Look Up #1 - Look Up for Comfort
1 Corinthians 1:1-11
Dr. Kurt Bjorklund
Part of Look Up—September 9 - December 10, 2023
September 8, 2023

Look Up App.jpg

Group Study Guide

Date: September 9-10, 2023
Speaker: Dr. Kurt Bjorklund
Series: Look Up
Message: #1 - Look Up for Comfort

Download PDF Version

Scripture

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

To the church of God in Corinth, together with all his holy people throughout Achaia:

2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3 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.

8 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. 10 He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, 11 as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many. —2 Corinthians 1:1-11 (NIV)

Notes

The Need for Comfort

“We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself.” (2 Cor 1:8)

Troubles

Great Pressure

Despaired

The Resource for Comfort

Mercies - “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort” (2 Cor 1:3)

Comfort - “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort” (2 Cor 1:3)

Delivers - “He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us” (2 Cor 1:10)

The Responsibility of Comfort

Look for a Ministry - “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort” (2 Cor 1:3)

Listen for a Message - “Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.” (2 Cor 1:9)

Study Guide

Step One: Icebreaker (Optional)
What is your favorite comfort food?

Step Two: Open
Ask someone in your group to pray to open your time together. Ask another person to read 2 Corinthians 1:1-11.

Step Three: Discuss

  1. What stood out to you the most in this weekend’s teaching? What was challenging, encouraging, or confusing to you?

  2. What do you know about the apostle Paul and his colleague, Timothy, who informs this letter to the Corinthian church?

  3. Which words or phrases are repeated in this passage? Define those words and discuss similarities and differences. Can you think of a story from Jesus’s life on earth that illustrates this passage?

  4. What is significant about the fact that this letter was inspired by a sense of personal suffering for Paul? Share situations in your own life when painful experiences have become fruitful.

  5. In verse 5 Paul is saying that some kind of solidarity exists between Christ and His people through suffering and comfort. In what ways have you experienced this solidarity in the church?

  6. What does it look like for the follower of Christ to “Look Up” in a season of trouble, suffering, or discomfort?

  7. Read verses 10-11 again and discuss why it makes a difference that God will deliver us in the end.

Step Four: Close in Prayer
Read aloud Psalm 86 as a prayer together.