2 Corinthians chapter 1. The Apostle Paul in verse 3 had
made this declaration, Blessed be God, even the Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all
comfort. praise or celebrate Him who is,
according to the covenant grace of God, the Father of the Lord
Jesus Christ. God who absolutely has declared
that He has everlastingly loved His people, and according to
the covenant of grace the son himself would take upon himself flesh
associating himself with his people in their nature would
come into this world and live in the same circumstances as
they that He would absolutely earn before God, because God
Almighty was watching Him alone as the Redeemer, as the surety,
as the federal head. All of the sheep were dealt with
by the Father in the Son, and He going to the cross. laid
down his life, being made sin. And scripture declares in Psalm
86 5, the father now having been satisfied by the substitutionary
death of the Lord Jesus Christ, the father is satisfied. The
law has been honored. Justice spewed out, wrath spewed
out. One time, One time. For all of God's elect. And now
the scripture says, Psalm 86 5, the Father God is ready to
forgive. And plenteous abounds in mercy
unto all them that call upon Him. Then the Apostle said, in
the latter part of verse 3 and verse 4, He is the God of all
comfort. who comforteth us, that is continually
comforting us, in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort
them which are in any trouble by or in the same manner as the
comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. Now, before
we go any further, I want to consider that truth that we just
read. I ended on that note last time. And the scripture declares that
the Lord is said to continually comfort us in all our tribulation. That we may be able to comfort
others that are in any trouble by or with The comfort, the same
comfort wherewith God comforts us. Now, how is it? How does God comfort His people
and then His people with the same comfort that God comforts
them, us? How do we comfort each other?
How is that so? How can it be that the same comfort
Where with God comforts us, we comfort each other. Here's what
it is. By the Word of God. By God's Word. God's Word to
His people. His Word is alive. Now, you know,
there's a sense in which, as I said last time, if I've gone
through something that you're going through or vice versa,
and I can relate to you and I can tell you, I know how you feel.
I understand. If I've gone through that, then
there's somewhat of a comfort. But this comfort right here is
not a comfort that merely touches the emotion. But this comfort,
God's Word, is the comfort that is of the heart. Here's what
the apostle David, King David, the psalmist said concerning
the comfort. of God's Word. He said, this
is my comfort in my affliction, thy Word. How quick can it be? This is the comfort of a believer.
The comfort whereby God comforts us by His Word. How often have
we quoted this portion of Scripture? I will never leave you. I will
never forsake you. Now you know, I can mean to do
that. I could desire to do that. If
I could tell you, say, listen, if you're ever in trouble, call
me. Well, you know, that sounds great. But let's be honest. It's very
probable that I won't be here. I'll be somewhere else. You're
in trouble. And I just can't make good on it. But when the
Lord says, I will never leave you, I will never forsake you,
a believer says, I believe that. Lord, I believe you. That's how
God comforts me. And you know how I can comfort
you with the same comfort whereby I'm comforted? I can tell you,
the Lord will never leave you. I will. The Lord won't. So Paul says, "...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." As God comforts us with His promise,
with His Word, we comfort one another. The Word of God. That's what the psalmist says.
This is my comfort in my affliction. Thy Word. Thy Word. Oh, the truth of the promises
of God to His people. You think about this truth of
election. Do you truly believe that God
has elected you before the foundation of the world? That you should
be holy? and without blame before God
in love. Do you truly believe that? Believer
says, I believe that. I believe it. Almighty God has
promised that in Christ, I'm holy and without blame. I truly believe that when He
died at Calvary, I truly believe, I believe, I believe Him. I believe
that He was made what I am. How did God do that? I don't
know. But I believe that Almighty God
made Christ to be all the sin, all the guilt, what they are
by nature was made Him. And God dealt with Him. There's
Marvin right there. That's why Paul said, I was crucified
with Christ. Nevertheless, I live the life. I live now in the flesh. I live
by the faith of the son of God, the faithfulness of the son of
God who loved me, gave himself for me. That's that's comfort. Do you believe when almighty
God ends all this and we all stand before him, Do you believe
He's really going to separate sheep from the goats? I sure
do. Do you really believe that you'll
be standing on His right hand? By the grace of God, I will.
