[Note: This is the third message in a four-part sermon series. The link to the next sermon in the series is at the end of this post]
-- turn in Bibles to Romans 15:5-7 (NIV)
5 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus,
6 so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
7 Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.
-- in The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien, there is a section you find in the books that is not shown in the movies that Peter Jackson directed -- the hobbits and Aragorn have made their way to Rivendell, the kingdom of the Elves, where they find Gandalf the wizard attending a gathering of men, elves, and dwarves -- this diverse group, making up all the inhabitants of Middle Earth, are gathered together for a single reason -- to come up with a plan to counter the rising power of the Dark Lord Sauron in their land
-- but the problem is the three groups differ in nearly every way -- racially, physically, and temperamentally -- on top of all that, they don't really like each other and have actually gone to war with each other in the past -- all of them suspect the other groups are trying to get the ring of the Dark Lord so they'll have the power for themselves
-- conflict breaks out -- axes and swords are drawn -- bows are bent -- harsh words are spoken -- it looks like war is going to break out among the group -- but finally Gandalf speaks words of calm and settles everyone down, reminding them of the reason they are gathered together in the first place -- to stand against the Dark Lord
-- when things are peaceful at last, Gandalf observes, "Indeed in nothing is the power of the Dark Lord more clearly shown than in the estrangement that divides all those who still oppose him." -- in other words, the Dark Lord used disunity among those who had come together to oppose him to keep them from coming together against him
-- we see the same thing in the world today when Satan sows discord and disunity among the churches to distract them from their mission and their calling -- that is why unity is so sorely needed in the body of Christ today
-- this morning we are continuing in our four-week sermon series on the prayers of Paul -- in the first message, we looked at Paul's prayer from Ephesians 3:14-21 and talked about praying for power and about praying bold and specific prayers into that power that God has given us -- last week we looked at Philemon verses 4-7 and talked about our need to pray that we would be active in sharing our faith and how that means more than evangelism -- it means true koinonia -- the sharing of our lives with each other as we live out our faith in true community
-- this week our focus is on praying for unity within the body of Christ -- here in Romans 15 we see Paul echoing the same prayer Jesus prayed in John 17:22 -- in the Garden of Gethsemane, as He wrestled with the decision of the cross, Jesus prayed to the Father that we might be one as He and the Father were one
-- unity is a common theme in the New Testament -- eleven times in the Book of Acts alone we read of the church being in one accord -- unified in mind and spirit -- and in the epistles -- time and time again -- we see Paul and Peter and the other Apostles issuing a call for unity in the body of Christ
-- so why the emphasis on unity? -- why does the church need to be unified?
-- I think Craig Groeschel put it best -- he said, "I would argue with all my heart that one of our spiritual enemy's greatest schemes is to divide the body of Christ -- Why? -- because if we are united, we are unstoppable in what we can do for the glory of God on earth -- but if we are divided, we are deluded and we are weak -- we are ineffective in the way God would want to use us"
-- so, let's look at this prayer from Paul and think about why we need to add to our daily prayers the request to God that His people would be of one accord -- united in heart and mind
II. Scripture Lesson (Romans 15:5-7)
-- look back at verse 5 with me -- Romans 15:5 (NIV)
5 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus
-- I guess the first thing we see as we turn to this prayer of Paul is a reminder that we can't do this on our own -- he points out here that it is God who gives us, not only the spirit of unity, but the endurance and encouragement required to bring that spirit of unity to fruition
-- if you think about it, the church is the most diverse group of people on earth -- in no other religion will you see the diversity that you see in the body of Christ -- as Paul said in Galatians 3:28, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." -- our faith in Christ brings us together, no matter the differences in how the world sees us
-- as it says in Ephesians 4:4-6, "There is one body and one Spirit-- just as you were called to one hope when you were called-- one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all."
