Family Life at Cornerstone

The Voice of COVID-19

Podcast Introduction

Hello out there, my name is Breck Wheelock and I would like to welcome you to another episode in which we will be looking to Scripture to help us navigate through this time of corona virus crisis. Our text for today’s episode comes from the book of Amos; specifically, chapter 3, verses 3-6. And as we did a couple of lessons ago, we will be considering the expositional insights of Charles Spurgeon regarding this passage. Spurgeon chose to preach on this particular text because of a severe outbreak of cholera that was occurring in London at the time. He titled the sermon, “The Voice of the Cholera” (sermon 705), and it was preached from the Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit in London on August 12th of 1866.

I have selected and edited only those portions of the sermon which I felt best suited the purposes of this podcast, and I have modified some of Spurgeon’s language to make it more understandable to our modern ears. In altering the text, I did my best to maintain the integrity and the intent of Spurgeon’s thoughts. If you would like to read the original sermon in its entirety, it is readily available online. In fact, you can even listen to the original sermon being read on YouTube.

The primary lesson that we will be pondering in this episode is this: when God judges a nation, it is not without a purpose, and He will not remove the judgment, until its full purpose has been accomplished.

With that, let us begin by reading from chapter 3 of Amos. Though Spurgeon will only be focusing on verses 3-6, I will read verses 1-6 so as to give us a bit more context.

Text: Amos 3:1-6 (NKJV)

Hear this word that the Lord has spoken against you, O children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt, saying:

2 “You only have I known of all the families of the earth;
Therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.”

3 Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?
4 Will a lion roar in the forest, when he has no prey?
Will a young lion cry out of his den, if he has caught nothing?
5 Will a bird fall into a snare on the earth, where there is no trap for it?
Will a snare spring up from the earth, if it has caught nothing at all?
6 If a trumpet is blown in a city, will not the people be afraid?
If there is calamity in a city, will not the Lord have done it?

Spurgeon begins his sermon with the following introductory remarks:

Sermon Introduction

We have all been grieved by the mortality that has been caused by the mysterious spread of cholera in our great city of London; thus, I shall speak boldly as to the theological aspect of the subject. As Christians, we believe that God sends all pestilences and that He sends them with a purpose. Therefore, as a minister of God, it is my business to call the people’s attention to God in this time of disease, and teach them the lessons which God would have them to learn.

To begin, I do not believe that every affliction is a judgment upon each and every individual person to whom it occurs. We see that in this world, the best of men often endure a great deal of suffering, and that the worst of men frequently have very little suffering.

Let’s pause for a moment here because this is a very important distinction that Spurgeon is making. When God sends a widespread judgment, such as a famine or a plague or a war, these types of judgments are not directed at individuals, they are directed at nations (Spurgeon is going to elaborate on this point in the next few sentences). Moreover, it is critical that we understand as God’s people that when we have to go through a national judgment, such as the one that we are currently enduring vis-à-vis the corona virus, God is not punishing us. Christ has already suffered the punishment for His people’s sins; He paid the debt of our sins in full, there is no remaining balance. The slate is completely clean for God’s elect. However, that being said, God will still occasionally judge His people in the sense of disciplining and chastising them, as a father disciplines or chastises his children.

Spurgeon continues:

Though we do not believe that every affliction is a judgment upon each and every individual person to whom it occurs, we do, however, very firmly believe that there are national judgments, and that national sins provoke national chastisements. As to individuals, their punishment or reward is reserved for the Great White Throne Judgment of Christ; but nations will not exist in the next world: there is no such thing as a judgment of nations, as such, at the last great day; that will be the judgment of individuals one by one. The trial and punishment of nations takes place only in this present world, and it is here that we are to look for the judgment of God upon national sin. In light of this, I shall speak to you today regarding the national chastisement that God is presently visiting upon England.

This is an EXCELLENT point that Spurgeon makes, and we don’t want to miss it because it is the foundation which he is going to build upon throughout the remainder of this sermon. His point here is that there will not be any nations (plural) in the next life, there will only be one kingdom, one nation (singular) – the true Israel of God. Furthermore, this heavenly nation will be completely pure – no sin, no curse, no death, no sorrow, no pain, no trials or afflictions or tribulations. In short, there will be no judgments upon this heavenly nation because there will be no need! Sin will have been completely vanquished and all things will have been reconciled by the blood of Christ.

But in this life, there are many nations; and on this side of heaven, God will frequently visit and judge a nation according to its wickedness. During such times of national judgment, God’s people are not immune; for them, the judgment is meant as a chastisement, as we already noted. With this foundational principle in mind, let us commence with Spurgeon’s verse-by-verse exposition of the passage, beginning with verse 3:

Verse 3

THE FIRST QUESTION that Amos asks, says Spurgeon, is this: “Can two walk together except they be agreed?” In other words, can God continue to walk with a sinful people? Is it not to be expected that when a nation falls out with God, God will no longer continue to bless it? In this metaphor given by Amos, two travelers have been cordially walking together for some time when suddenly they fall to angry words, and after a while one strikes the other and mistreats him. Are we to think that the one attacked (in this case, God) will continue to walk with the one who maliciously assaulted Him (in this case, the nation of Israel)? They must part company.

Now, when God walks with a nation that nation prospers, but if that nation falls to words with God, quarrels with Him about His will and His law, and rushes perversely into sinful ways; indeed, if there be some in that nation who would have no God at all, who do their best to stamp out/destroy/eradicate His very name from the earth which He Himself has made, then we cannot expect that God should continue to walk with such offenders.

Brethren, let me ask you soberly, has there not been enough wickedness in England, and especially here in London, to make God angry with us? Has there not been serious disagreement between the dwellers in this city and God? Has there not been enough to make Him say, “I will walk no more with this people: I will greatly chasten them, and send heavy judgments upon them”?

Let’s stop here for a moment to reflect upon these poignant questions that are being asked by Spurgeon. Consider our own nation. Has our nation fallen to words with God? Has our nation quarreled with Him about His will and His law? Have we removed prayer from our schools? Have we removed the 10 Commandments from our courthouses? Have we rushed perversely into sinful ways? Are there many in our nation who would have no God at all, who do their best to stamp out/destroy/eradicate His very name from the earth? Has there not been enough disagreement between the people of our nation and God to make Him say, “I will walk no more with this people: I will chasten them, and send heavy judgments of disease and economic devastation upon them”?

These are sobering questions, questions that we really don’t want to address, questions that make us very uncomfortable. But maybe that’s the point. Maybe we’ve become too comfortable. Maybe God has sent this judgment precisely to make all of us extremely uncomfortable. Certainly, God would have the unbelievers of our nation to be uncomfortable; to stop them from carrying on in their wickedness, if but only for a season, and to cause them, perhaps, to consider heavenly things and to forsake their wicked ways.

