Let's take our Bibles once again
and turn with me to the book of John, chapter 14. John 14. I'd like to look at one verse
of Scripture, verse 18. I think it goes just exactly with
what our Lord and told his people back in Jeremiah, John 14, 18, I will not leave you comfortless. I will come to you. The Lord had been with his disciples now
for about three and a half years. He was getting ready to go to
the cross. And he who knows them, oh, much
greater than they'd ever know themselves, knew. They're going to need some comfort. And he told them in verse 16
of chapter 14, he said, I will pray the Father And He shall
give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever." Who, Lord, could that be? He said, even the Spirit of truth,
whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither
knoweth Him. But listen to this precious Word.
He who knows His people, He says, you know Him. He'd given them a heart to know
Him. You know Him, for He dwelleth
with you and shall be in you. Now, I want us just for a few
minutes to stop And I truly pray that the Lord give us some understanding
right here. I need some comfort. I need for the Lord to do something
for me that I can't do for myself. And he who is the truth, whose
word is never going to return unto him void. He who promised, I will not leave you as an orphan. I will come to you. Now, I know this. He said where
two or three are gathered together in my name, I'm in the midst
of you. And I believe He's here. Because
I truly believe that there's some folks here this morning
that's gathered together in His name and wants to hear. I need to learn. I need to be
taught. He who has eternally had a heart for His people. Oh, and that precious electing
grace. I love the truth of election. I chose you. He who has eternally promised I will never forsake the objects
of my mercy. You listen to this word of promise,
Hebrews 13, 5. Hebrews chapter 13. Hebrews 13, 5. Let your conversation
be without covetousness. And be content with such things
as you have. Let your character, let your
conduct be free from the worry, and the craving, and the greed,
the lust, and the focus for material things in this world. Why? For I will never leave thee,
nor forsake thee." I want to believe that. I believe
that and I want to believe it. Lord, I believe. Help mine unbelief.
I've got an old man, and you that know him do too. We've got
an old man. that wants to tell me right now,
Ron, oh, you can't believe that. But I've got a new man that does
believe it. And I struggle. And my old man
and my new man, they war one with the other and they strive
together. But he said, he said, And it's
who said it. I'm not going to leave you comfortless. I will come to you. Turn with me to Genesis 3. When Adam, Eve, was in the garden,
and the Lord told Adam, you may eat of all the fruit of this
garden, Except one. Pointed it out. Now, you can't
eat of this one. And here was a fact. Here was
the fact of the matter. He who saw Adam in the fall before
Adam was ever created, he said, in the day that you eat, you're
going to die. And Adam, with his eyes wide
open, ate of that fruit. And when he
ate of that fruit, I'll tell you what he knew. He knew he
was naked. I don't have a covering before
God. I'm standing naked before God. So he and his wife decided what
they'd do is they'd take them some fig leaves. And they'd sow
those fig leaves together. And the Scripture says in Genesis
chapter 3, verse 8 and 9, from the one who promised, I'm not
going to leave you as an orphan. I'm not going to leave you comfortless.