-- and this is what unites us -- this is what brings us together -- this is what makes all this possible -- it all comes from God
-- God gives endurance and encouragement to realize -- to bring to fruition -- the spirit of unity within the church -- as you read these verses in context, it's obvious that Paul is focusing on how we should relate to others, especially in the church
-- Paul doesn't gloss over the fact that there are difficult people in the church -- just like everywhere else we go, we will find people that are just hard to get along with, even in the church
-- but we can understand that -- the thing is we're not all alike -- we may not see eye to eye on every issue all the time -- but God gives us the ability to love each other -- to even love the difficult people in our lives -- in spite of our differences as we come together in one accord to be His body on earth -- through His Spirit we overcome our differences and become the community of faith He has called us to be
-- what does it mean to be in accord with one another -- what does unity look like in the body of Christ?
-- when we say that the church is supposed to be unified, does that mean the people in the church are going to be like the Stepford Wives -- everybody looking and doing and acting exactly the same?
-- no, unity in the church is different -- when the Bible talks about unity, it is talking about coming together as individuals with the intent of building relations with one another so that we can create a unified whole -- when we talk about unity in the church, we are talking about building community with each other on the foundation of our faith in Jesus
-- it's like I tell people in premarital counseling -- you are individuals but you are going to be united -- physically, spiritually, and emotionally -- the two of you are going to come together to form one family -- but, even though the two become one, your individualism remains
-- after the wedding, you will still be separate individuals with different likes and dislikes -- different talents and skills -- but you are one in purpose -- you are one in direction -- your desires and goals and dreams merge together where you no longer seek what is just good for yourself, but what is good for you as a couple -- as a family
-- that's what unity in the body of Christ is supposed to look like -- individuals coming together -- united in purpose and direction -- and doing what is good for the body of Christ so that God might be glorified, as Paul prays here
-- a few years ago, the book, "The Boys in the Boat," was on the New York Times bestseller’s list -- it seemed like everyone was reading it
-- in this book, we learn the thrilling true story of the 1936 University of Washington crew team which went from backwater obscurity to a gold medal at the 1936 Berlin Olympics
-- when you think of Olympic rowing -- when you think of the men and women who excel in the sport of competitive rowing -- you think of places like Yale and Harvard and Princeton -- aristocratic men who are similar in bearing and talents and skills -- in other words, it’s easy for them to come together and form a team because they are already so similar -- they look alike and act alike and have the same skills and talents as everyone else around them -- it just comes natural to them
-- however, when the University of Washington decided to build a rowing team to compete with the big boys, no one expected them to really be competitive -- it’s kind of like expecting the Jamaicans to field a bobsledding team
-- the men that joined the rowing team at the University of Washington just were not like the other teams at the more established schools -- they were too diverse -- their kids came from farms, from logging towns and shipyards -- they varied in their statures, physiques, and personalities -- but, despite their differences, they learned to come together as one -- to form a team that beat every other school in the U.S. to win the right of becoming the official American Olympic Team at the 1936 Berlin Olympics -- and, not only competing in the Olympics, but winning it -- taking home a gold medal, when no one game them a chance
-- as the book's author points out: "Good crews are good blends of personalities: [they need] someone to lead the charge -- someone to hold something in reserve -- someone to pick a fight -- someone to make peace -- someone to think things through -- someone to charge ahead without thinking.
