Dealing with a Crisis

I left home at 6 a.m. on Wednesday morning.

I was going to Walmart to find flour and bread.

I went into Walmart and got one of the last bags of regular flour.

But there was no bread on the shelf, no loaves of bread.

So I took off to Ingalls.

I got the next to the last bag of self-rising flour.

And there was absolutely no bread to be found on any of the shelves in Ingalls.

Now I know most of you have had a similar experience.

Because right now at least, this is the new normal.

In fact, I heard someone say the other day that the way things are going right now,

they felt like we were living in the twilight zone.

We can relate, can't we?

However we describe it, we are living in the midst of the most disruptive crisis since World War II.

How are you responding?

How are you responding to the coronavirus crisis?

How do you normally respond to a crisis in your life?

Do you turn to God for help?

Or do you blame God?

Some people do.

And instead of turning to Him, some just turn away.

Or do you ignore God?

And just sort of do the best I can.

But realistically, you're doing the best you can like an atheist.

You're just leaving God out.

I want us to look at a passage, John chapter 11 this morning,

John 11 · chapter mention

that provides for us a great example of how Christians should respond to a crisis.

Now, what we're going to be looking at is how two sisters, Martha and Mary,

responded to a crisis.

Their brother had died.

His name was Lazarus.

Many of you are familiar with Martha and Mary and Lazarus.

They were friends of Jesus.

We learn from Luke's gospel, the 10th chapter,

that they hosted Jesus in their home.

It seems that they had a close relationship.

Mary, Martha, Lazarus, and Jesus.

Well, that's why when Lazarus,

what appears to have suddenly come down with a serious illness,

Mary and Martha sent for Jesus.

They sent word to Him because they wanted Him to come and heal their brother.

But Jesus did not immediately go.

And Lazarus died.

They buried Him.

And then four days later, four days after He was buried,

Jesus arrived at the house of Mary and Martha.

John describes all this to us in John chapter 11, verses 1 through 45.

John 11:1–45

We're going to read some of these verses as we go through this message.

But I want to encourage you, maybe sometime today,

to read John chapter 11, all the first 45 verses.

John 11 · chapter mention

Or you may even want to pause this message right now

and go ahead and read John 11, 1 through 45.

But as we go through this message,

I want you to keep in mind that the qualities we see in Jesus,

they're the same exact qualities that we see in God the Father.

One of the things Jesus did when He came into this world

is He revealed to us what God the Father is like.

Jesus explained it like this one day.

Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.

From this John 11 passage,

I want to point out two lessons

that can help us deal with any crisis,

including the coronavirus crisis

that we all have been touched by right now.

Lesson number one.

Whenever you face a crisis,

turn to the Lord.

Turn to the Lord.

When Mary and Martha found out

that their brother was seriously ill,

they immediately sent word to Jesus.

Look at it in verse 3.

So the sisters sent to Him, saying,

Lord, he whom you love is ill.

Now think about that.

Their first response to a crisis,

their brother was seriously ill,

well, they turned to the Lord for help.

Now we know from what they said later,

after Lazarus had died,

that they were hoping that Jesus would come

and heal their brother.

In fact, both Mary and Martha

said the exact same thing to Jesus later on.

It's found in verses 21 and verse 32.

They both said to Jesus,

Lord, if you had been here,

my brother would not have died.

Now, when a crisis occurs in your life,

what is your first response?

Now be honest.

Looking to the Lord is not always

our first response, is it?

Sometimes we do everything except look to Him.

Sometimes we panic.

Sometimes we not only panic,

but we say or do things that are irrational.

That's why there's a toilet paper shortage right now.

People are acting irrationally

in responding to this crisis.

Some people, what they react is

they try to downplay its seriousness

or maybe even ignore it.

Just pretend it's not there

and hope that it'll go away.

You know, there are some people right now

who are denying the seriousness

of the coronavirus pandemic.

They're trying to downplay it.

And I want to be honest with you.

