Christian Unity:
A mutual Partaking of Divine glory
John 17:22 ~ Terry phillips
July 29, 2018
Christian Unity:
If you could turn with me once again to John's Gospel in the 17th chapter, as we continue in our study of the Lord's prayer to the Father. The relationship of God's children to one another is a matter of no small significance. Much is, much within the New Testament is devoted to this precious reality. And as we have noticed in the Lord's prayer to the Father, the very credibility of the Son of God in the sight of the world is at stake. That is to say, the way the world views Christ is greatly affected by the way we conduct ourselves, and especially in relation to one another. We noted already in the Lord's prayer to the Father in the those verses in chapter 14 verses 14, 15, 16 and 17. He focuses attention on this fact, that even though we are no longer of the world, we’re still in this world and we're set apart while we’re in this world, we’re set apart, no longer being of the world, we're set apart, sanctified in relation to the truth of God's Word. As we've been seeing lately, Jesus is also praying for, and He's anticipating the reality of a very close unity among His followers. As we have already noted, what Jesus has in view is a very unique closeness. All of us experience to some extent or another closeness with different people in this world, but the closeness that Jesus is speaking of here is what we have described as an essential unity. It really encompasses the very essence of who we are. It encompasses the essence of Who God is. It is pattern on the unity between the Son and the Father. I remind you again of these verses that are before us. I want to begin in verse 19 this morning:
And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth, I do not ask in behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word, that they may all be one, even as Thou, Father, art in Me and I in Thee, that they also may be in Us, that the world may believe that Thou didst send Me. And the glory which Thou hast given me, I have given to them that they may be one, just as We are one.
This is a very crucial point that the Lord is praying about in this passage, this matter of genuine unity within the body of Christ. So much of what is often sought after and promoted as Christian unity is really nothing more than a coerced and a superficial conformity, and that is not by any means the same thing that Jesus is praying about here. It's, in many respects, it's not a difficult thing on certain levels to produce a certain level or certain degree of conformity. Here's a group of people, they want to be set apart. They want to see themselves as being set apart, so maybe they determined that this is the way they're going to dress, or this is the lifestyle that they're all going to embrace, that's not what Jesus is talking about here. Producing this kind of unity is a work of God. Producing genuine Christian unity by human means would be like trying to produce real honey without bees. It's an exceptional work of the Spirit of God. Real oneness in the body of Christ is a very crucial element as we have seen and as the Lord may explain in this passage-very crucial-in verifying Christ's claims to the world.
And I have said this before, and I acknowledge it readily, this is something that I personally, recognize I have not taken seriously, many, many times. We don't tend to take this matter as seriously as Jesus does. Jesus is serious about this matter of unity. It's not that we don't talk about unity. It's not that Christians don't speak of unity. In fact, it's sometimes spoken of quite a bit. The question here is not the extent to which we talk about it, the question is the extent to which we realize it, we recognize it for what it is. We are encouraging one another and preserving this work that God Himself has brought to pass in our midst. Our adversary has often been able to cause great damage to the reputation of Christ because of our unfaithfulness to this very thing that the Lord is praying about here. It's really a sad thing. How many times have you been faced with even, and maybe trying to witness to somebody, and somebody brings up this very point. Well, you know you can talk to me about Christianity, but you Christians are the worst. You fight with each other all the time. You can't agree on anything. And I'm not suggesting that there are times, and many times, where the world is throwing out this accusation, and it's not necessarily a legitimate one. I realize that, but sometimes it is.
One of the things that I notice, even as I was meditating on this a little this week and doing different Scripture reading, is just the tremendous emphasis in the New Testament on the importance of genuine unity in Christ’s body. I remind you of several of the passages, I think we’ve looked at several of them already, but in the Acts of the Apostles, verse 14 of chapter 1, These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer. Chapter 2 verse 46 in chapter 2, Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple. Acts chapter 4 verse 32, The congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul. I was reminded of this reading in the book of Romans the 12th chapter, verse four, for just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we who are many, are one body in Christ. This emphasis is, we see it continually throughout the New Testament. Chapter 12 of First Corinthians verses 12 and 13, for even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were made to drink of one Spirit. The passage that we looked at several weeks ago, in Galatians chapter 3 verse 27, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourself with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ. Notice this emphasis over and over again. Ephesians chapter 4, where we are exhorted in verse two, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing forbearance to one another in love. Being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all. This is, this is a significant attribute of the people of God. The children of God in Christ. We noted in that fourth chapter of Ephesians, this is the very goal for which God has, for which the Lord Jesus has given gifts in the church, gave some as apostles, gave some as prophets, gave some as evangelists, some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service to the building up of the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God. This is God's purpose for us. This is the Lord's prayer to the Father for us, and as I said earlier, I want to remind you again, this is so important. This is a genuine expectation of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is not some esoteric ideal. Jesus is not a life coach, sort of trying to spur us on and set these high and mighty goals in front of us and just hope that we get a little bit closer, pushes on a little bit more. This is a real expectation, that we demonstrate this, that we cultivate it, that we protect it, that we recognize it, and rejoice in it, to an ever-increasing extent.
Now, as we noted before, because Jesus describes this, we've noticed in the 21st verse, where we focused quite a bit of our attention. We notice that He describes this unity as being in the likeness of the unity between the Father and the Son. He says, that they may all be one, even as Thou, Father, art in Me and I in Thee, that they also may be an Us. So, here we have the pattern if you will, of this unity. This unity is patterned, has the greatest, the highest example does it not? The pattern is the unity between the Son and the Father.
We noted three things, three areas, specific areas where that unity was evidenced in the Lord's life during His earthly ministry. First of all, there was great unity between the Father and the Son in regard to Divine Revelation. A very high regard for divine revelation. Jesus spoke of the Word of God as being absolutely authoritative. The Scripture cannot be broken, Jesus said. How many times does He say, “as the Scripture says”? In this passage before us, as He makes this tremendous declaration, “Thy Word is truth.” And the Father, making that declaration concerning the Son: This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him. Jesus declaring, “heaven and earth may pass away, but My words shall not pass away.”--high regard for divine revelation. This has a huge impact on the extent to which we are unified. It's a tremendous thing to be unified, and it’s interesting to me how many times people will do whatever they can to diminish this, in order to achieve a greater unity, when in reality, a high regard for divine revelation will draw us together and far more closely than we’ll be able to manipulate the closeness of our own making.
