Title: Congregation of the Lord Jesus Christ
Author: Andre Holtslag

8
“Comfortable Evangelism”      Text – LD 1 Acts 2 Var.       OT Reading – Isaiah 40

Congregation of the Lord Jesus Christ,
Recently, our nation has been doing a bit of soul searching over the continually high suicide figures: 10 people every week are ending their own lives.  
And perhaps there is nothing so difficult, so heart-breaking, so frustrating as dealing with the loss of a loved one under those circumstances.  
Suicide always leaves behind very real and deep feelings of grief and sorrow and many questions.  

Now, these startling numbers, remembering that they represent individual people, of all ages and circumstances, reveal something about the society we live in today:  
Socio-economic matters, like widespread family breakdown, physical and mental illness, and rampant materialism, combined with things like false religion, guilt, the hopelessness of evolutionary theory, and an education system stripped clean of any mention of the God of the Bible are often reasons that contribute to suicide.  
And this is because, by our very nature, we crave comfort.  
We want to know that we are loved and cared for.  
We want to be free of poverty and illness.  
We want assurance and meaning in life.  
And when the comfort of these things is absent, our sense of hope dissipates, any thought of joy seems unobtainable, and the clouds of despair begin to gather on life’s horizon.

But even if the level of despair that leads to suicide is not known by most, the desire for comfort is universal.  Both Christian and non-Christian alike prefer comfort to turmoil or hardship of one sort or another.  

And so, the question that faces us all is where may true comfort be found?  
•	Now, even the most ardent non-believer, so long as life goes well, will claim to be comfortable in his unbelief and living a comfortable life.  But again, the question is do they truly have comfort?  
•	And even many who call themselves Christians, yet disbelieve most of what the Bible proclaims and/or live quite ungodly lives will claim be comfortable in their Christianity.  But again, the question is do they truly have comfort?
•	And we too, as those who regularly recite Lord’s Day 1, state that we possess comfort in life and in death.  Do we?  Is it true comfort?  How can we be sure?

Well, as ever, it is to the Bible that we must go for definitions and answers.  Asking each individual whether or not he possesses true comfort will undoubtedly reveal all sorts of understandings of what true comfort is and false claims of comfort.

Now, before we seek a biblical definition of true comfort, we need to go back a couple of steps.  For behind that question lie at least a couple of others.  
1.	To start with, if we are going to seek a definition of true comfort from the Bible, the Bible needs to be acknowledged as the appropriate place to seek such a definition.  
a.	If someone said to you, “Let’s seek a definition of true comfort from the Edmonds cookbook,” wouldn’t you question them about the authority of the Edmonds cookbook for such things!  

2.	But any question about the authority of the Bible is intimately connected with ‘The God question’: Is there a God?  And this is so, because the authority of the Bible rests in it being authored by God.  That’s what makes it able to address true comfort.
a.	And brothers and sisters, if you are ever asked if you believe in God and if so, why? Let me suggest to you the following answer: “Yes, I believe in God because of the impossibility of the contrary.”  
i.	Nothing, absolutely nothing at all makes sense apart from the existence of the God of the Bible.  
1.	Our existence, right and wrong, history, art, reason, maths, conversation; nothing makes sense apart from the existence of the God of the Bible.  
2.	The very fact that two people exist, can communicate, and discuss the rights and wrongs of true comfort is because the God of the Bible is who He claims to be.  
a.	That’s why the first words of the Bible are a declaration about God, not an explanation of God.  “In the beginning God”!  
i.	Everything else starts from that point; everything.  

ii.	And every single person on the face of the earth knows that the God of the Bible exists.  
1.	Romans 1:20, “Since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – His eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.”  
a.	The whole creation screams out that the God of the Bible exists.  
i.	Every flower, every cloud, every star and every cell shouts out the existence of the God of the Bible.  

iii.	Knowing God exists is not the problem; the Bible is very clear that all men do.  The problem is, as Romans 1 also makes clear, that “men suppress the truth in their wickedness.”  They simply refuse to believe what they know to be true.  

b.	Now, this brings us back to the Bible.  Why do I keep calling God the God of the Bible?  It is because God may only be known, fully, through the Bible.  
i.	Yes, God has chosen to make His invisible qualities known in creation.  And if we were sinless, that would be sufficient.  But we are not.  
1.	And again, the fact that sin exists is undeniable.  
2.	The very reason we are discussing true comfort is an acknowledgment that sin exists.  
ii.	Thus, because of the existence of sin, and because God created man with a reasonable soul; an inquiring mind, the Bible is necessary.  
1.	A Creator God who desires to live in relationship with His creatures must reveal to them how the problem of sin may be solved.  
a.	To humans uncomfortable because of sin, God must reveal the nature of true comfort.  

