WEBVTT 00:00:25.859 --> 00:00:26.260 Good morning. 00:00:26.339 --> 00:00:28.580 It's so good to see all of you here worshiping with us today. 00:00:28.660 --> 00:00:35.460 I'd like to welcome all of you here at this campus, but I want to welcome all of our campuses and all of our venues and those of you that are worshiping with us online. 00:00:35.780 --> 00:00:43.219 If I haven't had a chance to meet you personally, I'm Tony Walliser, one of the pastors here at Silverdale, and I have the privilege today to share with you God's word. 00:00:43.380 --> 00:00:44.500 So this is what I encourage you to do. 00:00:44.579 --> 00:00:45.540 Go and take your Bibles. 00:00:45.780 --> 00:00:50.179 Open up in the New Testament to the book of Hebrews, Hebrews chapter 10. 00:00:50.260 --> 00:00:54.659 You can turn to Hebrews 10 or got a smartphone, Bible app, you can open that. 00:00:54.820 --> 00:00:56.900 We also have a Silverdale app as well. 00:00:57.060 --> 00:00:58.500 And you can do this. 00:00:58.660 --> 00:01:01.620 Take out these Bible study outlines that we provide for you. 00:01:01.859 --> 00:01:06.659 We give these outlines so you can follow along and take notes as we study God's Word together. 00:01:06.900 --> 00:01:09.379 We are in a series called the One Another Way. 00:01:09.460 --> 00:01:16.740 And what we're doing is we're looking at these one another principles found in the New Testament, and they will transform relationships. 00:01:16.980 --> 00:01:27.140 Whenever you apply these one another principles to your marriage or family or coworkers or neighbors, whatever it may be, it will bring about a transformation. 00:01:27.300 --> 00:01:42.980 I mean, the fact is, if we do this, our marriages will become stronger, our friendships will become deeper, our church will become healthier, and our witness to a watching world will become clearer because we are living out these biblical relationship principles. 00:01:43.219 --> 00:01:48.420 Now, today, I want to teach you on how to encourage one another. 00:01:48.659 --> 00:01:53.140 How are we supposed to, as followers of Jesus Christ, supposed to encourage each other? 00:01:53.379 --> 00:01:54.420 I mean, think about it. 00:01:54.659 --> 00:01:57.540 Do any of you here get too much encouragement? 00:01:57.700 --> 00:02:00.420 I mean, you're like, oh, I just can't take it anymore. 00:02:00.579 --> 00:02:02.739 Don't encourage me anymore, right? 00:02:02.980 --> 00:02:04.659 Kids, stop praising me. 00:02:04.739 --> 00:02:06.820 I just can't take any more of your encouragement. 00:02:06.980 --> 00:02:07.780 Yeah, right? 00:02:08.019 --> 00:02:11.620 Or, you know, um, boss, quit patting me on the back. 00:02:11.699 --> 00:02:13.860 I can't handle any more encouragement at work. 00:02:14.019 --> 00:02:15.939 Look, nobody's ever said that. 00:02:16.099 --> 00:02:16.579 Why? 00:02:16.900 --> 00:02:19.699 Because we all need encouragement. 00:02:19.860 --> 00:02:21.620 Why do we need encouragement so much? 00:02:21.939 --> 00:02:24.659 Because we live in such a discouraging age. 00:02:24.819 --> 00:02:28.740 We're bombarded with hate and discouraging, bad news all the time. 00:02:28.980 --> 00:02:32.259 We live in a broken world surrounded by broken people. 00:02:32.579 --> 00:02:38.259 We will come to the place where we come to an end of ourselves and go, oh, I just can't go on like this. 00:02:38.500 --> 00:02:39.699 We need encouragement. 00:02:39.939 --> 00:02:46.419 Well, that happens to be where the people are for the first recipients of the letter that we're going to study today. 00:02:46.500 --> 00:02:47.620 It's the book of Hebrews. 00:02:48.180 --> 00:02:49.219 What does that mean, Hebrews? 00:02:49.379 --> 00:02:51.539 Well, it's written to Jewish Christians. 00:02:51.780 --> 00:02:56.580 These are Christians, they are Jewish background that come to followers of Jesus Christ. 00:02:56.659 --> 00:02:58.979 They believe Jesus is the promised Messiah. 00:02:59.140 --> 00:03:03.620 But because of that faith in Jesus, what's happened is they become ostracized. 00:03:03.699 --> 00:03:06.419 They are hated by their family and the Jewish community. 00:03:06.580 --> 00:03:14.900 They're also hated by the Romans, so they're getting hate on every side and they're discouraged and they're starting to wander away in their faith. 