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2 Corinthians 1:8-11
Delivered by God, Sustained by Prayer
Please remain standing for the reading of our sermon text â 2 Corinthians 1:8-11. That is on page 1145 in the pew Bibles
These verses continue the theme from last week. The apostle Paul was expressing the comfort of God to the Corinthians. He wanted them to be comforted by the comfort of Christ in their suffering and also share that comfort.
These verses, 8-11, continue that theme. Paul now gives them an example - a life threating affliction that he experienced.
Reading of 2 Corinthians 1:8-11.
Prayer
There is strong evidence that most of the apostles were killed for their faith⊠for their gospel ministry. We call that being martyred. For example, James, the brother of the apostle John, was executed by king Agrippa. We know that for sure from the book of Acts chapter 12.
That is the only one recorded in the Bible, but we have other historical testimonies from the early church fathers. They wrote about how Peter was crucified upside down in Rome. How Thomas was killed in India. How Andrew was crucified in Greece on an X shaped cross. And how Paul was beheaded under the persecution of Nero.
Other accounts exist as well. And while we canât absolutely verify the details, the evidence supports those accounts.
Some of you will know this, but before the apostle Paulâs radical conversion, he was the one persecuting and even killing Christians. Yet God transformed his life. He was confronted by Jesus himself on the road to Damascus. Even though he was temporarily blinded, God opened the eyes of his heart, he could now see the truth clearly. Instead of being a persecutor he became one of the persecuted.
In fact, at the time of his conversion, God revealed to Paul, what he must suffer. God told a man named Annanias to find Paul. Annanias was hesitant because he knew Paulâs history. But listen to these words spoken by the Lord to Annanias.
âGo, for he [that is, Paul] is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.â
And suffer, Paul would. In the book of Acts we have account after account of Paulâs imprisonments, beatings, and other persecution. And we donât even know the half of it! Later in 2 Corinthians, chapter 11, Paul lists many more than we have recorded elsewhere. Five times he received what was known as 40 lashes minus 1. That is whips on his back. Three times he was beaten with rods. One time he was stoned. He had been left for dead.
You see, Paul and the other apostles endured intense persecution because of their Gospel ministry. And eventually would be martyred,
Iâm telling you all this because when we read 2 Corinthians, itâs important to understand and apply this book correctly. And we can do that on three levels.
· First and foremost, Paul is defending his apostleship. The apostleâs ministry was patterned after Christâs ministry of persecution unto death. The affliction and martyrdom that Paul and the others endured testified to Godâs special call for them. So, the first layer of application is to affirm their apostleship and this word from God and to therefore reject false teachers and false apostles.
· Second, the call to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth still applies today. And while there are no more apostles, capital A, yet God still calls many to bring the love of God in Christ to places that have never received the good news of Jesus Christ. And it is a sacrifice. There are those, today, who give their lives for that great cause. Martyrs, who in their frontier mission work, testify in their life and death to the risen Christ and hope in him. That is the second level of application. Those being persecuted for their faith receive a special comfort from these verses.
You with me, so far? The first level application, again, is the apostleâs persecution and affliction which testifies to their apostleship. The second level of application is in the affliction and comfort of those who are afflicted because of their faith.
Now, some people draw the line there. They say that those are the only two levels of application here. In other words, they say we should not extend the application to the other kind of suffering⊠like sickness, hardships, emotional or relational pain, or grief. But I disagree with that.
· I want to make the case (like many others have) for a third layer of application in 2 Corinthians. If you have your Bible open to 2 Corinthians 1, look at verse 3 from last week. God is to be worshiped because he is the God of âallâ comfort. That is pretty broad... âall.â And if you look at verse 4, the word âallâ is used again. Then Paul says that they want to comfort others who are in âanyâ affliction. Again, itâs a very broad application of comfort in affliction⊠âany.â Hereâs what I am saying⊠the giving and receiving of comfort in suffering also applies beyond those in dangerous missions work. I mentioned last week that we are not talking about worldly comfort, but rather the comfort of assurance and peace and being encouraged and strengthened in Christ to endure.
As the theme of suffering and comfort comes back around over and over, weâll apply it on those three levels.
I wanted to say that up-front because it relates to todayâs versesâŠ
Ok, before we get into verses 8-11, I want to share one more thing. Amy told me this after last weekâs sermon. The verses from last week are very meaningful to her family. 30 years ago, Amyâs brother died in a small plane accident. He was 23 years old at the time. A dear friend of the family shared these verses of comfort with Amyâs dad. That friend who shared those verses had himself been comforted by those very words. Years earlier his daughter had died in an accident. He was sharing with Amyâs family the comfort of Christ with which he himself had been comforted in his suffering.
It's a beautiful picture of sharing Gospel comfort with one another.
Now look at verse 8. It begins with the word âfor.â Itâs a connecting word. âFor we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia.â The apostle Paul directly connects this new paragraph to what he has just written to them. He is saying, let me now give you an example of our affliction through which you can be comforted.
The big question, of course, is what exactly happened in Asia? That would be helpful information.
And the answer is, we donât know exactly.
However, I do want to give you a couple of possibilities. Look at how Paul describes the event in the second half of verse 8. âWe were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself.â It was very difficult. Verse 9 makes the event even more intense. âIndeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death.â
Whatever the situation they found themselves in, they thought they were going to die.
