Sunday, August 26, 2007
JUSTIFICATION AND REGENERATION
During the past couple of years you have heard me read or quote Matt. 7:21-23 many times. I am not apologizing for that, but I am reminding us that we must be aware of deception. Let’s read it again, just to make sure we all know what I am talking about . Matt. 7:21-23…
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23. And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Our world is full of people who think they will spend eternity in heaven but who will some day wake up in hell. It is vital that you and I make sure we aren’t among them.
But it is also important that we understand this truth concerning people around us. Don’t be fooled when some poll reports that half the people in our country are Christians. Such polls are deceptive. There was a time in our society when you could ask a person the straightforward question: "Are you a Christian?" and the answer would mean something. That time has long past. A person may say he is a Christian because he has an interest in spiritual things, because he grew up going to church, because he goes to church now, because he reads the Bible, because he believes in God. But none of those things indicate a person is a Christian.
So what does reveal that a person is truly a Christian? I think most everyone hear realizes that no one is born a Christian. As a matter of fact, we were all born dead, dead in trespasses and sins. We were all the enemies of God. There are no exceptions. So how does a person pass from death to life? How does a person move from being the enemy of God to being His child? What has to take place?
You might say, "Well, a person has to be saved." And you would be absolutely correct. But let’s break that down a little bit this morning. Salvation is the broad, overarching, umbrella term. Under it we find a number of beautiful pictures concerning what happens to the person who is saved, who becomes a child of God. I would like us to look at two of them this morning.
I read a book recently that has been helpful. There really isn’t much new in the book, but the author has a way of putting things that make them sharp and distinctive. Do you ever have that experience? You read or hear what someone says, and then you exclaim, "That is exactly what I have come to believe, I just didn’t express it nearly as well." That is the way I felt when I was confronted by the simple words of an author I had never heard of. His name is Charles Leiter, and I am fairly confident that few of you have ever heard of him. I am borrowing some concepts from him at this point.
I think we would also agree that every person has one basic problem and it is called sin. However, there are two parts to the sin problem. Man has a bad record. But also, man has a bad heart. As we will see, both of these must be dealt with.
A Bad Record
So let’s begin with this concept that everyone has a bad record. We know what a bad record is. Consider a criminal who has a record. That means that he has been convicted of a crime and has become a part of his record. No one wants to have a record, but the fact is that every person comes before God with a bad record.
I have a bad record – lying, stealing, idolatry, adultery, covetousness, etc. But you also have a bad record. Where is the man who can say, "I don’t have a bad record"? Just examine the commandments. God says, "You shall not commit adultery." Have you committed adultery, in light of what Jesus said? If you get by that one, what about, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me"? Can you say that nothing has ever been as important to you as God? Do you see? Every person has a bad record.
How serious is it to have a bad record? "So I have a few marks on my record, or even a lot of marks. So what? After all, He is a God of love. He isn’t going to hold those things against me. He understands that I am only human. Nobody’s perfect. God will be merciful to me." That is the attitude of many people today. I pray that none of us will fall into that kind of thinking, because it is the height of deception.
It is a serious thing to have a bad record before God. While it is true that God is love, that doesn’t mean what most people think. God is also the just judge. Do you ever think about God’s justice? When you get to thinking about it, we expect God to be just, don’t we? We expect him to punish the murderer, the corrupt politician, the Hitlers of our world. But do we understand that God must punish all sin? If God failed to punish our sin, He would no longer be a just judge.
Consider a judge who is trying a case where the husband has murdered his wife and children. All the evidence supports this conclusion. But the judge finally says, "I am a loving judge. Therefore, I find this man not guilty of murder." It would make that judge’s court a mockery. Who can respect a judge that doesn’t punish crime?
Listen to me. If God failed to send sinners to hell, he would no longer be a just judge. The universe would fall apart, if God didn’t send sinners to hell, because everything is built on the justice of God. Prov. 17:15, "He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the LORD." God hates injustice. He cannot do what is an abomination to Him. God will never justify the wicked. Justice demands that God punish the sinner, and the punishment He has decreed is hell. As we read in Ezek. 18:4,20, "The soul that sinneth, it shall die." And he is talking about more than physical death.
So we see that it is a serious thing to have a bad record, to have a criminal record before God. It isn’t just a matter of having a guilty conscience. There are some people who can say, "I don’t feel guilty about anything I have done." We’re not talking about feelings of guilt; we are talking about objective guilt. There is the way a person feels, and then there are the facts. If a murderer stands before a judge, whether or not he feels guilty makes absolutely no difference. All of the evidence says that he has committed a crime, and the judge says that he must be punished for it. A just judge doesn’t consider feelings; he deals objectively with the facts of the case. God is the just judge, and He sees all of the facts accurately. As a result, He says about us, "You are guilty. You must be punished."
So in light of those truths, is there any hope for the person who has a bad record? That person deserves hell, the just punishment of a righteous God. Even if he could quit sinning and never commit another sin until the day he dies, he still deserves hell, because his record has already been tarnished. What can be done, in light of the fact that sin must be punished? Either I must pay for my sin by spending eternity in hell, or someone else must bear the punishment for my sin. But you can’t bear my punishment, because you have sins of your own to deal with, and so do you, and you. This is the great dilemma of all mankind.
At this point, someone may say, "But we know that God forgives sins. I know that my sins are forgiven." Please hear me well. If your sins have not been punished, they you have not been forgiven. God will never fail to punish sins, not even one single sin. Remember that the God of love is also a God of wrath. That does not mean that God has a bad temper. It means that He is dead set against sin; He hates it; He will not tolerate it in any form. And the sinner is under the wrath of God. The time is coming when God will pour out all His wrath upon guilty sinners.
Praise God that He has a solution. It is called justification. Romans 4:5 says that God justifies the ungodly. Every person who has ever been born fits that description. To justify means "to declare righteous." It means that the judge says with all truth and honesty, "Not guilty." But how can God say that about the ungodly? What about the man’s sins, which must be punished?
Here’s how it works. I Pet. 3:18, "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:" Is. 53:6, "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." 2 Cor. 5:21, "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."
Do you see it? Jesus was punished at the cross. And what was the punishment? It wasn’t the nails driven through his hands and feet. It wasn’t the crown of thorns on His head. Nor was it the mocking and ridicult that He endured. Other men have endured such things. The punishment Jesus received was at the hand of His Father. He took upon Himself the wrath of God which was poured out upon sins.
Was it unfair? Why should Jesus have to do that? Heb. 4:15, "For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin." What did He deserve? Surely it was fitting for the Father to welcome Him home with a "Well done, my Son." But instead, He took our place. Our sins were laid on Him. The just died for the unjust, that He might bring us to God. Jesus was our substitute. Because of what He did, we have been declared righteous before God. Our record can be cleansed through the death and resurrection of Jesus.
A Bad Heart
But I said we were going to deal with the two parts of the sin problem – the bad record, but also the bad heart. We might begin by asking the question, "How do we know if a person has been justified?" This is where the deception has swept us away, especially during the past few decades. If you ask the question in a little different way – "How do you know you are a Christian?" – you will receive some interesting answers. The most common in our circles will be, "I accepted Jesus." Or, "I gave my heart to the Lord." Some might say, "I was baptized." Or, "I’m a part of the church." Those are just a few. The problem is that they fall short of the truth. There are millions of people in this county who say they have accepted Christ, but they have never been justified. They prayed a prayer years ago, but God has never declared them righteous.
You say, "Ron, how do you know that?" By looking at what the Bible has to say. When a person is justified before God, something else happens. When God says, "This man’s record is cleansed," there is another event that takes place. The two go together. Remember the two sin problems – bad record and a bad heart. When the bad record is dealt with through justification, the bad heart is also dealt with. When a person is justified, he is also given a new heart. This process is called "regeneration." Basically, that biblical word means to be born again, to be given new life.
Just as a bad record is a serious problem, so a bad heart is a serious problem. Jesus stresses that truth in Mark 7:20-23…
And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. 21. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22. Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: 23. All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.
Everyone comes into the world with a bad heart. The source of sin in the lives of people is not bad influences. Consider David, who was guilty of adultery and murder. When He was finally convicted of his sins, he cried out to God. The record of his prayer is in Psalm 51, where He begs for mercy. But now listen to Ps. 51:5, "Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me." David is saying, "Yes, I have committed adultery and murder, but that isn’t the half of it. I was a sinner from the time I was born." Though he hadn’t done any evil deed, he had corrupt heart.
We have a new granddaughter. She is only five weeks old. And I must say that she is precious. But do you know what God says about precious little Ivy? He says that she is a sinner. I might say to God, "So what sin has she committed? After all, she sleeps most of the time. And when she is awake, she doesn’t cry. When her mom wakes her up from a dead sleep to bathe her, she barely lets out a whimper. Are you going to tell me that this precious little bundle is a sinner?" And the Lord says, "Yes, precisely." How can it be? She has a corrupt heart. Her mom and dad will be reminded of that truth soon enough. If Ivy is like the rest of us, she will commit sinful acts without her parents or anyone else teaching her how. They will tell her not to do something, and she will do it anyway. It’s possible that she might throw a fit now and then. Her daddy may tell her something, and she may look him in the eye and say, "No." It’s because she has a corrupt heart from the very start. She will prove it when these evil things come pouring out of her. "All these evil things come from within…"
Can anything be done for a bad heart? Praise God, the answer is "Yes." Titus 3:3-6…
For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. 4. But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, 5. Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; 6. Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;
For those of us who are true children of God, God reminds us that He saved us by the washing of regeneration. This is the new birth. This is the act by which He gives us a new heart. This is that "born again" thing we read about in John 3. Let’s go ahead and read it again this morning. John 3:1-7…
There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: 2. The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. 3. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? 5. Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
A person must be born again to have a new heart. Paul speaks of the result of this regernation in II Cor. 5:17, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." We find this same truth in Eph. 2:8-10...
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9. Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Come back to John 3. We read of Jesus’ insistence on the necessity of being born again, but we didn’t read verse 8. Let’s read it now. John 3:8, "The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit." The wind blows wherever it chooses to blow. Though we can hear the sound of it, we can’t tell where it comes from and we can’t tell where it will go. How do we know the wind is real? We see, hear, and feel the evidence of it. Now listen to what Jesus says: So is everyone that is born of the Spirit." He doesn’t say "some," but he says "everyone." In everyone who is born of the Spirit we see evidence of that new life. There are no exceptions.
The Implications…
Why is all this so important? What’s the big deal about justification and regeneration? Isn’t enough for a person to simply know that he was saved? That may be enough when he is first saved, but "No, it isn’t enough." Why not? Because the Word of God teaches us about justification and regeneration. And that is vitally important.
There is no salvation apart from regeneration. In other words, if a person has not been born again and received a new heart, he is not a Christian. But wait a minute. What if a person has been justified before God? What if God has forgiven him and taken care of his bad record through the death of His Son? What if he clings to the fact that Jesus died for his sins? He says that Jesus took care of his bad record. We must understand that no one can be justified, if he is not born again. You can’t have one without the other.
Earlier we read from Titus 3. Now let’s read a little bit further. Tit. 3:5-7...
Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; 6. Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; 7. That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Notice that justification and regeneration go together. If you have not been regenerated, born again, then you have not been justified. You have not been forgiven. You have not been declared right before God. You are not heavenbound.
Listen to me. This is wonderful news. Salvation is more than just being forgiven. Salvation is so much more than just thinking that we are on our way to heaven. Remember what the angel said to Joseph about the son that was going to be born. Mt. 1:21, "And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins." Many people take it to mean simply that Jesus saves us from the eternal consequences of our sins. That is, He cleanses our bad record, so that we can be right with God and go to heaven. What kind of salvation is it, if God cleanses my record through Jesus’ death and resurrection, but leaves my heart unchanged, so that I go right on sinning like I did before? I ask you – what kind of salvation is that?
And remember what Jesus said in Jn. 10:10, "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." What is this abundant life? Knowing I’ve been forgiven and going to heaven some day? Can we have abundant life while our heart continues to spew out the filth that it always did? Does that sound like abundant life? Does that sound like the kind of life Jesus lived?
You say, "But doesn’t the Christian still do evil deeds? Has anyone here seen this Christian (pointing to myself) commit a sin? If not, then you don’t know me very well. So has Jesus saved me from my sins? Am I really a new creation? Do I have a new heart?
Let me go over this again. Jesus has saved the believer from the penalty of sin. He does this through justification. He takes care of our bad record. We deserve hell, but He took our penalty upon Himself and now instead of sin on our record, our record shows the righteousness of Christ. Praise God, but that is only the beginning. He is also saving us from the power of sin. That is, sin no longer rules the life of the believer. How did He do it? He gave us a new heart. The corrupt heart that was the source of sinful deeds has been replaced by a new heart. We are indeed a new creation in Christ. The power of sin has been broken. So now the believer is in the process of sanctification. The Lord is continually setting him apart to Himself, and apart from this world. But we have not yet been saved from the presence of sin. Sin still crops up now and then. That is why John says, "And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous…" (I John 2:2). When this life is over, then we will be saved even from the presence of sin. Then we will never again commit a single sin. That part of salvation is glorification. O what a day that will be!
I heard a man give an illustration that went something like this. There was a plant that produced poison gas. It had been in operation for many years. But eventually, another company bought it out. They bought it with a plan, and the plan was to convert it to produce oxygen. It was a plant that had produced poison gas for many years, but now it was under new management. It had a new purpose.
Now suppose we take a tour of the plant six months later. During the tour I spy an old canister sitting out behind one of the buildings. I walk over and look at it. I discover that the canister says right on it, "Poison Gas." How can that be? I thought this was an oxygen-producing plant. When I ask the tour guide, he explains it something like this: "Yes, I’m not surprised. Now and then we find some of the remnants of the old plant. Eventually, we will get them all rounded up and destroyed. But don’t let it bother you. You can rest assured that we are not in the business of producing poison gas; we are producing oxygen."
That’s the way it is for the true child of God. Now and then we commit a sinful act, but that isn’t the normal. God has created the new man in righteousness and true holiness (Eph. 4:24). Because sin no longer reigns in us, we are now producing the fruit of the Spirit. When we do sin, we are grieved. As the Spirit convicts us, we confess our sin, and find that God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (I John 1:9). But praise God that the power of sin has been broken. Sin is a defeated foe. It’s just a matter of time until it will be excluded all together. That time will come when we see Jesus face to face. Until that day, we are being increasingly set apart unto God and sin’s influence is decreasing in our lives.
May God help us to understand that justification and regeneration are two aspects of a great and glorious salvation in Jesus Christ. Justification takes place in heaven, in God’s courtroom, where He declares us to be righteous. Regeneration takes place on earth in the heart of the individual. Justification is a declaration by a righteous judge; regeneration is a creative act by an omnipotent Creator. Justification clears our record; regeneration gives us a new heart. Justification deals with individual sins committed; regeneration deals with the source of those sins.
Conclusion
So why this emphasis this morning? Why talk about justification and regeneration? Because this is an area where our thinking has been messed up. However, our goal isn’t to gain understanding so that we can take pride in right thinking. We must understand that the current neglect of the doctrine of regeneration is sending millions to hell.
Please allow me to be lovingly blunt. Larry claims to be a Christian. He confesses that he has been made right with God. Therefore, he is assured that he will go to heaven. He is c ertain that God has forgiven him of his sins. But Larry’s life gives no evidence that he has been born anew, that he has received a new heart. His life is essentially like the rest of the world. Though he may live a moral life, it is not a life that is focused on the Lord Jesus Christ. His lips say, "I have been justified." His life says, "I have not been regenerated." So what is the truth about Larry? One of two things is true. Either Larry has been justified and regenerated (born again), or Larry has neither been justified nor regenerated. No one can have one without the other.
