080: Steve Davis - Exhortation: From 3/15/20

Automatically transcribed. Accuracy is good but not perfect, and words are sometimes wrong. Trust the audio over the text.

1. 0:00

   Welcome to the Good Christadelphian Talks podcast. I'm Levi. And I'm Chris. Thank you so much for joining us this week. On this podcast, we select one talk a week to help each one of us get the Bible in our daily news feed. We post at the start of each week for you to listen with a short intro beforehand to kind of set the stage for the talk you're about to hear. And now let's hear more about this week's talk. This week's talk is an exhortation by our brother Steve Davis from the Boston Ecclesia in Massachusetts. This talk was suggested to us and it took me a while to get to it. It was his exhortation on March 15th, which is an interesting time, you know, now with the COVID-19 crisis that that was kind of the last Sunday before everything really shut down here in the States and most in most parts of the United States. And brother Steve is, his exhortation is around this idea of a pandemic.

2. 1:09

   And there's some really, really beautiful points, but you can, it's just, again, thinking of the timing is very interesting because he's talking about it in kind of not a panicked or fearful way, as we heard many times in the following Sundays on, you know, March 22nd and March 29th. But still, we kind of, the way of kind of exhorting us to be thoughtful and caring for all people and that God's love and Jesus's plan is on offer for all people of the world. And then he ends with kind of this beautiful image at the end of a map, like we see maps of the spreading pandemic. But this instead is a map of God's goodness and justice spreading to that throughout the whole world from Jerusalem. So it's a beautiful, beautiful exhortation, very uplifting. And I was happy to share it on this special exhortation episode that we're doing on Saturdays. And we're trying to get these posted by noon US time so that our brothers and sisters on the other side of the world can use these talks for their exhortations if needed on Sunday. So again, thank you for all the suggestions. We really appreciate the community that helps us find these talks to share with everyone. And thank you for listening. Here is Steve Davis's exhortation from March 15th.

3. 2:45

   In 2009, Bill Gates stood on a stage in Long Beach, California, where he delivered a TED Talk about malaria. Malaria is an infectious disease that kills about one million people each and every year. It's caused when a mosquito bite allows a parasite to enter a person's bloodstream. The disease is most prevalent in the tropical climates of Africa and Asia. But here in the US, fewer than 10 people die of the disease annually. And in some ways, this was a big problem for Bill and Melinda Gates.

4. 3:45

   You see, after making their fortune at Microsoft, the Gates have devoted their lives and much of their money to combating infectious diseases. And the problem that Bill Gates saw was that malaria wasn't a pressing issue because it didn't impact people here. And so, as he spoke to this audience, he recognized that for most people, when they thought about malaria, they thought about it as a problem that happened somewhere over there.

5. 4:31

   And as a result, Bill Gates stood in front of hundreds of wealthy Westerners. And he was standing on a darkened stage. And there was a single spotlight that shone down from the rafters onto a glass jar that sat on a lonely stage. table. And then Gates picked up this glass jar and he explained to his audience that the jar was full of mosquitoes. And then very quickly, he unscrewed the cover of the jar and released those mosquitoes into the auditorium.

6. 5:28

   And he said, there's no reason only poor people should share this experience. After some gasps and a lot of nervous laughter, Bill Gates explained that those mosquitoes were not infectious. And while we might laugh or chuckle at that story, I think it gives us an opportunity to really look inwardly, brothers and sisters.

7. 6:04

   So, if you're like me, when I first saw those maps of the coronavirus spreading in China, I must admit that I didn't give it a lot of thought. You know the maps I'm talking about. These are the maps that the Center for Disease Control puts out. And they tend to be populated with red dots. And they started in China and they began to expand. And when it first happened, as I say, I didn't really pay a lot of attention to it.

8. 6:40

   But then I saw a comment that Becca's dad made. Brother Ray has a son who lives in China. And he spoke about how he was concerned for Brandon. And then, as the maps continued to be broadcast on the news and online, we saw that those red dots began to expand beyond China and into Europe.

9. 7:07

   And then soon thereafter, it was here in the United States. And the CDC pandemic map now shows hundreds of expanding red dots popping up all over our communities, not just over there, but here. Therapists tell us that there are people coming to them expressing a sense of dread after seeing those maps on TV or online.

