Psalm 133, a song of a sense of David. Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity. It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes. It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion. For there the Lord has commanded the blessing, life forevermore. Now this psalm is a song of ascents and these songs of ascents can be grouped into groups of three. We've been looking at these in Sunday evenings over the past year or so. And, uh, we have seen that, uh, each group in each group, the first exposure to the situation of difficulty, and then the second focuses upon God, his power to keep. And then the third focuses on security in Zion, but here in Psalm 133, we've kind of moved into the middle of the last triplets of these songs of a sense. the focus of this final triplet is life in Zion and we've said that this is This means life in the church. It doesn't mean life in a physical city Anymore, it means life in the church Life as the New Covenant people of God What does it look like? What is it? Where its characteristics And we saw in Psalm 132, which is the first of it in this final triplet, that the focus of Psalm 132 is the establishment of Zion in connection with God's covenants, initially with David. That's the historic context around 2 Samuel that we read earlier. And we saw then that the fulfillments of that establishment of God's community of God's people is found in Christ in the New Covenant and God no longer dwells symbolically in a city in Palestine and God now dwells in each one of his people by his spirit now in Psalm 133 Attention is being turned to the heaven-blessed fellowship of those who are part of this new covenant community or part of the God's family So this is this psalm 133 is about that that relationship It's about what it means to dwell then together as God's people and unity then is at the heart of that dwelling together. Now this psalm is attributed to David as the title tells us. It's placement here in this song in the songs of ascent in this part of the Psalter is Deliberate because it follows then the establishment of the kingdom the establishment of Zion the establishment Historically of Jerusalem as the place where God symbolically dwelt in the midst of his people with the ark Which has now been brought up to Jerusalem. That's what we read in 2 Samuel 6 and And with the ark being brought to Jerusalem, there is a unity of God's people in that original context in Jerusalem. God's people, all God's people would gather to worship in Jerusalem. So the feasts and so forth that you read of in books like Leviticus, So those are the feasts then which were all of Israel then would gather together at certain times of the year in Jerusalem to observe those feasts and to worship God and to bring their sacrifices to the temple and to worship, gathering there. And we read of that then in 2nd Samuel 6 where the original bringing of the ark to Jerusalem involved 30,000 chosen men of Israel who went with David to bring the ark up to Jerusalem. That then is the immediate historic context for this psalm. And in terms of the unity of God's people in those days, David, and perhaps along with Solomon, was actually the only king to experience the unity of the people around him. After Solomon the kingdom was divided and our evening series in First and Second Kings we are exploring those ideas. David is leading us, taking us through those events and we're seeing then how the kingdom was divided, how we have good king and bad king and ultimately it goes from bad to worse over time and there is disunity and ultimately exile. of God's people and they're cast away from Jerusalem. But in terms of the context of this psalm, we're at the beginning of that time of blessing when God's people have been gathered around the ark, then in Jerusalem, that single point of focus, and there's a unity and there's a unity in David's reign and there's a unity in Solomon's reign. Now, you might say, well, was there really unity in David's time? Well, we have Absalom's rebellion. We have Adonijah, who set himself up as king at the end of David's life. But these schisms were relatively brief, and the people united behind David, and then united behind Solomon. And so at the beginning then of the establishment of the kingdom and God's covenant with David then, we have a unity of God's people as they come together to worship in Jerusalem. And certainly after the divisiveness of Saul's reign and his pursuit of David, the true blessing of the unity of God's people would have been understood by David. So David, this is a psalm of David then, and there's a historical context then to this. Remember David had been on the run. He had been a fugitive. He had been betrayed. He had lived outside of Israel. He had lived away from the ark of God. But now God has given him the victory. He's established him as king and experiences that awesome unity of God's people as he brings the ark to Jerusalem with 30,000 men. And what a wonderful occasion that would have been. There would have been nothing like it. And we can catch a glimpse of such an occasion if we are ever privileged to attend a large Christian conference of like-minded believers. You know, how good and pleasant it is to be among such a throng of worshippers. But you know this psalm is not about the extraordinary. This psalm is not about the occasional. This psalm speaks to our interactions in the body regardless of the size of that body. This psalm is not about extraordinary Christian conferences. extraordinary gatherings of God's people. This psalm is about life in the church. In fact, I'd go further and suggest that this psalm is about life in this church. How