The second thing that we notice is an intense focus on doing the Father's will. We see the unity between the Son and the Father in this regard as well. Jesus is intently focused on doing the Father's will. I didn't come to do My own will, Jesus says numerous times, but the will of Him Who sent me. He says there in John four, My food is to do the will of Him Who sent me, to accomplish His work. This is what invigorates and sustains Christ even more than physical food. An intense focus on the Father's will. Oh, that we would be more focused on that. Remember that one passage we looked at in John seven. Jesus said, if any man is willing to do His will, he'll know of the teaching. Some of the times our problems with coming to a unified understanding of God's Word is because we really, in our hearts and our motives, we’re not really determined to do God's will. How many times have you shrunk back from really studying through with somebody what is it that God says in His Word here, knowing full well that the implications would mean, could very possibly mean, you have to make some changes your life. An intense focus on the Father's will.
And lastly we noted last time, an intense, fervent devotion to prayer. Jesus was in prayer constantly. His disciples many times were sound asleep, and He was off in the wilderness, praying by Himself, sometimes spending the whole night in prayer.
So, we looked at these three aspects. These three areas where we can see very clearly the unity between the Father and the Son. These are very specific ways in which we are drawn together in Christ. A high regard for the Word of God. An intense focus on doing His will. A devotion to prayer. We can apply these observations of this perfect unity between the Father and the Son, we can apply them as a pattern for our own closeness as His followers. These are the kinds of things that draw us together. These are things that are extremely important. If we’re going to experience more fully the closeness that Christ has called us to, then these three things are going to need to be a focus of our attention. High regard for divine revelation, an intense focus on the will of God, a devotion to prayer.
But I want you to notice as we move on in the passage, Jesus takes this matter of Christian unity even further. Notice verse 22, and the glory which Thou hast given Me, I have given to them--and what's the purpose?--that they may be one, just as We are one. Notice how important this is to Christ. He keeps repeating it from slightly different angles, but it's a very intense focus on this matter of our being one, and as we seen just with a number of few brief examples. The New Testament epistles are filled with this concept. Now Jesus says this, the glory which Thou has given Me, I have given to them that they may be one. Here we have another element of the unity of the Spirit in the body of Christ, and it is nothing less than a mutual partaking of the divine glory. Is that not what the Lord says here? The glory which Thou hast given Me, I have given to them that they may be one. This is really kind of a startling statement in many respects. How are we to understand this? In what sense has Jesus shared with us of the glory given to Him by the Father? If you start studying and thinking about this, there are different things that may come to mind. There's the glory that was manifested in Christ's attesting miracles. We're told of that first miracle in Cana, the turning of the water into wine. In John two, that He manifested at that point in time, He manifested His glory to the disciples through this miracle. And certainly, Jesus manifested a glory that God had given to Him in the accomplishing of some very remarkable works. The apostles, we could say, shared in that same glory to some extent in the confirming miracles that they, too, were granted and are allowed to accomplish, able to work, immediately after the Lord's ascension.
But one thing seems quite obvious in this passage, and that is that Jesus is speaking here of something that would be present in all of His people, not just His closest, immediate followers. Remember, I remind you of something we looked at several times earlier. He says in verse 20, I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their work. So what Jesus has in mind here is a unity that includes far more than just this little group of men that have been following Him. It's going to include all those who believe, all those who come to faith in the Lord Jesus. This is who is in view. And so Jesus now speaks in regards to this unity of a shared glory. Have you ever thought about it in that way, that this is one of the crucial elements to our closeness in Christ, is that we are fellow partakers of Christ's glory? We need to be very careful to recognize that this glory we share in, it belongs to Christ. It's not ours. Although we're to see that sometimes it's spoken of as being ours as well. That's the extent to which we share in it. It's a remarkable thing, but it belongs to Christ. It's His to bestow upon us and to share with us. And we are united in, as those who have, are sharers in, partakers of Christ's glory. I want you to think this through with me carefully this morning. The cross, we’ve talked about this already--I want to try and hopefully put together some of the things that we've already seen previously--the cross is the focal point of Christ's glory. It's not His attesting miracles, though some of them were remarkable. The focal point of Christ's glory is the cross. There is no question about that. Jesus couldn't have been clearer, and I want to remind you of several of the Lord statements again. We've looked at them before. It's important that we keep them in view, especially in this context. What is Jesus saying in John chapter 13, as He's anticipating what's about to happen? Judas has just left to betray Him. He knows what's going to happen very soon. And Jesus says this in John 13:31, now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him. If God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself and will glorify Him immediately. It's very clear from what Jesus is saying here that this is the pinnacle of Christ's glory. He's approaching it. He's almost there. And then as we began this the Lord's prayer the Father, how does Jesus begin this prayer, as He lifts up His eyes to Heaven, in verse one of chapter 17. Father, the hour has come. Glorify Thy Son that the Son may glorify Thee, even as Thou gavest Him authority over all mankind, that to all whom Thou has given Him, He may give eternal life. The suffering and the death of Jesus demonstrates the very heart of God. We talked about this before, it's worth mentioning again. The character, the very nature of God is more fully displayed on the cross than anywhere else. In fact, it is fully displayed on the cross. If you want to know about God, you need to study the suffering, the sacrifice, the death of Christ. It's all there: His holiness, His righteousness, His love, His faithfulness, His promises being fulfilled to this, to the tiniest, the smallest detail--all of those attributes--God's foreknowledge, His infinite wisdom, we could go on and on, it all comes to that one point, that pinnacle at the cross. Jesus manifested His divine glory in the miracles that He performed, but this is the moment, it's His sinless, His selfless sacrifice on our behalf on the cross. This is the highest point. This is the pinnacle of Christ's glory. His honor, His praise, His exultation.
