Tuesday, October 04, 2005
Chapter 10
The God of All Comfort
In II Corinthians 1:3 & 4, we read, “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of ALL comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.” We talked in an earlier chapter of these verses and the way we are to emulate God’s love and compassion for us by passing that love and compassion on to others. He is the Father of mercies; He is the God of ALL comfort. He comforts us not just that we may be comforted, but that we in turn may with His comfort, with His love, and with His endless compassion, comfort others.
We have this assurance, in John 16:33, the Bible says, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” He says, “…in me ye MIGHT have peace.” Peace is available if we just ask for it. He’s ready to give us peace, if we will cast our burdens. But then he goes on to say, “In the world ye SHALL have tribulation…” There is no doubt about it, tribulation WILL happen in your life and mine if we live long enough and some of us don’t have to live very long before it happens. After we read that peace is available and tribulation is inevitable, then, here comes that wonderful assurance. He reminds us that even though we will have tribulation in the world, he says “…I have overcome the world.” He has overcome the world, overcome tribulation, ready to give peace. Isn’t it awesome to have the opportunity and privilege to serve the One who has “…overcome the world.”?
I wondered, after I read verse thirty-three, what was “These things I have spoken unto you…”? This is the last verse in chapter sixteen, so I began reading in verse one of the chapter, to find “These things…” Chapter sixteen of John is one of the last conversations Jesus has with His disciples before His Crucifixion, and it is basically a warning, a preparation in advance of tribulation, and the assurance of better things to come, a better life to come.
The chapter begins with, “These things have I spoken unto you…” and it ends with, “These things have I spoken unto you…”, interesting. The first verse says these things have I spoken unto you, “…that ye should not be offended.” The last verse says these things have I spoken unto you “……that in me ye might have peace…” Between verses one and thirty-three Jesus tells His disciples thirty things that could offend, that could separate them from the peace of God.
“These things” are:
They shall put you out of the synagogues
Whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service
Now I go my way to Him that sent me
Sorrow hath filled your heart
It is expedient for you that I go away
If I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you
When He (the Comforter, the Holy Spirit) is come, He will reprove the world
I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now
The Spirit of Truth…will guide you into all truth…
The Spirit of Truth…will show you things to come
A little while, and ye shall not see Me:
again, a little while, and ye shall see Me
I go to the Father
Ye shall weep and lament
the world shall rejoice
Ye shall be sorrowful
your sorrow shall be turned into joy
Ye now therefore have sorrow
I will see you again
your heart shall rejoice
your joy no man taketh from you
Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in My name, He will give it you
Ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full
I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs
I shall show you plainly of the Father
The Father Himself loveth you, because ye have loved Me, and have believed that I came out from God
I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again
I leave the world, and go to the Father
Ye shall be scattered, every man to his own
Ye…shall leave Me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me
He warned of all these things beforehand, that they not be offended, that they might have peace. “In the world”, He says, “ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” Peace is available in Me, He says, and we know, that there is none other that giveth peace. That is why it is called “…the peace of God, which passeth all understanding.” (Philippians 4:7).
Many times we think that turning to God and relying on His mercy and comfort will make our burdens disappear – no, not necessarily. Relief is not always the best thing for us. Relief is not always in His master plan. You have to remember, we cannot see the big picture – but God can. God does give the strength, the grace, and the hope that we need thought, to endure the burdens and hardships, and to withstand the tribulations and emotional pain.
Psalm 147:3 says, “He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.” He is a Master at healing the broken hearted and binding up wounds. Oh, isn’t it great to have the Master on your side!?!
Another assurance we have is found in Genesis 18:14, where the Lord asked Abraham “Is any thing too hard for the LORD?” I ask you today, Is there ANY THING to hard for Him?
II Corinthians 12:9 says, “…My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness…” His strength is made perfect in my weakness.
We read four times in the books of Matthew and Mark that Christ was moved with compassion.
