The Comforter Has Come

Another great name that we are blessed to know is that of Comforter.  As Jesus is our Advocate, the Holy Spirit is our Comforter.  Jesus did not want His followers to be left alone.  He told them before His crucifixion that He would ask of the Father that He would send them another Comforter.  Jesus knew all that His Church would confront in the centuries between His ascension and His second coming.  He knew that they would face trials of faith that would test them to the core of their being.  He knew that in a world that was hurting they would need to be effective witnesses of His grace though they were hurting as well.  Jesus knew that we would need a Comforter. 

What would this Comforter do for the Church?  Jesus said that He would abide with the believers forever.  We would not be alone. God would be present in us every day.  That is indeed a great comfort.  When things go wrong in life, from little calamities of the ordinary every day variety to the greater trials that confront saved and lost alike in financial distress, job loss, tragedy and more, God is there!  He is there to give us patience to endure, hope to go on, faith to overcome.  When we do these things we can then bring comfort to the world that confronts the same situations without hope.  Paul told the Corinthians that we are comforted that we might be comforters.  The Holy Spirit will work in His Church to strengthen them to minister to a lost world that still lives as sheep without a shepherd.

The Comforter does more.  He teaches us about our dear Savior Jesus Christ.  He takes the word of God and explains it to us so that we might know God the Father and God the Son better.  Then He takes that word and speaks it through the Church so that the world may know God as well.  He goes with each word of witness that we share to convict the world of sin and righteousness and judgment.  We are not alone when we tell others of Christ’s sacrifice and God’s grace.  The Comforter is undergirding us and working through us all the time.

It is no wonder that Frank Bottome could write such an uplifting song of promise as “The Comforter Has Come.”  Just consider the words that should encourage and energize the Church.  “O spread the tidings ’round, wherever man is found, wherever human hearts and human woes abound; let ev’ry Christian tongue proclaim the joyful sound: the Comforter has come!”  He has come indeed!  Rejoice in His presence!  Rejoice in the great gift of God’s grace that has not left us comfortless.  Spread the tidings to all believers.  There is hope!  Spread the tidings to all the lost.  Spread the glad tidings to all who believe.  There is hope!  The Comforter has come!  

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The Best of Friends

(Tune of “Jesus Shall Reign”)

My Advocate resides above, a gift of my dear Father’s love.

He pleads His precious blood for me; presents me clean for God to see.

 As Advocate He guides me, too; directs me all my long life through.

His counsel is for me what’s best; obeying it I will be blest.

Years ago we moved to a new town.  On my visit to the community I met with a realtor and purchased a house.  It was a nice house and I was assured that everything was in working order. The day we moved in it was learned that the realtor had simply lied.  Nothing was in working order.  Nothing was as agreed in the contract.  The house was literally uninhabitable and we moved out the next day.  The day after that the realtor called and both he and the seller were planning to sue us for breach of contract.  I was rather upset.  At work I mentioned the situation to a co-worker and went home quite worried and more upset.  Right after supper that night I got a call.  My co-worker had passed the news of our trouble on to a lawyer.  The lawyer called and told me that he knew both the realtor and the seller and that he would make everything alright the next day and that there would be no suit and we could get on with our lives. Not only that, but his service was free.  I was no longer upset. 

A lawyer is an advocate.  He pleads the case and takes care of his client’s needs.  In I John 2 Jesus is called our Advocate.  He is our Advocate with the Father.  We make a mess of things in our haste and then we find ourselves in trouble with our guilt.  But we have an Advocate with our Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous One.  He pleads His precious blood that was shed on Calvary for our sins and presents us spotless before the throne of God.  We cannot buy this service; it’s free.  The blood of Jesus Christ cannot be paid for.  It must be believed in.  Faith in our Advocate is the key.  Not by any work can we pay Him.  He saves us and keeps us by faith in Him.  Our response is gratitude. 

That gratitude should display itself in obedience to the guidance then given to us by our Advocate.  While His blood will never fail to cover our sins, His will for us is that we stop living in the practice of sin.  As Paul wrote to the Romans, “Should we then sin that grace may abound?  God forbid!”  Our Advocate will lead us in paths of righteousness for His Name sake.  He will not abandon us in our need, but He wants us to follow closely to His lead.  He knows best and we can rest most peacefully as we follow the guidance and live in the care of our great Advocate. 

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The Blessed Name

Shakespeare said, “What’s in a name?”  The Bible answers, “A lot!”  The third commandment states that, “You shall not take the Name of the LORD your God in vain.”  Psalm 96:8 says, “Give to the LORD the glory due His name.”  Philippians 2:10-11 says, “At the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, of those in heaven, and those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.”  Acts 4:12 says, “Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is none other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”  There is a lot in a name.

