June 8, 2025 • 37 mins
When life's burdens feel overwhelming, where do you turn for comfort? Many of us instinctively reach for distractions—streaming services, comfort food, social media—anything to numb the pain. But Isaiah 40 reveals a profound truth: God alone provides comfort that actually lasts.
This powerful exploration of Isaiah 40:1-11 unpacks the divine promise of "Comfort, comfort my people" and shows how it addresses our deepest needs. The message distinguishes between temporary relief and true healing, examining how God's comfort responds to both our suffering and our sin. While suffering may drive us to seek consolation, it's our sin—our rebellion against God—that creates our most profound need for comfort.
What makes God's comfort incomparable? It flows from His eternal nature, His unlimited power, and His shepherd-like gentleness. Unlike human comfort that can only sympathize, divine comfort actually transforms. The passage prophetically points to Christ, who embodied this perfect combination of strength and tenderness, offering not just empathy but actual redemption.
The message challenges us to become channels of this same comfort to others. Just as Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 1, we're comforted not merely for our own sake, but so we might comfort those around us. In a world marked by anxiety despite abundance, God's comfort flows not to the heights of pride but down into the valleys of humility.
Whether you're carrying the weight of suffering or the burden of guilt, this message invites you to experience the God who doesn't just offer comfort pills with instructions to "call in the morning," but who gives Himself. Turn to Him today and discover what it means to be truly comforted by the divine Shepherd who gathers His wounded lambs in His arms.
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Episode Transcript
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Micah McCormick (00:01):
Turn to Isaiah, chapter 40.
If you've got Bibles with you,that's wonderful.
If you don't have a Bible, youcan take the Bible right there
in the pew in front of you andturn to page 738.
Isaiah, chapter 40.
Our text this morning comesfrom the first 11 verses of this
(00:26):
chapter.
So we've been taking somebigger chunks.
We're going to slow down just alittle bit.
In this chapter it's got a lot,and we'll look at chapter 40,
verses 1 through 11.
And I'll start by reading thesewords for us, this is what
God's word says Comfort, comfort, comfort, my people, says your
(00:48):
God, speak tenderly to Jerusalemand announce to her that her
time of hard service is over,her iniquity has been pardoned
and she has received from theLord's hand double for all her
sins.
A voice of one crying out, andthe glory of the Lord will
(01:22):
appear, and all humanitytogether will see it, for the
mouth of the Lord has spoken.
A voice was saying cry out.
Another said what should I cryout?
All humanity is grass and allits goodness is like the flower
of the field.
The grass withers, the flowersfade when the breath of the Lord
(01:46):
blows on them.
Indeed, the people are grass,the grass withers, the flowers
fade, but the word of our Godremains forever.
Zion, herald of good news.
Go upon a high mountain.
Jerusalem, herald of good news.
Raise your voice loudly, raiseit, do not be afraid.
Say to the cities of Judah hereis your God.
(02:09):
See the Lord.
God comes with strength and hispower establishes his rule.
His wages are with him and hisreward accompanies him.
He protects his flock like ashepherd.
He gathers the lambs in hisarms and carries them in the
fold of his garment.
He gently leads those that arenursing.
(02:33):
Lord, again, we're justpleading with you.
We're hungry for the word.
We're hungry to know thisscripture, but not just to know
the words, to know you throughthe words.
So help us, oh God.
We pray in Jesus' name.
Amen.
God is the only one who canbring lasting comfort.
(02:54):
God is the only one who willbring lasting comfort.
Our passage today in Isaiah 40opens with this repeated word,
the word comfort.
You can see it right thereComfort, comfort.
My people says your God.
God is the only one who willbring lasting comfort.
(03:22):
Now, many of you would say, yeah, I agree with that.
I know I've got to go to Godfirst and foremost.
You don't have to convince meof that?
If that's true, then why do weso quickly and easily run to
other things for comfort?
Why does it take us sometimestime and time to go to God?
(03:45):
When we're weary, when we'rehurt, when we're feeling
conviction, when we're seekingconsolation, what do we do?
We binge watch our favorite TVshows.
We put in the earbuds and tuneeveryone else out.
Earbuds and tune everyone elseout.
(04:10):
We garden, we cook.
Why is it called comfort food?
Sadly, sometimes people turn tovices like pornography or
violence or excessive alcohol.
But whether it's a clearGod-forbidden vice or it's a
hobby, that in and of itself maynot be wrong, we run to things
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for comfort and not God.
So we may be quick to confessthat God is the only one who
will bring lasting comfort.
But we have to be persuadedmore and more to live out that
confession, to seek God and more.
To live out that confession.
To seek God, to seek hispromises, to seek his comfort
easily, quickly and often, andin our passage, god is so kind
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to assure us of good intentions.
He's not an ogre waiting tothrash us when we come to him in
humility and faith, ogrewaiting to thrash us when we
come to him in humility andfaith.
He says comfort.
It's not a suggestion, it's apromise.
Four steps for the message thismorning as we think about this
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God as the only one who willbring lasting comfort.
Four steps, step number one ourneed for comfort.
Four steps Step number one ourneed for comfort.
Step number two our foundationfor comfort.
Step number three our encounterwith comfort.
And then step number four, ourtestimony of comfort.
So we'll start with that firststep, our need for comfort.
(05:43):
Most of us would acknowledgethere have been times in our
life in the past.
There have been times in ourlife, probably in the present or
certainly in the future, wherewe will need comfort.
Few people would say no, Inever need any comfort.
And just to be clear, whenwe're talking about comfort from
this passage, we're talkingabout God's consolation, his
response to things in our lives.
So I'm not talking about thekind of comfort that's like you
(06:05):
know, I'd like to live acomfortable life, you know, just
a nice couch, a drink in onehand, a remote in the other.
That's not what God's promiseis here.
Kevin's not wearing hisfavorite shirt today, but
comfort wants you dead.
That kind of comfort I thoughtabout texting this morning and
saying do you have it, wear it,but I don't want to confuse
people, right?
That's something different thismorning and said do you have it
?
Wear it, but I don't want toconfuse people, right?
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That's something different.
I think we realize here whatGod's speaking about is
consolation, and that's acomfort we need, and we need it
specifically in two broad areasareas of suffering and areas of
sin.
And you can see both of thoseareas in verse number two.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem andannounce to her that her time
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of hard service is over.
There's suffering.
And then it continues on.
Her iniquity has been pardoned.
She's received from the Lord'shand double for all of her sins.
So these two categories ofsuffering and sin.
And God steps into people andsays there's comfort for you.
(07:11):
Oh, there's comfort for you.
Thinking about suffering,isaiah's writing to the nation
of Israel.
They'd suffered so much andthey would suffer more.
