Isaiah chapter 40, we'll start
there and then move on to the small epistle of 1 John. In his great commission, the
Lord Jesus Christ said, go ye into all the world and preach
the gospel, the gospel to every creature. Our Lord added that
those who would believe the gospel would be saved. and those who
believe not would be damned. Is there anything about that
statement that you don't understand? Those who believe the gospel
shall be saved. Not those that just believe anything
or some truths or doctrinal truths, but those who believe the gospel
shall be saved. It's important for us to know
what the gospel is, for by it, believing it, we are saved. Those
who believe not the gospel shall be damned. It's important to
believe what the gospel says. The beloved John said it this
way, he said, he that hath the son hath life, and he that hath
not the son hath not life. And the good news of salvation
has everything to do with possessing and knowing the Lord Jesus Christ,
God's beloved son. That's the great commission that's
given to every believing sinner who's been saved by the sovereign
grace of God and the Lord Jesus Christ. But there's also a commission
that God has given to His servants, His messengers, His voices in
the wilderness. You remember very well Peter,
one of the Lord's closest friends, had denied Him three times. After
the Lord Jesus had risen from the dead, after Peter, having
denied the Lord three times and heartbroken over not only that,
but the actual crucifixion of the Lord, he said, I go fishing.
I'm going fishing. Going back to what I was doing
before. And then after that, Christ came
to his disciples there on the shores of the Sea of Galilee,
and the Lord walked with Peter along that same seashore where
he'd first met the Lord Jesus Christ, where the Lord had first
called him. And he asked Peter this question. He said, lovest
thou me? And Peter answered and said,
yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. And Jesus said,
feed my lambs. Then the Lord asked Peter the
second time, Simon Peter, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? And
Peter said, yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. And Christ
again answered with those words, this time feed my sheep. Then the Lord asked Peter the
third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? And the scriptures
say that Peter was grieved, he was heavy, he was distressed
because the Lord had asked him the third time. And can't you
just imagine in the back of his mind, he's thinking about the
three times that he denied his Lord and Savior. Of course he
was. And Peter said, Lord, thou knowest all things. You know
everything. You know that I love thee. And
Jesus said unto him, feed my sheep. There's no doubt that
these verses found in the gospel of John chapter 21 prove that
those servants who love the Lord Jesus Christ, those servants
who have been called like Peter, those servants who are called
to preach the gospel will make it their number one priority
to feed God's sheep. Paul said, for though I preach
the gospel, I have nothing to glory of, for necessity, necessity
is laid upon me. Yea, woe is unto me if I preach
not the gospel. 1 Corinthians 9, 16. You see,
God lays on certain men the necessity of preaching. They won't glory
in the act of their preaching. They'll glory in the message
they preach, though. They won't glory in their ability
to preach, but they'll glory in the person whom they preach. And Paul didn't say, woe unto
me if I don't preach. He said, woe unto me if I don't
preach the gospel. The gospel. That's very important. There's a big difference between
what some call preaching and what God considers gospel preaching. We have a lot of people today
preaching, but few are preaching the true gospel. Woe unto them
if they preach not the gospel. So again, we see that it's crucial
to know and to understand what gospel preaching really is. Agreed? I know this much about
gospel preaching. It's a comforting message. The gospel is comforting to those
who believe it. It's a message that declares
hope. It's a message that breeds confidence. It's good news that brings great
assurance. And here in Isaiah chapter 40
verse one, the Lord through the prophet Isaiah speaks to his
messengers and he says, comfort ye, comfort ye my people saith
your God. Now that's what God says to his
preachers. This is what he says to those
who claim him to be their God. God says, comfort ye my people. Feed my lambs, feed my sheep. If you love me, feed my sheep.
