The Source (April 11th 2021)
Well, good morning. everyone on February 14th, the New York Times ran an article kind of a human-interest article outlining the trials and travails of a 22 year old woman in France. I'm going to call her Susie not because I'm trying to hide her identity. I can actually can't pronounce her name but this is what the New York Times wrote just February 14th. Just a few months ago.
Life seemed promising last year to Susie a twenty-two-year-old business student in France who dreamed of striking out on her own in the live music industry. But the onset of the pandemic leading to the loss of her part-time job as a waitress sent her back to live at her family home now struggling to Envision a future after months of restrictions. Susie says that loneliness and despair sleeping at night. I look at the ceiling. I feel a lump in my throat. She said I have never had so many Suicidal Thoughts. The pandemic feels like a big stop in our lives. She added one that puts us. So low that I wonder what's the point?
With curfews closures and lockdowns in European countries set to drag on into the spring and even the summer mental health professionals are growing increasingly alarmed about the deteriorating mental state of young people. Who they say have been account who have been among the most badly affected by a world with a foreshortened sense of the future friends. This is our situation. How do we respond?
The whole situation in the world has created a pregnant pause that we should speak into. Here we are. What do we say? What's the answer? What's up response? A response is this there is a comfort there is a piece there is a
Strength that is available in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We respond in to this Moment by assuring people that there is comfort in the gospel.
This morning we want to do three things quite quickly or trying to abbreviate the services so we can do a thorough cleaning between them. We just want to do three things one is we want to look at the text this morning. We're just going to look at the first verse protects the next two weeks. We'll look at the rest 2nd Corinthians 1:3 and I'm going to preach like a 10 minute sermon on that and I hope you find it helpful, but at the end of the 10 minute sermon, there is an obvious objection. There's an obvious but that will come to your mind and say excuse me faster. But if what you say is true. And then we want to use Matthew illustrate to answer the objection. 1st Corinthians 2nd Corinthians 1:3 blessed be there by blessid be the God. You know what there is an implication here.
Bios, like if I say leave the building now, I don't have to say you leave the building the you is implied. You're the first man speaking to so if I say leave the building, I don't have to say you it's implied. So when the scripture say blessed be the God and there's no other person to bless God. The implication is by us. Then I just wanted to point out to you how unusual this sentence is usually when you have two characters God and us and the verb is blessed. Usually is God blesses us. That horse that's true in the Bible says that many times but not here. This is not saying God blesses us. This is saying we bless God God is not the Blessed or he is the receiver of the blessing. Is that even possible? Can mere mortals humans bless God they can.
Let me let you in on a little church service that happened in Nehemiah 9:5 the Levites the Priestly Faust and say stand up and bless the Lord your God. Stand up and bless the Lord your God from Everlasting to Everlasting Blessed Be Your glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise. It is possible for human beings to bless the Lord the Eternal God. How can that be?
How do you actually do that? The answer is in the root word of blessing in 2nd Corinthians? 1:3 bless the Lord. The root word of blessed is the same root word that we get our English word eulogize from have you ever been to a funeral and someone gives the eulogy? What is a eulogy? It's where you eulogize somebody. What is eulogize?
eulogize means to speak well of
we bless the Lord God when we speak well of him and not in a life superficial way yet. You're our number one guy. It's when we go through life and the mountain tops and the valleys and we discovered him to be the loving God that He is we share it with others. I found that to be true as advertised for eulogizing him. We're speaking well of him. We are blessing him when we go through the mountains and the valleys and we find God to be the powerful God that he said he was we share that with others that is eulogizing him status blessing his heart that is sharing with others who he really is. When we go to the mountains and the valleys and we find God to be the wise God not only love. Only power but wise and we see the areas from the beginnings and see why he do certain things. Then we share that with people that were eulogizing him. We're blessing him.
