Zechariah

How to Encourage Someone

I want you all to think back to a time when you felt really low. Maybe it was when you were grieving a death or nursing a heartbreak. Maybe it was when you felt like a failure or you felt the weight of sin sitting on your shoulders.

Whatever the situation, put yourself there and then imagine your partner, your friend, your therapist or your pastor coming up to you in your distress and saying something like

“Have you prayed about it?”

“It could be worse.”

“God has a plan for you.”

“I know exactly how you feel.”

“You just need to calm down/try harder/be better/smile more.”

Sometimes, despite our best intentions, we discourage people in our attempts to encourage them.

STORY - “Well done good and faithful servant”

If today is your first time with us here at Brentwood Park Alliance, we have been working our way through the minor prophets of the Old Testament, looking at one book per week.

This week, we are looking at the book of Zechariah, which is the second last book of Old Testament and the longest book (by word count) of the minor prophets.

Zechariah is a challenging book to understand, so to help us understand it, we are going to watch the overview of this book from the bibleproject.ca.

WATCH ZECHARIAH VIDEO (8:10)

So, if you haven’t read the book of Zechariah this week, I encourage you to read it and enjoy all the beautiful and odd imagery in it as you allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you through it. As I read it this week, I was struck by how encouraging this book must have been to its original audience and how we an learn how to encourage people from it.

As we saw in the video, this book is written to the Jews who had returned to Israel after the Babylonian exile and were in the process of rebuilding the nation and the temple. But they were also going through a significant struggle in this. They were being harassed and assaulted by their enemies and the land was in a drought, they had no money and there was famine. There were so many reasons to be depressed and angry and discouraged.

And into that Zechariah comes with words of encouragement from God for his people. While much of the minor prophets wrote and preached warnings of God’s justice against sin, reminders of his sovereignty and messages of his mercy, here he wants to help his people rise up in a renewed faith. Encouragement is powerful.

Roy T. Bennet, author of “The Light in our Heart” says,

“Be an Encourager: When you encourage others, you boost their self-esteem, enhance their self-confidence, make them work harder, lift their spirits and make them successful in their endeavors. Encouragement goes straight to the heart and is always available. Be an encourager. Always.” - Roy T. Bennet The Light in our Heart

The author of Hebrews challenges us when they write:

Hebrews 10:25 NLT

25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

We are called to be encouragers of people, especially of each other. But how do we encourage each other?

Let me share a couple of thoughts on what encouragement is NOT

Encouragement is not platitudes

Encouragement is not flattery

Encouragement is not permissiveness

Encouragement is not advice

So what is encouragement? To answer that, let’s look at the multifaceted ways God, through Zechariah, encourages his people.

And I say multifaceted because each experience will need a a different style of encouragement and we have to discern what is needed when.

In his book “Encouragement: The Key to Caring,” renowned Christian author and counsellor Larry Crabb says,

Because words have the power to affect people deeply, it is appropriate to consider how to encourage fellow Christians through what we say. Words can encourage, discourage, or do nothing. - Larry Crabb

Today, we are going to look at four different ways for you to encourage someone:

1) When experiencing shame and guilt, offer words of forgiveness and reconciliation

In one of Zechariah’s visions, the Lord shows Zechariah a heavenly courtroom scene. Let’s look at that scene

Zechariah 3:1–5 NLT

1 Then the angel showed me Jeshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord. The Accuser, Satan, was there at the angel’s right hand, making accusations against Jeshua. 2 And the Lord said to Satan, “I, the Lord, reject your accusations, Satan. Yes, the Lord, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebukes you. This man is like a burning stick that has been snatched from the fire.” 3 Jeshua’s clothing was filthy as he stood there before the angel. 4 So the angel said to the others standing there, “Take off his filthy clothes.” And turning to Jeshua he said, “See, I have taken away your sins, and now I am giving you these fine new clothes.” 5 Then I said, “They should also place a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean priestly turban on his head and dressed him in new clothes while the angel of the Lord stood by.

So many people dislike and/or ignore the OT because they think there is a huge disparity between it and the NT - between how God is presented in OT versus how he’s presented in the NT. But here is this vision of Zechariah, we have the gospel in 5 verses.

In the vision, Jeshua is standing in this heavenly courtroom as a representative of the priesthood.

