CRCF\u201d\u201d5-3-09<\/p>\n
Questions of the Heart:\u00a0 #2<\/p>\n
Introduction:\u00a0 I need to take you to an awful place this morning\u201d\u201da dark, cold, nauseating, torturous place.\u00a0 Oh, you\u201d\u2122ve been there before.\u00a0 Maybe you\u201d\u2122re there right now.\u00a0 You can be there in a crowd, at work, at home\u201d\u201deven at church.\u00a0 It doesn\u201d\u2122t matter who you are, what you do, how much you have, how good or bad you are\u201d\u201dyou either have been or will someday visit this place.\u00a0 It is a form of Hell on earth.\u00a0 It is that place of the soul called \u201cloneliness\u201d.<\/p>\n
You have been there, haven\u201d\u2122t you?<\/p>\n
A contemporary Christian group called Fireflight sing a song called \u201cForever\u201d.\u00a0 The first verse goes like this:\u00a0 \u201cSometimes I feel so cold, like I\u201d\u2122m waiting around all by myself.\u00a0 Loneliness gets so old.\u00a0 I\u201d\u2122m in the lost and found sitting on the shelf, been stuck for way too long.\u201d<\/p>\n
Have you ever felt that way?<\/p>\n
Abigail Van Buren:\u00a0 \u201cLoneliness is the ultimate poverty.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLoneliness, statistics say, is prevalent and one of the most feared states of life.\u201d\u201d. \u201d<\/p>\n
Bill Lobbs (Assemblies of God pastor):\u00a0 Most of us, at some point in our life, could say \u201cI know all about loneliness because it lives inside of me.\u201d Loneliness is no respecter of persons. Sooner or later it knocks on everyone’s door and we have to deal with it. It is now known that loneliness is a major contributor to mental and physical sickness in our society. The statistics are awesome. Loneliness cuts across all ages. It is a very depressive condition and, if it is serious enough, people suffering from it have taken their lives.
\nIt has been defined as \u201cthe painful awareness that we lack meaningful contact with others.\u201d I describe it as that feeling that no one really cares about you as a person. If you suddenly disappeared, there would be no search party because no one would care enough to put one together.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy are there times when I feel so alone . . . like You aren\u201d\u2122t there?\u201d<\/p>\n
Scripture offers us at least 5 truths concerning our loneliness that help us answer this question:<\/p>\n
1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 God may confine me to loneliness because I love my sin more than I love Him.
\n–Can be true for an unbeliever or a believer,
\nthough in different senses
\nPsalm 38:3, 11, 15, 18, 21\u201d\u201d \u201cBecause of Your anger, my whole body is sick; my health is broken because of my sins . . . My loved ones and friends stay away, fearing my disease.\u00a0 Even my own family stands at a distance . . . For I am waiting for You, O Lord.\u00a0 You must answer for me, O Lord my God . . . But I confess my sins; I am deeply sorry for what I have done . . . Do not abandon me, Lord.\u00a0 Do not stand at a distance, my God.\u201d (NLT)
\nGod may confine me to loneliness because I love my sin more than I love Him.\u00a0 Confession and repentance is the way back to a right relationship with God.
