Four sources of encouragement

1st Samuel chapter 30. 1st Samuel chapter 30 verse 1. And it came to pass when David and his men were come to Zilag on the third day that the Amalekites had invaded the south and Zilag and smitten Zilag and burned it with fire and had taken the women captives that were therein they slew not any either great or small but carried them away and went on their way. So David and his men came to the city and behold it was burned with fire and their wives and their sons and their daughters were taken captive.

Look down at verse 6. And David was greatly distressed for the people speak of stoning him because the soul of all the people was grieved every man for his sons and for his daughters but notice these words. But David encouraged himself in the Lord his God. Now Acts chapter 28.

Acts chapter 28. And we'll just break in on the chapter here at verse 15. You're quite familiar with the context in the background of the chapter.

Acts chapter 28 and verse 15. And from thence when the brethren heard of us they came to meet us as far as Apiphorum and the three taverns whom when Paul saw he thanked God and took courage. And when he came to Rome the centurion delivered the prisoners for the captain of the guard but Paul suffered to dwell by himself with a soldier that kept him.

Now 2nd Timothy where our brother Crawford read this morning. 2nd Timothy chapter 4 and verse 16. 2nd Timothy 4 verse 16.

At my first answer no man stood with me but all men forsook me. I prayed God that it may not be late to their charge. Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me and strengthened me that by me the preaching might be fully known and that all the Gentiles might hear and I was delivered out of the mouth of the line and the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom to whom be glory forever and ever amen.

Now one more reading in the epistle to the Philippines chapter 4 and then I'll tell you what I have in mind. Philippians chapter 4 and verse 19 Philippians chapter 4 verse 19. But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Now unto God our Father be glory forever and ever amen. What I have before me in the opening part of the afternoon meeting if I was giving a title to it it would be four sources of encouragement in Christian life. Four sources of encouragement in Christian life.

Now I know that we all need to be instructed and corrected and thank God for corrective ministry but we need to be encouraged. God's people not only have a conscience but they have a heart and you can't always have the x-ray machine out or using the surgical knife and we're living in days difficult days and the people of God need encouragement. Now there's four sources of it that we've read about this afternoon.

First of all from God himself it says that David encouraged himself in the Lord his God. Encouraged by God himself and God is able to do that. In Acts chapter 28 encouraged by the brethren when the Apostle saw the brethren he thanked God and he took courage and there's one thing that I appreciated about a conference it's Christian fellowship.

It's a wonderful thing and it's a great blessing and God knows that we need it. Think of the world how much expense they go to and to what length they go to to keep their crowd together and I want to tell you conferences it's worth every dollar of it. It fosters fellowship and it brings the Saints together and the assemblies together so we need Christian fellowship.

We can't do without it and you can't survive without it. Then in the third one encouraged by the presence of God the Apostle said the Lord stood with me the Lord drew near and stood with him in a difficult time and then in Philippians 4 encouraged by the promise of God my God shall supply all your needs. So the first one David was greatly distressed here and there was reason for it not only on his personal account but on account of the charges and the threats that were hurled against him for leaving the city defenseless and the result of that his men lost their families they were taken captive and so David being a leader they charged him and it was a very difficult distressing time for David and he felt it keenly and of course being a leader it made it all the more tragic and David made a blunder and a big blunder and we all make our mistakes there's not one of us here this afternoon that doesn't make mistakes and I wouldn't give a man platform room that hasn't made a mistake I don't believe we should make mistakes deliberately but we make our mistakes and I know in my life especially my young life I blundered my way through but I have one thing before me and one thing I was concerned about was to do the will of God and carry out the will of God.

I hope you're not like the man that said I thought I made a mistake once but I was wrong. I hope there's nobody here this afternoon that entertains thoughts like that. So here David was in a very difficult situation and greatly distressed by it and rightly so because the way he left the city and he had left Ziglag with very little defense.

So under this tremendous pressure and this great calamity what did David do? He encouraged himself in the Lord his God. Now look this is one thing we have to learn to do in our Christian life. I found that early in my Christian experience.

You've got to be able to cultivate the presence of God in your life and you've got to learn and train yourself to encourage yourself in the Lord your God. Look brother, sister I don't know what your circumstances would be in life and I don't know what you're going through but look keep your spirit sweet and keep your soul warm. We all have those dark places in life and we're faced with difficult situations.

Sometimes the whole thing looks hopeless. Now what are we going to do? Are we going to give up? Are we going to be through with it once and forever and for all? Well look I hope that all of us will get the message this afternoon. Encourage yourself in the Lord your God.

