Isaiah 40, and we'll begin in verse one and read a couple verses here. I have two primary texts. This first one will be Isaiah 40, verse one. Then my second text will be Psalm 119, verse 50. But we'll begin here in Isaiah, where it 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. The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord. Make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain. And the glory, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed. and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

The voice said, cry, and he said, what shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth, because the spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it. Surely the people is grass. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth, But, I love the buts in the scripture.

But the word of our God shall stand forever.

In verse two here, says speak ye comfortably, that is to say, speak ye to the heart. And that is my prayer this morning, is that through the word, through the Lord, that I may speak to the heart of the people. And I pray it provides some comfort to you, true comfort to the saints of God. I pray that maybe there's someone here, and for the first time, they hear the word. And I hope for us who know him that we will continue to hear him once again and be shown the truest form of comfort, and it comes from the Trinity, by the way of the Spirit, from God the Father, by the Son of God, Christ Jesus.

This comfort, the word is such a simple word. But for people who truly know the Lord, there is so much more to this word. Blue Letter Bible says comfort is to be sorry, to console oneself, to repent, to regret, have compassion, have compassion, have compassion for my people, saith your God. And the Oxford Language Dictionary also says it means console. Thy people are hurting, console them.

I find it important to understand the simplicity of a word before we can really truly enter into it. In Hebrew, comfort is only mentioned one time in the entire Old Testament, and it's nekom, nekom, and it's a man's name, but his name means comfort. In the Greek, it has several different forms, and the first one of the English is paraclete, and paraclete, and the word paraclete is passive in its form, meaning calling to one side. Paraclete is the thing of comfort. Paraclete is the comforter or the advocate.

When you make attempts to console or provide some comfort to your brethren, you don't console them from across this room. No, you get up close and personal. As I studied this, I thought of Brother Marvin and how he will greet every single person that enters through that door. He doesn't greet them from across here, no, he gets, he walks straight up to them and he greets them, greets them with brotherly love, up close and personal. And so here in this word we have a close up and personal interaction where one person comes to the side of another to offer what is needed most in that time of need and that is comfort, consoling, encouragement. It is also an active strengthening word. It was used by military commanders to exhort their troops, to stir them to resolve. It's often translated as exhort, as in to encourage.

If you would, turn in your Bibles to Acts 18. Acts 18, verse 23. And we're going to read this entire Acts 18, 23 to 28. And it says, after he had spent some time there, he departed and went over all the country of Galatia and Phrygia in order, strengthening all the disciples. And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus. This man was instructed in the way of the Lord, being fervent in the spirit, He spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John. And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue, whom, when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly. And when he disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him, who, when he was come, helped them much which had believed through grace. For he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publicly, shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ.

Here in verse 23, Paul is strengthening all the disciples. In Acts 14.22, it says, confirming, Acts 14.22, it says, confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must, through much tribulation, enter into the kingdom of God. Confirming, as in strengthening. He is strengthening the souls of the disciples, and then exhorting once again, he's encouraging. This is not gonna be easy, we're gonna face much tribulation in order to enter the kingdom of God, but continue in the faith. continuing the faith of Jesus Christ. And throughout this entire time, Paul is comforting the disciples.

Back in Acts 18 verse 27, it speaks how the disciples were exhorted to receive Apollos when he was come Apollos helped them much which had believed through grace. He aided them. He contributed to them.

Mark your place here in Acts 18 and turn to 1 Corinthians 3. 1 Corinthians 3 verse 5. And here in verse five it says, who then is Paul and who is Apollos? But ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man. I have planted, Apollos watered, but God, but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth anything, neither he that watereth, but God that giveth the increase. And then Galatians 6, 3, it says, for if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. I need to tell myself this often, I am nothing and God is everything. Nothing happens, nothing spreads, nothing transpires, nothing increases without the hand of God. He applies the increase.

If you'll go back to Acts 18, in verse 28, He says, for he mightily convinced the Jews and that publicly showing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ. Only by these scriptures will we see that, will we see Jesus Christ and that Jesus is Christ. Jesus Christ, the son of God, the God-man mediator, he who took on the whole by a sin of his people, he was made substitute for those the father elected to him. He satisfied his father's law perfectly. He honored his father in doing what we could never do. He satisfied the entirety of his father's holy law.

In its general meaning, the word for comfort, the paraclete signifies a legal advocate or counsel, an intercessor, a helper. Jesus Christ is our advocate.

So I'm going to turn to 1 John 2. 1 John 2, verse 1. It says, My little children, these things write I unto you that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And he is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the world. He is our advocate, Jesus Christ.

