Father, nobody in the world tells us to beware of idols
that we carry around in our minds and in our wills and in our hearts.
And most of the idols that are in Canada and in our own lives are invisible.
Father, we ask that your Holy Spirit this morning would use your word
and bring your word deeply into our minds and hearts and wills,
our very souls and bodies, and reveal to us, Father,
the functioning and functional idols of our heart that keep us from you,
cause great damage in our own lives, and harden our hearts towards others.
We ask, Father, that your Holy Spirit would help us to recognize these idols
and then that your Holy Spirit would help us to turn from them
and to become disciples of Jesus who are gripped by the gospel,
living for your glory.
And this we ask in the name of Jesus, your Son and our Savior. Amen.
Please be seated.
It's allergy time of the year, which means my throat sounds a little bit rough.
Fall and spring, rough for us allergy sufferers.
We all know who we are, right?
Afterwards, we can all talk about the best antihistamines and stuff to use.
So, here's the thing.
I don't know if you were paying much attention when Jeremiah read the text in 2 Corinthians,
but in the text in 2 Corinthians, Jeremiah read something,
which because those of us who are Christians, we're all going to say,
yes, amen, that's true.
In fact, I have that verse.
It's a magnet.
It's on my fridge.
But the fact of the matter is we also know that it's not true.
And we just don't like to share with each other that, in fact, we think the verse probably isn't true.
And, in fact, one way probably to terrify just about everybody in the room would be to say,
we've arranged a bit of a surprise today,
and ten of your co-workers or your neighbors who aren't Christians are on the other side of that door,
and we'd like you to go and take 2 Corinthians 1, verses 3 and 4,
and share with them how real and powerful it is in your life.
And probably we would all be terrified.
Maybe not all of us, many of us.
Because 2 Corinthians, it says about,
Blessed 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 afflictions.
So, how comfortable?
In fact, it might be very, very funny.
It would cause great affliction in our lives
if we had to tell others about how God comforts us.
I'm the only one who's laughing at that story.
I mean, it's actually part of the irony of this week.
It kept the Holy Spirit kept, like,
it's funny, when you have to,
those of you who have to lead a Bible study or teach the Bible,
I don't know if it's like this for you,
but it's like this for me.
Often it's as if the God, the Holy Spirit,
gets me in a vice and turns me to look at it.
And it caused me a lot of stress and affliction this week
to try to tell you about how God comforts us in our afflictions.
Isn't that ironic?
I mean, that's just part of the process of God comforting me, actually,
and working in my heart.
But the text seems to make a really, really, really, really big claim
that God comforts us in all of our afflictions.
And what happens for us as Christians
is that for many of us Christians,
we don't experience this,
or we don't experience it very often.
And so we often have one of two responses,
and some of us combine them both.
One response is to put on a false front,
to pretend that that's what's going on in our lives.
And the other thing is that we become deeply cynical
about the Bible and about ourselves.
And we maybe cover up the cynicism
by maybe trying to be more prophetic
or talk about other types of things.
And often, which is a real tragedy,
we combine these two responses
to such a big promise and claim
that's been made by God through the Bible,
His Word,
by maintaining a false front,
while inwardly,
there is a fair amount of cynicism
going on in our lives.
So let's look at the Bible.
Like, is God just sort of making
one of those whopper exaggerations
when He talks about this in His Word?
Like, how are we supposed to deal
with something that seems to be
such a big promise?
Especially if many of you,
some of us are here,
may be really going through some real worry
and some affliction even now as I speak.
So let's get the Bible.
It would be very helpful
if you took out your Bibles
and let's look at them.
2 Corinthians chapter 1.
And we'll start reading at verse 1
just to get the context.
And then we're going to pause
at verse 3 and 4.
And here's how it goes.
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus
by the will of God,
and Timothy, our brother,
to the church of God
that is at Corinth,
that's in Greece,
with all the saints
who are in the whole of Achaia,
that's the Roman province,
that Corinth was in at the time.
