Sermon Transcript:

Main Point: It is a blessing to live together in the love of Christ.

• Dwelling together is a good and pleasant thing. (v.1)

Explanation: The first thing we notice here in this verse is the declaration of something very important. David proclaims, “Behold.” This proclamation is used in several verses in the Old Testament where something vital would be shared afterward. David is pointing to his fellow Israelites to pay attention to what will follow.

Psalm 133:1, “1 Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!”

• When the Israelites were together and participating in the events and festivals, they would come together. There was a gathering of God’s people in which there was a peace and mutual concern for one another. They were walking side by side together in the Lord. There was a great blessing associated with this faithfulness and togetherness. David calls the unity of brothers both good and pleasant.
• Whenever we say something is good. We are essentially saying it is “of God”. Like a good chicken wing, or a juicy burger, we would all agree, unless you’re a vegetarian, that these food items look good, and most importantly, taste good as you chew it and swallow it’s deliciousness. Now sometimes, after you gobble up all that food, you don’t feel so good, but I’ll come back to that later.
• David also calls unity among brothers pleasant. Like a daughter in her wedding dress on the day of her wedding. It really is a beautiful sight. She is dressed in a beautiful wedding gown, telling the whole world that she is going to faithfully be committed to one man until death do them part. It is the epitome of accomplishment or maturity for a woman. What a pleasant sight to see. But even in that beauty that we see, not everyone is always on board for such an occasion. The father may never want to give up his daughter, or the daughter is set to marry a moron. This may cause that pleasant moment to turn to disaster.

Why the negative outlook you might ask? While good tasting food may taste good and weddings emphasize the beauty of the bride, sometimes the food leaves you with a bloated gut and a portion of the family adamantly opposing a beautiful wedding.

• Brothers dwelling in unity was never a sure thing. The disunity is described early in the bible. For example the land not being fruitful enough to support the family of Israel. There was ultimately an agreement for the brothers to not dwell together in unity at times. Two examples of this resulted in a negative consequence for one of the parties associated.

Genesis 13:1-8, “1So Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the Negeb. 2 Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. 3 And he journeyed on from the Negeb as far as Bethel to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, 4 to the place where he had made an altar at the first. And there Abram called upon the name of the Lord. 5 And Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents, 6 so that the land could not support both of them dwelling together; for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together, 7 and there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram's livestock and the herdsmen of Lot's livestock. At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were dwelling in the land. 8 Then Abram said to Lot, “Let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, for we are kinsmen.”

• This instance of disunity directly resulted in the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and ultimately Lot’s wife, who looked back at the city and instantly materialized into salt.
• This also led to the inception of one of Israel’s enemies in the book of Judges, as Lot’s daughters slept with their father. The Moabites and Ammonites are direct descendants of Lot. Disunity here brought upon great consequence.

Genesis 36:6-8, “6 Then Esau took his wives, his sons, his daughters, and all the members of his household, his livestock, all his beasts, and all his property that he had acquired in the land of Canaan. He went into a land away from his brother Jacob. 7 For their possessions were too great for them to dwell together. The land of their sojournings could not support them because of their livestock. 8 So Esau settled in the hill country of Seir.”

• The consequences for the Edomites come from Esau and were ultimately held responsible throughout the Old Testament for rejecting God’s call to brotherhood. They were said to have sided with the Babylonians during the conquest of Judah. Look at God’s seething judgment against these people.

 Malachi 1:4, “4 If Edom says, “We are shattered but we will rebuild the ruins,” the Lord of hosts says, “They may build, but I will tear down, and they will be called ‘the wicked country,’ and ‘the people with whom the Lord is angry forever.’”

Application: Disunity has always been a major symptom of the larger more devasting problem of sin. We have all had instances where someone has hurt us. We too may have hurt someone as well. Many of us have even experienced conflict and what the young cats are saying these days, “Church hurt.” This has led to many who have questioned God and His goodness. This has led many to question the very people that God has put in our lives to encourage us. As a result, we become jaded. We no longer want to trust one another. 

• The truth is, all of us have failed to meet the expectations or standards of love for one another. Someone has either failed to meet our expectations or standards of love or we failed to meet their expectations and standards for love. Based on our own merit, none of us can match the true love that only Christ demonstrated. By our own strength, we fall short in our love. We sin. We seek our own self-gain. We slander. We fail to love.
• Sin is the barrier that prevents us from fellowship with one another and God. Sin’s inception at the Garden brought upon a curse that infected all of humanity. It is no mistake then that we see the turmoil of this world. That we see turmoil in our own lives at times. The things we want to do, we do not do. And the things we don’t want to do, we end up doing.  Where we want to be faithful to God, we fall short.

• God, through the work of sending His son Jesus Christ, is always faithful. God’s plan was always to reconcile those who would put their faith and trust in Him. To bring them together as one, unified in their worship to God and fellowship to one another. Where the land was fruitful enough for everyone of kin to exist together. 

Numbers 6:22-27, “22 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 23 “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them, 24 The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; 26 the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. 27 “So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”

Deuteronomy 14:2, “2 For you are a people holy to the Lord your God, and the Lord has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.”

• Ultimately, Jesus Christ should have been the one to unify Israel and bring about peace for them as God’s people. This is why there are so many prophetic texts found in the Old Testament that point to Jesus as the coming Messiah. The one who would not only be Israel’s Savior, but also the Savior of the world. Some of them accepted Christ, but the Jewish leaders in mass rejected Him. They had Him crucified on a cross. The only innocent man on this planet. He paid the hefty price to purchase us from the grave. To bring those who would put their faith and trust in the death, burial, and resurrection for the forgiveness of sins into redemption. The old made new. The dead raised to life. Wholly justified and now seated in the heavenly places. If you are here this morning, this is the good news you can take with you for eternity. 

• The good news is also that we all get to participate in that unity. It is a good and pleasant thing when we as the church dwell together in love as God intended for Israel, fulfilled and unified in Christ through His Church and under the authority of His Word.

Illustration & Application: One of the more practical ways we are united together is through Church membership. To become a member at RGC, we have a member’s class where we walk through the Articles of Faith and what we teach here at our church. Article 13 details what we teach regarding a Gospel Church.

XIII. Of A Gospel Church:

We believe that a visible church of Christ is a congregation of baptized believers, associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the Gospel; observing the ordinances of Christ; governed by His laws; and exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in them by His word; that its only scriptural officers are Bishops or Pastors, and Deacons, whose qualifications, claims, and duties are most clearly defined in the Epistles to Timothy and Titus.

• It is a good and pleasant thing to be a part of a congregation of baptized believers. Praise the Lord for the way He has been working lately. We are not a church concerned by numbers. We aren’t concerned about packing this place, but how people are growing in their love for Christ and others. Over the last 7 months, we have baptized and plan to baptize soon, a total of 6 believers. What a joy to see God’s work of salvation, demonstrated by obedience into baptism. Praise God!

• It is a good and pleasant thing when we are brought together by the New Covenant in Christ and when we fellowship together. Where God has brought together a great diversity of people, short, tall, and everything in between. God has brought together His children at RGC vastly different backgrounds, personalities, careers, and ethnicities. One of the topics of discussion at our elders meeting was how there are a number of churches seeking to establish a diverse church, where there are a mixture of different ethnicities. The goal of such churches is to try and shape the church culture to welcome this diversity. I am thankful that the gospel has brought such diversity here at RGC. There are things we could change to try and be seeker friendly to some of the different cultures and people groups in our area. I am not trying to totally dismiss that either, but the only thing that will truly unite us together is the sufficiency of Jesus Christ in the gospel as brought to us by the Holy Spirit inspired Word of God, which never changes, is without error, gives us everything we need to know about God and His plan of Salvation, and how to dwell together in fellowship for the sake of fulfilling the Great Commission. Praise God for bringing us together here at RGC! Praise God that we get the privilege of coming together to learn more deeply God’s Word at the Bible Institute hour. To come together for worship and sing beautifully theologically rich songs that point us to Christ! To hear the unadulterated Word preached here weekly! To enjoy lunch with one another afterward and love one another through prayer and financial means. To come together for prayer hour on Wednesdays! To spend time in fellowship with one another at our Community Groups! From the greeters at the welcome desk in the morning, the teachers in our children’s ministry, the prayer warriors, those that set up for fellowship meals, the shut-ins who cannot make it here but behind the scenes are more of an encouragement than they know, to those who volunteer to help keep this place looking nice. What a joy it is to be together!

• It is a good and pleasant thing then, to observe the ordinances. To partake in fellowship of the Lord’s Supper To remember our weakness and look to the gospel where Jesus’ body was broken so that we could die, and His blood poured out for our sins. To witness God’s work in the hearts of broken and sinful men and women to walk in obedience through baptism. That it points to our death in Christ. The death of the old man/woman. That it points to our resurrection in Christ, being raised in the newness of life!

• Finally, it is a good and pleasant thing to be a part of a plurality of elders. God’s working in this points to His grace. By God’s grace, we have a group of men with completely different backgrounds, careers, stages of life, and most importantly a difference of spiritual gifts. This is important, because God is constantly using all three of us in different ways that help to shepherd and tend to your needs in unique ways. And not only your needs, but the needs of each other. One of the greatest things to happen to me was to meet both Kevin and Craig. Through God’s grace and kindness, these men have blessed me and have helped me to grow in the Lord tremendously. Praise God for His working in this.

 Transition: It is a good and pleasant thing to dwell in unity, and this unity points to the holiness of God and the future expectation of hope dwelling with Christ forever. 

• The Holy Oil and dew that signifies life forevermore. (v.2-3) 

Explanation: David uses two similes to describe the goodness and pleasantness of unity.

• For those who haven’t been in English class for a long time or just need a fresh reminder, a simile is a figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind, used to make a description more emphatic or vivid. 
• The first simile David uses describes a precious oil.

Psalm 133:2, “ 2 It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes!”

• The precious oil being described here is meant for consecration. To devote to the service of God or to make “holy”. This holiness was meant to engulf all of the body: the head, beard, and the entirety of the robe. 

Illustration: Every Sunday, when I get ready for church, I like to lather up my beard with Maestros Beard Oil. Now, this beard oil signifies that I am a man. One, because I have a beard, but also because it says on the bottle that it is the “Mark of a Man”. When I use this beard oil, like Aaron used, I put only a little bit on my finger. I spread it through the entirety of my beard and then, like John Travolta in the movie Grease, spread the little remaining on the top of my head. 

• The point here is not that I am a manly man, but like the oil used to consecrate and make holy, Aaron’s head, beard, and robe, the heart of dwelling in unity was meant to be spread out and shared, unifying the entire body. In this case, the oil signifies the entire nation of Israel. And for us, the Church.

Although there were different social classes in Israel, in God’s sight, all were included in this.

Illustration: Derek Kidner writes, “All Israelites, including even debtors, slaves and offenders, were brothers in God’s sight. The psalm is surely singing, as most versions have taken it to be, of living up to this ideal, giving depth and reality to the emphasized word, ‘together’.”

• This means that God welcomes anybody and everybody the opportunity to come together. God doesn’t discriminate against anyone. The Gospel is the “good news” as a free gift to anyone who would receive it. This Holy oil then, was not meant to deter anyone away, but to unite the family together. 

Explanation: This oil was also meant to consecrate the priest and the holy Tabernacle and Temple. Where worship and sacrifices were to be made for the Lord.

• It also had a beautiful fragrance. A perfume that heightened the senses and was made up of the finest of spices.

Exodus 30:23-28, “23 “Take the finest spices: of liquid myrrh 500 shekels, and of sweet-smelling cinnamon half as much, that is, 250, and 250 of aromatic cane, 24 and 500 of cassia, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and a hin of olive oil. 25 And you shall make of these a sacred anointing oil blended as by the perfumer; it shall be a holy anointing oil. 26 With it you shall anoint the tent of meeting and the ark of the testimony, 27 and the table and all its utensils, and the lampstand and its utensils, and the altar of incense, 28 and the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils and the basin and its stand.”

• Here we see how this oil was made and its purpose to not only be effective in covering the desired area, but also in it’s scent. It is described as a perfume.

Illustration: I recently bought my wife a bottle of perfume. The perfume Love Eau de Parfum. “This fruity floral scent begins with a cheerful note of wild strawberries, underlined by a velvety red rose, before revealing a warm base of cedarwood.” It’s elegant. It’s beautiful and it is pleasant. When I am around Rachel and she has it on, I want to stay there. I want to bask in the scent that is filling the air. 

• Similarly, when we as a church are together as one. It is a beautiful fragrance. When we come together for church on Sundays, pray together on Wednesdays, and go to community group, there is a perfume in the air, one that smells good to our Father in Heaven. We are united as one with Christ, like Christ is one with the Father.

John 17:20-23, “20 “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, 23 I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.”

