Class Lesson February 16, 2020

THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE

Chicken soup. A whole lot of people have a bowl of chicken soup as soon as a head cold hits. Others will try every over-the-counter medication available. Still others are firm believers in their grandmother’s home remedy. It works for them, so they become evangelists for Grandma’s cure-all. Some home remedies might seem unusual. For example, some people fill a sock with either onions or chicken fat and then wrap the sock around their necks. (We can’t vouch for this, but the sight and the smell of that sock would certainly alert others that you have a cold!)

But every child knows that, when you’re sick, there’s nothing quite like having a parent right next to you. Anyone’s presence helps, but when it’s a parent—someone who loves and cares for you no matter what—their presence makes all the difference.

The comfort of someone’s presence makes a difference when we suffer. God is certainly present with us and we will see in 2 Corinthians that we can be God’s presence and comfort to others when they suffer.

Abide Prayer

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WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

2 Corinthians 1:3-4a

3 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; 4a Who comforteth us in all our tribulation,

Up to this point in our study, we have considered the “hows” and “whys” of pain and suffering: What we want is relief from suffering. Paul pointed us to the Source of that relief: God. He is “the God of all comfort.” This was not a new concept in Scripture; the Bible continually reveals God to be comforting and compassionate.

“Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him” (Ps. 103:13). Probably the most well-known and beloved reference to God’s comfort is in Psalm 23: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me” (23:4).

How exactly does God comfort us? We typically view comfort as relief from pain. We assume we’ll experience God’s comfort when He removes our pain and restores a sense of ease or well-being.

However, the Greek word means to come alongside someone. Our English word comfort includes the Latin fortis, referring to strength. We experience comfort then, not because our pain is gone, but because God walks beside us. He strengthens and encourages us. We hope God removes the pain, but even if He does not, we can still know comfort because He walks alongside us (2 Cor. 12:7-10).

The only solution to our suffering and pain is the Lord Jesus. He is the one who “comforteth us in all our tribulation.” There’s nothing we can suffer that Jesus has not already experienced.

• Feel the pain of loneliness? Jesus was abandoned and alone on the cross.

• Feel physical pain? Jesus endured scourging and the torture of the cross with all of its suffering and shame.

• Feel the pain of rejection? Unbelieving people—even members of His own family— turned their backs on Jesus.

When Paul said He “comforteth us in all our tribulation,” he knew what he was talking about. Paul was not immune to difficulties, and even before he wrote this letter, he had endured hard times. He wrote later in his letter:

“For, when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; without were fightings, within were fears. Nevertheless God, that comforteth those that are cast down, comforted us by the coming of Titus” (2 Cor. 7:5-6).

Paul’s experience with God’s comforting presence allowed him to worship and praise God even in the midst of his trouble. He used the phrase “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The phrase blessed be is a common component of the worship found in the Psalms. It is a way of acknowledging the greatness and worthiness of God. Before Paul even unpacked all the ways God had comforted him, he praised God for the opportunity to experience grace and peace through the Lord Jesus.

We can express praise to God too, and know that, when we face afflictions, the God of all comfort meets us where we are. And as Paul will show us, the way He meets and comforts us is quite often through His church.

Question 2: What are some ways God comforts His people?

2 Corinthians 1:4b-7

4b that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. 5 For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. 6 And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. 7 And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation.

We can and should be thankful for the comfort God gives through Christ, but the comfort He provides is not just for our benefit. He wants to extend that same comfort to others through us. Of course, we are not the source of comfort in the lives of others, but we are to be a conduit of God’s comfort and presence in the lives of others.

We are His representatives, and what He does in our lives should overflow into the lives of others. While this truth certainly can apply to all forms of affliction and suffering, here Paul was specifically addressing the suffering related to being a follower of Christ that we know as persecution.

Paul described this as “the sufferings of Christ.” When we align ourselves with Jesus, the world will treat us as it treats Him. “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you” (John 15:18).

Most of us in America have never really experienced persecution. We do not know what it is like to be beaten or jailed for our faith. Few if any of us have suffered physical, economic, or emotional harm for our allegiance to Jesus, but when such persecution comes—and it will come—we have this great promise: when we suffer for our faith in Christ, or when “the sufferings of Christ abound in us,” we can also experience the comfort of Christ. 

