And it's wonderful to be able
to meet with God's people and it's such an honor and a privilege
to proclaim God's word and the truth of his word. It's just
incredible. Open your Bibles if you would
to Psalm 119. Psalm 119. We'll read verses 49 to 56. Name of the message is, what
is your comfort? What is your comfort? People are comforted
by all different things, but what is your comfort? What is
your comfort? What's your comfort for eternity?
What's your comfort in this world? What is your comfort? Psalm 119, verses 49 to 56, remember
the word unto thy servant, upon which thou hast caused me to
hope. This is my comfort in my affliction,
for thy word hath quickened me. The proud have had me greatly
in derision, yet I have not declined from thy law. I remember thy
judgments of old, O Lord, and have comforted myself. Who hath
taken hold upon me because of the wicked that forsake thy law?
Thy statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage.
I have remembered thy name, O Lord, in the night and have kept thy
law. This I had because I kept thy
precepts. What is your comfort? The comfort of God in time of
trial for God's people is the theme of this section. And we are often in times of
trial. in affliction. I love what Brother
Scott Richardson said. The believer is either going
into trouble, in trouble, or coming out of trouble. It's so
true. It's so true. Those words are
so true. So what is the believer's comfort
during those times? The psalmist here says, this
is my comfort in my affliction. For thy word hath quickened God's Word for the blood-bought
redeemed saint of God during times of trial and suffering
becomes more and more precious to the believer. How many times have we been going
through a situation or a trial and we open up God's Word and
we start to read And the peace of God, which passes
all understanding, floods our hearts and our souls and our
minds. We find great comfort in knowing
that our God is absolutely sovereign and that he's in control of the
situation that we're going through and in control of all the situations
that are occurring in the world at that time. And it brings great
comfort to the believer. So the word of God is precious
to the believer. What strength from a text of
scripture when applied by the Holy Spirit in time of need will
breathe into the believer? What strength we will receive
from a scripture when the Holy Spirit applies it to our lives?
What strength it gives us? What hope? It's like we're revived
again. It's like we're revived again. And think of this, there's more
said in one text of the Holy Bible than in all the volumes
of human composition. There's more said in one verse.
For the believer. we get such peace and joy from
the Word of God. One line of the Holy Scriptures
can bring such joy, such comfort, such peace to the believer when
in time of need, when the Holy Spirit illuminates that scripture
and brings the comfort of Christ to the believer's heart. And
I can testify that it's happened time and time and time again
to me. And I know if you're a believer,
it's happened to you too. And it's marvelous. It's wondrous. In the Word of God, we see the
wisdom of the Eternal. We see the wisdom of the Eternal
Jehovah. The words of Jehovah. And by
the Word of God, we learn of Christ. When the Holy Spirit
illuminates the Scripture after we're born again, and then He
illuminates the Scripture, and we learn of one who He didn't
know before. We learn of our great majestic
God, who's sovereign, and rules and reigns. And then we learned
that our God became a man, the Lord Jesus Christ, to redeem
His people from their sins. And the Word becomes a light
unto our path. It's like a mine that's full
of gems. Full of gems and jewels for the
believer. And we're comforted by the preaching
of the Word and by the teaching of the Word. And it's wonderful
to us. It tells us of He who is the
Word incarnate. The Lord Jesus Christ. God incarnate in the flesh. It
tells us that He is the only Savior of sinners. And the believer
says, I'm a sinner. And he's my savior. And what great comfort the word
of God brings us when it tells us that there's only one mediator
between God and man, the man, Christ Jesus. And the believer
says, he's my hope. And he's my comfort. And he's
my rest. Forever, O Lord, thy word is
settled in heaven. Thy word is a lap unto my feet
and a light unto my path. Thy word is very pure, therefore
thy servant loveth it. Do you love the word of God?
