Word of Salvation – Vol.06 No.43 – October 1960

 

Our Only Comfort

 

Sermon by Rev. P. H. Pellicaan on Lord’s Day 1

Scripture reading: John 16:1-22

Hymn 308:1,2,3; 317:1,2 (After Apostles’ Creed); 429; 427; 468

 

Beloved congregation,

Most of you have heard many sermons on this subject I think.  You may have learned the catechism in the Bible-class, and still although we know it very well, we want to hear it again.  It is never boring.  This old message is always new and fresh, because it is the message about Jesus, Who saves.  It is the message of a just and living God who seeks us in His love.  And something must be very wrong with a bride if she said to her bridegroom: stop talking about love, I’ve heard that before and I am not interested anymore.  Real love always wants to hear the same simple and wonderful words: I love you.

This first Lord’s Day is more or less like a letter, written by the Bridegroom to His Bride; a letter of Christ to His church.  And we also read here the Bride’s answer, a spontaneous answer.  And with stirring joy we are going to listen to this old message: I have loved you, says the Lord, with an eternal love!  And we are going to answer: If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now!

This first Lord’s Day is an introduction.  In a nutshell we are told about all God’s promises and their effect on our lives.  And so I am not supposed to explain every word and every thought that is expressed.  In a few words I have to give you a general picture of the thrilling message of the Bible.  I have to teach you how to approach the wonderful mystery of Christ’s saving work, how to possess it, how to be sure that I am a partaker of the heavenly gifts.  The key to this treasure house I have to hand to you.  What is the key?  How can I be sure that I am God’s child, an heir of life eternal?  That is our personal faith.  That is the knowledge: it has all happened FOR ME!

That does not make our religion man-centred!  GOD is the centre of course.  HIS honour is at stake, and not our happiness.  But we can only honour God if we accept His message, rely on His promises and sing His praise for all His wondrous works.  That’s why the first Lord’s Day is so personal.

What is YOUR only comfort?

It goes without saying that you NEED comfort.  Admit it, you are in desperate straits if you don’t know where to find comfort for all the miseries of life.

Tell me, what is in your heart?  Are you trying to be happy with this world, with riches, with power, with amusements?  Is that your comfort in life AND death?

OR Do you realize that this world is a passing world, very unstable, very unhappy?  Do you realize that the time is coming that you have to leave everything behind?

I remember the title of a German book.  I did not read the book, but I cannot forget that title.  It was: ‘Everybody dies in loneliness..!’  Is that your future?  That horrifying experience, to die in loneliness?

WHAT then is your comfort?

Our Catechism is an instruction book.  But it starts with a confession.  We cannot learn anything about God unless we believe in Him, and trust Him and love Him.

His praise is sung from Lord’s Day 2 to Lord’s day 52.  But in this first introduction the singer is examined whether he is allowed to join in God’s praise.  Nothing is more awful to God than a hymn that is sung with an unbelieving heart.

This is the only way of approach to his sanctuary, the way that is shown throughout scripture: whosoever praises the Lord, who worships Him, is a partaker of God’s covenant of grace.

Only he, who knows himself to be a lost sinner, saved by Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross is allowed to join in His praise.  Before we enter into the sanctuary of God’s mercies we have to know whether you really belong there.

And so again, here is the question, the unavoidable question: What is your only comfort in life and death?

Don’t start reasoning now, don’t answer in general terms.  Not: ‘if you know that’, and ‘if you do that’.  That’s not sufficient.  DO you know, and DO you do?  Only a personal answer will do.  I know, I am, I have…!

It is an embarrassing question.  I know, it is rather blunt, straight forward.  It is the most important question in your life.  It deals with the things that really matter.

What is your comfort in LIFE?  What is life?  Psalm 90 says that in our life there is only labour and sorrow, it is soon cut off and we fly away.

Our comfort in DEATH, what is death?  What will happen when soul and body are divided, when our body will be decayed and our soul will appear before God’s judgment seat?  What do you rely on in your life?  What are you going to say before that white throne of God?  What comfort do you have?

