Sermon Snippet – Finding Comfort in the Hands of Jesus
INTRODUCTION – Isaiah 49:1-16 is another passage from this prophetic book which directs us to consider the comfort of God (verse 13). This section is Messianic, pointing to Jesus Christ, God the Son, Who was rejected in His first advent but Who will be respected when He returns (verse 7). His comfort includes the withholding of His righteous justice, His “mercy upon His afflicted” (verse 13), and His compassionate knowledge of us (verse 15). We can be certain of this comfort, for Jesus promises, “Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of My hands” (verse 16).
1. OUR SAVIOR WROTE HIS COMFORT TO US ON HIS OWN HANDS
Think of a young lady, about to be married, practicing writing her new last name; that is deeply meaningful and personal. Now, let us think of something even more powerful, of Jesus writing my name and your name on His own hand, in His own hand. He writes not with a pen, not with ink, but with a Roman spike, with His own blood. Even as He was writing our names in His hands, He repeated, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34) … and we still do not know what we are doing – not really, not completely. Our names, though, are still written down, engraved in His spike-shattered hands, His spike-shattered hands that reach out to us and offer us real comfort.
2. OUR SAVIOR’S HANDS OF COMFORT ARE CONTROLLED BY HIS HEART
The hands of Jesus are scarred, but their strength is not diminished. His actions are always perfectly consistent with His character. For example, I John 4:8 confirms, “God is love.” This means that He loves me, that He loves me when bad things are happening to me; Jesus always loves me. I John 1:5 tells us that “God is light.” Thus, Jesus is making His face to shine upon me; He is lighting my path; He is revealing my darkness; especially He is revealing my darkness that I might instead walk in His light. Hebrews 12:29 says “Our God is a consuming fire.” Jesus, then, is burning up what is evil, what is worthless, in my life; He is changing what is wrong in me. Hands of love to sustain me, hands of light to direct me, hands of fire to change me – here in the hands of Jesus is comfort to me … and to each believer, to you. Because His actions and attributes are ever and always the same, His comfort is ours.
3. OUR SAVIOR’S HANDS OF COMFORT REMIND US THAT OUR FAITH IS NOT ABOUT FEELING GOOD BUT RATHER ABOUT BEING GOOD
Did Jesus feel good on the Cross as His hands were being mangled? No, of course not. He was not feeling good, but He was being good. Our culture desires happiness; Jesus offers joy. Remember, it was “for the joy that was set before Him” that He “endured the Cross” (Hebrews 12:2). “Cheap” joy is about feeling good; Christ’s joy is about doing good. We are often “afflicted,” but we are “His afflicted” (verse 13). We cannot feel good about our struggles or about the suffering of others, but we can still be good and “rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep” (Romans 12:15). We can be good and do good, regardless of how we are feeling. The example of our Savior on the Cross is our humbling standard of behavior, for His offer of comfort now and forever derives from His self-sacrifice for us.
CONCLUSION – Of course, when we speak of being good, we realize that we need the goodness of Jesus. Those hands that were stretched out on the Cross are now stretched out to us, to hold us, to never let us go. May each of us be certain that Jesus is our Savior – my Savior – through faith in Him and His finished work. May we find abiding comfort knowing that our names are written down in the hands of Jesus.