I, with Joe, don't have anything
new this morning. In fact, my message is probably
gonna sound a lot like Joe's. And I'll go out on a limb, I
would kinda expect the trumpet Walter's gonna blow is gonna
have a distinctive sound as well. If you would, please turn to
John 17. I'm gonna read the whole chapter. John chapter 17. This is Christ
praying to the Father on behalf of his people. These words spake
Jesus and lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, Father, the
hour is come, glorify thy son, that thy son also may glorify
thee. As thou hast given him power
over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many
as thou hast given him. And this is life eternal, that
they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom
thou hast sent. I have glorified thee on the
earth. I have finished the work which
thou gavest me to do. And now, O Father, glorify thou
me with thine own self, with the glory which I had with thee
before the world was. I have manifested thy name unto
the men which thou gavest me out of the world. Thine they
were, and thou gavest them me, and they have kept thy word.
Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given
me are of thee. For I have given unto them the
words which thou gavest me, and they have received them, and
have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have
believed that thou didst send me. I pray for them, I pray not
for the world, but for them which thou hast given me, for they
are thine. and all are mine are thine, and
thine are mine, and I am glorified in them. And now I am no more
in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine
own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one
as we are. While I was with them in the
world, I kept them in thy name. Those that thou gavest me, I
have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition,
that the scripture might be fulfilled. And now I come to thee, and these
things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled
in themselves. I have given them thy word, and
the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even
as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest
take them out of the world, but thou shouldest keep them from
the evil. They are not of the world, even
as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth. Thy word is truth. As thou hast
sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into
the world. And for their sakes, I sanctify
myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. Neither pray I for these alone,
but for them also, which shall believe on me through their word. 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 believe that
thou hast sent me, and the glory which thou gavest me, I have
given them. That they may be one, even as
we are one. I in them, and thou in me. That they may be made perfect
in one. And that the world may know that
thou hast sent me, and hast loved me, as thou hast loved me. love
them as thou hast loved me. Father, I will that they also
whom thou hast given me be with me where I am, that they may
behold my glory, which thou hast given me, for thou lovest me
before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, the
world hath not known thee, but I have known thee, and these
have known that thou hast sent me. And I have declared unto
them thy name, and will declare it, that the love wherewith thou
hast loved me may be in them, and I in them. I want to talk today about vital
union. I know there's some, I didn't
know this before, but when I started looking at this, I found out
there were some doctrines out there on vital union. I don't
know what they're really about, I didn't look at them. So, you
know, I might find myself on one side or the other of those
doctrines, I don't know. Or maybe outside of both of them,
I don't know. But first, I want to simply give
you the meanings of these two words and then go to Scripture
to show you what Scripture tells us about any vital unions that
might be of any benefit to God's people. Neither of these words
are found in the KJV, at least not from my searches. I didn't
find any, but there are some vital unions spoken of in scripture.
We just read some, even though those words may not be used.
So first, the word vital, and this is just from the Merriam-Webster
Dictionary. It says, of the utmost importance,
Fundamentally concerned with or affecting life or living beings,
such as tending to renew or refresh the living, invigorating. Destructive
to life, mortal. Concerned with or necessary to
the maintenance of life. Existing as a manifestation of
life. And then the word union. This
word, again from Merriam-Webster's, an act or instance of uniting
or joining two or more things into one, such as the formation
of a single political unit from two or more separate and independent
units. We care nothing about that. A uniting in marriage,
the growing together of severed parts, a unified condition, something
that is made one, something formed by a combining or a coalition
of parts or members. So putting these two things together,
this is what I want to show you today. Those things vital to
life and or that manifest the existence of that life by the
act of uniting together in marriage being made one. I want to do
this in three points. Unity of the Godhead, unity of
the saints, and unity in Christ. I first want to say that God
in the person of the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, do
not become united into one. Scripture says they are one. But the God we are talking about
is the creator of all things. Him being the creator of all
things means he is the controller of all things because all things
belong to him. Scripture says he kills and makes
a life. That means he kills the reprobate when he is pleased
to do so, and he kills those that are chosen of God when he
is pleased to do so. He also gives life to whomever
he wants to, this meaning spiritual and physical both. This sovereign
God who is in control of all things, even life as we are looking
at, is the one I am talking about, the one spoken of in scripture
as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The
scripture tells us these three are one. In 1 John 5, 7 it says,
For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father,
the Word, which is Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost. And these
three are one. And I've just seen this passage
by God's grace after reading this passage probably hundreds
of times and hearing it preached hundreds of times. But listen
to what this says in Mark 12, beginning in verse 29. And this
is where he's talking about the greatest commandments. And Jesus
answered him, the first of all the commandments is, and here's
the part I didn't even recognize. Hear, O Israel, the Lord our
God is one Lord. And thou shalt love the Lord
thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all
thy mind, and with all thy strength. This is the first commandment.
