Earth Has No Sorrow
2 Corinthians 1:1-11
1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
To the church of God in Corinth, together with all the saints throughout Achaia:
2Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
The God of All Comfort
3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. 5For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. 6If 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. 7And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.
8We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. 9Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. 10He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, 11as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many. (NIV)
I'm sure when some of you read the title, you may have thought "Oh, yes it does!Open a newspaper. Does Earth have sorrow? To quote a recent vice presidential candidate: “You betcha!” What Thomas Moore really said, was “Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal.”
Mail comes six days a week, and we look through, make sure it really is for us. It’s mostly bills, but sometimes (less and less, these days) there’s a plain envelope with a handwritten address and return address. Immediately we ask ourselves: Where is the letter from?, Who is writing?, and Why are they writing . . . especially, to me?
A few moments ago we read from the first chapter of 2 Corinthians, and these are the questions we might ask of a New Testament epistle. Who wrote this letter? Why? and when did he write it? To whom is it addressed, and what does it say? Do I have a reason to read it? If so, is it just for scholarly or historical interest, or am I somehow involved in its encouragements and warnings?
These questions are answered in the opening verses of this letter. The writer is the apostle Paul, and the readers are members of a congregation in an ancient European city, plus many others. Every Christian in the area is being invited to read this letter too. “To the church of God in Corinth, together with all the saints throughout” the region (v.1). In other words this is an open-ended invitation to every Christian to heed this epistle. Obviously we don’t have time to look at the whole epistle today, but it contains such matters as principles of conduct, teachings about who God is and how people can become disciples of Jesus Christ. It presents to every Christian the possibility of learning much that is helpful - almost 2,000 years after it was written. It brings to us some of the clearest parts of the Bible on such themes as handling difficulties and trials, and on how Christians should use their money and possessions in the service of God. It also tells us how to exercise a vibrant and God-honouring ministry. This letter more than any other reveals to us the heart of its writer, Paul the Christian. You will get an insight into this apostle’s heart and how it ticks and how it feels. You will be confronted with His passion, and his heart.
I think Paul knew a little of sorrow in his life. He went about persecuting the Saints, he was one of the ring-leaders indeed. After Christ, himself, came to Paul and essentially told him to “knock it off,” . . . [Read some from Acts 9?] As he spent three days without sight, I think he experienced more sorrow than you or I can ever know, as he realized (and contemplated for three days) that he had been persecuting innocent people and he was the one in error. I think Paul also knew a little of mercy and grace, and of heaven’s healing power, as the Lord sent Ananias to restore his sight, both literally and metaphorically as well.
The story is told of an old New England church that had entered into dissensions and backbiting. People were constantly involved in petty feuds, even starting to doubt if the pastor really was a servant of God, or some fake. Recognizing their un-Godly walk, one day they consulted a former pastor on how they could fix these problems, and he agreed to think on the matter for a few days and write them a letter. A few days later he sat down to write the letter. He wrote a letter, full of Bible verses, beautifully crafted, and sincere. He then proceeded to write another letter to a friend of his who was starting a farming endeavor and was having particular trouble with one of his bulls. The pastor sealed the letters and put them in the post. I’m sure you have already guessed what happened. So, the elder stood and read the letter to the congregation: [*Read from letter in pocket*]
You had better see that your fences are put up well in the first place. Plow your ground deep; and sort your seed; be careful not to sow foul seed; and take care of that great, ugly bull. I think you had better poke him. The rest I will tell you when I come.
The congregation sat in silence for a long time, contemplating the pastor's strange message. Finally, one man stood and attempted to interpret it. The putting up of fences must refer to the rules of discipline in the church. The people had neglected these rules of discipline for too long. And plowing up the ground must be another way of saying the people need to open their hearts, to allow the good seed of brotherly love to be sown. The warning against foul seed was obvious: the members had an obligation to sort the truth from the untruth, and not believe every morsel of gossip they heard. And the great, ugly bull could only symbolize the devil, who had come into their midst and stirred up so much strife among them. The people realized this was the most wonderful letter they had ever heard. The people were so moved by the pastor's advice that they began confessing their sins and offering forgiveness to one another. They opened up their hearts and prayed for each other. And peace reigned in the once-feuding church. Unfortunately, the story doesn't tell how the farmer reacted when he got his letter.
Such was the situation when Paul wrote his first letter to the Corinthians. We see from that epistle, that they had problems, with a capital P. Indeed, I am reminded of the song of Professor Harold Hill from the Music Man when he declares that “You’ve got trouble! Right here in River City. With a Capital T and that rhymes with P and that stands for Pool.” Such was the situation in Corinth. People getting drunk at the Lord’s supper, people who did not believe in the resurrection, divisions in the church, . . . pride (pride in their spirituality no less, and boasting that their gift was better than somebody else’s). Pride, that also starts with P, which rhymes with T and that stands for trouble. Yes, sir they had trouble. Right there in Corinth City. Division, Degradation, Distrust.
After returning to Ephesus, when he received word of the returning problems in Corinth we can imagine that he felt hurt. These were people he knew and loved. Earth has no sorrow . . . (?)
However, there is no possible trouble for which God is not able to provide the most perfectly suited comfort. For different trials need different comforts. And as we read here, he is “the God of all comfort.”
He says in Jeremiah “I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.” (Jeremiah 31:13).
We just sang the hymn “How Firm a Foundation, its third verse comes from Isaiah: “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” (Isaiah 41:10) Earth has no sorrow . . . (?)
I came across a verse in Hebrews “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16) That reminded me of a poem by Thomas Moore that has been set to music and I can’t do it justice without actually singing it, so I've invited my wife to help me finish today:
(Sang "Come, Ye Disconsolate" Words: Thomas Moore, Thomas Hastings, and Rob Gardner; Music: Rob Gardner; published by Spire Music)
Other material, time permiting (didn't use any of it this time):
“I called upon the LORD in distress: The LORD answered me and set me in a large place. The LORD is on my side; I will not fear; What can man do unto me?”
Psalms 118:5–6
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28–30
Come, Ye Disconsolate
Come let us reason together – God lives and continues to invite us to repent and to find comfort in him whether it be as a consequence of our own sin, someone else’s agency, or simply things that happen in life.
One of the ways God comforts us is driving us to prayer. (v.11)
The Arabs have a saying, “All sunshine makes a desert.” The danger of prosperity is it encourages a sense of false independence.
Abraham Lincoln: “I have often been driven to my knees in prayer because I had no where else to go.” Often, it is in times of misfortune that we find out who our friends are and we find out who God is and what God is able to do—just how dependable God really is.
