Do you want a drink?
Good morning everyone, nice to see you.
! Please turn in your Bibles to 2 Corinthians.
To help us in our studies, this new series, there's a little booklet, 2 Corinthians, and
the big theme is, weakness is our strength.
We tend to think that weakness is our weakness.
Weakness is our strength.
So please do take your copy of that, it will help you know some of the themes and some
of the big ideas as we go along.
We're going to read this morning our text, which is chapter 1, verse 3, down to verse 11.
2 Corinthians, chapter 1, verse 3 to verse 11.
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the
God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in
any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.
For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.
If we are distressed.
If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation.
If we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer.
And our hope for you is firm.
Because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.
We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia.
We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself.
Indeed, we felt we had received a sentence of death.
But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves, but on God, who raises the dead.
He has delivered us from such deadly peril, and he will deliver us again.
On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers.
Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favour granted us in answer to the prayers of many.
Well, this ancient letter written by Paul to a church in Corinth is also a word for us today.
So we're going to pray and ask for God's help, and we'll look at it together.
Father, thank you for the privilege of gathering together today to hear your word, your wisdom, your truth.
Father, thank you for the privilege of having us.
That we are.
And that we will learn much together.
And that we will be blessed as a church family.
So be our teacher through me as I speak.
And bring glory to your name.
Amen.
Well, Corinth was the church of big dreams and great hopes.
It was the kind of church you just might want to go to.
Their speakers were very impressive.
Their ministries were attractive.
They prized success and they praised the influential.
It was a church of the movers and shakers.
No room for weak and fragile people.
Corinth was the church of no troubles.
Sounds great, doesn't it?
We might even secretly want to be part of a church like that.
Could you imagine a church of no troubles?
However, there's something they've forgotten.
The Christian life and Christian service is full of troubles.
But don't panic.
Don't run out the door.
Because what we'll discover is God uses our troubles to achieve good purposes in our lives.
And in the lives of others.
So as we look at the text together.
Let's see first that our troubles will be many.
Look at verse 4.
The God of all comfort who comforts us in all our troubles.
So that we can comfort those in any trouble.
17 times if you were to count.
There is a reference in this text to our troubles.
Sometimes it's described as suffering.
Distress.
Pressure.
Despair.
Death.
Deadly peril.
It's telling us that our troubles will come to each one of us.
In all kinds of shapes and sizes.
It could be a physical illness.
It could be a broken relationship.
Or family opposition.
It might be worries for your children.
Or fears about the future.
But whatever our trouble.
We can't hide from them.
And we can't avoid them.
In fact.
Look at verse 8.
We are to face their reality.
Verse 8.
We do not want you to be uninformed brothers and sisters.
About the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia.
I want you to know about them.
Let's talk about them.
Let's share about them.
Now for many of you.
This is deeply personal.
It's not that you anticipate sufferings to come.
But you are in the depths of trouble.
The depths of trouble right now.
Some of you I know are living with affliction.
There are thorns in your life.
That have not yet been removed.
And it's painful.
Our troubles are many.
The second thing we want to learn is.
Our troubles are not wasted.
Most of the time we can't see any good in our troubles.
We complain and we give off.
There's something to pray away as quickly as possible.
Lord remove this suffering.
End this distress.
Stop the pressure.
Just take it away.
Yet so often.
The troubles remain.
And that raises all kinds of questions for us.
Doesn't it?
Not least.
Why does God allow all these troubles?
Well that's a big question.
And I'm happy to try and explore it with you afterwards.
Our text doesn't give a direct answer to that question.
But it does give us purposes.
That the reason why.
We go through these troubles.
Is God has a purpose.
And here it is.
In the hands of God.
Our troubles produce good.
In others.
Growth in us.
And glory.
To God.
In other words.
With God.
Our troubles are never.
Wasted.
In the hands of God.
Our troubles produce.
Good in others.
Growth in us.
And glory to God.
God has good purposes.
In them.
And through them.
So let's look.
At some of the purposes.
Of God's.
Allowing troubles.
In our life.
Here's the first.
Our troubles lead us.
To experience.
The comfort of God.
First we experience.
Comfort.
Verse three.
Praise be to the God.
And father.
Of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The father.
Of compassion.
And the God.
Of all.
All.
Comfort.
Who comforts us.
In.
All.
Our troubles.
God is not immune.
To our sufferings.
He cares for us.
He cares for you.
God might not always.
Remove the trouble.
But we are guaranteed.
And assured.
He comforts us.
In.
Our trouble.
He brings peace.