Do you really believe He'll say, enter in to all that was prepared
for you before the foundation of the world? Do you believe
that? We are comforted in all our tribulations that we might
be able to comfort one another. That's what comforts a believer,
God's word. Now, he says in verse 5, for
the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also
aboundeth by Christ. Now, the Holy Spirit here gives
reason why We need continual comfort. And the reason is, is
because we're continually found to be in tribulation, in trouble. I mean, it's just inward, outward,
we're just abounding in tribulation, sufferings. But he speaks of,
now look at the wording, he speaks of the sufferings of Christ abounding
in us the sufferings of Christ. Now, I know this. He's not speaking
of the sufferings of our Lord at Calvary. Now, those sufferings
that He suffered at Calvary, the Scripture says in Isaiah
63, 3, I have trodden a winepress alone, and of the people there
was none with me. Now, there's no doubt that we
know when we start talking about the sufferings of Christ, it's
what Paul said. as the sufferings of Christ abound
in us. Now, we know that He totally
bore alone God's wrath for us. We know that and we do know that
we were found in Him mysteriously because once we've been put in
Christ, we stayed in Christ. We're not in Christ, out of Christ,
where God put us. Brother Scott said that's where
God kept us, and that's absolutely so. He suffered the justice and
wrath of God for us. We were found to be in Him, but
concerning the actual suffering, only the Lord Jesus Christ ever
personally experienced in His body the suffering and penalty
of God's judgment in the redemption of God's people. In the redemption
of us, His people, the only one that actually felt the suffering,
felt the wrath, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? We were in Him, but He bore the
suffering, He felt the pain. So I know this, that those sufferings
at Calvary is not the sufferings that Paul was talking about.
So what is the Apostle speaking of as he speaks of the sufferings
of Christ that abound in us? Well, I'll tell you what it is.
It's actually the sufferings of God's people that are in this
world Suffering whatever the Lord providentially sends their
way, and I know that we're suffering. I know God has told us, He said
in His high priestly prayer, they're in the world, they're
not of it. They're hated of the world. God's people are hated
because of Christ that's in them. The world hates God. The carnal
mind is enmity toward God, Christ in us, therefore the world hates
us. So when God's people suffer in
this world, and we being the body of Christ, that is said
to be Christ's suffering. Whenever Saul of Tarsus was on
the road to Damascus in Acts chapter 9, He's going down, he's
going to take those who are of the way. What did the Lord ask
him? Acts 9, 4. He fell to the earth
and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest
thou me? Who was Saul actually physically
persecuting? Well, those who were of the way. Believers, who He was persecuting,
those that claimed the name of Christ, and doing it to them. Christ said, you're doing that
to Me. Matthew 25, 40. Inasmuch as you've
done it unto the least of one of these My brethren, you've
done it to Me. Listen to 1 Corinthians. This
verse of Scripture was brought back to my mind how plain this
is. I'm telling you, whenever we
do anything, when we do anything to say anything about anything,
we're one of God's people. Let me tell you something. It's
personal with the Lord. He said, you did that to me.
Listen to this. 1 Corinthians 8 and 12. But when
you sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience,
ye sin against Christ. 1 Corinthians 8-12. When we do anything to one of
God's elect, the Lord said, you did that to me. And it's personal. Paul is saying back in verse
5 of 2 Corinthians 1, for as the sufferings of Christ abound
in us, Whatever is done to God's people is done to the Lord Jesus
Christ. And so those sufferings are said
to be His sufferings. He's speaking of the afflictions
that He suffered, that Paul suffered as a minister of Christ. And
Paul said, now listen to this, here's an amazing passage. Hold
your place right here. Turn to Colossians 1.24. I want
to read something to you that just was so amazing to me. Colossians 1.24. Colossians 1.24 says this, who
now rejoice, Paul is speaking of himself, who now rejoice in
my sufferings for you and fill up that which is behind of the
afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is
the church." Now, when you first read that, let me tell you what
you think. You think exactly what I thought.
What in the world did he just say? What did you say? Let me read it again. "...who
now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which
is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for His
body's sake, for the church's sake." Now let me tell you what
he just said. When he said, I fill up, he's not saying that anything
was left to be done concerning the sufferings of Christ at Calvary.
He's not saying that. When he's saying fill up, what
he's actually saying, and I'll just have to interpret what he
meant, It says that Christ suffered at Calvary. But Paul said there
are some sufferings of Christ in his people. The sufferings
of Christ. Christ suffered bodily at Calvary. We understand that. That's a
given. But now Paul is saying there's some sufferings that
need to be filled up. That needs to be accomplished. done, you know, still. Still. I'll explain. Just hang
on. Just bear with me. He said there's some sufferings
of Christ that still need to be done. It needs to be done.
