The Joy of Unity

Welcome to this week's message from the Church at Chelsea Westover.

Our core values are vibrant worship, intimate fellowship, fulfilling service, and clear biblical truth.

We pray that this message changes your life.

Let's tune in to today's message and see what God has in store for you.

With that said, let's look at 2 Timothy chapter 2, and we're going to be looking at this morning verses 1 through 4.

2 Timothy 2 · chapter mention

What did I say?

2 Timothy, I'm sorry.

Philippians chapter 2.

Philippians 2 · chapter mention

Verses 1 through 4.

If there be therefore any consolation or comfort in Christ, if there be any comfort of love in Christ, if any fellowship of the Spirit in Christ, if any bowels of mercy in Christ, then fulfill ye my joy.

That ye be like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord and of one mind.

Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory, but in lowless lowliness of mind, let each esteem others better than themselves.

Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.

Basically, we're looking at the title of the message this morning, The Joy of Unity.

Or we could title it The Steps to Unity.

We could say, Barry, a church, and by the way, he's writing to the church at Philippi.

We know Paul's in jail.

So we could say that a church that is used greatly by God, a church that you see that's being blessed by God, there are traits of this church.

There's characteristics of this church that are very evident.

And so this morning, Paul's literally saying, he says three things here.

He says, What's going to fill up my joy?

What's going to fill up my joy?

Now he's in prison.

Ephroditis has brought him a letter.

He had read the letter, and he's writing the letter back to give back to Ephroditis and possibly even Timothy to go back with him, back to the church at Philippi.

He's saying to the church at Philippi, hey, to the Philippians, he's saying, What is going to fill up my joy even while I'm here in prison is to hear that you walk in unity.

That you, in fact, I wrote it down to myself, that you have the encouragement and love is exhibited that we have in Christ.

And that you have the fellowship and the affection and the compassion and the leading of the Holy Spirit that we have in Christ.

And that yeah, have the fellowship, the spiritual relationship with each other that we have in Christ.

Oh, that's loaded in that first verse.

I want you to be like Christ.

Not like Mike.

Amen.

Not like LeBron.

But like Jesus.

Can I get an amen?

Amen?

Like Jesus.

Okay?

He said, that's what's going to fill me up.

Because then I'll see what I've taught you is real and you're living it.

It wasn't for vain, and hey, it was not useless the years I spent there.

So with that said, we see that in these four verses, there's the standard of this radiant living.

Those who look to him are radiant.

They shall never be ashamed.

Psalms 34, 5.

So, what are what are those characteristics of that radiant living?

That radiant life that we all let me say something.

When we are living a radiant life, we will attract people to Christ.

Amen.

We will attract people to Christ.

People don't want to be around deadbeats.

Hello.

People don't want to be around sour pusses.

Amen.

People don't want to be about around complainers and gripers.

No.

By the way, Christ never did.

Christ never did any of that.

Can I get an amen?

None of that.

Paul never did any of that.

Paul never even prayed for himself.

Paul said, I want to see radiant living.

And so what we see here, that we have a standard of radiant living that's seen in two really propositions here.

First one.

The spiritual motivations, or you could put the motives for unity in that first blank.

The spiritual motivations, look at verse one and two again.

If there be, if therefore, if there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort in love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies fulfill ye my joy.

Now the little word, look at there, if, literally means sense or because.

So it could be read like this.

Boy, this is so good, folks.

It could be read like this.

Because of the love and the comfort of Christ, and because of the feeling and the leadership and the directing of the Holy Spirit, there is unity in the body.

There is unity in the body.

And because of that, Paul says, this fulfills my joy.

When I see that kind of love, that kind of compassion, that kind of caring, that kind of actions toward each other.

So with that said, that's pretty powerful.

So then we see in these two statements, the apostle gathers up the external motivations that produce in us the radiant Christ-likeness, which God expects in every one of us.

And here's what he says: look at these external.

First thing.

He comes down and he says, now there's two things.

We have the external motivations and we have the internal motivations that cause us to live that radiant life.

So number one is the external motivations.

And what are they?

What are they?

Look at what he says.

Man, this is good.

Verse 1, there is the exhortation of the Son of God.

If any consolation be in Christ, 2 Corinthians 1.5 says that Jesus is our consolation.

2 Timothy, excuse me, 2 Thessalonians 2.16 says that our consolation is in God through Christ.

So we see that the word consolation there literally means exhortation.

It means comfort.

It means to, in fact, the Greek word there is parikeleus.

And it literally means to come alongside and help, to encourage, to counsel, and to exhort.

In other words, Jesus, Paul said in John 14, 16, I think we may have that verse there.

In John 14, 16, he literally said that Jesus will not leave us by ourselves.