Oh, God's people say, yeah, I love the word of God. I love it. Thy word is true from the beginning
and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth forever. God's righteous judgments endure
forever. Our Master, the Lord Jesus Christ
Himself, proclaimed these wondrous words about the Gospel. Turn,
if you would, to John chapter 17. These wondrous words about
the Gospel of the good news of a substitutionary life and death
which we have in the Word of God. In the Lord Jesus Christ,
He's our life. He gave Himself. by his death
to redeem his people from their sins. Look in John 17 verses
14 to 20, 21 in our Lord's great high priestly prayer. Look what our master proclaims
in verse 14, he says, I have given them thy word. And the world has hated them. Because they are not of the world.
God's people, this world's not our home. We're just passing
through, aren't we? We're strangers and pilgrims.
We seek a better country, beloved. And the gospel is good news from
a far country. It's good news from a far country.
Good news for sinners from a far country. Because they are not
of the world. And even as I'm not of the world,
he came down from heaven. to redeem his people from their
sins. And now he's ascended back to heaven, back to glory. And
he's seated at the right hand of the Father, interceding for
his people. I pray not that thou shouldest
take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them
from all evil. And does not the Lord keep his people? Yea, he
does, doesn't he? Time and time and time again.
Left to ourselves, we'd be gone. But he keeps us, beloved. He
keeps us. They are not of the world, even
as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth.
Thy word is truth. His word is truth. As thou hast
sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into
the world. And for their sakes I sanctify
myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.
Neither pray I for these alone, and he's talking about his disciples,
but for them also which shall believe on me through their word.
That's me, beloved. And if you're a believer, that's
you. He's talking about us. It's wonderful. He's talking
about all his sheep through all the ages. That they all may be one. And
we're one in Christ, aren't we? He's the head, we're the body.
As thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee. that they also may
be one in us, that the world may believe that thou hast sent
me. Oh, this word is wondrous. And it speaks of our master,
it speaks of Christ. Let's go back to our text. An outline which could be used
for this portion of this psalm is hope and affliction comes
from God's words that points Us to Christ, verse 49, and reading
and meditating upon God's word during affliction produces comfort
because Christ has told us that he will never leave us nor forsake
us. And we see that in verse 50. And even in times of trouble
caused by the wicked, verses 51 to 53, God will crush his
enemies and here crush our enemies. He does time and time and time
again. And then the word of God comforts
the believer during their pilgrimage to this world, a word of God
also In the believer's night sessions, which are times of
trouble or affliction, the word of God comforts us with the promises
of God in and through Christ. And we see that in verses 54
to 56. So let's look at our text here
in Psalm 119, starting in verse 49. Remember the word unto thy
servant, which thou has caused me to hope. Now, we as humans
forget things quite often. We do. Why do we need to hear
the gospel over and over and over again? Because we forget.
We do. We do. But God is not unrighteous like
we are. God will never forget his promises
to his people, to his servants. He never will forget. Hebrews
6.10 says this, for God is not unrighteous to forget your work
and labor of love, which ye have showed toward his name, and that
ye have ministered to the saints and do minister. So we often
forget, but God doesn't. So the psalmist brings before
us our great God, brings before our great God the precious promises
which are found in his word. The psalmist has received the
promises of God. He's embraced the promises of
God. with all his heart, and now he entreats the Lord to deal
with him according to his word. Notice, remember thy word unto
thy servants. The psalmist does not fear a
failure in the Lord. No, not at all. And the Lord's
remembering his promises to him, but he makes use of the promise
as a plea. As a plea. And when we think
upon our sin, when we're convicted of our sin, do we not cry out
to the Lord? We do, don't we? Lord, remember thy word of pardon
to me in Christ. Oh, forgive me, Lord. Remember your promises to me
that you remember my sins and iniquities no more, and we repent
and cry out to him, don't we? We still confess our sin to God.
We're forgiven, but we still cry out to him in repentance,
don't we? Oh, Lord. Now the thief on the cross cried
out to the Lord saying, remember me. And he said unto Jesus, Lord,
remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And the psalmist
is saying here, remember the word, the word unto thy servant,
remember me. The thief said, remember me.