Now, as we've noted before, and as we even read in the second verse here in chapter 17, I want you to be, we need to be careful to notice something: an integral element of Christ's glory. The cross is the pinnacle of His glory, and an integral element of His glory on the cross is the unfathomable blessings that He lavishes upon sinners through His suffering, through His dying on our behalf. Notice when He speaks of this glory in chapter 17 verse one, the hour has come. Glorify Thy Son that the Son may glorify Thee, even as Thou gavest Him authority over all mankind, that to all whom Thou hast given Him, He may give eternal life. Is this not the most remarkable thing? This is the height of Christ's glory, and His saving grace to us is part of that glory, is what makes this moment so remarkable. The bestowing of eternal blessings upon unworthy sinners is a vital element of the glory of the cross of Christ. The cross doesn't stand as an emblem by itself. There's a purpose, there's a goal. Jesus didn't die for nothing. He didn't die for something vague or nebulous, either. He didn't die as a great example of real, true friendship, sacrificial love and friendship. Those things, some of those things may be included. But those are not, that's not the reason He died. He suffered and died to bring us to Himself. I remind you of the passage there in Ephesians chapter 1, a passage that I know is dear to many of us as we contemplate these realities. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ Who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. Our blessings in Christ are an integral part of the glory of the cross. All the lasting good that we have comes to us from Christ and it comes to us through the cross. Through His finished work on our behalf, through His sacrifice on our behalf, we become partakers of His glory, and that is a big part of the glory of the cross, that His glory is shared with us through what He accomplished.
The thing that I'd like to focus our attention on at this point is, how is this glory seen? How is the glory of Christ, what is the practical, what are the practical ramifications and implications of this? We’re told here, Jesus speaks of His sharing, of Him sharing His glory, the glory the Father's given to Him, with us. How does that happen, how does that work? How is it seen and how does it, more specifically, how does it bring us together? How to unite us in Christ? There are three things that I want to look at this morning.
The first area where I believe this is to be seen, and maybe the most important, is in the matter of sanctification. I remind you of the verse we just read at the outset this morning, for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth. This is God's purpose in saving us. His purpose in saving us is to set us apart, is to sanctify us, to make us His, to make us holy. I remind you of the passage there in Second Thessalonians. We have looked at this a number of times in the past, it's an important passage. Second Thessalonians chapter 2 verse 13, but we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation--but that's not where it stops--through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. And it was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Gain the glory of Christ. This is God's purpose in saving us, it’s to set us apart, that we might share, that we might be partakers of His glory. This is to be the impression that our living is to have on the world around us. I want to remind you of passage in Romans chapter 6, you recall in the fifth chapter, Paul has described some of the most precious words in all of God's Word, that where sin abounded, grace abounded all the more. The end of the fifth chapter, that is sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Paul has just described the reign of death in this world because of sin. Now the reign of grace, because of Christ. And then he goes on to combat what he anticipates might be going on in somebody's mind in the flesh, “Well, maybe I don't need to worry about sinning, then, because grace will just super abound,” and he says, what shall we say then, are we to continue in sin that many grace might increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore, we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead, through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. The way we live, the way we walk, the way we conduct ourselves in this life is described here as a newness of life. It's a partaking of the glory of Christ. You and I can't walk like that in our own strength. We can't walk in a newness of life, especially in the midst of the darkness of this world, unless Jesus has granted to us a portion of His glory.
I want to remind you of another passage in this regard that I think is even more important in really thinking this through. That's in Second Corinthians chapter three. Second Corinthians chapter 3, Paul is speaking to the saints in Corinth and, of course, in these two epistles to the saints at Corinth, Paul is forced, in many respects, to justify, if you will, his calling, to remind them of who God has called him to be, as an apostle of Christ, and then so he says in verse one of chapter 3, Are we beginning to commend ourselves again or do we need, as some, letters of commendation to you or from you? You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men, being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts, and such confidence we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit, for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. But if the ministry of death in letters engraved on stones came with glory so that the sons of Israel could not look intently at the face of Moses because of the glory of his face, fading as it was, how shall the ministry of the Spirit fail to be even more with glory. For if the ministry of condemnation has glory, much more does the ministry of righteousness abound in glory, for indeed what had glory in this case has no glory on account of the glory that surpasses it. The glory of Christ is shared with His saints, and it’s seen, it’s evidenced. You and I are partakers together of that glory. We are in a very unique position. Rather than so many times, comparing and contrasting and competing with one another, would we not be much better served to recognize that the only glory we have comes from Christ and we all share in it together? Paul goes on at the end of that chapter. He says, we all with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory. That's who we are in Christ—together. That ought to draw us together in a mighty way. We are reflecting the very glory of the Son of the living God, and we do that together, individually and together. And that glory shared by us brings us together in a unique way--no one else, no one else but His children are fellow partakers of that glory. No one else can be described in this way, “being transformed from glory to glory.”
It seems to me that this is why Paul, very shortly after this, in the first few verses of the next chapter explains why, then, it is so important to the god of this world to keep us, to keep sinners from coming to Christ. What does he say in verse four, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving--and notice why--that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ. If there's anything the god of this world cannot stand, it's the light of the glory of Christ, shining brightly and from glory to glory in the lives of His children, lives of His followers. The god of this world is so intent on blinding the eyes of the unbelieving, that they may not see that glory. Because when we see that glory, we become partakers of that glory and we demonstrate that glory together. Do you and I look for, are we actively looking for and delighting in the evidences of that glory in one another? That should help. That should help us, in this whole matter of our tendency in the flesh is to concentrate on the things that divide us. That's what we do in the flesh, many times, isn’t it? Sometimes the littlest things, sometimes pretty significant things. But this pursuit of sanctification ought to draw us together. It's a mutual pursuit of being set apart as His very own. Recall what the writer of Hebrews says there in chapter 12 verse 14, pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord. The pursuit of peace, the pursuit of contentment, the pursuit of harmony, comes right along with the pursuit of sanctification. First Peter, this is emphasized, beginning with verse 13 of chapter 1. Therefore gird your minds for action. Keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior. What a thing for us to be united in. You know, we'd have... There's so many things that men come up with, that we can come up with to try and draw ourselves closer together. God's given us the highest possible expectations and goals. This is what we, this is what will really draw us together as we pursue sanctification.
