Coronavirus & God’s Protection

CORONAVIRUS & GOD’S PROTECTION

Ps. 91:1-16

INTRODUCTION

A. HUMOR

1. A young man told his friend, “My uncle in Detroit tried to make a new kind of car. He took the engine from a Ford, the transmission from a Chevy, the tires from a Cadillac, and the exhaust system from a Buick.”

2. His friend said, “Really? What did he get?”

3. He answered, “Fifteen years for theft.”

B. CORONA VIRUS OUTBREAK

1.The Coronavirus has taken hold in Southern China. Over 80,000 people have contracted it and 2700 have died. Because it is an animal virus, humans have no immunity to it. The U.S. stock market has fallen 8,000 points due to this outbreak. Why?

2. Partly because quarantines are stymying business worldwide. The other reason is that the Coronavirus escaped containment in China and has broken out in Italy, Iran, South Korea, the USA, and Europe. The cases are increasing. The USA now has 2,695 confirmed cases. Universities and schools have closed. Business in many consumer areas is drying up as people stay home and hold off spending.

3. In every country, fear of contagion is growing. There are now 137,445 cases worldwide. In S. Korea, people formed a massive line more than a mile long just to get face masks. The boring old stories we heard of the Black Plague killing millions in Europe (14th Century) comes back to haunt us.

4. Should the Christian get the same panic as non-Christians? Do we have a hope, a Protector, a Comforter they don’t have? Yes!

C. TEXT

“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” 3 Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. 4 He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. 5 You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, 6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. 7 A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. 8 You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. 9 If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling, 10 no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. 11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; 12 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. 13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent. 14 “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. 15 He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. 16 With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.” (verse 1 =NKJV; the rest, NIV).

C. THESIS

1. This is one of the most powerful and comforting passages in the Bible. It can easily be divided into 3 sections; a. Prerequisites to Protection, b. What God saves us from, and c. HOW He does it.

2. The title of this message is, "Coronavirus & God’s Protection."

I. PREREQUISITES TO PROTECTION

A. DWELL IN THE SECRET PLACE

1. WHAT IS THE “SECRET PLACE” OF THE MOST HIGH?

a. One of David’s secret hiding-places when he was a fugitive, or…

b. Used of the central tent of the Commander of an Army, as in Psalm 27:5, "He shall hide me in His pavilion…." The enemy would have to break through rank after rank of soldiers to get to it. Or…

c. But most likely, it referred to the Most Holy Place in the Tabernacle/Temple. That sacred chamber was the abode of the Shekinah glory of God's presence.

2. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO “DWELL” THERE?

a. The words have a spiritual meaning. "Home is where the heart is." For the one who “dwells with God,” God is the center of their affections and their thoughts.

b. Like Paul said, “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” Col. 3:1-3.

c. CHARACTERISTICS OF SUCH A PERSON