Big Idea
God tells us when we live together in unity He gives us his blessing.
The Basics!
This is a weekly Bible study from The Salvation Army Napier based on the message given on the Sunday prior.
Date of Message: 27 November 2011
Title: Unity
Speaker: Raewyn Gardner
Passage: Psalm 133
Peanuts
In a Peanuts cartoon Lucy demanded that Linus change TV channels, threatening him with her fist if he didn’t. “What makes you think you can walk right in here and take over?” asks Linus.
“These five fingers,” says Lucy. “Individually they’re nothing but when I curl them together like this into a single unit, they form a weapon that is terrible to behold.”
“Which channel do you want?” asks Linus. Turning away, he looks at his fingers and says, “Why can’t you guys get organized like that?”
The Lone Ranger and Tonto
Tonto and the Lone Ranger were riding through a canyon together when all of a sudden both sides were filled with Native American warriors on horses, dressed for battle. The Lone Ranger turned to Tonto and asked, “What are we going to do?” Tonto replied, “What you mean ‘we’ whiteman?
Unity
I think not.
Though we easily smile at anecdotes like these, in real life, we don’t see it as any laughing matter when people around us aren’t able to live together in harmony… Or, when we ourselves are involved in relationships or communities where there’s friction.
Why is that?
Maybe, it’s because we don’t like the feeling we get, when we’re in conflict with others. All over the world at any given moment of the day or night, there’s conflict. It happens between small children, between siblings, between friends, between couples, between families, between workmates, between different ethnic races, between peoples within a country, and between nations.
It happens, and it even happens in Churches, and it shouldn’t. Because we need to be modeling how God tells us to be.
God Tells Us to Live Together in Unity
We can see that in the Psalm that we this morning.
How Do We Manage That?
We need to look to Christ
Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They’re of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So one hundred worshipers together, each one looking to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be, than if they became ‘unity’ conscious and turned their eyes away from God to strive for a closer relationship together.
We have to allow Jesus Christ to be the leader of our life. And, He has to be the leader of our lives 24/7, not just on Sundays.
We need to cultivate a teachable spirit
When I talk about having a teachable spirit, I mean, we have to know that potentially somebody else is going to know a better way to do something than us. We don’t need to know all the answers ourselves. We just need to have open ears and hearts to listen and recognize when somebody else has the right answer.
We need to be slow to take offence
Ask yourself this question, am I quick to give or take offense? Do I always need to have things go my way? Do I have a chip on my shoulder? Am I willing to forgive?
This is a real problem. I think that sometimes we enjoy it if somebody says or does something we don’t like; so then we can be offended. We can be the injured party. What does that say, not about the person whose caused the offense. Rather what does that say about us?
Don’t get me wrong. People shouldn’t go around needlessly hurting other people’s feelings. That’s not acceptable either.
But there is a middle ground, we just have to find it
Then God Will Bless Us
The act of pouring the precious oil signified the flowing down of God’s grace. The oil was an anointing, a blessing, on Aaron as the ancestor of priesthood. Today when we anoint somebody with oil, we’d generally only use a very small amount. However, in this picture, it talks about the precious oil pouring down. There was enough of it that it ran down Aaron’s beard and onto his robe. The picture’s revealing that unity brings blessings.
Again, in verse three, the same picture’s painted. Mount Hermon is the highest mountain in Palestine. At higher altitudes heavy dew falls and vegetation grows. Conversely, Mount Zion was a smaller, dry, arid mountain in Southern Judah. Imagine what a wonderful source of life the dew of Hermon would be, in the dry climate of Zion.
Again, the picture of unity bringing blessings
Possible Discussion Questions
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Have you taken offence recently?
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Are you at odds with someone?
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What steps are you going to take to get back into unity?
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These Bible studies are designed to be used either in groups or by yourself individually. It’s best if your discussions take place among friends and in person but if you wish to comment on this post you’re most welcome. Please note that comments may be moderated as I see fit.
Photo credit: Tim Green aka atoach
