The By-Products of Unity

Unity is so important, especially in church. If our house ever gets divided against itself it cannot stand.

Text: Philippians 1:27

27  Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;

28  And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God.

29  For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;

a.   Real unity is not something that you wish for. It isn't even something that you pray for. Praying for unity is just you saying that you don't have it.

             i.    It's one thing to acknowledge that you don't have it, it's another thing to understand how real unity is attained.

b.   Unity is not something that you just talk about. As I said, it is a by-product.

c.   Unity is an off-spring of something that takes place that we bring into the church house. Disunity is also an off-spring, of people that are not really being filled with the spirit of God, but coming into the church house carnally, and dressing it up as though they are spiritual.

1.   Unity can only be achieved through the Holy spirit.

a.   You cannot have carnality and unity together. You also cannot have carnality and spirituality. You are either carnal or spiritual, but not both.

b.   We cannot profess ourselves to be spiritual, and then allow ourselves to talk carnally.

c.   When you get around people that cannot control their lips, their problem is a lot deeper than what is coming out of their mouths, it is a problem with the heart.

d.   We have to get to a place in our lives, where we have to make up our minds. Am I gonna follow Christ, or am I gonna follow the flesh? Am I gonna be spiritual, or carnal?

e.   You get around somebody that don't challenge you to be better, that's not your friend.

             i.        If they sit around and listen to you talk about somebody, if they don't encourage you not to do that, they are not your friend. You got to understand who your real friends are. Your real friends won't stand and watch you be carnal, and not say anything to challenge you!

f.    The Bible says, "Rebuke a wise man and he will grow in knowledge, but a fool will despise wisdom and instruction."

             i.        In church you got to make up your mind whether you are gonna be foolish or wise. 

g.   Philippians 2:1

1  If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies,

2  Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.

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

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

             i.        Understand, first of all, that he said we have to be LIKEminded. That is being unified, that's having one goal, that's going in one direction. We can't be likeminded if everybody's not walking with God as they should.

            ii.        I realize that we're in a war. The thing that God is fighting you the most, is your will, not your knowledge. The big gulf, is between inspiration, and being able to take what God gives you and put it into practice.

h.   I understand that I am dealing with people that haven't decided

2.   One of the By-Products of unity is having the same love, having love without partiality.

a.   When you become partial in your love it is not really love.

             i.        Having cliques in church is not real love, because when you start getting cliquish in church, that means that you have decided the church should be closed down.

b.   There are some things around here that have to change, and real fast.

c.   We can't take disunity out of here, and go out there, and expect God to bless it. We can't take carnality out of here and start witnessing to the lost with carnality.

             i.        This is not spiritual, it is devilish, and evil.

d.   People that form cliques are people that are trying to heap disciples unto themselves.

             i.        Then when they get offended, they start pulling the people that they linked up with out of church with them.

            ii.        And what ends up happening, they end up calling the people they linked up with, and telling them more than they ever told me.

3.   Another by-product is being of one accord. Isn't that what church building is all about?

a.   The people that you have the biggest problems with are often the people that you need the most.

             i.        The people that you keep separating yourself from, that you keep allowing the devil to put nasty and evil things in your mind about - but you can't get around them, because you always thinking about something negative.

b.   The Lord is saying, GET IT TOGETHER!

c.   Fight division with every tooth and nail that you have in your body, as long as God gives you a heartbeat!

d.   God didn't give us a vision for division, He gave us a vision of multiplication and addition.

e.   I am here today to give the devil notice that he isn't welcome around here, and his spirit isn't welcome around here. Anybody that he is using, or that is allowing him to use them, isn't welcome around here.

f.    When you got people walking around church that feel like they don't belong, that feel like they don't fit in, there is a problem. When we got a church, you should feel like you belong.

g.   Acts 2:42-44

42  And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

43  And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.

44  And all that believed were together, and had all things common;

             i.        How many things? ALL THINGS COMMON!!!

h.   You say, preacher, how did this happen? How did this group of people that came from all different backgrounds, all different lifestyles, come together and have all things common?

             i.    Because in Acts 1:8, Jesus told them to tarry until the Holy Spirit came.

            ii.    It was important for them to wait for the Holy spirit's power, before they began the work of God.

i.     Before the disciples ever uttered the word about what was going on, they had to first wait for the fullness of the Spirit, because it was gonna take the fullness of the Spirit for them to work together in spite of the things they disagreed on.

j.    That's what's great about this church. We don’t' all speak the same way, don't all agree on the same things, but we all want to serve the same God. We all have the same spirit.

k.   Cursed is the church that have leaders that are not walking in the spirit, IN and OUT of church.

             i.    Especially out of church, because you spend more time at home than at church. If you aren't walking in the spirit at home, you aren't walking in the Spirit at church.

l.     We cannot build a church on a bunch of people that's not walking with God!

m. Sometimes we have to consider our own self, before we start looking at somebody else.

n.   Don't ever do God's work in the flesh, you're gonna destroy it, you will do more harm than good.

o.   Learn to turn the TV off sometime. Learn to get off of Facebook sometimes!

             i.    The Bible is a real Facebook, because this book right here is the one that reads your face.

4.   We will esteem others better than ourselves.

a.   As you begin to mature, then you begin to understand the importance of walking with God, and being filled with His spirit. You will be one of the ones trying to bring people together, not trying to keep people separated.

b.   We need some people that are trying to keep people together, not people who are trying to separate everybody.

c.   You never know how an encouraging word can help someone, instead of you looking down on them.

d.   Sometimes people have to learn how to say, "Broither, it is going to be okay. Because our God is still on the throne, our God loves you, you are His child, He is your Father.

e.   As long as He's on the throne, He is going to see you through anything that comes across your path.

f.    That encouraging word to somebody, that is what we need!

g.   Philippians 2:3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.

             i.        No BOASTING! No SUPERSTARS!

            ii.        Why is it we can't find no Christians that have lowliness of mind?

          iii.        Esteeming others better than themselves - this means lifting others up before being expected to be lifted up.

h.   Somehow people think that they aren't worth anything. We have to make people think that they are worth something. You ARE worth something.

i.     You are worth so much to Jesus, He would have came and gave His life for you, if you were the only person who ever lived.

j.    To Jesus, you are worth something. Jesus esteemed others better than Himself. He said I didn't come to be ministered to, I came to give a ransom for many. That's why I came. I'm not here for you to give me accolades. God called us here to uild a ministry, but not just a ministry, to build a people.

k.   We need a church where people will accept you where you are, and challenge you to be better than you are, a place where people will look at you in spoite of your faults.

l.     We need a place where people can come in and talka bout what they struggle with, and we will not look DOWN on them and judge them.

m. We can't encourage people to come as you are and then turn around and talk about them the next moment. If we can't love one another, how in the world are we gonna love people out there.

n.   The bible says that it's the uncomely parts of our body that we bestow the most honor upon.

             i.        The same way in church, the people we say, why are they here, those are the ones we should honor the most.

o.   Philippians 2:4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.

             i.        God meets your need so you can meet the needs of others. That's what it's all about.

p.   In the Christian life, maturity is all about giving, not just your money either, but also compassion, love, appreciation.

q.   Acts 2:44-45

44  And all that believed were together, and had all things common;

45  And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.

             i.        The disciples sold all of their goods, and gave the money whereever there was a need.

            ii.        People will say the economy is bad. The economy amongst the people of God should never be bad.

r.    Sometimes it's about your mindset. When your mindset is all about money, monet will take wings and fly away, because money is not a good master.

             i.    When the Lord is not your master, you will always be the most miserable.

5.   Selflessness is a byproduct of the Holy Spirit. A person that will not die to self will never walk in vision.

a.   As soon as you are challenged to get out your comfort zone, then you will quit. Soon as God requires you to sacrifice you will walk away.

b.   Jesus gave His life and challenged us to give up ours too. Not just give up smoking, not just drinking, but to give up our lives.

6.  We must have the mind of Christ.

a.   The key verse in Philippians 2 is 8 - And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

             i.        Are you obedient unto death? If God challenges you to do something, and you think that the thing that He is challenging you to do will kill you, will you still do it anyway?

            ii.        Think about it. Has God challenged you to do something that, in your mind, you feel will kill you?

b.   I remember some of the challenges some of you have been through.

             i.        Somewhere down the line, you have allowed the enemy to come in, and for him to deceive you into thinking that it was okay for you to continue what you're doing, even though it is wrong.

c.   God never challenges you to do something, that He doesn't first give you the ability to accomplish.

             i.        If He challenges you to do something, He has already given you the means to get it done. So it's never a question of the Lord wanting you to do it. He gives you the power to accept, but you accept the excuses over the power of God.

d.   Isn't it time for you, Christians, to stop making excuses and start accepting the challenges of God?

e.   Philippians 3:12

12  Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.

13  Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

14  I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

             i.        He said this one thing he do but he's mentions 2 things.

f.    If your eyes are constantly on the storm, you will neglect God. To forget the things that are behind, there is only one way, you must press towards the mark for the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. (Pastor illustrates this at 44:10 in the YouTube video)

g.   Our problem is we focus more on the devil than on the storms, then we can't give God praise, because we've allowed the storms to make us stop trusting in Him.

h.   There is nothing that comes against you that God cannot bring you out of.

Stop giving the enemy the victory, he don't deserve it. We have the victory through Christ. The Bible says that he hath given us the victory.

The Lord Is On Our Side

Guest Preacher: Joseph Childers, a missionary who has been called to serve in Grenada. We thank God for blessing our congregation by bringing him here to teach us.

Intro:Presentation of Video about the Childers' Ministry on the Island of Grenada.

Text: Psalms 124:2-8

2  If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, when men rose up against us:

3  Then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us:

4  Then the waters had overwhelmed us, the stream had gone over our soul:

5  Then the proud waters had gone over our soul.

6  Blessed be the LORD, who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth.

7  Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped.

8  Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.

Romans 8:29-31

8  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

29  For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

30  Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

31  What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

1.  There may be a time when it seems that God is against us, but He is always for us, even when He chastened us.

a.   James 1:2-3

2  My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;

3  Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

a.   He doesn't say IF you will fall, he says WHEN you will fall.

b.   We never grow unless we are tested. If we are not tested, we will not grow.

c.   God does not allow trials so HE can see where we are, He already knows where we are. He allows trials so WE can see where we are.

d.   Hebrews 12:5-6

5  And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:

6  For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

             i.    It seems like God's against us often when He chastens us, but He chastens us, not to punish us, but to grow us.

v.        Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

             i.        God's given us the responsibility to train our children the way they should go. What does God do?

vi.        Predestination is not about where you are going to spend eternity, it is about being changed to conform to His image.

vii.        The word Christian means to be Christ-like. If you are going to be a Christian your life must look like Christ.

             i.        When the people around you look at you, what do they see? Do they see Christ living in you?

viii.        Every one of us is called by God to do something. Not all of us are called to be a pastor, or assistant pastor, or a deacon. We have all been called to be a good Christian, to go out and win souls for Jesus Christ.

ix.        God called people inside the church to do the things that the church needs.

2.  Be faithful to what God's called you. If we are faithful, we will see that God is on our side.

 i.        We will be called, but we will also be justified.

ii.        When I accepted Jesus Christ into my heart as Lord and Saviour, He came in and did a work on my heart.

iii.        God will not allow any kind of imperfection into Heaven, but He will look in His Book, and see a little note, and He will tell Satan the accuser, there is nothing there.

iv.        I'm thankful that there is some day when I am going to have a glorified body, a body which no longer desires the lust of sin.

             i.        I can sin my way out of a marriage, a ministry, out of physical health, but I cannot sin my way out of Jesus Christ.

v.        Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

             i.        Those that are not saved are not on God's side.

vi.        Romans 8:8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

             i.        When we are living according to the Bible we are living in God's spirit, when we are not living according to God's Word, we are in the flesh.

vii.        Isaiah 64:6But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

             i.        The Bible says that all our works before God are sin and foolishness.

            ii.        If I owed somebody money, and I tried to pay them with something other than money, I can't imagine them being happy with it. Before we are saved, we try to do the same thing before God.

          iii.        We say, God I go to church, I was baptized. All of it is a filthy dirty rag, without Jesus Christ as our Saviour.

viii.        Galatians 5:16

This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

17  For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

18  But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

19  Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

20  Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

21  Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

             i.    Maybe I've never done any of those, but I can commit these sins in my heart.

            ii.    People say, we are not under the Law any more, we are under grace. Grace always exceeds the Law. God says in the law, thou shalt not commit adultery, but in the New Testament, He takes it a step further.

          iii.    In the Book of James it says even the thought of foolishness is sin.

 i.        Psalms 118:6 The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?

j.        If you are saved today, God's spirit is going to bear witness in your spirit.

             i.        The purpose of God's spirit is that He will teach us. If you want to understand something in Scripture, pray about it.

            ii.        If you remain faithful to the things God has called us to do, God will teach you. He may not teach us all at once, but He WILL teach us.

k.        God's spirit will convict us. When we do something wrong, we will know it.

 l.        In 1 John, God teaches us that if any man desires to have more light, God will give us more light.

m.        God will convict people of sin. There have been people in indiginous tribes, and when missionaries have gone in there, and realized that those tribal people still felt conviction.

n.        God delights in the truth. The Bible says that lying lips are an abomination before the Lord. Even a little white lie, God hates.

o.        Proverbs 15:8 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD: but the prayer of the upright is his delight.

             i.        When we pray, God delights in us. He delights in hearing His children call on Him.

p.        Every good and perfect gift comes from above.

             i.        God doesn’t want us to commune with Him. He wants to have fellowship, a friendship and personal relationship with you and me.

q.        Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

             i.        The big word in this verse is NOW. Paul is saying there was once condemnation, but now that we've been saved, there is none, now that we have the Holy Spirit of God living in us.

r.        We are often ashamed to ask things of God.

             i.        He will give us anything according to His will. Do you want to know what is according to His will? Study His Book. If we want to do God's will for our lives, we must read His Word. We need to be in the Bible.

