Well, I know we're laughing and
we should be rejoicing. We're going to be cautious and
careful, but we're not going to stop worshiping our God. I don't know whether we have
250 people here or not, but who's counting? Maybe the governor. If things get worse, we'll have
announcements for you with regard to service. But right now, we're
going to have Sunday meetings. I'll let you know during the
week, though. And I have some things to say
this morning to you. with regard to taking precautions
and we really should. And my little joking around didn't
mean that we should not. We should take this very, very
serious. I did take note that the casinos
are full and so are the bars. So, some people aren't taking
it real serious. But we're here because we have
a God who's able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we
ask or think. And I would say on a more serious
note, you're going to die and so am
I, but it may not be by the virus. We have an appointment to make.
You see, the scripture says this, it is appointed unto man once
to die. And after that, the judgment.
Just make sure you're all right for that appointment. Amen. how
much better it will be for the Christian to be absent from the
body and present with the Lord. I'm not in a panic mode, I'm
in a trust God mode. And we're gonna learn some great
things about ourselves here and about our country. I admire our
president for calling this to be a day of prayer. You see which
way he's looking, that's a good thing. And he's looking to God. And you know, God in the New
Testament, He made a rooster crow right on time. He made this
large fish swallow this preacher guy who was not doing what the
Lord told him to do. He made frogs invade Egypt. You think about how much He's
in control of and how much work He does every day. And though
this virus is most serious to us, with God, it's a very little
thing. He can stop it quickly. And I pray that He does. And by the way, we here in America
seem so ignorant of history. If we'd go back and read in history,
and I'll talk about that a little bit today, These things are not
new. I've never had this happen in
my 75 years of ministry or in this world. It is quite unusual
to think about a worldwide flu epidemic or virus epidemic. It is unusual. Anyway, I'll talk more about
that as we go along. We're going to jump around a
little bit this morning on Scripture. We're going to start with 2 Timothy
1, verse 7. For God has not given us a spirit
of fear, but a power of love and of sound mind. Amen. The next one, Psalm 4, verse
8. I will both lie down in peace
and sleep for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety. The
next, 1 Peter 5, verses 6 and 7. Humble yourselves therefore
under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due
time, casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you. Philippians 4, verse 6 and 7. Do not be anxious about anything,
but in every situation, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving,
present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends
all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in
Christ Jesus. Isaiah 41 10. So do not fear,
for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am
your God. I will strengthen you and help
you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah
26, 3. You will keep in perfect peace
those whose minds are steadfast because they trust in you. And
the final one is John 14, verse 1. This was Jesus talking to
his disciples. Do not let your hearts be troubled.
You believe in God. Believe also in me. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, so many times
you have blessed us with your miracles and joy, with happiness
and with cheer. But there are also times, oh
Lord, that we have to weather the storms and the perils that
life brings us. As is now with the fear in our
world's hearts, please give all of us the strength and the courage
to trust in you. Give us the comfort to know that
you hold us in the palm of your hand and you'll keep us safe
and you'll smoothen our path. Amen. I have done my best to research the
COVID-19 virus. See what I can find out from
both chiropractic and from the medical side of things, I mean,
in talking to doctors so I can advise you. It's obvious to me
that nobody has really a clear answer. There's no antibiotic. There's no pill you can take. But there are some things that
you can do, and I want to encourage you to do those things. Do your best to stay healthy.
I would say get outside and exercise and take a walk. Breathe the
fresh air to do that. Avoid close contact with people
who are sick. I call my niece who is a doctor
in Virginia and it's one of the things she said, stay away from
people who certainly have signs that they have the virus. Stay home when you're sick. People
were asking me, should I go to church? Should I come to church
tomorrow? Well, are you sick? If you're
sick, stay home. If you're not sick, why wouldn't
you? Because I got a feeling tomorrow you're going to get
up and do whatever. you've been doing, feeling well. Somebody said they dismissed
Michigan State University, but somebody said, I was in a bar
up there, it was jam-packed. It's amazing how people wanna
get out of attending church. To me, it's kind of, says to
me kind of, there must be a secret cure in being together in God's
house. forsake not the assembling of
yourselves together. I can assure you this, as long
as I can get in this pulpit and I'm not going to give you anything
with regard to a virus, I'm going to be here. So just count next
Sunday, even if we, are bound by the law to do something
different, I'll be here preaching. And it'll be televised or on
the computer where you can watch if need be. Cover your cough. Sneeze with a tissue. Throw the
tissue away. Clean and disinfect frequently
touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning
spray or wipe. Wash your hands, wash your hands,
wash your hands, and wash your hands. I hope you'll do that. All right. Say, well, Pastor,
I already knew that. Well, good. Do it. Practice it. Do it. Mark read. to us scriptures where
God clearly tells us that we're not to live in fear. I personally
am not going to live in fear. This virus is not going to lock
me up or shut me down. My God that said, let there be
light in the beginning is still God and he's in control. Well, somebody said, well, pastor,
what if you get it and die? Absent from the body, present
with the Lord. You see, I'm not a loser. Now, I don't believe in fatalism,
what is to be, will be, whether it ever happens or not. I am
a predestinitarian. I make no apology for that. I believe God's in control, that
He has not dropped the reins to this universe, and He controls
this virus. He really does. And as I said
earlier, I know I have an appointed time to go. And by the way, all
you kids, 30-year-olds, 35, 40, You're the kids I'm talking to.
