2 Corinthians. We're probably, Lord willing,
going to be in 2 Corinthians for a bit. We went
through 1 Corinthians. It's probably been, well,
it's probably been several years ago now. Probably
six or seven years ago, I would say. If you care
to go back and listen to that series, it's on
the church website along with the rest of the
sermons from the last ten years. There's one
for 1 Corinthians. We didn't cover 2 Corinthians
at the time, and so I'm probably going to hang
out in here for a little bit. 2 Corinthians chapter
1, verse 1. Let's pray, and then we'll get started.
God, we come to you. We thank you for the freedom
we have to come into your house tonight. I thank
you for being good to us. I thank you for the
love that you've shown us and the love that we
have. For one another, I pray that your Holy
Spirit would just guide me to say the words that
you want us to hear tonight, that we would see
your word, that we would be comforted by it,
dear Lord. And I pray that you free us from the
worries and the distractions of this world and
that you would help us to focus on you and hear
from you now. In Jesus' name I pray it. Amen.
If you go back and read in the book of Acts,
and particularly in this case around Acts chapter
18, you're going to see some of these journeys
that Paul was on along the way. And you're going
to see some of the places that we talk about
from Paul's letters. You're going to see places
like Corinth or places like Ephesus. These are
some of the places that he wrote letters to.
And when you go back and look at Acts, you're
going to see some of these places. In Acts chapter
18, you're going to see that Paul goes to a place
called Corinth, and there he meets a man and
a woman by the name of Aquila and Priscilla,
and they're tent makers, and he too is a tent
maker, and they become friends and sharing the
gospel and doing the work of the Lord, and he
meets them in Corinth. The places that we see
Paul visit, and maybe revisit some of them, going
back and forth between them, throughout the book
of Acts, are some of these people that receive
letters. That is, Paul went and saw them. He
went on his way. And he would hear what was going
on, and he would write a letter to maybe correct
them of some things that were not going so good
or maybe encourage them, maybe say, hey, you're
doing a good job. As in the case of the people
of Philippi, the book of Philippians is a pretty
encouraging book. Some of them are kind of stern.
You may remember, if you've ever read 1 Corinthians,
that it's a few things in there he gets on them
about, that they're not doing too good. And so
he wrote this letter after he had left. left
1 Corinthians, or excuse me, after he had left
Corinth, he wrote 1 Corinthians back to them,
and then probably about a year or year and a
half after he wrote the letter that we know as
1 Corinthians, he wrote another letter to the
people of Corinth, and that's what we know as
2 Corinthians. Now, it's possible that he wrote
more letters. Some have suggested that he might
have wrote as many as four letters to the people
of Corinth. These are the only two. that we have,
but he kind of picks up and maybe even addresses
a few things that he talked about in the first
letter, but kind of carrying on with the same
idea here as we get into 2 Corinthians 1, verse
1. Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God's
will, and Timothy, our brother, to the church
at Corinth with all the saints who are throughout
Acacia. Grace to you and peace. From God, our
Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, we have
a pretty typical introduction here, similar to
what we see in Paul's other writings. He's saying,
look, I am Paul, I'm an apostle of Jesus Christ,
and I'm the one who's sending you this letter.
We see in this particular letter that he's talking
about Timothy, who must have been there alongside
of him. We know of Timothy from the letters that
he wrote to Timothy in 1 and 2 Timothy. We see
Timothy mentioned in some of Paul's journeys.
We see him mentioned here. When he wrote the
letter the first time, what we know as 1 Corinthians,
there was a guy with him named Sosthenes. That
was who was with him in the introduction of 1
Corinthians. And here, this year, year and a
half later, however long, we see that it's Timothy
that is with him. And he talks about Achaia.
He talks about this is the region, the whole
region around where Corinth is. And this is around
Greece. If you're familiar with geography and
where Greece is on the map, this is kind of the
region, the area that we're talking about. And
Corinth was probably a pretty well -to -do place
at that time and probably a pretty large place.