This one God is the one that you have to love with all your
heart, soul, mind, and strength. this one Lord who is God the
Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. So the law says
you must love this God this way. So anywhere it talks about God
the Father, God the Son, the Word, and God the Holy Ghost,
you will love and believe about him and will never fail in doing
so or you have broken the whole law. These three are one and
have agreed from before the foundation of the world, Joe, on the glory
that would be given, the salvation that would be wrought, the grace
that would be bestowed, the revelation that would come to pass, and
the marriage that would take place. This one unified God,
who some men say was one way in the Old Testament and another
way once Christ came, are one and the same. because God is
one and God never changes. In 1 John 22 verses 22 and 23,
we read this. Who is a liar but he that denieth
that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist that denieth
the father and the son. Whosoever denieth the son, the
same hath not the father. but he that acknowledgeth the
Son hath the Father also. This God made a covenant Himself
to save a people and to give glory and honor to His name.
This He done from before the foundation of the world. The
Father, the Son, the Holy Ghost, all agreed in one to bring salvation
to man. and unite to those for whom were
chosen in Christ from before the foundation of the world.
In God's thoughts, we were united to Him then. But to man, He made
promise in time that salvation would come to man. He did this
in the garden after the fall when he made promise to Adam
and Eve that her seed would bruise the head of the serpent. But
he also made promise to Abraham. And we read in Hebrews 6 verses
13 and 14 this. For when God made promise to
Abraham because he could swear by no greater, he swear by himself. Saying, surely blessing, I will
bless thee. And multiplying, I will multiply
thee. So we see that the one, true,
holy, just, gracious, sovereign God is vitally unioned together. Which it may not be a good way
to say that, but they're vitally unioned together. They are one,
they're together. And I hope you understand what I'm saying.
God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Ghost, as God, they
have one thought and one purpose. They do not have separate purposes.
They purpose to unite to the people chosen in Christ, Joe. But we as God's people are also
vitally joined together to one another. So unity of the saints
of God, unity of the righteous. This unity of the brethren is
all ordered of God, and it will look and behave as he has seen
fit for it to, whether I can see it or not. Don't get me wrong,
we can and do at times do not walk in a way that would indicate
unity of the brethren. But I know we do because he is
the one that provides the nourishment and creates the binding together
of his body. But we know it is good for us
to walk together. Psalms 133.1 says this, behold
how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together
in unity. I wish we could all do that.
Not just here at this assembly, even other assemblies, I wish
we could all just dwell together in unity. But the scripture says
we are of one heart and soul, if so be Christ dwells in us.
In Acts 4.32 it says, begins the verse, it says, and the multitude
of them that believe were of one heart and of one soul. Romans
15.5 and 6 says this, now the God of patience and consolations
grant you to be like-minded one toward another, according to
Christ Jesus, that ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify
God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. So we see that
it is good for us to dwell in unity, and by the granting of
God, we are like-minded one toward another, so that we might glorify
God with one mouth. We are one body, as we talked
about last week, being his body, the church. If we are seeking
God as he is in the face of Jesus Christ, he grants us then we
will walk as one, we will speak as one, and we will see as one.
