Authentic Comfort
Series: AUTHENTIC
Speaker: James Barnett
Date: 4th August 2019
Passage: 2 Corinthians 1:1-11
00:00:00 --> 00:00:11 don't worry, everything will be fine. She'll be right. Don't be sad. It'll all work out.
00:00:12 --> 00:00:18 Have you ever heard these kinds of words said to you before? Have you ever said something like this
00:00:18 --> 00:00:24 before? Imagine the scene where something terrible has happened, a loved one has died,
00:00:24 --> 00:00:29 something quite painful, and people keep coming up to you and they try to offer you comfort.
00:00:30 --> 00:00:39 But it's not actually comforting. It's all a fake. Comments that sound nice, but actually just make
00:00:39 --> 00:00:44 the person think they're doing the right thing. You know, imagine sharing a painful truth with a
00:00:44 --> 00:00:50 friend and they say, I'll pray for you. Maybe you've been that person, you've said, I'll pray for you,
00:00:50 --> 00:00:57 and you just totally forget to actually pray for them. We say things that sound good, but they can
00:00:57 --> 00:01:07 have no substance. We can offer fake comfort. I've heard of people who don't like being with
00:01:07 --> 00:01:11 their friends when they're sad because it's really tough. They don't like being with people when
00:01:11 --> 00:01:20 they're grieving. So they just say, oh, don't be sad. Don't cry. Everything will be fine. And I know I've
00:01:20 --> 00:01:28 said those things too. But they're not comforting. I think we give fake comfort easily. We seek
00:01:28 --> 00:01:36 comfort in other places. Does anybody want to admit that they eat comfort food? Does anybody have a
00:01:36 --> 00:01:41 preferred comfort food, Mark? What's your preferred comfort food, brother? Ice cream? That's a good one.
00:01:41 --> 00:01:50 I always use a teaspoon these days. It's safer that way. There's retail therapy. We go shopping to make
00:01:50 --> 00:01:58 ourselves feel better. But they're fake comforts. Do we know where real, authentic comfort comes from?
00:01:59 --> 00:02:07 And do we know how to share authentic comfort with those in need? Today, we're starting a new series,
00:02:07 --> 00:02:13 authentic. And we're looking at the book of 2 Corinthians. And Paul calls people to be authentic,
00:02:14 --> 00:02:22 to have authentic relationships, to be authentic and real Christians, to have authentic love and
00:02:22 --> 00:02:29 generosity and humility, to not pretend and not fake it, but to be real with one another and God.
00:02:30 --> 00:02:35 And today, as we'll see, to have authentic comfort and to share it. So I'm going to pray for us.
00:02:35 --> 00:02:43 Heavenly Father, thank you, Lord, that you have made us people who are not alone and isolated,
00:02:44 --> 00:02:49 but that we get to be in relationships with other people. Father, help us today to understand
00:02:49 --> 00:02:54 what authentic comfort can look like and how you have given it to us, Lord. Amen.
00:02:56 --> 00:03:04 Before we can get into the topic of authentic comfort, we need to understand where this letter is placed
00:03:04 --> 00:03:11 and who the church of Corinth were. So we're going to do a bit of a brief history lesson for Corinth.
00:03:12 --> 00:03:20 Corinth in the first century was, it was the hot new town. And they were pursuing money and
00:03:20 --> 00:03:25 pursuits of pleasure. One commentator describes the society with five descriptors.
00:03:25 --> 00:03:34 Individualism, that valued self-sufficiency, wealth as the key to status, displays of accomplishment
00:03:34 --> 00:03:43 and possessions to get praise, competition for honour as a normal thing, and then pride in your
00:03:43 --> 00:03:50 neighbourhood as a reflection of your social location. And so it creates this population who is
00:03:50 --> 00:03:56 all about pursuing money and wealth. But that description of Corinth in the first century
00:03:56 --> 00:04:04 doesn't really sound that different to us today, does it? And so into this city, God sends the apostle
00:04:04 --> 00:04:11 Paul. Paul's message of the gospel confronts the materialism and individualism. And this city
00:04:11 --> 00:04:18 in Corinth had a difficult pull of security and social status to ignore when following Jesus.
00:04:19 --> 00:04:26 And so coming to the letter that we're looking at to Corinthians, it's actually at least Paul's fourth
00:04:26 --> 00:04:32 letter to the church in Corinth. We just don't have the other letters. Paul initially stayed for about a
00:04:32 --> 00:04:39 year and a half before travelling, but he stayed in touch as their apostle pastor via letters.
00:04:39 --> 00:04:49 And it appears that after he leaves, some opponents come in. And Paul calls them the super apostles. And
00:04:49 --> 00:04:54 we'll see them a little bit later in this series. And they come in and they preach a different gospel
00:04:54 --> 00:05:02 with a different Jesus. One that looks a little bit more attractive to the world. One that doesn't look
00:05:02 --> 00:05:10 so weak. A Jesus that maybe doesn't die on the cross because that looks a bit weak to humans.
00:05:11 --> 00:05:18 And so Paul heads back. And in 2 Corinthians, he talks about visiting Corinth as a painful visit.
00:05:19 --> 00:05:25 The church had questioned Paul and his authority and they'd attacked him. And so Paul leaves without
00:05:25 --> 00:05:33 retaliating in a lot of grief. And then Paul sends his brother Titus with a severe letter of warning,
00:05:34 --> 00:05:41 calling on the church to repent. And Titus comes back to Paul and Paul hears from Titus that the church
00:05:41 --> 00:05:49 has indeed repented. And so Paul sends this letter to Corinthians. He defends himself and his job as an
00:05:49 --> 00:05:55 apostle. And he defends the gospel that he's called to preach. And we see a hint of that at the very
00:05:55 --> 00:06:01 start in verse 1. Often when we read Paul's letters, we can skip a little too quickly over his
00:06:01 --> 00:06:09 introductions. But have a look at verse 1 with me. Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God.
