In John chapter 17 we continue our series on the prayer of the Lord Jesus. We restart tonight in verse 20. Jesus has been praying for the disciples who are with Him. He has asked the Father to keep them. He has prayed that their joy would be fulfilled in themselves. He has asked that they be protected from the evil one. Last week we considered His request that they be sanctified through the truth, for “thy word is truth.”
Now something remarkable happens. Jesus looks past the men in the upper room. He looks beyond Peter, James, John and the others. He begins to pray for all who would believe on Him through their word throughout history. That includes you. That includes me. That includes Faithway Baptist Church. Before the gospel of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ was ever proclaimed, Jesus prayed for us. Before this church existed, Jesus prayed for us. Tonight we get to overhear Jesus praying for us.
Three times He returns to the same request: that they all may be one, that they also may be one in us, and that they may be made perfect in one. In the shadow of Calvary, with only hours remaining, this subject of unity occupies His prayer. This is not sentimental unity. Jesus shows us where that unity begins, how it is to be protected, and what it accomplishes. It comes from the Word, it is expressed in the church, and it impresses the world.
Build Your Unity on the Truth of Christ’s Word
Jesus says, “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word.” Christian unity begins with the truth of Christ’s Word. You cannot have true unity if you do not agree on the Word.
Some people want unity for its own sake. That can sound pious, yet it is impossible if there is no agreement on what God has said. When I was in junior high a missionary family came to our church to learn French. Their son loved to win at chess more than he loved the game itself. Whenever he was about to lose he began inventing new rules. Suddenly the rook could move diagonally. Suddenly the king could move more than one square. We could not play with him because we could not even agree on the basic rules. Life is not a game and Christianity is not a game, but if we are going to have unity we must agree on the content of our doctrine.
The unity Jesus prays for is not unity from any source. It is unity that comes as people believe on Christ through the word the apostles were entrusted with. That message has been preserved for us in the Word of God. Romans 10:17 says, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” The same word that brings us to Christ becomes the authority under which we then live together.
We are not united by an address on Salem Road. We are not united by Canadian citizenship, similar backgrounds, musical tastes or compatible personalities. In a healthy local church you will find people fellowshipping who would never see each other or speak to each other outside of Christ. I remember a young man from Cameroon whom we led to the Lord while church planting in Montreal. After a discipleship session he asked me to stop at a grocery store. When we arrived he would not get out of the car. He explained that it was a Haitian store and that they would not serve him. In Christ, people can love and fellowship with one another who would not even enter one another’s stores outside of Jesus Christ. That unity comes from the truth of the Word of God.
This protects us from two opposite ditches. Some sacrifice truth for the sake of unity. They refuse to preach on certain subjects because it might offend. We cannot call those who deny the deity of Christ our brethren simply to keep peace. On the other side, we can begin separating over things the Bible never commanded us to separate over. At an event among independent Baptists I watched a man sit alone because he had attended a different Bible college. He believed the same gospel, yet he was treated as an outsider.
Acts 2:42 says, “And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship.” You must have the right doctrine if you are going to have true fellowship. Before you draw a line, make sure God drew that line. If the matter is only preferential, we ought not to draw a line. Before you divide from a brother or sister in Christ you need to be able to put your finger in Scripture and say, “Thus saith the Lord.”
Protect the Unity for Which Christ Prayed
Jesus continues, “That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us.” The harmony between the Father and the Son is the pattern for the unity of Christ’s people. The Father and the Son are distinct persons, yet they are perfectly in harmony. Unity does not mean everyone is the same. Unity is different people moving in the same direction because they are all around the same Christ.
What made Peter, James, Andrew and Nathanael all land at the same place on the Sea of Galilee? They were all with Jesus. Wherever Jesus went, they went. In the same way we are united by Jesus. We may have different personalities and different opinions on any given issue, yet we are all following the same Lord. Wherever He goes we go. Where He stands we stand. What He reveals we believe.
Ephesians 4:3 says we are to be “endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Notice it does not say create the unity of the Spirit. Jesus and the Holy Spirit create it. We can, however, damage it. The men in that upper room were not naturally compatible. Simon the Zealot would have loved to overthrow Rome. Matthew was a tax collector, a traitor to his own nation. Nathanael was careful and sceptical. Thomas needed physical proof. Peter was impulsive. Yet they followed the same Jesus, and Jesus created the unity among them.
If you take only one principle from this message, let it be this: what Christ prayed for, I should be very reluctant to damage. A pastor in Louisville once shared that he received a phone call from another pastor asking prayer for his wife who had cancer. The first thought that entered his mind was that he would not pray because the man was from a different denomination. That denomination preached the same gospel. In that moment he realised he was damaging a unity that Jesus creates. We may not be able to cooperate in every ministry, yet we are all going to spend eternity with the same Jesus. Let us not damage what Jesus has prayed for when we have no biblical standing on which to do so.
Display Your Unity That the World Can See Christ
Jesus links our unity directly to our witness. He prays “that the world may believe that thou hast sent me” and “that the world may know that thou hast sent me.” Visitors who come to Faithway this Sunday will not first read our doctrinal statement. They may not even understand much of the sermon. They will see how we treat one another. They will sense things long before they understand things.
The Word tells the world about Christ. Our unity shows the world what Christ can do. We preach a message of reconciliation. When the people we are trying to reach hear Christians tearing one another apart, our mouths preach one message while our relationships preach another.
If you are speaking with an unbeliever, do not criticise another church. Stick to Scripture. When you tear down other believers, even if you believe they are wrong on a secondary issue, the unbeliever often hears only that Jesus is divided. The same caution applies inside our own homes. Our children hear how we speak of their Sunday school teacher or their Christian school teacher. If they hear disunity while we talk about unity with Jesus, a damaging disconnect is created.
Do not let your life contradict the message of reconciliation you proclaim. Build your unity on the truth of Christ’s Word. Protect the unity for which Christ prayed. Display your unity so that the world can see Christ.
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the Word of God and for the unity we can have as believers. Help us know Your Word so that we can identify error and walk in fellowship with those who hold the same doctrine. Give us wisdom to distinguish biblical non-negotiables from mere preferences. Help us draw lines only where You have drawn them. Grant us Your mind and enable us to walk in harmony with the Spirit and with one another. Be with those who go into the community with the gospel. Give them Your power. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
