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[Music] well good morning welcome to free raised Baptist Church if you're visiting welcome special welcome to you and just by way of announcements there there's only two announcements and that is the first is next Lord's Day is the church luncheon so you will be getting an email regards to the church luncheon so it's a time we meet for lunch after the church service and all are invited to stay for that as well as the last day of the month which is Saturday February 29th at 7 o'clock we will have our annual general meeting at 7 o'clock on the 29th of February financial papers have gone out to to all the members or they will be going out if if Doug didn't catch you on the way in and be certain to catch him on the way out to get your financial papers for for that meeting on the last day of the month of February 29th well with that out of the way let's turn our attention to worship and please turn with me in your Bibles to Psalms 70 Psalm 70 Psalm 72 the chief musician a psalm of david to bring to remembrance make haste o God to deliver me make haste to help me O Lord let them be ashamed and confounded who seek my life let them be turned back and confused who desired my hurt let them be turned back because of their shame who say aha aha let all those who seek you rejoice and be glad in you and let those who love your salvation say continually let God be magnified but I am poor and needy make haste to me O God you are my help and my deliverer o Lord do not delay a man will please turn with me your hymn books to him number 98 C as in Charlie 98 C as in Charlie aw skip woosnum [Music] [Music] Amen you may be seated let's go to God in prayer and ask his blessing be upon her worshiped this morning that's pray our gracious and our loving Heavenly Father we come before you with great joy and and adoration this day before that the father our our Father the God of all gods the king of all kings and how we praise You Father that you I've chosen to Tabernacle yourself amongst us people certainly of unclean lips we pray Lord that you would be pleased to forgive us of all of our sins cleanse us afresh in that precious blood of your son the Lord Jesus Christ for this worship time this day well we know that you desire to hear the praises and the prayers of of your people and so Lord we we do come into your presence now with with great delight and and great promise and great hope that you will hear us for Christ's sake Lord how we praise you for sending your son your only son the Lord Jesus Christ into this earth to die for sinners such as us we praise you Father that we are numbered amongst that amongst that that number whom the father has given to the Lord Jesus Christ and he will not lose one and how we praise you for that we are eternally in the father in the Father's right hand that you Father continue to watch over as you care for us you guide us you you keep us and you've established us here in this local church we praise and thank you Lord for this body of believers we thank you Lord that you have assembled us together on this the Lord's Day that we have a saving interest and the things of Christ as they that we desire to be here to be worshippers of you and we praise You Father for the fact that you have you have you have called us together to be worshipers we praise you that we are not just a small Church on our own that we are part of that much larger Church Universal that has bit that began that in the time after the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and you have established that Church you have you've caused the continuance and the furtherance and the and the growth of that church right up to to the year 2020 how we praise you for that we are part of a universal church that praises you and worships you not only throughout this community of Chilliwack out not only across this Lower Mainland but all around this world father you have worshipers this day that bring praise and adore to you how we praise you for that we are your children that you have that you have been pleased to to to make us your children that you have bread that you have promised you to to cause us to have that that that eternal interest and the things of Christ then you will not lose one whom the father was given to the Lord Jesus Lord we praise you that we have that hope of heaven that because of what Christ has done that he came to this earth to - to live a perfect life according to the law that that he died is a perfect sacrifice and he was buried and he rose again and as and is in heaven as the firstfruits of that glorious resurrection the father we have we have that this hope in us and we have these promises that are ours this day and we praise you for that father that this world is not all that there is we have that hope of eternity that hope of heaven where we will be with with the Lord Jesus Christ there singing his praises for all of eternity father we thank you for the privileges ours this day - to have this this Lord's Day this this place to worship you this this Sabbath rest as it were as a foretaste of what we have to look forward to for all of eternity Lord bless this day we do pray and cause us to delight ourselves in you we thank you for having adopted us as as your sons and daughters in through the Lord Jesus Christ and what a privilege it is to call you Father and that you would call us your children so Lord we pray that your blessing might be upon our worship here this morning we do pray Lord that you would be pleased to give to us that your aid your help your your presence here in this place Lord we desire not to meet without you and so Lord we pray that you would be pleased to to to to to to to be with us and and Tabernacle amongst us and give to us your spirit as we pray for ourselves we pray for a pastor Lord that you would strengthen him give to him unction and help from on high we pray that he would know and possess that Holy Spirit to take the Word of God and open it up here in this place and we do pray Lord your blessing upon that word as it's opened up here we pray that you would be pleased to strengthen believers by it and and fashion us and mold us after the image of your son the Lord Jesus Christ we pray for any and all who are outside of Christ who sit amongst us here this day and they know that they they cannot make these claims their own how we pray Lord that you would be pleased to do grace in their hearts and cause them to see that it's just looking and believing on the Lord Jesus Christ it is as simple as that - to be found in Christ Lord we thank you that you have promised that that any who would believe in Christ truly will be saved and just the simplicity of the gospel we praise you for that it does not require works on our part for father that would only pollute the gospel we praise you that it is all of Christ and only of Christ and and we do pray that these things might be made very clear and very excellent from from from this pulpit this day Lord we do ask your blessing upon others who perhaps desire to be amongst us this day but cannot due to illness due to sickness we pray Lord that you would strengthen each and every one there are there are several in our midst - who are in sick beds who are experiencing difficulties that we pray Lord that you would be pleased to to encourage them this day may they may they know strength and spiritual health from on high on their sick beds and we pray Lord that you would comfort and courage heal and we do pray that in due time you would be pleased to to cause them to be amongst us once again we know Lord that the Saints desire - to be with one another to be in your house and Lord we just pray that you would be pleased to bring us together on another Lord's Day and we pray that you would just bring health and strength to those who are who are not feeling well Lord we thank you for the the blessing of safety of health and strength even with the this the the sicknesses going around we we thank you Father that you preserved us and we do pray for our own nation father these things would would would be would be a cause for causing many - to call upon the Lord Jesus Christ says certain this for this world is filled with much fear and much trepidation much hatred Lord how we pray at the gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ might be that that remedy for for such a fear for such a for such for such wickedness in this more world Lord we pray that your will would be done on earth as it is in heaven we know Lord that in heaven there is no there is no sin of abortion there is no hatred there is no there is no killing taking of innocent lives or our old lives we pray Lord that you would be pleased to work in our own nation and cause us Lord to be a to be a to be a people that that would seek after the the true and living God where we know that unless you put that into the hearts of our of Canadians and they will not seek you so we pray that you would be pleased to to just