00:06:11 --> 00:06:18 He is not an apostle by the will of man, but by God's will alone. And so the themes of Paul's
00:06:18 --> 00:06:25 authority and dependence on God in his weakness are going to continue right through this letter of
00:06:25 --> 00:06:30 2 Corinthians. Having put that in place, kind of knowing the context and the relationship between
00:06:30 --> 00:06:38 Paul and this church, we come to Paul praising God and describing who he is. Have a look with me
00:06:38 --> 00:06:42 at verse 3 as we see the comfort he offers.
00:06:42 --> 00:07:00 I think this is a really beautiful description of God. That he is the father of compassion and the
00:07:00 --> 00:07:10 God of all comfort. From him comes compassion and comfort. To have compassion means to suffer with.
00:07:10 --> 00:07:16 The first half of the word compassion, com means with. And the second half, passion,
00:07:16 --> 00:07:25 originally meant suffering. That's why Jesus' crucifixion is called the passion. I'm not sure
00:07:25 --> 00:07:31 if you've seen Mel Gibson's movie from a number of years ago, The Passion of the Christ. This is why
00:07:31 --> 00:07:38 the crucifixion is called the passion. Because passion originally meant suffering. Now we've taken it to
00:07:38 --> 00:07:45 mean strong emotions. And so when we put these two words together, compassion means with suffering.
00:07:46 --> 00:07:55 And so Paul praises God because he is the father of compassion. God's son Jesus came and was with us
00:07:55 --> 00:08:05 and suffered. Jesus is compassion. He is with us in our suffering. Jesus knows what our suffering is like
00:08:05 --> 00:08:11 because he has been there. He has lived with us in body and he has endured the pain of the cross.
00:08:13 --> 00:08:18 And so he has been with us in our suffering. But not only that, God is our strength.
00:08:19 --> 00:08:23 He is the God of comfort. Now the word comfort means to strengthen.
00:08:23 --> 00:08:26 Imagine that moment when you were down in the depths.
00:08:26 --> 00:08:35 To comfort someone is to lift them up, to strengthen them, to walk with them until they are strong enough.
00:08:37 --> 00:08:47 That is our God. He has experienced our suffering and he walks with us to bring us back to our strength in him.
00:08:47 --> 00:08:51 And Paul is not just referring to feelings.
00:08:51 --> 00:08:55 It's not just a feeling of relief or being comfortable.
00:08:56 --> 00:09:01 It's not God is comfortable like giving you a cushion on a chair.
00:09:02 --> 00:09:05 But instead he can speak of being at peace.
00:09:05 --> 00:09:08 All because God has comforted Paul in the past.
00:09:10 --> 00:09:12 Paul knows God's comfort because he's delivered him.
00:09:12 --> 00:09:17 We'll see this in verse 10, that his comfort comes from God being a deliverer.
00:09:18 --> 00:09:21 And he trusts that the God who has delivered will deliver him again.
00:09:22 --> 00:09:28 The experience of God's deliverance in the past gives him hope that he will be delivered in the future.
00:09:29 --> 00:09:32 And that means that in the present, he has comfort.
00:09:33 --> 00:09:36 His God is strong and he will deliver him.
00:09:36 --> 00:09:40 Paul's comfort doesn't come from things that are fake,
00:09:40 --> 00:09:42 you know, from comfort food or from retail therapy.
00:09:43 --> 00:09:45 It comes from the God of comfort.
00:09:47 --> 00:09:49 I really love this description of God.
00:09:49 --> 00:09:54 I think it is just a wonderful summary of the gospel, these two titles.
00:09:54 --> 00:09:56 The God of compassion and the God of comfort.
00:09:57 --> 00:09:59 And it shows his fatherly affection for us.
00:10:00 --> 00:10:04 And in verse 4, Paul describes what this God does.
00:10:04 --> 00:10:04 Verse 4.
00:10:04 --> 00:10:20 Now, reading this part of Paul, he uses the word comfort about seven times.
00:10:21 --> 00:10:24 And it's very... he keeps using the word so it can get confusing.
00:10:24 --> 00:10:25 So we'll go a little bit slowly.
00:10:25 --> 00:10:31 So what happens is God comforts Paul, but not Paul alone.
00:10:32 --> 00:10:37 God comforts Paul so Paul can comfort others.
00:10:38 --> 00:10:43 God has been faithful to Paul and he's seen that through his hardship and struggles.
00:10:44 --> 00:10:47 And God has strengthened him in all his troubles.
00:10:48 --> 00:10:52 And Paul connects his suffering to Jesus' suffering in verse 5.
00:10:52 --> 00:10:58 For just as we share abundantly in the suffering of Christ,
00:10:58 --> 00:11:02 so also our comfort abounds through Christ.
00:11:04 --> 00:11:08 Both Paul's suffering and comfort come through Jesus.
00:11:09 --> 00:11:11 Now, this might seem like a strange idea,
00:11:12 --> 00:11:17 but Paul views every kind of comfort and suffering
00:11:17 --> 00:11:21 as an expression of the same kind of suffering and comfort
00:11:21 --> 00:11:24 that Jesus himself experienced under God's hand.
00:11:25 --> 00:11:27 Jesus was under the sovereign control of God
00:11:27 --> 00:11:30 and he suffered death on the cross.
00:11:31 --> 00:11:33 And Paul following Jesus, well, he's not killed on a cross,
00:11:33 --> 00:11:38 but he has troubles too because he is seeking to obey God under his hand.
