Pastor Mark Finley Reminds Us that God Will Help Us Survive Through Times of Trouble

[Music] [Music] we're just beginning to experience the long-term economic consequences of covid19 on our personal lives in our family's lives the short-term consequences with thousands dead and hundreds of thousands more sick were bad enough but there are significant additional consequences that society now faces the economic impact of the pandemic is hitting many families full force many of the unemployed during the crisis are going back to work but they are still experiencing the effects of lost income from their time off and the debts they incurred the stock market plummeted during the pandemic with millions of people losing almost all of their life savings so it is bouncing back some now but still we see its potentially devastating effects in the future the entire world economy is on extremely shaky footing and we wonder whether life will ever be the same again the economic picture for the foreseeable future by many economists is dire many of the businesses forced to shut down because of the lockdown may never recover in a report to adventist church leaders investment specialist tim akka made this astute observation many people he said are living paycheck to paycheck with little or no savings now the results of the coronavirus pandemic has thrown them into a financial dilemma unemployment rates in the united states reached more than 20 percent now they are coming down some but this was the highest level since right after the great depression in 1934. europe's gross national product dropped nearly 15 in the second quarter of 2020 alone one report indicates that quote the united states and eurozone's economies could take until 2023 to recover from the impact of the covet 19 coronavirus crisis according to the new a new report from the consultancy firm mckinsey and company latin america in the caribbean will see the largest contraction in economic activity in its history in 2020 because of the impact of the novel coronavirus or kovid 19 pandemic a united nations agency warned on tuesday april 21 2020 according to the economic commission for latin america in the caribbean based in santiago chile the combined effect of the pandemic hit external and domestic factors will lead to the worst contraction that the region has ever undergone this simply means more people will be out of work more companies will go bankrupt more families will be under enormous financial stress and more countries will struggle to provide basic services for their populations the poor and underprivileged will suffer the most because they're dependent on their daily wages and have no savings accounts they are often unable to provide even the necessities of life for their families the international markets have experienced a serious downturn dozens of countries could soon suffer from devastating famines as a result of the coronavirus an official with the united nations stated this he said famines of biblical proportions may be experienced in the coming months because of such factors as reductions in foreign aid the price of oil and tourism according to david beasley director of the un's world food programmed branch there are no famines yet beasley said but i must warn you that if we don't prepare and act now to secure access avoid funding shortfalls and disruptions to trade we could be facing multiple famines of biblical proportions within a few short months millions of civilians living in conflict scarred nations including many women and children face being pushed to the brink of starvation with the specter of famine a very real and dangerous possibility that was according to the new york times daily new york daily news april 22 2020. now what are some of the continuing issues what impact will all of this have on our personal finances how will this impact our families what impact will this disruption in society have on our mental health what long-term consequences might there be on our physical health most of all what can we do to survive the catastrophic consequences of covid19 and other pandemics or catastrophes that strike us this is not the first disaster that has ever hit our world and it will not be the last how can we stay strong amid these worldwide epidemics and natural disasters that are striking our world with increasing frequency in this chapter we're going to focus on four specific areas of survival one how you can survive financially in a time of crisis two how your family and especially your children can survive three how you can survive physically and four how you can survive emotionally how to survive a financial crash we'll look at that first in the sixth century before christ the wealthiest man in the world was grocious crocius was the king of lydia from 560 to 547 bc he's credited with issuing the first true gold coins with a standardized purity for general circulation one day king cross asked the philosopher sullen who the happiest man in the world was solemn's answer as recorded by the greek historian herodotus went something like this to live well you must prepare to die well there is something tragically wrong with a society that is so obsessed with making money seeking happiness in materialism leads us down the road to nowhere attempting to fill our lives with things only leaves us empty sullen was right there is more to life than simply making money norman cousins editor of the saturday review for many years made a very perceptive statement 40 years ago it was true then but it's even truer now he said we are so busy extending ourselves and increasing the size and the ornamentation of our personal kingdom that we have hardly considered that no age in history has had so many loose props under it as our own we're so busy buying that we've failed to realize that there are some moral screws loose in our society the very foundation is cracking we might be just investing our money in the wrong places the bible presents eternal financial principles that make sense it reveals financial secrets that most of the world does not know it encourages us to re-evaluate our priorities to seek the eternal rather than the earthly god's word leads us to make investments that will pay off in the long run here are