I have a copy of William McShane's
words that I like to read before I stand up to preach. When this
passing world is done, when it's sunk, young glaring sun, when
we stand with Christ in glory, looking o'er life's finished
story, then, Lord, shall I fully know not till then how much I
owe. When I hear the wicked call on
the rocks and hills to fall, when I see them start and shrink
on the fiery deluge brink, then, Lord, shall I fully know not
till then how much I owe. When I stand before the throne
dressed in beauty not my own, When I see thee as thou art,
love thee with unsinning heart, then, Lord, shall I fully know,
not till then, how much I owe. When the praise of heaven I hear,
loud as thunders to the ear, loud as many waters' noise, sweet
as a harp's melodious voice, then, Lord, shall I fully know,
not till then, how much I owe. Even on earth, as through a glass,
darkly, let thy glory pass. Make forgiveness feel so sweet. Make thy spirits help so meet. Even on earth, Lord, make me
know something of how much I owe. Chosen not for good in me, wakened
up from wrath to flee, hidden in the Savior's side, by the
Spirit sanctified, teach me, Lord, on earth to show, by my
love, how much I owe. And there's many other verses
to that poem. What a tremendous thought, how
much I owe. If you will, turn in your Bibles
with me tonight to Isaiah chapter 40. Going to speak to us tonight
from these first two verses of this chapter, Isaiah chapter
40. Comfort ye, comfort ye my people,
saith your God. Speak you 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. The Lord Jesus Christ has
many titles, many titles in the Word of God does our Savior have. One of those titles is consolation. Simeon was waiting for the consolation
of Israel. The word consolation, of course,
is another word for comfort. And in 2 Corinthians 1, the Apostle
Paul refers to God as the God of all comfort. Robert Hawker
commented on this verse, or these two verses. He commented that being repeated
twice, comforci, comforci, is not to indicate, he said, is
not to indicate any reluctance on Isaiah's part in this work,
but it rather is to show that the Lord's servants are not half
as earnest in this employment as the Lord is. He, that is the
Lord, He would have His people comforted. Comfort ye, comfort
ye my people. Let's consider three things in
these verses. First of all, it is God's people
who are to be comforted. Comfort ye, comfort ye my people. Now, we all recognize that all
creatures are the Lord's that all people in one sense are his,
but he has a people in this world that he refers to especially
as his people. Comfort ye, comfort ye my people. If you look back to Psalm 100,
just a moment, a Psalm that we're familiar with and been a blessing
to many of us over the years. Psalm 100, make a joyful noise
unto the Lord, all you lands. Serve the Lord with gladness. Come before his presence with
singing. Know you that the Lord, he is
God. It is he that hath made us and
not we ourselves. We are his people and the sheep
of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving. and into his courts with praise.
Be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good,
and his mercy is everlasting, and his truth, his faithfulness
endureth to all generations. Comfort ye, comfort ye, my people. Now I'm going to mention four
ways tonight that the scriptures reveal unto us how God has a
people, how he has made some in this world to be his people. Number one, God loved and chose
them from the beginning to be his people. This is one way,
the first way that I would mention how anyone comes to be one of
his people. He is loved and chosen of God
from the beginning. You know, as I've worked on this
message and the notes for tonight, I could not help but think, when
I thought about the fact that a truth is so clearly revealed
in the word of God, God's sovereign election, I could not help but
think about the man who took issue with Charles Spurgeon years
ago about this Bible truth. And he told Mr. Spurgeon, he
said, I've read through the Bible five times on my knees, and I've
never seen the doctrine of election. Mr. Spurgeon suggested that he
read the Bible prayerfully in an easy chair, not on his knees,
and asking God the Holy Spirit to reveal to him the truth. But you know 1 Corinthians 2
and verse 14 might well explain how a person, and evidently many
do, read the scriptures, preach the scriptures, and yet either
they do not see the truth of God's sovereign election, or
they just refuse to believe it, refuse to bow to it. And we know
this from 1 Corinthians 2 and verse 14, The natural man receiveth
not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness
unto him. Neither can he know them, for
they are spiritually discerned. Neither can he know them, for
they are spiritually discerned. The natural man, say what you
will, but the natural man comes into this world with an inbred
hatred of God's sovereignty. As Charles Spurgeon said, men
will allow God in every place in his workshop creating the
stars and the worlds and the planets and all of that and say
amen. But put God on the throne Loving
and choosing whom he will, and lost man hates that God. Hates the truth about that God. We want a God, all of us do,
we want a God that's like putty, that you can kind of fashion
to suit how you think God should be. and how he would please you
if he were like you think he should be. But the Bible reveals
that God has a people in this world and they are his people
because he loved them and chose them from all eternity. Number two, he has a people,
the Lord Jesus Christ became the surety for these people in
God's everlasting covenant. He became the surety, not for
all men, but for all of those that God chose and loved. The
Lord Jesus Christ in the covenant is the surety. In other words,
He stood good. He stood good for all of those
that God loved and chose. He agreed to come and to pay
the sin debt of each and every one and establish a righteousness
by which God might justify them. David, you know this, but David