This is a huge problem in our religious society. A survey of taken a few years ago revealed that the typical Southern Baptist church has 233 members. But at a typical Sunday morning worship service only 70 of them are present. So 233 people claim that they have been justified before God, that they are heaven bound. But only 70 even make it to regular Sunday morning services. Something is desperately wrong, when people think they can be right with God and not have a changed life? The missing piece is the changed heart, the truth of regeneration. Regeneration is evidenced by a change life, a life characterized by genuine belief, radical obedience, and uncompromising love. That is the message of I John, as we have seen.
Jesus prayed that all believers might be one. He was praying only for those whose record has been cleansed and whose heart has been renewed. There will never be unity among all professing Christians, because the great majority of those who profess Christ in this country have never received a new heart.
We read in John 17:20, "Neither pray I for these alone, but also for them also which shall believe on me through their word." Was Jesus praying for you? You say you believe? Do you have a new heart? You say, "I believe, and Jesus was praying for those who would believe." I remind you of those closing words in John’s gospel. John 20:30-31…
And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: 31. But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.
Many claim to believe, but belief isn’t the goal. The goal is life through Jesus’ name. Belief is only the means by which God gives the new life. Many who claim to believe will hear Jesus say, "I never knew you; depart from me, you that work iniquity." The genuineness of belief is tested by the presence or absence of spiritual life. Profession without the life means absolutely nothing.
Praise God that Jesus died to cleanse our record and to give us new life!
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Sunday, August 19, 2007
What Kind of Unity -- 8/19/07 (The Lord's Church)
Sunday, August 19, 2007
WHAT KIND OF UNITY?
John 17
Last week we looked at John 17. In this chapter, we heard our Lord Jesus cry out to His Father that we might all be one. Then we asked the question: "Did the Father answer His prayer?" We saw from the scripture itself that the Father did indeed answer Jesus’ prayer. The Father always answered the prayers of His Son, and this was no exception. We read in the New Testament, especially in Gal. 3:28 that we are all one in Christ Jesus.
However, we were also reminded from scripture that the answer to that prayer cost Jesus dearly. The Father answered His prayer by sending Him to the cross. The reason all believers are one is because Jesus bore our sins on the cross, was buried, and was raised from the dead. Then, after being set at the right hand of the Father, He sent His Spirit to dwell in all those who put their trust in Him. We are one because we share the life of the Father and Son. We are not one because of common beliefs. The unity of believers goes much deeper than that. We are one because we share the life of our Lord.
This morning we are going to look again at John 17. let’s read it together. Read John 17:1-26…
These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: 2. As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. 3. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. 4. I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. 5. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. 6. I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word. 7. Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. 8. For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me. 9. I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. 10. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them. 11. And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. 12. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled. 13. And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. 14. I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 15. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. 16. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 17. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. 18. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. 19. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. 20. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; 21. That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 22. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: 23. I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. 24. Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. 25. O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. 26. And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.
I. The Subject Matter of Jesus’ Prayer
Yes, Jesus’ prayer is about unity, but don’t restrict His prayer for unity to verses 20-21, as we so often do. The theme of unity permeates His entire prayer. We focused on this truth last week. Jesus prayed that His own might be one, even as He and the Father are one. So wherever we see the oneness of the Father and the Son, we are confronted by Jesus’ desire for unity among His own.
Jesus’ prayer is also about glory. That is where He begins. 17:1, "…Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also many glorify thee." The words "glory" and "glorify" are found no less than eight times in this prayer. Jesus could say from His heart, "I have glorified you on the earth; I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do" (4). And now He is praying for a soon return to the glory of full, unhindered fellowship with the Father (5). But this glory is not confined to the Father and the Son. Vs. 22, "And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them…" Again in vs. 24, "Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me…" Jesus longed for His followers to be a part of this glory.
Jesus’ prayer is about eternal life. Though the term "eternal life" occurs only twice in this prayer, the concept is never far below the surface. 17:2-3, "As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. 3. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." Notice vs. 9, "I pray for them; I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine." So for whom is Jesus praying? He is praying for those to whom He has given eternal life. Vs. 20, "Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word." For whom is He praying now? For those who will receive eternal life, which is nothing less that knowing the Father and the Son (3). Yes, this prayer is about eternal life.
This prayer is about holiness. Jesus prayed in verse 17, "Sanctify them through thy truth…" Literally, "Make them holy (that is, ‘set them apart’) through thy truth." As we will see, this theme of holiness, of being set apart, is not restricted to this verse. We will explore this in more depth in a few minutes.
This prayer is about love. Again, the theme of love is never far beneath the surface, but it comes to the forefront in verses 23-36…
I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. 24. Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. 25. O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. 26. And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.
Jesus declares that the Father has loved Him from before the foundation of the world. In that context, He prays that the world may know that the Father has sent Him and that the Father has loved us, as He has loved His own Son Jesus. That is too much to grasp. Such knowledge is too wonderful for us; it is high; we cannot attain unto it (Ps. 139:6). But that isn’t the end of His prayer concerning this agape love. Vs. 26, "And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it; that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them." Jesus’ prayer is not only that we receive such love from the Father, but that we demonstrate that same love. Yes, this prayer is about love.
II. The Nature of This Unity
So we see that this prayer is about unity, but it is also about glory and about eternal life and about holiness and about love. But how does it all fit together? As we read and meditate on this prayer, we begin to understand that Jesus wasn’t praying for some isolated qualities. No, the entire prayer fits together beautifully. There is not a single piece out of place.
Let’s go back through Jesus’ prayer and see what it teaches us about the unity for which He prayed. Above all else, we can’t miss the truth that this unity is bound up in the oneness of Jesus and the Father. That is the basis for all Christian unity. This is why it is impossible for us to produce the unity of the Spirit. If we are the ones who brought about the perfect oneness of the Father and the Son, then we are the ones who are responsible for creating unity among the brethren. Jesus prayed repeatedly that we would be one, as He and His Father are one. "As thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they may be one in us" (21).
Glory and Unity
So what does glory have to do with this unity? What is this glory of which Jesus speaks? For what was Jesus praying, when He said, "Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee" (vs. 1). Was this the same as the prayer of verse 5, where Jesus asked the Father for a renewal of the glory that shared before the world was? In between we have the little statement of verse 4, "I have glorified thee on the earth."
I suggest to you that there is a great but beautiful tension in this concept of glory. On the one hand, ultimate glory will be realized in heaven. That is what Jesus was praying for in verse 5. However, this glory begins long before Jesus or His people are taken to heaven. Don’t forget Jesus’ opening words, "Father, the hour is come." What hour? All through John’s gospel, we read about this hour. More than once Jesus said, "My hour has not yet come" (see 2:4; 7:30; 8:20). But when Jesus came to Jerusalem for the final time, His message changes. Jn. 12:23, "The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified." We might say, "Praise God! The Father is finally going to take Jesus home." That is truth, but it is only partial truth. The rest of the truth is found in the verses that follow… (Jn. 12:24-28)
And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified. 24. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. 25. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. 26. If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour. 27. Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour. 28. Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.
For what cause did Jesus come to that hour? For the purpose of dying on the cross. Jesus was the kernel of wheat that was about to fall into the ground and die. No wonder His soul was troubled. The cross loomed before Him. When He said, "Father, glorify thy name," He was saying what He would later pray, "Nevertheless, thy will be done." In other words, "I don’t want to go to the cross, but I know this is the way I am to bring you glory. Therefore, Father, your will be done. Glorify yourself through my cross." For Jesus, the way of glory was the way of the cross. It was through dying there, bearing the sins of the world, taking upon Himself the wrath of God, that Jesus would honor His Father.
But what does all that have to do with unity? Vs. 22, "And the glory which thou gavest me, I have given them." Then in vs. 24, "Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me…" Now He seems to be praying for the glory of heaven, when we will be with Him where He is. But back in 22, He speaks of a glory that He has already given His followers. Do you see it? As it was with Jesus, so it is with us. Yes, if we truly belong to Him, we will someday be where He is. We will enjoy unhindered fellowship with the Father and the Son. Yes, as the songwriter declares, "that will be glory." But the way of glory is the way of the cross, for Jesus said, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me" (Matt. 16:24).
Now back to verse 22 again. This time we will read the entire verse: "And the glory which thou gavest me, I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one." God’s purpose is giving us glory is that we might be one. As we are one in suffering with Him, so we will be one in eternal bliss with Him. Even in an imperfect world, we have a beautiful illustration of this kind of unity. Suppose a man named Tom decides to marry a girl named Sally. I have to tell you that Sally was raped when she was 16 and, as a result, has a four-year-old daughter. Can you imagine Tom going into the marriage with the attitude that says: "Sally, I want to be with you for the rest of our lives. We will be good for each other. I want us to enjoy all the benefits of marriage. Of course, you must understand that you are on your own with your daughter. I don’t want to be weighed down with that kind of burden." That’s crazy. We can’t conceive of that.
Rhonda and I worked with a young man named Jeff back in the mid 70’s. We had the joy of watching him come to Christ. Because of his background, he had some real struggles. A few years later after we had moved away from the area, we got word from Jeff that he was getting married. He was marrying a girl who had severe diabetes and who was going blind. Jeff knew that she might not live very long. That doesn’t sound like a very glorious marriage, does it? Nevertheless, Jeff married her. And in a few years she died. But Jeff went with her every step of the way. I suspect that they were closer than most married couples because of the deliberate decision to share that suffering together.
Please hear me well. The unity for which Jesus prayed is the unity that shares in this glory – both the heavenly bliss and the earthly cross. Jesus gave us this road of glory so that we might be one, even as He and the Father are one. The preparation for a return to heavenly glory was the completion of glorifying the Father while He was on the earth. It is no different with us. "But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ; by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world" (Gal. 6:14). "For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake" (Phil. 1:29). When the pilgrims of Jesus Christ walk through this world, rejoicing in the cross of their Lord, there is a unity that the world cannot explain. "That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death" (Phil. 3:10). This is a supernatural unity. It came through the cross of Christ and it is advanced as His people take up that cross daily.
Again, let me emphasize that there is a great tension here. The way of the cross is glory. We learn that from Jesus, especially as related in the gospel of John. But that is not the end of the story. There is a fuller glory to be revealed. As we bear the cross of Jesus in this world, we nevertheless look for a greater glory to be revealed on that glorious day when our Lord returns. We see the beauty of that tension reflected in Tit. 2:11-14…
For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 12. Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; 13. Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; 14. Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
What a mighty God we serve. There is glory now; there is the promise of greater glory for all eternity. And as we walk in the glory of the cross and anticipate the glory of heaven, we walk as one with the Father and the Son and with all who belong to them.
Eternal Life and Unity
But we said that this prayer is also about eternal life. Jesus was praying for those who know the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom He has sent (17:3). Let me emphasize again the fact that Jesus made it clear He was not praying for the world. Vs. 9, "I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine." Remember that great distinction He makes between those who are His and those who are a part of the world. This division is between those who have eternal life and those who do not.
We find the same tension as with the concept of glory. The fulness of eternal life will not be realized in this world. How we look forward to the day when that eternal life with the Father and Son will not be hindered in any way, when we will no longer have to put up with the presence of sin and sorrow. On the other hand, that eternal life does not begin when we leave this world, for we can know God the Father and Christ the Son in this present life. Praise God!
So what does this eternal life have to do with unity? Much indeed. Let me remind you of another definition of eternal life, which is found in 1 John 1:1-2, "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; 2. (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)…" John writes about this eternal life. It was with the Father and was manifested unto John and his companions. It was from the beginning. They had seen it, heard it, and even handled it. It was the Word of life. So what is this eternal life that John is describing? It is none other than the Lord Jesus Himself. So the most basic definition of eternal life is simply "Jesus." Jesus is eternal life. And because He has been manifested in the world, it is possible for a person to have eternal life. To have eternal life is essentially to have Jesus, to know God the Father and Christ the Son. To have eternal life is to share the very life of Jesus Christ.
This truth is able to demolish some of our weak concepts of Christian unity. Jesus prayed for unity among those who have eternal life. This unity is restricted to those who share the life of Jesus.
Please allow me to illustrate this on a human level. For a moment, forget the spiritual and confine yourself to the natural. Let’s use Norman for an example. Norman has a wife, four children and their spouses, and a host of wonderful grandchildren. He has a special closeness to these family members. Except for the spouses, they have his blood in their veins. And even of the spouses, it must be said that they are one with Norman’s children. Now let’s suppose that we want to enlarge Norman’s family. So we go to Albuquerque and select six people off the street. They are from all walks of life, but all agree that they would like to become a part of Norman’s family. So they start coming to a family gathering each month. As Norman gets to know them, he can honestly say that he loves each one of them. However, his relationship with these 6 is still not the same as his relationship with his family. Even after including them for 20 years, it still won’t be the same. Why not? Because they do not share the family tie. Norman’s blood is not in them. Though he loves them, it isn’t the same.
Listen to me. The unity for which Jesus prayed is restricted to those who have eternal life, to those who know the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom He sent into this world. A person who does not have the life of Jesus within him can never be a part of this unity. He may know the Bible backward and forward, pray regularly, never miss a church service, be baptized, be a member of the church, even be a teacher… but if he doesn’t have the life of Jesus, he is not and cannot be a part of the body of Christ. He cannot be included in this oneness for which Jesus prayed.
This is one of the greatest problems in understanding, defining, and applying Christian unity in our day. It is absolutely distorted in our society because such a large proportion of the professing church has never been born again, does not have the life of Jesus, does not possess eternal life. You ask, "Am I suggesting that there could be numbers of people in the church who do not have eternal life?" Yes. Even in this church? Yes.
We’ll come back to this, but let’s go a step further and consider…
Holiness and Unity
Though you won’t find the English words "holy" or "holiness" in the King James rendering of this passage, the concept is woven throughout Jesus’ prayer. Read again vs. 9, "I pray for them; I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine." Jesus makes a very clear distinction between the world and those whom the Father has given Him. This is the essence of holiness, for the word speaks of being "set apart." Jesus is praying for the holy ones, those who have been set apart from the rest of the world.
This theme comes into focus in verses 14-19…
I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 15. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. 16. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 17. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. 18. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. 19. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.
These for whom Jesus is praying are not a part of the world. As a matter of fact, the world hates them. Why? Because they have received and have kept (vs. 6) the Word of God. Don’t be deceived; adherence to the Word of God separates from the world. If this is so, it would seem logical to simply take these believers who have eternal life and take them out of the world, but that is not what Jesus prays. Instead, He prays that the Father would keep them (guard them; protect them) from the evil one. But how will this be done? Vs. 17, "Sanctify them through thy truth; thy word is truth." "Sanctify" is literally, "Make them holy;" "Set them apart." As the Word has caused the world to hate them, the Word will continue to set them apart from the world and is the Father’s means of protecting them from the evil one. Not only does Jesus refuse to pray that we be taken out of the world, but in verse 19 we see that He sends us back into the world. We have been separated from the world, but we have been sent into the world. And because we are in the world, we have great need to be continually set apart through the truth of the Word. Yes, this prayer is all about holiness.
So when Jesus prays, "Sanctify them through thy truth," for whom is He praying? Yes, for the eleven, but who are they? They are holy men. The world hated them because Jesus had given them the Word of God. He was praying that the Father would continue to set them apart.