00:11:39 --> 00:11:41 And so not only does Paul suffer like Jesus,
00:11:42 --> 00:11:44 but he's comforted like Jesus.
00:11:44 --> 00:11:48 Jesus trusted in God, that God was committed to him,
00:11:48 --> 00:11:50 that he was following his plan,
00:11:50 --> 00:11:53 and God would deliver him even from death.
00:11:54 --> 00:11:58 And so Paul is able to be comforted and strengthened by his confidence
00:11:58 --> 00:12:03 that God would rescue him, even if it's through death.
00:12:04 --> 00:12:06 He has a hope in the resurrection.
00:12:06 --> 00:12:11 And so Paul has this hope, and so he can pass it on to others.
00:12:12 --> 00:12:15 God comforted Jesus, which gives Paul comfort,
00:12:16 --> 00:12:21 and now Paul knows that he can share that comfort with others who follow Jesus.
00:12:22 --> 00:12:22 Verse 6,
00:12:22 --> 00:12:49 Paul is saying that there is this close family relationship
00:12:49 --> 00:12:51 between those who follow Jesus.
00:12:52 --> 00:12:55 We're more than just people sitting in a room together.
00:12:55 --> 00:12:59 There is actually a close family bond.
00:12:59 --> 00:13:03 There is this special relationship between believers in the church.
00:13:04 --> 00:13:08 Our comfort and our compassion comes from Jesus to us,
00:13:08 --> 00:13:12 but it also goes out from us to each other.
00:13:13 --> 00:13:16 It doesn't and shouldn't stop with us.
00:13:16 --> 00:13:22 I recently read about a widowed single mother,
00:13:23 --> 00:13:24 and her name was Ashley.
00:13:24 --> 00:13:26 She was in the middle of moving house
00:13:26 --> 00:13:31 when she was taken captive by an escaped murderer
00:13:31 --> 00:13:34 and held hostage for seven hours.
00:13:35 --> 00:13:37 Ashley had been a drug addict.
00:13:38 --> 00:13:40 She'd lost custody of her daughter.
00:13:42 --> 00:13:43 But God had been working in her life.
00:13:43 --> 00:13:46 She had begun to read the Bible and other Christian books.
00:13:48 --> 00:13:50 And when she was taken captive,
00:13:51 --> 00:13:54 she spoke to this murderer who had escaped.
00:13:54 --> 00:13:55 She spoke to him
00:13:55 --> 00:14:00 and read some of the Bible to him.
00:14:01 --> 00:14:05 She offered the comfort which she had received to this man
00:14:05 --> 00:14:09 so that her captor, this escaped murderer,
00:14:10 --> 00:14:11 eventually released her
00:14:11 --> 00:14:14 and he allowed himself to be re-arrested.
00:14:16 --> 00:14:20 Ashley had begun to see God's compassion and comfort in her life
00:14:20 --> 00:14:21 found only through Jesus,
00:14:22 --> 00:14:24 and that meant she was able to offer it
00:14:24 --> 00:14:27 with someone who was going through the same thing.
00:14:27 --> 00:14:32 This comfort God offers isn't for us alone.
00:14:33 --> 00:14:34 We can't hoard it.
00:14:35 --> 00:14:36 This isn't fake comfort.
00:14:36 --> 00:14:38 Imagine if, in this situation,
00:14:38 --> 00:14:41 Ashley is being held for seven hours by this murderer
00:14:41 --> 00:14:45 and she just tried to offer him fake comfort.
00:14:46 --> 00:14:46 Don't worry.
00:14:47 --> 00:14:48 You'll be fine.
00:14:49 --> 00:14:49 Go and get arrested.
00:14:50 --> 00:14:51 The police will take good care of you.
00:14:51 --> 00:14:57 Imagine if she had tried to offer fake comfort.
00:14:58 --> 00:15:01 The comfort she offers from God
00:15:01 --> 00:15:03 is honest about sin.
00:15:04 --> 00:15:06 There is no sugarcoating it.
00:15:07 --> 00:15:09 But this comfort seeks help and hope
00:15:09 --> 00:15:12 from the only one who can give it
00:15:12 --> 00:15:15 and the only one who can give forgiveness.
00:15:17 --> 00:15:19 Paul has been able to comfort
00:15:19 --> 00:15:24 because he has first comforted in his sufferings.
00:15:25 --> 00:15:29 And it's hard not to want to ask Paul the question,
00:15:29 --> 00:15:31 well, what were your sufferings, Paul?
00:15:31 --> 00:15:34 What had you actually gone through?
00:15:34 --> 00:15:37 And he doesn't give us all of the detail,
00:15:37 --> 00:15:38 but he mentions a little bit.
00:15:39 --> 00:15:41 He tells us what has happened to him.
00:15:42 --> 00:15:43 It's not the details,
00:15:43 --> 00:15:46 but it's the process that he has gone through
00:15:46 --> 00:15:47 and how God has shaped him.
00:15:47 --> 00:15:50 Paul does this
00:15:50 --> 00:15:54 and he reveals his own vulnerability and weakness
00:15:54 --> 00:15:57 so that God would be seen to be strong.
00:15:57 --> 00:15:57 Verse 8.
00:15:58 --> 00:16:00 We do not want you to be uninformed,
00:16:00 --> 00:16:01 brothers and sisters,
00:16:01 --> 00:16:03 about the troubles we experienced
00:16:03 --> 00:16:05 in the province of Asia.
00:16:05 --> 00:16:07 We were under great pressure,
00:16:08 --> 00:16:10 far beyond our ability to endure,
00:16:10 --> 00:16:13 so that we despaired of life itself.
