Unity That Honors God - Will Brocker

Unity That Honors God - Will Brocker by Will Brocker

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Nothing more true than that. God is faithful. If you live long enough and you document it in your spirit or in a notebook or anything else, just look back on the track record of faithfulness that he has in your life and it'll make your faith stronger than horseradish, amen? Well, I am excited. Excited to be here with you all. Welcome to everyone here, Grace and Truth Church, and to everyone who might listen or see later on. Even if you're not part of the Grace and Truth Church family, we consider you family if you're watching or listening at any other place at any other time. And we know that there are many of you all over the world. And we'd love to hear from you. But God bless you. I pray for you just like you were sitting here with us. And if you hear this message at some time in the future, just know that God has no time constraints or physical boundaries or limitations. Amen. So if you expecting to receive from God, I believe you will receive whatever it is. And I'm asking Him to meet every need today. Heavenly Father, thank you for this wonderful day that you've given us to come together to worship and to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you for every ear that hears this message. I pray that the seed of your manna from heaven goes into good plowed ground and that it takes root and bears fruit. We thank you for watering that seed and for helping it to grow and bear fruit in their lives. That they receive all the help they need, that they be healed, empowered, loved, and prospered in every way so that they can help others with that same help they've received. In Jesus' name, amen. I'm going to share it with you. Hurry kills presence. Worry kills peace. Doubt kills faith. And ego kills love. Now, obviously, I don't like the order of that, so we switch it around. Love kills ego. Our faith kills doubt. Our peace, which was a gift from Jesus Himself, kills our worry. And the presence of the Lord will slow us down so we can truly be with Him. This realized presence is so powerful when we know and believe how much He loves us. Isn't that right? Because there are people that believe that God is always watching, but it's looking for fault. You see? That's not powerful. That's condemnation. That amplifies guilt and shame and all the wrong things, you see? Because that's not, they're not believing in the true God. You see? That's not, that's just without even knowing it, because they have the wrong fear of God. Instead of an awesome reverence and awe and respect and love for God because of how wonderful and mighty He is and how much He loves them, that sort of fear of the Lord that we're supposed to have, they have a fear of judgment and of punishment, which they should not have. You see. But because of Jesus' death and resurrection and enthronement, we who believe are now so blessed and accepted in the beloved, we just need to understand it. You notice in the parable of the soils that Jesus ministered, the only one the enemy was able to steal the word from were those who lacked understanding. God is so good, and when we truly understand who God is, we will understand who the enemy is. That's one of the we want to understand God because we need to know how much He loves us and how awesome He is and all that He's accomplished on our behalf and everything that is at our disposal. But we also are benefited by getting to know and understand Him because when you when you study the original, you can't be fooled by the counterfeit. God didn't just remove our sin, He gave us His righteousness. Amen. You are in right standing with God. That's His righteousness. God doesn't just deliver us from sin and from our orphan life. No, Jesus delivered us into fellowship, into relationship, into the family of God. Now, and I'm thinking of Psalm 23, I love it so much, but now just think of it. He prepares a table just for you. Just see yourself there. Jesus is the waiter. He prepares a table just for you. He seats you at the table. He anoints your head with oil, the anointing of oil. He fills your cup till just overflowing. Hallelujah. Jesus Himself, your King, your Savior, your Redeemer, your brother and friend, the God in whom you trust, the Lamb of God, the lion of the tribe of Judah, is serving you and serving others through you. If you allow him. But I'm talking about something today, and I'm trying to get there. About honors God. And you'll see what I'm talking about, I pray, as the Lord gives me utterance here. Because remember the setting that I was just referring to, where he made the table for you and he set you down and he anointed you and filled your cup, and he was himself personally serving you, the God of all creation. Remember the setting. The table is set, and you are seated and filled, anointed, and blessed. Now, that's really being in the presence of the Lord, isn't it? When you can see that and realize it and believe it, right? That's what I'm talking about. Trying to get yourself into the presence and believing that that's really how he feels about you. But let's look at this. In this life, because Psalm 23, which is what I was referring to, is speaking of this life. All the things. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want or lack any good thing. All the good things he talks about. And then he gets down to the part, he prepares a table for you. So it's all talking about in this life until the very last verse. And says, and I'll dwell in the house of the Lord forever, right? Everything else is about this life. So remember this. Who else is present there? All this is taking place, if you recall, in the presence of your enemies. Right? He prepares a table for me in the presence of my enemies. They're looking on. So the enemy is still here in this world. But we're not of this world. Jesus said in John chapter 10, verses 9 through 11. He says, I am the, the, the, the, the. I said that a bunch of times, not because I have a speech impediment, but because I want you to understand that that signifies that there's only one. I am the gate. If anyone enters through me, he will be saved. He will come in and go out and find pasture. And then he talks about the enemy and the difference between him and the enemy in John 10, 10. He says, the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I've come that you may have life and have it to the fullness. Right? The abundant life is what he wants for us. Then he goes on to say, I am the good shepherd. He had to say these things because they were always accusing him of the things that the devil was doing or being of the devil. How sad. And then he said, the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. So the sheep are blessed and protected by the good shepherd, but the enemy is still present and trying to steal, kill, and destroy. Right? So it's the enemy, Satan, the deceiver, the slanderer, that liar, who is causing all the chaos and division we're seeing everywhere. Not just in the world, but even in the church. But we are called to unity. Right? Not division or strife. So let's just see if the Lord can bring some clarity to the unity that honors God that I referred to. Because one day soon, Jesus is coming back. One day soon, Jesus is coming back. There will be perfect unity, the kind that everyone dreams of. But not completely in this life, not until Jesus returns. Zechariah 14, verse 9, says, And the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day, the Lord will be one and his name one. It's so sad to see people with signs that say, no kings. Now, I understand they think they're talking about a man. And in their minds they are. But make no mistake, the devil is using them to mock God. Because no one has tried to be a king here in the greatest democracy on earth. So it's not by accident that the enemy has deceived people into behaving this way. It's no accident that a group who denies the holy marriage covenant designed by God between a man and a woman, that they fly a flag, they call rainbow, and it only has six colors, the number of man, instead of God's perfect seven-colored rainbow. I'm saying these things in love. I want you to see the spiritual truth behind all the natural nasty that you see. The motivator, the instigator behind it all. There's no accident that the enemy has them reveling in their pride. When pride is the original sin committed against Almighty God by the devil who inspires it. The Christians who may never call good what God calls evil, but will still love and protect them anyway. And then they're taking the side, as you've seen of late, of Islam, of which the devil himself is in charge, and if Islam ever takes control, he will kill, they will kill the very people that say they are siding with them for the immorality that they take such pride in. You can't make this stuff up. The deception is so deep and wide, and I told you two years ago, the dream that I had that went on, I was awake, I was asleep, it kept going, a vision and a dream, and over and over, and God was showing me the deception in the end times and the various forms it was going to take. I've seen all this, and more, way more. So, yes, one day, soon, there will be perfect unity under King Jesus. But right now, and this is what we're talking about, because we need to know how to navigate these waters. Amen. We're living in the tension. The tension. It's the word that God's been, the tension of it all. So the problem now is division everywhere stirred up by the devil. You know, I was listening or watching something or reading something about, even at the church of the Holy Sepulchre, isn't that what they call it? There in Jerusalem. There's the church of the Holy Sepulchre there. But it's the place where many believe that Jesus was buried. I don't, but that doesn't matter. He's not there now. But there's a church built over the top of it, and it's divided up into groups, different denominations, and they fight over who controls which part of the building. And there's very strict religious rules, and they hate each other. It's a sad picture of what we see across the whole church. The visions, denominational barriers, traditions, and doctrines of men, which Jesus said makes the word of God of none effect. And power struggles that grieve the heart of God, if you ask me. Psalm 133, verse 1. Behold how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity. So God