God is in control and delivers

Comfort in suffering

We opened our study of 2Corinthians with looking at true comfort, the purpose of true comfort and the results of true comfort, this morning Paul offers up an example through suffering of God’s deliverance.

Purpose of true comfort (2Cor1:4)

2 Corinthians 1:4 NASB95

4 who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

Question: What is the purpose of true comfort in our affliction (2Cor1:4)?

So that we are able to comfort others in any affliction with the same comfort

Provision of true comfort (2Cor1:3; Heb2:18)

2 Corinthians 1:3 NASB95

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,

Question: what is the source of all comfort (2Cor1:3)?

God the Father, Father of all mercies and comfort.

One more thing, we have the purpose, the provision, now how about the means.

Hebrews 2:18 NASB95

18 For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.

Question what is the means, how does comfort (aid) come according to (Heb2:18)?

Through Jesus Christ (implied in verse) because the suffering He went through.

God permits trials to come. In the Greek there are actually 10 words for suffering, of which the most frequent in the New Testament is:

(Thlipsis picture inserted here)

The word means affliction, suffering, under pressure, narrow, confined. it is parallel to tribulation (2Cor1:4, trouble in (v.4, 8).

There are some sufferings that we must endure just because we are human living in a fallen world (pain, heartache, death)

Other sufferings we go through because we are people of God and the world hates God, Jesus.

Trouble, sufferings are not accidental, they are allowed by God and purposed by God. Our outlook on them matters when it comes to the trials, tribulations, sufferings of this life.

Are they fate or chance?

If trials and tribulations are products of fate or chance then there is nothing we can do about them so we might as well give up. This is a hopeless outlook.

Are we trying to control?

To the one who thinks they have the power, the control, well in honesty this too is a hopeless outlook for that is false power, false control.

Is God in control?

But if God is in control and we, as believers, trust Him then we can overcome any circumstance with His help. So we can walk by faith in the hope that we find in Christ Jesus who is our hope.

God encourages us through His Word that He permits trials to come and this morning we are going to look at a few things from this short passage this morning.

He is in control of trials (v.8)

God empowers us to bear our trials (v.9)

God delivers us from our trials (v.10)

God is glorified through our trials (v.11)

(Transition) - Now let’s look and glean from the passage then the points within the passage.

2 Corinthians 1:8–9 NASB95

8 For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life; 9 indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead;

2 Corinthians 1:10–11 NASB95

10 who delivered us from so great a peril of death, and will deliver us, He on whom we have set our hope. And He will yet deliver us, 11 you also joining in helping us through your prayers, so that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the favor bestowed on us through the prayers of many.

What do you see, what do you notice, what sticks out to you?

Gleaning from the scripture:

Question: what happened with Paul when in Asia according to (v.8)?

They were burdened excessively, beyond their strength.

Question: Where was Paul’s trust and why did he have that trust (look at v.9-10)?

Trusted in God because he raises from the dead, delivered from great peril

Question: How does Paul want the church to help him so thanks could be given (v.11)?

He encourages them, asks them to join in helping through prayers.

He is in control

We do not know the trouble Paul had in Asia, but we can know his outlook on the problem. We can from other passages make some assumptions regarding the problem. But the point of the passage is not the problem but the outlook and the solution to the problem.

Maybe start with another version of the verse then go on

2 Corinthians 1:8 The Message

8 We don’t want you in the dark, friends, about how hard it was when all this came down on us in Asia province. It was so bad we didn’t think we were going to make it.

Here are some things we know he faced in his ministry, and part of that in Asia

Conflicts without, fear within (2Cor7:5)

2 Corinthians 7:5 NASB95

5 For even when we came into Macedonia our flesh had no rest, but we were afflicted on every side: conflicts without, fears within.

Danger of death (2Cor11:22-29)

Again, we do not know the exact that Paul is inferring to in our passage but he thought of it as to peril, to death and here is what it could be referring to, but I need to keep it in context

2 Corinthians 11:22–23 NASB95

22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I. 23 Are they servants of Christ?—I speak as if insane—I more so; in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death.

2 Corinthians 11:24–25 NASB95

24 Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep.

2 Corinthians 11:26–27 NASB95

26 I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; 27 I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.

2 Corinthians 11:28–29 NASB95

28 Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches. 29 Who is weak without my being weak? Who is led into sin without my intense concern?

What we can know is Paul’s outlook - he trusted God (v.9)

Food for thought, in a commentary “The Bible Exposition Commentary” I found this quote.

“When God puts His children into the furnace, He keeps His hand on the thermostat and His eye on the thermometer”

A thermostat controls the temp and the thermometer monitors the temp. God knows how much we can handle i.e.