Comfort is something that can counterbalance all the misery of our human life, something that can make us rejoice even in the valley of the shadow of death.  Real comfort is stronger than all the calamities that can befall us.  It is stronger than life and stronger than death.  Real comfort may come into the most miserable lives and is able then to make our eyes shine again and our tongue to sing.  In the most horrible death comfort brings joy and happiness.  That is the comfort we all need!

There is nothing else we need more desperately.  Everything else does not matter, it’s bunk and rubbish.  There is only ONE comfort, in the same way as there is only ONE happiness.  And that comfort, that happiness is that I in life and death with body and soul am not my own but belong unto my faithful Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Is that really YOUR comfort, my brother and sister? …young people?  And what about you, boys and girls?

Understand me well – I do not ask whether these are beautiful words, but I ask you, very personally: Is that the case with you?  Who is the boss in your life?  You want to be boss yourself?  You want to make your own decisions, to make up your own mind?

Then you have to live without comfort, and I am afraid you will have to die without comfort too.

We often say: I mind my own business and I expect everybody to do the same.  But if THIS comfort is yours, then you cannot say that anymore.  It is not MY business where I go, and what I do, and what I say and how I look.  I am not mine any longer, but HIS.  That means I am a slave!  I am not free anymore.

Is that real comfort?  Do I have to depend in everything on HIM?  Am I bound with hands and feet?  No, you are not bound at all, you are free, really free!  You are free from that cruel slave driver, the devil, you are free from the dark dominion of sin; you are delivered from the cruel oppression of your own sinful self.  It means: to be free like Adam was in paradise when his only desire was: to serve God.

Is it not a comfort when we can say in this life full of dangers, full of deadly dangers: Lord Jesus, here is my body and soul, take care of it, it is yours from now on.  We put everything in Your hand, Your pierced hand.  Keep it, govern it, perfect it.  We don’t know what to do with it.  We can only endanger and spoil what You have entrusted to us.  Take my soul, and take my body also.

In our catechism the body is even mentioned before my soul.  That is because we are keenly aware that we cannot govern our own body, our own thoughts and lusts and desires.  Our body is tempted by so many sins and when we deliver our body to satan, then our soul is lost.  And so we have got a new sovereign.  Someone who has absolute authority in our body and soul, in our whole life.

We have Him, our new sovereign, I said.  We did not accept Him, but He in His grace accepted US.  In paradise man sold his body and soul to the evil one.  And we could not possibly redeem ourselves.  The devil assumed the title: prince of the world.  And it was not a matter of boasting when he offered the Saviour all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them.  He was the ruler, the oppressor of this world.

And so the choice is not: a slave of Jesus OR a free agent, but the choice we have to make is: slave of Jesus or slave of the devil.  Choose today whom you will serve!

We had sold ourselves, body and soul to satan.  And into this bankrupt world the Son of God descended.  Because He loved His Father’s handiwork.  Because He hated it that satan ruined God’s creation.  He defeated satan and paid our debts with God.  He has bought us and was prepared to give any price.  Even the price of His precious blood.

Did He do that because we were so valuable?  No, we were worthless creatures, but still: CREATURES, made by His Father.  He beheld our bodies defiled by satan.  He saw Lazarus in his sepulchre and He wept.  He was aware of the curse and He was grieved because His Father’s work was ruined.  He beheld our souls, suffocated in filth and sin.

And then he bought us to save His Father’s work.  That is why He had His blood shed for He knew that the Father abhorred of His own creation.  And His blood came over this world and wherever that blood came, sin disappeared.  Creation sparkled again in perfect beauty.

And His blood was brought into the world by those who were themselves cleansed by it.  In the sign and seal of baptism it was sprinkled on the foreheads of sinful people.  It was drunk at the communion table by unclean lips.  And everywhere the blood cleansed away the sin and the iniquity.