Give them hope. Give them some confidence of
redemption. Give them some great assurance
that they're saved. We are to feed God's sheep with
comfort food. That's a term that we hear a
little more regularly than we used to. And it's defined as
food that provides consolation or a feeling of well-being, comfort
food. But the gospel is not only that,
it's much, much more. A dear preacher, pastor, friend
of mine years ago was holding a meeting down south when he
was much younger. And a faithful elderly man in
that church, whom he knew since he was a very young man, came
up to my friend and he said, are you going to preach us into
hell tonight? Or are you going to give us a
little hope of redemption? And at first, my friend said
that he was a bit taken back by that statement, but he knew
and understood exactly what his friend meant. What he meant was
this. Are you going to tell me what
I must do to be saved? Or are you going to tell me what
Christ did to save me? Are you going to tell me how
I ought to live and how I ought to act? Or are you going to tell
me how Christ lived and died and rose again to put away my
sin by the sacrifice of Himself? Are you going to cause me to
fret because of who and what and how I am? Are you going to
leave me falling infinitely short of the perfection that God requires
by a work of righteousness that I do? Are you going to comfort
me by telling me how that God commendeth His love toward us
in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us? Are you going
to tell me how by His one offering for sin, He hath perfected forever
them that are sanctified? See, there's a big difference
between the two, big difference. True preaching involves a great
deal of warning sinners to flee from the wrath of God to come.
Yet, true preaching also involves a great deal of comforting sinners
that have already come to Christ. And it's the same gospel message,
not the same message, but the same gospel message that warns
sinners, and it's the same gospel message that comforts sinners.
Some of you need to be warned. Some of you need to be comforted.
I pray this morning that I can preach one message that will
do both. That's exactly, I believe, what we see here in Isaiah chapter
40. First, God's preaching is to
comfort God's people. God says, comfort ye, comfort
ye my people. Notice in verse two, he continues
with that theme and he says, speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem
and cry unto her. Do you know what that word cry
there means? It means preach. It means to proclaim, to publish. Speak comfortably to Jerusalem. Jerusalem there represents the
people of God. And he says, preach and proclaim
and publish unto her. Her refers to the bride of Christ. The church of the living God.
Now, what are they to cry? What are they to preach? What
are they to proclaim? What are they to publish? They're
to publish and preach a word of comfort. Comfort you, speak
comfortably to her. They are to preach a gospel that
comforts believing sinners. What's the gospel message? God
tells us here. He says, speak comfortably, kindly. If you have a marginal Bible,
you may notice that that word comfortably there means speak
to the heart. Speak to the heart. Brother Montgomery
told me years ago, he said, when you preach, preach to men and
women's heart. Not to the head, to the heart.
I'm still trying. trying to preach to men and women's
heart. Here's the message. First of
all, tell her that her warfare is accomplished. Now, if you've
been in a war with your sin, that's a comforting message. That's a comforting statement,
is it not? Tell her that her warfare is
accomplished. Christ from the cross said, it
is finished. That's what he's talking about.
Tell her that her warfare is over, it's finished. Tell her
that her salvation is accomplished. There's nothing for her to do
but to rest. Isn't that comforting? Oh, it
is if you're a sinner, if you've been in war with your sin. He
said, tell her that her iniquity is pardoned. Christ has paid
for every sin, past, present, future, all sin. He paid the
debt. Tell her that she's received
of the Lord's hand double. Boy, that's a comforting thing.
Salvation is of the Lord. Redemption is in His hand and
it's to give at His discretion. Tell her that she's received
double for all her sins. Well, what is the double cure
for sin? I think it's several things.
The believing sinner has received both grace and faith. Both are
the gift of God, Paul said in Ephesians 2.8. For by grace are
you saved through faith. God gives grace, God gives faith.
It's not of yourselves, both are a gift of God. Not by works,
lest any man should boast. God's elect receive both forgiveness
and pardon. It's one thing to be forgiven,
but it's a whole other thing to be pardoned. God's people
have at His hand received double for their sin. Punishment has
been executed on Christ. Satisfaction has been achieved
by Him and in Him. Is that not a comforting message?
You received of the Lord double for your sin. The bride, the
church, receives at the Lord's hand double. Judgment has been
meted out on Christ. Holy justice has been appeased
by Him. And you, the guilty, go free. It's called substitution, and
it's one of the most comforting words that you'll ever hear.
We've received a double blessing, our sin debt paid by Christ,
His righteousness imputed to us. Double, double blessing. Child of God, your warfare has
ended. Does that bring you any comfort?
Your iniquity has been pardoned. Does that give you assurance,
confidence in what Christ has done for you? Preaching is meant
to comfort God's sheep. And secondly, God's preaching
is to warn sinners. Look at verse 3. The voice of
him that crieth in the wilderness." What does this voice cry in the
wilderness? Well, it's a cry of great warning.
