Dealing with Fear, Worry, and Anxiety

Well, good evening to you from Beacon Baptist Church. I'm Michael Carnes. one of the pastors here at Beacon. And Greg Barkman and I share responsibilities here in our midweek service, and tonight it's my turn. We began live streaming last Wednesday night And that was our first attempt at this.

it went so well. We're very encouraged by the number of people that tuned in and listened to us and Th then again on Sunday morning So we have made a determination as long as the restrictions are in place that we will. uh resume a full Uh schedule. Uh and be and do that via live stream.

So we'll be live streaming our Sunday morning service at nine thirty our Sunday night service at 6 o'clock and And then our Wednesday night midweek service at Seven. It's uh a bit different uh standing here. Um speaking and preaching in a moment to uh an empty auditorium.

Someone asked me if I'd ever done that before, and as I thought about it, I remember. In Bible college days, Dr. Dick Belcher was the homiletic instructor. And those of us who were in his preaching class, he marched us. in the shortest chapel, which which seats about twelve hundred people.

and we would get up on the platform behind the big podium and we would preach. in that empty uh chapel. Minus members of the class who sat down here to the left and the instructor. That was it. But He wanted us to um be in awe of the responsibility of preaching and and to instruct us whether we were preaching to half a dozen or if God in his providence would allow us to preach to hundreds.

we would take the responsibility just as seriously. I met Pastor Barkman last Sunday morning as he was leaving his office to come here. And um preach the message And I said, it's different, isn't it? I'll be praying for you. And he said, well, Yes, it's different in one sense, but it's the same in another.

And we really didn't have time to talk much more about that, but I've thought about that comment since, and I think what he meant was. It's different in the sense that we're not gathering for corporate worship, we're not preaching to. A live audience, that's what's different about it, but what's the same about it is. We have the same message. We're preaching the Word of God.

Our confidence is in the Word of God.

So. The the method may change, and that's a different method, sermon audio. that we're broadcasting on. It may change, but the message doesn't change. There are competing voices in our day in this global pandemic that's affected Um 177 of 195 countries.

So it's um It's a saturation issue. Ninety percent of the countries in the world are affected by this coronavirus. And Yet here we are. uh with the opportunity to hold forth the word of life. That's what people need to hear.

I'm not here to share opinion. I'm not here to Um give you information that you can get somewhere else. our confidence, our responsibility is to declare what God has said and to bring perspective to the people of God, those who are interested in the Word of God. We need to hear from God. We need to hear what he has to say.

We need instructed in the word of God. We need help. in these turbulent days and uncertain days.

So that's my goal this evening. And um I was talking to my twin sister on Monday night, who lives in northwestern Pennsylvania. And she told me that uh their church had live stream service On Sunday, And that the pastor of the church had instructed the secretary to. Uh create um colour paper portraits of the members of the congregation into post them on the pews in the sanctuary. And I thought that was a bit uh odd and humorous really.

And I thought, well, who who b would benefit from that? And as I thought about it, the only person that I could see would benefit from that would perhaps be the preacher. Psychologically, but in reality, he's still preaching to a faceless audience, even if you decorate the pews with paper faces. Um They're not there.

So tonight, my plan is to open with a word of prayer. We're going to turn to the Word of God and consider a portion of God's Word. And I'm doing that tonight in this way because we were encouraged last Wednesday night and on Sunday morning to see a large number of listeners who. tuned in. And uh evidently a good number of people are come into our Sermon audio site to benefit from the Word of God.

So I will preach. And then for those who are not affiliated with our church or know our church. At that point, you'd be free to leave because we'll be talking about prayer requests and missionary correspondences and so on and so forth. I'll bring the message here as soon as I pray. And let's look to the Lord now and ask His help.

Father, we bow in your presence this evening, rejoicing that we can, rejoicing that we have audience with you through the merits of your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. We're grateful for him. We're grateful for his crosswork. We're grateful for His perfect righteousness, which grants us standing before You. and therefore we come boldly.

that we might obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. And Lord, we thank you tonight that you are a very present help in time of trouble. And these are troubling times. These are turbulent times. Unprecedented, really, in many of our lifetimes.

We've heard our grandparents talk about the conditions following the Great Depression. But have really known nothing of that by personal experience until this. And Lord, for many, it has shaken people. It has. um disrupted their footing and those who Have their footing on the solid rock of Christ Jesus and the Word of God are standing firm.

But those who are not are finding that the ground under their feet is shifting sand.

So, we thank you for the opportunities for the gospel that this. Coronavirus has occasioned, and we pray that you would help us to redeem the time and help us to. Represent Jesus Christ's will in our response to this as people of faith. Lord, we thank you that we can come to you tonight, and we ask that you would help us as we consider your word. We rejoice that you have given us a sufficient word.

a word that is able to help us in these times of needs. an all sufficient word.

