Transcription downloaded from https://yetanothersermon.host/_/church4u/sermons/86581/the-god-of-all-comfort/.

Disclaimer: this is an automatically generated machine transcription - there may be small errors or mistranscriptions.
Please refer to the original audio if you are in any doubt.


[0:00] 2 Corinthians 1, verses 3-4.

[0:14] It says, Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,! the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble by the comfort we're with.

[0:32] We ourselves are comforted of God. Please be seated. God's comfort. God gives us a message of comfort. And we can know God's comfort today.

[0:44] In Isaiah 40, verse 1, we read, Comfort ye, comfort ye, my people, saith your God. God commands this message of comfort, a message repeated.

[0:56] Comfort ye, comfort ye. It's reinforced. A message to bring comfort. Comfort to His own people. Notice it says, Comfort ye, my people, saith your God.

[1:09] Notice it says, my people, it says your God. If we are His people, He is for us, and His comfort is for us. He is the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort.

[1:23] The first point to note here is, number one, God is the God of all comfort. God is the God of all comfort. Where should we look for comfort?

[1:34] We should look unto Him. We should look unto Him. We should look unto Him. We should look unto Him. We should look unto Him. Blessed be God, even the Father of mercies, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort.

[1:50] We should look unto Him. We should look unto God for comfort today. The world that we live in, at times, is a sad place. It's like a stormy sea, a troubled place. As we go to Mark 4, you might want to follow Mark 4.

[2:03] We read that familiar account of our Lord and His disciples on the troubled sea of Galilee. In Mark 4, verses 37 through 41, we read of the Lord as He sent the disciples.

[2:17] He knew what would face them. He knew what would happen. They would have a storm. And it says there, from verse 37, And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.

[2:32] And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow. And they awake him and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he rose, and he rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still.

[2:49] And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?

[2:59] And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?

[3:11] Notice that it says it was a great storm. The disciples were fearful. They had no faith. In verse 38, they saw Jesus there sleeping, and they accused him of not caring.

[3:27] Master, carest thou not that we perish? Do we sometimes think God doesn't care? Is that true sometimes, that we think God does not care for us?

[3:37] When trouble comes. You know, there's a song in our book, it says, Does Jesus care? When my heart is pained, too deeply for mirth or song, As the burdens press, and the cares distress, And the way grows weary and long.

[3:56] Oh yes, he cares. I know he cares. His heart is touched with my grief. And when the days are weary, the long night dreary, I know my Saviour cares.

[4:12] Does Jesus care when my way is dark, With a nameless dread and fear, As the daylight fades into deep night shades? Does he care enough to be near?

[4:24] Oh yes, he cares. I know he cares. His heart is touched with my grief. When the days are weary, the long night dreary, I know my Saviour cares.

[4:38] Does Jesus care when I've tried and failed, To resist some temptation strong? When for my deep grief there is no relief, Though my tears float all the night long?

[4:51] Does Jesus care when I've said goodbye, To the dearest on earth to me, And my sad heart aches, Till it nearly breaks? Is it ought to him?

[5:02] Does he see? Oh yes, he cares. I know he cares. His heart is touched with my grief. When the days are weary, The long night dreary, I know my Saviour cares.

[5:18] He cares. Now the word says, He careth for us, doesn't he? He cares for us. We can cast all our cares on him, Because he cares for us. I know he cares.

[5:29] He is the God of all comfort. Friends, today, He is the God of all comfort. He is your source of comfort. Instead of fear, Have faith when the storm comes.

[5:41] Look to him when you're in trouble. Look unto him in faith. Look unto him. And Jesus spoke, Peace, be still.

[5:54] In verse 39, And the great storm was transformed Into a great calm. What a change happened. Whatever crisis faces you, No God is at work in it.

[6:09] God is at work. He knew the storm would be there As they set out into the water. He knew what would happen. I urge you to look to God For comfort today.

[6:22] In 2 Corinthians 1, 3, It says, Blessed be God, Even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, The Father of mercies, And the God of all comfort.