do a work amongst your people do a work amongst your churches and we pray that many would be called to a knowledge of the of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Lord we do pray for our fellow churches as well we think of the cirrie church and pray your blessing upon them bless pastor Kirkpatrick this day as he stands in the pulpit and declares your truth help him and give him a dand help from on high we pray that he would declare it with clarity and with unction and with help by your Holy Spirit and we pray in his congregation might receive that word and that you'd be pleased to strengthen them and and grow them as well we pre think of the church in Vernon as well Lord we do pray that in due time you would bring a man to them who would be able to minister full time amongst them we pray Lord that you would just be pleased to strengthen that congregation and even though they perhaps don't have a man on a regular basis that they would remain faithful to you and and seek the good of one another end and of your kingdom and we pray Lord that you would in due time give them good gifts the gift of an elder we do pray so let me just ask your great blessing to be upon our meeting time here today forgive us again of all of our sins we prayed you would cleanse us afresh in that precious blood of your son the Lord Jesus Christ in his name we pray amen well please turn with me in your hymn books once again to him number 459 459 Alaska please now [Music] [Music] Amen me please please be seated and turned with me your Bibles as we go through the New Testament and we're up to Acts chapter 16 and we'll begin at verse 16 to go to the end of the chapter so acts 16:16 so in this chapter it's a it's a chronicle of three three characters ultimately that are saved in this chapter last last week we read of Lydia's Lydia coming to a knowledge of the Lord and again a key verse is in is in regards to that that sovereign hand of God and lives of the unbelief believers turning them turning their hearts it says in verse 14 the Lord opened her heart to heat the things spoken by Paul and so we certainly see in this chapter that there's three very very distinct and very different characters which which we learn about who come to a knowledge of the Savior and certainly it's a reminder that God is no respecter of persons that that that God's mercy is very magnified in this chapter we have a we have a servant girl who will come to a knowledge of the Lord as well as the Philippian jailer three very different individuals yet isn't God good isn't God sovereign in the salvation of individuals so let's keep that in mind as we read the rest of this chapter so Acts chapter 16 beginning at verse 16 we'll go to the end now what happened as we went to prayer that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination Metis who brought her master's much profit by fortune-telling the girl followed Paul and us and cried out saying these men are the servants of the most of the Most High God who proclaimed to us the way of salvation and this she did for many days but Paul greatly annoyed turned and said to the spirit I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her and he came out that very hour but when her master masters saw that their hope excuse me but when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities and they brought them to the magistrates and said these men being Jews exceedingly trouble our city and they teach customs which are not lawful for us being Romans to receive or observe then the multitude rose up against them and the might and the magistrates tore off their clothes and commanded them to be beaten with rods and when they had laid many stripes on them they threw them into prison commanding the jailer to keep them securely having received such a charge he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks but at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God and the prisoners were listening to them suddenly there was a great earthquake so the foundations of the earth were shaken and immediately all the doors were open in everyone's chains where Lucent were loosed and the keeper of the prison awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open supposing the prisoners had fled drew his sword and was about to kill himself but Paul called with a loud voice saying do yourself no harm for we are all here then he called for a light ran in and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas and he brought them out and said sirs what must I do to be saved they so they said believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved you and your household then they smoked the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house and he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes and immediately he and all his family were baptized now when he had brought them into his house he set food before them and he rejoiced having believed in God with all his household and when it was day the magistrates sent the officers saying let those men go so the keeper of the prison reported these words to Paul saying the magistrates have sent to let you go now therefore depart and go in peace but Paul said to them they have beaten us openly uncondensed romans and have thrown us into prison and now do they put us out secretly no indeed let them come themselves and get us out and the officers told these words to the magistrates and they were afraid when they heard that they were Romans then they came and pleaded with him and brought them out and asked them to depart from the city so they went out of the prison and entered the house of Lydia and when they had seen the Brethren they encouraged them and departed amen let's print our gracious and our loving Heavenly Father again we see the absolute sovereignty of God and the salvation of these three individuals in this chapter we praise You Father that unless you cause us to believe in the gospel and we will not believe because we are dead in our sins and our trespasses so Lord how we praise you for that that sovereign grace that does elect that does call sinners to himself Lord we praise you that we are part of that and we praise you that you have caused us to believe in that glorious gospel that saving gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Lord we would just rejoice along with these three individuals we rejoice in the gospel of our scriptures that teach us these things and how we pray Lord that in this next hour as we listen to the preaching the Lord you'd be pleased to continue to teach us of the teachers and the Word of God teaches of the things of God and we pray that we would put on the Lord Jesus Christ that we would that we would grow in in Christ's likeness and again we do pray for any and all who would be amongst us who who would who would seek salvation father how we pray at they would see the simplicity of the gospel simply to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and we praise you that even that believing is a gift from you and we just praise you and give you our grateful things for all that we have in Christ Jesus and it's in his precious name we pray amen well please turn with me your hymn books once again before we do listen to preaching and that would be to him number 450 450 and I'll ask you to please stand [Music] [Music] please turn with me in your Bibles to proverbs chapter 15 proverbs chapter 15 will return to Acts god-willing next Sunday there's a bit of theology proper in Acts chapter 14 that I don't want to gloss over I want to give it some detail and so this morning we're going to recover a sermon that I preached when we went through proverbs or themes from proverbs the title of the sermon is the darkness of depression so I want to read proverbs 15 verse 13 and then pray and then we'll look at this theme proverbs 15:13 a merry heart makes a cheerful countenance but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken let us pray father in heaven we thank you for the written word of the true and living God we thank you that your word is sufficient for all matters of faith and practice we thank you that it's given by inspiration of God and you know us intimately you know us perfectly and how we praise you that your word addresses the very real issues that we face in this world we ask now that your Holy Spirit would guide and direct us as we consider this particular theme we ask that you would encourage and strengthen our hearts that you would build us up in our most holy faith and this well father we pray that through the word and by the Spirit Christ would be exalted in this assembly god we thank you for that one who is altogether lovely that one who is chief among ten thousand that lover of our souls may we see him as he is in Scripture and may we respond with faith and worship and adoration and praise and forgive us for all of our sins and unrighteousness now and we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord amen as I said I want to look at the darkness