Stronger Than Ever: Better Together: Ecclesiastes 4

 

1. Problem – We feel alone

Again, I saw futility under the sun: 8 There is a person without a companion, without even a son or brother, and though there is no end to all his struggles, his eyes are still not content with riches. “Who am I struggling for,” he asks, “and depriving myself of good things?” This too is futile and a miserable task.
Ecclesiastes 4:7-8 (CSB)

2. Solution—God created us for relationships

Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their efforts.
Ecclesiastes 4:9 (CSB)

3. Why?

A. Effectiveness

Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their efforts.
Ecclesiastes 4:9 (CSB)

B. Perseverance

For if either falls, his companion can lift him up; but pity the one who falls without another to lift him up.
Ecclesiastes 4:10 (CSB)

Brothers, if someone is caught in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual should restore such a person with a gentle spirit, watching out for yourselves so you won’t be tempted also.
Galatians 6:1 (CSB)

C. Comfort Each Other

Also, if two lie down together, they can keep warm; but how can one person alone keep warm?
Ecclesiastes 4:11 (CSB)

Do not be misled: “bad company corrupts good character.”
1 Corinthians 15:33 (CSB)

Be angry and do not sin. Don’t let the sun go down on your anger.
Ephesians 4:26 (CSB)

D. Protection

And if someone overpowers one person, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not easily broken.
Ecclesiastes 4:12 (CSB)

source https://edgechurchcolorado.com/stronger-than-ever-better-together-ecclesiastes-4/

Stronger Than Ever: Increase The Peace: 2 Thessalonians 3:16

 

May the Lord of peace himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with all of you.
2 Thessalonians 3:16 (CSB)

1. God Is The Lord of Peace

May the Lord of peace himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with all of you.
2 Thessalonians 3:16 (CSB)

The God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.
Romans 16:20 (KJV)

Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you.
Hebrews 13:20-21 (NIV)

The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace.
Psalm 29:11 (NIV)

2. The Lord Gives Me Peace

May the Lord of peace himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with all of you.
2 Thessalonians 3:16 (CSB)

Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Don’t let your heart be troubled or fearful.
John 14:27 (CSB)

May the Lord of peace himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with all of you.
2 Thessalonians 3:16 (CSB)

3. The Lord Gives Me Peace In All Circumstances

May the Lord of peace himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with all of you.
2 Thessalonians 3:16 (CSB)

WHEN I’M WORRIED

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT)

WHEN I’M IRRITATED

Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord.
Hebrews 12:14 (NLT)

WHEN I’M DISTRACTED

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock. 
Isaiah 26:3-4 (NLT)

4. The Lord Gives Peace To All

May the Lord of peace himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with all of you.
2 Thessalonians 3:16 (CSB)

source https://edgechurchcolorado.com/stronger-than-ever-increase-the-peace-2-thessalonians-316/

Stronger Than Ever: Stronger Than Fear: Psalm 34:4

 

I sought the Lord, and he answered me and rescued me from all my fears.
Psalm 34:4 (CSB)

1. I Sought Him

I sought the Lord, and he answered me and rescued me from all my fears.
Psalm 34:4 (CSB)

Young lions lack food and go hungry, but those who seek the Lord will not lack any good thing.
Psalm 34:10 (CSB)

Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jecoliah; she was from Jerusalem. 4 He did what was right in the Lord’s sight just as his father Amaziah had done. 5 He sought God throughout the lifetime of Zechariah, the teacher of the fear of God. During the time that he sought the Lord, God gave him success.
2 Chronicles 26:5 (CSB)

But when he became strong, he grew arrogant, and it led to his own destruction.
2 Chronicles 26:16 (CSB)

2. He Answered Me

I sought the Lord, and he answered me and rescued me from all my fears.
Psalm 34:4 (CSB)

For the LORD God is a sun and shield. The LORD grants favor and honor; he does not withhold the good from those who live with integrity.
Psalm 84:11 (CSV)

But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.
James 1:6-7 (NIV)

3. He Delivered Me

I sought the Lord, and he answered me and rescued me from all my fears.
Psalm 34:4 (CSB)

Give, and it will be given to you; a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over—will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”
Luke 6:38 (CSB)

The Lord is for me; I will not be afraid.  What can a mere mortal do to me?
Psalm 118:6

In every situation take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
Ephesians 6:16 (CSB)

source https://edgechurchcolorado.com/stronger-than-ever-stronger-than-fear-psalm-344/

Stronger Than Ever: Muscle From The Red Sea Part 2: Exodus 14:15-31

 

1. The Lord Says…GET READY

The Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to break camp. 16 As for you, lift up your staff, stretch out your hand over the sea, and divide it so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. 17 As for me, I am going to harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them, and I will receive glory by means of Pharaoh, all his army, and his chariots and horsemen.
Exodus 14:15-17 (CSB)

These all died in faith without having received the promises, but they saw them from a distance, greeted them, and confessed that they were foreigners and temporary residents on the earth.
Hebrews 11:13 (CSB)

By faith they crossed the Red Sea as though they were on dry land. When the Egyptians attempted to do this, they were drowned.
Hebrews 11:29 (CSB)

2. The Lord Acts…GET MOVING

Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. The Lord drove the sea back with a powerful east wind all that night and turned the sea into dry land. So the waters were divided,22 and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with the waters like a wall to them on their right and their left.
Exodus 14:21-22 (CSB)

3. The Lord Saves…GET EXCITED

But the Israelites had walked through the sea on dry ground, with the waters like a wall to them on their right and their left. 30 That day the Lord saved Israel from the power of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore.
Exodus 14:29-30 (CSB)

The Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to break camp.
Exodus 14:15 (CSB) 

source https://edgechurchcolorado.com/stronger-than-ever-muscle-from-the-red-sea-part-2-exodus-1415-31/

Stronger Than Ever: Muscle From The Red Sea: Exodus 13:17-14:14

 

How can I come through a crisis STRONGER THAN EVER?

