Comfort Part 2 God of ALL Comfort

[shalom-dodi]


Welcome to the Monday Night Bible Study. I am Shalom Dodi and I am very GLAD to be here with you.
Our format is: Welcome, Song, Prayer, Lesson
Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOI_HFvhINM
Prayer: Lord God our Messiah and friend, we thank you for loving us. We thank you this place and for each other. I want to lift up little phoebe who is waiting for a heart and facing a surgery Wednesday and also her family. And God you know each of our needs, physical ones, emotional ones and spiritual needs as well, so we choose afresh to trust you with ALL that is “us”. Please open our hearts to receive your comfort as we gather around your Word. In Jesus name amen
I could not decide what we should ponder this week and finally went back to last weeks topic “comfort”. This time I went GotQuestions and found an intereting article. We hear, we know that God is the God of all comfort, but what does that mean and how do we access it?
I am in a Care Group and many of us are widows. Some are still married. We have walked the path of life over a number of years together.

So we know God comforts, but often he also used people to comfort. People to be his hands and feet on earth.

Anyhow…that is why I went to search out what it means when the Bible says that God is the GOD of ALL comfort.

Question: "What does it mean that God is the God of all comfort?"

Answer: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God” (2 Corinthians 1:3–4).
God of All Comfort
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and 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.

Dodi Note: Of the 3 of us at lunch Saturday 2 were widows. One was not. Sometimes comfort is just the gift of “presence”.

The idea of “comfort” implies at least two parties: one who gives the comfort and one who receives it. It also implies a need—one that Scripture speaks of exclusively for humans.

Animals have no capacity to receive spiritual comfort. The holy angels have no need for comfort.

Dodi Note: Now that is an interesting thought. People are the only ones who need and who can give and receive Spiritual Comfort. Not animals and not angels either. Amimals do need physical and emotional comfort though, I think.

Satan and his demons are eternally beyond it (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 12:9, 12; 20:10).
Dodi Note: Another interesting thought. We will look at the verses affirming that. Can you imagine being eternally beyond any kind of comfort? No wonder demons are so nasty-mean.

Matthew 24:41 41 “Then he will say to those on his left, Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
Dodi Note: This was addresed to those who were NOT Born Again. They may have thought they were but there was no personal relationship with the LORD.

Notice the fire was prepared for the devil and his minions. But some people choose that for themselves as well when they choose to reject Jesus as LORD.


Rev. 12:9 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
12 Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!”
Dodi Note: From what I understand until Satan defied God and sought to have for himself that honor etc which belongs only to God, he lived in heaven with God. Can you imagine being forever barred from heaven, especially after having lived there?

Rev 20:10 10 and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
Dodi Note: UGH, right? Tormented day and night.

Only humans—higher than the animals, lower than the angels, and composed of body, soul, and spirit—were created with the capacity to receive and give comfort, and we live in a world where we need it.

Bound in time like animals, yet with a sense of our own eternity like angels (Ecclesiastes 3:11), we humans suffer distress in a unique “three-dimensional” way—past, present and future.
Let’s see the verse:
Ecclesiastes 3:11 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.
Dodi Note: I guess putting eternity into our hearts means we long, at some level, for heaven.
AMP says: 11 He has made everything beautiful and appropriate in its time. He has also planted eternity [a sense of divine purpose] in the human heart [a mysterious longing which nothing under the sun can satisfy, except God]—yet man cannot find out (comprehend, grasp) what God has done (His overall plan) from the beginning to the end.


We remember previous distresses and are filled with grief or regrets (Genesis 37:35; Matthew 26:75).
Dodi Note: We are going to look at the verses, but I think we can all identify with this. And yet even with regrets and grief there is comfort found in Jesus, his forgiveness too.

Genesis 37:35 35 All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted and said, “No, I shall go down to Sheol to my son, mourning.” Thus his father wept for him.
Dodi Note: That sort of sounds like a pity party to me and refusing the COMFORT God sent. I bet we have all done similar in our lives. Maybe we will not do it again if we now have awareness of it.

Matthew 26:75 75 And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.
Dodi Note: And… this is such a precious bit of history. Jesus, knowing Peter needed comfort and knowing exactly how to comfort him, asked him 3 times ff he loved Jesus. And that was such a unique way to cover and comfort the 3 times of denial. Let’s look at that. And as we read/listen remember that the very same loving, caring, kind, gentle, compassionate LORD restores and comforts us when we sin.
John 21:15-17
15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16 He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.
Dodi Note: Isn’t that sweet? For part of the restoration he was invited to care for others… feed/tend My sheep. Could it be……..that part of our own restoration and healing comes when we care/comfort others?

