The Power of Unity

Take life outside of Dr. Tony Evans talks about the problems the truth becomes nothing more than a matter of what direction you don't. This is the alternative with Dr. Tony Speicher, pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas Texas and president of the urban alternative in modern culture. The true has been replaced by my truth or your truth.

But today Dr. Evans explains why the path to unity begins when we recognize the authority of God's truth. Let's join him as he explains about as one nation under God is quickly becoming instead of being the United States. The divided states and everywhere you look. Division is a caring, presidential candidates talk about uniting the nation while they fight. We know all aware of the ongoing racial divide the divisions within our own homes and families and the divisions keep growing.

No matter what efforts are to seek to heal.

Jesus Christ prayed a prayer the longest recorded prayer in the Bible that he prayed found in St. John chapter 17 and in that prayer. He's going to give you and me a secret. He's going to tell us something that will be life transforming.

In light of all the divides that we're facing today all the schisms in the fishers that are separating us in Jesus's discourse. He is about to be arrested and getting ready to come and arrest him within 24 hours and begin the process of taking them to the cross.

On this day before his arrest, he gathers his disciples together and gives them final words before his departure, knowing what was to come.

And as he concluded his time with them.

Knowing that the moment of his arrest and crucifixion was was nine, he prayed for them. Chapter 17 of John is that prayer, but he says I'm not only praying for you on praying for all of those who come after you who believe on me because of your word, so another words the prayer wasn't just for them.

It was for all Christians. So Jesus's plan is for you and me and that prayer is a secret. I called the secret because I don't think we've fully gotten the impact of what Jesus shares with them and with us because the secret he is going to disclose in his prayer to his father about his disciples is about the power of unity. Please notice with me just some of the references.

For example, in verse 11 it says at the end of the verse that they may be one even as we are in verse 21 he begins by saying that they may all be one in verse 22. He ended by saying that they may be one, just as we are one in the beginning of verse 23 I am damn you and me, that they may be perfected in unity, so as you can see, Jesus Christ is poorly concerning his prayer for his father that his followers emulate the oneness that he possesses with his own father, and you'll see why as we go along, because if you get this secret.

I call it. Really could be life transforming sense is concerned about unity and oneness. Let's clarify what it means because everybody don't define this word the same way Jesus makes it clear what he means. He says I want them to be one like you and I'll so whatever unity is he wants us to have.

It was to be a replica of the unity he himself possesses with his own father. What this unity mean look at verse four I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work which you have given me to do unity has to do with the oneness of purpose. I completed the work you have left me here to do. Unity is not saying this where everybody the same, it is distinctiveness going in the same direction.

In order to achieve a common purpose. Unity is purpose driven, not persons driven in this unity of purpose. There is a key element in order for the unity of purpose to occur. Notice what Jesus says in verse 17 to 1975 naming the truth.

Your word is truth. Verse 19 for Bass Lake I think about myself that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth, his growl is that there might be oneness the wrong to oneness is sanctification in the truth of what if there is no truth that can be no legitimate unity if there is, and if there is no truth, you cannot arrive at legitimate unity because God only responds to the truth which means you gotta know what the truth is we live in the world today are probabilities of potentialities preferences. We live in a world of day when everybody's got an idea about everything and we base our decisions on our own ideologies and ideas. You hear people talk about my truth and you talk about your truth when you got everybody would build truth you got everybody with the direction we got about with no direction you have unity you don't have unity you don't have God remember the biblical definition of truth. It is an absolute standard by which reality is measured.

Truth lives outside of you say that again true lives outside of you. We call an objective truth. It is true whether you like it or not, one of the not accepted or not. Believe it or not Diana match if it's true, it's truth because you believe it doesn't make it true.

Just means it's you believe it could be believing a lot.

Thinking it's true and if you bloom a lot. Thinking it's true and you operate on your plate. That's not the truth lie and will be led to ally into falsehood thinking what the truth during the trip and a lot of us are living our lives on ally and wonder why things are not working out because we believe it to be true.