Earlier in the service, we read from Acts 19. One possibility is that Paul was referring to the riots in Ephesus. Ephesus was, after all, the capital of Asia at that time - Asia minor.
You see, in Ephesus, Christianity had been spreading and transforming it in a good way. But it was bad for business. What I mean is that the church had been preaching against idols and idolatry. Well, that meant that all the merchants who were selling little âgâ god idols were losing money. And so, Demetrius, the silversmith stirred up a riot. As you know, when a crowd gets stirred up, it can easily turn into an angry mob. When that happens, people lose any sense of peace or moderation⊠if they even had any to start with.
Well, this mob in Ephesus dragged off two of the believers, Gaius and Aristarchus. They were, in fact, two of Paulâs travelling companions. Itâs amazing that these men and others were not killed. God delivered them⊠he used the Roman authority to calm the crown down.
You can see, it is possible that Paul was referring to this event â After all, they thought they had received the sentence of death, broadly speaking.
The only thing is that Paul was not in the midst of it. He was not at the theater where the riot occurred. The other believers wouldnât let him go out of fear for his life.
So, we do not know for sure if this was the event.
Another possibility is in 1 Corinthians 15. There Paul mentioned that they fought with âwild beastsâ in Ephesus. Those were the words he used. Now, to be sure, he was not talking about literal beasts, but rather men so evil itâs as if they were wild beasts. So, there was a second event where they had been attacked. They could have felt the same sentence of death that he describes.
Maybe it was some other event. We ultimately donât know. But whatever it was, Paul and the other with him were overwhelmed. They feared for their life, and despaired of what was going to happen. Paul described what they felt as âburdened beyond our strength.â
Let me ask, have you been there? Have you experienced something so intense and so difficult that you could not see any path out of the burden? That is what they experienced.
In the garden of Gethsemane the night before he was crucified, Jesus prayed, âFather, take this cup from me⊠yet not my will but yours be done.â
I think it is safe to presume that Paul and those with him prayed a similar prayer. And what happened? God delivered them.
So, while we donât know exactly what happened, we certainly know how it affected them and we know that God delivered them.
And furthermore, we know two more things.
· We know what God taught them.
· And we also know how the church was to help them.
So, letâs turn our attention to those two things. Again, what did they learn and how can the church help.
1. What they Learned
Number 1: what did they learn in their suffering?
You know what? We donât have to guess. No, actually, Paul tells us right there in verse 9 â the second half. âBut that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.â
In the middle of our affliction, suffering, trials, God desires that we rely on him. And I want you to notice something very important here - the order of what happened. Paul first says that they learned to rely on God and not themselves⊠THEN in verse 10 he says that God delivered them. Thatâs important. It was not after God delivered them that he taught them to rely on him. No, it was in the middle of feeling the sentence of death. That is when they learned to rely on him.
Thatâs hard to do, isnât it. Because in the moment, we often feel so overwhelmed. Yet it is in that very moment that we need to rely on God the most.
And why we can rely on him and trust in him in those very moments? Well, it is for this reason: God raises the dead. That is what he did. God raised Jesus Christ from the grave. And that is what he will do. He will raise the dead.
At the very height of the intense burden⊠feeling the sentence of death, what did God teach them? He taught them to not rely on their own strength but to turn their hearts to the one who raises the dead.
It is the greatest promise that we can rely on in our affliction.
Some of you may recognize the name Donald Barnhouse. He pastored 10th Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia back in the mid 20th century. Sadly, when his children were young, his wife passed away. As you can imagine, he struggled to have the words to comfort his children. Well, on the way to the funeral, one of his children asked, âDaddy, why did mommy have to die?â At that moment, God gave him words of comfort for his children. You see, right then, a large truck drove past them and cast its shadow over them. And he asked his children, âwould you rather be run over by the truck or by its shadow? His youngest child responded first, âthe shadow. It couldnât hurt anybody.â Barnhouse replied âRemember, children, Jesus let the truck of death strike him, so that it could never destroy us. Mother lives with Jesus nowâonly the shadow of death passed over her.â She lives.
He was telling his kids⊠death is not the end. And while we grieve, we grieve knowing that God raises the dead. We each will experience the death of our bodies, yet we have that sure hope in our resurrection because of his. Those in Christ will be raised with him forever
Letâs go back to the apostle Paul and those with him. God did deliver them in that moment. God still had more work for them to accomplish in this life. More suffering to endure. More people to share the hope of Christ. More letters to write, like this one. More churches to plant. God delivered them.
I want you to notice something in verse 10. The word deliver is used three times. The first use is past tense. â[God] delivered us from such a deadly peril.â Then twice, future tense. âGod will deliver us.â That future deliverance involved first, hoping and praying that the Lord would deliver them again in their earthly circumstances. But second, the future deliverance meant that whatever happened, God would deliver them forever. Death in this life will only be a shadow because God raises the dead.
Paul and those with him learned to rely on God who will deliver them. They âset their hopeâ on it (that is the phrase used)âŠ. They âset their hopeâ that God would deliver them from the next sentence of death in this life. But they knew that their ultimate deliverance would be beyond the grave.
And as I mentioned, at Godâs appointed time, Paul suffered a martyrs death. But he lives.
