The Gospel of John -- Unity is Christ John 17:20-26

The body of Christ is unified through the truth of the Gospel and the Holy Spirit. Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith.

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I have the privilege of preaching and teaching from one of the best passages in the Bible, out of my favorite book, the book of John. And we're we're in John 17. We've already spent a few weeks on this text, like several weeks ago and then last week when Harley taught. But the words we're going to read and the words we're going to study today are the final words of a prayer that Jesus is praying to his father at the Last Supper with His disciples. Okay? It's the night before Jesus is going to be betrayed, the night before Jesus is going to go to the cross and die for the sins of the world. This is his last time to be together with his friends, with his disciples. And he's praying to his father for them. And the words he's going to pray today are not only for the disciples that were around the table with him that night, but they're actually for us. For us today, you and me, Point Community Church, the Church of God today. Jesus is praying for the future Christians that were going to come because of the ministry of the apostles. And that's the focus of this section. Jesus praying for you and me. And so with that in mind, I'm going to read this one more time because the Bible is more valuable than my commentary on it, and I want to make sure that we richly dwell on it this morning. This is John 17, 20 to 26, Jesus speaking. I do not ask for these only, meaning the disciples, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. Just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they may also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me, I have given to them, that they may be one, even as we are one, I in them, and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and love them, even as you love me. Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them and I in them. Amen. Alright. So, question Does anybody in here have a Facebook? You can raise your hand. Don't give a whoop-whoop or anything. That would just be that's too much support for Facebook. But if you have a Facebook, I have a Facebook, okay? And I'm just gonna be totally honest with you guys. One of the things that I love most, it's like a weird thing that I love about Facebook. I love big, long Facebook argument threads. Alright. You probably know what I'm talking about, right? Okay. Usually it goes something like this. Somebody posts something really provocative politically, like, if anybody that's on my friends list even mentions Donald Trump, I'm deleting you. We're done forever. Or somebody says, if you're not supporting Donald Trump, you're not a real American. Okay, there's these two big sides, okay, and somebody posts something, and then immediately their long-lost cousin or their aunt or the guy they used to go to school with is like, you imbecile. How could you possibly say something so ridiculous? And then it starts this really long thread that I'm just watching with popcorn. I'm like, this is awesome. I mean, and you know it's gonna be good when it was posted like 37 minutes ago, and there's 154 comments, and it says a friend is typing. I just love it, okay? I love it. It's like I don't know why. It's just fascinating. It's like theater, okay? So with that in mind, I think that everyone would agree that the culture we live in, okay, is divided. I'm not saying us here in this room, I'm saying the culture around us is divided along more lines than would really be feasible or possible for me to list for you guys this morning. I don't think we would disagree, like if we look around, just a cursory examination of our Facebook or the news sites that we go to that give us a myriad of examples. There's nasty political disagreements, there's ethnic prejudice and hatred, there's bigotry, there's heated theological debates between Christians and churches and people, and it's all happening out here in the world for everyone to see. And it honestly, I don't think this is hyperbole. It feels like there's these battle lines drawn all over our lives in all these different areas. It's like pick a side. And whoever's on the other side, they're the enemy, right? In so many different areas, these battle lines and division have been drawn. And so I think in this context, these words of Christ are so very, very important, all right? Because God's plan, God's desire for his children, for his church, is that Christians would not participate, that we would not be a part of this bickering, this hatred, this enmity, that it wouldn't have a place among the people of God, that we would be different because we would be one. Alright, we're gonna go more in depth into what that means, but before we do that, it's important that we see that Jesus here, when he's talking to his father, he's not talking and praying for a big government entity, right? He's not praying for the nation of Israel. He's not praying for the government of the United States, he's not praying for the Southern Baptist Convention, okay? What he's praying for is people, okay? He's praying for individual men and women. People, his flock, his sheep, human beings that he knows. He's talking about us. And one of the things I also love, here in the first sentence of the verse today, we see here that Jesus is totally in control. That even in this moment, before he is betrayed and killed, before these 11 men that are surrounding him at this table, they're all about to scatter and betray him. Jesus is about to be completely betrayed and alone, but we see even here in this moment his godness, his sovereignty, and his confidence in who he is and what his mission is. We see this astounding truth because of this first line here. He says, All who will believe in me through their word. Now, what Jesus doesn't say is he doesn't say, Father, you gave me these 11 jokers. Please don't let them screw this up too bad. I really hope, God, that this somehow works out with these 