And the Lord said, today you'll be with me in paradise. Job also
prayed, turn if you would to Job chapter 14, Job chapter 14. Job prayed the Lord would appoint
him a set time and remember him. Job chapter 14, verse 13. Oh, that Thou wouldest hide me
in the grave, that Thou wouldest keep me secret until Thy wrath
be past, that Thou would appoint me a set time and remember me.
Oh, that Thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that Thou wouldest
keep me secret until Thy wrath be past. Beloved, we are hidden
Christ. We are hidden Christ. And His
wrath is past. It's been appeased in Christ.
being appeased in him, that thou wouldst appoint me a set time,
and remember me. And he sees us in Christ. So
in our text, let's go back to our text now, in our text the
psalmist cries out to God to remember his servant. And this
refers to a faithful follower of God. One who has fled to Christ. One who has fled to Christ. And
Christ alone. One to whom Christ is the refuge
of their soul. The one who seeks and hopes in
God, is Christ this for you? The believer rests all in Christ. And knows and hopes in him, in
the God of the Bible, and knows the hopes in the promises of
God's word. And the psalmist writes, Remember
the word unto thy servant upon which thou has caused me to hope.
Remember this, beloved, the Lord has not forgotten a single promise
to a single believer. It's wonderful. Note the text
proclaims upon which thou has caused me to hope. This is the cry of every blood-bought
saint of God. Thou has caused me to hope. I
used to hope in myself, did you? I used to hope in my works. Did
you? Or do you still? God has caused me to hope on
Christ. Is it so with you? I hope and pray that if it's
not so, that he would make it so. And the psalmist here says,
thou has caused me to hope. You see who he's giving the praise
to? You're giving the praise to God.
And again, this is the cry of every blood-bought saint of God.
We can look back to a time in our lives when we had no hope.
Or we had a false hope. We look to ourselves. But here
our text proclaims, that was cause me to hope. That was cause
me to hope. So let us remember first that
the promises made to us from God's free mercy and grace is given to us and comes from
Him alone. Because faith is a gift of God,
isn't it? It's a gift of God. That was causing me to hope.
That was causing me to hope. So we can draw forth from this
verse that our salvation is from Him. It's from Him. And from
Him alone. He is the hope of our salvation.
Christ alone is, as one commentator said, the certainty of our salvation. The certainty of our salvation
drawn from himself and not from us. The certainty of our salvation
is drawn from Christ and not from us. It's all because of
what he's done. It's all because of his work.
And I ask everyone in this room, what is your hope in this life?
And what is your hope for eternity? What is your hope in this life?
And what is your hope for eternity? The believer proclaims their
hope with a hymn writer. My hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus' blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest
frame. but wholly lean on Jesus' name. On Christ the solid rock I stand,
all other ground is sinking sand." So the believer clings to the
promises of God that He has given to us by His grace through His
Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. And the believer has hope in
the promises of God And God will surely never disappoint His people,
never disappoint that hope which He has given to us, which He's
given to us. Thus the psalmist cries out,
remember the word unto thy servant upon which thou hast caused me
to hope. And what a hope the believer
has in Christ for this life and for eternity. Which brings us
to our next and main verse here. Verse 50. This is my comfort
in my affliction, for thy word hath quickened me. Again we see
in our text in verse 50 that hope and affliction comes from
God's word. Comes from God's word. When we
read it and when we meditate upon it. I read a Spurgeon sermon
this week about meditating on the word of God and I loved it.
He brought out how in our reading, if there's a verse that just
strikes our heart, take that verse and just run it in your
mind through the day and meditate upon it. Meditating is just thinking
about the verse, just running it in your head. And he said,
and oh, what sweetness will come out of that verse as you think
upon it through the day. And the Holy Spirit applies it
to your hearts. It's so comforting. It's absolutely
wonderful. So as we read and meditate upon
God's Word during times of affliction, it produces what? Comfort. Comfort
for the believer. Comfort. Hope. Hope through affliction. Why? Because it points us to
the one who is the object of our hope. The Lord Jesus Christ. It points us to Him, doesn't
it? It points us away from ourselves. It points us away from our affliction. and points us to the only one
who can bring us comfort, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus
Christ. Oh, He's our hope. And this is my comfort and my
affliction for thy word hath quickened me. Quickened there
in the Hebrew means to live. to live, to have life, to sustain
life, to be quickened, be alive, be restored, to quicken, revive,
refresh, to cause, to grow. This is what it does, doesn't
it? The Word of God does all those things for us. It's wonderful. Turn, if you
would, to Ephesians 2. We'll tie this in. It says, This
is my comfort and my affliction, for thy word hath quickened me.
