A PHASE 6 PANDEMIC

According to the World Health Organization a Phase 6 pandemic virus exists when a community level outbreak exists in at least one other country in a different WHO region than where it began. Phase 6 designates a global pandemic. Phase 6 is the highest level and demands the most drastic measures and most immediate concern.

Though you will never hear it from worldy sources a phase 6 global pandemic scale--much worse than the swine flue--has infected us all. It has been around for centuries and there is no cure. Its called sin.

Every man, woman and child is infected with it. Romans 5:12, "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned." Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

There is no escaping it. It was recently suggested by the Vice President that we avoid confined spaces lest we be exposed to the swine flu. People are rushing to buy medical masks to protect themselves, but there is no escaping sin. Even if we were to enclose ourself in a "bubble house" on a deserted island we could not escape sin, for wherever we go, sin goes with us (Mark 7:20-23).

We fear the consequences of catching the swine flu, the consequences of the sin disease are far worse. T. DeWitt Talmage described its affect on us, "Sin is a leprosy, sin is a consumption, sin is pollution, sin is death. Give it a fair chance and it will swamp you, body, mind and soul for ever. In this world it only gives a faint intimation of its virulence; but after for a thousand quadrillion years it has ransacked your soul--what then? You see a patient in the first stages of typhoid fever. The cheek is somewhat flushed, the hands somewhat hot, preceded by a slight chill. "Why," you say, "typhoid does not seem to be much of a disease." But wait until the patient has been six weeks under it, and all his energies have been wrung out, and he is too weak to life his little finger, and his intellect is gone, then you see the full havoc of the disease. Now sin in this world is an ailment, which is only in its first stages; but after the grave, it is a rending, blasting, all-devouring, all-consuming, eternal typhoid." Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death." 1 Corinthians 15:22, "For as in Adam all die."

Man’s been trying for a long time to find a cure for the sin disease. He has supposed that it could be cured by religious self-effort, better education, humanistic psychology, or a better society. His efforts have proven to be futile. A tragic misdiagnosis is a part of the problem. Instead of recognizing sin for what it is, he has blamed his failures on a myriad of other things. Humanistic cures are like giving a band-aid to a cancer patient. The church growth movement is partly responsible for our present state. One of its chief spokeman has said, "Its a sin to call people sinners." In its misdiagnosis it has supposed that we need only improve ourselves. But there is absolutely nothing that we can do to resolve the sin problem.

The bad news is that there is a pandemic and that every one of us in infected and that our condition is terminal. The good news is that God has provided an answer for the sin disease and His answer is Jesus Christ. He alone walked the earth untouched by the disease. "He was tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin" (Heb. 4:15). "Unblemished and spotless" (1 Pet. 1:19) He offered Himself up as "the lamb of God to take aways the sin of the world" (John 1:29). His victory over sin, and death, and judgment is applied to all who trust in Him and His finished work on the cross (Rom. 6:3-7). In Him we have forgiveness of sin (Eph. 1:7), victory over sin (7:24-25), and the promise of future and ultimate deliverance from every hint of the disease (Phil. 3:20-21).

While the swine flu epidemic is a serious concern, the sin disease is far more destructive. Let us be mindful of its virulence and look to the sole means of deliverance--the Lord Jesus Christ.

Pastor Jerry