2 Corinthians is a book of comfort as the title of this series suggests: The God of Comfort. My goal today is for us to be comforted and to comforter others.
None of us have lived anything close to Paul’s life. BECAUSE he served Christ, he suffered many hardships. Did you hear that? Paul’s hardships were BECAUSE he served Jesus! Turn to 2 Cor 11:23…
Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one, I am talking like a madman, with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, & often near death. 24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the 40 lashes less one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night & a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, robbers, my own people, Gentiles, the city, in the wilderness, at sea, from false brothers; 27 in toil & hardship, thru many a sleepless night, in hunger & thirst, often w/out food, in cold & exposure. 28 And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. 29 Who is weak, & I am not weak? Who is made to fall, & I am not indignant? (Most of us would cave from all that!)
2 Tim 1:11 I was appointed a preacher & apostle & teacher, 12 which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, & I am convinced that He is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me (The Gospel).
Phil 1:29 It has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in Him but also suffer for His sake… (This is the life of every C’ian)
Regarding a life of hardship, suffering, & difficulty… Jesus was clear about how to process & understand it. Listen to our Lord from Mt 5:11-12…
Blessed are you when others revile you & persecute you & utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on My account. 12 Rejoice & be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Mt 13:20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word & immediately receives it with joy, 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, & when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the Word, immediately he falls away.
When persecuted some rejoice, others flee. The difference is the heart. But even those of strong spiritual constitution like Paul need encouragement because everyone has a breaking point. No matter who you are (Including Paul), with enough pressure… you can be crushed to powder. Enter Titus…
7:13-b. The power of multifaceted encouragement. In the midst of his difficulties & hardships, Paul rejoiced! Why? How? Three reasons. First was his “own comfort.” The bedrock faith he had in God who was his ultimate comfort.
You need to have your own list of Scripture you go to in difficult times. You need to worshipping God privately. You need to be constant in prayer now. Don’t wait until difficulty happens. Walk with God now through these three disciplines…
Second was Titus himself (7:13-c). He must have been a Barnabas type individual who was an encourager. Titus saw the glass as half full & probably pointed out the silver lining of dark clouds. So Paul relied on Titus for emotional & spiritual encouragement & strength. Consider 2 Cor 2:12…
When I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, even though a door was opened for me in the Lord, 13 my spirit was not at rest because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I took leave of them & went on to Macedonia.
Everyone needs a Titus in their life. AND… we need to be a Titus for others! I know I need to work at being more like Titus more often myself. In Scripture we’re ALL called to be a Titus type person in people’s lives! To see this let’s go back and read 2 Cor 1:3-5 together…
Blessed be the God & Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies & God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all 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. 5 For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so thru Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.
LISTEN! One of the reasons you suffer is so that YOU can comfort others! God uses YOU to comfort people who are struggling with what YOU have experienced! God equips us to have “The Titus Touch” thru our own suffering… in order to comfort others! And oh how this is needed!
Lost a loved one? Comfort the grieving. Had a child rebel? Comfort hurting parents. Ever lost a job? Make a visit. Ever been betrayed? Write a card of encouragement. Use your experiences to be a Titus in other people’s lives!
Third, how could Titus comfort Paul? Because he had been refreshed (Comforted) by the church at Corinth (7:13-d)! A congregation comforted one individual… who comforted an Apostle… that we’re reading about 2,000 years later! HBC’s ministry!!!
That means WE as a church are to be Titus people! Goodness knows we all need it sooner or later don’t we? Look around you. Those are people who need comfort. They are in need of a Titus Touch.
They need encouragement. They aren’t concerned about politics… the economy… or tomorrow. They’re just trying to get through today. They’re doing good to be here & not melt down. The hurt they have is profound & deeper than you know. YOU can be a Titus in their life!
I’ll tell you another thing. Many suffer secretly. They don’t want to be a burden or bring anyone down with their problems. Their pride won’t let them let others know they are struggling… but they are. As we read in Pr 14:13, “Even in laughter the heart may ache…”
I want us to do something you may not have done IN church before. I hope it won’t make you uncomfortable… that’s not my desire. I want us to encourage one another.
First… take your outline. See the section: “The Titus Project?” That refers to 2 Cor 1:3-4… “Comfort others with the comfort by which you have been comforted by God.” Write down names of people you KNOW have been or ARE struggling. Then after church call or visit to encourage them. Pray with them… be a Titus in their life today…
(Pause… give time to write names down)
Let’s do one more thing. Let’s all stand up. Deacons, come down front (Give time to come down). If you are here & have any kind of need or situation in your life that is either a minor or major struggle… could we have the honor of praying for you as a church body?
It could be any kind of burden. You don’t have to tell anyone b/c God knows. Would you allow us to encourage you as the Corinthian church did for Titus? If you would… come right now…
Invitation…
Ron's Sunday Sermon 