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October 13, 2020 1:00 am
It’s comforting to ask God for help in times of trouble. But what if God is the One who sent the trouble you’re going through? What do you ask of a God who brings destruction? It’s important to set the record straight on the “why” of plagues like COVID-19.
Click here to listen (Duration 25:02)Looking to Jesus. It's comforting to ask God for help in times of trouble. God is the one who sent trouble you're going through. What do you ask God brings destruction, it's high time to set the record straight on the wall of 19 stable church in Chicago this morning to with Dr. Sir was clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line. The COBIT crisis has paralyzed the economy amended all of our lives here once again is Pastor lutes are with more on pandemics plagues and natural disasters. Welcome to this very special session of running to win in the studio here is Larry McCarthy. He's one of our pastoral staff here at the Moody church. He's been a great blessing to so many people and we appreciate him interacting with me in the book that I've written entitled pandemics, plagues and natural disasters. What is God saying to us now.
Larry has read the book and that's why he and I can dialogue together about this very very important subject and to try to help people to think through clearly and biblically as to what God says about natural disasters and what God says about his relationship to those natural disasters. Yes Pastor thank you so much for having me, but I we don't have any time to waste. Because this chapter is really important stuff and it is an illustration in here that you use and you talk about these pastors in California.
There is an earthquake and did say that they give thanks that God saw fit to have the earthquake at a time in the morning when there was a lot of traffic and people were saved, yet on the other hand are saying but God doesn't really have anything to do with these kinds of things is interesting. I got a report about this. That's why I included it is that here they have a per break and they're talking about the fact will you know is just that the earth is fallen, you know, there are these plates under the earth that cause earthquakes and got sort of is interested, he's sort though a bystander, because after all, as I've mentioned, nature is fallen, and then at the end in the prairies is all God, we thank you that it came at 5 o'clock in the morning when there wasn't much traffic on the expressway. Well, if God didn't have anything to do about the timing of it and the extent of it. Why give him thanks for the timing is just sort of happened yes yes but that's hard. Theology, though, is that we think about. There isn't anything that happens it doesn't have to go through God's permissive will. That's this hard to get a grasp on It in a minute I'll tell you why I find that so exciting that you know you're absolutely right.
One of the things that I talk about is the fact that Christians have said okay God's in charge, but we shouldn't tell anybody. Because if they knew that God was in charge there going to be angry with God will in a future broadcast will talk about that kind of anger and how to handle it but for now there are two ways that people have tried the theologians to try to distance God from natural disasters.
One is to say basically he's doing the best he can. As a matter fact, there are those who actually think of themselves as evangelicals who have taken that point of view. I quote one of them as saying that when Katrina came to the coast. God is the first one who wept and ended a symbol in the end he'll overcome at all, but for now you know he's doing the best he can. Matter fact this theologian that I actually quote says God is powerful but not all-powerful, so you know we have to help him. William James the humanists that that that God can't overcome evil.
But if we help them. Maybe someday will I say in the book that it almost makes you want to weep with God, and maybe even for God. The fact is that that that kind of a view of God is not biblical. But then there's the other way, which is more scriptural, but we need to unpack it, namely to say that the earth is fallen, which is most assuredly is just and there are certain laws of nature. You know if you have a tornado it's because of weather patterns. If you have an earthquake. It's because of the shift under the earth's crust.
You know if you have a pandemic. It's because of germs that have come from where ever and so you recognize that we live in a fallen world. But Larry, this is the point I want to emphasize that these things that I've mentioned could be thought of as the immediate or secondary causes of these events, but ultimately they can't happen unless God signs off on them and what we must understand is that you know the Bible and maybe we'll get to this in a moment, it expressly talks about God's involvement in the fact that God is in charge with natural disasters. Yeah, you know, it brings to mind the story of Joe and that was so instructive and I think yes terms of this conversation. Perhaps you could just linger there for more than talk about the story of Joe that reason that the story of Joe is so instructive to use your word is because those disasters never to them. There was lightning which killed cattle and some of the servants and then there was a windstorm which killed 10 of his children okay. The reason that that is so interesting is that the devil did it but the devil couldn't do it unless God says you have permission my permission to visit so even though we say that it's secondary causes that are the immediate cause of these events back behind them is God and you know when you think about logically you can say will Ya God doesn't ordain that he only permits it, but Larry logically does not amount essentially the same thing but I think so, but it still hurt to get your mind around the permissive will of God for this if he knew was going to happen and he did and he allowed it, which he has where's the comfort in okay where is the comfort in that. That's that's a very good question and I want to put off the comfort that for just a moment we are going to get to that because because as I've emphasized. We need to trust God even when we don't understand and there is comfort in fact I want to get to the comfort but but first of all I want to point this out and then I'll answer your question correctly okay and then when you read the Scriptures you realize that God apparently is not very concerned about his own reputation of all is theologians seem to be.
