Agents Of Comfort In The Lives Of Sufferers

All the dads. So I think you will like that. It's a little handy tool, that's all I'll say about it, but I'm sure that you will like that. Well, it's good to see you today today. I'm going to finish the little mini series I've been doing on suffering. We've had 33 sermons on suffering. Now, let's let's recap a little bit of what we talked about so far. Now, remember we looked I think it was at second Peter and we talked about how Satan will use suffering In your life. To cause you to question God's goodness. You will question whether or not he's present with you. In question whether or not the plan of God in your life is even wise. So Satan and we talked about the the school shooting in Texas and in other places and how these tragedies occur in, people have questions about this and why would God allow something like this to happen? And that's when Satan will come in and he'll say, well I good. God would not allow this, he'll get you to question God's goodness and all the sudden you start blaming God for things that happened in your life. Within the next week, we looked at the story of Abraham and Sarah having a child when Abraham was like a hundred years old and Sarah was 90. And we talked about how to really look at suffering that you believe and you trust God and the Bible said that Abraham believed that God could do any and all things. Even when science says otherwise genetic say otherwise God is the creator of it all. Anyway he owns it all and he can do anything. And then last week we looked at the important message of what why do we suffer? Why do we suffer? And we looked where Paul said, in Romans chapter 8 that is because God is redeeming us. Why do we have cancer? Why do we have financial difficulties? Why is there divorce in this world? All these bad things that happened in our life. God is using that to Redeemer. and so today in the last part, and I'm entitled this message today, agents of comfort in the lives of sufferers Because throughout this broken send for world that we live in, there's one thing. Remember that we said suffering is the universal problem of all people do Universal experience for all people is suffering and God is using this suffering. Not only to redeem us when we cry out to him, but he's also using it so that we can be the Agents of comfort in the lives of other people who are suffering. Now, what we going to do today is we going to look at 2 versus if you have your Bible, if you would turn the 1st, Peter 1:3, and 9. And if you remember our important statement, and we'll put this up next. Just remember this as we study that's lasting today, suffering is not an obstacle that interferes with God's plan for my life. Many times when we suffer, we going through something that we don't understand. We think with this is a roadblock, this is something that either God or Satan or someone is put there and it's interfering with God's plan for my life. No suffering is not an obstacle that interferes with God's plan. For my life suffering is God's plan for my life. That's his plan for all of us that we will have to endure suffering while we're here on this Earth. So we're going to look first of all today. At First Peter and we going to look in chapter 1. If you will, if you have already turned their chapter 1 of First Peter and I'm going to read verses 3 through 9, and I remember Peter is riding to a suffering Church who's being persecuted and remember the universal experience of all people is suffering. So let's begin in verse 3. Blessed. Be the God and father of our Lord. Jesus Christ who according to His, abundant Mercy. Has begotten us again to a Living Hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Tune inheritance Incorruptible and undefiled, and that does not fade away. Reserved in heaven for you. That's the completion of our Salvation is, what he's talkin about. Birds fly. Who are tapped? By the power of God, through faith for salvation. If anyone has ever doubted their salvation in here, this morning, if you've ever doubted whether or not, I'm saved or not, if you ever trusted Christ, look, what verse 5 says you are kept by the power of God, not through your own work. You're not, you're not cat because I go to church and I tithe and I pray you are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation, ready to be revealed. In the last time in this, you greatly Rejoice, though now for a little while. If need be, you have been grieved by various trials. That suffering that the genuineness of your faith being much more precious than gold, that perishes though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise honor and Glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ who having not seen you love though. Now, you do not see him yet believing you were Joyce with joy and express, bow and full of Glory. Receiving the end of your faith. What's the end of our faith? The salvation