Sermon Tone Analysis

However we choose to define depression, both its frequency and its disruption of normal life are staggering.

The World Health Organization named depression the second most common cause of disability worldwide after cardiovascular disease, and it is expected to become number one in the next ten years.

In the United States, 5 to 10 percent of adults currently experience the symptoms of major depression, and up to 25 percent meet the diagnostic criteria during their lifetime, making it one of the most common conditions treated by primary care physicians.

At any given time, around 15 percent of American adults are taking antidepressant medications.

Studies of religious groups, from Orthodox Jews to evangelical Christians, reveal no evidence that the frequency of depression varies across religious groups or between those who attend religious services and those who do not.

So, in a typical congregation of 200 adults, 50 attendees will experience depression at some point, and at least 30 are currently taking antidepressants.

Yes, depression and despair is a problem in our country.

It is also a problem in the church.

It can be debilitating, paralyzing, and agonizing.

It can keep us from our responsibilities, our work, our studies, our family and friends, what the Lord has called us to do…a closed door from the people we love and care about.

How long will this go on we cry?

Our light is still dark, our bones are in agony, and we flood our beds with tears.

But as Christians, God’s people, we are not supposed to be depressed…right?

We are not to be in despair, we are to be always rejoicing… right?

We have so much to be thankful for, we have so much to hope for, we all have so much ahead of us, it seems we should not be in despair.

But the reality is… many of us are.

Either we are or we know people that are.

The jarring thing is… for many of us, as to why we are in depression, is because the answer is not what we were looking for.

We are given scripture and that does not help or it’s not what we are wanting to hear.

Yes I agree… our future looks great, but what about now?

I know that in the end it will all be ok, but I’m not worried about the end, I am worried about tomorrow.

But the truth is… we have reason to rejoice today!

We think we know what we need… but we have a really bad habit of making bad judgements about it.

Or, misperceiving things.

This is the reason why we cannot break out of despair.

Have you ever felt this way?

Know of some who are going through this right now… know why scripture just does not do the trick all the time?

Today we are going to see the reality of what is happening to us when we can’t get free… is there hope?

Yes.

We will find out today.

Studies of religious groups, from Orthodox Jews to evangelical Christians, reveal no evidence that the frequency of depression varies across religious groups or between those who attend religious services and those who do not.

So, in a typical congregation of 200 adults, 50 attendees will experience depression at some point, and at least 30 are currently taking antidepressants.

Last week we witnessed the sobering truth of obedience being better than sacrifice.

Saul as king was now rejected by God and living with false repentance in his heart.

And now, Samuel is in tremendous grief over the rejection of Saul.

Samuel was totally depressed.

He lamented the rejection of Saul so much so that the Lord had to question him as to when he was going to snap out of it.

“Look get up, I am sending you to Jesse in Bethlehem for one of his sons will be the next King that I have chosen for myself.”

But Samuel asserted that if he goes Saul will surely kill him if he hears of it.

Go to Bethlehem and make a sacrifice and anoint the one I instruct you to anoint.

Though many people in the land trembled at Samuel’s arrival; for why would he be here?

Did we do something wrong?

Samuel said… don’t worry.

I am here to sacrifice and I want you elders to join me with Jesse and his sons.

When Samuel saw Eliab, he thought for sure this would be the one.

But the Lord said that it was not him.

Do not judge by looking at outward appearances, I look at the heart.

All 7 sons were presented to Samuel, but the Lord had not chosen any of them.

Samuel asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?”

Well there is the youngest who is out in the fields tending sheep.

We will not eat until he comes!

When David arrived, the Lord told Samuel that this is the one.

He anointed David and the Spirit of Jehovah rushed upon Him and would remain from that day on.

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God stands forever.

Debilitating Despair

The Wrong Things

Our Hope Upon Hope

The first thing we will look at today is the paralyzing effects of despair and depression and why we struggle snapping out of it…it is Debilitating despair.

Second, we will see how our judgements are based on factors that are not aligned with what the Lord sees, in sin we constantly look at the wrong things to set us free.

Finally, we find that our ultimate hope is found in what we would see as the wrong thing…David did not meet the normal standards for a king, and neither did Christ, yet He is our hope upon hope.

Thesis: Though in sin we despair because of the various effects of sin in life and though we make wrong judgments in life, because we judge appearances, it is our Lord and Messiah who did not have the right appearance, but held the very heart of God, who now holds us.

I. Debilitating Despair

- The Word of the Lord is right, rejoicing the heart.

Does it snap us out?

A. Samuel was really depressed.

It was a dark time for him.

Think about it.

His despair was so great that the Lord had to finally step in to reprove him.

Now the Lord is not blaming him for the mourning, but of the excessive mourning.

“Samuel… enough already!

Come on.

Get up.”

B. Samuel was morning over Saul.

But why? Was it because of his own failure some-how?

Everything that he had devoted his life to had just come crashing down.

Was it lamenting fulfillment in ministry?

I just wasted my life.

No, actually...

It was lamenting for Saul.

Yes for Saul personally, but the people had now had a rejected king.

Would this spell disaster for the people of Israel?

Is this the end of it all?

C. Samuel is lamenting...There is no judge.

There is now no king.

What is to happen to the people?

They will fall into disorder, chaos.

Their enemies will overthrow them.

He was in despair, but it was the word of God that snaps him out of it.

It is the Word of God!

D

D. But we can still learn something from the grief of our prophets.

They were able to snap out by the Word of God.

Their grief came from failure of kingdom realization, not their personal ministry failure.

Not worried about personal successes, but the building of the kingdom of God.

They suffer when the kingdom suffers.

But it is the word of God that snaps them out of it.

E. Elijah defeated the prophets of Baal and got word that Jezebel wanted to kill him.

He went into despair sitting under a broom tree.

He was not afraid of being killed by Jezebel.

He was in despair because after all that he had done, nothing changed.