Sunday, August 23, 2020
2 Corinthians 1:3–4
“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 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.”
God is the Father of mercies and God of all comfort.
This tells us something of who God is. And that is very important because your future depends on what you believe about God!
Hebrews 11:6 NKJV
“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”
Faith swings on the hinge of what you believe about God—who you believe He is in His character and nature. Put yet another way, your faith will never grow beyond what you believe about God. If you believe He is good, merciful, compassionate, faithful, true to His Word; that He answers prayer, hears you when you cry out to Him, that He watches over you, and that He watches over His word to perform it, your faith will thrive and blossom.
But if you believe He is distant, uncaring, mad at you half the time, stern, harsh, doesn’t hear your prayers, is unloving, unmerciful, and un-compassionate, your faith will wilt like an unwatered flower in the Texas sun.
Notes
I. Mercy
Now, Paul the Apostle in our text tells us two wonderful things about God—He is the Father of mercy, and He is the God of all comfort.
Mercy flows out from the very throne room of the God of the Bible. It’s been said that grace is receiving what we don’t deserve—And mercy is not receiving what we do deserve. When God gives mercy it is mercy we don’t deserve, but He gives it anyway because that’s who He is!
Psalm 103:10
“He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.”
Lamentations 3:22
“Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They (His mercies) are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.”
Notes
II. Comfort
And He’s not only merciful, He’s a Comforter—the God of all comfort.
The word “comfort” in the Bible verse means “a calling near,” one who draws close in times of trouble.
The very same word is used for the Holy Spirit, who Jesus described this way:
John 14:16 AMP
“And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), to be with you forever—”
Psalm 46:1 NASB
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
The comforts of God calm and reassure us deep down, they bring peace, they encourage us that all is not lost because God is on our side! God’s comfort isn’t needed when all is well, it’s needed when our trials and troubles are causing discomfort and pain.
Notes
Now, the gist of our text is that—when we experience the comforts of God in our trials, and God sustains and brings us through, Paul says that God intends to use our experience to minister to others!
2 Corinthians 1:4
“… 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.”
Illustration
“A fifteen year old young man named Douglas from the state of Missouri had been feeling bad for several days. His temperature was ranging between 103 and 105 degrees, and he was suffering from severe flu-like symptoms. Finally, his mother took him to the hospital in St. Louis.
Douglas Maurer was diagnosed as having leukemia.
The doctors were very honest with him. For the next three years, he would have to undergo chemotherapy. They didn’t sugarcoat the side effects. He would go bald and his body would most likely bloat.
Upon learning this, Douglas went into a deep depression.
His aunt called a floral shop to send Douglas an arrangement of flowers. She told the clerk that it was for her teenage nephew who had leukemia.
When the flowers arrived at the hospital, they were beautiful. Douglas read the card from his aunt. Then he saw a second card. It said:
Douglas—I took your order. I work at Brix florist. I had leukemia when I was 7 years old. I’m 22 years old now. Good luck. My heart goes out to you.
Sincerely, Laura.
Douglas’s face lit up like a Christmas bulb!”
Notes
Likewise, God never wastes a pain His children go through. He will comfort you in your trials and troubles, sustain you and lead you through your valley, and then redeem your trial by using what you’ve gone through to bring comfort and hope to someone else!
What the devil meant for evil, God uses for the good. The fiery darts Satan throws at you boomerangs back on him!