of depression and by depression I don't mean an occasional bad day I don't need seasonal affective disorder if I meant that we'd have this sermon every other at this particular time of the year here in Chilliwack I also do not mean the ordinary disappointments associated with life in a fallen world I'm going to take as a bit of a working definition a statement from Timothy Rogers he lived in 1658 217 28 and he wrote a book on the topic called trouble of mind and the disease of melancholy kids if you hear me say melancholy that's just an old-fashioned word for depression but Rodgers writes or begins the book with stating several advices to the relatives and friends of melancholy people so if you yourself do not struggle with depression or melancholy you most likely know someone who does so hopefully this sermon will be helpful for you as an encourage of those around you he goes on to say look upon your distressed friends as being under one of the worst distempers they can have in this miserable life melancholy seizes on the brain and spirits and incapacitates them for thought or action it confounds and disturbs all their thoughts and unavoidably fills them with anguish and vexation of which there is no resemblance in any other distemper unless it is that of a raging fever again I'm not convinced that all of us who go through this particular issue suffer to that degree but I think that gets at the root of the situation so I want to look at two things this morning first the presence of depression in some of the people of God acknowledged not all of the people of God undergo this and again if you're one of them listen so you can know how to pray for those who don't do go through this so first the presence of depression in some of the people of God and then secondly the strategies for dealing with depression in some of the people of God but let's look first at the presence of depression in the first place I want to show the reality of depression outside of the book of Proverbs we see this as well we see it Alijah under the broom tree in first Kings chapter 19 we certainly see it with job he undergoes severe affliction and distress and he's under a melancholic spirit we see it in david in the psalms david in psalm 42 and 43 asks himself why are you cast down O my soul we see it in David's greater son who according to Isaiah the prophet is a man of sorrows and one acquainted with grief and you see it in the Apostle Paul also as well there is a psalm in scripture that is almost altogether devoted to that particular theme it is Psalm 88 especially in verse six the psalmist says you have laid me in the lowest pit in darkness in the depths CH Spurgeon makes this comment he says the mind can descend far lower lower than the body for there are bottomless pits the flesh can bear only a certain number of wounds and no more but the soul can bleed in ten thousand ways and die over and over again each hour now I understand that that's a pretty severe comment but that is a severe comment on a severe song again Psalm 88 has no sort of redemptive end it just ends on this sad note of melancholy and depression thankfully it then goes on into Psalm 89 which is the covenant saw where we rejoice in the Savior King now in terms of the book of Proverbs let's look at a few of the Proverbs specifically notice in proverbs 12 at verse 25 again just underscoring the reality of depression proverbs 12:25 and anxiety and the heart of man causes depression but a good word makes it glad over in proverbs 14 10 we see the reality of heart bitterness and the fact that persons oftentimes suffer alone proverbs 14 10 the heart knows its own bitterness and a stranger does not share its joy as well proverbs 14 at verse 13 we have the persistence of sorrow even when outward circumstances may be good proverbs 14 13 even and laughter the heart may sorrow and the end of mirth may be grief we see the reality of heart sorrow in the passage we read proverbs 15:13 a merry heart makes a cheerful countenance but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken and then drop down to verse 15 all the days of the afflicted are evil but he who is of a merry heart has a continual feast over in proverbs 17 we see the psychosomatic nature of depression and all that means is that what happens in terms of the immaterial can affect the material in other words heart brokenness can affect the very body that we have in this particular world so over at proverbs 17 at verse 22 we read a merry heart does good like medicine but a broken spirit dries the bones John Gill says the joy or grief of the mind those passions of the soul have a very great influence upon the body either for its good or its hurt and we will see this in a bit more detail later on in Psalm 38 when David kept silent about his sin his bones were broken his flesh was weary there is an effect upon the body that heart sorrow does deliver and then the difficulty of persisting with a broken spirit over in proverbs 18 at verse 14 the spirit of a man will sustain him in sickness but who can bear a broken spirit and then the proneness to faint in the day of adversity is given to us by Solomon in proverbs 24 at verse 10 proverbs 24 10 if you faint in the day of adversity your strength is small again there are those who are better able to deal with days of adversity when there are others that aren't as skilled to be able to deal with those days of adversity I've always benefited from Matthew Henry's comment on job for 1 to 6 he gives a nod to this particular passage Matthew Henry said it it is true if thou faint and day of adversity thy strength thy grace is small proverbs 20:4 10 he goes on to say but it does not therefore follow that you or that thou has no grace no strength at all a man's character is not to be taken from a single act I think we all do well to remember that when we're dealing with our fellows in this lower world and then also the reality of a heavy heart proverbs 25 at verse 20 like one who takes away a garment in cold weather and like vinegar on soda is one who sing songs to a heavy heart and if you turn to proverbs 31 you see an example of that or an illustration of that proverbs 31 6 and 7 give strong drink to him who is perishing and wine to those who are bitter of heart let him drink and forget his poverty and remember his misery no more now in terms of several implications based on this quick survey of the book of Proverbs we learn in the first place that depression is a reality melancholy is a reality and it's a reality sort of unlike other things that affect us if I have a broken arm it's obvious you can see it you can hopefully not touch it but you can see demonstrably that there's something wrong with the person depression isn't like that we don't wear have a light bulb that comes on our forehead to indicate to people that we have depression those who don't struggle with it those who don't go through melancholy oftentimes are perplexed at the reality of those who do just buck up just suck it up pull yourself up by your bootstraps don't worry be happy and everything will be great well that's not the way to deal with this particular malady this is not the way to try and restore a brother or a sister that is going through some of these things so it is a real issue secondly by way of implication the reality of depression for some of the people of God again it's not the case that being a Christian necessarily means that you will suffer with depression or melancholy it doesn't mean that at all there are those as I said that are gay and to this particular malady and then a third implication is the reality that depression is not now listen to this in and of itself sinful now we may respond to depression or melancholy in sinful ways that is certainly under our purview but the fact of depression is not necessarily sinful for those some of the people of God again David in the Psalter at psalm 42 verse 5 and verse 11 and then again in Psalm 43 at verse 5 he asks the question why are you cast down O my soul and why are you disquieted within me hope in God for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance and then I mentioned David's greater son isaiah 53:3 he is despised and rejected by men a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief so that's the reality underscoring depression at least in those two men David and David's greater son where we see that it's not necessarily sinful again a person's response to this malady may in fact be sinful but the fact is is that having this doesn't classify you as a gross sinner under God so we see the reality in terms of the presence of oppression and some of the depression in some of the people of God what are the causes what causes this I do not know I'm not a doctor and if you are struggling with these things I'm not a Jehovah's Witness I believe in medical care I believe the light of nature or general revelation has taught us many things and so if you need help by all means seek help again we're not jehovah's