2. Comfort the weak hearted

Only if we are strong we will be able to comfort the weak hearted. If we want to receive holiness and grow in it  first of all we have to be strong in the Lord. Whatever happens – in every situation we must make sure that we do not break the covenant that we have taken with Christ.

But some of us break the covenant that we have taken with God. We fall down due to vain things. We break the covenant that we have taken for worldly pleasures. We live our life not realizing that it is an iniquity. We, who have died to sin and iniquity, fall into iniquity again. So if we the world and these worldly pleasures in our heart and give God’s word to others – In Psalms 69: 20 – 28 Jesus Christ says - Reproach has broken my heart, And I am full of heaviness; I looked for someone to take pity, but there was none; And for comforters, but I found none.

They also gave me gall for my food, And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.

Let their table become a snare before them, And their well-being a trap.

Let their eyes be darkened, so that they do not see; And make their loins shake continually.

Pour out Your indignation upon them, And let Your wrathful anger take hold of them.

Let their dwelling place be desolate; Let no one live in their tents.

For they persecute the ones You have struck, And talk of the grief of those You have wounded.

Add iniquity to their iniquity, And let them not come into Your righteousness.

Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, And not be written with the righteous.

Like this, we are doing iniquity carelessly. God is not only adding iniquity to their iniquity, but we keep doing iniquity more and more without realizing that we are doing iniquity. The reason for that is our spiritual eyes are closed.

Therefore, at least now let us pray for our spiritual eyes to be open and lets obey the true word of God and then we will realize what is iniquity.

We see that Jesus says – Depart from me you who practice lawlessness. That is why if we don’t give good fruits (good deeds) according to what Christ expects – as written in Matthew 7:19 - Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

Therefore in Matthew 7:21 he says - “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.

Let us all think once again atleast now. How should we be united with Christ and receive holiness?

John 15: 1 – 3 says - “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.

Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.

My dearly beloved, if we cleanse ourselves with God’s word on a daily basis, God will definitely give us the grace not to keep falling in sin, iniquity and protect us from perishing.

If we protect ourselves in this way with God’s word, only then our heart can be strong.

Psalms 31: 24 - Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart, All you who hope in the Lord.

If we abide in the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ we will never become weak hearted. He is the chief cornerstone and firm foundation. In the last few days, you must have read – Along with Jesus Christ – the Chief cornerstone he is building us as the temple of God.

In Isaiah 28: 16 - Therefore thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; Whoever believes will not act hastily.

That is why in Luke 6: 47, 48 - Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like:

He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. (Firm Foundation)

How should we put our foundation with Christ? If we meditate on this verse carefully and follow according to His word whatever tribulations may come, we will not be shaken.

Luke 6:49 - But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great.” (These are the weak hearted).

If we have to comfort the weak hearted we have to be strong in the Lord. When we comfort the weak hearted in the word of God, the word of God makes us holy.

Luke 6:39 - And He spoke a parable to them: “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into the ditch?

That is why – Isaiah 42: 18,19 - “Hear, you deaf; And look, you blind, that you may see.

Who is blind but My servant, Or deaf as My messenger whom I send? Who is blind as he who is perfect, And blind as the Lord’s servant? (God is talking about the servants of God here)

In Proverbs 14:26,27 - In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence, And His children will have a place of refuge.

The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, To turn one away from the snares of death.

Psalms 128: 1 – 6 Let us read and meditate. This Psalms tells us how the blessings of a church will be.

My dearly beloved, the people of God reading this. First of all let us confess our sins in God’s presence and submit ourselves.

Because in Psalms 80: 8 – 17 it says You have brought a vine out of Egypt; You have cast out the nations, and planted it.

You prepared room for it, And caused it to take deep root, And it filled the land.

The hills were covered with its shadow, And the mighty cedars with its boughs.

She sent out her boughs to the Sea, And her branches to the River.

Why have You broken down her hedges, So that all who pass by the way pluck her fruit?

The boar out of the woods uproots it, And the wild beast of the field devours it.

Return, we beseech You, O God of hosts; Look down from heaven and see, And visit this vine

And the vineyard which Your right hand has planted, And the branch that You made strong for Yourself.

It is burned with fire, it is cut down; They perish at the rebuke of Your countenance.

Let Your hand be upon the man of Your right hand, Upon the son of man whom You made strong for Yourself.

Therefore, when we pray in this manner God comforts the weak hearted and revives the back slidden people, strengthens them and saves us once again

Let us pray.

-      To be continued