Preserve the Unity of the Spirit

I think you'll agree that we live in a very broken and divided world, a broken and divided nation.

Quite tragic, isn't it? And you ask, what's the problem? Well, there's a tremendous focus, isn't there, on our personal fulfillment, our personal advancement, personal happiness, our personal opinions, my rights, what I believe, and that expression of our opinions, our pursuit of our personal happiness, our desire that our opinions and our views prevail in the marketplace, as it were, inevitably results in conflict with others. Marriages dissolve in divorce. Business partners, which were often very thriving in all kinds of measurements, these partnerships are shattered with recriminations and resentments. Employees get angry with their employers.

Long-standing friendships going over many, many years sometimes come to an abrupt stop, an end, and the harmony and the fellowship and enjoyment of that relationship no longer exists. Families are divided. Churches are divided. And if you know anything about disunity, instead of there being peace and harmony, whether it's a home, whether it's in a marketplace, whether it's in a relationship, or whether it's in the church, instead of that there is disunity, disharmony, distrust, division. And surely you've noticed that increasingly in this wonderful nation of the United States that has been blessed by God since its inception and has been such a shining light, as it were, to the world, that in this nation today there is so much hate.

It's very sad, isn't it? People, many people seem extremely angry and they express their anger. They say, I'm angry, as if that justifies their vitriol, as if that justifies their insults, as if that justifies the name calling and the hatred. There are many people who say, I hate the Democrats. There are people who say, I hate the Republicans. People say, I hate Donald Trump. Others say, I hate Joe Biden and all that he represents and there's so much hate, so much hostility, so much name calling.

And some of you know about that because you follow that on social media. Could I ask you, you who claim to be a follower of Christ, to stop the name calling, to stop the vitriol. Yes, you are entitled to express your view, but you're also due to do that in an edifying way, in a way which is helpful rather than destructive. Followers of Jesus are meant to be different, aren't we? What's the point of saying that we have this wonderful salvation in Jesus Christ and yet we leave a time of worship, we leave a Bible study, we leave fellowship and then we go into the world, into our business, into our hospitals and schools and the marketplace, wherever God has placed us in the very streets and communities of Charlotte and the surrounding areas and this is such a beautiful place to live and we go there and I sometimes wonder, are we really acting very different from the unbeliever in this regard?

I'm going to say that there should be a tremendous difference. You see, God has done a wonderful thing. Not only does He save your soul, we began that, He saved my soul.

That's wonderful. I trust that is true of you, that you know Christ as your savior, that your sins are forgiven, that you're right with God. I trust that's the case, that you can say, in the grace of God, He has saved my soul. Wonderful to say, but God has done more. God in His wisdom has given us what John Stott calls God's new society.

He's given us the church, the church of our Lord Jesus Christ and the church of Jesus Christ is to be a place of love, as we'll see, a place of peace, a place of healing, a place of unity so that those who are bruised and broken in the world come to the church of God, the very household of God as Paul says, they come to the house of God and realize that here in the church of Jesus Christ, things are different. That that hatred, that that vitriol, that that determination that everyone has got to hear my view and I'm going to insult and name call those who disagree, that that has ended and that we come together as the peace people of God and enjoy this wonderful peace and harmony. Not just when we gather together, we want that, but also as we go into our homes. Is your home a place of peace? I'm not talking about quietness, noise can be good, but I'm talking about harmony. I'm talking about peace in the relationships.

What about your friendship? What's about at work and certainly in the church? We have four themes for 2021. Last week, the theme was Obey the Word of God, foundational to everything we are and believe at Calvary Church. Today the theme is Preserve the Unity of the Spirit. Now this is not necessarily easy for us and in fact in some instances it's very difficult, but this is a command as we will see and I want us at Calvary Church, every other church, wherever you are, where you're listening, I want you to take this very seriously and say that during 2021, this is going to be the forefront of my life as I follow Jesus Christ, that as God helps me, I'm going to preserve the unity of the Spirit, that I'm going to be a peacemaker in my home, at work, in my relationships, to believers and unbelievers and certainly in the church of the living God.