good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity. Not occasionally meet in unity, but dwell in unity. There's a settledness. Unity doesn't come and go, doesn't wax and wane. The church isn't to be more united at some times and less united at others. No, there is a dwelling in unity, and that's the challenge for us, isn't it? Because it's easy to get along with the person sitting next to us at that large event or whatever, We may never have met them before, never meet them again. It's easy to get along with people in that context. But what about the person sitting in front of you, behind you, next to you, whom you see week by week? Are you dwelling in unity with one another? how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity. So let's ask the question. The first question we're going to ask then is what does it mean to dwell in unity? And then we'll ask the question, well, kind of related to that, what is unity like? So the first question, what does it mean to dwell, to dwell in unity? Well, first of all, this is applying to brothers. That's the qualifier. It is to then believe us. It is to those who are in Christ. There can be no unity between those who are in Christ with those who aren't in Christ. And turn with me to, um, two Corinthians, uh, chapter six and two in two Corinthians, uh, chapter six from verse 14. We read, do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. So this is Paul writing to the church in Corinth. So this is the instruction to the church. The church, Christians, those who are in Christ, are not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God. God said I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them and I will be their God and they shall be my people therefore go out from their midst and be separate from them says the Lord and touch no unclean thing then I will welcome you and I will be a father to you and you shall be sons and daughters to me says the Lord Almighty we are sons and daughters of God there is a unity that exists in exclusively between those who are in Christ, those who are brothers. If you're not in Christ, you cannot be united in this sense with those who are. You cannot dwell in unity. There is no unity between light and darkness. If you're outside of Christ, you're living your way. If you're outside of Christ, you're living for yourself. And that is not the Christian way. It is not the way believers live. Believers' priorities are not self. It's not about me, me, me. It is about Christ. It is serving Christ. Christ is our focus. Christ is preeminence. Christ is our all and we want to serve him and we live for him and we love him. Dwelling in unity is not about ecumenism. It is not about bringing all faiths together. The clear and strong ground and basis for unity is Christ. This is what the church is about. It is about that union of God's people together in Christ, who is our head, as we read in Ephesians 4. If you're not in Christ, you can have no unity with others who are in Christ. If you're not following Jesus, if you're not a member of his body, this blessing of unity with others who are is not yours. The basis, the grounds for our unity is our relationship with Christ because he gives us that right standing before God. And that right standing before God is given by his work on the cross, his atoning sacrifice, his substitutionary death at Calvary. He was delivered over to death for our sins and he was raised to life for our justification. If you don't believe this, you're not in Christ and you can have no unity with those who are. Here are the fundamentals of the gospel. around which we base our unity. It is Christ and Christ alone, it is his sacrificial death alone that cleanses us from all our sin. It is Christ's literal bodily resurrection alone that is the basis for our justification, joined with Christ. He is our head. We are members of his body and members then of the household of God. We can add nothing to Christ's finished work and we can have no fellowship or unity with anyone who does add anything to Christ's finished work. Nor do we take anything away from Christ's work. And likewise we can have no unity or fellowship with anyone who does take anything away from Christ's finished work. So our unity essentially being grounded in Christ is with those who are also grounded in Christ. And so this then is inclusive of others who may think differently from us on certain matters of practice, but whose faith alone is genuinely in Christ alone. And so the differences of practice, ought not to disrupt the blessing of unity that we can enjoy with genuine believers of different stripes, so to speak. And if you are struggling to maintain the unity of the faith with other genuine believers, you're probably focusing on the minors and you're probably taking your view off Christ. because you see there ought to be the blessing of unity between brothers regardless of their position on a range of practical topics. What version of the Bible to use? What hymn book to use? What form of accompaniment, if any, to use? how to dress, what's appropriate to do on the Lord's Day, how a service of worship should be structured, who should lead the service, who should serve, what should or shouldn't constitute a meeting of the church. Sadly, these have all been subjects and areas of contention over which brothers have divided and churches have been split or lost members over. And more recently, we've seen divisions with the pandemic, vaccinated versus unvaccinated in some places. But I would hazard a guess that there are no two people in this room who align exactly perfectly in all of these peripheral areas. But we put these differences aside, don't we? We don't