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But exhort one another daily, while it is called Today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
Hebrews 3:13
Though we aren’t being troubled by Judizers in today’s world, there are many other reasons to keep this verse in our minds. Let’s look at some lessons on helping one another – and what happens when we don’t.
What does it mean to exhort?
The first part says, “But exhort one another.” How often do we find that word used in everyday language? There are many words like “exhort” Answers.com says exhortation means to “urge by strong, often stirring argument, admonition, advice, or appeal.” We’re commanded to urge, admonish, advise, and appeal to our brothers and sisters. Exhortation can come in many forms, from singing, to simply spending time with someone.
Paul urges the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 1 to “be of the same mind.” He’s pleading with them to stop their foolish divisions and factions. This is an enthusiastic, zealous urging – he’s not just saying, “Well, it’s not really a good idea to be choosing one preacher over another, but whatever.” He’s letting them know where they stand. He’s not giving a neutral argument, he’s saying – rather bluntly – that they’re wrong and they need to stop. Many times, we don’t want to hurt or offend others, so when asked about sin, we might not be as bold as we ought to be. We’ll deal with this issue a little later.
Who should be exhorting? It’s everybody’s job! If Brother Steve is the only one exhorting, from where does Steve his get exhortation? We’ll tie this in when we look at Galatians 6:1-2. The words, “one another” makes it clear that there isn’t just one person getting and not giving. If you’re having a bad day, and someone else makes it brighter, you should reciprocate! Spread some encouragement to others, too! The more you help others, you’ll find that you’ll be happier, too.
There’s a word in here that I think gets left out quite frequently when we quote this verse – the word “daily.” Exhortation doesn’t happen exclusively on Sundays and Wednesdays. Well, it shouldn’t at least. In our wonderful age of Facebook, Twitter, cell phones, e-mail, and texting, it’s impossible to have an excuse for not uplifting another Christian! This reminds me of Acts 2:42-47. Verse 46 says, “Every day they continued to meet together.” Even though they didn’t have Facebook events or cell phones, they were able to find time and be organized to meet together. Are we that dedicated? Now, these verses in Acts display good examples in the early Church, but we have a command (from this verse in Hebrews) to exhort each other.
Before we look at the rest of this verse, let’s go to a similar one found in Galatians.
Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
Galatians 6:1
Let’s draw some application from both these verses. Who is supposed to be restoring the brother? Anyone who is spiritual. There are two ways to look at this. Paul (in case you’ve forgotten, he wrote Galatians) is saying that if you’re a Christian (that is, if you’re spiritual), it’s your job. This means, of course, that if you’re a Christian, you should be helping your brothers and sisters! You can also look at this verse as if its a challenge: if you are spiritual. It seems like Paul could be saying, “Go ahead – prove that you’re a good Christian, and help your brother out!” Don’t forget the last part of this verse, though – it says, “In the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest though also be tempted.” This is how we should be at all times – not puffed up, and not wanting to “be seen of men.” The next verse says, “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Christ loved us so much that He allowed himself to be tortured and abused. If Christ was able to do that for us, we should be able to help and exhort! It’s the least we can do.
How
Let’s talk about exhortation itself. How do you exhort people?
Bible Study
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
2 Tim 3:16-17
God’s word is good. Without the Bible, where would we be? We wouldn’t know about God’s commands. We wouldn’t know His wisdom. Let’s not forget the importance of God in our lives. King Solomon focuses Ecclesiastes on what it’s like without a purpose – without God.
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
Ecclesiastes 12:13
There’s nothing more perfect than service to God. When exhorting one another, we should go to the Bible for teaching and admonishing. Sundays are great for hearing lectures, but when you want to have to give some focused, personal exhortation, study from the Bible!
Organized group Bible studies are great, too. I’ve learned a lot from hearing lectures, but I’ve also learned a lot from great group discussion. If you’re ever able to lead a group discussion, try to make stuff apply to people! Don’t let it be a dry, pointless study. Show people what they need to know, and uplift them.