Grace to you and peace
from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Andrew, could you put up
verse 3 and 4
for me, please?
I just read 1 and 2.
All three, all of us together
using the version on the screen,
could we read verses 3 and 4 together?
Blessed 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.
One of the things you're going to discover
about the book of 2 Corinthians,
there's probably very few books
in the Bible
that have so many great quotes.
And I was trying to think this week
about how I was going to structure
my talking points,
my sermon points,
and I realized
that really all I was going to try to do
was just make variations on this.
So we're going to say this verse
quite a few times
because it really is the heart
of how Paul introduces
the book of 2 Corinthians.
And notice the very, very big claims
which are made.
He is the God of all comforts,
of all comfort,
who comforts us in all our afflictions.
He is the God of all comfort
for any type of affliction or suffering
or worry or anxiety.
And he comforts us
in all our afflictions.
And it's just as strong
in the original language
as it is in English.
In other words,
there is no,
the claim is made
that God is more than adequate,
that he is abundantly full
of comfort
so that any and every
type of suffering or affliction
that we might do,
any type of anxiety
that we experience,
there is not going to be
a single person here
or one that we will meet
who will have a type of affliction
or suffering
that when we bring it to God,
God will say,
gosh, I have no resources
to deal with that.
It's a huge claim
made by the Bible,
which I believe,
and Christians have always believed,
is God's word written.
Could you say this verse
with me again out loud?
Blessed 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.
If you get nothing else
out of this sermon
but begin to have
this verse memorized,
then God has been
very kind to us
because it's way better
that you remember
God's word
than anything I ever say.
But it's a big, big,
big, big, big claim.
So here's the first thing.
Remember, as I said,
it would be very, very frightening.
It would cause, in fact,
much affliction
for many of us
if we said,
surprise,
your co-workers
or your best
non-Christian friends
are in the next room.
Please explain
from your own life
how this verse is true.
That would probably
cause many of us
a great deal of affliction.
In fact, as we were going to it,
we would hope
that God would comfort us
right then
because we didn't know
how we were going
to say anything about it.
So, you know,
here's the first thing.
Well, maybe Paul
is one of those blessed people.
You know, the other day
I was in,
surprise,
a Starbucks
and a guy was telling me,
a guy was,
I just overheard
this conversation
about how
his vintage Mustang
was in the shop
and he couldn't drive it
on this sunny day
so he just had to drive
his Audi.
Now, to his credit,
he's saying this
to a barista
who's probably making,
I don't know,
what's minimum wage, right?
She's making minimum wage.
And then he paused
and smiled.
Isn't it hard
to have first world problems?
More than that,
like 1% problems, right?
So maybe Paul
is like that guy.
Maybe Paul has just,
you know,
he grew up with rich parents,
he lived in a bit of a cocoon,
he never had any troubles,
his life has been pretty easy.
Well, we're going to see
in a moment,
maybe you don't remember it,
but we're going to see
in a moment
that Paul, in fact,
talks about a profound
time of trouble,
but it would,
just flip to the back
of 2 Corinthians.
Here's a very,
very spectacular text
which gives you
a bit of a short biography
of some of the things
that Paul has gone through
before he wrote this letter.
And just for your information,
it's about 10 years
after this
that Paul will die
a martyr's death.
So 2 Timothy is written
about 10 years
after 2 Corinthians.
But just if you turn
to 2 Corinthians chapter 11
and we'll begin reading
at verse 22.
Are they Hebrews?
He's talking about people
who are causing him
a lot of trouble
in the church in Corinth.
Are they Hebrews?
So am I.
Are they Israelites?
So am I.
Are they offspring of Abraham?
So am I.
Are they servants of Christ?
I'm a better one.
I'm talking like a madman.
With far greater labors,
far more imprisonments,
with countless beatings
and often near death,
five times I received
at the hands
of the Jewish leaders
the 40 lashes,
less one.
