Trusting God Brings Comfort
An all-creatures Bible Message

Trusting God Brings Comfort
 
A Sermon Delivered to
The Compassion Internet Church
 
22 April 2018
 
Frank L. Hoffman, Pastor

Scripture References

Psalm 23:1-6
Luke 6:24-26
2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
1 John 3:16-24

Trusting God brings comfort, but trusting the ways of this violent world brings worry and strife to our lives and the world around us.
 
Trusting in God also brings us peace of mind and the assurance of everlasting life with the Lord in heaven, which in turn should bring us comfort.
 
Trusting in the corrupt and evil ways of this world only brings more violence, pain, suffering, bloodshed, and death to millions of human beings, and billions of other animals every year.
 
We need to reject the wicked ways of this world, and seek the heavenly will of God, and do everything in our power to free creation from its present corruption.
 
Psalm 23 is a psalm written by David, and reflects his faith and trust in the Lord our God…

1. The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.

If we fully put our trust in the Lord and do as He instructs us, we will be satisfied with everything we have and not want for anything.

2. He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters.
 
3. He restores my soul;
He guides me in the paths of righteousness
For His name's sake.

God guides us in the paths of righteousness, because we have put our trust in Him, and because of this, we are His witnesses here on earth of His heavenly will.

4. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil; for Thou art with me;
Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me.

The world system puts a shadow of death over the earth, and as true believers, even though we live upon this earth, we are not fearful because the Lord comforts us.
 
Trusting God brings comfort.

5. Thou dost prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
Thou hast anointed my head with oil;
My cup overflows.

As peacemaking children of God, everything we do upon this earth is in the presence of our enemies, the devil and his minions.
 
Our table of vegan food is a witness against all those who raise and slaughter animals, and sell their byproducts; and everyone who buys these products is just as indifferent to the suffering of animals and their murder, as if they did it themselves.

6. Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
NASB

Because we trust in the Lord, His goodness and lovingkindness will follow us all the days of our lives; because we are living in the heavenly will of God, and rejecting the corrupt ways of this world.
 
And if and when we die, we will dwell with the Lord in heaven forever and ever, and this should bring us comfort.
 
Trusting God brings comfort, which is what we are also told in 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17…

16. Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace,
 
17. comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word.
NASB

When we are truly trusting God, we also find that we are living in His heavenly will so that everything we are doing and saying is a reflection of the things that Jesus taught us and God’s heavenly will, which should bring us real comfort.
 
And at the same time, if we are talking to others so that we are encouraging one another in our faith and trust in God we find that our comfort is magnified before others, for they will see our joy in helping to free creation from its present corruption, and helping to prevent millions of human beings and billions of other animals from suffering and dying every year.
 
Unfortunately, most people, including most clergy and church goers seem to stiffen their necks and harden their hearts against living in the heavenly will of God for they seem to prefer living in the corrupt ways of this world with all its violence, pain, suffering, bloodshed, and death, particularly when it concerns animals; note what Jesus says about such people in Luke 6:24-26…

24. "But woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full.

In other words, we could say that those who put their trust in the corrupt ways of this world and succeed in it, receive only a worldly version of comfort and not the wondrous heavenly comfort that only comes from God, a comfort that allows us to enjoy every little thing that we have here on earth while awaiting the glorious comfort of heaven.

25. "Woe to you who are well-fed now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.

We believe that this refers to the people who are indifferently filling themselves with the tortured remains of once living beings, but one day they will be awakened to the truth that they are the animals’ living graves, and they will mourn and weep, but we pray that this happens before it’s too late.

26. "Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for in the same way their fathers used to treat the false prophets.
NASB

People of the world congratulate each other for their worldly ways, but the Lord weeps at their hardness of heart for they are on the broad way that leads to destruction.
 
We all need to see the Lord our God, and reject our former worldly lifestyles, and live in the heavenly will of God for this is the only way we are ever going to have heavenly comfort; trusting God brings comfort.
 
With these things in mind, let’s close today’s discussion by taking a look at 1 John 3:16-24, for John reminds us that love is a vital component of living in the heavenly will of God and having comfort.

16. We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

True believers know this, but unfortunately many clergy and church members live like they don’t know this, for they live in the corrupt and evil ways of this world.

17. But whoever has the world's goods, and beholds his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?

We don’t believe it does, because such people don’t have the empathy to feel the pain and suffering of such people or other animals, and without love and empathy we won’t have comfort or peace.

18. Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.

People seem to help other people and some animals in a disaster, but they don’t spring to action in the same way in everyday life, even though the needs are similar.
 
We need to help others with their needs whenever it is humanly possible.

19. We shall know by this that we are of the truth, and shall assure our heart before Him,
 
20. in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.
 
21. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God;
 
22. and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.

But we shouldn’t just do these things to be pleasing to God, but because we have that inner desire to help in any way we can, because we have God’s heavenly love and empathy for them, whether they are humans or other animals.

23. And this is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us.

Don’t we all want to be loved?
 
Of course we do.
 
So, if we truly love one another, and to us loving one another must include all the animals and every other human being, for we were all created to be God’s children; and if we do this, we will all have comfort.

24. And the one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And we know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.
NASB

For the Holy Spirit does guide us in the heavenly will of God, no matter what the world around us does.
 
Trusting God brings comfort.
 
Amen.

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