But what about us, as believers? Would God send this judgment to make us uncomfortable too? Well, the wickedness that we now see coursing throughout our nation didn’t happen overnight, and it didn’t occur in a vacuum. Are there not many who profess Christ in America? How, then, have so many evil atrocities overtaken our land? Have we who profess Christ become complacent? Have we become apathetic? Have we become desensitized to the sins of our nation? Have we been negligent in civic affairs? Have we failed to cast our vote? Have we declined to speak up when we had the opportunity (sins of omission)? Have we ourselves, from time to time, sat at the table of the world and joined in the revelry of Babylon (sins of commission)? Have we made no contribution in God’s anger toward our nation?

Brethren, each of us would do well to contemplate these questions, and in deep humility, to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to us those ways in which we may have provoked the Lord to judge our country.

This is precisely what Spurgeon would urge his own congregation to do. He goes on to list several of the sins of England that, in his opinion, would be more than enough reason for God to visit London with His judgment of cholera. He says that:

The rampant drunkenness of England is enough to provoke God to smite it with all His thunderbolts. Moreover, there can be no doubt that amongst all classes and ranks of men there is enough debauchery and lewdness to bring down Heaven’s wrath upon our city. The sins of the flesh are sure to be visited before long by that God who loathes iniquity, and in whose nostrils, fornication is a stench. He will not forever endure this abounding sin, for it is committed, be it remembered, in a country famous above all others for its love of home and its high esteem of the joys which cluster around family life. So long as this continues, we need not wonder if God’s health-giving providence should refuse to walk with us, for He cannot be agreed with a people who choose the way of unrighteousness.

Note the specific sins that Spurgeon has here enumerated: rampant drunkenness, along with general debauchery, lewdness, and flagrant and prolific fornication, which inevitably leads to the degradation of the purity of family life. Do we not see the same depravity occurring within our own country; indeed, even more so?

Surely the drunkenness of London in 1866 pales in comparison to the drug abuse that now infests every one of our major cities, and which has infiltrated even the most remote small towns and main streets of America. And what shall we say about the degradation of the purity of family life that results from general debauchery, lewdness, and fornication? Could Spurgeon have even conceived of a society that would actively promote and celebrate homosexual, transgender, and polyamorous relationships; a society that would redefine marriage itself and legalize the marriage of same-sex couples? Could he imagine a civilization that would murder over half a million of its unborn children every year?

Thus, we must conclude with Spurgeon, that so long as these evils continue, we need not wonder if God’s health-giving providence should refuse to walk with us, for He cannot be agreed with a people who choose the way of unrighteousness.

Now, to be clear, I’m not saying that we, as God’s people, are the ones who have brought this judgment of corona virus upon our nation. No, I’m not saying that. What I am saying is that as God’s people, we need to be willing to search ourselves to see if there be any unclean thing in us that may have acted as kindle or spark in igniting the fiery anger of God’s judgment.

Brethren, this is what I’ve been trying to do. I’ve been trying to ask those hard questions. Have I contributed in any way to the degradation of the purity of family life? For those of you who might not know, I work in surgery, and my work takes me to many different hospitals throughout the Dallas metroplex. Over the last several weeks, I’ve overheard many conversations among doctors and nurses in which they’re complaining about the stress and the strain of having to participate in educating their kids because the schools are closed. What is being communicated quite clearly from these types of conversations is that children are really just a gigantic burden, and at least for these parents, they’re really not interested in doing the hard work of teaching and disciplining their children, they would rather leave that job to others. In other words, they’re just not really interested in being parents. And to my shame, I often don’t speak up. These are missed opportunities where I could have tried to elevate the purity of family life, but I didn’t. And I’ve been convicted of this and I’ve had to repent.

To give another personal anecdote. There’s a surgeon I often work with who is catholic, and he’s quite passionate about protecting unborn life. He openly talks about the heinousness of abortion with those who are in the operating room while he’s working. He also frequently speaks out against the LGBTQ agenda and the devastating effects that their agenda is having on the home.

Now, it’s important that we exercise a good deal of discernment in the conversations that we have at our workplace. But that being said, I greatly admire this surgeon’s boldness to speak truth, and it has challenged me to be more active in seeking out those opportunities, when appropriate.

Moreover, since my work has been greatly reduced over the past several weeks, I’ve had a lot more time at home with my wife and kids, and I’ve been trying to make the best use of this time. I’ve been trying to reestablish things that I’ve somewhat been neglecting. For example, getting back into the habit of having regular and consistent worship time with the kids, going over catechism questions with them, and helping them to memorize Bible verses.

Husbands/fathers, are you shepherding your family as you have been commanded to do? Are you washing your wife with the Word? Parents, are you pouring yourselves into your children? Are you diligently striving to raise your children in the fear and admonition of the Lord? If we fail to do things, should we be surprised that the world around us has such a low opinion of family life?

Before we return to Spurgeon, allow me to make one more comment here. When it comes to engaging the culture and speaking out against the sins of our nation, our church, Cornerstone Baptist, does much that is to be commended. Just recently, the leadership of our church encouraged us to take part in the 40 Days For Life campaign, whose purpose is to help people in local communities end the injustice of abortion through prayer and fasting, community outreach and peaceful vigil. In addition to this, Justin dedicates a sermon every year to the subject of abortion and the sanctity of life, and he also speaks out, from time to time, against the LGBTQ agenda. Furthermore, I know that many of you are shepherding your families well and that you frequently engage with your neighbors, coworkers, friends, and extended family members so as to be a faithful witness to Christ. We even have a deacon who works for a law firm that is dedicated to defending our religious freedoms! There is much to be applauded when it comes to the leadership and to the faithfulness of the people at Cornerstone, and to the extent that we remain faithful in doing what God has called us to do with regard to our families, our church, and our nation, we are innocent of any national judgments that may befall us.

Continuing on, Spurgeon gives another example of a great national sin that would provoke God to send the judgment of cholera upon England. He says,

Brethren, if there be any one thing which yet provokes God above all this, it is the fact that, we have once again, as a nation, permitted Roman Catholicism to claim to be our national religion. In our Established Church the gospel is no longer dominant, though there is a remnant of good and faithful preachers who still linger, and who are like a handful of salt amid general putrefaction. We no longer have any right to speak of our national Protestant Church; it is not Protestant, for it tolerates all the heresies of Rome. Not many streets from the church in which we are assembled, you may have your candles, and your incense, along with all the other pomps and vanities of the detestable idolatry of Rome. That Romanism against which many bore testimony and thus burned at the stake as martyrs to the truth. That monster, that old wolf that tore out the palpitating hearts of your forefathers, you have suffered to come back into your house, and you are cherishing it, and feeding it with your children’s meat. Once again, the harlot of Babylon flaunts her lasciviousness in our faces almost without rebuke. It is the same spirit of Antichrist with which your fathers wrestled, and yet our country bears it, and even rejoices in it. Is it for nothing that God has favored this land with the gospel? Must all her light be turned to darkness? Must all the gains of the valiant men of old be lost by the laziness and cowardice of this thoughtless generation? In days past, men like John Knox, Hugh Latimer, and John Bradford, fought like lions for the truth, and are we to yield like cowards? Are the men of oak succeeded by the men of weeping willows? The men who cried, “No Romanism here!” now sleep within their tombs, and their descendants wear the yoke which their fathers scorned. Shall not God visit us for this?