00:03:15.060 --> 00:03:19.219 And the writer of Hebrews wrote this book to encourage them in their faith. 00:03:19.379 --> 00:03:26.020 And in the three verses that we're going to study today, we're going to learn how we are to encourage one another. 00:03:26.259 --> 00:03:28.020 So let's look at our passage together. 00:03:28.180 --> 00:03:30.900 It's Hebrews chapter 10, beginning verse 23. 00:03:31.140 --> 00:03:32.419 Notice God's word. 00:03:33.140 --> 00:03:40.180 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he that's God, who promised is faithful. 00:03:40.419 --> 00:03:49.539 And let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good works, not neglecting to gather together as some are in the habit of doing. 00:03:49.780 --> 00:03:56.740 But, here it is, encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day approaching. 00:03:56.979 --> 00:03:58.979 This is the word of the Lord for you today. 00:03:59.140 --> 00:04:00.500 Thanks be to God. 00:04:00.819 --> 00:04:07.620 Now, those three verses is God's answer for the negative world that you and I live in. 00:04:07.780 --> 00:04:15.699 Every one of us, we're bombarded on every side, and we have a tendency that we will drift away unless we get the proper encouragement. 00:04:15.860 --> 00:04:19.139 Can I just tell you, encouragement is powerful. 00:04:19.699 --> 00:04:24.100 Years ago, I read a really powerful story about the power of encouragement. 00:04:24.259 --> 00:04:26.100 There was this boy named Tommy. 00:04:26.740 --> 00:04:28.419 Tommy was a slow learner. 00:04:28.580 --> 00:04:35.379 And so he was in school and the teacher was getting frustrated because he was asked a bunch of questions, but he could never keep up. 00:04:35.539 --> 00:04:41.860 And eventually she goes to Tommy's mom and says, Look, um, he is incapable of learning. 00:04:42.100 --> 00:04:44.500 You just need to, you know, prepare yourself. 00:04:44.659 --> 00:04:46.899 He's not going to amount to much of anything. 00:04:47.059 --> 00:04:48.899 And so I can't teach him anymore. 00:04:49.139 --> 00:04:52.019 And so Tommy's mother said, Okay, well, I'll teach him at home. 00:04:52.100 --> 00:04:52.740 And you know what? 00:04:52.820 --> 00:04:56.659 He struggled and he would fail a lot, but she would always encourage him. 00:04:56.740 --> 00:04:57.620 She would give him hope. 00:04:57.779 --> 00:05:00.419 She would say, keep on going, try again, right? 00:05:00.659 --> 00:05:02.740 You go, well, whatever happened to Tommy? 00:05:02.899 --> 00:05:03.620 Well, he grew up. 00:05:03.779 --> 00:05:04.899 Here's his picture. 00:05:05.139 --> 00:05:07.620 We know him today as Thomas Edison. 00:05:08.019 --> 00:05:08.580 All right? 00:05:08.740 --> 00:05:12.019 One of the greatest inventors in American history. 00:05:12.340 --> 00:05:14.820 All because of encouragement. 00:05:14.980 --> 00:05:17.220 He is a product of encouragement. 00:05:17.379 --> 00:05:21.539 Well, the writer of Hebrews is going to teach us how to encourage one another. 00:05:21.700 --> 00:05:25.220 And there's three principles that I want you to jot down on your outlines today. 00:05:25.299 --> 00:05:29.539 There are actually three choices that we've got to all make if we're going to give encouragement. 00:05:29.700 --> 00:05:30.019 Ready? 00:05:30.100 --> 00:05:30.419 Here it is. 00:05:30.500 --> 00:05:34.100 Number one is this first, you got to choose to connect with others. 00:05:34.340 --> 00:05:36.899 You got to choose to connect with others. 00:05:37.139 --> 00:05:43.059 I mean, you can't give encouragement and you can't be encouraged if you're not connected with other people, right? 00:05:43.220 --> 00:05:44.980 You got to get connected. 00:05:45.299 --> 00:05:49.139 God said, it's not good for you to do life alone. 00:05:49.379 --> 00:05:51.620 But here's our problem in our culture today. 00:05:51.779 --> 00:05:54.899 We are now high tech, but low touch. 00:05:55.220 --> 00:05:59.460 Got a lot of friends on Facebook, but not a lot of friends in our face, right? 00:05:59.860 --> 00:06:04.340 The reality is that most of us are connecting on screens. 00:06:04.659 --> 00:06:06.500 But let me remind you of something. 00:06:06.659 --> 00:06:10.259 You can't download intimacy 301 on this. 00:06:10.419 --> 00:06:13.299 There's no app for closeness and connection. 