FBC Spring Bible Conference – April 24, 2022

Thank you, Mitchell, for Prelude Music tonight. I hope you had a good afternoon today, and it was a good service this morning.

I appreciated the message, and just a reminder for those of us who are in Christ that we need to remind ourselves often that we are preaching the gospel to ourselves every day.

So then, I hope the rest of your afternoon was a good one as the sun came out and temperatures warmed up a little bit, and had a nice, beautiful day.

And it's a good way to end the day here in the Lord's house, to be encouraged again from His word. As we begin tonight, let's turn in our supplement book to number 27.

Number 27, and again, picking out some songs of encouragement. And this one tonight,

He Will Hold Me Fast. Let's stand together as we sing, shall we? When I fear my faith will fail,

Christ will hold me fast. When the tempter would prevail,

He will hold me fast. I could never keep my hold through life's fearful path.

For my love is often cold, He must hold me fast.

He will hold me fast. He will hold me fast.

For my Savior loves me so, He will hold me fast.

Those He saves are His delight, Christ will hold me fast.

With His holy sight,

He will hold me fast. He'll not let my soul be lost,

His promises shall last. Bought by Him at such a cost,

He will hold me fast. He will hold me fast.

He will hold me fast. My Savior loves me so,

He will hold me fast. For my life

He bled, and Christ will hold me fast.

Raised with Him, He will hold me fast.

Raised with Him to endless life, He will hold me fast.

Till our faith is turned to sin, He comes at last.

He will hold me fast.

My Savior loves me so, He will hold me fast.

Amen. Thank the Lord for that. Kevin Hedman, would you please lead us in prayer tonight? Amen. Thank you.

You may be seated. Let's, for a brief scripture reading tonight, turn to Psalm 34.

Brief it is, but nevertheless, Psalm 34, one of my favorite psalms for a lot of reasons.

If you notice the prelude to this psalm, it says, This is a psalm of David when he pretended madness before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he departed.

And David wrote, This poor man cried out, and the

Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear

Him and delivers them. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed is the man who trusts in Him.

Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints. There is no want to those who fear Him. The young lions lack and suffer hunger, but those who seek the

Lord shall not lack any good thing. Come, you children, listen to me. I will teach you the fear of the

Lord. Who is the man who desires life and loves many days, that he may see good?

Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil and do good. Seek peace and pursue it.

The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry. The face of the

Lord is against those who do evil to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. The righteous cry out, and the

Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart and saves such as have a contrite spirit.

Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers Him out of them all. He guards all

His bones. Not one of them is broken. Evil shall slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteous shall be condemned.

The Lord redeems the soul of His servants, and none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned.

Amen. May the Lord have His blessing to the reading of His word. Let's sing of hiding in the

Lord tonight, number 462 in your hymnal. Those of us who are in Christ Jesus can be encouraged in knowing that we are hiding in Him, hiding in Christ.

Safe in that rock higher than we are. 462.

O safe to the rock that is higher than I.

My soul in its conflicts and sorrows would fly.

So sinful, so weary, thine, thine would

I be. Thou blessed rock of ages,

I'm hiding in thee. Hiding in thee, hiding in thee.

Thou blessed rock of ages, I'm hiding in thee.

In the calm of the noon, in sorrow's lone hour.

In times when temptation casts o 'er me its power.

In the tempest of life, on its wide heaving sea.

Thou blessed rock of ages, I'm hiding in thee.

Hiding in thee. Thou blessed rock of ages,

I'm hiding in thee. How often the conflict when pressed by the foe.

I have fled to my refuge and breathed out my woe.

Often in trials like sea billows roll.

Have I hidden in thee, O thou rock of my soul.

Hiding in thee, hiding in thee.

Thou blessed rock of ages, I'm hiding in thee.

Well it was a good service this morning and I wonder if you thought about, if you had the opportunity of reflecting on today's theme, the morning's message, either

Sunday School or the morning service. If anything came to your mind as a word of testimony tonight that you would share, would you want to share with us, to be an encouragement to one another, as we're exhorted to do.

Doesn't have to be related to the messages of the day so far, but some other way in which the Lord has blessed or worked in your life in these last seven days, since our last

Lord's Day gathering together. So, opportunity for some testimonies tonight.

Who would like to be first? Yes, Jim.

Amen. Praise the Lord. Any update on the home that you're trying to get into?