00:16:14 --> 00:16:16 Paul is really clear and honest at this point.
00:16:16 --> 00:16:19 He is not going to hide away the fact that he suffered.
00:16:19 --> 00:16:23 He's not afraid of this church knowing the pain that he's gone through.
00:16:24 --> 00:16:28 He doesn't care that it might lower him in their eyes.
00:16:28 --> 00:16:30 I've heard people say to me,
00:16:30 --> 00:16:30 James,
00:16:31 --> 00:16:36 don't mention your sin when you're preaching.
00:16:36 --> 00:16:38 People will think less of you.
00:16:38 --> 00:16:40 And people want to put preachers on a pedestal,
00:16:40 --> 00:16:42 so don't talk about that.
00:16:43 --> 00:16:46 People want to put you on that kind of pedestal to follow.
00:16:47 --> 00:16:47 And I say,
00:16:47 --> 00:16:48 no,
00:16:48 --> 00:16:49 I can't do that.
00:16:50 --> 00:16:52 Paul certainly can't do that.
00:16:53 --> 00:16:54 And I definitely can't.
00:16:54 --> 00:16:54 Rather,
00:16:54 --> 00:16:55 I would be,
00:16:56 --> 00:16:58 I would far prefer to be honest with my own weaknesses
00:16:58 --> 00:17:01 and how God is working in my life
00:17:01 --> 00:17:02 and my vulnerabilities,
00:17:02 --> 00:17:06 so that we can all see how God is working in my life
00:17:06 --> 00:17:09 and encourage you and comfort you in yours.
00:17:10 --> 00:17:11 And that's what Paul is doing here.
00:17:11 --> 00:17:13 He doesn't want this church
00:17:13 --> 00:17:16 to trust in rumors that they've heard.
00:17:16 --> 00:17:18 He wants to inform them
00:17:18 --> 00:17:20 so they know what's happening to him.
00:17:21 --> 00:17:24 Paul and Timothy were under great pressure,
00:17:25 --> 00:17:30 so much so that they despaired of life itself.
00:17:31 --> 00:17:31 Now,
00:17:31 --> 00:17:32 our understanding of mental health
00:17:32 --> 00:17:34 has increased a lot since then,
00:17:34 --> 00:17:35 since the first century.
00:17:35 --> 00:17:36 But what Paul is sounding like,
00:17:36 --> 00:17:38 it sounds like he is in depression.
00:17:39 --> 00:17:41 They had no hope.
00:17:41 --> 00:17:44 They were suffering and could see no way out.
00:17:44 --> 00:17:46 Verse 9,
00:17:47 --> 00:17:47 Indeed,
00:17:47 --> 00:17:51 we felt we had received the sentence of death.
00:17:52 --> 00:17:53 They saw no way out.
00:17:53 --> 00:17:55 Only death is coming.
00:17:56 --> 00:17:57 But God had a purpose.
00:17:58 --> 00:18:01 But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves,
00:18:01 --> 00:18:04 but on God who raises the dead.
00:18:05 --> 00:18:08 He has delivered us from such a deadly peril
00:18:08 --> 00:18:10 and he will deliver us again.
00:18:10 --> 00:18:11 Paul says,
00:18:11 --> 00:18:25 Is it possible that Paul
00:18:25 --> 00:18:29 had not trusted in God?
00:18:29 --> 00:18:29 Paul,
00:18:29 --> 00:18:33 who had seen Jesus himself appear to him?
00:18:33 --> 00:18:34 Paul,
00:18:34 --> 00:18:34 the apostle,
00:18:35 --> 00:18:36 who had planted churches
00:18:36 --> 00:18:39 and seen miraculous deeds of God,
00:18:39 --> 00:18:41 is it possible that this Paul
00:18:41 --> 00:18:44 stopped relying on God?
00:18:44 --> 00:18:46 Could he have gotten so caught up
00:18:46 --> 00:18:48 in the work that he was doing
00:18:48 --> 00:18:51 that he stopped relying on God?
00:18:53 --> 00:18:55 And so God used hardship and suffering
00:18:55 --> 00:18:59 to remind them that they only had God
00:18:59 --> 00:19:00 to depend upon.
00:19:01 --> 00:19:02 Paul shows his vulnerability,
00:19:02 --> 00:19:06 his weakness for the benefit of the church.
00:19:06 --> 00:19:09 He was distressed to the point of thinking
00:19:09 --> 00:19:10 they were going to die.
00:19:11 --> 00:19:12 But God has comforted him.
00:19:13 --> 00:19:14 God has delivered
00:19:14 --> 00:19:16 and God has been his strength.
00:19:17 --> 00:19:19 Pulled him out of that situation
00:19:19 --> 00:19:21 so that he depends on God
00:19:21 --> 00:19:24 and shares that message of hope.
00:19:25 --> 00:19:26 Paul's language here,
00:19:26 --> 00:19:29 the language of being so close to death,
00:19:30 --> 00:19:31 the sentence of death,
00:19:31 --> 00:19:32 it's really evocative.
00:19:33 --> 00:19:35 I think he's drawing a parallel here
00:19:35 --> 00:19:37 between the sentence of death
00:19:37 --> 00:19:38 that he received
00:19:38 --> 00:19:39 and Jesus' sentence of death.
00:19:41 --> 00:19:42 And he's saying,
00:19:43 --> 00:19:45 Jesus was given a sentence of death
00:19:45 --> 00:19:47 and Jesus was delivered from death
00:19:47 --> 00:19:49 and I was given a sentence of death
00:19:49 --> 00:19:50 and I was delivered.