We must remember the context here. Spurgeon is speaking of his own nation, England, and the year is 1866. Without getting into the rich protestant history of Great Britain, suffice to say, much blood had been shed over the centuries to free the English people from the tyrannies of the Roman Catholic church. In light of this, Spurgeon is quite beside himself that the protestant church of England was losing all the ground that it had gained – and at so great a price – to the idolatry of Rome. For Spurgeon, this national sin of failing to protect the true gospel and failing to protect England’s godly heritage that had been passed down to them by the blood of martyrs, was the most provocative sin of all, and demanded that God come down to judge England with plague and pestilence.

Once again, consider our own national roots. Those who first came to the shores of America were by and large seeking religious freedom whereby they could pursue holiness without fear of persecution by tyrant kings. As a result, our government and legal system was ultimately established upon Judeo-Christian values, as was our original education system. Of the first 100 colleges and universities in America, only a handful were not established by Christian denominations or by individuals who declared a religious purpose. This is our American heritage. But where are we now? Do our government officials fear God? Do our judges uphold justice? Do our public schools teach our children to meditate upon and delight in the law of the Lord day, or do our public schools teach our children to hate God, and to meditate upon and delight in whatever is right in their own eyes? We have not succumbed to the idolatry of Romanism, we have succumbed to the idolatry of Humanism; we have not merely allowed a perversion of the gospel to take hold in our society, we have allowed a hatred of the gospel to take hold in our society. Which is worse, a nation that will tolerate a perversion of the gospel, or a nation that will tolerate no gospel at all? If the England of Spurgeon’s day was worthy of national judgment, how much more is our own nation worthy? We must again agree with Spurgeon’s assessment.

Can two walk together, except they be agreed? Rampant drunkenness, debauchery, fornication, failure of God’s people to protect the purity of marriage and family, failure of God’s people to protect their Godly heritage, etc. – these things are obviously contrary to the mind and will of God; thus, we cannot wonder if there should be a plague upon our nation.

Verse 4

Continuing on to verse 4, Spurgeon writes:

THE SECOND QUESTION of the prophet is this, “Will a lion roar in the forest when he has no prey? Will a young lion cry out of his den if he has taken nothing?” Amos had observed that a lion does not roar without reason. By the use of this rhetorical question he brings forward the second truth, that when God speaks it is not without a cause, and especially when He speaks with a threatening voice. My brethren, our God is too gracious to send us this cholera without a motive. Are we to imagine that the Lord has done this for nothing? To accomplish no purpose? The great Lion of vengeance has not roared unless sin has provoked Him.

Since I have already indicated our great national sins, I should like to ask those Christians who are present what role they may have played in these sins. You who profess to be people of God, and who recognize God’s hand in this visitation with cholera, I ask you how far has justice found provocation in you? What have you had to do, professing Christians, with the drunkenness of this city? Are you sure that you are quite clear of it? Have you both by your teaching and by your example shown to men that the religion of Jesus is not consistent with drunkenness? Oh, if you have been guilty, I pray you seek to be purged of this sin. You cannot wipe out all the national iniquity, but if each man reformed himself of this vice, by God’s grace, this great evil would cease.

Let each Christian look at home. Have you in any way fallen into lightness of talk and thought, and so helped to increase the flood of this evil? Oh, my brethren, who among us must not confess to some guilt? Let us bow our heads in penitence, and seek to the God of all grace that He would not roar over this His prey, but be pleased to purge us from it that we may be clean in His presence.

And as to this resurgent Romanism — have we spoken out about that? Or do we lend it our direct or even indirect support? God grant that if we have not repudiated it we may do so, and holding the truth in the love and power of it may we come out of Babylon, lest we be partakers of her plagues in the day when God shall visit her in His wrath. Such, I think, was what Amos indicated by his second question.

Here is where we see Spurgeon urging his congregation to look inwardly, to see what role they may have played in the national sins that he previously mentioned. As we have already observed, this is the proper response of God’s people during a time of national judgment. We are to take inventory of our own lives, and see if we have lent direct or indirect support to those sins which have given cause for the Lion to roar over His prey.

Verse 5

Moving on to verse 5, Spurgeon writes:

THE THIRD QUESTION is this: “Can a bird fall in a snare upon the earth where there is no trap for it?”

You see the bird in flight that suddenly swoops to the ground and is taken into the net. Amos is here directing us to the fact that the bird would not be taken into the net unless the net had been purposely designed and laid out in order to catch it. It is taken because the snare was meant to take it, and Amos means to remind us that men do not die without a design on God’s part. It is the same thought as before, but it is held up in another light. The bird is not taken in the net without the design of the fowler, and men do not fall into the net of death without an intent on God’s part. Death, with all which it involves on earth and in eternity, is not sent by God without a reason. Forever banished from the Christian’s conversation is the word “chance.” God rules and overrules all things, and He does nothing without a motive. The insatiable archer is not permitted to shoot his bolts at random— every arrow that flies bears this inscription, “I have a message from God for you.” When God sends disease to walk through the streets at night, to stretch out His mighty but invisible hand, and take away a child, or a young man, and give over to the grave those who might have otherwise had a long life, do not for a moment think that the Lord has done so without some holy and wise purpose to have been accomplished by it. We must conclude that a purpose, consistent with the love and justice of God, lies hidden in this present harvest of death.

Then follows a FOURTH QUESTION: “Shall one take up a snare from the earth and have taken nothing at all? In other words, the fowler does not remove the net until he has caught his bird. Thus, this fourth question implies that God has a purpose in sending tribulation, and we should expect that He will not remove the tribulation that He has sent until its full purpose has been accomplished. Whatever God has to say to London, if He be heard at once, He need not speak again, but if He is not heard the first time, there shall come a second voice, and yet another. The fowler doesn’t take away his net unless a bird has been caught by it, and God takes not away the trouble which He sends unless it has fulfilled the design for which it was sent. If you ask me what I think would be His design in sending us cholera, I believe it to be this—to wake up our indifferent population, to make them remember that there is a God, to make them more receptive to the influences of the gospel, to drive them to church, to prepare their minds to receive the Word, and moreover to startle Christians into energy and earnestness, that they may work while it is called today.