I said earlier that we can take great comfort in the truth that Jesus is praying for us, but we must understand who the "us" is. He is praying for His saints, for His holy ones. If you haven’t been set apart by the Word of God and the work of the Spirit, then you cannot take comfort that Jesus is praying for you.
And what do His holy ones look like? They don’t look like the world, because they have been set apart from the world. As a matter of fact, the world hates them. Remember what Jesus said back in chapter 15. John 15:18-21…
If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. 19. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. 20. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. 21. But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me.
True believers have been set apart from the world, because they have been set apart unto God through faith in His Son Jesus.
Now when Jesus prays for His set apart ones, for His saints, He does not pray that the Father would take them out of the world. Nor does He pray that the world will stop hating them. Instead, He prays that the Father will continue to set them apart more and more. Paul would later say to the believers in Rome, "And be not conformed to this world, but be transformed through the renewing of your mind…" (Rom. 12:2). It is the reception of the Word that causes the world to hate His people, but Jesus prays that the Father will continue to set us apart through that same Word. The gap between the true believer and the world becomes greater and greater, and that is by God’s design. Ultimately, that gap will be the gulf between heaven and hell.
Listen to me. Don’t believe the devil’s lie, because the devil’s lie tells us that Christians and non-Christians can live together in this world in harmony. There is little difference between them. But then suddenly in the end, the Christians will be taken to heaven and the non-Christians will go to hell. That isn’t the way it is. Jesus gives us the true picture. Even in this world, there is a great division between the world and the saints. The world hates those who belong to Jesus, and the gap between the world and the saints of God is growing as we approach our final destination.
So we see that when Jesus prays for oneness, He is praying for unity among those who have been set apart from the world unto God.
Love and Unity
As we have seen, this prayer is also about love. This is a bit difficult for us, because many of us have grown up with a distorted view of the truth "God is love." Too often we have understood that to mean that God loves all people at all times, with no exceptions. I don’t claim to have a handle on this, but I must say that such a view is simply not true. Do we think that God is going to love people as He assigns them to hell, that His heart is going to break for all eternity because they went to hell? Do you think His people are going to weep with Him for all eternity because their loved ones in this world ended up in the lake of fire? Never. God’s people will rejoice for all eternity in the Lord’s justice and in His victory over all His enemies. The Lord will take vengeance on all His enemies, and His people will rejoice.
You say, "But how do we reconcile this with ‘For God so loved the world,’"? I don’t have all the answers, but I do know that we have presented a half truth about the nature of God. We talk about His love, but we are afraid to talk about His wrath. We say that He loves people, but we are afraid to say that He hates people. Let’s take a moment to read Psalm 11…
In the LORD put I my trust: how say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain? 2. For, lo, the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may privily shoot at the upright in heart. 3. If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do? 4. The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD'S throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men. 5. The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth. 6. Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup. 7. For the righteous LORD loveth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright.
That’s enough of that for now. I say that to prepare you for the truth in John 17:23, "I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me." Jesus wants the world to know not only that He is sent from the Father, but also that the Father has loved His saints, even as He has loved Jesus. Notice the connection. It is our oneness that will convince the world that the Father has loved us, even as He has loved Jesus.
Can we see the depth of this love? Imagine that the Father would love any man the same as He loves His own Son Jesus. That is unbelievable. But don’t misunderstand. Jesus is not saying that the Father loves all people as He loves Jesus. No. May it never be! The "them" in verse 23 must be seen in the context of this whole prayer. It is "them" for whom Jesus is praying, "them" to whom Jesus has given the Word of the Father, "them" who have known the Father and the Son. Those who are one in Christ demonstrate that the Father has loved them, even as He has loved Jesus. The goal is that people from the world might be drawn into this circle of love and unity.
And then again in verse 26, "And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them." Jesus prayer is that this divine love might be in us. But what does He mean? Is He talking about God’s love for us? Or about our love for God? Yes, He certainly is. It is God’s love for us that makes it possible for us to love God. "We love Him because He first loved us" (I John 4:19).
Notice especially those last words, "And I in them." God’s love cannot be in us, if the life of God’s Son is not in us. And that brings us back to the subject of unity, for our oneness together is dependent upon His life in us. Remember that this shared life is the source of all Christian unity.
For whom does Jesus pray "that they all may be one"? For those whom the Father loves, even as He loves Jesus. For those in whose hearts the love of God has been shed abroad, because Jesus lives in them.
Conclusion
This is an issue that we must face. I have been wrestling with this for years. I greatly desire that we all be one. The fact is, we can’t all be one, because we are not all one. We are not all one, because we do not all have eternal life. All of us do not share the life of the Father and the Son. We must understand that Jesus was praying only for those to whom He would give eternal life.
Down through the centuries there has been a tension between what might be called the institutional church and the true church of Jesus Christ. This tension exists because many who profess Christ do not possess Christ. There are many who claim to be Christians who do not belong to Jesus Christ. What we must understand is that the true church is made up only of those who have the life of the Father and the Son. They have been born again by the Spirit, whom the ascended Christ sent to take up residence within. His church is composed of those who glory in the cross of Jesus Christ. The Lord’s church is made up of the saints, those who have been set apart unto Him and who love with a love beyond themselves. Jesus was not praying for everyone who attends church meetings, because many who attend church meetings are not born-again, set-apart, glory-in-the cross, lovers of God.
You may say, "Pastor Ron, are you trying to cause division?" No, I am not. Jesus has already brought division. He is the most divisive person that ever lived. God hates those who sow discord among brethren (Prov. 6:19), but that is not what we are talking about. Jesus brings division between His own and the world. By rescuing people out of the world, he sets the world against them. I was an enemy of God. When Jesus came and reconciled me to the Father through His own death, He immediately made me the enemy of the world. This is what we might call "divine division."
The problem in the institutional church of America is that we are so afraid of division, we hesitate to say that there can be no true fellowship between those who belong to Jesus and those who do not. Paul said, "Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers; for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness?" (II Cor. 6:14). We most often apply that passage to marriage, emphasizing that God commands believers not to marry unbelievers, and that is absolutely true. However, the application is much wider than that. Amazingly enough, many times it is not applied to the professing church.
Praise God for everyone who comes here seeking the Lord. I praise Him even for those who come out of curiosity, just to see what is going on. But we must make it clear that everyone who attends meetings in the building is not part of the church, because light cannot have fellowship with darkness. Believers are light in the Lord, who have been "called out darkness into his marvelous light" (I Pet. 2:9).
Over the years, I have sometimes been frustrated, as I have tried to draw people on the fringe into the fellowship of the Lord’s people. I am realizing more and more that sometimes I am trying to do the impossible. I am trying to include people in the fellowship who do not have the life. You may ask, "So does that mean that if I don’t exercise a desire to spend time with and open my lives up to the other believers that I am not a true believer?" It may very well mean exactly that. God knows our hearts, but if you don’t have a real desire to share that common life of Christ with others who know Him, you have every reason to ask why. It is foolish to say you love Christ and do not demonstrate the same love for His people.
Oh that God would draw everyone of us to Himself. And as we are drawn to Him, we will be drawn to one another. But beware of deception. I have a precious older brother who reminds me from time to time that the reason for our difficulties in our horizontal relationships with one another is to be found in our relationship with the Lord. Whenever we can’t seem to live as one, we need to get on our knees before Him who has made us one.
WHAT KIND OF UNITY?
John 17
Last week we looked at John 17. In this chapter, we heard our Lord Jesus cry out to His Father that we might all be one. Then we asked the question: "Did the Father answer His prayer?" We saw from the scripture itself that the Father did indeed answer Jesus’ prayer. The Father always answered the prayers of His Son, and this was no exception. We read in the New Testament, especially in Gal. 3:28 that we are all one in Christ Jesus.
However, we were also reminded from scripture that the answer to that prayer cost Jesus dearly. The Father answered His prayer by sending Him to the cross. The reason all believers are one is because Jesus bore our sins on the cross, was buried, and was raised from the dead. Then, after being set at the right hand of the Father, He sent His Spirit to dwell in all those who put their trust in Him. We are one because we share the life of the Father and Son. We are not one because of common beliefs. The unity of believers goes much deeper than that. We are one because we share the life of our Lord.
This morning we are going to look again at John 17. let’s read it together. Read John 17:1-26…
These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: 2. As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. 3. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. 4. I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. 5. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. 6. I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word. 7. Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. 8. For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me. 9. I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. 10. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them. 11. And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. 12. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled. 13. And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. 14. I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 15. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. 16. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 17. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. 18. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. 19. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. 20. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; 21. That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 22. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: 23. I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. 24. Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. 25. O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. 26. And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.
I. The Subject Matter of Jesus’ Prayer
Yes, Jesus’ prayer is about unity, but don’t restrict His prayer for unity to verses 20-21, as we so often do. The theme of unity permeates His entire prayer. We focused on this truth last week. Jesus prayed that His own might be one, even as He and the Father are one. So wherever we see the oneness of the Father and the Son, we are confronted by Jesus’ desire for unity among His own.
Jesus’ prayer is also about glory. That is where He begins. 17:1, "…Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also many glorify thee." The words "glory" and "glorify" are found no less than eight times in this prayer. Jesus could say from His heart, "I have glorified you on the earth; I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do" (4). And now He is praying for a soon return to the glory of full, unhindered fellowship with the Father (5). But this glory is not confined to the Father and the Son. Vs. 22, "And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them…" Again in vs. 24, "Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me…" Jesus longed for His followers to be a part of this glory.
Jesus’ prayer is about eternal life. Though the term "eternal life" occurs only twice in this prayer, the concept is never far below the surface. 17:2-3, "As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. 3. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." Notice vs. 9, "I pray for them; I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine." So for whom is Jesus praying? He is praying for those to whom He has given eternal life. Vs. 20, "Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word." For whom is He praying now? For those who will receive eternal life, which is nothing less that knowing the Father and the Son (3). Yes, this prayer is about eternal life.
This prayer is about holiness. Jesus prayed in verse 17, "Sanctify them through thy truth…" Literally, "Make them holy (that is, ‘set them apart’) through thy truth." As we will see, this theme of holiness, of being set apart, is not restricted to this verse. We will explore this in more depth in a few minutes.
This prayer is about love. Again, the theme of love is never far beneath the surface, but it comes to the forefront in verses 23-36…
I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. 24. Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. 25. O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. 26. And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.
Jesus declares that the Father has loved Him from before the foundation of the world. In that context, He prays that the world may know that the Father has sent Him and that the Father has loved us, as He has loved His own Son Jesus. That is too much to grasp. Such knowledge is too wonderful for us; it is high; we cannot attain unto it (Ps. 139:6). But that isn’t the end of His prayer concerning this agape love. Vs. 26, "And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it; that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them." Jesus’ prayer is not only that we receive such love from the Father, but that we demonstrate that same love. Yes, this prayer is about love.
II. The Nature of This Unity
So we see that this prayer is about unity, but it is also about glory and about eternal life and about holiness and about love. But how does it all fit together? As we read and meditate on this prayer, we begin to understand that Jesus wasn’t praying for some isolated qualities. No, the entire prayer fits together beautifully. There is not a single piece out of place.
Let’s go back through Jesus’ prayer and see what it teaches us about the unity for which He prayed. Above all else, we can’t miss the truth that this unity is bound up in the oneness of Jesus and the Father. That is the basis for all Christian unity. This is why it is impossible for us to produce the unity of the Spirit. If we are the ones who brought about the perfect oneness of the Father and the Son, then we are the ones who are responsible for creating unity among the brethren. Jesus prayed repeatedly that we would be one, as He and His Father are one. "As thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they may be one in us" (21).
Glory and Unity
So what does glory have to do with this unity? What is this glory of which Jesus speaks? For what was Jesus praying, when He said, "Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee" (vs. 1). Was this the same as the prayer of verse 5, where Jesus asked the Father for a renewal of the glory that shared before the world was? In between we have the little statement of verse 4, "I have glorified thee on the earth."
I suggest to you that there is a great but beautiful tension in this concept of glory. On the one hand, ultimate glory will be realized in heaven. That is what Jesus was praying for in verse 5. However, this glory begins long before Jesus or His people are taken to heaven. Don’t forget Jesus’ opening words, "Father, the hour is come." What hour? All through John’s gospel, we read about this hour. More than once Jesus said, "My hour has not yet come" (see 2:4; 7:30; 8:20). But when Jesus came to Jerusalem for the final time, His message changes. Jn. 12:23, "The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified." We might say, "Praise God! The Father is finally going to take Jesus home." That is truth, but it is only partial truth. The rest of the truth is found in the verses that follow… (Jn. 12:24-28)
And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified. 24. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. 25. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. 26. If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour. 27. Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour. 28. Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.
For what cause did Jesus come to that hour? For the purpose of dying on the cross. Jesus was the kernel of wheat that was about to fall into the ground and die. No wonder His soul was troubled. The cross loomed before Him. When He said, "Father, glorify thy name," He was saying what He would later pray, "Nevertheless, thy will be done." In other words, "I don’t want to go to the cross, but I know this is the way I am to bring you glory. Therefore, Father, your will be done. Glorify yourself through my cross." For Jesus, the way of glory was the way of the cross. It was through dying there, bearing the sins of the world, taking upon Himself the wrath of God, that Jesus would honor His Father.
But what does all that have to do with unity? Vs. 22, "And the glory which thou gavest me, I have given them." Then in vs. 24, "Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me…" Now He seems to be praying for the glory of heaven, when we will be with Him where He is. But back in 22, He speaks of a glory that He has already given His followers. Do you see it? As it was with Jesus, so it is with us. Yes, if we truly belong to Him, we will someday be where He is. We will enjoy unhindered fellowship with the Father and the Son. Yes, as the songwriter declares, "that will be glory." But the way of glory is the way of the cross, for Jesus said, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me" (Matt. 16:24).
Now back to verse 22 again. This time we will read the entire verse: "And the glory which thou gavest me, I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one." God’s purpose is giving us glory is that we might be one. As we are one in suffering with Him, so we will be one in eternal bliss with Him. Even in an imperfect world, we have a beautiful illustration of this kind of unity. Suppose a man named Tom decides to marry a girl named Sally. I have to tell you that Sally was raped when she was 16 and, as a result, has a four-year-old daughter. Can you imagine Tom going into the marriage with the attitude that says: "Sally, I want to be with you for the rest of our lives. We will be good for each other. I want us to enjoy all the benefits of marriage. Of course, you must understand that you are on your own with your daughter. I don’t want to be weighed down with that kind of burden." That’s crazy. We can’t conceive of that.
Rhonda and I worked with a young man named Jeff back in the mid 70’s. We had the joy of watching him come to Christ. Because of his background, he had some real struggles. A few years later after we had moved away from the area, we got word from Jeff that he was getting married. He was marrying a girl who had severe diabetes and who was going blind. Jeff knew that she might not live very long. That doesn’t sound like a very glorious marriage, does it? Nevertheless, Jeff married her. And in a few years she died. But Jeff went with her every step of the way. I suspect that they were closer than most married couples because of the deliberate decision to share that suffering together.
