Take your Bibles and turn to Ephesians chapter four. While you're turning, let me say thank you to my family, my wife, my mother, my niece, my children who are here, and then also some friends of mine, Martha and Russ Melton. Thank you for being here. And I also want to thank you gentlemen in the school for the time that they have invested in me, the men who have poured their lives into me, and even the women, Mrs. Mason, Mrs. Rosenau. I appreciate the things that you've done. Ephesians chapter 4, starting in verses 11 and 12, familiar to all of us. And he gave some apostles and some prophets and some evangelists and some pastors and teachers for the perfecting of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. Now, the purpose of these gifts to the church was to train the people for the work of the ministry, to edify the body of Christ. So my question to you is this, what are you going to do when you go to the mission field, or when you go to plant a church, or when you're in evangelism, and you don't have any meetings, and you're the only one there, who's going to edify you? According to 1 Samuel 30 verse 6, it says, And David was greatly distressed, for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters, but David encouraged himself in the Lord, his God." David encouraged himself, but what are we going to do to encourage ourselves? So I want to give you three things today that I believe will be a help to you, and you can use those to encourage your own self. The first would be songs. Ephesians 5.19 says, speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns, and spiritual songs, singing, making melody in your heart to the Lord. Before I go any further, though, I'd like to lay some groundwork with that, so turn over to 1 Corinthians chapter 2, And this won't be new to anybody. Anybody who's had preacher boys has seen the outline on Dr. Comfort's message of what to turn in. But 1 Corinthians chapter 2 verses 14 through verses 3 of chapter 3. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him. Neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ, and I, brethren, could not speak unto you as spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk and not with meat, for hitherto you were not able to bear it. Neither yet now are you able, for you are yet carnal. For whereas there is among you envying and strife and divisions, are you not carnal and walk as men? Now the idea is that there's a natural man, there's a carnal man, and there's a spiritual man. If there's a spiritual song, it's only a natural conclusion to assume that there's a natural song and a carnal song. Simple conclusion, right? So that being said, If we were to ask Dr. Scoville to get up here and sing some song like Zion's Hill for us, nobody in their right mind would say, man, that's the most ungodly junk I've ever heard. Nobody would say that. Everybody would agree that's spiritual. By the same token, if we were to ask some nasty rock guitarist to come in here and sing a song and play it for us, whatever he was going to do, nobody would stand up and say, man, that's some good godly stuff. Except maybe the CCM crowd. So, the point is this, everything in between is carnal. I don't care how good it may seem, if it's not spiritual, it's carnal. Right? It's just natural. So, the question becomes, is music amoral? I did some research and I found this. Master rock guitarist, Steve Vai, famous musician now, current day, plays nothing but instrumental rock music. And he put together an album where he teaches his students how to control the audience. He said this. In an interview concerning it, he said, everybody loves to hear someone play an instrument where they are in complete control of the audience. The obvious understanding of that is that Mr. Vai believes he can control people with his music. Not only does he believe he can control them, but he can teach other people to control them. If that's the case, music cannot be amoral. So we have a spiritual music and a carnal music. The opposite is true of carnal music. The opposite is true of godly music. 1 Samuel 16, 23 says this, The thing is, a good godly song will cause the evil spirit to depart. A godly music will cause you to be encouraged. It carries with it the idea of being close to God. Some songs that I thought of, some songs that typically encourage me, the 90 and nine. I like to change the words instead of but one was out on the hills away. I like to say I was out on the hills far away. Instead of air, he found his sheep was lost. He found this sheep that was lost. Instead of out in the desert, he heard its cry sick and helpless and ready to die. He heard my cry. I don't think a person can hear the words, but drops of grief can never pay the debt of love I owe. Here, Lord, I give myself away. It is all that I can do." You can't hear those words and not be encouraged. And when you come to the point where you feel like the whole world is against you, when you feel like the whole world against you is convenient, and you read the words to a song like, Nothing Between My Soul and the Savior, or when you feel like the whole world is lost and Satan has won the fight, And you read the words to a song like a mighty fortress is my God, is our God, I'm sorry. You can't stay discouraged