He will not leave us comfortless, that he will come along and he will sin.

In fact, Jesus literally said, It is important for me to go away so that I can send to you the Holy Spirit, the comforter.

In fact, and I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another comforter, that he may abide with you forever.

And verse 17, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it sees him not, but you know him because he dwells in you and shall be in you.

When you and I get saved, the Holy Spirit takes up residence in our life.

For by one spirit are we all baptized into one body, 1 Corinthians 12, 13.

When you ask the Lord to come into your heart, he sends the Holy Spirit to take up residence in your heart, and then you have the comforter.

You have the paracalesis, that's really the way you pronounce it, that comes into your life.

Amen.

And boy, what an exciting that is, and how exciting it is.

So, the first external motivation for radiant living and walking in the joy of the Lord and being unified is the exhortation of the Son of God, which is found in the Word of God.

Jesus said in John 14, 15, If you love me, what?

So we are exhorted through the Word of God.

He consistently.

Jeremiah 15, 16.

It's mine in Susan's, well, it's really Susan's one of her favorite verse, her life verse.

Thy words were found, and I did eat them, and thy words were unto me the joy and rejoicing of my heart.

For why I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts.

When the Holy Spirit takes up residence, you can't help but have a radiant, joyful, hey, what, relationship with an awesome God through the power and teacher of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

That's what he says.

In Acts 20, 32, old Paul said, and now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of grace, watch, which is able to build you up, which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.

In other words, you are together with all them that have been saved and set apart for God's use.

Man, that's good.

In other words, we're all one.

We're all one in the body.

We're all one in Christ.

Regardless of our physical makeup, regardless of our social class, regardless of all the nationalities, if we are Christians, if we've asked the Lord to save us, we are all one in Christ.

Yellow, red, hey, yellow, red, black, and white, they're all precious in his sight.

A place for every race.

Amen.

In fact, heaven will be a place for every race.

We said out the gate, four, four of us, Susan, David, me and Susan.

We said we want this church to be a.

I'm just gonna go ahead and tell you what I said.

What did I say?

I said Christie didn't.

Me and David and Christy and Susan.

I'm excited.

This isn't my notes.

I get away from my notes.

I never noticed it's coming out.

But anyway, I said, I said to myself, one thing we don't want to do is plant a church, and I'm gonna tell you what I called it.

I said I don't want a whity flighty church.

Hello.

Hello.

I said, we want a church that represents Christ and who he was and who he reached.

And it's everybody, every color, every social class, everyone.

Everybody.

When we walk through those doors, we're on common ground.

Amen.

There's no one but Jesus.

Amen.

Doesn't matter who you are, how pretty you are, doesn't matter how skinny you are, it sure doesn't matter how fat you are.

But hey, hey, it doesn't matter.

We're all one in Christ.

And we all, hey, you better start liking me because if you're a Christian, you're gonna live for an eternity with me.

Amen.

And all my craziness.

Amen.

And by the way, I'm gonna be flying around heaven saying, Jesus is what?

Awesome! I believe Jesus is already smiling, saying, I got this ready.

He's gonna have me a flying ice cream truck that says, Jesus is awesome.

I mean, woo, care, ice cream.

Woo, woo! Jesus is awesome.

So we see, Colossians 3.16, he says, Let the word of God dwell in you richly in all wisdoms, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, making melody in your heart to the Lord.

Wow.

Our exhortation comes through the word of God.

We are to be encouraged through the word of God.

I was reading this week as I was preparing.

Dr.

F.

B.

Myers.

Now, some of you probably will not, he's an old theologian, and C.T.

Stud.

These were two of the old, unbelievable, anointed preachers back in the late 1800s.

And listen, they were together doing a Bible conference.

And C.

D.

Stud during this night, Myers woke up at about 7 o'clock that morning and he saw C.

D.

Stud.

He saw, excuse me, C.T.

Stud bent over on his knees with his with a lamp and reading his Bible.

And he said, What are you doing?

What are you doing?

He said, Well, first of all, he said, Well, how long have you been up?

He said, I got up at four.

He said, Well, what have you been doing the last three hours?

C.

D.

Stud said, I got up and I grabbed my New Testament and I started reading through the Word of God.

And everywhere I saw a commandment of God that I was doing and living.

I what?

I checked it.

I put a check.

But for all the ones that I saw that I wasn't doing, I put an X so that I could have a freshness to let him know that if you love me, keep my commandments.

Wow.

When we start having that fervency for the word of God, folks, our lives will be changed.

Our lives will be changed.

And that's what Paul's talking about here.

But also, not only do we see there's the exhortation of the Son of God, but secondly, look, there's also the inspiration of the Spirit of God.