That's 39.
Three times I was beaten
with rods.
Once I was stoned.
And that doesn't mean
with drugs.
That means they threw
stones at him,
hoping that he would be,
the end result would be
that he was dead.
Once I was stoned.
Three times I was shipwrecked.
This is before the description
of the shipwreck in Acts 27.
I was stoned.
Three times I was shipwrecked.
A night and a day
I was adrift at sea
on frequent journeys
in danger from rivers,
danger from robbers,
danger from my own people,
danger from pagans,
danger in the city,
danger in the wilderness,
danger at sea,
danger from false brothers,
in toil and hardship,
through many a sleepless night,
in hunger and thirst,
often without food,
in cold and exposure,
and apart from other things,
there is the daily pressure
on me of my anxiety
for all the churches.
Who is weak
and I am not weak?
Who is made to fall
and I am not indignant?
If I must boast,
I will boast of the things
that show my weakness.
The God and Father
of the Lord Jesus,
he who is blessed forever,
knows that I am not lying.
At Damascus,
the governor under King Aretas
was guarding the city of Damascus
in order to seize me,
but I was let down in a basket
through a window in the wall
and escaped his hands.
So that's who's writing the letter.
So he isn't just a guy
whose big problem in life
is that his vintage Mustang
is in the shop
and he has to drive his Audi.
This guy's gone through,
I'm not going to say
he's gone through more trouble
than us
because I know some of us
have faced horrific things.
I know some of us
are victims of sexual abuse
and some of us
have lived through genocide
and so some of us maybe
could say,
wow, I can relate to that.
Like, wow,
I can relate to that.
But many of us,
it's way beyond
what we've suffered.
So let's,
Andrew,
can you say this verse
with me again?
Now that we see that
Paul's not just,
you know,
he's not just a guy
who's never had to suffer
or who's lived in a cocoon.
Let's read the verse again.
Blessed 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 afflictions
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.
So,
he makes this big, big claim.
Now,
one of the things
which is really interesting
about this Bible text
is,
which we're going to,
we're going to go and see
how it is,
what other things
that Paul says
about this particular thing,
about this,
you know,
this comfort.
But,
we look at this text
and now that we sort of
are struck with the fact
that Paul actually himself
had a hard life,
but we still sort of
look at this text
and say,
well,
maybe it's going to be
all right for George
or maybe George
lives this a lot of the time
or maybe those really
spiritual people do
and maybe there was
a time in my life
when I knew God's comfort
but there's been
a long time
since I've known
God's comfort
in any type of way
like this
which is real.
And,
and so we look
at this text
and think those things
one of the problems
with a cynical reading
of the Bible
is that it's actually
a very,
very subtle way
for us to stop
listening to the Bible
at all
and exalt ourselves
over the Bible
and not
maybe think
that as the Bible
starts to
lay out
its different truths
that the Bible
is confronting us
with different questions
that we need
to ask ourselves.
So,
the very first question
is
where do I turn
for comfort?
I mean,
you know,
if there's one thing
which is true
of human beings
is that human beings
when they're in stress
and affliction
and suffering
they seek comfort.
That's a human problem.
It's a human experience.
We all seek comfort.
Every single person
that you will meet today
when they're in affliction
they will seek comfort.
But we rarely ask ourselves
where do we actually
go to find comfort?
And the Bible
is going to ask
two other questions
indirectly
in the verses
which just follow this.
And it's these questions
that we now have to listen
to the Bible asking us
which are really important
for us to understand ourselves
and in fact
to understand the Bible.
Look at verse 5.
For we share abundantly
in Christ's sufferings
so through Christ
we share abundantly
in comfort too.
If we are afflicted
it is for your comfort
and salvation
and if we are comforted
it is for your comfort
which you experience
when you patiently endure
the same sufferings
that we suffer.
our hope for you
is unshaken
for we know
that as you share
in our sufferings
you will also share
in our comfort.
