[2026. 9. 27.] That all of them may be one | John 17:20–26

[2026. 9. 27.] That all of them may be one | John 17:20–26

Sermon by Rev. Jinkook (Danny) Sohn (Hope of Heaven Baptist Chuch) 

 

2026. 9. 27. 주일예배 설교- 요한복음 강해 50
본문: 요한복음 17:20–26
제목: 그들도 다 하나가 되어

설교자: 손진국 목사 (하늘소망교회)

 

Chapter 17 is the final prayer Jesus offered while He was with His disciples before facing the cross, and it is often called the High Priestly Prayer. This prayer can be divided into three parts according to its audience: first, Jesus prayed for Himself; second, He prayed for the disciples who were with Him. That was the content we looked at last Sunday. Today’s passage is Jesus’ prayer for all who would believe in Him in the future.

[Verse 20] My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message.

Jesus prayed for all who would believe in Him through the gospel proclaimed by the disciples. Therefore, this prayer includes us who are gathered here today. Isn’t that amazing? Two thousand years ago, Jesus stood before the cross and thought of us—and prayed for us.

And one of the most important things Jesus prayed for us is this: “that they may all be one.” Jesus did not desire that we simply become people who attend the same church. He desired that we love one another, embrace one another, and become one in Christ so that we may reveal Jesus to the world.

 

1. Unity is the church Jesus desires.

[Verse 21] 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.

We are believers who have become children of God through faith in Jesus. And believers form a community called the church. Why is that? Because the church is more than a gathering of people who believe. The church is the body of Christ, and Christ is the head of the church.

Therefore, Jesus desires that believers form the church on earth, and He reveals the representative characteristic of that church: unity. Unity is what Jesus desires for His church.

Then we must ask: “Is our church united?” How would we answer? “Well…” “Not yet…” “We are trying, but it is not easy.”

As we attend church, we meet people who think differently from us. Some communicate well with us, and some do not. Some are so different in age that even being together feels uncomfortable. So we often hear comments like, “I feel lonely because there are no people my age,” or “It’s hard because I don’t have anyone I connect well with.” Because of this, people look for churches where others share similar ages, situations, personalities, or interests.

But what does Jesus mean by unity? Is unity simply social harmony or getting along well with people who are similar to us?

The foundation of unity Jesus speaks of is in verse 21: “just as you are in me and I am in you.” And “may they also be in us.” What does this mean? The unity Jesus desires is not merely human compatibility or comfortable relationships. Jesus did not say, “Gather with people who are similar to you and become one.”

The church gathers people who are different. Therefore, conflicts can arise. People try to become united through human effort, but often fail and end up hurting one another. Why? Because their standard and direction for unity differ from what Jesus taught.

Jesus grounds unity in the relationship between the Father and the Son: “just as you are in me and I am in you.” Therefore, biblical unity is not “we become one because our personalities match,” but “we become one because we are connected in Christ.”

Paul explains this in [Ephesians 4:3] Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

This is extremely important. We are not told to create unity among different people. Unity is not something we produce. The Spirit has already made us one in Christ, and we must keep it. Therefore, unity is not optional. It is a central prayer Jesus offered for the church. Unity means not only getting along with people we like or connect well with, but embracing and loving those who are different because they are our brothers and sisters in Christ.

When we look at the early church in Acts, we see something astonishing. The church included people who would normally never be united: Jews and Gentiles, slaves and free people, people from different cultures and backgrounds. In society, they could never be one. But the gospel united them. They became a new family in Jesus Christ. This is the power of the gospel. The power of the gospel is not that everyone becomes the same, but that different people become one because of Jesus.

John Stott did not view the church as merely a gathering of individual believers. He emphasized, “Those who are united to Christ are simultaneously connected to one another and form the community that is the body of Christ.” C. S. Lewis also wrote in Mere Christianity that becoming a Christian is not merely believing in Jesus individually but entering the body of Christ.

In the church, we may say, “That person doesn’t fit with me.” Their personality, way of speaking, and way of thinking may differ. But Jesus did not tell us to love only those who fit well with us. The person I find difficult is someone Jesus loves. The person I do not understand is someone Jesus has called as a member of His body. Therefore, unity begins not with “finding people who fit me,” but with “loving the people Jesus loves.”

[Application] Am I staying close only to people who fit well with me at church? Who is the person I need to open my heart to and love first?

 

2. Unity is the evidence that reveals Jesus to the world.

In verse 21, Jesus explains the purpose of unity:

[Verse 21] that all of them may be one… so that the world may believe that you have sent me.

