Participants: Alex Schlussler
Series Code: AOT
Program Code: AOT000106
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00:13 Welcome to Anchors Of Truth live from Plantation, Florida.
00:18 One In Messiah with Alex Schlussler. 00:22 Well welcome to Plantation, Florida. 00:26 Beautiful, beautiful Plantation, Florida. 00:29 You know, this is one of the nicest places 00:31 I think I've ever been. 00:32 It's a beautiful church, beautiful people. 00:34 We've had a wonderful time. 00:35 The weather has been a little iffy. 00:37 Yeah, but listen. 00:38 When you look at what they're having around the country, 00:41 I will take 60 degrees and raining over... 00:45 You know, I'm calling back to Illinois and I'm saying, 00:50 "Oh man, we're having terrible weather here. 00:52 It's raining." 00:53 And they say it's below zero at the office. 00:59 So, I don't feel so bad about the rain at that point. 01:04 And you know, you don't have all this beautiful greenery 01:06 without a little rain now and then. 01:07 That's very, very true. 01:08 So we take this opportunity to welcome you to the first 01:12 Anchors Of Truth for 2014. 01:14 That's right, this is an Anchors Away, as you call it. 01:16 This is an Anchors Away. 01:17 And we are in beautiful south Florida. 01:21 Plantation is right next door to Fort Lauderdale. 01:25 Which is right next door to Miami. 01:28 Which is right next door to Cuba. 01:32 So we're having a really blessed time here. 01:38 Friendly wonderful folks here in this church. 01:42 And we've got some special programs the next few days. 01:46 Yeah, we're very, very excited, Jim, about this particular 01:49 Anchors Away because it highlights Jewish ministry, 01:54 Jewish history, Jewish work. 01:56 So we're very, very excited to be here, 01:58 to be in this particular church. 01:59 Our lineup of speakers are those that are familiar 02:02 to the 3ABN audience. 02:03 And you know, Jim, last year third quarter, 02:05 we did our one hundredth Anchors. 02:08 And that was in the third quarter. 02:11 And then we had that long stretch with no Anchors 02:13 because we had so much. 02:14 We were in Israel, and then we did ASI, and camp meeting, 02:17 and that long meeting with Ron Halverson. 02:19 Then we got a little short Anklet in for December. 02:22 And now we start off the year with this full 02:24 Jewish heritage Anchors. 02:26 And we're very, very excited about it. 02:27 And we really are. 02:28 We've got tomorrow night, we'll have Jeff Zeremsky. 02:32 Then after that, we're going to have a very special live. 02:38 And we have an announcement that will be made tomorrow night 02:43 by one of the speaker/directors of one of the worldwide 02:49 ministries located out in Thousand Oaks that... 02:54 No it's not. Simi Valley now. 02:57 ...that is going to tell us something about the 03:01 relocation of one of those ministries. 03:04 So we've got some sort of earth shaking news tomorrow night 03:07 after the particular message. 03:08 And we're going to let that speaker/director 03:10 himself tell us. 03:11 He's going to be joining us probably by telephone. 03:14 But he will tell us about it tomorrow night. 03:17 Then right after that, we'll have a few minutes of that, 03:20 then afterwards we will have a panel with each of the speakers 03:25 that are part of this "One In Our Messiah" series. 03:30 You and I will have the privilege of sitting 03:33 with Ralph Ringer, with Sasha Bolotnikov, 03:38 and with Jeff Zeremsky, and our speaker tonight, Alex. 03:43 - How does Alex say his name? - Schlussler. 03:45 - Schlussler, alright. - Yes. 03:47 And we will have that privilege tomorrow night. 03:51 We are really looking forward to these next few days. 03:55 We are, we are. 03:56 This is going to be an exciting time. 03:58 Yeah, why don't you lead us in a little prayer. 04:01 I'll be glad to do so. Shall we bow our heads. 04:02 Gracious Father, we thank You so very much 04:05 for the privilege we have of lifting up the mighty 04:09 and matchless name of Jesus. 04:11 We thank You, Lord, for the call that brings each of us 04:13 from darkness to light and from error to truth, 04:16 and from the crooked way to the straight and narrow one. 04:19 We ask for Your presence and Your power this night 04:22 for the speaker, for the singers, and for the 04:24 millions around the world who will sit and consume 04:28 what we have to offer. 04:30 In the name of Jesus anoint Alex, anoint the singers, 04:34 bless this program. 04:35 And may some soul who needs to hear a word from the Lord, 04:39 hear that word this very night and be encouraged 04:43 as together we walk the road that leads to glory. 04:47 We love You, Lord. We praise You. 04:49 And we thank You for Your power and Your presence. 04:52 - In Jesus name, amen. - Amen. 04:55 You know, I met Pastor Alex a few years ago. 04:58 And just really fell in love with he and his wife. 05:03 And they are wonderfully committed people. 05:07 They originally came here from Colorado. 05:13 And I think they still have a daughter, and maybe a 05:15 granddaughter, in Colorado. 05:19 You're going to be able to see Mrs. Schlussler... 05:24 Am I saying that right? Getting close. 