We should endeavor to walk as it becometh the gospel. That
means we should conduct ourselves in this world so that we honor
Christ and his word. We should speak so that it honors
Christ and his word, and walk so that it honors Christ and
his word. In doing this, we will benefit from being vitally unioned
together as believers in Christ and his gospel. But the God that
is vitally unioned together is the one that does the joining
of us together with him. Because without this union, us
being joined together to one another would mean absolutely
nothing. This world can be united together
as well. In fact, they'll join together
themselves when it comes to God's people to kill them or to hurt
them in some way. So the unity with Christ, for
Christ, and by Christ is what I wanna speak about next. This
great God, who is one in three persons, purposed that he himself
would come down. He was made a little lower than
the angels. He became a man, flesh and blood, because a man
had to pay for man's sins. He says in Genesis 22, verses
six through eight, And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering,
and laid it upon Isaac his son. And he took the fire in his hand,
and a knife, and they went both of them together. And Isaac spake
unto Abraham his father, and said, My father, and he said,
here am I, my son. And he said, behold the fire
and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? And
Abraham said, my son, God will provide himself a lamb for a
burnt offering. So they went both of them together. God said here through Abraham
that he, God himself, would provide the land because he would be
the land himself. The only way we could ever be
united to God would be if God himself would take our sins in
his own body, so much so that they are taken as far as the
east is from the west. This means that they are never
to be seen again of God. That is the important part of
this, that God would never see them again. Him doing that, joining
us to himself, us being made the righteousness of Christ in
him. The Godhead agreed in one as one to bring together a people
for his name. We see that Jesus Christ prayed
for this in our passage. What Christ prays for, he gets,
because he is the only begotten of the Father. The Godhead was
pleased to bring his people into Christ in time, through sanctification
of the spirit, and that is the giving of life by God Almighty
himself, seeing that he kills and he makes alive, setting his
people apart for a specific reason, that belief of the truth, that
belief of the truth which he was pleased to do so, I'm sorry,
setting his people apart for a specific reason, and that is
for belief of the truth, which he was pleased to do so through
the preaching of the gospel. Those who have been sanctified
by the spirit are sent a messenger with the gospel so that those
who he has set apart, those he has cleansed, might believe him.
So we are translated into the kingdom of his dear son, being
born again of the spirit. So we are conceived by him and
him alone, And then we are birthed by his gospel in his due time,
believing Christ. When does this sanctification
of the spirit happen? I don't know. Some say when the
gospel is proclaimed, he does this. I cannot argue with that
because I don't know what the spirit of God is pleased to do,
nor do I know who the spirit of God is moving on in grace
or when. but this is sure that God must
cleanse them first. He must set them apart first
before they will believe him. Dead men do not believe. Only
those who are living by the almighty breath of God can believe. They
do this because they, having the indwelling spirit, have faith,
that faith which is Jesus Christ's faith given to them. measure
it out to the measure He is pleased to measure unto them. In so doing,
God brings them into Christ. Christ says when He prayed, I
in them and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one. In verse 23 it says that in our
text. He says this also in John 6,
verses 56 and 57. He that eateth my flesh and drinketh
my blood dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the living Father
has sent me, and I live by the Father, so he that eateth me,
even he shall live by me. Those to whom God Almighty reveals
himself are vitally union to God the Father, God the Son,
and God the Holy Ghost in Christ. That God had been one, we are
also one with them by them. The work of salvation is all
of the Lord, and he has so joined us to him by his work that we
are one with God. I just cannot even imagine that. It just don't sink in sometimes. I just know that this is what
God says to his people. And listen to me, this is only
to his people. Because if you do not eat His
flesh and drink His blood, you are not in Him. If you do not
love and want to hear Christ and Him crucified, proclaimed,
then you are not eating His flesh or drinking His blood. This is
what it means to do that. To take in and to love the gospel
of Jesus Christ and Him crucified. All these things taking place
all hinge on one sacrifice for sins forever. Romans 8 teaches
us this, that those for whom Christ condemned sin in the flesh
and those for whom he did this will mind the things of the spirit,
but those who are not will mind the things of the flesh. 2 John
1 and 9 says this, whosoever transgresseth and abideth not
in the doctrine of Christ hath not God. He that abideth in the
doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. This
Christ who has placed us in Himself by His death in ascension to
God the Father, sending His Spirit in us so that we might be one
with Him even now, this same Christ has promised to come for
us again. There will be an ultimate uniting
of the people of God at the marriage supper of the Lamb with His bride,
the Church of God. us being found in His righteousness,
we will ever be with Him in glory. Oh, what a day. Revelations 19
and 7 through 9 says this, Let us be glad and rejoice and give
honor to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His
wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted God Almighty
granted this to her, that she should be arrayed in fine linen,
clean and white. For the fine linen is the righteousness
of saints, not of these saints, of saints. And he saith unto
me, write, blessed are they which are called unto the marriage
supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, these are
the true sayings of God. And then one more, Revelations
21 and 9 says this, And there came unto me one of the seven
angels, which had the seven vows full of seven last plagues, and
talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will show thee the
bride, the lamb's wife. So the Father, the Son, the Holy
Ghost, being one, they have purposed and have also carried out and
are carrying out that purpose. This purpose is unstoppable.