In the storm.
Light.
In the darkness.
Joy.
In the hurts.
And hopes.
In the fears.
God.
Our comforter.
Is our.
Rock.
And our refuge.
And our redeemer.
If you're.
Facing.
Trouble today.
If you're.
In that moment.
Right now.
Let me.
Reassure you.
That God.
Is your.
Comfort.
Listen.
To these words.
From Isaiah.
49.
Verse 13.
Shout.
For joy.
You heavens.
Rejoice.
You earth.
Burst into song.
You mountains.
Why?
For the Lord.
Comforts.
His people.
And will have compassion.
On his afflicted ones.
God.
Our father.
Is our comforter.
He sees our hopelessness.
And our helplessness.
and he comforts.
But we also comfort each other, don't we?
Verse 4.
Or let's pick it up at the end of verse 3.
The God of all comfort
who comforts us in all of our troubles
so that we can comfort those in any trouble
with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.
That's the purpose of our troubles.
The comforted now become comforters.
We've experienced compassion
so that we can be compassionate to others.
We receive the comfort of God
so that we can comfort one another,
our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Now this helps us to see our troubles
from God's perspective,
with God's eyes.
So we experience trouble
for the comfort of others.
Look at verse 5.
For just as we share abundantly
in the sufferings of Christ,
so also our comfort abounds through Christ.
You see, Christ's death on the cross
was not empty or meaningless.
There was a purpose, wasn't there,
for Christ's sufferings.
A purpose for taking on our sin on himself
and bearing the judgment of God.
The purpose of Christ dying on the cross
was to bring us comfort.
Through the sufferings of Christ,
we receive forgiveness of sins,
peace with God,
the assurance of eternal life.
The purpose of Christ's sufferings
leads directly to our comfort.
So, verse 5,
just as we share abundantly
in the sufferings of Christ,
just as we follow him and suffer,
so also our comfort abounds through Christ.
In other words,
whatever the trouble is,
it will be matched by comfort.
In fact, the greater the trouble,
the greater the comfort of God.
We're given an example in verse 6.
If we are distressed,
it is for your comfort and salvation.
If we are comforted,
it is for your comfort.
Now, we get the second part of that,
don't we?
If I'm comforted,
well, I can comfort you,
and vice versa.
We get that.
But look how it starts.
If we are distressed,
it's for your comfort.
If I go through a trouble,
or a hardship,
or a distress,
there's a purpose for it.
It's so that I can comfort others
when they go through their suffering.
In fact,
as comforters of one another,
look what we do for one another.
Do you see what it says in verse 6?
It is for your comfort and salvation.
The comfort we receive
produces in you
patient endurance
of the same sufferings we suffer.
Do you realize how beneficial
your comfort is to one another?
brother,
your comfort,
your comfort
to another brother and sister,
not only comforts them,
it leads and guarantees
their full and final salvation.
it leads to their patient endurance
in their troubles.
troubles.
Because let's face it,
when we go through a trouble,
what do we do?
We want to give up.
I can't go through this anymore.
But someone coming alongside,
comforting you,
will help you
to keep looking to Christ
so that they don't fall away.
And the comfort will ensure
that you will patiently endure
and keep walking by faith
step by step
until you receive
and enjoy God's salvation
in all its fullness.
So what will this comfort look like?
How do we comfort one another
with the comfort of God?
Well, let me suggest three things.
They're not on the overhead,
but here they are.
Three Ps.
Here we go.
First, presence.
What we need
is the presence
of a brother or sister in Christ.
Have a look at chapter 7,
verse 5.
If we are going to bring
the comfort of God
to one another,
here's how.
Chapter 7, verse 5.
Paul is reminding them.
He says,
When we came into Macedonia,
we had no rest,
but we were harassed
at every turn.
Conflicts on the outside,
fears within.
Now that's trouble, right?
Conflicts on the outside,
fears within.
But God,
who comforts the downcast,
comforted us.
How?
By the coming of Titus.
Thank you, God,
for bringing Titus
to comfort us.
You see,
knowing that we are not alone,
that some brother or sister
can listen
and sit with us.
Not send an emoji,
but sit with us.
That someone cares.
That someone matters.
So first,
the presence
of being with someone.
Second,
as we are present with them,
we bring the promises of God.
Look at chapter 4,
verse 16.
We comfort one another
by reminding one another
of God's amazing promises.
So in the midst of our suffering
and trouble,
verse 16,
therefore we do not lose heart.
Though outwardly
we are wasting away,
physically we may be getting old
and things are going wrong.
