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Hello my name is Jerral Campfield and this web site is dedicated to Moral Recognition Therapy using Biblical principles. Please come back often to join me in understanding Gods hands are outstretched still to forgive. |
Contributed by Jerral Campfield
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Friday, 03 July 2020 |
Comfort in Peace Thank the Lord he came to give our world the comfort needed to have peace in our world when we ask, seek and knock at the heart of God’s love, mercy and grace to minister to us all. Jesus wants to warn us and comfort us so we can rejoice in what God is doing today to bring us comfort and peace. So let look at John 16 and see what God can do in our hearts today, as we look at His word in John 16 “These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble. 2 They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. 3 And these things they will do [a]to you because they have not known the Father nor Me. 4 But these things I have told you, that when [b]the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them. “And these things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you. 5 “But now I go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ 6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. I like Matthew Henrys account of the Bible which I use many times. Christ dealt faithfully with his disciples when he sent them forth on his errands, for he told them the worst of it, that they might sit down and count the cost. He had told them in the chapter before to expect the world’s hatred; now here in these verses, I. He gives them a reason why he alarmed them thus with the expectation of trouble: These things have I spoken unto you, that you should not be offended, or scandalized, John 16:1. Lord help us to not stumble and be offended at the cross or turn aside from following You, but keep the integrity of Your comfort in the hour of temptation we are living in today. As we are seeing the pandemic of Coronavirus and rioting tear our country apart to where we have no law and order. Not only in America, but around the world. Lawlessness is terrible for it is running rampant and not one wants to stop it. The Christian world is being cast out, forbidden to meet as a Church body together and we are suffering from not being together. It has often been the lot of Christ’s disciples to be unjustly excommunicated. Many a good truth has been branded with the thinking, many a child of God is being delivered to Satan. We are seeing the sword of civil power destroy Godliness, “The time cometh, the hour is come; now things are likely to be worse with you than they have been; when you are expelled as heretics, they will kill you, and think they do God service, and others will think so too.” (1.) You will find them really cruel: They will kill you. Christ’s sheep have been accounted as sheep for the slaughter; the twelve apostles (we are told) were all put to death, except John. Christ had said (John 15:27), You shall bear witness, martyreite—you shall be martyrs, shall seal the truth with your blood, your heart’s blood. (2.) You will find them seemingly conscientious; they will think they do God service; as those that cast out God’s servants of old, and said, Let the Lord be glorified, Isa. 66:5. Note, [1.] It is possible for those that are real enemies to God’s service to pretend a mighty zeal for it. The devil’s work has many a time been done in God’s presence, and one of the most mischievous enemies Christianity ever had, sits in the temple of God. Look at the Churches that deny the blood and thinks it is the Church that saves; no it is having a personal relationship to Christ.,[2.] It is common to patronize an enmity to religion with a color of duty to God, and service to his church. God’s people have suffered thegreatest hardships from conscientious persecutors. Paul verily thought he ought to do what he did against the name of Jesus. This does not at all lessen the sin of the persecutors, for villains will never be consecrated by putting the name of God to them; but it does enhance the sufferings of the persecuted, to die under the character of being enemies to God; but there will be a resurrection of names as well as of bodies at the great day of Judgement. III. He gives them the true reason of the world’s enmity and rage against them (John 16:3): “These things will they do unto you, not because you have done them any harm, but because they have not known the Father, nor me. Let this comfort you, that none will be your enemies but the worst of men.” Note, 1. Many that pretend to know God are wretchedly ignorant of him. Those that pretend to do him service thought they knew him, but it was a wrong notion they had of him. Israel transgressed the covenant, and yet cried, My God, we know thee. Hos. 8:1, 2. Hosea 8:1-28 “Set the [a]trumpet to your mouth! He shall come like an eagle against the house of the Lord,Because they have transgressed My covenant And rebelled against My law.2 Israel will cry to Me, ‘My God, we know You!’ 2. Those that are ignorant of Christ cannot have any right knowledge of God. In vain do men pretend to know God and religion, while they slight Christ and Christianity. 3. Those are very ignorant indeed of God and Christ that think it an acceptable piece of service to persecute good people. Those that know Christ know that he came not into the world to destroy men’s lives, but to save them; that he rules by the power of truth and love, not of fire and sword. Never was such a persecuting church as that which makes ignorance the mother of devotion. 1. Why he told them of it now (John 16:4), not to discourage them, or add to their present sorrow; nor did he tell them of their danger that they might contrive how to avoid it, but that “when the time shall come (and you may be sure it will come), you may remember that I told you.” Note, When suffering times come it will be of use to us to remember what Christ has told us of sufferings. (1.) That our belief of Christ’s foresight and faithfulness may be confirmed; and, (2.) That the trouble may be the less grievous, for we were told of it before, and we took up our profession in expectation of it, so that it ought not to be a surprise to us, nor looked upon as a wrong to us. As Christ in his sufferings, so his followers in theirs, should have an eye to the fulfilling of the scripture.
