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Source: https://www.sermonindex.net/speakers/dave-hunt/discouragement-encouragement/
Might read please in 1st Samuel chapter 30. 1st Samuel chapter 30 and we'll read it verse 1. 1st Samuel chapter 30. Verse 1. And it came to pass when David and his men were come to ziglag on the third day that the Amalekites had invaded the south.
And ziglag and smitten ziglag and burned it with fire and had taken the women captives that were therein they slew not any Either great or small but carried them away and went on their way. So David and his men came to the city and behold it was burned with fire.
And their wives and their sons and their daughters were taken captives. Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept Until they had no more power To weep so that was a desperate situation.
David's two wives were taken captives and I am the gentler lightest and Abigail the wife of Nabal of Carmelite. And David was greatly distressed For the people spake of stoning him. Because the soul of all the people was grieved every man for his sons and for his daughters.
But David encouraged himself in the Lord His God. Now over to the New Testament to the book of Acts. The book of Acts chapter 27 and we'll just read a little bit of this story not very much. Chapter 27.
Acts chapter 27 and they're on a ship leaving on a ship. Paul told them not to leave but in verse 11 It said nevertheless the centurion believed the master and the owner of the ship more than those things which were spoken by Paul and Because the haven was not commodious to winter in the more part advised to depart thence.
Also, if by any means they might attain to Phoenicia and there to winter which is in haven of Crete and why it toward the southwest and Northwest and when the south wind blew softly Supposing that they had obtained their purpose losing fence.
They sail close by Crete. But not long after there arose against it a tempestuous wind called You're awfully done. And they did a lot of work to the boat. They get into a storm down a little farther and verse 20 and When neither Sun nor stars in many days appeared and no small tempest lay on us.
All hope that we should be saved was then taken away. That's a desperate situation. But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them and said sirs You should have hearkened unto me and not have loosed from Crete and to have gained this harm and loss and Now I exhort you to be of good cheer.
For there shall be no loss of any man's life among you. But of the ship and there stood by me this night the angel of God Whose I am and whom I fear saying fear not Paul. Thou must be brought before Caesar and lo God hath given thee all them That sail with thee wherefore sirs be of good cheer for I believe God that it shall be even as it was told Me down a little farther Verse 29.
Then fearing lest we should have fallen upon rocks. They cast four anchors out of the stern and wished for the day down a little farther Verse 31 Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers except these abide in the ship You cannot be saved.
Then the soldiers cut off the ropes of the boat and let her fall off. And I guess that'll suffice in that chapter 28 for a couple of verses Acts chapter 28 and verse 13 now they've left the one person said they've they were under the Attack of the devil.
So when the devil lost as was the lion he comes out at them now as the serpent in chapter 28 but I'm just saying in a verse 14 or verse 13 and from fence we fetched a compass and came to Regaia and after one day the south wind blew and we came the next day to Podolai where we found brethren and were desired to tarry with them seven days and so we went toward Rome.
And from fence when the brethren heard of us They came to meet us as far as that by forum and the three taverns. Whom when Paul saw he thanked God and took courage now the Lord of blessed. I'm sure what we've been listening to and help just for brief moments this afternoon in our meeting my little thought for this afternoon that I've been Praying about and thinking about for a little time now is the thought of discouragement being discouraged.
So my question would be is there anyone today in our company? Would there be anyone and I'm sure no different this part of the world then down in our part of the world sometimes the Lord's people become Discouraged and maybe there's one today and if there's even one in our company today that these little thoughts might be of someone help to To be encouraged so any discouraged here today three ways of encouragement.
I was thinking about I'm just going to give them I'm sure you know already. I can't tell you anything. You don't know, but I can at least remind you of some of the things That we would find from these Three scriptures that we've read together three ways of encouragement and we all need to be encouraged I'm sure from time to time.
I read one time a person said that next to the bread that we eat that the next thing that's needed is kindness because most everyone is fighting a hard battle and Of course the enemy the enemy that's against the believer you and I that are saved the enemies that are the enemy that is against us threefold enemy Will definitely see to it if at all possible that we might be discouraged because if we become discouraged He knows then that the work of God and the things of God then they are going to suffer and of course we're going to Suffer personally, so I just thinking of three ways of encouragement.
First of all in 1st Samuel chapter 30 you would recognize right away It says that David encouraged himself in the Lord things were desperate it was a desperate time in his life when they returned to ziglag and noted a lot of disappointments at that time when he seen that the the Affected his home life because they that was gone affected his family life because that was gone and Maybe the work that he'd planned to do against the enemy when he went down to the battle.