05:27 I will keep working on it. 05:28 Alex and she will be singing with the group 05:32 we're going to hear from in just a moment. 05:34 But this is a gentleman who God has really blessed. 05:41 And he has been leading out in the series that 05:45 we do on 3ABN called, Back to Our Roots. 05:49 And you're going to find out some more folks 05:53 that are also part of that when Sasha gets here. 05:59 And what's the lady's name that's on that program too? 06:03 - Oh boy, I should have... - Rachel. 06:04 Rachel, Rachel. That's right. 06:06 And Rachel, since, is married since she began that series. 06:11 So we just really love these three people. 06:16 I can't call them young, because they're mature. 06:18 But they are younger than I am. 06:22 But they really bring us some great programs. 06:27 And those of us that have had the privilege of watching 06:30 Back to Our Roots, we've been very impressed. 06:32 So Pastor Alex will be speaking tonight. 06:36 His subject, One in The Messiah, which is the title 06:40 of our entire series. 06:42 What about the music tonight? 06:44 Well it's coming from the Praise Team. 06:46 And I'm going to pop on my glasses here and 06:48 read all the names of each Praise Team member. 06:52 Sabrina, Dane, Keka, Lashelle, Anjanette 06:57 are part of the Praise Team. 06:58 Keyboard, Michael. 07:00 And then Brantley on drums. 07:03 So we're going to call the Praise Team forward. 07:05 After they shall have sung, the next voice you will hear 07:08 will be that of our pastor, our friend of this church, 07:11 Alex Schlussler. 07:44 This is the air I breathe, 07:51 this is the air I breathe; 07:57 Your holy presence 08:04 living in me. 08:13 This is my daily bread, 08:21 this is my daily bread; 08:27 Your very word 08:33 spoken to me. 08:40 And I'm desperate for You. 08:55 And I'm lost without You. 09:13 This is the air I breathe, 09:20 this is the air I breathe; 09:26 Your holy presence 09:32 living in me. 09:42 This is my daily bread, 09:49 this is my daily bread; 09:55 Your very word 10:01 spoken to me. 10:08 And I'm desperate for You. 10:23 And I'm lost without You. 10:38 And I'm desperate for You. 10:52 And I'm lost without You. 11:06 I'm lost without You. 11:13 I'm lost without You. 11:24 This is the air I breathe. 11:32 This is the air I breathe. 11:48 Amen. 11:49 Thank you, worship team. 11:52 What a blessing to praise the Lord. 11:55 This is the air we breathe. 11:57 Well I want to welcome everyone tonight; 11:59 those here with us, Plantation Church family, 12:03 and those joining us over the air. 12:06 I want to thank 3ABN so much for allowing us 12:10 to be a part of this program, Anchors of Truth. 12:14 And as Jim said tonight, I want to talk to you about 12:18 the theme, One in Messiah. 12:21 You know, if we were given the opportunity to ask Jesus, 12:25 right here, right now, I mean, if He was to be standing here 12:29 and we were to say, "Lord, what is the most important teaching 12:35 that You brought? 12:36 I mean, what one thing, Jesus, would You place above 12:41 everything else in the Bible? 12:45 We, as Your followers, what would it be? 12:48 What would You want us to hear?" 12:52 And I wonder how He would respond to that? 12:54 I wonder what Jesus would say, 12:56 "To Me, this is the most important thing." 13:01 Well if you have your Bibles with you tonight, 13:04 please turn to Matthew chapter 22 13:07 beginning at verse 34. 13:10 Matthew chapter 22 beginning at verse 34. 13:15 And while you're turning, you'll have to excuse me 13:17 if you see me doing this. 13:19 But right before I was about to go up, 13:21 the nose piece on my glasses broke off. 13:24 And it was one of these things that I had to break 13:26 the other side off too. 13:28 Otherwise, my glasses would have been... 13:32 I need some sticky Holy Spirit. 13:37 Matthew chapter 22 verse 34, "But when the Pharisees heard 13:42 that He had silenced the Sadducees, 13:44 they gathered together. 13:47 And one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, 13:51 to test Him, 'Teacher, which is the greatest 13:56 commandment in the law?' 13:59 And He said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God 14:03 with all of your heart, and with all of your soul, 14:07 and with all of your might. 14:11 This is the greatest and the first commandment. 14:15 And the second is like unto it. 14:18 You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 14:22 On these two commandments depend all of the 14:25 Law and the Prophets.'" 14:28 You know, Jesus here is speaking from the Torah. 14:32 The Torah is the first five books of the Bible. 14:35 Also known as the books of Moses. 14:38 Jesus is speaking and He quotes in that passage 14:42 from both Deuteronomy and from Leviticus. 14:45 First, He quotes from Deuteronomy chapter 6 verse 4. 14:50 And He says, this is a portion that is known as the Shema, 14:56 "Sh'ma Yis'ra'eil Adonai Eloheinu Adonai echad." 15:01 "Hear, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One." 15:07 You know, these, even in the first century, were the 15:10 most important words that a Jew could speak from the Torah. 15:14 Not just in the first century, but today as well 15:18 it is equally as important. 