witnesses we're not going to keep you from proper medical care but there are some things that may lend themselves to this malady of depression in the first place there may be physical causes physical causes I have for my Christian life acknowledged the reality that it's hard to be holy when you don't feel well physical sickness chronic illness disease can all produce the rushon in the heart of man that's just the way it goes that is a byproduct connected to physical suffering and we are wrong to be to minimize that aspect in those among us that have these chronic illnesses or that have these ongoing physical suffering and then there are psychological causes some people are just wired differently there's those kinds of people and I don't understand them that are wired to smile all the time and they're just so happy I happen to be married to one of them and she often rebukes me for my complaining when we're driving around the town she says these people come from God they're in your way as a result of God and you shouldn't complain about that and in my heart of hearts I'm saying oh yeah but oh yeah but but there are those disposition ly wired in a more positive way and then there are those disposition ly wired in a more negative way there really are optimists and there really are pessimists and pessimism is a fact we all like to say I'm not a pessimist I'm a realist but the fact is some of us do see the glass as half-empty that's just the way it goes CH Spurgeon says with reference to psychological causes now I'm going to pick on or pick from rather Spurgeon often for those of you who do not know he was the most famous perhaps one of the most famous preachers that ever walked the earth he ministered in the 1800's in London England at the Metropolitan Tabernacle he was extremely gifted he was extremely blessed and he was extremely depressed he was a very happy soul a very funny man you can't read his writings without having you know a great deal of laughter but he struggled often with this he struggled much with depression and as a result he reflected upon it often he often in his sermons and then as well one particular essay in his lectures to my students on the minister's fainting fits there is a book that has come out of that it's by a fellow today called Zach s wine and it's called Spurgeon sorrows and this man Zach knows his own depression and heartache and hardship so it not only sent him to his Bible but it sent him to the preaching and ministry of Ch Spurgeon where he fetched out a lot of help and he wrote this very little book that's very powerful and very helpful as a compendium of thought to deal with this particular malady but relative to the psychological causes this from his ministers fainting fed's and if I laughs forgive me he says as to mental maladies is any man altogether sane are we not all a little off-balance I would suggest yes we are and sometimes in some of us a little off-balance it's manifested by depression or a melancholic spirit so you've got physical causes you've got psychological causes and then you've got the garden-variety difficult circumstances of life first Kings 19 Elisha is under the broom tree because of the apostasy of Israel in 1st Samuel chapter 30 David is sorrowful of heart because his people want to stone him to death you can understand why a man in that condition would be sorrowful as well Zach s wine mentions desertion by family member or friend bereavement poverty of basic needs disappointment and defeat there's really no end to the various causes in terms of the difficult circumstances of life that can affect God's people in this negative way that exhibits or manifests as manifests itself through depression or through melancholy and then a final cause is the spiritual cause spiritual causes and again I'm not suggesting that I'm able to diagnose everybody I cannot these are just some observations that I hope we'll pray and pray will be helpful in the first place in terms of a spiritual cause turn back to proverbs 13 proverbs 13 I would suggest one of the first spiritual causes is the deferment of hope notice in 1312 Hope deferred makes the heart sick but when the desire comes it is a tree of life there are some Saints among us who really do not like this world it's not because they're ascetic it's not because they're anti creature it's because they don't seem to have rest in the world Hope deferred makes the heart sick they're longing for Emmanuel's land they're longing for the reality of Christ's coming again and glory to judge the living in the dead and they live as men and women with hope deferred their hearts are sick because they're not at home a second way or a second means by which spiritual causes can affect us is the practice of sin and here you can turn to Psalm 38 Psalm 38 indicates this relative to David sorrow Psalm 38 verses three and following he says there is no soundness in my flesh because of your anger nor any health and my bones because of my sin for my iniquities have gone over my head like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me my wounds are foul and festering because of my foolishness I am troubled I am bowed down greatly I go mourning all the day long for my loins are full of inflammation and there is no soundness in my flesh I am feeble and severely broken I groan because of the turmoil of my heart you see brethren if we engage in the practice of sin I'm not suggesting the garden-variety struggle with sin that we all face visa vie Romans 7 in Galatians 5 the flesh lusts against the spirit the spirit lusts against the flesh these two are contrary to one another so that you don't do the things that you want that's the reality for all of God's people but when we give into sin when we practice sin when we make peace with sin and when we stay far from God our experience we'll ape or imitate what David underwent when he kept silent about his sin as well he went into Bathsheba and to cover that up he had Uriah murdered on the on the field of battle it wasn't an act of murder in terms of the enemy's killing Uriah but it was an act of murder because David conspired that that would happen he had him put out in the very hottest part of the battle so that he would be struck down and died David kept silent about that and he records his experience here for us in Psalm 38 and the encouragement for all of us is do not practice sin make no peace with said resist sin resist temptation and seek by the grace of God to know that peace of conscience that does surpass the peace of Christ that surpasses all understanding but it floods the conscience and it affects us for good and then finally in terms of a spiritual cause the attack of the devil the attack of the devil now he doesn't cause depression or melancholy but he can certainly exploit it remember he's not a sovereign being he's not omnipotent he's not omniscient he's not omnipresent I think at times people that profess faith in Christ predicate way too much of the devil in fact James and Peter tell us in our dealings with the devil resist him and he will flee from you we don't need a bag of incantations we don't need tapes from our tapes I just dated myself CD well didn't we don't have any CDs anymore we don't need to download or stream or whatever the latest guy with his 15 tips on how to get rid of demons in your life we don't need that we need to resist the devil and he will flee from us but if this is a in our armor we ought to know that the devil will be at work trying to exploit that karl truman and his biography of Martin Luther made this observation he says Luther certainly regards the cultivation of despair as one of the primary tasks of the devil and if you ever read about the life of Martin Luther remember that Martin Luther is a reformer we put him in time the Reformation but he was really a medieval man he lived in the Middle Ages when spiritual warfare and the effects or attacks of the devil seemed to be a lot more lively and real than what we experienced today you've perhaps heard the famous story where there's a neat spot at the place where he lived at the castle at Wittenberg it was where he threw that little basin of ink at the devil to try and repel him perhaps you have heard of Martin Luther's engaging in flatulence as a means to repel the devil again I'm not suggesting go thou and do likewise because not everybody around you is going to appreciate that but that is the reality in terms of how he saw the devil not giving him this but attempting to exploit it so again this is not psychiatric advice this isn't from a medical book it's just observations based on the Bible and general revelation there are physical psychological causes there are difficult circumstances of life and there are certainly spiritual causes that we need to reflect on when it comes to this issue of depression or melancholy now secondly I want to look at the strategies for dealing with depression in some of the people of God I've got two sub points here first for the