John 14:1

I've shown you in every way by laboring like this that you must support the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive."

Father, as we are looking forward to the Christmas holiday at the end of this month and as we are no doubt preparing for that as families in the church, we pray, God, that You would be preparing our hearts. This season reminds us of giving and receiving; it reminds us of Your entering into the world as the greatest gift ever. Father, You so loved the world that You gave Your only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Jesus, we thank You that You came into the world, and we are reminded of that great gift every single year at Christmas. We pray, God, that as we hopefully are those who have received that gift, that good gift of Your grace, we would be those who are compelled to also give. So, Lord, would You continue to transform us and make us more like You as we come before Your Word today? We ask that You, by Your Holy Spirit, would work this into us. We pray this in Jesus' name, and all those who agreed said, "Amen." You can be seated.

When you read through the Gospel accounts in the Bible for the first time, especially Matthew, Mark, and Luke, it seems as you're reading through that passage that when you come to the section referred to as the triumphal entry, which took place on a day that we celebrate as Palm Sunday, it seems like that is the pinnacle of the Gospel. It seems like that is the culmination of everything that's been happening because it's there in that event, the triumphal entry, that Jesus is coming down the Mount of Olives, which is just east of the city of Jerusalem. From that mountain, you see the whole temple courts, the temple mount today, but at that time when Jesus was coming down that mountain, the temple was there, the most prominent feature.

As he comes down the Mount of Olives and enters the city of Jerusalem, Jesus is riding on a donkey. Multitudes of people from all around the nation of Israel, as well as from other nations, have come back to the city for the feast of Passover. There is a sense of joy and anticipation. His disciples surround him, and people are singing words from Psalm 118. They are singing "Hosanna," which means "save now" or "save us." It is a petition: "Save us! Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord."

People are breaking off palm branches from the trees and laying them before Jesus as he approaches. They are acknowledging and recognizing who he is. You can be certain that his disciples, the twelve men closest to him, were expecting that this was it. This is what they had been looking forward to; this is what the prophets have foretold for centuries. He is the Messiah, and he is going to be crowned king in Jerusalem during this Passover meal. He will establish his kingdom and rise above all others in the world. He will be King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and they will be right there with him, at his right hand.

No doubt, they were thinking they would be his first selections among his cabinet. Perhaps James and John were pushing to be secretaries of defense, considering they were the ones who wanted to call down fire upon a group of people. Matthew, the tax collector, might have been thinking he could be secretary of the treasury; that would be a good place to be. Peter might have envisioned himself as secretary of the interior or even prime minister. They had already been arguing with each other on their way to Jerusalem about who would be the greatest in his kingdom.

We know where their minds were at, and we can't fault them; that's probably where our minds would be as well. Their hearts are filled with anticipation as they enter Jerusalem, with multitudes singing and proclaiming that he is the Messiah. However, just a few days later, as he gathers with that same group of twelve to partake of the Passover meal, the tone of Jesus changes in a rather drastic fashion.

It moves from being very celebratory to being very somber. Each of the Gospel accounts records this shift. In the Gospel of John, chapter 13, as Jesus is gathered with His disciples, there has been joy and anticipation. He breaks this atmosphere by saying, "Most certainly, most assuredly, I say to you that one of you will betray me." You can bet that was like a bomb that went off in that room at that moment. There was joy, there was anticipation, there was excitement, and then He says, "One of you will betray me."

So shocked are they by this that the Gospel accounts record that they start to say among themselves, "Is it I?" In fact, John's Gospel says that Peter motions to John, who was sitting right next to Jesus. It almost implies that Peter is at the end of the table, which is puzzling. He motions to John, asking him to find out, "Is it me?"

Then, just a few sentences later, Jesus says to that group of men, "Where I'm going, you cannot come." By this time, the minds of the disciples were swirling. Peter, one of Jesus's closest followers, asks, "Lord, where are you going? Where are you going?" Jesus answers, "Where I am going, you cannot follow me now, but you shall follow me afterward."

When He said those words, His disciples understood what He was saying, perhaps in a nuanced sort of way. They understood that He was speaking about His death. We know they understood this because of Peter's response when Jesus said, "Where I'm going, you cannot follow me now, but you shall follow me afterward." Peter replied in the very next verse, John 13:37, "Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for your sake."