Because of God’s comfort, we face each day’s troubles and worry (Matthew 6:25–32).
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 
Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.

Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?

28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30

 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, andyour heavenly Father knows that you need them all.

Dodi Note: Just remembering and rehearing these words of love from Jesus is comforting. Isn’t it?

We reflect on these things and dread what may come next (verse 34). 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

The author continues:
And beyond these worldly matters is that most distressing sensation of all, the guilt for having deeply, inexcusably offended our good and righteous Creator and Judge.

(James 2:10–11; 10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it. 11 For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.
Dodi Note: Oh my, right?

Revelation 6:16).16 calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb,


There is hope. Believers in Christ have a comfort from God that includes a true freedom from guilt. We are forgiven and we do NOT bear that guilt. We have another gift, repentance. Followed by forgiveness and restoration.

For Christians, our righteous Judge is also our loving Savior (John 3:16–17)—a sharp contrast with the terrifying assortment of distant, cruel, or unappeasable deities of the ancient world into which Paul brought the good news of free, complete and irrevocable forgiveness, reconciliation, and adoption .

John 3:16-17 16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
Dodi Note: We know and quote John 3:16 a lot. But most of the time, we/people forget about verse 17 and it is very very important. We are not condemned. We stand before God as forgiven and redeemed. That is one reason we should not hold grudges against others who have wounded us. Often they have moved on but until we forgive and let it go, we are still trapped. As long as we blame and condemn “them” we are the ones who suffer. And one thing I have learned in my own healing walk is that my perception ( the things I see as reality) is so very very faulty.

(Romans 3:23–25; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are JUSTIFIED BY HIS GRACE AS A GIFT, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.
Dodi Note: Comforting? For sure. This article sure approached comfort from a rich viewpoint.


The next passage is a bit long and we will just read it and let the Word minister comfort to our hearts.

2 Corinthians 5:11–21; The Ministry of Reconciliation
11 Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience.

12 We are not commending ourselves to you again but giving you cause to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast about outward appearance and not about what is in the heart.

13 For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you.

14 For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; 15 and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.

16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer.

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.

20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

The next passage is lovely too and speaks to our hearts.

1 John 3:1–2). See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.

The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.  

Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.
Dodi Note: So when people do not agree with us, or like us we are STILL secure and SAFE in the love of GOD. Especially if they are not Believers.
But also…. we are all in process. None of us is perfect yet and for all the days of our lives, Jesus stands and offers us healing, comfort and forgiveness.

In 2 Corinthians 1:3, God is called the “Father of compassion” and the “God of all comfort.”

Dodi Note:That is WHO he is. Part of his Nature and Character and unchanging.

In His mercy and love, God is eager to provide comfort to His children in any and all circumstances.

Whatever the trial we face, our Heavenly Father knows the situation and offers comfort as needed.

The fact that He is the God of all comfort teaches that all comfort ultimately comes from Him. He is our source of peace and happiness and blessing.

The comfort we Christians receive flows through us to others “so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God” (2 Corinthians 1:4).
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.

Like grace, comfort is an active, powerful gift to be not merely received but actively shared with others, supernaturally multiplied to advance God’s kingdom.

(Matthew 25:14–30). The Parable of the Talents
14 “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property.

15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability.

Then he went away.

16 He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more.
17 So also he who had the two talents made two talents more.
18 But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money.

19 Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them.

20 And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’

21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’

22 And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’
23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’

24 He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’

26 But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed?

27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest.

28 So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. 29 For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
 And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Dodi Note: That is not such a comforting reminder. But it is a good reminder. I never saw it linked with comforting others with the same comfort you have received before.
However…. comfort is a gift… and once we have truly known the comfort of God, we actually can’t help but pass it on. Much if not all of what I share here has come out of my own journey of healing. Others have shared and taught me and I delight in sharing with others.
Whatever our gifts/talents are let’s be intentional to share with others.

And so the Bible commends those who are simply with people in trouble, such as those who are sick or in prison, whether or not we can change their circumstances.

(Matthew 25:36–40). 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’

37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?

39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’

40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
Dodi Note: I will never forget the night my brother died and my SIL needed me. I was in bed but got up and went. And suddenly 3 friends from my care group appeared there for me. It was late and two of them had to get up early to go to work. They refused to leave until we all left. So I was taking care of my SIL and neice but they were there to take care of me.


In bringing comfort to those in trouble, we glorify God by giving a glimpse of how He comforts those who are in distress.