calls it good. When the brothers and sisters that belong to the Lord dwell in unity. John 17, 21, which I love that chapter, Jesus prayed. He was speaking of all of his followers when he was praying that fateful night. He prayed that they, speaking of us, of all who are his followers, 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, and here, and look, here's the reason. It's always bigger than the individual. And here's what he the reason he gave. Here's why he prayed that prayer, that we may all be one in him. So that the world may believe that you have sent me. It's for our witness. Remember, I told you last week that the world has every right to judge the church if they don't see us loving one another. So Jesus prayed for unity. But what does unity actually look like in God's eyes? I can tell you what it's not. Unity is not compromise. Unity is not compromise of the Word of God. Recently, I've been blessed to see some ministers. I was going to say many. I think it is many, but I think there's many more that still need to. But they've been beginning to repent. After some, after the one I'm thinking of or two that are very close that I was listening to briefly about this, they've been in ministry. After 50 years in ministry, they begin have begun to repent for compromising on the word of God in order to grow and keep their following. Their following. God bless them. Better now than never. Real unity is not just case, Sarah, Sarah. Live and let live. Leave everybody alone. We don't judge people. We don't condemn. We don't persecute for people for not believing the way that we do. We we pray for them and we love them. But it's not just calling evil good just to keep the peace. That's not love. That's the fear of man. Which brings us is a snare of the devil. Ephesians chapter four and verse three. The The Lord says that we are to be eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. That's a capital S, the Holy Spirit. We are to be eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. So this is calling every believer to a real, ongoing commitment to work hard to keep the unity in the church, the body of Christ that comes from the Holy Spirit. That's the unity he's talking about. By living in peace with one another as brothers and sisters in Christ. Notice it says the unity of the Spirit, Holy Spirit. Not unity of the flesh or of the world. Not unity at any cost. So we don't compromise truth to get along. And that's tough for most believers. And it seems to be even tougher on ministers. You all familiar with Erica Kirk? Charlie Kirk was assassinated for trying to get people to talk about real issues and going to college campuses and for loving Jesus and not compromising on the word, if you ask me. His wife, who receives death threats now all the time just for because people are so deceived. She quoted the other day, or recently, at an event. The most recent event she had to cancel going to because of all the death threats on her and her children. But and so the vice president went in her stead. And then the president spoke. But that's a good thing. But she said this if pastors stood fully and unapologetically in their calling, there would be no cultural force strong enough to withstand what God could do through his church. And I looked at that and I said, wow, she is not wrong. She is partly right, but that was a good statement to make. I would not rebuke her at all for that. I'm proud of her for saying it. But she's partly right in the sense that it does definitely start right here in the pulpit. I also believe the old saying is true that you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. So that's fine and dandy, too. But I believe people at least deserve the opportunity to be exposed to the life-giving water that Jesus provides through his spirit. And that does come from here. And now remember the fivefold ministry was a gift to the church to raise you up to prepare you all believers for the work of the ministry. So it falls on the entire church. But if a church group is meeting for years and they never hear the truth, and that's where they're going to expecting to hear the truth and how to live out this life, then the fault blames solely on the pulpit. So I agree with her there. Now, if we share the truth and they choose to drink, glory to God. And his love will do any fixing that needs to be done. Because he not only delivers us from sin, but he delivers us into the kingdom of the God who loves us. Amen? Unity is built on love. Yes? But there is no true love without grace and truth. Because Jesus is both. You cannot separate grace or truth from the person of Jesus Christ. And without him, there's no life. There is no peace. There's no way to God. Matthew chapter 10. Verse 32. Matthew chapter 10, beginning in verse 32. I love this chapter. If you just studied Matthew chapter 10 this week, I would be so happy. If I start talking about it, because he had just chosen the twelve disciples to go out and minister, right? And he gave them authority, told them to go heal the sick and raise the dead and cast out demons. He began to tell them how persecuted they would be. And he said, if they treat the master of the house, speaking of himself, and they call him Beelzebub, which