Where does God Love to Bless?

When I was in my 20’s, I kind of assumed that if I wanted to grow spiritually, the answer was almost always found by myself. Spend more time in prayer. Read my Bible more consistently. Find a quiet place to be alone with God. Those are good instincts. Jesus Himself often withdrew to lonely places to pray. But over the years I've noticed that the New Testament keeps surprising me. Again and again, when God talks about where His presence is most clearly experienced, He doesn't simply point us toward private disciplines. He points us toward His people.

I think most of us instinctively ask individual questions. How can I experience more of God? How can I grow? How can I hear His voice more clearly? How can God use my life? Those aren't bad questions. They're just incomplete ones. Because the Bible often answers them by saying, "Look around you."

That's what Psalm 133 does. David tells us there is a place where God especially delights to work. A place where His blessing is especially known. A place where His life is experienced. And surprisingly, it isn't a mountaintop. It isn't a retreat. It isn't even the temple itself. It's wherever God's people dwell together in unity.

That is a little surprising because many of us think about church primarily as something we attend. David thought of God's people as something you belong to. Church isn't just an event on your calendar, it's a family God has adopted you into. And if that's true, then unity isn't merely something that makes church more enjoyable. It is the primary place where God delights to display His presence in the world.

So here's the question I want us to ask this morning: Where does God love to bless? Psalm 133 gives us three answers. The first is this.

1. God blesses people who treasure His family Vs 1

David begins with one simple command: "Behold." Before he says anything about unity, he tells us to stop and look at it. Slow down. Don't rush past this. Don't treat it as ordinary. Stand back and admire it.

I think that's important because one of the easiest things in the world is to overlook the gifts we've always had. We rarely stop to appreciate oxygen until we're struggling to breathe. We don't think much about good health until it disappears. We seldom thank God for peace until conflict walks into the room.

David says the same thing is true of the church. Most Christians don't wake up on Sunday morning thinking, “Lord, thank You that You've given us a church that loves one another.” We tend to notice unity only after we've lost it. We notice it when relationships fracture. When gossip spreads. When bitterness settles in. When people begin choosing sides. Suddenly we realize how precious unity really was.

Someone asked me recently what it was like coming to OGC. I said, “I inherited a shrinking church and I almost killed it.” Not many of you here today were a part of this church in 2020, but it was really rough. I had never been a Teaching Pastor or a Senior pastor before. I was here for 18 months and covid hit. We had political tensions and cultural tensions, we were not around each other the way we normally are because of the pandemic and it really became sort of perfect storm for major strife in the church. People were leaving left and right because I was seen as either too liberal for some and too conservative for others. By 2022, to the best of our knowledge, about 70% of the church I inherited was gone.

I remember praying one morning in the shower that if God wanted me out of ministry would He just please provide me a job in Orlando so I could keep my house and keep my kids in their school. Because I clearly wasn’t very good at this pastoring thing. If you had asked me in 2021 what I wanted most as a pastor, I wouldn't have said bigger attendance or better programs. I would have simply said, 'Lord, let us love each other.’

I say all that because there is rarely a moment that I don’t truly appreciate what we have now. And I don’t think I would be able to feel that the way I do if not for that really hard season.

This is why David says, "Don't wait until then. Behold it now." And notice what he actually calls it. "How good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell together in unity." Those two words matter. Something can be good without necessarily being pleasant. Going to the dentist is good for you, but I wouldn't call it pleasant. Other things are pleasant without being good. They feel wonderful in the moment but leave destruction behind.

Unity is both. It is morally beautiful because it reflects God's own character. And it is emotionally beautiful because there is simply something deeply satisfying about belonging to a people who genuinely love one another.

Notice too that David doesn't merely say, "when people gather together." He says, "when brothers dwell together." This is family language. He isn't describing strangers sitting in the same room for an hour. He's describing people who have been joined together by God.

And notice another word David chooses. He doesn’t say brothers visit together. He says they dwell together. They belong together. They share a common life. That’s one of the reasons the New Testament places such an emphasis on belonging to a local church. Membership isn’t primarily about getting your name on a list. It’s about saying, “These are my people, and I’m one of theirs.” It’s very difficult to protect the unity of a family if we’re only occasional visitors. Unity flourishes where people are committed to one another.

Think about what happens in this room every Sunday. There are people from different generations, different backgrounds, different personalities, different political opinions, different economic situations, and different stories. Some of you have followed Jesus for decades. Others have only recently come to faith. Left to ourselves, many of us would probably never have become close friends. And yet week after week we greet one another as brothers and sisters. That isn't normal. That's supernatural.

The world builds communities around shared interests, shared hobbies, shared politics, shared neighborhoods, or shared stages of life. The gospel builds a family around a shared Savior. The only reason this room works is because Jesus has made us into something we never could have become on our own.