was a godly man, wasn't he? He was a godly man. He was a
man, the scripture says, after God's own heart. And God raised
him up and God blessed him in so many different ways. But when
he came down to the end of his life, in fact, the scripture
says these be the last words of David. What was he trusting
in? Where was his confidence? Was
it in the fact that he had sought the Lord, or that he had reigned
for so many years on the throne of Israel, that he had led Israel
out in so many battles, conquering and defeating the enemies of
the nation? Oh, no. Oh, no. His last words,
according to 2 Samuel chapter 23 and verse 5, Although my house
be not so with God." My house, my family, myself. Although my house be not so with
God. Yet, he hath made with me an
everlasting covenant when he was chosen in Christ. He made
that covenant in our head, in our surety, with each and every
one of his chosen. He hath made with me an everlasting
covenant, ordered in all things, ordered in all things, whatever
God purposed, that's going to come to pass, ordered in all
things and sure. And the reason it is sure is
because Jesus Christ is the surety of the everlasting covenant. And he goes on there in that
same text to say, for this is all my salvation. This is all
my desire, although he make it not to grow. And in Hebrews 7
and verse 22, The writer said, by so much was Jesus made a surety
of a better covenant. And the better covenant is the
everlasting covenant. We like to call a covenant of
grace because everything about it shows the grace of God. He has a people in this world.
They are his people because he loved and chose them. because
Jesus Christ is their surety. And number three, the Lord Jesus
redeemed them to God with his blood. They're his people because
he redeemed them with the blood of his darling son. In Revelation
chapter five, we are allowed to look into heaven and we see
there on the throne of God is the Lamb, the God and the Lamb
upon that throne. And this is what all the people
of heaven are praying and worshiping and singing and declaring. For
thou was slain, speaking about the Lamb, the Lamb of God. We
sang about that just a moment ago, didn't we? There is a fountain
filled with blood. Who opened that fountain? God
did. Whose blood fills that fountain
to wash away the sins of His chosen people? Christ, His blood. And the people of heaven are
there singing, for thou was slain and has redeemed us to God by
thy blood, by thy blood. People sometimes say, why? That seems so gory to talk about
the blood. If you could have attended, listen,
if you had lived in the days of Moses, when they set up that
tabernacle, and saw the sacrifices, the blood that was shed, that
was poured out at the altar, the blood that was sprinkled,
the blood that was spattered even upon the garments of the
priest, a bloody, a bloody tabernacle was it. And it all pictured the
truth that without the shedding of blood, there is no remission. No remission of sin apart from
the substitutionary work of Jesus Christ. He had to die and shed
his blood in the stead of his people. Thou hast redeemed us,
the host of heaven declares. Thou hast redeemed us to God
by thy blood out of every tongue, out of every kindred and tongue
and people and nation. Everyone who is redeemed from
all the various nations of the world, all redeemed in the same
way by the same blood, the blood of the Lamb of God. Oh, don't
you love that word? When John the Baptist saw him
walking that day and he said, behold, behold the Lamb of God,
which taketh away the sins of the world. We sing that hymn
sometimes, look and live. There's life for a look in the
crucified one. Look! Look to Christ and live. Have your sins put away, your
guilt all gone through the blood of Jesus Christ. And number four,
His people are His because His people are made willing in the
day of His power. In Psalm 110, verse 3, the psalmist
said, Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power." John
Gill said that could be rendered a people of willingness. Thy
people shall be a people of willingness. The Lord Jesus Christ is set
up as the ensign and all of his people are willing to come and
to assemble under that banner. That's another one of his titles. the title ensign. You know, the
armies, they have their colors, don't they? And the regiment,
they look for the color, they follow the color when they're
in battle. The Lord Jesus Christ is that
ensign, that flag, that banner that is lifted up. And all of
his people are made willing in the day of his power to come
to Christ, to look to Christ, to acknowledge Him as their Lord,
as their Savior, and willing to forsake all man-made righteousness
and count it but done. to win Christ, all of His people. They are a willing people. Notice
the second part in the text. It is God's word that is especially
given to comfort His people. Speak you comfortably to Jerusalem. Now I'm not saying tonight that
God doesn't use other means to comfort His people, for we know
that He surely does. But I am saying that primarily,
God uses his word. And I see that when he commands
the prophet, speak, speak, speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem. God uses his word to comfort
his people. Preachers speak, we're to speak
the word. His word, it's His word that
comforts. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem. It's God's word that comforts
His people. You know, in Jeremiah, there's
a verse that goes like this. The prophet, and this is God
speaking, the prophet that hath a dream, let him tell his dream. And he that hath my word, let
him speak my word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat,
saith the Lord. In other words, there's no comparison
between a dream a man might have and God's word. You could feed
on the chaff. You could eat chaff every day
and die of starvation. It's the kernel, the wheat that
nourishes and God's word speak you comfortably to Jerusalem,
to His people, to His church, to His chosen people. You could
hear the words of men, and the words of men are like clouds.
