Would you turn with me in your
Bible to the book of Isaiah chapter 40, please? Isaiah chapter 40. Verse one here is a very familiar
passage of scripture. The Lord speaking through the
prophet Isaiah says, comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith
your God. There's at least a twofold reason
for preaching. The first is, is that it's the
means that God uses to save them that believe. And the second
reason to preach the gospel is to comfort those that God has
saved through preaching. This verse of scripture is one
of the greatest encouragements that there is for a true gospel
preacher. It's the believer's comfort.
Who speaks here? Well, it's the Lord. He says,
comfort ye my people, saith your God. To whom does he speak? He speaks to his prophets, his
preachers, his pastors, his teachers. He speaks to all who are bond
servants for Christ. And what is his commandment here?
To comfort ye my people. There's a time to rebuke. There's
a time to reprove, a time to correct. But the command here
is to comfort. We are to always comfort. My
heart's greatest desire this morning is to comfort you. Who
are we to comfort? God says, comfort ye my people. We're always to endeavor to comfort
the people of God. We cannot comfort where God has
not converted. We cannot cry peace where there
is no peace. The gospel gives no false assurance
to unbelieving sinners. God's people are a chosen people. They're a called people, and
they are a redeemed people, and they are a believing people.
And God says, comfort them. Why do they need comfort? Well,
they're sinners who God has made conscious of their sin. They
are a tried people who have troubles with this flesh. They are a persecuted
people who are hated by the world. That's why we're to comfort.
What shall we say to God's people to comfort them? What is the
believer's source of comfort? It's the good news of the gospel.
Verse two, speak ye comfortably. That word means to the heart,
comfortably, to the heart. Speak to the heart, 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. You see, to speak comfortably
to God's people, we must first cry to them. Now that word cry
there in the Hebrew means to preach. Preach to her, her being
God's church, her being the bride of Christ. Preach to her that
her warfare is accomplished. That's comforting news to me.
The battle's over, the warfare's finished, and Christ has won,
and He's given us the victory by His accomplished work of perfect
righteousness. What God requires of me, Christ
has provided for me, and that's perfect righteousness. That battle
is over. Our enemies have been conquered
by Christ. Christ has crushed the serpent's
head. Isaiah 25, eight says, he will
swallow up death and victory and the Lord God will wipe away
tears from all faces and the rebuke of his people shall he
take away from off all the earth for the Lord has spoken in. Secondly,
God tells to tell her, the people of God, the church of God, the
bride of Christ, that her iniquity is pardoned. Your sin is forgiven. If you're a sinner, that's wonderful,
wonderful news. All the sins of all God's elect
throughout all time, past, present, future, they're blotted out.
They're cleansed, they're removed and remembered no more. I can
put it no plainer than that. I can be no clearer than that.
The redeemed of the Lord have no sin. With Christ's spotless
garments of righteousness on, we are as holy and as righteous
as God's son. I'm not exaggerating that one
bit. Thirdly, God says, tell her, the redeemed of the Lord,
the bride of Christ, the church of God, that she has received
double for all her sins. what sufficiency is found in
the blood of Christ. God's justice is completely satisfied
by Christ's perfect fulfillment of the law. We receive both total
forgiveness and perfect righteousness. Christ has not only made sin
for us, but we were made the very righteousness of God in
him. 2 Corinthians 5 21. That's a
double blessing. I once read that in ancient Eastern
custom, that if a man owed money that he could not pay back, that
man had basically three choices. One, he either went to jail.
Two, he became the slave of his debtor till the debt was paid.
