Word of Salvation – Vol. 20 No.13 – December 1973
My Only Comfort
Sermon by Rev. A. Nijhuis, B.D.on Lord’s Day 1
Liturgy
Silent Prayer.
Call to Worship: “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”. Isa. 40:1,2.
Votum & Salutation
Psalter Hymnal 222:1,2,3
Prayer
Scripture Readings: Psalm 73:21-28 & Philipp. 2:1-11
Psalter Hymnal: 78
This afternoon we are going to listen again to the Word of God as it is summarised in Lord’s Day 1. We are again at the beginning of our Heidelberg Catechism.
The question may arise: why have catechism-preaching at all or: Why, again?
There are circles in which people don’t want confessions, let alone preaching on a confession. They say: the Word of God is sufficient. This sounds very good indeed, doesn’t it? But is it? Maybe it makes some impression upon some simple souls, but it is really misleading.
Now we as Reformed people also profess and believe that the Holy Scriptures fully contain the will of God, and that whatsoever man ought to believe unto salvation is sufficiently taught therein.
In the Belgic Confession it is even added, “neither may we consider any writings of men, however holy these of equal value with those divine Scriptures, nor ought we to consider custom, or the great multitude or antiquity, or succession of times and persons, or councils, decrees or statutes, as of equal value with the truth of God”.
That is clear language, isn’t it. The catechism is not on the same level as the Bible. So why are we going to listen to the preaching on the catechism? Now I could refer to our Church Order which prescribes that the ministers shall on Sunday explain briefly the sum of Christian doctrine comprehended in the Heidelberg Catechism. However this does not answer your question, does it? The purpose of the Catechism is not to run away from the Word of God, but to serve that Word and to show you in an orderly way, in a systematic way, the treasures which are revealed to us in the Bible.
You see, when you have already been a minister for many years and you look at the texts you have preached about during the time of your ministry, you have only dealt with a small part of the Bible. In addition, a minister is a man with his own favourite texts. Now in the catechism you have a summary of the contents of the whole Bible. In a comparatively short time he has to preach on all those various topics. I feel this is necessary to instruct the congregation so that we are able to know the contents of the Word of God and to give account of it.
Now there may be some among us who would say: well I know the catechism pretty well and I even can recite the questions and the answers. I hope all of you know the contents of the confession or rather the contents of the Bible. But does this mean, that we don’t need this kind of preaching any longer? You see, the purpose of the catechism is not just to instruct you in order that you are acquainted with the contents of the Bible.
Its aim is not only to teach you so that you know more and more the promises and the claims of the Lord. This is only the beginning. The real purpose of this teaching is that you and I and our young people and our children, all of us, shall learn to live the Word of God, to profess the Name of the Lord, to trust in Him and to serve Him in the totality of our life. There are people who like us to narrow our religion to our own hearts and our own church-building, but the Lord has a different idea: to love Him with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind. There is no limit anywhere! Now if we look at it this way, I wonder who of us does not need to be taught, to be urged, to be admonished, to be corrected time and again. Even the most clever theologian cannot say: I don’t need it any longer. I know more about it than the minister. Indeed he may know more, but does he live the Word of God???
Now it is impossible to deal with all the details mentioned in Lord’s Day 1. This is not necessary either, because the whole catechism is dealing with “our only comfort in life and death.” Each time some other detail is explained, some other aspect is shown.
Lord’s Day 1 is like an entrance-hall, from where you can enter into the various rooms of the building. This entrance-hall is immensely beautiful: really it is a wonderful hall. Once you have seen the beauty of it, you can never forget it. “What is your only comfort in life and death?” And then that answer: “That I, with body and soul, both in life and death, am not my own, but belong unto my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ” – and then follows what the Lord has done to make me His own: and that all things must be subservient to my salvation, wherefore by His Holy Spirit He also assures me of eternal life, and makes me heartily willing and ready, henceforth, to live unto Him”.
It is as if someone walks through the church and stops at every pew separately and asks all of us personally that question; all of us are confronted with that question: “What is your only comfort in life and death?” And what about you… and you… and you too? Nobody is excluded. There are people who say that the church does not appeal to them, that they are not involved, but how wrong they are! Where else are you facing such a question? Where else are you all so involved?
People who don’t feel that they are appealed to, have never listened to the preaching of the Word of God in the right way. The Word of God is always directed to me and to you, to all of us. It may be that I don’t understand this personal approach anymore, whatever the reason may be.
But here is a question to you… and you: “What is your only comfort in life and death?” We should not dismiss that question to-day. We should never do that. We may not like that question: it may make us uncomfortable. We may try to do that on a home visit. The discussion may go all right as long as we are not called upon to give account of our faith and of our serving the Lord. It is quite easy to discuss all kinds of topics, theological and ecclesiastical matters, or to talk about our fellow-members and our wishes. It may be that we know a lot about all those things.
But that is not the point here. We are not sitting for an examination in Bible knowledge here. We are confronted with the inescapable question concerning our only comfort in life and death. No, we cannot escape that question. We cannot say: what do you mean? It is as clear as daylight.
So, what is your answer, brothers and sisters, young people? What is your answer???
We should not rest until we know this and until we join the choir of the professing people of God wholeheartedly and learn to sing it always better and stronger.