Well that had changed and So when I think of David and then his friends his very friends that that he Had went to battle with and had been with them as we've been hearing even they began to turn against them they spoke about stoning him and So as he's looking at these situations that he's facing they were desperate days for this man David.
So what's he going to do? I don't know. He didn't run. He wasn't a man that was used to running really running away from Difficulties, but it says there that David encouraged himself in the Lord even in a desperate situation when everything looked looked terribly against them and One fellow said in the Bible reading one time that verse was mentioned.
In the Bible reading he said David well David encouraged himself in the Lord and the other one of the men said well I don't think that even should be in the Bible said how can a person encourage themselves in the Lord?
And I suppose that's what made me think about it a little bit. How does a person encourage himself in the Lord if things were going hard in your life things go hard in our lives. How do we encourage ourselves in the Lord because sometimes there's very little outside encouragement.
Well, I think David one thing would be his past he would look into his past. He would look at down the channels of the years that that had gone by already in his life he would remember as a young man when he had to face a lion and a bear and Another day when he had to face the giant Goliath and you know as he looked into his past He would remember that God didn't let him down then the circumstances when he was as a shepherd boy and Tending those sheep in the in the field where no one else could see him when he was all in the privacy of his own life his God Took care of the situation and so he would have learned confidence that God was able To meet the need no matter how great that need was.
No matter how desperate that situation was because I'm I'm sure when he was looking face-to-face with a lion I'm sure that he would maybe begin to wonder and then when he began face-to-face with a bear I'm sure that he maybe questioned how this was going to how it was going to go.
And then with Goliath as he goes out to face that giant. It was tremendous the confidence in God. Well, I'm sure he would look back and he would could draw from his past Experiences and sometimes in our Christian life, you know, that's what we have to do.
We have to go back and we have to draw from our past experience remembering that God was able to meet our need back there and God hasn't changed. He's able to meet our need right here. And so I would think that he was encouraged think of God's power.
We'll think of the path that God led him in his life his pathway in life, and I'm sure as he drew from some of these Experiences that he would be encouraged. So my little thought on that along with others, but I'm passing on for time wise.
Looking into his past remembering God was able so he could encourage Himself in the Lord then when I come to Acts chapter 28, there's a storm raging a Northeaster is raging. I don't know if you've ever been in a in the store.
I don't see many oceans around here and Much water like that and for vessels, but if you've ever been a lady said just outside there before we come in. She said Did you ever see so much wind? Blowing in, Iowa.
And so windy the days are so windy. Well, I said it blows a bit up our way for sure a little bit. In fact, I said when we lived in Red Bay Labrador for a few years where mr. Driver and them would know about that.
I used to say tell them when when it's off that they make the wind up there and then they Test it all out and then they send it out through the world. So there's a there's a bit of wind up that way for sure.
But you know this storm here's a Northeaster. That's their meeting here in this vessel and this store Northeast storm Begins to blow and it becomes a desperate situation. And what I thought here the word, you know what Paul got one one night or one day in that storm.
He got a word from God and that word from God He said to those men aboard and you know They'd been on that ship for quite a for quite a while and I'm sure there was moments on on board that vessel. When they were wondering in fact, it said that all hope was gone that we should be saved.
Sometimes into our Christian life there comes the Northeastern storm their storms come that we just wonder. Are we are we going to be saved through the storm? Are we going to be able to make it? Sometimes that storm comes against our our personal lives.
Sometimes it comes against our family lives and I'm sure I'm speaking to some here today. And you would look at your life. Maybe you wonder why why is this happening? Anyway, why is this in my family?
Why is it my children or grandchildren and the storm just seems to be raging and just wonder. Are we going to are we going to make it are we going to be saved through this through this storm? And not only that not only was the wind Howling not only was there the the sea raging and beating it against that vessel.
But one of the worst times of a storm it says it was dark. And you don't want a storm is on when you're in a vessel in the storm is on in the darkness. That's one of the worst one of the worst places to be in the dark.
And wish they said that they wished for the day and then if you've never been on a vessel looking for wishing for the day well. Maybe you could appreciate. Just waiting for a little bit of light to come just a little bit of the day to break.
To see the Sun rise over the horizon just so you can see a little bit ahead. Of what lies ahead or what's happening how to deal with a situation and it was dark. Maybe it's dark in your life today. Maybe there's one in our company.
Perhaps he's just one. Maybe you're going through a dark. It's a dark day in your life's experience. Maybe it's a dark day in the assembly's experience. A father that you you know, one thing that I noticed here.
