3-15-20 Sermon Notes “Be Not Troubled” Psalm 91; Phillippians 4:6-7; Matthew 24:7 and Proverbs 1:7
Introduction
We cannot escape the news concerning coronavirus. Every time we turn on the TV or look at social media, there it is staring at us. With that being said, “How troubled are we with what we see happening?”
Message
Let’s begin with Psalm 91. We will be reading all of the verses to fully appreciate His protection.
1 “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
3 Surely he will save you
from the fowler’s snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8 You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.
9 If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
and you make the Most High your dwelling,
10 no harm will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
14 “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call on me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.”
Here are a couple more verses that should give us hope and guidance.
6 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Notice the part about guarding our hearts and our minds. It seems that we can easily become infected in our minds with the coronavirus even though we have not come in contact with anyone that is infected.
Concluding Remarks and Application
Stop now for a moment and think about what it would be like for the person who is not a God-fearer and Christ-follower as this crisis unfolds.
Let’s be reminded that we have faced serious health challenges before in our recent history. The swine flu, bird flu, H1NI flu, Ebola and the list goes on. This is not to minimize in any way the seriousness of the coronavirus and that we should not take precautions. It just illustrates what has been taking place in the past few years. And, we should not be surprised because we find in Matthew 24:7 “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.” New King James Version (NKJV)
When we began our series on Proverbs, we discovered early on that the central point was Proverbs 1:7 – “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” We quickly understood that this fear included respect. Respect that God is who He says He is and is in total control of the universe and all that happens within it. That is what we should ‘hang our hat on’ as events around us unfold and let our hearts not be troubled.