The Joy of Christian Unity

Preached at Cornerstone Church in Cascade, IA on February 15, 2015.

Open your Bibles to Philippians 1:1-11. Today the title of my message is “The Joy of Christian Unity.”

• Philippians 1:27 – 2:11 - “Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, 28 and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. 29 For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, 30 engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have. So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,7 but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
  
  

The Importance of Unity

As we sit here today, we have an enemy, and not just any enemy, but the most powerful created being in the Universe, Satan. In Isaiah 14:12, Satan is referred to as the Day Star, son of Dawn. In Ezekiel 28 he is described as signet of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. In Heaven, he was the guardian Cherub before his fall. Because of his great beauty he became prideful and He attempted a coup. His desire was to exult himself above the Sovereign God. For the first time in Heaven, there was a break in harmony.

This obviously did not work out well for Satan, for he was cast out of Heaven by God. Jesus speaks of this in Luke 10:18. With Satan’s fall he took with him 1/3 of the Angels. Once on the Earth, he makes his first appearance in the Garden of Eden. What is he attempting to do? He is attempting to achieve more followers. He is successful in convincing both Adam and Eve to listen to him and not listen to God, and in that moment everything changes. He creates division between God and man and the tranquility of the Garden of Eden is transformed into shame, guilt and separation. And at that moment for the first time on Earth, there is a disruption in the harmony of Creation.

From that point on Satan wonders the Earth like prowling lion looking for people to devour; whether that be Job, Israel, Jesus, the Aposltes, the early Church or Cornerstone Church. Prior to Jesus’ crucifixion Jesus spoke to this reality. Jesus prays this:

• John 17:15 - “I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.  
  
  

Satan is real. Jesus prays that Satan will stay away from the disciples, and not only them but for everyone who believes in Christ. Just a few verse later Jesus prays this.

• John 17:20- "I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 
  
  

In that moment, Jesus is praying for all of you who have believed in the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are all recipients of the good news that was proclaimed first by the disciples and then spread out to Judea, Samaria and then the ends of the Earth. But then Jesus says this starting in verse 1 and I think it is very interesting:

• John 17: 21 – “that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, 23 I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.”
  
  

Jesus is praying for the Church, those who have repented and believed in Christ alone for their salvation. He prays for their protection from Satan, so that they can be perfectly one. Jesus prays for the Churches oneness. In fact he prays for their unity five separate times. Unity was very important to Jesus, and Jesus knew that Satan is a threat to that unity. Jesus was there when Satan broke the harmony of heaven and saw Satan break the harmony in the Garden of Eden. And now as it stands at the beginning of the Last Days with his Church, and His Church is about ready to be unleashed upon the world, he prays for their oneness. A oneness that comes from God. A oneness that is supernatural. A oneness that has the harmony of Heaven. And while Jesus prays, Satan prowls.

From the beginning of the Church, Satan has hated its existence. He hates Christ, he hates his bride, he hates its mission, he hates its harmony, and he will do anything and everything to create discord. Cornerstone Church is not immune to Satan's attacks. In fact, I believe we are actually at high risk of attack. Why? Because we are a threat. As I stood here a few weeks ago, I rejoiced in the prayers that I heard come from our congregation, prayers of gospel orientation, Satan fumed. He hated every prayer request that came out of your mouths. Not only that but he hates mission trips, Bible studies, and discipleship classes called multiply. And don't think for one minute that he is not looking for a foothold for division.

And Satan will do it like he always does, with whispers of temptation. He will appeal to your selfish desires and your self interests. Perhaps you will start to be bothered by certain people, certain songs, certain decisions, certain conversations. As God told Cain before he killed his brother Abel, “sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you,“ the same is true for all of us. So the question I have is when that day comes, if it is not already here, will we follow Cain's lead and throw stones at our brothers and sisters, or will we head God's warning that he gives us today in his Word?

What is Christian Unity?

Let us now turn our attention to the question, what is true Christian unity? Let's start with what Paul and Jesus are definitely, not talking about. The unity we find in John 17 and the unity we find in the letter to the Philippians is not the same unity that we see in the fallen World. They are diametrically opposed to each other. The Unity of the World is a unity of rebellion, a rebellion against God.

If I were to chose a word for our generation, I would chose the word of tolerance. The way in which this word is being used and understood in our current culture is to advocate the acceptance of another sin. It is the “don't judge me” mentality that has infected the minds of our messed up western culture. It is a cry not to interfere with my transgressions. It is a mantra of “you sin they way you want to, and I will sin the way I want to, and we will be unified in our desire to sin without boarders.” It is a unity that we find in Sodom and Gomorrah. Were those two towns unified? Absolutely, the were unified in their wretchedness. This is not the unity of the Bible.

What is the unity we find in the Bible? The unity we find in the Bible is not a unity of self interest, it is a unity of self-sacrifice. It is not a unity of rebellion, it is a unity of obedience. Let us look at verse 3 in our text.

• Philippians 2:3 - “Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.”
  
