COVID-19: How Do We Respond?

Please forgive me for being redundant and stating the obvious, but these are crazy times.  I’m so sorry that we are not gathering together in this room this morning, but after a very crazy two weeks or so, I wanted to share with you from God’s Word how we as the Body of Christ that is Emory Baptist Church can and should respond to the COVID-19 Crisis.  Next Sunday, we will return to Mark 11.

 

In Philippians 4, Paul addressed a crisis in the Philippian Church.  Now don’t get me wrong.  On paper, it certainly doesn’t seem like their crisis is of the same magnitude as our crisis. 

 

However, for them, I’m sure it was.  For Paul, I’m sure it was.  Certainly, Paul experienced his own different crises throughout his life.  Remember his experience in this same place, Philippi, from Acts 16:11-25. 

 

In verses 16 and 18, he encountered a girl who was demon-possessed.  In verses 19-21, he and Silas were arrested.  In verses 22 and following, they were stripped, beaten, and locked-up in prison.  Paul knew crisis.

 

At this time, there was significant division in the Philippian Church.  Two women in particular were at odds with each other.  Again, that doesn’t sound like a big deal, but to them, it was. 

 

We see Paul address them in verse 2.  They were Euodia and Syntyche, and Paul implored them, begged them, pleaded with them to be of the same mind in the Lord.

 

In verse 3, Paul even called on others in the church to help these two sisters in Christ come together.  The NKJV translation says “true companion,” but more than likely, this was the proper name of a man that Paul was calling on to help.  His name was Suzugos, and his name literally meant yokefellow, and Paul wanted the yokefellow to yoke these two ladies together or bring these two ladies together.  Paul also called on Clement to assist as well.

 

It is hard for me to wrap my brain around COVID-19.  People are sick.  Thousands have died.  Jobs have been lost.  Seasons are over.  Semesters are done.  Retirements are gone.  Churches will never be the same, and all because of something that we cannot see but has, in many ways, wrecked the entire world, and we are told, its only going to get worse.

 

From God’s Word, how do we respond?

 

 

1. Resolve, Philippians 4:1

1 Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved. 

 

Verse 1 begins with Paul reminding the Philippian Church of his affection for them, and I need to do so as well.

 

Emory Baptist Church, I love you, and I miss you.  You are loved by the Lord and by me and your staff, and I long for the day that we can gather together again soon.  May we never take that for granted ever again.  Don’t be at the lake when you can be at church.  Don’t be at the deer camp when you can be at church.  Don’t be at the ball fields or court when you can be at church.  Don’t sleep in when you can be at church.

 

You are my joy.  I love seeing you and shaking hands with you and hugging you and hearing what is going on in your lives. 

 

You are my crown.  It is my honor and my undeserved reward to be your pastor.  Again, you are loved by me and your staff, but more so by the Lord.

 

Therefore, stand fast or resolve.  Decide that we are going to make it through this crisis because we will.

 

Ultimately, we know that our home is in heaven according to Philippians 3:20.

 

20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ…

 

The nation of Israel knew what a crisis was, and they were resolved to endure because of who their God was.  Listen to Habakkuk 1:5-13.

 

5 “Look among the nations and watch—

Be utterly astounded!

For I will work a work in your days

Which you would not believe, though it were told you.

6 For indeed I am raising up the Chaldeans,

A bitter and hasty nation

Which marches through the breadth of the earth,

To possess dwelling places that are not theirs.

7 They are terrible and dreadful;

Their judgment and their dignity proceed from themselves.

8 Their horses also are swifter than leopards,

And more fierce than evening wolves.

Their chargers charge ahead;

Their cavalry comes from afar;

They fly as the eagle that hastens to eat.

9 “They all come for violence;

Their faces are set like the east wind.

They gather captives like sand.

10 They scoff at kings,

And princes are scorned by them.

They deride every stronghold,

For they heap up earthen mounds and seize it.

11 Then his mind changes, and he transgresses;

He commits offense,

Ascribing this power to his god.”

12 Are You not from everlasting,

O Lord my God, my Holy One?

We shall not die.

O Lord, You have appointed them for judgment;

O Rock, You have marked them for correction.

13 You are of purer eyes than to behold evil,

And cannot look on wickedness.

Why do You look on those who deal treacherously,

And hold Your tongue when the wicked devours

A person more righteous than he?

 

Remember, even in crisis, and resolve to live by faith.  Listen to Habakkuk 2:4.

 

4 “Behold the proud,

His soul is not upright in him;

But the just shall live by his faith.

 

And listen to Israel’s resolve in Habakkuk 3:17-19.

 

17 Though the fig tree may not blossom,

Nor fruit be on the vines;

Though the labor of the olive may fail,

And the fields yield no food;

Though the flock may be cut off from the fold,

And there be no herd in the stalls—

18 Yet I will rejoice in the Lord,

I will joy in the God of my salvation.

19 The Lord God is my strength;

He will make my feet like deer’s feet,

And He will make me walk on my high hills.

 

Brothers and sisters, times are tough, and again, they may only get worse before they are better.  However, resolve to endure.

 

 

2. Rejoice, Philippians 4:4

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!

 

Secondly, we can and should rejoice.  But what is there to rejoice about?  Notice the text.  Rejoice in the Lord.  Paul even said it twice.  We are to rejoice in and because of the Lord.

