How to Thrive in Crisis | Mark Finley (Sermon)

in spite of the coronavirus that is raging in epidemic proportions around the world there is a God that is still in control and we're going to talk about that this morning I'm going to take a look at this virus and its widespread nature we're gonna raise some very difficult and very tough questions questions like where is God in all of this where is God when we suffer where's God in the sickness we're gonna look at this virus in the prophetic sense what does it indicate to us from the eyes of Bible prophecy what did Jesus say how is pestilence the word pestilence used in the Bible and do we get any insight there and then how can we deal with fear at this time the virus is spreading rapidly but in my thinking fear is spreading more rapidly so how do you deal with the fear and how do you help other people in the context of that fear so we're gonna look at some of those big questions so let's bow our heads and pray and then we'll study the Word of God together father in heaven we are thankful that in the midst of a crisis that you've not forgotten this world that you're there they are to comfort and to strength strengthen us they're to encourage us give to us a sense of the prophetic scenario help us see things not through the eyes of the news media but through the eyes of the prophetic word of God enable us to sense of God that is in control God's that's not caught by surprise a God that's big enough to handle these things situations but a God that's small enough to live in our hearts and give us strength we pray in Christ's name Amen the world is in a crisis of epidemic proportions fast moving virus is speeding with breakneck speed around the world country after country has been affected it's very difficult to keep up with the statistics as clear as we can tell up to this moment over 250,000 people have been infected with the virus and at least 18,000 have died but yet even those numbers are incomplete because we do not have adequate test results back things are developing so rapidly with kovat 19 that it really is difficult to keep pace the numbers are expected to rapidly increase in the next few weeks we are seeing life changed as we know it now the kovat 19 is a strain of the virus that we haven't seen before presently there are no vaccines for it that are currently on the market and there are no scientifically tested remedies there are a few things that have surfaced this week that may show some promise but really no tested remedies yet international borders have been closed schools have been shut down and students are now on online some 250 million students in the United States of America affected other countries affected as well movie theatres amusement parks entertainment venues all shut down businesses have mandated their workers in many instances to work from home restaurants and into centers of social entertainment closed when you look at really what's taking place and when you look at really what's happening in our society today it is unprecedented absolutely unprecedented in our society now the economic ramifications are significant there are many people that predict that unemployment levels have been quite low will rise dramatically in fact the secretary of the Treasury indicated that they may rise as high and some economists don't think it's gonna be this is 20% if this keeps raging as it is reports of the coronavirus in the news media create fear for tens of thousands of people so here's the question how can we be filled with hope and not fear where's God in all this are these judgments of God or are they just random accidental happenings what does the Bible actually say about pestilences and pandemics how can we overcome fear and be filled with hope in times of crisis and lastly is this a sign of the end of the world let me assure you first that God is not the author of suffering sickness or disease I'd like you to take your Bible and go back to the beginnings because we will never understand the endings unless we go back to the book of beginnings in the book of Genesis God created the world and after God creates the world in six literal days the Bible says in Genesis chapter one and if we never if we don't understand something about a larger controversy between good and evil if we don't frame the disasters the pestilence is the earthquakes famines fire flood if we don't frame all of these catastrophes in the larger context of a great controversy in the universe we end up confused we end up not clearly understanding what's going on so let's go back to the book of beginnings the book of Genesis and later we'll go to the book of Matthew and Jesus endtime prophecies in Luke we'll go to the book of Revelation but we begin in the book of Genesis God has created the world and at the end of the six days of creation verse 31 Genesis 1 God saw everything that he had made it indeed it was very good so the evening in the morning with a sixth day so at the end of creation no sickness no suffering no death no heartache no sorrow God looks out over the world and God says it is very good not a little bit good but but very good so the world that God created was not a world where pestilence is raged it was not a world where pandemics took the lives of people it's not a world where human beings had fever vomiting sickness it was a world that God said was very good sickness was not part of God's original plan his plan was for earth to be populated with people who were happy healthy and