Encourage One Another

That was from a few months back. But I wanna ask the question this morning, why? Why shouldn't we neglect meeting together as God's people? There are many great answers to that question, but this morning, I wanna look at the answer that our text gives in verse 25. Don't neglect to meet together as is the habit of some, but encourage one another.

This morning, I wanna look at how we are called as God's people to encourage one another. I wanna start by looking at what encouragement is and then where it comes from, and finally, what we're to encourage one another about. So let's start with what is encouragement. The word usually translated as encourage or encouragement in the Greek is the verb parakaleo. That's what it looks like.

That's how you spell it. It's used 109 times in the New Testament, or the noun paraklesis, which is used 29 times. These words mean to be called beside. So firstly, there's an intensity to that idea of calling. If you wanted to ask someone to do something, there are a bunch of words that you could use to do that.

But to call out to someone to do something suggests a greater level of intensity than just asking, which is why this word is often translated as to urge or to appeal or to exhort. Whenever you hear those words in the Bible verses I use throughout my sermon, you're hearing these Greek words parakaleo or paraklesis. To encourage someone is more than just asking them to do something. It's urging them. It's appealing to them.

It's exhorting them to do something. You encourage people to do stuff because those things matter, because that thing is important. And we're gonna look at a bunch of those in our third point this morning. But secondly, encouragement, as the word suggests, is the giving of courage. To be called alongside someone means you come alongside that person, and you lend them strength, or you cheer them on.

If you wanted a picture of encouragement, it looks like a man supporting a wounded soldier, or a dad encouraging their daughter to ride a bike, or mum cheering her son on. I love, "If it was easy, I would do it." I love that. That's really encouraging. Encouraging one another means supporting one another or inspiring one another to keep going.

So let me give you some synonyms for encouragement. The first synonym is to stir up one another. That's what verse 24 says in our text. Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works. We're gonna look at love and good works in point three, but I wanna look at this idea of stirring up one another.

In the Greek, it literally means to spur one another on. Usually, it's used in a negative sense of provoking someone to anger. You just keep poking them until they explode. But here it's used in a positive way to spur someone on to action. Like a horse sometimes needs a prod to get going, so you and I need prodding to action.

And we don't just prod each other for the fun of it, but to encourage each other to become more like Jesus. Encouraging one another means spurring each other on. It means stirring up our desire to be like Christ. The second synonym is the idea of building one another up. Paul links these two words in 1 Thessalonians 5:11.

Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up just as you are doing. That's what church is all about. According to Ephesians 4, the church exists to equip the saints for the works of ministry, for building up the body of Christ until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. The church exists to build one another up until we become spiritually mature, until we become like Christ. Encouragement means building one another up in Christlikeness.

The third synonym is to strengthen one another. This is one of the job descriptions of the apostles. Luke says in Acts 14, Paul and Barnabas returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith and saying that through many tribulations, we must enter the kingdom of God. And he writes in Acts 15, and Judas and Silas, who were themselves prophets, encouraged and strengthened the brothers with many words. Later he says, and Paul went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

And again, he departed and went from one place to the next, strengthening all of the disciples. You know you've been encouraged when your faith in Jesus and your commitment to Jesus is strengthened. Encouragement is urging and appealing and exhorting people. Encouragement is giving people courage. It's stirring one another up.

It's building one another up. It's strengthening one another. Are you encouraged to encourage one another? Before we look at what we're to encourage one another to do, I wanna look at where encouragement comes from. I wanna look at five sources of encouragement.

The first is God the Father. God is the source of our encouragement. In Romans 15, Paul calls God the God of endurance and encouragement. And he says in 2 Corinthians 1, 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 may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. That word comfort is our words parakaleo and paraklesis.

It occurs five times in two verses. Nearly every Bible version translates it as comfort because the context is affliction. These people are suffering, and what they need is comfort. But you could also translate it as encouragement. Our God is the God of all encouragement who encourages us in our affliction.

And notice the progression. God's comfort and encouragement comes to Paul so that he might comfort and encourage others who are suffering. Our encouragement might be mediated through other people, but ultimately it comes from God. But encouragement also comes from Jesus. In his letter to the Philippians, Paul says, if there is any encouragement in Christ.

And when he says if, he isn't saying that we're not sure if we've been encouraged by Christ. Rather, it means if you believe in Jesus, you have been encouraged by Christ. And if that is true, then you will be humble like Christ. So how has Christ encouraged us? It's easy to ask, how hasn't Christ encouraged us?

Jesus became one of us. Hebrews says, He was made like His brothers in every respect. Jesus knows what it's like to live a human life. He knows the challenges and the struggles that you go through day by day. But what's more, Jesus died for us.

Jesus saved us from our sin. Jesus reconciled us with God. Our text says, because of Jesus, we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus. Because of Jesus, we can approach God. Not only that, Jesus is with us.

