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Please turn with me in your Bibles 
to Proverbs chapter 15. Proverbs chapter 15. We'll return 
to Acts, God willing, next Sunday. There's a bit of theology proper 
in Acts chapter 14 that I don't wanna gloss over. I wanna give 
it some detail. And so this morning, we're gonna 
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 wanna 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 as 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 10,000, 
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 mean seasonal affective 
disorder. If I meant that, we'd have this 
sermon every other week 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 to 1728 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 Rogers 
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 encourager 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. I acknowledge 
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 
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 Elijah under the broom 
tree in 1 Kings chapter 19. We certainly see it with Job 
as 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, oh 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 6, the psalmist says, you have laid me in the lowest pit, 
in darkness, in the depths. C.H. Spurgeon makes this comment. He says, the mind can descend 
far 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 10,000 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 psalm. 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 Psalm, 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, anxiety in 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, verse 13, 
we have the persistence of sorrow, even when outward circumstances 
may be good. Proverbs 14, 13, even in 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, heartbrokenness 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 4, 1-6. He gives a nod to this particular 
passage. Matthew Henry said, it is true, 
if thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength, thy grace is small. 
Proverbs 24.10. He goes on to say, but it does 
not therefore follow that thou hast no grace, no strength at 
all. A man's character is not to be 
taken from a single act. 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 sings 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 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 given 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 It 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 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 depression 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 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 dispositionally wired in a more positive way, 
and then there are those dispositionally 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. 
C.H. Spurgeon says, with reference 
to psychological causes, Now I'm gonna 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 1800s 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 Eswine, 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 C.H. 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 minister's fainting 
fits, and if I laugh, 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. 1 Kings 19, Elijah is 
under the broom tree because of the apostasy of Israel. In 1 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 Eswine 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 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 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 coming again in glory to judge the living and 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's sorrow. Psalm 38 verses 
three and following. He says, there is no soundness 
in my flesh because of your anger, nor any health in 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. Vis a vis Romans 7 and 
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 in to sin, when 
we practice sin, when we make peace with sin, and when we stay 
far from God, our experience will 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 field of battle. It wasn't an act of murder in 
terms of the enemies 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 sin. 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, or 
tapes, I just dated myself, CD, we don't even have 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 chink in our 
armor, we ought to know that the devil will be at work trying 
to exploit that. Carl Truman, in 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 at 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 experience today. You've perhaps heard the 
famous story where there's an ink 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. And 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 
roadmap, 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 creeds and confessions 
of the faith often refer to the light of nature or to general 
revelation. General revelation is wonderful. 
It has yielded for us refrigerators. It has yielded for us fireplaces. It has 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 our 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 ABCs. The physical ABCs. 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 peddle 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 him 
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'd 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 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 1 Kings 19, God says to Elijah, eat and rest. Mark 6 31, you know what our 
Savior says to his disciples? Come apart and 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 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 Mark 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 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's 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. Of course, I'm sure some of you go, oh no, 
they're not. But 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, because no one amen that. No one's saying, 
amen, brother. except some wives are probably 
amening it in their hearts, nudging their husbands. You should pay 
attention to this. He goes on to say, it is wisdom to take 
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 holy 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. We're 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 we're 
but dust. 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 may be, 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 apostatized. I don't know everything. I am 
not a 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 C.H. Spurgeon, a man who believed 
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 it's medical, I'm not 
suggesting in every instance it's spiritual, but probably 
in most 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 that 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. 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 happened to be out last night around dusk, you perhaps saw 
Mount Sham with the full moon and the beauty that was displayed. 
It was gorgeous. Everybody, or not everybody, 
some people were 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 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 sorrowful. 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 in 
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 manage 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 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 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. As 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 does the psalmist say in 
Psalm 88? 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 immediate 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 depths. And to get that 
consciously in our heads, again, I'm not suggesting you're gonna 
be cured, but you're gonna 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 for many of you, of course. You guys are all great. Only 
ever great. Wonderful, awesome, beautiful. 
Words of honey dripping from your mouth. I'm just kidding. 
In the first place, I want to deal with the negative and 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 who has 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 
minister's 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 causeless 
depression. Causeless 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, 
if 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 people. 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 it's not really bad. It's pretty easy to deal with. 
All you gotta do is buck up or read 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 
in cold weather. Don't you love Solomon? You want 
to be that guy that takes away somebody's garment in 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 to 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 
sort of thing. Like one who takes away a garment 
in cold weather, and like vinegar on soda, is one who sings songs 
to a heavy heart. Do you understand what 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 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 have cancer, 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 were 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 here's some things or strategies that have assisted 
or aided or helped me, that's different. But nobody knows sorrow 
the way I know sorrow. Nobody knows that. Now you feel 
like a real heel 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 St. Greta Thunberg. 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 ain't got it as bad as them. So you see, when you tell 
somebody, oh yeah, of course I'm the best at 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 realize 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 
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 gonna say, well, don't 
ever do that. But if you do that, just realize that in the bottom 
of the hole, the guy's 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 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 going to pray to Him 
for you. I'm going to go and seek a blessing from God Almighty 
on your behalf. Secondly, the recognition that 
they may require help, you can't give them. 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 him a sandwich. Tell him 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 
a good place as any, right? Go ahead, take a nap, rest, refresh. Maybe then you can 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 and 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 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 2520. 2520 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. 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 mourner's friend in God, this is Christian sympathy, a 
precious balm for a broken heart. And Paul in 2 Corinthians 1, 
3 and 4 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 ways 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 Butlerville, 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 preach 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 2 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 a 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 Mark Rogop, 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 texts at the top of the page for the various 
hymns. That's one of the problems with 
the new Trinity hymnal or the Psalter hymnal. Do you know what 
the text was at Great is Thy Faithfulness? As far as I can 
remember, it was Lamentations 3. God's mercies, God's mercies 
are new each morning. His compassions 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 compassions fail not. Why? Because he doesn't walk by sight. 
He doesn't say, well, Jerusalem is a mess, the temple is gone, 
therefore I'm just going to come apart and not confess the glory 
of God. No, he walks by faith. He doesn't 
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 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 Baptists used to be called back 
then, who rewrote 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 
a theologian. Some of y'all ought to call your 
kids Hercules. That'd be great. Hercules. What 
a... That's actually a very tough name for a kid to live up to. 
It's like Samson. What kid is going to 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 40 miles an hour instead of 50. 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. In other words, if you go into 
the land and you disobey God, you transgress the covenant, 
you are insubordinate, you are lawless, then God is going to 
dispossess 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 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 48a. 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, 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 own 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, many 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 you're in the bottom of 
the hole and 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, which are 
in the bottom of the hole. God is good, brother. Be faithful 
and persevering. 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. C. H. 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 forsaketh not his saints. 
Live by the day, aye, by the hour. Put no trust in frames 
and feelings. Care more for a grain of faith 
than 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 in the same treatment, he says, any simpleton can follow 
the narrow path in the light. Faith's 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 the Christian gospel. the comfort 
of the Christian gospel. I'm gonna lean on Mote 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. Mote 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 on to 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 offenses, 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 isn't 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 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 hasn't 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 this depression and melancholy, I just commit 
them to you and to 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, as 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 
hymn book and turn to 568.