No. Okay, keep praying for that opportunity to get into the,

I guess it would be a recovery house kind of a place. So, two of them. Okay.

Good. I think Mike, I saw your hand next. Amen. Amen.

Good. Roger. Amen. Good.

It's a blessing to see them and minister to them today. Yes, Gene.

On the road. And of all places, right in front of a cemetery.

I mean, that's a pretty ominous thing, right? And it's,

I mean, that's Oak Knoll, by Oak Knoll. And it's kind of a curvy area too.

So, yeah. Good. Yeah.

Right. Yes. But you did notice that first psalm.

She said, I will lay me down and sleep. Hopefully not through the sermon. Okay. Right.

Someone else? All right.

Very good. Let's turn in our supplement book again to a good, a wonderful hymn of encouragement.

Number four reminds us of our Savior's intercessory work,

His ongoing ministry before the throne of God above. Let's stand again, shall we? As we sing.

Before the throne of God above, I have a strong and perfect plea.

A great high priest whose name is love, Whoever lives and pleads for me.

My name is graven on his hands. My name is written on his heart.

I know that while in heaven he stands, No tongue can bid me thanks depart.

No tongue can bid me thanks depart. When Satan tempts me to despair

And tells me of the guilt within, Upward I look and see him there

Who made an end of all my sin. Because my sinless

Savior died, My sinless soul is counted free.

For God the just is satisfied To look on him and pardon me.

To look on him and pardon me. Behold him there, the risen

Lamb, My perfect spotless righteousness, The great unchangeable

I am, The King of glory and of grace,

One with himself I cannot die, My soul is purchased in his blood,

My life is hid with Christ on high, With Christ my

Savior and my God, With Christ my Savior and my

God. Thank you, and you may be seated. Before Mark comes,

I need to apologize and clarify. When I was introducing him this morning, I made this kind of a snarky comment about his reading

Marvel comic books, and I read stuff that's much deeper. What I meant was like John Grisham novels or Harlequin romances, and I speak as a fool.

I'm totally joking about that. But he, believe me, he reads much deeper stuff than I'm sure

I do. So Mark, come on ahead. And just a reminder about the services tomorrow night and Tuesday night.

They will be efficient services. We'll sing two hymns, he'll speak, and our commitment on school nights is to get done by no later than 10 o 'clock.

And get you home. So come on ahead. Eight o 'clock, I'm just kidding.

It was encouraging for me to have lunch with some families who reported to me that since they've been here at this church, they've been very encouraged by the expository ministry of Pastor Bice and the way that he opens up the word and he unpacks the text and he gives you the theology of it and he applies it to your heart.

And to me, that is a very faithful shepherd of Christ's people.

And I'm very thankful for that kind of report about the ministry at this place here at Faith Baptist Church.

Tonight, let's turn again to 1 Thessalonians 5 and let's look at verse 11 once again.

Notice how it says there in 5 .11, Therefore, encourage one another and build up one another just as you are doing.

Let's pray together. Our Heavenly Father, we thank you for the way that we can have a morning sacrifice and an evening sacrifice.

And like on Mount Carmel, our hearts are waiting and ready.

Everything has been prepared. We pray that as you brought fire from heaven to that mountaintop, we pray that you would bring the presence of your spirit to this worship place.

Come, Holy Spirit, we ask in Jesus' name. Amen. Think with me.

Back in January of 1936, Jerry Kramer was born in Jordan, Montana.

He grew up to be 6 '3", 245 pounds. He was drafted by the

Green Bay Packers. It's my understanding, by the way, that everybody here in Sterling does not necessarily root for the

Bears, but instead that there are some Packer fans, so here is a suitable illustration.

Kramer was drafted in 1958 by the Green Bay Packers. In that year, they were frankly a laughingstock of the league because they went with 10 losses, one win, one tie, but then everything changed.

You know what it was? They got a new coach. They got Vince Lombardi from the

New York Giants, and when the preseason summer workouts began, Jerry Kramer, that big

Montana boy who felt kind of insecure, he wondered how he would fare under the new coaching regime, so the practices began, but things weren't going at all well for Kramer during the scrimmage time.

He just couldn't seem to get anything right. He was jumping off sides. He was missing assignments.

