SHARING GOD'S GIFT OF COMFORT – 2 Corinthians 1:3-7

Preached Sunday, February 27, 2011
from
2 Corinthians 1:3-7

Theme: God’s gift of comfort is passed along by us through our fellowship with others in their suffering.

(Note that this morning our church highlighted the ministry of Saint Child—

a local ministry that provides Christian care and nurture for young women in crisis pregnancies

who seek to keep their baby or to place their baby in a loving home through adoption.)

In reflecting on the focus of our morning, the thing that comes most to my mind is ‘hope’. Hope isn’t just a nice thing to have. It’s a vital necessity—particularly in times of trial. Without it, we take desperate actions that we regret later, or make wrong turns in life that lead us even deeper into trouble.

What a blessed thing it is when, in those times of trial, God sends someone to stand beside us that’s ‘been there’—someone who genuinely loves us, sincerely understands our troubles, honestly knows the right way to go, shows us the way to get there, holds our hand along the way, and is patient with us and committed to us even when we stumble and fall. Such a person—sent from God—is an ambassador comfort; and it’s through a relationship with such a person that God builds hope into us.

God alone gives the kind of comfort that leads to hope. That kind of life-changing comfort is passed along to through loving and nurturing relationships with others in their times of suffering. And I believe that the passage that expresses this best is 2 Corinthians 1:3-7. In it, the apostle Paul writes;

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 tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. Now if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer. Or if we are comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. And our hope for you is steadfast, because we know that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation (2 Corinthians 1:3-7).

The kind of ministry that we’ve heard about this morning is, basically, an extension of what we should be doing for one another in the Body of Christ all the time. And so, I ask that we look at this passage a little closer and explore what it teaches us about the vital ministry of sharing God’s gift of comfort with others.

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A couple of things help us understand and appreciate these words from Paul. First, it helps to know that he wasn’t simply speaking theoretically. He and his ministry partners had themselves personally tasted of the precious value of such comfort in their own lives. If you read the next few verses, you’ll find that Paul says,

For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life. Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead, who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us, you also helping together in prayer for us, that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the gift granted to us through many (vv. 8-11).

Paul looked to God first during his trial, "in whom we trust that He will still deliver us . . ." But he also knew that whatever comfort God would bring would come through a relationship with his brothers and sisters in Christ; ". . . you also helping together in prayer for us.” Paul—the mighty apostle that we often mistakenly think was so strong and other-worldly that he never needed anyone else—knew first hand the precious value of the comfort that God passes on through brothers and sisters in Christ in times of trial.

And another thing that helps us understand and appreciate these words is what we find at the very beginning—"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ . . .” Or, as the New International Version has it, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ . . ." (v. 3). These wonderful words that Paul speaks at the opening of his letter are an expression of worshipful thanksgiving to God. The comfort and encouragement that he needed from God in a time of trial truly was given to him through those brothers and sisters in Christ; and he wanted them to share with him in praise to God for it!

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Paul was writing, then, from the other side of a time of crisis in which God gave him comfort and hope. He was sharing with his readers what he learned about that comfort first-hand. And he wanted his readers—including us—to partake of that same comfort that he had partaken of . . . and to bless God along with him for it

So; let’s notice, first, how he expresses praise for . . .

1. WHAT GOD IS TOWARD US (v. 3).

He writes, " Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort . . ." (v. 1).

The details of what he says to us here are very important. Notice first that he refers to God as "the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ . . ." The God that he relates to us as our Provider of mercy and comfort is the same "God and Father" that our Lord Jesus Himself trusted in His great times of trial and need while He walked on this earth.

Do you remember what Jesus said before He went to the cross? He admitted freely that He was suffering a time of affliction. He said,

“Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, saying, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again" (John 12:27-28).

The Father comforted the Son with the promise of hope. And later on, as the prospect of the cross drew nearer to Him, He told His disciples,

"Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me" (John 16:32).

And so, what a great Provider of comfort we have! The very same "God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" that comforted Him is—to us—"the Father of mercies and God of all comfort"!

Then, consider further those words “mercy” and “comfort”. The word that is here translated "mercies" is not the ordinary word for the act of showing "mercy". This particular word refers to a display of concern over the suffering of someone else. It expresses the idea of heartfelt pity. I read a wonderful story in a commentary by Dr. Harry Ironside that illustrates it. He said that a young minister he knew had a very difficult week; and was working very hard at home on a Saturday to get two sermons ready for the next day. He told his wife that he needed to be left alone in order to get things done. But no sooner did he get started than his little children began to run around and play noisily. He told his wife that she really needed to keep the kids away from him so that he could work.

She got a bowl and filled it with nuts, and gave the kids a nut-cracker—thinking this would keep them occupied for a long time. But there were three kids and only one nut-cracker; so pretty soon the kids were making all kinds of noise fighting over the nut-cracker. But the man’s little girl figured out that if she held a nut in a door-jam, and if her brother closed the door fast, and she pulled her finger out quickly enough, they could pretty-much dispense with the need for a nut-cracker altogether. And it worked great—a couple of times. But there was that one time when she didn’t pull her finger out fast enough; and the preacher’s work-time was suddenly disturbed by a loud screaming and a whole lot of crying.

He had it! He shouted to his wife that she needed to take care of these kids so he could get his sermon written. And so, the little girl’s mother came and took her down the hallway and held her as she cried. The mother asked the girl, "Does your finger hurt?" And between sobs, the father could hear the poor little girl answer that what hurt the most wasn’t he finger, but that Daddy didn’t say, "Oh!"¹ That’s what this word "mercy" means—that when someone sees our suffering, they say, "Oh!" We all need that in times of trial. And our God is the Father of saying "Oh!"