“But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.” Matthew 9:36
“And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and He healed their sick.” Matthew 14:14
“And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean.” Mark 1:41
“And Jesus, when He came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and He began to teach them many things.” Mark 6:34
What is compassion? Webster’s Dictionary says it is the “Sympathetic consciousness of others’ distress (or burdens) together with a desire to alleviate it.” Sympathy plus the desire to alleviate the burden equals compassion.
sympathy + desire to alleviate = compassion
You know, that’s what Christ had for the people in the New Testament. He had compassion, because they fainted, because they were scattered abroad, and they had no shepherd. He took action; He healed the sick, put forth His hand, touched them, spoke with them, cleansed them, and taught them. That is a result of compassion.
He is not simply touched by the feeling of compassion, the Bible says that He is MOVED to action by compassion, and His action forever changed the lives of those He was moved with compassion toward. Just like the people of the New Testament, He is moved with compassion towards us too. He is a God of compassion; a God of healing compassion.
Have you ever though of yourself as the “work of His hands” (Job 34:19)? We talked about being the work of His hands when we spoke of the emotional difference there is between each other and between us and our male counterparts. We are the work of His hands and just like He made us special the first time, sometimes He has to make us over – special again. Sometimes our lives become marred (blemished, flawed, stained) or maybe they’re not marred, but He knows that we can be so much more for Him than we are. Just like in Jeremiah, we become the lump of clay on The Potters wheel. When we become that lump of clay, we are a lump of clay in the hands of the God of all comfort – the God of compassion.
In Jeremiah 18:1-6, Jeremiah is told by the Lord to arise and go down to the potter’s house and that there he, Jeremiah, will hear the words of the Lord. In verses three and four, we find Jeremiah doing just as the Lord had said, “Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.” Then in verses five and six, Jeremiah hears the Word of the Lord as He said, “O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? …Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand…” So are we in God’s hands.
God used burdens in the lives of the Israelites to make them “as seemed good to the potter to make” and sometimes, He does the same in our lives today.
We should never question God or anything He allows in our lives. Romans 9:20 says, “…Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?”
Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus… (is) the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” He was a God of compassion, the God of all comfort two-thousand years ago, and the wonderful this is that He still is that same God today!
James 4:8 says, “Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you…” The God of all comfort is waiting for you to draw nigh unto Him, so that He in turn, can draw nigh unto you. What are you waiting for? Draw nigh today!
In II Corinthians 1:3 & 4, we read, “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of ALL comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.” We talked in an earlier chapter of these verses and the way we are to emulate God’s love and compassion for us by passing that love and compassion on to others. He is the Father of mercies; He is the God of ALL comfort. He comforts us not just that we may be comforted, but that we in turn may with His comfort, with His love, and with His endless compassion, comfort others.
We have this assurance, in John 16:33, the Bible says, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” He says, “…in me ye MIGHT have peace.” Peace is available if we just ask for it. He’s ready to give us peace, if we will cast our burdens. But then he goes on to say, “In the world ye SHALL have tribulation…” There is no doubt about it, tribulation WILL happen in your life and mine if we live long enough and some of us don’t have to live very long before it happens. After we read that peace is available and tribulation is inevitable, then, here comes that wonderful assurance. He reminds us that even though we will have tribulation in the world, he says “…I have overcome the world.” He has overcome the world, overcome tribulation, ready to give peace. Isn’t it awesome to have the opportunity and privilege to serve the One who has “…overcome the world.”?
I wondered, after I read verse thirty-three, what was “These things I have spoken unto you…”? This is the last verse in chapter sixteen, so I began reading in verse one of the chapter, to find “These things…” Chapter sixteen of John is one of the last conversations Jesus has with His disciples before His Crucifixion, and it is basically a warning, a preparation in advance of tribulation, and the assurance of better things to come, a better life to come.
The chapter begins with, “These things have I spoken unto you…” and it ends with, “These things have I spoken unto you…”, interesting. The first verse says these things have I spoken unto you, “…that ye should not be offended.” The last verse says these things have I spoken unto you “……that in me ye might have peace…” Between verses one and thirty-three Jesus tells His disciples thirty things that could offend, that could separate them from the peace of God.
