Please turn to Psalms number
133 Psalm 133 Psalm 133 beginning in verse 1 Behold How good and
how pleasant is It is for brethren to dwell together
in unity. 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 dew of
Hermon and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion, For
there the Lord commanded the blessing even life forevermore David a man after God's own heart
wrote this song And I will admit at my first
glance It seemed a bit strange because it almost sort of seems
like, and I'm sure it does to most people, random statements
to make a psalm. A psalm is supposed to be a holy
psalm, a hymn to be sung. You read these three verses and
just read them on the surface, you think, this is a psalm? Just
three verses. Oh yeah it is. It is, it is,
it is. Because this is a song of praise
to the Lord. Now I do admit, to most even, this may seem to
be a strange combination of sayings. But I assure you with everything
I can, it is not. It is a glorious, gracious combination
of a psalm. Because the subject of these
three verses are totally entwined, related, and dependent upon each
other. Because the subject of this psalm,
like the subject of all the psalms, is Jesus Christ. And that's the
problem with most people who look at it or look at any of
the Psalms, or any of the Scripture. If you miss Christ, you've missed
it all. You've missed the whole point. I like that one fellow wrote
that book, and I didn't like the last half of it, but I like
the first part of it. We talked about one of the major
subjects of the Old Testament is the lamb. He's exactly right. He's exactly right, because every
time you see a lamb in the Old Testament, you're looking at
Christ. And that goes from whatever Abel
offered to the Passover lamb. And to every ordinance of the
Passover kept after that time, that one Passover. But he starts
it off with this word, behold. Behold. Behold, gaze in awe,
gaze in wonder. Behold this, this is not something
you usually see. This is special. It didn't just say see this,
look over here. No, he said behold this, lay
a hold of this thing. Why would David write such a
thing? because he's gonna tell you something that is not normal
and not ordinary. I know what people think and
I'll get into that a little bit, but what does he say? Behold
this, it's good and it's pleasant for brethren to dwell together
in unity. Brethren dwelling together in
unity is a rare thing, is a rare thing. You look at David's life,
look at his family. They are supposing he wrote this
after the Absalom incident, where his son got killed by his followers
because his son tried to usurp his kingdom, the kingdom that
God gave him. And David was grieved by the
loss of his son. Absalom, Absalom, my son. But it didn't end there. David
had tumult and turmoil in his natural family the rest of his
life. There was no unity in his family. That's okay. It's not good to
live in, but it's okay sometimes because see, we'll get to it.
That's not where unity lies. It does not lie in the natural
family. I know the world, even the religious
world thinks that this is nothing, that the brethren dwell in unity.
They think it's nothing. They think it's expected. You
know, it's expected. Families get along, don't they? Mason's over laughing. I'm gonna
tell you this, you ever been in a big family, if you have
come from a big family, and even a small family, there's lots
of times there's more disunity than there is unity in our natural
families. Now, there may be little parts
of unity in a family, and usually they're united against another
part of unity in the family. but that a unity. They're not dwelling in, but
see, the religious world, they think this is nothing. They think
this is expected, they think it's ordinary, and they may even
think it's mundane. And as usual, the world and the
religious world are wrong about this. Unity, unity of the brethren
dwelling together is never ordinary, never. Now somebody might say,
aren't all believers one in Christ? Yes they are. That's a very good point, it's
a very solid point. Yes they are. The thing is though,
everybody doesn't believe Christ. because the problem always arises
with us. And I'll put, point straight
at me, with me. The biggest threat to my unity
with the brethren is me. It's not anybody else, it's me. And the first thing I want to approach
and as best I can, is this. We, brethren, even brethren,
we do not create this unity. How good and pleasant it is for
brethren to dwell together in unity. The brethren don't create
the unity. I found a statement from Rolf
Barnard. I printed it in here. Goes like this. All Christians
are one in Christ. We cannot create this. We can only recognize it. However, we must recognize it. That all believers are one in
Christ. That's Jew, Gentile, bond-free, however you wanna
put it. Male, female, young, old, it doesn't matter. We must
recognize it and then fearlessly practice it. I like that, I like
that. We must receive one another on
the ground of a mutual fellowship with God in living union with
Christ in the Holy Spirit. Ah, but here's the problem, but
we. Christians have lived all our lives and our fathers before
us in the time of disunity and divisions. You understand? Disunity and division is the
natural state of man. I agree with this wholeheartedly.