He was getting late to his blocks, and all the while, the coaching staff was yelling criticisms at him, so disoriented and suffocating in failure, he was on the verge of quitting football altogether right then and there, so Kramer, with a sense of feeling defeated, went off to the locker room, sat in front of his locker, took off his helmet, put his elbows on his knees and his face and his hands and wondered if he should just quit right there or wait until the end of the season, and at that moment,

Vince Lombardi walked in, and Lombardi sized everything up there in the locker room, and he came over to Kramer, and he messed up his sweaty hair, and he said, son, one day, you are going to be the best offensive lineman guard in NFL history, and then he walked out, and that was it.

That was it. But in reality, those words turned

Kramer from being a hermit into being a Hercules. That was a timely word in the locker room that day, and it changed completely.

It was a monumental moment. Lombardi's encouraging comment at a discouraging moment shot

Kramer, athletically speaking, to football greatness. He says, I got up from the bench that day in front of that locker, and I never turned back, and he became a

Green Bay starter. He ended up anchoring the Packers offensive line for years, dominating defensive foes with a

Hercules -like strength. He was best known for throwing what's called the block against 6 '6

Jethro Pugh of the Dallas Cowboys to blow open a hole so Bart Stark could get into the end zone so they could win the

NFL championship game. He eventually went on after many, many years to become a participant in the

Hall of Fame, and Kramer condensed it all down this way. There was just something, something about Lombardi that brought out the best that a man could be.

And a big part of that something in Lombardi was his timely words of encouragement.

It was like adrenaline to the soul of Lombardi. It dramatically changed his life.

So just consider with me seven dimensions of encouragement as we have time here, and the first dimension is it's like adrenaline.

I know it's kind of a vivid picture of a timid weakling being transformed into a heroic

Hercules, and Brian, that's not just the stuff of fictional superheroes like the

Avengers because it really happens in people's lives. That's the effect that adrenaline can have.

For instance, in 2012, Lauren Kornacki, a 22 -year -old woman in Glen Allen, Virginia, lifted a portion of a

BMW 525 off her father when the car had toppled from a jack.

And what did it? It was adrenaline. Adrenaline can enable people to accomplish great things.

It can change people from being a hermit to Hercules. In 2006, Lydia Anjou went toe -to -toe with a polar bear in northern

Quebec. She ran toward and tackled that bear to protect her son and his friends while they were playing hockey.

Now what is it that could make a woman lift a car or make a woman beat up a bear? Well, it's adrenaline.

Adrenaline happens. Do you ever have an adrenaline rush in your life? And you know the impact that it can have.

Physiologists say that the release of adrenaline is rapid, seemingly instantaneous so that we can respond accordingly with a fight -or -flight kind of a response.

We're told that the hypothalamus is affected. Adrenaline raises the heart rate, increases respiration, dilates the pupils, slows down digestion, and perhaps most importantly, it allows muscles to contract extraordinarily.

Bursts of adrenaline, we're told here by physiologists, during stressful situations can boost abilities far beyond the muscular.

Senses of vision and hearing and touch are dramatically heightened. Thinking is clarified and energized.

Frames of mind change from timidity and insecurity and self -doubt to courage and resolution and determination.

We normally only use a small percentage of our strength capabilities, but an adrenaline rush can transform a timid weakling into a heroic

Hercules. And that's exactly what happened to Kramer when he got what? Not a physical

EpiPen, but when he got a word of encouragement. It is like adrenaline to the soul.

And my point is that our giving to one another, fellow kingdom saints, words of encouragement is like giving to our souls an adrenaline

EpiPen. So in many ways, think of it. Encouragement is like adrenaline.

But secondly, consider how encouragement strengthens. It strengthens.

The Apostle Paul knew the exhilarating power of encouragement. And so under the inspiration of the

Holy Spirit, he prescribed that Christians would frequently encourage one another.

As we're running the race of the Christian life, we've got to give each other a steady diet of encouragement.

And Paul often used that word encourage one another, like we see in 1 Thessalonians 5 .11.

It's the Greek word parakaleo. Again, meaning to encourage.

He says there, look, in 5 .11. Therefore, encourage one another and edify or build one another up just as you are doing.

So this idea of parakaleo, encourage, it means to urge with uplifting words to cheer up in times of discouragement and sorrow.

Notice the context there in 1 Thessalonians 5. Got to dial all the way back to say 4 .13

how, you see, Paul had departed from Thessalonica and the church members in Thessalonica were grieving and they were prone to despair because they feared that those who had died since Paul had left, they were now in the cemetery, they feared that since Jesus hadn't yet come back, they thought that those who had died would be disqualified from participating in the forever salvation that Christ would bring at His appearing.

