The Bond Of Fellowship

I'm going to read our scripture for this morning's message. This is found in 2 Corinthians chapter 1. 2 Corinthians chapter 1 verses 2 through 7. Might as well start with verse 1 here. an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy, our brother, unto the church of God, which is at Corinth, with all the saints which are in all Achaia.

Grace be to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. 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. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. 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, it is for your consolation and salvation. And our hope of you is steadfast, knowing that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation. All right, so 2 Corinthians chapter 1, This morning I want to look at the comfort that we as believers have in the Lord Jesus Christ. Looking at both what is our comfort that the Lord gives to us and then the comfort that we receive that we may minister that same comfort to our brethren, for the body.

Now our Lord gives His people an understanding of why we need this comfort and what is wrong with this world. What is wrong with me? And our Lord makes us to know that we are sinners in need of His grace because we're born of that corrupt seed of Adam. When Adam was in the garden, all we were yet in Adam. His seed was yet in him.

So we were in him when he rebelled against God and ate of the fruit that was forbidden for him to eat by God. And he ate it. When he ate that, our Lord said, in the day you eat of it, you shall surely die. And he died. He spiritually died, and his body began to die physically. But he died spiritually. We see that immediately because when the voice of God came walking in the cool of the garden, he took off. He ran. He hid. He didn't see God as merciful and gracious in what he needed. He saw God as his enemy. and he ran and hid from him. Well, all we are born of that corrupt seed. We were in Adam. When he sinned, we sinned. When he became defiled, we became defiled. When he died, we died. We're all born of that corrupt seed, dead in trespasses and sins.

Now, describing what that spiritual death looks like to give us a better understanding of what that means that I'm a sinner, turn over to Romans chapter three. This is setting up for an understanding of what comfort we're getting. So Romans chapter three, beginning in verse 10, Paul says, it is written, and this word here, this is the scriptures of our Lord. This is his voice, his word speaking to us.

It is written, there is none righteous. None righteous, no, not one. There is none that understand it. There is none that seeketh after God. If by nature you're seeking after God, it's the God of your imagination. It is a false God until God reveals himself to you and delivers you out of that death. In spite of us, he delivers his people graciously.

They are all gone out of the way. They are together become unprofitable. That means And without the grace of our God, we don't do anything in faith. All right, it's unprofitable. All our works are to serve ourselves. It's not to the glory of God, it's to our own glory. It's unprofitable. There is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulcher, an open grave, all right, with all that stench and death coming out of it. With their tongues, they have used deceit. The poison of asps is under. their lips, right?

How many times have we spoken of the things of this world which are unprofitable and just dead? They're just dead things that are no good for anybody, not good for us, not good for our heroes, whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness, always complaining, always finding some fault, never seeing that the Lord actually has a purpose in the things that are happening to us in our lives. There's a purpose. There's always a good purpose for the people of God. because our God is sovereign and he's doing all things for his glory and praise and it is, it is for our good.

Look for that. Trust the Lord in that. Trust him in that. So the worst thing that we can do when reading this and hearing this word, the worst thing we can do is justify ourselves or to make excuses for why we are what we are. Just own it. Lord, you're right. You are true. Let every man be a liar, including me. I can't justify myself. If I begin to justify myself, I condemn myself immediately. So we don't look to make excuses or to find a way to justify it.

It's best to just be silent and confess, Lord, you're right. You are right. You are true. Lord, be gracious to me and help me. Help me that I may follow you and walk in the spirit rather than in this flesh. Help me that I may be profitable not because of anything good in me, but to walk in faith by your spirit, serving your people and loving them and walking in faith to you. That should be the desire of God's people. And so our Lord has a good purpose in making his sons and daughters to know this truth. There is a good purpose in it.

In Galatians 3, 22, the scripture, the same word, the scripture hath concluded all under sin. When you're laying in your bed and you pick up your Bible and you read some passage, you realize, these people are all sinners. These people are messed up. They're just like me. We're not reading of exceptional people because of what they do. We're reading of men and women just like us. And they're sinners.

And there's a good purpose why the Lord records them in full truth and honesty, without hiding anything or pulling any punches, there's a reason why the Lord lets us see that, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. To you, to whom the Lord has given faith and hope in the Lord Jesus Christ, he's making you to know the promise of his darling son. not to come away from reading this book as holier than others, as thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought to think, but to see ourselves as we really are, sinners in need of His grace, brought together with sinners in need of His grace, just like you and me, right? We're made to see our need of Him and the beauty and glory of His grace and mercy revealed to us in His darling Son, Jesus Christ, because that's what sinners need. And Jesus Christ is the grace of God for sinners.

