Comfort One Another

Comfort One Another

Text: 1 Thessalonians 5:11, 4:13-18, 2 Corinthians 1:2-7

Theme: Another one of the one another's is comfort one another. As believers we should be about the task of giving aid and comfort to fellow believers.

Date: 08/10/14 File name: OneAnothersComfort.wpd ID Number: 72

The believers at the church in Thessalonica are struggling. Paul has established this church and spent much time teaching them about Jesus, who is the Christ. He has taught them that when Jesus came to earth in the incarnation that His purpose was to redeem God’s Elect. Paul has preached the gospel message, and by grace through faith, a church has been birthed.

Paul has also told them that Christ is coming again and that they are to wait and watch expectantly. In his absence, some disturbing events have taken place – some of the Thessalonian believers have died. The believers who remain in the church are concerned that those who have departed this world will somehow miss out on the glorious second coming of the Lord. So they write Paul a letter to express their concern and seek some answers.

The book that we've come to call 1 Thessalonians is the Apostle Paul's answer to this church. He tells them: "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 comfort one another with these words." (1 Thessalonians 4:13–18, NIV)

Do you see how the Apostle ends this passage? He tells them to comfort one another. He says the same this a few verses later in "Therefore [comfort] encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing." (1 Thessalonians 5:11, NIV)

One of the things God has called us to do is to comfort one another in times of trouble.

Grief, anxiety, stress, distress and plain ‘ol worry are emotions we have all experienced to one degree or another. Just because we are Christians does not mean that the struggles of life cannot sometimes take us down and put us on the matte.

A baby dies suddenly in the middle of the night. There is no warning, no advanced notice. A mother and a father are going to need some comfort and encouragement.

A man is slowly losing his eyesight because of macular degeneration, and now has to adjust to blindness and greater dependancy on others. That man is going to need some comfort and encouragement.

A teenager is suddenly faced with the reality that mom and dad are getting divorced. That teenager is going to need some comfort and encouragement.

A faithful wife discovers that her husband has been unfaithful, and is now suing her for divorce. That woman is going to need some comfort and encouragement.

We all encounter hurt in all sorts of situations. Hurting people are not just found in the hospital waiting room, the divorce lawyer's office, or the funeral home. They are found where you work, in the school, and even in the church.

To that end, the Apostle Paul says, comfort one another.

I. GOD'S COMFORT COMES TO THOSE WHO ARE HURTING

“Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 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.” (2 Corinthians 1:2–7, NIV)

1. the Apostle Paul reminds believers that one of the reasons that he can offer words of comfort to them in their distress is that God has comforted the Apostle in and through all of his tribulations

a. Paul knows first hand the power, the grace, the mercy, and the comfort that comes from a Heavenly father who really, really cares about His children

2. in this passage Paul refers to the all-encompassing grace of God's comforting hand

a. the Apostle speaks to ...

1) the Cause of God’s comfort

2) the Consistency of God’s comfort

3) the Conduct of those who have been comforted

A. THE CAUSE OF GOD'S COMFORT

v. 2 Grace be to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ

1. when God the Father comforts us, where is the source of that comfort?

2. God's comfort is sourced in His grace and His peace

a. God's grace is not just a one-time spiritual shot in the arm that we get when we become a Christian

b. grace is the continued work of God in the believer's life giving us all that we need to sustain our walk with Him

ILLUS. What was it that caused Abram to leave goods and kindred to migrate to a unknown land already inhabited? God’s grace and peace ... and the promise “I am with you.” What was it that comforted Joshua on the eve of battle facing forces superior in number, and weaponry? God’s grace and peace ... and the promise “I am with you.” What gave the Prophet Jeremiah courage to speak truth to power? God’s grace and peace ... and the promise “I am with you.” What gave Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, peace in the face of a fiery furnace after they defied a king who demanded they bow down and worship an idol? God’s grace and peace ... and the promise “I am with you.” What gave courage to the disciples to stand before the Jewish rulers who had crucified Jesus and proclaim that there is salvation in no one else? God’s grace and peace ... and the promise “I am with you.”

