Things That Go Together/Work Together

INTRO.- Things that go together, work together, and often work well together.

ILL.- Love and marriage. A horse and carriage. Hot dogs and picnics. Hamburgers and hot dogs. Baseball and hot dogs. Hot dogs and mustard. Hamburgers and French fries. Reading and writing. Food and fellowship. Peanut butter and jelly. Hammer and nails. Salt and pepper. Christmas and caroling. Birthdays and cakes. Easter and the resurrection. Thanksgiving and food.

Most of these are good. Very good.

ILL.- Here are some people-pairs, people-partners. Romeo and Juliet. Bert and Ernie. (Sesame Street). Fred and Wilma (Flintstone). Laurel and Hardy. Abbott and Costello. Martin and Lewis. Ozzie and Harriett. Astaire and Rodgers. Fibber McGee and Molly. Amos and Andy. Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy. Jack Benny and Rochester. Matt Dillion and Chester. The Lone Ranger and Tonto. Batman and Robin. Desi and Lucy. The Captain and Tennille. George Burns and Gracie Allen. Sonny and Cher. Donny and Marie Osmond. Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. Simon and Garfunkel. JFK and Jackie. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Wyatt Earp and Doc Holiday. Brooks and Dunn.

ILL.- Consider, for example, Bud Abbott and Lou Costello. They were known as one of the greatest comedy teams in the history of show business. In my book, they were. One great thing about Abbott and Costello is that they “clean” comedians! Today’s comedians could learn from them.

What’s so great about pairs or things that go together? Just this. We were not made to go it alone in life! Why do you think God made Eve for Adam?

ILL.- Someone wrote: HOW IMPORTANT ARE YOU?

More than you think.

A rooster minus a hen equals no baby chicks.

Kellogg minus a farmer equals no corn flakes.

If the nail factory closes what good is the hammer factory?

Paderewski’s genius wouldn’t have amounted to much if the piano tuner hadn’t shown up.

A cracker maker will do better if there’s a cheese maker.

The most skillful surgeon needs the ambulance driver who delivers the patient.

Just as Rodgers needed Hammerstein you need someone and someone needs you.

Brothers and sisters, we need one another! We need one another for support, encouragement, help, etc!

John 13:34 "A new command I give you: LOVE ONE ANOTHER. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”

Rom. 12:10 “BE DEVOTED TO ONE ANOTHER in brotherly love. HONOR ONE ANOTHER above yourselves.”

Rom. 15:7 “ACCEPT ONE ANOTHER, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.”

Gal. 5:13 “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature rather, SERVE ONE ANOTHER in love.”

Eph. 4:2 “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, BEARING WITH ONE ANOTHER in love.”

I Thess. 5:11 “Therefore ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”

These scriptures and a whole lot more tell us that we need one another for help and encouragement in life. We’re in this thing together! Let’s be together! Let’s be here for one another!

PROP.- In our text, there are four groups of things that go together, which will do us a great deal of good if we let them work together.

1- Grace and peace

2- Prayer and joy

3- Preaching and giving

4- Starting and finishing

I. GRACE AND PEACE

V. 2 “Grace and peace to you from God, our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Paul’s greeting and wish for the saints at Philippi was grace and peace. God’s grace and peace.

ILL.- A lady said, “One Sunday I was teaching my Junior Church kids, ages 7 through 12, the story of Abraham pleading with the Lord not to destroy Sodom and the righteous people living there. I explained how Abraham started by asking that the city be spared if there were 50 righteous folks there, then 45, then 30, then 20.

“I continued, ‘Finally, Abraham asked that Sodom be spared if there were only ten who loved the Lord there. And what do you think God said?’ When I paused for their answer, one little boy raised his hand and said, ‘I think God said, ’Don’t push your luck!’”

We all know that God did destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. They did “push their luck” and were destroyed.

Brothers and sisters, most of us, if not all of us, “push our luck” with God. We push the limit. We test His patience. But God is the god of all grace!

I Pet. 5:10 “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”

Our God is the god of all grace. This is something that can’t be said about us.