You know, you're living out there in a drought, and you see a cloud
out there, and a cloud, oh, it looks so good. It's coming this
way, and it's coming this way, but it doesn't have any water
in it. is a good comparison of the words
of man compared to the Word of God. The words of man are like
clouds that hold no water, but the Word of God is like a cloud
that, yes, rains down upon His people, refreshes His people,
comforts His people, blesses His people. It is God's Word. This is the word of the living
and true God written by inspiration of God. All scripture is given
by inspiration of God. We have the word of God before
us tonight. Think about that. The only true
and living God. And out of all the books, how
many books? Didn't Solomon say that the making
of many books, there's no end? Can you imagine how many books
have been written and published in this world since it first
began? Billions. But not any of them
are like this book. This book is the word of God
Almighty. Look with me in 1 Thessalonians
just a moment. Comfort ye, comfort ye. Speak
comfortably. The word of God is what God has
chosen to use in comforting his people. In 1 Thessalonians, the apostle had visited Thessalonica,
of course, and God saved sinners and raised up a church there,
and after he had left, some of the believers had died. And so the question is, did they
perish? Did they perish? And so Paul
speaks to that point here in 1st Thessalonians, I'm sorry,
chapter 4, verse 13. But I would not have
you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep,
those who have died Believers who have died in the Lord, that
you sorrow 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. Paul's not just making this up,
just imagining this or coming up. No, no. He is inspired by
God, the Holy Spirit. This we say by the word of the
Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of
the Lord shall not prevent or precede them which are asleep.
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with
the voice of the archangel and 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 you one another
with these words." What words? God's words. Speak ye comfortably. God has chosen to use His word. He's chosen to to use his word
in the saving of sinners. And this is the reason it's so
important to hear the word of God. We're beginning a new year
just now and I'd encourage you, get a Bible scheme or a plan
if you've never done this and read the Bible consistently through
this year. Read it through this year if
you're able to do that. But mainly read the word of God. God uses his word to create faith,
to save his people, to comfort his people. Comfort ye, speak
you comfortably to Jerusalem. Now, here's the third, the last
point I want to make. What are some of the things for
which God's people have need to be comforted? Comfort ye my
people. And maybe some would say, why
would God's people ever need to be comforted? Surely, surely,
if a man or woman is a child of God, a boy or girl is a child
of God, they will never experience anything in this world that would
cause them to need to be comforted. And that's what much of false
religion has been telling people now for several years. That if
you trust in Christ, your problems will be over. You'll know no
afflictions in this world. It'll be smooth sailing on into
glory. No, we know that's not so. What
are some of the reasons? I'm going to mention three, but
there are many reasons why God's people at times need to be comforted. And I want to put number one
in primarily sin. Sin. Sin. Why, preacher, why do people
need to be comforted concerning sin? Well, notice what God told
the prophet, comfort ye, speak you comfortably to Jerusalem.
