The God of All Comfort

Matthew 5:4 (KJV) Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

     Today I would like you to consider the Apostle Paul.  Here was a man that never knew if he was going to be alive the next day.  Compassed about on every hand by those that would like to kill or imprison him.  Pressed daily by the enemies of the cross.  Persecuted by those that disagreed with his theology.  His enemies were many and they were powerful.  Yet, Paul could be found in all places, at all times, praising and glorifying the Lord Jesus.  We find him in prison with Silas twisted in the cruel stocks of the Romans singing praises to God.  We find him in the midst of a storm that was about to leave him ship wrecked encouraging those around him to trust in the Lord.  Paul was not a victim of his circumstances.  Oh no!  Paul seemed to rise above his circumstances with purpose and clarity that defied explanation.  Men and women like Paul walk into disastrous situations with calm assurance and bring clarity and comfort to those around them. 

     As a police officer, I was dispatched to many situations where civility and calm had broken down into chaos.  When you walk into a bar or home and people are beating each other or threatening each others with weapons the last thing that is needed is another hot head.  You can’t have a melt down and feel sorry for yourself because your perfect day has been interrupted by this overwhelming problem, so, you rely on your training and knowledge to bring calm, comfort, to the situation.  It always helps to know that there are 500 more police officers to back you up.  Your response is from a position of strength.  You never stand alone.  Walking with Jesus is like that.  He said that “Anything you ask in my name the Father will give it to you.”  (John 15:16)  He said, “I will never leave you”.  We can depend on God to be with us as we face the storm. 

    In our passage today Jesus tells His disciples, “Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.”  This week we have spent much time discerning the blessedness of mourning our sin.  The emptying of self establishes the foundation for the filling of our souls with the Spirit of the Living God.  “You are not your own, you were bought with a price.” (1 Cor. 6:19)  This is the comfort, the peace, which passes all understanding.  I’m not here trying to figure out a path to victory.  I am here to follow Jesus!  I am here to obey His command!  He will lead me beside still waters!  He will restore my soul!  We cry out with Job, “Though God slay me yet I trust Him…He also shall be my salvation.”  (Job 13:15)  We can stand in calm assurance even though our enemies rage like a roaring lion. 

    Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 1:3, “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort.  Who comforts us in all our tribulation…”  On this journey we may find ourselves ship wrecked, imprisoned, cast out of town, cast down into a pit, compassed on every side, but no matter what may come our way we are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ.  Why?  Because He loves us!  He died for us!  He rescued us!  He restores us!  Child of God know this, there is nothing too hard for God and there is no where that He cannot go, that He will not go, for you.  I don’t know about you but I feel like praising His name!

No Substitutes

Matthew 5:4 (KJV) Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

I have a confession! I’m a Splenda user. I don’t use the real thing, you know, sugar. I’ve gotten use to the substitute and don’t miss the sweetness of nature’s own. In today’s world we have settled for replacements to many of the things that were intended for us. Mourning is no exception. Jesus did not mean for His followers to live life with out joy. He did not intend for us to leave church and say “I’ve been to church and I’m depressed.” Jesus was not telling His disciples that they should be grim, cheerless Christians. Neither was He telling us that we should be in despair over the difficulties of life. Often it appears that too many followers of Christ have accepted the substitute for the real thing. The Gospel is not a club to beat us into submission but a light at the end of the tunnel. Jesus is Good News! We can say with the Psalmist, “You have turned my mourning into dancing!”
It is a blessed day when we see our sin for what it is, apart from grace, and begin to mourn over its devastating dimensions. Paul writes of the destruction of sin in Romans 3:10 “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understands, there is none that seeks after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one” The soul of man is wicked and destitute, blinded by the god of this world, and lost in the misery of Satan’s schemes. Blessed is the man whose eyes have been opened by the Word of God and realizes his need for a savior. Paul continues in verse 17, “Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known:” Such is the plight of man without the grace of God. In a world that is careening out of control fulfilling every word of the above Scripture our only hope is that an anointed man or woman of God, under the control of the Holy Spirit, open the Word of God and release its light so that we might understand the depravity of sin and mourn!
The church today will fail to change the heart of sinners if we don’t lead them to the cross. Point them to a crucified Christ and tell them of their sin. Jesus knew that there could be no repentance without true mourning of the sin that destroys our soul. When we understand it was for our sin, our fallen nature, that Jesus was beaten, mocked, and crucified we not only mourn but we receive comfort. Oh, how He loves us! Oh, how he desires us! This changes everything.