Encourage One Another

Encouragement

Online Sermon: http://www.mckeesfamily.com/?page_id=3567

The Concise Oxford English Dictionary defines encouragement as “to give support, help or stimulate the development of confidence or hope in another person.” Living in a fallen world where chance happens to everyone (Ecclesiastes 9:11), trials and tribulations are the norm (James 1:2-4), truth has become a figment of the world’s imagination that changes with the sifting sands of culture, famines, earthquakes, wars and rumors of wars ravage the land (Matthew 6:68) and belief in but one God invites harsh ridicule and persecution; we as the people of God need more than ever to encourage one another why we still have hope in the Lord, Jesus Christ (1 Peter 3:15)! When the world presents their gifts of the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 John 2:15) to make self into the “god of choice” we as Christ’s ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20) are to let our light shine (Mathew 5:15-26) by choosing to cherish and obey His commands (Psalms 1:2) as those who truly believe He alone is our God and has the best plan for our lives (1 Corinthians 8:6)! To keep us on and rejoicing in being on God’s righteous path we as His children are called to humbly view others as better than ourselves (Philippians 2:3), to never stop encouraging them to love the Lord their God with all their heart, soul, and mind, and to love one another (Matthew 22:40) by building each other up in the faith (1 Thessalonians 5:11) and spurring one another onto doing good deeds (Hebrews 10:25)! The following sermon is going to begin by looking at how easy it is for believers to fall into the devil’s trap and encourage others to do evil instead of good. The remainder of the sermon is going to illustrate that while God is to be our best source of encouragement this does not absolve His children from the duty to encourage others by continually praying for them, supporting, and thanking them for the good work they are doing in God’s kingdom, building each other up in the faith, and by comforting them with the same comfort we have received from Christ!

Do not Encourage Other Believer to do Evil but to do Good

While we are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19), we must confess that we are not always the best encouragers of God’s people! Has not some of the church become so drunk with the ways of this world that believes truth is situational dependent on the individual’s imagination and sinful desires that they have become at best lukewarm towards God’s righteous commands (Revelation 3:16) and worst yet utterly defiant? While few would openly and cunningly “hide snares” (Psalms 64:5) of deception to harm other church members (Jeremiah 29:8), are not gossiping and lies to tear down and snatch personal power just as deadly and sinful (James 4:1-11)? And does not silence when others are hurting and in need due to our perceived lack the time or desire to comfort them not breaking God’s second of greatest command to love one another (Matthew 22:38)? Is not a lack of rebuke (2 Timothy 4:2) either to retain friendship or out of indifference or participation in the other person’s sin one of the main reasons that many in the church continue to “hear what their itching ears want to hear” (2 Timothy 4:3-4) instead of embracing and living on the righteous path God has assigned them? So that none of us obtains a “sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God” the author of Hebrews states we are to “encourage one another daily” to walk in the faith (3:13)! Forbearance and “maintaining the bonds of peace” (Ephesians 4:2) does not mean indifference to sin but offering grace by giving one another time to pray and build each other up in the faith so that the planks in each others’ eyes (Matthew 7:3-5) might be clearly known, and Godly sorrow that leads to repentance (2 Chronicles 7:10-13) and the washing of one’s sins as white as snow might occur (1 John 1:9; Isaiah 1:18)! While those saved by grace through faith are not always the best at encouraging one another we can through the power of the Spirit be patient, provide careful instruction (2 Timothy 4:2) and help one another to be holy and righteous in God’s sight (1 Peter 1:16)!

Encouragement from God

If we are to keep the fiery darts of the devil (Ephesians 6:16) from piercing our hearts with an attitude of indifference or hostility towards fellow Christians, then we simply must take time in fasting and prayer to learn how to encourage others from the sovereign Creator who is pure love (1 John 4:7). Who better to teach us how to throw off “sin that so easily entangles us” than He who is “the pioneer and perfecter of faith” (Hebrews 12:1-2)? Who better to teach us how to not be indifferent or defiant towards others than He who was sent to “bind up the broken-hearted,” to “proclaim freedom for the captives” (Isaiah 61:1) by giving His very life to those who were still His enemies (Romans 5:10)? The Lord hears the desire of the afflicted and not only listens to their cries (Psalms 10:17) but when they stand firm upon the Rock of their salvation (18:2) they receive only good things from His hand (Romans 8:28)! The moment the fear of the Lord resides within our hearts of clay (Acts 9:31; 2 Corinthians 4:7-9) indifference towards Him and others gives way to an unquenchable desire to please He who enables us to do more than we can ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20-21)! Even getting a glimpse of God’s glory compels us (2 Corinthians 5:14-15) to dethrone the “god of self” and see His commands not as a burden (1 John 5:1-3) but the road path to loving Him and one another. The more time we spend with He who “loves us with an everlasting love” (Jeremiah 31:3) the easier it becomes to do nothing out of “selfish ambition or conceit” (Philippians 2:3) but in love tenderly rebuke and build up in faith those Created in His image (Genesis 1:27; 1 John 4:20). What a joy it truly is to be and help others be one body and of one Spirit (John 17:20-25)! May we never stop believing and sharing with those we meet the reason we have hope is that our love and joy is not situationally dependent on what happens to us in this fallen world that is not our home (Hebrews 13:14) but purely on the promise that we who have received every spiritual blessing in Christ (Ephesians 1:3) will one day spend an eternity in paradise with Him (John 3:16)!