Turn back with me to Isaiah chapter
40. Isaiah 40. If you'll follow along with me,
in your Bible beginning with verse one, we read, comfort ye, comfort
ye my people, saith, your God, the commandment, comfort ye my people. You know, Martin Luther, I'd
read he was a monk in a monastery, cooped up in a small cell, and
he spent a good bit of time trying to establish his own righteousness. before God. Luther was known
for physically beating himself with a whip or a stick. He'd
even sleep outside in the colder weather, in the freezing cold,
seeking to mortify the deeds of the flesh, trying to find acceptance with
God by the by the deeds of the law. And as he was studying the Bible,
as he was reading, he came across this verse of Scripture. The
just shall live by faith. And he read it. And he went on
reading other parts of the Scripture, but this one verse kept coming
back to him. He wasn't living by faith. He
wasn't trying to find redemption by faith. He wasn't looking to
God by faith. Luther was looking to himself.
He was looking to his works. He was looking to the deeds of
the law. Looking to his religious activity. as a way to present himself to
God, as a way to find acceptance with God. Can you imagine the misery? Indeed we can, can't we? The hopelessness he endured.
You know, at one point, I read he was found unconscious out
in the freezing cold. And a few other monks lifted
him up and drug him back inside to thaw him out, likely saving
his life. What misery. What misery. And yet one day, yet day, he found comfort. Not in the deeds of the law,
not in the works of the flesh, but in God's Word, here in God's
Word. One day the Spirit of God led
him to a verse of Scripture that changed his life, changed his
whole trajectory. The just shall live by faith. One day read it. One day the
Lord made it effectual to his heart. And then it came to him, no doubt,
in peace. Peace and joy through the Lord
Jesus Christ. I say all that to say this. There's a time. We read there's
a time for everything under heaven, right? And there's a time to
rebuke. There's a time to reprove. There's
a time to correct. That's what Paul told Timothy.
He said, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine.
But the command here in Isaiah 40? Comfort. Comfort. And it's a command that God gives
his prophets, his pastors, his preachers, his teachers. Comfort. Who's this message for? Who is this message for, we read
of here in Isaiah, that we read throughout God's Word? Who is
the message for? Is it for every son of Adam?
Who's it for? Well, here in the text, we see
the answer. He says, Comfort ye, comfort
ye, My people. My people. We read this not too many weeks
ago when God spoke to Moses at the burning bush. Remember what
he said? God said to Moses, he said, I'm the God of thy father,
the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob. And
Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look upon God. And the Lord spoke to him and
he said, I've seen the affliction of my people. Those people down there in Egypt,
they're my people. I've seen their affliction. I've
heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters. I know their
sorrows. I've come down to deliver them
out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up to a good
land, a land flowing with milk and honey. I ask you, who did the Lord say
he was going to do these things for? I've seen the affliction of my
people. They're mine, mine from all eternity. Deuteronomy 6 says this, turn
there with me to Deuteronomy 6, I'm sorry, Deuteronomy 7 verse
6. Who are his people? In Deuteronomy 7 verse 6, we
read, thou art a holy people. A holy people unto the Lord thy
God. The Lord thy God hath chosen
thee. What do we know about this people?
They're a chosen people. To be a special people unto himself
above all the people that are on the face of the earth. Who are these people? They're
a called people. called people, a chosen generation,
a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people, that they
should show forth the praises of Him that called them out of
darkness into His marvelous light. His people are a redeemed people,
redeemed not by anything we've done, redeemed by His own precious
blood. Who are his people? A believing
people. A purchased people. He said,
you're not your own. You're bought with a price. A
people he has loved with an everlasting love. Who's this message for? Consider these words again from
our text. Comfort ye, comfort ye, my people. You know, we can't comfort where
God has not converted. This message is not a comfort
for all, but it is for His people. We can't cry peace where there
is no peace. Can't give false assurance to
a rebel. My people. I ask you, does that speak to
you? Can you lay hold of that message?
Can you, by faith, put yourself in that number of folks that
the Lord has been pleased to call my people? Well, back to our text, back
to Isaiah 40. Who's speaking? That's pretty
important, isn't it? A lot of people talking, but
boy, it makes all the difference in the world, depending on who's
speaking, who's talking here. Comfort ye, comfort ye my people,
saith your God. It's the Lord God of hosts. And
I pray, I pray he'd be pleased this evening, truly every time
we gather together, to give us an ear, an ear to hear what,
listen, what He has to say, what the Lord has to say. I ask you,
do you need comfort? Are you in need of comfort? Why
do God's people need comfort? It's obvious we need it. He wouldn't
have said, comfort my people if that wasn't Necessary, would
he? If that wasn't something his
people didn't need? God's people were, listen, sinners
saved by the grace of God. God's people are a people that
are aware of their infirmities. In this flesh, can we say, in
this flesh dwelleth no good thing. God's people are a tried people.