Paul says, I'm doing my part and it'll be other believers
who do their part. Let me tell you what I mean.
These sufferings of Christ, which are actually the sufferings that's
being done to God's people, Christ's body, that Christ said, those
are my sufferings. Why are you doing that to me,
Saul? Why persecutest thou me? Paul says, I am filling up, or
I am accomplishing my lot, is what Paul is saying. Christ has
finished the work at Calvary, but there's some sufferings of
Christ in his people that's going to continue until the end of
time. He says, I fill up, I accomplish my lot, that which is behind
of the afflictions of Christ. Now let me tell you, that which
is behind of the afflictions of Christ, here's what that means.
Done later, after Christ's sufferings at Calvary. There's some sufferings
of Christ that are being accomplished, and it's the sufferings of His
people. Again, I know I'm being redundant,
but I want to hopefully make what I'm saying clear. Paul couldn't
add anything to the sufferings of Christ at Calvary. Christ
finished the work. Paul is saying and he's setting
forth that his sufferings personally, now in the flesh, which are said
to be Christ's suffering because we're his body, he's doing that
for Christ's sake and he's being brought to pass in time. So all
that we go through, let me see if I can say this one more time
and make it plain in my own mind. All the sufferings that we go
through right now in this life for Christ's sake are said to
be Christ's sufferings. You do it to them, you do it
to me. You touch them, you touch me. That's what he said. So all
of these sufferings after the sufferings at Calvary that are
coming about in time right now, these that are happening today,
these are the sufferings of Christ. They're his sufferings. He feels
them. He knows them. He's intimately
acquainted. Paul says, I'm filling up. That
is Paul saying, I'm accomplishing in time his sufferings in my
body. These are Christ's sufferings.
What I'm feeling, these are his. And he said, I'm filling up that
which is behind, that which comes later after his sufferings at
Calvary. So what we are, we're going through. In this life, right now, the
sufferings that we're suffering, we're filling in our parts. Paul
said, I'm filling up mine, you're filling up yours. Those that
came behind after the sufferings at Calvary. And it's gonna continue
until there's no more time. The sufferings of Christ will
continue in his people until he calls them home. That's what
Paul's saying. Now I'll read it again. For as the sufferings
of Christ abound in us, He says, so also our consolation also
abounded. Now there's a, Paul said, I know
this. What I'm going through, what
I feel, he said, I, you know, these are real sufferings and
they're grievous and I feel them. I feel the whippings, I know
the talking, I know everything that's done against me. He said,
I understand it. And there are trials and there
are tribulations. But the Lord Himself, who is my comfort, said
these are mine. I bear them. I bear them. Paul
says, not only do I know that I have a race to run, a course
to finish, a fight to fight, and a faith to keep. He said
the sufferings of Christ in me is going to continue in me, which
are His sufferings, until I leave this world. And He said also,
these sufferings, they abound, but also, I'll tell you what
also is going to abound. He said, the consolation, the
comfort that's going to abound by Christ. Why? He's never going
to leave me. He's never going to forsake me.
Christ is the source. He said, I suffer, I know this,
I suffer for His name's sake. But He has assured me, Paul,
these are my sufferings. And I'm not going to leave you.