And into this context, look, Paul injects some really good news, some eye -brightening encouragement.

Look what it says there in 4, beginning at verse 15. Look what it says there. For this we say to you by the word of the

Lord that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep, the dead in Christ, that is those who are in the cemetery now.

You're afraid they're not going to participate. The dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the

Lord in the air and thus we shall always be with the Lord. Now this is good news that brings rapture -filled joy that we'll see our dead brothers and sisters again and forever bask with them in the

Lord's presence. J. Philip Arthur comments on this. Though the present seemed threatening, the future couldn't look brighter.

Paul was aware that his friends already appreciated how important it was to strengthen those who were feeling discouraged.

Let them go on from this good beginning. Let each of them excel all the more in this business of fortifying and building up his or her brothers and sisters.

Let us continue to encourage parakaleo one another. And this works practically as we think of how encouragement strengthens.

I can remember many years ago I had ministered on a Sunday and I went home kind of like a heavyweight boxer who'd gone 16 rounds and I felt like I was weary and about to faint in the ministry.

Monday mornings are kind of like that for pastors and I got this call Monday morning and it was a call from a woman and the woman just said this,

I thought you'd like to know that I was just talking to Stu and she told me that after your sermon last night her husband went home and said that after hearing your message he had to spend some time alone with God and he stayed in his bedroom alone for a long time and he came out noticeably refreshed and changed.

Now, that note of encouragement had such an effect on me. I was kind of like that down for the count boxer on the canvas mat but this was smelling salts to me.

It invigorated me. It enthused me. It enlivened me. It energized me. It strengthened me and my outlook on the ministry and on all of life.

Listen, was radically changed simply by that simple word from that woman. That word of encouragement.

It was adrenaline to me. So, listen, encouragement is like adrenaline.

One. Two, encouragement strengthens. Three, because I promised you seven headings.

Three, think of how encouragement gladdens. It gladdens. The book of Proverbs is full of encouragement to be encouraging.

For instance, it says in Proverbs 12, 25, Anxiety in the heart of a man weighs it down but a good word makes it glad.

That word glad in the Hebrew is the word sama. It's the same

Hebrew word used in 1 Samuel 11, 9 when there was this Israelite city of Jabesh -Gilead and it was being surrounded and threatened by Nahash, the king of Ammon and this bully of a king threatened that the only way that he would let the citizens of Jabesh -Gilead survive was if they would agree to let him gouge out all of their right eyes.

That's in 11. Now that could tend to weigh a man and a woman and a child down.

But then in that context, the city of Jabesh -Gilead, those people received a good word.

A good word can make a big impact. It was an encouraging word. You see, Israel had a new king at this time.

His name was Saul and Saul had heard about this bully Nahash and Saul got angry.

And so he assembled an army of 60 ,000 Israelites, it says there in 1 Samuel 11, and began marching toward Jabesh -Gilead and he sent a message ahead to the fretting and eye -twitching town and here's what it says in 11 .9

of 1 Samuel. Tomorrow by the time the sun is hot, you shall have help.

Then the messengers came and reported to the men of Jabesh -Gilead. It says, and they were glad.

That's the word, samah. Didn't it say, anxiety in the heart of a man weighs it down, but a good word makes it glad.

Samah. You see how a good word can just totally change your outlook in life, whether you're in Sterling or in your

Jabesh -Gilead. Their anxieties were calmed, their hearts were revived by the good word of encouragement.

Just imagine with me, if you, while we were talking with Spencer and Jess today, and I know

Spencer went to Cedarville and you just think of the idea of my wife and I even sent our son off to Cedarville, hundreds of miles away and you wonder, how's our son doing there?

Is he fair and well? Is he prospering? We haven't heard from him for three or four weeks now and maybe a couple from a sister church had gone to visit

Cedarville that weekend and they actually had an encounter with our son maybe.

And then, late Sunday night, they call us up. Diane and I are wondering, how's our Calvin doing off at Cedarville?

We get this call that says this, hey, just want you to know, we saw Calvin. He was in the cafeteria.

He was sitting at a table with a bunch of really great guys. He stood right up, looked us right in the eye, shook our hands, said,

I love it here at Cedarville. Tell Mom and Dad I love them and tell them that God has really provided me a great place to spiritually thrive.