They probably had a pretty big population. Paul
is writing this letter again to the people of
Corinth. He's acknowledging that he is the one
who is writing it. He's acknowledging that Timothy
is there with him. And he opens this letter with
just some beautiful language. Grace and peace
from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
And then he proceeds to go on about his letter.
And that's where we start in verse 3. Praise
the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of all mercies and the God of all
comfort. Now that is a beautiful verse right
there. That verse alone, you could just kind
of sit up there for a second and just kind of
soak that in. That God, we praise God. He's our
Savior. There's salvation that comes through
Him. And what does it say? It says that he is
the God of all comfort. And that's good to know
because there are times that we need to be comforted.
There are times where life is just hard and we
just need some comfort. And he is the God of
all comfort. There is no comfort that comes from
anyone except from God. Any comfort that we feel,
even if people don't realize it, if it's good,
if it's comforting, if it brings you peace, then
it must come from God because there is no peace,
there is no mercy, there is no comfort in any
other. Paul starts right off here by saying,
we praise God because he is the God of all comfort.
Then he continues to build this first section
of the letter based on that idea. He says in
verse 4, he comforts us in all our affliction.
Now, that's a good verse. He is the God of all
comfort who comforts us in all of our affliction.
Now, we need to maybe remember this verse because
there are days that we are Now, whatever that
affliction may be, maybe it's just stress, maybe
it's physical pain, maybe it's just a mental
battle that you're going through, whatever it
is, There are afflictions that come upon us.
There are afflictions that we face. And it doesn't
matter if you are young and old. There are times
in our life that we are afflicted. But we call
on the God who is the God of all comfort. And
what does it say? That he comforts us in our
afflictions. Well, that's good to know. Because
there are days that, man, our afflictions are
pretty rough, and that's what he's going to talk
about. So praise God that he is our comforter.
He comforts us in all our affliction so that
we may be able to comfort those who are in any
kind of affliction through the comfort we ourselves
receive from God. Now, isn't that a beautiful
idea? This is kind of the idea of Scripture.
What we receive from God, we give back to others.
We let what we've received from God be seen through
us by other people. So when we experience the
love of God and the grace of God, then that should
flow from us. When we've experienced comfort
through God, then that helps us to be able to
comfort others. Because there are people in this
world and they don't know how they're going to
make it through the next night or the next day.
They don't know if they can make it any further.
They're seeking and they're searching and they
want some kind of comfort. And some of you in
this room, or maybe somebody listening online,
has been there before where you didn't think
you were going to make it through the night.
You didn't think that you were going to make
it through the week. You didn't think that there
was any light at the end of the tunnel. You didn't
think that there was any comfort for your pain
and your affliction, and you found God. You found
the God of all comfort. And you called out to
the God of all comfort, and he comforted you
and your afflictions. And Paul says, when you've
experienced that, then you need to go out there
and help other people. You need to find those
people in the world that are struggling, who
are afflicted, who are in pain, who are in discomfort,
and you need to say, look, I have been where
you are. I have been where you are, and let me
tell you about God. I don't know if you know
about God. I don't know if you know the scripture.
Maybe you don't think God's there. God doesn't
care. But let me tell you about God, that he
brought me comfort, that he showed me light,
that he showed me love, that he was merciful,
that he was gracious. And I served the God of
all comfort, and he helped me, and I got through
it. And I didn't think I was. And I know you
don't think you're going to get through this
death you're suffering, or this pain you're suffering,
or this affliction you're suffering. suffering,
but I want to tell you that I got through it,
and God can help you get through it, and I want
to walk with you along the way. And Paul says
that we have been comforted by the God of all
comfort, and when we have received that comfort,
we are called to comfort others. Now, that's
a good message. That's kind of the message of
Scripture, whether it's comforting or whether
it's grace or whether it's mercy. Whatever we
have received from God, God calls us to give
that back to those that we encounter. Verse 5.
For as the suffering of Christ overflowed to
us, so through Christ our comfort also overflows.
