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Come Together
Psalms 133, Galatians 3:23-28, Matthew 18:15-20
January 15, 2006
The. Rev. Kong Namkung

Suppose that you are a soldier who is deployed to Iraq, which the government takes basic human rights from their own people, Mess Media distort the truth, and the powerful oppress the poor, to keep peace of the nation that is our mission.  Your company is made up of people from different countries such as Germany, England, Mexico, Korea, Dominican Republic, Italy, different ethnic group's such as White, Black, Yellow, and Red, different backgrounds such as powerful people and un-influential people, wealthy people and people who live on monthly check, most Republicans and some democratic, and so on. Not all of them believe in a Democratic Government.  However, all of them are in Iraq on a single mission that is to keep peace for Iraqis and for the world.  Your company must work together to establish it's goal and each must lay aside his/her preferences, ideas and wants in order to accomplish the goal. If each man or woman has to be in charge or wants everything his/her way, then the mission would be a mess.  It would be doomed to fail.  There must be Unity. 

The meaning of “unity” is 1. The state or quality of being one; singleness. 2. The state or quality of being in accord; harmony. 

A. Of thought
B. Of focus
C. Of Direction.
 

I. The Local Church is like this peace keeping force. 

Cornerstone UMC is made up of people from different countries, different ethnic groups, and different backgrounds. People form the East, West, North and South. We are not all believing in exactly the same.  But all are on a single mission that is to “make disciples of all nations and love the Lord our God with whole heart, mind, and soul, and love our neighbors as we love ourselves.”  We must work together to establish it's goals and each must lay aside his/her preferences, ideas and wants if we want to be successful.  If each of us has to be in charge or wants everything his/her way, then the mission would be a mess and it would be doomed to fail.  There must be Unity among us. 
 

By looking in the psalm we see that Christians should come together in unity at Cornerstone UMC.
 

A.    Christian's should dwell in unity because it is good. v.1

The word “Good” means “to be beautiful, best, better, bountiful, cheerful, at ease, pleasing, pleasure, precious, prosperity, ready, sweet, wealth, welfare, (be) well (favored)”

1. Good for the growth of the Church

2. Good for the growth of Christians Eph 4:3

3. It is good for the world to see Christian's in unity.

For example, when a kid gets something, others don't have. Then what happens? 
 

            1 Other kids are drawn to that child.

            2. Other kids want the same thing.

My children did not have Play Station 2 for a long time.  I knew that most children had it so my children loved to visit and stay to the one, who had PS2.  When I was misdiagnosed with MS, I thought I wanted to something for my children in case I could not do it for any longer, so I asked them what they wanted to have, Joel said, “PS2.”  What I am saying is that when you get along with others in unity and harmony,  1. People are drawn to you; and 2. They want what you have.

II. Christians should dwell in unity because it is pleasant.

v1  The word, “pleasant” means delightful, and sweet.  When we have unity  among ourselves

1.      It is pleasant to God.

2.      It is pleasant to the Pastor.

3.      It is pleasant to fellow Christians.

4.      It is pleasant to you

In verse 2, “It is like precious oil on the head.”  It means to have unity among ourselves is “to be anointed by God.”  God anointed God’s chosen people such as kings, prophets, and priests, who had special tasks to do the ministry of God.  When we live in unity, God anoints us to do special tasks.  In other words, if we do not have unity, then God does not have special tasks for us.  To have unity is the primary task for us, it is vital for us. 

Verse 2 says, “The precious oil running down on Aaron's beard.”  We know that Aaron was Moses’ brother and was priest.  So it means

1.      The pleasantness of this is likened to the holy anointing oil.

2.      It is a picture of sanctification.

Verse 3 says, “It is like the dew of Hermon.”   When I came to this country, I began to drink soda.  Guess what was my favorite soda?  It was Mountain Dew.  Why?  I love that name.  Whenever I drank it, Mountain Dew gave me pleasing taste and cooling down the scorching heat of North Carolina.  Dew cools the air and refreshes the earth.  It moistens the heart, and makes it fit to receive the good seed of the word, and to make it fruitful.  Likewise unity among us refreshes the world, makes the word of God valid, and makes it fruitful.  Unity is like dew of a mountain.

III. Christian's should dwell in unity because it brings God's blessings.

In verse 3, “For there the Lord ordained his blessing, life forevermore.”  God commands the blessing; human beings can but beg a blessing.  One of my mother’s favorite songs, “Come, thou fount of every blessing, tune my heart to sing thy grace.”

Therefore we as Christian should dwell in Unity.  God has given us a reason's to dwell in unity. We unite ourselves for a successful mission and for the blessings of God.  We need to put the past behind us such as past grudges, past agenda's, and past power struggles. 

If it is not time to dwell in unity right now, when will it be?  If it is not at Cornerstone UMC where are worshipping God on Sundays, where it will be?   It is the time to forgive our brothers and sisters, who had hurt us.  It is the time to forget others’ faults and mistakes.  It is the time to embrace our brothers and sisters with unconditional love.  It is the time to rise up from darkness of hatred and desolate valley of grudges and agenda.   With unity in Christ we are able to coming together, work together, pray together, to struggle together, to stand together, to visit the sick together, and to build up the body of Christ together at Cornerstone UMC. Glory be to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.   Amen

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Psalms 133

133:1 A Song of Ascents. Of David.


BEHOLD, HOW good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!

2 It is like the precious ointment poured on the head, that ran down on the beard, even the beard of Aaron [the first high priest], that came down upon the collar and skirts of his garments [consecrating the whole body]. [Exodus 30:25,30.]

3 It is like the dew of [lofty] Mount Hermon and the dew that comes on the hills of Zion; for there the Lord has commanded the blessing, even life forevermore [upon the high and the lowly].  AMP

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Galatians 3:23-28

23 Now before the faith came, we were perpetually guarded under the Law, kept in custody in preparation for the faith that was destined to be revealed (unveiled, disclosed),

24 So that the Law served[to us Jews] as our trainer [our guardian, our guide to Christ, to lead us] until Christ [came], that we might be justified (declared righteous, put in right standing with God) by and through faith.

25 But now that the faith has come, we are no longer under a trainer (the guardian of our childhood).

26 For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God through faith.

27 For as many [of you] as were baptized into Christ [into a spiritual union and communion with Christ, the Anointed one, the Messiah] have put on (clothed yourselves with) Christ.

28 There is [now no distinction] neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
AMP

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Matthew 18:15-20

15 If your brother wrongs you, go and show him his fault, between you and him privately. If he listens to you, you have won back your brother.

16 But if he does not listen, take along with you one or two others, so that every word may be confirmed and upheld by the testimony of two or three witnesses.

17 If he pays no attention to them [refusing to listen and obey], tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a pagan and a tax collector. [Leviticus 19:17; Deuteronomy 19:15.]

18 Truly I tell you, whatever you forbid and declare to be improper and unlawful on earth must be what is already forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit and declare proper and lawful on earth must be what is already permitted in heaven.

19 Again I tell you, if two of you on earth agree (harmonize together, make a symphony together) about whatever [anything and everything] they may ask, it will come to pass and be done for them by My Father in heaven.

20 For wherever two or three are gathered (drawn together as My followers) in (into) My name, there I AM in the midst of them. [Exodus 3:14.]
AMP

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