Christ is All!: 15 Truths From God's Word About The Corona Virus

1. God Is Doing This

Lamentations 3:38: Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come?

Amos 3:6: Does disaster come to a city, unless the LORD has done it?

Isaiah 45:7: I form light and create darkness, I make well-being and create calamity, I am the LORD, who does all these things.

Habakkuk 3:3-6: God came from Teman, and the Holy One from Mount Paran. His splendor covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise. Selah His brightness was like the light; rays flashed from his hand; and there he veiled his power. Before him went pestilence [deadly disease], and plague followed at his heels. He stood and measured the earth; he looked and shook the nations

Job 1:20-22, 2:9-10: Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. And he said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD." In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong . . . Then his wife said to him, "Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die." But he said to her, "You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?" In all this Job did not sin with his lips.

2. Behold Your God

Have you realized that you are witnessing the power of God during these times? Remember the powerful plagues God reigned down on Egypt? We are getting a little glimpse of that kind of power! God has the power to bring nations to a stand still. God has the power to keep everyone at home. God has the power to cancel all of our plans: no more meetings, no more school, no more weddings, no more funerals, nothing. This is why we ought to say as the Holy Spirit teaches us in James:

James 4:13-16: Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit" - yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that." As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.

Psalm 115:3: Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.

Psalm 135:6: Whatever the LORD pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps.

Isaiah 40:15-18, 25-31: Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are accounted as the dust on the scales; behold, he takes up the coastlands like fine dust. Lebanon would not suffice for fuel, nor are its beasts enough for a burnt offering. All the nations are as nothing before him, they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness. To whom then will you liken God, or what likeness compare with him? . . . To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him? says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name, by the greatness of his might, and because he is strong in power not one is missing. Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, "My way is hidden from the LORD, and my right is disregarded by my God"? Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Hymn: Behold Our God!

Who has held the oceans in his hands?
Who has numbered every grain of sand?
Kings and nations tremble at his voice
All creation rises to rejoice

Chorus: Behold our God, seated on his throne
Come, let us adore him
Behold our king, nothing can compare
Come, let us adore him

Who has given counsel to the Lord?
Who can question any of his words?
Who can teach, the one who knows all things?
Who can fathom all his wondrous deeds? (Chorus)

Who has felt the nails upon his hands?
Bearing all the guilt of sinful man
God eternal, humbled to the grave
Jesus, Savior, risen now to reign (Chorus)

(Songwriters: Jonathan Baird / Meghan Baird / Ryan Baird / Stephen Altrogge)

3. The Corona Virus And All Other Sicknesses, Diseases, And Death Are A Result Of Sin Entering The World

Genesis 2:16-17: And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."

Genesis 3:17-19: And to Adam he said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, 'You shall not eat of it,' cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return."

Romans 8:20: For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope

Deuteronomy 28:15: But if you will not obey the voice of the LORD your God or be careful to do all his commandments and his statutes that I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you.

Deuteronomy 28:21-22: The LORD will make the pestilence [deadly disease] stick to you until he has consumed you off the land that you are entering to take possession of it. The LORD will strike you with wasting disease and with fever, inflammation and fiery heat, and with drought and with blight and with mildew. They shall pursue you until you perish.

4. God Is In Absolute Control Over The Corona Virus

a. God is the first cause of all diseases and disasters:

b. There may be second causes, like Satan, the normal course of events from living in a fallen world, human sin or human error:

Job 1:8-12: And the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?" Then Satan answered the LORD and said, "Does Job fear God for no reason? Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face." And the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand." So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.

Job 1:20-22: Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. And he said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD." In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.

c. God can prevent you from getting this virus:

Psalm 91:1-7: He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, "My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust." For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence [deadly disease]. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence [deadly disease] that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.

d. God can heal you if you get this virus:

Matthew 4:24: So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, epileptics, and paralytics, and he healed them.

e. If God chooses not to heal you, death will be gain for you if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ:

Philippians 1:21: For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

Kevin DeYoung: No virus can change the number of days that God has written in his book for us. No virus can make the word of God untrue. No virus can undo the work of Christ on the cross. No virus can change the fact that through Jesus we have a Father in heaven who cares for us. And no virus can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

5. God Is In Absolute Control Over All Death, Disease, And Everything Else In The Universe

Job 1:21-22: And he said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD." In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.

