Well, good morning. I'd like to welcome you here to worship this morning. My name's Jeff. I'm one of the pastors here at Church of the Advent.
And if this is your first time worshiping with us this morning, you've picked a good Sunday to come.
Later in the service, we're going to be celebrating some baptisms, which is going to be great.
And this morning, we are also beginning a new sermon series, which I'm excited about.
This morning, we are starting a series in the book of 2 Corinthians.
And we thought that 2 Corinthians would be a good book to study together right now in the life of our church,
because the central theme of 2 Corinthians is God's power and our weakness.
That's the title of the sermon series this spring that we're going to be going through, Power and Weakness.
Two years ago, almost coming up on two years ago, that the world changed completely as we know it.
And I don't know about you, but the past two years have given me lots of opportunities to confront my own weaknesses and my own limitations.
I felt my weakness and my lack of control over my circumstances and just life in general.
I have felt my weaknesses in facing the limitations of my own body and my mortality.
I felt my weaknesses in facing my own insecurities and fears time and again.
And I'm sure if we had time this morning, I'm sure we could share all kinds of examples about ways in the past couple years that we've been forced to confront our weaknesses and our limitations.
And I don't know about you, but I think when it comes to thinking about experiencing the power of God, the presence of God in my life,
my weaknesses aren't normally at the top of my list for like how to do that.
I would say that probably my weaknesses are more of an obstacle or more of a hurdle to experiencing the power of God at work in my life.
But one of the main things that we see when we study the second Corinthians, this letter from Paul,
is that instead of being obstacles or hurdles to God's power in our life and to God's work in the world,
we actually see that very often our weaknesses are the very vehicle that God chooses to use.
We see the apostle Paul come back to this again and again in second Corinthians,
perhaps the clearest and most memorable instance of this is in chapter 12, verses 8 and 9,
when he asked the Lord to take away the thorn in his flesh.
And he says,
Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me.
But 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 that the power of Christ may rest on me.
God's power and our weakness.
That's what the book of second Corinthians is about.
And that's really what the Christian life is about.
And so to kind of orient us to our study of second Corinthians,
I just want to give us two main pieces of background information.
Kind of two mental hooks, if you will, that are necessary to frame our study of this book.
And the first is this.
Reading second Corinthians is pretty complex.
Because reading this letter is sort of like reading a pastor's email inbox.
As you begin to read this letter,
where you suddenly realize that you're in the middle of this ongoing correspondence
between Paul and this church that has been taking place over multiple years.
And so you suddenly realize that you're in the middle of this, you know,
several years long communication, and you kind of have to put together the pieces.
So back in Acts chapter 18, Paul, in his second missionary journey,
he comes to Corinth and he preaches the gospel.
And people come to faith and he plants the first church there in Corinth.
And Acts 18 tells us that he stays there for about one and a half years.
But then he moves on to Ephesus.
And when he moves on to Ephesus,
he hears a report about the church in Corinth that there was some conflict going on.
That some in the church were rejecting his teaching and challenging his authority.
And so in response, he sends Timothy back to Corinth to address some of these problems.
And that's when he writes the book of 1 Corinthians.
That's where we get 1 Corinthians.
And what we find out is that in between writing 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians,
it appears that the situation didn't get better.
In fact, it got worse.
And so when Paul heard about this, he decides to change his travel plans
and to make an emergency visit back to Corinth.
But this visit for Paul ended up being a very painful visit.
Evidently, he was publicly attacked.
He was humiliated by some in the church.
And so rather than defend himself in the middle of being publicly attacked,
he decides to actually just embrace the humiliation and to leave,
not wishing to cause further pain.
So he leaves and returns back to Ephesus.
And afterwards, he writes another letter.
It's a letter that he describes in 2 Corinthians 2 as a letter that he writes out of much affliction,
anguish, and tears.
Scholars normally refer to this letter as the sorrowful letter or the severe letter.
Paul references this letter multiple times throughout the book of 2 Corinthians.
And from what we can gather, it seems that overall the church responded well to this letter.
Many had a change of heart, but there was still a minority who remained resistant.
And so to summarize, we have Paul's initial founding of the church in Acts 18.
We have conflict.
We have correspondence in response to this conflict, which includes the 1 Corinthians letter.
We have Paul's painful visit.
And then in response to that visit, we have more correspondence, which involves 2 Corinthians.
And so this is kind of the backdrop.
