Services/Sermon in LLC Toronto Summer Services 07.07.2007 09.00 am UTC

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, we will continue our services this morning yet for a few moments, again with that prayer that is in our heart, that our Heavenly Father would continue to grant unto us that which we so sorely need, this food, this heavenly manna.

And so at this time we will read from the 40th chapter of Isaiah from its first two verses. And these words are in Jesus' name as follows. Amen.

Comfort ye, my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry out unto her that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned. For she hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins. Amen.

First of all, I would also like to bring you greetings from my home, and from my home congregation there in Cucato. Many there were unable to come here, and yet they did ask to relay their greetings to you here, dear brothers and sisters that are gathered.

It is true, dear brothers and sisters, that we enjoy these days of this festivity. I know myself personally. I have been able to sit here in your midst, and my cold and empty heart has been warmed. I have personally received that which I so sorely need.

And of course we understand. And we come here to hear what our Heavenly Father has to say unto us, without question. We do not come here to hear a certain brother. But we come here with that prayer in our heart. Dear God, open thy word unto us.

And oftentimes, it is indeed with great difficulty that those who arise through this place feel their emptiness and their poorness, and even fearfulness. And so it is even with me this morning. And I beg of you, that I hear that gospel.

Dear brothers and sisters, beloved youth, we are the most fortunate of all people. We have the greatest reason to give thanks unto the Heavenly Father and to praise His holy name.

There are, around us, in the unbelieving world, our neighbors, who are endeavoring to build those stairways to heaven. Dear brothers and sisters, that way has been prepared unto us. The gates of heaven are open unto us.

And what is so comforting is that this endeavor of faith that we only need to believe for this day and this moment, this faith that we have today may already be changed to seeing tomorrow. Thank you.

And so, when we hear these words of the prophet who was encouraging his countrymen of that day thousands of years ago, they had been returning from exile. Although, as history relates unto us, it was not a harsh exile in the temporal sense.

As a matter of fact, there were those who even desired to remain there where they were. But there was one thing that they suffered. There had been a starvation for the word of our heavenly Father, for heavenly manna.

And now, as the exiles were returning into the promised land, the voice of the prophet rose in their midst and began to encourage them. Even as these same words have encouraged generation after generation after generation, to this day, these same words encourage us.

The prophet says, Comfort ye, comfort ye, my people, saith dear God.

We have heard spoken here these days of services of the importance of the love of our Lord and Savior Jesus and the grace of God, and of the unity of the Holy Spirit. Heard spoken of this triune God.

In the Old Testament day, the prophet heard the audible voice of our heavenly Father. And the prophet then relayed unto the people that which God had made known unto them.

Some 2,000 years ago, our Lord and Savior Jesus himself dwelt here in the midst of man. That sweet message of the gospel was once again heard indeed through the very lips of our beloved Savior.

And now, we are living in the New Testament era, where indeed that third portion of the Godhead speaks unto us.

Those of you who were able to attend last evening's meeting, we heard so preciously of the importance of the unity of the Spirit. Heard such precious reminders of the importance of the congregation mother which carries us, which indeed cares for us.

The same prophet a little later in this chapter reminds those believers of that day where he says unto them, O Zion that bringeth good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain. O Jerusalem that bringeth good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength, lift it up, be not afraid, say unto the cities of Judah, behold your God.

This is the encouragement of our Heavenly Father. Even as we heard through our dear brother, dear brothers and sisters, you are the messengers of our Heavenly Father. Unto you has been gifted the Holy Spirit, the living Spirit of our Heavenly Father, that third portion of the Godhead.

Our Heavenly Father encourages you, lift up your voice, proclaim this sweet message of the gospel. Indeed, the Bible reminds us not to be ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God unto salvation, unto everyone who believes.

And so, even this morning, beloved brothers and sisters, beloved youth, you are especially encouraged. O Zion, that bringeth good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain. O Jerusalem, that bringeth good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength, lift it up, be not afraid, and say unto the cities of Judah, behold your God.