Please hear me well. The unity for which Jesus prayed is the unity that shares in this glory – both the heavenly bliss and the earthly cross. Jesus gave us this road of glory so that we might be one, even as He and the Father are one. The preparation for a return to heavenly glory was the completion of glorifying the Father while He was on the earth. It is no different with us. "But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ; by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world" (Gal. 6:14). "For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake" (Phil. 1:29). When the pilgrims of Jesus Christ walk through this world, rejoicing in the cross of their Lord, there is a unity that the world cannot explain. "That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death" (Phil. 3:10). This is a supernatural unity. It came through the cross of Christ and it is advanced as His people take up that cross daily.
Again, let me emphasize that there is a great tension here. The way of the cross is glory. We learn that from Jesus, especially as related in the gospel of John. But that is not the end of the story. There is a fuller glory to be revealed. As we bear the cross of Jesus in this world, we nevertheless look for a greater glory to be revealed on that glorious day when our Lord returns. We see the beauty of that tension reflected in Tit. 2:11-14…
For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 12. Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; 13. Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; 14. Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
What a mighty God we serve. There is glory now; there is the promise of greater glory for all eternity. And as we walk in the glory of the cross and anticipate the glory of heaven, we walk as one with the Father and the Son and with all who belong to them.
Eternal Life and Unity
But we said that this prayer is also about eternal life. Jesus was praying for those who know the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom He has sent (17:3). Let me emphasize again the fact that Jesus made it clear He was not praying for the world. Vs. 9, "I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine." Remember that great distinction He makes between those who are His and those who are a part of the world. This division is between those who have eternal life and those who do not.
We find the same tension as with the concept of glory. The fulness of eternal life will not be realized in this world. How we look forward to the day when that eternal life with the Father and Son will not be hindered in any way, when we will no longer have to put up with the presence of sin and sorrow. On the other hand, that eternal life does not begin when we leave this world, for we can know God the Father and Christ the Son in this present life. Praise God!
So what does this eternal life have to do with unity? Much indeed. Let me remind you of another definition of eternal life, which is found in 1 John 1:1-2, "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; 2. (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)…" John writes about this eternal life. It was with the Father and was manifested unto John and his companions. It was from the beginning. They had seen it, heard it, and even handled it. It was the Word of life. So what is this eternal life that John is describing? It is none other than the Lord Jesus Himself. So the most basic definition of eternal life is simply "Jesus." Jesus is eternal life. And because He has been manifested in the world, it is possible for a person to have eternal life. To have eternal life is essentially to have Jesus, to know God the Father and Christ the Son. To have eternal life is to share the very life of Jesus Christ.
This truth is able to demolish some of our weak concepts of Christian unity. Jesus prayed for unity among those who have eternal life. This unity is restricted to those who share the life of Jesus.
Please allow me to illustrate this on a human level. For a moment, forget the spiritual and confine yourself to the natural. Let’s use Norman for an example. Norman has a wife, four children and their spouses, and a host of wonderful grandchildren. He has a special closeness to these family members. Except for the spouses, they have his blood in their veins. And even of the spouses, it must be said that they are one with Norman’s children. Now let’s suppose that we want to enlarge Norman’s family. So we go to Albuquerque and select six people off the street. They are from all walks of life, but all agree that they would like to become a part of Norman’s family. So they start coming to a family gathering each month. As Norman gets to know them, he can honestly say that he loves each one of them. However, his relationship with these 6 is still not the same as his relationship with his family. Even after including them for 20 years, it still won’t be the same. Why not? Because they do not share the family tie. Norman’s blood is not in them. Though he loves them, it isn’t the same.
Listen to me. The unity for which Jesus prayed is restricted to those who have eternal life, to those who know the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom He sent into this world. A person who does not have the life of Jesus within him can never be a part of this unity. He may know the Bible backward and forward, pray regularly, never miss a church service, be baptized, be a member of the church, even be a teacher… but if he doesn’t have the life of Jesus, he is not and cannot be a part of the body of Christ. He cannot be included in this oneness for which Jesus prayed.
This is one of the greatest problems in understanding, defining, and applying Christian unity in our day. It is absolutely distorted in our society because such a large proportion of the professing church has never been born again, does not have the life of Jesus, does not possess eternal life. You ask, "Am I suggesting that there could be numbers of people in the church who do not have eternal life?" Yes. Even in this church? Yes.
We’ll come back to this, but let’s go a step further and consider…
Holiness and Unity
Though you won’t find the English words "holy" or "holiness" in the King James rendering of this passage, the concept is woven throughout Jesus’ prayer. Read again vs. 9, "I pray for them; I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine." Jesus makes a very clear distinction between the world and those whom the Father has given Him. This is the essence of holiness, for the word speaks of being "set apart." Jesus is praying for the holy ones, those who have been set apart from the rest of the world.
This theme comes into focus in verses 14-19…
I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 15. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. 16. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 17. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. 18. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. 19. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.
These for whom Jesus is praying are not a part of the world. As a matter of fact, the world hates them. Why? Because they have received and have kept (vs. 6) the Word of God. Don’t be deceived; adherence to the Word of God separates from the world. If this is so, it would seem logical to simply take these believers who have eternal life and take them out of the world, but that is not what Jesus prays. Instead, He prays that the Father would keep them (guard them; protect them) from the evil one. But how will this be done? Vs. 17, "Sanctify them through thy truth; thy word is truth." "Sanctify" is literally, "Make them holy;" "Set them apart." As the Word has caused the world to hate them, the Word will continue to set them apart from the world and is the Father’s means of protecting them from the evil one. Not only does Jesus refuse to pray that we be taken out of the world, but in verse 19 we see that He sends us back into the world. We have been separated from the world, but we have been sent into the world. And because we are in the world, we have great need to be continually set apart through the truth of the Word. Yes, this prayer is all about holiness.
So when Jesus prays, "Sanctify them through thy truth," for whom is He praying? Yes, for the eleven, but who are they? They are holy men. The world hated them because Jesus had given them the Word of God. He was praying that the Father would continue to set them apart.
I said earlier that we can take great comfort in the truth that Jesus is praying for us, but we must understand who the "us" is. He is praying for His saints, for His holy ones. If you haven’t been set apart by the Word of God and the work of the Spirit, then you cannot take comfort that Jesus is praying for you.
And what do His holy ones look like? They don’t look like the world, because they have been set apart from the world. As a matter of fact, the world hates them. Remember what Jesus said back in chapter 15. John 15:18-21…
If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. 19. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. 20. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. 21. But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me.
True believers have been set apart from the world, because they have been set apart unto God through faith in His Son Jesus.
Now when Jesus prays for His set apart ones, for His saints, He does not pray that the Father would take them out of the world. Nor does He pray that the world will stop hating them. Instead, He prays that the Father will continue to set them apart more and more. Paul would later say to the believers in Rome, "And be not conformed to this world, but be transformed through the renewing of your mind…" (Rom. 12:2). It is the reception of the Word that causes the world to hate His people, but Jesus prays that the Father will continue to set us apart through that same Word. The gap between the true believer and the world becomes greater and greater, and that is by God’s design. Ultimately, that gap will be the gulf between heaven and hell.
Listen to me. Don’t believe the devil’s lie, because the devil’s lie tells us that Christians and non-Christians can live together in this world in harmony. There is little difference between them. But then suddenly in the end, the Christians will be taken to heaven and the non-Christians will go to hell. That isn’t the way it is. Jesus gives us the true picture. Even in this world, there is a great division between the world and the saints. The world hates those who belong to Jesus, and the gap between the world and the saints of God is growing as we approach our final destination.
So we see that when Jesus prays for oneness, He is praying for unity among those who have been set apart from the world unto God.
Love and Unity
As we have seen, this prayer is also about love. This is a bit difficult for us, because many of us have grown up with a distorted view of the truth "God is love." Too often we have understood that to mean that God loves all people at all times, with no exceptions. I don’t claim to have a handle on this, but I must say that such a view is simply not true. Do we think that God is going to love people as He assigns them to hell, that His heart is going to break for all eternity because they went to hell? Do you think His people are going to weep with Him for all eternity because their loved ones in this world ended up in the lake of fire? Never. God’s people will rejoice for all eternity in the Lord’s justice and in His victory over all His enemies. The Lord will take vengeance on all His enemies, and His people will rejoice.
You say, "But how do we reconcile this with ‘For God so loved the world,’"? I don’t have all the answers, but I do know that we have presented a half truth about the nature of God. We talk about His love, but we are afraid to talk about His wrath. We say that He loves people, but we are afraid to say that He hates people. Let’s take a moment to read Psalm 11…
In the LORD put I my trust: how say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain? 2. For, lo, the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may privily shoot at the upright in heart. 3. If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do? 4. The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD'S throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men. 5. The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth. 6. Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup. 7. For the righteous LORD loveth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright.
That’s enough of that for now. I say that to prepare you for the truth in John 17:23, "I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me." Jesus wants the world to know not only that He is sent from the Father, but also that the Father has loved His saints, even as He has loved Jesus. Notice the connection. It is our oneness that will convince the world that the Father has loved us, even as He has loved Jesus.
Can we see the depth of this love? Imagine that the Father would love any man the same as He loves His own Son Jesus. That is unbelievable. But don’t misunderstand. Jesus is not saying that the Father loves all people as He loves Jesus. No. May it never be! The "them" in verse 23 must be seen in the context of this whole prayer. It is "them" for whom Jesus is praying, "them" to whom Jesus has given the Word of the Father, "them" who have known the Father and the Son. Those who are one in Christ demonstrate that the Father has loved them, even as He has loved Jesus. The goal is that people from the world might be drawn into this circle of love and unity.
And then again in verse 26, "And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them." Jesus prayer is that this divine love might be in us. But what does He mean? Is He talking about God’s love for us? Or about our love for God? Yes, He certainly is. It is God’s love for us that makes it possible for us to love God. "We love Him because He first loved us" (I John 4:19).
Notice especially those last words, "And I in them." God’s love cannot be in us, if the life of God’s Son is not in us. And that brings us back to the subject of unity, for our oneness together is dependent upon His life in us. Remember that this shared life is the source of all Christian unity.
For whom does Jesus pray "that they all may be one"? For those whom the Father loves, even as He loves Jesus. For those in whose hearts the love of God has been shed abroad, because Jesus lives in them.
Conclusion
This is an issue that we must face. I have been wrestling with this for years. I greatly desire that we all be one. The fact is, we can’t all be one, because we are not all one. We are not all one, because we do not all have eternal life. All of us do not share the life of the Father and the Son. We must understand that Jesus was praying only for those to whom He would give eternal life.
Down through the centuries there has been a tension between what might be called the institutional church and the true church of Jesus Christ. This tension exists because many who profess Christ do not possess Christ. There are many who claim to be Christians who do not belong to Jesus Christ. What we must understand is that the true church is made up only of those who have the life of the Father and the Son. They have been born again by the Spirit, whom the ascended Christ sent to take up residence within. His church is composed of those who glory in the cross of Jesus Christ. The Lord’s church is made up of the saints, those who have been set apart unto Him and who love with a love beyond themselves. Jesus was not praying for everyone who attends church meetings, because many who attend church meetings are not born-again, set-apart, glory-in-the cross, lovers of God.
You may say, "Pastor Ron, are you trying to cause division?" No, I am not. Jesus has already brought division. He is the most divisive person that ever lived. God hates those who sow discord among brethren (Prov. 6:19), but that is not what we are talking about. Jesus brings division between His own and the world. By rescuing people out of the world, he sets the world against them. I was an enemy of God. When Jesus came and reconciled me to the Father through His own death, He immediately made me the enemy of the world. This is what we might call "divine division."
The problem in the institutional church of America is that we are so afraid of division, we hesitate to say that there can be no true fellowship between those who belong to Jesus and those who do not. Paul said, "Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers; for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness?" (II Cor. 6:14). We most often apply that passage to marriage, emphasizing that God commands believers not to marry unbelievers, and that is absolutely true. However, the application is much wider than that. Amazingly enough, many times it is not applied to the professing church.
Praise God for everyone who comes here seeking the Lord. I praise Him even for those who come out of curiosity, just to see what is going on. But we must make it clear that everyone who attends meetings in the building is not part of the church, because light cannot have fellowship with darkness. Believers are light in the Lord, who have been "called out darkness into his marvelous light" (I Pet. 2:9).
Over the years, I have sometimes been frustrated, as I have tried to draw people on the fringe into the fellowship of the Lord’s people. I am realizing more and more that sometimes I am trying to do the impossible. I am trying to include people in the fellowship who do not have the life. You may ask, "So does that mean that if I don’t exercise a desire to spend time with and open my lives up to the other believers that I am not a true believer?" It may very well mean exactly that. God knows our hearts, but if you don’t have a real desire to share that common life of Christ with others who know Him, you have every reason to ask why. It is foolish to say you love Christ and do not demonstrate the same love for His people.
Oh that God would draw everyone of us to Himself. And as we are drawn to Him, we will be drawn to one another. But beware of deception. I have a precious older brother who reminds me from time to time that the reason for our difficulties in our horizontal relationships with one another is to be found in our relationship with the Lord. Whenever we can’t seem to live as one, we need to get on our knees before Him who has made us one.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
"That We All Be One" -- 8/12/07 (The Lord's Church)
Sunday, August 12, 2007
THAT WE ALL BE ONE
John 17:9-11,20-23
I have a little assignment for you this morning. This is not something to be taken lightly. So I want you to listen very carefully. Today I am urging you to guard our treasure chest of gold bars. I’m sure I don’t need to remind you that the appraised value of the gold bars is over two millions dollars. You must not let anyone near this treasure. Do whatever you have to in order to make sure that these gold bars are not taken from you. Guard this treasure with your life. Do you all understand your assignment? Do you think you will be able to carry it out?
So why will you not be unable to carry out the assignment that I have given you? Because it is impossible to guard what you do not have. If I had indeed delivered the gold bars into your hands, then you would understand the charge to guard the treasure; but since you don’t have the treasure, you cannot guard it.
Now that we have that straight, let’s turn to John 17. These last few days I have been praying that the Lord would make this passage precious to us this morning, that we would not be able to take it for granted, to read it with a yawn. This is our Lord Jesus speaking. He is not only speaking, but here we have the record of His words just hours before His arrest. Not only were these words crucial because they were some of His last, but Jesus was actually praying to His Father. Here in John 17, we have the privilege of hearing our Lord pour out His heart to the Father. Brothers and sisters, when we read this passage, we are on holy ground! And because of what Jesus has done, we who belong to Him have access into the presence of the Father. Let’s go to Him in prayer right now. Pray.
Let’s read it slowly, letting Jesus’ prayer to the Father sink deep into our hearts and minds. Read John 17:1-26…
These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: 2. As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. 3. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. 4. I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. 5. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. 6. I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word. 7. Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. 8. For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me. 9. I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. 10. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them. 11. And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. 12. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled. 13. And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. 14. I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 15. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. 16. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 17. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. 18. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. 19. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. 20. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; 21. That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 22. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: 23. I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. 24. Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. 25. O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. 26. And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.
I. Jesus’ Prayer for Unity
Most of us have been over verses 20 and 21 many times, because it is here that Jesus prays that we might be one. Let’s read it again… (Jn. 17:20-21)
Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; 21. That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
Let’s be careful not to restrict Jesus’ plea for the unity of His own to these two verses. Though this theme is not mentioned in every verse, it is never far from the mind of our Lord. It permeates this entire prayer. Let’s go back and read again verses 9-11…
I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. 10. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them. 11. And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.
Jesus makes it clear that He is not praying for the world. Jesus did not come to make the people of the world one. As a matter of fact, He specifically tells us in Matt.10:34-35, "Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. 35. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law." The closest the world will ever come to being one is in its united opposition to God and His Son Jesus Christ.
