The Power of Unity

Takes the guess work out of life because you wanted that since Dr. Tony Evans talked about the problems that result when croup becomes nothing more than a matter of opinion action celebrating faithfulness.

This is the alternative Dr. Tony Evans authored speaker, senior pastor of Oakland Bible Fellowship in Dallas Texas and president of the urban alternative in modern culture. The true has been replaced by my truth or your true but today Dr. Evans explains why the path to unity begins when we recognize the authority of God's truth must join him as he explains America's desire to be one nation under God is quickly becoming instead of being the United States. The divided states and everywhere you look. Division is a caring we know all aware of the ongoing racial divide the divisions within our own homes and families. 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 fisheries 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. I'm praying for all of those who will come after you 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 any of prayer to his father about his disciples is about the power of unity. Please notice with me to 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 God in them.

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.

Since he is concerned about unity and oneness.

Let's clarify what it means because everybody that 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 when the cowboys line up different positions by different people with different backgrounds, but there is only one goal line so all these differences that exist the positions of persons that pointed toward that one direction to that one goal line 4 bed differences are designed to achieve a purpose. So unity is purposeful, apart from sin is okay for folk to be different than you.

Differences are absolutely critical, absolutely essential and eternally determined.

So when you try to change folk apart from sin, you want God in their life and God is 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 and 1975 them in the truth.

Your word is truth. Verse 19 for Bass Lake.

I sanctify myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth his gospel is that there might be oneness to oneness is sanctification in the truth.

Put another way, there is no truth that can be no legitimate unity apparently significant if there is no 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 today where everybody's got an idea about everything and we base our decisions on our own ideologies and ideas about my truth and you talk about your true when you got everybody would know truth you got everybody with the direction we got everybody would know 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. Truth lives outside of you. We call an objective truth. It is true whether you like it or not, want to not accept it 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 to be believing a lot.

Thinking it's true and if you believe in the lab, thinking it's true and you operate on the blade. That's not the truth and a 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 a and wonder why things are not working out because we believe it to be true as an objective standard by which reality is measured and he says beside the side with the truth.

Sanctified means to be set apart for the purpose Jesus says I was sanctify. I sanctify myself verse 19 I set myself apart base word to truth to fulfill the purpose that God has a God he now sanctify them the same sanctify by the true say to and I'm sure 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 own a pilot dancing with my life on the flight documents that I think this is the place, and it is not well cut, find it changed some certainty in the basement you open all go to a pharmacist in the promises of one's medicine in here and I think this will help you how to choose from, just to supplement it comes up is best guess about your medicine. You will go to another pharmacy will talk to another pharmacist because when human life is at stake folk guess in Mitchell's life.

God doesn't want to guess at which a life truth takes the guesswork out of life because you are operating on an absolute standard that sits outside of you. Dr. Evans will come back with more of our message just a moment, including a look at how we know absolute truth actually exists right now though, he's here to share thought about writing this 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 the 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 creations to show the breath of his wisdom, the breath of his glory about the same thing happens with Ray Scoggins to show the breath of his creative genius when it 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, but getting things done in our hearts in our churches and in our communities would like to send you this powerful book is our gift along with all six full-length CDs and digital downloads from Tony's current serious race, culture, and Christ, all with our appreciation for your contribution to help us keep Tony's teaching coming your way on the station. This special offer ends tomorrow so visit us right away@tonyevans.org or give us a call anytime day or night at 1-800-800-3222 that's 1-800-800-3222. I'll repeat that information for you when Dr. Evans returns with more of today's lesson right after that. So as we come into the celebration of our 40th year since the beginning of the urban alternative. Words cannot express my gratitude to God for his faithfulness to the development of this ministry. Little did I know when we began with cassette tapes and we were bagging them up because people were requesting the sermons that he would take humble beginnings and turn it into an international ministry now 1400 stations daily and 30 countries around the world reaching hundreds and hundreds of thousands of people with the truth of God. I am humbled by his faithfulness to me and took us to the urban alternative and I'm certainly grateful for all the frenzies given us who been faithful to praise God for 40 years of his fame. The urban alternative is celebrating 40 years of God's faithfulness.

