The Believers Comfort

As Easter approaches this year, I have been reflecting on the last two years. The world is a mess, people are a mess, and things do not appear to be looking up. Thank God for Jesus Christ, our source of comfort. The same Jesus who left His throne to be born in humility for you and me. The same Jesus who went to the cross to bear the sin of the world. Your sin, my sin.

I want to remind you this morning that He did not stay in that grave. Jesus Christ overcame the grave by the power of the Holy Spirit of God for you and me this morning. Let’s remember that not only did he go to the cross for us, he arose in victory for us! That we would have victory in and through Him! That is his love for you this morning.

I am going to touch on something many Pastors do not talk about. It is something close to my heart. Mental Health. The number of people struggling with mental health issues is staggering. It is not always the enemy or a spiritual attack causing the hurt. There may be things from our childhood, relationships, family, war, church, or a physical condition that affect us spiritually and emotionally.

The point is that these things wreak havoc in our minds and in our hearts. There are people in this very room and online with us who are silently suffering right now. For those here and online suffering, you are not alone this morning. There are brothers and sisters among you who have walked through the fire and who will come up beside you if you reach out. Jesus Christ knows your pain and He walks with you through those fires.

Charles Spurgeon, one of the greatest preachers who ever lived, was quoted saying this in a sermon once: “I am the subject of depressions of spirit so fearful that I hope none of you ever get to such extremes of wretchedness as I go to.” You see, discouragement, depression, anxiety, and fear are respecters of no man or woman. Jesus experienced those very emotions.

On the night he was to be arrested Jesus went to pray. Picture this in your mind: When Jesus went into the garden of Gethsemane to pray, he stopped right before he went to pray, turned to James, John, and Peter and said this:

Matthew 26:38 NLT

38 He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”

Everything that Jesus Christ went through and was about to go through was revealed to Him. Jesus now knew the full extent of what was going to happen to him. Jesus Christ was suffering such intense emotional grief, so much inner pain, that he felt like dying, he felt like it was going to kill him. So intense was the agony he was experiencing as he prayed, that Luke tells us, “his sweat became as drops of blood falling to the ground.” Yes, Jesus Christ knows your pain and my pain this morning. Remember this though, He did not stay there, He was not defeated, and neither are you.

Jesus shares the victory of the resurrection with each of us. Sometimes we may have to face the grave and let something die. We must leave it there, leave it behind, and come forth, out of the grave. We emerge as witnesses unto the glory of God through Christ Jesus who makes us victors!

The Apostle Paul had a similar experience. Let’s look at what the Apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians Chapter 1.

2 Corinthians 1:8–9 NLT

8 We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. 9 In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead.

Paul is probably talking about when he and Barnabas were in Ephesus. There was rioting, ridicule, intense hatred against Paul, Barnabas, and the other believers. Paul was stoned by the people, dragged out of town, and left for dead. The believers prayed over Paul, he lived, and goes back into the town. That is a story for another day.

Almost every person will face a time when they “feel crushed and overwhelmed beyond their ability to endure.” Has anybody here or online had such an experience? You see, it is those times when all we have is our hope in God. The only place we seem to find comfort and hope is from God. Now, the hope of God is different than the hope of man. The Greek word for hope is “elpis” and it means:

elpis (hope) - a confident expectation of deliverance.

We are talking about a firm trust that God will fulfill His promises. That confident expectation of deliverance fuels the comfort that comes only from God. Prior to sharing this with the church at Corinth, the Apostle Paul provided this exhortation:

2 Corinthians 1:3 NLT

3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort.

All praise to God! We know that prayer changes things. Can I tell you that praising God changes things just as much as prayer. We praise Him because He is God! Take stock for a minute: What can you praise God for in this very moment? In this moment I will praise His Holy name for bringing you, my brothers and sisters, here today and into His Kingdom. I praise God because He chooses to see us in Jesus Christ, as His children, His beloved. Notice it does not say He is a merciful God, He is our merciful Father! A Father who is merciful who showers us with grace, mercy, and love. God is our source of comfort.

comfort (parakleseos): To be by the side of another; to relieve and support; to give solace, consolation, and encouragement.

