Sharing in Christ's Comfort | Sermon 08/06/2023

Apologia Utah

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So amazing to sing those songs to know that we're covered in the blood of Christ that we can actually have a presence

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Before God in order to worship him in spirit and in truth Solely through the blood of Christ.

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We are able to worship God. Let's never forget that You must hold on to that.

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It's the truth the title of the sermon today guys is called sharing in Christ's Comfort there's a very specific reason for that.

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We're going to get into 2nd Corinthians chapter 1 verses 3 through 5 But before that, let's go ahead and have an introduction to the sermon

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After the fall of man The lush garden of earth was plagued with thorns and thistles

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By the sweat of our brow It was that it was through the sweat of our brow that the forefathers worked the earth and the it lashed back

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At our sin with vegetation that mirrored our thorny hearts. It's a curse in Genesis 3

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Cursed was the serpent cursed was the man Cursed was the woman The recompense of the trespass was the fight for life through the suffering of men

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No longer did the cool of the garden reflect the joy Of the relationship between God and man instead.

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There was a cosmic display of judgment all of creation Reflected the wrath of God on Adam and his posterity.

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That's us in toil God said we shall work all the days of our life

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Therefore a daily struggle of man then consumed to a life of suffering

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Yet there was hope because Eve was to be the mother of all living through her

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Would be the one who would come and crush the head of the serpents so even living with the cosmic wrath of God reflected through suffering and struggles in life

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There was a hope that brought purpose in suffering and hope in the midst of trial and affliction

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And here was this hope it's in Genesis 49 10 We're told the scepter shall not depart from Judah nor the ruler's staff from between his feet

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Until tribute comes to him and to him shall be the obedience of the people's prophecy of the coming

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Messiah psalm 45 6 through 7 also states this which is echoed in Hebrews chapter 1

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Your throne O God is forever and ever the scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness

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You have loved Righteousness and hated wickedness. Therefore God your

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God has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions And also in Isaiah 53 the prop the prophecy of the coming

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Messiah. It states this he was pierced for our transgressions He was crushed for our iniquities

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Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace and with his wounds.

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We are healed All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way and the

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Lord Has laid on him the iniquity of us all so in the

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Old Testament They were looking forward to the promise of the Messiah and they had hope and they had comfort in their afflictions

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But that hope was like a shadow on the wall. The hope we have is so much better today. It's realized

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But the reality is this upon Christ on the cross the thorny crown was placed on Him the iniquity of all who believe was placed in all of the sufferings of man found purpose in the death of Christ on the cross says this in Genesis 50 20 as for you

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You meant evil against me But God meant it for good to bring about that many people should be kept alive as they are today and that was

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Joseph speaking to his brothers The ones that threw him into a pit beat him sold him into slavery

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He had mercy on them because he believed in a promise he was able to see through his circumstances

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Because he believed and had hope in a promise Think about this guys

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God declared all things that come to pass in the incarnation of Jesus Christ We find the prophecy of the

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Messiah fulfilled in which God's promises Were fulfilled all of the suffering of Israel even the suffering in their disobedience brought about the

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Messiah for some That suffering through hope played a role in their salvation for the hope wasn't the one who was to come in others that suffering produced judgment and damnation all of which

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Find their purpose through the righteous decree of God In the days of old there was comfort through affliction in the coming

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Redeemer But there was also judgment and damnation through the judge of the earth by way of suffering and affliction in the incarnation

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It's true. Jesus judged the nation of Israel Romans 8 28 says this and we know that for those who love

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God All things work together for good for those who are called according

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To his purpose so so hold on to this before we dive into the text What was once comfort and affliction in the shadows and types of the

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Old Testament? sacrifices and prophecies through the locality of a certain people and temple is

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Now comfort in affliction through the comforter Who was sent to convict the world of sin and righteousness to all who believe

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Jew Gentile male female slave free barbarian Scythian Christ is is all and in all

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For those who hope in him through the conquering work of Christ We live in a world that is in the process of being renewed by the power of the gospel through the work of the

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Holy Spirit That's the reality of the world in which we live in in this world We also live a life that is being transformed by the power of the

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Holy Spirit So in this in this life by God's decree, we're we experience suffering

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We do we suffer But our salvation is held secure and seated with Christ at the right hand of the

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Father who is the God of all comfort in the Christian walk We may suffer alone, but we are never actually alone

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Meaning that God is with us and we are with the body of Christ and the Holy Spirit Dwells within each and every one of us.

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There is meaning and purpose in suffering and trial and affliction For those who love

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God who are called according to his purpose Personal afflictions suffering and trauma are never without a community of comfort the

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Trinitarian God Grace and mercy and salvation are done through the ministry of the

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Holy Spirit And it's made known to one another in the body of Christ We have the

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God of all comfort and mercy who made it known to us through the success of Christ's resurrection

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That even in our trials our salvation is held secure by the Holy Spirit Who uses all things to conform us to the image of Christ and to build up the body of Christ?

