The Comfort We Need
2 Corinthians 1:3-11
* There is an old adage which says, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink,” yet, this is not entirely accurate. If you need a horse to drink water, you can feed him salt to create a needy thirst. Before we actually get to God’s word, please allow me to feed us a little salt, so that we’ll have a seemingly unquenchable thirst to hear from God. The salt I offer comes in the form of four statements. “Life Involves Pain”, “Pain leaves Scars”, “Scars Tell a Story”, & (believe it or not) God brings us thru.
* Life involves pain – Is there anyone present who has experienced pain of some kind? This is EVERYBODY! Pain came into the world in the Garden of Eden with the fall of mankind. Can you imagine the inner pain Adam & Eve felt when God revealed their sin? Can you imagine the pain Moses felt when God revealed that He would never attain His goal of entering Canaan because of His sin? Can you imagine how Peter felt after he denied the Lord? Every one of us experiences pain because we live in a fallen world which delivers pain. Our pain is not one dimensional. We receive physical, emotional, & spiritual pain which has the ability to devastate us.
* Pain leaves scars – My physical shows several scars of past pain. I have been stitched up several times & while the wounds seem to heal, the scars still remain. A scar is a mark or indication that something unusual, undesirable, & unexpected has happened. It has taken what was (at least we thought it was) healthy & marked it for life. Generally, a scar never goes away.
* Scars tell a story – Here’s the interesting thing about our scars; they tell a story that something has happened, but by our mindset (our spiritual walk), we frame the story like we want. Let me explain; over the years people walk up to me & ask about the scar on the left side of my neck. At this point, I have to admit something did happen, but it is my choice-about what I choose to tell. I offer you three options; a) you can deny it’s actually a scar. In the physical realm, people do this all the time by covering up the scar. If this is our approach, we’ll use makeup, some kind of clothes, or we’ll simply ignore or make light of it. In the spiritual or emotional realm, we can simply refuse to talk about it or redirect the attention. B) We can downplay it. Our response is, “No big deal” when actually, it’s destroying you inside. This is what Bro. Steve talked with us about on the last night of the meeting when he spoke of forgiveness & how the attitude of unforgiveness will even affect your facial features. C) We can display it. Never forget that God is in control, He is sovereign, & whereas He may not have “orchestrated’ the circumstances of your pain, He certainly allowed it to come.
* Before you get mad at God for your scars, I call you to remember several things; God knows the end from the beginning. (in other words, He sees everything in HINDSIGHT & hindsight is always 20/20), He wants the best for you, & He always applies Romans 8:28. Additionally, the “Joseph principle” is still in effect today. That principle goes like this; “What the enemy meant for bad, God takes & reworks for our good & His Glory.”
* God brings us through the deepest, darkest, & most dangerous valleys. Paul understood this when he wrote what we know as his 2nd letter to the church at Corinth. Follow as we read verses 3-12 of Chapter one.
* Never, in the entirety of my years in ministry have I felt a valley so deep & wide as I have this week. It’s so deep that a person might think he cannot climb out & it is so wide that it many are encompassed. This week carries the symbolism of Peter walking on the water. He was headed towards Jesus, became distracted, & started sinking. They were in the water over a mile from land, so the water was deep & Peter was going under! When we take our eyes off of Jesus & start down, it happens quickly. Because of the way I was told this story, I have carried the picture in my mind that Peter kind of sank like in ‘quick sand’ where you go down, but it is slow & the more you fight, the faster is happens. When you start sinking in water, how does it happen? It is very quick & it’s the same way with sin. and when we think we are about to go under, our Lord reaches His hand of comfort.
1. The Origin – In the darkest night & most difficult circumstances, where does this comfort, that we so desperately need, come from? We find it in verse 3. It begins, “Blessed be the God.” Who is this God? In an alliterative answer, He is the Father of Compassion, of Christ, & of Comfort! Why is this so exciting? The one who originated comfort is the one who originated mercy is the one who is the Father (the originator) of the Lord Jesus. Don’t get hung up on the theology of the originator of Jesus as much as hang on to the truth that He is the FATHER of all that is good. This means if we are to find mercy, if we are to find comfort, & if we are to find Christ, HE IS OUR SOURCE! Verse 4 begins, “HE COMFORTS US!” If HE originated the concept of comforting people, then when HE COMFORTS, it is the best comfort we can experience. An inventor or originator always delivers the best. In music, I love to hear the original artist or writer sing a song that HE made popular. Why? Because you can tell it’s HIS or HER song. They are able to take great liberties with it, because their voice is the one who people think of when that song is mentioned or sung. Our God in heaven is the originator, the instigator, & the purveyor of comfort. As we look through God’s word, we find Him offering divine comfort time & again. It is HIS to offer. Blessed.
