Comfort and Refuge - Three Articles:
Protection: God is Our Refuge
The God of All Comfort
How to Endure Hardship
by Bryan Gibson
Protection: God is our Refuge
by Bryan Gibson
Here is a sampling of the many passages that offer this assurance.
Specifically, this “place of refuge” is found in our relationship with God in Jesus Christ (Hebrews 6:17-20), a relationship formed and maintained by faithful obedience (Matthew 7:24- 27; 1 John 2:3-6). This relationship offers a refuge from many harmful things, but especially from sin and its consequences—both in this life and in the life to come.
What follows is just a partial list; see if you can think of any to add to the list. God is our refuge…
“I will say of the LORD, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust’” (Psalms 91:2).
The God of All Comfort
by Bryan Gibson
What do you do when you are like Paul—when you’re filled with anxiety for the souls of others; when you are burdened beyond measure, almost to the point of death; when you’re troubled on every side, persecuted, and struck down; when you suffer stripes and imprisonments, tumults and sleeplessness; when you are cold and naked, hungry and thirsty; when you’re attacked by false brethren; when things are so bad that you have no rest in your spirit and anguish in your heart (2 Corinthians 1:8; 2:1-4, 12-13; 4:8-9; 6:4-5; 7:5; 11:23-28)?
That is enough to make anyone “lose heart”, but Paul did not (2 Corinthians 4:1, 16). In fact, he offered this perspective on all his troubles: “We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9).
So what was it that kept Paul going, and kept him from losing heart? The same thing that should keep all Christians going—the comfort that God alone can provide. And did Paul ever receive it! We know from his writing: “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. For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort” (2 Corinthians 1:3-7, ESV).
But exactly how did God comfort Paul? We may not know all the means God used, but we do know some because they are revealed in the first seven chapters of this same epistle. Let us see how God did it, because it will help us understand how he comforts us, too.
By the coming of Titus, at just the right time. “Our bodies had no rest…we were troubled on every side. Outside were conflicts, inside were fears. Nevertheless God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus” (2 Cor. 7:5-6). Perhaps you have had a faithful brother come at just the right time, and if so, you can certainly relate to the comfort that this brings.
By the love and encouragement of brethren. When Titus came, he brought comforting words concerning the Corinthians—that they still had affection for Paul, but more importantly, that efforts to lead them to repentance had been successful (2 Cor. 7:7-12). Their obedience was a great source of joy and comfort to Paul (7:13-16), not to mention the prayers they offered on his behalf (1:11). Does this sound familiar? Let us not grieve so long over the unfaithful (12:20-21) that we can’t find comfort in the faithful.
By giving him the opportunity to preach the glorious gospel of Christ. “Therefore, since we have this ministry…we do not lose heart” (2 Cor. 4:1). And what an opportunity preaching provides—to diffuse the “fragrance of His knowledge in every place” (2:14), to reconcile men to God through Jesus Christ (5:18-21), to transform people into the image of Christ” (3:18), and to give them the hope of one day being “present with the Lord” (5:8). How comforting it is to know that whatever we suffer for preaching the gospel is absolutely worth it (1:6; 4:11-15; 6:10).
By teaching him the love of Christ. “For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again” (2 Cor. 5:14-15). If the love of Christ and the purpose it gives our life cannot keep us going, we have got a serious heart problem.
By offering him the hope of eternal life. “Therefore we do not lose heart…for our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things that are seen are temporary, but the things that are not seen are eternal” (2 Cor. 4:16-18). That is what suffering looks like—“light” and “but for a moment”—when you look at suffering through the lens of eternity.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort” (2 Cor. 1:3). Those of us who have received such comfort have a very difficult time in understanding how non-believers can cope with the tragedies of this life, or for that matter, the sure and certain ultimate death of each one of us.