\nPsalm 32:1, 7\u201d\u201d\u201cBlessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered . . . You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance.\u201d<\/p>\n
2.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I may confine myself to loneliness by avoiding God in the Scriptures.<\/p>\n
God meets us in His Word, as we read and meditate on His very breath!<\/p>\n
\u201d\u00a2\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 James 4:8\u201d\u201d \u201cDraw near to God and He will draw near to you.\u201d
\nAre you daily drawing near to God through an open Bible?<\/p>\n
\u201d\u00a2\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Psalm 119:49-50, 54-56\u201d\u201c \u201cRemember Your promise to me, for it is my only hope.\u00a0 Your promise revives me; it comforts me in all my troubles . . .\u00a0 Your principles have been the music of my life throughout the years of my pilgrimage.\u00a0 I reflect at night on Who You are, O Lord, and I obey Your law because of this.\u00a0 This is my happy way of life:\u00a0 obeying Your commandments.\u201d (NLT)<\/p>\n
\u201d\u00a2\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 John 17:17\u201d\u201d\u201cMake them pure and holy by teaching them Your words of truth.\u201d (NLT)<\/p>\n
\u201d\u00a2\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 2 Timothy 3:16-17\u201d\u201c \u201cAll Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives.\u00a0 It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right.\u00a0 It is God\u201d\u2122s way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing God wants us to do.\u201d (NLT)
\nI may confine myself to loneliness by avoiding God in the Scriptures.\u00a0 The solution to loneliness may be as simple as the daily discipline it takes to relate to God through His Word and prayer.<\/p>\n
3.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I may confine myself to loneliness by avoiding God in the Body of Christ.<\/p>\n
God meets us in the Body of Christ, as we relate to one another!<\/p>\n
\u201d\u00a2\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 1 Corinthians 12:7\u201d\u201c \u201cBut the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201d\u00a2\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Hebrews 10:24-25\u201d\u201c \u201cThink of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds.\u00a0 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of His coming back again is drawing near.\u201d (NLT)<\/p>\n
You may say, \u201cWell, I\u201d\u2122m here\u201d\u201dI come to church.\u00a0 But I\u201d\u2122m still lonely.\u201d\u00a0 Ask yourself this question\u201d\u201dwhen you\u201d\u2122re here, do you truly connect with other believers in real relationships\/conversations?\u00a0 God can speak to you through in our worship service or through a sermon.\u00a0 But oftentimes, God speaks most personally through a one-on-one relationship, or in a small group setting where other believers can speak directly into the situation of our lives.\u00a0 That is why we do Bible Study on Sunday mornings, Youth Group on Sunday nights and Men\/Women\u201d\u2122s Groups during the week\u201d\u201dwe need relationships with each other!<\/p>\n
I may confine myself to loneliness by avoiding God in the Body of Christ.\u00a0 He lives and moves among His people.\u00a0 The solution to your loneliness may be to simply open yourself up to others by getting involved in one of our small group opportunities.<\/p>\n
4.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 God may allow loneliness in my life to draw me closer to Himself.<\/p>\n
God is our all-knowing and Sovereign Father and He always has our best interest at heart when He moves His hand in our lives!<\/p>\n
\u201d\u00a2\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Psalm 88
\nO Lord, God of my salvation, I have cried out to you day and night.\u00a0 Now hear my prayer; listen to my cry.\u00a0 For my life is full of troubles, and death draws near.\u00a0 I have been dismissed as one who is dead, like a strong man with no strength left . . . I am forgotten, cut off from your care.\u00a0 You have thrust me down to the lowest pit, into the darkest depths . . . You have caused my friends to loathe me; you have sent them all away.\u00a0 I am in a trap with no way of escape.\u00a0 My eyes are blinded by my tears.\u00a0 Each day I beg for Your help, O Lord; I lift my pleading hands to you for mercy . . . O Lord, I cry out to You.\u00a0 I will keep on pleading day by day.\u00a0 O Lord, why do You reject me?\u00a0 Why do You turn Your face away from me?\u201d (NLT)<\/p>\n
Dags Hammarskjold:\u00a0 Pray that your loneliness may spur you into finding something to live for, great enough to die for. ~<\/p>\n
\u201d\u00a2\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 James 1:2-4\u201d\u201c \u201cDear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy.\u00a0 For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.\u00a0 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything.\u201d (NLT)
\n\u201d\u00a2\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 READ Job 3:20-26 (NLT)
\n\u201d\u00a2\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Job 13:15\u201d\u201d\u201cThough He slay me, yet will I trust Him.\u201d
