The God Of Peace And Comfort Series

Toolbox of Faith series

The God of peace and comfort

2 Corinthians 1:3-11

Prayer-

Father today, would you do something amazing in our lives? We need to sense your presence. We need to sense your peace and your comfort. Take hurting hearts and touch them with your love. Take a heart today that is anxious and give them the peace that only you could give to them.

Introduction-

We have been in a series looking at the tools in our faith toolbox. I believe I will wrap it up and look at the peace and comfort of God. Wrapped up in our faith in Christ, we can have and God desires for us to have His peace and His comfort.

Peace and comfort of God- Who would not want that?

You would be surprised who wants peace and comfort but does not want God in their life.

Peace-

“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” Romans 12:18

Some like the drama, but most want to live at peace.

The older we get, the less we want drama-

Comfort- (part of our text)-

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”

Think about these statements-

The trap set by the devil is that we compare our worth by the standards set by someone else.

We base our experience with God by how good we think God is to us- when things are going good, we love God but truth be told, we often forget about Him.

When things are tough, we think God is mad at us. We ask Him questions like where are you?

When we are going through hard times, we feel like God has let us down.

Is that the peace and comfort God is talking about for us? Where everything goes our way and we have no troubles or struggles in this life?

2 Corinthians 1:3-11

I have had people in the past praying with me, coming to see my family during rough times, and they would end the conversation with “I know how you feel”

I remember thinking- you don’t know how I feel!

I don’t want to “hang in there”! I feel like I am hanging.

I can’t “just get over it”

I remember being about 11 years old, and I made a diving play at third base with no shirt on at a family picnic and getting that fine grit dirt ground into my stomach- having my mom lovingly get the dirt out and crying. I was trying to be tough but it hurt! And someone said “Stop your crying” like I could just turn it off.

I look back and I realize that they meant no harm- they were just trying to be kind and in an odd way of compassion I guess- but I could not just get over it and felt that they did not know how I feel.

I try not to say that as an adult- “I know how you feel”- even if I feel like I went through the same thing- because each one of us deals with things different.

The only one who knows how you feel is the God of all comfort Jesus Christ!

Let’s take this passage in context-

The Corinthian church struggled to be separate from the secular people around them.

There were unity issues in the Corinthian Church.

You had some following Paul, some following Apollos, and some following Jesus.

Paul was seeking reconciliation and a desire to be lead by the Spirit of God and not by the most popular evangelist at the moment.

There are many times in our lives where we will be discouraged, depressed. Many right now are morning loses, feel guilty for things that have happened, and are at bad spots in their life. They do not need to hear that you know how they feel… they need to meet the savior that can comfort and lead them out of that dark spot.

Apostle Paul takes us step by step to the savior and shows us how to find peace and the comfort of God.

Praise brings Comfort

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all troubles, so we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves received from God.”

We need to get our praise on!

Illustration-

A body is not crippled 'til its heart has ceased to praise. Louis Albert Banks tells of an elderly Christian man, a fine singer, who learned that he had cancer of the tongue and that surgery was required. In the hospital after everything was ready for the operation, the man said to the doctor, "Are you sure I will never sing again?" The surgeon found it difficult to answer his question. He simply shook his head no. The patient then asked if he could sit up for a moment. "I've had many good times singing the praises of God," he said. "And now you tell me I can never sing again. I have one song that will be my last. It will be of gratitude and praise to God." There in the doctor's presence the man sang softly the words of Isaac Watts' hymn, "I'll praise my Maker while I've breath.