00:06:13.539 --> 00:06:13.860 No. 00:06:14.100 --> 00:06:17.059 You've got to be in community. 00:06:17.379 --> 00:06:18.980 Now, here's the problem. 00:06:19.220 --> 00:06:21.460 All the reports are telling us this. 00:06:21.700 --> 00:06:27.220 That we, this generation, is the loneliest generation in the history of mankind. 00:06:27.460 --> 00:06:28.820 That's crazy, right? 00:06:28.899 --> 00:06:30.259 We're more connected than ever. 00:06:30.340 --> 00:06:33.059 And yet we're lonelier than ever. 00:06:33.460 --> 00:06:36.419 God says, I don't want you to do life alone. 00:06:36.580 --> 00:06:37.620 So what do you got to do? 00:06:37.700 --> 00:06:38.659 You got to choose. 00:06:38.820 --> 00:06:40.259 You got to choose to connect. 00:06:40.419 --> 00:06:42.259 Notice how the writer of Hebrews puts this. 00:06:42.340 --> 00:06:47.620 Again, verse 23 says, Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering. 00:06:47.860 --> 00:06:48.740 How are we going to do that? 00:06:48.899 --> 00:06:50.259 Look at verse 25. 00:06:50.659 --> 00:06:57.779 Not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit, I'll call it a bad habit, of doing, right? 00:06:58.019 --> 00:06:59.379 I mean, think about it. 00:06:59.779 --> 00:07:13.700 Even in the first century, just a few decades after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, there were some Christians that were choosing, having a bad habit of not connecting and gathering with other believers, right? 00:07:14.019 --> 00:07:16.419 Now, you go, how does a habit form? 00:07:16.580 --> 00:07:18.019 Well, you know, right? 00:07:18.259 --> 00:07:20.259 It starts with our behavior. 00:07:20.899 --> 00:07:31.620 Basically, you know, we start making choices, and over time that becomes a habit, and next thing you know, it's so ingrained in us, we don't even have to think about it anymore. 00:07:31.779 --> 00:07:32.980 We just do it. 00:07:33.220 --> 00:07:36.820 I Googled America's, you know, top 10 bad habits. 00:07:36.980 --> 00:07:38.019 This is the top 10. 00:07:38.100 --> 00:07:38.340 Ready? 00:07:38.419 --> 00:07:38.899 Here it is. 00:07:39.139 --> 00:07:49.139 Number one, you got smoking, overspending, gambling, overeating, drinking too much, taking drugs, complaining. 00:07:49.379 --> 00:07:51.700 Everything about that as being a bad habit, it is. 00:07:52.100 --> 00:07:55.299 Chronically being late, some of you are convicted right now. 00:07:55.539 --> 00:07:56.820 Eating drunk food. 00:07:56.980 --> 00:07:58.659 I'm convicted right now. 00:07:59.220 --> 00:08:01.620 And here's the most recent one added to the list. 00:08:01.779 --> 00:08:03.539 Always looking at your phone, right? 00:08:03.700 --> 00:08:05.379 Don't doesn't that drive you crazy, right? 00:08:05.539 --> 00:08:10.019 Now, the Bible says there's one more bad habit you can add to that list, and what is it? 00:08:10.340 --> 00:08:11.940 Not gathering together. 00:08:12.179 --> 00:08:15.620 Choosing not to do this, not gathering. 00:08:15.860 --> 00:08:20.340 Now, there are some people that they only come to church on three occasions, right? 00:08:20.980 --> 00:08:24.500 Baby dedication, weddings, funerals. 00:08:24.740 --> 00:08:30.340 They come to church on a baby dedication, and some churches will throw water on the baby, right? 00:08:30.500 --> 00:08:33.860 Then they come to church for the wedding, they throw rice on the couple. 00:08:34.019 --> 00:08:36.340 Then somebody dies, and then you throw dirt on them, right? 00:08:36.419 --> 00:08:39.059 So that's the occasion when you come to church. 00:08:39.220 --> 00:08:40.659 Always throwing something on people. 00:08:40.899 --> 00:08:44.580 I mean, some people are called CEO Christians. 00:08:44.740 --> 00:08:48.659 That means they come to Christmas and Easter only. 00:08:49.139 --> 00:08:51.860 I call people submarine Christians. 00:08:52.100 --> 00:08:55.220 They only surface a couple of times a year, you know. 00:08:55.379 --> 00:08:57.379 I mean, the fact is, I've heard it all. 00:08:57.620 --> 00:08:59.299 I mean, people give their excuses. 00:08:59.539 --> 00:09:00.659 Well, you know what? 00:09:00.899 --> 00:09:03.220 You don't have to go to church to be a Christian. 