God Helps Hurting People
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Wed we began this short series of God’s not Dead with the message God’s Transforming Lives. We discussed how we have to through off the past, allow God to change the way we think and then put on our new selves.
A pastor got a letter
“Dear Pastor. I’m very discouraged and I’m really hurting at this time. I’m a middle-aged man and I’m good health. But because of problems in my field of work, I’ve been unemployed for some time, and now my employment compensation has run out. My wife has been sick for a long time, and it’s evident that she will never work again. And our teenage boys have started hanging out with the wrong crowd, getting in trouble time and time again. Often I think of suicide, but I believe that is wrong. I pray and I try, but nothing seems to happen. Where is God, Pastor? I’ve been a Christian for 30 years, but I see no light at the end of my tunnel. Pastor, where is God when I need Him the most? Where is God when I’m hurting?”
Have you ever felt like God wasn’t paying attention to what you are going through? You are not alone.
People often struggle with believing in or trusting God when they go through trials, tragedies and hurts.
People often struggle with believing in or trusting God when they go through trials, tragedies and hurts.
Many people feel that way when they look at the evil in our world.
However, We really shouldn’t be surprised when we go through trials or difficulties in life. The Bible tells us over and over that we will all go through difficult times in our lives.
John 16:33 … Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows.
12 Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you.
Joke - Charlie Brown was trying to console Lucy who was having a bad day. He said, “Lucy, life is filled with both good and bad experiences. Life is filled with both ups and downs.” Lucy grabbed Charlie Brown and said, “I don’t want to hear about ups and downs. All I want to hear about are ups, and ups and ups and ups.”
pic of Charlie brown and Lucy
Listen, we are all like Lucy in many ways. We want to hear the ups, but Jesus, Peter and others said trials and troubles are part of this life.
describe some trials people go through … the WE…
But, here is the good news that I want us to look at today.
God has promised to heal our hurts and bring us through our trials and tragedies when we trust in Him
God has promised to heal our hurts and bring us through our trials and tragedies when we trust in Him
Let’s look at todays passage of scripture...
3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. 4 He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. 5 For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. 6 Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer. 7 We are confident that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in the comfort God gives us. 8 We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. 9 In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead. 10 And he did rescue us from mortal danger, and he will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us. 11 And you are helping us by praying for us. Then many people will give thanks because God has graciously answered so many prayers for our safety.
Let’s look at some of these words: The word “troubles” in verses 4 and 6 is the Greek word, "thlipsis." This word is an often-used word in the Greek language for tribulation, trouble & distress. It literally means painful pressure or a burden beneath a heavy weight.
The words "suffer" or "sufferings" in verses 5, 6 and 7 is the Greek word "patheema" from which we get our word "pathos." It is also a reference to great tribulation, trials, and tragedy in life.
Both of these words express what many people in this room have experienced in life, and what some are experiencing right now. They expressed what the writer of these words (Apostle Paul) had experienced. Wednesday, we learned how Saul came to faith in Jesus on the Damascus Road, how his life was changed, and how he became the Apostle Paul.
But even though Paul dedicated his life to the Lord, he still experienced a lot of heartache and tragedy in life. In response to proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ he was threatened many times, beaten quite a few times, and thrown in jail several times (just like what’s happening to Christians around the world today). Yet he persevered through those injustices to continue spreading the Gospel, all the while writing letters that would make up more than 1/3 of the New Testament.
Think about this. Paul may have been the greatest Christian who has ever lived, but he himself had to deal with many hurts and trials in his life. And we see by the end of our passage of Scripture that God had brought him through his trials and hurts over and over and over again. We need to know that God can do that. We also need know the answer to this question.
How does God help us overcome our hurts and trials?
How does God help us overcome our hurts and trials?
1. God helps us overcome our hurts and trials by revealing his character to us.
1. God helps us overcome our hurts and trials by revealing his character to us.
Paul begins this passage by telling us of the character and qualities of the great God of the universe and our lives. He said,
3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort.
ILL - A little girl in Children’s Church announced to her teacher, “I’m drawing a picture of God.” The teacher responded, “But no one knows what God looks like?” The girl responded, “They will when I get finished.”
In verse 3 Paul was drawing us a picture of God. In those words he is sharing with us about who God is and what God does. And he’s telling us why we can trust in the care and compassion of God, even when going through great hurts and trials in our lives. So let’s look a some of these qualities because I believe it helps us to trust God when we know him better …
God is the God of creation
God is the God of creation
2 CO 1:3 “All praise to God...
Paul is talking about our Creator God, the God who brought this world into existence. The very first verse in the Bible reads,
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
The rest of Genesis 1 tells us that how God created the heavens and the earth and all of the universes around us. It says that He spoke, and the worlds came into existence.
