and empower you to be only an agent for unity.
When you have a question or concern, do not process it with those in your circle of friends or small group. Go directly to the source or the person that will be equipped to give you the correct information.
When you “hear something” from others realize that they might not have all the information. Don’t grouse with them and further promote miss-information or dis-information. Refrain from forming an opinion and encourage them or even better now that you are in on it, go with them to the person who can give them the correct information.
Be sensitive to what are your personal preferences as you consider what might be best for the whole of the church. Remember the coaching of Philippians 2: 4-“Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”
Seek to trust and assume that best intentions rather than malicious ones. Do everything you can to protect the reputation and dignity of our brothers and sisters in the church. This means being loving and tactful as you are truthful. Romans 12:10 says, “Be devoted to one another in brother love. Honor one another above yourselves”