## Looking Up in Encouragement

## Hebrews 10:19-25

(PSALMS 5:3) MY VOICE SHALT THOU HEAR IN THE MORNING, O LORD; IN THE MORNING WILL I DIRECT MY PRAYER UNTO THEE, AND WILL LOOK UP. Last week as we talked about Looking Up in Confidence. We learned that we can look to God in confidence in His place, power, and plan. Regardless of the circumstances we can look to Him in confidence. This week I want to talk to you about Looking Up in Encouragement. I have often told you of my childhood. My father did not come to know the Lord until after I had left home for the Navy. My mother would often make excuses for him. His father had passed away when he was only 6 yr. old; so she would tell me, "He never really knew his dad so he doesn't know how to be a dad." That was little consolation to me as I sought his approval and encouragement. I left home with the thought that nothing I could do would be good enough for him. Now the Lord saved him, and then he allowed me to rebuild my relationship with dad. I am very thankful for that. But listen, every child looks up to his father for encouragement. Why? I believe that we do because God has instructed His children to look up to Him.

All of us need encouragement to get through life; it is what keeps going when the going gets tough. Encouragement for the believer comes from Christ and we have direct access to Him. Ephesians 3:12 says that through Him "we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him."

Read: Hebrews 10:19-21

Before we go too far, we want to consider what the writer of Hebrews is telling us this morning. He speaks of boldness to enter into the very presence of God. This is something that is unique to our dispensation. In the O.T. the general population was not allowed to enter into the holy of holies. As a matter of fact, not even the priests had access, but only the high priest…and even he could only enter on the Day of Atonement to sprinkle the blood of the sacrifice on the mercy seat. But all of that changed with the death of Jesus Christ on Calvary. Now, every believer in Christ…every saved person…every individual who has come to God through faith in Jesus Christ can enter with confidence or boldness. In truth, God has invited us to come boldly to the throne of Grace and find grace in time of need. (Heb. 4:16) That is really encouraging to me! I know that I don't have to try to make it alone!

Don't miss this! It isn't because of who I am. It isn't because I am so good or so holy. It really isn't about me at all! It is Jesus who has opened the way to God! The writer declares that He did this through the "veil" of His flesh. In the temple it was the veil that separated the holy of holies from the rest of the temple, but now that separation has literally been opened through Christ's sacrificial death on Calvary. Remember that one of the significant events that took place during the crucifixion was the veil in the temple was 'rent' or torn open. In our text this morning we find three keys to finding our encouragement in the Lord.

I. We Must Draw Near to God (v.22).

(JAMES 4:8A) DRAW NIGH TO GOD, AND HE WILL DRAW NIGH TO YOU.

A. We Draw Near with a True Heart.

1. A "true heart" is sincere, genuine, without hypocrisy, willing to hear and obey.

2. Those who truly from their hearts desire the Lord will always find Him.

(DEUTERONOMY 4:29) BUT IF FROM THENCE THOU SHALT SEEK THE LORD THY GOD, THOU SHALT FIND HIM, IF THOU SEEK HIM WITH ALL THY HEART AND WITH ALL THY SOUL.

3. This is not about religion.

4. Every Sunday hundreds of thousands of people file into church buildings around the world.

5. They sing the songs, they give their offerings, and they hear the sermons.

6. They file out only to return next week to do the same thing all over again.

7. For many, this is mere habit and routine.

8. There is nothing sincere or genuine about their worship.

(MATTHEW 15:8) THIS PEOPLE DRAWETH NIGH UNTO ME WITH THEIR MOUTH, AND HONOURETH ME WITH THEIR LIPS; BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR FROM ME.

9. Why are we here this morning?

a. Are we here to draw near to God with a "true heart?"

b. Is our worship sincere and genuine?

c. Or is our hearts far from God even when His name is on our lips?

d. True encouragement from the Lord only comes when we approach sincerely.

B. We Draw Near in Full Assurance.

1. As we come "draw near" to the Lord, we are to do so "in full assurance of faith."

2. Some folks have a hard time with 'assurance'.

3. But our assurance isn't in ourselves, but it is in Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross.

4. We will stumble and fall in our walk with God…anyone who tells you different doesn't know what it is to walk with Him.

5. But even though we stumble and fall, we are reminded that we have "full assurance"

6. We are reminded that God accepts us and gives us access because of "the blood of Jesus" (v.19).

(EPHESIANS 1:7) IN WHOM WE HAVE REDEMPTION THROUGH HIS BLOOD, THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS, ACCORDING TO THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE;

7. This is why Fanny Crosby could write, "Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine! Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine! Heir of salvation, purchase of God, Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood."

C. We Draw Near in Purity.

1. We are to draw near to God having our "hearts sprinkled" and our "bodies washed"

2. We have been cleansed inside and out by the blood of Jesus.

3. When we place our faith in Jesus, He forgives all our sin and frees us from guilt.

4. This is our position in Christ.

a. Again the words of the old hymn come to mind.

b. "What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus!"

c. As believers, we aren't perfect, but we have been cleansed and we can draw near to God in purity.