What is in question here? The undying soul of one another. And this encouragement, this exhortation, it belongs in our midst also.

Our Heavenly Father reminds us, "But exhort one another while it is called today." And He reminds us in another place, "And to gather all the more as you see that day approaching."

It is very important. Dear brothers and sisters, I ask you, how has your endeavor of faith been? Have you been able to walk upright in obedience unto the will and the word of our Heavenly Father?

Have you encouraged and comforted and uplifted your dear brothers and sisters in faith? Have you fought fiercely against those temptations that Satan has placed before you?

No, I'm sure that your experiences have been the same as mine. There has been a fierce battle within. The outward portion has battled against that inward portion. There has been a struggle. And yes, even sin has beset.

Satan has been able to cause us to become distressed, weary, and doubt-ridden.

Oh, I remember that portion and that time when those two disciples were leaving from Jerusalem. Jerusalem, our Lord and Savior Jesus had been crucified on that middle cross. He had been ridiculed and persecuted and finally crucified.

And those two disciples were so downtrodden, so doubt-ridden, so much so that when Jesus approached them, they did not recognize him, even though they had been with him day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year.

And there is in the Bible, and it says unto us in this way, of these two disciples, that as they traveled, they reasoned among themselves.

We have heard again of this during these days of services. Without question, human wisdom, human reason is a gift of God given unto mankind. But human wisdom is foolishness before God.

And so even these two disciples, as they journeyed and were so doubt-ridden, they began to think and to begin to reason with their mind over these things that had taken place.

And Jesus began to speak unto them and asked, "Why are you so sorrowful, people?" And they were astonished that, "Have you not heard what has taken place?"

But then the Bible says that, then Jesus began to expound unto them the Scriptures concerning Himself. Beginning from the very beginning of Scripture, He began reciting unto them the promises of God that God had given unto mankind of the coming of the Savior.

And prophecy after prophecy He related unto them.

And so then evening was come and the disciples came to that house where they were traveling and they were going to enter in and Jesus made as if He was going to continue on and they said, "No, come, come inside."

And Jesus went in and He sat down and He picked up the bread and He broke it and He gave it to them.

And the Bible says then their eyes opened and the Bible says that Jesus disappeared from their midst.

But oh the joy that they experienced and the Bible even says that they marveled one to another, "Did not our hearts burn within us while He expounded unto us the Scriptures concerning Himself?"

This is, dear brothers and sisters, what we have been able to experience here. The warmth of the consuming fire of God through that precious word of the Scripture which the Holy Spirit has opened unto us and our hearts have rejoiced and been warmed.

The prophet here says, speaking comfortably to Jerusalem, cry out unto her that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned.

He is speaking unto us even this morning. There is reason to rejoice. The warfare is accomplished.

What does that mean unto us? Certainly we have all experienced this. As I mentioned how this outward portion continually battles with the inner portion. There is a daily struggle there. Our sin corrupt flesh.

The apostle Paul lamented of himself. He said, "O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this body of death?"

Jeremiah reminds us of the heart of man that it is deceitful and wicked above all things.

This is that which we battle against. Dear brothers and sisters, brothers, it is a fierce battle.

And then on top of that, we have around us the unbelieving world with its glorious looking temptations and things that seem so beautiful to our eyes and that seem like it would be so easy to partake of those temptations and fall into those sins.

And on top of that, we have the enemy of the soul himself, continually badgering and tormenting us.

Indeed, I believe it was Peter who reminded us that he goes about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.

This is the battle that we have, dear brothers and sisters. I ask you, how has it been? Is there a reason to lift one's head and to say that it's been a good endeavor?

And even this, dear brothers and sisters, Satan can cause us. When we have been especially vigilant on those sins on the left hand side of the way, those temptations, indeed our own sin corrupt flesh, and we have withstood temptation after temptation, then Satan is there.

And then he begins to pull us then to the other side of the endeavor. And he begins to say unto us that, indeed, you have been a good child of God.

And he begins to feed us with that which the flesh desires. And pretty soon, we begin to drift off into those deceiving bogs, get mired down into those deceiving bogs of self-righteousness.

