Chris McCurley: Good morning again. Good to see all of you. We're starting a new series this morning. We're looking at what it means to be one. And it starts here, in this congregation, and then we can spread out from there. But what does it mean to be united? What does it mean to be on the same page, and what are the things that we have to be united on? That's always a question. What are the salvation issues? What are the things that that we have to be on the same page about if we're all going to get to heaven and if we can all have fellowship with one another? So that's the basis of this series. It reminds me of a of a group of people that were visiting their local zoo and they came upon a a cage that had a fox and four chickens. Living peacefully together. In fact the the sign above the cage read peaceful cohabitation. And one of the members of the group said to the zookeeper, How how does this work? How do the the fox and the chickens maintain this relationship? And he said, it's pretty easy. Every now and then we have to throw in more chickens. And that may be good when talking about a zoo situation, but certainly it doesn't work when we're talking about a body like this. You know, when you get married, you're essentially marrying three people, right? You're marrying the person that they used to be, you're marrying the person that they are at that moment, and you're marrying the person that that they're going to be in the future. And your spouse is marrying three people as well. That's why marriage is so hard, because six people are involved. And it's kind of that way with the church. Anytime you you place membership at a certain congregation, you're placing membership at three different churches. You're placing membership at the church that was what it is today and what it will be in the future. And hopefully you're one that is Seeking to help the church reach a glorious future. And this idea that that we can find the perfect church and settle there is a myth. It's a unicorn. But all too often that's the goal. We want to find the perfect church, don't we? That church that you you went to on vacation that's so perfect, I guarantee you if you hung around there long enough, you'd see that they have problems too. There is no such thing as the perfect church. So stop looking for it. By the way, if you find it, don't go there because you'll ruin it. Because people have problems. Which is why the church could never be perfect to begin with. There's simply no such thing as a perfect church. Even the first church wasn't perfect. Although the church that we read about in the book of Acts had many great qualities, it also had a couple of liars by the name of Ananias and Sapphira. There was the problem of the Hellenistic Jews not being served, and the shepherds had to address that. There has never been a perfect church, and there will never be a perfect church, at least until our Lord returns. There's no perfect church because there are no perfect people. Actually, there is such a thing as a perfect church. And it is found in 1 Corinthians chapter 1. And you're thinking to yourself, really? Corinthians? Yeah, but notice what Paul writes. Verse 2, to the church of God, which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. The church in Corinth. was perfect. And I realize you're thinking to yourself, I I don't think that's true, Chris. And that's a pretty bold statement because I've read the letter to both both the letters to the Corinthians. But notice again Paul's words to the church of God which is at Corinth. Whose church is it? It's God's church, right? It belongs to him. Who do the Corinthian brethren belong to? They belong to God. They are not the church of Saint Paul They're not the church of Mary. This is the church of God. And right here at the beginning of Paul's letter, he is putting them in their place. Letting them know that it's not your church, that it's God's church. It's his church, and we are blessed to be a part of it. Now, as you know, there were a lot of problems in the Corinthian church, a lot of issues. But Paul doesn't start with the issues. He doesn't start with all the sexual immorality and their messing up of the Lord's Supper and all that. No, he starts with ownership. The fact that the church belongs to God. You see, Paul opens his letter by pointing to the divine side. And the divine side is the perfect side. That's what makes the church perfect. The divine side. The human side is what kind of blows it all up. Because we're humans, because we have problems, because we have different personalities, and you're melding us all together. But the divine side is perfect. And in between the opening and the closing of Corinthians, Paul pretty well says, You guys are a mess. But he's dealing with the human side, isn't he? He starts with the divine side, then he deals with the human side, which has caused all these problems. And it should tell us something. Among other things, it should tell us that there is no such thing as As the perfect church. In fact, it is impossible to have a perfect church. And maybe you say, Well, what about the church in Acts? What about Acts chapter two and Acts chapter four? I would submit to you that that is defining a healthy church, but not a perfect church. And there is a difference. And you can be both. You can be imperfect and yet be healthy. You can be imperfect and still be strong. There is a difference. I mean there's no perfect restaurant, is there? You go to several restaurants, different restaurants, to to eat, even though it may not be perfect. The