Participants: Jason Sliger
Series Code: FC
Program Code: FC000212
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00:31 I would like to welcome you again
00:32 to another "Faith Chapel" experience. 00:35 Today, we are going to look at the Bible again, 00:37 we are going to look at another subject. 00:38 My name is Jason Sliger, 00:40 I'm an evangelist with "Amazing Facts ministry." 00:43 And I enjoy sharing the Bible with as many people 00:45 as I possibly can as I meet people from place to place 00:48 sharing the Bible is a passion 00:50 and something that I enjoy to do. 00:51 Today we are gonna be taking a look at a subject 00:53 that I have entitled "Let this mind be in you." 00:56 I remember when I was a young boy, 00:59 I would go out and enjoy 01:01 playing in the snow as a little boy. 01:03 I enjoyed going down the hill on my sled 01:06 and making snow angels in the snow, 01:08 making snow balls and snow fortresses 01:11 and just having a good time playing in the snow, 01:13 that was a time of the year 01:14 that I really used to look forward to, 01:15 and I remember one experience 01:17 that was very, very impressionable 01:18 upon my mind that took one winter. 01:21 My mother had called me and she said Jason, 01:24 I want you to come outside, 01:25 I want to show you something and so I came outside 01:28 and my mother said here's a pair of black gloves, 01:30 I want you to put these black gloves on. 01:31 I put these black gloves on, 01:32 I was obedient listened to my mom 01:34 and she said now, Jason what I want you to do is 01:35 I want you to hold your hand out 01:36 and I want you to allow the snowflakes to fall in your hand 01:39 and I held my hand out 01:40 and these snowflakes were falling on my hand 01:42 and she gave me a magnifying glass 01:44 and I began to look at all of these snowflakes 01:47 and how intricate they were designed 01:48 and how each one of them were different 01:50 and I remember standing there 01:52 in utter amazement looking at each different snowflake 01:55 as an individual and how intricate 01:57 and how beautiful each one of them were. 01:59 That was an impression upon my mind 02:01 that was made that I haven't forgotten 02:03 and now that I have started to study the Bible 02:05 I look at the snowflake and I see that 02:07 there is a very important object lesson 02:09 that we can learn from the snowflake. 02:10 You know the snowflake in and of itself 02:11 is very beautiful. 02:13 It's a beautiful creation of God, 02:16 but the snowflake in and of itself 02:19 doesn't really make that much of an impact on a city. 02:23 If one snowflake were to fall 02:25 it wouldn't really make that much impact, 02:27 but friends when snowflake upon snowflake 02:29 upon snowflake fall upon a city, 02:32 there's an impact that is made 02:33 and may be some of you live in a city 02:35 where the snow has fallen 02:37 and its made a powerful impact upon your city 02:39 and you have remember it from generation 02:41 from time upon time from year to year 02:43 you remember that particular snowfall that took place 02:45 that knocked the power out of whatever it did to your city. 02:48 You probably remember that time and you know what, friends, 02:51 I think of ourselves as snowflakes, 02:53 each one of us of God's children. 02:55 I think of ourselves as individual snowflakes 02:57 and you know in and of ourselves 02:58 we can make a difference in the world 03:00 just on our own we can make a difference. 03:03 But I think to myself as snowflakes 03:05 how much more of a powerful impact 03:07 we can make on the world, if we have a snowflake unity. 03:13 If we have a snowflake unity 03:14 and bond together as a snowflakes do, 03:17 we can make a powerful impact on a city, 03:19 we can make a powerful impact on this world 03:22 just like the snowflakes do 03:23 when they come together in a snowflake unity. 03:26 You know, God is looking and searching 03:29 throughout the world for a group of people 03:30 that are unified under Him. 03:32 The Bible tells us in Psalms 133:1 it says, 03:37 "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is 03:39 for brethren to dwell together in unity!" 03:43 The Bible tells us that it's a good and pleasant thing, 03:45 it's a beautiful thing for brethren 03:47 to dwell together in unity. 03:49 For us to bond together, to come together, 03:52 to pull together and to be unified 03:56 under Jesus to have that snowflake unity. 03:59 I ask the question. 04:00 Do you have unity amongst your family? 04:02 Do you have unity amongst your friends? 04:05 Maybe I could ask, do you have unity 04:06 amongst your church family? 