If you have your Bible, turn
back to the Old Testament to the 40th chapter of the book
of Isaiah. Isaiah chapter 40. Let me read the first two verses.
Comfort ye my people, sayeth your God. Speak ye comfortably
to Jerusalem, and cry unto her that her warfare is accomplished,
that her iniquity is pardoned, for she hath received of the
Lord's hand double for all her sin. As I look at this portion
of the Word of God this morning, this chapter is an outstanding
chapter, and Brother Randy mentioned it is a chapter that sets forth
the greatness and glory sovereignty of our great God. And it's a
wonderful joy to be able to take this chapter and break it up
and look at it, think about it, meditate upon it, and assimilate
the spiritual truth that's here into our souls. But let's begin
this morning in the first verse The Word of God says, Comfort
ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. So we have the answer
to the question, who is speaking here? It is our God. It is the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ. It is that God that inhabiteth
eternity that sitteth upon the circle of the earth. Behold your
God. your God is speaking, and he
says to the prophets of God, all those who are sent of God,
those who are the called of God to preach the gospel of the Lord
Jesus Christ, he said, comfort ye, comfort ye my people. They're all to be Barnabases,
they're to be sons of consolation, there to have a message of comfort,
and certainly the message of the glorious gospel of redeeming
grace is indeed a very comforting message unto all who hear it,
to all who are able to hear it. But the Lord said, Comfort ye,
comfort ye My people, My people, those that belong to Me. Now,
we know that there is a time for bringing men down, stripping
men, a time of examination, a time of reproof, a time of rebuke. But this is a time for comfort,
God says. Comfort ye my people. Who is his people? Well, we're
going to answer that question in a little while. We're going
to talk about five of the marks of the people of God, those to
whom our God is truly speaking here. But beloved, we cannot
comfort where God has not comforted. We're not able to do that. unless
God has been pleased to manifest Himself in saving grace and mercy
to your soul, unless He's been pleased to call you out, unless
He's been pleased to give unto you the gift, the great gift
of eternal life through His Son, the Lord Jesus, then, of course,
we cannot comfort you with a gospel message. We cannot comfort where
God is not comforted, and where He's not convicted, and where
He's not converted. Then we have no message of comfort. There is no peace, saith my God
to the wicked. There's no joy, there's no peace
to those who are outside the Lord Jesus Christ. because they're
yet in their sin. And we remember the words of
our Lord Jesus Christ when He said that if you believe not
that I am He, you will die in your sins. And to die in one's
sins means for them to be separated from God for all eternity. They'll be separated from God
and will not be in the presence of God and the holy angels for
eternity. So we cannot comfort where God
is not convicted and saved and where there's not been a new
birth. We're not able to provide any comfort for those folks.
We cannot tell them that there is peace when there is no peace. We cannot tell you that. And
so if you're outside of Christ this day, my friend, we're not
here to comfort you. Because we cannot. We have no
word of solace. We have no word of blessing for
you. But if you be in Christ, then
certainly there is a message of joy. There's good news and
there is food for the table. There's a feast that is fixed
for you if you be a true born-again child of God. But we cannot comfort
those who are in rebellion against God. And if you're here this
day, and you still are in rebellion against God, and you're not subject
to God, you're not bound your knee daily to the Lordship of
Jesus Christ, if you're not submitting yourself to Him, and following
His Word, and walking in His ways, then my friend, we're not
able to comfort you. But now we recognize that this
God who is speaking here, this is His commandment, and He said,
you speak to the heart. That's what it means to speak
comfortably. It means to speak to the heart
of God's people. To say to them the things that
the Word of God furnishes us to say. He said, you speak comfortably
to Jerusalem. And Jerusalem here is the church
of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is the Israel of God. It is
the spiritual Israel of God. It is all of those who are children
of faith as Abraham was. It's all of those who have the
hope of the gospel in their soul. And those that make up the body
of Jesus Christ. Speak ye comfortably unto them
and cry unto her that her warfare is accomplished. There's been
a great battle to take place. And our Lord Jesus Christ on
the cross has conquered all foes. We know that the world, the flesh,
and the devil are the enemies of God's dear people. And we
know that the Lord Jesus Christ, that He has on the cross, that
this was the crisis of the world when He died on the cross. He
defeated every foe of God's people. And certainly He's made an end
of death and an end of sin. And all of God's people are victorious
in the Lord Jesus Christ. And so you tell them that her
warfare is accomplished, and that while we struggle throughout
this life, we do so in faith, and we ought to be more believing
every day we live that our God is going to bring us through.
