The God of All Comfort

Welcome to this edition of PowerPoint with Jack. Later, the program will tell you how you can get a message to help with first users message God of all comfort. Chapter 1 is Blessed be the God and father that his praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ sufferance, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort to everyone in life experiences pain, sorrow and grief. Tears no one is exempt. The proverb, the agent Spanish proverb says there's never been a home without its hush.

We've all been in that place, described as the Shadowlands by CS Lewis. The Shadowlands living in the valley of the shadow grief. We all have poured out tears from time to time. Whether it is loss and that's what grief is about this loss, I might say, parenthetically, before we even get started here and, importantly, that if your loved one has passed away. It is in heaven. You didn't lose them.

You don't lose things when you know where they are and so we know that they are not lost but they have left and that brings great grief is loss of any kind.

Grief is described as that in 10 emotional suffering caused by loss disaster misfortune is deep sadness is more than the usual up and downs of life.

It is grief at the deepest level, that is, it is heartbreak. It is in his heart, a no wonder Jesus said to his disciples facing the cross, he said don't let your heart be troubled you believe in God believe in me prepare them for what is to come and that's our goal here today not only to prepare you but to comfort you with the word of God's intense emotional suffering. It can be the loss of life.

The loss of a loved one. It could be the loss of healthy can be the loss of a marriage can be the loss of a career.

Imagine the oceans of tear that humanity have cried over the centuries, even your own tears. Yet we are comforted by the God of all comfort.

Christians are not exempt from grief. You know that we all know that as a pastor I have walked with literally thousands of people at funeral homes, memorial services, graveside salon arduous journey. I watch God comfort them in ways that could only be described as supernatural is the power of Christ and the comfort of God surrounds us and why do people who are Christians cry because you know we we feel it. Perhaps even more deeply than others. Wheat we love deeply and therefore we hurt deeply when we lose someone or something dear and near to us so we we have real tears when the worst things that anyone can do with grief is to repress it or suppress, but we must release it to God releasing to the people of God.

More about that in just a moment.

Jesus actually said. Blessed are you who mourn sin the Beatitudes.

Blessed are you who mourn happy are you who mourn, for you will be comforted and it is in the comfort that we smile again even though it is through tears. We can live again. We can love again. We can experience life to the fullest again because we have been comforted by God. That verse at the top of our chapter here says the God of all comfort. He is the source of our comfort, the God of all comfort.

That includes the wind is described as the father of all mercies. His mercies are new every morning great is thy faithfulness.

God is near and dear to the brokenhearted and he is God the father who envelops us, embraces us with his love and his love will never let you go God loves you.

Let that sink in for just a moment in his love is an everlasting love. God the father. He is the God of all comfort, God the son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Why is it that so many broken people ran to Jesus for help hurting people. Did you notice in his ministry in his gospel tract is tracked on this earth in his humanity how he was always with the brokenhearted, the broken people. He was near to people who needed him the most. The Pharisees, the self-righteous, the religious crowd wanted nothing to do with Jesus except the cruise if I am getting out but the hurting the broken ran why because he understands our pain and our sorrow in our grief. The Bible says in the book of Isaiah the prophecy of Isaiah. He is a man of sorrows with very when Jesus went to the cross to die for our sins. He also carried our sorrows. He carried our griefs and carried our sorrows. What a friend we have in Jesus all our sins and griefs to bear. What a privilege to carry everything to God in Jesus is the friend of sinners, but he's a friend of the sorrowful as well hurting, you need healing, including those with broken hearts, the God of all comfort. God the father mercies, Jesus the Savior, who on the cross, demonstrated his love for us and bore our pain and suffering on the cross. We have a high priest that understands our pain and are suffering not one far removed from us but Jesus came to work in his humanity, not so he could find out how much it hurts so that he could get out understand more. He already understood more. He came to earth and bore our sins and bore our sorrow so that we would know he understood.

Been there, done that, not a distant deity somewhere out, not religion Jesus God of all comfort. And then Jesus said in the dark night of his own soul approaching the cross in the upper room. His disciples were fearful and anxious about what was about to Take Pl. in Jesus said look, I'm not going to leave you alone. I'm going to send you another one just like me. The Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, one called alongside the helper, the comforter and the comforter has come.

The Holy Spirit is with us his living presence is within us and the comforter has come to encourage us with the very living presence of God our Savior. So when this verse says that God of all comfort is this, religion cannot come because all the founders of religion or dad and Dawn Jesus, the God of all comfort.

He comforts us and with the comfort with which we are comforted we comfort others.

But not only is there this source of our strength and comfort in the word comfort is a very strong word. Comfort is not a weak word is a strong word you you see in the very word itself. In English, comfort. It the word fortitude is there strength, comfort, equal strength.

The word that is akin to it.

In the New Testament is encouragement. In fact, comfort, encouragement are often translated in the same way and and the word courage is in that that word comfort so there is fortitude there is strength for the journey.

This is how we are comforted. God gives a spring sometimes it just take one step after the other to keep going every single day, but that comfort is there because the comforter is there in his comfort comforts us and with that comfort. According to the passage. We then because we have been greatly comforted washed over with the comforter got overflowing. It says, with the comfort of God abundant comfort of God, then we comfort others. We now have been given a mission. Our tears become a testimony we we don't just grow in the dark. Like plants but weak glow-in-the-dark with a live in the love of Christ. Because God is with us, and there are some ways that I want to give you this message that will help not just get through the growth love the griefs of your life. Pain and the sorrow of your life. You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham in today's message that God of all comfort. So many people are crushed by the stress of life and are searching for help and hope. That's why we're excited to share that a generous friend has offered to double your gift to hundred and $50,000 to help us reach a hurting world with the perfect peace.

Jesus offers as a thanks for your gift will send you Dr. Kranz eight message series help this resource will help you walk in the quiet stress that comes with knowing your security in Christ even in uncertain times. So, right now to have your gift double and request your copy help, call 1-800-795-4627 2000 795-4627.

You can also text the word PowerPoint to 313131 PowerPoint 313131. And don't forget to visit Jack Graham.org where you can shop our E store. Give a gift online or sign up for Dr. Graham's free daily email devotional our website again is Jack Graham.Margie. Now let's get back today's message, the God of all comfort others. A panorama of emotion that are involved with grief, emptiness, sadness, numbness, bitterness, anger, guilt, fear, anxiety, depression, self-pity, helplessness, despondency, even despair. A broken heart can take your life. I'm convinced that my own dear mother died of a broken heart. Just trying to live through the grief of the loss, the death of my father. You can die of a broken heart but our prayers that you will live with a broken heart and let your broken heart.

Bless others. And here's how you do this.

This is how the God of all comfort comforts us so that we can comfort others number one inquiry God draws you close to himself. Psalm 3418 says God is near the broken hearted, to those who are crushed in spirit. Feels like a crushing doesn't it feels like a crucifixion when you greet and yet God draws near to each one of us. God draws you close to himself. Draw near to God.

He draws near to you and he is always there. He never leaves us or forsakes us when you read Psalm 23 the great and famous Psalm 23, written by David the shepherd king David most likely in this passage.

This great Pauline is looking back on his life and the tender care of God as the shepherd he was a shepherd boy himself and so any thought of God, the God of all comfort. He thought of the shepherding care and compassion of God, and he wrote the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want to begin. I often remind grieving people of this great truth regarding the 23rd Psalm. He begins by talking about the Lord is a beautiful testimony, the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He leads me beside the still waters. He leads me in righteousness for his namesake. He's talking beautifully of the Lord and the and the good shepherd the great Shepherd he's talking about the Lord. But then he says, J.

Though even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, so he walked into the valley of the shadow of death, and there he experiences the presence of God. The care in the comfort of God. He says yay though I walk through this valley of shadow of death I will fear no evil. Your rod and your staff they comfort me.

Notice they walk he walk through the valley because if you're in the valley of the shadow that God promises you're coming out on the other side because shadows may scare you.

Shadows may frighten you, but they can never hurt when you know the Lord, because ultimately the shadows fall behind. We turn our face to the sun. We turn our faces to the Lord. Shadows fall behind us.

So David takes that walk through the valley of the shadow comes out on the other side and then instead of talking about the Lord. He starts talking to the Lord your rod and your staff they comfort me. You anoint my head with oil, you prepare a table before me in the wilderness. See the difference before he was talking about the Lord beautiful testimony of God. But then when he goes through the dark valley closer to God closer to God. And now he's talking to tell you. Draw near to the Lord God draws closer to us and I tell you this, God will be more real to you in times tears than any other time in your life number two God breeds with you know that when Jesus went to the tomb of his good friend Lazarus who had died, he stood outside that tomb and Chapter 11 of John's Gospel verse 35 the one who is the resurrection and the life says he stood there shortest verse in the Bible verse 35 and yet sacred ground because sacred tears flowed from his sacred head and eyes because the Bible says Jesus where these tears were not trickles as described in the language of the New Testament, but copious tears flowing, heaving, sobbing and weeping in the same Savior, who wept at Lazarus to in the face of death and sorrow weeps with us. He's been to the cross, he suffered with us. God grieves with. He understands this is why so many people run the they go to God.

They go to Jesus when they hurt because they know he's the one who under state all will understand it better by-and-by.

Our questions are why and why not will be answered in eternity, but until then it's enough to know that he knows that he understands our pain and are suffering and are heard and we can leave the burden with him. God grieves you believe that number three God gives you a church family. When you grief as a believer and follower of Christ. God gives you a church family.

We are not meant to grieve alone and although there are times you want to see anybody be with anybody in their seasons.

For that, but ultimately you need to get up and get going again and get with people who love you and care about you and it is that the church of the Lord Jesus Christ where people like me experience the goodness of God the grace of God in our grief and we have been comforted by the God of all comfort and we can comfort others.

It is one of the key ministries of this church and any church to minister to hurting people to agree with those who agree the Bible says we mourn with those who mourn, the Bible says bear one another's burdens, and that word burden is also a word that is used for sorrow in the Bible.

Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. Because look, there are some people some here today some watching online, your staggering beneath the heavy burden the way you're stumbling and you need somebody to come along and help you carry the way so is the work of Christ in the work of the church. Number four God uses grief.

God uses grief to help you grow.

It is in grief that we grow in the dark and as I said we glow-in-the-dark ultimately but our dependence upon God increases our obedience to God. Their lessons that we learn and suffering that can be learned. Nowhere else. Don't waste your sorrows. Learn everything that you can learn when you're walking in darkness and grief number five God gives you the hope of heaven. First Thessalonians chapter 4, but I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that is, those who have died before as I would not have you to be uninformed about those who are asleep, lest you sorrow as those who have no hope we sorrow our tears are real but they are not hopeless. Tears are crying is not the cry of despair is the cry of hope. We do not sorrow as those who have no hope for if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them who sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say it to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain shall not precede them which are asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout and the voice of the archangel and the trumpet of God. The dead in Christ shall rise first and then we who are alive and remain under the coming of the Lord shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so will we ever be with the Lord. But it doesn't end there. It says there comfort one another with these words. Comfort one another with the word of promise and a future with God. You know when you come alongside people you don't need to preach sermons or even quote a lot of verses just be there is a person of hope point people to Jesus and point people to heaven and love them. But it is in grief. Whatever grief remember the different kinds of grief. It may be definite maybe the loss of a loved one.

The laws of the job loss of a marriage.

Whatever your grief is ultimately comforted the comfort that God gives us the hope of heaven, and one day one day one day he's going to wipe away all tears from our but until then, and the last thing is this God uses your heartbreak to help others to wipe away our tears. But until then God will use your hurt and your hands to wipe away people's tears to weep with those who weep to agree with those who agree to be present when people are alone in feeling so lost and so lonely. No one should ever feel alone should know God's presence in your presence, our presence, so what God does is he takes our tears and yes he turns them into telescopes so that we can see God more clearly, but he turns them into testimonies and our tears testify that evening. Pain and sorrow and grief that we are comforted and we are blessed so we praise God through the pain he starts the whole thing by saying blessed be God. Praise be to God the father of mercy, the God of all, listening to PowerPoint with Jack ran in today's message God of all comfort determine the stress of life is overwhelming.

Many people look to the latest self-help true rest only comes in returning to the Lord and trusting in him because the truth is, he simply can't carry life's burdens on your own. In Dr. Graham's eight message series help to show you how to turn your stress into strength to the certainty of God's promises so you can face any challenges that come your way. Help is our special thanks for your gift to help only proclaim God's word to PowerPoint and thanks to a generous hundred $50,000 matching grant. Whatever you give today will be doubled to impact even more lives for Jesus Christ to request a copy when you call today knowing your gift will be doubled, when it hundred seven 954-627-2000 795-4627 can also text PowerPoint to 313131 text PowerPoint 313131.

And don't forget to visit Jack Graham.org where you can shop our E store. Give a gift online or sign up for Dr. Graham's free daily email devotion our website again is Jack Graham.March pastor. What is your PowerPoint for today is absolutely clear that all of the space tragedies whether those tragedies are on an international scale or whether it's a personal tragedy in your own life. Some crisis that you're facing, but you can count on the fact that in the midst of tragedy in every crisis of life that God is there and that even paying incredible pain is a gift from God to drive us to him and God takes our pain and even those questions those perplexities of our lives, and he mixes them together in the power of his love. At the cross and that's why Romans 828 says, for we know we do know that God is working all things together for the good to them who love the Lord, that those who are called according to his purpose and I believe we can write Romans 828 over every situation in our lives as believers and followers of Christ, you know, God has given Christians an open door that opened doors to go to people who have great need in their life and not only close the naked and feed the hungry and to take care of those who are brokenhearted, but to share the love of Jesus Christ to share the gospel of Jesus Christ.

And that's my prayer that you, as a follower of Jesus Christ will get engaged in mission not only to the nations, but to your neighbors that you will be sharing the love of Jesus Christ.

First and foremost you need to have that personal relationship with Christ to share with someone else and when you do you can know that your faith will hold against the tides of life. The riptide's. The storms the tidal waves that come against us. And at the same time, you will have a message of hope and love to share with the world. He is God. He is always God. On good days as well as bad days. Every day he is both sovereign and in control of all of our experiences in life. So with that faith and with that confidence we share the message of Jesus Christ. For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, and that is today's PowerPoint.

Remember when you give a gift to PowerPoint will see Dr. Graham's eight message series help as our thanks. Call one 800-795-4627 1-800-795-4627 also text the word PowerPoint 3131 PowerPoint 23131. Join us again next time. Dr. Graham brings a message that you can overcome bitterness and experience that's next time on PowerPoint with Jack Graham PowerPoint with Jack Graham is sponsored by PowerPoint ministries