A Cord Of Three Strands

The world says that marriage is bad

Modern definition of marriage: “the process whereby love ripens into vengeance”

The Bible doesn’t agree with this. The Bible says that marriage is good. God invented it.

Read Eccl 4:9 (niv) Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work:10 If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no-one to help him up!11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone?12 Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

Bible says marriage is good for a number of reasons:

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1. PRODUCTIVITY [9]

Eccl 4:9 (niv) Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work:

a) ILLUS Maths problems at school:”If it takes one man 10 days to build a house, how long will it take 2 men?” The answer is not five days because what the mathematicians don’t take into consideration is that a team of people get more work done quicker.

b) Defn of TEAM ... Together Everyone Achieves More.

c) In a marriage relationship, both partners will achieve more if they work together. The key is working together ... you won’t necessarily receive a good return if you are working seperately. If the husband is working for a new car and the wife is saving all of her money for a new washing machine ... that’s not a team, that’s two individuals.

d) Not only will you receive a good return on material things but you also on your relationship

e) A successful marriage is not a gift; it is an achievement. It takes work from both parties.

f) It takes two to make a marriage a success, and only one to make it a failure

g) Marriage is good because two produce more than one

2. PERSEVERANCE [10]

Eccl 4:10 (niv) If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no-one to help him up!

a) Marriage is good because when one partner is down, the other can pick him/her up.

b) Love doesn’t make the world go round. It makes people so dizzy it looks like it.

When you’re in love, you don’t see many problems. Life is not easy. And it is not getting any better. Yes there is a light at the end of the tunnel, the light of an oncoming train!

c) The best example of one friend helping another to persevere is found in the book of Ruth

Wonderful love story ... 3 funerals and a wedding Tragedy struck the home of Elimelech and Naomi. All three men of the house died, leaving behind 3 widows. Naomi, who was now a very bitter woman, angry with God, wanted to return to her homeland. She called her two daughters in law and broke the news to them. She told them she was returning to Bethlehem and that they were to return to their own parents. Ruth said “No Ways”

d) Ruth 1:16 (niv) But Ruth replied, "Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.17 Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me."

e) This is the kind of commitment needed. When one partner is down, the other helps them up.

3. PRESERVATION [11]

Eccl 4:11 (niv) Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone?

a) Can’t keep warm alone. God looked at Adam and said “It is not good for man to be alone” He needs a partner

Loneliness is terrible.

“If you’ve given me the gift of celibacy, please take it back”

b) God has given us marriage so that we can help one another along this journey of life.

4. PROTECTION [12]

Eccl 4:12 (niv) Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

a) In battle one person can’t protect his back

b) Defend one another ... don’t run one another down

c) A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

Any ropemaker will tell you that the strongest rope is a threefold rope. The largest number of strands that can all touch one another is three. If you take away one and leave only two, obviously the rope will be weakened. But if you add an extra strand and make four, you do not add to the strength of the rope because the strands no longer touch one another. If you have a rope of three strands, one even two of the strands may be under pressure and start to fray as long as the third strand holds, the rope will not break.