This is kind of the backdrop to what's going on in Paul's email inbox.
And this is important to understand some of Paul's main goals, his main purposes in writing this letter.
And so this is the second kind of mental hook I want to give us as we think about 2 Corinthians.
And it's that broadly speaking, broadly speaking, Paul has 4 main goals in this letter.
And this covers 3 main sections of this letter.
So in chapters 1 through 7, in chapters 1 through 7, Paul seeks to restore his relationship with the church
to kind of do some relational repair and restoration and to defend the authenticity of his ministry.
So he's going to affirm his love for them and his commitment to them.
He's also going to answer some of those who challenge his authority.
And then in chapter 8 and 9, he transitions to encouraging their partnership in the gospel through generosity.
And so he's going to remind them of a previous commitment they had to give generously to other churches who are in need.
That's chapters 8 and 9.
And then in chapters 10 through 13, he's going to conclude his letter by addressing and challenging the minority in the church who are still resistant.
So he's going to lovingly confront those who still need to repent.
And so that's kind of an overview.
That's a bird's eye view of the flow of the book of 2 Corinthians.
And so with that background in mind, with those kind of mental hooks in mind,
let's turn our attention to chapter 1 as Paul begins his letter.
In chapter 1, we see a couple of things.
We see the central theme of God's power in our weakness.
And we see kind of two of his main goals start to come out.
We see him seek to restore his relationship with the church and to defend his ministry.
And Paul does this primarily by talking about suffering.
He does it by talking about suffering.
The first half of chapter 1 that Brianna read earlier shows us that one of the primary ways that we experience God's power in our weakness is through suffering.
All of us eventually face suffering in this life.
It's an inevitable part of being a human being.
And when we face suffering, all of us go looking for comfort.
We all go looking for comfort in all kinds of places.
Some more healthier than others.
And Paul shows us here in 2 Corinthians 1 that our greatest comfort,
he shows us the greatest comfort that we can find in our suffering.
And he also shows us the greatest comfort that we can offer others in their suffering.
So that's what we're going to look at this morning.
We're going to look at the comfort that we receive from God and the comfort that we share with others.
The comfort we receive from God and the comfort that we share with others.
So first, the comfort that we receive from God.
Paul begins the body of his letter in verse 3.
And he says,
Blessed be the God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort,
who comforts us in all our affliction.
Paul begins his letter by praising God for something that we see all throughout Scripture,
starting in the Old Testament, that God is a God of comfort,
that he comforts people in their suffering.
Isaiah 51 says,
For the Lord comforts Zion.
He makes her wilderness like Eden, her desert like the garden of the Lord.
Famous Psalm, Psalm 23, about the Lord being our shepherd.
It says,
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me.
Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
And this is different from the pantheon of Greek and Roman gods
that those in Corinth would have been familiar with,
who are more or less aloof to human pain and suffering.
The first century Stoic philosopher, Pliny the Elder,
said the idea that a supreme being pays heed to human affairs
is a ridiculous notion.
The idea that a God up there would pay attention to human suffering is ridiculous.
But the God of the Bible has revealed himself as someone who is just the opposite.
He hears the cries of his people.
He is intimately acquainted with their suffering.
God is a good father.
He is a good shepherd who comforts his people.
And the word that Paul uses for comfort here in this chapter
shows us that the comfort that God provides
isn't simply just to put us at ease or to make us feel better,
but it's a comfort that encourages us
and strengthens us in the midst of our suffering.
The 2 Corinthians scholar David Garland says this.
He says,
The comfort that Paul has in mind
is not some tranquilizing dose of grace that only dulls the pain,
but a stiffening agent that fortifies one in heart, mind, and soul.
God's comfort strengthens weak knees
and sustains sagging spirits
so that one faces the troubles of life
with unbending resolve and unending assurance.
If you're here this morning
and you feel like you have weak knees,
if you feel like you have a sagging spirit,
the comfort of God is available to you.
The comfort of God is available to you
to strengthen you and to encourage you.
Paul also points out in verse 4
that God comforts us in all our affliction,
in all our affliction.
There is no suffering too big or too small
for the God of all comfort.
Whether your suffering comes from your circumstances
or from a relationship
or from your own mind and body,
God's comfort is available for all of it.
Whatever it is,
He sees,
He knows,
He cares,
He loves you,
He's with you.
So how does,
how does the comfort of God
flow into our lives?
