Well, it's good to see everybody
tonight, and I, I do thank the Lord for the blessed privilege
to be able to be here with you as Barron was leading in prayer. I heard at least twice him ask this in his
prayer. Comfort us. Two times I heard
it. Comfort. I started out and pretty
well had a message written out in Psalm 13. and going over my notes. I'd look at them and it wasn't it. It wasn't it. Mr. Spurgeon said one time, he
said, for a pastor, he said, God may make you wait. And he
said, you may have to wait until you get ready to preach it. But the Lord will provide. And
so instead of going to Psalm 13 tonight, I want you to turn
to Isaiah chapter 40. Isaiah 40. This is a passage of scripture
that is so familiar to all of us, especially these first two
verses out of Isaiah 40. The Spirit of God moved upon
a prophet named Isaiah, and the Lord directed him. All scripture is given by inspiration
of God, and it's profitable. It's profitable for correction,
for reproof, for rebuke, for destruction in righteousness.
And here's what Isaiah 40 verse 1 and 2 says, Comfort ye, comfort
ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem,
and cry unto her that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity
is pardoned. For she hath received of the
Lord's hand double for all her sins. How many times have we
read that? How many times have we considered
that, those two verses right there? Comfort ye, comfort ye,
my people. Now let me tell you the first
thing I know. We need comfort. We need comfort. It should be
obvious from this command that the Lord's people need some comfort. When our Lord walked on this
earth, this was His way. The Lord Himself
was pleased to comfort the afflicted. There was a woman with the issue
of blood, and she'd spent all the money that she had. And she
was none better. She approached the Lord one day. When she approached the Lord,
she was going to try to come in by stealth. Try to slip in
there. Oh, there were people all over. She reached in and touched the
hem of his garment, just touched it. And the Lord said this, who touched
me? And his disciples, as if they
were, you know, needing to give him some instruction, they said,
Lord, what do you mean? I mean, we're standing in the
press. There's people all over the place
who touched you. He said, no virtue, virtue has
gone out of me. Oh, I thought to myself when
I read that again, he knows, he knows. Oh, I can't perceive
the depth. Obviously, I'll just go ahead
and admit it. I'll admit my ignorance and you all will agree with me.
But I think to myself, he know who touched me. By faith, by
faith, someone has touched me. And he looked at her, and he
said this, Matthew 9. Daughter, be of good comfort. Thy faith
hath made thee whole. We need some comfort. old blind Barnabas. Scripture
said that he heard that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. And here was an old blind man.
And I don't know if this was the first time they'd ever seen
him. I don't know. I don't know anything
about it except what the Scripture said. And the Scripture said
that this blind man When he heard that Jesus of Nazareth was passing
by, he cried out, Jesus, thou son of David, have
mercy on me. Have mercy on me. And they tried
to calm him down and tried to get him to be quiet and everything.
He cried the louder, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me. Scripture says, the Lord stood
still. I thought, what, what grace,
a miracle of God's grace that God Almighty, at the cry of an
old blind beggar, what is it that you'd have me
to do for you, Lord, that I might receive my sight? Scripture says that they tried
to calm him down when the Lord began to come to him. They told
him, said, be of good comfort. He calleth thee. You know, there's
not a person in this congregation tonight that doesn't need some
comfort. I know, I know you do. I know
you do. We've come tonight, we've assembled
ourselves together by the grace of God, and I'm so glad that
we're here together one more time, Nancy, at least by God's
grace one more time. I've said this before, I don't
know, maybe the last time, I don't know. But I know we have tonight. And I know that all of us here
need some comfort. You've got things going on in
your family and your associations, you got work, you got stuff,
you got, you know, and we need some comfort. We've got people in our family
that don't know God. And it grieves us. We feel the
weight of our weakness. I've told you this before. I'm
like all of you that's starting to get a little age on you. And
you know, we're not 10 feet tall and bulletproof. We feel the
weight of this body that's growing older. And we groan for those
that we love, those that don't know the Lord, that have no interest
whatsoever. And that thought goes through
our mind. If they leave this world, they'll
leave it without a substitute, without a Savior. And God is just. Oh, we need
some comfort. So for every believer, I've got a command from the Lord
tonight, and it's just these two verses. And I'd like to just
take a few minutes here, just have us just look at it. And
I pray that God give us some understanding, give us a heart.