three financial principles outlined in the bible that will enable you to survive any financial crisis accept the eternal truth that god is the creator of this world and the owner of everything in it is the first principle david records god's words to him at a time of great need in psalm 50. god reminds him that he is the creator and in charge of this world in these words david said every beast of the forest is mine referring to god and the cattle on a thousand hills i know all the birds of the mountains and the wild beasts of the field are mine if i were hungry i would not tell you for the world is mine and all its fullness psalm 50 verse 10 to 12 david responds to the marvel of god's creation in psalm 104 he says o lord how manifold are your works in wisdom you have made them all the earth is full of your possessions this great and wide sea in which our innumerable teeming things living things both small and great psalm 104 verse 24 and 25 isaiah the prophet adds that the world is god's not only because he created it but because he redeemed it listen to what isaiah says thus saith the lord who created you o jacob and he who formed you o israel fear not for i've redeemed you i've called you by your name and you are mine isaiah 43 verse 1 when our lord created this world he entrusted it to adam god gave adam dominion over the entire creation we find that in the book of genesis chapter 1 verse 26 when adam sinned in eden he surrendered his right of dominion lucifer the fallen angel usurped the dominion and claimed the lordship of the earth bible writers often refer to lucifer as quote the prince of this world or the prince of the power of the heir we find that in the book of john and also the book of ephesians christ's sinless life and substitutionary death fully paid the ransom for our sin at the cross satan's fate was sealed and complete restoration pledged for this planet god is the true owner of this world both by creation and redemption everything we have is a gift of his grace we are stewards of god's goods given to us by a loving creator we were we are christ's he created us and he redeemed us this world is his he made it in the first place shed his blood to redeem it understanding this concept that christ created us and redeemed us makes all the difference what we have is really not our own moses admonishes us to quote remember the lord your god for it is he who gives you power to get wealth that he may establish his covenant which he swore to your fathers as it is this day deuteronomy 8 verse 18 remember what moses says remember it's the lord god that gives you the power to get wealth the talents we have to make money come from god the ability to work comes from god every breath we take comes from god he is the one who opens doors of opportunity for us to survive economically he is our provider our sustainer and our supporter what we have is a gift of his grace everything we have is his because he's created us and redeemed us we are stewards of his possessions not owners the apostle paul clarifies this point in these words he says quote it is required in stewards that one be found faithful first corinthians chapter 4 verse 2 a steward is one who manages another person's property finances or other affairs and that's what we are stewards under god for we do not own this world or anything in it god as creator owns it all yet he placed adam and eve and their descendants in charge of it all by giving them dominion over the other creatures and by placing them in the garden of eden to tend and to keep it but paul teaches us that as stewards we are required to be found faithful faithful in everything we manage including finances jesus adds he who is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much luke 16 verse 10. gottfried davis who wrote a biography about the duke of wellington said i found an old account ledger that showed how the duke spent his money it was a far better clue to what he thought was really important than the reading of his letters or speeches how we handle money reveals much about the depth of our commitment to christ that's why jesus often talked about money one-sixth of the gospels including one out of every three parables touches on stewardship jesus wasn't a fundraiser he dealt with money matters because money matters for some of us though it matters too much we find that isn't a quote in our daily bread august 26 1993 believe that god the one who created you and redeemed you cares for you and that he will provide for you in philippians chapter 4 verse 19 we have an eternal pledge and my god shall supply get this all your need according to his riches and glory by christ jesus to all who are faithful stewards christ gives the assurance of supplying their needs the needs of god's children are already underwritten by the bank of heaven jesus stated quote therefore do not worry saying what shall we eat what shall we wear but seek first the kingdom of god in his righteousness and all these things shall be added to you matthew 6 31-33 a pandemic does not eradicate the promises of god covet 19 has not erased the assurance of god's eternal word the coronavirus need not cause a crisis of confidence in god's ability to solve our problems and provide for our needs it can lead us to deeper faith greater trust and more secure confidence in god amid our greatest challenges god's promises are still there i have seen this powerfully demonstrated in my own life my father became a seventh-day adventist when i was 13 years old as the result of his commitment to keep the bible sabbath he lost his job in addition to that dad made the decision to be faithful in returning his tithe and offerings to meet the needs of our family dad worked three part-time jobs life was not easy but i often remember him quoting two bible promises when i wondered how god would provide for us in his quiet confident manner dad would quote matthew 6 33 but seek you first the kingdom of god and his righteousness and all these things shall be added to you and then he would add that passage that we've quoted from philippians 4 19 my god shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by christ jesus dad's faithfulness and settled confidence in god gave our entire family the assurance