Radioactive - Part A

Whenever our purpose is challenged or our usefulness is challenged. We become susceptible to spiritual depression. This shows up when a person feels trapped in a marriage. When a person feels trapped in her job. When a person is forced into retirement because of a medical condition. They start asking questions you semi-what is my purpose to new duties of Americans suffer from depression and anxiety and according to research, that number is only growing. Today on connect with skip-Skip talks about the spiritual reality of depression and gives you hope the truth to face life's difficulties and find your joy in God's life right now to tell you about specialties that will help you pursue God's truth and apply it to your daily life. A recent study to the cultural research center, Christians are almost just as likely to reject the idea of absolute moral truth. The article, except for American adults believe in absolute moral truth is eroding across all age groups and political ideologies with other church or unchurched.

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What you do with the claims of Christ Jesus, that I am the way, the truth, the life. No one comes to the father except through me. These booklets are our thanks for your gift of $35 or more today. They'll keep this ministry on the air, connecting more people to God's word to give. Call 800-922-1888, and securely connectwithskip.com/off sans 4243 to the message with skip-read the lyrics essentially of an ancient worship song. That's what the Psalms of David and the other Psalms in this book were used as they were used as part of the corporate public worship of ancient Israel. But what is amazing to me is the theme that is in a worship song. The theme of these two Psalms is essentially depression and I just wonder what the choir thought when they were given the lyrics to this hymn sing diamond titling this message radioactive because it's reminiscent of the modern song that you heard by imagine dragons radioactive and when they lead singer Dan Reynolds and he was also the co-author of the song when he was interviewed by Rolling Stone magazine and asked him about the meaning of the song. He said essentially it's about his own personal struggle with anxiety and depression and so are these Psalms that we are dealing with here. I'll give you a little bit more background before or after we read them, but turn to Psalm 42 and 43 and if you don't mind this morning on a follow-up for traditional practice and I'm in a heavy stand as I read these two Psalms are some churches will do this to show respect for the word of God and stating their belief that they trust in the authority of Scripture as the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for you. Oh God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.

When shall I come and appear before God, my tears have been my food day and night while they continually say to me, where is your God when I remember these things. I pour out my soul within me, for I used to go with the multitude. I went with them to the house of God with the voice of joy and praise with a multitude that The program fees while you cast down all my soul and why are you disquieted within me. Hope in God. For I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance on my God. My soul is cast down within me. Therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, and from the heights of Hermann from the Hill meets our deep calls unto deep at the noise of your waterfalls all your waves and billows have gone over me.

The Lord will command his lovingkindness in the daytime and in the night. His song shall be with me a prayer to the God of my life. I will say to my rock, why have you forgotten me. Why do I go morning because of the oppression of my enemy is with the breaking of my bones, my enemies reproached me while they say to me all day long.

Where is your God, why are you cast down all my soul and why are you disquieted within me.

Hope in God, I shall yet praise him the help of my countenance, and my God vindicate me. Oh God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation old deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man for you are the God of my strength when you cast me off. Why do I go morning because of the oppression of the enemy. Also send out your light and your truth. Let them lead me, let them bring me to your holy hell into your tabernacle then I will go to the altar of God to God my exceeding joy and on the harp, I will praise you oh God my God why are you cast down all my soul and why are you disquieted within me.

Hope in God. For I shall yet praise him the help of my countenance, and my God.

Let's pray before we have a seat, but to be stand in your presence this morning as a token that we not only respect Scripture that we stand our very lives, we stake our very souls. Upon what you have revealed to us.

We stand in your presence. So thankful for honest expressions like the ones that we find in Psalm 42 and 43, and we pray Lord that your Holy Spirit would help us to not only understand the meaning but to apply the truth is in Jesus name we pray. Amen.

Please have a seat. The theme of these two Psalms is essentially what I'm calling spiritual depression. No I did not come up with that phrase. It was a phrase coined by another pastor Dr. Dean Martin Lloyd Jones Dr. Lloyd Jones was a medical doctor who became a pastor after G. Campbell Morgan of the great Westminster Chapel in London, England, and he wrote one of this greatest books ever entitled spiritual depression originally Psalm 42 and 43 we believe are the same unit the same song or that you have Psalm 42 and then as an appendix to it.

