My Text is taken from Psalm 133:1-3 which reads, “Behold, how good and how pleasant 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 for evermore.”
David introduces us to some very powerful truths about unity in this chapter. Firstly, he teaches us that unity is good, secondly, he teaches us that unity is pleasant, thirdly, he states it is like holy anointing oil, fourthly, it is also like the dew. Ultimately, unity is the conduit through which the blessings of the lord flow and it is where salvation germinates.
Why is unity so good? Solomon, the writer of Ecclesiastes, gives us some profound insight concerning unity in Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falls; for he hath not another to help him up. Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone? And if one prevails against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” The first and major thought here is that of co-operation and working together. Let us cite three occasions where this happened in scripture. Exodus 17:12 tells us, “But Moses hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.” Judges 20:11 says, “So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, knit together as one man.” And 1 Samuel 14:6-7 states, “And Jonathan said to the young man that bare his armor, Come, and let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised: it may be that the Lord will work for us: for there is no restraint to the Lord to save by many or by few. And his armourbearer said unto him, do all that is in thine heart: turn thee; behold, I am with thee according to thy heart.”
A second supporting idea regarding unity from Solomon is friendship. Let us look at a few scriptures which hold this idea in high esteem. Proverbs 17:17 says, “A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” Proverbs 18:24 tells us, “A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother.” Proverbs 27:17admonishes, “Iron sharpens iron; so, a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.” Jesus stated inJohn 15:13-14, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.” Following these concepts, Solomon throws in the idea for just being willing to help others. In Luke chapter 10, we find the story of an unnamed one who became known as the ‘Good Samaritan’ because of helping the person on the wayside who had been attacked by thieves. And Jesus says we should be like this man. Luke 10:29-37 tells the story, “But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, and who is my neighbor? And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise, a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, and went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, take care of him; and whatsoever thou spend more, when I come again, I will repay thee. Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbor unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.”
Jesus prayed in John 17, that you and I would believe on him through the word he preached. Why did he desire this faith from us? He states in this prayer, ‘that they may be one, as thou Father, art in me, and I in thee.’ He wanted that us to have an intimate relationship with him and with each other, dwelling in unity. He stated, ‘that the world may believe in Him and know that He loves them.’ We see this section of his prayer for us in John 17:20-23, “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; 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 the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.”
Ironically, unity is several things all in one. It is togetherness, oneness and being in a state of harmony. It is each member of the body of Christ tuned in to his or her gospel pitch so that when we are strummed, an aroma of praise will draw lost humanity to the author and anchor of our salvation, Jesus Christ. Some people never find a greater appreciation of unity because they stop short of delving into the several synonyms that expand the definition to bring out its fullest meaning. Such as, harmony, consistency, agreement, in accord, unanimous, friendliness, singleness and oneness. Others could be added to this list as well, like, individuality, personality, join, combine, connected, cemented, welded, solidified, concentrate and band together. They can all culminate into one word, unity. You see, the word unity does not start with ‘dis.’ It is not discord, confusion, or division. According to Luke 11:17, ‘desolation’ and ‘failure’ come as a result of division, being the antonym or opposite of unity. It states, “But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house will fall.”
So how do we unite? Firstly, we unite through purpose. What is our purpose? It should be to watch and pray, to be soul winners and instructors of the Word. We must be good stewards of our time in order to accomplish our purpose. When we unite with these objectives in mind, nothing will be impossible to us. Secondly, we must unite in action. We know we can speak the language of unity, but we must do the work of unity. You have heard the expression, “Actions speak louder than words.” James 1:22 states, “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” It is imperative that we become instructors of unity through our actions and word. Thirdly, we unite in word.
When Paul wrote to the saints, bishops, and deacons of one of the New Testament churches, the first thing he admonished them to do was to guard their thinking. Why? Because out of the treasure chest of our hearts, proceed the words of our mouths and many a man is snared by his own words. The easiest pitfall of our falling is disunity in dialog. We must be instructors of unity by our knowledge of the word and by our example. If we sow the seeds of unity, we will harvest from the fields of unity and the victory will be eternal. When we bring new souls into the kingdom, we embrace them with the unity of the Spirit by teaching them. We must help them know how to live holy, be faithful, respect their leaders and authority, pay their tithe, live in unity, and be soul winners as well. We can see a great many results of living in unity in Acts chapter two. Firstly, the fear of God came upon every soul. Secondly, signs and wonders were done by the apostles. Thirdly, they came together and had all things in common and they ministered to one another’s needs. Fourthly, they faithfully supported the church with their presence. Fifthly, they came to church with purpose and fellowshipped one with another with gladness and singleness of heart. If these things persist, unity will ignite and even electrify praise among believers. God will give those in unity favor with all the people, and He will add to the church daily such as should be saved, as in the early church in Acts.
In conclusion, there are four dynamic things that happen when we become united. The holy anointing of God is poured out, a fresh, refreshing presence of the Holy Ghost is released in our midst, the blessings of God are released, and people find forgiveness from God and their fellow man, and salvation is poured out. It takes a much stronger person to build unity than to sow discord and disunity. Unity may not be the easiest bond of fellowship to attain, but once you do, it is the most rewarding. It is well worth all the effort that we put into cultivating it. Once again, our text in Psalms stated, unity is good, pleasant, like a precious, holy anointing oil, and a dew on the mountainside that is blessed with life forevermore.