1 Corinthians 10:13 NASB95

13 No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.

According to (1Cor10:13) what is the purpose God allows the temptation?

So that we will be able to endure it!

Or if that is not enough look at

1 Peter 1:6–7 NASB95

6 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, 7 so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

Look at (1Pt1:6-7) what is the reason that God allows the various trials, and there are two in these verses

To proof your faith

To result in praise, glory and honor

Eventhough we do not now the exact nature and Paul felt despair, God did not despair Paul, nor will He us. He is in control and will not abandon, nor forsake us.

God empowers us in our trials

God is in control (v.8) and in His control he enables us, empower us through our trials (v.9)

2 Corinthians 1:9 NLT

9 In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead.

God creates opportunities for us to learn and to grow. We need to know our weakness.

God demonstrates our weakness (2Cor4:8-12)

2 Corinthians 4:8–9 NASB95

8 we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;

2 Corinthians 4:10–11 NASB95

10 always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. 11 For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.

2 Corinthians 4:12 NASB95

12 So death works in us, but life in you.

Paul understood his weakness and that of the apostles and their weakness was demonstrated for life to them (the church).

God enables us to bear trials by opportunities to trust Him vs. our gifts, talents or abilities. (2Cor12:10)

God wants us to understand in our weakness, and are content with them and our limited abilities, then we are really strong because of our trust in Him.

2 Corinthians 12:10 NASB95

10 Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

Note down another good biblical example (Rom4:16-25)

in the Romans passage Abram and Sarah were good as dead physically, but God made them strong in Him and gave them Isaac.

Remember we are dead to sin, alive in Him, so the implied dying to self does not mean to sit and do nothing. I’m pretty confident that Paul had no expectation of God to do everything and he to do nothing, He need to have faith, to believe, to pray, to walk in his faith with confident assurance that God who raises ones from the dead can raise us in any situation.

Even though Paul knew of the sentence to death (v.9) it did not phase him. Hey, we are studying the book of Acts right now and we know that those after Paul and his life were after him all the time and chased him from town to town.

(Transition) Paul knew his situation, his circumstance and was conveying to the Corinthians to give them hope. Hope of God’s deliverance in our trials

God delivers us

Faith and trust in God are the right place to be, or to be reminded of when we are in circumstances that God allows to happen in our lives, for God delivers!

2 Corinthians 1:10 HCSB

10 He has delivered us from such a terrible death, and He will deliver us. We have put our hope in Him that He will deliver us again

Paul had confidence due to history, and due to hope that God would deliver from current distress.

God does not always deliver immediately

God does not always deliver uniformly

James was beheaded, but Peter was delivered from prison (Act12)

Sometimes the deliverance is from our trials and sometimes it is in our trials. (expand/ time permitting on this)

Paul’s deliverance was in response to Paul’s faith, as well as the people who were faithfully praying. (v.10-11)

Just because I can, want to give one more verse regarding faithful deliverance that is not on your outline

Psalm 34:6 NASB95

6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him And saved him out of all his troubles.

According to (Ps34:6) how many troubles does the Lord save the poor man from?

Saved him out of all his troubles.

God is glorified

So if you have a victory over something what are you going to do? Give glory to God and tell others right? Look at this verse and you can see Paul’s heart displayed and God glorified.

2 Corinthians 1:11 The Message

11 You and your prayers are part of the rescue operation—I don’t want you in the dark about that either. I can see your faces even now, lifted in praise for God’s deliverance of us, a rescue in which your prayers played such a crucial part.

Question: What did Paul see in them who were praying (v.11)?

He could see their faces lifted in praise!

Can you hear it, Paul’s voice of praise that resulted in faces lifted in praise. Your praise and impact others.

Warren Wiersbe said this regarding highest service or praise in the trials that God allows.

“The highest service you and I can render on earth is to bring glory to God, and sometimes that service involves suffering. “The gift bestowed” refers to Paul’s deliverance from death, a wonderful gift indeed.!”

Prayer is help, it is helping one another, it is helping together the Greek word is “ sunupourgeo”

(insert sunupourgeo picture here) Love the simple explanation, definition of the word in the parts of the word put together; With, Under, Work . It is a picture of laborers under burden working together to get the job done!

This is great help, great assurance we are working together an the Holy Spirit is working with us too to help carry the load when we are in times of trouble (v.8; Rom8:26)

Romans 8:26 NASB95

26 In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words;

God works out all things for the good, for His good, perfect and acceptable will when we love Him and trust him and yield to Him and obey Him to what He tells us to do.

In closing this morning when looking at times of trouble they can do the founding

Troubling times can:

Increase our faith

Strengthen our prayer lives

Draw us closer to other Christians

Can bring glory to God!

(Prayer) (Exit)