You have Psalm 43 and here's why the same languages used in both songs the same chorus if you will. We have in the first Psalm of verse followed by a chorus, a second verse followed by the same chorus and then in the next Psalm the third verse followed by the same chorus so verse one. The psalmist sings about dryness or order in verse one in the second verse he sings about drowning. That's the metaphor uses in the third verse he sings about being dejected if you will notice at the beginning of Psalm 42. The part we did not read says to the chief musician, a contemplation of the sons of Cora Melanie jog your memory back to numbers chapter 16 when there was a guy named Cora and he and 250 of his buddies rebelled against Moses authority in God simply had the ground open up and swallow them all till they died was his answer to that will his son survived, according to numbers chapter 26 and we have the descendents of those sons that are represented here. Essentially, it was their job to conduct the public worship in Israel and there are 11 songs that are ascribed to the sons of Cora. What is the occasion of the songs were what's the background. We don't know for sure but we could venture a guess. Some scholars believe that when David fled Jerusalem because of the rebellion of his son Absalom again.

I'm jogging your memory second Samuel chapter 15 when David left that he brought with him.

One of the sons of Cora.

This Levite who wrote the song and here they are out away from Jerusalem, longing to get back and this Levite, one of the sons of Cora longs to return and writes these songs we don't know for sure but essentially the theme of the Psalms is a person struggling and struggling with God to make sense of the experience of these had in his life. It is spiritual depression is what the ancients used to call the dark night of the soul wherever you want to call it having a bad day and down having the blues being depressed. Some of you know what it's like to have your zest for life vanish daft. Simple tasks feel like impossible demands to have spiritual energy gone to have words like hope and joy become nothing more than just words without real meaning. In a word, you are radioactive. That's how you feel you have been exposed to catastrophic events that make you feel this way. So I want to look at in these two Psalms. The reasons for it, and the remedies for spiritual depression. The reasons and the remedies, but I want to begin by displaying a little.

The groundwork I would first talk about the reality of it. You've all heard of the four spiritual laws. I'm sure in your Christian life will only give you the three spiritual flaws, not the four spiritual laws. These are three spiritual flaws when it comes to this issue of depression, but I just want to overturn flaw number one. It's all in your head.

It's not really real. You just think it's real.

It's all in your imagination. That's flaw number one.

So let me be quick to answer that by quoting what the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta says about it according to their findings, they write that 9% of American adults are struggling with feelings of hopelessness and despondency and or guilt generate a diagnosis of depression 9%.

Moreover, they state at any given time 3% of adults have major depression are long-lasting severe form of depression. Did you know the Bible says that we are fearfully and wonderfully made, and that applies besides the obvious. It implies the fact that we are very complex beings and were held together in a very delicate balance which means a lot can go wrong. Certain factors like genetics, family history, personality factors, stress, and biochemical disturbances all can add to those feelings. For instance, if there is an imbalance in your brain chemistry. The neurotransmitters, those chemical messengers that work inside your brain.

If if something is askew you can feel a certain way because of so if your serotonin level is low that will disrupt sleep patterns will increase anxiety. If you are nor epinephrine levels are low to produce fatigue and depressive mood can follow. If there's the increased level of the hormone cortisol will intensify your reaction to fear and distress. All that to say your brain is a real organ and so to deny the possibility of clinical depression is flat-out wrong and certainly unhelpful so that's flaw number one.

It's all in your head.

You just imagining flaw number two what Christians should never be depressed if you believe that by the way, never read the book of Psalms. You'll just be disappointed. Does the guys who like this are all over the emotional map there on a high sugar crashing in the same Psalm sometimes some people will paint a false picture about coming to Christ. However, there was a just come to Jesus and life's problems will be automatically solved.

You always be healthy always be wealthy, you will always be happy and they feel the necessity to plaster a fake smile. Hi Udo, rather good actually go to sleep just like this. That certainly is not helpful.

Yes, we have resources. The world does not have.

Certainly we have the joy of the Lord, which is our strength. But being phony or portraying a certain emotion as something that happens all the time is wrong. In fact, let me also say that in some cases coming to Christ actually makes the road rougher. Think of Christians in countries where persecution is huge because a person gives her light the Christ. Think of the audience that Peter wrote to we study rocksolid, they receive Christ in life got instantly more difficult for them. Adding stress and pressure so those two flaws. It's all in your head number two. Christian should never be depressed. Flaw number three. If you are depressed.

It means you are unspiritual or at least immature.

If you believe that you will have a hard time with most all of the Bible and most of the heroes of the Bible. Some of the great spiritual men and women of faith in the Bible like David who said my soul is in anguish, old Lord, how long Psalm six David said I make my bed swim with tears. Elijah the prophet spiritual guy when he ran from Queen Jezebel out in the desert.