So they understood that when He said, "You can't follow me now, but you will afterward," He was speaking of His death. However, as zealous as Peter was when he declared, "I will even lay down my life with you," Jesus knew what was coming. He turned to Peter, as recorded in John 13:38, and said, "Most assuredly, or most certainly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied me three times." He told Peter, "Before this night is even over, you're going to deny that you even know me."

Before the sun comes up, before the rooster crows, Jesus said to all of His disciples, "All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night." These were the guys who, just a few days before this, were coming down the Mount of Olives into the city of Jerusalem, right next to Him, as everybody was proclaiming, "Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord." They were assuming that this was the time to establish the kingdom, the inauguration of the King. Now, He says, "Every one of you tonight will be made to stumble because of Me. One of you is going to betray Me, and Peter, you will deny Me. By the end of this whole event, I will die."

John chapter 13 is a somber and discomforting passage of Scripture. Thankfully, the story doesn't stop there. It would be really sad if, after He says, "Peter, the sun's not even going to come up tomorrow before you deny Me three times," He then says, "All right, guys, let's go." That would be a bummer. But, of course, the story doesn't end there.

If you would turn in your Bibles to John chapter 14, you're in Acts, so just turn one book to the left. We will pick it up at verse one and see how the story continues as Jesus has just brought this distressing word to His disciples. John 14, verse one, is a very famous passage of Scripture. He says, "Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions. Were it not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also."

Jesus looks at His disciples after bringing this distressing word to them and says, "Let not your heart be troubled." That sounds easy enough. "Let not your heart be troubled." Don't allow yourself to be tossed. This word for troubled means to be taken, shaken, and tossed aside. Don't allow yourself to be shaken up. Now, how many of you know that that's a lot easier said than done?

Have you ever been in a situation where the adrenal function of your body kicks in and that fight or flight mechanism activates? Maybe it's happened when you had a near accident on the freeway, or perhaps you've actually been in a fender bender before. After such an event, you're supposed to immediately exchange information, and as you try to write down the details, adrenaline surges through your body. In that moment, telling yourself to calm down and not be troubled often doesn't work. Physiology takes over, pushing you into anxiety and distress.

Jesus has just told something to His disciples that immediately pushed them into a place of anxiety. They are perplexed by what Jesus is saying to them. They are His closest followers, and He says, "One of you is going to betray me. Peter, you will deny me, and all of you are going to stumble because of me this night." Every one of them insists, "We will die with you, Lord. We will die." But Jesus responds, "No, no, no, no. That's not going to happen. You will all flee. Strike the shepherd, and the sheep shall scatter," as He says in Matthew's Gospel.

In the midst of their anxiety, perplexity, distress, fear, and concern, He tells them, "Don't be troubled." He continues, "Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me." How is it possible to have peace in the midst of troubling circumstances? He emphasizes, "Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me."

Point number one on your outline: Faith in Jesus dispels fear. This is a very important point, and here's the crucial aspect of the faith that Jesus calls us to have when He says, "You believe in God; believe also in me." This faith that dispels fear is not a one-time belief from the past. Many, if not most, hopefully all of you have put your trust and faith in Jesus. However, often when people say they have faith in Jesus and have been born again, they look back to a time in the past when they believed in Him. For some of you, you might even remember a specific day, time, place, and person who influenced that decision.

I talked with you. Maybe it was in a church service like this. Perhaps it was at an evangelistic outreach, like a Billy Graham or Harvest celebration. Or maybe it was just a family member, a coworker, or a friend who shared the gospel with you. You might remember a certain point when you believed in Jesus, and perhaps you've even written down that date, looking back at it as the time when you were born again, like a second birthday. There are some people who have that experience. I don't. I put my faith in Jesus when I was very young. I don't remember a specific date, time, or place when it happened exactly.

A lot of times, we look back at a time in the past as when we believed in Jesus. Since that time, hold that in your mind for a moment. I put my faith in Jesus, whenever it was, whether it's a specific or general time. Since that time, post-belief in Jesus, I'm assuming you've had some sort of situation in your life that has brought anxiety and fear. You've been perplexed. Yes, all of us have been in those situations.