Look at what he says in verse 1.

If any fellowship of the Spirit.

Now, the word there, fellowship means it's the Greek word koinia.

In the context, it means joint participation.

Joint participation with the Spirit.

More than anything else, the Spirit of God desires to help us live out the commandments of the Son of God.

His purpose is to teach us and then empower us to live out the Word of God.

Can I get an amen?

That's the purpose of the Christian life: to learn the Word of God and to live the Word of God out in our lives.

And when we live the Word of God out in our lives with those that we come in contact with, when then we are, hey, we become influencers of the righteousness of Christ to where God sent us.

Wow, that's good.

Because the only righteousness people can see in Christ is they see it in you.

That's pretty powerful, folks.

Did you hear me?

Jesus is not here like he was with the disciples.

We're here.

And it is our job, our calling, our ambassadorship, our love for him that we live out, allow his Holy Spirit to live through us to other people.

That's important.

And so this is what Paul's talking about.

He's saying, look, think of what you share.

John 14, 26.

He says, For the comforter, for the comforter which is in you, he shall teach you and lead you.

Oh, well, leave it there, verse 16.

Now I'll pray the Father and He should give you another comfort that he may abide with you forever.

Now go to 26.

Here's the key to what he does.

But the Holy Spirit, this consolation that comes through the power of the Holy Spirit, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, what?

Teach you all things.

And bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I said unto you.

In other words, he's going to teach us the word of God.

He's going to teach us the principles of God.

He's going to teach us the commands of God so that we can live them out in our life.

And when, hey, we're out there, he'll bring to remembrance those things he's taught us.

That's why you can't get away with sin and feel good about it.

Amen.

Can't do it.

You can't have a bad attitude and feel bad about it.

You can't talk about people and feel good about it.

God got me recently.

I just said, I almost bent my tongue off.

Kind of hurt too.

I tell you what, next time you gossip, just bite down on your tongue and see how many times you'll keep gossiping.

Huh?

Hello.

Put a little hot sauce on your tongue.

Huh?

Amen?

Say, Lord, forgive me.

I mean, no, I I turned and I said, Whoa, we don't need to be taught.

I can't do this.

Forgive me, Lord.

Forgive me.

Amen.

So we see this.

John 15, 26, the Holy Spirit will testify me.

Let me tell you the job of the Holy Spirit.

It's not to go around and exalt himself.

Hello.

See, sometimes there's some denominations that exalt the Holy Spirit above Jesus.

You can't do that.

The Holy Spirit did not come to exalt himself.

Listen why he was sent on behalf of God the Father and God the Son, and he says that what?

He will testify.

He tells us this.

Maybe it's not up there.

John 15, 26.

The Holy Spirit will testify of me, Jesus said.

There it is.

Amen.

Hey, unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth which proceeds from the Father, he shall testify of me.

Let me say something.

Thank God for the third person of the Holy Spirit.

But his job is to teach us the things of Christ and who Christ is so that we can manifest Christ in our life.

Amen.

So that is so important that we understand that.

John 16, 13, he says us also he will show us things to come.

We don't have to worry about the future.

Howbeit, when he, the Spirit of Truth, has come, he will guide you into all truth.

Hey, by the way, all truth.

Let me tell you the difference between us and the world.

The world has no absolutes.

The church and Christians and the conservatives, we have absolutes.

And the absolutes is the truth of the Word of God.

Every jot, every tittle is inspired and will be accomplished and will be fulfilled by God when He says it.

Amen.

There had not one word, one jot, one tittle that will not be fulfilled.

Matthew 5.18.

Amen.

We were talking the other day.

Darren and I were talking while we're working.

We always talk about scripture.

And we'd start saying something.

And I say, well, all I can do is let's go to the book.

Go to the book.

What does the book say?

Doesn't matter what Darren says, what I say.

It's what the book says.

And hopefully, though, that we're saying and living what the book says.

If not, hey, the book doesn't need to change.

We need to change.

Amen.

You need to change.

Because it's the book.

The B-I-B-L-E.

Only three of y'all learned that song.

The B-I-B-L-E.

The B-I-B-L-E.

We love it.

We learn it, we live it.

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.

Amen.

So we see this exhortation.

Notice.

Then he goes to the second motivation.

The external, we get from the word of God.

Then he goes to the internal.

Look at verse 1.

Boy, this is so good.

If any comfort of love, if any bowels of mercy, now here we have what I call the persuasion of a responsive love.

In other words, if we really love Christ, Paul says, with all our hearts, if we are thankful for what he did for us on Calvary, he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we were healed, Isaiah 53, 5.

Okay?