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    And perhaps, brothers and sisters, perhaps friends, you've felt that way too. Now, I tell this story and I bring this to our attention because I think this is where it gives us an opportunity to pause and to look inwardly. Because as we read in the New Testament portion of the readings just now, our concern shouldn't be limited to only our family and our friends and our community.

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    No, our love and our concern should mirror that of our Heavenly Father. Jesus said in Luke chapter 6, as we just read, If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what good is it to those?

12. 8:46

    What credit is that to you? And so the point is, brothers and sisters, that this gives us an opportunity to look into our lives. To look into our own hearts and look into our own minds and to see whether or not we truly are concerned about others. Our love and concern should mirror that of our Heavenly Father, who so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son to save all those who look at him.

13. 9:25

    That famous passage from John chapter 3 is often read starting in the 16th verse. But you'll remember, brothers and sisters, that when we read John chapter 3, the account begins with a reference to that time in Numbers chapter 21, when the people had been bitten by fiery serpents. And when there was a venomous poison raging in their bodies.

14. 10:00

    And as the community got together and as they feared for their lives, Moses lifted up a brazen serpent. And all those who looked to the brazen serpent, believing that they would be healed of their disease, were saved. And so similarly, when we read the account that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, we must recognize that the context is the same.

15. 10:38

    That each of us here, that each person in the world has one common thing in their lives. And that is the poison of sin runs through our bodies just as the poison from those fiery snakes ran through the bodies of the Israelites on that day. And held up before us is the Lord Jesus Christ.

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    And the promise that all those who look to him believing will be saved. And so as we, in this day, think and even worry about this ever-expanding virus that seems to be going throughout the globe, I think it would be important for us to remember, important for us to pause and consider God's eternal love and eternal plan.

17. 11:50

    You see, in the beginning, when the earth was still formless and void, God created the heavens and the earth with the express purpose of filling it with his goodness and glory. This is what we read about in Numbers 21, where after the people had been complaining and murmuring against God for bringing them out of Egypt, after they had been bitten by those fiery serpents, and after they looked to the brazen serpent, God made that promise that all the earth would be filled with his glory.

18. 12:34

    And you see, that has been his purpose from the very beginning. It was as though our Creator, the Creator God, when the earth was formless and void, when darkness was on the face of the deep, our Creator God saw the goodness of being the eternal God. God, and He wanted to share that goodness, that glory, His character with others, so that they could experience it too.

19. 13:09

    And consequently, God created and filled the earth with a created human being, with a race. And why did He do it? He did it because He wanted to fill the earth with His glory. And He did this by appointing humans to partner with Him as His image bearers, those that would bear His character.

20. 13:40

    And they were to manifest God's goodness. The plan from the beginning was for a Garden of Eden-like experience to fill the earth, where God's righteousness could be experienced by all. And of course, Adam and Eve rejected God's plan, and sin and the consequences of sin entered the world. We, brothers and sisters, became dying creatures.

21. 14:17

    And in the succeeding generations, mankind became more and more evil. Cain murdered his brother. Lamech ignored God's counsel to unite with his one wife, and instead took multiple women to be his wives. And then, he boasted, he bragged, or perhaps he threatened about killing others. And by Genesis 6, we see that the wickedness, and not God's glory, was the thing that was filling the earth.

22. 14:55

    All the earth, the imagination of man's heart, was evil continually. Instead of God's glory filling the earth, it was wickedness that was filling the earth. And so God chose to wash it clean with the flood. It was as though God was starting his plan over, giving his image bearers a second opportunity. See, once again, darkness was over the face of the deep.

23. 15:27

    And once again, God was giving his image bearers a second chance to create that Garden of Eden-like experience. That environment in which they could live and experience God's goodness. Noah and his family, just like Adam and Eve, were to go forth and to multiply. They were supposed to bring God's goodness to all corners of the globe.

24. 15:55

    But it didn't happen. While the population of the earth grew again, things on earth were no better than before. It was at this point that the kingdom of men was first recognized. Not the kingdom of God. Noah's great grandson, Nimrod, created a kingdom for himself, we read in Genesis 10. It was a kingdom for himself, not God.

25. 16:27

    And even though mankind was supposed to go forth, they congregated in Babel. In Babylon. And the record tells us that they built a tower there so they could make a name for themselves. Not a name for God. And because of their rebellion and probably to protect humanity from itself, God scattered the people.

