Together
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Better: Together
18 The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”
Alone
In the last 20 years “the number of people saying there is no one with whom they discuss important matters nearly tripled.” - Duke University Study
24.6 percent of people report they have no one they trust in family or nonfamily – that’s one in four Americans. - Duke University Study
All of those statistics are pre-Covid. Every single one of them is significantly worse today than it was four years ago. That is the world that we’re living in.
“Humans are not wired to live alone. The impulse for social connection – though it is stronger in some people than others – is rooted in the basic urge to survive. The need is so great, it is reflected in our neural wiring. It has more in common with hunger, thirst, and pain than it does with mental illness. It signals that something is wrong and needs to be corrected.” - Survey of Isolation in America
And so, if you’re here, and you’re an introvert, and you’re thinking, “Man, that’s my wiring. That’s who I am.” Here’s what I would say to you: You have more to learn from this message than others because it’s going to make you uncomfortable. And that is to say, it’s going to push you toward growth.
In Christ - what does than mean? To be in Christ, first of all, means that we have a saving relationship with Christ and are brought into union and communion with Him. His Spirit lives within us.
we - Me becomes we. And how they say it in the south “And we be family”. Then Paul continues to use the word picture of a body and how we are all connected.
5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
1. We are better together when we stay connected to the body.
16 He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.
2. We are better together when we do our part.
16 He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.
it helps the other parts grow
3. We are better together because we help each other to grow.
"There can be no maturity in the spiritual life, no obedience in following Jesus, no wholeness in the Christian life, apart from an immersion in, and embrace of, community. I am not myself by myself." - Eugene Peterson
16 He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.
so that - full of love
4. If we are not together how can we get better?
I had a friend that shared how much it meant to him and how he grew when an older man he respected in the church pulled him aside one Sunday and coached him up. When the old man went home. The younger man did not fill in the gap for the next generation on men.
9 Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed.
5. We are better together because together we can do more.
I can bench press 100 pounds, and you can bench press 100 pounds. But together, you would think that we would lift 200 pounds, but we can actually lift 300 pounds. There’s a multiplier there. We are more productive together.
This is why some of you are so tired and fatigued.
6. We are better together when we take interest in each others lives.
4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.
Does anyone here know who has the highest career batting average in baseball? Ty Cobb is the correct answer.
He’s an incredible competitor. His teammates said that he had a maniacal will to succeed. Some say he’s the greatest player ever to play baseball.
He held 90 major league baseball records for half a century. He still has many today, including the highest batting average, most steals at home, most batting titles, and he died with a net worth over $200M.
And, on his deathbed, he said, audibly and out loud, “I wish I had more friends.” At his funeral, he’s got millions in the bank account, but three friends showed up. That wasn’t enough to carry him into a room in a box. Ty Cobb won at baseball; he lost at life. You know why Ty Cobb won at baseball? Because he wanted it SO bad! Sometimes you get everything you want: he wanted to win, he wanted to compete, he wanted those titles, he wanted to hold some record long after his life.
1 Keep being concerned about each other as the Lord’s followers should.
7. Better together means being concerned about each other.
NIV - Keep on loving
10 If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.
8. We are better together when trouble hits.
I don’t need anyone. You are right, until you do.
9. We are better together in the highs and lows of life.
26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.
15 Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep.
Be happy with / weep with
5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
so in Christ
The best better together is the most important together and it is being in community with Jesus.
Key Idea: We are better together because God created and wired us to be in community.
READ:
9 Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: 10 If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.
Small Group Questions:
Describe a time in your life when you were a part of a winning team. What made it a winning team? What part did you have in it? How did it make you feel to be on that team?
Ecclesiastes 4:9 states that “two are better than one”. Share a story or example on how you know this to be true.
In verse 10 it says, “if either of them falls down, one can help the other up”. When was a time you had to help pick someone else up or they helped pick you up? How did it make you feel that you or they were there to help in a time of need?
Verse 10 also mentions “But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up”. Can you share about someone you know that had nobody to help in their time of need? What are some of the reasons why they did not have anyone?
What are some of the reasons or excuses people use for not building relationships with other?
Eugene Peterson once said "There can be no maturity in the spiritual life, no obedience in following Jesus, no wholeness in the Christian life, apart from an immersion in, and embrace of, community. I am not myself by myself." Do you agree or disagree? Why? What do you think he meant by “I am not myself by myself”?