One Lord

“ONE LORD”

Ephesians 4.5

In John 17.21, we read that the Lord Jesus Christ, after leaving the Upper Room and before His arrest, unjust trials, and crucifixion, specifically asked His Father for unity among His disciples. He asked,

“That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may know that thou hast sent me.”

Why did the Lord Jesus pray for unity? He prayed for unity as a necessary condition for effective evangelism. He realized that the unsaved world will not acknowledge that He truly is the One sent from God so long as His people do not demonstrate to the world real unity. Unity is critical to seeing folks saved.

But only four verses before that, the Lord Jesus Christ prayed these words:

“Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.”

So, we have two critical issues before us. On the one hand, God uses His Word, which is truth, to set His people apart for consecration and effective service. But on the other hand, unity is vital to effectively bringing folks to Christ.

It’s a wonderful thing when you have people who have the truth, so they can be sanctified for effective service, which is another way of saying set apart for effective service, and you also have those same people who are united. But what happens when you have no unity? Turn to First Corinthians 3.1-4:

1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.

2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.

3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?

4 For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?

Here, we read Paul’s rebuke of a divided Church, not united in its service for Christ. Such behavior showed them spiritually immature, verse 1, unprepared to receive good Bible teaching, verse 2, and acting like lost people, verse 3. And what was the cause of their divisions? Personality conflicts.

Philippians 4.1-3:

1 Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved.

2 I beseech Euodias, and beseech Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the Lord.

3 And I entreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlabourers, whose names are in the book of life.

Here we go again. But the disunity written about here is not in the most carnal Church of Paul’s day but in the most spiritual Church of Paul’s day. This Church, the only Church we know of to faithfully and consistently support his ministry through thick and thin, had two squabbling women whose pettiness threatened the entire effort of bringing folks to Christ.

So, in two different Churches, we find disunity rooted in personality conflicts. It happened in a not-so-good Church and a good Church, proving that it can occur in any Church. Anyone can lose sight of his mission, get petty with someone, and start bickering. The solution isn’t necessarily to always resolve interpersonal problems. The solution is to focus on the more critical issue of serving God and concentrating on things more important than petty personal differences.

These two examples illustrate unity is essential in a Church such as ours. Disunity can cripple any ministry. But what happens when disunity is the result, not of petty personal problems but fundamental disagreement over truth?

In Galatians 2.11-16, we see the example of the Apostle Paul, who openly rebuked Simon Peter, casting unity with Simon Peter aside, not because of anything Simon Peter said, but because of the way he acted:

11 But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed.

12 For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision.

13 And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation.

14 But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?

15 We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles,

16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

A personality conflict? Not at all. Salvation is by faith in Jesus Christ, right? So, when Simon Peter acted like Gentiles, who had trusted Christ but who had not been circumcised, weren’t good enough to eat with in the presence of Jewish Christians who had been circumcised and who were saved, Paul let him have it.

He rebuked him publicly, casting unity to the wind, because Peter’s behavior suggested that salvation by faith, apart from works, might not be good enough. In other words, when truth is at stake, an important truth, such as the purity of the Gospel message, truth must be considered more important to uphold than unity.

It is more important to preserve and protect the truth than to preserve and protect unity. Having both is wonderful. Having both truth and unity is the best of all options. But of the two, truth must be treated as the more important one to fight for. Remember this as you turn to our text for today, Ephesians 4.3-5. Let’s stand and read that passage together:

3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;

5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism.

Paul exhorted the Ephesian Church to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Paul has already dealt with three unifying factors in a Christian’s Church life: the one body, the one Spirit, and the one hope. Today, we look at a fourth unifying factor: one Lord.

Let me ask: “Can two walk together unless they agree?” The prophet Amos asked that question almost 2700 years ago, highlighting the real basis for unity: agreement. If there is no substantial agreement, there can be no unity.

When it is discovered that there is disagreement concerning truth, there are two ways to achieve unity. People who do not love truth will seek to minimize its importance by spouting high-sounding words like “tolerance” and “love.” On the other hand, people who love truth will seek to discover and exalt truth so that everyone will rally around it.