So, Father, thank you that your word is trustworthy. Thank you that your word is relevant. and it equips us to live as salt and light in this world. Hear us now, for Jesus' sake, we pray. Amen.

Well, my thoughts tonight are on the subject of. Fear. and worry and anxiety. And I found it uh a bit um not in not only interesting, but quite encouraging. We had a staff meeting this afternoon, and Pastor Barkman did not.

No. asked me what I was preaching on and uh there wasn't an occasion to tell him what. But um At 3.37 this afternoon, he sent this. email out to the folks who are registered on Beacon in the Know. And he wrote, Dear ones, fear not, for I am with you.

Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. From Isaiah chapter 41 and verse 10.

And then he said, In these days of uncertainty and fear, There is no reason for a child of God to be afraid I am praying that God will enable every member of Beacon to honor the Lord by demonstrating a firm trust in His wise and gracious care of His children.

So when I saw that, I took uh encouragement from that, that it was confirmation from the Lord. that we would consider this subject tonight. Of worry fear and anxiety.

Some have said that there are Well, I've heard this said, but found it not to be true that there are 365 references in the scriptures. Uh commanding us not to fear, one reference for every day of the year. And although that sounds wonderful and perhaps helpful, It's not true. I did a word search and found that there are 103 References in the King James Bible concerning this subject and these words, not to fear.

So, God knows us. He's made us. We're wonderfully and fearfully made by Him, and He knows that. We're constituted with emotions, and one of those emotions is fear. And fear can grip us, and we can be.

um sidelined by worry and filled with anxiety and And have those emotions control us to the point where we don't honor the Lord and we don't look to Him.

So As we consider this subject tonight, I want us to turn to 1 Peter chapter 5. 1 Peter chapter 5, and we find A verse that we're going to consider And then look at a couple of verses surrounding it as we consider the context and see how the context helps our understanding of this verse. But we have this Commandment. is Peter is writing in 1 Peter chapter 5 He's writing to people who are under severe persecution. And he says this casting all your care upon him, For he cares For you.

Casting all your care upon him, for he cares for you. Maybe your translation says, casting all your anxiety upon him, for he cares for you. The reason I think at times we're prone to. anxious thoughts and fear and worry Is that we're troubled by those things that we cannot control. And if there's one thing we've learned from this coronavirus, is that it has.

come to us in such a way to remind us that we do not have control over it. At best we're Taking extreme measures to restrict our movement so that we might. Um control its effects. But we have no ability to control it and many other things in this life. We have no ability to control.

I find it interesting. That Peter would Say it this way is a command to cast all our cares upon him, and then he gives us a reason. He says, because or for He cares for you. And If I had authored the verse, I might have chosen a different quality of God emphasize.

Something like his perfect wisdom. or his unlimited power. And logically, that would seem Better to me. It would make more sense to think that even though I'm not in control, an all wise, all powerful God is. And although that's true, that's not what Peter emphasizes.

The Holy Spirit saw fit to inspire Peter. to emphasize a different attribute of God. And when it comes to anxiety and worry and fear, He chose to emphasize the compassion of God, the more tender side of God. Notice again what he says, casting All your care. upon him, for he cares For you, And I think there's A good reason for that because When our minds are flooded with anxious thoughts and fear and worry.

One of the attacks upon our minds is We begin to question whether God cares for us, and we begin to wonder. where God is and we are troubled in our in our mind about foundational issues. I find it interesting that we have recorded an occasion when The disciples were on the Sea of Galilee, and Mark repeated Records this account. In Mark chapter 4, verses 37 and 38, It says a great windstorm arose and the waves were breaking in. into the boat.

so that the boat was already filling. But he, that is Jesus, was in the stern asleep on the cushion, and they woke him and said to him, Get this, teacher. Do you not care that we are perishing. Do you not care? that we are perishing.

Notice how quickly the disciples went from fear. To a perceived flaw in the character of Jesus. They wrongly assumed That if he really did care for them, he would do something to change their circumstances. And the context tells us that it was Jesus Himself who told them to get into the boat. And it was by his command that they were on the sea, and the storm came up.

So, what I learned from that is that God not always wants to protect us from the storm, but He wants to teach us to trust Him in the midst of the storm. In the midst of our anxiety, in the midst of our worry, in the midst of our fear.

Now, the Bible doesn't call us weak because we're afraid. But it tells us to do something with our fear and our worry and our anxiety. When it comes upon us, and what is that? According to 1 Peter 5 and verse 7. were to cast Our care, cast our anxiety, cast our worry, cast our fear.

upon the Lord. That's the instruction. You say, Well, that seems awful simple. And it is. It's straightforward.

