“TWO ARE BETTER THAN ONE” Ecc. 4:9-12
FBCF – 10/11/20
Jon Daniels
INTRO – I want to jump right into this sermon today & get to the text as quickly as we can. Today: INTENTIONAL RELATIONSHIPS. All of us need some intentional relationships that will keep us moving forward in our walk w/ Christ. This the next tool we are taking out of our “Spiritual Growth Toolbox.”
Works in conjunction w/ tool of corporate worship from last week. One reason we need to be careful not to neglect/abandon meeting together as the Church is b/c of the extreme isolation that COVID has brought into so many people’s lives. With that isolation comes deepening depression as we become more & more disconnected from others.
- One study – depression rates have tripled in all demographic groups during pandemic (https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2020/09/depression-triples-us-adults-amid-covid-19-stressors)
- Along w/ that depression comes increased substance abuse, spousal/child abuse, & suicidal thoughts.
- All the more reason to get connected or reconnected to your church FAMILY, & STAY connected through the community of intentional relationships.
- Side note: Church must be on front lines of helping those struggling w/ hopelessness & depression.
o ASK FOR HELP! WE WILL HELP!
EXPLANATION – Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
Ecc: Raw & real! Author - King Solomon. He had it all.
- One of the wisest men in the Bible.
o Wrote most of Proverbs
- One of the richest men in the Bible.
- One of the most powerful men in the Bible.
Wisdom, wealth, power, influence, fame – Had it all & said it is all vanity! None of those things gave him meaning & purpose in life. All proved to be empty & meaningless.
- Ecclesiastes 1:1-2 – “The words of the Preacher, the son of David, the King in Jerusalem. ‘Vanity of vanities,’ says the Preacher, ‘vanity of vanities! All is vanity.”
- Emptiness, nothingness, meaninglessness
- H.B. Charles – “Ecc is the sad sequel to Proverbs.”
Ecc is a book of warning – that pursuing all the things of the world devoid of a passionate, intentional relationship w/ God will lead to a vast empty void in our lives. And a large part of our passionate, intentional relationship w/ God is having meaningful relationships w/ others. Our text for today lets us know that, in order for us to have a growing relationship w/ God, we must value people over possessions – relationships over riches – a interaction w/ others over interest in the things of the world. Must delight in fellowship over pleasure. It’s a very unwise & ungodly thing to isolate yourself from other people.
APPLICATION – Every Christ-follower needs the community of intentional relationships in the Church FAMILY.
Two are better than one b/c of:
THE WORK YOU CAN ACCOMPLISH – v. 9 – Hard work is a good thing. The Bible speaks to the value of working hard:
- Proverbs 14:23 – “All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.”
- Proverbs 12:24 – “Work hard, & you will be a leader; be lazy, & you will end up a slave” (CEV).
- 2 Thessalonians 3:10 – “…If anyone isn’t willing to work, he should not eat” (CSB).
Verse 9 tells that our hard work is even better & more desirable when we are working together w/ someone.
- One of 1st things I learned as a firefighter: always go into a house fire w/ a partner.
o For safety
o For effectiveness & efficiency
o Different tasks but working together
CHURCH: It’s a beautiful, encouraging thing when believers are working together in the church.
- BBQ supper this past Wed – Those men have been working together for 56 years.
- Mission trips
- FAITH Evangelism teams
- Choirs
- Staff
- Deacons
o ALL TEAMS THAT WORK TOGETHER FOR THE GLORY OF GOD!
When we stop worrying about who gets the credit, recognition, or applause, & start working together for the advancement of the Gospel, amazing things will happen for the glory of God!
- People will be saved!
- Lives will be forever changed!
- Our community will be strongly impacted!
- Families will be strengthened!
- Barriers will come down!
- Jesus will be exalted!
THE HELP YOU CAN GIVE & RECEIVE – v. 10 – “Help! I’ve fallen & I can’t get up!” – We’ve all heard that line in the ads for the Life Alert system. It’s actually a registered trademark for that company.
The reason that statement resonates w/ so many people is b/c, if you are going to walk, at some point, you are going to fall.
- Doesn’t matter how experienced you are w/ walking
- Doesn’t matter how skillful you are
- Doesn’t matter how careful you are
- Falling is going to happen – “…woe to him who is alone WHEN he falls…”
- 1 Corinthians 10:12 – “Therefore, let anyone who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.”
And falling alone is a terrible experience. There’s a cry – a howling – when a person falls down & they’re all alone w/ no one to help them.
- A cry of pain
- A cry of fear
- A cry of desperate hopelessness
- A cry for help
And, listen CHURCH – When that cry for help comes forth, it’s time for us to jump into action!
- It’s not time to point fingers
- It’s not time to gossip
- It’s not time to laugh at another’s misfortune
- It’s time to go to work!
Gal. 6:1 – We MUST be there when one of us falls!
THE WARMTH YOU CAN SHARE – v. 11 – Nothing weird about this verse. Don’t need to try to explain away any thoughts of there being something illicit here w/ 2 people lying down together.
Picture of a traveler who is caught outside at night. Temps dropping drastically. No place to get inside for shelter. So, he has to spend the night outside in the elements. His chances of survival are so much greater if he has a companion w/ him, & they can lie down next to each other & their body heat can protect them through the cold night.
- I don’t care who you are – how macho you are, how tough you are. If you’re caught outside in the freezing cold & you know you’ll die if you don’t keep warm, you’re going to wrap up w/ your best friend, b/c it’s a matter of life or death.
Life will leave you in the cold! It happens to all of us. It’s not a matter of being on the wrong road or going the wrong direction. It’s just life!
- Just like the weather forecast can change suddenly & a cold front sweep in & rapidly drop the temps, so a cold front of trouble & suffering can sweep into your life. And you need someone there to help keep you warm!
We are seeing this happen left & right! Had trouble concentrating & studying this week b/c of the constant barrage of trouble sweeping into different people’s lives.
- Every time my phone would ding w/ a new text message, I would cringe, wondering who else has found themselves in the cold trouble of life.
o Another COVID diagnosis
o Another cancer diagnosis
o Potential birth defects in an unborn child
o Financial disaster in a friend’s life
o Another death – expected & unexpected
o Another accident
o Another marriage that is imploding
o Another family in crisis
o Another out-of-control addiction
CHURCH – We CANNOT let folks die out in the cold of life when there is warmth available HERE! We MUST be there to share the warmth of Christ’s love, the warmth of Christ-like compassion, the warmth of the fellowship & the companionship of the Church FAMILY!
THE PROTECTION YOU CAN HAVE – v. 12 – Jesus told parable of Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-27). Man (singular) traveling down road to Jericho. Attacked by robbers (plural). Beat him & left him for dead.
This is the picture of v. 12. Two are better than one b/c , just as there will be times when you will need help w/ work; just there will be times when you will fall down; just as there will be times when you will be out in the cold; there will be times in life when you will be attacked.
- Personal attacks
o People you don’t even know
? Unsigned letters – Don’t send them. I won’t even open them.
o People you know well
- Spiritual attacks
o EVERY Christ-follower will experience this.
o We have an enemy of our soul – Ephesians 6:10-12
o Your faith WILL come under attack!
? If you’re never running into the devil, it just means you’re going in the same direction.
CHURCH – The attacks WILL come – individually & corporately. And since we KNOW they are going to come, we need to make sure that we have the protection that comes from relationships within the Body of Christ.
- Gladiator movie – battle scene in the coliseum. Maximus (Russell Crowe): “Whatever comes out of these gates, we’ve got a better chance of survival if we work together…We stay together, we survive.”