Verse two speaks of hardservice.
Some of your translations mightuse the word warfare there in
verse number 2.
They've been enslaved to Egypt,even coming out of Egypt.
(07:33):
This is many years beforeIsaiah writes.
They were attacked by othernations In Isaiah's own day.
Assyria is ready to pounce onthem, as our brother Ted brought
out from Isaiah the last fewweeks.
Babylon is on the horizon.
There's much suffering.
If you look throughout the wholefirst 39 chapters of the book
of Isaiah, you'll see thatIsrael suffers a lot, but
(07:57):
comfort's coming.
Comfort Comfort, the Lord says.
Most of us don't wake up withthe fear that another nation is
going to come in suddenly andenslave us all tomorrow.
We don't face that kind of fearof suffering and warfare.
But there's suffering in ourlives.
Difficult, long-loved spousespass away, children wander from
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the Lord.
Aches and pains in our bodytend not to get better with age
but worse with age, Whether it'sgreat or small.
We suffer and the Lord saysI've got comfort for you.
We need that comfort.
Coworkers might slander us,those that we care about turn
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their backs on us.
And the Lord says you suffer,you suffer, but don't worry.
Comfort's coming.
The second area that cries outfor comfort is this area of sin,
and this is the more importantarea, because, if you notice, in
verse 2, isaiah says once hardservice is over, but he then
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mentions sin two times, not once.
Her iniquity has been pardonedthere, it is the first time and
she's received from the Lord'shand double for all of her sins.
So not only is this category ofsin mentioned more prominently
than suffering.
There's a connection betweenthe two here.
For Isaiah, for the people ofIsrael, their suffering was the
(09:43):
direct result of their sin.
They were not isolated anddisconnected things.
And again, you can see this allthroughout the first 39
chapters.
They're suffering becausethey've sinned against God.
And that's what sin is.
It's rebellion against God.
It's not a mistake, it's not anoversight, it's not just
(10:03):
weakness, it's us saying no toGod's way and choosing our own
way.
And if you really see yourself,you're going to see.
That's so pervasive in my life.
Apart from the Lord, thecomfort I need, I have to have
divine aid.
I have to have divine aid.
(10:28):
I mean you can find a new job,you might be able to bear up
under chronic pain, you canweather grief that comes from a
loss, but where do guiltyconsciences go for comfort?
Now I want to be clear.
I'm not saying that everysingle experience of suffering
in our lives is directlyconnected to some specific sin
that we committed.
Look at Job as an example ofthat.
(10:50):
But what Isaiah is telling ushere, through the nation of
Israel, there's a pattern herefor us, ultimately, the reason
why suffering is in the world atall is because sin is in the
world and we have allcontributed to that sin that's
in the world.
We've contributed our jealousy,our covetousness, our greed,
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our lack of reliance on God, ourignoring him, our not thanking
him.
The list can go on and on andon.
So don't seek to shut out thatguilty conscience by turning on
the TV, turning on the oven,spending more time at work.
Get down on your knees and sayGod, please give me comfort.
(11:39):
My guilty conscience seeks nosacrifice besides the one that
you can give.
We have great need of comfort.
But that brings us to thesecond step.
We have a foundation forcomfort that God gives us here,
and it begins with his voice.
(11:59):
Look at verse one Comfortcomfort.
My people says your God, isaiah, is not ultimately the one
bringing comfort to the nation,he's only a mouthpiece for God.
God is the one speaking throughIsaiah.
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God says through Isaiah, godsays I've got comfort for you.
The end of verse five reiteratesthe mouth of the Lord has
spoken.
This is the voice of God thatshakes the forest and strips the
oaks bare.
This is the voice of God thatrides on the wind and the waves
and in the storm.
It's a voice that sometimes,like Elijah, had to learn.
(12:43):
It can be a still small voice,but it's still God's voice
nevertheless.
In the hour of our need, amidstthe whole sojourn of our weary
lives, should we notcontinuously seek God's voice
for comfort?
And how do we do that?
I don't want this to go assumedor unstated.
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We seek God's voice for comfort, and how do we do that?
I don't want this to go assumedor unstated.
We seek God's voice through hisword.
The whole book of Isaiah thatwe've been studying exists
because God spoke.
He inspired the prophet towrite down these words that we
might have his voice foreveruntil he returns.
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Verse 8 reminds us the word ofour God remains forever.
God's creation can bring ameasure of comfort, a nice walk
on the beach.
I recently took a littlebackpacking trip up in New
Hampshire.
There's beauty there.
Just this morning I steppedoutside short walk over here.
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These two red birds maybecardinals, I guess just flying.
There's something soothingabout that.
But creation doesn't give uswords.
The comfort it brings can onlydo so much for our souls.
God's given us a whole book ofhis words, thousands of words,
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and we have to come here forcomfort.
Charles Spurgeon said why do welook anywhere else for
consolation but to God's word?
Oh, brothers and sisters, I'mashamed to have to say it, but
we go to our neighbors orrelatives and we cry have pity
(14:31):
upon me, have pity upon me, oh,my friends, and it ends with our
crying.
Miserable comforters are youall.
When you do go to people andit's okay to go to people with
recognition you might not getwhat you're looking for.
When you go to others, go tothose that are gonna give you
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God's word.
That's the best way to becomforted.
Don't just go to someone who'sgoing to pat you on the back and
tell you how wonderful you are.
That'll help for a little while.
That's meager compared to whatthey can give you in this divine
voice of God speaking throughhis scripture.
When you find yourself lookingfor a church, go to a church
that gives a lot of God's word.
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And when we look in God's wordwe find so much comfort, and
particularly we find comfort inthe message of good news of the
gospel.
You can see the phrase goodnews in verse number nine.
That's what the word gospelmeans.
It just means good news.
Are you suffering?
God has good news for you.
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Are you sinful, that's all ofus.
God has good news for you andyou sinful, that's all of us.
God has good news for you, andthe good news is pronounced
already back up in verse numbertwo Pardon for iniquity.
That's the best news we couldever receive.
That's the best comfort wecould ever experience.
Your sins, though they're asscarlet, can be as white as wool
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.
The wages of sin is death, butthe gift of God is eternal life
through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
No one can forgive like Godforgives.
So this morning, if you feellike you're beyond God's
forgiveness, you've sinned toomuch, you've sinned too often.
You don't understand the heartof God.
He pardons iniquity.
He showers his people withcomfort.
He brings the weary ones tohimself like a nursing hen
(16:20):
gathers her chicks.
This is the heart of our God.
Don't doubt his promise, butreceive and believe it.
In the book Pilgrim's Progress,at one point the main character,
pilgrim, finds himself in thecastle of the giant despair.
