Glory through weakness: 2 Corinthians 1-2

We're at point one, the comfort of God.

Let's dig in and have a l- closer look at this.

Now, the, you, you might know that the Apostle Paul starts his letters in the New Testament with a, an introductory formula that was common in Greco-Roman letters of his day.

What is that formula? You introduce yourself, then you introduce the people you're writing to, then you give an official greeting, then you give thanks for something about them.

You can see most of these elements in verses 1 and 2 there.

Have a look.

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the church of God that is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in the whole of Achaia: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now, you'll find a similar formula in the opening verses of each of Paul's letters, but with small situation-specific changes in each letter.

And those small situational changes give you big clues about what the main themes of the whole letter.

So let's have a look at some, uh, small situational details to notice here that are gonna key us in to the themes of this whole letter.

Firstly, did you notice that Paul is fairly firmly introducing his apostleship? He doesn't just call himself an apostle, he is an apostle of God.

And he doesn't just call himself an apostle of God, he then says, "By the will of God." Are you hearing him? It's pretty serious, isn't it? There's...

Is there a chance, do you think, that Paul's apostleship might have been called into question a little bit in Corinth? The second small situational detail to notice is that there isn't really [laughs] a thanksgiving section.

At a stretch, you might be able to say that verses 3 and 4 are the thanksgiving section, but they're all about God, not about the Corinthians.

Have a listen.

Verses 3 and 4: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

Now, these verses do highlight a couple of key themes that are going to be, well, they're gonna be pretty important in this letter.

Suffering and comfort.

And they tell us that God has comfort for people who are suffering.

And it's not just God who has comfort for people who are suffering, people who God has already comforted also then can comfort others who are suffering.

So this is quite incredible, isn't it? The God who comforts us in our sufferings can then use us to comfort other people in their sufferings, and that means that no one should ever have to suffer alone.

There is a God who is ready to comfort you, and there are people who've already been saved and comforted by that God who are also ready to comfort you.

No one should have to suffer alone.

God knows what it feels like to suffer.

At the cross, God the Son experienced the worst of human suffering.