INTRODUCTION
• SLIDE #1
• What now? I belong to Jesus and what now? Life is good, no problems, healthy, wealthy, and living large for Jesus, RIGHT? ?
• Well, the good news is that with Jesus, life is good, but life is not always easy.
• We have examined some of the various implications for one’s life when they give it to Jesus.
• Today we ask the question, what about my pain. Now that I am in Christ, shouldn’t I be exempt from pain. I am not really talking about sore backs and sore knees, but rather the anxieties, the deep emotional pains from for some, back to childhood.
• I think one of the things that can happen when we come to Christ, is that we have this misconception that if we struggle with the pain of loss, or the pain from the scars from childhood, or destroyed relationships, that we are less of a Christian because of it.
• My own experience tells me as well as my over 22 years in ministry tells me that some, or many people, when they are struggling (and next week we will conclude this series that will address our struggles) with the various pains in life, they feel a level of shame.
• That shame will cause them to simply suffer on silence.
• They do not want the seemingly perfect people around them to know they are struggling.
• By the way, this shame only increases when we give off vibe that life is perfect, and I do not struggle with pain.
• I take my pain right to Jesus, so therefore, I am unaffected by it.
• Listen, those of us who live in the real world are keenly aware of the pain life can bring.
• We are painfully aware of the devastation that the loss of loved ones, the damage from childhood, the scars from broken marriages as well as the pain of dealing with accidents and disease can bring to us.
• I am going to gently and respectfully suggest that pain is a part of life, and as Christians we are not exempt from pain; however, our lives do not have to be driven of defined by the pain.
• Now I am going to tell you something that will sound like the typical Sunday School answer when it comes to dealing with pain, there is a cure and we are going to talk about that today.
• What I am going to suggest is that you do not have to suffer alone, you do not have to let the pains of life define you.
• Today turn with me to 2 Corinthians 1:3-8.
• Let’s begin with verse 3!
• SLIDE #2
• 2 Corinthians 1:3 (CSB) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort.
SERMON
• Where do you go when you are facing some pain from life? Where do you turn when a spouse has left you, or damaged you in some way? What do you turn to hide the pain of the scars from childhood?
• When you are hurting how do you cope, how do you cover it?
• We all have some mechanism for dealing with pain. Maybe we do not allow anyone to get close to us thinking that we then are protecting ourselves from being hurt?
• Maybe we became the school bully to hide the pain that was inflicted upon us by a parental figure?
• Some turn to drugs and alcohol, and other addictions as they try to drown out the pain.
• Some chose isolation.
• We all try to do something to compensate for the pain.
• When I was dealing with the kidney stone a few weeks ago, I am the type that does not like to even take an aspirin.
• Usually I try to suck it up and ignore it. I have had knee issues since I was hit by a car when I was twelve. I have learned to live with it.
• Others hear live in constant pain and you know there comes a point where you need to do something.
• For me the kidney stone had me begging for painkillers.
• So, what do you when the pain is screaming out at you and it is so bad you have to do something?
• Might I suggest there is a better way to deal with the pain of life other than insolation, shame, drugs, and other addictions.
• Here comes the Sunday School answer! Wait for it, you will be amazed
• SLIDE #3
I. When in pain, turn to God.
• Now we need to understand who wrote the book of 2 Corinthians, it was the apostle Paul who had endured more pain and hardship in life as a RESLT of his relationship with Jesus than ever before.
• It is important to understand this because we know Paul is not simply offering up a bunch of theories that are not practical in the real world.
• Why can we and should we turn to God when we are in pain?
• Paul tells us!
• Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort.
• Paul calls our god the FATHER of Mercies and the GOD of comfort!
• This means that God is the source of mercy, He is the author of mercy.
• The word MERCIES would be equivalent to the word compassion.
• Mercy denotes the tender feeling of pity for those in distress.
• In the Old Testament, the attributes of mercy and compassion are ascribed to God.
• When we are hurting we do not have to think that God does not care, or that He is glad to see you suffering, or that He wants you to be in pain, He is the FATHER of Mercies.
• Remember when you were a kid and you were injured, most of us ran to mom and/or dad. Why? We knew we could find comfort.
• Well, you can turn to God when you are in pain because HE is the God of ALL COMFORT.
• Did you catch the word ALL!
• The word comfort is a word built on two root words, which mean to call alongside of, and the second word which denotes to give courage, hope or confidence.
• In Isaiah 51:3, we see that God is the source of comfort.
• When you turn to someone for comfort, you are looking to them to come alongside of you and tell you that you will get through this, that the pain will not last forever, that the future is bright.
• Many parents begin with telling you all you did wrong. There is a time to teach, but initially, we need offer comfort, THEN teach.
• God will bring comfort to you in the midst of your pain, THEN if there is a lesson to be learned, it will be revealed to you.