How do we experience God's comfort?
Paul tells us in verse 5,
as he continues,
he says in verse 5,
for as we share abundantly
in Christ's sufferings,
so through Christ
we share abundantly in comfort too.
What does it mean to share
in Christ's sufferings?
This is kind of an interesting phrase.
What does it mean to share
in Christ's sufferings?
Does it mean that
somehow we contribute
to Christ's sacrifice
on the cross for our sins?
Know that the rest of the Bible
is clear on that,
that Christ suffered
once and for all for sin,
that His work on the cross
is finished and complete.
Does it mean that
Christ somehow
continues to suffer
in His resurrected body,
in His glory,
in His ascension?
I don't think we can say that either.
Christ conquered suffering and death
in His resurrection.
So what does it mean?
It means that for believers in Christ,
all suffering
is a way to experience
communion with God
because God Himself
has suffered.
This is an important
aspect of our
union with Christ.
In a little bit,
we're going to celebrate baptism.
And baptism is all about
union with Christ,
that by faith,
we're united to Jesus
in His life,
in His death,
in His resurrection,
such that all that is His
becomes ours.
We see this language
of union with Christ
all over the New Testament.
You were,
you died,
you were buried,
you were raised,
you're hidden with Him,
you're seeded with Him,
you have His righteousness,
you have His inheritance.
Union with Christ
means sharing in the
privileges and benefits
and status of Jesus.
And it also means
that we share
in His suffering.
In another place
in Romans chapter 8,
Paul says this,
that the Spirit Himself
bears witness
with our spirit
that we are fellow heirs
with Christ.
That's union with Christ's language.
But then he says this,
provided we suffer with Him
in order that we may
also be glorified with Him.
Union with Christ
means both glory
and suffering.
And this is important
as we think back
to what we said earlier
about the background
of what's going on
in the 2 Corinthians church,
about the conflict
that's taking place,
that there were some people
who sought to discredit
Paul's authority
in his teaching
by pointing to all the trials
and difficulties
that he faced,
like being put on trial,
being put in prison,
being persecuted,
all the suffering
that he faced.
They said that,
he said,
well, that invalidates
Paul's ministry.
That discredits
his ministry.
How could an apostle
from God
experience what looks
like weakness,
what looks like failure?
And so to answer
these critics,
he actually says,
no, it's just
the complete opposite.
He says that his suffering
authenticates his ministry.
His suffering validates
his ministry
because it confirms
his closeness with Jesus.
And this is something
that he comes back to
again and again
throughout the letter.
What's true
of the apostle Paul
is true of all Christians,
that anyone who seeks
to follow Jesus
will suffer.
As we follow
in his footsteps,
just as Christ's
sufferings brought
healing and redemption
to the world,
as we follow him
and continue his life
in his ministry
by the power of the Spirit,
his sufferings
will flow into our lives.
But the good news,
Paul says here
in 2 Corinthians 1,
that as we share
in his sufferings,
we also share
in his comfort.
The great comfort
that we have
in Jesus
is this,
that all suffering,
whether big or small,
is an opportunity
for deeper intimacy,
for deeper communion
with Christ.
This is because
he knows firsthand
what it's like
to go through it.
Isaiah 53 says
that he was despised
and rejected by men,
that he was a man
of sorrows
and acquainted
with grief.
For a Christian,
all suffering
is fellowship
with a man of sorrows.
All suffering
is fellowship
with the one
who was acquainted
with grief.
Have you ever
experienced
physical pain?
So has Jesus.
Have you ever
experienced
deep agony
in your soul?
So has Jesus.
Have you ever
been wounded
by other people?
So has Jesus.
Have you ever
experienced injustice?
Have you ever
been betrayed?
Have you ever
been lonely?
So has Jesus.
Have you ever
been overwhelmed
with sadness
and grief?
So is Jesus.
All suffering
is fellowship
with a man
of sorrows.
John Lennox,
who's a professor
of mathematics
at the University
of Oxford,
tells the story
of when he was
traveling in
Eastern Europe
and one time
he decided
to do some
sightseeing
and visit
an old synagogue.
He joined
a tour
of the synagogue
with some
other visitors
there and
he struck
up a conversation
with a woman
who said
that she was
there to
find out
more about
her family
who had
lived in
Eastern Europe
during World War II
and during
the Holocaust.