If we really are thankful for what Jesus did for you, you can't help but respond in a really, and I'm gonna use this word in a few moments, and you can't help but respond in a passionate love.

Thank you, Miss Wanda.

Can I have that?

Can I hear that again?

A passionate love.

It's the love of Christ, Paul said, that compels me.

My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth.

When you see the love of Christ and what he did for you and the suffering he went through for you, and he gave it all, and God gave his very best for you.

How in the world can we not respond with the very best of love to each other?

Amen.

How can we not?

How can we not?

That's our verse.

Luke 10, 27.

What?

Loving God with all your heart, soul, and strength and mind and your neighbor as ourselves.

That's who we are.

That's who we are.

Loving God and loving people.

Everything we do, that's our our purpose statement.

Loving God and loving people.

Notice the other thing it is, though.

Not only is this persuasion of a responsive love inevitably leads then, watch, to a compassion of a redemption life.

Look, if any bowels and tender mercies.

In other words, we can't help but have pity and sympathy.

Hey, here's what write this down.

We can't help but have compassion for others.

Listen, if you don't have compassion, that's what that means, bowels and mercies.

If you don't have compassion for others, something's wrong in your spirit.

Either you don't have it, or either you've grieved it or quenched it.

Amen.

Because you can't help but have compassion for others when the Holy Spirit's working in you.

You know this verse.

A new commandment I give unto you, John 13, 34 and 35.

A new commandment I give unto you that you what?

Love one another as I have loved you.

And then he goes on, verse 35 in John 13 says, By this shall all men know what?

That you're my disciples, what?

By your love.

Folks, I I love people.

Susan went with me for Friday, Thursday.

I don't know where.

I'm in the marketplace all the time, but she's she went with me because we had to do some errands.

And we were at the we were at the Southern Baptist at our in Columbiana, and then we were where else?

We were at the sheriff's department.

I paid her bond, I promise.

But uh we but but I meant we were in all these places, and everywhere I met, I either met someone I knew or I started talking to somebody, started sharing with them, and and you know, she just she said, Honey, we've spent two and a half hours and we hadn't hardly gotten anything done.

I said, Oh yes, we have.

We've been an influence and a light in the community.

That's what we are.

Wherever you go, having time for people.

David the other day, he said, Man, he'll just talk to anybody, anywhere, anyplace, anytime.

I do.

I can't help it.

I love people.

On vacation, I used to invite the whole church to go with us as soon as I said please.

Not all the church.

Why not?

I want to be around people and tell them the magnificent old, old story that Jesus loves them.

Jesus wants to make something fantastic out of their life.

And it doesn't care who you are, where you care.

Oh, you don't understand my background.

Don't want to, don't need to.

Jesus does, and then it doesn't matter to him.

And if you'll trust him, the woman at the well been married five times living with a man.

And he said, if you'll drink the water, woo, and that I give you, you'll never thirst again.

Amen.

Never thirst again.

Doesn't matter.

All that matters is him.

My legs are getting better.

I'll be kicking in another day, a couple of Sundays.

Amen.

Amen.

Folks, I really feel that.

I'm not putting on a show.

I feel that.

I love people.

I love you.

Compassion.

Listen to what Jesus said.

Oh, when I saw this, I wept.

When our Lord Jesus Christ looked upon men and women, he saw them.

Look at Mark 6:34.

Mark 6:34

Oh, look at what he said.

And when he came out and saw much people and was moved with compassion toward them because they were a sheep, not having a shepherd, and he began to teach them many things.

Sheep with no shepherd.

That's compassion for people.

Everybody you meet, when you go to Walmart, when you go to Wendixie, when you go to public.

So wrong wrong story.

But no, hey, but when you go into these places, these markets there are hundreds of people.

When we go to the Y, there's hundreds of people lost without a shepherd.

Just looking for somebody to say something.

That Jesus loves you.

Jesus is awesome.

Show them Jesus.

That's it.

That's it.

In fact, oh, listen to this.

I've got so many good stories there.

When William Booth, remember William Booth, founder of Salvation Army?

Well, Miss William Booth, when she was a little girl, she saw a prisoner dragged away by a sheriff to jail.

Watch this.

A mob was jeering at the unfortunate criminal, and his utterance here's what she said.

When she saw his utter loneliness, it appealed to her heart.

It seemed to her that he had not a friend in the world.

Quickly she sprang as a 13, 14-year-old girl to his side and marched down the street with him, determined that he should know that there was one soul that felt for him.

Psalms 126, 5 and 6.

Here it is, folks.

He that goeth forth weeping.

He that goes forth weeping, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing bringing if she's with him.

You go out and you love people, they'll come.

You'll reach them, they'll come.

Let me tell you why this place is starting to fill up and it's going to fill up this fall.