There's a second thing, a second area where this glory is seen, very practically. Obviously, it's the glory, it only can be the glory of Christ, that would be shining in and through someone who's pursuing holiness. The world doesn't pursue holiness. None of us do on our own, do we? That has to come from Christ. If we are not sharers of His glory, there is no way were going to pursue holiness. That's completely unnatural to humanity, to the flesh.
The second evidence, and that is this glory is seen, not only in sanctification but in suffering. In suffering. Maybe as soon as I say that, we tend to maybe recoil and say why, I'm not so sure I want to see Christ glory to that extent, but it's reality. Following Jesus will always include some kind of suffering. There's no way you can get around that. What does Paul say in Second Timothy chapter 3, all who will live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. Obviously not to the same extent. You and I know, and in this day and age, when we have the ability to know an awful lot of what's going on in other parts the world. It's obvious that not all of God's children are persecuted to the same extent, and in the same ways. It can vary greatly, but there will be some, there will be suffering of some kind. This is a reality that ought to drive us to closer fellowship and single minded devotion. We are suffering together for the cause, the greatest cause of all. This ought to develop within us a spiritual camaraderie, if you will. First Peter, and Peter, of course, is--First Peter is one of those portions of God's Word that is especially suited to what we’re talking about. The subject of Peter, you could really sum up that epistle with the two words: suffering and glory. And it's through suffering and it’s in suffering that much of God's glory, much of Christ’s glory is seen in us. Peter says in chapter 4 verse 12, Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing as though some strange thing were happening to you. But to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory, you may rejoice with exultation. If you are reviled for the name of Christ. You are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. By no means let any of you suffer as a murderer, thief or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler. But if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not feel ashamed, but in that Name, let him glorify God. What a comfort these words must be to those of our brethren who even now are suffering greatly. The Spirit of glory and of God rests upon us when we're in the midst of these trials.
In Hebrews, the last chapter of Hebrews, we’re encouraged to be very sensitive to this. Hebrews chapter 13 verse one. Let love of the brethren continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some of you have entertained angels without knowing it. Remember the prisoners as though in prison with them, and those who are ill treated, since you yourselves also are in the body. This is one of the ways that this develops a unity and a closeness with in us, and that is when we are actually, we are mindful of those who are suffering. And we in this body have unique opportunity. We've heard first-hand of an awful lot of suffering God's people endure and it's a tiny, tiny fraction of the suffering that goes on in this world for those who are in Christ, simply because of the fact they are followers of Christ. Remember the prisoners as though in prison with them. You and I need to pray for our brothers, our dear brothers and sisters as though we were suffering right alongside of them. Notice Paul's attitude toward suffering. It's a remarkable one. Our attitude ought to reflect that. He says in chapter 3 of Philippians verse 10, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings. I remind you what Paul says in Colossians chapter 1 verse 24, now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body, which is the church, in filling up that which is lacking in Christ's afflictions. Think of this, the early church in the Acts of the Apostles, how they were drawn together, their closeness as they were suffering. And as that persecution intensified, they were even drawn closer together. It’s as that persecution began to intensify, we’re told, that they were of one heart and soul. I was reading several weeks ago, I read an article I thought was very interesting. They were describing some men who were veterans of the armed services in our country. They had been discharged, but they had been involved in fighting in the country of Iraq and what had happened, what has happened to some of these men, they went back, they went back to this region and began to take up arms and fight alongside the Kurds in their fight against ISIS. And they were trying to figure out what would motivate these men to do this? They had, no one had told them to do this and in fact they were probably been discouraged from doing it, but they're doing that. You know what they said the reason was? They missed the camaraderie that they had experienced when they had been fighting alongside of men and some of whom had lost their lives. It had drawn them together in the heat of battle in ways that they couldn't, they could not re-create when they got back home here. They had to go back into the conflict, because they wanted to experience that kind of closeness again. You and I are involved in a conflict that is far worse, far more intense, far more significant, with far greater implications than any human warfare on this planet, would you not agree? We tend to lose sight of that, sometimes we're so busy bickering and arguing amongst ourselves, we don't even recognize that we are together facing an incredible foe. And that ought to give us a great deal of common and shared compassion and concern for one another, and concern for the glory of Christ.
There is a third area where this seems to me, where this glory is made evident, not only in our sanctification, in our suffering, but also in our expectation. There's really nothing I suppose that affects us more than our expectations, is there? The way we actually end up living our lives over the, over the long haul. The way we live our lives is greatly affected by our expectations. Those expectations can involve all kinds of earthly configurations and human constructs, in the way we designed the particular goal we have in mind. In our particular job path, our career, or our finances, or our relationships to other people, or whatever it is that were struggling and striving for. Our expectations tend to drive us. When things are getting rough and difficult, we tend to fall back on those, because that's where were going, that's were heading. There is a mutual and confident expectation of a coming fullness of glory that you and I share together, that you and I share with every other saint on this planet. And it ought to knit our hearts together in a persevering joy.
I want to remind you of some of the passages that speak of this great expectation. Romans chapter 5, beginning with verse one, Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we exult--or we boast--in hope of the glory of God. Ephesians chapter 1 verse 18, Paul prays for the saints at Ephesus, I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints. Ephesians chapter 5 verse 25, husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the Word, that He might present to Himself the church--notice these words--in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and blameless. Colossians chapter 1 verse 27, to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. It's not just the glory that we experience and can see and demonstrate here in sanctification through sufferings, but it's what we are anticipating: Christ in you--Christ in us--the hope of glory. First Peter, back to first Peter again, chapter 5 verse one Peter says, Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed. Look at, think about this, this is how Peter identifies himself, as he closes the epistle: your fellow elder, witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed. That's who you and I are in Christ, we’re partakers, right now were partakers of the glory that's going to soon be revealed. Notice how he further ends the epistle, in verse 10, and after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. Paul is anticipating that day, there in Philippians chapter 3, 21st verse, actually I'll begin with verse 20, for our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly await for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, Who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory.