Lets bring this together⊠what was God teaching them? He was teaching them⊠to rely on him. His strength, his purposes, his means, and not on themselves. God reminded them that he raises the dead. That is the most profound truth for those in Christ⊠especially in our suffering and affliction. God will deliver you. We pray for and set our hope on deliverance in this life from whatever affliction we are enduring⊠but ultimately, we rest on Christ and his eternal promise. We will be delivered because God raises the dead.
2. How they should help
OK, that brings us to the other thing we learn in these verses.
We learn the primary thing the church can and should do for those suffering. And that is, pray!
Now, there are a lot of things that we can do to support one another as we go through affliction. Last week, we learned we can share the comfort of Christ with each other. Obviously, Paul had that in mind â he had just written that. And of course, we can come alongside each other in several other tangible ways. But the most important thing that we can do for anyone in any trial or affliction is pray. Pray with them and for them.
Now, remember, Paul was not there with the church in Corinth. That is why he wrote to them. So, the church in Corinth could not help him and support him in the middle of this affliction. But they could pray.
Look at verse 11. âYou also must help us by prayer.â That is pretty strong. Paul petitioned them to pray. They needed prayers from the church in Corinth.
As we think about how that applies to us today. Number one, we need to be praying for those on the front lines of mission work around the world. We do that. We know and support several that are on those front lines of Gospel ministry. And we need to continue that and maybe increase our prayers.
Praying for their ministry⊠praying for protection⊠praying for them to rely on God who raises the dead. Praying that through their ministry, that God would change hearts and minds and increase his kingdom. All those things.
We also need to be praying for the persecuted church. Last week, Open Doors published their annual report of persecution. They are a ministry which focuses on information and prayer for the persecuted church. They estimate that last year 380 million Christians across the world faced persecution⊠and about 4,500 Christians were killed for their faith. We need to pray. God will work through our prayers to bring deliverance or endurance just as he did for Paul.
Let me ask this: What does Paul assume by telling them they must pray? Well, he believes prayer is powerful and effective. God hears our prayers. Look how he describes the importance of prayer in verse 11. He says, âmany will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.â You see that? The Apostles will be blessed because of the prayers of the church. Our prayers will build up those in Gospel ministry. Though our prayers, God will give them confidence and reliance on him.
So, we need to press on in our prayers for those experiencing persecution.
Letâs take this down to that third layer of application. We need to pray for those in any kind of sufferingâŠ. Like what I mentioned earlier: sickness, hardships, emotional pain, or grief. To say it again, there are other ways we can and should support one another. But the most important is prayer.
And we absolutely can pray for deliverance. If itâs sickness, we can and should pray for healing. God heals. If itâs emotional or spiritual, we can pray for the Holy Spirit to intercede. If itâs relational we can pray for reconciliation. We can pray boldly for comfort and peace, and healing.
The same confidence that the apostle Paul had in prayer should be the same confidence that we have in prayer. May we pray for these things.
Conclusion
So, God raises the dead. If your only hope in life and death is in the Lord Jesus Christ, then this great promise is one you can rely on in your affliction. God will ultimately deliver you forever.
But God also can deliver you from affliction in this life. We trust in his providence, but we pray and hope that God will intercede. We boldly pray, knowing that our prayers for one another are powerful and effective.
In our suffering, may God direct us to rely on him and the power of his resurrection. And may we pray for one another and especially those enduring affliction because of their faith in Christ.
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2 Corinthians 1:3-7
The Comfort of Christ in Our Affliction
Please remain standing for the reading of our sermon text. We are continuing in 2 Corinthians chapter 1. This morning, 2 Corinthians 1:3-7. That is on page 1145 in the provided pew Bibles.
As a reminder, last week, Paul emphasized his apostleship. He was writing to them, to the church of God in Corinth, as an apostle of God. Paul had been appointed by God in this special role. The reason he emphasized that point is because some in Corinth had been questioning Paulâs legitimacy.
As we read, we are reading the Word of God given to us through the apostle of God.
As you hear this Word, know that it is the very Word of God.
Reading of 2 Corinthians 1:3-7
Prayer
Why has God allowed this suffering in my life or my loved one? What are his purposes in it? Does my trial mean that God is displeased with me? Will it ever end?
Every one of us, in some way or to some extent, struggles through these questions.
And we generally struggle through them on two levels. On the one hand, the intellectual questions... Why does God allow suffering and affliction? What do the Scriptures teach about it? And then on the other hand are the questions of the heart. Why am I or why is someone I love enduring this? God, where are you?
Questions of the mind and questions of the heart.
In 1940, well-known British author and Christian philosopher, CS Lewis, wrote the book, the Problem of Pain. Itâs a philosophical analysis of why a loving and omnipotent God allows pain and suffering â questions of the mind. Lewis seeks to answer by working through questions of Godâs nature, his justice, the fallen state of the world, heaven and hell, and the purposes of pain.
But 20 years later, in 1961, Lewis wrote a very very different book on suffering. A Grief Observed. You see, in 1957 Lewis married Joy Davidman. They had developed a deep friendship with one another over the years through letters and visits. Joy was from the States. Eventually that friendship turned into a deep love for one another. But Joy developed breast cancer and it metastasized into her bones.