The issue before us today is “One Lord.” And lest you naively think that everyone should be able to agree on the Lord, let me point out but three considerations: First, in Matthew 24.5 and 11, the Lord Jesus Christ, Himself, predicted great confusion in the future about christs:

“For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many ... And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.”

The great confusion the Lord Jesus predicted has arrived. I am convinced that one can only rid a Church of faith in these false Christs that abound today by carefully listening to sinners’ testimonies to see which of them believes in a false Christ and which of them seeks to embrace the real Christ.

The second consideration will show the consequences of this confusion. What kind of conversations do you suppose will occur between the Lord Jesus Christ and unsaved men at the Great White Throne judgment, who were confused into thinking that “accepting” Jesus was good enough to be saved?

Matthew 7.21-23:

21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Do you see the problem? These scoundrels never came to the Jesus of the Bible by faith. All that religion, and all those good works, and all those tithes, and all those prayers, wasted because they hadn’t been truly saved. So, we see that Jesus predicted great confusion about the Savior of sinful men’s souls in the past. Looking forward to the future, we see that the great tragedy resulting from this confusion will be so many, many people who are lost who thought they were saved.

But what about now? Here, we find ourselves between the prophecy of Jesus and the payoff. And we find ourselves exhorted to achieve spiritual unity. And don’t you know that unity with everyone would be so remarkable? How effective might we imagine ourselves in reaching the pagans of this world for Christ if we only had unity? But what good does it do for everyone who claims to be a Christian to point men to Christ if there is no agreement on Who Jesus Christ is?

Life would be so much easier if all the preachers could get together and go to the next Pastor’s Seminar somewhere. Would it not be exhilarating for all the Churches in town to band together to support the Unity Center, feed the hungry, and clothe the homeless? However, there is one major problem that interferes with doing those things.

There is no common ground. There is no basis for agreement. We fundamentally disagree concerning the person’s nature and the saving work of the Lord Jesus Christ. So, suppose Paul was correct in his dealings with Simon Peter over an issue that threatened to muddle people’s understanding of the Gospel. How more compelling is the need to discard any notion of unity when dealing with folks who have no real comprehension of the truth about who Jesus is?

We must resort to gathering together only with those with whom we have fundamental agreement. And here at Calvary Road Baptist Church, we agree on Who and What Jesus is. So, at least here, in this congregation, we have yet another valid basis for unity: the person and work of our Savior. Going forth in a spirit of unity from this Church, we strive to bring people to Jesus Christ. Amen?

It was a dark and rainy night as Harold pulled into the driveway. The wind was blowing so hard the car door made no sound as he closed it. It surprised Harold that all the lights in the house were off. “Perhaps Carol has already gone to bed,” he thought. “Well, at least she’s expecting me. She left the front door unlocked.”

Placing his briefcase in the chair and his raincoat in the closet, Harold quietly took the stairs, not wanting to wake Carol up. But as he entered the master bedroom, Carol shrieked. She switched the lights on and leaped to the far side of the bed, holding the blanket over her. “Who are you? What do you want?”

Harold seemed puzzled and said, “Why, I’m Harold, and I want to go to bed. I’m tired. I’ve had a long day. What’s the big deal?” “What do you mean, what’s the big deal?” Carol asked. “How dare you barge into this house and act like nothing is wrong. Now, get out of here before I call the police.”

“Hold on, just a minute. Isn’t your name Carol?” “Yes, my name is Carol,” the terrified woman cried, “What’s that got to do with anything?” “Well,” he said, “my wife is named Carol.” “So what?” she screamed. “Just because I have the same name your wife has doesn’t mean I’m your wife.”

It would seem that Harold has a problem. Tired and sleepy after an extended business trip, he has just tried to crawl into the comfortable and warm bed of a woman who is definitely not his wife. His problem? He thinks that just because this woman is named Carol, his wife’s name, she must be his wife. But if he doesn’t leave right now, he’s going to spend the night in jail ... or worse.

I know that my little bit of drama is a bit much, but it illustrates perfectly the logic and the reasoning of most people who think they’re Christians. I’ve already read a passage, Matthew 7.21-23, which reveals that there will be many people, come Judgment Day, who think they have a saving relationship with the Lord but are unknown to the Jesus of the Bible. His words, remember, will be, “I never knew you: depart from me ye that work iniquity.”