Take a look in the index of any hymnal at the section: “Jesus, Names of”, and find how many hymns have been written on this one topic.  Lydia Baxter wrote the hymn, “Take the Name of Jesus with You”.  In this hymn she extols His name as the one that gives comfort, protection, strength, joy, welcome, and hope.  She declares that His name is precious, powerful and eternal. Lela Long wrote the hymn, “Jesus is the Sweetest Name I Know”.  In her hymn she praises His name as precious, blessed, wondrous, dear, sweet, honorable, and praise worthy.  The list goes on and on from ancient hymns to contemporary Christian music.  There is a lot to be said about the Name of Jesus. 

In this Name there is salvation, the wonderful grace of God in Christ.  In this Name there is victory over Satan, the wonderful power of God in Christ.  In this Name there is comfort, hope and peace, the wonderful care of God in Christ.  What do you need from God today? Its provision is there in the Name of Jesus Christ our eternal Lord and Savior.  What burden do you bear?  Its release is in the Name of Jesus Christ our loving Shepherd.  What work do you want to accomplish for God?  Its power is there in the Name of Jesus Christ the King of kings and Lord of lords. 

The words of W.C. Martin will sum it up for us today.  “The Name of Jesus is so sweet; I love its music to repeat; it makes my joy full and complete, the precious Name of Jesus!  Jesus, O how sweet the Name; Jesus, every day the same; Jesus, let all saints proclaim, it worthy praise forever!  The word of man can never tell how sweet the Name I love so well, O let its praises ever swell, O praise the Name of Jesus!  Jesus, O how sweet the Name; Jesus, every day the same; Jesus, let all saints proclaim its worthy praise forever!”  

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Accepted Faith

Who is important?  Why are they important?  Are they more important than they should be?  Why should someone be important?  Do many people think they are more important than they really are?  Luke 18:15 through 19:10 considers four different people or groups of people that Jesus uses to ask and answer these questions. (Tune: Take My Life and Let it Be)

Little children come to Me, Like Zacchaeus in the tree,

Like the blind men by the way, Come and worship Me today. (repeat phrase)

Come not like the rich young man, Who came to Me with his own plan,

Come in simple faith today, I’ll not turn your faith away. (repeat phrase) 

Who was important?  Jesus!  Who is important?  Jesus!  The children knew it.  The disciples thought they weren’t important enough for Him.  The rich young ruler said Jesus was important, but didn’t believe it.  The blind men knew He was important and pressed their way to Him against much opposition.  Zacchaeus knew that He was important and let that truth change His life.

The only One who rightly deserves full recognition for importance is the King of kings.  If He is over all, then He must be the most important of all.  If He is all wise then He is more important than all sages and teachers on earth.  If He is all powerful then He is more important than the men who have atomic bombs.  If He is all truth then every philosophy and teaching that doesn’t point clearly to Him is unimportant and a fraud. 

His importance in our lives is exemplified by how important we show Him to be.  Is He all important in our decision making?  Is He all important in our finances?  Is He all important in our educational plans?  Is He all important in our family?  The children just wanted to worship Him in simplicity.  Jesus thought that was great.  The rich young ruler wanted to worship Him in word but not deed.  Jesus thought that was sorrowful.  The blind men wanted to worship His power and then found themselves enraptured with His grace.  Jesus thought that was right.  Zacchaeus wanted to just to see Him, to see if He was for real.  Then He wanted to obey Him because He found that He was.  To each person or group Jesus offered His grace.   Those who believed did not go away disappointed.  Neither will we.  We need to let His grace shine forth with His true importance in our lives each day. 

   The Friday Benediction

Until Monday, my friends, may the good God envelop you with His grace; may you prove the common confession of faith, “I believe in the holy Christian church and in the fellowship of the saints”, and may you be enriched with joy and hope as you exercise that confession this weekend.  Amen

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Gracious Forgiveness

Who knows the truth of our sinful nature more than each of us personally?  We don’t shout it from the mountain top.  We don’t brag about it during Sunday school class.  We try to hide it from our neighbors, our children and our spouses.  But we know it.  We live with it.  We know our mind and we know that what the Scripture says about us is true, “The imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth.” (Gen. 8:21)  When we think that no one else knows about this condition we are wrong.  Someone else does.  Solomon prayed at the dedication of the temple and said, “For You alone know the hearts of all the sons of men.”  (1 Kings 8:39) God knows.  Yet in knowing He still loves us and forgives us in Christ.  That is grace in Christ. 

In Luke 18 two men went into the temple to pray.  One told God how good he was.  The other beat his breast and said, “God, be merciful to me a sinner”.  Jesus said that that man went down to his house justified or made right with God.  That is grace in Christ.

Basil Manly, Jr. wrote a hymn that is no longer well known.  It touches us all at a sore point in our being.  It is titled, “Lord, I Deserve Thy Deepest Wrath”.  That is a catchy phrase you won’t find in too much contemporary Christian music!  But it is a doctrinal truth that should grip our heart with the majesty of the grace of God.  We do indeed deserve His deepest wrath, but He poured it out on Christ instead.  That is grace in Christ. 

