WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.719 Well, we're now going to, for a short while, think about the words we just read. 00:00:06.719 --> 00:00:09.040 The words we just sung, Sam 1-3-3. 00:00:09.040 --> 00:00:12.960 So if you have a Bible and you want to follow along, you might find it helpful to have an 00:00:12.960 --> 00:00:17.719 open Sam 1-3-3 page 519. 00:00:17.719 --> 00:00:22.760 So as I mentioned earlier, if you're visiting with us or if you've been away for a while, 00:00:22.760 --> 00:00:26.440 in our Sunday evenings here in St. Columbas, we've been going through these Psalms, what 00:00:26.440 --> 00:00:29.560 are called the Songs of a Sense. 00:00:29.559 --> 00:00:32.640 Psalms 120-134. 00:00:32.640 --> 00:00:36.479 And as we've been thinking, these are songs, they're Psalms that God's people would sing 00:00:36.479 --> 00:00:42.239 as they made that pilgrimage, as they travelled up to Jerusalem three times a year to celebrate 00:00:42.239 --> 00:00:46.519 the salvation of Yahweh, of their God. 00:00:46.519 --> 00:00:51.039 But at the same time, we've been thinking about the fact that these songs are our songs. 00:00:51.039 --> 00:00:57.039 They're songs for the church today, they're songs for God's people today. 00:00:57.039 --> 00:01:02.000 The Bible sometimes puts the Christian life into the language of a journey that we're 00:01:02.000 --> 00:01:05.519 pilgrims, we're travellers. 00:01:05.519 --> 00:01:10.359 And the Songs of a Sense we've been thinking about are essentially a road trip playlist 00:01:10.359 --> 00:01:12.799 for that journey. 00:01:12.799 --> 00:01:17.359 And as we've gone through them, we've seen that these songs, they encapsulate a wide 00:01:17.359 --> 00:01:21.519 range of human emotion and experience. 00:01:21.519 --> 00:01:26.120 There are songs for safety and security for when you're fearful. 00:01:26.120 --> 00:01:31.000 There are songs for when you're overflowing with joy and happiness. 00:01:31.000 --> 00:01:35.359 And there are songs for when you're feeling miserable and you're down in the depths of 00:01:35.359 --> 00:01:37.359 life. 00:01:37.359 --> 00:01:43.000 This evening, we're moving on to the final part in our series, Psalm 133. 00:01:43.000 --> 00:01:47.480 And with some of the songs we've been looking at, we've had to really dig deep to unpack 00:01:47.480 --> 00:01:51.080 the main theme and figure out what the Psalms are really all about. 00:01:51.080 --> 00:01:55.360 But there are some Psalms, I think, that it's blatantly obvious what the main theme is. 00:01:55.359 --> 00:01:59.400 And if you look at Psalm 133, I think it hits you right in the face from verse 1. 00:01:59.400 --> 00:02:07.200 Behold how good and pleasant it is when brothers and sisters dwell in unity. 00:02:07.200 --> 00:02:11.479 So we're thinking a bit this evening, just for the next few minutes, about unity in Psalm 00:02:11.479 --> 00:02:12.479 133. 00:02:12.479 --> 00:02:16.639 And if you find it helpful to have an outline for how we're going to think about it, we're 00:02:16.639 --> 00:02:17.639 going to look at it like this. 00:02:17.639 --> 00:02:21.400 First of all, we're going to think about the problem of division. 00:02:21.400 --> 00:02:27.960 Secondly, we're going to think about the power of unity and then finally, briefly, the promise 00:02:27.960 --> 00:02:30.319 of life forevermore. 00:02:30.319 --> 00:02:33.080 So first of all, the problem of division. 00:02:33.080 --> 00:02:40.040 Behold how good and pleasant it is when brothers and sisters dwell in unity. 00:02:40.040 --> 00:02:45.319 The reality is that unity is something, I think, in the church we so often take for granted. 00:02:45.319 --> 00:02:51.599 It's definitely a substance, a commodity that we think about more when it's not there. 00:02:51.599 --> 00:02:54.759 For example, just to illustrate that, there are so many things in our lives we take for 00:02:54.759 --> 00:02:57.079 granted when they work. 00:02:57.079 --> 00:03:00.400 I'm sure you can think of certain things you really only actually think about when they 00:03:00.400 --> 00:03:02.680 break and when things go wrong. 00:03:02.680 --> 00:03:05.599 For example, that's the case with me in my car. 00:03:05.599 --> 00:03:08.519 Every day I get in my car, I turn on the ignition, I put it in the gear and I drive off. 00:03:08.519 --> 00:03:11.319 And I don't really think about the inner workings of the engine. 00:03:11.319 --> 00:03:15.799 I don't think about the pistons and the fuel pumps and the head gasket and all these other 00:03:15.799 --> 00:03:19.159 car terms, I have no idea what they mean. 00:03:19.159 --> 00:03:24.120 But it's when you hear that worrying noise or you see that ominous light on the dashboard 00:03:24.120 --> 00:03:25.120 come on. 00:03:25.120 --> 00:03:28.680 It's then that you start to think about the engine. 