Date:    5/25/03

Text:     Hebrews 10:19-25

Title:     Encourage One Another

Theme: Since our God is the great comforter and encourager, we who follow him should also learn to encourage one another.

 

Pastor Hsueh

 

Introduction:

            “I am just not good at speaking encouraging words.” “If only I could be more generous with encouragement, she would not have left me.” “In my family, I seldom hear my parents encouraging me. They are always demanding, nothing I do can please or satisfy them.” I am sure we have heard and made such statements.

            We live in a very competitive and impersonal world. We are accustomed to critique more than encouragement; pointing out what is wrong and lacking  than what is positive and good. It is quite natural for us to put down or cut down people than lifting and cheering them on. This is how we show we are right and better than others. There is an epidemic of discouraging words.

            However, as followers of Jesus Christ, we need to ask how are we different from others?  From today’s text, we want to discover a simple truth, that is, having come to God to experience his love and encouragement, we are to encourage one another in a culture marked by cynicism and criticism.

I.          Our new relationship with God provides us with a basis for encouraging one another.

            In verse 25, we read, “…but encourage one another…” We often single out this verse and apply it to our lives. However, from our reading, it appears that this verse is very closely related to the rest of the passage. Verses 19-23 provides us with the biblical foundation of encouraging one another.

            vs.19 and 20, “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh….”. these verses tell us that Jesus'' death had created a new relationship between God and men. You see, in the OT, the Israelites worshipped God first in the Tabernacle and later in the temple. This is the layout of the Tabernacle. There is a curtain separating the holy from the holy of holies. Only the high priest, once a year, after elaborate cleansing rituals, can enter the holy of holies. The curtain symbolized man’s separation from God.

            However, when Jesus died on the cross, something happened. In verse 20, “by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh…” He opened the curtain for us. Matthew 27:51, “…the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.” Please note that the curtain is torn into two. First, it signifies that the barrier between God and men has now been removed. Secondly, it is torn from top to bottom. Curtains usually are torn from bottom up. But this curtain is torn from top to bottom. It signifies that this is God's work. Through Jesus' death; his blood (v19) and flesh (v20); God removed the barrier between him and men. There is now a new relationship between God and men.

II.         Our experience of God’s love and encouragement provides us with a basis for  encouraging one another..

            With the barrier removed, in Hebrews 4:15-16, we have these words, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” It’s an invitation to come to God for help in times of need. We can come 24/7. This is good news. This is an encouraging news; we can come to God anytime, anywhere. And there is more,

            10:22, “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” We come to God with a clean conscience, meaning there is nothing to hide before Him. For this reason, whenever we come to God, we need to confess our sins and asks for his forgiveness. Confession and forgiveness is not limited to the time when we first become Christians. It is an every day event. Here, no one is voted out of God's presence, his children are being invited to come. This is a welcoming environment, a welcoming place.

            Secondly, verse 23, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.” As we come into God's presence, we are also reminded to hold fast to the hope we have confessed. This is generally being considered as our confession of faith. The promises that God gave us when we first come to know him. He promised that “whosoever believes in him; shall not perish but have eternal life.” “no one can snatch us from my hands.” “I will never leave you alone as orphans.” “I am the good shepherd….the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out….I came that they may have life and have it abundantly….” “I am the resurrection and the life….” These are some of God's promises, giving us hope in this life and the life to come.

            There are times when we feel confused about life. We are afraid.  We feel lost, lonely and discouraged. We feel that God is very distant from us. We even wonder if he is still there. Like one person shared with me that since the death of his father, he feels so lonely and scared. The scriptures tell us not to be afraid. God loves and cares for us. He is the good shepherd who is constantly beside us. Even though we may be confused, he is faithful. He does not keep track of our offenses and failures; count 3 strikes and we are out. No, he is a faithful God. No matter how far we may have strayed from him, he is always there waiting for us. He is a God that gives us 2nd, 3rd, and 4th chances….

            We are not coming to a mountain of fire, but to the presence of a loving God, the throne of grace. He is the one who encourages us when we are afraid or confused. We may not be faithful all the time, but he is always faithful. With him, there is no shadow of change. He is the great comforter and encourager.

III.       Our experience of God’s encouragement shows us how to encourage one another.

            In verse 24, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works.” See the logic here? As we have come to God, knowing and experiencing his love and encouragement, the scriptures now tell us to turn to others around us.

            You see, for us to love others, we need to know what it is like to be loved. Sometimes I would encourage individuals to learn and relearn what it is like to be loved by God. To experience God's love, I need to first know that I am full of pride, self-righteous, self-centerness, tempers, vanities and secret sins. Yet, in spite of my depravity, God loves me unconditionally. The more I understand and experience God's love, the more I know how to love others. Likewise, if we are to encourage others, we need to know what it is like to be encouraged.

            Here, we are also reminded that we are to stir up one another to love and to do good works. We don’t do it alone.