holy sin was an intruder and it came to our world introduced by Lucifer a fallen angel when God created beings of vast intelligence beings of dazzling brightness angelic beings he gave them the power of choice because to take away the power of choice is to make mere Ottomans mere robots to take away the power of choice is to take away the capacity to love because love must come from choice one of those angels a rebel angel rebelled against God that rebel angel came to earth that was created perfect by God with no sickness suffering heartache or death that evil angel led Adam and Eve into sin and to disobedience to God he claimed that God was unfair God was unjust that God was a vindictive tyrant that God did not have their best interest in view when Adam and Eve sinned the Bible says sin is separation from God and as the result of that they opened a door that God wanted forever shut the door of sickness suffering heartache and death because separated from God we are separated from the source of life the source of goodness the source of joy the source of health so sickness came but when Adam and Eve sinned God promised that he would send the Messiah you see Satan uses now don't miss this Satan uses sickness suffering disease pestilence natural disasters as weapons to discredit God so when disaster comes when pestilence comes when earthquake comes when heartache and famine comes what do people do they say where is God at all this they say if God is all-powerful why doesn't he stop this if God is love what doesn't he deal with this and so Satan uses those weapons to discredit God so God knew this was going to happen so in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve sinned God made promised them he said a messiah will come and this Messiah will reveal what God is like he will reveal for a waiting world and a watching universe what God is like so 2,000 years go by 3,000 years go by 4000 years go by and the Messiah comes and Christ Tabernacles in human flesh and the Bible says in Luke 19 verse 10 the Son of man has come to seek and to save that which is lost so Jesus comes and why does he come to reveal the Father's love every time Jesus touches blind eyes and they're opened every time he touches deaf ears and they're unstop every time he touches a withered man's arm and it's healed every time he causes the lame to jump and run again every time he takes a person who's died and raises them from the dead he is saying this is what God is like God is like this he's not the way Satan has made him out to be he's not this vindictive judge he's not one inflicting upon the human race sickness our suffering this is the result of a planet in rebellion so when we see Jesus when we see Jesus healing the sick when we see Jesus breaking the bread and Phebe the feeding the 5000 when we see Jesus raising the dead we see Jesus calming the storm what's that about it's about the God that has control over nature the God who care when people are hungry because he feeds them 5000 on the hillside of Galilee it's about the God that wants people to be in health and the great summary of Christ's ministry is found in John chapter 10 so Jesus comes to show what God is like Jesus comes to reveal that God is not the author of sickness suffering heartache sorrow we look here at John chapter 10 and we start with verse 10 one of the most magnificent verses in all the Bible John chapter 10 and verse 10 the thief does not come except to steal and to kill and destroy so it is the work of Satan the thief who has come into the human race whose stolen Dominion the thief has not come except to steal to kill destroy but Jesus says I've come that they might have life they might have it more abundantly God created a world at the beginning that was very good Jesus came to reveal the character of God and God's longing for you and me is we have life in abundance life in super abundance life of joy and of health you say where is God in a pandemic like the coronavirus where is God remember that text in Genesis 1:21 37 he has created the world very good where is God he's with every physician that is ministering at a hospital bed to somebody that's suffering he's with every nurse that self-sacrificing Lee lovingly goes out to serve he is with every grocer who distributes food to the poor he is with every single teacher who online teachers or students wherever there is goodness there is God and even if men and women don't recognize that every good gift and perfect gift comes from the Father of lights where is God in all this he's with every neighbor who goes and unselfishly brings food to some Widow that doesn't have food with every neighbor that lovingly takes care of somebody else's can so they can go to work where is God he is with the goodness in the world because the human heart does not originate that goodness that's where God is where is God he's with everybody that suffers he's with there to encourage them to he'll give them hope give them joy point them to his goodness and his love and to a better world where is God he is there now you may ask the question what does the Bible say about pestilences and we need to delve into that as well the Bible uses the word pestilence is 81 times it uses the word pestilences as a as a large word the word pestilence is in the Bible is not a narrow word it's used in four different ways and so let's look at some of the ways that the word pestilence is is used in Scripture first the word pestilence is used in Scripture as the natural