3.  God is on our side when we are separated.

a.        Leviticus 11:44 For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

             i.        We are supposed to separate ourselves for God. He demands our sanctification, but not only does He demand sanctification, He does the work for us.

b.        Leviticus 20:24  But I have said unto you, Ye shall inherit their land, and I will give it unto you to possess it, a land that floweth with milk and honey: I am the LORD your God, which have separated you from other people.

             i.        We need to be careful of what entertainment we choose. Is it pleasing to the flesh, or pleasing to God?

c.        We are to separate ourselves from the world, and be able to have a different spirit, a new nature. Old things are passed away and all things have become new.

             i.        Unfortunately that new nature is laid on top of the old nature, so we still have the desire to sin, but we have the new nature to give us hope to overcome anything that this world throws at us.

d.        We can overcome the spirit of sin, the power of death, and from apostasy in the church

e.        Romans 16:17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.

             i.        Sometimes there are people even within the church that we need to avoid. If someone has the wrong doctrine, and they are trying to cause division in the church, we have to take it to the Bible.

            ii.        Test the spirits, by using Scripture. If God be for us, who can be against us?

f.        We are not even to entertain wicked, evil thoughts. We are to separate ourselves from the love of this world.

g.        1 John 2:15-17

15  Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

16  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

17  And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

             i.    The Bible says in the Book of Hebrews, the peculiar are evil. Peculiar is worldly. If we act just like the unsaved, what do we give them to desire?

viii.        We are not to be isolated, but insulated. Separation is contact without contamination.

             i.        Jesus said I see the contamination, I am in contact with it. He was in the world but not of the world.

ix.        God's on our side when we are saved, when we are separated, when we are serving.

4.   God is on our side when we are serving.

 i.        If you are doing what God's will is, then you are serving. Service is the revealed word of God.

ii.        1 Thessalonians 4:2-4

2  For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus.

3  For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:

4  That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;

             i.    The vessel God has given us, is the vessel of our bodies. We are to honor what God has given us. This is why we need victory over alcohol, over drugs. God will honor those victories.

iii.        1 Thessalonians 5:18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

             i.        Everyone in this church has something to be thankful for. We have a church family, a pastor that preaches the Bible. There are some people who don't have that.

            ii.        There are some people who don't even have a Bible in their language. Be thankful today that we have God's Inspired Word in our hands, that we can read and is freely available to us.

iv.        1 Peter 2:13-15

13  Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme;

14  Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.

15  For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:

             i.    How do we shut the world up when they try to come against us? By following the laws of the land. If the law does not go entirely against what God says, we need to follow the law.

            ii.    Children, as long as what your parents are telling you to do does not directly contradict the word of God, follow what they wan t us to do.

e.        God desires us to go out and win souls. By doling so we will bring Him honor and glory.

f.        1 Corinthians 10:31  Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

             i.        If we are doing things without this motive, we are missing the higher motive.

g.        There is also a hidden will of God. How can one find the will of God?

             i.        In Scripture, we are never commanded not one time to find the will of God.

            ii.        We are not to find, but to DO the will of God. Do what God has already shown you to do. If you follow that light, that will give you even more light.

          iii.        Follow the light of separation, of thanksgiving and submission to authority, and winning souls for Him.

h.        God may change your location, but if you want God to show you His hidden will, you must first do what has already been revealed as His will.

 i.        We must do the will of God, but do it for His glory, not for eye-service. If we do not have the right motive, to God it is sin.

j.        Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

             i.        Everyone of us has sinned, we all have fallen short.

            ii.        All is all that all is, all of everything and every one.

k.        Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

             i.        Not just physical death on earth, but eternal separation from God.

 l.        Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

             i.        Admitting to God that you are a sinner, is realizing that there must be payment for that sin. Jesus died for us and rose again the third day. He had victory over the grave.

m.        If you have never done this, do it today. Call upon God, admit to Him that you are a sinner. God will save you right where you are today.

n.        If you are saved ask yourself, are you living a life that is honoring and glorifying to Him?