How to Endure Hardship (From 2 Timothy)
By Bryan Gibson
We all will suffer hardship in this journey through life. Surely yours is not the same as Paul’s, but we can all learn much from this inspired apostle. -- DBB
“Be watchful in all things, endure afflictions” (2 Timothy 4:5) “You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ” (2 Timothy 2:3).
Hardship for a Christian comes in many forms, and it’s safe to say that Paul, the writer of this letter, experienced nearly every one of them. Let’s go through this letter and identify at least some of the hardships he faced, and then discuss how he endured each one of them.
Hardship #1: Paul had suffered persecution for the gospel’s sake in the past, and he was still suffering when he wrote this letter (1:8, 12; 2:8-9; 3:10-12; 4:14-15).
How did Paul endure this hardship? (1) With the conviction that if anything was worth suffering for, it was the gospel (1:8-11); (2) With the knowledge he was helping others to “obtain the salvation which is in Jesus Christ with eternal glory” (2:8-10); and (3) With the confidence that if he endured, he too would receive an eternal reward (1:12; 2:11-12; 4:16-18).
Hardship #2: Paul had been forsaken by some of his own brethren (1:15; 4:10, 16).
How did Paul endure this hardship? (1) By refusing to become bitter (4:16); (2) By not forgetting the ones who did remain faithful—people like Timothy, to whom this letter is addressed; Eunice and Lois, Timothy’s mother and grandmother; Onesiphorous, who was not ashamed of Paul’s chain, and who ministered to him in many ways (1:5, 16-18); and Mark, who was useful to Paul now (4:11), even if not previously (Acts 12:12, 25; 13:13; 15:36-40); and (3) By remembering the one Friend on whom he could always depend—“at my first defense no one stood with me…but the Lord stood with me…” (4:16-17).
Hardship #3: Paul had seen the effects of false teaching, and he knew it was about to get even worse (2:16-18; 3:13; 4:3-4).
How did Paul endure this hardship? (1) By warning Timothy to avoid false doctrine; by encouraging him to hold fast to the truth; by instructing him to study diligently and present the truth accurately; and by charging him to preach the truth at any and every opportunity (1:13; 2:14-16; 3:13-17; 4:2-5); (2) By encouraging him to develop more teachers who would do the same (2:2); and (3) By not giving up on all who had gone astray, because some might receive correction and “come to their senses” (2:24-26).
Hardship #4: Paul was very near death—“for I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand” (4:6).
How did Paul endure this hardship? (1) By urging his “beloved son” (1:2), Timothy, “to come to me quickly” (4:9); (2) By preparing himself in advance of his death—“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (4:7) and (3) By the hope of “immortality” (1:10) he had in Jesus Christ, the hope that the Lord would give him “the crown of righteousness” (4:8), that the Lord would preserve him for “His heavenly kingdom” (4:18).
“Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:1-2).
“Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:37-39).
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by Bryan Gibson
Here is a sampling of the many passages that offer this assurance.
- “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms…” (Deut. 33:27).
- “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalms 46:1).
- “…for my soul trusts in You; and in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, until these calamities have passed by” (Psalms 57:1).
- “…and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler” (Psa. 91:4).
- “In the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence, and His children will have a place of refuge” (Prov. 14:26).
Specifically, this “place of refuge” is found in our relationship with God in Jesus Christ (Hebrews 6:17-20), a relationship formed and maintained by faithful obedience (Matthew 7:24- 27; 1 John 2:3-6). This relationship offers a refuge from many harmful things, but especially from sin and its consequences—both in this life and in the life to come.
What follows is just a partial list; see if you can think of any to add to the list. God is our refuge…
- From substance abuse—by teaching us not to be brought under the control of anything (1 Corinthians 6:12), and by offering us far better ways to cope with the problems of this life.
- From sexual immorality and all its consequences—by teaching us the sanctity of marriage (Hebrews 13:4); and by showing us that sexual relations outside this bond of marriage are sinful (1 Corinthians 6:13-20; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8).
- From the perils of greed—by warning us about the love of money, by revealing its many temptations and snares, and by giving us a better set of priorities (see 1 Timothy 6:9-11).
- From the fear of failure—by completely redefining prosperity and success (Matthew 20:26; 3 John 1:2).
- From the rebellious spirit that clashes with authority—by replacing it with an attitude of submission to authority (1 Peter 2:13-3:12).
- From the despair that comes from being unloved—by assuring us of His great love for us (Romans 8:35-39), and by surrounding us with brethren who would lay down their lives for us (1 John 3:16-18).
- From the crippling effects of anxiety—by giving us the perfect prescription for the “peace of God, which surpasses all understanding” (Philippians 4:6-9).
- From the self-serving attitude that destroys so many relationships—by teaching us to deny ourselves (Luke 9:23), to esteem others better than ourselves (Philippians 2:1-8).
- From other poisonous attitudes like wrath, bitterness and envy—by replacing them with attitudes like self-control, gratitude, kindness, and tenderheartedness (Ephesians 4:31-32; James 3:13-18).
- From the heartaches of this life—not by removing them, but by giving us sufficient grace to cope with them (2 Corinthians 12:9), and by promising something far better in the life to come (Revelation 21:4).
- From the shackles of denominationalism—by teaching us a way we can simply be Christians, serving Christ and Him alone, free from associations, conventions, or any other organization of churches beyond the local church (Ephesians 1:22-23; 5:23- 24; Colossians 1:18; 1 Peter 5:1-4).
- From the condemnation of sin—by assuring His children that if we maintain “a broken and contrite heart” (Psalms 51:17), that if we repent and confess our wrongs, “He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all righteousness” (1 John 1:9).
- From the fear of death (Hebrews 2:14-15)—by promising us that if we live and believe in Him, we will live again, that we will in fact live forever with Him (John 11:23-26; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).
“I will say of the LORD, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust’” (Psalms 91:2).
The God of All Comfort
by Bryan Gibson
What do you do when you are like Paul—when you’re filled with anxiety for the souls of others; when you are burdened beyond measure, almost to the point of death; when you’re troubled on every side, persecuted, and struck down; when you suffer stripes and imprisonments, tumults and sleeplessness; when you are cold and naked, hungry and thirsty; when you’re attacked by false brethren; when things are so bad that you have no rest in your spirit and anguish in your heart (2 Corinthians 1:8; 2:1-4, 12-13; 4:8-9; 6:4-5; 7:5; 11:23-28)?
That is enough to make anyone “lose heart”, but Paul did not (2 Corinthians 4:1, 16). In fact, he offered this perspective on all his troubles: “We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9).
So what was it that kept Paul going, and kept him from losing heart? The same thing that should keep all Christians going—the comfort that God alone can provide. And did Paul ever receive it! We know from his writing: “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. For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort” (2 Corinthians 1:3-7, ESV).
But exactly how did God comfort Paul? We may not know all the means God used, but we do know some because they are revealed in the first seven chapters of this same epistle. Let us see how God did it, because it will help us understand how he comforts us, too.
By the coming of Titus, at just the right time. “Our bodies had no rest…we were troubled on every side. Outside were conflicts, inside were fears. Nevertheless God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus” (2 Cor. 7:5-6). Perhaps you have had a faithful brother come at just the right time, and if so, you can certainly relate to the comfort that this brings.
By the love and encouragement of brethren. When Titus came, he brought comforting words concerning the Corinthians—that they still had affection for Paul, but more importantly, that efforts to lead them to repentance had been successful (2 Cor. 7:7-12). Their obedience was a great source of joy and comfort to Paul (7:13-16), not to mention the prayers they offered on his behalf (1:11). Does this sound familiar? Let us not grieve so long over the unfaithful (12:20-21) that we can’t find comfort in the faithful.
