The LORD is One

“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 17:22-23a

Feeling stirs my heart as I ponder the words of our opening Scripture today. They flowed from the mouth of Jesus on the night of His arrest. You just read some of the last recorded utterances of the Word made flesh before His body dangled for you from a bloody cross.

We observe an intimate moment between God the Son and God the Father, the heart of God laid bare before us in His perfect Word. Did you know Jesus’ final prayers were for you?

Jesus had just finished praying for Himself and the disciples He would leave behind. Then in verse 20 He adds, “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message.” That’s you and me.

What did He pray for, dear one?

“that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”  John 17:21

Witness the Father’s revealed will spoken through the voice of His Son. His highest priority? Unity within the body of believers. Jesus prayed that believers would be one with each other in the same way that He is one with the Father. The resulting unity would cause the world to believe that Jesus did indeed come from God.

How is that possible? Jesus and the Father are completely one in every way. They share the same thoughts and desires, their actions flow from the same perfect will. How can men and women with very different preferences and desires, longings and needs truly share one mind . . . one heart . . . one will?

They can’t, at least not within the realm of the natural. But those who believe in Jesus and have received the seal of His Spirit within them aren’t limited to the natural. They possess the very glory of God.

Look at Jesus’ words in our opening verse. “I have given them the glory that you gave me.” According to Jesus, that glory will enable us to be one.

Last week we discovered a primary characteristic of God’s glory revealed to us in Scripture: it fills. We watched it consume the tabernacle the people of God built to house it (Exodus 40:34). We witnessed it filling the temple Solomon built in Jerusalem, and we saw how the sight of it brought observers to their knees (2 Chronicles 7:1-3).  We also discovered that believers have become the new temple of the LORD (1 Corinthians 3:16).

The glory of God has come to rest within the hearts of men.

Let’s pull up a chair to observe another intimate moment, this time between Jesus and His disciples after His death and resurrection. The disciples had gathered behind locked doors, fearing for themselves after seeing their Lord crucified. Jesus suddenly stood among them proclaiming peace.

Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”  John 20:21-22

Do you know what happens when God speaks, beloved? Whatever He says occurs.

“So is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”  Isaiah 55:11

Jesus not only spoke the words, He breathed on them, releasing His Spirit to once again dwell within man’s soul, the place He had created for His glory to dwell (Isaiah 43:7).

It reminds me of the first time God gave that gift to man.

The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.  Genesis 2:7

The presence of sin caused the glory to depart from its dwelling place, but Christ’s sacrifice for that sin opened the way for God to return to His rightful earthly home: the heart of man.  And so once Jesus conquered sin and rose victorious from the grave, He breathed the glory of God back into it’s original temple. Halleluiah!

That gift in itself gives cause for celebration, but the story doesn’t end there. Jesus had something more to teach His disciples about the glory He had given them.  So before He returned to heaven to rejoin His Father He instructed them to wait in Jerusalem for a gift.

As you take in the following Scriptures, notice the similarities between this event and the filling of Solomon’s temple (2 Chronicles 7:1).

Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.  They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.  Acts 2:2-4

The disciples of Jesus obediently waited together for the gift Jesus told them would come. While they lingered—presenting themselves as living sacrifices freely submitted to the will of the Lord—tongues of fire came to rest on each of them. And all of them were filled with the Spirit of God. God’s glory once again filled His dwelling place.

Oh, how I love the beautiful consistency of Scripture when we open our eyes to see! Look at the resulting evidence of the God of Glory filling His temple.

Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language.  Utterly amazed, they asked: “Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans?  Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language?  Acts 2:5-8

Imagine the amazement gripping the hearts of all who were there. People from every nation under heaven heard the same message that day, spoken by men from Galilee. Yet all of them—no matter where they came from— could understand! The supernatural power of God filling His people brought about a unity that had not existed since the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11). His overwhelming presence brought the people together, uniting them in understanding and bearing witness to His awesome power.

God means to fill His house! The result of that filling will bring about a unity that we are not capable of within the limits of our flesh.

We will explore the concept further next week. Until then, spend some time worshiping God and praising Him for His mighty works. He deserves it.