Paul could be a conduit of God’s comfort in difficulties because he had received God’s comfort in his own tribulations. Paul had experienced persecution first hand, and God could use his suffering as a source of comfort for others. Paul did not shy away from the troubles; he endured the trials so that he could share Christ. Because he endured the affliction, Paul was able to share the gospel in Corinth. Paul’s affliction was “for your consolation and salvation.”

We have a special connection with the people of China, since we have adopted three sons from that country. We were saddened when we heard about the increased persecution that is happening to the believers and churches in China: arrests, beatings, and cruel treatment. On a recent visit to China, I (Chad) heard first-hand some of their stories. I worshiped with them and prayed over them. They were so thankful for the encouragement and comfort. God will use us as His vessels of comfort.

I (Candace) have a friend whose husband died. It was a shock because, although he had been sick, his doctors did not expect him to die. My friend was devastated, depressed, and overwhelmed with all the arrangements she suddenly had to make. Her Bible study group stepped in; they cooked, brought in food, and helped with whatever she needed. In other words, they brought her comfort. Then it happened! Her friends saw her relax a little. The

smiles came and even some laughs at stories she told about her husband. This was a wholly different kind of comfort than what the Chinese Christians needed, but it was the comfort my friend needed. However, we may have experienced the comfort of Christ—whether in the midst of pain, persecution, or loss—we can be channels of His comfort in the lives of others.

Question 3: What obstacles sometimes discourage us from reaching out to those who suffer?

  

ENGAGE

From the list, circle one kind of situation you might be experiencing or have experienced. Then answer the questions.

Financial problems     

Physical pain   

Broken relationships   

Fear of the future

Guilt from the past 
Struggles with sin’s consequences

Emotional pain 
Other: ________________

How have you observed God comforting others in this kind of struggle?

How has God comforted you through this struggle?

How can God use you to help others in similar situations?

2 Corinthians 1:8-11

8 For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life: 9 But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: 10 Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us; 11 Ye also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf.

Paul pointed to another way we can be a channel of God’s comfort to others. In describing his own painful experiences in Asia, he declared they had been more than he could bear and had almost cost him his life. I love Paul’s transparency: He confessed to being “pressed out of measure.” Yet, Paul knew he couldn’t rely on his own ability to overcome these hardships; he had to trust God.

Trust comes when we see God as Paul did. Paul remembered God’s power—the power that “raiseth the dead.” That same power was at work in Paul’s situation; as God had worked in the past, He would continue to work in the present and in the future. The natural by-product of such faith and trust is hope. Paul had an unshakable, sure confidence “that he will yet deliver us.”

While Paul knew a level of comfort because of His hope and trust in God during the trying times, he also knew he was being supported by others through prayer. The apostle gained comfort from those who were “helping together by prayer for us.” Knowing others are standing before the throne of God in prayer for us is both comforting and encouraging even in the most difficult times.

I (Chad) was in a country in Southeast Asia where the church is under heavy persecution. I was training pastors in theology and ministry in an underground church school. One day, as I was teaching, one of the workers at the school where we were meeting alerted us that government officials were coming for an inspection. We turned off the lights while the officials questioned the owner of the building. We remained quiet, but we prayed! I have never prayed so fervently in my life. They would not harm me, an American, but the pastors could be fined, beaten, and even thrown in jail. I prayed for each of these pastors. After the situation had subsided (the officials did not search our area), I heard their stories of beatings, confiscated property, and jail time. They mentioned the power of prayer over and over again. God was glorified by the way they suffered for Jesus, and I was deeply challenged to pray regularly for them.

Question 4: Why do you think prayer is such an important part of the Christian life?

Stepping into the lives of those who hurt and suffer is a gift to them and a reason to thank God. “For the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf.” Even when we pray for those we don’t personally know, like persecuted believers in other parts of the world, we are making a difference. But it’s not about people seeing that we are making a difference; it’s all about bringing thanks, praise, and glory to the One who makes all the difference.

Question 5: How can God use our group to help bring comfort to others?

LIVE IT OUT

You likely know someone or are aware of a group that is suffering. Let God use you to offer them comfort.