with that type of music. If you're listening to the world's music or the CCM, you're not gonna be encouraged. That type of music cannot encourage and will not encourage. But good godly music will always encourage you. The other day, my son asked me, he said to me, he said, we're at church, and he'd just come out of the bathroom, and he said, Daddy, if you can only have one book other than the Bible, what would it be? And without thinking, it shocked me even, my response was a hymnal, because it contains more theology and it contains more truth than any other thing aside from the Bible. A good godly song can go a long way to encourage you. Secondly, though, is a sermon. Dr. Comfort, in his message on the unpardonable sin, says this, he says, light obeyed increases light. If that's true, and I don't plan to re-preach his message, but if that's true, then me obeying the light that's given to me when I hear a sermon preached should bring more light. That should lift me up. It's just a natural conclusion, right? Practical application is this. As I listen, I'm encouraged. So I continue to listen more and more. Psalm 119 and 130 says this, the entrance of thy words giveth light, it giveth understanding to the simple, right? And Acts chapter 8 verses 5 through 8 says this, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did for unclean spirits crying with a loud voice came out and many that were possessed with them and many taking with the palsies and there that were lame were healed and then verse 8 and there was great joy in that city you see Philip came down and he preached the messages that the good tidings to him he preached the gospel to them people got saved demons were cast out whatever the case may be but the end result was there was great joy And if we're to find great joy, we can go to a sermon, we can have that song preached to us, I mean that sermon preached to us, and we can find great joy for us. I have favorite preachers, favorite sermons, and I dare say all of you do. I would venture to hope at least that you do. I know this, when I get discouraged, when there's nothing else that will lift me up, when I'm at the point of despair, I can always pull out certain sermons and listen to them, and over and over again, they pierce my soul, they pierce my self-pity, and they lift me to where I need to be. Jeremiah 23, 29 says this, is not my word like a fire, like as a fire, saith the Lord, and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces? For the word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any, I'm sorry, Hebrews 4, 12 says, for the word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit. and the joints in the marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." The Word of God has power to encourage and cleanse us, to build us up. And if the Word of God preached has that power from the Word of God, then it should lift us up and encourage us. We should be able to find its strength from that. Romans 10 verses 14 through 15 says this, How then shall they call on him whom they have not heard, not believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach except they be sent? As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things. So the question then to me becomes, why are the feet beautiful? Why are they beautiful? Well, I believe that they're beautiful because they're bringing the message, the message of peace. And when somebody comes to you and brings you a message of peace, it's it's good. It lifts you up. You're encouraged by it. And when they come and they know what these men are bringing, they're bringing that message. They look at them and they say, man, that's beautiful. They understand. So song number one, song number two, sermon. Number three, scripture. Psalm 19 verses 7 through 11 says this, the law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul. The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever. The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold, sweeter also than the honey in the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is thy servant warned, and in keeping with them there is great reward." Verse 8 said, rejoicing the heart. The Word of God, as we study it, as we read it, should encourage us, lift us up, it should cause our heart to rejoice. Evangelist Philip Harper, when he was here, a couple years ago. He preached a message entitled, I Have Found the Book of the Law, in which he told the story of Hilkiah the priest finding the book of law and presenting it to Nehemiah and all the people hearing the word of the Lord and rejoicing. Nehemiah 8, 12 says this, it says, and all the people went their way to eat and drink and to send portions and to make great mirth because they had understanding, had understood the words that were declared unto them. If we understood, understand the words of the Bible, if we understand the words of scripture, then they should encourage us. It should bring us great encouragement. And when we're down and we're discouraged and whatever else, when we're all alone, when it comes to the point where we think that we're the only one, we can turn to the Bible and we can find encouragement for ourselves. So when you find yourself at the end of your rope, grab your Bible. Psalm 119, verse 111 says