At the first,

when things were starting to be said,

and it was mostly our media saying them,

I was one of the ones

who was guilty of denying it.

It was not really until last Friday

when President Trump came on,

surrounding himself with government

and private sector leaders,

that it really sunk into me.

This is something that is extremely serious,

deadly serious.

And so we need to avoid being that kind of person

who pretends it's not real or it's not serious.

That is not the way to respond to any kind of crisis.

But you know, I think a lot of people,

including Christians,

sometimes respond to a crisis

by just sort of what you might say,

buckling down, getting tough,

and just doing the best that we can on our own,

and really with very little thought

about looking to the Lord.

Now don't misunderstand that last statement.

When a crisis happens,

we need to act decisively

as well as turn to the Lord.

A few years ago,

on a Sunday morning,

Lisa passed out.

And when I went to her,

helping her to sort of gather herself together,

she complained with severe pain in her stomach.

Well, we got ready as quickly as possible

and took off to the ER.

And I am so glad we acted decisively

and quickly

because the pain was coming from her appendix.

And by getting there when we did,

they were able to do the surgery

before it ruptured.

Now, as we were getting ready,

hurriedly,

and as we flew to the ER,

we did turn to the Lord in prayer.

We asked God to help Lisa,

take care of her,

help her to get over this,

help us to get to where we need to be

for her to get help.

And I'm sure the way that I drove,

Lisa was also praying,

Lord, help us to not get killed

on the way there.

But,

as we got ready,

as we drove,

we did everything we knew to do.

We had hurried,

we'd acted decisively,

we had prayed,

we had looked to the Lord,

and we did what you might say

the best we could,

personally,

and in terms of turning it over to the Lord.

During this time of crisis in our country,

we desperately need to be

looking to the Lord

and calling out to Him

for help,

for wisdom,

for divine intervention

into this crisis.

But at the same time,

we also need to be listening

to our government and healthcare leaders,

and we need to be listening carefully.

We need to be following their instructions.

We need to be doing everything that we can

to stay healthy,

to help others,

and to stop the spread

of this very, very serious virus.

Now, I want to ask you,

do you naturally

and automatically

turn to the Lord

in a time of crisis?

I can predict your answer.

It really depends

on the kind of relationship

that you have with the Lord.

If you have a close relationship with Him,

you spend time with Him,

you talk to Him,

you listen to Him,

well, you'll just naturally turn to Him

whenever a crisis occurs,

and you'll turn to Him

with confidence.

But if you don't have

a real relationship with Him,

then you won't turn to Him.

You know,

if you don't have

a close relationship

with the Lord right now,

there is absolutely

no better time

for you to begin one

than now.

And I'm talking to Christians.

I'm talking to you

who you do know

Christ as your Lord and Savior.

You do pray at times.

You do read the Bible at times.

You're watching this message

right now.

But I want to encourage you,

start spending time

with the Lord every day,

seriously.

Just you and Him.

Talk to Him in prayer.

That's really what prayer

is all about.

Talking to the Lord,

communing to Him.

Listening to Him.

And think about

as you read the Bible,

this is God's Word.

This is God speaking.

Listen to the Lord

as you read His Word.

You know,

it may be that your life,

your schedule at least,

has slowed down.

Your life's slowed down.

Your schedule's gotten

a little bit lighter

during this crisis.

You may not have

warned it to,

but it is.

I want to encourage you

to take some of this time

and do some reading.

There's all kinds of

helpful Christian books

and articles available today

that you would profit from.

Help you to know God better.

To know how to live

in a closer relationship

with Him.

To know how to use

the gifts He's given you.

To know how to better serve Him.

You know,

our church family,

as a church family,

we have access

to some very good

online Bible studies

and resources

for people of all ages

through Right Now Media.

You can access

Right Now Media

on your computer,

your iPhone,

your iPad.

Now,

if you've never done that before,

I want to encourage you,

email Jeff Rafferty.