And then the Spirit of God in Romans 8, 27, it says, and he that searches the hearts knoweth What is the mind of the spirit? Because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. The spirit intercedes on behalf of the saints of God, not just when they first hear the gospel, but continually it says he maketh. And once again, it has nothing to do with what I did or decision I made because it plainly and simply says according to the will of God. And that's a comfort to the believer. I have no hand in it. It's all of his will.

A helper, a helper. Hebrews 13, Hebrews 13 verse six says, so that we may boldly say, the Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. That shall can also mean can. The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man can do unto me, because the Lord God is the helper of his saints.

In Psalm 27, it says, the Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 118 6 says the Lord is on my side. I will not fear what can man do unto me. We're able to read these scriptures over and over again where it says the Lord is my light. If I'm driving in the darkness. I cannot be led unless I have my headlights on the Lord is our light. He leads us out of the darkness. When the Lord is our light, he is our safety through anything. The Lord is my strength. Whenever I'm at my weakest or when I believe I'm at my strongest, no matter what, he is my strength. When we are made to look to Christ and nowhere else, he is on our side. If I have the Lord on my side, what can man do to me? I can go all through the scriptures and I read over and over again, the Lord is this, the Lord is that, the Lord is with, the Lord is on my side. That's a great comfort.

I'm often reminded of Proverbs 3. Proverbs 3, verse 5, where it says, trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. This world will attempt to steer you into a path of destruction. This world will tell you to trust in yourself. You've got this. Now, what do these scriptures say? They say trust the Lord. They say he is on your side. Trust with all your heart. And lean not on your own understanding. Don't look to yourself. Don't look to what this world tells you. Look to his word. Look to what his scriptures say. The Bereans searched the words daily to see if the things they were told were so.

Verse six, it says, in all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths. We so often think we've got it all figured out. I often have to stop and remember, he is control, according to the will of God. I'm ever so reminded of the sin inherited from our first father, Adam. His disobedience to the Almighty became my disobedience. But thank God, according to his will, his plan, we have a mediator. God sent his son, Christ Jesus, to do miracles, to preach the gospel, to teach, to baptize. And as I was studying this, I was thinking back to Apollos in Acts 18, and it said he was mighty in the scriptures, he was instructed in the way of the Lord, he spoke and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John. Knowing only the baptism of John. What great comfort he must have had when he, the great comfort he had received from this. He knew that the water didn't save John. Going under didn't save John. He knew the baptism was an ordinance for John showing his belief in the Lord Jesus Christ. And when a saint is made to believe and enters the water of baptism, when they come out of the water, they are therefore baptized in the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost.

If you'd like to turn to Romans 6, Romans six and verse four. It says, therefore, we are buried with him by baptism into death, that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the father, even so we also should walk in newness to life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection. Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

Thank God, thank God he sent his son to be a substitute, to be a propitiation for the sin of his elect. It's truly unimaginable to think of the pain, the agony, the piercing pain as the soldiers crucified our savior. He took on the whole body of sin, whereby as the scriptures read, 2 Corinthians 5, 21, for he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we, his people, the sheep, the elect, might be made the righteousness of God in him.

And I'm reminded once again of our text, comfort ye, comfort ye thy people, saith God. He knows of the comfort he's inspired men to write of, the compassion, Turn over to Psalm 78. Psalm 78, verse 32. It says, for all this they sin still, and believe not for his wondrous works. Therefore, their days did he consume in vanity, and their years in trouble. When he slew them, then they sought him. And they returned and inquired early after God. And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer. Nevertheless, they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues. For their heart was not right with him, neither were they steadfast in his covenant. But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity and destroyed them not. Yea, many a time turned he his anger away and did not stir up all his wrath. For he remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passeth away and cometh not again.

" There in verse 34, it says, when he slew them, then they sought him. And I liken this to a parent that, not sparing the rod to their child, the same way the Lord chastens us, where in Hebrews it says, for whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

In Exodus 34, it says, then the Lord passed by before him and proclaimed, the Lord, the Lord, God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. And that will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and upon the children's children unto the third and to the fourth generation.

In verse six, how does the Lord comfort his people? He does it through compassion. by being merciful, by being gracious, by long-suffering. That long-suffering means being patient, being slow to anger. By the abundant goodness, the great, the strong kindness and faithfulness and truth. His divine instruction is great. The truth he has spoken is strong. His testimony and judgment is truth. Verse seven, how does our Lord comfort his people? In verse seven of Exodus 34, it says, keeping, by keeping, he watches over, he guards, he guards mercy, the goodness, the kindness, and faithfulness.

