Great Encouragment in Christ JESUS ~ FRI/21JUL23 A.D.

"Now our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation, and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work." —II Thessalonians 2:16, 17 [KJV]

Believers in Jesus know that "the remembrance of sin is grievous, and the burden intolerable." A sight and sense of sin affects their conscience with sorrow and distress. There is daily need that their poor hearts should be comforted; and also that they should be established in every good word and work. But from whence shall they derive this? from striving to forget, palliate, or excuse their past sins? by promising to be more stedfast for the future in the truths of God and obedience to His will? 

Alas! he who truly knows what a sinful nature is, who is really acquainted with his own weakness and insufficiency to that which is good, and his proneness to all evil, will not, cannot thus deceive his own soul. But the converted soul will ingenuously confess his sins to his God and Saviour, lay them open with their aggravating circumstances, mourn over them with a godly sorrow, own his just deserts for them; and in the exercise of faith, look "to the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world." 

Here is the everlasting spring of consolation which God hath given us, "the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from ALL sin." Here is our good hope, through the grace of Jesus we are completely righteous in Christ. We stand perfectly accepted in God's beloved Son. Faith and hope are inseparable. We believe the truth as in Jesus; we hope daily for more and more of the consolations of it. In this way, disciple of Jesus, thou canst never believe nor hope too much. Nay, is it not thy distress and heaviness that thy faith is weak, thy hope languid, and thy love so cold? But why is this? Not for want of a foundation for faith and hope; for "our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father hath loved us." 

Who? only the prophets, apostles, holy men of old, righteous persons? Nay, but sinners of mankind: such was the character of all those whom the apostle includes in the pronoun us. And as the consequence of this love "He hath given us EVERLASTING consolation." Not the effect of time; not subject to mutability; but solid, perpetual, and eternal. Founded in the everlasting covenant, established in everlasting righteousness, issuing in everlasting salvation, revealed in the everlasting gospel, and applied to the soul by the everlasting Spirit. Consolation and comfort are enjoyed in stability in the good word of God, and in the good works of faith, "to the praise of the glory of God's grace."—Ephesians 1:6.

-preacher William Mason (1724-1797 A.D.)

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