For we do not want you
to be unaware
brothers
of the affliction
we experienced
in Asia
for we were so
an utterly burdened
beyond our strength
that we despaired
of life itself.
Indeed
we felt
that we had received
the sentence of death.
Remember I said
that Paul would
very quickly
he doesn't wait
until 11
to make them realize
that this isn't just
pious talk
that he himself
really has to struggle
with something
really really
hard things
in his life.
Continuing reading
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.
You also must help us
by prayer
so that many
will give thanks
on our behalf
for the blessing
granted us
through the prayers
of many.
Andrew
could you put up
the slide please?
Three questions
help reveal
the functioning
idols of my heart.
Where do I go
for comfort?
What do I rely on?
And what do I hope in?
Three questions
embedded in the text
of the Bible
that the Bible
is asking us
in a sense
the Bible is saying
okay George
you like to have
your false front
you like to be
inwardly very cynical
about your inability
to change
your inability
for God
to work in your life
your inability
the fact that
you know
you're not comforted
like this
the way the Bible
is talked about
the cynicism
that leads
to a type
of weakness
and flaccidness
in terms of
dealing with other people
the type of superiority
you in fact
have over my word
and okay George
that's going on
I have three questions
for you George
just you know
you're asking me
all these questions
God
God says
maybe George
you pour out
your
occasionally you pray
and in your prayers
it's a bit of a rage
against God
a bit of an expression
of disappointment
with me
well George
my word
has three questions
for you to consider
three questions
that the Bible uses
the Bible in fact
asks
that help reveal
the functioning
idols of my heart
where do I go
for comfort
what do I rely on
what do I hope in
you know
all human beings
everyone that we meet
it's part of the
common human experience
that we hope
in something
we rely on something
or someone
because the
second two questions
could be changed
to a who
rather than a what
but what happens
so what happens
when we start to go
through some real
suffering
some real affliction
does our mind
if all of a sudden
you know
somebody could videotape
what's going on
in your mind
and maybe with your body
does our mind
instantly go to drugs
does it instantly
go to alcohol
guys
when you're
suffering stress
do you wish
you could be
looking at pornography
because you find
pornography comforting
and then
the normal
physical things
that people often
do after they've
looked at pornography
do some of you
when you're under
stress and affliction
want to go online
to look at your
bank account
to see how much
money you have
does some of you
turn to anger
to comfort you
anger
can be far more
intoxicating
for some people
than drugs
and alcohol
it can be a source
of
that
an inner source
an inner stream
that we go to
very quickly
when we're under
stress and affliction
to nurture
our anger
because we find
it comforting
in a bit of a
perverse sense
isn't it a bit
perverse to think
that anger can be
comforting
do we go to
imaginary stories
in our minds
about how we're
great athletes
or great
lovers
or great
orators
or
do we go to
imaginary places
do we
when we're
experiencing
a lot of
stress
just wish
we could
get to
the television
so we can
watch
eight episodes
of some
mindless sitcom
and by
having that
experience
of being
numbed
find some
type of
comfort
where
does our
mind
and our
heart
drift
when we're
under
suffering
and affliction
and
and then
where
where do we
tend to go
in our
mind
and in
our
body
when we
have to
maybe
start to
try to
when we
think about
what we're
going to
rely on
to deal
with the
source of
the problem
like
what do we
tend to think
of that we
can rely on
like many
of us
are we
start to
rely
many of
us
think about
how we're
going to
rely on
ourselves
maybe for
some of
us
maybe not
as much
in our
culture
we think
about how
the tribe
or the
union
or the
professional
association
that that's
what we're
going to
rely on
or our
money
or our
power
or our
prestige
maybe some
of us
start to
think of
different
dialogues
and
conversational
things that
we're going
to do
and we're
