What About My Pain? Series

• 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.