Let us turn to 2 Corinthians as we continue our series in 2 Corinthians. That's on page 964 of your Pew Bible. I'm going to read 2 Corinthians chapter 1, verses 3 through 11. And we're going to focus on verses 3 through 7 this week, and then if I remember the schedule correctly, I am also preaching next week, so we'll tackle 8 through 11 next week. So 2 Corinthians 1, verses 3-11, focusing on 3-7. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and 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 which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ's suffering, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation. And if we are comforted, it is for your comfort which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings 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. For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia, for we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, We felt that we had received the sentence of death, but that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He delivered us from such a deadly peril and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. You also must help us by prayer so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many. Praise the Lord our God for his holy word. Let us pray together and ask him to bless our time. Heavenly Father, we bow in your presence. We ask that your word be our rule, your spirit our teacher, and your greater glory our supreme concern. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, amen. Well, for those of us that were here last time, if not, it's okay, I'll give you a quick reminder. The relationship between Paul and the church in Corinth is not necessarily on solid ground. Some in Corinth are even questioning whether or not Paul is a legitimate apostle. And one of the reasons they're wondering about Paul, if he's a legitimate apostle or not, is because he just keeps experiencing trials and affliction upon affliction. His life is really terrible. It seems really hard. If he were a true apostle of God, would God really be sending all this stuff his way? Why is life so hard for him? Why does it seem to go so poorly with him? Why is Paul always drowned in a sea of tears? Why does he have trials all the time? Is that really what an apostle from God would look like? Well, Paul wastes no time in addressing this subject. He knows that they're questioning him. Right after his greeting, and he gives some of the most detailed teaching in all the scriptures on the relationship between trials and comfort. And as we hear from Apostle Paul this evening, we might have similar questions, not identical, but similar questions about our own life. We might wonder, Well, if God really loved me, then why do I have to experience this trial that never seems to go away? Why is my life so hard and so painful all the time? Why doesn't healing come my way? Why doesn't God save my loved ones? Is God angry with me? Am I really his child? I feel hurt and crushed and weighed down and ready to crack. Where's God then? Am I alone in this world? Why do I suffer like this? Why do those who I love suffer the way that they do? At times the heart of each and every person here has cried out with these questions and these prayers and has even shared some of these doubts. And if you haven't yet because you're young in faith or you're just young, you will These experiences are coming. They will be yours, whose life is full of trials and affliction. But what we'll see is that it's also full of comfort and joy for those who are in Christ. Paul proclaims a message of comfort and hope for all under affliction. The message is that God is the source of all comfort. And he proclaims this message, and then he explains how comfort is present in the midst of our pain. Now, we'll look at this under four points. And I know, four points. Usually we only have two or three. So the sermon's not longer, it's just gonna feel like it goes a lot faster. So some of you can be really excited about that. So our four points. The source of our comfort. Second point, the purpose of our comfort. Third point, Christ our comfort. And the fourth point is community of comfort. So Paul begins in our passage with words of praise for God as the only source of mercy and comfort in a life full of affliction, trials, and suffering. In verse 3, we read, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort. So Paul is so grateful for his deliverance from affliction that right in the beginning after his introduction, he just bursts forth praising God who is the source of all mercy and comfort. And little sentences, worship sentences like this of praise for God where we're familiar in synagogue worship. In fact, a common prayer of the synagogue began with something similar. Blessed art thou, O Lord our God and God of our fathers. Well, Paul takes this blessing and he brings it forward in redemptive history to make sure that we know that we not only praise the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but this is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. And it is Christ and in Christ that we find mercy and comfort. Paul gives God two titles here, Father of Mercies and God of All Comfort. When he uses this title, Father of Mercies, he's saying that God is merciful. He's slow to anger. He's compassionate. He's ready to forgive the sins of his people. And God's mercy is his loving kindness poured out upon his children that don't deserve it. God the Father is compassionate, pouring out his love on a people that's constantly sinning. that's constantly running away from Him, and that's also constantly doubting His goodness toward them. He is truly the Father of all mercies, and as the God of all comfort. Not only does He flood His people with mercy, He's the source of all comfort. In our Sunday school, adult Sunday school this morning, we talked about God's goodness, and how God is the source of all goodness, and that only goodness can come from Him. And in our Old Testament reading in Isaiah 40, the Lord God promises comfort for the people of God. And who's He promising this to? Well, if we would have read it in context, we would have seen that very recently in Isaiah, He's really blasting Israel as rebellious. And so they're distraught, those who believe. What are we going to do? And now He speaks tenderly to Jerusalem. And as He does, He proclaims that when the Messiah comes, their warfare will be over. Their sins will be forgiven. It says they'll be given a double portion for their sins. Now, that's hard for us to read, but what it basically means is whatever the consequence would be for their sins, they're gonna get double the blessings. Blessing on top of blessings. Way more blessings than they ever had sins. Their path is going to be made straight and they're all going to see the glory of the Lord. That's a promise of the resurrection. That's the God of all comfort. This is the comfort that Christ has brought to his people. Through Christ, God our Father speaks tenderly and kindly to us, calling us to repentance and faith, forgiving us our sins, giving us peace, promising us that we will be raised and see God with our very own eyes. I love it that we sang up from the grave he arose tonight. That's perfect for this. The resurrection is our comfort. And this comfort from heaven is yours right now in Christ. And this is the only comfort that lasts beyond this world. So each of us should look to this and ask tonight, where am I looking for my comfort? Am I looking for it in the Father of all mercies, in the God of all comfort? Am I looking for it in my union with Christ, and in the resurrection? Is my comfort that yes, Jesus loves me because the Bible tells me so? I pray that as we hear these words tonight, as we sing words like this, that we're thinking these things as Paul does, blessed be God, my comfort that comes from my Christ. So many times, even as Christians, we're tempted to look everywhere else for comfort but in Jesus Christ. We tend to look for it in acceptance from other people. or in just being rescued from distraction by playing on our phones or watching a whole bunch of shows at once, binge watching. We look for comfort, some of us might look for comfort in alcohol or other things. There's no comfort there that lasts beyond the moment that we're there. Let me ask you this, at least I'm glad that we have some children here, even though I could have lost them already, I don't know, but do you ever play that game where someone hides something? And, you know... My stepfather liked to do this. He's a great grandfather to our children. He used to like to hide a penny, you know, somewhere in the house. And you're getting closer, it's hot, hot, hot. When you're getting colder, it's cold, cold, cold. Well, think of that game. I can tell you that with confidence that if you're looking for your comfort, if you're sad, if you're lonely, if you're depressed, if you're weighed down by sin, the afflictions of this world, And if you're looking for comfort, and you haven't found it yet, where you're sitting right now, you're very close to finding that comfort. You are hot, hot, hot, because the gospel of salvation, this comfort is being preached and proclaimed to you right now. So believe in Jesus, that He died for you, that He's forgiven you your sins, and you'll find comfort. If you reject them or ignore them, you're just going to get colder and colder and further away from finding that comfort and rest that your heart seeks. Paul reminds each one of us here that our only source of comfort is found in Jesus Christ. May we stop looking everywhere else and take tight hold of this comfort that is before us. Now in verse 4, we move on to our second point, the purpose of our comfort. Here, Paul explains why our trials and afflictions are not arbitrary or purposeless, but they are used to bless other people who are also suffering. Verse 4, who comforts us in all our affliction, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. I should have counted, recounted the comforts in here. We can definitely tell that's the theme of this passage. And this verse, it's not really difficult to understand, but sometimes it's difficult to hear when we're in the middle of really hard trials. We don't find it that helpful at the time. Great, thanks, Lord. I'm glad that my child is totally off the rails and we're afraid for their future, or that I have to deal with this health problem or job problem. Oh, but don't worry, someday the Lord's gonna use the comfort you're comforted with to help other people. Well, sometimes in the midst of a trial, I would say that it's good to be reminded of that, but that might not be the most comforting thing to say to someone at that point in time, but it is true. and it is hopeful. One of the