Dedicated to Oneness

Matthew 18:1–20

This is the third message in our series, Essential Church. We’re looking at what makes the church truly the church.

In week one, we said Christ is the foundation. If Christ has not been raised, then our faith is in vain. Everything depends on Him.

In week two, we said the church is diverse by design. Like ingredients brought together into something far better than each one alone, the Spirit shapes us into a body that is beautiful in its variety.

And today we see that the church is dedicated to oneness.

Psalm 133:1 says, “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!” Unity doesn’t always come easily. But it is always our goal, and always worth the effort.

Unity does not mean uniformity. God does not ask us to look alike, think alike on every detail, or bring the same gifts. Last week we celebrated how the Spirit makes the church beautiful in its diversity. Today we see that unity means all those differences are woven together in love, bound by Christ Himself.

Oneness begins with humility

Jesus begins with a call to humility. When the disciples asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He placed a child in their midst.

Children in the ancient world had no rights or social standing. In Roman culture, unwanted infants were sometimes left outside to die. Children were humble, dependent, and small. When Jesus says we must become like children, He calls us away from pride and self-importance.

We spend our lives trying to prove ourselves, but the way of Christ begins with humility. Paul writes in Philippians 2:3–4:

“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

Unity cannot survive where pride is in charge. The essential posture of oneness is humility.

Oneness requires vigilance against sin

From humility, Jesus moves to vigilance. He warns His followers about the seriousness of sin. Sin disrupts relationships. It tears at the fabric of community.

Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?” (1 Corinthians 5:6). Just as yeast spreads through the whole dough, sin tolerated in the body spreads outward, wounding many.

It is easy to see sin in others. But Jesus’ words first call us to be vigilant with ourselves. Gossip, bitterness, selfishness—these fracture unity. The church dedicated to oneness is made of people who examine their own hearts and repent quickly, before small cracks become deep divides.

Oneness is worth seeking when it is lost

Next, Jesus reminds us that unity is worth seeking when it is lost. In the parable of the lost sheep, a shepherd leaves ninety-nine to go after the one who has wandered. He does not shrug and say, “Ninety-nine is enough.” He does not dismiss the lost sheep as foolish or unimportant. He goes after it.

Ezekiel 34:11 echoes this shepherd heart of God: “For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out.”

Oneness means we notice who is missing. We don’t simply let people drift away. A phone call, a card, a quiet word of care can make all the difference. Unity is not only about those present. It is about those absent too.

Oneness is maintained through reconciliation

Finally, Jesus shows us that unity is preserved through reconciliation. Conflicts will come. We have three enemies—the world, the devil, and our own sinful nature—and all of them conspire to disrupt our love for one another.

Jesus gives a way forward.

Step 1: Go privately. “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone” (Matthew 18:15). Many conflicts are just misunderstandings. A private conversation can clear the air. This takes courage. And it also takes a willingness to be the kind of person who can be approached—open, gentle, and safe to talk to.

Step 2: Bring one or two others. Not to attack, but to mediate, clarify, and help both sides hear each other.

Step 3: Involve the church. If the conflict still cannot be resolved, invite trusted leaders to help seek restoration.

Step 4: Treat them as a Gentile or tax collector. We often think this means shunning. But how did Jesus treat Gentiles and tax collectors? With love. With persistent compassion. Without expectation, but with hope.

Even if reconciliation is refused, we continue to care, forgive, and leave the door open. As Paul wrote, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all” (Romans 12:18).

This is hard work. But it is the work of love.

Colossians 3:13–14 says, “Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”

The example of Christ

Unity is not something that just happens when things are easy. Marriages, friendships, and churches all discover that joy at the beginning is not the same as unity over time. Unity takes effort, persistence, and sacrifice.

Jesus shows us the way. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). While we were God’s enemies, He sought us out. In the Garden, when Adam and Eve ran from Him, God came looking for them. Again and again, God moves toward the lost to reconcile.

Our unity rests in that same reconciling love.

Conclusion

Paul urges us in Ephesians 4:3–6: “Be eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”

And Augustine summarized it well: “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.”

Oneness is not easy. It takes humility, vigilance, pursuit, and reconciliation. But it is worth the effort—because Jesus is here.