Here's what the scripture moved the prophet Isaiah to say. And
write down, comfort ye. He's just writing what the Lord
told him to write. Comfort ye, comfort ye my people,
saith the Lord. We're commanded to do something. You that believe, you're commanded
to do something. What is it? Comfort ye, comfort
ye my people. Who said that? The Lord. The
Lord said it. So tonight I want to do something
by the grace of God that God's commanded all of his preachers,
all of his people to do. Comfort, comfort my people. I looked up that word comfort.
Be moved to pity, console, and have compassion upon. Oh, Lord, I need for you to help
me, Lord, and give me a heart of compassion, because I can
tell you that I know just enough about myself, I see the frailty
of my flesh. Have pity, have pity, have compassion,
comfort my people. You know, and we all, I'll speak
for all of us here, Isn't it a shame that we've gone through
today? Isn't it a shame that we've come tonight and we've
assembled ourselves tonight? I'm talking to me first. I'll
just, I'll go ahead and say it. That I know in my heart, I don't
feel the compassion that I know I ought to feel. I've got people
here, there. And the Lord's telling me, comfort
them. You comfort them. You have pity
on them. Have compassion on them. Our hearts need to be stirred
by the grace of God in the midst of these trials and tribulations.
And we must ask it of Him. Lord, help me. He said, without
me, you can do nothing. Well, does that include having
compassion Showing comfort and giving comfort. How many times
have you heard me say, well, if it happens to fall under the
category of all things, then yeah, comfort you. Comfort you. I noticed he said
it twice, Fred. Two times. Comfort my people. Let me tell you what else I know
about that first part of that verse. Obviously the Lord has
a people. Isn't that precious? Comfort
ye, comfort ye, my people. The Lord has a people. The Lord has a people. I'll tell you the sad part about
me. I can read that when he says, that word, my, comfort ye, comfort
ye, my, that my, my people, and I can even hear myself say, they're
the Lord's people. Oh, the need that I have to be
taught the Lord has a people. God has a people, a people that
he had chosen in him by the Father. before the foundation of the
world. And here's the reason that God
chose them before the foundation of the world, that they should
be holy. Holy. Be ye holy as I'm holy. That they should be holy, and
listen to this, and without blame before Him. In love. Oh, the Lord's got a
people of people that were his, that were his in electing grace.
You've heard me say that. Can you just imagine the, I know
we can't, I always say that, when I say can you imagine, and
I know you can't, so it's just, I just say it before I think,
you know. Just the fact of the matter. Out of every nation,
kindred, tribe, and tongue, God chose a people. He elected
them in His Son. We know He did. Ephesians 1,
4. He's chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world.
That Almighty God, and of all the people that we know, even
in the little community where we live, look at how many It
appears at this time, and the Lord's able, I know this, he's
able to deliver thee, that's what we just sang, Pastor. He's able. But now whether he
will, I don't know. But I know that the scriptures
bear out that he has a people that are his in electing grace.
You think the marvel of that truth out of everybody that I
know, I've told you before. I think back on me. Ah, you've
heard that story before. But God would show mercy to me
in electing grace. And then those that he chose
in Christ, in redeeming grace, he bore all of their guilt. in his own body. I can't even
imagine, even the part just talking about me again, about all of
my guilt. I don't even know what I've done.
What I've done, what I hadn't done, what I should have done.
I have no idea the depth of my own sinful nature. But that Almighty
God in redeeming grace And then an effectual calling grace. Oh,
the marvel of watching the Lord call out one of his own. I've
had that blessed privilege. You have too. To see the wonder
of God's calling grace. How the Lord takes somebody that
at one time they just had absolutely no interest in the gospel. None
whatsoever. You try to talk to them, and
they just, you know. Go talk to somebody. I don't
have time for that. I've got stuff to do. But how God Almighty would
take someone that had the appearance of no interest, and then to just
watch them. Then somehow, you begin to watch,
and if you're like me, you just wonder. I wonder if this could
be one of the Lord's own. You think it could? You think
God would save somebody like that? And then they began to
show a little bit more evidence. We all can enter into that. Oh,
the electing, redeeming, regenerating grace. All that he's everlastingly
loved. And let me tell you this, all
that he's chosen and redeemed He's gonna save them. He's gonna
call them out of darkness. All that the Father giveth me
shall come to me. And him that cometh to me, I
will in, and listen, this word, well, two words, I guess. No
whys. If that's one word or two words,
it means it ain't gonna happen. I will in no whys. No possibility. Cast him out. Salvation for an
eternally loved people of God's choosing, this is this, is certain. It's certain. They need comfort. They need
comfort. Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. And then I got
to wondering about this as I was looking at this. How are these
to be comforted? How do you comfort those who
are laden with sin? Oh, I'm so thankful that the
Lord would tell us something and teach us something, give
us some instruction on something. How do you comfort? I don't know
how to comfort you. I don't know what to say to you.