is a name for the devil, the Lord of the flies, if they call Jesus, he said, They call me the devil, what are they going to do to you? So he was preparing them, wasn't he? And then he turned around and told them how valuable they were. This is when he talked about the birds of the air, not neither storing or sowing or reaping, but are storing up in barns, and God takes care of them, and how much more valuable are they? And so I just went ahead and summarize the chapter for you anyway, partly. But then he gets to verse 32, and it just he just lays it out. Because remember, he's sending them out and he's giving them, he's preparing them. And so now he's telling them the truth that they need to share. And he gets to verse 32, and he says, So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies me before men, I will also deny before my Father who is in heaven. Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. Now, I don't need to apologize for the Bible or explain for God, but I want to tell you that he's not suggesting that Christians will break out their swords and begin to kill people for not believing. He's talking about the sword of the Word of God. Okay? But he says, He's saying it's not going to bring peace. He says, Do not think that I've come to bring peace to the earth. I've come not to bring peace, but a sword, for I have come to set a man against his father. And again, don't think that this is what he wants. He just knows that's what this sword, this truth of the word of God, will do regarding him. I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, and a person's enemies will be those of his own household. Now, when people just say Jesus is love, and they just want to leave it at that, and then they make up their own definition of love, they need to understand all the hard things that he taught. Because he said a lot of things. And we have to live by every word. Every word. That's the great commission. Teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. Then he goes on to say, whoever loves your father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it. And whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. Now that's right between the eyes, folks. No one can ever say, Well, Jesus, you didn't tell us all that. No, he made it abundantly clear on many occasions. Not only the value and goodness of God and the grace of God that he was about to extend toward everyone, but also the severity of leaving this world without him. When God's truth confronts lies, there will be division. But among those who love Jesus and hold on to his word, we should fight to stay united and continue to pray for everyone else to be reconciled to God as well, because that's what he wants. Our battle isn't against flesh and blood, it's against the devil. And unity doesn't mean that we all have to agree on every issue. I'm thinking of that, the division, the boundaries, and the anger and the animosity of those different church groups, those religious groups there at the Holy Sepulchre Church. How silly. That's a perfect example of what I'm talking about here. We don't have to agree on every issue. Some things aren't deal breakers. And this is somebody needs to preach this to all those, all those in charge there. Because what they're putting on display for the world to see is division and strife. And that's not God. Some things aren't deal breakers. What do you mean? Some people like to splash you with water to baptize you. Some like to dunk you. Fool immersion, which is what I believe in. I like to hold them under until I'm sure they really repented. But that's not a deal breaker. Ask the man on the cross. If you some people believe that Jesus is coming back, that's good. If you long as you believe that, that's a good thing. We can agree. But if you believe he's coming back pre-trib, mid-trib, post-trib, listen, that's only about a week's difference in the whole thing. So it's okay. That's not a deal breaker. As long as you believe he's coming back for us, we can get along. Even religious exercise isn't sin. I talk, I talk, I speak against religious doctrine and teachings of men because they are harmful to God's children in many cases. But there's nothing sinful in religion itself. The religious acts that they do. The sin comes when they put their trust in those works instead of what Jesus has accomplished on our behalf. You see what I'm saying? So we can live in unity as long as we agree on the essentials, who Jesus is, that he died on the cross for our sins, that he was raised from the dead, and that the Bible is our final authority. We just keep loving each other, even when we disagree on some things. We forgive, we bless, we love. All by choice. Not always a feeling, remember. All because that's who God is, and that's who Christ is in us. That's what He did, and now what He continues to do through all who are submitted to Him, truly. Amen? And I'll just close with this. How do we live this out? This unity that is acceptable and beautiful in God's eyes, but has no compromise on his truth. We must stand firm in faith, strong in grace and truth and righteousness. There can be no fence sitting in these last days. You can't belong to the world and to God. Romans 12, 18 says that we