The word cast there indicates the act of taking off an outer garment and throwing it to the ground.

Now that's helpful. And it's descriptive. Because there is a disconnect between the garment. And the one wearing the garment when he casts the garment to the ground. And in a similar way, That's what occurs between our anxious, fearful.

worrisome thoughts. when we cast those upon the Lord.

So here's the instruction: take your anxious thoughts, take your fear, take your worry, and throw them at the feet. of the God who cares. Such an action. will require a great deal of trust in the Lord. Our ability to do that, our willingness to do that, will be conditioned and determined by how much we trust the Lord, how much we know the Lord.

And I wonder if that's not what was in the mind of the hymn writer as he penned these words. Frank Graff Does Jesus care Listen to these first two stanzas. Does Jesus care? when my heart is pained too deeply for mirth or song? As the burdens press, and the cares distress And the day Grows weary.

And long. The second stanza Does Jesus care when my way is dark? With a nameless dread and fear As the daylight fades, into deep night shades Does he care? Enough To be near And then the refrain, Oh, yes He cares. I know he cares.

His heart is touched with my grief. When the days are weary The long nights dreary I know. My Saviour cares And that's what God would want us to remember in those times of. anxiousness and worry and fear. that we have a God who cares.

I thought of the contrast between this social distancing that we have been exhorted to honour. Keep a six-foot distance between people that we might not pass the virus and. you know, and and that's a good thing. I I I'm not um I'm not suggesting that we shouldn't adhere to that, but We have a god. Who We can draw near to.

He says, Draw near to me. With a clear conscience. Draw near to God. We don't have to keep a distance from God. God has.

encouraged us to draw near and He draws near to us. And how encouraging that is to us. This isn't the only place that we find instructions like this concerning our anxiety and how we're to deal with it. Paul's writing to the church in Philippi, and in chapter 4 and verse 6, he says, Be anxious. for nothing.

but in everything by prayer and supplication. With thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God in the Peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Be anxious for nothing. That's the command. Be anxious for nothing.

And sometimes we miss what comes before that command. We have these words. In verse 4, Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say, rejoice That's verse 4. Verse 5 says, Let your gentleness be known to all men, then we find these words And there are only five of them.

And it almost doesn't seem to fit unless. You put these words Together with the command not to be anxious, because it mirrors the very same thing Peter is saying here in 1 Peter chapter 5. Those f five words that come right before The command to be anxious for nothing are these words The Lord is at hand. The Lord is at hand. A great reminder, a good reminder.

Because we're prone to forget that. particularly in times of fear and worry. and anxiety.

So because the Lord is near, Don't be anxious about anything. Good instructions. Again, that's verse 7. Casting all your care upon him, for he cares for you. And what I s what I'd like for us to think about at this point is Two other verses, one on either side of the verse that we've looked at, and see how verse 6.

And verse 8 Help us. to be better equipped. To do this thing that we're commanded, to cast all our cares upon him, for he cares for us.

So look with me. At verse 6. Because I'm convinced to properly interpret verse seven, we need to take into consideration. what we find in verse 6. And in verse 6 he writes this.

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God. that he may exalt you in due time. Humble yourselves. Humility is an important aspect of overcoming anxiety. We worry about all kinds of things.

We worry about the stock market, we worry about job security, we worry about our health, we worry about our children. We worry about retirement and a host of other things. But there is a common feature In most of the things that we worry about and are anxious about and fearful about. and that is that we can't control these things. And when we are not walking in humility, We are susceptible to the false notion in belief that we can control these things.

And the reality is that we can't. God And God alone Ultimately, he is in control of all things. We are not, you are not. And that's why Peter warns us: humble yourself. Under the mighty hand of God.

And the point of the context is this. If you are unwilling, To humble yourself before God. you will be unable To cast your anxieties upon him. Why is that?

Well, because in the place of humility and submission to the to God's sovereign rule and control, you're full of pride and under the delusion that you're going to hang on to it because you can do a better job than God can. You can control it better than he can. And that's a falsehood. And it's only those who humble themselves under the mighty hand of God. who are able to cast all their cares upon him knowing that he cares for us.

So that's verse 6, but now let's look at the verse on the other side of verse 7. And that would be verse 8. And here we have A warning Be sober. Be vigilant or be watchful. Because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom.

he may devour.

Now the Greek word there for sober-minded. And perhaps your translation has the word self-controlled there. occurs only four times in the New Testament. And each time it's in the context of suffering. Why is that important?

