"Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
To the church of God which is at Corinth with all the saints who are throughout Achaia:
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
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 will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ. 6 But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; or if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is effective in the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer; 7 and our hope for you is firmly grounded, knowing that as you are sharers of our sufferings, so also you are sharers of our comfort.
8 For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life; 9 indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead; 10 who delivered us from so great a peril of death, and will deliver us, He on whom we have set our hope. And He will yet deliver us, 11 you also joining in helping us through your prayers, so that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the favor bestowed on us through the prayers of many."
II Corinthians 1:1-11
Good Morning Beloved,
Welcome to worship!
We're so glad you're here
There's an old saying Never doubt in the darkness what you learned in the light.
Yet, we do don't we? When we go through times of trial, we often begin to lose sight of what we believe. We have a tendency to see only the bad our afflictions. Life isn't always easy, is it?
But whoever said life was supposed to be easy? Sometimes, it feels like we're on top of the world, and our lives go along relatively smoothly and yet other times, it feels like we're buried under the world, and things are anything but easy. For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ. Beloved, God is always closely watching our responses to people, problems, successes, conflicts, illnesses, and even our disappointments.
In II Corinthians, Paul goes into some detail describing the sufferings he has endured and draws some conclusions as to the nature and purpose of comfort. However, before we start getting into Paul’s letter, I thought it may be helpful to get a feel for Corinth in 55 AD. During Paul’s lifetime, Corinth was one of the most important cities in the Roman Empire. It was a commercial bridge between East and West. It attracted immigrants, merchants and visitors from all areas around the Mediterranean. The inhabitants of the city came from a diversity of backgrounds and retained many of their social customs and religious beliefs that were peculiar to their places of origin.
Thus the church at Corinth was exposed to an amazing variety of customs and beliefs as well as a corrosive atmosphere of public immorality. And, each of these factors encouraged moral laxity and divisiveness within this predominantly Gentile Christian community.
Let's bow our heads in prayer.
Heavenly Father,
We thank You for this encouraging Word You have for us today. We thank You for each of those gathered together with us. We our so grateful for Your Son Jesus Christ, that He has shown us grace, love, compassion, and has given us the power to overcome.
Father, we thank You for Your tender mercies, that You look at Your children with pity, compassion and tenderness. We know that You are our only source of comfort. All comfort comes from You. You’re the one who encourages us, the one who makes us brave and strong in the midst of our trials. You make us bold, so that we can confront obstacles head on. We thank You Lord, for the apostle Paul's epistles, and that You made him strong when he faced conflicts on the outside and fears on the inside, because though we hate to admit it, we often face the same: conflicts all around us, seemingly on every front, doubts, fear and anxiety on the inside. We thank You, O' Lord, that You to come to us as the Father of mercies and the God of comfort.
Lord, we know, that even though our struggles and circumstances often change, that You never change. And we are so very grateful to You, for being immutable, omnipotent and omnipresent. For never forsaking us in times of trial. We thank You for the courage, the strength, and the bravery to move forward in our struggles, and do it triumphantly, in Your strength, all for Christ’s sake
In His precious name
Amen
Today's Message: Comfort My People
Open with me your Bibles, to II Corinthians chapter 1. Today, we begin a study of this tremendous epistle; and as we begin to examine, this rich text, I believe it will quickly dawn upon us what marvelous treasure is to be found as we work our way through these thirteen incredible chapters.
Following along with if you would, as I read to you from this tremendous epistle, II Corinthians chapter 1, verses 1-11. II Corinthians 1:1-11
"Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
To the church of God which is at Corinth with all the saints who are throughout Achaia: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ. But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; or if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is effective in the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer; and our hope for you is firmly grounded, knowing that as you are sharers of our sufferings, so also you are sharers of our comfort.
For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life; indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead; who delivered us from so great a peril of death, and will deliver us, He on whom we have set our hope. And He will yet deliver us, you also joining in helping us through your prayers, so that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the favor bestowed on us through the prayers of many."
A little background before we begin, the church in Corinth had been established by Paul somewhere around 50 AD. He sailed for Syria after staying there for approximately 18 months on his second missionary journey. Following his departure, the church began to divide based upon the various leaders’ styles, choosing sides whether Paul, Apollos, or Peter. The Corinthians also raised some questions and issues for Paul to address. And, Paul's response to them was what we now know as his first letter to the Corinthians. Though there was an earlier letter, which had been lost, therefore we now consider his second letter, to be the first.
