ENCOURAGE ME
Hebrews 10:19-25
One night, during Bible study, Bill Sayre interjected that people have needs and that when we, as a congregation meet those needs, it causes lasting relations to form, especially during times of grieving. Later in jest, he added, "Even ministers have needs." At that, we responded with a humorous chuckle.
But the point that those who lead in the church have needs, is well taken, obviously elders have needs as well. They are expected to give support, to guide, to decide, to pray, to encourage, to serve, to be responsible, but never, absolutely never... to need encouragement?!?! But you are aware, I’m sure, that elders, pastors, teachers and all other leaders in the church fall prey to exasperation and burnout.
I have seen and heard of ministers and elders who have become physically ill because of their concern over members of the congregation and the well-being of their flock, or falling prey to spiritual problems and eventually falling away. I will only say that the responsibility is deeply felt.
So this morning I hope you will be patient and receptive as I describe to you my greatest need. “To be encouraged.” In doing so, I will be representing Kirk and any other leader or elder that may become part of this church. I am not only going to ask you to encourage me, I am going to tell you how to best encourage me in accordance with scripture found in Hebrews 10:19-25 and Hebrews 13:17-18.
[HEBREWS 13:17-18]
17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.
18 Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a good conscience, desiring to conduct ourselves honorably in all things.
This latter scripture I mentioned, is at best an advice given to Christians, to prevent them from causing their leaders to serve in grief. The main cause of that grief? An unwillingness to submit.
Submission, mind you, does not mean turning one’s mind over to someone else. In submission there is room for discussion, room for different tastes, room for improvement and room to grow. Actually submission is more of an acknowledgment that your leaders are responsible for you and watching over your souls. Therefore, it is wise to heed their direction, for your benefit as well as that of the whole church.
God is very clear in His commands to leaders not to act as dictators, but to guide through example, in love, with joy. But the point of the message this morning is not to address the requirements of a leader. It is to point out that in order for your leaders to be healthy and grow, and consequently for the congregation to grow as well, not only do they need your submission, but your encouragement as well. For us to serve while full of grief will not profit anyone here, much less lost souls. I remember a time when I served while grieving due to circumstances in the church, and maybe some of you may recall those times in the past.
And so what I will ask you this morning is not only that you encourage me, but that you do so in 3 specific areas found in the passage of Hebrews 10:19-25. Again I remind you that I will refer to myself as a collective leadership.
[HEBREWS 10:19-25]
19 Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus,
20 by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh,
21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God,
22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful;
24 and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds,
25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.
Although true Christianity is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, it is also a corporate experience, and this passage is clear on that. Beware of those who tell you they can worship God anywhere without having to come to church. Those who find some novel places to worship... at the park, the beach even at a baseball game. True, you can worship God anywhere, but you will not grow spiritually, and you may eventually fall away, unless you meet regularly with the saints. For the Body of Christ, the Church, to grow, and that includes each individual, it has to be joined and held together by every supporting ligament. Meeting together for multiple purposes is crucial, whether it be for prayer, bible study, planning, working and yes, worshipping.
[EPHISIANS 4:16]
14 As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;
15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ,
16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.
Do you know that ligaments are the strongest fibers in your body? They are much thinner than muscles yet many, many times stronger. Your ankles are very small for the weight and movements they support, because they are held together by ligaments. If muscles were there in the place of ligaments, your ankles would have to be this big! (About 10 inches.)
But if a ligament is cut, you’re in trouble. You’ll lose the use of that extremity and the ligament will not grow back. (Tell about Steve’s ankle.) If it is your habit to skip worship service, or Bible study, or fellowship, or ministry meetings, you may be that ligament that allows a part of the body not to function. You will not be able to encourage me, neither will you be encouraged. So... break the habit. Encourage me!
Encouragement through faith
Encourage me through your faith! That’s how I need to be encouraged!
[HEBREWS 10:22]
Encourage me by showing me that I have conveyed the message to you that it is impossible to please God without faith; and that your faith is saying, “Tony, I am sure of the hope that is within me. I am certain of the invisible heavenly things that I cannot as yet see." Just as it is explained in the first verse of the very next chapter of Hebrews, chapter 11.
Show me that you don’t think of God as an idea, or as being waaaay up there far from all you can see or touch or feel. But show me that He is ever-present, and when we gather together, we approach Him, encouraging one another, trusting Him with every detail of our lives.
Show me that you’re eager to search His Word for truths that will guide you in that narrow path we must travel, and to strengthen the faith without which you cannot mature. Show me you’re interested in learning… accurately… every word from His perfect lips and that it matters to you to follow it to the utmost.
You encourage me, when I see you drawing near to God with a sincere heart, through your prayers and responses. When I sense that God is very real to you and I see Him honor your faith. Encourage me through your faith!
Encouragement through hope
Another area strongly affected by encouragement is hope.
[HEBREWS 10:23]
Hope is most often found side by side with faith because it is one of the three vital ingredients of our Christianity: faith, hope and love. These are often found together in the New Testament, such as in the love chapter, 1 Corinthians 13. Hope has similarities with faith, but focuses more on what we believe than on whom we believe.