depressed and secondly for those who try and help the depressed everybody got me that's the road map and that's where we're going so first for the depressed again some advice some encouragement some counsel based on both special and general revelation the world around us is a great teacher also the great Creed's and confessions of the faith often refer to the light of nature or to general revelation general revelation is wonderful it is yielded for us refrigerators it is yielded for us fireplaces it is yielded for us the sorts of benefits that we enjoy in this world the Bible doesn't have a chapter on how to build a car but in general revelation God has structured things in such a way that image bearers can reflect upon that data and then engage in those particular activities that exponentially benefit lives and we ought to give all praise and glory to God as a result of that he's over special revelation to be sure but he's also over general revelation these are the two books by which we learn something of who God is so first of all for the depressed I would encourage that you apply what I call the physical a B C's the physical a B C's and that means the need for proper rest diet and exercise proper rest diet and exercise now you may be wondering I didn't think free grace Baptist Church peddled this sort of thing I actually did paddle it about a year and a half ago in our studies in proverbs and this was one of them this is important stuff the Bible speaks to when Elijah is under the broom tree when Elijah is perplexed as a result of the apostasy of Israel God the Lord gives him rest and God the Lord gives in food proper rest diet and exercise a few weeks ago preaching on the fourth commandment I mentioned what a blessing it is to be in a context where persons respect the Protestant work ethic everybody that I know in this church works hard and that's a good thing the Bible enjoins that upon us six days you shall labor and do all your work but it occurs to me at the encouragement of a faithful brother and I can't say I never thought about it either some of you may need to be advised on what the Bible says concerning rest spending your energy your every waking moment working is not wise either if the lazy man is condemned in Bible in the Bible so is the man who neglects his wife so is the man who neglects his children so is the man who is so tied to his work that he doesn't have that work-life balance so in 1st Kings 19 God says to Elisha eat and rest mark 631 you know what our Savior says to to his disciples come apart rest a while why is that because we're not disembodied spirits we're not angelic beings we're not persons that are not affected by the the necessity for rest listen to Spurgeon again and again this is from ministers fainting fit so he's speaking specifically to pastors but I think you can extrapolate from this principles to govern every one of us he says commenting on March 6 31 the master knows better than to exhaust his servants and quench the light of Israel rest time is not waste time I think we think it is we always have to outdo everyone on how busy we are oh well we bow to you king of busyness there's nothing Noble in busyness in and of itself I would imagine mafia members are quite busy at what they do busyness in and of itself isn't something that we have to to parade around and try to prove to everybody that we never sit idly by if the master tells you from time to time sit idly by then obey Him honor him be faithful to him you keep running and pushing and pressing and persevering you're going to collapse we're not John Deere tractors so Isaac will probably record this we're not Jehovah Witnesses we're also not John Deere tractors I've never ran a John Deere tractor I see them they're beautiful from what I understand they're the best of the best course I'm sure some of you go oh no they're not but take take the illustration they just keep running don't they they just keep going and going and going we're not John Deere tractors so he goes on to say rest time is not waste time it is economy to gather fresh strength beautiful and obviously a church full of hard workers cuz no one Amen that no one's saying Amen brother except some wives are probably a mending it in their hearts nudging their husbands you should pay attention to this he goes on to say it is wisdom to take Oh occasional furlough in the long run and I love this we shall do more by doing less oh no not us we believe in the Protestant work ethic Spurgeon believed in the Protestant work ethic as well Spurgeon worked hard but Spurgeon also burned himself out to the point where he had to take large segments of time and go to France to try and recuperate he goes on on on on forever without recreation may suit spirits emancipated from this quote heavy clay but while we are in this tabernacle we must every now and then cry halt and serve the Lord by wholly inaction and consecrated leisure let no tender conscience doubt the lawfulness of going out of harness for a while but learn from the experience of others the necessity and duty of taking timely rest some are gonna have melancholy and sorrow because all they ever do is work were not created that way we are not angels we are not disembodied spirits we need to understand that God knows our frame he pities us he knows where but does and he gives us the very things requisite to maintain health and if you are off with reference to your rest with reference to your diet and with reference to exercise you are putting yourself into jeopardy relative to this issue of depression as well in terms of some physical ABCs there is and at times maybe the need for medical attention again if you come to me and I say perhaps you should see a medical doctor then don't think I've apologized I don't know everything I am NOT a psyche psychiatrist I am not a doctor I am not skilled in general revelation the way that these particular fellows are do not be foolish with your health do not just assume well that's for those sorts of people that don't believe the Bible again listen to CH Spurgeon a man who believed the Bible he says it would not be wise to live by a supposed faith and cast off the physician and his medicines any more than to discharge the butcher and the tailor and expect to be fed by faith in other words there are persons that know more than you and there are persons that are skilled in trying to remedy the sorts of things that we face and I'm not suggesting in every instance its medical I'm not suggesting in every instance its spiritual but probably in most instances instances it's a combination of both so don't do one to the neglect of others but then under this heading how to deal with it if we are the depressed I would suggest the spiritual ABCs if there are physical ABCs diet exercise and rest there are spiritual ABCs and those persons who say I am sorrowful I am depressed I am going through a bout of melancholy ought not to be persons who leave off the means that God has ordained in other words prayer scripture and church attendance are the ABCs if we neglect those particular things we're neglecting a vital part of our overall health listen to the psalmist in Psalm 102 he says or the subscription is a prayer of the afflicted when he is overwhelmed and pours out his complaint before the Lord he's overwhelmed he's afflicted so what does he do well I can't pray when I'm in this state because I'm in this state I must pray because I'm in this state I must go to God because I'm in this state I must not absent myself from the very people of God that are there and calculated to do my soul good so if you are dead set against neglecting the physical be dead set against - neglecting the spiritual as well brethren the very thing we need from God is God and the way that God delivers himself to us is through what we call the means of grace prayer scripture corporate worship this is how we come into vital contact with God again you can meditate upon God and think about God as you look at general revelation to be sure but you get more God in special revelation for those of you who happen to be out last night around Gus you perhaps saw a mount sham with the full moon and the beauty that was displayed it was gorgeous everybody or not everybody some people are stopping and I wondered why and then I looked up they were stopping so they could take pictures of how glorious this was I wasn't quite that that sharp on the uptake so I didn't get a picture but if you happen to see that you think God you think glory of God you think magnificence of God but as well when you come to scripture when you come to the Lord in prayer when you come to the Lord in public worship we need to imitate David in Psalm 122 I was glad when they said unto me let us go to the house of the Lord it is the devil's logic when you are downcast and despairing to try and keep you from the means of grace well God doesn't want me because I'm so sorry for God doesn't want me because I'm disobeying Paul Paul tells me to rejoice