00:19:52 --> 00:19:54 Just like Jesus was saved from death,
00:19:54 --> 00:19:56 God has saved me from death
00:19:56 --> 00:19:59 and he will deliver us again.
00:19:59 --> 00:20:01 This is so important.
00:20:01 --> 00:20:02 This is,
00:20:03 --> 00:20:04 as we'll see in this whole letter,
00:20:05 --> 00:20:07 Paul reveals his vulnerability
00:20:07 --> 00:20:08 and weakness
00:20:08 --> 00:20:10 and the importance
00:20:10 --> 00:20:12 of depending on Jesus
00:20:12 --> 00:20:13 in these situations.
00:20:14 --> 00:20:16 The Corinthian church
00:20:16 --> 00:20:18 thought that it disqualified him
00:20:18 --> 00:20:19 for being an apostle
00:20:19 --> 00:20:22 but it is central to the gospel.
00:20:23 --> 00:20:26 Paul has shared his weakness.
00:20:26 --> 00:20:27 The church in Corinth
00:20:27 --> 00:20:28 have an issue with it.
00:20:29 --> 00:20:30 They think,
00:20:30 --> 00:20:30 you know,
00:20:31 --> 00:20:31 you shouldn't be weak.
00:20:32 --> 00:20:34 You should be like our super apostles.
00:20:35 --> 00:20:37 But Paul is going to take time
00:20:37 --> 00:20:38 throughout this letter
00:20:38 --> 00:20:41 to explain that he is living out the gospel.
00:20:42 --> 00:20:43 That he might appear weak
00:20:43 --> 00:20:46 but that the man that we worship,
00:20:46 --> 00:20:46 Jesus,
00:20:47 --> 00:20:49 well he appeared weak too
00:20:49 --> 00:20:51 when he died on a cross.
00:20:51 --> 00:20:53 All to show God's power
00:20:53 --> 00:20:55 raising him from the dead.
00:20:57 --> 00:20:57 And Paul,
00:20:57 --> 00:20:58 in his weakness,
00:20:58 --> 00:20:59 shows God's power
00:20:59 --> 00:21:01 delivering him
00:21:01 --> 00:21:02 as if he was dead.
00:21:03 --> 00:21:05 And so it is this suffering of Paul's
00:21:05 --> 00:21:07 which means that God's comforted him
00:21:07 --> 00:21:10 so that he can now comfort the church
00:21:10 --> 00:21:11 in Corinth.
00:21:12 --> 00:21:13 As a church,
00:21:14 --> 00:21:16 one of the things that we value
00:21:16 --> 00:21:18 is humble authenticity.
00:21:19 --> 00:21:21 Where we declare war
00:21:21 --> 00:21:22 on our desires
00:21:22 --> 00:21:24 to live independently of God.
00:21:25 --> 00:21:27 Central to who we are
00:21:27 --> 00:21:28 is a desire
00:21:28 --> 00:21:31 to weaken our pride
00:21:31 --> 00:21:33 and develop humility.
00:21:34 --> 00:21:36 So we desire to be vulnerable
00:21:36 --> 00:21:38 with our imperfections,
00:21:38 --> 00:21:39 with our issues.
00:21:39 --> 00:21:42 That shows that God's love
00:21:42 --> 00:21:44 is greater.
00:21:46 --> 00:21:47 To be authentic
00:21:47 --> 00:21:48 in relationships
00:21:48 --> 00:21:49 that are about knowing
00:21:49 --> 00:21:50 and caring for others.
00:21:50 --> 00:21:52 Not just about manipulating
00:21:52 --> 00:21:53 and gaining power
00:21:53 --> 00:21:54 from our relationships.
00:21:55 --> 00:21:57 And also having a willingness
00:21:57 --> 00:21:59 to confront sin,
00:21:59 --> 00:22:01 being quick to confess.
00:22:03 --> 00:22:05 When we are authentic
00:22:05 --> 00:22:06 with one another,
00:22:06 --> 00:22:08 we can share the comfort
00:22:08 --> 00:22:10 that God gives us.
00:22:10 --> 00:22:12 I think there are at least
00:22:12 --> 00:22:13 four things
00:22:13 --> 00:22:15 that are helpful for us
00:22:15 --> 00:22:16 to be aware of
00:22:16 --> 00:22:17 to help us
00:22:17 --> 00:22:19 to share God's comfort.
00:22:20 --> 00:22:20 So I think
00:22:20 --> 00:22:22 there are at least four things
00:22:22 --> 00:22:22 that are comforting
00:22:22 --> 00:22:24 that are worth sharing.
00:22:24 --> 00:22:25 So have a look at this list.
00:22:25 --> 00:22:26 I'd encourage you
00:22:26 --> 00:22:27 to write this list down.
00:22:27 --> 00:22:29 Make a note of these things
00:22:29 --> 00:22:29 in your phone.
00:22:30 --> 00:22:32 Write it on the back of your hand,
00:22:32 --> 00:22:33 on someone's leg next to you,
00:22:33 --> 00:22:33 whatever you like.
00:22:36 --> 00:22:37 In our lives,
00:22:37 --> 00:22:38 when the Holy Spirit
00:22:38 --> 00:22:40 puts our sin to death,
00:22:40 --> 00:22:42 that is worthwhile sharing.
00:22:43 --> 00:22:44 Share the joy
00:22:44 --> 00:22:45 that God is working
00:22:45 --> 00:22:47 and that He changes our lives.
00:22:48 --> 00:22:49 So that's the first thing.
00:22:49 --> 00:22:50 When the Holy Spirit
00:22:50 --> 00:22:52 puts our sin to death,
00:22:52 --> 00:22:53 tell someone about it.