going to rely
on how
we're going
to be able
to verbally
manipulate
or harass
the other
person to
deal with
the problem
what are we
hoping
do we
start to
in our
heart
think that
you know
if I just
get that
promotion
this problem
is going to
go away
if I just
finish the
degree
then that
affliction
will stop
if I can
just find
the right
person to
marry
then that
will stop
if I could
just have
a change
of my
gender
then my
suffering
will stop
if I can
just live
as an
uninhibited
gay man
or lesbian
woman
then my
troubles
will stop
if I
could just
divorce
my
husband
or my
wife
then my
troubles
will stop
you see
we don't
realize
that we've
maybe made
an idol
out of
pornography
the comforts
the things
we turn
to to
comfort us
they reveal
the idols
what like
we turn
to pornography
as an idol
to comfort
us
we turn
to fantasy
stories
of our
greatness
to comfort
us
we've made
an idol
of this
and then
maybe we're
going to rely
on our
degree
or our
verbal
ability
to solve
our
problem
and we're
going to
maybe hope
in the
right person
to marry
or the
right sexual
experience
or whatever
it is
that that's
going to
be
that's
our
hope
and
notice
that for
many of
us
we have
contradictory
idols
have you
noticed this
that idols
only cause
trouble
because often
what comforts
us
conflicts
with what
we can
hope in
and conflicts
with what
we rely
in
like let me
just give
you a little
bit of an
example
how many
of us
I've lost
my place
in my
notes
how many
of us
we
where we
go to
for comfort
is we
drink
that's
what's
going to
comfort us
if we
can just
have some
alcohol
to drink
and what
are we
going to
rely on
to get
us
through
those
really
difficult
conversations
with our
boss
what we're
going to
rely on
is that
we can
have a
mickey
and we
can just
take a
few
sips
or I
knew a
guy who
couldn't
go into
any type
of conflict
without
having to
smoke a
joint
and at
the same
time
maybe what
our hope
is that
we're going
to get
that
promotion
or that
we'll
have
the
great
marriage
but how
many
marriages
end because
of a
reliance
on the
bottle
the very
thing that's
going to
bring us
comfort
wars
against
our
hope
how many
people get
demoted
or lose
their job
because they
go to
the bottle
the thing
the idol
that they
worship
that we
worship
to comfort
us
is the
very same
thing that
robs us
of the
idol
which is
our
hope
we lose
the job
because of
the bottle
how many
of us
that suffer
and the
way we
the comfort
we find
is in
anger
and what
we rely
on is
all of
those types
of
conversations
that are
going on
in our
head
about how
we're
able to
get that
person
and put
them in
their
place
and that's
the thing
that goes
through our
mind
and that's
the thing
that we're
going to
rely
on
at least
in our
own
mind
and yet
that it
ends up
that we
don't get
the job
that we
hope for
because that
anger
and those
verbal patterns
they come out
in our
job place
and nobody
wants to
give you
the promotion
how many
of us
find our
comfort in
something like
pornography
and then we
also maybe
want to take
all sorts of
other things
in terms of
relying on
jobs
and maybe
making lots
of money
and that's
how we're
going to
deal with
our problems
and our
hope is
marriage
but our
over-focus
on pornography
makes it
really hard
to actually
have a
healthy
relationship
with a
member of
the opposite
sex
where it's
not pornography
but it's
sex and it's
the sexual
release that
comforts us
but the
multiple sexual
partners makes
it increasingly
difficult to
actually ever
marry someone
and marriage
is our
hope
and then
in our
pride
in our
blindness
when we
in our
hearts
turn our
to certain
comforts
and certain
reliances
and certain
hopes
and then we
say that the
Bible is
untrue
and God
will say to
us
George you
never turned
to me for
comfort
you never
turned to
me to
rely on
me
you never
turned to
me to
hope in
me
you've
spent all
your time
with your
idols
and George
your idols
are ruining
your life
and God
doesn't say
this to us
in anger
he says it
to us
with tears
he says
George don't
you realize
that I am
the father
of all
mercies
and the
God of
all comfort
don't you
realize
that I
sent my
son to
earth
knowing
who you
are and
what you're
like
and knowing
fully who
you are
I sent
my son
to earth
to die
in your
place
and don't
you know
