How do you feel when you experience the first real snowfall of the season? Not to long ago, we had our first significant snowfall. I can remember my reaction. I ran outside with a childish smile on my face just to see and feel the snow as it fell on my face. There was electricity in the air. I don’t know why. There’s just something about that first layer of white, pure, virgin snow that covers up all the brown, dry, dead leaves and grass. It transforms the landscape to a winter wonderland. Your big picture window transforms from a drab picture of naked, dead trees and grass to a giant, winter postcard. Of course, many of us went out to go play. I know I did. My boys and I went to Stubby park with our sleds and flat things to go slide down the hill. It was a blast. The hillside was full of children and adults both enjoying the reinvigorating white covering over the earth.
We have been spending time looking at how to get our Spiritual snowfall. You know, those things that reinvigorate us spiritually. We have already looked at how both blaming others, complaining, and investing your life in what may seem to give the illusion of filling your life with satisfaction all are dead ends. We have noted how Jesus took time to slow down, contemplate and consider. We saw how the slowing down was for the purpose of prayer and getting in touch with God.
What God does when we make a habit of getting in touch with him.
So what happens when we do slow down and get in touch with God? What happens when we begin to develop a better rapport with God through a lifestyle of prayer? Notice what Luke tells us happened when Jesus prayed.
Luke 22:39-43 – “And He came out and proceeded as was His custom to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples also followed Him. When He arrived at the place, He said to them, "Pray that you may not enter into temptation. And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and began to pray, "Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done." Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him.”
Notice that it was his custom to pray. Because of his healthy prayer life – because of his habit of slowing down to contemplate and consider – because he was in touch with God - Jesus found the strength he needed in order to carry out God’s purposes in his life AND in his death. That’s what God does when we pray. That is why they say prayerless is powerless BUT prayerful is powerful. That’s why Paul says, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”
To strengthen is part of God’s character. Notice 2 Cor 1:3
2 Cor 1:3 – “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,”
God is the God of all comfort. So what does this mean? If he is the God of all comfort, does that mean he makes us comfortable? What happened to Jesus when he prayed in Gethsemane? Did God send an angel to make Jesus comfortable? Did the Angel bring him an arm chair and a remote and tell him to kick back and relax? Most of us know better. So exactly what does this mean?
I personally do not like most of our English translations of this passage because there are better words to convey what is being said here. The word translated “comfort” is paraklesis. It means encouragement, exhortation, comfort or consolation. What does the word “encouragement” make you think of? Notice that it is a form of the word “courage.” To en – courage someone is to build up their courage, or to strengthen them as the angel did when Jesus was praying. That’s what this passage is saying. God is the God of all encouragement. I like the way Today’s English Version renders it –
“Let us give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the merciful Father , the God from whom all help comes!”
This echoes some of the great Psalms, which declare God as our “’azar” (help). Psalm 121 declares “My help comes from the Lord.” That is what Paul is declaring in 2 Cor 1:3 when he blesses God as the “God of all help.”
But God the Father is not the only one who helps us. We were given what Jesus calls a "parakletos (helper)", in order to give us encouragement (paraklesis). Jesus speaks of him in John 14-16. He refers to the Holy Spirit as the “parakletos” the helper (some Bibles translate comforter). According to Eph 3:16 the ministry of the Spirit involves being strengthened with inner power so that we can be made equal to the task God gives us. Romans 8:26 says that the Spirit helps us in our weaknesses. Galatians 5 tells us that the Spirit bears the fruit of Christian character in our lives.
But that’s not all, in addition to God the Father and the Spirit, we also have another parakletos. First John 2:1 says that John was writing these things so that we may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have a parakletos with the Father. He “helps” us by interceding to the Father on our behalf. He continually covers our sin through his blood.
It’s like a race. There are several sources of help, and some many do not even think of as help. Where does the energy come from to run the race? First of all you have to have the proper intake of food and vitamins. Your intake keeps you healthy and strong. With the wrong intake, you could become fatigued and not run well. With no intake, you would get weak and sick an eventually not be able to race at all. The spirit is our intake. Jesus sends the Spirit in our hearts to strengthen us. Paul calls the word of God the sword of the Spirit in Ephesians 6. So part of the intake of the Spirit involves a regular intake of God’s word.
Then there is the trainer. He is clapping his hands and yelling motivational and encouraging words to the runner. He has even run the race himself. If he can do it, so can the runner. Even if they want to cancel the runner, the trainer to defend him. The runner is his project and he has put his heart and soul into the runner. That is Jesus. He is our trainer. He helps be providing and example and by interceding on our behalf.
So it looks like we are in pretty good shape. God is the source of our help. He sends us the Spirit to help us by strengthening us. He sent his son to help us through his atonement and intercession. So much help. What should we do with it all?
God’s purpose for our encouragment.
Let’s go back and read the rest of Paul’s blessing in 2 Corinthians 2. He writes,
2 Cor 1:3-7 – “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort/help, who comforts/helps us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort/help those who are in any affliction with the comfort/help with which we ourselves are comforted/helped by God. For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort/help is abundant through Christ. But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort/help and salvation; or if we are comforted/helped, it is for your comfort/help, which is effective in the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer; and our hope for you is firmly grounded, knowing that as you are sharers of our sufferings, so also you are sharers of our comfort/help.”