Jesus emphasizes that He is praying for those whom the Father has given Him. And who are they? Paul speaks of this group in Eph. 1:4, "According as he has chosen us in him (in Christ) before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame…" Peter speaks of those same people in I Pet. 1:1-2…
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 2. Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.
Jesus Himself has already spoken to the Father about them here in verse 2, "As thou hast given him power [literally, authority] over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him." Jesus is praying for all those whom He has received from the Father, and those are the ones to whom He will give eternal life. These are the ones to whom He manifested the name of the Father, the very ones whom the Father has given Him. So we see that Jesus is praying for His own, not for the world in general. Most specifically, He is praying for these eleven men, who are about to be devastated, when Jesus is taken from them.
Now notice again what He prays in verse 11, "And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are." Jesus prays that the Father will keep them, guard them, protect them. Again, He specifies that He is praying for those whom the Father has given Him. And why does He ask the Father to keep them? In order that they might be one.
Notice how important this is to Jesus. He speaks of His departure from them. He is going to return to the glory He had known with His Father, but they will be left in the world. That concerns Jesus, and we can certainly understand why. As we read later in verse 14, the world will hate them. We have read in the book of Acts that these men will be persecuted. James, the brother of John, was martyred in Acts 12. No wonder Jesus asks the Father to keep them, to guard them. But the focus of His prayer is not for individuals. He prays that they may be one. The keeping power of the Father will be necessary for this little band of men to become one.
In that context, we now come back to verse 20. Now He specifies again for whom He is praying. While in verse 9, Jesus reduced the people for whom He was praying, now He enlarges the group for whom He is praying. No, He doesn’t decide to include some of the world. Instead, He reaches into the future. As the Father had given to Him that little group of men, the Father would continue to give people to Jesus. How? Through the testimony of these men, many more would believe on Him. Jesus doesn’t limit the future to ten years, or even to a hundred years.
He is now praying for all those who will believe on Him through the testimony of these eleven. Praise God! Many of us here have so believed. Remember that these men were apostles for the very purpose of testifying to the risen Christ. They testified through their words and then through their writings, which essentially became the New Testament. Everyone who puts his trust in Christ owes a debt to these men who walked with Jesus, who saw Him crucified, and who then testified to the reality of His resurrection. So for those of us who truly know the risen Christ, we can take great comfort in the fact that Jesus was praying for us!
The substance of His prayer is in verse 21, "That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me." He prayed that we may all be one. Notice the word "all." He didn’t pray that 95% of those who believe in Him would be united. No, He prayed that all who trust Him might be one.
But didn’t Jesus realize what He was asking? Didn’t He understand the impossibility of such a request? Didn’t Jesus know how different people would be? After all, we live in a diverse world composed of people who differ racially, socially, economically, religiously, and in every other way you can think of. How could Jesus possibly conceive of believers out of such a world living in unity? Make no mistake about it – this is exactly what Jesus prayed. Of course, He knew what He was asking, but He asked it of the Father anyway. He sincerely prayed that all who believe in Him might be one.
Jesus didn’t stop there. Let’s go on and read verses 22 and 23…
And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: 23. I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
Notice here, as well as in verse 21, the kind of unity for which Jesus prayed. He prayed that we would be one in the same way that He and the Father are one. The more we examine Jesus’ prayer, the more radical it becomes. Back in John 10:30, Jesus had bluntly stated: "I and my Father are one." And now He prays that all of His own be a part of that oneness.
We will be coming back to this concept, but now let’s go a step further and ask a pointed question…
II. Did the Father Answer Jesus’ Prayer?
Jesus asked the Father that all of those who believe in Him might be one. As we have seen, that is a tall order. Did the Father answer His prayer, or not? Understand that the way we answer this question will have far-reaching consequences. Nevertheless, this is a fair question and it demands an answer. So did the Father answer? Yes, the Father granted Jesus’ request that His own people should be one.
How do we know this is the case? Let me suggest two reasons for this answer. Both come directly out of the scripture. First of all, the Father always answered Jesus’ prayers. Remember what Jesus said to those who were following Him in Matt. 7:7-8, "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: 8. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened." What a promise. Surely if Jesus could give such a promise to His followers, He had absolute confidence that the Father would answer His own prayers.
For more direct evidence of that fact, let’s turn to John 11. This is the story of Lazarus. Remember that Jesus dearly loved Lazarus and his two sisters, Mary and Martha. When Lazarus got severely ill, the sisters sent word to Jesus. But the Master didn’t move; He remained where He was for two more days. After reading the entire story, we realize He lingered where He was to give Lazarus plenty of time to die and be buried. Jesus wanted to do more than simply heal a sick man. When He and His apostles arrived at the town of Lazarus and his sisters, Lazarus had been dead for four days. Now let’s pick up the story in John 11:40-44…
Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? 41. Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. 42. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. 43. And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. 44. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.
What a prayer, but God answered. Yes, the Father raised this man up out of the grave, though he had been in the tomb for four days. But notice especially the words Jesus spoke to the Father in verses 41-42, "…Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always…" The Lord Jesus affirmed that the Father always answered His prayers. He could say that with absolute confidence. If God always answered Jesus prayers, how could it be any different concerning the prayer of John 17?
But we would like to have even greater evidence that the Father did indeed make Jesus’ followers one, even as the Father and the Son are one. We would like to have it after the fact, written in black and white. That brings us to the hard evidence that those who belong to Jesus are one. Let’s read it in Rom. 12:4-5, "For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: 5. So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another." We are one body in Christ and are members one of another. Here the apostle Paul uses the analogy of the human body. He uses this picture extensively here in Romans 12 and again in I Cor. 12. And what a powerful analogy it is, for who can deny that the body is one. Never once has my hand not been a part of my body. Without even thinking about it, my hand remains a part of my body and functions in conjunction with all the other parts. So it is in the body of Christ; we are members one of another.
We see the same basic truth in I Cor. 12:11-14…
But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will. 12. For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. 13. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. 14. For the body is not one member, but many.
Did you catch the repetition of the word "one"? It is not by accident. We are many members, but we are one body. I have hands; I have feet; I have ears; I have eyes; I have a mouth… but I have only one body. So it is with Christ. He has many members, but we are all one body.
Now let’s come to Gal. 3:26-28…
For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. 27. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
If you are looking for a blunt statement, this is it. If you want it in plain language, without any analogies and pictures, this is it. "For you are all one in Christ Jesus." Though Christ’s followers differ according to race and culture and religious background, they are all one in Christ. Though they differ in social station and degree of privilege, they are all one in Christ. Though some are male and some are female, they are all one in Christ. Jesus prayed that His followers would all be one, and here the very Word of God states in the clearest terms that it is so. "For ye are all one in Christ Jesus."
III. How Did the Father Answer Jesus’ Prayer?
Sometimes we hear the comment or even make the comment ourselves: "Be careful what you pray for." I pray, "Lord, make me a man of prayer." I want the Lord to zap my heart and mind with a deep conviction of how I need to pray. But I find that the Lord isn’t in the zapping business. Rather, He has a way of answering prayer through the fabric of real life. I find that the typical way He answers such a prayer is by putting me in a situation where I am desperate. In other words, I pray that He would make me a man of prayer, and He uses the circumstances of life to drive me to my knees. The answer to our prayers often costs us a great deal. The ultimate example of this is the prayer of Jesus, that we might all be one.
So how did the Father answer Jesus’ prayer? He did not do it by simply planting within all His people a desire for unity. What the Father did goes much deeper than that. Recall that John 13-17 gives us a record of the glorious things Jesus spoke to His eleven apostles just hours before His arrest. And chapter 17 is the most glorious of all, because He was actually speaking to His Father. So what happened when He finished His prayer? Jn. 18:1-2..
When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples over the brook Cedron, where was a garden, into the which he entered, and his disciples. 2. And Judas also, which betrayed him, knew the place: for Jesus ofttimes resorted thither with his disciples.
When Jesus finished praying, He led His apostles out to the Garden of Gethsemane. It was there that He would agonize in prayer, begging the Father to remove the cup from Him. Finally, He would say, "Nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done."
You will notice that John does not record that experience, only noting that they went over the book Cedron, where there was a garden. Without including that dreadful session of prayer, John goes directly to the betrayal of Judas and the arrest. In the wisdom of God, perhaps the Spirit leads him to link the prayer of Jesus as closely as possible with the answer to that prayer. Jesus finished praying, and He immediately led His apostles to the place where He would be arrested. And, of course, that arrest would lead to His crucifixion. The crucifixion and resurrection, my dear brothers and sisters, was the answer to Jesus’ prayer that we might all be one.
Think about it. We know that it was through His death and resurrection that He provided salvation. Through the prophet Isaiah, God said, "Your iniquities have separated between you and your God…" (Is. 59:2). We were under the wrath of God because we had broken the law of God. Just this week I was reading these words from Ps. 5:9-10..
For there is no faithfulness in their mouth; their inward part is very wickedness; their throat is an open sepulchre; they flatter with their tongue. 10. Destroy thou them, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions; for they have rebelled against thee.
Yes, we rebelled against Almighty God. We were dead in our trespasses and sins, and there was not a thing we could do about it. But God Himself did something about it. "Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief…" (Is. 53:10). Yes, "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all" (Is. 53:6). God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him (II Cor. 5:21). There on the cross, Jesus bore the punishment for our sins. The punishment did not come from those who drove the nails in His hands and feet; the punishment came from God Himself. It was God that we offended; it was God against whom we rebelled. And it was God who poured out His wrath upon the One who took our place, upon His own beloved Son.
Why would Jesus do such a thing? Because He loved us? Yes. Because He was intent upon doing the will of His Father? Yes. Because His desire was that we might be made righteous? Yes. Jesus said, "I am come that they might have life, and life more abundantly" (Jn. 10:10). We have a tendency to put our own slant on those words of Jesus, defining that "life more abundantly" to suit our own purposes. Please allow me to tell you what the abundant life is; it is the life of Jesus. Anything else sells short the death and resurrection of our Lord. Jesus died and rose, that He might give us His very life. We read it recently in Acts 2:32-33, "This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. 33. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear." Jesus had sent His own Spirit, His very life, into those who wholly trusted Him.
But what does all that have to do with His prayer that we be one? Everything. That is the answer to His prayer. The way the Father makes us one is by sharing His life with us. Too often we get the idea that believers are one because they believe the same things, because they have the same outlook, because they have the same goal in life. No, that isn’t it. We are one because we share the same life, the very life of the Father and the Son. That is what Jesus meant when He said, "I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one…" (Jn. 17:23). The key to the oneness for which Jesus prayed is the shared life. As the Father and the Son share the same life, now all believers share that life. It is ours through the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus.
Let me give you a close parallel to this truth. When Jesus was hanging on the cross, He prayed, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." But how could the Father forgive those who crucified His Son? Through the crucifixion of His Son. What a glorious paradox this is. Jesus became the answer to His own prayer, but it cost Him more than we can ever fully comprehend. In the same way, when He prayed that we might be one, He became the answer to His own prayer. It was through His own crucifixion and resurrection that He would give us His very life.
Conlcusion
We began this morning by illustrating the simple truth that we can’t keep what we don’t have. We can’t protect what is not already ours. With that in mind, let’s read again the first three verses of Ephesians 4. Eph. 4:1-3…
I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, 2. With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; 3. Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Part of walking worthy or our calling is endeavoring to guard the unity of the Spirit. Paul refers to this unity as the unity of the Spirit, because is in the realm of the Spirit. We are united because we share the same Spirit. As we read from I Cor. 12:13, we have all been baptized by one Spirit into one body. Our unity is in the Spirit.
Paul speaks of keeping the unity of the Spirit, or guarding the unity of the Spirit, because it is something we already possess. We can’t protect what we don’t have. If we were not already one, Paul would have said something like this: "Work diligently to become one in the Spirit. Do all you can to produce the unity of the Spirit." But that is not what he says. Rather, it is, "Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit." "Make every effort to guard this unity. Make haste to protect this oneness in the Spirit. Give diligence to protect the unity you have."
So we find again the tension that so often presents itself concerning God’s work and our work. The Lord’s work is creating unity; our responsibility is to guard that unity. It is impossible for us who belong to Christ to become one, because we already are one. Too often we speak as if our goal were to achieve unity. That is to rob the Lord of the glory of what He did on the cross. Surely we wouldn’t speak of trying to obtain our own salvation. Paul said, "I do not frustrate the grace of God; for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain" (Gal. 2:21). In the same way, to speak of unity as something that we are trying to produce is to rob Jesus of the glory that belongs to Him. Let us praise His holy name that He has made us one! Let us join the Psalmist in saying, "How good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity" (Ps. 133:1).
I am fully aware that we have many questions regarding this unity in the Spirit. If we are all one, then why do we seem so divided? Why do we disagree on so many things? How do we guard this unity? I confess that I don’t have the answers to all those questions, but the Lord is convicting me deeply that the place to begin is not in trying to resolve our differences. Rather, the place to begin is by understanding that we are indeed one and to rejoice in that unity of the Spirit. Surely there is no better place to start than John 17.
You will notice in your bulletin that our passage for memory and/or meditation has been changed from Rom. 8 to John 17. I apologize for not being more sensitive to the Lord earlier, but I don’t see any value in sticking to a plan. It seems to me that John 17 is where the Lord wants us to focus together. I would encourage you to memorize part or all of t his chapter. How can we go wrong in committing to memory the precious words of our Lord Jesus, as he spoke to His Father?
Lord willing, next week we will be looking more closely at John 17. Our focus will be upon how the various subjects of His prayer all contribute to the theme of unity, of being one in Christ.
THAT WE ALL BE ONE
John 17:9-11,20-23
I have a little assignment for you this morning. This is not something to be taken lightly. So I want you to listen very carefully. Today I am urging you to guard our treasure chest of gold bars. I’m sure I don’t need to remind you that the appraised value of the gold bars is over two millions dollars. You must not let anyone near this treasure. Do whatever you have to in order to make sure that these gold bars are not taken from you. Guard this treasure with your life. Do you all understand your assignment? Do you think you will be able to carry it out?
So why will you not be unable to carry out the assignment that I have given you? Because it is impossible to guard what you do not have. If I had indeed delivered the gold bars into your hands, then you would understand the charge to guard the treasure; but since you don’t have the treasure, you cannot guard it.
Now that we have that straight, let’s turn to John 17. These last few days I have been praying that the Lord would make this passage precious to us this morning, that we would not be able to take it for granted, to read it with a yawn. This is our Lord Jesus speaking. He is not only speaking, but here we have the record of His words just hours before His arrest. Not only were these words crucial because they were some of His last, but Jesus was actually praying to His Father. Here in John 17, we have the privilege of hearing our Lord pour out His heart to the Father. Brothers and sisters, when we read this passage, we are on holy ground! And because of what Jesus has done, we who belong to Him have access into the presence of the Father. Let’s go to Him in prayer right now. Pray.
Let’s read it slowly, letting Jesus’ prayer to the Father sink deep into our hearts and minds. Read John 17:1-26…
These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: 2. As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. 3. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. 4. I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. 5. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. 6. I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word. 7. Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. 8. For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me. 9. I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. 10. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them. 11. And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. 12. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled. 13. And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. 14. I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 15. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. 16. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 17. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. 18. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. 19. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. 20. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; 21. That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 22. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: 23. I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. 24. Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. 25. O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. 26. And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.