of your souls, you see? God is in the process. Of redeeming off. He's in the process of bringing our Salvation to completion and he used his suffering. To grow our faith. That's what he use it. So many times. We look at Salvation. I was saying 30 years ago and so now I'm saving my names written in the Lamb's Book of Life. I'm going to heaven. Well, that's true, but Salvation is not just a past event. It's a present event and a future event. So our Salvation is not complete, it won't be complete until we get our glorified body and we're in heaven. So God is in the process of saving us right now, those of us who have been saved in the past were rescued from the penalty of sin, right now it's God is rescuing us from the power of sin and one day he's going to rescue us when the presents the same, cuz we're going to spend eternity with him in heaven. Amen. And not a wonderful fault, they're in. This is what he's talkin about here. Receiving the end of your face was the very end the salvation of your souls. So not only does God employees suffering. So that we may esteem Redemption more than we do the comfortable life. You know, we said last week we all just want to be comfortable. Don't redeem, they just make me comfortable. Give me a give me a good week at work. Let me have my help. Give me enough money. I don't want to be rich necessarily just give me enough that I can go out and do what I want to do. Don't redeem me, just make me comfortable. Well that's not what God does, he makes us uncomfortable and that's how he redeems up. So Point number one, I have two point today. I want to share with you. What number one is this suffering is a tool. For personal growth. God, uses suffering, as a tool from personal growth. Not I want you. If you ride in your Bibles, which I hope you do. I want you to take your pen or pencil right now and I want you to underline three words. Look at it. In verse 6, in this, you greatly Rejoice do now for a little while. If need be you have been grieved by various trials, underlying grieve. Denver 7 that the genuineness of your faith being much more precious than gold that perishes do. It is tested by fire underlying tested. May be found to praise honor and Glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ. And also, in verse 7, I want you to underline grieved. Or an inverse it. I want you to underline greed. Three words I had you underline grieved. Trials. And test, not think about that. These words, here are being used to explain what God is doing in your life right now. You're agreed. He's testing you and you're having to go through all these trials and suffering and tribulation. Why would he use these words? Why are these words such as adequate? Descriptors of what we're going through. So I want you to look at the analogy here that Peter uses. He uses a minor mean analogy. Now, I want you to look at it again in verse 7, the genuineness of your faith being much, more precious than gold that perishes do. It is tested by fire. May be found to praise honor and Glory when a minor mine's a metal. He finds that metal in an or state, o r e in a or state. You see, or is not very attractive and it's not very usable so or has in Perfections in it, so that it robs it of its beauty and usefulness. So what does the minor do? He adds a what they call a catalytic agent and he uses white hot heat which liquefies the metal Boiling out of it all if it's in Perfection and impurities. That's how a minor does bs when he has or finds a metal. That way when he pulls out all the impurities, it reaches is high state of beauty and usefulness. So let me make this tape when you came to Christ, when you were saved. when you came to Christ, you can't, you were In or if it Christian. Now, listen, I didn't say horror epic, I said or recognized, some of it might have been a hoarder if I don't know. Some of our Lives might have been that way, but when we were say, we were or riffic Christians, and other words, there was not a lot of attractiveness to us. We wasn't very useful for the kingdom. Just think when you were say what did you know about God? Nothing. What did you know to do nothing? Unless someone would tell you you you were just kind of rough around the edges. And so how does God make us into this beautiful vessel? Well he has to put some white hot heat to us. You see he has to remind us in other words and I think this is why Paul use this here, it would make no sense for God to minors from humanity and then leave us in our, or rip-it state. So God in his grace and I listened to this, in his grace, he turns up the heat in our life. We have to go through suffering. We have to go through things that we don't want to go through another work. God, all of a sudden, he begins to boil us I'm going to make a statement here. I didn't put it on the screen, but I want you to listen to this. God will take you, where? You haven't intended to go. in order to produce in you,

