All right, let's take our Bibles
and turn with me to the book of Psalms. Psalm 133. Psalm 133. This morning, I'd
like for us to do exactly that which the Spirit of God has instructed
us to do. Psalm 133 and verse 1 says this,
Behold, I want you according to the wording
of the Spirit of God and myself, all of us. I want us to look
at something that the Spirit of God sets forth that is precious. I pray that God Almighty give
us ears and eyes to see by faith with thankfulness unto the Lord,
with joy and appreciation concerning that which is marvelous. is a miracle. I want us to look
at a miracle this morning. Unity among brethren. Now that's a miracle of God's
grace. Because we're all by nature born
with a heart, a mind that is mad at God. enmity, enmity against
God. So the Spirit of God says, I
want you to behold and admire and desire and pray for God's
blessing. This blessing, this marvelous
work of God's grace, it's like a healing ointment that just
soothes the heart. And it's accomplished only by
God's grace and God's power. The scripture says, behold, how
good. Not only good, but how good. Not only pleasant, but how pleasant. I want you to look at something
that's good because it has found its origin outside of us. In me that is in my flesh, Paul
says that dwelleth no good thing. Nothing good comes out of us.
Everything out of us is wild and dark and resentful against
God, but this is good. It's how good. And here's the
reason that it's so good, how good. James 1 17, every good
gift. Now this is a gift. Every good
gift, every perfect gift is from above and cometh down from the
father of lights with whom is no variableness, neither shadow
of turning. This is very good. Not only is it to be beheld as
being how good, but how pleasant, how lovely, how charming, how
attractive to God's people. God's people love this. They
love that which we're to behold. And we delight in it. It just
overwhelms us with gladness. joy, peace, behold how good and
how pleasant it is for brethren. Brethren. What does that mean,
brethren? Well, it means born of the same
father, born of the same spirit, one in heart, one in mind, About
what? The glory of God. This is what
we're here for. We want to hear, tell me about
God's glory. Tell me about God's honor. Behold
how good it is for brethren, those who are one in affection
for each other. Brethren. Those that love and
support the preaching of the gospel. Why? Because it is the
power of God unto salvation. This is the only thing that matters.
This is it. We're united here. It's a precious
thing to bear the name of brethren. Brethren. I want you to hold
your place. Turn to Luke 8 19. Luke chapter
8. Luke chapter 8 verse 19, the
Lord described the character of brethren. Now you know everybody
and their brother feels themselves if they go to some assembly that
they're all Christians, they're all, the Lord described, told
us who brethren are. Luke 8 verse 19, then came to
him his mother and his brethren could not come at him for the
press, for the people, just too many people there. And he was
told him by certain which says, thy mother and thy brethren stand
without desiring to see thee. And the Lord answered and said
unto them, my mother and my brethren are these which hear the word
of God and do it. Now that's brethren. I want you to notice that characteristic
of brethren. They hear the word of God. They hear the glory of Christ. Anybody can read this. and not
see the Word of God in it. Christ is the Word. They hear
the Word of God Himself. They hear what He has to say.
The Word personified. And they hear it by faith. They
hear it with remembrance. They hear it with reverence.
Because it's God's Word. It glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ. It gives Him all the honor and
all the glory and all the praise, and it gives us none. They hear
the Word of God. They know that they hear it as
sinners in need of a Savior. They hear it. And listen to this,
and they do it. They do it. All brethren hear
the Gospel. They hear the Word of God. And
they do it. They do it. Absolutely. The greatest explanation of that
truth right there. Doing. Doing the Word of God
given by the Lord. John 6. This is such a comfort. I need to hear this right here
because as soon as I hear that, you know, that believers do something
other than sin against God. I think it will clarify that
for me, please. Just tell me one more time. Here's what it
is to do the word of God. John 6, verse 27 to 29. The Lord said, labor not, don't
be working. That's what that word labor means,
don't work. Don't try to be working for that
meat, that sustenance, thinking that you've got something to
feast upon that will merit you before God, is what that means.
Labor not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat
which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of Man shall
give unto you. For Him hath God the Father sealed. Then said they, he just told
them, he said, don't work, and they're listening. They're listening
to what he's saying. Don't work for something that's
not gonna endure. Don't be working for something
that you think that you've got, and it's to your credit, and
you're going to stand before God, and many are going to stand
before God and going to say, Lord, we've prophesied, we've
done many wonderful works, we've cast out devils, and he's going
to say, I never knew you. The Lord said, don't be working
for that. Then said they, verse 28, unto
him, well, what shall we do? that we might work the works
of God. Well then tell us, what is it? If brethren hear the word
of the Lord and do it, then Lord tell us what it is. Jesus answered
and said unto them, this is the work of God, that you believe
on him whom he has sent. Now you know a believer will
settle down right there. They'll say, Lord, I believe you. I believe
you. I believe that I'm in need. That's what I believe. Lord,
who are brethren? Those that hear the word of God
and do it. That's a work that an unbeliever
has never thought of. He'd never thought of a work
of faith. That's a good work, a work of
faith. and a labor of love for Almighty
God, for His Word, for His people. A work that acknowledges Christ
to be the true Messiah, the only one who's ever pleased God by
His work. This is brethren. They hear the Word of the Lord,
they do it. They embrace and they receive Him as the Redeemer. Lord, I'm a sinner and You're
the Redeemer. And I trust you. I trust you
to save me, casting all of my care, the care of my soul. I'm telling you, I don't have
any hope outside of God Almighty saving me by grace. That's brethren. Behold how good and how pleasant
it is for brethren to dwell together, what? in unity. Unity. Let me tell you what brethren
do. They guard their unity. They guard it. Hold your place
and turn with me to Genesis 13. Genesis chapter 13, verse 7 and
8. Genesis 13, 7 and 8. They guard the unity. Genesis 13, 7 and 8. There was a strife between the
herdmen of Abram's cattle and the herdmen of Lot's cattle.