15:20 He then adds from the book of Leviticus. 15:23 Leviticus chapter 19 and verse 18, 15:27 "Ve'ahavta lere'acha kamocha." 15:30 "But you shall love your neighbor as yourself." 15:36 So what is Jesus telling this teacher of the law, 15:42 this Pharisee? 15:44 You know, of all of the commandments found in Torah, 15:47 Jesus says that these two rise above all. 15:54 Of all of the things that Jesus could say, 15:57 even from the ten commandments, He says of all of the things, 16:04 these two; love God, love man. 16:08 He even goes as far to say that all of the prophets 16:12 and all of the writings. 16:13 That was the rest of what they would know 16:16 as the Old Testament. 16:18 The rest hangs on that. 16:22 We then move forward. 16:26 We move to the last night that Jesus is on the earth. 16:31 On that last night before Jesus goes to the cross, 16:37 He begins to do what He now does eternally. 16:42 He begins to intercede. 16:44 He begins to pray. 16:48 Jesus begins to pray for His disciples, His followers. 16:56 See, beyond His death, I think that Jesus expected this 17:00 dynamic and growing church that is going to last 17:04 throughout the ages. 17:05 This is what He saw. 17:08 I think that when Jesus looked into the face of Peter 17:12 on that night in that circle of eleven, He saw behind Peter 17:16 the whole of Pentecost. 17:19 He saw thousands that would believe because of the things 17:23 that Peter would preach. 17:26 When He looked into the face of John, He saw 17:30 the church of Ephesus. 17:33 He saw all the churches of Asia Minor 17:35 and the spreading of the gospel. 17:39 And maybe even when He saw that gap where Judas Iscariot was, 17:46 surely He saw the face of Sha'ul, of Paul. 17:53 And behind Paul, the multitudes that would come to know 17:58 because of the words that Paul would share. 18:01 You see, across every generation, across the oceans, 18:04 right down to this very moment, even those sitting here, 18:08 those watching online, those watching on their televisions, 18:13 He is praying for everyone of us. 18:17 He is praying for all that will believe because of the words 18:22 of those eleven, of those original disciples. 18:26 Jesus prayed one thing. 18:29 He prayed for the unity of His disciples. 18:33 He prayed for the unity of all Christians, 18:36 for the unity of His body, for the unity of His church. 18:41 That we would make an impact on the world in such a way 18:44 that the whole world would believe 18:47 that the Father has sent Him. 18:51 In John chapter 17, that famous prayer that Jesus prayed 18:56 is divided into three sections. 18:58 First in verses 1 through 5, Jesus prays for Himself. 19:02 "God, strengthen Me." 19:05 Then in verses 6 through 19, He prays for that group 19:09 of eleven disciples. 19:11 Then in verses 20 through 26, which is what we're going to 19:15 look at tonight, He prays for all the believers yet to come. 19:20 So turn with me now to John chapter 17 19:23 beginning at verse 20. 19:25 And let's see what Jesus prayed for you and for me 19:29 on that night before the cross. 19:30 And by the way, something that I do want to share with you, 19:34 something that has in the past really moved upon my heart. 19:38 And it's this; of all of the things that we find 19:40 in the Bible, you know, for the most part 19:43 everything there we apply to ourselves by application. 19:48 In other words, it was spoken to or about somebody else, 19:53 but of course, we can apply it to ourselves. 19:56 Amen? 19:57 But here, Jesus is speaking to you, to me. 20:03 He's praying for us. 20:06 "Not only do I pray these," the eleven, "but I pray for 20:09 all of those who will believe because of their words." 20:13 Guess what. 20:14 That's you. 20:16 Jesus is looking into the future. 20:19 And He's praying for you. 20:22 And of all of the things He could have prayed, 20:24 listen to what He says. 20:26 Beginning at verse 20. 20:29 "I do not only ask for these, but also for those who will 20:33 believe in Me through their words." 20:35 Okay, now He's talking about us. 20:37 "That they may all be one, just as You, Father, are in Me, 20:43 and I in You; that they may also be in Us, 20:49 so that the world may believe that You have sent Me." 20:55 Of all the things, Jesus, that He could have prayed for, 20:59 He prays for what? 21:01 That we would love one another. 21:05 That we would be united to one another. 21:10 And you know the really interesting thing 21:12 that I believe... 21:13 Now we understand, or you should understand, 21:16 that these narratives, the gospel narratives, 21:19 they were originally penned in Greek. 21:22 Yes? 21:24 And they've been translated to whatever Bible language 21:27 you are comfortable with. 21:29 English, or French, or Spanish, or Hebrew, 21:33 or whatever it may be. 21:35 But originally, they were penned in Greek. 21:38 Now I want to propose something to you. 21:40 Something for you to think about. 21:42 That, yes, they were written in Greek, 21:45 but those that brought the thoughts, the culture that 21:49 they lived in, they weren't Greeks. 21:52 They were Hebrews. 