I want us to learn today about spiritual unity and its many blessings. First of all, let's open our Bibles to Paul's letter to the Ephesians. Ephesians chapter four, Paul in the first three chapters has presented magnificent theology, magnificent doctrine about our beautiful Lord Jesus Christ and now he wants us to live it out. Paul is a very practical theologian. Yes, he can take us to the mountain tops in terms of doctrine, but he wants this to be lived out in the first century, in the Roman culture, in the Greek culture, in the pagan culture. Those who have come to saving faith in Jesus Christ are to go out now and be different. Notice what he says, Ephesians four verse one, I therefore a prisoner for the Lord urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you've been called. You've been called to the Lord Jesus Christ. God in His grace has reached out and saved you and now I want you to live in a way which is worthy of your calling.

As we were growing up, I'm sure it happened to you as it did to me that our parents, maybe particular father, would say, you're my son, I want you to act like my son. I want you to live it out. I want the name of Monroe that people know that you are a person of integrity.

That's the point, isn't it? You have the name of Jesus Christ. You say you're following Jesus as wonderful. He saved your soul. Now live it out.

You say how am I going to do that? Verse two, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager, notice that, eager to maintain the unity of the spirit and the bond of peace. There is one body and one spirit just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. What is to learn, as it were, to lay the theological foundation that the Holy Spirit creates spiritual unity? This is something supernatural, that God in His grace creates this wonderful new society, the Church of Jesus Christ, and creates this spiritual unity. And this is what God in His grace does. You and I left to ourselves would never achieve it, utterly impossible.

Why? Because we're sinful people. And sin separates and divides. Our enemy, the father of lies, the devil, causes separation, disharmony, hostility and disunity. The Spirit of God creates unity.

Our enemy creates disunity. How does he do that? He works to create havoc in your life. He wants you to be a restless kind of individual. He wants you to be fighting with people. He wants you to be in the middle of some controversy. He loves havoc and He creates havoc in our homes. Isn't that the case?

Peace in our homes, is that right? He wants to create havoc in the church. How does he do that? Well, he's very special. Paul tells us, don't be ignorant of his strategy. He's a very cunning individual.

He is the father of lies. He loves accusations, rumors, lies of course, friction, disunity, and sin and Satan create division and separation. God unites, sin and Satan separate. Your sin, irrespective of your feeling, you say, well, I'm involved in sin but it feels so good. It must be right.

No. Your sin, irrespective of your feelings, never brings you closer to God. So whatever sin you're involved in, remember this, your sin never ever brings you closer to God. Every time you continue in that sin, you're going further and further away from God. That's what the devil wants. He leads you astray.

We're like sheep having gone astray and you listen to the devil and you yield to that temptation and do you realize you're going further and further away from God. Isaiah says in Isaiah 59 verse 2, but your iniquities have made a separation between you and God. Your sin, what does it do? It separates us. You know that in your relationships.

What cause problems? Sin. You shout you're angry at that individual.

You insult that individual. You lie about that individual and there is separation. Sin and the devil separates us and deceitful behavior in our lives. It leads to distrust. It leads to estrangement.

Like our homes and our relationships. Lies that people tell. Fracture friendships.

Create chasms, which are very difficult then to bridge between former friends and business partners and brothers and sisters in the church. Unforgiveness and bitterness that we have because someone has wronged us. That anger, that bitterness, that unforgiveness results in further and further estrangement. Isn't that true? Hasn't that been true in your life? Is it true in your family?

True in your relationships? Have you seen it in the church? I have never, never known immorality to strengthen homes. But I've known many homes shattered by betrayal and infidelity.

You listen to the devil, husbands, attracted to someone else, go by your feelings, want a bit of excitement in your life, bored with the routine, think you can get away with it, think you can hide it and you pursue that and what does it do? It's going to shatter your home. Instead of unity, instead of peace, instead of harmony, instead of building something with integrity that's going to be a wonderful, wonderful witness to your children and neighbors and friends, that home is shattered. That's what sin does. That's what the devil does. He always divides. Separating us from God and from one another. What's wrong with our nation? Simply put, we've forgotten God. Isn't that true? For all of the lip service, this country more and more is forgetting God.

Result, further and further apart. But the Holy Spirit, one of His beautiful ministries is to create unity. See, we're broken and scarred, aren't we?