what you could not achieve on your own. He will take you places that you didn't intend to go. What I mean by that, he will Dash Your hopes and dreams.

And he will do that. In order to produce in you, something that you would have never achieved on your own. Now, that's God's grace in your life. The problem is when I'm suffering and I'm going through something, I don't like his grace. I don't want to be redeemed. I just want a comfortable life. What is he doing? When he dashes our dreams and hopes? And when he puts us in a place of suffering, what is he trying to produce in a one word? Saints. He's trying to produce Faith now, you know, this to be true. Every one of you in here knows this to be true. Faith. Is not intuitive to us. We are not naturally people of Faith. Let me tell you what I naturally am. I'm a natural worrier. I worry. Everything. Are you a half-full or half-empty person? I'm a happy person. That's What I Am Naturally. I'm a worrier naturally. We all doubt. We all die out. We're not people of Faith. The way we want to be. We worry, we doubt we Envy, we were jealous of other people. We get angry at other people. We all we all do that. See it State doesn't come natural to us. And so what God is doing, he's working in me to craft the type of faith that he wants in me. And when we going through suffering and then when we cry out, what in the world is God, doing, I'm going through all this, I'm by myself, God, that loved me. What is he doing friend? Let me tell you what he's doing. You say, where is the grace of God? Suffering is the grace of God. We're looking for his grace and it's right there. In front of us, we're suffering. He's refining like the my honored us to the gold or precious metal, he's refining our face. So when we suffer, we say God, where is your? Grace is right there. It's uncomfortable, but that's his grace. That's what he's doing. He's redeeming us. Remember, suffering is not an obstacle that interferes with God's plan for my life suffering is his plan for my life. It's the grace of refinement. In friends, we we have to learn to do this. We have to learn to comfort others.

we have to learn to comfort others with a Theology of uncomfortable, Grace, You say, what do you mean by that? I mean when someone comes to you and I'm going through this and now I don't know what I'm going through the wringer at work and I don't know what to do. I need to get out of this job, whatever. Be careful before you start looking at other places and helping that person find another job. God maybe refining their fate, and he's using uncomfortable Grace to do it. Just because I'm unhappy doesn't mean that I need to get out of where God has me. We have to understand the Theology of uncomfortable, great, he uses suffering to refine our faith and surely we don't want to be someone who said, okay, you come over here and work with me, I'll hire you and take them out of the very position that God wants them in his cuz he's trying to increase their faith. Play, we don't want to do that.

Your suffering is not a sign of God's unfaithfulness. Your suffering is a sign of God's Redemptive love for you. Never thought of it that way, when I saw her, I surely, don't I want to blame somebody I want to blame somebody but our suffering is not the evidence of God's unfaithfulness. If the evidence of his Redemptive love for us, we saw that last week. What did James say? Count it all joy. When you fall into various trials, when you suffer, because God is doing something in your life, he is increasing. He is building your faith. That's what he is doing. You're getting exactly what you prayed for verse 9 says, receiving the end of your face, all this suffering, all you going to receive the end of it, the salvation of your souls. That's what we all been praying for and that's what we're going to get. You say, we're just not completely people of Faith, you cannot have a Biblical view of suffering, when you see it as a massive dark Interruption of God's plan in your life. That's just not a Biblical view when we suffer. We have to see it as God's plan. He's doing something in my life. He's trying to build. He's trying to increase, he's tired. He's trying to establish my faith. That's a Theology of uncomfortable Grace. Yes, it's uncomfortable. We don't like to suffer but this is what God does for us. So that's the first scripture first. Point suffering is a tool for personal growth. Turn left in your Bible and go to 2nd Corinthians chapter 1. So, you have acts of course, and then you have Romans, and then you have 1st Corinthians and then 2nd Corinthians. I want you to turn the 2nd Corinthians chapter 1. We going to look at our next text. So suffering is a tool for personal. Growth. And number two, God has chosen me. To be an agent of comfort to others. Now this is where the rubber meets the road right here of all this suffering that we've talked about. So let's look at it, 2nd Corinthians chapter 1 and let's look in verses 3 through 7. Blessed. Be the God, and father of our Lord. Jesus Christ, the father of mercies, and the God of all white comfort.