21:54 They were Jews. 21:56 And their thought process was as a Hebrew, as a Jew. 22:02 And I say this only because I believe that when Jesus 22:07 speaks, "that they may all be one," in His mind 22:11 is a particular word. 22:14 A very particular word. 22:16 The word, "echad;" one. 22:19 In Deuteronomy chapter 6 verse 4, the Shema, 22:25 "The Lord our God is one." 22:29 Echad; one. 22:31 Now when we think about that, the unity that exists 22:35 between God the Father and the Son is a perfect "one." 22:40 Amen? 22:41 It's not a pair, but a perfect "one." 22:45 And I believe that this is exactly the word 22:48 that Jesus is using when He speaks about us. 22:53 About us being one. 22:56 Echad. 22:57 Just as He and the Father are one. 23:00 So you and I are echad, one. Amen? 23:05 He goes on to say in verse 22, "The glory that You have 23:09 given Me, I have given to them, that they may be one," echad, 23:15 "even as We are one," echad. 23:19 "I in them, and You in Me; that they may become 23:23 perfectly one," echad. 23:25 Do you get the point that He keeps repeating this? 23:27 It must be important to Him. 23:31 "So that the world may know that You sent Me 23:34 and loved them even as You have loved Me." 23:42 Wow. 23:44 Now let's move on to verse 24 and listen how Jesus 23:48 continues talking to His Father. 23:51 "Father, I desire that they also whom You have given Me..." 23:55 Now He's talking about all of those who are His people, right. 24:00 "...may be with Me where I am, to see My glory 24:03 that You have given Me, because You loved Me 24:06 before the foundation of the world. 24:08 O righteous Father, even though the world does not know You, 24:12 I know You; and these know that You have sent Me. 24:17 I made known to them Your name, and I will continue to 24:20 make it known that the love with which You have loved Me 24:24 may be in them, and I in them." 24:33 So what could Messiah have prayed for the final moments 24:40 before His arrest, before He's going to go to the cross? 24:45 Do you understand the impact of this prayer in John 17? 24:50 The timing and the importance of it? 24:54 He might have prayed for His own strength. 24:56 He might have prayed that the eleven would support Him. 24:59 That at least they wouldn't flee. 25:03 That they would really absorb His teachings. 25:06 Instead, this prayer is dominated by a single thought. 25:12 The unity of the disciples, and of their followers; us. 25:20 One in Messiah. 25:21 Jesus knew that the church could never have the impact 25:25 on the world that He desired it to have unless the world saw 25:29 in that church a oneness, a unity, that could only 25:33 exist supernaturally. 25:35 Because, listen, in the world nobody gets along. 25:38 Not really. 25:39 Everyone is out to get what they get for themselves. 25:46 Now listen, the church of our world has never taken 25:51 these words of Jesus as serious as they deserve. 25:55 And it breaks my heart, but it's the truth. 25:59 Jesus prays that the unity between believers and Himself, 26:02 between believers and the Father, 26:04 and between believers and other believers, us, 26:09 will have the same character as the unity between 26:12 Him and the Father. 26:16 It's amazing. 26:17 And you know what? 26:18 The history of the Christian church offers all too 26:21 ample proof that this prayer was desperately needed. 26:26 Unfortunately, for the most part it has been not heeded. 26:33 In that original group, even if we go back to the first century, 26:36 you know, there were incredible tensions that were created 26:39 between James and John. 26:42 When not long before that, they had asked, 26:44 "Who's going to sit at the right hand of Jesus?" 26:48 "Who's going to have the better place?" 26:51 You know, earlier that same evening, the disciples, 26:54 they're fuming with rage because they had this 26:57 argument about who was going to be the greatest. 27:00 In fact, you know, in that little group, 27:05 there were tensions that we may not even think about. 27:09 There was Matthew, the publican, who had sold out to Rome. 27:14 And then there was Simon Peter, the zealot, 27:16 who had pledged to kill people like Matthew, the publican. 27:21 No wonder Jesus prayed for the original eleven, 27:25 "Lord, make them be one." 27:30 Jesus, He then moves beyond the eleven. 27:36 He prays for us and the generations to come. 27:39 In verse 21, what He prayed for them, 27:42 He then prays for all believers. 27:44 And we, we need to note here that Jesus asked God 27:48 to give us unity as a request. 27:51 Jesus asked God, "God, give them, Father, give them 27:54 the unity that You and I have." 27:57 That makes me think. 28:00 That means that unity is given and not achieved. 28:04 It is indeed received, or Jesus wouldn't have urged 28:08 the disciples to be one. 28:11 Rather, He looked to the Father and He said, "Grant them, 28:16 grant My followers, Father, that gift; 28:22 that they might be one." 28:24 See, the unity of God's people, brothers and sisters, 28:27 it can never be fabricated by men. 28:32 We can't make it happen. 28:34 It must be generated by the Spirit of God. 28:38 You know, the pattern for the unity of believers is unlike 28:41 anything else on earth. 