We're deformed by sin and we are far away from God and we're never at peace with ourselves. I often tell people the most difficult person to live with is yourself. You have a problem with that employer and that employer and that individual and that individual, stop. Maybe the problem is within. You've got to live with yourself.

I've got to live with myself, don't I? Wherever you go, you can change the relationships. You can change the home. You can change your church. People leave one church and go to another and they're angry with one church and they come to another church and usually they continue to be angry.

The problem isn't so much with the church. The problem is with us. We're not at peace.

I trust, first and foremost, you're at peace with God. We thought of that at Christmas. That was one of our themes. Christmas is peace.

Why? Because our Lord Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace has come. And this is the one, this is the way through which we are at peace with God. Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. My soul is saved. My sins are forgiven. I have a true relationship with God now. The blood of Christ has cleansed me from my sin and I'm at peace with God. And now, strengthened by the Holy Spirit, I'm able to walk worthy of the calling with which I have been called. Tim read from Ephesians 2.

Let me direct you again to that. As Paul brilliantly tells us that Jesus Christ is the bridge maker. We're away from God. Our Lord Jesus Christ comes and He's the reconciler. He's the peacemaker.

He's a bridge maker. Ephesians 2, 13, Paul says but now in Christ Jesus, there it is. You who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

That's central. What is it that brings us near to God? My self-effort? My work?

Absolutely not. It's the cross that bridge between us and the Holy God is bridged at the cross. That's why we have the cross on the roof of our sanctuary to remind us that we are saved, as Paul puts it here, by the blood of Christ. Verse 14, for He Himself is at peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in His flesh the divining wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances that He might create in Himself one new man, the church, in place of the two, so making peace. Listen to this, verse 16, and might reconcile both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.

When we go to the hostility, this is the way. And He came and preached peace to you who are far off, Gentiles, and peace to those who are near. So God has done an amazing thing, a remarkable thing, that here are Jews and Gentiles. Gentiles are far off, they're not part of the commonwealth of Israel, and the Lord Jesus Christ has come.

And in His magnificent work at the cross, not only does He reconcile us to God, He reconciles us to one another. Here are Jews and Gentiles. The Gentiles are unclean according to the Jews.

There is nothing, they're totally separated. And the Lord Jesus Christ, who's the peacemaker, has reconciled them to God. There is the same way of salvation for the Jew and the Gentile, is through the blood of the cross. And as they come to Christ, as they get right with God, through the blood of the cross, now they are united in this new society, the church of Jesus Christ, where Jew and Gentile are one. Not only are they members of the same church, they are equal members of the same church. Paul's going to make that clear in Ephesians 3. Now think of this.

Here we are at Calvary Church. God has brought together a motley crew, hasn't He? I mean, look around.

Right? We're a very odd group of people, aren't we? People say, no. Okay.

But think of this. From all over the world, God brings us together. Here is Sabu praying, and someone says, he's got an accent. Here in my preaching, and some say, he's got an accent. And we look out at the wonderful southerners and say, no, you've got the accent.

We've got all kinds of accents, all kinds of backgrounds, different cultures, different opinions, different viewpoints, different ages. It's only in the church of Jesus Christ that there is true unity. And that whatever your background, whatever your education, whatever you are on the socioeconomic scale, as it were, doesn't matter the color of your skin, your accent, your ethnicity, whoever you are, whatever your background, our Lord Jesus Christ welcomes you. And in the name of Jesus Christ, we welcome you to Calvary Church. Not only are you welcomed, you are on equal ground with all of us. Isn't that wonderful? All sinners saved by grace.

Now here's the challenge. We who have known the supernatural peace through the blood of the cross, we who have some understanding of the church of Jesus Christ, although we continue to grow in this, and we are far from perfect in this at Calvary Church, but as we seek to do this, now our Lord Jesus Christ, who is our peace, he sends us out. And his followers are to be instruments of, yes the gospel, yes proclamation, but here's my burden this morning, instruments of peace, instruments of harmony, in a restless fragmented and broken world. Instead of shouting to people, instead of insulting people, instead of thinking you're superior, that your viewpoint is superior to them and treating those who disagree with you as almost subhuman, to understand that as he saved our soul, we bring the fragrance and the beauty and the loveliness of Jesus Christ. No, not in a wimpy way with the apostles preached with boldness, the boldness of the resurrection, but with grace so that it could be said of us as it was said of Jesus, they marveled at the gracious words which preceded from his lips.

