Truth Unites - Why Jesus Prayed For Unity (A Sermon on John 17)

Episode Date: July 18, 2023

This video is a sermon on John 17, where Jesus prays for unity in the church. Truth Unites exists to promote gospel assurance through theological depth. Gavin Ortlund (PhD, Fuller Theological Seminary) serves as senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Ojai. SUPPORT: Become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/truthunites One time donation: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/truthunites FOLLOW: Twitter: https://twitter.com/gavinortlund Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TruthUnitesPage/ Website: https://gavinortlund.com/

Hey everybody, this video is going to be a sermon from John 17 on Church Unity. I'm preaching this sermon as of recording this tomorrow at a gathering of different churches here in the Ohio Valley. When this comes out, it'll already be in the past. But try to share sermons every now and again. People have mentioned that there can be value in that. So I'll try to maybe once every other month or so put up a sermon. I'm also trying to do more book recommendations. If we're into summer now, if you're into it.

By the way, I'm on a six weeks sabbatical, but this and then three or four other videos will be coming out that are all pre-recorded. So if you're wondering what a video is doing up, there will still be a few coming out, but I won't be checking comments or recording anything fresh for those six weeks. Let me recommend this book, Biblical Critical Theory by Christopher Watkin. I've interviewed Christopher on my channel about this book, and I'll link to that interview as well as the book itself. People are often asking about book recommend helpful reading. This book is one of the most helpful books I've read recently. You know, we're often on the defensive when we're relating to the culture around us. This book helps us be more proactive. The basic idea is that we have to

interpret the modern world through the lens of the biblical story. And I love this idea of out-narrating the alternatives, telling a better story. We have a better story as followers of Christ. And this book is so helpful, it's very thorough. It just goes through different aspects of the biblical story and then helps interpret some of the dichotomies and eccentricities of the modern West especially through that filter. And so it's a kind of a different way of approaching the way we relate to culture. Very helpful resource. If you're looking for a book to read this summer, that would be a great one. I'll have more book recommendations in future videos as well. I want to continue to do that. I think people have requested I do that. All right, we're going to talk about in this

sermon, unity in the church from John 17. This won't be a controversial or polemical video, if anything, it'll be speaking more to Protestants and just a call and a summons to this topic from John 17. Let me take us into it by just a quick illustration. Then I'll put up the verses and read them. My wife and I met in Santa Cruz on the West Coast. We love that area. We live going back to visit. Hiking there is beautiful.

And we love the redwood trees. Redwood trees are those forests with the redwood trees are some of the most amazing. I mean, so redwood trees are the largest living things on planet Earth. Some of them are over 2,000 years old. They've been around from before the time of Christ, some of them. And they're just amazing. In one redwood tree, there can be an entire ecosystem. You know, they're so huge.

Their bark can be up to a foot thick to protect them from fire and other dangers. When you're actually there hiking, it's hard to take in just how. huge they are. One of the interesting things about redwood trees is that they don't have deep roots. Usually the bigger a tree is, the deeper the roots go because you need more support. You don't want to get top heavy, you know, and fall down when there's a wind. But redwood trees don't have deep roots. Instead, they tend to grow near other redwood trees and intertwine their roots with each other. And so they support each other. And I love this as an image. of strength through unity. We're going to return to this image throughout the sermon.

Strength and stability through unity. Okay, this is going to be what we're going to think about in the church today. Not an easy topic. But this is the idea that when we're alone or when we're segmented, there is, we are vulnerable, we are weak, but there is power in spiritual unity. When we stand together as followers of Christ, there is a power that is unleashed. There are strongholds that are loosened. The enemy loses ground and new possibilities open up for renewal and revival. Now, I have to acknowledge the difficulty of this topic right at the beginning as we get into it. C.S. Lewis once said that everybody loves forgiveness until you have to do it. And I think something similar is true with the topic of church unity. Everybody loves

church unity until you get into it and start trying to live it out. It's not easy to do. I think there are a couple of reasons for that. One of them is that we've seen unhealthy expressions of unity. So some of us have seen, for example, truth be compromised because of an appeal for unity. And because we've seen that, we are actually think this is a huge danger. Many Christians are overly guarded and cautious about talking about unity in the church. But it's a very biblical idea. We can't react to it being badly done and not talk about it at all. A second reason I think this topic can be a challenging one is that it's not simple to know what it looks like. It's actually really complicated. For example, sometimes it's hard to know what kind of expression unity should