It says, prepare you the way of the Lord. That's a warning. Christ is the way to God. I'm warning you this morning,
those of you that are without Christ, who still remain in your
sin, hear me, hear me, prepare you the way of the Lord. No man
comes to the Father but by Him. This voice in the wilderness
warns sinners to make straight, look at it, make straight in
the desert a highway for our God. Now this voice speaks not
only of Elijah and doesn't speak only of John the Baptist. This
voice refers to every gospel preacher that cries in the wilderness. We're crying in a wilderness
here, aren't we? Isn't this a wilderness, this
world, such a wilderness? And our warning is, prepare ye
the way of the Lord. Salvation has to do with His
way, His work, His will, not ours. Prepare ye the way of the
Lord. Our warning, prepare the way
of Jehovah. Make straight in the desert a
highway for our God. In preaching, we make a plain
path for sinners to come to Christ. In preaching, we are to remove
all obstacles that keep sinners from coming to Him. The Lord
Jesus Himself said, come unto Me, all you that labor and are
heavy laden, and I'll give you rest. No obstacles. Look at verse 4. 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."
Now, that's not to be taken literally. This is a spiritual application. This is a message both of comfort
and warning from God. Every valley shall be exalted.
What does that mean? Well, this was the purpose of
John the Baptist preaching. This was the reason for Christ's
coming. And that is that those who are
heavy laden and convicted with sin, those who are brought down
with the guilt of sin, Those who are humbled in their own
eyes because of their state and standing before God should be
exalted, raised up, and given hope. They should be given great
confidence and assurance that Christ has paid the debt for
His people. Secondly, every mountain and
hill shall be made low. All who are elated with themselves,
all who are puffed up with their own work of righteousness, all
these shall be humbled, made low. Their pride and their haughtiness
shall be brought down. That's what the gospel does.
The crooked places shall be straight, the rough places plain. And only
through Jesus Christ, the one mediator between God and man,
can this be done. Only He can make the crooked
straight. Only Christ can make the rough
places plain. And this is talking about preaching
the simplicity of Christ. That's the only thing that comforts. There's no assurance of being
saved apart from the Lord Jesus Christ. None. The preaching of
Christ and Him crucified is the only message that gives hope
to a sinner. That's what gospel preaching
is. It's a message of warning to sinners and it's a message
of comfort to believers. And we're told in 2 Corinthians
to examine ourselves whether we be in the faith. That's a
warning. In Hebrews chapter 3 we're told to take heed lest there
be found in us a heart of unbelief. We're told in 2 Peter 1 to give
diligence to make our calling and election sure. So there's
a great warning in our preaching that must not be neglected, but
we must never, never neglect to preach those things which
comfort the hearts of Christ-trusting sinners. I need to be comforted,
don't you? I need to find some hope and
some confidence. I need some assurance in this
unsure world, and it's only found in Christ. So let me see if I
can give you some comfort, some hope, some confidence, some assurance. Look at 1 John chapter 5 with
me, if you would. 1 John chapter 5. While you're turning there, let
me remind you that the beloved John, almost 20 times in this
short epistle, this short letter, says these words, we know, we
know. We know, we believe, and because
of that, we have great comfort, hope, and confidence, and assurance. Look at verse 13, chapter 5. 1 John, chapter 5, verse 13. These things have I written unto
you that believe. Now this is where the comfort,
hope, and confidence, and assurance start. What shall I do to inherit
eternal life? Believe. All things are possible
to them who what? Believe. John says, these things
have I written unto you that you believe on the name of the
Son of God, that ye may know that you have eternal life. that
you may know, that you might have assurance, confidence, great
hope that you have eternal life. And then look at verse 14, and
this is the confidence. Well, what is the confidence?
The confidence that we have in Him. That's where our confidence
is found in knowing that Christ is the Son of God. Verse 13,
and knowing that eternal life is in Him. Isn't that where your
hope? Your confidence, your assurance
of salvation is, it's in Christ, isn't it, Tom? This assurance
and this confidence is not addressed to anybody and everybody, but
those who believe. Nobody else has a claim on assurance,
confidence, hope, comfort, but those who believe. Do you believe? Do you believe
in the Lord Jesus Christ? Look down at verse 20. John again
says, And we know, and we know that the Son of God is come,
and hath given unto us an understanding, that we may know Him that is
true, and we are in Him. Notice the order found in this
verse. He says, We know Him that is
true. And then he says, We are in Him
that is true. You see, you can't know that
you are in Him until you know Him. You have to believe before
you can have any assurance. You have to bow to Christ before
you can have any confidence in Christ. You have to embrace Christ
before you can have any comfort. David said, the Lord is my shepherd. As one of God's sheep, David
found great comfort in Christ being his good shepherd. Do you?
