Mother's are quick to comfort but where does a mother's comfort come from?

Good morning and welcome to CCC. We are so very glad each of you are here with us this morning.

Before we get started just a couple of important announcements that need to be made

The congregational meeting that was scheduled for last week has been moved to June 9

There will be no worship night and fellowship dinner this month. The last Sunday falls on Memorial day weekend and Stephanie will be out of town. The Sunday before is Nevada R5 graduation so we felt it was best to not have it this month and pick it back up in June on Sunday night June 30th

We have high school aged youth who want to go to camp July 23-28 that is a Tuesday through Sunday. The problem is we have no sponsor to go with them.

Are you the sponsor? If so see me asap.

Speaking of camp. I have been praying about this summer and I had a wonderful conversation with a brother yesterday, yes at Walmart, who is in charge of one week of Jr and Sr high camp at camp Galilee in Eldo June 2-7 and I have decided to go for the week. I was scheduled to preach on the 4th but in talking with him and Melody felt I should go for the entire week. If you have a Sr high student, just finished 8th grade through just graduated who cannot attend any other week of camp please let me know so we can get registered asap.

Final announcement this morning. This Saturday we are hosting a painting worship with Jeannette Hawkins called Fishers of Men. If you have never been to a paint class with Jeannette you are missing out. We have 23 spots left it is $30 a person and you can sign up online

This a QR code that you can scan with your smartphone and it will take you to the event page where you can sign up. If you need help see me after service and I can help you. We need you signed up today so Jeannette knows how many to prepare for and how much food we need to have.

Again if you would like to attend scan the qr code and complete the registration....if you need help please see me I would love to help you.

What a wonderful day to celebrate our Mother’s!!!!!! To my wonderful Momma....and wonderful Mother in Law....and all of the mother’s out there Happy Mother’s Day

Thank you Stephanie for organizing that wonderful recognition of our mothers.

It is wonderful to have everyone here

all the mothers and those with them!

I know God plans to meet you right where you are this morning

I pray that you are open and receptive to His message to you this morning

Let’s Pray

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When I began to think about what to bring to Mother’s on this mother’s day God quickly lead me to comfort

That is something we receive very early on in life and something we crave and desire and look for for the remainder of our lives....a mother’s comfort

There is just something about a mother’s comfort

When a child gets hurt, they don’t cry for a doctor they cry for mom

When that first breakup happens…teens seek mom

In the 2nd grade we still have someone crying for their mom just about everyday......most of the time it is one of the kids

There is just something about a mother’s comfort

My question is however, Mother’s where do you get your comfort?

Mothers you have a lot that can try and steal your comfort

You may be dealing with horrible circumstances such as

inability to have Children

the loss of a child

a sick child

a wayward or unsaved child

broken relationships

All of these things hurt deeply and try to attack and destroy your comfort

How do you ensure you have true comfort?

Where should we as Christians seek true comfort?

That is what we are going to dive into this morning

Turn to

2 Corinthians 1:3–7

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“Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation.”

The first thing I want you to see in this text is

1. God Is The God Of All Comfort vs 3

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This is about perspective

Where and who do you seek comfort?

If you seek comfort anywhere but God you will be let down

You will receive false comfort at best and destruction at worst!

God is the only one who can provide true comfort

He may do that through a loving mother or a loving brother or sister in Christ

or through a pastor or elder or Christian counselor or doctor

But make no mistake about it God is the God of all comfort only who provides true comfort

I mentioned perspective

what you have to realize is comfort doesn’t mean circumstances change

comfort doesn’t mean tribulations go away

comfort doesn’t mean troubles cease

no in them, the circumstances, the tribulations, the troubles, you will have comfort

God can and will and does remove circumstances and tribulations and troubles at times but more times than not God provides comfort for you in the circumstances and tribulations and troubles so you handle them in a Godly manner and draw people to Jesus by shinning the light of Jesus into those dark circumstances, tribulations and troubles

Isaiah 51:12–16

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“I, even I, am he that comforteth you: Who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, And of the son of man which shall be made as grass; And forgettest the Lord thy maker, That hath stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; And hast feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, As if he were ready to destroy? And where is the fury of the oppressor? The captive exile hasteneth that he may be loosed, And that he should not die in the pit, Nor that his bread should fail. But I am the Lord thy God, That divided the sea, whose waves roared: The Lord of hosts is his name. And I have put my words in thy mouth, And I have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand, That I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, And say unto Zion, Thou art my people.”

Look at the beauty and encouragement and comfort in this passage

Now to truly see it you must have an eternal.....Godly perspective

If you have a human

worldly

perspective you will miss it

God is saying no matter what man does to you

I give you comfort

I split the raging seas

I laid the foundations of the earth

what in the world do you have to fear?

You have comfort because in Christ Jesus you are secure!