I think because of this reason. That we should expect that when we face a trial, we face suffering, it's going to be difficult for us to think clearly. The Greek word nepho Which is translated sober-minded, means to be free from the influence of intoxicants. It comes from that word. That means to avoid Drunkenness.

You say, well, how does that fit in?

Well, I think it fits in this way. Just like being under the influence of alcohol can impair your thinking.

So can being under the influence of worry. Worry makes it hard to think right thoughts about God. Worry makes it hard to think biblically. in the heat of distress. We saw that.

with the disciples on Lake Gennesaret. Jesus is in the boat. A storm comes up. And they're fearful. And their fear causes them to distrust the one who controls the waves and the sea.

Master, don't you care? was their question. And you know how it goes. When we're anxious about something and we're worrying about something and we're fretting and fearful about something, it has the capacity to absolutely control us. We think about it, we dwell upon it, we meditate upon it.

And like an addiction, such thinking becomes difficult to break. And that's why we're charged here to be sober-minded. In order for an alcoholic to be victorious in his struggle, he must learn to say no. What? to the next drink.

And the same is true for the anxious person, the fearful person, the worrisome person. We must learn to say no to worrisome thoughts, to anxious thoughts. and therefore the instruction. Be sober, be vigilant, be watchful. And that's what we need.

I listened last evening to. Dr. Paul David Tripp. And He said this. I jotted some notes down as I was listening, and the one thing that I brought with me uh to the pulpit tonight is this phrase.

He said, Don't allow yourself to be trouble-meditating, God-forgetting. Don't allow yourself to be trouble meditating. God forgetting. And I think because most of us are confined to our homes and we have our television on and we're sitting in front of our computer, we have access to nonstop information.

So We're thinking about the coronavirus. We're reading about the coronavirus. We're talking about the coronavirus. We're hearing all kinds of details. And the more information you hear, The more potential there is for fear and worry and anxiety.

Paul David Tripp's exhortation is: don't allow yourself to be troublemed, God-forgetting. In other words, the more we think about it, the more we. allow ourselves to be bombarded by all these details. Pretty soon, we can be consumed with it. That's all we can think about.

We're forgetting about God. We're forgetting about a God who ordains these things, a God who uses these things for his wise and gracious purposes. Romans 8:28 is true here.

Now, I don't have an explanation of exactly how God is going to use this for good, but I don't need to. I have His promise. All things, including this, Works for the good of those who love God to those who are the called according to His purpose.

So let's B Mindful of these things. One last thing before I'm done this evening. In Philippians chapter four, I mentioned. What Paul was saying there to the church at Philippi, And again, just to refresh your memory. He says, verse four, Rejoice in the Lord always.

Again I will say rejoice. Verse five, Let your gentlness let your gentleness be known to all men. Then these five words, The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing. But in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests.

Be made known unto God, and the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and minds by Christ Jesus. And then verse 8 says this, and here's instructions on what it is that we're to think upon. And again, in to combat This barrage of information that's coming at us, and there's nothing wrong with wanting to be informed and being updated on what's going on with the virus, but the more we hear, The more our thinking is informed by The virus And we must combat that with the thoughts of Scripture, the word of God, the promises of God, in order to be in a place to stand firm.

So here's what Paul says in verse 8. Finally, brethren. Whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue, and if there is any thing praiseworthy, meditate on these things Meditate on these things, dwell upon these things, ruminate on these things. And one thing I'll tell you, The news that you're getting through the television It does not fit this description. In fact, what you're getting on a, if you're accustomed to sitting in front of the television and getting the nightly news.

you're getting the exact opposite of what we're being instructed here to do. In fact, let me just modify this verse and and characterize the news that we're getting in this world. This is good news here, Philippians chapter 4 and verse 8. But so much of what we hear The nightly broadcasts is bad news. And it would be something like this.

This is basically the The world and its message. Finally, Whatsoever things are untrue, whatsoever things are innoble, whatever things are unjust, whatever things are impure, whatever things are. Are ugly, whatever things are of a bad report, if there's any vice, if there's anything. Um Unbecoming, meditate on these things. That's the message that the world has.

And if you imbibe that recipe, You will struggle. To maintain a right posture toward God because the Bible says. As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. We're defined by what we think. And God has given us a mind to be able to think right thoughts after Him.

And he's given us a trustworthy Word from him.

So we have the promises of God.

So in these days of being Are schedules being disturbed and Being confined to our homes, let's redeem the time. Let's be men and women of the book. Let's read. The Word of God. Let's meditate on the Word of God.

Let's commit scripture to memory. Let's read good books. Let's fortify ourselves. We might have an arsenal. To combat anxiety and worry and fear, and not only for our own sakes.