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Through the sharing in Christ's comfort to all who believe When we share in Christ's comfort

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We are also ones who share in the sufferings of Christ and it's all predicated on the life and perfection of Jesus Christ He historically displayed

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The heaven reality in which we live in that we are all indwelt now by the Holy Spirit Which allows us to be comforted in all of our affliction to afflictions and also comfort others in any

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Affliction. He really did die on that cross and something really did happen and something really changed he says

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Don't be sad for when I'm gone I'm gonna send you the comforter. He's gonna convict the world of sin and righteousness

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He's gonna guide you into all truth God Jesus Christ may be sitting at the right hand of the

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Father, but he's never left us he dwells with us through the Spirit of Christ the Holy Spirit and In that the suffering of the believer does not produce damnation

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It sanctifies and through the power of the Holy Spirit It unifies the church to bring about the kingdom of God through the work of the

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Holy Spirit by the power of Christ Shown in the mercy of the Father So Christ is

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King over our afflictions and in that we have victory and a resurrection Through a hope that cannot be taken away from us.

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Let's pray quickly Lord thank you for your word

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You show us how we are supposed to live our lives in your word We have a connection to you to your will

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Lord I pray that you you fill us like Paul states the church and Colossi that you fill us with all spiritual wisdom and understanding to walk in a manner worthy of you

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Lord Part of your will revealed to us is in your word So as we read this today

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Lord get get me out of the way Let the beauty of what you have done in the world be shown

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That Lord we have the God of all comfort who is on our side And if you are for us

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Lord, then who can be against us even in our failures Lord. You are perfected in our weakness

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Jesus name. Amen So open up your Bibles go to 2nd Corinthians Chapter 1 starting in verse 3.

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I'll read till 5 The Word of the

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Lord says this Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ the father of mercies and God of all comfort

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Who comforts us in all of our affliction so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction?

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With the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings

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So through Christ we share abundantly in comfort to Let's build some context here 2nd

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Corinthians Paul helped establish the church in Corinth around 50 to 51

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AD and he actually stayed in Corinth for about 18 months Acts chapter 18 Details Paul's establishment of the church in Corinth during the end of his second missionary journey before traveling back to Antioch It is believed that he penned 1st

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Corinthians around 53 to 54 AD Where he addressed many of the issues that the church in Corinth was struggling with From sexual immorality to division within the church and the misuse of the spiritual gifts

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What's interesting though? Is that it's believed that Paul actually wrote four letters to the church in Corinth and 2nd

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Corinthians was actually the last letter but only 1st and 2nd Corinthians has survived and This was written during Paul's third missionary journey around 55 to 56

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AD while he was in Macedonia About a year and a half after he wrote 1st

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Corinthians in one year before he wrote the book of Romans Or the letter to the Romans and the general theme of this letter in 2nd

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Corinthians To the church in Corinth is to show Paul's vindication as an apostle of Christ, even though he suffers

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Suffering produces righteousness that conforms believers to the image of Christ. So In my last sermon that I gave in it was also in 2nd

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Corinthians it was in 11 verses, I believe 4 through 6 or 7 and We see that what was going on in the church of Corinth is there is these false

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Apostles that were challenging Paul's authority and one of the things that they were doing was stating that look

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Paul suffers How is this workman of Christ someone who suffers? And he actually details in this letter

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Why suffering is so important for the believer and for him being an apostle and anyone who could be a minister to Christ so he's challenging them and He's telling them

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Just like echoing the words of Jesus actually in John 17 that you will you'll suffer and you will be hated for Christ's name

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So it's fitting that after the salutation given in 2nd Corinthians 1 verses 1 through 2

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He actually begins with a doxology to God of affliction. This is actually begins in worship.

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It's pretty amazing to think about Paul makes it clear throughout this letter that when believers face affliction and persecution

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They are sharing in the suffering of Christ And in that they share in the comfort of Christ and it empowers the ministry of reconciliation through understanding our affliction through God's sovereignty and In that comfort we're able to help others

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Be reconciled to Christ By way of the gospel and for believers to be reconciled to one another and to build up the body of Christ What does it say?

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They will know us by our love for one another all in all one of the biggest themes in this letter is that the gift of is it shows the gift of the

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Holy Spirit and how the Lord uses suffering to transform Those in whom the Holy Spirit dwells as a guarantee of the eternal glory that we will inherit

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Says this in 2nd Corinthians 3 18. This is a beautiful beautiful truth and we all

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With unveiled face Beholding the glory of the Lord are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another

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For this comes from the Lord Who is the Spirit that's just a couple chapters after the chapter and verses we're going over today

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So now in that context we find ourselves in the first verse and this is what it says verse 3 again

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Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord. Jesus Christ the father of mercies and God of all comfort

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Blessed here in the Greek is the word a long a toss and it means praise worthy

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Remember, this is a doxology from Paul Blessed in this sense means worthy of praise and the who

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Paul is speaking about here is God the Father Right. He tells us notated as God and Father in theos

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K pay tear of our Lord curious Lord Jesus Christ Here we find a delineation

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This is really cool between the role of the father and the role of the Lord Jesus Christ, and this is important to understand

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We need to understand the relationship of the relationship between the roles of the Trinity and It's in that understanding where we can find how

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God's how he comforts us in all persons of the Godhead This is a three -fold comfort here in this passage and we'll find it in role and function.

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Let's get into that a little bit We have God the Father here in verse 3 who is then called the father of mercies and God of all comfort and Then we have the

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Lord Jesus Christ curious Which means the master of the one who holds all authorities and what is

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Christ? We went over this in the last sermon. I gave as well as a title It refers to the Messiah or the

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Anointed One who is also God according to Old Testament prophecies many times when people

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Isolate certain sections of Scripture. They will try to show well Look, the God of Jesus is the father and Jesus is not

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God will remember here It says Jesus is what the Christ and who is the Christ what roles must he fulfill according to Old Testament prophecy?