He’s also "the God of all comfort". The word that’s here translated "comfort" means to "encourage" or to "console" someone in their suffering. It takes the idea of merely expressing pity over someone’s suffering—merely saying "Oh!"—a step further into actually doing something to lift the spirits of the one who’s suffering. It’s a very important word in this passage; because it’s found ten separate times, in one form or another, in these five verses.

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Notice that God is called the "God" of all comfort. Just as He is the Father of mercies in that true mercy has its source in Him, He’s also the God of all comfort in that all of the comfort that can ever be had is under His sovereign rule.

And this is quite a revelation, isn’t it? This passage is telling us that all true comfort has its ultimate source in our merciful heavenly Father—who is the God of it! He is the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort.

And that leads us next to consider . . .

2. WHAT THIS ‘FATHER OF MERCIES AND GOD OF ALL COMFORT’ DOES TO US (vv. 4a, 5).

As Paul tells us, He is the God "who comforts us in all our tribulation . . ." Any genuine comfort that can be had in a time of trial or affliction is ultimately a gift of God’s grace, "who comforts us in all our tribulation". He looked down upon fallen humanity—broken and distraught because of sin—and said, "Oh!". And then, to bring about our comfort and salvation, He sent His own precious Son to pay the price for our sin and bring us to Himself. If we ever experience true comfort, we ought to say what Paul said: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!"

Now; it’s true that the unbelieving people of this world sometimes feel a kind of "comfort" without receiving anything from God. But if they do, it’s not a true comfort. It’s a deceptive kind of comfort. It often comforts them with the feeling that things are alright when they’re really not. It lets them feel comfortable about being on the wrong track in life. It lets them feel comfortable about making unwise and harmful choices. The world is full of such false comforts that don’t come from God. But all true comfort has God alone as its ultimate source; because He alone is the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. And as Paul affirms in his own experience; He truly is the one "who comforts us in all our tribulation".

In verse five, Paul could affirm, "For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ." No one knew this better than Paul; because few people abounded in the sufferings of Christ as much as he did. As he testified in 2 Corinthians 11:23-29, he suffered

. . . in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness—besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to stumble, and I do not burn with indignation? (2 Corinthians 11:23-29).

Yet, he could testify that, in all of it, "as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ."

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And here’s another truly amazing revelation in this passage. Notice . . .

3. WHY GOD DOES THIS FOR US (v. 4b).

It is "that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God." God’s gift of comfort is something that first comes down from Him to us "vertically"; so that it then gets distributed by us to one another "horizontally". We pass the gift of comfort along to others entering into loving and nurturing relationships with them in their times of suffering—equipped with the God-given comfort with which we ourselves have been comforted.

I don’t believe that this means that we have to have experienced the same kind of suffering that someone else is experiencing in order to share God’s gift of comfort with them. Paul says that we are made able to comfort those who are in “any trouble” with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. I believe it happens when we first come along side someone who is in trouble—someone who is afraid and dismayed and fearful; someone who is tempted to take desperate action, or to follow a course that will lead to harm—and just express, "Oh!" We first model our heavenly Father, who is the Father of mercies; and sympathize with their pain and fear for a while. What a powerful comfort that is to someone!—to know that someone else cares about their pain and understands their fears. We should be well equipped to do that, brothers and sisters, because God has first said "Oh!" to us.

And once we’ve been ambassadors of God’s tender mercy to someone, we should then be ambassadors of His comfort and consolation to them. We can say, "I may not have had the experience you’re having—but I’ve been in times of pain and fear too. My situation may not have been the same as yours—but I know who to go to. I have gone to the God of all comfort in my times of trouble, and He’s given me the comfort I need. He’s seen me through. Let’s go to Him together."

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Now; if I’m reading this passage correctly, that’s why God has permitted us to go through times of trial—and to taste of His mercy and comfort first-hand. It’s so "that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God."

That puts a whole new purpose to our own trials; doesn’t it? That certainly seems to be what Paul is saying. Look, finally, at . . .

4. HOW THIS RELATES US TO EACH OTHER (vv. 6-7).

He writes to his dear Corinthian brothers and sisters and tells them,

Now if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer. Or if we are comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. And our hope for you is steadfast, because we know that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation

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Dear brothers and sisters; God has given us the gift of comfort in times of trial—a comfort that leads to the kind of hope that people around us desperately need. And He has ordained that His comfort be passed-on by us to others as we enter into loving and nurturing relationships with them in their times of suffering

Are you going through a time of trial right now? Then I hope you will open yourself up and let your brothers and sisters pass God’s comfort on to you. That’s God’s ordained way for comfort to be brought to you, and for hope to be built into your heart.

And are you someone who has, yourself, experienced first-hand the comfort and consolation of God? As this passage shows you, that comfort wasn’t given for you alone. It is given to you to be passed on to others. I hope you’ll draw near to others in their time of suffering and comfort them with the comfort with which you yourself have been comforted by God.

¹Adapted from H.A. Ironside, Addresses on The Second Epistle to the Corinthians (New York: Loizeaux Brothers, Publishers, 1939), pp. 20-21).

Bethany Bible Church

We Preach Christ

SHARING GOD'S GIFT OF COMFORT – 2 Corinthians 1:3-7