Yet, we see here that faith in Jesus dispels fear. You might say, "Well, I've had fear. I've had anxiety. I've been perplexed since that time." So maybe it wasn't true faith, or maybe it wasn't strong enough faith. Perhaps it's not enough faith. But what is important about the faith that Jesus describes when he says, "You believe in God, believe also in me," is the wording he uses. It makes very clear that this is a faith that is active.

Right now, it's not just something you draw upon from the past; it is a faith in the present tense. It is a faith in the active voice. At this moment, I am reaffirming and activating my belief in Christ. When a troubling situation comes into your life, like it did for the disciples 2,000 years ago, you will experience those troubles. No one is exempt from that. We're not excluded from troubling circumstances because we are followers of Jesus.

People who say such things either have never read the Bible or do not comprehend or understand what the Bible is. If someone claims that Christians don't experience trouble, then we might wonder if we are Christians at all, because we all do experience trouble. So, when we go through troubling situations, how do we respond? I would suggest that we need to reaffirm or activate our faith in that moment. This faith is present and active, so we need to remind ourselves, "I believe in Christ."

What does that mean? That simple statement, "I have trusted in Christ." What is in that statement? What exactly does it mean? Well, it means that you believe in Christ, who is alive and not dead. You believe in Jesus, who is in heaven, on a throne, seated at the right hand of glory. We don't believe and have not trusted in just a relic or some monument. We believe in the living Lord Jesus Christ.

When we encounter troubling situations—and we will go through those—we need to activate our faith. We need to reaffirm and remind ourselves of our faith. How do we do that? I would suggest, and I think the Bible suggests, that one of the ways to do that is by prayer. The Apostle Paul, in one of his letters in the New Testament, writes this in Philippians chapter four, verses six and seven: "Be anxious for nothing." You realize that's a command? "Be anxious for nothing." And I'm certain that every one of you fulfills that command to a T all the time. But how is that possible?

Paul continues, "But in everything by prayer and supplication"—that's just a big word for a request for supply—"with thanksgiving." Thanksgiving is always giving thanks for something you have already received in the past, so it's reminding us of what we've received in the past. "Let your request be made known to God, and the result, the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus." I love that: the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding.

Now, we believe that God knows what He is doing. We trust that He has a plan. He sees what's coming and understands things in a way that we don't. I trust that He is over all things; He is sovereign. So when we go through troubling situations and difficult things, we can have that trust that He knows what He is doing and that He has a plan.

However, in my experience of walking with Jesus, I have yet to have Him, in those troubling circumstances, speak in a still small voice and say, "Hey, don't worry."

I've got it worked out. In about six months, this is all going to go this way because this has to happen to get you where we're going. I have it all figured out. He's never done that. I'd like it if he did, but that hasn't happened.

What I have found, and I'm sure some of you have as well, is that in those troubling circumstances and situations, when I reaffirm or remind myself of my faith in the living Lord Jesus Christ, and I bring my requests for supply to Him, I give thanks for all the things He has already done in my life. I am reminded of His consistent faithfulness to me. His peace, which surpasses my comprehension and understanding, comes into my mind and heart and guards it.

If any of you here this morning have ever experienced the peace of God, which surpasses understanding, you may have noticed that onlookers sometimes say, "I don't understand how you're doing this right now." You might respond, "I don't get it either." But God has been gracious, and He has given me His peace, which surpasses understanding. It is an awesome witness of His faithfulness because people who do not know the peace of God, having not entered into that peace by the grace of Jesus Christ, cannot understand what that peace is like.

Distressing things happen, and perplexing things come. That is a given; it is a certainty in our lives as followers of Jesus and as non-followers of Jesus. Everybody experiences trial and difficulty in a fallen world, a world that is devastated by sin and the curse of sin.

Jesus had just spoken things into the lives of His disciples that brought them anxiety and stress, but then He reminds them to believe. Believe what? Well, look at what He says in John chapter 14. "Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions. Were it not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also."

You believe in God; believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions. Some translations say many dwelling places or many rooms. What Jesus is saying here is that there's room for you in My Father's house.

Going to go and prepare a place for you there. And if I do, I will come receive you to myself, that where I am, there you will be forever.

