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March 25, 2020 1:00 am
Question is how are we not all sick all the time.
Given all the viruses and bacteria. Here's what I give you amazing immune system works and then it learns in an Skin becomes even better.
God designed the body that way because that's when God he is. He doesn't even tell you all the times that he saved God is a protector and he's a defender you can always count on Pastor authoring Bible teacher Helen Wright.
Welcome to shearing the light living in unprecedented times these days were sent to hear a very timely message from Alan coming to the pulpit of an old church in Winston-Salem North Carolina. Very recently. It's safe in the shadow of stay with throughout the entire program today I want to make sure you know how to get our special source.
It's a book to see the message bundle called a childlike hard and it's very timely for the day were living in it can be yours for your donation this month to shearing the light is you listen to today's message deeper as we send you today's special offer and we are in the final days of this offer, you can contact us@shearingthelight.org or call 877-544-4860 that's 877-544-4860.
More on that later in the program but Alan Wright joins me now in the studio as we talk about these unprecedented days and a timely message you preached.
Alan to an empty room not long ago, well it to you yet you have to chuckle where you can and I love what I saw one pastor.
He said honestly I wouldn't plan all given up this much for Lance to write information to an empty room, but we turned to as I bet a lot of pastors did to Psalm 91 the precious promises of God's protection and Daniel. We don't know why some people get sick and some don't. We don't know why certain terrible evils come in plagues and pestilences, but I thought it was very important to turn our attention to the promises of God for his protection. It's a time for a bold proclamation that God is a protector for all that we don't know we do know that he loves us and he is a protector and so what better place to go than Psalm 91. The message is titled safe in the shadow of his wings since a let's get started with today's teaching here now is Alan Wright are you ready for some good news though Corona means crown. No virus is king in this world there's only one King of Kings and let us crown Christ therefore with many many crowns. We turned to one the most beautiful and powerful Scriptures of protection in all of the Bible Psalm 91 Psalm 91 he who dwells in the shelter of the most high will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I'll say the Lord my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust that he will deliver you from the snare of the Fowler and from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with his opinions and under his wings you will find refuge. His faithfulness as a shield and buckler you will not fear the terror of the night nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness nor destruction that wastes at noonday thousand may fall at your side, 10,000 at your right hand, but will not come near you. You only look with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked because you've made the Lord your dwelling place, the most high, who is my refuge, no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent meeting physically as a church today were meeting in the spirit for meeting through all the technology we have, but the reason that were not meeting is is not because we are afraid of this virus. It's because we, along with Christians historically have a enormous commitment to love our neighbor and to love the world and to care for our community and I'll be talking some about that today, the history of Christian emphasis for healing ministries, and so to be a part of preventing disease is something that's very near to God's heart and our heart as well but is not it's not out of fear that we don't gather that's what I want to talk to you about today. The that the fear that comes into our hearts is an arch enemy of faith and God has told us over and over. Someone is estimated 365 times and for every day of the year.
God is said to not be afraid.
And so we can have faith that God takes care of us and wisdom that we operate according to the very wisdom of God and the truth. As we learned in both those things are are at work.
Fear operates in the round of darkness whenever it's dark and you don't know what's going on.
That's when confusion arises. Some of you may remember, I'm sure I've told it before when I was probably in second grade.
It was a dark and stormy night drizzly was actually a very dark night and their ominous sounds in the household of the right household in Pinetop Rd. in Greensboro that night.
I remember pulling the sheets up and just listening, worrying about it. All I could hear the dog barking, which was unusual. I could hear sounds stirring around in the house in the middle of the night which was unusual.
I wondered what was happening. The next day I was told of the events of the night evidently and the middle of the night my mother heard sounds downstairs, turned to my father and said I hear someone moving around downstairs and he awoke and said will call 911.
She reached over to turn on the lamp on the bedside table and it will not turn on. None of the lights would come on electricity was shut off. Now beginning to be quite concerned. My mother managed to call 911 and said there was an intruder in the house noises and dog barking all this activity.
I don't why did it since the police were on the way but my father side pull on a robe and and creep downstairs to see what was going on and he looked around the corner there was no one to be seen inside.
But the front door was open and so he opened the door and when he did police cars were there facing our house, and suddenly their lights came and flooded the front yard. What was there, you'll see that's in fact the title of this series, you'll see it's an invitation to see in the eyes of Christ. The perspective that he has the way we look at people the way we look at our lives when we look at the world and in order to really build to see you have to have a light to come on that's essentially what Jesus said.
Whoever follows me will not stumble in the darkness, but will have the light of life and so faith is something that comes about in the light. It comes about. But seeing as Jesus sees us when we can't see something is when is when it's dark is when things are hidden. That's when we we become afraid and and when we can begin to envision all kinds of things that take place and that is what come to some Psalm 91 this great Psalm of protection and and and powerful powerful want to pray over your life and and over over those that you love and impressed especially taken by the phrases that the shadow of the Almighty and and the and in the shadow of his wing's it's is a phrase that is is a phrase, it recurs in the Scripture.
