WE ARE COMFORTED IN ORDER FOR US TO COMFORT OTHERS

Proclamation:

“Praise be to The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, The Father of compassion and The God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves received from God.”  2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written by the apostle Paul, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, to the believers in the church at Corinth.  Most Bible scholars believe that this is the fourth of four letters which Paul wrote to the believers in Corinth.  After identifying himself and stating that Timothy was with him, Paul offers praise to The God of all comfort.  He states that they had received comfort during their troubles.  He said that God comforted them so that they would know how to comfort others during their troubles. 

Application:

God is The God of compassion and comfort.  He comforts us during our troubles so that we can learn how to comfort others in their troubles.  When we have experienced one kind of affliction or tribulation and been comforted, we are able to comfort others who experience similar trouble.  We have to learn how to be a comfort and a blessing to others.  Basically, after we receive comfort we can pass it along to others as we do with blessings.  We should praise God for what He has done for us, and for what He has allowed us to do for others. 

PURPOSES FOR THE WRITTEN WORD OF GOD

Proclamation:

"For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of The Scriptures we might have hope."  Romans 15:4 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written in a letter to the believers in The Church at Rome by the Apostle Paul under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  Paul told them that The Holy Scriptures were written to teach them, to encourage them, and to give them hope.

Application:
The same is true for us today, The Word of God was written to educate, edify, and enlighten us in addition to being there to comfort, console, and encourage us, and to give us hope for the future.  As Paul told Timothy, The Word of God is good for learning basic fundamental Christian principals, for instruction, and for correction of wrong doing and thinking with respect to being Christ-like and righteousness. (2 Timothy 3:16)  Often The Word of God must be explained to us, as Jesus had to explain His words (Matthew 13:36 and 15:15) and The Scriptures (Luke 24:45) to His disciples.  An important function of preachers today is to proclaim and explain The Word of God to the people, saved and unsaved, to teach us, correct us, encourage us, and to provide us with hope that is needed for the future so that we can carry on and go forth.  We could also help ourselves with our situations if we would read and study The Word of God more for ourselves. 

COMFORT ONE ANOTHER

Proclamation:

“Praise be to The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, The Father of compassion and The God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NIV)

Explanation:

These are The Holy Spirit inspired words of the Apostle Paul which were written in a letter to the believers in Corinth and to the scattered believers everywhere.  Paul said that all comfort ultimately comes from God, The Father.  He told them that God comforts them so that they could pass it on and comfort others who are in trouble.  Comfort, like blessings, were meant to be shared, passed on, and given to others.

Application:

The "us" and "we" that Paul was referring to was himself and Timothy, but there are those of us that believe that it applies to all Christians as well.  The Holy Spirit of God is The Comforter. (John 14:16 and 14:26)  As we receive comfort from God, we are to share it with others, just as we are to do with the blessings that we receive.  In the mist of our sufferings and troubles God comforts and strengthens us and gives us courage.  We are therefore to offer words of encouragement to others to comfort and strengthen them in their times of sufferings and trouble.  A kind word or two of encouragement or an appropriate verse from The Bible can really help someone.  However, providing comfort is not always only in the words we speak, often we can comfort others by just being there with them.  Our physical presence is often valued more than the words we speak.  We learn how to comfort others by providing them with the same comfort which we received when we were going through our trials, troubles and tribulations.  Let us demonstrate our love for one another by caring and sharing our blessings and by comforting one another as we were comforted.

He Comforts Us So That We Can Comfort Others

"Praise be to The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, The Father of compassion and The God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God."  2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NIV)

The Apostle Paul wrote these words to the believers in Corinth to let them know that all comfort is from God.  He comforts us in our hour of need so that we will know how to be a comfort to others in their hour of need.

Our Heavenly Father is The God of all comfort and compassion.  When we need it, He comforts us, and He expects that we will comfort those in need as we were comforted.  Like blessings, comfort was meant to be shared with others.  We are blessed in order to be a blessing to others, and likewise we were comforted in order to be a comfort to others. (1 Thessalonians 5:11)

Comfort After A Mother's Death

"Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah, and he married Rebekah.  So she became his wife, and he loved her; and Isaac was comforted after his mother's death."  Genesis 24:67 (NIV)

Isaac, the son of Abraham and Sarah in their old age, was said be about forty years old when he married Rebekah.  Isaac loved his mother, and it is said that he grieved her death for about three years before before he found comfort in the arms of Rebekah.  

The death of a loved one can be very difficult to deal with and adjust to.  Attempts by family and friends at comforting someone who is suffering from the death of a loved one, especially the death of their mother, may not be bring much comfort. (2 Corinthians 1:4)  We should not be surprised when our words of comfort do not seem to be of any benefit to the grieving person when we have not prayed first for God to guide our tongues.  Well chosen words can be a comfort when one is grieving, especially when it is The Word of God. (Psalms 119:50 and 76)  Sometimes a hug, or being a shoulder for them to cry on, or just our physical presence is the only comfort that we can provide, as these are acts of love.  Sometimes comfort can only be found in the arms of a loved one, because all comfort comes from God (2 Corinthians 1:3), and God is love. (1 John 4:7-8)

Comfort During Suffering

"Remember Your word to Your servant, for You have given me hope.  My comfort in my suffering is this:  Your promise preserves my life."  Psalms 119:49-50 (NIV)

This psalmist declares that The Word of God gives him hope, and it is a comfort to him when he is suffering because he knows that God is keeping him.

