The Target (April 18th 2021)
Well, welcome. So glad you're here. Today. We're in week two of the three weeks series called the comfort of the Gospel the comfort of the Gospel last week. We looked at the source of comfort and we found that God doesn't give Comfort God is Comfort himself just in his being is the Comfort we talked about the source of comfort and in our Reference last week for 2nd Corinthians. 1:3 God is described as the God of All Comfort last week the source of all comfort. What is that? God himself this week? We're not talking but the source we're talking with the target. God is the source of that Comfort. Where does he Target it? What's the target? It is going through time and space looking for a destination. What is that destination? We want to do three things today. We want to look at the text. We're going to look at the 2nd Corinthians 1427. Then we want to look at the principles that we see in the text of principles of comfort and then we're going to ask ourselves. What are the likely effects? If we really took this to heart this truth about Comfort. What would the likely effects be on Westney Heights? So here we are. This is where we were last week. We were talking about verse 3 and we basically he ascended the sermon around three things. We talked about blessed be God. Usually when you have two nouns me you or me God and a verb blast. It's usually God blesses me, but this is not usual sentence because there's me there's you or there's God and there's the verb last but it is US blessing God and we asked a question. Can you really blessed. An answer is? Yes, the the the clue is in the root of this word, which is the same word as eulogize member when you give a eulogy of someone's funeral you're speaking. What was them? We bless God by speaking. Well of God. Not some superficial. Yay God he's the best but many years of faithful life where we find God to be who he says he is and we share that with other that's blessing Lord and then we spend some time on this phrase father of mercies father there means Source God isn't just merciful but he is the source of all Mercy, but we spent most of our time last week here the God of all comfort and most of the time on this word comfort. And you remember we were saying last week that this word Comfort isn't what we mean and Western Society by comfort in Western Society. We mean comfort as in physical Comfort is so comfortable or emotional Comfort. I am so comfortable with you guys. I just love you guys. Or the absence of pain and anxiety. Those are all good things, but that's not what this word means. This word here. Comfort is a strengthening word is not a password. Comfort is here is not a tranquilizer of God's grace to distract us from our problems. It is a steroid to strengthen us for the problems. The word Comfort here is not a pillow to make his comfortable. It's a backbone to make us strong.
This week we want to just continue on with that and we want to just understand what the target of this Comfort are is last week. I was saying just as I was just saying right now is mean strength that doesn't mean escaping problems. It doesn't even mean relief from problems. It means strength in problems and last week. The only way you would know that is I told you I just said hey, I've done the work on this freak word. It doesn't mean comfort as in relief from problems. It means comfort as in strength in the problem and you just have to take my word for it. But when you get to chat verse for you can see the meaning coming out even if you don't know how to research Greek words because verse for starts with this phrase Comforts Us in all our affliction.
Did you see that? Is Comfort meant relief from our problems? It would say who comforts us from our Affliction Affliction be gone. But whatever this Comfort is. It doesn't Comfort us from the Affliction it Comforts Us in the Affliction and noticed. Both of these words are present tense. The comforting is happening right now present tense. We are being comforted and the afflictions are happening present tense. Isn't that weird? The comfort and the Affliction exist in the same person at the same time. They are not mutually exclusive.
Who comforts Us in all our Affliction so that?
We know discomfort and affliction somehow go together. They are not mutually exclusive like we thought we work we are being comforted at the same time. We will be reflected. But this is for a reason this is the beginning of a purpose phrase so that I guess you're wondering why I'm going to be comforting you in your Affliction. Like the are you wondering cuz like you would maybe expect me to take away the Affliction. I'm actually not going to do that. I'm going to comfort you strengthen you the Affliction and I have a reason I'll really what's the reason it's so that and then whatever follows is going to explain. The reason I am going to strengthen you in Affliction so that
we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction.
Think about this. think about this Brothers your Affliction exist at least partially to benefit the community.
You are going through an Affliction so that God can comfort you and that you can share that comfort with those in your spiritual family.
Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Doesn't this kind of contradict what we were saying yesterday or last week because last week we said God is the source of comfort but this seems to imply that a person can be the source of comfort. So did we get last week wrong is the source of comfort God and other people? Because it says right here that God Comforts us that we may be able to comfort those who are in any Affliction. We seem to be a source off. Look at the rest of the verse. Where do we get the Comfort we get that Comfort which we ourselves are comforted by God. The picture here is the God allows Affliction so that he can strengthen us and that strength can bless the body.
There is a purpose to our pain. We when we are strengthened in our affliction. We are become carriers of that strength. It's a contagious thing but in a good way. We are in Affliction God strengthens us and we strengthen others with the strength that God gives us. For as we share abundantly in Christ's suffering. So through Christ, we share abundantly in Comfort to friends. What a non-western view. We want to avoid Affliction. We want to avoid suffering but notice sufferings and comfort are linked. We share abundantly in Christ's suffering. So through Christ. We share we also share abundantly in his comfort. Let me just give you two mind bending thoughts. suffering and comfort the strength that comes from God. Have to exist together. You don't get to the Comfort without the suffering.
Suffering Affliction is God's opportunity to strengthen Us in an unusual way to comfort Us in an unusual way and you never get forgot Comfort without the Affliction Christ. We share in Christ's suffering, but also his comfort these two things go together.
By the way, this is comforting in itself. Our pain has a bigger purpose. Your pain your Affliction has a bigger purpose. God wants to strengthen and fortify you and pain is the best way to do it and then he wants to bless the people around you. It still pain but there is purpose underneath an all-around this pain. Mine's bending thing. Number one is suffering and comfort go together. mind bending saying number 2 If we were are afflicted it was for your comfort and salvation and we and if we are comforted it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently in juror the same sufferings that we suffer notice if we are afflicted. Why would that be? Why would God afflict us? Why wouldn't he just take it away? Wouldn't it be easier wouldn't. God of love take off, we reflected for your comfort.
our affliction Is being turned into your blessing? Friends pain is still painful and affliction still is awful. But I have noticed haven't you? That you can go through a lot more pain when you know that there's a purpose behind it. That God is actually strengthening the body for you. And that's God's plan God's plan in this broken world is not to eliminate affliction. God's plan is to use Affliction to give her to give strength and community. Strength, we are receiving this Comfort Community. I'm going to minister to you out of my pain. By the way, the enemy already always always has another plan. It is to use Affliction not for strength and Community but for capitulation and backbiting. Have you noticed some communities when they're under pressure when they're going through Affliction they draw closer together? It enhances their fellowship and other communities with the same pain and the same Affliction fracture.
Every Affliction is an opportunity to be strengthened by God. And to bless his community.
Paul had a lot of Affliction in his life, by the way, you would think if anybody's going to be delivered from Paula from Affliction, it would be Paul. He wrote 1/3 of the New Testament. He was powerfully used by God to preach the gospel to the Gentiles. He had on usual visions and insights in the scripture. If anybody's on God's a list if anybody gets protected, it would be Paul. Yep, that just didn't happen. Pause the guy that got Shipwrecked remember and not just once he's the guy that got bitten by a Viper. Remember? He's the one whose life was threatened and they had to loan to escape through a window. He's the one that got put in jail. He's the one that was beaten and left for dead. Just outside lystra.
Next Elsa something Dodge choices servant got a double keeping of Affliction. But with the double heaping of Affliction came a double keeping of comfort. But notice how does versus constructed but God Paul says but God who comforts the downcast comforted to us.
How do they do that? God who comforts the downcast comforted us. Tell me more. Like how did he do that with a vision? Which is an inner resolve.
by the coming of Titus Did you see the communal aspect of this comfort? The way God delivered Comfort to Paul with through another believer. Titus when we are going through Affliction God will strengthen us and the purpose of that strength is to make a strong but it is also to bless the body the major deliver of God's Comfort to Paul in this verse was Titus. He says in 1st Thessalonians for this reason Brothers in all our distress and affliction Paul have lots of distress and lots of Affliction will we he he would still come for the Tao Tao?
Play a lightning bolt. Like a million-dollar check like a miraculous healing like how how did God comfort you?
We have been comforted about you. Through your face you with the comfort.
God comforted us through you not as God that is the source of comfort, but you were the carrier and I thank you for that.
When people go through Affliction, it is a calling for special strength and special service.
