The Gift Of Encouragement | Senior Pastor Kenneth Carpenter
by Kenneth Carpenter
First Apostolic Church of Maryville (Maryville, TN)
Kind: sermon
Scripture: Psalm 150, Luke 1, Luke 1:26-30, Deuteronomy 1:38, Judges 6:6, Judges 6:11-13, Luke 1:37, Luke 1:56

Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/kenneth-carpenter--the-gift-of-encouragement
Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page.
Free to copy and share with attribution.

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if you're not already on your feet will you get on your feet right now haven't we heard haven't we heard for the last 35 minutes some of the best music and singing Under The King of Kings and the Lord of lords but I want to ask you to join me right now without the aid of any music that we would in honor of God coming to this earth and bringing us so great a Salvation that you would lift up your voice and you would give God praise just for a few moments Lord I thank you God I magnify you Lord you are the king of kings you are the Lord of lords thank you for the master plan thank you God that you became a man thank you Lord for your love and mercy Grace oh thank you thank you thank you thank you Lord thank you thank you Lord glory to God in the highest peace on Earth Good Will toward man woo hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah oh oh now put your hands together and give him a hand of Praise right now boy don't that sound good I said don't that sound good today praise you may be seated for just a moment um want to welcome all our church family here and say praise the Lord and Merry Christmas I want to welcome all of our guests here today that have come in and filled up all the uh empty places we would have had in here uh with all of our church family that's went out to V went out to be with their families and uh a house full of people this morning is certainly an honor to the King of Kings and the Lord of lords you realize that at this time of year at this time of year you will hear the world mention this word more than any other time of the year or at least I hear it and they they will say the the Christmas the Christmas spirit all right spirit and um I know what they're talking about because then they talk about um Spirit you know we're going to buy a bottle of spirits you know and I I I I understand all that I I I don't you know um but um I guess I got a little honory yesterday I was in a place of business I'll leave it nameless uh buying some groceries and U the aisle it was uh the there's people standing line all the way down an aisle and I was in line and along the way I begin to hear conversations with those in front of me behind me and one lady said uh oh talking about bottles of wine they saidoh that's shanton 123 said Papa likes that and got a bottle and somebody said oh that's a Sheree and I'm making this up that's the pomier this and my my my husband likes that and and I almost got little hory you you really what puts you in the Christmas spirit you you ought to get you some Psalms 150 if I could get them to drink on some Psalms 150 praise ye the Lord praise God in his Sanctuary praise him on the symbols praise him on the stringed instruments praise him with the heart praise him with the dance and then as you're standing let everything that half breath praise ye the Lord oh what a spirit you feel what a wonderful spirit you feel oh mighty God Mighty God what a wonderful spirit there's nothing like the spirit of the Lord there's nothing like the spirit of the Lord that's the true Christmas spirit that Psalms 150 will get you going it'll it'll get you going going well if you have your Bibles and would join me the Book of Luke chap 1 verse number 26 familiar passage for this time of year simply says and in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee named Nazareth to a virgin in spouse to a man whose name was Joseph of the House of David the virgin's name was Mary the angel came in unto her and said hell thou that are highly favored the Lord is with thee blessed art thou among women when Mary saw him she was troubled at his saying and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be and the angel said unto her fear not Mary for thou Hast found favor with God for a few moments today I would try my feeble attempt to give everybody a gift the title of this message the gift of encouragement the gift of encouragement would there be anybody here today that would just need a little bit of encouragement if you would take your right hand just shake it a little bit I preacher I could use a little bit of encouragement right now and if you like me you might want to as our c custom is let's pray father we love you we thank you God for this season we thank you Lord for your love and mercy thank you God for making us a part of your plan for loving us God lord when the Angels fa there was no Plan of Redemption but God when we failed you set in motion a plan I thank you for that plan father for the next few moments anoint my lips of clay that I may bless this congregation in Jesus name we pray amen and you may be seated the gift of encouragement the gift of encouragement the word encouragement simply means the action of giving someone support giving someone hope and giving someone confidence now we could go on and on but I really do believe that those three words this morning support hope and confidence I believe that it would fall in the category of whatever you and I are facing I I believe hope can answer I believe support it's good to have support it's good to have hope it's good to have confidence this is all the word encouragement needs as a matter of in fact in the word encouragement is used throughout the Bible um God spoke to the entire nation of Israel in Deuteronomy 138 God spoke to them about their leader about their leader he spoke about their leader Joshua and he said in uh Deuteronomy 138 he said church but Joshua the son of nun which standeth before thee he shall go in thither or go into the promised land or lead you into the promised land but look at the next two words what does it say encourage him encourage him support him give him confidence for he shall cause Israel to inherit the land and we understand that when we look at this