Dear congregation belonging to our Lord Jesus Christ, where do you look? Where do you go for comfort? What is your help, your solace, your relief, your support, your strength in life? What keeps you going? What helps you survive? What soothes and satisfies and strengthens you? We all have something, even several things that we look to for comfort. It might be our home, our spouse, our family, our friends. It might be our business, our reputation, the approval of others, our position, our power, our ability to control people and things. It might be our health. It might be our wealth. It could be food. It could be sex. It could be our toys. It could be our freedom, a life of peace and ease, free from trouble and affliction. It could be outward religion, doing things like reading the Bible every day, attending church, maybe even serving in the church. It could be giving to the poor, living a decent life. These are the kinds of things many people look to for comfort. And these things are not necessarily bad in and of themselves. And they can be God's means of a certain degree, a certain sense of comfort, a gift from his hand. But the problem is that many people, they put their trust in these things to carry them through life. That's true of people in the world, but it's not unique to them. It can be true of people in the church, even of people who confess to be Christians. Yes, even when we are true Christians, if we're honest, there can be times when we look to these things for our comfort. There can be times when we put our trust in these kinds of things to carry us through life. That can happen. especially in our context where many of us enjoy so much outward prosperity. It can happen sometimes without our even realizing or deliberately intending it. As long as everything goes well, it seems fine, and we can even look very godly. But then something happens. In some way, the life of relative ease and peace that we've enjoyed is suddenly shattered. Maybe the business fails or the spouse leaves or the doctor says it's cancer. or the toys break, or go missing, or the truck gets stolen, or our power, our position, our prestige is threatened and even taken away, and the life of relative ease is replaced by suffering of some kind, and we feel broken, lost, anxious, despairing, angry, bitter, perhaps vengeful. Desperate. And we do everything we can, perhaps even committing sin to try to get those things back. And when we can't, we become depressed and perhaps turn or are tempted to turn to food or alcohol or drugs or other things to lessen the pain. Maybe, maybe even we start to consider death itself. Why? Why do we react that way? Well, no doubt we could give many reasons, but at the end of the day, doesn't it come down to this? Either we don't have the Christian's comfort. We're not really true Christians at all, or we are true Christians, but we've lost sight of our comfort. Instead of seeking our comfort in belonging to Jesus, we've turned to other things. We've put our trust in other things to carry us through life. But we don't need to, and we shouldn't. That's what our text passage this morning, 2 Corinthians 1, verses 3 through 5, makes so clear. The Apostle Paul, together with Timothy, is writing here under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to Christians. And this is what he says in verse 3, Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort, who comforts 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 by God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation, so our comfort also abounds by Christ." Well, what are these verses about? Well, children, did you hear that word being mentioned several times, the same word? It's mentioned six times in these three verses and four more times in verses six and seven. It's the word comfort, sometimes translated consolation. That's what these verses are about. They're describing the comfort true Christians have. And the basic message is clear, isn't it? The Christian's comfort is a comfort like no other. Oh, how important that is for all of us to realize and remember that we all might seek that comfort and live appropriately as Christians in light of it, also in difficult times. And that is what these verses encourage us to do, as we hope to see with God's help. As we follow our text, we'll also be tying in the biblical teaching of question and answer one in Lord's Day One of the Heidelberg Catechism, its focus on the Christian's only comfort in life and death obviously fits well with our texts and also highlights the theme of the entire catechism and its summary of the Bible's main teachings, which we again hope to work through together, Lord willing. Last time we worked through it, we generally covered one Lord's Day per sermon, but this time through I hope to slow down at times and focus in on some areas where it may be beneficial. And so that's what we're doing with Lord's Day One, considering question and answer one today, and question and answer two next time. And so our theme for this morning's message is the Christian's comfort, a comfort like no other. We'll consider, first of all, its source, and secondly, its sufficiency, and thirdly, its security. Well, how is the Christian's comfort a comfort like no other? Well, notice with me first of all its source. We see