Right? Again, quickened there in the
Hebrew means to live, have life, sustain life, be quickened, be
alive, be restored to life, to quicken, revive, refresh, to
cause, to grow. Look at this in Ephesians 2.
Now, with that verse in mind, Let's go to Ephesians chapter
2. Remember too, faith cometh by
what? Hearing and hearing by what? The Word of God, right?
Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Ephesians chapter 2, verses 1
to 10. And you, now Paul's writing to
believers, he's writing to the Ephesians believers. And you
hath he quickened, we know that's born again. You're regenerated. who were dead in trespasses and
sins. And don't let anyone tell you
anything else. Dead there means dead. It doesn't mean mostly
dead. It means dead. Graveyard dead. No ability. No ability to give
yourself life. No ability to become alive. But
the Word of God, what does it do? It quickens us, doesn't it?
We're regenerated by the Holy Spirit of God. Faith cometh through
hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. And you, hath he quickened,
were born again, who were dead in trespasses and sins. Where
in times past ye walked according to the course of this world,
according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit
that now worketh in the children of disobedience, among whom also
we all had our conversations in times past in the lusts of
our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind,
and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. You
couldn't tell one of God's lost sheep from a goat. You couldn't, but God knows,
God knows. Look at verse four. But God who
is, and oh, there's a portion for us to burn into our mind,
but God who is rich in mercy. Oh, God's so rich in mercy, beloved. For his great love, and that's
an everlasting, eternal love that God has for his people,
and it's a great love. It's a great love, beloved. For
His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in
sins. He's loved His people with an
everlasting love that spans back from all the way back to eternity
past, all the way to eternity future. Oh, what a great love
God has for His people. Even when we were dead in sins,
hath quickened us together with Christ. By grace ye are saved.
Now note here, it says, Even when we were dead, and dead again
means dead in sins, hath quickened us, born again together with
Christ. And look at this, it says, by
grace ye are saved, right? And hath raised us up together
and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that
in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of
his grace in his kindness towards us through Christ Jesus. So God's
people are monuments, trophies of the grace of God for eternity. for eternity. And then look at
this. I always like to say, in case
you didn't get it in verse five, he repeats it again. Look at
this. For by grace are you saved. Through faith. And look at this.
And that not of yourselves. That means not your works, not
something you think, not something you do. That means not of us. What did the psalmist say? You
cause me to hope. You've caused me to hold, I didn't
cause myself to hold. And that not of yourselves, it
is the gift of God, not of works. And that means, now works too,
works means anything you can think or anything you can do. That's what works means there.
You look up the definition of works in the English dictionary,
it's things you not just do physically, it's things you think you can
do too. Not of works, lest any man should
boast, because man likes to boast. It's in us, we like to boast.
But look at this, for we are his workmanship. He is the Alpha
and the Omega of our salvation. Created in Christ Jesus unto
good works, which God hath ordained. God hath before ordained that
we should walk in them. So what a truth is brought forth
here. We who were dead in trespasses and sins, we who are born again
by the Holy Spirit of God can see here how faith cometh by
hearing and hearing by the Word of God. And this Word, this Word
before us, this Word that brings comfort to the psalmist is life-given
Word, beloved. It's a life-given Word. It's
a life-given Word. It's a Word of refreshing. It's
a Word which brings comfort. and joy through affliction. Let's
go back to our text in Psalm 119, verse 50. Again, it's a
word which brings joy and comfort and affliction for the believer
who's born again by the Holy Spirit of God. As the Holy Spirit
illuminates the scripture, and he must illuminate it, right?