Christmas Story we see something that is very unusual Gabriel the Angel just didn't show up and say young lady you're going to get pregnant you're going to Bear the Son of God and uh he he didn't just start out with that you see God has a plan for your life today but we're not just going to start out by telling you God has a plan with your life I believe that just like the angel you need a little bit of encouragement you need a little bit of support you need a little bit of help a little bit of Hope so will you notice with me again that the angel came to Mary you just scan through that again with me the angel came to Mary and begin to speak words of encouragement he didn't just show up and say you're going to have a baby your life's going to be your your life's going to be set apart from here on out he showed up and he said you are highly favored of the Lord You Are a blessed individual now I want you to know something this morning when a human comes and says hey you're highly favored hey man the blessings of God are upon you I don't know about you but but it makes me feel good when you know the spiritual application when somebody says the Lord bless you that that makes me feel good the Lord bless you it makes me feel a whole lot better than somebody coming up and saying curse you right when somebody comes and says God bless you God God bless you you're you're special in God's eyes I'm going to tell everybody this morning under the sound of my voice in this Auditorium that God loves every one of you there is not a one of you today that our Heavenly God our heavenly father has given up on today don't listen to a voice that tells you you've went beyond the point of no return foolishness God has an everlasting love for you today you are special you are special I I just wish you'd take your hand maybe patch your chest and say he said I'm special he he said that that preacher said I'm special can I tell you that's the truth you are special today there's not another one like you never has been and never will be God loves you and God knows you today now the angel came and said Mary I want you to know you're special Mary I want you to know you're highly favorite of God Mary I want you to know I want you to know all of these things you see sometimes if I'm going to believe the the the plan that God has for my life the plan God has for my life I don't know that I need to begin with turn or burn sinner God has a plan for you all repent or perish turn or burn now in that all of that has truth to it I really don't believe we can walk much with the plan of God starting out with turn or burn repent or perish I believe you'll never repent unless you first see a God that loves you and a God that sees you as a special individual you are not trash this morning you are God's treasure you are God's treasure would you give him a hand of Praise right now you are God's treasure Mary I'm going to tell you about it a minute but I just got to encourage you a little bit the Bible says in Judges chapter 6 and verse number six that Israel was greatly impoverished because the midianites and the children of Israel Cried unto the Lord now the bottom line is Israel had turned their back on God they had turned their back on God but I got good news for you today we may turn our back on God but God doesn't turn his back on us we may slip our hand out of his but he'll never slip his hand out of ours oh I'm glad for the Merc the mercy of almighty God Israel had sin Israel had turned its back on God God had allowed the midianites to come and put them under great bondage but in judges 611 it says this and there came an angel of the Lord and set under the oak which was in Oprah that pertaineth unto joash the azerite and his son Gideon now listen to this his son Gideon threshed Wheat by the wine press to hide it from the midianites now Gideon's trying to survive he's hunkered down hiding over under a rock trying to make a loaf of bread to make it through another week and he's hiding because of the medion ites now I want you to get that in your mind now he's hiding because of the midianites if they see me over here they'll come and get my wheat but then in verse 12 an angel appeared in verse 12 and the angel of the Lord appeared unto him and said unto him the Lord is with thee th Mighty Man of Valor and Gideon said oh my Lord if the Lord be with us why then is all this be us and where are all his miracles which our fathers told us of saying did not the Lord bring us out of Egypt now the whole story here is before God is finished with Gideon Gideon's going to be a mighty captain that is going to take down thousands of midianites with just 300 men empty pictures trumpets inside of their hand he's going to become a mighty a mighty Captain but he's starts out when God finds him hunkered down under a wine press trying to beat out a loaf of bread but how did God start out by talking to him he didn't start out by saying you're going to win this battle you're going to do this you're going to do that God's going to do this with you no he started out with some encouragement the Lord is with you the Lord and and of course what Gideon did he said well if the Lord is with me probably like some of you have been doing this morning when I said you're special you were probably thinking well he just doesn't know me when I said God had a plan for your life you were probably thinking not on this Pew not in my life he don't know how many times I've tried religion I'm not trying to get you to try religion I'm trying to get you to give God a chance and when you give God a chance that's different than trying to find rules and regulation it's true just like when Gideon said the Lord's with you yeah right if the Lord's with me then why why is all of this why is all of this happening in our life now I want to go back to my Christmas Story I want to go back I want to go back to Luke 1:33 Mary you're highly favored of God the Lord is with you and you're highly favored and the the that God sees you and you're special now watch what he does I've laid the foundation we are more apt to believe God if we believe that we are special now verse 31 and behold Thou shalt conceive in thy womb bring forth a son shall call his name Jesus and he shall be great