I'm going to come to you. And here he is in the garden
making good on his promise. Verse 8, Genesis 3, they heard
the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of
the day. And Adam and his wife hid themselves
from the presence of the Lord. God amongst the trees of the
garden and the Lord called unto Adam and said unto him, Where
art thou? And Adam began to try to explain
to God what had happened, how he had gotten in that predicament,
how his wife had offered him that fruit, and he ate it. And there he was, standing before
God, an almighty God who promised, I'm not going to leave you an
orphan. I'm going to come to you. In verse 21, it says, unto
Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins
and clothed them. Oh, that He might clothe me in
the righteousness of His precious Son. Lord, You promised to Your
people Those you've everlastingly loved. Those that your Father
has given Him. Lord, I believe You. I believe that You've shown mercy
to me. I believe, Lord, I have no confidence
in my flesh. I have nothing in me, Lord. All
of my hope is bound up in Your mercy. Lord, clothe me. God's people are pilgrims in
this world. This is a wilderness. And they're
strangers to the world's ways, especially to the world's religion. But they're not left in this
world as orphans. Turn to Hebrews 11. They're not
left as sheep without a shepherd. David said, the Lord is my shepherd. The Lord is my guide. God's people are not left in
an unmerciful world that hates them. They're in it, but they're
not of it. In Hebrews 11, verse 36, The Scripture says concerning
those that He's promised, I'm not going to leave you comfortless
of what's happening to them. Well, these others had trials
of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover, bonds and imprisonment. They were stoned. They were sawn
asunder. They were tempted and slain with
a sword. They wandered about in sheepskins
and goatskins, being destitute. afflicted, tormented, of whom
the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and
mountains and dens, caves of the earth. Wow! Sounds like to me that they've
been forsaken. These all having obtained a good
report through faith. had given them faith. To believe
God. Receive not the promise, God
having provided some better thing for us, that they without us
should not be made perfect. I'm not going to leave you. When
the world forsakes us, God is there. I'll never leave you comfortless. Why? They're the Lord's sheep. Beloved of the Father, bride
of the Lord Jesus Christ, heirs of God, joint heirs with Christ.
Let me ask you this. Which loving parent in here would
leave his children destitute? Which one? Shall he who has eternally
stood as the surety of his people, of the sheep, the one who has
bore the guilt in his own body, the one who has robed them in
righteousness, he who changes not, shall he forsake his own? He who laid down his life for
the sheep, Is He going to leave you to yourself now? Isaiah 49, can a woman forget
her sucking child? That she should not have compassion
on the son of her womb? You mothers who have born children,
nursed them, held them, loved them. The Lord says, They may
forget. Just forget. Yet will I not forget
thee. I'm not going to forget you.
Psalm 2710, When my father and my mother forsake me, then the
Lord will take me up. I will not leave you comfortless. I will come to you. Turn to John
20. After the Lord was raised from
the dead, the Scripture sets forth in John
chapter 20, that He came to Mary Magdalene in the garden. I want
you to look at this. Look at John 20, verse 11. But Mary stood without at the
sepulcher, weeping. And as she wept, and I read these
precious words right here, just listen to this, here she is,
her heart's broken, and she's weeping, and she stooped down
and just looked into the sepulcher. Just looked in. Just trying to
see. And she sees two angels in white
sitting. The one at the head, the other
at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. And they say
unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? And she saith unto them,
Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where
they have laid him. And when she had thus said, she
turned herself back and saw Jesus standing and knew not that it
was Jesus. And Jesus saith unto her, Woman,
Why weepest thou? Whom seekest thou? And she, supposing him to be
the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence,
tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. And Jesus saith unto her, Mary, And that broke her heart. She turned and saith unto him,
Rabboni, which is to say, Master, Lord, it's you. It's you. Lord, I'm looking at you. You did not leave me comfortless.
You came to me. Those two, look at Luke chapter
24. Luke 24. There was two of the
disciples that was on the road to Emmaus, and Scripture says
they were talking about the events that had recently happened. Look
at verse 15-16. came to pass that while they
communed together in reason, Jesus Himself drew near and went
with them. But their eyes were holding that
they should not know Him. They began to talk with Him,
and He was explaining what had transpired in the Scripture says,
In verse 25, then He said unto them, O fools and slow of heart,
to believe all that the prophets have spoken. Ought not Christ
to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?
And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded unto
them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. And
they drew nigh unto the village where they went. He made as though
He would have gone further. But they constrained Him. I wonder
why they did. He moved on their heart. They constrained Him, saying,
Abide with us, for it is toward evening. A day's far spent. He went in and tarried with them.
He came to pass, as He said it meet with Him, He took bread
and blessed it and break it and gave it to them. And when he
did, they'd seen those hands break bread before, just like
that. I've seen that happen before.
When did they see that? Just turn back to Luke 22.19
for just a second. Luke 22.19, the Scripture says, He took bread, He gave thanks,
He break it, gave it unto them, saying, This is my body which
is given for you, this do in remembrance of me. And back in
Luke 24, it came to pass, He said it meet with them. He took
bread and blessed it and break it. And their eyes were opened
and they knew Him. He vanished out of the sight.
