A Place Of Grace
10-19-2025
  • As the oldest of six children, you may be shocked to know that I was (sometimes, ok maybe frequently) the reason for disagreements among us siblings!
    As oldest I should decide… I knew best… or I didn't want to…
    You get the picture… and each time my mother would direct me to a passage of scripture (read, memorize, write out…)
    Proverbs 6:16-19 is that passage… this scared me as a child, and as a man now it terrifies me!
    Proverbs 6:16–19 NASB95
    There are six things which the Lord hates, Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that run rapidly to evil, A false witness who utters lies, And one who spreads strife among brothers.
    Our body… eyes, tongue, hands, heart, feet
    Though this individual makes trouble for others… thier situation is far worse!
    They are now the object of God’s wrath as an abomination to Him!
    ABOMINATION = extreme disgust, hatred, loathsome
    Proverbs 16:5 speaks to God’s view of pride…
    Proverbs 16:5 NASB95
    Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord; Assuredly, he will not be unpunished.
    Peter would share with the church this message 1 Peter 5:5
    1 Peter 5:5 NASB95
    … all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.
    At the very root of strife & dissention is pride, and pride is SIN… Sin has and always will cause division
    SIN separated a Holy God from mankind
    SIN destroys families, tears marriages apart, fractures relationships and it is destructive in Christ’s Church
    SIN that causes division especially in a family is loathsome and an abomination to the Lord God!

    CORE Concept:

    As we have considered several areas that are CORE Concepts to the Church… I could not leave out the concept of UNITY! …
    If God WANTS something or states clearly how he DOES NOT want something I feel it is worth while to consider what He has to say.
    In brief we saw how God does NOT want disunity and what He thinks of the individual responsible for this disunity, … let’s take time to consider what GOD DESIRES!
    If we are to see His heart I find no better passage to this CONCEPT of UNITY than John 17:13-23 where we see Jesus praying the night He is to be arrested and sentenced to die on a cross… LOOK AT HIS HEART:
    John 17:13–23 NASB95
    “But now I come to You; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves. “I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. “I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. “As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. “For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth. “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. “The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.

    Christ Desires Our Joy

    Verse 13 The Product of Unity… God always desires our best… NOT OUR Ease…
    Jesus is speaking to His Father God and says the purpose for Him praying these things in the world is so you and I hear and know them and can have “Christ JOY made full in us!”
    Jesus is about to go to the cross to pay for, atone the very SIN that separated man from God and He is praying for our JOY!
    It is IN CHRIST you and I find JOY
    God is opposed to the proud & gives grace to the humble…
    CONSIDER the HUMILITY of Christ Jesus in this moment to pray for us…
    His HUMILITY to go to the cross… Philippians 2:3-8
    Philippians 2:3–8 NASB95
    Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
    The book of Philippians speaks to the believers joy more than any other book… if JOY is produced in the believer’s life we can know it because of the Gift we were given in His Word...

    Christ Gave Us A Gift

    Verse 14 The Power For Unity… is only found in God’s Word
    Do you treat this Book as the precious Gift from God
    Do you desire the meat of God’s Word?
    David would write of God’s word saying, “Your Word I have treasured in my heart, SO THAT I may not sin against you!”
    If I were to take your Bible or your Phone away from you… which one would devastate you more?
    Not only is God’s Word a GIFT… it also guards us, Jesus prayed for our protection:

    Christ Guards From Evil

    Verse 14b-16 The Protection of Unity… a prayer of protection from Evil or the Evil one
    In the context I do not see a physical protection being prayed for here as much as a spiritual protection
    All but John would die a martyrs death
    The early church would face harm, pain, suffering, sickness, and ALL would die
    Spiritual protection… petty disputes… minor inconveniences… irritations… selfishness
    These things can divide, cause hurt, create arguments
    You and I remain in the world… this does not mean we are to respond as the world does that is ruled by Satan!
    It is interesting when we think too highly of ourselves and begin to allow the evil one to have a foothold in the BODY (singular) of Christ, in the Family of God!
    In our flesh we desire to respond that way, BUT JESUS… provides for our SANCTIFICATION!

    Christ Provides Sanctification

    Verses 17-19 The Provision of Unity… through Christ sanctifying work at Calvary!
    There is the standing and process of sanctification...
    Our standing in Christ places us blameless and pure before God
    There is also a process of sanctification occurring daily, being more like Christ
    This is our testimony made sure by the Word of God
    The Truth lived out in our lives
    What Christ did at the cross would sanctify you and I
    We will look at our sanctification in greater detail in a few weeks…
    The next thing Jesus says floors me every time…

    Christ Prays For All Believers

    Verses 20-23 The Petition For Unity…
    Through the word of the apostles… thier testimony and all who hear because of thier message… CHRIST NOW PRAYS FOR!!!
    ...and Jesus prays you and I would have UNITY as the family of God!
    That we would be unified together
    That we would be unified with Him John 15:5
    We need to be unified with Him to be useful, productive, to accomplish anything worth value!
    John 15:5 NASB95
    “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.
    Think of it… The glory of Christ in us… His sanctification, His power and protection to live as we should
    And… He gave us His Word as a blessed way for us to know what it looks like, how we can accomplish this
    Sin being the hurdle for UNITY, Christ breaks down at the cross and PRAYS for our unity…
    Throughout the New Testament we see this repeated concept of UNITY IN THE CHURCH:
    Demonstrated and pictured in the churches in Acts
    Made clear in Galatians, challenged and demanded to Corinth, Ephesus, and Philippi
    To the Colossian church was challenged to do this not in themselves but the Spirt
    John would again address it in Revelation and his letters 1, 2, 3 John
    Paul challenged the culture in Philemon concerning UNITY
    Thessalonica was challenged to put this into practice in practical ways and to the church in Rome we were challenged to change our thinking for the purpose to be unified IN CHRIST!
    The pastoral letters of Titus and Timothy emphasized the importance to teach this faithfully
    Peter would minced no words concerning our actions in this and James challenged the church to SHOW THE WORLD THROUGH ACTIONS
    Why such a strong emphasis to the church concerning unity… ???

    Christ Desire of Our Unity…

    Verse 23 The Purpose Of Unity…
    The World Knows Christ’s Purpose (believe In Christ)
    The World Knows Christ’s Love (engage in an intimate relationship)
    John 13:34-35 states that our unity will show His love through us…
    Our unity is one of our greatest testimonies to a watching world…
    John 13:34–35 NASB95
    “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
    1 Corinthians 13:4-8 describes LOVE… It defines HUMILITY…
    1 Corinthians 13:4–8 NASB95
    Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away.
    NOTICE: it is not a feeling, rather it is a decision, an intentional CHOICE!
    What choice will you make the next time you are presented with a situation that could be divisive?
    How will you respond???
    In the flesh… selfish and prideful
    In the Spirit… humble and loving
    Proverbs 6:16–19 NLT
    There are six things the Lord hates— no, seven things he detests: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent, a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong, a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord in a family.
    Are you the reason discord is sown or are you the one seeking to bring UNITY to the situation?

      • Proverbs 6:16–19NLT

      • Proverbs 16:5NLT

      • 1 Peter 5:5NLT

      • John 17:13–23NLT

      • Philippians 2:3–8NLT

      • John 15:5NLT

      • John 13:34–35NLT

      • 1 Corinthians 13:4–8NLT

      • Proverbs 6:16–19NLT

    A Place Of Grace
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