How Encouraging Am I?

Greeting:

Good morning everyone

Welcome visitors

Invite everyone to come back and be with us

Lesson Text:

1 Thessalonians 5:11

Opening:

What is the first thought that comes to your mind when I say the word Enouragement...

Is it a certain person, a kind word, a thoughtful action?

Is there maybe a certain memory you have of a time in your life when you either encouraged someone, or maybe needed it yourself?

In each of our personal lives I am sure there have been times when we needed a pick me up.

Maybe in times of sadness, grief, difficulties of some sort.

We all have from time to time needed some encouragement.

I am certain that we can all think back to a moment, probably multiple, in our lives when someone was there for us to encourage us through whatever time we might have been going through.

How did that make us feel?

How much help was it to know someone cared enough to encourage you in your life?

It’s something we may still remember today…

There also may unfortunately be times that we can think of when we needed encouragement but maybe didn't get it...

How alone, sad, maybe willing to just give up that made us feel too when we didn’t receive any encouragement…

The point of the matter is, we all in our personal lives have saw the benefits, and the downfalls of both having and not having that encouragement when we needed it.

This morning I want us to all think very seriously together for a few moments about this idea spiritually.

I want us to all ask ourselves this morning the question that will serve as the title of our lesson,

“How Encouraging Am I?”

This morning this idea is one that I hope we can see is vital to the church.

The church, us as Christians need to see and understand the importance of both encouraging one another and being encouraged by our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.

Life is hard sometimes…

We all need it, we all need encouragement in this life…

I want us to all know that when we leave this morning, we all matter.

Whether you are a Christian or not your soul matters.

To me, to us, and most importantly to God.

Don’t ever feel like we don’t…

So it’s vital that we as the church understand the importance of making sure we encourage one another, love one another, and challenge one another to be the Christian we ought to be.

Our lesson is based from a verse there in 1 Thessalonians.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 NKJV

Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.

Paul tells the church there to comfort each other, edify each other, just as they are doing...

That word comfort there means to encourage, so Paul is telling the Christians there that they are to encourage one another and edify one another...

The word edify means to build up, to strengthen...

This was the church that they were to be...

A church thats encouraged, thats comforted, thats edified, built up and strengthened together...

Are we that church this morning?

This morning we are going to look at this idea of encouragement in a few aspects of our Christian life and within the church.

We don't have time unfortunately to look at every single possible scenario but I have highlighted a couple for us to look at..

As we look at these ideas this morning we are going to base our thoughts around the question of “How encouraging am I?”

Hopefully, this morning we will see whether or not we are the encouragement that we should be...

We are going to look at encouragement in terms of our worship and then our relationship with others…

Lesson:

This morning is a perfect example of why encouragement is so important for the church…

Take a moment and just look around.

Look at those sitting around you, the songs we sing, the prayers that are lead, the fellowship we have here together…

If we aren't encouraged by being here together then something is wrong…

This should be one of the most encouraging times in our lives when we are gathered together worshipping God…

Faithful Christians gathered together with one goal in mind…

Worshipping and praising our Lord…

But when it comes to us as Christians, as individuals how encouraging are we when it comes to our worship?

First to begin with… are we even here?

Before we even look at aspects of worship like song, prayer, and studying Gods word…

We have to be here…

I know many hear this idea and probably think oh here we go, preacher is on us again about attendance and coming to church…

He’s gonna tell us we gotta be here…

Well first, yes you’re kinda right.

It is about being here and it is important, but I’m just relaying the message.

God through his impaired word is the one that came up with it…

So yes it’s a command…

But its more than that.

I think sometimes we forget why…

Why its so crucial we are here…

We are here to worship God.

God the creator…

And a by product of that is us being encouraged as the church!

So yes while this sermon in part is about attendance it’s deeper than that, it’s deeper than just a command.

When we consider what scripture tells us about worship and our attendance we see it presented in a couple ways…

First, we see it by example of the early church…

Acts 20:7 NKJV

Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight.

The disciples came together on the first day of the week..

What were they doing?

They were gathered together to break bread, heard a gospel sermon, they were there together to worship God…

If we want to be like the Christians of the New Testament shouldn’t we follow their example?

