Sharing the Oneness of God

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Sharing the Oneness

One. I was just thanking God this morning for this brother. He loves Jesus and every time I’m around him, I love Jesus more as a result of being around him. We just spent time together yesterday and I’m just so thankful.

But I just want to make the connection with what he just said. We don’t agree on how to understand every text. Here we are rock solid in our unity around Jesus and the gospel and the authority of this word, but there’s a depth of community and family that’s found.

Romans 14:15 talks about this when we even have some differences on things and we live in a world that polarizes and divides and I know that’s part of our heart as the overflow of friendship. We want to see the body of Christ loving each other. That’s where I was John 13 this morning in my time with him.

This is how the world will know that we’re disciples when we love each other, not when we agree on everything. Yes, the core, the gospel and the authority of God’s word, but there’s just a depth of friendship that’s found even amidst those differences that I hope even us doing this together, I guess an encouragement to cultivate community, deep community with people who are not exactly like you in every single way, and I trust you know this, but just to make sure you’re seeing it, that’s straight from Jesus.

John 17. Just look at it. If you have a Bible, just make sure you hear this coming, not from Francis Chan or me, but see it. This is straight from Jesus. John 17, what he prayed right before he went to the cross, so he’s just finished washing his disciple’s feet, serving them, loving them, and then he starts to pray how does he end that prayer?

He prays for us in this room. He’s been praying for his disciples. Then in verse 20 he says, I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word. That’s us, which just pauses.

Disciples Lead to More Disciples

We are those who believe in Jesus through the word that started with these disciples and disciples after them and disciples after them and disciples after them. Praise God that we have salvation in this room because of disciples who made disciples among the nations through their word that they’ve passed on at the risk of their lives and throughout history many people have died.

So we would have this word and we would be so as we talk about taking the gospel of the nations over these days, make sure to make the connection. It’s not like we’re starting something, we’re continuing something that has been done and we’re the fruit of what has been done. And there are 3 billion people who don’t have this word right now. They don’t have access to it. So just make the connection that there would be more people who believe through your word, through your word that started with their word.

So I wasn’t even planning on talking about that. But then you get to verse 21. So this is what we were just talking about, but make the connection that they may all be one just as you Father are in me and I in you.

That’s Jesus just praying for a Trinitarian type oneness that we would experience together just as the Father is in the Son and the Son is in the Father, that they may be in us that we may share in the life of the Father and the Son.

So that purpose clause, so that the world may believe that you’ve sent me, this is something that is so heavy on Francis’ heart, my heart, our lack of unity in the body of Christ is hindering our ability to spread the gospel of Christ to the world. There’s a direct relationship between unity in the body and the spread of the gospel.

Spreading the Gospel in the World

And so if we just talk about the spread of the gospel in the world and we bypass the need for unity like a unified one, what was happening last night seeking after God together is throne together, clinging to the gospel, holding tightly to that which is primary loosely to things that are secondary or tertiary.

And we do that. That will lead to the spread of the gospel in the world, which means we have to turn away from the polarization in our culture, the politicization, politicization of the church in so many different ways just for us to say we just want Jesus together.

As we were gathered together with students in the back praying, it was just so encouraged by the students who are helping lead this picture just saying, we just want you, Jesus. We just want your word. May that be the spirit on this campus in a way that will lead to the spirit of the gospel from this campus so that the world may see that the Father has sinned the Son.

And that’s part of why Francis and I are here because, and why we were looking forward not just to doing this together, but to being here because we see in the next generation a desire for that kind of unity, a dissatisfaction with disunity in the church and a longing to experience the depth of unity that Jesus prayed for us so that the world might know who he is and how he’s been sent by the Father to continue making that connection.

And this is one of the things somebody was praying in the back of just two chapters before this. So if you turn, just see it. It’s coming straight from God. John chapter 15 verse nine. This is Jesus speaking to his disciples. And so make the connection with what I assume most.

Were here last night, the throne of grace and what Francis was just picturing us together, not just him and me, all who are in Christ as the Father has loved me. So have I loved you. Would you just let that soak in for a minute? Especially anybody today who feels unworthy, who feels dirty, who feels guilty, who feels ashamed as the Father loves the Son,

The Son Loves You

The son loves you. Just picture how much the Father loves the Son, infinite love, otherworldly, supernatural, indescribable that just feel this where you’re sitting right now. This is how much the son loves you. He loves you so much, the throne of grace. So here’s the command. This is a great command. All the commands are great. Abide in my love.

