Sermons

The Spirit Makes Us One

John 17:20-23

Let’s start with a short video.  It’s one version of Bob Marley’s song “One Love,” sung by people in different countries around the world.  See if it doesn’t stir a longing that people live together in unity.  Check it out.

One Love video.

Deep down inside we all feel that human beings ought to be able to live together in unity and harmony and love – without racism, without oppression, without greed.  And the reason we have that feeling is because that’s how God created the world to be – a place of unity and harmony and love.

So what happened?  Adam and Eve rebelled against God, were separated from God, and the world came under God’s curse.  We see one result of that in human relationships: there’s racism, oppression, war, abuse, greed.

But there’s good news.  God sent Jesus Christ to the earth 2,000 years ago to die on the Cross and save us from sin.  So when you repent of your sin and trust Jesus as your savior and Lord you are forgiven for all your sin, you start to be freed from the power of sin, you are reconciled to God.  And -- you join with other followers of Jesus to experience human relationships as God intended them to be: in unity, harmony, and love; with no racism or oppression or greed.

And Jesus calls His followers to form loving communities called churches.  That’s what we are doing here at Mercy Hill Church – especially in our home groups.  Jesus wants our home groups to show your neighbors and friends the unity and harmony and love God meant for us to experience – and that can be experienced when we become followers of Jesus – because as we do this people in San Jose will understand that Jesus is real and will become His followers.

That’s what I want to talk about this morning – how to strengthen the unity and love within our home groups – so it will impact people in our neighborhoods and workplaces.  And the passage I would like to focus on is John 17.  Let’s turn there together.  And if you need a Bible, go ahead and raise your hand and one of the ushers will bring one to you.  John 17 is on page 903 in the Bibles we are passing out.

We are doing a series on the ministry of the Holy Spirit.  And last Tuesday as I was praying about this, I believe Jesus directed me to take a week and talk about how the Holy Spirit produces unity amongst us.  And I thought I was going to have us focus on Ephesians 4:1-6, because in that passage Paul talks about the unity of the Spirit.  But as the week progressed, I decided instead to focus on John 17. 

In this chapter we listen in on Jesus as He is praying to the Father.  Look at what He prays and asks of the Father, in John 17:20-23 –

20            "I do not ask for these only [for the disciples who were with him at that time], but also for those who will believe in me through their word [that’s us – so here we see what Jesus prays for us – for you and for me],

21            that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.

22            The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one,

23            I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.

In this chapter, Jesus starts off praying for his disciples – Matthew and Peter and James and John.  But then in v.20 he moves from that to pray for those who would believe in Jesus through their words – their preaching and their writing.  That’s us.  So here in vv.20-23 we read what Jesus prays for us.

So what does Jesus pray for us?  Look again at vv.20-21 –

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

21            that they may all be one …

Jesus prays that we would be one.  That we would experience unity.  So what does that mean?  Look at how He explains it in the rest of v.21 --

… that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us …

So Jesus wants us to have the same kind of unity as He has with the Father, and the Father has with him.  Jesus and the Father have relational unity.  They love each other, they rejoice in each other’s well-being, they are devoted to each other.

That’s what Jesus prays for us: that we would have relational unity; that we would love each other, rejoice in each other’s well-being, be devoted to each other. 

Sometimes people think Jesus is praying for some kind of organizational unity between churches; that if we can get all the churches to do things together somehow that’s going to fulfill Jesus’ prayer.  I don’t think so.  It’s great when churches band together to do things together.  But that’s not what Jesus is talking about here.  Jesus is not talking about organizational unity.  He’s talking about relational unity. 

He’s talking about relational unity with the people in your home group – that you know them, love them, delight in their well-being, be devoted to them – no matter their age or social class or race.

Like Gerry and Jan Euley inviting Orie over to their house for dinner.

Like you Tuesday night calling someone in your home group to see how they are doing.

Like Laurie Harnden baby-sitting for the Jacobi’s on Friday night so they can both go to home group.

Like Justin and Erin’s home group banded together to help Marcia’s niece move in the rain a few weeks ago.

Like someone taking 15 minutes Monday to pray for each person in his or her the home group.

Like you emailing a Scripture to someone in the home group to encourage him.

Like the Strouss home group making meals for Deanna while she’s recovering from her broken foot.

Like Joe and Justin going to see the Larry Norman movie this week.

That’s what Jesus is praying for.  That we would be have relational unity – that we would love each other, rejoice in each other’s well-being, be devoted to each other.

Now be encouraged.  Because if you are trusting Jesus, Jesus is praying this for you.  Jesus is asking the Father to give you this unity, this love, for your brothers and sisters.  And if Jesus is asking the Father to do this – then the Father will do this.  If you are a follower of Jesus, God will work this in you.  You will see this growing and increasing in you day by day.

So Jesus prays that we would be one.  But why?  Why does Jesus pray that we be one?  In this prayer Jesus gives God the Father reasons why He would work this relational unity in us.  So what reasons does Jesus give the Father?  Why does Jesus pray that we be one?

Read vv.21-23 again and notice the reasons --

21            that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.

22            The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one,

23            I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.

The reason Jesus prays that we be one is because this will result in the world believing that the Father sent Jesus (v.21) – it will cause the world to know that the Father sent Jesus and that the Father loves followers of Jesus just as loves Jesus (v.23).

Now don’t miss this.  Here Jesus tells us how are people in the South Bay are going to come to know Jesus.  We know that it’s essential that we tell people about Him.  So they need to hear about Jesus.  But here Jesus says something else is crucial.  Not just hearing the truth of Jesus in our words, but seeing the reality of Jesus in our unity.