So, because the salvation of your eternal soul is too important to take lightly and not seriously deal with, and because confusion and error are both predicted in the Bible and quite evident in the world we live in today concerning this one Lord, Who is the only Savior of sinful men, I’m going to tell you some things about the one Lord Paul refers to in our text that you need to know.

Please understand my approach. This is a sermon, and because I am not contending for the faith against a cultist or against someone who does not believe that the Bible is God’s infallible Word, I am simply going to declare truths.

I am not going to prove them. I will not get into any deep study or interpretation of difficult passages. I will declare unto you that which is obvious, that which can be easily shown in Scripture, and that which you must know to be saved.

First, YOU NEED TO KNOW WHO THE LORD IS

When I use the term “Lord” this morning, I speak of only One, the Lord Jesus Christ. I am not referring to God the Father, and I am not referring to God the Holy Spirit. As to the Lord Jesus Christ:

He is God. You must know that He is God. He is not a god. He has not recently become God. He will not someday cease to be God. The Lord Jesus Christ is God, has always been, and will always be God, though He is not and never has been God the Father. John 1.1 declares, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” So, the Word is identified as God. But John 1.14 declares, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.” Jesus Christ is not a created being. Jesus Christ is not the archangel Michael. Strange as it might seem, difficult as it is to comprehend, astounding as it is to contemplate, the Lord Jesus Christ is God. In John 20.28, His disciple Thomas recognized and acknowledged Him when he said to Him, “My Lord and my God.”

He is not to be merely identified as God. The Lord Jesus Christ is more specifically to be identified as the Son of God. The Bible declares in no less than three different passages that there is only one God, once in the Old Testament and twice in the New Testament. “Hear O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord.” “There is none other God but one.” “For there is one God ....” Yet, the incomprehensible mystery is that God exists as three distinct persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The One about Whom I am speaking is not the Father, nor the Spirit, but the Son. He is the One Who is the Second Person of the Trinity. He is the One Who the Father gave. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son ....” Understand something about the Son of God. Jesus did not become the Son of God. As God the Father has always been God the Father, so the Son of God has always been the Son of God. Consider two verses: John 3.17 and Galatians 4.4: “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” “But when the fulness of the time came, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law.” Who did the Father send into the world? Not someone Who would, at His conception or His birth, become the Son of God, but Someone Who has always been the Son of God from eternity past. You must realize that the Lord Jesus is the eternal Son of God because only He, Who has always been the Son of the living God, is fit and capable of saving men from their sins.

The Lord Jesus is God—more specifically, He is the Son of God. But it must also be recognized that He is the God-Man. John 1.14 declares that “the Word was made flesh.” First Timothy 2.5 describes Him as “the man Christ Jesus.” Although the Lord Jesus is fully God, He is also fully man, yet without sin. Think about it. He rejoiced. He wept. He thirsted. He tired. He hungered. He slept. He became angry. Everything associated with real and genuine humanity was exhibited in the life and earthly ministry of the Lord Jesus. He suffered. He bled. He died. He did not pretend to be a man. He really was a man, and He really is, to this day, a man. The Lord Jesus Christ, then, is God, particularly the Son of God, the Second Person of the Trinity, Who became a man through the miracle of the virgin birth. He, at that time, became, and to this very day still is, and will throughout eternity always be, the God-Man. You need to know that.

Next, YOU NEED TO KNOW WHY THE LORD CAME

Why did the Second Person of the Trinity, the eternal Son of God, God the Son, leave heaven’s glory to be born of a virgin named Mary? Although Jesus was an excellent example, He did not come to be an example. Although He was a marvelous teacher, He did not come to teach us.

He came to bear your sin. Isaiah 53.6 records this prediction, given by the prophet Isaiah some 700 years before the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ, and fulfilled on the cross of Calvary: “the Lord (referring to God the Father here, Jehovah) hath laid on him (referring to Jesus) the iniquity of us all.” That is, Jesus became your sin-bearer. God took all of the sins of mankind and put them on Jesus on the cross. First Peter 2.24 says it this way about the Lord Jesus: “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree.” So, when the Lord Jesus Christ went to the cross, He took upon Himself all of your sins, my sins, and the sins of the whole world. No one else could do that. And no one else would do that.