this especially in verse 3 of our passage, 2 Corinthians 1 verse 3. Look again at what it says there. Well, what is Paul doing here? Well, he's praising God, isn't he? He's specifically praising God the Father, as the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. That's who He is. But here's the thing. How do we know God in that way? How do we know Him as the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort? We know we experience God in that way when we also know Him, like Paul, as the father of our Lord Jesus Christ. And how do we know God as the father of our Lord Jesus Christ? Only when we, by God's grace, belong to Jesus through faith in Him. That's ultimately what gives comfort to the Christian. And that's what this verse is telling us by implication. The source of the Christian's comfort is belonging to Jesus Christ. But now, how does that make it a comfort like no other? Well, for one, think of what a glorious source of comfort this is. I mean, who is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ? It's no one less than God. That's what our text tells us. Blessed be God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In other words, when we are Christians, the Father of the one to whom we belong, to Jesus Christ, is the one, only, true, and living God. The one who created all things. the one who controls all things, the one who is almighty, the one who is all good. And not only that, but he's the father of mercies, the one who is merciful, the one who is infinitely full of compassion, and who shows that compassion toward those that fear him, loving and preserving and sanctifying them. Yes, He's the God of all comfort. That's who the Father of Jesus Christ is. Do you see what that's saying? It's saying that belonging to Jesus is no small source of comfort. It's not like a little puddle. No, it's like a deep well that never runs dry. It's like a fountain that never ceases. It's like an ocean that never ends. You see, when you belong to Jesus, you are brought into fellowship with His Father. You are reconciled to Him. You are given access to Him, to this God, to the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. By nature, you don't have access to Him. None of us do. You are separated from him. There is a wall, as it were, between God and you. Actually, it's worse than that. There's not just a wall. There's a war. There's a war between God and you. Why? Because of your sins and your sinfulness. By nature, you hate God. And you fight against him. You are in rebellion against him. And he is righteously angry with you. He is against you because He is infinitely holy and perfectly just, and His justice demands that sin, also your sins, every one of them must be punished. And if you die that way, if you die separated from God, if you die at war with God, that means everlasting punishment in hell. The point is, you do not, you cannot, and you will not have fellowship with God by nature. But when you belong to Jesus, When you belong to Jesus, you are reconciled and you're brought into fellowship with Him, with God, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. You have access to Him, to His mercies, to His compassions, to His comforts, because Jesus is the divine incarnate Son of God. What can compare to belonging to Jesus? Why should we seek comfort elsewhere? And yet we do, even sometimes as Christians. Instead of seeking our comfort and belonging to Jesus, we seek it in other things. We seek it in things that don't last, and more importantly, in things that don't save. We seek comfort in things that do not and cannot deal with the problem of our sin. We seek comfort in the pleasures of the world, or in the praises of men, or in the power we might think we have over circumstances and over people, or in the protection of ourselves, or in our pious-sounding prayers. But what can those things do? All they can do at best is whitewash over the terrible, ugly reality of our sins. All they can do is cover our problem like a rug. They aren't real comforts at all. They are only broken cisterns that can hold no water. And yet sometimes that's where we go for comfort. Haven't you been there? I have. I'm not preaching at you. But maybe that is where you are right now. Could it be God has to say of you what he said of his people Israel in Jeremiah 2 verse 13? My people have committed two evils. They have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water. Oh, let us learn to seek our comfort in the only place it can be found in belonging to Jesus Christ. Is that the comfort you are seeking? What a glorious source of comfort it is, but also what a reliable source. How do we know that? Well, because of who Jesus is. How does our text describe Jesus? It describes Him as Lord Jesus Christ, whose Father is God. That's who He is. What does that mean? What is that telling us about Jesus? Well, for one, it's telling us He's the Son of God. He's the one of whom John 3 verse 16 speaks when it says, For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes on Him should not perish but have everlasting life. That's who Jesus is. He's the one in whom the Father is well pleased. He's the eternal, only begotten Son of God. He's God himself, the second person of the Trinity. And he's Jesus, the Savior, the one sent by the