How To Rise Above Discouragement

Introduction

Last Sunday, you may remember we introduced our family focus for 2021, and as Rufus has already pointed out, that comes from the book of Colossians, chapter 2, verses 6 and 7, where the inspired writer says, As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him. Rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you’ve been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. Wants to be our focus this year is the idea of being rooted and built up. Fundamental part to our Christianity is the idea of being rooted and established in our faith and then being built up and abounding in it. And we’re going to try throughout this year to focus on that passage and that concept. And it’s a timely one, I believe, because of what we’ve gone through recently and really are still going through, that we need to make sure that our faith is rooted and that we’re built up in it.

And we’re going to do several things to try to help us, one another as a congregation, as a family here, to be just that, rooted and built up. And you may remember this is one of the things that we’re trying to do, and that’s our Bible reading plan for 2021. Have you started that? We started last week in our Bible reading focus. If you didn’t, one good thing about this Bible reading plan is you can get caught up very easily. Let me reintroduce this to you, especially some of those that may be watching on the internet, to kind of the different twists to this Bible reading plan. We read just a couple chapters a week. Now that has some advantages. Number one is, I’ve already talked about one of them, if you get behind, you can easily get caught up.

But also its primary advantage is that you can spend some time in that text. It’s not just really a Bible reading plan, it’s a Bible study plan. And so hopefully last week you spent some time in Romans chapters 1 and 2. We’re reading the epistles, many of the epistles of the New Testament together. And so you could spend some time reading and studying and meditating and praying about Romans chapters 1 and 2. This week will be in Romans 3 and 4. And so you can read those. Take your time, read them several times throughout the week. Make notes, make some questions that you may have in the text. If you’re a part of our Facebook group of South Bumby Talk, we will spend some time throughout the week talking about that text and sharing some thoughts and some lessons from that text.

If you’ll go to our website at Bumby.org, you can actually listen to audio recordings of the text.

And so you can read it and then listen to that text and share your time together with us. And hopefully that’ll help you in our endeavor in our family focus of being rooted and built up in Him. I hope you’ll join us in that. If you haven’t joined us, I hope you’ll get caught up this week and join us in our lesson this morning. I want to tell you about a friend of mine. He’s a good friend of mine. I call him Paul, because that’s his name. But Paul, I joke about Paul. If Paul is, I tell him he’s the most positive person I know. And what I mean by that is Paul is always positive this plan’s not going to work. He’s positive that today’s going to be a bad day.

He’s positive that he’s going to fail at whatever task or endeavor that he engages. Paul struggles with discouragement. And I want to ask you this morning do you ever feel like Paul? Do you ever feel discouraged? That’s a silly question, isn’t it? Of course you do. You may not be as consistently discouraged as my friend is.

Well, I would say first off that if that’s the case, then you’re in good company. Because all of God’s people have been discouraged at one time or another. I think if some of our heroes of the faith, you remember the prophet Elijah? Remember when Ahab and Jezebel were seeking for his life after one of probably the greatest moment of his life, after the victory on Mount Carmel over the prophets of Baal, the false prophets of Baal. After that mountaintop experience, literally, we find Elijah in the valley. Figuratively.

So if you’re discouraged right now, you’re in good company. But one good thing about men like Elijah and David and children of God throughout the centuries is yes, they experienced that discouragement, but they found a way out of it. And that way out and that pathway was provided by God. And so, as we talk about this concept of being rooted and built up, one thing about being built up in our faith is that we have to deal with the reality of periodic discouragement, spiritual discouragement. And so let’s talk about that subject this morning. First of all, let’s ask the question, what causes? What’s the source of discouragement? Because maybe by identifying the source of our spiritual discouragement, we can better deal with the reality of it and then climb out of that pit of discouragement.

1. What Causes Discouragement?

Let’s look at some sources. Turn with me, if you will, in the book of 2 Timothy, chapter 4. In 2 Timothy chapter 4, let’s just be honest that sometimes the reason I am discouraged is because of other people. Other people, as important and essential as they are to my life and to my Christian life, many times people let me down. They don’t live up to the standard that maybe at least I’ve placed on them. They give in to temptation. They’re weakened in their own personal faith, and that can discourage me. The behavior of others. Do we not see that a little bit in Paul’s language? Look with me in 2 Timothy chapter 4. And do you not hear the discouragement dripping off the pen of Paul when he says in 2 Timothy chapter 4, verse 9 to his young friend Timothy, be diligent to come to me quickly.

For Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world. And he’s parted for Thessalonica. Crescians for Galatia, Titus for Dalmatia. Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he’s useful for my ministry. Anticochus I’ve sent to Ephesus. Bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troaz when you come and the books, especially the parchments. Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm. May the Lord repay him according to his work. You also must beware of him, for he’s greatly resisted our words. At my first defense, no one stood with me. But all forsook me. May it not be charged against them. You can’t read those few verses without being a little melancholy, can you? Here’s Paul in this prison awaiting his final sentence of death, and he just has to get it off his chest.

That some people have let him down and have discouraged him. And I don’t encourage this as a personal practice, but we could all write our own verses like that, couldn’t we? At different times in our life. We could say, you know, so-and-so forsook me. Brother so-and-so that used to be so faithful and attend with us and lead singing and teach Bible classes, he’s forsaken us, having loved this present world. And sister so-and-so, she used to be so strong, and I looked up to her, but she’s done me much harm. And you need to watch out for her. Sometimes people just let us down. And that’s discouraging. But you want to know what’s more discouraging than that? Is when the person who’s let me down and made me spiritually discouraged is the person I see in the mirror.

The person I can’t get away from. We talked about David. Turn over to Psalm 51. Psalm 51, along with Psalm 32 and others, were one that were written at the lowest point of David’s life. In fact, the heading to Psalm 51 says to the chief musician, a psalm of David, when Nathan and the prophet went to him after he had gone into Bathsheba. It wasn’t Bathsheba that let David down. It wasn’t Joab, it wasn’t someone else who served, it wasn’t one of his comrades. It was David himself.

And notice what he says. Verse 3 beginning. For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only have I sinned and done this evil in your sight, that you may be found just when you speak and blameless when you judge. Behold, and in a piece of hyperbole, he says, Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me. David says again, in figure of speech of hyperbole, he says, I am so bad that you’re right, Lord, to condemn me. In fact, I’m so bad I’ve been sinning since the day I was born. He doesn’t mean that literally, but that’s the depth of despair that David felt, not because others had let him down, because he had so utterly disappointed himself.

Discouragement can just come from the circumstances of life. Sometimes the cookie crumbles, for lack of a better way of saying it. Look what the wise man says in the book of Ecclesiastes. Look over in Ecclesiastes chapter 9. In Ecclesiastes chapter 9.

Life isn’t fair. That’s not news to you, is it? Life can just let you down. Not just people, not just yourself, but just the circumstances of life. The wise man observed this. Ecclesiastes 9. Look at verses 11 and 12 with me. It says, then I returned and saw under the sun, the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of understanding, nor favor to men of skill. But time and chance happen to them all. For a man does not know his time, like a fish taken in a cruel net, like birds caught up in a snare, so the sons of men are snared in an evil time when it falls suddenly upon them.

2. We Can’t Eliminate It, But We Can Deal With It

He says the fastest guy doesn’t always win the race. Because life’s not fair. Sometimes life can just kick you in the teeth. And who isn’t discouraged by that? And so that brings us to our next question. If we know what causes our discouragement, the sources of those, then a good obvious question would be can we eliminate it? And he answered sadly, no, we can’t. People are going to let you down. You’re going to disappoint yourself. Life is going to continue to not be fair. But we can deal with it. We can’t eliminate it. But we can deal with it. Turn with me, if you will, now to Psalm 34. Notice what the psalmist says by both the reality of discouragement and the solution to it. Psalm 34, let’s just begin reading in verse 17.

