Sabbath 3/30/19 Alfred Station Seventh Day Baptist Pastor Brendon sermon “Becoming a Good Comforter” II Corinthians 1:3-4
When things happen in our lives it is like it was with Job. God gave Satan permission to mess with Job just like He gives him permission to mess with us. Job’s friends were no comfort to Job because they accused him of having done something wrong and that’s why all the bad stuff happened to him. Job said they were pathetic and sorry comforters. The question is how do we become good comforters. The best comforters are the best sufferers. You can suffer and refuse to be comforted. It’s not the one that has suffered the most that is the best comforter. We must suffer well so we can comfort well.
To suffer well we must:
When things happen in our lives it is like it was with Job. God gave Satan permission to mess with Job just like He gives him permission to mess with us. Job’s friends were no comfort to Job because they accused him of having done something wrong and that’s why all the bad stuff happened to him. Job said they were pathetic and sorry comforters. The question is how do we become good comforters. The best comforters are the best sufferers. You can suffer and refuse to be comforted. It’s not the one that has suffered the most that is the best comforter. We must suffer well so we can comfort well.
To suffer well we must:
- Suffer for Understanding: God disciplines those He loves. If we sin then there’s consequences. We need to ask God what He’s trying to teach us. There is innocent suffering when you’ve done nothing wrong. That is what Jesus went through when He did nothing wrong but was murdered anyway.
- Suffer for Holiness: Psalm 119:71- We can learn more of God’s commandments when trouble happens to us. God will do stuff in our lives to bring us back to Him. There’s a connection between suffering and sanctification. It’s what God wants us to be in our life. We want to become better and not bitter. Ask the Lord what He’s trying to teach us when He allowed the trouble to come our way.
- Suffer for Trust: Romans 8:28-29 - All things work together for the good of us. Trust God that He does have a purpose for us. He’s going to put us thru the wringer to make us more like Jesus and for us to be what He wants us to be.
- Suffer for Joy: Have a peace and joy while you are going thru trials. Consider it a testing of your faith. Consider that we are becoming more like Christ. We need the strength of God to have joy.
- Suffer for Hope: Be about God’s work and know that we have Jesus’s life inside us. God, who raised up Jesus, will raise us up too. We are to look not at the things which are seen but at the things which are unseen. We should long to be in the presence of the Lord. Walk by Faith and not by sight.
- Suffer for Wisdom: James 1:5 - Ask God for wisdom. He gives to all generously. Say “help me” to God. Pour out your whole heart to the Lord. Isaiah 30:18 - God said He wants to be gracious to you. Don’t get angry with people because vengeance belongs to God and He will repay them. Wait for the Lord and He will take care of EVERYTHING. Be patient for the coming of the Lord. Remain steadfast in the Lord. Be patient, be prayerful and Wait for the Lord!!