Because the ultimate triumph is sure in the Lord Jesus Christ. And he will not fail nor be discouraged. And he's already died and dealt
the fatal blow to Satan. And so we need to understand
that these words are to those whom God has saved. And the warfare
for them is accomplished. No more war after this life. It's certain, beloved, that the
victory is in the hands of the crucified Son of the living God. Now her warfare is accomplished,
her iniquity is pardoned, her sin is put away. Her sin is no
longer standing between her and God. The church has been forgiven,
and her sins have been pardoned and put away. And she hath received
of the Lord's hand double for all her sins. Now, what this
means is that the people of God, they suffer chastisement in this
world. Now, nobody has suffered sufficient
chastisement, which we might say is greater than what they
deserve. We know that the Bible teaches
in Hebrews chapter 12, that God chastens every son that He receives. And there's not a person alive
in this room this morning that knows the Lord, that has not
been dealt with by the Father, has not been chastened as a son. Because the Bible says that He
chastens every son that He receives. And if you be without this chastisement,
whereof all are partakers, Then, my friend, you're illegitimate
children. You're not the true children
of God unless you've been a partaker of God's chastisement. Whom the
Lord loveth, He chasteneth. And so the people of God are
chastened, not that God intends to send them to hell, because
no, their sin has been pardoned, but God deals with them as with
children. And so the Lord chastens His
people as He did the ancient Israelites. You know how that
God brought armies against that nation, and how that He humbled
that nation, and how He chastised that nation of Israel. Well, that was receiving, as
it were, the penalty of their rebellion and their sin. And
everyone here has marks upon their life wherein they have
lived in rebellion against God, and God has dealt with them.
And maybe you have some scars this morning that will not go
away. And as long as you live in this
world, those scars are going to be there in your heart, in
your life. And you look around you, and
you see the various circumstances of your life, and you know that
those are are there because of your past life and the way that
you've lived. Well, that's part of the payment.
And then we know also that the Lord Jesus Christ laid down His
life This is the language of the Bible. So they've received
double for their sin, the people of God have. They've been chastened
for their sin, but most of all, the full payment due to the justice
of God has been paid by the Lord Jesus Christ. He bought us with
a great price. The life laid down. His precious
life laid down for us on our behalf. The Lord Jesus Christ
died for us. That's the language of the Word
of God. And so the Lord's people have received double, as it were,
for their sin. Now the sufferings that we have
through chastisement will not cancel out. It did not pay for
our sin. But the debt that Jesus paid,
that was the cancelling of our sin. That was the satisfying
of the justice of God. This was the propitiation that
God looked to. This is what it is that saves
us eternally, is the life of the Lord Jesus Christ as it was
poured out in death on Calvary's Mount. on our behalf. And so the Lord's people have
received from the Lord's hand double for all our sins. And so you might think about
that a little bit. And so don't murmur against the
chastening of the Lord because the Bible says that we forget
sometimes that we, and we despise, we look down on the chastening
of the Lord. But beloved, it is whom the Lord
loveth that he chasteneth, and he chastens every son that he
receives. And so remember that. But now
you know, as we get into this chapter, and we're going to deal
here with the five marks of who are the Lord's people truly. But I wanted to say a few words
about our great God here, as He's revealed here in this chapter. We read over here in verse 9,
the last part of the verse, the prophet is told to lift up his
voice with strength. Lift it up and not be afraid
and say into the cities of Judah, Behold your God. Behold your
God. Look and see your God, the God
that you're to worship, the God who has a comforting message
for His people. Now, beloved, we cannot form
a right and proper view of anything in God's creation if we fail
to see the greatness of the glory of our God, the root of all sin
and the cause of all unbelief. And the source of all heresy
in the world can be found in one thing. All men by nature
have low views of our God. I say unto you, behold, your
God. Satan could not have persuaded
Eve to sin until he convinced her that God was not as great
as she thought that He was. We would never doubt the Word
of God if we did not question the greatness of our God. If we did not question His greatness,
our hearts would be full of faith in our God. Men would never pervert
the gospel if they did not have very low views of God. It is essential that we have
a great view of our great God. And that's why we recommended
to you that you take this chapter apart, that you read it, that
you meditate upon it. Only when we see the greatness
of God will we truly be able to worship, truly be able to
love, truly be able to trust, and to honor Him as the God He
is. Ever entertain great thoughts
of God. May you never allow a thought
to go through your mind. that lowers the character of
