No one lives in this world without hardships and difficulties. I don't want to, but hardships are always around us. So, why do hardships come to us? Paul the Apostle was an apostle of many hardships and hardships.
1. On the way in
Paul's hardships were not due to his sins, but to the gospel. And Paul, who overcame the hardships with faith, is giving us good answers about "why the saints suffer."
2. In the text
We thought we were condemned to death, so let us not rely on ourselves, but on God, who resurrects the dead.
Paul does not want to speak of his sufferings through the text, but of the God of comfort, who gives him victory in the midst of them.
(1) Father of mercy, God of comfort
God is the one who comforts us among all our troubles, as the consolation we receive from God.
God is the father of Jesus Christ, who suffered the crucifixion. And he is the father of mercy who has compassion for all the afflicted. So God gives us comfort directly from all the hardships we face.
Just as our Lord Jesus Christ suffered for us, Paul teaches us that it is natural for us to suffer for the gospel of Jesus. And when we suffer for the gospel, God does not ignore us, but gives us comfort.
The "comfort" (παρακαλέω) recorded in the Greek Bible has the original meaning of "calling and comforting" He who suffers for the gospel is called by God himself to comfort and comfort his body and mind. Do not fear the sufferings of the gospel. God calls and comforts me.
(2) Comforting Jesus Christ
The word "the sufferings of Christ" mentioned in Section 5 is the sufferings of the gospel. It is not the suffering of Jesus, but the suffering of the saints who preach the gospel of Jesus Christ from time to time.
But when we suffer for the gospel of Jesus Christ, our Lord calls us aside and comforts us.
If he has been tested, he can help those who are being tested.
Jesus is a man who knows how to help us because he has worn himself and suffered. Therefore, he is able to bear our hardships together and to be full of comfort.
Let us remember that when we know our Lord, who has already suffered and knows our little troubles, we will give him full comfort.
(3) Let only God be entrusted.
What makes us suffer so much for the gospel?
We thought we were condemned to death, so let us not rely on ourselves, but on God, who resurrects the dead.
The essence of hardship lies in having God commission you. In the midst of suffering, where the hope of living is broken, God comforts and gives new hope. And thanks to God's comfort, we are able to abandon all the pride that I have entrusted to us and rely only on God. Let us remember that God's comfort is not only an ability to overcome hardships, but also to make us ask God only.
3. On your way out
When suffering comes to me for my sin, when I kneel down and repent, I give wisdom and strength to escape from it. And as in today's text, for the gospel, for the sake of Jesus Christ, God calls you by your side, hugs you and consoles you, and comforts you.
Even if there are hardships that come continuously in our lives, let us kneel before our God and pray without kneeling in distress. Our God, who truly comforts us, will surely deliver and comfort us.
4. I'll pray.
God, Father, give us faith to look at God in the midst of the hardships we face in our lives. Let us remember our Lord Jesus, who suffered the crucifixion before us, and let us overcome it with faith. And God, who is our true consolation, comforts us. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
5. Prayer title
- May God be more dependent on you and devoted to the gospel in your sufferings.
- May the trouble between the North and the South be resolved, and may our people be united by the gospel.
- May our church be awake in prayer, transforming the Habin region and preaching the gospel to the ends of the earth.
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