00:22:55 --> 00:22:57 When you have endured hardship
00:22:57 --> 00:22:59 and God has delivered you,
00:22:59 --> 00:23:02 share that God comforts you
00:23:02 --> 00:23:03 and has helped you endure
00:23:03 --> 00:23:05 to help others endure.
00:23:07 --> 00:23:08 Third,
00:23:08 --> 00:23:09 when God provides
00:23:09 --> 00:23:10 in miraculous,
00:23:11 --> 00:23:12 last-minute ways.
00:23:14 --> 00:23:15 When God just,
00:23:16 --> 00:23:16 you know,
00:23:16 --> 00:23:18 if it's a time
00:23:18 --> 00:23:19 of financial hardship,
00:23:19 --> 00:23:19 you're not sure
00:23:19 --> 00:23:21 how you're going to afford
00:23:21 --> 00:23:22 the next meal for your family,
00:23:22 --> 00:23:23 and God provides
00:23:23 --> 00:23:24 in that last minute,
00:23:25 --> 00:23:26 share the comfort
00:23:26 --> 00:23:27 from knowing
00:23:27 --> 00:23:28 that we have a God
00:23:28 --> 00:23:29 who provides for us,
00:23:30 --> 00:23:31 who knows our needs.
00:23:31 --> 00:23:35 when God brings
00:23:35 --> 00:23:36 reconciliation
00:23:36 --> 00:23:38 between you
00:23:38 --> 00:23:40 and someone having conflict,
00:23:41 --> 00:23:42 share that,
00:23:42 --> 00:23:43 that God
00:23:43 --> 00:23:45 not only reconciles us
00:23:45 --> 00:23:46 with Him,
00:23:46 --> 00:23:48 but that He reconciles
00:23:48 --> 00:23:49 us with each other.
00:23:50 --> 00:23:51 Share the comfort
00:23:51 --> 00:23:52 that comes from the outworking
00:23:52 --> 00:23:53 of the God
00:23:53 --> 00:23:54 who forgives us.
00:23:55 --> 00:23:57 Share these
00:23:57 --> 00:23:57 and many more
00:23:57 --> 00:23:59 to remind each other
00:23:59 --> 00:23:59 of the compassion
00:23:59 --> 00:24:01 and comfort
00:24:01 --> 00:24:01 our God
00:24:01 --> 00:24:02 gives us
00:24:02 --> 00:24:03 in Jesus.
00:24:04 --> 00:24:06 But I have a concern,
00:24:06 --> 00:24:07 brothers and sisters.
00:24:08 --> 00:24:09 I'm concerned for us
00:24:09 --> 00:24:10 as a people
00:24:10 --> 00:24:11 and as a church.
00:24:12 --> 00:24:14 We might hate it
00:24:14 --> 00:24:14 when people
00:24:14 --> 00:24:15 show fake comfort,
00:24:16 --> 00:24:18 but are we
00:24:18 --> 00:24:18 willing
00:24:18 --> 00:24:20 to show
00:24:20 --> 00:24:20 real,
00:24:20 --> 00:24:21 authentic comfort?
00:24:22 --> 00:24:23 Paul could only
00:24:23 --> 00:24:24 comfort the church
00:24:24 --> 00:24:25 because of what
00:24:25 --> 00:24:26 he had gone through,
00:24:26 --> 00:24:28 how he had been
00:24:28 --> 00:24:28 delivered,
00:24:28 --> 00:24:30 and it's the same
00:24:30 --> 00:24:31 for us.
00:24:32 --> 00:24:33 There are barriers
00:24:33 --> 00:24:34 to us showing
00:24:34 --> 00:24:35 and sharing
00:24:35 --> 00:24:36 how God is working
00:24:36 --> 00:24:36 in us.
00:24:37 --> 00:24:38 There are barriers
00:24:38 --> 00:24:38 that want to stop us
00:24:38 --> 00:24:40 from being vulnerable
00:24:40 --> 00:24:41 with each other
00:24:41 --> 00:24:43 and allowing
00:24:43 --> 00:24:43 other people
00:24:43 --> 00:24:44 to actually
00:24:44 --> 00:24:45 comfort us.
00:24:46 --> 00:24:48 If you hadn't noticed,
00:24:48 --> 00:24:50 I'm an Aussie male
00:24:50 --> 00:24:52 and I know
00:24:52 --> 00:24:53 the temptation
00:24:53 --> 00:24:54 to not show
00:24:54 --> 00:24:56 or share weakness.
00:24:56 --> 00:24:59 other Aussie males
00:24:59 --> 00:25:00 can be like predators
00:25:00 --> 00:25:02 where they see weakness
00:25:02 --> 00:25:03 and so they jump on it
00:25:03 --> 00:25:05 and they joke about it,
00:25:05 --> 00:25:07 usually to make
00:25:07 --> 00:25:08 themselves feel better.
00:25:09 --> 00:25:10 It comes from
00:25:10 --> 00:25:11 a fear of being
00:25:11 --> 00:25:11 weak
00:25:11 --> 00:25:13 and so we always
00:25:13 --> 00:25:13 have to act
00:25:13 --> 00:25:14 as the alpha male.
00:25:14 --> 00:25:15 We always have to
00:25:15 --> 00:25:16 pretend that we have
00:25:16 --> 00:25:17 everything together.
00:25:17 --> 00:25:18 We can't share
00:25:18 --> 00:25:19 or show weakness.
00:25:19 --> 00:25:22 Now there are many
00:25:22 --> 00:25:24 different cultural
00:25:24 --> 00:25:26 ways of behaving
00:25:26 --> 00:25:27 that show
00:25:27 --> 00:25:28 our desire
00:25:28 --> 00:25:28 to protect
00:25:28 --> 00:25:29 ourselves
00:25:29 --> 00:25:30 and to not
00:25:30 --> 00:25:31 be vulnerable.