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Guess what? He must be the eternal God So Jesus is God here. We have a functional relationship between the father and the son

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They both exist simultaneously distinct in person and role, but both are fully

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God Let's remember the distinctions in role right the son. It says no one has ever seen the father

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Except the monogamous Theos. This is John 1 18 the only son the unique and only son who has made him known

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Jesus is eternally equal with God Philippians 2 -6 right even though he existed eternally in the form of God He did not consider equality with God something to be grasped.

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So we emptied himself taking the form of a slave and In Christ were told in Colossians 2 9 the fullness of deity of God dwells with him

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Bodily now, what does it say right after that? Which is so amazing and you have been filled in him who is the head of all rule and authority

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So our understanding of the father always comes from who? the

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Son of God Exactly meaning the love mercy and grace of the father is shown to us through his son

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Do you see what's being explained here in verse 3? What is John 3 16 and say about the father?

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This is so amazing and many times when I'm reading through the Bible I tend to forget that it's the father who sent the son because of his love for us

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I tend to think that Jesus is the only loving God sometimes But I need to remind myself and be convicted of the fact that's the father who sent the son out of his great love for Us and Jesus explained that love of the father for dying for us.

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Listen, John 3 16 through 18 For God so loved the world that he gave his only

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Son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world

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But in order that the world might be saved through him Whoever believes in him is not condemned

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But whoever does not believe is condemned already Because he has not believed in the name of the only

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Son of God So let's get back to the first three again so praise be to the

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God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ who is the father of mercies and the

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God of all comfort The question is is how do we know this then? How do we know the father is the

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God of all mercies and the father of all comfort? Well, we just read it John 3 16.

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He sent his one and only son to die for us It's purely through his mercy his compassion for his people in mercy is an unmerited

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You don't deserve it an unmerited Deep feeling that God has for all of his sheep's where he passes over the sins that we have doesn't have

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Doesn't make us stand condemned but places that on someone else. It's the unmerited forgiveness, right? You didn't work for it the forgiveness of our sins

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It's the withholding of deserved punishment and the father in his mercy

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Sent his son to die for us Because of his great love for us

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Also, the mercy of the father has been made known Through the work of Christ in his understanding of human suffering by his own suffering on the cross

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In the father's mercy shown by the sending of his son. He is purely the God of all comfort why?

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Why is that? Because through the sending of his son we can actually stand before the father justified declared righteous

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Comforted from the sins that once held us condemned, right? He is the source of all comfort

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He comforts the relationship that we once had between him. That was nothing but purely wrath

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He's the source of it all he's the source of all comfort and Jesus Christ is the enactor of that comfort

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By being the sacrifice to appease the father for his people. So in this passage, it's so beautiful.

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We have a Trinitarian God By which our comfort is threefold Because what it's the

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Holy Spirit in which we receive that comfort from God Between verses 3 & 7 here in for 2nd

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Corinthians 1 the word comfort occurs 10 times All in which the

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Holy Spirit is the comforter John 14 26 testifies to both of the

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Holy Spirit testifies to both the father and the son In the spirit that we receive.

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This is what it says in Romans 8 15 through 16 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear

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But you have received the spirit of adoption as sons by whom we cry

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Abba father The spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. There's the

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Holy Spirit testified To the father right and then 1st Corinthians 12 3 states Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the

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Spirit of God ever says Jesus is accursed and no one can say Jesus is Lord except in the

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Holy Spirit So the Holy Spirit who dwells within us testifies to the God of all comfort into Jesus Christ Who has rekindled our relationship with the father through his shed blood on the cross?

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The comfort that we receive in this life is through the Holy Spirit this section of Corinthians shows that Trinitarian Comfort and my prayer for all of us here as we go into this section of Scripture is that we will see

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By the power of God's Word that the comfort that we are extended by God is threefold from the father

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Shown in the Sun Sealed in the Spirit in that threefold relational comfort

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We can then extend the same comfort to all people in any affliction Because we are comforted by the

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Trinitarian God in all of our afflictions We must set our minds on the hope in suffering through the power of the

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Spirit revealed in God's Word So earlier I was talking about the shadow of hope that they had for in the

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Old Testament because the Christ was to come Now it's no longer that hope in shadow But we have it made known to us through Jesus Christ sealed in his resurrection by the sending of his spirit spirit

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We have that Trinitarian comfort in full regard like they did not have in that time of old extended to all people

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Whoever repents and believes in his name the God who saved us From the pit therefore then deserves all praise and honor with that doxology in the beginning of verse 3 and we must remember as Paul is stating here that we have the

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God from which all comfort derives and Paul continues on in verse 4 he states

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About the God of all comfort. It says who comforts us in All of affliction in all of our afflictions so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction

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With it with which we ourselves are comforted by God Paul here.

