How the Unity of the Spirit Can Be Broken

In this part of the sermon: Martin begins by reflecting on biblical accounts of spiritual decline (Adam, Noah, David, Samson) to illustrate the sadness of forfeited usefulness. He connects Samson's tragedy…

The account of Adam and Eve's banishment from Eden is used as an initial example of sadness and forfeited integrity due to sin.

Ephesians 4 and verse 30, and I shall read verses 30 through 32. It's a cause of sadness to read the account of Adam and Eve banished from Eden, clothing themselves with shame and crippled with forfeited integrity. It's a cause of sadness to read the account of God looking down on the ancient world and pained at his own heart that he ever made man and saying, I'll start all over again, and he blots out the entire race. With the exception of one man in his family called Noah. That's sad.

1:09 - 2:21 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin begins by reflecting on biblical accounts of spiritual decline (Adam, Noah, David, Samson) to illustrate the sadness of forfeited usefulness. He connects Samson's tragedy…

God's pain at the ancient world and his decision to blot out humanity (except Noah) illustrates the sadness of widespread sin.

Ephesians 4 and verse 30, and I shall read verses 30 through 32. It's a cause of sadness to read the account of Adam and Eve banished from Eden, clothing themselves with shame and crippled with forfeited integrity. It's a cause of sadness to read the account of God looking down on the ancient world and pained at his own heart that he ever made man and saying, I'll start all over again, and he blots out the entire race. With the exception of one man in his family called Noah. That's sad.

1:09 - 2:21 Read in full sermon

The point: Be determined to maintain the presence of an ungrieved Holy Spirit in the totality of our life and ministry as a church.

David's fall into adultery and murder, and his subsequent crippled spiritual walk, serves as an example of a man after God's own heart experiencing profound sadness due to sin.

It's sad to read the account of a man after God's own heart named David, given such privilege and raised to such heights of usefulness, cut off at the knees in midlife because he lusted with his eyes, committed adultery and plotted murder, and lived in hypocrisy and duplicity. And even after he was brought...

2:22 - 2:47 Read in full sermon

The point: Be determined to maintain the presence of an ungrieved Holy Spirit in the totality of our life and ministry as a church.

Samson's life, marked by great usefulness turned to weakness and shame after the Spirit departed, is presented as a particularly tragic example of spiritual decline.

Samson... Samson, that puzzling figure who served as one of the judges of ancient Israel.

3:19 - 3:25 Read in full sermon

Driving home: The exhortation is that the greatest zeal should be exercised in its preservation. And the means by which it is to be preserved is the bond of peace.

Remaining sin in believers is compared to bacteria in a piece of meat; if not diligently managed (like refrigeration), it will multiply and cause putrefaction, destroying the church's unity.

of peace which he has effected is effected in people in whom there is still remaining sin. And remaining sin in people in whom there is still remaining sin. And remaining sin in people in whom there is still remaining sin. And remaining sin in people in whom there is still remaining sin. And remaining sin in people in whom there is still remaining sin. And remaining sin in people in whom there is still remaining sin. And remaining sin is like bacteria in a piece of meat that has been cut from a freshly slain animal. If you take that piece of meat and immediately put it into the refrigerator or...

20:45 - 21:25 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The first sin discussed is sowing discord, which God hates (Proverbs 6). This is primarily done through gossip, evil speaking, backbiting, and raising suspicions, all of which…

Shakespeare's Iago sowing seeds of doubt about Desdemona's handkerchief to Othello illustrates how a whisperer can lead to unfounded suspicion and tragic consequences, paralleling the sin of sowing discord.

it is the whisperer who separates chief friends. The whisperer. It's Iago saying to Othello, what about your wife Desdemona's handkerchief?

32:17 - 32:30 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not nurse grudges and resentments, but rather follow after that which is good, one toward another and toward all.

A story of a young boy who took vengeance on an older sibling and misquoted a Psalm to justify it, humorously illustrating the spirit of grudges and the desire to 'get even.'