Now, you imagine how that good word can come to parents whose hearts are weighed down.

It makes you glad. And so, beloved, we have the opportunity to speak good words to one another.

Proverbs 18 says, within the tongue is the power of life and the power of death.

We can give life to people by giving just a good word of encouragement.

So, I've said, encouragement is like adrenaline. Encouragement strengthens.

Encouragement fattens. Excuse me, gladdens. Fourthly now, encouragement fattens. Think of this. It fattens.

It says in Proverbs 15, 30, the light of the eyes rejoices the heart and a good word makes the bones healthy.

Literally, it means puts fat on the bones. That's what a good word does. It puts fat on the bones.

Now, today I know that if you're fat, that seems you're unhealthy.

But think with me. In Old Testament times, when poverty meant malnutrition, a little pudginess meant prosperity.

And we understand that financially and emotionally too. When we're burdened with sorrow, we can lose our appetite and even become kind of gaunt -looking and lose significant weight.

When somebody loses a spouse, the spouse dies. Come on, eat something. Eat something. Dad, I know mom died, but you got to eat something.

And so too, we see that a good word makes a heart glad. In fact, Derek Kidner comments on this proverb that says that a good word puts fat on the bones.

Kidner, he entitles this proverb tonic. He says this.

The light of the eyes may perhaps refer to the radiant face of a friend and if so, the two lines of the proverb will be speaking of the heartwarming effect that persons and facts and words respectively can bring.

They put fat on the bones. And I can remember even a few years ago, a young man from our church had finished off with a political science degree at Hope College.

And you got that degree, you also got that heavy student debt. And he wondered, what good is this degree to me?

Because he was looking for jobs. He couldn't find anything. He'd applied everywhere. He wondered if he'd be taking orders at McDonald's until he got this telephone call.

And when he picked up the telephone call, it says, congratulations, Matt, you've been accepted for a position in the

George W. Bush White House as a staff member. Click. That good word brought great joy.

It brought fat to his bones. And that's what a word can bring to a brother, to a sister in Christ.

Bringing that good word can bring fat on the bones. So we're looking at encouragement and we're told to encourage one another and edify and build up one another by bringing good words.

So, encouragement is like adrenaline. It strengthens. It gladdens. It fattens.

Fifthly, it sweetens. It sweetens. Solomon, again, enlightens us with this.

He says this in Proverbs 16, 24. Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.

The commentator, George Lawson, says this. Words that convey proper counsels and consolations to persons in complexity and distress are pleasant and medicinal like honey from the comb.

They revive the drooping spirit and strengthen the feeble knees. It's interesting how this idea of the honeycomb is used in 1

Samuel 14. You know, King Saul, his son Jonathan, was fighting a marathon battle against the

Philistines in the forest. Hour after hour, he fought through the day to the point of hunger and near exhaustion.

And then he came to a place in the forest where it says there was honey on the ground.

And it says in 14 .27 of 1 Samuel, and he stretched out the end of the rod that was in his hand and dipped it in a honeycomb and put his hand to his mouth and it says, and his eyes brightened.

You see, that honey had the effect of encouraging and pleasant words.

Jonathan, having gotten the honey, was given a resurgence of strength and is able to go and fight off like a fighting man when he was previously fainting and weakened.

And so, that's the kind of effect that an encouraging word can have. Pleasant words are like a honeycomb.

Sweetness to the soul and health to the bones. There's an interesting report back in 1521 as Martin Luther was walking to the assembly room of the

Diet of Worms. And there was a noted military commander named George von

Franzburg who touched him on the soldier and said this with the best German accent

I can give. Ah, my little monk, thou hast today a march and a struggle to go through such as neither

I nor any other great captain have seen in the most bloody of battles.

But in thy cause be just and go forward in God's name and he will not forsake you.

And this comment from this general was sweet balm to Luther's trembling heart.

It was an exhilarating word of encouragement for his fainting frame because encouragement sweetens.

It's like honey to the honeycomb. So, beloved, encouragement brings great benefit but now consider sixly,

I promise you seven headings, sixly consider how adrenaline enlivens, enlivens.

I mentioned that proverb earlier, 1821. Death and life are in the power of the tongue and those who love it will eat its fruit.

I know we say that sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me but that's not really true.

Words can kill a soul because death and life are in the power of the tongue.

