Summary

"God, the Comfort of Our Suffering" goes over scripture (2 Corinthians 1:2-5) about comfort and compassion, lists sins that cause pain and suffering, and shows a prayer to get comfort from God.

DO YOU NEED COMFORTING?

(2CORINTHIANS 1:2-5)

This message is especially for those who are in some kind of pain in their life right now.  Okay...do you need comforting?  Are you crying for someone who can hear you and all your pains in your suffering right now?  Is anyone who is reading this, seriously thinking that perhaps maybe, just maybe, there is a God who wants to hear you and reach out to you to where you are at in your misery?  If you do, I have good news for you friend: There is hope through Christ Jesus!

Let's turn to the Bible in 2Corinthians Chapter 1, verse 2.  We're going to begin this message together by reading something that's the center focus point for this "sermon."  It states: "Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."

Truly, it has been my prayer that the grace of God and the peace from God would surely touch all of the lives of those who are reading this.  May God's will be done.  Praise the Lord.

"Praise be to the Lord and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort." (2Corinthians 1:3)

Now let me ask you, what can we learn about God from looking at the above verse?  What does this verse reveal about God the Father himself?  From this passage of Scripture, we learn that God is the God of all comfort.  He is the God of true comfort!  If you think that pre-marital sex, popularity, school work, getting that 4.0 GPA and the ongoing list of temporary success provides you comfort, be warned!  Only from God do we find true comfort.  Everything else is illusionary and definitely temporary.  All comfort that is true comes from Him.

From this Scripture, we also learn that God is the Father of Compassion.  Surely, it is only by His awesome grace alone that He gives compassion to those who turn towards Him.

Sin

It might be natural for some to say, "But what about those who don't turn to God?  Why is God so mean for?"  Well, here's a question for you also: Is it too much for God to ask that you turn toward and live in fellowship with Him to be comforted?  Surely, it wouldn't seem so!  It's only a little thing to ask for especially by the fact that the Lord Jesus has died for your sins.

Sin itself can sometimes be a direct and wounding spear in your life's suffering.  Just think about it for a moment.  The world is in this turmoil of decay and evilness.  Think about all the lives ruined in the result of sin, not to mention how sins can take away people's lives also.

As an example, think about the many families and homes broken because of the sin of adultery committed outside of marriages.  Seriously, think about it for a moment.  Isn't this true?  Doesn't pain and suffering sometimes arise from the effects of sins?

How many heartaches have been caused by murders in these last two centuries alone?  Maybe you have lost someone you knew or loved deeply through the committed sin of murder by someone else.  Who knows?  But God knows, even if you think no one does.  He knows, my friend.

But don't get me wrong: suffering per se doesn't necessarily always mean you committed some big time, "unpardonable" sin.  I'm not here to brag about how I'm so righteous and good.  We're all sinners.  God sometimes allows suffering to try to catch   our attention. Yes indeed, we really do need Him in our lives.  Those of you going through pains right now might know that; maybe you are crying out for him to come into your life and transform it.  Maybe you have really decided to come to God and have true comfort.

Whatever your pain is right now, whatever the cause of it, may I share with you something from the bottom of my heart?  We have seen a quick-peek that God can comfort you if you’re in pain.  He really can.  Many people can testify about this fact.  I, myself can too.

But there's one thing that's definitely blocking the way: the problem of sin.  Yes my friend, God is a righteous God and since He is a righteous God, he judges sin.  Which means no hope for you, since we're all sinners.  So now what?  Doesn't God love us?  How do we get away from our sins in order to come to the God of compassion and provider of comfort?

Since God loves us so much, He sent Jesus to die for us, as the only way for us to come to God.  You have to first accept this free gift of eternal life from Jesus Christ in order to have your life led by God.  Think about that!  A free gift in order to have the benefits of having a God in your life!  What more do we need to expect?!

Prayer

 If you are ready to confess your sins and have eternal life, have God comfort you (so many things!), take these before the Lord in prayer:

1. Ask God to take away your sins through Jesus Christ, the sacrifice that replaced your sin.  Ask for eternal life and God to live in your heart.

2. Ask for guidance from God and comfort through your struggle.  Ask him for the heart to endure through pain and continued faith.  

If you sincerely place your faith in Christ to take your place on the cross, then you can start the road of living with God's compassion!

In the road you walk with God, it might not be easy during certain times.  But God will give you strength to endure.  Remember, God ". . . comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God." (2Cor. 1:4)

As time goes by, take the opportunity to share the things God has done to comfort you in your lives.

"For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows." (2Cor. 1:5)

--Jimmy Li