The Marks Of A Great Christian - Encouraging
We have been looking at “The Marks Of A Great Christian.” The first week we looked at serving and we found that we were called to serve one another. Last week we looked at loving and we found that we were called to love one another. And this week we will be looking at encouraging.
Our text for today comes from Hebrews 3:13:
“Encourage each other daily, while it is still called today, so that none of you is hardened by sin’s deception.” Hebrews 3:13 (HCSB)
In the King James the word for encourage is exhort. This word in the Greek comes from two words – one means to call; the other means side; which combined means to “call to your side” or “call alongside.” Isn’t that a great word picture of encouragement? When someone is down, discouraged or in despair – you call them to walk by your side. You travel with them on a journey. You visit with them. You give them uplifting words of comfort and encouragement.
This past March I heard another preacher speaking about encouragement and the way that he defined encouragement was: “to add courage to”. A person who gives words of encouragement is to somehow help another person become bolder and braver. On the other hand to discourage is to take away a person’s courage. Folks I don’t know about you but I want to be an encourager when it comes to helping people do the right thing. When a person is doing work for God I want to be a spiritual cheerleader. I want to encourage them. I want them to become bolder. I what them to give their best effort. I what to help them. I want to give them an added boost.
Let me tell you I’m not much of a runner anymore – but when I was it was always encouraging when I was finishing a race and I would hear the crowds cheering. It doesn’t matter if you are coming in last place – if people were there cheering you on – it always gives you an added boost. All of us can use some encouragement sometimes. All of us can use a pat on the back. Right now I would like to show a video clip about encouragement. This clip is from the movie, “Facing The Giants.”
Let’s watch this clip on encouragement.
(For those who don’t have the ability to show the clip – I have put the illustration below.)
*In the move “Facing The Giants” the coach challenges one of the players to give his best effort. The young player says that he will – but the coach pushes him to promise to give it everything he’s got. The player promises that he will give his best effort. To ensure that he will "give it all he’s got" the coach puts a blindfold on the player. The task is to move down the football field on all fours (the players hands and feet) while carrying another player on his back. The young athlete believes that in his best effort he might make it to the 50 yard line. The center of the field.
As the player starts moving down the field the other players are laughing and shouting. The player moves slowly but steadily along. One step at a time. One move at a time. Soon the laughing of the other plays turns to silence as the player continues down the field. He believes he as moved past the 10 yard line and perhaps past the 20. The coach keeps yelling words of encouragement – “Don’t give up. Keep on going. You can do it.” The young player starts saying that his muscles are hurting and that he is becoming exhausted. The coach starts yelling – “Just ten more steps.” When the player gives him ten the coach yells – “Just five more steps.” They continue down the field. “Give me just two more.” He keeps going. Then the coach yells, “Give me one more.” When the player does it, the coach yells, "One more you’re almost there." And they continue down the field. Finally the player is exhausted. He believes that he might have made it to the fifty yard line. When the young athlete finally stops and removes the blindfold he finds that he has gone end zone to end zone. The coach had given him encouragement the entire way.
Folks we are to be encouragers. The game that we play in is called life. The fact is that it is not a game at all. So the Bible tells us to:
“Encourage each other daily, while it is still called today, so that none of you is hardened by sin’s deception.” Hebrews 3:13 (HCSB)
Today I want us to look at three aspects of encouragement from this one verse. We will look at:
1. Who are the people of encouragement?
2. What is the time to encourage?
3. Why are we to encourage?
Let’s start with:
1. The people of encouragement are US.
The people of encouragement are us. (I know that this is not proper English.) Look at our verse again. “Encourage each other” is what Hebrews 3:13 tells us.
We all need encouragement, and believers, God has placed us here to encourage one another. To cheer each other up. To pat each other on the back and to push each other so that we can reach God’s goal line.
On June 18, 1956, a freak accident happened on a lake in New York. A speeding motorboat bounced on a wave and shot into the water two of its passengers, a 50-year old man and a little girl. To keep the girl from drowning, the man held her head above water while the boat circled back to pick them up. They rescued the girl. But the man sank and drowned.
That’s how Dawson Trotman died. Most of you don’t know the name Dawson Trotman, but some of you have heard of an organization called the Navigators. Dawson was the founder of the Navigators, an International Christian Discipleship Ministry. According to a quote in Time Magazine, “Dawson lived to save others. His death was just the way he would have planned it.” I read somewhere that his obituary reads like this: “Dawson Trotman, always lifting someone up.” That is encouragement. Our tendency during such times would be to save our own skin. But, the book of Hebrews encourages us to encourage one another.
Did you know that during the creation of the world God said that something was not good? It happened on day six of creation. God looked around in the process of all His creating and said, “It is not good for man to be alone.” God then created a companion for Adam. You see it is still not good for people to be alone. We need one another. We all need encouragement from one another. We need community. We need to lift each other up in a world that we are drowning in. We need someone to be yelling, “Keep on going! You can do it! Try a little harder! Your almost there!”