Nonetheless, they loved one another, so they had a small wedding ceremony in a hospital room in Oxford, England. Joy lived for three more years. They endured the ups and downs of her cancer. They grieved and cried together. Lewis significantly reduced his writing and speaking engagements to be by her side. Joy passed away in the summer of 1960 at the age of 45.
In the months after her death, Lewis wrote A Grief Observed. In it he shared his sorrows, his confusion, and doubts. He wrote about the struggles of maintaining his faith in God through it. But he shared how he came to find deep meaning and healing in the grief and sorrow and suffering. Through it, he experienced the love of God in Christ in a way he had never before. In short, Lewis experienced in his heart what his mind knew.
What we find in 2 Corinthians is that very thing. It was one of the apostle Paulâs goals in writing to the church. He wanted them to understand the intellectual side of affliction and suffering, but also for them to apply it to their hearts.
Let me explain. You see, the theme of suffering and comfort runs throughout 2 Corinthians. Itâs not the only theme, but the apostle Paul comes back to it many times and in different ways.
And the reason Paul addressed affliction and suffering over and over was to correct them - to first, correct their thinking.
I mentioned last week that there was a group trying to infiltrate the church. Paul called them âsuper-apostles.â And one of the ways that they were attempting to sway the church, was by undermining Paul.
Do you know what their main critique of Paul was? It was the suffering that he was going through. They were saying something like, âHey, church in Corinth, look at that guy, Paul. You know, the one who calls himself an apostle. Look at all the suffering that he has and is going through. Heâs been persecuted. He has this physical ailment and God hasnât healed him. His speaking ability is weak. Heâs suffered many things. You see, there is no way that this guy Paul is a true apostle. No, God would not allow someone with such an important role to go through all of that.â
Thatâs what they were saying. Weâre going to get into those details in chapters 10-12. But itâs important to understand why Paul writes these opening words here. He wants them to understand clearly that suffering and affliction are part of the Christian life. But thatâs not the only thing. In fact, thereâs something greater that Paul explains. You see, in the Christian life, God gives comfort and joy and hope in our trials and afflictions.
Let me put it this way. A big part of Paulâs letter teaches us a foundational theology of suffering. Itâs a theology that we can understand in our minds and apply in our hearts. And when we do, not only will we understand the problem of pain, to use CS Lewisâs language, but in the grief and suffering that we observe and experience, God will overwhelm us with his comfort⊠the comfort of his grace in whatever we go through.
As we go through 2 Corinthians, it will be critical for each of us, you and me, to re-evaluate our theology of suffering. Because in the trials you are experiencing or will experience, your understanding of suffering will greatly affect your heart response to suffering. Itâs that important.
We see that right here in these opening words. So letâs consider them.
And to start with, I have a theory about these 5 verses. I donât know how to prove it. But I think that these 5 verses may have the most intense use of word repetition in the whole Bible.
· That word âcomfortâ is used 10 times in the 5 verses. Iâm including the verbs and the nouns, by the way.
· The word âafflictionâ and âsufferingâ are used seven times, total between them.
· The words âshareâ 4 times.
That is a lot packed into just 5 verses.
Maybe Psalm 150 rivals it. The word âpraiseâ in Psalm 150 is used 13 times in just 6 verses. But still, in 2 Corinthians 1:3-7, multiple words are repeated â comfort, suffering, affliction, and share. It is intense â intensely comforting.
Before we get into Paulâs message, let me first define the word âcomfort.â Because we may be tempted to think about our current use of the word. When we think about comfort today, it is most often about how we feel in our senses. We say, âare you comfortable?â ...meaning are we at ease. âAre those chairs comfortable to sit on?â In healthcare... comfort is how well our pain is medicated.
Now, thereâs nothing wrong with those uses.
But the word âcomfortâ here is spiritual and relational. Itâs about being encouraged and consoled in the midst of a trial. In other words, itâs not about removing the affliction or being physically comfortable in it. Rather it is being strengthened in your soul while enduring the suffering, whatever trial it is.
Ok, with all of that said⊠(1) the false teaching being addressed, (2) the mind and heart application, and (3) the repetition and the word comfort, letâs now get into the message.
Letâs look at three things this morning.
1. Worship the God who comforts.
2. Know the comfort of God in Christ.
3. Share the comfort of God with others.
Let me say it again if you are taking notes⊠(repeat)
1. Worship the God who comforts
So first, worship! Look at verse 3. âBlessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort.â In the very opening words (in the body of this letter), Paul emphasizes God as the God of comfort. God of ALL comfort. And these words direct our praise to him.
The very first thing that Paul wants the church in Corinth to do⊠is to worship and acknowledge God as the God of comfort.
And when it says that God is the âGod of all comfort, who comforts us in our afflictionâ it is saying that God brings hope and resolve in suffering. He is present with us in our suffering. Back to the definition of comfort. God consoles us. He ministers to us. He strengthens us to endure. Furthermore, gives us assurances that his promises are eternal. In all of that, God provides a measure of peace in unsettled times and in pain. Comforting his people is part of his nature. He is the God of all comfort.
God is not some detached supernatural being that cares not about the suffering of his people. No, he loves us and ministers to us in our suffering.
So, in our suffering, weâre to direct our attention to him in worship ⊠because he is the God of all comfort who comforts us in those ways.