And eventually
the tour
came to
the place
in the synagogue
that had
pictures
from World War II
and from the
Holocaust
and one
of the
pictures
of the
main gate
one of the
pictures
was of the
main gate
of the
concentration
camp
in Auschwitz.
And John
says that his
new friend
pointed to the
gate
and said
and what
does your
religion make
of this?
And Lennox
said at first
that he was
speechless.
What was he
to say?
What could
he say?
What do you
say in that
moment
when you're
asked a
question like
that?
But he
says still
she stood
in the
doorway
patiently
waiting
for an
answer.
And this
is what he
eventually
said.
He said
I would
not insult
the memory
of your
parents
by offering
simplistic
answers
to your
question.
I have
no easy
answers.
But what
I do have
for me at
least is a
doorway into
an answer.
She said
well what
is it?
And Lennox
responded
well you know
that I'm a
Christian which
means that I
believe that
Jesus is the
Messiah.
I also
believe that he
was God
incarnate come
into our
world as a
savior.
Now I know
that you don't
agree with me
on this but
think about this
question.
If Jesus
really was
God what
was God
doing on
a cross?
If Jesus
really was
God what
was God
doing on
a cross?
And the
woman was
silent.
She stood
there motionless.
And after
a moment
with tears
in her
eyes she
said quietly
but audibly
why has
no one ever
told me this
about the
Messiah before?
The cross
of Jesus
shows us
something really
important even
though this
side of heaven
suffering often
remains a
great mystery
to us.
We may never
get an answer
to why God
doesn't stop
this or that
from happening.
but in the
cross we can
still find
great comfort
in knowing
what the
answer is
not.
It's not
because God
is angry
with us
for sin.
Look at the
cross.
The cross
is the
objective
evidence that
all of God's
anger and
wrath for sin
has been
poured out
on Jesus
and there's
none left
for you and
I.
It's not
because God
has abandoned
us.
Look at the
cross.
on the
cross Jesus
was forsaken
by the
father so
that you
and I
can know
that we
would never
be forsaken.
It's not
because God
doesn't love
us.
Look at the
cross.
The cross
is the
objective
evidence.
It's the
greatest
demonstration
of God's
love for
us.
And it's
not because
suffering will
one day win
because for
Jesus the
cross wasn't
the end of
the story.
The resurrection
is.
And union
with him
means the
same as
true for
us that
no matter
what your
story is
headed towards
resurrection.
Suffering and
sadness and
grief doesn't
get the last
word in your
story.
Jesus does.
Anxiety and
depression don't
get the last
word in your
story.
Jesus does.
Cancer doesn't
get the last
word.
Death doesn't
get the last
word in your
story.
Jesus does
and he is
making all
things new.
And what
that means is
that no
matter what
your story
is headed
towards
resurrection.
If we
share in
his
sufferings,
we share
with him,
we share
in his
glory.
And this
is the
comfort that
strengthens
our weak
needs and
sustains our
sagging
spirits.
The weakness
of our
suffering is
not an
obstacle,
it's not a
hurdle to
experiencing the
power and
presence of
God in
our life.
It may,
in fact,
be the
vehicle.
Because we
have a
God who
is present
and powerful
on the
cross.
And if
God was
present and
powerful on
the cross,
then he
can be
present and
powerful in
your suffering
and in your
weakness.
So that's the
comfort that we
receive from
God.
Secondly,
the comfort
that we
share with
others.
In the next
few verses,
Paul shows
us that this
comfort that
we receive by
sharing in the
fellowship,
the sufferings of
Christ,
isn't meant to
stop with us.
In verse 6,
he says,
if we are
comforted,
it is for
your comfort.
Verse 7,
if you share
in our
sufferings,
you will also
share in our
comfort.
Because we're
united to Jesus
and because we're
united to one
another by his
spirit, not only
do we share in
his suffering and
comfort, but we
share in one
another's suffering
and comfort.
In the next few
verses, Paul
actually puts this
on display for
us.
He actually shows
what this looks
like.
He models what
he teaches by
giving us an
example from his
own life that he
hopes will be a
source of comfort
to the Corinthians.
In verse 8,
he says,
for we do not
want you to be
unaware, brothers,
of the affliction
that we experienced
in Asia.
For we were so
utterly burdened
beyond our
strength that we
despaired of
life itself.
Indeed, we felt
that we had
received the
sentence of
death.
We don't know
specifically the
circumstances that
Paul is referring
to, but whatever
they were, they
were dire.
