Title: God Who Gives Comfort and Strength (2)
Contents
God who gives comfort and strength (2) Isaiah 43:1-7 Matthew 28:19-20
Last week we remembered the God of comfort again.
The fact that God is a God of comfort to us begins with [you are mine].
Please listen to the voice that God calls us to.
Testament (Contract Covenant Promise/ Promise) and Faith
dear ones
Today is the second. Why does God give us comfort and strength?
Because of promise and faith.
Promise-New Testament Old Testament-Drug is a covenant. It refers to God's new and old promises.
Since Christianity is the religion of the Word and the religion of promise, all believers are people who believe and wait for the promises centering on the Word of God. So Christianity is a religion of promise and faith.
We are the people who believe and wait for the second coming of Jesus, wait for heaven, and wait for God's grace.
What promises have you made to your parents and children this Chuseok holiday?
Sometimes we keep the promises we make to our parents and children, but sometimes we don't.
But God's promises are eternal and unchanging covenants with us.
God is the one who comforts and strengthens us according to this promise.
We are beings in need of comfort.
I need comfort when my heart is broken. Also, when my soul seems to be broken and there are things that make me feel discouraged, I need the refreshment that God gives me.
Why did God give Eve to Adam? The loneliness and loneliness of being alone are not good, so we can live together and comfort each other.
It is the same reason why you gave me a family. God's will to comfort the church and to meet the members of the church is hidden.
Elijah defeated the 850 priests of Baal on Mount Carmel and ran away from Jezebel. Lord, I beg you to take my life. And then I say, ‘Isn’t it enough to do the work of two million weeks?’
Then God sends an angel to provide bread and water to eat. After waking up, Elijah ate and fell asleep again, but God provides food again.
And Elijah gained strength and walked 40 days and 40 nights to reach the mountain of God on Mount Horeb, where he heard the still small voice of God. At that time, God said that when all the people fell to the idol Baal, he would leave 7,000 pure believers who kept their faith.
God is a God who comforts us.
to do together
God who gives us comfort and refreshment through the covenant and promises and faith that you are mine.
How does God promise to give us comfort and strength?
He says I will be with you.
The method of being with us is mentioned twice in the text Isaiah 2:5.
Also, in the New Testament, he says that he will be with you several times.
Matthew 28:20 - Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.
Joshua 1: Do not be afraid of Esau, do not be dismayed, for I am with you.
Why does God want to be with us because we lack something?
God is all-perfect. But why would he want to be with us? Because of the holy promise.
that person
(Isaiah 43:4).
Treasure/ Honor/ Love/ These three are the eternal covenant, promise, and grace of God. He is with us because of the promise that God treats us that way.
come closer
When our prayers are not answered and problems continue to arise when we are having a difficult time, we feel that God is far away.
In that case, we must first approach God.
In every age and age, there was always someone who gave and used a special gift.
It was the same with Moses, and Joshua, Elijah, and David were specially used by God.
But unless you and I are used in a special way, we must first approach God.
How do we approach God first?
We must pray at dawn and at night and approach the Word of God. And we must evangelize and make an active effort. If you seek me with all your heart and seek me, you will find me.
to come first
Didn't I say that we must first seek his kingdom and righteousness?
When we raise our children at home, what they are trying to say
I couldn't help but sit on my lap and say "Dad!"
So is God. Because God is our Father, we must first approach Him.
Then God will surely hear and answer our prayers.
dear ones
To receive God's comfort, let's approach God first.
That's the trick.
This is the secret to receiving God's love, being with God, and receiving comfort and strength. Just as the prodigal son first comes to his father, so we must approach him.
What is the difference between Martha and Mary?
Martha prepared food from a distance with the Lord, and Mary drew near to the Lord. Martha did not know that.
The woman who touched Jesus' clothes was not buried in the crowd like everyone else.
The woman tried to draw near to the Lord. And he touched the edge of his clothes and was healed.
When we draw closer to God, God is with us.
Our lives depend on who we live with.
Who you live with is important.
Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.
A man who walked with God - Enoch walked with him for 300 years.
Like Enoch or Moses, like David, if God is with us, we can be used in a great way.
Let's call 492.
There are two reasons for giving us refreshment and comfort.
1) To have a deep fellowship with us and to continue a spiritual relationship.
2) To comfort others.
When God is with us, the devil can't touch us.
Water and fire/ The powers and calamities of this world do not dare touch us.
Pillar of cloud / Pillar of fire / The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous
Because God was with him, he saved the people of Israel as if they had crossed the Red Sea like dry land. When he saved Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from the furnace, he was with them in the fire.
Please believe that the God who went to Daniel's lion's den and was with them during Israel's wars is the God who is still with us.
“God is our refuge and strength, a great help in trouble.
Therefore, whether the earth changes or the mountains shake and fall into the midst of the sea,
Even if the sea rises and jumps, though the mountains tremble by overflowing
We will not fear" (Psalm 46:1-3).
It is said that the Reformer Martin Luther found strength by reading this psalm to his friend Melangton when he was in trouble.
If there are any among us who continue to have tribulation,
He will have to approach God, relying only on God and praying for God to be with him.
Be proactive.
There is a moving testimony from Christ's brothers who were persecuted in the hollow earth.
A small church elder was brutally beaten and bloodied and imprisoned for professing Christ.
A few days later, the authorities released him for no reason. During the service following his release, the elder said to the church members who had been praying for him while he was in prison:
“While being beaten 240 times, I thought of Stephen, who was stoned to death.
Then I had the same experience. I realized that Jesus was above me as I was being beaten. It has comforted me beyond description.
It was as if his hand touched my torn back and caressed me, and from that moment on, I felt no more pain. He also told me that I would be released in a few days. This has actually happened, as you can see now."
The comfort of Christ released upon his eyes and on his head the invisible dignity of those who had been insulted for Jesus' sake.
Believe that God is with us.
Even if we go to the bottom of suffering, the Lord is there with us, and God is with us even at the end of the sea or even the last place in the world.
dear ones
You are mine/ I love you/ I will be with you until the end of the world
Can't you hear the voice of the Lord?
put him in his arms His arms are strong and will protect you.
Then, even when you are persecuted while evangelizing, you will be trained to be held in His arms.
When I can no longer pray for a long time because of great misery and suffering, it is enough, my Father, to say a word. Lord, I believe. a word is fine
You will experience help.
Either God will change your predicament, or will He come surprisingly close to you in the midst of it and convince you of His love for you.
I pray that you and I will gain comfort and strength and that you and I will be victorious in all difficulties, persecutions, and hardships. Amen