shall be called the son of the highest and the Lord God shall give unto him the Throne of his father David and he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever and his kingdom there shall be no end now Mary now now ask how can this happen because I'm dealing with an impossibility I'm a virgin I've never known a man you say that I'm going to bring forth the Son of God Mary says in verse 34 then Mary said unto the angel how shall this be seeing I know not a man the angel answered and said unto her the Holy Ghost shall come upon thee and the power the highest shall overshadow theee therefore also that Holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called The Son of God do you see how God lays this out I'll never convince you that the Holy Ghost is going to come on you if I don't first convince you how special you are in the eyes of God you say well I I I I I I'm not good enough you're exactly right you're not good enough that's why we're celebrating what we're celebrating right now cuz had we been good enough God wouldn't have had had to robe himself in flesh because we're not good enough that's why we're celebrating what we're celebrating the Holy Ghost is going to overshadow you and that which shall be born of thee shall be called The Son of God and then listen to this word of encouragement and behold thy thy cousin thy cousin Elizabeth she hath also conceived a son in her old age and this is the sixth month with her who was called baren look at these two words here you've got a cousin named Elizabeth you've got a cousin named Elizabeth Elizabeth means the oath of God or Elizabeth means the word of God you've got a cousin her name is Elizabeth but can I tell you what everybody calls her everybody calls her Baron you've got a cousin named oath of God but everybody calls her baren can I tell you it's not what your real name is it's what you call yourself it's not what your real name is John Doe or whatever it may be but it's what you allow the voices to talk in your head loser quitter no good trash and all of that but I've come to tell you today that God can take an Elizabeth who has been called Barren and turn it all around today God is able to turn that all around said I I want to encourage you a little bit I want to encourage you a little bit Mary I know you might be having just a little bit of a of a Time process and all this but you know your cousin Elizabeth she is old in her old age she has never given birth to a child behold she has conceived they're not going to be calling her baren anymore and I believe if if a person was allowed to have a favorite verse in the Bible that had to do with how God can God can work in your life Luke 137 I do declare is my favorite verse in the Bible for with God nothing shall be impossible how in the world could we ever lose out when we Embrace a God in music in in Singing In Worship in our life that with God nothing is an impossibility well you don't know how many times I've tried to quit nothing is an impossibility you don't know how far my business is gone nothing is an impossibility you don't know how many months we've been separated nothing is an impossibility can I tell you you don't know how big the tumor is nothing is an impossibility oh give him praise right now nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing and I've used almost 20 minutes to come to a pivotal part of this message Mary I have encouraged you Mary I have told you how favored you are church family I preached to you how special you are guest I have told you how special you are I have told you how favored you are God is also given a testimony there are people all over this building who are living testimonies of the life changing power of Jesus Christ all over this place today there's people that could stand and tell you I was once blind but now I see there's people that could tell you I was once bound but now I'm free there's people that can stand there's Elizabeth all over this congregation that could stand and say I was years baren they didn't call me they didn't call me Elizabeth they called me baren but God got a hold of my life and now I got a baby named John church family today I've spent 20 minutes now to bring you to the pivotal part of this message here's where it either goes forward or here's where it falls apart you're favored you're not trash you're special God has a plan the Holy Ghost is going to come on you for with God nothing shall be impossible verse 38 Mary said pivotal it is vitally essential that you answer the promises of God correctly Mary said be behold the handmade of the Lord be it unto me according to Thy word and the angel departed from her you know why he got the right answer when Mary stood back and said you've told me I'm favored you've told me the Holy Ghost is going to come on me and I'm going The Impossible is going to become possible you have told me how it's going to happen now I'm going to answer back to you here I am let it be as you have spoken I believe and the angel said that's it that's all I needed that's all the Holy Ghost needs that's all God needs all God needs today is for you to stop putting up walls of doubt and walls of fear nothing is ever developed in your life with doubt nothing will ever be developed and it's just a little rhyme that I've got but it goes like this if you're a doubter you'll do without her but if you're a Believer you'll be a receiver if you're always walking through life doubting whether God can help you nothing will ever happen to your life if you're going through life fearful to ever start again you'll never get anywhere but if on this Christmas Eve Sunday morning of 2023 if I could somehow preach to you and to get you to believe in a God who is able to do EX inly and abundantly above I believe God can begin to work come on Church help me right now lift up a voice of praise and a voice of adoration God can do it God has done it God Can Do It Don't Stop Believing in The God Who believes in you don't stop believing in The God Who believes in you God has never met an impossible situation your doctor May say impossible your mechanic may say impossible your lawyer may say impossible people may say impossible but the God that I preach today has never had to look at one