“These things” are:
They shall put you out of the synagogues
Whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service
Now I go my way to Him that sent me
Sorrow hath filled your heart
It is expedient for you that I go away
If I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you
When He (the Comforter, the Holy Spirit) is come, He will reprove the world
I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now
The Spirit of Truth…will guide you into all truth…
The Spirit of Truth…will show you things to come
A little while, and ye shall not see Me:
again, a little while, and ye shall see Me
I go to the Father
Ye shall weep and lament
the world shall rejoice
Ye shall be sorrowful
your sorrow shall be turned into joy
Ye now therefore have sorrow
I will see you again
your heart shall rejoice
your joy no man taketh from you
Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in My name, He will give it you
Ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full
I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs
I shall show you plainly of the Father
The Father Himself loveth you, because ye have loved Me, and have believed that I came out from God
I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again
I leave the world, and go to the Father
Ye shall be scattered, every man to his own
Ye…shall leave Me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me
He warned of all these things beforehand, that they not be offended, that they might have peace. “In the world”, He says, “ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” Peace is available in Me, He says, and we know, that there is none other that giveth peace. That is why it is called “…the peace of God, which passeth all understanding.” (Philippians 4:7).
Many times we think that turning to God and relying on His mercy and comfort will make our burdens disappear – no, not necessarily. Relief is not always the best thing for us. Relief is not always in His master plan. You have to remember, we cannot see the big picture – but God can. God does give the strength, the grace, and the hope that we need thought, to endure the burdens and hardships, and to withstand the tribulations and emotional pain.
Psalm 147:3 says, “He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.” He is a Master at healing the broken hearted and binding up wounds. Oh, isn’t it great to have the Master on your side!?!
Another assurance we have is found in Genesis 18:14, where the Lord asked Abraham “Is any thing too hard for the LORD?” I ask you today, Is there ANY THING to hard for Him?
II Corinthians 12:9 says, “…My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness…” His strength is made perfect in my weakness.
We read four times in the books of Matthew and Mark that Christ was moved with compassion.
“But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.” Matthew 9:36
“And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and He healed their sick.” Matthew 14:14
“And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean.” Mark 1:41
“And Jesus, when He came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and He began to teach them many things.” Mark 6:34
What is compassion? Webster’s Dictionary says it is the “Sympathetic consciousness of others’ distress (or burdens) together with a desire to alleviate it.” Sympathy plus the desire to alleviate the burden equals compassion.
sympathy + desire to alleviate = compassion
You know, that’s what Christ had for the people in the New Testament. He had compassion, because they fainted, because they were scattered abroad, and they had no shepherd. He took action; He healed the sick, put forth His hand, touched them, spoke with them, cleansed them, and taught them. That is a result of compassion.
He is not simply touched by the feeling of compassion, the Bible says that He is MOVED to action by compassion, and His action forever changed the lives of those He was moved with compassion toward. Just like the people of the New Testament, He is moved with compassion towards us too. He is a God of compassion; a God of healing compassion.
Have you ever though of yourself as the “work of His hands” (Job 34:19)? We talked about being the work of His hands when we spoke of the emotional difference there is between each other and between us and our male counterparts. We are the work of His hands and just like He made us special the first time, sometimes He has to make us over – special again. Sometimes our lives become marred (blemished, flawed, stained) or maybe they’re not marred, but He knows that we can be so much more for Him than we are. Just like in Jeremiah, we become the lump of clay on The Potters wheel. When we become that lump of clay, we are a lump of clay in the hands of the God of all comfort – the God of compassion.
In Jeremiah 18:1-6, Jeremiah is told by the Lord to arise and go down to the potter’s house and that there he, Jeremiah, will hear the words of the Lord. In verses three and four, we find Jeremiah doing just as the Lord had said, “Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.” Then in verses five and six, Jeremiah hears the Word of the Lord as He said, “O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? …Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand…” So are we in God’s hands.
God used burdens in the lives of the Israelites to make them “as seemed good to the potter to make” and sometimes, He does the same in our lives today.
We should never question God or anything He allows in our lives. Romans 9:20 says, “…Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?”
Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus… (is) the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” He was a God of compassion, the God of all comfort two-thousand years ago, and the wonderful this is that He still is that same God today!
James 4:8 says, “Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you…” The God of all comfort is waiting for you to draw nigh unto Him, so that He in turn, can draw nigh unto you. What are you waiting for? Draw nigh today!
# posted by Patsy @ 3:10 PM 