He takes full responsibility for what happens in natural disasters.
I mean who sent the plagues during the time of Egypt. Yes, who will cause the rain during the time of Noah, who made the sun the standstill to give Joshua some extra time and I kinda love this passage I mean just explicitly in your face Jonah chapter 1 verse four and the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea you until you go and preach today good okay I'll tell you my love to preach this, and now I'm going to talk about the comfort side.
The reason I like to emphasize the sovereignty of God. And this is because if natural disasters are out of God's hand. Let's make it even more personal. If Colbert is out of God's hands, that I am out of God's hands. Oh yes, because after all I could get the disease and diabetic so the fact is that it is very comforting for me to know despite the mystery that will also talk about the next broadcast, but it's very comforting for me to know that I am in God's hands and certainly we have responsibility to know we wash our hands repeatedly. We do whatever health experts tell us, but Larry there are no guarantees in just this morning coming here I was thinking to myself what you know is this doorhandle maybe does it have covert and all that you know your girl was driven to distraction, but the fact is that you are in God's hands upon my quote. John Calvin. He said he was greatly afflicted by the way he had all kinds of things wrong with him and he went through a lot of pain and everything actually died in his 50s and did an awful lot, but he said I am greatly afflicted, but it is from God's hand.
Therefore, I am abundantly satisfied so true to your issue of comfort.
This is just forming in my mind now as a way to help us understand the issues. What is more comforting the belief that somehow Colbert and natural disasters are happening sort of independently of God there and he's just watching or is it more comforting to know that he is in control, which incidentally is the title of this chapter. The title is from you know I can control, trust me, if is that more comforting to me, that's much more comforting to know that I am in God's hands and you know what it means and I'm looking at you Larry right here in the people, of course, can't see you, but I can with a great deal of clarity.
Jesus said that the very hair of your head is numbered there only three, so it doesn't have too big a responsibility when it comes to you yes a few more you talk about mine but think of the detail that's the point that Jesus wants to make in the same passage. He says that is that if you see a sparrow fall to the ground you should say to yourself. God was at my window last night when you see the sparrow on the ground because Jesus said that a sparrow doesn't fall except that I take note of it so I want to say to the people out there the very details of your life which God permits. We like that particular kind of language that God permits those details are in his hand and because of that we can trust him. We know that there is nothing that is going to come to us that is going to be extraneous to the sovereign purposes and the will of God, and you know this time of Colbert them. Of course I discussed in the book other natural disasters.
Locusts in Africa and tornadoes in the whole bit is a very trying time. I think it's John Piper and I'm doing this from memory, but he says in effect that this is a very bitter. Yet, we have to seek God in it. It is God who, in effect, sent to because he permitted it is God who is going to end it.
And during this period of time. All I want to emphasize this God walks with us through this. A man with an important message of encouragement that is the sovereignty of God, even in this is not been in any way dissipated here that is such an important fact for every believer to embrace and hold onto you expressed it here with great clarity and certainly in the book as well. Scripture has a lot to say regarding God and natural disasters and mutants on that in this chapter as well. There some really clear statements in Scripture regarding God and natural disasters can you dress that yeah you know, as I mentioned, you know whether it's the plagues or the rain during the time of Noah, and so forth. But here's something else natural disasters are not only and in one of the sessions. We hope to discuss, at least briefly, whether or not there are judgments but is but natural disasters we must understand with clarity can sometimes not be negative but are sent for very positive reasons to help the people of God. For example, there is a passage I think it's in Samuel where Jonathan is fighting a war edits as the earth trembled yes and it was from the Lord to help him. You get to the New Testament and Paul and Silas are in prison and an earthquake comes and the Bible says the foundations of the prison shook and that you know the rest of the story how they were able to get out.
As a result of this, so we must see God in natural disasters both in terms of judgment. If we want to use that particular terminology that will discuss that in a future broadcast.
But we must also see him fighting for us sometimes through natural disasters and is always fighting for sexually soy really misspoke because of God is for us who can be against us. But there are those times when into and I have to clarify in our minds.
Larry we always think anything that happens to me that's negative is bad, anything that happens to me that set up positive and helpful is good God doesn't always make that distinction. He says you have to see me in the bad and if we only believe because we are able to understand that faith is very limited so I think I mentioned this last time, but I'm going to say it probably say it again, is it is not necessary for us to understand all of God's purposes in order for us to trust that those purposes exist and so we go on believing even though there is no deliverance, as I say, just as the martyrs is a great illustration that the user Jonathan Lim climbed above the boys to attack the Philistines and routed them up where a member earthquake quickly icing on the cake is really good illustration of like how you use that. There you take us down this corridor and you say you got to trust God. He sovereign he's in control, so it kind of takes out of our vocabulary that were an accident.