God. Anything that lowers God's character
or lessens His greatness is a lie of Satan. Do not tolerate it. Let no doctrine be believed,
no sermon be heard, no song be sung, and no thought be received
which in any way detracts from the greatness of your God. In
all things, at all times, Keep God lifted up in your view and
pray that your view of Him will be exactly the view of Him that's
set forth in the Scriptures. Now let me just illustrate what
I'm talking about here. We all believe that God is great,
do we not? Amen. God is great. Now then,
if you would look at verses 12 through 14 here in Isaiah chapter
40, you will see that God is greater than all the works that
He performs. Let's take the time to look at
this. Who hath measured the waters?
I say He's greater than all the works that He has performed. who hath measured the waters
in the hollow of his hand, meted out heaven with the span, and
comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed
the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance, who hath
directed The Spirit of the Lord, or being His counselor, hath
taught him, with whom took He counsel, and who instructed Him,
and taught Him in the path of judgment, and taught Him knowledge,
and showed to Him the way of understanding. Next, in verses
15 through 17, God is greater than all the nations that He
has allowed to spring up in this world. Behold, verse 15, the
nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small
dust of the balance. Behold, he taketh up the islands
as a very little thing, and Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor
the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt offering. All nations
before him are as nothing, and they are counted to him less
than nothing, and vanity. Thirdly, in verses 18 through
21, we see that God is greater than all the gods, little g-o-d's,
that men have invented. To whom then will you liken God,
or what likeness will you compare unto him? The workman melteth
a graven image, and the goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold,
and casteth silver chains. He that is so impoverished that
he hath no oblation chooses a tree that will not rot, and he seeks
unto him a cunning workman to prepare a graven image that shall
not be moved. Have ye not known? Have ye not
heard? Hath it not been told you from
the beginning? Have ye not understood from the
foundation of the earth? It is he that sitteth upon the
circle of the earth, the inhabitants thereof as grasshoppers, that
stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them
out as a tent to dwell in. Our God is greater than the gods that men have hewed out out of
stone and wood. Then also He is greater than
the very world that He created. This 22nd verse tells us that. It is He that sitteth upon the
circle of the earth. We can read it again because
it's a great verse. And the inhabitants thereof are
as grasshoppers, that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain,
and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in. He's greater than
the very world that He created. And then in verses 23 and 24,
He's greater than the greatest men that the world ever produced. in verses 23 and 24, that bringeth
the princes to nothing, he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity. Yea, they shall not be planted,
yea, they shall not be sown, yea, their stocks shall not take
root in the earth, and he shall also blow upon them, and they
shall wither, and the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble. Isn't this amazing? and that
he's greater than the heavens that are above the earth. Verses
25 and 26. 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,
that is the host of heaven, that is the stars of heaven, he calleth them all
by names, by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong
in power, not one of them faileth. So God is greater than the heavens
above. And then lastly, verses 27 through
31, he's greater far than all our troubles. He's greater than
all our troubles. And let me read these verses,
they're precious. Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and
speakest, O Israel, my way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment
is passed over from my God? Hast thou not known, hast thou
not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator, the
ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? There's no
searching of His understanding. He giveth power to the faint,
And to them that have no might, he increases strength. 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. They shall walk and not faint. Behold your God. Behold your
God in his greatness. His magnificent holiness and
greatness. Now then, this God that we have
attempted to set forth to you in His greatness is the God that
has spoken these words when He said, Comfort ye, comfort ye
My people. And the question is, who are
His people? Who are His people? Now, if this
God is such a great God, and He said He had a people, would
you be interested in knowing who those people are? Just who are these people? Well, He calls them My people,
and we know that this does not include all men. So we have some
marks in the Word of God that points out who these people truly
and really are. First of all, we will say that
these people are His covenant or chosen people. Now, I want
you to listen carefully to the Word of God, and if you cannot
find these verses quickly, we'll be reading them and moving on.
