Seeking Harmony

I’m not a singer. But I like to sing. I like to sing in a choir, in a group, and with the congregation. I sometimes get confident somewhat and I try to harmonize. I will seek to sing tenor or the bass line but it is often out of tune, or I just cannot find the notes at all.

My problem is that while I understand that the length of notes, and know that they go up at times or down, and I cannot really effectively read the notes. I have basically memorize the notes when the pianists is playing or a find the line in the midst of the accompaniment. Usually I fail. So, since I cannot read the notes, I must practice more with the piano. Every song, I must make adjustments so that I can hopefully sing the harmony. Sometimes I will find the harmony, but it is not the harmony that is written down. It works, but it is not what it is supposed to be. I hope to one day be better, but I don’t know if I will.

That should be our goal in church as well.

Our goal should never be to hinder anyone in the church from reaching their full potential, nor should I ever be the cause of hindering the church from reaching its pinnacle in Christ.

So I am going to have determine in my heart and life to adjust some things that we might have harmony in the church.

This afternoon, I want to mainly give some reminders about Christian Unity. We ought to be committed to unity.

I have often preached that what is needed is not that all denominations come together, not all churches come together, that is not even practical – but what is needed is that this church comes together. If we can come together in faith and go forward for Jesus Christ in the coming year, great things can happen in our midst.

So, this afternoon, I want to give us some reminders of some things we can work on as individuals and families, which will promote the general unity of our church. I want to help us all to truly seek harmony.

1 . Let’s have a goal of not being offended

Psalm 119:165 AV

Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.

- We never, never, never can say it enough

- We never, never can realize like we should

- But there is nothing more important

- Along with this comes

Psalm 64:1 AV

Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer: preserve my life from fear of the enemy.

2. Love as God commanded us, not according to our sight

Matthew 5:44 AV

But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

1 Samuel 16:7 AV

But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.

Job 34:21 AV

For his eyes are upon the ways of man, and he seeth all his goings.

- When someone says something that offends us, that they really shouldn’t have done, but it does, we should remember Christ and what he said – to love them

- That is a hard pill to swallow, it is not easy to love someone like that

3. Remember who the enemy is

1 Peter 5:8 AV

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

Luke 22:31 AV

And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:

- We really need to remind ourselves who the true enemy is. I was talking to an older pastor friend of mine and we were talking of all of the people that had left his church over one person dissatisfactions basically. That person led those people out in so many words.

- I asked him if he was mad a that man or if he held a grudge, he told me, “No, the devil is the one I am mad at.”

o It is a lot easier to live and not hold grudges realizing that isn’t the people that hurt you that you should be mad at, rather it is the devil.

o Now people will have to answer for the offenses they cause and the stumbling blocks they put in the way, and thought they are used as tools or pawns of the devil, it is Satan himself that is our true enemy.

4. Remember what our master endured for us

The Lord was an example to us of patience and endurance.

Matthew 10:24 AV

The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.

Isaiah 53:7 AV

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

5. It is okay to take a wrong for the Lord’s sake

1 Corinthians 6:7 AV

Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?

Proverbs 20:22 AV

Say not thou, I will recompense evil; but wait on the LORD, and he shall save thee.

1 Thessalonians 5:15 AV

See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.

6. Do not retaliate when you have been offended

Don’t retaliate when you have been criticized or attacked:

“I’ve noticed something watching the presidential debates through the years, though not so much lately, but usually, both candidates make their attacks back and forth. But they rarely respond to the attacks, they simply move on.”

We should not retaliate but rather give it to the Lord, let him handle it.

I can’t tell you how many times I have been attacked, and I always want to fight back especially when I was younger. But you know, God takes care of things much better than I can.

7. Don’t be a stumblingblock

Romans 14:13 AV

Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way.

- We need to be ever so weary not to be a stumbling block to another Christian or that would cause someone else not to come to Christ.

- I don’t think we usually have a goal of doing that, but because of our own lack of Christian maturity, we often do exactly that.

Matthew 18:1-6

Mills anciently were either turned by hand or by beasts, usually by mules. These were of the larger kind; and the commentators say that the original words denote that it was this kind that they were talking about. This was one mode of capital punishment practiced by the Greeks, Syrians, Romans, and by some other surrounding nations. The meaning is, it would be better for him to die before he had committed the sin. To injure, or to cause to sin, the feeblest Christian, will be regarded as a most serious offence, and will be punished accordingly.