COMFORT AND ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER Penge Baptist Church 29 th May 2011

What is comfort?

To comfort Latin - “come fortus” meaning “with strength.” “give strength to another”“ –lessen their pain –give strength to stand once again on their feet

We all need comforting in times of… Grief Discouragement Weakness Loneliness Job loss Weariness “many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother” John 11:19

Comfort is from… God himself –“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) Jesus and the Holy Spirit –“And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may be with you for ever,” (John 14:16 ASV) –“one to run to one’s side and pick us up” Fellow Christians –“…who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” (2 Corinthians 1:4-5) –“God does not comfort us to make us comfortable but to make us comforters”

Shown by…. Being there –“When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him; they began to weep aloud, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads. Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was.” (Job 2:12-13) Listening –“Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak” (James 1:19) Empathy –“When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled…. Jesus wept. (John 11:33, 35)

Assurance from God’s word –“In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) –“We do not want you to be ignorant…. according to the Lord’s own word….we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words.” (1 Thess 4:13, 15, 17-18) Prayer –“pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” (Ephesians 6:18) Practical help –“If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?” (1 John 3:17)

Essentials for receiving comfort Time together –“Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another” (Hebrews 10:25) Willingness to divulge sorrow Trust in confidentiality Avoid the “Sunday morning lie-in”! –“Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body.” (Ephesians 4:25)

Pitfalls in offering comfort Not listening –"He who answers before listening--that is his folly and his shame." (Proverbs 18:13) Giving trite explanations –“What is man, that he could be pure, or one born of woman, that he could be righteous?” (Job 15:14) Ignoring physical needs –“Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?” (James 2:15-16) Comforting those who don’t need it! –“Challenge the comfortable but comfort the challenged”

Beyond comfort – offer encouragement! Comfort refers to the past… …for the future we need encouragement! To bring courage – “helping someone to be a better Christian, looking to the future ever when life is rough”

Scripture offers particular encouragement – but also we need to encourage one another! –“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.” (Romans 15:4-7)