"The God of Comfort" - 2 Corinthians 1:3–5

Scripture Reading

2 Corinthians 1:3–5 CSB

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. 4 He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 5 For just as the sufferings of Christ overflow to us, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.

The Setting of 2 Corinthians

Second Corinthians is the 2nd letter the Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian church. The Apostle Paul was in Ephesus and had caught wind from some messengers of corruption and difficulties that was happening to and in the Corinthian church. So he left Ephesus and wrote this letter to Corinth. Paul, in this letter was carrying a lot of emotions as he wrote in chapter 2 of having sorrow for what transpired. In this epistle, he wrote with a heart of thankfulness for some of it’s members were coming to repentance as well as renewing their obedience to the God and the church.

Paul spends much of his time throughout this 2nd Epistle to the Corinthian church defending his ministry and Apostleship.

To his opponents, the fact the the Apostle Paul suffered and showed signs of weakness disqualified him as a true Apostle. That is far from the truth. The Apostle’s were not God. They were not perfect, but were depraved men like you and I.

Theologian Wayne Gruden states in his Systematic theology that in order to qualify to be an apostle someone has to

An Apostle

A. had to have seen Christ with his own eyes after he rose from the dead

and

B. Had to have been specifically appointed by Christ as an apostle.

Again, The Apostle’s end was for the purpose of Christ, as messengers of Christ.

Because of time, unfortunately we cannot turn there today, but I would encourage you to look at Matthew 28:16-20 in how the great commission is given to the Apostles by the Risen Christ.

I. A Triune Source of Praise, a Triune Source of Comfort

This backdrop plays into the opening of the epistle and gives us context to what the Apostle was going through. In verses 3-5 , Paul, is exhorting the element of divine comfort and encouragement to those who are suffering and experiencing trials. Just think, if You were a member at the church of Corinth with all that was going on, either you as a member, potentially willingly, defying God or as one of the few who were trying to hold the line in suffering? What could Paul possibly say that would advance the purposes of God to you and the church admits the turmoil ? I believe God through Paul gives us an answer right in verse 3. Let’s read this verse again.

2 Corinthians 1:3 CSB

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

I’m entitling this first heading of our meditation A Triune Source of Praise, a Triune Source of Comfort. These three verses are all in the telling of the God of Comfort. Verse Three starts with a declaration of giving God the glory by stating Blessed be. By Paul saying this, he is not adding any extra blessing to God, it is saying that God in himself alone is praise worthy. He is the source of praise, and flowing from that kind of declaration of praise fortells a special kind of blessedness of the Triune God holds. But who is this God. This 1 God in Three persons who Paul is sighting that is the father of mercies the one of all comfort?!

First, The Apostle says that He is God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

If you look at the Heidelberg Catechism #26 it says this about God as the Father

26 Q. What do you believe when you say, “I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth”?

A. That the eternal Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who out of nothing created heaven and earth and everything in them, who still upholds and rules them by his eternal counsel and providence, is my God and Father because of Christ the Son. I trust God so much that I do not doubt he will provide whatever I need for body and soul, and will turn to my good whatever adversity he sends upon me in this sad world. God is able to do this because he is almighty God and desires to do this because he is a faithful Father.

He is a faithful Father brothers and sisters, He is the God and Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus is too is God and Lord of Lords.

In what many theologians call the, The Covenant of Redemption, it is that the Father and the Son before the foundations of the world making a covenant, a lawful oath to save a people to himself. Ephesians 1:4 says that

Ephesians 1:4 CSB

4 For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him.

God the father choose his elect in Christ, before he made anything!

Furthermore, this is what Philippians 2:10-11 states,

Philippians 2:10–11 CSB

10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow— in heaven and on earth and under the earth— 11 and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Jesus also told Thomas in the book of John that

John 14:6 CSB

6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

He is God the Father, God the Son. God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Verse 3 states that He, God, furthermore, the God of mercies. We can spend an eternity telling of all the merciful things God has done. To name a few, He could have obliterated Adam and Eve in the garden, but he choose to sacrifice an animal and show mercy to them in the promise of a redeemer. Another instance he could have obliterated Noah along with all the rest of mankind, but God showed mercy. Fast forwarding through time God could have obliterated David for his adulterous act with Bathsheba, but again, God was merciful and forgave David.

