For example, it use to be for us to make a good grade on our report card we had to have a good memory.
For example, we were assigned to take a test on:
• Memorize 10 of these
• Memorize 13 of these
• Memorize 25 of these
And if you had a good memory you made “A” in that subject.
And if you had a bad memory, you did not do so well even though you might be smarter than someone with a good memory.
But the problem with this method of teaching we cannot retain all of these materials we memorize after a couple of days.
Unfortunately, memorization often comes without understanding.
In this sermon instead of listing a bunch of stuff that you are going to forget in two days.
I want to show you HOW TO FIND THE SOURCE OF INFORMATION FOR ENCURAGEMENT IN TIMES OF DISCOURAGEMENT.
Everybody gets discourage from time to time.
In fact, some of the greatest men in the Bible got discouraged.
For example…
• When Jezebel was on the trail of Elijah in the Old Testament he got so discourage, he almost had a nervous breakdown.
• When John the Baptist was put in prison the Lord had to send someone to cheer him up BECAUSE HE GOT DISCOURAGED.
• That great servant King David got discouraged many times as we read the psalms.
If there is one thing that we all have in common is that we are all subject to discouragement.
Sometimes it is bad news that gets us discouraged.
Illus: Makes me think of a man had a checkup and then went in to see his doctor to get the results.
The doctor said he had bad news and worse news for him. Which did he want to hear first?
The man was shocked and said, “Well, give me the bad news first.
The doctor said, “The bad news is that you only have 24 hours to live.”
At this the man jumped up, totally distraught and said, “24 hours to live? What could possibly be worse than this?”
The doctor replied, “The worse news is that I was supposed to tell you yesterday, but I forgot.”
Even the great apostle Paul got discouraged.
Look at II Cor. 1:8, Paul said, “For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself”
There are three things that I think contributed to Paul’s discouragement in the ministry.
(1) The Strain of the ministry can be discouraging.
For example, no pastor can do the work alone.
Illus: You ever tried to pick up something and it was too heavy for you to pick up alone. But someone came alone and helped you and they took on half the load itself and you picked it up.
This is why a church must have:
• Sunday school teachers
• Deacons
• Ushers
• Song leader
• Janitors
• Money counters
• Church Clerk
No pastor can do it ALONE!
In his job he assumes…
• The member of the congregation loves the Lord as much as he does.
• He assumes that the members who have joined the church love their church as much as he does.
• He assumes that the members of the congregation who hired him will support him when he preaches God’s Word.
• He assumes the members of the congregation love him as much as he loves them.
• He assumes those who love him and support him will be lifetime friends.
But in the ministry men and women wear these titles only.
Let give you an example…
Illus: When the apostle Paul was in jail for preaching the gospel, it must have been a sad moment when he had to write in 2 Timothy 4:10 For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world…”,
The Strain of the ministry can be discouraging.
Another thing that can be discouraging for Paul…
(2) Secondly, The Little Success of the Work Can Be discouraging.
We all like to see growth and success in the work of the Lord.
• And while Paul saw some success, he has been basically run out of every place he has been.
• While he has seen some success come to the Lord’s work, he still sees the masses of people rejecting the truth and that is discouraging.
Then finally…
(3) The Lonely Service of the ministry can be discouraging.
He has to do a lot of the work alone or with just one or two at his side.
You would think more would get involved and more would be excited and more would prioritize their lives but much of the time when you travel God’s path it is a lonely path and that can become discouraging.
But during these times we can all be THANFUL…
• While the devil is active in discouraging us, God is at work to encourage us through a friend.
• While the devil is trying to drag us down, God is working to lift us up.
• While the devil aims at getting us to quit, God is working to encourage us to keep up the good fight.
Yes, the best way to overcome discouragement is KNOW WHERE THE SOURCE IS FOR US TO FIND ENCOURAGMENT.
We are given “Three Encouragements to keep us going.”
I. The Partnership of Friends-
One of the greatest and deepest needs we have as human beings is friendship.
Illus: A little girl had been trying for months to learn the art of tying her shoes. She finally grasped the knack and was able to do it by herself. Her parents expected the child to be delighted but were surprised by her disappointment.
Her father asked why she was crying. She sobbed, "I just learned how to tie my shoes."