It's a doubting castle and he'slocked up in this dungeon in
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the bottom and he realizes waita minute.
I've been sitting here chainedup in my doubts all this time,
but I have a key in my pocket.
But I have a key in my pocket Ihave a key that unlocks every
single door in Doubting Castle,and that key is promise.
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You may doubt yourself, butdon't doubt God's word.
There are promises, rich andfull, and the promise here in
Isaiah 40 is the promise ofcomfort through forgiveness.
It can all be wiped away yourjealousy, your envy, your greed,
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your pride, your sins from thepast, the sins you'll commit
today or tomorrow.
It can all be wiped away by theLord.
If that's not comforting, Idon't know what is.
This message of good news tellsus more.
It tells us that God has aheart of forgiveness and comfort
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.
It tells us how God has broughtabout reconciliation through
Christ, because the God thatIsaiah saw, who is holy, holy,
holy, is the very same God whobrings comfort.
Comfort because he sent his sonto live and die in the place of
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sinners, to bear our sins.
Son to live and die in theplace of sinners, to bear our
sins, not just to acknowledge orempathize with our sin, but to
take our sin on himself, tosuffer and die.
And he's risen.
There's no more payment leftfor us, because Christ has
already risen.
He's already paid those wages.
His perfect righteousness isgiven as a gift to us and the
(18:34):
tomb is empty.
So God sweeps us up and saysyou're forgiven, you're mine, I
love you.
And that brings us to the thirdstep.
God is the only one who canbring lasting comfort.
He's the only one who willbring lasting comfort.
We've got a need, givensuffering, given sin.
We've got a foundation forcomfort in the voice of God,
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through his word and the messageof the gospel.
What about our own encounterwith comfort?
To actually receive it, theLord is so gracious.
He doesn't give us two comfortpills and say call me in the
morning.
He gives himself to us, versesthree to five, a voice of one
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crying out prepare the way ofthe lord in the wilderness, make
a straight highway for our godin the desert.
Every valley will be lifted up,every mountain and hill will be
leveled, the uneven ground willbecome smooth and the rough
places a plain, and the glory ofthe Lord will appear and all
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humanity together will see it.
For the mouth of the Lord hasspoken.
The Lord's coming.
He's going to show up withpersonal comfort.
And if you look at verses threeand five, you'll see the word
Lord.
There is in all capital letters.
That's Yahweh, the personalname of God, the name God
revealed to Moses back in thewilderness.
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So God's not offering from adistance, he's coming.
And these words from Isaiah arefulfilled in the New Testament.
Read about those in thescripture reading today.
John the Baptist will be thisvoice crying out in the
wilderness, and John the Baptistis crying out about the coming
of the Lord, jesus Christ.
So what that means is thatJesus Christ is identified with
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the Lord, he's identified withYahweh.
He's no mere man, he's fullydivine, and that's utterly
necessary, because no mere mancan bring lasting comfort, but
the Lord himself can.
So we have the divine son,who's distinct from the father,
yet identified as Yahweh, as thedivine one.
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There's a scene fromShakespeare's Henry V where, the
night before a battle, henrythe king disguises himself as a
common soldier and goes outamong the tents and speaks with
the men to encourage them, inpart, in a far, far, far greater
way, the word became flesh, andAmidst Job's suffering, no
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one's able to give him comfort,and then the Lord shows up and
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shows him his character.
That's what we're going to beseeing all throughout this
chapter, isaiah 40, thebreathtaking character of God.
Amidst Isaiah's sinfulness, allhe can do is cry out woe is me,
for I'm undone, but the Lordvisits him with cleansing and
atonement.
True comfort, lasting comfort,is all about encountering God
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himself in his majesty, in hispower, in his condescension and
saving grace.
This passage in Isaiah itdoesn't comfort us with don't
worry, you're not that bad.
It comforts us with don't worry, god is greater than you could
possibly imagine.
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And our passage is a wonderfulexample of how these different
attributes of God that seem soopposite come together so
harmoniously and beautifully.
So God is the one whose wordremains forever verse 7.
Well, that's because he's theone who remains forever.
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He's eternal, unlike the restof us who were just grass here
today and gone tomorrow.
So this God, who is not limitedby time, is outside of time,
yet in Christ, through hishumanity, stepped into time and
was born and lived and died.
It's amazing to try tocomprehend.
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In verse number 10, we see Godas the one who rules with
absolute strength and power.
As the one who rules withabsolute strength and power, and
yet in verse 2, he speakstenderly.
In verse 11, he's gentle as ashepherd.
Power and gentleness comingtogether and think about how
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these attributes of God help usbetter seek and trust God's
promise of comfort.
If God's not eternal, how couldwe know this comfort's going to
be lasting?
But if he knows the end fromthe beginning, any promise of
comfort is never going to stop.
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What about the ability toactually change what's going on
in our heart, our lives, oursituation?
He has the power to do that.
If all you can do is empathize,that's a certain form of
comfort, but that can only go sofar.
You children that might be heretoday you fall down and get a
boo-boo and then your motherkisses the boo-boo to make the
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pain go away.
I don't want to startle anyonethis morning.
It's a trick.
Just your mother doesn't haveany secret power in her lips,
she just knows it's probablygoing to stop hurting after a
while.
So she pretends like she's gotthe power to heal the boo-boo.
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The Lord can actually step inand make things right.
Time doesn't heal all wounds,but the Lord can.
And we might have scars, butthose will all be washed away in
glory.
And even in this life he saysthere's hope for you, there's
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care and tenderness, and that'swhy his gentleness is so
critical.
If he's eternal and able tobring lasting comfort, if he has
the power to do that, but willhe actually do it.
Of course he will.
He's more gentle and tenderthan any mother could be.
(25:17):
Look again at verse 11.
He protects his flock like ashepherd.
He gathers the lambs in hisarms and carries them in the
fold of his garment.
He gently leads those that arenursing.
You've had people that havebeen harsh with you, not the
Lord.
The Lord won't be harsh, butthose who repent and come have
been harsh with you, not theLord.
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The Lord won't be harsh, butthose who repent and come.
He'll welcome you.
We sing a song sometimes Comeye sinners, poor and wretched,
weak and wounded, sick and sore.
Jesus ready stands to save you,full of pity, joined with power
.
He is able, he is able, he iswilling.
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Doubt no more.
Draw near to God and he'll drawnear to you.
And that brings us to the laststep for this morning Our
testimony of comfort.
In verse number three we havethis prophecy that's fulfilled
in John the Baptist, who wouldbe the voice crying out in the
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wilderness.
What an amazing privilege thatJohn gets to be the one to
introduce Jesus to the stage ofhuman history, to say behold the
Lamb of God who takes away thesin of the world.