always again I will say rejoice now why do you think Paul tells us that why do you think scripture emphasizes that because of the disposition and many to not do it we need to be called on by God often and repeatedly hear those things that are best for us but the devil will get in there and say God doesn't want to hear you pray you're not glad God doesn't want to hear you pray you're not happy God doesn't want you at worship you look like a mess that's the devil's logic brethren and you need to resist him and he will flee from you and then some other considerations I offer to my brothers and sisters who struggle with depression or melancholy in the first place I would suggest the recognition that you may never be cured you may never be cured I think a better goal is to try and man and strategies to cope and ways to deal now God can heal you God can plaster the big smile on your face God can flood you with a disposition that is altogether different but in my experience he doesn't normally do that and so the way that we ought to proceed is figuring out ways to manage okay I should eat properly I should diet I should exercise I shouldn't miss the means of grace and especially when I'm in the throes of depression or melancholy again it's counterintuitive because when you're in the throes of depression or melancholy you just want to go hide you just want to be on your own you don't want to exercise you don't want to eat right Big Macs never look so good as they do when you're in that sorrowful State but brethren be counterintuitive and do what God says as well you need to recognize that you are not to rely on the creature in order to gain hope let me just qualify that everything not God is creature I'm not suggesting you can't use creature but you cannot rely on creature how do we describe food today we call it comfort food well brethren I get it and I'm not here to tell you everybody on the food neck what network is going to hell but our comfort is in God our comfort is in Jesus he is our only hope and comfort both in this life and that which is to come recreational drugs sex those things that that persons use in an attempt to try and deal with their depression those things are counterintuitive those things are not calculated to deliver the goods for the people of God and I would suggest finally relative to those who are depressed the recognition that God has given this to you so I mentioned my beloved wife tells me that person is driving because God is sovereign they're going slow 40 40 in a 50 zone I don't know why anybody would ever do that but she reminds me those persons are there by God's decree what is the psalmist say it's all matey 8 I already read it verse 6 you you have laid me in the lowest pit in darkness in the depths now there's intermediaries there are those mediate means but God is the immediate cause of the afflictions that you and I go through you have laid me in the lowest pit in darkness in the debts and to get that consciously in our heads again I'm not suggesting you're going to be cured but you're going to be helped and that's I think what we can hope for in this sin cursed world and then finally for those dealing with the depressed and I give this advice as someone who has both given and been given terrible advice okay so I just want to acknowledge that I myself have given terrible advice but I also want to say I have been given terrible advice not not for many of you of course you guys are all great only ever great wonderful awesome beautiful words of honey dripping from your mouths I'm just kidding in the first place I want to deal with the negative in the positive first place negatively is to deny depression oh well you know I just can't see why people don't just yeah you can't see because you're not affected by it imagine saying that to somebody less cancer imagine saying that to somebody who has some internal malady imagine well I just don't know what that yeah so you should probably be quiet instead of lecture them on what they need to do in his treatment the ministers fainting fits Spurgeon gives a series of reasons as to why ministers may find themselves sorrowful and depressed and the last one I think is the most difficult to get one's mind wrapped around it's called cause less depression cause less depression again if you have a chronic illness it's pretty easy to see why you've got a sorrowful heart if you've got cancer it's probably easy to conclude that that's going to affect your heart negatively in terms of melancholy or depression but if there's no sort of cause there's nothing you can put your finger on that's a really difficult sort of thing to get one's mind wrapped around so in his treatment on causeless depression Spurgeon makes this observation he says if those who laugh at such melancholy did but feel the grief of it for one hour their laughter would be sobered into compassion you may not know what it's like so perhaps you're not the best one to make comment get me you know we do that well I know what you're going through no you don't that's a tough statement to try and say to pee I know what you're going through no not necessarily see God has made us all as individuals there's patterns there's similarities there's overlap to be sure but there are those individual circumstances that persons undergo that you can never say wholeheartedly or infallibly I know what you're going through you do not necessarily secondly and this is a corollary the minimizing of depression okay I guess it's out there I guess it's a real category I guess there are some of the people of God that go through it but but it's not really bad it's pretty easy to deal with all you got to do is baa copper you know read you know more chapters in your Bible or pray more or go to church more and everything will be good don't minimize it either imagine minimizing again the malady of a person that had great suffering we just wouldn't do that and yet when it comes to depression or melancholy we are masters of minimizing the various things that affect our fellows let's not do that and then just some real practical wrong things to do again I say this as a man who has both done wrong and who has received wrong remember proverbs 25 20 it says like one who takes away a garment and cold don't you love Solomon you want to be that guy that takes away somebody's garment and cold weather last night it seemed a bit chillier than it had been over the last little while imagine me saying to my beloved oh no you don't need extra blankets you don't no no you just need to suck it up you just need the knuckle under you just need to be a stoic or a Spartan and deal not that that's outside of my purview I'm certainly given to do that that sort of thing like one who takes away a garment in cold weather and light vinegar on soda is one who sing songs to a heavy heart do you understand what solemn is Solomon is saying Paul in Romans 12:15 says rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep singing songs to a heavy heart is what is akin to rejoicing with those who weep see we're supposed to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep if we sing songs to a heavy heart we've turned that on its head we are now rejoicing with those who are weeping Solomon says don't do that don't be that person that takes away the garment from somebody who's freezing don't be the one who pours vinegar on soda just to see this weird reaction that's not how we're supposed to govern ourselves when it comes to trying to help our fellows and then real practically telling the anxious man don't worry be happy now that may fit for a pop song but that doesn't fit for the various contours of soul problems that human beings face and suffer telling the depressed man secondly just suck it up you know that really doesn't work with depressed people any more than it works with people who left to answer any more than it works with people who have epilepsy well just stop having seizures brethren if they could stop having seizures don't you think they would seriously don't you think they would and then perhaps my favorite is telling the depressed man how bad you have it and it kind of goes like this I was thinking about this in the shower this morning or on my walk if I want to say to you I've been suffering with headaches and you say oh man I have the worst headaches I've got the baddest headaches I've just got severe headaches do you want an award for being king of the headaches I don't understand how does that help me if somebody says oh I have headaches and and here's some things or strategies that have assisted or aided or or helped me that's different but nobody knows sorrow the way I know sorry nobody knows now you feel like a real Hill because you're talking to the king of Sorrows and actually deigning to submit that you likewise have some issues and may I just say there might possibly be somebody out there who has it worse than you that's a real possibility perhaps you've seen that meme floating around the internet