In fact, let me add this point. Worshipping God is one of the ways through which God ministers to us in our suffering. When we praise him for all the ways that he cares for and loves us and gives us hope, he increases our comfort. Through it, he strengthens us to endure the trials and suffering in this life.
Now, when I say âworshipâ I am talking about both what we are doing here in our worship service, and in all of life when we direct our attention to God.
So, worship the God of all comfort.
2. Know the comfort of God in Christ.
#2 â know the comfort of Christ.
Letâs go back to the so-called super apostles one more time. They claimed that Paulâs suffering disqualified him for apostleship. They are very much like todayâs health-wealth preachers. If you are not familiar with that term, itâs referring to pastors who say âthat suffering is not Godâs will for you.â One thing they believe is that sickness or affliction indicates that you do not have enough faith.
There are a lot of problems with that. The main problem is that itâs not the pattern of Jesusâ own life and ministry.
Verse 5 speaks of the suffering that we share in Christ.
Suffering is a part of the Christian life. And it was especially so for the true apostles. They endured much affliction and persecution because of their ministry. But through their suffering, they brought the comfort of Christ and his salvation to them.
You see, Paul is saying the opposite. Heâs saying something like this âThe reason that I am suffering is because I am sharing in the ministry of Christ. It is actually for your comfort and salvation. My affliction does not disqualify me. No, actually, my suffering is instead a qualification of my apostleship.â
Part of Paulâs message here is a defense of his ministry.
But he also wants them to know the amazing comfort of Christ in their own affliction.
Now, there are lots of ways through which God comforts us in suffering. But the main way is through the comfort we have in Jesus Christ.
Look at verse 5, âFor as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.â
The greatest comfort that we can receive in our affliction comes from sharing the comfort of Christ.
It says we âabundantly shareâ in Christ sufferings and comfort. I think thatâs hard to get our minds around. Afterall, Jesus lived 2000 years ago. How do we share in his sufferings and comfort?
It happens this way⊠when God calls believers to him and gives them faith in Christ, he unites them to him. So, if you believe in the saving grace of God, he does this amazing thing. You are ingrafted into Christ⊠Jesus describes it like a vine being grafted into his root⊠like a branch grafted into a healthy tree.
Jesus said that when we abide in him, he will abide in us. That is what Paul is referring to when he says we share abundantly in Christ. He is ours and we are his. The afflictions that he endured, he endured for us⊠and through those afflictions, we receive the abundance of his comfort.
We have a Savior who endured the suffering and miseries of this life. He shed tears of sadness and was grieved at Jerusalemâs lack of belief. He was tempted in the desert. He was insulted and persecuted. He endured the shame of the cross where he suffered unto death.
And in our union with him, he ministers to us through what he endured⊠and he is therefore able to comfort us through his victory over the persecution and suffering and death.
I like how one commentary I read put it: âThe key experiences of Christ, especially his suffering, death, and resurrection, are the pattern by which Christians can understand their own suffering and final triumph.â
Because we share in his suffering, we share in his great comfort.
Itâs not emphasized here, but part of that comfort comes through knowing that Jesus sympathizes in our weakness and our suffering. You see, because we are united to him by faith, he is present in us. He is with us in our trials. He can therefore can minister his comfort to us. I like to refer to it as Gospel comfort. Sometimes youâll hear me use that phrase âgospel comfortâ when I pray.
We have the Gospel comfort of Christ through what he endured and accomplished for us. Iâm talking about all those things I mentioned earlier. Strength to endure, hope and resolve. Consolation and peace. Heart encouragement. We share all those comforting things through him.
Now, there is more to say about this, especially as we consider Jesusâ resurrection. Weâll get to that next week.
All experience affliction and suffering. But we worship a God who comforts us in our affliction. And he does that through Christ.
3. Share the Comfort of God
So, #1, Worship the God who comforts. #2. Know the comfort of God in Christ.
And number 3, share the comfort of God.
One of Godâs purposes in your suffering, is so that you can comfort others by the comfort youâve been given in in Christ.
That is actually the main emphasis in these 5 verses. Itâs woven throughout. In verse 3, right after it says that God comforts us in all our affliction⊠Paul writes this, âso that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.â And then again in verses 6 and 7, Paul goes right back to comforting others with the comfort that we are given.
Verses 6 and 7 are like an example. Notice he says, âif we.â âif we are afflicted it is for your comfort and salvation.â Heâs talking about himself and Timothy. If they are afflicted, God will use it to comfort the Corinthian church. Verse 7 reinforces that. Next week when we get to verses 8-11, he is going to give a real example â their persecution in Asia.
Here is the point for them and for us. We are called to comfort one another. You and I are to both give and receive the comfort of God. That means relaying the comfort we receive in our affliction. That means directing one another to worship the God of all comfort. It means sharing the comfort of God in Christ. It means blessings each other with the promises of God in his Word. It means being with one another in our suffering⊠and caring for one another through trials. It means praying with and for each other through those difficult times.
Beloved in Christ, look around you in this room. These are your brothers and sisters in Christ. In the pain and suffering that we each share... we also need to share the comfort of God.
You see, one way that God ministers this grace to his people is through his people.
Now, two things come to mind that are necessary:
· First, in order to minister Godâs comfort to one another, we need to intentionally grow in our relationships with one another. Iâm very encouraged by how that is happening here in different ways. But we should continue to strive towards that.
