Comfort One Another

Douglas Maurer, 15, of Creve Coeur, Missouri, had been feeling bad for several days. His temperature was ranging between 103 and 105 degrees, and he was suffering from severe flu-like symptoms. Finally, his mother took him to the hospital in St. Louis. Douglas Maurer was diagnosed as having leukemia. The doctors told him in frank terms about his disease. They said that for the next three years, he would have to undergo chemotherapy. They didn’t sugarcoat the side effects. They told Douglas he would go bald and that his body would most likely bloat. Upon learning this, he went into a deep depression. His aunt called a floral shop to send Douglas an arrangement of flowers. She told the clerk that it was for her teenage nephew who has leukemia.

When the flowers arrived at the hospital, they were beautiful. Douglas read the card from his aunt. Then he saw a second card. It said: “Douglas—I took your order. I work at Brix florist. I had leukemia when I was 7 years old. I’m 22 years old now. Good luck. My heart goes out to you. Sincerely, Laura Bradley.”

His face lit up. He said, “Oh!” It’s funny: Douglas Maurer was in a hospital filled with millions of dollars of the most sophisticated medical equipment. He was being treated by expert doctors and nurses with medical training totaling in the hundreds of years. But it was a salesclerk in a flower shop, a woman making $170 a week, who—by taking the time to care, and by being willing to go with what her heart told her to do—gave Douglas hope and the will to carry on.

Bob Greene, “From One Sufferer To Another, Chicago Tribune, Aug, 1987

This morning we are going to be looking at the idea of comforting each other. We are going to look at a couple of passages. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 which focuses on the Christian themes of comfort, hope, and encouragement through shared hardship and the promise of eternal life. This passage provides comfort by explaining that believers who have died will be resurrected and reunited with Christ, so the living should not grieve as those without hope. We will also look at 2 Corinthians 1:3-11 which explains that God is the source of all comfort, and by experiencing His comfort through hardship, believers can then comfort others who are suffering.  

Hope and shared suffering - these are the ways we see in Scripture that we are to comfort each other. The future hope of Christ's return and the resurrection of those that die in Christ give console to those grieving and to provide comfort in present afflictions. Just as God comforts us, we are to comfort others. 

1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 NIV

13 Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.

This passage was written to encourage new Christians who were grieving the loss of loved ones who had died before the second coming of Christ. It is normal and natural to grieve throughout our difficult times in our lives. Grieving does not always involve death of a loved one, it is something that happens throughout many of life’s circumstances. It is important that as followers of Jesus, Christians should not grieve like those without hope, because those who have died in Christ will be resurrected and reunited with believers who are alive at the Lord's return. 

As Christians, we have the promise of Jesus' return. There is comfort in this promise that carries us through difficult seasons of life. We are created for more than just this life on earth, we are created for life with Jesus!

"Encourage or Comfort one another with these words": This phrase that we find in verse 18 refers to the promise that Christ will return. Period. We are promised by Jesus himself that he will return and those who are "asleep in Jesus" will rise first. Believers will then be "caught up together...to meet the Lord in the air". Paul's message to the Thessalonians is that just as Jesus died and rose again, God will bring back with him those who have died. THIS IS GOOD NEWS!

 When a person experiences God's comfort during a difficult time, they gain the ability to offer that same comfort to others facing similar struggles. This turns hardship into an opportunity for ministry. The hope of the resurrection and God's comfort to endure are present when we face hardships. We can minister to each other in ways that comfort and encourage!

We need to remember and understand this promise before we dig in to our second passage this morning.

2 Corinthians 1:3–11 NIV

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 5 For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. 6 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. 7 And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort. 8 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. 10 He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, 11 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.

This passage from 1 Corinthians talks about comfort in the midst of shared suffering. Paul is sharing his own experiences of suffering and the comfort he received from God. The purpose of suffering and God's comfort is so that believers can, in turn, comfort others who are in any trouble. 

The "God of All Comfort" - look at verse 3 and 4 again. Paul is giving thanks to the “God of all comfort.” God’s very nature is that of compassion. God has an active role in comforting us through the Holy Spirit, but also through the church - believers who gather as we do this morning. The passage emphasizes that God provides comfort so that believers can be a conduit of that comfort to others, offering a tangible example of God's grace. 

God uses our suffering to prepare us to comfort others. In verses 5-7, we see that we share in the sufferings and the comfort of Christ. Paul tells them that if they were distressed then it was for the comfort and salvation of the people. He goes on to say that if they were comforted that it was for their comfort, enabling them to “patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer".

• Point: Suffering is not random but has a divine purpose: to build our character and make us empathetic and effective comforters for others who face similar trials.

III. God's comfort comes from relying on Him, not ourselves

• Examine Paul's experience in verses 8-10, where he and his companions were "overwhelmed beyond our strength" and "despaired of life itself".

• Point: Paul's extreme suffering was to teach him and the Corinthians not to rely on themselves but to "put our hope in God, who raises the dead".

• This is crucial for the sermon because it shows that God's power is not in our strength but in His ability to deliver us even when we are at our weakest.

Sermon application: The sermon would use this hope to provide assurance and alleviate the fear and despair associated with death, showing that suffering is temporary and that believers have a future with Christ. 

Sermon application: This passage grounds the sermon in the reality of present suffering, encouraging congregants to be there for one another in times of illness, loneliness, persecution, or disappointment. It teaches that affliction is not meaningless but is part of God's plan to strengthen us to help others. 

How do we comfort one another? Let’s look at some practical examples:

Share hope: Remind others of the future hope of Christ's return and the resurrection - that their loved ones are with the Lord and will be resurrected, not to diminish grief, but to offer a different kind of hope than the world provides.

With shared experience: Through empathy, offer comfort by sharing how God has comforted you in your own struggles, showing that they are not alone. 

With action: Provide practical encouragement through simple acts like a phone call, a text, a prayer, sharing a meal, helping with chores, or offering a shoulder to cry on are tangible ways to show Christ’s love and care to those who are suffering - this can alleviate loneliness and grief. 

Pray for one another: Pray for those who are going through hard times and encourage them to trust in God's presence and guidance.