Which means one of the ways we experience God's blessing is by learning to treasure His people instead of merely consuming His church. It's easy to evaluate church the way we evaluate a restaurant or a streaming service. Did I like the music? Did I enjoy the sermon? Did they have the programs I wanted? Did I get what I came for?

Family asks a different questions. How can I love these people? How can I strengthen this body? How can I help protect the unity God has already given us? Because church was never meant to be a product we consume. It is a family we learn to love.

And ultimately, that's because of Jesus. Jesus didn't simply die to forgive isolated individuals. He died to create one new people. The cross doesn't merely reconcile us to God, it reconciles us to one another. Every Sunday, when people who naturally would have little in common worship together, forgive one another, bear one another's burdens, and call each other brother and sister, we're watching one of the greatest miracles Jesus is still performing.

2. God blesses people who receive His grace Vs 2

The image changes in verse 2. David says, "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." If we're honest, that's probably not the illustration any of us would have chosen. Most of us don't read that and think, “That's beautiful.” We think, “That sounds messy.”

But to an Israelite, this image would have been immediately recognizable. This wasn't ordinary olive oil. This was the sacred anointing oil used when Aaron was consecrated as Israel's high priest. It symbolized God's choosing, God's presence, and God's blessing resting not only on him, but all of Israel as well because Aaron was the representative of Israel to God.

Notice what David emphasizes. The oil begins on Aaron's head, then runs down his beard, then onto the collar of his robes. The repeated phrase is "running down." The blessing doesn't originate with Aaron. It comes from above. He doesn't produce it. he receives it. The oil is poured out on him, and then it overflows onto everything connected to him. David says that's what unity is like. And it is given in the most lavish and excessive possible way.

That's important because we often talk as though unity is something we can manufacture if we just work hard enough. We think if we communicate better, organize better, or find the right strategy, we'll finally become a united church. Those things matter. But they can't create what only grace can produce.

Real unity isn't ultimately the result of compatible personalities or shared preferences. Good leadership matters. Healthy communication matters. But none of those things can produce what only the Holy Spirit can create. It is the work of God in the hearts of His people. Unity is something God pours out before it is something we live out.

That changes the way we come to church. Instead of asking, “What bothered me today?” We begin asking, “How can I participate in the grace God is already pouring out here?”

It changes how we speak about people when they're not in the room. It changes how quickly we’re willing to forgive. It changes the assumptions we make when someone disappoints us. It changes how tightly we cling to our preferences. It changes whether we insist on winning every disagreement. Because unity isn't maintained by everyone getting their own way. It's maintained by people who never get over the grace they've already received.

I've noticed that the people who extend the most grace are usually the people who know how much grace they've needed themselves. When I lose sight of what Christ has forgiven in me, everyone else's flaws suddenly become enormous. But when I remember the mercy God has shown me, I'm much slower to keep score. I'm much quicker to forgive. I'm much more willing to bear with others in love.

That's exactly what Paul says in Ephesians 4. "Be eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." Notice he doesn't tell us to create the unity of the Spirit. The Spirit has already created it. Our job is to protect it…to live consistently with what God has already done.

And all of this points us to Jesus. Aaron was only a shadow of the greater High Priest who was to come. Jesus is the true and better High Priest who entered God's presence on our behalf. And after His death, resurrection, and ascension, He poured out His Holy Spirit upon His church. The same Spirit who unites us to Christ also unites us to one another.

So every genuine act of forgiveness, every restored relationship, every conversation marked by humility instead of pride, every conflict resolved in love, every church member who chooses reconciliation over resentment is evidence that Jesus is still pouring out His grace on His people.

Unity isn't something we achieve for God. It's something we receive from God and then extend to one another.

3. God blesses people who stay close to His people vs 3

David gives us one final picture in verse 3. "It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion. For there the LORD has commanded the blessing, life forevermore."

Again, it sounds like an unusual illustration to us, but it would have made perfect sense to the people singing this psalm. Mount Hermon sat far to the north of Israel. It was the highest mountain in the land and was known for its abundant dew and moisture. Jerusalem, by contrast, was much drier because it was much smaller. The mointain wasn't high enough to accumulate moisture from the higher altitude. So David paints an impossible picture. Imagine the life-giving dew that covered Hermon somehow covering Mount Zion. It's a picture of refreshing grace where you wouldn't naturally expect to find it. It's a picture of life, fruitfulness, and God's sustaining provision.

But David isn't trying to teach us meteorology. He's telling us where spiritual refreshment is found. Everything in the psalm builds to one little word: there. "There the LORD has commanded the blessing." Where is "there"? Not simply at Jerusalem. Not merely in the Temple. There is wherever God's people dwell together in unity. That's the point of the entire psalm.

David isn't saying unity earns God's blessing, as though if we're nice enough to one another God owes us something in return. He's saying unity is one of the primary places where God delights to display His blessing. It's one of the ordinary means by which He strengthens, refreshes, encourages, and sustains His people.