Now with that understanding, let's read Paul's salutation beginning in 2 Corinthians 1 verse 2. Grace be to you. That's what we need. Grace be to you. And he's writing to believers. Grace be to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. In spite of the fact that we are sinners in need of his grace, the gospel is our God's declaration to us of peace, how that we might have peace with holy God. And though we are sinners, God is revealing himself as the God of peace, who has reconciled his people unto himself, who has provided for his people all that we need to stand in fellowship in the family of God, with the saints of God, in light, meaning no darkness. We don't need any darkness to hide what we are.

Let it be known. When you confess the Lord Jesus Christ, you're confessing to men, I'm a sinner. That is a confession. I'm a sinner. I need his grace. I have no hope but the Lord Jesus Christ. You're confessing your sins to others. I need his grace. I need the Lord Jesus Christ. And so it's a declaration of God's peace to men and women, young and old, that you're a sinner, but I've provided for you, sinner. Look to my son. Trust my son. Believe him. Seek to know him more and more by his grace and power. Cry out to him. He is the God who hears our cries and hears our prayers. He careth for you. Confess it to him. And so the scriptures tell us, then in Romans 3, verses 24 through 26, that we are justified freely by his grace.

We haven't earned it. We've not stepped up on a ladder. We're not improving ourselves little by little. No one's better than the other one. It is freely by his grace that we are justified through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ. His redemption, his blood redemption, his sacrifice.

We're all coming to God as filthy sinners washed in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. And we're coming the same way. and with the same name, none better than the other, whom God hath set forth, speaking of Christ, whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood. Our Father sent the Son to bear the shame and the punishment and our sin to bear it under the wrath of God to put it away against us. That propitiation means that he turned the wrath of God which was against us for our sin and put it on his son.

We are delivered from it. God is satisfied. God is at peace with us because Christ is that propitiation and through faith in his blood that's how we know him and experience this grace to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past through the forbearance of God, through the patience of God, He forbear these things with us. He put up with us, knowing His great salvation in His Son, to exalt Him. To declare, I say at this time, His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. That though we are shameful sinners in ourselves, in this flesh, yet God is just to justify us for Christ's sake.

God's done nothing wrong. in forgiving his people, in putting away their sin, in establishing us, adopting us into the family of God. It's all just. It's all perfect in righteousness. No accuser can lay any charge against us or against our God. It's all done perfectly in and by the Lord Jesus Christ. And so for sinners, that's a comforting word. That's a comforting word.

If you have a righteousness of your own, if you have works, If you think you're something, you don't care. Christ isn't precious to you. But if you're a sinner who cannot save yourself, or wash your hands clean, or soothe your conscience with anything you do, that's good. You might find all your hope, all your confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ. It's for our good, and that's a comforting word to the sinner. Grace be to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

And so, in the way that the Father is the Father of the Son, it's not in the way that God is our Father in creation, or God is the Father of his people by adoption. It's that they are co-equal. By eternal generation, they have the same nature. They are one with each other in power, in authority, in glory, They are one with each other, and in that sense, this title of God being the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, that's speaking to that covenant relationship that our God has with us. That when the Son of God came, he came in the office of Christ, the Savior of his people. And in that sense, it speaks to that covenant relation that the Father has with the Son, and which we have with the Father in the Son, through the Lord Jesus Christ, all right? So he's all.

And it says in Galatians 3.16, now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not into seeds as of many, but as of one into thy seed, which is Christ. In other words, the scriptures are all declaring Christ to us, declaring Christ to us, declaring Christ to us, that we would be found in him, that we would be moved to Christ to lay down the hope of our righteousness by our works, to lay down our own religion and our own works as dung, the way Paul did, having no confidence in those things, but that you would have all your confidence in Christ.

Because that's where the Lord brings all his people to have their confidence in, in Christ. That's how we're made one as a body in Christ. That's why there's none better than another because Christ is exalted and we're just members of his body. And with that understanding, that's how we live with one another and bear with one another, bearing one another's burdens and are made partakers of the same love, the same gentleness, the same kindness of our God. the same spirit, the same baptism, we all come in Christ. And that's what the Lord's doing, he's moving us into Christ and blessing us in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, Paul then praises our God, right? Blessed be God, praise be to God, God be praised, in this sense, and he's making us know that we all have one mediator.