result of living in a world separate from God now obviously Satan is behind all this but we live in a world where viruses and pathogens grow God has nothing to do with their origin but because we live in a world of sin at a broken world there is suffering and disease an illustration of that in the Bible is job did job sin to bring upon the pestilence upon himself not at all was Satan behind all that certainly but was this pestilence a physical sickness that is the natural result of germ and etc certainly it was job lived in a sinful world and as the result of that suffered disease we live in a world separated from God's original plan of health and wholeness it's a world of pathogens and viruses and germs there is quite a remarkable statement written by an author that I have great confidence in in a book called the great controversy if you don't have a copy of that book the great controversy it's worth it to go online and get one it deals with everything from the fall of Lucifer down through the ages and God's eternal plan to save mankind in that book on page 589 and I know many of you will have it the book great converse is in accidents and calamities by sea and by land so a great accidents by sea in great conflagrations what's that conflagrations fires in fierce tornadoes and terrific hail storms tornadoes have we seen any of those recently conflagrations have we seen any of those recently fires you think of the California fires you think of the tornadoes in the Southeast United States in floods cyclones we've seen those around the world tidal waves tsunamis earthquakes have we seen that in every place and in a thousand forms Satan is exercising his power why does he do this to bring suffering upon the human race to discredit God that's one of his great goals but listen he sweeps away the ripening harvest that's Africa and famine and distress follow then I was interested in this fascinating statement he imparts to the air a deadly taint and thousands perished by the pestilence these visitations are to become more and more frequent and disastrous later we'll show how Jesus predicts this as well but I was interested in that particular statement he imparts the deadly taint of the air what is the coronavirus we are told by scientists and medical professionals that the corona virus is an airborne virus little droplets that one can either breathe surprisingly enough they can go in through the eyes the nose or the mouth they also can transmitted through touch so if somebody sneezes on their hands they open a doorknob these viruses can last three four five night up to nine minutes on a door so you open the door on suspecting Lee then you touch your mouth I'm not touching my mom you touch your mouth and you can develop this corona virus but it's airborne even some of the recent studies and I don't want to be dogmatic because there's so much we do not know about the corona virus but some of the recent things I've been reading and some of the physicians medical specialists I've been talking about indicate that the virus can actually live for a few minutes in the air so you may not even see that person who's been coughing in the air three minutes later they're gone you pass by so this is a very very fast-moving virus Satan imparts his taint to the air you know if you get say the common flu the average person can pet the ratio is one to two so you can pass that on to two other people but in the corona virus the ratio can be up to five other people that one person can pass it on to then they can pass it on so just multiply so incredibly rapidly notice what this reference says it says again he imparts to the air a date a deadly taint and thousands perish you say wait a minute that is that's amazing it is why does the Bible use the term pestilence this and how does it use pestilence four ways first the natural result of living in a sinful world with Satan behind it but there is a second way this may surprise you there are times that in the Bible pestilence is used to describe an activity of God upon the wicked we find that in Egypt the Israelites were in Egyptian bondage scripture talks of the ten plagues that come out Egypt were they merely natural disasters they certainly were that but the Bible describes them as the plagues that God sent on Egypt why God spoke gently to Egypt the Israelites were under the taskmasters of Israel but then God spoke again and again and again lovingly sometimes God speaks lovingly but sometimes in thunderous tones so that's to get our attention so God long to get the Egyptians attention so that's another way that word pestilence is used in the Bible there's a third way that pestilence is used in the Bible so first it's the natural result of the sinful world Satan's behind it or second sometimes in the Bible that's used as the judgments of God upon a wicked world to get their attention to draw them to himself thirdly sometimes the Bible uses the term pestilence when God simply withdraws his protective power do you remember the story in the Bible of Israel wandering through the wilderness for forty years and they were protected by God but then they rebelled against God and what happened God simply Reed withdrew his presence and snakes bit them and the venomous part of the snakes killed them now there is a statement again that is very interested in a little letter that was written by one with real spiritual insight it's a manuscript vol 19 page 382 and it says this famines will increase did Jesus talk about increasing