That has enormous implications for how we think about church. David doesn’t compare this blessing to something everyone experiences…a beautiful sunset or a cool breeze. He chooses an impossible picture: the dew of Mount Hermon falling on Mount Zion. Why? Because he’s describing a blessing that simply cannot be found anywhere else. God has chosen to pour out a particular kind of grace where His people dwell together in unity. That doesn’t mean God isn’t at work when you read your Bible alone or pray by yourself. He certainly is. But there are blessings He has promised to give only through the life of His gathered people.

Sometimes you'll hear someone say, "I love Jesus. I just don't really need the church." Psalm 133 simply doesn't leave room for that kind of Christianity. Can someone be saved apart from church attendance? Of course. Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone.

But can someone flourish while remaining disconnected from Christ's people? David would say, "Why would you walk away from the primary place where God has promised to refresh your soul?"

We live in a time when it’s easier than ever to consume Christian content without belonging to Christian community. You can listen to incredible sermons, read wonderful books, and follow gifted teachers from around the world. Those are genuine gifts from God. But none of them can replace what God is describing here. A podcast can’t bear your burdens. A YouTube sermon can’t reconcile you after you’ve sinned against someone. An online service can’t baptize your children, serve you the Lord’s Supper, or surround you in prayer when your faith is weak. God has designed His deepest work to happen not merely through content, but through a covenant community.

Think about how often God ministers to us through other people. Someone prays for you when you don't have the words. Someone sings truth over you on a Sunday when your own faith feels weak. Someone opens the Scriptures and reminds you of promises you've forgotten. Someone notices you're struggling before you ever say a word. Someone bears your burden. Someone lovingly confronts your sin. Someone encourages you to keep going when you're ready to quit. Those moments don't happen by accident. They are some of the ordinary ways God commands His blessing.

Sometimes, however, He reminds us in extraordinary ways that He sees His people. Earlier this year I had an unusually vivid dream about someone in our church who was walking through a specific struggle. I called them the next day, and they told me that exactly what I had dreamed had happened that very night. Then later that same day, their former pastor called because he had experienced something remarkably similar. Whether you make sense of all of that or not, what mattered most was this: a family who wondered whether God saw them suddenly knew they had been seen. This was God blessing people who stay close to His people.

And this means that every time we choose isolation over community, every time we nurse bitterness instead of pursuing reconciliation, every time we treat church as an event to attend instead of a family to belong to, we’re not simply distancing ourselves from other people. We’re walking away from one of God's chosen means of grace. God has designed His people to need one another.

On the night before the cross, Jesus prayed something remarkable. In John 17 He prayed that His followers "may all be one." But He didn't pray for unity merely so the church would be happier or healthier. He prayed for unity "so that the world may believe that you have sent me."

When the church genuinely loves one another, forgives one another, bears with one another, and remains united in the gospel despite all the differences that could divide us, the world catches a glimpse of another kingdom. They see a family that shouldn't exist apart from the grace of God. Our unity becomes a testimony that Jesus is alive and still gathering a people for Himself.

Every Sunday, whether we realize it or not, we walk through these doors with one of two mindsets. We either come as consumers or we come as family. Consumers ask questions like, “Did I like the music? Did the sermon connect with me? Was this worth my time?” Family asks a different set of questions: “Who can I encourage today? Who needs me to pray with them? How can I help protect the unity God is building here? How can I leave this church stronger than I found it?” Those are two very different ways of walking through the same doors. Psalm 133 reminds us that one of the places God most delights to display His presence is not simply in the private life of an individual believer. He delights to display it in a church that is learning to love one another.

But did you notice how David ends this little psalm? He begins by talking about brothers dwelling together in unity, but he ends by talking about "life forevermore." At first glance, that almost feels like a leap. How do you go from church unity to eternal life? The answer is that David understands something we often forget. Every truly united church is a preview of eternity. Every Sunday is a rehearsal for the day described in Revelation when people from every tribe, tongue, and nation will stand together before the throne of the Lamb. Every barrier that sin has created will be gone. Every misunderstanding will be healed. Every division will disappear. The family of God will finally be perfectly one. That is where history is headed.

And if that's true, then what we do here matters far more than we often realize. Every act of forgiveness matters. Every difficult conversation pursued with humility matters. Every decision to bear with one another instead of walking away matters. Every choice to pursue reconciliation rather than resentment becomes a small foretaste of the coming kingdom. The church is not perfect yet. We still disappoint one another. We still need to repent. We still need to forgive. But every time the gospel brings sinners together in genuine love, heaven breaks into earth just a little bit more. The world catches a glimpse of the kingdom that is coming.

So don't settle for merely attending church. Treasure the family God has given you. Receive the grace that He continually pours out through Christ. Stay close to His people. Protect the unity that Christ purchased with His own blood. Because one day that unity will be perfect. One day faith will become sight. One day the family of God will gather around the throne, and what we experience now in part, we will enjoy forever.

And where God's people dwell together in gospel unity, there the LORD has commanded the blessing… life forevermore.

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