Who, who comforts us? In all our tribulation and sufferings is what that word means. I want says he Comforts us and all our suffering. That we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble. We're able to comfort others who are suffering. With the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God, when you suffer and you cry out to God, God comforts, you in his plan in doing this, is so that you may receive that conference and take it to other people who are suffering and comfort them. What a, what a wise plan that God has. He's using sin and suffering as an agent for us to cry out for him. Then he will pour out on us his comfort. And then he says, now Mike you go and you take discomfort that you ever see when you were suffering because there's other people out there suffering and you give that Comfort to them. What's the universal Spirit of all people suffering? And that's how he uses it. So, let me give you three statements here. They're not going to be on the screen, but let's just kind of rehash and then we'll get to our last Point. God has ordained me to live in this broken world. A world that's in need of redemption. That does not function the way it should. So that I would esteem Redemption more than my comfort are everyone got that. God wants you to esteem your Redemption. God, you were doing to me. I'm going through this suffering. I'm going through this trial and tribulation, Lord, I don't want to be mad at you or mad at someone that I know you're doing something in my life. I know you're building my fate. You are redeeming me. That's what he wants you to esteem more. Then, just make me comfortable. Just put people around me that I liked what you get tired of working with people that you don't like. Give me a good boss. Give me no traffic on the road, but I go to restaurant. I don't want to stand in line, just let me sit there and eat. I just want to be comfortable. He wants us to Asti my Redemption, more number to God, is also chosen to live. Leave me in this Fallen World to be exposed to the test. And the trials and the grief of this Fallen World.

So that my face would be refined and that it would grow and deepen. That's what we talked about. Important one, I had you underline. Those were test trials, grief, He's left me here so that I would experience all that so that my face would be refined. And then number three, God has chosen to leave me in this broken world to suffer and cry out to my God for comfort. And after I receive it, I'm to take that comfort and being Asian, or comfort in the lives of others. if there's nothing else, you can get out of these last four weeks, I want you to get those three statements because that's exactly what God has done and so I can be an agent of comfort. And so God has chosen me to be an agent of comfort. Two others. Not. Here's the problem.

We can all be so cold-hearted. And unaware of anything that's going on around us. We can be so consumed with our own desires wants and needs that we can walk right by a person who is suffering and never even recognize it. Do you know that we don't even know that they're suck? We don't even you can see it on their face. You can see it in their life but we can't see it because we were so consumed. Many times with our own selves, I can tell you about some something I can tell you one thing about every person that, you know, in your life and I've never met, you know that, I can tell you one thing about every person that you have ever met in your life there, stuffers. That's what I know. They are suffers in friends when someone reaches out to us when we're suffering. Something happens in our heart when someone extends, God's hand of comfort to us, something happens in our hearts and in our lives. You see Comfort is not just, this theological, small talk is something that I ought to long to give others. Because I haven't experienced the comfort that God has given me. It's a week-long to give it to others. We want to be an agent of comfort that we have received in friends when that happens in your life when you suffer. And after your suffering, after you been comforted and you said yourself, I'm going to take this comfort that I received cuz I know people that needs this friend that is a wonderful thing that happens in your heart. When that happens, that is a wonderful thing.

You see now, my idea of comfort. Is not a big house and a nice car. A trophy wife. Healthy kids a high-paying job. That's now that is not my comfort. It's not my own selfies just but now I want to be the look that Jesus has. When he looks on people, I want to be the Lord's hand when he reaches out. Every Church ought to be filled with comforters, why? Because of the comfort that we have received from Christ. That's why I and we ought to be ready to extend that to others. You see, now the good life is not defined by what I have. The good life is defined by bringing Peace, Hope and comfort the others in need. That's what price is doing in your life when you suffer and how does God tenderize our heart. So that we see it that way by his uncomfortable Grace. That's how he does. It is uncomfortable Grace, as we cry out for comfort in our own suffering, and we are comforted by someone else. You see, here's what's being said in my life. I-10 to I-10 to Walt but I'm not willing to give others. If I'm walking around all the time, wanting this and wanting that wanting discomfort, I want the comfortable life. And I want the easy life and God, why don't you do something in my life? I'm on a walk right by people and they're going to be hurting people there who are suffering and I will not give it to them. Because what I want is what they need, but I want it for myself, not for others. France. What we're saying is this suffering is spiritual warfare. That's exactly what it is. We will either listen to the lies of the enemy and questioned God's goodness and presents and his wisdom when we suffer or we will allow suffer to refine and to fortify the foundation of our faith, it'll be one of the other Didn't God good, how, how he can take a broken world and the sin, the sin in this world. And that's why we suffer because of sin, but he takes that, and he uses it. When we suffer not only to redeem us. But to give us a Ministry to other people, we are to comfort others, with the comfort with. We have experienced what a plan that is. Well, I'm finished and I don't want to leave you without giving you something very practical. So I won't Right here. These are the eight, do's and don'ts. When suffering now, I don't know, whole lot of time to go over these. I'll just It's no, but if I were you, I would go home. And I would cut my bulletin. The where you can put that right there in your Bible and if I were you, I would leave it there and people would find it after God is taking me home.