But not only that, we also see it by explicit command…

Hebrews 10:24–25 NKJV

And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

We see here its stated very clearly for us to not forsake the assembly…

First off when’s the assembly?

Thats just Sunday morning for worship preacher…

Is that what that means? Or is it what it says and any time the church is assembled?

That includes Sunday morning Bible class, worship, Sunday night, Wednesday night, gospel meetings, whatever new whenever we are assembled together as the Lords church…

Thats not my rule, that’s not the preacher making you be here, but that’s Gods word…

Thats scripture telling us not to miss the assembly of the church…

That is direct authority from God.

So many times we don’t see it that way though.

Maybe we it as optional.

We may think what does it hurt to miss?

It’s just Sunday morning Bible class, that’s an extra hour of sleep for me…

Wednesday night bible class, well that’s not really worship, that’s not Sunday morning so I don't really have to go…

You know I’m just so tired from the week, or I gotta do stuff at the house, etc…

But is that really the case?

We just saw very plainly what scripture tells us…

As Christians we are told to be here when the doors are open, to worship God.

How encouraging are we in our worship?

But more than that and I’ll get onto myself here…

I think we sometimes preach on an focus on what’s sandwiched there in the middle and we forget about what comes before and then that latter part of the verse…

The idea here really in context isn't a comment of rebuke, but the Hebrew writer really writes this in a positive, encouraging way..

He says in verse 24 consider how to stir one another up for love and good works…

Sounds just like encouragement to me doesn’t it?

How do we do that, how can we encourage one another?

By being here!

And then we see that latter part of the verse too…

Exhorting one another…

Encouraging one another when we gather together to worship…

How encouraging are we in our worship?

Or better yet let me ask this question this morning, can we encourage anyone else with our worship if we aren't here?

Can anyone be encouraged by our worship, exhorted by us, if we aren't here?

If we are at home, at ball games, at concerts, at whatever may be going on… how can we encourage anyone?

Is our worship acceptable in the eyes of God?

Is he pleased with how we worship?

We would let our kids miss more than 3 days of school we wouldn’t miss work, yet why do we skip so many of the most important gathering we have on this earth?

The assembly of the church…

I mean this with all the love in the world…

You being here matters…

You are an encouragement to me, if no one, know you are to me…

And that should be true for all of us, each and every one of us should be encouraged by faithful attendance of our fellow brothers and sisters…

When we aren't here the opposite is also true…

Being here matters! It matters to every one of us whether we may even know it or not…

But what about once we are here?

Are we just here like the old saying goes, sitting like a knot on a log?

Are we sitting here just watching the clock ready to go, wishing that preacher would finish up already?

Or are we truly engaged, are we worshipping like we should?

Again, how encouraging are we?

Are we encouraging through our singing?

Through our prayers, through our bible study, through all of the different acts of worship we can find?

Are we encouraging those around us by not simply just being here but by engaging and partaking in worship?

Because worship isn’t something we just come and sit through…

I think that’s a big misconception…

We think we just come here to sit, do nothing, and then leave…

But really we are to be engaged, taking part in worship…

Think about all that goes on while we are here and what we are missing when we aren't here together?

We are joining together in song, praising God…

How encouraging is it to be here and be part of the beautiful singing and songs we offer up to God?

Colossians 3:16 NKJV

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

Look what Paul tells the church here…

He says first let the word of Christ dwell in us richly, we are to then teach and admonish one another how?

Through psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in our hearts…

We are to sing if we are here, that’s part of our worship towards God, worshipping him through song…

Think about what we are missing out on when we choose to skip out…

And again I say this not to harp on people, or be rude, or anything like that, but I say this in a positive way..

Why wouldn’t we want to be here with other Christians singing songs to our God?

Not only in song, but think about the encouragement we miss out on from Gods word…

Bible study, classes, sermons, maybe you say theres not a lot to miss there, but none the less think about all the encouragement we miss out on by not being here for those…

We probably would all agree that the single largest source of encouragement we have access to today is Gods word isn't it?

