SERMON: THREE STRANDS

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (NIV)

9 Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work:

10 If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!

11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone?

12 Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

            -- a few years ago the movie "300" came out -- a fictionalized account of the Battle of Thermopylae -- not many people, myself included, remembered the amazing story of King Leonidas and his Spartan soldiers who stood against an overwhelming Persian force led by King Xerxes of Persia during the second Persian invasion of Greece -- this was the same King Xerxes who married Esther and who is mentioned in the Book of Daniel

            -- the unified Greek army was vastly outnumbered by the Persians -- they had little chance of winning against such a massive force -- so King Leonidas positioned his men along a narrow coastal passage that restricted movement -- the idea was that the Persian army could not attack with all their men because there just wasn’t enough room -- this way, the Greeks evened the playing field and gave themselves a better chance of surviving the battle

            -- things worked well the first day, and the Greeks held their own against the vast Persian army -- but on the second day of the battle, a local resident betrayed the Greeks by showing the Persians another passage into Greece, which would allow the Persian army to outflank the Greek warriors and trap them in the very pass they were trying to hold

            -- realizing this, King Leonidas ordered a retreat of the Greek army -- and while the Greek Army was making their way to safety, Leonidas and 300 of his men stood in the gap to protect the retreating army

            -- for three days, these 300 men held off over 300,000 Persian soldiers and gave the unified Greek army time to disengage from Thermopylae and prepare new battle lines against the Persians along the flank

            -- for centuries the story of King Leonidas and his 300 Spartan soldiers has been heralded as a symbol of what it means to have the courage to stand side-by-side with your brother against overwhelming odds

            -- one thing that really stands out in the movie "300" is the way the Spartans joined together in battle -- rather than fighting as individuals, they fought as one -- moving together -- standing together -- facing the enemy together

            -- it kind of reminded me of a school of fish -- you've all seen pictures or movies where a school of fish take on the shape of a larger organism for protection -- when a predator comes against them, even though the predator is larger than any one individual, the school takes on the form of a single, unified organism -- moving together, standing together, facing the enemy together -- and sometimes the predator leaves because it thinks it is facing an enemy larger than itself

            -- it was the same way with the Battle of Thermopylae -- when the Persians advanced, they didn't advance against an army of individuals -- they advanced against a single, unified body

            -- as Steve Kamb pointed out, on the battlefield, the Spartans "always fought as one -- their actions supported and protected their brothers, and they expected the same in return" -- when enemies would attack, the Spartans would interlock their shields to form a phalanx -- an impenetrable wall that protected them from opposing armies while still allowing them to thrust out their spears against their enemies

            -- but in order for the phalanx to be effective, every man in the line had to do his part -- every man in the line had to hold up his shield and not waver, because if one shield fell, the entire phalanx would fall apart

            -- This is why Spartan warriors who lost their helmet or spear during a battle were fined -- but those who lost their shield and survived the battle were put to death upon their return -- the helmet and spear were carried for the protection of the individual, but the shield protected every man in the line -- thus the famous motto of the Spartans:  "Either come back with your shield or come back on it"¹

II.  Who's Got Your Back?

            -- this idea of standing side by side with another is not original to the Spartans -- it is also an integral part of our faith -- as God has been showing me over the last several years, Christianity is not about doctrine or theology or knowing all the right things -- Christianity is, first and foremost, about relationship -- our relationship with God -- which was restored and reconciled by Christ on the cross of Calvary -- and our relationship with others

            -- that's why Jesus told us in Matthew 18:20, "Where two or three gather in My Name, I am there" -- that verse had always bothered me -- why two or three? -- didn't Jesus tell us He was always with us and would never leave us or forsake us? -- what did He mean about Him being there if there were two or three? -- because it comes down to relationship

            -- as John Donne wrote, "No man is an island" -- we are part of a whole -- we need each other in order to live and thrive and grow and to experience the reality of Christ in our lives -- we need each other to hold us accountable -- to help us when we fall -- to keep us strong in our faith -- and we need to be there for our brothers and sisters in Christ

            -- when God appeared to Cain after he slew his brother Abel, God asked Cain where Abel was -- to which Cain famously replied, "Am I my brother's keeper?" -- and the simple answer to that is, "Yes -- yes, you are"

            -- we recognize this need for each other -- this need for relationship -- when someone joins the church -- as part of the liturgy and the process for bringing someone into the body of Christ, we ask the church to make a covenant with that person -- to commit to standing with them just as King Leonidas and the Spartans stood side by side in the pass of Thermopylae -- we ask the church to be there for this new convert -- to support their walk of faith -- to help them grow -- to hold them accountable -- to have their back

            -- this is biblical -- this is obedience to Christ's command to love our neighbor as ourselves -- to love them as we would be loved -- and this is sorely lacking in our churches and in our world today, especially in the midst of this pandemic

            -- people are lonely -- people feel alone -- they feel as if no one else cares -- as if no one else is standing with them -- even before the pandemic hit, we were in the midst of a loneliness crisis in America -- despite all our social media -- despite Facebook and Twitter and all the rest, Americans -- and especially the younger generations -- felt alone and lost in this world