Or whenever, we'll never know. Just words on paper for us. I
remember before the Lord saved me and I read the Bible, it was
just words on paper. There was nothing there for me.
But after the Lord saved me, oh my. My, I'm seeing things
I didn't see before. As the Holy Spirit illuminates
the scriptures and teaches us and causes us to grow and brings
us comfort through affliction. As the word is applied to our
hearts in times of need. It's wonderful. It's absolutely
wonderful. Look at verse 50 again. This
is my comfort in my affliction. For thy word hath quickened me.
The word of God comforts amidst affliction during the pilgrimage
through this world. And we are comforted with the
promises of God and the Holy Scripture. in and through Christ
alone. Now afflictions come to saved
and unsaved, to great men and to lesser known men, to educated
and uneducated. Everyone goes through afflictions,
everyone, everyone. And they can be health related,
they can be financially related, they can be afflictions in the
mind, they can be afflictions in the heart, but we all go through
them, don't we? We all go through them. But here
we have a saint of God proclaiming that during his afflictions,
the word of God is his comfort. Have you ever wondered, how did
I make it before the Lord saved me? You ever wonder that? We were talking about that this
morning. Well, how do we? The Lord keeps us even before
we're saved. It's wonderful. But you think about it, how did
I even live without Christ? How did I? Because now he's everything
to me. He's my hope and my comfort.
Oh, the Lord is so good. He's so gracious to his people.
So gracious to his people. So these afflictions come to
saved and unsaved. But I ask you again, who are
redeemed? Is this not where you find comfort
to during your afflictions? In this word right here. In this
word. Oh, this is where we find comfort.
And note here in our text, the believers, Afflictions are balanced
with comfort from God's word. They're balanced with comfort
from God's word. Notice the psalmist says, my
afflictions. Your afflictions are not my afflictions. Although we go through similar
things, but your afflictions aren't mine, and mine aren't
yours. So the psalmist is right personally.
This is my comfort in my affliction. My affliction. Again, we share
some afflictions, but the psalmist says, these are my afflictions.
He's experiencing them. Just as you and I experience
our own afflictions. And then he says, this is my
comfort. What's your comfort? This is my comfort. Dear my afflictions. The word of God, the word of
God. And this was David's case. Is it so with you? And note here,
each tribe child of God can say, this is my comfort. Thy word
is my comfort. In these pages of this wonderful
book I read about my Savior in the Old Testament, I see Him
in type, in shadows, and I'm comforted at how God cares for
Israel all through the Old Testament, knowing that that is a picture
of how He cares for His church, and watches over us, and preserves
us, and keeps us. And it brings me comfort. Does
it bring you comfort? It's wonderful. It's wonderful. In Genesis, I
see Adam and Eve clothed with skins of a lamb and know this
pictures my being clothed in the righteousness of Christ.
In Exodus, I see the blood on the lentils. And I see how the
death angel passes by when he sees the blood. And I'm reminded that when God
sees the blood of Christ on me, He passes over my sin. Because I'm under the blood of
Christ. And this brings me great comfort. Is it so with you? in Leviticus when I read about
the great day of atonement and see Christ in type and picture
as the priest and the offering and the sacrifice itself. And
I see Him in the scapegoat bearing away, bearing away all my sins
so that God remembers my sin no more. And I see the fit man
and know that's Christ. And know that Christ is the only
fit man, the sinless one. And that He's taken away all
my sins and this brings me great comfort. Is it so with you? Amidst trials and afflictions
and troubles, book by book, we can pull out examples of how
God sustains his people and cares for them all through the New
Testament and through the Old Testament. We see the gospel
of our Lord Jesus Christ proclaim the gospel of the finished work
of Christ. And what he has accomplished
This brings such comfort to my soul. Is it so with you? Such hope. Such hope. Such joy. Such comfort that no matter what
we're experiencing at the time, we look to Him. And this is my comfort, the Word
of God. Is it so with you? and think how different this
is from the people of the world. Worldly men and women find their
comfort in other things, things which they prefer. But the believer
looks to his experience of the Word and says, this is my comfort. Time and time and time again,
the Lord Jesus Christ is my comfort. And this Word tells me all about
Him. Turn, if you would, to Psalm
chapter 4. Psalm chapter 4. Verses 6 to 8. There be many who say, who will
show us any good? Lord, lift thou up the light
of thy countenance upon us. Thou hast put gladness in my
heart more than in the time that their corn and wine is increased. The believer has more joy than
the richest man in the world. I will both lay me down in peace
and sleep, for Thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety." How
many times through the trial and affliction are you able to
pillow your head at night and have a sound sleep? Oh my. Knowing that if I worry
about this, it ain't going to change anything. Is it? My hope is in the one who keeps
all things, who neither slumbers nor sleeps. Let's go back to our text. This
is my comfort in my affliction, for thy word hath quickened me.