People often wonder if there is life on other planets. right now there is a renewed curiosity about UFO’s etc. I don’t think there is, but you may wonder, “Why then would God go to all of that trouble to create all of those other universes and solar systems.” “What trouble? He just spoke and the worlds came into existence.”
Paul is reminding us that we have big, big God that we can turn to when we’re dealing with hurts and trials in our lives. He’s big enough to create all of the universes in the world with just a few words, and the Bible says that He holds our world in the palm of His hand. He’s also big enough to handle any trial or tragedy you and I are going through.
20 For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.
Let me tell you something else about our Creator God. Even though He created everything that we see and everything that we cannot see, He is very much concerned with what is happening in our world and what is happening in our lives.
We have a God who is concerned and involved with His creation.
We have a God who is concerned and involved with His creation.
God is not content to sit out there on the rim of the universe, uninvolved and unconcerned with His creation. He didn't just wind up the universe and allow it to run by itself. But He’s involved with His creation. He cares about the affairs of men & women. He’s concerned with what is happening in our lives. Nothing is too small in your life for him not to care about. And He is available to help us with the trials & tragedies of life.
David wrote…
1 The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. 2 He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. 3 He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. 4 Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.
Those words tell us that in our times of grief, sorrow, trials and tragedies, we must remember that the God who created this universe is available to help us.
God is the God of incarnation
God is the God of incarnation
2 CO 1:3 “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ...
Jesus is God… God the son.
1 In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He existed in the beginning with God.
The Word - is Jesus. He was pre-existent before the incarnation when he became a human.
14 So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.
The word “incarnation” is a theological word. It means that we have a God who visited our earth in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, and a God who still inhabits our earth via the person of the Holy Spirit. Let me say it again… we have a God who is concerned with and involved with his creation.
God is the God of Salvation.
God is the God of Salvation.
2 CO 1:3 “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort.”
Joke - Boudreaux went to get pictures… dem pictures don’t do me justice he said, the photographer said, you need mercy… not justice.
We have all needed mercy in our lives. We need mercy now, and the Apostle Paul tells us that all of the mercy we need is available to us because our God is “our merciful Father.” God is merciful to us in lots of ways. But look at this verse...
4 But—When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, 5 he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit.
That verse tells us that God loved us enough to send Jesus to us. He loved us enough to save us – because of His great mercy toward us.
God’s greatest act of compassion toward us was sending His Son to pay the penalty for our sins
God’s greatest act of compassion toward us was sending His Son to pay the penalty for our sins
8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
God is the God of consolation.
God is the God of consolation.
2 CO 1:3 “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort.”
This is what I want us to focus on today. Paul says that our God is the God of consolation... the source of all comfort.
What He’s saying is that,
The Lord is the only One who can bring comfort to our lives when we are experiencing great hurts or trials.
The Lord is the only One who can bring comfort to our lives when we are experiencing great hurts or trials.
Some folks don't know that, so they go to a lot of people & places for comfort.
They go out & get loaded.
They get involved in ungodly relationships trying to find comfort for their hearts and lives.
If you are trying to find comfort in ungodly activities or relationships, you are leaping out of the frying pan into the fire. None of those activities or people are going to bring you any relief. They will only bring you guilt, a lack of fulfillment and destruction. They are miserable comforters.
There is, however, a mighty comforter. He is our God – the God of all comfort, the source of all comfort. And if you will turn to Him with the hurts and trials you are going through, you will find that He has all of the help, hope and healing power you need. If you don't believe me, look around you. In this room are people who have experienced great tragedy and difficulty in life. And yet they have joy and peace because of the comfort of the Lord.
(people in the squatter camp)
The word “comfort" is the Greek word "paraklesis." Jesus used the same word to refer to the "Holy Spirit." The word means "to call along side of or come along side of."
When we talk about the comfort of God, we’re not just talking about some peaceful feeling or some soothing emotion. We're talking about the Holy Spirit who comes into our life at salvation and who lives within us to help us, heal us and bring us hope for today and for tomorrow. One of my favorite verses is
1 God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.
He is always ready, but we don’t always ask…
I want us to learn the truth of that verse today if we don’t learn anything else.
2. God helps us overcome our hurts and trials by showing his care to us.
2. God helps us overcome our hurts and trials by showing his care to us.
How does he do that?
God comforts us in our trials
God comforts us in our trials
4 He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.
Let's look at that word "comfort" a little closer. Comfort is not:
1. Condolences – it’s not God sending you a card that says "best wishes to you in your trouble.",
2. A challengefrom the Lord - God doesn't call us up in the midst of our struggles & tell us to keep a stiff upper lip,
3. Mere pity - When we experience hurts and trials God doesn't shed a tear and simply say, "Well bless your little heart.”