He said it is enough old Lord, take my life suicidal Joe last time I checked God city was the most righteous person living on earth at the time Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. You gotta feel pretty loaded due to then there was Paul the apostle in the New Testament who said he was burdened beyond measure of all the strength so that he despaired even of life. All of them great spiritual people over the years you've heard me quote probably almost every week. One of my favorite quotable pastors Charles Haddon Spurgeon ever since I was a young believer. I just love how he said words like how people don't talk like that he so quotable. But then I discovered that Charles Haddon Spurgeon also suffered severe bouts of depression and he confessed as much to his own congregation saying that I have been in depths of which I hope none of you ever go and he also said to them, there are dungeons beneath the castles of despair and yet for some reason some of us Christians feel that we need to add stigma for those people who are feeling low and down and depressed and if they're not doing this rose doing this so those are flaws. This stuff is real. Now I'd like to have you look with me at these two Psalms and and consider some reasons for me be quick to say that I am not a clinician, then, to confine my thoughts to the song because I'm in expositor and also to this theme of spiritual depression, but there are several reasons, though there are many more understanding to give you what I see in the song.

Reasons for spiritual depression reasonable one expectations expectations unfulfilled expectations when you expect something to happen that doesn't happen. That's an unfulfilled expectation. Verse one. As the deer pants for the water broke, so pants my soul for you. Oh God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God. My tears had been my food day and night while they continually say to me, where is your God when I remember these things.

I pour out my soul within me for I used to go with the multitude. I went with them to the house of God, the voice of joy and praise with the multitude that kept the program feast was that both the song this person feels cut off from spiritual life isolated in this incident. Whether was the Levite that was off with David when they fled Jerusalem or was somebody that wrote it years later.

Notice the expressions like a deer thirsty painting for water, wanting to find refreshment. Finding no relief whatsoever. The Bible says in Proverbs 13 that hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life once again. Think who is writing this song, the sons of Cora their whole life. The whole purpose is involved in the public worship system of Israel.

Whenever our purpose is challenged or our usefulness is challenged.

We become susceptible to spiritual depression.

This shows up when a person feels trapped in a marriage. When a person feels trapped in a job when a person is forced into retirement because of a medical condition.

They start asking questions. What you semi-what is my purpose. We all have expectations and some of them are realistic when we do this we expect certain things that happen, but some of our expectations in life are just flat unrealistic. The more unrealistic your expectations are, the more severe the depression will be.

I found an interesting article. I wanted to share with you, my attention was a Vanderbilt University study listen to how it opens. Pentecostals are three times more likely than any other Christian group to experience major depression that got my attention. I just thought let's an odd thing to say how do you study that wealth.

Vanderbilt University studied 2850 N. Carolinians over a six-month period and the findings were that the group experienced serious depression at a rate of 1.7%, whereas the rate among Pentecostals was 5.4%.

The question becomes, why is that and they couldn't be definitive, but they said it's they believe that it's because, in part, people who were already depressed were attracted to Pentecostalism's promise of physical and spiritual healing. If you come to Jesus all your problems will be solved and you will be wealthy and you'll be healthy and will you live with those expectations and they don't happen then you come crashing down so everyone expectation is one of the reasons here's a second reason criticism criticism verse three he saying they say where is your God. Verse 10 is with the breaking of my bones, my enemies reproached me while they say to me all day long. Where is your God.

Psalm 43 verse 24. You are the God of my strength. Why do you cast me off. Why do I go morning because of the oppression of my enemy love this author is he surrounded by critics surrounded by those who are saying these things to him, taunting him whenever you suffer for doing for doing right working for God doing the right thing but your mom because of it produces anxiety. Proverbs 1225 tells us anxiety in the heart of a man causes depression. Think of the Christian student in a secular university who all day long. Been there, done that. You all day long.

Here where is your God or the Christian worker amongst unbelievers is a where is your God believing person with a family filled with unbelief, forcing where is your God, the kind of anxiety can build up as the Scripture says cause depression that message from the shoes played want to tell you about what you can learn about God and his word in a flexible academic environment, you looking to pursue biblical studies beyond church and personal Bible study teacher learning and your life's purpose to the next level with Calvary college registration for the 2021 spring term is open now and the curriculum features both online classes and on-site classes at Calvary church Albuquerque. Classes include biblical studies like spiritual foundations and the history and authenticity of the Bible class classes and keep books of the Bible, like Daniel, Romans and Revelation with video content from world-renowned biblical scholars Skip Heitzig Calvary college partners with Veritas international University and Calvary Chapel University so you can earn an accredited undergraduate or graduate degree or simply increase your knowledge of biblical studies. The deadline to get your application in for the 2021 semester is December 4.

Find out more and apply today at Calvary ABQ.College Calvary ABQ.College. Do you ever feel like God isn't speaking to you soon. Mike is distant but the truth is always speaking to you through his part. We share these powerful Bible teaching pastor's Hair and online you can hear God's truth in love into your life every time help even more people experience my thinking your gift to connect with.com/now.com/Downey or call 800-922-8800 92. Come back tomorrow and Skip Heitzig share several things.

Depression, joy don't want to miss Skip presentation of connection communication through