[6:34] He is the Master of the sea. He says, He commands, Peace, be still. And there is a great calm. And whatever storms come your way, In those times, You can exercise your faith.

[6:50] When you go through the storm, You can be stronger for it. Your faith can grow stronger by the storm. He calms the storms, Even the winds and the waves obey Him.

[7:01] Our great saviour is called, The God of all comfort. This word comfort has the sense of someone coming alongside to help.

[7:11] That's the sense of it. The Holy Spirit is called the comforter, The one who comes alongside to help. In John 14, verse 16, Jesus says, I will pray the Father, And He shall give you another comforter, That He may abide with you forever.

[7:27] And this same word for comforter, Is the same word translated, 1 John 2, verse 1, Advocate, Of the Lord Jesus Christ, Where it says, If any man sin, We have an advocate, With the Father, Even Jesus Christ the righteous.

[7:46] The comforter has come, The Holy Spirit, The comforter of God's people, The Holy Spirit of God, And our Lord Himself, Is the advocate, The one who comes alongside to help.

[7:58] You know, If you're going into a legal trial over your sin, You want to have this advocate coming alongside you, Don't you? Yeah. You want to have the Lord Jesus to be your advocate, Your legal representative, Your chief counsel, Who pleads your cause, Who pleads your case, Who declares not guilty.

[8:17] Why? Because of our legal debt, He has paid. He has paid. He comes alongside us to help, The God of all comfort. Trust Him. Trust His word.

[8:29] I believe God establishes authority, And truth. We see in the family, In the nation, There's an authority. Even those men in blue, Who pull us over, When we've been naughty.

[8:44] Not that it's ever happened to me. But those men in authority, Those people in authority, There's an authority, And there's truth. In an age where this is abandoned, People are abandoning, What is right, And what is true.

[8:58] Wholesale today. Let's not fall for the disinformation campaign. Let's not be taken in, By truth mixed with lies. We want the truth. We must have the truth.

[9:10] The truth, And nothing but the truth. That's what they say, Isn't it? In the courts, They still say it. They still, At least make token claims, And believe it. God speaks, And He has absolute, Absolute, Authority, In what He says.

[9:27] Where authority is, There's protection. And He cries out, With that word of authority, Peace, Be still. And He commands the winds, And the waves.

[9:39] And what happens? They obey Him. God has given us His word. And we can believe His word. This word is a constant standard, That does not change.

[9:50] God's word, Is a source of comfort, And hope. And we have it because of this book. Romans 15, For it says, For whatsoever things were written aforetime, Were written for our learning.

[10:04] Even the Old Testament. We don't discard any part of it. It's all written for our learning. Every jot and tittle, From Genesis 1, 1, To Revelation, To the end of the book.

[10:16] Written for our learning, That we through patience and comfort, Comfort, There's that word again, Comfort of the scriptures, Might have hope. We can have comfort, Through the scriptures.

[10:28] Comfort ye, Comfort ye, My people, Sayeth your God. He calls us alongside, He calls you alongside His people, To Himself. Through His word, He gives us comfort.

[10:40] Through His Holy Spirit, He gives us comfort. In Revelation 3, 14, The Lord Jesus Himself, We've heard referred to, The word of God, It's one of His names. And Revelation 3, 14, Gives us another name, Of our precious Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

[10:56] It says, He is the Amen, The faithful and true witness. You know, Amen is the same in pretty much every language, I think. It's a common word, Isn't it?

[11:08] The Amen, That's one of the names of the Lord Jesus Christ. It means, Jesus Christ has flawless credentials. He is absolutely trustworthy. These words of the Amen, Are the words of the faithful and true witness.

[11:23] And Amen is usually the final word in a prayer, But it means much more than, I'm finished, Or, It's time to eat after grace. Amen, Is a sign of agreement. We believe it.

[11:34] Jesus Christ is the Amen. He is the last word. The faithful and true witness. And we can trust Him, Trust Him, Completely. In time of trouble, We can still have faith.

