Canaan Fellowship
The God of All Comfort, the God of Abundance
Bruce Hempel speaks on the theme of comfort and faith, drawing primarily from 2 Corinthians. He emphasizes that God is a God of abundance who provides increased comfort and grace proportionate to our trials, using both Paul’s experiences and the Old Testament story of Elijah as examples. Introduction: Bruce opens by explaining his decision to revisit 2 Corinthians after previously covering it quickly. He notes that Chris Sickler prompted this message by highlighting comfort as a key theme in the book, which Bruce connects directly to faith. Key Points: [01:01] God’s comfort is tied to our trials; 2 Corinthians 1:3-7 teaches that as we share in Christ’s sufferings, we also share abundantly in His comfort. [02:59] We don’t need to fear trials because God’s grace and comfort increase in proportion to the suffering we face. [03:44] It is crucial to view God as a God of abundance, not of “just enough.” Just as the sun continuously gives its energy, God is the source of all spiritual life and provision. [06:28] Paul’s personal example in 2 Corinthians 1:8-10 shows that even he despaired of life, but that trial was designed to make him rely not on himself but on God who raises the dead. [08:38] 2 Corinthians 4:7-18 acknowledges that afflictions are real—we are afflicted, perplexed, and persecuted—but we are not crushed, driven to despair, or forsaken because God supplies what we need to endure. [10:18] Trials cause a dying to ourselves, which allows the life of Jesus to shine forth more strongly in our character. [11:10] Bruce encourages strong faith in prayer, urging the congregation to pray for miracles and deliverance rather than settling for “just enough grace to suffer,” since God does answer prayer. [12:37] Our trials are temporary, but the glory they work in us (our inner nature being renewed) is eternal. We should focus on the unseen, eternal things rather than the seen, temporary things. [12:58] Turning to 1 Kings 17, Bruce recounts Elijah’s story: first, he was fed by ravens at the brook Cherith, and when the brook dried up (things went from bad to worse), God guided him to Zarephath. [16:27] When in perplexity, we must have faith that God will guide us and provide for us, even when we don’t know the how or when. [17:19] The widow at Zarephath, who was preparing her last meal, chose to act in faith by giving Elijah food first. This mirrors the faith of Rahab and the woman at Samaria, and is a turning point that leads to God’s miraculous provision. [19:21] The jar of meal and the cruise of oil never ran out, demonstrating abundance in the midst of dearth. God’s promise provided more than enough every single day. [21:32] Bruce concludes with 1 Corinthians 13, noting that love “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things,” and that love never fails. He compares love to the flour and oil that never run out. [22:48] God is not limited and His love never ends. We are encouraged to believe that God will give us what we need in abundance, be comforted in troubles, and trust that we will come through them. Scripture References 2 Corinthians 1 2 Corinthians 4 1 Kings 17 1 Corinthians 13 Generated by AI model deepseek-chat The post The God of All Comfort, the God of Abundance first appeared on Canaan Fellowship .
