When Godly People Get Depressed

Katie Greer, the marriage fell apart. Your kids didn't follow Jesus business tanks so you find yourself wondering God. I really thought I can see where all this is going.did I do something wrong.

Are you even there. This is the experience of this passage deals with its dealing with felicitous godly people getting depressed you. Depression is stigmatized in a lot of Christian circles. Believers are just supposed to be happy-go-lucky. All of the time and we either ignore it completely or talk about depression in these highest shameful terms.

But today on Summit life pastor and author JD Greer helps us discover the biblical response to Christians going through depression as part of our study of the prophet Elisha called something better and we are picking up the story after Elisha's victory over the prophets of bail on now, to turn to first Kings 19 pastor Jamie for a message titled, when godly people get. I am not a huge fan of movies that have weird endings that don't really resolve realize that some of you will lose respect for me about you like, oh, but those movies are just so much more realistic and it's just better art is more like life. I realize that but I don't go to movies, to experience life okay go to movies to take a break from life and so I go to what the guy in the girl together. I want them riding off in the sunset together and I want them to. As far as I'm concerned revel in their victories for the rest of your life right that's really what ought to happen here in the Elijah story that we have been again because you remember from last week and you were here. Elijah has won this huge, huge battle all of Israel and me.

This is the climactic moment of his life.

If you were here essentially Elijah rented out the Madison Square Garden's of his day and he went toe to toe with the current world champions that prophets of bail and he had just a face-off, a showdown with them. His victory was not small.

His victory was epic. Okay, but he was outnumbered 850 to 1. God answered decisively with fire from heaven and be in the whole crowd is on their faces, chanting Ellie John Elledge, which is his name Elijah but also means in Hebrew, the Lord is God.

What a moment right you couldn't imagine a better, more poetic moment the credits rolled, the music comes up. He rides off into the sunset confetti falls from the from the ceiling to get any better than that. Now he supposed to retire revel in his victories, but instead is high enough caramel to see. This is followed by spiritual low almost sure you see a kind of depression before we get into looking at his specifically can we just acknowledge this in your life like that sometimes right after some victory right after some spiritually epic moments you fall back into some spiritual low, you stumble back into some old temptation like takes a turn. You were expecting or something just really goes wrong.

It was like that for Jesus when Jesus.

One of the high point of his life when he was baptized is baptize crowd cheers voice from heaven. This is my beloved son in whom I will believe that the spiritual life read on the accounts in Matthew and Luke of Jesus baptism.

What you see is that immediately the spirit takes them into the wilderness the way it is written is this then the devil. The devil meets him right after that baptism to be able to take them as low as he can get him that's what's going on with Elijah for many of you, you obey God.

And you experience some success, but then like to determine that you want expected the marriage fell apart and I God was going so well. I mean, I made these decisions. I got involved in church, but then it fell apart. Your kids didn't follow Jesus.

The business tanks so you find yourself wondering God. I really thought I could see where all this is going.did I do something wrong. Are you even there.

This is the experience of this passage deals with its dealing with felicitous godly people getting depressed and I realize that depression is a loaded word because there are so many different times ranging from people who were just really discouraged to those with clinical or chemical issues going on.

My purpose is not to diagnose the different kinds of depression or two. Certainly not to provide one solution to all of them but I think what you'll see in this passage you see a lot of things that speak to different dimensions of depression across the spectrum bursting chapter 19. If you have a turn in your Bibles. Their dues are now.

Lastly, we left Elijah after this stunning victory in Mark caramel.

You may remember that he was empowered by the Holy Spirit to run the out ran the horses of the chariots and the beat everybody back to Jezreel which was the northern kingdom of Israel, capital at the time he is expecting as he goes into Jezreel. He's expecting a revolution. He's expecting the people to rise up in this unified commitment, declaring that the Lord is God, Ahab and Jezebel.

Are you a parent or they are going to be deposed easily easily command all the people to be gathered in a circle middle city singing Kumbaya are I love you Lord is just amazingly awesome easily get his name Jan and a star like the street is a syndicated TV show prodigy profit or those are sailors, Israelite idle, but that would seem right given the context Elijah's got talent. Maybe I would would be at drought dynasty. I easily get some TV show where he is going to be amused.