But yet inwardly,
we are being renewed
day by day.
God is doing a work
in our life.
So we can say,
verse 17,
that our light
and momentary troubles
are achieving for us
an eternal glory
that far outweighs them all.
Our troubles
may feel weighty
and heavy
and burdensome
right now,
but in the line
of eternity,
they're just a speck,
a blink of an eye.
And they are
achieving for us.
God is working
in them
and through them
to bring us
to eternal glory.
what a wonderful promise
to bring
to one another.
Not only as we're present
do we bring the promises
of his word,
but we pray
for each other.
We comfort
each other
as we pray
for God's grace
and help.
Go back to chapter 1,
the end of verse 10.
Paul says,
on Christ
we have set
our hope
that he will
continue to deliver us
as you
help us
by your
prayers.
The significance
and the importance
of physically
being with
somebody,
speaking the words
of God's promise
and praying
for them
that they would
experience
and know
the grace
and help
of God.
You see,
our troubles
in the hands
of God
are never wasted.
Picture
a waterfall,
Niagara Falls
if you like,
and at the base
is this huge
deep pool
and flowing
from it,
overflowing,
it goes into
a series
of other pools
and rivers.
Well,
the comfort
of God
is like this
enormous waterfall
flowing down,
filling us
with comfort
through Christ
so that we
in turn
can fill
each other
with the comfort
of God.
Our troubles
lead us
to experience
God's comfort.
second,
our troubles
lead us
to trust
the deliverance
of God.
Let's go
to verse
eight.
We do not
want you
to be
uninformed,
brothers and
sisters,
about the
troubles
we experienced
in the province
of Asia.
We were
under
great
pressure,
far beyond
our ability
to endure
so that we
despaired
of life
itself.
Now,
I know
that some
of you
have faced
days like
that,
days of
great
darkness.
The weight
of suffering
is so much
it's overwhelming
and we
just long
for life
to be
over.
Have you
ever felt
like that?
We cry
out,
God,
make it
stop.
Well,
in God's
mysterious
ways,
he uses
those very
troubles
to grow
our trust.
look at
verse 9.
Indeed,
we felt
we had
received
the
sentence
of death.
But this
happened
that we
might not
rely on
ourselves,
but on
God who
raises
the dead.
There's
the purpose
for our
troubles,
so that we
would not
trust
in our
own
ability,
but in
our
utter
weakness,
trust the
one who
can
raise
the
dead.
You see,
when you
and I
are overwhelmed
by life,
when we
have no
strength
left,
when we
are in
despair
of life
itself,
who are
we going
to trust?
Am I
going to
put my
hope in
the weak,
despairing,
broken
Johnny
Grant?
am I
going to
depend on
myself and
say,
come on
Johnny,
do better,
pull yourself
up?
Or am I
going to
rest and
fall into
the arms of
God who
has the
power to
raise the
dead?
You see,
the purpose
of our
troubles is
to tear
us from
self-trust
to trust
in God.
You know
what Velcro
is like?
You know
that ripping
sound as
you pull
it apart?
Our
troubles pull
us from
trust in
self to
stick,
to be
glued to
God.
And
so we
experience
trouble,
we rely
on God
and we
are
assured
of
deliverance.
Paul and
his
co-workers
had
experienced
life-threatening
trouble,
but he
was confident
that God
would see
him through,
verse 10.
he could
declare
very clearly
he has
delivered us
from such
a deadly
peril
and he
will
deliver us
again.
He has
seen us
through in
the past,
he's going
to help
us in
the future,
therefore,
look at the
rest of
verse 10,
on him
we have
set our
hope that
he will
continue
to deliver
us.
But how
do I
know?
How can
you be
sure
that whatever
trouble we
go through
God is
going to
deliver us?
What if
the troubles
are so
great?
What if
they are so
overwhelming
and I can't
even pray?
Will God
deliver me
then?
Yes
and a
thousand
times
yes.
And here's
how.
Remember
the time
we live
in.
We live
in a
time after
the first
coming of
Christ
and we
live at a
time before
the return
of Christ.
Christ has
come and
Christ will
come and
we're somewhere
along that
line.
Now look at
the next,
look at the
text in
verse 10.
he has
delivered us
from such
deadly peril.
Through
the death
of Christ
he has
delivered us
from the
greatest of
all deadly
perils.
Christ
delivered us
from judgment
and hell
as he died
on the cross
and he's
freed us
from an
eternal
suffering.
And
verse 10
he will
deliver us
again.
Christ has
promised to
come in
the future.
