"God is the Father of Mercy and Comfort"

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God that is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in the whole of Achaia: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Apostle Paul dealt with much discouragement throughout his life. There were many times where life was extremely difficult. Paul face persecution, he was shipwrecked, stoned almost to death, he dealt with false teachers and many other hard ships. As great as Paul was, considered the most important missionary ever and wrote most of the New Testament, Paul was human just like we are.

The Apostle Paul had a call from God and we see this here in verse 1. He also had a concern to help his people. He had help found this church in Corinth and had ministered there for over a year. What we know from 1 Corinthians is that there were some serious problems that came up in this church after Paul left. He sent Timothy to deal with them and that is what we have in this first letter to the Corinthians.

However, things didn’t get any better. Eventually Paul had to make an extremely tough visit to Corinth to call out the troublemakers. He had to write another tough letter and after a lot of stressful nights, Paul finally met Titus and got the good report that the problem had been resolved. After that Paul sat down to pen this 2nd letter to the church.

The Apostle Paul wrote this letter for several reasons. First, he wanted to encourage the church to forgive and restore a member who had caused all the trouble. In our relationships are we looking for forgiveness and restoration? (This should always be what we try to get too. When difficult problems arise personally or even within the church the end result should be to forgive and restore.)

Paul also wanted to explain his change in plans and show his authority as an apostle. Some of Paul’s opponents were undermining his work, claiming that his suffering proved that he was not a true apostle. Paul responds here that his suffering highlights his total dependence on the Lord and it pointed to God’s strength not Paul’s.

Finally, he wanted to encourage the church to share in the special relief offering he was taking up for the needs saints in Judea. (This is needed in the church from time to time.) (Go back to 1 Corinthians chapter 16 to see this)

How does God comfort us when we feel heartbroken, stressed out, overwhelmed, dealing with suffering or afflicted in any way?

Paul here in verse 3 offers praise to God for consoling and encouraging him. Now Paul could not sing or give God praise about his own circumstances, but he could sin about the God who is in control of all circumstances. Paul had learned that praise is an important factor in getting victory over discouragement and depression.

2 Corinthians 1:3 ESV

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

1. Praise God because He is God.

We find this phrase “Blessed be God,” in two other places in the New Testament. In Ephesians chapter 1 verse 3 Paul is praising God for what He did in the past, when He chose us in Christ and then in verse 4 how He blessed us with all spiritual blessings. We also see in 1 Peter 1:3 this phrase used. Here Peter praised God for future blessings and a living hope.

But here in 2 Corinthians Paul is praising God for present blessings, for what God was accomplishing then and there. It could have been extremely easy for Paul to get down and discouraged because of the affliction and burdens he was dealing with (Look at verse 8) But instead he finds a way to praise God. I think for many Christians it can be hard for us to praise God for present things because many people don’t see the Lord working. In fact, much of our regular anxiety, worry, fear, and discouragement can come from the result of thinking that when things are out of our control, then they are out of control.

Here is what I mean by that statement. The doctrine of God’s sovereignty. Are we and the world we live in under control? Is God really sovereign? Sovereignty means that God alone determines all that will happen and rules the means by which everything will happen. In other words, God is God and there is no one like him. Now in saying that there are two aspects of God’s sovereignty.

First, God’s decrees. A decree is a decision or order made by an authority figure. God’s decrees are his eternal plan. God has decided what will come to pass.

The second aspect of God’s sovereignty is his providence. God is an active participant in his world. He governs, sustains, effects, and controls the world. God not only decrees what will be, but he also actively rules over the process by which it will be.

Let me ask you several questions this morning. Did the world of Egypt seem under control to the Israelite slaves? Did it seem under control when Israel went off to exile with foreign nations and kings and the temple of God was destroyed? Did it look like God was in control when Rome ruled with an iron fist? Did the world seem under control during the Holocaust? Does the world seem under control when a virus takes many lives or when racism, violence and war seem unending? I think that it can be hard for us at times to wonder if God is in control and has a plan. If there ever has been a time in life where our world seemed like it was out of control, it seems like we are in it right now. So, I want you to know today church that we can be free from the panic many people live with. Why??? Because there is one who is in control, and he is perfectly wise and good. There is a greater King who sits above the less than perfect kings of this earth.

Paul David Tripp tells us, “Our sanity is not found in figuring everything out here on earth, but trusting the one who has it all figured out from before the origins to beyond destiny.”

Paul’s encouragement and praise here is that God does have a plan even when we can’t see it. Things don’t always go as planned or even the way we want it too right? So, in our pain and struggle through this life be reminded that God is in you, and with you, and for you. God continues to deliver the gift of gifts to us over and over again through his redeeming grace.