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He's explaining a promise that has been historically shown To us to be true by Christ on the cross

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God comforts us in our all of our afflictions Number one the father has extended his mercy and has comforted our souls by sending his son to die on the cross number two

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This was initially a promise made to Abraham a promise in which all believers in the

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Old Testament found comfort The son then was perfectly obedient to the father and upheld the promise made to Abraham therefore

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Paul has full faith He has full faith that the God of all comfort comforts us in all of our afflictions free has already reconciled us to himself

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He already did it and the promise was already made known through Jesus Christ So Paul sits there and he tells us he comforts us in all of our afflictions

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He believes it because God already died on the cross and rose from the dead if he fulfilled his covenant to Abraham Would he not fulfill his covenant that he made to us that one day we will have resurrected bodies

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Let God be true and every man a liar any doubt that we have of that in ourselves

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Does not come from God it comes from our fallen nature. It really does but let God be true and every man a liar

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There's a reason why we as believers believers are extended comfort in all of our afflictions and It's shown to us in the

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Gospels and expounded in verse 5 of 2nd Corinthians But let's turn to John 15 first and take a look

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Go ahead and turn to John 15 in your Bibles if you have them with you in John 15

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We are told that Christ is the vine and the father is the vine dresser and we are the branches

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The father prunes the branches because of the vine we are attached to he attends to our needs and takes care of us

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We are to bear fruit and the branch that bears fruit is attached to the true vine

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Who is Christ and the branch can do nothing apart from the vine? Therefore the father prunes the branch that it can bear more fruits

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The question that we're wondering is here's why do we receive comfort in all of our afflictions? John 15 is telling us walls because we're attached to the vine and the father cares for the vine he prunes

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The ones that are bearing fruit so that they can bear more He comforts us.

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He helps us. He prunes us He removes from us which we don't need in order to glorify him more in The work and the way he does it is through the power of the

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Holy Spirit John 15 8 through 9 states this by this my father is glorified that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples as The father has loved me.

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So have I loved you Abide in my love. Let's not get it twisted here though to prove to be my disciples.

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Well, who's the one doing the pruning? It's God Right. So thank

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God for that The way we are proven to be disciples is the very fact that God is working in us

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It's not because I'm obedient in this way or that way I sin every single day and I need

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Jesus's blood daily says he who is out without sin The truth is not in you, right?

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But we're proven to be by God's disciples because he who started a good work in you will bring it about to completion

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The God of all comfort is pruning us Thank you Jesus for that.

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I'm so grateful to be attached to the true vine without that. I'd be clipped off and thrown in the fire

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So why do we receive comfort? Because we as the branches share in the blessings of Christ We share also in the sufferings of Christ therefore we share in the comfort of Christ The father is attentive to our needs and he will make sure that we bear much fruit

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Because we're attached and connected to the true vine Furthermore John he details the fact that the world hates

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Christ and that the world will hate and persecute his disciples as well We're still in John 15 here.

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Do you want to look at verses 18 through 20? This is why we have affliction. This is why we have trials.

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This is why we have suffering if the world hates you Know that it has hated me before it hated you.

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It's verse 18 If you were of the world the world would love you as its own

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But because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world. Therefore the world hates you

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Remember the word that I said to you a servant is not greater than his master if they persecuted me

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They will also persecute you if they kept my word. They will also keep yours

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But there here's the key here continuing in John verse chapter 15. Here's the key in verses 26 and 27

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It says but when the helper comes Whom I will send to you from the father the spirit of truth who proceeds from the father

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He will bear witness about me and you also will bear witness because you have been with me from the beginning

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So we find that in the midst of Christ talking about the suffering that the disciples will face

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That they will have someone who comes to them called the helper. I Find it no surprise that there's an overwhelming unity of Scripture.

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Paul is echoing this He's showing that he is indeed facing persecution and afflictions

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But this affliction and persecution is not without comfort It's not without purpose and the comforter is the

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Holy Spirit who is attentive to the needs of the branches from the true vine

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Remember the prayer of Jesus in John 17 15 He says I do not ask that you take them out of the world

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But what does he say? But keep them From the evil one, we're not taken out of the world.

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We're not removed from all of our trials We're not removed from all of our afflictions We will suffer we will face trials and tribulations but in all things

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We will be kept from the evil one What's awesome about John 17 as well is when you're reading it

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You're like, ah, he's just praying that for the disciples, right but halfway through that He says I'm not praying that just for my disciples he says

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I pray this for all of those who believe in me if you sit here today and you believe that Jesus Christ is

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Lord that he died on the cross for your sins When he prayed this prayer before he was taken and put into prison and falsely accused he had you in mind

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How amazing is that? That's our Savior That's our

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Savior and that's what we see in 2nd Corinthians 1 This is the means by which

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God does this how he comforts us in all of our afflictions

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It's how he does it through the power of the Holy Spirit Listen here in 1st

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Peter 1 verses 3 through 9 Blessed be the

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God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ according to his great mercy

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He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance that is imperishable undefiled and unfading kept in heaven for you

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Who by God's power are being guarded? Through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time in this you rejoice

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Though now for a little while if necessary here it is you have been grieved by various trials

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So that the tested genuineness of your faith more precious than gold that perishes though It is tested by fire may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ Though you have not seen him

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You love him Though you do not now see him you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory

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Obtaining the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls here Peter even agrees with Paul through the inspiration of the

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Holy Spirit that we are to be kept from the evil one that we are to Be guarded that we are going to face trials and afflictions

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But not without comfort Not without comfort. We have been given an inheritance undefiled

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We have been kept by God's power and guarded through faith by the Holy Spirit Remember Christian you will have various trials and God the

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Father will prune you through them So that's part of the key right to have a heavenly mind to understand even in your afflictions

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That God is with you and that you should run to him for that comfort instead of looking away from God looking at your

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Circumstances and maybe complaining about what you're going through. Is it in a blessing? You will be grieved with various trials for what?