That's how it's supposed in every topical Siemens freedom agenda Elledge job postings 19 to then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying so may the gods, what did we just answer the question, so may the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not kill you by this time tomorrow, no revolution, no deposition, Elijah didn't even get a plaque Jezebel has not repented, nor has she been deposed. Far from it. She is still on the throne worshiping her gods barking out orders ordering his death. He's got to go back into hiding bursary than he was afraid and he rose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah left to serve in there. He went by himself a day's journey into the wilderness and came and sat out under a peremptory and he asked that he might die saying it is enough it is enough now, Lord, take my life I know better than my father's safe to say Elijah is depressed.

He wants to die when he hoped would happen when he expected to happen has not happened.

He's angry with God. They thought he knew God. He thought he had this figured out but he could see a clear trajectory is assessors variable just a few months after Charles Spurgeon became pastor and some epic successes.

Successful pastors in history pastor in London church grew from three or 400 to several about 10,000 people within the space of two or three months I was so successful that they had to change venues. Eventually they outgrew every venue they can come to us and they had to go to one big arena.

And as you can imagine Spurgeon a lot of detractors anytime.in is on somebody that always happens and so I've Spurgeon got a lot of hate mail got a lot of public criticism people saying that he was an egomaniac they were sent.

He's a fundamentalist that I am a cult leader. But no church should ever be that big, yet a lot of thought of threats one day in the middle of one of his services were. There's 10,000 people present in a very packed auditorium.

Somebody comes and sits about three quarters of the way back and into bed in the middle part of the sermon stands up and yells fire was a stampede and is 10,000 people try to get out of this place, thinking it was a fire seven people died.

Spurgeon was devastated. He was devastated. His biographer say that he spiraled into a depression for years that he never quite got over never got over. Have you ever felt like that you did everything right.

God really seemed to come through but then sent back home from verse five.

They lay down. He slept under a Braintree and behold, an angel touched him and said to him, arise, and even he looked, and behold, there was at his had a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. He ate and drank and laid down again and the angel Lord came a second time and touch them that arise and eat. The journey is too great for you and he arose and ate and drank and went in the strength of that food 40 days and 40 nights to her rabbit out of God's work, high-protein pancakes, in whatever power for case verse nine behold, the word of the Lord came to him and he said to him, what are you doing here, Elijah is I've been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts for the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant they throw down your altars, and they killed your prophets with the sword and I even I only left they seek my life to take it away.

What you see there in those verses that God is doing. Tim Keller points out, the guy does three things look at this number one God first sends an angel of rest. Angels in the Bible are always on assignment, all of you know that angels are just roaming about the earth in a meandering about Russia, but got you and I wouldn't when I got here that also angels are always on assignment. This angel is on an assignment to Elijah said to take care of him. What is the angel say when he sees Elijah what he say what he sees in the spondylitis Elijah show some faith. Elijah did it together, man.

Come on Elijah, here's a John Piper. But once you read this thing about suffering for what I want you to notice as note what to do. He touches him making some nice hot pancakes limits and take a nap and then send them off to a cabin in the mountains for a little like a number two God listens is what you doing here, Elijah. You realize whatever got asked question. He's not seeking information by God only knows the answer the question, he knows what he's there. He's asking him for his sake and he just listens.

Did you get the detail in verse two that Elijah had sent his servant.

Or you could read that apprentice really is traveling companion left him a day's journey away you know that when you go to atomic despondency you want to be by yourself. Do not follow that impulse they the palace and Christian counselor says things and wrote a secret garden.

Always grow mutants.