That's a privilege that wedon't have.
But Jesus says everyone who'sleast in the kingdom of heaven
(26:47):
is greater than John the Baptist, because we've actually seen
more of Christ's redemptive workthan John the Baptist got to
see.
He had his head taken offbefore he saw the end of all
things.
We've got more of the ministryof Christ, more of scripture,
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the coming of Pentecost and thepouring out of the spirit.
We've got even more to testifyabout, and God does call us to
testify of the gospel comfortthat we've received.
And there's a significant clueright here in Isaiah 40.
Look at verse 9.
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Zion, herald of good news, go upon a hill in South Jerusalem.
Now it's kind of obvious amountain's not going to actually
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talk.
But Zion is often used in theBible figuratively to refer to
the people of God, the community.
And you can listen to howthat's carried through in the
New Testament.
In the book of Hebrews, chapter12, god says that new covenant
believers have come to MountZion, which is the city of the
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living God, the heavenlyJerusalem.
So it's yes, we come as thepeople of God to this heavenly
Jerusalem, especially everyLord's day, to celebrate the
resurrection, to worship.
But then we're called to go outfrom here and proclaim this
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message, the message of theLord's coming, of his life and
birth and death, of theforgiveness of sins, of the hope
of a future to come with nomore suffering, no more crying
when the former things.
A future to come With no moresuffering, no more crying when
the former things have passedaway.
That now, in Christ, you can bea new creation.
Simply turn to him and receiveall of his finished work.
(29:06):
We're called to be proclaimers.
We're called to be proclaimers.
Who are you proclaiming that toNow?
Yes, we are eager to send outpeople like the Driscolls and
the Coonies, who are going tofarther mountains than Bear
Mountain and farther hills andvalleys than Valley Stream and
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other places here locally.
So we're eager to send outthose to the ends of the earth
because, just as Jesus Christhas come down from the glories
of heaven to live and walk onthis earth that all flesh might
see and hear, we can go from ourlocal place to distant places.
But though we won't all go tothe very farthest mountains or
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valleys, we are all called totestify, to share, to speak of
our God the song we sing.
Behold Our God.
That's an invitation, that's anexhortation to all of us as
we're singing about the Saviorand his glory, the Lord reigns.
(30:13):
Isaiah has that message here.
But there's comfort comfort foryou and how, how we live in a
world that needs comfort.
We have good tidings to bring.
Thought about that.
Why would you withhold goodtidings from your neighbors,
from your friends, from yourfamily?
And the good tidings we bringto you and your kin are tidings
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of the real meaning of the birthof Christ.
It's not about figgy pudding Idon't even know what that is.
It's about the gospel message.
He's called Jesus because he'llsave us from our sins.
He is Emmanuel, god with us,and our testimony of comfort
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extends not just to the watchingworld.
It should be quickly given toothers, right here in our own
body.
Listen to what Paul says in 2Corinthians 1.
Listen to how often he uses theword comfort.
Maybe he even had Isaiah in hismind here.
Blessed be God and father ofour Lord Jesus Christ, the
(31:20):
father of mercies and the God ofall comfort.
He comforts us in ouraffliction so that we may be
able to comfort those who are inany kind of affliction.
So this is more on thesuffering side, still important
Through the comfort we ourselvesreceive from God.
For just as the sufferings ofChrist overflow to us, so also,
(31:45):
through Christ, our comfortoverflows.
If we are afflicted, it's foryour comfort and salvation.
If we are comforted, it is foryour comfort, which produces in
you patient endurance of thesame sufferings that we suffer.
And our hope for you is firm,because we know that as you
share in the sufferings, so youwill also share in the comfort.
(32:10):
God's comfort isn't just for you, it's for someone else through
you, it's for someone else tolook at you being comforted and
to bring balm to their souls.
So look around you.
Who looks like they'resuffering, who looks like
(32:31):
they're burdened with the weightof sin.
How could you bring comfortinto their life this day or this
week?
Well, if they're hurting, it'sprobably messy, and I don't
really want to get involved inthe mess.
Well, that wasn't the attitudeof Jesus.
It's God's grace, it's God'spromises, it's God's very
(32:52):
presence that brings comfort.
And we are the body of Christ.
We are a reflection, albeitimperfectly, of the real
presence of Christ with oneanother, bringing the very
divine grace of God's almightycomfort.
God is the only one who willbring lasting comfort.
(33:15):
And you look around.
Our world needs it.
We have more material comfortthan almost any generation.
And yet what do we see?
Anxiety is up, medication is up, loneliness is up.
Guilt is maybe not up becausewe have so many shiny
distractions.
(33:35):
But isn't God kind to keep usrestless that we might seek him,
and seek the comfort that canonly come from him.
Blessed are those who mourn,for they will be comforted.
One person said the waters ofcomfort cannot run up the hills
(33:59):
of pride.
They fall down into the valleysof humility.
Isaiah 51, 12, I, I am the onewho comforts you, says the Lord.
Psalm 119, 50, it's his word,it's his gospel.
This is my comfort and myaffliction.
Your promise has given me life.
(34:21):
All of God's promises, all ofthem are yes and amen in Christ.
Don't seek comfort apart fromChrist.
Seek comfort through him.
What gift of grace is Jesus, myredeemer?
There is no more for heaven nowto give.
(34:49):
He is the lasting comfort ofGod.
God wants to step into yourlife with his own character,
with his own loving presence.
Receive that comfort today,friends, let's pray Lord, humble
us to believe you.
(35:09):
Forgive us for our smallthoughts of you.
Forgive us for our unrighteousthoughts of you that don't want
to picture you as a God ofcomfort.
You've given us every promise,every evidence of grace.
How many times we've turned andnot followed you as we could
have or should have.
And you receive.
You receive, just like theprodigal son's father.
(35:31):
You run to your people witharms of open and willing
forgiveness.
You run to the aid of those whoare hurting.
Lord, we pray for those who aresuffering today, for those who
might be suffering nearness ofdeath, those who might be
suffering difficult medicalmedical choices and future fears
(35:58):
.
Pray for those who just hurtthat they would have this
comfort from you.
And, lord, we pray especiallyfor those who feel the burden of
a conscience that is notcleansed from sin.
Oh, let this be the day ofeverlasting comfort.
Let this be the day when theyfall down and say Lord Jesus, I
(36:19):
receive you, receive me, lord,that we would walk this week not
as discouraged people, but aspeople that are comforted.
Our labor is not in vain in theLord.
Our hope remains certain andsteadfast, because the Lord
(36:39):
lives.
We too will live Death.
Your sting is gone forever andthe trials of this life are
momentary.