All right, so Christ suffered and... The sufferings
of Christ overflow to us, so through Christ our
comfort also overflows. So even in the midst
of this difficulty, we reflect on Jesus Christ
and we can find some comfort in the fact of who
he is and what he has done. And in the midst
of his suffering, he continued to be faithful
to God. He continued to be on his mission. And
there's comfort to be found in that, that we
serve a Savior who's given us an example, who's
let us know that there is going to be suffering
for serving God, but there is comfort on the
other side of that suffering. Verse 6, if we
are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation.
If we are comforted, it is for your comfort,
which is experienced in your endurance of the
same sufferings that we suffer. So what does
he say? Paul says, look, if we're afflicted,
it's for your comfort. That is to say, we are
serving you. We are doing the work of God. We
are trying to stand up for you. We are trying
to lead you, and we are facing all kind of persecution,
and we are facing all kind of affliction, but
we are doing it for you so that you may find
some comfort in Christ. And so if we are afflicted,
we are doing it for you so that you may hear
of Jesus Christ, so that you may receive salvation,
so that through our affliction, you may receive
comfort. And so it is, Paul says, that we receive
comfort. Even when we are afflicted, we receive
comfort because we know that you are coming to
Jesus Christ and we find comfort in that. Isn't
that a crazy thing right there? Because you see
that even today. Now, you might not be aware
of it. You need to be aware of it. You need to
look up some people sometimes. There are still
people today, Christians, who are suffering for
the kingdom of God, who are facing persecution,
who are facing being put in prison, who are facing
death, who sometimes are killed, who are in prison
right now doing the work of God and suffering
greatly. And why in the world would they do that?
Because they receive some comfort. knowing that
they have done the work of the Lord. They received
comfort knowing that in what they have done that
has got them in prison, that has gotten them
persecuted, may have brought someone else to
Jesus Christ. And so inside that jail cell, as
Paul was on occasion, he received comfort knowing
that outside of those walls, the gospel was still
being spread. that he had done some work, that
he had went to people who were struggling and
afflicted, and he had told them about Jesus Christ,
and they had found comfort in Jesus Christ, and
it cost him his freedom. And oftentimes we see
of Christians that it cost them their life, but
even in that affliction, they find comfort because
they know that others are finding comfort in
Christ. So when we are afflicted, we find comfort.
And when we are comforted, Paul says, we find
comfort because we know that in your affliction,
you find comfort. It's just this cycle. Paul
says, I pour into you. It brings me affliction,
which brings me comfort, which brings me more
comfort because you're afflicted, which brings
you comfort. Which brings you comfort in us because
we're doing the work. It's this cycle of brothers
and sisters in Christ working together and saying,
living for the Lord is not always easy, but it's
always worth it. There's great peace that comes
from that. It's scary. You know, you're thinking
about, man, I don't know if I want to do the
work of the Lord. I don't know if I want to put
myself out there. What if I'm persecuted? What
if somebody comes against me? What if I'm in
prison? Would I be able to handle it? Well, I
don't know, but I think we would. I think if
we do it with the right heart, I think that we
would be those who would say, God, it is worth
it. There is comfort even in the midst of the
affliction. We find comfort in Jesus Christ knowing
that we have led others to Jesus Christ. And
that's exactly what Paul is saying to the people
of Corinth here. And our hope for you, verse
7, and our hope for you is firm because we know
that as you share in the sufferings, you will
also share in the comfort. So Paul says, hold
on. I know that you're going to do good. I know
that you're sharing in the sufferings right now.
But what does he say? So you will also share
in the comfort. Even though life is difficult,
even though there is affliction, If we continue
to seek God and call out to him and serve him,
we will find the God of all comfort, and there
will be comfort in our life. And Paul says there
is great hope in that. We find hope in that in
our life, and we find hope knowing that you are,
even in the midst of suffering, finding comfort
in Jesus Christ. Verse 8. For we don't want you
to be unaware, brothers, of our affliction that
took place in Asia. We were completely overwhelmed
beyond our strength so that we even despaired
of life. Now, obviously something pretty serious
had happened to Paul and some others who were
with him in Asia. I don't know what event this
was. I'm not sure if it's even in Scripture.
