THE GOD OF ALL COMFORT II COR. 1:1-3

2 Corinthians 1:1 ( ESV )

¹Paul, 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:

·         At the very start of this letter we see the name Paul brought forth which was common in the writing of that day. Yet I wonder how the church of Corinth had taken it when they saw this familiar name at the beginning of this letter. Their relationship had at times been very strained. Like a father Paul had help give birth to the church at Corinth.  He had appointed leaders and others to oversee the church. Like a Father though had to deal with them like a rebellious child at times as well. There were even those who doubted his authority and some false teachers had come into their midst who questioned his very apostleship.

·         Paul wanted them to understand at the very start that he was an apostle or literally a "sent one" by Jesus. Yet, this is not enough notice how he uses the next word not only was he an apostle but an apostle OF Christ Jesus. Don't miss this important fact, He had been "sent or cast out" to be used by God but he was the very POSSESSION of Christ Jesus. Then he states one more important fact, this position of his was by the very, WILL OF GOD. He was not appointed by men as some of the false prophets and teachers of the age but his authority was given to him by the very finger of God. (You may not like it but if you don't then this is your decision to go against the very will of God.)

·         Then if you notice he also includes this statement, AND TIMOTHY OUR BROTHER. Paul's companion to him in the ministry was that of Timothy another person who Paul had mentored in the ministry.

·         Why would this be so significant to what is being written in this passage to the Corinthians?    The disciple had now become a "partner" to Paul in the ministry. He was no longer just a son in the faith but a BROTHER. He who was once mentored now was one who would WALK alongside of Paul in His ministry. Listen brothers and sisters if Paul needed others to walk alongside of him how much more would we. This becomes a big theme esp. here in the first chapter.

A little information about the church in Corinth.

·         Population of about 100,000 during the time of this letter.

·         Port city and became an important trade center.

·         Cosmopolitan and had a huge ethnic diversity.

·         Known for its worship of Poseidon, Imperial families and a temple devoted to Aphrodite, where sexual acts were included in their worship of her.

We know of at least 4 times in which Paul wrote to the believers at the church of Corinth.

·         There was a letter written to them before I Cor. As we see Paul bring this up in I Cor. 5:9

·         Paul has to write them the book of I Cor.  To deal with issues that had divided the church. (Ex: Spiritual gifts, Divisions and cliques, Authority as an apostle.)

·         Instead of getting better after this second letter things only got worse, prompting Paul to make another visit in which the relationship became even more strained and the children began to question Paul's Apostleship. According to II Cor. 2:1-4 Paul would simply call it PAINFUL. He would write them a letter that he himself would call, "THE SEVERE LETTER." II Cor. 2:3-4.

·         I believe that after Paul wrote this letter many of them finally got it and repented according to II Cor. 7:5-13. Paul could now rejoice with them and help them to continue to grow and deal with more issues. He now writes to them the book of II Corinthians. 2.

·         NOW WHY IS ALL OF THIS SO IMPORTANT? 1. Coming alongside of each other will also sometimes  force us to confront one another in brotherly love.  2. Don't give up on people especially our brothers in the Lord. Realize that after all that they had put Paul through he still addressed them as SAINTS or literally HOLY ONES.

2 Corinthians 1:2-3 ( ESV )

²Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

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

o    The most common of greetings in all of Paul's epistles begins with the words Grace and peace. (Exceptions: Romans, I and II Timothy. Latter two he adds the word mercy.)

o    Grace has the idea of a gift or to benefit another. I still like the old acronym when trying to describe this word. God's Riches At Christ Expense. Has the idea of who receives a gift from another. I can think of no greater gift than that of His salvation.

o    Peace-To be quiet or at rest. In the midst of the troubled seas around us what a beautiful gift from God that He has and is willing to give us. 1. We have  peace with God-We are no longer enemies with God but rather we are at peace with Him through our Lord Jesus Christ. In contrast to being like, "the wicked who are like the troubled sea." 2. We have the peace of God. So that as believers we are able to go through the rough times knowing that He is there for us and will walk with us through the fire.