Jesus will come back for us, and Jesus gives us eternal life. If you don't find that encouraging, you haven't met Jesus. There is nothing that will encourage you more than putting your faith in Jesus Christ. But encouragement also comes through the Holy Spirit. You won't actually find a verse in the Bible that says that, but what you do find is that the Spirit is called the Encourager.

Jesus says in the Gospel of John, I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth. That word Helper is the word parakletos. One called beside us, one called to encourage us, to help us, and comfort us. The Holy Spirit spurs us on to become like Jesus. He builds us up and strengthens our faith.

Encouragement comes from the Holy Spirit. Next, encouragement comes from the Scriptures. Paul writes in Romans 15, for whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures, we might have hope. God encourages us primarily through His word. In the Bible, we read stuff like, for God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.

In the Bible, we read, how great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God. In the Bible, we're reminded of Jesus' words, in the world you will have tribulation, but take heart, I have overcome the world. In the Bible, we're reminded that He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. And we're reminded that even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I'll fear no evil, for You are with me. If you wanna be encouraged, you need to be reading your Bible.

You need to put those verses into your heart. You need to remember the promises of God. Finally, encouragement comes from one another. You and I are encouraged by people whom God has called to encourage us. Apostles went about encouraging the church, the faith of God's people.

Pastors and elders are called to encourage you and build up the church. But God has also gifted certain people to be encouragers. In Romans 12, Paul writes, if your gift is encouraging, then give encouragement. There was a guy in the early church called Barnabas who was actually called the son of encouragement because he was so encouraging. God has just given some of you the gift of encouragement, so use it.

Encourage other people. But the point of this sermon is that we're all called to encourage one another. That's what our text says. We're to be encouraging one another. Paul says it three times in a row in the letter to the Thessalonians.

He says, therefore, encourage one another. Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up. And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. Paul is addressing every Christian in the church and commanding us to encourage one another. And if you think that's only for the early church, Paul says in our text, we're to be encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

The closer we get to Jesus coming back, the more that we should be encouraging one another. Ultimately, our encouragement is from God, from the Father of all encouragement, and the encouragement that we have in Jesus, and the encouragement we receive through the Holy Spirit, and the encouragement we get from the Scriptures, but God also encourages us through His people. God encourages us through one another. God has called me to encourage you this morning, and His message for you this morning is encourage one another. That's God's word for you today.

That's what I want you to remember as you walk out of here. God has called me to encourage other people in this church. So the question then is, what should you be encouraging one another to do? There are so many things in the Bible that God encourages us to encourage other people to do, but I'm just gonna pick eight. Firstly, we're to encourage each other to be saved.

That's what Peter does on the day of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit comes upon God's people, and he stands up, and Luke writes, Peter continued to exhort them, saying, save yourselves from this crooked generation. That word exhort is our word encouragement. Peter encouraged people. He urged and exhorted them to repent and believe in Jesus and be saved.

Paul does the same. He says, we implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. Are you encouraging other people to believe in Jesus? I want to encourage you this morning. Believe in Jesus and be saved.

Secondly, we're to encourage people to love. That's what our text says. Let us consider how to stir up one another to love. Paul tells the Christians in Thessalonica, you have been taught by God to love one another, but we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more. Paul urges or encourages God's people to love one another, not just a little bit, but more and more and more, to grow in their love for each other.

How are we stirring up one another to love? How are you encouraging your brothers and sisters in Christ to love their brothers and sisters more and more? I want to gently prod you to be more loving. Thirdly, we're to encourage one another to do good works. Again, our text says, let us consider how to stir up one another to good works.

Helping other people doesn't come naturally to us. You and I need regular prodding to stop just living for ourselves and instead help other people in need. That's what Paul encourages Titus to encourage his church to do. He says, the saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people.

Those who believe in God are to be careful to devote themselves to good works. That's what Titus was to insist on. But what are these good works? Well, whatever they are, they're excellent and profitable for people. They are whatever helps people.

A few verses later, Paul says, and let people learn to devote themselves to good works so as to help cases of urgent need. Good works help people in urgent need. If someone doesn't have food to feed their family, I wanna encourage you to help them. If someone doesn't have a home and you have a spare bedroom, I wanna encourage you to help them. If someone needs a repair job or some maintenance or help with their yard, will you help them?

We're to encourage one another, to spur one another on to good works to help people in need. Next, we're to encourage one another to remain faithful. After Stephen was martyred, many disciples fled Jerusalem, and one of the first churches planted was in Antioch. When the apostles heard of that church, they sent Barnabas, the son of encouragement, to check it out. And Luke says, he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose.

Later, Barnabas teams up with Paul, and they plant a bunch of new churches. And Luke says they went back to those churches, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith. Becoming a Christian is just the beginning of your spiritual journey, and we need the encouragement of others to continue in the faith, to keep trusting in Jesus every single day, year after year for the rest of our lives. I love Paul's words of encouragement at the end of his first letter to the church in Corinth. He says, be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.