But for our children's sake and for a watching world, this virus has captured the attention of the world. People are fearful, people are anxious, people are looking for answers. Who has answers? Those who know the word of God, God has answers to life's problems. And may God help us.

To be steadfast, unmovable, abounding in the things of the Lord in these days. And may God equip us. to be able to come alongside and encourage people and help people. Two. Deal with this.

in a God-honoring way. I don't know what the outcome of this is going to be. I don't know how God is going to use this for his own glory, but I know he will. I know he will.

So let's ask the Lord to seal this word to our hearts. Father, again, thank you for your infallible word. Thank you that it is instructive. Thank you that it corrects our wrong thinking. Thank you that it instructs in righteousness.

Father, we rejoice that you have given us an infallible word, a trustworthy word, a relevant word that Helps us right where we are.

So Father, help us as we encounter people. who are Overcome with worry and fear and anxiety, and even in our own lives, when we wake up in the middle of the night and our thoughts go to this or that, help us to. incorporate these this teaching and these instructions and to have our minds renewed by the Word of God. Thank you for this instruction. Thank you for this help.

We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

Well I thought it would be good for us to consider the Word of God first. And if there's some who are tuning in to us tonight who are not. Affiliated or don't know Beacon Baptist Church, we're not asking you to leave. You can stay if you'd like. But you're going to hear names and prayer requests that are uh gonna be odd to you.

But this is basically for our Beacon family. We want to keep you informed of what is going on and what the needs are.

So let me do that at this time. We'll over a couple of announcements. And then prayer requests, and then I'll share a few. missionary correspondences, and then I'll have a closing prayer. At the top of our announcement sheet, we have a very timely A couple of verses printed for us from Daniel chapter 4, verses 34 and verse 35.

It says, I I blessed the Most High and praised and honored him. who lives forever. For his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from ever is from generation to generation. all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing. He does according to his will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth.

No one can restrain his hand or say to him. What have You done. Inspired words from Daniel chapter 4, verses 34 and verse 35. Words coming from the lips of a pagan king. KING NEBUCANEZZAR Who came under the sway and influence of Almighty God.

I've already mentioned our live stream schedule. I'll reiterate that for you. Sunday morning at nine thirty, Sunday night at six o'clock, and then Wednesday night here at seven o'clock. Men sharpening men that would be scheduled for tomorrow night has been canceled. Don't become frustrated or discouraged if you try to.

Log on to our live stream, and you're not able to connect. The most likely explanation for that is the high traffic. That is going on at those particular times. And if you encounter that and aren't able to log on, Please know that within two hours most of the time within a couple of hours after our live stream service It'll be archived on Sermon Audio and you can go and um listen to it at that time.

So Those would be our announcements for Tonight. Prayer requests. Our government official of the week is City of Member Mayor Pro Tem Jill. Auditory And then we are featuring our ESL Students of the Week. I trust that if you are on the beacon in the know, that you were able to download.

the prayer request and you have this information before you.

So I won't um It won't be necessary for me to go over every single detail. You have this list before you, but let's. Rejoice together in the Lord and His kindness. Kindness in his dealings with some of our folks. Bruce Counselman is doing well from a kidney procedure.

Molly Harmon is doing well from her knee surgery. Lee Vesta's home from Alamance Regional Medical Center. and we're rejoicing with Chris and Aaron Wilburn. And Bill and Tony Brown. In The safe arrival of Ella Iris Wilburn, who was born.

on the 13th of March. in the disruption of our regular services and not being able to see people and communicate. This is coming a bit late, but uh Ella Iris Wilburn was brought into this world, and we rejoice with Chris and Aaron, and Bill and Tony. Continue to remember Angela Boyd. I talked with Thad on the phone today and they really have got to take extreme precautions with her a compromised immune system.

She is high risk. But they're doing well. physically and we are asking you to continue to remember them in prayer. Drew Guthrie is at home. Let's see, um She's currently scheduled for radiation five days a week.

and chemotherapy on Thursday for the next four and a half weeks. She has a kidney stone that has caused quite a bit of pain the last few days and was unable to go for her treatment today.

So that's an update concerning Drew. I know you're remembering John Kosevich and his son Caleb, who were in an automobile accident. uh a couple of months ago Continue to remember them. Art Pope is he's struggles with COPD. George Zenson as he battles lung cancer.

Well it came out chemotherapy treatments are making him quite weak and he is um Uh dealing with uh good measure of pain. We did get a report, though, at staff meeting this afternoon that he was able to sleep relatively well last night, that his pain level was. about a five, which is an improvement. We're thankful for that. Under others, we have the name of Loretta Burgess.