The afflictions are lightcompared to the far exceeding
weight of eternal glory.
Lord, we pray that you would sokindly even bring us out of
ourselves to how we can comfortsomeone else this day and this
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week, that we might give them ahug, give them a scripture verse
, give them the encouragement tosay the Lord reigns, he rules
with powers, roars with him, andhe's gentle as a shepherd, and
our Savior could even say thatwe come to him and we find rest
for our souls, because hisburden is easy, his yoke is
(37:22):
light.
Thank you for the gentle Savior.
We come to you in his name,amen.
Turn to Isaiah, chapter 40.
If you've got Bibles with you,that's wonderful.
If you don't have a Bible, youcan take the Bible right there
in the pew in front of you andturn to page 738.
Isaiah, chapter 40.
Our text this morning comesfrom the first 11 verses of this
(00:26):
chapter.
So we've been taking somebigger chunks.
We're going to slow down just alittle bit.
In this chapter it's got a lot,and we'll look at chapter 40,
verses 1 through 11.
And I'll start by reading thesewords for us, this is what
God's word says Comfort, comfort, comfort, my people, says your
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God, speak tenderly to Jerusalemand announce to her that her
time of hard service is over,her iniquity has been pardoned
and she has received from theLord's hand double for all her
sins.
A voice of one crying out, andthe glory of the Lord will
(01:22):
appear, and all humanitytogether will see it, for the
mouth of the Lord has spoken.
A voice was saying cry out.
Another said what should I cryout?
All humanity is grass and allits goodness is like the flower
of the field.
The grass withers, the flowersfade when the breath of the Lord
(01:46):
blows on them.
Indeed, the people are grass,the grass withers, the flowers
fade, but the word of our Godremains forever.
Zion, herald of good news.
Go upon a high mountain.
Jerusalem, herald of good news.
Raise your voice loudly, raiseit, do not be afraid.
Say to the cities of Judah hereis your God.
(02:09):
See the Lord.
God comes with strength and hispower establishes his rule.
His wages are with him and hisreward accompanies him.
He protects his flock like ashepherd.
He gathers the lambs in hisarms and carries them in the
fold of his garment.
He gently leads those that arenursing.
(02:33):
Lord, again, we're justpleading with you.
We're hungry for the word.
We're hungry to know thisscripture, but not just to know
the words, to know you throughthe words.
So help us, oh God.
We pray in Jesus' name.
Amen.
God is the only one who canbring lasting comfort.
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God is the only one who willbring lasting comfort.
Our passage today in Isaiah 40opens with this repeated word,
the word comfort.
You can see it right thereComfort, comfort.
My people says your God.
God is the only one who willbring lasting comfort.
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Now, many of you would say, yeah, I agree with that.
I know I've got to go to Godfirst and foremost.
You don't have to convince meof that?
If that's true, then why do weso quickly and easily run to
other things for comfort?
Why does it take us sometimestime and time to go to God?
(03:45):
When we're weary, when we'rehurt, when we're feeling
conviction, when we're seekingconsolation, what do we do?
We binge watch our favorite TVshows.
We put in the earbuds and tuneeveryone else out.
Earbuds and tune everyone elseout.
(04:10):
We garden, we cook.
Why is it called comfort food?
Sadly, sometimes people turn tovices like pornography or
violence or excessive alcohol.
But whether it's a clearGod-forbidden vice or it's a
hobby, that in and of itself maynot be wrong, we run to things
(04:30):
for comfort and not God.
So we may be quick to confessthat God is the only one who
will bring lasting comfort.
But we have to be persuadedmore and more to live out that
confession, to seek God and more.
To live out that confession.
To seek God, to seek hispromises, to seek his comfort
easily, quickly and often, andin our passage, god is so kind
(04:55):
to assure us of good intentions.
He's not an ogre waiting tothrash us when we come to him in
humility and faith, ogrewaiting to thrash us when we
come to him in humility andfaith.
He says comfort.
It's not a suggestion, it's apromise.
Four steps for the message thismorning as we think about this
(05:17):
God as the only one who willbring lasting comfort.
Four steps, step number one ourneed for comfort.
Four steps Step number one ourneed for comfort.
Step number two our foundationfor comfort.
Step number three our encounterwith comfort.
And then step number four, ourtestimony of comfort.
So we'll start with that firststep, our need for comfort.
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Most of us would acknowledgethere have been times in our
life in the past.
There have been times in ourlife, probably in the present or
certainly in the future, wherewe will need comfort.
Few people would say no, Inever need any comfort.
And just to be clear, whenwe're talking about comfort from
this passage, we're talkingabout God's consolation, his
response to things in our lives.
So I'm not talking about thekind of comfort that's like you
(06:05):
know, I'd like to live acomfortable life, you know, just
a nice couch, a drink in onehand, a remote in the other.
That's not what God's promiseis here.
Kevin's not wearing hisfavorite shirt today, but
comfort wants you dead.
That kind of comfort I thoughtabout texting this morning and
saying do you have it, wear it,but I don't want to confuse
people, right?
That's something different thismorning and said do you have it
?
Wear it, but I don't want toconfuse people, right?
(06:25):
That's something different.
I think we realize here whatGod's speaking about is
consolation, and that's acomfort we need, and we need it
specifically in two broad areasareas of suffering and areas of
sin.
And you can see both of thoseareas in verse number two.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem andannounce to her that her time
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of hard service is over.
There's suffering.
And then it continues on.
Her iniquity has been pardoned.
She's received from the Lord'shand double for all of her sins.
So these two categories ofsuffering and sin.
And God steps into people andsays there's comfort for you.
(07:11):
Oh, there's comfort for you.
Thinking about suffering,isaiah's writing to the nation
of Israel.
They'd suffered so much andthey would suffer more.
Verse two speaks of hardservice.
Some of your translations mightuse the word warfare there in
verse number 2.
They've been enslaved to Egypt,even coming out of Egypt.
(07:33):
This is many years beforeIsaiah writes.
They were attacked by othernations In Isaiah's own day.
Assyria is ready to pounce onthem, as our brother Ted brought
out from Isaiah the last fewweeks.
Babylon is on the horizon.
There's much suffering.
If you look throughout the wholefirst 39 chapters of the book
of Isaiah, you'll see thatIsrael suffers a lot, but
(07:57):
comfort's coming.
Comfort Comfort, the Lord says.
Most of us don't wake up withthe fear that another nation is
going to come in suddenly andenslave us all tomorrow.
We don't face that kind of fearof suffering and warfare.
But there's suffering in ourlives.
Difficult, long-loved spousespass away, children wander from
(08:34):
the Lord.
Aches and pains in our bodytend not to get better with age
but worse with age, Whether it'sgreat or small.
We suffer and the Lord saysI've got comfort for you.
We need that comfort.
Coworkers might slander us,those that we care about turn
(08:55):
their backs on us.
And the Lord says you suffer,you suffer, but don't worry.
Comfort's coming.
The second area that cries outfor comfort is this area of sin,
and this is the more importantarea, because, if you notice, in
verse 2, isaiah says once hardservice is over, but he then
(09:19):
mentions sin two times, not once.
Her iniquity has been pardonedthere, it is the first time and
she's received from the Lord'shand double for all of her sins.
So not only is this category ofsin mentioned more prominently
than suffering.
There's a connection betweenthe two here.
For Isaiah, for the people ofIsrael, their suffering was the
(09:43):
direct result of their sin.
They were not isolated anddisconnected things.
And again, you can see this allthroughout the first 39
chapters.
They're suffering becausethey've sinned against God.
And that's what sin is.
It's rebellion against God.
It's not a mistake, it's not anoversight, it's not just
(10:03):
weakness, it's us saying no toGod's way and choosing our own
way.
And if you really see yourself,you're going to see.
That's so pervasive in my life.
Apart from the Lord, thecomfort I need, I have to have
divine aid.
I have to have divine aid.
(10:28):
I mean you can find a new job,you might be able to bear up
under chronic pain, you canweather grief that comes from a
loss, but where do guiltyconsciences go for comfort?
Now I want to be clear.
I'm not saying that everysingle experience of suffering
in our lives is directlyconnected to some specific sin
that we committed.
Look at Job as an example ofthat.
(10:50):
But what Isaiah is telling ushere, through the nation of
Israel, there's a pattern herefor us, ultimately, the reason
why suffering is in the world atall is because sin is in the
world and we have allcontributed to that sin that's
in the world.
We've contributed our jealousy,our covetousness, our greed,
(11:14):
our lack of reliance on God, ourignoring him, our not thanking
him.
The list can go on and on andon.
So don't seek to shut out thatguilty conscience by turning on
the TV, turning on the oven,spending more time at work.
Get down on your knees and sayGod, please give me comfort.
(11:39):
My guilty conscience seeks nosacrifice besides the one that
you can give.
We have great need of comfort.
But that brings us to thesecond step.
We have a foundation forcomfort that God gives us here,
and it begins with his voice.
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Look at verse one Comfortcomfort.
My people says your God, isaiah, is not ultimately the one
bringing comfort to the nation,he's only a mouthpiece for God.
God is the one speaking throughIsaiah.
(12:20):
God says through Isaiah, godsays I've got comfort for you.
The end of verse five reiteratesthe mouth of the Lord has
spoken.
This is the voice of God thatshakes the forest and strips the
oaks bare.
This is the voice of God thatrides on the wind and the waves
and in the storm.
It's a voice that sometimes,like Elijah, had to learn.
(12:43):
It can be a still small voice,but it's still God's voice
nevertheless.
In the hour of our need, amidstthe whole sojourn of our weary
lives, should we notcontinuously seek God's voice
for comfort?
And how do we do that?
I don't want this to go assumedor unstated.
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We seek God's voice for comfort, and how do we do that?
I don't want this to go assumedor unstated.
We seek God's voice through hisword.
The whole book of Isaiah thatwe've been studying exists
because God spoke.
He inspired the prophet towrite down these words that we
might have his voice foreveruntil he returns.
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Verse 8 reminds us the word ofour God remains forever.
God's creation can bring ameasure of comfort, a nice walk
on the beach.
I recently took a littlebackpacking trip up in New
Hampshire.
There's beauty there.
Just this morning I steppedoutside short walk over here.
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These two red birds maybecardinals, I guess just flying.
There's something soothingabout that.
But creation doesn't give uswords.
The comfort it brings can onlydo so much for our souls.
God's given us a whole book ofhis words, thousands of words,
(14:10):
and we have to come here forcomfort.
Charles Spurgeon said why do welook anywhere else for
consolation but to God's word?
Oh, brothers and sisters, I'mashamed to have to say it, but
we go to our neighbors orrelatives and we cry have pity
(14:31):
upon me, have pity upon me, oh,my friends, and it ends with our
crying.
Miserable comforters are youall.
When you do go to people andit's okay to go to people with
recognition you might not getwhat you're looking for.
When you go to others, go tothose that are gonna give you
(14:51):
God's word.
That's the best way to becomforted.
Don't just go to someone who'sgoing to pat you on the back and
tell you how wonderful you are.
That'll help for a little while.
That's meager compared to whatthey can give you in this divine
voice of God speaking throughhis scripture.
When you find yourself lookingfor a church, go to a church
that gives a lot of God's word.
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And when we look in God's wordwe find so much comfort, and
particularly we find comfort inthe message of good news of the
gospel.
You can see the phrase goodnews in verse number nine.
That's what the word gospelmeans.
It just means good news.
Are you suffering?
God has good news for you.
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Are you sinful, that's all ofus.
God has good news for you andyou sinful, that's all of us.
God has good news for you, andthe good news is pronounced
already back up in verse numbertwo Pardon for iniquity.
That's the best news we couldever receive.
That's the best comfort wecould ever experience.
Your sins, though they're asscarlet, can be as white as wool
(15:57):
.
The wages of sin is death, butthe gift of God is eternal life
through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
No one can forgive like Godforgives.
So this morning, if you feellike you're beyond God's
forgiveness, you've sinned toomuch, you've sinned too often.
You don't understand the heartof God.
He pardons iniquity.
He showers his people withcomfort.
He brings the weary ones tohimself like a nursing hen
(16:20):
gathers her chicks.
This is the heart of our God.
Don't doubt his promise, butreceive and believe it.
In the book Pilgrim's Progress,at one point the main character,
pilgrim, finds himself in thecastle of the giant despair.
It's a doubting castle and he'slocked up in this dungeon in
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the bottom and he realizes waita minute.
I've been sitting here chainedup in my doubts all this time,
but I have a key in my pocket.
But I have a key in my pocket Ihave a key that unlocks every
single door in Doubting Castle,and that key is promise.
(17:06):
You may doubt yourself, butdon't doubt God's word.
There are promises, rich andfull, and the promise here in
Isaiah 40 is the promise ofcomfort through forgiveness.
It can all be wiped away yourjealousy, your envy, your greed,
(17:33):
your pride, your sins from thepast, the sins you'll commit
today or tomorrow.
It can all be wiped away by theLord.
If that's not comforting, Idon't know what is.
This message of good news tellsus more.
It tells us that God has aheart of forgiveness and comfort
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.
It tells us how God has broughtabout reconciliation through
Christ, because the God thatIsaiah saw, who is holy, holy,
holy, is the very same God whobrings comfort.
Comfort because he sent his sonto live and die in the place of
(18:13):
sinners, to bear our sins.
Son to live and die in theplace of sinners, to bear our
sins, not just to acknowledge orempathize with our sin, but to
take our sin on himself, tosuffer and die.
And he's risen.
There's no more payment leftfor us, because Christ has
already risen.
He's already paid those wages.
His perfect righteousness isgiven as a gift to us and the
(18:34):
tomb is empty.
So God sweeps us up and saysyou're forgiven, you're mine, I
love you.
And that brings us to the thirdstep.
God is the only one who canbring lasting comfort.
He's the only one who willbring lasting comfort.
We've got a need, givensuffering, given sin.
We've got a foundation forcomfort in the voice of God,
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through his word and the messageof the gospel.
What about our own encounterwith comfort?
To actually receive it, theLord is so gracious.
He doesn't give us two comfortpills and say call me in the
morning.
He gives himself to us, versesthree to five, a voice of one
(19:24):
crying out prepare the way ofthe lord in the wilderness, make
a straight highway for our godin the desert.
Every valley will be lifted up,every mountain and hill will be
leveled, the uneven ground willbecome smooth and the rough
places a plain, and the glory ofthe Lord will appear and all
(19:44):
humanity together will see it.
For the mouth of the Lord hasspoken.
The Lord's coming.
He's going to show up withpersonal comfort.
And if you look at verses threeand five, you'll see the word
Lord.
There is in all capital letters.
That's Yahweh, the personalname of God, the name God
revealed to Moses back in thewilderness.
(20:05):
So God's not offering from adistance, he's coming.
And these words from Isaiah arefulfilled in the New Testament.
Read about those in thescripture reading today.
John the Baptist will be thisvoice crying out in the
wilderness, and John the Baptistis crying out about the coming
of the Lord, jesus Christ.
So what that means is thatJesus Christ is identified with
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the Lord, he's identified withYahweh.
He's no mere man, he's fullydivine, and that's utterly
necessary, because no mere mancan bring lasting comfort, but
the Lord himself can.
So we have the divine son,who's distinct from the father,
yet identified as Yahweh, as thedivine one.
(20:53):
There's a scene fromShakespeare's Henry V where, the
night before a battle, henrythe king disguises himself as a
common soldier and goes outamong the tents and speaks with
the men to encourage them, inpart, in a far, far, far greater
way, the word became flesh, andAmidst Job's suffering, no
(21:16):
one's able to give him comfort,and then the Lord shows up and
(21:37):
shows him his character.
That's what we're going to beseeing all throughout this
chapter, isaiah 40, thebreathtaking character of God.
Amidst Isaiah's sinfulness, allhe can do is cry out woe is me,
for I'm undone, but the Lordvisits him with cleansing and
atonement.
True comfort, lasting comfort,is all about encountering God
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himself in his majesty, in hispower, in his condescension and
saving grace.
This passage in Isaiah itdoesn't comfort us with don't
worry, you're not that bad.
It comforts us with don't worry, god is greater than you could
possibly imagine.
(22:25):
And our passage is a wonderfulexample of how these different
attributes of God that seem soopposite come together so
harmoniously and beautifully.
So God is the one whose wordremains forever verse 7.
Well, that's because he's theone who remains forever.
(22:47):
He's eternal, unlike the restof us who were just grass here
today and gone tomorrow.
So this God, who is not limitedby time, is outside of time,
yet in Christ, through hishumanity, stepped into time and
was born and lived and died.
It's amazing to try tocomprehend.
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In verse number 10, we see Godas the one who rules with
absolute strength and power.
As the one who rules withabsolute strength and power, and
yet in verse 2, he speakstenderly.
In verse 11, he's gentle as ashepherd.
Power and gentleness comingtogether and think about how
(23:29):
these attributes of God help usbetter seek and trust God's
promise of comfort.
If God's not eternal, how couldwe know this comfort's going to
be lasting?
But if he knows the end fromthe beginning, any promise of
comfort is never going to stop.
(23:52):
What about the ability toactually change what's going on
in our heart, our lives, oursituation?
He has the power to do that.
If all you can do is empathize,that's a certain form of
comfort, but that can only go sofar.
You children that might be heretoday you fall down and get a
boo-boo and then your motherkisses the boo-boo to make the
(24:13):
pain go away.
I don't want to startle anyonethis morning.
It's a trick.
Just your mother doesn't haveany secret power in her lips,
she just knows it's probablygoing to stop hurting after a
while.
So she pretends like she's gotthe power to heal the boo-boo.
(24:33):
The Lord can actually step inand make things right.
Time doesn't heal all wounds,but the Lord can.
And we might have scars, butthose will all be washed away in
glory.
And even in this life he saysthere's hope for you, there's
(24:55):
care and tenderness, and that'swhy his gentleness is so
critical.
If he's eternal and able tobring lasting comfort, if he has
the power to do that, but willhe actually do it.
Of course he will.
He's more gentle and tenderthan any mother could be.
(25:17):
Look again at verse 11.
He protects his flock like ashepherd.
He gathers the lambs in hisarms and carries them in the
fold of his garment.
He gently leads those that arenursing.
You've had people that havebeen harsh with you, not the
Lord.
The Lord won't be harsh, butthose who repent and come have
been harsh with you, not theLord.
(25:37):
The Lord won't be harsh, butthose who repent and come.
He'll welcome you.
We sing a song sometimes Comeye sinners, poor and wretched,
weak and wounded, sick and sore.
Jesus ready stands to save you,full of pity, joined with power
.
He is able, he is able, he iswilling.
(26:00):
Doubt no more.
Draw near to God and he'll drawnear to you.
And that brings us to the laststep for this morning Our
testimony of comfort.
In verse number three we havethis prophecy that's fulfilled
in John the Baptist, who wouldbe the voice crying out in the
(26:21):
wilderness.
What an amazing privilege thatJohn gets to be the one to
introduce Jesus to the stage ofhuman history, to say behold the
Lamb of God who takes away thesin of the world.
That's a privilege that wedon't have.
But Jesus says everyone who'sleast in the kingdom of heaven
(26:47):
is greater than John the Baptist, because we've actually seen
more of Christ's redemptive workthan John the Baptist got to
see.
He had his head taken offbefore he saw the end of all
things.
We've got more of the ministryof Christ, more of scripture,
(27:07):
the coming of Pentecost and thepouring out of the spirit.
We've got even more to testifyabout, and God does call us to
testify of the gospel comfortthat we've received.
And there's a significant clueright here in Isaiah 40.
Look at verse 9.
(27:28):
Zion, herald of good news, go upon a hill in South Jerusalem.
Now it's kind of obvious amountain's not going to actually
(27:57):
talk.
But Zion is often used in theBible figuratively to refer to
the people of God, the community.
And you can listen to howthat's carried through in the
New Testament.
In the book of Hebrews, chapter12, god says that new covenant
believers have come to MountZion, which is the city of the
(28:22):
living God, the heavenlyJerusalem.
So it's yes, we come as thepeople of God to this heavenly
Jerusalem, especially everyLord's day, to celebrate the
resurrection, to worship.
But then we're called to go outfrom here and proclaim this
(28:44):
message, the message of theLord's coming, of his life and
birth and death, of theforgiveness of sins, of the hope
of a future to come with nomore suffering, no more crying
when the former things.
A future to come With no moresuffering, no more crying when
the former things have passedaway.
That now, in Christ, you can bea new creation.
Simply turn to him and receiveall of his finished work.
(29:06):
We're called to be proclaimers.
We're called to be proclaimers.
Who are you proclaiming that toNow?
Yes, we are eager to send outpeople like the Driscolls and
the Coonies, who are going tofarther mountains than Bear
Mountain and farther hills andvalleys than Valley Stream and
(29:28):
other places here locally.
So we're eager to send outthose to the ends of the earth
because, just as Jesus Christhas come down from the glories
of heaven to live and walk onthis earth that all flesh might
see and hear, we can go from ourlocal place to distant places.
But though we won't all go tothe very farthest mountains or
(29:53):
valleys, we are all called totestify, to share, to speak of
our God the song we sing.
Behold Our God.
That's an invitation, that's anexhortation to all of us as
we're singing about the Saviorand his glory, the Lord reigns.
(30:13):
Isaiah has that message here.
But there's comfort comfort foryou and how, how we live in a
world that needs comfort.
We have good tidings to bring.
Thought about that.
Why would you withhold goodtidings from your neighbors,
from your friends, from yourfamily?
And the good tidings we bringto you and your kin are tidings
(30:37):
of the real meaning of the birthof Christ.
It's not about figgy pudding Idon't even know what that is.
It's about the gospel message.
He's called Jesus because he'llsave us from our sins.
He is Emmanuel, god with us,and our testimony of comfort
(30:58):
extends not just to the watchingworld.
It should be quickly given toothers, right here in our own
body.
Listen to what Paul says in 2Corinthians 1.
Listen to how often he uses theword comfort.
Maybe he even had Isaiah in hismind here.
Blessed be God and father ofour Lord Jesus Christ, the
(31:20):
father of mercies and the God ofall comfort.
He comforts us in ouraffliction so that we may be
able to comfort those who are inany kind of affliction.
So this is more on thesuffering side, still important
Through the comfort we ourselvesreceive from God.
For just as the sufferings ofChrist overflow to us, so also,
(31:45):
through Christ, our comfortoverflows.
If we are afflicted, it's foryour comfort and salvation.
If we are comforted, it is foryour comfort, which produces in
you patient endurance of thesame sufferings that we suffer.
And our hope for you is firm,because we know that as you
share in the sufferings, so youwill also share in the comfort.
(32:10):
God's comfort isn't just for you, it's for someone else through
you, it's for someone else tolook at you being comforted and
to bring balm to their souls.
So look around you.
Who looks like they'resuffering, who looks like
(32:31):
they're burdened with the weightof sin.
How could you bring comfortinto their life this day or this
week?
Well, if they're hurting, it'sprobably messy, and I don't
really want to get involved inthe mess.
Well, that wasn't the attitudeof Jesus.
It's God's grace, it's God'spromises, it's God's very
(32:52):
presence that brings comfort.
And we are the body of Christ.
We are a reflection, albeitimperfectly, of the real
presence of Christ with oneanother, bringing the very
divine grace of God's almightycomfort.
God is the only one who willbring lasting comfort.
(33:15):
And you look around.
Our world needs it.
We have more material comfortthan almost any generation.
And yet what do we see?
Anxiety is up, medication is up, loneliness is up.
Guilt is maybe not up becausewe have so many shiny
distractions.
(33:35):
But isn't God kind to keep usrestless that we might seek him,
and seek the comfort that canonly come from him.
Blessed are those who mourn,for they will be comforted.
One person said the waters ofcomfort cannot run up the hills
(33:59):
of pride.
They fall down into the valleysof humility.
Isaiah 51, 12, I, I am the onewho comforts you, says the Lord.
Psalm 119, 50, it's his word,it's his gospel.
This is my comfort and myaffliction.
Your promise has given me life.
(34:21):
All of God's promises, all ofthem are yes and amen in Christ.
Don't seek comfort apart fromChrist.
Seek comfort through him.
What gift of grace is Jesus, myredeemer?
There is no more for heaven nowto give.
(34:49):
He is the lasting comfort ofGod.
God wants to step into yourlife with his own character,
with his own loving presence.
Receive that comfort today,friends, let's pray Lord, humble
us to believe you.
(35:09):
Forgive us for our smallthoughts of you.
Forgive us for our unrighteousthoughts of you that don't want
to picture you as a God ofcomfort.
You've given us every promise,every evidence of grace.
How many times we've turned andnot followed you as we could
have or should have.
And you receive.
You receive, just like theprodigal son's father.
(35:31):
You run to your people witharms of open and willing
forgiveness.
You run to the aid of those whoare hurting.
Lord, we pray for those who aresuffering today, for those who
might be suffering nearness ofdeath, those who might be
suffering difficult medicalmedical choices and future fears
(35:58):
.
Pray for those who just hurtthat they would have this
comfort from you.
And, lord, we pray especiallyfor those who feel the burden of
a conscience that is notcleansed from sin.
Oh, let this be the day ofeverlasting comfort.
Let this be the day when theyfall down and say Lord Jesus, I
(36:19):
receive you, receive me, lord,that we would walk this week not
as discouraged people, but aspeople that are comforted.
Our labor is not in vain in theLord.
Our hope remains certain andsteadfast, because the Lord
(36:39):
lives.
We too will live Death.
Your sting is gone forever andthe trials of this life are
momentary.
The afflictions are lightcompared to the far exceeding
weight of eternal glory.
Lord, we pray that you would sokindly even bring us out of
ourselves to how we can comfortsomeone else this day and this
(37:02):
week, that we might give them ahug, give them a scripture verse
, give them the encouragement tosay the Lord reigns, he rules
with powers, roars with him, andhe's gentle as a shepherd, and
our Savior could even say thatwe come to him and we find rest
for our souls, because hisburden is easy, his yoke is
(37:22):
light.
Thank you for the gentle Savior.
We come to you in his name,amen.
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