famines he did pestilences will sweep away thousands is that happening today it is Jesus predictions are coming true this author comments on that dangers are all around us from the powers without and satanic workings within but the restraining power of God is now being exercised so what's the point God is now restraining the full onslaught of evil we see a few of these satanic manifest stations but this is preparing for a time of enormous crisis just before the return of our Lord and so we see these things developing does the Bible talk about this it does now we went in the first book of the Bible God is very good we noticed through Scripture that there's a controversy between good and evil and Jesus love is revealed in the context of that controversy in all the goodness we see in the world in Christ protection but we're looking at this reality that right now God is restraining right now God is holding back this full onslaught of demonic power we go to Revelation a revelation is the last book in the Bible we go to Revelation the seventh chapter a revelation chapter 7 and we're looking there at this remarkable prediction Revelation chapter 7 after these things verse 1 I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth the number 4 in the book of Revelation represents universality so here God Himself says that he himself it will hold back the universal onslaught of evil after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth holding the four winds of the earth now in the book of Revelation wind indicates destruction you find that interpreted in the Book of Jeremiah you find it also in the Book of Daniel that wind represents power like you can imagine the wind of a tornado cyclone hurricane so four winds of the earth that's that's power that's destruction so what are the Angels doing they're holding back the winds of destruction they're holding back the final onslaught of evil why and when will that be released verse 2 I saw another angel ascending from the east having the seal of the Living God and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth in the sea do not harm the earth to see in the trees till we've sealed the servants of God on their foreheads now in the Bible the forehead represents the forebrain so what is this seal deeply within the conscious what what is this final issue that has to do what is this seal well in Ephesians chapter 4 it says we are sealed by the Holy Spirit so what does the Holy Spirit want to do in our minds again this book great controversy and we're looking here rather this time the fourth Bible commentary I'm reading a comment from fourth Bible commentary not Great God of mercy Paigey 1161 so if you're taking notes forthe Bible commentary page 1161 we're talking about what is this this seal what's the essence of this seal that takes place in the famines earthquakes fires floods and pestilence we see a foretaste of what's coming in the future just before the coming of Jesus but let me read about the seal just as soon as the people of God are sealed in their foreheads it is not a seal or mark that can be seen but notice this but a settling into the truth both intellectually and spiritually so they cannot be moved just as soon as God's people are sealed and prepared for the shaking it will come now notice what is this sealing according to this reference in the fourth Bible Commentary 1161 that harmonizes with revelation 7 and ephesians 4 the ceiling is a settling into the truth in other words we are anchored in God's Word we are grounded in God's message we are filled with God's love and the Sabbath the sign of God's creative Authority is the external manifestation of that inner settling into God's truth in other words we are going to face something much worse than the corona virus that's coming and God is leading us through his grace by his power through his strength he is leading us to prepare today to have our hearts one with God to have our minds filled with the Word of God we have heard a new term it's called social distancing being distant from one another but if this is a time for social distancing this is a time for divine nearness it's a time for divine nearness it's a time that God is leading us to be close to him it's a time that God is leading us our hearts one with him because there is no security in this world however large your revenue however larger bank account it can be gone in a moment whatever your health is you do not know if there's some coronavirus raging in your body however secure you may be in one minute you can be insecure there's something beyond this life and that is Jesus Christ in Christ there is security in Christ there is assurance in Christ there's confidence what is this sealing it is the settling in to a relationship with Christ so that when everything is shaken that can be shaken we will not be moved because our confidence is not in us it is in him social distancing yes but divine nearness certainly we've looked at three aspects of pestilences one but pestilence has come because we live in a sinful world two pestilences take place at times limited times when nations rebel against God and they're God's judgments to bring them closer to him pestilences occur three when we take a look at God Reed withdrawing his divine favor now the Bible also uses pestilences in the context of a sign of this coming of Christ now let me assure you that there are two extremes we have to avoid here the first extreme is this it is the extreme of over sensationalism