So, we need to get this in before our time is up. In 1 Samuel 12,
verse 22, the Bible says, For the Lord will not forsake His
people for His great name's sake, because it hath pleased the Lord
to make you His people. It's pleased the Lord to make
you, Samuel said this, to the people of God. It's pleased the
Lord to make you His people. And He makes men His people by
choosing them and putting them into covenant relationship with
Him. Listen to Hebrews chapter 8 verse
10 through 13. For this is the covenant that
I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith
the Lord. I will put my law into their
mind, and will write them in their hearts. And I will be to
them a God, and they shall be to me a people. And they shall
not teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying,
Know the Lord, for all shall know me from the least to the
greatest. That is, all my people, those
in whom I am in covenant relationship, they shall all know me. I will
bring them, I will give them a heart to know me, and they
shall know me, the least of them to the greatest. They're going
to know that they belong to God. He's going to write their law,
His law, into their heart and in their mind, and they will
know that God is their God. He is their God. now and that
they're His people. And in verse 12, He said, For
I will be merciful to their unrighteousness and their sins and their iniquities
will I remember no more. Hallelujah! Isn't that wonderful
to know those are behind us, that our sins, our unrighteousness,
God said, I'm going to be merciful to their unrighteousness and
their sins and would you not want to get in on this? My friend,
would you not want to be able, isn't this comforting that you're
a child of God, you're involved in the covenant of grace, and
God's going to be merciful to your unrighteousness and your
sins and your iniquities? And he said, I will remember
no more. I will remember no more. God said, I'll not remember them
anymore. Now God knows everything that
ever happened in his creation. And the Bible says that all things
are naked and open unto him, to whom we have to do. But he
said, I will remember no more the sins of my covenant people. Those that I'm in covenant with,
I will not remember their sins. In that he saith, in verse 13
of Hebrews chapter 8, a new covenant he hath made. The first old,
now that which decayeth and waxeth old, is ready to vanish. The
old covenant of works is gone forever, hallelujah, and God
has made this new covenant with his people wherein he will be
merciful to their unrighteousness and their sins and their iniquities.