This is a dear friend of Nancy Verde's. who fell and broke her hip. She had surgery yesterday at Cone Hospital. Her health is already compromised from an illness back in the summer.

So Nancy's asking us to pray for Loretta Burgess. Steve and Aaron Lynch's brother Harry. Harold Lynch is in the VA hospital. Let's see what I have here. He's having issues with his legs, so remember him in prayer.

Jack Petries, he continues with dialysis and still grieving the recent passing of his dear wife, Mildred. But uh Jack is um Deck is doing pretty well. I've talked to him. Uh since the funeral service. Carly talked to him this morning and Pastor Latour talks to him frequently and he's he's upbeat.

He's got a good attitude for which we're grateful. Bob Rose is declining. Please remember him and Anne as she cares for him. Terry Owen Smith. Darla Hazlips asked her ask us to pray for her she has tingling and numb numbness in one of her legs.

She had spinal surgery last Thursday. And is in excruciating pain when she moves her legs, so Not sure all what's going on there, but we've been asked to pray for Terry Owen Smith. William Vestal as he continues With health issues, he's now been released to go home. Missionaries uh Paul Snyder, Stuart Wah. Laverne is with Stewart in Zimbabwe.

Or not in Zimbabwe. She went from Zimbabwe to South Africa. She's with Stewart. The country of Zimbabwe has been locked down so she can't re-enter back into the country. And, um the insurance company Has Denied.

the uh approval for The transplant, the report that was submitted, they denied. Not sure all that's going on there, but um It just necessitates prayer. Um Stewart's a bit discouraged. I think Laverne is as well. But the Lord knows, and He's able to remove obstacles if indeed it's His will for Stuart to have a transplant.

It will happen.

So please, I thank you for praying for them. And I know he's grateful. but they are in need of our ongoing prayers. Josh Boyd. I was taken to the emergency room this morning.

With chest pains, and later it was determined that he was having an acute case of pancreatitis. He's under He has that particular physical need, but we're also added him to our prayer sheet under salvation.

So those are Our prayer requests. Let me go over some correspondence with you tonight. This is from. Tim and Ruth Bixby in France. They write, Dear friends, As a believer, it's hard not to recognize that God is at work to humble all leaders all over the world in this present.

COVID-19 crisis and world leaders aren't the only ones who need humbling. May God grant us all much grace to recognize his powerful hand, in our rapidly changing circumstances. He says, Well, you are no doubt aware to some degree of how we've been affected by. The coronavirus here in Europe, we wanted to share a few specifics of our situation. Uh President.

Um macr Macron. on Thursday of last week, closed all the schools. A few days later, even more restrictions were imposed. leading us into a nearby complete Lockdown.

So he says, for the last nine days we've been under total confinement. The only allowable reasons for leaving one's home include essential work obligations, grocery shopping and urgent medical visits.

So they're in that situation. they are um able to live stream their services. They were able to do that on Sunday. Via Facebook Live, that's another resource that's available to us. We're so um blessed to have the technology available to us.

Fifteen years ago. Um there wasn't such a thing as sermon audio, we wouldn't have had this capability. I'm grateful for the men who know how to run this equipment. I'm grateful for Greg Phillips, who oversees All the logistical details concerning our sermon audio and our live streaming. I'm amazed.

I had a talk with him. uh text communication with them today. And um He told me that he would uh be able to handle most things uh remotely from his home in Greenville. which again is amazing to me. But, and I'm grateful for Ryan Cardwell being here tonight to.

help if we ran into a glitch. Here's a correspondence from Bill Hill with Equipping Nationals Worldwide. Uh be all uh traveled to Bolivia with um Dan Hicks, who's One of the members of the board of ENW. to do some training on the family. And just one short paragraph here This is from Dan Hicks.

He says, Bill and I had a great trip, but you may have heard that we had to rush last minute to get flights out of Bolivia before its president shut down the airports. God was gracious, and Bill and I were through the use of ENW's travel agent. able to get the last two seats on the last flight out of Bolivia. Otherwise we would have been stuck in Bolivia for another thirty days at least.

So that's uh Wonderful provision of God and evidence of His providential care for. These Saints of God This is from Celos Campos in Brazil. Um he r he's writing uh Dear partners in the gospel. The coronavirus has arrived in Brazil too. And I mentioned to you earlier There are 195 uh countries in the world and a hundred and seventy seven of the hundred and ninety five have been affected by the coronavirus.

So it is a global Pandemic. He says the necessary governmental restrictions are hurting lots of businesses, jobs, families, and churches. Last Sunday I preached to an empty auditorium. We ask our people to worship the Lord with us through our service online. It went well, but it is far from the ideal.

