Speak Life: Encouragement That Keeps Us Faithful

So good to see y'all again. I tell you what, I see some smiling faces,

some people who are celebrating today.

Well, today we're on week two of the One Another series, Encourage One Another.

And encouragement is one of the ways that God keeps his people faithful.

In a world that can wear us down, the church is called to speak courage,

to stir up love and help one another keep moving toward Jesus.

Let's open up with prayer this

morning. Father, we ask that you'd open our hearts to your word today.

Teach us to receive encouragement with humility and to give encouragement with love.

Help us to become people who speak life in a weary world. In Jesus' name, amen.

And just to let you know, our scripture today will be in Hebrews 10,

Hebrews 10:9–25

verses 9 through 25. We'll look at it in a moment.

But most of us know what it feels like to be worn down by words.

Sometimes it's a harsh comment, right, that sticks longer than it should.

Sometimes it's criticism that comes at the wrong moment when you're already

tired and trying to do your best you've ever been there.

Sometimes it's silence, which can feel like its own kind of message, right?

You can walk into a room and nobody notices, right? You're carrying something heavy and nobody asks.

You're trying to stay faithful, but it feels like you're doing it alone.

And then on the other side, most of us also know what it feels like when the

right word comes at the right time.

A simple text, for example, that says, I'm praying for you. Friend who says,

I see what God is doing in you.

Someone who notices your faithfulness when you thought it didn't matter.

A person who reminds you of truth when your emotions are loud and your courage is thin.

Words can drain courage. Words can restore courage.

And last week, we began this new series called One Another.

And we started with that foundation. What was it? Love one another.

Jesus said in John 13 that the world would know we are his disciples by the way we love each other.

We talked about how Christian community begins with sacrificial Christ-like

love that actually chooses commitment over convenience.

Love isn't something we feel toward one another. It's something we practice with one another.

And today we're going to take that next step.

If love is the mark of the church, encouragement is one of the ways that love speaks.

Because here's the reality. People around you and me are fighting battles we may never see.

Not fully. Some are discouraged in their faith. Some are exhausted in their responsibilities.

Some are quietly drifting even.

Some are showing up, smiling, serving, barely hanging on inside.

So the question for us today is simple, but I also think it's deeply practical.

What kind of people are we becoming with our words, our presence, and our attention?

We're going to step in to Hebrews chapter 10 and listen to how scripture calls

Hebrews 10 · chapter mention

us to encourage one another.

So if you'll look in your Bibles, Hebrews 10 verses 19 through 25 says,

Hebrews 10:19–25

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus,

by a new and living way, which he inaugurated for us through the veil that is his flesh.

And since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with

a sincere heart and full assurance of faith.

Having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with

pure water, let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering.

For he who promised is faithful, and let us consider...

How to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling

together as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another and all the more

as you see the day drawing near.

What a passage of scripture.

That really brings us to point number one today. Encouragement begins with confidence in Jesus.

Hebrews 10 begins this section by reminding believers of what Jesus has already done.

The writer here says, therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence

to enter the most holy place by the blood of Jesus,

that phrase, church, would have carried enormous weight for the original audience here.

In the Old Testament, the most holy place was the sacred space where the presence

of God, if you remember, was uniquely represented.

It wasn't a casual space, was it?

People just didn't walk in and out whenever they wanted then.

Access to God was serious business. It was limited, and it was mediated through who?

Through priests and sacrifices.

Then Hebrews says, whoa, this is so great, that through Jesus, something has changed.

Because of his blood, because of his sacrifice, because of his finished work,

we have confidence, church to draw near to God Almighty.

Come on. I'll tell you what, that matters for encouragement because Christian

encouragement doesn't begin with personality, does it?

It doesn't begin with optimism. It doesn't require you to be naturally bold or bubbly or outgoing.

Biblical encouragement begins with the reality that Jesus has opened the way to God.

And because of him, weary people can draw near again.

How many in here are weary today? Anybody?

The passage continues with what? Look at it.

Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings.

Notice that invitation.

Draw near, come close.

Don't stand at a distance, assuming God is tired of you.

Don't let shame, in other words, write the story of your relationship with him.

Don't let your weakness convince you that you no longer belong.

The first encouragement believers need to be reminded of is that Jesus is enough,

right? He's enough. That sounds simple.

But it's the kind of truth, y'all, that we forget in real life, isn't it?

When you've messed up, you may need somebody to remind you that repentance is still available.

When you're grieving, you may need somebody to remind you that God is near to the brokenhearted.

When you're anxious, Anybody ever been anxious?

You may need somebody to speak the promises of God over the noise in your mind.

When you feel spiritually dry, you may need somebody to come along and say,

hey, come on, don't stop drawing near.

God has not moved away from you.

Encouragement, yo, is not empty positivity. It is helping somebody remain or

regain courage because Jesus is still faithful.

There's a kind of encouragement that just says you've got this.

