May it please almighty God to
bless us together this evening as we meditate in his word. Let
us turn to the second epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, the
first chapter, and we'll read verses three and four. The second epistle of Paul to
the Corinthians, chapter one, and reading verses three and
four. Blessed be God, even the Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God
of all comfort, who comforted 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. It is really very wonderful to
consider that the Lord in his great providence and mercy led
his people and led those that were to write the scriptures
into certain paths so that they were able to write those things
which they had passed through and to leave that testimony of
what God had done for them and how God had helped them. We have
of course outstanding examples like Moses and like Daniel and
David and we read the scriptures and we read much about their
lives and to a certain extent we also read in the New Testament
of the disciples and what they passed through, some more and
some less. And here we have in this second
epistle to the Corinthians, written by the apostle Paul, testifying
of those things that he had passed through and the things that he
was instructed to write to the Corinthians. He'd already written
the first epistle, the first letter, and that had not really
met with a lot of encouragement, and he'd been criticized for
many things and spoken against. And we should not therefore be
surprised in our day if we find ourselves in a similar situation. However, Titus had been sent
to Corinth and had been made a blessing there. And he was
able to come back and to tell the Apostle Paul that things
had turned around and the Corinthians were not now as against him as
they were. And so we find that in these
verses that we read this evening, something to testify of the condition
that the apostle found himself in and was able to write faithfully
and truthfully to the Corinthians. And so we find the words commence
with, blessed be God. It's a wonderful favor for all
of us in our life We can testify of this same situation and be
able to say with the apostle, blessed be God. We can read the
same in the Psalms. And the 68th Psalm ends with
these words, and it's very glorious really to think of that. He tells
us in the 35th verse of the 68th Psalm, this is the Psalm of David. He says, oh God, thou art terrible
out of thy holy place. The God of Israel is he that
give his strength and power unto his people. And so he concludes
with these words, blessed be God. And of course the Apostle
had indeed proved the strength and power of God in his life
on many occasions and in measure. The Church of God still today
can echo these words and be able to come and say blessed be God. Well I hope that we tonight in
our little measure can also come and say Blessed be God, even
the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies
and the God of all comfort. And of course, he is the God
of all mercies. He is a merciful God. He's been
merciful to us. And if we look into our lives,
look into our heart, we will recognize that God has not dealt
with us as our sins deserve, but his mercy has been lengthen
out and Micah one of the Old Testament prophets echoed these
words when he wrote that reasonably short prophecy when he says in
the seventh chapter and verse 18 who is a God like unto thee
who is a God like unto thee that pardoneth iniquity and passeth
by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage, he retaineth
not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy." So we
have a God, a God today, who delights in mercy. May that be
an encouragement for us tonight, and therefore be able to join
in with the Apostle Paul and say, blessed be God, because
we know This God delights in mercy and through his love towards
us, his love towards me, he hasn't dealt with us or me accordance
with our sins, but his mercy has been lengthened out and surely
that is a very good reason to come and say, blessed be God. And so the apostle says, the
Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. And then we have
this word here, comfort, and also it's spelled out more in
the fourth verse, this God of comfort. Comfort is really a
very pleasant word. I think that sometimes people
comfort us, sometimes when there's been a loss of loved ones, people
come and comfort the mourners and speak words of comfort. They speak comfortably to them
and sometimes in our spiritual life God very gloriously comes
and speaks comfortable words for us. Sometimes we may feel
to be as it were at wit's end corner and not sure what to think
and not sure what to say and God comes where we are Because
God knows we are where we are. And that's a great wonder, isn't
it? He knows where we are. He knows what we're passing through. He knows what we will pass through. He knows what's before us. And
he is a God of all comfort, the God of all comfort. He is the
one who blesses us with comfort and what a mercy that is. And
so he says, who comforted us in all our tribulations. we may be able to comfort them
which are in any trouble by the comfort wherewith we ourselves
are comforted of God. So we as fellow Christians pass
through a world of tribulation and we should never doubt that
truth because the Lord himself he came towards the end of his
life on this earth when he was being with his disciples and
he spoke to them these words in the 16th chapter where it's
really the end of that sermon he preached to his disciples
in the upper room and this is what he tells them these things
have i spoken unto you and as you and i read from verse chapter
14 excuse me through to chapter 16 we find
it's a glorious truth and this is what he says these things
have i spoken unto you that in me ye might have peace in the
world ye shall have tribulation that means trouble but be of
good cheer i have overcome the world well may we know that by
the grace of God we are overcomers, not because of our own ability,
but because of what the Lord Jesus Christ did. And we overcame,
we overcome through the blood of the Lamb. That's a glorious
truth, is it not? That's how we overcome. We don't
overcome by anything that you and I have done ourselves. We've
done it through this great truth. that we are overcomers, but we
do and we shall walk through this world of tribulation. And yet in this path, we have
this wonderful statement, the Lord who comforted us in all
our tribulation. That means really, that as we
pass through times of trouble, we're not by ourselves. We may
sometimes think we are. Reality is, The Lord is with
us. Sometimes we know it in a very
special and a very peculiar way. Sometimes we may not feel it
in the same power, but nonetheless, the word is still true. The Lord
is with us. He comforts us in all our tribulation. What a mercy, what a savior,
what a kind and gracious God. we have because he tells us again
in the same sermon that he preached to his disciples in the upper
room in the earlier part in the 14th chapter he tells us i will
not leave you comfortless i will come to you what a thought that
is to think that the almighty god comes to us in every time
of need and brings about that comfort to our soul, brings about
that assurance that we are not journeying through life by ourselves. Sometimes it may seem like it,
but no, the Lord is with us. The Lord's watching over us.