Words can pack a punch of a baseball bat. Like one man commented on Proverbs 1821 and said the tongue can kill literally.

Literally he said I heard of a woman in LA who took her own life and all she wrote in her suicide note was they said because words can kill but on the other hand words can enliven.

They can give life. We figure out as we go through life who we are by the pingbacks that we get from other people.

We go to the Bible for the big question like who is humanity but it comes down to the smaller question who am

I within humanity. We notice how people respond to us. What they say about us and we get an impression of who we are either life giving words or life depleting words.

Think with me of Larry Crabb. Anybody know of Larry Crabb? A Christian counselor from way back.

He became very competent in the kingdom but that wasn't always the case. When he was young he had this humiliating stuttering problem.

As a youngster in the ninth grade he was elected as president of the junior high student body.

The principal called him to stage to accept his position and he said

I Larry Crabb do accept my position as president and in front of several hundred people they were laughing at him.

He studied his way stuttered his way through his speech and he decided then and there that public speaking was not his thing and never again would he speak like that before people.

But in a short time later he was at his home church at a prayer meeting he felt compelled to stand up spontaneously and lead the congregation in prayer.

He remembers that he was again paralyzed by the stuttering stage fright and Crabb writes this

I found my theology becoming confused at the point of heresy. I remember thanking the father for hanging on the cross and praising

Christ for triumphantly bringing the spirit from the grave and all stuttering throughout

I finally thought of the word amen which was probably the only evidence of the spirit in my prayer and then

I sat down and I recall staring at the floor too embarrassed to look around and solemnly vowing right there and then that I would never again speak in front of people.

And when that prayer meeting ended he bolted for the door but just like is that Kent sitting back there?

There was an elder sitting in the back and when he bolted for the door the elder ran after him just before he got out of the building he grabbed

Crabb by the elbow and said Hey Larry I just want you to know one thing whatever you do for the kingdom of God which

I think is going to be a great thing I am 100 % behind you and you know the rest of the story regarding Larry Crabb he became a mighty force in the kingdom he wrote like 30 books he's spoken to thousands upon thousands of people and what was that turning point that defining moment?

It was somebody speaking words of encouragement at a timely moment all

I'm saying is here beloved let us resolve that we will be Vince Lombardi's in the kingdoms the

Apostle Paul in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ encouraging one another but I promised seven headings didn't

I? and just the last heading is not only is encouraging like adrenaline it strengthens it gladdens it fattens it sweetens it enlivens but seventh it's also simply it's an obligation it's not like wouldn't it be a good thing if only we did it?

no it's our holy obligation to give words of encouragement to give people spiritual epipens as they run the race of the

Christian life in August of 2014 there was a nine year old

American girl who was traveling transatlantic on United Airlines from Dublin to Newark and about two hours out over the

Atlantic she had eaten a nut and she had anaphylactic shock and she was down on the aisle and she was dying but thankfully the crew had an epipen they gave her the epipen and they had to turn back to Dublin but she survived because there was a timely jolt of adrenaline that saved her life but there's another girl named

Emma Sloan who about nine months earlier she was in Dublin and she had the same kind of a response on a

Dublin sidewalk and mom didn't have an epipen they went to the pharmacy who said we can't give any epipens without a prescription and Emma Sloan died on that sidewalk because the timely word wasn't given she suffocated for lack of adrenaline now what

I'm saying is what's true in the physical realm is strikingly true in the emotional and spiritual realm people are vulnerable to the suffocation of extreme discouragement and we are solemnly obligated to give them shots of encouragement when it's within our power to deliver because you always got an epipen with you it's right in your mouth it's your tongue in the tongue is the power of life and death it says in Proverbs 18 21 and how dare we be silent when there are people suffocating all around us look the apostle says there therefore encourage one another and edify one another just as you are doing

Hebrews 10 24 says this let us encourage and consider how we might stir one another up spur one another on to love and to good works let me ask you if you saw a child in a restaurant with a swollen face gasping for air and you had an epipen in your pocket you wouldn't think of passing by without seeking to deliver a life -giving shot of adrenaline but you know what some of us daily pass by our neighbors and brothers and sisters and we habitually neglect to inject the encouragement we have within our power to deliver it says in Proverbs 3 27 do not withhold good from those to whom it is due when it is in your power and within your hand to do it you know what it says in James 4 because some of us are so shy right we keep our mouth shut we should open our mouths and give encouragement

