Sermon - God is greater!
- As the spread of the Corona Virus was first taking off, I saw something I had
forgotten.
- A lack of faith & judgement towards those who have faith.
- Vice President Pence said Let’s pray about this virus, & immediately he was shunned.
- The thoughts were he won’t search for medical treatment for this virus. He foolishly
asks for God to take it away.
- The skeptics don’t believe in God. Let alone in His resurrecting power.
- The thing linked to this virus is a fear of death!
- There’s a very real danger in the middle of this outbreak, & it’s not the virus, it’s
the One many don’t believe in.
- Turn with me to Isaiah 10:1-6, To a time that faith in God was forgotten, strength in
religion was great, & their lives were filled with the thought of what more could we
want, we have all that we could need.
- It is the time of Northern Israel. They have great increase, but a stiff rebuke was
coming their way.
- It was a rebuke that could have been stopped, but it meant putting religion away,
& turning back to God.
- This is the same God they had been blessed by for so long.
Isaiah 10:1-6
1 Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness which they have prescribed;
2 To turn aside the needy from judgment, and to take away the right from the poor of my people, that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the fatherless!
3 And what will ye do in the day of visitation, and in the desolation which shall come from far? to whom will ye flee for help? and where will ye leave your glory?
4 Without me they shall bow down under the prisoners, and they shall fall under the slain. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.
5 O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation.
6 I will send him against an hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.
Q- Who will you turn to when all your resources fail?
- My key verse is verse 3.
- Major catastrophes take place all over this world, & it leads people closer to the
Lord.
Q- What seems to be different about this catastrophe?
- I know we’re still in the middle of the storm, but we’re not hearing very many
people organizing relief, or having prayer vigils.
- Fear, & a lack of faith has gripped this world.
- Let’s show God we know Him, & trust Him, Let’s pray.
Prayer
- Isaiah’s message was one of awakening.
- He calls out for those who don’t believe, or who have forgotten how to believe, to
believe.
- When the times were dark for Martin Luther (the leader of the reformation)
- When the enemies of truth appeared to triumph; when disaster seemed to come
over the cause in which he was engaged, and the friends of the Reformation were
dispirited, disheartened, and sad, he was accustomed to say to his fellow-
laborers, "Come, let us sing the 46th Psalm."
Psalm 46:1-11
1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
3 Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.
4 There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.
5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.
6 The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted.
7 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
8 Come, behold the works of the Lord, what desolations he hath made in the earth.
9 He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.
10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
11 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
- Be still, & know that I am God!
- As Jesus lye in that tomb, it was like, for a moment the evil had won.
- I’m telling you now, this moment, is this world is in that tomb.
- Jesus did not end in the tomb.
- Jesus arose from that tomb!
- Here’s the Word, God is Sovereign!
- God is still on the throne.
- Listen again as the Psalmist extols God in 66:1-20
Psalm 66:1-20
66 Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands:
2 Sing forth the honour of his name: make his praise glorious.
3 Say unto God, How terrible art thou in thy works! through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee.
4 All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee; they shall sing to thy name. Selah.
5 Come and see the works of God: he is terrible in his doing toward the children of men.
6 He turned the sea into dry land: they went through the flood on foot: there did we rejoice in him.
7 He ruleth by his power for ever; his eyes behold the nations: let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah.
8 O bless our God, ye people, and make the voice of his praise to be heard:
9 Which holdeth our soul in life, and suffereth not our feet to be moved.
10 For thou, O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us, as silver is tried.
11 Thou broughtest us into the net; thou laidst affliction upon our loins.
12 Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water: but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place.
13 I will go into thy house with burnt offerings: I will pay thee my vows,
14 Which my lips have uttered, and my mouth hath spoken, when I was in trouble.
15 I will offer unto thee burnt sacrifices of fatlings, with the incense of rams; I will offer bullocks with goats. Selah.
16 Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul.
17 I cried unto him with my mouth, and he was extolled with my tongue.
18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:
19 But verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer.
20 Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me.
- Make a joyful noise!
- We have no reason to fear, because we have God, we have Jesus, we have the Holy
Spirit!
- All three parts redeeming, sealing, & protecting us.
- All three parts are essential, because this is God!
- When Jesus arose from the grave, He arose by His own power as God.
- Not Just in that He is God the Son, but that He is part of the Triune God.
- Listen,
Galatians 1:1. Father God raised Jesus
1 Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;)
1 Peter 3:18
18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
John 10:18
18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.
- You can look at these three verses & say they contradict themselves, but they don’t.
- What they Do is, they show you that God has used Himself, in all of His entirety, to
overcome our greatest of foes, death.
- If our greatest of foes is vanquished, then there is nothing left to fear, but He who
defeated all our foes.
Q- That doesn’t make much since to be afraid of the One who died for you, Does it?
- That’s Why I will begin to close with one more verse.
2 Timothy 1:7
7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
- God says, don’t fear Me. Come & know Me, Experience Me, & see that I am good.
- Love Me, as I have loved you first!
- Then, know Me as Father, & that I your Father will never leave you.
- Even in the greatest of dangers, I am there!
- So, as we’re shut off from most of the world, facing a foe that is unseen.
- Know That He, who is greater, is with you.
Prayer for all who are facing this virus, both afflicted, & non......
