Life Lessons From the Pandemic
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Everyone is vulnerable.
It is a picture of the Bible’s credibility.
The uncertainty of life.
The scarcity of hope. - hope is not rampant in everyone
Blessed is the man whose hope in not in man
The sufficiency of Jesus
The urgency of salvation.
Man is vulnerable. - Frailty of Life
Security is found in God.- Misplace Hopes, Uncertainty of Future - No preparation is enough.
The Bible is always relevant
Introduction
Introduction
This is our 4th week of being instructed to stay home and maintain social distancing the curve the spread of the virus. Some parts of the country are out in the streets protesting against this ban because they claim that it is a way for the government to control us. I see it differently. This shot down directive is man response as we are being controlled by an invisible enemy, that is all over the place making us vulnerable.
1. Man is Vulnerable
1. Man is Vulnerable
Man’s vulnerability was demonstrated back in Gen. 3 where man fell into the deception of Satan.
All he did was cast a doubt in Eve’s mind and rest was history.
Who did the devil go for? Eve. One of her job description was a “SUITABLE HELPER FOR ADAM?
But then ADAM who was suppose to be in charge could not do anything who was just next to EVE as she was being tempted.
Man fell from the state of sinlessness or perfection after an act of disobedience. The consequence was immediate, and it’s reality got worse throughout the years. Ex. life expectancy got shorter
Man’s vulnerability should not be viewed as a flaw in God’s creation because if God said it was good then it really is good.
Man’s freewill is not a weakness in God’s works. Instead freewill is God’s love for man to be given the freedom to choose God.
One thing we can learn is that God’s blessing can be: Abused or misused to carryout a selfish deed.
Man’s vulnerability escalated as a result of sin, a lack of trust resulting to being deceived.
Paul’s account of his hardships demonstrates man’s vulnerability.
Paul’s account of his hardships demonstrates man’s vulnerability.
27 I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. 28 Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches. 29 Who is weak without my being weak? Who is led into sin without my intense concern? 30 If I have to boast, I will boast of what pertains to my weakness.
We are always expose to dangers and danger come in different forms and sizes and direction.
The last time the US had a major attack was 9/11 back in 2001. What kind of attack was it? Terrorist carried it out.
During the September 11 attacks of 2001, 2,977 victims and 19 hijackers were killed and more than 6,000 others were injured. The immediate deaths included 265 on the four planes (including the terrorists), 2,606 in the World Trade Center and in the surrounding area, and 125 at the Pentagon. Most of those who perished were civilians except for 343 firefighters and 71 law enforcement officers who died in the World Trade Center and on the ground in New York City, and another law enforcement officer who died when United Airlines Flight 93 crashed into a field near in Pennsylvania.
Is there hope and good in all of these, none but God.....
Your sense of failure may be the catalyst God wants to use to bring you to a new understanding of the meaning of the Christian life.
McVey, Steve. Grace Walk: What You've Always Wanted in the Christian Life (pp. 24-25). Harvest House Publishers. Kindle Edition.
But then God is able to use those mishaps to even further His graciousness through Jesus Christ.
Adam and Eve came up with leaves to secure their bodies from further embarrassment of nakedness and covered it with leaves that need to be replace regularly because they wither in the long run. However, God had a better way which was eternal - leather (animal skin!)
God’s restoration plan
God’s restoration plan
As part of God’s restoration plan is to keep us away from sinning and more obeying in Him. Abiding in Him allows us to bear fruit according to JOHN 15:4...
4 “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.
When Jesus ascended to heaven He gave us the Holy Spirit as a helper to keep us close and grounded (Read John 14:26)
26 “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.
Man’s vulnerability leads us to the issue of Man’s security.
2. Man’s Security is found in God
2. Man’s Security is found in God
Benjamin Franklin, in a letter to Jean-Baptiste Le Roy, 1789 wrote:
Our new Constitution is now established, and has an appearance that promises permanency; but in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes. - Benjamin Franklin, 1789
Two kinds of Security - physical and eternal.
INSECURITY INTRODUCE THROUGH THE CONCEPT OF NAKEDNESS and HIDING
INSECURITY INTRODUCE THROUGH THE CONCEPT OF NAKEDNESS and HIDING
8 They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
Imagine the need to hide from your creator who loves you.
As part of the curse after the fall of man, some concepts where redefined. Nakedness became a negative, eating became a chore -
Gen. 3:19 By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return."
Security is found in God only! Take for instance on the handling of scriptures.
SECURITY IN THE FORMATION OF THE BIBLE - TOP SECRET
SECURITY IN THE FORMATION OF THE BIBLE - TOP SECRET
God’s way of protecting sensitive materials is different from the way we address the need.
When God distributed His knowledge to man, He did it in a manner that the success of its distribution depends thoroughly on Him.
This mindset is only possible when you understand this truth as outline in the knowledge revealed to man through scriptures.
The Apostles and all key relevant players whom God use to put the bible together relied totally in God for His purposes and will to be done accordingly.
Their trust was not in themselves but in the one who gave them the message.
TAKE FOR EXAMPLE TREASURSE CONTAINED IN CLAY JARS
7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves;
This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.
What are this treasures in earthen vessels? READ the previous verse:
6 For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
TREASURE - the "light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."
God has lighted up for the first time that darkened life of Paul be revealing to him His glory through Christ.