2. Praise God because He is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Have there come a time in your Christian walk with the Lord that you have realized that it is because of what Christ has done for us that we can come to God. Because of Christ’s atonement for our sins in which He spilled His blood upon the cross for our sins, and because of that we can even come to God? Today we can call God our Father and approach Him as His children. Why??? Because Jesus Christ is our mediator and because of this we are God’s beloved children.

Throughout the Gospels we see that many times the Father ministered to His Son. There were times where Jesus was weary and tired from ministering and so He got alone to meet with His Father. Jesus came to earth to do the Father’s will and please His Father. I want you to understand this today because God the Father is able to minister to you as well. Your life matters to God. In fact, He is the one who has created you and you are so precious to Him. Yes, there may come times when life seems overwhelming or beyond hope and these are times where we must run to the Father to find rest in Him. When you are afflicted, when your are dealing with suffering, when you are wondering where God is we can praise God because He is our Good Good Father and from the beginning of time had a plan to give us His only Son so that we can be freed from our sin and someday live with Him for all of eternity. What wonderful news that is today church. We can always find a way to praise God. Here are just a few things. Our salvation, prayer, God’s Word, our church home, heaven.

2 Corinthians 1:8–11 ESV

For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction 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. 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.

3. Praise God because He is the Father of Mercies.

To the Jewish People, this phrase, “Father of Mercies” was extremely important. Paul actually borrowed this from Jewish liturgical language and a synagogue prayer that called for God to treat the sinful individual with kindness, love and tenderness. We can all put ourselves in this category right? We desperately need God’s kindness, His love, and His mercy. Check out these Old Testament passages.

2 Samuel 24:14 ESV

Then David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Let us fall into the hand of the Lord, for his mercy is great; but let me not fall into the hand of man.”

Psalm 103:13 ESV

As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.

Micah 7:18–20 ESV

Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love. He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. You will show faithfulness to Jacob and steadfast love to Abraham, as you have sworn to our fathers from the days of old.

God in His grace gives us what we do not deserve, and in His Mercy He does not give us what we do deserve. Here is a great definition of what Mercy is.

Definition of Mercy = God’s goodness toward those in misery and distress.

Because of God’s wonderful mercy we can see why we don’t rely in ourselves or even in the things around us, but on God who has the power to raise the dead. The Bible over and over again points us to the fact of the multitude of God’s mercy and His supply to us. Here are just a few to take hold of.

Psalm 51:1 ESV

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.

Psalm 69:16 ESV

Answer me, O Lord, for your steadfast love is good; according to your abundant mercy, turn to me.

4. Praise God because He is a God of all comfort.

The meaning here in verse 3 with, “the God of all comfort,” means this. The actual Greek word for comfort is (paraclete) one who comes alongside to help. Another name for (paraclete) is the Holy Spirit. The word Comfort can often mean or even come across as softness or ease, but that is not the meaning of it here in verse 3. Paul was saying that God came to him in the midst of his sufferings and troubles to strengthen him and give him courage and boldness. This should be our prayer when we are facing trouble. Oh God give me your strength and courage. Deliver me from doubt, worry, anxiety and help me to trust you.

This word comfort occurs 10 times here in verses 1-7. The reason why we need to see this today is because Paul is pointing us to the fact that God is the only one who can truly comfort us. It’s not the world or the things of it that can give us any true peace and comfort. This can only come through the Lord church.

But How?

The question will come up, “How does God comfort us when we are under pressure and in despair?”

Here are just a few ways:

FIRST – We can take comfort by reading and studying His Word. We absorb the promises that His Word tells us and then understand how we are loved and how we should live. Every experience of Bible reading and study can have this benefit: Comfort. We can always find comfort in and through the word of God!!!

SECOND – We are comforted by His people. This passage, in fact, shows Paul sharing comfort or imparting comfort to the faithful Corinthian Christians.

2 Corinthians 1:7 ESV

Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.

Also in the book of Romans we see this that Paul tells us.

Rom. 12:15 says this well: Rejoice with those who rejoice . . . weep with those who weep.

The bottom line is this. Paul comforted the faithful Corinthian Christians. And, Paul received comfort from them. This comfort from God – received and kept, brings great courage to us today.

Closing: Whatever kind of trouble that we as God’s people are suffering from, the highest comfort is to be found in God. Run to God today. Get close to Him. Let Him talk to you through His Word. Meditate on His promises. Remember the sacrifice of Christ. Worship God in spirit and in truth as John chapter 4 tells us about. COMFORT from the Lord is available today. All that is required from us is this, the dependence of our hearts on Him through active obedience.

Psalm 10:17 ESV

O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear