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 For even if I made you grieve with my letter, I do not regret it—though I did regret it, for I see that that letter grieved you, though only for a while. ⁹ As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. ESVUK

 I know I distressed you greatly with my letter. Although I felt awful at the time, I don’t feel at all bad now that I see how it turned out. The letter upset you, but only for a while. Now I’m glad—not that you were upset, but that you were jarred into turning things around. You let the distress bring you to God, not drive you from him. The result was all gain, no loss. The Message

Why do we discipline our children when it hurts us so much? Because we know it is for their good. So we are prepared to absorb the pain if only we can get them back on track and lead them in the right direction.

Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? ⁸ If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. ⁹ Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! ¹⁰ They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. ¹¹ No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Hebrews 12:7-11.

Of course, the application of discipline will reveal what is in the heart. Will there be genuine contrition and repentance, or superficial remorse?

Maybe only time will tell.

But Paul could rejoice that the Corinthians had responded well with godly sorrow that leads to repentance.

 For even if I made you grieve with my letter, I do not regret it—though I did regret it, for I see that that letter grieved you, though only for a while. 

Paul had feelings! He wasn’t made of steel.

He had written a ‘painful’ letter to the Corinthians regarding a matter of church discipline. Sometimes hard things have to be said (and done) to be able to restore godly order to a church – or to an individual life.

But Paul did not revel in confrontation; he didn’t enjoy rebuking. This cost him something. He regretted having to do it. He had a tender, pastoral heart.

Yet at the same time, he didn’t regret it because the church responded well. He saw that the unpleasant tasting medicine had a healing effect.

 I know I distressed you greatly with my letter. Although I felt awful at the time, I don’t feel at all bad now that I see how it turned out. The letter upset you, but only for a while. The Message.

When church leaders have to be involved in a disciplinary process, all-be-it reluctantly, they can’t always explain everything to everyone. We need to understand that they are human too, and probably have hurting hearts. They will be paying a price. They carry burdens we may nothing about.

So let us pray for them.

For even when we came into Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were afflicted at every turn—fighting without and fear within. ⁶ But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, ⁷ and not only by his coming but also by the comfort with which he was comforted by you, as he told us of your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced still more. ESVUK

To summarise: we have seen that

• God comforts people;
• God comforts people by using people. But also, we now see that
• God comforts people by using comforted people.

Comforted Comforters!

This takes us back to chapter 1. Do you remember this?

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

God puts good things into our lives that we can then share with others. We are to be ‘channels’ of blessing, rather than ‘reservoirs’.

Philippians 2 opens like this:

Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, ² then…

In essence what comes next is the message, ‘pass it on’; ‘share it around’; let it flow outward to others in Christ-like humble loving service.

For even when we came into Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were afflicted at every turn—fighting without and fear within. ⁶ But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, ⁷ and not only by his coming but also by the comfort with which he was comforted by you, as he told us of your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced still more. ESVUK

Yesterday, I commented that God comforts people. This is a marvellous truth.

But we also find, as we go further into our passage, that God comforts people by using people.

God comforts people by using the words of people:

”…he told us…”, writes Paul. The words of Titus on this occasion were a great help and encouragement to the troubled apostle. (‘Take my lips and let them be, filled with messages from thee’).

Furthermore, God comforts people by using the presence of people:

 ”But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus…” The presence of Titus made a difference. Sometimes, we may just need to go and be with a brother or sister in need – even if it involves miles of travel. We may not have the answers to all (or any!) of their questions, but our presence will speak volumes. Remember, Job’s comforters started out well:

 When Job’s three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite, heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him. ¹² When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him; they began to weep aloud, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads. ¹³ Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was. Job 2:11-13.

Sadly, it was when they opened their mouths that they undid their good work!!

Thankfully, Titus was both a bringer and speaker of encouragement.

PRAYER: Enable me, Lord, to be an encourager of others, both by my presence and my words

 For even when we came into Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were afflicted at every turn—fighting without and fear within. ⁶ But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, ⁷ and not only by his coming but also by the comfort with which he was comforted by you, as he told us of your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced still more.

“Jesus Christ is both a comfort for Christians and an irritation for the world.”  Woodrow Kroll

Here is a stupendous reality to believe: God comforts people. For so many of us, this is not theory but experience. We know it to be true. Jesus spoke of the Holy Spirit as ”the Comforter”, and believers regularly prove that He is all that Jesus said of Him.

Note in particular in our text that God comforts the downcast. This takes us back into chapter one, and we’ll have a closer look at it in a couple of days.