Second, He came to pay for your sin. The Lord Jesus Christ took upon Himself all of your sins and mine to suffer the punishment for sins that rightly belong to you and to me. In First Corinthians 15.3, the Apostle Paul wrote: “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins, according to the Scripture.” The Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross on behalf of you. He died on the cross instead of you dying on the cross. He suffered the wrath of God for your sins instead of you suffering the wrath of God for your sins. Simon Peter said, “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust.” First Peter 3.18.

He came to bear your sins. He came to pay for your sins. He came to wash your sins away. Remember, without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sins. But when Jesus died on the cross, He most definitely did shed His blood. And He shed His blood to wash your sins away. Why so? Because your sin so contaminates your eternal soul, so defiles you, so fouls you, that only the pure and precious blood of Jesus Christ can cleanse your sin away. And think about your sins. You have lied. You have cheated. You have stolen. You have failed to love God with all your heart, mind, body, and soul. You have missed Church. You don’t honor the Lord with the first fruits of your increase. You’ve not always honored your father and mother. You’ve sometimes provoked your children to wrath. You’ve envied. You’ve blasphemed. These sins prove you to be a sinner in need of the forgiveness that only the Lord Jesus Christ can provide. And unless He provides for you forgiveness for your sins, you’ll die someday and go to Hell, an unwashed and uncleansed sinner. Oh friend, Jesus came to bear your sins on His Own body on the cross, came to pay for your sins, came to wash your sins away in His blood because He loves you. You need to know that.

Third, YOU NEED TO KNOW WHAT THE LORD CAN DO FOR YOU

He can save you. And only He can save you. Remember, Paul wrote that there is “one Lord.” And by that, he meant only One can and will save you.

Acts 4.12 states it:

“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved.”

The Lord Jesus can save. And only He can save you. If you ever expect to be saved, it must be the salvation that only He provides. Contrary to what Billy Graham and Robert Schuller used to advocate, Jesus is the unique savior of sinful men’s souls. And you need to know that.

Finally, YOU NEED TO KNOW WHAT YOU MUST DO WITH HIM

First, do not ignore Him. Jesus taught that you are condemned by your sins, that your deeds are evil, and that your only hope is to turn from your sins and come to Him. Therefore, do not be so presumptuous as to delay your response to His offer of salvation. Do not be so foolish as to assume you will have another day to consider and decide your eternal destiny. There are probably some here today who have already committed the unpardonable sin; for them, it is too late to come to Christ. In God’s name, what will you say to the Lord Jesus when you face Him on Judgment Day and try to explain why you ignored His warning to be saved? Pray, do not ignore Him.

Second, do not help Him. Jesus is the Savior. He does not need your help. Jesus is the Savior. He does not want your help. As a sinner, you are both hopeless and helpless, utterly incapable of doing anything to save yourself. Therefore, do not even try to save yourself. Don’t go to Church to save yourself. Don’t try to be an excellent dad to save yourself. Don’t stop drinking to save yourself. Don’t stop taking drugs to save yourself. The good things are good to do, and the bad things are good to stop doing, but they won’t affect your salvation in any way. Therefore, give up any attempts you may have to reform yourself, get yourself ready to be saved, clean yourself up in any way, or do anything else to get saved. Jesus came to save sinners. And you are already a sinner, so you are qualified, right now, to be saved.

Third, trust Him. One night, a wicked man asked Paul and Silas, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” Their answer was full and complete and, oh, so simple. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.” Don’t complicate the Gospel. Don’t try to help Jesus save you. Don’t do anything to save yourself. Just recognize that Jesus has already done everything necessary to save you from your sins, to wash those sins away, and to give you the complete forgiveness of sins. Your only response can be, must be, to trust Him. You need to know that.

You need to know these several things to be saved. But knowing these several things won’t save you. Only Jesus will save you. Come to Him. Trust Him. Receive Him. Believe on Him.

Question? Comment?

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