Wednesday Night Message
Philippians 4:4-8
Hope for Desperate Times
I am here in an empty sanctuary giving this message because we have been instructed to not gather together because of the fear of the Corona Virus. I have often wondered what I would do in front of a large group of people, but never have I wondered what I would do before an empty church.
This virus has caused much anxiety among not only the unsaved world but also the Christian world as well.
The question this morning is how do we as Christians deal with this? Do we follow the instructions of the Government or not? (We should obey our leaders as elected). Do we exercise faith, or do we use wisdom? We should do both. But how to accomplish that is tricky.
Do we listen to the wisdom of the world or not?
These are honest questions and are not easy to answer. We all have to decide these questions for ourselves.
We do have a crisis situation in our country, of that there is no doubt.
But do we as Christians follow the example of Chicken Little that ran around yelling “the sky is falling, the sky is falling?”
Here is an interesting fact; one out of one hundred that has the Corona virus is dying. That is one percent. So far, it has been only the elderly, but I have just heard on lately that it is now reported that many of those hospitalized are young people as well. Then we are told that those with bronchial problems and those with other ailments that would make them more susceptible to this virus. Others though are recovering from it without any lasting effects. On the other hand, many more people die from the flu than this virus. Of course, this is little comfort to those who have contacted the virus and for those that have lost loved ones due to this virus.
Our hearts go out to them as well as our prayers.
There are those that believe that this virus is a curse on the world sent from God to get our attention. And yes, that is a very real possibility. If it is then we as Christians and as a church should be taking advantage of it.
Others believe that this is a plot by the Chinese government to infect the world and bring it financially under the control of China.
And yes, if you listen to some news outlets it is a result of climate change, and it is President Trump’s fault. These two are just conspiracy theories without much credence.
Yes, it is true that in the last days there will be widespread pestilences which is diseases. And yes, I believe that we are living in the last days as told by Jesus and His disciples along with the many prophets used by the Lord to warn us. But that is a topic and sermon for another day. And yes, I believe that this virus should get our attention, and make us think on eternal things and not so much on the temporal. We here in America have a major problem with that.
So, amid all the turmoil, all the hoopla from the news media, I want to give you some encouragement. I want to give you five things or reasons that the Christian can and should rejoice in, even in the midst of troubling times such as we are in now
Turn in your bibles to Philippians 4:3-8 (read).
We find in verse 4 that it instructs us, and the Lord brings to our attention, that we are to rejoice in the Lord always, or at all times, even in the times of this Corona virus.
Why should we rejoice?
The first thing is found in verse 3.
Look that verse (verse 3). It reminds us that our names are written in the book of life. We have been redeemed and given the promise of eternal life in heaven with our Lord Jesus Christ. That certainly is something that we can and should rejoice in. Jesus Himself told us in Luke 10:20 that we should rejoice that our names are written in Heaven. This promise is a document, a sacred contract, and the most important document ever given to man or should be known to man.
It is more important that our birth certificate which proves we have been born, who our parents are, and where we were born, but the Lamb’s book of Life shows that we have been born the second time, from above. It is dated, attested to by the Holy Spirit, and proves who our Father is, where we were born and that this is an irrevocable contract or document.
It is more important than our drivers license. Without a driver’s license we cannot drive anywhere legally. Without our names being written in heaven we cannot go there.
It is more important than our passport that allows us to travel between countries. This Lamb’s Book of Life allows us to travel past the confines of this world to the Heaven itself. There will be no one there to check our passport to make sure that it is signed by the proper authority, it has been sealed with the blood of Jesus and that assures us that it will be honored in Heaven.
It is more important that a marriage license, which lasts as long as we live but now that we are the Lambs bride, it will be for all eternity. There is no such thing as “no fault divorce” in heaven, there is only no divorce, no separation, no breaking or annulling this license.
Never cease to rejoice that our names are written in the book of life. It is essential for eternal purposes. It will keep us out of the Lake of Fire.
The second thing that we should rejoice about is found in verse 5 “Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.” We can assume that by moderation it is meant that we should not get too excited or fearful about what is going on in the world. Neither should we be too lackadaisical and be too comfortable which could lead to disaster as well. We just need to keep trusting the Lord for He is well aware of what is going on, and He is still on the throne.
We should not be “Chicken Littles,” the sky will fall after the rapture of the saints and we are gone. Meanwhile, we are here and we should be rejoicing in the fact that no matter what we have to go through, the Lord is with us all the way. Did He not say that He would never leave us or forsake us?
Let us not get too wrapped up in the pleasures, amusements, possessions of this life, they are transitional and temporal. If you don’t believe that, take a look about after a tornado, hurricane, mudslide or a forest fire. Perhaps God is trying to show us that we should not hold on to these things too tightly. They can be gone in an instant. The Lord has taken away many of our false gods and idols. Think about the cancelled sports, closed theaters, and our places of amusement.
I recently read or heard that all the liquor stores, bars, and restaurants are closed during this time and are open only for carry-out orders. Many of us that enjoy eating out on occasions will have to suffer through this time of deprivation. Woe is us, right?
Let us not get too troubled by all the violence, dishonesty, thievery and sexual promiscuity. God will take care of all that in due time. This will return in due time I'm sure.