28:44 It's nothing less than the unity of the Father and the Son. 28:47 Like I said, echad. 28:49 Just as they are one, He desires for us to be one. 28:54 It's not merely a unity of organizational purpose, 28:58 or feeling, or affection. 29:02 Just as the Father is in the Son and the Son is in the Father, 29:07 we are to be so related to each other. 29:12 How close are the Father and the Son? 29:18 See, Christians are drawn to one another because they're 29:20 drawn to a common center. 29:23 That center is Jesus. 29:27 I've said it many times before, that many of us 29:31 apart from knowing Jesus would have never known each other. 29:35 And there's the fact that we know Him that has drawn us 29:38 from all the corners of the earth to come together, 29:42 even tonight. 29:45 It is as if every one of us in the church were a piece 29:49 of this beautiful crystal, this beautiful chandelier, 29:53 that God is establishing, that He's making. 29:56 And at the top of the chandelier is the Father and the Son 30:00 and the Holy Spirit. 30:02 Three lights shining this one glorious light down upon 30:07 each one of us. 30:08 And each one of us taking a little piece of that light and 30:11 reflecting it out, off of each other, and out into the world. 30:18 That's the intention that Jesus has for the church. 30:23 And I think, I think, that many non-Christians... 30:27 I say, "I think." 30:28 I should say rather, I know that not just non-Christians, 30:32 but many Jews, have been confused by the body of Christ, 30:39 by the church, if not scandalized, by the distinctions 30:46 that exist between the various kinds of Christians. 30:51 We've seen division more than unity. 30:54 Eastern Orthodox versus Western. 30:57 Roman Catholic versus Protestant. 31:00 Hundreds of thousands of Protestants, 31:02 those denominations that are versus things that they don't 31:05 even know what they're versus against. 31:09 And thousands of one church denominations with no 31:13 affiliated organization. 31:18 How many lives have been sacrificed over the centuries 31:22 in wars between Christians? 31:26 How often does the media report loveless criticisms 31:29 of one Christian group by another? 31:33 You see, is that really the kind of unity that Jesus 31:38 was speaking about? 31:39 The kind of thing that He prayed for? 31:42 Of course not. 31:45 These glasses are driving me crazy. 31:51 Let me see how well I do. 31:52 I can't see you, but I can see what I need to see. 31:58 Praise God. 32:04 Think about the impact of a unified church. 32:09 The impact when the world believes that God the Father 32:14 sent Jesus the Son, just as Jesus said, "That the world 32:20 may see Us and then believe that the Father sent Me." 32:25 But what would it be like if the world looked at us 32:32 and we really were one, echad, as Jesus has prayed? 32:40 What kind of impact can you imagine would happen? 32:46 See, only the sight of united disciples, of united followers 32:51 in Jesus, will ultimately convince the world 32:55 of the truth that Jesus is Lord. 33:00 See, Jesus wasn't just talking about getting along, 33:04 agreeing to disagree, finding common ground. 33:08 Some believe, "If we could just get some kind of united 33:11 global theology, we would compel the world to believe." 33:17 But, you see, united theology never promised to compel 33:20 the world to believe. 33:22 Human eloquence never promised to compel the world to believe. 33:26 The size of our churches never promised to compel 33:30 the world to believe. 33:31 No denominational program, slogan, or goal will compel 33:35 the world to believe. 33:38 Because we live in a world of disunity. 33:42 We find disunity everywhere. 33:44 From our homes and our families, our workplaces, 33:47 our local, our state, our national government. 33:50 Nobody gets along. 33:54 Only one single thing will compel the world to believe. 34:00 Brothers and sisters, that is a supernatural oneness 34:05 in the family of God. 34:08 John 13 verse 35 says this, "By this all men will know that 34:15 you are My disciples; if you love one another." 34:23 See, a truly unified community of people is supernatural. 34:33 Because it doesn't happen any other way. 34:37 People will get along because they have ulterior motives. 34:42 "I'm going to befriend that person because if I'm 34:45 friends with that person, I'm networking with that person 34:49 and I can maybe get a better job, or..." 34:53 No. 34:58 The world is so disunited that a perfectly unified church 35:03 compels the world to confess with their mouth 35:08 that Jesus is Lord. 35:12 On the other hand, so much the opposite is true. 35:17 A disunited church reverses all the work of Messiah. 35:23 It renders our witness to Him powerless and without affect. 35:28 You know, there's a danger here that we have to see. 35:32 Because we can reverse all that is to be accomplished 35:37 by this oneness that Jesus prayed for. 35:43 Would you strike down the cross of Calvary? 35:48 Or roll the stone back to cover up the empty tomb of Jesus? 35:52 Would you say to the Holy Spirit of Pentecost, 35:55 "Go back to the Father. Leave this world." 35:59 You wouldn't, I don't think. 