Some of you have been through some trials recently. Some of you are going through some deep stuff right now. People have come to you, seeking to comfort you. And sometimes that just doesn¡¦t make you feel any better. When you¡¦re in suffering, it feels like the pressure will never let up. It feels like the pain will never end. It feels like nobody possibly knows what you¡¦re bearing in your heart. One of the questions we have during those times: Is there any comfort for me? Is there any way that I¡¦m going to feel better? Is it possible to endure this? I don¡¦t see how. I want to encourage you from God¡¦s word this morning that there is comfort in suffering. I know it by experience. I know it because God promised it. I know it because I know what God is like. You might feel beyond comfort today. You might feel great today, but something might hit you tomorrow that leaves you without hope. I want you to know: I will never minimize what you¡¦re going through. I¡¦m going to give you some assurances today, but in doing so, I don¡¦t in any way take your suffering lightly. But you need to understand that you can trust God to sustain and encourage you, even in the most severe trial, because that¡¦s the kind of God he is.
I.GOD IS A GOD OF COMFORT (3-7)
"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 have received from God."
A.HE COMFORTS US DIRECTLY
1.the starting point of everything in life is understanding who God is
How we respond to suffering depends on our view of God
2.(3) tells us what kind of God he is
he is "the Father of compassion"
"the God of all comfort"
central to his whole being is the attribute of compassion
which expresses itself in comfort
God would not be God if this were not true of him
3.based on who God is, he deserves our praise
(3) directs us to offer our praise to this God
we ought to rejoice that this is who God is
to extol him with the highest compliments
because of this
talk is cheap
its easy to talk God-talk when its just abstract and distant
anyone can say "God is good" when things are going easy
but this declaration is not empty words
we don¡¦t know what exactly it was,
but Paul had just gone through some serious trials
which he describes in (8)
so he knew what he was talking about
God’s character had been tested in his life
And he could say, from personal experience:
"God is a God of compassion and comfort"
4. the fact is: God comforts us (3): in ALL our troubles
let¡¦s figure out how he does this
the word ¡§comfort¡¨ = to come alongside to help
its an arm around the shoulder
its someone to take up your cause
in fact, one of the names for the Holy Spirit is the Comforter
that¡¦s the same Greek word for the ¡§comfort¡¨ God gives in (3)
he comforts us through the Holy Spirit
when you¡¦re in a time of trial, the Holy Spirit comes alongside your life
Rom 8: when we don¡¦t know how to pray
When you¡¦re suffering, prayer can be very hard
You can¡¦t muster the emotional energy or sense to know how to pray
But the HS prays for us when we don¡¦t know how
Rom 8: the HS testifies to our hearts that we really are God¡¦s children
Trials make us doubt that sometimes
But HS lives in you, as a believer
He whispers a quiet confidence to your spirit
That you belong to God / God loves you
5. (5): ¡§Just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows¡¨
God comforts us ¡§through Christ¡¨
The NT often speaks of us sharing in the sufferings of Christ
This doesn¡¦t just refer to persecution
Or when we suffer directly because we belong to Christ
I think that¡¦s too narrow a view
Because Jesus didn¡¦t suffer only because he was the Messiah
The Roman soldiers were not opposing his claims to be from God
They were just brutal and loved to inflict pain
Some of Jesus¡¦ sufferings were inflicted by his own followers
Not because he was the Messiah
But simply because of their own cowardice
We identify with the sufferings of Jesus in many different ways
The promise is: the comfort of Christ also flows into our lives
Not a scant measure, not rationed or held back
And not just flows, but over-flows
The suffering flows
And how it flows at times: sometimes at flood stage
But the comfort over-flows
Because we think of Jesus¡¦ life
How he treated people / how he embraced those broken by life
How he welcomed the blind and lame
How he touched the leper
Reached out to the least and last of society
Matt 9: he saw the people, helpless and harassed like sheep without a shepherd
And he had compassion on them
6. Your response to this is critical
Because whenever God reveals himself to us, we respond
Either by drawing closer to him / by listening to him
Or by rejecting him
I believe central factor that dictates whether you receive God¡¦s comfort or not