We know, let's see, we know nothing else by our experience. How to
start out on a return from where we are to what the Bible teaches
on this matter is our problem. And it's a serious problem. The
divided, wounded condition is long with us. It began even before
the New Testament scripture was completed. This is the fact. We did not
create the unity. And here's the other fact. because
the only true unity is in Jesus Christ. And we do need to recognize
this, we really do. Ephesians four and verse three,
Paul writes this. Well here verse 1 I therefore
the prisoner of the Lord beseech you That ye walk worthy of the
vocation wherewith ye are called with all lowliness and meekness
and longs with long-suffering forbearing one another in love
Why? Endeavoring to keep the unity
of the spirit in the bond of peace There is one body. Our Lord Jesus
Christ has one body. And guess who that is? That's
the brethren. One body and one spirit even
as ye are called in one hope of your calling. One Lord, one
faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is above all
and through all and in you all. We didn't create this unity,
we were brought into it. Why? In Christ. In Christ. We do need to recognize it. Here's my second point, and we
don't need to mess it up. Now listen, you can't put yourself
out of Christ, because you didn't put yourself into Christ. But you can be disruptive. I
have been disruptive. I'm not proud of it. I'm not
happy with it. I have said things in the wrong
spirit. You know what the wrong spirit
is? The wrong spirit is mine. It's my pride, my embarrassment. My words, my thoughts. If there's
a my in front of it, it's my fault. If it's scripture, it's true.
But you can quote the scripture in a spirit of disunion. People use the scripture to cause
divisions. Now listen, our Lord said he
came to put a division. He didn't send you to do one.
You just preach the truth, You just speak the truth, you witness
to the truth, that'll cause division enough. That'll do it. That's
all it takes. And you do it in a spirit of
love and of peace and of wanting someone to understand the Lord
that you believe. The Christ of God, the Christ
of scripture. And that's enough to split a
church. It's happened more than once. And this works both ways, folks.
I need to receive my brethren, and my brethren need to receive
me, with all my faults and failures. We agree who is the basis for
unity. Jesus Christ. Because if you
don't agree with that, there is no unity. It's just all there
is to it. If you want to add anything to
him, There's no unity. It's him and him alone. However, I do want to point out
this. The only guide we have for unity
is the truth of God in his word. Well, I should have stayed there. Ephesians 4, again. Verse 11, and he gave some apostles,
and some prophets, and some evangelists, and some pastors, and some teachers.
No, pastors and teachers. For the perfecting of the saints,
for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body
of Christ, till we all come in the unity of the faith. How you gonna do that? Apostles, prophets, evangelists,
pastors and teachers. What are apostles, prophets,
evangelists, pastors and teachers? What are they to be talking about?
Where are they to be talking from? Who are they talking about? They're talking about him from
his word, his gospel. until we come into the unity
of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect
man under the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
Why? That we henceforth be no more
children. What's that mean? Tossed to and
fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the slight
of men and cunning craftiness whereby they lay in wait to deceive. but speaking the truth in love
may grow up into him in all things which is the head, even Christ. The brethren are not to be children
carried about by every wind of doctrine. They are to have this
gospel. His gospel preached to them and
they are to believe it and receive it. without the gospel either. There's no unity without the
truth. And in the truth, if you are
in Christ, there is unity. The truth alone, I mean, to be
honest, okay, the way some people, there are a lot of people who
know a lot about doctrine, but care nothing about Christ. Understand, you gotta start in
Christ. Because how do you come to know
the truth? Then opened he their understanding,
what? Not just of nothing, of the scriptures. The truth is there, but it's
the truth in Christ and the truth by Christ. Doctrine by itself
can kill. Doctrine by itself can divide
and divide and then divide. The finer the point you wanna
put on it, Mason, the way some of them are, you know, if you
think anybody in an Arminian church could be saved, you're
lost. There are people out there who
believe that. I'm gonna tell you something, that's not the
unity of the brethren. Because here's the point, if
you believe Christ, you're a brother. And if you believe Christ, he's
gonna teach you the truth. Because it's in his word. John wrote this in third John. Let me get back here. I didn't mark this. and pass over it because there's
only one page and these pages stick together. There, come on. Third epistle of John. Verse three. He's talking, he
addresses this letter to a fellow by the name of Gaius. Well, verse
two. Beloved, I wish above all things
that thou mayest prosper and be in health even as thy soul
prospereth. For I rejoiced greatly when the
brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even
as thou walkest in the truth. And John makes this absolutely
fascinating statement, wonderful statement. I have no greater
joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. That's the unity
of the brethren. If you walk in truth. Because this man John that wrote
this also quoted our Lord saying this. I am the truth. I am the truth. There's no way
to truly walk in truth without Jesus Christ. It's not possible. No matter how much doctrine,
no matter how accurate your doctrine is, you can't walk in the truth
without the truth being in you, the hope of glory. Our unity is in him and in his
word. Because I am advocating that the brethren
need to dwell in unity. We never, never have to apologize
or compromise the scripture. We always have to apologize for
our behavior and we have to excuse others behavior. That's pretty hard to do. Sometimes,
you know, that I find it hard sometimes just
to say, I'm sorry, even when I am, I don't want to say it. You know
what that is? That's me. That's me. That's me. You understand why David say
behold? It's a good and pleasant thing for the brethren to dwell
in unity. Then the next verse says this.
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 garment, like the precious ointment upon the head and the
beard and the garments. This is a direct reference to
Exodus chapter 29. You don't have to turn there
if you don't want to. When Moses anointed Aaron. as high priest. As high priest. Moses and Aaron
were brothers. And they had been together since
God brought them together to go see Pharaoh. Before the Exodus,
before anything. But here, in Exodus 29, it says
in verse four, and Aaron and his sons, thou shalt bring unto
the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shalt wash
them with water, thou shalt take the garments, and put upon Aaron
the coat and the robe of the ephod and the ephod and the breastplate
and gird him with the curious girdle of the ephod. And thou
shalt put the mitre upon his head and put the holy crown upon
the mitre. Here is Aaron arrayed in full
regalia as the high priest for the first time. Then shalt thou
take the anointing oil Pour it upon his head and anoint him
That's what David is referring to here The brethren Dwelling together
in unity is like the anointing of the high priest of God now
We know The true anointed one Is the Christ
of God We know that that true anointed one is the true, the
great high priest. The Christ of God. I believe what David is referring
to here is this, very plain fact. There is no chance for the brethren
to dwell in unity without the work of the great high priest. There's no way for the brethren
to dwell in unity without Christ. Very simple. Everything about this high priest
is blessed. The anointing of the oil is a
part of the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit, there
is no unity. Without Jesus Christ, there is
no unity. With Jesus Christ and with the
Holy Spirit, there is unity among the brethren. And then this next
part, 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 forevermore. As the dew upon Hermon and as
the dew upon Mount Zion. Why there? Well he tells us. For. For. For. Here's the thing, the Lord
commanded. The Lord commanded what? The blessing. I love that. For there the Lord commanded
the blessing. Here it says, life forevermore. Without life, in our great high
priest, in Christ, there is no unity of the brethren. It's just
the way it is. This world has been trying to
establish a unity forever. They've done it in many myriad
and sundry ways. Nowadays, Under the name, quote,
Christianity, you will find many trying to be economical. I can't even say it now. I choke on ecumenical. It's a good word to choke on.
I know. They want ecumenical unity. The only problem with ecumenical
unity is it leaves out two parts. Well, no, actually all three.
But anyway, it leaves out Christ and it leaves out the truth.