You've probably seen that, probably said it.

Sometimes that can be kind and helpful, but Christian encouragement goes deeper even.

It says Christ is with you. His grace is sufficient.

His spirit is at work in you. You can take the next faithful step because you're not alone.

Woo, come on. We're not alone, church and that's where we have to be honest,

many of us believe these things.

But we often don't speak them. We believe God is gracious, but we leave people

alone in their shame sometimes.

We believe God strengthens the

weary, but we don't notice the weary person that's sitting two rows over.

We believe the church is a family, but we can come and go without ever asking

meaningful questions, right?

Hebrews calls us into something more intentional.

Before it tells us to encourage one another, it anchors us in Jesus.

Because the deepest encouragement we have to offer is not our advice,

our opinions, or our ability to fix somebody else's situation.

The deepest encouragement, Eastwood, that we have to offer is the gospel applied

with love to a real person in a real moment.

So maybe the first question today is this, who around you needs to be reminded

that they can draw near to God,

not shamed into it, not pressured into pretending, gently, lovingly,

honestly, reminded that because of Jesus, the door is open.

Please just to point number two, encouragement requires thoughtful attention.

Look at verse 24 of Hebrews 10 there, if you will. Look at what it says.

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.

Now, that word consider is important. It means we don't encourage each other accidentally.

We pay attention.

We think about one another. We slow down long enough to ask,

what would help this person keep walking with Jesus?

What would stir love in them? What would strengthen their faith?

What would help them to take the next step?

And the verse doesn't say what. Let us occasionally say nice things.

If we happen to notice somebody struggling. It doesn't say that, does it?

It says what? Let us what?

Consider, there is thoughtfulness here. There is care. There is spiritual attention.

And then Hebrews uses the phrase, spur one another on. That can sound a little intense, can't it?

I mean, pow, right? Because it is intense. The idea is to stir up,

to provoke, to nudge somebody forward.

Encouragement, y'all, isn't always soft and sentimental, is it?

Sometimes encouragement is a warm word. Sometimes it's a brave conversation.

Sometimes it's a reminder that the person God is shaping you to become is worth fighting for.

Think about how this works today, y'all, in everyday life.

If a friend is exhausted from parenting, encouragement might sound something like this.

I see how faithfully you're loving your kids.

Don't underestimate what God is doing through your patience.

If somebody's drifting from community, encouragement might sound like, I've missed you.

Can we sit together this Sunday?

If a person is using their gifts quietly and faithfully, encouragement might

sound like what you're doing really matters, even if no one or not everybody sees it.

And y'all excuse me at times encouragement might sound like i love you too much

to let you disappear without checking in on you come on,

or i know you're hurt but don't let bitterness become your home or you've been

carrying this alone for far too long let's let somebody walk with you in this.

That's where encouragement becomes deeply personal. Because if we're honest,

a lot of us are too busy to consider one another.

We may care in general, but our attention is scattered in this world.

We're thinking about our own schedules, our own pressures, our own families, our own needs, right?

And those things are real.

Nobody here has unlimited emotional energy. Anybody have it?

I don't think you do. Nobody can deeply carry everyone.

Still, Scripture calls the church to become a people who notice.

That means encouragement often begins with a shift in attention.

When you walk into church, don't only ask, did I like the music?

Did the sermon speak to me?

Did my kids have a good experience? Those questions are not wrong,

but they can't be the only questions.

Ask who needs to be seen today? Who can I speak life to?

Who seems quieter than usual? Who's been missing?

Who is serving faithfully and might need to be thanked?

When you're in a small group like Sunday school, don't only think about what

you're going to say next.

Look or listen for what's under beneath the words. When a friend,

in other words, says I'm fine,

but their face says something else, consider them consider them,

when someone shares a prayer request and brushes it off like it's no big deal,

consider them when you see god growing someone name it,

this matters church because people are often more discouraged than they admit.

Am I right there? I think so. Some people are one kind word away from breathing again.

Some are one invitation away from

reconnecting. Some are just one honest conversation away from repentance.

Some are one reminder away from remembering that God has not forgotten about them.

So encouragement, Eastwood, requires thoughtful attention, and thoughtful attention

is one of the ways that love becomes visible to everybody.

Point number three, encouragement thrives when we stay connected.

Anybody know what that word thrive means?

It means to grow steadily and vigorously. All right. It's not like an overnight shoot up.

It's steady growth, vigorous growth.

Encouragement thrives. It steadily grows vigorously when we stay connected.

Hebrews 10, 25, look at it. What does it say there? Not giving up what?

Not giving up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing, but what?

Encouraging one another and all the more as you see the day approaching.

So the writer here connects encouragement with meeting together.

You see it in the text? That's not accidental.

Encouragement, church, needs proximity. It needs relationship.

It needs shared life. Now, you got to be careful here because this verse has

sometimes been used like a hammer, right?