with Saint Greta Sundberg and it's that quote you've stolen my dreams you've stolen my childhood well somebody has put all these pictures of children from other parts of the world some little children soldiers some working in mines some slaves well st. Greta you got it bad but you hain't got it as bad as death so you see when you tell somebody oh yeah of course I'm the best and suffering I'm amazing I'm the king of suffering that doesn't help the person that has opened their heart and said hey can you give me some help telling the depressed man what he needs to do actually I think this is my favorite telling the depressed man what he needs to do let me try and illustrate the depressed man is in a hole and his friends come and they say you need to get out of the hole and he at the bottom of the hole says yeah genius I realized that but it's tough it's really hard it's difficult I understand the malady but you just telling me to fix it doesn't do anything whatsoever so you see there's some ways if you don't have depression if you don't have melancholy if you don't suffer with the sorrow of heart that Solomon says is in some of the people of God and the rest of Scripture Dumont's demonstrates is in some of the people of God then you can be of aid or assistance to those who do suffer again I'm not binding your conscience I'm not going to say well don't ever do that but if you do that just realize that in the bottom of the hole the guy is gonna say yeah thanks a lot I appreciate your advice it's been very helpful I need to get out of this hole this is not the way to help people now what are some positive ways first the recognition that prayer for them is necessary you may not know what they're going through but God does and who better to go to on their behalf than God who better than God Almighty for you two to try and fetch a blessing for a fellow for a wife for a husband for a child for a parent for somebody that is undergoing these things I don't know what you're going through but I know who does and I'm gonna pray to him for you I'm gonna go and seek a blessing from God Almighty on your behalf secondly the recognition that they may require help you can't give that again you can give them prayer to be sure but they may need to see doctors they may need to see pastors they may need to seek out some help at a level that is a bit more familiar with those sorts of maladies thirdly the recognition that rest and recovery needs to come before reconstruction let me explain those terms rest recovery reconstruction if you look at Elijah under the broom tree rest refreshment and then reconstruction rest refreshment and then reconstruction and that is what happens with Elijah that's what happens in our Lord again you tell the man in the bottom of the hole you need to get out throw them a sandwich tell them to lay down and have a nap that might help I mean you might think that's an odd place to have a nap but hey it's good place as any right go ahead take a nap rest refresh maybe then you try and claw your way out of that hole you see we want to reconstruct everybody by bypassing the very things that are going to aid them in their reconstruction they might need some refreshment and some rest in some recovery time and then a final observation is the recognition that a little encouragement goes a long way proverbs 12:25 let's go back to those passages and highlight what we see here proverbs 12:25 anxiety in the heart of man causes depression notice but a good word makes it glad proverbs 16 24 the way of life I'm sorry the way 16:24 I'm looking at 15 16 24 Pleasant words are like a honeycomb sweetness to the soul and health to the bones and then saw proverbs 25 and verse 11 proverbs 25 and verse 11 a word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver Bridges comments here or 25 20 25 20 we've read like one who takes away a garment in cold weather and like vinegar on soda is one who sings songs to a heavy heart Twila Bridges says the tenderness that shows a brother's tears that knows how to weep with them that weep as members of the same body and directs the mourner to the mourners friend and God this is Christian sympathy a precious balm for a broken heart and Paul in second Corinthians one three and four says blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ the father of mercies and God of all comfort who comforts us in all our tribulation that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God again I don't think Paul said hey I'm the chief sufferer whatever you got ain't got nothing on me no rather he went through the sorts of things he went through so that he would be in a position to be able to minister to fellow sufferers along the way to Zion brethren there are to deal and hopefully ways not to deal that we will avoid now in conclusion got four quick thoughts first the instruction of an inspired Word the Bible is not silent here the Bible is not silent on this matter of heart or soul sorrow it speaks to depression it speaks to melancholy and in the context of the church it may be the case that not everybody is great we just assume that and that's the way we respond how are you doing great great great perhaps there's a hesitancy among us to actually reveal what's wrong because we're afraid of the sorts of things that may come our way now for those of you who are thinking Butler must really be going through a tough time Butler isn't I mean Butler does things aren't great in Butler Ville but it's not the worst it's ever been either so this isn't a pity Butler sermon this is a I got to do more work on acts 14 before I preached it but this sermon has been tugging on my heart for some time because I think it transcends Butler I think there's a lot of us who undergo this kind of a mindset this kind of struggle and at times we feel vulnerable and would never ever relate it to someone else for fear of the sorts of responses that may come our way secondly the cries of a suffering saint I've got a few sub points here first the value of lament in the Christian life there are sections of Scripture where the writer of Scripture is expressing his grief to God you see it in the Psalter and then there's a book by that title called lamentations that is an expression of faith when the soul is downcast going to God and rehearsing it to him doesn't dishonor God but rather delights God because God deals with honest people and so when we express those heartaches and those hardships and sorrows we're expressing them to the divine physician of our souls secondly under the cries of a suffering servant the exercise of faith in the midst of suffering doesn't Paul say in second Corinthians 5:7 for we walk by faith not by sight I fear that too far often or too often rather believers walk by experience believers walk by feeling believers walk by whatever the prevailing winds of the day may be we are called to walk by faith in the book dark clouds deep mercy by Mart Road up he comments on lamentations the book of he says lamentations shows us that hope does not come from circumstances rather it comes from what you know to be true despite the situation in front of you in other words you live through suffering by what you believe why is it that we don't internalize this concept why is it that we don't believe Paul when he says walk by faith and not by sight rather it comes from what you know to be true despite the situation in front of you you know the song great is thy faithfulness in the old Trinity hymnal it would have Scripture tax at the top of the page for the various ends that's one of the problems with the new Trinity hymnal or the assaulter hymnal do you know what the text was at great is thy faithfulness as far as I can remember it was it was lamentations 3 God's mercies God's mercies are new each morning his Compassion's fail not now for those of you who perhaps do not understand the context of lamentations it's the Prophet Jeremiah's lament over the destruction of Jerusalem over the desecration of the temple over the Exile of Judah this was a time of great severe distress in Israel and the Prophet says that God's mercies are new each day and his Compassion's fail not why because he doesn't walk by sight he doesn't say well Jerusalem is a mess the temple has gone therefore I'm just going to come apart and not confess the glory of God you know he walks by faith he let circumstances dictate he lets faith dictate you live through suffering by what you believe not by what you see or feel and then the third thing with reference to the cries of a suffering Saint is the practice of gratitude toward our gracious God now a lot of you were brought up in the in the tradition that used the Heidelberg catechism and if you know me you know that I love that catechism I'd get rid of the paedo baptism and I might tinker with a few other things but overall it's a great catechism there was a Baptist a particular Baptist what Reformed Baptist used to be called back then who wrote the same confession it's called