Email Jeff here at the church

and let him know

you would like to have access

to online

or to Right Now Media

and he can send you a link

that will get you started

immediately.

Or,

there is information

in this week's newsletter.

The March the 22nd newsletter.

One that was mailed

to your home this weekend.

It's also available online.

Just go online,

look at the newsletter

and there's information

how you can start looking

at these resources,

these helpful resources.

on Right Now Media

Right Now.

But having a close relationship

with the Lord,

that makes it natural

to automatically turn to Him

in a time of crisis.

Make sure

that this weekend

you get serious with the Lord.

Draw close to Him.

And the Scripture tells us

as we draw near to Him,

He will draw near to us.

The second lesson

I want us to see

from John chapter 11

John 11 · chapter mention

is this.

Whenever you face a crisis,

trust the Lord.

Now trusting the Lord

involves more than just

turning to Him

or calling out to Him

in prayer.

Here's what I mean

by trusting the Lord.

First,

trust that God

is in control.

Martha believed this.

She had absolutely

no doubts.

That's why she turned

to Jesus

and said this

in verses 21 and 22.

Lord,

if you had been here,

my brother would not

have died.

But even now,

I know

that whatever you ask

from God,

God will give you.

Martha

may have heard Jesus

on another occasion

explain in very simple terms

how God controls

everything in this world.

Look at what Jesus said

in Matthew chapter 10.

Matthew 10 · chapter mention

He said,

Are not two sparrows

sold for a penny?

And not one of them

will fall to the ground

apart from your father.

Jesus is talking about

a lowly, insignificant sparrow.

He is saying

that not even a sparrow dies.

Not even a sparrow dies

and falls to the ground

apart from God's will,

from God's plan.

Now,

I think it's important

that we understand

the point that Jesus

was making

when he made that comment

about God being in control

through the death

of a sparrow even.

Jesus was saying that

to calm fears

He was trying to

help people not worry,

not be anxious.

He was trying to let people know

that God not only

is in control,

but God cares.

Look at this.

It's the verse after,

the two verses after

verse 29,

verse 31.

Fear not, therefore,

you are of more value

than many sparrows.

It's important for us

to understand

that God is in control.

But that's not enough.

We need to have confidence

that our Lord

and our Heavenly Father

care about us.

Look at this.

Trust that God cares for you.

Mary and Martha

saw firsthand

just how much

the Lord cared for them

during their time

of grief,

this crisis

brought on by

their brother's death.

I want you to look with me.

We're still in John 11,

John 11:32–35

verses 32 through 35.

It says,

Now when Mary came

to where Jesus was

and saw Him,

she fell at His feet,

saying to Him,

Lord,

if You had been here,

my brother would not have died.

When Jesus saw her weeping,

and the Jews who had come

with her also weeping,

He was deeply moved

in His spirit

and greatly troubled.

And He said,

Where have You laid Him?

And they said to Him,

Lord,

come and see.

Jesus wept.

That helps us to see

that when we are hurting,

the Lord hurts with us.

Whenever a crisis occurs

in your life,

you can be assured

as a child of God,

you are not alone.

The Lord is our faithful shepherd.

He walks with us

through the valleys

of life and death.

You know,

during this time

of a national crisis,

I think it might be

helpful, comforting

to all of us

to take some time

to just read slowly

through Psalm 23

and to make it personal.

Make it personal

as you read,

The Lord

is my shepherd.

And let it sink in

and take comfort

from His words

of comfort.

Let's look at one more

reason for trusting God

in a time of crisis.

Trust that God is working

according to His good purpose.

You know,

Jesus did not prevent

the death of Lazarus.

Even though it caused pain

to His friends,

Mary and Martha,

their hearts were broken

because their brother died.

But Jesus knew

that God the Father

planned the death

of Lazarus

for a purpose.

Look at this

in verse 5 of John 11.

Jesus said,

It is for the glory of God

so that the Son of God

may be glorified

through it.

I want us to think

for just a moment

how both God the Father

and the Son

were glorified

through the death

of Lazarus.