• As I walked through Article 13, Of A Gospel Church, I couldn’t help but see the connection we have with Christ when we are united together.
• In Christ we are made one, like Christ is with the Father. We have access to God through the work of Christ in the gospel! His death, burial, and resurrection give us hope when the world offers none. 
• The promises of riches fail us when the economy implodes. When the cost of groceries and gas skyrocket. When life’s circumstances throw their weight at you, like a heavyweight punch. When our flesh is weak and we struggle with our sin, we have a perfect example of suffering and obedience in Jesus.
• Now, as we are united to Christ by the indwelt Holy Spirit, we have an advocate to the Father. One who has defended our case at the cross, who died and defeated the worst kind of death. One who has risen to new life at the resurrection!
• The race we run now demonstrates the work of God in us. When we dwell together, firmly planting our roots in the sufficiency of Jesus, we tell the whole world who our Lord is. That the mark of our lives is founded on the grace of God through Christ.

Philippians 2:1-9, “1 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name”

• This passage holds a special place in my heart. It personifies putting on the mind of Christ. Jesus who was both fully God and fully man, emptied Himself, by becoming a servant and walked obediently with the Father. He humbled Himself to the point of death on a cross. This death paid it all!
• This passage points to our call, our consecration in Christ Jesus, to walk in holiness with one another. To consider the needs of the entire body. To serve one another for the purpose of pointing people to Jesus. To walk in love and lift one another up, but also to point one another to the truth of God’s Word. Being of the same mind and counting one another as more significant than yourselves will tell the world that you belong to Jesus.

John 13:35, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” 

Explanation: The love found in our unity with one another through Christ not only demonstrates a present promise of God’s grace, but a future promise to remain there for eternity. In verse 3, David uses another simile to describe the goodness and pleasantness of dwelling in unity. 

Psalm 133:3, “3 It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion! For there the Lord has commanded the blessing, life forevermore.”

• Mount Hermon is a large snowcapped mountain which overlooks Israel. It’s dew, like the morning dew we that soaks our feet in the wet grass when we check the mail in the morning, is described here as dropping it’s moisture over Jerusalem. Where there is dew, there is fruitfulness.
• The unity of brothers and sisters in Israel represented fruitfulness for the land. Unlike the unfruitful land that couldn’t keep previous generations together, this dew brought upon moisture for the crops so that all of God’s people could partake in the land’s fruitfulness.
• This simile then points to the presence of God dwelling over Mount Zion. This refers to the place where God dwells. The place where David is installed as King and referred to as the “City of Holiness”. Where the Temple stood. The place where all of Israel would gather to worship God.

Application: The glory of God through their unity is descending upon them. Look at the language of “descending” used in verses 2 and 3.

Psalm 133:2, “ 2 It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes!”

Psalm 133:3, “3 It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion! For there the Lord has commanded the blessing, life forevermore.”

• True unity is not something that we muster by our own strength or by our own good works. It is a descending gift from our God who is above. It is through Jesus, who is exalted at the right hand of the Father. In His perfect love and grace, He has provided the free gift of grace for those who believe in Him.
• His love descends down to us and provides fertile soil. A place where the crops of His fruitfulness can grow. Where the Word of God and the Holy Spirit can take root and change lives. A place where we can come together and share the Good News that has changed us! A place we can take our burdens and walk hand in hand with one another by God’s grace and mercy. What a good and pleasant thing to be used for God’s glory and for our holiness. 

Clarification: Finally, David concludes at the end of this song, the glory of God and His blessing over us. At the place where God dwells, the blessing of life remains forever!

Psalm 133:3(b), “For there the Lord has commanded the blessing, life forevermore.”

• This promise of blessing for believers is not only meant for this lifetime. There is a hope that exceeds well beyond any frame of time we could perceive. The Lord has commanded this unity to extend forevermore!
• It is a blessing to live together in the love of Christ. While there are moments of pain and conflict with one another, there are greater blessings when we come together in the love of Jesus. To lay our lives down for one another and offer ourselves as a living sacrifice to the God who paid for all of our sin!
• When all is said and done in our time here on earth, we will dwell together forevermore. There will be a time when we dwell together forever. Where there will be no more sin, pain, or struggle. There will be no more petty arguments or diplomacy over land. There will be no more awkwardness or immorality. We will see each other how God had intended from the beginning. Perfect, holy, and blameless. Where we will stand before Jesus, in all of His holiness, glory and love, with redeemed bodies. Life forevermore! I want to leave you with this final verse from Paul.

Romans 8:18-25, “18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.”