Job 2:9-10: Then his wife said to him, "Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die." But he said to her, "You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?" In all this Job did not sin with his lips.

Deuteronomy 32:39: See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god beside me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand.

2 Samuel 12:15, 18: And the LORD afflicted the child that Uriah's wife bore to David, and he became sick . . . On the seventh day the child died.

Isaiah 46:9-10: remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,'

Daniel 4:35: all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, "What have you done?"

Psalm 139:16: Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there were none of them.

Proverbs 21:1: The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will.

Ephesians 1:11: In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will

Proverbs 16:33: The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.

Matthew 10:29-31: Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

R.C. Sproul: If there is one maverick molecule in the universe…outside the scope of God's sovereign ordination, then there isn't the slightest confidence you can have that any promise God has ever made about the future will come to pass.

Hymn: Sovereign Ruler Of The Skies!

Sovereign Ruler of the skies!
Ever gracious, ever wise!
All my times are in Thy hand,
All events at Thy command.
His decree, who formed the earth,
Fixed my first and second birth;
And my parents, native place and time,
All appointed were by Him.

He that formed me in the womb,
Shall guide me to the tomb;
All my times shall ever be
Ordered by His wise decree.
Times of poverty and wealth;
Times of sickness, times of health,
And times of trial and of grief,
Times of triumph and relief.

Times the tempter's power to prove,
Times to taste a Savior's love:
Plagues and deaths around me fly,
Till He bids I cannot die:
Not a single shaft can hit
Till the God of love thinks fit.
All my times must come, and last, and end,
As shall please my heavenly Friend.

O Thou Gracious, Wise and Just,
In Thy hands my life I trust:
Have I somewhat dearer still?
I resign it to Thy will.
May I always own Thy hand
Still to the surrender stand;
Know that Thou art God and God alone,
I and mine are all Thine own.

Thee, at all times, will I bless;
Having Thee, I all possess;
How can I bereaved be,
Since I cannot part with Thee?

(John Ryland, with some edits)

6. God Is Good, And All He Does Is Good And Right

Psalm 34:8: Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!

Psalm 25:8: Good and upright is the LORD

1 Chronicles 16:34: Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!

Genesis 18:25: Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?

Psalm 145:8-9: The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The LORD is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.

Charles Spurgeon: God is too good to be unkind and He is too wise to be mistaken. And when we cannot trace His hand, we must trust His heart.

7. God Is Loving, Gracious, And Merciful, And He Cares About You

1 John 4:8: God is love.

Exodus 34:6: The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness

Romans 5:8: God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 8:35-39: Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, "For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered." No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

8. God Can And Does Use Death And Disease To Punish Sinners

Genesis 2:16-17: And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."

Romans 6:23: For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The plagues God sent on Egypt: Boils and the death of the firstborn

Exodus 32:35: Then the LORD sent a plague on the people, because they made the calf, the one that Aaron made.

Deuteronomy 28:27-28: The LORD will strike you with the boils of Egypt, and with tumors and scabs and itch, of which you cannot be healed. The LORD will strike you with madness and blindness and confusion of mind

John 5:14: Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, "See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you."

Acts 5:1-5: But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, and with his wife's knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles' feet. But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God." When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it.

Acts 12:21-23: On an appointed day Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat upon the throne, and delivered an oration to them. And the people were shouting, "The voice of a god, and not of a man!" Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last

Revelation 6:7-8: When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, "Come!" And I looked, and behold, a pale horse! And its rider's name was Death, and Hades followed him. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence [deadly disease] and by wild beasts of the earth.

Sam Storms: [The seals] describe the judgments of God against an unbelieving world throughout the course of the entire church age. They are, in a manner of speaking, the commonplaces of human history . . . the seven seal judgments describe what will transpire throughout the entire course of the present church age. They are descriptive of the forces and events that have been, now are, and will be operative between the two comings of Christ. They are not restricted to the final few years before Christ’s coming, but the seventh seal itself does in fact bring us to the second advent of our Lord.

