The Comfort of The Holy Spirit

2 Cor. 1:3-11

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. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.

We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters,[a] about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.  He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us,  as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.

There is a national mental health crisis in America called stress. Over 78% of Americans are suffering from anxiety. This is brought on by worry and stress about what is happening in our country. Added to this is the increase in loss of jobs, supplying food and shelter and medicine. We have hundreds of thousands who have no heat or food. They have been without power for several days. Here is what one person said, "We never thought we would be without food and electricity. We were not prepared."

 

When the darkness of catastrophe rolls over us, extinguishing the light of hope, one of the first questions we ask is, "Where is God?" We ask that question because we feel abandoned by God. We want to make sense out of our darkness. 

 

In our darkness, we can't assemble the jigsaw puzzle of our life. We can't make sense of our darkness because it was a senseless act that killed our dream and plunged us into darkness. 

 

What sense is there in a sniper killing innocent men, women, and children? Yet it happens.

 

What sense is there in a troubled teen shooting his/her classmates? Yet it happens.

 

What sense is there in a mother abandoning her young children or a father smothering his crying child? Yet it happens.

 

 Sin never makes sense. We perceive this senselessness as evil darkness. In the darkness, David discovered five emotional lights that God made real to him (see Psalm 62:6-7). 

 

62 Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation.

2 He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved.

5 My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.

6 He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defense; I shall not be moved.

7 In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.

 

He Uses the Name of God to identify his need: 

1. "Rock" = A solid foundation I can build my life upon.

2. "Salvation" = The one who rescues me. -' 

3. "Defense" = Someone who will always stand up for me. -

4. "Glory" = God makes me look good and defines my success. 

5. "Refuge" = The place where I can always feel secure. 

 

One thousand years after David testified of the reality of God's presence at his dark dumpsite, the Apostle Paul wrote of his truth of God in his darkness. Paul gives us a perspective that turns the scars of defeat into life-giving beauty marks of compassion and comfort. It is a perspective that helps us find God in our darkness. 

 

I. God's Nature Compels God to Visit Us in Our Darkness. 

 Notice how Paul described the nature of God. "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 (pressure)." (2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NIV) 

Paul gave those influential emotional names to God, the Father of compassion, the God of all comfort. So if the nature of God is to provide me with compassion and comfort, why do I feel so miserable and blind to God in my darkness? What is it that blinds me to God's presence? 

Our blindness is a self-induced emotional response to the shock of life in the blackness of the dumpsite. Darkness breeds fear, and fear disorients us. Thus we perceive our broken dreams as irreplaceable losses. That perception stirs anger and bitterness within us because we think our future is destroyed. 

 

We refuse to allow our eyes to see anything but darkness and death. We stop our tongue from speaking words of life and hope. The only words we say are curses, "Woe is me, woe is me." 

 

We refuse to believe the reality of Paul's words, "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." (2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NIV) 

 

God of all comfort is a New Testament name of God that includes the same Greek word that is often used for the Holy Spirit: paraklētos. One of the translations of that name is Comforter (KJV). The term refers to one who is called alongside to help and support. This name of God wonderfully expresses His care for us.

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Some rabbis speculated that the first words of Isaiah 40:1, "Comfort, comfort, my people," were a hint that one name of the Messiah was Menakhem. Menakhem is a form of the word nekhamo (God of all comfort is a New Testament name of God that includes the same Greek word that is often used for the Holy Spirit: paraklētos. One of the translations of that name is Comforter (KJV). The term literally refers to one who is called alongside to help and support. This name of God wonderfully expresses His care for us.

 

We think, "If God is the Father of all compassion and comfort, why am I sitting in the darkness at the broken dreams dumpsite groping for God? We conveniently forget that there are five principal sources of broken dreams. 

 

1. Believing Satan's lies shatters our dreams and seems to hide God. We believe the popular lie of "Look after yourself first." We get so caught up in "what's good for me" that we neglect our fundamental relationships and find ourselves profoundly wounded and alone in our selfish darkness, stuck in the pond of self-pity. 

