The Father of Mercies

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort” (2 Corinthians 1:3).  Richard Sibbes, one of the finest of the Puritan teachers, gave a series of sermons on the first chapter of 2 Corinthians that comprise an entire 500 page book.  The Puritans had tremendous respect for the written word of God, and as a result were always very thorough in their teaching.  They considered every verse infinitely precious.  And I consider every page of Sibbes’ sermons on 2 Corinthians 1 to be of great value.  That chapter is one of the most encouraging in all of Paul’s letters.  But, in order to enjoy the comfort this passage of God’s word has for us, we must have two things.  More accurately, God does two things.  First, from His written word He gives us the ground or basis of our comfort, which is expressed in the promises of Scripture.  Second, by His Holy Spirit in us, He prepares and fits our hearts to receive and embrace these promises.  Emphasizing either one of these, to the limitation or exclusion of the other has been the source of many problems in the history of the Church.  If truth is not kept in its proper biblical balance, very harmful errors in understanding will result.  There are so many wonderful things to see in this chapter.  I am presently reading the Sibbes’ sermons, and by God’s grace, I hope to point out some of its highlights as I go along.