00:09:03.379 --> 00:09:04.339 Very true, you don't. 00:09:04.419 --> 00:09:06.019 The church doesn't save you. 00:09:06.259 --> 00:09:12.659 But the Bible is teaching us here that if you're not connected, you will drift away from the Lord. 00:09:12.899 --> 00:09:15.620 You'll drift in your faith, you'll fall into sin. 00:09:15.779 --> 00:09:17.379 You'll get away from the Lord. 00:09:17.620 --> 00:09:20.100 You need to get connected, right? 00:09:20.579 --> 00:09:23.220 In fact, I've put this basic principle on your outline. 00:09:23.459 --> 00:09:26.019 80% of success is showing up. 00:09:26.259 --> 00:09:28.019 That's true for anything. 00:09:28.259 --> 00:09:31.620 80% of success is just showing up. 00:09:32.179 --> 00:09:40.500 Now, what's sad is that some of you as parents have been giving a horrible example for your kids, right? 00:09:41.139 --> 00:09:42.019 You know this. 00:09:42.179 --> 00:09:45.379 Your values are caught more than they're ever taught. 00:09:45.620 --> 00:09:50.579 And whenever you say, you know what, uh, we don't have to go to church this weekend or whatever it may be, right? 00:09:50.659 --> 00:09:56.259 You are teaching your kids that Christ doesn't really need to be a priority to you. 00:09:56.500 --> 00:10:00.500 Now, I'm very thankful that my parents brought me to church when I was young. 00:10:00.659 --> 00:10:04.740 I didn't become a follower of Christ until I was an adult, but I'm thankful they brought me to church. 00:10:04.899 --> 00:10:07.059 I had that foundation in my life. 00:10:07.379 --> 00:10:11.299 See, you don't ask your kids on Sunday morning, hey, do you want to go to church? 00:10:11.539 --> 00:10:13.299 No, be the parent. 00:10:13.620 --> 00:10:17.779 Saturday night, go, hey, tomorrow we're going to church, okay? 00:10:18.019 --> 00:10:20.179 So make that a priority. 00:10:20.579 --> 00:10:24.419 And so we know we all need community. 00:10:24.579 --> 00:10:26.980 I mean, even our culture is informing us of this. 00:10:27.059 --> 00:10:27.779 I mean, think about it. 00:10:27.860 --> 00:10:29.860 What about the rise of coffee houses? 00:10:30.339 --> 00:10:31.539 What's up with that, right? 00:10:31.699 --> 00:10:33.139 I'll tell you what's up with that. 00:10:33.299 --> 00:10:40.339 You go to most coffee houses, including our coffee house, Oaks, and you'll see that many people that are there are by themselves. 00:10:40.579 --> 00:10:43.620 And there they are by themselves, and yet they're in a coffee house. 00:10:43.699 --> 00:10:44.100 Why? 00:10:44.339 --> 00:10:47.939 Because intuitively they know they want to be around other people. 00:10:48.100 --> 00:10:50.659 And that's the same reason why people go to bars, right? 00:10:50.819 --> 00:10:56.579 It's been said the bar flourishes not because people are alcoholics, but because people desire to connect. 00:10:56.899 --> 00:11:06.419 But you and I, we are created for more than just coffee shop talk or bar stool talk or you know, barber shop talk. 00:11:06.819 --> 00:11:10.339 We're created for real talk, real relationships. 00:11:10.740 --> 00:11:16.179 And if you're not connected, when the storms of life come, you'll fall away. 00:11:16.579 --> 00:11:20.980 I mean, truth is, storms of life are gonna hit every one of us. 00:11:21.220 --> 00:11:28.259 We don't, we don't realize it, we don't acknowledge whenever it happens, but suddenly the storms of life hit, and it can be a number of things. 00:11:28.339 --> 00:11:38.259 You may lose that job, you may get a bad doctor's report, you know, a wayward child, your marriage is crumbling, your finances are falling apart, whatever it may be. 00:11:38.419 --> 00:11:41.459 And in those moments, you need other people around you. 00:11:41.620 --> 00:11:47.459 We all need a shoulder to cry on, we all need a person to lean on, we need community. 00:11:48.419 --> 00:11:53.779 I read recently about the friendships of Adolf Hitler. 00:11:54.019 --> 00:11:56.100 Bottom line, he didn't have any. 00:11:56.259 --> 00:12:02.179 There was one guy, his name was Albert Speer, and everybody considered him the closest friend to Adolf Hitler. 00:12:02.339 --> 00:12:08.500 He later wrote, he said, look, Hitler was incapable of friendships. 00:12:08.740 --> 00:12:10.019 He was a loner. 00:12:10.179 --> 00:12:15.220 He did things by himself, he just didn't have relationships in his life. 00:12:15.459 --> 00:12:19.939 And so my word for you today is don't be like Hitler. 