March 22, 2020
SOVEREIGN GRACE BAPTIST CHURCH
MEETING LOCATION
251 Green Lane
Ewing, NJ, 08368
Clay Curtis, pastor
Telephone: 615-513-4464
Clay@FreeGraceMedia.com
MAILING ADDRESS:
7 Birch Street
Pennington, NJ, 08538
Schedule of Services
Sunday 10: 15 AM Bible Class
Sunday 11:00 AM Morning Service
Thursday 7: 30 PM Midweek Service
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NURSERY
We have a nursery equipped with a
digital flat screen television broadcasting all services live, for children
four and under.
All
articles by the pastor unless otherwise noted.
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SUBSCRIBE TO OUR YOUTUBE WEBSITE: The videos are now listed as individual
sermons, as well as full services—click here.
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ANNOUNCEMENT: Our Friday night class for our young people for
March 27 is canceled due to the virus. Next class tba.
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Proverbs 14:23: In all labour there
is profit: but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury.
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CORONAVIRUS: WHO,
WHAT, WHY?
Ezekiel 14:1-23
Does God control the coronavirus? What
is it? Why was it sent? What should I do personally? If you have not asked these questions or been
asked these questions it is very likely you will. The answers are given in this passage.
Who Sent the Coronavirus?
The sovereign God of heaven and earth sent
this virus, controls it and accomplishes his purpose with it. God says he sends “the sword, the famine,
the noisome beast and the pestilence [virus, plague]” (v21). The sovereign God of heaven and earth controls
all things in creation greatest to smallest, good or evil (Am 3:6; Isa
40:21-26). Brethren be comforted that everything
in this world, in this land, in his church, in my life and in yours is running
right on track. And be comforted that
God’s sovereignty in creation is a reminder of his sovereignty in salvation.
What is the Coronavirus?
The Coronavirus is God’s
judgment upon sinners, “Son of man, when the land sinneth against me by
trespassing grievously, then will I stretch out mine hand upon it,…and will
send my four judgments.” (vv13, 19) Coronavirus
is one of God’s judgments poured out due to man grievously trespassing against
God. This does not mean that everyone
who gets the virus are without Christ.
Daniel is mentioned here as a righteous man. He suffered from the effects of these four
judgments. But Christ bore the judgment of
his people. Therefore, God only chastens
his child while God judges the reprobate.
Before the coronavirus there was
already a pandemic of grievous sin against God.
Sinners all over the world have “changed the truth of God into a lie, and
worshipped and served the creature more the Creator, who is blessed forever.
Amen.” (Rom 1: 25) For this cause God turned
sinners over to a reprobate mind (Rom 1:21-26) Proof of reprobation is women
with women, men with men “burning in their lusts one toward another…being
filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness,
maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, backbiters,
haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things,
disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenantbreakers, without
natural affection, implacable, unmerciful; who knowing the judgment of God,
that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same,
but have pleasure in them that do them” (Rom 1: 27-32). The coronavirus is “the wrath of God revealed
from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the
truth in unrighteousness” (Rom 1: 18)
God says it is sinners “receiving in themselves that recompense of their
error which was meet.” (Rom 1: 27). This
small judgment called the coronavirus is but a reminder of the great final
judgment coming in the last day.
Why Did God Send the Coronavirus?
Judgment begins at the house
of God. God sends judgments to cut off,
first, the false prophets and their followers, as well other wicked sinners (Eze
13: 19-23). Outwardly, they appeared to
be true worshippers of God; the elders even came to hear Ezekiel (vv1-5). But in
heart they worshipped idols. Therefore,
God declares he sent these judgments “to cut off man and beast.”(vv13, 15,
17, 19, 21; Is 29: 13-21).
But there
was another reason God sent his judgments, “Yet,
behold, therein shall be left a remnant that shall be brought forth, both sons
and daughters: behold, they shall come forth unto you…” (v22). As surely
as God is cutting off the wicked, God is using this virus to bring his elect
remnant under the gospel that they might be brought to faith in Christ. We may not see it in our day. But God says, “they shall be brought”
(v22). “The remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob,
unto the mighty God” (Is 10:20-21) Who
shall gather this remnant and assemble them with God’s saints? God says, “I
will even gather you from the people, and assemble you out of the countries
where ye have been scattered,…” (Eze 11: 17). How do we get a new heart, repentance and
faith? God says, “I will give them
one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony
heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh (Eze 11: 19). Where do we find this righteousness? God said
“Noah, Daniel and Job” could not even save a son or daughter. Yet, God said they were saved for “their
righteousness.” But God says, “There is none righteous, no not one”
(Rom 3: 10). Noah was like all others in his day, whose thoughts were “only
evil continually…But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD” (Gen 6: 5,8).
Only helpless sinners such as Noah, Daniel and Job are saved by God’s grace
and only God’s grace can save helpless sinners.
Christ
alone is the righteousness who was Noah, Daniel and Job’s righteousness. Christ
alone is the Righteousness of every sinner saved by grace (Rom 5:21). Shall God lose one of his remnant? God says, “the
house of Israel may go no more astray from me, neither be polluted any more
with all their transgressions; but that they may be my people, and I may be
their God, saith the Lord GOD” (v11).
But when brought to unite
with God’s church how does God say these new converts comfort us?—"ye
shall see their way and their doings: and ye shall be comforted concerning the
evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, even concerning all that I have
brought upon it. And they shall comfort you, when ye see their ways and their
doings: and ye shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have
done in it, saith the Lord GOD” (vv22, 23).
New converts confess “their way” to be Christ the Way and “their
doings” to all be done by Christ alone (Jn 3:21). Also, the new convert justifies
God that in their flesh “their ways and their doings” are all sin (Eze
36:31). This comforts the church by
reminding us that there was a cause for which God sent the coronavirus.
What Should I Do Personally?
“Therefore say unto the house of
Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Repent, and turn yourselves from your idols;
and turn away your faces from all your abominations” (v6).