that I
raised him
from the
dead
that death
has been
defeated
and so
is sin
so why
don't you
hope in
me
why don't
you rely
on me
could you
put the
second
Corinthians
text up
again please
could you
read it
with me
again
together
blessed
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 afflictions
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
the other
thing that our
idols do
because we
might still
say that
I mean
it last
two weeks
ago we
talked about
Amos 8
and Amos 8
had this
powerful image
image of
people dying
of starvation
and dying
of thirst
and the
powerful image
was it was a
tragic image
it was an
image of
people dying
of hunger
and dying
of thirst
while they
were surrounded
by food
and drink
and in that
particular vision
it was because
these as a
people were
constantly telling
God to be
quiet
and to be
silent
and God
eventually
gave them
what they
wanted
and so
while they
were surrounded
by God's
word
and it was
easily available
for them
and it was
true food
and true
drink
they could
no longer
hear it
and in
their frantic
activities
to deal
with the
fact that
they were
dying of
hunger
and dying
of thirst
they could
not realize
that God
could feed
and provide
drink for
them
and it was
right there
they were
dying
amidst
plenty
the other
thing that
idols do
is they
make us
it hard
for us to
recognize
God's
comfort
because of
the nature
like what
is it that
we get
when we
go to a
bottle
or a
drug
you know
you
snort
the cocaine
and it
goes
instant
rush
and so
we
listen to
this text
of the
Bible
and we
listen to
it with
the idols
of our
hearts
whispering
in our
ears
so that
we
misread
the Bible
and think
that the
Bible
is a
feeling
the Bible
is like
a drug
that gives
us
ecstasy
that the
comfort
the Bible
is talking
about
that God
gives
is a
particular
feeling
maybe
it's a
feeling
of peace
maybe
it's a
feeling
of ecstasy
maybe
it's
something
that's
instantaneous
that something
that's like
anesthetic
which will
just completely
and utterly
numb us
that God's
comfort
will be
like a
force field
that keep
all bad
things away
from us
that God's
comfort
is going
to be
something
like a
superpower
that just
means
that we
can always
overcome
every
affliction
that it's
just going
to be
something
which is
sort of
there
like a
tattoo
and once
you have
this God's
comfort
on you
it's
just
always
there
or we
think
that somehow
or another
that God's
comfort
is going
to be
something
that exalts
us
that we're
able to
have so much
of God's
comfort
all of the
time
that we
can boast
about it
to our
friends
that we're
worried
that somehow
or another
God's
comfort
is going
to come
to us
it's going
to remove
from us
all courage
that it's
going to
make us
passive
that it's
going to
make us
lazy
that it's
going to
sort of
remove us
from all
hope
because we're
just sort
of blissed
out with
God's
comfort
or that
God's
comfort
is magical
or that
God's
comfort
will remove
consequences
or God's
comfort
will mean
that we
never
suffer
risk
that's
idle
speaking
to us
the word
comfort
is the
same
word
here
as is
used
of the
Holy
Spirit
in John
14
15
and 16
the
comforter
God's
comfort
is not
separate
from the
gospel
and it's
not beyond
the gospel
it's not
as if you
have the
gospel
God made
him
who knew
no sin
to be
sin for
us
so that
in him
we might
become
the righteousness
of God
that's how
Paul's
going to
describe
the gospel
in a few
minutes
and God's
comfort
isn't
well okay
now we
got the
tattoo
for the
gospel
now we
move on
to something
which is
his comfort
no no
God's
comfort
is the
knowledge
that he
is with
us
that he's
beside us
that he
carries
us
that he
is sovereign
that he's
all powerful
that he's
all good
that he's
untamed
that he
knows me
perfectly
and that
he's with
me
we
enter the
Jesus
way
one by
one
when we
put our
faith and
trust in
Jesus
but we
walk the
Jesus way
with Jesus
and with
others
we don't
walk it
alone
and in
heaven
we'll find
out
that a lot
of the
time
that we
think
that we've
been so
strong
and that
we've been
striding along
on the
Jesus way
and heaven
we'll find
out that we
were carried
by the
prayers of
others
and that it
wasn't us
walking
and it will
profoundly
humble us
and once
we're gripped
by the
gospel and
learn to
pray for
others
others will
