Psalm 133
Notes
Transcript
Psalm 133
Jesus wanted his followers to have unity.
Not just the 12, but all those that would come after them.
In John 17 He prayed for all of us.
One of the main themes of His prayer was that we would be one, or unified, just like the Jesus and the Father are one.
21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:
23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
The purpose for that unity, as Jesus prayed, was that the world may know that thou has sent me...
Oh how important it is that we have unity!
This does not mean that we ignore differences, but rather we deal with the differences through the Holy Spirit and heal and fix them.
Selfishness and pride get in the way of unity.
We want it our way.
We are right.
But we sacrifice so much when we sacrifice unity for our own desires.
In this Psalm I see six great truths about Unity:
I. Unity Is Not Natural
I. Unity Is Not Natural
1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity!
It is not the norm, so when it is there, it is good and pleasant.
Our natural state is pride and division.
It is the natural man, the man without the Holy Spirit’s leading that separate themselves.
19 These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.
But this certainly should not describe the Christian.
Although we can never again NOT have the Holy Spirit, We can definitely quench the Spirit, and ignore the Spirit.
It is natural to have division and pride, but we are not to follow the natural man.
We are to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, being of one spirit, in unity.
But even though Unity is not Natural, it is a wonderful thing, and we ought to strive for it!
II. Unity Is Good and Pleasant
II. Unity Is Good and Pleasant
1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity!
The word good means that which is well-pleasing, fruitful, morally correct, proper, convenient.
The word pleasant means delightful. It is used of persons who are pleasing, a joy to be around.
When there is unity it is good or fruitful - the right position for growth.
It is good - convenient for all those involved.
It is pleasant - it is a joy to be around.
You can sense disunity.
There have been times when, I couldn’t put my finger on where it was or what it was about, but I could tell by talking to a person that there was disunity between us.
I try to be pleasant, and love the person, but I still can’t figure out what is holding back the unity.
It is only when it comes to a head and dealt with that the healing can take place.
Confrontation is never pleasant, but if we are going to have unity, we are going to have to deal with the issue so that forgiveness can be dealt with, or the offense will have to be passed over and move passed it.
The Bible give us clear direction on how to handle a situation where you do not agree with something that has happened:
15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.
18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.
20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
The place for this confrontation is not a business meeting, unless all the proper channels have been followed.
The place for this confrontation is not a board meeting, or a Sunday school teacher’s meeting, it is one on one, then two on one, then you take it to the church.
Best to take it to church leadership, and let them bring it, but if the situation involves church leadership, then I personally would quietly leave.
It is not worth causing a division in the church, it only brings hurt to everyone.
The ones that end up suffering the most are the young Christians.
Often to never come back to church again.
May it not be true of us....
17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.
18 For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.
But Unity is Good and Pleasant, even though it is not Natural…which means you have to work at it!
III. Unity Enables Leadership
III. Unity Enables Leadership
2 It is like the precious ointment upon the head, That ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: That went down to the skirts of his garments;
The Bible, by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, says that unity is likened unto the ointment that anointed the first Priest, Aaron.
The pouring of the oil over Aaron's head was the symbol of the Holy Spirit endowing him for his task.
It was a symbol of the authority and leadership that God was giving him for his work in the Tabernacle.
It was a symbol of God’s choosing this man for the work.
There was nothing magical, or special about the oil, other than it was set apart for this purpose.
But it was a sign to the people that this man was chosen to lead in this way.
When the people saw Aaron, his garments, his beard they were reminded of that anointment.
And it enabled Him in their lives to be their leader.
Unity is likened to that oil…When unity is in the church it enables the leader to do the work of the Lord:
To teach as He is lead by the Holy Spirit
To lead the church in the direction He is led.
To counsel its members in the counsel of the Lord.
To direct the worship of the church in song, in preaching, in prayer all through the authority that God has given Him.
I do not take that lightly!
I do not revel in that authority!
I am not naturally comfortable in it…and yet God has called me to lead this church, and He has empowered me to be able to do it.
When we have unity, if enables me to lead as I should.
Divisions distract from the purpose and calling and leading of the Lord, but unity clears the path for great things to be done!
But not only does unity enable leadership, but this verse also speaks of spread of these benefits.
IV. Unity’s Benefits Spreads to All the Body
IV. Unity’s Benefits Spreads to All the Body
2 It is like the precious ointment upon the head, That ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: That went down to the skirts of his garments;
As the oil ran down Aaron’s beard, and went down his skirts, it spread from the head down the neck, down the shoulders and chest, down the arms, down the waist, down the legs and even to the feet.
This instantly brought to mind the various verses:
18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
Jesus prayed that the Holy Spirit would be sent to us, oil is very often a symbol of the Holy Spirit in Scripture.
The Holy Spirit is sent from Christ the head of the body, the church…down it’s various members...
27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
And the benefit is spread to all, so that the work of each individual member of the body can do it’s function, but not just do it, but do it through the power of the Holy Spirit.
We have a responsibility to keep the unity in our church, so that each of us will have the power to do as He leads us to do it!
V. Unity is Refreshing
V. Unity is Refreshing
3 As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: For there the Lord commanded the blessing, Even life for evermore.
Mount Hermon is the highest elevation in Israel, the tallest mountain.
It is in the Northern part of the nation.
Mount Zion is in the south, and the elevated center of Israel’s Spiritual life.
The Psalmist speaks of the dew of Hermon…In a very arid country, this mountain that through much of the year is peaked in snow, has a very high abundance of dw in the summer months.
When it is hot, dry, dusty, and parched everywhere else, the dew of Hermon is a refreshing dampness that renews.
Here the Psalmist is telling us that Unity between brethren is as refreshing as this dew is to the dusty, dry, parched traveller.
I remember, when I was in California, we used to hike “the back way” into Burney Falls. We could pay to park just above the falls in the state park, but if you wen to the back side fo the falls there were hiking trails that would take you there.
It was a longer journey, but not by a terrible amount.
But I remember on a hot Summer day after hiking the few miles in, when you exit the path, and into the mist of the water fall how refreshing and cool it was.
This is what I think of when I hear this verse.
Unity brings abundant blessings on our church, like stepping out of the hot dry dusty, path into the cool water spray of the waterfall.
trekking up the dry, dusty mountain side and reaching the cool dewy fields and forests of Mount Hermon.
Unity is Refreshing.
Then lastly we see that ...
VI. Unity Brings God’s Blessings
VI. Unity Brings God’s Blessings
3 As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: For there the Lord commanded the blessing, Even life for evermore.
The unity is likened to Mount Hermon,but also Mount Zion, which provided the respite in the South, like Hermon in the North.
This is where the Lord commanded the blessing, and the psalmist specifies this blessing, as Even life for evermore.
There is some disagreement to what “there” is pointing to Mount Hermon, the Mountains of Zion, or unity itself…but one things is for sure, The Psalmist is definately bringing us to the conclusion, whether by the picture of mountain, or direct statement ...that the theme of this Psalm, Unity, is what brings God’s blessings to us.
I don’t know about you, but I need God’s blessings on this church!
I don’t have the ability to bring these blessings alone, I need God’s help!
Let’s strive for Unity in our Church!