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Where is God in
COVID-19?
Bible Study | The Church of God International, Philippines | May 2, 2020
Faith Series
Many
wonder…
Where is God?
• Sickness
• Suffering
• Death
• Quarantine
• Lock down
• Recession
• Business
disruption
The virus has brought about fear
and disruption.
God sees the
suffering
Why does He not
intervene?
We may want God not to intervene at all.
He destroyed the world with a great flood. He
destroyed the twin cities of Sodom and Gomorrah
when He rained sulfur from heaven. He
devastated nations when He brought the Israelites
to the Promised Land.
Jesus said that God the Father is busy
working today for our salvation.
Our worldly perspective and His divine
perspective are very different.
Isaiah 55:8-9
8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Job 37:5
God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways; he
does great things beyond our understanding.
Why are we experiencing
pandemics?
Mankind has departed from the ways of the
Lord. We have disobeyed God’s laws. We know
that the recent viral diseases came from wild
animals. SARS from civet cat. MERS from
camel. Ebola from monkey. And, Covid-19
from bat or pangolin.
Why are we experiencing
pandemics?
God has long since prohibited man from eating
unclean meats (Deuteronomy 14 and Leviticus
11.) We have ignored God’s words and His
dietary laws. Mankind brought these diseases
upon themselves. Our stomachs have become
our God.
How does God look at
COVID-19?
God is aware
3.4m Covid-19 infections
239,600 deaths
19.6m died this year
46.7m new births
God is aware
14.2m infant abortions
4.3m died to communicable diseases
2.7m to cancer
1.6m to smoking
450,000 to road fatalities
359,000 to suicide
327,000 to malaria
162,000 to seasonal flu
103,000 to mothers giving birth
561K to HIV/AIDS
Luke 13 1 Now there were some
present on that occasion
who told him about the
Galileans whose blood Pilate
had mixed with their
sacrifices.
The zealots and rebels were killed while in the temple offering their sacrifices;
and their blood was mingled with the blood of the animals that they were
slaying for sacrifice. To the Jews, it is unimaginable for a group of people to
be killed inside the temple ground while offering sacrifices. The immediate
conclusion was they were victims of divine anger, that God, somehow, had a
hand in their death.
Luke 13 2 He answered them, “Do
you think these Galileans
were worse sinners than all
the other Galileans, because
they suffered these things?
3 No, I tell you! But unless
you repent, you will all
perish as well!
Luke 13 4 Or those eighteen who
were killed when the tower in
Siloam fell on them, do you
think they were worse
offenders than all the others
who live in Jerusalem?
Luke 13 5 No, I tell you! But unless
you repent you will all perish
as well!”
Hebrews 9:27
Just as people are destined to die once,
and after that to face judgment.
Revelation 2:11
Whoever has ears, let them hear what
the Spirit says to the churches. The one
who is victorious will not be hurt at all
by the second death.
1 Corinthians 15
54 When the perishable has been clothed
with the imperishable, and the mortal with
immortality, then the saying that is written
will come true: “Death has been swallowed
up in victory.”
1 Corinthians 15
55 “Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power
of sin is the law.
57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the
victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus is concerned
about your life, not
your death.
Eternal life is our
victory over sin and
death!
Romans 5
12 Therefore, just as sin
entered the world through
one man, and death
through sin, and in this way
death came to all people,
because all sinned—
Romans 5 18 Consequently, just as one
trespass resulted in
condemnation for all people,
so also one righteous act
resulted in justification and
life for all people.
19 For just as through the
disobedience of the one man
the many were made sinners,
so also through the
obedience of the one man the
many will be made righteous.
Romans 5 20 The law was brought in so
that the trespass might
increase. But where sin
increased, grace increased all
the more,
21 so that, just as sin
reigned in death, so also
grace might reign through
righteousness to bring
eternal life through Jesus
Christ our Lord.
Sin, which is
defined as
lawlessness, puts
you to death.