Oh, I tell you, I do. I have great, I find great comfort
in Him being my shepherd. The Lord's my shepherd. Job said,
I know that my Redeemer liveth. As one redeemed of the Lord,
Job found great confidence in that truth. Do you? I know that
my Redeemer lives. I don't serve a dead Savior.
I don't serve a Savior who acts like one that's dead. One who's
trying and wanting to and dependent upon man's will to do something.
No sir, that's not my Redeemer. My Redeemer lives and He reigns
and He rules. Is that your Redeemer? The child
of God says, My Redeemer lives. John said that we know we've
passed from death to life by our love for the brethren. As
one who loved his brethren, John found great assurance that he
had life eternal. Do you? I know folks that claim to be
Christians that absolutely hate God's people. No sir, it don't
work that way. We know that we pass from death
to life by our love for the brethren. Paul said, I know whom I have
believed. He didn't say I know what I believe. He said, I know whom I have believed. His confidence, his assurance,
his comfort was in a person. I know whom I believe. Paul's
hope was in knowing Christ who is salvation. That's where real
hope is found. Is your hope found in knowing
Christ? It has to be. There's no hope
anywhere else. I don't want to assume that I'm
saved. Do you? I don't want to assume
anything. I don't want to assume that I
belong to Christ. I want some assurance that I
belong to Him. I want to have some confidence
that He knows me. That I know Him and He knows
me. One of the greatest examples, we mention this all the time,
but one of the greatest examples of presumption found in the Scriptures
is where those folks on the Day of Judgment stand and say, Lord,
Lord, haven't we done many wonderful works? They called Him Lord. They assumed
that He was their Lord and their Savior, or they wouldn't have
called Him that. But they assumed wrong, didn't they? I don't want
to assume wrong. They assumed that He was their
Lord, but He will profess unto them, I never knew you. Never knew you. They assumed
that He knew them. They assumed that they knew Him,
and they assumed that He knew them. Presumption. The words from his lips were,
depart from me, ye that work iniquity. I never knew you. Friends, there's a way that seems
right unto men and unto women. But the end, in the end, that
way is a way of death. Our Lord said in Mark chapter
7 verse 7, He said, In vain do they worship Me, teaching for
doctrines the commandments of men. You see, man-made doctrine,
man-made teaching will never, ever give you any comfort, assurance,
hope, or confidence. Men make the Word of God of no
effect through their traditions and the things that they do.
He says that in the same chapter, Mark 7, verse 13. So, for just a few minutes, I
want to leave you with some things that God's people know. And in knowing these things,
they find great assurance Confidence, hope, and comfort. You're in
1 John 5, turn back to 1 John 2. The first thing that we know,
God's people know, we know that we know Him. How do you know
you know Him? I just know I know Him. His Spirit
bears witness with my spirit that I know. Because I know Him
as He's revealed in this book. I know Him as He proclaims Himself
to be. That's crucial. God's not what I think He is.
God's not how I imagine Him to be. how He declares Himself to be.
We know that we know Him. Look at verse 3, 1 John 2, verse
3, And hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments,
if we're obedient to Him. Now man's not saved by keeping
God's commandments. That's not the means that saves
men, but it's good evidence that God has saved men and women.
They're obedient to God. They don't want to disappoint
God. They want to be obedient and pleasing to Him. The second
thing, we know that we are in Him. Look down at verse 5. But
whosoever keepeth His word, In him verily is the love of God
perfected. Hereby know we that we are in
him." We're in Christ. Third thing. We know that we
are in perilous times. Look down at verse 18. First John 2, 18. Little children,
it's the last time. And as you have heard that Antichrist
shall come, even now there are many Antichrists. And I know
I don't have to say this, but I'm going to say it anyway, just
in case there's someone that don't know. Antichrist, people,
you know, you say antichrist and all people's ears perk up
and they think about that one in the last day that's going
to deceive the world and the nations. But notice John says
here that even now there are many, many antichrists. Antichrist
means against Christ. Anyone who's against Christ is
antichrist. He says, even now there are many
antichrists whereby we know that it is the last time. We're in
perilous times. You know that, don't you child
of God? Fourthly, we know that when we shall see him, we shall
be like him. How comforting is that? When
I see Christ, when he comes again, I'm gonna be just like him. Look
at chapter three, verse two. Beloved, that's who this is talking
to, the beloved of the Lord. Beloved, now are we the sons
of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know,
we know, that when He shall appear, we shall be like Him, for we
shall see Him as He is. Fifthly, we know that we've passed
from death unto life. We read that a moment ago, chapter
3, verse 14. We know that we've passed from
death unto life because we love the brethren. He that loveth
not his brother abideth in death. We know that we've passed from
death to life. It's not speculation. We know. We've got confidence.
