Gary Wilkerson exposes the false prosperity gospel that promises only comfort without suffering, revealing how God gives "strange comfort" in the middle of pain while calling believers to choose Christ over worldly comfort.

Preached: March 1, 2026

Main Points:

• Jesus doesn't compare your pain to others' suffering but shows the same compassion for your depression as he does for children in war zones because your struggles matter just as much to him.

• False prosperity preachers like Benny Hinn and Kenneth Copeland promise comfort without suffering, but Paul says we share abundantly in Christ's suffering and abundantly in comfort too.

• Some discomfort is self-inflicted because we're engaged in things God won't comfort, like toying with sin, thinking we can control "just a little pornography," or greed like Samson thought he could control Delilah.

• The backslidden spirit creates tossing like the sea, where people go back and forth between church and sin, but God says "there is no peace for the wicked" no matter how many sermons you hear.

• Fear of the devil more than faith in God causes self-inflicted sorrow.

• Money becomes the root of evil when we pierce ourselves with many sorrows, seeking comfort from worldly wealth instead of finding our security in Christ alone.

• The strange comfort is choosing Christ over all other comforts, going to your knees to confess the things that defeat you, and trusting that weeping lasts for a night but joy comes in the morning.

https://wcmin.us/ss260322c