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For the pruning to bear more fruit. That's your promise

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Christian That's not the promise for the world. It's not the promise for the world you you you're special in God's eyes because he

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Has saved you Paul and his afflictions are not without precedent

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The whole testimony of Scripture shows about this you want to learn about trial and suffering just open up your Bible and Turn to some page of the

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Bible you'll you'll find trial and you'll find affliction, but you'll also find You'll also find comfort

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Every single believer is appointed trials and afflictions by God You will suffer you'll undergo those trials, but you should do it justly

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You should do it justly not walking according to the flesh But walking according to the

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Spirit Walking according to the Spirit. How do you do that? Believing what God says about what is going on in your trial and affliction that what the father is pruning you that your faith is being refined like fire refined to a pure gold and That God will comfort you through it

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But if you're struggling in your afflictions the question you should ask is why have you asked of God?

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To give you wisdom like it says in James 1 His will for us is shown in his word

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It's promised to us in trial and affliction that he will comfort us if we're wondering what the will of God is open your

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Bible Pray what the will of God says for you if anyone lacks wisdom James is talking talking about the suffering church in Jerusalem It's before he's thrown off the temple and then beaten to death

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They're going through some hardcore trials and afflictions and what does he say if any of you lacks wisdom pray to God And he will give it to you

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God's will is in his word if you're going through trials and afflictions today in your life And you are feeling like you are falling under the water

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Run to the father because maybe you're not experiencing or seeing the comfort in his life because you're looking away from it

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Maybe you don't really understand why you're actually suffering. Maybe you're not suffering

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Justly maybe you don't understand that suffering for you Christian is a good thing when you're suffering according to the to God's Word It says

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God the Father he comforts us in all of our afflictions because Christ's work on the cross By work of the

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Holy Spirit who is in the comforter? When we suffer as Christians and suffer in such a way where the world does not like us because we love

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God We share in the sufferings of Christ We're told in Colossians chapter 1 near the end of the chapter that Paul as a minister of God He was suffering and filling up what was lacking in Christ's afflictions not meaning that Christ didn't suffer enough

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That's not what he's saying but he's saying that since we Using John 15 as the analogy here that we are attached to the true vine

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And since God is in us when we suffer it's because Christ suffered in the world hated him first So we're sharing in Christ sufferings think about it that way when you suffer when you're suffering because you're following what

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God says in his word or if you're facing a Trial and affliction in your life like the death of a loved one, you know

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Think about this You Christian are sharing in the sufferings of Christ and That is supposed to be for your good and for his glory

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If you have that mindset Not saying you don't grieve or take the time that it that you need in order to overcome these trials

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But if you have the mindset that God is using this for your benefit Then you can actually suffer justly

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There's a threefold comfort again that we have in Christ a threefold comfort

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The father because of his love for us sent the son mercy The son was perfectly obedient to the father and died for us

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Reconciliation he reconciled us and then the Holy Spirit was given to all who believe and he keeps us from the evil one comfort

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The life of the believer being in Christ is a life in which we are constantly being

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Comforted by God because our life has been hidden with Christ in God So we're told in Colossians chapter 3, but this begs the question for us.

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Do you believe this? Do I believe this? Do I believe this?

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Do you believe that in all of your afflictions that you are being comforted by God? The last time you face trials and afflictions, did you believe that you're also being comforted by God or were you angry and discontent?

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Right. Look at your lives. See the fruit that you're bearing if you're discontent in your trial and affliction.

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Maybe you're missing something Listen to what Paul tells us here in Philippians 4 4 through 7 and Paul has an amazing track record of trials and afflictions

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Okay, this is the last letter. He wrote before he was killed Philippians 4 4 through 7 states this

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This is heavy stuff. Rejoice in the Lord always Again, I will say rejoice.

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He says it twice Let your reasonableness be known to everyone

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So in your trials in your afflictions rejoice again I say rejoice in what is made known to everyone is that you're actually living a life in reason

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You're living in reality in your rejoicing The Lord is at hand That's what it says do not be anxious about anything

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But in everything by prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God It's like Corinthians 1

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God comforts us in all of our afflictions. These are big words here, right? And then there's big words in Philippians.

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It says do not be anxious about what some things know Anything but in what?

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Everything big words Paul's always using these big words, but in everything by prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God and The peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus What does it say in John 17 again?

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Don't take them from the world, but keep them from the evil one What does Paul say in Philippians here? By prayer and supplication, here's the recipe with Thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God Does it say that after that and then

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God will take you out of your affliction? And he's gonna bless you with all of the money in the world like some like Joel Osteen weird stuff.

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No No says in the peace of God which surpasses your understanding as a fallen human being

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Will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus What does that mean when the world thinks you're crazy

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Christian for rejoicing in your trials and sufferings You are actually being reasonable You're being reasonable

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So rejoice and again rejoice 2nd Corinthians 1 verses 3 starts with that doxology

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Blessed is God the father of our Lord Jesus Christ He's talking about afflictions here.