Father into the world to save his people from their sins. From their sins. to give everlasting life to whoever believes on Him. But not just that, He's Jesus Christ, the God-appointed, the God-anointed, the God-approved Savior whom God promised in the very beginning, the moment man sinned. And He's Lord. Lord over all. All authority and power has been given unto Him, and He always cares for and protects all who belong to Him, all whom He has purchased by His blood. In other words, there's nothing lacking in Him. And that's why Paul writes later in our chapter, in verse 20, all the promises of God in Him, in Christ, are yea, and in Him, amen, unto the glory of God by us. You see, when you belong to Him, when you belong to Jesus Christ, He's not just your Savior. He's your faithful Savior. He's not just a glorious, but a faithful, reliable source of comfort. Fully reliable. Can that be said of any other comfort? Any other source of comfort? No, it can't. All other things, all other people that we look to for comfort, including ourselves, are not reliable. They can disappear. They can disappoint. They can die. In fact, they not only can do all those things, they will. But not Jesus. Not Jesus. When you belong to Him, He will not and cannot disappear. He will not and cannot disappoint. He will not and cannot die. Should we not then seek our comfort in belonging to Him? Are you? Here's your confession. Not just the confession of your mind and your mouth, but the confession of your heart and life. The Christian's confession in Lord's Day One. What is your only comfort in life and death? Is it this, that I with body and soul, both in life and death, and not my own, will belong unto my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ. There's no greater source of comfort. It's incomparably glorious and reliable. Yes, it's really the only ultimate source of comfort there is. Is it yours? What would God say? What would others say? The people who know you best. You see, it will show when that is our comfort. It will show, especially in times of difficulty, in times of adversity, in the way we respond. So what would they say if they were honest? What would they say about you? What would they say about me? Would they say, would they say, You're seeking your comfort and belonging to Jesus, aren't you? Or somewhere else? Oh, let it be in belonging, in belonging to Jesus. But maybe you're thinking, easy for you to speak. It's not always so easy. Well, it's not easy for me to speak. Because I know it's not easy. I've been there. And so how can we learn to do that, to seek our comfort in belonging to Jesus, either for the first time or again? Well, let's consider the second way our text shows us that the Christian's comfort is a comfort like no other, not just by its source. but by its sufficiency. And we see this especially in verse 4. But let's read verses 3 and 4 together to get the flow again. Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort, who comforts 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. What's verse 4 saying? It's saying the comfort we have in belonging to Christ, the comfort that God gives in and through His Son is all sufficient. It covers everything. There are no exceptions, no tribulation, no affliction, no trouble, no suffering for Christ's sake. Not even death itself can prevent or quench the Christian's comfort. That's how great it is. In fact, it's so great, it doesn't just overwhelm everything, it overflows. So that when we have it, we can extend that same comfort, not the comfort of earthly things, but the comfort that we have in belonging to Jesus. We are able to extend that same comfort to others in whatever trouble they may be in. That's how big the Christian's comfort is. That's what Paul's saying. And Paul knows what he's talking about. He refers to some of the troubles that he and his helpers had experienced in verse 8. He says in verse 8 there that in Asia, they were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that they despaired even of life. Now he doesn't tell us exactly what the trouble was, but we know he faced this kind of thing not just once, but actually many times. Whatever it was in this case, he goes on to say it was good for him. It was good for him. Why? Because it reminded him to put his trust in God, not in himself. He says that in verse 9. But we had the sentence of death in ourselves that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God, which raises the dead, who delivered us from so great a death and does deliver, in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us. And so Paul, the point is Paul knew about trouble. He knew about affliction and tribulation and persecution and opposition. Probably more than anyone else in the New Testament except for Jesus. He suffered an overwhelming amount of trouble for Christ's sake, but as great as the trouble that he endured was, his comfort as a Christian was greater. That's what he's saying. The Christian's comfort, the comfort we have, we find in belonging to Jesus is all sufficient. If only we will seek it and stop looking elsewhere. I mean, just think about all that it covers. It covers our sin. What a comfort that is. Our sins. My sins. Your sins. They deserve God's punishment. You can't hide your sins from God. You can't cover