You wait, you wait, it'll be standing room only.

Why?

Because we if we continue to start loving people, regardless of who they are, what they are, we just love them because Jesus loves them, we love them, and we compel with the compassion of love, they'll come.

No, you don't build it and they'll come.

No, you go show it and they'll come.

Can I get an amen?

You go show it and they'll come.

Because everybody wants to be loved.

Everybody wants to be cared for.

I need you.

I love you.

I want you to exhort me.

I need your love.

I need your companionship.

I need your care and your comfort.

And hey, you need ours.

We're together.

When we were in that room Friday, I thought to myself, this is what the church is all about.

And the way we've responded, which with people that have lost sharing, just loving people, helping people.

Wow.

To God be the glory.

To God be the glory.

That's what it's all about.

Psalms 142, verse 4.

Psalms 142:4

Has anyone cared for my soul?

Is that not awesome?

Has anyone cared for my soul?

So Paul's talking about the motivations for unity.

Then he comes to number two, the spiritual obligations.

Or another way of saying it, the marks of unity.

Look at what he says in verses two and four.

In fact, before we look at that, I wrote this in my outline to me.

Disunity violates our relationship with the spirit.

What I mean by that, we cannot be at odds with each other and be walking in the spirit.

Can't do it.

Disunity violates, hey, our walk with the Lord.

Can't do it.

Discord, disunity.

Fractions.

You can't be walking in the spirit.

You can't.

There's no way.

There is no way that I can walk in the spirit and have discord with my wife or with you or with somebody else.

I can't.

The Bible says, grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby you are sealed until the day of redemption.

Ephesians 4.30.

Quench not the Holy Spirit of God.

1 Thessalonians 5.16.

So disunity grieves and quenches the Spirit of God.

So, but when we're filled with the Holy Spirit, when we love and we have that compassionate, responsive love, guess what?

There's going to be evidences, there's going to be marks, there's going to be obligations that are seen in our life.

The obligations from spiritual motivations are threefold.

There's three things that we'll see in our lives and in this church if we are walking in the unity of the joy of the Lord.

Here it is.

Number one.

Here's what we'll have.

Fulfill ye my joy that ye be like-minded.

Fulfill ye my joy that you be like-minded.

Watch.

Verse 2.

Having the same love, it will be a life of harmony.

A life of harmony.

And he says, Because of this, you will fill up my cup of joy.

By living in harmony, Paul's urging, urges the, hey, hey, he says, when you live in harmony, you will be filled with joy.

I'll be filled with joy.

In other words, when you and your family and your wife and you're in one accord and you're just loving each other, caring for one another, putting the other ones before yourself.

Can I get an amen?

There's such a joy in your life.

There's such a love in your life for each other.

Now, watch.

This is awesome.

This book.

Say this, women.

The word of God is awesome.

Because it explains itself, it teaches itself.

It's clear biblical truth.

Now, watch what Paul does.

He says, Now let me give you the evidences or the marks of this harmony.

Look at what he says.

This is so good.

First of all, being like-minded, verse 2.

Be like-minded.

Like-mindedness.

That means one in purpose, oneness of purpose.

It's oneness in aim and feelings.

It means we all speak the same thing.

I'm not talking about being robots, but we all speak the same thing.

What is that speaking of the same thing?

The gospel.

We have one purpose.

Remember?

Fellowship of the gospel, the feathers of the gospel, and what?

The faith of the gospel.

That's the whole chapter one broke down in three points.

That's what we are.

We're oneness in that purpose.

We're oneness in the fellowship of the gospel.

We're oneness in the feathers of the gospel.

Everything we do is to win people to Christ.

And then we walk in the faith of the gospel.

So Paul is just really, he says, we're one in purpose.

We all speak the same thing the same way.

The love of Christ.

In fact, listen to what he says in 1 Corinthians 10 31.

Whether therefore you eat or drink, whatsoever you do, you do all to the glory of what?

God.

Oneness of purpose.

And secondly, there's oneness of passion.

Look.

Look at verse 2 again.

Having the same love.

The thought here is cherishing a mutual and reciprocal affection so that the, hey, the effort of passion isn't altogether.

In fact, I got to thinking about this.

I wrote this to myself.

Mm-mm-mm.

Hey, when the love of God is multiplied in the cooperative life, it's one thing for me to love you.

But what if 200 people in this church love you?

Woo! The multiplication of love is and the compassion of this love can be so radiant and so evident and so magnificent that people will be pulling in off the 280s saying, Hey, hey, there's something over there that's different.

That's it.

That's it.

That's why we love that ice cream truck part right there.

Jesus is awesome and free ice cream.

Can you imagine what they're thinking when they say, free ice cream?