The Lord Jesus with Calvary looming before him in one of the darkest hours of his history. We read he rejoiced in spirit and Saul and Paul and Silas, Saul before he was saved but later on Paul, Paul and Silas in the jail at Philippi. By under those difficult circumstances they sang praises unto God.

It's a wonderful thing when you see that in the individual or the saints of God collectively. So God has a way to encourage us and he's able to just drop in a word just at the time that we need it. We're living in days when the people of God are going through difficult situations and the burdens they have to bear sometimes you wonder how they can go through with it and how they can ever survive.

Just a few days ago I was up at Bethany Lodge and a young woman came up to me and she said Mr. Peercy. I took one look at her and I knew the circumstances and I knew what that dear girl was passing through and I couldn't keep the tears back. I don't know how you handle a situation like this.

There's a young woman 21 years of age she's in the Brackendale Assembly known to some here today. 21 years of age, life before, nice sweet personality. The doctor told her, he said Susan go home and make out your will.

You've got nine months to live. Now look how would we square up to a situation like that and how do you handle a situation like that? I looked at that dear girl my heart went out to her and I didn't know what to say. Oh I know it's so easy to say all things work together for good to them that love God and some of our dear brethren they can handle a situation like that and they can make those scriptures fit and they can handle it so beautifully.

Well I find it very difficult to handle a situation like that. Now I know that dear girl knows that and we know that and we know that God's too wise to err and even though sometimes we can't always understand God's ways with us yet we know there's a reason there's a cause and God makes no mistakes as for God his way is perfect. But the thing that really encouraged me I didn't have to say too much.

My dear girl looked at me and she said Mr. Percy it's in the hands of the Lord. I've committed it to him. The doctors don't have the last word and she said my case is in his hands.

My that thrilled me to hear that dear girl come out with such a testimony like that. It's entirely in his hands. In other words if he wants me in heaven that's where I want to be.

If he wants me on earth that's where I want to be. Look it's only confidence in the living God can enable a person to rise above a situation like that. It's only absolute trust and faith in the living God can enable a person to face a situation like that.

So encouragement from God. My I hope this afternoon we'll know something about that. We don't know the circumstances of life and we don't know what believers are going through.

There may be some right in this audience today. There's many a believer goes home from a conference to an empty house and an empty room and I know something about that in my life. And I'm not talking about something I read in a book or something from observation.

I've been through that. Loneliness it's a desperate thing. It's one of the hardest things to cope with and one of the hardest things to fight.

And those believers need encouragement. I hope that every one of us here today are in speaking terms with one another. And I hope after this session of the conference is over and this meeting closes my I take the hand of the person next to you and give them a good handshake and give them a lift on the way heavenward and homeward.

They need it. And if they're not going to get it among the people of God pray tell me where will they get it. It says in the Bible the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.

And an assembly and a gathering of this nature should be a place where the people of God can get encouragement. And I believe our assemblies should be characterized by that. My maybe there's a child of God comes up to the assembly meeting.

Maybe they are cold in heart. We all have those cold moments in our lives even preachers. And maybe they are dry and they come to the assembly and they're longing for a word from God.

Is there a word from the Lord? Well it's really sad you know when the atmosphere is just the opposite to that. Bickering and gossiping and evil speaking and jealousy. What a shame.

An assembly should be a place where a Christian looks forward to going to. Now don't get me wrong in my early days I thank God for Brock Avenue Assembly. We had some precious moments there.

And even times when I went there and I felt discouraged. And I felt away from God sometimes. Not that I was doing anything riotous.

But just lost touch and lost interest. My many a time at those assembly gatherings I was revived and restored and refreshed. Stanley Eilert the great missionary to Africa.

They said to him one day what was the greatest thing that God did for you in Africa? Now I can see some of us handling that deal. My we'd be spouting off and telling of the great exploits that we had accomplished in Africa. Do you know what he said? He said the greatest thing that God did for me in Africa he restored my soul.

Now I thank God. The dear man knew something of depression and loneliness and hardship and trials in his work for God. But he knew the restoring grace of God and the keeping grace of God.

So I hope this will be a source of encouragement to you. As I say I don't know your circumstances but look brother. Encourage yourself in the Lord.

Keep your spirit sweet and keep in touch with God. In Acts chapter 28 encouragement from the brethren. My when the Apostle met the brethren at Api Forum it was happy forum.

Oh yes. Why can't you imagine and can't you just understand how the Apostle would feel after the trials and shipwreck and all the false charges that were laid against him. How it must have meant to that dear man to see these Christians.