I know you feel like being alone. That is the worst possible thing number three God gives his word. God gives his word to Elijah it he's going to address some lapses of faith. He's going to try to broaden his perspective a little get into that word in just a minute, but first let me point out that you got three different approaches to dealing with depression and those verses. He ministers to Elijah physically with the touch of the food with the nap spiritually by dealing with his wrong view of God and psychologically by listening to him. She depending on your worldview you want to gravitate toward one of a story you see all over our culture. Some people think that humanity is primarily physical you're going through a tough time. Just gotta figure out how to get some vacation at a couple sources of stress on your life. Take a pill like is your year is mostly physical, other people on the other side, living in a world were mostly spiritual. So these reports I gimme some prayer you need some faith you need to stop sending you to get over these people think the idea of taking a pill or identifying physical causes. Your depression is essentially to betray the faith. The third group views depression is primarily psychological. He's got talk about getting friends around you. You notice is dented out, there is an event like God uses all three because he designed us in all three ways we are what we call a psychosomatic beam at St. body soul. You are not a sold-out body. Your body without a soul. You're not a soul floating around inside of a body bounce around like a ghost in the machine you are a soul united to a body soul clover the body and you can't really separate the soul from the body. In that sense, which means that a lot of Hakim's was never about latest ever. You told me prayer or a sermon you need a nap. I buy miniature action point from the cervical home take a nap and appreciate you not apply to right now. Okay, I see couple dozen about their already apply the sermon. Not now. Okay you need a vacation you need to be touched in a weekend where your spouse, you need a really good book to me like a book like hell not to be despondent right like fiction that your thing is sort of efficient like me not Amish love romance novels, we get one of them I whatever whatever one of my historical heroes Winston Churchill Churchill. They say that it is that what the hip three hobbies that throughout his life always practice i.e. laundry novels. He loved watch movies and he loved the paint and they say that even at the highest, hottest days of World War II when he was most stressed he would take two hours every evening to do one of those things like is taking care of himself physically, so you have the strength to lead the nation but sometimes you just need to take time.

Take care of yourself physically that he ministers to Elijah psychologically. By allowing Elijah talk about his feelings. He's a friend so it Psalms are filled with people venting to God. Being godly does not mean pretending your emotions are there.

Sure, I mean sure, some of your emotions be to be corrected that every emotion is legitimate, but you can't correct the source of the emotion.

If you don't get out there. Our emotions are not usually good or bad simply indicators what's going on inside of you is like a flick of fire alarm in your house the fire alarm goes off. The problem of the fire alarm from Zometa far will go off ricer emotions are simply indicating what's going on inside of you.

If not, you need to contain the emotion that you need to figure out where the source emotion is coming from just an object to express the emotion to be able to help identify what's going on in your heart and maybe correct.

Some days they did a journal and write out your feelings like David did when you read the Psalms essential your reading David's prayer journal, work your way through these, some of them were not know the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want, things are like yachts and God said to God, resulting some of them I chose, so it's just some people around you.

Some of you like Elijah have left your friend behind your isolated terrible mistake terrible mistake ministers lied to spiritual by giving them his word not can diagnose which one of these is primarily a problem usually not always. It's a combination of these things. What I meant to say from here on out applies mostly to spiritually-based depressions of discouragement challenge even if you don't think your depression is spiritual, even if you don't think of the person you're thinking about right now. The precious Virgil coming challenge you listen anyway because chances are there's a lot more spiritual things tied up in your emotions than you tend to realize okay so this was little God says will I don't say this is the biblical counseling coalition put out a chart recently called the development of of spiritually rooted depressions and what you'll see is you got yet, for stages that work there. You work your way down on the first of his disappointment. Disappointment after you got confusion and sadness, grief, unfulfilled expectations. This was going on Elijah right unfulfilled expectations about things be different.

God didn't come through that leads to discontentment discontentment which produces self-righteousness, self-pity. That's where Elijah is on the only one you think Jeremy brooding about the way self-righteousness that he experienced that before we really get disappointed in your reaction starts to justify what you're actually a lot better than everybody else.

So for example you don't get the job so you start doing as they can. They got it did get the job. He's a terrible husband. I'm a great husband. I mean I got a job and I'm a better personal remedy is that revenue right there that that's a sign that you have moved from disappointment to discontentment, brooding anger, bitter you think about it all the time and it poisons your emotions toward other people you're jealous you fantasize about their destructive lease number three despair. You see no way out you what this sort to give up on responsibilities very lethargic getting get out of bed, trouble working through the day you have trouble being a good mom being a good dad, you start to give up on your responsibilities believes to states for destructiveness when some cases, you become suicidal or homicidal.