must pursue peace with everyone as much as it depends on us. So that's our hope. And we just continue to choose to major in love. Speaking the truth in love. If love is your motivation and reconciling people to God is your motivation, who is the God of love, then speak the truth. As the Holy Spirit gives you unction. You should function from the unction. Right? Loving through forgiveness, speaking the truth in love. You know, there's old church commentaries from like the fourth century. That says that the Apostle John, when he was very old, he was living in Ephesus. And they used to carry him in on a chair. I don't know about that part. But he was very old. And they would take him up to the front of the church. And they said that he would preach only these words. Little children love one another. And that was it. And then they began to ask him, why is that the only thing that you say? And he says, because that's the Lord's command, and that alone is sufficient. So let that always be our motivation. So with the guidance and the help and the love and the power of the Holy Spirit, if we walk in humility and love and the fear of the Lord, we're going to be alright. Amen. You're going to make it. Hallelujah. One day the Lord will be king over all the earth, and every knee will bow, and every tongue confess Jesus is Lord. Until that day, we are living in the tension, in the division, the chaos that's stirred up by the enemy. And so we can't not be aware of that. But just see yourself seated there at that table that Jesus has prepared for you, that he is serving you, that he is anointing your head with the oil of gladness and the anointing, and your cup is overflowed because he himself is pouring and the source is limitless. But also remember that he's doing this in the presence of your enemies. So they're not gone from this world until he comes and deals with all that. So don't get discouraged. Be encouraged. Know that your brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same trials and struggles, and in many cases, much worse. Much worse. We should be praying for all those brave souls and all these underground and house churches and places where this is illegal and you will be killed for it. I can't believe that some of these silly groups, they're just wrong-minded. God bless them. I love them all. And I want them to come to know the truth. I pray every day that the deception be lifted and that they see clearly so that they can receive the Lord Jesus. But to come against this and to come against you, because you don't call what they do that God calls evil, you won't call it good, but you still love them and protect them. But instead they would support a group that would kill them if they were in charge. That's the devil on full display. There's no other reason for it. You see what I'm saying? So just be aware that those are people Jesus died for. And once upon a time, some of us thought some of the same things they do. Not all of them, because it's almost like watching candid camera these days. You're like, no way. No. No way. But it just shows you that the time is near for his return. And I believe the devil is stomping his feet. He is throwing a wall-eyed fit, my mom would say, because he knows his time is short and he's trying to collect as many souls as he can because he hates God and he hates you. And he hates everyone. Because we have what he'll never know again. Let's just be the people who desire and strive to live in peace and unity, but who refuse to compromise on God's truth. Jesus is our perfect example. He loved deeply and stood boldly for the truth simultaneously. And we can do the same. Amen. Praise God. Well, let's give the Lord a hand clap of praise. God, you are so good. We love you, Lord. Thank you for your precious manna today, Lord. Thank you for this word that you've given us. I pray that this simple, profound truth just goes deep into our hearts and that we just have a greater awareness of what's happening around us, that we keep our focus on the spiritual aspect of everything that's happening and not get caught up in the natural so much. That we pray for everyone. We forgive everyone. We love everyone, and our motivation is for everyone to be reconciled to God. We are here as ambassadors for Christ. We are seated right now with Jesus in heaven at the right hand of the Father. This is not our home. We are here temporarily, having been saved and redeemed and translated from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light. We are here to be a witness and to try and help others to receive the same mercy and grace that we've received in Christ Jesus. So help us to do this, Lord. Help us to walk in the anointing, in the presence of the Lord, so that when people see us, they will feel the love of God, and we will not, we will be strong enough not to sway or to veer off course from the truth of God in order to be people pleasers, Lord. Help us to represent you well, Lord Jesus, because you are the only gate, and we have to get people to that gate, the gate to God, to the Father. You are the only way, the only truth, the only life. So help us to help others to know you, Lord, and help us all to grow closer to you day by day. In Jesus' name. Amen. Glory to God.