Today I would like to share the grace of God under the title, “Consolation and Hope.” In the saddest times our hearts fall into a deep pit of pain and despair. As we live, there is probably no-one who has not gone through heart pain in the midst of hopeless situations. Pastors need to do their best to have Christians find comfort by preaching hopeful messages. The crucifixion and death of Jesus is a miraculous answer to sweeten the bitter water in our life. Even a great person has to pass through times of pain and despair, many times. Even Elijah the great prophet of the Old Testament once pleaded to God, saying, “Take my life.” The great apostle of the New Testament, Paul, once confessed, “We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life.” In our individual life every one of us needs to receive consolation and hope to move on. Therefore, pastors should always give comfort and hope to make their congregation renewed and revived before God. Church is the place where sinners come to receive comfort and hope even though they deserve abandonment. They can live a new life as they receive consolation and hope through God the Father and Jesus and the Holy Spirit. When our thoughts become negative, our dream and faith are to no avail. The Israelites who were passing through the desert were tied down to resentment and complaints because of negative thoughts. As a result, they faced a lot of pain. Numbers 14:2-3 says, “All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, ‘If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this desert! Why is the LORD bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn't it be better for us to go back to Egypt?’" Numbers 14:26-30 says, “The LORD said to Moses and Aaron: ‘How long will this wicked community grumble against me? I have heard the complaints of these grumbling Israelites. So tell them, 'As surely as I live, declares the LORD, I will do to you the very things I heard you say: In this desert your bodies will fall--every one of you twenty years old or more who was counted in the census and who has grumbled against me. Not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.’” God is so strict towards negative people. Therefore, we must set a guard over our thoughts and keep watch over them by encouraging ourselves through thinking unto the Lord. Proverbs 4:23 says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” To memorize many Scriptural verses is to keep one’s heart with them. We must memorize the Bible verses because there are so many words that save and strengthen us in the Bible. We can encourage and protect ourselves with them. Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Our hearts and minds should be protected. If we let them go astray, all negative things will corrupt them in the end. Psalm 19:7 says, “The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul.” Psalm 103:2-5 says, “Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits- who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.” Isaiah 20:29-31 says, “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Therefore, to seek the consolation of the Holy Spirit is very important. Furthermore, His consolation given through forgiveness and love should not be neglected. Jesus comforts us through forgiveness and love. His cross was enormous suffering and pain. Jesus suffered it not because of His own sins but because He took our own sins, unrighteousness, filth, curses, and despair and was crucified on the cross while being torn in flesh and shedding His precious blood to settle all of them. This becomes our thankfulness and consolation. The night when Lord Jesus was betrayed, Peter, one of His twelve disciples, publically denied Him three times. Peter was loved by Jesus so much, but he became the first one who betrayed Him. However, whom did Jesus seek first after His resurrection? He came to Peter who once denied Him three times and said, “Do you love Me?” Peter said, “I already told You that I love You! Why do You keep asking me, ‘Do you love Me?’ ” “Take care of My sheep.” Peter only thought that he would be abandoned. However, Jesus came to accept, love, and forgive him so he was wholly changed by His warm consolation. This encounter at the seashore became an unforgettable consolation and encouragement to Peter. Psalm 103:8 says, “The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.” Verses 12 to 14 also say, “as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.” This is what our God feels about us. He has compassion on us and wants to forgive us so He finally gave up Jesus to death on the cross. God never loves us because of our righteousness. Romans 5:6 says, “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless.” Romans 5:8 says, “While we were still sinners.” Romans 5:10 says, “When we were God's enemies.” But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Even though we were weak, sinful, and became His enemies, He loved us! Even though we were sinful, filthy, deserved abandonment, He accepted us who we were like this and embraced us and loved us! God also encourages us by giving us dreams with purposes. When we are in the midst