God is telling us right now in his word, live today in my love for you. Just live in it. And then now it makes sense. If Francis is living in the love of God for him, that he’s overwhelmed by the throne of grace and mercy that he’s received from God and I’m doing the same, then we’re now free to love each other with otherworldly love, with a supernatural love that the Father has for the Son that the son shows to us.

We now share with each other. This is so awesome to be a part of the body of Christ. There is no other community like it in the world. Do not be casual toward the church. Yes, don’t be complacent toward the church.

Yes, lean fully into this unique otherworldly community and don’t settle for anything less than the fullness of God’s love experienced in that kind of community, which involves humility, a willingness to bear with each other that involves a willingness to forgive each other, to encourage and build each other up and lock arms together to show the world how much love God has shown to us…

And to invite them to be a part of it and to think about, to see in this text what Jesus is praying for us, that it comes together when we’re focused on our Father, when we’re, we’re seeing the Father’s love for the Son, the father’s glory, the son’s obedience to the Father when we’re focused on him.

This is what draws us together. So I pastor a church in metro DC which has just been ravaged by division over recent years in so many different ways, and it’s been a really hard few years just fighting for the unity of the body and just amidst all kinds of attacks and slander and division and just so many different things.

God and His Kindness

But lemme just give you a glimpse of God and his kindness over the last few weeks. We were in Isaiah 55 just a few Sundays ago. God’s saying, come to me all who are thirsty and drink from the water that I provide and repent of your sin. Lay aside yourselves and come to me and just invitation, come to this throne of grace and holiness that you all were looking at last night in Hebrews. Our 11 o’clock gathering that day, which usually ends by about 1230, went till almost four o’clock in a way I’ve never experienced in my life on a Sunday and just people seeking God and praising him and praying, confessing sin.

And I was really hesitant to even stop it as we were approaching four, but I sensed, okay, I think it’s about time, but the next morning our pastors got together and we were like, we think we need to come together again tonight.

Nobody’s planning on it right now. I don’t know how many will come, but even if 20 people come, it’ll be awesome. 20 people seeking God. Or if more people come, that’ll be awesome. So awesome or awesome, we’ll go with that. And so we just sent out words like, Hey, who wants to come together and pray tonight?

Just sent out an email that afternoon and that night at seven 30, a lot more than 20 people showed up. From seven 30 to about 10 or 10 30, we just pray, confess, sin, worshiping together, people confessing addictions, couples where one spouse confesses to the other spouse in the gathering about adultery, sexual morality, just deep conviction of confession of sin and praying over each other.

It got to be about 10 or 10:30. And I was like, okay, do we keep going? I said, well, I think the only way we can stop now is if we say we’ll come back together tomorrow night. And so we came together the next night and the next night, the next night, and just every night the spirit through the word leading us into prayer and just seeing people who we pray for one night to come to Christ, come to Christ the next night.

I could tell you so many stories right now and people praying over each other. We had one point where somebody was sharing testimony. It was like a 21-year-old girl sharing testimony about how she had struggled with depression and suicidal thoughts. And I just paused her. I was like, Hey, before we go any further, I just want to ask, is there anybody in the room who in this room struggles with depression or suicidal thoughts?

Be Humble

And if you’d be so humble and bold to stand where you are and say, yeah, I struggle with that. We want to gather around and pray for you. And people all across the room stood up. So many people just gathered around the body of Christ praying for each other.

And so it’s continued overflowing into our Sunday morning gatherings and into other weeknight gatherings. And I mention all that because I was talking with this one person in our church family this last week and their remark was, that it just feels like now we’re experiencing family at a level that’s deeper than just sitting in a service next to some other people.

Like we’re praying for each other. We’re honestly confessing sin to each other. We’re praying for God’s grace over each other. We’re praying for our city, we’re praying for the nations together. This is what we’re made to do.

And I share all that just to say, this is what happens when the Father is at the center of our affections when we’re humbling ourselves and seeking him. This is what creates the as the Father loves the Son and the Son is in the Father, we’re invited into this relationship with him in a way that produces unity in the body and flows into the spread of the gospel around the world.

