This morning I want to talk to you about something that I think every preacher in America has preached on…the Coronavirus…for the past three/four weeks I have listened to a number of people talk about this virus…not from a medical standpoint but reading and listening to countless opinions from pastors as to the reason for the virus.
As a result, I have been burdened to speak about what is occurring…for that reason I have spent more time preparing for this sermon than any I have preached at the Branches in the over 3 years I have been pastor.
Whenever something tragic happens in life the first question is usually why…SO… what is the ‘why’ of the virus…how did the outbreak start…is it a curse from God …is God judging America…is this the start of the end times? These are some of questions that are being asked and unfortunately have been answered incorrectly.
I think the Biblical response by some is less than accurate…I was studying [2 Cor.] last week and read a verse that really spoke to me about those trying to put a ‘reason’ on why this virus even exists…2 Corinthians is a letter written by Paul to those who are in the ministry…in fact the title of 2 Corinthians could be entitled ‘Who is Adequate for the Ministry.’
Among other things Paul asks the question of those entering the ministry… ‘who is adequate to preach and to lead the Lord’s people’ …it should not be like the ‘many, peddling the word of God’ [2:17] BUT should be from sincerity as from God.
Paul says those entering the ministry should not be adequate in themselves or consider anything as coming from themselves…in other words not preaching from self-interest or what I want people to hear that will be the most pleasing to them.
BUT rather Paul says… ‘our competency is from God’ [3:5] meaning preaching in sinceritywithout error…unfortunately that has not been the case in some instances and especially with regards to the coronavirus.
Let me share with you some facts about the coronavirus…the source of the coronavirus is believed to have originated in a “wet market” in Wuhan China…a wet market is an outdoor market that sells both dead and live animals.
Coronaviruses are a group of viruses that can cause disease in both animals and humans…coronaviruses originate in animals and are usually not transmissible to humans but because hygiene standards are difficult to maintain in such markets, they pose a heightened risk of viruses spreading from animals to animals and from animals to humans…and because they are typically densely packed it allows the disease to spread more easily from species to species.
The source of Covid-19 has not been positivity identified, but the origin is thought to have come from bats…bats were not sold at the Wuhan market in China and may have infected live chickens or other animals that were sold there…and then was passed on to humans.
As strange as that sounds…bats are the source of other coronaviruses…they have discovered that bats may have as many as 200 different types of coronaviruses … bats are a common cause of some of the most deadly coronaviruses.
I have read what some preachers believe is the reason for the virus…not the cause, the reason…some of the reasons people are giving as to ‘why’ is border line ridiculous…their biblical interpretation of what is occurring and why it is occurring is seriously misleading.
That is why I want to share with you this morning what the coronavirus is not.
FIRST — the Coronavirus is not the beginning of the end of the world.
If social media serves no other purpose it reveals how dumb people are… conspiracy theorists proclaiming, ‘the day of reckoning has begun’ …using [Matt. 24] as the foundation for such outlandish claims…they base their reasoning on Jesus’ outline of certain events that will occur before He returns…one sign is pestilence.
They have attempted to tie the coronavirus to Jesus’ statement that this is one of the signs of the last days…a sign that is the beginning of sorrows.
In addition, they use [2 Tim. 3:1] that states in the last days perilous times will come…or make reference to the fourth horseman in Revelation who rides the pale horse of pestilence.
A Florida minister (Rick Wiles) has stressed that such a plague is part of the “end times,” tribulation that precedes the second coming of Jesus Christ.
SO…are we approaching the ‘end times?’ …there is certainly a fearful anxiety that has descended on humanity…and if a person was completely ignorant about what the Bible says about the End Times, they may think these people are right.
Jesus’ statement in [Matt. 24] about the signs of the last days…[2 Timothy’s] reference to the last days…and the fourth horseman in Revelation are events that will occur…they are in the Bible…they will occur…BUT …they will occur in a future period of time…a time that will be immediately before Jesus physically
comes back to earth…EVERYBODY…that time is not now.
