4/19 – Covid19 and Quarantine
Hello, I'm pastor Greg of Calvary
Reformed Church, Mattawan Michigan and the Wing Chaplain at Battle Creek the Air National Guard.
There are some words that we've
all heard--- especially in the last few
weeks, which for some of us can cause some
fear in people's lives. Maybe these words cause fear in your life.
? The stock market dropping 30%
? the fear of somebody that you love getting the coronavirus
? some of us have had to deal with the fear of somebody learning that they had had a brain tumor
? or cancer
? or death in the family
? some have heard the hard words from somebody that they loved deeply “I don't love you anymore”
These are words which cut to our core and right now we have a word within our society which tends to be very harmful or scary for people--- and that's the word coronavirus 19.
I want us to look at that today and look
Biblically at what the word’s meaning. And some of the things that that surround the word of Covid19.
But before we look at Covid that there's also words in our society which give us life.
? your cancer is gone
† when you hear that from the doctor you have a healthy baby boy baby girl some of us this past week have a friend who actually delivered at home---well really a fire department parking lot--the child came so quick and now they have a healthy new child
† I love you no matter what happens
† and God says to us I love you no matter what happens
Today we're going to do a psalm of response from Psalm 136 I'm gonna read the the black part of the song and you at home
can read the red part.
Give thanks to the Lord- for he is good his love endures forever
Give thanks to the God of gods
his love endures forever
Give thanks to the Lord of Lords his love endures forever
To him who alone does great and wonderful things ---his love endures forever.
His love truly endures for ever, you know I find it interesting that that the coronavirus
is part of a family Corona virus 19 is part of a family of viruses --- and the word virus actually means in Latin a venom a very small tiny agent that is infectious
The word corona-- actually means crown and in 1968 the scientists who first found the
corona virus family of viruses thought that when they looked at the virus --- it looked like the Sun. When there's an eclipse and the solar gases around the Sun make it look like a crown the word. Corona means crown so we have a corona virus that looks like a crown.
I also find it really interesting because the crown the crown there is a Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe and that crown is the crown to show the majesties of who God is.
But also I find this interesting-- some of you will find it interesting we have the Corona
Beer. The corona beer took its sign--it's symbol from the church the Guadalupe Church-- the crown.
For some reason, we Americans maybe you do or at least our media has a fixation on
the royal family of England.
As I say maybe you do--- I do not but we tend to as a society because we like to think of the royalty the Queen and the next king
Possibly. And yet within that --I want us to think about the fact there is truly only one King of kings and Lord of lords --there is truly only one King of kings and Lord of lords.
I want to look at some of the passages
who talk about God Jesus Christ as the
King of kings and the Lord of lords.
Corona meaning crown--- in Deuteronomy chapter 10 we read for the Lord your God is God of all gods the Lord is the Lord the Great God mighty and awesome.
In Daniel -- when Daniel is in the land of
Nebuchadnezzar with in the land of Babylon with King Nebuchadnezzar and Daniel interpreted a dream for the king the king says, surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of Kings and a revealer of all mysteries for you were able to reveal this mystery to me.
We jump from the Book of Daniel
all the way to the Book of Revelation-- when in Revelation chapter 17 it says they will make war against the Lamb, but the lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings and with him will be his chosen and faithful followers ---the church those of us who have asked Christ within our lives.
Revelations 19 - chapter later says on
his robe and on his thigh he has his
name written the king of kings and the
Lord of lords the king of kings and the
Lord of lords.
Think about it --we tend to allow so much within our lives-- as I said in the beginning all these various words----all these things that happen within our lives and we tend to in some respects place the crown on them --- coronavirus crown.
When the reality the Apostle Paul says to us in Philippians chapter 2, at the name of Jesus every knee will bow and every tongue confess!!!!
Friends there is no other name that we will bow to --- there is no other king that we will bow down too! Then Jesus Christ who is the King of kings and the Lord of lords.
But there's a second thought that I want us to look to --- it's the idea of quarantine.
The word quarantine actually means 40 days. It means 40 days. The original meaning of it -- dealt with the religious aspect it's…. the fact of how a person within their lives have a period of testing or trials or a
probation time period.
I know some of you don't like to think about it that God tests ---us but sometimes God does test us to strengthen us in order for us to go stronger physically. We need to have resistance --- we need resistance if you
want to if you want to have stronger arms --you have to have resistance --have weights if you want to have a stronger waist -- you have to do sit-up.