The commentators tell us that this means to her heart. Speak
to her heart, the heart of God's people. Speak to her heart. Speak
that which will be a cordial to her. will be very acceptable
to her, will be grateful and comfortable. The message of comfort,
as my friend, Pastor Scott Richardson, one time said about a sermon,
he said, it must come from the heart of God through the heart
of the preacher to the heart of the people. A message from the heart. A message
from the heart to the heart. That's what we need, isn't it?
from God's heart to our heart. Child of God, your sins, your
sins. You say, well, oh, but they're
all gone. They're all forgiven. Yes, I realize that. But yet,
if any man say that he hath no sin, he's a deceiver and the
truth is not in him. When God saves a sinner, he creates
in us a new person, a new man, as he is called, a new nature,
a new nature that loves God and loves the things of God. I read this just this past week,
but an illustration of that concerning the difference between a cat
and a pig. You know, a cat, they just clean
themselves all the time. They clean themselves all the
time. A pig, he never cleans himself. When God saves the sinner,
he gives us a new heart, doesn't he? And a heart that loved a
hog pen before now loves the things of God. But yet we still
have that old nature, that old man that still loves a hog pen. He hasn't changed any, and he's
not going to change. When we leave this world, he
will be the same that he was when the Lord had mercy upon
us in saving us. But notice how God tells Isaiah
to comfort his people. Your warfare, your warfare is
accomplished. Notice the text again. Speak
you 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. Yes, your sins,
and they're your sins. They're my sins. Remember that
saying years ago, That comedian, the devil, made me do it. We
don't need the devil. We've got enough devil in ourselves,
the flesh. And sin troubles a child of God,
just like mud would trouble a cat. Doesn't trouble a hog, but it
does those who've been washed. It troubles us. But God says
speak comfortably. Know this about your sins. Your
warfare is accomplished. Your iniquity is pardoned. Because
you have received double, received of the Lord's hand double for
all your sins. What is meant by that, double
for all your sins? I've heard over the years different
preachers explain this different ways, and I've read other men
have their thoughts about it, but here is what I think most
people believe. The sacrifice of the Lord Jesus
Christ secured your pardon, and that sacrifice is more, more
than sufficient to put away your sins. It's more than sufficient
to put away your sins because of who he is. He's God. God in flesh. Man that he might bleed and die,
but God that might give value, sufficiency to that sacrifice
to wash away our sins. The sacrifice of the Lord Jesus
Christ that secured your pardon is more than sufficient to put
away your sins and put them away forever. Another way that this
double may be understood is by the fact that our iniquity is
forgiven, sin is put away, but at the same time, righteousness
is imputed. Sins put away, but we're not
left just with sins forgiven, oh no. The righteousness of Christ
is imputed, becomes our righteousness. Paul told those in the synagogue in Acts chapter 13, he was preaching,
he said, be it known unto you therefore men and brethren that
through this man, Through this man, Jesus Christ, through this
man is preached unto you, number one, forgiveness of sins. And by him all that believe,
number two, are justified from all things from which you could
not be justified by the law of Moses. Comfort ye, comfort ye,
my people. And one reason that God's people
continually need to be comforted is because yes, we still sin,
we still fall, we still make mistakes. And we need to be told
and reminded that the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from
all sin. That in God's sight, we are pure
even as Christ is. Another reason God's people need
to be comforted in this world is because of bereavement. Bereavement, the death of a loved
one. We read in that passage in 1
Thessalonians just a moment, Paul didn't say that we sorrow
not, period, end of the sentence. He didn't say that. No, but what
he did say is that you sorrow not even as others which have
no hope. God's word comforts us concerning
other believers, our friends, our loved ones that have passed
on, those who knew the Lord. God's word comforts us in reminding
us that when that body was carried out there to the cemetery and
buried or however it was disposed of, That's not the end. That's
not the end. And that's not the person himself.
That person, a child of God, has gone to be with the Lord. The death of a believer is the
beginning of a life where there's fullness of joy in his presence. And we look forward First of
all, to seeing our Savior, but we do look forward to being reunited
with those that have gone before us, those who knew Christ. And a third thing, loneliness
and depression, a sense of just feeling alone. And sometimes
God's children experience this and they need to be comforted.
We need to be reminded, no, Never alone. No, never alone. For his word is, I will never
leave thee, nor forsake thee. And I know there's many other
causes that mean that God's children need to be comforted, but I would
mention those three. Sin, your sins are gone. Bereavement, we shall meet again. and loneliness and depression.
No, you're never alone. The reason I said no, never alone,
because we sing that hymn sometimes. No, never alone. Amen. God's people are never alone.
I'll ask the man, if you will, to come now as we, we're going
to do like we've done the