Be present. Allow God to use you to give comfort to someone who is hurting. Simply being present is sometimes the greatest comfort of all.

Be thankful. Think of someone who provided comfort in the past when you needed it. Thank God for using them, and write them a note of thanks for the way they encouraged and supported you.

Be prayerful. Commit to pray for a missionary, people group, or country. Pray for God’s comfort and strength in the face of believers’ trials.

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Hope to see everyone this Sunday!

In His Love,

David & Susan

Teacher Notes:

Where Does Comfort Come From?

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This song was played in my Baptist church in 1971…What do you know about it?

Bridge Over Troubled Water is a gospel phrase which Paul Simon took from a gospel group. It was in a Baptist church hymn. He liked the phrase and he used it to compose the song. It’s a song about proving comfort for someone in need. Art Garfunkel sang the lyrics.

How does a song bring comfort to you?

What’s your favorite comfort food?                                     Why does food bring comfort?

·       Comfort foods are comforting because they provide psychological comfort. These foods remind us of fond memories or occasions.

·       Comfort food provides a nostalgic or sentimental value, and may be characterized by its high caloric nature, high carbohydrate level, or simple preparation. The nostalgia may be specific to an individual, or it may apply to a specific culture.

In our lesson this morning, Another Paul wrote 2 Corinthians to provide comfort to the believers in Corinth that were experiencing pain and suffering. Paul had spent considerable time in Corinth, but after he departed, the church fragmented. Factions aligned claiming to follow various leaders. Sinful behavior met no challenge. Pride, arrogance, and egotism replaced the fruit of the Spirit. Paul wrote and visited to correct the situation, but to little avail initially. Eventually, however, most believers repented and healing began. Paul wrote 2 Corinthians to facilitate continued healing and the restoration of relationships. Suffering is one of the major themes in the letter, primarily from being followers of Christ. Paul used his own circumstances to point out that following Christ would lead to opposition, suffering, and challenge. Yet by his own experience, he knew that God gave divine comfort that turned sorrow into strength, tribulation into triumph, and the misery of opposition into opportunities for ministry.

Up to this point in our study, we have considered the “how’s” and “whys” of pain and suffering but: What we want is relief from suffering.

Paul points us this morning to the Source of that relief and it’s not a food or a song, its … God.

2 Corinthians 1:3-11 (NIV)        Praise to the God of All Comfort

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 5 For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. 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. 7 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. 8 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, 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. 9 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. 10 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, 11 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.

Three main points for us to discuss today:

·       God is the source of comfort.

·       We are called to be channels of God’s comfort.

·       The prayers of God’s people help those who suffer.

Nothing is beyond the ability of God, no matter the nature of the struggle. Whatever has caused the suffering, He is Master over it. He is able to comfort and strengthen the struggler. Furthermore, He expects His people to reach out to others as channels of blessing and encouragement.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4a

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles,

These verses teach us about God’s nature?

1.     God is the source of comfort.

This was not a new concept in Scripture; the Bible continually reveals God to be comforting and compassionate.

Other verses that reference God’s comfort:

·       Psalm 103:13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.

·       Psalm 23:4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

Do you want just comfort/healing or do you want comfort/healing from God’s hand?

·       There is a difference. Healing from God’s hand is lasting and substantial. Some day we will be fully and finally healed. If comfort is a means in and of itself it will not last. And it will not lead us to use our comfort for the sake of others. Worldly comfort culminates on itself but God-given comfort will spread to others. Knowing that God holds the keys to comfort is both comforting and a bit scary. It means that there might be seasons when we have to smart for a while. David, certainly did. He holds the key. He is very good. He is very wise. We are going somewhere and I trust Him. Even if we pitch our tent in rubble and ashes, I trust that this will be a means to prepare me for dancing in the palace of heaven. Sure, I’ll ask him for the keys whenever I hurt. I’ll beg him to take away pain. I’ll long for the days when the clouds and darkness lift. I’ll use every means necessary to fight the things that rob godly comfort and peace. But if the clouds don’t lift and the darkness continues to break in, I’ll just wait.

How exactly does God comfort us?