So I would just encourage you, especially during these few days, to set aside on this campus right now, press on to the Father, and don’t hold back from seeking him. And then as you do, looking around at others who are seeking it and being like, I cannot believe we get to do this together. And we’re brothers and sisters, we’re children at the table of our father and just there’s nothing in this world that compares with this.

A Growing Hunger for the Father

Nothing. And I pray that there’s a growing hunger for the Father that leads to humility and unity in the body. And I pray that you experience that in your life in a way that so just to keep making the connection is critical to the spread of the love of the Father and the world. I praise God for his word and spirit.

You were like, I don’t know where to go next. In my mind, my mind just went straight to Matthew 24 and the Mount of Olives, and you start talking about Matthew 24 and the Mount of Olives just and being led astray by false prophets. And then yes, this picture in Psalm 81, can I just make this practical?

Scrolling through this thing, it’s just being led astray. It’s all kinds of counseling. It’s just endless messages and we’re addicted to it. Let’s just confess that before God, it’s one of the first things in these last few weeks in our church family, I was just confessing addiction. This one person said I’m just addicted to my phone.

My impulse is to turn it on and look, my impulse is not to seek the face of God. My impulse is not to open my mouth wide and fill me with your words. My impulse is not to just ask the question, how much are you filling your mind with this word compared to how much you’re filling your mind with this world?

Just ask the question. This is a quantitative measurement. Look at your life. Look at the fruit of your life. How many, well, I’m guessing that for most people in this room, it’s filling our minds with hours from the world and maybe minutes from the world. Is that true in your life? And God right now is saying to us, I flip that script open wide your mouth, I have life for you. My people are not listening to my voice. May that not be said of us. Let’s listen to his voice. Amen.

Memorize His Word

Let’s meditate on his words. Memorize his words. Fill your mind with his words. That’s the word we’re commanded all over scripture. Not just to read it, meditate on it, day and night, soak it in. There are Muslims who’ve just begun Ramadan and many of them in the world by the time they are college-age, have memorized the whole Quran. They’ve memorized the whole thing.

It’s Crazy. Why are they committed to the words of a false God? And we are not far more committed to the words of the one and only true God. So what does this need to look like in your life? God’s speaking right now to your heart, open mouth wide, your mouth. What do you need to start memorizing?

Get together with some others. Let’s start memorizing a chapter, a book of the Bible together. Let’s just open our mouths wide. I mean, I’m not saying the whole New Testament or the whole Testament at this point, just like starting with a chapter, a book. You say, well, I don’t memorize very well. I’ve got so many studies, this or that.

And I know different people have different capacities to memorize and our minds work in different ways. But Psalm one 19 says, the law of the Lord is worth more than thousands of gold and silver pieces.

Wow. So well, let me ask this. What if I were to say, I’ll give you a thousand dollars for every verse you can memorize between now and next week? I’m guessing your ability to memorize would grow. You’d be like, oh, okay. I think Jesus wept. Boom, a thousand grand. Just one grande right there.

Money is not a Means to All Ends

And you’re just like, I mean, you do it. Okay, so maybe that’s the question, not can we memorize The question is, what’s more important to us? Money in this world or the word of our God? Amen. What’s more important is to open your eyes wide. Your mouth. He wants to fill it with life. That’s so much better than the world. Amen.

, I just want to encourage you, this is why I know I speak for both Francis and me on this. This is why we are so encouraged to be in this room right now, because we sin college students today, this kind of hunger, leaves you empty.

You know it. You know where it leads, open your eyes to where it leads more depression, more anxiety, more pride. That cuts both ways. I’m better than this person, or I’m not as good as that person. More messages from this world, you know, hunger for something more. Francis and I were together.

One of the last times we were together, was with a group of 18, 19, 20 year olds. And when we got up to share, it was not like they were sitting in their seats, arms folded. It was on the edge of their seats, even standing in their seats at one point, let’s open the Romans. They were like Romans. And it was like, well, all right then Romans it is there was a hunger, like yes, Romans we’re about to dive into Romans.

And so we sensed that hunger. We pour fuel on that fire and then again, just to make the connection, to make the connections with the call of God in all of our lives, to be a part of what he’s doing among the nations.