Wouldn't that be wonderful? If someone said, as I come to Calvary Church, and as I speak with people, that people are amazed at our grace. Now this is what the Spirit does. He creates spiritual unity.

Not only does he create spiritual unity, we the people of God are now to celebrate the unity of the Spirit. And to do that I want to direct you to Psalm 133, which is a jewel of the Psalter. There's only three verses. I know this psalm very, very well because being in a family of six boys, my mother had a couple of, more than a couple, had several verses she would frequently quote to us. One was Hebrews 13 verse 1, let brotherly love continue as we beat up each other.

And here was the other one. Psalm 133 verse 1. What does it say? It's the psalm of David. Behold how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity.

She quoted it from the old King James, when brothers dwell together in unity. It's a beautiful thing. It's a good thing. It's a pleasant thing. It's 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. It's like the dew of Herman, which falls in the mountains of Zion.

For there the Lord has commanded the blessing, life forevermore. Here is David, King David. Does he know about brokenness in his family? He does. Does he know about turmoil in the home?

Yes. He had messed up. He had some boys that really messed up as well, didn't he? David knew about the division in Judah and Israel. He knew his Bible.

He knew the history of Israel. And here he is as the king writing this beautiful little psalm. It's a psalm which the pilgrims sang as they went up to Jerusalem three times a year.

They had to go up for the festivals and the feasts of Passover and Pentecost and Tabernacles. And as they left the little towns and villages and made their way up to Jerusalem, here was a song that David, the psalmist, the sweet psalmist of Israel taught them. Among other things, he was a musician and a poet, a man who loved words. And he puts together this magnificent little psalm. We don't have the tune to it, but we have the words. And he's saying, it's a pleasant thing. It's a good thing when brothers dwell together in unity. Isn't that a good thing? Isn't that a good thing at Calvary Church? Isn't that a good thing in your home?

Isn't that a good thing in your relationship? When brothers dwell together in unity. Now, dwelling together in unity does not mean that there's an absence of conflict.

I remember when Goodney first visited my home in Scotland before we got married. She, learning the English language, coming from a different culture, a different home, she came into our home with our brothers and afterwards she said, she said, your brothers are shouting and arguing all the time. I said, not really. We just have healthy debates. And if someone's talking nonsense, we tell them that. And we have very frank exchange of opinions.

This is just the way we are. We love each other, but sometimes we fight. Sometimes we disagree. Sometimes we disagree very very sharply. And so it is in the Church of Jesus Christ, dwelling together in unity doesn't mean uniformity. This is not a cult.

We're not clones. We're individuals, but we're brought together as brothers. And yes, there are churches, there are homes where there's no disagreement. I meet couples sometimes and they say, oh, we never argue.

I think, boring. I mean, you never argue? You think, is someone dominating? So everyone just says, yes, dear, whatever you want, dear. I guess that's the way to dwell together in unity.

It's not a very healthy way. Or, are they really so compatible there's never any disagreement? This is a different world from the world I live in, but never mind. No, in most relationships, in loving relationships, there is disagreement. And if there's no disagreement, sometimes that's the evidence not of the Spirit of God, but of spiritual deadness, of an icy coldness. Have you ever been to church like that?

Everything's done very decently in an order. We've visited churches like that, and you feel like you need to put on a fur coat. I mean, the atmosphere is so cold. People are distant, very formal. There's probably no disagreement because they don't care about anything. They have no doctrine.

They don't really care what you believe. And that's not spiritual unity, is it? No, spiritual unity is something that God does.

Now, what's much more important than the disagreement and the different opinion is that we're brothers. And to help us understand, the writer gives us this beautiful picture. He uses a verb three times. It's translated twice in the ESV as running down in verse 2, where it's used twice. In verse 3, the verb, the same verb in Hebrew is translated falls on.

