How do I compress, encrypt and transfer (sync) files to a remote server?

So far I have used rar to compress and encrypt files, then sent them via SFTP. Mostly for archiving purposes, like family photos and such. Photos are in monthly folders. Nothing super secret but not something I want a random admin to browse through.

Now I lag in doing a such backup, and I suppose automating this whole thing would ease things a lot.

So how can I compress, encrypt and synchronize files to a remote server with one command? The remote server is Debian 8.