I want you to notice what one of the purposes of God’s encouragement and help is. Paul says that God comforts or “helps” him so that he can “help” others. It’s like we have heard before – God does not comfort us to make us comfortable. He comforts us so we can comfort others! Let’s read it again – He “comforts/helps us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort/help those who are in any affliction with the comfort/help with which we ourselves are comforted/helped by God.”
You see, part of our challenge is the world we live in. We live in a time when people want to get more and more and more. Many people calls us Americans “consumers.” What do you think of when you think of consuming something? You might think of our potlucks. We have some great cooks in our congregation. Because of that we love to consume or devour their dishes. When that happens, you better make sure you are not at the end of the line or you may just be out of luck. Or maybe you might think of a log in your fireplace. When you light the fire, the fire consumes the wood. What are you left with? Nothing. Fire is a consumer. You may have a mess to clean up after everything is consumed, but that’s what landfills are for. Then there are the holidays where we really become consumers. But there is one who is not a consumer. The Turkey or the Ham! Isn’t it ironic that the only word a Turkey can say is a prophecy of its own fate? Gobble, gobble gobble! I remember reading somewhere that Americans consumer more goods and produce more garbage that anyone else in the world. That is the environment we have been raised in. That is a typical characteristic in the world we live in. But we are not of this world.
Paul said that we should not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our mind that we may be able to discern what the will of God is (Rom 12:2). Do you know what that means? You are no longer consumers. You are transformed. But the transformation comes from the renewing of your mind. You no longer think as a consumer because God did not intend for us to be merely “consumers” of his encouragement. He expects us to be vendors of it as well. That is why this morning’s text says he helps us in order that we may help others.
You cannot be a strong, happy, and emotionally healthy human being if you have a consumer mentality. I still remember a kid that lived down the street who had everything he ever wanted. His name was Jerry. Jerry always had all kinds of cool toys and things of that nature. He was very particular about what he had. I’m not so sure why because he didn’t take care of much of what he had. He used it up very fast. I remember going over to Jerry’s one day with a couple of friends after he had gotten a set of squirt guns. This was back in the days before the super soakers. However, I still remember that these were good squirt guns that held a lot of water. They looked cool as well. It was a hot summer day, so we were ready to play squirt gun wars. We were all excited and started to dig into the packages that held the squirt guns. Jerry went crazy. He grabbed them out of our hands and even pushed Teddie to the ground. He was so particular about them, he didn’t want to let any of them be more than an arms length away. Of course, we couldn’t really play squirt gun wars that way. After some compromises, wheeling and dealing, Jerry decided that he would keep all the squirt guns and we would just have to make do without any squirt guns. He didn’t want to share any of them. Well, you can guess what happened. We wound up leaving, as he stayed there stubbornly miserable with his squirt guns. He wanted it all. He had it all. He was a consumer. Did it make him happy? No. He was miserable. There was a reason his so very generous Dad got him all those squirt guns. It wasn’t just for himself, but so he could share them with others. Dad gave him plenty so he could share his happiness with others. Yet because he wanted to keep it all for himself, he was miserable.
Do you see how it all works? “My help comes from the Lord.” The God of all paraklesis/comfort helps us. The Holy Spirit, the parakletos/helper helps us. Jesus, our parakletos/advocate helps us. But it doesn’t stop there. Selfishness and self-centeredness will void all the help that God gives you. Instead of joy and strength, you will feel more miserable that when you started. So part of God’s help for you is to help others. That is why true, in-Christ fellowship is so important. There is a reason the Bible calls us the “BODY” of Christ. We are all connected together. Our life and direction comes ultimately from the head, which is Christ. However, it flows through one another. God uses all of us as parts of his body to help one another. That is part of our purpose.
Concl:
So, when everything in your life is brown, dead, dry and dreary, don’t get down. It wont stay that way. It may get cold, but God will send an invigorating snow and cover up all those spent leaves which have fallen to the grown.. And soon, it will water the ground and all kinds of green life will spring up all over! God’s blessings are generous and plentiful!
All of us are in pretty good shape. God comforts us, the Spirit helps us, Jesus advocates for us, and we have the encouragement of one another. We all that we can be en-couraged and have all the strength and courage to fulfill our purposes and challenges God gives to us.
So what is the challenge you are facing? It may be a difficult marriage. Maybe your challenge is a difficult child, or a difficult parent. It could be financial difficulties or even poor health. Maybe it is a sinful habit you just can’t seem to kick. Whatever challenge you face, know that God will make you equal to the task. He will help you and give you all the strength you need to overcome. That strength you gain from your challenge will grow even stronger as you share it with others in God’s family. That is the amazing thing about God’s resources. Most earthly resources get used up as you use them. However, God’s resources get used up when you don’t use them, and grow when you do use them. So when you share the strength he gives you with others, it increases your own joy and strength.
So I challenge you to really be a body. Be connected to God on one side, and connected to your brethren on the other. Let God use you. Let his power and help flow through you to others. When you do this, nothing will steal his joy away from any of us. United with God we are too strong.