There is one salvation. There's not many ways to God, there's not many religions and avenues to God, you just pick the one that works for you or however you were born into it. No. If you're the Lord, he's plucking us out, each of us, out of our death and darkness and fitting us into the body of Christ. Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. There is not another salvation.

There is one Savior between God and men, one mediator between God and men, the Lord Jesus Christ. That's what he's making us to see, so that we know the comfort we have of God is in and by the Lord Jesus Christ. Not by our works, not by another Savior, but by the Lord Jesus Christ. And so, whatever trouble we come to face in this life, whatever difficulties, whatever trials, whatever hardships, whatever blessings, it's all met, it's all found in the Lord Jesus Christ.

God is gracious to you sinner in and by the Lord Jesus Christ, for Christ's sake. Don't ever think that it's because you did better or you did something to earn his favor or merit or grace. We don't earn it. Christ earned it. And it's all given freely in the Lord Jesus Christ.

And so this is all seen here in the next verse, 2 Corinthians 1.4. 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. And so, whatever the reason for this tribulation that Paul speaks of here, whether it's pain, anguish, suffering, some loss, some difficulty, some trial, some difficulty, You know, we all experience various things that come against us, right? We're going in a direction and something opposes that, and it's a difficulty, some trial, something that seems to set us back. Whatever it is, we will find our comfort in our God, in the Lord Jesus Christ. We will be comforted by him and his grace and mercy.

In Hebrews, Paul said in Hebrews 13, five and six, let your conversation be without covetousness and be content with such things as ye have. All right, if something slips out of your hand, something you thought you were gonna get and it slips away and it's given to another, don't be covetous. Don't even set your heart on it. Be glad, bless the Lord. and be glad in it, that your brother or someone else has it.

Be content with such things as you have for he said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. And so our Lord is revealing to us that the difficulties that we have, the strippings and the weaknesses and the infirmities that are discovered to us and we're made known to have them, our hardships and all those things, There's a purpose in it. It's that we may learn the truth of his work, who said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. The Lord always has a good purpose in whatever he does. It's to bring us to experience this work, not to have confidence in yourself, not to always be able to figure it out and to get yourself out of every difficulty. It's to teach us, Lord, please be gracious to me. Please draw near to me, Lord. I can't do this. I don't know how to help them. I don't know how to fix this. Lord, I've made a mess of this.

And it's that we would experience the truth of this word, because it's in this, as we go through these things, and everyone we turn to can't seem to help us or give us the word that we need, you're gonna find it. You're gonna find your help and your comfort in the Lord.

And that's a good place to be. That's good for us. And he does it because we would never choose to do it that way. We don't pray for difficulties. I feel, I remember doing that one time, a long time ago, and I stopped because all you're going to do is experience difficulties and hardships, but just pray for his grace because every day there's a need for his grace and mercy. And you're going to need it. I need it. And we're going to discover it.

And it's for our good, so that we may boldly say, the Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. Because this world has a way of just suddenly appearing to strip you, to punch you in the mouth, to tear you down, but you will find your strength, your comfort, your peace in the Lord Jesus Christ. And it's made more precious to you in the fiery trial. in the difficulties. It is. It is. And that's where we meet him. That's where he meets us, is in those difficulties, who bore it for us and is working good for us.

And the more you are made to see it, the more you'll see his grace and faithfulness in it. Paul says here, we're comforted of God in all our tribulation that, verse four, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. And so this is the spirit of grace which our Lord gives to his people, right? As you are comforted of God in every trial, as you're begging him for grace, as you're laying before him, that which is troubling you and stripping you and beating you and hurting you, as you're laying that before your Lord, as helpless as you are, we're given that spirit of grace. As we see how the Lord helps us, it's that we might show that same love and spirit and kindness to our brethren.

For example, David, when he was made king after all the years of persecution by the house of Saul. David, after he was established as king, he wanted to know if there's any of the household of Saul, and he said that I may show the kindness of God unto him. He didn't know of Mephibosheth yet, it ended up being Mephibosheth, but he just said, is there anyone left of the household of Saul that I may show the kindness of God unto them? What's he talking about? the same kindness that God showed to him, he now wanted to show to the house of his enemy. Saul's house was enmity against David. They fought against David. They were jealous. They were not content that David had been made king. And David says, I want to make peace with my enemies. I want to show them kindness as God's shown kindness to me.