In 2 Thessalonians 1, 11, it says, wherefore also we pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling and fulfill all the good pleasure of his goodness and the work of faith with power. that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you and ye in him according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Verse seven talks about for the thousands. How does he comfort his people? Through the forgiving of iniquity and transgression of sin. And that will by no means clear the guilty. This is my hope. This is where my comfort comes from. It's where my true joy comes from, and that's Christ. Christ accomplished work.

Reading these scriptures a week or so ago, we read in 1 Samuel 12, 24, it says, only fear the Lord, only fear the Lord, and serve him in truth with all your heart, for consider how great things he hath done for you. If we would only meditate upon this, considering how great things he hath done for you. How much did I participate? How much did I do? How much did I help? None. He did it all. He hath done.

In 1 Chronicles 17 verse 19. Says, O Lord, for thy servant's sake, and according to thine own heart, hast thou done all this greatness in making known all these great things. He has done all this greatness. How did he do it? In making known all these great things, the things he has done and the great things he wanted known.

In verse 20, it says, O Lord, there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee according to all that we have heard with our ears. It was made known to you the only way a sinner is shown, and that's through the preaching of the gospel, by the effectual call of the Spirit of God, and once it's made known, you're kept. He guards his sheep.

These great things, says in 1 Chronicles 17, 19, these great things, the greatness, Job 5.9, it says, which doeth great things and insearchable, marvelous things without number. Job 9.10, it says, which doeth great things past finding out, yea, and wonders without number. In Job 37.5, it says, God thundereth marvelously with his voice. Great things doeth he which we cannot comprehend. We can't comprehend. But these scriptures say so.

Mark 9, 23 says, Jesus said unto him, if thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. He doesn't say believe and understand all the things I've told you. No, he said, believe all things are possible that believeth. Remain in the faith of Christ Jesus. Continually believe in these great things he hath done and these he doeth.

Job 37.5, it says, great things doeth he which we cannot comprehend. We can't comprehend all these things, Lord hath willed, but believe. And back in Mark 9, it says, Jesus said unto him, Thou canst believe all things are possible to him that believeth. And then John 3.36 says, He that believeth on the Son has everlasting life, and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth in him.

Turn over to Luke 8, please. Luke 8, verse 43. Luke 8 verse 43, and a woman having an issue of blood 12 years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any, came behind him and touched the border of his garment, and immediately her issue of blood stanched, stopped. And Jesus said, who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, master, The multitude thronged thee and pressed thee, and sayest thou, who touched me? And Jesus said, somebody hath touched me, for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me.

And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before him, she declared unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him, and how she was healed immediately. And he said to her, daughter, be of good comfort, Thy faith hath made thee whole, go in peace.

When the Lord comforts his people, he makes them a cheerful people. Their faith makes them whole, as in their faith makes them well, and they travel this earth in peace.

And then down there in Luke 8, 49, it says, while he yet spake, there cometh one from the ruler of the synagogue's house saying to him, thy daughter is dead, trouble not the master. But when Jesus heard it, he answered him saying, fear not, believe only, and she shall be made whole.

How does the Lord comfort his people? He says, fear not. Fear not, believe only. Have faith in God. That's from Mark 11, 22. Fear not, believe only, and she shall be made whole. She shall be made well. When the Lord speaks, what he says is so. When the Lord speaks, his words are comfort to his people. His words emphasize an active support for his people.

And then in the second text of my message here, in Psalm 119.50, if you want to turn there, Psalm 119.50, Psalm 119.50 says, this is my comfort and my affliction, for thy word hath quickened me. Quickened me, hmm. We actually just read about that earlier when Brother Baron read from Ephesians 2. Hath quickened me, hath made me alive.

Here's the comfort spoken from Psalm 119. This comfort, it is a consolation. a comfort or a solace given to someone experiencing grief or disappointment. It is something or someone that provides comfort. Christ, our Lord, his word. It's discovering a better thing from the comfort we received. This affliction is a misery, a poverty, trouble. The comfort I receive is from where the only true comfort comes from, and that's the word of God.

Often when someone's heart's aching or they're having some type of trouble and we're in a conversation with one another and I don't have the words to give them any true comfort, this, this is where I send them. Because not me, I can't really do anything. But the truest comfort that I can receive is from his word.

Imagine this woman with the blood problem and the affliction she must have had. 12 years, she spent all her wages, all her living, And though afflicted, her faith, her faith made her well. Imagine the affliction of the man and the woman and the young maiden seeing what they believed her daughter to be dead. He said, fear not, believe only.

No matter what affliction we may have, the believer has a true comfort in the word of God. The word of God quickens, like I said before, makes alive those who believeth. You've been given this lively hope in Christ Jesus. I have nowhere else to look but to him. He is my hope. He is my rest. He is my comfort. He makes his people to believe.