Like in Psalm 57, be merciful to me. Oh God, be merciful to me for you. My soul takes refuge in the shadow of your wings. I will take refuge to the storms of destruction passed by Psalm 63, seven, for you have been my help and in the shadow of your wings. I will sing for joy. I want to look at Psalm 91, but I specifically want to look at this idea of dwelling in the shadow of the Almighty of what it means to be safe in the shadow of his wings God is a protector. The people of God have his heart to protect and heal, and we are safe in the shadow of his wings.
Let's start with this God is a protector in the midst of so much uncertainty and global pandemic. Be assured of this for all the things we don't understand for all the ways we don't know why some people get sick and some people don't all of that.
Here is the foundational truth about who God is, he is a protector that's Alan Wright sharing the lying will have more teaching from Alan supported relevant message for today. In just a few moments I do want to tell you in the midst of this uncertain world and time that we are living in, especially as it relates to the coronavirus our special offer right now couldn't be more timely. It's a special bundled gift that includes two audio messages from Pastor Alan as well as a copy of Allen's book, childlike hard way to combat worry and fear can lead you into the freedom and wonder of childlike faith. When you support sharing the right now with your gift of any size. We will be happy to send you these two audio messages plus the book is our thank you for your support, your keeping the ministry on the year of the message of hope going strong here through sharing the we certainly welcome. Your gift in communication right now. Visit online@sharingthe.org or call 877-544-4860 that's 877-544-4860 Oregon online sharing the like.org just a note, we are in the final days of making the special offer available only available for the next couple of days visit sharing the.org or call 877-544-4860 you are listening to, sharing and once again back here is Alan Wright. Let me just give you a number of Scriptures we could list hundreds of these, but Isaiah 5417.
No weapon that is fashion against yourself, succeed, and you shall refute every tongue that rises against your judgment. Isaiah 4110. Fear not for I am with you. Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you. Psalm 23 the well-known words, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for you are with me.
Psalm 121 for the whole you keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep the Lord your keeper. The Lord is your shade on your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day the moon by night.
The Lord will keep you from all evil.
He will keep in second Timothy four. Paul said the Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring be safe, heavenly kingdom balls want to row the great crescendo of Romans eight who shall separate us from law. Christ shall tribulation the distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness or danger or sword.
No.
And all these the week, conquerors through him who loved us and and I had the Scripture of the words of Jesus in Matthew 26, when Peter and pulled out a sword and had cut off an ear of flow of the high priest's way and Jesus said to put your sword back into its place for all who take the sword will perish by the sword, but is what I want you sick. Do you think that I cannot appeal to my father and he wouldn't want send me more than 12 legions of angels legions 3 to 6000 soldiers in other words, Jesus is saying all protective powers in my hands at any moment in any time that he wants to gonzo protector and he's always protecting. I know we have bad things that happen in this world, but most of the bad things that should have happened never happen because God's protect, as I think that's part of what the psalmist means this is a protect you from the snare of the Fowler, but the ancient practices of trying to to just capture birds through different traps and different kinds of nets and sometimes using decoys.
You know that were placed in the woods in the fields and let's set up their traps is a popular side popular thing and do so to avoid the traps of the snare of the Fowler is the say that you live your life day in and day out by the providence of God being spared from all kinds of traps that were set against you all kinds of things that could have met your destruction and you don't even realize that that's the thing about it. If you miss a trap you didn't even know you missed it, you just me just Mr. God. God spared you know any parent can understand this, that one of things you do as a parent is multiple times every day.
You save your children's lives and it's it's really amazing. I remember one time when Bennett was, I think two years old and we went out to supper that night we came home and eyes after putting to bed, I just wrote it all down as a gesture of thanksgiving to God my father who saves me all the time without me knowing it and I thought of just in one night.
How many times I saved up in his life he was trying to lean over in the high chair deal at the restaurant and would fall except I called him and and put them back up.
Who knows what that emergency room visit would've been like at another time he resells a big steel knife that was there that were turned away for second he was grabbing no telling what would happen that had to get the knife away from him and he wanted to eat unlimited ice cream to probably wait until he was his belly would rupture some had to stop him from that got done at the restaurant go into the parking lot is rated dart out in front of a moving car. Had to grab his hand saved his life again.
Go home that night had to make sure that the hot water was not scalding because that could kill the child to see get the water just right, give him a vitamin a gummy fight.
He wanted to eat the entire bottle, but I had only let them eat wine because otherwise he would overdose on that. It just any bagatelle you in just one night and one day one afternoon you save your child's life multiple times and it hears that they only know that we are children of God as a father he's at. He's just a protector and a defender that's you, yes, I just understand this about God and all those times of uncertainty.
God is at work protecting you when you don't even realize it it it's like it's like that the immune system. It's it's self I was doing some reading this week about the immune system is just fascinating.