2. it is God who empowers us and gives us ability to withstand the stresses that come with pain, and grief, and anxiety, and distress and even persecution

a. one of the many paradoxes of the Christian life is that the grace of God is most keenly experienced not in the best of times, but in what seems to be the worst of times

3. out of that grace flows the peace that passes all understanding

a. the root of that peace is our relationship with God the Father wrought in the redemptive work of God the Son applied to our lives by the indwelling God the Spirit

“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” (Romans 5:1–2, KJV 1900)

b. having paid the ultimate price to redeem believers by the death of His Son, God will be with them to love, strengthen, protect, and comfort them in every way

4. The Cause of God’s Comfort Is His Grace and Peace

B. THE CONSISTENCY OF GOD'S COMFORT

“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, “

1. Paul tells us that God is the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort

a. in most modern bible versions it is translated as Father of compassion, but I think that Father of mercies is a better translation

1) it refers to the emotion of compassion or sympathy

2) our Heavenly Father is the God of all comfort because He is first the Father of mercies

b. the God to whom Paul offers up praise is not known only through theological theorems and creeds but through His direct work of comfort and mercy which are experience through ...

By His Spirit

By His Word

By His People

2. our God is a Merciful God

“The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. 9 He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever;” (Psalm 103:8–9, NIV)

“As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; 14 for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.” (Psalm 103:13–14, NIV)

a. He is merciful in that He does not treat us as our sins deserve

b. He is merciful in that He remembers that we are frail creatures who are often distressed over life and how it sometimes treats us

c. the Psalmist says, He knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust

3. our God is a Comforting God

a. the word comfort in this passage means to come along side of to help or encourage

1) it is a word used of the Holy Spirit who is our Comforter

“But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” (John 14:26, KJV 1900)

b. in 2 Corinthians 1:2-7 the word comfort is juxtaposed against the word affliction

1) afflictions refer to the pain of life that come your way as an occupant of a fallen world and which is often intensified when you are a follower of the Lord, Jesus Christ

2) sufferings and tribulations and distress are not accidents; they are divine appointments, and your Heavenly Father is in complete control

ILLUS. God use things like world-wide pandemics to 1) strengthen His people, 2) to give His people opportunity to minister, and 3) to warn sinners that they need to turn to the God who is sovereign over this world.

4. to the afflicted the Apostle Paul writes that God is the God of all comfort

a. in our culture, the word “comfort” connotes emotional relief and a sense of well-being, physical ease, satisfaction, and freedom from pain and anxiety

1) the comfort that Paul has in mind has nothing to do with Lounge-chair Religion with it’s plush cushions, and heated massage

2) comfort is not some tranquilizing dose of grace that only dulls pains, but a stiffening agent that fortifies one in heart, mind, and soul.

b. comfort in the New Testament relates to encouragement and exhortation

1) God’s comfort strengthens weak knees and sustains sagging spirits so that one faces the troubles of life with unbending resolve and unending assurance

c. I don’t care what your affliction is, God is an amazing Comforter

1) you might say, “But pastor, you don’t know what I’m dealing with.”

2) did you hear the Apostle when he said, 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?

a) here is the consistency of God’s comforting—it’s in all our troubles

3) there is no affliction outside the comforting ability of God

4) I don’t care what your pain is, what your affliction is, what your suffering is, what your need is, what your ache is, what your issue is, or what your circumstance is ... I know a God who is a God of all comfort

d. and if you’re fortunate enough not to be beset by any afflictions, be patient, affliction knows your address

4. because God is merciful, He can offer us all comfort when we are distressed

a. Paul was saying that God came to him in the middle of his sufferings and troubles to strengthen him and give him courage and boldness

