ONE: The Unity of the Spirit (3)
Scott Bayles, pastor
Blooming Grove Christian Church: 1/21/2018
A loaded mini-van pulled up to the only remaining campsite. Four youngsters leaped from the vehicle and feverishly began unloading the gear and setting up the tent. The boys rushed off to gather firewood while the girls along with their mother began to set up the camp stove and cooking utensils. A nearby camper watched and marveled to the children's father, "That is the greatest display of unity and teamwork I have ever seen. How do you run such a well-organized family?" The father said, "Well, it really works on only one basic principle. Nobody gets to go to the bathroom until the camp is set up!"
When a family shares one goal, they can really harmonize as they work toward it, can’t they? The same is true for Christians.
If you’re just joining us, we’re three weeks into a seven-week exploration of Christian unity. On the eve of Christ’s crucifixion, he prayed that all his followers—everyone who would ever believe in him—would be one; that we would share the same kind of unity experienced by God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
To that end, the Apostle Paul provides believers with a series of seven “ones” that ought to bind us together in peace and harmony and love. He writes, “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:3-6 NIV). This list of “ones” creates a solid foundation upon which all believers everywhere can experience true unity of spirit.
A couple weeks ago, we started with the first item on the list: one body. Despite the differences and disagreements between denominations, congregations, and individual Christian, there is just one body of Christ and every born-again believer is a part of that body.
Last week, we focused on the second tie that binds believers together: one Spirit. The Holy Spirit indwells each and every believer and presents special, spiritual gifts to each one of us. The Spirit alone decides who gets what gifts and He intends for us to use those gifts to serve and help one another, thus building up the body of Christ and creating unity between believers.
This morning, I want to look at the third unifying factor Paul mentions: one hope. Or, as another translation puts it: “one glorious hope for the future” (Ephesians 4:4 NLT).
Before we get into this “one hope” we all share as Christians, it’s important to define exactly what we mean by hope. Often, when we use the word hope, we’re really talking about wishful-thinking: “I hope my team wins the Super Bowl” or “I hope I get a raise.” But these are rather uncertain hopes. If someone says to you, “I hope you have a good day,” there is no guarantee that the day will go well, right?
But that’s not how the Bible uses the word hope. It isn’t wishing for the best. It isn’t waiting to see what happens and crossing your fingers that it turns out well. For the Christian, hope is not a fleeting feeling or a fickle emotion. Rather, hope is a confident expectation, an anchor of the soul. Elsewhere Paul writes about hope, saying, “We were given this hope when we were saved. If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it. But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently” (Romans 8:24-25 NLT).
So, the idea behind biblical hope is patiently and confidently waiting for and looking forward to something we don’t yet have. But what is that something? What is this “one glorious hope for the future” that unites all Christians?
Simply put, it is the hope of heaven.
Heaven. It’s the end of the journey. It’s the beginning of eternal life. It’s the subject of hundreds of hymns and the theme of innumerable sermons. It’s the moment you don’t want to miss. The home of glory and goodness, of grace and God himself. Heaven is our highest hope.
But what makes heaven so glorious? Why look forward to it with patience and confidence? How does the hope of heaven bring us all together? Under the umbrella of heaven, there are at least three promises that all Christians can confidently anticipate; three promises that make heaven altogether heavenly. Think of them as three hopes within the hope of heaven.
The first is the hope of resurrection.
• THE HOPE OF RESURRECTION
Beginning with the 1968 cult-classic Night of the Living Dead and perpetuated by hit television shows like the Walking Dead, pop-culture is enamored with the notion of the dead coming back to life. The truth is—a day is coming when the dead will rise, but not in the way portrayed by zombie movies and TV shows.
Jesus spoke of that day when he said, “Don’t be so surprised! Indeed, the time is coming when all the dead in their graves will hear the voice of God’s Son, and they will rise again. Those who have done good will rise to experience eternal life, and those who have continued in evil will rise to experience judgment” (John 5:28-29 NLT).
This day of resurrection is one of the most important themes of the Bible and a reminder that this life is not all there is. And unlike zombies, whose bodies continue to decay and decompose, we can look forward to vibrant new bodies—far better than the ones we have now.
The Bible says, “We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us” (Romans 8:23 NLT).
Paul actually writes in depth about these new bodies in his letters to the Corinthians. For instance, he says:
For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies. While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit. (2 Corinthians 5:1-5 NLT).
Our body a tent? Not a bad metaphor. I’ve spent some nights in tents. Nice for one or two nights, but not intended for daily use. Flaps fly open. Winter wind creeps from beneath. Summer showers seep from above. Canvas gets raw and tent stakes come loose. We need something better, Paul argues. Something permanent. Something painless. Something more than flesh and bone. A house, not a tent. And until we get it, “we groan,” he says. Who would argue with that?
Lately, I think I groan every time I get out of bed! I pick up one of my kids and I groan. I sit for too long in one position and I groan. I get tired and worn out. Joints ache and muscles fatigue. And I’m sure I’m not alone. Your tent used to be sturdy and strong, but the seasons have passed and the storms have raged, and this old canvas has worn thin. Chilled by the cold, bowed by the wind, your tent is not as strong as it used to be.