· Second, we need to know when we are each suffering. Someone canât share the comfort of Christ with you without knowing the suffering that you are enduring. You know, sometimes we bottle things up. We donât want people to know. I get it. To be sure, Iâm not saying that everyone needs to know your trials and pain, but I encourage you to reach out to someone. Or reach out to me so that I can connect you with others here who can come alongside of you⊠and comfort you in Christ. In order for us to minister this Gospel comfort to one another, we need to share our burdens with one another.
In summary, part of the comfort we receive in our suffering comes through sharing the comfort we have in Christ.
Conclusion
So, worship the God who comforts. Know the comfort of God in Christ and share the comfort of God.
If you know the grace of God in Christ. If you have faith in the living Lord... then today, in the midst of the burdens you bear, as you feel the pains of this world weighing on you... be reminded in your mind and heart that God is the God of all comfort. Worship him.
Be strengthened and nourished and assured of all that Christ has done for you. Know of the comfort that he gives because you share in his affliction and his comfort. And may we comfort one another in that great eternal comfort.
If you are suffering today but you do not know the great comfort of Christ... come to him with your burdens. Lay your life and your suffering before him and come and worship him⊠for God is merciful as it says in verse 3. He will give you that everlasting comfort, the only true comfort in this life.
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2 Corinthians 1:1-2
Grace and Peace to Corinth and Beyond
We are beginning a new series today - the book of 2 Corinthians. And weâll just be considering the first 2 verses this morning. Chapter 1 verses 1-2 and you can find that on page 1145.
As you will hear, this book is a letter written by the apostle Paul to the church in Corinth.
In his opening greeting, Paul includes that this letter is also from Timothy. Now, that does not mean that Timothy is a co-author. Most of the book is written using the first-person singular, âI.â âŠand throughout, Paul talks about his own travels, his relationships, and his struggles.
Rather, Paul includes Timothy because Timothy was with Paul. And Timothy was very much known by the church in Corinth. Paul is saying that he and Timothy are unified in this letter that he is writing.
Letâs now come to Godâs inspired and inerrant Word.
Reading of 2 Corinthians 1:1-2
Prayer
Over the last century, several books have been written about The Lost Art of Letter Writing.
And as you would imagine, these books lament how people today no longer sit down to write thoughtful and engaging personal letters. Or when we do communicate, we are not sensitive or thoughtful about our words. Salutations and concluding words are sparce. Etc. etc.
You would probably agree with those assessment. And if you think back over the last 100 to 150 years, there have been remarkable changes in communication technologies. Weâve gone from the telegraph, to the telephone, to email, to the cell phone⊠then came instant messenger and texting, and now video calls. As the technology has advanced, it has led to helpful and unhelpful communication habits.
But there is something special about an old-school letter written in pen and on paper. A letter with many personal elements. Life updates and feelings and struggles. Hopes and dreams. A letter that recalls times together and plans for the future. A letter with intentional thoughts about important matters. One that conveys love and care and longings. A letter that you can hold in your hand and read and ponder and read again.
Well, 2 Corinthians has it all. It is a letter of letters. I would say, out of all the New Testament letters, which we call âepistles,â 2 Corinthians is the most personal and engaging. What I mean is that 2 Corinthians contains more details about personal matters and events and relationships than the other letters in the Bible. Now, to be sure, I am not minimizing the other letters. Each is engaging and thoughtful and has a context.
But thereâs something special about 2 Corinthians. In it, the apostle Paul conveys his love and care for the church in Corinth; he works through difficult things that he has gone through; he defends his calling and teaching; and he applies the truths of God in Christ to the situations that they are experiencing. In all of it, Paul encourages them, directs them in truth, and challenges them.
Itâs beautiful.
Are we allowed to have a favorite book of the Bible? I think so. As long as we are not minimizing the relevance and authority of the others. Well, if so, my favorite book is 2 Corinthians.
And my hope is that over the next few months you will likewise come to love 2 Corinthians⊠and you will also be challenged as we apply it to our lives.
So letâs dive in. And this morning, as an introduction to the book, weâll touch upon the city, the situation, and the significance. The city (what do we know about Corinth), the situation (what was happening in the church and what were the reasons Paul wrote this letter), and the significance (what does it say and why does it matter).
1. The City
Alright, Corinth.
Please turn to the back of you bulletin. I thought it would be helpful to include a map. The arrows represent the apostle Paulâs travels on his third missionary journey. Weâre going to come back to that shortly.
But first, notice Corinth. Itâs right there on the southern part of Greece. And actually, the circle there for Corinth should be a little northeast of where itâs positioned on the map. Thatâs because Corinth sat between two inlets. On the east side of Corinth, there was access to the Aegean sea. Ships would travel back and forth between Asia Minor (modern day Turkey) and Greece, going to both Athens and Corinth. And on the west side of Corinth, was access to the Adriatic Sea. Italy is not pictured in this map, but itâs right there off the map west of Greece.
So, Corinth was strategically positioned. It was an access point between the two seas, allowing ships to avoid the often treacherous Mediterranean.