I'm going to comfort you. He said, I suffer, but I'm also
comforted. Then He says, verse 6, and whether
we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation which
is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which
we also suffer, or whether we be comforted, is for your consolation
and salvation." Now what he's saying here, if we're afflicted,
or if we're in trouble, it's for your comfort, and for your
salvation. Now here's an amazing truth. All of the trials, according
to these scriptures, that believers go through, those are Christ's. He said, I bear those. I bear
those. I tell you what, I cannot hurt
my hand and the rest of my body not be affected. You say, well,
it was just your hand. Yeah, but it's my hand. And I
feel it. And I know it. And I think about
it. My head thinks about it. And I tell you what, in my foot,
if my foot could talk, my foot would say to the head, to the
hand, that's my sufferance. I'm suffering with you. And that's
a comfort to me. To know that when we suffer,
we don't suffer alone. That's what Paul said, I'm filling
up the sufferings of Christ in my body. I'm doing this for Christ's
sake. But let me tell you what is precious
about our sufferings. According to verse 6, whether
we be afflicted, now just think of what he's saying. If we're
afflicted, It's for your consolation. It's for your comfort. Salvation. All of our trials are for the welfare and the benefit
of God's people. It's for the glory of God. They're
being affectionately wrought out by the providential hand
of God for the encouragement of God's people that they might
endure in the same sufferings that we suffer. How precious
to know. And I know that there's some
people suffering. I know, I know. In this congregation,
I know that. But listen, here's what God says
about them. You're going through this for the comfort of God's
people. God's people look at that and they say, bless the
Lord. for His sustaining grace. Bless
God that He keeps you. What a witness of God's mercy
and grace. Whether we be afflicted, it's
for your consolation, for your comfort and your salvation, which
is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which
we also suffer. We suffer and we suffer together. We're a body. So think, whatever
affliction any believer suffers, Christ is glorified in His sustaining
grace, and God's people are encouraged to continue in the faith. That's
the means of God Almighty in causing His people to be encouraged. They profit from this. Philippians
chapter 1, verses 12 and 14. I'll read this for you. Philippians
1, 12. But I would, you should understand,
brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen
out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel. that my bonds
in Christ are manifest in all the palace, in all of the places,
and many of the brethren in the Lord are waxing confident by
my bonds and much more bold to speak the word without fear. Now, persecution is often the
means of Almighty God to advance the gospel. In the earliest days
of this assembly, I'm talking about 60 plus years ago. When
all of this, when God was pleased to draw out a pastor, out from
a place where there began to be conflict because of the gospel. And that's what it was all over.
It was all for the gospel of God's free grace. There was a
pastor and he was preaching the truth and people didn't want
to hear it. And rebelled against it, rebelled
against it. And what happened out of that
persecution? Here's an assembly. So when we
see persecution and suffering, for Christ's sake, it's for the
comfort, the consolation, and the salvation of God's elect. How many has God called out in
60-something years here? How many people has God been
pleased to save? because God was pleased to raise
up a faithful pastor. Paul says these sufferings, verse
5 of Christ, they abound in us. Oh, but our comfort abounds by
Christ. Whether we be afflicted, it's
for your comfort, your consolation, and your salvation. It's effectual
in the enduring of the same sufferings which we suffer. Whether we be
comforted, it's for your consolation and salvation. Also, many people
are encouraged. Whether we be comforted, when
a believer suffers and he's comforted by the word of God, it's always
for the comfort and salvation of God's people. Last verse,
beholding the encouragement and comfort that's wrought in the
saints, Paul confesses in verse seven, and our hope, our confidence
of you is steadfast, knowing that as ye are partakers of the
sufferings, so shall you also be of the consolation. Paul says the Lord has placed
you where you are. Almighty God who rules in the
army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth is not
unaware where you are and what you're going through. God knows.
But what you're going through right now is for the encouragement,
the comfort, and the salvation of God's elect. You said, how
can this be? How can this be? I don't know. I don't know. But I can tell
you this, I know that it's so. And all of the sufferings, here
again, I entitled this message, Suffering and Comfort. And all
of the sufferings that you're going through, Almighty God has
said concerning the Lord Jesus Christ to His body, He said,
I know. I know. Those are my sufferings. They're mine. Paul says, I'm
bearing the sufferings of Christ in my body. I'm filling up, or
that is, I'm participating in my part of His sufferings for
the good of His people and His glory. Paul says, I rejoice in
them. I rejoice in this. He who sins
the sufferings, he said he's going to abound. in that consolation
to heal comfort. If you're a partaker of the afflictions,
you're going to also be a partaker according to the promise of the
Lord Jesus Christ of the comfort that He gives. We believe that
Almighty God who sends the trials, He's able. He's able to keep
and sustain us I pray that this might be a blessing to God's
people. We're in a real world, and we
really do go through some trials and tribulations. But while these
trials and tribulations come, let's remember, the Lord sent
them. The Lord said, they're mine.
They're mine. Paul said, that's why I rejoice
in them, because the Lord has given them to me, and they're
his, and he bears them. The Lord said, I'm going to send you comfort
also. Don't worry. The afflictions
may abound, but so will the comfort. May the Lord bless these words
to our heart for Christ's sake. Amen. Okay, Gary.