Sermon Tone Analysis

It was advertised that the Devil was putting up for sale all of his tools.

On that date the tools were laid out.

They had prices marked on them for public inspection, and there were a lot of treacherous instruments: hatred, envy, jealousy, deceit, pride, lying, and so on.

Laid apart from the rest of the Devil's tools was a tool, but it was worn more than any of the others and was priced very high.

"What's the name of this tool?"

asked one of the customers.

"That," the Devil replied, "is discouragement."

"Why have you priced it so high?"

"Because discouragement is more useful to me than all the others.

I can pry open and get inside a man's heart with that when I cannot get near him with any other tools.

It's badly worn because I use it on almost everyone, since so few people know it belongs to me."

Discouragement is still the Devil's tool.

Not many people realize he's using it on us, and he's using it on some of us today.

Life is full of discouraging circumstances.

Even the most blessed people, the most successful, the most spiritually mature, face constant disappointment and discouragement.

The aim of my sharing this with you today is that you would honestly face the problems served up to you in life without fooling yourself, without giving up, but rather by acknowledging the problems and discouragement, by acknowledging our need for help, by getting help from others, and by trusting and obeying God in the midst of problems.

Discouragement often comes on us like a summertime southern storm.

It appears out of no where with no warning.

It pours into our life with such violent force and engulfs us in a disorienting darkness.

It presses upon us its theology in order to supplant any that we possess.

It doesn’t attack when we are weak but when we are stronger.

Your Bible records numerous moments of discouragement with most of them following great moments of spiritual ecstasy.

The children of Israel were discourage at the Red Sea which had been preceded by their miraculous escape from Egypt.

They further were discouraged on numerous occasions following their Red Sea deliverance.

Elijah wanted to die after witnessing God destroy 450 prophets of Baal because of one woman’s threat.

David whose life is filled with great moments of deliverance writes often of his battle with discouragement.

Don’t confuse depression with discouragement.

Depression is far more complicated than discouragement.

However, discouragement; especially when prolonged and untreated, can be a gateway to depression.

What is the cause of discouragement?

Let’s first define discouragement.

Discouragement can be defined as “the loss of courage”.

What is courage?

Where does courage originate?

Is it something in our DNA or that we develop?

Scripture teaches us that our courage springs out of our hope.

Listen to Jesus words in

Simple!

Right?

This passage teaches us that our hearts will be tempted towards discouragement while simultaneously providing us its cure.

What will cause our hearts trouble?

God.

What will cure our troubled heart?

God.

Let me first show you how God will cause us trouble.

This trouble is not God’s fault but a theological expectation that falls short of Scriptural reality.

Most people want a God that makes sense.

One that is tame.

One who conforms to their ideas.

We don’t articulate this thinking in those words but our actions speak clearly our theology.

It is interesting to watch we Christians in moments when God acts or doesn’t act in accordance to our will.

We get discourage.

We begin to doubt; which is our sermon for next week.

What do we do when God acts in nonconformity to our will?

We resort to prayers of bartering or manipulation.

Scripture gymnastics and twisting.

“You healed my friend of cancer and I know you are no respecter of persons so heal me”.

Why is Jesus telling them not be troubled?

They were troubled by his previous statements concerning his departure.

He was leaving them physically but He assures in subsequent verses that another is coming to take His place inside them.

However, I believe He is also preparing them for what is come.

As Jesus continues this teaching into chapter 15 he reminds them of what is to come.

It is like Jacob Marley warning Ebeneezer Scrooge of what he will encounter throughout Christmas Eve night.

Christ is building into them a theology that will fight discouragement with faith.

Faith can be explainable but that shouldn’t equate in our minds as easy.

We are placing our faith in a what has been revealed and more so in what remains mysterious.

We are following one who does what he pleases.

One who cannot be tamed.

One whose actions or permissions at times seem to be cruel and uncaring.

If we tuned our expectations of God by Scripture we would find much of our discouragement dissipating like the morning fog.

This tuning needs constant and repetitive just as with musical instrument.

Let me give you three effects of discouragement.

A discouraged saint is a disabled saint.

A discouraged saint is a disfigured saint.

A discouraged saint is a dysfunctional saint.

What is the cure for discouragement?

If discouragement is the loss of courage.

Then encouragement is the cure.

I will define encouragement as the infusing of courage.

If we are to guard our hearts against discouragement we must store in our hearts a garrison of Scriptures and surround our lives with a group of saints.

We must store in our hearts a garrison of Scriptures.

Great acts of courage in Scripture most often spring from a heart who has set its hope in God.

David stands before Goliath not because he was born courageous but his hope made him courageous.

A discouraged saint is a disfigured saint.

What’s tempting you to discouragement today?

Are you having a hard time believing that God really will work for good what looks so bad to you ()?

Where does courage originate?

Is it something in our DNA or that we develop?

Scripture teaches us that our courage springs out of our hope.

When we see great acts of courage it is always springing from a heart who has set its hope in God.

David stands before Goliath not because he was born courageous but his hope made him courageous.

Then it’s time to fight, not pout or shrink.

Think of discouragement as your faith being choked.

When you’re choking, it’s not the time to plop down in front of the TV with a plate of comfort food to medicate your melancholy.

You need to dislodge the obstruction so you can breathe.

You need to fight for life.

You may need to get someone to give you the Heimlich.

Go get encouragement — faith-fueled courage.

Don’t let discouragement choke you.

It’s dislodged by believing promises.