It’s important to understand that Jesus’ return to earth is in two stages…the first stage is where He comes back invisibly to take all Christians and all Christians who have died up into Heaven…called the Rapture…the second stage is when Jesus comes physically back to earth at the end of the Tribulation.
Matthew 24…2 Timothy…and Revelation are talking about a time just before Jesus’ physical return to earth…a time after the rapture…and since you’re all still here…that’s a clear indication the Rapture has not yet happened…so the idea of the coronavirus being tied to the end times is without merit.
This isn’t the first pandemic that has occurred in America or the world.
—In 1917 Spanish influenza killed millions of people worldwide. 675,000 in U.S.
—In 1957 the Asian flu killed over 116,000.
—In 2009-2010 the swine flu caused more than 12,000 deaths in the U.S.
—In 2014 the Ebola virus killed over 11,000 people.
—In 2018 the flu—data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention— killed 61,000 Americans.
—An estimated 80,000 Americans died of flu and its complications last winter…the deadliest season in more than four decades.
This is not the beginning of the birth pains as described by Jesus in Matthew 24…or the fourth horseman of Revelation…this is another strain of coronavirus that is infecting the world.
SECOND thing I want to share with you this morning is that the Coronavirus is not God punishing the United States.
At times like this everybody’s either a psychic or a Theologian…everybody has their own opinion based on very little evidence because they have very little knowledge.
You’re probably all familiar with the well know theologian and Biblical scholar Kourtney Kardashian …there are times that you see more of her than you hear from her.
She recently shared a Bible passage on social media where she suggests the virus is God punishing an evil world with an “epidemic.” …she quotes from [2 Chron. 7:13].
“Whenever I hold back the rain or send locusts to eat up the crops or send a pestilence among my people, if they pray to me and repent and turn away from the evil they have been doing, then I will hear them in heaven, forgive their sins and make their land prosperous again.”
I have no idea how Ms. Kardashian found this verse…who showed it to her…or how she remotely thinks it is applicable in this situation…BUT she’s not the only person who is completely misguided regarding the coronavirus.
A pastor (Ralph Drollinger) who holds regular Bible studies on Capitol Hill for members of President Trump’s cabinet is suggesting that the coronavirus is God’s wrath on America due to widespread…immorality…abortion…homosexuality… gender nonconformity and what he calls a “religion of environmentalism”.
Probably what bothers me more than his unfounded assessment of the reason for the coronavirus is the fact that he’s advising the President that these are the causes this virus exits…that’s a little dangerous.
A Florida minister (Rick Wiles) said the virus is a “plague” sent by God. “My spirit bears witness that this is a genuine plague that is coming upon the earth.”
It’s important to understand the context in which this verse was written …with respect to 2 Cor. 7 which Ms. Kardashian shared…the first thing to do is to look at the whole passage to see whether it applies to us.
The context in 2 Chronicles 7 is a conversation between God and Solomon…it’s imperative to know that this verse was directed to Solomon regarding Israel’s faithfulness to Him…it’s a promise God made to ancient Israel that if Israel obeyed God, they will be blessed …if they disobey, they will be judged.
In essence God was telling Israel…I’m the reason for your lack of peace… I’m behind your disturbances…God troubled them because they no longer took Him seriously …they had replaced the true God with false gods…there was a void of teaching priests …they had left out ‘thus says the Lord’ …they had dumbed down the Bible.
It has nothing to do with the U. S. because the U.S. does not have the same covenant relationship with God that Israel enjoyed …the statement ‘My people who are called by My name’ they claim is in reference to the Church…it’s not.
Look again…God tells Solomon ‘I have heard your prayer’ speaking specifically to Solomon…let me just be very blunt with you…the application of this verse to America makes about as much sense as hoarding toilet paper.