Or we have Paul writing to the Ephesians, encourages the brethren, speak to one another, that which is edifying. Speak to one another those words of grace, saying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. How am I, a poor, weak, beggarly sinner, gonna minister grace to my brethren? Well, you're gonna speak of the way God has comforted you and helped you. You're just gonna testify, just speaking of the grace of God for you to one another, how God has been kind to you, And that is gonna not only encourage your brethren, but hope by God's grace, it shows itself in how we deal with one another, and how we speak to one another, and how we encourage one another, and fellowship with one another, that it may minister grace unto others. We're just speaking of the very things that God has done for us. That's how you minister grace to another. Just testifying of the Lord's goodness. Also, we're to love one another as Christ loved us and gave himself for us. Well, how is it that we are going to enter into that love that our Savior has for us? Well, Christ has forgiven you. Forgive one another in that same spirit.

Be very generous to your brethren. Be very generous to your brethren. Be willing to bear the hurt, even if it blows back on you, Be willing to lay down your own pride in that sense. Lord, I don't know how you're gonna do it, but I pray you do it. And just help me to be kind and gentle and patient as you are kind and gentle and patient with me in the hopes, Lord, that you'll work that spirit of forgiveness. Even if you're the one who's been wronged, Be willing to forgive and seek that peace with your brethren, because God did it for us in Christ. As God has shown you love and mercy when you're unlovable and being difficult and undeserving of it, be willing to show that same love to one who's stubborn and undeserving. Because the Lord's able to bless that word, to bless that too, their hearts in His grace and mercy. Has Christ given you in your hour of need when you were stripped or stripped of something or something removed from you and yet He gave you something freely? Go and be free in your giving and support and help of others in their hour of need. Just looking to glorify the Lord. Not thinking anything of ourselves, but in that spirit, that's how we love one another and bear with one another.

Paul wrote this, he said in 2 Corinthians 13, verse eight and nine, so at the end of this book here, at the end of this epistle, he said, for we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth. Remember how in Romans three it says that we are unprofitable by nature? And here he says, we can do nothing but for the truth. Now we're made profitable by the grace of God We're unprofitable in Adam, but in the Lord Jesus Christ, whether we're being stripped or whether we're being built up, it's all for the profit of the church.

It's all for the profit of the gospel. It's all to the praise and honor of his name. That's how whatever it is, whether we're coming or going, whether we're being stripped or helped, put low or raised up, it's for the truth, because it's for the good of the Lord's people. It's for the good of the body. And in that understanding, that's how we adorn the gospel that we profess. That's how the Lord is glorified in that. That's how we adorn his gospel.

And so we're mindful of these things as we live with one another, and love with one another, and labor together. Paul says it this way, for we're glad when we are weak and ye are strong. He's talking as a body, right? looking at himself as an individual. He's saying, hey, we apostles and ministers of the gospel are made weak, but it's good because that's where we're made tender and made to see our need of the Lord, that you would be strengthened and encouraged by these things. Whereby we're stripped and see our need of him and his faithfulness, we can declare it unto you. He is faithful. He does appear in the hour of need. He's not left us nor forsaken us. He's blessed us.

And in that, the word goes forth and blesses your hearts. And so you're strengthened by it. And this also we wish even your perfection. All right, that's the end, is that whether one's being stripped and another's being blessed, it's all good. It's all good because the body's being strengthened. And we can trust that the Lord knows what he's doing and is able to provide for his body in the hour of need that in the end of it, they all come out stronger, more unified in love with the Lord Jesus Christ. And so it's all working to that.

So in this comfort, this kindness, this grace, this love is wrought in us by the blessing of God for us in the Lord Jesus Christ, that we may pour out these same blessings on our brethren. As God's ministered them to us, we minister them to one another, just in love, in gentleness, in patience, and in kindness. And we do so as the workmanship of Christ which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Every difficulty, every trial was given to you by the Lord. That missed promotion, that failed endeavor, whatever it is, it was given to you by the Lord. There's a purpose that God has in everything that has put you here together as a body to labor together, and it's for your good. It's all ministering to you in that salvation which the Lord has freely given to you.

