Messages

UNITY COMMANDS BLESSING

Scripture: Psalm 133

1. How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!
2. It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down to the collar of his robe.
3. It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on mount Zion. For there the Lord bestows his   blessing, even life forevermore.

This Psalm is called A song of ascents. These were the songs of pilgrimage that the Jewish people sang when they travelled to Jerusalem and climbed the mountain three times a year for the festivals.

Psalm 120-134 are song of ascents.

Here in this Psalm we see the Blessings of Unity among God’s people.

Meaning of Unity is “oneness”.

“Biblical Unity” is a belief or a right perspective that produces a right attitude a right conduct towards other Christians.

When God’s people begin to live in unity amazing things begin to happen. For ex. when the people decided to build the tower of Babel in Gen 11:6 (NLT)

⁶ “Look!” he said. “The people are united, and they all speak the same language. After this, nothing they set out to do will be impossible for them!

When people are united nothing, they set out to do will be impossible for them.

Five reasons to be united:

1. UNITY IS GOOD: vs. 1

The word good is objective, something that is morally right.

• Right thing to do.
• In Gen 1 when God created the creation everyday he said, its good. Meaning it’s the right thing, it’s beautiful.
• After he created Adam, Adam did not have a right match and then God says, it’s not good for man to be alone.
• When God’s people are united its good and God approves that unity.
• It’s not good when there is disunity among God’s people.
  • Gen 4; we read about Cain and Abel, there was no unity between them, and the reason of the disunity was not because of property, money, family but their devotional life. Their disunity began in the worship place. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering and this angered Cain.
  • Cain Instead of changing his attitude, changed the Altar, instead of repenting he took revenge and murdered his only brother and was marked by God.
  • Had only Cain only changed his attitude and got right, it was good to both Cain and Abel and also the Lord would have approved their worship.
• Many times, we fight over things that are not worthwhile or advantageous to us or the Church and there is disharmony, the result is peace is lost and God says its bad.

2. UNITY IS PLEASANT: vs. 1

• Pleasant: giving a sense of happy satisfaction or enjoyment:
• Pleasant is a subjective experience. 
• When God’s people live together in unity it’s a pleasant experience. It’s a feel-good factor.
• Think of the people in the fellowship that you have this experience with, many times it will be with people like us, meaning, similar age group, similar profession, similar stage of life, similar backgrounds, we gel very well with these people, we don’t need the help of the Holy spirit or any grace to have a pleasant experience but then, among God’s people there will be people who are not like you or even share your values, with such people we need to depend on the Holy Spirit for grace to enjoy a pleasant fellowship.
• Some people are naturally likeable and others are not. So, in a fellowship, we need to put in effort to live in peace with everyone. Rom 12:18 ¹⁸ If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
• Then we can enjoy the fellowship of God’s people. Because people are different in their personalities, temperaments, upbringings, etc.
• Illus: Adoption: exciting and challenging
• The fellowship of God’s people is both exciting and challenging.

3. UNITY IS SANCTIFYING: vs. 2

• David is very precise when he writes this verse, precious oil----head----beard---robes (Aaron)
• We read about this precious oil in Lev 8:12, ¹² He poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head and anointed him to consecrate him.
• Moses ordained Aaron to priesthood by anointing his head with oil, a generous quantity of oil and the purpose was to consecrate him/ sanctify him
• He was not like any other ordinary person but he was set apart for the purposes of God.
• God said in Ex 19:6, ⁶ you^[a] will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.”
• 1 Pet 2:9 says, But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
• As royal priesthood of God we need to be sanctified. And when we are united with God’s people beyond our prejudices, hatred, grudges, we will be sanctified and this is pleasing to the Lord.
• Your holiness is evident only when you begin to rub shoulders with other people.
• Many of us are holy in isolation. But that’s not how the Lord has called us to be.
• When you are a silent person and need to live with a talkative person, then holiness is tested, when you are hardworking and need to rub shoulders with a lazy person, holiness is tested, when you are straight forward person and need to live with a manipulative person, holiness is tested.
• Either we become bitter or better. But all these people that are unlike us are like sand papers they polish us to be more like Christ and there Christ commands His blessing.
• Some of the most difficult people bring out the best in us.
• Illus: Abraham Lincoln & Mary Todd Lincoln.

4. UNITY IS REFRESHING: vs. 3

It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on mount Zion. For there the Lord bestows his   blessing, even life forevermore.

• Mount Hermon is a chief mountain in northern Israel, for 2/3 rd of the year it is known for moisture and it’s the main source of water supply for the Jordon river.
• Most of the land of Israel is an arid region and when David looked at this mountain, he says, Unity is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on mount Zion.
• Dew basically refreshes, it ensured productivity in the arid regions…
• When God’s people live together in unity, it is refreshing and productive.
• Unity is productive and disunity is distractive for the Church.
• 1 Cor 16:18; 2 Cor 7:13; 2 Tim 1:16; Phil 1:7, 20
  • Paul was often refreshed by God’s people at different points of the ministry.
• Ministry is not easy, the servants of God go through a lot of pains but thank God for many saints who refresh God’s people time and again in the work of the ministry.
• Ask yourself does your presence bring refreshment to God’s people, if the answer is yes then the Lord commands His blessing in that place.

5. UNITY IS PLACE GOD BLESSES: vs 3

For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.

• All of us desire blessing of God upon our lives, right?
• What is blessing? Gen 25:7, Abraham died at a good old age (175), an old man and full of years…. contrast…Jacob: Gen 47:9 the years of my pilgrimage have been 130. My years have been few and difficult.
• How do we acquire those blessing?
  • By cultivating unity among God’s people.
    • We all have stubborn hearts that don’t want to be united with God’s people, we always want to have our way, pride in our lives will not allow us to esteem others better than ourselves.
    • Don’t sacrifice something that is good, pleasant, holy and refreshing for your own selfish gain. You will miss the blessing of the Lord in the bargain.
  • See God’s people as the Lord sees them.
  • Don’t waste your precious time, valuable energy, money on meaningless things that break the unity of the Church rather strive for the unity of the body of Christ because there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life for evermore.

Let the prayer of Jesus be our prayer, John 17:22-23,

that they may be one as we are one— 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.

When we are united the world will know that you that you have sent me and loved them even as you have loved me……

This is our desire that the World will know we are Christians by our unity.