LESSON FROM COVID PANDEMIC: IF SERIOUS ENOUGH, WE ARE WILLING TO SACRIFICE COMFORTS, LUXURIES, LIFESTYLE, AND EVEN MONEY TO COMBAT A PANDEMIC

WHAT IF THE WORLD ATTACKED THE PANDEMIC OF SIN AS VICOUSLY AS WE’VE ATTACKED THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC?

HOW SERIOUS SHOULD WE TAKE THE SIN PANDEMIC?

• Christ put sin in the context of a in Luke 5:31
• The first command Christ ever gave the church in Matthew 18 was to the pandemic
• Sin is far more than COVID-19
  • Romans 3:23
  • Romans 6:23

APPLIED LESSONS FROM THE COVID PANDEMIC TO THE SIN PANDEMIC:

The

• • “Ventilators” only treat the symptoms of COVID, but does not fix the cause of why its needed
    • They are learning that in some cases, it makes it worse
  • Woman with migraines and blurry vision
    • Excedrin and glasses….really a brain tumor

So often, we focus so much on fighting the “symptoms of sin” but never the cause. We SUPRESS, CONTROL, but NEVER GET A HANDLE on Sin because we attack only the cause

• • 1 Corinthians 15:1-4
• Traditional Gospel Message:
  • We are sinners (generally by definition of moral comparison to God)
  • We deserve Hell (because we fall short of the moral expectation of perfection from God)
  • Christ, who was worthy and the only morally perfect, died on our behalf and made us worthy through faith
  • Therefore, we go to heaven

Question: Is this view “in accordance with the scriptures”?

(Not if its “in accordance” with Augustine, Aquinas, Calvin, or C.S. Lewis, but SCRIPTURE?)

• To answer the question “Why, what, or how Christ died for our sins on the cross” we must define three things:
  • The (where we came from)
    • Was man “born” to be the moral perfection within creation?
    • How do we define moral perfection?
      • Answer: The very Character of God defines moral comparison
  • God’s ultimate for creation (where we are going)
    • Is the ultimate mission/end state for creation getting man to heaven?
  • Sin
    • The obstacle that detracted us from our vocation and gets us to the end state of creation

Immoral behavior, while certainly under the cusp of sin, is not the definition but rather a result, or symptom, of the deeper cause that is sin and the purpose of man

Original Vocation of Man

• Our role in creation was intended to be:
  • Image-Bearers
    • That enabled us to serve and worship God
• Sin then, is anything that replaces or detracts God’s rightful place as the sole object of our worship and service

The Root of all Sin is IDOLTRY!

• Sin is not that we are morally imperfect, but that we are given every capacity to realize we are morally imperfect and God is perfect, and then fail to worship or serve Him!
  • Romans 1:18-23
  • Romans 14:22-23
  • Luke 14:26

*We worship the cross at the church altar on Sunday morning, then replace it with a Jack Daniels, PBR, Playboy (girl), Chevy, (or for the ladies Revlon or Coach) sign Monday morning

• In its most basic form, what Christ accomplished on the cross was to return man to his original vocation of worship and service
  • “Faith” is more than just “belief”, but belief that leads to “worship”
    • Satan and the demons “believed” Christ was the Son of God, but they did not worship Him
    • Abraham was accredited with faith, not because of His moral perfection but His worship
    • David was “a man after God’s own heart” despite his immorality
    • John the Baptist was considered the “Greatest born of woman” (Luke 7:28) but that those who followed would be “greater than He” because of their commitment to their vocation and worship
  • “Sin” is attributed to “death” and exile
    • You will certainly die…but they were exiled
    • Because, if you are not living to your vocation that God created you for, you are “Dead”, detached from the life-giving force

Social Distancing i.e. Temperance

• We recognize that WE and OTHERS have this disease, but we respond two ways
• Paul also admits the pandemic in Romans 7:14-18
  • One Response: Socially distance ourselves to other Christians
    • NOT THE BIBLICAL RESPONSE
      • 1 John 1:7
        • 1) We are morally unqualified, but we are qualified to worship God for who He is (morally worthy)
      • 2) The approach is not to protect yourself from others infection, but help each other heal together by encouraging each other in deeper worship
  • Other Response: Socially distance ourselves from things that steal our worship

Money, power, fame, cosmetics, alcohol, etc. is like fire, it makes a good servant but horrible master

Good Hygiene Habits equals Good Spiritual Habits

• CDC reinforced those hygiene habits we already knew
  • Don’t pick your nose
  • Don’t suck your thumb
  • Wash your hands
  • No touchy touchy
• Lets turn back to the good spiritual habits we know we should do and are not or not doing enough (Philippians 4:8)
  • Prayer
  • Quiet time
  • Bible study
  • Tithing and giving back to God
  • Serving God practically
  • Christian accountability

Return to the spiritual disciplines that grow and deepen our affections for God, that in turn deepen our worship for God that then deepen our fulfillment in our vocation

The bigger God gets in our life, the smaller our idols become, and therefore the less power sin has in your life

Quarantine

• We should quarantine ourselves from the things that grip us in sin
  • If you struggle from lust (porn) or gluttony (online shopping), do you quarantine yourself from the internet?
  • If you struggle with alcohol, do you quarantine yourself from bars and liquor stores?

WE MUST TAKE DRASTIC STEPS, AT THE EXPENSE OF OUR OWN COMFORT, LIFESTYLE, LUXURY, MONEY, AND EVEN TEMPORARY HAPPINESS TO COMBAT SIN IN OUR LIVES

THE CURE

• COVID-19 does not have a cure, sin DOES!
• Imagine you had the cure to COVID and you just sat on the couch? Would you do that? And yet, that’s exactly what we do to the cure of sin!

WE HAVE THE CURE TO SIN: JESUS!!!