Date: December 1-2, 2012
Series: Comfort and Joy
Message: Take Comfort
Passage: 2 Corinthians 1:3-7
INTRODUCTION – 5 MINUTES
What is one of your favorite comfort foods and when do you tend to want it most?
Leader note: This should just be a fun and easy question to talk about. This week we will be talking about “comfort”, so this will just be an easy way to get your group focused for the upcoming discussion.
OBSERVATION – 20 MINUTES
Read 2 Corinthians 1:3-7. What do you learn about comfort?
Commentary:
- Meant to be shared (just as we share in suffering so our comfort…)
- God is the source of comfort
- Comfort is not the opposite of suffering – not protection against suffering
- Comfort is experienced during suffering, in the midst of suffering
- Suffering is a given, but comfort is not (choose comfort but can’t choose suffering)
- If (we-Paul) are distressed it is for (your) comfort and salvation – it can be overcome, example to them, if we can endure this you can endure this – which should bring comfort.
- A person who goes through something harder than you are and you are comforted from the endurance they have – lets you know you can go through it too.
- Comfort in spite of distress produces endurance (getting comforted in distress) – the sense God is with me, I’m not alone, gives me ability to endure.
Leader note: You may want to come up with a working definition for the term comfort for the next questions.
UNDERSTANDING – 25 MINUTES
What does suffering look like?
Leader note: Come up with as many situations you can think of, make a list similar to the one below:
- Pain
- Sadness
- Grief
- Hurt
- Divorce
- Loss
- Relationship
- Innocence
- Health
- Stability
- Opportunity
- Dreams
- Stuff and thing
- Not feeling valued
- Isolated
- Feeling like you’re not loved
- Feeling defeated
What is comfort “not”?
- Not created – Can’t be manufactured
- Not a solution
- Not a quick fix
- Not a replacement
- Not a guarantee the suffering will end
- Not revenge
- Not removal of whatever the suffering is
- Not having the answers to “why” the suffering
What does false comfort look like?
Leader note: People try to comfort themselves with food, drink, drugs – lots of different ways to “console” themselves, but they don’t bring real comfort.
Where have you seen people bring real comfort to others?
Leader note: Another way to ask this would be, “What does real comfort look like? Where have you seen that in life?
Commentary: Some examples of real comfort would be:
-
People coming around them, relationship, identifying with them
-
Offering hope, encouragement, empathy, compassion, relationship, peace, rest, strength
How was that used in other’s lives?
Leader note: In the passage it says that we are comforted so that we can comfort – how have you seen that in your life?
APPLICATION – 20 MINUTES
When was a time in your life you needed comfort? What did you pursue?
Were you open to being comforted?
Leader note: It may be that you have those who are in a place of suffering now and are either being comforted, or need you and your group to bring comfort. What would that look like? Have they tried to “console” themselves? How open are they to comfort – are they saying things like “No, I’ll be fine”, “I can handle it”, that closes them off to comfort. Be gentle, but reassure them that it is one of God’s greatest gifts to have His family bring comfort to others.
Examples:
During divorce, felt alone – afraid-unlovable- found comfort in friendship, he connected, he was loved, people reached out – especially holidays, didn’t have to look for it but people reached out.
During a cancer scare – people prayed boldly for healing, surrounded family so they knew we were cared for.
How could your suffering bring comfort to someone else?
PRAY: Before you end your time together, thank God for His ultimate comfort. Pray for opportunities to bring comfort to those suffering in your family and those you come in contact with this Christmas season. Ask for God’s prompting and guidance for how best to comfort others, and how you might uniquely bring the gift needed most – comfort and joy.
LIVE IT OUT
Since all comfort comes from God through his people…What would it look like for us to live as agents of God’s comfort?