the Orthodox confession you didn't get in trouble back then you know for basically ripping off other confessions you could do that his name was Hercules Collins great name fantastic name for theologian some of y'all want to call your kids Hercules that'd be great Hercule what what well that's actually actually a very tough name for a kid to live up to it's like Samson what kid is gonna grow up to be a Samson but what is the pattern or paradigm for that great catechism guilt grace gratitude some of us interpret it as guilt grace grumbling a gracious or rather a thankful heart might ward off a downcast heart counting our blessings each and every day reflecting on the goodness of God in that the bigger problems of our lives are being behind people that go forty miles an hour instead of fifty talk about a first world problem brethren and gratitude indicates that think about Israel as they're going to enjoy tenure in the land of Canaan at the end of Deuteronomy in chapter 28 God gives them a series of blessings and a longer series of cursings other words if you go into the land and you disobey God you transgress the you are insubordinate you are law less than God is going to dis possess you from the land this is how you answer people that say oh I couldn't serve a God who told Israel to chase the Canaanites out of their land that's same God chased Israel out of the land when she acted like the Canaanites there's no capriciousness or arbitrariness with God but justice and righteousness but one of the intriguing things that I wonder if we reflect upon as we look at those particular curses is Deuteronomy 28 47 and 48 a because you did not serve Yahweh your God with joy and gladness of heart for the abundance of everything therefore you shall serve your enemies what's God saying when you go into the land you're supposed to have joy gladness of heart and express that gratitude to God in that Old Covenant setting they had their guilt bondage in Egypt they had their grace the deliverance at the Exodus they should have expressed their gratitude when they got into the land and yet they grumbled they complained they whined they murmured there's a New Testament passage that tells the people of God not to live that way Philippians 2:14 the Apostle Paul says do all things without complaining and disputing twice or thrice I have referred to the relationship that obtains between me and my beloved she is right and I am wrong and I whom that publicly I am not supposed to complain about the sorts of things that I do and I'm thankful for someone faithful in my life that exhorts me and encourages me that way but I need to be reminded what Paul says Paul says do all things without complaining and disputing the very real temptation of allowing a melancholic mind to lead to a whining attitude instead of thanking God Almighty for his many any mercies is real and brethren a thankful heart may ward off or at least help ward off a downcast heart so when somebody says gently encouragingly and graciously you should contemplate your many blessings that's not bad advice that's really good advice so if they're you're in the bottom of the hole they say you do have a lot to be thankful for there's no water in the hole that's a plus the hole is something you can ultimately navigate your way out of that's a plus you've got sunshine what you're in the bottom of the hole god is good brother beef be faithful and persevere trust in his many mercies and thank him for those that have been poured out on you so we've got the instruction of an inspired word the cries of a suffering Saint thirdly the protection of a sovereign God CH Spurgeon again he says be not dismayed by soul trouble even if the enemy's foot be on your neck expect to rise and overthrow him cast the burden of the present along with the sin of the past and the fear of the future upon the Lord who force saketh not his saints live by the day.i by the hour put no trust in frames and feelings care more for a grain of faith and a ton of excitement man if you don't ever hear me say that listen to Spurgeon don't walk by feeling don't walk by experience don't walk by gladness walk by faith that's what paul says he says trust in God alone and lean not on the reeds of human help and then elsewhere the same treatment he says any simpleton can follow the narrow path in the light in faiths rare wisdom enables us to march on in the dark with infallible accuracy since she places her hand in that of her great guide beautiful and then the final thought we close here the comfort of Christian gospel the comfort of the Christian gospel I'm going to lean on Moute here Edward mote my hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness I dare not trust the sweetest frame but wholly lean on Jesus name I think that's a biblical doctrine I think what he's saying there is true and I think there's an inference or an implication that we ought to draw I dare not trust the sweetest frame but I also don't abandon hope under the most difficult frame moat goes on when darkness veils his lovely face I rest upon unchanging grace in every rough and stormy Gale my anchor holds within the veil his oath his covenant his blood support me in the whelming flood when all around my soul gives way he then is all my hope and stay on Christ the solid rock I stand all other ground is sinking sand and if you don't know this Christ it is by grace through faith in Him look unto Jesus Christ the author and finisher of faith look unto Jesus Christ the one who came into this world the second person of the Trinity comes into this world he assumes our humanity with everything that is essential to humanity with all the common infirmities associated with humanity yet without sin and as a man he lives in obedience to the father's law because we don't as a man he dies on the cross as the god man he dies on the cross taking the punishment due for our sins in his own body he's then laid in the tomb but on the third day he's raised again and the Apostle Paul summarizes this transaction beautifully in Romans 4:25 he says that Christ was delivered up because of our offense and he was raised for our justification you may be melancholic you may be depressed you may be a sorrowful soul and you may ultimately end up in the very bosom of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world it isn't gladness it is a joy it isn't happiness that secures our place in heaven it's blood atonement it's the righteousness of Jesus Christ that soul righteousness imputed to us and received by faith alone so as we go forward if we have sorrow if we have melancholy if we're living at the bottom of the in the bottom of a ditch or in the bottom of a hole this one thing is sure God hasn't abandoned us God hasn't forsaken us God has it said well too bad for you in Christ whether in the bottom of a hole or outside of the hole that's the glory of the Christian gospel well let us pray father thank you for your word and thank you that it speaks to these things that affect us in this world I ask God that you would encourage each of my brothers and sisters those struggling with sorrow with despair with with this depression and melancholy I just commit them to you into the word of your grace and I pray that they would know your sweet smile they would know your kindness in their lives and even if the afflictions are not removed they would see the glory of God Almighty in the midst of the affliction and for those who are not saved father I pray that they would believe the gospel that they would look unto Jesus Christ and live that they by grace would come to him who says come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest what a glorious what a wondrous what a good Savior and I pray that all over the earth today is this gospel goes forth it would run swiftly and be glorified and we ask this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord amen well you may take your hem book and turn to 568 it is the doxology if you already know it will stand and [Music] Oh Israel hope in the Lord for with the Lord there is mercy and with him is abundant redemption and he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities Amen God thank you that this is true thank you that we have experienced it by your grace thank you for the faith and repentance that you have given unto us to close with Jesus Christ we know that that life of faith that life in Christ doesn't always mean temporal blessings and prosperity and health and wealth and all the sorts of things that others promise we know there are afflictions and we know there is heartache and we know there is depression and melancholy and sorrow but the Lord Christ said be of good cheer for I have overcome the world and in this we greatly rejoice Lord God we ask that you would go with us help us to keep the Sabbath day holy help us to traffic in the good things of our great God and we pray this in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ amen please be seated for a brief time of meditation