2. Why he did not tell them of it sooner: “I spoke not this to you from the beginning when you and I came to be first acquainted, because I was with you.” (1.) While he was with them, he bore the shock of the world’s malice, and stood in the front of the battle; against him the powers of darkness levelled all their force, not against small or great, but only against the king of Israel, and therefore he did not need to say so much to them of suffering, because it did not fall much to their share; but we do find that from the beginning he bade them prepare for sufferings; and therefore, (2.) It seems rather to be meant of the promise of another comforter. This he had said little of to them at the beginning, because he was himself with them to instruct, guide, and comfort them, and then they needed not the promise of the Spirit’s extraordinary presence. The children of the bride-chamber would not have so much need of a comforter till the bridegroom should be taken away. V. He expresses a very affectionate concern for the present sadness of his disciples, upon occasion of what he had said to them (John 16:5, 6): “Now I am to be no longer with you, but go my way to him that sent me, to repose there, after this fatigue; and none of you asketh me, with any courage, Whither goest thou? But, instead of enquiring after that which would comfort you, you pore upon that which looks melancholy, and sorrow has filled your heart.” 1. He had told them that he was about to leave them: Now I go my way. He was not driven away by force, but voluntarily departed; his life was not extorted from him, but deposited by him. He went to him that sent him, to give an account of his negotiation. Thus, when we depart out of this world, we go to him that sent us into it, which should make us all solicitous to live to good purposes, remembering we have a commission to execute, which must be returned at a certain day. 2. He had told them what hard times they must suffer when he was gone, and that they must not expect such an easy quiet life as they had had. Now, if these were the legacies he had to leave to them, who had left all for him, they would be tempted to think they had made a sorry bargain of it, and were, for the present, in a consternation about it, in which their master sympathizes with them, yet blames them, (1.) That they were careless of the means of comfort, and did not stir up themselves to seek it: None of you asks me, Whither goest thou? Peter had started this question (John 13:36), and Thomas had seconded it (John 14:5), but they did not pursue it, they did not take the answer; they were in the dark concerning it, and did not enquire further, nor seek for fuller satisfaction; they did not continue seeking, continue knocking. See what a compassionate teacher Christ is, and how condescending to the weak and ignorant. Many a teacher will not endure that the learner should ask the same question twice; if he cannot take a thing quickly, let him go without it; but our Lord Jesus knows how to deal with babes, that must be taught with precept upon precept. If the disciples here would have found that his going away was for his advancement, and therefore his departure from them should not inordinately trouble them (for why should they be against his preferment?) and for their advantage, and therefore their sufferings for him should not inordinately trouble them; for a sight of Jesus at the right hand of God would be an effectual support to them, as it was to Stephen. Note, A humble believing enquiry into the design and tendency of the darkest dispensations of Providence would help to reconcile us to them, and to grieve the less, and fear the less, because of them; it will silence us to ask, Whence came they? but will abundantly satisfy us to ask, Whither go they? for we know they work for good, Rom. 8:28. (2.) That they were too intent, and pored too much, upon the occasions of their grief: Sorrow has filled their hearts. Christ had said enough to fill them with joy (John 15:11); but by looking at that only which made against them, and overlooking that which made for them, they were so full of sorrow that there was no room left for joy. Note, It is the common fault and folly of melancholy Christians to dwell upon the dark side of the cloud, to meditate nothing but terror, and turn a deaf ear to the voice of joy and gladness. That which filled the disciples’ hearts with sorrow, and hindered the operation of the cordials Christ administered, was too great an affection to this present life. They were big with hopes of their Master’s external kingdom and glory, and that they should shine and reign with him: and now, instead of that, to hear of nothing but bonds and afflictions, this filled them with sorrow. Nothing is a greater prejudice to our joy in God than the love of the world; and the sorrow of the world, the consequence of it. Lord help us to see that You know the heart of a man and women and are showing us the fact, we Need you to give us law and order back, so we can rejoice and be glad for what your grace, love and mercy is doing in our world of injustices. |
Copyright 2005 Jerral Campfield, All rights reserved.
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