36:02 I wouldn't, I pray. 36:06 But according to the words of Jesus, if we do not reflect 36:12 the unity that He desires, we just as well 36:15 strike down the cross, roll back the stone, 36:18 send back the Spirit to the Father. 36:21 Because the world will not believe that the 36:23 Father sent the Son unless we demonstrate it 36:28 in spiritual oneness. 36:32 And you know, whenever that happens 36:34 amazing things occur. 36:38 Think back to the book of Acts. 36:41 Think to the second chapter of Acts and the beautiful 36:44 passages, verses, at the end of the second chapter of Acts 36:47 that describes this unified body, these people 36:52 that came together. 36:54 Right? The Scriptures says that they broke bread together. 36:57 They shared the teachings of Jesus, the apostle's teachings. 37:01 Everything that they had, they shared with each other. 37:04 They loved one another. 37:07 And you know what? 37:09 People came. 37:11 Scripture says the Lord added to them daily. 37:15 But I truly believe that when we are doing 37:19 what God has asked us to do, for no other reason 37:23 than to love each other, to be echad, one, 37:28 God sends people. 37:32 You know, there's a million different programs 37:35 that exist out there on how to grow churches. 37:40 And the one that Jesus told us, we just can't get it in our 37:45 heads and our hearts to do it. 37:48 Just love each other. 37:50 Just be one with each other. 37:54 Only the unleashed power of Jesus can impact our 37:58 world in that way. 38:00 And Jesus' power is unleashed on the world 38:03 when you and I truly are one. 38:09 When we love an agape kind of love. 38:13 An agape kind of love that doesn't, not seeking anything, 38:17 but just because. 38:20 The same way God loves the Son, and the Son loves us. 38:27 Jesus doesn't put requirements to say, "Well, if you do this, 38:30 and you do this, and you do this, then I'll love you." 38:34 Jesus just loves. 38:37 And this is what He's asking of us. 38:42 Just because God has given us a gift, 38:48 and Jesus has prayed, you see, church, we can't just be passive 38:54 and sit back and say, "How come nothing is happening?" 39:00 That's like receiving a present that you sit and you look at, 39:03 but you never take the paper off. 39:05 You never unwrap it, you never open it up, 39:07 you never use it. 39:11 I believe that Jesus has given us the greatest key 39:16 to reach the lost in the world. 39:20 And it's so simple nobody can believe it. 39:24 Just love each other. 39:26 Genuinely love each other. 39:28 Because when people come, when you're around people 39:32 at work, when you are out on the street, 39:35 people are attracted to it. 39:37 You know why? 39:38 Because they're desperate for it. 39:41 They're hungry for it. 39:44 And I am convinced that even the strongest atheist, 39:48 deep in their heart, want to believe that Jesus is real. 39:56 And the greatest reason that they don't believe is because 39:59 throughout time we have failed to do what Jesus asked us to do. 40:07 So where do I do it? 40:10 Inside the church? 40:12 Outside the church? 40:14 Listen, when we're here, when we're in the church, 40:17 we must act, each one of us, as a unifying personality. 40:22 What do I mean? 40:23 We should always be seeking common ground. 40:26 Seeking to be a unifier, not a divider. 40:30 And there's so many people that are there just looking for 40:33 their little slice, their little piece, 40:36 instead of "ours." 40:39 You know, it's like when a young couple comes together, 40:44 the first thing they have to learn is the difference 40:46 between where it use to be about me, now it's about us. 40:51 And it's no different. 40:55 You know, the blunt truth about any church 40:58 is that there's probably dozens plus of opinions 41:02 at any one time about dozens of things that 41:04 the church is trying to do. 41:07 But every one of us, every believer, must make a 41:10 decision to be a unifier in the midst of God's people, 41:13 not a divider. 41:15 Because when we do, listen, all we're doing in opening the door 41:18 for Satan to step right in. 41:20 There needs to be this kind of unity. 41:23 And it's not only needed in the church, but more importantly, 41:26 we are to take the mission, go and make disciples 41:30 outside of these walls, and to be out there 41:33 doing what Jesus has asked us to do. 41:37 You know, Jesus even talked about it; 41:39 it's easy to love someone who loves you. 41:41 Now go out there and love someone who hates you. 41:45 Because Jesus didn't discriminate who He loved. 41:51 Even the Pharisees that hated Him. 41:53 Even those who stood there and mocked Him 41:56 as He died on the cross, what did He say? 41:59 "Father, forgive them. 42:01 They don't know what they're doing. 42:02 They don't get it." 42:06 Do you realize that every Sabbath that we gather, 42:11 or for those that worship on Sunday, that come together 42:15 on Sunday, in areas all over our communities 42:17 and our cities, there are people that are home 42:22 not going to experience Jesus. 42:25 Because on Monday morning they hear Christians showing up 42:29 at work in the office, in the plants, in the factories, 42:32 criticizing their church, criticizing other believers. 