[11:47] As Job said, Though He slay me, Yet will I trust Him. Job 13, Verse 15, Yet will I trust Him. No matter what happens to me, Yet will I trust Him.

[12:03] He says to you, Trust me. Trust me, He says to you. What He says is true. All He says is true. And it's as true now as it ever has been.

[12:13] It's true all the time. He's the faithful and true witness. And when the Lord Jesus speaks, The church must listen. He speaks only the truth. One of the fundamental sources for comfort today, As we have read, Is the word of God.

[12:29] It's jam-packed with exceeding great and precious promises. For you. And one of the fundamental sources of comfort, Is the word of God.

[12:40] The words of the Lord. It is our authority. I don't have any authority, In the words that I speak. But when I speak His words, There's authority in those words. There's authority there.

[12:51] In Amos 8, Verse 11, It says, The time will come, Saith the Lord God, That I will send a famine in the land. Not a famine of bread, Nor a thirst for water, But of hearing the words of the Lord.

[13:05] These are dark days. We need the light. We need the light. Dark days. It matters that we have God's word. We want to be sure we've got it.

[13:16] We must be armed with that word. The truth cannot be refuted, Only denied. And we can realise comfort and hope. Why? Because of the scriptures. Because of the power of God's word.

[13:28] Now just lately, There was a lady down the street, Who had some acquaintance with our church, And she asked for a Bible. And I was able to give her one, And the joy that she had, The thankfulness that she had, Was palpable.

[13:43] She was overjoyed, When I gave her one of the Bibles. And how we need hungry hearts like that, Today. Let the word of God anchor you, In the times of storm.

[13:54] Let this be your anchor, That holds you strong and sure. God's revelation of himself, It comforts us. It's infallible. It's inerrant. In other words, There's not one error in it.

[14:06] It is without error. Without error. And this is our anchor, People today. We need something we've got, Trusting. That we have the authority of God, Behind it.

[14:18] And it's our anchor today. And just as a ship's anchor, Can do us no good, Unless it's lowered, The word of God, Can't encourage you, Unless you open it. Read it. Heed it. Believe it.

[14:28] Take time to study it. Meditate on it. Think of his promises. Claim them. They're for you. He's proved his faithfulness. Don't doubt him.

[14:40] Receive all that he has for you. And apply it to your life. These are wicked days, That we live. Don't you want to be grounded, In something that is everlasting.

[14:54] Or will you drift, In your devotion to the Lord. Anchor yourself. Anchor yourself by the word. Let its promises, Comfort you. As he reveals his will, His way.

[15:06] As you renew your mind, According to it. You can weather those storms, That will come, Surely come. So he is, The God, Of all comfort.

[15:17] And, We can believe his promises. Psalm 57, It says, In the shadow, Of thy wings, Will I make my refuge. There's, Times of heartache and struggle.

[15:28] Psalm 57, It's just one of many psalms, Many examples of scriptures, With a promise he says, In the shadow, Of thy wings, I will make my refuge. And, Scriptures like, Come unto me, All ye that labor, And are heavy laden, And I will give you rest.

[15:45] Rest, For your soul. Proverbs 3, Trust in the Lord, With all thine heart, And lean not, Unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways, Acknowledge him, And he shall, Direct thy paths.

[16:00] So, There's many scriptures, And they're for you, For me. If we don't open, And hear, And take it in, It can't, Bless, And comfort.

[16:10] There's so much, We can learn from God's word, Even the example, Of God's, Men and women, Who, Are faulty examples, Even through, The adversities, They, Had, Their own struggles, We can learn from, The God, Who will leave, No man behind, He's always there for us, And we are his special possession, He'll carry us through, It's his promise, Blessed be God, Even the Father, Of our Lord Jesus Christ, The Father of mercies, And, The God, Of all comfort, Who is he, The Father of mercies, And the God, Of all comfort, Paul faced many troubles, And hardships, Through his ministry, As he reached out, He faced much opposition, As he was faithful, Delivering the gospel, In 2 Corinthians 7, From verse 4, It says, Paul says, We are troubled, On every side, Nevertheless, God, Comforted us, Number one, God is the source, Of all comfort, Number two, God comforts us,