Psalm 34, 17 says, the righteous cry out. And the Lord hears. Let’s just stop right there. There’s the answer. The righteous cry out. Why? Because life happens. People disappoint. And as in David, in my case, I disappoint myself greatly. So we cry out, but the Lord hears. Keep reading. And he delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart. And save such as have a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. So discouragement’s a part of life. We can’t eliminate it, but we can deal with it. With God’s help. And God’s help and deliverance and guidance. But how do we deal with it? How do we deal with the inevitable discouragements of life that sometimes seem to multiply and stack one upon the other?

3. Seek Sources of Encouragement

Let me give you some helpful hints, and I hope this will, if nothing else, spur you on to think of some other things that might help. Number one is seek sources of encouragement. Sometimes when we’re like that positive Paul and life is down on us, it’s easy for us to focus upon the discouragement and then focus upon and find others who are just as discouraged and just mire in our pit of discouragement. But I want to encourage you to seek out some sources of encouragement. They’re there. Even, as Rufus pointed out in his Lord’s Supper talk this morning, even in the worst of days or the worst of years, God still hears his children. He still delivers us. Find other Christians. Look in the book of Galatians, chapter 6.

There’s so many passages that we could turn to that talk about the idea that our brethren can be sources of encouragement. Yes, they can let us down and be the source of discouragement. But I found, if I’m honest and have the proper outlook, I found far more times than not they’ve been the source of encouragement. And that’s the way it ought to be. Look at Galatians chapter one, and we’re going to read ten verses here, and notice how throughout every verse he talks about the essentiality, the need, and the source of encouragement that our brethren can be. Galatians 6 verse 1 says, brethren, if a man’s overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself, lest you also be tempted.

Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks himself to be something when he’s nothing, he deceives himself. But let each man examine his own work, and he’ll have rejoicing in himself alone and not in another.

Do not be deceived. God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption. But he who sows of the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have the opportunity, let us do good to all, especially of those who are of the household of faith. Verse after verse in that section and numerous other passages that we could cite this morning, talk about why God has put us together. To be a source of strength, and to be a source of encouragement. We said that you on your darkest day could make a list like Paul did of the demuses in your life, and of the Alexander the coppersmiths that you’ve had to deal with.

But maybe a better exercise is to make a list of people who’ve encouraged you. And seek those people out in your times of discouragement. And here’s an important tip, too. When you’re seeking out those positive, truly positive people, don’t seek them out so that you can pull them down to your discouragement. Seek them up out so that they can pull you up to their place of encouragement. Seek out people. Find the sources of encouragement. The Word of God. Now, the next two things I’m going to talk about are the Bible and prayer. And there’s those two items that make every list that every preacher ever makes, isn’t it? Bible reading and prayer. And I fear that sometimes they’re on every list that we just kind of pass over them and say, oh, well, the preacher had to say that.

He had to say Bible reading and prayer. That’s got to be on his.

4. Don’t Focus on the Discouragement

And notice the theme of joy and rejoicing in the midst of those dark circumstances. The word of God can pull you up out of your discouragement. Cast your anxiety on Him. Because He cares for you. That same Paul said. Prayer can help. So seek those sources of encouragement. Secondly, as you’re seeking sources of encouragement to grow out of your discouragement, the second thing, and maybe it ought to be the first thing, is don’t focus on the discouragement. You know, it’s easy once we get discouraged to let that become a downward spiral that we focus upon those, and all we can see is the negative. All we can see are the bad things. All we can see is even the potential negative, bad outcomes that might happen in the future.

But so many times, whether you’re discouraged or encouraged is decided simply by what you will focus on. Silly illustration of what I’m sure is a fictional story of two shoe salesmen who were sent to the Congo. That’s how I know it’s fictional. One wrote back and said, This is the worst assignment ever. I’ll never succeed here because nobody’s wearing shoes.

Nobody has shoes yet. And as silly as that illustration is, that kind of sums up two different types of people, doesn’t it? And so don’t focus on those sources of encouragement. See, look, look in the book of Philippians. We talked about the book of Philippians and how it can be a tremendous source, that same book of Philippians that talked about casting your care, using prayer as a source of eliminating spiritual discouragement. Look at Paul in Philippians chapter 1. How he modeled for us that even in our dark times we can see the positive. Philippians 1 verse 12, he says, I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me, Paul’s there. The things that happened to me. Now that’s an understatement, isn’t it?