11 guys that you've given me. I really hope that their witness does something. I hope they happen to convince somebody of the gospel. Hope maybe, Lord, it works out. Jesus does not say that. Jesus is completely confident. He says, All who will believe in me through their word. Alright. Romans 8 says this in verse 29, it says, For those whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined, he also called. And those whom he called, he also justified, and those whom he justified, he also glorified. The confidence that Jesus displays is astounding, right? He knows his mission is going to be accomplished, and that these eleven men who are about to run and hide, scared, are going to be the seeds of this movement. They're going to start the mission of God. And it's a fire that is never going to be put out, right? We are here in this room because of what those eleven men did. And Jesus was confident of that even before the night of his betrayal. Jesus did not go to the cross for a theoretical group of people that he hoped maybe would come to him someday. He saw us. Not just for like the big, the big dog Christians, right? Jesus isn't praying, Lord, I'm really, I really know that you're going to bring Paul and Billy Graham and so and so. He prays for all of us, the big and the small alike, you and me. Whoever you are in this room, if you are one of the followers, if you're a follower of Jesus, if you're a Christian, Jesus knew you specifically before you were born, and he knew he would call you, right? Take some solace and encouragement in that. And so for these people, these people that Jesus has known and loved and prayed for, at the end of this prayer, these final words that Jesus is going to pray about to his Father, we see his heart for us. The most important thing that he wants us is his body to do and be and know. The one thing that he prays above all others at the end is he would pray for the unity of his church. This is the final thing Jesus prays for us, the unity of the church. So the question is, what does that unity look like, right? Jesus wants us to be one. What does that oneness look like? Now, the passage here, Jesus' prayer isn't talking about how we relate to people outside the body of Christ, okay? Although scripture is really, really clear about that, right? We're supposed to live among the world and among unbelievers in a way that is attractive, peaceable, to be a positive witness for Christ, to love them, to be a difference in the world, to live unique lives that invite people and call them into a saving relationship with Jesus, right? That's not what Jesus is talking about, okay? He's talking about our relationship with other Christians, okay? And Jesus is going to liken the unity that he wants us as Christians in the body of Christ to experience. He likens it to the unity that he himself experiences with God the Father. Which is pretty insane. Like if you actually think about that, Jesus says, I'm praying that the unity that the church experiences would be like the unity, God, that I experience with you, Father. He says, that they may all be one. This is verse 21. 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. So this section is really cool because we're getting a peek into the relationship between two persons of the Trinity. Which, when you think about it, that's insane that we're getting a peek into this relationship between Jesus and to his father, or Jesus and his father. But not only that, is in some way we are being invited as his church to participate and experience that relationship. Now, the fullness of the relationship between the Father, Son, and Spirit, first of all, it's not the scope of the sermon, and I don't think I would be the most qualified person to teach on it anyway, because it's this amazing doctrine full of mystery. But what we see in their relationship, I think we see two key ways that Jesus is praying for us to emulate this relationship. That we as the church can have a relationship like Jesus has with his Father, and that they have with the Holy Spirit. The first is the Trinity experiences, God experiences within himself, unity of purpose and peace within himself. Unity of purpose and peace. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, for all eternity, they have never disagreed on an objective. They have never not been unified or been not at peace with one another. They have always had a single-minded objective that they all work to achieve, okay? The glory of God. Every activity that God does, from creation to redeeming us, is to pursue this goal of God's glory, right? The Trinity is completely unified in this goal. And just like that, the church, although we'll never perfectly reflect this, we are also to have the same unity of purpose. Alright? As a community, we have the same unity of purpose. Jesus made it clear. Think about the Great Commission in Matthew 28. Go, therefore, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Spirit, teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. This is our purpose as the Church of God, to seek God's glory unified together and to make more disciples, right? That is our goal. We are to be unified in our purpose and at peace with one another in that. Second, the Trinity has great love for each other. This for us encompasses humility and showing honor to each other. The Trinity does this amazingly. This is mysterious, guys. This is deep stuff. We're going there today. Hope that's okay. Think about what the Father does for Jesus. He says, My son, I am going to give you all authority in heaven and on earth. You will sit at my right hand. I will entrust all judgment unto you, and you will reign with me forever. And Jesus humbly submits himself to the will of his Father to come, become a man, to come to the earth and suffer and die to reconcile and redeem God's people. In great humility, he is obedient to death, even death on a cross. And the Spirit of God joyfully points us and glorifies the Father and Son and says, check them out. He opens our heart to receive the gospel. He fills us with love for God and He glorifies the Father and Son. The Trinity experiences great love among its members. And just like them, we can participate in a similar type of love for one another as the body of Christ. Romans 12 says this in verse 10. Love one another with a brotherly affection. Outdo one another in serving honor. Okay? It's a great verse for marriage. All right. Outdo one another in serving honor, in showing honor. And in verse 16, he says, live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty or prideful, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. 