[17:11] In all our tribulation, He comforts us, In all our tribulation, That we may be able, To comfort them, Which are in any trouble, By the comfort we're with, We ourselves are comforted, Of God, When the storms, Come on your sea, Where is Jesus, He's in the boat, He's in the boat, With you, With you, With you, When you're in the storm, Jesus is in the boat, Don't lose sight of that, Don't lose sight of that, God comforts us, In, All our tribulation, He was in the boat, With them, And they were still, Buried and fretful, God comforts us, In our trouble, He's with us, Even in, The most trying times of life, And if we would look, To God for comfort, We will always find it, Because He is the source of it, He is the comforter, When our paths lead us, Through the valley, Of the shadow of death, Yet, Will He comfort us there,

[18:11] His rod, And His staff, They comfort us, He is there, The great, And good shepherd, He's doing the work, Even in the midst, Of trouble, In Isaiah 48, Verse 10, He says, I have refined thee, In, The furnace of affliction, He's refining us, In those times, He's working in, The tribulation, That we're going through, Now sometimes, A loving father, Will have to chasten, A wayward child, And correct them, It's not always, Pain free, Is it?

[18:44] You know, It can happen, That there's some, Discomfort, From the father, The human father, Sometimes we need, To drink down, Some medicine, That doesn't taste, Very nice, But it will do us good, At the end of it, And sometimes, We have to gently, Discipline, Our pets, I know, Just a couple of nights back, I had to, Dust my little dog, With flea powder, And I don't think, He liked it that much, But it was for his good, It was for his good, And why did I do it?

[19:18] Because I love him, Because I love him, And sometimes, Friends, Sometimes God, Allows these times, But he's there with you, He's there with you, It's been said, Those trees, Who are, Facing the winds, The strongest, Are stronger for it, You know, The tree expert, In our midst here today, Will know that those trees, That have the, Firmest, Strongest root system, Those that will stand up, To the heavy storms, Are those that have faced, The storms the most, They are the strongest trees, And so too for us, God develops our strength, Through those times, Of character building, Those times of storm, And he is with us, Right through the storm, Psalm 91, Is a lovely scripture, The whole psalm, Just verse 15, It says, Over time of testing, And of a time of faith tested, He shall call upon me, And I will answer him, I will be with him,

[20:18] In trouble, I will be with him, In trouble, I will deliver him, And honour him, So friends, Where is God, He is with you, In trouble, He is right there, God is in trouble, With you, He is with you, In the trouble, No matter how many, Or how difficult, Those type seasons, Of trial, Look to God, Look to God, For comfort, And you will find it there, Because he is, The God, Of all comfort, There's no need, To go to anyone else, You don't have to, Ring some helpline, Just talk to God, He is the God, Of all comfort, He is the one, That you can turn to, To find the comfort, You're looking for, Romans 5 verse 3, It says, In part, Tribulation, Worketh patience, In other words, Tribulation, Teaches us, Patience, We are going to benefit, From tribulation, There is a gain in it, You know,

[21:19] It is, I can testify, That I go jogging, Day after day, Day after day, I started jogging yesterday, And I had a jog, This morning as well, You know, I started my jogging campaign, And now, What does it say?

[21:34] No pain, No gain, That is why I have got, This physique that I have got, That is, Through that, Those hours of pain, Jogging, And I am in good, Tip top condition, No, I am telling you a lie here, Forgive me, But, No, I must say, That has got a lot of work to do, To get this body trim, And taught, And terrific, Like it used to be, But, Because we need the pain, No pain, No gain, And friends, Sometimes life is like that, Isn't it?

[22:01] That we look for the easy road, But, You know, What do the athletes do? What do the footy players have to do? What do the sports people have to do? They have got to go through the pain, To, Strengthen, Their skills, And abilities, And on Psalm 43, Verse 2, It says, God says to you, When thou passest through, The waters, I will be with thee, You know, Friends, People not the King James, But, It says thee, It's personal, I love that, Don't you?