Now note, this comfort for the believer comes from the word
of God. Our text continues, Thy word hath quickened me. The word
here comforts and quickens the believer. It is the word of God
and it is full of promises and is for our comfort. In Romans
chapter 15 the scriptures proclaim this, We then that are strong
ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please
ourselves. Let every one of us please his neighbor for his good
to edification. For even Christ pleased not himself,
but it is written, The reproaches of them that reproach thee fell
on me. For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written
for our learning. So we learn from this word. We
learn from this word. For our learning. that we through
patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. That through
afflictions and trials that we might have hope. And we glean
hope, don't we? Our hope grows in Christ as we
read about our wonderful Savior through his words. Rose. It grows. Now the God of patience
and consolation grant you to be like minded one toward another,
according to Christ Jesus, that she may with one mind and one
mouth glorify God, even the father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans
chapter 15 verses 1 to 6. Turn, if you would, to Psalm
77. The word of God is comforting for the believer. It's full of
records of his goodness. Do you know that the scriptures
are full of records of his goodness to his people? It's full of records. It testifies of His goodness
to His people. His goodness in His works of
providence. The Word of God testifies of these things. And His goodness
in His works of redemption. It reports on these things, doesn't
it? Isaiah said, Who hath believed our report? Oh my, look at Psalm
77 verses 5 to 14. I have considered the days of
old, the years of ancient times. I called to remembrance my song
in the night. I communed with mine own heart
and my spirit made diligent search. Verse 7. Will the Lord cast off
forever? Will he be favorable no more?
Is his mercy clean gone forever? Doth his promises fail forevermore? Hath God forgotten to be gracious?
Hath he in his anger shed up his tender mercy, Selah? And
I said, this is my infirmity. But I will remember the years
of the right hand of the Most High. I will remember the works
of the Lord. Surely I will remember thy wonders
of old. I will meditate also of all thy
work and talk of thy doings. How do we meditate on all his
works? By reading in the Scriptures
the wondrous works that he's done. That he's done. And talk
of thy doings. We proclaim, look what our God
has done. He's amazing. He's sovereign,
He's almighty, He's all-powerful, and He's redeemed me from my
sins. Oh my! Thy way, O God, is in
the sanctuary. Who is so great a God as our
God? Who? Who? No one. All other gods
are false gods. But our God is the one true living
God. Thou art the God that doest wonders. Oh, and God's people can testify
just in their own salvation. He does wonders. He saved a sinner
like me. Donny Bell and I were talking
the other day, and Donny, we were talking about someone and
praying for them that the Lord would save them, and Donny said,
well, the Lord saved us, brother. He can save anyone. Yeah, amen,
that's right. He's done wondrous things. He
saved me. He saved my soul. Oh, my. Thou art the God that
doest wonders. Thou hast declared thy strength
among the people. And he has, he's declared his
strength, right? He's able to save. He's able to save. We can't save ourselves, but
He is able to save. Oh my. And we testify. We testify. And we've seen in His Word. And
it's been our experience in our lives as we contemplate the wonders
of redemption in Christ Jesus through the Word. And we contemplate
the wonders of how God delivers His people time and time and
time again from afflictions and trials and situations. And He's
always done this for His people. He's always done this. The Word
of God is full of power. It strengthens us during all
situations in life. Ecclesiastics 8.4 says, where
the word of the king is, there's power. This is the word of the
king, beloved. This is the word of the king
of the universe. And there's power in the word.