reasons that we experience trials is so that later we get the opportunity to comfort each other with the very same comfort that we've received. This is clear, the clear teaching of this verse. But why does God work this way? Why doesn't He just comfort people without me having to suffer? Well, I think one thing that might help is if we think about the difference between sympathy and empathy. Sympathy is imagining how someone feels in a certain situation, even though you may not have had the same experience. Sympathy sounds like, wow, I've never gone through what you're going through. That must be really, really difficult. I can only imagine. But let me try to come alongside and help you. Well, that's still helpful, and that's still very loving. That's sympathy. But empathy says, I've been where you are. I know firsthand the feelings that you have of fear, of doubt, of despair, and anguish. Let me share with you how the love of Christ got me through that difficult situation. It's good to be sympathetic and it's good to let people know that you're praying for them and that they're not alone. But there's something even more effective and helpful from hearing from someone who has gone through the fire that you are currently in. They can sometimes relate to you in a way that other people cannot. And sometimes they can say things that are more helpful than those who haven't gone through what you've been through. We saw a cute, I'd say a cute little picture of this several years ago. And our youngest had the flu for three days. You remember that, when you had the flu? No, this was a long time ago. But she was very young, probably four years old or so. And it was miserable, and her mom took amazing care of her. And then, well, what often happens to mom after she takes care of a sick child for three days? So she takes one for the team, right? And then next it's mom's turn to be laid up all week with the flu. And even though she was very, very young, even at three, four years old, our youngest daughter knew exactly how miserable her mom felt. and really attended to her every need. She knew best how to comfort mom, how to make sure her water was filled, and give her saltines, and whatever else it was. And she was able to do that because she knew exactly how her mom felt. Well, God brings comfort to his saints through the means of other saints. God comforts his children by the means of each other. When you're walking through that valley of the shadow of death, the valley of trials, of depression, of temptation, there's nothing like having someone that's already navigated that terrain, that same valley by the grace of God and come out on the other side to come alongside you and comfort you in desperate times. In these times, these dear saints are a life preserver to a person drowning in a sea of sorrow, anxiety, or persecution. These dear saints are a soothing balm to a burning wound. There's nothing more comforting than a brother or sister in Christ taking you by the hand, looking into your eyes with complete understanding and say, I've been there. I know your pain, and then ministering to you right then and there, not just saying I'll pray for you later, but let's pray now. Let's go to the throne of grace together and praying for them. Now we also know that our Savior, Jesus Christ, has also experienced all the pain and suffering and misery of this world. That he has been tempted in every way and is yet without sin. And that his misery, being perfect in every way, is far greater than anything that we'd ever experienced. So we also know that Christ understands our suffering. He went through things that were a lot worse than anything we've ever gone through. So we can be confident that our Savior knows, even when we feel like no one else does, and we can rest upon each other. One more thing I'll say about this is that God gives us afflictions and comfort so that we can show the love of Christ to one another. He ministers to us. But you will not have an opportunity to be comforted in this way unless you share what you're going through with other brothers and sisters in Christ. And when you say, I don't want to burden them, Let me translate that for you, what that really means, because that's not really what you mean, or I don't want to inconvenience them, or I'm not that important. It sounds really humble, but what it really is is pride. I'm too embarrassed for other people to see me and my weakness and vulnerability. That's really what you're saying when you say that. So the next time you say, I don't want to burden you, I don't want to bother you, repent of your pride and ask for help. Because if you don't ask, then other people don't get the blessings of coming alongside you. And you're actually depriving them of blessings. You're depriving them of opportunities to minister. So please, share your burdens with one another. Find out, as you ask, you'll find out, you'll be surprised, you'll think you're the only one. And they'll say, you know what, I experienced something like that. and they'll know just how to come alongside you and Christ will comfort you with the comfort that they have received themselves. Well, in verse 5, we come to our third point, Christ our comfort. Here, Paul gives another explanation for why we suffer, and he explains the benefit of our affliction. That does sound weird, the benefit of our affliction. But verse 5, for