James 4 17 says therefore to him who knows the good thing to do and doesn't do it to him it is sin now you may ask but how do

I know if somebody needs encouragement Truett Cathy who's the founder of Chick -fil -A said this how do you identify someone who needs encouragement that person is breathing and you know it's true there are people in this room who are breathing and every one of us need encouragement that's really not news for any of us because we all know what it is to be emotionally gasping for air and psychologically feeling suffocated by discouragement and downcast by disappointments and a bleak outlook on life maybe

I didn't get that job I'd hoped for maybe my children's problems are like a heavy weight pressing down on my chest maybe

I'm staring at my life that doesn't have a single true friend who really cares about me beloved discouragement in 2022 is epidemic people are everywhere they're weary and heavy laden we're all tempted to despair and to depression

I told the folks at lunch that Philip Ryken who's the president of Wheaton College Ryken was telling the student body at a chapel he said you know last semester

I was going through a time of depression he said I was going through such a depression that I was at the point where I felt like I wanted to kill myself

Ryken said I didn't want I didn't want to have suicidal thoughts but I did I needed my wife to read the psalms to me at night when

I was in such despair she was just giving me smelling salts now who knew when

Ryken was walking the sidewalks of the Wheaton campus that he was in that condition who knew to discouragement so on the sidewalks of life we all need to be giving the words of encouragement timely encouragement isn't necessarily anything dramatic maybe it's just a matter of remember there was a woman at our church who was in a neighborhood and there was a grandma in the neighborhood and she was there for a week and the grandma before she left the neighborhood to go back to her home knocked on the door and said hey

I just want you to know that your little boy Nathaniel I've watched him in the neighborhood for the last five days and he is a sweet boy he's a kind boy he's a leader in the neighborhood you should be very encouraged by your first born that was it

Lombardi like she closed the door and that mom was resuscitated because like I said this morning moms are so concerned that we're sending out a herd of wicked barbarians into the world who will set the world ablaze with evil but to hear a word of encouragement that is a great encouragement that can change the entire outlook this isn't again something that a

Robert Shuler in the power of positive thinking would say that's what

Paul says in fact even Spurgeon Charles Spurgeon says this that famous London preacher he wrote this it does people good to be told how highly we value them there is many a

Christian man and woman who would do better if now and then someone would simply speak a kind word to them and let them know that they had done well so I'm just saying beloved within the power of the tongue is life and death we can give life to one another what's true about adrenaline in the physical realm is strikingly strikingly true about encouragement in the spiritual realm this world is cursed and dangerous and it's an unfriendly place it's full of bee stings and nut sauces and tragedies and disappointments epipens and timely words can rescue lives people are vulnerable to the suffocation of extreme discouragement and we are solemnly obligated to give them shots of encouragement when it's within our power to deliver may

God help us as fathers to be spiritual

Lombardis as mothers as pastors as teachers as bosses as brothers and sisters of the

Lord Jesus Christ may we be life giving and I'll just give you the best life giving word to any who may be discouraged on this

Lord's day and it comes from 1st Timothy 1 .15 that's this, listen to me all you fellow sinners who left yourself are bound for a bleak eternal existence in outer darkness this is of trustworthiness came into the world to save sinners of whom

I am the chief take that one in put it like a caramel in your mouth and just suck on it all week

Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners of whom I am the chief let's leave this place encouraged in the

Lord Jesus Christ let's pray together our heavenly father we confess that we're selfish and that we can keep our package of epipens of encouragement in our pockets and not deliver them give us courage to be faithful and may we encourage one another and build one another up all the more we pray in Jesus name amen let's close with number 541 tonight 541 listening and thinking what would be a good hymn to close with and this one came to mind

Lord speak to me that I may speak in living echoes of thy tone sang it a couple weeks ago here at church but how appropriate for this message tonight let's stand together and sing the first two stanzas 541

Lord speak to me that I may speak in living echoes of thy tone as thou hast sought so let me seek thine erring children lost and lone

O teach me Lord that I may teach the precious things thou dost impart and wing my words that they may reach the hidden depths of many a heart and so Lord I pray thank you so Lord I pray tonight that as we've been challenged to be encouragers that we would be encouraged to be such

Father I'm quite confident that every one of us in this room would acknowledge we have room to grow we have a lot of room to grow in this area grow us in the grace and knowledge of our

Lord Jesus Christ the ultimate encourager we pray in Jesus name