-- “Somehow all this must mesh -- That's the steepest challenge -- Even after the right mixture is found, each man or woman in the boat must recognize his or her place in the fabric of the crew, accept it, and accept the others as they are -- It is an exquisite thing when it all comes together in just the right way."1
-- look back at verse 5
Romans 15:5-6 (NIV)
5 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus,
6 so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
-- here in verse 6 we see this week's "So That" statement -- if you remember, when we started this series, we talked about how our prayers should have a purpose -- and we see that in Paul's prayers through these "so that" statements
-- Paul prays that God would give us a spirit of unity so that we can glorify God -- so that when the church comes together as one -- when the world sees men and women, boys and girls, of all different races and abilities and skills and talents from all different walks of life, coming together as one people lifting up God with one voice and one heart then God is glorified because they'll know this didn't happen on its own
-- Paul tells us here what unity in the church should look like -- one heart and one mouth -- one voice crying out to a hurting world, "there is hope in the cross of Jesus" -- and one heart crying out and demonstrating through our actions, "Love one another as Jesus loved us"
-- that is unity in the body of Christ -- that is what Paul prayed for -- that is what we should be praying for as well -- and, keep in mind, when we say unity in the church, we are not just talking about Koinonia, but about the whole body of Christ -- all the believers, no matter what denominational title they may choose to place on themselves
-- verse 7
Romans 15:7 (NIV)
7 Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.
-- here's how we bring it about -- unity within the entire body of Christ means that we come together with one purpose, one heart, and one mind -- that doesn't mean we give up our individuality, but we channel our individuality towards a common goal: bringing glory to God and fulfilling His calling on earth
-- we're not always going to agree on everything -- remember, we are a family, and there is not a family anywhere that agrees on everything -- there are some things we’re just not going to agree about -- some people like hymns -- some people like contemporary praise music -- some people like organs -- some people like guitars -- and, that’s okay -- we can disagree about things like this, so long as we don’t let them divide us and divert us from our purpose and mission
-- but the way we achieve unity in the church comes through taking a stand and agreeing about the important things -- the foundational things of our faith -- Jesus Christ crucified for our sins and resurrected on the third day to show victory over sin and death -- personal salvation by putting our faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ
-- unity in the church means we don't deviate from the word of God -- we don't let people teach or practice things that are wrong -- that go against the orthodoxy and the teachings of the church over the last two thousand years -- but we don't get hung up on what kind of music someone plays in their church or if they use guitars or organs -- and we especially don't do this while people on the other side of the world are being beheaded because of their faith
-- the Greek word Paul uses here in verse 7 when he tells us to accept one another carries with it the idea of receiving someone in your arms and embracing them and then walking hand-in-hand with them through life
-- that's what Paul is praying that we do in this passage -- that's what we need to do to other followers of Jesus -- as Craig Groeschel says, "You may be different, may have different focus, different emphasis, different style. We accept one another and, hand in hand, we walk together and embrace one another. When we do this then our reputation is going to change. It needs to change."
III. Closing
-- let me close by sharing with you a true story that happened a few years ago in a small town in Maryland -- a townhouse caught on fire and the fire department responded within minutes -- but since the town was very small, the fire department was made up of a group of paid firefighters supplemented with volunteers -- and when the two groups showed up at the fire, they got into a fight about who should be the first to carry the hose into the burning townhouse -- the paid professionals or the volunteers
-- all the while, the house is continuing to burn -- eventually, the county police had to come and separate the two groups and remind them of why they were there -- fortunately, the fire was put out before too much damage was done
-- how like the church is that? -- rather than fighting the fires of evil in this world -- rather than putting our differences aside and coming together in a spirit of unity against the dark lord, we end up fighting amongst ourselves -- which is just what the devil wants
-- let me leave you with this thought -- the spirit of unity given by God is the source of strength for His church -- from the word unity, we get the words community and communion -- these words both mean the same thing -- to come together -- to join together -- to become one community -- one fellowship -- one with each other
-- unity is important in the body of Christ because this is how we form one body and bring glory to God
-- so this week, as you lift up your prayers to God -- along with your prayers for power and for the ability to actively share your faith -- pray for unity in the body of Christ -- and let it begin with you, as you accept others as Christ accepted you -- so that we might bring glory to His name
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[NOTE: This sermon is the third in a four-part sermon series entitled, "The Prayers of Paul." The scriptures and inspiration for this sermon were from a similar series preached by Craig Groeschel, LifeChurch.TV.]
1 Daniel James Brown, Boys on the Boat (Penguin Books, 2014), pp. 178-179
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