There's power in the word. It is the word of the king. And
who may say unto him, what doest thou? Who can say to God, what
are you doing? No one. No one. What power is
in the word of God? It's the word of the king. And
we, in this wondrous Word, see how David has been delivered
from death and how he has been kept from falling. Turn, if you
would, to Psalm 116. And we see ourselves in David,
beloved. We see ourselves in David. Psalm
116, verses 1 to 9. I love the Lord because He hath
heard my voice and my supplications, because He hath inclined His
ear unto me. Therefore will I call upon Him
as long as I live. And this is the cry of the believer.
I'll call upon Him as long as I live, as long as I have breath.
The sorrows of death can pass me, and the pains of hell hold
upon me, and I found trouble and sorrow. Then call I upon
the name of the Lord. O Lord, I beseech Thee, deliver
my soul. Gracious is the Lord and righteous,
yea, our God is merciful. The Lord preserveth the simple,
I was bought low and he helped me. Return unto thy rest, O my
soul. Oh, return unto thy rest, O my
soul. For the Lord hath dealt bountifully
with me. Oh, and he has. He's dealt bountifully
with us in Christ, beloved. He has. For thou has delivered
my soul from death. Oh, mine eyes from tears and
my feet from falling. I will walk before the Lord in
the land of the living. When we read the word of God,
we are drawn away again from the things of this world, from
the cares of this world, and from the troubles of this world.
And it brings us great comfort to see Christ. And it brings
us great comfort to our soul in all situations, beloved. And
may we who are the redeemed of the Lord adore God's distinguishing
grace. If you have felt the power and
authority of this word upon your conscience, if you can say as
David, thy word hath quickened me, then praise God because he's
made his word effectual to you. He's made his word effectual.
In all the free grace of God that he should send out his word
and heal thee. That he should heal thee and
not others. That same scripture which to some is a dead letter
is a saver of life unto thee. This is the grace of God. This
is the distinguishing grace of God in Christ. And through the
Word of God, we see the almighty power of God as we read of His
wondrous works. And this will give the believer
great comfort during particular trials that we go through in
our lives. And we are comforted by the Word
of God. It gives us strength to continue
in hope. It gives us hope, doesn't it? In the midst of all the trials
that we face, it gives us hope. It gives us hope. And the Bible is a, one commentator
said, the Bible has a song for all seasons and the Psalm for
all places. I love reading the Psalms of
David. I see myself so many times through the Psalms, all the Psalms,
not just David's Psalms, but the whole book of Psalms. It's
wonderful. It's wonderful. So what's your comfort? What's
your comfort? Let's go to Isaiah chapter 40,
Isaiah chapter 40. And we see a very clear picture
presented of how the Word of God is a comfort to God's people.
The Babylonian captivity is predicted in the preceding chapter, in
verse 39, and here in chapter 40, we have bought before us
the comfort for God's people as a deliverance is promised.
It's expressed in such terms in the clearest and strongest
manner to set forth the redemption and salvation which is only in
and through Christ Jesus our Lord. And what a picture, what
a picture we have before us. Isaiah chapter 40 verse 1, Comfort
ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. How then are God's people comforted?