service may be, you know, mid level, the the ambiance may be maybe not what you would, you know, prefer. Perhaps it's not as clean as you would like, but the food is outstanding, right? That's what keeps you coming back. You could have a restaurant that has all the the extras. The ambiance, the lighting, the mood, the service is wonderful, but if the food stinks, you're probably not gonna go back there. You judge a restaurant's quality by the food. And it's the same with the church. We we judge the quality of a church by the Christians that go there, right? I mean, it could have great singing, it could You can have, you know, great leadership, there could be all kinds of wonderful programming going on, but if the the Christians are hard to deal with, if it's a soap opera within the walls, you're probably not going to go there. I believe a healthy church recognizes that it's not perfect. It can't be perfect because human beings are involved. We have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God. And although we have been washed in the blood of Christ, we still are flawed individuals. You know that, I know that. Sanctification is a process, and it is a messy process. Messy because human beings are involved. The church was God's design. Jesus died for it, and therefore Paul and others fought for her unity, her soundness, her purity. So it's not the divine side that needs fixing. That's perfect. It's the human side that often has to be addressed. Let's read. Ephesians chapter four. Starting in verse one. Therefore, I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called. With all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the spirit and the bond of peace. There is one body and one spirit. Just as also you were called in one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all, through all, and in all. So this is our signature passage for our series: the ones that are found in Ephesians chapter 4. Unity was a major theme of Paul's writings. Jesus prayed that God's children may all Be one. And we understand the essentialness of unity when it comes to working together as a team. But we also know that unity is not easy to come by. Even in the church, we recognize that not everyone sees things the same way. And we often wonder what exactly are the issues that we have to agree upon. Because at a church this size, we're never going to agree on everything. What are the issues that we have to agree on? What are the salvation issues where there has to be 100% agreement? I think Paul answers that question for us right here. What unifies us? Here it is: one body, one spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father. These things form the foundation of our unity. Notice what Paul doesn't match mention. He doesn't talk about How we all have to agree on the color of the carpet or the paint on the walls. He doesn't talk about how we have to all agree on clapping after a baptism. He doesn't get into all that. He doesn't talk about how we all have to agree on what we wear to worship. He doesn't command that they be united on the order of worship where communion falls, is it before or after the sermon? None of that. Those are peripheral. Those are ancillary. They are the sideshow. The problem is it's That for many years Christians have tried to make the make the sideshow the main event. And it's been a problem. But these peripheral matters don't matter, at least not in the grand scheme of things. Paul says, here are the things that you must be united on. One body, one spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father who is overall, in all, and through all. Why these things? Because they're not plural. They're not plural. There's only one body. Are you in it? There's only one spirit. Does it fill you? There's only one body. Are you in it? There's only one hope. Do you believe it? There's only one Lord. Does He rule and reign over your life? There's only one faith. Do you believe it? There's only one baptism. Have you submitted to it? There's only one God and Father who is over all, in all, through all. Have you surrendered to Him? You see. These things are not a ballot measure. You don't get to say, Well, you have your faith and I have mine, or you think that about baptism, I just don't think that way. You don't get to do that on these issues. These are the ones that Paul says, No, we're all one on these. Because they're not plural. You don't get to determine unity. You determine if you're going to promote the unity that's already been established. Paul's words again. Therefore, I the prisoner of the Lord implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the spirit and the bond of peace. Underline, circle, highlight that phrase. Being diligent to preserve the unity of the spirit and the bond of peace. Whose spirit? The spirit, not your spirit, the spirit. And since it's the spirit, and since you are spiritual, then you had better do everything within your power to make certain that you are not a threat to unity. It's not about you, it's about unity. And the book of Ephesians can really be divided up into two parts. Very simply. Chapters 1 through 3 are talking about our identity in Christ. Who we were before Christ, and then who we are since we've become a Christian, being in Christ. So chapters 1 through 3 talk about our identity. Chapters three or four through six talk about our activity. So you have your identity in the first half of the book, you have your activity in the second half of the book. Because of who you are, this is how you are to act. Because of who you are, because