One Another - Encourage
One Another • Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 7 viewsNotes
Transcript
OPEN - Walking from Swinson, offered a ride
OPEN - Walking from Swinson, offered a ride
SERMON
SERMON
When have you been encouraged?
Me? Walking from Swinson
Others? Being helped move apartments.
Me? Seeing others help others
1) The Command
1) The Command
Encourage One Another
Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.
and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds,
But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
Finally, brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.
Therefore comfort one another with these words.
The words: encourage, comfort, exhort, build up, stimulate
All the same root words
DEFINED - Biblically: to give support, confidence, to develop
Not just saying nice words to uplift
SO FAR: - Unity, Love, Humility, Forgiving, Serving, Prayer
Mindset - Action - Impact people, affect the Kingdom
Encouragement cannot happen without making contact, doing the encouraging, being together, reaching out
Easier when you get more involved in God’s activity, working out your faith, serving in the local church
(Forgiving encourages, serving encourages, praying encourages, even encouraging encourages!)
If your mindset is that of Christ, you will encourage others
2) The Example - Jesus and others
2) The Example - Jesus and others
John 14:1-6 - meant to encourage
Matthew 28:19-20 - I am with you ALWAYS
The root word - paraklete - Helper, Holy Spirit - even now, He is with every believer!
Can that encourage you?
Can you be encouraged by that?
REM: Encouragement cannot happen without contact, being involved - Jesus did so much more than TALK
BARNABAS (“encouragement”) - Acts 9, with Paul
Now when the meeting of the synagogue had broken up, many of the Jews and of the God-fearing proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, were urging them to continue in the grace of God.
Everyone else was cynical, afraid, doubtful, and for good “flesh” reasons
Matthew 5: 1-12, and 13-14 (READ)
The beatitudes are to people who need encouragement - His encouraging is on display!
Jesus encouraged: “You can do it” and then He showed us!
3) The Practical
3) The Practical
How, What, more Why...
CHOICE - like everything, have to desire to be encouraging
Maybe you’re not one easily encouraged??
Are you cynical, discouraged, are you discouraging? See negative in most things
Encouraging STRENGHTENS us - MOTIVATES us
Start - just showing up
Some never understand how them being here would encourage others
Gotta get past yourself - and be encouraging (mindset?
Heb 10:24 and then verse 25!
Open eyes - see what people are doing? Doing it “wrong?” Come, show them how, work and serve and pray ALONGSIDE someone!
Make a special effort to thank someone, encourage them in their service
How many here thank veterans when you see them?
How many here thank believers when they see them persevering, serving?
WE, at some point, have to see that all this “one another” stuff needs to get done, and that this church is crucial to making that happen.
I’m not begging for thanks for anyone. Ultimately, God knows
People see and are affected by our actions, and God sees, and rewards.
But faithfulness is HARD - people need encouragement
And like all the other items we’ve discussed, if everyone encourages, then everyone will be encouraged
Want an easy practical? The mailboxes in the back of the church - cards, letters - even an email
More than a LIKE on Facebook
Specific “HOWs”
Words - how are your words characterized? By grace?
Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.
Words from the mouth of a wise man are gracious, while the lips of a fool consume him;
The lips of the righteous bring forth what is acceptable,
But the mouth of the wicked what is perverted.
Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down,
But a good word makes it glad.
What should you say?
Remind people of God’s love, of Jesus’ sacrifice for them - use His Word, let His Word richly dwell
Listen - Silence
Just be there, someone is suffering, not always needing to say something.
Rom. 8:28 is good, but be patient and listen
Do something if you can, if you have the means/ability
James 2:15-16 is example
Good to pray, and if you can do something, even better
This involves humility, love, serving, - this encourages!
Gotta name some names here: Dillon, Chance, Frank, Nancy, Jake - helping move
Chance seeing how encouraged people were to be helped, asking for nothing in return!
And I know, much encouragement goes on unnoticed by others, and that’s good!
Look around - are we each others’ encouragers? We need to be.
CLOSE
CLOSE
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,
who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
We are comforted, ENCOURAGED by God - through all our trials and circumstances
SO THAT we can pay that forward
He saved you, now go tell someone who needs to get saved
He helped you, now go help someone
Might be very specific - He strengthened you through something very specific, and guess what, He places someone in need of that very same encouragement in front of you
CHOICE - you going to encourage?
It’s gonna happen this week, maybe today?
Need another WHY?
This helps people mature in the faith - we are told to grow up
Jesus sent us the Helper, the Holy Spirit, so we can help each other
Teach, admonish, strengthen, serve, be actively involved with one another
That’s encouraging!