1 Peter 3 says this. Finally, all of you have a unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Alright. So the church, we are to reflect God's love by being one in purpose with one another. That we would be one in purpose, united in vision, showing love, humility, and honor to one another. Okay, that's what it means to be in unity, right? But the question that we have to ask is what is the foundation of this unity, right? What is the foundation of it? What makes us? What makes this group of people one? What unifies the church of Jesus? Jesus actually answers this question for us back in verse 17, all right? We're gonna read it. This is what Jesus says just three verses ago. Sanctify them in the truth. Your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself that they may also be sanctified in the truth. Alright? So what sanctify means is to be made holy, to be set apart from the world, okay? We as God's church have been made holy and set apart. And what sets us apart? Alright? It's our obedience to and faith in the truth. The truth is what unifies us. Now, how do we know what truth is? Alright, the culture we live in, right? We all live in it. Truth is kind of something you get to figure out for yourself and decide for yourself. Culture would say, whatever you feel is true, that is your truth, and you just keep that, and I can't really challenge that. That we get to create this truth for ourselves. That's what the culture tells us. But Jesus says it really, really plainly. He says, God's word is truth. Scripture is truth. The Bible is our authority. This is the foundation of our unity, church. The truth of God that we see in God's word. Unity that pleases God, okay, this is really big, this is important. The type of unity that pleases God is not simply the avoidance of conflict. All right? Conflict avoidance. Sweeping issues under the rug. If you've ever been a part of a family that just ignores problems or sweeps things under the rug and pretends like they don't exist, no one is going to be fooled into thinking. If you've lived that, you know that that's not real unity. That's just ignoring your problems. The avoidance of conflict is not real unity. Politeness is not the ultimate goal. Unity that pleases God isn't just when everybody kind of looks like everyone else or happens to like one another, right? Unity, oneness comes when the people of God submit together to what God's word says. Truth comes before unity. Biblical unity cannot exist without being founded on God's truth and cannot ultimately be based on anything else. The unity that Jesus is talking about here in John 17 can't be founded on anything else but God's truth. For example, I want us to think about life groups here at Point, okay? If you're not part of a life group, you really should be part of one because they're super awesome. But if you are part of a life group, you know that we don't have a life group that's the board game life group. Although I think Matt Altman, if you know Matt, he would really, really like that. Um I would probably enjoy it too. My wife would not enjoy it so much. But we don't have a board game life group. We don't have a life group for people that are under 30, okay? We don't have a life group for people that make a certain amount of money and over, okay? We don't have a life group for just men, or a life group for white people, or a life group for people that are already friends. We don't have that here at point. And the reason is really because the foundation of our community as a body of Christ isn't just our shared interests or social compatibility. That's not what Jesus is talking about when he's talking about unity. We're all united in Christ. Our faith in him, our belief in his word, and because of that, we've all been filled with the same Holy Spirit, right? All been filled with the Holy Spirit. It's why I and you can have fellowship with any Christian here in this room. It's why we can have fellowship with any Christian really around the world. If they're 14 or 114, if they're from China or Butah like me, but if they like Lord of the Rings like me, like Lord of the Rings, or if they like uh weightlifting, what's the opposite of Lord of the Rings? Something else? All right, it doesn't matter, right? If we share the Holy Spirit together, if we share that, we are part of the same family. We are part of the same body. It's why biblical community, right? What we want point to be, is in many ways and should be a miracle. It should be miraculous. Think about the social situation of Paul's day, specifically in the church of Galatia, because we're going to read a verse from Galatians. Think about what they were going through. There is incredible animosity and baggage and history between the Jewish people and everybody else that isn't Jewish, right? Those things, it's like oil and water. For generations, for hundreds and thousands of years, the Jewish people are like, we are separate. We are not going to interact with you because we don't want to be contaminated, essentially. Jews and Gentiles do not mix, right? In his day, there are also slaves, like people living in bondage, people that were walking around free, living right next to slaves, okay? In the same circles, and they were very different, not enjoying the same freedoms at all. You've got men and women who in this time were like considered much less valuable than men, did not enjoy the same freedoms or social, like basically social freedoms they were able to enjoy. Men were considered much more valuable, right? And