[22:32] This is for you, Personally, Personally, Personally, Singularly, Singularly, Singularly, I will be with thee, Thee, Thee, Thee, Thee, When you pass through the waters, I will be with thee, That's important, I love that, I love that, And though the rivers overflow, They shall not overflow thee, When thou walkest through the fire, Thou shalt not be burned, Neither shall the flame candle upon thee, I will be with thee, That's important, That's precious, And when you're going through a trial, You can make that personal today, When you're going through tough things, No, God is with thee, In 1 Samuel 36, It says, David was greatly distressed, But David encouraged himself, In the Lord his God, 1 Samuel 30 verse 6, The Lord his God, You know, You don't need to tune into a preacher necessarily, Or go to some meeting necessarily, You can encourage yourself, In the Lord your God,

[23:33] Make it your practice too, Maybe you're lacking others to do it for you, You can do it for yourself, You can do it for yourself, Encourage yourself in the Lord, Don't try to lean on anyone else, Most people will let you down, But you can lean on him, You can trust in him, God is with you in tribulation, Deuteronomy 33, 27, It says, Underneath are the everlasting arms, How long did I last for?

[24:03] Everlasting, They're forever, His arms are everlasting, And they're underneath you, Hebrews 13, 5, Here's another personal one, He has said, I will never leave thee, Nor forsake thee, You can take that personally, You can write that down, And stick it on your fridge, And you can write your name there, I will never leave thee, Write your name there, Nor forsake thee, That's personal isn't it, That's precious, And whatever life storms bring, On your pathway, Know that whatever it be, Whether it's job troubles, Whether it's family heartaches, Whether it's health worries, Whether it's money problems, Or relationship upsets, I will never leave thee, He says to you, The Father promises, He will be with us, And he will deliver us, And save us, And be with us in trouble, There's a sturdy anchor, For your soul, In times of storm,

[25:04] Your problems are temporary, But God is eternal, Take heart in that, In times of hardship and pain, I heard an interesting phrase, This too will pass, Those times will pass, There'll be distant memories one day, Those times of trial, Hardship and pain, This too will pass, But Paul faced much trouble, And God allows it, For our good, Paul knew a lot of trouble, He knew what it was, To live the Christian life, It was no picnic for Paul, He knew sufferings abounding, Read his life, Sufferings, Persecutions, Yet he could claim, In faith, I know the God, Of all comfort, The Father of mercies, He said, I know the fellowship, Of his sufferings, You know, It wasn't a happy, Clappy fellowship, It was the sufferings, The fellowship, Of his sufferings, Sometimes we miss that, It can be happy, And clappy too, But, It's the fellowship,

[26:04] Of his sufferings, We miss that, In these days, Where it's all, Hoo-ha, And razzmatazz, The fellowship, Of his sufferings, Don't miss that, And Paul writes, In 2 Corinthians 1 verse 8, He tells how, I was pressed out of measure, Above strength, In so much that we despaired, Even of life, There was a time when Paul, Got up and went back into the city, They just stoned him in, To the very place, They tried to stone him to death, He went right back in there, Christian joy, Is with us, No matter what, Our circumstances, And it's our privilege, To be conformed, To his, Person, Through our suffering, So faith produces endurance, There's a product, In James 1 verse 3, May God give us this grace, Storms will come for you, Friends today,

[27:05] I can assure you, There's a strong likelihood, There's a storm coming, I don't know your personal weather forecast, But chances are, The storm's on the horizon, You're going to go through some battles ahead, But know that the God, Of all comfort, Is with you, The father of mercies, The one who says, I care for you, The one of whom it says, In Luke 4 verse 18, If it's in your Bible, He hath sent me to heal, The broken hearted, Jesus is the one, I have been sent, To heal, The broken hearted, Luke 4 verse 18, I believe that's true, He is the one, Who's come to heal, The broken hearted, And friends, Storms will come, It came for Job, Job said, Yet man is born, Unto trouble, As the sparks fly upward, It's as sure, As when you chuck a log on that, Open fire, The sparks are going to fly upward, So too, Yet man is born, Unto trouble, It's a sure thing, And Job 14 verse 1, It says, Man that is born of a woman, Is of few days,