Early signs of that are a very critical spirit, hostility toward people, impulsivity. You see yourself doing a chart. Here's what God's word is to be discouraged.

This is what he says to Elijah, verse 11, God said, go out and stand on the mount before the Lord's command right watches and the Lord passed by in a great and strong winds for the mountains and broken pieces the rocks before the Lord, the Lord was not in the wind after the wind there was an earthquake with the Lord was not in the earthquake after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire and after the fire.

The sound of a low whisper or a still small voice. Verse 13 and when Elijah heard the still small voice.

He wrapped his face in the cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. I that's a very important detail about to behold. Then there came a voice to him and said what are you doing here, Elijah fights… About was very important detail. She got understand that to unpack this passage that you might skip over lesser Bible scholar mount her. You know another name for mount her rib. What you what's not hundreds other night Mount Sinai mountain rivers outside Mount Sinai. After God gave the 10 Commandments. It was one of the most dramatic moments in Israel's history for God descended on that same God descended on that same mount of Moses what it look like fire wins earthquake and God and Moses case was in the fire member the burning bush, he was in the wind, he was in the earthquake.

Those things were the presence of God, and now we Elijah those same things happen, but it specifically says God was not in the fire God was not in the earthquake God was not in the tornado. So what is the meaning of that.

God's voice in our lives does not always come in the ways we expect them to. But that does not mean that God is not speaking just because God is not working like you expected him to work does not mean that he is not at work that's the point that is trying to make a wooden Moses.

I was in the fire, you are thinking that when I showed up in your situation I come of the same kind of things you thought that there would be this at the revolution but there wouldn't you assume that that meant that I'm not working but you are wrong. Verse 15 the way to look at it you'll see what God says he's doing these raise up a pagan king them has IL to bring judgment on Ahab and his wicked witch of the West why Jezebel does doing a behind-the-scenes role in battling God's got 7000 other people in Israel who have not bowed the knee to bail that Elijah seems to be totally ignorant of Elijah UC had put God in a box just like we do. He expected that God only works one way God didn't work that one way than he expected. Many assume that God is not there, that Elijah brings her God has led him down.

God has not let Elijah down Elijah's limited view of God and how God works is why Evelyn Underhill was small enough to be understood. He would not be big enough to be worshiped and important perspective to remember as we tackle issues like this every day you're listening to Pastor JD Greer and Senate life. Today's message is titled when godly people get depressed if you'd like to listen again or download the complete transcript.

Be sure to visit us online. JD Greer.com sent JD like you are saying in the message. Today, our view of God can sometimes get distorted and when that happens we lose this greater plan and purpose for our lives. And that's one of the subjects of this new Bible study yet.

A lot of times looking for answers to what we what we ought to do in life and what we ought to be looking for soup. God is what you should do comes out of your understanding of God. The hope in this study is that by coming to know God and knowing the agenda that he's up to on earth you can understand better God's purposes for your life. I've always found that when you want to know more about your life.

Start with God and not when you this eight part study will help you do that will take you into the lives of two prophets who were very eccentric, very enigmatic but very important in the biblical narrative and show you how they not only set up the coming of Jesus. They also give a demonstration of what it's like to preach truth and live with the power of truth and age much like our own is amazing.

As I've said this multiple times that the series it's amazing how similar Elijah and Elisha's contacts were to our I think this study will help you know some Bible characters but also think about God and know you and some some really unique ways. If you reach out to us in JD Greer.com would love to get your copy this I think will be help to get you a copy of this new REIT today, rinsing when you donate to support this ministry Senate night listener find that when you give your helping your listeners into the gospel to ongoing month gospel partner. I can only think 335-5224. Give online JD Greer.com and remember, when you get the suggested level of $25 or more copy and after Jenny's resource pending matter in greater study of Elijah and Elisha got in, called to be asked for something better something greater when you call eight 663-3521 online JD Greer.com I'm only benefits. So glad he joined us today. Be sure to tune in tomorrow and we can biblical response. Depression Thursday on my