By giving him the opportunity to preach the glorious gospel of Christ. “Therefore, since we have this ministry…we do not lose heart” (2 Cor. 4:1). And what an opportunity preaching provides—to diffuse the “fragrance of His knowledge in every place” (2:14), to reconcile men to God through Jesus Christ (5:18-21), to transform people into the image of Christ” (3:18), and to give them the hope of one day being “present with the Lord” (5:8). How comforting it is to know that whatever we suffer for preaching the gospel is absolutely worth it (1:6; 4:11-15; 6:10).
By teaching him the love of Christ. “For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again” (2 Cor. 5:14-15). If the love of Christ and the purpose it gives our life cannot keep us going, we have got a serious heart problem.
By offering him the hope of eternal life. “Therefore we do not lose heart…for our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things that are seen are temporary, but the things that are not seen are eternal” (2 Cor. 4:16-18). That is what suffering looks like—“light” and “but for a moment”—when you look at suffering through the lens of eternity.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort” (2 Cor. 1:3). Those of us who have received such comfort have a very difficult time in understanding how non-believers can cope with the tragedies of this life, or for that matter, the sure and certain ultimate death of each one of us.
How to Endure Hardship (From 2 Timothy)
By Bryan Gibson
We all will suffer hardship in this journey through life. Surely yours is not the same as Paul’s, but we can all learn much from this inspired apostle. -- DBB
“Be watchful in all things, endure afflictions” (2 Timothy 4:5) “You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ” (2 Timothy 2:3).
Hardship for a Christian comes in many forms, and it’s safe to say that Paul, the writer of this letter, experienced nearly every one of them. Let’s go through this letter and identify at least some of the hardships he faced, and then discuss how he endured each one of them.
Hardship #1: Paul had suffered persecution for the gospel’s sake in the past, and he was still suffering when he wrote this letter (1:8, 12; 2:8-9; 3:10-12; 4:14-15).
How did Paul endure this hardship? (1) With the conviction that if anything was worth suffering for, it was the gospel (1:8-11); (2) With the knowledge he was helping others to “obtain the salvation which is in Jesus Christ with eternal glory” (2:8-10); and (3) With the confidence that if he endured, he too would receive an eternal reward (1:12; 2:11-12; 4:16-18).
Hardship #2: Paul had been forsaken by some of his own brethren (1:15; 4:10, 16).
How did Paul endure this hardship? (1) By refusing to become bitter (4:16); (2) By not forgetting the ones who did remain faithful—people like Timothy, to whom this letter is addressed; Eunice and Lois, Timothy’s mother and grandmother; Onesiphorous, who was not ashamed of Paul’s chain, and who ministered to him in many ways (1:5, 16-18); and Mark, who was useful to Paul now (4:11), even if not previously (Acts 12:12, 25; 13:13; 15:36-40); and (3) By remembering the one Friend on whom he could always depend—“at my first defense no one stood with me…but the Lord stood with me…” (4:16-17).
Hardship #3: Paul had seen the effects of false teaching, and he knew it was about to get even worse (2:16-18; 3:13; 4:3-4).
How did Paul endure this hardship? (1) By warning Timothy to avoid false doctrine; by encouraging him to hold fast to the truth; by instructing him to study diligently and present the truth accurately; and by charging him to preach the truth at any and every opportunity (1:13; 2:14-16; 3:13-17; 4:2-5); (2) By encouraging him to develop more teachers who would do the same (2:2); and (3) By not giving up on all who had gone astray, because some might receive correction and “come to their senses” (2:24-26).
Hardship #4: Paul was very near death—“for I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand” (4:6).
How did Paul endure this hardship? (1) By urging his “beloved son” (1:2), Timothy, “to come to me quickly” (4:9); (2) By preparing himself in advance of his death—“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (4:7) and (3) By the hope of “immortality” (1:10) he had in Jesus Christ, the hope that the Lord would give him “the crown of righteousness” (4:8), that the Lord would preserve him for “His heavenly kingdom” (4:18).
“Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:1-2).
“Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:37-39).
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