Truth as an objective standard by which reality is measured and he says I will be sanctified with the truth. Sanctified means to be set apart for a purpose. Jesus says I was sanctified I sanctify myself verse 19 I set myself apart based on the word to the truth to fulfill the purpose that God has a God, he announced that sanctified them the same sanctified by the truth to say to an onshore pilot who says I think this is the button push to get this plane off the ground. I think I think I am not sure but I is my best guess I'll know about you but I'm changing planes because I don't want a pilot dancing with my life on the flight documents that I think this is the place, and if it's not a well cut, find it will change doctors some certainty in the basement you open all go to a pharmacist in the promises of one's Lotta medicine in here and I think this will help you know there's a lot to choose from but just to supplement it comes up is best guess about your medicine. You will go to another pharmacy you will talk to another pharmacist because when your life is at stake. Jessica Mitchell life. God doesn't want to guess at which your life. Truth takes the guesswork out of life because you are operating on an absolute standard that sits outside of you driven to come back with more of our message in just a moment, including a look at how we know that absolute truth actually exists right now though he sure does your thought about writing his book oneness embraced the perfect follow-up for what were learning today. Well, that was really a book from the hardware I deal directly with the race issue I confronted talk about the justice issues the cultural issues the political issues that informant historical issues and then we try to conclude with giving a practical strategy for transformation any community based on the word of God. So we want to not cancel out our differences but we want to embrace our uniquenesses so that we can manifest all that God had in mind when he created like he creates differences in every area of his creation to show the breath of his wisdom, the breath of his glory of the same thing happens with race. God wants to show the breath of his creative genius when he creates the racism embraced the uniqueness of your race. Just use it in concert with God's purposes. Oneness embraced explains why unity among Christians of all kinds isn't just about getting along getting things done in our hearts in our churches and in our communities request your copy of this important book@tonyevans.org. Also, the message your hearing today as part of a brand-new audio compilation called the best of Tony Gavin's 2020.

It contains 20 of Tony's most requested lessons of the past year covering the biblical antidote for worry and anxiety.

How to plant seeds for more fulfilling future how God's truth can help you fight temptation and more.

Right now we are also making available a copy of Tony's popular devotional book called for a purpose that will help you discover the fulfillment that comes from doing what you were created to do this giant collection of 20 audio messages plus the devotional book are available as our gift to help support Tony's ministry with a year-end contribution make the arrangements today by visiting Tony Evans.org or call our resource Center at one 800 832, 22 team members are standing by to help you day and night. Again, dial 1-800-800-3222 right now Dr. Evans is back with more of today's message. Let's join him. Jesus made a powerful statement and you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free. And you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free. That is a whole bunch in their number one. He says truth exist. You shall know it. Secondly he says the truth that exists. You gotta know what before I can for you.

So just because it's me. You have an everyday language. Truth is God's view on any subject matter you want to just be wrong. Would it truth is God's view on any subject matter.

As the Scripture says let God be true and every man alive. So if you disagree with… Just called you is called you a liar. If you disagree with God… About your posse liars disagrees with God and God said here and I know how many people believe it.not having people vote for that matter, how many people feel that people think about what would absolutely check for in society. God and I are not operating on the truth.

The truth can't be set free.

So is unity but not all rates with truth that you know if in fact you want to see him manifest himself to you now watch this. He gives a warning because he knows that these unity can be interrupted and so he says, verse 14.

I have given them your word and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Verse 16. They are not of the world, even as I am not. He knows that there is a system at work to keep you from the truth and that system is called of the world. The world is defined as that system headed by Satan. That leaves God out is that system illustrated by the devil. Same with me here that wants to get God moving fully out of the conversation without getting rid of God's name Satan line God's name as long as it's not God's truth.

So is not a fan of religion God's name and location benedictions go to church all the stuff but don't let his truth be the determining because the devil has a kingdom because he knows he knows some know some notes. He knows if he can keep you from the truth can break up the unity and if you can break up the unity God away because God cannot operate in disunity.

Disunity comes because of the absence of God in the absence of God always be with the loss of truth.

So save it is, after removing it and it's it's a kingdom issue because in Matthew chapter 12 verses 25 to 29 Jesus says, a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand. He said the same cast out Satan and Satan can be strong shingles. Oneness is a city divided against itself. What divided against itself is so if I was the devil.