maybe find
in heaven
that those
times that
they thought
that they
were most
strong in
walking the
Jesus way
is they
were carried
by you
by your
suffering for
them
by your
intercession
for them
by your
financial help
for whatever
way
and God
has no
comfort apart
from himself
and he
makes us
know himself
known and
reconciles us
to him
through the
cross
that Jesus
seeing who
we are
perfectly
and completely
with absolutely
no illusions
about who
and what
each of us
are
knowing each
idol that
we have in
our heart
and especially
knowing those
unrecognized
idols that we
have in our
heart
that he
came and
lived a
sinless life
in fellowship
with God
and dies
upon the
cross
God made
him to be
our representative
God made
him who
knew no
sin to be
sin for us
that on the
cross all
of our
idolatries
all of our
shame
all of the
wrong things
we've done
all of the
good things
that we
failed to
do
all of
those
were laid
on him
God made
him who
knew no
sin to be
sin for
us
and he
takes into
himself
all of the
things that
we've done
wrong
God made
him who
knew no
sin to be
sin for
us so
that in
him when
we put our
faith and
trust in
him
we put our
hands in
his and
he comes
into us
to live
within us
and we
come into
him to
live in
him God
made him
who knew
no sin to
be sin for
us so that
in him we
might become
the righteousness
of God
that on the
cross Jesus
knowing everything
there is to
know about us
not only took
away and
paid the penalty
and the price for
everything that we've
done wrong but
his perfect standing
and righteousness
with the father
is offered to
us and his
act upon the
cross that we
receive by faith
is what makes
us right with
him
and it is as
we are gripped
with this gospel
truth
that we can
both be
shocked and
humbled by
God's word
to realize that
even though we
think we're a
devout Christian
we have many
idols in our
heart and have
turned far from
him but it
is in the
security of the
gospel that we
can once again
listen to the
God who says
I am the
father of
mercies and
the God of
all comfort I
will walk with
you I am the
creator of all
things and the
sustainer of all
things I will
bring all things
to their
conclusion I
am sovereign over
all things I
am all powerful
and all knowing
and I will
walk with you
as your God
and you are
my set apart
child my
beloved child
and I will
never leave
you I will
never forsake
you you can
pour out your
heart about
everything that's
going on you
can pour it out
to me I will
always hear I
will always
listen I do
not sleep I do
not grow weary
and my name
is mercy and
my name is
comfort and I
raised my son
from the dead
to show my
power and my
love for you
Jesus says in
Matthew 11
come to me all
who labor and
are heavy laden
and I will give
you rest take my
yoke upon me and
learn from me for
I am gentle and
lowly of heart and
you will find rest
for your souls by
the way brothers
and sisters we're
going to say 2
Corinthians 1 3 to
4 again there is
so much comfort
in memorizing God's
word if you get
nothing else out of
this sermon other
than to try to
meditate upon these
two verses and
learn from them this
week then that is a
good thing let's
say it again could
you put it up
Andrew blessed 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 and if you
could put up there's
just three prayers
as we bring our
sermon to the close
three prayers that I
offered you they'll
be on the web page
if you want to look
at them if it's
helpful to you as a
takeaway from this
sermon the first one
is Lord please make
me a disciple of
Jesus gripped by the
gospel who is
learning to turn to
you for comfort and
then living for your
glory by comforting
others with the
comfort that comes
from you see too
many Christians were
swamps and cesspools
God's blessing comes
into our life and then
it just stops there we
just bliss out and
don't realize that if
we spend too long just
blissing out without
handing it on we're
just becoming a cesspool
a swamp God doesn't
make swamps and
cesspools he makes
streams of living
water to bless the
world for his glory
it's a basic spiritual
principle your wealth
your your good looks
your youth your
whatever it is it's a
blessing God gives
this to you and he
gives it to you it's
to irrigate your life
it's to be a source of
