Is it not natural for our carnal mind to NOT accept a defeat of some kind? If losing to a health issue, financial obstacle, family burden or even playing a card game—whatever it may be, we are designed by God to survive, thrive and push forward, even when we don’t know how! Then, when we encounter these barriers of life, we then discover something very fascinating. We find out that we have strength that we originally thought was not there! Do you know why? It is because friends, everyday we reach a crossroad. One road leads directly into a dark abyss of discouragement, failure and separation from God. The other road marches right into the spectacular foreshadowing of our future with encouragement, love, peace, joy, strength and so much more. Without thinking too hard into this, which road would you rather travel? I hope it’s encouragement. The sad news friends about this, whether brief or with longevity, we will experience a time down the road of discouragement. And it is down this road that I want to talk about this morning. If you’re willing make that sound decision, you can actually find the most joyous and spectacular resolution to the problem of discouragement, and that is finding out that God was supporting you all the time. I remember on the Andy Griffith show where Opie was wanting to win a race that he ultimately lost. Andy then tell’s Opie, it doesn’t take courage to be a winner, it takes courage to be a good loser. I think this is a very good point to make, although winning a race is nothing in comparison to losing a spouse or close friend to cancer, the principle is all the same. It is all a matter of choice. In our current circumstance, do we stay discouraged, or do we choose encouragement? In starting our journey today, we are going to look at from being discouraged to be encouraged.
2 Corinthians Chapter 1 verse 3, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ. 6 But if we are afflicted [discouraged], it is for your comfort and salvation; or if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is effective in the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer; 7 and our hope for you is firmly grounded, knowing that as you are partners in our sufferings, so also you are in our comfort.” What this is saying rather simply, God’s glory, strength and majesty, shines in suffering, during our discouragements of life. Even if we die in Christ, we live. Even if we suffer with Christ, we survive. Even when we are persecuted, rejected, abused, we will thrive, all because of what Christ is doing and continues to do. Then, Paul goes onto saying in verse 4 tells we are in affliction or discouragement, so too are we to comfort others who suffer as well. God sustains and comforts us in our most discouraging moments. God’s Holy words are of peace, love, joy and so on—not discouragement. Think about this bible we each should read and apply. It’s soul purpose is to encourage us who follow him, not take anything away. That is God’s solemn promise.
But let me say this as well—there is nothing wrong with being discouraged, its staying discouraged is the problem. This type of discouragement we find in today’ss reading from the book of Numbers, chapter 21. Starting in verse 4, listen to what is told to us about the peoples discouragement. Then they set out from Mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the people became impatient because of the journey. 5 So the people spoke against God and Moses: “Why have you brought us up from Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we are disgusted with this miserable food.”
How many of you are seriously unhappy with God in how he works in your life? How many of you down right hate God for giving them food, shelter, a job, wonderful family and so on? Realistically no one should complain, but we do. You see, what Numbers tells us is the people forgot that God heard their cries for food and gave them manna from heaven. God heard their cries for water and God sprouted water from a rock. God heard their cries while in slavery, so God delivered them. Yet, up to this point, they still complained! The journey, the wait, their impatience on God was good great. What happens next friends is what we will come to know and realize is a precursor to Christ’s death and resurrection. The only true way to full encouragement. Then the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. 7 So the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, because we have spoken against the Lord and against you; intercede with the Lord, that He will remove the serpents from us.” And Moses interceded for the people. 8 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and put it on a flag pole; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, and looks at it, will live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze serpent and put it on the flag pole; and it came about, that if a serpent bit someone, and he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived. The snake on this pole has the same effect as Christ being on the Cross. Mankind needs only to look and believe, and they will be restored. Visually horrific and terrifying but the only means available to full salvation. Now here is what I find very interesting in scripture. From this point all the way to the book of 2 Kings, this bronze serpent was kept as a reminder of people’s sins and God’s provisions. Listen to Jesus response to Nicodemus about being born again in John, “No one has ascended into heaven, except He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man. 14 And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 so that everyone who believes will have eternal life in Him.”
In closing, let me ask you friends, where does your discouragement come from? What are you holding onto that is preventing you from choosing encouragement over discouragement? Nowhere did I say today it would be an easy choice to make, although it is a choice nonetheless. Just as the hymns tells us “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus Christ and His righteousness.” Rest assured friends, God is our saving hope, even during the most discouraging times. Acts tells us, “strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.”
Let me leave you with this wonderful story of encouragement. Anyone who's been through it knows that middle school can be tough, especially with troubled teens. At Harriman Middle School in Tennessee, a group of students took it upon themselves to make sure that everyone felt loved and included. They started leaving positive notes, written in brightly colored highlighter, around school hallways and in bathrooms. The notes are simple, but powerful. "If you realize it or not, someone loves you," one note read. A "Never give up," note was taped to a mirror. Another said, "Stay strong." It was told that the students left several hundred encouraging notes with more to come. One of the students said “Considering the fact that all of us have had someone come up to us and say 'that really affected us in a major way.’ It’s a small act that just makes everyone's day a little bit happier.” Unknown to them until years later, one of those notes help prevent a student from committing suicide. Another note prevented a student from running away. Another note prevented a student from actually murdering someone. All because of an act of encouragement. These students was from abusive homes and rotten backgrounds, but just as Jesus tells us, they demonstrated the act of encouragement to encourage others. This is what God continues to do and we are to follow. If you think your bad off, always remember, God knows and will supply encouragement in a way we understand. Amen.