You remember the story of Elijah. After his victory on Mt. Carmel, he went into a deep depression. He complained to God that he was the only one left in Israel that worshipped God. It is the “poor me” syndrome. And what was God's response? No, Elijah, you are not the only one; there are still 7000 more who have not bowed to Baal. It’s difficult to love and do good work all by yourself. When you are the only one who shows up on Saturday morning to clean the church, it’s discouraging and not much fun, right. But when you see 50 others also show up, it makes a whole lot of difference. So the scriptures tell us to stir up on another to love and to do good works. We are not just doing it on our own; we are to stir, to urge, to encourage others. We are in it together. The Christians are in a community where we all learn to encourage one another. It is not one person’s job.

            Now, what is the setting?  V25, “not neglecting to meet together….” Don’t stop coming to the meetings. You may think only your parents or the counselors would tell you this. NO, it is actually in the Bible. Don’t neglect the meetings. Why? This is when you can encourage one another. In a church our size, it is also very important that we come to the fellowship groups, small groups or youth groups, so we can encourage others and be encouraged. When we come together, we encourage each other.

            How about our family? We see each other everyday. It’s like marathon meetings, right? How are we doing in the encouragement area? How do we talk to each other? I want to share with you a few passages from the book of Proverbs that can provide us with some guidelines on how we can encourage one another at home or in any relationship.

            First, Proverbs 12:25 tells us, “Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.” Some of us don’t handle anxiety well. We get panicky or disoriented when anxiety hits. We are easily discouraged when things get out of our control. Our children could be discouraged by an assignment which they feel is too hard for him. Our spouse could be very anxious because of a job situation. What do we do then?

            We can encourage them by affirming what they can do. “I know you can do this. Last time you did a good job, remember? ” “now, take a deep breath. You still have 4 days before it is due.” “Let me see how I can help you with this project.” “

            Secondly, Prov 16:24, “Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.” As I read these word, I recall a conversation I had with an elderly lady. She brought with her a younger person and was exploring ways that our church could assist her. Even though the result was not what we expected, yet I was impressed by her words and tone. It was caring and encouraging. We can also think of words that are like honey: “I am really proud of you.” “I am so glad to see you in the band.” “I am proud of your promotion.” “You deserve to treat yourself with that monitor.” “It must be difficult to work with such a person. But you are doing fine.” These are gracious words.

            Thirdly, Prov 25:11, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.” One has to imagine how the color of gold and silver match each other. Its pretty isn’t it? When we say the right words at the right time, it’s like the matching of gold and silver. At a funeral service, “I am so sorry…..I’ll always remember…I’ll come by with dinner tonight”,  at a Divorce, “I am sure this is a lonely time for you—let’s have lunch.” At a legal crisis, “it’s not important what happened. I just want you to know that I care.”. With a handicapped child, “she has beautiful eyes. She is so loving and precious.” With a friend moving, “I’ve seen what special friends you are. I know we’ll miss each other.” Pet dies, “I know she was important to your family. Sometimes this brings back other sad feelings.” During terminal illness, “how are you feeling about what you’re facing?..I’ll take you to your next doctor’s appointment.” Death of spouse, “I know how much he meant to you, and how you’ll miss him.” Loss of a body part, “I’m sure this will take a lot of adjustment. I’ll be with you every step of the way.”

            Sometimes writing a card can also be a very effective way of encouraging one another. I am always thankful to those of you  who have taken time to encourage me by sending me cards at different stages of my life and ministry. Your words are like apples of gold in a silver plate, sweet like a honeycomb, bringing healing and health to my soul.

            We encourage one another with written or spoken words. We also need to learn what languages our spouses and children speak. To some children, presence, being there, is a great encouragement. Some may prefer presents and gifts. Others prefer a big hug.

Conclusion:

            We live in a very cold and cruel world. We compete; step on and cut each other down so we can get ahead. Sometimes its like that Survivor show. My success depends on others being voted out. And you know, what is sad is that sometimes even in our Christian community, we are not any better. In one of his books, Chuck Swindoll writes that the church is the only place where we shoot our own wounded ones. Many of us have come here with all kinds of wounds, yet instead of being comforted and encouraged, we sometimes speak words that only make the wounds more painful. This is not right. At church, at home, we are to encourage one another.

            I think of a movie I saw sometime ago. It was about a handicapped person running a marathon race. All the winners completed the race in expected time. But it took him many more hours to complete. By the time he reached the destination, it was late at night. But there was still a large size crowd waiting for him, cheering him and bursting into shouts when he crossed the finish line. They are the encouragers, the cheerleaders.

            Many of us have experienced God's love and encouragement. Now, we are to turn around and encourage those whom God had brought into our lives. I would like to close by asking each one of us several questions. Do our words reflect that we have experienced God's love and encouragement? If all of our conversations this past week were taped and we listen to its playback, what percentage of it would be words of encouragement? What percentage would be like arrows shooting at someone?