Five Things God Is Doing in the Coronavirus

Jamie Greer, when was the last time that you went to bed with the idea that it could be tonight. Jesus could come tonight or you got up in the morning with the Bobbitt today. Today might be the day were so frantically busy taking care of daily needs, and we never even stop to think about this totally asleep to the coronavirus is God's merciful wake-up call tell us to be ready in your house :-) we may not know exactly what God is doing every second and every situation. We can still recognize that God is sovereign and he is faithfully fulfilling his promise that today on Summit life pastor JD Greer gives us five things that God is doing through COBIT 19 is part of our series called the world upside down. If you missed any of the previous messages you can hear it online@jdgreer.com but now here's pastor JD this week. This week I want to step back and I want to try to give you a big picture view of five things that the Bible teaches us that God is doing in a time like the coronavirus couple weeks ago I read a short little book that John Piper wrote called the coronavirus in Christ and I know your first question is he had time to write and publish a book since shutdown started. Does that suddenly your gardening project or your garage cleanout doesn't doesn't feel that impressive anymore, but it's a real short read. It only took me an hour or so total and it's definitely worth it. In this book Dr. Piper outlines six things of God might be doing it on my best. Our family actually is discussed each of these one at a time around the dinner dinner table for the last six nights it's made for some great discussions. So what I wanted to assure five of them with you for the other. When you actually have to get Dr. Piper's book and read it yourself now. One caveat before we jump into these five things you might say will wait a minute. How can any of us claim to know what God is doing. I mean after all, aren't the ways of God unknowable. Romans 11 about uses the word inscrutable. How unsearchable are your judgments.

How inscrutable are your ways, it was known the mind of the Lord was meant as counsel. That's Romans 1133 inscrutable means unable to be known.

How can we claim to know then you know what is on God's mind and you're right. If you asked that and that means we ought to approach any question of this nature with with a good deal of caution, but that said, God is not silent about what he is doing it in the world and in fact one of the primary purposes of our Bibles. God says is to help us understand these purposes, process them and participate in the poll. For example, in Ephesians 3 tells us that by reading the Bible, we can gain insight into the mystery of what God is doing in multiple other places in the New Testament, the authors give you a handle to understand what God might be up to in various situations. So even though we may not know exactly what God is doing every second and every situation and even though there's always more that he is doing that we will never recognize we can know the general patterns of how he is working. In fact, Jesus even criticized the religious leaders of his day for not understanding the meanings of his divine working history. He criticizes them for not know how to interpret it.

He said he and I quote you hypocrites, you know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time it's Luke 1256 and 57 to give you the first three of these five again following jump vibrator number one in the coronavirus God is giving the world a physical picture of the moral horror of sin.

Sin is of course why any misery in any suffering exist in the world at all the world that God used repeatedly describe the creation that he made was good. God saw it and it was good, good, means a world without the coronavirus, a world without misery. It was human sin that brought the curse of disease and and death into the world. Paul says in Romans that I Romans five that because of sin, the curse of death passed all men I Romans eight, he says, creation itself. What was subjected to futility, not willingly, it's a longing back to be set free from the bondage of corruption. It's groaning right now together in the pains of childbirth. Words like futility, bondage to corruption groaning. These are all graphic images of global devastation and misery on all of that came because of our choice to rebel against God and do things her own way, but most of us Christians are not live our whole lives without ever really grasping the true ugliness of sin. We still think of it is that that we may want to be delivered from the penalty of sin, but we just never find sin that repulsive I would say things like wanting to be a better person or I'm not perfect, or God will forgive me but but our sin against God is a is a deadly serious thing and physical suffering. This is it screams that at us.

I do quote Piper here he says hardly anyone in the world fills the horror of preferring other things over God who loses any sleep over our daily belittling of God by neglect and by defiance, but all. Oh how we feel our physical pain. How indignant we become of God touches our bodies. Physical pain is God's trumpet blasts to tell us something is dreadfully wrong. The world and that thing that is wrong is is sent out say that whenever I suffer. I always try to remember that all of this. All this is here because of because of my sin. This is a picture of housesit how bad sin actually is one of my prayers is that all of us here. We will learn through this whole ugly how offensive are neglect of God is. This is how hideous our casual treatment of God's commands are how outrageous it is that we give Jesus less attention every day than we do, that the style of our here and I pray that in this we will feel the grief that God has over how sin has ruined and devastated his creation. So that's the first thing God is doing. Here's here's the second number two God intends the coronavirus to be a wake-up call for us to be ready for the second coming of Christ only given caveat here before talk about this when will we know we know embarrassingly so we know the Christian history is littered with false predictions about the end of the world finding of told you about a book that I came out when I was in high school book was called 88 reasons why Jesus, back in 1988.

So if you recognize a book this thing to the Christian world by storm.

The guy who wrote it was a NASA scientist who is also a Christian, you could buy NASA scientists in the conservative Christian you got a recipe for conspiracy. Well, he identified a three day span.

In 1988 September 11-13, when he said Jesus would return and be more like what what did Jesus say that we could know the day or the hour of his retirement and the sky was like yeah that's true, but he never said we could know within a three day window at me and I knew the day or the hour but this is the three.

What are there on that book was a huge deal of my Christian school. The afternoon of the last day back on September 13 my soccer coach into practice 30 minutes early and he said he said you know what Ralston sitting on the bleachers for the last 30 minutes of practice in order to wait to see Jesus comes back they look to me and he says if Jesus actually does come back, JD, make sure all the equipment gets back and in the bin, which I thought was was rather unkind, but of course the day came and went, and Jesus didn't come back. Well the next year the author released a follow-up book. I'm not kidding called 89 reasons Jesus will come back in 1989. He explained that he had miscalculated because he views the Gregorian calendar and not the Hebrew one which of course happens to the best of us are all familiar with false predictions. But even though Christians have often botch this up. We know that we can't know the day or the hour or even the three day span which he will return. It is true that Jesus is coming back.

Scripture says that it can be at any moment. In fact, on the Scriptures.

The New Testament talks about the second coming of Christ eight times more than talk about the first. It says that Jesus when he comes, he will come like a thief in the night, which means unexpectedly when you're not looking for and whether if the thieves got a break in your house even schedule an appointment with you and say I just want to know I'll be there between 11 30 off a Texan.

I'm on my way know a thief is to come suddenly when you're not looking for not looking for is coming so is coming as it is is unexpected, but it's also true.

Jesus said that there will be pointers, signs as his coming gets closer I met you. 24.

Wars and rumors of war on famines and earthquakes and plagues. In Matthew 24.

Jesus compares these to the birth pangs that the world will show before it gives birth to the new world that Jesus will bring it at his coming just like a woman he says in the hours leading up to the to the moment of birth has these intense moments of of anguish so the world is going to experience painful moments like the coronavirus, the show was of the coming of Jesus is near in this virus. Jesus is saying to us, according to Matthew 24.

Wake up the world that you're living in is not a last forever.

It's about to give birth to a new world that that that the lasting eternal world you think about that world need to prepare for when was the last time that you went to bed with the idea that it could be tonight. Jesus could come tonight or you got up in the morning with the thought that today. Today might be the day or so frantically busy taking care of daily needs that we never even stop to think about this is totally asleep to it, the coronavirus is God's merciful wake-up call telling us to be ready but listen I don't know when he's coming I don't know if it's gonna be in the next year. Over the next hundred years, but but signs like that show us that it is likely not that far away. The last words of the New Testament were Jesus saying to the church. Surely I'm coming quickly he's coming back. The third thing Scripture says that God is doing is that the coronavirus is God's thunderclap for us to realign our lives with the infinite worth of Christ is a very enlightening story in Luke 13, where evidently there was a tower that I collapsed on a crowd of people and in an Israelite city and 18 people died when this tower fell and that is of the people. One of them Jesus. If this particular tragedy was a specific judgment on those 18 like God was angry at all 18 of them and he sold them all standing together.

One place at one time thought eight. Now's my chance in the next tower over on them and squashes all of Jesus's response was surprising and in jolting. He said no I tell you that there wasn't a judgment on those 18 for their sin. But I tell you the meaning is that unless you repent you will all likewise perish. In other words, they wanted to know what the disaster met for the victims. Jesus responded with what the disaster met for us for the rest of us.

Disasters like these are usually are usually God specific judgment on somebody but they are a message to all of us of the seriousness of sin that we all need to repent. Sin is serious, I'm at times I can say that disasters like this are a gracious summons from God to repent and be saved.

While there still time but here's what God requires of us.

He says you is the great commandment you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind. Becky tells us whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. Whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of being. Matthew chapter 10 verse 37 but let me ask is that your heart is that what you're pursuing is God calling you through this disaster to repent, to finally take your relationship with God, with the seriousness that that he deserves. He trying to get you to wake up. Print. Don't ignore this call the gospel courses is not that you could ever love God enough to be worthy of him. The gospel is that you have and the crisis paid the penalty for you and offer to receive you fully on the basis of what he is done. But when you receive that free gift of life that you were surrendering to write it. It is is is one where you will begin to pursue him above all things and you will treasure and obey him above everything that you will love him with all your heart, your soul, your mind, are you living that way number four. God uses distress time like this is a theater to display the distinctive generosity of believers. I'm not gonna talk much about this one because we talked about it so much over the last few weeks, but times like this over Christians demonstrate the distinctive generosity of the gospel John Piper says this and in this book he says is not mere good deeds that give Christianity at staying in its luster. It's good deeds in spite of danger many non-Christians do good deeds but but seldom do they do them at great cost to themselves. With the sole purpose of glorifying God and not themselves. It is in a time of distress that Christian generosity shines most brightly. Matthew five Jesus said is a Blessed are you bunch of you and others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in that moment will be great in heaven because she says without skipping a beat. You are the salt of the earth. You're the light of the world.

In other words, he said, because you are able to rejoice and to be gracious and kind when you're being persecuted.

That's why you will be the light of the world because you should generosity in a time of distress right unheeded to everybody can show generosity and then happiness and peace in times of in times of peace but it's it's in a time of distress when when the distinctive nature of gospel generosity comes forward. Now of course the distress of Jesus is talking about their Matthew five is is persecution, a disease, but the point is the same gospel fuel generosity goes way beyond the bounds of normal human goodness. Lots of people I have just neighborly in a kind and gracious in times of prosperity when we goodness and generosity are relatively easy. But when generosity is costly when it comes at great personal suffering when the gospel shines forth because at the center of our faith is a Savior who laid down his life, not just for his friends before his enemies met means at a moment like this that we as followers we go forward in faith and self-sacrifice, not backwards in fear self-preservation were not wagging her finger telling people they should be better prepared were offering from the what we have two to take care of those who maybe are suffering more than we are.

It's during times like this that we rise above self-pity and we go outward toward danger with courageous joy to do good works of love to glorify God. Listen, this is this is always been true Christians throughout the centuries and am told you few stories about that. But let me just say to you Summit family that during this time I've been blown away by your your gospel fuel generosity.

A lot of it is happen organically as you just take care of one another and you just reached out to love your neighbors but you also continue to give God your first in your best here and because of your generosity. We been able we are enabled by God's grace to minister to people in need in these unexpected and unplanned for circumstances. So it is going to families in our community who are not directly connected to our church, but whom this pandemic is is leaving truly destitute at wake County assess department them to braille provide shelter and emergency provisions for 300 families who would have folded the cracks of the of the care Zach. We haven't even begun to feel the full impact on that this is going to have on the most vulnerable in our community, our response in this is to be a marathon not a sprint. But all this is possible because you you give your first in your best. God even in a time of uncertainty and in a time of distress that glorifies the gospel Summit. It shows that we have a Savior who ran toward danger and need not away from it. These kinda good works that Jesus said in Matthew five they glorify our gospel.

They show the distinctive nature of our gospel and they point people to our gracious father in heaven. Lastly, number five God uses the coronavirus to loosen the roots of settled Christians to send them to the unreached peoples of the world at this one. Of all these probably my favorite. I am not sure if you know this lovable cold water you going to do with your life. It's a it's an encapsulation of one of her core messages around here. The summa church and that is all people are called to the mission of God. The question is no longer if you called the where and how and you should consider all of us to consider doing something new and radical with your life and enemies maybe planting it somewhere where the gospel is not known. We always say you gotta get a job somewhere to want to get a job in place that's greatly in need of the gospel where you can can be a part of one of our church plants. My prayers been that this book that I was writing will help motivate thousands, maybe tens of thousands around around the country to go and serve. Among unreached people, unreached peoples were people and less evangelize parts of the United States well on those planning in this coronavirus head and I thought will great is a terrible time for a book about moving your life overseas people can even leave their houses is a gonna go over like a lead balloon. I know it's a very selfish concern very superficial during time like this, but I was pretty discouraged and then and then Dr. Piper sent me a copy of this this book that I'm sure parts of of with you today and and in this book he talks about how in acts seven, God used a calamity and unexpected calamity or religious persecution that started with the stoning of Stephen use that produce to produce the greatest worldwide expansion of the gospel. Up to that point, the early church and asked for them. Plan for.

They were prepared for. Satan was undoubtedly behind this persecution and his purpose was to discourage the church.

Yet God use that persecution.