04:09 Is there a unity or are you always looking for avenues 04:12 and areas to pick and to pull people apart 04:16 and to cause there to be a disunity amongst that unit? 04:19 Friends, God is looking for a group of people 04:22 that can be unified. 04:23 I like to read a definition to you of the word unity 04:27 it says, "Unity is a thing undivided itself, 04:31 but separate from ever other thing." 04:33 That is a definition from Webster's dictionary. 04:34 It's something that's undivided itself, 04:36 it's not separated in and of itself 04:38 but it's separated from every other thing 04:40 and you know what friends, 04:41 God is wanting a group of people 04:42 that are not separated amongst themselves, 04:45 that are unified amongst themselves but they are -- 04:47 they are separated from the things in this world. 04:49 They do not have anything to do 04:50 with the sinful pleasures in this world. 04:52 They pull together, they are unified amongst themselves 04:55 but they are separated from the things in this world. 04:57 That's what God is looking for 04:59 a snowflake unity amongst His people. 05:02 What I want to do today 05:03 is I want to take a look at two stories from the Bible 05:06 and I want to look at a scenario of disunity 05:09 amongst some of God's people. 05:11 And then I want to look at another scenario of unity 05:13 amongst God's people. 05:14 And I want to look at these two scenarios and see 05:17 what we can learn about these two stories 05:20 and how it made an impact on their life. 05:23 Let's begin in Mark Chapter 9 05:25 and we are gonna begin reading in verse 30. 05:26 The Bible says this, "And they departed thence, 05:29 and passed through Galilee; 05:31 and he would not that any man should know it. 05:34 For he taught his disciples, and said unto them" 05:37 listen to what Jesus is gonna teach his disciples. 05:39 "The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, 05:42 and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, 05:46 he shall rise the third day. 05:48 But they understood not that saying, 05:52 and were afraid to ask him." 05:56 Now, the question that I ask myself is why is it 05:59 that the disciples did not understand this lesson 06:02 that God was trying to teach them. 06:03 That Jesus was trying to teach them. 06:04 They are traveling along the way, 06:06 He is teaching them a lesson that one day 06:08 that He will be betrayed into the hands of men, 06:10 that He would be killed, that He would be crucified. 06:12 Now, is this an important lesson 06:14 for the disciples to learn or not. 06:16 I believe that it's a very important lesson that 06:18 they were-- that they needed to learn 06:20 that soon Jesus would be crucified, 06:22 that their Master, their Messiah, 06:24 the one that they were following around 06:25 would soon one day be crucified. 06:27 It's a very important lesson but the Bible says 06:30 that they understood it not. 06:33 Now, the question that I ask myself right away, 06:35 immediately the question that I ask myself is 06:37 why didn't they understand this lesson? 06:39 Why was it that they did not understand the lesson 06:41 that Jesus was trying to teach them? 06:43 What was it that prohibited them 06:45 from having a full knowledge of this lesson 06:47 that Jesus was trying to teach. 06:49 Well, let's continue in this passage of scripture 06:51 and see what else the Bible reveals to us in the story. 06:53 It goes on and it says, "And he came to Capernaum, 06:57 and being in the house he asked them, 07:00 What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way? 07:05 But they held their peace, for by the way" listen to this, 07:09 "they had disputed among themselves, 07:12 who should be the greatest." 07:15 So, friends, what do we find out here is that 07:17 as they were traveling along that road 07:19 and Jesus was instructing them this very important lesson, 07:21 the Bible says that they were disputing among themselves, 07:24 they were arguing amongst themselves, 07:25 they were saying I'm going to be the greatest. 07:27 I'm gonna sit on the right hand of God, 07:28 I'm gonna sit on the right, I'm gonna be the best, 07:30 I'm gonna be the highest in the kingdom of heaven. 07:32 They were busy arguing amongst themselves 07:34 who would be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 07:37 As a result of their arguing about 07:40 who would be the greatest, 07:41 they missed out on a very important lesson 07:45 that God or Jesus was trying to teach them. 07:48 Now, I think about this and I ask myself the question. 07:52 How many lessons do we not learn and understand 07:58 as a result of may be some disunity 08:00 that we have in our family, 08:02 amongst our friends at our job in our churches? 