He despaired even
of life.
For Paul, it was
a place of
extreme weakness.
But then he
says in verse 9,
but that was to
make us rely not
on ourselves, but
on God who
raises the dead.
He delivered us
from such a
deadly peril, and
he will deliver
us.
On him we have
set our hope that
he will deliver us
again.
Paul says it
was in a place of
extreme weakness
that I experienced
the power of God.
As an apostle, I'm
tempted to rely on
my own strength,
my own giftings,
my own ingenuity,
but that's not
where true power
lies.
It lies in the
God who raises
the dead.
In a place of
great weakness,
Paul experienced
deep trust and
confidence in the
Lord.
And just like
Paul here in
2 Corinthians 1,
God often uses
the difficult
things in our
lives to be a
place of ministry
for others.
He often uses
the difficulty in
our lives to be
a means of
ministry for other
people.
I love the way
my friend Victor
Sheldon puts it.
He says that
God's purpose in
our lives, in
all of our lives,
is that we would
become wounded
healers.
God's purpose in
our lives is that
we would become
wounded healers.
You know, one of
the hallmarks of
the Healthy Church
is that it's a
place where people
who are suffering
can come and
experience comfort
and healing.
Because people in
that church have
learned what it
is to be a
wounded healer.
How do you
become a wounded
healer?
How do you
allow the
difficulty in your
life to be a
place of ministry
for others?
How do you do
that?
There's a lot that
we could say in
our time this
morning, but I
want to offer, I
want to suggest a
few reflections
here from this
text in 2
Corinthians 1
about what it
looks like to be
a wounded healer.
And the first is
this.
The first is that
you can't give
what you haven't
received.
You can't give
what you haven't
received.
If this morning,
if you're in the
place of experiencing
some difficulty in
your life, your
primary job is
probably just to
receive.
Just to receive.
Before your
suffering can
become a place
of ministry, you
must first receive
the ministry of
the church for
however long it
takes.
God knows the
timeline of your
healing process, and
he's not expecting
you to rush it.
He's not expecting
you to skip steps.
Maybe your job is
to simply just
receive the
ministry of the
church.
And if you're
here this morning,
and you are in a
place of difficulty,
you're suffering,
I want you to
know that your
suffering is not a
burden.
It's not a
burden.
I know that in
times of difficulty
in my life, sometimes
I feel like the
hardship that I'm
going through is
somehow a burden to
other people, but
it's not.
There are people
here who would
love to walk
alongside you and
pray with you.
They would consider
it a privilege to
sit with you and
listen to you and
hear your story.
And it's not just
because people here
are nice, although
we have some nice
people in our
church.
It goes deeper
than that.
This is true because
what we've seen
here in this
text is that our
suffering brings us
in fellowship with
Christ and it
brings us in
fellowship with one
another.
For those of us who
maybe are more in a
position to offer
comfort, I think
there's a temptation
that we sometimes
face when we seek to
comfort others and
their suffering.
And the temptation
is that we would
offer a kind of
comfort that isn't
based in our
experience.
purpose.
I cringe when I
think back to ways
that I did this
early on in my
ministry as a 22
year old campus
intern when I was
trying to figure out
ministry.
And I remember
being eager to help
students who were
going through a hard
time, maybe they
were going through a
breakup.
I remember wanting
to help people but
not really knowing
what help meant.
Maybe you can
resonate with this.
I was quick to
speak and slow to
listen.
I was quick to
give answers and
explanations.
But this is exactly
the mistake that
Job's friends made
being miserable
counselors.
They offered to
Job lots of
explanations when
what Job probably
needed most was
their presence and
their questions and
perhaps even their
tears.
I'm still a work in
progress but hopefully
by God's grace I
have become a
grown to become
less of a miserable
counselor partially
by receiving
counseling myself but
also through experience.
Knowing what has
comforted me in my
suffering has equipped
me to offer comfort
to others in their
suffering.
So first you can't
give what you haven't
first received but
secondly we learn to
offer comfort first
just by being present.
Just by being present.
The most important
thing that you have to
offer somebody is your
presence.
And that's because
offering comfort is
first and foremost
about sitting together
with someone and
sharing in the
sufferings of Christ.
And the only way to
do that is to learn
how to be present.
There's a reason why
Paul says a few times
in this letter that he
is eager to come see
the Corinthians again
because he knows that
that comfort is
presence and
presence is comfort.
most often the best
thing that you can do
is just sit with
somebody and listen
and hear their story
and ask questions and
listen some more and
pray with them.