 

To rejoice is to make an intentional decision of choosing joy rather than being slave to our feelings and letting our circumstances determine our emotion. 

 

Rejoice that God is in still in control: Psalm 103:19.

 

9 The Lord has established His throne in heaven,

And His kingdom (or sovereignty) rules over all.

 

Rejoice that God is working all of this for our good and His glory: Romans 8:28.

 

28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

 

Rejoice that God promised to see us through this: Psalm 1:1-3.

 

1 Blessed is the man

Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,

Nor stands in the path of sinners,

Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;

2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord,

And in His law he meditates day and night.

3 He shall be like a tree

Planted by the rivers of water,

That brings forth its fruit in its season,

Whose leaf also shall not wither;

And whatever he does shall prosper.

 

And brothers and sisters, please, please, please during these crazy times, hear from God each and every day through His Word.  If you have never done this before, now is the perfect time to start.  If you have been doing this, please continue. 

 

Read 5 Psalms a day and one chapter of Proverbs daily.  Find a Bible reading plan on your favorite Bible App, and if you don’t have one, consider YouVersion and hear from God.

 

Rejoice that God will meet our needs: Philippians 4:19.

 

19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

 

And rejoice that God cares for us: Matthew 6:25-34.

 

25 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?  28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?  31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

 

In times like this, resolve and rejoice.

 

 

3. Respect, Philippians 4:5a

5 Let your gentleness be known to all men.

 

Our English translations don’t seem to have an exact way to translate Paul’s sentiment in verse 5, but the NKJV says let your gentleness be known to all men.  Your translation may say graciousness or kindness.

 

This morning, I’m saying respect.  Let your respect be known to all men and women in the church and in the world even if you don’t share the same perspective or opinion.

 

No one has ever been through what we are experiencing.  President Trump hasn’t.  Governor Abbott hasn’t.  Our doctors haven’t.  Our nurses haven’t.  Our employers haven’t.  Our schools haven’t.  Our churches haven’t.  I haven’t.  You haven’t. 

 

So be respectful.  Let your respect and gentleness and graciousness and understanding and patience be known to all on Facebook and Instagram and by email and text message.  We are doing this best we can to navigate these challenging and unchartered waters. 

 

 

4. Rest, Philippians 4:5b-6a

The Lord is at hand.  6 Be anxious for nothing…

 

Number four may be one of the hardest because these times are so crazy, but Paul encouraged the Philippians and us to rest or be anxious for nothing because the Lord is at hand. 

 

Paul believed then, and we certainly know this to be even more true now, Jesus is closer to returning today than yesterday.  Therefore, rest or be anxious for nothing or stop worrying if at all possible.  Even COVID-19, the Lord’s got this.

 

These verses serve us well here and allude to a greater truth coming.  Listen to Isaiah 26:3 and John 14:27.

 

3 You will keep him in perfect peace,

Whose mind is stayed on You,

Because he trusts in You.

 

27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

 

In crazy and uncertain times because of COVID-19, resolve to endure, rejoice in the Lord, respect others, and rest in Christ.

 

 

5. Request, Philippians 4:6b

…but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.

 

Instead of being anxious or worrying, we need to make our requests known unto God through prayer. 

 

Thanksgiving should be our attitude in prayer.  In all things, we are to be thankful for the fact that God is good, and He does good to us and for us.

 

It is hard to distinguish the last term of requests from supplication.  They both mean to speak or ask for definite answers to prayer. 

 

Instead of worrying about your marriage, request of God in prayer to fix you and your spouse.  Instead of worrying about your finances, request of God in prayer to fix your income and expenses.  Instead of worrying about your job, request of God in prayer to fix you coworkers and your employer.  Instead of worrying about your health, request of God to fix your family and your loved ones.

 

In everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. 

 

 

Conclusion

Perhaps the best part of today’s text is verse 7, and it is our conclusion.

 

7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

 

In verse 7, Paul described the result of all that he instructed in verses 1-6: resolve, rejoice, respect, rest, request.  It is the peace of God…which is hard to explain that surpasses all comprehension. 

 

Peace doesn’t make sense to the outside world.  When you’re in a crisis, it makes sense to panic and worry. However, the follower of Christ can have the mysterious peace of God.

 

Furthermore, it is that peace of God that stands as a guard over our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, the center of who we are.

 

John MacArthur wrote in his NT commentary on Philippians about this text, “The real challenge of the Christian life is not to eliminate every unpleasant circumstance; it is to trust in the good purpose of our infinite, holy, sovereign, powerful God in every difficulty.”

 

Finally, for some of you this morning, I want you to notice one caveat that pervades this passage of Scripture.  If you are not in Christ, what we have talked about today will be impossible for you. 

 

4:1 speaks of standing fast in the Lord.  4:4 speaks of rejoicing in the Lord.  4:7 speaks of being in Christ Jesus. 

 

You can’t have the peace of God until you are at peace with God.  And that only comes through a personal and saving relationship with Jesus Christ.  Romans 5:1 says it like this.

 

1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Today, if you are a follower of Christ, I hope you are encouraged from God’s Word. 

 

If you’re not, will you admit that you are a sinner?  Will you believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sins?  Will you call on Him as Lord and Savior and be saved?

 

At this time, please bow your heads and close you eyes.