We have troubles in this flesh. Paul wrote, we're troubled on
every side. It don't matter which direction
we look, there's trouble to be found, isn't there? God's people
are persecuted people. Listen, hated by this world.
David wrote that, he said, the enemy hath persecuted my soul.
He hath smitten my life down to the ground. He hath made me
to dwell in darkness as those that have been long dead. Therefore
is my spirit overwhelmed within me. My heart within me is desolate. You're overwhelmed. Do you find
yourself desolate? Can you relate to these words?
Well, do you still have Isaiah 40? Let's read on. Look at verse
2. 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 sins." What is this message of comfort? God gave it to Isaiah to give
to his people. What can be said? What can be
said from God's Word to comfort his people? What's our greatest
source of comfort? Well, it's found here, it's found
in God's Word. And I believe I see three points
here found in this verse in which for the believer there's great
reason to be comforted. I pray the Lord would show us
these this evening. It's for his people. He said,
my people, speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem. And the first one
is this, cry unto her, her warfare is accomplished. The battle, the battle is over. It's a work accomplished. It
means it's come to an end. That word actually even means
satisfied. Satisfied. Our Savior is victorious
over every enemy. God has given us the victory
through the Lord Jesus Christ. Scripture says He's put all things
under His feet. All things. Listen to some of
these enemies. Who are some of the believers'
enemies? Well, one of them for sure is sin. In Hebrews 10, 17,
we read this, there are sins and there are iniquities. Well,
I remember, no more. Now where remission of these
is, there is no more offering for sin. There's none needed. There's none required. It's been
paid. The Lord Jesus Christ offered
one sacrifice for sin forever and he sat down. They've been
sins put away. How about the enemy of self? We encounter that one pretty
frequently, don't we? The enemy of self. Paul wrote,
he said, in me, that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing. Self. Listen to God's word describe
me. Listen to this. He said the throat,
my throat, what is it? It's an open sepulcher. What
about this tongue? What is it? They've used deceit. The poison of asp is under the
lips. What about this mouth? What's
it full of? Cursing and bitterness. Feet? Where do they run to? Swift to shed blood. Destruction
and misery in our ways. And the way of peace? He said,
we've not known. What about the eyes? No fear
of God. No fear of God before their eyes. But listen, He has conquered. He has conquered. Galatians 2.20
says, I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I live, yet not
I, but Christ liveth in me. In the life which I now live
in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me
and gave himself for me." What other enemies do we have?
What about Satan, the devil? Peter wrote, be sober, be vigilant,
because your adversary And that word adversary, I looked it up,
it means enemy. The enemy, the devil. As a roaring
lion he walketh about seeking whom he may devour. But you know
that enemy over Satan, that victory over Satan was prophesied just
right there, right there after the fall, wasn't it? Christ,
the woman seed. the God-man, bone of our bone
and flesh of our flesh. He came into this world and by
his life and his death, he destroyed Satan and all the evil and death
on behalf of his people. What was that prophecy? Satan
shall bruise his heel. His human life shall suffer and
die. But listen, he's going to bruise
Satan's head. No more power, no more government,
no more reign. In Hebrews 2.14, for as much
then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also likewise
took part of the same, that through death he might destroy him that
had the power of death. That is the devil. The warfare, it's accomplished. The battle, it's over. Was that not the cry of our Lord
as He hung on the cross when He said, it is finished? Here's another enemy. What about
this world? Turn with me to John. John chapter
16. John 16 verse 33. Now our Lord,
we read He was in the world. This world was made by Him and
yet the world knew Him not. But look here again in John 16,
33. He says, These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me you
might have peace. Not a battle raging, not a war,
but peace in this world. Oh, in this world we're going
to have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the
world. You know, again, we live in a
world that hates God, hates this gospel of his free and sovereign
grace to sinners. It's a world filled with trouble,
a world filled with tribulation. But listen to these words one
more time regarding this enemy. Be of good cheer. That's comforting,
isn't it? Be of good cheer. I have overcome the world. I've conquered. I have prevailed. I've gotten the victory. I have
overcome the world. And the last enemy we read of
is death. The last enemy that shall be
destroyed is death. Our Lord said, I'm the resurrection
and the life. He that believeth in me, though
he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth
in me shall never die, shall never perish." And you know,
he stopped after he said that and he said, Believest thou this? Do you believe that? Oh, what a glorious thought.
