Division

The Sunday morning message in the United Methodist churches of the Wheatland Parish Sunday, June 4, 2023.  The Bible verses used are Ephesians 4:1-16.

            The Apostle Paul says we are to keep the unity of the Spirit.  We are to do that through the bond of peace.  He goes on to say that there is one body.  One Spirit.  One hope.  One Lord.  One faith.  One baptism.  One Gad and Father of all.  The thread running through those verses is unity and oneness.

            We read those words in church.  We nod our heads in agreement.  But then we leave the sanctuary, and we see a world in which there seems to be no unity at all.  Everywhere we look, we see people divided.  Some say our society today is more divided than it’s ever been.  We’re divided in our politics.  We’re divided in our societal outlook.  We’re divided in our denomination–as you know, there are churches who are leaving the United Methodist church to form a new denomination, or sometimes to join no denomination at all.  

            It’s discouraging to think about that.  We seem to be completely ignoring what Pul said.  The Spirit may be unified, but we most certainly are not.  And it does not look as if we’re ever going to be, at least not until the day Jesus Christ comes again.

            But you know, we really should not be discouraged about this.  All this has been foreseen by God,  In fact, all this has been happening for thousands of years.  Almost from the start of Christianity, really.  And, as much as we might dislike having to deal with it, it’s all necessary.  And someday, God is going to work it all for His honor and glory.

            Jesus foresaw it.  He said in Luke Chapter Twelve, “Do you think I came to bring peace on earth?  No, I tell you, but division.  From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three.  They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

            Understand, Jesus did not say He was happy about this.  When I read this, I don’t hear any joy in Jesus’ voice.  But Jesus knew that division was the natural consequence of His coming to earth.  

            In fact, think about this:  We celebrate Christmas every year.  We celebrate it as a time of joy.  We celebrate the coming of the Prince of Peace.  We say that the coming of Jesus Christ to earth was an act of love, showing how much God loves us.  And all that’s true, of course.  And yet, you could easily argue that the coming of Jesus Christ is the single most divisive thing in the history of the world.  It was and is so divisive that we still see that division over two thousand years later.

            Jesus’ twelve disciples were not even always united, and they had Jesus right there with them.  The obvious example is Judas, who betrayed Jesus, but there are other examples.  In Mark Chapter Ten, James and John ask Jesus to put them ahead of the other disciples when Jesus comes into His glory.  In Luke Chapter Twenty-two, the disciples argue with each other over who is the greatest.  They were not even always united with Jesus:  Peter, especially, argued with Jesus when Jesus said He was going to be killed.

            The early church was not united.  That’s why the Apostle Paul wrote the Bible verses we read today.  If everyone had felt like they were part of one body, one faith, one baptism, Paul would not have had to write to them about it.  In First Corinthians Chapter One, Paul is so upset with how divided the church in Corinth is that he says he’s glad he had not been the one to baptize most of them.  You can hear his frustration.  In Chapter Three, he goes on to say that they are still worldly.  The Holy Spirit has not worked the change in them that Paul hoped and expected to see.  They are still acting like mere human beings.

            And two thousand years later, that’s still true.  Most of us–most definitely including me–are still worldly.  We human beings continue to act like mere human beings.

            So why do I say we should not be discouraged about this?  Because that sounds kind of discouraging, doesn’t it?  That in two thousand years, nothing has particularly changed?  That in two thousand years, the Holy Spirit has still not worked any substantial change in us human beings?  That we still are just as divided, just as quarrelsome, just as un-united as we were two thousand years ago?

            Well, here’s the thing.  The reason nothing has changed in two thousand years is that the reason those things exist has not changed.  The reason we remain divided and quarrelsome, the reason we remain, well, human beings, is because of sin.  That was true two thousand years ago.  It remains true today.

            And the reason sin remains just as powerful two thousand years ago is that the root causes of sin remain the same as it was two thousand years ago.  Selfishness.  Arrogance.  Pride.  All kinds of things like that–that’s not a complete list by any means.  But those are the root causes of sin.  And behind those root causes is the devil.  Satan.

            That’s why Jesus said He had not come to cause peace, but division.  Jesus knew who and what He was fighting.  Yes, He argued with the Pharisees, but He knew His ultimate opponent was not the Pharisees.  His ultimate opponent was Satan.  That’s one of the reasons the gospels include Jesus being tempted in the wilderness–to emphasize the point that Jesus was fighting Satan.  That’s why we’re told of so many cases of Jesus driving demons out of people–to emphasize the point that Jesus was fighting Satan.  That’s why, in the description of Judas’ betrayal, we’re told that “Satan entered into Judas”--to emphasize the point that Jesus was fighting Satan.

            And He still is.  Remember, when Jesus withstood the temptations of Satan, we’re told that Satan withdrew “until a more opportune time”.  Satan is still looking for that opportune time. Satan is trying, over and over again, to find that opportune time.  And Satan will keep working to find that opportune time until He is finally and completely defeated.

            And that defeat will come.  That day when Satan is finally and completely defeated will come.  That’s the assurance we’re given in the book of Revelation.  Satan will be defeated.  The Lord will prevail.  I don’t know when that day will come.  It may be soon, or it may be long after all of us have passed on.  But that day will come.  Satan will be defeated.  The Lord will prevail.  That’s the promise God has made, and we know that God always keeps His promises.

            Then, we’ll see the truth of what Paul wrote in our reading for today.  There will be the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.  There will be one body.  One Spirit.  One hope.  We will be in the presence of the one God and Father of all.  That complete oneness of believers will come about, on the day God decides it will come about.  It will come about in God’s way and at God’s time, but it will most definitely come.

            So what do we do in the meantime?  We do the best we can.  We do the best we can to stay faithful to God.  We do the best we can to serve God.  We do the best we can to show love to God.  We do the best we can to show love to others.  And we always, no matter what happens, continue to trust in Jesus Christ as our Savior.

            We do that the way Paul tells us to do it.  By being humble and gentle.  By being patient.  By bearing with one another in love.

            That’s how we do our part to fight Satan.  Only God can finally defeat Satan–you and I cannot do that.  But we can do our part to fight Satan by living as God wants us to live.  We can do our part by loving as God wants us to love.  We can do that by using the gifts God gave us to build up the body of Christ, as Paul also says.  We can do that by speaking the truth about Christ.  Speaking that truth in love, as Paul says, but making sure to speak the truth.  If we do all those things, we will have done our part.  And we know we can trust God to do God’s part.  And when He does, that’s when Satan will finally and completely be defeated.

            It’s easy to get discouraged when we see all the division and anger that seems to exist in our society, in our country, and even within Methodism.  But God foresaw it from the beginning.  Jesus told us it was going to happen.  It’s all part of the plan.  It’s necessary in the fight against Satan.  So just keep trusting God and keep your faith in Jesus Christ.  Live as Jesus told us to live.  Satan cannot win.  God will win.  And if you and I stay faithful, we will win, too.