Who needs encouragement? Single parents need encouragement as they are struggling to hold on to what is left of their families. Widows need encouragement as they struggle dealing with being alone. People who are struggling with cancer need encouragement as they deal with the effects of the disease. People who are struggling with life need encouragement as they try to make it day by day. People who get discouraged need encouragement as they deal with depression and sadness. People who get overwhelmed need encouragment as they feel so small in a big world. People who are just dealing with the day to day routines of life need encouragement as they are in the marathon of life. ALL OF US NEED ENCOURAGEMENT! That is why the scripture says, “Encourage each other” – we need it.
To be Christian, according to the New Testament, is to belong to a fellowship of believers. The practice of coming together with fellow Christians is an act of mutual encouragement. Coming together with fellow Christians and being part of Christian community encourages fellow believers with their walk with the Lord. Like two burning hot coals within a fireplace each gives off heat and each receives heat from the other. Separate the two coals and they both go out very quickly.
When do we need encouragement? Look at point two:
2. The time of encouragement is NOW.
You might have heard the story of the farmer who was awakened in the middle of the night by some loud banging on his front door. The man crawled out of bed and grumpily went downstairs. When he opened the front door he found a man standing in the rain dripping wet. The man obviously he had been drinking. The stranger said to him; "I’m stuck can you give me a push?" To which the farmer replied sharply; "NO! Go and sober up and I’ll sort it out in the morning!" The farmer slammed the door and went upstairs.
When he got back into bed the farmer’s wife asked him what had happened. He explained and his wife said to him; "That wasn’t a very Christian to do. He could be in trouble and you have just sent him out into the storm for the rest of the night! You should go and help that man." Reluctantly the farmer got out of bed a second time and put on his coat and went downstairs. He figured he wasn’t going to get any peace until he did something for the man out in the rain. When he got to the front door the rain was pouring down and he couldn’t see the other man but he could hear a faint noise out in the front yard so he called out; "Hello? Are you still there? What can I do to help?" To which the other man replied; "Could you give me a push?" The farmer said, "I’d be happy to if I could see you, where are you?" The man responded, "I’m over here, on your swing!"
Have you ever had the experience of being out some place and the car won’t start because the battery is dead? How many of you want someone telling you – “wait till tomorrow.” Hebrews 13 does not tell us to wait to tomorrow it tells us to encourage each other today. Let’s read it again.
“Encourage each other daily, while it is still called today,” Hebrews 3:13 (HCSB)
The time to encourage others is NOW!
The word “encourage” is in the present tense. It is also in the active voice. It means that we are to encourage others now. In fact we are not to wait for others to encourage us - we are to take the initiative. We must encourage others even if others will not encourage us. Even if others don’t give you a pat on the back - God sees your efforts - and He smiles when you do what He has asked you to do. Encourage one another today.
Now let’s look at the purpose of encouragement.
3. The purpose of encouragement is OVERCOMING SIN.
Mark Twain once said, “I can live for two months on one good compliment.” Encouragement made him feel good.
But encouragement is to do much more than make us feel good. Let’s look at text again and see what the purpose of encouragement is.
“Encourage each other daily, while it is still called today, so that none of you is hardened by sin’s deception.” Hebrews 3:13 (HCSB)
Go ahead and circle “so that”. What follows is the purpose that we are to encourage one another – “none of you is hardened by sin’s deception.”
When a person is discouraged sin can deceive and harden his heart. Someone wrote, “People live by encouragement. Without it they die. Slowly... Sadly... Bitterly.”
Satan wants us to be discouraged. God doesn’t. God wants us to be encouraged. God wants us to, "encourage one another." Satan wants us to be self centered. God has given us the “Good News.” Satan would have us think there is no "God News" in this world. Satan has a number of tools that he will use against you. If he can’t puff you up with pride, he will try to dampen your spirit by discouragement. It’s one of his best tools! If he can get your soul "under the weather," he wins.
Folks let me give you some insight. It is easy to discourage others. The world is full of people who take courage away. They are discouragers. We as Christians have a duty to "encourage one another." Many a time a word of praise or thanks or appreciation or cheer has kept a man on his feet. Blessed is the man who speaks such a word.
Someone once said:
“Flatter me and I may not believe you.”
“Criticize me and I may not like you.”
“Ignore me and I may not forgive you.”
“Praise me and I will not forget you.”
There is something about praise and encouragement that, although we may find hard to believe or accept, never leaves our hearts or minds. As a warm knife can slide through butter - so words of encouragement can slide through a hard heart. This morning I want to encourage you to become an encourager. Let us strive to build up the body of Christ -
Because the Bible says:
“Encourage each other daily, while it is still called today, so that none of you is hardened by sin’s deception.” Hebrews 3:13 (HCSB)
Let us pray.