Are you feeling discouraged as you read this? Know that your God is real, and with you and is able to lift up your head. Thomas Manton was surely correct to say:

“One way to get comfort is to plead the promise of God in prayer, show Him His handwriting; God is tender of His Word.” 

If your car is low in fuel you know you need to take it to the garage. Similarly, if your soul is depleted, surely you know where to find the filling station?

God comforts the downcast.

For even when we came into Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were afflicted at every turn—fighting without and fear within. 

What does the ‘victorious’ Christian life look like?

Some years ago, I met some people who had been in a fellowship where, according to them, no negative emotions were allowed to be expressed. I got the impression that it was meant to be ‘chandelier-swinging’ positivity all the way.

But this doesn’t fit with real life; and it doesn’t resonate with what we see and hear in the Bible.

Look at today’s text: Paul was not in a great place emotionally when Titus arrived. The inference from the next verse is, surely, that he and his companions were ”downcast”?

An extended quote from Tom Wright will help us. Paul faced ‘…a constant tussle against fears that welled up inside and opposition that attacked him all around. Every day when he didn’t find Titus waiting for him was another disappointment; every day he went on, hoping for good news but bracing himself for the worst. ‘Having no anxiety about anything’, as far as Paul was concerned, wasn’t a matter of attaining some kind of philosophically detached state where he simply didn’t care. He cared, and cared passionately. I think ‘having no anxiety’ meant, for him, taking every day’s anxieties and, with a huge struggle and effort, dumping them on the God in whom he doggedly believed.

The description in verse 5 of his own mental state…is a great antidote to any superficial or glib statement of what the normal Christian life is like.’

PRAYER: We thank you Lord that in all our fears, concerns, disappointments and heartaches you know precisely where we are, and how to get the comfort we need to us in a timely fashion. You are so good, and we praise you.

 For even when we came into Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were afflicted at every turn—fighting without and fear within. ⁶ But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, ⁷ and not only by his coming but also by the comfort with which he was comforted by you, as he told us of your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced still more.

One person can make a big difference to another person’s day (indeed, to their whole life) when they are led and used by God. Look what ”the coming of Titus” meant to Paul and his friends.

My prayer today, then, is, ‘Lord, use even me.’

What a beautiful thing Paul writes to Philemon in verse 7 of his letter:

”Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord’s people.’

I want to be someone like that, don’t you?

Recently, I heard an interview with John Ortberg, in which he referred to Acts 10:37,38:

”You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— ³⁸ how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.”

He highlighted the fact that such a ministry is open to all disciples of Christ. We can have a lifestyle of ”doing good” in the power of the Holy Spirit. He said that when his pastoral ministry came to an end a few years ago, the thought entered his mind, ‘Why can I not joyfully serve God for the rest of my days?’

PRAYER: Lord, please enable me to be a ‘Titus’ in someone’s life today.

 Make room in your hearts for us. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have taken advantage of no one. ³ I do not say this to condemn you, for I said before that you are in our hearts, to die together and to live together. ⁴ I am acting with great boldness towards you; I have great pride in you; I am filled with comfort. In all our affliction, I am overflowing with joy.

Although the Greek of verse 2 doesn’t have ‘’in your hearts’’, it is translated this way, I believe, because the context suggests this meaning.

Church leadership is not primarily about charts, graphs, metrics etc, carried out by remote figures. It is essentially shepherding. It involves close relationships. Matters of the heart lie at its heart. Ideally, there will be great love between pastor and people – and this will be expressed.

It is surely an impoverished marriage where words of affirmation are not spoken, the one to the other. As with Paul here, church leaders should be able to express their love to their congregations. It is also a blessing for a pastor to feel the open-hearted love of their people.

May God work in all of our hearts, to bind shepherds and sheep together.

 Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God. ESVUK

Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God. NIV

‘She thinks so much of God that she wouldn’t want to do anything to hurt him.’

A good friend of mine was speaking to me about a good friend of his – someone I was also going to get to know very well in the years to come. He was right. She was by no means perfect, but that deep reverence for God pervaded her life and guided her conduct.

It should be the same for all us: all we who call ourselves Christians.

I have just read (and listened to) a potted biography of the theologian, John Calvin. What stays with me is that Calvin had a profound sense of God: of His reality, majesty and greatness. When we believe in God in the way Calvin did, we will live our lives, not in cringing ”fear”, but with a reverential awe.

Like with the girl mentioned at the beginning, this will affect our behaviour. We will want to be holy (however often we may fall short). We won’t want to do anything to hurt God.