And Satan, like a prosecuting attorney, accuses him - saying that he is unfit to be a priest because of his sin.

Have you ever felt that? That you are unworthy of God’s love or to serve him because of your sin? I have. I do sometimes.

But God reveals the gospel to Zechariah. He rejects Satan’s accusations. He saves Jeshua, like a branch snatched from the fire. He takes away his sin - note that he doesn’t deny that Jeshua has sinned, he deals with the sin by taking his dirty clothes off of him and giving him new clothes.

In the same way, God so loves you that he takes away your sins through the death and resurrection of Jesus the Christ, his son. God takes off your dirty clothes, the sin and the shame that comes with it, and instead clothes you in salvation and righteousness.

And those thoughts you have of “I’m not good enough for God to love me” or “I’ve sinned too much” are accusations from Satan that God rejects. He loves you and through Christ, you are are forgiven. But not just forgiven.

In Zechariah’s vision, God says, “Put a turban on his head.” That turban is a symbol of the priesthood. God is saying, “I know you have sinned, but I have a mission and a purpose for you.” You are both forgiven and you are empowered to serve God.

There is power in our words. The Israelites had sinned before God - that’s why they went into exile and why they were experiencing drought and famine. But here, in this vision, God declares their forgiveness and restoration.

When someone you know is experiencing shame and guilt over their sin or their failure, encourage them with words of God’s forgiveness and restoration because we are not defined by our sin or our mistakes but by God’s grace and love.

2) When experiencing grief and loss, offer words of comfort and love

In the TV show WandaVision, which is a fascinating portrayal and study of grief, Wanda revisits a memory where the grief over the death of her brother, plus moving to a new country, was overtaking her. She describes her grief as waves hitting her and how tired she was and how she felt like she would drown in her grief. And Vision, who at that time is her friend and teammate on the Avengers, after listening with empathy to her pain, says about grief, “It’s can’t all be sorrow, can it? For what is grief, but love persevering?” It’s a beautiful encouragement to Wanda, and helps her reframe her grief in a new, less overwhelmingly negative way.

For the Israelites in Jerusalem who have returned from the exile, they see their nation, their city and their temple destroyed. They have faced persecution from enemies trying to rebuild it. Because of their sin, they are experiencing drought and famine.

They are hurting in every sense of the word. So what does God say to these people?

Zechariah 8:2–3 NLT

2 “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: My love for Mount Zion is passionate and strong; I am consumed with passion for Jerusalem! 3 “And now the Lord says: I am returning to Mount Zion, and I will live in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the Faithful City; the mountain of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will be called the Holy Mountain.

He says he loves them. He says that he’s not giving up on them. He says that He is with them.

Maybe your grieving because your body is starting to fail you. You feel frustrated, tired, and sad about it. If that’s you, remember: God loves you. God hasn’t given up on you. God is still with you.

Maybe your grieving the loss of a job (which can be the loss of an identity), or the loss of what you thought was a future. When we first had Hannah diagnosed and found out the extent of her disability, we experienced the loss of our ideas for her future and we had to grieve it. But I was reminded then, as I remind you now, that despite your loss, God loves you; that God hasn’t given up on you and that God is with you.

Maybe your grieving the loss of someone you love. Like Wanda, waves of grief wash over you, threatening to drown you. And you may be tempted to wonder how, if God was real, he could allow this. And that’s a legitimate feeling. But the presence of pain and loss does not diminish the presence of God. Instead, it reveals the love of God is unique ways.

That’s why Jesus says,

Matthew 5:4 NIV

4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Peter drowning in the storm - Jesus reaches down

So when you feel like the waves of grief might drown you, look for the hand of God reaching out to you through the people that God sends to you. And if you know someone who is grieving, sit with them; listen with empathy, compassion and love, and be an agent of God by encouraging them with words of comfort and love, reminding them that God loves them, that he hasn’t given up on them, and that He is with them as they grieve.

3) When experiencing spiritual drift, offer words of challenge

Encouragement isn’t always meant for the emotionally distraught. Sometimes we need to encourage the apathetic.

