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Truth for Life - August 11, 2016

August 11

Eternal Comfort

Eternal comfort. - 2 Thessalonians 2:16

Comfort. There is music in the word: Like David's harp, it charms away the evil spirit of melancholy. It was a distinguished honor to Barnabas to be called “the son of encouragement”;1 it is one of the illustrious names of one greater than Barnabas, for the Lord Jesus is the comfort of Israel. “Eternal comfort”! This is the best of all, for the everlasting nature of comfort is its crown and glory.

What is this “eternal comfort”? It includes a sense of pardoned sin. A Christian man has received in his heart the witness of the Spirit that his iniquities are put away like a cloud, and his transgressions like a thick cloud. If sin is pardoned, is that not an eternal comfort? Next, the Lord gives His people an abiding sense of being accepted in Christ. The Christian knows that God looks upon him as standing in union with Jesus. Union with the risen Lord is a comfort of the most abiding order; it is, in fact, everlasting. Let sickness prostrate us—haven't we seen hundreds of believers as happy in the weakness of disease as they would have been in the enjoyment of blooming health?

If death's arrows pierce us to the heart, our comfort does not die, for we have often heard the songs of saints as they rejoiced because the living love of God was shed abroad in their hearts in dying moments. Yes, a sense of acceptance in the Beloved is an eternal comfort. Moreover, the Christian is convinced of his security. God has promised to save those who trust in Christ: The Christian does trust in Christ, and he believes that God will be as good as His word and will save him. He feels that he is safe by virtue of his being bound up with the person and work of Jesus. Herein is comfort such as can be found nowhere else and in no one else!

1 Acts 4:36

Family Bible reading plan

verse 1 Jeremiah 39

verse 2 Psalms 13, 14

Five Years of Favorites
 
The most frequently requested messages by Alistair Begg from 2010-2015 have been consolidated in this inspiring collection of Bible teaching that covers a wide variety of texts and topics.
 
In this rich compilation of over 40 hours of Scripture-based instruction, Alistair Begg unpacks what the Bible says about many of today’s most pressing life issues. How to find peace in times of fear and anxiety, gaining comfort in the face of death and dying, understanding the marks of genuine friendship, and discovering how to teach our children what is right and true are just a few of the diverse topics thoroughly explored in this conveniently packaged study. Five Years of Favorites contains 62 audio messages from Alistair Begg on a single flash drive. All of the messages can be easily downloaded to a computer.

Click here to learn more about Truth For Life 

From Morning & Evening revised and edited by Alistair Begg copyright © 2003. Used by permission of Crossway Books, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.org.