that in our time of trial god would come through and we and he did we may not have had all the luxuries of some families but we had something worth much more a father who was faithful to god who gave us the assurance that we could trust god with the totality of our lives when times are tough and our finances are limited trusting god in these trying times is an act of faith it's saying god i believe you can care for me i place my life in your hands i believe your promises giving is a tangible expression of our faith the very essence of the christian life is trust it's trusting god with our finances our health our time and our very lives it is faith that the living christ who has provided us salvation through his grace and power through his holy spirit will fulfill his promise to supply our needs it is trusting even during a global pandemic that may touch our lives in the lives of those we love when we trust god in trying times it gives god the opportunity to do for us exceedingly abundantly above all we ask or think we find that promise in ephesians chapter 3 verse 20 trusting god opens the door of our hearts to receive his abundant blessings faith enables the riches of heaven to flow into our lives from his abundant storehouse of grace god is still in control in every crisis a terribly devastating pandemic does not wipe out his promises living lives of trust we are secure in his love today tomorrow and forever choose to reorder your priorities in view of the coming of jesus the bible makes some remarkable predictions regarding an economic crash during the last days of earth's history the greatest treasure we can have is a personal relationship with jesus christ the pearl of great price he offers us abundant joy inner peace and lasting satisfaction the fleeting pleasures of this world are soon to pass away when our happiness contentment and security come from our material possessions and then the economy suddenly crashes we're left discouraged down-hearted and depressed but when our faith is anchored in jesus and the eternal treasures of his word we are secure the apostle james reveals the last day delusion regarding finances and the disappointment of those who have made a great god of their money james puts it this way now listen you rich people weep and wail because the misery that's coming on you your wealth has rotted and moths have eaten your clothes your gold and silver are corroded their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire you have hoarded wealth in the last days look the wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the lord almighty you have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence you have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter james 5 verse 1 to 5. in an article published on november 19 2020 for the online magazine the balance every day titled lottery curse victims seven people who won big and lost everything was the title the article othra author sandra groschoff describes the devastating results to seven entire families who won the lottery they thought they made it rich they put their hopes and money materialism and this is what she says family relations deteriorated lavish spending replaced frugal living greed consumed their joy and very often drug or alcohol abuse followed when a family in new york won the irish sweepstakes they were overjoyed dad was a steam fitter johnny who was 26 years old loaded crates on docks tim was going to night school dad split the million with his sons they all said that the money wouldn't change their plans but during the following year conflict erupted in the family the boys weren't speaking to their father or to one another johnny spent his portion of the winnings on expensive racehorses tim spent it on lavish parties and the women he dated mom accused dad of hiding his portion of the lottery winnings from her within two years all of them were in court for non-payment of income tax the mom said it's the devil's own money both of the boys were drinking excessively and were on the track to become alcoholics this comes from chuck rasman's article on winning the lottery when our happiness is dependent on the amount of money we have we are chasing a mirage money provides only temporary satisfaction and superficial happiness the book of revelation describes an economic collapse that's coming just before the return of jesus those who have trusted their money as a source of happiness will be greatly disappointed what they have lived for will quickly vanish their dreams will be dashed revelation 18 predicts a sudden economic collapse that stuns the world revelation 18 verse 17 to 19 says that the merchants of the earth are weeping because in quote one hour such great riches came to nothing the antichrist power has attempted to unite humanity around a counterfeit day of worship in an attempt to usher in world peace and security it has established a confederacy of religious political and economic powers natural disasters economic collapse political conflicts and social chaos only harden hearts and make the antichrist more determined to accomplish its purposes while god sends an appeal to the entire world to unite with his true commandment-keeping people this union of church and state and economic power says i sit as a queen and am no widow and will not see sorrow therefore her plagues come in one day death and mourning and famine and she will be utterly burned with fire for strong is the lord god who judges her verses seven and eight verse 19 adds in one hour she is made desolate the great confederacy of evil persists in the opposition to god and is blind to what is about to happen the kings and the merchants and the political and economic and religious leaders of our world don't sense what's going on they have united themselves around these finances with an apostate religious system but then they mourn their fall they're united with her in her luxury and because of her luxury they have merged together they exercised power over the earth but now now what happens to them they mourn with her they suffer god's punishment they do not mourn for their sins and their rebellion against god they mourn because of the consequences of their sins suddenly there is an unprecedented economic