The Lord's taking care of us. The Lord's instructing us. And
the Lord will at last bring us safely home to our desired haven. the God of comfort that we have. What a mercy then to consider
these words in this line, who comforted us in all our tribulation. Let us not pass over that little
word all. Sometimes we may think we're
alone, but we're not. Because if God before us, who
can be against us? God is with us. And as we pass
through times of trouble, and this trouble can take various
forms, and sometimes perhaps it may be what it seems to be
a light affliction. But again, the apostle in this
same epistle, writing to the Corinthians, he speaks of this
light affliction, and it's good to realize how he addresses it. and he says in the fourth chapter
and the 17th verse he says these words for our light affliction
which is but for a moment when we weigh up things in the time
of eternity where there is no time we get a right light on
these words for our light affliction which is but for a moment worketh
for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. Affliction, of course, is trouble,
it is tribulation, and it works for our good. God brings these
things into our lives for our spiritual good. The Lord is touching
us, he's dealing with us, he tells us the last verse which
follows on verse 18 while we look not at the things which
are seen but at the things which are not seen for the things which
are seen are temporal but the things which are not seen are
eternal when it will bear mercy therefore if the lord shows to
us that these things these light afflictions are working together
for our eternal good and as he says it works for us a far more
exceeding and eternal weight of glory what a good thing it
is if you and i can compare a light affliction with an eternal weight
of glory and it puts things in a right and it puts things in
a true perspective and we can thank god therefore for such
truths and thank him indeed that he sees fit to allow us to come
into times of affliction, times of tribulation, which proved
to be times of blessing. David knew it, David walked a
path of much affliction, much trouble, and in that well-known
34th psalm in verse 19 he tells us many are the afflictions of
the righteous. It's not just a one-off thing.
The Lord sees fit that you and I have many of these times of
affliction. And the real reason, of course,
is to keep us in our right mind, keep us in our right place, and
above all things, keep us praying unto our God. If we had no tribulation,
if we had no trouble, If we had no afflictions, there would be
no prayer and therefore we can say there will be no union and
no communion and no fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Because Lord Jesus Christ, he
passed through this world with much affliction and much tribulation
and we would never understand the path at all unless the Lord
in his grace brought us through a similar way. And so he says,
many are the afflictions of the righteous, but, and again, there
are many buts in the word, as I often mention, but the Lord
delivereth him out of them all. The Lord does not fail. The Lord
is with his people at all times. And to realize therefore, as
we may find ourselves in a time of trouble, we can look beyond
it. We'll have an end. We'll have an end. There will
be deliverance. The word of God tells us so.
There will be deliverance. And we know that finally, there
will be a glorious deliverance. And the Lord will take us from
this sinful scene to glory and to be with him where there is
no trouble, where there is no tribulation, but all is peace
and joy and happiness. So can we not therefore thank
God for it? You know, the apostle Paul was
so equipped really to write a word like this, wasn't it? Because
of all the many afflictions and times of tribulation that the
apostle was called upon to pass through. He didn't sink under
it. The Lord was with him in it.
The Lord brought him safely through. and through it he was able therefore
to write such words as this that the Lord was with him and comforted
him and therefore he tells us who comforted us he comforted
him the Lord comforts us who comforted us in all our tribulation
that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble
yes we will be able to encourage one another it's now found in
a pathway of tribulation and comfort. So they don't think
they're out of the secret. They don't think they're in an
unusual path. They're in a path that the Lord
in his gracious mercy and sovereignty has ordained. And that path is
to bring them closer to the Saviour. It doesn't drive them away. Tribulation doesn't drive the
church you've got away. It brings them to the Saviour. and the Saviour draws near to
them and encourages them and strengthens them and helps them. What a mercy it is then to have
such a kind and such a gracious God as we have. Again, the apostle tells us really
about his experience and how he desires to be bold in his
statements. because we might think, well
now be careful Paul, what you say, because things can be very
difficult and tribulations can appear to sometimes virtually
overtake us and drown us. Oh, says the Apostle Paul, great
is my boldness, the speech toward you. Because he'd experienced
the deliverance of God, he'd experienced the blessing of God,
in these times of tribulation. And that's why he's able to write
and to say, great is my boldness of speech toward you. It's a
grand statement, isn't it, when you think of the Apostle's life.