Is how you respond to him
Whether you believe this about him / accept it to yourself
Or refuse it in face of the trial
One Greek word for trials = pressure
When you¡¦re under pressure, being squeezed by something in your life
You have a choice
You can allow the pressure to push you away from God
Or to push you toward him
So: let God comfort you
Let him near when you¡¦re hurting: don¡¦t push him away
Pour out your heart to him
Invite him into the hurting place
Open the Bible and meditate on what it says: on God¡¦s promises / truths
Passages like Psalms, many of the words of Jesus
Be open to what the HS might do in your heart
The God of compassion will come alongside to comfort you¡K
B. HE COMFORTS US THROUGH OTHERS
1. (4): we pass on the comfort we have received
we ¡§comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God¡¨
so there is a human role in God¡¦s comfort
we receive God¡¦s comfort through the HS, through Christ
we turn around and become conduits of that same comfort to others
who are now in trouble as we were
2. of course, for this to work: we have to be connected to each others¡¦ lives
when the time comes that you need comfort
its going to be hard for others to give it to you
if you weren¡¦t connected in relationships before, when things were going well
look at 6-7:
¡§If we are distressed, 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 we suffer. And our hope is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.¡¨
This is about sharing between people
Sharing in sufferings / sharing in comfort
Implies a bond between people¡¦s lives
Life is tough / trials will come
Yet so many Xians are complacent about their rel¡¦ships with other Xians
You slip in for worship and slip right out again
There¡¦s no one in your life you are deeply connected to
You have no relational insurance to cover you when the collision happens
That¡¦s why we do ABFs and small groups
Why we do ministry in teams
Because of the connections these relationships create
So: when the hammer falls / wheels come off
We¡¦re in a position to receive comfort God sends through his people
3. (6): the result of comfort we receive from each other „³ patient endurance
in (10): Paul said: the trial he faced was beyond his ability to endure
so how was he able to endure it?
His ability to endure was increased by the comfort of others
we¡¦re able to weather the storm
not collapse, not fall apart before the trial is ended
I encourage you: let other people comfort you
I know the natural tendency during hard times is to pull away
Sometimes people can just add to the stress
You need your space „³ but there is a limit
I understand that not everyone is a comfort
People sometimes say some pretty stupid, thoughtless things
Sometimes people have their own agenda
But you don¡¦t need to throw the baby out with the bathwater
There are many who will be able to help you / comfort you
If you let them into your life
4. At same time: let me address for a moment „³ how to be a comforting person
I know: when a friend is going through a very hard time, its awkward
You don¡¦t know what to do to help
Let me give you some pointers
Don¡¦t talk a lot
People feel like they need to give all the answers
To explain God / to tell friend how to deal with suffering
That often does more harm than good
Sometimes that comes across as a know it all
As uncaring, unfeeling
Even if what you share is totally biblical and true
Don¡¦t tell stories about people you know who went through this or that
It may seem to you like you are relating to their troubles
But those stories don¡¦t bring comfort
Often they are inappropriate
Don¡¦t say, ¡§I know how you feel¡¨ unless you really do
Because in most cases, you don¡¦t
And that comes across sounding shallow
Three ways you can give tremendous comfort w/o saying a word
Listen, listen, listen
Not for the purpose of giving answers
But for the purpose of showing you care
Few things show love / care more than just listening when someone needs it
By listening with empathy, there might come a time when you earn the right to speak
In response to a question your friend might ask
Second: give hugs
Third: do simple practical things to help
When Nancy went into the hospital for her surgery last year¡K
Gayle Kennington bought us a little suitcase
(I know several of you helped her with this)
she put together a care package for us
knowing that I would be sleeping over at hospital a few nights
that was a comfort
God often chooses to give us his comfort through others. But not only is God a God of comfort, we also see in this passage¡K
II. GOD IS A GOD OF DELIVERANCE (8-11)
A. he can turn any situation around (8-9)
¡§We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.