You and I need those words every day. We need to be encouraged to keep watch, to stand firm in our faith, to act like men, godly men, godly women, to be strong. We're to encourage one another to remain faithful to the Lord. Fifthly, we're to encourage one another to pray. Paul writes, I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf.

Paul encourages the Christians in Rome to pray for him. I want to encourage you to pray for your leaders, for your elders, and your deacons, and your ministry leaders, and for everyone else in your church. In fact, Paul encourages us to pray for everyone. He writes in 1 Timothy 2, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people. Paul encourages us to pray for everyone, all sorts of different prayers.

How are you encouraging prayerfulness? The simplest way to encourage prayer is to say, let's pray about that, and just stop and pray. Next, we're to encourage one another to beware sin. The writer of the letter to the Hebrews says, exhort one another every day, as long as it is called today, that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Sin has a way of creeping into our lives.

Sin has a way of deceiving us, of convincing us that it's not a big deal, that it's not hurting anyone. Sin has a way of hardening our hearts. And one of the cures to the deceitfulness of sin is to encourage one another every day and remind each other about the dangers of sin. If it's called today, and today is definitely today, then we need to encourage each other to beware sin. If you've spoken in anger this morning, you need to confess that and repent of that.

Or not only will anger drive a wedge between you and other people, it will drive a wedge between you and God. If you've looked at a woman lustfully, you need to repent of that, or lust will poison your heart. If you've envied someone else or gossiped about someone behind their back or lied about something, you need to be aware of the deceitfulness of sin. You and I need to heed the words of James, sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. If you don't kill sin, sin will kill you.

The apostle John encourages us, if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Encourage one another to be aware of sin. But we're also to encourage one another to restore repentant people. Paul shares about a guy who was disciplined by the church for his sin, but he writes to them, turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him.

Paul tells them to encourage this guy who repented, and he encourages them to reaffirm their love for him. It's so easy to judge people when they fall, and it's so hard to forgive them and restore them. That's why we need encouragement to do that. It's risky taking people back. Can you trust them?

Is their repentance real? But restoring repentant people is what we do as Christians. It's what God does for you and me every single day. We are to encourage one another to restore people back into community. If people come back here, I want to encourage you to welcome them with open arms.

Finally, we're to encourage one another to live for God's glory. Paul writes in Ephesians 4, I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called. And if that isn't strong enough for you, listen to how he puts it in 1 Thessalonians 2. He says, we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God. He uses three different words that all pretty much mean the same thing.

Basically, we encouraged you, and then we encouraged you some more, and then encouraged you again to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord. To walk in a manner worthy of God means to live for God's glory. Paul encourages us, whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. When we reflect the love and the gentleness and the kindness of God in our lives, we're living in a way that brings Him glory. We're to encourage one another to live for God's glory.

I've had so many people encourage me over the years. I was encouraged by my parents to go to church and to read my Bible. I was encouraged by one of the guys in church to become a cadet leader and later a youth leader. I was encouraged by one of the elders to play bass in church and to do a discipleship course. I was encouraged by my pastor to consider full time ministry.

I've had numerous people encourage me in my ministry to remain faithful, to beware of sin, to live for God's glory. Who has encouraged you on your spiritual journey? And who are you encouraging in their spiritual journey? Our God encourages us, and He does that through His Son, Jesus, and the gospel, and through the Holy Spirit, and through the Scriptures. But He also uses you and me to encourage one another.

So I want to encourage you to encourage others, to spur them on, to build them up, to strengthen their faith and their commitment to Jesus. May you be a church that encourages one another. Let's pray. Dear heavenly Father, we thank You for the encouragement that You give us. Lord, when we were lost and alone, when we were living in darkness and headed for destruction, You sent Your Son Jesus, and You sent Your Holy Spirit to open our eyes to the truth found in Jesus Christ.

You sent Your Spirit to open our hearts that we might put our faith in Jesus and believe in Him and be saved. Lord, You encourage us every single day through Your word, the Bible. And Lord, You have sent so many people to encourage us on our spiritual journey. And Lord, for all of Your encouragement, we wanna thank You. But Lord, we don't wanna just take all that for ourselves and move on with our own lives.

Lord, we wanna take the encouragement that You have given us, and we wanna encourage others with the encouragement we ourselves have received. Lord, we wanna encourage people to put their faith in Jesus. Lord, we wanna encourage people to love others, to do good works. Lord, we wanna encourage people to pray, to read Your word, to be aware of the dangers of sin in their lives. Lord, we wanna encourage one another to forgive others and to accept them back into fellowship with us.

Lord, we wanna encourage each other to live for Your glory and honour. So Lord, may You continue to pour out Your Spirit on us. May You fill us with Your word that we might be quick to speak Your word into other people's lives for their encouragement and their strengthening, that we might build up this church, that it might live as a light in a city on a hill. Lord, we pray this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.