And I want to keep God out of home go to church and your country.

What I'm going to do is I'm going to create illegitimate disunity. I want to create disunity because I want to disrupt the kingdom and a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand. Genesis 11 one Alabama says all the world, spoke with one voice they were unified they came up with one plan to build a civilization with one religion they build a cigarette.

That's a towel and he said the scholars will take us all the way to heaven. Humanism we'll get to heaven by me when only God. We just need men to come together and sing Kumbaya. No, hold hands and all that we would build a civilization. Then he says and God came down so he is a great lesson right there, no matter how high you get, God still got to come down because you ain't going to still have it out. Don't think any of us is we all that would degree you have, what time you have what money you have a car you drive… Come down you so much to it comes down to see what the sons of men have built and when God seems that they want to build a civilization without pieces. Let us divide this thing but this thing up. He says the reason we going to divided is if we let them stay unified. There is nothing that they will not be able to pull off because of the power of unity.

Remember unity is oneness of purpose, it is establishing a common goal. That's legitimate.

He says in verse 23 I in them and you in me, that they may be perfected in unity get better at it so that the world may know that you sent me and love them even as you have love me know what we went. He says when you have legitimate unity as defined biblically, the world will see something it is not seen. The world will see you love them like you loved me as a powerful statement to me.

Love is to compassionately and righteously seek the well-being of another – he says if you will be perfected in unity, God will manifest his commitment to you reset it again where there is unity. You get to see God show up, you get to see God individual circumstance that you get to see God in faith your situation you get to see God things twist things change things. Whether it's invading and emotionally elevating it circumstantially, you get to see God loving you see a lot of us are operating on other folk testimony about how real God is a powerful God is strong, God's will depend on what God said to Jaime because he never talks to us, but it is based on the truth in unity unit will show that you might show that you love God shall not die so when Jesus showed up to change things.

He says if you are unified based on the truth. You will see me use another word on this word in verse 22 the glory which you have given me I have given to them, not glory glory is when God shows off Gloria's well-being God becomes visible.

Gloria's where he enters into your situations and let you see his attributes and work Gloria's where God pains his name on a billboard so you can see that it was God. Gloria's where God is one social was… Sees God. That's why he tells a couple is in conflict to pray on that list but in first Corinthians 75. He says if you come together in unity. She says to couple says if your marriage the same way that you are physically intimate. He says if you become spiritually intimate option to notice how hot it is the privilege to make some time to play with the kids to pray with people in your life how to keep getting interrupted was uncomfortable for some of you just think that's personality your emotions. Note that Satan want to contribute is unified so God and have to shallot us with that is what in the church.

He wants to keep us from contact with God's will to God and feel comfortable showing up with that's why Jesus prayer is so big unity that the glory of God may be revealed. Psalm 133 13 says how God loves the unity of his people, for it is out of that unity he will command the blessing know what is the only place in the Bible that I'm aware of that God talks about commanding commanders you better do it commanders a command means that you have an option. So God tells blessings. When the column when stop. He says when I see you blessing what to do in the passing of God, to obey me. I tell him what to send down and when to do some is where I have a problem having command the blessing and the blessing has no choice but because operating in unity.

Dr. Tony Evans wrapping up a message on the power of unity, you can request your own CD or digital copy as a standalone lesson is a part of his new compilation the best of Tony Avenue and is 2020.

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If you contact us right away will also include a copy of his powerful book called for a purpose containing devotions that can help you overcome feelings of anxiousness, aloneness and uncertainty as you gain a better understanding of the calling God has just for you.

Visit Tony Evans.org today to get the details and make the arrangements or call our resource Center at 1-800-800-3222 were team members are ready to help you day and night. Again, that's 1-800-800-3222. In the Old Testament people offered crops and sacrificed animals to make up for the things that done wrong tomorrow. Dr. Evans will explain why the church gave up that practice and what replaced. I hope you join us, the alternative with Dr. Tony at his crotch, utilizing urban alternative is made possible by the generous contributions of listeners like