08:06 How many lessons do we miss out? 08:08 How many important instructions 08:09 as God try to give His people but we miss out on them 08:12 because of the disunity amongst us? 08:14 Friends, God is trying to teach us 08:16 very important lessons and it's important 08:18 for each one of us to have a snowflake unity, 08:21 a unity that is spoken about in Psalms 133:1 08:24 that it's good and pleasant for God's people 08:26 to dwell together in unity. 08:28 We need to have a unity amongst ourselves 08:30 in order for us to properly understand 08:33 some of the lessons that God is trying to teach us. 08:36 Now, I ask you another question. 08:38 How effective do you think 08:41 the disciples were in witnessing for Jesus 08:44 at this point time in their life? 08:47 It's obvious that they were very ineffective 08:49 in their witness for God. 08:50 In fact they might have been not being a good witness. 08:53 In fact they probably were witnessing 08:55 of repelling people away from God 08:57 instead of drawing them to God 08:58 because of their pride and their arrogance 09:01 and their desire to be number one. 09:03 Friends, they were un-- 09:05 they were unusual in evangelism, 09:07 they were ineffective in their evangelism why? 09:09 Because they had a disunity amongst themselves. 09:12 You know, I believe that sometimes 09:13 we as God's people are not as effective 09:16 in outreach to others and sharing God's word 09:19 to the lost people in this world, 09:21 that we are not as effective as we could possibly be 09:23 because of disunity amongst the people of God. 09:28 Are you starting to see the scenario 09:29 in how it's being painted here on the Bible 09:31 about how we need to have a unity amongst God's people, 09:35 so that we can learn the lessons 09:36 that God is trying to teach us 09:38 and so that we can have a better opportunity 09:40 in reaching out to other people 09:42 and be a more appropriate witness for God. 09:43 Now, I want to look at another example, 09:45 another experience here amongst the disciples 09:47 and we are gonna turn to Acts Chapter 1 09:49 and we are gonna begin in verse 4 and 5. 09:51 Notice what the Bible says here, 09:53 " And, being assembled together with them, commanded them..." 09:56 Now, this is Jesus talking to the disciples, 09:58 "that they should not depart from Jerusalem, 10:00 but wait for the promise of the Father, 10:02 which, saith he, ye have heard of me. 10:06 For John truly baptized with water; 10:08 but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost 10:10 not many days hence." 10:13 The Bible tells us here that Jesus is once again 10:15 instructing His disciples, He is saying 10:17 don't leave Jerusalem, don't go away 10:19 because John truly baptized with water 10:21 but you're gonna be baptized with a baptism 10:23 what the Bible calls the Holy Spirit. 10:25 So in both scenarios we see that 10:26 Jesus is teaching the disciples, 10:27 He is teaching them in the other scenario, 10:29 they did not learn the lesson. 10:30 He is teaching them again, here we ask ourselves a question. 10:32 Did they learn the lesson this time? 10:34 We continue verses 12 through 14 10:36 in Acts Chapter 1 says, 10:38 "Then returned they unto Jerusalem..." 10:40 Notice they follow Jesus' teaching. 10:41 "They return to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, 10:45 which is from Jerusalem a Sabbath day's journey. 10:47 And when they were come in, 10:49 they went up into an upper room, 10:52 where abode both Peter, and James, and John, 10:54 and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, 10:57 and Matthew, James the son, and it goes on, Simon Zelotes, 11:01 and Judas the brother of James." 11:03 It continues here and it says, 11:04 "These all continued with one accord 11:07 in prayer and supplication, with the women, 11:09 and Mary the mother of Jesus, with his brethren." 11:13 Notice what the Bible says here. 11:14 It says that they continued here in what? 11:17 It says in one accord. 11:19 They followed Jesus' teaching of go into Jerusalem, 11:22 go into Jerusalem the way Jesus asked them to go. 11:25 They listened to His teaching 11:26 and when they got there the Bible says, 11:28 that they all continued there together in one accord. 11:32 So one Scenario you had disunity 11:34 and in other scenario you have unity 11:36 and them coming together in one accord. 11:38 What was the result of their unity? 11:40 You probably understand the story in Acts Chapter 2 11:43 about how they had this powerful experience 11:46 what we call the day of Pentecost. 11:48 Let's take a look at it, Acts 2: 1 through 4 11:51 the Bible says this, 11:53 "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, 11:55 they were all with one accord in one place. 