BUT can Christians in America find an appropriate application from [2 Chron. 7]… is there a timeless theological principal in that verse…YES there is…is it a warning with a principal that can be applied to us today? …YES…because like Israel we too have dumbed down the Bible…HOW…by not preaching on what God says about living a Christian lifestyle…instead:
…accepting what is popular
…what is preferred
…preaching to fill churches rather than preaching God’s Word.
…replacing the true God with false religions
…accepting what I believe to be true
…what the media says is right
…what is politically correct
…what society says over ‘thus says the Lord’.
As bad as that is…it doesn’t mean that God has abandoned America…quite the opposite…my Bible says God will never leave you nor forsake you [Heb 13:5] because God always takes advantage of every situation to do something…and here’s what that something is.
God is wanting us to become personally involved with Him in all areas of our life… but for many it takes a crisis to get our attention…to get us focused on Him…how many more people are praying today that weren’t praying a week ago…I’d say quite a few more…this has got someone’s attention…how about a month ago.
Here’s the problem…and it’s ugly…this is the problem with America spiritually …if you think you can go from NO Bible…NO God…being indifferent…having no interest in church…living as you please…how your parents say…what professors say…what is politically correct…living a life that is self-sufficient…indifferent… callused… and self-centered…then when trouble comes expect God to show up and ask ‘what do you want me to do’…your mistaken.
God is not manipulated by your crises…God does not operate that way…look at the church today…research polling shows that more Americans than ever before say that they’re not connected to any religious faith…it’s interesting that while President…Mr. Obama made the statement that ‘America is no longer a Christian nation.’
Some people were offended by that…interpreting that statement as the President having a flippant attitude towards the Bible…that he was suggesting we should be adopting… accepting…and embracing the other ‘religions’ of the world…I don’t interpret that statement that way.
I saw it as a prophecy…much like when the high priest Caiaphas prophesied at Jesus’ trial…not on his own…concerning Jesus dying for the Jewish nation…I think Obama has stated or prophesied ‘not on his own’ concerning the spiritual condition of American today…statistics prove that.
…77% of Americans claim to be Christians… only 23% of that 77% are in Church on any given Sunday.
…29% of Americans openly admit they never attend church.
…self-described atheists account for 4% of U.S. adults
…agnostics make up 5% of U.S. adults
…and 17% of Americans describe their religion as “nothing in particular,”
All of the last four…those never attending church…atheist…agnostics…and those who describe their religion as “nothing in particular” are all up since 2009.
https://news.gallup.com/poll/248837/church-membership-down-sharply-past-two-decades.aspx
https://www.statista.com/statistics/245491/church-attendance-of-americans/
More than 4000 churches close their doors every year…3500 people are leaving the church every day.http://www.fifthavenuechristian.org/u-s-church-statistics-over-the-last-century/
Do you know how they define a regular church attendee…today a church member is considered active in the church if he or she attends just three times out of every eight Sundays…that’s only 37% of the time.
That doesn’t mean that 37% of the 77% who claim to be Christian are in church… it means that only 23% are in church on any given Sunday…some suggest that 23% figure may be high. https://churchleaders.com/pastors/pastor-articles/139575-7-startling-facts-an-up-close-look-at-church-attendance-in-america.html
People want to quote the part of [2 Chronicles] that is pleasing…the part about if people humble themselves…pray…seek God’s face…turn from evil…THEN He will relent concerning the calamity He planned to bring on them.
Again…is there a theological principal involved here in how God reacts to people praying…turning from evil…YES…BUT…as a nation the statistics prove we have no intention of doing that…only 23% of Americans attend church on any given Sunday…then we expect God to intercede…let me just say…good luck with that.
BUT…despite Christians flippant attitude towards the Bible…their lack of Church attendance…and our reluctance to be obedient to God…God has not brought a curse on us…He is not punishing America.
THIRD thing I want to share with you this morning is that God will not give you a protective shield from the coronavirus.
A Pastor (Hank Kunneman) in Omaha claims that God will save Americans from the coronavirus because President Trump’s administration has aligned itself with the right side of life…that citizens in the U.S. will not have to fear the coronavirus because God has extended and opened a window of mercy to this nation.