you are blessed, this is how you are to live as a blessed disciple. To be a new creature in Christ, we must walk in a manner worthy of our calling. That message is just as applicable today as it was for the Ephesians way back in. We're not Gentiles anymore. We are the new Israel. We are a new creation, and one day we're going to take inheritance. Of what God has promised, until then we must live like people who are new creatures in Christ. Spiritual people with a common bond, striving for a common goal. You know, in football, you have eleven different positions on offense. You have eleven different positions on defense. So twenty two players that start offense and defense. And all of those players vary in size and skill. For instance, offensive linemen are typically built like houses. Six four, six five, three hundred and fifty pounds a lot of times in the NFL is crazy. Defensive backs, much shorter. Maybe under six feet tall, but they are fast as lightning. And they can't catch, which is why they're on defense. Now that's a shot. I shouldn't say that. You have the quarterback. Who has a strong arm, makes good decisions, he's the kind of the captain on the field. And typically they want them big now, six four, maybe, two hundred and twenty pounds. Defense is the same way. You can't have a team of twenty-two kickers. That wouldn't work. You can't have a team of all offensive linemen. It's imperative that you have the different positions and people who know how to play those different positions if Your team is going to be successful. But here's the deal. Whether we're talking about the eleven on offense or the eleven on defense, we're all striving to get to the same goal line. Those eleven guys on offense, they're all trying to get to the same goal line. Those eleven guys on defense are trying to keep them from getting there and turn it over to the offense so they can get to their goal line. We're all striving for the same goal line. Unity is oneness with a purpose. That's what we are as a team. But you know as well as I do, just assembling the correct number of team members doesn't make you a team. Just look at the Tennessee Titans, right? You've got to be able to know your role and carry it out effectively. So unity is oneness with the purpose. And it's that way for us, this church, Team Walnut Street. Call ourselves the Walnut Street Saints. And the Walnut Street Saint Saints is a team of diverse Christians. With a common purpose. We all play different positions. We all bring a different skill set to the table. But we're all moving toward the same goal line. We are all moving in the same direction. Because we want what God wants. We want the goal to be his goal. Now, understand, unity is not uniformity. And that's an important point to remember when it comes to unity. Unity is not uniformity. It can't be. Again, if we have a team of 22 kickers, we're not going to be very successful. We can't all be the same. We can't all do the same thing. So uniformity is not unity. Uniformity will kill a team. And the same goes for the church. We're not seeking uniformity. We don't have to all be the same, but we all have to be on the same page. Unity is not sameness of purpose persons. It's oneness of purpose. Let me say that again since I butchered it. Unit unity is not sameness of persons, it's oneness of purpose. Remember these words from Paul, 1 Corinthians chapter 12? For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot says, Because I am not a hand, I'm not a part of the body, it is for this reason any the less A part of the body, and if the ear says, Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body, it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired. If they were all one member, where would the body be? But now there are many members, but one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need of you, or again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. On the contrary, it is much truer that members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary, and those members of the body which we deem less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our less presentable members become much more presentable, whereas our more presentable members have no need of it. But God Has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to the member which lacked, so that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all members suffer with it. And if one member is honored, all members rejoice with it. What I take away from that is Paul is saying it's not about sameness, it's not about uniformity. If we're all the same, the body can't function properly. Everyone can't be an eye. Everyone can't be an ear. Everyone can't be a toe, but everyone can be something. And because everyone can be something, there's no excuse to do nothing. Right? For a body to function properly, every part must do its job. Without eyes, we can't see. Without legs, we can't we can't go and spread the gospel. Without knees, we can't bend down. and and serve and wash feet. If the body part is not working properly, then that body part is dead. It's deformed. And somebody else is having to carry its weight. Somebody else is having to compensate for it, and therefore they're doing extra. If we're going to make it to the goal line, then it's going to take all of us working in harmony to ensure that the Lord's body is carrying out its purpose. I'm sure all of you sitting here this morning are familiar with cancer. It's touched everyone in some way, shape, or form. Cancer is just renegade cells. They go rogue