They have and are bringing many sons and daughters of Adam into
Christ, making them one body in Christ, providing for them
all that is needed. In Romans 12, five, we read this.
So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and everyone members
one of another. Because we have the faith of
Christ, as we have been given this faith by His Spirit, we
can and do believe Him. This we do, remembering what
Jesus Christ did for us, so that we might become the sons of God. In 1 Corinthians 6 20, we read
this. For ye are bought with a price,
therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which
are God's. And then again in 1 Corinthians
8, 6 we read, But to us there is but one God, the Father, of
whom are all things, and we in him, and one Lord Jesus Christ,
by whom are all things, and we by him. My brothers and sisters,
knowing this, that Jesus Christ has prayed to God the Father
that we be one in them, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is always
heard of God, the Father, as they are one and agree in one. Knowing this, let us love one
another. Let us endeavor to do what we
can to preach Christ and Him crucified, because He is the
Savior of the body. Galatians 2.20 says this, I am
crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I live. Yet not
I, but Christ liveth in me. And the life which I now live
in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved
me and gave himself for me. This union, this vital union,
purposed by God, is the hope of his people, that they might
be joined and ever joined with him in love. This union being
covenanted and swore on by the Godhead, this one God has been
pleased to come down to make a union with wicked, sinful men,
those who are enemies of God before they know Christ. He came
and worked a work that has forever created a union with the sovereign
God of the universe, and no man and no thing will ever be able
to undo that union. Oh, that I might remember this
every day and every minute. May I, by His grace, walk in
a way that becometh the gospel. He deserves it. I do not. Now,
I just want to read through the passage again, starting in verse
11, John 17 and verse 11. I just want to read it again. And now I am no more in the world,
but these are in the world, and I come to thee, Holy Father.
Keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that
they may be one as we are. While I was with them in the
world, I kept them in thy name. Those that thou gavest me I have
kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition that
the scripture might be fulfilled. And now come I to thee, and these
things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled
in themselves. having given them thy word, and
the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even
as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest
take them out of the world, but thou shouldest keep them from
the evil. They are not of the world, even
as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth. Thy word is truth. As thou hast
sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into
the world. And for their sakes I sanctify
myself, that they also might be sanctified through truth.
Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall
believe on me through their word. 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 believe that thou hast sent me. And the
glory which thou gavest me I have given them, that they may be
one, even as we are one. In I in them, and thou in me,
that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may
know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou
hast loved me. Father, I will that they also
whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am, that they may
behold my glory, which thou hast given me, for thou lovest me
before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, the
world hath not known thee, but I have known thee, and these
have known that thou hast sent me. And I have declared unto
them thy name, and I will declare it, that the love wherewith thou
hast loved me may be in them, and I in them. Praise be to his
name, who has made us one with him. Amen. Dear Lord God, thank you once
again for allowing us to be here, dear Lord. Give us the words to speak, dear
Lord, that we may speak the truth, dear Lord. Praise your name,
your grace, for it is all of you, dear Lord. Open our hearts,
minds, and ears, dear Lord, that we will take this in, and it
will comfort us as we go throughout our life in this world, wherever
we may be. Be with those that are not here
for one reason or the other, dear Lord, and comfort them.
and give them what is needed to get them back well, if you
are pleased to do so. All these things we ask in Christ's
name, amen.