I've just, I've had people that's going through tough situations. I truly don't, I don't know,
I don't know really anything to speak of about suffering. I don't, I don't. I think about
the mercy of God to me and how God Almighty has allowed me the
privilege that I'm even standing here talking to you is a miracle
of God's grace. I don't know much about it, Bear,
but I know a little bit about it. It's a miracle of God's grace. And how can I comfort somebody
when I don't even know the depth of their need? I don't know what
to say. You ever had somebody just, they're just weeping. Oh, they're broken hearted. They've
either lost a loved one. Something has happened. And what
do you say to them? How do you comfort them? Oh, thank the Lord. The Lord
has said concerning this, verse 2, Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem. Now, I know this according to
the Word of the Lord. God Almighty has declared that we're to say something. We're to say something. Speak
ye comfortably. Speak to the heart. Speak to the heart. Every time
I say that, that right there, I think of Brother Walter Groover,
and I suppose I think about Walter because I heard him emphasize
in this scripture one time, and now every time I hear it, I think
of Walter. Speak ye comfortably. Speak to her heart. speak to
you, to the heart. And immediately for me, I would
think, how do you do that? I mean, I can try as hard as
I want to, to try to get it, you know, imparted into you,
but how do you, how do you speak to the heart? Lord is saying here, you tell
her what she needs to hear. Tell her what she needs to hear.
Boy, don't you wish you knew how to do that every time when
you're talking to somebody in every situation. Sometimes I
just don't know what to say. Right here, comfort the people
of God. The Spirit of God has been pleased
to give us some information. It's some information from heaven. You tell her what He has said. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem. Speak ye. Call out, utter a loud
sound. Make this declaration. Tell her of God's power, God's
mercy and grace. And you tell her about deliverance.
in Christ Jesus. Now this is what you tell her.
You tell her, the Lord said, you tell her what I said tell
her. Out of obedience, you declare
to her what I've said to say. And that's right. Here's what
we say. Speak ye comfortably. Speak to
her heart. and cry unto her. Now listen,
here's the first part of comforting the people of God. Cry unto her
that her warfare is accomplished. Her warfare. You tell her that though she
has many enemies, Oh, she's got spiritual enemies
and carnal enemies, Satan, the flesh, sin, this world. You tell her that her warfare,
and we're in a warfare, we're in a battle, it's a battle, it's
a spiritual battle going on. Oh, I tell you what, I've struggled,
I struggle, I struggle. You know what I struggle with?
Unbelief. Oh, the battle that goes on. I think to myself, when the Lord
said, take no thought for tomorrow, you know what would just settle
my heart down? If I could, by the grace of God, just take no
thought for tomorrow. Lord gonna take care of this.
Oh, I want that. I want that so badly. Come unto me, all ye that labor,
heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Well, then why am I
tore all to pieces all the time? Unbelievable, unbelievable. You tell her that her warfare
is accomplished, it is finished. We're in a fight. We're in a
spiritual battle, a battle. But let me tell you something
about this battle that we're in. You tell her that her warfare
is accomplished, you tell her that though this battle is not
at the end yet, I know we're still here, we're still in this
world, but let me tell you about our warfare being accomplished.
Our enemies, death, hell, Grave, Satan, the
world, our flesh. These enemies are conquered right
now. They're conquered. We've got
enemies. You know, we're here in the United
States, and we've got enemies in this world, and they just
flare up all the time, this, that, and the other. We kind of wonder what's going
to happen tomorrow, and this, that, and the other. We know
that the Lord's in control. We find some comfort there, but
we've got some enemies. Concerning our spiritual enemies,
they are conquered. How? By the blood of the Lord
Jesus Christ. You tell my people that her warfare
is accomplished. I want you to turn to Romans.