The new American, I think, takes the same Hebrew verb and translates it coming down, coming down, coming down. This spiritual unity is like the oil coming down on Aaron. Who was Aaron? He was the high priest. He was Moses' brother. And when Aaron was appointed high priest, he is anointed. He's consecrated.

He's set apart as the high priest. And to do that, they would take oil. Moses would take the oil and anoint Aaron. Was it just a drop of oil?

No. It was so lavish, it was so abundant that that oil came down from his head to his beard. He had a nice, thick beard like some of our pastors, right? Nice beard. It goes down onto his beard. And it's so lavish, not only does it stop at his beard, it goes down to the color of his robes.

Do you get the point? This is lavish. This is abundant.

This is not a drop of oil. This is an abundance symbolizing the anointing, the setting apart. Here is the Dew of Hermon. I think we have a picture of Mount Hermon. If you've been to Israel, you've seen Mount Hermon.

You go to the north of Israel and you look north. And there are the mountains of Hermon, present day Syria, perhaps also into Lebanon. Magnificent mountains, 9,000 feet. And any time I've been there, whatever time of the year, there's snow in the mountains. And you see the mountains of Hermon. And apparently, the dew coming down on Mount Hermon is particularly lavish. You know what dew is. You've got a garden. You go out in the morning and the dew has fallen on the garden. That's a good sign. You can almost smell it. It's clean and it's come down.

Nothing you've done about it. And so this spiritual unity is going to come down from God to us just as in symbol form the oil came down on Aaron's head to his beard to the color of his robes. The Dew of Hermon, these high beautiful mountains. So that this spiritual unity is like the Dew of Hermon.

It's going to come down, come down on the mountains of Zion. It is abundant. It is lavish. It is beautiful. And the point that David is making and the very obvious point and the wonderful point and the point that we thank God for is that this unity comes down from God. Not something we manufacture. We celebrate it.

This is something which God in His grace has done. Can you imagine having a garden and there's no water? I used to have a little vegetable garden.

I liked it. Grew some potatoes, carrots, some other things. Early morning you go out and the dew is there.

That's good. Can you imagine a garden without that it would be cracked, it would be dry. Can you imagine a relationship without this beautiful unity of the Spirit where it's cracked and it's broken?

Can you imagine trying to drive your car and there's no oil in it? What does this do? It helps us to relate, doesn't it? It's a beautiful thing and it comes down from God. It brings renewal. It brings refreshment.

It's a sign of growth. It's a sign of God's blessing. Church without that is stale. It's dying. You almost smell the deadness in the church. Spirit of God is not there.

He's departed. Do you celebrate the unity of the Spirit? Do you appreciate how important this is? Do you celebrate, I hope you do, the unity of your family? Importance of the home. Celebrate your relationships or do you take them for granted? But primarily in the church of Jesus Christ.

Or is there a bit of negativity with you? Stories told of two men who were riding a bicycle, a tandem, and they were going up a very steep hill. And it took a great deal of struggle for these, for this bike to get to the top of the hill. And when they got to the top, the man in front of the bike turned and said to the man behind, he said, that was a really hard climb, wasn't it? And the man in the back said, yes. And if I hadn't kept the brakes on all of the way, I would have certainly rolled down backwards.

Here's one man pedaling fast and here's another guy putting on the brakes. You ever had that experience? You've been serving the Lord, you've been in a meeting, an elders meeting, pastors meeting, planning something for the Lord and you feel somebody's putting on the brakes. There's a voice of negativity.

Are you like that? Instead of serving the Lord with joy, perhaps you're critical, you're petty, you've become a critic. And with that criticism, you've caused division.

Instead of caring and helping for others, there is a negativity in your attitude. I want you to celebrate the spiritual forgiveness, this life, this renewal, this refreshment, this joy, this fruitfulness, this fragrance. So that as an unbeliever comes through these doors and sits in these pews and we begin to worship God and we find people to our Lord Jesus Christ, even unbelievers sense that the Spirit of God is here, that there's life, that God is at work in our hearts. And the relationships which are fractured and broken and hurting are being healed and bound together by the supernatural oil of the Holy Spirit which God graciously pours on us. And that spiritual unity brings love, brings acceptance.

