Discouragement: a problem for teachers

1. Some of the expressions used in our world are very, very strange.

2. For instance, this week someone may say to us, “My phone has been ringing off the wall.”

3. When we hear these words we do not believe they are literally true – this is a figure of speech.

4. If we stopped to think about what ringing off the wall means, we would probably say something else.

5. No one believes that several phone calls will jar loose a phone from a wall or make it fall off a desk.

6. Some words and expressions grab our attention; in many cases words are interesting things.

7. In some cases changing just a few letters in a word can dramatically alter its meaning.

8. Take “encouragement” as an example.

9. Suppose that we remove the first two letters of “encouragement.”

10. We remove the “en” and replace the “en” with “dis.” This is a very small change.

11. Though small, the word “encouragement” immediately becomes “discouragement.”

12. This is our topic for tonight. People can become discouraged.

13. Spouses can become discouraged just as children can.

14. Work can discourage people. Health can discourage people. Financial problems can discourage people.

15. Even something as simple as cold weather can discourage human beings.

16. Those who become Christians can become discouraged for various reasons.

17. This is certainly true for those who teach.

18. Teachers may be discouraged because of the number of students who attend their class.

19. Teachers spend a lot of time preparing, and only a few (or no) students come.

20. Teachers are sometimes discouraged by the actions of their student’s parents.

21. They may be discouraged by the actions taken by a congregation’s elders.

22. Discouragement can come from a lot of different sources.

WHEN TIMES OF DISCOURAGEMENT COME – AND THESE TIMES WILL COME – IT IS GOOD TO GO BACK AND LOOK AT SOME OF THE DISCOURAGEMENT JESUS HAD TO FACE AS HE TRIED TO LIVE HIS LIFE AND TEACH PEOPLE.

1) One of the places we might wish to examine in this regard is found in Jn. 7.

2) This was an occasion where Jesus was trying to teach some people.

a) Verse 32 in this chapter says “officers” were sent to arrest the Lord.

b) This verse should encourage all who are Christians.

3) There are going to be times when we try to teach people who are not going to be all that interested.

4) We may be trying to teach a coworker, our own children, a Bible class, or someone else.

5) In spite of our best efforts some will not want to learn.

6) In these cases we can find some consolation in the fact that no one has been sent to arrest us.

7) Imagine trying to help people learn about God and the authorities come to arrest us.

8) Most of us will never experience this as a threat, let alone the actual event.

9) In the next chapter of John (8:38-40) Jesus said He was trying to people who wanted to “kill Him.”

a) As teachers we may face some very discouraging times.

b) I am not trying to dismiss or somehow minimize that fact.

c) Let’s be sure that we keep our discouragement in perspective.

d) The master teacher faced a level of discouragement we will surely never face.

e) If Jesus was able to soldier on, we can too.

10) Teachers often face discouragement from those who do not like them.

11) I recently spoke with a woman (not from here) who has going through a very difficult time.

12) She has a son who is being bullied; recently this young man was beaten up by other children.

13) This young man has a couple of school enemies.

14) Enemies can discourage us and teachers sometimes deal with people who are not friendly.

15) It is also possible to have times when our friends discourage us.

16) The young man who is being bullied has some friends, but these buddies are not sticking up for him.

17) That is distressing to him as well as his parents.

18) Jesus had some enemies He tried to teach as well as some friends He tried to teach.

a) Jesus’ friends did not always understand what He was trying to communicate.

b) In Mt. 16 Peter had an idea that was opposed to heaven’s plans for Jesus’ life.

c) Today there are times when teachers find their students (friends) also do not understand some things..

d) Teachers may try and try, but their students simply do not grasp some material.

e) That is discouraging for anyone who tries to teach.

19) Imagine that we are a math or English teacher.

20) At the end of the school year, after we have tried to teach day after day, our students have not learned.

21) Our Students are not better in math and English than when they started our class.

22) A teacher would begin to question his or her effectiveness. He or she would be discouraged.

23) Jesus faced a similar thing as He dealt with His friends.

24) There must have been times when the Lord was very, very frustrated with the apostles.

25) If we teach, we will also face those same kinds of frustrations and discouragements.

26) This is part of being a teacher; it does not mean that a teacher did something wrong.

27) Discouragement sometimes occurs with people because they close their minds to the truth.