They tell us 75-year-old guys, you're the most vulnerable. I'm
not going to walk around at 75 thinking I'm about to die any
moment. I'm not. And when I come to church, I'm
gonna smile. We're gonna praise God here.
And more than likely, somebody in here is going to get this
virus. More than likely, somebody's gonna get it. It doesn't mean
you have to die. It doesn't mean that at all. So I've been studying all week
thinking about what to tell you, how to calm you, how to assure
you. So just for a moment or two,
I want to say to you in 1665, there was a great plague in London. And Puritan pastors during that
plague stayed behind when people were leaving the city to care
for the sick and dying. That's what I plan to do if that
should come our way. I'm going to be the last to leave
the ship. And one way or the other, we're going to win. Charles Haddon Spurgeon, my pastor,
as many of you know, who lived during the 1800s, often in his
sermon would tell how he loved to read how the Puritan pastors
stayed behind to care for their people. He himself was faced
with a similar outbreak of cholera in 1854. You can read about that
outbreak. It was horrible. He was approximately
18, 19 years old. He had just recently been called
to pastor the New Park Street Church. And he did some things
that I will do likewise. He gave up his preaching appointments
in villages, roundabout places, feeling it was his duty to remain
in London to visit the sick and dying. The first thing that I thought
to myself that I will do is I will prioritize this local ministry. I mean, I'm here for you. There
is a healing power in church community. It's good for you
to be here today. If you're not sick, It's good
for you to be here today, for all of us to be together in this
place. I don't think I have seen people
more fearful. I frankly am more concerned about
the panic factor than I am the virus. It's just insane. You look in your grocery stores,
you can't find a roll of toilet paper. I said to these doctors,
and you'll excuse me for being crude, but I said to my doctor
friends, is this virus going to cause diarrhea and throw up? They go, no. I said, well, why
is everybody buying toilet paper? I don't know. But if I were you,
that wouldn't be the first thing I would go out and buy is toilet
paper. But it seems like everybody's doing that. The shelves at grocery
stores are empty. I guarantee you, for as long
as we have food, and we have a lot of food. Now, if there
is a state where food is rationed, We have, I think, around 500,
600 turkeys. You may get tired of turkey. But great protein, great protein. You'll be surprised when you're
hungry what you'll eat. Those hot dogs won't taste so
bad, you know what I mean? We're going to, you know, people
are panicking. So that's why I put online that
we're gonna have church today. And far as I know, we'll have
church next Sunday, unless there's just something that in the providence
of God, we're stopped. But we'll communicate to you.
All of you, most of you are on Facebook or have a computer and
we'll let the word get out. But when we come into this place,
we'll do things as usual. We'll have announcements. We'll
tell what God has done. But my priority is right here
with you. I want to be with you when there's
an outbreak. I want us to be together in assuring
each other of our love. By the way, You'd be surprised
how much soap we have. Those of you who can't find soap,
we could probably help with soap. You know what I mean? I did hear
that the alcohol wipes are not the best to use because they
kill the good germs that fight the bad germs. Some of you more
learned could talk about that, but I use good old-fashioned
soap and, you know, 20 seconds, maybe a little more than that.
I sing Old MacDonald Had a Farm while I wash my hands. I'm so
sick of that. I mean, Old MacDonald Had a Farm.
You know, you don't have to be as serious as you look this morning
about this. It's all right for you to be
happy, but be cautious. Wash your hands. I wouldn't encourage
you to visit the sick unless you're a deacon and you're going
with me. But if any of you get sick and
you're scared out of your mind and want us to come and have
prayer with you, we're gonna do that. I am not going to stop
being what God has called me to be, nor being what I should
be to you. And Spurgeon did just that. He
made his church. They kept right on having services
during the cholera outbreak. They took the Lord's Supper.
They had baptizings. They kept on doing what the church
is supposed to do. And by the way, what an opportunity
for you, like never before, to minister the gospel of Jesus
Christ. You know, one thing that the
death angel does, he brings people to a point where they're not
real sure about things. And they seemingly want to hear
the gospel a little more. So it's a good time to talk to
people when people are on their back and cannot save themselves
and are looking to God to do what only he can do. The second
thing Spurgeon did was he adjusted as needed, but continued meeting
if at all possible. So they had their midweek service
and their Sunday service and their Sunday night service in
the midst of a cholera outbreak that was killing thousands of
people. They visited the sick. You know,
if you need us, we're going to be there. praying for you. Another
thing for you to be open to, and who knows, maybe God's going
to send a great awakening, a great revival through this. These are
truly unusual times, aren't they? You've never lived in a time
like this. None of us have. The evangelistic opportunities
you're going to have your mom and dad may listen to you. What
stories you have to tell of God's amazing grace. Maybe they didn't
listen to you again, but if you have a 75 year old parent who
suddenly has a fever and is coughing and his or her breathing is laborious,
be a good time to talk Christ and eternity. For certain, people
are going to die. People have died. We know that.