It's humorous. And in this young lad, it may have been excusable, but I tell you it's not humorous in adults. One of the families was telling me a few weeks ago of an incident in which the youngest member of the household felt he was wronged by an older member of the household. And all day long he complained about the horrible injustice of what this older member of the household had done to him.

35:17 - 35:45 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not nurse grudges and resentments, but rather follow after that which is good, one toward another and toward all.

The scenario of a young man moving on to another woman after a failed romantic interest is used to illustrate how grudges and resentments can arise from personal hurt within the congregation.

And God says it is not to enter into the orbit of those who are spoudazo, striving diligently to keep the unity of the spirit. It's emphasized in the New Testament as well, 1 Thessalonians 5 and verse 15. Very simply, the apostle puts it in this language, See that none render unto anyone evil for evil, but always follow after that which is good, one toward another and toward all. Nursing grudges and resentments is to nurse the disposition that says, When I can I will get even, and if I can't I would if I could, and still maintain my credibility as a Christian. It's a disposition of the heart. ...

36:55 - 38:07 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not be chronically self-preoccupied, but rather look to the things of others, being concerned for the well-being of the body as a whole.

Basketball teams with individual stars but no commitment to the whole team are contrasted with championship teams (like Michael Jordan's Bulls) where players look to the things of others, illustrating the destructive nature of chronic self-preoccupation versus true unity.

And if it's to be attained, notice what he says, verse 4, not looking each of you to his own things. There will never be this true expression, of one accord, of one mind, of the sameness of perspective, as long as our gaze is upon ourselves. Each of you not looking to his own things, but each of you also to the things of others. There are certain basketball teams that according to the computers, when they feed in, and it's amazing what they can do with modern day technology and analyzing athletic abilities, and all the rest, and fed into computers, there are certain basketball teams, certain h...

41:29 - 42:58 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not allow your heart to be a resting place for the horrible sin of envy; if it rises up, do not welcome it.

Vine's definition of envy as 'displeasure produced by witnessing or hearing of the advantages or prosperity of others' is quoted to clarify the nature of this sin.

That's what envy is. That feeling of displeasure when I hear that someone else has succeeded, someone else is being blessed. It says that for envy, Pilate knew that for envy they had delivered up Jesus. The chief priests and the scribes saw the multitudes following our Lord.

50:26 - 50:45 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not allow your heart to be a resting place for the horrible sin of envy; if it rises up, do not welcome it.

Pilate's knowledge that the chief priests delivered Jesus up out of envy is cited to show the severe consequences of this sin.

That's what envy is. That feeling of displeasure when I hear that someone else has succeeded, someone else is being blessed. It says that for envy, Pilate knew that for envy they had delivered up Jesus. The chief priests and the scribes saw the multitudes following our Lord.

50:26 - 50:45 Read in full sermon

The point: Rejoice with those whom God blesses, even if your own heart weeps for your barrenness or lack, and do not let envy create distance.

Vine's definition of jealousy as 'the passion of coveting for myself what another has' is quoted to clarify the nature of this sin.

A feeling of displeasure produced by and witnessing His prosperity. Vine suggests that jealousy is the passion of coveting for myself what another has. Of course, one of the classic examples is Saul and David. God's hand come upon young David.

50:55 - 51:17 Read in full sermon

The point: Rejoice with those whom God blesses, even if your own heart weeps for your barrenness or lack, and do not let envy create distance.

The classic example of Saul's burning jealousy toward David, leading to attempts on his life, illustrates the destructive power of this sin.

A feeling of displeasure produced by and witnessing His prosperity. Vine suggests that jealousy is the passion of coveting for myself what another has. Of course, one of the classic examples is Saul and David. God's hand come upon young David.

50:55 - 51:17 Read in full sermon

The point: Rejoice with those whom God blesses, even if your own heart weeps for your barrenness or lack, and do not let envy create distance.

The struggle of yearning for children while seeing others in the congregation blessed with many is used to illustrate how envy can arise from personal pain and create distance.