it's the extreme of saying here's the coronavirus Jesus must be coming next week or next year or very soon he must be coming right now not so simply because we've had the coronavirus doesn't mean Jesus coming this week or next week now here's the other extreme which is just as bad maybe worse well we've got the current uh virus but we've always had suffering and we're going to get through this and this has no relationship at all to last day events so let's take a look at pestilences in the bible and try to try to frame this in a logical way based on the prophetic word which you're taking your Bible and turning to Matthew chapter 24 what do we read when we read about these pestilences let me be very plain when you look at scripture pestilences are one of the signs of the coming of Christ so what should this current coronavirus tell us it should say we are living in a period called the last days of Earth's history when Christ's coming is near how near we do not know but what we see is the table being set what we see is the stage being arranged in Matthew chapter 24 and we're going to take a look at verse 7 Matthew 24 verse 7 Jesus himself Christ the Messiah is giving his end time signs Matthew chapter 24 we're looking at verse 7 for nation will rise against nation so Jesus predicts instability about nations Kingdom against Kingdom now this is not a single war because down through history we've had multiple wars but might I remind you that in the 20th century we've had World War one in World War two the first time that the whole world was engulfed in war may also remind you that never before in history has the human race at the capacity to destroy itself so we see these fulfillments Kingdom against Kingdom there will be famines now there's always been famine in history but Jesus is saying that we're gonna see all these things taking place on a universal scale with rapid increasing frequency so that saying this de'cine is being set notice he says pestilences and earthquakes in various places now does he say then the end is going to come right after that happens what's the next verse verse 8 read it with me at home you see it all these are what the beginning of the Sorrows so what Jesus is saying to us is that when you see the wars and rumors of wars when you see the rise of kingdoms well you see nations fighting against nations when you see natural disasters earthquakes famines and pestilence know that you're entering into a period of time known as end time as as far as Jesus is concerned pestilences are part of an end time scenario now does that mean that Cova 19 virus that has ravaged the world as a sign of Jesus coming this is what it means it does not stand alone as a sign but it's part of a larger picture that should be calling us to preparation that should be calling us to our knees that should be calling us to fill our hearts with the Word of God that should be calling us to sense the very presence of God in the light of Christ's prediction in the prophetic word famines will increase natural disasters will increase just as in Noah's day when Noah's generation filled up the cup of iniquity and these natural disaster took place rain came down so we can expect to see the increase of these natural disasters increase the pestilences increase of famines fires floods in the world now how do we how Beacon how are we kept from being consumed by worry and anxiety what can deliver us from crippling fear or might it be more accurate to say who can deliver us from more crippling fear at this time how can we face these issues confidently in the promises of God first take your Bible and turn to Hebrews chapter 13 verse 5 how can we be kept from crippling paralyzing fear how can we be anchors of stability and pillars of hope in this generation how can we share that hope with others are we intellectual ignoramuses that simply stick our heads in the sand and say well this is just natural phenomena and don't worry about it are we on the other hand going to be worried and paralyzed by that fear God's Word has some answers I want to look with you at God's Word and the answers that he has to fear once you grasp clearly in your mind the answers from the Word of God you will be an anchor of stability and a pillar of hope Hebrews chapter 13 verse 5 but your conduct be without covetousness and be content with the things you have for he himself has said I will never leave you or forsake you so we may boldly say another word for boldly in the Bible is confidently if you have your Bible read it together with me wherever you are okay you ready the Lord is my what helper I will not fear what man can do to me what delivers us from fear somebody that is bigger than you and I holds us in his hand the Lord is my helper and I will not fear now Jesus describes in Luke chapter 21 two classes of people this is Jesus endtime sermon this endtime sermon is recorded in all of the Gospels Matthew Mark Luke and John but the reason Jesus records it here in Luke chapter 21 dr. Luke you remember Luke was a physician and he wrote the book of Luke each of these Gospels see things in a little different way and so all four of them put it into perspective Luke chapter 21 notice what happens we look at verse 25 in 26 and 27 and 28 and there will be signs in the Sun the moon and the stars Jesus is speaking on earth distress of Nations with perplexity nations are certain to see distress now aren't they with the coronavirus with perplexity what's perplexity it's confusion it's not