Instead of making the church go backward to use it for a great worldwide gospel advance while Road Dr. Piper and I told him about my discouragement and he wrote me back and he said and I quote he said" on the contrary, JD, you should be very encouraged many around the world are praying that this very moment which Satan means for hindering the mission of the King to the nations that God will instead use for his strategic advance your book will be well-timed. May God grant thousands to grasp what God is doing and maddened the evil one by turning his tactical ripple against the kingdom into a tidal wave of completion, not first. Let's be real, maddened the evil one by turning his tactical ripple against the kingdom into a tidal wave of completion that has to be the most Piper-esque line ever written in any email everywhere. Everywhere I do talk that way. The second but you sense that he's right. In Genesis 50, God promises that what Satan means for evil God uses for good, he takes Satan's tactical ripple of opposition and transforms them into tsunami waves of completion of his purposes. John Piper tells the story says January 9, 1985 was a pastor named Marie Stokely shift.

He was an evangelical pastor in Bulgaria. He was arrested and put in prison. His crime was that he preach without government permission. His trial was a mockery of justice and he gets in its eight months in prison, but during that time in prison. He made Christ known in every way that he could weave when he got out a month later he wrote he said both prisoners and jailers asked many questions and it turned out we had a more fruitful ministry in the prison than we could've expected in the church in normal circumstances.

God was better served by our presence in prison than if we had been free friend.

This is often God's way.

Piper says the global scope of and seriousness of the coronavirus is to pray for God to waste God is gonna use it for a great advance of the mission Summit. I started to pray that we will see coming out of this movement of people out of our church toward the mission field, but we've never seen before that hundreds of us will will will will use this shaking to sense the urgency of the great commission.

The desperate condition of our world, we will uproot our lives about what God is telling us to take the gospel to the places that most needed is he, perhaps calling you. You sense that perhaps even right now will again. Those are the five things and I'm not saying that I understand all that God is doing in the situation that the totality of his ways are inscrutable and he's a lot more than I and you are I can never ever ever ever track any given point. God is doing 10,000 different things in my life and I'm only aware of about three of them. What I do know what to do know is a God is sovereign, that he is faithful in fulfilling the purposes that he has declared that he was pursuing shaking the world is calling to repentance is purifying church is trying to wake us up.

And he is repositioning us to get the gospel to the people and the places in the world that haven't heard don't waste this coronavirus you surrendered yourself to these purposes of God. During during this time. Which of these five best encapsulates what God might be doing in your life during the season, nor your listening to pastor Janine Maryland. If any part of this study. You can find all learning JD Greer.com I'm sure you're well aware that at midnight tonight will be closing out 2020 and heading into a new year as we been saying for the past few weeks the end of the year is a critical time for ministries like Senate life for a lot of people that might be kind of surprising because as a listener, you don't necessarily get to see all that goes on behind the curtain in producing this program so I asked Pastor JD if you break it down for us a little what it does is it enables us to be on the air. The person that listens in the car and in and in their home on their computer or I we get letters of people who listen to this in prison. It always comes them free of charge.

They just have to tune in order to get it to them. We have to be able to produce the shows we have to be able to get the air time at your gift that enables us to do that all the sermons are made available on the web and on radio completely free. So when you give your equipping a young mom or a young dad to teach the gospel to their kids, you're allowing a college student to be able to tune in to a gospel centered message is they that they go about their life on a secular campus. You might be enabling a truck driver we hear from them a lot who is is just as her going down the road tuning in and hearing things a bit never heard before making them understand the hope and the love that God has for them in this life and I received this notice a few weeks ago from a gentleman who listens were program is that I listen to Summit life was in this when I was incarcerated. These messages brought real changes to my life. I'm so thankful for your ministry.

You have a part of that beta-1 just the preaching of the message that blesses man it was in being able to hear it. That was because of your generosity. The gospel reaches everywhere even into our presence. What an encouragement that the Lord seeks us and finds us wherever we are. I hope that you and I both understand what a privilege it is to be a part of that process right now is were coming up to the end of the year. Your gift is especially important to us to help us stay strong answer and to gain more momentum as we go to the next year to be able to explore where other places that we might be able to make the message of the gospel more accessible to people. So I would invite you to join with us to day to become a gospel partner and enabling us to make the gospel accessible and free to people as free as Jesus made it when he died on the cross. It was costly to him free to us in the same way as our sacrifices that enable others to hear the message from your winning. If you've never given to support this ministry right now is the time to take that at every dollar counts helping more people here and grow in the gospel.

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Will you give that gift to someone else today, when you donate will say thanks by sending you the 2021 Senate life, day planner, it comes with Bible verses and a Bible reading plan to help keep Jesus at the center of all your plans in the new year for the planter when you get and importing year-end gift by calling 866-335-5220 or by getting online. JD Greer.com rather mail your gift. Make sure it's postmarked by midnight tonight right to JD Greer ministry, PO Box 12290, Carolina 277 09. In case you missed it earlier phone number. If 335 24. Give online@clear.com I'm only minutes sure to listen today when Jeannie answered the question that we might be asked to join us Friday night.

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