Better Together

Oh, come on. Ah.

So which one is actually better? Huh.

Which one is actually better? It's nice.

To see you. Welcome.

It's been an amazing series. I actually don't think I'm going

to preach long today, but really, what's that?

Can you just tell us how you got that?

Plast on your hand. Can you tell us how you did

that? Yeah, because Afrikaans guys

don't cut. Their wood China they order in

cut already. Now you do my boys something.

You can come and order wood and then start chopping it before

the bra, but they order. It ready.

Made just put it straight on the bra so your 6 stitches very bad.

Can you put? My loaf of bread up at least,

Ricky. That came from my next door

neighbor this week. She's here today.

Afrikaans lady and. I'm actually not going to

preach. I want to just say.

Two scriptures with you. I was going to preach on

Ecclesiastes 4. Again I looked and I saw all the

oppression that was taking place under the sun.

I saw the tears of the oppressed and they have no comforter

powers on the oppressors and they have no comforter if.

You can. Turn to.

Mark. Chapter 7.

Mark 7 · chapter mention

Please. And verse 31 Then Jesus left the

vicinity of Tyre and went through Sardon down to the Sea

of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis.

There's some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could

hardly talk, and they begged him to place his hand on the man.

After he took him aside away from the crowd, Jesus put his

finger into the man's ears. Then he spit and touched the

man's tongue. He looked up to heaven.

I've. Spent a week preparing.

I've got. 5 pages of notes and as I passed.

I cannot get past these two words.

And with a deep sigh, I've spent days in my study this week.

Thank God. Is this somehow that you can put

the depth of that sigh inside of my heart, that somebody would

hear it? Because it says in the book of

Ecclesiastes they were oppressed, but nobody saw their

tears and nobody heard their cry.

And I thought, God, is there some way please God, that deep

inside of my heart I could start to feel that sigh.

And I don't know who is here this morning, but somebody just

needs to hear deep inside of. Your heart, dear God.

And I want to just preach on this very simple thing.

It is better to be here in the local church than it is to be in

a place where nobody can hear. Your cry.

It is better to. Be.

Here SO. Whole of.

Ecclesiastes 4. It's better.

Than this then that Bob will is better than Marmot or Land Rover

is better than. However.

You want. To do.

It but the Bible says there's some things that are better than

others and it's. Better to be in community than

it is. To be alone.

And the SMSI don't know if you've got it yet, Ricky, you've

got. It morning.

Buddy. Morning, buddy.

Capital M. Capital B, buddy that.

Means I'm important to him. Morning buddy.

So awesome here with a. Heart that's.

A man. Who's sitting up there?

Somewhere morning buddy. So awesome.

Yeah. Be God.

I won't tell you who he is, but I'll tell you who I met him.

I met him on the side of a rugby field at Hilton College in.

Natal and he just shook his hand he.

Said hi, I'm this and I said hi, I'm that.

And now he's sitting in the church together and he watching

this baptism. I'm looking up there and he's

just he's just drying his ass. He's a successful businessman.

He's highly. He's just gifted.

And he's looking down at this baptism pool, and I'm looking at

this baptism pool. And we met in Natal, but we're

sitting together and I think God, Can you imagine what God

thinks? It's awesome.

It's awesome. My next door neighbor just

brings me a loaf of bread because she wants to share it to

my friend who was up here last week with his daughter.

His wife watches all online, and then her friend writes a poem

about the. Humility of her husband.

She sends me the poem God can hear when you're together,

whether you're fixing generators.

Or when you're just meeting each other on the side of a rugby

field. And then my next.

Door neighbor from the tell. This is my next door neighbor

from the Tel. My family have a.

Little Cottage. In the.

Tub this is. My next door neighbor from the

Tel and you know, every single time that I come to Natal

because it's cold in the Tel every single.

Time I come there, my firewood is up and he just sends me.

A. Picture says welcome the.

Firewood is full and then he comes to Pretoria to do business

and he SMS and he says can. I stay.

At your. Home.

And for two days, my next door, the Bible says it's better to

be. Together.

And then it's to be a part. Amen.

And this. Is my friend's daughter.

She's a doctor. She qualifies this year as a

doctor. I've called the doctor for five

years. She keeps saying I'm not a

doctor, but you got to say I was right.

And her dad has been my friend for 30 years and he's had a

nervous breakdown. He's been in ministry and his

church was right on the edge of a of a squatter camp.

And he had 200 break insurance a year, every year for about.

Four years he got called out. He was the only.

Elder 800 times in four years. He got called out and eventually

had a nervous breakdown and I've been trying to look after and be

his friend and this. Last week.