A message of comfort. Cry unto her. That's the first. Cry unto her. Her warfare is
accomplished. Every enemy destroyed, sin, self,
Satan, this world, death, every enemy conquered. The second,
cry unto her this, her iniquity is pardoned. Her sin pardoned. Oh, perfect redemption. the purchase
of blood, to every believer the promise of God, the vilest offender
who truly believes. That moment, that very moment
from the Lord Jesus Christ, a pardon receives. As I read this passage,
I couldn't help but think back in Luke chapter 7, there was a a notorious sinner. Just listen, Luke 7 verse 37,
it says, Behold, a woman in the city which was a sinner. That's the description of this
woman we read of. She was a sinner. And I believe
most everybody in that town knew that. It wasn't one of those things
where they said, she's a sinner, and somebody said, oh no, you
got it all wrong. She was a sinner. Verse 39, that
Pharisee that had invited our Lord to dinner, he said, this
man, he said, this man, if he were a prophet, would have known
who and what manner of woman this is that touches him. For
she is a sinner. I was thinking about this earlier.
I wonder, this woman described in this passage of scripture,
if those doors back there popped open and this lady walked in,
how would we respond to that? Would we turn our heads? Would
we cover our children's eyes? Wouldn't want them to see anything
like that, huh? Maybe we would whisper something
to whoever was sitting beside us. Did you see that woman that
just walked in here? Might just gasp, huh? She's a
sinner. And this woman, when she knew
that Jesus, the Lord Jesus Christ, sat at meet in the Pharisee's
house, she brought an alabaster box of ointment. And we read
that she stood at his feet behind him You reckon she could use a message
of comfort? She stood there weeping and she
began to wash his feet with her tears and the hairs of her head. And she kissed his feet and she
took that precious ointment and anointed his feet with it. And as everybody fussed about
what kind of woman this was, our Lord told a parable about
forgiveness. I ask you, is there hope for
that woman? Is there comfort to be found
for her? Comfort to be found for you?
Comfort to be found for me? Comfort ye, comfort ye my people."
Say unto her, her warfare is accomplished.
Say unto her, her iniquity is pardoned. I don't know if you
still have Luke 7 or not, but in verse 44, we read that the
Lord turned to that woman, He turned to her, but he spoke to
Simon. And he said, seest thou this
woman? Seest thou this woman you've
been talking about? He said, I entered into your
house, and you gave me no water for my feet. But she's washed my feet with
tears and wiped them with the hairs of her head. He said, you
gave me no kiss. But this woman, since the time
she came, hath not ceased to kiss my feet. My head with oil
thou didst not anoint, but this woman hath anointed my feet with
ointment. Wherefore, I say unto thee, her
sins, which are many, are forgiven. For she loved much. But to whom
little is forgiven, the same loveth little. And then he said to her, he said to her, thy sins are
forgiven. And they that sat at meet with
him began to say within themselves, who is this? Who is this that
forgiveth sins also? And he said to the woman, thy
faith hath saved thee. Go in peace. What was the cry? Cry unto her. Her iniquity is pardoned. All of our sins, past, present,
future, all blotted out. cleansed, atoned for, and remembered
no more. Their sins and their iniquities
shall I remember no more." God's redeemed have no sin. It's been put away, spotless. clothed in his robe of righteousness,
with that spotless garment on, we are as holy as God's Son. And we must be, must be perfect
to be accepted. Tell her, tell her, tell my people,
her warfare is accomplished, her iniquity is pardoned. And
then third, He has received double for all
her sins. Third word of comfort here, the
sufficiency of Christ's blood and the complete satisfaction
made by Christ for all the sins of His people. Sufficiency. He got the job done. Nothing left unfinished. The
debt, that debt fully paid. Jesus paid it all. We read that parable, what we
call the Good Samaritan. Remember that there was a certain
Samaritan that journeyed and he came where that He came where
that fellow was and he saw him and he had compassion on him
and he went to him and he bound up his wounds pouring in oil
and wine and he set him on his beast and he brought him to an
inn and took care of him. And on the morrow when he departed,
he took out two pence, two pence, and he gave it to the host there
and he said to him, take care of him. And whatsoever thou spendest
more, When I come again, I'll repay thee. I just have a suspicion that
he didn't require any more when he came back, that that debt
was fully paid. He paid it all. Maybe it's a
reference to the double cure. By his blood, we're redeemed. We're saved from wrath. But we're
also made pure, sanctified, holy. I know this. I know our mind. We could never know what that
debt was, what that debt is, but we know this. He paid it
all. It's paid in full. Scripture
said he's able to do exceeding above all we could ever hope
or imagine. And no matter how great that
debt, no matter how great my sin is, I know this, where sin
abounded, where sin overflowed, grace, grace did much more abound. Her warfare, it's accomplished. Her iniquity is pardoned. She has received double, double
for all our sin. Who's speaking? The Lord. What's the message? Comfort. Who's it for? He said, my people,
my people, comfort ye, my people. I pray he'd be pleased to do
so. Speak comfort to our hearts.