It's to comfort your hearts. Now Paul tells us one of the ways that our Lord accomplishes his will in us, verse five, and it speaks to what I've been saying, for as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so also our consolation or our comfort also aboundeth by Christ. And so the Lord lays these things to our hearts, these sufferings, through sufferings in the body, he lays these things to our hearts for our comfort, that we would find that comfort in Christ. He shuts us up to finding that comfort in the world.

Many find it, many find success and fame and riches in the world, but if you're shut up from those things and kept from those things, and you see Christ, and you're driven to the feet of Christ, that's good. because you have eternal riches in the Lord Jesus Christ. So don't complain, don't whine about them, don't be bitter, be content with the things that the Lord gives you, even the strippings, even the setbacks and the hardships, because it is to drive you to your Lord, and to see and experience his truth, his love, his faithfulness in his word, which is recorded, because it's living, and it's made living to you because you experience it, you live it, and you see Lord, you're all my help. And that doesn't mean that you always see things spectacular.

A lot of times, it's our own attitudes are fixed and adjusted, right? Like as our Lord prayed, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me. Well, it didn't pass. And yet Christ, he showed us by example, faithfulness, even so, Father, not my will be done, but thy will be done. And that's a wondrous thing. when our desires are just laid low before the Lord and said, but whatever, you know what you're doing, Lord.

And I pray you just do it. And I trust you, because that's all we can do. And that's a good thing. That's a very blessed thing. So as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. Because in this, we're learning the truth of God. It's made alive in our hearts. We see the truth of it. We go through the experience of his grace in the midst of our deepest trials. That's where you're going to see the truth of his word, is in that suffering.

Paul says this in regards to the ministry, right? The ministry, what's the ministry? The preaching of the gospel from this pulpit, right? You're all here supporting it and laboring for this very thing. Paul said, in 2 Corinthians 4, 7 through 10, but we have this treasure, which is the gospel, this word of faith, which we preach, the Lord Jesus Christ, we have this treasure in earthen vessels, weak clay pots that are easily broken and easily scarred and shattered and ruined, in clay pots.

That, the excellency of the power, may be of God and not of us. We're not superstars because the glory is the father's and the son, right? It's his glory. And so you're gonna see the blemishes and the weaknesses and the dullness of this earthen pot that he may be glorified, who sustains us and keeps us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed. We are perplexed, but not in despair, persecuted, but not forsaken, cast down, but not destroyed.

You think about how much Paul labored in these things and gave his life that we would have this word. He got this word through the things which he suffered, through the beatings, through the rejections, through the hatred of people who profess to be Christ's, who claim to be the Lord's, and yet many shun Paul because of the chain that he had, always getting thrown in prison. They probably looked at him like, you just do it to yourself, Paul. If you didn't want to open your mouth so much and say the things you say, the way you say it, you wouldn't be in so much trouble.

He bore that. He bore that for our good. For our good. Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in the body. So he gladly bore it because he knew this is profitable to the body. The depths that we go to is profitable for the body. And so we experience the fellowship that believers have with Christ through bearing in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus. And that comes through the hardships. And that comes through the afflictions. It comes through seeing what we are in ourselves and being rebuked by what seems to just be life and providential things just seem to come against us.

It's all good. It's all good because It reveals Christ in me, it reveals Christ in you, it ministers to the praise, honor, and glory of the Lord. And Christ says to all, in as much, right, in bearing these things and yet loving one another, and being kind to one another, and being gentle in your speech to one another, Christ says, in as much as you have done it unto one of the least of these, my brethren, you've done it unto me. And that speaks to the oneness of the fellowship that we truly have with one another. There's a oneness of fellowship there.

And so if you would serve Christ and walk according to the will of God for you, so love your brethren as Christ loved you. In laying down his life for the church, lay down your lives for one another. As Christ provided for his bride in the wilderness, provide for your brethren.

All right, keep supporting this work and this gospel. In comforting her, showing her kindness, Even when she didn't deserve it, that's how you labor with your brethren, and showing that same kindness, that same patience, and bearing with one another, and being gracious to her people, your brethren, and long-suffering, long-suffering. And so, whatever we give, it all comes according to the gifts and blessings of our God. As Paul said, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. That's where, if you have a heart for these things, If you love your brethren, and you bear along with your brethren, it's because Christ has given you that, and taught you that, and helped you, and given you that for the help of your brethren. Now, verse six.