When a believer is given a true hope and a true comfort in Christ Jesus, this leads their pathway through many trials and problems they may face. In this same way, it also, it empowers the believer to provide comfort and hope to one another. It's provided to one another as fellow brethren who face trials individually or as a church, or even to our fellow man. For we know not whom is the Lord's today or therefore.

Turn in your Bibles to 2 Corinthians 1. 2 Corinthians 1 verse 3. It says, blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. He is the God, and he is the God of all comfort.

Verse 4 says, who comforteth, continually comforteth, us in all of our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. Remember what I said before, how the Word of God empowers the believer to provide comfort and hope to one another. Once again, it is revealed in the Word of God.

Verse five says, for as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, this is the afflictions we will undergo on behalf of the same cause which Christ patiently endured. So our consolation or our comfort also aboundeth, it overflow, it abundantly furnish, it exceeds. And how does it do it? By Christ.

And verse six says, and whether we be afflicted, It is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer. Or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. Whether we be afflicted or whether we be comforted, it is for our consolation and salvation. Afflictions or comfort. Consolation, salvation. Affectual, it's affective that we endure these same sufferings which we suffer. It's affectual.

Verse seven says, and our hope of you is steadfast, knowing that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so shall you be also the consolation. Our hope of you is steadfast, it is sure, it is trusted. You're going to have sufferings, but just the same, you're also going to have consolation. Your sufferings are gonna come, and then your consolation's gonna come.

Verse nine, but we had the sentence of death in ourselves that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God, which raises the dead. That we should not trust in ourselves, but in God, which raises the dead. It is my hope that through all sufferings and afflictions that I will be made to trust in God.

Jeremiah 17, seven says, blessed is the man that trusted in the Lord and whose hope the Lord is. And I pray the Lord make us a blessed people who trust is placed in security. The Lord whose true hope is the Lord.

I need comfort in my afflictions. I need a consolation in the poverty of my sin. This sin that riddles my body can quickly take my take our attention away from him. And as I studied this, and the Lord gives me wisdom, he reminds me once again of what our pastor often tells us, Romans 8, 28. And as I'm reading that, it takes me to a broader portion of that passage.

So I ask you, as we get ready to close, Romans 8, verse 24. Romans 8, verse 24. If you'd like to join me there. It says, for we are saved by hope, but hope that is seen is not hope, for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?

Hebrews 11 and one says, now faith is a substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Faith is a substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Verse 25 in Romans 8 says, but if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it? Likewise, the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities, for we know not what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. When the Spirit maketh intercession for us, it comforteth us, ye my people.

Verse 27. He that searcheth the hearse knoweth what is the mind of the spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. He's our intercessor according to the will of God, not ours, but his. I'm glad that we have the one to be our intercessor.

And in Romans 8, 28, and we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate, to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom he did predestinate, them he also called. And whom he called, them he also justified. And whom he justified, them he also glorified.

I hope this comforts your heart as much as it comforts mine, that according to his purpose, which is the will of God. Not some things, Brother Martin says, not some things, all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called. Those he also called, they are the ones he predestinated before the beginning of time. These are the ones the father gave to the son, the called he foreknew and predestinated.

And the next part is once again unimaginable for my puny mind, but I believe it. My sin-riddled body was conformed to the image of the sun. If that is the case, it was done before the world began. If called, then also justified, and if justified, also glorified.

And continue on in Romans 8, verse 31. It says, what shall we say then? What shall we then say to those things? If God be for us, who can be against us? And remember our prior scriptures, the Lord is, the Lord is on my side. What can man do unto me?

Verse 32 says, and he that spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all, shall he not be with him also? Freely give us all things. He spared not his, even his own son, but delivered him up for us all. It takes me a little bit. I have to read over and over through that verse multiple times just to grasp everything that that verse is saying.

Verse 33, who shall lay anything to charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. That is also to say, who should call into question anything? It is God that declares the righteous.

In verse 34, who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died. Yea, rather, that is risen again. Who is even at the right hand of God, who also make an intercession for us? Christ interceded on behalf of his people.

In verse 35, to the end, it says, who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril, or sword, as it is written, for thy sake we are killed all the day long. We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us, for I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Nothing, nothing can separate the Lord's people from the love, the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus. This passage is a comfort to me, and I hope it brings some comfort to you, and I'm just gonna reread the two references, and that's Isaiah 40, just verse one, where it says, Comfort ye my people, saith your God.

In Psalm 11950, this is my comfort and my affliction, for thy word hath quickened me. I pray this is a blessing to you and ultimately it glorifies the Lord himself.