Comfort" means "to encourage” or “to give strength to."
Comfort" means "to encourage” or “to give strength to."
G. Campbell Morgan wrote, "Comfort is the upholding, sustaining and strengthening power that comes from God that helps us to bear up under the trouble we're going through."
Paul is telling us that The Lord is able to give us encouragement and strength even in the middle of our tragedies and trials!
How can I receive some of God’s comfort?”
The Lord comforts us through His Word.
The Lord comforts us through His Word.
4 Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.
God uses the Scriptures to comfort us during our times of hurt and trials. When you are hurting and needy, that’s not time to quit reading your Bible or attending church. When I'm going through difficulty I take more time to read the Bible because it's in the Word of God that I find the solutions and answers for the dilemmas & concerns of my life. The Psalmist wrote in
50 Your promise revives me; it comforts me in all my troubles.
and I can testify that the same thing has happened to me… many times.
The Lord comforts us through His Spirit.
The Lord comforts us through His Spirit.
16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you.
Comforter or counselor
The Bible teaches that when we accept Jesus as our Savior, this same Holy Spirit, who is a supernatural comforter, comes into our lives, and He brings peace, joy, help and healing in our inner being even when things are terrible on the outside.
ILL - A little girl was learning to tie her shoes, and accomplished the task for the first time by herself. She immediately burst into tears. Her parents asked her why she was crying. She said, “Because I can now tie my shoes all by myself.” They told her that was a great accomplishment. She responded, “But now I’ll have to tie my shoes by myself for the rest of my life.”
The good news is that if you’re a Christian you don’t have to do anything all by yourself any longer, because you have the Holy Spirit in your life, and He is the great comfort er and counselor that Jesus promised that He would be.
The Lord comforts us through other Christians
The Lord comforts us through other Christians
5 When we arrived in Macedonia, there was no rest for us. We faced conflict from every direction, with battles on the outside and fear on the inside. 6 But God, who encourages those who are discouraged, encouraged us by the arrival of Titus. 7 His presence was a joy, but so was the news he brought of the encouragement he received from you. When he told us how much you long to see me, and how sorry you are for what happened, and how loyal you are to me, I was filled with joy!
That’s a beautiful illustration of how the Lord works through Christians to bring comfort and encouragement to others. Have you ever experienced that? Have you ever had some Christian or Christians help us to overcome a struggle, a grief, a hurt at some time in your life? God knows how to send some believer or other people into our lives at just right time to encourage us, to help us, to be there for us.
ILL - A boy getting ready to go to Kindergarten. He said to his mother, "I think I'll be sad today." She asked, “Why?” He said, "Because when you're sad about something, the teachers take turns hugging you."
Here at River Church, if you’re hurting… if you are full of guilt and shame… if you have been to the wrong church and felt condemnation… we want to spiritually hug you and help you and let the Lord work through us to bring healing to your life… that’s why we eat together, serve together and go to groups together.
The Bible not only teaches that comforts us in our trials but that
God strengthens us through our trials
God strengthens us through our trials
6 Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer. 7 We are confident that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in the comfort God gives us. 8 We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. 9 In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead.
As you reads that, you know that Paul was having a bad day. Have you ever had a bad day? How can you tell if it’s going to be a bad day?
You know that it's going to be a bad day when:
1) You see a "David Hammer" news team in your office
2) You call Suicide Prevention & they put you on hold
3) Your car horn goes off accidentally as you are following someone .
4) Your boss tells you not to bother to take off your coat
AP was having a bad day. 2 CO 1:8 “8 We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it.”
Have you ever felt that way? Have you ever felt like you just might not make it through whatever you are faced with? I think a lot of us have and We’ve asked why? “Why has God allowed us to go through such difficulty in life?” I don’t know the answer to that question yet, but I do know this.
God uses even the trials we go through to help us learn how to rely upon Him and become even stronger. That’s why Paul went on to say...
9 In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead.
If you have ever read the Purpose Driven Life, or hear Rick Warren preach very much, you learned that....
God has a purpose behind every problem, and he uses circumstances to develop our character. RW
God has a purpose behind every problem, and he uses circumstances to develop our character. RW
In other words, God can take every tragedy we’ve ever experienced, and turn it around, and utilize it for our good and for God’s glory. Paul wrote about that as well in Romans 5:3-4
3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.