1. Trust In God’s Direction

When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them along the road to the land of the Philistines, even though it was nearby; for God said, “The people will change their minds and return to Egypt if they face war.” 18 So he led the people around toward the Red Sea along the road of the wilderness. And the Israelites left the land of Egypt in battle formation. 
Exodus 13:17-18 (CSB)

2. Rely On God’s Promises

Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, because Joseph had made the Israelites swear a solemn oath, saying, “God will certainly come to your aid; then you must take my bones with you from this place.”
Exodus 13:19 (CSB)

3. Follow God’s Presence

They set out from Succoth and camped at Etham on the edge of the wilderness. 21 The Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to lead them on their way during the day and in a pillar of fire to give them light at night, so that they could travel day or night. 22 The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night never left its place in front of the people.
Exodus 13:20-22 (CSB)

4. Glorify God’s Faithfulness

Then the Lord spoke to Moses: 2 “Tell the Israelites to turn back and camp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea; you must camp in front of Baal-zephon, facing it by the sea. 3 Pharaoh will say of the Israelites: They are wandering around the land in confusion; the wilderness has boxed them in. 4 I will harden Pharaoh’s heart so that he will pursue them. Then I will receive glory by means of Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.” So the Israelites did this.
Exodus 14:1-4 (CSB)

5. Wait For God Deliverance

But Moses said to the people, “Don’t be afraid. Stand firm and see the Lord’s salvation that he will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians you see today, you will never see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you, and you must be quiet.”
Exodus 14:13-14 (CSB)

source https://edgechurchcolorado.com/stronger-than-ever-muscle-from-the-red-sea-exodus-1317-1414/

Breakthrough: Stir the Pot: 2 Kings 4:38-44

 

 

1. I Am Starving…Jesus is my bread

When Elisha returned to Gilgal, there was a famine in the land. The sons of the prophets were sitting before him. He said to his attendant, “Put on the large pot and make stew for the sons of the prophets.”
2 Kings 4:38 (CSB)

Look, the days are coming—this is the declaration of the Lord God—when I will send a famine through the land:
not a famine of bread or a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord.
Amos 8:11 (CSB)

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Matthew 5:6 (CSB)

2. I Am Sick…Jesus is my healer

One went out to the field to gather herbs and found a wild vine from which he gathered as many wild gourds as his garment would hold. Then he came back and cut them up into the pot of stew, but they were unaware of what they were. 40 They served some for the men to eat, but when they ate the stew they cried out, “There’s death in the pot, man of God!” And they were unable to eat it.
2 Kings 4:39-40 (CSB)

Now when he heard this, he said, “It is not those who are well who need adoctor, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice. For I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners.” 
Matthew 9:12-13 (CSB)

3. I Am Saved…Jesus is my Savior

Then Elisha said, “Get some flour.” He threw it into the pot and said, “Serve it for the people to eat.” And there was nothing bad in the pot.
2 Kings 4:41 (CSB)

But Elisha’s attendant asked, “What? Am I to set this before a hundred men?” “Give it to the people to eat,” Elisha said, “for this is what the Lord says: ‘They will eat, and they will have some left over.’” 44 So he set it before them, and as the Lord had promised, they ate and had some left over.
2 Kings 4:43-44 (CSB)

I am the bread of life,” Jesus told them. “No one who comes to me will ever be hungry, and no one who believes in me will ever be thirsty again.
John 6:35 (CSB)

source https://edgechurchcolorado.com/breakthrough-stir-the-pot-2-kings-438-44/

Breakthrough: Empty Your Quiver: 2 Kings 13:16-19

 

So he answered me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by strength or by might, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord of Armies.”
Zachariah 4:6 (CSB)

Winning Spiritual battles

1. OPEN YOUR WINDOW—PERPSECTIVE

Then Elisha said to the king of Israel, “Grasp the bow.” So the king grasped it, and Elisha put his hands on the king’s hands. 17 Elisha said, “Open the east window.” So he opened it. Elisha said, “Shoot!” So he shot. Then Elisha said, “The Lord’s arrow of victory, yes, the arrow of victory over Aram.
2 Kings 13:16-17 (CSB)

For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.”
Deuteronomy 20:4 (NIV)

2. AIM YOUR BOW – PREPARTAION

Then Elisha said to the king of Israel, “Grasp the bow.” So the king grasped it, and Elisha put his hands on the king’s hands.  Elisha said, “Open the east window.” So he opened it. Elisha said, “Shoot!” So he shot. Then Elisha said, “The Lord’s arrow of victory, yes, the arrow of victory over Aram. You are to strike down the Arameans in Aphek until you have put an end to them.”

Then Elisha said, “Take the arrows!” So he took them. Then Elisha said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground!”
2 Kings 13:16-18 (CSB)

3. SHOOT YOUR ARROWS – PERSEVERANCE

Then Elisha said, “Take the arrows!” So he took them. Then Elisha said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground!” So he struck the ground three times and stopped. 19 The man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck the ground five or six times. Then you would have struck down Aram until you had put an end to them, but now you will strike down Aram only three times.
2 Kings 13:18-19 (CSB)

source https://edgechurchcolorado.com/breakthrough-empty-your-quiver-2-kings-1316-19/