Praying with Paul: Sharing
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Intro:
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,
Tonight, we will continue Praying with Paul. The subject of my message is, [Sharing].
Sharing is defined, to give a portion of (something) to another or others.
If we can all be honest, we really don’t LOVE sharing. It is not in our nature. We can tell my watching children, even at the youngest age.
They can be perfectly content NOT playing with a toy, UNTIL they see their sibling or cousin want that toy, then they do not want to share!
It has been like that since the first children of history. Adam and Eve had Cain and Abel. Cain couldn’t handle sharing the spotlight with Abel. It was too much when Abel recieved more honor from God for his offering. So he killed his brother.
We might think, that is true, kids and some people have a hard time sharing. Who can admit, I have a hard time sharing?
Let me ask it this way, who has ever begrudgingly given your spouse or child the last bite of your favorite dessert, candy bar, or meal?
I rest my case!
Though sharing is not within our nature, something happens when we become a follower of Christ. Our FELLOWSHIP with HIM enables us to share with others.
There is plenty of God to go around. He has an ability to give every person:
100% of His time
100% of His attention
100% of His concern
100% of His love
With this in mind, becoming a follower of Christ becomes a communal experiencing, meaning, we share with one another. That was a hallmark of the Early Church.
44 Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common,
45 and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.
They shared with one another. Why?
Because Jesus became the focal point of their lives. They were not required to share, it was an overflow of the love and the power of God in their lives.
When we fall in love with the Lord and walk in the power of the Spirit, we will desire to share.
While the Church in Acts shared, the Church in Corinth struggled with this concept. Paul begins his second letter by praying and blessing God.
I want to look at His prayer through the lens of sharing. When we are part of the Church, we share three things, [Shared Comfort], [Shared Consolation], and [Shared Confidence].
Let’s begin
1. Shared Comfort
1. Shared Comfort
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,
4 who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
Paul began this portion of his letter by blessed God. This was a common expression used in the synagogue, but Paul updated the blessing.
He blessed God, but he wanted to identify the God He blessed. He blessed God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
That may seem redundant, for we all know that God is Father, Son, and Spirit. WE know that, but that is after 2000 years of church history.
Many in the Corinthian church were Jews were accepted Jesus as their Messiah. So Paul emphasized the name of Jesus, for Her is the emphasis of our relationship.
Then Paul uses an important word five times in these two verses— comfort.
When we think of the word comfort, we should not envision a comfortable chair or couch, where we can lay back and take it easy.
Comfort in this context does not mean ease, but encouragement.
God the Father send Jesus, who has mercy on us to comfort and encourage us. When does God comfort us?
When we face tribulation
When we face trouble
33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
Jesus prepared His followers with the explanation that trials and tribulations will arise, but we are encouraged knowing that He has overcome the world, so we will too.
But notice how Paul explains God’s comfort, it is not an individual experience— God has comforted US so that we might comfort others.
Or we could say, God has encouraged US, so that we might encourage others.
What encouragement to know that I can get through my trials because of the encouragement of others. And then there will come a day when someone else will get through their trials because I will be able to encourage and bring comfort to them.
In Christ we have shared comfort.
2. Shared Consolation
2. Shared Consolation
5 For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ.
6 Now if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer. Or if we are comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.
Where comfort denoted encouragement, consolation reminds us of the person or thing that provides the comfort.
Comfort is what we receive, but the one who brings comfort is the consoler.
Paul’s point is this, we have suffered, but Christ consoles us!
Paul wanted them to see that he did suffer, but he experienced God through these sufferings. That is important to note. Without the proper perspective on suffering and affliction, we could never survive.
But God is near when we are afflicted. Paul tells them when we are weighed with troubles, God consoles us. When we are comforted, it is because we have a Savior named Jesus.
We must ALWAYS remember this truth:
18 The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit.
One of the lies of the enemy is that we are alone when we face hardships. If we believe that, he wins and we lose. In hardships, we look to Jesus and He will console us.
But is this an individual experience?
26 And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.
As followers of Jesus, we have shared consolation. Remember, God is big enough to go around. There is no limit to the comfort and consolation He provides.
In Christ we have shared comfort, and shared consolation.
3. Shared Confidence
3. Shared Confidence
7 And our hope for you is steadfast, because we know that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation.
Paul reveals His hope. Another word for hope is confidence.
27 To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
How do we discover the riches of God’s glory?
Often, He uses hardships and suffering. I know this is not a popular method. I would much rather He reveals the depths of his riches and glory when I am relaxing at a church dinner in Vulcan.
But I have discovered that, while I feel blessed when I am with the family of God, there is something about sharing the hope that God will help us.
I have witnessed this in our church more than once.
I remember within the first few months as pastor, watching our congregation share confidence that God would touch Michael’s body and heal his broken neck and back.
And God did, and we were able to rejoice for that!
I remember how we all weathered the Covid storm together, praying for and helping each other.
I think of Cora, how we prayed many times at the altar for God to touch her kidneys, we shared confidence that God would heal!
When we can develop the proper perspective on suffering we can live a more joyous life.
12 For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.
12 Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you;
13 but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.
2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,
The Apostles shared the same confidence— God is with us in the good and bad!
Close:
Sharing. I have often wondered what people do without a loving and caring church. I am glad that we do not have to find out, for at Vulcan Assembly of God, we share!
So let’s rethink this passage and make it personal.
All praise to God who sent Jesus
He is merciful to us and the source of our comfort
He has comforted Vulcan Assembly of God.
When we have faced trouble, He was there
Now, we know how to comfort each other
Because we know the consoler— Jesus
Jesus has showered comfort on us time and time again
Each of us has been weighed down with troubles at some point
But God comforted us through the gift of salvation
So we are confident, not matter what we face, good or bad, we will share in God’s comfort
What an amazing way to pray. Instead of focusing on the bad, Paul emphasized the good.
We share in what God has for us for He is big enough to care for all of us.