life that came to an altar and say it's impossible pray brother brother car you preached somebody to the altar today and it's impossible God has never had not one time say it is impossible Don't Stop Believing in The God Who believes in you Samson you're blind but you had one more Miracle You're The Comeback Kid David you failed God numerous times but you kept getting back up and you kept getting back you kept getting back into the race you kept on getting back up and getting in back into the race verse 39 of chapter 1 the angel has left Mary arose in those days and went into the Hill Country with haste and came into the city of Judah entered into the house of Zacharias he's the priest and saluted Elizabeth it came to pass that when Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary the babye leaped in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost and she spake out loud with a loud voice blessed art thou among women blessed is the fruit of thy womb now this tells you brother Hammond that somewhere between the angel leaving and Mary getting to the house of zachar IAH she got impregnated of the Holy Ghost somewhere between the angel leaving her belief and her entering into zachariah's house she became pregnant of the Holy Ghost Zacharias represents the word of God Zacharias represents the word of God and Elizabeth represents the church the church so she took her promise she took her promise she had attached her promise to the word of God and to The Fellowship of the church where Believers were gathered together please today if I have penetrated or excuse me if the Lord has penetrated your heart today and you're beginning to see flashes of Hope across your soul I got to tell you something that what you need to do is what Mary did attach yourself to a regular diet of the word of God attach yourself to the house of her that was called Elizabeth but she was called Baron you need to get around other people that have been set free you need to get around other people of like Precious faith that want to get out of the Dilemma Brother David Acres Pastors in North Carolina we were on the we were on the coast of North Carolina one night and he said uh we're going to do some crabbing we're going to do some crabbing we got a bucket and u i noticed the bucket didn't have a lid and brother Acres told me he said brother Carpenter he said it don't matter how many crabs we catch you don't have to have a lid on this bucket I said why he said because when one crab just about reaches the top another crab will reach up and pull it back down so you don't have to even have a lid on that crab bucket can I tell you you need to get out of that crabby situation you're in you need to stop running with people that are pulling you back down into the sin you need to get to the house of Zacharias you need to get to the house of Elizabeth that was called Baron you need to get to the house of somebody saying they're all over this room right now they're all over this room right now oh my god of Mercy by this time next year it would be unbelievable it would be absolutely unimaginable what God could do with your life if you would just get to the house of Zacharias get to the house she's six months pregnant right now she's six months pregnant right now all right Mary shows up at her house now please not enough time too many festivities going on at my house to sit down and quiz my wife about being pregnant so please bear with your uninformed Pastor today she is six months pregnant I would imagine let me just look at my Bible I say this she was showing by this time you know finner went for a ultrasound on Thursday and we sat in the room with uh pregnant women waiting to go back and I made some observations about them I I'm sorry the ones in that room did not respond to my Universal smile Lord I'm out here it's uh 11:07 she probably showing by now would you think she would be the female voice only place so she's there and um it's interesting right here let's just kind of read through here and get me out of this right quick verse 40 42 Elizabeth speaks out loud says to Mary blessed art thou among women blessed is the fruit of thy womb not only do you need did you need the angels to encourage you you need the church to encourage you blessed is the fruit of the womb whence is this that the mother of my Lord should come to me for as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in my ears the Babe leaped in my womb for Joy blessed is she that believed for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord and then this happened this is what happens in the house of the Lord you may not have known it you you may not have you may not have understood why but when we begin to sing the songs of the church and deliverance when we begin to praise him talk about on that lonely night when I could not come to you you came down to me you you you may not understand that song right now but when you really realize how precious that song is you'll understand now while Mary breaks into this watch this once again she's encouraged and the Bible said and Mary said my soul do matter magnify the Lord my spirit rejoice in God my savior for he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed for he that is mighty listen to your sing now he that hath done Mighty he that ha he that is mighty hath done to me great things and holy is his name she's praising and his Mercy is on them that fear Him from generation to generation he has showed strength she's praising with his arm he has scattered the proud and the imagination of their hearts he had put down the mighty from their seats and exalted them of low degree he had filled the hungry she's praising she had he had filled the Hungry with good things and the rich he had sent away empty he have hoped his servant Israel in remembrance of his Mercy as he spake to our fathers to Abraham and to his seed forever listen to this live a life of praise and worship to the Lord stay in a good mood of worship feel your car your electronic devices with good upli songs of of Praise uh preacher I I hear you all down that Apostolic Church you all are against worldly music no no we're not against that we're against what it says we're not against music but we do we are we do believe the