Or thirdly, he could take this third option. And this third
option was a very humiliating thing. Yet it was the closest
thing of the three to bring about mercy. That man would take a
dried piece of sheepskin that was used for parchment, and he
would write down everything that he owed on it, right down to
the very last penny. Next to each amount written,
he would write the names of the people that he owed. And then
he would go to the gates of the city where everybody passed,
where everybody came in and went out. That desperate, humiliated
debtor would hang that piece of sheepskin on the gate of the
city's entrance where everyone entering and leaving could see
it and read it. Can you imagine how folks must
have scoffed Friends, enemies, strangers would look at that
sheepskin and shake their heads asking themselves, how did this
man ever get himself in such a mess? And the reason to endure
such public disgrace was for the hope of help and mercy. You see, in these ancient days,
often when a wealthy person entered the gates of the city and saw
that gold skin fluttering in the breeze, that wealthy man
would sometimes go over and read the information that was written
on the skin. And if that rich man was moved
with compassion for that pitiful, bankrupt man, he would take that
sheepskin down from the gate. He would double the skin over,
fold and secure it, and hang it back doubled in two. And on
the back of that folded sheepskin, he would write, paid in full. And then he'd sign his name.
And from that point on, no one would ever see those debts again.
And this meant that all those persons to whom this bankrupt
man owed a debt would be repaid in full by the rich man. In those days, that repayment
of such a debt was called giving the double. The debts that were
hidden by the double sheepskin were always paid in full and
the shame of the debtor was removed. That's what Christ did for us.
That's what he did for us. God sees the blood of the righteousness
of Christ covering as the lamb of God. And he passes over and
he passes by with compassion and he pays the believer's debt
in full. Oh, Jesus paid it all, all to
him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain,
but he washed it as white as snow. The amazing thing concerning
our salvation is the one who pays our debt provides the blood
for the payment. For without the shedding of blood,
there's no remission, no remission of sin. For you know that the
grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet
for your sakes, he became poor, that through his poverty, you
might be rich. God never requires more than
is due, but the offering of the sinless body and blood of the
Lord Jesus fully, fully provides more than double what God demanded. No wonder Paul wrote in Romans
5 where sin abounded, and that word means overflowed. Our sin
overflowed. Grace did much more abound. Grace
did much more overflow. Yet the people of God, the believing
sinner is in constant need of comfort. I'm in constant need
of comfort. The reason we are is that most
of the time, we like Peter, we take our eyes off Christ. We
look at the storms of life around us. We look at the winds, trials
that are boisterous. We begin to look at sin and we
begin to look at self and we are afraid and we begin to sink. But our hope and confidence is
in Christ alone. We've got to keep our eyes on
him. As long as Peter looked at the Lord, he walked on the
water. The minute he took his eyes off and put them on the
circumstances, he began to sink. Oh, there's a great lesson for
us there. You're here in Isaiah 40, look at verse 25. God says,
to whom then will you liken me, or shall I be equal, saith the
Holy One? Lift up your eyes on high, and
behold, who hath created these things, that bringeth out their
host by number? He calleth them all by names,
by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power,
and not one fellow. Number one. Now I desire to comfort
you this morning by encouraging you to lift up your eyes on high
to Christ alone. He's our creator. All things
were made by him and without him was not anything made that
was made. It's he that calls all of his
elect people by name through the greatness of his might. Beloved,
he's strong in power. Oh, I can't emphasize that enough.
You know, I think sometimes we just get used to using words
like sovereign and almighty and omnipotent, and we forget that
that's who and what God really is. He can do anything. He can do everything. Let's put
our trust in Him. How many will fail that God calls
by name? Not one faileth. He's strong
in power. Now it's here that the Spirit
of God through Isaiah the prophet asked this question to those
who profess to be the children of God. Not everybody that professes
to know God knows God, but it's here that the Lord speaks to
people who claim to know God and to be his people. Yet they
are those who are groaning under troubles and sorrows, even complaining
that the Lord takes no notice of their trials or their suffering.
Look at verse 27, the Lord asks, "'Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and
speakest, O Israel?' God says, "'What are you saying, O Israel?'
Now remember that Israel was the chosen people of God. But
also remember,' and we've seen this very clearly in our study
of Exodus, that not all that were of the physical seed of
Abraham were the true children of Israel. These mentioned are
not speaking like children. They say, first of all, my way
is hid from the Lord. They're saying that since the
Lord has not delivered me from my trouble, he must not take
any notice of my trouble. He must not care. God takes notice
of everything. Everything that comes our way,
he sins. If he sins it, he sins it for
his people's good. Is that right? They were saying
here, my judgment is passed over from my God. My cause and my
case is ignored by God. He allows my enemies to oppress
me. He does not avenge me nor deliver
me. And God says, stop talking and
start listening. God says, I'm the one who sent
the trouble. Shall there be evil? Shall there
be adversity, affliction, trouble, calamity? That's what the word
evil there means. Shall there be evil in a city?