This week. On Friday she just SMS said hey

can I come and stay at your house because it's better.

To be. Together.

Than it is to be alone. And this man, this man who has

been deaf and dumb. And can't communicate with

anybody, he says. Is there anybody that can feel?

It and. Jesus says.

With a deep sigh, say deep sigh deep.

Sigh. Say deep sigh, deep sigh.

Let's let's try and do that. My black friend.

Who came from the Congo? Who came to?

Pretoria to serve God with us, went.

Overseas to see his family and when he came back he said, hey

Rory, I was walking through Europe and I felt I thought

about you, so I bought you a pair of shoes.

So what do we have any? Some Congo I'm from South

Africa, is black. I'm white.

He's. Got a?

Degree. I don't have a degree, but he

said Hey roll, when I was walking through the streets of

Europe, I saw this pair of shoes and I just thought about you and

I just walked. I will put them on today.

And inside of my heart, Christian, was a deep sigh.

And you might be a friend. I won't point you out after. 35

years of marriage and this week had to write for the first time.

He had to put a cross in the divorce section.

And he sent it to me and he said, Rory, it took me.

Ages to actually mark. The divorce.

Box. Deep, deep, deep.

Deep side. About to make a.

Ministry decision. Everybody says yes, my friend

walked. Into my office this week.

Put a cup of coffee down. And from deep inside.

Of his soul, he said. Oh, I'm concerned about you.

We're about to build this building.

We had bulldozers outside the front, we had front end loaders.

Everybody was dressed in. Hard hats.

I was sitting at Melrose Arts looking.

At my mum's finances and I had a.

Nervous breakdown. My heart started to race and

this building project was put on hold for 18 months because of my

health. But God.

Didn't want us to. Get the glory.

Through our human effort, He wanted to build it in COVID when

we had absolutely no control of that.

But in that time, God raised this man up to start to preach

because 2 is better than one. We're not meant to get into

competition. So, well, he's better.

I like him. I prefer him know.

That the beauty is together. The beauty is together.

Don't ask who's preaching. Or who you like that that would

cause ructions in our church when we're together come and

stand next to me Stephen. When you're together, back to.

Back. When you're together, doesn't

matter. His arms are bigger than mine,

but when we are together we have each other's. 2 is better than

one. You know who you are, buddy.

Morning, buddy. Yes, it is awesome here.

And you know why it's awesome here?

Because you are here. And my neighbor who bought us

sourdough bread. It's awesome.

Because you are here. And my pastor, doctor friend,

No, it's awesome. Because you are here and my

neighbors from the tailed. You know why it's awesome?

Because you are here and the pillars of the church and Robin

and Suzanne own. You know what's awesome?

Because whatever this church has been through, you are here.

And I don't know who you are. I don't.

Know what your situation is. I don't know if you're there for

them. Or you feel completely isolated.

But all I've asked God. This week is can you give me

the? Depth deep inside of my heart.

That people will know. That it's.

Better to be here than it is to be alone.

I really am not unprepared, but I feel this deep in my heart.

Jesus was. Alone on the cross, and he cried

out to the Father. Eloy, Eloy.

Lamasa Bhaktani. My God, my God, why have?

You forsaken me. He cried that So whoever is in

this building today, whether you're divorced or alone.

Or you're oppressed. And nobody you feel, according

to Ecclesiastes, can hear your cry or see your tears.

They know this. The one who?

Was left. On the.

Cross. By himself, can hear you, can

see you, is deeply concerned about you.

And whether it's through my body up there, or my buddy's daughter

there, or my neighbor who speaks Zulu from Natal, or my fellow

preacher or my fellow elders, or my black friend who buys me

shoes, just know this. It's better to be together than

it is to be alone. He looked.

Up to heaven. And with a deep.

Sigh, he said ifafafa, which means be opened.

At this the man's ears. Were opened.

His tongue was loosened. And he began to.

Speak plainly. Jesus commanded him not to tell

anyone but the more. He did.

So. The more they kept talking about

it, people. Were overwhelmed with amazement

he. Has done.

Everything. Well, they said he.

Even makes the deaf hear and. The mute speak and the lonely

feel loved and the suicidal have hope and the rejected be

accepted in. The divorced feel like first

class citizens and the bankrupt feel rich and the despised feel

loved, and the abused feel whole, and The Dirty feel clean,

and the unholy feel the whiteness of God and the left

behind feel chosen. Yes, you young lady.

And you and you young lady. It's OK, You can cry.

Morning, buddy. It's awesome to be here.

Morning, buddy. Morning, friend.

Morning, neighbor. It's great to have you here.

It's better to be here than to be alone.

God bless you.