In our text the prophet Amos poses a very thought provoking question, “Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?” I would like you to take a few moments and think about the implications of this question. As Christians one of the distinctive marks of our faith is the privilege to walk with God. However, that brings another question to mind, “Does the way we relate to others have a direct bearing on our walk with God? John answers this question quite clearly in 1 John 4:20-21, “If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.” Logic causes us to arrive at this simple conclusion, in order for us to enjoy walking with God we must first agree to walk with one another. As long as there is conflict and divisions among us, our fellowship with God is impacted in a very negative way. The bottom line is this; to walk with God requires us to be within the boundaries of his will. His will dictates the necessity of His followers being united as one. Amos’ point is this, in order to enjoy unity, we must agree to put our differences behind us and agree to walk with one another and God. Today I would like us to take some time and look at what determines whether or not we walk with God.
I. When divisions exist among us, we cannot walk with God.
A. When divisions exist, the basic foundation of our faith is destroyed.
1. The purpose of the Gospel is to bring all people into a common fellowship united with one another under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
2. Consider these words from one of Jesus’ prayers, “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” (John 17:20-21—NIV)
3. It is the desire of God’s heart for His people to be united. Unfortunately Satan has done a tremendous amount of damage to the church and its witness by using people to cause divisions.
4. When we allow divisions to be created we willfully work against the prayer that Jesus prayed in John 17.
B. Divisions send the wrong message to those outside the church.
1. If we cannot agree to put our differences aside and work together to get His work done, how can we expect the church to be able to make a united stand upon God’s will.
2. Perhaps the greatest challenge we face as Christians is to put our own desires and preferences aside in order to take the Gospel to the world around us.
3. The Lord has placed a huge responsibility on our shoulders, and we cannot allow ourselves to take it lightly.
4. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20—NIV)
5. In order for this to be accomplished, we must unite together around this common purpose.
C. God’s work cannot be done by a divided people.
1. How can we take a message of unity to a divided world if we ourselves are divided?
2. Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.” (Matthew 12:25—NIV)
3. If we are going to be able to stand, we must come to the point that we decide it will be what God wants, not what I want.
II. When we do not display love for one another, we cannot walk with God.
A. What determines whether or not we have love for our brother?
1. In a world full of imperfect people, relationships will inevitably become broken. Our love for one another is visible when we seek to reconcile ourselves to those with who we have a broken relationship.
2. But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. (Matthew 5:22—NIV)
3. Jesus gives explicit instructions on how to handle these situations. “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. (Matthew 5:23-24—NIV)
4. This can be really hard for us to accept but Jesus does take the way we relate to one another very seriously.
B. Does our love for one another say anything about our love for God.
1. Jesus said that if we love Him we will keep His commandments. We see throughout the pages of Scripture that at the very heart of the Gospel is love.
2. When asked what were the greatest commandments Jesus replied, “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:29-31-NIV)
3. Consider the words of John on this subject, Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. (1 John 4:7-8)
4. When we weigh all the evidence, we cannot get around the fact that the way we relate to one another determines the way we relate to God.
C. The church in order to truly survive must exhibit love and unity.
1. It’s hard to believe but Christians can be some of the cruelest people on the face of the earth.
2. One person made this observation, “The church is the only army that shoots its wounded.”
3. If a brother falls, even though they have repented and God has forgiven them, there are those in the church who takes it upon themselves to remind them of their sin and to make sure that they are sufficiently punished for it.
4. Consider the words of Paul on this subject, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32--
NIV)
5. God’s love is unconditional and it is not based upon how well we measure up. The same must be said about our love for one another.
III. When we agree to follow Christ’s example, we can walk with God.
A. Jesus provided us with the greatest example of love.
1. Jesus showed the greatest example of love when He laid His life down for our sins.
2. He showed us that true love has no conditions because although He had no sin, He took on the penalty for our sins and died in our place.
3. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:12-13—NIV)
4. You see this provides the greatest uniting point for us; we all sin daily and are in need of a Savior. Jesus was that Savior that died for every person that has and will ever live.
B. All Jesus did promoted unity.
1. Paul made it clear that Jesus setup His church to be united.
2. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. (Colossians 1:17-18—NIV)
3. Like we mentioned before Jesus made it a priority to pray for the unity of His people.
4. He wants us to be able to receive the blessings of being a part of a united and working body.
C. Unity and love is best displayed in service.
1. Jesus provided us the ultimate example of what it means to be a servant. In fact His example showed that we must not only be servants of God, we must be servants of one another.
2. Jesus constantly put others first. In fact he turned the world’s pecking order upside down when he said that if we want to be first, we must be a servant.
3. Being a servant requires us to put the needs of the other person ahead of our own.
4. If we truly want to be able to walk with God and one another, then we must put are differences aside and agree to do so.
5. They greatest blessing of unity is joy. And when we break down joy into a simple acronym we discover the formula for unity. Jesus first, others second and yourself last.
Maxwell Perkins, editor, once wrote, "One of my deepest convictions is that the terrible harms that are done in this world are not done by deliberately evil people... They are done by the good people--by those who are so sure that God is with them. Nothing can stop them; for they are certain that they are right.”
Wayne Smith led the Southland Christian Church for more than forty years and helped them navigate through many conflicts. In fact one of the conflicts resulted from Wayne simply stating an opinion. a family came forward during the invitation time and placed their membership with the church. The family had a little girl who held a Cabbage Patch doll. Wayne said, “That’s an ugly looking doll.”
Wayne said later, “Why did I say that? I don’t know. It was really dumb.” (And of course, this just shows how we should weigh our words before we speak, or think before we speak).
Later that week Wayne went to see that little girl to try to make up with her. He said he took her four large candy bars. Her father said, “CAN YOU BRING THEM EVERY WEEK?”
Wayne Smith definitely had the right attitude. He wanted to mend an offense and make peace in the church.
Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. (Hebrews 12:14—NIV)
If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. (Romans 12:18—NIV)
