Consolation, Part 4

This meditation will mark the conclusion of this series on the consolation that is in Christ. We begin today’s meditation with this informative commentary of the Scripture on our subject:

2 Corinthians 1:5  For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.
6  And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.
7  And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation.

The effect of this passage turns on the words “as…so.” When these two words are used together in a sentence, as they are in this passage, they denote a more or less exact correspondence, similarity, or proportion between two things. In this case the two things are the sufferings and the consolation that we experience. The consolation by Christ that we receive corresponds to the sufferings of Christ that we experience. Everything you suffer as a Christian carries with it a proportionate amount of relief from the Lord Jesus Christ. Even though the burden may be more than you can handle alone, with His consolation you can bear it. Remember, it is “God, that comforteth those that are cast down” (2 Corinthians 7:6).

Now bear in mind that there is consolation in Christ equal to the sufferings “of Christ” that we experience. There no such consolation provided for sufferings that stem from our own misconduct.

1 Peter 4:15  But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters.
16  Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.

We can never rightfully expect to be consoled in sin. We can rather expect to be heavily burdened when we have sin in our life that we are not dealing with. However, we can expect relief from the burden of guilt when we confess and forsake our sin.

Psalms 32:3  When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long.
4  For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah.
5  I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.

Referring back to the passage cited above from 2 Corinthians, we note that it also teaches us that the sufferings and comfort that Paul and Timothy experienced, are for our “consolation and salvation” when we endure the same sufferings. Whenever you experience a problem in your Christian walk and you find that the people in the Bible experienced the same thing, it brings relief. You don’t feel so alone in what you are going through. That in itself alleviates the sorrow. And when you see how God comforted them and brought them through it, it encourages you to expect God to do the same for you. As the passage teaches, God comforted them “for your consolation.” God’s dealing with them sets the precedent for all believers that come afterward. This is why you should continually read your Bible. As you read about the lives of the godly men of the Bible, you will be able to trace your own experience. And there you will dip into the consolation that is provided for you in Christ.

As we have seen in the foregoing meditations, there is indeed consolation in Christ. It is a strong consolation. It is everlasting in duration. And it is equal to anything we suffer as a Christian. When we turn to Christ in our troubles and focus on Him, it puts our present burdens into perspective and gives us relief. It is as the song says:

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face;
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace.

As I write of the consolation that is in Christ, do you value that consolation? Do you consider it real? Have you experienced it? Have these meditations brought you any consolation? I would appreciate knowing they have. I close with the following searching question:

Job 15:11  Are the consolations of God small with thee?

Consolation, Part 3

We now come to step three that our Lord gave us to experience the consolation that is in Him: Learning of Him. Many of our distresses and sorrows are lightened as we learn of the Lord Jesus Christ. Have you ever felt drained only to be revived when you heard a good gospel sermon and learned something about your Lord? If so, then you have received of the consolation that is in Christ. As we learn of Christ, we learn of One Who is meek and lowly in heart. Many of our heavy burdens arise from our own pride and rebellion, which are the opposite of meekness and lowliness. If we would learn of Christ to humble ourselves under God’s mighty hand and submit to His will, we would see many unnecessary burdens fall away. I know that some of my heaviest burdens arise from the fact that I am not accepting something God is permitting in my life, something I cannot change or control. But when I humble myself and accept what God has allowed, I discover a sense of relief as well as a supply of grace to bear it.

James 4:6  But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
7  Submit yourselves therefore to God.

There is so much consolation to be found in learning of Christ as He is revealed in the Holy Scriptures. The following passage speaks to our point:

Psalms 119:49  Remember the word unto thy servant, upon which thou hast caused me to hope.
50  This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me.

The word of God comforts us in our affliction because it quickens us, that is, it revives and restores vigour to us. When we are invigourated, the affliction we bear is lightened because we have more energy with which to bear it.

Observe how this passage links the comfort of the word of God with the hope it proclaims. When, in the troubles of life, you flee for refuge to lay hold upon the hope that God’s word sets before you, then you find a “strong consolation.” This hope offers a strong consolation because it rests upon the promise of God backed up by His oath, and it is impossible for God to lie when He makes a promise and when He swears to it.

Hebrews 6:17  Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath:
18  That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:
19  Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;
20  Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus….

We believers draw strength from knowing that something far better is waiting for us beyond this world of sorrows. Knowing we have a sure hope set before us in heaven alleviates the sorrows we bear down here. In fact, this greatly lightens our load because it is a “strong" consolation. Observe how it works in the following passage:

2 Corinthians 4:17  For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
18  While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

As we focus on the hope that is set before us in glory, our present afflictions seem light and momentary in comparison. You see, this hope provides us with a strong consolation which lightens the load of the present affliction. Remember, to console is to alleviate the sorrow, to lighten the load. The stronger the consolation is, the greater is the relief it brings.

How sad it is to see multitudes set all their hopes in this fleeting world. They rely on the things that they can accumulate and experience down here to alleviate their sorrows. Speaking of them our Lord said:

Luke 6:24  But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation.

There can be no doubt that riches can lighten a lot of loads that we bear. They can get bill-collectors off our back. They can buy us vacations to relaxing resorts. They can purchase narcotics and sedatives that give us some ease. But when all the relief one has is the relief that money can buy, that is a pitiful situation indeed! The relief the wicked rich receive in this world is all the relief they will ever have.

But for those who flee for refuge to the hope that is in Christ, they find in this life a strong consolation that is not confined to this world. Mark these wonderful words:

2 Thessalonians 2:16  Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace,
17  Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.

The Lord Jesus Christ and God our Father not only give us strong consolation now to alleviate our sorrows, but they give us “everlasting” consolation. This consolation reaches beyond this world to the next. I like to think of heaven as a place where I will experience unmingled, never-ending relief. The burdens of the present world will be forever removed. Next time you feel your load lighten when you come to Jesus, just imagine that feeling being enlarged to fill eternity. Imagine feeling forever light, energetic, and free! No more will we feel heavy, weighed down, oppressed, and sorrowful. Of course, we cannot fully imagine it. But it sure is consoling to think about and being consoled by that thought makes our present burdens lighter.