Encouragement

(Message by Pastor Philip Joseph)

We have been blessed in the past few weeks from guest preachers who brought God’s word to us. Today, I would also like to hear testimonies of what God has done and what God has spoken to you in the past few weeks. Therefore, my message today is a short one-about encouragement.

Encouragement by Him

Romans 15:5 “Now may the God of patience and {comfort | encouragement} grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus.”

Our God is a God of encouragement / comfort. The Christian race here on earth is not a short 100 meter dash. It is most likely a marathon. You may have been part of athletics for a short sprint-where the race is over in just about 15 seconds. But not so in a marathon-where patience and endurance matters.

We have the entire life to walk with the Lord-just as in the marathon! The road goes on and on… and there is a tendency to give up mid-way. We may feel like slowing down a little bit, or walk instead of run, or even stop…But DON’T give up, because there are a whole bunch of people cheering us on in the way… somehow we find new strength to continue!

Once we finish the race, there will be no requirement for encouragement… only the rewards! That is why we must know our God as the One who gives encouragement to us in the Christian race-a God of patience… The race must end well, and we must go on till we finish.

Romans 15:13 says: Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

So today, if you are feeling down and tired and weary, it is time to know your God as the God of hope. The race is on… and there is hope. We find in the book of Isaiah from Chapter 40 onwards, the revelation of God as the God of hope and comfort. The people of Israel are taken away captive to Babylon… there is fear, gloom and a sense of despair. The people, who had no hope, came to know God as the God of hope through Isaiah the prophet.

He knows us! “He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those who are with young.” (Isaiah 40:11). God is not just the God of heaven and earth, but He is also the God of each one of us. His eye searches out those whose hearts fear Him, and His arm saves those who are lowly and contrite of heart. He is a God of far and near!

He increases our strength! “He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength” – Isaiah 40:29. The familiar verse from Isaiah 40:31 declares: ….those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. Therefore keep walking! Keep running… you shall renew your strength in Him and not be tired.

He remembers! Do you feel forgotten and forsaken by Him? The people of Israel felt like that! God declares in Isaiah 49:15, 16 “Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of h womb? Surely they may forget, yet I will not forget you. See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands…” He is involved in all the little details of your life…He knows you inside out. A mother may forget her son, but God will not forget you. He arranges things in our life up to the finest detail… the paths are all set out. His plans for us to prosper! But the problems come when we want to have our own way… make our own roads; to have our own plans fulfilled!

He understands! He knows that our thoughts are not His thoughts, and our ways are not His ways. His ways are way higher than ours. (Isaiah 55:8). We must know this too! We are not alone! He has granted Himself to us, through His Son Jesus Christ. He dwells inside of us by His Holy Spirit who continuously encourages us to press on!

Encouragement by His Word

Romans 15:4 “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and {comfort | encouragement} of the Scriptures might have hope.”

If you have doubt, in hearing God’s encouragement, here it is – the Holy Bible, given to us that we may have hope-through it. Given to us in black and white- crystal clear; no two ways about it. Just as any legal document made in black and white! As we read God’s word, we can know of the encouragement from the Scriptures.

We all go through trials. Jesus went through trials and temptations. But He knew the comfort of the Scriptures. So He says, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God”. (Matt. 4:4).

There are times when we feel we need to be comforted. We are hungry and thirsty. But man is more than just a physical and an emotional being-he is first a spiritual being! Therefore, before food for his stomach, there has to be food for his spirit. And this spiritual food is God’s word-given to us in black and white. We can feed on it, just as we feed on physical food daily. We require this spiritual food regularly to be strong in comfort.

Psalm 1: 2, 3 says: But his delight is in the LORD, and in his law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season… : God’s word, is like that rivers (or stream) of water that provides nourishment for each one of those trees planted by it. It all starts with God’s word to be patient and to bear fruit. Many have gone through and many are going through the trials and sufferings that you and I undergo right now in this world. Do not imagine that your problem alone is too big for anybody to handle; or that your temptation is weightier than any other. “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful…” (1 Cor. 10:13) But in all these our trials, we know one thing-God’s word will provide encouragement; God’s word will provide comfort.

Encouragement through Us

Now is when the rubber meets the road! Not only do we find encouragement, we are also called to encourage one another. There is no need for us to live self-centered lives, thinking only of ourselves. ‘Poor me’, and ‘pity me’ are not the motives for our Christian living! Romans 15:2 says: Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification. We are not here to please ourselves and to let others please us. Our part is also to please and encourage others leading to edification.

Everyone needs encouragement at times. We ought to comfort one another with the comfort that we ourselves have received. (2 Cor. 1:4). Paul writes: Now I myself am confident concerning you, my brethren, that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another. (Romans 15:14). And again: “…that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.” (Romans 1:12).

It is your job and my job in the purposes of God to encourage one another. “Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:11). In Acts 4:36 there was a man named Joses, who was also named Barnabas by the apostles (which is translated Son of Encouragement)… we are all called to be like Barnabas-sons of encouragement.

What is your name? What does your name say about you? Have you encouraged someone today? Yes, we are called to encourage one another every day. Hebrews 3:13 says: but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,”… Let us not be a closed Christian-talking about ‘my God, my needs, my comfort…’; there is a life to give encouragement! 

We have a God of encouragement. We have His word of encouragement. (We are privileged here in Mumbai and India to have God’s Holy Bible available freely to us. It is not so in a few countries of the world!). We have churches that are open, where people can gather together openly. It is not so in some countries, where the church meetings are still a secret! We have all we need to finish our Christian race-faithfully and with endurance. Therefore we will not be downcast or depressed; we will encourage one another while it is still “Today”. Amen.