Why would they do that?

Why?

Ha! We love you! Duh! I'll never forget what Steve said when we were over there at the elementary school.

And they said they were gonna take that ice cream from that little boy and said, You can't take my ice cream.

This is God's ice cream.

That's what I'm talking about.

Oh, thank you, Jesus.

One.

One in person.

Number two, look, having the same line, we're oneness of passion.

Oneness of passion.

Can you imagine the impact of 200 people leaving here every Sunday, loving people all week in this community or their community, their work arena, their school, their daycare, the why, wherever.

Can you imagine that?

Good grief.

The love of Christ spread abroad.

So when you wake up in the morning, are you going to spread love or are you going to spread, hmm?

Won't go there.

Don't even think that way.

One in passion, then look, look, of one accord, verse two, oneness of power.

In the original, the idea here means the word accord is that of uniting and uniting, coming together, and harnessing all our energies together.

All pulling in the same direction.

Let me ask you, haven't you ever rowed a boat?

One on the right, one on the left.

Okay?

If you're not rolling in one accord, she doesn't like this word, you ain't going anywhere.

You're just gonna go in circles.

Amen.

And you're expending all that energy to accomplish nothing.

But when you're in one accord, and you're all pulling in the same direction, not my way, not your way, but God's way.

Because we all have our preferences.

Amen.

I said we all have our preferences.

And your preference may be different than my preference.

Chances are they really are.

Because I'm weird.

But hey, it doesn't matter.

Hey, the preferences, we all need our preferences.

That makes it fun if it's done in the spirit.

It really makes it exciting.

And guess what?

It makes it helpful if we do it in the right spirit.

Can I get an amen?

That way we really come up, I think, with the best idea.

Idea?

Did I say I didn't?

That's my South Georgia boy.

I'm sorry.

The idea.

The idea.

I'm not gonna open the window either.

Window.

Okay.

Georgia wind.

And I'm not gonna say sheriff.

But anyway, all right.

But hey, we're all in one accord.

My wife's tried for 32 years to get me to talk right.

I'm trying.

But hey, listen, listen.

One accord.

It's not our preferences that matters.

Ultimately, it's God's principles.

Can I get an amen?

What does the book say?

We're going to the book.

I can promise you, you come to me, I'm going to take you to the book.

Sometimes it hurts, and sometimes it's good, and sometimes we don't like it, but it's the truth.

It's the truth.

Isn't it amazing how the flesh just wants to go in the opposite direction sometimes?

Hey, we battle that flesh every day to do what we want instead of what God wants.

So, man, look, look, wait, this gets better.

But oneness and power, oneness and passion, oneness and purpose.

There's another illustration I found I wanted to share with you.

Watch this.

The King of Sparta.

How many of you have seen the 300 Spartans?

You remember it's a legend.

I mean, it's not just a legend, it's it was it really happened in that path.

I love that.

Anyway, I look back.

In fact, you've got to go see the movie.

Alone, but not alone.

Back in the 1755s, this true story.

We just saw it.

It was phenomenal.

Christian movie.

Dean Dr.

Dobson saw it three times, saw it three times within one week.

It was so powerful.

But anyway, I was thinking back in the older days.

But the Spartans, listen to this.

I found this in the history section I was reading of talking about oneness.

And the king of Sparta was once asked, why is this famey, famous city was not surrounded by walls like all the other cities?

And he looked and he started pointing out, see them, see them, see that man, see this family, see the excitement, see the joy in their eyes, see that, and they're the best train.

Do you see it?

They're all in one accord in one purpose.

They'll defeat any enemy.

Man, is that not good?

Man is that not good.

Awesome.

Awesome.

And then lastly, there's oneness of program.

Look at verse 2-2 again.

Of one mind or minding the one thing.

Six times in this chapter one.

Nine times in four chapters, the word gospel's mentioned.

Six times in chapter one.

That's why I told you, if we don't understand the one mind, the one mindset, here it is, six times over the gospel is mentioned in chapter one, where there is a group of people united in spreading the gospel.

Listen to me, united passionately about spreading the gospel, there will be no fractions, grumbling, or backbiting, because new babies will be being born.

And when babies are being born, there's excitement.

When you're not growing, people aren't being saved, you'll start looking within.

And the problem with looking within, there's not one of us that we couldn't find fault with.

But if we keep from looking within and look outwardly with the main thing, the main thing, the fellowship of the gospel, the feathers of the gospel, the faith of the gospel, people will be being saved, lives will be being changed, people will be coming because they're not worried about their past.

They want that new future that God has for them.

He's got good thoughts for them, not evil thoughts.

He's got a good future for them.

I'm telling you, you don't have time to start grumbling and griping and fighting and gossiping.