Christ paid the
death penalty on the
cross so that you
may have eternal
life.
Our faith is in God because we believe
Christ has the power of life and death.
We believe Jesus is the life and the
resurrection. In Him is eternal life.
John 5
24 “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my
word and believes him who sent me has
eternal life and will not be judged but has
crossed over from death to life.”
25 Very truly I tell you, a time is coming
and has now come when the dead will hear
the voice of the Son of God and those who
hear will live.
John 6:47
Very truly I tell you, the one who believes
has eternal life.
John 11 1 Now a man named Lazarus
was sick. He was from Bethany,
the village of Mary and her
sister Martha.
2 (This Mary, whose brother
Lazarus now lay sick, was the
same one who poured perfume
on the Lord and wiped his feet
with her hair.)
John 11 3 So the sisters sent word to
Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is
sick.”
4 When he heard this, Jesus
said, “This sickness will not end
in death. No, it is for God’s glory
so that God’s Son may be
glorified through it.”
John 11 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and
her sister and Lazarus.
6 So when he heard that
Lazarus was sick, he stayed
where he was two more days,
7 and then he said to his
disciples, “Let us go back to
Judea.”
John 11 8 “But Rabbi,” they said, “a
short while ago the Jews there
tried to stone you, and yet you
are going back?”
9 Jesus answered, “Are there
not twelve hours of daylight?
Anyone who walks in the
daytime will not stumble, for
they see by this world’s light.
John 11 10 It is when a person walks at
night that they stumble, for they
have no light.”
11 After he had said this, he
went on to tell them, “Our friend
Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I
am going there to wake him up.”
John 11 12 His disciples replied, “Lord, if
he sleeps, he will get better.”
13 Jesus had been speaking of
his death, but his disciples
thought he meant natural sleep.
John 11 14 So then he told them plainly,
“Lazarus is dead,
15 and for your sake I am glad I
was not there, so that you may
believe. But let us go to him.”
16 Then Thomas said to the rest
of the disciples, “Let us also go,
that we may die with him.”
John 11 17 On his arrival, Jesus found
that Lazarus had already been
in the tomb for four days.
18 Now Bethany was less than
two miles from Jerusalem,
19 and many Jews had come to
Martha and Mary to comfort
them in the loss of their brother.
John 11 20 When Martha heard that
Jesus was coming, she went out
to meet him, but Mary stayed at
home.
21 “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus,
“if you had been here, my
brother would not have died.
22 But I know that even now
God will give you whatever you
ask.”
John 11 23 Jesus said to her, “Your
brother will rise again.”
24 Martha answered, “I know he
will rise again in the
resurrection at the last day.”
John 11 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the
resurrection and the life. The
one who believes in me will live,
even though they die;
26 and whoever lives by
believing in me will never die.
Do you believe this?”
John 11 27 “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I
believe that you are the
Messiah, the Son of God, who is
to come into the world.”
28 After she had said this, she
went back and called her sister
Mary aside. “The Teacher is
here,” she said, “and is asking
for you.”
John 11 29 When Mary heard this, she
got up quickly and went to him.
30 Now Jesus had not yet
entered the village, but was still
at the place where Martha had
met him.
John 11 31 When the Jews who had
been with Mary in the house,
comforting her, noticed how
quickly she got up and went
out, they followed her,
supposing she was going to the
tomb to mourn there.
John 11 32 When Mary reached the
place where Jesus was and saw
him, she fell at his feet and said,
“Lord, if you had been here, my
brother would not have died.”
33 When Jesus saw her
weeping, and the Jews who had
come along with her also
weeping, he was deeply moved
in spirit and troubled.
John 11 34 “Where have you laid him?”
he asked.
“Come and see, Lord,” they
replied.
35 Jesus wept.
36 Then the Jews said, “See
how he loved him!”
John 11 37 But some of them said,
“Could not he who opened the
eyes of the blind man have kept
this man from dying?”