Because it is this it is that important. 8, do's and don'ts when suffering do resist the enemy's life. What is he going to try to tell you guys? Not good. He wouldn't allow that wears God's faithfulness. Now, look how you're suffering. Now look how these other people that don't go to church. That look what they got. They got everything. Look at you. Your child just passed away. Your wife just walked out on you. Look how you're suffering and you talk about God, you better resist. The enemies lies number to, don't give away to fear what's the definition of fear? Two words. God forgetfulness When you're suffering, it is easy to forget. God, especially when Satan comes. Don't give way to fear. Don't forget God, number 3, Admit your need for help. You're saying anybody who just suffers but they always suffer by themselves. Friend, is nothing wrong with telling someone that I'm a mess. We're all a mess. At some point in time we are all a mess. Don't wait for me to notice that you're suffering because I'm like, everyone else, I'm selfish. I only think about my own suffering. Let someone know if you admit your need for help. Tell someone look I need help. I'm suffering. I don't know how to handle it. Give me a verse. Give me something talk to me. Let him know. Let people know number for. Don't forsake Godly habits many times when suffering comes into her life. What's the first thing we do? We quit praying. We quit. Reading our Bible and we quit going to church. Now, you've already taken out the various avenues that God uses to help you in your suffering. You've already you've already diminished that. Don't forsake Godly have it. Number five, run to the body of Christ. Everyone in church, who is saved a born-again. Believer should be comp agents of comfort in the lives of other people. We ought to be able to run tonight. I hear the secular psychology and all of this. Mumbo-jumbo, we ought to be able to take care of this in the church. We should be agents of comfort run to the body of Christ. Number 6. Count your blessings. One of the ways. One of the ways to get over this spirit of fear and anxiety and discouragement. Is the have an attitude of gratitude. You think God for what he's done in your life. And if you have a Biblical view of suffering, you can thank him. God, I'm going through this. I want to thank you because I know what you're doing. With your redeeming, me your building my faith. Hard to say when you going through suffering, but we need to count our blessings. Number seven, Eavesdrop on eternity. You say what do you mean by that?

When you suffer, let me tell you one of the best books in the bible to read when you suffer, you're not going to believe it and you probably won't do it because it sounds outlandish. You do read the first 6 chapters of the Book of Revelation. You read those patches scriptures that shows what the people in heaven are doing. And they're praising, God, and thanking God because of what he has accomplished because all his promises that come true and all his prophecies are coming. True. They they are praising God. You need to eavesdrop on eternity when you're suffering because if you don't you can become very discouraged. And number 8, remember Jesus. No one epitomizes suffering and Redemption more than Jesus. And he suffered and he lived the perfect life. We suffer and we live a selfish life and we don't like it. remember Jesus, and how he suffered Put those out, cut the bulletin in to put that in your Bible and leave it there. Because one of these days you going to suffer if you're not suffering. Now, and those dues and don'ts will help you in your suffering. Amen, let's pray. Father, we thank you and Praise You. Lord and love you today for your word.

Lord, we thank you that you are indeed doing something in our lives when we're suffering. You are building our faith, strengthening our faith. But not only that when we're suffering, you're also giving us a Ministry that we are to be agents of comfort. In the lives of those who are also suffering. Lord, thank you for such a Wise Wise plant. And help us not to disparage suffering when it comes into her life. When suffering, enters our door, Help us Lord not to listen to the lies of the enemy. Help us not to run from you when we suffer, but help us to run to you and that we will believe and trust you knowing that you are in the process of redeeming us and preparing us for our final salvation. Or we just thank you for everything that you've done in our lives and what you're doing in our hearts. Now, in Christ's name, I pray. Amen.