We see that on the news. And I hear panic in the newscaster
voices. Like, what are we going to do?
I'm going to do what I have always done since being converted. I'm
going to trust my God. When things are out of control,
we know who's in control. We truly do. Say, well, pastor,
might be different if, you know, one of your children are dying
or... I'm sure... And this was interesting
to me. Mr. Spurgeon wrote this about
the cholera outbreak. As Spurgeon gave himself to this
pastoral work, he soon found himself physically and mentally
exhausted. Not only that, but he began to
fear for his own safety. I'm not saying that can't happen
with me. I don't want it to happen. Yet, amid his fears, he learned
to entrust himself to God and to his faithfulness. That'd be
a great lesson to learn. Can you trust God or not? Well,
we'll find out if you get sick. Here's what Spurgeon said. At first I gave myself up with youthful
adore to the visitation of the sick and was sent from all corners
of the district by persons of all ranks and religions. But
soon I became weary in body and sick at heart. My friends seemed
falling one by one, and I felt or fancied that I was sickening
like those around me. A little more work and weeping
would have laid me low amid the rest. I felt that my burden was
heavier than I could bear, and I was ready to sink under it.
I was returning mournfully home from a funeral when, as God would
have it, my curiosity led me to read a paper which was waffled
up in a shoemaker's window in the Great Dover Road. It did not look like a trade
announcement, nor was it, for it bore in good bold handwritings
these words, Because thou hast made the Lord
which is my refuge, even the Most High thy habitation, there
shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy
dwelling. He said, I feel like God sent
that to me. It might be a good time for God to speak to you
in unusual ways and grow your faith and trust in Him. Again, I say to you, you need
to be facing this, and we all need to come to this realization.
I don't know what God is doing, but it seems like He's doing
something mighty big. God seems to be up to something. You look at what's happening
in our country and how God has given us a president who seems
to be calling us back to those things that are very, very important
to us. The things that we, you know,
I wish people were as afraid of killing babies as they are
of this virus. Something to think about, isn't
it? You know, not as many people have died as yet from this virus
as we have killed aborted children. Need to think about that a little
bit. And why wouldn't God send some kind of judgment or even
not judgment, maybe just to get our attention? To be on our knees
more, to be calling on Him more, to be trusting Him more, to be
believing Him more, to take this business of praising Him and
giving thanks to Him for His goodness. How much we take for
granted. I see those empty shelves in
the grocery store and think, I've never seen that exactly
before. You can't even go to Sam's. You can't go to these
big places, they're just not there. By the way, I heard you
can buy toilet paper up here at this gas station on the corner. Don't make a run on it though
after church, will you? I want to encourage you to do
this today. Entrust your life to God. Stop
panicking. Trust God. Just give it over. You know, Monday will be a great
day if you'll just do this. It's in your hands, Lord. I'm
going to trust you. I'm going to read to you Martin
Luther's pastoral advice during the Black Plague. This was another
plague, the Black Plague, and then we'll go home. Here's what
Martin Luther prayed. I shall ask God mercifully to
protect us. Then I shall fumigate, help purify
the air, administer medicine and take it. That's good advice. Say, well, I'm a predestitarian. Well, take the medicine. I shall avoid places and persons
where my presence is not needed. in order not to become contaminated
and thus perchance inflict and pollute others and so cause their
death as a result of my negligence. I think you ought to be concerned
about, I know some are not here because they have aged parents
who have particular health issues and you didn't come today because
you're worried about getting the flu and taking it home. If God should wish to take me,
Luther said, He will surely find me, and I have done what He has
expected of me, and so I'm not responsible for either my own
death or the death of others. If my neighbor needs me, however,
I shall not avoid a place or person, but will go freely as
stated above. See, this is such a God-fearing
faith because it is neither brash nor foolhardy, signed Martin
Luther. In other words, do what you know
to do. Wash your hands. If the sick need you, you know,
if you have a need, you're part of this congregation. If you
have a need, let us know. I mean, it's a real need. And I'm talking about very practical
things. Don't shake my hands if you haven't
washed yours. Let's do the elbow bump. Some of our deacons have said
to me, or elders have said to me, Pastor, don't go to the door
and shake hands today. And I'm going to bend to that.
I'm not exactly sure about that. But I want you to know, you can
bump elbows if you want. I don't want you to live in fear.
And I do believe this, a good positive attitude of trusting
God, a good coming together and singing every praise and raising
our hands, a good singing of, my chains are gone, I've been
set free. Grace, God's marvelous grace,
amazing grace. Feel good about things. He's
sovereign. He's in charge. And if he's for
us, and my, has he not shown he's for us here. There is no
way, there is just absolutely every day, I know this, there
is no way to meet a seven, eight million dollar budget across
the street. There is no way without God to see this church keep functioning. There is no way we're getting
three more houses over on Fairgrove Street. There is no way those
things happen unless God, they're miracles, absolute miracles of
the grace of God.