By the way, I just wanted to point out in this first noticed the communal aspect. It is important that we bless the Lord God as individuals. Nathan is important to bless the gods Steven is important that you bless. Carlin. It's important that you bless God as individuals, but this is a communal verse. This is one of the reasons why we meet together so that we together can bless the name of the Lord that is a core mission of the church to communally bless the name of the Lord. I understand. We're in the middle of a situation and we can't meet the way we always have met but we still meet I would encourage you make every effort the church is providing opportunities for us not only to be individuals who believe in the Lord but a community take advantage of that if you feel comfortable, come on Sundays. We have resumed our Wednesday prayer meetings, many small groups are still needing go we planned special events in February. It was some acts of love just last week. It was you've been eggs, every opportunity. They are limited. They're not what they once were and they with God's grace. They aren't what they will be but they are there and it is important is important that we gather together as a community to bless the name of the Lord.
Not only take advantage of the opportunities the church provides make your own.
Write a letter make a call. There's someone in our church one of my best friends in our church here who has some medical complications. It doesn't feel it would be wise to come on Sunday piece. We get that we still have coffee together virtual coffee. I'll make a pot of coffee at my house. He makes a pot of coffee at his place and we get together. It is important a church that doesn't meet together is not a church. I understand the methods have to change temporarily, but the mission is still the same. We communally bless the name of the Lord. What's the be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ the father of mercies Father Here means source. Not talk about anything biological, you know, the phrase just left me necessity is the mother of invention. We're not talking about a mother like a physical mother. We're talking with the source. The source of invention is the need that creates the the pain. Necessity is the mother. It is the source of invention. The reason why we invent is because we have necessity will hear God is the father. He is the source of Mercies.
And people through the Millennia have found that to be true. For you or Lord are good and forgiving. Abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you Mercy. He is. The father of Mercy Mercy is the unmerited favor that flows to us not because of who we are but because of who he is kids. Are you listening? I want her to man say grace. Is God giving us what we don't deserve but Mercy is God not giving us what we do deserve.
Faithful Servants of the Lord through thousands of years have found God to be the father of Mercy because they must we're all sinners. Very interesting story in 2nd Samuel 24 2nd Samuel 24 David has sinned he is Sim grievously and he repents and God says you've repented but you need to be disciplined in God. Actually. This is the only time I know of in the Bible he does this but God says you can have your choice. I'll give you 3 years of famine or three months of fleeing before your enemies or three days of pestilence. Then David said to God God's the prophet who delivered this ultimatum. I am in great distress. What do you do when you're in great distress, let us fall into the hand of the Lord for his Mercy is great.
I understand. I need to be disciplined but I am in the hands of a merciful god and by the way, he chose three days of pestilence cuz somehow when David's mind three days of three months of fling before his enemies involved other people. He said I want My Punishment just to be controlled by God. Everything is controlled by God, but I just want one actor the pestilence by God because I know she is merciful. He is the father of mercies and the God of All Comfort. Notice God does not discomfort. That's not in God's business. God does not give Comfort God is the comfort.
God doesn't take us to a party. Is the party himself is the comfort and he is not the source of some comfort. He is the source of all comfort. He's the only game in town. It's not like there's a lot of places you can go get Comfort but God's the best there is only one place. So if you know that I like just a whole electric cars that I just am fascinated by electric cars. They run on lithium ion batteries. The problem with Lithium-ion batteries is they have components in that are only found in a few places on Earth and those places are not necessarily politically friendly to the Western world. That's a problem because the source may become inaccessible.
The problem with the element is not that we can't find the element is that there are so few places what Comfort can only be found in one place?
in God the meaning of the word Comfort here is really important. to the Western mind comfort means he's
comfort means physical Comfort, oh I find this chair so comfortable.
Comfort me to sense of well-being I feel so comfortable with you guys. Comfort means freedom from Pain and anxiety. By the way, these are all comfortable things. I'm not saying they're not comfortable things. What I'm saying is that it's not what this word means. This word does not mean that
This is not the meaning of comfort hear the word Comfort here is a strong active words. The Comfort here is not the freedom from pain but strength in the pain. There's a difference.
The Comfort here is not physical Comfort but stamina as physical Comfort is removed. This is a fundamental point.