00:12:20.019 --> 00:12:20.259 Okay? 00:12:20.419 --> 00:12:21.139 Don't be like Hitler. 00:12:21.299 --> 00:12:23.620 Some of you are gonna leave church and go, what did you learn in church today? 00:12:23.779 --> 00:12:25.059 Uh not to be like Hitler. 00:12:25.220 --> 00:12:26.579 Good, that's a good thing, right? 00:12:26.740 --> 00:12:27.379 You learn. 00:12:27.539 --> 00:12:30.500 I mean, don't be like Hitler. 00:12:30.740 --> 00:12:32.980 Have friends in your life. 00:12:33.459 --> 00:12:38.100 If you're here and you rarely attend, start attending regularly. 00:12:38.259 --> 00:12:42.980 If you're not in a small group, get in a small group and start attending. 00:12:43.220 --> 00:12:46.579 If you're married, start going out on dates. 00:12:46.740 --> 00:12:50.659 A weekly date is still necessary for every marriage. 00:12:50.899 --> 00:12:56.019 When you're in the car with your family, turn off the noise and talk to each other. 00:12:56.259 --> 00:13:02.179 When you're having meals, turn off the TV, put away the devices, it's device-free time. 00:13:02.339 --> 00:13:04.659 We're gonna have conversations in this family. 00:13:04.899 --> 00:13:07.139 If you don't do that, it won't happen. 00:13:07.379 --> 00:13:09.539 You've got to choose to connect. 00:13:09.699 --> 00:13:10.819 That's where it all begins. 00:13:10.980 --> 00:13:11.299 Okay? 00:13:11.779 --> 00:13:14.259 But there's a second choice that you and I have to make, and it's this. 00:13:14.419 --> 00:13:15.059 Jot this down. 00:13:15.220 --> 00:13:17.779 You must also choose to challenge others. 00:13:18.019 --> 00:13:20.659 You gotta choose to challenge others. 00:13:20.899 --> 00:13:24.019 That means you gotta be like a coach and push people. 00:13:24.259 --> 00:13:26.579 You gotta be like a teacher and inspire people. 00:13:26.740 --> 00:13:29.539 You gotta be like a parent and you affirm people. 00:13:29.699 --> 00:13:34.500 You gotta be like a personal trainer and get people get the most out of people, right? 00:13:34.659 --> 00:13:35.379 You go, what? 00:13:35.459 --> 00:13:36.259 We're supposed to do that? 00:13:36.419 --> 00:13:38.579 Yeah, we're supposed to be doing that to one another. 00:13:38.819 --> 00:13:39.379 Check it out. 00:13:39.459 --> 00:13:42.419 Notice how this is written in verse 24. 00:13:42.819 --> 00:13:50.659 It says, Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good works. 00:13:50.980 --> 00:13:55.059 That word stimulate literally means to spur on, right? 00:13:55.299 --> 00:14:00.980 If you're from Texas, you know, you got boots, you know, you're riding a horse, you got spurs on your boots, right? 00:14:01.139 --> 00:14:02.579 You're riding the horse, and what do you do? 00:14:02.740 --> 00:14:06.579 You put the spurs in the side of the horse and go giddy up, right? 00:14:06.740 --> 00:14:09.459 And it motivates that horse to move on. 00:14:09.699 --> 00:14:19.539 Most of you know, whenever I grew up in Florida in a farm, a hog farm, and so we would move pigs from one barn to another, we would have what we called a hot shot, okay? 00:14:19.699 --> 00:14:21.139 It was an electric shocker. 00:14:21.220 --> 00:14:23.220 It's also called a cattle prod, right? 00:14:23.379 --> 00:14:28.500 And yes, I had, you know, two brothers, so we would use it on each other and go, what are you doing? 00:14:28.740 --> 00:14:30.019 Had to make sure it worked, okay? 00:14:30.179 --> 00:14:39.459 And so, you know, and but anytime you use the cattle prod, you know, the shocker on the pig, mah! And it suddenly got motivated to go forward. 00:14:39.779 --> 00:14:46.500 Well, the Bible says we are to motivate each other to love and good deeds, right? 00:14:46.659 --> 00:14:48.819 Did you know you're supposed to be doing good deeds? 00:14:48.980 --> 00:14:52.419 We're supposed to be motivating each other to love and good works. 00:14:53.139 --> 00:14:59.379 The problem with a lot of people is that they think that church is like a cruise ship, right? 00:14:59.779 --> 00:15:03.459 For a lot of Christians, they come to church and they just imagine, you know what a cruise ship is, right? 00:15:03.539 --> 00:15:03.699 Right? 