Get an Amen.

Amen.

It reminds me of another, I told, man, this has been so good.

Two sailors were having a fist fight on the boat.

I mean, they were going at it.

They were just tearing each other's head off.

And all of a sudden they heard, man overboard.

Even though they were at each other, they stopped them both.

Dove.

And as the man was going under for his last time, those two sailors met at the bottom and were springing him up.

And when they came up out of the water, the next time they saw each other eye to eye, they had saved a sailor.

Then they realized what the true purpose was.

And their fight, they didn't even remember what they were fighting about.

Because they came together to save that sailor.

Man overboard.

One for all.

One for all.

And that's the church.

We put down our our petty preferences and all the little things that don't have an eternal value.

Amen.

Now I don't I'm not saying be a robot or I I praise the Lord that my wife and I differ on about 95% of stuff.

It makes it because we makes it interesting.

It's never dull.

But we've never disagreed on the main thing.

And that was raising our children.

Having a Christ-like example with my children.

And now my grandchildren.

Gotta share this with you.

This morning early.

Thank you.

Rosemary for telling me happy Father's Day's early.

Usually it's only one or two people that emailed me real early.

But Susan gave me this Father's Day gift card.

Your wonderful husband and a great dad.

And I'm not saying this.

What I'm saying is I want you to understand the unity of when we're together.

Dads, when you're together with your wives, it's so important.

You love your wife like Christ loves the church.

So important.

Why?

Because of your kids.

Because of your kids too.

What a father gives a child is part of who he is.

Did you hear that?

What a father gives a child is part of who he is and who they will become.

His love, wisdom, and example will shape them for a lifetime.

And it's so true.

We have to have our children's heart.

You know where that came from?

The movie, Courageous.

Courageous.

I'm thanking God today for so many things, my amazing husband, who you are as a dad.

What we have as friends and lovers and all the dreams yet to come true.

I appreciate you every day, and I hope you know that I realize how blessed I am to have you.

When Mary Facebook today, I didn't even know she had it.

She had me back when Mary was three months old.

She was on my chest.

I was laying back in the recliner just looking at her, and she's looking at me.

And she posted, then she posted my high school graduation picture.

Where she got that, I don't know.

I had a lot of hair back then, folks.

And then she said, Daddy, I'm still your little girl.

And I love you and thank you for your example.

That means more to me than anything else.

Because if I can succeed with them, I have succeeded.

Amen.

I have succeeded.

I could win everybody else and fail with my family, and I've lost it all.

Do you understand this, folks?

I'm telling you about unity.

It only comes through the love of Christ.

Amen.

And then, secondly, not only is it a life of harmony, it's a life of humility.

Look at verse 3.

Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory, but in lowliness of mind let each or esteem others better than themselves.

Dr.

Andrew Murray rightly said that.

Listen to a great theologian in the early days.

The outliving of true holiness, the outliving of true holiness is humility.

To know the spirit of humility in the sense in which Paul is expounding here involves one, death to yourself rights.

Wow.

What do we hear in America today or all the time?

My rights.

Everybody foods because of their rights.

Can I say something?

When you get saved, you have no rights.

See, you can't even hardly say that.

You have no rights.

You are now a servant unto the Almighty God.

And your rights are his rights.

You said, but I'll be in bondage.

It'll be the sweetest bondage you've ever been in.

It'll be the most blessed bondage you've ever been in.

It'll be the better bondage.

Because see, when you say you have self-rights and you start doing it your way, guess what?

You're on your own then, folks.

And I'm going to tell you, you're going to have it.

But it's not going to be better.

It's going to be worse.

I guarantee it.

I know I've been there.

I've been there.

Not I.

But Christ.

I am crucified with Christ.

Nevertheless I live yet, not I, but Christ liveth in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.

Woo!

Glory.

Thank you, Jesus.

Let me tell you what else it is.

By the way, you got to see this.

He that loves sin, look, Proverbs 17, 19.

Listen to what he says.

This is so good.

Strife.

The word strife here.

He that loves sin and loves strife and exalts his gate seeks destruction.

Did you hear me?

Whoa, there it is.

He that loves strife, hey, he that exalts his own gate, loves sin, destruction's coming.

It's coming.

It's coming.

But now what?

In fact, look at what Jesus said in Matthew 23, 12.

Jesus says, if you exalt yourself, you will be brought low, but if you humble yourself, you will be exalted.

Amen.

Now watch.

And I used the word here.

The word strife is caused when people assert their selfish rights.

Whether it's in the world, whether it's in the home, whether it's in the church.

In other words, they're going to get their way.

Lord help us.

