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Indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead.

  Good morning. Indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead. Sometimes we have to get to the point where there is no hope for us to trust in God. Even if we don’t make it, God will “raise us from the dead” in the end. Who delivered us from so great a peril of death, and will deliver us. He in whom we have set our hope. And He will yet deliver us. We can be confident in Him. For our proud confidence is this: the testimony of our conscience, that in holiness and godly sincerity, not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God, we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you. No matter what bad things people may say about him, Paul knew that he had done nothing wrong. For we write nothing else to you than what you read and understand, and I hope you will understand until the end. Paul said what he meant, and meant what he said. Father go with the reader. Help him/her to remember the goo...
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But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; or if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is effective in the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer

  Good morning. But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; or if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is effective in the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer; and our hope for you is firmly grounded, knowing that as you are sharers of our sufferings, so also you are sharers of our comfort. That’s easy for you to say Paul. We always think of Paul as being above the fray and not afraid of anything. But the following says something a little different. For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burden excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life. Bummer! Paul, don’t you know that you are more than a conqueror? Of course he did. It just shows how even the best of the best can let things get them down. And if that happens to them, it can happen to us. Remember, if you get knocked down, get back up. It is only when you don’t get back up that you lose...
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God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

  Good morning. Today we begin second Corinthians. Paul begins with his usual greetings to churches. And then some verses that are appropriate to your situation. 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 will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. While Paul was talking about being afflicted because of their faith, it also applies to our every day life. God comforts us in our time of need, not just for our sakes, but also that we may give comfort to those around us when they are in horrible situations. Jesus went through much more than we ever will, with His Father even turning His back on Him, so He knows what we have need of in any situation. For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ. Farther help the reader to have words of comfort.
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Therefore be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not vain in the Lord

  Good morning. Therefore be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not vain in the Lord. We shouldn’t be wishy-washy. We have a firm foundation, and hope for life after death. We should not keep that to ourselves, but rather share it with those around us. He then talks about collecting for the saints. This money was to be sent to those in Jerusalem. He tells them that if Timothy comes, “see that he is with you without cause to be afraid”. Remember that Paul told Timothy that God has not given us a spirit of fear/timidity. Perhaps this was an issue with Timothy. Remember we began this book with this statement, “I am of Paul“, “I am of Apollos“. Was there conflict between the two? But concerning Apollos our brother, I encouraged him greatly to come to you with the brethren. That does not sound like they had problems with each other. And then some good advice for now just as then: be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like me...
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For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.

  Good morning. Regardless of when the last trumpet sounds: for this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. This physical body of ours cannot put on immortality; there has to be some kind of change. What will happen when it does? But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “death is swallowed up in victory. O death where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?“ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the Law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of Adam’s sin, death came into the world. Physically it did not happen until hundreds of years later. Relating it to the Middle East: it was like being stung by a scorpion, but death not coming till some time later. Spiritually, it happened instantaneously. Father thank You that fear of death no longer reigns over us. Help ...
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We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet

  Good morning. Now we are about to see some of Paul’s most famous verses. Behold, I tell you a mystery (something of God and His doings that was not understood before, but now has been revealed); we will not all sleep (die), but we will all be changed (from this physical body), in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye (not some long process like the Egyptians embalming a dead person), at the last trumpet (there are seven trumpets in the book of Revelation, but that does not mean this is referring to the seventh one. Vine’s had something about it being a special trumpet. If it were referring to the seventh trumpet in Revelation, that would mean that there would be six trumpets of very bad things happening. That would create questions about the Rapture being before the Great Tribulation.); for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will all be changed. We will continue this next time. Father thank You that everything is going to turn out just the way...
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Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.

  Good morning. The first man is from the earth, earthy (I guess you could call him a dirt bag); the second man is from heaven. As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly. Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. We may need something like Ancestry DNA to find out from whom we are descended physically, but we only need the Bible to find out from whom we are descended spiritually. Now I say this, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Notice that it says flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. In Luke, when Jesus appeared to the 11, He said, “See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.“ That can’t be the only difference. After all, Jesus would appear and disappear at will. Father we know that for only ...
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