I wonder what unbelievers think of Calvary Church sometimes. This is what I would want said of Calvary Church using the words of our Lord Jesus in John chapter 13 verse 34, a new commandment I give to you that you love one another. Just as I've loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another.

That's it. This is the blessing of God. This is what the Spirit of God does.

Heat, hostility, anger, the desire to be top dog that goes and is replaced by love. Without such love, Calvary Church is nothing. In celebrating this unity, this week reach out to a brother or sister.

Demonstrate the love of God to them. Particularly in this time of COVID when we're isolated, when meeting at home and life groups and so on, it's so difficult for us. Reach out to someone and celebrate the unity of the Spirit. But also, as we look back at Ephesians 4, we are to preserve the unity of the Spirit. This is my burden to you. That during 2021, each one of us will preserve the unity of the Spirit.

No, we don't create it. It comes from the Spirit of God but we're called to preserve it, to maintain it. Verse 3 of Ephesians 4, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. This should be one of our top priorities at Calvary Church.

Do you get that? Preserve the unity of the Spirit. Jesus said, blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of God. Are you a peacemaker? So when after the first service, a family spoke to them and the man said of his wife, my wife is a great peacemaker.

That's wonderful, isn't it? In family relationships, in the church, in society. Paul writes, now I exhort you brothers by the name of the Lord Jesus Christ that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment. 1 Corinthians 1, verse 10. Here's Paul again, Philippines 2, verse 2, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, that's the mind of Christ, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.

Philippines 2, 2. Romans 12, 18, Paul says if possible, as far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Yes, some people are totally unreasonable, you can't be at peace with them, but as far as it depends on you, you are the peacemaker, you are bringing the fragrance of the Spirit of Christ to others.

As far as it depends on you, live at peace with all men. It takes no talent to destroy unity, does it? It takes no talent to point out faults. It takes no talent to be a troublemaker, to be argumentative, to create unrest. It takes no talent to criticize, to find fault, to point the finger, to divide, to gossip, to attack someone on social media, to spread rumors.

That takes no talent at all. But it takes the Spirit of God, doesn't it, to demonstrate love, acceptance, and peacemaking in the church. At Calvary Church, can I ask you to be a peacemaker? In your relationships, bring the fragrance of the Spirit of God. You meet people like that, don't you?

And they bring that atmosphere in their relationship. Don't be an antagonist. Don't be a divider. Be a peacemaker. Be a reconciler.

Be a unifier. You say, but there are things at Calvary Church that really bother me and really frustrate me. And I say, oh, I totally understand that because you're only at Calvary for a few hours a week at the most.

I'm here all the time. And if you think you're irritated by things at Calvary Church, I've got a longer list than you have. And you say, well, I think we could do with better pastors, and we thoroughly agree. We agree. Guy said to me after the first service, there's one thing I agree with you. We should have better pastors at Calvary.

I said, amen. But you know, God has called us here. We are called by God to be here.

Not perfect pastors. We seek to love you. We seek to help you. Yes, there are sometimes disagreements. Thank you for voicing them in a gracious, kind way. And I understand that sometimes you're irritated by something. And I just understand you're irritated by some of the pastors.

Not me, but some of the other pastors. They irritate you. And they tell me that you irritate them. That some of you are really irritating people. And that some of you are difficult to deal with. Are you shocked by that?

Of course you're not. We're human beings. Of course there's frustrations. Of course there are irritations. There are things in your home that you don't like. There are things at Calvary Church if it was left to me, I would change.

Of course there are. You say, well, how do we preserve this unity? Paul tells us.

Ephesians 4, verse 2, are you ready for this? With all humility, don't be proud. Don't be arrogant.

Why do you think, out of all of the hundreds of thousands of people to come to Calvary Church, that your opinion must prevail? Isn't that rather proud? Isn't that rather arrogant? What's so special about your point of view? No, with all humility and gentleness.

Ben, that can be tough for us, isn't it? To be gentle at home, relationship with gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love. Paul is assuming that in the Church of Ephesus there's disagreement. If you never disagree with anyone, you don't need to be patient with them. If that person you're working with, if your wife, your husband, your father, your mother, your brother, if you all think the same way, life is easy.

