In the previous lesson, we saw how the Apostle John showed us our freedom from sin through Jesus' shed blood. We washed at the cross, seeing that Jesus washed us from our sins.
If we continue in Revelation 1, a few verses later, John writes, “I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus” (Revelation 1:9).
One thing that our flesh hates is suffering in any way. We can’t bear to think of denying ourselves, much less dying to our cravings. Sometimes I used to overeat as a means of comforting my flesh. “Comfort food” is a popular thing in our society today.
But notice that John takes for granted that believers suffer. We've not yet been banished to a deserted island because of our faith in Jesus as John was, but we bear His cross and choose to die with Him to our flesh, which is a form of suffering with Christ.
It takes us walking by the Spirit, living in His power, for us to choose suffering over gratifying, and this is the very thing the Spirit of God does for us. He leads us gently and works in us powerfully to help us deny and crucify our flesh.
Let’s look at our passage for today:
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 5 For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. 6 If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. 7 And our hope for you is firm because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort." 2 Corinthians 1:3-7 (NIV)
Question 1. According to 2 Corinthians 1:3 NIV, what are some titles for God, the Father?
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Believers are called to handle suffering differently than unbelievers. We are called to turn to the real Bread of Life, the True Manna, and savor Christ. He is our true “Comfort Food,” and all believers are in the process of learning how to experience comfort from Him during suffering. This is what the Holy Spirit leads us to do and why it is important to walk by the Spirit!
Friend, as you suffer today by denying your flesh the gratification it craves, remember this: your God is the Father of compassion, and He is the God of all comfort.
Question 2. According to 2 Corinthians 1:4 NIV, what does God do for us when we suffer?
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One of the reasons God comforts us is so that we can comfort others when they are suffering. This means that all believers become channels of comfort and can be used by God to help others who are going through difficult times and are suffering. We suffer, God comforts us, we see others suffering, we comfort them out of the overflow of the comfort we’ve received from God.