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. You go through these things in measure. The Lord gives them to you in measure. He gives them to us. to minister these things, to help you as you're being afflicted and going through these things in the measure that he gives them to you. Whether we be comforted, it's for your consolation and your salvation, right? Both things, whether we're suffering or we're comforted, it's for your help and your edification and your being strengthened and blessed in the Lord. That's what the Lord does for you, right?

He said to Israel, I gave nations for you. Well, the Lord does that. He gives many for your comfort, for your provision, for your safekeeping to minister the gospel to you. He does it. Whether you see it or not, he's doing it and does it for your good. And so with that gracious understanding being given to, it's given to the apostle and it's given to his people that we may recognize the hand of God in everything.

He said, you can walk out of here knowing When someone, as soon as you pull out of here, someone cuts you off and does something to just put you right back into a bitter mood again. Wait a minute. All right. Lord is for my good, right? Cause I've seen a number of times where something happens and it's just a cop right up the road that I was spared from that ticket.

You know, there's just things that the Lord does in various ways like that, that we don't see, but he's sovereign. He's, he's able to bring it to pass for, for our good. And so, If he permits it to be so, it's because he purposed it. And that doesn't mean that we flaunt our foolishness and our folly and our sin, not at all, but as the Lord humbles us, he gives us that understanding that it's for our good. Paul wrote in Romans 8, 26 through 28, likewise, right, seeing our weaknesses, likewise the spirit also helpeth our infirmities, for we know not what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are thee called according to his purpose. And so these scriptures here teach us that bond of fellowship that we have with our Lord and with one another, that we are weak in ourselves.

But he's strong. And though we're not able, he is able. Though I've messed it up, he's able to bring about much good. Though I've added to the problem, he's able to work it out in such a way that it ministers grace and comfort peace to his brethren and that they are strengthened and so trust the Lord right and you know even this just come together because even when you're weak when you're tired when you're sick when you're struggling your brethren are helping and encouraged you know back home we have many of the brethren you know they have various infirmities of the flesh various sicknesses that they struggle with and it's such an encouragement and that they come even when they don't feel like it, even though they're hobbling in sometimes and coming in on crutches and they're bearing pain and you can see the grimace in their face, but they're there. And though you don't feel like it when you're there like that, though you don't feel like you're adding anything good, you are.

Just for the brethren to see your face, it's such an encouragement. That's the most encouraging thing that you could do for one another is just be present. Just come. It is, honestly, it is the most encouraging thing to one another, and it makes your pastor just want to pour it all out for you. All right, because he knows it was hard for you to be here, right? He knows. He knows the struggles that you brethren struggle with as well.

So we're reminded of this in Hebrews 12, 1 through 3, wherefore, seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses. All right, both here in this word and in the witness of one another, compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us. That's speaking not only of the lust of our heart, but just even the infirmities of this body and the weaknesses that we feel. And just all those, because it's from sin. Let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author, and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the saint, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him who endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds."

The same affliction is being worked in your brethren around the world, both in one another here and around the world. We're all enduring the same afflictions. We're all bearing the same trials and difficulties for the overall good of the body. To the praise, honor, and glory of his name. And then finally, verse seven, back in 2 Corinthians 1-7.

And our hope of you is steadfast, knowing that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation or the comfort. And that is the testimony that our God He gives to his child the testimony of faith. He reveals faith in you, and that's his word, testifying to you that you are his, to hear these things.

Lord, I don't see in me what I think I should see, but I know that you are faithful. And I know that Christ is your darling son, that he is the savior whom you've sent, and that he can save a sinner like me. Though I don't feel like it, but I know that you're able. Lord, have mercy. Help me, Lord, help me.

And that's the testimony that he gives to his child, that you are his. It doesn't mean you can solve all things or understand every scripture or know all things, but you know Christ. And that's your hope. And you stay on that hope. And you pray, Lord, please don't let me be so foolish as to cast away my hope, but keep me, Lord, keep me. And that's what he gives to his child, that we would be comforted of him. And so that's our hope as you're enduring the sufferings of Christ. Just lay it before Him, lay it before Him, and trust Him that He's given it to you for a purpose, for your salvation and for the edification of His people in the body of Christ. I pray the Lord bless that word to all.

The Bond Of Fellowship

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The Bond Of Fellowship

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