And the Lord hath not done it. The Lord give it. The Lord take
it away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.
Men say, well, my way's hid from God. Let me let you in on something. That's impossible. It's impossible
because all things are naked and open unto the eyes of Him
with whom we have to do." Nothing gets by God. Men say things like,
well, what did I do to deserve this? Men say things like, why
me, Lord? and they don't even know that
it was the Lord that sent their trouble. God sent that judgment,
God sent that trial, God sent that suffering to cause them
to lean on Christ completely, casting all their care on Him.
Oh, I'm telling you friends from experience, some of the hardest
and most difficult trials that I've ever been through were the
very things that caused me to depend more and lean upon my
Lord and Savior. God shut me up to His mercy and
His grace. There was no place else for me
to go. Trials and tribulations will
either do one of two things. They'll drive you to Christ or
they'll drive you away from Him. We see why we should cast our
cares upon the Lord and the answer that the Lord gives us in verse
28. And it's on these words that I pray that the spirit of God
this morning give you and I the comfort that we need. Is your
comfort gone because you've forgotten these things? Verse 28, hast
thou not known? Hast thou not heard? that the
everlasting God, the Lord, the creator of the ends of the earth,
fainteth not, neither is weary. There is no searching of his
understanding." Friends, God does not faint. God does not
grow weary. No one can understand God. None
can search out his ways because they're past finding out. His
thoughts are so much higher than our thoughts and his ways are
so much higher than our way that we can't comprehend God. not
with these finite minds of ours. And that's what Paul wrote in
Romans chapter 11, verse 33, he said, oh, the depth of the
riches, both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God, how unsearchable
are his judgments and his ways past finding that. They're unsearchable,
they're past finding that. For who had known the mind of
the Lord or who had been his counselor or who had first given
to him and it shall be recompensed unto him again for of him and
through him and to him are all things to whom be glory forever,
amen. What a comfort it is to know
that the same powerful and sovereign God that rules this world is
out to do his people's good. Lord, you're out to do me good.
Oh, it may not seem like it at times, but he's out to do me
good. because all things are working
together for the good of them that love the Lord, who are they
called according to his purpose. And they're working together
for our good because he's working them out that way. He says here
that he's the creator. Jesus Christ created all things.
All things were made by him and without him. There's not anything
made that was made. He created the light and the
light that shines on the just and the unjust. He created the
sun. The sun shines on unbelievers
the same as it does believers. The rain falls on both. He created
the light and the life in his people who were dead in trespasses
and sin. Same light, same power. Christ
is the creator of all things. Christ is the owner of all things. You know, I got to looking at
that word creator and it means owner. He's the owner. He owns it all. You know, God
doesn't have to put his signature in the corner of a sunrise. He's
the creator, he's the owner. Jehovah doesn't have to carve
his initials in the side of a mountain. Why? Because he's the owner.
He's the creator. The Lord of heaven doesn't have
to brand the cattle on a thousand hills. He owns them every one. Christ doesn't have to apply
for a copyright on the songs that the birds sing. He's the
author and the owner, and he already has the copyright. Jesus
Christ has the perfection of power and also the wisdom and
the faith that he gives his people rest upon the reason and fact
of his faithfulness. And allow me to be blunt, no
truer words have ever been spoken to believe in the almighty and
the all wise God is the most rational thing in all the world
to do. If God is God, if God is the
sovereign, omnipotent, all powerful God that this book declares Him
to be, to disbelieve Him is not only irrational, but it's foolish
and it's also wicked. The men dare defy the God who
made them and holds their very breath in His hand. When a child
begins to distrust their father, it's for one or two reasons.
