\n\t\t\t\t\t\tDownload Audio\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\tText: Romans 12:3-16<\/p>\n
<\/p>\nI. You find the motto of the United States in many places, “e pluribus unum<\/i>,” “from many,\none”\n A. It describes the sentiment that people from all over the world can come, settle\nhere, make a life for themselves, and be united with all other citizens.\n
B. Or described as a great melting pot<\/p>\n 1. ”What then is the American, this new man?” that the American is one who\n“leaving behind him all his ancient prejudices and manners, receives new\nones from the new mode of life he has embraced, the government he\nobeys, and the new rank he holds. He becomes an American by being\nreceived in the broad lap of our great Alma Mater. Here individuals of all\nnations are melted into a new race of men, whose labors and posterity will\none day cause great changes in the world.” Michel Guillaume Jean de\nCrevecoeur in Letters from an American Farmer<\/i> (1782). \n C. Recently, though, is a strong movement to celebrate our differences. No longer is\nthe emphasis in blending cultures to forge a new one, but to see each culture as\ndifferent.\n
1. “Embrace Diversity”<\/p>\n
2. “Celebrate Our Differences”<\/p>\n
D. It makes you wonder if no one remembers Christ’s words – Mark 3:25<\/p>\n
E. Society’s views become reflected in religions<\/p>\n 1. To express disagreement with another person’s view of religion is now\ncalled judgmental and sinful.\n
2. If a person practices a sexual sin, we cannot speak out against it.<\/p>\n a. Already some are taken to court for saying that homosexuality is a\nsin\n b. Pressure is mounting to allow homosexual members and have them\nin the leadership\n
II. A plea for unity<\/p>\n
A. Jesus laid down the principle of unity – John 17:20-21<\/p>\n
B. Early Christians came from diverse backgrounds<\/p>\n
1. The distinction between Jew and Gentile was huge.<\/p>\n 2. Here were people who from birth disdained each other, looked down on\neach other, and lived in suspicion of each other.\n
3. Yet, they were baptized and accepted the will of the same Father.<\/p>\n C. How successful would the early church have been if they retained their prejudices\nand differences?\n
D. It can be done. Consider marriage<\/p>\n
1. One man and one woman become one flesh – Genesis 2:24<\/p>\n 2. The success of the marriage depends on their ability to overcome their\ndifferences (and they can be significant) and learn to surrender their\nindividuality.\n 3. When two people insist on retaining their individual identities, and focus\nsolely one their personal wants, the marriage, though legally joined,\ndissolves into dysfunction.\n
III. Christians have their differences<\/p>\n A. They come from different backgrounds: family, nationality, religious beliefs, and\nsocial status.\n
B. They have different talents – Romans 12:6-8<\/p>\n
C. They function in different ways – I Corinthians 12:14-19<\/p>\n
D. If I left it there you would think that God wanted diversity alone in His church<\/p>\n
E. But Romans 12 and I Corinthians 12 are passages teaching unity<\/p>\n 1. Romans 12:3-5 – Many members with different functions, but existing in\none body.\n 2. I Corinthians 12:12-13, 20, 26 – Each member is an individual member of\na whole.\n
F. Again considering marriage, we see the same. <\/p>\n
1. A man and woman become husband and wife.<\/p>\n 2. Together they form a single whole, but each brings different abilities to the\nunion to the benefit of both.\n
IV. How is unity achieved?<\/p>\n
A. Submission by all to something greater than any one part<\/p>\n
1. Have the same goals – I Corinthians 1:10<\/p>\n
2. Drink of the same Spirit – I Corinthians 12:13<\/p>\n
3. Using the same standard – Romans 12:9<\/p>\n
B. Concern for all other parts<\/p>\n
1. Devoted to each other – Romans 12:10, 13, 15<\/p>\n
2. Shared concerns and joys – I Corinthians 12:26<\/p>\n
C. Acceptance of all other parts<\/p>\n 1. Unity is not found in insisting that every member be exactly alike in all\nthings\n
2. All members do not have the same function – Romans 12:4<\/p>\n
3. We are to have the same mind toward each other – Romans 12:16<\/p>\n
a. The idea is to treat all brethren as equals – I Peter 3:8<\/p>\n b. Even though everyone might not take a noticeable role – I\nCorinthians 12:22-25\n
D. We are to strive for peace – Romans 12:18<\/p>\n
1. Showing forbearance – Ephesians 4:1-3<\/p>\n
2. Unity doesn’t happen without effort – James 3:16-18<\/p>\n E. A willingness to yield – “Easily entreated,” “reasonable,” or “willing to yield” in\nJames 3:17\n
1. It doesn’t have to go my way <\/p>\n 2. It is not the idea that we give into sin, then we would be leaving our single\nstandard\n 3. But God hasn’t made everything fixed and we can use that freedom to\nwork together – I Corinthians 9:20-22\n
F. Work together<\/p>\n
1. Use our abilities with our best effort – Romans 12:6-8, 11-12<\/p>\n
2. We need to realize our need for other talents – I Corinthians 12:15-19<\/p>\n
V. A blending despite our differences<\/p>\n
A. There is no emphasis on the differences, though some exist – Galatians 3:26-29<\/p>\n
B. The focus is on the harmonizing of the individuals into a whole – Ephesians 4:16<\/p>\n C. No matter your background, social status, gender, religion, or past sins you have\nstruggled with, you can become a part of the body of Christ. \n
D. Will you not join us today?<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Download Audio Text: Romans 12:3-16 I. You find the motto of the United States in many places, “e pluribus unum,” “from many, one” A. It describes the sentiment that people from all over the world can come, settle here, make a life for themselves, and be united with all other citizens. B. Or…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[119,32],"tags":[454,456,1386],"class_list":["post-62870","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-audio","category-sermon","tag-peace","tag-unity","tag-unity-in-diversity"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":24264,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/unity\/","url_meta":{"origin":62870,"position":0},"title":"Unity","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 14, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"by Raymond Warfel","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":24258,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-unity\/","url_meta":{"origin":62870,"position":1},"title":"The Unity","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 5, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Ephesians 4:1-6 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Our Lord\u2019s desire was that his followers would be united - John 17:20-23 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0In the intervening years, the world has accepted lies. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0They believe that as long as we agree on something, then there is unity II.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The attitude of unity - Ephesians\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":52405,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/unity-fulfilled\/","url_meta":{"origin":62870,"position":2},"title":"Unity Fulfilled","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 21, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"by Raymond Warfel","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":87145,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-does-unity-look-like\/","url_meta":{"origin":62870,"position":3},"title":"What does unity look like?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 11, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Dear Jeffrey, I'm struggling a bit with what unity really means in light of scripture, and I'd appreciate your guidance. From my study, I understand unity to involve being \"of the same mind and judgment\" as in I\u00a0Corinthians 1:10-11, and having the humility and love described in Philippians 2:1-5.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":52330,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/perfected-in-unity\/","url_meta":{"origin":62870,"position":4},"title":"Perfected in Unity","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 7, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: John 17:13-26 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0In Jesus\u2019 final prayer to the Father before his arrest, Jesus expressed his desire that his followers be united, just as he and the Father were one - John 17:22-23 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0That \u201cone\u201d is not numerical, but a unity in purpose and action.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":95157,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/know-thy-brother\/","url_meta":{"origin":62870,"position":5},"title":"Know Thy Brother","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 19, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"by Garry Floyd Download Audio","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62870","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=62870"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62870\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=62870"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=62870"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=62870"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}