John 17:20–21

Jesus Prayed for You

John 17 is often called the High Priestly Prayer. Jesus prays for Himself, for His disciples, and then for everyone who would follow. Last week we saw that He didn’t ask God to remove His disciples from the world. He prayed for His joy to fill them and His Word to sanctify them, and then He sent them.

That Word matters every day, not just Sundays. If we form our beliefs from social media videos and opinions instead of Scripture, we won’t know truth. God’s Word nourishes us and makes us doers, not just hearers.

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.”

John 17:20–21

Jesus knew Judas would betray Him and Peter would deny Him. He knew what a Roman crucifixion was. And in that moment, He thought about us. Of everything He could have prayed for the church, He prayed for oneness.

Sent Together

Why Unity Matters

Jesus had already given the church its assignment. He knew unity was required to accomplish it. If we are going to reach the world, we will have to do it together.

John 17:22–23

Unity Brings the Blessing of God

“I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me.”

John 17:22–23

The Father and the Son share perfect love, perfect purpose, and perfect unity, and Jesus wants that reflected in His people. Notice the key: I in them. It takes Jesus for us to get along. Without Him we are selfish and proud. Unity matters to God because it reflects His nature: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, distinct yet one.

“How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! … For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.”

Psalm 133:1, 3

On the day of Pentecost “they were all together in one place” (Acts 2:1), praying and waiting. Then “all of them were filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:4). After that, the church exploded. Believers even sold property to care for each other. It started when they said, “It’s not about my agenda. It’s about the kingdom agenda.”

Pastor Mark and his wife Christie, married 35 years, have always said, “The kingdom of God is more important than how we feel right now.” A purpose bigger than the moment pulls people together.

The enemy knows this. If he can’t destroy the church through persecution, he tries division, sometimes disguised as “Just pray about so-and-so, but keep this between us.” That is sowing discord. In a home, when husband and wife are united, the children feel secure. The same is true in God’s house.

Am I contributing to the unity God wants to bless, or to division?

1 Corinthians 12:12

Unity Is Not Uniformity

Jesus never prayed, “Father, make them all alike.” Unity doesn’t mean the same personality, preferences, background, opinions, gifts, or style. Pastor Mark preaches to three or four generations every Sunday, and everyone has preferences, including him. The question is whether we lead from preference or from the kingdom.

Biblical unity isn’t everyone becoming the same. It’s different people becoming centered on the same Jesus.

Christian Life Church is many ethnicities with one culture: the kingdom culture. We follow Jesus and His Word, we are equal in His sight, and we believe the church should reflect the diversity of our community.

“The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body.”

1 Corinthians 12:12

Unity celebrates diversity of gifting while protecting unity of purpose.

Philippians 2:3–4

Unity Requires Selflessness

Here is where unity gets hard. When you chose to follow Jesus, you said, “My life is not my own.” Unity means surrendering my wants to prefer my brother and sister.

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

Philippians 2:3–4

Ephesians 4:2–3 tells us to be humble, gentle, and patient, “making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” Every effort, because unity requires humility, peace, forgiveness, and grace. Sometimes that means saying, “I’m sorry,” or, “Forgive me.”

Jesus told of a servant who was forgiven a huge debt, then refused to forgive someone who owed him far less. We have been forgiven so much. Why not extend that grace to one another? Often the person we won’t forgive has moved on, and we are the ones still held captive.

We will never be in unity with people if we aren’t in unity with Christ. Salvation begins with confessing “Jesus is Lord” (Romans 10:9), and that means I can’t be lord. Pride and “nobody tells me what to do” block unity with God and with others.

The Response

Answering the Prayer of Jesus

For believers: Are we walking in unity with one another, preferring others for the sake of the kingdom? Before God does a work in the world, He does a work in His church. If the world sees a church that’s fighting, why would they come? Don’t be the one stirring up division on Facebook or Instagram. It’s His church. Imagine people watching the disciples and saying, “If Peter and Matthew can get along, it must be supernatural.” That’s what the world needs to see.

For those not yet following Jesus: What’s keeping you from Him? You won’t truly know how to love others until you first love Him. “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13). Pride says, “I’m fine,” and the enemy says, “Not today.” But today is the day of salvation.