Some of you yearn to have children. You see some of your sisters here in this congregation. Every time you turn around, they're dandling a new baby on the knee. Can you really rejoice with them while your own heart weeps for your own barrenness?

52:02 - 52:25 Read in full sermon

The point: Rejoice with those whom God blesses, even if your own heart weeps for your barrenness or lack, and do not let envy create distance.

The experience of being single while friends marry is used to illustrate how envy can arise from witnessing others' prosperity in relationships.

You've prayed that God would give you a godly wife, a godly husband. You've prayed that for some of your other single brothers and sisters, and one by one, they begin to get paired off and married, and you're always the bridesmaid and never the bride. Always the best man and the usher but never the groom. Do you rejoice at God's prosperity upon your brothers and sisters or is there envy in your heart, a feeling of displeasure produced by witnessing the prosperity and blessing of God in that area upon others?

53:17 - 54:01 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not indulge in jealousy and envy, which are Christ-murdering and Spirit-grieving sins.

The struggle to save for a down payment while younger individuals quickly achieve financial blessings is used to illustrate how envy and jealousy can arise from disparities in material prosperity.

Jealousy, the passion of coveting for yourself what another has? Many of you are struggling to get together that down payment and you've been working at it for ten years and along comes some young buck just barely dry behind the ears and in five years he's been so blessed he's got the money to put the thing down and he's in his house and every time you think of it instead of rejoicing and saying, Lord, as you blessed my brother so in due course you'll bless me. Down underneath there's a spirit of envy and a spirit of jealousy. Dear people, we're to endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in t...

54:01 - 55:16 Read in full sermon

The point: Be jealous to maintain doctrinal integrity in the church, as the unity of the Spirit is a unity in the truth.

A hypothetical scenario of a choir at Carnegie Hall singing the Messiah with different sections singing different parts illustrates the 'shambles' that doctrinal disunity creates in corporate worship.

speaking objective truth. You may he said be of the same mind one with another according to Christ according to Christ Jesus in order that with one accord you may with one mouth what a beautiful picture the church has become so united that it has only one mouth one mouth glorify the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ. How can you do that if there is doctrinal disunity? Trying to illustrate it I thought well suppose we went into Carnegie Hall next Christmas time when they have a big celebration and they have a big celebration of the Messiah every year and when everyone two hundred voices a...

59:17 - 60:47 Read in full sermon

The point: Face your prejudices and carnal stereotypes, plead with God for the Spirit's work to excise them, and receive one another as Christ received you.

The deep-seated prejudice of Jews against Gentiles, requiring God's vision to Peter and Paul's confrontation with Peter, illustrates the power of prejudice to fracture unity.

what a shambles and that's what happens when three or four people begin to break off and think their own thoughts about truth there is no longer with one mouth glorifying the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and the unity of the Spirit is fractured ruptured when there is the entertainment of false doctrine and then finally and God knows again I'd rather not address this but it has to be addressed when prejudice and carnal stereotyping ever takes root in our hearts the unity of the Spirit will be gone prejudice and carnal stereotyping of others prejudice is defined as suspicion intoleran...

60:47 - 62:15 Read in full sermon

The point: Face your prejudices and carnal stereotypes, plead with God for the Spirit's work to excise them, and receive one another as Christ received you.

Martin shares a personal anecdote about growing up in Connecticut with 'little Italy,' 'little Poland,' etc., and the derogatory terms each group had for others, illustrating how prejudice is inbred.

or if they are deep rooted if we refuse to plead with God for the work of the spirit to excise them we will fracture that unity which God says is to be our portion for example Titus 1.12 says that the Cretans had a well earned reputation for being lazy for being liars and for being gluttons now that's not a carnal stereotyping that Paul says is a true witness but here comes a man into your church there at Ephesus and you say where are you from well I'm on a business trip where do you oh I'm from the isle of Crete and immediately everyone grabs their purses and sticks them under their seats and...

63:43 - 65:13 Read in full sermon