My reason for selecting this subject at all was so that I might be a useful instrument in the hands of the Holy Spirit to aid in this great design. Brothers and sisters, you are acquainted with history, and you have reason to bless God, that as He has turned the pages of history, we have been spared many of those dreadful calamities which have occurred in this and other lands. Who can read the story of the plague of London without a shudder? Who has read of famines in this land without gratitude for the abundance of bread? Who can turn to the descriptions of past bloody wars without thankfulness that we live in better days? But it is much to be feared that a constant run of prosperity, perpetual peace and freedom from disease, may breed in our minds just what it has done in all human minds before, namely, security and pride, heathenism and forgetfulness of God. It is a most solemn fact that human nature can scarcely bear a long continuance of peace and health. It is almost necessary that we should be every now and then salted with affliction, lest we putrefy with sin.

Let’s briefly stop to elaborate upon this point. Spurgeon states that a constant run of prosperity, perpetual peace, and freedom from disease will inevitably lead to a false sense of security, pride, heathenism, and forgetfulness of God. This is exactly what has happened to our nation. And for this reason, though I want this judgment to end, I pray that God would not remove His net until He has caught His bird. God has used COVID-19 to overthrow our high places, to topple over our many idols. How many in our nation have made an idol of sports and entertainment? How many have made an idol of material wealth? How many are addicted to ease, and creaturely comforts, and a life of indulgence, extravagance, and affluence? In so many ways, God has used COVID-19 to topple over our nation’s idols. But if after this judgment is removed, we immediately rush back to those high places and raise up those idols that the Lord toppled over so that we might worship them once again, then this judgment will only have been a foreshock of a more violent quaking – an even greater judgment – which will most assuredly come. God forbid that we should escape this judgment with our tail between our legs, only to return straightaway to our vomit, licking our lusts and lapping up the empty luxuries of this fallen world. We would hope that this mild rebuke would be enough to teach us to heed the words of the Preacher – that without the fear of the Lord, “all is vanity”. To quote Ezekiel Hopkins,

“What is gold and silver but diversified earth, and hard and shining clay! The richest perfumes are but the clammy sweat of trees. The softest silks are but the excrement of a vile worm. The most expensive wines are nothing but puddle-water strained through a vine. Our choicest delicacies are but dirt, cooked and served up to us. The truth is, the world is much better in show than in substance. How vain is the world at the hour of death! Nor can these earthly pleasures free us from our cares and crosses. In God alone can be found true rest and satisfaction. Let us, then, turn the stream of our desires away from earth to heaven, for there alone can we find permanent and lasting satisfaction. Let us walk humbly with our God.” (Works, I:14-50)

Amen. Let this judgment of COVID-19 be used to wean us all from the world; to remind us all to walk humbly with our God. Our prayer should be that the Lord’s will would be done; that the great Fowler would not gather up His net until He catch His fowl; that COVID-19 would not be removed, until it has accomplished all the purposes for which it was sent; that it would continue on its purifying path until we have all thoroughly learned its lesson. Lord, let us hear the voice of the Preacher that you have sent to us, let us hear the voice of COVID-19,

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:

Fear God and keep His commandments,
For this is man’s all.

For God will bring every work into judgment,
Including every secret thing,
Whether good or evil. (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)

Verse 6

Finally, regarding verse 6 of Amos chapter 3, Spurgeon offers the following comments:

Thus far, we have seen that it is no wonder if disease should come, we have learned that it does not come without a cause, we have seen that when it does come there is a design, and that it will not be removed unless that design be answered, and now we are prepared to take the further step, raised by THE FIFTH QUESTION, namely, that an awakening should be the result. “Shall the trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid?”

During war in ancient times, there were men stationed upon watch towers, and when they saw the enemy coming the trumpet was sounded, and the people rushed to arms. The sound of a trumpet was the warning of war. This cholera is like the sound of a trumpet. Pestilence is a trumpet which must be heard; its echoes reach every citizen within the boundaries of a nation. In the darkest cellar in the most crowded haunt of vice; and in the palaces of kings, in the halls of the rich and great, the sound finds an entrance and the cry is raised, “The death plague is come! The cholera is among us!” All men are compelled to hear the trumpet-voice— if only they would heed its message! If only all of us would be aroused to search our own heart, and, above all, would fly to Christ Jesus, the great sacrifice for sin, and find in Him a rescue from the greater plague, the wrath to come!

The great end and design of God, then, it seems, is to arouse the city, and that arousing should follow from the fact declared in THE LAST QUESTION: “Shall there be calamity in a city, and the Lord has not done it?”

Shall there be cholera in the city, and God has not done it? My soul cowered under the majesty of that question, as I read it; it seemed to stretch its black wings over my head, and had I not known them to be the wings of God, I would have been afraid. The text talked with me in this fashion: — It is not the cholera which has slain these hundreds, the cholera is but the sword; the hand that directs and wields this sword of cholera is the true master of death. God himself is traversing London. God, the great Judge of all, at whose belt swing the keys of death and hell, the mysterious One whose voice made the stars, and can quench them at His will; — it was none other than He who walked down our crowded courts, and entering our lanes and alleys called one after another the souls of men to their last account! God is abroad! God has come down, and is going through this city. Tread solemnly when you go to your business tomorrow morning; you walk the streets where God has walked. The last time this disease was here I had a pervading sense of the presence of God wherever I went. It seemed to me as if the veil between time and eternity were more transparent than usual. If anything ought to compel our attention to God’s voice, if anything ought to make us feel His rod, it is the fact that it is not the rod that smites, but God Himself that uses the rod.

Spurgeon ends his verse-by-verse exposition on a very sobering note. He admits that verse 6 rattled him at first, for he recognized that God, not cholera, was the One taking those many lives in London. Cholera was simply the means that God chose to use, the instrument by which to sound His voice among the people. Likewise, COVID-19 is an instrument of God, a trumpet blast that is meant to awaken both believer and unbeliever alike. For the believer, it is a disciplinary trumpet, a reminder that this life soon shall pass, and only what is done for Christ shall last. For the unbeliever, it is a threatening trumpet, a warning to repent before a greater judgment comes.

I will leave the closing remarks to Spurgeon himself, and will not add any additional comments as they would only serve to diminish the power of his words.

