There Is Comfort in Closeness (cont.)
John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
Continuing our thought about “comfort in closeness,” In John 14:15-17 Jesus places a condition on the peace which He leaves with them. “If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; [Even] the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.” The keeping of the commandments is the evidence of our love. Notice John 14:23, “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.” So you can see that the comfort of the Holy Spirit is conditional to keeping the commandments. I don’t here anyone talking about this aspect of the Christian life. Personal holiness is an issue that needs to be stressed from every pulpit and class room of every church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. This verse shows the result of our comfort in Christ. God’s comfort will keep your heart and mind from despair in times of extreme trial. I have a dear friend who just lost her son in Afghanistan. I don’t even want to think about losing one of my children. How do you cope? I can only say there is comfort in closeness. Walking with the Lord and staying as close as possible will inherently bring comfort to the soul. I remember as a child, when I was afraid at night my mother would hold me close and let me know that she was there to protect me. The Lord will hold all His children close and let them know that He is there to protect and comfort them.
To those of us who are already saved, Jesus’ peace is not the false peace which the world offers, but a true peace which cannot be understood with the mind of the flesh. In this day and time, it is very easy to live in turmoil, anxiety, and worry: and unless we focus our attention on Christ and heavenly things, turmoil, anxiety, and worry will overtake us and even overcome us. Jesus promised that in the last days, men’s hearts would be failing them for fear and for looking after those things which are coming upon the earth. The good news is, there is comfort in closeness. The closer we can walk with the one who loves us and has promised to protect us and give us peace, the happier we will be in this world. Certainly there is no comfort in this world.
To you who are lost, the world offers a false peace. The devil promises you happiness in the pleasures of the world, but obviously the world is not at peace; but is very restless and continues in turmoil. The pleasures of sin is a lure to draw your mind away from the serious thoughts of the needs of your soul. The reality is, that for every pleasure which sin offers there is a dark side and a final consequence of judgement. There is no peace for you in this world. True peace comes only in knowing Jesus Christ as personal Savior. God has authorized me to offer you comfort in Jesus Christ. Psalm 34:8 “O taste and see that the LORD [is] good: blessed [is] the man [that] trusteth in him.” Psalm 32:2 “Blessed [is] the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit [there is] no guile.” Jesus calls for sinners to come unto Him, Matthew 11:28,29, “Come unto me, all [ye] that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” E-mail, johnpruitt@frontiernet.net