We should be glad and thankful that The Lord has preserved our life and allowed us to remain among the living for one more day.  We may be in the midst of a storm at the moment, however, the fact that we can recognize that and understand that it is only a temporary situation, (Psalms 30:5 and 1 Peter 1:6), should be a source of comfort for us.  We should rejoice because trouble  don't last always.  It was God who brought us to it, and He can take us through it.

Words Of Comfort The Lord Is Always There

 "But my mouth would encourage you; comfort from my lips would bring you relief ... My face is red with weeping, deep shadows ring my eyes; yet my hands have been free of violence and my prayer is pure ... Even now my witness is in heaven; my advocate is on high.  My intercessor is my friend as my eyes pour out tears to God; on behalf of a man He pleads with God as a man pleads for his friend." Job 16:5 & 16-21 (NIV)

After suffering all of the losses of his possessions and his health, Job told his tree friends that their words of comfort were not very comforting.  He said that if the roles were reversed, he could do a better job of comforting them than they were doing for him.  He also said that although he was suffering, he would continue to pray and The Lord in heaven would be his intercessor and plead his case before God The Father.

When our friends are dealing with the death or illness of a loved one, it is difficult to find the right words to say.  Telling them not to cry is useless and maybe even unhealthful.  We can remind them to pray, and we can pray for them.  We may never understand why God allows bad things to happen to us and to the ones that we love.  Our limited finite minds cannot possibly comprehend all that He knows, for He knows all.  After all that Job went through, he said though He slay me, yet will I trust Him. (Job 13:15)  Let's pray for the strength to keep the faith and to indure each trial that we face.  Remember, He said that He would never leave us or forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5)

We Are Comforted To Know How To Comfort Others

Praise be to The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, The Father of compassion and The God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows ... 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 ... Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On Him we have set our hope that He will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers." 2 Corinthians 1:1-11 (NIV)

In a letter to the Christians in Corinth, the Apostle Paul offers comfort for their suffering from the oppression of their enemies. He has been comforted in his hour of need and he now is offering comfort to others in theirs.

Comfort, like blessings, comes from God. He can use us to comfort one another in times of trouble and despair. We are comforted in order to know how to be a comfort to others. We are basically passing on the comfort that we received to others who are in need. We should share in each others joys and sorrows. We should be thankful for His delivering us through past troubles and despairs, and we hope and pray that He will continue to deliver us and others in the future.

Comfort For Those Who Mourn

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." Matthew 5:4 (NIV)

The second of the Beatitudes that Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount addresses those who grieve and mourn. This suggests that God knows who is grieving and why, and He will comfort them.

The death of a loved one, though not the only cause, is the most common cause for people to mourn. Even for Christians, who should be celebrating the home going of a loved one, still mourn their death. Intellectually, we know that "to be absent from the body ... present with The Lord" (2 Corinthians 5:8), but our emotions get the best of us and we mourn. We know that "... blessed are the dead which die in The Lord ... they ... rest from their labours" (Revelation 14:13), and we know that "Precious in the sight of The Lord is the death of His saints." (Psalms 116:15). Mourning is a natural human emotion. We cannot stop someone from mourning, but with the help of God, we can be there for them to comfort them. Be sure that you pray before you speak to someone who is mourning.

Know That God Can Strengthen Us When We Are Weak

"Comfort, comfort My people, says your God ... Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of The Lord will be revealed ... The Lord is the everlasting God, The Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in The Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:1, 4-5 & 28-31 (NIV)

In this chapter Isaiah describes the power of God. He comforts the people by explaining what God had done and what He can do for them. All they have to do is have faith in God.

The same applies to us today. God is still all powerful and He is in control. No matter what is happening in our lives, we need to have faith in God. For as He works things out for us, His glory will be revealed to us. He knows what we need when things are getting us down and He can strengthen us. All we need to do is have faith and continue to hope in The Lord.

Comfort Like Blessings Should Be Passed On

"Blessed be God, even The Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, The Father of mercies, and The God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God." 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

While The Comforter is The Holy Spirit, John 14:16 & 26, here Paul is saying that all comfort ultimately comes from God The Father. The "us" and "we" that Paul was referring to was himself and Timothy, but there are those of us that believe that it applies to all Christians in general. As we receive it from God, we are to share it with others, just as we are to do with blessings that we receive.

In the mist of our sufferings and troubles God strengthens and gives us courage. We are therefore to offer words of encouragement to others to strengthen them in their times of sufferings and trouble.