He said, I'll remember no more. The old is decaying and it's
vanished away, but the new covenant The covenant of grace, the covenant
of everlasting mercy in the Lord. This covenant is real. This covenant is that which distinguish
the people of God from others in the world. And so are you
in the covenant? Do you have hope through the
death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ? Do
you have reason to believe? that God has chosen you out of
the world, and that God has put His grace and love and mercy
in your heart, in your soul. So if you are one of the covenant
people of God, then this is truly God's own. And then secondly,
they that are God's people are a redeemed people. Now God found
them in their sin. And in every generation, when
God goes out to look for His people, He always finds them
in sin, always finds them in a state of nature, in a state
of rebellion against Him. In Romans 5 and verse 8, the
Word of God says that God has commended His love toward us
in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. while we
were yet sinners. And so we were found by the Lord
when we were in a state of nature and sin. But God could not accept
us as we were. We needed to be redeemed. We needed to be redeemed. That
means that we needed to be bought back from the slave market of
sin. And the Bible says in Matthew
1 and 21, And she, that is Mary, shall bring forth a son, and
thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people
from their sins. And so don't you see that God
has found this people, but they must be redeemed. They must be
purchased. Their sin must be paid for. And this one, whose name is Jesus,
means Savior. And He's going to save His people
from their sins. And in Luke 1, 67 and 68, it
says, And his father, that is, Zacharias, the father of John
the Baptist, was filled with the Holy Ghost and prophesied,
saying, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited
and has redeemed His people. So the Lord has visited and redeemed
His people. Isn't it amazing? Well, how did
He visit? Well, He visited by sending His beloved Son, the
Lord Jesus Christ. And truly, as verse 5 of Isaiah
40 says, And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed. It has
been revealed. And of course, the ministry of
John the Baptist has been talked about in verse 3 and 4. And in
Mark chapter 1, it spells out clearly that that was the beginning
of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, the ministry of John
the Baptist. And so God has visited in the
person of His Son, the earth, and the Lord Jesus Christ has
bought back by paying the price of His life laid down, His people. He bought His people and paid
for them in the full. Now then, we say then that they
are redeemed people, truly redeemed. Now this is an accomplished redemption. It's not one in progress. It
is one that has been accomplished. Can't you, this morning, receive
a little bit of comfort, a little bit of joy into your soul by
knowing that the redemption of the people of God is an accomplished
redemption? And it's so wonderful to be able
to preach about a redemption that is accomplished. It's not
one that anybody is working on. As we said, it's not a work in
progress. It has happened. It happened
at Calvary. It happened when Jesus laid down
His life. And so, beloved, we have been
redeemed. Be comforted this morning in
your heart if you're one of God's redeemed ones. And then thirdly,
These people, His people, they are a called people. That means that in life, as we
live out our days in this world, that we're visited. We're visited
by the Holy Spirit of God and that God calls us out of the
world. He speaks to us through His Word
and draws us unto Himself. We're called. We are thee called
of Jesus Christ. Now in 1 Corinthians, I want
to read a few verses. 1 Corinthians 1 verse 9 says,
God is faithful by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of
his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. And what this means is that when
the gospel goes out, and you hear these comforting words,
and it may be in your own soul, you say, I feel that. I feel that. I'm able to receive
some comfort from that. That Jesus Christ has a chosen
people, and a covenant people, and He has a called people. He
has a redeemed people. And I believe in my own heart
that I have been called. Now in verse 23 of I Corinthians
chapter 1, it says, But we preach Christ crucified unto the Jews
a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness, but unto
them which are called, in verse 24, both Jews and Greeks, Christ,
the power of God, and the wisdom of God. In verse 26, for he said,
For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after
the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. Now, beloved, this calling of
God, this is not a one-sided situation. He loved us, but then
we love Him now. God's people were loved from
all eternity, but there came a time when they loved the Lord
Jesus. We can truly say this morning,
we love Him because He first loved us, but we love Him. Man
is not elected to be saved whether he believes or not. God does
not seek us, but we also seek Him. He does not seek us only,
but we also seek Him. He calls us, but we also call
upon Him, do we not? Have you not called upon the
Lord? The Bible says, Whosoever shall call upon the name of the
Lord shall be saved. So this is not just a one-sided
situation. This works in both situations. In other words, the people of
God are affected, don't you see? So when God calls them, they
call on Him. And when they know God loves
them, then they love God. In return, when they know that
God has been seeking them, then they seek the Lord. Now, we know
the Bible says God is reconciled to us through the death of His
Son, but Paul also said, Be ye reconciled to God. And so you
see, there's two sides to this situation. Have you sought the
Lord? Have you called on the name of
the Lord? Have you been reconciled to God? Have you been? Well,
my friend, if you have, you can say I'm one of the called of
the Lord. I'm one that God has called me
and there's been a response in my life. I have sought the Lord,
called on the Lord, been reconciled unto God. Well, we're talking
about here the people of God and who they are. Now then, the
fourth, and we're hurrying on here, mark of a truth. Believer or one who is one of
the Lord's people is that they are the Bible says in 1st Peter
2 9 a Peculiar people they are a peculiar people now this verse
in 1st Peter 2 9 says but ye are are a chosen generation. We already talked about that.