11:58 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven 12:01 as of a rushing mighty wind, 12:03 and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 12:06 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, 12:11 and it sat upon each of them. 12:12 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost," 12:15 the Bible says, "and began to speak with other tongues, 12:19 as the Spirit gave them utterance." 12:22 Notice what happened here friends, 12:23 they were together in unity, 12:24 they were in that, in that upper room in Jerusalem 12:26 they were there the Bible says, 12:28 continuing in one accord and as they were there 12:30 on the day of Pentecost in one accord, 12:31 the Bible tells us that the Spirit of God, 12:33 the Holy Spirit was poured out upon them in a mighty way 12:37 and the Bible says that they all began to speak in tongues. 12:40 They began to speak in different languages 12:42 so that other people could understand 12:44 what they were teaching. 12:45 Now they weren't doing this, they weren't, 12:47 they weren't speaking in some unknown tongue 12:49 but they were speaking in a tongue 12:50 where people could understand them 12:52 as Peter got up on that day of Pentecost 12:54 and he preached that powerful message, 12:55 he preached that message from the bottom of his heart 12:58 about Jesus being the Messiah and all the truth 13:01 that Jesus had taught while He was here. 13:02 As he got up and preached that truth, my friends, 13:04 people's hearts were moved, people's hearts were touched 13:07 and even though where there are people there 13:08 of many different languages and many different dialects, 13:11 they all understood in their own tongue 13:13 as Peter preached to them 13:14 on that powerful day of Pentecost 13:16 and notice what the Bible tells us 13:17 the result was in Acts 2:41. 13:20 The Bible says, "Then they that gladly received his word 13:24 were baptized and the same day 13:26 there were added unto them about three thousand souls." 13:29 As a result of the disciples unity, 13:31 as a result of them coming together 13:33 and putting aside their differences, 13:35 coming together in one accord 13:36 the Bible says in Acts Chapter 1 13:38 as they are coming together in that unity 13:41 the Bible tells us that the result of that unity, 13:44 the result of that might I says snowflakes unity 13:47 amongst God's disciples was the baptism of 3,000 souls. 13:52 The baptism of 3,000 people gave their hearts to God, 13:55 they gave their hearts completely over to them 13:57 as a result of their unity amongst themselves. 14:01 Allowing God to use them, allowing God to fill them 14:03 with the Holy Spirit, they were used by God. 14:06 Now, let me ask you a question as a result of their unity here 14:09 how effective were they in evangelism? 14:11 How effective were they in witnessing to other people? 14:13 They were very effective as we have just read 14:15 in baptizing 3,000 people in one day. 14:19 Do you see the difference when God's people are unified 14:22 and when God's people are disunified? 14:24 When God's people are disunified 14:25 we are ineffective, 14:26 we don't learn lessons that God wants us to learn. 14:28 When God's people are unified 14:30 they are effective in witnessing 14:31 and they learn the lessons and receive the gifts 14:34 that God wants to give to each one, everyone of them. 14:36 I ask you a question once again. 14:38 Do you have unity amongst your family? 14:41 Do you have unity amongst your friends? 14:43 Are you unified at your church? Are you unified at your work? 14:46 Is there a unity that's taking place amongst you 14:49 as part of God's people, 14:50 as part of God's remnant church? 14:53 Is there a unity that's taking place 14:54 amongst your brothers and sisters? 14:56 I plead with each and every person 14:58 that I share this message with, 14:59 that they would put aside their differences 15:01 and that we will come together in unity. 15:03 Now, when we come together in unity 15:04 we don't compromise truth, we never compromise truth, 15:07 but we always come together and unify. 15:10 The thing that unifies God's people, 15:12 the thing that brings us into unity 15:14 is following a plain thus saith the Lord. 15:18 We never compromise truth for the sake of unity friends 15:21 but we always hold up the Bible 15:22 and the Bible will lead God's people to unity 15:24 if we go by the Bible and the Bible alone. 15:27 I would like to continue our study 15:29 and look at this idea of unity 15:31 from another book of the Bible in Philippians 15:33 we are going to the 2 Chapter and the 2 verse. 15:35 Notice what the Bible says here, 15:37 "Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, 15:40 having the same love, 15:42 being of one accord, of one mind." 15:46 Paul here is talking to the people 15:48 as he is writing this book here the Book of Philippians. 