Concluding remarks

My dear hearers, I will speak as God’s mouth to you as the Holy Spirit shall enable me. Is not the Lord speaking to all of us both saints and sinners, and warning us to be agreed with him? O you who are his blood-bought people, believers in Jesus, is there any sin that has parted you from communion with Christ? Have you fallen into anything which has provoked the Spirit, so that His comforts are withdrawn? If so, by deep humility and earnest prayer, flee to the foot of the cross of the Lord Jesus, and pray— “Return, Oh heavenly Dove, return, sweet messenger of rest;
I hate the sins that made You mourn, and drove You from my breast.”

And for those of you who are not His people, can you bear to be at disagreement with God? How can He walk with you? You ask His protection, but how can you expect it if you are not agreed with Him? If two men walk together, there must be a place where they meet each other. Do you know where that is? It is at the cross. Sinner, if you trust in Jesus, God will meet you there. That is the place where true at-one-ment is made between God and sinners. If you go to Jesus in repentance, saying, “Have mercy upon my iniquity; wash me in Your blood,” you shall be agreed with God, and then you may look forward to living or dying with equal delight, for if we live, we shall walk with God on earth, and if we die we shall walk with God above.

Brethren, while the lion roars, should we not remove any evil which may have caused His anger to burn? Christian, search yourself now and purge out the old leaven. The head of the Jewish household, when the feast of unleavened bread drew near, not only put away the loaves of bread ordinarily used in the household, but he also took a candle and searched every part of the house, lest there should be even a crumb of leaven anywhere. He cleansed it all out. Likewise, Christian, as this is God’s visitation, ask for the candle of the Holy Spirit to discover any little sin. Let any little self-indulgence into which we have fallen be conscientiously given up, and for the sake of that dear Savior who denied Himself every comfort for us, let us take up our cross and follow Him, determined that if the Lion shall roar, it shall not be because of any prey in us.

And oh, sinner, against whom God has been roaring, do you not remember His own words, “Beware, you that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver.” Who can remove the iniquity which provokes the Lord to jealousy, except the dying Savior, the Lord Jesus? He has put away sin by bearing it in His own body, and if you trust Him, there shall be no sin in you to provoke God.

Moreover, the Lord our God speaks to us by His providence, and says, “Submit yourself, this day, to God’s design.” The great Fowler has spread the net: He will not take away that net until He has caught the bird. Be caught in it; fly not from your God. If He puts out even an angry hand, fly into it: there is no shelter from an angry God but in the pierced hand of His dear Son. When vengeance would strike a heavy blow, the closer you can get to it, the less will it wound you. Get close to God in Christ; cling to Him, and He will not destroy you. Fly to Jesus! Sinner, fly! Be taken in God’s net. Say to God, “What would You have me to do? Would You have me to be Yours? Here I am, Lord; before You take me in the nets of death, take me in the nets of grace. Before the snares of hell prevent me, let the blessed snare of Your eternal love sweetly entangle me. I am Yours, do as You will.”

Be awake, Christian, and be aware of God’s design, for the trumpet is sounding, and when the trumpet sounds, the Christian must not slumber. Let the presence of God infuse into you a more than ordinary courage and zeal. My brethren, I charge you, as you love Jesus, as you know the value of your own soul – now, if never before, be in earnest for the salvation of the sons of men. Men are always dying, time like a mighty rushing stream is always bearing them away, but now they are hurried down the torrent in increasing numbers. If you and I do not exert ourselves to teach them the gospel, upon our heads must be their blood. We know that it is God’s work to save, but He works by instruments, and we have His own solemn word for it: “If the watchman fails to warn them, they shall perish, but their blood will I require at the watchman’s hands.” Are there no houses in your neighborhood where Jesus is unknown? Is there no court, no lane, no alley near to where you reside, without God and without Christ? Have you no friends who are unconverted? Have you no acquaintance unsaved? It is a great mercy when the bell tolls if we can say of those who die, “I did all I could to save them from ruin.”

As for myself, I know that there are some of you here, who, if you be lost, are not lost for lack of warning, nor for lack of teaching. I have set before you life and death; I have threatened you in God’s name, and I have directed you to the precious blood of Jesus. Years ago, there seemed to be some hope about you, but it was like the morning cloud and the early dew; for you are still unsaved. When I heard the other day that Mrs. So-and-So was dead, and that she died of cholera, I could not lament, for she was one who had long feared God. When they told me that a worthy young man had fallen, I was sorrowful to have lost so good a student from the college, but I was thankful that one who had served his God so well in his youth had gone to his rest; but if I heard of the death of some of you, it would cause me unmingled grief and fear. Some of you have been sitting here for years who will, I fear, go out of this church to destruction— you know you will, unless you are changed. If you die as you now are you have nothing to expect but a fearful judgment and a fiery indignation. Some of you know well the result of sin, and yet you choose it; your consciences prick you often, and yet you run against them; you have been alarmed and so awakened that it seems impossible that you can continue as you are; but alas, you will not turn and your end is coming.

My hearer, it is terrible to think of your doom. God has warned you that He will meet you in another world, and when He does, you will not be able to say that He did not speak openly and honestly with you during your time in this world. You will be speechless, because the trumpet was sounded and you did not heed the warning; God was in the city, but you would not hear Him. Death spoke as His minister, but you plugged your ears because you were resolved to die, and your heart was set on mischief. You scorned eternal life and chose destruction for the sake of a few worthless pleasures, or a deceitful darling lust which will treacherously stab you through your heart; you let Jesus go and heaven go, and all this for a moment’s pleasure! Ah, my hearer, you shall have much to answer for. I pray that you will not venture into eternal wrath. Give these words some consideration, I beg you, and as you consider them, may the Holy Spirit fasten them as nails in a sure place, and may you seek the Lord while He may be found, and call upon Him while He is near, for this is His word to you, “As I live, says the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked would turn from his way and live.”

Amen. May the Lord bless these words to your soul.

Providential Afflictions

By Breck Wheelock, April 7, 2020

Hello out there. My name is Breck Wheelock and I would like to warmly welcome you to today's podcast episode in which I will be discussing the doctrine of God's Providence, and we will be taking a particularly close look at providential afflictions. I think that this is a timely thing to study given that the entire globe right now is undergoing affliction with COVID-19. Why would God decree this global affliction? Why does God decree afflictions at all? How are we to respond to the afflictions that He has decreed for our own lives? These are the types of questions that we will consider in today's episode.

Let's begin our study of God's Providence by looking to the Heidelberg catechism. Question 27 of the Heidelberg catechism asks, “What do you understand by the Providence of God?” And the answer that it provides is as follows: “Providence is the almighty and ever present power of God by which He upholds as with His hand, heaven and earth and all creatures and so rules them that leaf and blade, rain and drought, fruitful and lean years, food and drink, health and sickness, prosperity and poverty, all things in fact come to us not by chance but from His Fatherly hand.