He said, "That’s wonderful, Honey, but why are you crying?"
She replied, "Because now I’ll have to do it all by myself for the rest of my life."
• We all long for someone who knows, loves, and accept us—someone who understands our wants, needs, hurts, and fears.
• The Book of Proverbs is full of wisdom for making friends forever, and how to first be the friend we all need.
• Proverbs 17:17 says, “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”
There are certain marks of true friendship. A friend is someone who shares his or her strengths, blessings, and hope; a friend will share in hard times and in celebration; a friend loves at all times.
Illus: A brilliant lawyer. He was somehow wrapped up in the Watergate mess that caused Richard Nixon to lose his presidency and to resign in disgrace before impeachment.
And people hated Richard Nixon, especially on the campuses, and people hated the Watergate debacle, and they hated that cluster of friends that were there in those inner workings of the White House.
But through all of that, Charles Colson came to know the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal Savior and Lord.
He spent some time in prison. He came out of prison and wrote a book called, “Born Again.”
Because of that book, he began to lecture some, and he was speaking to a group of students in a western university.
And they were very hostile, hostile toward Nixon and hostile to anybody that had a part in the Watergate thing, and after Charles Colson spoke, they began to bombard him with questions.
And the questions got sharper and sharper and more hostile.
And one of the students stood up, and he read a criticism that Henry Kissinger had made of Richard Nixon, a very biting, harsh, criticism of Richard Nixon.
And then that student said, “Mr. Colson, I want to know, do you agree with what Mr. Kissinger has said?”
Colson in his book said he scanned the audience; he knew that every ear was listening to hear what he would say. It was one of those moments.
He thoughtfully replied, and here’s what he said. “We all know Mr. Nixon’s negative qualities. He has been dissected in the press like no one in history. I can tell you his good points, but I don’t believe that I can persuade you to accept them.
But what it comes down to is, no, I don’t go along with Mr. Henry Kissinger’s comments. Mr. Nixon is my friend, and I don’t turn my back on my friends.”
When he said that, in this university, there was a moment, he said he thought the roof would fall in.
There was a moment of silence. Nobody knew how they would respond.
And then, do you know what happened to that hostile audience? They stood on their feet like one man and gave Charles Colson a thunderous applause, an ovation.
Even hostile students like that could appreciate loyalty to a friend. “Mr. Nixon is my friend, and I will not turn my back on my friends.”
The Bible says, “A FRIEND LOVETH AT ALL TIMES.”
This is one of the things that kept the apostle Paul going.
Look at verses 1-5, we read, after these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth; And found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla; (because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome:) and came unto them. And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought: for by their occupation they were tentmakers. And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks. And when Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ.
One of the greatest God given encouragements is our friends.
Illus: I am not talking about what Facebook calls friends. I am talking about real friends.
The load we have to carry is always tougher if you have to bear it alone.
Illus: Remember Silas and Timothy is still in Macedonia.
So, God knew that Paul needed someone to help him shoulder the burdens of the work.
So, what does God do?
God stirs up a little trouble in Rome. God puts it on the heart of the Roman Emperor Claudius to expel all Jews from Rome.
Given eviction papers Aqulia and his wife Priscilla come to Corinth.
• It seems that Aquila and Priscilla had a tent making business that they set up in Corinth.
• Paul just so happened to be a tentmaker and so he began to work with Aquila and Priscilla in their business.
• This gave him the funds for his support so that he could go into the synagogue every Sabbath and reason with the Jews and Greeks for Jesus Christ.
What a blessing Aquila and Priscilla were to Paul. They became his best and closest friends.
Then God sent Silas and Timothy from Macedonia to Corinth to reunite with Paul.
So, God has not only blessed Paul with two new friends but brought back to him two familiar friends.
Listen, we should stand for God if we have to stand alone, but it always easier when you have friend who will stand with you.
Illus: One of the reasons God establishes the church so that we do not have to stand alone.
Show me a Christian that does not faithfully attend the house of God and when you hear them talk, they talk discouragement.
But one of the reasons I like to attend church the more I see my brothers and sisters in Christ – I DO NOT FEEL ALONE IN THIS SPIRITUAL WAR WE ARE IN EACH DAY!!!
This is encouraging when I see you come through those church doors.