I. Jesus’ Prayer for Unity
Most of us have been over verses 20 and 21 many times, because it is here that Jesus prays that we might be one. Let’s read it again… (Jn. 17:20-21)
Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; 21. That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
Let’s be careful not to restrict Jesus’ plea for the unity of His own to these two verses. Though this theme is not mentioned in every verse, it is never far from the mind of our Lord. It permeates this entire prayer. Let’s go back and read again verses 9-11…
I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. 10. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them. 11. And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.
Jesus makes it clear that He is not praying for the world. Jesus did not come to make the people of the world one. As a matter of fact, He specifically tells us in Matt.10:34-35, "Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. 35. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law." The closest the world will ever come to being one is in its united opposition to God and His Son Jesus Christ.
Jesus emphasizes that He is praying for those whom the Father has given Him. And who are they? Paul speaks of this group in Eph. 1:4, "According as he has chosen us in him (in Christ) before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame…" Peter speaks of those same people in I Pet. 1:1-2…
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 2. Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.
Jesus Himself has already spoken to the Father about them here in verse 2, "As thou hast given him power [literally, authority] over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him." Jesus is praying for all those whom He has received from the Father, and those are the ones to whom He will give eternal life. These are the ones to whom He manifested the name of the Father, the very ones whom the Father has given Him. So we see that Jesus is praying for His own, not for the world in general. Most specifically, He is praying for these eleven men, who are about to be devastated, when Jesus is taken from them.
Now notice again what He prays in verse 11, "And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are." Jesus prays that the Father will keep them, guard them, protect them. Again, He specifies that He is praying for those whom the Father has given Him. And why does He ask the Father to keep them? In order that they might be one.
Notice how important this is to Jesus. He speaks of His departure from them. He is going to return to the glory He had known with His Father, but they will be left in the world. That concerns Jesus, and we can certainly understand why. As we read later in verse 14, the world will hate them. We have read in the book of Acts that these men will be persecuted. James, the brother of John, was martyred in Acts 12. No wonder Jesus asks the Father to keep them, to guard them. But the focus of His prayer is not for individuals. He prays that they may be one. The keeping power of the Father will be necessary for this little band of men to become one.
In that context, we now come back to verse 20. Now He specifies again for whom He is praying. While in verse 9, Jesus reduced the people for whom He was praying, now He enlarges the group for whom He is praying. No, He doesn’t decide to include some of the world. Instead, He reaches into the future. As the Father had given to Him that little group of men, the Father would continue to give people to Jesus. How? Through the testimony of these men, many more would believe on Him. Jesus doesn’t limit the future to ten years, or even to a hundred years.
He is now praying for all those who will believe on Him through the testimony of these eleven. Praise God! Many of us here have so believed. Remember that these men were apostles for the very purpose of testifying to the risen Christ. They testified through their words and then through their writings, which essentially became the New Testament. Everyone who puts his trust in Christ owes a debt to these men who walked with Jesus, who saw Him crucified, and who then testified to the reality of His resurrection. So for those of us who truly know the risen Christ, we can take great comfort in the fact that Jesus was praying for us!
The substance of His prayer is in verse 21, "That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me." He prayed that we may all be one. Notice the word "all." He didn’t pray that 95% of those who believe in Him would be united. No, He prayed that all who trust Him might be one.
But didn’t Jesus realize what He was asking? Didn’t He understand the impossibility of such a request? Didn’t Jesus know how different people would be? After all, we live in a diverse world composed of people who differ racially, socially, economically, religiously, and in every other way you can think of. How could Jesus possibly conceive of believers out of such a world living in unity? Make no mistake about it – this is exactly what Jesus prayed. Of course, He knew what He was asking, but He asked it of the Father anyway. He sincerely prayed that all who believe in Him might be one.
Jesus didn’t stop there. Let’s go on and read verses 22 and 23…
And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: 23. I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
Notice here, as well as in verse 21, the kind of unity for which Jesus prayed. He prayed that we would be one in the same way that He and the Father are one. The more we examine Jesus’ prayer, the more radical it becomes. Back in John 10:30, Jesus had bluntly stated: "I and my Father are one." And now He prays that all of His own be a part of that oneness.
We will be coming back to this concept, but now let’s go a step further and ask a pointed question…
II. Did the Father Answer Jesus’ Prayer?
Jesus asked the Father that all of those who believe in Him might be one. As we have seen, that is a tall order. Did the Father answer His prayer, or not? Understand that the way we answer this question will have far-reaching consequences. Nevertheless, this is a fair question and it demands an answer. So did the Father answer? Yes, the Father granted Jesus’ request that His own people should be one.
How do we know this is the case? Let me suggest two reasons for this answer. Both come directly out of the scripture. First of all, the Father always answered Jesus’ prayers. Remember what Jesus said to those who were following Him in Matt. 7:7-8, "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: 8. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened." What a promise. Surely if Jesus could give such a promise to His followers, He had absolute confidence that the Father would answer His own prayers.
For more direct evidence of that fact, let’s turn to John 11. This is the story of Lazarus. Remember that Jesus dearly loved Lazarus and his two sisters, Mary and Martha. When Lazarus got severely ill, the sisters sent word to Jesus. But the Master didn’t move; He remained where He was for two more days. After reading the entire story, we realize He lingered where He was to give Lazarus plenty of time to die and be buried. Jesus wanted to do more than simply heal a sick man. When He and His apostles arrived at the town of Lazarus and his sisters, Lazarus had been dead for four days. Now let’s pick up the story in John 11:40-44…
Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? 41. Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. 42. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. 43. And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. 44. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.
What a prayer, but God answered. Yes, the Father raised this man up out of the grave, though he had been in the tomb for four days. But notice especially the words Jesus spoke to the Father in verses 41-42, "…Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always…" The Lord Jesus affirmed that the Father always answered His prayers. He could say that with absolute confidence. If God always answered Jesus prayers, how could it be any different concerning the prayer of John 17?
But we would like to have even greater evidence that the Father did indeed make Jesus’ followers one, even as the Father and the Son are one. We would like to have it after the fact, written in black and white. That brings us to the hard evidence that those who belong to Jesus are one. Let’s read it in Rom. 12:4-5, "For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: 5. So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another." We are one body in Christ and are members one of another. Here the apostle Paul uses the analogy of the human body. He uses this picture extensively here in Romans 12 and again in I Cor. 12. And what a powerful analogy it is, for who can deny that the body is one. Never once has my hand not been a part of my body. Without even thinking about it, my hand remains a part of my body and functions in conjunction with all the other parts. So it is in the body of Christ; we are members one of another.
We see the same basic truth in I Cor. 12:11-14…
But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will. 12. For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. 13. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. 14. For the body is not one member, but many.
Did you catch the repetition of the word "one"? It is not by accident. We are many members, but we are one body. I have hands; I have feet; I have ears; I have eyes; I have a mouth… but I have only one body. So it is with Christ. He has many members, but we are all one body.
Now let’s come to Gal. 3:26-28…
For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. 27. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
If you are looking for a blunt statement, this is it. If you want it in plain language, without any analogies and pictures, this is it. "For you are all one in Christ Jesus." Though Christ’s followers differ according to race and culture and religious background, they are all one in Christ. Though they differ in social station and degree of privilege, they are all one in Christ. Though some are male and some are female, they are all one in Christ. Jesus prayed that His followers would all be one, and here the very Word of God states in the clearest terms that it is so. "For ye are all one in Christ Jesus."
III. How Did the Father Answer Jesus’ Prayer?
Sometimes we hear the comment or even make the comment ourselves: "Be careful what you pray for." I pray, "Lord, make me a man of prayer." I want the Lord to zap my heart and mind with a deep conviction of how I need to pray. But I find that the Lord isn’t in the zapping business. Rather, He has a way of answering prayer through the fabric of real life. I find that the typical way He answers such a prayer is by putting me in a situation where I am desperate. In other words, I pray that He would make me a man of prayer, and He uses the circumstances of life to drive me to my knees. The answer to our prayers often costs us a great deal. The ultimate example of this is the prayer of Jesus, that we might all be one.
So how did the Father answer Jesus’ prayer? He did not do it by simply planting within all His people a desire for unity. What the Father did goes much deeper than that. Recall that John 13-17 gives us a record of the glorious things Jesus spoke to His eleven apostles just hours before His arrest. And chapter 17 is the most glorious of all, because He was actually speaking to His Father. So what happened when He finished His prayer? Jn. 18:1-2..
When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples over the brook Cedron, where was a garden, into the which he entered, and his disciples. 2. And Judas also, which betrayed him, knew the place: for Jesus ofttimes resorted thither with his disciples.
When Jesus finished praying, He led His apostles out to the Garden of Gethsemane. It was there that He would agonize in prayer, begging the Father to remove the cup from Him. Finally, He would say, "Nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done."
You will notice that John does not record that experience, only noting that they went over the book Cedron, where there was a garden. Without including that dreadful session of prayer, John goes directly to the betrayal of Judas and the arrest. In the wisdom of God, perhaps the Spirit leads him to link the prayer of Jesus as closely as possible with the answer to that prayer. Jesus finished praying, and He immediately led His apostles to the place where He would be arrested. And, of course, that arrest would lead to His crucifixion. The crucifixion and resurrection, my dear brothers and sisters, was the answer to Jesus’ prayer that we might all be one.
Think about it. We know that it was through His death and resurrection that He provided salvation. Through the prophet Isaiah, God said, "Your iniquities have separated between you and your God…" (Is. 59:2). We were under the wrath of God because we had broken the law of God. Just this week I was reading these words from Ps. 5:9-10..
For there is no faithfulness in their mouth; their inward part is very wickedness; their throat is an open sepulchre; they flatter with their tongue. 10. Destroy thou them, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions; for they have rebelled against thee.
Yes, we rebelled against Almighty God. We were dead in our trespasses and sins, and there was not a thing we could do about it. But God Himself did something about it. "Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief…" (Is. 53:10). Yes, "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all" (Is. 53:6). God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him (II Cor. 5:21). There on the cross, Jesus bore the punishment for our sins. The punishment did not come from those who drove the nails in His hands and feet; the punishment came from God Himself. It was God that we offended; it was God against whom we rebelled. And it was God who poured out His wrath upon the One who took our place, upon His own beloved Son.
Why would Jesus do such a thing? Because He loved us? Yes. Because He was intent upon doing the will of His Father? Yes. Because His desire was that we might be made righteous? Yes. Jesus said, "I am come that they might have life, and life more abundantly" (Jn. 10:10). We have a tendency to put our own slant on those words of Jesus, defining that "life more abundantly" to suit our own purposes. Please allow me to tell you what the abundant life is; it is the life of Jesus. Anything else sells short the death and resurrection of our Lord. Jesus died and rose, that He might give us His very life. We read it recently in Acts 2:32-33, "This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. 33. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear." Jesus had sent His own Spirit, His very life, into those who wholly trusted Him.
But what does all that have to do with His prayer that we be one? Everything. That is the answer to His prayer. The way the Father makes us one is by sharing His life with us. Too often we get the idea that believers are one because they believe the same things, because they have the same outlook, because they have the same goal in life. No, that isn’t it. We are one because we share the same life, the very life of the Father and the Son. That is what Jesus meant when He said, "I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one…" (Jn. 17:23). The key to the oneness for which Jesus prayed is the shared life. As the Father and the Son share the same life, now all believers share that life. It is ours through the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus.
Let me give you a close parallel to this truth. When Jesus was hanging on the cross, He prayed, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." But how could the Father forgive those who crucified His Son? Through the crucifixion of His Son. What a glorious paradox this is. Jesus became the answer to His own prayer, but it cost Him more than we can ever fully comprehend. In the same way, when He prayed that we might be one, He became the answer to His own prayer. It was through His own crucifixion and resurrection that He would give us His very life.
Conlcusion
We began this morning by illustrating the simple truth that we can’t keep what we don’t have. We can’t protect what is not already ours. With that in mind, let’s read again the first three verses of Ephesians 4. Eph. 4:1-3…
I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, 2. With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; 3. Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Part of walking worthy or our calling is endeavoring to guard the unity of the Spirit. Paul refers to this unity as the unity of the Spirit, because is in the realm of the Spirit. We are united because we share the same Spirit. As we read from I Cor. 12:13, we have all been baptized by one Spirit into one body. Our unity is in the Spirit.
Paul speaks of keeping the unity of the Spirit, or guarding the unity of the Spirit, because it is something we already possess. We can’t protect what we don’t have. If we were not already one, Paul would have said something like this: "Work diligently to become one in the Spirit. Do all you can to produce the unity of the Spirit." But that is not what he says. Rather, it is, "Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit." "Make every effort to guard this unity. Make haste to protect this oneness in the Spirit. Give diligence to protect the unity you have."
So we find again the tension that so often presents itself concerning God’s work and our work. The Lord’s work is creating unity; our responsibility is to guard that unity. It is impossible for us who belong to Christ to become one, because we already are one. Too often we speak as if our goal were to achieve unity. That is to rob the Lord of the glory of what He did on the cross. Surely we wouldn’t speak of trying to obtain our own salvation. Paul said, "I do not frustrate the grace of God; for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain" (Gal. 2:21). In the same way, to speak of unity as something that we are trying to produce is to rob Jesus of the glory that belongs to Him. Let us praise His holy name that He has made us one! Let us join the Psalmist in saying, "How good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity" (Ps. 133:1).
I am fully aware that we have many questions regarding this unity in the Spirit. If we are all one, then why do we seem so divided? Why do we disagree on so many things? How do we guard this unity? I confess that I don’t have the answers to all those questions, but the Lord is convicting me deeply that the place to begin is not in trying to resolve our differences. Rather, the place to begin is by understanding that we are indeed one and to rejoice in that unity of the Spirit. Surely there is no better place to start than John 17.
You will notice in your bulletin that our passage for memory and/or meditation has been changed from Rom. 8 to John 17. I apologize for not being more sensitive to the Lord earlier, but I don’t see any value in sticking to a plan. It seems to me that John 17 is where the Lord wants us to focus together. I would encourage you to memorize part or all of t his chapter. How can we go wrong in committing to memory the precious words of our Lord Jesus, as he spoke to His Father?
Lord willing, next week we will be looking more closely at John 17. Our focus will be upon how the various subjects of His prayer all contribute to the theme of unity, of being one in Christ.
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Background for Unity -- 7/29/07 (The Lord's Church)
Sunday, July 29, 2007 [Have Eph. 1-3 read earlier in the service…]
BACKGROUND FOR STUDYING UNITY
Eph. 4:1-2
This morning let’s continue our study of Acts by turning to Ephesians 4. While we won’t be looking much at Acts this morning, this little detour to Ephesians is very much related to Acts and to where we are as a congregation.
Last week I suggested we read through the first three chapters of Ephesians, along with the first part of chapter 4. I trust that most of you have done so. I know at least one person who felt led to memorize that first three and a half chapters. Some of you have been over these rich truths recently in a Sunday School class. Praise God for the letter to the Ephesians, as we would be much poorer without it.
The richness of the first three chapters can never be exhausted. That is why we read them again this morning.
Now let’s come to chapter 4. Read Eph. 4:1-7…
I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, 2. With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; 3. Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are 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. 7. But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
Notice that first verse. “I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech [urge] you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called.” Do you see the word “therefore”? What is it there for? It is referring us back to the truths of the first three chapters. “Therefore, on the basis of who God is and what He has done through His Son Jesus, and because you are the building, family, and body of Christ, this is what I urge you to do.” Much more could be said about chapters 1-3. Paul wants us to keep in mind all he has said in this letter up to this point.
