9- "Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour."
10- "For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up."
11- "Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone?"
12- "And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken."
Ecclesiastes which was written by King Solomon talks about a principal which says that two are better than one. And Solomon under the influence of the Holy Spirit pens these words and explains why two are better than one. In verse 10 he says that if the one falls, then the other will be there to lift up the fallen. He says that if you are alone, "woe to him", because he has no one to help him up.
Tonight we are here at this "couples banquet" and that means that those of you that are here tonight can understand this principle of "Two are better than one."
In Mark 6:7 the Bible says,
"And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two."
In Luke 10:1 the Bible also says,
"After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come."
Many times in the Old and New Testaments you see God working through this principle of "Two are better than one."
Paul often traveled on his missionary journeys with an accomplice such as Barnabus, Silas, and Luke. You have Moses and Aaron, Joshua and Caleb, David and Jonathan, Elijah and Elisha, and on and on. And if you are a married couple or an engaged couple tonight than you also can appreciate this principle.
We say that the Lord's work cannot be done without the Lord and in His power and might, but we know that the ministry also requires faithful Spirit filled believers who can work together for the Lord.
Solomon also said this in Proverbs 11:14,
"Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety."
I want to look quickly at three areas where two are better than one tonight so that we can better appreciate what the Lord has done in each of our lives.
#1) Two are better than one in Intercession:
Ecclesiastes 4:10 says again,
""For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up."
We that are saved, born again children of God know that it is a special privilege that we have as God's children to be able to boldly come before the throne of Grace with our petitions. But how much more powerful can we be when we have two or more praying together and interceding on behalf of each other. (Mention the family revival meeting and the prayer vigil held the Saturday before and how the Lord blessed in the meetings)
-The Disciples were together praying on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came and indwelt the believers in Acts.
-They were all praying together when Peter was in jail and came to the door of the house after God broke him out of prison.
-When threatened and beaten by the Sanhedrin, the disciples prayed and received great boldness from the Lord to continue preaching in Jesus' name.
-Paul & Silas prayed and praised God in jail and the jailer and his house were saved.
If you are a married couple here tonight, you need to pray alone and spend time alone in prayer, but you also need to pray together and for one another. Two are better than one in intercessory prayer! Believers & Churches need to get back to all night prayer meetings and to prayer and fasting and get back to getting a hold of God in prayer.
#2) Two are better than one in Ministry:
Ecclesiastes 4:9 says,
"Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour."
Solomon calls it labor. It means hard work. The ministry is not easy. It requires labor and laborers. Amen. The pastor needs help. Amen.
Ephesians 4:11-12 says,
"And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:"
God gave pastors and teachers as gifts to the New Testament church for the purpose of perfecting the saints for the "work" of the ministry! As pastors we are accountable to the Lord for our ministry to the saints but we also are trying to perfect the saints to help in the work of the ministry. It’s not a one man show! We must all participate in the work of the ministry so that we may all be edifying or building up the body of Christ!
One man can do only so much work and a lot of new churches are started by one man and his wife or one man and a couple of families, but in the ministry as with most other labors, two are better than one. It takes work to accomplish the edifying of the body of Christ.
Look at what the Bible says is the goal of the ministry in Ephesians 4:13,
"Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ."
The Bible says that the success of our ministry is how many believers we see become more like Jesus. Amen! And it requires the prayers and the work of more than one person.
#3) Two are better than one in Marriage:
God Himself saw that it was not good for Adam to be alone. In Genesis 2:18 the Bible says,
"And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him."
Ecclesiastes 4:10 says,
"For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up."
Sometimes in the course of life we have times that we fall or we feel we are about to falter and it is during those times that we have our spouse there to encourage us and lift us up from our pit of despair. Two are better than one in marriage. If you have been married for any length of time you can probable think back to many occasions when you were thankful that you had a loving spouse to help you together get through the difficult times in life. Of course, we know that we could do nothing without the Lord and ultimately it is Him that gets us through the trials and testings in life, but we also know that God has ordained through marriage a support system of a husband or a wife to be there and go through this life together as the Bible says,
"heirs together of the grace of life."
I thank God for my wife and I can't imagine going through life alone and without a Godly mate that the Lord has given me. Two are better than one in marriage! If you are married tonight and your spouse is saved, you need to thank and praise Him for giving you someone to help lift you up when you are fallen.
Story:
He was from South Carolina and all this Baptist preacher ever wanted in life was to provide leadership to a Bible College. All his life, he worked for the position and eventually attained it. As he fulfilled his life's dream and vocation, the disease of Alzheimer's struck his dear wife. Her health degenerated to the point where he could not possibly take care of her and work his full-time job. The preacher came to a decision—to give up his position as president of the Bible College. All he’s ever worked and longed for, he must now give up to take care of his dear wife. His peers were incredulous. They said to him, "What are you doing?" they asked. "Your wife doesn’t even know who you are!"
The preacher/Bible college president/husband answered and said, "She might not know who I am, but I know who she is. She’s the woman I made a promise to until death do us part."
I had the privilege early in my life to watch several people that loved each other help to lift up their fallen spouses in times of great need.
Both of my grandmother’s took care of my grandfathers when they became ill and couldn’t take care of themselves any longer. They didn't put them away in a home or in the hospital, (and sometimes that can't be avoided), but they put a hospital bed in the home where they could help and take care of them and love them in their last days here on earth.
Two are better than one in intercession.
Two are better than one in ministry.
And yes two are better than one in marriage.
Enjoy your spouse that God has given you and learn to love and appreciate this principle in your life.
Humor:
Now I can't find this in the Bible, but perhaps you’ve heard the story about how God created Eve. One day in the garden God was talking with Adam. He said, "You really need a helper, don't you?" And Adam answered, "Yeah, I really do."
So God said, "What if I make a woman for you? She'll be perfect for you. She'll be beautiful. She'll rub your back at night, & massage your feet in the morning. She'll plop grapes into your mouth. She'll prepare all your favorite meals without fail. She'll clean up the kitchen & take care of the kids. You'll never have to do a thing, just sit around & be the king of your castle."
Adam said, "God, that sounds great, but how much is all this going to cost?" God said, "Well, it's pretty expensive. It will cost you an arm & a leg."
Adam thought for a moment & then asked, "How much can I get for a rib?"
Humor:
A bride was very nervous. It was right before the service. She wasn’t sure she could even walk down aisle. Her mother gave her some words of calming wisdom. She said to her. "Honey, there's only three things you need to focus on. If you focus on these three things, you’ll be fine. The first is walking down the aisle. Just focus on walking down the aisle of the church. I know its rather long, but just concentrate on that. Don't get caught up with those on either side of the aisle. Just focus on getting to the end of the aisle.
Next, focus on the altar. It is your destination today. Make your way down the aisle to the altar. There you will stand before God with the man you love and will make vows to God and him. He will also make vows to you. Focus on the altar that represents the love God has for you in Jesus Christ.
Lastly, focus on the hymn that the soloist will sing. In poetry and song, the hymn embodies God’s love for you in Christ, your love for your husband and his love for you. So, to help you not be so nervous, focus on those three things. Walking down the aisle, standing before the altar and listening to the hymn.
"The bride was very thankful to her mom for her words of advice. When the moment came for the bride to be escorted in, family and friends gathered and watched as she walked down the aisle and noticed a look of calm determination on her face. But as she passed them, they began to chuckle quietly. For along with the look of calm determination, she was mumbling three words over and over to help calm her nerves. As she passed them, this is what they heard her saying, "Aisle, Altar, Hymn... Aisle, Altar, Hymn... Aisle, Altar, Hymn."...