We think of comfort we think of God's comfort as a tranquilizing shot of Grace. So we forget our problems. a tranquilizing shot of Grace
so we can forget our problems. Prince discomfort is not a strength tranquilizer. It's a steroid.
Its aim is not to gnomus to the pain but to overcome the pain.
This is not the kind of comfort that helps us cope. It is the kind of comfort that helps us conquer. There is a big difference.
God's Comfort does here does not provide a distraction from the pain but provides a focus on the purpose of the Pain by the way a little aside. This is what makes biblical counseling so different than worldly counseling. Biblical counseling provide something that worldly counseling can never provide.
biblical counseling provides Comfort not in Escape, but in the eschaton the end of all things our future hope Comfort does not provide a dulling agent a tranquilizer. It provides a stiffening agent a steroid. Biblical Counseling doesn't provide a pillow at provides a backbone. There's a difference. That's the comfort that has promised here.
God's prom. Comfort does bring us to peace but not the piece of ease and capitulation. But the piece of a soul strengthens and fortified by the Lord himself. Comfort.
Faithful Servants of the Lord have always found this comfort as they pass through their hours of Maximum Danger.
God's people have always found what Isaiah found for I the Lord your God hold your right hand. It is I who say to you fear not I am the one who helps you.
Holy Spirit may be whispering in your ear right now about an area of sin in your life that removes you from this comfort. And that is true. Sending your life does not change God from being a God of All Comfort it changes our ability to participate in that comfort. I would just remind you that he is the father of mercies repent. repent this morning Stop listening to me now others. Keep listening. Stop listening to me now and repent. Isaiah you will say in that day. I will give thanks to you. Oh lord for though. You were angry with me your anger turned away. Why would that be that you make comfort me?
After repentance from Psalm 23, we still have to walk through the valley of the shadow of death, but his rod and his staff Comfort us. What we've seen is a God we bless. The God Who is merciful and the God of All Comfort
I have a problem with this pastor. I told experience this I've been coming to church. This is not my life. Okay, so maybe this is all very nice. I love the whole tranquilizer steroid thing. How long did you work on that and the alliteration? It's just a part of my life. This is it made Raceway this in your servant. It isn't the way it is in my life. Which is why I want to read Matthew 8. You know the story. Waves see Jesus sleeping, don't you don't you?
Jesus rebukes the wave in the season it is calm. Here's the keepers and he said to them why are you afraid or you of little faith that Heroes and rebuke the winds in the sea and there was a great calm. There are two house to this verse. half a
and a half bee.
The disciples are not experiencing God's comfort. They are experiencing freak out territory. This is not Comfort read it. Where's the problem? Is the problem in half a or is the problem in half beat?
wealthiest the disciples they would say be the Comfort Steeler here is the waves in the wind we were safe, but then the way is picked up and then all the gushing over and we're season fisherman, but work we're scared. What is stealing? Our comfort is be the wind and the waves Jesus says know what is sealing your comfort where the problem lies is a little face. That's the problem.
Jesus did rebuke the waves in the wind, but first he rebuked their hearts.
The chief apparel here is not the wind and it's not the ways. It's a heart of little face. That's the danger. And that's the Comfort Steeler.
The disciples would say the storm is the problem. No, no, no the storm reveals the problem. You always had a faithless hurt. You just didn't know it until now.
When you're in biblical counseling one of the chief things to do end and primarily the issue in counseling and some storm that the person is going through. You don't want to tranquilize Against The Storm. They're their there. It's not that bad. I'm sure it'll get better. You don't want to do that. This is a revealing storm don't tranquilize a storm until you've seen what it's showing you storms are a wonderful time for God to illuminate. What's really in our hearts. I understand that Jesus is God and can do anything but may I say it was easier for him to calm the ways that it is to keep calm their hearts. Ruling nature is a Sunday school picnic compared to our stubborn hurts.
I wonder if this applies to us.
I wonder whether there's many times where we think we're battling the elements. It's the waves. It's the sea we're not battling the elements. We are battling the Battleground here is the problem that's revealing the problem at the fundamental. Change in perspective.
The problem is not the wind. The problem is not the ways. It's our own fears mistrusts suspicions selfishness self will all the winds and the waves in the world to not damaged just like Zoe's heart characteristics. The problem is in a o you of little faith not the storm which he calmed.
this is why counseling comes from the Holy Spirit and not the counselor.
A wise biblical counselor does not counsel. Creates an environment where the person can hear the Holy Spirit directly.
Simple behavior modification is the domain of tricks and techniques that you can read about in small shallow little books. But true human heart change is the exclusive domain of the Holy Spirit and the distance between those two is the same distance between a Band-Aid on your scraped knee and a scalpel in your Broken Heart. By the way, a Band-Aid on a scrape. These are good thing. I'm not knocking that sometimes all you need is a Band-Aid
But one is for minor scrapes and the other is for significant Eternal change when we hit a revealing storm, we should not try to escape if we should try to say what is this revealing about our heart. What where has God got his finger? What page is got on and how quickly can I get on that page?
Now this phrase here little faith is not further to find but I think if we look at The Narrative of scripture we can find three manifestations of little faith. That are Comfort trucks the Comfort crook is never the storm. The Comfort crook is in here not out there. It's inside the boat by the way, not in Matthews account, but I think in Mark's account of the same thing. Jesus rebukes the wind and the waves and the disciples say that was a close one. I thought we were done or said that's not what happened. You know, what happened to the disciples when he calmed the waves.
They were consumed with fear.
Excuse me storms gone. Yes, but I just realized I am in the boat with God almighty. And that's fearful problem was never the wind of the Waves Comfort truck number one is I don't God's love my little faith. Manifest itself in doubting God's love. Now if I could preach the whole sermon here course, I don't have time smells like the only got 4 minutes and I can do this. My telling you about John Newton. John Newton was a slave a slave boat captain. He would Captain the ships that would bring slaves to Western World and when he stopped doing that he was a major investor in the slave trade.
And then the Lord saved him and he gave up all that and moved to crush slavery. Not only did he become a Christian. He became a pastor and not only a pastor but a songwriter and you wrote a song. I want to share you a verse about song because John. John Newton found tested God's love and found it to be complete and that gave him comfort. His love in the past forbids me to think he'll leave me at last in trouble to sync each Suite Ebenezer. I have in review confirms his good pleasure to help me quite through I have tested this gods and I have found him to be the god of love that he said he is I am comforted.
Another manifestation of little faith. Another Comfort truck is I doubt God's power. I'm sure he loves me. But can he really get me out of this? in that same song John wrote this Bois D'Arc be my way since he is my guide his mine to obey his his to provide and he will do it. He's powerful those cisterns be broken off and preachers all fail the word. He has spoken will surely Prevail. He is loving and he Powerball. 1/3 manifestation of little faith assured Comfort truck is I doubt God's wisdom. Does he really know what he's doing? What a wise God do this?
I know I'm outta control but I'm beginning to think he is out of control.
John Newton in that same hit him. Since all that I meet shall work for my good the bitter is sweet. The medicine is food. Do painful at present will cease before long and then know how pleasant the conquerors song.
John Newton discovered God to be loving and powerful and wise and was able thinning comfort. what must I do to have the strengthen and comfort because I don't feel this way. I don't see God is the father of Mercies.
I don't see him as the God of all comfort that is not my experience in the Matthew 8 has shown me. That is not God. That's the problem is my own heart. What do I do?
Nothing, really. live with them Trust him. Oh taste and see. That the Lord is good. Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.
Live your life with God and on the mountains rejoice and on The Valleys lean in. And you will put day upon day week upon week month upon month year upon year decade upon decade of faithful life. And when you will find him to be the god of love that he said he is we will find him to be the god of power that he says he is we will find God to be the god of wisdom that he says he is. And then we will be able to eulogize him speak well of him and in so doing bless his name because of the comfort. We have found in the God of all comfort and the father of Mercies. In light of the scriptural truth. I ask you Whom Shall I Fear.