The God of all Comfort. Becky Falotico Funeral.

Intro: Max Lucado tells the story of his youngest daughter Sarah, who loved to climb up on the arms of their living room sofa and jump into the arms of her daddy. Sarah would do this over and over again. One day while playing, Max tried to get Sarah to jump off the sofa into her older sister’s arm but She refused to. Her daddy kept encouraging her to jump but she wouldn’t. Finally Max asked Sara “why won’t you jump into your sister’s arms ” and her response was. “I only jump into big arms.”

Big arms are what our family needs right now, ones that will catch you, ones that will not fail you, and ones that will lift you up when you are unable to lift yourself up.

CPS: I want each of you to understand that God loves you and when you are hurting, through faith He calls you to turn to Him. Jump into His arms so that He can comfort and encourage your hurting heart.

I. In our times of sorrow God will comfort us.

Sorrow is a part of our world, it is a by product of sin. This world is fallen, Yet we serve a good God, who loves us so much He sent Jesus into this world to suffer for us. Jesus died the death that He didn't deserve so that by grace through faith we can live a life that we do not deserve. Through Jesus, God knows intimately our suffering. While on earth Jesus experienced, sickness, grief, and pain. God knows what we are going through and during times such as these He gives us aid so we can continue in this life.

God is the Father of mercies. He is characterized by His mercy. Mercy means compassion, it is sympathy in action towards people who are in misery! In the misery of a fallen world, God sent Jesus so that by grace through faith we can be made His child. Out of the mercy of God flows comfort! Comfort means, to call to one’s side. Its the idea of coming to the aid of another.

ILL: Like a child learning to ride a bike, he falls down and scrapes his knee. He daddy runs to his side, picks him up, doctors his scrape, wipes his eyes, and calms his cries by simply saying, everything is going to be alright.

If an earthly father comforts his child in that way how much more will God the Father comfort us!

But there is one slight difference, we don;t have to wait for God to come running to us when we fall… By grace through faith He is already there. But, we must turn to Him and He WILL gives us consolation and encouragement. He will hold us in His arms, dry our tears with a tissue, and assure us that everything is all right.

He is The God of ALL comfort, He is the originator and source of true comfort. There are no sorrows or pains so big and plentiful that He can’t handle! In this world suffering abounds, it over flows. But the Bible tells that as sufferings abounds so does the comfort of God!

ILL: Abound means to overflow. Imagine yourself with an empty cup, you put it in the sink and turn the water own to fill it up, you walk away for a second and when you return the glass is beyond full and the water is flowing out.

God is more than able, and willing to comfort us with a comfort more satisfying than words can explain. Regardless of how we are feeling or what we are facing, He encourages us and enables us to cope with all that life can do to us.

I am convinced, if mom could speak to you from heaven… she would say, “go on and jump into the big arms of God, He is so majestically wonderful!”

II. Through our time of sorrow God will bring comfort to others.

There is suffering in this world, it was not a part of God’s design. But He is always working regardless of our situations for His glory and our good.

ILL: There is an old saying, if life gives you lemons make lemon-aide

Well, God is not trying to do the best He can with what He has to work with! He has done the very best there is, He has redeemed us through faith in Jesus. While we wait for Him to call us home, He allows us to be a part of His ministry to the fallen human race. He takes our circumstances and turns them into opportunities!

He comforts us during our sufferings so that we can manifest His love to others who go are going through what we have been through. We can share with others, the comfort that we received from God!

Mom fought cancer 4 times, we know a lot about cancer, we can speak of God’s faithfulness as He healed her 3 times on earth.

I remember in 2003, the doctors gave her 6 weeks to live. I sat with dad in the waiting room at Emory along with Wayne Roe. I remember when the doctor came out and said she was going to be fine, how, much of the cancer pulled off like a sticker. Can you remember the comfort and encouragement that flooded your heart then.

Now we can testify as to how Hod healed her for everlasting in heaven! If we jump into God’s arms, soon and very soon, that same comfort will flood your heart again and heavenly blessings will begin to pile up as you find opportunity after opportunity to be a part of God comforting someone else as they find themselves in sorrow over a loved one!

Conclusion: God is so good, His comfort is so satisfying, My message to you today, my family who I love, jump into the big arms of God and He will comfort and encourage your hurting heart!