in this social strata with all these divisions, this is what Paul says in Galatians chapter 3. He said, As many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. Now listen to this there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you're all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ, then you're Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise. Like that sentence, that phrase was like pretty countercultural at that time. And I think it still is today. That in Christ, if we share in God's spirit, anything that society or the world or culture would try to put in between us to make us different or divide us has no place among the body of Christ. If we share the spirit, everything else is secondary. There are people here at point that I would never know or probably ever associate. With apart from the Holy Spirit, apart from the gospel of Jesus. And there's a lot of people in here that would never hang out with me, or know me, or associate with me if we didn't share in the same Holy Spirit. Because the Spirit of God creates community where there was previously either indifference or animosity. The Spirit of God does that. Paul says this in 1 Corinthians 12. For in one spirit we were all baptized into one body. Jews or Greeks, slaves are free. We were all made to drink of one spirit. That's why the unity of the church isn't based on just like sentimentality or good vibes. It's based on our mutual participation in the Spirit of God and our obedience to and belief in the gospel of Jesus, right? Think about some of the things that we believe, some of our shared beliefs because of our obedience to the truth. We believe in the reality of the atonement, of the work of Christ on the cross, that Jesus bore our sins in his body on the tree, 1 Peter. That he became a curse for us, that God made him who knew no sin to be sin, so that in him we would become the righteousness of God. That's a shared belief we have. We are saved not by works or our own efforts, but completely due to God's grace. We believe that Jesus is fully God, that in the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. Okay, with brothers and sisters around the world who share this faith, no matter how different they are from us outwardly, we're all members of the same family. Now, on the other hand, with those who deny these truths, who don't share this faith in obedience to God's truth, who don't share this Holy Spirit with us, no matter how similar in personality or how cool they are or how many common interests that we share, there can't be this unity that Jesus is talking about in John 17. Because they have not been set apart or sanctified by their belief in the truth. Now, there can absolutely, and of course should, be peace and goodwill and charity and kindness and a genuine love for these people, for the people that aren't part of the body of Christ, right? We're called to love and pursue and engage. But Jesus, the kind of unity that Jesus is talking about in John 17 can't exist between, say, a Christian and a Mormon. Alright? Because we are not sharing in the same Holy Spirit, in this same foundational sanctification in the truth of God's word. Obviously, we should experience friendship, missional love, and a desire that they would come to know and have a saving faith in Jesus, but we can't play act of charade that they and us are both in the same body, right? Because it's just not so. It's not to say that Christians have to agree on every little thing. Every preference or the smallest doctrine, whether you have some different opinion on the end times, or you have a really strong opinion on how often we should do communion, or you have a certain worship style you prefer. Like those things are debatable. But there are certain truths which we must agree upon as a church. The nature of God, the person of Jesus, right? The heart of the gospel, the heart of God's word cannot be sacrificed for false unity. Okay? There are beliefs that if we do not have them in common, one is a follower of Jesus and one is not. Think of this example, alright? So Protestant Reformation happened about 500 years ago. Um, started essentially in 1517. Martin Luther nails this piece of paper to the door of his church in Wittenberg, Germany. Okay? Now, what was going on in this culture was the Catholic Church of the day, the Pope said, you know what I really want to do is I really want to build a super fancy church in Rome. And it's gonna be awesome. We're gonna call it a basilica, it's gonna be super fancy, they're gonna paint on the ceilings, all that jazz, okay? But we don't have enough money. So what we're going to do is we're gonna go around to Europe and we're gonna sell to people, just regular people, we're gonna sell these little slips of paper called indulgences. Have you heard of indulgence before? Okay, if you haven't heard of an indulgence before, what that basically meant is you give us money, we give you this piece of paper, and in exchange, a loved one gets to spend less time in purgatory. Yay! Alright, first of all, there's a lot, there's a lot wrong with that, but also um buy this piece of paper and you'll get some sins forgiven, right? Trade us money for some grace, and we'll build this awesome church in Rome, and everyone will be happy, alright? Total garbage. Total blasphemy. It's totally garbage, right? And what Luther and the other men and women of the Reformation knew was that this was so against, so antithetical to the gospel of Jesus, that there couldn't be Christian unity with the Catholic Church of the day. There couldn't be, because they weren't sharing these foundational beliefs that we are saved by faith alone, that the blood of Jesus has done everything for us. That when we believe in Christ, we are completely clean. We don't have to buy magic pieces of paper. We don't have to do it. That's not the gospel. And this is this disagreement is what sparked the Protestant Reformation. It's one of the reasons we're here in this building right now, okay? Luther and the other men of that day, and so many Christians throughout history, guys, have