collapse and in one hour their riches come to nothing they have placed their confidence in the wrong place they have trusted in their wealth in material possessions rather than placing their trust in the promises of god this leads us to a very practical question how can our families survive an economic crisis now the truth of the matter is your family can survive tough times there was a massive study done in the united states involving families across america on the impact of the coronavirus titled snapshot of the covid crisis impact on working families the study was authored by public policy and economics scholars at the barnard college at columbia university in new york city and the st sanford school of public policy at duke university in durham north carolina elizabeth o annent and anna gassman pines authored this study the study was published on the econofect network on march 30 2020. it proposed that and i quote the outbreak of the novel coronavirus will deeply impact many american families we might add that although this study was done on the impact of family life in the united states its results will be replicated in countries around the world it's a pretty universal study and it deals with universal principles as of march 25 2020 21 of the people studied reported being permanently laid off while another 20 percent gave an account of being temporarily laid off or made redundant from their work a majority of the sample 55 percent indicated that someone in their household had been laid off made redundant or furloughed of those who were able to keep their jobs at that time 51 percent experienced reduced hours now these numbers according to the study were more severe and happen more quickly than what took place get this during the great depression which started in 1929. willie and elaine oliver the family life specialists for the general conference of seventh-day adventists write to be sure when a family experiences the loss of income this reality is associated with high levels of anxiety and depression in addition to other mental health challenges sadly these mental health effects of job loss are not likely to be short term now prior to studies we have also discussed this tremendous mental health effect in past research as people experience layoffs and economic difficulties challenges surge in youth and young adults suicide rates are higher in economic recessions for example in fact mental health tends to decline significantly even among those who do not experience family loss of employment even when the rates of unemployment are much smaller than we're currently experiencing during this pandemic now it's worthy to note that these outcomes impact other areas of life triggering lower levels of student test scores also causing lower levels of college attendance among those who live through these experiences during adolescence in other words what this is saying is that if you're an adolescent you're less likely to go to college if you live through one of these pandemics these cumulative consequences in the short term and long term are more remarkable for disadvantaged populations resulting because of the health disparities and achievement gaps which are already larger and are more likely to increase satan the ark enemy of jesus is the originator of every evil in the world whether working through the pharisees and other religious leaders of his day to undermine the work of god on behalf of the salvation of sinners or being the cause of a pandemic that is robbing millions of their livelihood or in their future well-being he wants to bring depression and discouragement the devil is always up to no good the good news to be sure is this that god is not like an absentee landlord that has left us to fend for ourselves rather he sent jesus that we might have the abundant life regardless of the assaults of the evil one despite the incredible pressure economic crisis has put on families there are things parents can do to keep themselves and their children sane during this time of instability and unpredictability willie and elaine oliver again make these practical suggestions number one ask your children what they're thinking about and simply listen even if they say things that may alarm you because they might be true don't be alarmed or allow it to show in your face your children need a safe place to talk and an opportunity to express their feelings and it's up to you to provide this space secondly set the example you want to be followed in your home take care of yourself spiritually physically and emotionally by spending time with god exercising eating nutritious food and thinking positive thoughts practice being patient and kind as is written in the scriptures pray with your children on a regular basis allow your thoughts to be turned to god whose promise never to leave you or forsake you he's promised to keep you in perfect peace he's promised to provide all your needs how can we survive physically during tough times when our finances are in serious trouble it takes a toll on both our physical health our mental health and the mental and physical health of our families pandemics bring with them serious consequences even after the pandemic is over researchers have clearly shown a correlation between poor health and declining lifespans for months if not years after a major influenza or some other catastrophic health crisis they've also discovered basic health principles to enable us to survive in times of crisis most deaths during the covet 19 pandemic were from those having such pre-existing conditions as heart disease hypertension high blood pressure diabetes or obesity simply put the stronger your immune system the greater your possibility of surviving a pandemic the better your physical health when the crisis breaks the better your possibility of surviving on april 20 2020 the european journal of clinical nutrition published an article on the role of nutrition and our health habits in surviving a pandemic it's really a fascinating article the authors stated and i quote at the individual level the common denominator that drives most of the nutrition and dietary recommendations to combat viral infections including covet 19 lies within the link between diet and immunity in fact