Faith Unites Series

FAITH UNITES

Ephesians 4:1-6; John 17: 20-23

Introduction

Yesterday [September 11, 2001] on national TV, we witnessed the collapse of the World

Trade Center Towers in New York City - the financial center of the greatest nation on this earth.

Each of the towers stood over 100 hundred stories tall. They fell by their own weight. Gravity was

used against them. Engineers and physicists explained that, when the commercial airliners were

slammed into the towers with their loads of jet fuel, the ensuing fires created intense heat which

caused the structural steel on just a few floors to fail. I do not know how many floors actually

failed, but my guess is that less than 1% of the floors in each building gave way. When just that

1% failed, the weight of the floors crashing down from above brought down the entire structure

and resulted in the utter destruction we witnessed. There is a powerful lesson in that for our nation

and for the church.

As children we were taught the pledge of allegiance to our flag: “I pledge allegiance to the

flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God,

indivisible and with liberty and justice for all.” That pledge reminds us of the power of one - one

nation under God.

For the past several weeks we have been talking about the fundamentals of faith -- the

ABC’s of faith and how, as a practical matter, what we believe is expressed through our daily

lives. It is no coincidence that tonight our series of lessons on faith brings us to the letter “u” in

the alphabet. The lesson is very simple. Faith Unites!

1. Faith Unites Under One God.

2. Faith Unties Under One God For Protection.

3. Faith Unites Under One God For One Purpose.

On Monday, the day before this horrific act of terror, my daily Bible reading was from

Ephesians chapter 4. That too was no coincidence. Listen to the first 6 verses of Ephesians chapter

4.

Ephesians 4:1-6 1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the

calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one

another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of

peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit -- just as you were called to one hope when you

were called-- 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over

all and through all and in all.

1. FAITH UNITES UNDER ONE GOD.

Explanation

Again, verses 4-6 tell us: 4 There is one body and one Spirit -- just as you were called to

one hope when you were called-- 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all,

who is over all and through all and in all.

This is one of the central truths of Christianity. We believe in one God in three persons -

the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. There is no other. This belief has its roots in the Old

Testament. One of the first tenets taught by the Jewish people even today is found in Deuteronomy

6:4-5, which says: 4 “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 5 Love the LORD

your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”

While tolerance should always be our guide in sharing our belief in the One Almighty God

of this universe, the Bible is very clear that there is no other God. Jesus Christ Himself was very

specific in His claims about who He is. In John 14:6 Jesus said, 6 “I am the way and the truth and

the life.” Later, in Acts 4:12, Peter defends our faith in Jesus Christ by saying: 12 “Salvation is

found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be

saved.”

Later in Philippians 2:9-11, the Apostle Paul spoke of the work of Jesus Christ on the

cross and its impact on eternity using these words: 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest

place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee

should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus

Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Make no mistake. There is only One God. And one day, every person who has or will ever

live will bow before Him. So it is time for us to stop being apologetic for what we believe. Like