You are now a spiritual being living in a physical....temporary body

In this life you will have trouble....Jesus said that but He also said....fear not for I have overcome the world

You will face horrible circumstances

You will be lied about

You will be taken advantage of

You will in a real way feel other people sinning against you and yours

Yow will feel the consequences of your sin

You will have trouble but that trouble cannot touch your salvation so why fear it

why worry over it

why have anxiety about it

why be depressed

No because Jesus has overcome the world

Because God laid the foundations of the world

You are safe

You are secure

You will hurt

You will feel troubles and tribulations and horrible circumstance but your eternity is secure and that

That my brothers and sisters in your comfort

God has full control

He loves you

He will never leave you nor forsake you

that is all the comfort you need

2. God Comforts us to comfort others vs 4

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God is clear here

He comforts you in your circumstances and tribulations and troubles so that you may comfort others in their circumstances and tribulations and troubles

Not condoning sin

Jesus never condones sin

you must never condone sin.....especially your own

sin is sin and all sin requires death as payment

Not condoning sin

Not trying to eliminate consequences of sin

again not the point of Godly comfort

We have comfort in the circumstances

in the tribulations

in the troubles

in the consequences

and you are bringing that comfort to someone else

You comfort others with the love of Jesus....that love says in spite of your sin I love you and am here for you

You do the same

in spite of your circumstances

in spite of your tribulations

in spite of your troubles

I am here for you and I love you

People all around you are broken and hurting and in horrible circumstances and tribulations and trouble

they are desperate for genuine

authentic

life-altering comfort

The only comfort that is genuine

authentic

and life-altering is from God

God comforts you to comfort others

This is another reason God laid IT on our hearts here at CCC

When you realize the only two things that matter in this life are salvation and discipleship…growing in maturity in Christ then you are free to love people as Jesus loves you

First because you are saved so your eternity is secure

You will go to heaven when you leave this earth or Jesus returns

You know that beyond a shadow of a doubt because you have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit

That leads to 2nd.....your focus now is no longer on becoming saved but growing in that salvation

that is sanctification....the process of being set apart....made holy

Jesus does this in you through the Holy Spirit

as you obey God’s Word.....which is the Holy Spirit applying that Word to your life

As you obey you grow

As you see passages such as the one this morning and change where you seek comfort from

the you know that you are maturing…moving from milk to meat in your relationship with Jesus

As you grow then helping others to see Jesus and accept Him as Lord and Savior or grow in their faith becomes your number one priority in life because that is IT

2 Corinthians 7:5–7

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“For, when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; without were fightings, within were fears. Nevertheless God, that comforteth those that are cast down, comforted us by the coming of Titus; And not by his coming only, but by the consolation wherewith he was comforted in you, when he told us your earnest desire, your mourning, your fervent mind toward me; so that I rejoiced the more.”

Look at the result of comfort shown to Paul

he faced many things

both externally…circumstances and situations…people…tribulations and troubles

and internal problems

doubt

fear

civil war between the flesh and the Holy Spirit

Troubled on every side yet rejoiced because of comfort

True comfort only comes from God

You as a child of God

a blood bought Christian are called to share God’s comfort with others

3. God’s Comfort is Found in Christ vs 5

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As a Christian you will suffer

If you have Christ inside of you.....which you do as a Christian......the world will hate you

does the world hate you

are you being persecuted for being a Christian

Right now that looks different here in Nevada Mo than around the world

In many places around the world persecution means violence and possible death

That is beginning to happen in the US but not so much here

Here it is loss of a job opportunity because of your beliefs

loss of friends because of you standing on the Word and loving Jesus

not being invited to things

being left out

getting ran down on social media

those are more of the types of persecution we are seeing right now here in Nevada Mo

However if you claim Christ and see none of these either you are lying and are not saved and do not know Christ or you are not living from Christ therefore the world doesn’t know that you know Christ......they cannot see Christ in you

Here is the truth and a truth we must apply to our lives because so many do not

If you are a true Christian you will live so counter culturally everyone will hate you

worldly people

sinners

even those who are religious

Christ is not interested in your religion only your heart and devotion!

You will face troubles on all sides

2 Corinthians 4:8–10

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“We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.”

This is to you Christian

troubled

perplexed

persecuted

but never distressed

never in despair

never destroyed

never forsaken

because Christ died and rose again therefore He

fully

completely

eternally

defeated sin and death

If you die in Christ

die to self and make Jesus your Lord and Savior you now live in Christ in the full comfort of God!!!!!!

4. God’s Comfort Is Hope vs 7

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As Christians we must truly realize where our hope comes from

you and i have hope

the lost have no hope

all hope is gone because they rejected Jesus

Jesus is our hope

without Jesus you can have no hope and no comfort

There is one way and only one way to salvation and His name is Jesus

the name above all names

Every knee will bend and every tongue will confess Jesus

will you do that now willingly because through the Holy Spirit you realize who Jesus is and be saved or after death or Jesus’ return when you realize it is all true

Jesus is who He said He is but you rejected Him and now you will bow and confess Him as Lord before being sent to hell for eternity

without Jesus there is zero hope only despair and distress and destruction

With Jesus salvation and forgiveness and freedom and comfort

your hope is not a conflict

trouble

tribulation

persecution free life

No sir

No ma'am

As a Christian you are promised those things are going to happen

No your hope is Jesus has overcome the world so

conflicts

troubles

tribulations

persecutions

now have no power over you

you will feel them

they will hurt

they may even take your physical life but they have no power over you because Jesus defeated them

As God comforts you......you are to comfort others

Mothers you have lots on your hearts and minds

you long to comfort your family and friends

you may be facing some really hard

painful things

inability to have children

the loss of a child

a sick child

a child who is experiences the evil of this world in real ways

a wayward or lost child

broken relationships

but to truly comfort those around you

you must allow God through Jesus to comfort you this morning

Won’t you do that this morning?

The praise team is going to come and we are going to do an invitation and I want you to know the altar is open

Jesus is waiting and all you have to do is get up and come

Our elders will meet you and pray with you

I would love to pray with you after service is you need it

This world is dying and going to hell and it may be God’s comfort through you that changes that for someone

Won’t you come and be comforted this morning so you can leave ready and able to comfort others?

Come

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Invitation: Turn your eyes upon Jesus