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He's praising them for him always rejoice And be reasonable by having a mind that is conformed to Christ During our trials or afflictions or just everyday life

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Do not be anxious about anything. I need to hear that all the time but in everything by prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God and The peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus He will guard you and he will comfort you in all of your afflictions.

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Is it possible then to think? Christian that our anxieties discontentment or discomfort with the trials and afflictions in our lives is because we first Could be one of three things right it could be that we did not know that God said these things

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Maybe we're new to new to being a Christian, right? We haven't read most of the Bible or Did we not believe what

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God said or did we not do what God says we should do

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So let's look at the first if we are ignorant to the scriptures that tell us that in all of our afflictions

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God comforts us that we are always to rejoice and never be anxious and That we should thank

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God and ask God to help us if that's you Then repent and rejoice and begin to trust

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God on these promises. He's prune. He's pruning you John 15 If you are a Christian and you are not ignorant of God's Word But simply do not believe what he says

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Now I'd assume that you are neglecting the comfort that God is extending to you Or you're not able to see that comfort because you're refusing to see the ways in which

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God gives us comfort through trials The way that this would manifest is in anxiety and discontentment within our current circumstance

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If this is you repent rejoice and begin to trust God and his promises He's pruning you

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You're still kept from the evil one, but believe in what he says believe in his will for you shown to us in his

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Word But if you are a Christian and you are not believing God and his promises through trials and afflictions

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Then I would assume that you're also not walking according to the Spirit and doing

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What God says to do in Philippians 4 verses 4 through 7 about your current trial or situation if you were like I don't know if you guys have ever read pilgrims progress

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But when he's in the is it the tower of despair when he's being captive by the giant and he's falling into this midst of depression

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He's getting suicidal He feels like he just needs to end his life that there's nothing that he can do.

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He's trapped in a cage in The midst of all of that he looked down and saw that he had a key in His pocket the whole time a key to get out of the cage

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So Christian if you're not doing what God says and you have discomfort anxieties within the trials and the afflictions of your life

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What do you need to do rejoice again? I say rejoice With prayer and supplication and Thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God James 1 5

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Ask of God to give you wisdom in the situation trust him and believe in his will You have the key

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You have the key already. You're in dwelt by the Holy Spirit and you're drawn to his word so if that was you repent rejoice and believe and Walk according to the

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Spirit in your affliction. He is also he's also pruning you Sometimes it hurts to be pruned.

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I bet those little branches might hurt a tree sometimes snip snip But who knows maybe trees don't feel pain either.

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I don't even know but Christian we must first submit to the will of God in our lives.

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We must believe and trust in his word and Continuing on in verse 4 of 2nd

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Corinthians. It states this So that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with a comfort with which we ourselves are

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Comforted by God in here. We find a statement right here that the world

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Cannot make sense of the world can't make sense of this We are told that since we are Christians and we're comforted by God through all afflictions

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Then we can comfort those who are in any affliction Full stop. What does the world say about trials and afflictions avoid them at all costs do whatever you can pay ever

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However much money you can to get out of your certain circumstance you don't want to face any trials or any afflictions all of these things are happening to you because of Maybe what you have done in the past or yada yada yada the world hates this message here

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Because first in order to love our neighbors and comfort them in our afflictions We must first love God and trust what he says in his word

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What does the world also say today about our afflictions When someone's going through suffering or a trial and you're trying to speak with them

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What does the world say you can't level with me? You don't know what I have been through you have not experienced what

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I have experienced How could you possibly relate to me in my trial and affliction? You don't understand because you're not me

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That's what the world says the world hates this message Understand that this perspective is a fleshly perspective that permeates modern culture, but listen, here's the judgment, right?

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It has also crept into the church It has crept into the church however

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Scripture tells the Christian This is a beautiful promise that they can comfort those who are in any affliction

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But not with their own comfort not with your own smartness But with the comfort that God gives

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Why because if you are submissive to his word in trials and afflictions You will gain a perspective of your life through God's sovereignty and an understanding of that trial to which then you can bless your

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Brother and sister in Christ through the unity of the body to the wisdom that you have gained through that trial

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Because that's the comfort that God gives it's a life living in wisdom Read the

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Proverbs, right? The world is wrong. That's the truth and it needs when only

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God's people can bring reconciliation and Humility, it's twofold within the church here

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The Christian can comfort and the Christian ought to comfort but the Christian should also be able to receive comfort

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And not reject comfort Something we should really think about because a lot of times even with myself if someone's giving you maybe some advice someone that's older than You right that has more wisdom than you is a brother and sister in Christ Maybe they're helping you through something, but you're like,

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I don't want I don't want that Christian you should be able to receive comfort. Why because how does the

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Holy Spirit work through believers? He has comforted them. He has given them a gift and what our gifts they're to give

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They're to give Humility is key Humility is key But also within the text we can comfort anyone and the

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Christian can even comfort the unbeliever how? through the power of the gospel in Reconciliation, so it's twofold within the church

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The question you need to ask yourself is this In what ways have you comforted somebody?

