Sermon Central
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The Beauty Of Unity
Contributed by Rodney Burton on Jan 26, 2009 (message contributor)
Summary: God has called His people to a place of unity, and that is the place where His blessing is most realized.
THE BEAUTY OF UNITY
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.
THEME OF THIS PSALM: Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! For there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.
*God’s blessing is commanded to come where there is unity
And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
”Fervent love for God and for one another, along with sanctification in the truth of God’s Word, will bring God’s nearness to and His anointing on His people” (FLSB).
*In John 17, Jesus prayed a prayer that still remains unanswered—He prayed for the body to be one
“What Jesus had in mind is much more than cosmetic ‘unity meetings’. It is a spiritual unity of heart, purpose, mind, and will in those who are fully devoted to Christ, the Word, and holiness” (FLSB).
SCRIPTURAL EXAMPLES OF UNITY
1. Abraham & Lot (Genesis 12:5; 13:1-8)
2. Ruth & Naomi (Ruth 1:16-17)
3. Jonathan & David (1 Samuel 18:1-4; 19:1-7; 20:4, 35-42)
4. Recabites (Jeremiah 35:2-5, 18)—tested and proven faithful
5. The Early Church (Acts 2)
SCRIPTURAL EXAMPLES OF DISUNITY
1. Joseph & Brothers (Genesis 37; 42:21-22)
2. Schechemites (Judges 9:1-6, 22-52)
3. Esau & Jacob (Genesis 25 & 28)
4. Jehu & Others (2 Kings 9)
5. Corinthians (1 Corinthians 6:1-8)
WHAT IS ASSOCIATED WITH UNITY
1. THE OINTMENT UPON AARON
*Aaron had been chosen by God to be the high priest, and therefore minister before the Lord on behalf of Israel
*God had established specific guidelines for Aaron’s preparation to becoming the high priest
a. His garments had to be specifically crafted and worn
b. The blood had to be applied to him
c. The anointing oil/ointment had to be poured upon him
Until the anointing oil was applied to Aaron, he was unable to enter into his duties as high priest—he couldn’t enter the presence of the Lord
c.f. Exodus 30:23-30
The Ointment
1. Pure myrrh—500 shekels (Psalm 45:8; Proverb 7:17)
--free flowing
--the best exudes spontaneously from the bark of the tree
--the inferior splits the bark
--found in Arabia & East Africa
2. Sweet Cinnamon—250 shekels
--dried inner rind of the tree
--found in Ceylon & islands of the Indian Ocean
3. Sweet Calamus—250 shekels (Jeremiah 6:20)
--fragrant cane whose root is the spice
--found in Arabia & India
4. Cassia—500 shekels (Psalm 45:8)
--aromatic bark of a shrub
--various parts of the East
5. Olive Oil—a hin
*The ointment consisted of 58.5 lbs of spices & 6 quarts of olive oil
*In order for the ointment to be blended and made, the ingredients had to be broken
2. THE DEW OF MT. HERMON
*Mt. Hermon is 9,200 feet high and is snowcapped year around
*This mountain is constantly giving forth dew
*The dew of Mt. Hermon was plentiful even in dry weather. In the morning everything was as wet as if it had rained—kept everything fertilenever dray and barren
Dryness, Barrenness, & Problems in the Church are a result of division”di”=2 visions—split vision
*Unity will ensure that what God has planted will bloom and be nourished
