Sermon Audio
A person’s faith will not last a lifetime apart from being encouraged.
Encouragement is needed to dispel fear, strengthen trust, and infuse courage as we face various challenges. In those moments, we move toward others to move others toward God.
How can we encourage one another? We encourage one another of God’s promises and assuring one another of God’s provision, both of which are ultimately fulfilled and found in Christ.
In 1 Samuel 23:15-29, Jonathan seeks David in the wilderness to encourage his faith in God. By reminding David of God’s promises, he prepares David to recognize God’s provision when it comes. God would then deliver David from Saul’s hand in a surprising fashion. David’s mortal enemies, the Philistines, attacked Israel and distracted Saul. David escaped! David would later celebrate the fact that God’s providence serves His promises (Psalm 54; 2 Samuel 22).
Considering the death and resurrection of King Jesus, we too benefit from how God’s providence serves His promises. Our greatest enemy is death. Yet, faith in Christ means death cannot defeat us; instead, it can only deliver us into the eternal presence of God. Hence why Paul declared, “Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, death, is your victory? Where, death is your sting?” (1 Cor. 15:54-55). Death now serves as the most surprising source of encouragement in the world! When it moves toward us, it will only succeed at moving us toward God.