Manly’s first verse reads, “Lord, I deserve thy deepest wrath, ungrateful, faithless I have been; no terrors have my soul deterred, nor goodness wooed me from my sin.”  What an honest self indictment.  His second verse doesn’t make us feel any better, “My heart is vile, my mind depraved, my flesh rebels against Thy will; I am polluted in Thy sight
yet, Lord have mercy on me still!” At the end of this verse, however, he gets to the point.  We need mercy and it can come only from God.  He wraps up this thought in his final verse, “Speak peace to me, my sins forgive, dwell Thou within my heart, O God, The guilt and pow’r of sin remove, and fit me for Thy blest abode.”  To this cry God has responded with the cross of His dear Son.  Through Christ alone we can find cleansing for eternity and for each day.  Praise God for grace in Christ for our daily need.  

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Grace in Jesus' Tears

John 11 captures for us one of the most moving stories of Jesus’ ministry.  While Jesus often did not have a place to lay His head, when He was in the regions of Bethany He had a dear friend Lazarus who welcomed Him.  Lazarus had two sisters, Mary and Martha.  This home was the scene of great friendship, great teaching and in John 11 a great miracle. 

Lazarus died.  Jesus had been informed of his illness but had not gone to heal him.  He had another plan that would be the perfect picture of His teaching that He was true Life.  After the death of Lazarus, Jesus went up to Bethany.  Martha ran to meet Him and chastised Him for His delay.  He assured her of the certainty of Lazarus’ future resurrection. Martha was not appeased.  Jesus then told her that He was the resurrection and the life.  To this she confessed her full faith in Him.  Then her sister Mary came and fell crying at Jesus’ feet.  Jesus asked her to take Him to the tomb.  Then Jesus wept. 

Oh what grace and pity for the sorrowing family that brought Jesus to tears!  That is the wonderful grace of Jesus to us.  He sincerely cares about us.  Our hurts are felt by Him.  He is not disinterested or disengaged from us. We are His bride.  We are His body.  He rejoices in our rejoicing and He bears our sorrows. 

 Marguerite St. Leon Barstow Loud wrote only one hymn.  It is taken from John 11:35 and is simply titled “Jesus Wept”.  Her first stanza calls upon all those who are broken hearted to come to Jesus.  He will understand their sorrow and comfort them in their need.  She concludes the verse, “Sacred are sorrow’s tears since Jesus wept.”  He does not despise our sorrow.  He cares for it as He cares for us. 

Her third stanza is taken straight from John 11. “But with the friends He loved, whose hopes had perished, the Savior stood, while thro’ His bosom rushed a tide of sympathy for those He cherished, and from His eyes the burning dewdrops gushed:
and bending o’er the tomb where Lazarus slept, in agony of soul, then Jesus wept.”

But Jesus didn’t just weep.  He called Lazarus forth from the grave and gave proof to His victory over death.  Mrs. Loud concludes her hymn with the all the hope and comfort that Jesus’ power over death can give to all who believe, “Look up, ye mourners, hear what He has spoken, he that believes on Me shall never die. Thro’ faith and love your spirit shall be kept; hope brighter grew on earth when Jesus wept.”  Herein is grace in Christ.

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The Gracious Hug

Do you ever feel the need to just be held?  Do you sense the need of heart and soul to have someone just take you in their arms and give you a hug that you hope will never end?  Isaiah 40:11 is the pronouncement made by the one who comes to prepare the way for the Lord.  That one says, “He will gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom.”  700 years after the prophecy of Isaiah Jesus came to Jerusalem and announced, “I Am the Good Shepherd”.  What will the Good Shepherd do?  He will lay down His life for the sheep.  He will take up His life again.  Then He will lead His sheep and carry them gently in His arms.  This is the grace of God in Christ.

Jane Leeson was a hymnist in the 19^th century who is little remembered today.  Of the 15 hymn texts she was known to write only three are still even vaguely in use and two of those are about Jesus the Good Shepherd.  One is titled “Loving Shepherd of Thy Sheep” and the other is “Gracious Savior, Gentle Shepherd”.  The latter, co-authored by the hymnist John Keble, is a truly beautiful hymn that should still be in regular use at the dedication or baptism of a child.  Its first stanza is clearly from Isaiah 40 and the second from John 10.  “Gracious Savior, gentle Shepherd, our little ones are dear to Thee; gathered with Thine arms and carried, in Thy bosom may they be, sweetly, gently, safely tended, from all want and danger free. Tender Shepherd, never leave them, from Thy fold to go astray; by Thy look of love directed, may they walk the narrow way; thus direct them, and protect them, lest they fall an easy prey.”  It is a gracious prayer for the tender keeping care of His little lambs. 

While clearly referring to children, we all have that same need within us.  We need a gracious and gentle shepherd.  We need a tender shepherd.  We need to be gathered into His arms and carried and safely tended.  Each phrase of this hymn resonates with the tenderest emotions of anticipation of love from the Good Shepherd.  They are not emotions and needs that will go unfulfilled.  Christ is the grace of God.  Grace as expressed in this beautiful hymn is just what He provides for us each day.  Rest in His arms of grace.  Melt into the bosom of the Savior and lie down in peace hearing only the beating of His caring heart.  Let Him take you fully into His arms today.  

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