Raise you up from the evil sleep, bear you on the breath of dawn, make you to shine. What's up? Bobbie Ann brought us in and we're so thankful for her. Looking forward to another day in the Chester ARP church devotional podcast. We are in second Corinthians chapter one, beginning the book of second Corinthians after spending, uh, significant portion in 1st Corinthians now we concluded it and now we move into 2nd Corinthians chapter 1 beginning in verse 1 this is what the Apostle Paul says or writes to the church in Corinth and it's what is really his fourth letter to them it's the second one we have in the scriptures but it's really his fourth letter that he writes to them. And I think this is a wonderful time to just mention to us that or remind us that Paul had a great affection for this congregation in Corinth and he challenged them and we'll see here in a minute two very practical things but also to understand the wonder and the majesty of God's comfort and grace in the midst of sharing sufferings with the Lord Jesus Christ. And we'll talk about that in the next two podcasts. Here we go, verse one of 1 Corinthians chapter one. Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, by the will of God and Timothy, our brother, to the church of God that is at Corinth, with all the saints who are the whole in 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 the God of all comfort, who comforts us in 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. For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation. If we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort. Now, this is a section in 2 Corinthians, the beginning of 2 Corinthians. Paul starts with this greeting, and then he moves in this understanding of the comfort of God, that the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ is a God of comfort and the Father of mercies. And he brings comfort to his people, Paul specifically referring to his own sufferings. and the sufferings of his companions along with him. And so they are suffering, and in the midst of that suffering, they're learning how to be comforted by God, and God is comforting them in the midst of that suffering. And so then they'll be prepared to share that comfort with other people. There's two aspects to this passage I think are helpful for us in this first paragraph, really, of this letter. And the first has to do, excuse me, the first has to do with the idea of comfort, and the second has to do with sufferings. The first has to do with comfort, the second has to do with sufferings. Paul says here that God, our God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, God exists in Trinity, a triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each person of the Trinity is equal in power, glory, and honor. That's established reality. That's an established truth. that the church has held for centuries upon centuries. It was the formula of the Trinity that we understand, God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, equal in power, glory, and honor of the same substance, et cetera. One God, three persons was established in 325 AD, and from that point forward has become the orthodox understanding of the Trinity in the church. And the understanding of God and his personhood and who God is. And so Paul here, kind of working off that assumed understanding, which he, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, writes from a perspective that God exists in Trinity, and God has revealed himself that way in the Scriptures. Paul says to the church that the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ is God the Father. He is the Father of mercies, and he is the Father of comfort, And then he says he comforts us in our affliction so that we might be able to comfort those who are in any affliction. So God comforts us so that we might comfort others. with the comfort that God gives us when we are comforted by him. In other words, what Paul says is that God comforts us in the midst of our afflictions and we have a privilege and a responsibility to then offer the comfort that God has given to us to others in the midst of their affliction. There's two aspects to this that I think are important. Number one, the idea of affliction. suffering. He talks about how we share in the sufferings of Christ, share in the sufferings of God's people. you and I are going to have to suffer at some point. Now that's just hard for us because we live in a world where we don't like suffering. We live in a culture where we want to try to get away from suffering. We wanna alleviate ourselves from the burden of suffering any opportunity that we can. And so we want to run from it. But there's actually something very valuable in it and God puts us through it and enables us to go through it for the purpose of, one of the reasons is to comfort us, we receive God's comfort as we go through sufferings and as we receive that comfort then it kind of stores up in us and then we're called to extend that comfort and give it to others as they go through sufferings themselves. And so you and I have this opportunity, as it were, to receive the comfort of God in his mercy, in his grace, through the Lord Jesus Christ, by the work of his spirit, when we are going through affliction and hardship. And the privilege we have is then to take that comfort that we receive and comfort others, use it to comfort others. This is a... This is an outward thinking concept for Paul. Paul is always others-oriented, outward thinking. He's thinking about God first and others second, right? Himself last. We live in a very self-centered world where, oh my gosh, I can't believe I'm going through this. Why, if God loves me, is he putting me through this? And what Paul would say is, he's putting you through it for your own good. And the comfort you receive is a demonstration of his mercy. and you receive the comfort that you are enduring through your suffering so that you will see him as he is, a merciful, loving father who reaches out to comfort you and then enables you, that enables you then to go out and extend that comfort to other people. And so that God comforts us and we comfort other people. And God comforts us through the ministry of other people in our lives and he comforts other people through our ministry of comfort in their lives. And so Paul says we're suffering for your comfort. You're gonna suffering, and as we suffer, we're gonna give you comfort. And you're going to suffer, and you're gonna receive comfort, and you're gonna give comfort to others. And so we see that God is a God of all comfort and grace, but he also is a God who cares for his people. You guys take care, God bless you. Recognize that God is sovereignly working in all things to bring about his glory for your comfort in the demonstration of his mercy. Talk to you next time. O'er the ever-changing light of day, O'er the ever-changing light of day,