The text let's talk about the principles. How do you comfort people? This is where the scriptures came in that I had Alicia Reed job's three friends first 12 and when they saw from him from a distance, they raised their voices and wept how do we be a comfort just be there?
When the three friends come Joe has lost his home his wealth his 10 children and the three friends brought them all back roads going to do that. The free three friends did what they could do and that was to be there.
You may not have all the answers to someone's affliction. You don't have to be mr. Answer Man. But we can be a comfort. We can be a channel. We can be a conduit of God's Comfort just by being there.
Jokes friends and they sat with him on the ground 7 days. And seven nights. No one spoke a word notice that they they just sit there. They're not the spelling wisdom. They're not giving advice. They are just sitting there and not for a little while 7 days. Have you ever sat in one place for 7 days? Have you ever said nothing for 7 days? What these guys did?
To be a comfort. Not only be there but stay there very often when some traumatic event happens in a person's life. They have more people reach out to the how are you doing? I was so sorry to hear about your loss and soul and all that is good. But here's a little bit of wisdom. Continue to do that, but wait a month and then call them. Because all the well-wishers are gone now all the cards have been delivered and now they're beginning to feel that they're all alone.
When people are going through Affliction, we can be a source of comfort not only by being there but by staying there.
And then this passage from 1st Samuel 20 without some context is difficult to understand the passage and is even harder to figure out how it impacts this sermon, but let me just remind you what's happening in 1st Samuel 20. Saul is King but God has anointed David to be the Future King Saul is in a blind Rage with jealousy and he's made several attempts on David's life David his fleadh and his best friend is Jonathan Saul's son. So Jonathan and David talk and David saying like am I supposed to come back? Your dad's a crazy guy do I run away? Do I come back? I don't know David. Jonathan says, I don't know either. I'll tell you what, I'll do tell me what all do I need to talk to Dad? I'll bring it up real casual just say hey, what are we thinking about David these days and I will be able to ascertain the danger you have and here's one how I'm going to communicate to you what I find out. I'm going to take a boy out. We're going to shoot some arrows you hide in the field. Don't make yourself known just hide the field and watch me shoot the arrows. All of talk to Dad by that time and I'll know if you're in danger or not. I'm going to shoot the arrows and then I'm going to send the boy to gather the arrows. If I say the boy. Hey isn't the arrow to the right or isn't the arrow to the left. All is well. All is well Dad's over his little snit. You can come on back in it's all good. But if I say to the boy, hey isn't the arrow even further don't you have to go even further? That's your signal that you are in danger that you need to run away. So that's exactly what happens. If shoots the arrows the boy goes out and Jonathan who is talk to his dad and realize that David is in Mortal danger warns David by saying to the boy isn't the arrow Beyond you To the boyfriends the arrow gives it to Jonathan. The boy has no idea that David's there and he has no idea that he's just been the conduit of a signal he has no idea Jonathan sends the boys away David comes out from his hiding place they hug and they say go in peace. Jonathan says to David because we have sworn both both of us in the name of the Lord saying the Lord shall be between you and me and you and between my Offspring and your Offspring forever and heroes and departed. That is David Rosen departed and Jonathan went into the city. Be there stay there and help where you can sometimes when people are in Affliction. We're helpless. Like we honestly can't do anything about the Affliction itself. But sometimes we can Jonathan was able to help I'm going to have a conversation with Dad. I have this clandestine way of getting a message to you. I can help we can be conduits of God's Comfort by being there staying there and helping where we can. And the effects of this is unbelievable when a people are going through in Affliction and they take the biblical counsel to be comforted strengthened by God to share that strength with other. It feels incredible community. There is nothing that binds a people together. like affliction You study world history the populations the citizens Ruiz that were together the most that bore each other's burdens the most were the ones that were being that were in war. England 19 39 40 41 42 43 45 44 and 45 being attacked by Hitler the V2 bombs until deed until Pearl Harbor didn't look like the US was going to get in the war France is already fallen. We are gooses cooked Churchill says we will never surrender with that citizenry just came together why because they were under Affliction Affliction doesn't have to ruin communities Affliction can strengthen communities. That's why we are called to be strengthened by God and to share that comfort. We were afflicted for your benefit. Indirection very often when we share one another's burdens we can get direction. I remember 15 years ago. There was a man in our church is still a good friend of mine, but he lives in a different country now he's left. Something really bad happened. And that he did not see coming at all like a situated. It didn't kind of build over a long. Of time. It was kind of like a flash bomb like boom and all of a sudden he was in significant financial trouble. significant legal trouble and as soon as the news was known significant relational trouble the first thing that man did the first thing he did.