Lest you and I worry one minute about the reality of this or whether or not it'll actually happen, that God will see us through, I remind you those last two verses in Jude, now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy. That's what I'm looking forward to! Is that what you’re looking forward to? Isn't that what we’re looking forward to together? There's a lot of different things we can anticipate and look forward to in a temporal nature in this life, but this is what ought to just draw our hearts together like nothing else. This is so much more important than anything else we can be involved in. You and I are in a struggle together, and this is what we should expect. It's so great a privilege, so great a comfort and a blessing, to be bound together in Christ isn't it? To be bound together in Christ in holiness. To be bound together in suffering to be bound together for glory. Let's bow together.
And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth, I do not ask in behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word, that they may all be one, even as Thou, Father, art in Me and I in Thee, that they also may be in Us, that the world may believe that Thou didst send Me. And the glory which Thou hast given me, I have given to them that they may be one, just as We are one.
This is a very crucial point that the Lord is praying about in this passage, this matter of genuine unity within the body of Christ. So much of what is often sought after and promoted as Christian unity is really nothing more than a coerced and a superficial conformity, and that is not by any means the same thing that Jesus is praying about here. It's, in many respects, it's not a difficult thing on certain levels to produce a certain level or certain degree of conformity. Here's a group of people, they want to be set apart. They want to see themselves as being set apart, so maybe they determined that this is the way they're going to dress, or this is the lifestyle that they're all going to embrace, that's not what Jesus is talking about here. Producing this kind of unity is a work of God. Producing genuine Christian unity by human means would be like trying to produce real honey without bees. It's an exceptional work of the Spirit of God. Real oneness in the body of Christ is a very crucial element as we have seen and as the Lord may explain in this passage-very crucial-in verifying Christ's claims to the world.
And I have said this before, and I acknowledge it readily, this is something that I personally, recognize I have not taken seriously, many, many times. We don't tend to take this matter as seriously as Jesus does. Jesus is serious about this matter of unity. It's not that we don't talk about unity. It's not that Christians don't speak of unity. In fact, it's sometimes spoken of quite a bit. The question here is not the extent to which we talk about it, the question is the extent to which we realize it, we recognize it for what it is. We are encouraging one another and preserving this work that God Himself has brought to pass in our midst. Our adversary has often been able to cause great damage to the reputation of Christ because of our unfaithfulness to this very thing that the Lord is praying about here. It's really a sad thing. How many times have you been faced with even, and maybe trying to witness to somebody, and somebody brings up this very point. Well, you know you can talk to me about Christianity, but you Christians are the worst. You fight with each other all the time. You can't agree on anything. And I'm not suggesting that there are times, and many times, where the world is throwing out this accusation, and it's not necessarily a legitimate one. I realize that, but sometimes it is.
One of the things that I notice, even as I was meditating on this a little this week and doing different Scripture reading, is just the tremendous emphasis in the New Testament on the importance of genuine unity in Christ’s body. I remind you of several of the passages, I think we’ve looked at several of them already, but in the Acts of the Apostles, verse 14 of chapter 1, These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer. Chapter 2 verse 46 in chapter 2, Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple. Acts chapter 4 verse 32, The congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul. I was reminded of this reading in the book of Romans the 12th chapter, verse four, for just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we who are many, are one body in Christ. This emphasis is, we see it continually throughout the New Testament. Chapter 12 of First Corinthians verses 12 and 13, for even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were made to drink of one Spirit. The passage that we looked at several weeks ago, in Galatians chapter 3 verse 27, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourself with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ. Notice this emphasis over and over again. Ephesians chapter 4, where we are exhorted in verse two, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing forbearance to one another in love. Being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all. This is, this is a significant attribute of the people of God. The children of God in Christ. We noted in that fourth chapter of Ephesians, this is the very goal for which God has, for which the Lord Jesus has given gifts in the church, gave some as apostles, gave some as prophets, gave some as evangelists, some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service to the building up of the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God. This is God's purpose for us. This is the Lord's prayer to the Father for us, and as I said earlier, I want to remind you again, this is so important. This is a genuine expectation of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is not some esoteric ideal. Jesus is not a life coach, sort of trying to spur us on and set these high and mighty goals in front of us and just hope that we get a little bit closer, pushes on a little bit more. This is a real expectation, that we demonstrate this, that we cultivate it, that we protect it, that we recognize it, and rejoice in it, to an ever-increasing extent.
Now, as we noted before, because Jesus describes this, we've noticed in the 21st verse, where we focused quite a bit of our attention. We notice that He describes this unity as being in the likeness of the unity between the Father and the Son. He says, that they may all be one, even as Thou, Father, art in Me and I in Thee, that they also may be an Us. So, here we have the pattern if you will, of this unity. This unity is patterned, has the greatest, the highest example does it not? The pattern is the unity between the Son and the Father.
We noted three things, three areas, specific areas where that unity was evidenced in the Lord's life during His earthly ministry. First of all, there was great unity between the Father and the Son in regard to Divine Revelation. A very high regard for divine revelation. Jesus spoke of the Word of God as being absolutely authoritative. The Scripture cannot be broken, Jesus said. How many times does He say, “as the Scripture says”? In this passage before us, as He makes this tremendous declaration, “Thy Word is truth.” And the Father, making that declaration concerning the Son: This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him. Jesus declaring, “heaven and earth may pass away, but My words shall not pass away.”--high regard for divine revelation. This has a huge impact on the extent to which we are unified. It's a tremendous thing to be unified, and it’s interesting to me how many times people will do whatever they can to diminish this, in order to achieve a greater unity, when in reality, a high regard for divine revelation will draw us together and far more closely than we’ll be able to manipulate the closeness of our own making.
