Unity of the Church
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Sixth Sunday in Trinity
Unity of the Church
July 4, 2010
TEXT: NKJ 1 Peter 3:8 Finally, all of you be of one mind, having
compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; 9
not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary
blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.
10 For "He who would love life And see good days, Let him refrain his tongue
from evil, And his lips from speaking deceit. 11 Let him turn away from evil and
do good; Let him seek peace and pursue it. 12 For the eyes of the LORD are on
the righteous, And His ears are open to their prayers; But the face of the LORD
is against those who do evil." 13 And who is he who will harm you if you become
followers of what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness'
sake, you are blessed. "And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled."
15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a
defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with
meekness and fear;
Immediately preceding this text—Peter has been instructing us concerning the
relationship of husband and wife—how they should live together as Christians and
companions—how they should bear with one another
In our text Peter instructs all Christians in general—he tells us to live
together in Christian love—we should live as if we were family—as if we were
brothers and sisters in one household
It is not by coincidence that Peter begins the chapter with a discussion on
marriage—then he moves on to the discussion of our text concerning our
relationship with each other and with Christ—in Scripture (both the Old
Testament and the New Testament) Christ is the Bridegroom and the Church is the
Bride
NKJ Ephesians 5:22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For
the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is
the Savior of the body.
NKJ Isaiah 61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, My soul shall be joyful in
my God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me
with the robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments,
And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
As we discussed many times in the past, Christ ascended into heaven—and He left
one Church in this world—He sent only one Holy Spirit to dwell among us and
within us—Christ left one Church—and we are to remain true to the Word of God
until His return—God’s Word will maintain us in the truth until His return—one
Church family—brothers and sisters in Christ
Peter and Paul thought this so important that they wrote it into their letters
to the Church—Peter wrote it in our text—and Paul wrote it in his letters to the
churches in Ephesus and Rome
NKJ Ephesians 4:3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of
peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope
of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of
all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
NKJ Ephesians 4:10 He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all
the heavens, that He might fill all things.) 11 And He Himself gave some to be
apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for
the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the
body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the
knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of
the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and
fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in
the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in
love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head -- Christ -- 16 from
whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies,
according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes
growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
NKJ Romans 12:16 Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on
high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.
17 Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all
men. 18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all
men.
We are one church—we must remain of one mind—we preach one message of truth—we
are all called to a position of the Church—we differ in position—we differ in
gifts of the Holy Spirit—but we are in unity in our doctrine—we preach, teach,
and confess the Word of God—the ONE MESSAGE OF SALVATION THROUGH CHRIST sustains
us until God calls us home
As for our calling—how can one be considered above another?—we share the same
Christ—we share the same baptism—we share the same grace and mercy of God—we
share the same salvation—we are members of the same family—the Church of Christ!
It is not without reason that the Apostles spent so much time and effort
preaching and teaching about unity—so much depends on it—so much harm can come
of it if church unity breaks down—when we disregard this command to maintain
unity of the body of Christ, factions and schisms will begin to develop—and the
devil will sow his seed
When divisions develop within the church doctrine becomes distorted and
corrupted—men desire and seek recognition for their works and preaching—it is
difficult to overturn and suppress such corruption
When the church is divided—there cannot be two truths—one section will remain
godly and thus remain part of the church—and the other section yields to human
doctrine becomes an instrument of the devil—division is the devil’s tool—he
wants to destroy our church-family relationships—he wants to destroy our
Christian harmony—Paul knew and understood this—and he warned Christians to
beware of the work of the devil
NKJ Romans 16:17 Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions
and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. 18 For
those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and
by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple. 19 For
your obedience has become known to all. Therefore I am glad on your behalf; but
I want you to be wise in what is good, and simple concerning evil. 20 And the
God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.
How can we avoid these divisions?—we need to keep lines of communication open
with all members—we need to attend worship services regularly—this promotes
Christian harmony—this keeps us familiar with each other—we learn about each
other—and thus we are better-able to encourage one another—regular attendance is
not just for you as an individual worshipper—it is a greater part of our
Christian responsibilities
NKJ Hebrews 10:24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and
good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the
manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the
Day approaching.
We don’t attend church services for ourselves—we attend for the strengthening of
the flock—how can you encourage one another if you don’t attend church?—how can
you teach each other if you don’t attend Bible Study?—how can we pray for one
another if we don’t talk to each other and understand each other’s sufferings
and needs?—God wants us in church
We need to be sure that none of us is separated from the flock—the devil loves
to isolate us and separate us from our fellow Christians—we learned that lesson
with Adam and Eve in the garden—the devil waited for an opportunity to speak
with Eve alone—then he placed doubt in her mind—did Adam really hear God
correctly?—couldn’t Adam have misunderstood?—Satan’s tactics have not changed
over the centuries—today, just as then, he tempts us and tries to cause doubt
TEXT: NKJ 1 Peter 3:10 For "He who would love life And see good days, Let
him refrain his tongue from evil, And his lips from speaking deceit. 11 Let him
turn away from evil and do good; Let him seek peace and pursue it. 12 For the
eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their prayers;
But the face of the LORD is against those who do evil."
In the text, Peter paraphrases a psalm for our consideration
NKJ Psalm 34:13 Keep your tongue from evil, And your lips from speaking deceit.
14 Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it. 15 The eyes of the
LORD are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their cry. 16 The face of
the LORD is against those who do evil, To cut off the remembrance of them from
the earth. 17 The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears, And delivers them out
of all their troubles.
Watch what you say—do not provoke the evil or the wicked—God will take care of
holding them responsible for their actions—especially as those actions affect
God’s children—Peter follows his psalm quote with reinforcement of the power of
God—fear not—you will be blessed for your suffering
Peter closes our lesson text with encouragement to be prepared to explain why we
do not fear the devil or his evil deeds in this world
NKJ 1 Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready
to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you,
with meekness and fear;
Keep God holy in your hearts—be like Job who suffered everything that the devil
could throw at him and yet gave God praise—and when people see your reaction to
sorrow and suffering—offer the hope you have to them by telling them about
salvation—after all, what is the worst thing that can happen in this world?—we
could die—and go home to heaven!
NKJ Philippians 3:20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also
eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
Listen carefully to this lesson from Peter—love one another—attend church and
encourage one another—pray for one another—and when suffering comes, look
forward to the blessings of heaven—and always be prepared to explain your
salvation to any that might ask
ALL GLORY BE TO GOD!