On the basis of those great truths, he now has some instructions to give us.
In his typical fashion, Paul divides his letter into two parts – the doctrinal (or teaching) section, and then the practical section. In the first section – chapters 1-3 – he simply imparts truth. In the last section – chapters 4-6 – he urges us to live in light of those truths. So when we come to the “therefore” of chapter 4, Paul trusts that we are ready to hear his specific instructions. May we never be guilty of skipping the teaching section of Paul’s letters in order to come to the practical part. That is very dangerous. We can learn what we ought to do, but we will find little power for doing it.
In chapters 4-6, we find many commands, beginning with this first one here in 4:1. But do you know how many commands are in the first 3 chapters? Only one. And even that command is only a command for the mind. In 2:11, Paul says, “Remember…” That’s all. Before he gives the Ephesian believers commands, he lays the great foundation of truth. Before he tells us to do anything, he goes to great length to tell us what God has already done. Paul’s plan is intentional. We can do nothing, until we understand what God has done for us and in us.
Paul’s most basic command in chapters 4-6 is found right here in 4:1, when he urges us to walk worthy of the vocation wherewith we are called. More literally, “I urge you to work worthy of the calling with which you were called.” The King James reads “are called,” but in our day we would communicate the concept better by saying “were called.” And “vocation” is simply “calling,” a noun form of the verb “call.” This calling is something that took place at a definite point in the past.
One author suggests that this is the key verse in the entire letter, and I can certainly understand his reasoning. It is here that Paul gathers up all he has written and then gives the key command for the Ephesians and for all believers. The rest of chapters 4-6 gives us specifics about how to walk worthy of our calling. One author makes this insightful statement: “The inference is that the high calling the Christian has experienced carries with it very weighty responsibilities” (Vaughan, Ephesians, p. 87). As Jesus put it, “To whom much is given, much is required.” This morning we will focus on this central command to walk worthy of our calling.
I. Called to What?
The first question we must ask is this: “To what is it that we have been called.” If I call you to do something, you want to be clear on what that calling is. You would ask: “Called to what?” And that is exactly the question we want to ask about verse 1. “Walk worthy of the calling to which you were called.” We ask, “What is that calling? What is it I have been called to?”
We have a tendency to use the term “call” very loosely. A person may say, “God called me to go on a mission trip.” When I went to seminary, a form asked me to relate my “call” to preach. Missionaries are often asked to tell about their “call” to the mission field. We might ask the question: “What is the scriptural basis for that kind of thinking?” Let’s take a few minutes to explore what the New Testament says about this calling. First of all, let’s read some verses that speak about this calling in general…
Acts 2:39 "For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call."
Rom 8:28-30 "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 29. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified."
Rom 9:11 "(For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;)"
Rom 9:24 "Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?"
1 Cor 1:24-26 "But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. 25. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 26. For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:"
Gal 5:8 "This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you."
Phil 3:14 "I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."
1 Th 5:24 "Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it."
2 Th 1:11 "Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power:"
2 Tim 1:9 "Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,"
Heb 3:1 "Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;"
Heb 9:15 "And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance."
1 Pet 1:15 "But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;"
2 Pet 1:10 "Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:"
Jude 1:1 "Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called:"
Rev 7:14 "And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."
All of these passages speak in some manner of our calling, but none of them say to what it is we have been called. It seems clear that in these passages the called are all believers. Now let’s look at some passages which tell us to what we have been called…
To be saints… Rom 1:6-7, "Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ: 7. To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ."
1 Cor 1:2, "Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:"
To repentance… Mark 2:17, "When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."
To the fellowship of Jesus Christ… 1 Cor 1:9, "God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord."
To the grace of Christ… Gal 1:6, "I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:"
To liberty (freedom)… Gal 5:13, "For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another."
To the peace of God… Col 3:15, "And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful."
To His kingdom and glory… 1 Th 2:12, "That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory."
To holiness… 1 Th 4:7, "For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness."
To the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ… 2 Th 2:14, "Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ."
To eternal life… 1 Tim 6:12, "Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses."
To His marvelous light… 1 Pet 2:9, "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light:"
To suffering… 1 Pet 2:21, “For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:"
To blessing… 1 Pet 3:9, "Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing."
To eternal glory… 1 Pet 5:10, "But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you."
To glory and virtue… 2 Pet 1:3, "According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:"
That, my brothers and sisters, is what we are called to. We are called to blessing, and yet to suffering. We are called to peace, and yet to holiness. We are called to eternal glory, and yet we are called to repentance. There is enough truth in these passages to keep us busy for a while. I would be glad to share a list of these passages with anyone who asks.
Did you notice that in these verses there is nothing about us being called to specific assignments, such as preaching, missionary service, or witnessing to a particular individual or group? Of course, I might have selected only certain passages and omitted others. There is some truth in that, as we don’t have time this morning to read every verse where we find the words “call, called, calling.” However, all you have to do is go to a concordance and look them up for yourself.
There are indeed some passages that speak of being called to a specific assignment. Paul, who gave this command to walk worthy of our calling, describes himself in this way in Rom. 1:1, "Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God." Paul said that he was called to be an apostle. We find the same thing in 1 Cor. 1:1 "Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God…" In Hebrews, we read of the high priest being called (Heb. 5:4,10; 7:11), as well as God calling Abraham to “go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance” (Heb. 11:8). Furthermore, it hasn’t been long since we read Acts 13:2, "As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them." The Spirit of God called Paul and Barnabas to a specific missionary task. We might also go back to the gospels and read Matt. 4:21, "And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them." Called them to what? Called them to follow Him, and to ultimately be two of His twelve apostles.
So we see that the New Testament does say something about being called to a specific task. However, we can’t miss the fact that these passages are restricted to Abraham, the high priests of the Old Testament, and to the apostles. No, Barnabas was not one of the twelve, but he is referred to as an apostle (Acts 14:14). Notice especially the distinction Paul draws between his own calling and the calling of other believers. 1 Cor 1:1-2, "Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, 2. Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:" Paul was called to be an apostle, but those to whom he wrote were called to be saints. We find that same thing in Rom 1:1,7… "Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God… To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints…”
So what is the point of all this? The calling of all believers is the same. The calling is to be saints and to walk worthy of that calling into which we were called. But let me call your attention to one more verse, Acts 16:10, "And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them." Notice the “we” and “us.” Now Luke includes himself, saying that the Lord called “us” to preach the gospel to those in Macedonia. Luke was not an apostle. Nevertheless, he is part of the apostolic band of Paul. Contrast this verse with what we find in Romans 10, where missionary service is in full view. Rom. 10:13-15…
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 14. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? 15. And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
Notice that Paul does not use the term “called,” which he certainly could have done. But rather, he uses the word sent. God continues to send missionaries, preachers, and witnesses wherever He chooses to send them. But He calls all His children to be saints and to walk worthy of the calling with which He has called us. He calls us to holiness, to suffering, to eternal life, to blessing, to repentance, etc. Every believer is called to those things; there are no exceptions.
That brings us to ask the question: So exactly what is the nature of this calling? We have read a long list of the things to which He has called us, but none of those are listed here. What does this calling have to do with the verses that follow?
II. The Attitude of the One Who Walks Worthy of the Calling
Let’s read again verses 1-3, "I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; 3. Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." Here we have a description of the attitude of the one who walks worthy of the calling.
Of course, we understand that the term “walk” speaks of lifestyle. In our day, we would more likely say, “Live worthy of the calling. Live a life that is consistent with the calling with which you have been called.” When we think of living this kind of life, our minds tend to turn to all the things we ought to be doing. However, we must remember that the battle begins in the mind. Rather than beginning with outward deeds, Paul begins with attitude. And he describes the attitude that is consistent with living worthy of the calling.
First of all, we are to live this life with all lowliness. This term translated “lowliness” is also translated “lowliness of mind” once; “humbleness of mind” once; “humility of mind” once; and “humility” three times. The verb form is translated “abase” five times and “humble” 8 times and “bring low” once. This is basically the Greek word for humility. While humility isn’t an easy concept to define, most of us have some idea of what it means. In both Old and New Testaments, humility is contrasted with pride. As James and Peter both say, “God resists the proud, but He gives grace to the humble” (Jms. 4:6; I Pet. 5:5). Matt. 23:12, "And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted." Literally, “Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and he who humbles himself shall be exalted.” It has been said more than once that humility is the virtue out of which all others spring. The humble person has a healthy appreciation of who he or she is in relation to God. The humble person understands that he has been created by God and he therefore depends upon God. Yes, that person will fear the Lord.
Not only are we to live in humility, but also with meekness. Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matt. 5:5). But what does it mean to be meek? Meekness is not weakness. It is true that the meek person will exercise great restraint, it does not follow that he will be weak. We read of Moses in Num.12:3, "(Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)" Anyone who has read the story knows that Moses was not weak.
I had a college professor who helped me understand something of meekness. He told his Greek students that this word “meek” was used of a horse that had been tamed. Some of you know more about horses than I will ever know, but we all know that a horse is a very strong animal. Because of that, even the most experienced cowboy treats a horse with respect. The horse has the power to throw most any rider and do him great bodily harm, yet that rarely happens. Instead, the horse is a beautiful picture of strength under control. And so it is with the man or woman who is meek. He/she has great strength in the Lord, but it is strength under the Lord’s control. This quality allows a very forceful man to be mild and gentle. May we understand that this is not a natural quality, but comes only from the Lord.
We are also to live with longsuffering. The word pretty well defines itself. It means to suffer long, but there is a definite context to that suffering. The easiest way to understand longsuffering is to point out its opposite. Do you know what is the opposite of longsuffering? Revenge; retaliation. Longsuffering does not seek revenge. Jesus said, “But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil; but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also” (Mt. 5:39). The desire to get back at someone else is built into our flesh. The life that walks worthy of the Lord’s calling demonstrates the divine work, in that longsuffering replaces the desire for revenge.
Then Paul speaks of “forbearing one another in love.” What is that? We like the idea of love, but here we see love expressed through forbearing one another. This idea of forbearance is very close to longsuffering. If we are going to suffer long and not seek revenge, we will have to put up with some things in other people around us. That is what Paul is talking about. And in this context, he is speaking about brothers and sisters in Christ. Of course, we never have any problems with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Right?
We live in a society that isn’t big on forbearance. As a matter of fact, our world tells us, “You don’t have to put up with that. If someone mistreats you, you can either sue him, or you can forsake him. After all, this is a big world, and there are plenty of other people that are worthy of your company.” Unfortunately, that attitude has infiltrated the professing church in our day. If you feel mistreated by a Christian brother or sister, just ignore him or her. And if that isn’t possible in that particular local church, just find another church. Listen to me. That idea is totally foreign to the New Testament. The solution in the New Testament is to forbear, to endure, to live with things that may not be comfortable for you. Don’t swallow the world’s concept that God would never want us to be uncomfortable.
We talk about love, but this is one of the areas where love is tested. If you love your brothers and sisters, then you will bear with them. You will continue to rub shoulders with those who rub you the wrong way. You will not just tolerate them, but you will love them. You will seek God’s very best for them in every situation.
Later, you might one to compare this passage with Col. 3:12-14…
Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; 13. Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. 14. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
You will notice those same qualities – humility, meekness, longsuffering, forbearance, and love. But in between forbearance and love, Paul inserts another gracious and divine quality, that of forgiveness. Yes, as we bear with one another, there will be plenty of opportunity for forgiveness. If you don’t forgive others and ask their forgiveness, it is highly questionable that you are forbearing one another in love. Walking in love with other believers requires forgiveness, unless, of course, we never mess up. Personally, I don’t know anyone like that.
Let me kind of tie all these qualities together with an example. It is the example of our Lord Jesus and the way He interacted with His twelve apostles. Yes, Jesus walked in humility. He had a proper appreciation of who He was. He saw reality. We know He was humble, because we read that He humbled Himself unto death, event he death of the cross. Jesus was meek. Yes, He was strong, but that strength was under control. We see this especially in the way He treated Peter, after Peter had denied Him three times. Jesus had the right and the strength, the authority and the power, to crush Peter. Instead, He gently restored Peter to a place of fellowship and service.
We see in Jesus an attitude of longsuffering. Even when Judas went out to betray Him, we see no desire for revenge. If Jesus could have called for thousands of angels to rescue Him, think of what He might have done to Judas Iscariot, but there is none of that. And what forbearance we see in Jesus. Don’t you know that humanly speaking these guys must have irritated Him?
I take you back to John 14. Recall Jesus’ words: “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also; and from henceforth (now on) ye know him, and have seen him” (Jn. 14:6-7). Then Philip says: “Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us [it will be enough for us]” (14:8). What was that man thinking? Or go back to that day when Peter said, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” After Jesus went on to tell Peter and the others that He must go to Jerusalem, suffer at the hands of the religious leaders, be killed, and rise again the third day, Peter began to rebuke Jesus, saying, “Lord, this will never happen to you.” Jesus kept on telling them, but they still didn’t understand. Not long after this, He told them the same thing again (Mk. 9:31). Then almost immediately we are told that Jesus questioned them about what they had been discussing. And what was it? They were talking among themselves about who would be the greatest. Jesus is headed to the cross, and they are arguing over who will be the greatest. Don’t you know that disappointed the Lord? But in the very next chapter, after Jesus tells them once again that He is going to die in Jerusalem, James and John come to Jesus and suggest that one of them be allowed to sit on His right hand and the other on His left. Why didn’t Jesus turn around and say, “I have had it with you guys. Three strikes and you’re out. Depart from me; there is no hope for you”? Jesus demonstrated forbearance in love.
Conclusion
That brings us to verse 3, and that is where we are going to pause this morning. We have looked at some glorious truths this morning. However, my purpose was to get us to verse 3, where we read: “Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” In connection with Acts 15, we have touched upon this idea of unity. That is what led us here to Eph. 4:3. However, I find it pretty much impossible to start in 4:3. That is why we have taken some time to look at the context. I trust that you read Eph. 1-3 this past week. And now we have taken some time to look at this crucial command to walk worthy of the calling with which we have been called.
Lord willing, next week we will come directly to this idea of guarding the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. I want to encourage you to be thinking and praying along these lines this week.
In preparation for next week, please look at the passages that are listed in your bulletin…
John 10:30
John 13:34-35
John 17:20-21
Rom. 12:4-5
I Cor. 10:17
I Cor. 12:11-14, 18-20
Gal. 3:26-28
Eph. 4:1-7
We were dead in our trespasses and sins, walking according to the course of this world, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind. Yes, we were under the wrath of God, just like everyone else. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, has made us alive together with Christ. Praise God! But He didn’t stop there. He has raised us up with Christ and made us to sit with Him in the heavenly places. Nevertheless, we continue to walk on this earth as pilgrims and strangers. And, as long as we are here, our Lord calls us to live in a manner that is consistent with our holy calling. May God give us grace to do just that. May He fill our hearts with a longing to live out that life in a practical way day by day.
BACKGROUND FOR STUDYING UNITY
Eph. 4:1-2
This morning let’s continue our study of Acts by turning to Ephesians 4. While we won’t be looking much at Acts this morning, this little detour to Ephesians is very much related to Acts and to where we are as a congregation.
Last week I suggested we read through the first three chapters of Ephesians, along with the first part of chapter 4. I trust that most of you have done so. I know at least one person who felt led to memorize that first three and a half chapters. Some of you have been over these rich truths recently in a Sunday School class. Praise God for the letter to the Ephesians, as we would be much poorer without it.