It was about this time; a group of teachers apparently came to Corinth from Palestine. They claimed to be Christians, they emphasized their pure Israelite descent, and presented themselves as true "servants of righteousness." And, basically, they persuaded some of the Corinthians that the Mosaic law was still operative. As you can imagine, this obviously didn’t go down too well with Paul, who referred to them as "false apostles" and "deceitful workmen masquerading as apostles of Christ".
As a result, Paul was attacked by them in terms of his personal, spiritual and professional capacity.
Paul dispatched Timothy to look after this trouble, but was unsuccessful. So, Paul found it necessary to make a "very painful" visit to Corinth that also did not resolve the crisis. And, to make matters even worse, Paul’s authority was further challenged by some unspecified act of disobedience.
Following this confrontation, Paul then wrote a particularly severe letter to Corinth in which he passionately defended his apostleship and demanded that the disobedient person be punished. A follow-up visit was put on hold as he was sidetracked by an unspecified affliction. He sent Titus to deliver the letter who subsequently returned with news of the Corinthians repentance.
When he was informed that the Corinthians had received and essentially obeyed his rather angry or severe letter, Paul wrote from Macedonia, which we now know as the second epistle to the Corinthians. In this letter, which we will begin to look at today, Paul expresses his gratitude and joy for their repentance, asks forgiveness for the punished disobedient person, and generally elaborates on the proper relationship between an apostle and his congregation.
The beginning of the letter is an attempt by Paul to reinforce his apostolic authority to the congregation because he writes as "an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God."
Therefore, Paul’s heart-felt letter is a direct response to a series of generally difficult, and unpleasant events. The importance of this letter lies within its details, concerning Paul’s life and ministry; and his personality and character under tremendous stress. In the first eleven verses, Paul shares his the hardship experiences of suffering with the Corinthians and speaks of how and why God’s work is expanded in the process.
Paul refers to the hardships that he has endured, in doing so, he writes about the place of suffering in our lives, and he writes of God being the God of comfort. Paul makes reference to his hardships in verses 8 and 9 when he says "We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death."
There is some debate as to what these hardships consisted of. However, the popular opinion is the riots in Ephesus resulting in the charge of sedition being leveled at Paul, which resulted in him having to leave that city. But no matter what they were, these words are not words of defeat, but rather, words of victory.
In chapter 11, the apostle Paul goes into some detail to describe for the Corinthians what he has endured. He compares his own life to that of the false apostles in Corinth when he says "I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food. I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches."
Beloved, I can assure you, these are not the words of one who has given up, rather they are powerful words that reflect great hope. They are written by a man who could have retired comfortably from the proceeds of selling his story to 60 minutes and probably gotten a book contract in the bargain. The life Paul relates is a what’s what of suffering. I do not believe that Paul would have said that life was meant to be easy! He had learned that the hard way! However, he had also learned much more, which he shares here with his readers!
Paul speaks about the comfort for God's people. Paul had no expectation that life would be easy - which was lucky for him. For him, physical, emotional and spiritual attack was the norm. Shipwrecks, floggings and itinerancy were part of his territory.
So as we begin, I'd like you to think about something: what do you expect from life? Do you expect suffering and hardships or do you expect life to be easy run? How we do life all relates to our expectations and our experiences. In our world today, and our culture have softened our attitudes and expectations. We expect the good life and become irritated when things don’t go our way.
Life was not meant to be easy. Furthermore, we can reasonably expect suffering and hardship because we follow Christ and this world is not perfect. However, still, God wants us to enjoy life, but we cannot seriously expect everything will go our own way. In I Peter 4:13, Peter writes "but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation."
Yet throughout his suffering, Paul developed a tremendous new insight into the power, compassion and grace of God. Here, he shares that insight with his listeners in verses 3 and 4 when he says, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God."
Paul calls God "the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble. Paul uses the terms God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction. For Paul, during his hardships and recent affliction, God was the final, absolute source of comfort. Rather than sobbing into his beer, like many do today, the apostle Paul sought and found solace in our God —The Comforter.
Beloved, if we would view God as the source of all comfort, then we can view Christ as the channel through which God’s comfort is made available to us.
Then, in verse 5 Paul writes "For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ." God is the source, however, Jesus is the agent. God is the source, however, Jesus is the agent.