I'd hate to know that I stood before an awesome God one day and had to give an account because of my assertedness, my selfishness, and my hard-headedness caused a problem not just in the church.

But that's going to be pretty, that's going to be real serious.

But in my home?

In my job?

Oh my.

Oh my.

Oh my.

Lord help us.

Lord help us.

Please to be humble.

James 4, 6.

God opposes the proud in heart, but he gives grace unto the humble.

Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you in due time.

But now notice it also involves death to selfish reputation.

Look at verse 3.

Let nothing be done through not just strife, but look at the other word, thing glory.

You know, it's hard to avoid the temptation to promoting yourself.

No amen.

Huh, look what I done.

Now don't look at me like this.

If you we all have that temptation.

When I give a hundred and twenty percent, I want somebody to recognize it.

Hey?

Right?

I'm just being honest, transparent.

And when you don't, I get upset.

Right?

And you know what I think?

They don't appreciate me.

They don't care for me.

They don't care what I do, and yang, yang, yang, and I just start making a list of all I'm doing.

Nobody said squat.

About halfway through that list, then the Holy Spirit goes.

Hey preacher.

Who are you doing this for?

Remember the little lad?

I gotta preach that here.

I'm gonna preach that out there on that when we have a big man.

Is there a lad here?

He said, remember the little lad that gave everything he had?

We don't even remember his name.

I just start weeping, Lord.

I'm sorry.

He said, I know you want them to please you.

And I mean, I know they uh you want them to praise you or them to be excited about what you're doing, but let me tell you what, they're not gonna do anything when judgment day comes.

The only one you need to worry about pleasing is me.

Then you can spit in my face and it doesn't matter.

Because one day every knee's gonna bow.

And every turn's gonna confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

And he's keeping the real record books.

And the th the thing, the good thing he's keeping them, the bad thing is he knows the motives why we do them.

Is it for man or is it for him?

I struggle with that.

You struggle with that.

God help us to please you and to deny that self-reputation.

Proverbs 27, 2, let another man praise you and not your own mouth, a stranger and not your own lips.

I gotta line this up.

Man, my feet are hurting.

Last thing.

Life of harmony, a life of humility, and a life of helpfulness.

Look not every man on his own things, but every man on the things of others.

Man, it's so sweet.

That's so sweet.

Don't look out only for your own interests.

We're to be passionately involved in the cause of others.

Look at Proverbs 25.

No, no, let's go on.

Look, look, look at the word look.

It's the Greek word there where we get our idea of scope.

Paul is telling us here that we should show fellow Christians sympathetic consideration.

And this spirit of helpfulness is expressed in twofold.

First, a Christ-like selflessness.

Look not every man on his own things.

Paul was grieved with the law of the Philippians, and here's why.

Look at Philippians 2.21.

Paul was grieved that so many of Philippi were doing just the opposite.

So he issues a stinging rebuke.

Listen to what he says in Philippians 2.21.

All seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ.

Paul longed that his readers might come to know the spirit of the Master who pleased not himself.

And then secondly, it was the Christ-like usefulness.

Look, every man on the things of others.

At the very heart of the spirit of helpfulness is the word, look, others.

Say this with me.

Others.

Say it again.

Others.

Christ was motivated by the word in his life and death.

Others.

Remember what he said?

John, look at this, John 10, 16.

Other sheep I have which are not of this fold.

Them also I must bring.

I close with this illustration.

The word others has always been in the vocabulary of great individuals.

And listen to what he said.

General William Booth.

I gave you the illustration of his wife earlier.

General William Booth on one occasion was unable to attend the Salvation Congress that he started.

He was overseas.

He telegraphed in.

He said, the most important thing in this meeting today, most important thing.

And he capitalized all letters.

One word.

Others.

Others.

The most important thing in this church is one word.

Others.

Others.

Are we really looking out for others?

Are we scoping out so how we can help the needs of others?

That's it.

That's the truth.

This is what Paul says right here.

In fact, he said the source of this internal and external working of the Son of God by the Holy Spirit reflects harmony, it reflects humility, and it reflects helpfulness.

Wow.

Now those are the three key ingredients to unity.

Oh boy.

He's still working on me.

To make me what I ought to be.

He that goeth forth weeping, bearing precious seed.

Shall doubtless come again.

With rejoicing.

Bringing his sheath.

There's a herding bunch of sheep out here.

Eighty-one percent don't go to church anywhere.

Let's scope out.

Your trailer park, your neighborhood, your work arena.

And let's say, Lord, use me to be helpful to them and invite them to church.

You know they're going to be loved on right here.

Can I get an amen?

Every head bowed, every eye close.

Thanks again for tuning into this week's message.

We pray that your life has been changed.

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We hope you have a wonderful day and again, God bless you.