And again in verse 23:

[Verse 23] I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

Here we discover something extremely important: unity in the church is not merely an internal matter—it is a testimony to the world.

Jesus desires that through the unity of the church, the world will come to know Him. This means unity is directly connected to mission. No matter how good our sermons are, how many programs we run, or how passionately we evangelize, if there is no love within the church, the world will struggle to trust our message. The world watches not only what we say but how we live.

Jesus said in [John 13:35] By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.

Love in the church is not merely for maintaining pleasant relationships. It is the evidence of the gospel shown to the world. When the church is united, the world begins to ask, “How can such different people love one another?” Through that question, people see Jesus in us.

One reason the early church powerfully impacted the world was their communal life. People of different social statuses and backgrounds became brothers and sisters in Christ. They cared for the needy, met each other’s needs, worshiped together, and shared meals. People who could never be united in society became one because of the gospel—because they believed in Jesus. Their lives became the message of the gospel. They did not merely say, “Jesus is love.” They showed Jesus’ love by loving one another.

Do you understand what this means? Thinking “I cannot be with that person because they are different from me” destroys the unity the Spirit has created and ultimately hinders the gospel from being revealed to the world. May we all remember this truth.

What do people outside the church consider more important when they look at us? Our church name—or our relationships? Our programs or sermons—or the way we treat one another?

Beloved church, unity is not merely a method for evangelism. Unity itself is the life that displays the gospel.

[Application] When someone visits our church for the first time, will they feel “These people love one another,” or will they feel “This place is just like the world”?

 

3. At the centre of unity is the love of Jesus.

Jesus prays in verse 24:

[Verse 24] Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.

And in verse 26:

[Verse 26] I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.

Following Jesus’ prayer to the end, we discover what lies at the center of unity: love.

Can we love one another because the other person is lovable? Look at the person next to you. Answer in your heart. Is that person truly lovable? No. Yet we can love them because we have received God’s love. Because Christ is in us. Jesus did not claim His rights on the cross; He gave Himself. That is love. True love gives even life.

We may say, “I love that person, but they still haven’t changed. Their behaviour frustrates me. I cannot understand them.” Is the self-giving love of Jesus visible here? No. What is visible is a self-centred desire to make the other person fit my expectations.

True love does not kill the other person—it begins with me dying. Christian unity begins with laying down self-centred attitudes. Not “They must change first,” but “I will change first.” Not “They must apologize first,” but “I will apologize and reach out first.” This is the love of the cross.

Last Sunday we talked about the young doctor Ahn Soo-hyun. He devoted himself to saving lives with his medical expertise, but he also treated every person he met as a precious soul. Those who remember him say he served people sincerely, not merely as patients. People remember him not only because of his medical skill, but because his life displayed love. He sacrificed his time, his resources, his pride, and willingly bore loss for the sake of one person.

The same is true for the church. People will not remember our church simply because we held many events. They will remember us when they see Christ’s love practiced among us—when they see unity formed through that love.

Beloved church, if we look at people through our own standards, we will be disappointed. But when we remember that Jesus bore the cross and gave His life for that person, our attitude toward them changes.

The greatest threat to unity is not differences of opinion—it is the heart that says, “I am right.” We can have different thoughts. We can have different methods. But when we begin to value our own thoughts above Jesus, unity collapses. A mature Christian is not someone who agrees with everyone. A mature Christian is someone who can love even when opinions differ. Someone who can yield when possible, apologize first, speak directly in love rather than gossip, and pray for others. For unity to be kept, someone must move first—and that person can be me.

[Application] Is there someone I am judging by my own standards? How would things change if I looked at that person through Jesus’ eyes?

Conclusion

Jesus prayed for the church before He bore the cross, praying that we would all be one.

Unity does not mean everyone thinks the same. It means Jesus is at the centre. Unity does not mean the absence of conflict. It means choosing love even in conflict. Unity does not mean embracing only those we like. It means embracing those Jesus loves.

Today we must stand before Jesus’ prayer. Am I someone who keeps unity—or breaks it? Who is the person I must reach out to today? What must I lay down? What is one act of love I can begin today?

May we all respond to Jesus’ prayer—“that they may all be one”—with our lives. I bless you in the name of the Lord.

 

 

 

하늘소망교회(담임 손진국 목사)는 뉴질랜드 오클랜드 북부 실버데일에 세워진 한인교회로 '하나님의 마음으로 사람을 살리는 교회'입니다.

Hope of Heaven Baptist Church (Senior Pastor: Rev. Jinkook Sohn) is a Korean church established in Silverdale, Auckland, New Zealand. It is a church that saves people with the heart of God.