A royal priesthood means that we're a priesthood being able
to offer up spiritual sacrifices unto God. That is, we're able
to pray, we're able to go to Him and worship Him. We're able
to come into His presence through the new and living way which
He has made. And so we're a living priesthood.
We're a royal priesthood. And we're a holy nation, a holy
people, because we were loved of God, chosen of God, that we
might love Him and that we might be holy without blame before
Him in love. But then He says, a peculiar
people. A peculiar people that ye should
show forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness
into His marvelous light. Now a peculiar people we're to
be in order that we might show forth his praises, in order that
we might show those around us that God has touched our lives. and that the Word of God be in
us, and the Spirit of God dwell in our hearts. Now, the world
does not understand a true believer. He does not understand what makes
a Christian tick. He doesn't know what it is that
causes him to do or them to do the things that they do. He just
can't understand it. Well, beloved, we know it's because
God has made them His own, and He's put His Spirit in them,
and God is at work in them. Paul says in Philippians that
it is God which worketh in you to will and to do of His good
pleasure. So God is at work in you. He's
not at work in all men, but He's at work in the believer. He's
at work in His people. Is God doing anything in you?
Have you ever had a time when you were changed? The Bible says,
if any man be in Christ, he's a new creation. All things have
passed away. Behold, all things have become
new. The world don't understand a
new creature. They're not able to understand
it because they're of the world. They're fleshly minded, and they
know nothing about spiritual truths, and therefore, they do
not understand a believer. He's a stranger to the world,
a very strange thing. He appears to be a strange person
in the world. Now, the world loves their own
kind. Have you ever experienced that?
The world loves their own kind. They get along quite well with
other worldlings, and they're happy in the company of other
worldlings, but they frown upon anyone who is different, anyone
who says, I love Christ. Anyone who says, I love the Lord.
Anyone who says, I believe that I ought to do what God would
have me to do with my life. I believe I ought to lay down
my life daily at His feet, that He might do with me as He pleases,
that He might work His will in me. The world says, you are a
strange person indeed, you are not our kind. You're not our
kind, because you know how that they run to this extent and that
extent of rioting, riotous living, and all kinds of lasciviousness
in this world. Well, the world loves its own,
but God's people are a different people. They're peculiar people,
and I wouldn't want anyone to ever get the idea that a man
or a woman, a boy or a girl, can claim to be a true child
of God, one whom God would speak comfortably to if they live a
life that is contrary to the Word of God and contrary to the
ways of God. My friend, you need to examine
yourself. Did God ever make you a peculiar
person? Did He ever deal with you so
as to change you? so as to show those around you
that He visited you and did a work in you and changed your life. Well, I say that the true people
of God, the ones to whom God would send His prophet to comfort,
they are a peculiar people. And then fifthly, they are a
tried people. a tried people. Now, the Lord's
people are a poor and afflicted people, poor in spirit, not necessarily
poor in pocket, but poor in spirit. God's people are a tested and
a tried people. Now, beloved, this is so important
that we see this because many of the comforting verses of the
Bible would be useless if God's people, His people, were not
tried and tested. But they are indeed tried and
tested. In 2 Corinthians chapter 4, verse
8 and 9, Paul said we are troubled on every side. Do you know anything
about that? We are troubled on every side,
yet not distressed. We are not distressed. We are
perplexed. Were you ever perplexed? Well,
certainly we are on many occasions, but Paul went on to say, but
not in despair. In other words, we don't despair,
but yet we are perplexed. Persecuted, but not forsaken. Cast down, but not destroyed. Now you see, this he's describing
here, the experience of a believer. Somebody's knocking on this door,
I believe. Mitch, would you want to check to see what's going
on out there? This is the experience of one
of the children of God, the tried, the tested people of God, were
troubled on every side, yet not distressed, perplexed but not
in despair, persecuted but not forsaken, cast down but not destroyed. And then in Romans 9, Paul made
this statement, I think it's in verse 2, he says, I have great
heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. Now where is this
it's fun to be saved business or where is this happy all the
time business in the life of a child of God as Paul described
a child of God. So beloved we can have as a believer
we can be tried and we can be tested and we most surely will. Do you know our Lord said in
the world He said you will have tribulation. You will have trouble
in the world. You're going to have trouble
as you go through this world. And another thing that the Lord
Jesus said, He said that through much tribulation you will enter
the kingdom of God. This was echoed by the, this
I think was the interpretation of this truth in John 16 where
it says in the world you'll have tribulation and the disciples
said expect that through much tribulation you'll enter the
kingdom of God. So as the people of God as you
travel through on your pilgrimage You are bound, my friend, to
have a great deal of tribulation, a great deal of trouble. That
word just simply means trouble, plain old home-grown trouble. Do you know anything about that?