9. God Can And Does Use Disease And Death To Lovingly Discipline His Own Children

2 Chronicles 7:13-14: When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence [deadly disease] among my people, if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

Hebrews 12:5-11: And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? "My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives." It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

2 Corinthians 12:7-9: So to keep me from being too elated by the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

1 Corinthians 11:28-32: Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.

10. If Someone Gets The Corona Virus Or Some Other Kind Of Sickness, It Does Not Necessarily Mean God Is Punishing Them For A Specific Personal Sin

Job 1:1, 8: There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil . . . And the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?"

John 9:1-3: As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus answered, "It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.

11. We Don't Know All That God Is Doing In Particular Situations Of Disease And Death Like This Outbreak Of The Corona Virus

Deuteronomy 29:29: The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.

12. Every Crisis, Outbreak Of Disease, And Death Ought To Remind Us Of These Biblical Truths

a. Life is short:

Psalm 89:47-48: Remember how short my time is! For what vanity you have created all the children of man! What man can live and never see death? Who can deliver his soul from the power of Sheol?

Psalm 144:4: Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow.

Someone: Only one life, t'will soon be passed! Only what’s done for Christ will last!

b. Life is fragile:

Psalm 103:13-17: As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust. As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more. But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him

c. Death is coming:

Hebrews 9:27: And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment

d. God will judge:

Revelation 19:11-16: Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.

e. We must repent:

Luke 13:1-5: There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answered them, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish."

Spurgeon Sermon: "Christ's First And Last Subject" - Repentance

Matthew 4:17: From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

Luke 24:45-48: Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.

John Piper: Every person who hears about this is receiving a thunderclap message of God saying "Repent." And I think the Chinese authorities should especially pay attention who have recently . . . become so increasingly harsh and repressive against the followers of Christ. Repent! And seek God's mercy to bring your lives, our lives, into alignment with His infinite worth.

13. God Has Done Everything That Needed To Be Done To Save Us From Eternal Death And Hell

John 3:16: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.

Romans 3:25-26: whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Isaiah 53:4-5, 10: Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed . . . Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for sin, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

Galatians 3:13-14: Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us - for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree"- so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.

Romans 10:9: because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

14. The Corona Virus Cannot Finally And Ultimately Harm God's People

Psalm 91:1-3: He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, "My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust." For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence [deadly disease].

Luke 21:16-18: You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death. You will be hated by all for my name's sake. But not a hair of your head will perish.

Romans 8:28: And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

John 11:25-26: Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?"

Revelation 21:1-4: Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away."

15. Because Of This Great Salvation, We Ought To Be Motivated To Love And Serve Others Without Fear

a. Pray:

1) Pray for God to have mercy and stop this virus and stop its spread
2) Pray for those who are sick to be healed
3) Pray for repentance and faith to be granted to unbelievers around the world – may God use this virus to draw millions to Himself for salvation
4) Pray for repentance in your own life and ask God to use this crisis to help you grow in Christ-likeness and to grow His church into greater maturity
5) Pray for government leaders to have humility, wisdom, and accurate knowledge to know how to best serve the people they lead and to combat this virus
6) Pray that this inability to meet as a church would increase your desire to gather with the saints for church when we are able to meet again
7) Pray that we would be able to meet again as a church soon and that we would love one another and our neighbors well during this time
8) Pray for the health, endurance, and protection of health care workers (doctors, nurses, etc)
9) Pray for God to provide for those who are suffering great financial loss and job loss from this pandemic
10) Pray for a great revival to take place and that God would strip us and the church and the world of every idol which we have set up in competition with Him

b. Try not to spread the virus:

1) God commands us to submit to all lawful orders of the civil government: Romans 13

2) We should obey the sixth commandment and seek to preserve life

Rosaria Butterfield: Practicing the Christian ethic of hospitality under COVID-19 means obeying the civil magistrate's efforts to "flatten the curve" and honoring the sixth commandment.