of suffering and hardships, He boosts and comforts us by giving us dreams. In Genesis, after Jacob deceived his father Isaac to receive the blessing of the birthright, he left his hometown to escape from Esau’s vengeance. When Jacob was on his way to Paddan Aram, to Laban, the brother of Rebekah, he reached a certain place and he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. How did Jacob feel at that time? He must have been uneasy about his uncertain future. Then God appeared in his dream to encourage him by telling him about his future. Genesis 28:13-14 says, “There above it stood the LORD, and he said: "I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.” In addition, God promised that He would be with Jacob until He fulfilled His given dream. Genesis 28:15 says, “I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you." As God showed His promise for Jacob’s future in his dream, he could be secure in his heart, saying, “Even though I have to sleep in this wilderness, ferocious animals can’t attack me! When I reach my uncle’s house, he will welcome me!” We Christians must take God-given dreams seriously. There are surely God-given prophetic dreams. I am one of those who dream prophetic dreams a lot. When God gives us this dream, it will become a great consolation and a reliable rock for us. Even today God encourages us by giving us this kind of dream. Above all, the consolation through the cross is far beyond any human description. When those who have been in the same suffering comfort us, it will become the best comfort. Jesus suffered all kinds of human hardships. He was betrayed by those whom He fed in their hunger and healed their diseases. Worse than that, His disciples who had been with Him for years turned their backs against Him. Hebrews 4:15 says, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin.” Jesus came to the earth in human flesh and experienced all human weakness so that He understands all our depression and desolation and helps us actively. By His death on the cross He settled all our sins and gives the comfort through the Fivefold Gospel and the Threefold Blessing. Therefore, let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort.”(2 Corinthians 1:3) Faith comes through dreams and the Word of God. Romans 10:17 says, “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.” The Bible says, “Do not doubt.” However, we may say, “What can I do as doubt keeps coming to me?” You don’t need to fear your endless doubt. It is because you already have faith so doubt also approaches you. Those who have no faith have no doubt at all. After prayer, we may doubt, saying, “Can it be? Can it be done?” However, you should know that doubt tries to shake your faith which is already present, not vice versa. Faith comes from the Word of God so if you keep confessing your faith and God’s promise, doubt will be shattered by God’s words. Keep in mind that doubt always follows faith. Once you have faith after listening to the Word of God, the devil quickly comes to you to keep throwing doubt at you. Then we must confess the Word of God with our mouths so the devil’s given doubt will be shattered by our mouth confession. Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” Therefore, we must walk with the Word of the Lord as a lamp to our feet. Psalm 119:50 says, “My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life.” Mark 11:23-24 says, "I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” Hallelujah! The Israelites who left Egypt and went into the Desert of Shur by crossing the Red Sea traveled in the desert for three days without finding water. They found water when they reached Marah. However, the water was so bitter that they could not drink it. At that time, while the Israelites cried and were depressed, Moses threw a piece of wood in the water just as God told him and a miracle, in which the bitter water became sweet, took place. As we live our lives today, there are times when we encounter the bitter water of trials and tribulations. When this happens, if we rely on the cross of Jesus, a miracle where the bitter water of life turning into sweet will take place. The bitter water of our sins will be sweetened, corrupted sins will be cast out by the work of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Diseases will be gone from our bodies by the redemption of the cross of Jesus Christ. Richness will come to our life as the crucifixion of Jesus Christ brings the blessing of Abraham into us so we can live a rich life. Through the death of the Lord, Jesus’ resurrection becomes our resurrection, Jesus’ ascension becomes our ascension, and Jesus’ heaven will be our heaven forever so enormous comfort and power will be given to us. Even though we have to pass through much suffering in the world, the cross of Jesus will be our best consolation. When we look to the cross of Jesus Christ and wait for Him, the Holy Spirit will pour out God’s comfort into our hearts so our bitter hearts will be sweetened. Jesus’ suffering and death on the cross is the foundation of our eternal blessing. Jesus wants us never to let go of the cross. We can’t live on without the Lord.