bible let me say it right would want his children not to listen to negativism not to listen to songs that degrade Humanity songs that degrade a woman woman songs that degrade a man songs that tear the family unit apart songs that take talk about violence and rape and all of that yes I will stand and tell you I don't believe you're going to go anywhere with God the miraculous God being tore down every day but if I can fill my mind with worship if I can fill my mind God has done great things God has done Mighty things look what the Lord has done come on stand with me right now Look What the Lord Has Done Look What the Lord Has Done Look What the Lord Has Done oh little Kenny little Kenny I wish you would lift your voice up right now and say Look What the Lord Has Done say it again son has he touched your life Kenny has he changed you Kenny has the last three years not have the last several years not been wonderful Kenny Kenny's just one of many that he's changed our life I praise His name I worship His Name he's been better to me than I've been to myself he's never done me nothing but good I give him glory this morning I give him glory this morning oh Look What the Lord Has Done oh Look What the Lord Has Done he healed my body he touched my mind he came through Justin Look What the Lord Has Done I promise you today that if you will apply what God has said this morning from encouragement to the plan to joining up with the house of God and the people of God and get a praise in your lips that God and again now I'm going to dive back into this I'm gonna dive back into this again maybe I ought to put on my notes don't try this at home you know something like that you know they said uh the famous last words of a redneck is watch this just come of help me today would you Luke 1:56 and Mary Abode with a with with her Elizabeth and Mary Abode with Elizabeth a Mary Abode with her which is Elizabeth about 3 months and returned home diving back in you think a woman has got changes going on in her body when she's 3 months pregnant when she's 3 months pregnant there's there there's there's changes going on in her body can I tell you that if you'll give God three months not just three months but if you say I'm going to take I'm going to take God in his word I'm going to give God the first three months of 2024 I'm going to give I'm going to give worship I'm going to give praise I'm going to give the word to God if I don't own a Bible I'm going to buy a Bible I'm going to stay around people that have been delivered I promise you you might have walked into the Elizabeth's house not not a sign that you're pregnant but 3 months later you're going to walk out of that house and somebody going to say there's something different about Mary there's something different about the way she's walking there's something different about her appetite come on Joseph go get me some pickles come on I I come on there's something different about what I got the gift of encouragement today the gift of encouragement today now right now I want you to Bow your heads with me right now all over this room I want you to Bow your heads close your eyes right now bow your head and close your eyes church family I want you to begin to pray right now with me right now we're going to have a we're going to have an most unusual altar service right now I want you to want you I want you to just close your eyes and I want you to begin to pray right now all over this building just turn the volume up just a little bit on the prayer just a little bit on the prayer Lord in the name of Jesus Lord in the name of Jesus God lord you know I've got battles God you know I've got struggles God you know I've got things in my life God but but Lord this morning I'm going to put aside mine God there's men and women here today that are really struggling God there's people with no hope no support they have absolutely no confidence in themselves God In The Name of Jesus Christ this morning the name of Jesus Christ this morning now with your head bowed eyes closed and this is not a trick to get you to the altar I'm not going to call you to the altar if anyone in this room today anyone I'm the only one looking around this morning I'm the only one looking around if you're in this room today and you would like so much to leave here with some hope with some support and with some confidence heads bowed eyes closed I want you just lift your hand right now I'm the only one looking right now lift your hand leave it leave it lifted please leave it leave it lifted all right leave it lifted please Pastor I sure could use some hope this morning Pastor I I I sure could use some support this morning I Pastor I cried all night long Pastor I sure leave those hands up please all right all right all right now here's what we're going to do right now we're not going to come to the altar right now in the pews if if it's appropriate if the person doesn't mind you doing this I want you to lift your hand I want you to put your hand over on the person beside your shoulder and I want you to begin to pray right now for them I want you to begin to pray for hope God give them hope right now God give them hope right now God let this Christmas of 2023 let this Christmas of 2023 come on lay your hand if if they're all right with it if they're all right with it I want you to put your hand over now church I need you as Believers I need you as somebody that's been changed by the power of God I need you to begin to pray with them right now in the name of Jesus in the name of Jesus in the name of Jesus right now oh God I pray for that individual I pray I pray for that individual right now God I pray for her right now God God I pray for that empty heart right now God I pray for that empty heart right now God Lord in the name of Jesus Christ I pray for them right now God oh God that hope come right now oh God that hope come right now I got a precious man I got a precious friend that I met a few weeks ago named Roy oh Roy I pray for you right now I pray for you right now in the name of Jesus I pray that hope flip floods your heart I pray that support floods your heart I pray that confidence floods us today oh God come on church all over this room right now pray one for another oh God I love you