Gtcotr/ws031120
Our
March 2020 series, “Jesus the Healer - 5 Days in the
Life of Christ” is well underway and just in time. One of the two
biggest topics in world news today surrounds the Covid19 Virus which is a new
strain of a flu-like sickness that has been declared a pandemic by the World
Health Organization.
Without
regard to your personal or political opinions concerning this Coronavirus, or
how it may play out in the future, allow me to offer a thought or two for your
consideration. We are neither alarmist nor are we complacent when it comes to
threats against the health and well-being of our families and friends both here
in the US and around the world.
First,
I’ll share a few things you may already know:
·
It
is often reported and repeated that the flu kills more people than this
coronavirus. While that may be true in some respects, this statement should not
leave you without concern. Consider:
o The flu kills perhaps
350,000 each year world-wide … those lost lives are nothing to sneeze at – pun
intended.
o The flu, in and of
itself, is scary for many people groups while flu-shots are an important part
of defending against contracting a particular strain of the flu virus.
§ Presently there is no
vaccine available for Covid19.
§ Presently there is no
therapy or cure or drug that fights Covid19 once a person gets it.
§ Presently there are
insufficient numbers of tests readily available for every American, let alone
every person in the world.
§ The best way to guard
against the spread of this virus is to not expose yourself or expose others who
are in the people groups most at risk.
·
Covid19’s
impact is not limited to health issues:
o The economic impact on
world markets, airlines, hotels, travel, jobs, industry, manufacturing,
materials, supplies and labor, has crippled the entire world.
o Today 60 million
Italians are ending their second day on lockdown being told to stay at home
under penalty of law.
o Today, the borders of
Israel are closed to all foreigners and even citizens arriving back in country
must enter a 14-day quarantine to see if they present with any flu-like symptoms.
o Today 3500 people are
being tested in Oakland Harbor before being allowed off of the cruise ship
where they have been quarantined for the last week. After being tested, those
holding foreign passports will be flown by charter plane to their country of
residence while American citizens will be transported to one of 4 military facilities,
one here in Texas, where they will continue to be held in isolation until they
can be fully cleared of all chance of passing the virus to others.
o The response of world
leaders and world health officials has disrupted the rhythms of the daily lives
of citizens in over 100 countries.
§ School closings
§ People being forced to
work from home or just go home from work without pay.
§ Sports matches are
being played to empty stadiums.
§ Houston Rodeo and
Livestock show for this year was cancelled today unexpectedly sending vendors
and participants home.
§ SXSW Ultra Music
Festival, one of Austin’s biggest venues, has been cancelled for this year and
50 employees have been laid off.
§ Peaceful public
gatherings in many cities have been banned through mid-April.
§ Panic shopping has
emptied shelves in stores and even in our own local Walmart where there was not
one bottle of water to be found yesterday.
§ People are fighting
over toilet paper in Australia.
§ I could go on and on
and on …
Silly,
shameful, fear-driven panic, reaction to false reporting or not … the truth
remains, things are very different this week than they were even a few days
ago.
·
One
of the most sobering realizations I have come to was the result of seeing world
leaders like Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, and Prime Minister Conte of Italy,
sign what amounted to executive orders to close their countries, isolate their
citizens and cripple their economies in hopes of saving lives.
o I have considered one
of two possibilities:
§ Either the leaders of
most of the world’s countries are insane and have agreed to destroy the economy
of their nation and place unimaginable hardships on every family and citizen they
are sworn to serve … or …
§ These Prime Ministers
and Presidents know more than we do about the potential of Covid19.
·
Whichever
the case … we need to be prepared to face the future with confidence in Christ
and faith in a future only God can predict. And remember … it’s not all about
you!
For
these reasons, this evening we are going to continue building on the messages
God has given us for such a time as this. Tonight’s teaching will center on
Health & Healing.
God teaches us that nothing takes the place of being prepared!