Resistance creates a stronger Muscles-- quarantine 40 days--- a time of testing -- the time of walking with God.
I really -- really find this interesting - at
one point in time the word quarantine was a legal term for a widow. If her husband passed away if they did not own the house ---if they rented their apartment or their house --- for 40 days she could live at that house after her husband had passed without having to pay for it.
In the Middle Ages and the country of Italy---adopted the quarantine for ships that
came in to their ports. In the Middle Ages during the Black Plague --- for 40 days the ship would have to be off of the dock area in the water for 40 days waiting to make sure that everybody on the ship was healthy --- whether they appeared healthy or not when they came into port for 40 days they had to wait it was a time of waiting --- quarantine
The idea of 40 days is used 146 times in Scripture.
The number 40 ---as I said generally symbolizes testing -- trial or probation time.
Genesis chapter seven says, for forty days the flood kept coming on the earth. Moses for forty years lived in Egypt, forty years he lived in the desert forty years he lead the Hebrew people in the wilderness.
Moses was also on Mount Sinai for
forty years for forty days two different times. He also sent the spies into the Land of Israel for forty days.
We find also Jonah the great Old Testament prophet when he is prophesied in Nineveh
prophesized for forty days. He preaches
destruction if there's no repentance for forty days and the people of Nineveh --- said we repent we realize God Yahweh God is the King of kings and the Lord of lords.
Ezekiel the Prophet laid on his right side for forty days to symbolize Judas sins.
Elijah with forty days without food or water on Mount Horeb. Forty also represents a generation of humanity --that first generation that left Egypt when they had sinned against Yahweh God. God said for forty years they would wander, and a new generation would rise up.
Mathew, we talked about we know that Jesus was led into the desert for forty days. --- Jesus was led ---we're told in Matthew for
forty days into the desert and he was
hungry.
Matthew 24 talks about that just before his crucifixion Jesus prophesied that he knew that Rome forty years later would come in and destroy Jerusalem --of which we know that took place.
Acts chapter 1 talks about after suffering Jesus showed himself to the men and the women and it was a forty day time period before he ascended into heaven.
The word 40 is so symbolic within scripture and as I said it's that period of being tested to be in try to love growing in relationship.
So friends --- what we have going on now is the coronavirus the crown and Quarantine.
I really encourage you to use this time yes some of you are using it ----as a time to
work on your houses to work outdoors families are getting closer my wife and I are watching in our neighborhood and families are playing with each other so much more than we've ever seen before and that is all good and healthy…
But I would encourage you to use this time of quarantine to really get to know who the King of kings and the Lord of lords is!!
I want to close today with the
passage from Timothy. 1st Timothy the
Apostle Paul says to us we are called to
pursue righteousness now if you want to
read this later on first Timothy chapter
6 first Timothy chapter 6 we are called
to pursue righteousness that means we
are called to look for ---we are called to
go towards ---to make that action--- to make
that step towards righteousness. We can't change unless we move forward.
We are called to have godliness within our lives --- to change who we are ----we are called to walk in faith ---faith is not always
knowing where we're stepping but it's stepping out in faith. I always think about this idea of faith with -- one of the Raiders of the Lost Ark movies. I forget the name of the movie but when they're going for the chalice --- when they're going for the chalice and when Indiana Jones throws the dirt out between that crevice ---between the two
mountainsides at first he sees no pathway but as he throws dirt ---and all of a sudden there's a bridge -----and it's taking that step of faith we're called to take ---a step of faith with the King of kings and the Lord of lords
Faith to love each other -- endurance that's holding to what we know--- to have true gentleness with each other--- we are hearing now --- dreadfully for some people this time of life has been so stressful that they have lost
their kindness with each other--- with their families ---friends.
Please, put your life in Christ's hands allow him
to teach you to be gentle
to fight the good fight of the faith because we know that we're called to take hold of eternal life and the King of kings and the Lord of lords who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light who no one
has seen or can see to him be the honor.
We worry about the crown virus but may
we celebrate Jesus Christ as the resurrected Savior as the King of kings
and the Lord of lords ---as we walk growing in relationship with him the name of the Father name of the Son in the name of the Holy Spirit Amen