blessing in your life
but it's meant to be
be poured out God
wants to make you a
stream not a swamp a
lot of our spiritual
problems come because
we're not doing
something we're just
trying to hoard God's
blessings but notice
the flow of 2nd
Corinthians 3 4 3 and
2nd Corinthians 1 3
and 4 this thing of
the comfort coming to
us the comfort comforts
us and then we are to
go and to be used to
comfort others and so
this text is an
invitation for us to
also pray to God that
he would help us to
recognize how we're
turning to idols and to
die to those idols the
next one Andrew if you
could put it up Lord
please make me a
disciple of Jesus gripped
by the gospel who is
learning to rely and
hope in you and so live
for your glory I mean the
funny thing about it is
is that when we say God I
need to rely on you to
deal with this problem
father I have this huge
financial problem I need
to rely on you I need
your wisdom in my
finances Lord your my
my finances they're
they're terrible they're
causing me so much
stress I need to rely on
you I need to hope that
you are able to bring
financial sanity into my
life or relational sanity
or sexual sanity or job
job sanity whatever it is
and I mean God God often
answers these prayers by
sending you to people by
giving you a leading as
to where you should go who
you should call what you
should do who comes into
your life sometimes he'll
just deal with it
miraculously often he
deals with it through
sending you to people or
bringing people into your
lives but it's so it's not
inviting us to be passive but
it's inviting us to recognize
that I I'm hoping and relying
on the wrong things Lord
and then the final prayer if
you could put it up Andrew
you'll notice in verse 11
that Paul invites people to
pray for him in fact he
urges them to pray for him
and this letter is not just
written individual saints but
to a church and that's why
this final prayer is written in
the collective it says Lord
please make us disciples of
Jesus gripped by the gospel
who are living but for your
glory by learning to pray for
others every day in every
way
that's what the text is
calling us to through the
perspective of the gospel
that as the gospel becomes
more real to us as we think
upon it as it grips us as it
becomes the ground on which
we stand as it becomes the
lens by which we see and
understand the world and hear
God's word that it will begin
to shape us in certain ways it
will begin to push us into
certain things it will draw us
into certain things and one
of the things that we'll do is
to leave deliver us from our
preoccupation with ourself to
realize our great need to pray
for others and that this is a
work that God is to do in us as
individuals and as in the
church I invite you to stand
for some of you if maybe as a
result of this you haven't really
put your hands in the hand of
Jesus to enter the Jesus way
there's no better time than now
and there's no magic words just
say Jesus I want to be yours I
want to be yours forever I thank
you that you'll never let me go
thank you for it you're on the
cross it doesn't matter if
there's some special I used you
know there was a time in my
Christian life I I would worry
that I hadn't got the exact
right words of the sinner's
prayer right and it caused me
affliction forget about it just
cry out to the Lord do you want
to be his further as God has
worked in us in different ways
different ways that we have to
maybe call out to him let's just
bow our heads in closing father we
thank you that you saw that we
were a people who worship idols
and who are blind to our
worshiping of idols that father we
thank you that you saw that but
still you loved us and sent your son
to die upon the cross for us we
thank you father that your son in
his perfect life and his death and
his resurrection that he is your
power to make ordinary human beings
like us right with you when we
receive it by faith father we ask
that you would make us disciples of
Jesus who are gripped by the gospel
and so learning to turn from idols but
turn to you for comfort reliance and
hope so that we will live for your
glory and bear much fruit to your glory in
the city of Ottawa and to the ends of
the earth and this we ask in the name of
Jesus amen