take when there is a serious disagreement or even sin and hurt in a relationship. That's very tough. We'll talk about how Judas was alive during this prayer. It's so difficult to figure all that out. The third reason this is a challenging topic is because it's just hard to do. Unity is hard to out, it's vulnerable, and it can be uncomfortable, and we'll talk about that. And yet, of all the things, I mean, this chapter we're going to read, some of the chapter is so amazing, of all the things, Jesus prayed for. What was on the heart of Christ, on his final night in this earth? On that Thursday night, after the upper room discourse, when he's praying, this is the central

occupying theme of that prayer. This is what he prayed for. unity and we're going to learn about the spiritual power that is in unity here we'll go in three steps but let me read our passage first i'm going to read verse 11 and then skip down to verse 20 jesus prays i am no longer in the world but they are in the world that's the 12 and i am coming to you holy father keep them in your name which you have given to me that they may be one even as we are one. Now skipping down to verse 20, I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me and I in you,

that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me, I have given to them, that they may be one, even as we are one, I in them and you and me that they may become perfectly one so that the world may know that you have sent me and loved them even as you have loved me. Let's learn three things about unity. First, unity is based upon truth. Second, unity is rooted in the Trinity. And third, unity is essential for our mission. First, unity is based upon truth. I'll put this verse up again, verse 11. This is the verse that I base all of truth unites on. The whole idea of the slogan truth unites. Well, it's not the only verse, but this is the one I've thought of the most. It's just if you slow down and break it down,

it's kind of an amazing statement. Holy Father, keep them in your name that they may be one. So unity here is the result of being preserved in the name of God. Keep them in your name so that they may be one. Now the key word here is the word name. The name. The name. name of God means God's character and power as it has been revealed. So when Jesus says, your name which you have given to me, what does that mean? What name was given from the father to the son? This is talking about God's work in history revealing himself, revealing his character, revealing his power. This is essentially about the gospel, the coming of Christ. So to be kept in the name of God is to persevere in faithfulness to Jesus and his gospel. And very simple

point to start off with here, but it's so important, unity is the result of that. Unity flows out of faithfulness to the gospel. And so what that means is we don't have unity with every single person in the world. We have love for every person in the world, but unity is for those who are kept in the name of God, which has been given to Jesus Christ. In other words, unity is more than just liking people or having similar hobbies or enjoying them. Unity is an objective, spiritual reality established by what Christ has done for us, and it flows out of our union with Christ. We'll talk more about union with Christ later. Now, as I said earlier, there's so much we could get into here. For the purpose of this sermon, we're going to keep it very brief. In other contexts,

we've talked about the questions that come up from the different Christian traditions, and lots of people. I'm always honored when non-Protestants watch my YouTube channel. So we can talk about those things sometime. In this sermon, I want to keep the focus more upon a more practical appeal, especially calling Protestants to greater appreciation of unity, sometimes something we haven't always focused upon. So I'm primarily speaking to my Protestant brothers and sisters in this particular sermon. Simple point to make.

The order of priorities here is not focus upon unity and then we come to Jesus. rather it's focus upon Jesus, be preserved in his name, be faithful to him, and unity flows out of that. Unity is a natural byproduct of a radical focus upon Jesus and faithfulness to him and his gospel. I've used this illustration many times in my sermons from A.W. Tozer, it's so perfect. He says, has it ever occurred to you that 100 pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So 100 worshippers met together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be worthy to become unity conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship. This is a painful topic to preach about right now.

It's 2023. I'm recording this on July 1st, 2023. Over the last several years, as our culture has gotten more and more divided, we have to take a painful look in the mirror and realize we as the church have a lot of those same polarizations, same tensions, and same divisions. And I'm not trying to give a simple solution to that. But all of us are aware of these painful fractures and splits and escalations of suspicion and so forth and negativity and fighting and even.

hatred that have weakened us in our mission. It's like the roots of the trees have withdrawn and all the trees are now standing alone more. It really feels like that. We live in a time of disintegration and fragmentation. And that's not a simple problem and it doesn't have a simple solution. But one of the questions I've been asking, we're going to talk about as the different churches as we're gathered and that is so deep in my heart is this that I invite you to consider as well. This sermon will be really sort of invitational in this sense. What does it look like for us to re-consecrate ourselves to Christ and to each other today? What does it look like as followers of Christ to come together to re-consecrate ourselves

around the purposes of Christ right now? So like looking ahead into 2023, the second half of this year and out into the future, maybe you'll be watching this video way down in the future. but as we go forward into the 21st century, how can we reattach our roots, so to speak? Not an easy question, right? It takes discernment. For example, I've talked in other videos about the idea of theological triage, which means ranking different doctrines.

When another Christian or another Christian group denies an essential of the faith, then our unity is disrupted. also when another Christian or another Christian group sins against us and does not repent, then our unity is disrupted. As I mentioned earlier, during this prayer, Judas was still alive. Right after this prayer, Judas betrays them all. And then that has to be dealt with. So I'm not trying to paper over, you know, unity is not just a feel-good topic.

Unity is hard work. And it's also just intellectually hard. It's hard to figure out because there's different expressions of unity. It's not a simple formula. But here's the thing for our purposes, not being able to solve everything. Simple question that is helpful for us to keep coming back to. Sometimes when we are aloof from other Christians, sometimes when the roots have withdrawn and there's isolation and fragmentation,

it's not because of first-rank differences or of unrepentant sin, but it's for smaller things. A lot of the times that happens. and even other differences within the body of Christ shouldn't be minimized as though they don't have any importance. They can be very important, but it is wonderful to remember, and we have to remember, that what we have in common is more significant than what divides us. And so whatever else we do, a good prayer that I often return to is this, Lord, give me a sincere

affection for other Christians, in other denominations, in other networks. in other circles. That's not all we need. We have to then keep working through from there, but that's a great starting point. Even amidst disagreements, help me, give me an open heart. Help me to feel the importance of this. Help me to see them as my brother or my sister. You know, if we struggle with this, one of the things, and it's hard, there's Christians that you may have really strong disagreements with. And I'm not trying to say you need to like take those disagreements off the table or forget about them. They may be really important. But it does help to see the, like, the ultimate picture. One of the things I often,

find helpful is to remember that we have a common enemy in Satan. If you struggle with loving another Christian, remember how much Satan hates that person. I can help you root for them a little more. Also remember, if they are a true Christian, you will be in heaven with them forever. Helps to remember that. When you see your common enemy, it helps.

You know, I remember in the days right after 9-11, it was amazing how our infighting as a nation subsided for just a little bit. It felt like we came together for at least a little bit. It didn't last real long, but, you know, why does that happen? Well, suddenly you see there's something way bigger and you have a more, a bigger enemy. There's a bigger picture, right? I think it helps us in the body of Christ when we are working through disagreements and tensions to remember the bigger picture.

Just remember that Satan exists. you know, that's a good step. But then remember, we have a common cause in the gospel that is more important than the things that divide us. Is that, boy, challenging. Don't hear this as a condemnation or a guilt thing, but your unity in the gospel, what you have, if they're a true Christian, what you have in common through the gospel is more important than your political differences, your social differences, other things. Those things may be really important too.

but they don't disrupt this larger picture, the bigger picture, you know. The Atlantic Monthly reported an interview with three world famous singers who had performed in Los Angeles and afterwards they were all so good. They were all, you know, world-class singers. And the reporter was pressing them on how do you overcome competitiveness between the three of you? And one of them said, you have to put all your concentration into opening your heart to the music. You can't be rivals when you're together making music. I love that.

All your concentration, all your focus into opening your heart to the music. So it is in the church. Think of it like this. If all your focus, all your energy is going to praying for revival, praying for renewal in the church, praying for the advance of the gospel, it's a lot harder to be competitive with other Christians. And it just sets everything else in a different frame. You know, sometimes what it might mean is just,

Not necessarily you're getting along with that other Christian, but at least the fighting is reduced a little bit in the intensity of it. Because now my mind is so much upon the bigger picture of what we're praying for, and that's the advance of the gospel in our time. That is, we have a massive need. There is a massive need in 2003 and into the future, I think we'll probably remain this way, to re-consecrate ourselves to the truth, being preserved in the name of God, and the unity will flow out of that. That's just a helpful starting point. It's like taking stock and saying, okay, our focus is right here. We want to serve Christ.

We're reconsecrating ourselves to that. And then unity is going to spin out of that. Okay, second thing, what does that unity look like as it is manifested? Amazingly, it's the most amazing thing in this passage. It's rooted in the triune relations within the Godhead. Now, we already saw this in the qualifying phrase there in verse 11, even as we are one. Jesus is praying to the Father, so the We there is the Father and the Son. And the Father and the Son, together with the Holy Spirit, are the three persons in the Godhead.

They're all equally God, and they all have the same will and purpose in advancing the Gospel. There is no rivalry, jealousy, competition, et cetera, between the Father's Son and the Holy Spirit. Now, this is the amazing part of this passage that is so overwhelming in its implications. that is good for us to wrestle with. It's this, the kind of unity we are to have with other Christians is the same kind of unity that the persons of the Godhead have with each other. Here's how Jesus puts it a little later in verse 21, that they may all be one just as you, Father, are in me,

and I in you, that they also may be in us. Then again in verse 22, that they may be one even as we are one, I and them and you and me that they may become perfectly one. The key word here is the word in. In means close overlapping involvement. Jesus is speaking of a kind of mystical union. The key doctrine here is the doctrine of union with Christ, but the flow of thought is Jesus is in the Father.

We are in Jesus, and therefore we are one with each other. and that is the ground for our unity in the church. Our unity is a spiritual reality that we are called to live out and manifest, but God himself establishes it through our union with Christ, just as Christ is not divided. Sobering, right? So what does this mean to say, you know, when Jesus speaks of him being in the Father, there's actually a lot of implications from this,

when Jesus says, I am in the Father, the Father is in me? think of it like this. Here's just one application we can make. When you say to somebody, you are very close to me. You're saying one thing. But when you say to somebody, you are a part of me.

You're saying something else. There's a song that I like. The lyrics go, Sister, I hear you laugh. My heart fills up. Sister, when you cry, I feel your tears running down my face. That's unity.

And it's that, I mean, that song is it talking about spiritual unity, but it's an image. It helps us think about this, this idea of, I'm part of you, you're part of me. We're interconnected like the redwood trees interlocked at the roots, standing together. Have you ever loved someone so much that you say to them and you feel toward them, I can't quite tell where I end and you begin? We sort of, we're sort of interconnected and weaving in and out of each other. There's a medieval monk, Anselm, you know, I love. Anselm. I never forget reading through Anselm's letters to other monks. I learned so much from

that exercise. In some ways, even more than his theological works, he's writing to another monk named Gundulf, great medieval name. I've referenced this passage before in my video on loneliness and just how lonely our culture is. We've lost any sense of a robust doctrine of friendship. Anselm says to him, since your soul and my soul can by no means endure to be absent from each other, but are incessantly entwined together. There is nothing in us that is missing from each other except that we are not present to each other bodily. That's an amazing statement,

and I've reflected at great length about that statement elsewhere. Today, for the simple purpose of this to say, just let that stand before you as an image of the kind of love and unity of purpose. I mean, Anselm is saying in that quote, basically, the only thing that's different about us were in different bodies. It's just an amazing statement.

I mean, it sounds like the idea of paracoresis. If you know what that word means, mutual indwelling among the persons of the godhead or interpenetration among the persons of the godhead, sometimes used for the human and divine natures of Christ as well. It's almost like that. And he's talking about his friend. And the unity he has with that friend.

And it's a wonderful thought to consider in radical devotion, radical reconsecration to Christ and the purposes. of Christ today, we find relationships like that. And that is what we are called to with other Christians to stand together with one purpose and with one love. And this sort of, I can't even tell where I end and you begin because we're so close. Just as the father and the son have no jealousy, no competition between them, so also followers of Jesus should reject and fight against competition and jealousy between them.

Just as there's no coldness or distance between the father and the son, so brothers and sisters in Christ should drown out coldness and distance with love. A couple ideas for maybe how do we pursue that, because I can feel overwhelming. You know, it's like, how do I do that? It's hard, especially in the body of Christ, this is not easy. Because this is more than just like hanging out with someone that you have a bunch of hobbies with, you know. Three ideas, how to do this.

Number one, embrace your spiritual gift. It's interesting in the New Testament, spiritual gifts and unity always flow together. And this is something we learn in this passage, is that if unity is based upon the Trinity, then unity does not obliterate our differences and our distinctives, because just as the Father and the Son are distinct. So also different members of the church have distinct gifts and personalities and contributions and so forth. This is the great emphasis of 1 Corinthians 12. There's one body but many parts. If you're an extrovert at an introverted church, you don't have to change your personality

in order to have unity. If you're more charismatic in the way you express worship to God and others at your church are not, then you may have something to help them with or to at least not feel any sense of inhibition. But worship as the Holy Spirit leads you. Don't be disruptive, but don't squelch who you are out of a desire for unity. If you're passionate about mercy ministry, and your church doesn't have that on the radar screen as much, unity doesn't mean you ignore that gifting and calling and burden. Your church needs your unique contribution to serve, but it's a matter of service. It's never triumphalist. I grew up in Chicago in the 1990s, so I love watching the Bulls. Chicago Bulls. One of my favorite players of all time is Scottie Pippen,

because he was so good. He could have been the best player on so many other teams, scored many more points, but it's not easy to be on the same team as Michael Jordan in a sense, because it might feel overshadowed. But he was so good as a role player getting assists and rebounds and so forth. And I remember him talking about that once, and he said, sometimes a player's greatest challenge is coming to grips with his role on the team. That's something to think about in the body of Christ. How do I use my spiritual gift to serve others and play the role that I'm called to play?

And that will be a unique contribution. I might feel vulnerable at times. That's a part of unity. Second thing, prioritize friendships within the body of Christ. If you have struggles and burdens and secret sins in your life that nobody else knows about, you are like a redwood tree that roots are not interlocked with any other roots, and you're very vulnerable in one of the most wonderful things in life. I just had a birthday party, and I was saying this to all my friends who came,

that friendship is one of the great gifts of life. I really think that the times in life where we're happy are when we're, walking with the Lord and when we have close friends. And friends are a huge part of life. There was a British publication that offered a prize for the best definition of a friend, and it got thousands of answers. Here are two of my favorites. A friend is one who multiplies our joys and halves our sorrows.

Here's another one. A friend is one who understands our silence. friendship is one of the greatest blessings in life. And one of the ways that we express unity is by cultivating deep friendships within the body of Christ, enjoying each other, building jokes and hobbies together over the years, but also just going deeper, you know? The imagery of that song, for example, that sense, like Anselm writing to the other monk, this sense of we are a part of each other.

And we're called to those deep relationships in the body of Christ. A third thing is to, and this may be especially important in our culture right now, is to let go of grievances. You know how in the Old Testament there was the year or the day of Jubilee, or the year of Jubilee, where all debts would be canceled? So also it is helpful for us. There's a great principle in that for forgiveness. I'm not talking necessarily right now about like the really deep wounds. You know, there's a time for accountability and there's a time to distance yourself from somebody who's attacking you and that kind of thing. But I'm just talking about the normal flow of life and the accumulation of resentments and annoyances

that often happens in life, you know. Even in the way we interact with each other online, it's healthy to regularly take stock of things and just let go of grievances. Every now and again, just take stock, say, hey, okay, and just year of Jubilee, just let go. Because Satan feasts upon those resentments, and he gets a foothold from times when we hate each other. And so it's helpful to drive him back and loosen his power by letting things go, forgiving, and overwhelming those things with love. Lastly, and here's really where it all comes to a head. And this is the part that is on my heart as I think about looking outward at the culture right now.

The most challenging part of our passage is that unity is not just for us. Unity is essential for our mission in this world. Twice in our passage, Jesus concludes with a lot. purpose clause, so that. And the purpose of that unity is that the world may believe that you have sent me. And the second time, interestingly, and loved them even as you loved me. So non-Christians are supposed to look upon the church and see such unity that they say, wow, God must really love them as much as he loves Jesus. Put it as sobering as we can, the credibility of the gospel of Jesus Christ in the world, in part, depends upon how we treat each other in the body of Christ.

One of the ways we can understand that, and this is the key word, and this part of the passage, is the word glory. So in between these two purpose clauses, Jesus says in verse 22, the glory that you've given me, I've given to them so that they may be one. Now, what does that mean? Well, glory is the excellence and radiance and resplendence of God that shines out and makes you say, wow, God is awesome. Glory is what you feel during the climactic finale of the fireworks on the 4th of July.

You know, when they're all going crazy at the very end, it's like, whoa. Or when everyone in the stadium is on their feet with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning and that feeling. You know, the electricity at that moment, okay? That helps you understand glory. The glory of God, Jesus says, has been imparted to the church. The glory you gave me, I've given to them. in his work among us, the church now manifests the resplendence and excellence and radiance and wondrous awesomeness of God so that we are one.

