We like Jesus’ original disciples still have to live in this world. Have you ever wonder exactly what is “the world”? It is a system of values typified by Satan himself, centered on greed, power, deceit and self-will. While we are in the world Satan desires to do everything he can to destroy, neutralize and render us totally ineffective for the cause of Christ. The Church today finds itself on a collision course with the world’s values. This causes us to need the Lord’s protection more than ever as it is so increasingly easy to begin to adopt some of the world’s values as our own. The fact that we are in the world does not grant us the license to live like the world. We must never put ourselves in the position where we betray Jesus by loving the ways of the world. More than ever we need to open our minds and hearts to let Jesus define who we and the church are not the world. Jesus prayed for the unity of His disciples to resemble what He and the Father have. Jesus knew exactly why this unity was of such vital importance. Because where there are clichés, where there is competition between the churches, the cause of Christ is harmed. As we read this prayer in our text we quickly come to the conclusion that we have done more to frustrate this particular prayer of our Lord then any other He prayed. The Gospel can not be truly presented where there are divisions. Ministry can not be effective where the people are not united. One wise man put it this way, “How can a fighting, bickering and divided group of people take a message of love and unity with any credibility into a world that displays those same characteristics?” If we want the church to become all that the Lord intended it to be, then we need to unite around Jesus Christ. Today let’s discover in our text the essentials for unity in the through Christ’s example.
I. Christians should be one in love.
A. Jesus set the example by the great love He had for His own.
1. The disciples had been given to Jesus by the Father. The gift was irrevocable and the Father was able to guarantee it.
2. The disciples were not perfect, but they had the right commitment. Their faith in Jesus was a trust in His union with the Father.
3. They had to stay in the world to carry out God’s plan in spreading the good news of redemption and in planting the church.
4. Jesus shows His great love for the disciples as He prays for the protection of the disciples. Without his constant companionship and leadership, they will need to lean upon God with complete faith.
5. Jesus prayed not only for the safety of the disciples but also that they might have joy in spite of the coming conflict.
B. The unity of the church must spring from the common life that is imparted to all believers by the new birth; and it is manifested in their common love for Christ and for one another as they face a hostile world.
1. The unity of the Son and the Father was manifested in the deep love that each sustained for the other and by the perfect obedience of the Son to the Father and the perfect response of the Father to the Son.
2. We know beyond a shadow of a doubt the God loves all the people of the world but this prayer was focused on disciples.
3. The church needed discover this perfect unity in love if they had any hope of accomplishing the mission for which they had been called. (1 John 4:19-21)
4. As we are all united to the same Christ, we are all part of the same family.
5. As Christians we should display the same unconditional love for people as the Lord has displayed.
II. Christians should be one in prayer.
A. We must be a people of prayer.
1. This is so much more than a casual blessing over a meal.
2. Unfortunately we often think of prayer as emergency only, when our back is against the wall and there is no where to turn.
3. Prayer needs to be an expression of our helplessness, and an awareness of a need that can only be met by God.
4. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. (Ephesians 6:18)
B. Lessons we can learn about prayer from Christ’s example.
1. The title "Holy Father" is unusual and is comparable to the phrase "Righteous Father" that appears in verse 25. The holiness of God contrasts with the selfishness and evil of the world that confronted the disciples.
2. Jesus, in calling on His Holy Father, pointed up God’s distinction from sinful creatures. This holiness is the basis for believers’ separation from the world.
3. The holiness of God contrasts with the selfishness and evil of the world that confronted the disciples.
4. Jesus prayed they must be one. This unity is like the unity Jesus and the Father enjoy, a deep spiritual oneness that is not negated by fighting and hostility
5. Jesus prayed an intercessory prayer, He prayed on the behalf of His disciples.
III. Christians should be one in faith.
A. What kind of faith are we to display.
1. The disciples had their faith in Jesus was a trust in His union with the Father.
2. This faith in Jesus was manifested in their obedience to His words because they believed in His divine mission.
3. Sure the disciples’ faith was far from perfect, they would fail Christ in the coming hours but their commitment was in the right place because later they would return to Him.
4. Jesus is making a statement about the faith of the disciples. They have progressed in their understanding of his identity so that they have begun to “glorify” him, treat him with Godlike respect.
5. Jesus shows that they have come to know (especially in light of the revelation in the Last Discourses?) that all that God gave to Jesus has come from the Father. This is faith-knowledge coming to maturity.
B. Our faith in the Father should grow on a daily basis.
1. To the disciples Jesus had revealed the Father, in other words, He expressed the reality of the Father’s person to them.
2. As we witness God’s care and protection displayed in our lives we gain more trust that He will see us through each situation.
3. This growing faith should equip us to fend off the attacks of the devil and to be able to resist the temptations of the world.
IV. Christians should be one in ministry.
A. The unity of the apostolic community was essential to the early success of the Gospel.
1. The motto, “United we stand, divided we fall,” is nothing new, and constitutes a necessary outlook for the Disciples of Christ.
2. The unity here seems to be that of will and purpose.
3. The exclusion of the world from his prayer must be understood in its context; the disciples have been chosen to help the Church to fulfill its calling.
4. They had to stay in the world to carry out God’s plan in spreading the good news of redemption and in planting the church.
5. As the Church fulfills its calling in the unity of the divine love that the world will recognize that Jesus has been sent to them by God.
6. The future will see people come to faith not by directly witnessing the miracles of Jesus, but by the testimony of the disciples, their message.
B. Unity helps us begin to understand the purpose of the Church.
1. God has called each of us to be active in the ministry of the church.
2. "Sent" implies equipment for a definite mission. Jesus united the disciples with himself in the work he began and expected them to continue.
3. The ministry of the church is to take His message of love and grace to the world so people can be reached and the church will grow.
4. When disunity exists in the church the message is stripped of its credibility.
5. The unity of the church is essential if its testimony to the world is to be believed
6. As the old motto states, “When the church is one, the world will be won.”
Aesop tells us that there were four bulls which were great friends. They went everywhere together, fed together and laid down to rest together, always keeping so close to each other that if any danger were near they could all face it at once.
Now there was a lion which had determined to have them for dinner but he could never get them singly. He was a match for anyone of them alone, but not for all four at the same time. However, he used to watch for his opportunity, and when one lagged the least bit behind the others as they grazed, he would sneak up and whisper that the other bulls had been saying unkind things about him.
This he did so often that at last the four friends became uneasy. Each thought that the other three were plotting against him. Finally, as there was no trust left between them, they went off by themselves, their friendship broken.
This was exactly what the lion had hoped to accomplish. One by one he killed them. They made four hearty meals for the lion.