Paul’s been in prison. An imprisonment that’s going to be off and on and eventually lead to his death. And he says, I want you to know that these things, his beatings, his stonings, his being left for dead, his being in prison. These things that have happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel. So that it’s become evident to the whole palace guard and to all the rest that my chains are in Christ. And most of the brethren in the Lord have become confident by my chains and are much more bold to speak the word without fear. Talk about a positive outlook. Paul says, you don’t know the good thing about being in prison. I didn’t know there was a good thing.

But Paul says the good thing about being in prison is I get to preach to the prison guards. And who else is going to do that? You know the good thing about being in prison, Paul says? That it’s actually encouraging and strengthening the faith of others by my example. I won’t tell you. Be that positive, Paul. And don’t focus upon the negative, but try to see positive even in dark days. Don’t be so nearsighted that all you can see is those who’ve let you down. Don’t be so nearsighted that all you can see are the mistakes that you’ve made. Don’t be so short-sighted that all you can see is the bad stuff of life.

5. Busy Yourself in the Lord’s Work

Another way to deal with the discouragement that’s inevitable. And Paul is in model for this as well. Is busy yourself in the Lord’s work. Someone has said that the ten rules of getting rid of discouragement are go out and do something good for somebody else. And then repeat that nine more times.

6. Give Ourselves Permission to Rest

Encourage yourself by encouraging others. I’m full of sappy illustrations and saying this morning, but someone has said that encouragement or happiness is like perfume. You can’t spray it on somebody else without getting a little on yourself. Is that corny enough for you? But that’s true, isn’t it? Sometimes just one act of kindness that you show to someone else can pull you out of your own discouragement. And you become an encourager to someone else and to yourself. Lastly, in the book of Mark, chapter 6. How do we deal with discouragement? We seek sources of encouragement. We don’t focus on the discouragement. We busy ourselves being about the Lord’s work. But sometimes we need to give ourselves permission to do this. You remember Elijah, the story we talked about at the beginning, of his discouragement when he says, I just wish I was dead.

I’m the only one who hasn’t. God said, You’re not the only one, Elijah. But before he said that, he let Elijah rest. And Elijah needed that rest. He needed a little bit of a kick in the pants, the saying, look, there’s 7,000. What do you mean you’re the only one? And by the way, God also told him to go be about the Lord’s work. You go do this. You appoint this person as king, you appoint this person as your successor as a prophet. And so all these steps we’ve been talking about have been modeled in the story of God encouraging Elijah. But God also let Elijah rest. He slept under that tree. In Mark chapter 6, we have the story, a horrible story of John the Baptist being beheaded for no other reason than preaching the truth.

And notice what it says in Mark chapter 6, beginning in verse 25. Immediately she came in and with haste to the king asked, saying, I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter. The king was exceedingly sorry, yet because of the oaths, and because of those who sat with him, he did not want to refuse her. And immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded his head to be brought, and he went and beheaded him in prison, brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother. And when the disciples heard this, they came and took away his corpse and laid it in a tomb. Then the apostles gathered to Jesus and told him all things.

Both what they had done and what they had taught. And he said to them, come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.

Sometimes you need a rest. Sometimes you just need to come apart and rest.

Conclusion

And then be busy in the Lord’s work. And then seek sources of encouragement. And then don’t focus upon the inevitable things that could be sources of discouragement. Are you discouraged? You’re in good company. But there’s a way out. And God has provided that way out. The Lord hears those who cry out to him. Would you cry out to him this morning? Would you cry out to him in the discouragement of your sins this morning? Would you call upon the Lord in obedience to the gospel this morning? Maybe your discouragement is in recognizing your lost condition. The Lord hears those who cry out to him. You can call upon his name in obedience to the gospel this morning, repenting of your sins, confessing your faith in him, and be baptized this very morning.

And you and we, the angels in heaven can rejoice, knowing that no matter what else happens, your name is written in heaven. Can we help you this morning to deal with the discouragement of life and of sin? Then why not come? As together we stand and as we sing. All things are ready. Come to the fee. Come, come for the table now, whisper.