[28:05] And full of trouble, It's a guaranteed, Matter of life, Trouble, Yet God is always using, The storm, To conform us to him, To purify us, To get our attention, To work his good, And we can have a source of joy, Count it all joy, Even that hard time, We can count it, Something of joy, And he will strengthen us, Peter said, Think it not strange, Considering this fiery trial, Which is to try you, As though some strange thing, Happened unto you, But rejoice, Inasmuch as ye are partakers, Of Christ's suffering, Suffering, It's not a pleasant thought, Is it?

[28:48] Paul called it a fiery trial, Purosis is the underlying word, A fire that purifies, A fiery trial, A refiner's fire, That's the sense of it, Friends, There's a refining process, That goes on, And how should we respond, To suffering, Paul, Peter says, Be not surprised, Think it not strange, But rejoice, It's a command, We command it to rejoice, Rejoice, First we have to bear the cross, Before we wear the crown, That's true in life, Sometimes those times, When you've grown the most, As a Christian, Have been those times, Of testing, Those times of the cross, Will help you wear the crown, No pain, No gain, We see God, As the source, Of all comfort, And we see God, Comforts us, In all our tribulation, And thirdly, We see, Why God, Uses us, To comfort others, When we are comforted, By God, God is doing something, He's the God of all comfort, He comforts us, In our tribulation,

[29:49] And he has given our comfort, So that we too, Can comfort, Those that need comfort, Amen, We are his agents, Agents of his comfort, And so, When you have trouble, And you go through it, And come out the other side, Maybe there's someone, In your life, You can be an agent, Of God's comfort too, God can use you, To comfort, When there's trouble, In the world, And friends, This world is in trouble, We've seen the headlines, Of the mockery of Christ, As just a, A big joke, To the world, That we live in, Even our, So called city of churches, What a devastating, Disgusting, Despicable state, We are in, When people will mock, I don't know if you've seen the news, They mock Jesus Christ, In some, Open, Kind of, Spectacle, At the fringe festival of labor, You may see that, If you haven't already, Seen it, This world is in trouble, This state is in trouble, This nation is in trouble,

[30:51] And the majority are filled, And without God and hope, In the world, These are desperate times, Times that we need, To sound forth, A message, Of comfort, Comfort ye, Comfort ye, My people, Sayeth your God, There's a dark cloud, Over this nation, And over many churches, These are desperate, Times, We are comforted, So that, We can comfort others, It's not about being selfish, That, You can be comforted, And get some, Blessing from God, But you are to be a transmitter, Of that comfort, To others around about, Be his messenger, Be his messenger, Now there's times, When for a preacher, They've got to comfort, The afflicted, And afflict the comfortable, You know, I don't want to say, Peace, peace to you, Everything's fine and dandy, Sometimes you've got to be afflicted, If you get too comfortable, We get too comfortable, As a Christian, We need to get, A bit of a provocation, We need to provoke,

[31:51] Unto love, And good works, It's got the sense of, Give someone a jab, With a sharp stick, That's the sense of, Of this provocation, Sometimes we've got to be provocative, To afflict the comfortable, I don't want you to get comfortable here, Today, Now maybe we should turn, The air conditioners off, You know, I don't want to afflict, The comfortable today, Amen, And comfort the afflicted, Comfort the afflicted, Friends, We are to be comforters, Of others, The comforting, The afflicted, You know, There's people in need, All around us, And sometimes we don't care, We just care about ourselves, Don't we, Let's be honest, We're comforted, So we can comfort others, Be sensitive, To others needs, Be sensitive, To encourage, To pray for people, To help where you can help, To support where you can support, And what's the best comfort you can give?