00:03:28.680 --> 00:03:31.400 Another example, I think, is the idea of Wi-Fi. 00:03:31.400 --> 00:03:36.039 I think so many of us are connected on our phones, our laptops, our computers at home. 00:03:36.039 --> 00:03:39.759 And whenever we're using our phone or our laptop and we're doing whatever we do on the 00:03:39.759 --> 00:03:44.639 internet, we're on Netflix or we're checking the news or whatever it is we're doing, checking 00:03:44.639 --> 00:03:49.000 emails, we're not really thinking about the radio waves that are being transmitted across 00:03:49.000 --> 00:03:54.799 the network by our router or the servers that we're connecting to on the other end. 00:03:54.799 --> 00:03:58.639 One final example, think about oxygen. 00:03:58.639 --> 00:04:03.319 Now oxygen for some people today is probably close to Wi-Fi in terms of something that's 00:04:03.319 --> 00:04:06.840 critical to our existence as human beings. 00:04:06.840 --> 00:04:10.400 But how many of us actually think intentionally about the oxygen we have in the air around 00:04:10.400 --> 00:04:11.400 us? 00:04:11.400 --> 00:04:17.639 Apparently, the average human being takes 12 to 18 breaths a minute. 00:04:17.639 --> 00:04:21.879 That means we're taking over 20,000 breaths each day. 00:04:21.879 --> 00:04:25.959 And we don't consciously think about the oxygen around us, but it's so vital, it's so critical 00:04:25.959 --> 00:04:27.439 to our existence. 00:04:27.439 --> 00:04:34.079 I'm pretty sure we'd be quick to notice if the oxygen was suddenly tainted or if it 00:04:34.079 --> 00:04:37.399 dissipated in the air around us. 00:04:37.399 --> 00:04:41.719 And yet so often I think we have this kind of attitude to unity in the church. 00:04:41.719 --> 00:04:43.759 We take it for granted. 00:04:43.759 --> 00:04:49.240 We don't really think about how valuable and how critical it is to our continued existence 00:04:49.240 --> 00:04:51.560 as Christians. 00:04:51.560 --> 00:04:56.279 We don't think about unity until it's not there or until it's been disrupted. 00:04:56.279 --> 00:05:00.519 And unity is absolutely critical for God's people. 00:05:00.519 --> 00:05:04.319 And think about the context of the Psalms we've been looking at, Psalm 1 through 3. 00:05:04.319 --> 00:05:06.319 This one is a Psalm of David. 00:05:06.319 --> 00:05:10.479 And we don't know exactly when David wrote this Psalm, but there were many times in David's 00:05:10.479 --> 00:05:16.079 life when he experienced a lack of unity, when he experienced division and conflict 00:05:16.079 --> 00:05:18.079 and battles. 00:05:18.079 --> 00:05:24.560 There were times in David's life when the unity of God's people was completely shattered. 00:05:24.560 --> 00:05:30.720 His own family, his children, they would go on to split the kingdom up, north and south. 00:05:30.720 --> 00:05:36.519 There would be this bitter enmity between God's people, splits, divisions, conflict, 00:05:36.519 --> 00:05:37.519 disunity. 00:05:37.519 --> 00:05:42.000 And we see as we look through the Bible that the roots of that disunity, the roots of 00:05:42.000 --> 00:05:44.840 that division is always sin. 00:05:44.840 --> 00:05:46.360 Sin brings division. 00:05:46.360 --> 00:05:48.639 Sin sets people against each other. 00:05:48.639 --> 00:05:53.240 It sows seeds of discord and opposition. 00:05:53.240 --> 00:05:58.800 And if we go all the way back to Genesis 3, we see that sin right at the beginning effectively 00:05:58.800 --> 00:06:01.519 is a sin that disrupts unity. 00:06:01.519 --> 00:06:07.879 It's a sin that takes away that unity between human beings and God and unity with each other. 00:06:07.879 --> 00:06:13.040 And as a result, when we look at our world, we see division in so many different ways. 00:06:13.040 --> 00:06:18.600 Throughout human history, we see a world that is divided, a world that's in conflict. 00:06:18.600 --> 00:06:20.800 Human history illustrates this. 00:06:20.800 --> 00:06:25.720 Every era of human history has been marked by war and conflict. 00:06:25.720 --> 00:06:31.680 See, despite the best attempts, the best endeavors of the United Nations and attempts 00:06:31.680 --> 00:06:36.120 at peacemaking, there's never really been a time in our world where humanity has united 00:06:36.120 --> 00:06:37.879 as one people. 00:06:37.879 --> 00:06:39.280 We've maybe had pictures of it. 00:06:39.280 --> 00:06:42.680 We've maybe had glimpses at unity. 00:06:42.680 --> 00:06:46.199 But we've never really experienced it. 00:06:46.199 --> 00:06:51.199 In the time of the New Testament, we had what was called the Pax Romana, the Roman piece. 