It is possible for a person to be strong in faith yet weak in hope, at least for a length of time. In fact in the church at Thessalonica there was an example of this very problem. When Paul first wrote to the Thessalonians, he had nothing but praise for them, for all that they stood for and the example they were setting. This is another occasion where faith, hope and love are found together.
[1 THESSALONIANS 1:1-10].
1 Paul and Silvanus and Timothy,
To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace.
2 We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers;
3 constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father,
4 knowing, brethren beloved by God, His choice of you;
5 for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.
6 You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit,
7 so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.
8 For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith toward God has gone forth, so that we have no need to say anything.
9 For they themselves report about us what kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God,
10 and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come.
What an example! Nothing but praise! Yet between the first and second letters, something had changed. Though Paul again praised them, he omitted praising them for their hope.
[2 THESSALONIANS 1:3]
3 We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brethren, as is only fitting, because your faith is greatly enlarged, and the love of each one of you toward one another grows ever greater;
Why? Why did he not mention hope? Because they had allowed themselves to become alarmed and unsettled through someone’s deception. Someone who professed that Christ had already returned and the judgment had already come. This annulled their endurance inspired by hope, since they felt they had been left behind.
[2 THESSALONIANS 2:1-2]
1 Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him,
2 that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.
How long do you think they would last that way? Are you by chance smug in thinking that Jesus will not return in this next hour? Or tomorrow, or the next week? Is your endurance wavering because your hope is not inspiring you? Are you even considering Christ’s return?
Look what Paul did! He immediately corrected their doctrinal mistake by telling them to return to the Word that had been passed on to them. The very Word that we have now on paper to read and encourage us, and give us hope.
[2 THESSALONIANS 2:3, 15]
3 Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,
15 So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us.
So to recap, you can see how inaccurate doctrine can deplete one’s hope. You would be surprised at the number of Christians that when asked, are not firm in declaring that, “Yes, I am saved!” I’ve met Christians in my travels who were never taught to really know they had eternal life.
On one occasion, while visiting at the home of a brother and sister who were attending a Christian college, we were casually talking to the wife of one of the professors who had dropped in to say hello. I became aware through her remarks, that although she belonged to Jesus, she could not firmly say, “I am one of God’s heir and I will enter into His kingdom when I leave my body.”
Doctrinally, God has revealed to us assurance of our salvation in very clear terms: 1 John 5:13, John 20:31, John 5:24, Romans 8:33-39, 1Timothy 1:12, Ephisians 1:4-5... and many more. The hope we rely on is not, “Gee I sure hope so..” Our hope is in knowing through His Word and our relationship with Him, that we are saved. Our hope is grounded in a faith that is unwavering.
So don’t whimper and wave like a blade of grass in the wind, and don’t stand there looking down-encourage me! Encourage me through your hope. Let me know that your hope is grounded on the importance of every word that comes out of God’s mouth.
Encouragement through love
Finally, as we have already seen, whenever you find faith and hope, can love be far behind? Encourage me through your love.
Nothing I have ever found lifts my spirits and encourages me more than being loved. I’m sure you will agree. I’ve been married for over 35 years, to the same lady, and we are certain of our love for one another.
To know someone’s there to buffet your falls, exalt in your joys or share in your tears, is the second greatest encouragement of my life and my wife’s. The first of course, is the love of our Lord. Now there’s a love that will never fail, because it transcends death. Talk about a foundation on which to stand! Talk about the ultimate encouragement!
If then, we have received such vast love, how much more should we love one another, especially since we know that the greatest of these is love. So I ask you to encourage me through your love for one another.
Dr. James Dobson informs us that children are best adjusted when the father and the mother love and respect one another in the home. I am now informing you that I will be best encouraged and well adjusted if in this church, you will love and respect one another.
Love however is not automatic; it requires lots of work. Sort of like driving a car with standard transmission in traffic, as opposed to an automatic. Your foot tires, your calf sometimes aches and your left leg stiffens up. But if you like 5 speed manuals, then you will actually enjoy the drive. Just like love, it requires work and perseverance.
The Hebrews were told to take the time to figure out ways they could encourage one another to love and do good deeds.
[HEBREWS 10:24]
24 and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds,
The word “spur” in the NIV translates “stimulate” in the New American Standard. Stimulate means to rouse or excite to action or increased action. That is something that couch potatoes will never be able to work into their busy schedules. In fact, I will give you a choice of two options you can follow this evening after supper: vegetate or stimulate.
You can be the judge of your own time; no one is going to watch you or point a finger at you. You will only have to give an account to Jesus, not me! But if you’re willing to vegetate when you get older (unless Jesus comes first), and you wish to excite someone into love and good deeds instead, work out ways in which the least active members of this church can be shown love. The love we’ve been shown by our Lord and Savior. And after that, think of someone you can enlist and encourage to help you in performing your act of love.
If you care about me and any other leader you will encounter in our church, then you will encourage me through your love for one another, by the way you struggle to find ways of putting Christ’s love into action.
Allow His love to guide your every action:
Speak the truth, but do it in love!
Correct someone, but do it in love!
Make a request, but do it in love!
Lend a helping hand, but do it in love!
Encourage me, just as the Hebrews were encouraged to do, just as the Thessalonians were praised for doing, just as the Corinthians were directed to do. Encourage me just as God asked you to do.