Not only does God comfort us in our trials… strengthen us through our trials …
God delivers us from our trials
God delivers us from our trials
10 And he did rescue us from mortal danger, and he will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us.
The Apostle Paul had been through an incredibly difficult time, but he was able to say with great confidence & assurance that God had rescued them, and that He knew that the Lord would do so again. Romans 11:22 tells us that, "God is the deliverer,", and the Apostle Paul was declaring that if we will trust in the Lord with all our heart, God will deliver us past, present and future.
17 The Lord hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles.
18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.
Revealing His Character To Us / Showing His Care To Us
3. God helps us overcome our hurts and trials by working through us to help others
3. God helps us overcome our hurts and trials by working through us to help others
It’s good to experience God’s comfort and care in our lives. It’s great to know that the Lord comforts us, strengths us and delivers us when we’re going through trials and hurts. But we don’t need to stop there. We need to utilize what we’ve learned from God’s care and comfort to help others. Paul also tells us that,
Experiencing hurts and trials helps us to understand the needs of others.
Experiencing hurts and trials helps us to understand the needs of others.
4 He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.
We are better able to empathize with the trials of others because of the hurts and trials we’ve experienced.
We are better able to empathize with the trials of others because of the hurts and trials we’ve experienced.
Here’s what I am talking about… 5 year old Jack ran to his mom crying. He showed her a bite mark on his arm where his sister, 2-year old Susie, had bitten him. His mother said, “Jack, I’m sorry that she hurt you, but Susie doesn’t even know that hurts.” 5 minutes later the mother could hear Susie crying. When she went in she saw a bite mark on Susie’s arm. And Jack said, “Now she knows it hurts...
Many of you know what hurts are struggles are about. And because you’ve experienced your own hurts and struggles, you can better understand what others are going through in their lives.
Experiencing hurts and trials helps us to care for the needs of others.
Experiencing hurts and trials helps us to care for the needs of others.
4 He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.
That verse tells us that when we’ve experienced God’s comforting, strengthening and delivering power in our lives, we’re able to help others to experience God’s comforting, strengthening and delivering power in their lives.
Grief Share is an example of this…
We have people in our Church who have gone through divorce, and can help others going through it… Loss of a spouse
Who can better help someone cope with issues like anger, grief or depression than someone who has struggled with those same issues in times past, and gotten victory over them?
As Paul said, “When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.
Many times the lessons we learn from our hurts and trials will be the catalysts for our greatest ministry to others.
Many times the lessons we learn from our hurts and trials will be the catalysts for our greatest ministry to others.
After WW2, millions of men and women who had served over seas came back from the horrors of war searching for something. YFC crusades and later BG crusades led meany to faith in Christ and thousands went back to areas that were devastated as missionaries with a message of hope…
After 911, A fireman was rescued in the rubble of the World Trade Center several days after 9/11/01 after spending 48 hours without food or water. He was given an IV and a peanut butter sandwich. After he finished eating the sandwich and drinking some water, he put on his helmet and went back to work trying to rescue people in the same way he’d been rescued.
That’s what we need to be doing in our lives.
If we will turn to the Lord, He will comfort us, strengthen us, deliver us, and then utilize us to help others experience the same healing and help that we’ve experienced.
You’ll benefit greatly from being in a Small Group – you’ll make some great friendships, you’ll learn from the Word of God, and you’ll be discipled by someone in the group. But more than that you will have the opportunity to minister to others who are struggling with some of the same issues that you’ve struggled with in times past. You will be able to “give them the same comfort that God has given you.”
18 I have seen what they do, but I will heal them anyway! I will lead them. I will comfort those who mourn, 19 bringing words of praise to their lips. May they have abundant peace, both near and far,” says the Lord, who heals them.
That verse tells us that,
Our God is in the forgiving, healing and restoring business
Our God is in the forgiving, healing and restoring business
A man was stranded on a deserted island. He was able to gather the materials that he needed to build a hut to shield him from the elements, and to start a continual fire. And he gathered enough food from the terrain around him to last for a while. One night he walked down the beach after he had built his fire. When he returned he discovered that the fire had gotten out of control, and his hut and all of his supplies were gone. He felt hopeless and helpless.
The next day a ship pulled up and rescued him. On board the ship the man asked the Captain, “How did you know to land here and rescue me?” The Captain responded, “We never stop at this island on our route back and forth, but last night we saw your big bonfire, and we thought that we need to come and investigate.
Listen, that tragedy or hurt we experience in our lives may be just what God will use to make us into a stronger and better person, and equip us to minister to countless numbers of others in the days ahead.
Altar time -
Do I know the merciful God who is Jesus’ Father and the source of all comfort? And Have I made Him the Lord of my life?
What type of comfort and help do I need from the Lord?
How can God use what I have gone through to help others?