2. The Occasion - So when is it exactly that God offers us comfort? The first phrase of verse 4 paints the clear picture that He gives it when it is NEEDED! (Read 4a) It is in our affliction, struggle, trouble, & storm that God comes to comfort us. God’s comfort is given to God’s Children when the difficulties come. However, God’s comfort to those who have not come to Him by the way of Jesus is totally different. God’s love & ways are above ours. While this fleshes out in many different ways; to the person outside of Christ-God’s comfort takes the form of conviction. Peter tells us that God doesn’t desire for anyone to perish & for Him the greatest affliction known to man is the affliction of unforgiven sin. Until one comes to Christ in repentance & confession, the only comfort God will offer is that of Jesus. God’s heart breaks for the person who is outside of His grace, so He pulls out all the stops to reach you & touch you with His eternal salvation. If you haven’t received God’s offer of salvation, that is your starting point for His comfort. For the child of God who experiences heart break, God is there offering His perfect comfort. Jesus said, “Blessed are those who morn, for they will be comforted.” Jesus, our Lord, is a ‘friend of the wounded heart.’ He will give grace, peace, understanding, & comfort. It is in your darkest hour when God & the light of God’s comfort shines the brightest. He is there.
3. The Operation – How in the world does the God of comfort & the comfort of God actually work? God comforts us in our afflictions, struggles, troubles, & difficulties that we may offer others the same comfort. Who among us has experienced heartbreak? DON’T WASTE YOUR HURT! First, through your hurt allow God to perform His complete work. Too often we are more interested in smoothing it over or ignoring the problem as opposed to learning everything which God wants to teach us. If you move too quickly, the entire process will be short-circuited & you will miss out. God allows any pain you experience & HE HAS A REASON FOR IT. Think about Joseph. From the time his brothers threw him in the pit until Potiphar threw him in prison (both for no fault of his own), God was with him. It is better to be in the pit or prison with God than in the palace without God! What did God have to teach Joseph? Without a doubt Joseph needed to learn when TO speak & when NOT TO speak. (I.E. his dreams). Think about Peter & admit that when he denied Jesus (& Jesus looked at him) he was in deep turmoil. Don’t forget, Jesus knew Peter was going to do this, even warned Peter, & yet Jesus didn’t stop Peter. Why? It was in this experience that Peter was reminded of his own corruption & selfish ways. It seems to me that through this experience, Peter came to terms with his own humanity & understood his incredible need for the presence & power of Jesus. Additionally, it was this one trial in the life of Peter that prepared him to preach at Pentecost & be the leader in healing, teaching, & witnessing.
4. The Overflow – This is one of my favorite parts of this message. (Recap) The only way this happens is when our lives overflow from the heart & life of Christ. Helping others through our hurt (or overflowing) is not a natural work of man; it is a divine work of God, the Father of comfort. In God’s economy, whatever He sends our way is for not only ‘our benefit’ but for the benefit of those around us. (Read verse 4-7) When I am afflicted it is not for me to pass my affliction on to you (that is man’s way, you know ‘misery loves company’). But rather, as a child of God, when affliction comes my way, God is right there offering me His comfort. And both my affliction & my comfort are used by God to overflow on other, comfort & even the revelation of salvation. Do you comprehend this message? How we respond to affliction & how we allow it to impact us has eternal consequences to those around us. If I choose to become angry, mean, & unforgiving, when I face trouble, then God is not magnified & people see me as no different as anyone else. But when I respond like HE responds, eyes are opened, hearts are touched, & lives are changed. Say what you will, but this is an overflow of my life which can only come through Jesus.
5. The Outcome - Verse 8 begins with words we don’t want to hear, but we better embrace, “don’t be unaware.” It never ceases to amaze me the number of people who ‘think’ they have no more learning to do. They won’t ‘say’ that they know it all, but they never place themselves in a place that is a learning place. Please, don’t be unaware of the reason for & the response to ‘affliction & comfort’ which is needed from God’s people. In verse 9 & following, Paul gives us a picture of the trouble he & Timothy were facing because of their faith in Christ. They were risking their lives for the gospel even to the point of having a ‘death sentence’ hanging over their heads. Because they had witnessed God coming through in so many other cases, their faith was strong, their hope was sure, & their trust was not in themselves but in God (who raises the dead). They were not going to plead out their case, they were trusting God with this type of faith, “He has delivered us & He will deliver us.” Receiving & accepting God’s comfort gives us great confidence that God is always faithful, true, strong, & on time.
In the midst of our darkest night,
God turns on His bright light
Showing us that what we think to be the end
is truly only a bend.
And around that bend,
follow we must
The one in whom
we place complete trust.
And following Jesus,
from the darkness we’ll come to a new place
With faith renewed, strength restored,
and overflowing with grace.
"Blessed be the God of all comfort. He comforts us in our affliction so that we may comfort others through the comfort we receive from Him."