Was to look up to really wise men in our church who were skilled in these areas and ask them for advice.
And these guys gave really really good wise Godly Savvy advice. And over a number of months in years the bombs were diffused. There was really clear Direction because he reached out to the body and said I'm in need I need help and there were people in the body that knew how to help not only Direction but energy. I have noticed in my own life and in the lives of others that when Affliction come sometimes we procrastinate we just feel defeated. Like I just can't think about these problems are too big. Have you ever been there? And some people are energized. Oh my goodness. I have a problem. I got to do this. I got to do that. I got to do this one of the key things that I have noticed. Is the people procrastinate the difference between people that procrastinate when they're in trouble and the people that have energy is their answer to one question am I alone?
When Affliction comes and we feel like we're all alone. By the way, I don't care about your problems. I don't even know about your problems and I like it that way. I don't want to know about your stupid problems. I got problems of my own when we feel isolated when we feel alone. We feel like A lot of energy we procrastinate We Kick the Can down the road. But when we think we're on a team a team that wants the best for us. There's this explosion of energy. And finally, hope there is hope. When people are under Affliction, they have significant problems, but they feel that other people care and are helping there is hope maybe we can get through this. Maybe there's an answer here.
Friends, I just want to finish off the sermon actually, that's the end of the sermon. I have a little commentary. I want to give but that's the end of the sermon unfinished. We've gone to the text. We don't put the principles be there. Stay there help if you can gun to the effects. Hope energy Direction. I want to point out something that happened in this sermon because in every sermon I not only want us to see what the text is saying, but I want to learn I want us to get better and better at listening to sermons. What do I mean? Something very interesting happened in this sermon.
Let me just started review my notes here when you're listening to a sermon you constantly want to be asking the question. How long is the line between what this guy is saying is in the scripture. How long is the line between what the scripture says and what do you say? I want to point out that in this sermon. There were three distinct lines.
What I was talking about the text the line was very short. This is what the text says. Did you notice this verb is in the present tense? Oh and look comforting goes along with affliction. When I got the principles. The line was much longer. I did quote scripture. I quoted Joe to and 1st Samuel 20, but jove to never says that one of the principles of comforters of be there or stay there. I drew that out of the text because I think the text Illustrated that I might be right about that. I think I'm right. That's why I said it but as you're listening to a sermon you should be able to say he just inserted himself into the text that text doesn't actually say what he said it was do I agree that the text it was drinks that when I got to hear The distance was very long. I didn't even quote a scripture here. Did you notice that? Here, I'm on the scripture. Here. I'm on an illustration. Here. I'm on my own wisdom here. Note to self mean it's bad. I shouldn't have said that doesn't mean that at all. It just means that you should know that as the sermon went on. I got further and further and further away from the text. It was less about the text and more about my life wisdom. Now I'm saying that is your pastor. I hope you trust what I say, and I think I just encourage you as you're listening to someone speak about the scriptures. Don't accept any Authority even your pastors Authority the only Authority in our church is the scripture. And so when people teach the question is not how interesting they were how funny the stories were how good it sounded to our ears. The question is how close was he to the text that if you drift away from the text is I did it doesn't mean that you shouldn't listen but it does mean you can legitimately say are those the four signs isn't hoping energy and so forth cuz he didn't offer any Scripture that does job to actually say that we should be there and stay there. And I think that it's important that we become skillful listeners of the word by word The Illustrated graphically, I would say this I'm super solid right here super solid right here, cuz I'm just saying what the text says. Here, I'm not saying what the text says. I'm offering text not as teaching points as illustrations. And here I am simply sharing my observations about life, which I hope Ur valid. I hope Ur helpful. I hope they're genuinely wise but here I'm speaking on the authority of scripture. Here. I am not here. I am speaking on the authority of my life wisdom something that we should always be aware of when we're listening to anybody speak about the scriptures.