The Nations of the World

We won’t be compelled to go to the nations if our minds are filled with messages from this within the world. Because if that’s what our minds are filled with, the world already has that and the world doesn’t need more of that.

You start to open wide, your mouth, fill your mind, and your heart with this word, and you start to look around like, whoa, the world needs this. The nations need this. They don’t need my thoughts. And they don’t need more of the world’s thoughts.

They need the word of God. And I’ve got it. So now, living however God leads for the spread of his glory and his word to the nations makes total sense. But we were one of the things we were praying beforehand, there’s so much when we talk about missions that is getting the cart before the horse. We can talk, it’s like all day long, about the 3 billion people who have little to no access to the gospel. And we need our eyes open to that reality.

But if we bypass, do we love God? Do we love his words? Do we love each other? Well, then it’s going to be empty, the call to the nations. But when there’s a hunger for the word, when it’s like Romans, there is a love that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons of the present, nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth nor anything else in all creation, can separate us from when there is no condemnation for anyone in the world who’s in Christ Jesus.

Because the law of the spirit of life has set you free from the law of sin and death when there’s news that while we were enemies of God, Christ died for us. When there is news of joy that supersedes suffering, not only is this so we rejoice in suffering because we know suffering produces perseverance.

What is Character?

Perseverance. Character. Character hope. Hope does not disappoint us because God’s poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit whom he’s given us. We have the Holy Spirit inside of us. We have a hope that transcends everything in this world, a joy that conquers suffering. And we have a God who is for us. So nothing can stand against us.

We have a savior who is at the right hand of God interceding for us. We are more than conquerors through him who loved us. So yes, in view of God’s mercy, let’s offer our bodies the living sacrifice. Holy acceptable to God. This is spiritual. Worship my life on the altar. Use me however you want. In Romans 12, love one another.

That’s sincere, genuine, weeping with each other, love with each other, praying for each other, pursuing peace with each other, and let’s make it our ambition. Romans 15, to see Christ preached where he is not named. Now it just starts to make sense.

His word fills you, his spirit fills you. It’s like, yes, this is what we live for. Let’s, that’s Christianity. That’s Christianity. So let’s not settle for anything less than that in the fullness of God’s word, God’s spirit in our lives, and fullness of love in the church, as we lock arms together to take the word of God to the world.

How Should We Spend Our Lives?

What else would we spend our lives on? Leave behind every other dream, including a comfortable Christian spend on the American dream. Leave it behind. You’re created for a greater dream. To live for that dream.

Let’s do that together. God, as we’re praying, just your word comes to my mind. If you are offering your gift to the altar and there, remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there at the altar.

Go and be reconciled to your brother. Then come and offer your gift. I just, I want to encourage in this room if there’s anything specifically between you and another brother or sister in Christ in this room, to go to them, not just to jump into singing, offering worship in that way, but to go to them and be reconciled and pray with them.

Seek the Father with them. And I pray over this room, over the relationships in this room, between students, between faculty, between students and faculty staff. Just pray for a beautiful spirit and the bond of peace that is pleasing to you as our Father. God help us. Help us to humbly pursue peace with one another, enjoy with one another before you, and keep us, God guard us.

From canceling each other and slandering each other, gospel about each other. I just confess I’ve already confessed it before you, but for my brothers and sisters now, just my sin yesterday and speaking about other brothers and sisters in Christ in a way that was not edifying to them. And I would not have spoken that way if they were sitting right there.

God, we need your grace. I need your grace. We need your grace, we pray. We pray for what you prayed for us, Jesus, that we would be one as you and the Father are one in you. Pray for a sweet unity around you and your word and seek you on this campus.

Father, I pray, we pray for all of our lives, but specifically as Francis and I just intercede for the students in this room. We pray for a reverence for your word, a submission to your word, a love for your word.

We pray for a meditation memorization of your word to be commonplace. Christianity on this campus. It’s just flowing your word, just flowing in dorm rooms, apartments, classrooms, just your word. May this campus be a place where mouths are open wide and you’re filling minds and hearts. We pray for freedom from addiction to the messages of this world

And just pray for freedom from being given over to our own counsel. Just pray it would cause love for your word. Pray for reading of your word to be happening all the time out loud together and silently alone. Just pray for your word to reign supreme on this campus in a way that brings satisfaction to souls on this campus.