Joseph Prince, pastors a 33,000-member congregation (New Creation Church) in Singapore…says: “pray the prayer of protection found in [Psalms 91:3] daily:
He goes on; “I encourage all believers to speak the promises of God’s protection over yourself and your entire household and church.”
I would be anxious to hear how they apply that verse to 68,000 deaths that have occurred around the world as of Friday.
If [PS. 91:10] is a promise of protection…do you really believe that none of those 68,000 deaths around the world were Christians?
If you’re a pastor how can you make such an outlandish promise to your church… here again…pulling Old Testament verses out of context to reassure people that God has a plan to protect you…that is bad exegesis.
This verse or any other verse in Scripture should never be construed as a pledge of physical protection to ALL believers for ALL times in ALL circumstances…if it is then how do you explain the suffering and death of the countless number of Godly
believers throughout history…here’s the reality of how God works in the world.
He makes the sun to rise on the evil and on the good…(He) sends rain on the just and on the unjust’ [Matt. 5:45] …we live in the world just like everyone else… because you’re a Christian is no guarantee that you won’t contract the virus.
In ancient Israel both the righteous and the unrighteous had to endure the same type of judgement that God sent…when the Assyrian and the Babylonians attacked Israel, they killed…tortured…carried off into slavery hundreds of thousands of Jews…do you really think only the unfaithful disobedient Jews were affected…No
…trouble comes to both good people and to people who are evil.
I’m amazed that Pastor Prince or this preacher in Omaha…and others I’ve heard would make the statement; ‘that you can’t be defeated…God would not have allowed it if it was going to keep you from your destiny’ …EVERYBODY…just because you’re a Christian is not a guarantee that you won’t contract the virus.
Let me say…if I were going to claim Psalm 91 for myself, I would have to preface it with what I know is a fact about Scripture and how God works in the life of a Christian…and it’s not that He is obligated to keep anyone safe…I would pray this:
He will rescue you from every trap and protect you from the deadly pestilence… that is how the verse reads…however…I would then preface that by saying;
except that God in His love and wisdom allows somethings to occur for His ultimate good…this is in exact agreement with [Rom. 8:28] in all things God works together for good.
Let me share with you what that means…God has the right to do what He chooses to do…whenever He chooses to do it…in any way He chooses to do it…for any purpose He chooses…and to use any person He chooses to accomplish it…which will always be for His good.
Let me say this in closing…what we’re experiencing today is a divine disruption… God has crushed our idols… no sports…no entertainment…gyms are closed… stocks and 401K’s are suffering, the country has literally shut down…never in my life time has there been anything like this…even the cigar bar is closed down.
It’s times like this that demonstrate that we are not in control of our lives as much as we would like to think we are…but I can assure that nothing happens that doesn’t pass through the filter of God’s sovereign plans.
It’s times like this that God is perfecting us…not necessarily protecting us…the reason we’re in this condition is because we have chosen less than God’s best…we live in a fallen world by our own decision.
Is God judging the world…well…at some time He will…it’s not God’s intent to bring people to believe in Him by killing them…by causing viruses…that is not how God works.
It’s the kindness of God that leads to repentance…not His anger…is God speaking to the world through this pandemic…it might be better said that God is reaching out to the world through this pandemic.
The coronavirus is another example of how frail we all are…like a vapor that appears for a short time then vanishes away [Jas. 4:14]…the psalmist wrote “As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field…the wind passes over it, and it is gone,’ [Ps 103]
In times of trouble the Lord desires that you move towards Him…using the situation to dislodge us from a dependence from this life to Him.
We need to keep things in perspective
—the Coronavirus is not the beginning of the end of the world.
—the Coronavirus is not God punishing the United States.
TWO THINGS: No matter if we live or die or by what means we die; our lives are in God’s hands…eternity is long, and life is short…if you haven’t committed your life to Christ, do so now! And as Christians we need to continue to affirm our belief in the sovereignty of God.