bring them up. We don't push our barrow. We don't steamroller our opinions over others. We dwell in unity. We are dwelling in unity, in Christ, which is why we're here. Because our focus is not upon our preferences. It's not on we want, it's on Christ. We're not making a point of difference out of peripheral practices, because we are joined together in Christ, who is our head. And this is what unity is. dwelling with one another without standing on preferences without insisting on our own way it is a bearing with one another in love as Paul puts it in Ephesians 4 that we read earlier. Verse 2 he says in urging us to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which we have been called with all humility and gentleness with patience bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. So unity arises from submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. You see, it's all about Christ. It's all about our Lord Jesus Christ. He is our head. He is our focus. He is the object of our lives. So we submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. We don't want to dishonour our Lord and Saviour. We don't want to dishonour him who has taken our sin in his own body, who suffered the punishment of God's wrath against our sin. We want to revere our Lord and Saviour. And so submission, and what is submission? Submission is not agreeing. It's not you say, well, yes, I agree with you, so I'll submit to you on this matter. That's not submission. Submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ in order to maintain the unity of the spirit and the bond of peace is rather saying, I disagree with you on this matter, but I respect your position, and I'm not gonna hold this difference against you. I'm not going to allow this difference to divide us. I'm not going to bring it up. If it's a matter of practice, I'll do as you ask, as long as you're not asking me to sin or act in a way that's contrary to my conscience. It's always an active submission. It's not a verbal agreement. It's not saying one thing and then doing another. The genuineness of your words is proven by your actions. Jesus said, by their fruit, you shall know them. It's not what people say. It's what they do. Our submission to one another, our bearing with one another in love is to be active. It is to be not merely verbal. We, because as James says, we need to be doers of the word, not only hearers and not just talkers, but doers. And so this mutually submissive, bearing with one another in love, unity is a good and pleasant thing. That's what it means to dwell in unity. It is mutually submissive, bearing with one another in love. And this unity is a good and a pleasant thing. between brothers who dwell together. There's a sense of belonging here because we all belong to Christ. There's our sense of belonging because Christ is our head. And so we belong to him and we belong then to one another. And what a joy that is when we can visit other churches and we can feel a sense of of unity and of oneness and accord. And I've visited churches in different countries and there's a different language, but there's a sense then that in broken English, the sense of unity, a sense of oneness, a sense of single identity in Christ, It doesn't matter whether there's an ocean separating us. We're all one in Christ Jesus. There's a sense of belonging and that's a wonderful thing, brothers and sisters. It's a wonderful thing. It's all in Christ. The things that may divide in the world, you know, Jew and Greek, save and free, male or female, they do not divide in the church. We're all one in Christ Jesus. Now, there are deeper differences and distinctives over which genuine believers disagree. And I heard it once said from a pulpit, that we'll all be Baptists in heaven. And actually the preacher then qualified, Peter Baptist, he said. Well, what nonsense. Either way, it's nonsense. Our position on baptism doesn't qualify us or disqualify us for heaven. It's only Christ who qualifies us for heaven. It's only Christ who qualifies us to stand before the throne of grace And if you think you have to subscribe to a certain system of theology in order to be qualified before God, you have not understood the grace of God. And you need to repent, and you need to ask for God's mercy to open your eyes to see the love of God for sinners in Jesus Christ. And what happens then with these more significant matters that are not so peripheral? Well, that's for each one of us to work through with our conscience. Some of us left attending churches that were at odds with what we had come to believe as being biblical practice. Others don't make those matters of difference or grounds to divide. But unity does not come at the cost of conscience. If you cannot in good conscience submit to the practices and beliefs of a local congregation of God's people because you don't believe them to be biblical, you should find a congregation where you can, where you can submit. And remember, submission is not about agreement. You may disagree with certain practices or positions of the church and still submit to that church. And ultimately, that's why we're all here. Because no church is perfect. No church has got everything right. So we bear with one another in love. We submit in those areas with which we disagree, where our conscience allows us to do that. And so dwelling together in unity is not about conformity. We're non-conformists. It's not about conformity. The beauty of the unity in the church is that there is unity in its diversity. We're not all dressed the same. We're not all thinking the same. We're not all doing the same thing in our daily routines and lives. We're not clones of one another. Our