00:15:03.860 --> 00:15:07.379 You got a lot of passengers and they're just lounging back, taking it easy. 00:15:07.459 --> 00:15:12.259 And you got the crew, they're working like crazy to serve the passengers. 00:15:12.419 --> 00:15:14.500 And a lot of people think of church that way. 00:15:14.659 --> 00:15:18.259 They just come to church and they're just, you know, it's like a cruise ship, right? 00:15:18.339 --> 00:15:19.939 It's a consumer mentality. 00:15:20.100 --> 00:15:21.459 What's in it for me? 00:15:21.620 --> 00:15:23.139 Let me see if I like this church. 00:15:23.379 --> 00:15:27.220 This church is gonna, you know, encourage me and serve me, right? 00:15:27.379 --> 00:15:35.379 And if they don't like the music, or maybe they don't like the preaching, it's not entertaining enough, they'll go, they'll leave one and they'll go find another cruise ship. 00:15:35.459 --> 00:15:37.139 I mean, another church, right? 00:15:38.339 --> 00:15:40.819 But the church is not a cruise ship. 00:15:41.059 --> 00:15:43.059 Church is a battleship, right? 00:15:43.459 --> 00:15:44.980 We're at war, folks. 00:15:45.220 --> 00:15:49.059 We got the world, the flesh, and the devil that we fight every day. 00:15:49.220 --> 00:15:52.819 And whenever battle stations alarm happen, what happens? 00:15:52.980 --> 00:15:54.980 We all know what we're supposed to be doing. 00:15:55.220 --> 00:15:56.339 We all jump in. 00:15:56.419 --> 00:15:58.740 We we know where we're called to serve. 00:15:58.819 --> 00:16:00.740 We're all about serving one another. 00:16:00.819 --> 00:16:01.779 That's what we're called to do. 00:16:01.939 --> 00:16:05.779 We are called to stimulate one another to love and to good works. 00:16:06.100 --> 00:16:12.419 So when you come to church, do not come to church with the mindset, well, who's gonna encourage me today? 00:16:12.579 --> 00:16:16.179 No, come with a mindset, who am I going to encourage? 00:16:16.419 --> 00:16:21.860 You see a visitor that you don't recognize, go introduce yourself to that person. 00:16:22.100 --> 00:16:29.539 Did you know that most guests will choose to attend a church a second time before they ever hear the pastor preach? 00:16:29.699 --> 00:16:29.939 Right? 00:16:30.100 --> 00:16:31.779 That's the that's you, right? 00:16:32.339 --> 00:16:39.459 I mean, you see a mom in the parking lot struggling with two kids and a diaper bag, go help that poor girl, right? 00:16:39.699 --> 00:16:40.019 Right? 00:16:40.179 --> 00:16:42.419 We are called to encourage one another. 00:16:42.579 --> 00:16:45.620 We're to stimulate one another to good deeds. 00:16:45.860 --> 00:16:51.139 But the Bible says we're to stimulate each other to love and good deeds. 00:16:51.620 --> 00:16:56.339 Last week, the one another principle we studied was to love one another. 00:16:56.659 --> 00:16:59.299 Love's a big deal in the Christian faith. 00:16:59.939 --> 00:17:04.579 This passage is encouraging you to stimulate one another to do what? 00:17:04.900 --> 00:17:06.500 To love one another. 00:17:06.740 --> 00:17:08.259 What does it mean to love one another? 00:17:08.420 --> 00:17:12.259 That means you're you're you're entering into their world, you're serving them, you're helping them. 00:17:12.420 --> 00:17:18.980 Um, there was a research that was done asking children to define love, which is sort of a scary question to ask kids. 00:17:19.220 --> 00:17:23.380 But there is one answer that I loved, and this kid said this. 00:17:23.620 --> 00:17:30.180 He said, When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. 00:17:30.420 --> 00:17:35.220 So my grandpa painted her toenails even though he had arthritis. 00:17:35.379 --> 00:17:36.899 I think that's love. 00:17:37.220 --> 00:17:38.660 I completely agree. 00:17:38.819 --> 00:17:40.740 That's a great definition of love. 00:17:41.059 --> 00:17:46.180 We are to stimulate one another to love and good deeds. 00:17:46.500 --> 00:17:46.980 Why? 00:17:47.299 --> 00:17:50.180 Because love creates love. 00:17:50.740 --> 00:17:54.579 Whenever there's an atmosphere of love, suddenly we love more. 00:17:54.819 --> 00:17:59.299 Whenever there's an atmosphere of kindness, kindness begets kindness. 00:17:59.940 --> 00:18:03.940 I read recently a story of this eight-year-old boy, his name was Miles Eckern. 