Now this is very exciting.  Do you long to see people come to know Jesus?  Here Jesus says how it can happen.  Not just by them hearing the truth of Jesus, but by them seeing the truth of Jesus in our love for each other.  How is that going to happen?  By us doing stuff together, and inviting them to come.  Come to our barbecue.  Come surfing with us.  Come play bocce ball with us. 

But honestly – how much effort do we put into doing things that we can invite people to?  Sadly, too often we box up our community in the four walls of the church.  But Jesus said that seeing our community would cause the world to believe in Him!

Imagine that you were a salesperson for a computer program.  And the sales trainer said – the way this will be sold is if you demonstrate the program.  Don’t just explain it.  Demonstrate it.  If you demonstrate the program, then they will believe in the program.

But then let’s say that on your first sales call you explained and explained and explained.  No demonstration.  Just explanation.  And the prospect was not interested.  And so you leave discouraged, thinking that you are just not cut out to sell this program.  What’s the problem?  You were told to demonstrate the program – and you didn’t.

Here in John 17 Jesus tells us that people will become His followers not just when they hear about Jesus, but when they see Jesus in our unity.  So a crucial part of bringing the gospel into the South Bay is us experiencing this unity, and then inviting others in to experience this. 

But crucial to this is that we experience this unity.  If instead of people seeing us loving each other, rejoicing in each other’s well-being, and being devoted to each other – people see us gossiping about each other, criticizing each other, not caring about each other – they will not see the truth of Jesus.

So we need to be one.  But that’s not easy.  How is it possible for people from different backgrounds, ages, races, interests to come together and love each other, rejoice in each other’s well-being, and be devoted to each other. 

Maybe someone in your home group said something hurtful to you and you don’t like them anymore. 

Maybe you are tired and don’t want to go meet your friend at Starbucks.

Maybe you’d rather watch YouTube clips than spend time praying for your home group people.

Maybe you’ve had a tough day at work and you’d rather not go to home group.

So how is it possible for us to be one?  Where will this unity come from?  Look at what Jesus says.

Where will this unity come from?  Read v.22 –

The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one …

This is very encouraging.  Jesus has given us something which, when we receive it, will enable us to be one.  We can’t live in unity on our own.  But Jesus has given what we need to live in this unity with each other.  So what has He given us? 

He has given us His glory.  If you are trusting Jesus, then He has given you His glory.  So what does that mean?  There’s a difference between reading the truth about Jesus, and feeling the glory of Jesus.  The truth about Jesus is glorious; His majesty, His power, His love, His authority, His wisdom, His goodness.

But because of our sin we can read the truth, but not feel the glory of Jesus.  But Jesus has given you His glory, which means that from time to time as you read the truth of Jesus, He will enable you to feel the glory of Jesus.

It’s like the difference between reading the truth of honey, and tasting the sweetness of honey.  You can read the truth of honey – it’s made in China and Brazil, it’s based on C6 H12 O6, it will make certain taste buds happy so they send pleasure signals to your brain.  That’s reading the truth of honey. 

But it’s much, much better when you taste the sweetness of honey.  Tasting means experiencing the sweetness of honey first-hand; knowing honey by personal experience.

That’s what Jesus does for us.  From time to time as you read the truth of Jesus, listen to the truth of Jesus, sing the truth of Jesus, talk with others about the truth of Jesus, He will enable you to feel the very glory of Jesus. 

Yesterday morning I was reading a verse I have read many times – Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you, plans for well-being and not for calamity, to give you a future and a hope.”  But this time, as I read, Jesus helped me feel the truth that Jesus has awesome plans for me – for today and tomorrow and forever. 

That’s how Jesus gives us His glory.  And just like Jesus says in v.22, He gives us His glory so that we might be one.  The taste of His glory overcomes everything that keeps us from loving others.

Is someone really different from you?  That makes it hard to love them.  But when you feel Jesus’ glory, and you know that they feel Jesus’ glory, you will want to connect with them, no matter what age, no matter what race, no matter what background.

Are you exhausted after a brutal day at work?  That makes it hard to love – hard to call someone, hard to go to home group, hard to pray for someone.  But when you feel Jesus’ glory, you will want to do all you can to help them glorify Jesus.

Are you shy and timid and fearful of other people?  That makes it hard to love – to go to home group, to call someone.  But when you feel Jesus’ glory, when you taste His love, you will be so secure that you will be able to press through your timidity and love others.

Are you so focused on your career or Grey’s Anatomy or the Sharks that you have no interest in connecting with others who love Jesus?  That makes it hard to love.  And Jesus calls you to work hard at your career.  But when you feel Jesus’ glory, you will feel a strong desire to spend time with others who love Jesus’ glory.

Has someone hurt you or offended you or bugged you?  That makes it hard to love.  But when you feel Jesus’ glory, that hurt is swallowed up in the joy of knowing Jesus, so you are able to let that go and love and care for them.

Do you see how encouraging this is?  We all long to see people brought to Jesus.  And Jesus says that will happen, as they see our unity – our love for each other, our joy in each other’s well-being, our devotion to each other.  And Jesus says that we will have this unity as we receive His glory. 

It all starts with receiving His glory.  So don’t settle for reading about Jesus.  Taste of Jesus.  Pray and ask Him to give you His glory.  Spend time every day reading His Word because it’s through truth that Jesus gives you His glory.  Spend time singing truth-filled worship songs because that’s a way that Jesus can give you His glory.  Weed out of your life sin which will keep you from receiving His glory.  Talk about Jesus with brothers and sisters because this is a way that Jesus will give you His glory.

And as you do this – He will give you His glory, and we will become one, and as our friends and neighbors and fellow-workers see this they will believe that God sent Jesus and be saved.

Questions?

So this week in our home groups let’s talk about how we are doing this.