Audio
Delivered By
Pastor Jack Peters
Delivered On
June 18, 2023
Central Passage
2 Corinthians 1:3-7
Description

2 CORINTHIANS 1:3-7 – COMFORTED!

AM 6-18-23 – FATHER’S DAY

The song Brad just sang a few moments ago, Good Good Father is a song written by Pat Barrett and made popular by Chris Tomlin. It starts this way,

Oh, I've heard a thousand stories of what they think You're like
But I've heard the tender whisper of love in the dead of night
And You tell me that You're pleased and that I'm never alone

You're a good, good Father
It's who You are, it's who You are, it's who You are
And I'm loved by You
It's who I am, it's who I am, it's who I am.

Of course, all that a good Father is originates with God. God is perfectly balanced. As Father He does not overdo things concerning His children and He doesn’t underdo them.

We are centering in this morning on a quality of God that is very necessary for those of us who are His children. He is the ultimate comforter. And as His children, He expects those of us who are His children to share the comfort we receive with others who need it.

This morning let’s look at 1 Corinthians 1:3-7 and see:

  • The Resource for Comfort – Vs. 3
  • The Reception of Comfort – Vss. 4-5
  • The Repetition of Comfort – Vss. 6-7

RESOURCE FOR COMFORT – 2 Corinthians 1:3

  • Blessing and praise belong first and foremost to God. He is the source of our existence.
  • We are reminded that He is The Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, God the Son. Notice the three-fold description of Jesus. He is Lord (Deity), Savior, Messiah.
  • As Father of mercies, His greatest show of mercy was sending the Lord Jesus to die for our sins, offer us eternal life and us His children by faith. (John 1:12-13)
  • God’s mercy does not stop with salvation. That is the starting point. Lamentation 3:22-23, Psalm 103:13 (The Word pity means compassion.)
  • As the God of all comfort, He will do what is necessary to bring us comfort. That will include discipline at times. In our seeking of comfort, he will lead us to confession first.

RECEPTION OF COMFORT – 2 Corinthians 1:4-5

  • Vs. 4 – Paul seems to be referring to himself and Timothy, but as we will see, it is applicable to us as well.
  • Another word for tribulations is afflictions. Jesus promised that affliction would come to His followers. John 16:33, John 15:20-22
  • Paul’s hardships for the sake of Jesus are legendary.           2 Corinthians 11:25-28
  • Paul is saying, “God comforted us, so we can comfort you!”
  • Vs. 5 – The more Paul suffered, the more He was comforted!
  • A great reminder that whatever we go through, God is there to comfort us! He’ll do it as we pray, as we read and meditate on God’s Word, and as others bring the Lord’s comfort to us, as Paul did for the Corinthians.

Repetition of Comfort – 2 Corinthians 1:6-7

  • Vs. 6 – Paul is saying, “We were comforted in our afflictions, so that you can be comforted with the same comfort as you face the same afflictions.”
  • Vs. 7 – Paul was confident that God would give the Corinthians the same comfort they had received in trials.
  • Now think with me! We have an obligation to bring comfort to others as they face similar trials. Romans 12:15, Hebrews 12:24-25
  • Usually, the best comforter is the one who can say, “Been there! Done that!
  • Whenever we see someone who is facing a trial we have faced, we need to be ready to offer encouragement! We are family!

 

  • The Resource for Comfort – Vs. 3
  • The Reception of Comfort – Vss. 4-5
  • The Repetition of Comfort – Vss. 6-7