Romans chapter eight. Romans chapter eight. I'd like
to read a few verses here, 35 to 39. Romans chapter eight,
verse 35. Romans 8.35, who shall separate
us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress
or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword? I'm telling
you, but for the grace of God, we'd all quit. We'd quit. As it is written, for thy sake,
we're killed all the day long. We're accounted as sheep for
the slaughter. Nay, or yet. That's what that
means, yet. Yet, in all these things, we're
more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I'm persuaded
that neither death nor life, angels, principalities, powers,
nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth,
nor any other creature, shall be able, shall be able, shall
be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ
Jesus, our Lord. Aren't you glad for that? All
these things, none of them are able. If he didn't keep us, we'd leave.
We'd be gone. Oh, you speak comfortably to
Jerusalem. You cry unto her that her warfare
is accomplished. Look at this next one right here.
I'll just finish up this one verse. You tell her that her
iniquity is pardoned. Her iniquity. Now, this was a
sweet revelation to me of comfort. I was just going over my notes
again. I looked down and I looked at that word right there. her
iniquity, her depravity. You tell her that her depravity
is pardoned. You tell her that God's pleased
with her. You tell her you comfort Jerusalem,
you comfort my people. You speak comfortably to Jerusalem.
You cry to her that her warfare is accomplished. It's done. It's done. You say, well, I'm
going through some tough times. It's done. All of these things
that come by our ways, they have come for God's glory and our
good. All of our sicknesses, our ailments,
All of these things are for our good, for our good, his glory.
You tell her her warfare is accomplished, her iniquity is pardoned. You know, all God's people were
born into this world guilty. Oh, but for those whose iniquity
has been pardoned, pardoned, she's favored, she's favored.
She's accepted in the beloved. There's only one reason that
could be given. The grace of God, the mercy of God, through
the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. You tell her that her
iniquity, her depravity, her total depravity is pardoned. Well, here's what scripture says. 2 Corinthians 5, 21. For he hath made him sin for us. I told you before, 2 B's in italics.
He hath made him sin. What was the Lord made? He was
made sin. I can't enter into it, the depth
of it. I don't, I believe it. He had
made him sin and he made him sin for somebody. Who? There's this word right here.
Us. Who knew no sin. He made him
sin for us. He, Christ, who knew no sin. We might be made the righteousness
of God in him. He bore the totality of the debt,
the sin debt that was owed by his people. He bore the totality
of it to Calvary, made it his own, suffered the penalty of
it, the just for the unjust. And now, the Lord said, I want
you to comfort my people. And you tell her. You tell her
that the battle is accomplished. The battle's won. You tell her
the battle's won and her iniquity is pardoned. You tell her that
her depravity by the blood that was shed at
Calvary by the Lord Jesus Christ, God is appeased. You tell her
her sin is pardoned before God Almighty and pardoned justly. Nothing was swept under the rug,
nothing, it was all done out in the open. He went to Calvary
alone, died alone. Now you comfort them and you
tell them that their iniquity, what she is by nature, is pardoned. And then lastly you tell her,
for she hath received of the Lord's hand Double, double. I've looked that word up numerous
times, looked it up again today, and it does mean, it means to
fold over. It means to fold, fold over, double fold. John
Gill said this of it. He said, it's a sufficiency of
chastisement for what was due. I understand that. The bride
of the Lord Jesus Christ has received of Christ by his sacrifice
complete satisfaction before the law of God for what
she in the blood of his precious son Christ himself as the surety
of a sheep full punishment Whatever was due was spewed out upon him,
not more that was required, but the totality of what was required. Look the word up. It means fold
over. Fold over. In my mind, I can
just see it just covered. It's just paid. It's just not
seen. covered the multitude of our
sins. Now, the Lord says this, You
comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God, and speak ye
comfortably. You speak to her heart. You speak
comfortably to Jerusalem and cry unto her that her warfare
is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned, for because she
has received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins, an adequate
sufficiency. All that was due, he paid. All that was owed, he rendered
unto that which was owed full satisfaction. Now, if you want
to know what comforts the people of God, it's what God said comforts
them. We speak to them. We preach the
gospel to them. That's what we're doing. We're
talking about the glory of God and the redemption of his people,
people of his choosing and love everlastingly. You comfort them,
comfort them because we need comfort. I pray God bless this
to our heart for Christ's sake.