In other words, people should look upon our unity and our love and say, wow, that's how awesome God is. If they love each other like that, then Jesus must be real. Look at the unity and love that they have that can only be explained if the gospel is true. But too often, and this happens, when the world sees us fighting with each other, just like everybody else fights with each other, they're going to say, ah, Christianity is just like any other thing. There was a football team, this is a sad illustration, a football team where the running backs and the wide receivers weren't getting along. The wide receivers felt like

they weren't getting enough passes. The running backs thought they weren't getting the ball enough, and the arrival restarted. They started sabotaging each other. And there was a game, a key moment in a key game where one of the wide receivers deliberately reported the wrong play to the quarterback. He switched it from a run to a pass. They missed the pass, and they lost the game. This, you know, it's this idea. When you don't have unity, you can't accomplish your mission.

The same thing happened in the, and this actually happens fairly frequently, weirdly, in, in militaries. They call it inter-service rivalry. So there's a famous example of this in a particular nation's army and navy where these two groups started mistreating each other and escalations set in. And at first it was just not helping each other very much and then it got to the point of assassinations. And there's a historian who said they truly hated each other more than they hated their enemy. When there's disunity and hatred and fighting, we can't accomplish our mission. And sometimes that happens in the church.

and I'm not trying to make it sound simple to get along like, oh, if we're just nicer, then there's real issues to work through. But the way we work through our differences, sometimes it's just like the world. The way we talk about each other, the way we talk to each other on social media, we have to remember those, that angry tweet or that casual, diminishing remark is observed by the onlooking world. People are watching us. let me put up a better verse from leviticus that stood out to me about a year ago that models a better way

i love this verse in leviticus 19 because it's it's not giving us something that's unattainable or just pie in the sky in this verse hatred is contrasts with contrasted with arguing says don't hate your brother instead reason frankly with them in other words it's saying so the alternative to hatred here isn't just everybody be nice. That is not how unity comes about. We are called to reason, frankly, with people. Make arguments. That's a healthy way to work through differences. You make a reasoned case for your view. Too often in the body of Christ, we're like the culture, we don't even argue with people anymore. We just, you know, there's so many YouTube comments, the way we talk to each other, The way we talk to each other on Twitter, it's just like the world.

There's no excuse. We can't do that. You know, it discredits the gospel. When we, instead of reasoning, frankly, we hate each other. It happens. We've got to do better. Another thing we need to be on our guard against is envy. Here's a great prayer.

Lord, send revival and make me just as happy if it started at a different church than at mine. Who cares if it starts at the church down the road or my church the name? important thing is that it happens, right? And this is a way we can live out unity as well for our mission. It's just we want the kingdom of God to go forward. And so that's the bigger thing. My little tribe, my little agenda, it's not about me. Well, I'll leave us with a final image here. That kind of gets at where my heart is at. So if we're saying that unity is based upon the truth, starts by just focusing upon Jesus and his gospel. Unity is rooted in the Trinity. We're called to that level of love and unity of purpose. And it's essential for our mission. The credibility of the gospel

is impacted by it. All of that kind of rolls up in my heart to basically get me to a point where I'm saying, Lord, I want to be sold out for you and for your purposes in this world. Right now, tough time. There's been lots of fragmentation. Okay, let's go forward. Let's seek the purposes of God in our time as we go forward. It's like in Acts 20, Paul says, constrained by the spirit, I'm going to Jerusalem, even though he knows it's going to be hard. I feel constrained by the spirit to deploy my life and to give my heart to the purposes of Christ.

And it's as we all come into that heart posture to say, Lord, wherever we're coming from, wherever we might have sinned or fallen off in the right focus. Now we want to direct our hearts back to you. In the context of doing that, we find this incredible. strength of alignment with others who are doing the same thing. And I'll just give us this final image of this that captures it well. In the Lord of the Rings, when one of the hobbits is aware of the danger he's going into, and he's thinking he may be going alone, and he says, is there anyone I can trust?

And his three friends insist upon coming with him because they have a unity. And he said, one of them says, you can trust us to stick to you through thick and thin to the bitter end. and you can trust us to keep any secret of yours, closer than you keep it yourself. But you cannot trust us to let you face trouble alone and go off without a word. We are your friends, Frodo. We are horribly afraid, but we are coming with you or following you like hounds. If we have this spirit, that spirit in our hearts as we seek the work of Christ in our time, for Christ and for all who love the things of Christ, there is incredible power in that

unity. So thanks for watching everybody and may the Lord, may the Lord do a new work. All right. Our church is praying for revival. We need revival these days. Our church is praying that God would pour out his spirit and do a new movement of God that draws many to himself. So that's a wonderful thing to pray for. All right, thanks for watching everybody. May the Lord bless you today and encourage you as you follow him.