A Sermon on Encouragement

I want to preach a sermon this morning about encouragement. We are to encourage one another; that is one of the recurring themes in the New Testament. New members often think that what our religious faith is all about is doctrine -- what you must believe -- or morality -- what you must not do.

O.K. these things are important. But for twenty-five years I have preached again and again about what I think is the most important theme of the New Testament. That is what you must be. I actually have three texts this morning from the writings of from the New Testament. Listen:

Jesus said, "If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love... This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you."

Paul wrote to the Philippian church, "If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind." [Philippians 2:1-2]

Paul wrote to the Roman church : "May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus, so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." [Romans 15:5-6]

These quotations from Paul are rather difficult to understand. It takes several readings to get what Paul is trying to communicate. Certainly, though, these texts are part of a chain of scriptures that would make us see that our soul’s salvation is about how we have the mind of Christ in our relationships with others.

Did you hear Paul call God "the God of encouragement?" Did you hear him say "If there is any encouragement in Christ ...have the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.?"

Because we have found encouragement in Christ, we ought to be encouragers. The world does not rank encouragement as one of the virtues that is valued. To our world, it seems, the great virtue is criticism.

If we are working from our own resources alone, our efforts can be counter productive. There was a novel entitled "The Woman of the Pharisees." The woman of the Pharisees was a very wealthy woman who was committed to trying to help the poor people of her village. She visited them regularly. She always left a gift behind when she visited. But she also always made a suggestion that with a little more ambition, a little more thrift, they could improve their situation. The author wrote, "She never left a poor family’s house without making them feel worse for her having been there."

Paul is not counseling the church at Phillipi simply to be nice to one another. He knew that "being nice" is so often a surface phenomenon that soon withers and dies and can even cause resentment. Paul wanted for them to be transformed to a new creation -- to have the mind of Christ as their mind. Begin your encouragement from the mind of Christ that dwells within you.

"If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind."

Wouldn’t it be great if all churches could be like that? If Christ has brought you any encouragement, Paul is saying -- any love, affection, sympathy -- then pass that encouragement on to those around you.

We need people who are committed to a ministry of encouragement. We have good, honest, Christians -- people who are present every time the church doors open -- who have never given encouragement to anyone else. They think that their proper role in the scheme of things is for them to use their God=given talent of criticism as often as possible. After all, they know exactly how people ought to act and how things ought to be, and they have a responsibility to let it be known.

They would never consider giving out "attaboys" to anyone. (You do know what an "attaboy" is don’t you? A fitly chosen compliment, a pat on the back, a word of encouragement.)

George and Mary Lou were celebrating their golden wedding anniversary. A reporter asked George, "What is your recipe for a long, happy marriage?" George replied that after their wedding his new father-in-law took him aside and handed him a little package. Inside the package was a large gold watch which he still carried. There, across the face of the watch, where he could see it a dozen times a day, were written the words, "Say something nice to Mary Lou." We all need somebody to say something nice to us from time to time.

A study was conducted at Springfield college in Massachusetts. A group of children were told to draw a detailed picture of a man. When they had finished, they were asked to draw another picture of a man. This one, they were told, should be better than their first. When they had finished, they were told again: "Now draw another man, this time better than the last."

No matter how poor their drawings might have been, no one was criticized for his or her drawing. However, neither were they praised or given any encouragement. They were merely told to draw another picture.

You can probably guess the results, can’t you? Some of the children got angry and displayed their resentment openly. One refused to draw any more. Most, however just looked angry, said nothing, and continued their joyless, unrewarding toil. Each of the drawings, however, got worse and worse.

We all need to be encouraged from time to time, don’t we? True, we have found encouragement in Christ, but we also need encouragement

Paul wrote to the Roman church, "If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing of the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love..." As a church, we are all on Jesus’ team, and we need to cheer for each other.

Duncan King told about a guy who was going to commit suicide. He was depressed, lonely, afraid. He decided to walk down the street where he lived. He said, "If I pass just one person who smiles at me and is friendly, I won’t commit suicide. Then King asked, "What if he passed you?

Mark Rutledge is the guy in the church who is always trying to get people to smile. He sometimes stand at the back of the church and draws a smile on his face to remind me to smile. Sometimes I can hardly look at Mark without laughing. He said he does it because he’s had too much of a gloomy church in the past.

Smiling really does lift our own spirits, while it may make a change in the attitude of another. This month the Smithsonian Magazine has a eight-page article on the smile. The author says, "Evidence does, in fact, suggest that people who smile a lot tend to be happier and more successful in life than those who don’t."

The final point is this: the source of our encouragement is Christ. "Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus." We encourage because Christ encourages us. He lives in us and the life we live is his. When you bring comfort -- when you are an encourager -- it is the same spirit of Christ. One way that our Lord brings encouragement to this world is through you!

Maxie Dunnam, who used to be the Minister at Christ Methodist Church, tells a beautiful story about Thomas Moore, the nineteenth-century Irish poet. Moore was married to a beautiful young woman to whom he was totally devoted. Shortly after they were married, Moore was called away on business that lasted some time. When he returned home, he found the doctor waiting on the doorstep with terrible news. His beautiful wife had contracted smallpox and the disease had left her scarred and ugly. She had commanded that the shutters be drawn and that her husband never be allowed to see he again.

Thankful that his bride was still alive, Moore rushed upstairs, heedless of his wife’s request. He burst into her room and started to light the lamps. His wife cried out in surprise and begged him to. "Go" she pleaded. "Please go!’ This is the greatest gift I can give you now."

More reluctantly left the room and went down to his study where he sat down to write. From his mind and pen came the lyrics and melody of a song that is still heard today. The next morning he mounted the stairs and entered his wife’s room, "Are you awake?" he asked. "I am," she replied softly. "But you must not ask to see me. You must not press me, Thomas." "I will sing to you then," he said, and began to sing his song.

As he finished the song there was a brief pause, and then Moore heard his wife get out of bed. Slowly she crossed the room to the window and opened the shutters.

Now, let me ask you. Don’t you imagine his wife had more love in her heart than she had ever had before? Don’t you imagine that love could easily overflow to others?

That is the kind of love God calls us to. A Christ-like love that can encourage, because he encourages us.