00:18:04.500 --> 00:18:12.339 And Miles and his family were coming into a cracker barrel for lunch, and he finds a$20 bill in the parking lot. 00:18:12.420 --> 00:18:17.539 And he's all excited because what am I gonna do if we spend this money, you know, going into the cracker barrel store? 00:18:17.619 --> 00:18:20.180 He's looking around, I'm gonna spend this$20 on something. 00:18:20.420 --> 00:18:29.779 But all his attitude changed whenever they they sat down in the dining area, because as they were going in, he noticed there was a soldier that was by himself. 00:18:30.019 --> 00:18:33.619 Well, his dad was a soldier who died in the military. 00:18:33.859 --> 00:18:41.220 And so he got that little um that little pencil there on the cracker barrel table, and he wrote a little note to the soldier. 00:18:41.299 --> 00:18:42.740 And this is what he wrote. 00:18:43.139 --> 00:18:45.220 My dad was a soldier. 00:18:47.539 --> 00:18:49.139 He's in heaven now. 00:18:50.180 --> 00:18:54.500 I found his$20 in the parking lot when I got here. 00:18:55.059 --> 00:18:57.220 We like to pay it forward to you. 00:18:57.539 --> 00:18:59.139 Thank you for your service. 00:18:59.460 --> 00:19:02.339 Miles Eckard, a gold star kid. 00:19:02.980 --> 00:19:05.220 So gave it to the soldier. 00:19:05.379 --> 00:19:09.139 That soldier happened to be an Air Force lieutenant colonel. 00:19:10.259 --> 00:19:16.899 And um he immediately took a picture of the note and took a picture of the$20, sent it to his daughter. 00:19:17.139 --> 00:19:20.899 His daughter posted it on social media, it went viral. 00:19:21.139 --> 00:19:24.819 CBS saw the story, picked it up, interviewed Miles. 00:19:24.980 --> 00:19:26.740 Why would you give away this money? 00:19:27.059 --> 00:19:28.420 Let's hear his story. 00:19:28.579 --> 00:19:33.539 Suddenly, people from all over the country were sending money to Miles Eckard. 00:19:33.779 --> 00:19:36.899 He and his parents gave it away. 00:19:37.220 --> 00:19:42.980 Over two million dollars that was brought to him, and he ended up giving it back away. 00:19:43.299 --> 00:19:47.379 See, Jesus said it's more blessed to give than to receive. 00:19:47.700 --> 00:19:51.619 And so, whenever you come to church, come with a mindset, okay, I'm ready to give. 00:19:51.859 --> 00:19:52.819 You go, give what? 00:19:53.059 --> 00:19:58.339 Give worship to the Lord, give encouragement to one another, right? 00:19:58.819 --> 00:20:00.259 Somebody need a little strength? 00:20:00.420 --> 00:20:02.180 Will you be that strength for them? 00:20:02.420 --> 00:20:05.859 You you see a need, you do the best you can to meet that need. 00:20:05.940 --> 00:20:07.220 That's what we're called to do. 00:20:07.379 --> 00:20:08.500 Can I just tell you something? 00:20:08.660 --> 00:20:14.899 If you come to church with that mindset, it changes your church, it changes your small group. 00:20:15.460 --> 00:20:19.619 I mean, see, see, some people come to church and they're like, well, I didn't get much out of that. 00:20:19.859 --> 00:20:30.259 Can I tell you, if you come to church with a mindset of I'm ready to encourage and give to other people around me, you'll never leave church going, didn't get anything out of that. 00:20:30.500 --> 00:20:33.940 No, because it is always more blessed to give than to receive. 00:20:34.259 --> 00:20:37.539 And so we're in discouraging times. 00:20:38.180 --> 00:20:39.700 How do you encourage? 00:20:39.859 --> 00:20:42.180 First, you gotta choose to connect with each other. 00:20:42.420 --> 00:20:46.660 You gotta choose to spur one another on to loving good deeds, right? 00:20:46.819 --> 00:20:49.460 But then there's a third thing, and it's this jot this down. 00:20:49.700 --> 00:20:52.099 You gotta choose to cheer others on. 00:20:52.420 --> 00:20:55.779 You gotta choose to cheer other people on. 00:20:56.420 --> 00:20:58.579 Because here's a simple reality. 00:20:58.819 --> 00:21:05.379 In this room and in all of our campuses right now, there are people that are ready to quit. 00:21:05.859 --> 00:21:06.420 There are. 00:21:06.660 --> 00:21:10.420 Life has been so discouraging to them right now, they're ready to quit. 00:21:10.579 --> 00:21:14.980 They're ready to quit that marriage, ready to quit that family, are ready to quit their faith. 00:21:15.299 --> 00:21:18.180 Or they're they're ready to quit life through suicide. 00:21:18.339 --> 00:21:20.019 And they need encouragement. 