Maybe it is. I don't know. But whatever the event
is, he doesn't go into it here. But what does
he say? He says, look. Our affliction took place
in Asia. We were completely overwhelmed beyond
our strength so that we even despaired of life.
Have you ever been in that type of affliction
before? Whatever brought it on. Maybe it was
because you took a stand for the Lord. Maybe
it's just some life circumstance, some death
that you've encountered in your life. Whatever
it is, there's all kinds of things that bring
affliction to us. Have we ever been in a state
in our life where we felt completely overwhelmed
beyond our strength? That's a tough place to
be. That is a scary place to be because we realize
that we are helpless. We feel overwhelmed beyond
our strength. That whatever is before us, that
whatever we are up against, it is too big. It
is just too overwhelming. We don't think we can
make it. We do not have the strength to carry
on. We have been fighting and we have been walking
and we have been walking and we have been on
the road and on the journey for days and for
weeks and for months sometimes. And there are
times that we feel like we cannot keep going.
We are so overwhelmed. What are we going to do?
Paul says, look, we even despaired of life. We
knew the end was near. We knew that we have nothing
else to give. We knew that we had done all we
could do. We were completely overwhelmed. We
were completely drained. And we knew that death
was soon going to come to us. He continues on
in verse 9. Indeed, we personally had a death
sentence within ourselves so that we could not
trust in ourselves, but trust in God who raises
the dead. Isn't that something right there? He
says, we had given all we could give. We had
nothing else we could do. We had given up. We
had given in to death. But in that, we trusted
God all the more because we knew that God could
raise us to life. So even in the midst of our
affliction, even in the midst of our overwhelming
circumstances, even when death is at our door,
we trust in God all the more because who else
can we trust in? And that's where we need to
be in those seasons of despair in our life. Maybe
there are some of you tonight that feel overwhelmed.
You don't have any strength. There is nowhere
else you can go but to the Lord. That's it. That's
the only place you can go tonight. That's the
only one that can give you strength. That's the
only one that can deliver you from your situation.
And should he choose not to deliver you in this
life, Paul says we trust him all the more because
even if we're at death's door here in our affliction,
we know we will wake up in the presence of God
and so we trust God all the more. We find comfort
in our affliction, and if our affliction ends
in death, then so be it. It'll end in the presence
of God. Paul, he was ready. He was strong in
the faith. He didn't give up at persecution.
He didn't give up at affliction. We might be
tempted to. There may be times in our life that
the least little affliction comes. We get overwhelmed.
We start questioning God. We get angry with God.
We want to give up on God. Sometimes people get
that way, but not Paul. Paul says, I'm in it
for the long haul. Paul said, I serve and I praise
the God of all comfort. And I take comfort in
knowing that God is with me and I want you to
take comfort in God even in the worst situation,
even in the situations that end in death. Trust
in God all the more because he is the only deliverance
that we have. This is good advice for us. We
know what affliction is like. Everybody in here,
you know what affliction is like. You've experienced
it. You may be experiencing it now. I can tell
you the same thing that Paul told you, and that's
all I can tell you, is to trust in God all the
more. I don't know what the outcome of the situation
will be, but I can assure you that God is the
one who's in control of the situation, and whatever
occurs will be his will, and he will be with
you through it all. Verse 10. He has delivered
us from such a terrible death. And he will deliver
us. We have put our hope in him that he will
deliver us again while you join in helping us
by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on
our behalf for the gift that came to us through
the prayers of many. So here Paul says, look,
we thought we were going to die. We thought it
was the end. We thought our affliction was going
to get the better of us. But what does he say
in verse 10? He has delivered us from such a
terrible death, and he will deliver us. So whatever
this affliction was that Paul and those with
him would have encountered in Asia, he thought
the end was near, but he says, I praise God because
he... delivered us and he will continue to deliver
us both in this life and from this life and to
eternity with him God has been with us and then
he says in verse 11 while you join in helping
us by your prayers then many will give thanks
on our behalf for the gift that came to us through
the prayers of many now Some of your translations,
mine says the gift that came to us. Some may
say something like the graciousness that we've
received. That's probably the gift that he's
talking about here. He's probably talking about
this gift of grace that God had showed him. We'll
see. in a few chapters that Paul calls out to
God because there's this thorn in the flesh.