The Christians from Rome heard about him coming and they went to this spot about midway from Rome to the port where he landed and they come out there to meet him and to express their love and fellowship towards them. My what that meant for the Apostle. Christian fellowship and it was a great encouragement for the Apostle and as a result of it he took great courage and strength from that experience.

So every one of us here today we need encouragement. Preachers need encouragement. You know they seem to think that we're automatic transmission you know and we have all day to read the Bible and we're right up on cloud nine there and there's never a dark day in their life.

That's what you think. There's an awful lot in the Lord's work that doesn't meet the eye and a preacher needs to be encouraged. I don't say flatter them but if a preacher meets a need in your life and they've been a help to you spiritually don't be afraid to express your gratitude.

Elders need encouragement. Sunday school teachers need encouragement. We all need encouragement.

You know before I got saved I was great in the sport world. Now I want to tell you encouragement was a tremendous thing. Many a time and I don't want to go into sports because I gave that up and turned my back on it.

I'm glad I got saved. I'm thankful to God that 52 years ago in the city of Toronto attending meetings by our dear brethren Herb Harris and Albert Joyce. My right there in the front room of my father's home I'm glad I said Christ for me.

My heart is fixed eternal God fixed on thee and my immortal choice has made Christ for me. But many a time in those games if it's really something you know you know they'd be on the sideline there they'd say come on Frank boy give it your best give it your best shot Frank get right in there boy. You know that's a tremendous help to a person.

There was a fire in a building not too many years ago and a fireman went up the ladder and he brought down three bodies and he was going up for the fourth body a woman by the window there and calling for help and the fireman said just stay there dear don't leave the window just stay where you are I'll be right up and that dear fellow ascended the ladder again and he got near the top and he just eagle spread on that ladder and he was completely exhausted. Just completely played out. There was a man standing in the crowd there was a huge crowd down below.

A lot of people don't know or have any idea what to do in a state of emergency. We all stand and look at one another like a bunch of monkeys and nobody wants to get involved and nobody seems to know what to do. My there was a man in that crowd and he took one glance at that situation he turned to the people he said ladies and gentlemen this dear man up there needs a cheer.

He said all of us now all together give him one triumphant cheer. My a mighty roar went up from that crowd. What was the result for why you've got the result now haven't you.

My that dear fellow with what strength he had he took hold of the rungs of that ladder again he went up and brought that woman down. Look I think we need something of that in our assemblies. Enthusiasm is a wonderful thing you know and the world practices it and that should characterize us in our meetings.

I sometimes when I'm in a meeting and I look around and you know the deadpan look of some and their lack of interest and their lack of enthusiasm. I've often said to myself I don't know how those dear men preached up there. I really don't know how they preach.

You know I'd like to take a mirror to some of our assembly meetings and just go up and put the mirror in front of a brother and say look brother that's how you look in a meeting. That's how you look in a meeting. Show it to a sister look that's how you look while a meeting is going on.

That shouldn't be. My there should be that expectation and there should be enthusiasm. That was true of some of the early assemblies.

Thessalonica from you sounded out the Lord and enthusiasm is a wonderful thing. So God help us in our daily work in the assembly. After this conference we'll be going to our various assemblies and our field of work.

God help us to know something of encouragement and passing on encouragement. My in the days of Boas in Ruth there I've often thought about it. My the workers there in the field and and Boas would come out and others and they say the Lord bless you.

The Lord reward you. I'll tell you if we had that in the world today you wouldn't have to worry about strikes. You wouldn't have to worry about the labor movement.

Yeah why don't we do that in our assembly life. Encourage one another. In Isaiah 41 you read of the the goldsmith.

Encourage the carpenter. And so we can all encourage one another and God knows the days in which we live we need it. So here the Apostle when he met the brother he thanked God and he took courage.

He got encouragement from the brother. Then in in 2nd Timothy 4 there our brother Crawford was on this this morning. He got encouragement from the presence of God.

There was some requests here. He asked for his cloak for his body and he asked for the parchments for his mind but he needed something for his spirit. He needed something for his spirit.

And why we read these remarkable words the Lord stood with him. His friends had forsaken him and enemies all around him and we've all been in those situations when everything seems to be against us and yet the Lord stands by us. Mr. Spurgeon often talks about getting it on the angels wing and how true that is.

I know a dear man and he labored hard in a certain place. We're hearing about destroying assemblies this morning. Now mind you that can happen.

You have to be very careful very careful who you send in to inspect the work or investigate a work. They can wreck it. Remember at Antioch when the news came back of the great work that had been accomplished there the souls that had been saved.