Our last example, being the Apostle Paul, who was persecuting other Christians, killing them, and then God out of his goodness and mercy stopped Paul, who’s name at the time was Saul

Acts 9:4 CSB

4 Falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”

Paul was persecuting all the saints of Christ. After this, God in his mercy redeemed Saul, named him Paul, and Paul became and Apostle. This iS AMAZING! THIS IS THE FATHER OF MERCY! When Paul was writing to Corinth, They too had been drowned in many mercies of God. And in this second letter it’s like they forgot. Showing mercy to all of these saints of old why? What about you? Some of you here in this room might be an example too of God’s mercy flowing to you in saving you. Those of you who are in Christ, do you remember how broken you were? Those of you who are here this afternoon who are not of Christ, do you realize how truly broken you are? All of us including the corinthian church were in constant need of a Savior.

That savior is Jesus the apex of God’s mercy and grace. All of us were destined for an eternity in hell. We were fully depraved and were unable to save ourselves. The covenant of Redemption was realized when Jesus came into the world, lived the perfect life, died on a cross in our place. This transitions us into why God is the God of Comfort.

Puritain Cornelous Burgesse said these words in regard to God being the God of Comfort.

“It is God’s nature that He’s always comforting...” -Corneleous Burgesse

I’ll say that again. “It is God’s nature that He’s always comforting”

Those whom God called in Corinth God is always comforting. Paul at the end of verse 3 is in a sense reminding the church of Corinth that He is the source of Comfort. This has echos what was written in the book of Isaiah 40:1 “1 “Comfort, comfort my people,” says your God.”

As we just mentioned, God has a plan of redemption for all His chosen people, but also in the fact that God gave the Holy spirit as our Holy Comfort. The Holy Spirit being the third person of the God head. God sent the Holy spirit to dwell inside us changing us, growing us in the faith, comforting us in the midst of our trials. Points us to Christ.

Oh Christian how often we forget that the HOLY Sovereign Triune God has set His dwelling place inside us. This is how he fulfills the aspect of never leaving us, giving us comfort

This is what the church of Corinth needed to hear as well as you, this God that we talk about is the God and Father of Jesus Christ, of mercies and of all comfort. Being fellow heirs with Christ, we too get to share in this comfort. What comfort he has given.

II.Comfort Extended

2 Corinthians 1:4–5 CSB

4 He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 5 For just as the sufferings of Christ overflow to us, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.

The church of Corinth needed to hear this. They were on the heals of past issues of defaming the Lord’s Supper, Idolatry, Immoral Church members, specifically sexual immorality. Then in the context of this second Epistle, the Apostle Paul was battling people defaming his calling as an Apostle, others claiming they were superior to Paul in calling themselves an Apostle, and False martyrdom among many other things.

What a tuff time to be a Christian in Corinth! I mean you had other outside people groups persecuting you and then your own kind doing the same thing. God has called one bride made up of all kinds of different people. This is why the Apostle Paul point to the fact that there is fellowship in suffering and comfort. Suffering for the sake of the church. If God is the Comforter in our affliction and peace, then He is able to be our total in anything! Here are a few reflective questions, how can we experience the God of comfort and be able to comfort others if we as children of God only think about our individual walk with Christ? How can we comfort others if we are not in a community of other believers, if we are not members of a church? Those who are of faith sometimes even suppress the Holy spirit in their not being willing to be a part of a body of believers. God’s purpose here in this verse is that he uses other believers in the midst of our turmoil to encourage us, to comfort us, to lift our heads to Christ. Take comfort in Christ beloved. We share in the sufferings that come forth for the gospel’s sake. God is always with us growing us in the midst of them. The Apostle Peter had these words to say in regard to afflictions and the comfort of God.

1 Peter 4:12–14 CSB

12 Dear friends, don’t be surprised when the fiery ordeal comes among you to test you, as if something unusual were happening to you. 13 Instead, rejoice as you share in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may also rejoice with great joy when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are ridiculed for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.

Furthermore Puritan Matthew Henry said these words about Christ being the ultimate source of comfort and peace amidst affliction.

“In the world they(The Apostles) had trouble, but in Christ they had peace” - Matthew Henry

This goes for us too Christian, in the world we have trouble, heart ace, trials, oppression. But only in Christ will we have true peace. Brothers and Sisters, see God as your only source of comfort. He is sufficient. Be the church as one body together regardless of affliction and know the comfort that only our God can give. As I close, I want to share these words from scripture that our beloved Savior Jesus Christ

Matthew 11:28–30 CSB

28 “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”