Unity Theme

1. 6:38Good morning. Let's start. Our song leader is ready, so have a seat. Let's get going. Pat will be leading us in a song. After that, James Rogers will be leading us in prayer. Charles Spear will introduce the series for the week and our speaker at the appropriate time. And at the conclusion of our...
2. 7:13Our time together and our announcements, Philip Abizade will be leading us in prayer. Pat? Would you stand with me, please? Let's sing together. Lord, the light of your love is shining in the midst of... Most gracious Heavenly Father, as we start this...
3. 9:45This new week of study here at SIBI, Lord, I ask that you let your presence be known here, Lord, that you give the teachers the wisdom today to teach us and give us hearts and minds to understand what you have for us today, Lord. I ask that you make your word alive to us, that we can grow closer to you personally, and that we can be a light better for you to better serve you, Lord Jesus. I ask that you continue to be with us each and every day and teach us to walk.
4. 10:11worthy of the calling that you've called us here, Lord. And we ask this all in Jesus' name. Amen. Good morning. I'm not the main speaker. I'm going to introduce the speaker, though, with a comment about a series that we're going to be in this week. I think you can see from these slides, these are some, I guess, representations of what our world would like to say is the way to bring about religious unity. God is too big to fit into one religion.
5. 11:00Can't we just all get along? If you have a Bible, turn to Ephesians chapter 4, because this is where we're going to be the majority of this week. We have a special chapel tomorrow with a special guest speaker, I should say. But this series will be going Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday with speakers from our faculty. Chapter 4 of Ephesians, verse 3, make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
6. 11:30When you think about unity in the religious world, this is one approach, but Paul would take a different approach. And even bringing it down further, not to all the religions of the world, but even within the confines of a congregation of the Lord's people, that is, or between congregations of the Lord's people, what are the keys to unity within that group? What's the key to unity in Christianity?
7. 11:58In chapter 4, I think we find a number of different things. We find attitudes that are very important to unity in chapter 4, verse 2, where he says, be completely humble and gentle. Be patient, bearing with one another in love. There are certain attitudes that we've just got to have. Then when you get down to verse 7, going through about verse 16, he talks about the use of our giftedness in the body of Christ. And he says until, verse 13, until we all reach unity in the faith.
8. 12:27and in the knowledge of the Son of God. The emphasis is still unity. It seems to me that continues in verses 17, perhaps all the way into chapter 6, where he talks about this is the way you've got to live, Christians. If you don't live this way, it's going to make it very difficult for there to be unity in the body of Christ. So we've seen that there are attitudes, there are aptitudes, and there are actions that bring about unity in the body of Christ.
9. 12:54but there are certain axioms that must also be in place. And that comes in chapter 4, verses 4 through 6. And so we're going to talk about those axioms. We're going to talk about one Lord today with Truett as an axiom upon which the unity in the body of Christ is built. Seven unities, seven principles for unity is the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
10. 13:50Three on each side. There's one body, one spirit, one hope in which we're called. There's one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all. But right in the middle, one writer, Brother R.C. Bell, said it's kind of like the picture in the book of Revelation. The one standing in the center of the throne in heaven is our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb.
11. 14:18slain for all of us. And the one in the very heart, the very center of our unity in Christ is Jesus Christ, our Lord. If we want unity, then we have to understand there is but one Lord. That's what 1 Corinthians chapter 8 says. As Paul talks about
12. 14:45meat sacrifice to idols, and the fact that in the view of people in the world and some of the religions of that day, perhaps something like the chart that Charles showed, the false religions of that day viewed there to be many gods and many lords. But Paul said, we know for us there is only one God.
13. 15:14the Father of us all. And there's only one Lord, Jesus Christ, from whom all of this came and for whom we live. Jesus Christ is the only Lord. There is but one Lord. Okay. Change the slide for me, please. We're stuck. A lot of people wonder, how are we going to have unity?
14. 16:07It comes through that one Lord. And in the New Testament, the word that is translated Lord is the Greek word kurios. And kurios is a word that was used in society in that day just in a very generic way. It could mean a master, a supreme one, someone in great authority.
15. 16:37Or it could have even been translated as it was sometimes just Sir, a title of respect. Maybe in the Spanish Bible it's translated what? Senor? But look at Acts chapter 2. In Acts chapter 2, beginning in verse 21 of Acts chapter 2, the Apostle Paul, or rather the Apostle Peter,
16. 17:11Quotes an Old Testament prophecy from the book of Joel. And that prophecy ends with the idea that Jehovah, Jehovah is the name. And whoever calls upon the name Jehovah or Yahweh, whoever calls upon the memorial name of God, Yahweh, will be saved.
17. 17:47Peter quotes that prophecy. But when he quotes that prophecy, he says, it's the Lord, kurios. Now what he's doing is he's telling all of us for all time that maybe that word kurios for some people can be generic. But after Acts 2, virtually every reference
18. 18:21the disciples of Christ to the word kurios refers to one person Jesus Christ and this passage equates Jesus Christ the Lord with Yahweh of the Old Testament that memorial name Yahweh though not pronounced by the Jewish people of that day because they they were afraid that they would
19. 18:51Take that name in vain. So they just never pronounced it. But now. We call on. Jesus Christ. Our Lord. He's the basis of all unity. And after Acts chapter 2. There is but one Lord. For the disciples of Christ. And that's Jesus himself. Jesus is the Lord of all of the things that divide us. And if we. In fact. Could just.
20. 19:23Claim his lordship. Look to his lordship. Maybe that would help to solve everything that divides us. He is the Lord of the harvest. If anybody's going to be saved, they're going to have to be saved on his terms. He looked at the crowds that were coming out, and he saw them as helpless and harassed, like sheep without a shepherd. And he said,
21. 19:55Pray the Lord of the harvest. The harvest is plentiful. The laborers are few. Pray the Lord of the harvest that he'll send forth laborers into his vineyard. He is the Lord of the harvest. And if he's the Lord of the harvest, no one's going to be saved except on the terms of his lordship. If we're going to ever agree on how to be saved, what it takes for us to be saved, we're going to have to go to the Lord, the Lord of the harvest.
22. 20:26to do that it's kind of interesting that when he began to heal people and he was confronted by the Pharisees his disciples went out into the grain fields they were hungry and they were picking some of the grain and eating it and it was on the Sabbath day the Pharisees confronted Jesus and his disciples and and Jesus said have you not read that David
23. 20:55When he was hungry, when his men were hungry, they went into the tabernacle and they ate the show bread. Have you not read that the priests who serve in the temple and in the tabernacle violate the Sabbath by working, serving on the Sabbath day as they serve others? And he said, and by the way, I'm the Lord of the Sabbath. Now what that means is, if he says,
24. 21:29It's all right. What is it? It's all right. He's the Lord of the Sabbath. If he says, this is okay. It's okay for the disciples to pick grain. I'm the Lord of the Sabbath. He didn't violate the law. He is the law. He's the Lord of the Sabbath. What Jesus endorses is all right.
25. 22:03That's what the people didn't understand. Now, a lot of times we have struggles with various laws, commands, silence of Scripture. We struggle with some of these things. Now, I've had some people tell me, now, in regard to the...
26. 22:35women's issue and the assembly it'd be all right because david ate the showbread in the in the temple we could add instrumental music because it's okay david ate the showbread jesus disciples went out and picked grain on the on the sabbath it's okay because if it didn't matter to jesus it shouldn't matter to us listen folks if jesus had said
27. 23:10And it was recorded in the Bible. Look, I'm the Lord of music and instrumental music doesn't matter. If he just said that, like he talked about the Sabbath, I would be fine with it. He's the Lord. If Jesus endorses something, it's fine. But I just don't find any place where he endorsed those things. What I'm saying to us is, if we're going to be unified,
28. 23:42In regard to some things that we struggle with. We're going to have to accept the lordship of Jesus. If he says it's okay. It's okay. If it's in the book that it's okay. It's okay. But let's don't appeal to Jesus. And what he said about the Sabbath. To okay everything. Exalting men. Boy the folks in the first century struggled with that didn't they. But Jesus.
29. 24:19is the king of kings. He's the Lord of lords. If we're going to get it right in regard to the place of people and being exalted to high positions, then we're going to have to understand there is just one Lord, one high position, and that's Jesus. And all of the rest of us are just servants of that one Lord.
30. 24:50Look at that picture in the 19th chapter of the Revelation. He's the rider on the white horse. And there's a name that is emblazoned on him. And that name is Lord of Lords, King of Kings. That's his title. And nothing else and no one else can claim to exalt themselves above anyone else.
31. 25:22In regard to race and culture, turn over to Romans chapter 10. In Romans chapter 10, Paul says he's the Lord of all. They were struggling with racial issues, Jews and Gentiles. Well, he's the Lord of the Jews. He's the Lord of the Gentiles. He's the Lord of all, both Jew and Gentile. And if he's the Lord of all of us,
32. 25:57then that means that there's not a single racial, cultural issue that ought to divide us. We ought to all be one in Christ because he's the Lord of black, white, brown, yellow. He's the Lord of every race, of every culture, of every people all over this globe. In regard to judging others, Romans 14 and verse 9 says,
33. 26:30You have to stop judging others in regard to things like food, drink, and certain days. Because there is one who is the Lord of the living and the dead. So why do we judge our brothers in regard to things that the Bible doesn't specify?
34. 27:04Why do we judge our brothers in regard to those things? Because Jesus is the Lord. And he brings us together in regard to these things that are of little consequence in the final analysis in regard to heaven and hell. And so he's the Lord of the living. He's the Lord of the dead. And in the final day, we will either stand or fall in the judgment.
35. 27:38At his feet. He's the Lord of glory. In 1 Corinthians chapter 2. Paul talks about. The mysteries. The secret of the gospel. And he talks about the fact that. There was a secret that God had. It's the gospel truth. Eye had not seen. Ear had not heard. It never entered into the heart of man. What God was up to. For all time.
36. 28:12And he goes on to say, now, if the people that crucified Jesus had only known, only understood, if they had understood that he is the Lord of glory, they would not have crucified him. All of us need to understand that Jesus Christ is the revelation of God. That he, in fact, has come to unveil the gospel.
37. 28:52And through Jesus and the Spirit's revelation to the apostles, the gospel is no longer a mystery. It's unveiled. It's a secret revealed. And we can understand it because the Lord of glory has come from heaven to earth. And he helps us to understand the gospel. He's the Lord of peace.
38. 29:23First Thessalonians and second Thessalonians. The church at Thessalonica had a lot of problems. They were being persecuted from outside. They were struggling with some doctrinal issues inside. They were struggling with some brethren who were acting disorderly. And at the end of second Thessalonians chapter three, he says, and may he give you peace. The one who gives you peace.
39. 29:57is the Lord of peace. And if we have peace based on his lordship, then unity is possible. In 1 Corinthians chapter 1, Paul calls on the church at Corinth to all speak the same thing. But he calls on them in the name of the Lord Jesus. In the name of the Lord Jesus, may you all...
40. 30:28Speak the same thing. May there be unity among you. It seems to me that a lot of people want Jesus to be their Savior. But not as many want him to be Lord. I remember years ago studying with a person out in Phoenix. And we got to the point where Jesus was offering forgiveness of sins. And the gift of the Holy Spirit. And they said, oh, that's wonderful.
41. 31:11I want to be forgiven. I want to go to heaven. I want forgiveness. I want a Savior. I need a Savior. And then we looked at Romans chapter 10. If you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you can be saved. And then we talked about what Lord is.
42. 31:55And that person, like the rich young ruler, went away sadly. They said, oh, I thought it was going to be easier than that. I thought he was just, I thought everything would be all right and I could just continue living the way I'm living. They wanted a Savior, but they didn't want a Lord. They didn't want Jesus Christ to point the way for their life.
43. 32:30Over 600 times, Jesus is called Lord in the New Testament. Not called Savior that many times. He is the Savior. But the emphasis in the New Testament is, if you want to be saved, there's just one Lord. You have to come to the Lord if you want to be saved. And you have to do it on his terms. Acts 16, 31 and 33, it says, as Paul spoke to the jailer,
44. 33:04When the jailer asked, what must I do to be saved? He said, believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved and all that are in your house. And then the next verse says, and he spoke the word of the Lord to them. They washed his stripes and all of them were baptized the same hour of the night. Lordship. It's doing it his way. It's submitting.
45. 33:37to his lordship, just as the apostle Paul did on the road to Damascus. And on the road to Damascus, when he found out who the sir was speaking to him, the one who seemed to be powerful, he said, who are you, Lord? Who are you, sir? And he said, I'm Jesus of Nazareth that you've been persecuting.
46. 34:12Lord, his immediate reply was, what will you have me to do? If we want to have unity, and I know this is tough, but if we want to have unity, wouldn't the natural question that all of us would ask in any discussion, Lord, what would you have us to do? What's your will in the matter? That's what Ephesians chapter...
47. 34:455 or chapter 4, 5 and verse 10 says, find out what pleases the Lord. That's the bottom line, isn't it? Find out what pleases the Lord. The question to ask in any religious discussion, the question to ask when it comes to how do I become a child of God, the question to ask how do I worship God, the question to ask how do we serve God.
48. 35:17What's my life supposed to be like? How do I live my daily life? The question to ask is, what do you want, Lord? Not my will, but your will be done. And finally, the Apostle Peter says, but sanctify the Lord Jesus in your heart. Set him apart. Make him holy. Make his lordship.
49. 35:51The part of your heart that dictates all the issues of your life. And if you do that. Then the Lord will truly be in charge. It was this Jesus who told his disciples. All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Now if he has all authority. That means folks I don't have any. If he has it all.
50. 36:28You don't have any. The only authority we have is submit to his authority. And he said, go make disciples. That's our mandate. And it came from the one who has all authority. Jesus really does mean the world. He means the world to all of us. He's our Lord. But as he looks out across the world, he means for us to take the world for him.
51. 37:08And he means for us to do it his way. What's this all mean? It means every time we come to a crossroads, to a decision, we ask the question, what do you want, Lord? It means when we struggle with one another, with disunity, with not all saying the same things religiously and headed the same direction religiously.
52. 37:44When we struggle with those things, we say, Lord, help us here. What do you want for our lives? And when it comes to the point that we're trying to decide what direction my life is going to take, how I'm going to serve, then the one who has all authority comes to us and says, go make disciples.
53. 38:21That's where we are, folks. And may God help us to claim him as the only Lord of our lives. I was just thinking about 1972. Loaded up a few clothes and drove over to Calhoun, Louisiana as a camp counselor. And the camp evangelist for that...
54. 39:07particular year was Truett Adair. And Truett, I don't know that you've ever let anyone down when it comes to delivering the message clearly and plainly as you have this morning again. Thank you so much. Praise God that we have leadership such as this.

Full transcripts arrive with the ingest pipeline.