\nGod may allow loneliness in my life to draw me closer to Himself.\u00a0 There is no simple solution to this loneliness.\u00a0 Our Father\u201d\u2122s sovereign timing is never predictable.\u00a0 Simply trusting Him more often doesn\u201d\u2122t speed our return from the barren land of loneliness\u201d\u201dor else Job\u201d\u2122s recovery would have come much more quickly.\u00a0 And yet, while we wait for God to give us relief, we are to learn to trust His wisdom and timing and goodness.\u00a0 We must learn to say with Job, \u201cThough He slay me, yet I will trust Him.\u201d<\/p>\n
5.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I will never know true aloneness because God will never forsake me.<\/p>\n
Jesus experienced true aloneness when He was forsaken by the Father.<\/p>\n
There is a vast difference between feelings of loneliness and being truly alone.<\/p>\n
\u201d\u00a2\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Matthew 27:46\u201d\u201d \u201cAt about three o\u201d\u2122clock, Jesus called out with a loud voice, \u201d\u02dcEli, Eli, lema sabachthani?\u201d\u2122 which means, \u201d\u02dcMy God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?\u201d (NLT)<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy did Jesus ask this question? Why have you forsaken me?\u00a0 Jesus, the Son of God, God on earth was abandoned by the Father.\u00a0 For the first, last, and only time in eternity past, present or future, there was a division, a wall of separation between Jesus and his Father. So JESUS DID NOT FEEL FORSAKEN, HE WAS FORSAKEN. There is a big difference between the two.<\/p>\n
In the pain of life \u201d\u201c when it all comes crashing in \u201d\u201c we often feel abandoned and forsaken by God. I assure you, God has abandoned none of us; but what Jesus experienced was more than a feeling \u201d\u201c it was fact.<\/p>\n
This is the suffering of Calvary: Not the nails and the hammer blows and the crown of thorns. These were awful \u201d\u201c these were hideous, I don\u201d\u2122t discredit that. Jesus suffered the pain and humiliation of being mocked, beaten, whipped, pierced and nailed naked to a piece of wood, but none of this compared to the pain of His Father walking away and leaving him in the dark alone \u201d\u201c that was the worst. From the before the beginning of time, the Father and Son had enjoyed unbroken communion together. There was never a time they did not enjoy a connection. Then suddenly, on the cross, it\u201d\u2122s all taken away. He lost his communion with God \u201d\u201c he lost fellowship with the Father. For a space of time God was dead to Him, and that alone was enough to kill Him. (Ronnie McBrayer)<\/p>\n
Jesus understands my loneliness because He\u201d\u2122s experienced what I never have to\u201d\u201dtrue aloneness, a true forsaking by God.<\/p>\n
\u201d\u00a2\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Hebrews 13:5\u201d\u201d \u201cStay away from the love of money; be satisfied with what you have.\u00a0 For God has said, \u201d\u02dcI will never fail you.\u00a0 I will never forsake you.\u201d\u2122\u201d (NLT)<\/p>\n
\u201d\u00a2\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Matthew 28:20b\u201d\u201d \u201cAnd be sure of this:\u00a0 I am with you always, even to the end of the age.\u201d (NLT)<\/p>\n
I will never know true aloneness because God will never forsake me.\u00a0 I may often feel alone, but Jesus is always near to me, if I\u201d\u2122m truly a Christ-follower.\u00a0 Oh, how we need to remember this truth when our feelings say God has abandoned us!
\nConclusion:
\n“Forever”
\nBy:\u00a0 Fireflight<\/p>\n
Sometimes I feel so cold
\nLike I’m waiting around all by myself
\nLoneliness gets so old
\nI’m in the lost and found sitting on the shelf
\nBeen stuck for way too long
\nBut I hear Your voice
\nYou’re who I’m counting on<\/p>\n
Oh, tell me You’re here
\nThat You will watch over me forever
\nOh, take hold of my heart
\nShow me You’ll love me forever<\/p>\n
I know that You can tell
\nWhen I start to let my hope fade away
\nI need to catch myself
\nOpen my ears to hear You calling my name
\nBeen fighting way too long
\nBut I hear Your voice
\nYou had me all along<\/p>\n
Your loneliness may not immediately disappear this morning.\u00a0 Maybe there are steps you need to take toward God\u201d\u201das one who needs to come to Him for the first time and begin a relationship with Him through faith in Jesus, or as a child of God who needs to let go of sin so that you can truly hold on to Jesus.\u00a0 Maybe the only thing you can do is wait on God and trust Him till He brings you back to the comfort of feeling His presence.
\nEither way, you\u201d\u2122re not alone.\u00a0 God is here, whether you can feel His presence or not.<\/p>\n
Here at the Lord\u201d\u2122s Table, celebrate God\u201d\u2122s commitment to never forsake those who depend on Jesus\u201d\u2122 broken body and shed blood for the forgiveness of sin.\u00a0 Celebrate the fact that Jesus is risen from the dead and is always with His people by the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n
Celebration of the Lord\u201d\u2122s Supper<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
CRCF\u201d\u201d5-3-09 Questions of the Heart:\u00a0 #2 Introduction:\u00a0 I need to take you to an awful place this morning\u201d\u201da dark, cold, nauseating, torturous place.\u00a0 Oh, you\u201d\u2122ve been there before.\u00a0 Maybe you\u201d\u2122re there right now.\u00a0 You can be there in a crowd, … Continue reading