And Paul calls out to him to remove it, calls
out to him to remove it, and God doesn't remove
it. But he says, my grace is sufficient. My grace
is sufficient. So even in our afflictions, if
God doesn't remove them, his grace is sufficient
to get us through. And what does Paul say? He
says, This gift, this grace that came to us through
the prayers of many. This is important for us
to know. Okay, so we serve the God who is the
God of all comfort. We want to comfort others
when we have been comforted through God. But
in the midst of our affliction, what is important?
It's important to know that there are others
who are praying for us. It's important that we
are praying for other people. And Paul acknowledges
that. He says, look, we were at death's door.
We thought it was done. We were trusting in God
to take us home to be with him. But instead,
he delivered us. He was gracious to us through
the prayers of many. Now, maybe there are some
of you tonight that need prayers. Maybe there's
something you're going through and nobody else
even knows it. Find a brother or sister in Christ
you can trust and say, look, brother, look, sister,
I need you to pray for me. There is power in
those prayers. You can say the same words Paul
said. I feel overwhelmed and the situation I'm
up against is beyond my strength. Would you pray
for me? Would you pray that God would be gracious
to me and be merciful to me? There is power in
knowing that there are people who pray for you.
Maybe you're doing pretty good, praise the Lord.
Maybe you're living in that comfort and grace
right now. That's great. But maybe there are
others you know that aren't doing so good. Maybe
you know of some who have affliction and suffering
and pain. Maybe you know of some tonight that
are overwhelmed beyond their strength. And maybe
today and tomorrow and in the days to come, you
just need to pray for them. You need to pray
that God would give them grace, that God would
give them strength, that God would give them
comfort. You might just need to go see them.
Give them a hug. Sit down with them and say,
I'm praying for you. Is there something I can
do? I'm praying for you. Just continue to trust
in God. It'd be great if we could give people
all the answers to their problem. We don't want
to make no fake promises. We don't want to say,
oh, God's going to get, we don't know what God's
going to do. It may be God's will to deliver
them from their affliction. It may not. We want
God's will to be done. We don't want to make
promises that we don't know the will of God,
but we can tell people, look, I'm praying for
you. I'm praying that God would be gracious to
you and give you comfort. Maybe even share this
scripture with them. We praise the God of all
comfort that comforts those. who are in affliction.
It's a beautiful, beautiful passage for us, I
believe, to learn from, to find comfort from,
and to be able to comfort others from. Let's
pray. God, we come to you. We thank you for your
word tonight. We thank you for being the God
of all comfort, dear Lord, because we know what
affliction is, dear Lord. Some know it better
than others. But God, if there are any that are
listening tonight online or any that are in this
building tonight, God, that are experiencing
affliction, whatever it may be, I pray that they
would seek you and that they would find comfort
in you, dear Lord. That maybe there are some
tonight who feel overwhelmed and their affliction
is stronger beyond their strength, dear Lord,
more than they can bear. I pray, God, that you
would be gracious to them. I pray that you'd
give them deliverance. I pray that you'd give
them peace. I pray that you'd give them clarity.
I pray that you'd give them hope, dear Lord,
that they would not despair. God, we don't know
what you're going to do, how you're going to
answer prayers. We don't know, dear Lord, but
we pray your will be done. And whatever the outcome
of our afflictions are, dear Lord, we pray that
you'd give us comfort and grace in the midst
of them. And I ask these things in Jesus' name.
Amen.