It won’t be like that after the resurrection. The Bible uses a panoply of words to describe our new bodies: glorious, powerful, imperishable, immortal, eternal, supernatural, heavenly. These new bodies will be built to last.
This is the hope of every believer. Life without aging. Life without hip surgeries or knee replacements. Life without limits! All throughout Jesus’ ministry He promised one thing that no one else could offer—eternal life, immortality. Jesus declared boldly, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10 NKJV). Jesus speaks here of quantity and quality—both beyond measure. But the hope of resurrection is just part of what makes heaven so heavenly.
Furthermore, we have the hope of righteousness.
• THE HOPE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
The Apostle Peter touches on this, saying, “But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13 NIV).
As Christians we look forward to a home where righteousness fills the air like the soothing aroma of cinnamon rolls fresh from the oven. What exactly is righteousness, some may wonder. The simplest definition is found in the root word: right. In heaven, everything will be made right.
One of the reasons many of us long for our heavenly home is that we look at the world around us and realize that so many things aren’t right: natural disasters, terrorist attacks, rape, murder, theft, cancer, the list goes on.
Jesus promises a new heaven and a new earth—a better earth, the home of righteousness. He says, “I am making everything new!” (Revelation 21:5). He will remake everything in the world and He’ll put everything right. He’ll restore your years drooped on crutches and trapped in wheelchairs. He’ll restore the smiles faded by hurt. He’ll replay the symphonies unheard by deaf ears and the sunsets unseen by blind eyes. The mute will sing. The poor will feast. The wounded will heal.
Of course, one of the greatest blessings of Heaven is what won’t be there. Sin and suffering cannot dwell in the home of righteousness. The Bible tells us, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever” (Rev. 21:4 NLT).
And that’s just the beginning. In the home of righteousness, there will be no drunkenness, disease, or divorce. No trials, tribulation, or turmoil. No funeral homes, abortion clinics, or psychiatric wards. No rape, missing children, or drug rehabilitation centers. No bigotry, no muggings or killings. No worry or depression or economic downturns. No wars, no unemployment. Close friendships but no cliques, laughter but no put-downs. Intimacy, but no temptation to immorality. No hidden agendas, no backroom deals, no betrayals.
Instead, heaven will overflow with unrelenting fairness and friendship, justice and joy, goodness and grace, virtue and valor, love and loyalty, happiness and holiness. As the home of righteousness, the New Heaven and New Earth will be like nothing we’ve ever experienced. Everything will be just right.
Finally, in addition to the hope of resurrection and righteousness, we have the hope of reunion.
• THE HOPE OF REUNION
Paul, again, writes at length about the hope of reuniting with fellow believers in 1 Thessalonians 4. He says:
And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died. We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. So encourage each other with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 NLT)
The coming of Christ will herald the biggest family reunion in history. Christ will bring with him all the loved ones we’ve laid to rest in his arms. Everyone who trusted in him for salvation—husbands, wives, parents, children, friends. Some people you might be surprised to see. Others might be surprised to see you. You can throw your arms around them and tell them how much you’ve missed them. You’ll be able to talk with them and tell all about your life since you last saw each other.
Who do you look forward to seeing that day?
In addition to family and friends, we’ll be able to meet believers of every era: Abraham Lincoln, Elvis, or Peter, Paul and Mary (the disciples not the singing group). Of course, the most meaningful encounter we will experience is our reunion with Jesus himself.
Christian recording artist, Bart Millard, captured the collective contemplation of Christians when he wrote the lyrics:
I can only imagine what it will be like
When I walk, by your side
I can only imagine what my eyes will see
When you face is before me
Surrounded by You glory
What will my heart feel
Will I dance for you Jesus
Or in awe of You be still
Will I stand in your presence
Or to my knees will I fall
Will I sing hallelujah
Will I be able to speak at all
I can only imagine
When we all get to heaven, we won’t have to imagine any more. What we have only seen in our thoughts, we will see with our eyes. What we’ve struggled to envision, we will be free to behold. What we’ve seen in a glimpse, we will then see in full view. And, according to Paul, we will be amazed (2 Thessalonians 1:10).
Conclusion
So, what does the hope of heaven have to do with our unity on earth? In short, we’re all going to spend eternity together, so we might as well learn to get along now. We share a common dream, a common destiny, and a common destination. The knowledge that God will one day bring heaven to earth, ought to motivate us to get a head start. The church—the body of Christ—ought to be a preview of what heaven will be like. While we anxiously await the hope of resurrection, righteousness, and reunion, let’s do our very best to make this world a little more heavenly.
Invitation
Next Sunday, we’ll continue exploring the seven “ones” that bind us all together. In the meantime, if you haven’t taken hold of the hope of heaven, I’d love to help you do that today. You can talk to me after church, call me at home, or come forward now while we stand and sing. Let’s sing church.
