Sermon- What brings out the best in people?
- If you’re like me, I like to watch the mystery science shows. They present a mystery &
then give you scenarios of what that something could be. They finally end up with
showing you what the mystery is.
Q- What’s the point of their tactics?
Q- Why don’t they just tell you what the mystery is?
- They keep us interested, & enticed to continue watching, by keeping our minds
working.
- I believe some of the greatest stories for this pandemic, is all the outpouring of
help & love.
- If the virus had not have come, I do not believe people would have noticed others
like they do now.
- There is a silver lining, in the midst of this horrid tragedy!
- I know the question is made of,
Q- How could God allow such a disaster?
- There’s a lot that goes into a question like that.
- The first answer is, God didn’t cause this, it was Our sin!
- The second answer goes deeper though, I love the way that Jesus worked.
When He was often asked a question. He answered it with a question.
- So, here it is,
Q- Why did God allow sin?
- Sin is the most vile & devastating disease to infect human civilization.
- countless numbers of lives have been lost to it.
- In this even God mourns the affects of this disease, & that’s where we will
begin our reading.
Luke 13:31-35
31 The same day there came certain of the Pharisees, saying unto him, Get thee out, and depart hence: for Herod will kill thee.
32 And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.
33 Nevertheless I must walk to day, and to morrow, and the day following: for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem.
34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!
35 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
- Jesus was traveling from northeast Peræa, going to Jordan, with His destination
Jerusalem.
- As Jesus traveled he saw the curse of sin on mankind.
Q- When you go out do you see the curse of this pandemic?
- Face masks are everywhere, & stores are shuttered or changed.
- These are the eyes Through which Jesus sees our world.
- Each person marked, or stained by sin.
Prayer
- Here’s the picture, Jesus mourns that Jerusalem, the place He will set up His throne,
will ultimately crucify Him.
- We see the heartbreak of Jesus, & ask, why then did you allow sin?
- The answer is given in the same outcry, & mourning.
- Listen again,
Luke 13:34
34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!
- The answer is simple, He wanted us to choose Him.
- In the Garden, the choice was simple. Choose to believe God, or believe the devil.
- A choice was presented at that moment. A choice that God already knew the
decision, but He gave it to us anyway.
- The same choice is presented in this pandemic.
Q- Do you trust God?
- Did God cause this virus?
- Did God cause sin?
- No, but He will use them to increase the number of citizens for His Kingdom.
- No, I don’t mean in death, but God will use this fear of death to awaken many
people who have been asleep.
- Listen to Paul,
Ephesians 5:14
14 Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.
- Jesus looked out & could see those who were marked. His crying out was Awake
thou that sleepest.
- Chaplin’s are seeing a rise in people questioning eternity now, & there’s great
reason for it.
- People are seeing first hand what sin is doing to mankind, it’s killing us!
Q- Is this virus bringing an awakening, & revival in our world?
- I pray it is, but church let’s be ready for when see those awakening. We ca be the
beacon of light for them to see.
- We can be the example, the inspiration, & the instruments for God to use.
- Jesus’ call was for Jerusalem to awaken, but then, once they were awakened
they were run to Him. He is their shelter, & Savior.
2 Corinthians 4:6-12
6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
8 We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
9 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;
10 Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.
11 For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.
12 So then death worketh in us, but life in you.
- Back to the title of my message,
Q- What brings out the best in people?
- The last verse, verse 12, death.
- It’s not a death of fear, but one that is inspiration.
- Here’s my example,
- Listen to the Centurion.
Mark 15:37-39
37 And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost.
38 And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom.
39 And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God.
- It was in death that this man was inspired to follow Jesus.
- It was inspiration in the middle of death!
- This is the way our God works! The darkness might be all around us, but it can
never snuff out the light, that is God/Christ.
- Paul told the Church of Corinth, within this earthen vessel (this body made of
adamah, the Hebrew Word for ground/soil) is the greatest light the world has ever
know, it’s Jesus.
- When The Kingdom begins, & I mean when Jesus sets up His throne in the New
Jerusalem. There won’t be a need for the sun, because He is our light.
- That power, & light resides inside us!
- There will always be dilemmas, & like every nightfall there will be a sunrise.
Q- Why can’t we be the sunrise for someone?
Q- Why can’t we be like the moment that caused the centurion to look up & say this
must be the Son of God?
- Listen,
1. Pastors are circling hospitals & praying for those within.
2. Churches offering free meals to be picked up.
3. A church in another state bought hundreds of boxes cheerio’s, & handed them out
to parents as they drove through the school meal pickup line.
4. Churches are banding together, & making face masks.
5. A Church in California was able to service N95 masks that were previously unusable.
- People notice these things.
- Another man, who worked as a clerk in a store, saw a young lady searching for toilet
paper in the store. They were sold out, but this man had bought one of the last
packages earlier that day. He gave her the toilet paper, & prayed with her.
- Once again, people notice this.
- We are the light switch, & when we turn on people see Jesus!
- Here’s my last thought,
Q- Why was it so important that this soldier recognized Jesus is the Son of God?
- Here’s Luke 13:35 again,
Luke 13:35
35 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
- Death, It was right in front of this man. Death, it is all around us. It is desolate.
- Then we see Him. We know who He is.
- Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.
- This is my Redeemer, my Savior!
- All Hope is lost, until you see Him.
- Our message today is, He is still with us. Let’s flip the light switch on so others might
see that He is with us.
- I watch the daily numbers of infections, & for three days this week our numbers in
Fayette county are only 13, 9, & 7 people. When they used to be from 22 to 32 a
day.
- I have great hope that this thing is losing steam, but I never forget those who
are the ones who are the already infected.
- My prayers go towards them, because they are in the battle.
- Pray with me now, & let’s cripple the enemy as he cannot stand against our
God!
Prayer