The second thing that we notice is an intense focus on doing the Father's will. We see the unity between the Son and the Father in this regard as well. Jesus is intently focused on doing the Father's will. I didn't come to do My own will, Jesus says numerous times, but the will of Him Who sent me. He says there in John four, My food is to do the will of Him Who sent me, to accomplish His work. This is what invigorates and sustains Christ even more than physical food. An intense focus on the Father's will. Oh, that we would be more focused on that. Remember that one passage we looked at in John seven. Jesus said, if any man is willing to do His will, he'll know of the teaching. Some of the times our problems with coming to a unified understanding of God's Word is because we really, in our hearts and our motives, we’re not really determined to do God's will. How many times have you shrunk back from really studying through with somebody what is it that God says in His Word here, knowing full well that the implications would mean, could very possibly mean, you have to make some changes your life. An intense focus on the Father's will.
And lastly we noted last time, an intense, fervent devotion to prayer. Jesus was in prayer constantly. His disciples many times were sound asleep, and He was off in the wilderness, praying by Himself, sometimes spending the whole night in prayer.
So, we looked at these three aspects. These three areas where we can see very clearly the unity between the Father and the Son. These are very specific ways in which we are drawn together in Christ. A high regard for the Word of God. An intense focus on doing His will. A devotion to prayer. We can apply these observations of this perfect unity between the Father and the Son, we can apply them as a pattern for our own closeness as His followers. These are the kinds of things that draw us together. These are things that are extremely important. If we’re going to experience more fully the closeness that Christ has called us to, then these three things are going to need to be a focus of our attention. High regard for divine revelation, an intense focus on the will of God, a devotion to prayer.
But I want you to notice as we move on in the passage, Jesus takes this matter of Christian unity even further. Notice verse 22, and the glory which Thou hast given Me, I have given to them--and what's the purpose?--that they may be one, just as We are one. Notice how important this is to Christ. He keeps repeating it from slightly different angles, but it's a very intense focus on this matter of our being one, and as we seen just with a number of few brief examples. The New Testament epistles are filled with this concept. Now Jesus says this, the glory which Thou has given Me, I have given to them that they may be one. Here we have another element of the unity of the Spirit in the body of Christ, and it is nothing less than a mutual partaking of the divine glory. Is that not what the Lord says here? The glory which Thou hast given Me, I have given to them that they may be one. This is really kind of a startling statement in many respects. How are we to understand this? In what sense has Jesus shared with us of the glory given to Him by the Father? If you start studying and thinking about this, there are different things that may come to mind. There's the glory that was manifested in Christ's attesting miracles. We're told of that first miracle in Cana, the turning of the water into wine. In John two, that He manifested at that point in time, He manifested His glory to the disciples through this miracle. And certainly, Jesus manifested a glory that God had given to Him in the accomplishing of some very remarkable works. The apostles, we could say, shared in that same glory to some extent in the confirming miracles that they, too, were granted and are allowed to accomplish, able to work, immediately after the Lord's ascension.
But one thing seems quite obvious in this passage, and that is that Jesus is speaking here of something that would be present in all of His people, not just His closest, immediate followers. Remember, I remind you of something we looked at several times earlier. He says in verse 20, I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their work. So what Jesus has in mind here is a unity that includes far more than just this little group of men that have been following Him. It's going to include all those who believe, all those who come to faith in the Lord Jesus. This is who is in view. And so Jesus now speaks in regards to this unity of a shared glory. Have you ever thought about it in that way, that this is one of the crucial elements to our closeness in Christ, is that we are fellow partakers of Christ's glory? We need to be very careful to recognize that this glory we share in, it belongs to Christ. It's not ours. Although we're to see that sometimes it's spoken of as being ours as well. That's the extent to which we share in it. It's a remarkable thing, but it belongs to Christ. It's His to bestow upon us and to share with us. And we are united in, as those who have, are sharers in, partakers of Christ's glory. I want you to think this through with me carefully this morning. The cross, we’ve talked about this already--I want to try and hopefully put together some of the things that we've already seen previously--the cross is the focal point of Christ's glory. It's not His attesting miracles, though some of them were remarkable. The focal point of Christ's glory is the cross. There is no question about that. Jesus couldn't have been clearer, and I want to remind you of several of the Lord statements again. We've looked at them before. It's important that we keep them in view, especially in this context. What is Jesus saying in John chapter 13, as He's anticipating what's about to happen? Judas has just left to betray Him. He knows what's going to happen very soon. And Jesus says this in John 13:31, now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him. If God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself and will glorify Him immediately. It's very clear from what Jesus is saying here that this is the pinnacle of Christ's glory. He's approaching it. He's almost there. And then as we began this the Lord's prayer the Father, how does Jesus begin this prayer, as He lifts up His eyes to Heaven, in verse one of chapter 17. Father, the hour has come. Glorify Thy Son that the Son may glorify Thee, even as Thou gavest Him authority over all mankind, that to all whom Thou has given Him, He may give eternal life. The suffering and the death of Jesus demonstrates the very heart of God. We talked about this before, it's worth mentioning again. The character, the very nature of God is more fully displayed on the cross than anywhere else. In fact, it is fully displayed on the cross. If you want to know about God, you need to study the suffering, the sacrifice, the death of Christ. It's all there: His holiness, His righteousness, His love, His faithfulness, His promises being fulfilled to this, to the tiniest, the smallest detail--all of those attributes--God's foreknowledge, His infinite wisdom, we could go on and on, it all comes to that one point, that pinnacle at the cross. Jesus manifested His divine glory in the miracles that He performed, but this is the moment, it's His sinless, His selfless sacrifice on our behalf on the cross. This is the highest point. This is the pinnacle of Christ's glory. His honor, His praise, His exultation.