1. Paul¡¦s trials were so great: ¡§we despaired even of life¡¨
He and his companions felt (9) as if they had been sentenced to death
IOW: they were sure that death was inevitable
That it had already been decreed
But in the end of (9) he says: but God is the one who raises the dead
God raised Jesus from the dead
When his followers had no hope
God is going to raise our mortal bodies from the dead one day
To give us a new, resurrection life that lasts forever
God raised Paul and his friends from the dead, as it were
Turned a hopeless situation around
Gave them back their lives again when they were as good as gone
But even if the trial is not of the life-threatening kind
This is still a fitting metaphor for God¡¦s ability
He has the power to turn any situation around
2. Having said that: we never minimize the reality of suffering
Someone we can get pretty glib
Throw out pious platitudes to people in real pain
¡§Just trust the Lord¡K.¡¨
¡§God must have a purpose¡K.¡¨
Those sentiments are true!
But we can give these assurances of God¡¦s promises in a way¡K
Sounds like we don¡¦t take the suffering seriously
Paul¡¦s suffering was serious, and he didn¡¦t mind saying so!
It was ¡§far beyond our ability to endure¡¨
As I said, he despaired even of life
(10): the calls is a ¡§deadly peril¡¨
if someone is hurting, we don¡¦t deny the impact of that
when someone is afraid, we don¡¦t pretend they¡¦re not
3. (9) shows one reason why God allows suffering in our lives
I said last week: trials are never without purpose
For a Xian, suffering is never meaningless
(9): God allowed suffering that was beyond his ability to bear
he wasn¡¦t resentful / bitter / angry at God
he realized: ¡§this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God¡¨
hardships have a way of breaking us of our self-sufficiency
remind us: we¡¦re not god
we¡¦re finite creatures
if you choose the right response¡K
going through affliction deepens your dependence on God
when you¡¦re living in dependence on God¡K
you see what God can do instead of just what you can do
So: knowing that God is a god of comfort, knowing that he has a purpose for trials,¡K
B. HE INVITES US TO TRUST IN HIM (10-11)
¡§He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.¡¨
1. we can trust God because we have the assurance of God¡¦s deliverance (10)
Paul says: God has delivered us
He rescued us from our deadly peril
He will deliver us: whatever comes next
He will continue to deliver us
Since we don¡¦t really know what Paul¡¦s peril was¡K
We don¡¦t know what God did to deliver him
Bible tells us about other times God delivered him
One time: Paul¡¦s ship was wrecked at sea
God got them to dry land
One time: a mob threatened to attack him
God used the police commander to take him into safe custody
One time: Paul was in jail
God sent an earthquake to crack open the doors
One time: there was an assassination plot against him
God allowed the plot to be overheard by someone who knew Paul
One time: he was beaten and left for dead
God just didn¡¦t allow him to die that day
So Paul had plenty of evidence: he had seen it in the past
Not only that: he knew the character and power of God
So he was confident that God would deliver him in the future
One time: Paul was under sentence of death by emperor Nero
He was scheduled to be executed by beheading
God delivered him one last time
by using the emperor¡¦s blade to take Paul into the presence of Jesus
2. Neil Whittier had brain surgery on Thursday
To remove a tumor from deep inside his cranium
If there¡¦s a medical procedure more chilling / threatening than brain surgery, I don¡¦t know what it is
We have prayed for God to heal him / deliver him
I¡¦m thankful to report that the surgery went great!
That Neil has been recovering faster than expected
All his IVs are out
He¡¦s moved to intermediate care
He might even go home today
So far, everything seems promising about his recovery
3. But what if Neil had died?
Would we say that God did not deliver him?
That these promises are a fraud?
