Making Disciples: Comforting Others
1 Thessalonians 2:11-12
Pastor Miles
3/20/2016
"For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory."
1 Thessalonians 2:11-12 NIV
1. When do we need comfort?
Times of loss, sorrow, failure ...
"and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother.
When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there."
John 11:19, 31 NIV
""Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father's house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am."
John 14:1-3 NIV
2. Where do we go for comfort?
Food, family, friends...
"Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate?"
Philippians 2:1 NLT
It's in His arms of love that we find true comfort because He know our hurt, sorrows, and grief. In the midst of our mistakes and failures, He knows our shame and guilt. He himself has felt and suffered great loss.
"Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted."
Isaiah 53:4 NIV
His pain has exceeded ours the same way His power exceeds ours.
He knows what it's like to be in suffering.
3. How do we comfort others?
To sympathize and empathize. To understand what they are going through and to feel what they feel.
"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 receive from God."
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NIV
God comforts us in our trials and afflictions so that we can comfort others.
We can comfort them in the comfort that we have found in Christ.
We become a channel of God's love and grace.
Because of what we've been through, we can come alongside others who are experiencing the same issues.
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