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In what ways when's the last time you did I would argue in the application of this section of Scripture that our ability to comfort others through trials and afflictions is directly correlated with our knowledge of Jesus Christ in our personal walk with the

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Lord Because the comfort of which we comfort one another is the comfort of God And it's not of our own

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The same goes for your ability to be comforted Do you reject comfort or think that other

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Christians are not able to comfort you because they have not gone what you have gone through? Here are some insights you can use to take a look at yourself and see if you're bearing fruit in this area

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We have the freedom in Christ. Listen to this guys. It's so beautiful we have the freedom in Christ to be able to look at the fruit in our life and If we're not bearing fruit in this area, we have

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God's revealed will for us to repent Rejoice again. I say rejoice and bear fruit in this area the world that is a slave to sin can't even see it

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Can't even see it. You hear all this stuff going on in the world was spiritual this or spiritual that I do some form of Hindu chant because I'm a spiritual person

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Go read Romans Says those who walk according to the flesh are not in the spirit. The only way to be a spiritual person is to Actually submit to Christ The only true spiritual person is in Christ Everyone else is in the flesh

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And we want them to know Jesus But here's one insight that you can ask yourself in order to bear fruit in this area in terms of being comforted by God and comforting others

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Here's one thing you can ask yourself. Am I complaining to other people more than I'm actually comforting other people

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My complaining about my life and my circumstances or I'm actually trying to comfort others and theirs complaining to others comes from a root of selfishness

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Whereas comfort comes from the root of Christ and humility Right comes from selflessness

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Philippians 2 3 through 8 says this about having the mind of Christ. This is so beautiful Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit?

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things done from selfish ambition or conceit Manifests in the form of complaining to others why?

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Because you're holding yourself in such high regard that you should not be going through X Y & Z Even though God has preordained your trial and affliction, but guess what?

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me me me me me When you're so about yourself, you don't have the ability to actually see where someone that you love

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May be struggling and how you can actually comfort them with the comfort that you have been given from God Again going back to Philippians 2 3 through 8

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But in humility count others more significant than yourselves

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Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others

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Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus though He was in the form of God did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped

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I know we've said it a lot today, but really let's get this from our head to our heart But he emptied himself

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By taking the form of a servant being born in the likeness of men and being found in human form

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He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death even death on a cross Did Jesus Christ take the time to manifest in the flesh and complain to us for the wrong that we have done in our lives?

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What was the purpose of his incarnation to come and die for us? No, it wasn't to complain

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It was to comfort us in our affliction through his shed blood the one who has all right on Heaven and on earth to complain about the actions of the dust

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Us men we're dust. He has all right to do it Instead he takes the form of a servant the form of a slave and dies

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For us have this mind in you the one who did not have to be humble humbled himself

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You me as creatures from the dirt have even more of a reason to be humble because we ain't

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God We ain't God the heart of humility looks to comfort others by leaning on Christ Count others more significant than yourself in this you will also understand that in God's Sovereignty your trials are not

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Inconveniences for you. They are there to purify you to conform you to the image of Christ However, it takes a mind of humility

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To God's will in order to understand understand God's comforts in times of struggle

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I said it earlier, but here in John 13 Jesus states that the world will know us by our love for one another

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By this he states John 13 35 by this all people will know that you are my disciples

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If you have love for one another and how do we show our love for one another by not considering ourselves?

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Better or our circumstances better than anybody else or our trials and more afflictions our sufferings worse than anybody else's no instead

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Be humble and look to the interests of others Stop thinking about yourself so much believe me,

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I I'm not The best person to be thinking about myself all the time, too If I was honest with myself

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I should not be thinking about myself as much as I even do Right, I should be thinking about Christ and what he has done for us more that heart of humility

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So part of that love for one another is by God using us to comfort

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One another through afflictions by the comfort which God has brought us during our afflictions

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This is one way in which the church becomes unified with one another within the body of believers that we have if you don't want

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Envy strife bitterness division in your life Have some humility

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Right have some humility be able to comfort one another be forgiving

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Be loving be kind be more like Christ It's a hard thing to do though To put our sin to death, but guess what the father will still prune us

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Let's make it easier for him, right? Be humble in your afflictions to see the comfort of God Humility comes when you trust in his word and his sovereignty over your feelings

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Your feelings do not determine truth at all points in your life if your feelings conflict with what

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God says in his word Then your feelings are lying to you Jeremiah 17 9 the heart is deceitful above all things desperately sick who can understand it

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Comfort is a gift from God that outpours Into his body the body of Christ your comfort affects your brother your discomfort in your anxiety affects your brother

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Really does because Christ's comfort in his afflictions has outpoured into you so understand that part of the body of Christ is that ministry of Reconciliation so the question is what is the ministry of reconciliation?

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Let's go and stay in 2nd Corinthians here and let's show what that is 2nd Corinthians 5 17 through 21 Therefore if anyone is in Christ He is a new creation

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Wow, the old has passed away behold the new has come full stop real quick Colossians chapter 3 states for you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God The chapter starts says you have been raised with Christ You've died already

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Your spirit has already been dead. And now you are a new creation Really walk in that believe what

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God says you have the ability to actually believe what he says Because he first loved you.

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He's the God of all comfort. All this states is from God verse 18 Who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation that is?

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In Christ God Was reconciling the world to himself not counting their trespasses against them and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation

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Right, so we have been reconciled by the blood of Jesus Christ. Our sins have been paid for on the cross

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We know that now we are a new creation. We believe that Jesus saved us from our sins

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So what do we do? We preach that gospel of reconciliation to the world That's part of the ministry of reconciliation for the body of believers.