c.	Now, congregation, here is where we arrive at the crux of this matter.  You see, as we have noted in Romans 1, “Men suppress the truth in their wickedness.”  
i.	It doesn’t matter how reasonable, how clear, or how logical all we have said may be, unless the Holy Spirit removes spiritual blindness, the wicked man will continue to suppress the truth.  
ii.	It doesn’t matter how plainly the Bible proclaims the truth about itself as the Word of God, the wicked man will continue to suppress the truth.  
iii.	Nevertheless, because God exists, and because He has revealed Himself and the solution to sin only in the Bible, it is to the Bible that we must go to discover the nature of true comfort. 
d.	Now, in many respects, we have already answered our question about the nature of true comfort.  
i.	The God of the Bible exists.  He created the world.  But He is perfect and we are not.  Something is clearly wrong in creation.  
ii.	And the Bible reveals that what is wrong is our sin.  
1.	In the Bible, God says, Obey my law, and you will live with me forever.  Disobey my law and you will die forever.  And each of you will one day stand before me and be judged according to this standard.

iii.	And all of this means, brothers and sisters, that true comfort is not a leather reclining chair.  
1.	Even by that standard of comfort, if you just sit in one of those for long enough you will eventually become quite uncomfortable.  
iv.	True comfort is not a debt-free retirement.  
v.	True comfort is not a sense of one-ness with the cosmos.  

vi.	Brothers and Sisters, young people, and boys and girls, true comfort is peace with God.  
vii.	True comfort is having your broken relationship with God repaired.  
viii.	True comfort is knowing, for certain, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that on Judgment Day God will not condemn you to an eternity of hell-fire, and instead welcome you into the gory of life, with Him, in heaven.

And it is this true comfort that is summarized for us by the words of Q/A 1 of the Heidelberg catechism: “What is your only comfort in life and in death?  That I am not my own, but belong body and soul, in life and in death, to my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ,” and then all that that entails.  
But I want to come back to that later and focus now on the words of Q/A 2.  
For it is that Q/A that reveals to us what it is that we must know to possess this comfort; to live and die in the joy of this comfort.

But to do this, we are going to turn to Acts 2.  
Acts 2 records for us the coming of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost.  
The disciples were together in Jerusalem and the city was filled with Jews from all over the Roman world.  A sound like a violent wind was heard and what looked like tongues of fire rested on each of the disciples who began to speak in tongues.  The crowd was amazed for each heard them in their own language, and some accused them of being drunk.  

1.	And from v14 we read, “Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: "Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say.  ^15 These men are not drunk, as you suppose.  It's only nine in the morning!  ^16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:  ^17 "'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.  Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.  ^18 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.  ^19 I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke.  ^20 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.”  So, first of all, Paul appeals to the authority of the Bible to explain what the crowd has seen.  To Jews, familiar with the prophecies of Joel, he appeals to Joel’s prophecy about the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.  And this, says Paul, is what you see before you today.  But he continues from v22, “Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through Him, as you yourselves know.  ^23 This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing Him to the cross.”  And then, skip down to v40 where Peter also says, “With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation."”  
a.	Now, let’s note a few things about what Peter says.  
i.	Firstly, he appeals to the authority of the Bible.  
1.	He quotes the Scriptures.  
2.	He knows that it alone reveals the truth and that saving power flows from the Word of God.  
3.	Peter’s confidence is the confidence the Apostle Paul will speak of in Romans 1:16, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.”  

ii.	But secondly, Peter also says, in v22, “as you yourselves know.”  
1.	He calls on his listeners to acknowledge what they know to be true.  
2.	He calls on them to testify to the truth that the Bible proclaims.  

iii.	And he does these two things because he knows that true comfort begins when a person knows how great their sin and misery are.  
1.	LD 1, Q/A 2: “What must you know to live and die in the joy of this comfort?  Three things: First, how great my sin and misery are.”  

b.	Just 7 weeks had passed since Jesus’ death.  It is likely that many of those listening, now, were among the crowd that witnessed His crucifixion, perhaps even joining in the cries for Him to be crucified when Pontius Pilate found nothing worthy of death in Him.  

c.	People of God, the title of this sermon is comfortable evangelism.  And the point of that title is not to suggest a new method of evangelism that is easy, stress-less, and able to be done lying down.  The point of that title is to encourage evangelism that takes aim at the non-believers comfort.  
i.	And just as Peter does here with this crowd, the Bible; God’s authoritative Word needs to be used to highlight people’s discomfort.  
1.	Just as we saw last week when we talked about the Bible as the sword of the Spirit, Hebrews 4 reminds us that “the word of God is living and active.  Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”  
2.	Only God’s Word, by the power of the Holy Spirit, can make people see how great their sin and misery are; whether that means directing God’s Word to their sinful relationships, behaviour, language, or moral opinions, etc.  
3.	And we must become more familiar with God’s Word so that we can do this, and more fearless in doing it.  
4.	Beloved, do not fear addressing sin by the power of God’s Word.  For it is God’s method for awakening a hunger for salvation in Jesus Christ.  

d.	One last question before we move on to the next aspect of true comfort though.  Do you know how great your sin and misery are?  
i.	Maybe you are thinking about this for the first time or the thousandth time.  
ii.	Can you join the psalmist who said to the Lord, “I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.  Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge”?  
iii.	If so, you know the first part of what must be known to live and die in the joy of true comfort.