We've got some assurance. We've found comfort in knowing
that we've passed from death unto life. We know that Christ
abides in us. Look at chapter three, verse
24. And he that keepeth his commandments
dwelleth in him and he in him and hereby we know that he abideth
in us by the spirit which he hath given us. Let me tell you
something else that we know. We know the spirit of truth and
the spirit of error God's people do. I'm telling you, God's people
won't hear anything but the truth. Just won't. No, sir, they won't. Look at chapter 4, verse 6. We are of God. He that knoweth
God, heareth us. And he that is not of God, heareth
not us. Hereby know we the Spirit of
truth, and the spirit of air. God's people know. Oh, I'm telling
you, they do. We know that we dwell in Him.
Look at verse 13 of chapter 4. Hereby know we that we dwell
in Him, and He in us, because He hath given us His Spirit. Notice the language of Scripture.
He's given to us. For God so loved that He gave. freely, freely given. We know
and believe that God loves us. Look at verse 16 of chapter 4. And we have known and believed
the love that God hath to us. God is love, and he that dwelleth
in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. And then down in
verse 19 it says we know Or it says, we love Him. We know this. We love Him because He first
loved us. We know that God hears us and
provides our petitions and desires. Chapter 5, verse 15. And if we know that He hears
us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that
we desired of Him. Now, let me say this, a true
child of God has their petitions and their desires provided of
God because their petitions and their desires are according to
the will of God. Now, if you go home today and
pray for a new Mercedes or a big house on a hill, God, James said,
you have not because you ask not, and when you ask, you ask
amiss that you may consume it upon your lust. A true child
of God's not gonna ask for something so that they may consume it upon
their lust. So we know that God hears us
and provides our petitions for us when we ask according to His
will. We know, we know these things.
We're confident of these things. We're not confident because of
us, we're confident because of Him. We know that whosoever is
born of God sins not. Look at verse 18 of chapter five. We know We know that whosoever
is born of God sinneth not, but he that is begotten of God keepeth
himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not. We know that we are of God. Look
at verse 19. And the whole world, those without
Christ, lieth in wickedness. And we know all these things,
friends, because we know that God has come and given us an
understanding, verse 20. And we know that the Son of God
has come and hath given us, there's that word again, an understanding
that we may know Him that is true. Now pay close attention
to this word. The Son of God's come. He's given
us an understanding. He's revealed this to us. That
we may know Him that is true. And we are in Him that is true.
Even in His Son, Jesus Christ, this is true God in eternal life.
Now He gives us a lot of things there that we know. We know and
believe that Christ became a man and dwelt among us. We know that. We know that's not some fictional
story. It really did happen. We know that God has revealed
Christ to us and in us. We have an understanding because
God gave us an understanding. God revealed these things to
us. We know that He is true God and
true salvation. Jesus Christ is God. In the beginning
was the Word, the Word was with God, and the Word was God. We're
looking at that in our Sunday school. We know these things. He's true God and true salvation. We know that we're in Him. And
salvation is found in being in that ark of God, just as Noah
was. We know that true salvation is
even in God's Son, Jesus Christ. We know that Jesus Christ is
true God. We know that Jesus Christ is
eternal life. And because of these things,
we assume nothing. We have great comfort. God's
people have great comfort, great hope, great assurance and confidence
in the Lord Jesus Christ. He is our wisdom. He's our righteousness. He's our sanctification. He's
our redemption. Friends, He's all in and all. He's all I need. He's all that
God requires. He's all in and all. Mr. Spurgeon once said that it takes
many educated Bible scholars and preachers a week to describe the way of salvation to sinners. And God uses one word with four
letters to do so. God says, look. Look. Look unto Me and be ye saved,
is what the Lord said. I say to you this morning, one
word, four letters. Look to Him. He's your assurance. He's your confidence. He's your
hope. He's your comfort. Amen.