HoHum:
“I am the subject of depressions of the spirit so fearful that I hope none of you ever get to such extremes of wretchedness.” Who said this? Charles Spurgeon, a famous preacher from England.
WBTU:
There is an idea out there that Christians should always be happy, always have a smile on their face, always upbeat, always be a ray of sunshine. Makes me sick- let’s get honest- nobody has any problems or hurts?- everybody is happy all the time?
The Corinthians church was a troubled church full of hurting people. In his first letter to them, Paul had to confront all kinds of problems- everything from division to immorality. Unfortunately, after they received this first letter, matters grew worse, and Paul had to make what he called “a painful visit” to confront the troublemakers. Still the problems were not resolved, so Paul sent his coworker, Titus, to Corinth to help them get things straightened out. Finally, after several months, Paul received word from Titus that the church was improving. Paul then wrote what we call 2 Corinthians to express his appreciation for their improvement and to encourage the church to remain faithful. He emphasized the resources available to hurting Christians.
At one time or another everyone needs encouragement. That’s a key word in 2 Corinthians. Sometimes translated comfort, the word is used 29 times in this letter. A poet wrote, “Two men looked out from prison bars, The one saw mud, the other stars.” Whether we see dirt or beauty in life doesn’t depend on our vantage point, but on our perspective.
Thesis: 4 truths from these opening verses that should comfort all of us when life turns sour
For instances:
1. Hardships are part of every life
The 2 greatest human needs met by God are forgiveness and comfort. Everyone is a sinner and needs God’s grace; everyone is a sufferer and needs God’s peace. Suffering is a normal part of every Christian life, just as sin is. Jesus said, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble.” John 16:33.
Our culture today is trying to convince us that we should never have to hurt. There is a theology that supports this called the “Heath and Wealth gospel.” Media ministers will tell us that if we really have a strong faith in God, we will always be happy, healthy and prosperous. The Bible lets us know that since the fall this world is contaminated and suffering is a normal part of life. “He (God the Father) causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” Matthew 5:45, NIV. Good things happen to bad people and bad things happen to good people. Into every life a little rain must fall.
Paul used 2 examples to illustrate that no one is exempt from suffering. The first example is Jesus. “The sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives” 2 Corinthians 1:5. From the beginning of his life, Jesus was lonely and rejected, a victim of criticism, and acquainted with grief. If Jesus was perfect and He suffered, how can we except to be exempt? God had one Son without sin, but He had no sons without suffering. The second example was Paul himself. “We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life.” 2 Corinthians 1:8, NIV. We might think that pressure is a 21st experience only, because we are under much stress. However, we do not face the kind of pressure that Paul faced. He had to work part time to pay for his missionary trips. He had a thorn in the flesh that kept dragging him down. He endured the tension of constant travel and the disappointment of people who rejected the gospel. His enemies often had contracts out on his life. That’s pressure.
If Jesus suffered (He was perfect), and if Paul suffered (one of the most zealous Christians ever), then so will we. “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you.” 1 Peter 4:12, NIV. Happens to everybody
2. Hardships provide an opportunity to receive God’s comfort
We are so egotistical we think we can be self reliant. If we can just make enough money, just get enough education, just belong to enough organizations, just get the right kind of medical procedures and the right kind of pills, we will be just fine. The whole philosophy of humanism is simply that people can rely on themselves. “But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God.” 2 Corinthians 1:9. God occasionally permits hardships in life to knock us to our knees to remind us that, in Jesus’ words, “apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).
We could debate where a certain hardship in life comes from, but the point is that God can use any hardship as a means of developing maturity. “Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” Hebrews 12:7-11. When suffering comes, important that we turn to God and not run; we rely on God and not resent Him.
Vernon McGee tells what happened when he and some other boys got caught skipping school one day to go fishing. The principal called them into the office and said, “Boys, I know you’ve skipped school and I’m going to whip every one of you.” McGee was terrified. He had been a good boy; he’d never been whipped before. But an older, more experienced boy told him, “When the principal whips you- don’t run-if you do he’ll wear you out. Each time he whips you, as hard as it is, move a little closer to him, so he won’t have as much leverage and it won’t hurt as much.” McGee said that was some of the best advice he ever got. He was the first to be whipped. It stung bad, but for the second blow he moved closer, then closer, and it didn’t hurt as much. That same principle applies to the Christian life. When there’s pain, there’s a real temptation for us to withdraw from God, blame God, and get angry at God, but this only makes the pain worse. As tough as it is, if we move closer to God, it hurts less. “For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.” 2 Corinthians 1:5.
3. Hardships equip us to comfort others
“who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” 2 Corinthians 1:4, NIV. Until we have experienced hurt in a similar way, we really don’t sympathize with hurting people the way we can afterwards. If we have a child who is handicapped, then we better understand people who have a similar child. If we are prone to depression, we can identify with people who are melancholy in spirit. If we have had a kidney stone attack, we can be sympathetic with other people who have had kidney stone attacks. The training that God has given us is not for ourselves, but to identify with the problems of others and to assist.
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,” 2 Corinthians 1:3, NIV. There is a difference between compassion and comfort. Compassion has to do with understanding; comfort has to do with sharing. We can be sympathetic but not be of any help. Comfort puts compassion into action. “Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” James 2:15-17. Compassion, if it’s not accompanied by comfort, is dead, too. The word comfort means “to call alongside.” The comforter comes alongside the sufferer. The comforter takes the initiative to make a phone call or write a note or make a visit or give the sufferer a tap on the shoulder saying, “I’ve been there. I can help. I care about you.” Read vs. 6 and 7.
If we are experiencing a deep hurt and we don’t understand it, there’s going to be a day in the future when God will use that hurt to comfort somebody else if we will be alert to their needs.
4. Hardships enable us to testify of our faith
Any kind of hardship we go through puts the spotlight on our faith. The world is watching to see whether we are consistent, and they especially notice how we react when we are in trouble. Stephen Brown suggests that, for every pagan who undergoes cancer, there’s a Christian who goes through cancer so the world can tell the difference. For every pagan who goes through bankruptcy, there’s a Christian who goes through bankruptcy so the world can tell the difference. That’s the reason Paul said, “If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation.” Since Paul was faithful, many people were able to be saved. “Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.” 2 Corinthians 1:11.
A welder climbed on a tall building under construction and started to weld at night. It was damp and he slipped. He caught himself by his fingertips on the ledge. He tried with everything he had to pull himself up, but he didn’t have the strength to do it. He just hung there screaming for somebody to help, but the noise of traffic was too great and nobody heard. His arms ached and his fingers became numb. Finally, he could hold on no longer, and he just let go, expecting to plunge to his death- not knowing that just a foot below him, unseen in the darkness, was a platform of a scaffolding. Instead of falling, he landed safely on the platform. Maybe we are hanging on for dear life. We are desperately trying to pull ourselves up. We have cried out to others for help but they can’t. Maybe it’s time to release ourselves to the Lord and trust Him that He will provide. That comfort is available. God wants to come alongside of us. We have to humble ourselves and not rely on our own strength. We have to rely on God and turn it over to Him, believing that “in all things God works for the good of those who love him” (Romans 8:28)
