Dwelling Together in Unity

1
(No Transcript)
2
Dwelling Together in Unity

• Songs of Ascent Practices of
• the Lifelong Journey Series 14
• Psalm 133

3

• Psalm 133 ESV
• A Song of Ascents. Of David.
• 1Behold, how good and pleasant it is
• when brothers dwell in unity!
• 2It 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!
• 3It is like the dew of Hermon,
• which falls on the mountains of Zion!
• For there the LORD has commanded the blessing,
• life forevermore.

4
TWO TRUTHS ABOUT COMMUNITY IN OUR LIFELONG
JOURNEY TO GOD

• Community is chosen for all Christ-followers.
• To belong to Christ means to belong to his
  Churchthe community of brothers and sisters in
  Christ.
• We are on this spiritual pilgrimage together by
  Gods plan.
• It is Gods choice and work that we belong to his
  community.
• The quality of community is shaped by
  Christ-followers during the journey.
• We journey with imperfect sinners who have been
  redeemed by Christ.
• Nevertheless, we are to one another as a loving
  community.
• It is our choice and work to flesh out our unity
  in community.

5
PSALM 133 UNITY IN COMMUNITY HOW GOOD COMMUNITY
CAN BE

• Unity is wonderfully good and pleasant (v.1).
• To be desired and enjoyed during our pilgrimage.
• What is more, this infectious enthusiasm on the
  part of
• such diverse people of differing ages,
  backgrounds,
• sex and culture was backed up by the quality of
  their lives
• the Christians of the first century. Their
  community life,
• though far from perfect . . . was nevertheless
  sufficiently
• different and impressive to attract notice, to
  invite curiosity, and
• to inspire discipleship in an age that was as
  pleasure-conscious,
• as materialistic and as devoid of serious purpose
  as our own,
• Paganism saw in early Christianity a quality of
  living, and
• Supremely of dying, which could not be found
  elsewhere.
• Michael Green

6
PSALM 133 UNITY IN COMMUNITY HOW GOOD COMMUNITY
CAN BE

• Unity is wonderfully good and pleasant (v.1).
• To be desired and enjoyed during our pilgrimage.
• Unity is precious (v.2).
• Like precious anointing oil on a priest.
• Unity is refreshing (v.3a).
•  Like the dew of Hermon.
• Unity is where God commands the blessing (v.3b).
• Designed for eternal life in Christ.

7
PSALM 133 UNITY IN COMMUNITY HOW GOOD COMMUNITY
CAN BE

• Unity is NOT
• Uniformity.
• Tolerance.
• Merely conceptual.
• Automatic (or easy).
• Perfect (but will be perfected in heaven)

8
THE ESSENTIAL COMPONENTS OF TRUE UNITY IN
COMMUNITY

• True unity comes from the communal
  identitybrothers sisters in Christ.
• Behold, how good and pleasant it is
• when brothers dwell in unity! (v.1)
• Brothers refers not to blood relations but to
  the fellow pilgrimsthe children of Abraham, the
  people of God.
• We also belong to this community of the Abrahamic
  Covenant by Gods grace through our faith in
  Christ.
• We already have the positional/legal unity as
  Gods familyWe are to keep this unity as Gods
  family and live it out.

9

• 2Be completely humble and gentle
• be patient, bearing with one another in love.
• 3Make every effort to keep the unity of the
  Spirit
• through the bond of peace. 4There is one body and
  one Spirit
• just as you were called to one hope when you were
  called
• 5one Lord, one faith, one baptism 6one God and
  Father of all,
• who is over all and through all and in all.
• Ephesians 42-6

10
THE ESSENTIAL COMPONENTS OF TRUE UNITY IN
COMMUNITY

• True unity comes from the communal focus
• God-centeredness.
• 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! (v.2)
• The oil was special and precious because it was
  consecrated to God.
• This focus on God-centeredness is a key to
  overcoming the pettiness and drag of the
  imperfect community in which we live.
• Why? The God-centered focus compels us to be each
  others priest, speaking Gods word to one
  another.

11

• Being Each Others Priest
• Therefore, the Christian needs another Christian
  who speaks God's Word to him. He needs him again
  and again when he becomes uncertain and
  discouraged for by himself he cannot help himself
  without belying the truth. He needs his brother
  as a bearer and proclaimer of the divine word of
  salvation. He needs his brother solely because of
  Jesus Christ. And that also clarifies the goal of
  all Christian community they meet one another as
  bringers of the message of salvation.
• - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

12
THE ESSENTIAL COMPONENTS OF TRUE UNITY IN
COMMUNITY

• True unity comes from the communal life
• dwelling together in unity.
• It is like the dew of Hermon,
• which falls on the mountains of Zion!
• For there the LORD has commanded the blessing,
• life forevermore. (v.3)
• Because of the high altitude of Mount Hermon,
  water/moist was always available in dew even when
  it had no rain or snow.
• Unity in community is like mountain dewa
  life-giving refreshment to our weary souls in the
  pilgrimage.
• This kind of unity is where we begin to
  experience Gods idea of the blessed lifea
  foretaste of heaven on earth. 

13

• A Hint of Heaven
• Psalm 133 throws out just a hint of heaven (a
  hint that is expanded into a grand vision in
  Revelation 4-5), turning that on its head the
  rousing good fellowship is in heaven. Where
  relationships are warm and expectancies fresh, we
  are already beginning to enjoy the life together
  that will be completed in our life everlasting.
  Which means that heaven is like nothing quite so
  much as a good party. Assemble in your
  imagination all the friends that you enjoy being
  with most, the companions that evoke the deepest
  joy, your most stimulating relationships, the
  most delightful of shared experiences, the people
  with whom you feel completely alivethat is a
  hint of heaven, for there GOD commands the
  blessing, ordains eternal life.
• - Eugene Peterson

14
RECAP PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS FOR OUR EVERYDAY
LIFE

• Choose HOW YOU WILL LIVE in this spiritual
  community.
• Have you made a commitment to the brothers
  sisters at CrossWay? (Or at your own local
  spiritual community?)
• Have you made a commitment to UNITY as a
  benefactor/builder as well as a
  beneficiary/recipient ?
• Have you renewed your commitment to CrossWays
  vision to be known for our love for one another?
• Go aheadDWELL TOGETHER IN UNITY and experience
  how good it can be!
• Live out your communal identity in Christ.
• Live out your communal focus on God-centeredness.
• Live out your communal life in unity.

15

• Praying the Songs of Ascent 14 Psalm 133
  MSG
• A Pilgrim Song of David
• 1-3 How wonderful, how beautiful,
• when brothers and sisters get along!
• It's like costly anointing oil
• flowing down head and beard,
• Flowing down Aaron's beard,
• flowing down the collar of his priestly
  robes.
• It's like the dew on Mount Hermon
• flowing down the slopes of Zion.
• Yes, that's where God commands the blessing,
• ordains eternal life.

16
(No Transcript)