This is our endeavor. And this is that which we battle against.

And Satan is there a thing that it is hopeless that the beloved youth, those temptations that he is enticing you with.

Never in the history of the world have those temptations been so fine and so clever. This is what we battle against.

And yet, the prophet, our heavenly Father, reminds us this morning, your warfare is accomplished. The battle is finished.

How is this possible? Through the power of the gospel. That sweet, sweet voice, that sweet message directly from our heavenly Father, from the heart of our Lord and Savior Jesus, from the beloved messengers here upon the earth.

The apostle Peter reminds you, dear brothers and sisters, that you are a peculiar nation, a royal priesthood.

Yes. You are those messengers of our heavenly Father who go and encourage and uplift and lovingly rebuke those of us when we need that loving rebuke.

You, dear brothers and sisters, are those messengers. You are the angels here upon the earth that we need.

I ask you, dear brother and sister, where would you and I be if we attempted to stand alone? I would be so deep in the darkness of unbelief. And I believe we all would be.

We need one another and all the more for the importance of the unity of the Holy Spirit. It constrains us to love one another, to help one another, to encourage one another.

And as a prophet and our heavenly Father remind us here, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned, for she has received of the Lord's hand double for her sins.

Even this is such a miracle of our heavenly Father. He is speaking of the grace and mercy of God.

There is nothing new under the sun. Yes, Satan is there speaking unto you, that sermon of unbelief that you have been so unsuccessful.

Look at the sin and the filth where you have been. How can you even say that you have the name of a child of God?

And yet, the prophet reminds us the warfare is accomplished. It reminds us of the grace and mercy of God, that it is double that of which Satan has caused.

God, there is an apportion to your brothers and sisters, where the writer under the Ecclesiasticus reminds us, he begins with the question, what is man?

Man? When we think of that question, we can look around us and we can see what the wisdom of man has accomplished.

Indeed, it has accomplished much. It has been a gift of God.

The modern technology, there are elders in our midst who lived without electricity, without running water.

Indeed, there are elders here in our midst who farmed with horses.

We have to say, we have to say on one hand, that which man has accomplished is indeed great. We live a life of leisure and comfort in the outward temporal sense.

But the writer under the Ecclesiasticus reminds us, or asks a question, he says, what is man?

And he puts it in perspective. Yes, indeed.

And he says, he says in this way that if a man lived to be a hundred years, that would be a long life.

We have elders in our midst who are in their eighties. That is a long life.

But he reminds us that if a man lived to be a hundred, that would be considered a long life.

Then he begins to put things into perspective. I know you, beloved youth, you think you're teenagers now, even you little children, you think a hundred years, that's almost forever in your eyes.

I'm over halfway there. And I look back and I wonder, where has the years gone? And the older one gets, it seems that the faster the time goes, year after year.

But the writer then reminds us of this span of a hundred years. He puts it into something concrete that we can see.

He says the life of a man who lives to be a hundred years old, he says it's like a grain of sand along the beaches of the world.

He says that hundred years, he says that's like a drop of water in the ocean.

That is the life of man.

Dear brother and sister, do we not have reason to rejoice? Your names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life.

And it is comforting, I'm going to read that portion, how he even concludes that portion there where he was speaking of what is man.

As a matter of fact, I'll read exactly how it says here.

He says, what is man? And where to serve it? he? And what is his good? And what is his evil?

And he says, a number of a man's days are at most a hundred years as a drop of water under the sea.

And as a gravel stone in comparison of the sand, so are a thousand years to the days of eternity.

Then he continues, and he says, that is why, dear brother and sister, God is patient with you.

He knows that we are nothing more than a handful of dust.

It says here in this way that, therefore is God patient with them and poured forth his mercy onto them.

He saw and perceived their end to be evil. Therefore, he multiplied his compassion.

This is the kind of loving Heavenly Father we have. He has reminded us, I will never leave thee. I will never forsake thee.

And so we come back to the question then of this thin corrupted flesh.