And may it be a comfort to us today as we think of such a statement
as this. Great is my boldness of speech
toward you. Great is my glorying in you.
I am filled with comfort I am exceedingly joyful in all our
tribulation. That's not of the flesh, is it? That's really of the Spirit. What a mercy, therefore, if we
can understand, therefore, what a truth it is that the apostle
tells us, because he goes on In that seventh chapter, I read
the fourth verse. The fifth verse tells us for
when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest. And of course, you may remember,
he went to Macedonia more than once, but he went to Macedonia,
of course, to Philippi, where he had to suffer greatly and
was in prison with Silas. But what a blessed time that
was, a time of tribulation, but the Lord was with him. And there
was a glorious conversion. of the jailer and his family. And so he tells us, for when
we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we
were troubled on every side, every side. Without were fightings,
within were fears. He was a human man. He had fears
within, fears within. Nevertheless, God that comforteth
those that are cast down, comforted us by the coming of Titus. The words you see are balancing
in the clouds. The Lord knows how to bring about
these things, to encourage the church of God and to comfort
them. You see why the apostle was indeed
so well equipped to write such a statement as this, such an
account as this. yes and he knows what the effect
was of this tribulation to the true believer when he wrote to
the church of rome he tells us what it was it's good sometimes
because i may think well why am i brought into this position
why do i have to suffer like this why am i in trouble the
apostle tells us romans 5 verse 3 And not only so, but we glory
in tribulations also, knowing that tribulation worketh patience. That's a gift, isn't it? That's
a blessing of God, isn't it? To endure with patience those
things that the Lord sees fit to lay upon us. He tells us he
won't lay on us more than we are able to bear. And God's word
is true. Bless God for it. And when he
comes to the revelation, John on the Isle of Patmos, when he
saw that heavenly host, he asked the angel what it meant. And
he said unto him, and the angel said, sir, thou knowest. And
he said to me, these are they which came out of great tribulation
and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood
of the lamb. It would appear from that quite
clear that all the saints of God pass through a path of tribulation,
and in that path of tribulation, they come out of it, they don't
remain in it, and they experience this wonderful blessing of having
their robes washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb. You
see, this is an experience which is very valuable. This is an
experience which is a wonderful comfort to the Church of God. This is an experience that puts
things in a right context and we can indeed thank God for it,
for the patience and the faith that he gives. Again you see
the apostle mentions this theme so often as he writes his various
epistles And he writes to the Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians
1 verse 4, so that we ourselves glory in you in the churches
of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions
and tribulations that ye endure. The Lord gives enduring grace. The Lord blesses his people with
that grace to endure persecutions and tribulations so that we can
rejoice in the dealing with God with us. He doesn't cast us off.
He's dealing with us as sons and daughters of the Most High
and it's all part of the preparation of the Church of God to be fitted
for their eternal home. That's why we read that verse
in Revelation to think that through these things the great tribulations
We come and we're washed and we're made white in the blood
of a lamb. Well, you may remember that the
prophet Isaiah speaks those well-known words really in the 40th of Isaiah
and the first verse where he speaks of this comfort and he
says, comforty, comforty my people, saith your God. And these tonight
surely are words of comfort as we read them and recognize the
Lord is with us. He doesn't leave his people.
He teaches his people. He brings them by the right way.
Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably
to Jerusalem, to the church of God. These are good words. And
cry unto her that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity
is pardoned. where she has received of the
Lord's hand double for all her sins. What a kind, what a gracious
God, what a merciful God we have. And so may we bless God tonight
for the great and glorious truths that we have really in these
verses, and especially in this fourth verse, who comforted us
in all our tribulation. And let's not lose sight the
comprehensiveness of that statement that we may be able to comfort
them as we find others passing through this veil of tears and
difficulties we can encourage one another in the way to tell
each other yes but there will be a good end an end of eternal
glory comfort them which are in any trouble any tribulation,
by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. As we spoke on Sunday evening,
those words, by these things men live. This is indeed the
light from God, which shines into the true believer's heart
and brings them to realise, here we have no continuing city, but
we see one to come. This is not our rest, as we read
in Micah, it is polluted and therefore may we be able to come
and say it with Paul, with David, in those first three words, in
the third verse, blessed be God. Amen.