as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. So Paul says something here that's pretty complicated and difficult for us to wrap our minds around. That's also why I kind of called 2 Corinthians some next-level discipleship. But what does that mean that we share in Christ's sufferings? Well, when we think of Christ's sufferings, we're usually thinking about the cross. So is Paul somehow saying that our afflictions are being combined and mixed with the suffering of Christ on the cross, and together our sufferings pay for our sin? That should sound like heresy alarm bells should be going off in your brain right now to say that our suffering mixed with Christ's suffering somehow forgives our sins. You should be thinking absolutely not. Paul cannot be talking about that. What Paul's talking about is our union with Christ. That as Christians, we also share in Christ's anointing. The same Spirit of Christ rests on us that rested on Him. We're united to Him. You might remember Paul saying in other places things like, our life is hidden in Christ. or we have died with Him, we've been raised with Him, or our suffering completes what was incomplete in the suffering of Christ. By this kind of language, Paul doesn't mean to say that somehow Christ's sacrifice wasn't good enough or that it wasn't complete, that on its own it couldn't atone for sin. Again, that would be a heretical teaching to say that the blood of Christ is not enough. What Paul's getting here at is our union with Christ, that we're no longer in Adam, that's no longer our experience, but we're now in Christ, that is now our experience. And those who belong to Christ, so now our life, instead of being patterned after those who are in fallen Adam, which is just sin and misery all the time, now our life is patterned after the life of Jesus Christ. Well, what is the pattern of the life of Jesus Christ? Well, Paul tells us in Philippians, he tells us to have the same mind of Christ and humility, to count others that are more significant than yourselves. He says, be like Jesus, and then he explains what that looks like. He says, in being found in him in human form, he humbled himself. by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. So the life of Jesus was one of suffering. It was one of humility. Jesus didn't just suffer on the cross, but in his humiliation that lasted his whole earthly life from cradle to the grave. He humbled himself to serve others and he suffered. And now as we're united to Christ, His life is our life. So that means now we suffer as well. Now this sounds depressing. This is supposed to be a comforting sermon. Why would anyone sign up for a life of suffering? I mean, if I'm a Christian, I'm going to have to suffer because Christ suffered, and I'm united to Him so that I'm going to have to suffer, then why do I want to be united to Him? No thank you. But before you go there, Listen again to the second half of the verse in 2 Corinthians 1.5. So through Christ, we share abundantly in comfort too. So to be united to Christ is not only to share in His suffering, but it's also to share in His comfort. And what was Christ's comfort? Philippians 2.9 tells us. that this comfort comes after a period of suffering. Therefore, God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name. after Christ's suffering, then he's exalted and seated at the right hand of God, and he's rewarded for his labors. And now as those who are united with Christ, Christ's reward is our reward, and we even now are seated with him in the heavenly places. But that hasn't come to consummation, fruition, and completion just yet. The pattern of Christ's life, sharing in his sufferings. First we will suffer for a little while, but then comes glory. and that glory is described for us in a detailed way in 2 Corinthians chapter 4. And I'll just read it. We won't get into it because we will have a sermon on this passage as well. Thinking of the glory that awaits us, that helps us get through the suffering now, so we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day for this light, momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen, but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient. That means temporary. They're going to fade away. But the things that are unseen are eternal. This is the glory that awaits us, and it's the glory that we have right now. I want this glory. I know that you want this glory. There's no greater comfort to be had in this life than to know that in the midst of our afflictions, to be reminded, they're temporary. And after these afflictions are over, we'll be with Jesus in glory forever and ever. Our life is patterned after Jesus Christ. That's how we know we belong to Him. He suffered and was glorified. We suffered and are glorified in Him and will taste glory very very soon. And we do have one more point, community of comfort. Paul explains how the suffering and the suffering of the apostles are even for the Corinthians' benefit. And he professes a confident hope for the Corinthians that they will be faithful in the midst of their afflictions. In verse 6, we read, if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation. And if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings we suffer. What Paul is saying here is that the suffering of the apostles shouldn't cause you to doubt their message, but instead it validates their message because