            -- that’s why Facebook became so popular in the first place -- it's because Facebook revolves around friendship -- you don't have members -- you have friends -- and more than anything else, people desire friendship -- they want relationships in their lives -- they want to know someone else is there -- that someone else cares

            -- several years ago, the evangelist Luis Palau was doing a crusade, and he thought it would it be interesting to see what the true needs of the audience were -- to preach on a subject they were concerned about -- to reach their real need through the word of God -- the overwhelming response:  preach about loneliness

            -- the fact is we need each other -- we have to have others in our lives -- we have to be there for them -- and we need them to be there for us -- and we have to do a better job in the church making sure everyone understands the need for this type of relationship

            -- a lot of people were concerned that during the pandemic, the problem of loneliness would get even worse -- but when they went back and asked people how they were doing, scientists were amazed that people were actually doing better than before the pandemic -- do you know why?

            -- it’s because the pandemic forced people to reach out to others -- it forced them to text and to call and to check in on family and friends to see how they were doing -- it made people aware that they were not alone -- and that there was someone who cared -- someone who was going to stand with them during this hard time -- that is something that all of us need

            -- Solomon makes that point quite clear here in this passage in Ecclesiastes as he tells us the benefits of having a friend to stand with you in life -- so let's look back at it again right now in a little more detail and see what we can learn about being the church through our relationships with others -- not just during the pandemic, but always

            -- Ecclesiastes Chapter 4, starting at verse 9

Ecclesiastes 4:9

9 Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work:

            -- the first thing we see in this passage is that a friend shares the load -- Solomon says that two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work

            -- this idea of sharing the work with someone else has always been hard for me -- ya'll know I'm introverted and, as an introvert, I prefer to work alone -- I feel I'm at my best when I'm fully engaged in a project by myself

            -- and that's why there's no words that strike fear in my hearts like being at a training class and hearing, "Everybody partner up with one or two other people to work on this example" -- as a general rule, I just don't like to work in small groups -- I probably need one of those T-shirts that says, "Doesn't play well with others"

            -- but over the years I've learned that my natural bent is wrong -- although I do like to work by myself on most projects, there is no question that Solomon's advice here is spot on -- sharing the load multiplies the result -- you can simply get more done with another person working with you than either of you could working independently on your own

            -- when I was laying the floor in our living room a few years ago, I had the idea that I would do it all by myself -- but I found out I couldn't -- I needed help to lay out the pattern and get the boards lined up correctly and to hold the initial boards down until everything was locked into place -- I had a friend come over to help me -- and together we managed to get quite a bit of floor laid that first day -- he couldn't be there the next day, so I kept going on my own, but I didn’t get as much done by myself as I did when he helped

            -- this is true in work and in our spiritual lives -- it is the holistic principle -- the whole is greater than the sum of its parts -- in other words, when two or three or more are gathered, they can do so much more than they could alone -- Jesus knew this -- that's why Jesus made us dependent on other people -- that’s why He created us with the desire and need for relationship -- that's why He created the church to be formed through relationship with Him and with others

            -- we need others to share in God's work if we are to be who Jesus called us to be

            -- verse 10

Ecclesiastes 4:10 (NIV)

10 If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!

            -- a friend serves and supports -- Solomon says pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up -- this verse speaks of accountability and reconciliation -- this verse speaks to our need to have our brother's back and to make sure someone is watching our back -- this verse makes it clear we need to keep our shields together and interlocked

            -- in Galatians 6:1, Paul counsels us to keep an eye out on our brothers and sisters in the faith -- and if we see them falling -- if we see them caught in a sin -- then we are to go to them and help them and restore them back into relationship with the church again

            -- think about those old cheesy commercials where the woman falls down in the bathroom and says, "Help, I've fallen down and I can't get up" -- luckily, she had the life alert necklace on and was able to reach someone who could come and rescue her

            -- that's the purpose of the church -- to be on life alert and to serve and support those in the church who are in need -- spiritually, physically, and materially

            -- verse 11

Ecclesiastes 4:11 (NIV)

11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone?

            -- in this verse we once again see how the body of Christ has to come together to live -- Solomon says that one person cannot keep warm -- they need someone else to come and lay with them

            -- do you remember the letter from Jesus to the church of Ephesus in the Book of Revelation? -- what was their problem? -- their love had grown cold -- they had lost their first love and they had distanced themselves from the heart of Christianity

            -- Jesus counseled them to go back and do the things they did at first -- to love as they had previously loved -- to join together so the fire would be lit again

            -- when it comes to spirituality, there is no doubt we need each other to stay on fire for God -- you cannot be a true Christian alone -- you have to be in a relationship with another person -- you have to hear what God is doing in their lives -- you have to share with them in their burdens -- you have to know what path they are walking -- you have to do life with them

            -- that's what Solomon is saying here -- you need each other in order to survive -- physically and spiritually -- walking closely with the church and with other believers keeps you warm and growing in the faith

            -- verse 12

Ecclesiastes 4:12 (NIV)