Who did they send down? They sent down Barnabas and the Bible says he was a good man full of the Holy Ghost. They sent down the right man and my when when he witnessed the grace of God and when Barnabas looked upon that site well he didn't say all the likelihood is they're all bogus. There's nothing to them.

My aren't we small potatoes really. You know there's there's some preachers they can't rejoice in the success and the service of another servant of Christ. My when Barnabas looked at that site and he witnessed it and the reality of it he exhorted them with purpose of heart to cleave unto the Lord.

He really appreciated the grace of God and this dear man that I'm referring to he's now since gone home to glory. It just appeared to be that everything was going to pieces and he said Frank I can't describe to you how I felt. The work of years his prayers and labors and his efforts and his and his constant visiting it just looked as if it was all going to go down the drain.

He was on one of the main streets there in Toronto Danforth Avenue and he went into this place to have a coffee. He said Frank I went into that place that discouraged man and really down really down. He said I come out of that place at rest and at peace.

Just when I was there sitting at the stool there he said sipping at the coffee the Lord dropped a word into my soul just like he did here with the Apostle. He caused his face to shine upon him, strengthened him, sustained him and the word that he dropped into this preacher's heart that day if this work be of God you can't overthrow it. If it be of men it'll come to naught.

If this work be of God you can't overthrow it. If it be of men it'll come to naught. He said I got up off that stool went out and I faced the world again and I was able to face the work again and that work is going on to this good day.

It's still in progress. So encouraged by the presence of God look brother cultivate the presence of God in your life. It says concerning Joseph the Lord was with him.

There's no substitute for the presence of God individually or collectively. You show me a man that has a presence of God with him. There's no substitute for it and show me an assembly that has the presence of God with them and there's no substitute for that.

In fact take the presence of God away from an assembly what have you. Our gatherings and they should be all of that simplicity. That's what characterizes our gatherings.

Even on a Lord's Day morning if worldly men were to look in and see us there and the way we meet together and the way we conduct the meeting they say this is foolishness. In the eyes of the world is foolishness. There's nothing about our meetings or the order of them to appeal to the flesh or the pride of man.

Simplicity. That's what characterizes our meeting. Chaplain Toronto there just occurs to me.

His father was United Church clergyman. He's in the assemblies and has been for many years. I said to him one day when I was at the assembly where he goes and we were at the same house for dinner.

I said John what attracted you to the assembly. Well he said Frank that's a very personal question and you want a personal straightforward answer I suggest. He said one word answers it.

Simplicity. He said I told my father I never believed that the the stained-glass windows or the burning of candles or all the other attractions had anything to do with worship. But my said the first day the first meeting when I sat down at the back of the hall and I witnessed the Lord's people gathered around the person of Christ and watched how they conducted that meeting.

He said I said this is it. This is it. The presence of God.

So God help us to cultivate the presence of God in our individual lives and in the assemblies. After all we're the ones that produce the atmosphere you know. Why when there's a right atmosphere I'm convinced of this the older I get no more I preach whether it's a conference or whether it's an assembly.

After all when you go into a home and you don't sense the right atmosphere you know there's something wrong. Possibly you don't know what's wrong but you can sense something is wrong. The atmosphere.

Not just the best. Same when it comes to an assembly. Look if the atmosphere is right you can preach from the back of the hymn book.

There's no difficulty to preach. You can sense it you can feel it. The proper atmosphere.

And we are the ones that produce that. So God help us to live in such a state and such a condition that the presence of God will be among us. And even unsaved people will be able to say God is among them of a truth.

The last one has to do with the promise of God. I hear the Apostle says out of your poverty you have met my need. Now he said God is going to meet your need.

I was thinking today when I was down there I don't want any too long. I was thinking when I'm out in the work there are three things that really was a burden to me when I was exercised about the work and concerned about it. I want to tell you I had series of meetings before I ever went out full-time.

Now I'm not here to blow my trumpet. I had meetings with a brother Joyce before they got the Eglinton Hall beautiful hall that they have now. We met in a store down the street and we had seven weeks of meetings.

I worked ten hours a day at Toronto elevators and preached every night for seven weeks and we got sold. And I want to tell you I didn't do it to get the pink invoice. If you understand what I mean.

Or to get the ticket. You got to have the ticket today. I didn't do it with that purpose.

Look I was so thankful to God that God had blessed me abundantly through the gospel. I was so thankful for it and I so appreciate it. I wanted others to have the same blessing.