All of those scriptures we can go to and study and draw encouragement from…

John 16:33 NKJV

These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

Philippians 4:6–7 NKJV

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Proverbs 3:5–6 NKJV

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

And so many more!

Why wouldn’t we want to be encouraged through studying and reading Gods word together?

I can only speak for myself, but I hope this is true for you all as well.

I draw so much encouragement from being here in Bible class…

Christians gathered together diving into Gods word, studying it together, discussing it…

It’s so encouraging to me to sit and study Gods word, to talk about our problems or issues we face, to look at scripture for answers and to draw an honest understanding of scripture…

If we are truly a Christian how could we not want to be a part of that?

How could we not want the encouragement that comes from that…

And not only through song, or bible study, but prayer as well…

One of the most amazing and beautiful gifts we have today…

Going to God in prayer…

Would any of us dare say that being together with one another praying to God is a bad thing?

Of course not…

Yet so many times we fail to see the value in being here to draw encouragement through our prayers and supplications before God…

I think we can sum all of this up in terms of our worship with one last verse…

Psalm 122:1 NKJV

I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the house of the Lord.”

This morning I want us all to be extremely honest with ourselves…

Do we enjoy being here?

Do we love to worship God more than anything else in all the world?

Are we glad when we are told to come to the house of the Lord?

So, how encouraging are we in our worship?

Now I don't want any of us to misunderstand this, I am in no way saying this morning that worship is about us…

First and foremost our worship is always about God, he is the center of it and we are here to worship Him.

So many people today have taken worship and made it about themselves when its about God..

But we cant deny the encouragement, edification, upbuilding that comes from being here together…

So, that’s one big aspect of our life, our worship to God.

But that’s certainly not all of our life, and we certainly need to encourage others in our every day life as well as our worship…

So how encouraging are we to those around us in our every day life?

One of maybe the more interesting stories of encouragement we see in scripture ones from a man we find in Acts.

A man named Barnabas…

A man who was so encouraging he was deemed the name of “son of encouragement”

We don’t have time to read all of his story this morning but we can see a few key pieces of his life in scripture…

In Acts 4 we can see him sell a field that belonged to him and he takes the money and gives it to the apostles to take care of the needy..

In Acts 9 we see Barnabas again, this time when Paul becomes a Christian.

Paul after becoming a Christian goes and is refused by the church of Jerusalem due to his persecution and his past.

Who came in and fixed this, who came to Pauls side and stood up for him?

Barnabas did…

We need this type of encouragement in our lives as Christian’s.

This is the type of encouragement we need to show others..

A selfless life, a life lived in view of helping and encouraging those around us…

How encouraging are we?

Are we helping those in need?

Are we praying for those in need?

Are we offering encouraging words to those we come into contact with?

Simply put maybe, are we being that light of the world Jesus has called us to be?

Remember back to the beginning of the lesson and we mentioned how much those times we received encouragement when we needed it from others sticks with us…

It’s something we will always remember…

Let’s be that for someone else…

Let’s be that encouragement to those around us each day…

Let’s lead others to Jesus Christ…

Let’s preach the best sermon that some will ever hear…

Just by simply living our life, a Christian life, encouraging one another…

Conclusion:

I think we, and myself included, need to get back to the core of it all…

And that’s loving God, loving worship, loving everything there is about being a Christian more than anything else…

When Gods word, when our faith, when living a Christian life gets back to being our priority then everything else will fall into place…

Sunday morning bible class, worship, Wednesday night class, gospel meetings, all of those ill become something that we will want to be at.

We will want more than anything to be there.

We will flip that thinking of “If I have time or if nothing is going on or if I feel like it, ill be there.”

To a thinking of, “I’m making time to be there and then after that I’ll have time for whatever else.”

And the same is true for all aspects of our faith…

How encouraging that is…

How encouraging it is to see a Christian who puts God first in worship, and in every single aspect, every day, of their life…

Nothing is more encouraging to me than seeing people who let nothing at all come between them and their faith…

How encouraging are we?

This morning if someone isn’t a Christian let’s change that.

Or if we are a Chrisitan already but maybe have sin in our life or have strayed away let’s come back home

Life is too short to not make sure our life is right today