A couple of years ago, Caleb and I were helping at a missions conference on the island of Crete. Some of you were also there. You can see Crete there on the map. Well, on our way back, we took a ferry to Athens. And let me say, it was rough going on the Mediterranean. The winds were very high, and the waves just hammered the ferry the whole trip. It was like a 10-hour trip. We were glad it was a rather large ferry. Even so, it was rocking and shaking. But as soon as we got to the bay with Athens on the east and the ruins of Corinth on the west, it was much calmer. You see, back in the first century, ships were much safer docking near Corinth and sending their cargo across the land to the port on the other side of Corinth.
In fact, back then, Corinth was also a land port. It was the access point to the southern part of Greece.
Iâm telling you all this because Corinth was a strategic city. It was a crossroads. It was the Roman capital of the whole region of Achaia.
Interestingly, the Roman Empire had destroyed Corinth 200 years prior. That happened in the year 146 BC. But 100 years later, in 44BC, Julius Ceasar re-settled the city given its location.
So, in other words, Corinth was a Roman city in Greece⊠and it attracted people from all over â from northern Africa, Asia Minor, Italy, and of course, Greece itself. It attracted Maritimers and merchants and other trades. It attracted the poor because there were jobs and it attracted wealthy.
Added to the cosmopolitan mix was the religious diversity. People brought their idols and beliefs. And on the hill overlooking the city was the temple of Aphrodite. She was the Greek goddess of love and fertility. Some have suggested that temple prostitution was common. That is disputed, but what is clear is Corinthâs sexually promiscuous culture.
Ok, two things are important to understand about Corinth.
· First, when you intermix all of these ideologies and cultures and religions, it is a recipe for tension and conflict and prejudice. In Paulâs letter to the Corinthians, which we call 1 Corinthians, we see that conflict played out in the church. Paul therefore addressed their lack of love for and unity with one another.
· So that was one thing about Corinth â the people did not get along with one another. The second thing about Corinth involved social status. Because the city was relatively young and prosperous, the social structures were still being developed. There was an opportunity to raise your social status and standing. But in order to achieve that, often you had to figuratively climb over other people to gain a higher status. In fact, we will see that explicitly played out in this book, 2 Corinthians. Weâll come back to that in a minute.
So, to summarize, the city of Corinth was a melting pot of culture, religion, and commerce. It was also like the Las Vegas of the Mediterranean⊠with its sexualized and promiscuous culture. A culture that was filled with tension and prejudice and social one-upmanship.
It was a place that desperately needed the Gospel.
2. The Situation
So, thatâs the city. Letâs now talk about the situation.
First, imagine how all of those cultural influences affected the church in Corinth.
The apostle Paul planted about 13 churches on his missionary journeys. Yet, he spends more time supporting the church in Corinth than any other church⊠all because of their sin and issues.
I believe that is true because we have record of multiple letters and visits and the involvement of other church leaders.
Let me highlight some of those things.
As far as letters, yes, we only have two of them preserved. 1 and 2 Corinthians. However, Paul actually wrote at least four letters to them. In 1 Corinthians he refers to an earlier letter. And in 2 Corinthians he refers to yet another letterâ an emotionally painful letter which was written right after an emergency visit to Corinth.
Added to that, Paul invested his two most trusted co-laborers to help in Corinth. Timothy and Titus.
Ok, hereâs a brief synopsis of events that led up to this letter.
· First, Paul with Timothyâs help, planted the church in Corinth in about the year 51AD. That happened on Paulâs second missionary journey. In fact, we read the account from Acts 18 earlier. The church included Jews and Gentiles and it grew rapidly. We also read that Paul stayed for 18 months to help shepherd the growing community.
· But then very soon after Paul left, he heard some discouraging news. Some people associated with the church were caught up in the sexual immorality of the culture. So Paul wrote his first letter to them explicitly about that. As I mentioned earlier, we donât have that initial letter, but Paul alludes to it in 1 Corinthians 5.
· Well, things did not get better, and the church also started to fracture in disunity. So, Paul writes the letter we know as 1 Corinthians. He doesnât just put it in the mail, no, he sends it with Timothy.
· Now, at this point, Paul is on his third missionary journey. Please look back at the map. As I mentioned, this is a map of Paulâs third missionary journey. Paul spent 3 years in Ephesus. Do you see Ephesus on the map there? That is where he wrote 1 Corinthians. Do you also see that purple dashed line? Well, Paul had to make an emergency visit to Corinth. He refers to that painful visit in 2 Corinthians chapter 2. Weâre going to get to those details in a few weeks.
· And then, after that emergency visit, Paul writes a painful letter. He refers to that letter in chapter 2 and chapter 7. But Paul doesnât just write that letter calling them to repentance. No, he sends Titus â his other trusted co-laborer. Titus delivers it with Paulâs hope and prayer that they would seek repentance and renewal in Christ.
So, a founding visit, a letter, another letter, an emergency visit, and another letter. And besides Paul, Timothy and Titus were very involved. All of this is happening before Paul writes 2 Corinthians.
Now, the reason Iâm telling you all of this is because Paul loves this church. He is on his knees praying with tears and he is fully invested in their spiritual wellbeing.
So, again, Paul sent the painful letter with Titus. Meanwhile, he continued on his missionary journey. He goes north to Troas. You can see that on the map. Titus had planned to meet Paul in Troas and give Paul an update. But Titus didnât show up. Of course, Paul was worried. So, he continued on to Macedonia hoping Titus would meet him there. And thankfully Titus showed up.
