Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and cry to her
that her warfare is ended,
that her iniquity is pardoned,
that she has received from the Lord’s hand
double for all her sins.
Isaiah 40:1-2
All true comfort is from Him alone.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 “All” excludes any other ultimate source of comfort. We cannot find true comfort in anything on this earth if we are looking to that thing alone for comfort. If we’re honest, that’s precisely what we do on a daily basis. Ever since Adam and Eve first sinned, our sin sick souls are inclined to look for fulfillment in all the wrong things. Our natural disposition is to fill the hole in our hearts with all kinds of idols. We even take God’s blessings and fashion them into our own little objects of worship, delighting more in the gifts than in the Giver.
morning sermon, Adam McKinney, May 7, 2023
God comforts us in all our afflictions.
There is no situation too dire that a Christian who earnestly seeks God cannot find peace.
morning sermon, Adam McKinney, May 7, 2023
We need to be reminded not just that no struggle is too big for God to comfort us, but that no struggle is too small.
morning sermon, Adam McKinney, May 7, 2023
All trials are an opportunity for communion with God.
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 4:15-16
God’s people are able and called to comfort others.
When God comforts you, it’s not meant to end with you. It’s meant to radiate out through you to your brothers and sisters in Christ and to the world around you.
morning sermon, Adam McKinney, May 7, 2023
Through suffering, people come to know the LORD.
For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.
2 Corinthians 1:5-7
God has delivered His people and will deliver them again.
Those He saves are His delight Christ will hold me fast
Precious in His holy sight
He will hold me fast
He’ll not let my soul be lost
His promises shall last
Bought by Him at such a cost
He will hold me fast
He will hold me fast
He will hold me fast
For my Saviour loves me so
He will hold me fast
He will Hold Me Fast, morning service, May 7, 2023
God calls Christians to prayer.
You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.
2 Corinthians 1:11
What is your only comfort in life and in death?
That I, with body and soul, both in life and in death, am not my own, but belong to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ . . .
Heidelberg Catechism
Father: You are a mighty God and good in every way.
You are holy, set apart, and worthy of our worship.
We, in contrast, violate Your required standard of perfection
in our nature and through our actions of sin.
We acknowledge our helpless state
and humbly rely completely
on Your plan of redemption
through Your Son, our Savior,
Jesus’ sinless life, sacrificial death,
and conquering resurrection on our behalf.
We also declare our desire
to be transformed to Your likeness.
As we grow in understanding
of how much You have forgiven us
and how much it cost You,
help us to extend forgiveness
to one another.
As we experience Your love toward us,
enable us to demonstrate love to one another.
As we strive to love You by obeying You,
allow us to see and act on opportunities
to put Your will ahead of our own.
We acknowledge that all that
we claim to have is a gift from You. . . .
Help us to loosen our grip
on what we cannot keep
and to put our faith into action.
Bryan Fiscus, morning service, May 7, 2023