Be Careful for Nothing (Coronavirus and the Greater Depression)

Outline is attached below.

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Be Careful for Nothing (Coronavirus, the Greater Depression) I. This coronavirus episode appears to be the judgment of God on a wicked nation. 1. We think we are so smart, but God has taken the wise in their own craftiness (1Co 3:19). 2. The wicked flee when no man pursueth (Pro 28:1). A. The people of this country are terrified of a virus that has killed a tiny fraction of people that the flu does every year. B. They are fleeing to their houses for safety when the threat is negligible. C. Part of God's judgment on a wicked nation is that instead of multitudes of other people being afraid of them (Lev 26:8), multitudes of them (the wicked nation) will be afraid of something that is no threat to them (Lev 26:17). D. This is what happened to the Assyrians (2Ki 7:5-7). 3. Another way God judged wicked nations is to turn them against each other and destroy themselves. A. God did this to the Midianites (Jdg 7:22), the Philistines (1Sa 14:20), and the men of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir (2Ch 20:23). B. It appears that God has done this to us. C. Because of fear of the coronavirus, the governments of the US (federal, state, and local) have shut down much of the economy which will make the depression that was already inevitable far more severe. D. We have shot ourselves in the foot because of unjustified fear. II. Whatever happens to us is deserved. 1. God has destroyed nations in the past for their wickedness (2Ch 36:14-21). 2. This is a wicked nation full of fornicating, sodomitical, pornography-viewing, God-rejecting, blaspheming, lazy, lascivious, licentious, and proud sinners. 3. Wisdom has cried for a long time and this country rejected it; now severe punishment is coming (Pro 1:20-33). 4. We deserve every bit of judgment we get and more. 5. Just pray that God will in wrath remember mercy (Hab 3:2). III. God sometimes allows His children to endure tribulation. 1. Paul went through deprivation and hardship (2Co 11:21-30). 2. Jesus had no place to lay His head (Mat 8:20), and He was ultimately tortured and murdered (Mar 15:15). 3. God's people throughout history have been banished, imprisoned, tortured, and executed (Heb 11:36-40). 4. We are blessed if we are endure tribulation (Rom 5:3-5). 5. If we endure it, the Lord will deliver us out of it (2Ti 3:11), either by life or by death (Rev 2:10). IV. Don't be afraid of what may be coming. 1. For one thing, we don't know for sure what tomorrow will bring (Jam 4:14). A. Therefore, don't worry about the evils that may come tomorrow (Mat 6:34). B. I am not saying that terrible things will not come. C. They may come (and I think they will); but even if they do, don't worry about it (Php 4:6). D. Careful adj. - 1. Full of grief; mournful, sorrowful; also (of cries, etc.), expressing sorrow. Obs. (last usage prior to 1611) 2. Full of care, trouble, anxiety, or concern; anxious, troubled, solicitous, concerned. E. When you are anxious, troubled, or concerned about the future, take that care to the Lord in prayer. F. When you do He will give you peace (Php 4:7 c/w Isa 26:3). G. Jesus will give you the peace in your soul that nothing in this world can (Joh 14:27). 2. Do not be afraid (Jos 1:9). A. Be not afraid of sudden fear nor of the desolation of the wicked (Pro 3:25-26). B. The Lord will never leave us nor forsake us; therefore we have nothing to fear (Heb 13:5-6). C. When you feel afraid of what may come, pray to God and trust that He will bring you through it (Psa 56:3-4). 3. If we are fearful and have lost the joy of the Lord, the devil has won. A. The joy of the Lord is our strength (Neh 8:10). B. No man can take our joy from us unless we let them (Joh 16:22). 4. The worst thing that can happen is death. 5. That's not something that a Christian should fear (Heb 2:14-15). V. God will protect and provide for His faithful children (Psa 91:1-12). 1. The coronavirus is a pestilence. A. Pestilence n. - 1. Any fatal epidemic disease, affecting man or beast, and destroying many victims. B. Noisome adj. - 1. Harmful, injurious, noxious. C. God protects His children from pestilences (Psa 91:3). D. The coronavirus is not deadly for most people anyway. i. People are much more likely to die of the flu (80,000 in US) or a car accident (39,404 in US) annually than the coronavirus (10,000 globally as of 3-20-20). ii. Why doesn't the government drop the speed limit down to 5MPH so that we can eliminate the 39,404 deaths per year on the roads of America? E. But if the coronavirus does endanger us, come to the house of God and pray to Him for protection from it (2Ch 20:9). 2. God can provide for His people in the midst of a horrible depression. A. He did so when Israel was in dire straits and the situation seemed impossible (2Ki 6:24-29 c/w 2Ki 7:1, 5-7, 15-16). B. He provided for Elijah and a poor widow when there was a famine in the land (1Ki 17:8-16). C. The Lord fed Israel in the wilderness. D. The Lord will not suffer the righteous to famish (Pro 10:3; Psa 34:9-10; Psa 37:25). E. The Lord will provide for all of our needs (Mat 6:31-33; Php 4:19). VI. The most important things to do. 1. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Mat 6:33). 2. Fear God and keep His commandments (Ecc 12:13). 3. Trust Jesus (Joh 14:1-3). 4. Go to church and worship God (Heb 10:22-25). 5. Rejoice in God our Saviour even if we do go through an awful depression (Hab 3:17-18).