CHRISTIAN UNITY

PSALMS 133:1

A. UNITY
  1. That word "unity" is most enchanting because it stands for that which gives harmony and great strength:
    1. "Then join in hand, brave Americans! By uniting we stand, by dividing we fall." (John Dickinson)
    2. "He that is not with me is against me." Luke 11:23
  2. Unity is the very soul to true happiness and endurance:
    1. A rope or a cord consists of so many strands which when tightly twined will be strong, but when separated will be proportionately weak.
    2. That is true of God's people! United they will be strong, but divided they are weak.
B. CHRISTIAN UNITY
  1. Is most desirable among God's people:
    1. Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 5, page 236
    2. Paul gave strong emphasis to Christian unity - 1 Cor. 1:10; Eph. 4:11-14
  2. Simple faith in the message and the brethren is a must for an enduring union among the brethren:
    1. The message - Gospel Worker, page 307 - 1 Cor. 3:11; Gal. 1:7
    2. The brethren - 1 Cor. 1:10, 11; Testimonies for the Church, Volume 8, page 132.
    3. Paul's timely admonition as found in Eph. 4:32 and in 1 Cor. 10:38
  3. Good will toward one another:
    1. Is the golden rule of Christian unity - Matt. 7:12; Ps. 133:1-3
    2. If we possess true love in our hearts, we will have no difficulty of living unity with the brethren - 1 John 4:8; John 13:34, 35
    3. Willingness, on my part, to make all my own interests subservient to the interest of the church is one of the main elements of Christian unity - 1 Cor. 10:24; 13:5
    4. When we walk in the light of these facts, we have the secret of true Christian unity.
C. BLESSING OF CHRISTIAN UNITY
  1. Our opening text pictures unity in vivid and living words:
    1. Such a union is comparable to the precious ointment that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard.
    2. That oil was a symbol of God's approval of Aaron's ministry for his people.
    3. It represented the gift of the Holy Spirit in a special way.
  2. It is comparable to the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon Mount Zion:
    1. "For there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life ever more."
    2. I doubt that our finite minds are able to comprehend the deep signification of this great promise!
    3. It means, for one thing, that if we lack the blessing, as promised in this text, it is because the essential unity is lacking among us.
  3. Think, dear reader, what is included in the blessing of true Christian unity:
    1. The presence and indwelling of the Holy Spirit; that became true on the day of Pentecost - Acts 1:12-14; 2:1-3
    2. It means that God will hear the prayers of His people, and respond as He did in the days of the Apostolic prayer meeting - Acts 4:24-31
    3. "Life for ever more." That was the secret of Enoch's translation, so that he did not see death - Gen. 5:22-24
  4. Beware of the enemies of Christian unity:
    1. It was when Lucifer succeeded to create mistrust against God's government in the minds of his fellow beings, that he created rebellion in heaven.
    2. Satan will do his utmost to create mistrust among the brethren; when that happens he will have weakened the church.
    3. Beware of the talebearer, he is an enemy of Christian unity.
    4. Be honest in your relationship to the brethren, and you will build up a wall against all who seek to destroy Christian unity.


Design © John Bryant 2011