·         Now in verse 3 Paul praises the Lord and gives Him the unique title of the Father of Mercies and God of all comfort. I love to know that in the midst of it all we have a God who is Merciful. We do not get what we deserve in this life. Instead the Father showers His pity upon us. We who deserve the very flames of Hell are shown mercy.

·         In context when you and I go through the mills of life one of the things that will encourage us is when we take time to remember these gifts and what He has done for us.

·         Yet even though we are shown Grace, Peace and Mercy that is not enough for what Paul has to share with the Corinthians.   We have a God who wants to COMFORT us.

·         I am reminded of how Jesus will use this special word with His followers. He has walked, talked, slept with them for 3 1/2 years. They have heard His teachings, seen His miracles and laid it all down for Him and now one night He tells them I am going to leave you. You and I know the rest of the story but they did not. Jesus then tells them they He will not leave them as Orphans but that He would send them another one just like Him who would offer them CONSOLATION and SOLACE while He was gone. That Comforter would be none other than the HOLY SPIRIT Himself.

·         The word for Comforter in the John passage is the PARAKLYTE.  What does that have to do with what is going on here in II Cor. ? Well a form of that word is used here for the word Comfort. It simply means, TO WALK ALONGSIDE OF. I look at it as one who walks alongside of us in the rain and storms of life. (Ex: The old spiritual STAND BY ME, No not the B.E. King hit . Second Ex: Nate walking in the rain by himself.)

·         Notice what he also states that He is the God of all comfort-He is the one who is the VERY SOURCE of comfort. Why when faced with troubles and trials do we go chasing after everything else to comfort our hearts. (Sex, Prosperity, Achievements both past and present, the bottom of a glass? All of these will only comfort us for awhile. Yet, Jesus is the only true source of comfort for our souls. Look at some of these following verses which are found in the book of Isaiah. Going through some hard times right now let these words comfort your soul.

Isaiah 41:10 ( ESV )

¹⁰ fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Isaiah 41:13 ( ESV )

¹³ For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.”

Isaiah 43:2 ( ESV )

² When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.

This is a truth through out all of the scriptures we serve a God WHO WANTS to not only live within us but to WALK ALONGSIDE OF US in the storms of life. He wants to stand beside us, hold our hand and lead us through to the other side.

Why is this so important brother Mike? Well lets take a look at the beginning of verse 4.

2 Corinthians 1:4 ( ESV )

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

o    Right now for the sake of our focus of our time here I just want to focus on the first 7 words of this section and esp. the last word.

o    You see God wants to walk alongside of us in the midst of ALL our affliction. He wants to walk alongside of us in the midst of everything that we go through but esp. in the area of our afflictions. He is the faithful friend who will stick closer than a brother.

o    The word for AFFLICTION has the idea of the PRESSES of our life. The times of fire which are not always outwardly but inwardly as well. The sleepless nights, the loss of loved ones, the financial pressures, the wayward children or grandchildren. We just want to scream out to God. STOP IT, I just can't go any further. When I think of this word I am reminded of my times at Ms. Elsie's house with her Cider Apple press.

o     These are the times that we need someone to lean on. Paul uses that word affliction 12 times in this letter alone and 4 of those times he will use it in verses 4-11 alone. Are you going through one of those times of feeling like being between a rock and a hard place?

o    We can try to do it on our own but when we do so we only set ourselves up for failure. He is reaching out to us like a drowning man. 

o    Shouting at the top of His lungs grab hold of my hand. I am here for you.

o    This is who our God is. He is not some cosmic bully. He is one who wants to walk through the press and the times of troubles in our lives. He comes as one who offers us GRACE, PEACE and COMFORT. He KNOWS our sorrows and grief, our losses and a world that has gone mad and says, I want to walk with you through it all. These are His opening words to the Corinthians, words of hope and encouragement as I hope they are to you.