15:52 As he is writing to those people 15:53 there he is saying fullfil ye my joy, 15:55 that ye be likeminded, that you be unified 15:57 that you come together in like mindedness, 16:00 that was the thing that brought joy to Paul. 16:02 And I might add it that was the thing 16:03 that brings joy to God, that's the thing 16:05 that brings joy to God's people 16:07 as that they are unified under Him. 16:10 friends, God is pleased, God has joy inside of His heart 16:15 when His people are unified under the truth of His word. 16:18 We continue this passage of scripture in verse 3 and 4 16:20 of Philippians Chapter 2, it says, 16:22 "Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory, 16:25 but in lowliness of mind 16:27 let each esteem other better than themselves. 16:30 Look not every man on his own things, 16:33 but every man also on the things of others." 16:36 The Bible tells us here, 16:37 let nothing be done through strife or vainglory. 16:40 In other words, we are not to be pushing our way 16:42 through the crowd and claiming that 16:44 we are the best that we are the best person, 16:46 nothing is to be done through strife or vainglory 16:48 but in lowliness of mind the Bible says, In other words, 16:50 we are to have humble minds, meek minds, humble minds 16:54 that are fashion like on to God. 16:56 Let's go in this passage and look what it says, 16:59 verse 5 through 8 it says, this, 17:01 "Let this mind be in you..." 17:02 Now, you know where I've got my sermon entitle from. 17:05 "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, 17:08 Who, being in the form of God, 17:10 thought it not robbery to be equal with God, 17:12 But made himself of no reputation, 17:15 and took upon him the form of a servant, 17:17 and was made in the likeness of men, 17:19 And being found in fashion as a man, 17:21 he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, 17:24 even the death of the cross." 17:27 The Bible says, that we are to have a mind like Jesus. 17:32 It says, let this mind be in you 17:33 which was also in Christ Jesus who took on the form of man. 17:37 The Bible says, that He took on the form of man. 17:40 Now, just think about that God becoming a man. 17:44 I believe that it was-- 17:45 that it was a tremendous thing for God to give up, 17:47 for Jesus to give up his Godship and become 17:49 a man to be fashion like men, He was still God 17:52 but He was also a man, he took the form of a man, 17:54 He has now become the Bible says 17:57 that Jesus had a mind that was humble, 17:59 He humbled Himself, He had a humble mind. 18:02 Friends, the key ingredient, listen to me now, 18:04 the key ingredient to being unified in God's church. 18:08 The key ingredient that unifies God's people is humility. 18:13 The key ingredient that brings us together, 18:15 that draws us together as God's people 18:17 is having a humble heart and as the Bible says, 18:21 let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus. 18:24 We see that Jesus had a humble heart, 18:26 Jesus had a humble mind, 18:27 He had a humble way of thinking and the Bible says 18:30 that mind is to be in your mind and to be in my mind, 18:34 God wants His people to be humble. 18:38 How do you think of yourself? 18:40 Do you think of yourself as may be the best person? 18:43 Do you think of yourself as somebody that is 18:45 highly thought of in society? 18:47 Do you think of yourself as maybe 18:49 one of the better people at your job, 18:51 one of the better people in your church, 18:53 one of the better people among your family? 18:54 Do you think highly of yourself 18:55 or do you have the mind of Jesus 18:57 who had a lowly humble mind? 19:00 You see, friends, if we put aside our pride, 19:02 if we put aside our differences. 19:03 If we put aside that pride 19:05 that is what's gonna bring people together in unity. 19:08 Unity under the truth of God's word, 19:10 not unity under our compromised truth 19:11 but unity under the truth of God's word 19:13 if we put aside our differences 19:15 and humble our self, God will unify His people. 19:21 I'd like to share with you a passage of scripture 19:22 where Jesus is praying 19:24 for His disciples and His followers. 19:26 It's a prayer that He is praying to His Father 19:29 and I want to show you what it is 19:30 that Jesus was praying for when He spent that time 19:33 praying to His Father about His followers. 19:36 Notice what the Bible says here in John 17: 11, 19:41 "And now I am no more in the world, 19:44 but these are in the world, and I come to thee. 19:48 Holy Father, keep through thine own name 19:50 those whom thou hast given me, 19:53 that they may be one, as we are." 19:57 Notice the prayer here that Jesus is praying to His Father. 