I wish I understood more medical science just to be able to praise and worship him for this team understand how this happens but you have leukocyte you white blood cells in your immune system you have some of those white blood cells or phagocytes there chewing up invading organism lymphocytes that help the body remember the invaders and then destroy them. One type of fat beside the neutrophil which fights bacteria when someone has a bacterial infection. The doctors can examine looksee how many of the neutrophils he to recite in know what happening lymphocytes different types of lymphocytes, T lymphocytes, B lymphocytes doing different jobs. In other words, you got like a million soldiers in your body.
They're just fighting off, you have no idea say all this because the question beloved is never why does a bad disease like a coronavirus covert, 19 why why would something like that begin to make people sick that's that's not that's not the question is how in the world are we not all sick all the time. Given all the viruses and bacteria. Here's what I give you an amazing immune system that works and then it learns and adapts and becomes even better. God designed the body that way because that's what God is, he doesn't even tell you all the times that he save you. God is a protector he's a defender you can always count on life is as hard at times and and this is a troubling time for a world I feel it's important to say God through his grace through much of the science.
This developed which Prof. Rodney starts it all came out of the birth of Christianity which gave great value to people and to reason. Life is just getting better, but let me just give you just remind you of just a couple of statistics that prove this that are of the utmost importance.
Take life expectancy in in 1688 life expectancy was 30 years of age. If you look back at a map of the whole world just 200-5300 years ago at everywhere. Every continent that life expectancy is between 30 and 40 years of age in 2018.
Globally, the average is 70 year age and developed country it's it's over age 80. Child and infant mortality. Just one other example of this 250 years ago in the richest countries.
One third of children die before age 5/3 just 250 years ago and today in the poorest countries, only 6% of children died before a try. I've saying that because we encounter something this difficult.
As Christians remember the truth and the truth is that God's grace is at work and by almost every measure that we count dear including life itself. The world is getting better working to get through this as well. Christians throughout history because they have the heart of God to protect to defend and to heal have been the ones he just cared so much. Nothing is for the invitation for us during this time as well and 251 A.D. there was a mysterious disease that was plaguing the Roman Empire and the historian said that in the city of Rome itself just that one city.
There were days that as many as 5000 people died at Rome had many advances in their culture, but there was very little compassion, mercy, or pity was not a virtue in the Roman mentality. And so it was that people were just dying and they were being cared for.
Bishop Dionysus said that most Roman cities would just push the sick away and flee quote from the best, thereby to avert the spreading contagion of the fatal disease historian Thucydides reported that many died for lack of attention, but the Christians unafraid of death because they knew they would live forever with God and full of love and compassion they be in caring for one another and far fewer Christians died because they were left alone to try to recuperate on their own. What was this dread contagion.
We think it was the measles incident interesting. I spent a lot of time this week. Just reading about the history of Christian mercy that has given way to medicine as we know it, but let me just share with you the Christians from the earliest times were showing a desire to care for the weakest. Maybe it's because as Paul said in first grade.
There's 13. Seven love always protects trust hopes perseveres. Love and makes you want to care for people and when you're Christian you have the very spirit of Jesus and have God in your life and God is love Allen right you're listening to shearing the entity's timely message safe in the shadow of his wings.
Allen is back here in the studio shearing a parting good news thought for the day.
We're living in. In response to a coronavirus in just a moment in the midst of this uncertain world and time that we are living in, especially as it relates to the coronavirus our special offer right now couldn't be more timely. It's a special bundled gifts that includes two audio messages from Pastor Alan as well as a copy of Allen's book a childlike heart its way to combat worry and fear can lead you into the freedom and wonder of childlike faith you support shearing the right now with your gift of any size. We will be happy to send you these two audio messages plus the book is our think you for your support, your keeping the ministry on the year of the message of hope going strong here through shearing the we certainly welcome. Your gift in communication right now.
Visit online@shearingthe.org or call 877-544-4860 that's 877-544-3860 Oregon online shearing the light.org just a note, we are in the final days of making the special offer available only available for the next couple of days visit shearing the light.org or call 877-544-4860 Allen first forgot to say that we slip this message in the middle of our current series in Oregon because of feeling today that were living in obviously demand and the sound of this message may feel little difference and will differ because you are preaching to an empty room has a lot of churches around the nation are realizing the new normal of assembling online yeah it's different and thank God for technology to build to do so to live stream and for this broadcast ministry.
You know Daniel is as we have been reflecting today.
God is by his nature protector. He built the human body designed it such that we have an immune system that is always at work protecting us and I just think it's so important times of uncertainty in crisis that we remember, the question is not why has a sudden new sickness and novel virus arisen that we don't understand the bigger question if you really understand medical science at all, is why are we all sick all the time. Truth is, because God is protecting us is given as an immune system that protects us and let's just remember God is completely for us and never against us. Let's remember also that that spirit of protection that loves people that wants to protect.
That's what's in our hearts as Christians during this season we want to protect always been the Christians are been at the heart in the center and the genesis of most medical care throughout the history of the world and is the same now and in our hearts. Tomorrow were going to look through line by line through Psalm 91. What this beautiful image of being under the shadow of his wings is all about what we are safe under the blood of Jesus.
This is been shearing the light Helen right, a listener supported production of shearing the likeness