Comfort In Christ
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God’s Comfort
02-28-2021
Welcome
Well this may actually be a difficult sermon or it may be 2 sermons into 1
See we have talked a lot about the church’s response in a time such as these
We have talked about what we are to do as believers
We have talked a lot about obedience and repentance
We have talked about the fact that there is life when we come to Christ
And as we have gone almost a year in this very unique time
I am not so sure that we have talked much about the comfort that you and I as believers find in Christ
That is where we will be this morning as believers in Jesus Christ we have comfort in Him
The reason We need to talk about comfort because let’s be honest right now things are looking very discouraging
Things right now are not looking good
Right now they are debating on whether to allow boys to participate in girls sports in Kansas
Right now evil and sin are being promoted and righteousness is being made evil
The federal government wants to pass the equality act which is not good
Planned parenthood is continuing to get federal monies to operate
When you start to see all thing it get discouraging
If your like me you hear this and think this is absolutely upside down
And church let me tell you it is and you and I shouldn’t be surprised
As believers in Jesus Christ who should be reading the Word of God
It mentions that things will go upside down in the wrong way
1 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, 4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
Paul warns Timothy in the last days things will look weird and upside down
That description right there is very discouraging right
Paul goes on to warn Timothy to stay away from those people and I think that is still true for us, that we are to stay away from those people
But we shouldn’t be surprised or almost caught off guard that things are doing south very quickly
We knew this would come
As I can sit up here and say guys because you and I knew this was coming we shouldn’t be discouraged
But I don’t think I can
Because I watched a committee in the Kansas Legislature hear opinions on why they should allow boys to play women’s sports
You all know I am in a pretty small office
And I looked at Jack and I was like this is so far out we aren’t even on the same plant
This makes absolutely no sense
Then it hit me like a ton of bricks that Jesus said this would happen
18 “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. 19 “If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. 20 “Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.
Jesus Himself told us that this would happen
That people would hate us because we followed Him
Side not if people are not hating you what does that say about your walk
If you are not different from this world what does that say about your walk
For those who are walking with Jesus this morning
Who are different than this world
Jesus told that at some point they would hate us only because they first hated Him
They hated Him because he confronted them with sin
So church let us not be discouraged about our current world situation
Or maybe you sit here today and you are discouraged but it has nothing todo with our current situation
Maybe there is some family issues going on
Maybe you have experienced lose
Maybe you have som infighting going on in your family
Or maybe you have not talked with parts of your family for what seems like an eternity
Maybe you have some health problems going on
Maybe you are sick
Maybe you have gone to the doctor and they have given you months to live
Maybe you a family member or friend is experience some major health problems and you are trying to walk with them through it
Maybe you are struggling with some deep hurt in your life
Maybe you are struggling all on the inside and on the outside everything looks fine and put together
Maybe our current situation in driving you crazy
And to be honest you are a bit discouraged
And rather then sitting there scratching your heard going what is going on
We seek the Lord because there is comfort in the Lord
Church that is what the message today is
To seek the Lord and find comfort in Jesus Christ
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ. 6 But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; or if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is effective in the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer; 7 and our hope for you is firmly grounded, knowing that as you are sharers of our sufferings, so also you are sharers of our comfort.
Paul again is writing a letter to the church at Corinth
In almost the intro to the Letter Paul wants to encourage them about God who is Himself our only true comfort in this life
Like is most all Pauls letters he offers a blessing to God
But in this particular blessing Paul referees to God as the God of all comfort
Church there is comfort outside of Christ
Get it in your head now that nothing apart from Christ will offer you comfort
You will say but Jeremy I have found comfort in this or that
That is only temporary and maybe you are fine with temporary
but this morning I am here to tell you of the eternal and every lasting comfort that can only be found in Jesus Christ
Remember the God of all comfort is the same God who comforts us in all our affliction
Paul spoke from experience about affliction
And some of you have suffered tremendous affliction in your life
And you know who and what I am talking about
Some of you have suffered a lot of affliction in your life
God is a comfort during all of our affliction
Right now during our current situation
Or during your current affliction right now in your own personal life
God can and is a comfort to you
God does that so that as children of God we can go and comfort others
That we can be used by God church
When we cry out to God in our affliction
God hears our cries and comforts us, so that we can continue to be a light in a very dark world
So that we can go on comfort others and continue to be used by God for the good work
There is comfort in God during all our affliction
That is truth and that is something that we are to write on our hearts
Paul shares that when you are believers in Christ, we share in His sufferings, and when we share in His sufferings, we also share in His comfort
Praise the Lord church we share in the comfort of Jesus Christ
Church the truth is God is our comfort
That we don’t have to sit back and scratch our head just sit there discouraged
That we can cry out to God and be comforted by the God of all comfort
That we can dig into the Word of God and find comfort
1 God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; 3 Though its waters roar and foam, Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Selah. 4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, The holy dwelling places of the Most High. 5 God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. 6 The nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered; He raised His voice, the earth melted. 7 The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah. 8 Come, behold the works of the Lord, Who has wrought desolations in the earth. 9 He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariots with fire. 10 “Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” 11 The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.
Praise the Lord God is our comfort
Even though the world seems like it is turning upside down
Even though it seems like you are barely keeping your head above water
God is a comfort to those who cry out to Him
Even through nations rise up and make a bunch of noise
God is still enthroned and still the King
God is our refuge as believers in Jesus Christ
There is no refuge other than Jesus
Church as believers in Jesus Christ we are to KNOW that God is King and our stronghold
We are to KNOW that Jesus in our comfort in our afflictions
And as the band comes up
That is the invitation this morning
To cry out to God and allow Him to comfort you this morning
Right where you are
Maybe you are here this morning and do not have a personal relationship with Jesus
You can speak with someone at the front who can show you through scripture how Jesus died and paid for you sin so that you can have a personal relationship with God through the blood of Christ
Or maybe you are here and simply discouraged about what is going on
Would be just cry out to God and allow him to comfort you
The altar is open