In Times Like These (A Covid-19 Sermon)

In Times Like These (A COVID-19 sermon)

Chuck Sligh

August 30, 2020

NOTE: PowerPoint or ProPresenter presentations are available for this sermon by request at chucksligh@hotmail.com. Please mention the title of the sermon and the Bible text to help me find the sermon in my archives.

TEXT: 2 Timothy 3:1 – “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.”

INTRODUCTION

We are indeed living in “perilous times,” much like Paul described them in our text.

Perilous means “dangerous, hazardous.”

Illus. – Never in our lifetime have we faced anything like COVID-19. Many people live in fear of catching the dreaded virus. COVID-19 has altered our lives, our recreational activities, our workplaces, our religious practices and how we shop. Washing our hands, always a good practice, is now a civic duty. We now hear words and phrases bandied about we rarely if ever heard before: Coronavirus, pandemic, social distancing, community spread, herd immunity, flattening the curve, shelter in place, PPE, and many more.

Illus. – I think we can agree that we are also in perilous times FINANCIALLY. Never in history has any country, not to mention countries around the world, willingly shut down their economies to a grinding halt. Praise God things are looking brighter now on the economic front, but we’re by no means out the woods yet. Some are forecasting that a big Coronavirus spike in the Fall could lead to another lockdown, which could lead to a catastrophic downturn in the economy, wiping away all the gains that have been made in the last few months. We are living in perilous times.

Illus. – Some are worried sick about the election the upcoming election. Someone told me the other day, “Pastor, I’m SCARED! If so-and-so (the candidate she isn’t voting for) gets elected, I’m worried that America as we know it will end.” I’m usually not so pessimistic about elections if they don’t go my way because at 67 years old, I remember that in every election, the opposing sides have said that if their opponent is elected, it would spell the end of our country as a democratic republic. Well, the republic is still around. The constitution our forefathers wrote has served well to keep us from going too far too fast in any single direction. But this particular election, with all the problems our country is facing, does seem different. We certainly need to pray for our country…because we are living in perilous times.

Illus. – We also watch with alarm police shootings of unarmed black men, the resultant lawlessness and mayhem from those who go beyond peaceful protesting to wreak havoc and mayhem in our cities, and the race-baiting and stoking of those tensions by the media.

I won’t go into the rise of Russia as a military competitor, or China as an economic competitor.

I won’t discuss the deterioration of society’s moral standards to the point where pre-marital sex is the norm; adultery is pervasive; pornography is the single largest and most profitable sector on the Internet; and we are being daily assaulted with pressure to give in to the LGBTQ agenda.

Not to mention gangs, street crime, the scourge of drugs in our land, and many more discouraging and worrisome developments in our society.

Yes, without question, these are perilous times we live in.

It was for times like these that a precious song was written many years ago. It was written by Ruth Caye Jones and is titled, “In Times Like These.” It was a mainstay of the church for the second part of the 20th century. I wish someone would write a contemporary version of this song because I think it’s a loss to the church that it’s not part of most churches’ repertoire anymore. She wrote the song at the low point of World War II when it seemed that the allies were bogged down in Italy and other countries and the war was going nowhere. The world economies were at breaking points with rations everywhere.

Here’s how it goes: In times like these you need a Savior / In times like these you need an anchor \ Be very sure, be very sure / Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock! The chorus goes like this: This Rock is Jesus, Yes, He's the One / This Rock is Jesus, the only One! \ Be very sure, be very sure \ Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock!

Today I want to take the words of this lovely song and use them as a springboard for our message this morning.

I. FIRST, THE SONG BEGINS, “IN TIMES LIKE THESE, YOU NEED A SAVIOR.”

Why you need the Savior— Jesus Christ?

First, because without Jesus, you are a sinner, guilty before a righteous God. Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” You fall short of God’s standard of holiness. You are a sinner and God cannot allow sin in His presence.