Title: The Touching God / 2004.9.5.
Content Pretend? God
2 Corinthians 1:3-11, 1 Kings 19:1-8
In today's text, the word 'comfort' appears 9 times. 'Comfort' was described in the dictionary as 'to make people forget suffering by touching them'. In a way, it seems that these days are not the times in desperate need of this consolation.
Looking into people's eyes these days, there is a desperate desire to be comforted. You can see the lonely heart. Why? With so many people, people are overflowing wherever we go, materials and goods are overflowing in every street, and convenience is not enough, so modern people living in an era where they can sit at home and watch the market, what do they want to be comforted by lack of? This is because humans are not inherently material beings. Because humans are spiritual beings. No matter how much material desires are satisfied, if the soul is full, the soul is happy, and the soul is not satisfied, there is no satisfaction anywhere.
When humans, such spiritual beings, live in a world where they are led mainly by this material, they will suffer a lot physically and mentally. You will experience pain. Physical illness and weakness, financial difficulties, mental maladaptation, loneliness, and sense of emptiness. In this age of infinite competition, we are tired and wandering.
So, even though you don't know yourself, deep in that soul, you say, 'Please, touch this lonely soul of mine, my broken soul, my soul that doesn't know where to go!' you can hear it cry out. It makes you long to be comforted.
As we go through life, each of us has painful wounds. As the years pass, all those wounds are hidden from the outside, and it seems that they are all buried and forgotten in time. However, the reality is that it has only disappeared from memory, and there are many cases where it sinks deep inside--unconsciousness, and holds onto my life.
Taegi Jeong, a professor of counseling at Korea Theological University, was born in an island village and grew up in a very poor family. The pain and scars of my childhood, when I was beaten and kicked out while trying to get a fish by my strict and cold father, have remained as deep wounds in my heart for over 40 years.
When he moved to the United States to complete his thesis after completing his doctoral course in counseling, during a conversation with an American advisor, Taegi Jeong began to confide in tears about the pain and scars of childhood 40 years ago. When Professor Noh listened to the story with tears, he had an experience of healing 40 years of wounds.
The apostle Paul says in today's text that God is a God of comfort.
bless you He is the God of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Father of mercy, God of all comfort,
comfort us in all our afflictions, that we may receive comfort from God,
He is able to comfort those who are in all affliction. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
1. God of Comfort
'The God of all comfort' -- God is called the God of comfort. I don't know how good the word 'God of comfort' is. God's comfort does not simply 'make us forget our suffering'. Looking at the original word dictionary of the Bible, the word ' ' (parakaleo) did not simply mean to make us forget comfort or suffering, but to encourage strength and courage to overcome all life's problems. So, we come to realize that the 'comfort' spoken of in the Bible is 'the ability to give strength and courage'. God's comfort is the comfort that heals wounds, provides strength to overcome problems, and gives hope.
Elijah was a great prophet. He was filled with the Holy Spirit and had power as a prophet of God. The confrontation with the 450 prophets of Baal and Asherah on Mount Carmel is a famous event. He is the man who established the right way of faith by punishing the 450 prophets of Baal, which was a big problem at the time. However, this fact brought about great persecution. The order to punish Elijah was issued by Queen Jezebel, who was the guardian of the Baal faith. In the midst of this great persecution, believers were discouraged and Elijah ran away. Elijah flees into the middle of the wilderness, and falls down under the shade of a broom tree, hungry and weary, to pray.
'Five! God, for this I have enough; take my life from here!'
It was a desperate prayer. It was a prayer for death. Then I fell into a deep sleep. I don't know how old it is, but when I wake up feeling someone caressing me, an angel of God is recommending me to eat with the charcoal-grilled bread and a bottle of water. I did that twice. Elijah was able to get new strength and power to go up to Mount Horeb. There, Elijah received a new mission.
Is God pretending to be God? get hurt? suffer pain? loneliness? Pretend to be sad?God.
2. God comforts us in our afflictions
'He comforted us in our afflictions' God's comfort abounds even more in our afflictions. Sometimes we don't know what God's grace is, or we are vaguely thinking about it, and when we go through tribulations and difficulties, we come to realize how great the comfort of the word is. You will come to realize how great the comfort and strength that faith gives you.
Where is the parent who will not suffer with the pain of their child, and where is the father who will not be heartbroken by the suffering of their child? How much less can God, our Father in heaven, be like that? When we hurt, God hurts too. When we are struggling, God suffers too. That is why God comforts us in our troubles. you can i am with you am I not by your side give me strength That's what you're saying.
Our one hour worship service is a time for our souls to rest. It is a time for our souls to be refreshed. It is a time when God gives comfort to our hearts. Our prayers are the time to receive God's comfort and strength. It is a time filled with God's blessings from heaven. It is a time of giving comfort and peace that cannot be found in the world.
Jesus said.
Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28
1. Did you pray before leaving the house today? Did you appeal for the grace you will receive today?
Refrain Prayer will lead to our light of rest
Don't forget to pray when it's dark.
2. Did you pray when your heart was full of anger? Did you forgive the friend who was blocking my way?
3. Did you pray when faced with difficult trials? If the Lord is with you, you will be able to overcome.
4. I will pray for the rest of my life. The life I entrusted to the Lord will last forever.
3. The God Who Becomes a Comforter
He said, ?쏻ith the comfort we receive from God, we are able to comfort those in all afflictions.??Only those who are afflicted can comfort those who are afflicted. Only those who have been comforted by God during their tribulation, not just those who have suffered, can do this.
The rich cannot comfort the poor. The poor can comfort the poor. A person who knows pain can comfort a sick person. A person who knows pain can comfort those who suffer. A person in tribulation can comfort a person in trouble. How paradoxical is that? But that's true. In that sense, we come to realize that suffering as Christians also has this missionary meaning.
We can confess anything to Jesus because he knows everything about us. Jesus came as a human and suffered all human suffering. From a human point of view, when it comes to loneliness, where is someone like Jesus? When it comes to being betrayed, where is someone betrayed like Jesus, and when it comes to suffering, where is the suffering of the cross?
We do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses.
He who was tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.
So that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need
Come boldly before the throne of grace. Hebrews 4:15-16
I pray that you will gain new strength through the comfort of God of all comfort in the midst of difficulties and afflictions, and that you will become powerful believers who can comfort those who are in trouble.
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