Well, let's read this portion and let's look at the fact that
we are forgiven by the sacrifice of the Lamb of God, the Lord
Jesus Christ. And we see that in verse 2, which
speaks of the elect of God being pardoned in Christ. Speak ye
comfortably to Jerusalem and cry unto her that her warfare
is accomplished. It's accomplished. That her iniquity
is what? Pardoned. How does that bring
comfort to the believer's soul? Her iniquities pardon. For she
hath received in 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. And we that believe are comforted
by the gospel of God's free and sovereign grace. The way to God
is made known, the hindrances are eliminated. and the way is
made very plain. 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. God's
people are comforted by His Word, and that the glory of God is
manifest by the preaching and revelation of the Lord Jesus
Christ and Him crucified. Look at verse 5. And the glory
of the Lord shall be revealed. And it's revealed in Christ,
beloved. And all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth
of the Lord hath spoken it. And then look at verses 10 and
11. We are comforted by God's Word, which tells us of the fact
that our God reigns, and that He alone is in complete and utter
control. Actually, let's read from 10
to 18. Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hands, and His
arms shall rule for Him. Behold, His reward is with Him,
and His work before Him. Christ came here on a mission.
His work was before him. He must redeem his people from
their sins. he shall feed his flock like
a shepherd, he shall gather his lambs with his arm, and carry
them in his bosom. We are carried in the everlasting
arms of God, beloved, the Lord Jesus Christ, and shall gently
lead those that are with young. Who hath measured the waters
in the hollow of his hand? Now here we've seen the greatness
of our God proclaimed, and meted out heaven with the span, and
comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed
the mountains and scales and the hills and the balance? Who
hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being His counsellor,
hath taught Him? God needs no counsellors, beloved.
And remember, how much comfort this can bring us. This is our
God. This is our Saviour. With whom took He counsel, and
who instructed Him and taught Him in the paths of judgment,
and taught Him knowledge, and showed to Him the way of understanding?
Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket. Now think of all
the nations in this world. They're like a drop of a bucket
to our God. And yet he became a man to redeem
his people from their sins. And are counted as small of the
dust in the balance. That's when you've got a scale
and there's just a little bit of dust on it. But not enough
dust that it would make the scales weigh more. It's just the dust
of the balance. That's what that means. So all
the nations of the world are just counted like the dust of
a balance to the Lord, just like the dust of the balance. Oh,
my. Behold, he taken up the aisles
as a very little thing in Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor
the beast thereof sufficient for a burnt offering. All nations
before him are as nothing, and they are counted to him less
than nothing in vanity. To whom then will you like in
God? There's no one like Him. That's the answer, isn't it?
There's no one like Him. There's no one. Or what likeness
will you compare unto Him? O beloved, who is like unto our
God? We find comfort in the Word of
God amidst afflictions, knowing that our God is God. And that He is solitary in His
glory. And He is solitary in His might
and in His power. He never has and He never will
have anyone challenge Him. He is the God of the universe.
He will never abdicate His throne. He is supreme and almighty. And
what a comfort is found in verses 28 to 31. Has 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. So remember this, in the midst
of our afflictions, in our trials, He never faints. He's always
there. He's ever watching us. He giveth
power to the faint. He's the one who strengthens
us. When we're going through a trial or tribulation, He gives
us strength. He gives us power. He gives power
to the faint. And to them that have no might,
He increases in strength. In our weakness, He is strong."
Right? It's wonderful. Even the youth
shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall.
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.
Oh, what comfort. What comfort is here before us
in Christ Jesus our Lord. Comfort ye, comfort ye my people,
saith your God. This is the responsibility of
every true called man of God. And I pray that God has comforted
his people today through the preaching of his word and that
we can leave here with David and say, this is my comfort in
my affliction for thy word hath quickened me. Gracious Heavenly
Father, we thank Thee for the time that we've had together.
We thank Thee for Thy Word. We who are Your people redeemed,
born again of the Holy Spirit of God, we thank Thee that You
have given us an understanding and given us ears to hear and
eyes to see Thee. Oh, what comfort we can glean
in Thy holy scriptures. Oh, as we read Isaiah 40 there
and see the marvelous works of thy redemption, marvelous things
that you have done. And as we read in our text and
that we find comfort in thy word and that is you that have caused
us to hope, you who have made us to differ and we glorify thee. And we praise thy mighty name
for thy work, thy works in providence, and thy works in salvation and
redemption, and for thy great works. Oh Lord, we thank thee. We praise thee. We pray you'd
be glorified and magnified, and that you'd use the message for
your glory. In Jesus' name, amen.