5. There Is Consistency in God’s Comfort—He Comforts Us in All Our Afflictions

C. THE CONDUCT OF GOD'S COMFORTED

“who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”

1. first, let me remind you again that God comforts us in all our troubles

a. there is no quota of God's allotted comforting hand that we can use up

1) God never says, "Oops, that's it for today, you've used up your allowance of comfort for today. Come back tomorrow."

b. God does not suffer from compassion fatigue

2. second, you'll notice that God comforts us so we can offer comfort to those who are hurting

"Therefore [comfort] encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing." (1 Thessalonians 5:11, NIV)

a. in your troubles you must develop a God-focus

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. 3 For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; ... .” (Isaiah 43:2–3, NIV)

1) the waters of affliction are deep and swift, but the God of all comfort will not let you get in over your head as you pass through

2) the fires of affliction are hot and blazing, but the God of all comfort will not allow you to be consumed as you pass through

b. troubles, Paul said, help Christians shift their perspective from the external and temporal to the internal and eternal

“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.” (2 Corinthians 1:9, NIV)

c. the afflictions you experience now will help you encourage others in their trials

1) too often believers suffer from spiritual myopia—we fix our sight on temporary realities and fail to see how God is working through our afflictions

2) the result is that we see our afflictions as personal tragedies instead of persevering opportunities

3) if you fail to share God’s comfort with others, your experience in the flood or the fire will be wasted; and it is a tragic thing to waste your sufferings

d. God does not comfort us to make us comfortable but to make us comforters

3. God comforts us by bringing Comforters into our life

a. these are other Christians whose job it is to bring comfort to you

b. God shows up vertically through a horizontal connection in your life—He uses the family of God to comfort the family of God on His behalf

1) why does God allow you to experience some of the troubles and tribulations that you do?

2) so that you can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort you receive from God

c. Christianity is a faith that identifies with all those who suffer: “Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?” (2 Cor. 11:29)

1) we therefore experience God’s comfort when other Christians express their care for us

4. many believers go through life only wanting to be comforted, but never fully realizing that in their comforting of others, they receive comfort

“For when we came into Macedonia, we had no rest, but we were harassed at every turn—conflicts on the outside, fears within. 6 But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, 7 and not only by his coming but also by the comfort you had given him. He told us about your longing for me, your deep sorrow, your ardent concern for me, so that my joy was greater than ever.” (2 Corinthians 7:5–7, NIV)

a. do you see what is happening in this passage?

1) the Apostle Paul is at the end of his rope—he’s physically exhausted, he has been constantly harassed by opponents to the Gospel, there have been conflicts from without and it makes them afraid

2) the Apostle is downcast, i.e. seriously depressed

b. God does not shelter His people from trials, not even gifted apostles who are doing His will

ILLUS. The Greek philosopher Plato once said: “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about.”

c. but God comforted the Apostle Paul and his companions in the person of Titus

1) who comforted Titus? —the Christians of Macedonia!

d. the Macedonians comforted Titus, Titus comforted Paul, God set the whole thing in motion and now the Apostle is rejoicing

5. when you get a church where everybody is a comforter, and the afflicted are being comforted so that in turn they can be comforters, you’ve got Christianity

6. Our Conduct Is That as We Are Comforted, We Become Comforters

Conclusion: Our God is a God of all comfort who comforts us through His Word, His Holy Spirit, and His People. “May those who fear you rejoice when they see me, for I have put my hope in your word. 75 I know, O LORD, that your laws are righteous, and in faithfulness you have afflicted me. 76 May your unfailing love be my comfort, according to your promise to your servant. 77 Let your compassion come to me that I may live, for your law is my delight. 78 May the arrogant be put to shame for wronging me without cause; but I will meditate on your precepts. 79 May those who fear you turn to me, those who understand your statutes. 80 May my heart be blameless toward your decrees, that I may not be put to shame.” (Psalm 119:74–80, NIV84)