Pandemics, Plagues, And Natural Disasters Interview Part 3

Looking to Jesus phone number is 19 has reached people are desperate to return to normalcy. Some see dark forces manipulating the population.

Others are resigned to face the disease for which there is no cure. What can we learn from natural disasters when and if 19. Finally passes over from Moody Church in Chicago. This is running to win with Dr. Erwin lutes are clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line. We need clarity from the Bible on how to assess the meaning of the crisis here once again is Erwin lutes are all, this is Pastor Luther and I want to welcome you to another special session of running to win in the studio with me today is Larry McCarthy. He's one of our pastors here at the Moody church and I need to say that his interaction with me is very challenging as we discussed my new book entitled pandemics, plagues and natural disasters, and Larry. The subtitle is very important. What is God saying here that kitten it's important it really is, in fact, five chapters of the book are devoted to what God says yes and today we come to the chapter or chapter 4, which, if you have before you there.

By the way for our audience, you need to know that Larry has read the book and that's why he and I can interact about it. So chapter 4 is entitled what are some of the lessons that we can learn from natural disasters. This is what I'm taking away from the pastor you challenges here and you say that these natural disasters teach us lessons. Let me hasten to save the slow to. I so much appreciate you taking the time and making yourself available to have this kind of discourse regarding what arguably has to be the most important thing that any believer can ask themselves now. What is God saying yeah and you know we think about that when Kovic came, and the implications, but as we pointed out in previous broadcast.

The fact is that natural disasters have been pounding this planet since Adam and Eve were in the garden. So what I tried to deal with is not just Kovic but rather tornadoes, and even the plagues that come to Africa.

I'm thinking of the locusts. I think we'll talk about that. Maybe next time. And so what we need to do is to understand how important it is for us to learn what God wants us to learn.

As a result of this. Now there is a verse and Job infected since God sends us. You know the rain and the son and he does this to blessedness but also to discipline us. Let's look at it this way. Jesus said, look at the lilies of the field. You know they don't toil and spend a look at how God clothes them.

So what God is saying is this, learn from nature so that's what were going to do in the next several minutes you are right classes in the professors here. There are at least four lessons that you outlined in this chapter that we should and can learn from natural disasters and the first one is really just the unpredictability of life. You know people in a natural disaster.

They don't wake up in the morning and saying I'm going to die today but the fact is that people dying tornadoes they had die and mudslides know they can also die in accidents. There are plenty of healthy people who said you know I'm not going to dive the disease and yet they died of COBIT. So what we need to do is to say that natural disasters show us that when you wake up in the morning you cannot be absolutely sure that you're going to go to bed in the same pad that evening because you might die so matter fact I tell the story of a couple who left California because they said there too many earthquakes there and they moved to Missouri and in the process they died in a tornado.

There will not bring comfort to get his slaves unpredictability.

That's the lesson to learn from there. But what's the perspective from event if it's unpredictable, where's the perspective well, all right, you asked the question verse of Scripture is coming to my mind, teach us to number our days, that we might apply our hearts unto wisdom. What we should do is to ask ourselves if this were the last day I would be on earth, how would I live it yes and then try to keep that kind of perspective in my note course we have to plan at all, but we always know that her life is in God's hands.

James makes that very clear. What is your life is like a vapor it's here it's gone tomorrow so that's the first lesson. The other thing is I talk about the clarification of values is you know when the tower of sigh loan fell in this is that in the 13th chapter the book of Luke that by the way, that is so instructive we should hurry over that one. Larry, because what Jesus said is do you think that the 18 men who died when the tower of sigh loan fell upon them that they were greater sinners than other centers in Jerusalem. I tell you no, but unless you repent, you shall likewise perish. Matter fact, one of the lessons that's coming up in just a moment has to do with repentance. But here's the reason that that's important is that in this age Old Testament was different, but in this age. Natural disasters do not separate the righteous from the wicked. You know what Katrina happened, people said oh it's because New Orleans is such a sinful city. Well, it may be, but is it more sinful than say Las Vegas what a small town in Oklahoma do to deserve a tornado. A number of years ago that basically you know blow the whole town and I hundred people died from our standpoint. Natural disasters happen randomly, not from God standpoint amino. This is planned as we emphasized in our previous sessions but from our standpoint, they happen randomly, but they do teach us the unpredictability of life. So I live my life that this may be the last opportunity that I have, and because of that, you're saying that that helps to order my priorities now in a way that I wouldn't have before the disaster yes or the possibility of disaster.

I think that coalbed really focus the mind of many people who thought that they would live for many many years.

It suddenly dawned in them.

Maybe I might not yeah you know it was Samuel Johnson who said, I think nothing focuses the mind like the knowledge that one is to be hung in a fortnight is geared to be. I think your mind is rather focused as a better effect that those theater attendance is essential is paying our current limits about helping you draws you in forever. You are the other thing that I mention here that I know I'm getting a bit ahead of you know your phone is the powerlessness of money are all now I could expound on the slurry.