00:06:51.199 --> 00:06:56.079 This is when most of the civilized world was united together under one empire. 00:06:56.079 --> 00:06:59.680 But even that unity was flawed. 00:06:59.680 --> 00:07:00.680 It was imperfect. 00:07:00.680 --> 00:07:02.759 It was held together by brute force. 00:07:02.759 --> 00:07:05.719 And ultimately, it didn't last. 00:07:05.719 --> 00:07:11.680 So really, our starting point here is that we live in a world that is marked by division. 00:07:11.680 --> 00:07:13.000 Division is a constant reality. 00:07:13.000 --> 00:07:14.599 And that's true in our own lives. 00:07:14.599 --> 00:07:16.079 It's true in our own experiences. 00:07:16.079 --> 00:07:20.439 Maybe many of us here this evening have experienced divisions with our family. 00:07:20.439 --> 00:07:21.439 It's painful. 00:07:21.439 --> 00:07:24.079 It's hard. 00:07:24.079 --> 00:07:27.120 Maybe you experienced division in the workplace. 00:07:27.120 --> 00:07:34.439 Maybe your workplace is the polar opposite of a united place to work. 00:07:34.439 --> 00:07:38.199 David, the guy who wrote this, Sam, knew all about division. 00:07:38.199 --> 00:07:44.519 Now, what this means is that unity is extremely, extremely valuable. 00:07:44.519 --> 00:07:46.240 Unity is extremely precious. 00:07:46.240 --> 00:07:51.359 This is what leaves David to say in verse one, behold how good and pleasant it is when 00:07:51.359 --> 00:07:55.240 brothers and sisters dwell in unity. 00:07:55.240 --> 00:08:01.639 And I want to think secondly about this, Sam, what it's teaching us about the power of that 00:08:01.639 --> 00:08:02.639 unity. 00:08:02.639 --> 00:08:03.639 Read verse two. 00:08:03.639 --> 00:08:09.039 David goes on to say, it's like the precious oil on the head running down on the beard, 00:08:09.039 --> 00:08:13.919 on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes. 00:08:13.920 --> 00:08:20.120 It is like the dew of hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion. 00:08:20.120 --> 00:08:22.640 So we're going to unpack those two similes in just a second. 00:08:22.640 --> 00:08:26.360 I want to begin just by saying that there's real power in unity. 00:08:26.360 --> 00:08:29.240 And just to illustrate that, maybe you've been watching the World Cup. 00:08:29.240 --> 00:08:32.639 It's been hard to avoid over the last couple of weeks. 00:08:32.639 --> 00:08:33.759 It's been exciting. 00:08:33.759 --> 00:08:35.840 It's been unpredictable. 00:08:35.840 --> 00:08:41.039 We've seen lots of teams that are full of talented individuals like Germany, Brazil, 00:08:41.039 --> 00:08:43.320 Spain, and Portugal. 00:08:43.320 --> 00:08:46.840 They all crashed out of the tournament. 00:08:46.840 --> 00:08:49.960 And often the problem with these teams, the way they've been playing, is they've not been 00:08:49.960 --> 00:08:51.320 playing as a team. 00:08:51.320 --> 00:08:54.760 There's been good individuals, but they've not been united together. 00:08:54.760 --> 00:09:00.560 But at the same time, we've seen teams like Russia have actually really exceeded expectations. 00:09:00.560 --> 00:09:01.560 They've done really well. 00:09:01.560 --> 00:09:03.600 They've got to the quarterfinals. 00:09:03.600 --> 00:09:08.000 Russia I think was rated like 80th in the world before the World Cup. 00:09:08.000 --> 00:09:09.000 Nobody really gave them a chance. 00:09:09.000 --> 00:09:11.320 They're not great individuals. 00:09:11.320 --> 00:09:13.440 But there was something about them, they clicked. 00:09:13.440 --> 00:09:17.320 They had this fantastic chemistry and team spirit, and it showed. 00:09:17.320 --> 00:09:18.320 They worked together. 00:09:18.320 --> 00:09:20.120 They were on the same page. 00:09:20.120 --> 00:09:23.040 They supported each other. 00:09:23.040 --> 00:09:26.640 The point is there is real power in unity. 00:09:26.640 --> 00:09:30.520 And the Bible tells us that in a similar way, there is an incredible power when it comes 00:09:30.520 --> 00:09:32.480 to Christian unity. 00:09:32.480 --> 00:09:36.640 And I want to think about that in Psalm 133 in two ways very briefly. 00:09:36.640 --> 00:09:40.800 First of all, if you look at verse two, the picture of the oil running down the beard of 00:09:40.799 --> 00:09:42.719 Aaron. 00:09:42.719 --> 00:09:47.079 I wonder if someone came up to you today and asked you to describe the unity of the church 00:09:47.079 --> 00:09:49.199 if that would be your instinctive response. 00:09:49.199 --> 00:09:54.000 Well, you know, it's like the oil that runs down the beard of Aaron. 00:09:54.000 --> 00:09:57.679 It's a hard image to get our head around. 00:09:57.679 --> 00:10:06.039 Initially, it sounds maybe fairly odd, very abstract in our culture that we live in today. 