  

Let us think about what this is calling for. Count others more significant than yourselves. This command is radically counter cultural. Our culture tells us that we should consume for our comfort. We are a world that desires to be catered to. Having said that, Christians are not to be of the world. When someone steps in these doors they should feel like they are stepping onto another planet. They should be shocked, perhaps even appalled, by our sacrifice for others. We should be risking our financial status, our health status, and our social status for our brothers status. We should be more concerned as to whether they have food on their table, then if we have food. We should listen to their stories about the week, instead of waiting for a moment to tell ours. When we walk in these doors we should not be thinking about who can help me with my problems, but how can I help others with theirs. Each time we walk out of these doors we should have a fresh sense of how we can wash the feet of our brothers and sisters. And why should we do this? Because God has commanded it. We are to be God's obedient servant, his dolous, his slave.

The greatest picture of this self-sacrifice is non other than Jesus. Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice on the cross. This sacrifice was more than just death, for everyone dies, and some even die for others in a heroic manner. Jesus' sacrifice was far greater, for He is far greater. Jesus gave up the Glory of God and came to Earth. His stepping down into the story was an infinite step. His humiliation of taking on the form of man is something we will never know the depth of, because there is no depth. His sacrifice is literally immeasurable. Jesus said it well when he said that there is no greater love than to lay down your life for a friend. This is infinitely true with this life that is laid down if the Author of Life. Why did he do this? For two reasons, so that you will be forgiven and because His Father asked him.

• Philippians 2:8 - “And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”
  
  

The relationship between the Father and the Son is the purest form of unity in the Universe. It is perfect unity. It is without flaw. And why is this? Because the Son loves the Father and the Father loves the son. As Jesus gazes upon his Father he has no other desire but to obey him and serve him him, not out of burden but out of love. And the power of this love and the bond of this unity is unfathomable to us. The Father and the Son are separate, yet because they have perfect unity, perfect harmony, they are One. The mutual and perfect love within the Trinity is forever flowing back and forth through the power of the Holy Spirit. It is difficult to understand, but make no mistake it is glorious.

And this unity of self-sacrifice, obedience and love is a unity that God draws us into, and Christ achieves for us. Don't forget what Jesus prays to His Father in John 17:

• John 17:22-23 - “The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, 23 I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.”
  
  

We as the Church are to be one, as the Son and the Father are one, and not only one, but perfectly one. When the world looks at Cornerstone Church they are to see glimpses of the unity within the Trinity. Perfect obedience and perfect sacrifice, not flowing out of heart of stone, but out of a heart that loves the Lord and loves his children.

Standing Firm and Participating in the Spirit

How on earth are we to achieve this? Is it simply a sermon? Let us look at two verses.

• Philippians 1:27 - “Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit”
  
  
• Philippians 2:1 - “So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy,”
  
  

Over the years you may have heard me use a quote from Augustine, “"Grant what thou commandest and then command what thou wilt.” Or to say it another way, God tell us what you want us to do, and then give us the power to do it. This is exactly what Paul is saying when talking about true Christian unity.

We are commanded to be one. This command is out of our reach, at least on our own. This request can only be achieved supernaturally, specifically by the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of us. We must be swept up into the Trinity and participate in the Unity that already exists. There is only one way to achieve oneness and that is through the One Spirit. The spirit who, also perfectly sacrifices, perfectly obeys, and perfectly loves.

As I was preparing this week to preach this text, John MacAruthur provided a good picture of Unity in relationship to the Holy Spirit. He said there are two ways to attempt to achieve unity, I would actually argue there are three. The first way we have already discussed, it is the unity of inclusion, no borders, no rules.

The second way is a unity of external pressures. It is the unity of hallow religion. The unity that focuses on works. It is a unity of the Pharisees. It attempts to place everyone inside a predefined box, whether they want to be in the box or not. It is the unity of Islam, Mormonism, and unfortunately Roman Catholicism. This is not true unity, it is a mirage of unity. Not a unity of love, but a unity of burden. No one wants to be in the box, but they feel like they have to.

True unity is not a box you are thrown into. True unity is a force you are drawn to. True unity is like a magnet. Something inside of you is drawn to this magnet. The magnet is Christ and the force inside of us is the Holy Spirit. Each one of us drawn to the same Person, Jesus, by the same force, the Holy Spirit. True unity is not religion, it is a loving relationship with Christ. Our oneness is a product of Christ in us, and for that we rejoice.

This sermon was supposed to be preached two weeks ago, but because of the snow it is today's message. This delay has turned out to be a great blessing to me, for I was able to experience a unity in India that was breathtaking. They did not have logos, t-shirts, mission statements, or statements of faith, etc. They had one thing, an intense love for Jesus Christ. It was this love for Christ that was the fruit of the Holy Spirit, and it was what touched our heart the deepest.

We have the same Holy Spirit inside of us, therefore, let us then lay aside our sin and our flesh and lay down our lives for each other, so that we can display the harmony of Heaven to the ears of this World is discord.