00:21:20.259 --> 00:21:23.299 And so notice what the writer of Hebrews tells us how to do it. 00:21:23.379 --> 00:21:25.299 Look again what it says, verse 24. 00:21:25.700 --> 00:21:37.539 And let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good works, not neglecting to gather together as some are in the habit of doing, but here it is, encouraging one another. 00:21:37.700 --> 00:21:39.220 That's the one another principle. 00:21:39.460 --> 00:21:42.740 And all the more as you see the day approaching. 00:21:42.980 --> 00:21:45.940 Now you may go, what does it mean to encourage somebody else? 00:21:46.259 --> 00:21:50.660 It literally means to inject courage in someone. 00:21:51.059 --> 00:21:57.059 So encouragement means I take some of my courage and I inject it into you. 00:21:57.539 --> 00:22:04.180 And maybe there's a day when I'm weak and you inject your courage in me, and I keep on going. 00:22:04.339 --> 00:22:08.819 Or maybe there's a time when you're weak and I can inject some of my courage into you. 00:22:08.980 --> 00:22:10.420 That's what encouragement is. 00:22:10.579 --> 00:22:13.299 You're injecting courage into each other. 00:22:13.539 --> 00:22:14.980 Now, here's our problem. 00:22:15.460 --> 00:22:18.740 Most of us prefer to walk alone. 00:22:18.980 --> 00:22:21.139 Why do we prefer to walk alone? 00:22:21.460 --> 00:22:22.899 Because you get your own way. 00:22:23.059 --> 00:22:24.899 You don't have to compromise with anybody, right? 00:22:24.980 --> 00:22:29.299 And you know what I'm Discovered walking alone, you can walk faster alone. 00:22:29.539 --> 00:22:34.339 You can, but you will walk farther when you're with somebody else, right? 00:22:34.819 --> 00:22:41.779 I mean, years ago, um, my um son John asked me to run a 5K with him, okay? 00:22:42.019 --> 00:22:43.779 You see that picture of me and John there. 00:22:43.859 --> 00:22:48.259 Now you gotta understand, I'm almost six foot, so you see how tall John is, all right? 00:22:48.500 --> 00:22:52.180 And um and so John he says, hey dad, will you run a 5k with me? 00:22:52.259 --> 00:22:54.740 And look, I know a 5K is not that far. 00:22:54.899 --> 00:22:57.299 Compared to a marathon, 5K is nothing. 00:22:57.460 --> 00:22:59.619 But to this old body, it was a lot, okay? 00:22:59.779 --> 00:23:04.660 And so about halfway through our 5K, my knees were killing me. 00:23:05.139 --> 00:23:07.619 And so, um, but John, what'd he do? 00:23:07.779 --> 00:23:08.660 He was running with me. 00:23:08.740 --> 00:23:09.940 He didn't run ahead. 00:23:10.099 --> 00:23:13.700 He could have finished a lot quicker than me, but he stayed with me. 00:23:13.859 --> 00:23:19.379 And he used his military army training, you know, to sing cadences as we were running. 00:23:19.619 --> 00:23:25.940 He would sing cadences like, Mama, mama, can't you see what the army's done to me? 00:23:26.180 --> 00:23:30.899 I used to drive a Cadillac, now I'm running with a pack, right? 00:23:30.980 --> 00:23:35.220 And so, and so he would, we would just be running together, and he'd be doing these cadences. 00:23:35.460 --> 00:23:39.779 And I finished because John ran with me. 00:23:40.099 --> 00:23:43.059 He gave me the encouragement to keep on going. 00:23:43.619 --> 00:23:45.539 Well, that's what we do with each other. 00:23:45.700 --> 00:23:49.139 We give each other the encouragement to keep pressing on. 00:23:49.299 --> 00:23:50.259 You can do it. 00:23:50.420 --> 00:23:51.539 You can do it. 00:23:51.779 --> 00:23:57.379 Now, what's interesting is this passage ends with a look to the future. 00:23:57.700 --> 00:23:58.899 He says, you know what? 00:23:59.059 --> 00:24:04.660 We need to really be doing this even more as Christ's return is getting closer. 00:24:04.819 --> 00:24:07.460 Check it out, look at how this ends, verse 25. 00:24:07.619 --> 00:24:11.779 And all the more as you see the day approaching. 00:24:12.019 --> 00:24:15.139 See, it's a big capital D there, day. 00:24:15.379 --> 00:24:16.980 It's the ultimate D Day. 00:24:17.059 --> 00:24:20.019 It's the day that Jesus Christ is going to return. 00:24:20.180 --> 00:24:26.259 Now, there's been a lot of churches and religions through the years that have made predictions about when Jesus was going to return. 00:24:26.500 --> 00:24:28.420