Surviving COVID: A New Normal | Philip Anthony Mitchell | Sermon Notes — Hello Pastor

Sermon Notes

Surviving COVID: A New Normal

Philip Anthony Mitchell

2819 Church • May 18, 2020 • 42 min

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Take this message with you through a journey of Scripture, reflection, and prayer.

Summary

In times of national crisis and unprecedented change, believers must seek God's revelation rather than longing for the past. Drawing from Jeremiah 29, Pastor Philip Anthony Mitchell highlights how God called the exiled Israelites to embrace their new reality rather than passively waiting for trouble to pass. By pivoting our minds, building, planting, living fully, and praying for our communities, we can experience fruitfulness even in uncertainty because Jesus remains our unshakable foundation.

Themes

God's Sovereignty in CrisisEmbracing a New NormalFruitfulness in HardshipIntercessory Prayer for CitiesJesus as the Unshakable Rock

Pastor's Points

1.

Build: Be productive and continue accomplishing purpose in the middle of crisis.

2.

Plant: Invest time, resources, and relationships to sow seeds that will yield a future harvest.

3.

Marry: Keep living life and remaining fruitful rather than putting your life on hold.

4.

Pray: Cry out for the peace, prosperity, and spiritual health of your city and nation.

Key Points

1.
Build: Be productive and continue accomplishing purpose in the middle of crisis.
2.
Plant: Invest time, resources, and relationships to sow seeds that will yield a future harvest.
3.
Marry: Keep living life and remaining fruitful rather than putting your life on hold.
4.
Pray: Cry out for the peace, prosperity, and spiritual health of your city and nation.
5.
In times of crisis, what believers need above every other human voice is a direct revelation from God.
6.
God assumes ultimate sovereignty over our seasons of exile and hardship, using them to fulfill His greater purpose.
7.
Global disruptions allow God to dismantle financial, entertainment, and social idols so His people look back up to Him.
8.

Sermon Moments

“{'text': 'God was before COVID, He is in COVID, and He will be after COVID. Because He is the beginning and the end, He knows exactly what He is doing.', 'speaker': 'Philip Anthony Mitchell'}”

“{'text': "Although Nebuchadnezzar was the agent, God assumed ownership of the crisis when He said, 'all those I carried into exile.'", 'speaker': 'Philip Anthony Mitchell'}”

“{'text': "Sometimes I don't even need the circumstance to change; I just need a word from God in the middle of the circumstance.", 'speaker': 'Philip Anthony Mitchell'}”

“{'text': 'God has crushed all our idols to the floor—our financial idols, our entertainment idols—so that we realize we have no guarantees except the grace of God.', 'speaker': 'Philip Anthony Mitchell'}”

“{'text': 'There is one thing that is always certain in uncertainty, and He has a name: His name is Jesus.', 'speaker': 'Philip Anthony Mitchell'}”

This Week

Pivot your mindset away from waiting for the 'old normal' and ask God how to serve Him effectively right now.

Identify one productive project or goal to build and complete during this current season.

Invest consistently in your personal relationship with Jesus through daily scripture meditation and prayer.

Reach out intentionally to support and serve vulnerable neighbors, family members, or friends this week.

Maintain healthy daily rhythms and keep living life fully instead of placing your life on pause.

Dedicate specific time each day to pray for civic leaders, mayors, governors, and national officials.

Examine your heart to see if any secondary trust—like career or financial comfort—has taken God's primary place.

Remember This

Instead of waiting for past circumstances to return, believers must embrace their new normal by building, planting, living, and praying under God's sovereign care.

A Challenge for You

Shake yourselves and don't try to hang on to what was. Embrace the new thing God is doing, pivot in your mind, and actively build, plant, marry, and pray in this season.

These are personal sermon notes shared to help you remember the message — not a replacement for Scripture, your church, or your pastors.