And they said, did not our heart burn within us as He opened unto
us the Scriptures? I'm not going to leave you comfortless.
I'm going to come to you. Look at John 20 once again. John 20, verses 19 and 20. His disciples, after His crucifixion,
for hiding, the Scripture says, for fear of the Jews. John 20, verse 19, it says, Then the same
day at evening being the first day of the week, when the doors
were shut, where the disciples were assembled for fear of the
Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, said unto them, Peace
be unto you. When He had so said, He showed
unto them His hands and His side. Then were the disciples glad
when they saw the Lord. Look at verse 24. But Thomas,
one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus
came. The other disciples therefore
said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them,
Except I shall see in His hands the print of nails, put my finger
in the print and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.'
And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas
was with them. Then came Jesus, the doors being
shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.
Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold
my hands, and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side. Be not faithless, but believe
him. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my
God, I'm not going to leave you comfortless. I'm going to come
to you. Oh, weary pilgrim, I know that
the day is long. I know something, just like you
do, the trials of this life and the weariness of this world's
fleeting, fading, empty promises. But you that are pilgrims and
strangers in this world, how often have you been at night
upon your bed and remembered Him and meditated upon Him in
the night watches? During the night, when everything
is always worse, it's always worse at night. Have you ever
noticed that? And in these night watches, when
these things that plague us and bother us, and
while you're laying on your bed and you don't know if you're
awake or asleep, but He comes to His people. You
that know, you know what I'm talking about. And you think
upon the Lord. You know why you do? He said,
because I'm not going to leave you comfortless. I'm going to
come to you. Oh, as you search the Scriptures,
and hear the Gospel preached, and these blessed words that
the Spirit of truth Blessings to your heart. And you, like
those two on the road to Emmaus, our heart just burns. I know His voice. And He speaks. He speaks comfort. And I know this, without Him
I can do nothing. Listen to this word of promise,
Matthew 28, 20, I'm with you always, even until the end of the world." And the believer that hears those
words, he says in his heart, Lord, as You've come to me in
regenerating grapes, Lord, as You've ever kept me,
Lord, come to me afresh. Draw me unto Yourself. Lord, You that has promised,
You never forsake Your own. Never. Could there possibly be a time
when the Lord would not make good on that promise? Let me show you something in
closing. Turn with me to the book of Acts, chapter 17. is something that happened to
one of the Lord's own. I'm talking about one of these
that the Lord said that this world wasn't worthy of. There was a man named Stephen,
and this man Stephen was preaching. And the Scripture says that as
Stephen was preaching, that those that he was preaching to heard
what he was saying. The Scripture sets forth that while Stephen was preaching, they came and started to gape
on him. The Scripture sets forth, but
he being full of the Holy Ghost, He looked up steadfastly into
heaven and saw the glory of God. And Jesus standing on the right
hand of God and said, Behold, I see the heavens open and the
Son of Man standing on the right hand of God. And with that sight, the Lord
manifested to Stephen, I'm not going to leave you. I'm not going
to leave you comfortless. I will come to you." And they stoned Stephen, calling
upon God and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my Spirit. And without
doubt, based totally upon the Lord's Word, Stephen left this
world in perfect comfort, at rest, in peace. And believer, you will too. You will too. I have not seen a whole lot of
things, but I have seen a believer die. And I can tell you this, the
Lord will not leave His people comfortless. He said, I will
come to you. Last verse of Scripture. 1 Thessalonians
chapter 4. 1 Thessalonians 4. The Apostle Paul, under the inspiration
of God's Spirit, says, I would not have you be ignorant, brethren.
Isn't that sweet? God's going to not leave His
people comfortless and be ignorant of what He's going to do. I would
not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which
are asleep, that you saw or not, even as others which have no
hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even
so, them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which
are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not
prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend
from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, with
the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then
we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with
them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall
we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore, comfort one another
with these words. I'm not going to leave you as
orphans. I'm going to come to you. Lord Jesus, come quickly. Amen.