Point number two on your outline: hope in heaven brings comfort. The hope of heaven brings comfort. When we reaffirm, remember, and activate our faith, directing it back to the Lord, we are reminded again where He is, that He is alive, that He is in heaven. This is the very place that He has promised to bring us into, the place that He has prepared for us. When we are reminded of these things, there is a peace that surpasses understanding. There is a comfort that comes from God.

The Apostle Paul speaks very similar words in another one of his letters, 1 Thessalonians. Jot it down in your notes: 1 Thessalonians chapter four. In verse 13, he says, "But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep or those who have died, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope." I don't want you to be in a sorrowful position without hope, having lost someone who has died. I don't want you to misunderstand; I don't want you to be ignorant of the fact that there is something that God is doing, Paul says here in 1 Thessalonians chapter four, verse 13.

Then in verse 14, he says, "For if we believe," what did Jesus say? "You believe in God, believe also in me." If we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, God will bring with Him those who sleep or die in Jesus. Those who believe in Jesus and have died, because of the resurrection of Jesus, Paul says, Jesus will bring them with Him.

For this, we say to you by the word of the Lord; it's not something we made up, but God has spoken this: that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who have died or fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. They are there with Him.

Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus shall we always be with the Lord. Therefore, catch this: verse 18 of 1 Thessalonians four, "Therefore comfort one another with these words."

Now, what are these words all about? Let me tell you, there are all kinds of different interpretations on First Thessalonians chapter four, verses 13 through 18. We don't have time today to get into all the different interpretations of what's going on here in this passage about eschatological end times, the rapture of the church, and the second coming of Jesus. There's a lot going on here in this passage, but there are a few things that I think we should acknowledge that are plainly made clear.

First, those who die believing in Jesus are with Him in heaven. That's a comfort. Secondly, when you die, you will be with Him and them in heaven. Third, one day Jesus will return, and when He does, He will raise up those who are alive and remain to be with Him and those who have already died in heaven. Fourth, once we're with the Lord, we will be with Him and with one another forever; we will always be with the Lord.

So how does Paul round it up? He says, "Therefore, comfort one another with these words." And these are a great comfort. This is good news. Good news, in a Bible sense, is what we call the gospel. This is the gospel.

That's exactly where Jesus goes in the next section. He says, "Let not your heart be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. I will come and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also."

Then He says this in John chapter 14. Look at verse four: "And where I go, you know, and the way, you know." Now, one of His disciples, Thomas, says, "Lord, we do not know where You're going, and how can we know the way?" Good question! I'm so glad that Thomas asked it. I imagine, though I could be wrong and Jesus will set me straight on a lot of things when we get to heaven, that when Thomas asked that question, Jesus kind of grinned and said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life."

And no one comes to the Father except through me. Point number three on your outline: the gospel leads us into the way of comfort and hope. This means that if you're lacking hope and needing comfort, I have good news for you. It is available to you and to me through Jesus Christ because of what He did 2,000 years ago.

Jesus died for our sin, which includes all of our failures to live according to God's righteous and perfect standard. He died to take care of our sin 2,000 years ago on the cross. But He didn't just die; He was buried and rose again three days later. His resurrection proves that His death on our behalf for our failures to live righteously is enough to deal with all of our sin and all of our failures, bringing us into the experience of His joy forever.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. As we put our trust in Him, we can have the absolutely certain, sure hope of being with Him in eternity.

The hope that the Bible describes is not wishful thinking, like when you buy a Powerball ticket and think, "I really hope I win." That is not the kind of hope we are talking about. This is Bible hope—an absolute certainty.

However, there are some people who have a hard time with the statement of Jesus in John 14:6, where He says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." We are living in a time in our nation where there is a growing group of people. In fact, a recent study by the Pew Research Forum discovered that now 23% of Americans say they belong to no religious group. They are referred to as the "nuns" (N-O-N-E-S), not nuns (N-U-N-S) wearing habits and living in a convent.

They have no belief, no faith, and no religious affiliation. There's a growing number of those in our society—23%. Among that group, many really don't like the kind of claim Jesus makes, a narrow-minded, exclusive claim where He says, "I am the way, the truth. No one comes to God except through me."