Thinking about this virus threat, the Lord laid on my heart to preach an adaptation of J. C. Ryle's sermon on sickness. In general, Preached in 1878. Ryle taught about the benefits of sickness.

on how it helps to remind men of death. to make men think seriously about God and their souls. and the world to come. to humble us and to try men's religion of what sort it is. I finished this message challenging people to run from sin as they are running from the coronavirus.

It was very sobering.

So that's um From Celos Campos. I'm grateful that we support him and that he is. um of a theological mind like us. and is carrying on in the gospel work there. Got a couple of thank you letters for This Book that we sent all of our missionaries, The Great Awakening.

By Joseph Tracy. Hard back. We sent it at Christmas time. And um depending on where it was going internationally, some of them Some of the books were delayed, so here's from Tom and Connie Chapman. Thank you so much for sending us this.

This book about the Great Awakening and for your kindness in waiting so that we would be back in Chile before it arrived.

Well, we can't take credit for that. We can give credit to the Postal Service for. the um timely delay. He writes, This is a theme over which I've often prayed, and when I do, it always seems evident that it needs to begin with me. I've never gotten over how God sent a marvelous revival to New York and beyond because one man was willing to give up his lunch hour to pray for God to move among the hardened souls of New York.

I pray that the reading of this book will put a fire in my soul to persist. in pleading to God that He would send such an awakening to the deluded, darkened souls of Chile. May the Lord bless you and all the faithful ones at Beacon as you work together this year. for His glory. Together in the Lord's service, Tom Chapman.

And then From David Um David Champlin in Suriname. He writes, Dear Beacon. Baptist Church. Thank you for the book by Joseph Tracy. It was in the mail.

I was able to pick up on Saturday, march twenty one, I started to read it immediately. We had no services today in Suriname. Suriname has five cases with anyone's guess as to how many more are are already infected but not known to the Bureau of Public Health. Schools are closed. and with the exception of the school where Lynne's teaching, which which is adapted to online teaching.

in other creative ways the students may lose the year. He says, many stores and banks have taken measures to slow the spread of the virus. Number of persons in the building at one time are limited. All people wash their hands, yada, yada, yada. He says, Lynn and I are fine and have put away some extras so as not to need to be pushed to act under stress.

I'm working with the churches. I'm working with their leaders as to how to feed the sheep in this situation. Many do not have the facilities that people and churches have in the US. Please pray as we work out solutions to this. and other problems.

to God's glory. Thanks for your faithfulness to us. in Suriname. And then One last Um Excerpt from Josh and Amy. Jensen, who are in Cambodia.

Dear Pastor Barkman and the folks of Beacon Baptist Church. Amy and I want to thank you and the entire congregation for your very generous support to us these past six years. We're grateful. Let's see. We are grateful and moved that you have so faithfully participated in our ministry.

these years and even increased your participation as time has gone by. May God help us to walk worthy of this trust that He has given us through you. He said, I also want to take a moment to belatedly thank you for your kind reception of our family at Beacon back in April of last year. We found it a pleasure to worship with the congregation and sing some great hymns. And as always, we found the people of the church very warm and engaging.

and engaged with our ministry. It was also very lovely to be able to stay in the Beacon Missionary home, which is comfortable and very well maintained. Our few days there were restful. I see from your website that services are suspended there, at least for this week, here in Cambodia, the Ministry. of Health announced earlier in the week that all religious gatherings are forbidden until further notice.

Thankfully, the government Is permitting gatherings of up to ten people, so some churches are planning to divide up their congregations among the leaders and have small meetings in homes.

So that's what uh Josh and Amy are doing there in Cambodia.

Well That's a good bit of updates concerning our missionaries, for which we're grateful for our partnership. Would you Join me. as we gather our hearts and minds around the throne of grace. that we might pray and remember some of these requests. And as you have this sheet that you would be Committing yourself to pray for one another and to minister to one another as God gives you opportunity.

So grateful for our deacons who are More actively involved than perhaps they would be if things were going on normally. But for our deacons, thank you for I am engaging. the folks in your family groups and the efforts that you're taking to keep in touch with your people. Let's join our hearts in prayer. Father, how thankful we are tonight that we have access to you and that you're.

able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ask or think. Lord, nobody's name appears on this prayer sheet. by accident. They're known by somebody in this church who knows you.

Somebody in this church Has a burden. for them and The burdens are varied and sundry. Many are physical, A good many are spiritual. We have a long list of people that we pray for on a regular basis who are lost and in need of converting grace. We've added the name of Josh Boyd, and we would pray that you would By your Sovereign grace invade his heart, and Bring about an awakening in him.

