I.        INTRODUCTION

A.      In the night before He was crucified, our Lord prayed for the unity of His church.

                                                             1.      After praying for His apostles, Jesus prayed for the unity of those who would believe in Him through the word of His apostles (John 17:20-21).

a.       Jesus asked that these believers have the same degree of unity as Jesus has with the Father.  He intended for there to be unity among Himself, the Father, and His church.

b.       Jesus also foresaw that such unity within His church would communicate to the world that He had been sent by the Father.

                                                             2.      When Jesus prayed these words, He was praying for His church, for those who would believe in Him through the words of the apostles would become His church.

a.       When the gospel is preached, those who believe will obey the message and be added to the church, which is Christ’s called-out body of people (Acts 2:37-47).

b.       Those to whom Jesus referred in His prayer are interchangeably called believers, members of the church, disciples, Christians, and other terms in the Scriptures.  For example, notice the various descriptions for His believers in Acts 11:21-26.

B.      If the unity of the church of Christ was so important to our Lord that He prayed for it in the final hours before His crucifixion, then certainly it should be important for us as well.

                                                             1.      Let us consider how the Christ’s church may have the unity that exists between Christ and His Father.

                                                             2.      Let us also consider the things that threaten that unity and how we may prevent division.

II.      THE UNITY OF THE CHURCH

A.      The unity that Christ desires for His church is spiritual in nature.

                                                             1.      The Scriptures record that the early church included people of various races, nationalities, social levels, and languages.  This diversity often divides people, but in the Lord’s church, they all unite.

                                                             2.      This is because all who are in Christ are spiritually equal despite their worldly differences.  “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Gal. 3:28)

B.      Such spiritual unity requires unity of mind from one member of the church to another.

                                                             1.      The worldly diversity of people does not disappear when they obey the gospel.  However, their minds become unified in the single faith of Christ (Eph. 4:4-6).  Notice that Paul wrote that the church is to be “made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment” (1Cor. 1:10).

                                                             2.      In the prayer of Jesus that we noticed before, He also asked the Father to “sanctify them in the truth.  Thy word is truth” (John 17:17).  It is the word of God that is the basis of unity for believers in Christ.

a.       The unified mind and judgment of Christians is not obtained by some arbitrary standard, but it is to be founded on the objective standard of God’s word.  By this all can agree upon what is right and what is wrong.

b.       We may be “made complete in the same mind” because God has given to us the mind of Christ through His holy word (1Cor. 2:16).

C.      The goal of Christ’s church is not to establish just any form of unity, but rather it is to preserve the unity of the Spirit.

                                                             1.      Unity of mind can be achieved in two ways: unity in the truth and unity in error.

a.       Unity in truth is achieved through the word of God as noted above.

b.       Unity in error is the product of false doctrines, willful ignorance, or self-indulgence.

i.         Notice that God will allow those who choose not to believe the truth to instead believe error (2Thess. 2:11-12).  Those who are like minded in their error will also be united in their condemnation.

ii.        Even if people of various errant beliefs determine to unify (the so-called “grace unity fellowship movement,” for example), they are still not in unity with the Lord.

                                                             2.      The unity that the Lord desires is unity in the truth, which is described in Ephesians 4:1-3 as the “unity of the Spirit.”

a.       Notice that we are to “preserve the unity of the Spirit” rather than establish it.  This is because God has already established it through His word.  Our part is to preserve this unity in ourselves through keeping His word that was given by the Holy Spirit (1Cor. 2:6-16; 1Pet. 1:10-12; 2Pet. 1:20-21).

b.       The irony is that sometimes in order to preserve the unity of the Spirit, we must create division among men.

i.         We may be able to establish unity and peace among men and at the same time destroy the unity of the Spirit.  We can do this by embracing error and overlooking sin.

ii.        Let us not confuse peace within a congregation with the unity of the Spirit.  The absence of conflict between members does not necessarily mean that unity in the truth with one another and with Christ exists.

iii.      The unity of the Spirit requires us to embrace and promote the truth, which will be disagreeable to some, thus causing division.  By necessity, divisions must occur, for the “approved” must be distinguished from the unapproved (1Cor. 11:19).

III.   DIVISION

A.      Let us understand the true source of divisions that occur within the Lord’s church.

                                                             1.      Divisions occur when men chose the wisdom of the world over the wisdom of God.

a.       Notice Romans 16:17 – “Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them.”

b.       In this case, we are commanded to divide in what we may call “addition by subtraction,” by removing the divisive members in order to save the rest.

                                                             2.      Those who disturb the unity of the Spirit with the wisdom of the world are responsible for dividing the church.

a.       Often the one who stands for truth is blamed for divisions, just as Ahab called Elijah a “troubler of Israel” (1Ki. 18:17).

b.       Yet Jesus pronounced woe on those who bring stumbling blocks before His children (Matt. 18:7), not on those who warned others of those stumbling blocks.

B.      We must be careful to recognize those who cause division and turn away from them.

                                                             1.      Those who are responsible for dividing the church do not usually present themselves as dividers.

a.       Paul warned that such divisive men disguise themselves as “servants of righteousness” (2Cor. 11:13-15).

b.       Paul warned the Ephesian elders that divisive men would arise from among themselves (Acts 20:29-30).

                                                             2.      Therefore, we must be on guard at all times and diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit.

a.       Let us study the Scriptures so that we know what is true and right (Acts 17:11).

b.       Let us pray for wisdom so that we may be discerning (Jas. 1:5).

c.        Let us practice the truth so that we may be trained by experience (Heb. 5:14).

d.       Let us remove any emotional arguments that persuade by feelings rather than truth (Col. 2:4; 1Cor. 2:4-5).

C.      Rather than being among those who divide the Lord’s church, let us make a defense for it.

                                                             1.      The Lord’s church is His holy temple, and those who destroy it will be destroyed by God (1Cor. 3:16-17).  Their end will be according to their deeds (2Cor. 11:15).

                                                             2.      Members of Christ’s holy church must be diligent to keep the dividers, defilers, and corrupters out of the Lord’s body.  They must defend the unity of the Spirit with the sword of the Spirit, the word of God (Eph. 6:17).

IV.    CONCLUSION

A.      Not only did our Lord pray that His believers would all be as one even as He is one with the Father, but He also said that He had given glory to His believers just as the Father had given glory to Him, and He prayed that His believers may be with Him (John 17:20-24).

B.      Therefore, if we desire to be with Jesus, then we must show His glory through the unity that He intended for His church.  Let us be diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.