It's because they doubt either his memory or his ability. How
much more is that true concerning God Almighty? It's ridiculous
and it's horribly wrong to suspect the Lord of fainting or being
weary. The moment we begin to see God
that way, the sooner we'll distrust Him. How profane to speak of
the one who made the heavens and the earth that way. How ridiculous
to refer to the one who supports all things by the word of His
power as one who could actually faint or fail or be weary in
well-doing. We're talking about the self-existent
one. The one from whom all power and
authority comes. How can he fail or faint? All
power comes from him. All authority. Men think they
have power. No power, but the power that
is given from God above. That's what the Lord Jesus told
Pilate. The Lord of hosts hath sworn, saying, surely as I have
thought, so shall it come to pass. And as I have purpose,
so shall it stand. Is that your God? He who determined
the day of our birth. He who numbered the days of our
life. He who appointed the time and
the way of our death. He who works all things together
for the good of those that He foreknew and chose and called
and saved and will one day glorify. He's the very one who came and
died in His people's place. And their salvation is not dependent
on them in any way. It's dependent on Him. That's
good news. Believer's salvation is dependent
on the Lord who loved them and gave Himself for them. We love
Him because He first loved us. We haven't chosen Him, He's chosen
us. Why would a child of God ever
fear anything? Why would a child of God fear
dying? You know, to live is Christ and
to die is gain. To be absent from the body is
to be present with the Lord. We're walking through the valley
of the shadow of death. I got to thinking about that
a whole lot this week. David said, we walk into the
valley of the shadow of death. We fear no evil. Why? Because
God is with us. It's the rod of our good shepherd
that comforts and keeps us. Death has been removed by Christ
and only its shadow remains. Are we afraid of a shadow? A
shadow can't stop or hinder a man's walk with Christ. The shadow
of a dog can't bite. The shadow of a sword can't kill.
The shadow of death cannot destroy us. Why would we be afraid of
a shadow? Why would we be afraid of death?
He who saved us by his grace, he who redeemed us with his blood,
he who died so that we might live, he's gone to prepare a
place for us. And here's the best part of that.
He said that where he is, you shall be also. For the believing
child of God, death is but a departure to eternal life. That's what
Paul said, my departure is at hand. Where was he going? To
be with his Lord. That place that his Lord had
prepared for him. He said, in my Father's house
are many mansions. Heaven's heaven because of who's
gonna be there. And if you and I endure to the
end, believe in Christ. Paul asked, have you fought a
good fight? Have you finished your course?
Have you kept the faith? And if you endure to the end
by believing Christ, then you can boldly claim, henceforth,
there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord,
the righteous judge, shall give me." It's not something I earned,
merited, or deserved. It's something that he gives
me. And he shall give me at that day, and not to me only, but
unto all them also that love his appearance. Oh, Sharon, when
we see him, we shall be like him. I look forward to that appearing,
don't you? Verse 29, he giveth power to
the faint, and to them that have no might, he increases strength. This is the good news of the
gospels. Oh, everyone that thirsteth, come to the water. He that hath
no money, come ye, buy and eat. How do you buy without money?
It's all charged to Christ's account. Put it on my Lord's
account. Come unto me all ye that labor
and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. All that the Father
giveth me shall come to me, and he that cometh to me, I will
in no wise cast out." That's why Christ came into the world.
He came into the world to save sinners. That's good news for
a sinner. He came to seek and to save the
lost. We didn't find him. We didn't seek him. There's none
that seeketh after God. We're the ones who were lost.
We're the ones whom he sought. And if Christ seeks you, he'll
find you. And when Christ finds you, he'll
save you. He did that little wee little
man that was up in that tree, he'd have any problem finding
him. But when you were yet without strength and due time, Christ
died for the ungodly. That's good news if you're ungodly.
God commended his love toward us and that while we were yet
sinners, Christ died for us. That's good news if you're a
sinner. That at that time you were without Christ, being aliens
from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants
of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But
now in Christ Jesus, ye who were sometimes borrow are made nigh
by the blood of Christ. This is the experience of all
of the Lord's people. When we are weak in ourselves,
we are strong in Him. His grace is sufficient for us.
