2 Corinthians 1:1-4 “…the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us…”
We live in a world of trial, trouble, and tribulation. In fact, Jesus even admonishes the believer that “in the world ye shall have tribulation.” Just because we are saved doesn’t mean we won’t encounter periods of sorrow and just because we are born again doesn’t mean that we won’t have our share of burdens in this life. This world is not our home, we’re just passing through, but I’m glad as Christians, we do not have to walk through this pilgrim land comfortless! Here are three things to consider for those in need of comforting:
1. THE SOURCE OF OUR COMFORT!
v3 “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;”
The believer doesn’t need to search for comfort in the realm of the temporal. Our source of comfort is Eternal! In this verse, we read of the wellspring of our help, the origin of our solace, and the source of our comfort-“God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort.” As a Christian, our comfort comes from God!
2. THE SCOPE OF OUR COMFORT!
v3b “and the God of all comfort”
The word “all” in this verse reveals to us the supply, the expanse, and the scope of our comfort! It’s good to know that God is not limited in the amount of comfort he can offer us nor is he bound to certain scenarios in which he is able to comfort us. In sorrow, in distress, in trial, in battle, in sickness, in uncertainty, and so on; God can comfort us in all of these things.
3. THE SCHEME OF OUR COMFORT!
v4 “Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.”
God operates by purpose for a purpose. Here we read that God comforts us so that we in turn can testify of his goodness and his faithfulness to us in our tribulations in order to comfort others who are facing the same thing. No trial, no battle, no trouble is a wasted thing when we let God give us something in the midst of that period that we can use on the other side of it to help and bless someone else!
ILLUSTRATION: One night while conducting an evangelistic meeting in the Salvation Army in Chicago, an evangelist preached on the sympathy of Jesus. After his message, a man approached him and said, “If your wife had just died, like mine has, and your babies were crying for their mother, who would never come back, you wouldn’t be saying what you’re saying.” Tragically, a few days later, the evangelist’s wife was killed in a train wreck. Her body was brought to Chicago and carried to the same Citadel for the funeral.
I love your church, I love everything you do.