God is with us brothers and sisters. In Matthew 28, Jesus tells us “I am with you always until the end of the age.” He is with us right now. That word parakleseos is the same word that is used given as a name for the Holy Spirit.

Holy Spirit (Paraklete): Advocate, Counselor, Comforter

We need to know the importance of this. Jesus Christ calls the Holy Spirit “the comforter.” The one He promised. So important is the Holy Spirit that Jesus said: "it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the comforter won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you.”

Receiving the comfort of the Holy Spirit does not mean that God is patting us on the head or giving us a piece of candy or a toy to distract us from our problems. The Holy Spirit comes alongside us, strengthens us, comfort us, and encourages us. He will quicken us with His strength to face our trials and to overcome them. The same Holy Spirit that brought Jesus out of the Grave will also bring you out of the grave, figuratively, and one day literally.

It is so easy to focus on difficult circumstances, to look at ourselves and our feelings, to focus on the problems around us. I am not just talking about the big things. Anything that is stealing the peace of Christ from our hearts. Even in the daily struggles, arguments, and issues, we need to shift that focus and realize all that God is to us. When we focus on Him, the Holy Spirit will bring peace and comfort to our hearts and minds.

You may think your down and out at times, but God says something different. He says “arise, you are a victor in Christ.” We must be willing to receive His comfort. Sometimes we will give ourselves over to the hurt, negativity, and pain because it is familiar. We must be willing to to get up out of that muck and submit ourselves to the omnipotent power of God who is our Father of all mercy and comfort. When we allow His peace and comfort to fill us, we come to a place where we can help comfort others.

2 Corinthians 1:4 NKJV

4 who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

Your suffering and my suffering can serve a purpose and should serve a purpose. The word “tribulation” means weighed down exceedingly; pressed down and crushed. How many in this room can testify that God has brought them through some serious trials and tribulation? Praise God! That is a testimony unto the power of Christ in your life this morning. We may not be singing about our circumstances, but we can certainly sing about our Father of comfort and mercy.

Notice that Paul says “us” and “all tribulation” here. It is not all about me and it is not all about you. It is ALL about God. God comforts all believers. He does not play favorites. The precious Holy Spirit is right here with us to comfort us, not just some of our times of tribulation, but always.

Part of the purpose of God’s comfort in our suffering is to go from being “self-centered” to “others-centered.” If we are to do all things unto the glory of God, I want to glorify Him in suffering as well. What better way to glorify God than to encourage and edify others when I experience tribulations? How can we comfort others unless we have experienced the comfort of God through suffering? God comforts us so that we can comfort others and minister to others who are suffering. God strengthens us so that we can strengthen others. God encourages us so that we can encourage others.

I am reminded of Barnabas who was travelling with Paul during this time. We do not hear a whole lot about Barnabas in scripture. We know that Barnabas was one of the people who taught Paul about Christ. We also know that the name Barnabas means “son of encouragement” or “great encourager.” No matter what Barnabas was going through, he was always edifying his brothers and sisters in Christ. Even if he was suffering, he would comfort others. I know several men and women among us today who would qualify as a modern day Barnabas. Having suffered and received God’s comfort, these encouragers among us know that they must share the comfort of God with others.

We will either be a cistern holding all of God’s comfort that we receive, unwilling to share or we will be like a Barnabas, a channel, allowing God’s comfort to flow from us to others. Be a Barnabas so that we can help strengthen each-other and encourage others to the glory of God.

Praise Team/Alter Call

Is there something that you need to let go of this morning? Something that you need to leave at the cross? Ask our Father to walk you through it, to remove it, and receive His comfort this morning. Let today be the day that you turn it over to Him.

Is there someone you could reach out to this morning and offer the comfort of God? God works through His people to bring comfort to others. Is there someone you could encourage today? Pray and ask God to send you. God bless you.