His strength is made perfect in our weakness. For God who
commanded the light to shine out of darkness has shined in
our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory
of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in
earthen vessels. that the excellency of the power,
the power of redemption, the power of forgiveness of sins,
the power of being made a new creature in Christ. That's what
he's talking about. He's talking about that power.
He said that that power may be of God and not of us. We have
no power. Who commanded that light to shine
forth out of darkness? Who gave the light of the knowledge
of God in the face of Jesus Christ? Who freely bestowed this treasure
of perfect righteousness in and upon these earthen vessels of
ours? Same answer to all questions,
God did. In the Lord Jesus Christ, God
did. And again, verse 29, God giveth
power to the faint. and to them that have no might."
Do you have any might this morning? Do you see that you're helpless,
that you're hopeless in and of yourself? This word is for you,
and it should be a comfort to you. And to them that have no
might, God increases strength. Sometimes the children of God
faint through want of faith. David said, I had fainted unless
I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the
living. So the cure for fainting is faith. And the best way to
prevent fainting is to believe. There's something to this now.
Do you see the goodness of God? David said, I would have fainted
unless I had believed to see. To see what David? The goodness
of the Lord. It's the goodness of God that
leads men and women to repentance. For God sent not His Son into
the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him
might be saved. He that believeth on Him is not
condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already, because
he had not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
And this is the condemnation, that light has come into the
world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their
deeds were evil. Now there you have it. And friends,
I'm becoming increasingly convinced that our greatest deterrent from
faith in Christ is ourselves. That's right. You try to put
your finger on anything that God has ever done that would
cause you to mistrust him. And unless God gives us mercy
and grace, we can't believe. The Lord said, no man can come
to me unless the Father would send me drawing. Unless God continued
to give us mercy and grace in Christ, we still won't believe.
Our Lord said, you will not come to me that you might have life.
The only reason that we believe and are willing to believe is
that he made us so in the day of his power. And let me say
this, surely the Lord deserves to be trusted by his own children. If anybody will persist in trusting
Christ, it's gonna be the chosen people of His love and the favored
ones of His heart. The question this morning is,
will you trust the Lord Jesus Christ? Will you believe what
He's told you? How tenderly the Lord deals with
His fainting people. He doesn't desert them and leave
them where they are. He gives power to the faint.
Oh, if you're fainting this morning, look to Him. He gives power to
the faint. God had chosen the foolish things
of the world to confound the wise. And God had chosen the
weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty.
To them that have no might, He increases strength. Now listen
to me closely in closing. All who trust in and depend on
the flesh shall utterly fall. It's just a fact. Those who worship
God, worship God in the spirit, not in the flesh. All who trust
and depend on something that they do, they will utterly fall
every time. And all who trust in man's way
shall fail every single time. Are you listening? Are you hearing? Verse 30, look at it. Even the
youths shall feign and be weary and the young men shall utterly
fail. You know, even young men who
take great pride in their strength and their ability shall one day
grow weary and utterly fall and fail. And there's a warning to
any who trust in their spiritual strength and their morality and
their so-called righteous work. You shall utterly fail. You shall
utterly fall. Verse 31, but they that wait
upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up
with wings as eagles They shall run and not be weary and they
shall walk and not faint. Let's wait on the Lord. Let's
trust in Him. Lord, give me grace and faith
to trust you today and give me grace and faith to trust you
tomorrow and the next day and the next day and forever until
the end of the era. You'll be as eagles who fly higher
and out of danger and closer to God. You shall not fail. You shall walk in God's spirit
and you shall not faint. If you're hearing these words
this morning and have fainted, you can still be thankful. You
can still be comforted because it's God that gives power to
the faint. There's still hope for you. We
can do all things through Christ which strengthens us. The key
phrase there, Christ who strengthens us. Why can we do all things
through Christ that strengthens us? Because Christ who strengthens
us can do all things. I'm glad the gospel is simple
so a simpleton like me can understand it. Oh, may God be pleased to
make all these things so and comfort you for Christ's sake
and for his own glory. Amen.