Greater TWOgether

Sermon Text: Eccl 4: 9 (a) Two are better than one… 

Sermon Title: Greater Twogether

Point 1: Two Pays vs. 9 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil   Study Tools

Solomon points out a simple fact. Two people can make more than one person. Two people can produce more than one person. Two people can get more done than one person. Going through life by yourself cuts in half what you could make and accomplish had you had a partner with you.

Point 2: Two Lifts vs10 For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow [friend] But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!

Clearly Solomon knows something about this. He was the lone ranger. He was left to himself with his wisdom, but that wasn’t enough. So when he fell in relationship after relationship there was no one to hold him accountable.

Point 3: Two Warms vs 11 Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone?

Solomon is clearly talking about a deep abiding relationship in verse 11. Warming implies two who are together not sexually but intimately. Solomon, although he is highly sexual, with 700 wives, that’s not what he is talking about here. You can be sexual without being intimate. The text implies an intimacy in a closely bonded relationship. Intimacy is a part of a relationship when you are vulnerable, transparent and willing to be yourself. You warm one another with your words and deeds.

Point 4: Two Wins vs 12 A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken

We are designed to win. But we cannot win by ourselves and without growing. Solomon ultimately lost and declared everything vanity because he tried to live life alone and he didn’t grow. Spiritual growth happens more readily in the context of growing relationships. As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17—NIV 2011)

Paul put it this way in Gal 6: 2 Carry one another’s burdens. The Greek means carry what they cannot carry then you both cross the finish line winners.

Life Application:

1.  Register for a life group 8 weeks will change your life

2.   Decide now you will change someone’s life by doing life together

3.   Without Jesus you are alone accept him today

A New Day for NewLife!

Sermon Title: A New Day for NewLife!

Moving checklist


New life to do list for new wine for new wine skins


1. Stay together Genesis 11:6 6 The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.


2. Keep the main thing the main thing Matthew 6:34 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.


3. Give like never before Hagai 1:5 5 Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways.


4. Disciples like it's the day before Jesus return Matthew 28:19 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,


5. Finish what we started Philippians 1:6 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.


6. A new life forward I will do a new thing 2 Corinthians 5:17  17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:[a] The old has gone, the new is here!


7. Just do it James 2:18 18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.


8. Remember the fight we are more than conquerors 1 Corinthians 15:57 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 8:37, 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

Seasons Don’t Determine Blessings, Seeds Do!

Sermon Text: Genesis 26:1-6 1Now there was a famine in the land—besides the previous famine in Abraham’s time—and Isaac went to Abimelek king of the Philistines in Gerar. 2 The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. 3 Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham. 4 I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring[a] all nations on earth will be blessed,[b] 5 because Abraham obeyed me and did everything I required of him, keeping my commands, my decrees and my instructions.” 6 So Isaac stayed in Gerar.12 Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the Lord blessed him. 13 The man became rich, and his wealth continued to grow until he became very wealthy. 14 He had so many flocks and herds and servants that the Philistines envied him. 15 So all the wells that his father’s servants had dug in the time of his father Abraham, the Philistines stopped up, filling them with earth.

Sermon Title: Seasons Don’t Determine Blessings, Seeds Do!

1: Embrace the nature of the seed: Gen 8:22 “As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.”

Galatians 6:7 7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.

(a) The principle of the seed

- It has a command on it
- It does not recognize race, gender, or ethnicity
- It activated the earth
- It’s not obligated beyond opportunity
- It’s constrained by the sower
- It’s size determined the harvest

2.  You must plant no matter the season vs1 1Now there was a famine in the land—besides the previous famine in Abraham’s time—and Isaac went to Abimelek king of the Philistines in Gerar.

3. You have to plant what you have to get what you want vs12 12 Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the Lord blessed him.  

4. You have to plant with expectation vs13 13 The man became rich, and his wealth continued to grow until he became very wealthy.

Conclusion: Isaac planted and was blessed beyond measure.  Sunday we will plant and be blessed beyond measure.