Now, as we've noted before, and as we even read in the second verse here in chapter 17, I want you to be, we need to be careful to notice something: an integral element of Christ's glory. The cross is the pinnacle of His glory, and an integral element of His glory on the cross is the unfathomable blessings that He lavishes upon sinners through His suffering, through His dying on our behalf. Notice when He speaks of this glory in chapter 17 verse one, the hour has come. Glorify Thy Son that the Son may glorify Thee, even as Thou gavest Him authority over all mankind, that to all whom Thou hast given Him, He may give eternal life. Is this not the most remarkable thing? This is the height of Christ's glory, and His saving grace to us is part of that glory, is what makes this moment so remarkable. The bestowing of eternal blessings upon unworthy sinners is a vital element of the glory of the cross of Christ. The cross doesn't stand as an emblem by itself. There's a purpose, there's a goal. Jesus didn't die for nothing. He didn't die for something vague or nebulous, either. He didn't die as a great example of real, true friendship, sacrificial love and friendship. Those things, some of those things may be included. But those are not, that's not the reason He died. He suffered and died to bring us to Himself. I remind you of the passage there in Ephesians chapter 1, a passage that I know is dear to many of us as we contemplate these realities. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ Who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. Our blessings in Christ are an integral part of the glory of the cross. All the lasting good that we have comes to us from Christ and it comes to us through the cross. Through His finished work on our behalf, through His sacrifice on our behalf, we become partakers of His glory, and that is a big part of the glory of the cross, that His glory is shared with us through what He accomplished.
The thing that I'd like to focus our attention on at this point is, how is this glory seen? How is the glory of Christ, what is the practical, what are the practical ramifications and implications of this? We’re told here, Jesus speaks of His sharing, of Him sharing His glory, the glory the Father's given to Him, with us. How does that happen, how does that work? How is it seen and how does it, more specifically, how does it bring us together? How to unite us in Christ? There are three things that I want to look at this morning.
The first area where I believe this is to be seen, and maybe the most important, is in the matter of sanctification. I remind you of the verse we just read at the outset this morning, for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth. This is God's purpose in saving us. His purpose in saving us is to set us apart, is to sanctify us, to make us His, to make us holy. I remind you of the passage there in Second Thessalonians. We have looked at this a number of times in the past, it's an important passage. Second Thessalonians chapter 2 verse 13, but we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation--but that's not where it stops--through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. And it was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Gain the glory of Christ. This is God's purpose in saving us, it’s to set us apart, that we might share, that we might be partakers of His glory. This is to be the impression that our living is to have on the world around us. I want to remind you of passage in Romans chapter 6, you recall in the fifth chapter, Paul has described some of the most precious words in all of God's Word, that where sin abounded, grace abounded all the more. The end of the fifth chapter, that is sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Paul has just described the reign of death in this world because of sin. Now the reign of grace, because of Christ. And then he goes on to combat what he anticipates might be going on in somebody's mind in the flesh, “Well, maybe I don't need to worry about sinning, then, because grace will just super abound,” and he says, what shall we say then, are we to continue in sin that many grace might increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore, we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead, through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. The way we live, the way we walk, the way we conduct ourselves in this life is described here as a newness of life. It's a partaking of the glory of Christ. You and I can't walk like that in our own strength. We can't walk in a newness of life, especially in the midst of the darkness of this world, unless Jesus has granted to us a portion of His glory.
I want to remind you of another passage in this regard that I think is even more important in really thinking this through. That's in Second Corinthians chapter three. Second Corinthians chapter 3, Paul is speaking to the saints in Corinth and, of course, in these two epistles to the saints at Corinth, Paul is forced, in many respects, to justify, if you will, his calling, to remind them of who God has called him to be, as an apostle of Christ, and then so he says in verse one of chapter 3, Are we beginning to commend ourselves again or do we need, as some, letters of commendation to you or from you? You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men, being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts, and such confidence we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit, for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. But if the ministry of death in letters engraved on stones came with glory so that the sons of Israel could not look intently at the face of Moses because of the glory of his face, fading as it was, how shall the ministry of the Spirit fail to be even more with glory. For if the ministry of condemnation has glory, much more does the ministry of righteousness abound in glory, for indeed what had glory in this case has no glory on account of the glory that surpasses it. The glory of Christ is shared with His saints, and it’s seen, it’s evidenced. You and I are partakers together of that glory. We are in a very unique position. Rather than so many times, comparing and contrasting and competing with one another, would we not be much better served to recognize that the only glory we have comes from Christ and we all share in it together? Paul goes on at the end of that chapter. He says, we all with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory. That's who we are in Christ—together. That ought to draw us together in a mighty way. We are reflecting the very glory of the Son of the living God, and we do that together, individually and together. And that glory shared by us brings us together in a unique way--no one else, no one else but His children are fellow partakers of that glory. No one else can be described in this way, “being transformed from glory to glory.”
It seems to me that this is why Paul, very shortly after this, in the first few verses of the next chapter explains why, then, it is so important to the god of this world to keep us, to keep sinners from coming to Christ. What does he say in verse four, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving--and notice why--that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ. If there's anything the god of this world cannot stand, it's the light of the glory of Christ, shining brightly and from glory to glory in the lives of His children, lives of His followers. The god of this world is so intent on blinding the eyes of the unbelieving, that they may not see that glory. Because when we see that glory, we become partakers of that glory and we demonstrate that glory together. Do you and I look for, are we actively looking for and delighting in the evidences of that glory in one another? That should help. That should help us, in this whole matter of our tendency in the flesh is to concentrate on the things that divide us. That's what we do in the flesh, many times, isn’t it? Sometimes the littlest things, sometimes pretty significant things. But this pursuit of sanctification ought to draw us together. It's a mutual pursuit of being set apart as His very own. Recall what the writer of Hebrews says there in chapter 12 verse 14, pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord. The pursuit of peace, the pursuit of contentment, the pursuit of harmony, comes right along with the pursuit of sanctification. First Peter, this is emphasized, beginning with verse 13 of chapter 1. Therefore gird your minds for action. Keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior. What a thing for us to be united in. You know, we'd have... There's so many things that men come up with, that we can come up with to try and draw ourselves closer together. God's given us the highest possible expectations and goals. This is what we, this is what will really draw us together as we pursue sanctification.
There's a second thing, a second area where this glory is seen, very practically. Obviously, it's the glory, it only can be the glory of Christ, that would be shining in and through someone who's pursuing holiness. The world doesn't pursue holiness. None of us do on our own, do we? That has to come from Christ. If we are not sharers of His glory, there is no way were going to pursue holiness. That's completely unnatural to humanity, to the flesh.
