Our Comfort Comes From the Lord

When we go through traumatic times, it is always for God’s purpose. During those times of suffering, loss, heartbreak, heartache, etc., Almighty God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, gives us as Christian people, this promise: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28.

Why do we have to go through these things?

We are afflicted and troubled when we are being tried and tested. 

Psalm 66:10-12 – “¹⁰ For thou, O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us, as silver is tried.

¹¹ Thou broughtest us into the net; thou laidst affliction upon our loins.

¹² Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water: but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place.”

Job 23:10-12 – “But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

¹¹ My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined.

¹² Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.”

We are afflicted and troubled when God is perfecting us to be like His Son. 

Romans 8:29: “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.”

We are to be like Jesus! He was, and is, our example, as Peter says:

I Peter 2:21: “²¹ For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:

²² Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:

²³ Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:

²⁴ Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.”

When we are brought to the place where we are on the right track of God’s will for our lives, He will heal us and comfort us!

Psalm 103:1-5: “Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.

² Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:

³ Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;

⁴ Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;

⁵ Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.”

We see that after we repent and are forgiven, the healing and restoration is started.

Comfort

Comfort comes also.

II Corinthians 1:3-5: “³ Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;

⁴ Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

⁵ For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.”

Also, Isaiah 40:1-2 – “Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.

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.”

Job 42:11 – “Then came there unto him all his brethren, and all his sisters, and all they that had been of his acquaintance before, and did eat bread with him in his house: and they bemoaned him, and comforted him over all the evil that the Lord had brought upon him: every man also gave him a piece of money, and every one an earring of gold.”

After we suffer:

Psalm 71:20 – 21 – “²⁰ Thou, which hast shewed me great and sore troubles, shalt quicken me again, and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth.

²¹ Thou shalt increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side.”

Psalm 94:19 – “ In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul.”

Psalm 119:50, 52, & 76 – “⁵⁰ This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me.

⁵² I remembered thy judgments of old, O Lord; and have comforted myself.

⁷⁶ Let, I pray thee, thy merciful kindness be for my comfort, according to thy word unto thy servant.

Isaiah 49:13 – “Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the Lord hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted.”

Isaiah 52:9 – “Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem.”

Isaiah 61:1-2 – “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;

² To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;”

Isaiah 66:13 – “As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem.”

New Testament – Comfort

Matthew 5:4 – “Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.”
 

The Holy Ghost as our Comforter

John 14:16 – “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;”

John 15:26 – “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:”

All truth

John 16:13 – “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.”

The Word our Comforter

Romans 15:4 – “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.”

Conclusion

II Corinthians 13:11 – “Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.”

Psalm 23 – “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

² He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

³ He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

⁴ Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

⁵ Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

⁶ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.”

How to Study God’s Word – Part 2

Why is it important to know how to study God's Word? As we saw in part 1 of this message, if the Word of God is not studied rightly divided, we will be broken, snared and taken (by the Devil.)

Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear. But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken. Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem. Isaiah 28:9-14

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. II Timothy 2:15

I dare say none of us wants to be taken captive by the Devil, so let's do all that we do according to God' will and not our own. Looking further in the scriptures, the prophet Hosea tells us:

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. Hosea 4:6

We must obtain the knowledge of God through His Word, or we will be destroyed. In a very sobering verse of scripture, Jesus tells us emphatically:

But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Matthew 4:4 (also Luke4:4).

By reading, studying and understanding the Bible, rightly divided, we see that Old Testament writings also speak the same things in Moses' account.

And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live. Deuteronomy 8:3

It is made clear to us that God's Word is of the utmost importance to us, when Jesus and Moses both tell us to live by every Word of God. Also, our beloved Apostle Peter, by the Holy Ghost, gave us this word of wisdom:

And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction. II Peter 3:15-16

In order for us to get the true direction from the Holy Scriptures, we must always study and memorize the Word of God, precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little and there a little, so that afterwards we can get that rest and refreshing that Almighty God wants us to have. All that we do, we should always do as unto the Lord, and do what we do, not after our own will or ways, but according to our great God, and our master and Savior Jesus Christ. God bless you and open your understanding to the whole truth of God's Word in Jesus' name, Amen.

How to Study God’s Word – Part 1

There are, unfortunately, many conceptions about how to study and learn God's Holy Word, His true message to His people. There is, however, only one way to study, to learn, and to gain understanding of God's Word. What is that way?

The Bible says it best, beginning in Isaiah 28:9-13.

Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear. But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken. Isaiah 28:9-13

These scripture references are telling us if we do not study God's Word according to this revelation, we will be broken, snared, and taken by the Devil. Also, in the New Testament, we see that the Apostle Paul wrote to us about studying God's Word:

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. II Timothy 2:15

Peter tells us that no one verse of scripture stands alone, to receive the true message or prophecy from God: II Peter 1:19-21. Verse 21 makes reference to holy men. Note that this is plural; it was not just one man speaking. Who were these holy men? They were holy men that God had chosen to speak His Word, which became both the New and Old Testaments.

Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; Ephesians 2:19-20

The Word of God is our foundation, beginning with the Old Testament (prophets) and ending with the New Testament (apostles), with Jesus Christ (the chief cornerstone) tying the two of them together.

Before we learn God's Word, He has to open our understanding:

But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
II Corinthians 4:3-4

When God has opened our understanding, and we study the Bible this way, without prejudice, hard-heartedness, or brainwashing, we all see the same things in God's Word, and understand what He is telling us.

Those who reject the truth of God's Holy Word will be in danger of being utterly cut off from salvation, because they do not have the love of the truth dwelling in them, but rather, the lusts of their own hearts' desire. Romans 1:21-25

May God help us to submit ourselves daily to the direction of the Holy Ghost, to love the Word of God, to read, study and memorize it, and to continue in His grace. God bless you and yours, in Jesus' name!