• We typically view comfort as relief from pain. God removes our pain and restores a sense of ease or well-being.
• The Greek word means to come alongside someone. Our English word comfort includes the Latin fortis, referring to strength. We experience comfort not because our pain is gone, but because God walks beside us. He strengthens and encourages us. We hope God removes the pain, but even if He does not, we can still know comfort because He walks alongside us (2 Cor. 12:7-10). Paul’s thorn in the flesh.

God does not promise to eliminate troubles from our lives. He promises to help us through our troubles and comfort us in our troubles.

• Is it normal for us to ask God to help us avoid troubles? Yes, and He may answer our prayer and enable us to avoid some troubles. But He won’t let us to avoid all troubles.
• When we experience trouble, is it normal for us to ask God to immediately remove the trouble from us? Yes, and God may or may not do that. He may remove the trouble, or He may allow the trouble to continue for a while; or even a longer period of time. The woman that touched Jesus’ robe – was healed because of her faith. The Centurion soldier’s daughter.
• Is it normal for those who are experiencing troubles to think that God does not care about them or is not concerned about their suffering? Yes, but that’s not true. 3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles,  

God the Father is the “Father of Compassion.” He is the source of compassion. He created compassion. He knows compassion. He has compassion. He is aware of our troubles, our hurts, our suffering. He feels our pain and wants to do something to alleviate it. That is His nature. He is the Father of Compassion. His compassion is not limited to some troubles. His compassion extends to all of our troubles. He is the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles. No matter what trouble we are experiencing, the God of all comfort can alleviate the suffering, diminish the pain, help us deal with the troubles, and give us comfort in our afflictions.

  

2 Corinthians 1:4b-7

4b so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 5 For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. 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. 7 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.

2.     We are called to be channels of God’s comfort.

·    The way we respond to the difficulties that come with serving Christ can be a model for others when they are confronted with similar trials.

·       One-way God makes His presence known is through other believers who walk alongside us in our pain, supporting us and praying for us. Through them, we can sense God’s comfort. In turn, God can use our own painful experiences to assure others of His presence, that He cares, that He loves us, and that He comforts us.

·       Remember that every trial you endure will help you comfort other people who are suffering similar troubles.

What does that mean?

What obstacles discourage us from reaching out to those who suffer?

What does the suffering of Christ mean?

There are different kinds of sufferings.

• Christians will suffer because we live in a fallen world that is under a curse - bad things happen to everyone – including Christians.
• The sufferings of Christ are the same kind of sufferings that Christ experienced. Jesus was opposed by the majority of His generation. He was despised and rejected, a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering.
• If we follow Jesus the way we should – by living like Jesus lived; by proclaiming the same truths that Jesus proclaimed – we will suffer like He did. That is the sufferings of Christ. That is what Paul and Timothy experienced – and not to a small degree, but to a great degree. They shared abundantly in the sufferings of Christ. And they are letting Christians know that to the degree that they shared in the sufferings of Christ, they experienced the comfort of Christ. Paul explained that he and his companions suffered greatly for bringing comfort and salvation to the Corinthians. But just as God comforted Paul, God would also comfort the Corinthian believers when they suffered for their faith. He would give them the strength to endure.

2 Corinthians 1:8-11

8 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, 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. 9 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. 10 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, 11 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.

Paul also knew he was being supported by others through prayer.

3.     The prayers of God’s people help those who suffer.

How do the prayers of God’s people bring you comfort?

Knowing others are standing before the throne of God in prayer for us is both comforting and encouraging even in the most difficult times.

• The most faithful servants of Christ are not exempt from trouble.
• As we face the most difficult days, we are to put our trust in God who is able to deliver us.
• God who has delivered us in the past is more than able to deliver us from what comes upon us in the future.
• Our prayers on behalf of those who suffer are a way we can help during their time of great need.
• God’s gracious response to our prayers for others provides an opportunity for us to give praise and glory to His name.

Paul could be a conduit of God’s comfort in difficulties because he was the recipient of God’s comfort in his own tribulations. Paul had experienced persecution firsthand, and God could use his suffering as a source of comfort for others. Paul did not shy away from his troubles; he endured the trials so that he could share Christ. As a result of the affliction he endured, Paul was able to share the gospel of comfort in Corinth.

Conclusion: As God comforts us, we are to comfort others.

Abide Prayer

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