and which would be fine just as long as they didn't do it inside your body, but that's the problem, right? They go rogue and they decide to take over and they decide to actually gather a posse. And they lump up together and they form a tumor. Then after a while they're not content with that, and so they spread out to other parts of the body until eventually their goal is to take over the body and to kill that body. Look at verses 13 through 16 of Ephesians 4. Until we all attain to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God. To a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness and deceitful scheming, but speaking the truth in love. We are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love. Again, circle, underline, highlight that phrase, until we all attain to the unity of faith. People divide over two things really sin and false doctrine. So don't be involved in those things. Don't allow those things to perpetuate. Now the truth of the matter is, I've been consulted many times from churches that were about to split or did split, and while they'll say it's false doctrine, or while they'll say it's sin, most of the time it's one of three P's, or maybe all three P's: power, personality, or politics. That's typically why a church splits. Now they'll blame it on doctrine. They'll point the finger at some sort of false doctrine that they believe is happening or some sort of sin that they believe is prevalent. But typically it's those three things. Paul, I think, here is pointing to a couple of aspects that we always need to keep in mind if we're going to be unified. And that is truth and love. Picture it like goalposts. We're going to continue with our football theme. You got truth as one of the vertical posts, you got love as the other. God's standard being proclaimed, that's truth. God's heart being expressed, that's love. And you have the goal post in place, and if truth and love are on either side, you can kick unity right through the middle. Unity can be achieved. The body can be built up, it works properly, it grows, it's healthy. And understand that unity is a doctrine. We can fight over other preferences or scruples, and maybe we can even fight over certain doctrines that have been taught and that perhaps some believe and others may believe differently. But you better remember that unity is a doctrine. And it's worth fighting for. We seem to want to just toss it aside anytime some sort of disagreement comes up. No, it better be held in highest esteem because unity is a doctrine that is worth fighting for. You know, I've heard physicians say that There are individuals that have had cancer and never knew it. The cancer was trying to take over their body, but very early on their system recognized it and killed it out. In other words, the cancer was never able to grow because the human body took care of it. Now, if you have a weaker immune system, then perhaps it can't fight off the cancer, and then it becomes more prevalent. There are Too many cancers that threaten the Lord's body. They are renegade cells that want to take over and destroy this body. And you could name them. There's many of them in our culture that have seeped in, maybe even within the church. It's unfortunate, but some people can be a cancer on a team. Maybe you've been a part of a team that was that was very talented and had a lot of potential, but one person ruined it because of their attitude and their actions. So it's vital that the church is strong and healthy and has a strong immune system. You see, we often talk about playing defense as Christians. Well, we're gonna we're gonna get our defenses up and we're gonna hope that the devil doesn't win or or that he just that he just maybe passes by us and doesn't mess with us too much. We're gonna hunker down and and just wait for him to pass. Paul says, No, no, you're not on defense. You're on offense. You are the aggressor. You're the one who attacks. You're a healthy, strong body. You don't let Satan even have a foothold. He doesn't even have an opportunity because you kill it before it even starts. It's like those white blood cells. We recognize it's a cancer, we attack it, and we we get rid of it immediately. We are on offense. We're not on defense. But this is an individual decision. Every single Christian. must decide between you or unity. What's it gonna be? If you choose you, then you become a liability. If you choose unity, you become an asset. There is a you and unity. There is a me and team. You, as an individual, are valuable. We can't do it without you. But not only is there a you in unity, there is a you in us as well. So you are an asset, but only if you're committed to us. I want to close with a question this morning. Here it is. Who gets to decide? Who gets to decide what we're going to be united on? What are the things that we have to be united on, and who gets to decide? This chair represents person who worships at a church that has a praise team. I don't worship at that church. That's something I'm not comfortable with. I worship at another church. So I tell my friend here. You know, you're my friend, but you're also my erring brother. Where in the Bible does it say that you can have a praise team? There is no authority in Scripture for a praise team. You must not respect the authority of Scripture. Well, I absolutely respect the authority of Scripture. I read my Bible every day. Well, then you tell me in your Bible where you find the authority for eight song leaders. Of course, tell me where you find the authority for one. But you tell me where