known and fought for this type of unity from John chapter 17. That God's truth, the gospel, is what our unity comes from, not our membership in an organization. It reminds me, honestly, of the sermon that Nick preached, I think it was two or three weeks ago about Ephesians chapter 4. That God has given the church these different roles, these different giftings for precisely this purpose. Alright? This is Ephesians chapter 4. This is what it says. He gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds, and teachers to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children tossed to and fro by the waves, and so that we may no longer toss to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness and deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into Him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. This is why we have these roles in the church. This is why God gifts the body with different giftings, so that we would have the unity of faith. That as we are unified in this faith, we would grow in maturity and be equipped so that when it works properly, the body starts to grow. More and more people start to become part of it. And that's why God brings us together. That's why God creates this body made up of all different kinds of people put together in community for this purpose. The purpose so that the world might know and believe in Jesus. They would believe that Jesus is who he said he was. Go back to verse 23. Jesus says, I and them and you and me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and love them even as you loved me. Our oneness, the oneness of the church of God, the oneness of point community church, right? Our unity should be so peculiar that it's a message to the world that Jesus is who he said he was, that there's no other explanation except that God's spirit is at work. There is something supernatural happening in this place because we are so in unity and so one with one another. For many of you here, I know that what pulled you into the family of God, maybe it was here at Point Community Church, maybe it was at another church from another time in your life, but you you went to a group, you went to a church, and you saw in that place a kind of love and a care for one another that you had never seen before. You saw people sharing one another's burdens, you saw people praying for one another, you saw people of all different walks of life living in this close community, and you said, um, I want whatever that is. And I'm gonna come back and I want to be a part of that. And through the family of God, he awoke you to the truth that Jesus is real. Because there was no other explanation for what you had seen in his church. And I think stories like that are so awesome. So awesome. Because the formula is pretty simple, right? It seems pretty simple here in John 17. When the church is living in unity by God's Spirit, living in obedience to the truth of God's word, people start to believe in Jesus and they start to join God's church. And the other side, when the church is disunified or led by something other than God's word, some other goal, God's Holy Spirit is not there, and the power to save leaves. Okay? It's pretty clear. This is why factions and splits in churches are such a tragedy. It's such a tragedy, not only because it harms us, but because our witness to the world around us is harmed. I'm thinking of this one example. It reminds me of this one example in the book of 1 Corinthians. Paul is writing to the church in Corinth. And what the church has started to do is every time they have a disagreement about whatever, like let's say Jackson ran into the back of my car or something, which pretty likely, based on his driving ability. I'm just kidding. Um, I would be like, I'm taking you to court. I'm gonna sue you. All right? The Christians in Corinth were like, they were just going to court against each other. They were like, going to all these secular authorities. Say, fix my problems. We're gonna take it to court. And Paul, this is what Paul says to these guys. He says, I say this to your shame. Can it be that there's no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers? But brother goes to law against brother in that before unbelievers. They're going to court and their cases are being decided by non-Christians. He says, to have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? When the church preys on itself, we look like fools. We look like fools, and our witness is harmed. Now, I want to say this. This takes incredible humility to willingly sacrifice our preferences and our pride for the sake of one another and the sake of Christ and his church and our witness. It takes the supernatural work of God's Spirit. We can't do this by ourselves. It takes God working in us. As we close out our time, I want us to see one important thing from Jesus' prayer. That he doesn't only speak about our unity with each other, but he also speaks about our unity with God. What is the outcome of this faith and this oneness? That we would be with Christ, share in his kingdom, see his glory, and be with him forever. That is the outcome. Jesus prays this. He says, Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am to see my glory, that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. So my prayer for us, church, is this that today, and just daily, that we would see a little bit more of how glorious this Jesus is. How amazing He is. White, hot, radiant, glory, fully right now, sitting at the right hand of the Father in all of his glory, fully in control, fully reigning over his creation. And what's awesome is someday we get to see that. We're going to get to be in his presence. And when we do, when we see Jesus in his glory, it's not going to be like, all right, hymn number 4,730,000. Let's do it again. We're not going to be these stoic, bored like cogs in a worship machine that God is building. We are going to be participants, active participants, joyful participants, and full members of the family of God. Completely at unity and at one with one another, but also with God. At unity with each other and with God. This is what Paul says in Romans, Romans 8. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you've received the spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry Abba Father, by whom we cry Daddy. The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. And if children, then heirs. Heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. That is crazy. Heirs with Christ. Spurgeon, my favorite, says this about this prayer of Jesus in John 17. Behold the superlative liberality of the Lord Jesus, for he hath given us his all. Although a tithe of his possessions would have made a universe of angels rich beyond all thought. Yet he was not content until he had given us all he had. It would have been surprising grace if he had allowed us to eat the crumbs of his bounty beneath the table of his mercy, but he will do nothing by halves. He has not been content with less than making us joint heirs with himself, so that we might have equal possessions. He has emptied all his estate into the coffers of the church and hath all things common with his redeemed. Check this out. Said it way better than I could have. There's one thing, Church, as we as we as we wrap up, we have to know. No matter what the landscape is around us, however fractured the American church may at first glance seem to be, Christ's prayer has absolutely not and never will fail. There is a huge chasm. There is a vast separation between the quote unquote American church that we swim around in and the actual blood body, this bride of Jesus, okay? There is a huge chasm. The church, Jesus' bride, is beautiful, has been made sinless, and is passionately loved by God. She's filled with his spirit, is becoming more and more like Jesus. And although at times we slip and we stumble and we sin, we are slowly, by God's spirit within us, becoming more and more like Christ. So let the culture say they're gonna pick the stupidest pastor ever, and they're gonna put him on CNBC or wherever, and they're gonna let him represent Christians. Or they're gonna say, look at this televangelist that's selling magic napkins for $30, alright? And they're gonna say, Oh, look at the church. They're ridiculous. Alright. But the actual body of Christ are those, are those who are participating in the Holy Spirit, who have been sanctified in God's truth. And those people, this body of Christ is beautiful and alive and well. Because what Jesus said is that the gates of hell would not ever prevail against his church. God's church is protected and lavishly loved, right? Now, what's confusing is that in this culture that we swim in and that we live in, there are thousands and thousands of people all around us sitting in this room. I would have to assume, that think because their rear end is in a pew an hour every Sunday that they're part of this body, that they're part of this bride, and it's just not so. Our presence at a gathering, right? Even our writing of a check to a church, these are not the things that make us Christians. These are not the things that make us part of the body of Christ. We've already talked about it earlier. It's our unity in the faith, our belief and obedience to God's word and our sharing of God's spirit. That does not happen just because you're sitting somewhere on schedule once a week. And there are so many people who think that that's all there is, and they are lost, guys. It's a tragedy. 2 Corinthians 13 says this examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith. The Bible says to examine your heart, examine your life, to ask ourselves, am I filled with the Spirit of God? Am I living at unity with the people around me, with my brothers and sisters? Am I a child of God or am I filling a seat? It is appropriate to ask ourselves these questions. Because far be it from me to tickle your ears and pat you on the back and not give you the opportunity to ask yourself the question, am I part of the family? Because it's more than just being present, it's being a participant. So ask yourself that question this morning. Am I part of this body? And if you are, if you are filled with God's Spirit, if you are part of this family of God, the body of Christ, ask yourself, am I living in oneness and unity with the people around me? Am I sweeping issues under the rug that need to be brought to the light? Am I living in unforgiveness? Am I not forgiving someone? Am I not seeking forgiveness from someone? And then ask, say, Spirit of God, reveal to me what do I need to do to be living in unity with the brothers and sisters around me. Examine yourselves, church. And my prayer this morning is that each person in this room would have the opportunity to experience not just life as part of a club, to not just say, I'm a member, blah, blah, blah, at this one place. To not just pay your membership dues, okay, every week. But to actually participate in a community that is so radically different from the world in the way we love and care for one another and are single-minded and our purpose and our vision, that we humbly serve one another. I pray that we would all get to experience that. Because that is what is available to us as God's church through his Holy Spirit. And that's our prayer for Point Community Church. All right, let's pray. Father, we love you, and we ask for you to do what really only you can do. This kind of unity does not come from human effort. It does not come from us faking it or being nice. But God, you have created a priesthood, a nation of people that have been freed, have been made clean and filled with the Spirit of Christ. God, I pray for Point Community Church that this room would be a place where the miraculous happens. Where men and women who are so different from one another would find friendships that go deeper than blood, that we would bear one another's burdens and fulfill the law of Christ. That we would pray for one another and war for one another and be completely one, Jesus, as you have prayed for us to be. God sanctify us in the truth. Your word is truth. Do what only you can do, Jesus. Ask in your name.