April 5, 2020
Morning Service

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My hope for this week was to focus totally on preparing for Easter which is just one short week away.  But, there is this dark cloud named Covid-19 that I cannot get away from.  It has become real this week as it has touched each of us personally and it is working quickly through our community.  I am no prophet, but it seems that times will get tougher before they get better.  It is likely that all of us will be touched by this virus in a very personal way.  One of the hardest parts is not really knowing what tomorrow holds; the uncertainty.  The last few weeks we have been encouraging each of you to look for opportunities to serve, pray don’t worry, listen for God speaking to you, and the need to yield your will for the good of all.  At first that seemed really easy to do that, but it becomes more difficult as virus spreads.  It is however, more vital that we stay the course and put these things into practice.  Don’t let the media guide your perspective, but focus on these questions of “what is God doing through this?”  “What is He revealing to His church and what is He telling me as His follower?”  For me it has been the Jesus whispering in my ear over and over “trust Me.”  Trust Me when you don’t understand.  Trust Me when it is hard.  Jesus knows what it is like to live in a life of turmoil.  He has worn our shoes before.  We find this in Hebrews chapter 4:

Heb. 4:14-16 That is why we have a great High Priest who has gone to heaven, Jesus the Son of God.  Let us cling to Him and never stop trusting Him.  This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for He faced all of the same temptations we do yet, He did not sin.  So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God.  There we will receive His mercy and we will find grace to help us when we need it.

        We can take great comfort in knowing that Jesus understands what we are going through.  He has been here and done it.  We read last week in Isaiah 53 that Jesus was “despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.”  Since He knows what we are going through and how hard it can be, we are instructed to “come boldly to the throne of grace!”  Don’t ever hesitate to bring your cares, both big and small, right before the throne of God through our Savior Jesus Christ.  Ask, seek, and knock and you will receive, find and it will be opened.  Jesus did.  The scriptures often refer to Him going off by Himself and praying to His Father to receive the strength He needed to go the next mile.  Jesus knows what it is like to live in a time of turmoil and what it takes to thrive in that moment.  He stayed connected to His source of strength as should we.  He was however, either blessed or cursed depending how you look at it, with knowing what tomorrow held.  I find myself getting caught up in a moment of work or enjoying the starry sky to suddenly realize that this is real and not a dream.  I can’t honestly stand before you today and tell you that God will protect us from this virus and the church will come out unharmed.  I don’t know what tomorrow holds for me or for you.  But I know who holds tomorrow; He knows and is in control.  He has walked this road before us.

            As we are to celebrate today the high point of Jesus’ life and ministry here on earth with His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, put yourself in His shoes for a moment.  Could He fully enjoy the moment knowing that Friday was coming?  Could He truly accept the praise from the very voices that would soon cry out to crucify Him?  We are not sure what tomorrow holds, but He knew and yet went anyway.  He trusted His Father’s plan and willingly did His vital part because He loved us.  I ask you to now trust Him in our time of turmoil and confusion.  We have no idea where this is going but we know Who it is that is leading us.  Follow Him.  We are to be like sheep following our Good Shepherd.  Jesus speaks softly to your heart today:

 

Joh 10:11-18 "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.  (12)  But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.  (13)  The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.  (14)  I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.  (15)  As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.  (16)  And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.  (17)  "Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again.  (18)  No one takes 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 command I have received from My Father."

            As sheep fully trusts and follows their shepherd.  We are to follow Jesus in the same manner.  This is not a path any of us would choose to walk down, but He is leading us down it.  Trust Him!  We can do our best to keep from being exposed to this virus, but it is God that holds our future in His hand.  If tough times are ahead trust Him to lead you and be with you.  He gave His all for you and will not leave you when you need Him most.  He looked beyond the short term future into eternity for us as again we read from Hebrews 12 as he references this “great cloud of witnesses” that were mentioned in chapter 11 the “Faith Hall of Fame.”

 

Heb. 12:1-3 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, (2) looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  (3)  For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.

            Look unto Jesus’ example that He set for us when your soul gets weary and discouraged.  In the end we win!  Covid-19 or Satan himself cannot take that from us.  The empty grave assures our victory!  Endure this cross that we have been asked to carry in this time of our lives looking to the joy that is set before us.  Don’t lose heart, God is in control; it is our Good Shepherd that leads us.  As James encourages us “draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” (4:8) There are many unanswered questions out there right now, but don’t let one of them be “who am I following?”  When we accepted His invitation to follow Him it did not come with guarantees of health, wealth, and happiness.  It came with a promise that He would be with us until the end and never leave us or forsake us.  This a time for your faith to shine; trust Him through this no matter where it leads.  We are promised this is Romans.

 

Rom 8:28 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.

Trust Him that there is good in this.  I see it in my life and in the life of many others.  That does not mean we will be free from pain but, let the Lord lead you through this time to draw you closer to Him and to build your faith in Him.  Jesus is leading and we are following.  He is our Good Shepherd as David so eloquently put it in Psalms 23; trust Him.

       

Read Psalms 23

 

“I will fear no evil; for You are with me.”  Jesus is walking through this pandemic with us.  He is whispering in each of our ears saying “trust Me.”  When times get hard and you don’t understand simply trust the One who is leading us; Jesus our Good Shepherd.  I do.

 

Heavenly Father, in this time of uncertainty, entrench within our heart to trust our Good Shepherd and follow faithfully, especially when times get hard.