We don't
know when
but when
he does
he will
deliver us
from this
broken world
so that we
will enjoy
life in
his eternal
kingdom.
Think of
it this
way.
What's the
worst thing
our troubles
could ever
do to us?
well it's
that we
could die.
In fact
we all
will die.
All our
troubles that
we live
through in
this life
one day
the trouble
will come
that will
lead us
to the
grave.
But just
as Christ
was raised
so we
who are
in Christ
will also
be raised.
You see
Christ
entered into
the deadliest
trouble for us
a trouble
so great
that saw
him die
forsaken
by the
father
and as
Christ
was raised
from the
dead
he is
with us
now forever
by his
holy spirit
therefore
he will
bring us
through all
our troubles
even death
itself.
Christ
has dealt
with the
past
Christ
has secured
our future
death.
Therefore
we live
with the
sure
and certain
hope
today.
Look at
the end
of verse
10.
With
confidence
we now
can say
on him
on Christ
we have
set our
hope
that he
will continue
to deliver
us.
Whatever
trouble we
may face
remember
he has
defeated
sin and
death
and
therefore
he will
deliver us
in all
our troubles
even death
itself.
So
third
and this
sums up
all that
we've been
looking at
our
troubles
lead us
to praise
the grace
of God.
You see
the troubles
we face
in this
life
are never
easy.
We
experience
distress
and
discomfort.
We
experience
suffering
and
struggles
but not
one of
them are
meaningless.
Our
sufferings
are not
wasted.
In the
hands of
God
they bring
good to
others
as we
give
comfort.
They
bring
growth
to us
as we
trust
in God's
deliverance.
But
ultimately
our
troubles
bring
glory
to
God.
They
cause
us
to
praise
his
grace.
Look at
how the
text starts
in verse
three.
Praise
be to
God and
Father of
our
Lord Jesus
Christ
the
Father of
compassion
and the
God of
all
comfort
who
comforts
us in
all our
troubles.
Our
troubles
cause us
to
praise God
to
praise
God
for
his
comfort
in
our
life
and
in
the
life
of
others.
But
not
just
that.
Look
again
at
verse
nine.
We
felt
we
had
received
a
sentence
of
death
but
this
happened
that
we
might
not
rely
on
ourselves
but
on
God
who
raises
the
dead.
verse
11
then
many
will
give
thanks
on
our
behalf
for
the
gracious
favour
granted
us
in
answer
to
the
prayers
of
many.
Our
troubles
cause
us
to be
comforted
and
to
rest
in
God
which
will
result
in
the
praise
and
giving
thanks
of
others
to
God.
Who
thought
that
we
would
ever
praise
God
and
thank
God
for
troubles.
You
see
without
God
our
troubles
are
meaningless.
We
suffer
and the
world
says
suck
it
up.
That's
life.
Get
on
with
it.
What
a
hopeless
way
to
live.
It's
utterly
empty.
But
with
God
our
troubles
are
not
wasted.
There
are
good
purposes
as
we
go
through
life
in
all
its
struggles.
We
will
experience
God's
comfort
and
compassion
day
after
day
like
a
waterfall
overflowing.
We
will
be
filled
with
compassion
and
comfort.
But
get
this.
A
day
is
going
to
come
when
God
will
say
to
us
today
your
troubles
are
over
love
because
today
you
will
be
with
me.
I
will
raise
you
up
and
deliver
you
from
this
broken
world
and
you
will
share
eternal
glory
with
me.
and all the hurts will be gone
and all the tears will be gone
and we will enjoy the comfort and deliverance of God
in all its fullness forever.
So all the praise
and all the glory
to him
for his gracious favour
to people like us.
Praise God.
Let's pray.
Father, we recognise
that we are dealing
and talking about something
that's very real,
very difficult
and very personal.
We pray for anyone here today
who is struggling.
Father, fill them with your comfort.
Fill them with your peace.
Reassure them that they are loved by you
and cared for by you.
Remind them
that their life are in your hands
and just as you have been with them in the past,
you will be with them in the future
and nothing will ever separate them from your love.
Not any trouble.
Not even death itself.
Father,
Father, would you fill us with your comfort and compassion afresh
so that we may be those who are comforters of others.
give us your Holy Spirit
that we may be present with people
filling them with the promises of God
and praying for them in their hurts
that they may know your grace and help.
thank you for one another.
Thank you for this church.
Thank you for the comfort and help
that we receive from one another.
To you, we give all the glory
and all the praise
for the works that you are doing in us and through us.
keep us faithful
keep us trusting you.
Amen.