this, says, Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage forever. They are the rejoicing of my heart. Jeremiah 15, 16 says, Thy words were found, and I did eat them, and thy word was unto me, the joy and rejoicing of my heart, for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts. Now, there's something special about the word of God. If we take it, and we read it, and we understand it, and we dissect it, we put it into our mind and our hearts, there's something that it does for us. It encourages us. If you come to the place where just nothing else has worked, you've been through the songs, you've been through the sermons, you turn to the scripture, I don't see how you can be discouraged. studied for this message, I tried to find a perfect example of someone who used these methods and I couldn't. There were examples, none of them quite perfect, but I found an example of someone who did not employ them. I'd like to kinda lay some groundwork for that and then explain it. Judges 17 verses 1-6 says this, And there was a man of Mount Ephraim whose name was Micah. And he said unto his mother, The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from thee, about which thou cursest and spakest also in mine ears, behold, the silver is with me. I took it. And his mother said, Blessed be thou of the Lord, my son. And when he had restored 1,100 shekels of silver to his mother, his mother said, I had wholly dedicated the silver unto the Lord from my hand for my son to make a graven image and a molten image. Now therefore will I restore it unto thee. Yet he restored the money unto his mother. And his mother took 200 shekels of silver and gave them to the founder who made thereof a graven image and a molten image. And they were in the house of Micah. And the man Micah had a house of gods and made an ephod and a teraphim and consecrated one of his sons who became his priest." Then verse 6 says, in those days, there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes. You might say, what in the world does that have to do? Judges chapter 13 through 16 tells us the story of Samson. If Samson had to put into practice these things, if he even had an ounce of inclination to stay godly, had an inclination to stay in the Word of God, to practice what he knew to be right, we wouldn't find this section in the Bible. We would find that he had served God, he had fulfilled God's purpose for his life, and by turn he would have encouraged Israel, and they would have done right. When we go out to serve God, If we don't accomplish what he wants us to, then it doesn't get done, right? We don't fulfill his will for our life. Samson did not fulfill God's will for his life. And the end result was disaster. If we're to serve God, if we're to accomplish what he wants us to, then we must practice something to encourage us. The best thing is that I can think of are song, sermon, and scripture. In my car, I have a little slip of paper on my speedometer that says this. There is no shame in failure, only in quitting. If you give God your best and you fail, it's not your fault. But if you give God just a little bit and you quit, it's all your fault. You're a disgrace to him. Every one of us has come here with a purpose to serve God. Well, I'd like to say every one of us has come here with a purpose to serve God. Hopefully, every one of us has come here with that purpose. When you come here with that purpose and you quit, you give up on him. Dr. Phil Stringer, he preached a message here called The Long Night of the Soul. He stole the story of an evangelist who was asked to speak to some camp counselors. And he told him, he said, I've only got a few minutes. They said, well, would you like to speak for a few minutes? He said, yes, I'd speak for a few minutes. So they called all the camp counselors and they brought him in. And he said, I only have a few minutes. There are three things I want to tell you. Number one, don't quit. God has a plan for your life and it always involves not quitting. Number two, he said, don't quit. Satan has a plan for your life and it always involves quitting. Number three, don't quit. At the end of the day, you can pick yourself up from anything and you can start all over again, except quitting. Typically in this point in the sermon, my job is to bring you to a decision. The decision that I want you to make is when you go out to serve God and you find yourself discouraged, you find yourself at the point you're about to quit. Don't quit. I want you to determine now that I'll just keep going. I've got some methods in front of me, song, sermon and scripture, where I can encourage myself and I'll continue to serve God. Some of you are coming to the point, you've got two weeks left to school and exams. You come to the point, you say, I'm not coming back to this place. Some of you are gonna start your meetings, evangelist meetings. You're gonna have an empty calendar and you're gonna say, not in the will of God. Some of you are gonna go out to plan a church. You're gonna say, I'm all alone. Truth is, you can encourage yourself. There's meat for your soul in the Word of God, and that you have the ability to encourage yourself. So I want to encourage you to make a decision that you will determine to serve God and not quit.