And Titus brought good news. Titus shared that the church in Corinth repented and that they longed to see Paul again. This was great news to Paul.
And it is at that moment that Paul wrote 2 Corinthians.
We know all this from 2 Corinthians chapter 7. Let me quote a few words from that chapter. âBut God... comforted us by the coming of Titus, ...he told us of your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced still more. For even if I made you grieve with my letter, I do not regret it... because you were grieved into repenting."
Great news and encouraging words.
There are two reasons that Paul wrote 2 Corinthians.
· First, he was very glad. He wanted to encourage them to continue in their spiritual maturity.
· Second, there was a matter that Titus brought to Paulâs attention. And this goes back to Corinthâs cultural problems around social status. You see, there was a group trying to infiltrate the church. Paul sarcastically calls them âsuper apostles.â Basically, they were trying to position themselves as superior to Paul. They critiqued Paulâs theology and they sought to undermine his apostleship.
We donât learn about these so-called âsuper apostlesâ until later in the book. But in every chapter, we get the sense that Paul is countering their false claims and false Gospel.
So, that is the situation. The church in Corinth had been heading in the wrong direction. Thay had been infected by the culture. But the Holy Spirit used Paul and Timothy and Titus to call them back to being a faithful witness. And in 2 Corinthians, Paul encourages them in their renewed faith and he exhorts them to stay away from these false teachers.
#3 The Significance
Now, I know what some of you are thinking right now, âYou are putting me to sleep! How am I supposed to keep that all straight and why does it matter?â
We are now shifting to âThe Significance.â
To answer the first question, âhow to I keep it all straight?â as we work through 2 Corinthians verse by verse and chapter by chapter, we are going to come back to the situation at hand. My goal this morning was simply to give an overview.
To answer the second qurstion, âwhy does it matter.â It matters because in order to bring to bear the Scriptures to our situation, we need to first know the original situation⊠we need to understand why Paul writes what he writes, and what his words meant to them. Itâs then that we can apply this Word to us.
Let me illustrate this by going back to verses 1.
Here are Paulâs opening words. âPaul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of GodâŠâ
Itâs easy to skip over that, right. But consider what was happening in Corinth with the false apostles.
Paul is saying in his opening words, âGod is the one who established the role he has given me. I, Paul, am a witness of Jesus himself. What I write to you, I write as a true apostle. Receive this letter as such and do not listen to or believe the false apostles. They are trying to dissuade you from the truth.â
Friends, this word is Godâs Word. All of Scripture is. And itâs given to us through Godâs ordained apostles. We are to hear it and heed it. That means we are to filter any and all spiritual teaching through this truth.
You see, it would be easy to miss this important point if we didnât consider what was going on in Corinth.
And let me say, this book, 2 Corinthians, is gold. It gets to the heart of salvation. Over and over, 2 Corinthians speaks of the reconciliation that we have with God through Christ. That ministry of reconciliation come through Jesusâ death for us and the new life we have in his resurrection.
And 2 Corinthians applies that Gospel truth to Godâs covenant promises, it applies it to our suffering and our weakness and our resources, and the way we live our lives. Thatâs what makes this book my favorite.
2 Corinthians is the height of the beauty of Godâs grace put into words.
Rather than just tell you that, let me highlight some of the more well-known verses.
And by the way, these verses are going to be a part of our Scripture memory as a church this year.
· 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 âBlessed 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 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.â Deeply encouraging words.
· Hereâs another great one. 2 Corinthians 1:20 âFor all the promises of God find their Yes in him.â âŠin Jesus
· And how about chapter 2 verse 15 ââŠwe are the aroma of Christ⊠among those who are being saved and among those who are perishingâ
· Another one of my favorites is 2 Corinthians 4:6 â âFor God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.â
· Listen to chapter 4 verses 17-18 These are the most encouraging words in the trials we face. âFor this light momentary affliction is preparing for us 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, but the things that are unseen are eternal.â
· Moving to chapter 5. Verse 21 is perhaps the clearest articulation of the Gospel in the entire Bible. Listen to it âFor our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.â
· 2 Corinthians 8:9 You hear me pray this often before our offering. âFor you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.â That whole chapter is about Godâs grace in giving. But that verse is not about earthly riches. No it is about the riches we receive in Christ Jesus, who became poor by becoming a man.
· Ok, two more. Listen to 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 âFor the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.â
· And hereâs one last one, 2 Corinthians 12:9 This is Paul speaking about his âthorn in his flesh.â He writes âBut [the Lord] said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.â
You see, blessings upon blessings upon blessing in 2 Corinthians. And each one of those beautiful statements is founded on the grace of God in Christ. We have a lot to look forward to.
And I want to ask you to do something this week. I want you to read 2 Corinthians.
Let me leave you with the words of verse 2. And I want you to know, these are very common words from the apostle Paul. He uses in them in almost evert salutation in his letters. But they are not clichĂ©â. No, he means these from the bottom of his heart.
He writes: âGrace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.â
As we study 2 Corinthians together, may God grant to us a deepening of his grace in our lives. And may we be renewed in the peace which God the Father gives through His Son, our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen
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Join us on Christmas Eve for traditional lessons and carols.
- Näytä enemmän