Illus: It makes me feel like the little boy when his dad came to see him play little league baseball.
His dad was late for the game, and he went up to the dugout:
• What ending is it?
• The little boy said this is the first inning.
• Dad said, “What is the score?”
• Little boy said, 18-0, but don’t worry dad we are now up to bat.
I like that boy’s attitude. He refuses to be discouraged no matter how bad it gets.
Thank God for friends who God puts in our path who will encourage us in the work of the Lord.
The first encouragement that we see in this chapter is THE PARTNERSHIP OF FRIENDS-
The second encouragement is from-
II. The Positive Results-
Look at verses 5-8, we read, And when Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ. And when they opposed themselves, and blasphemed, he shook his raiment, and said unto them, Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean: from henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles. And he departed thence, and entered into a certain man’s house, named Justus, one that worshipped God, whose house joined hard to the synagogue. And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized.
We all like POSITIVE RESULTS.
Negative results can be very discouraging. We all like GOOD RESULTS!!!
Illus: In 1782 Charles Simeon was appointed pastor of Trinity Church in England.
But many in the congregation did not want Simeon they wanted Bro. Hammond to be their pastor.
• The first thing the congregation did in rebellion was to refuse Simeon to be the afternoon lecturer.
• They assigned the afternoon lecture to Bro. Hammond.
• And when Bro. Hammond left five years later; they gave it to another man for the next 7 years.
• Simeon tried to start a later service on Sunday evenings, but the pew holders refused to come and locked their pew doors so that no one could sit in their personal pews. So, he had to set up chairs in the isles and in the corners so that those who came could sit. This went on for 12 years.
The question is what was it that kept Charles Simeon going forward in the midst of this most discouraging situation?
• It was this, while many did not want him, some did.
• While many did not come, some did.
• While many were unaffected by his ministry, many were.
• While much was discouraging, he saw hope in the situation.
Here is what he wrote:
• We can either dwell on the negative and be discouraged or we can encourage ourselves on the positive results.
• Look and see even though many don’t grow an inch, some have grown.
• Many visitors did not come back, but some did.
• Many lost people still remain lost, but some trusted in Jesus as their Savior.
Don’t look at what God has not done but dwell on all that God has done.
We all need to know where we can find encouragement
• First encouragement was godly friends
• Second encouragement was great results.
III. The Promises of God-
Look at verses 9-11, we read, Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city. And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.
While it is true:
• That friends encourage us
• Positive results encourage us
• The greatest encouragement of all is the Lord himself.
The Lord speaks to Paul and tells him, “Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have many people in this city.”
God says,
• “Speak and hold not thy peace.”
• Don’t stop, don’t quit, don’t let up,
But speak.
Then the promise, I am with thee.
• Aqulia and Priscilla may not be there.
• Silas and Timothy may not be there.
There may be no earthy presence there at all but don’t be afraid to speak up for I am with you.
• Here is the promise of God’s presence. Oh, what encouragement it is to have God on your side.
• Another promise is made, no man shall set on thee to hurt thee, and there is divine protection.
• Not only will God be present but also, he will be there to protect.
And they tried.
Look at verses 12-17 we read, And when Gallio was the deputy of Achaia, the Jews made insurrection with one accord against Paul, and brought him to the judgment seat, Saying, This fellow persuadeth men to worship God contrary to the law. And when Paul was now about to open his mouth, Gallio said unto the Jews, If it were a matter of wrong or wicked lewdness, O ye Jews, reason would that I should bear with you: But if it be a question of words and names, and of your law, look ye to it; for I will be no judge of such matters. And he drave them from the judgment seat. Then all the Greeks took Sosthenes, the chief ruler of the synagogue, and beat him before the judgment seat. And Gallio cared for none of those things.
They tried to come against Paul. But it all came to naught as the matter was dismissed.
There is a third promise here.
Not just a promise of presence, and protection, but a promise of power.
God says, “For I have many people in this city.”
What did that mean?
There were those who were to be saved by the power of God.
• Friends are great encouragers
• Results are encouraging
• But when God comes to you and promises his presence, protection, and power, you have every reason to keep on going forward.
CONCLUSION:
As Christians we get our encouragement from three places.
From-
I. FRIENDS
II. RESULTS
III. GOD.