20:00 When Jesus was spending some time praying to God 20:03 on your behalf and on my behalf. 20:06 He prayed to God and He said Father, 20:08 I pray that these my disciples, my followers, 20:11 that they may be one as we are one as You Father 20:16 and I had a loving unified relationship together. 20:20 I'm praying that My disciples that My followers 20:22 will have a similar experience in their unity. 20:25 Now, I don't know about you, 20:26 but when I think about this thought, 20:27 it's a pretty heavy thought thinking about 20:30 having a unified experience like Jesus and the Father. 20:33 When you look at the Bible, when you study the Bible, 20:34 you see that Jesus and the Father 20:37 had an incredible relationship that Jesus and the Father 20:40 the Bible says, Jesus tells us 20:42 that He and the Father were never separated 20:44 even though they were separated through distance. 20:46 They were still unified together, 20:47 they still had a tight relationship together 20:49 through prayer and through studying the Bible 20:51 and through meditation on God's word. 20:53 Jesus and the Father had a close relationship. 20:56 And Jesus is here praying to God 20:58 and He is saying listen, Father, I want My disciples, 21:01 My followers to have a similar type of unity, 21:03 a similar type of experience 21:05 as you and I have in experience. 21:08 Notice what the passage goes on to say in verses 20 through 23. 21:11 Jesus continues His prayer, 21:13 "Neither pray I for these alone, 21:15 but for them also 21:17 which shall believe on me through their word, 21:19 That they all may be one, as thou, Father, art in me, 21:23 and I in thee, that they also may be one in us, 21:29 that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 21:32 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them, 21:35 that they may be one, even as we are one, 21:39 I in them, and thou in me, 21:42 that they may be perfect in one, 21:45 and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, 21:48 and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me." 21:53 Do you see Jesus' theme recurring over 21:55 and over again here as He is praying to His Father. 21:58 The thing that He is praying for 21:59 He repeats it over and over again 22:01 that they may be one as we are one, 22:02 that they may be one as we are one. 22:04 Father, I pray for My children, My disciples 22:07 that they would have a unity 22:09 similar to the unity that You and I have. 22:12 I ask you the question once again? 22:15 Do you have unity in your home? Do you have unity in your job? 22:18 Do you have unity amongst your family? 22:20 Do you have unity amongst your friends? 22:21 Do you have a unity in your unit, 22:24 in your sphere of influence, do you have a unity? 22:27 Friends, God is looking, He is looking out over the world, 22:30 He is looking for a group of people 22:32 that are unified amongst themselves 22:35 but separate from every other thing in this world 22:38 and I don't know about you 22:39 but I want to be part of that group of people 22:41 that are unified with God, 22:43 that are unified under His banner, 22:45 that are unified together with Him and Him alone. 22:49 Unified under that banner of truth, 22:51 that comes from His word. 22:53 I would like to read a quotation to you. 22:56 This quotation comes from 6th volume of the Testimonies, 22:59 page 151 and this is paragraph two. 23:02 Notice what Ellen White says, 23:04 as she comments on this prayer of Jesus. 23:06 She is commenting on the prayer 23:07 that Jesus just prayed that we have just read. 23:09 Notice what she says, 23:12 "Satan works to make the prayer of Christ of none effect." 23:16 Did you catch that? 23:18 She is saying here that Satan's job 23:20 he is working his thing that he spends his energy on 23:24 is to make the prayer of Christ of none effect. 23:27 In other words, he is wanting to make this prayer 23:28 that Christ has been praying 23:30 to have a unity amongst his people, 23:32 he is trying to work to make that prayer of none effect. 23:35 Notice, what she goes on to say, 23:36 she says this, "He makes continual efforts 23:40 to create bitterness and discord." 23:44 Do you understand why now 23:45 you struggle with unity in your family? 23:47 Do you understand why now sometimes there is bitterness 23:50 and discord amongst your family, 23:51 amongst your friends, amongst young church members? 23:54 It's because she is telling us 23:56 that Satan is working to create bitterness 23:59 and discord amongst God's people, 24:00 because she goes on to say, she says this, 24:03 "For where there is unity there is strength." 24:06 She says, when there is a unity amongst God's people, 24:08 when there is a unity amongst these people, 24:10 she says that there is strength. 