00:25:31 --> 00:25:31 So we try
00:25:31 --> 00:25:32 and protect
00:25:32 --> 00:25:33 ourselves
00:25:33 --> 00:25:34 in a multitude
00:25:34 --> 00:25:35 of different ways.
00:25:36 --> 00:25:37 But both Jesus
00:25:37 --> 00:25:38 and Paul
00:25:38 --> 00:25:39 are an encouragement
00:25:39 --> 00:25:40 to us.
00:25:41 --> 00:25:42 They are both
00:25:42 --> 00:25:43 willing
00:25:43 --> 00:25:44 to be seen
00:25:44 --> 00:25:45 as small
00:25:45 --> 00:25:46 and weak
00:25:46 --> 00:25:47 and vulnerable
00:25:47 --> 00:25:48 because it shows
00:25:48 --> 00:25:49 how big
00:25:49 --> 00:25:50 and how powerful
00:25:50 --> 00:25:51 our God is.
00:25:52 --> 00:25:53 That was totally
00:25:53 --> 00:25:53 against the culture
00:25:53 --> 00:25:54 then,
00:25:54 --> 00:25:54 especially in Corinth
00:25:54 --> 00:25:55 and it's totally
00:25:55 --> 00:25:56 against our culture
00:25:56 --> 00:25:56 today.
00:25:59 --> 00:26:00 How is the
00:26:00 --> 00:26:01 cross of Jesus
00:26:01 --> 00:26:02 clashing
00:26:02 --> 00:26:04 with your preferences
00:26:04 --> 00:26:05 to protect yourself
00:26:05 --> 00:26:07 and to look
00:26:07 --> 00:26:07 strong
00:26:07 --> 00:26:08 and in control?
00:26:08 --> 00:26:11 we need to have
00:26:11 --> 00:26:12 a willingness
00:26:12 --> 00:26:13 to be vulnerable
00:26:13 --> 00:26:15 and to appear
00:26:15 --> 00:26:16 weak with other
00:26:16 --> 00:26:16 people.
00:26:17 --> 00:26:18 And then there's
00:26:18 --> 00:26:19 the matter of who.
00:26:19 --> 00:26:20 Who can I be
00:26:20 --> 00:26:21 vulnerable with?
00:26:22 --> 00:26:23 Many of us
00:26:23 --> 00:26:24 aren't just going
00:26:24 --> 00:26:24 to go out
00:26:24 --> 00:26:26 over a coffee
00:26:26 --> 00:26:26 or a tea
00:26:26 --> 00:26:27 and a biscuit
00:26:27 --> 00:26:28 and start
00:26:28 --> 00:26:30 opening up
00:26:30 --> 00:26:31 deep issues
00:26:31 --> 00:26:32 and being vulnerable.
00:26:32 --> 00:26:33 That's not
00:26:33 --> 00:26:33 who we are.
00:26:34 --> 00:26:35 Remember that
00:26:35 --> 00:26:35 woman Ashley
00:26:35 --> 00:26:36 who was held
00:26:36 --> 00:26:36 captive?
00:26:36 --> 00:26:38 She was held
00:26:38 --> 00:26:39 for seven hours
00:26:39 --> 00:26:39 with him.
00:26:40 --> 00:26:41 Maybe that's
00:26:41 --> 00:26:41 what we need.
00:26:42 --> 00:26:43 You know,
00:26:43 --> 00:26:43 we just divide
00:26:43 --> 00:26:44 each other up,
00:26:44 --> 00:26:45 lock each other
00:26:45 --> 00:26:45 in rooms
00:26:45 --> 00:26:46 for seven hours
00:26:46 --> 00:26:48 and we'll have
00:26:48 --> 00:26:48 close relational
00:26:48 --> 00:26:49 bonds.
00:26:50 --> 00:26:51 Maybe not.
00:26:52 --> 00:26:53 But we're here
00:26:53 --> 00:26:54 every week
00:26:54 --> 00:26:55 sitting next
00:26:55 --> 00:26:56 to each other.
00:26:58 --> 00:27:00 To share comfort
00:27:00 --> 00:27:00 we actually
00:27:00 --> 00:27:02 need to spend
00:27:02 --> 00:27:03 time with
00:27:03 --> 00:27:04 each other.
00:27:05 --> 00:27:05 Paul lived
00:27:05 --> 00:27:06 with the church
00:27:06 --> 00:27:07 in Corinth.
00:27:07 --> 00:27:08 He knew them
00:27:08 --> 00:27:09 and they knew
00:27:09 --> 00:27:09 him.
00:27:11 --> 00:27:12 How well
00:27:12 --> 00:27:13 are you connected
00:27:13 --> 00:27:14 here at church?
00:27:14 --> 00:27:15 Would you like
00:27:15 --> 00:27:16 to know people
00:27:16 --> 00:27:17 more deeply?
00:27:18 --> 00:27:18 Would you like
00:27:18 --> 00:27:19 people to know
00:27:19 --> 00:27:21 you more deeply?
00:27:22 --> 00:27:22 It is going
00:27:22 --> 00:27:24 to take time
00:27:24 --> 00:27:25 and a willingness
00:27:25 --> 00:27:26 to be vulnerable.
00:27:28 --> 00:27:28 Why don't you
00:27:28 --> 00:27:29 invite someone
00:27:29 --> 00:27:30 to lunch today?
00:27:31 --> 00:27:31 Why don't you
00:27:31 --> 00:27:32 invite them over?