Sometimes, we can talk to family or close friends, and we sometimes, talking to complete strangers seem to be the answer because we can pour our heart out to them knowing we don’t have to live with them knowing anything about us. Sometimes, we just want and need to be by ourselves. Where is it that you find your comfort?
But for Paul, possibly after trying all of these methods and alternatives, he realized, that God was the only source than provided real consolation. He says in verse 9 that "indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead." After all of our own reserves have been exhausted, God is still there. God is still there. And, if God can raise people from the dead, and He can, then He is our hope for eternal comfort.
Now, I have had some ask, "So what sort of comfort can we expect from God and what are we to do with it?"
The apostle Paul tells us in verse 1, that we obtain comfort from God "who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God." The comfort we receive is one that is to be shared.
We can only truly empathize with someone when we have gone through similar experiences to them.
For example, it’s like when you meet someone for the first time and discover that you share similar experiences. You can talk forever about those experiences because you have common ground and can understand where the other person is coming from.
Likewise is true with comfort. When we are comforted by God, it is so that we can offer comfort others in turn. We can identify with them because we’ve been there; done that, and survived! Much the same way, Jesus Christ is able to fully identify with us and our condition for the same reason.
In fact, in Hebrews 4:15, the writer of Hebrews says that "For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.." Beloved, our Lord Jesus can fully identify with us in our temptation and in our needs.
However, Paul also says in verse 6 that "But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; or if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is effective in the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer;" So suffering can also breed endurance. Knowing that we will be comforted gives us a light at the end of the tunnel. It makes suffering bearable and it produces in us endurance and patience.
One of God’s aims in redemption is the comforting of His people. A significant number of Old Testament books have comfort as a significant theme including Job, The Psalms, Isaiah, Jeremiah and Lamentations.
Isaiah 40 begins with "Comfort, comfort my people, says your God" and in Isaiah 66:13 God addresses the Jews saying "As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you." Psalm 119:49 and 50 echoes our own thoughts "remember your word to your servant, for you have given me hope. My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life." And the Psalmist continues in verses 76 and 77 "May your unfailing love be my comfort, according to your promise to your servant. Let your compassion come to me that I may live, for your law is my delight."
However, Paul also points out that, if our hope is that God will always deliver us from pain and alleviate our suffering on earth, we are in for a shock. As he points out in this opening part of his letter to the Corinthians "We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death." These are not the words of someone relaxing by the fire with a pair of slippers and the good book. Obviously, comfort is not a mortal condition that we can expect!
But Paul does not leave it there. He asks the listeners to join with him in his ministry by prayer. The power of prayer is one means whereupon God’s comfort can flow through us. In this letter to the Corinthians, verse 11, Paul makes particular mention of the power of prayer - "you also joining in helping us through your prayers, so that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the favor bestowed on us through the prayers of many."
In Closing...
Paul believed in the power of prayer, and he knew first hand the power, grace and compassion of God. He also came to realize that we cannot boast in ourselves, but only in the strength of God. We cannot rely on ourselves, only on the one who has gone before us and can comfort us.
Looking back at this idea of comfort, the Webster's Dictionary defines comfort as:
To give strength and hope to
To ease the grief or trouble
Consolation in time of trouble or worry
Strengthening
But as we have seen, comfort is not an end in itself. Paul’s life was certainly not "comfortable" as we would probably think of it. It is not the type of life people would advertise to fill spots in a retirement village or as the holiday of a lifetime. However, comfort seeks to bring comfort to others. We have and can continue to find comfort in our God in order that we can point others to where eternal comfort can be found. The comfort we can and will receive from God is eternal comfort.
For Paul, God provided a measure of deliverance on earth as well as hope for future deliverance as well. He is a man who knows the value of comfort.
So, how far away from Corinth 55 AD are we today? I'd have to say, not really that far.
I encourage you to ask yourself these questions ...
What do I expect from life? An easy road or hardship and suffering?
Where is the best place to seek comfort? Do you believe is it in God or somewhere else?
What sort of comfort do I expect? A comfort that is consoling only me or a comfort that I'm able to share with others when they too need comfort?
Beloved, if life wasn’t meant to be easy, what was it meant to be? The apostle Paul had endured suffering to the point that he had given up hope of seeing a brand new day. During one of these times he hears God telling him that "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Paul responds with "I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
No, life is not meant to be easy. It is meant to be an opportunity for us to start relying on the grace of God as we seek to know His Son, Jesus Christ better, to become more like Him each and every day. For when we are weak, then will Christ’s power also rest on us.
May it be so...
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
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