00:10:06.039 --> 00:10:07.039 But it's worth thinking about. 00:10:07.039 --> 00:10:13.120 See, in the ancient New East, in the culture that David lived in, precious oil was fragrant. 00:10:13.120 --> 00:10:15.959 It was considered attractive. 00:10:15.959 --> 00:10:18.399 It was distinctive. 00:10:18.399 --> 00:10:21.879 And I think part of the point of verse two, what it's getting at is that when you have 00:10:21.879 --> 00:10:27.799 people living in unity, when God's people are truly living together as one, it's like 00:10:27.799 --> 00:10:29.360 a distinctive aroma. 00:10:29.360 --> 00:10:35.319 It's like a scent that is attractive to people when they see it. 00:10:35.320 --> 00:10:39.160 And the second part of this image, I think, is that in the Bible, anointing with oil in 00:10:39.160 --> 00:10:43.080 the Old Testament was a clear picture for being set apart. 00:10:43.080 --> 00:10:46.320 It was a clear picture for someone who is different. 00:10:46.320 --> 00:10:50.800 Aaron and the priests, they were anointed with oil over their heads in Leviticus to show 00:10:50.800 --> 00:10:56.560 that they were different, to show that they'd been set apart to represent God in his world. 00:10:56.560 --> 00:11:00.480 So I think there's two things going on here with this image of the oil. 00:11:00.480 --> 00:11:05.879 The first is that true unity, when it happens, is distinctive in that it stands out in this 00:11:05.879 --> 00:11:08.960 divided world that we live in. 00:11:08.960 --> 00:11:13.039 The Bible says that God's people are set apart to be different. 00:11:13.039 --> 00:11:18.320 Each one of us today is to represent God in his world, much like the priests in the Old 00:11:18.320 --> 00:11:21.639 Testament Levitical system. 00:11:21.639 --> 00:11:25.840 The New Testament gives us another lens on this kind of distinctive unity. 00:11:25.840 --> 00:11:31.000 You might be able to get this on the screens, John 17 from verse 20. 00:11:31.000 --> 00:11:34.399 Jesus is praying here for those who will follow him. 00:11:34.399 --> 00:11:37.800 He says, I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through 00:11:37.800 --> 00:11:44.280 their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that 00:11:44.280 --> 00:11:50.040 they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 00:11:50.040 --> 00:11:54.000 The glory that you have given me, I have given to them, that they may be one, even as we 00:11:54.000 --> 00:11:55.160 are one. 00:11:55.159 --> 00:12:01.199 I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that 00:12:01.199 --> 00:12:07.039 you sent me and loved them, even as you loved me. 00:12:07.039 --> 00:12:13.480 In other words, one aspect of Christian unity is its distinctive nature, that unity is something 00:12:13.480 --> 00:12:19.399 that points others to what Jesus has done. 00:12:19.399 --> 00:12:23.360 It's distinctive, it's attractive, it stands out. 00:12:23.360 --> 00:12:26.879 When we are united, we point people to Jesus. 00:12:26.879 --> 00:12:31.080 We hope, I think we pray that here at St. Columbus, the sense of community we have, the sense 00:12:31.080 --> 00:12:36.039 of family, the sense of togetherness, although it's maybe not perfect, we hope that it does 00:12:36.039 --> 00:12:37.039 that. 00:12:37.039 --> 00:12:42.320 We're not united for the sake of being united, but we're united to point others to our Saviour. 00:12:42.320 --> 00:12:46.039 There's something different about Christian unity. 00:12:46.039 --> 00:12:49.480 The power of Christian unity, first of all, is that it's distinctive, it stands out. 00:12:49.480 --> 00:12:55.120 Secondly, I think Sam 1 through 3 is saying that Christian unity is diverse. 00:12:55.120 --> 00:12:57.560 We see this, I think, in verse 3. 00:12:57.560 --> 00:13:04.800 It goes on to say, unity is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion. 00:13:04.800 --> 00:13:09.240 Again, it probably wouldn't be one of the first images that would come into your mind 00:13:09.240 --> 00:13:11.960 if you were to describe Christian unity. 00:13:11.960 --> 00:13:16.159 Again, it requires some thinking about. 00:13:16.159 --> 00:13:21.439 Hermon is a mountain north of Israel, which is now in modern-day Syria. 00:13:21.439 --> 00:13:23.719 Mount Zion is really speaking about Jerusalem. 00:13:23.719 --> 00:13:29.360 It's where the city of God dwells with his people in the south. 00:13:29.360 --> 00:13:33.279 There are really, I think, a picture of opposites. 00:13:33.279 --> 00:13:34.639 This is what Tim Keller says. 00:13:34.639 --> 00:13:39.120 He says, the unity of God's people brings opposites together. 00:13:39.120 --> 00:13:44.919 This is symbolized by tall Hermon in the rural north and the little hill of Zion in the urban 00:13:44.919 --> 00:13:46.759 south. 00:13:46.759 --> 00:13:52.039 For the dew of Mount Hermon to fall on Mount Zion would be a miracle. 00:13:52.039 --> 00:13:57.360 In the same way, so is the supernatural bond that brings people far divergent and different 00:13:57.360 --> 00:14:03.599 in culture, race, and class together in Jesus Christ. 00:14:03.599 --> 00:14:08.000 In other words, the gospel breaks down barriers. 00:14:08.000 --> 00:14:10.480 It brings divided people together. 00:14:10.480 --> 00:14:12.799 It brings opposites together. 00:14:12.799 --> 00:14:14.759 We see this developed in the New Testament. 00:14:14.759 --> 00:14:15.759 Paul is big on this. 00:14:15.759 --> 00:14:19.759 He says in Galatians 3, 28, there is neither Jew nor Greek. 00:14:19.759 --> 00:14:21.480 There is neither slave nor free. 00:14:21.480 --> 00:14:25.879 There is no male and female for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 00:14:25.879 --> 00:14:31.480 When we think about unity and we think about unity here in St. Columbus, we know that. 00:14:31.480 --> 00:14:35.319 We're surrounded probably by people who are in many ways different to us. 00:14:35.319 --> 00:14:40.080 We're probably from different backgrounds, different life stages. 00:14:40.080 --> 00:14:45.360 Maybe we have different hobbies and interests, but we're united together by one gospel as 00:14:45.360 --> 00:14:50.000 one people in an incredible, incredible way. 00:14:50.000 --> 00:14:54.200 And that diversity of unity is true, not just here locally in St. Columbus, but it's true 00:14:54.200 --> 00:14:55.920 across the world. 00:14:55.920 --> 00:14:58.360 We believe in one church. 00:14:58.360 --> 00:15:03.400 We believe in one body, one holy Catholic church as the Apostles Creed puts it. 00:15:03.400 --> 00:15:07.680 That's Catholic with a small C as in universal. 00:15:07.679 --> 00:15:11.399 I want to read a few verses that are maybe helpful here from 1 Corinthians chapter 12. 00:15:11.399 --> 00:15:13.719 Again, we might have it on the screen. 00:15:13.719 --> 00:15:16.679 1 Corinthians chapter 12, reading from verse 12. 00:15:16.679 --> 00:15:22.879 For just as the body is one and has many members and all the members of the body, though many 00:15:22.879 --> 00:15:26.159 are one body, so it is with Christ. 00:15:26.159 --> 00:15:33.319 For in one spirit, we were all baptized into one body, Jews or Greeks, slaves or free, 00:15:33.319 --> 00:15:36.079 and all were made to drink of one spirit. 00:15:36.080 --> 00:15:40.160 So the body does not consist of one member, but of many. 00:15:40.160 --> 00:15:44.960 If the foot should say, because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body, that would 00:15:44.960 --> 00:15:47.879 not make it any less a part of the body. 00:15:47.879 --> 00:15:52.440 And if the ear should say, because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body, that 00:15:52.440 --> 00:15:56.120 would not make it any less part of the body. 00:15:56.120 --> 00:15:59.440 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? 00:15:59.440 --> 00:16:02.120 If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? 00:16:02.120 --> 00:16:07.799 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 00:16:07.799 --> 00:16:11.840 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 00:16:11.840 --> 00:16:14.240 As it is, there are many parts yet one body. 00:16:14.240 --> 00:16:16.919 The eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need of you. 00:16:16.919 --> 00:16:20.000 Nor again, the head to the feet, I have no need of you. 00:16:20.000 --> 00:16:24.840 On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable. 00:16:24.840 --> 00:16:31.440 And on those parts of the body that we think less honourable, we bestow the greater honour. 00:16:31.440 --> 00:16:35.920 And our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable 00:16:35.920 --> 00:16:37.760 parts do not require. 00:16:37.760 --> 00:16:42.600 But God has so composed the whole body, giving greater honour to the part that lacked it, 00:16:42.600 --> 00:16:46.920 that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care 00:16:46.920 --> 00:16:49.160 for one another. 00:16:49.160 --> 00:16:51.840 If one member suffers, all suffer together. 00:16:51.840 --> 00:16:54.480 If one member is honoured, all rejoice together. 00:16:54.480 --> 00:17:01.519 Now, you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. 00:17:01.519 --> 00:17:06.960 And I think the key point from that text anyway, is that unity, that the body is something 00:17:06.960 --> 00:17:10.519 being built together by God. 00:17:10.519 --> 00:17:12.480 God is the one who puts the body together. 00:17:12.480 --> 00:17:17.400 And I think the idea that unity comes from God, I think it's there in the background 00:17:17.400 --> 00:17:18.400 of Psalm 133. 00:17:18.400 --> 00:17:22.680 There's a word that keeps popping up, it doesn't really come through so much in our translations, 00:17:22.680 --> 00:17:26.720 but in the Hebrew, the same word is there three times in each verse. 00:17:26.720 --> 00:17:33.200 The idea of the oil running down on the beard, running down on the collar of his robes, which 00:17:33.200 --> 00:17:37.240 is falling on the mountain's iron, it's the same word, it's the same Hebrew word. 00:17:37.240 --> 00:17:41.840 And I think the idea is that unity is something that descends, something that is a blessing 00:17:41.840 --> 00:17:44.519 given from above. 00:17:44.519 --> 00:17:48.759 And what that means is that we don't need to work hard to become one body. 00:17:48.759 --> 00:17:52.480 The challenge is not for us to kind of manufacture unity. 00:17:52.480 --> 00:17:59.240 Unity is something we have from God. 00:17:59.240 --> 00:18:04.599 Joni Erickson Tadda, the woman who had an accident and broke her neck and was paralyzed, 00:18:04.599 --> 00:18:10.120 I think from the shoulders down, written a lot of really helpful, tremendous books. 00:18:10.120 --> 00:18:12.279 Her life itself is an incredible testimony. 00:18:12.279 --> 00:18:18.000 She said this, believers are never told to become one. 00:18:18.000 --> 00:18:22.880 We already are one, but we are expected to act like it. 00:18:22.880 --> 00:18:25.960 And I think there's a challenge there in those words. 00:18:25.960 --> 00:18:27.880 Our status is we are the body of Christ. 00:18:27.880 --> 00:18:30.640 We are objectively one body. 00:18:30.640 --> 00:18:33.440 We are united. 00:18:33.440 --> 00:18:36.519 The church is not a bunch of individuals each doing their own thing. 00:18:36.519 --> 00:18:40.559 We are called the body of Christ and we should reflect that. 00:18:40.559 --> 00:18:46.519 But maybe we look at the church locally, globally, and we just don't see it. 00:18:46.519 --> 00:18:54.519 Maybe we see a whole range of denominations and sects and fragments of a church. 00:18:54.519 --> 00:18:57.200 And maybe we struggle to find a sense of unity. 00:18:57.200 --> 00:19:01.240 Maybe we don't see the unity Jesus speaks about or the unity we read about in this Psalm. 00:19:01.240 --> 00:19:09.319 I think it's true that despite our status as one body, as a people united in Jesus Christ, 00:19:09.319 --> 00:19:13.400 in the kind of practical outworking of that, we so often fall short. 00:19:13.400 --> 00:19:17.480 We so often lack that sense of unity. 00:19:17.480 --> 00:19:22.040 And David, the guy who wrote this Psalm, he knew that in his own experience. 00:19:22.040 --> 00:19:24.040 There's a tragic irony in the life of David. 00:19:24.040 --> 00:19:28.960 He writes, behold how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity. 00:19:28.960 --> 00:19:32.080 And shortly after his lifespan, the kingdom is divided in two. 00:19:32.080 --> 00:19:33.480 It's split. 00:19:33.480 --> 00:19:36.720 Unity is gone. 00:19:36.720 --> 00:19:42.200 There's a guy, a Protestant reformer who's often associated with divisions and splits 00:19:42.200 --> 00:19:45.960 called Martin Luther in the 16th century. 00:19:45.960 --> 00:19:50.000 And a lot of people think of this guy and they just think this is a guy who's all about 00:19:50.000 --> 00:19:53.039 dividing and splitting within the church. 00:19:53.039 --> 00:19:54.400 But Martin Luther said this. 00:19:54.400 --> 00:20:01.240 He said, to gather together with God's people, with one another, in united adoration of God 00:20:01.240 --> 00:20:07.160 the Father, is as necessary to the Christian life as prayer. 00:20:07.160 --> 00:20:09.559 It's profoundly important. 00:20:09.559 --> 00:20:15.839 Unity is absolutely critical to the Christian life. 00:20:15.839 --> 00:20:19.359 Not only is it a biblical imperative, it's something that we need. 00:20:19.359 --> 00:20:21.079 We really need one another. 00:20:21.079 --> 00:20:22.079 We need the support. 00:20:22.079 --> 00:20:26.000 We need the love, the care, the prayers of each other. 00:20:26.000 --> 00:20:30.679 I was on Christ this morning, but I gathered Derek was saying something to this effect. 00:20:30.679 --> 00:20:34.759 We need each other for that kind of support, for that kind of encouragement, for that kind 00:20:34.759 --> 00:20:38.919 of community in this life that we live. 00:20:38.920 --> 00:20:42.880 The Christian life, the journey that we're thinking about in these Psalms is not intended 00:20:42.880 --> 00:20:45.320 to be a solo effort. 