2.	Let’s return then to Acts 2.  Peter continues from v24, speaking about Jesus Christ, “But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.  ^25 David said about him: "'I saw the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.  ^26 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will live in hope,  ^27 because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.  ^28 You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.'  ^29 "Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day.  ^30 But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne.  ^31 Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay.  ^32 God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact.  ^33 Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.  ^34 For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, "'The Lord said to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand  ^35 until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet."'  ^36 "Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."”  
a.	But perhaps you noticed that I skipped over one verse in the first section of Acts 2 that we just read; v21.  For of Jesus Christ, who Peter has now declared to be the Son of David, the Messiah, and the One whom God has raised from the dead, he says in v21, “And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”  
i.	Again, Peter proclaims biblical truth.  
1.	He declares Jesus Christ to be the only hope for miserable sinners.  
2.	In effect, Peter moves on to the second part of LD 1 Q/A 2; To live and die in the joy of true comfort, you must not only know how great your sin and misery are, but also, how you may be set free from your sin and misery.  
3.	Yes, you crucified Jesus.  But He has risen in glory!  

b.	Acts 2:37 continues, “When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?  ^38 Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.  And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  ^39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off-- for all whom the Lord our God will call."”  

c.	Comfortable evangelism needs to point sinners to the Saviour.  
i.	They need to know about the Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world.  
ii.	They need to know that “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  
iii.	And you must speak of Him as Saviour to those you have spoken to about their sin.

d.	But today, as it always does, God’s Word calls each one of us, to answer the same question ourselves: Do you know Jesus Christ as your Saviour?  
i.	Do you believe that the precious blood of Jesus has fully paid for all your sins?  
ii.	If so, you know, also, the second part of what must be known to live and die in the joy of this comfort; how I am set free from all my sins and misery.

3.	Lastly then, note how the chapter ends from v41, “Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.  ^42 They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.  ^43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.  ^44 All the believers were together and had everything in common.  ^45 Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.  ^46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts,  ^47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.  And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”  
a.	Boys and girls, how do you normally react when someone gives you a wonderful gift?  We thank them, don’t we.  We are glad for what they have given us and we tell them that we are grateful.  And hopefully, you not only say you are thankful, but also show that thankfulness in your behaviour.  

b.	Well those people who had heard Peter explain to them that they were guilty sinners and that Jesus Christ was their only hope responded with one of the most beautiful descriptions of the Christian life that exists in the whole Bible.  
i.	They were hungry for more of God’s Word.  
ii.	They loved being together with the Lord’s people.  
iii.	They took care of one another’s needs.  
iv.	With glad hearts, they joyfully worshipped God, wherever they were.  

v.	LD 1 Q/A 2: They knew how great their sin and misery was.  They knew that Jesus Christ had set them free from all their sins and misery.  And by the power of God’s Word, they were learning how to thank God for such deliverance.  
vi.	They could now live and die in the joy of true comfort.  
vii.	And clearly, they told others what they needed to know to live and die in the joy of true comfort.  How could they not!  And God used this to bring many others to faith in Jesus Christ.  

viii.	With comfortable evangelism, you see, it’s not enough just to help people see their sin.  
ix.	It’s not enough, even, to point them to Jesus Christ.  
x.	They need to know what to do.  
1.	They need to know how to respond to the gospel.  
2.	They need to be discipled in the faith, which is why Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”  
a.	And this might mean an ongoing Bible study with someone you know who has come to faith.  
b.	It might mean working through the Heidelberg Catechism together, which is a wonderful tool for surveying the riches of God’s Word.  
c.	It might mean a class for new believers at church, or many other things, but it is a necessary part of revealing the joy of true comfort.

xi.	May God grant us, then, the joy of seeing even a small portion of the fruits of comfortable evangelism that were witnessed on that Day of Pentecost many years ago!

Congregation, if you would now please open your hymnbooks to Lord’s Day 1 on p.8, as we shall soon recite the words together in response to the preaching of God’s Word.  

If you know how great your sin and misery are, 
if you know how you have been set free from all your sin and misery, 
and if you know how you are to thank God for such deliverance, then join with me in declaring your only comfort in life and in death:  That I am not my own …

Amen.