And I had that before me and nothing else. And I remember a brother Joyce he looked at me and he said well Frank he said I hope this is going to be a step to greater things in your life. Well I said I'll see.

I'll pray about it. But the three things that came into my mind regarding the work and going out into the work. The first thing can God guide me? Psalm 32 says I will guide thee with my counsel.

The next thing was can God provide my need? Matthew 6 your heavenly father knoweth that you have need of these things. And can God bless my work? Or has God blessed my work? James chapter 1. This man shall be blessed indeed. And I believe that's a very important thing.

Look brother if you're concerned about the work. Have you seen any souls saved around here? Has God blessed you? Have you been involved in the work? You know this idea of you know they have no interest in the work and all of a sudden you hear they're going out. They've got their letter.

They've got their commendation. I believe that a person has to be involved in the work. And really concerned about it.

So God has proved to me abundantly. Now I'm not up here don't get me wrong. I'm not putting feeders out for money.

God has met my need and he continues to meet it. Way back in 1945 when I stepped out full-time. God obligated himself to meet my need.

Brock Avenue Assembly that commended me. They weren't obligated to meet my need. I was always glad to hear from them and I appreciated it.

But they weren't obligated to meet my need. But God obligated himself to meet my need. And he has done that.

In the most difficult circumstances especially in my early days. He met my every need. In other words the Apostle says here as the result of you ministering to me and supply my need God will abundantly supply your need.

The Apostle says I have known times when I've been exalted and I've known times when I was abased. In other words I can recall times when the people of God thought much of me. And other times when they thought little of me.

Times I can recall I had plenty in my pockets. Other times I had nothing. But he says I have learned in whatsoever state I am therewith to be content.

Encouraged by the promise of God. I wonder if we step out on the promises. In the early days you know when God saved me and I suppose you found it the same.

I used to put God to the test. The Old Testament prophets. Have you ever noticed how they brought the Word of God to God? Constantly they brought the Word of God to him.

Nehemiah, Isaiah, Daniel and these men they reminded God of His Word and God is delighted when believers take Him at His Word. It says in the Bible if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything it shall be done of you my Father which is in heaven. How many of us have really cashed in on that promise? When did you as husband and wife bow together in the presence of God and say we're going to step out on that promise? And we're going to find out if it works.

If it actually works. That's what trusting God is all about. I was quite surprised not too long ago this man.

You know today you can't put through anything unless you have a credit card. And he was so surprised and so amazed that I didn't have a credit card. I said my dear man I'm a gospel preacher.

I live by faith. Faith he said. Yeah I said faith.

He says you're doing pretty good at it. He says you seem to be healthy enough and you've raised a family. I said look God has abundantly met my need from day one.

See that kind of living and that kind of operation is strange to the world. One man said to me oh look he said Mr. Piercey said that's a hand to mouth business. Well I said look my dear man if it's God's hand in my mouth I don't mind one bit.

Nice way to live. Now look there's many ways that you can honor God with your means. And I want to tell you it's a good thing to have a personal exercise an individual exercise for the work of God.

For example an unsaved man. Maybe a little financial help would be a tremendous help to him. Particularly if you know the man's not a sponger and he's worthy of it and he's in dire straits.

My little bit of financial help would go a long way. Think of the widows. You ever think of helping them out? There's so many avenues and so many ways that we can honor God in this way.

It just occurs to me this happened in the states of America and one of the elders said to a young man in the assembly said do you ever think of going down there and having a visit with the dear widow down there? The young man looked at the young man he was 20 years of age and she was in her 80s. He said what would a young man 20 years of age say to a widow? How could I help her? How could I talk to her? The elder said show her a picture of George Washington. The young man said I don't get you.

He said I don't understand it. So he pulls out an American bill. He showed it to the young fellow.

He said show her one of those. She'd really appreciate it. She'd really thank you for it.

I'll tell you there's a lot of truth in that. So the Apostle says here my God shall supply all your need and I'm sure all of us here today as we look back to Salvation's Day when we started out my we wondered if God would be able to meet our need even before we went out in the world. And we've come through some of us depression years but isn't the marvelous thing God has never failed us and God has met our need.

And I want to tell you we have much to be thankful for today. We live in a land of abundance. You think of other lands and the depression they're going through and the hardship.

Do you know something? There's men and women in this world and they don't know what a solid meal is all about. And there's thousands upon thousands will go to bed hungry tonight. We have abundance of everything.

God has blessed our need and he'll continue to meet our need until we reach the glory. I trust these four sources of encouragement will be a help to you for his namesake.