Goal of our encouragement
Notes
Transcript
Where do you get it?
Where do you get it?
Illustration: Dog, licks, loves, feelings from it
Where do you find encouragement?
Family, job, friends, accomplishment.
Your finances, etc.
From each other (expand; good biblical thing)
Encouragements can be very uplifting, motivational, but they too can be used as manipulation too, can’t they? (i.e. Tom Sawyer)
(Transition) the goal of our encouragement biblically speaking is found in our passage this morning (Eph4:14-16) - so please open your bibles there and will get there in a few minutes
The goal of our encouragement is unknowable without knowing the goal of our existence.
Goals of our existence
Knowledge of Christ and who we are in Him and what we have in Him(2Pt2:8; 1Jn5:5; Jn20:31, 1Jn5:13)
To love one another as Jesus did (Jn13:34)
To serve one another (Gal5:13)
To forgive one another (Eph4:32)
Our chief end, chief goal should be to fulfill the reason for man’s creation in the first please to glorify God and be in fellowship with Him.
(Transition) with bibles open now, may we look at some great goals of our encouragement, from Eph4.
Be Planted
Lord adds you (ref only Act2:47)
Look at (ref only Eph4:14)
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;
We do not want to be tossed to and fro. So we need to be firmly planted and rooted in Christ
Think of our hope in Christ as our anchor (Turn to and read Heb6:19)
19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil,
We face tribulations (pressures) in this world, storms will come and we need to be planted, rooted and when we know we are that is a great assurance, a great encouragement.
When planted you grow
Grow in grace and truth (turn to and read each 2Pt3:17-18; 2Pt1:2-3, 8-11)
2pt3:17-18
17 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness, 18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
and then
2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; 3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.
then jump down to
8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. 10 Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; 11 for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.
Grow from the elementary principles (Turn to and read Heb5:12-14)
12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.
(Transition) we need to be rooted, so that we may grow, or our next point is to.
Progress
Progress but not the kind of progressive that the world looks at and that some of what people call the church are embracing today that Jude spoke about.
Progress through speech
Truth spoken (Eph4:1-7)
Truth purposed (Eph4:11-13)
We need to be a truth speaker
Speak the word for the word is true (Ps119:160)
Speak in both truth and love (Turn to read Eph5:19)
19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord;
Truth must come with love or it avails nothing and may even drive people away.
Progress through “whole” growth
Grow, mature, personally and communally
Consider (Turn to read 1Cor3:16)
6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth.
Earlier mentioned the Lord adds, here we see God causes the growth. Growth starts on the inside, in you, not seen by others at first, then by others and is encouraging to others that we may all grow to the unity of the faith.
Illustration: What is goal of raising kids? to help them grow. It was probably challenging at times, and maybe now if you have kids or grandkids at home with you, but you do not give up, do you?
Growth in Christ for we are to be one in Christ as the body (ref: Rom12:5)
Progress/growth comes with clear direction
To glorify God and enjoy fellowship with Him forever
To live to please God
Again, first we need to know who He is, appreciate what He has done (expand) Grow beyond the elementary principles, but never forget them.
To pick up our cross and follow (ref: Lk9:23); to love one another (Ref Jn13:34-35); to serve one another (Gal5:13) all mentioned before.
Put into action
God has a plan (Jer29:19); God has a good plan (Rom8:28) We have a part to play in Gods, good and perfect plan.
If possible read (Eph4:16 from the GNB)
16 Under his control all the different parts of the body fit together, and the whole body is held together by every joint with which it is provided. So when each separate part works as it should, the whole body grows and builds itself up through love.
God’s plan fits us together
God’s plan holds us together
God’s plan teaches us to do our part
God’s plan in action builds itself up in love
God’s plan starts with salvation
God’s plan it to be rooted, grounded, growing in all aspects of Christ
Application:
Do you want to grow in Christ? Keep seeking maturity for we have not arrived yet
Encourage one another in Christ building one another up in love
Love your family well
Starts with self care, your salvation, sanctification
Your spouse, wash with water of the word
Your children, bring them up in the ways of the Lord
Your church family, be a part of it, bring your God given gift to the body.
(Invitation slide)Finally, know whose you are! Do you belong to Jesus? (Invitation/encouragement) (Prayer) (Close)