them over. God won't ignore the sinful words, the sinful looks, the sinful expressions, the sinful actions, the sinful thoughts, the sinful responses. We might excuse him, but he won't. God won't ignore even the smallest sin. He won't ignore the sins in the foyer after the service, or outside, or in the car, or downstairs. He never does. His justice must be satisfied. It must. How can that be? How can it be? Who could do that? Has it ever bothered you? It should. You see, if God's justice cannot be satisfied for your sins, you're lost. You're doomed. You face an eternity in hell under the righteous wrath of God. And you can't escape it. And that's not a scare tactic. That's reality. Do we take that seriously? Do we still? So God himself has said in his word, and that's serious, it ought to make the hearts of each one of us here to tremble. It doesn't matter who you are, you desperately need God's justice to be satisfied for all your sins. And so do I. Here's the wonderful thing. It is when you belong to Jesus. then Jesus himself has, in the words of our catechism, with his precious blood, fully satisfied for all your sin. That's why he died on the cross, to bear all your sin upon his shoulders and to take your guilt away, to be made a curse for you, to suffer your hell in your place. so that all your sins, all your rebellion, all your transgressions, all your trespasses, all your iniquities, all of it might be fully forgiven. So you do not have to fear. Also when you go through times of trouble and tribulation, is this God's punishment for me? It may be God's discipline. But it's not God's punishment. Because Christ, when you belong to Him, He is fully satisfied. Satisfied. So that you might no longer feel like you have to try to cover up your sins, or excuse them, or minimize them, or defend them, or make up for them. But so that you might freely confess them, and be forgiven, and be cleansed, and be declared righteous before God, and be reconciled to Him. You have that comfort? The comfort that Paul speaks of in Romans 8 verse 1, there is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus. And no, the thing is here, no trouble you go through in life can change that. Isn't that a great comfort? That's the comfort you have belonging to Jesus. You can't get rid of your guilt on your own, and you don't have to try, because He has taken the burden of your guilt away. Then there's no reason to despair because of your sin, and there's no reason to deal with sin in other ways, but there's every reason to humbly turn from our sins, to flee from them, and to come to Jesus, and belong to Him, and to seek our comfort there. Does that describe you? It should, shouldn't it? You see, when you belong to Him, not only has He fully satisfied for all your sins, He's also freed you from your bondage to sin. Because He's delivered you from all the power of the devil. You see, that's the trouble we're in by nature. We're slaves of Satan. He's our master whom we have chosen. He's our Lord. He's the ruler in our hearts. That's why we sin. But when you, by grace through faith, have been joined to Jesus, then Satan is cast out. And Jesus, by his Holy Spirit, takes the throne in your heart. And he enables you to serve sin no longer, but instead to serve righteousness. And when Jesus has done that, when he has taken that throne and has sat upon it, and he will never let the devil cast him out. Yeah, that doesn't mean Satan cannot tempt you or trouble you in this life if God permits him. He can. Think of Job. Think of Peter. Satan can even lead you astray for a time. He's very good at that. He's very skilled and that's why we all need to be watchful and to resist the devil. But with all of that said, Christ's promise in John 10 remains true. And no one and nothing can pluck, can snatch His sheep, His people out of His hands. Not even Satan. When you belong to Jesus, Satan cannot reign over you or pull you down into hell with him, no matter how hard he tries. Jesus has redeemed you from all his power. And again, there's no tribulation, there's no affliction that can change that. Now tell me, is there anyone or anything else that can do that for you? Why then would you not seek your comfort in belonging to Jesus? I mean, when you do belong to Him, not only has He fully satisfied for all your sins and delivered you from all the power of the devil, He also keeps you. He keeps you so that nothing can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Yes, He so preserves you that without the will of His heavenly Father, and that, by the way, or our heavenly Father, your heavenly Father, that's who God is, by the way, for you, when you belong to Jesus. He's not just His Father, but He's your Father, and without His will, without the will of the sovereign, almighty God, not a hair can fall from your head. That's what Christ Himself said to His disciples. And that's why Paul says here in our text that you can find comfort in any trouble when you belong to Christ. Whatever trouble God in his providence might bring you into, whatever suffering you may be called to endure for Christ's sake even, every single detail of it is under your loving Heavenly Father's sovereign and wise control. Even when you don't understand it. And what's more, He will make it work for your ultimate