[32:43] It's the gospel, This is the best comfort you can give, The good news, Of God's salvation, How can I reach others, With God's saving truth?

[32:55] Ask the Lord, What can I do to comfort others, With the same comfort, That you've given me? Faith has an eternal, Eternal dimension, An eternal, An eternal orientation, It's not all about, You having your life, Just so, And everything running nice, And dandy, And everything rosy, For you, And as if God, Is some, Kind of, Someone you run to, With your shopping list, And saying, Oh God, I want this, I want this, I want this, That's how people sometimes treat God, As if he's our servant, To come running to our errands, To come to our bidding, As we can dingle a bell, And he comes like some slave, Some servant, To come and serve us, No, We should serve him, We should serve him, We should have the attitude, That our lives are unto him, Unto his glory, That there's an eternal orientation, To our lives, We're not here for the here and now, This is just a passing stage, This is just a pilgrimage, A sojourning, A temporary assignment, There's something eternal,

[33:58] That we're about, And it's our privilege, Our responsibility, To be a channel, To share his comfort, As we know the sufferings of Christ, We can bring that gospel, Of his saving, Redeeming power, To others, So when Paul faced, Trouble, He kept faithful, He kept working, And he kept going, No matter what, The one who had caused, So much suffering himself, Wow, The tables were turned, For Paul weren't they, The one who had caused, So much suffering, Dragging people off to, Persecution, Was himself, One of the persecuted, And God showed him, What great things he would suffer, For his name, So where do we look for comfort, Go to God, For your comfort, Friends today, Trouble is coming, I don't know whether it's, Tomorrow, Or next week, Or the week after, But trouble is surely coming, The storm is surely coming for you, But know this, That the God,

[34:59] Of all comfort, Is for you, He is with you, And he is in, That time, Of trial, He is with you, You know, The Lord Jesus, Is not, An option, Some people think, Jesus is an optional extra, In life, As if you kind of, You know, You add him to your life, To, You know, Be successful, Find Jesus, You know, That's how they, Some people treat Jesus, As if, He's a good luck charm, And, If you want to have, Health, Wealth and prosperity, Well, You just need to become a Christian, It's not all, It's not about that, At all, You might be very unsuccessful, And very, Very, Hard done by, You might, You might go to a prison cell, On bread and water, And face execution, In some countries you will, In some countries you will, Jesus didn't come to make your life good, He didn't come to make you successful, Not at all, He came to save your soul, To save your soul,

[36:00] To fit you for heaven, And that might be through the midst of difficult trials, But know this, He is the Father of mercies, He's the God of all comfort, Jesus is not an option, He's the Lord of heaven and earth, The Lord of heaven and earth, And He says, Draw nigh to me, And I will draw nigh to you, Become God's child, Know Him as your Father, The Father of mercies, Trust Him, Trust His work for you, On the cross for you, Dying in your place, Bearing your sin, And shame, One day, We will be going home, Home, Home, Home, To our Father's house, But is He your Father?

[36:42] It's not home for you, Unless He is your Father, And if He is your Father, It's your Father's house, And He has many mansions, And we are residents there, Not guests, We don't just, It's not a temporary visit, We are residents there, That's our home, John 14, I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again, And receive you, To myself, I am the way, The truth and the life, Look to God, Friends, Today for comfort, Know that He is the God, Of all comfort, He is the God of hope, Romans 15, 13, Trust His word, It's true, It's an anchor, An anchor, Rock solid, It will ground you, It will hold you sure, And true, Trust Him today, For whatsoever things were written, Afore time were written, For our learning that we,

[37:44] Through patience and comfort, Of the scriptures, Might have hope, This is jam packed with comfort, If you need comfort, Go to the comfort, Guide book, The Bible, Ask Him to show you, How you can be an agent, Of His comfort to others, A channel of His grace, There's others in your life, That you can, Bring comfort to, Just as you are comforted, Blessed be God, Even the Father, Of our Lord Jesus Christ, The Father of mercies, And, The God of all comfort, Who comforts 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, Let us pray, Thank you.