We have currently does. And you know the other accidents we call them accidents, but to God. There are no accidents while you know in the book here and I'm sure were getting to this, I tell a modern-day Job story, but first of all I want to just With Job for a moment before I tell the story is. Isn't it interesting that Job didn't say even though the devil is the one that did the natural disasters that killed 10 children. I mean imagine 10 fresh grapes on the hillside. Just think about that Job didn't say the Lord gave, and the devil took away blessed be the name of the Lord. Job had his theology.
He had it nailed to know the Lord gave Angola law, heard, took away even though his guilt. The kids were all killed because of the windstorm that perspective, though, that because the Lord gave he has the authority to take. We don't think about that. We really don't you know in the book I share a story and I do it with their permission, and I love to tell it because it really represents a modern-day Job's story, while Janet and Scott Willis were driving along near Milwaukee, about 25 years ago and many of you preps of heard the story because it was national news. At the time they were driving along at a piece of metal fell from a truck ahead of them and Scott had no option except to drive over it because there was no way that he could circumvent it it because the gasoline tank in their vehicle to explode. Now they had six children in the van and all of them on five died right there. Now this is why sometimes when I tell the story.
Tears come to my eyes.
I want people to grasp this, and I checked this out with Scott because he and Janet have become very personal friends of ours and matter fact we spent a couple of days with them several months ago Scott says that out on the highway with the gas exploding in the van in Flint. Now they were able to jump out each on on the side. They were burned but they were able to recover from their burns weeks later out on the highway. He said to Janet.
Janet. They are with the Lord. We are prepared for this and then he urged her to quote the verse Psalm 34 verse one which I try to quote every morning. By the way my worship time. It's a good way to begin out.
Bless the Lord at all times. His praise shall continue to be in my mouth.
Now Benjamin, the other child died later he was taken to a hospital and died the next day but he still was alive at the scene of the accident just for people to understand here you have six dead children. Janet was doing homeschooling they come home and everything is there belongs to their children. You can just imagine they could not grieve for six children at a time. So what they did is that on Sunday they would grieve for the oldest. On Monday they would choose the next one all the way through the week six days a week because you can't grieve for six children all in one. You need to be able to focus okay but here's the point I want to make. They believe today 25 years later. Janet says that she knows this that her children are safe and they are good and every night that they go to bed even though it's been 25 years since the accident. They say to themselves. We are one day closer to seeing our kids again. And here is a couple who like Job. I'm amazed at this chose to bless rather than to curse and it would be so easy in and Scott and Janet would say this. Think of all the contingencies okay if the piece of metal had fallen, you know, half mile further or 1/2 mile down the highway or prior if Scott and Janet had started out maybe one minute later or two minutes later they have been in a different place of the highway. The same can be said for the truck they would say take all of those contingencies. Larry and put them on a chalkboard. Draw a circle around them and called it the providence of God, and they would say today with Job of the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away.
Blessed be the name of the Lord now can you even imagine how their faith is honoring to God. The trial of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes well. Our time is almost over and I need to tell you that next time were going to talk about the lessons that natural disasters have for us.
Were also going to talk about whether or not they are judgments of God is all that is to come go boy I can't wait. I wish we had time or we could cover all these points but were only hitting the highlights many of you who are listening, you will want to know that the name of the book is pandemics plagues and natural disasters, and the subtitle very important.
What is God saying to us by chapters in this book have to do with exactly what God is saying no private revelation that I received no visions, just the Bible in one hand and are hurting discouraged suffering world in the other is of the question is how do we put them together and how do we keep on trusting God no matter what.
So Larry will see you right here next time. As we continue our discussion, pandemics, plagues and natural disasters when certain Larry McCarthy with part two of pandemics, plagues and natural disasters. What is God saying to us next time. Join us for part three.
We can have spiritual coalbed where people are not walking in obedience with the church has 11 with the Internet and there's plenty of leaven that we could talk about and nobody seems to be interested in repenting, but let God touch your body is suddenly were crying out to him and were praying to him.
Would we be doing the same if it wasn't for the fact that her bodies were threatened by disease. So don't miss our next Rutgers Esther Luther's new book on pandemics, plagues and natural disasters will be sent as our gift to you as you support running to win with your gift of any amount.
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This is Dave McAllister running to win is sponsored by the Moody Church