Going Places Week 3
Going Places • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 1 viewFriends don't let differences divide them.
Notes
Transcript
[INTRODUCTION]
[INTRODUCTION]
Welcome to our third week of Going Places, a series on the ups and downs of friendship. We know that friends can help us overcome some difficult moments in our life.
In today's world, we know there is no shortage of obstacles that divide us and stop us from working together.
A good playlist can make a roadtrip even better. Do you agree? A good playlist is essential for any road trip because if there are disagreements, a well-placed song can evaporate most hard feelings.
We all have different ideas of what should be in the playlist rotation.
Good sing-along songs
Well-known songs
What are some good road trip songs?
We could probably debate how we choose songs for a long time. Unfortunately, song choice in such a confined area can lead to conflict.
Of course, arguments can occur over subjects other than music. When was the last time you got into an argument with a friend?
Do you even remember what you argued about?
Was it a statement you disagreed with?
Was it about who has the best taste in music?
Or was it about who has the better GPA, and why that makes you superior, more intelligent, or better than others?
Maybe you have a particular opinion on something and you can't understand why your friend disagrees with you. Sometimes it's tough to get out of a disagreement once it's started.
Some friendships never include arguing, and that's great! But honestly, at some point, we will all experience division in at least one of our friendships. Every friendship is a journey, but what can we do to avoid division?
[TRANSITION]
[TRANSITION]
Jesus had a lot to say about divisions in relationships.
In the Gospel of John, Jesus has a really long prayer in which he is praying for unity among his followers.
Jesus addressed not only the people surrounding him but also his future followers — which includes us!
Jesus performed many miracles and helped many mistreated people, which created quite a following. Unfortunately, these actions, mixed with his claims about being the son of God, made powerful religious leaders very angry.
A group of religious and political leaders devised a plan to kill Jesus, which he knew about. Even so, in the last hours of his life, Jesus used his precious final moments to pray for us.
John 17:20–23 (CSB)
20 “I pray not only for these, but also for those who believe in me through their word. 21 May they all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us, so that the world may believe you sent me. 22 I have given them the glory you have given me, so that they may be one as we are one. 23 I am in them and you are in me, so that they may be made completely one, that the world may know you have sent me and have loved them as you have loved me.
Jesus knew that his time on earth was limited, and there was only so much he could do for a diverse group of followers with many ideas. He wanted to remind them of what brought them together and unified them.
In his prayer, he didn't focus on differences but on the main purpose of his mission on earth. Jesus prayed that in the same way he and God were one, everyone would be enveloped in that holy togetherness.
Jesus was praying for everyone indirectly, but he prayed directly to his disciples. They had traveled for a few years together, after all, and these were his friends. He had seen their ups and downs. He prayed they would stick together despite their differences, because they desired to follow him.
Jesus knew his current disciples and future disciples would disagree, endure tough times, and even suffer for his cause. In unsteady times, people tend to hold onto their disagreements tightly, but Jesus prayed that we would feel the unity between him and God.
The unity Jesus prayed for was surrounded by the loving relationship between Jesus and God. We can have our differences and still be united by the love of God.
[TRANSITION]
[TRANSITION]
Jesus knew that after his death, the good news of what he would accomplish on the cross and in his resurrection was going to spread all over the world. Many people from different backgrounds and cultures would hear about his message of love and forgiveness.
The beauty of a diverse following also entailed division, power-grabbing, and making Jesus in their own image.
Unity was very important to Jesus because it was the only way for his message to endure throughout centuries in many cultures.
A few years after Jesus' death, new churches asked hard questions about unity in the face of diversity. The church needed to figure out how to be the type of community Jesus prayed for in John 17.
In an ancient Greek city called Corinth, there was a new church with a few Christians who felt superior to others because they believed they were more advanced in their faith. This led to great division within the community. Paul knew this and wrote to them.
1 Corinthians 12:12 (CSB)
12 For just as the body is one and has many parts, and all the parts of that body, though many, are one body—so also is Christ.
Paul reminded the Corinthian church to use their individual strengths toward one mission — coming together to be Jesus in the world. Everyone had different gifts and abilities, which were needed in the church.
Through the power of God's spirit, differences that used to divide people, like their unique histories, experiences, perspectives, and gifts, would become strengths to bring more people into a life-changing encounter with Jesus.
God had been calling followers to be united for centuries before Jesus arrived and has been reminding us ever since. Listen to the Psalm:
Psalm 133:1 (CSB)
1 How delightfully good
when brothers live together in harmony!
When we recognize our unity around Jesus, we experience God's goodness.
We don't have to agree on the same road trip music or snacks, but we're committed to the journey we're on together.
Our different perspectives, cultural backgrounds, and experiences are evidence of the many ways Jesus works in people's lives.
This is also true in our friendships with people who don't follow Jesus.
We can still hold to our beliefs while respecting others. We can show others God's love through the way we treat them.
In Jesus' prayer, the letters to the Early Church, and ancient poetry in Scripture, we see friends don't let differences divide them.