00:20:45.320 --> 00:20:50.480 Okay, so we thought about the problem of division, the power of unity. 00:20:50.480 --> 00:20:54.160 Thirdly, and finally, I want to think about the promise of life. 00:20:54.160 --> 00:20:59.039 Just very briefly, look at the last line of this Psalm, second half of verse 3. 00:20:59.039 --> 00:21:07.039 For there the Lord has commanded the blessing, life forevermore. 00:21:07.039 --> 00:21:11.079 The promise of eternal life is something that is at the heart of the Christian faith. 00:21:11.079 --> 00:21:15.839 It's something most people today would associate with Christianity. 00:21:15.839 --> 00:21:21.639 But for so many people, I think eternal life is a concept that's very individualistic. 00:21:21.639 --> 00:21:25.680 It's very much between me and God. 00:21:25.680 --> 00:21:29.399 It's very much about me and my Savior. 00:21:29.399 --> 00:21:31.319 But we are saved as a people. 00:21:31.319 --> 00:21:34.319 The Bible says that we are saved as a family of God. 00:21:34.319 --> 00:21:38.399 We are brothers and sisters united together in the gospel. 00:21:38.399 --> 00:21:43.399 And that means that eternal life for us, this promise of future hope in the new heavens 00:21:43.399 --> 00:21:48.879 and the new earth, that yes, we'll be there with Jesus, we'll be there with our Savior, 00:21:48.879 --> 00:21:51.359 but we'll also be there together. 00:21:51.359 --> 00:21:55.439 We'll be there in the new creation with one another. 00:21:55.439 --> 00:21:59.359 This promise of life comes in the context of unity. 00:21:59.359 --> 00:22:05.439 Now, the focal point in this verse for life is Mount Zion. 00:22:05.439 --> 00:22:06.959 It's Jerusalem. 00:22:06.959 --> 00:22:13.199 It's the city of God, the place in the Old Testament where God meets with his people. 00:22:13.199 --> 00:22:15.599 And people today make pilgrimages to Jerusalem. 00:22:15.599 --> 00:22:18.199 They travel to Jerusalem for many different reasons. 00:22:18.199 --> 00:22:20.079 They go for refreshment. 00:22:20.079 --> 00:22:21.079 They go for a break. 00:22:21.079 --> 00:22:24.519 They go to find spiritual encouragement. 00:22:24.519 --> 00:22:29.639 My own grandfather drove from Scotland to Israel in a mini. 00:22:29.639 --> 00:22:32.119 Probably wouldn't do that today. 00:22:32.119 --> 00:22:36.319 But people make all kinds of pilgrimages for all kinds of reasons. 00:22:36.319 --> 00:22:39.359 But my grandfather, when he finished his time in Israel, he probably had a blast. 00:22:39.359 --> 00:22:42.039 He came back. 00:22:42.039 --> 00:22:47.200 The journey that we're on as Christians to the new Jerusalem, to the ultimate dwelling 00:22:47.200 --> 00:22:51.920 place of God with his people is, it's our final destination. 00:22:51.920 --> 00:22:53.680 It's our great hope. 00:22:53.680 --> 00:22:59.120 And Sam 1-3 promises us that there, the new Jerusalem, the city of God on earth, God with 00:22:59.120 --> 00:23:02.960 his people is the promise of life forevermore. 00:23:02.960 --> 00:23:05.600 That's our great hope. 00:23:05.600 --> 00:23:09.279 Whatever bumps we might come across in the journey, whatever setbacks we might face, 00:23:09.279 --> 00:23:15.320 whatever hurdles might come our way, we have this wonderful, incredible hope, the promise 00:23:15.320 --> 00:23:20.920 of life with God and life with each other forevermore. 00:23:20.920 --> 00:23:27.560 So just as we come to a close, in terms of applying this Sam, I think the key is that 00:23:27.560 --> 00:23:30.560 we have to really consciously value unity. 00:23:30.560 --> 00:23:34.680 I think unity is such a precious commodity. 00:23:34.680 --> 00:23:35.759 We need to cherish it. 00:23:35.759 --> 00:23:37.440 We need to protect it. 00:23:37.440 --> 00:23:42.440 We need to guard our hearts against the things that disrupt it and the things that put it 00:23:42.440 --> 00:23:43.440 in danger. 00:23:43.440 --> 00:23:48.039 We need to watch out for gossip and jealousy and unkind words and all kinds of different 00:23:48.039 --> 00:23:49.039 things. 00:23:49.039 --> 00:23:54.159 I think secondly, we also need to make a conscious effort to spend time in the church with those 00:23:54.159 --> 00:23:59.159 who are different, those who maybe are not like us. 00:23:59.159 --> 00:24:03.480 I'm not saying that all the Scots here need to be supporting England on Wednesday, but 00:24:03.480 --> 00:24:08.159 we do need to make an effort with those who are maybe outside of our friend groups, outside 00:24:08.159 --> 00:24:10.839 the people we gravitate towards with our coffee. 