No: the ultimate deliverance from the pain and sorrow of this life
From all our trials and afflictions
Is to go home to be with the Lord
If we got together, between us all we could recount dozens of examples
Of how God has acted powerfully to work deliverance in our lives
But sometimes God¡¦s deliverance is beyond this life
So what do we make of all this? God is compassionate. God is a comforter. God is a deliverer.
4. our response to God: trust him
back in (7), Paul said: our hope in him is firm
(10): ¡§on him we have set our hope¡¨
in the Bible, hope is something you can¡¦t see, but you know is coming
its not ¡§I wish I can, I wish I might, have the wish I have tonight¡¨
it¡¦s a confidence in what we know but we can¡¦t see
when you¡¦re going through trials, you can¡¦t always see
when I¡¦m riding my bike up over Sardine Canyon
7 grueling miles to the top
I know the summit is up there
Its around a right-hand and a left-hand bend
And up over two rises
As I labor up the grade, I can¡¦t see it: but I know its there
When I get there, its going to be 7 glorious miles down hill
If I thought the road kept going up and up and up forever
I would lose hope
In your trial, you know God¡¦s deliverance is coming
Somewhere up ahead where you can¡¦t see, beyond the bend in the road
You¡¦ll reach the summit
So put your hope in God
5. along with trusting him, our response to God: to pray
(11): prayer helps
God uses the prayers of his people to help those in suffering
(11): God¡¦s gracious favor is granted ¡§in answer to the prayers of many¡¨
I don¡¦t think prayer convinces God to be gracious / to act in our behalf
As if God didn¡¦t want to in the first place
Its not like signing a petition to send to Congress about some issue
To exert pressure on a politician to change how they vote
God cares more than we do!
I think its more like this:
When God wants to work, he moves his people to pray
Giving us the privilege of being involved in his deliverance
And because we prayed and saw God work
(11): then many will give thanks
if God worked without involving us in prayer¡K
we would think it was just a coincidence
but this way, he gets the recognition / praise he deserves
for his work in this world
so: if you¡¦re praying „³ that¡¦s a good sign that God is working
CONCLUSION
I¡¦ve never been in a trial so deep that I despaired of life. At one time, I though my wife might be under a sentence of death. But we put our hope in God. We received most abundantly God¡¦s comfort, and so can you. By opening your life to him. By turning to his promises. By letting the Holy Spirit touch your heart. By allowing others into your life to comfort you.
When you put your hope in God, it doesn¡¦t mean your emotions just go stone cold. You may not stop feeling fear or anxiety or grief. But beneath the ever-changing sea of your emotions, you have a rock-solid foundation on which to stand. You have a safe place for your heart. God is going to sustain you and encourage you as you put your hope in him, no matter how serious the trial, because that¡¦s the kind of God he is.
Let me just say: its hard to put your hope in God when trials come if you haven¡¦t put your hope in him for your whole life and eternity. There is a radical, life-changing transaction that confronts every one of us. If you have never given your life to Jesus, I want to invite you to do that today. Don¡¦t stay on the outside looking in.
Our sins separate us from God. But Jesus died on the cross to pay the price for your sins and mine. He offers you forgiveness and new life, a new identity and heavenly destiny ¡V he offers you all the blessings of a life in step with God¡¦s purpose and provision.
If you will admit your sin and trust in Jesus¡¦ death on the cross to cover it; if you will admit that running your own life and leaving God out is wrong and foolish, and give him the driver¡¦s seat, if you will invite Jesus as Savior and Lord into the core of your being for the rest of your life: then God performs a dramatic transformation deep within your soul that makes you a new person and changes you from the inside out.
If you need to pray with someone this morning about a trial you¡¦re going through: you need God¡¦s comfort, you want to let him in and trust in him: our prayer team will be waiting to meet with you after the service. If you would like to give your life to Jesus this morning, to enter God¡¦s family, to become a Xian, our prayer team can tell you more about how to do that and can pray with you to make that a reality in your life. Let¡¦s pray.