The Israelites of Zechariah’s time had become apathetic to God and were focussed on themselves, as we saw last week in the writings of Haggai, who preached and wrote at the same time as Zechariah. But look here at what God says to them in chapter 8:

Zechariah 8:14–17 NLT

14 “For this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: I was determined to punish you when your ancestors angered me, and I did not change my mind, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 15 But now I am determined to bless Jerusalem and the people of Judah. So don’t be afraid. 16 But this is what you must do: Tell the truth to each other. Render verdicts in your courts that are just and that lead to peace. 17 Don’t scheme against each other. Stop your love of telling lies that you swear are the truth. I hate all these things, says the Lord.”

How do we encourage the apathetic? We can show them what God has been doing and challenge them to live out the calling of God. God, through Zechariah, points them to himself historically (the punishment of the exile), then challenges them to live out his principles of justice and honesty.

The experience of new faith and seeing God work every 20 minutes - fading into a quieter faith has led some to become apathetic to God as they don’t hear Him or see Him as much. And maybe this is where you find yourself. You believe God is real, but you are a bit apathetic to his calling because you haven’t experienced him much lately.

My challenge to you though is that it’s in this season where we need to press in deeper. It’s the season when we don’t hear God often were our faith kicks in.

2 Corinthians 5:7 NIV

7 For we live by faith, not by sight.

Faithfulness is living out God’s ways no matter what we experience or feel. And one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit in our lives is faithfulness.

When someone become apathetic in their faith, like God does here in Zechariah, we can point people to how God has worked historically - highlighting the cross first and foremost and moving forward to the ways God has worked in the person’s life. Then we can challenge them to renew their faithfulness in specific ways.

4) When experiencing hopelessness, offer words of hope

Roman author and philosopher Pliny the Elder said,

Hope is the pillar that holds up the world. Hope is the dream of a waking man. - Pliny the Elder

I read an anecdote about a small-town local reporter who was going to report on the little league baseball game for the paper. He was a few minutes late to the start of the game and so he approached the dugout and asked a kid what the score was. The boy responded, "Eighteen to nothing--we're behind."

"Boy," said the reporter, "I'll bet you're discouraged."

"Why should I be discouraged?" replied the little boy. "We haven't even gotten up to bat yet!"

Kids can be amazingly resilient when it comes to hope. But somewhere along the way, as we grow up, many of us lose that ability to hold on to it. Without hope in our lives, nihilism and purposelessness sets in and joy, peace and faith die as collateral damage.

Before despair could set in to the struggling Israelites, God encouraged them with words of hope.

Zechariah 9:9–10 NLT

9 Rejoice, O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a donkey— riding on a donkey’s colt. 10 I will remove the battle chariots from Israel and the warhorses from Jerusalem. I will destroy all the weapons used in battle, and your king will bring peace to the nations. His realm will stretch from sea to sea and from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth.

Some of you may recognize those verses from Easter celebrations as we see Jesus fulfill this prophecy. But in Zechariah’s time, God gave his people a vision of the future. It’s a future where Israel is no longer at war, where the promised king from the line of David rules over all the nations and brings peace. In other parts in Zechariah, the vision for the future includes old people sitting in the town squares while children run around playing, neighbours sitting together in peace under their own grapevines and fig trees, and Jerusalem full of people and life.

Hope for the future fuels fortitude in the present. We need hope so we can endure. That’s why we have the book of Revelation in the Bible. It’s a book written to Christians who are being persecuted by the Romans for their faith. For these Christians, death is an everyday possibility just because they dared to hope in Jesus.

To these harrassed and helpless people who live in that reality, look at the future vision that God gives them, and he gives us, so that we endure in our faith:

Revelation 21:3–7 NLT

3 I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” 5 And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.” 6 And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life. 7 All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children.

God gave the first century Christians hope in these verses and he has used them to instil hope in generation after generation of Jesus followers since. And in Zechariah, he also gives them hope of a better future because hope for the future fuels fortitude in the present.

When we connect with people who are experiencing hopelessness, we can encourage them by offering them a vision of a better future. Both a vision of the future that they might see in this life and a vision for the next as well, encouraging them that the best days are still to come.

Conclusion

When some one is experiencing shame and guilt, offer words of forgiveness and reconciliation.

When some one is experiencing grief and loss, offer words of comfort and love

When some one is experiencing spiritual drift, offer words of challenge

When some one is experiencing hopelessness, offer words of hope

In 1 Thessalonians, Paul challenges us. He writes:

1 Thessalonians 5:11 NLT

11 So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.

Who needs a word of encouragement from you today?

Pray.