26. 16:53

    And then as we know, brothers and sisters, in Genesis 11, the Bible then introduces us to Abram. And in Genesis chapter 12, we read of those great and precious promises where we see God's desire to fill and fulfill his original intention. His desire to fill the earth with his glory is seen even in those great promises to Abram.

27. 17:30

    And this, brothers and sisters, brings us back to that point where I said it gives us an opportunity to look introspectfully, to look inwardly, to consider our own minds and our own hearts. You see, the promise to Abram wasn't just about him and his family. And as the seed of Abraham, it isn't just about us and our community.

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    The purpose of God is that all peoples of the earth will be blessed. The purpose of God is that all peoples, all families of the earth will experience his goodness and his character. And at this point, as the seed of Abraham, as those who have been baptized into Jesus' saving name, our role is to be a blessing to the nations.

29. 18:43

    Your role, sister, your role, brother, my role is to be a blessing to all the families of the world. That we might share the goodness of our God. So that all families can be blessed through you. And so we might ask the question in this day and in this age, how do we go about doing that?

30. 19:11

    How is it that we can be a blessing to the families of the world? Well, there are certainly practical good works that can be accomplished in Jesus' name. In John chapter 6, Jesus went out and you think about those, the sermon of the Bible, the sermon on the mount. Who was it that Jesus was speaking to?

31. 19:33

    He was speaking to the most vulnerable in society, to the poor, to the oppressed, to those who were mourning. His message was to them. And we too can bring that same message of hope to others. We can do it in a variety of ways. There are good practical things that we can do in the name of Jesus to provide help today.

32. 20:00

    Consider, for example, all the families who have children who are home from school unexpectedly for the next two weeks. And whose parents are at work and have no daycare situation. Perhaps it is that we could reach out to those families and offer daycare for their children. And in this way, we could introduce them to the goodness of Jesus.

33. 20:26

    Perhaps we could provide food. We could check in on neighbors. These are good and practical things that we can do. But most importantly, brothers and sisters, we can do as Jesus did as he spoke from the Sermon on the Mount. He didn't just feed the poor. He shared with them the hope. And that's what we can do.

34. 20:50

    We can share the good news about the name of Jesus and the coming kingdom of God. As we know, one day, our Lord Jesus will return from heaven. And his feet will once again stand on the Mount of Olives. This very well could happen in your lifetime. We, brothers and sisters, might be alive to witness the miracle that those angels spoke to those in Jerusalem that day.

35. 21:33

    This same Jesus who you have seen go into heaven will come in like manner. Brothers and sisters, through God's grace, we might be alive to witness that day. To hear the trumpet call of God go forth. Imagine that day. You might imagine a map. Similar to those pandemic maps that we see now.

36. 22:04

    Only this time, instead of an infectious disease that's spreading out throughout the world, we would see a dot over Jerusalem. And it would represent the glory of God. Because he has promised that all the earth will be filled with his glory. And we can imagine Jesus standing, not as the coming king, but as the king who has come.

37. 22:33

    Ruling and reigning with righteousness from Jerusalem. And that dot on that map, representing the glory of God, will begin to get larger and larger. And the glory and the goodness of God's character will roll out across the globe. As though it were a virus for good. And with God's grace, brothers and sisters, we'll share with the joy of the saints.

38. 23:08

    And bringing about that good news. And sharing that good news with others. And sharing that good news with others. Not of a coming kingdom, but of a kingdom that has come. You see, in the end, the earth will be inhabited by individuals who have experienced tears. And death. And mourning. And crying. And pain.

39. 23:41

    And pain. Revelation tells us that these things will be done away with. But having experienced those things in this life. We will be in the position, brothers and sisters. To glorify God in love and in gratitude. Knowing. And truly understanding what Paul wrote. Romans chapter 8. For I reckon. The present sufferings are not worthy to be compared to the glory.

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    That shall be revealed in us. And so as we stop now. In our week. And as we reflect on the memory of Jesus. Let us think not just. Of his life. And his death. But let us remember too. That he was raised from the dead. And that he is alive today. And that he intercedes in our lives to help us in our times of need.

41. 24:55

    And that this same Jesus. Will come. In like manner. As we share the bread and the cup. We do so. To honor his memory. And to anticipate with eagerness. The time. When all the earth. Will be filled with his glory. Even so. Come Lord Jesus. Thank you for listening to the good Christ Adelphine talks podcast.

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43. 25:48

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