good. He will make it serve your salvation. So that even in it, even in that trouble that you don't understand and you wish didn't happen, even in it, you are more than a conqueror through Him that loves you. Do you believe that? Well, then how can there be panic? And bitterness. And anger in our hearts. When tribulation comes. And yet there sometimes has been. Haven't you been there? I have. Maybe you again, you are there this morning, but why? Have you lost sight of the comfort that you have in belonging to Christ? Have you? Have you been seeking your comfort elsewhere? Isn't that so wrong and even downright silly? I think not only of His keeping and preserving care by His and our Father's providence, but also of the tender reassurance and renewal He gives us by His Holy Spirit. You see, that's what we receive when we belong to Jesus. Paul speaks of that later on in 2 Corinthians 1. Look with me at verses 21 and 22. What does he say there? He says this in verse 21, now he which establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who has also sealed us and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts. That's what God does for you when you belong to him by grace, through faith. He gives you the Holy Spirit to live in your heart as a down payment. You know, usually when you buy something big, like a house, maybe you put down a down payment, a deposit to assure the seller or the lender of the rest of the money, that you will pay the rest of the money you have promised. Well, that's what happens when you are joined to Christ, God the Father and the Son together. They give you the Holy Spirit as a down payment, as a deposit to assure you of the eternal life in glory with Him that He has promised you. What a comfort that can be in tribulation. And not only that, the same Holy Spirit transforms and renews your heart and life. He makes you sincerely willing and ready henceforth to live unto Christ, to live for Christ. Yes, even when it means suffering for Him. So that your aim is to be able to say with Paul, as he does in verse 12, that the testimony of your conscience is that in simplicity and godly sincerity, with an undivided heart, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, you have had your conversation. In other words, you have lived to serve the Lord. By His Holy Spirit working in you, Christ makes that your aim. What a wonderful change that is from our aim by nature. Our aim by nature is to serve ourselves. And what does that lead to? Nothing but misery. You know it. When you belong to Christ, he makes your aim to serve him. And that doesn't lead to misery. That leads only to blessing, yes, even in the midst of suffering and affliction. Oh, won't we all then seek our comfort only in belonging to Jesus? What other comfort can there be in comparison to that? It's an all-sufficient comfort. It covers everything. It's a comfort for body and soul, in life and in death. It's a comfort that holds good for every true Christian in every tribulation. But how do I know that for sure? Well, that brings us very briefly to the third thing in our text that shows us the Christian's comfort is a comfort like no other. Not just its source, not just its sufficiency, but also its security. Look with me at verse five. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds by Christ. What's Paul doing here? He's explaining why we can have such comfort as Christians. Even when we suffer so much for Christ's sake, It's because of Christ. Our consolation, our comfort abounds by or through Christ. In other words, Christ himself is the security of the Christian's comfort. And that means, congregation, that the comfort we have in belonging to him is absolutely secure. It's absolutely secure. You see, he himself has paid for it. He's paid for it completely. He paid for it on the cross. He paid for it with his own precious blood. So Peter reminds us of in 1 Peter 1, verses 18 and 19, when he says, for as much as you know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold from your vain conversation, from your vain conduct, received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without spot and without blemish. So all that comfort that we have in belonging to him, he has paid for. He has paid for. He has, Jesus has all the rights required to give that comfort, to give it all. And he will, when you belong to Christ, he will give all that comfort to you. It's guaranteed because he reigns and he will reign until he has put all enemies under his feet. And then he will come again and he will take you home to the new heavens and the new earth to be with him and give you that perfect salvation that he has promised. So there's no comfort so secure as the Christian's comfort. The comfort of belonging to Jesus. Is it your comfort? Is that where you're seeking your comfort? Next time, we hope to consider in more detail how we can have and enjoy this comfort. But if you don't have it, Don't wait till then, but come. Come to Jesus. Come in repentance and faith and surrender yourself entirely to him and ask him, Lord, make me yours. Make me yours. Ask him to join you to himself. And when you are his, then seek your comfort each day in belonging to him. Yes, even in every tribulation. Because the Christian's comfort is a comfort like no other. Amen.