Satan would be very quickly to come and say that it's impossible for you, dear child, to remain in faith.

Look at the odds that are against you. Indeed, Satan himself, the tempting unbelieving world and our own thin corrupt flesh.

And yet, we are reminded, God reminds us that he doubled his grace and mercy unto us.

The writer under the Psalms reminds us, as high as the heaven is above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.

We do not need to sorrow, dear brother and sister. Certainly, you do not need to sorrow that God will leave you.

It is a good thing, dear brothers and sisters, when sin has attached onto us that there is distress over our condition, that there is a fear of God.

And yet, even those footsteps unto repentance are nothing more than the fruits of living faith.

And our heavenly Father continues and continually is calling onto us the Holy Spirit that dwells in our midst, the congregation mother desires only to help, to uplift, to comfort, to preach the gospel message.

And yes, indeed, our heavenly Father himself reminds us, if God be with you, who can be against you?

Yes, dear brothers and sisters, the endeavor of living faith is difficult, both.

But I ask you, where would you rather be than here in the midst of Zion?

Where you have the reassurance through the sweet message of the gospel that it pays to believe.

Even now, dear brother and sister, you can freely believe all sins and doubts forgiven in Jesus' name and precious blood.

Jesus reminds us in the final page of the Bible, hold fast to that which thou hast, lest any man take it away. Behold, I come quickly.

Yes, yes, there is reason to rejoice and give thanks unto God.

How abundantly he has cared for us.

We in ourselves are nothing but dust. We of ourselves have nothing to offer.

We heard through our dear brother, no man has all understanding.

We know so little. We have so little wisdom and understanding.

There are matters that arise in the congregation or the kingdom of God which we wonder about and we think, well, what is this?

And yet, we know that if the Holy Spirit, the congregation mother, is an unerring mother, it may be, dear brothers and sisters, in our individual congregations that matters may arise.

I'm sure at times they do and yet we can be comforted.

If it is not of God, it will come to naught.

We in ourselves, dear brothers and sisters, are nothing.

Yes, we have the Holy Spirit of God and thank God that we have this.

And we have this simple faith and oh, how little faith it is, but it is the correct faith.

And we have that trust upon that word that your sins are forgiven in Jesus' name and precious blood.

That is all that we need to know and to understand.

He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the church.

This is the exhortation of our Lord and Savior Jesus.

Even if we do not comprehend, but we hear what the Spirit saith unto the church.

And we trust.

And indeed, the Bible testifies unto us.

Indeed, this very prophet wrote of it, that the way and the journey will be so well marked, that not even a fool will be led astray.

This is the simplicity of living faith, dear brothers and sisters.

All that is required of us is to remain in the place of a child, trusting upon our heavenly Father, trusting upon that Holy Spirit, the congregation mother which cares for us.

The simplicity of living faith.

All of your brothers and sisters that is required of you at this moment is to believe the sweet message of the gospel.

Nothing more, nothing less.

And so you can uplift your weary hearts, your doubt-ridden hearts, that yes, you can freely believe all sins and doubts forgiven in Jesus' name and precious blood.

And be of good comfort.

Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem and cry unto her that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned, for she has received of the Lord's hand double for all her sin.

Yes, we are in a good place here, dear brothers and sisters.

The grace and mercy of God is so abundant.

That grace and mercy see is so deep that when those sins are drowned therein, God in heaven remembers them no more.

And in this way, this babbling congregation continues, each one of us in our own place of watching, from victory to victory.

And again, we hear the gospel message.

And again, we endeavor and we stumble and we fall.

And again, we are encouraged by the gospel.

Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, this is the duty of the messenger.

This is your duty, dear brother and sister.

Uplift one another, exhort one another, help one another.

Why? Because you and I need so much help.

We can do nothing of ourselves.

We are totally dependent upon the care of our heavenly Father.

And so, we endeavor to believe even this morning, all sins forgiven in Jesus' name and precious blood.

And be of good comfort.

We are in a blessed place here.

In Jesus' name, amen.

Amen.