28) In 2 Tim. 4:2 Paul told the young preacher Timothy to “preach the word.”

a) This apostle warned Timothy that said there would be times when God’s word would be “out of season.”

b) He knew there would be times when people would not want to hear the truth of the gospel.

c) Trying to teaching during when people do not want to hear the truth is discouraging.

d) Here is what we find in verse 4 of 2 Tim.4 – READ

29) Imagine people not only turning “away” from the truth but embracing a religious lie.

a) Here is one of the most discouraging things any Christian (including preachers) can experience.

b) Seeing someone say “no” to the truth is heartbreaking.

c) A rejection of the truth is a major source of discouragement.

d) Seeing someone say “no” to the truth and then embracing a religious lie is about as bad as it gets.

e) God warns those who teach that this is a very real possibility.

f) As we try to teach, we need to brace ourselves for times of discouragement.

g) There we will probably be some times when we need to “hang on” because things will be difficult.

30) We may have critics who complain about us – that is discouraging.

31) In some cases it may seem like we are in a “tug of war contest.”

32) God wants us to persevere in these cases.

33) God simply tells us to try to teach people.

34) We may find discouraging circumstances, but we can be faithful to this charge.

35) We may face discouragement because a person has a bad motive.

a) John 6:24 says there were people who sought the Lord.

b) Jesus had been teaching and one might think people wanted to find Him to hear more.

c) Let’s see what is said in verse 26 – READ

36) People came to see Jesus because He had been the source for free food.

a) When we find people who act in this way, this is another major source of discouragement.

b) I will tell you first hand that people with bad motives discourage elders.

c) People with bad motives discourage preachers and deacons.

d) Bad motives discourage any Bible class teacher and any faithful member of the church.

e) When we try to teach people and find out that their interest was just physical, that is discouraging.

37) Even in these cases, our discouragement should be limited.

38) Our job is to teach and do the best we can.

39) We can wish that people would have had better motives.

40) We can hope that their motives in the future will improve.

41) Whatever happens with them, our job was to teach and if we did that, all is ultimately okay.

THERE WERE SO MANY TIMES IN THE LORD’S LIFE WHEN DISCOURAGEMENT WAS PRESENT AND HE COULD HAVE SAID, “I QUIT. I HAVE TRIED, I HAVE NOT ALWAYS HAD SUCCESS, SO I AM DONE.”

Jesus was not a quitter, even when people wanted to arrest and kill him.

This divine example is the model for us.

Discouragement is going to come whether we are a Bible class teacher or not.

If we are not convinced of that point, we need to come to grips with this fact.

As Jesus did not give up in the face of discouragement, such needs to be true of us.

We must refuse to give up after the first instance of discouragement and then the second time it happens.

Over a person’s lifetime there will be many instances of discouragement.

Some of these times are going to be church related.

Not all of them will involve teaching, but at least some will.

Every discouragement that we meet head on and overcome will better prepare us for the next one.

Jesus faced many discouragements and then He finally got to a big one.

Not long before the crucifixion (Mt. 26:56) says “all the disciples fled.”

This was so important Matthew says it was part of Old Testament prophecy.

This discouragement, at this time in the Lord’s life, is probably impossible to comprehend.

Jesus had loved these men, He had personally taught them, and He had rescued them on various occasions.

It would have been heartbreaking if just two of the apostles had left Him at this time.

If half of the apostles had left, the agony and discouragement would have been gut wrenching.

Suppose that 75% of the men had left – all hope might have seemed lost.

If 90% of the apostles had left things would have seemed unbearable.

Matthew says they “all” left. Here is a lesson to mark down and never ever forget:

Jesus knows all about discouragement.

When we get discouraged, turning back to His life is an excellent source of encouragement.

Jesus was someone who knew the hard times would be replaced by better times.

He knew that while the apostles fled, that would be a temporary departure.

They would return and they would be faithful.

We should have a similar outlook as teachers.

We are sowing seeds that may seem to be choked by weeds for a period of time.

Many of those weeds are removed later in life and people turn out to be strong Christians.

We work, we pray, and we have faith that all will be okay in the end.

Satan wants us to be discouraged; God wants us to be encouraged.

Each holds out their respective offer and we get to choose the path we take.

Tonight which direction do we want to go? The road of discouragement or the way of encouragement?