38 Jesus, once more deeply
moved, came to the tomb. It was
a cave with a stone laid across
the entrance.
John 11 39 “Take away the stone,” he
said.
“But, Lord,” said Martha, the
sister of the dead man, “by this
time there is a bad odor, for he
has been there four days.”
40 Then Jesus said, “Did I not
tell you that if you believe, you
will see the glory of God?”
John 11 41 So they took away the stone.
Then Jesus looked up and said,
“Father, I thank you that you
have heard me.
42 I knew that you always hear
me, but I said this for the
benefit of the people standing
here, that they may believe that
you sent me.”
John 11 43 When he had said this,
Jesus called in a loud voice,
“Lazarus, come out!”
44 The dead man came out, his
hands and feet wrapped with
strips of linen, and a cloth
around his face.
Jesus said to them, “Take off
the grave clothes and let him
go.”
John 11 45 Therefore many of the Jews
who had come to visit Mary, and
had seen what Jesus did,
believed in him.
46 But some of them went to
the Pharisees and told them
what Jesus had done.
John 11 47 Then the chief priests and
the Pharisees called a meeting of
the Sanhedrin.
“What are we accomplishing?”
they asked. “Here is this man
performing many signs.
48 If we let him go on like this,
everyone will believe in him, and
then the Romans will come and
take away both our temple and
our nation.”
John 11 49 Then one of them, named
Caiaphas, who was high priest
that year, spoke up, “You know
nothing at all!
50 You do not realize that it is
better for you that one man die
for the people than that the
whole nation perish.”
John 11 51 He did not say this on his
own, but as high priest that
year he prophesied that Jesus
would die for the Jewish nation,
52 and not only for that nation
but also for the scattered
children of God, to bring them
together and make them one.
53 So from that day on they
plotted to take his life.
Life experiences change
us. Some are drawn
towards God; others are
drawn away from God.
We decide which group
we want to be in.
COVID-19 is life
changing.
How will people’s
lives and mindsets
change?
We hope there will be a spiritual change, a
spiritual revival and renewal in all of us.
We can all use this pandemic experience to draw
closer and near to the Eternal Father and our Lord
Jesus Christ.
The most important and precious thing we learn
from this experience is that life is precious.
And, this life can be everlasting. Eternal life is our
hope. This is what we must strive for with our
whole being.
Therefore, my dear
friends, as you have
always obeyed—not only
in my presence, but now
much more in my
absence—continue to
work out your salvation
with fear and trembling.
Philippians
2:12
Psalm 103 13 As a father has
compassion on his children,
so the Lord has compassion
on those who fear him;
14 for he knows how we are
formed,
he remembers that we are
dust.
Psalm 103 15 The life of mortals is like
grass,
they flourish like a flower of
the field;
16 the wind blows over it and
it is gone,
and its place remembers it no
more.
Psalm 103 17 But from everlasting to
everlasting
the Lord’s love is with those
who fear him,
and his righteousness with
their children’s children—
18 with those who keep his
covenant
and remember to obey his
precepts.
Ezekiel 33:11
Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares
the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in
the death of the wicked, but rather that
they turn from their ways and live.
2 Peter 1
3 His divine power has given us everything
we need for a godly life through our
knowledge of him who called us by his own
glory and goodness.
4 Through these he has given us his very
great and precious promises, so that
through them you may participate in the
divine nature.
Where is God in
COVID-19?
God is near you and He is
watching over you.
Let us take this experience to
work towards our victory
over sin and death. Thanks
be to God for the victory
through Jesus Christ our
Lord.
2 Corinthians 4
16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though
outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we
are being renewed day by day.
17 For our light and momentary troubles are
achieving for us an eternal glory that far
outweighs them all.
2 Corinthians 4
18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on
what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary,
but what is unseen is eternal.
Faith Series
The Greatest Miracle in
the Bible and … Me
Bible Study | The Church of God International, Philippines | June 6, 2020 | 2:30 PM