The second evidence, and that is this glory is seen, not only in sanctification but in suffering. In suffering. Maybe as soon as I say that, we tend to maybe recoil and say why, I'm not so sure I want to see Christ glory to that extent, but it's reality. Following Jesus will always include some kind of suffering. There's no way you can get around that. What does Paul say in Second Timothy chapter 3, all who will live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. Obviously not to the same extent. You and I know, and in this day and age, when we have the ability to know an awful lot of what's going on in other parts the world. It's obvious that not all of God's children are persecuted to the same extent, and in the same ways. It can vary greatly, but there will be some, there will be suffering of some kind. This is a reality that ought to drive us to closer fellowship and single minded devotion. We are suffering together for the cause, the greatest cause of all. This ought to develop within us a spiritual camaraderie, if you will. First Peter, and Peter, of course, is--First Peter is one of those portions of God's Word that is especially suited to what we’re talking about. The subject of Peter, you could really sum up that epistle with the two words: suffering and glory. And it's through suffering and it’s in suffering that much of God's glory, much of Christ’s glory is seen in us. Peter says in chapter 4 verse 12, Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing as though some strange thing were happening to you. But to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory, you may rejoice with exultation. If you are reviled for the name of Christ. You are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. By no means let any of you suffer as a murderer, thief or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler. But if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not feel ashamed, but in that Name, let him glorify God. What a comfort these words must be to those of our brethren who even now are suffering greatly. The Spirit of glory and of God rests upon us when we're in the midst of these trials.
In Hebrews, the last chapter of Hebrews, we’re encouraged to be very sensitive to this. Hebrews chapter 13 verse one. Let love of the brethren continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some of you have entertained angels without knowing it. Remember the prisoners as though in prison with them, and those who are ill treated, since you yourselves also are in the body. This is one of the ways that this develops a unity and a closeness with in us, and that is when we are actually, we are mindful of those who are suffering. And we in this body have unique opportunity. We've heard first-hand of an awful lot of suffering God's people endure and it's a tiny, tiny fraction of the suffering that goes on in this world for those who are in Christ, simply because of the fact they are followers of Christ. Remember the prisoners as though in prison with them. You and I need to pray for our brothers, our dear brothers and sisters as though we were suffering right alongside of them. Notice Paul's attitude toward suffering. It's a remarkable one. Our attitude ought to reflect that. He says in chapter 3 of Philippians verse 10, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings. I remind you what Paul says in Colossians chapter 1 verse 24, now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body, which is the church, in filling up that which is lacking in Christ's afflictions. Think of this, the early church in the Acts of the Apostles, how they were drawn together, their closeness as they were suffering. And as that persecution intensified, they were even drawn closer together. It’s as that persecution began to intensify, we’re told, that they were of one heart and soul. I was reading several weeks ago, I read an article I thought was very interesting. They were describing some men who were veterans of the armed services in our country. They had been discharged, but they had been involved in fighting in the country of Iraq and what had happened, what has happened to some of these men, they went back, they went back to this region and began to take up arms and fight alongside the Kurds in their fight against ISIS. And they were trying to figure out what would motivate these men to do this? They had, no one had told them to do this and in fact they were probably been discouraged from doing it, but they're doing that. You know what they said the reason was? They missed the camaraderie that they had experienced when they had been fighting alongside of men and some of whom had lost their lives. It had drawn them together in the heat of battle in ways that they couldn't, they could not re-create when they got back home here. They had to go back into the conflict, because they wanted to experience that kind of closeness again. You and I are involved in a conflict that is far worse, far more intense, far more significant, with far greater implications than any human warfare on this planet, would you not agree? We tend to lose sight of that, sometimes we're so busy bickering and arguing amongst ourselves, we don't even recognize that we are together facing an incredible foe. And that ought to give us a great deal of common and shared compassion and concern for one another, and concern for the glory of Christ.
There is a third area where this seems to me, where this glory is made evident, not only in our sanctification, in our suffering, but also in our expectation. There's really nothing I suppose that affects us more than our expectations, is there? The way we actually end up living our lives over the, over the long haul. The way we live our lives is greatly affected by our expectations. Those expectations can involve all kinds of earthly configurations and human constructs, in the way we designed the particular goal we have in mind. In our particular job path, our career, or our finances, or our relationships to other people, or whatever it is that were struggling and striving for. Our expectations tend to drive us. When things are getting rough and difficult, we tend to fall back on those, because that's where were going, that's were heading. There is a mutual and confident expectation of a coming fullness of glory that you and I share together, that you and I share with every other saint on this planet. And it ought to knit our hearts together in a persevering joy.
I want to remind you of some of the passages that speak of this great expectation. Romans chapter 5, beginning with verse one, Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we exult--or we boast--in hope of the glory of God. Ephesians chapter 1 verse 18, Paul prays for the saints at Ephesus, I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints. Ephesians chapter 5 verse 25, husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the Word, that He might present to Himself the church--notice these words--in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and blameless. Colossians chapter 1 verse 27, to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. It's not just the glory that we experience and can see and demonstrate here in sanctification through sufferings, but it's what we are anticipating: Christ in you--Christ in us--the hope of glory. First Peter, back to first Peter again, chapter 5 verse one Peter says, Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed. Look at, think about this, this is how Peter identifies himself, as he closes the epistle: your fellow elder, witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed. That's who you and I are in Christ, we’re partakers, right now were partakers of the glory that's going to soon be revealed. Notice how he further ends the epistle, in verse 10, and after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. Paul is anticipating that day, there in Philippians chapter 3, 21st verse, actually I'll begin with verse 20, for our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly await for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, Who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory.
Lest you and I worry one minute about the reality of this or whether or not it'll actually happen, that God will see us through, I remind you those last two verses in Jude, now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy. That's what I'm looking forward to! Is that what you’re looking forward to? Isn't that what we’re looking forward to together? There's a lot of different things we can anticipate and look forward to in a temporal nature in this life, but this is what ought to just draw our hearts together like nothing else. This is so much more important than anything else we can be involved in. You and I are in a struggle together, and this is what we should expect. It's so great a privilege, so great a comfort and a blessing, to be bound together in Christ isn't it? To be bound together in Christ in holiness. To be bound together in suffering to be bound together for glory. Let's bow together.