II. We Must Hold Fast to Faith (v.23).

NOTE: ONCE IN A WHILE I ENJOY WATCHING THE OLYMPIC WEIGHTLIFTERS. AS THEY APPROACH THE BAR, THEY WILL RUB ROSIN ON THEIR HANDS. WHY? SO THAT THEIR GRIP WILL 'HOLD FAST' TO THE WEIGHT BAR. THE BETTER THE GRIP, THE MORE SUCCESSFUL THEY ARE IN THEIR LIFTS.

A. We are instructed to 'hold fast' to our faith.

1. Not because it might slip away…we know that cannot happen.

2. But in order for us to be encouraged in our walk with the Lord we need to have a firm grip on our faith.

3. How can this be encouraging to us?

4. Because "He is faithful that promised"

B. We are instructed to 'hold fast… without wavering'

1. We all have our moments of doubt and despair.

2. We all have times when we wonder if God really cares, if He really loves us, if He is ever going to deliver us.

3. In order to be encouraged, we must not keep on "wavering."

4. We must not keep on feeding our doubts and fears.

5. To be encouraged we must take a fresh grip on "the confession of our faith."

6. How can we be sure of our faith? How can we be so sure of our salvation?

7. "For He who promised is faithful."

8. Even when we can't see tomorrow, we can look back.

9. Faithfulness is God's nature.

(1 THESSALONIANS 5:24) FAITHFUL IS HE THAT CALLETH YOU, WHO ALSO WILL DO IT.

C. Again one of the great old hymns:

1. "When upon life's billows you are tempest tossed…"

2. "When you are discouraged thinking all is lost…"

3. "Count your many blessings name them one by one…

4. "And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done"

5. When you feel like you can't hold on any longer, when God's answers seem to be a long time in coming, get a fresh grip on "faith" because He is "faithful."

III. We Must Stir Up Each Other (v.24-25)

A. The Christian life

1. Believers have two important spiritual relationships in their lives.

2. Our relationship with God and our relationship with one another.

3. We need both for encouragement.

4. God has designed us to relate to other believers.

5. That is one of the important functions of the local church.

a. Once in a while I will come across an individual who believes that the local church isn't important to their walk with God.

b. They are hesitant to make a commitment to the local church.

c. They are under the mistaken idea that they don't need the fellowship of other believers.

d. But nothing could be further from the truth.

e. In my experience, I have never met a believer who was on fire for God, but wouldn't come to church.

f. I have met plenty of folks who USED TO BE on fire for God, but then they dropped out of church and now are doing nothing of significance to serve Him.

B. Encouragement is about giving and receiving.

1. The PRINCIPLE of Mutual Encouragement (v.24a).

a. The writer says "And let us consider one another."

b. "Consider" means "to fully observe, to perceive carefully."

c. We are to give serious thought to each other.

d. We are not to take each other for granted.

e. We are to think of each other and pray for each other every day.

2. The PURPOSE of Mutual Encouragement (v.24b).

a. Why are we to "consider" or think carefully about each other?

b. The answer is "to provoke unto love and to good works."

c. We are to always be watching and carefully considering ways that we can be used to encourage other people to show "love and good works."

d. Why should we care about good works?

(MATTHEW 5:16) LET YOUR LIGHT SO SHINE BEFORE MEN, THAT THEY MAY SEE YOUR GOOD WORKS, AND GLORIFY YOUR FATHER WHICH IS IN HEAVEN.

(TITUS 3:8) THIS IS A FAITHFUL SAYING, AND THESE THINGS I WILL THAT THOU AFFIRM CONSTANTLY, THAT THEY WHICH HAVE BELIEVED IN GOD MIGHT BE CAREFUL TO MAINTAIN GOOD WORKS. THESE THINGS ARE GOOD AND PROFITABLE UNTO MEN.

3. The PLAN of Mutual Encouragement (v.25).

a. This is the 'how to' or the practical side of mutual encouragement.

b. First: We are to not be "forsaking the assembling of ourselves together."

c. To do so short-circuits God's plan for encouragement.

d. We cannot offer encouragement nor can we receive encouragement if we are not here! That is pretty basic isn't it?

e. Next: Rather than forsaking we need to be "exhorting one another".

f. Last week my son helped me install a new garage door… I decided to remove the old one and give us a head start on the job. It didn't take me long to remove the old one and dispose of it, but it took the rest of the day to put the new one in. Why?

g. It is so much easier to 'tear down' than it is to 'build up'!

h. That is true in the lives of one another also.

i. This world does enough to beat us down; when we come together for fellowship…we need to be encouraged!

j. We need one another!. "…Woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up."

To be encouraged or to be an encourager:

We Must Draw Near to God

We Must Hold Fast to Faith

We Must Stir Up Each Other