We have a lot to talk about, haven’t we? We are busy people, aren’t we? We have our jobs and our duties, our work, our intentions, our meetings, our disappointments, our struggles and our sins, our joys. We leave our homes in the morning and we don’t know whether we shall meet again. But do we know ourselves and one another in this profession of our only comfort? Is the Lord Jesus Christ your only hope? Or have we a lot of comforts: myself and my opinions… and my strength… and my ideals…, my future and what I try to build. Is that what we live for, what we sacrifice everything for?
Are we people who try to combine the Lord Jesus Christ and something else? Christ is a comfort and my money, my work, is another one? There is also the possibility that there is a difference between the words of my mouth and what I say with my actions. My mouth may say: Jesus is my only comfort; and my conduct says: my money, my work, my T.V., my health is my only comfort.
The Lord Jesus Christ warned the people in his day against that terrible mistake of thinking that using a lot of pious words is the same as belonging to the Lord.
I refer to these words: “Not everyone who says to Me “Lord, Lord” shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father Who is in heaven.”
This warning is still necessary. There are lots and lots of pious words and it is easy to say how someone else should act, but it may be that I don’t want to practise it myself. It may happen that I talk to my children about the Lord Jesus Christ and His service and at the same time forget to show in my own life what this means.
Your only comfort in life and death. I hope I don’t need to talk you into it, even if I could. This is your own profession, brothers and sisters, young people. This is the confession of the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is your confession, the confession of all those who once expressed their faith in this Lord.
O yes, I know what is going on in a human heart and life. How far we are sometimes away from this profession of Jesus Christ as our only comfort. We can stray away from this foundation, away from this song, this joy – fools that we are. But this does not mean that our case is hopeless. Let us listen again to this good news, to this wonderful tiding of great joy, to the glorious message of our only comfort in life and death in the Lord Jesus Christ. And may the Holy Spirit so work in our hearts that we sing this song with an always deeper conviction.
Yes, the topic is our only comfort. There is no one else. Why do we look so often in another direction? Why do we seek in a wrong place? Why do we try to combine sometimes what cannot go together? Why don’t we listen to the Word of God? Why don’t we give up everything for this comfort? Why do we often go limping with two different opinions?
Your only comfort is here with Jesus Christ. And this comfort is one in life and death. That means: it is really sufficient. In life whatever this means to you, and whatever your experiences are. And in death, whenever that may happen to you. Jesus Christ is able to meet all your needs. No Christ is not a helper only in certain difficulties, and afterwards you may forget about Him. You may experience that when you don’t know Him in prosperity, you must do without Him when you face hardships, though He may use those circumstances to show you the emptiness and the despair of a life without Him.
The Lord does not want to be a help in need only to be dismissed as soon as the dark clouds are gone. No we don’t get a kind of guarantee that we will have an easy life with the Lord, without difficulties and without sorrow.
If you are after a nice comfortable life, you should not follow the Lord. With Him something else is in the centre: His Name, His Kingdom, His will. O yes, and He will give us all we need with a view to this service.
But the Lord is really after our well-being, but He has His own pattern and His own methods. I may be sure of this that He uses all things for our salvation. And He takes away all that is harmful for that purpose.
What an answer there is to that question about my only comfort in life and death: that I belong to the Lord Jesus Christ with body and soul, both in life and death, always, forever. Because the same Saviour Who died for me on the cross is so strong that He is able to preserve me; stronger than the devil and stronger than my own sinful heart.
With Him I am sure of eternal life. With Him I am willing to follow Him wherever He goes. With Him I am ready to serve in whatever way He directs me. With Him even impossible things are going to happen in my heart and life. He is a mighty Saviour, a glorious Lord. You see, He changes my life as surely as I belong to Him. I am going in His steps, first somewhat reluctantly, but He takes my hand and He teaches me His ways. Wonderful: with Him, I am learning what nobody is able to teach me, even learning to deny myself and to do things which I did not want to do before. Yes, that is what it is: a new life with and through Christ, turning away from what is wrong and obeying His voice: sacrificing my pride, my wisdom, my idols and turning to Him to be my guide in all my ways. He is taking care of me, every day again, and every hour, in life and in death.
Not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my heavenly Father. I can drop all my anxieties, all my fears, all my doubts. He cares about me.
My life is secure with Him, always, forever and ever.
Our confession points out that to be able to live and die happily in this comfort, it is necessary to know three things, know with my heart, know by faith: my sins, my salvation and my gratitude. These three are really one.
We should never pull them asunder. I cannot know the one without the other. I don’t know of my salvation without knowing my sins. And it is impossible to be saved without being willing to serve the Lord in a life of gratitude.
Let us examine ourselves, all of us, to see whether we miss out on one of the three necessary things and so don’t know of that song of faith: “my Saviour and Lord”.
Brothers and sisters, young people: do you know these three necessary things: your sins, your salvation and your gratitude?
Don’t make a mistake here: the question is not whether you know of the sins of someone else; or whether you know of someone else’s salvation: whether you know of the gratitude and the service of the Lord of other people.
Do you know your sins and your salvation and are you willing to obey the Lord?
What is your answer, your sincere answer, as before the Lord???
Amen.