Look forward to his continued guidance in the future and I'll back to Dr. Evans with part two today's message 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's a whole bunch and their number one. He says truth exist.

You shall know it. Secondly he says the truth that exists. You got annoyed before I can for you. So just because it doesn't mean you have an everyday language. Truth is God's view on any subject matter you want to just be wrong when 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 going to ally, disagrees with God, guess what God played the dozens went on Obama your mom is a liar. If you disagree what God, God said about your posse liars disagrees with God and God said here and I know how many people believe it meant having people vote.net how many people feel it. Think about it now is in society and not operating on the truth can be set free.

So unity but not all rates with that. You know, if in fact you want to see him manifest himself to you now watch this gives a warning because he knows that these unity can be interrupted and so he says, verse 14. I am given them your word and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, even as I am not oh, the world.

Verse 16 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 the world. The world is defined as that system headed by Satan. That leaves God out is that system rated by the devil.

Same with me here that wants to get God meaningfully the conversation without getting rid of God's name Satan line God's name as long as it's not God's truth about Adam and Eve, God gave them word the last verse of chapter 2 says management is on and the two shall become one oneness word one unity will be unified and live happily ever after the next virus select shows up in the garden that will soon and said God said the first you would be the devil about God, God said, and so he twisted the word of God so that was agreed upon earlier destroys the whole destroys the relationships destroys the kids wind up the stronghold because the truth got the devil he knows if he can keep you from the truth can break up the unity can break up the unity to keep God away because God cannot operate in disunity. So Satan is, after removing it and it's it's a kingdom issue because in Matthew chapter 12 verses 25 to 29 Jesus as a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand.

He said the same cast of Satan and Satan can be strong. She goes on and says 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'm going to create disunity because I want to disrupt the kingdom and a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand. Genesis 11 one.

Tower of Babel says all the world, spoke with one voice unified. They came up with one plan to build a civilization with one religion they build a ziggurat 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 can 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 so have it out. Don't think any of us if we all that would degree you have what you have, what money you have a car you drive… Come down you so much. It comes down to see what the sons of men have built and when God sees that they want to build a civilization without pieces. Let us divide this thing but this thing missing is the reason we go 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 a 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.

Where there is unity you get to see God show up, you get to see God invade the circumstance that you get to see God in facial 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 are operating on other folk testimony about how real God is powerful. God is strong God. If we depend on what God said to Jaime because he never talks to us, but it is based on the troops in unity that you shall not make God show – Jesus show to change things so 133 13 things God loves the unity of his people out of the unity he will command the blessing know what is the only place in the Bible that I'm aware of God talks about commanding commanders you better do it commanders a command means that you have an option not a legitimate option.

So God tells blessings. When the come when stop. He says when I see you blessing what to do my thing is God's will me tell you what to send down some where I have a problem command the blessing and the blessing has no choice but when you will cause operating doctrines current teaching series race, culture in Christ is a collection of messages reminding us that class and background are unimportant to those who belong to God's kingdom that only through approaching life God's way. Can we truly move past bigotry and racism once and for all.

All six full-length messages from this series will be yours as a thank you gift along with the powerful best-selling book. He spoke about earlier today. Oneness embraced.

Get details right now and make your request by calling our 24-hour resource Center at 1-800-800-3222 that's 1-800-800-3222 or visit Toni's.org to make the arrangements online again that's Tony Avenue and start OR a it's become common to acknowledge racism in our culture, but tomorrow Dr. Evans will point out that cultural evils are rooted in spiritual sins that overcoming them requires embracing a lesson learned at the cross of Christ I hope will be with the alternative with Dr. Tony Avenue and vacuum I think of an alternative celebrating 40 years of faithfulness, thanks to the generous contributions of listeners like you