The richness of the first three chapters can never be exhausted. That is why we read them again this morning.
Now let’s come to chapter 4. Read Eph. 4:1-7…
I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, 2. With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; 3. Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are 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. 7. But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
Notice that first verse. “I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech [urge] you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called.” Do you see the word “therefore”? What is it there for? It is referring us back to the truths of the first three chapters. “Therefore, on the basis of who God is and what He has done through His Son Jesus, and because you are the building, family, and body of Christ, this is what I urge you to do.” Much more could be said about chapters 1-3. Paul wants us to keep in mind all he has said in this letter up to this point.
On the basis of those great truths, he now has some instructions to give us.
In his typical fashion, Paul divides his letter into two parts – the doctrinal (or teaching) section, and then the practical section. In the first section – chapters 1-3 – he simply imparts truth. In the last section – chapters 4-6 – he urges us to live in light of those truths. So when we come to the “therefore” of chapter 4, Paul trusts that we are ready to hear his specific instructions. May we never be guilty of skipping the teaching section of Paul’s letters in order to come to the practical part. That is very dangerous. We can learn what we ought to do, but we will find little power for doing it.
In chapters 4-6, we find many commands, beginning with this first one here in 4:1. But do you know how many commands are in the first 3 chapters? Only one. And even that command is only a command for the mind. In 2:11, Paul says, “Remember…” That’s all. Before he gives the Ephesian believers commands, he lays the great foundation of truth. Before he tells us to do anything, he goes to great length to tell us what God has already done. Paul’s plan is intentional. We can do nothing, until we understand what God has done for us and in us.
Paul’s most basic command in chapters 4-6 is found right here in 4:1, when he urges us to walk worthy of the vocation wherewith we are called. More literally, “I urge you to work worthy of the calling with which you were called.” The King James reads “are called,” but in our day we would communicate the concept better by saying “were called.” And “vocation” is simply “calling,” a noun form of the verb “call.” This calling is something that took place at a definite point in the past.
One author suggests that this is the key verse in the entire letter, and I can certainly understand his reasoning. It is here that Paul gathers up all he has written and then gives the key command for the Ephesians and for all believers. The rest of chapters 4-6 gives us specifics about how to walk worthy of our calling. One author makes this insightful statement: “The inference is that the high calling the Christian has experienced carries with it very weighty responsibilities” (Vaughan, Ephesians, p. 87). As Jesus put it, “To whom much is given, much is required.” This morning we will focus on this central command to walk worthy of our calling.
I. Called to What?
The first question we must ask is this: “To what is it that we have been called.” If I call you to do something, you want to be clear on what that calling is. You would ask: “Called to what?” And that is exactly the question we want to ask about verse 1. “Walk worthy of the calling to which you were called.” We ask, “What is that calling? What is it I have been called to?”
We have a tendency to use the term “call” very loosely. A person may say, “God called me to go on a mission trip.” When I went to seminary, a form asked me to relate my “call” to preach. Missionaries are often asked to tell about their “call” to the mission field. We might ask the question: “What is the scriptural basis for that kind of thinking?” Let’s take a few minutes to explore what the New Testament says about this calling. First of all, let’s read some verses that speak about this calling in general…
Acts 2:39 "For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call."
Rom 8:28-30 "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 29. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified."
Rom 9:11 "(For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;)"
Rom 9:24 "Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?"
1 Cor 1:24-26 "But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. 25. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 26. For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:"
Gal 5:8 "This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you."
Phil 3:14 "I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."
1 Th 5:24 "Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it."
2 Th 1:11 "Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power:"
2 Tim 1:9 "Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,"
Heb 3:1 "Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;"
Heb 9:15 "And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance."
1 Pet 1:15 "But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;"
2 Pet 1:10 "Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:"
Jude 1:1 "Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called:"
Rev 7:14 "And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."
All of these passages speak in some manner of our calling, but none of them say to what it is we have been called. It seems clear that in these passages the called are all believers. Now let’s look at some passages which tell us to what we have been called…
To be saints… Rom 1:6-7, "Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ: 7. To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ."
1 Cor 1:2, "Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:"
To repentance… Mark 2:17, "When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."
To the fellowship of Jesus Christ… 1 Cor 1:9, "God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord."
To the grace of Christ… Gal 1:6, "I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:"
To liberty (freedom)… Gal 5:13, "For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another."
To the peace of God… Col 3:15, "And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful."
To His kingdom and glory… 1 Th 2:12, "That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory."
To holiness… 1 Th 4:7, "For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness."
To the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ… 2 Th 2:14, "Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ."
To eternal life… 1 Tim 6:12, "Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses."
To His marvelous light… 1 Pet 2:9, "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light:"
To suffering… 1 Pet 2:21, “For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:"
To blessing… 1 Pet 3:9, "Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing."
To eternal glory… 1 Pet 5:10, "But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you."
To glory and virtue… 2 Pet 1:3, "According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:"
That, my brothers and sisters, is what we are called to. We are called to blessing, and yet to suffering. We are called to peace, and yet to holiness. We are called to eternal glory, and yet we are called to repentance. There is enough truth in these passages to keep us busy for a while. I would be glad to share a list of these passages with anyone who asks.
Did you notice that in these verses there is nothing about us being called to specific assignments, such as preaching, missionary service, or witnessing to a particular individual or group? Of course, I might have selected only certain passages and omitted others. There is some truth in that, as we don’t have time this morning to read every verse where we find the words “call, called, calling.” However, all you have to do is go to a concordance and look them up for yourself.
There are indeed some passages that speak of being called to a specific assignment. Paul, who gave this command to walk worthy of our calling, describes himself in this way in Rom. 1:1, "Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God." Paul said that he was called to be an apostle. We find the same thing in 1 Cor. 1:1 "Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God…" In Hebrews, we read of the high priest being called (Heb. 5:4,10; 7:11), as well as God calling Abraham to “go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance” (Heb. 11:8). Furthermore, it hasn’t been long since we read Acts 13:2, "As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them." The Spirit of God called Paul and Barnabas to a specific missionary task. We might also go back to the gospels and read Matt. 4:21, "And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them." Called them to what? Called them to follow Him, and to ultimately be two of His twelve apostles.
So we see that the New Testament does say something about being called to a specific task. However, we can’t miss the fact that these passages are restricted to Abraham, the high priests of the Old Testament, and to the apostles. No, Barnabas was not one of the twelve, but he is referred to as an apostle (Acts 14:14). Notice especially the distinction Paul draws between his own calling and the calling of other believers. 1 Cor 1:1-2, "Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, 2. Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:" Paul was called to be an apostle, but those to whom he wrote were called to be saints. We find that same thing in Rom 1:1,7… "Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God… To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints…”
So what is the point of all this? The calling of all believers is the same. The calling is to be saints and to walk worthy of that calling into which we were called. But let me call your attention to one more verse, Acts 16:10, "And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them." Notice the “we” and “us.” Now Luke includes himself, saying that the Lord called “us” to preach the gospel to those in Macedonia. Luke was not an apostle. Nevertheless, he is part of the apostolic band of Paul. Contrast this verse with what we find in Romans 10, where missionary service is in full view. Rom. 10:13-15…
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 14. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? 15. And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
Notice that Paul does not use the term “called,” which he certainly could have done. But rather, he uses the word sent. God continues to send missionaries, preachers, and witnesses wherever He chooses to send them. But He calls all His children to be saints and to walk worthy of the calling with which He has called us. He calls us to holiness, to suffering, to eternal life, to blessing, to repentance, etc. Every believer is called to those things; there are no exceptions.
That brings us to ask the question: So exactly what is the nature of this calling? We have read a long list of the things to which He has called us, but none of those are listed here. What does this calling have to do with the verses that follow?
II. The Attitude of the One Who Walks Worthy of the Calling
Let’s read again verses 1-3, "I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; 3. Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." Here we have a description of the attitude of the one who walks worthy of the calling.
Of course, we understand that the term “walk” speaks of lifestyle. In our day, we would more likely say, “Live worthy of the calling. Live a life that is consistent with the calling with which you have been called.” When we think of living this kind of life, our minds tend to turn to all the things we ought to be doing. However, we must remember that the battle begins in the mind. Rather than beginning with outward deeds, Paul begins with attitude. And he describes the attitude that is consistent with living worthy of the calling.
First of all, we are to live this life with all lowliness. This term translated “lowliness” is also translated “lowliness of mind” once; “humbleness of mind” once; “humility of mind” once; and “humility” three times. The verb form is translated “abase” five times and “humble” 8 times and “bring low” once. This is basically the Greek word for humility. While humility isn’t an easy concept to define, most of us have some idea of what it means. In both Old and New Testaments, humility is contrasted with pride. As James and Peter both say, “God resists the proud, but He gives grace to the humble” (Jms. 4:6; I Pet. 5:5). Matt. 23:12, "And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted." Literally, “Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and he who humbles himself shall be exalted.” It has been said more than once that humility is the virtue out of which all others spring. The humble person has a healthy appreciation of who he or she is in relation to God. The humble person understands that he has been created by God and he therefore depends upon God. Yes, that person will fear the Lord.
Not only are we to live in humility, but also with meekness. Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matt. 5:5). But what does it mean to be meek? Meekness is not weakness. It is true that the meek person will exercise great restraint, it does not follow that he will be weak. We read of Moses in Num.12:3, "(Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)" Anyone who has read the story knows that Moses was not weak.
I had a college professor who helped me understand something of meekness. He told his Greek students that this word “meek” was used of a horse that had been tamed. Some of you know more about horses than I will ever know, but we all know that a horse is a very strong animal. Because of that, even the most experienced cowboy treats a horse with respect. The horse has the power to throw most any rider and do him great bodily harm, yet that rarely happens. Instead, the horse is a beautiful picture of strength under control. And so it is with the man or woman who is meek. He/she has great strength in the Lord, but it is strength under the Lord’s control. This quality allows a very forceful man to be mild and gentle. May we understand that this is not a natural quality, but comes only from the Lord.
We are also to live with longsuffering. The word pretty well defines itself. It means to suffer long, but there is a definite context to that suffering. The easiest way to understand longsuffering is to point out its opposite. Do you know what is the opposite of longsuffering? Revenge; retaliation. Longsuffering does not seek revenge. Jesus said, “But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil; but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also” (Mt. 5:39). The desire to get back at someone else is built into our flesh. The life that walks worthy of the Lord’s calling demonstrates the divine work, in that longsuffering replaces the desire for revenge.
Then Paul speaks of “forbearing one another in love.” What is that? We like the idea of love, but here we see love expressed through forbearing one another. This idea of forbearance is very close to longsuffering. If we are going to suffer long and not seek revenge, we will have to put up with some things in other people around us. That is what Paul is talking about. And in this context, he is speaking about brothers and sisters in Christ. Of course, we never have any problems with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Right?
We live in a society that isn’t big on forbearance. As a matter of fact, our world tells us, “You don’t have to put up with that. If someone mistreats you, you can either sue him, or you can forsake him. After all, this is a big world, and there are plenty of other people that are worthy of your company.” Unfortunately, that attitude has infiltrated the professing church in our day. If you feel mistreated by a Christian brother or sister, just ignore him or her. And if that isn’t possible in that particular local church, just find another church. Listen to me. That idea is totally foreign to the New Testament. The solution in the New Testament is to forbear, to endure, to live with things that may not be comfortable for you. Don’t swallow the world’s concept that God would never want us to be uncomfortable.
We talk about love, but this is one of the areas where love is tested. If you love your brothers and sisters, then you will bear with them. You will continue to rub shoulders with those who rub you the wrong way. You will not just tolerate them, but you will love them. You will seek God’s very best for them in every situation.
Later, you might one to compare this passage with Col. 3:12-14…
Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; 13. Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. 14. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
You will notice those same qualities – humility, meekness, longsuffering, forbearance, and love. But in between forbearance and love, Paul inserts another gracious and divine quality, that of forgiveness. Yes, as we bear with one another, there will be plenty of opportunity for forgiveness. If you don’t forgive others and ask their forgiveness, it is highly questionable that you are forbearing one another in love. Walking in love with other believers requires forgiveness, unless, of course, we never mess up. Personally, I don’t know anyone like that.
Let me kind of tie all these qualities together with an example. It is the example of our Lord Jesus and the way He interacted with His twelve apostles. Yes, Jesus walked in humility. He had a proper appreciation of who He was. He saw reality. We know He was humble, because we read that He humbled Himself unto death, event he death of the cross. Jesus was meek. Yes, He was strong, but that strength was under control. We see this especially in the way He treated Peter, after Peter had denied Him three times. Jesus had the right and the strength, the authority and the power, to crush Peter. Instead, He gently restored Peter to a place of fellowship and service.
We see in Jesus an attitude of longsuffering. Even when Judas went out to betray Him, we see no desire for revenge. If Jesus could have called for thousands of angels to rescue Him, think of what He might have done to Judas Iscariot, but there is none of that. And what forbearance we see in Jesus. Don’t you know that humanly speaking these guys must have irritated Him?
I take you back to John 14. Recall Jesus’ words: “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also; and from henceforth (now on) ye know him, and have seen him” (Jn. 14:6-7). Then Philip says: “Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us [it will be enough for us]” (14:8). What was that man thinking? Or go back to that day when Peter said, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” After Jesus went on to tell Peter and the others that He must go to Jerusalem, suffer at the hands of the religious leaders, be killed, and rise again the third day, Peter began to rebuke Jesus, saying, “Lord, this will never happen to you.” Jesus kept on telling them, but they still didn’t understand. Not long after this, He told them the same thing again (Mk. 9:31). Then almost immediately we are told that Jesus questioned them about what they had been discussing. And what was it? They were talking among themselves about who would be the greatest. Jesus is headed to the cross, and they are arguing over who will be the greatest. Don’t you know that disappointed the Lord? But in the very next chapter, after Jesus tells them once again that He is going to die in Jerusalem, James and John come to Jesus and suggest that one of them be allowed to sit on His right hand and the other on His left. Why didn’t Jesus turn around and say, “I have had it with you guys. Three strikes and you’re out. Depart from me; there is no hope for you”? Jesus demonstrated forbearance in love.
Conclusion
That brings us to verse 3, and that is where we are going to pause this morning. We have looked at some glorious truths this morning. However, my purpose was to get us to verse 3, where we read: “Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” In connection with Acts 15, we have touched upon this idea of unity. That is what led us here to Eph. 4:3. However, I find it pretty much impossible to start in 4:3. That is why we have taken some time to look at the context. I trust that you read Eph. 1-3 this past week. And now we have taken some time to look at this crucial command to walk worthy of the calling with which we have been called.
Lord willing, next week we will come directly to this idea of guarding the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. I want to encourage you to be thinking and praying along these lines this week.
In preparation for next week, please look at the passages that are listed in your bulletin…
John 10:30
John 13:34-35
John 17:20-21
Rom. 12:4-5
I Cor. 10:17
I Cor. 12:11-14, 18-20
Gal. 3:26-28
Eph. 4:1-7
We were dead in our trespasses and sins, walking according to the course of this world, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind. Yes, we were under the wrath of God, just like everyone else. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, has made us alive together with Christ. Praise God! But He didn’t stop there. He has raised us up with Christ and made us to sit with Him in the heavenly places. Nevertheless, we continue to walk on this earth as pilgrims and strangers. And, as long as we are here, our Lord calls us to live in a manner that is consistent with our holy calling. May God give us grace to do just that. May He fill our hearts with a longing to live out that life in a practical way day by day.
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