Following this, question 28 asks, “How does the knowledge of God's creation and Providence help us?” And again, the answer that it provides: “We can be patient when things go against us; we can be thankful when things go well; and for the future, we can have good confidence in our faithful God and father that nothing will separate us from His love. All creatures are so completely in His hand that without His will, they can neither move nor be moved.”

The answer to that first question (question 27 of the Heidelberg catechism) provides a fairly extensive and comprehensive definition of Providence, and it's really quite excellent. And then, the answer that is given in question 28 is meant to answer how this doctrine of Providence can be helpful to us, and it provides three reasons. It says: (1) We can be patient when things go against us; (2) We can be thankful when things are going well; and (3) for the future, we can have confidence in our faithful God, knowing that nothing can ever ultimately separate us from His love.

Kevin DeYoung, in his book, The Good News We Almost Forgot, provides some commentary on these questions and answers that we just looked at in the Heidelberg catechism. I'd like to read, just briefly, some of the comments that he makes. DeYoung writes:

For many Christians, coming to grips with God's all-encompassing providence requires a massive shift in how they look at the world. It requires changing our vantage point from seeing the cosmos as a place where man rules and God responds, to beholding a universe where God creates and constantly controls with sovereign love and providential power. We can look at providence through the lens of human autonomy and our idolatrous notions of freedom, and see a mean God moving tsunamis and Kings like chess pieces in some kind of perverse divine playtime. Or we can look at providence through the lens of scripture, and we can see a loving God counting the hairs on our heads and directing the sparrows in the sky so that we might live life unafraid. “What else can we wish for ourselves,” Calvin wrote, “if not even one hair can fall from our head without God's will?”

There are no accidents in your life. Every economic downturn, every phone call in the middle of the night, every oncology report, has been sent to us from the God who sees all things, decrees all things, and loves us more than we know. Whether it means the end of suffering or the extension of our suffering, God in His providence is for us and never against us.

Providence is for our comfort. (1) Providence is for our comfort because we can be patient when things go against us. Joseph's imprisonment seems pointless, but it all makes sense now. Slavery in Egypt, makes perfect sense now. Even killing the Messiah makes sense now. So maybe God knows what He's doing with the pain and suffering and afflictions in our lives. (2) Providence is for our comfort because we can be thankful when things go well. How often do we pray for safe travel, or for healing, or for a spouse, or for a job, and then we never get around to thanking God on the other side of that blessing? If we truly believe in providence, we will view success and prosperity not as products of a good upbringing, or of good looks, or of good intelligence, but ultimately as the unmerited favor of a good God. (3) Providence is for our comfort because we can have confidence for the future. The fact is, all your worries – they may come true! But God will never be untrue to you. He will always lead you and listen to you.

God does often work in mysterious ways. We may not always understand why life is what it is, but God’s providence helps us face the future unafraid, to know that nothing moves - however mysterious - except by the hand of that great Unmoved Mover, who is our Father in heaven.

Amen.

Kevin Young is exactly right, as are the answers provided by the Heidelberg catechism. The doctrine of Providence should provide us with tremendous comfort. What if the world was being governed by chance? (And yes, I know that this is a contradiction in terms. How can chance be governed? But just stick with me for a moment.) Things look bad enough now. We often look at the events in our own lives, or the events of the world, and we wonder what is the reason for this? What is going on right now? Indeed, is that not what many of us are thinking as we look out upon the world and see this global pandemic of COVID-19? What is the reason for this? But at least as Christians, we know that there is in fact a reason! Can you imagine a world in which there was no reason? A world that is governed by chance? (Again, a contradiction in terms.) This is the world of the evolutionary naturalist. And it's a hopeless world because there is no rhyme or reason as to why human beings go through suffering. In fact, there's not even a reason as to why there are human beings at all. But because of the doctrine of providence, as Christians, we know and take comfort in the fact that God is working all things according to the counsel of his own will. (Ephesians 1:11) Indeed, we know that for those who love God, all things are working together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28) And again, if God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31)

These promises and blessings that we take comfort in are a result of God's Providence. And in light of these great promises and blessings, we are to own the truth of God's Providence, not merely to acknowledge it. To quote Charles Spurgeon:

“Blessed is that man who is done with chance, who never speaks of luck, but believes that from the least, even to the greatest, all things are ordained by the Lord. We dare not leave out the least event. The creeping of an aphid upon a rosebud is as surely arranged by the decree of Providence as is the March of a pestilence through a nation. Believe this. For if the least thing is omitted from the Supreme government, so may the next be, and the next, until nothing is left in the divine hands. There is no place for chance, since God fills all things. When we own the truth of God's Providence, we are able to say with Job – the Lord providentially gives, and the Lord providentially takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

A very timely quote.

Now, since all things have been ordained by God, we are not to murmur or complain against His Providence. If God is in control of all the things that happen in the world and that happen to us, then to complain or murmur about our circumstances is really to complain or murmur against God. Please don't misunderstand what I'm saying here. I'm not saying that when we're going through an affliction that we can't cry out to God and even at times say, “How long, Oh Lord, shall I have to endure this? When will you deliver me?” We see ample examples of that in the Psalms. What I am saying, is that we need to follow the example of our Lord in the garden of Gethsemane, “Not my will, but Your will be done.” That is to be our mentality as Christians. We are not to be constantly ranting and raving about this, that, and the other thing. We should not be characterized as one who is always bitter, or angry, or grumbling, or discontent about our lot in life, and/or discontent about what's going on in the world around us. As ambassadors of the King. We don't want to give the impression that our King is impotent, or incompetent, or even aloof. This would be to misrepresent our sovereign Lord. We don't want to give the impression to others that our God lacks power, or lacks wisdom, or just doesn't care when it comes to His people or when it comes to the events that are taking place in the world around us. Again, that would be to misrepresent our sovereign Lord.

We are not to murmur or complain against God's Providence; indeed, we are to trust in God's Providence. To quote Thomas Watson:

“God is to be trusted when His Providences seem to run contrary to His promises. God promised David to give him the crown, to make him King, but then Providence turns contrary to that promise. David was pursued by Saul. He was in danger of his life, but all this, while it was David's duty to trust God. The Lord will oftentimes bring to pass His promise by what would seem to be a contradictory providence. Consider acts chapter 27, in which Paul was thrust into a violent storm at sea while being transported, along with many others, to Rome under a Roman guard. God promised Paul the lives of all that were with him in that ship, but now the Providence of God seems to run quite contrary to what He promised. The winds continue to blow, the storm continues to rage, the ship splits and breaks apart. But it was through this that God fulfilled His promise upon the broken pieces of the ship. They all came safely to shore. Therefore, trust God when Providence seems to run quite contrary to His promises.”

A great quote by Thomas Watson.