Because the first thing to go in ecumenical unity has to be
the truth. And if you're gonna include people
who are not Christian, Christ's got to go. And the problem is,
they don't see a problem with that. It's all in the greater good
of unity. Man's been trying to, what, rebake
the Garden of Eden. Utopia is a big thing. It's not gonna happen, it's not
gonna work. And if we did, we'd break that one too. You know, once we get something
good, we break it anyway. That's our nature. We'll fight about who gets to
get in. Of course, we all think we should
be in, but this is the thing. David here is comparing the brethren
dwelling in unity to the anointed Christ and to everlasting life. Life from God. How is it that the brethren dwell
together in unity? It tells us in verse three, for
there The Lord commanded the blessing. If the Lord doesn't
command unity, there's not gonna be any. This is the thing folks, it's
not up to us. We can't create unity, we can't
even sustain it. We try not to mess it up. And
we're not any good at that. How did he command it? by the
power of the true anointed one, Jesus Christ, our high priest.
Unity in life are only in Jesus Christ. And I totally agree with
Ralph Bonner. We don't create this. Men have been trying to create
unity. The best they can come up with
is denominations. That's what a denomination is.
It's a artificial statement of unity. And guess what? Denominations
split. How many different kind of Baptists
are there? Just them, for example. And I'm not gonna go into the
Methodists or the Presbyterians or anybody else, or reform or
not reform. Understand, it's everywhere in
man's religion. Man cannot create true unity
in the truth of God. He is given it by grace, through
faith, and that not of themselves. This last little bit, Ephesians
chapter two, because I want you to see what comes after. By grace
are you saved through faith. And that not of yourselves, it's
the gift of God. Ephesians two, eight. Verse nine,
not of works lest any man should boast. Four, we are his workmanship. Created in Christ Jesus unto
good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk
in them. Wherefore remember that ye being in time past Gentiles
in the flesh who are called the uncircumcision, by that which
is called the circumcision in the flesh made by hands. That
at the 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, after,
by grace, through faith, and that not of yourselves. But now,
where are you by grace through faith? in Christ Jesus. But now in Christ Jesus, ye who
were sometimes were afar off are made nigh by the blood of
Christ for he is our peace. You understand, brethren, dwelling
together in unity, gotta be in peace. And who's our peace? He is. Christ Jesus, in Christ
Jesus, he is our peace, who hath made both one and hath broken
down the middle wall, a partition between us, having abolished
in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained
in ordinances, for to make in himself, and nowhere else, to
make in himself of Twain one new man. making peace, making
peace, that he might reconcile both unto God in one body on
the cross, having slain the enmity thereby, and came and preached
peace to you that were afar off and to them that were nigh. The unity is only in our Lord
Jesus Christ. And in him, we have his truth. In him, we have the truth. He prayed for this in John chapter
17. I'm just gonna read it. Neither pray I for these alone,
but for them also, which shall believe on me through thy word,
through their word, that they may excuse me, 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's the unity of the brethren.
That the world may believe that thou hast sent me. We have unity
because we are his work by grace, through faith. We have unity
because he has made one new man, making peace. Believers are made in him. The brethren, whom he is not
ashamed to call brethren, Our brethren made in him. The unity of the brethren is
in Jesus Christ, and this is a miracle of grace. The brethren's eternal life is
in Jesus Christ, the anointed one, the high priest. And in him, We have been given
eternal life. Now there's coming a day when
there will be the true unity everywhere. Because that which is not unity
shall be removed. There's gonna be a new heaven
and a new earth wherein dwells righteousness. I wanna see that. I want to be
that. I don't know anything about it
now, but I want to see it. I want to be it. I want to be
there. Our heavenly father, thankful for this time, this place, thankful
for all you've given to us. And the unity we feel here is
because of you. The unity that we do have here
is in you. The truth of your son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Give us more. Bring us to more
understand his will and his way. Be with Walter as he comes to
preach your word this morning. Lord, we'll give you all the
honor and the praise and the glory because it is yours from
beginning to end. In Christ's name we pray.