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Jesus states it in Matthew 28 in the Great Commission Therefore continuing in verse 20.

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It says we are ambassadors for Christ God making his appeal through us

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We implore you on behalf of Christ be reconciled to God for our sake He made him to be sin who knew no sin so that in him we might become the righteousness of God That ministry of reconciliation is a reconciliation with the outside world by preaching the gospel of forgiveness to them

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But also excuse me a ministry of reconciliation within the body in the way We treat one another in order to have true reconciliation within the body to avoid envy strife jealousy bitterness and the like We must have a life of humility and understand that God has forgiven us

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So we need to extend that grace and mercy to others also with the afflictions that we face in our life to understand that God gave them to us for a very specific reason and Purpose to submit to his will and then comfort others.

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Do you see that how you can first love God and Then love neighbor correctly. You're not loving

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God correctly first. You're never gonna love your neighbor correctly And then we're told in verse 5 of 2nd

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Corinthians 1 here For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings So through Christ we share abundantly in comfort, too

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Remember when we were talking about John 15 how we are the branches we grow because of Christ we are attached to the vine

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Jesus also stated that we will suffer because he has suffered Christ and his perfection suffered and was perfectly obedient to the

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Father. He was comforted in his afflictions so Since we share in Christ's sufferings then guess what therefore we share abundantly in Christ's comfort

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Why are you? Christian being pruned and being tested by fire to be refined in your faith

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And why are you being comforted? Well, it's all predicated on the success of Jesus Christ on the cross He is the vine.

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We are the branches. God will always comfort us according to the need that we have

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So this text is telling us he will never leave us or forsake us but but right he won't take us out of the trial

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Always maybe he will if that's his will But he will keep you from the evil one the root of our salvation and comfort is in Christ and that should make you have all of the more certainty like Paul To know that you will be comforted in your afflictions because the root of your certainty lies in the perfect Obedience and righteousness of Christ That when you stand before the

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Father you don't stand condemned you stand clothed in the righteous robes of Christ Ephesians 1 you have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places

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So the Bible tells us We have been reconciled to God. So we need to walk in the ways that are according to the

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Spirit We need to see past our afflictions and trust in God and we will find comfort

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God's Word tells us it's a promise For us. That's a hope that we have That is unseen.

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It's a hope in the heavenly places seated with Christ And if you sit in this room and you have not been reconciled to God My call for you is that there is no other name under heaven which man can be saved other than Jesus Christ You must turn away from your sin and put faith in Christ You cannot save yourself from death

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It is inevitable all of us here will die and stand before God The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our

01:00:05

Lord Says that sin is the transgression of the law of God You die because you're a sinner.

01:00:14

It's the very proof that God's Word is true. Let God be true in every man a liar

01:00:21

Romans 1 states that we know God But we exchange the truth of God for a lie we suppress truth the truth in unrighteousness and instead of worshiping

01:00:33

God we create an idol of what we think or who we think God should be and We try to comfort ourselves to know although the end is coming

01:00:44

The God that I created Won't judge me But that's not true

01:00:51

Since God is love and since God is just He will give to people who are sinners against him what they deserve and that is wrath and that is judgment

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We have defied the eternal God with every breath in our lungs yet. He still lets you breathe

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If this is you if you think that you are a good person by the own works of your hands that you have merited

01:01:18

Some form of favor before God that is not the gospel The gospel is this that while we were still sinners

01:01:26

Jesus Christ died for us that he was perfect in every single way.

01:01:31

He was born sinless unlike us and He was sinless and when he died on the cross his sacrifice paid actually paid

01:01:42

The wages of sin which is death so that my belief in him that he Resurrected from the grave and sits at the right hand of the father through him and through that belief.

01:01:52

I am declared righteous I am justified before the father solely on the work of Christ God himself died for you if you do not believe in God today if you not believe in Jesus Christ repent fall into his arms

01:02:06

Because he loved you and not only did he love you the father Loved you too, right

01:02:13

John 3 16. He sent his son into the world. He didn't want you to die He said no,

01:02:19

I'm going to send my son to die for you Repent and believe in God That's the call of the gospel

01:02:28

You are not a god. You will never be a god. You cannot save yourself from death

01:02:35

It's coming for us all it's beckoning at the door. Are you prepared to meet God?

01:02:40

That's the question Jesus was because he was perfect and in his righteousness you can lie you can you can have faith and trust that he

01:02:52

Perfectly satisfied the wrath of the father. So repent before it is too late

01:02:57

In turn to Christ so you can walk according to the Spirit So you can believe and trust in the heavenly promises of God so that you can have purpose in your life

01:03:07

Through suffering that it's for your good for his glory. And if this is not you

01:03:15

Then you're suffering your trials and your afflictions Will just produce more wrath before God and I don't want that for you

01:03:25

Let's pray Lord Thank you For this message, thank you for your word

01:03:33

Thank you for using Paul in such a mighty way to tell us that God you deserve all

01:03:39

Praise and worship and glory even in the midst of our suffering and trials and afflictions that you comfort us

01:03:46

We don't deserve it But you do it. Anyways through the power of your Holy Spirit by the shed blood of Jesus.

01:03:52

We have a Trinitarian comfort How absolutely amazing is it to think that I have a

01:04:00

God who cares about me Thank you Jesus, thank you for your word