Teaching and Talking
Christians must be teaching and talking with each other. Why doesn’t this happen as often as it should? I think the biggest reason is because people are selfish with their time. Christians need to have relationships with each other… and the only way friendships grow is by taking time to just “hang out.” Throughout the book of Proverbs, Solomon exhorts “his son” with much wisdom. Parents should teach their children, and elders should teach the church, and Christians should be helping other Christians.
Prayer
Talking to God really helps. Praying shouldn’t be boring. Remember who you’re talking to, and remember to pray for the brethren! Remember that Jesus prayed for us. Don’t forget the power of prayer.
Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.
James 5:13-17
“Have the elders pray.” “Prayer of faith.” “Pray for one another.” All these things talk about prayer. We must communicate with God, and we must pray with brethren and for brethren.
If you’re discouraged, or if you’re praying with someone who need encouragement, pray specifically for encouragement. With faith, you’ll find simply praying for exhortation exhorting!
Singing
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
Colossians 3:16
Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ…”
Ephesians 5:18-20
These verses talk about singing as a group. There’s nothing better than hearing Christians lift their voices in praise to God. Not only are we supposed to be praising God with our voices, we should be admonishing one another in song. Some songs that we can sing to each other include, “Yield Not to Temptation,” “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name,” “What Will Your Answer Be,” “How Shall the Young Secure Their Hearts,” “Hold to God’s Unchanging Hand,” as well as many others. Focus on God, and remember your brethren in Christ.
What happens when we don’t exhort?
This is where the focus of the post will be: what happens when we don’t exhort our brethren.
But exhort one another daily, while it is called Today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
Hebrews 3:13
Take a look at this verse again. Read the last part. What happens when there isn’t any exhortation going on? People can and will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Does this happen? Yes. This is why this verse shows us such an important command, because without exhortation, people will fall away.
We can mess up by not offering enough exhortation, or by giving too much exhortation (where we’re invading people’s lives and not giving them any space to improve themselves).
Not enough exhortation
There are some churches that are dead. There might be some Christians in the church who are attempted to worship, but the rest of the folks are just thinking about things like, “I wonder what’s for lunch” or “When will this boring sermon be over.” Now, if you’re in a group like this, and you’re a new convert, what will likely happen to you? Do you think the few Christians in the group will be a greater influence than the majority of lukewarm people? Let’s be realistic here. Yes, I know there are cases where people overcome the the odds. Yes, of course there are times when people change. When people say things like, “Don’t jump to a conclusion so quickly, God can work in peoples lives,” it’s usually just a cop-out for them to be exhorting brethren. So don’t use that excuse in the comments. :) Of course God can work in people’s lives.
See, this is what happens when God’s word doesn’t teach, reprove, or admonish us. This happens when others aren’t using God’s word to teach or reprove us, as well. Again, it’s up to us to make the right decisions, but others should be doing their job as well. And you must be doing your job by exhorting others, too.
You know those people who sit at the back of the auditorium, who always show up late, and leave right away? To the readers who are spiritual: those people need to be your targets. Don’t let them walk away. Give them exhortation! Get their phone number, and give them a call. Get their address, and send them letters. Invite them over for dinner and a Bible study. Don’t let them slip away! And don’t you dare think that it’s just their fault, and “doing a Matthew 18” lets you wash your hands of them. Don’t think this for one second. Why? Where were you when they needed encouragement and exhortation?
This is just a worse case scenario. Don’t forget the part in the verse that says, “while it is still called Today.” If you know someone who is struggling, or just having a bad day, exhort, exhort, exhort, and exhort some more!
Another way we fail to offer exhortation is when we aren’t using Paul’s example of exhortation. Exhortation isn’t always happy and cheery. Remember what 2 Timothy about the word of God – its “profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” Sometimes, reproof and correction can mean initiating the principle of the sinful brother in Matthew 18.