As though the main point is to make people feel guilty for missing a Sunday, okay?

But there are reasons, you know, when people are sick, traveling,

working, caring for family, or walking through circumstances that make gathering difficult.

Grace matters, compassion matters, of course.

But at the same time, this verse is very direct, is it not?

There is a habit. Some people have developed giving up meeting together.

In other words, they were disconnecting from the gathered people of God.

And Hebrews says that's dangerous.

Because when we drift from the body, we often drift quietly.

It may not feel dramatic at first. You may miss once, then it comes twice.

You stop answering messages. You tell yourself you're just tired,

you're just busy, just taking some space.

And sometimes that's true for a little while, but over time,

isolation can reshape your heart.

Got to say this today, church, the Christian life was never designed to be lived

at a distance from other believers.

You can listen to worship music alone, even sing it in the shower,

right? I mean, I do that sometimes.

You can watch sermons online. You can read your Bible by yourself.

Those are good gifts and they can be meaningful. Yet there are parts of following

Jesus, I want ought to see in scripture that only happen in community.

You can't one another by yourself.

You can't be encouraged and encourage others in the way that Hebrews describes

here, if you're always disconnected from the people that God has placed around you.

And notice the urgency at the end of the verse, and all the more as what?

What day? The day of Christ's return, the day when Jesus will make all things right.

Hebrews is saying that as history moves towards that day, believers need to

encourage one another more, not less.

The world will not become less wearying, I can say the word.

Faithfulness will not become easier because the culture happens to cheer us

on. We need each other. Amen.

If you're connected to the church only when it's convenient,

encouragement will probably remain occasional.

If we gather only when we feel like it, your spiritual life may become more

vulnerable than you realize.

If your relationships here stay just surface level, you might be surrounded

by people and still remain unknown.

So what do we do?

Start with presence. Make gathering with God's people a priority because your

presence, my presence, matters more than you think.

Somebody may need your hug, your prayer, your smile, your testimony,

your reminder that they are not alone.

And you may need what God wants to give you through them too.

Then move toward participation. Don't just attend. Engage.

Join a small group like Sunday School. Serve somewhere.

Learn names. Ask better questions. Let people know when you're struggling.

Invite somebody to coffee. Send the text. Pray with the person instead of only

saying you'll pray for them later, right?

And finally, practice consistency.

Encouragement becomes powerful over time because y'all, one word can matter

deeply, but a pattern of encouragement helps build a life.

A church becomes healthy as ordinary people.

Repeatedly choose to show up, speak life, and help one another keep going.

The passage brings us a clear takeaway.

God uses his people to help his people persevere. Big word just means don't give up, don't quit.

You may feel like you don't have much to offer. Maybe you're thinking, I'm not a Bible expert.

I don't know what to say. I'm awkward. I don't want to bother people.

But encouragement doesn't require perfection.

Amen, I'm so glad. It requires love, it requires attention and it requires willingness.

A short message can be obedience. A sincere prayer can be ministry.

A timely reminder of scripture can be strength of somebody else's soul.

A thoughtful invitation can be the way God pulls somebody back from isolation.

So speak life. Speak life. Speak life to your spouse. Speak life to your children.

Speak life to your friends.

Speak life to the person serving quietly. Speak life to the believer who's tired.

Speak life to the one who feels unseen. Speak life to the one who's been gone for a little bit.

Speak life to the person you assume maybe already knows they matter.

And when you need encouragement, He went, receive it.

It flow both ways, in other words. So here we're going to wrap it up. You ready?

Today, we started with the reality that words can wear us down.

How many agree? And words can help just to restore courage.

Then Hebrews brought us deeper. It reminded us because of Jesus, we can draw near to who?

God Almighty with confidence, not just draw near, but draw near with confidence.

It called us to consider one another with thoughtful attention so that we can

actually spur one another on toward love and good deeds.

And finally, it showed us that encouragement thrives when we stay what? Connected.

Gathering together, helping one another remain faithful as we wait for Jesus's return.

So here's the call for this week. Are you ready?

Choose one person and intentionally encourage them this week.

Are you ready to take up the challenge?

Don't keep it vague. Don't wait for the perfect moment.

Ask God to bring somebody to your mind and then take a step.

Send that message. Make the call.

Write the note. Pray with them. Invite them back if need be.

Tell them what you see God doing in their life. Remind them of what's true.

And maybe for some of us, just maybe, the call is to stop pulling away.

Come back into community because

you know you can attend without being in community did you know that,

let people know you let them encourage you let them help you keep walking towards jesus,

because the christian life was never meant to be lived in isolation was it in

christ god has made us a family amen and in this family we speak life let's pray together,

father i just ask today that you'd open our hearts to your word today.

Lord, teach us to receive encouragement with humility, Lord,

and to give encouragement with love.

Help us become people who speak life in a weary world.

In Jesus' mighty name we pray, amen.