We as Christians are instructed on how we are to live in this present time; Titus 2:12 tells us this; Teaching that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live righteously and godly in this present world.
Then in Galatians 1:3-4 we have this precious promise; “Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father.”
The third thing that we can also rejoice about is because it says the Lord is at hand it. This is not referring to the fact that the coming of the Lord is near, which I personally believe is very true, but it is speaking of the fact that the Lord is close at hand, He is not very far from everyone of us (Acts 17:27).
I couldn’t do what I am doing if I didn’t believe the Lord was near at hand.
He is close by to help in times of stress, trouble, temptation and trial and labors of love. He promised to never leave nor forsake us. As children, we learned that we need not be afraid as long as dad was nearby. We could always call upon him and he would quickly come to our side. Of course, dad was only human and had a limited amount of ability to help, as children we did not understand that. Our Father in heaven is unlimited in power and ability.
The fourth thing that we can rejoice about is found in verse 6. We have the power of prayer, we have the power of God to answer our prayers and we have the admonition to pray about everything, nothing excluded including this Corona virus.
Why should we not call upon our Heavenly Father in times such as this?
He is all knowing so that He understand what we are going through. He is also unlimited in power to do whatsoever He wills. He has unlimited resources to work with. And I might add, He is unlimited in His love and concern for us.
He is fully capable to answer when we call on Him.
However, we must ask in faith and along with our thanksgiving.
And it should be noted that we must be on praying ground with the Lord.
Stop and think for a moment about this act of praying with thanksgiving. What have we received that hasn’t come from our Lord? Everything that we have, all that we are, every promise we have has come from the hand of our benevolent God. He has been gracious in forgiveness, merciful in His love and bountiful in His promises. If we are saved it is due to His great love that super abounded toward us. It was shown on the cross of Calvary when He poured out His life-blood for a lost and dying world that deserved His righteous anger. We certainly owe Him our love, devotion and thanks.
The fifth thing that we can rejoice about is found in verse 7 that we have the peace of God which passes all understanding. But we need to remember that the peace of God always follows peace with God due to His saving grace and mercy shown at the cross of Jesus. We must first be reconciled to God by the shedding of the blood of Jesus.
The world does not know the peace we have nor does it know how we received it, until they accept the Prince of Peace into their hearts. This of course means that they accept Jesus as their Savior.
The mature Christian can rejoice in the knowledge that they belong to the God of the Universe. We are in His hands at all times. The world at large either is either ignorant or chooses to ignore this promise.
This peace of mind or peace of God of course comes by faith in the power and promise of God.
Nothing can happen to one of His children without the will of the Father.
I recently heard Pastor David Jeremiah state that the Christian is invincible until the Lord is through with him or her. Yes, we might have to go through some pretty harsh testing but the Lord will go through them with us.
We can lay down at night with the perfect peace that whether we awake in our beds or in heaven it will be the Lord’s will.
We can arise in the morning knowing that each step that we take is ordered by the Lord and He is walking ahead of us preparing our way. He is not only walking ahead to show us the way, but also beside to help us in our way as well as in us for our assurance of His presence.
While the world is falling apart without any assurance, we Christians can approach any situation given us with confidence and assurance. We need not be afraid.
I have this philosophy: There is only two things that can happen to me; either I come into contact with someone with the virus or I won’t. If I don’t, I have nothing to fear or worry about. If I do come into contact with someone with the virus, there is only two things that can happen to me; either I will get the virus or I won’t. If I don’t get the virus, I have nothing to worry about or fear, if I do get the virus only two things can happen; I will either get sick with it or I won’t. If I don’t get sick with it I have nothing to fear or worry about; If I do, there is only two things that can happen; either I will live or die; if I live I have nothing to worry about or fear; if I die, I go to be with my Lord and Savior to spend eternity in heaven and there I will have nothing to worry about nor fear. I can lay down at night in perfect peace, I can arise in the mornings with assurance that no matter what the day brings, I am saved and at peace with my Lord. That gives me the peace of God that passes all understanding. I have my name written in the book of life; I can rejoice in the Lord always; I can let my moderation be known to all people; I know that the Lord is near by me. And I can always go to the Lord in prayer with thanksgiving with any problem, temptation, testing or any concern I have and I have the assurance of Him hearing me.
Let me close by offering a quick way to absolve your mind from all that is going on due to this virus; Read verse 8 and begin to practice it.
Turn your mind from the virus to things that are true. Jesus said that “I am the truth, and the life and the way. Instead of stressing out about this virus, think about your Savior. It is said in Psalms 138: that the Lord God has magnified thy word above thy name. Think about the word of God: Read it, meditate on it, obey it because it is truth.
Instead of thinking of all the perverseness going on in the world, think about those things and people that are honest. Think about those that are just. Think about the small children that are pure and innocent. Think about all the things in this world that are lovely that the Lord God created for our benefit. Don’t think about all the bad news but think about the good news, or good report. Then Paul goes on to instruct us to think on these things that are praiseworthy and virtuous. If we fill our hearts and minds with these things, we will not dwell on our problems and this virus that seems to have consumed all of those around us. Amen.