 

The Male Factor!

Sermon Text: Genesis 1: 27 So God created man in his own image in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

Sermon Title: The Male Factor!

Point 1: Seed Carrier vs 27 …in the image of God he created them…

The good news is because he expects that he will give us the grace through Jesus Christ to be like him. Paul put it this way in Romans 8: 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son… (30) And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. Brothers you and I are God’s image in the earth and he wants to glorify us through Jesus Christ. That’s important because our children should see Christ in us. Another way to put it is we have to watch how we carry ourselves because we are carrying generations within us.

Point 2: Seed Planter vs. 27…Be fruitful and multiply…

The biblical story is Samson Judges 14: 2 …I have seen a Philistine woman…now get her for me as my wife (3) His father and mother replied, “Isn’’t there an acceptable woman among your relatives or among your people? Must you go to the uncircumcised Philistines to get a wife?” The rest is history. Men your seed is a legacy. Fredrick Douglass said it is easier to build strong children that repair a broken man.

Paul put it this way Ephesians 5: 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her (26) to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, (27) and present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or blemish, but holy and blameless. (28) In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. (29) After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church-- 

Point 3: Seed Caretaker 2: 15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.

Paul put it this way in Ephesians 6: 4 Fathers, do not provoke your children; instead bring them up in training and instruction of the Lord. Men because we don’t talk as much our words, when spoken, can be like center blocks. They can build up or tear things down. Every time you speak men know that you are sharpening a weapon. Psalms 127: 4 says children are arrows in the hands of a warrior. You must take care to speak words that sharpen your children to become a weapon to kill the Enemy.

Conclusion

Stop Drop and Pray on the Road to Jericho

Sermon Text: Joshua 6:1-16 - Now the gates of Jericho were securely barred because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in.

2 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. 3 March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. 4 Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. 5 When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up, everyone straight in.” 6 So Joshua son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant of the Lord and have seven priests carry trumpets in front of it.” 7 And he ordered the army, “Advance! March around the city, with an armed guard going ahead of the ark of the Lord.” 8 When Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests carrying the seven trumpets before the Lord went forward, blowing their trumpets, and the ark of the Lord’s covenant followed them. 9 The armed guard marched ahead of the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard followed the ark. All this time the trumpets were sounding. 10 But Joshua had commanded the army, “Do not give a war cry, do not raise your voices, do not say a word until the day I tell you to shout. Then shout!” 11 So he had the ark of the Lord carried around the city, circling it once. Then the army returned to camp and spent the night there. 12 Joshua got up early the next morning and the priests took up the ark of the Lord. 13 The seven priests carrying the seven trumpets went forward, marching before the ark of the Lord and blowing the trumpets. The armed men went ahead of them and the rear guard followed the ark of the Lord, while the trumpets kept sounding. 14 So on the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. They did this for six days.15 On the seventh day, they got up at daybreak and marched around the city seven times in the same manner, except that on that day they circled the city seven times. 16 The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the army, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the city!

Sermon Title: Stop Drop and Pray on the Road to Jericho

How do you Spell Jericho?  Vs1, 2 1 Now the gates of Jericho were securely barred because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in. 2 Then the LORD said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men.

You got me Going in Circles vs. 15 - 15 On the seventh day, they got up at daybreak and marched around the city seven times in the same manner, except that on that day they circled the city seven times.

Shout it Out – vs. 20 – When the people heard the sound of the rams’ horns, they shouted as loud as they could.  Suddenly the walls of Jericho collapsed, and the Israelites charged straight into the town and captured it.  

Application: 

1.   Spell out your Jericho

2.   Join the conference call to pray every weekday morning next week (instructions in the bulletin)

3.   Commit to one night of prayer the week leading up to Jericho Sunday

Where there is a Wall there is a Way!

Sermon Text: Joshua 6: 16 And at the seventh time, when the priest had blown the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, “Shout, for the Lord has given you the city

Sermon Title: Where there is a Wall there is a Way!

