On March 15, 2020, in obedience to guidelines and requests made by state and local authorities, many churches around the United States did not open their doors for the gathering of God’s people. McLean Bible Church in Northern Virginia was one of those churches. Lead pastor David Platt preached to his congregation via a livestream, choosing two texts that speak to the anxiety caused by the global pandemic known as COVID-19:
Proverbs 12:25
Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down,
but a good word makes him glad.
Matthew 6:25–34
Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Listen to David Platt on these promises from God’s Word, and let the peace of Christ rule in your heart by faith.
David Platt on Peace in a Pandemic
March 16, 2020 • David Platt
Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places: A Sermon from Julius Kim
October 21, 2020 • Julius Kim
The Old Testament offers stories of heroes in the faith who inspire us, encourage us, and model how to live the Christian life with courage and confidence in God. And yet, woven into these stories of faith and courage are cautionary tales of fear and compromise. Julius Kim addressed Genesis 29:15–35 in a sermon to his congregation of New Life Presbyterian Church in Escondido, California, on August 30, 2020, titled “Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places.” Kim uses Genesis 29 and the story of Jacob, Leah, and Rachel to remind us to look to Christ for ultimate love, healing for our brokenness, and the fulfillment of our hearts’ desires. The Bible tells us the amazing story of God’s rescue, Jesus’s substitutionary death, and the divine grace and love that fixes all brokenness and fills all emptiness.
When Dry Riverbeds Flow Again (Psalm 126)
August 20, 2020 • Bernard Howard
Psalm 126 is an interesting text, if not slightly tricky, at first glance. With its mention of laughter and joy in the first few verses, it seems a celebratory song in need of an accompanying upbeat tune. Upon deeper inspection, however, the text takes a hard turn and calls for restoration through tears and weeping. Bernard Howard addressed this text in a sermon to his congregation at Good Shepherd Anglican Church in New York City on August 9, 2020, titled “When Dry Riverbeds Flow Again.” Howard holds up Psalm 126 as a precious jewel meant to remind us of better times and point us to future hope. Those currently experiencing dry riverbeds are encouraged to read the text in terms of a natural breakdown of the psalm, which recalls past joy, exercises present prayer, and ends with future hope in the joyful harvest that’s promised.
I Can’t Breathe: A Sermon by Charlie Dates
June 11, 2020 • Charlie Dates
Pentecost—the day an incomparable wind blew in the earth and empowered ordinary men to do supernatural things. On Pentecost Sunday, May 31, 2020, Charlie Dates of Chicago Progressive Baptist Church preached a sermon titled “I Can’t Breathe” in the wake of the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers. In the midst of the chaos, confusion, anger, frustration, and division that defines our country and our world currently, Dates called believers to first recognize the nature of breath as God-given and sustained by Christ. Yet it remains fragile and succumbs to the evil of sinful men. Therefore, in this significant moment in history, it is necessary for men and women—sustained by supernatural breath—to stand and proclaim the grace of Christ for which our world desperately longs so that the words “I can’t breathe,” too often uttered by black brothers and sisters, might no longer be repeated but replaced with words of praise and glory to God. Genesis 2:7: Then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. John 14:15–17: If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. John 20:21–22: Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” Acts 2:1–2: When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.