having really the answers with perplexity the sea and the waves roaring now notice verse 26 men's hearts what does it say failing them for what fear are some people's hearts failing them for fear today they sure are and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth for the powers of heaven will be shaken then they'll see the Son of man coming in the clouds with power and great glory we're going to come back to that verse 28 now when these things begin to happen in other words when you see these pestilences raging when these things begin to happen when you see these earthquakes famines fires foot look up and lift up your heads because your redemption draws nigh now here is the issue if you spend your time looking where this world is looking if you are consumed with the news media and that's filling your heart to the exclusion of no don't misunderstand we meet we need to be in form but to the exclusion of the Word of God if we look where they look we will fear their fear but it says what does the scripture say now when these things begin to come to pass look up and lift up your heads because your redemption draws nigh when we look to heaven sanctuary we see Jesus and we discover the strength in his promises in Christ we find confidence in Christ we experience assurance in Christ were lifted above life's uncertainties and concerns and our hearts are filled with security in the one who loves us with for lasting undying unfathomable exhaustless endless love in Christ we are delivered from our fears here is a wonderful statement in a book called evangelist page 65 that I just came across it says in the closing work in what work everybody what work a closing work we shall meet with perplexities that we do not know how to deal with but let us not forget that the three great powers of heaven are working that a divine hand is on the wheel and that God will bring his purpose is to pass the devil may tamper with the laboratories of nature he may bring up out through bats wild animals synthetic means I don't know he may bring about this coronavirus but God will use even the devil's masa nation not is not responsible for and does not indeed initiate but God will use those who accomplish his purposes this world in the midst of war famine suffering strife is still in the hands of God now here is another statement from a magazine that I picked up signs of the times October 9 1901 by one who wrote with prophetic insight it's a comment on that Luke 21 that we were just reading and here's what it says men's hearts are failing them for fear remember we read to Luke 21 for the things that are coming upon the earth but those who believe in God will hear his voice amid the storm saying it is I be not afraid do you know that that expression fear not it is I be not afraid or do not fear if you take all those statements together now I haven't counted them but I read an author the other night who did he said there are 365 times in the Bible where if you take all the statements on do not fear and put them together they are there hey you know what I thought about that that's one do not fear for every day of the year and if I got a do not fear for every day of the year what does that mean means I do not fear right why not because I know my life is in the hands of God and I know God's in control of this universe it may look like nobody is in control but the good news is God is in control in one of the most reassuring promises in the Bible Isaiah encourages us echoing the words of the Lord Isaiah 41 verse 10 Isaiah 41 verse 10 don't miss this Isaiah 41 verse 10 365 verses in the Bible on don't fear Isaiah 41:10 fear not for I am with you be not dismayed for I am your God I will strengthen you yes I will help you I will uphold you with my righteous right hand what does God say he says do not be fearful do not be afraid because you are in my hands I'm gonna strengthen you I'm gonna lift you up I'm gonna hold you in this time now look our faith transcends sickness suffering our take and death and grasp the hand of the Living God does that mean that if we have faith we will never get the coronavirus or any other sickness it doesn't mean that at all it means our faith transcends that it means that whether we are sick or well whether we have disease or whether we are healthy that we believe in a God that is with us a God that will never leave us a God that has this world in his hands and a God that is coming again soon to deliver us now a classic example of that in the Bible is job job chapter 19 it's really important to understand the theology of faith faith is not believing that what I want to happen is going to happen if I believe enough faith is trusting God in joy and in sorrow faith is trusting God in sickness and in health trip faith is trusting God in poverty in adversity and wealth and riches so faith is a relationship with God in which I know that he will never do me harm and that I can trust him in a world of sickness suffering and disease that was the faith of job let's look at that job chapter 19 verse 25 job 19 verse 25 what does job say for I know not I think not I guess not perhaps not maybe I know that my redeemer lives job says these this plague this pestilence has affected my book flicked in my body job says my accountant my my finances have gone bust I've lost much cattle lost my home lost my crops I've lost everything but what does he say I know that my redeemer lives and he shall stand at the last day on the earth and after my skin is