Better Together
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Unity is a blessing that comes from God and causes blessing from God.
Introduction
Introduction
“Better together” What comes to your mind when you hear those words?
peanut butter and chocolate! some might say… and jelly or honey
There are two main ideas I want you to take away regarding unity.
As God’s people, we must appreciate unity and we must protect unity since it is a gift from God.
1. Appreciate Being Together
1. Appreciate Being Together
Unity should be Celebrated
Look at vs 1
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity!
“Behold” - unusual word to start a Psalm; only here and Ps 134, linking the two Psalms together.
it draws our attention to something - “look at this and be amazed at it”
cf. Luke 2:10 “behold I bring you good tidings of great joy”
when you see a community in harmony, notice it and learn from it
notice and be amazed at being together because...
It is a blessing that comes from God
for brothers to dwell together in unity
now what kind of brothers are we talking about? what kind of dwelling together?
the original setting: 12 tribes united under David; literally living together; Israel’s history is full of conflict; now the kingdom is united under David and on the verge of a golden age
our setting: we can apply this to our families and our churches; specifically today, I’d like to you to think about this Psalm in relation to our two churches coming together.
Being Together is a Blessing
it is good and pleasant
Gen 1 “good” is how God intended it; everything working the way it is supposed to; harmony with those around us is a deep longing in our hearts because it is the way we were created to live.
pleasant - God’s ways are good and pleasant; good for God and us. we begin to sin when we start to think that going our way is more important than God’s way.
illus: “fireworks” during Covid - on a screen or in person
gathering together as a church united under the banner of God’s glory is a tremendous blessing - it is good and pleasant.
we often fail to appreciate blessings
Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits:
hardships can help us to open our eyes to the blessings we have or they can obscure them from our view
how about you? how have the events of the last year made you think about the blessing of gathering together?
don’t neglect it; appreciate it because
Being Together is a Blessing that Comes from God
Notice the direction of this Psalm; look in your Bibles - everything comes down
repeated verb 3x
oil put on the head that flows down
Hermon (tall) to Zion (lower); north to south
A community of people in unity is a blessing that comes from God.
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; Sing praises to His name, for it is pleasant.
Since Unity comes from God, we must seek God to experience it. IOW, without seeking God you will not experience this blessing in its fulness.
we have the same Lord
we have the same new Love
we have the same new Life
We are to love each other and dwell together in harmony because we have been made brothers and sisters by God. We are children of the King. He is our Father and we are in His Family!!!
Do you want to experience the blessing of harmony in your marriage? Seek God
draw near to God in order to draw near to one another
this is true even if your spouse is unbelieving - 1 Cor 7:12-14
Do you want to experience the blessing of harmony in our churches? in this merger?
draw near to God; focus on Christ not leaders
“Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So one hundred worshipers met together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be, were they to become 'unity' conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship.” ― A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God
For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal?
Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one?
I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.
So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.
Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor.
For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building.
How should we respond to this blessing that comes from God? Appreciate it. But that’s not all. Let’s move on. David now provides us with two illustrations about this wonderful blessing from God. Taken together they provide us with the second response we must have:
Protect Being Together
Protect Being Together
Unity should be Guarded
It is like the precious oil upon the head, Running down on the beard, The beard of Aaron, Running down on the edge of his garments.
confession - sermon prep - beard oil???!!!
David has in mind the anointing of the high priest, a ceremony that involved oil. “You shall take the anointing oil and pour it on his head and anoint him,” said God through Moses. This oil was both liquid and fragrant—it would flow and it would smell.
In the same way that oil spread from Aaron’s head to his beard to his clothing, unity was to flow from God to the priest to the people. The oil, after all, would drip onto the breastplate which bore a stone for each of the twelve tribes. Unity was God’s gift to his people given through the mediation of the High Priest.
I’ve already mentioned that this pictures the source of our unity - God.
However, what ties this illustration with the next is that they not only indicate the source of our unity, they also describe our unity. So what can oily beards teach us about unity? We must protect being together...
Because Unity is Sacred
Because Unity is Sacred
This oil was special oil - “good” oil
A good name is better than precious ointment, And the day of death than the day of one’s birth;
The anointing of the high priest was a sacred occasion.
And he poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head and anointed him, to consecrate him.
Aaron’s commitment to serve as God’s priest was part of a ceremony.
The basis of a strong community is a strong commitment.
We are united around Jesus but not just any Jesus
This kind of unity is a blessing from God and must be protected. Don’t let the Devil mess with what God is doing in bringing his people together.
Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another. “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil.
disunity is common
It comes from the Devil
Before you pass along information or make accusations, remember that unity is a sacred thing
Guard the unity of your family; don’t be suspicious of one another
Guard the unity of your church
When God’s people unity around Him, God’s name is magnified. He is worthy!
Let’s look at the second illustration
It is like the dew of Hermon, Descending upon the mountains of Zion; For there the Lord commanded the blessing— Life forevermore.
Because Unity is Life-Giving
Because Unity is Life-Giving
Dew
Dew comes from God
Has the rain a father? Or who has begotten the drops of dew?
Dew is a symbol of God’s blessing
Therefore may God give you Of the dew of heaven, Of the fatness of the earth, And plenty of grain and wine.
Dew is beneficial to summer crops. This has been proved conclusively by agronomical field-studies made since 1937. The ancients therefore were not exaggerating it as a source of blessing.
Dew of Hermon - tallest mtn in Israel; due to its location it received a heavy amount of dew (like Georgia)
In consequence of the heavy dew on Hermon and Mt Carmel, the soft, friable limestone rapidly disintegrates and the soil is frequently replenished. Thus, these mountains have been symbolic of fertility.
We must protect our community from division because unity is life-giving!
Consider how blessed a child is to grow up in a home that is full of love not conflict; let us aim to give this to our children!
It is like the dew of Hermon, Descending upon the mountains of Zion; For there the Lord commanded the blessing— Life forevermore.
Because Unity is Evangelistic
Because Unity is Evangelistic
"there" - it was at the temple in Jerusalem that Israel's unity would be most visible
God called Israel to be a witness to the nations; it was vital that they be united in worshipping him
And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”
And it shall come to pass That just as you were a curse among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, So I will save you, and you shall be a blessing. Do not fear, Let your hands be strong.’
before the watching world
For on My holy mountain, on the mountain height of Israel,” says the Lord God, “there all the house of Israel, all of them in the land, shall serve Me; there I will accept them, and there I will require your offerings and the firstfruits of your sacrifices, together with all your holy things. I will accept you as a sweet aroma when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you have been scattered; and I will be hallowed in you before the Gentiles.
“I, the Lord, have called You in righteousness, And will hold Your hand; I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the Gentiles,
Israel awaits an end-times revival and restoration, but ...
The church is the place today that must be united so that the blessing of everlasting life should be spread
that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone,
A united church is a church that has been blessed and will be blessed by God.
Unity is Blessed by God
Conclusion
Conclusion
Let’s devote ourselves to God together. We are better together. Let’s appreciate what God is doing and let’s protect it.
Pause to reflect
Prayer
Benediction:
Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Application Questions:
What are some common causes of disunity?
If you have a complaint against a person in the church, is it ever appropriate to discuss it with someone else? If yes, when and why?
Should we try to attract people to church by offering to meet their needs? What kind of unity would that create?
What can we do to encourage unity that is based on our shared commitment to Jesus?
What would it look like for our church to work together in evangelism?