Satan is trying to wipe out that blood but his work is due to fail.  He will never succeed.  Christ’s work cannot be undone.

That is why He never leaves us alone.  He rules over us, He guides us from day to day.  He paid so much for us, that He cannot possibly forget us for one moment.  Not one of these little ones may get lost again.  Even the hairs of our head are all numbered,

He sent His Spirit to dwell in us, to surround us with His tender care to protect us and to stay with us forever.  And the Spirit teaches us to sing this wonderful confession of Lord’s Day 1.  He shows us the abundant riches of Christ’s work, and we are to repeat it: I believe the forgiveness of sin, I believe the justification by grace.  The Spirit works faith in our hearts and upholds that faith and He assures us that we are children of God, heirs of life eternal.  And the Spirit prays in us and in abundance God’s mercies cover us like rain falls on arid ground.

That is real salvation.  Not a theory, not a kind of religious feeling in our heart, but living reality in every day’s life.  Jesus, my Saviour!  Hallelujah, what a Saviour!

How many things are necessary for you to know that you in this comfort may live and die happily?

And the answer is: First, how great my sins and misery are.  Is that right?  Has not the blood of Jesus cleansed us?  Have not our sins disappeared?

Sure, but only in principle.  We are so wicked that even when we are saved, we return to our sinful life again and again.  Satan is still busy to catch us, and he is very successful sometimes.  We have to realize that, in order to keep hold more firmly to the second step: how I am delivered from all my sins and misery.

We have to know that way, from misery to salvation.  From darkness to light.  We have to know where to go to find pardon day after day.

You should notice how it is put here.  It does not say: How I have been delivered, as a fact in the past, but: How I AM delivered, as an action of today; that is still going on.  Salvation is not a fact in history but a daily blessing.

Our Saviour is always praying for us that our faith may not fail.  And by that very fact I understand how desperate my position would be without Jesus.

If I am to be freed from satan’s snares every day of my life how miserable a sinner I must be then.  When I came to Jesus I was aware of the fact that I was a sinner.  But the longer I know Him, the more sins I discover in my heart.

Our eyes are sharpened, we learn to distinguish in the sin.  We first see the fruits, then the branches and at last the root.  And slowly, step by step, unwilling, stammering we come to the confession that the whole tree is poisoned, that our heart is wicked, more than anything.

If we come that far we are very near to the Saviour.  We shall fully realize our sinfulness when we stand near His cross where our sins were punished.  Near that cross I understand the three steps of my salvation.

At Calvary we find utter loneliness and deepest misery.  Anguish of hell.  But there eternal salvation is wrought, and in that cross I will glory forever.

The living Christ becomes a living comfort.  And the Holy Spirit always directs our steps toward that cross of Jesus.

Some people do not like to be reminded of their misery and sinfulness.  But redeemed sinners will complain about their misery.  They will humble themselves deeper and deeper.  That is the way of sanctification,

God has children – and we do too.  We try to do everything we can to make them grow up.  God does everything to make His children smaller.  And when you are that far that you are a little child, then you will see the kingdom of God!  Then nobody can pull us away from the throne of grace.  Then there is one thing only we want to speak about: Jesus Christ and Him crucified!

And now, once again that question I started with.  For I am afraid you may overlook it.  What is YOUR only comfort?

Jesus Christ, He is listening now for your answer.  He is present here in this hall.  He sits next to you in your pew.  He knows your thoughts, He reads in your heart.  He is listening now and wherever a heart is opened for His Word and accepts His grace, He will enter in that heart and dwell there and His peace shall enter into your heart and your home.

There may be hearts that are closed for Him.  Even though your mouth may speak and repeat this wonderful confession of Lord’s Day 1, your heart may be silent.

After this sermon we will sing to the glory of Jesus.  Be careful not to sing when you do not believe that you are singing.  It will only make your condemnation the heavier.  But all you who love the Lord, sing joyfully, for behold I bring you a tiding of great joy: you are saved, for time and eternity saved.  By Jesus, the Saviour!

Amen.