Comfort Proclaimed

Spurgeon opens by unpacking the tenderness in God's twice-repeated command "Comfort my people," showing that God cares not only about his people's survival and salvation but also about their happiness — and he argues this command is addressed to angels, to ministers who must preach the gospel's great doctrines of grace to have anything truly comforting to say, and above all to every ordinary believer who is expected to actively seek out and encourage struggling brothers and sisters rather than hiding behind class pride or leaving it to professionals. He gives several compelling reasons why comfort matters: God wants his children to look joyful because miserable Christians dishonor the gospel, broken-hearted believers cannot work effectively for God, and genuine love for fellow believers demands practical action rather than polite sympathy from a distance. He closes with a practical toolkit for comforting others — the doctrines of election, covenant, redemption, present acceptance in Christ, the hope of heaven, the second coming, and above all the cross — and ends with a brief plain-spoken appeal to any unconverted listeners: their only escape from judgment is faith in Christ who died as their substitute.Sermon delivered by Charles Spurgeon on September 21, 1856.