Point 1: God has given us an assignment vs. 1 Now Jericho was shut up inside and outside because of the people of Israel. None went out, and none came in.

Jericho was an Oasis and the first city the Children of Israel had to conquer. It was known for its palm trees and below sea level climate. It is one the oldest fortified cities in the Near East. The Hebrew word for Jericho sounds like the word moon which theologian think it refers to the city being the center for Canaanite moon goddess worship. Therefore, its defeat would mean the Israelite God could defeat one of the Canaanite gods…

The assignment was to possess the Promised Land and what the enemy will confuse you on is dealing with the battle you have in front of you. In biblical writing and ancient times the first battle was always detailed while the following battles were simply summarized or listed. In other words, the first battle was supposed to be an example of how God was going to move throughout. Bigger than the battle is the ASSIGNMENT! God has given the Children a 470-year-old assignment. The assignment—possess the Promised Land…the Wall of Jericho is just in the way of carrying out the assignment…

Point 2: You must be armed and dangerous vs. 9 The armed men were walking before the priest who were blowing the trumpets and the rear guard was walking after the ark, while the trumpets blew continually.

Notice how the men are armed and ready to fight. Notice how they are positioned in front and bringing up the rear. These are positions of warfare. This isn’t just a mere formation for blowing trumpets as we often think when we read this text. This is fighting formation…

Point 3: With every assignment, there is an assurance vs 16 And at the seventh time, when the priests had blown the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, “Shout for the Lord has given you the city.”

The main reason it came down is in verse 2 And the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have given Jericho into your hand,” If you notice vs 16 there is quotation marks. Why? Because Joshua had the people to repeat what God told him in verse 2. These are not Joshua words, but God’s words they are shouting. God had given them the assurance they would win the battle of Jericho before they ever fought the battle of Jericho…

Life Application:

1.  Follow the instructions God gives in his word

2.  Keep the faith no matter what

3.  Fight for what God has given you and New Life to do

Fabulous Family Friday - Winning Love

1 Corinthians 13:4-8, 13 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails…13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Winning love in a family must be shown freely. Love is the engine that makes the marriage/family go. Whether you are part of a blended family, traditional family, single-parent family, functional or dysfunctional, love is the core of every one of them.  It can cover a multitude of wrong. 

Winning love is agape commitment/giving.  It is patient and kind or courteous – as we have always heard - you get more bees with honey!  It does not envy – don’t worry about the family next door and what they have – do you and your family.  Build up from your family assignment and don’t worry about your friends and their kids.  Watch boasting – with social media sometimes, our kudos and good news can mimic boasting and sometimes boasting backfires in the family – especially when it puts added pressure on a spouse or child.   

Love, winning love that is is not rude…does not interrupt; overtalk; overcorrect; nag or split hairs with one another. It does not keep records…record keeping will change love into competition for love.  Tit for tat never works when you are keeping score of good or bad things.  Throw away the foul book you may be carrying around.  You never get out of the penalty box when you can pull out your foul book at any given time with record keeping.  Forgive and FORGET.  Winning love is not easily angered.  The thing about anger is it’s a secondary emotion to fear, frustration, and hurt.  If it is left unchecked it will destroy winning love.  Deal with those emotions of fear and frustrations by communicating with one another so it will not turn into a bigger problem.  Winning love always protects.  It protects physically, emotionally and spiritually.   Love always trusts.  KJV states it believes all things.  This doesn’t mean winning love is gullible, it means love finds a way to believe or wants to believe.  Love always hopes.  Hope is the emotion behind agape/commitment.  This love sees the glass half full.  It has on the rose colored glasses when needed to find the light at the end of a tunnel to encourage another member of the family.  Finally winning love always preserves!  It won’t give up, won’t give in or won’t give out on mom or dad, husband or wife, children or siblings, aunties or uncles, etc.  It’s a fabulous family Friday to show winning love and in so doing – we all win!