42:35 Talking about, "Oh, did you hear this and that," and so on. 42:40 And it has made them cynical and it has deafened their ears 42:45 to hear the truth of the gospel. 42:49 It is literally possible, brothers and sisters, 42:52 to commit spiritual murder outside the church 42:56 in the world when we, who ought to be one, 42:59 go out instead presenting it as, "Well, this is what I like 43:04 and they don't like it." 43:06 That instead of presenting echad, one, we present, 43:12 "They don't know what they're doing. 43:13 We're the only ones." 43:16 We criticize everything. 43:19 What does Jesus say? 43:22 "In the church and in the world be one 43:25 by what you say, by what you don't say." 43:27 Sometimes that's even more important. 43:31 If every believer would guard their lips, 43:37 what I say will be unifying rather than dividing. 43:42 If we would just think. 43:44 And when I hear that which is not unifying, 43:48 I make a choice, not only to not participate, 43:51 but to refute it. 43:52 To stand up for it. 43:56 See, in the close of that prayer in John 17, 44:00 Jesus then turns and prays for the glory of the church. 44:06 Jesus prays that the present church on earth, 44:09 and the future church which we are a part of, 44:13 will see glory. 44:15 Don't you want to see glory? 44:19 That the glory will be the visible manifestation 44:22 of these divine attributes. 44:27 See, that's what we see when we look at God. 44:30 Can I suggest that this is what we should see when we 44:33 look at one another? 44:36 Messiah has already revealed all the glory 44:38 we can comprehend here. 44:40 In verse 22, Jesus says, "I have given them the glory that 44:44 You have given Me, that they may be one." 44:47 Even now, when we get our eyes off of one another and 44:51 contemplate the revealed glory of God and Messiah, 44:54 we are one. 44:57 The glory transforms us. 45:00 Paul spoke to the church in Corinth, 45:02 "We are being transformed into His likeness 45:05 with an ever increasing glory." 45:13 The glory that is outward. 45:16 The visible expression of the love between the Father 45:20 and the Son that's talked about in the last part of this verse. 45:25 Jesus saying, "The glory You have given Me because You 45:28 love Me before the creation of the world." 45:30 Brothers and sisters, do you understand that before you were 45:34 created, God knew you. 45:36 Before you were formed, God loved you. 45:39 God planned that you would be even right 45:41 where you are tonight. 45:46 Our churches, our communities, will never be fully united 45:50 by looking at a pastor or a program, 45:53 or even looking at one another. 45:58 And listen, our relationships, our associations, will never 46:03 be fully united by looking at any leader or program. 46:07 We've got to look to Jesus. 46:11 Jesus, and Jesus alone. 46:13 See, to the extent that we look at Jesus 46:18 is the extent that we touch the world. 46:22 We wonder why people don't believe. 46:27 We wonder why, when for so many of us, it just seems so obvious. 46:36 We read it and we, "How can they not believe?" 46:43 Because we, as the body of Christ, 46:46 have done a horrible job. 46:52 And I know that some would say, "How can we take responsibility 46:57 for those before us?" 47:00 But, church, if we don't, it will never change. 47:06 And as I begin to wrap this up, some of things that I will 47:10 say now may be hard for some people to hear. 47:14 But Jesus said it's not easy. 47:19 See, many of you, those that have followed the 47:24 Back To Our Roots program, or those that know me, 47:27 know that my heritage, my family, we are Jews. 47:33 I didn't come to know Jesus until I was 30 years old. 47:37 But I knew many Christians before then. 47:42 And for me the issue was, me against them. 47:51 I never saw any difference in their life. 47:55 I never saw anything that compelled me to want to know 47:59 who Jesus was. 48:03 Can you imagine how incredibly surprised I was 48:11 when I found out that Jesus is Jewish? 48:17 What! 48:19 How can that be? 48:23 What? 48:25 It made no sense to me. 48:29 It made no sense to me because those who had been placed 48:34 around me did not live as Jesus had asked them to live. 48:42 Paul speaks about being provoked to jealousy. 48:48 I had nothing to be jealous about. 48:51 Because what I saw in them was no different than me. 48:58 I saw arguing, I saw fighting, I saw people talking about 49:05 this church was better than that church. 49:07 Don't go there, go here. 49:11 See, to me, I didn't know any difference between 49:14 Catholic and Protestant. 49:16 To me, as a Jew, it was all just people that 49:22 believed Jesus was God. 49:26 And I have to say, that it was one man who exhibited the 49:35 love of Christ in a way that I had never seen 49:39 that caused me to even open a New Testament Bible. 49:44 The truth. 49:47 It was how I saw this man, who would later become 49:51 my stepdad. 49:54 How he acted towards my mother was something I had never seen; 49:58 him being a Christian, a godly man. 50:02 What is this? 50:04 I've never seen anyone act like this before. 