First,

Jesus raised Lazarus

from the dead.

Look at this.

It's in verses 43 and 44.

When He had said

these things,

He cried out

with a loud voice,

Lazarus,

come out.

The man who had died

came out,

his hands and feet

bound with linen strips

and his face

wrapped with a cloth.

Jesus said to them,

Unbind him

and let him go.

Jesus brought

this dead man

to life

before all these people.

Truly,

God,

the power of God

was made known,

visible,

right there

before their eyes.

Both God the Father

and Jesus

who called him forth

received much glory

for their power

in bringing

back from the dead

this man,

Lazarus.

The scripture

goes on to tell us

that as a result

of what Jesus did,

many people

believed in Jesus.

In verse 45,

many of the Jews,

therefore,

who had come

with Mary

and had seen

what he did

believed in him.

they saw

the power of God

at work

and God not only

worked to bring

Lazarus back

from the grave,

in that experience,

in that time

among those people,

God worked

in their lives

to open

their spiritual eyes

and to call them

to faith in Jesus

right then,

right there.

We need to have

confidence

that God

is in control,

that he cares

for us

and that he works

in everything

for his glory.

But that's not all.

We also need

to have confidence

that God works

in all things

for the ultimate

good

of his people.

The Apostle Paul

assures us of this

in one of my favorite

verses in all the Bible.

It's in Romans 8, 28.

He says,

and we know

that in all things

God works

for the good

of those who love him,

who've been called

according to his purpose.

I can't think

of anything

more comforting

to me

as a child of God

as I go through

this time

of national crisis

than this promise.

Paul said it

in the context

of talking about

Christians' suffering.

Back up in Romans 18,

he said this,

for I consider

that the sufferings

of this present time

are not worth comparing

with the glory

that is to be revealed

to us.

This is a time

of suffering

right now

worldwide.

Many people

are suffering

throughout the world.

Many people

are suffering

in this country

including Christians.

Christians are suffering

physically,

emotionally,

financially,

socially,

and in other ways.

There is absolutely

nothing good

about this crisis

that we're going

through right now

in our country.

But God is working

in the midst

of this awful crisis

for ultimate good

in the lives

of his people.

One of the ways

God is working

is to develop

Christ-like character

in us,

his children.

Look at this

from Romans 8, 29.

For those

whom he foreknew,

he also predestined

to be conformed

to the image

of his Son.

God is working

in everything,

both good

and bad,

to make us

more and more

like Jesus,

to develop

Christ-like character

in us.

We as God's people,

God's children,

we need to trust

him as we go

through this time

of crisis.

We need to have

confidence

that God really

is in control,

that he really

does care for us,

that he is working

everything for his glory

and for ultimate good

in our lives

as his people.

You know,

Mary and Martha

experienced a crisis

related to the death

of their brother.

They responded well.

They are models

of how to respond

because they

looked to the Lord

in faith.

They truly

trusted

him.

But remember,

the Lord didn't make

the crisis go away.

Things got worse

before they got better.

Lazarus

died.

Mary and Martha

had to deal

with the pain

and the sorrow

of grief.

Grief over losing

their brother.

But we need

to always remember

in this story

and in life,

God is always

working in the midst

of these difficulties

for good.

He is always

working according

to his good

purpose.

He'll bring good

from the crises.

We've already

seen in this passage

both God

the Father

and the Son

were glorified.

Jesus raised

Lazarus

from the dead.

And many people

believed in Jesus

as a result

of this crisis

and the way

Jesus brought

him back

to life.

The Lord

also worked

in this experience

to draw Mary

and Martha

closer to him.

Now think about

that.

Their hearts

were broken.

They were grieving

the death

of their brother.

But the way

Jesus came to them,

the things he said

to them,

the way he responded

to them,

it made all the

difference in the world.

They drew closer

to him.

Think about what

happened.

Jesus walked

with them

through their

crisis of grief.

He was there.

He was with them.

