Comfort: The Boomerang of the Spirit!            Kelly Durant  Re 4-10—21

 

2 Corinthians 1:4 (K J V) 4 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. How many of you as a child have ever fallen down, off a bicycle, or playing sports and hurt your knee or something so bad you can’t get back up? If your mother, or a good friend is close they might say, aw, wait, I will help you clean up, don’t worry, I will help you! But amongst boys, you might be bleeding to death on a baseball field and they say, be a man, it’s nothing, get up, don’t be a whimp! Now which reaction do you prefer? Comfort of machoism? 

 

In the old days, people would help each other get from the country to the city and a farmer on his horse and wagon picked up a young boy who had a sack of potatoes to sell in the market. The farmer told him to get on the back of the wagon. The boy got on and the farmer saw he kept the bag of potatoes on his lap. He said to him, why don’t you get comfortable and lay down the bag on the wagon. The boy replied that he would keep them in his lap because he thought the man was being nice to allow him to ride, and that was enough kindness. He explained, to have you carry me is enough, if I ask you to carry the bag too, that would be abusive! Ha! But God wants us to lay our burdens down!

 

3. I choose the subject of comfort because I think everyone is feeling the heat of the hard times more than ever. On the AM radio they announced a study that was done on U.S. households and they discovered that 3 out of 4 homes were in such a stressful situation that they were on the brink of disintegration or a nervous collapse! This is either because they have no job, or if they have one, their boss expects them to do the work of 2 people! 

 

You can only live afraid, worried, frustrated, and tired up to a certain point, and then like a branch on a tree, you snap. 

I am concerned that of some of you here in the Corps might be letting your situation in life grind you down too hard! As Christians we must help one another support the everyday burdens as well as the extra heavy ones.

 

4. So does God care about our comfort? Yes! Comfort is mentioned in the Bible 119 times. Listen to just a few of the verses in the New Testament.

2 Corinthians 7:4 

Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my glorying of you: I am filled with comfort, I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation.

2 Corinthians 7:6

Nevertheless God, that comforteth those that are cast down, comforted us by the coming of Titus;

 

2 Corinthians 7:7 And not by his coming only, but by the consolation wherewith he was comforted in you, when he told us your earnest desire, your mourning, your fervent mind toward me; so that I rejoiced the more.

2 Corinthians 7:13

Therefore we were comforted in your comfort: yea, and exceedingly the more joyed we for the joy of Titus, because his spirit was refreshed by you all.

2 Corinthians 7:12-14 (in Context) 2 Corinthians 7 (Whole Chapter)

2 Corinthians 13:11

Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.

Ephesians 6:22

Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that ye might know our affairs, and that he might comfort your hearts.

Philippians 2:1

If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies,

Philippians 2:19

But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timotheus shortly unto you, that I also may be of good comfort, when I know your state.

Colossians 2:2

That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ;

Colossians 4:8

Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that he might know your estate, and comfort your hearts;

1 Thessalonians 2:11

As ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children,

1 Thessalonians 3:2

And sent Timotheus, our brother, and minister of God, and our fellow labourer in the gospel of Christ, to establish you, and to comfort you concerning your faith:

1 Thessalonians 3:7

Therefore, brethren, we were comforted over you in all our affliction and distress by your faith:

1 Thessalonians 4:18

Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

1 Thessalonians 5:11

Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.

1 Thessalonians 5:14

Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.

2 Thessalonians 2:17

Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.

5. Do you get the idea? God sends us comfort! But how? Through the Holy Spirit and others! God uses each of us to comfort one another in all our situations.  So from the study on comfort we must ask ourselves 2 questions:

Do you allow God and others to comfort you and me as we should?

Do you personally seek to serve and comfort others you see are hurting?

 

Let’s look at the first question. Why did I start with the example of the boy and the potato sack? Because all of us quite often have more pride than what we know about! God sees all things, maybe I can see some pride, maybe others can see it too, but often we ourselves do not see it.

 

When someone says, are you going through a difficult time? Can I help you in some way? When someone offers comfort, what do we often do? We often close up like a clam. We reject comfort from others, which is God’s comfort through them sent to you!

 

6. You know God made all the creatures for us to learn from. A clam when it feels something near just closes up tight and lets nothing in! God is not pleased when we do this. People think, I can survive, I am strong, I don’t need anyone! Our enemies from the demonic world convinces us and others with evil thoughts like: I can’t share my burden or problem, people will not understand me, people will make fun of me, people will gossip, people will think I did something wrong and that God is punishing me. And that brother trying to comfort me, who does he think he is pretending to be so spiritual? Evil thoughts come when one is doing God’s work! Jesus fought them off with God’s Word, and we can too! 

 

There are many reasons why you, and someone, may reject accepting comfort, but do you see it how wrong this is? God made us weak, and His strength is perfected in our weakness! But as long as we think we can do things without God and others we will suffer a lot more than what God intends, and that will make you or me old before our time!

 

7. The next question: Do you seek to be used by God to comfort others? 

First, let’s define comfort. It is relational. It involves something disagreeable happening that another person alleviates. It is a state of feeling physically relaxed, it is relief from pain or anxiety, to cheer up someone. How can your presence do that for others? 

You may think, I am not a pastor to know how to comfort someone in pain, but God expects that you comfort them, not thinking on your abilities, but focusing on their need! Here are some ways in which we can comfort others:

 

1.Listen to them when they want to tell you about their problems.

2.Read to them something encouraging from God’s word 

3.Pray for them when they are ready in the conversation to stop talking. 

4.Bring them some food, or something they may need at that time.

 

8. These are just a few ways, but one more extremely important thing about comfort. It is a supernatural force and it comes from the Holy Spirit!

Comfort: It is relational; It involves something disagreeable happening that another person alleviates. It is a state of feeling physically relaxed, it is relief from pain or anxiety, to cheer up someone. How can your presence do that for others? 
Ask for…
Holy Spirit power!

 

John 14:16-18  16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

 17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

 

9. So when you minister to someone, you are actually being an instrument of the comfort of the Holy Spirit! And when you have felt that power, you feel like praising God out loud for the warm exciting feeling you have inside. It is giving you words to speak that you do not know from where they came from, giving you the ability to pray beautiful things you never imagined, guiding you to exact words that person needed to hear from God’s word, and you know it is supernatural.

 

Why do you think we are always asking you to participate with us in outreach, visitation, and comforting others? Because you will find God gives back to you in the same measure you are giving! We can never out-give God! Do you need comfort today? Come and accept it from God’s Holy Spirit up here at the mercy seat. 

 

Remember, God comforts you, not for you to get comfortable and lazy an do nothing. He comforts you so you will with this same comfort, comfort others. Do you want to give comfort? Start right now with those here and keep being ready each day to be ready for God’s service!