But that's not reality. Different personalities, different perspectives, different things that bother us. What are we to do? We're to be patient with one another. We're for bearing with one another in love. You didn't like the way the usher came in and seated you today.

Yeah, he could have done better. That is true, right? We're bearing with each other in love, right?

You didn't like the way a particular song went. We understand that. Be patient. Be bearing with one another in love. That there are things as we work together and as you serve, you say, well, that person's a difficult personality.

Yes, that may be and they're thinking exactly the same about you. So all of us are to be humble. We are to be gentle.

We're to be patient. Apply that in your home, apply that in your relationship and apply it in the church, bearing with one another in love. And that this way God is glorified.

What am I saying today? I'm saying that God in His grace brings us together as one. And it is a good thing and it's a pleasant thing when brothers dwell together in unity. It's like the oil, that anointing oil coming down on Aaron's beard, coming down to the collar of his robe. It's like the Dew of Hermon falling on the mountain of Zion. And it's there where there's this spiritual unity. It's there that God commands the blessing. We cannot manufacture the blessing of God at Calvary Church. We can have some master strategy plan and get some committee together and say, this is the way that we're going to get the blessing of God.

It doesn't work like that. Yes, it's good to strategize. It's good to plan. It's good to have goals. Yes, but most important it is that when we are dwelling together in unity, that when we're keeping our eyes on the Lord Jesus Christ, and when we're humble, when we're gentle with one another, when we're patient with one another, when we're bearing with one another in love, it is there that God commands the blessing. And it's very interesting at the end of Ephesians chapter 4, if you read the whole chapter, Paul as he starts with the unity in the first six verses which I've described, then talks about the importance of the gifts in the church, that they are working together, and he says when that happens, the church is built up in love to the fullness of Christ. That's what we want.

The Psalmist puts it this way, and it's there that the Lord commands the blessing. Now, practical lessons as I conclude and summarize this. Number one, be a person of grace rather than a person of contention. That is, be a peacemaker rather than a troublemaker.

Will you do that? That's number one. Number two, don't be a complainer or a whiner. I'm not saying don't state a disagreement.

No, I'm saying don't be a complainer, don't be a whiner. And with that, don't be a gossip, don't listen to gossip. Don't jump to conclusions when you hear something. Don't take sides when you only hear one side.

I'm amazed how people can accept something without any investigation, without regards to the facts, but on an emotional basis accept a position, accept one side, and they've never even heard the other side. That is very foolish. Proverbs deals with that. No, don't be a complainer. Don't be a gossip.

Number three, I want you to do this. Pray for God's blessing. We can't manufacture during 2021. You know, God blessed us in 2020. God guided us through this COVID.

God has poured His blessings on us at 2020. Pray that God would do that. Pray for God's blessing. Pray for unity at Calvary. Pray for unity in your home. Let's pray for one another, particularly those with whom you see things differently. And when there are differences, let's resolve them quickly and maturely and biblically and then get over them and not whine about something that someone offended us two or three years ago and we're still whining about it and we're still talking about it. No, let's pray for God's blessing on Calvary. Number four, be involved in serving in love.

My observation over many years of pastoral ministry is that the critic is usually the person who does very little other than criticize. I want you to be involved in serving in love. You say, how can I do that? Many opportunities at Calvary. Again, it's difficult with COVID, but there's opportunities. Get involved. Serve. Serve others in love. And I am so thankful for hundreds and hundreds of people who do that at Calvary. This is a church that serves, a church that gives.

Do that. And then finally, number five, be thankful for your spiritual family at Calvary. Be thankful for your own family. But be thankful for the family at Calvary Church.

I am. And preserve the unity of the Spirit so that this body will be built up to the fullness of Christ because it's there that the Lord commands the blessing. What am I saying to you today? Preserve the unity of the Spirit of God. Heavenly God and our Father, help us to do just that. Help us to be gentle, to be kind, to be loving with others, to be humble.

We know that you're opposed to the proud and give grace to the humble, and so we pray that we're a humble church. We need your help. We need your blessing. We need your strength. Pour that on us, Father, that many throughout 2021 will say, He has saved my soul. Once was lost and now I'm found. And we pray that you will guide us and help us. In Christ's name, amen.