unity is in Christ and it includes slave free, Jew, Greek, male, female. And within us, there is a diversity of interests, of intellects, of abilities, of nationalities, of races, of backgrounds, of experiences, of ages. We are patently not all the same. The church you see is not a monoculture. The church is diverse and that diversity is yet marked by unity because we're all one in Christ Jesus. You see it all comes back to Christ. This is what it means to dwell in unity. Mutually submissive, bearing with one another in love. So what is it like? Unity illustrated. This Psalm 133 illustrates this unity in verses two and three. In verse two, it is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes. This is the oil of consecration, which points to unity as being a sacred blessing from God. It is God's anointing. And that created the priestly people that Israel was intended to be. Israel was to be a witness to the nations around them. This is what the nation who serves God looks like. This is what the nation who serves God does. And in the same way, the Bible speaks of Christians being ambassadors for Jesus Christ. The world looks upon us to see what Christ looks like. We are his ambassadors. We are reflecting him. And the church then is reflecting Christ. We are a community of his people. We are, as Revelation 5.10 says, a kingdom and priests to our God. And Peter in 1 Peter 2.9 says we are a royal priesthood, a holy, that is set apart, nation for his own possession. There is then a divine blessing, a consecration, an anointing then, a sacred blessing from God. and in New Testament terms then we are sealed with the Spirit of God. The moment we believe, we have that holy consecration set apart for Him. It is like the Jew of Hermon, verse 3, which falls on the mountains of Zion. This is a description of a miracle. Mount Hermon was in the northern part of Israel, north side of Israel. Mount Zion was in the south of Israel. And these were the chief mountains of north and south Israel. And now if we think in the terms of New Zealand, the chief mountain we could argue in the North Island would be Ruapehu, the highest point in the North Island. And in the South Island, the chief mountain would be Aoraki, Mount Cook. So the Jew of one falling on the other is physically impossible given the separation. The point the psalmist is making is that it's as if these mountains, which are physically separate, have been brought together into the same place. And this, you see, is exactly what God has done in the blessed unity of his people. You see, for the pilgrims in Jerusalem singing this song of ascent, they were in one physical space. They had been brought there by God. who has preserved them on their pilgrimage, brought to Jerusalem to offer their sacrifices and engage in that worship in those festivals. And more than that, God brought them back to the promised land after their exile in Babylon, which was probably when the songs of ascents were compiled. So there's a sense then in which the unity then of the placement of this psalm, 133 in this part of the Psalter, very much emphasizes the miracle that's taken place, that God has recalled his people from exile in Babylon. How did that happen? The conquest of the Babylonian empire, taking nations, displacing them and mixing them up to rule over them. And yet God turned the heart of Cyrus so that his people would be returned to their lands. In complete contradiction to the usual way of these empires worked. It's a miracle. God overrules, God oversees and that's what is intended then, is emphasised then in this illustration. A gathering in one place, brought to Jerusalem, brought out of exile, brought back to the promised land, brought to the temple to worship in spite of hostility, in spite of difficulties, within and without. They've been gathered to one place, consecrated, set apart for worship of God, gathered by God. And in the same way, God has gathered us to one place. While you say he hasn't gathered very many of us, but it's not about physical gathering here. It's about a spiritual gathering. The unity you see we have is a spiritual unity. We maintain the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. We have been joined to Christ who is now our head, having been made members of his body by his grace. We are indwelt by the spirit of God and we worship him in spirit and in truth. And we do so, as we do so, we are, as it were, found before his very throne. Now it's very hard to appreciate in a building in Palmerston North. But this is what defines us physically. Spiritually, we are right now before God's throne. Spiritually, you see, we are there worshipping him with a myriad of angels and the saints who have gone before us. That is where our praises arise when we sing. That is where our prayers ascend when we pray. That, friends, in Christ, this is where we are gathered. It is before the throne of God. We are consecrated. We are set apart for worship. We have the anointing, not of oil, but of the Spirit. and more than a mere anointing, it is a full immersion. We are baptised in the Spirit of God, we are joined with, united with, indwelt by the third person of the Godhead. We are sealed with the Spirit of God for the day of our redemption. He is the down payment, He is the guarantee of our full inheritance when we shall see Him with these physical eyes. When we shall see Him as He is and we shall be forever with the Lord. And this is where the Lord has commanded his blessing life forevermore as the psalm concludes. And so we have been gathered together in one body with Christ as our head in whom we have everlasting life. Ephesians 2 says, remember that you were at one