And if you get to the
place where you have
absolutely no idea what
to say next chances are
you're probably doing it
right.
If Job's friends would
have listened they just
they would have been far
more useful.
And I think if you're
here this morning and
I think there's a lot of
us who maybe look at
people who might be
going through a hard
time and we think that
that we have nothing to
offer them.
It's not true.
You already have the
most important thing.
You already have your
presence to offer people
and that's the most
important thing.
So you can't give what
you haven't received but
what you can give is your
presence.
Is your presence.
Third and finally
as you learn to be
present ask the Lord for
opportunities to share
your story of his power
at work in your
weakness.
Paul gives us a great
model here for this in
verses 8 to 10 of what
it looks like to share
our story as a means of
offering comfort to other
people.
In verses 8 through 10 he
shares what he went
through.
He shares his own
weakness and what it felt
like to go through it.
And he shares how
despite all of that
that the power of God
was present in his life.
God is the hero of
Paul's story not him.
What story do you have
in your life that can be
a source of comfort to
other people?
What story of difficulty
in your story can be a
way to help bring comfort
to somebody as they're
walking through their own
journey?
I would encourage you and
invite you to ask the
Lord to give you an
opportunity to share that,
to open a door for that.
And if you pray for that,
I would say get ready
because he loves to answer
that prayer request.
And so as we close, I just
want to acknowledge that
all of us are probably in
very different places as we
come into talking about
suffering as a heavy topic.
And we're probably in all
kinds of different places
all across this room.
And so the first thing that
I want to say as we close is
that the truth is that all of
us have something in our
lives that we're bringing in to
this morning that's hard.
It could be big.
It could be small.
But no matter how big or
small that thing is, the
invitation for us this
morning is to see that
thing as an opportunity to
experience fellowship with
Christ, as an opportunity to
experience fellowship with a
man of sorrows.
Some of us today may
especially be in the place of
just needing to receive
comfort.
And if that's you, that's a
great place to be.
There's people here who would
love to pray with you, who
would love to listen to you
and walk alongside you.
Maybe one place to start is
the prayer ministers who are
available during the
Eucharist.
During the Eucharist, there'll
be prayer ministers outside
those doors who would love
to just pray with you.
So as you take the Eucharist,
you can head back out there
and there'll be someone who
would love to just pray with
you and be with you.
Others of us may need to just
continue to learn what it
means to be present with other
people.
Maybe we feel like we want to
offer comfort to others in
their suffering, but we're
like, we don't know how.
And maybe we just need to
learn what it means to sit
next to someone who's going
through a hard time and to
learn and to experience what
it feels like to listen and to
have no clue what to say.
And I would put myself in that
category.
I need to continue to learn what
it means to be present in other
people's lives.
And if that's you, that's also a
great place to be.
And maybe for others of us,
maybe you're thinking about
something in your life that God
has brought to mind.
And maybe for you, it's a
matter of asking the Lord for
opportunities to share that part
of your story.
How is he calling you to offer
comfort to others through your
story of his power at work and
your weakness?
But regardless of where we're at,
regardless of how we're coming in
to worship this morning, none of us
can do any of this without first
realizing that whatever that we have
to receive and whatever we have to
offer, it all flows out of our
relationship with the ultimate
wounded healer.
All suffering is fellowship with a
man of sorrows.
All ministry is partnership with a
man of sorrows.
It's by his wounds that we're
healed.
It is by his wounds that we're
comforted.
And as Paul says in verses 9 and 10,
he is the one who has the power to
raise the dead.
He is the one on whom we set our
hope.
And he is the one who is making all
things new.
Let's pray together.
God of all comfort, we come to you
this morning.
We praise you and thank you that
whatever we're going through this
morning, we thank you that it is
partnership with you or that it is
fellowship with you.
What I pray for all of those who are
going through a difficult time this
morning, we pray that you would be
the God of all comfort to them.
They would experience your love,
your comfort in their life.
Lord, I pray that you would equip us
to be a church of wounded healers,
a church that is able to offer
comfort to other people based on
Jesus, what you have done in our
lives.
Lord, thank you so much, Lord, for you
revealing yourself to be this God,
to be this God who is not allude from
our pain, but a God who dwells in it.
I pray this in Christ's name.
Amen.