You know what Paul said and on this occasion here in this this story. Some we're gonna some we're going to leave the ship and Paul said don't leave the ship. And I thought of that with the assembly when I was listening to my brother there just spoke, you know speaking about and mr Lavery of Leaving the ship sometimes, you know what the devil really wants to discourage us enough to leave the ship.
But he says if you leave the ship, that's really none. None's gonna be saved. Stick with the ship. And I thought in our Christian life, you know the devil is out to discourage us in our family lives in our personal lives in our assembly lives and.
And all other fears fears of our life as well if we're trying to do something for God. But one thing to remember our young people young couples today young men young women or older ones. Whatever you do in spite of how dark the day is or the night is.
No matter how rough the storm seems to be or the waves are beating and the wind is howling. One thing that we need to remember don't leave the ship. Stick with the ship. Whatever whatever hope or chance you have stick with the ship.
You know what Paul got? He got a word from the Lord a word of encouragement. And he said tell them there's not going to be a hair. From fall from your from your head. He says I got and now I treat you to be of good cheer for there shall be no loss of any man's life.
Among you one man said one time in the storm. You know what? We don't need in the storm when a storm is hitting our life. You know what we don't need. We don't need preaching. But we need promises one man said one time and I thought excuse me.
How true that is? What we need is promises from God. To lay hold upon and you know what his word will do. That's what his word will do. That's why we need to read his word. That's why we need to look into it.
You know, I just thought sitting there. We it was a wedding up in Labrador. My mother has never been on an airplane in their life. In fact, she doesn't even want to go on one. But since one of the family was getting married up way up in the Labrador.
She decided that she would go. So after the wedding. She's mr. Burt Joyce has a 180 head of 185 aircraft at that time and so he's gonna fly across the Straits and he's going to take my mother and a Couple of my sisters my brother back to Corner Brook, but across the Straits he loads about seven people into this 185 sitting on knees and so he goes across the Straits and drops off a few and he heads down the northern Peninsula and The further down that shore he's going the weather starting to come down and getting worse and worse and it's getting rough and it's turbulent and the plane is the plane is Just going in every direction and he's coming down and down and he has to go through the hills the Bombay Hills it's called over these mountains and finally.
About halfway through there. Yes to turn back. Can't get through and my mother is sitting there as calm as a clock. That planes going up and down and then it comes down like that my sister sitting next to her and she says mom Aren't you afraid?
Aren't you afraid and she's shaken? Mom said no. She said I'm not not afraid never in an airplane a little one. She said how come you're not afraid. Well, she said, you know, I Prayed about coming over here before I left home and the Lord gave me a verse.
That was gonna be all right. Everything was gonna be all right. So she said I'm depending on the Lord. So my sister said do you have your Bible? Well mom said somewhere. She said could you get me a verse?
But you know, that's not the way it works really. But God is able to give us a verse from his word. To encourage us to strengthen us to help us along the way even though the storms raging. Even though the night is dark, even though it seems like maybe the ship is not going to make it.
But the Word of the Lord Encourages it can encourage so and then lastly, of course, I was just thinking of our responsibility. The great apostle Paul. I thought of anyone that maybe didn't need to be encouraged in life the great apostle Paul.
But it says that when the brethren came to where he was and when he saw the brethren he took courage. When he saw the brethren he took courage. Do you are you encouraged when you see the brethren? Well, I've been encouraged up here in Iowa have to admit and This place has been a blessing for me.
I can say that here this afternoon for the Saints and the Christians and The believers here in this area and in the stout assembly there. It's just been a real Encouragement and you know, that's that's what the Lord desires that we might be an encouragement One to the to another and it says the Apostle here the Apostle Paul when Paul saw The brethren he thanked God and he took courage and so we we have a responsibility One with another in our community in our assembly that we might.
That we might encourage one another in this dark day in which we're living and these in these difficult days. That we're passing through where the world is just it's just attacking the devil is just attacking the very foundations I suppose that starts with our family the very foundations of our of our Nation starting right at the foundations of it.
We need to encourage one another and we need to encourage One another in the assembly to keep going for God to keep on to keep a good relationship to keep to maintain unity in the assembly at all costs at every cost and one man said and I close a word of encouragement Can make the difference?
Between giving up or going on and Sometimes in our Christian lives. Well, maybe that's what we need a little word of encouragement once in a while and so that's my little thought for today David encouraged himself sometimes.
We need to do that the Word of God encourage us. So we need to read his word We need to listen to it even at a conference Sometimes a conference can change our lives for a word from God and then we can be an encouragement one to another in our Christian pathway as We await the Lord's return.