it proves that they too are united to Christ. What's comforting is suffering and then glory. What's not comforting is glory all the time and no suffering. Think about this for a minute because this kind of preaching exists in our world in the midst of trials and sufferings. Imagine that you go and you hear a message that sounds something like, well, if you just had more faith, it would be all health and wealth for you. You know, your afflictions are actually your fault because, you know, you must be stuck in sin or you're not working hard enough. If you were just 100% faithful, this wouldn't happen to you. Now, some of you have never heard stuff like this. I've even heard stories where someone said to a family member whose child had Down syndrome that that was a result of their sin and they needed to repent and that's what happened. Because it was all prosperity all the time. And if anything's ever wrong in your life, it's at some fault with you. Well, that's not comforting. That's crushing. That's saying, wow, there must be something wrong with me. It's my fault I'm suffering. That gospel of prosperity and 100% joy just all the time, that's not the gospel we're hearing tonight. That's not the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel of Jesus Christ transforms suffering into hope. That's the gospel of Christ. The Apostle suffers for the sake of Christ, so the Corinthians might get the opportunity to be comforted and to hear the message of salvation. Paul and the Apostles suffer so they know the comfort of the gospel, and then knowing the comfort of the gospel and knowing they're united to Christ, then they can tell the Corinthians about it. So suffering is translated into hope and comfort. And on some level, usually not at the apostolic level, many Christians, and especially those who are in leadership, are often the special target of affliction, as the devil hates Christ's church, he hates the gospel. So leaders often suffer, and they suffer and go through things in their lives so that they might be able to comfort others with the comfort that they have received. The sermons that are most sincere and the prayers that are the most heartfelt are always formed in the midst of great suffering. So all Christians, and especially those who desire to be in leadership someday in the church, and there's some of you here tonight, I know there are, expect extra afflictions. If you want to do great things for the Lord, expect to suffer. But with extra afflictions always comes extra grace and more comfort. And this comfort is sweet communion with Christ and with all the saints. The afflictions are worth it. They're worth it. If you're in the midst of serious trials, be encouraged. Comfort is coming from heaven above. Before we conclude and just summarize what we've learned, I just wanna look at verse seven very briefly. Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you also share in our comfort. Even though their relationship is strained, Paul comforts them by speaking of their union with Jesus Christ. He says, we are confident. We know you will preserve. Christ will not abandon his church. The evil one will not win. Despite all the problems, and there are many that are in Corinth, we have great confidence that you'll come out on the other side. And be comforted that you're sharing in the suffering of the apostles as we share in the sufferings of Christ, and we're doing this for the gospel to make the gospel known, and great and inexpressible comfort is coming with it. So as we close, here are the main things we've said about suffering tonight. Our afflictions are not pointless. Our suffering serves a purpose, and it's a glorious purpose. We suffer so that we can know the comfort that only comes from God and the knowledge and relationship with Jesus Christ. We suffer so that we can come alongside others and share this comfort with them. And lastly, as we suffer, this says to us, you belong to Jesus Christ because first comes suffering and then comes glory. So even though we don't pray for more suffering, we certainly don't. But we know that God comes to us in the midst of our suffering with his comfort and his love as we comfort one another as a church. And as he comforts us, our communion with Christ and each other is even sweeter. And it makes it real, real that our suffering will soon be turned into everlasting glory. So praise God, the Father of all mercies and God of all comfort, who has come to us in Jesus Christ. and in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. Let's pray. Lord, many of us here really have a difficult time and are really suffering, and it's difficult for us to see our afflictions for anything but something that is painful and hard. Help transform our thinking here. Comfort us in our sufferings with good thoughts, thoughts that you teach us here, that they are temporary, that glory awaits us, that you're going to use these things so that we can help others in their pain and come alongside them. And Lord, if we didn't suffer, we might wonder if we belong to Christ, because in our union with Him, we know that He suffered and was raised, and so will we. That first comes suffering, then comes glory. Lord, we know that these thoughts doesn't make our suffering any less or less painful, but it does give us hope in our affliction. Let us find comfort in the arms of our Savior. In His name we pray. Amen.