 

2. Violating God's principles and laws shatters our dreams and seem to hide God in darkness. Despite the clear teaching of scripture against unequal yokes, we still forge relationships with individuals who do not share our values and principles.  

 

One day our values and principles clash, and the relationship is fractured, and we land in the dark dumpsite of broken dreams. We lament, "I don't know why this happened." Soon we're stuck in the quicksand of self-justification. 

 

3. The choices others make can shatter our dreams. A drunk person may choose to drive and kill our child riding a bike down the street. An irresponsible spouse may decide to walk out on the marriage, leaving the family in emotional and financial turmoil. We become victims of other people's choices. We get stuck in the muck of the unfairness of life, and darkness obscures God's presence. 

 

4. The choices God makes to showcase His glory can shatter our dreams. There are times God allows sickness because He chooses to perform a miracle that will bring great glory to Himself. 

 

You may remember the story of the blind man who Jesus healed. Jesus' disciples asked the following question, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life." (John 9:1-7 NIV) We get stuck in the tug-of-war of who is in control of my life, God or me? 

 

5. The element of randomness in the natural forces of our world can shatter our dreams. Texas was hit with a snow storm  that resulted in thousands of people left in the darkness at the Broken Dreams Dumpsite. Some are now facing electric bills over $10,000.

 

We get stuck on the merry-go-round called Second Guessing, saying, "If only I had waited five minutes. If only I had stayed home." We find enough "If only" conditions to mope on for the next twenty years. We'll never find God in the darkness of "if only." 

 

The Apostle Paul claims that the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort is present in all of these dark places. Does Paul know what He's talking about? If God is there, why can't we see or feel Him? Paul holds out to us the key that will unlock the gate out of the dumpsite. Today you have to decide if you will reach out and take the key. 

 

II. We find God in the Darkness When We see Our Darkness as a Ministry Opportunity.

Paul's following words are sad news to those who bought Satan's lie to serve themselves first. To those who are givers and not takes, the following is excellent news. It's excellent news because Paul assures us that there is an eternal redeeming purpose for our stay at the dumpsite of broken dreams. 

 

". . . so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ, our comfort overflows. 6. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. 

 

I get a call from a person who said, "Pastor, you can't imagine how badly I'm hurting today." This person was stuck on the "If only" merry-go-round.

 

 I said, "I've never experienced what you are going through, but it must be like hard. I have a friend who spent time in the same dumpsite of broken dreams where you are stuck. My friend will understand precisely how you feel. You'll see how he found God in the darkness, unlocked the gate, and escaped from the dumpsite." 

Paul says that my stay at the dumpsite can be a source of encouragement in your search for God in the darkness. My stay at the dumpsite gives me empathy, which gives my sympathy credibility. 

 

Empathy is fully imagining yourself in the other person's situation. When your imagination feels my deep pain and loss, your soul locks on to my soul, and the comfort of the Holy Spirit flows through you and begins filling my emptiness. 

 

Without empathy, our comfort is like sounding brass and tinkling symbols and is experienced as patronizing pity. It is like Someone who looks down into your dark pit and says, "I feel so sorry for you down there; why did you make those foolish choices?" Empathy is sitting with them in the pit of their dark dumpsite. The heart takes their hand and places it in the hand of God. That's how we find God in our darkness. 

 

Decision time has come to us. Will I stay stuck in the pond of self-pity and the quicksand of self-justification? Will the sticky muck of life's unfairness continue to grip me? Will I remain stuck in the tug-of-war of who is Lord of my life? Will I stay glued to the merry-go-round of the "If only" mantra? These are decisions that we make for ourselves.

 

Can you see your darkness becoming a ministry opportunity? Your ticket out of the dumpsite is your perception of God's purposes for your life. Will you let Him transform your scars into beauty marks of ministry? 

That involves a big decision. Am I going to do what I want to do or what God wants me to do? Will I serve myself or others? Will I look for those I can bless or for those who will bless me? 

 

Will I be a giver or a taker? Will I suck energy from others or give my power to others? When we say, "Yes, I'll serve, bless and give to others, then we find God in our darkness. Then we can take the key from His hand and unlock the gate at the dumpsite and GO FREE.