Considering Encouragement Series

Encouraging Encouragement Series: CONSIDERING ENCOURAGEMENT

HEBREWS 10: 23-25

While the joy of the Lord truly sustains and strengthens us, there are times when we all need encouragement. This world is hard, especially on Christians. Elijah, Jonah and Job were at times suicidal. Paul, Jeremiah, and Jesus Himself, all had to deal with the sorrow of watching people destroy themselves, reject God, and reject His truth... we all need encouragement

This series on Christian encouragement is intended to strengthen you and give you hope and help you to become an encourager. It's not always easy to walk by faith in difficult times. It's not always easy to obey God as we know we should. It's not always easy to live according to God’s Will for our lives. Sometimes we need a help... a little motivation to do what we know is right, to stand up for what we believe, and to spread His Word throughout the whole world. We each need to be encouraged.

Encouragement is awesome. It can actually change the course of another person's day, week, or life. You will find, if you think for a moment, that the people who influence you are the people who believe in you most, who encouraged you.

There are high spots in all of our lives and most of them have come about through the encouragement fo someone else. I don't care how great, how famous or successful a man or woman may be, each hungers for encouragement. Correction does much, but encouragement does even more.

One of the most beautiful gifts in the world is the gift of encouragement. When someone encourages you, that person helps you over a threshold you might otherwise never have crossed on your own.

Let’s use the following outline to consider encouragement:

I. HOLD TIGHT OUR HOPE, 23.

II. ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER, 24,

III. ASSEMBLE TOGETHER, 25.

At the time of the writing of Hebrews, there was life-threatening persecution. Our tendency during such trying times would be to save our skin or to each his own. But, the book of Hebrews encourages us to encourage one another. Someone wrote, “Encouragement is the kind of expression that helps someone want to be a better Christian, even when life is rough… To encourage is to inspire another with courage.”

In fact, Hebrews commands us to “encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today” (3:13). The word “encourage” is in the present tense. It indicates a habit or a way of life. It is also in the active voice. It means we don’t wait for others to encourage us. But we take the initiative. We must encourage even if others could not, even if others would not. Note that we are to “encourage one another”. That means that it is not only for pastors but for every one of us.

Hebrews 3:12-13 says, “See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” When a person is discouraged, when we fail to encourage, sin can deceive and harden his heart to the point that it becomes sinful and unbelieving, leading the person to turn his back on God. Someone wrote, “People live by encouragement. Without it they die. Slowly... Sadly... Bitterly.”

I. HOLD TIGHT OUR HOPE, 23.

The exhortation in verse 23 of chapter 10 is to hold fast our creed. “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful;”

We must never loosen our grip on what we believe. The Confession of Jesus Christ is the Confession that any and all need to make if they would have eternal hope. Do you lack hope and expectancy? If so you need to make the good confession of faith in Jesus Christ.

Profess publically that you believe Jesus is God’s unique Son. That He died on the Cross for our sin; that He received the punishment we deserved and purchased our pardon from sin and hell by His shed blood; that He rose again conquering sin, death and the grave, and that He ascended back into Heaven and that He is coming again for His own.

Cynical voices try to erode our faith. Materialistic voices get us too busy for God. The events of life seem to conspire to shake our faith. But we who confess Christ are to persevere in and by giving a constant confess (3:14).

Perseverance in confessing Christ is the evidence that we have received the promise of God. If our hope is based on the unfailing promise of God we should confess it confidently and boldly. Has God ever failed us? Is God not faithful to His people and to His promises for all who draw near in faith?