you find the authority for eight song leaders. Until you give up your innovation. I cannot fellowship with you. And that's how we've handled unity. The most narrow among us gets to decide. You give up your innovation, and we can have fellowship. Just telling my liberal friend over here how How if he would give up his innovation, we could be in fellowship. They worship with a praise team, and there's no authority for that. Well, I'm glad to see that there's still sound brethren who will stand up for the truth. Yeah, actually we're gonna be talking about this in Bible class next week. Bible class? You guys have Bible class? Tell me in your Bible where there's authority for Bible class. Well, I mean, it's a great way to teach the kids. No, no, no. Parents teach the kids. You give up your innovation. You respect the authority of Scripture, and we can have fellowship, but not until you stop having Bible class. We're getting a lot of chairs, aren't we? Hey, I just telling my liberal friends over here how they how they need to give up their innovation and we can have fellowship. You know, it's a shame what we see going on in the church today. One believes in praise teams, the other one believes in Bible classes. Well, thank you for standing up for truth. I really appreciate it. And we need more people like you and more preachers that are willing to stand for that. Yeah, just this week I'm gonna approach this topic when I go speak at our children's home. Children's home. You guys support a children's home out of the church's treasury? Well, yeah, it's a great way to, you know, help the orphans and you know we're commanded to do that. Where in the Bible do you have the authority to support a children's home out of the church's treasury? You give up that innovation, and we can be in fellowship with one another. I couldn't h help overhearing your conversation. I would have believed that you're sound too. But I heard from a reliable source that during communion, you guys use multiple containers. And the Bible says that you are to use the cup, that they drink from the cup. And so until you give up your innovation, we cannot have fellowship. Hey, Church of Christ. Good to see ya. Yeah, I was just talking to you guys. Just talking to these guys about how chairs break on you and you need to be careful. I was just arguing with these guys over here about their innovations and it's just it's a shame all the liberalism that's creeping into the church. My preacher talks about this all the time. You're a preacher? You pay a man to preach every week? Are y'all one of those local preacher sectarians? We can have fellowship if you give that up. This chair right here. Represents those Who believe that you cannot meet in a building because Scripture doesn't authorize a building such as this. But rather, you are to meet in homes. That's the way the first church did it. And we have an eighth chair. I mean, we could have a hundred chairs. The eighth chair is one that doesn't believe it's wrong to eat in homes or to meet in in homes or a church building. You do either one. But if you meet in a building, you can't have a kitchen. And we have divided over every one of these chariots. Some of you were laughing because you see the silliness of it. But who gets to decide? Who gets to decide? Well, for so long it's been the most narrow among us. The most narrow among us are the ones who have decided who is in fellowship and who is not. And we don't believe that, do we? We don't believe that it's left up to the most narrow among us to decide who is in fellowship and who is not. I guarantee you that there is a wide array of folks in the auditorium this morning. That would differ on so many things, maybe even so many so-called doctrines. In fact, many of you perhaps were squirming in your chair as I was going through them. So who gets to decide? Who gets to determine unity? With all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one spirit. Just as also you were called in one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. That right there. That determines our unity. Those are the things that we have to be united on. We don't have to be united on everything, but you have to be united on these things. Paul says that we do it. We don't determine unity. We determine if we're going to promote the unity that is laid out for us in Scripture. And look, some things are can and should. They just are. Because you probably got questions swirling around your mind. Well, what about this? What about that? Some things are can and should. Can we do certain things? Maybe. Should we do them at Walnut Street? Probably not. Why? Because it doesn't keep the unity of the spirit and the bond of peace. And unity is the most important thing, right? That we are together, that we are on a a winning team moving towards the goal line. United in a common goal. It's not you, it's unity. Let's make sure that we're doing everything within our power to preserve the unity of the spirit, the bond of peace. Let's pray. Most kind and gracious Heavenly Father, thank you so much for another day, for another opportunity to be here, and may we seek to preserve the unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace in everything that we do. We're so blessed to call you Father, and we are so thankful for your church. May we go be the church from here in our daily lives the rest of this week. We love you. It's in your son's precious name we pray. Amen. How can we help you this morning? Ted's got an invitation song. We invite you to, if you have a need, come as we stand and as