• Jeff, that is all well and good, but you do not understand, my pain is too great for even God to help me with you might say. Humm.
• SLIDE #4
• 2 Corinthians 1:4 (CSB) — 4 He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God.
• SLIDE #5
II. There is no pain too great for God to handle.
• I want to place our focus on the first part of verse 4.
• He comforts us in all our affliction,
• We try to cover our pain in various ways, we tend to isolate ourselves because we do not think anyone else knows what we are going through.
• We think that people will look down on us in some way if we open up to them.
• We think our pain is so great that God cannot even help us.
• We turn to isolation, addictive behavior, self-abuse among other things.
• Think about it, if you do not think someone will help you will not go to them with your pain.
• When I had shoulder surgery, the doctor gave me Percocet for the pain. I took them for a day or 2 and felt no relieve, so I quit taking them. For one, I was afraid of addiction, 2 that stuff, let’s say will back up your pipes ?, and third, I felt they did nothing for me.
• Many folks treat God the way I treated Percocet, my pain was too great for it so why take it?
• Remember who wrote 2 Corinthians. PAUL! Paul knew what it meant to suffer pain, but he also knew where to turn for comfort. For Paul this passage was not just theology, it was LIFE!
• It was not just some theory, it was practical life teaching that works in the real world!
• By the way, the word COMFORT is a PRESENT TENSE verb which tells us that comfort is something that God does continually, it does not stop for one minute!
• Paul uses the word AFFLCITION, of which he has a great deal of experience.
• AFFLCITION denotes the pressing or pressure, the word was used of the pressing and pressure used to crush grapes in order to extract juice from them.
• We are told that God brings comfort in ALL afflictions, or all the pressures and pains of life.
• There are no exceptions, no pressure that is too great for God to handle!
• Let’s look at verses 4-8.
• SLIDE #6
• 2 Corinthians 1:4–8 (CSB) — 4 He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 5 For just as the sufferings of Christ overflow to us, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. 6 If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation. If we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings that we suffer. 7 And our hope for you is firm, because we know that as you share in the sufferings, so you will also share in the comfort. 8 We don’t want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, of our affliction that took place in Asia. We were completely overwhelmed—beyond our strength—so that we even despaired of life itself.
• SLIDE #7
III. God’s comfort is meant to be shared.
• I am going to be very careful how I word this so that no one takes it wrong.
• We need to understand that the pain we deal with and the comfort God offers us is meant to be shared with others.
• Look at the last part of verse 4 as well as rest of the passage through verse 8.
• so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God.
• When we are in pain and we go to God for comfort, there is a silver lining, we are to take the comfort we receive from God and share it with others who are hurting.
• WHAT I AM NOT SAYING IS THAT GOD CAUSED YOUR PAIN, SO HE CAN COMFORT YOU AND THEN YOU CAN SHARE THAT COMFORT.
• We need to understand something about God’s comfort, it does not always deliver us from the cause of the pain and pressure, but God’s comfort rescues us from the anxiety which the suffering and pain cause.
• God’s comfort brings us hope.
• God is there for us when the pains of life plague us.
• This is where a passage like Romans 8:28 comes into play.
• SLIDE #8
• Romans 8:28 (CSB) We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.
• We have talked about this before, Paul says ALL THINGS, not some.
• Well, maybe part of the good that your pain and God’s comfort from that pain brings is you being able to be a blessing to others.
• In verse 6, Paul talks about patient endurance. If we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings that we suffer.
• When comfort is apprehended, it will help produce patient endurance. It helps us to see the end game, that this life not the only life we have.
• When we are dealing with pain, God’s comfort can help us to grow in patient endurance.
• Endurance is not a passive acceptance of troubles, trials or pain, but rather it is a positive attitude that anticipates that something will happen to turn the pain into some sort of blessing for yourself and/or others.
• Romans 5:3 reminds us afflictions produce endurance.
CONCLUSION
• Pain, we all are afflicted and damaged in some way by it. Pain is a reality of the world we live in.
• Loved ones will die, we and those we love will suffer from sickness, accident and disease.
• People will hurt us.
• So, what do you do about the pain you suffer with? Drowning in drugs, sex, or alcohol.
• DO you suffer in shame alone thinking you are less of a child of God because of your struggle? Do you let your pain define you are destroy you, to suck the joy out of life?
• There is a better way, and that way is to trust you pain in God’s hands and to realize there is a church full of people who are here to help you work through your pain.
• You will not be judged, you will loved!
• So my question for you is simple, how will you chose to deal with your pain as a Christian.
• For those who have yet to come into a relationship with Jesus, what will you do about your pain?
• Why not come to the FATHER OF ALL MERCIES AND THE GOD OF ALL COMFORT!