Sparks fly upward. The Bible says a man is born
into trouble, and not only is he born into trouble, but if
he's born again, he's born into double trouble. He has different
kinds of trouble, but more trouble if he be a Christian, if he be
a child of God, because there's so many conflicts, so many difficulties
and adverse situations in the world. But I thought in particular
How that these people of God, they mourn over their sin. They have trouble in the flesh. Have you ever had any trouble
in the flesh? Well, most certainly all God's people have. You remember
Isaiah and Job both says, I abhor myself. I abhor myself. Have you ever had an experience
in your life, and you say, I absolutely cannot understand this. I'm a
Christian. I cannot understand my reactions,
I cannot understand my conduct, I cannot understand how this
could have happened, how I could have gotten into this kind of
a situation, I don't understand it. Well, Job and Isaiah said,
I abhor myself. And then the people of God also,
like David, you remember in 2 Samuel 18, that David mourned over his
son Absalom. And many of God's people must
mourn over their children, mourn over their children and their
family, and mourn over relationships. You remember when Absalom was
killed on the battlefield, buried under a huge mound of stones,
that David, when Cushiah came and told him about it, he said,
Absalom, Absalom, my son Absalom, would God that I would have died
for thee. And so they were born often tested and tried to the
bone with their own family, their children, and their relatives. Well, and then I think too that
there are many of God's people who suffer from loneliness. You
remember there was a time when Paul said, they're tried by loneliness. Paul said, no man stood with
me. But he said, When all men forsook
me, the Lord nevertheless the Lord stood by me. And God's people
are often allowed to be alone in order that they might experience
God being with them. And God truly drawing up nigh
them. And you know the world looks
on a child of God as we said, and they do not understand them,
they can't figure them out. The God's people are able to
endure the trials, the tests that come their way because they're
His people. They're His people. They know
Him. And He has manifested Himself to them in such a way, through
comforting messages such as we have here this morning in Isaiah
chapter 40. And they have been able to behold
their God. And they can see Him as He truly
is in the Word. And therefore, they're strengthened
and able to endure all the trials and the tests and the difficulties,
the struggles in this life. May the Lord be pleased this
morning to give you some consolation and comfort. If you truly know
you're this, if you're this one of God's people to whom the message,
the prophet was sent, comfort ye my people, sayeth your God. Comfort ye my people. Father, we ask that you might
take the message and use it, and we pray that it might, our
Father, bear fruit in all of our lives. May we be comforted
indeed in this trying time and this difficult day. And we do
remember, as we close out our service today, we do remember
our nation and we remember all those who are away from home
today and those that are on the battlefield, those who are suffering,
those who are wounded, those who are our father in the hands
of the enemy, and we do remember them and pray for your abundant
mercies toward them. And Lord, we do ask that you
would comfort those who are afflicted and those who are ill, some nigh
unto death. Be thou merciful, O God, unto
them, and do thou strengthen their loved ones to bear all
that they must bear. And our Father, we thank you
again from our hearts this morning for the outcome and your marvelous
and loving mercy toward Eric Grein. We give you praise and
we give you glory. May you receive our worship.
May you receive the praise from this royal priesthood this morning. We ask it in Jesus' name, for
His sake. Amen.