50:08 And then to my surprise, to open the Bible 50:11 and to find out that Jesus was Jewish. 50:15 And that He had come to the Jewish people. 50:24 We have an amazing opportunity. 50:29 An opportunity to reach people that would never 50:33 in a million years you would think desire to hear 50:37 about Jesus. 50:40 And we don't reach our friends and our family 50:44 and communities by handing them cards and walking away, 50:50 by putting up tents and hoping they walk through the door. 50:55 Yes, there are people that get touched by that. 50:58 But I'm telling you, statistically if you 51:01 look into it, most people that come to know Jesus 51:04 come because a friend led them to Jesus. 51:07 Because they saw oneness in that person. 51:14 They saw a love that they couldn't explain. 51:17 They saw a gentleness that made no sense. 51:20 They saw a people getting along in a way that, like, 51:23 "How can this be?" 51:25 Because people don't get along, right? 51:27 We just argue. 51:31 But when we follow Jesus, everything changes. 51:36 I want to tell you something. 51:37 The devil runs, if he's got a tail it goes between his legs, 51:44 when God's people are echad, one. 51:49 When we are one, there is nothing he can do. 51:54 Because it is the thing that Jesus placed above all. 51:59 To love God and to love man. 52:04 It is, in Jesus' words, the highest of all 52:10 of the commandments. 52:13 And I know for many of us, we look at the Ten Commandments 52:16 and we think, "There's so many things that seem 52:20 so much more important, Jesus." 52:26 But Jesus says, "Love each other." 52:32 Listen, do you want to see a world begin to turn 52:38 even before Jesus comes back? 52:44 I don't know when He's coming. 52:47 Every generation has believed that there's was the one 52:50 that He was going to come. 52:52 Even starting there in the first century, 52:55 they were looking for it. 52:57 But you see, that's what separates Jesus' followers 53:02 from those who just want to be called Christians. 53:06 And I hope I'm not talking to those that just want to be 53:09 called Christians tonight. 53:13 I hope I'm talking to people that want to be His followers, 53:19 His disciples. 53:21 In Hebrew, that's "talmidim." 53:24 An interesting thing about a disciple is, 53:27 you can't be a disciple without a relationship. 53:32 And you can't have a relationship if you don't 53:34 know somebody. 53:36 And the first step in becoming a follower, a disciple, of Jesus 53:40 is to know Him. 53:42 And you can't know Him if you don't know His heart. 53:46 And what is His heart? 53:48 "I pray that they would all be one, 53:52 that the whole world would know that the Father has sent Me. 53:57 Just as the Father and Son are one." 54:02 Echad. 54:04 Maybe you'll remember that word; echad. 54:08 I know for some it's a little hard. 54:10 You've got to get the "kh" sound in there. 54:13 Echad. 54:15 For husbands and wives, we want to be, you want to be echad. 54:18 I want to be one. 54:23 For fathers to sons, and mothers to sons, 54:26 and sons to daughters, and mothers to daughters, 54:28 and on and on; we want to be echad. 54:34 We want to be one in Him. 54:38 So to the extent we all look to Jesus, 54:43 we will be drawn to one another. 54:46 Isn't that amazing? 54:48 That the more that you and I follow Him, 54:54 if we are truly following Him, then we cannot but help 55:00 love each other. 55:03 Right? 55:05 So how do you love your neighbor? 55:09 How do you love the person across the pew from you 55:12 that took your seat? 55:13 And you're thinking, "You know I sit there every week. 55:17 How dare you take my seat." 55:21 You say, "Jesus, I'm following You." 55:25 Because Jesus doesn't care where He sits. 55:29 Amen? 55:32 And then you can turn to that same person and say, 55:36 "I really love you. 55:38 Even if you did take my seat." 55:42 I want to close now with what I believe to be 55:48 a beautiful portion of Scripture. 55:51 See, as Jesus lifted His hands and He began to ascend 55:56 into the heavens, it's recorded in the gospel narratives, 55:59 that He lifted His hands and He prayed, not just for those 56:06 that were there to see Him ascend, but I believe 56:09 He prayed over the whole world. 56:16 He prayed because He wanted us to reflect His glory. 56:21 Amen? 56:23 And He used the words that God had spoken 56:26 to Moses so long before. 56:30 God had spoken to Moses and said, "Moses, I want you to 56:33 take these words and I want you to place them 56:36 upon Aaron, My high priest. 56:38 Give them to him that he may place them upon My people." 56:44 And it's found in Numbers chapter 6. 56:47 And He said, "May the Lord bless you and may He keep you. 56:52 May the Lord make His face to shine upon you 56:56 and be gracious to you. 56:58 May the Lord lift His countenance upon you 57:00 and bring you His peace." 57:03 Now He wouldn't have said it in English, I don't think. 57:06 And I don't know the tune for sure, but it may have 57:09 sounded like this. 57:11 Yevarechcha Adonai, veyishmerecho. 57:19 Ya'er Adonai panav 'eleicha, vichunneko. 57:24 Yissa Adonai panav 'eleicha, veyasem shalom. |
Revised 2014-12-17