The sixth commandment, "Thou shalt not kill," reminds Christians of both our positive and negative duties in times of plague. Faced with COVID-19, there are things we should do, and there are things we should not do. In all things, we seek the glory of God and the good of our neighbors.

The Westminster Larger Catechism, one of the historic confessions of the Reformed church, helpfully illuminates this commandment. The sixth commandment, the Catechism says, requires us to "to preserve the life of ourselves and others."

By generally avoiding gatherings and close contact, by taking care of our own bodies, and by giving help to others, we uphold the sixth commandment.

Thinking Christians do not want to unintentionally cause the death of others by spreading a virus that spares some and kills others. Obeying the civil magistrate's order to distance, isolation, or quarantine is obedience to God's law.

3) We should love our neighbors as ourselves

c. Love, help, and serve:

1) Pray
2) Communicate
3) Get groceries, medication, or other needs for those who are most vulnerable
4) Point people to God and His Word
5) Care for the sick and dying
6) Do your essential job and all jobs with all your might, with God’s strength, and for His glory

d. Evangelize:

Death, sickness, and fear are all around us these days. Use this opportunity to speak up about the only One Who can save sinners from death, sickness, and hell: the Lord Jesus Christ. This virus is shutting down so much of what the world puts its hope in: health, wealth, the ability to make money, jobs, entertainment, sports, school, food, fun, and even human relationships by personal, face-to-face interaction. Death is coming, hell is real, eternity is long: so let's speak up about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and warn people about the wrath to come.

Ezekiel 33:6: But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, so that the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any one of them, that person is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at the watchman's hand.

Ezekiel 33:11: As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?

Matthew 28:18-20: And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

Charles Spurgeon (The Voice Of The Cholera): Be awake, Christian, and be aware of God's design, for the trumpet is sounding, and when the trumpet sounds, the Christian must not slumber. Let the presence of God infuse into you a more than ordinary courage and zeal. My brethren, I wish I could speak to you this morning as I had hoped to have done, for then I would throw my whole soul into every word: I charge you, as you love Jesus, as you know the value of your own soul, now, if never before, be in earnest for the salvation of the sons of men. Men are always dying, time like a mighty rushing stream is always bearing them away, but now they are hurried down the torrent in increasing numbers. If you and I do not exert ourselves to teach them the gospel, upon our heads must be their blood.

e. Do not fear:

Isaiah 41:10: fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Philippians 4:6-7: do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

1 Peter 5:6-7: Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

Philippians 4:12-13: I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Hebrews 13:5-6: Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." So we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?"

Psalm 46:1-11: TO THE CHOIRMASTER. OF THE SONS OF KORAH. ACCORDING TO ALAMOTH. A SONG. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah Come, behold the works of the LORD, how he has brought desolations on the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire. "Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!" The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

Jesus Christ Is God And King
Over This Corona Thing
He Will Even Make You Sing
Though In Pain The Sickness Sting
All Your Worship To Him Bring
Let God's Praises Ever Ring
To Christ Alone We'll Always Cling
He's Our All In All The King!

That's my King! Do you know Him?!

Some helpful suggested reading on this topic:

1. Coronavirus And Christ: 'Behold The Kindness And Severity Of God': https://www.desiringgod.org/coronavirus

2. How Do We Make Sense Of The Coronavirus?: https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/how-do-we-make-sense-of-the-coronavirus

3. Coronavirus And Christ: https://www.desiringgod.org/books/coronavirus-and-christ

4. Practice Hospitality, Especially During COVID-19: https://www.crossway.org/articles/practice-hospitality-especially-during-covid-19/

5. What Is God Doing?: https://bcsmn.edu/what-is-god-doing/

6. How Could A Good God Allow Suffering?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cksr6amsDHM&

7. Is God Less Glorious Because He Ordained That Evil Be?: https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/is-god-less-glorious-because-he-ordained-that-evil-be

8. Is God For Us Or For Himself: https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/is-god-for-us-or-for-himself--2

Thursday, April 2, 2020

15 Truths From God's Word About The Corona Virus