Often, we can fall into the trap of letting things slide – being neutral. We do this to avoid offending people, or causing them to think less of us. Look at Ezekiel 33:2-6:
“Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman: If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people; Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul. But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand.”
We sometimes call this the Watchman principle. To sum it up: if you’re a watchman, and you see the enemy invading, it’s your job to sound the alarm. If you blow the trumpet, and no one listens or cares, it’s their own fault. Now here’s where we apply it to ourselves: if the watchman sees the enemy coming, and doesn’t blow the trumpet, it’s the watchman’s fault. If we know something is wrong, we must step up and tell it like it is. If not, then we’re sinning. If your brother or sister was about to jump in front of a tractor trailer, wouldn’t you do anything in your power to stop them from getting killed? And there’s more at stake then just a physical life, don’t ever forget that.
Have you ever been in a situation where someone has wanted your opinion of something? Have you ever changed your opinion, or gave them an answer that they wanted to hear, just because you know your own true opinion might offend them?
Maybe some friends from church are going to see a rated-R movie. Might you say something along the lines of, “Hmm… I’m kind of tired. I think I’ll skip this time”? Should that be your reaction? What did Paul say to the Galatians when they were falling away towards the teachings of the Judaizers? He called them fools! Think about this: what if someone said, “Hey, I think I’m going to drink some poison. What do you think about that?” If you love your brother, you would stop them from doing such a foolish thing. Again, there’s something even greater at stake, though. Use something like that as an opportunity to correct, teach, and reprove! Pull the Bible into it, don’t just give your opinions, and show them God’s commands.
What does the verse mean when it says, “lest any of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin”? What happens when we fail to exhort fellow workers in the church? Sin replaces that exhortation and causes people to turn away. Many people decide that Christianity is fake and pointless. They are deceived by sin. This is why we must continue to exhort.
Too much “exhortation”
Sometimes we can get overzealous when it comes to exhortation. We have to remember to give people space. If someone is really discouraged, do what you can to uplift them, and if they need space, let them have it. Examine yourself to see if you’re just tearing them down, or actually uplifting them.
The “deceitfulness of sin” can apply to us, too. When we constantly batter weak Christians with ideas about how the can improve themselves, they shut down and turn away. Don’t get carried away with exhortation.
Finding “exhortation” from the wrong sources
The reason “exhortation” is in quotes is because this kind of exhortation isn’t really exhortation. It’s just a “feel-good” idea.
Some people think it’s cool to watch every show on TV. Some want to be number one on a video game’s leaderboard. They might feel good about these things, but is this real exhortation? Of course not. Spending time with friends playing violent videos games might seem like “an opportunity for fellowship,” but is it really?
A rising problem in the church today is that many young people are starting to date people outside of the church. I truly don’t understand this at all. Are you going to find spirituality in someone who might not even believe in God? This should be the most important aspect in choosing a mate. If God is the focus in your life, why would you marry (which should be the goal of courtship) someone who is not living their life for God?
The phrase, “one bad apple spoils the whole bushel” is incredibly true. Some people spend more time with non-Christians than with those who are able to uplift and exhort. It’s great to spend time with non-Christians, but we must give preference to God’s people.
Conclusion
Remember – if Christians aren’t holding each other up, who will? The world wants to see Christians torn down. Satan tempts us daily. We shouldn’t have the world as our ally, because if we do, God can’t be on our side.
While the day is still here, go out and encourage someone! It’s our duty to lift fellow workers up! If you’re feeling like you need encouragement, call someone, and offer encouragement and exhortation to someone else. You’ll find that exhorting and helping others lifts your spirits, too.
If you’re reading this, you have the ability to encourage someone. As soon as you’re done reading this paragraph, I challenge to write someone a letter, call, e-mail, or visit, giving them exhortation and encouragement. So go ahead, grab your phone, or a pencil and some paper…