And the Canaanite, the Perizzite dwelt in the land. There was
a strife going on. They had a squabble going on
between herdmen. And Abram said unto Lot, Let
there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between
my herdman and thy herdman. Why? For we be brethren. Lord, we've heard the word of
God. You know what God said about
Abram? Abram believed God, and it was
counted unto him for righteousness. Why did he believe God concerning? He believed that God justified
him freely by grace. Abram was justified by faith. That's what he believed, not
because of his faith. By faith, he believed God had justified
him freely by grace. And what about Lot? Scripture
refers to Lot as just Lot, justified Lot. And what was the temptation
of Satan that was gonna come in there and divide him? They had some cows. And some of the cows got over
on this piece of grass and they came over here. Your cow's eating
my grass. Your cow's walking where my cow's
supposed to be walking. I don't like your cow over here
at my cow's place. I'm going to take my ball and
go home. And Abram came to Lot and he said, Lot, don't let there
be strife between me and you. Your herdman, my herdman, we're
brethren. What's the issue with brethren? I tell you what, the issue with
brethren is the glory of God. That's it. That's the only issue.
And every time Satan tries to come in and start something,
it's always something that doesn't matter. It's always some little
old squabble, you know. What was the squabble over? Grass?
Grass? And in closing, this is what
God's people, this is how God's people are unified. How did they
come to that point to be unified? Behold how good and how blessed
it is for brethren to dwell together in unity. How were they unified? Ephesians 4, Ephesians chapter
4. Verse 1 to 3. Ephesians 4, here's
how they got there. I therefore the prisoner of the
Lord beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation wherewith
you're called. Here's how they got there. God
called them to this. God chose them to this. That
you're called. And what's the evidence of those
that are called? Well, verse 2, with all lowliness
and meekness and long-suffering, forbearing one another in love,
endeavoring, striving, seeking after, working at, work at it,
work at it, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the
bond of peace. How'd they get there? Almighty
God chosen to this unity. God put them together in that
eternal covenant of grace and in time sent the Lord Jesus Christ
who eternally stood as a surety bore their debt, put away the
guilt of their sin, earned a righteousness for them, and then calls them
out of darkness and reveals to them that which He's eternally
purposed. I've loved you with an everlasting
love. And the Spirit of God called them out. The unity of the Spirit,
that's how we're unified right here, by God's Spirit. And what enclosing are we unified
in? Well, same book, Ephesians chapter
4, and look at verse 13. Ephesians chapter 4, verse 13. That we henceforth be no more
children tossed to and fro, carried about with every wind of doctrine
by the slight of men, cunning craftiness, whereby they lie
in and wait to deceive. I'm sorry,
I should have started in verse 13. I read the wrong verse. Till
we all come, here it is, the unity of the faith and of the
knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man, unto the measure
of the stature of the fullness of Christ that we henceforth
be no more children tossed to and fro. Till we all come in
the unity of the faith. Let me tell you what brethren
all believe in unity. They all believe that they're
sinners. Now here's the unity of the faith.
Here's where we're unified right here. We all believe that we're
sinners that can do nothing of ourselves. We all believe this.
Not one brother regenerated, sister regenerated by the grace
of God believes that they have the ability to reconcile themselves
back to God. They don't believe that. They
know that they're sinners. They're unified in that they
know that God has chosen to show mercy to them. They're unified
right there. They believe that Almighty God
chose them before the foundation of the world. They're unified
in that particular redemption. They believe that God Almighty,
the Lord Jesus Christ, bore their debt and paid their debt. He said, I lay down my life for
the sheep. They're unified right there. They believe in that unconditional,
that election They believe that God did not choose them because
he looked down through time and decided that they would choose
him. Irresistible grace has called them by God's spirit and has
chosen to show mercy to them. And God, the spirit comes to
them on the preaching of the gospel and calls them out of
darkness. And they hear because God's power. And then they believe that God
keeps them. They preserve, they're preserved. in the faith. That's
what they believe. They're sinners chosen of God,
redeemed by the blood of Christ, irresistibly called by God's
Spirit and kept through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed
in the last time. Behold how good and how pleasant
it is for brethren to dwell together in unity, to quietly sit and
continue in peace, established by God, settled by the Holy Spirit,
unified in that one message that gives the Lord Jesus all the
glory. May God bless this heart, our hearts, through this truth,
for Christ's sake and our good. Amen.