Please do please do okay. The fact is that if you have money you can survive COBIT better.

Maybe because you can go to better hospital but money does not have the power to keep you alive forever. That's right. The thing about COBIT is it was the great leveler. In other words, the young guy some young guy, primarily the older ones died and I won't tell you which category I bit into for the fact is that there's something about death that is the great equalizer. I tell the story of a number of years ago Larry, this is something that the pastoral staff should do again. But before you were on staff.

A number of us, we took a one-day tour of some of the cemeteries here in Chicago and the was a guided tour.

It looks fantastically interesting. I mean here. I remember one cemetery. Here are the communist rioters all the way all of them were buried over there but in the very same way. There were these great mausoleums to some of the great 19th century industrialists. The thing that made them very equal is that all of them died and the point that I'm trying to make is this that money has no value. Inherently, you can't eat a $50 bill, but you can go and transmuted into medicine for your child so that we have to do is to use money wisely. It is important absolutely for us to be able to pay our bills and all that is still the point to be made is that money cannot keep all of its promises. I frequently say this. I'm not sure if it's original with me, but the deception about money is it makes all the same promises that God does protection protect you all be there when the economy collapses all be there when you're sick. I'll be there during times of difficulty, you'll always have me here you can rely upon me, and then God suddenly comes along and gives a pandemic and the rug gets pulled out from under people and they realize that all the money in the world can help me for a time, but it can't save me was a really good point, particularly you know if were out of things were out of things and money is not going to make the sales appear with toilet paper, hurt, sober hand sanitizer. If there is a living, there is a movie you know Larry, I tell the story in the book about some minors just got caught in a snowstorm up north and they had a bunch of gold and they weren't able to get out. They had to spend the winter there and they died of hunger gold on the table while I love that illustration that I hate what happened to them but the illustration of how powerless money is yeah that that with that that you are in most need. Sometimes money just can't fulfill that in these natural disasters. The unpredictability of life. The clarification of values the powerlessness of money within you to take us to the deep into the pool. In this lesson of repentance, you, this is really on my heart. Okay, everything I'm saying is on my heart.

But here's my heart when COBIT happened suddenly you had all of these prayer meetings bring up.

I don't know how many I was on, you know, virtual prayer meetings to join this join that and I I engaged along with some people because I want to become a part of that. Okay. But isn't that interesting. 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 11 that we could talk about and nobody seems to be interested in repenting, but let God touch your body yes suddenly were crying out to him and were praying to him and by the way, that lesson, you know, unless you repent, you shall likewise perish that actually comes from Jesus in Luke chapter 13 where he speaks about the fact that you know the tower of sigh loam when it fell. When we referred to that earlier he said, unless you repent, you shall likewise perish. Now if we have time in the next session were going to talk about the fact that all of this is a preview of coming judgment. In fact may be working to get to that today as a matter fact master before you do those messages so that there these things are popping up now in the context of the call to repentance. Are you saying that we have neglected prayer and we only, when we face these natural disasters is that one of the aspects of repentance.

That's the point I'm getting at is that I am totally in favor of having these prayer meetings yes but if we didn't have a pandemic, what would be having all these prayer meetings if everything were going along well and everybody was well and everybody kept their job. You see, the point is that God gets to us through the physical and in the process he wants to get to the spiritual, but we think to ourselves as long as things are going well and I have my job. I really don't need God that badly.

And so, isn't it interesting let God touch our bodies and suddenly we're on the phone and on the computer saying let's have virtual prayer meetings all throughout the country totally in favor of it and been involved in a number of them, but would we be doing the same if it wasn't for the fact that our bodies were threatened by cities. What a great lesson there for the unpredictability of life.

Clarification of her values the powerlessness of money in the, the need to repent.

I got ask you so many people will say the COBIT 19 or any other disaster. It's really God judging us. This is God just judging this nation for our sins so to me and try to answer that are natural disasters judgment from God. The answer seems to be yes and no, you know actually that's one of the chapters in my book is I know because you read the book and so you're up on all these things. What I do in that chapter. Larry is to try to unpack the whole idea of the judgment of God.

Yes, maybe I can just backup for second before I get to what this chapter is about. But I remember a false prophet, saying, I have authority over this pandemic.

It's going to be gone by the end of March or whatever.

You know what that's like saying I have authority over death and from now on. Nobody's gonna die. So let's back up and ask ourselves the question, are these pandemics the judgment of God. What we must understand is that first of all, there are a number of different judgments and that's where I tried to explain this is that on the one hand, the whole world is under judgment already. Jesus made it very clear that if you don't believe on me, the wrath of God already abides on you.