12 Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

            -- finally, Solomon tells us a friend secures us -- a friend defends us -- a friend has our back -- when you read this verse, think of the King Leonidas and his 300 Spartans standing toe-to-toe against 300,000 Persians and holding out for two days -- not because they were superior fighters -- not because they had better weapons or better training -- but simply because each of them had their neighbor's back -- the shields did not waver and the line held strong

            -- that should be the picture of the church of Christ in our world today -- men and women of faith standing side by side for Christ and for each other against the evil in this land and the evil that tempts us daily

            -- now what this means in light of today's message is that we need to stand with our brothers and sisters in prayer when they are under attack -- to hold up our shield of faith -- to lift up our sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God -- and defend them during their time of need

            -- by themselves they may be overpowered, but when two or three are gathered in the name of Jesus -- when two or three come together and pray in God's will and stand for each other -- they can defend themselves

            -- this is one reason why I am such a big proponent of accountability groups -- I first got involved in an accountability group through Promise Keepers -- when we first moved down here, I would get together with a group of guys for breakfast once a week -- we’d read scripture -- we’d talk about how things were going -- we’d talk about our successes and our failures -- and then we’d pray for each other and commit to being there for each other, no matter what

            -- this group stayed together for years -- I’m still friends with several of them on Facebook -- and we still talk from time to time

            -- there’s other groups like this -- the Emmaus Reunion Groups were formed for this same purpose -- for men and women to meet and to hold each other up -- to support each other in times of need -- in Kairos, we strongly encourage the prisoners to get together with several other men to help stay strong in that evil place

            -- we see this modeled for us in Scripture -- as Paul would meet with Timothy and Titus and Barnabas -- they would travel together and hold each other up

            -- John Wesley picked up this idea with his Methodist Bands -- a group of men or women who would meet each week to talk about their lives and how they were doing together

            -- it doesn’t matter what you call it, you need it -- we all need it -- that’s what we read here in this passage -- that’s what we see in the Bible -- if you’re not in a small group of Christians who you meet with on a regular basis -- even if it’s just by phone -- you need to get in a group and start forming those relationships -- it’s vital to your spiritual health

            -- Solomon ends his point about needing Christian friends in your life with this final thought -- a cord of three strands is not quickly broken -- all through this passage, he has been talking about two people -- a person and their friend -- sharing -- serving -- supporting -- and securing each other

            -- so what is this third strand which just suddenly appears? -- it's Christ -- as He said, when two or three gather in my name, I am there with them

            -- it is impossible for us to walk as a friend in the way Solomon encourages without the empowering presence of Christ in our lives -- we just cannot be there for each other without Jesus walking alongside

            -- the bottom line message for all of this is we need each other and we need Christ

III.  Closing

-- let me close by sharing with you a story that really points out our need to join hands with others in our daily lives -- spiritually, physically, and materially

-- years ago, a beautiful little girl wandered out into the countryside of Canada in the midst of winter and got lost -- when the girl's parent discovered she was missing, they immediately began searching for her -- but they didn't have any luck -- the terrain was too rough and the area was too large

-- they notified the town and all the townspeople started looking for her -- but everyone had a different idea on where she might have gone, so people wandered off in different directions calling her name and looking for where she might have gone

-- as the sun started to set and the temperatures really started to drop, everyone gathered back at the home of the lost little girl -- no one had seen a thing -- no one had any idea where she might have gone -- one young man made a suggestion -- "Why don't we search in the grassy fields across the road from the house?  If we all join hands and form a line, we can cover a lot more ground." 

-- They all thought that was a good idea, so they joined hands and began to walk -- it wasn't too long before they found the girl in the tall grass of the field curled up in a ball, but it was too late -- he girl had been out in the cold air too long and had passed away

-- at the funeral a few days later the townspeople all seemed to express the same emotion -- after paying their respects to her parents, many of them could be seen huddled together in small groups, heads hanging and whispering, "If only we had joined hands earlier."

-- as we leave here today, I want to challenge you -- if you’re not in a small group of Christians who meet together regularly, then I want you to find a group to join this week -- if you can’t find a group, then make one

-- I was just invited to join a Methodist Band a couple of weeks ago -- and I found out there is an app that you can download to your smartphone that helps you get together with other Christians -- it’s based on Wesley’s format for his bands, and it’s a good way to start

-- just search for “Discipleship Bands” in your Appstore and download it -- it’s by Seedbed, a Methodist-related group -- once you install it, you can invite your friends to join -- there’s daily readings in there and there’s a chat function -- and then you can use it together when you meet in person

-- you don’t have to use an app like this, but you do need to be in a group -- you need to find a group of people who can stand with you in the gap -- who can support you when times are tough -- who can hold you accountable -- and who you can do the same for

-- it will make a world of difference in your spiritual life

-- let us pray

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1  Steve Kamb, Nerd Fitness: http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2014/09/15/the-oath-of-the-nerd-fitness-rebellion/

Note:  Topic headings for sermon modified from sermon by Eyriche Cortez, "I Can Count on You," http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/i-can-count-on-you-eyriche-cortez-sermon-on-friendship-general-107970.asp