existing evidence highlights that diet has a profound effect on people's immune system and disease septability therefore the responsibility of the individuals during the covid19 pandemic lies in making an effort to choose a healthy lifestyle eat diets high in fruits and vegetables exercise freely during this time try to maintain a healthy weight and get adequate amount of sleep in addition to taking care of one's dietary intake the collective responsibility of individuals is to avoid the spread of misinformation related to nutrition and dietary intake and the coven 19. the article goes on to say and it goes on to make eight recommendations now consider these recommendations as survival guidelines here they are survival guidelines in a health crisis by this prestigious magazine it says one try to eat well-balanced meals avoid irregular snacking choose food rich in vitamins a c e b6 b12 zinc and iron such as citrus fruits and dark leafy green vegetables choose nuts and dairy products now we would caution about the overuse of dairy products because they are so high in cholesterol maintain a healthy lifestyle of exercise at home get adequate sleep spend time meditating avoid smoking the article says and alcohol on drugs don't buy into quack or unscientific or miracle cures god's intention for you is to both survive and thrive during times of crisis that's why he says to you i pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health just as your soul prospers 3rd john 2 although we live in a broken world of sin suffering and sickness and we cannot always avoid disease god's intent is for us to as far as possible live healthy lives as we make positive choices our immune systems will strengthen and our health will improve it is never too late to begin making the best possible health choices for ourselves and for our families now how do you survive emotionally during tough times worry and anxiety have gripped millions of people they're afraid that the coronavirus or some other disease may strike them next they've heard about the rising death tool toll and trembled with fear they were concerned about their children or elderly parents and many of them still are or possibly it's financial fear many people are worried that they may not be able to pay their rent or their mortgage they're concerned about a business that is closed and are fearful they'll not have a job when this whole pandemic thing is over for some it's even more dire they're concerned about how to feed their families they are on the edge filled with uncertainty about the future the answer to crippling fear is trust in god's love care and provisions for us the word of god provides real life examples of god's people in crisis and how they develop deeper trust in trying times these biblical stories reveal eternal principles that are faith-building they were written in another time in another place but they speak to us at this time and in this place they were written centuries ago but speak with relevance in the 21st century to a world devastated by a debilitating death dealing pandemic god is still in control in times of crisis judah faced a crisis devastation and death were at its door catastrophic consequences seem certain the great assyrian king tigo polacer was on a rampage he was about ready to conquer the middle east he had already conquered much of western asia azia the king of judah was the leading figure of resistance against assyrian aggression azia had reigned for 52 years from 791 to 739 bc during josiah's reign the nation prospered desert areas were reclaimed jerusalem's walls were fortified the nation experienced its territory expanding judah's prosperity was largely because of mosiah's faithfulness to god but in an act of arrogance and presumption he attempted to burn incense in the temple and was immediately stricken with leprosy and eventually died the nation was devastated their their longtime ruler was dead doom seemed certain all hope of resisting the apparently invincible assyrian armies danced away like a shadow the nation's inhabitants were paralyzed by fear an enemy invader was approaching and there seemed little they could do about it they were helpless and hopeless at the time of this catastrophe isaiah writes quote in the year that king uzziah died i saw the lord on a throne high and lifted up and the train of his robe filled the temple isaiah 6 1 in the midst of a crisis heaven's throne is not vacant god reassured his people that he was still in control he was still sovereign the crisis did not catch god by surprise god has not left us alone in times of our greatest trials pandemics rage but god is still on his throne an enemy invader covet 19 ravaged the land but in these trying times we can learn lessons of trust when fear gives way to trust peace floods into our lives isaiah the prophet reassured god's people with a powerful promise his message comes echoing and re-echoing down the corners of time quote you will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you because he trusts in you trust in the lord forever isaiah 26 3 the simple key to surviving any crisis we face is trust believing that the creator of the universe the redeemer of this world and our living lord loves us and cares for us no matter what we are facing or ever will face when disease ravages our land when our bodies are racked with fever when life seems to be falling apart we can still trust we can trust that through his holy spirit god is with us he's strengthening us he's encouraging us he's supporting us he's giving us hope of a better tomorrow pointing us to the day when sickness and suffering heartache will be no more

Channel: Seventh-day Adventist Church

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Keywords: mark finley, hopelives365, bible, Hope for troubled time, seventh day adventist, pastor mark finley, seventh-day adventist, sda, christianity, jesus, god, mark finley sermons, bible study, mark finley sermons 2020, hope, seventh day adventist church, sermon, christian, end times, fear, Book Mark Finley Hope for Troubled Time, book Hope for Troubled Time, faith, CHAPTER 7 - HOW TO SURVIVE WHEN THE ECONOMY COLLAPSES

Id: j82aojI-vcU

Length: 40min 32sec (2432 seconds)

Published: Tue Apr 06 2021