One
of the problems in the world today can be understood from a comment made by the
Apostle Paul in:
1 Corinthians 14:8 For if the
trumpet makes an uncertain sound, who will prepare himself for battle?
The
uncertain sound being heard from all sides of our political system makes the
truth hard to discern. What should I do … should I be concerned, or should I
just continue as if nothing is wrong? It is important to not allow worry or
fear to dominate our lives. Definitely - Remain calm
but don’t be complacent. The wisdom of Solomon provides a simple remedy
for much of life.
Proverbs 22:3 A prudent
person foresees danger and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and
suffers the consequences.
Prudence
does not stem from fear but rather prudence demands action guided by wisdom.
Proverbs 30:25 The ants are
a people not strong, Yet they prepare their food in the summer.
Genesis
records the account of Abraham being prepared for trouble before there was any
sign of trouble. Abraham used the days of peace and prosperity to prepare for
battle against not only his enemies but the enemies of his family.
Genesis 14:14 Now when Abram
heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his three hundred and
eighteen trained servants who were born in his own house, and went in
pursuit as far as Dan.
As
well, Joseph told Pharaoh to use the seven years of plenty to prepare for the
years when their would-be shortages. Preparation is a part of God’s plan for
our lives.
Hebrews 11:7 By faith Noah,
being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared
an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and
became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.
Even
Jesus is using this time, today, to get prepare for your future:
John 14:2 “In My Father’s
house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told
you. I go to prepare a place for you.”
Preparedness
is a theme which runs throughout the Bible in story after story, life after
life, generation after generation.
We will never catch God unprepared. Just ask Jonah. God prepared a great
fish to rescue Jonah from the raging sea and take him safely to dry land. God
is always prepared … and so should we be!
This
evening we are going to continue strengthening our Sunday Morning Series on
healing and health by talking about how we can best be prepared for the life
God wants us to enjoy. John said:
3 John 2 Dear friend, I hope
all is well with you and that you are as healthy in body as you are strong in
spirit. (NLT)
So,
without further ado, let’s turn our attention to Health and Healing, and ask
the question: How can we best work with God?
There
are basically three parts of our lives in which God expects us to be prepared.
·
Physically
·
Mentally
·
Spiritually
First:
How can we help God achieve His will for us to be
healed and healthy physically?
1.
Physically
– In order to work with God, and not against Him, we must pay attention to:
a.
Diet (The Bible addresses dietary concerns …)
b.
Exercise
c.
Rest
d.
Wisdom
i. Vaccinations &
Other Medical/Pharmaceutical help
ii. Non-Abuse of drugs,
including prescription medications.
iii. Prudent Germ Control
iv. Social Distancing - Exposure
can be a key
1. For your sake – don’t
congregate with those who are sick
2. For the sake of others
– don’t congregate when you have symptoms
Next:
How can we help God achieve His will for us to be
mentally healed and healthy?
2.
Mentally
a.
Police our own thought life
i. No one can talk to you
like you can …
ii. Don’t let garbage in
and don’t let garbage out
iii. Take your thoughts
captive … (2 Corinthians 10:5)
b.
Speak to yourselves in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, sing and
make melody in your heart to the Lord. (Ephesians 5:19)
c.
Cultivate a merry heart. (Proverbs 17:22)
Finally:
How can we help God achieve His will for us to be
spiritually healed and healthy?
3.
Spiritually
a.
Prayer
b.
Word
c.
Worship
d.
Service
God
will do His part … we need to work with Him and do ours. We can rest assured
that no matter the enemy we face, small and insignificant or Goliath and his
four brothers … that -
Psalms 23
1 The LORD is my
shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He makes me to lie down in
green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.
3 He restores my soul; He
leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through
the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with
me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before
me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs
over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy
shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the
LORD Forever.
Let’s
all work with God to live healed and healthy and trust that what we cannot do,
He will do. A Godly life is all about faith and works.