00:24:10.839 --> 00:24:15.480 I think it's easy to fall into the trap of always speaking to the same people, but we 00:24:15.480 --> 00:24:20.799 are one body, we are united together, each one of us, if our faith is in Christ and we 00:24:20.799 --> 00:24:23.160 should reflect that. 00:24:23.160 --> 00:24:26.759 Maybe it means getting more involved with your city group or something midweek, being 00:24:26.759 --> 00:24:28.799 part of your church family. 00:24:28.799 --> 00:24:33.680 Maybe it means taking more time to pray for your brothers and sisters. 00:24:33.680 --> 00:24:40.079 I think thirdly, we really need to pray for our leaders, for those who have been called 00:24:40.079 --> 00:24:45.160 to be elders and deacons, for our minister Derek, for our women's pastoral teams, for 00:24:45.160 --> 00:24:46.759 all those who are involved in church leadership. 00:24:46.759 --> 00:24:51.160 I think unity amongst leaders is one of the key areas that Satan will use. 00:24:51.160 --> 00:24:57.720 It's one of the key areas that will be used to attack the church, to bring division and 00:24:57.720 --> 00:25:00.200 all kinds of horrible things. 00:25:00.200 --> 00:25:06.400 We've seen that in recent years in different congregations and it's tragic when unity is 00:25:06.400 --> 00:25:07.400 destroyed. 00:25:07.400 --> 00:25:12.279 So we need to pray, we need to be watching out, we need to be guarding our hearts. 00:25:12.279 --> 00:25:15.200 Unity is incredibly, incredibly precious. 00:25:15.200 --> 00:25:21.440 Behold, David says, how good and pleasant it is when brothers and sisters dwell in 00:25:21.440 --> 00:25:23.160 unity. 00:25:23.160 --> 00:25:25.759 I want to close this evening with the words of the Apostle Paul. 00:25:25.759 --> 00:25:28.839 He says this in Ephesians chapter 4. 00:25:28.839 --> 00:25:33.440 I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 00:25:33.440 --> 00:25:35.920 Be completely humble and gentle. 00:25:35.920 --> 00:25:39.359 Be patient, bearing with one another in love. 00:25:39.359 --> 00:25:44.119 Take every effort to keep the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace. 00:25:44.119 --> 00:25:51.439 There is one body, one spirit, just as you recall to one hope, one Lord, one faith, one 00:25:51.439 --> 00:25:59.000 baptism, one God and Father of all who is overall and through all and in all. 00:25:59.000 --> 00:26:03.279 Let's pray. 00:26:03.279 --> 00:26:09.319 Lord God, gracious Father in heaven, we come before you this evening and we thank you for 00:26:09.319 --> 00:26:14.599 the gospel that unites people from every tribe, every tongue and every nation. 00:26:14.599 --> 00:26:19.839 Lord, we thank you that you've brought us together this evening from our different backgrounds, 00:26:19.839 --> 00:26:24.720 from different life stages, from different careers, people who are radically different 00:26:24.720 --> 00:26:26.720 in so many different ways. 00:26:26.720 --> 00:26:29.359 And Lord, we thank you for the thing that unites us. 00:26:29.359 --> 00:26:33.039 We thank you for the power of the gospel to break down barriers. 00:26:33.039 --> 00:26:37.679 Lord, we do thank you Lord for the work of Jesus Christ. 00:26:37.680 --> 00:26:42.600 And we pray Lord that you'd be at work in our hearts this evening to give us a real 00:26:42.600 --> 00:26:45.160 sense of how wonderful that unity is. 00:26:45.160 --> 00:26:50.799 Lord help us to appreciate anew how powerful and how wonderful and how pleasant and how 00:26:50.799 --> 00:26:54.519 good it is when we dwell together in unity. 00:26:54.519 --> 00:26:58.799 So Father, we pray that you'd help us to better love one another, help us to better 00:26:58.799 --> 00:27:02.039 support one another in our burdens. 00:27:02.039 --> 00:27:04.600 And Father, we pray for our church's leadership. 00:27:04.599 --> 00:27:09.559 We pray for our elders and our deacons and those involved in pastoral work. 00:27:09.559 --> 00:27:12.519 Father, we pray that you'd protect them. 00:27:12.519 --> 00:27:13.519 Lord that you would guard them. 00:27:13.519 --> 00:27:16.240 We pray for our minister, Derek. 00:27:16.240 --> 00:27:20.439 And Lord, we ask that you would protect the unity of St. Columbus. 00:27:20.439 --> 00:27:22.759 We pray too, Father, for the church worldwide. 00:27:22.759 --> 00:27:28.599 Lord, we ask for all those who are involved in church leadership. 00:27:28.599 --> 00:27:31.439 Lord that you would protect them and watch over them. 00:27:31.440 --> 00:27:36.799 Father, forgive us this evening when we are inward looking and when we are self-centered. 00:27:36.799 --> 00:27:42.279 We pray Lord that you would equip us and enable us to be a people who point others to you 00:27:42.279 --> 00:27:45.160 through our unity and our love for one another. 00:27:45.160 --> 00:27:46.720 We pray this in Jesus' name. 00:27:46.720 --> 00:28:02.720 Amen.