Jesus even

wept

with them.

You know,

that's how

relationships

grow deeper.

We know that.

Haven't you

drawn closer

to people

who have been

there with you

during a crisis?

Or maybe

people who

shared a special

time of joy

with you.

It draws you

closer,

doesn't it?

Most people

draw closer

to those

that they

laugh

and cry

with.

That's why

we need

to have

a relationship

with God

through faith

in the Lord

Jesus.

If you don't

have a relationship

with the Lord

like that,

there's no better

time for you

to begin one

than right now,

this moment.

If you

sense your

need of a

real,

true,

saving

relationship

with the

Lord,

admit to

God

your sin.

Admit your

selfishness.

Admit how

you have been

living life

your way

instead of

His way.

Turn from

your sin.

Change your

mind.

What the

Bible calls

repent.

Turn from

your sin

and to

Jesus.

Trust that

when He died

on the

cross,

He actually

paid the

penalty for

your sins.

He took

the punishment

that you

deserve as

a result of

your sin

against God.

Call upon

Jesus right

now to

save you.

Call upon

Him to

become your

Savior.

Surrender

your life to

Him right

now as

your Lord,

your King.

You know,

if Jesus

died for

us, if He

gave His

life for

us,

in response

as we

trust Him,

we should

give our

lives back

to Him.

He is

trustworthy.

And I

encourage you

to make that

kind of

commitment

right now.

If you

are a

Christian,

but you've

drifted away

from the

Lord,

as I've

talked about

having a

real close

relationship

with God

earlier in

this message,

it bothers

you to know

that you

don't have

that kind

of fellowship

and relationship

with the

Lord.

I want to

encourage you

right now,

just admit

to God

that you've

ignored Him,

you've

drifted away,

or if you've

rebelled,

admit it,

confess your

sin,

turn from

it,

repent,

come back

to the

Lord,

trusting Him,

resting in

Him,

knowing that

through His

death on the

cross,

the penalty

for your

sins have

been paid.

Trust that

through faith

in Him,

His perfect

life is

credited to

you.

That's why

God can

accept us

because when

we are

trusting Christ,

we become

one with

Him.

He accepts

Christ's

perfect life

and His

death on

the cross

as ours,

His death

to sin

as ours.

You know,

right now,

we all need

to take

responsibility

to do

what we

can to

stay healthy,

to help

others,

and to

stop the

spread of

the coronavirus,

by listening

to our

state and

national

leaders.

This is

important.

And at

the same

time,

as God's

people,

let's make

sure that we

do turn to

the Lord,

trust Him,

and rest in

the fact that

God is

great.

God is

sovereign.

God is in

control.

God is

good.

God is

good.

God is

good.

He is

working out

His good

purpose right

now, even

in the midst

of this

crisis, in

your life

and in my

life as

His children.

Let's go to

the Lord in

prayer now.

Would you pray

with me?

Father, thank

You for

Your Word, for

these examples

of believers

who responded

to a crisis

by looking to

You and

trusting You.

Help us,

Lord, to do

the same.

Lord, show

us this

morning how

we need to

respond.

Show those

who do not

know Christ as

their Lord and

Savior their

need.

Convict them

of their sin.

Call them to

true faith in

Jesus.

Save them

today, we

pray.

And Lord, we

pray that You

will work in

the life of

Christians who

are not

close to You

right now.

give them a

true desire, a

hunger and a

thirst for

closer fellowship

with You.

Draw them to

You, Father.

And Lord, I

pray that You

will encourage

Christians who

are seeking to

walk with You.

They're seeking

to be faithful.

Lord, help

them, help

all of us to

be models in

our community,

among our

family members

and friends,

of how

Christians face

a crisis by

looking to

You, trusting

You, and

also seeking to

be the best

neighbors and

citizens that we

can by

cooperating with

our national and

state leaders

and doing

everything possible

to bring about

an end to

this global

pandemic.

pandemic.

And it's in

Jesus' name we

pray.

Amen.