Not only are we to trust in God's providence, but we are actually told to rest in God's providence. We're not to be of the mindset that thinks, “Oh yeah, I know that God's in control. I get it. But I don't like this, and I'm going to stomp my feet and throw a spiritual temper tantrum. I'm going to kick against the goads.” No, that is not to be our mindset. Again, I'm not saying that we can't be frustrated when we're going through some kind of affliction, and I'm not saying that we can't bring those frustrations boldly before the throne of grace and ask that we would be delivered, and ask that He might give us a reprieve from our afflictions. Of course that's okay. We are free to vent our frustrations before the Lord, but we are always to lay them at His feet and say, “Not my will, but Your will be done.” That is resting in His providence. We are to cultivate a calm and resting temperament, a calm and resting disposition.

No matter what befalls us, our default mentality should be to accept whatever happens to us as the absolute best thing for us. Whatever God has planned for my life, it is good. Every single detail of it is good. In fact, it's not only good, it is the best plan. There could be no better plan for my life because God is the one who planned it. We are to implicitly assume that God is working all things to the maximum display of His glory, which is our chief end. This is the heart of Psalm 46 whatever our present providential circumstances might be, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. [Though the whole world is having to endure the plague of COVID-19.] Be still and know that I am God. [Rest in me, be still and know that I am God.] I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:1-3, 10)

And so we are to trust in God's providence, we are to rest in God's providence, but more than this, we are to improve upon His providences by remembering His faithfulness in the past. Often, we are so anxious about the future that we neglect to remember past providences when He has delivered us from affliction, time and time again. We want to hit the fast-forward button, when the doctrine of Providence would have us hit the rewind button. We would all like to hit the fast-forward button right now when it comes to this COVID-19 pandemic. When is it going to end? How much damage is it ultimately going to do? How many people is it going to kill? How much destruction is it going to wreak upon our economy, and upon the economy of the world? On and on the questions go. We find ourselves wanting to press the fast-forward button, but we should instead be pressing the rewind button. What do I mean by that? Look back upon your life and see how the Lord has delivered you over and over again when you were going through a trial or tribulation or an affliction. When you look to your past, you see that He has been faithful. He has been exactly what He says He is – faithful to His people. Thus, if we press the rewind button and we see nothing but faithfulness, why would we think that the future is going to hold anything different?

God has given each of us a memory – which is a tremendous grace – and He expects us to use it. How many times are we exhorted in the Psalms to remember what He has done in the past? Considered Psalm 77, a Psalm of Asaph. Asaph begins this Psalm very downtrodden and dejected, but then there's a shift in which he reminds himself to remember how the Lord has delivered him in past afflictions. He says,

“I cry aloud to God and He will hear me. In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord; in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying; my soul refuses to be comforted. When I remember God, I moan; when I meditate, my spirit faints. You hold my eyelids open; I am so troubled that I cannot speak. I consider the days of old, the years long ago. I said, ‘let me remember my song in the night; let me meditate in my heart.’ Then my spirit made a diligent search: [See, he's searching his memory to remember those times when the Lord was faithful and he continues.] ‘Will the Lord spurn forever and never again be favorable? Has His steadfast love forever ceased? Are His promises at an end for all time? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has He in anger shut up His compassion?’ Then I said, ‘I will appeal to this, to the years of the right hand of the Most High.’ I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember Your wonders of old. I will ponder all Your work, and meditate on Your mighty deeds. Your way, Oh God, is Holy. What God is great like our God? You are the God who works wonders; You have made known Your might among the peoples. You with your arm redeemed your people, the children of Jacob and Joseph.” (Ps. 77:1-15)

Asaph began the Psalm downcast, but once he remembered the faithfulness of God in his own life, and the faithfulness of God to His people throughout history, it lifted his spirit and he was no longer downcast. He was comforted, and we are expected to do the same [to find solace in remembering past providential deliverances].

But let us also consider the flip side of this. What happens when we neglect to remember the past providences of God, the ways in which He has delivered us from past afflictions? David speaks of this in Psalm 106. Beginning at verse 7, David says,

Our fathers, when they were in Egypt, did not consider Your wondrous works; they did not remember the abundance of Your steadfast love, but they rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea. Yet He saved them for His name's sake, that He might make known His mighty power. He rebuked the Red Sea, and it became dry, and He led them through the deep as through a desert. So He saved them from the hand of the foe, and redeemed them from the power of the enemy. And the waters covered their adversaries; not one of them was left. Then they believed His words; they sang His praise. But they soon forgot His works, and they did not wait for His counsel. But they had a wanton craving in the wilderness, and they put God to the test in the desert; He gave them what they asked for, but He sent a wasting disease among them…They made a calf in Horeb and worshiped a metal image. They exchanged the glory of God for the image of an ox that eats grass. They forgot God, their Savior, who had done great things in Egypt, wondrous works in the land of Ham, and awesome deeds by the Red Sea. Therefore, He said He would destroy them – had not Moses, His chosen one, stood in the breach before Him, to turn away His wrath from destroying them. (Ps. 106:7-15, 19-23)

Clearly, we see that when God delivers us in times of trouble, in times of tribulation, in times of affliction, He expects us to remember when He does these things and even to teach them to our children, and to our children's children! But He expects us to remember so that we can improve upon these providences; so that when the next affliction comes, we're not taken aback. We've “been there and done that,” and we’re ready to put our trust in the Lord once again.

Moving on, let us now observe that providential affliction is one of the most efficient ways of producing the fruits of righteousness in the Christian. Psalm 119 verses 67 and 71 says, “Before I was afflicted, I went astray, but now I keep your word. It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn your statutes.” Here David admits that it was good that the Lord afflicted him because otherwise he would have continued to go astray. But because he was afflicted, it caused David to stop wandering, to go back to the word of God and to learn His statutes. David was sanctified and made righteous through his affliction. Trials and tribulations, persecutions and provocations – these things are essential for producing the fruit of the Spirit. For instance, how is the Spirit to produce in us the fruit of longsuffering if we never experienced any suffering? How is the Spirit to produce perseverance, hope, patience, meekness, self-control, etc., apart from the means of conflict, apart from the irritating frictions of the world, apart from affliction? This is why James 1:2-4 says, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” Again, Romans 5:3-4, “But we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope.”

The Lord uses abrasive experiences as a means of exfoliating the Christian’s flesh (his remaining sin) so that the radiance of the new man might be increasingly brought to the surface. As a skillful sculptor, God uses the chisel of trial to chip away at the Christian’s exterior so that the interior image of Christ progressively takes shape and comes into form. As the master potter, God uses the hands of affliction to press against the Christian’s clay body for the purpose of preparing him for glory as a vessel of mercy.