destroyed this I know that in my flesh I shall see God who I shall see for myself my eyes shall behold and not another how my heart yearns within me job says my heart is yearning within me for the day that Christ will come the day that I can stand with him in eternity the day that there will be no sickness suffering heartache or death my heart yearns within me look what Jobe says in job 13 verse 15 job 13 verse 15 faith transcends what is faith does not see what is it sees what will be faith does not live in the now it lives in the eternity faith transcends time and it enables us to live while we walk this weary world in the very atmosphere of God's presence job 13 verse 15 job lived a life of trust in the God who promised that he'd be with him each moment of the day and who promised that there would be a better tomorrow job chapter 13 verse 15 it says though he slay me though he slay me job says yet will I trust him though he slay me II though I I will trust him does not believe I repeat that we will never get sick we live in a broken world and although we may do the very best we can by the choices we make to be healthy sickness may have flicked us but in sickness we grasp his promise of his abiding presence he's with us in health he's with us in sickness he's with us when there is sickness and disease all around us and he does not leave us when a virus attacks our body as the old song says just what I need him Jesus is near now one of the reasons that we do not fear here it is is because we know the endgame what do we know everybody we know how this story is going to end we know the end game jesus said John 14 verse 1 2 3 if you know it wherever you are say it with me if you don't this follow along Jesus said let not your heart be what troubled let not your heart be troubled don't be fearful let not your heart be troubled you believe in God believe also in me in my father's house jesus said are many mansions and if it were not so I would have told you I go to prepare a place for you and if I go and prepare a place for you Jesus says I will come again Jesus is coming again that is the hope we know the end game Jesus will return we know the end game there'll be no sickness suffering sorrow heartache or death we know the end game Jesus Christ is going to be returned soon we look beyond today to tomorrow we look beyond sickness to health we look beyond pestilences that are carried through the air to the pure air of eternity where there will be no more pestilences we know the endgame Revelation chapter 21 here is the endgame the Bible begins with a perfect world in Genesis 1 and 2 the Bible ends with a perfect world in Revelation chapter 21 in Revelation chapter 22 here between the pages of the Bible is this great controversy what gives us hope what boys up our spirits what income as our hearts what puts a smile on our face what puts a sparkle in our eyes what puts a spring in Our Strength's it is Christ is with us it is we know the end game revelation 21 verse 4 God will wipe away every tear from their eyes there shall be no more death nor sorrow nor cry there shall be no more pain for the former things are passed away the coronavirus will not have the last word Jesus Christ will sickness will not have the last word Jesus Christ will disease will not have the last word Jesus Christ will suffering will not have the last word Jesus Christ will for he will come again that is our hope keep looking keep looking looking to Jesus today look to him for strength look to him for courage look to him for peace look to him for freedom from fear but look beyond what is - what will be will you open your heart just now wherever you are and say Jesus I can't face this by my own myself I don't know what's in my body I don't know what's gonna happen to my job the economy I don't know what's gonna happen in the future but I know this you will never leave me and you'll never forsake me that you're there to strengthen to encourage do you want to say Lord make me a blessing at this time help me be a minister of hope where there's hopelessness help me to reach out and touch somebody and bless them help me do those practical things that my neighbors and my friends need but Lord draw me close to you keep me by faith looking for that day that you will come so that I can live with you forever in all eternity would you like to pray that prayer with me as we pray father in heaven thank you so much that you're not the originator of sickness suffering heartache or death thank you so much that you revealed yourself in Christ that where as goodness there is God where there is love there is God where there is health and healing there is God father bless all those medical professionals that are working on the frontlines bless those scientists that are working to find healing for this disease vaccines bless every godly businessman that's helping to support their business their their employees bless us as church members as Christians to do what we can in our neighborhood but farther in this time of social distancing help us pause take some deep breaths and draw closer to God we thank you that one day sickness and suffering and heartache and disease will be over one day Jesus will come and we can live with him through all eternity thank you Lord that we can look forward to that hope may it burn in our hearts in Christ's name Amen [Music]

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Id: AYlkcF9OELc

Length: 50min 14sec (3014 seconds)

Published: Sun Mar 22 2020