Sometimes, you'll receive an honest question from someone—a coworker or family member who is among this group of people. They might ask, "Do you really believe that those who are sincere followers of other faiths are not going to get to God? Do you really believe that Jesus is the only way to heaven?" That sounds so exclusive; it sounds so narrow-minded. Well, Jesus did say, "Narrow is the way." I can understand that some people would have a hard time with this statement of Jesus or with your acceptance of it. There are people who struggle with this, and I get it.

But here's the thing: If it is true that there's only one way, is it really narrow-minded and exclusive to say there's only one way? If it's true that this is the only path, then would it not actually be loving and gracious to tell you that this is the only way?

Now, someone could say, "How could He possibly say that He's the only way?" Well, listen, a lot of people could claim, "I'm the only way." The issue is, can they back up their claim? How might someone back up that claim? Jesus is saying, "I'm the only way to get from this life into the next life that comes after this life." Then He dies on a cross, raises from the dead, and is seen by more than 500 witnesses. The better part of them went to their own deaths—being crucified, burned at the stake, beheaded, disemboweled, or thrown to wild beasts—because they believed that He rose from the dead, and never did they recant their belief. The tomb is empty, and the evidence points to the fact that Jesus, 2,000 years ago, rose from the dead.

So here's the thing: If anybody has credibility, I think maybe He does. He's bona fide, right? If anyone is, He is. People were shocked when He said things like, "I am the resurrection and the life," and "I am the way, the truth, and the life." Two thousand years ago, this was kind of mind-blowing stuff. He says, "I am the door, I am the gate, I am the bread of life, I am the living water."

Constantly, there are seven "I am" statements of Jesus in the Gospel of John, and all of them are pretty dynamic and audacious. They all point to a very simple principle: I am the only way. People were shocked and upset by these statements. Yet, He died on a cross and rose from the dead.

In John 11:25, Jesus speaks to a woman whose brother had just died. He says to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though he may die, he shall live." Simply saying that is one thing; anybody could utter those words. Some people who might have lost a few marbles might actually believe that to be the case. However, He substantiates it. He gives credibility to it by dying on the cross and raising from the dead. He foretold that He would actually do that. He told His disciples repeatedly, "We're going to Jerusalem, I'm going to be crucified, and I will rise again the third day." Then, He was crucified and rose again on the third day.

Faith in Jesus dispels fear and brings hope of heaven, leading to great comfort. He is not in a tomb still in Jerusalem. I've been there several times; it's empty. We took a group of people there just a few weeks ago, and it's still empty. He is not here; He is risen. Putting your trust in Christ dispels fear and brings hope of heaven, leading to great comfort.

But that's not all. Wait, there's more. What more? Well, in John 14, if you skip down a few verses to verse 16, Jesus says, "And I will pray to the Father, and He will give you another Helper." Some translations, like the King James Version, say "Comforter," that He, the Comforter, may abide with you forever.

Point number four on your outline: By the Gospel, we have the abiding comfort of the Spirit. You might want to put a capital "S" on Spirit. By the Gospel, we have the abiding comfort of the Spirit. This is a classic verse for a Christian doctrine called the Trinity.

Christians believe that there is one God who exists in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Although there is no explicit verse stating this is the Trinity, there are many implicit passages in the Scriptures that imply the Trinity. For example, here, Jesus, the Son, is praying to the Father, and the Father is sending the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, as He is called in verse 17. The Spirit of Truth whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees Him nor knows Him, but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. What an awesome promise!

Jesus says, "Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in Me. I'm going to go prepare a place for you." That is a great comfort in whatever trouble we go through in this life. We see in this promise of Jesus that the trouble we experience here in this world is merely temporal, and there is something greater waiting for us in the future with God in heaven. Someone may ask, "You actually believe that?" Yes, because a man died and rose from the dead—the one who says these things. Therefore, I believe that He will bring me also to be with Him for eternity, just as He promised. That is great comfort.

But Jesus takes it a step further. He says, "Listen, not only do I want to give you this promise that you can hold on to in your hearts and minds, but I'm also going to give you the abiding presence of My Spirit who is with you and dwells in you." If you're a Christian today, the Holy Spirit of God, the presence of God, dwells in you. The Spirit of Truth is called the Helper and the Comforter. In Christ, we can have the abiding presence of God, the Spirit of Truth, who brings comfort and grace.