Yes, so you have that judgment of the world whether people go through a natural disaster or not.

You also have them. The judgment of the world you have the judgment of death is so important. Death is a judgment okay and if people are dying every day. I think I'm doing this from memory, but I think 7500 Americans die every day. Yes, those wills quoted in the statistic in the book You okay. Memory is perhaps better than mine. At that point but I'm glad we agree on the number now. The simple fact is people are dying all the time you have children dying throughout Africa.

Often times and in other countries. In India, but also in America.

The only reason that natural disasters attract our attention is the concentration of people dying you have a lot of people dying city so what we must understand is that death, however, is a judgment of God, and even though we are redeemed by Christ. We are going to die so soon enter the world through the disobedience of Adam and Eve were placed under judgment that has always been in this world and starts to decline because of that and even though we are redeemed by God. We are going to die unless he comes yes you know the statistics on death are very very impressive if you've noticed one hundred percent hundred percent yellow. I think also that the immediate consequences that we sometimes face are judgments you know sometimes people say you think God will judge America because of its sentence is already judging America because of sin, speak to that. Well you think for example of the fact that again. I'm doing this from memory but about 30 million children if not more. Tonight will go to bed with only one parent in the home because of divorce because of immorality because of people not taking responsibility will think of the implications of that in the lives of these children and how often times that will be replicated in their lives and in their marriages. It is really a very frightening thing because Olson has some immediate consequences. That's really the point that I'm trying to make is that all sin has immediate consequences, so natural disasters as a judgment from God. We will been under judgment but if we how would you respond then to somebody who says now the reason that we are having all these issues with covert or whatever it was to be tomorrow is because of our great sin.

How do we respond when that's a very good question. I would say this though that time. Yes, it is a judgment absolutely. But we have to recognize, as I said earlier that it doesn't mean that one part of the country that is more COBIT is under greater judgment than another part. It doesn't mean that an earthquake that takes place in one country means that that country is more evil than another country. But all these things are judgments and we do have a way of escape ultimately and that's what were going to be talking about actually in the next broadcast. By the way were going to be emphasizing the fact that it is so true that God says the worst is yet to come. If you say Pastor lutes or can it get any worse answers whole lot worse and we'll talk about that next time I mean a lot worse when we talk about the tribulation, but that God has prepared a way of escape. Now there's something I need to emphasize and that is Romans chapter 8. Think of it this way.

Larry came human beings are able to do some good things but sometimes even the same person does bad things were kind of a mixture ardently gives her. That's true of nature to beautiful sunny day beautiful breeze breeze turns into a tornado you know and pretty soon that happens so nature has the same mixture that what Paul says in Romans eight is fascinating, he says that nature is waiting for our redemption so that it can be redeemed, it can't be redeemed until we are because man fell into sin and then nature followed suit. If you can't have a sinful man living in a paradise kind of environment. So what you have is the fact that nature followed suit is: we've talked about that in nature. This is the way the Greek puts it in effect is standing on tiptoe, waiting and saying I'm looking forward to the day when the people of God are going to be redeemed because then nature is going to be redeemed if but nature has to wait for us to be redeemed and if I want to give a word of encouragement to everybody's listening there which, of course, we always want to do it would be from Romans chapter 8 were Paul in that context is this the suffering of this present world is not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us men. I love that illustration into using the book I knew it was going to have to go put how to much too much sun creates drought to meltwater veteran creates fluid so it's a balance there and so when people read this book. I think they're going to be challenged and encouraged and didn't convicted the next time were going to talk about the fact that the worst is yet to come.

It's number four I think on the list of what God has to say and then will also have to talk about the way of escape, and how even I hope we can work in how we can respond to atheists than those who stop believing because of what happens in the world. The title of the book is pandemics plagues and natural disasters.

What is God is saying to us, and I have to say after being a pastor for many years and doing quite a bit of writing I feel so deeply that this book is going to be a blessing. It's going to be a challenge. It would be good to give unbelievers to was Erwin Blitzer and Larry McCarthy with part three of pandemics plagues and natural disasters.

What is God saying to us next time, unwilling to win plan to join us for part four. The worst is yet to come.

How can it get any worse.

Natural disasters are a preview of the worst is still to come home on the Bible says that men will hi in the class and say to the mountains and rocks, fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits upon the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. All sin is a violation of God's holiness and part of the reason why we struggle with the doctrine of hell is the fact that we do not understand how holy God actually is slated so don't miss our next broadcast Mr. Luther's new book on pandemics, plagues and natural disasters will be sent as our gift to you as you supporting Remington when with your gift of any amount.

Just call us at 1-888-218-9337 that's 1-888-218-9337 or write to us at running to win 1635 N. LaSalle Boulevard Chicago, IL 60614 online reach us@rtwoffer.com that's RTW offer Remington when is sponsored by the Moody Church