Furthermore, providential afflictions provide a healthy litmus test for the Christian who can easily become complacent, unsuspecting of the gaping holes that exist in his faith. To quote William Jay, “Afflictions are to the soul, like the rains to the house; we suspected no apertures [no holes in the roof] until the droppings through told the tale.” What William Jay is saying here is that if we were to imagine our faith as a house, we often think, “Oh yeah, the roof is sound, it's good.” But then an affliction comes our way and it starts pouring down upon us and suddenly we see how many leaking holes there are in the roof of our faith.

Peter remarks that the authenticity of our faith is like gold and it must be tested in the fires of affliction if the impurities are to rise to the surface and the dross is to be removed.

First Peter 1:6-7: “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

Trials have a unique way of revealing to us what is truly in our heart, who we really are, and what we really believe. Trials slap our faith in the face to see if our faith will turn the other cheek. Again, to quote William Jay, “I little thought that I was so proud, until I was required to stoop. I little thought I was so impatient, until I was required to wait. I little thought I was so easily provoked, until I met with such an offense. I little thought I was so rooted to earth, until so much force was exerted to detach me from it.”

Being confronted by affliction exposes our weaknesses so that we might grow in the faith and become more useful. Knowledgeable Christians are valuable, but Christians who have had their faith tried and purified are invaluable. Think of Job, or David, or Daniel, or Paul, how useful these men were precisely because they had their faith so severely tested. As David writes in Psalm 40:1-3, “I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me, and He heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and He set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps. He has put a new song in my mouth – praise to our God; many will see it and fear, and will trust in the Lord.” Here David is saying that he was delivered from a horrible pit, a miry clay. He had been providentially afflicted, but the Lord delivered him. And what was the result of having gone through this affliction? He was now more useful to the Lord. A new song had been put into his mouth. He was praising his God in a new way so that others would see it and fear the Lord, and they too would put their trust in Him.

Consider also 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 where Paul writes, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” By enduring affliction, we become more useful. God comforts us in our tribulation and it then prepares us to do the same for others who go through similar tribulations. Consider someone who has been diagnosed with cancer and has to go through extensive cancer treatment, yet the Lord delivers him through it. This person is now uniquely equipped to help his brethren who might undergo similar trials and testing. This cancer survivor has become more useful because he was afflicted, and the Lord delivered him through that affliction.

Undergoing distressing and trying experiences is a remarkably effective means of the Spirit for working out our sanctification. By faithfully enduring hardship, our usefulness is increased exponentially during times of affliction. As we exercise our faith (and I'm going to play on that word exercise here) during times of affliction, as we work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, our spiritual muscles are built up through the repetition of putting them to work against an opposing resistance. Being thus spiritually stout and able bodied, we become veteran Christian soldiers who are now well-equipped to share in carrying the load of others to assist in bearing the heavy burdens of our brethren.

Let's observe one last quote from William Jay, and this is one of my favorite quotes of all time when it comes to providential afflictions. William Jay writes,

“The oak that has been scathed with lightning attracts the notice of passengers more than all the other trees of the forest. [Let's just pause for a moment because I love the imagery here. He's saying, imagine you're walking through a forest and you see an oak tree that was struck by lightning – that's going to cause you to stop and take a closer look, isn't it?] Trouble awakens the attention and draws forth inquiry. [When people see someone who is troubled, it causes them to stop and take notice, just as in the case of the lightning-struck oak tree] The Christian is never so well circumstanced to glorify the Lord as when he is in the fires of affliction. There he can display the tenderness of God's care, the truth of His promises, the excellencies of the gospel, the support of divine grace. In the review of my own varied intercourse with society, I confess nothing so vividly and powerfully affects me as what I recollect to have met with from pious individuals exemplifying the spirit and resources of Christianity under bodily disease and the losses, bereavements, and disappointments of life. [What William Jay is saying here is that as a pastor, when he has had to go and visit people in his congregation who are suffering from disease, or they've suffered some tremendous loss, or they're undergoing bereavement or some disappointment in life, when he sees them being faithfully content, nothing so impacts him as when he encounters such faith.] Oh, when I have visited such a martyr, such a witness for God; when I have found him standing in the evil day like a rock in a raging current with sunshine on its brow; when I have observed him full of tribulation in the world and having peace in Christ; mourning more for his sins than his sorrows, afraid of dishonoring his profession by impatience and unbelief; more concerned to have his crosses sanctified than to have them removed; turning a tearful eye toward the Inflictor and saying, ‘I know Lord, that your judgments are right, and that You in faithfulness have afflicted me; just and true are all Your ways, oh You, King of saints; You have done all things well.’ When I have witnessed religion – and I have witnessed it – accomplishing achievements like these, I have said to it, as I withdrew, ‘I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You.’ As the sky is only decked with stars in the night; so the Christian shines most in the darkness of affliction.

Powerful, powerful quote.

Finally, consider how the good shepherd uses the prod of pain and the goad of suffering to drive His sheep toward the heavenly pastures of the new Jerusalem; to remind His people that they are exiles, aliens, foreigners, sojourners; to avoid loitering on their pilgrimage to the Celestial City.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18, “Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

Trials and tribulations and suffering taught Paul to have an eternal perspective. He understood the importance of disciplining his body and bringing it into subjection lest he be disqualified from obtaining an imperishable crown.

Philippians 4:11-13, “I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Paul had learned to be content in all things; to rely on Christ’s strength to fight the good fight and press on to glory. And this is the example that every Christian is to emulate.

Romans 8:18, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”

In summary, we are to find comfort in God's providence; we are to own the truth of God's providence, the good, the bad, and the ugly; we are not to complain or murmur against His providences, rather, we are to trust and even to rest in His providence; we are to improve upon His providences by remembering His faithfulness in the past. Providential afflictions are a means of producing the fruit of the Spirit; testing the genuineness and the strength of our faith; sanctifying us and making us more useful; and keeping our eyes on heavenly eternal things, rather than on earthly temporal things.

Brethren, during this time of pandemic there has been much discussion over what constitutes an “essential business” – what should remain open and what should be closed for the time being. Well, I would submit to you that spiritually speaking, all of us as Christians have essential business that needs to continue. We are to be faithful to Christ, no matter what our circumstances might be.

I'll leave you with this. Even if our blood should be contaminated by disease and pestilence, the blood of Christ is perfect and pure, so as to conquer death and hell. Thus, we as Christians can say, “Where is your sting, oh COVID-19?

For this perishable body must put on the imperishable and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written, “Death is swallowed up in victory. Oh death, where is your victory? Oh death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. (I Corinthians 15:53-58).

Amen.

May the Lord bless you and keep you. Thank you for listening. I hope this has been profitable for your soul.