24:13 And notice what she says here in closing, 24:15 "A oneness which all the powers of hell cannot break." 24:21 Do you see the power behind having a Christ like unity? 24:25 She says that Satan is working to create bitterness 24:27 and discord amongst God's people 24:29 because he knows that when God's people are unified, 24:32 when Satan sees a unified family, 24:35 when Satan sees a unified church, 24:37 when Satan sees a unified group of people 24:39 that are unified under the inspiration of God's word 24:41 under the truth of God's word, 24:42 when he sees that unified people, 24:45 I can think in my mind that he trembles and he is scared 24:49 and he does not want to see them unified. 24:52 So he works, he sends out all of his angels 24:55 to go out there and to create bitterness and discord 24:58 to play in their minds 24:59 to think bad thoughts about other people, 25:01 to think bad thoughts about their pastor, 25:02 to think bad thoughts about their wife, 25:04 to think bad thoughts about their husband, 25:06 their children, their family members, 25:07 their church family, whatever it maybe 25:09 he goes out there to create bitterness 25:11 and discord amongst God's people 25:12 because he does not want to see that power, 25:15 that power that all of the powers of hell 25:17 cannot break that power, my friends, 25:19 lies in unity amongst God's people. 25:21 I don't know about you 25:22 but I want to make, I want to have, 25:23 I want to be part of a snowstorm on hell 25:29 that will not, that will cause Satan to tremble 25:32 that will not that will make his efforts in this world 25:35 none and void, null and void 25:37 that will make them become just effortless. 25:40 I want to be part of that group of people 25:42 that come together under a Christ like unity 25:45 just like they were on the day of Pentecost. 25:46 And brothers and sisters, I'm suggesting to you today, 25:49 that if we are unified under the truth of God's Word, 25:51 if we come together in unity under Christ 25:54 that we will have a similar experience 25:56 that they had on a day of Pentecost. 25:58 There will be a similar experience 25:59 where God's people will be so unified 26:01 where they would draw together in such a mighty way 26:03 that friends there will be a powerful impact felt 26:06 throughout this whole world and I want to be part of it, 26:09 what about you? 26:10 How many of you would like to say, 26:11 I want to set aside my differences. 26:14 I want to set aside my differences 26:15 and be unified with my friends, my family, 26:18 my church family under the truth of God's Word. 26:22 I want to come together and say, brothers and sisters, 26:25 let's be unified under the truth of God's word. 26:28 How many of you want to be part of that movement of people? 26:31 That will make a powerful impact on this world 26:32 just like they did on the day of Pentecost. 26:34 You know, the Bible tells us, that God is love, 26:39 that God is the source of unity. 26:42 Love, if you have love for one another 26:44 we will come together and have a unity. 26:46 Jesus God is the source of unity. 26:48 And you know what, friends, the more we keep our eyes, 26:50 listen to me, now this is important point, 26:52 the more we keep our eyes focused on Christ. 26:54 The more we keep our eyes focused on God's word. 26:56 The more we keep our eyes 26:57 focused on the character of Christ. 26:59 The Bible tells us that we will come together 27:02 as we keep our eyes focused on Him, 27:04 it would just draw us together 27:06 because if you are focused on Christ 27:08 and I'm focused on Christ that's gonna draw us 27:10 on all together in a snowflake unity. 27:14 How many of you today would like to be 27:15 part of that group of people? 27:17 Be part of that movement 27:18 that is unified under the banner of Christ 27:20 and be an effective witness for Him, 27:22 to be an effective sharer of God's word 27:25 to the people in this world, 27:26 how many of you would like to be part of that unity 27:28 that snowflake unity 27:30 that's gonna make a powerful impact across the world, 27:32 that's gonna shake this world to its very chore, 27:35 How many of you would like to be a part of that? 27:36 I don't know about you 27:37 but I want to be part of that friends. 27:39 And if that's your desire, if it's your desire to say, 27:41 God I want to be unified, I know there is a disunity 27:43 amongst my family, my church family, 27:45 I want to be unified under Your banner. 27:47 If that's your desire to be unified 27:48 under the truth of God's Word, 27:49 I just asked that you'd kneel down and pray 27:51 and commit your life to God and live a more unified life. |
Revised 2014-12-17