Knowledge of God is compared to a light revealing to Paul the truth about Christ and now he is to pass on and reveal to his audience what God has shown Him.
Who was the instrument? A former enemy!
Another important element in v.7 are the EARTHEN VESSELS that hold the information - the treasures!
God has chosen fragile and vulnerable materials in the person of Paul and the rest of the disciples and Apostles to demonstrate that the power is not in the containers, the believers who carry the message but in God who gave it to them.
God displays His limitless power and glory by distributing it through weak and imperfect human vessels.
In as much as God secured His message that was in the hands of mere mortals, He was the one that secured it.
The same goes with our security. We cannot provide the kind of security that only comes from God.
The same goes with our security. We cannot provide the kind of security that only comes from God.
We spend thousands of dollars to secure our property (that will burn in the end, that we will leave behind, for others to benefit), or secure the cure for COVED-19 just to die someday from other causes.
We try to be responsible enough to prepare for the worse because it is a form of security but no amount of preparedness will prepare us for COVID-19.
One thing we hope to do is to prepare for COVID-19 but then how can we prepare for COVID - ? We don’t even know what and when it will happen AGAIN!
We have heard of the complains of front liners that they don’t have enough security from getting the viruses due to insufficient PPEs. So what can you do, people still need to be treated.
The need for such outfit was nation and world wide and it came at about the same time and we realize that the world as a whole was not prepared for this.
We can only prepare for something we know and seen in the past.
Man spends millions on research as a step to providing cure and security for life and yet thousands still loose their life.
We are always chasing wind.
Death is a real and is a game changer. When one is in the brink of death his whole life stops and focus on life preservation.
Life’s direction changes when it is under attack.
You stay at home to prevent yourself from getting a virus that kills just to find out that you die of some other causes.
SHOW SCREEN SHOT OF DEATHS AND CASES
SHOW SCREEN SHOT OF DEATHS AND CASES
According to cancer.org
In 2019, there will be an estimated 1,762,450 new cancer cases diagnosed and 606,880 cancer deaths in the United States.
Every sixth death in the world is due to cancer, making it the second leading cause of death (second only to cardiovascular diseases). In 2017, 9.6 million people are estimated to have died from the various forms of cancer.
So if we cannot guarantee security from dying then how else can we prepare?
The Bible says that we all have to die because of sin but God has offered a plan for salvation so that when you enter eternity you will be secured and it has been revealed to man through Bible.
13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.
Security is being secured now. It is a form of preparation for a threat that may come anytime. (Ex. loss of life or loss of income). For security to be a security must be guaranteed now. For you to have security God has given it and made it in the finished work of Jesus Christ.
Where did we get this truth? From the BIBLE!
That’s what make the Bible relevant!
That’s what make the Bible relevant!
3. The Bible is Relevant
3. The Bible is Relevant
The enemy knows this and that’s what he is keeping people away from it. THINK ABOUT IT!
He tries to discredit its source, reliability and relevancy.
Age of the Bible
Age of the Bible
The books of the Bible were written at different times by different authors over a period of approximately 1,500 years.
That’s how long it took to complete the canon of Scripture. We don’t know though how long each author took complete the book they each wrote.
The oldest book of the Bible, according to most scholars, is either Genesis or Job, both thought to have been written by Moses and completed around 1400 BC, about 3,400 years ago. The newest book, Revelation, was written around AD 90.
The Bible may be old and it still discusses matter that still happens today.
The reason why it can keep up because IT IS describe by the author of Hebrews as LIVING; Active.
12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
The Bible is God’s Word, given to man by GOD through a group of men inspired by God, influence by God. They have come and gone and yet the contents still addressed issues today and the coming age.
16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;
21 for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.
13 For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.
For the Bible to be relevant means that it continues to be our spiritual printed source today about God. It is an important tool that the Holy Spirit works with when we reach the lost.
HOLY SPIRIT AS THE TEACHER
26 “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.
THE WORD IS ACTIVE AND LIVING
12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
The Bible contains the story of God’s redemptive plan for humanity.
From the perspective of nature being explained in science.
From the perspective of nature being explained in science.
11 ‘For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement.’
Historical Accounts prove that what is written in it is accurate.
Historical Accounts prove that what is written in it is accurate.
archaeological diggings support things and people mentioned in the bible.
The fact that we continue to undergo trials and attacks from the
Quote from gotquestions.org: READ IT!
Quote from gotquestions.org: READ IT!
However, the Bible is not a history book, a psychology text, or a scientific journal. The Bible is the description God gave us about who He is, and His desires and plans for humanity. The most significant component of this revelation is the story of our separation from God by sin and God’s provision for restoration of fellowship through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ, on the cross. Our need for redemption does not change. Neither does God’s desire to reconcile us to Himself.
The Bible contains a great deal of accurate and relevant information. The Bible’s most important message—redemption—is universally and perpetually applicable to humanity. God’s Word will never be outdated, superseded, or improved upon. Cultures change, laws change, generations come and go, but the Word of God is as relevant today as it was when it was first written. Not all of Scripture necessarily applies explicitly to us today, but all Scriptures contain truth that we can, and should, apply to our lives today.
From the pages of the Bible we read about our role in God’s design and kingdom, and how our lives are touched with purpose and meaning. And at the end there is more than a gloomy extinction at the conclusion of a hectic life, but a great reunion where I plan to meet Jesus face to face.