He says in John chapter 14, verse 18, "I will not leave you orphans. I'm not going to leave you alone. I will come to you." In Christ, we have the promise of His return. He has promised to prepare a place for us, to give us the abiding presence of His Holy Spirit, and to not leave us here alone as orphans, but to return. This gives us hope and assurance.

Us wonderful peace, awesome grace. In John 14, verse 27, He says, "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you, not as the world gives to you. Do I give it to you? Let not your heart be troubled."

You see, the very first words of John chapter 14 are "Let not your heart be troubled." Then He gives us the way in which we can enter into this peaceful rest of not being tossed to and fro when the world is shaken up. How can we do that? The bookends before the "Let not your heart be troubled" of John chapter 14, verse one, and the "Let not your heart be troubled" of John chapter 14, verse 27, are the words that lead us into the experience of this peace, grace, and comfort. He says, "Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." These are great promises of His grace.

Because of His grace through the Gospel, we have received hope and comfort in Christ and the abiding presence of God by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, what ought we to do with this peace, grace, and comfort?

Well, you're in John's Gospel. Turn to the right. I want you to go to Second Corinthians. You're going to pass Acts, then Romans, and then First Corinthians. In Second Corinthians chapter one, verse three, the Apostle Paul writes, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God."

How is the Christian comforted by God? The Christian is comforted by God through the promise of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Christian is comforted by God by the promise of future resurrection that we will experience because of His resurrection. The Christian is comforted by God through the abiding presence of the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, who is with you and now in you.

By the promise that Jesus will one day return and receive us to Himself to be with Him for eternity, we are reminded that as we have been comforted by God, we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

How do we comfort people? I suggest that we comfort people by the truth of the Gospel. There are many troubled people in a world that is affected by brokenness due to sin. Troubled, broken, discomforted people go to work with you, go to school with you, live next door to you, and are friends or family members. There are all kinds of people affected by the brokenness of this world, and many are living without hope.

However, if you are a follower of Jesus, you have absolute certainty that He will come and receive you to be with Him for eternity. Therefore, as we have been comforted by God, may we also be those who give comfort to others.

As we continue in this series, we have talked about giving thanks two weeks ago and giving mercy last week. Today, we discuss giving comfort. Why do we give comfort? Because we have been comforted by God.

Point number six on your outline is that we have received His comforting grace to give it to others. Among the many things you will give this holiday season—gifts, cards, wonderful things to eat—the greatest thing you have to give, if you are a follower of Jesus today, is the comfort of the Gospel of grace.

I pray that there will be opportunities. There are opportunities every single week where you and I come in contact with people who are hurting, people who are going through distressing and difficult situations. There is no better opportunity to share the goodness of His grace through the Gospel.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. That hope of eternity, though we go through trials and sorrowful situations in this life, brings rest, peace, and wonderful joy.

So here in this Christmas season, I encourage you, if you have experienced His comfort through the gospel, make sure you give it out to others. Freely you have received, freely give. Amen?

Would you stand with me as we close? Father God, I thank You for Your grace, this great gift that You've given to us. We are reminded of it when we celebrate Christmas every single year—the gift of Your Son, Jesus. We thank You that You came not into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through You might be saved.

Lord, I pray that that truth residing in our hearts would come out of our lips this season. For how shall they hear without a preacher? Someone to simply tell the truth, the good news of Your grace. We thank You so much for Your grace, Lord.

It may be that as we are standing here this morning, you don't know this comfort. You haven't put your trust in Jesus yet, and so you've not experienced this grace, comfort, and joy. I want to give you a chance before we close to do that this morning. If that's you, if you want to receive the comfort by the Spirit of God, the grace of God for salvation, it's a free gift that Jesus has given, which we receive by faith, putting our trust in Him.

If you'd like to do that today, I want to give you a chance. Would you just lift up your hand if there are any here this morning? God bless you. I see you. Anyone else in the back? I see you there. If you want to receive the comfort, grace, and forgiveness of God, just lift up your hand today.

If that's you, would you pray out loud where you're standing?

Dear Jesus, I recognize that I need You. I have not lived up to Your perfect standard, but I thank You for Your grace. I ask that You come into my life, that You would save me from my sin, that You'd help me to turn to You by faith, and to walk with You from this day forward. In Jesus' name, amen.