Lord, he's lost and he's blind and he's undone and he is a stranger to your grace and he's on the broad way that leads to destruction. and Lord him and many others. And Father, we thank you that you're able to um reach into the heart of a man and and to quicken him to life. resurrect him, as it were. And we pray that you would be pleased, for your own glory's sake, to do that for him and for.

many others that we know and love and pray for on a regular basis. We thank you for answered prayer. We thank you for the improvement with Bruce Councilman and Molly Harmon. were thankful that Lee Vesta was at home, We rejoice with Chris and Aaron Wilburn and Bill and Tony Brown and a new grandchild. We pray for this little one that She would um continue to grow and develop in a normal way.

We rejoice with them and we thank you that we can. We're mindful of Angela Boyd, and we commit her to you and ask that you'd safeguard her during these. um precarious times. For Drew Guthrie, our father, we ask you to draw near to this dear saint and and encourage her heart as she's facing a long Ordeal of chemotherapy and radiation treatments, and on top of that, dealing with kidney stone and pain. Father, would you be pleased to give relief to her?

Grant her enduring grace grant her persevering grace in this trial that you have ordained for her. We commit Art Pope to you and ask you to help him in his ongoing struggles with breathing. We thank you for George and Joan Zenson. for their testimony of faith in Christ and their trust in you with their eternal souls. We we pray for George that you'd help him, Lord, in these days of difficulty and struggling with pain and and lung cancer.

Lord, we Thank you that You have Not only made provisions for every one of your children in this life, but all the provisions you've made for us in the life to come. fill their hearts with hope and anticipation and expectation And in the meantime, Safeguard and keep them by your grace, we pray. For this friend of Nancy Verde's, Loretta Burgess, we I would ask you to help this dear woman who's had this broken hip. We pray that things would go well and she would be able to leave the hospital and return to her home. For Harold Lynch.

as he's dealing with A situation with his legs. We commit him to you. Thank you for. John Petrie for Jack for Your grace that has come to him and has lifted his spirits and given him a desire to con carry on and continue on. We thank you for his family, his children.

Ask it uh give success to these dialysis treatments and grant him perseverance in these things. Lord, we're concerned about the decline of Bob Rose. We uh We thank you that there's evidence of saving grace in his life. We thank you for his dear wife, Ann. for this um trial of significant um endurance that they've been through.

Please grant. Renewed strength to them. To face another night and to face another day to morrow and to continue to trust you in the midst of it all. For Darla Hazlip's friend Terry Owen Smith, we would pray for her tonight, and for Leigh Vestel. Father were burdened for Stuart Waugh and for the situation in Zimbabwe.

And Lord, we are thankful that none of this has caught you by surprise, that you order all things, that you are working all things after the counsel of your will. that this dear brother and his dear wife are resting in your sovereign will and your purposes for them We pray that you would encourage them. They they would have their faith strengthened. We would ask that if it would please you To bring about a resolution to this impasse. between the insurance company and the doctor.

Father Another one of these situations that has the potential for worry and anxiety and fear. Because it's out of our control. There's nothing we can do to bring about a change. But we look to the God who changes not. We look to the God who can.

Bring about change if it is in accordance with your will.

So we commit Stewart and Laverne and The work of the gospel in Zimbabwe and the men that are laboring in those churches. and for the folks who are in need of shepherding, we commit em all to you, and ask that you would be glorified in that situation. Father, how grateful we are that we can entrust our entire lives to you. These days are uncertain days. and these trials are ordained by you.

to test our faith and to grow our faith and to um challenge us. Lord, how we pray that it would result in great spiritual renewal and revival in our land. People who've been trusting in the uncertainty of riches and have had their riches and their portfolios decimated. Lord, may that Disappointment, drive them away from those uncertainties that they're trusting in, and may they entrust their. never dying souls to the God, who was able to Keep them.

in the midst of these difficulties. Lord, I thank you for our church family. I thank you that you are indeed the great shepherd. of our souls. And Lord, we ask that you would safeguard all of our people.

And that you would do us good in these days as we wait upon you and look to you. To bring resolution to these circumstances in your own time. Lord, we Thank you. that we can set our affections on things above That we can consider Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising its shame, and is sat down at your right hand. Help us to keep our eyes on Him.

And Lord, cause your word to abide in our hearts. cause these to be profitable days for the people of God. that we would be about um our king's business. That we would be men and women with courage and boldness in these days where people. Or Questioning.

and wondering. That we would have an answer for the reason of the hope that's within us. And now, Lord, I commit the saints of Beacon Baptist Church to you and ask you to safeguard us and keep us. until we gather again. in this way or in a normal way in corporate worship.

Hear us, I pray, for Jesus' sake. Amen.