00:27:32 --> 00:27:35 It doesn't
00:27:35 --> 00:27:36 really matter
00:27:36 --> 00:27:38 the food.
00:27:38 --> 00:27:39 I think
00:27:39 --> 00:27:40 the willingness
00:27:40 --> 00:27:40 to spend time
00:27:40 --> 00:27:41 with people
00:27:41 --> 00:27:41 is more important.
00:27:43 --> 00:27:43 And why don't
00:27:43 --> 00:27:44 you share
00:27:44 --> 00:27:45 maybe one of
00:27:45 --> 00:27:45 those four things
00:27:45 --> 00:27:46 that we looked
00:27:46 --> 00:27:46 at a moment ago.
00:27:47 --> 00:27:48 Why don't you
00:27:48 --> 00:27:48 share one of
00:27:48 --> 00:27:49 those about
00:27:49 --> 00:27:50 how God has
00:27:50 --> 00:27:51 worked in your
00:27:51 --> 00:27:51 life to comfort
00:27:51 --> 00:27:52 others.
00:27:52 --> 00:27:53 It will take
00:27:53 --> 00:27:55 time and effort
00:27:55 --> 00:27:56 and a willingness
00:27:56 --> 00:27:57 to be vulnerable.
00:27:59 --> 00:28:00 C.S. Lewis
00:28:00 --> 00:28:01 said that friendship
00:28:01 --> 00:28:03 is born at the
00:28:03 --> 00:28:03 moment when one
00:28:03 --> 00:28:04 person says to
00:28:04 --> 00:28:05 another,
00:28:05 --> 00:28:05 what?
00:28:06 --> 00:28:06 You too?
00:28:07 --> 00:28:08 I thought I was
00:28:08 --> 00:28:09 the only one.
00:28:10 --> 00:28:11 How much more
00:28:11 --> 00:28:12 with the gospel?
00:28:14 --> 00:28:15 You have gone
00:28:15 --> 00:28:16 through hard times
00:28:16 --> 00:28:16 in your life.
00:28:17 --> 00:28:18 I thought I was
00:28:18 --> 00:28:19 the only one.
00:28:20 --> 00:28:22 God has comforted
00:28:22 --> 00:28:23 me knowing that
00:28:23 --> 00:28:25 Jesus has died
00:28:25 --> 00:28:25 for me and has
00:28:25 --> 00:28:26 forgiven me.
00:28:26 --> 00:28:27 How much of a
00:28:27 --> 00:28:28 comfort is he
00:28:28 --> 00:28:28 for you?
00:28:28 --> 00:28:30 Let me pray.
00:28:33 --> 00:28:34 Heavenly Father,
00:28:34 --> 00:28:35 thank you again
00:28:35 --> 00:28:36 that you do not
00:28:36 --> 00:28:37 make us as
00:28:37 --> 00:28:38 people to be
00:28:38 --> 00:28:39 isolated and
00:28:39 --> 00:28:39 alone.
00:28:41 --> 00:28:43 Father, we are
00:28:43 --> 00:28:44 people made to
00:28:44 --> 00:28:44 be in relationship
00:28:44 --> 00:28:46 with others and
00:28:46 --> 00:28:47 we all crave
00:28:47 --> 00:28:49 deep relationships
00:28:49 --> 00:28:51 with other
00:28:51 --> 00:28:52 people, Lord.
00:28:53 --> 00:28:54 Father, we ask
00:28:54 --> 00:28:55 that you would
00:28:55 --> 00:28:57 not let us
00:28:57 --> 00:28:58 leave this place
00:28:58 --> 00:28:58 without seeking
00:28:58 --> 00:28:59 to get to
00:28:59 --> 00:29:00 know someone
00:29:00 --> 00:29:00 more.
00:29:01 --> 00:29:02 Give us a
00:29:02 --> 00:29:02 willingness to
00:29:02 --> 00:29:04 be vulnerable
00:29:04 --> 00:29:05 just like Jesus
00:29:05 --> 00:29:05 was and just
00:29:05 --> 00:29:06 like Paul was
00:29:06 --> 00:29:08 so that we
00:29:08 --> 00:29:09 can show how
00:29:09 --> 00:29:10 much you have
00:29:10 --> 00:29:11 loved us and
00:29:11 --> 00:29:12 comforted us in
00:29:12 --> 00:29:13 our lives,
00:29:13 --> 00:29:13 Lord.
00:29:13 --> 00:29:14 We ask this in
00:29:14 --> 00:29:15 your son's name
00:29:15 --> 00:29:16 all for your
00:29:16 --> 00:29:17 glory.
00:29:17 --> 00:29:17 Amen.
00:29:17 --> 00:29:18 Amen.
00:29:18 --> 00:29:18 Amen.
00:29:18 --> 00:29:18 Amen.
00:29:18 --> 00:29:18 Amen.
00:29:18 --> 00:29:18 Amen.
00:29:18 --> 00:29:18 Amen.
00:29:18 --> 00:29:18 Amen.
00:29:18 --> 00:29:20 Amen.
00:29:20 --> 00:29:20 Amen.
00:29:20 --> 00:29:20 Amen.
00:29:20 --> 00:29:20 Amen.
00:29:20 --> 00:29:22 Amen.
00:29:22 --> 00:29:22 Amen.
00:29:22 --> 00:29:22 Amen.
00:29:22 --> 00:29:22 Amen.
00:29:22 --> 00:29:24 Amen.
00:29:24 --> 00:29:24 Amen.
00:29:24 --> 00:29:24 Amen.
00:29:24 --> 00:29:26 Amen.
00:29:26 --> 00:29:26 Amen.
00:29:26 --> 00:29:28 Amen.