time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope without God in the world. But now, but now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far off. have been brought near by the blood of Christ, for he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in the flesh the dividing wall of hostility. We're there, we have been brought together and brought near, brought into the household of God. So Paul goes on in Ephesians 2 and says and he came and preached peace to you who are far off Peace to those who were near but through him we both have access in one spirit to the father So then you are no longer strangers and aliens But you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone in whom the whole structure of being joined together grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the spirits. This is what unity is like. This is unity illustrated for us. Built together into a dwelling place for God by the spirits. This, you see, friends, is the good and pleasant thing it is when brothers dwell in unity. Because when we do so, as we do so, we reflect what Christ has done in us, what Christ has done for us in bringing us together, built together for this dwelling place of God. In Jesus' high priestly prayer of John 17, Jesus prayed that all true believers would be one. He prayed that they may all be one just as you father in me and I in you that they also may be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. You see our unity as God's people is a window into the unity of the Godhead. It is a testimony to the world of the reality of Jesus as the son of God as well as the reality of his work. You see how grievous then disunity becomes. What does disunity tell the world? It destroys what God has done. It undoes Christ's unifying work. It misrepresents God. It undermines the gospel. If you take your eyes off Christ, if you stand on your preferences rather than bearing with one another in love and submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ, you are in effect picking apart that structure which God intends should be growing into a holy temple in the Lord. Now of course by your actions you cannot destroy God's holy dwelling place, but you know there are some people who it seems like to scratch away at the mortar between the stones, as it were. They like to sow division. They like to sow discord. They like to sow disharmony and disunity. It's like a small child with a little tear in the wallpaper, isn't it? Before long, it's all come off. It's been picked away by little fingers. At the end, it's a mess. Maybe that was just my household. But what are your little fingers doing? What are your little words doing, more likely? Are you building up? Or are you tearing down? Are you looking for opportunities to criticize those who don't follow your particular perspective, your narrow culture-bound views and your preferences? Or are you bearing with one another? Are you submitting to one another in love? Friends, we need to guard against disunity. The devil will sow seeds of discord, seeking to undermine the work of Christ. And it's easily done. A word here, a word there. We need to guard against disunity in the church. And we need to do so by intentionally, deliberately, and joyfully focusing all our attention upon our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. We need to think much more of him. and much less of ourselves. And we need to do so with the help of His Spirit as we grow together, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace in Him. It is, after all, in Zion, no longer the physical Jerusalem, no longer a city far away, but it is the people of God, the Church, where God has commanded his blessing. Life forevermore. This, brothers and sisters in Christ, is where God has ordained to meet with his people. It is as the church gathers that God commands his blessing. Life forevermore. It is here as the gathered people of God, that we come to know the only true God and his son, Jesus Christ, which is eternal life, as John 17 three says. Well, how is it that we come to know the only true God and his son, Jesus Christ here in the gathered church? Because it is here where he is proclaimed. It is here that he is made known. It is here where he is exalted, where he is preeminent in all that we do. How good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity. For there the Lord has commanded the blessing, life forevermore. So friends, Therefore, be united in Christ. Let's pray. Our gracious God and Father, we thank you for this psalm. We thank you that it points us, ultimately it points us to Jesus Christ. Here is the basis for our unity. Here is the basis for our living, our life in this church where you have placed us, where you have gathered us. Oh Lord, we want to see more of Jesus. This year, Lord, we want to see more of Christ. We want to know more of Christ. We want to think more of Christ. Lord that we would be united in Christ. He is our grounds, our basis, our bedrock, our foundation for this unity, for the relationship that we have one with another and how we thank you Lord that you have called us to such a relationship, how we thank you that you've not just let us loose as it were in the world as drifting boats on a sea, you have gathered us, you have brought us together in this way, in this place to learn more of Jesus, learn more of you and all of your blessings. This is where, Lord, you have commanded life forevermore. Oh, what a privilege, what a joy we have. May we be eager to maintain the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace and of love and grow into Jesus Christ then who is our head to whom be all the glory in Jesus name we pray. Amen.