Psalm 139:13-18; Habakkuk 3:16-19

Elizabeth Elliot, who suffered the death of her first husband, Jim Elliot, when he and four of his missionary partners attempted to make contact with the violent and unreached Waodani tribe in Ecuador, were speared to death on January 8, 1958.  After coming back to the United States in 1963, Elizabeth married her second husband, Addison Leitch, a professor of theology at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, in 1969 who later died of cancer in 1973.  In 1977, she married Lars Gren who was a hospital chaplain and traveled all over the world with Elizabeth as she became a popular author and speaker world-wide.  Lars and Elizabeth enjoyed 38 years of marriage until her death in 2015.  If anyone understood loss, I would think Elizabeth Elliot did.  Of the twenty-four books she authored, at least ten of them touched on suffering and loss. 

I was listening to a series of lectures given by Elizabeth Elliot this past week on suffering and the cross of Christ.  She defined suffering in a way I had not heard before that I want to share with you, “Suffering is having what you don’t want and wanting what you don’t have.”  Inherent in suffering is loss. I believe loss can be defined in the same way, don’t you think? 

There are two experiences in my life that I did not want.  I did not want my parents to divorce when I was twelve years old. Thirty-three years later, I still feel the loss I suffered from their divorce.  The second experience, that I continue to feel loss from, is the death of my father; even though it happened just over 21 years ago. “Suffering is having what you don’t want and wanting what you don’t have.”

So far in our series on identity, we have heard stories from three people who have suffered loss on some level.  The perceived loss that comes with loneliness, the loss experienced through depression or suicide, and the loss felt through disease or disability.  The prophet Habakkuk also suffered loss, but his loss would come in the form of God’s discipline over the nation of Judah through the Babylonian Empire that would come in the prophet’s lifetime.  God warned through Moses and the prophets that if they forgot him and worshiped other gods, he would discipline them by removing them by force from the land promised to their ancestor Abraham (See Deuteronomy 28-30).  For hundreds of years, God warned his people of what would come if they did not truly repent.  Habakkuk understood that the judgment that was coming would be severe.

There are three things that Habakkuk did in chapter three that I believe serve as principles to help us navigate through the pain and suffering that loss can cause. 

Remember Who God Is (v. 16)

The first two chapters in Habakkuk include a series of two complaints from the prophet and God’s answer to those complaints.  The first complaint had to do with why God was letting sin go unpunished.  The second complain the prophet had to do with how a good God could use a more wicked nation (Babylon) to judge a less wicked one (Judah).  In other words: “If you are holy God, why does sin go unpunished?” and, “If you are just oh God, why is there so much injustice?”  Have you ever asked those questions before?  Listen to Habakkuk’s first complaint:

O LORD, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear?  Or cry to you “Violence!” and you will not save? Why do you make me see iniquity, and why do you idly look at wrong?  Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise.  So the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth.  For the wicked surround the righteous; so justice goes froth perverted. (1:1-4)

Have you ever questioned God like that?  Have you ever cried out to God for help?  Have you ever pleaded with him to intervene?  Have you ever asked God, “How long shall I cry for help, and you not hear me?”  There was a pastor of a Church in Pennsylvania who invested his life into mine, because he understood that God was c

Psalm 139:13-18; Job 16:7-14; 42:2-6

Last Spring, we began the journey of shopping for a home so that we could officially make our home in Cheyenne.  Many of you are familiar with the experience of shopping for a new home: it begins with great excitement and often evolves into fatigue.  On April 8th, last year, we finally learned of a home that checked off all the boxes of what we were looking for in a new home.  The house had just gone on the market, and knowing that it would not last long, we scheduled a showing for the very next day. 

Once we set foot in the home, we fell in love with the house.  Everything looked perfect.  The fact that it was a corner lot with a large park next to it and Saddle Ridge Elementary School right across from the house was a huge plus.  That evening we made an offer on the home that the sellers agreed with.  Within 24 hours, we were under contract to purchase what we believed to be the nicest home we would ever own.  With a Property Disclosure form that listed no known defects, everything seemed to go our way; the inspection did not reveal anything alarming, so we closed on May 16th and set a move-in date for June 6th. 

The plan was to paint the inside of our home and have the hardwood floor refinished before we moved in.  The week after we closed on the house, the big hail storm devastated our neighborhood, including our home resulting in about $22,000.00 in damages.  The week after the storm, while painting the basement in our home, we discovered the first of what would be four areas of mold that was the result of a failed shower pan in the upstairs master bedroom bathroom.  We discovered that to remove the mold and repair the affected areas in the home would cost just under $28,000.00.   What we believed to be a home ready for us to move in, turned out to be a home that was less then whole.  We felt like we were lied to, taken advantage of, and helpless. 

When it comes to life, we never expect disease or suffering to enter our own experience.  From the moment of our birth, we expect that God’s Property Disclosure form to say: “No defects.”  When suffering becomes our experience, we can feel less than whole and robbed of the good health we believed we were entitled to.  When we suffer, we can feel Job who lost just about everything he valued including his good health:

Surely, God, you have worn me out; you have devastated my entire household. You have shriveled me up—and it has become a witness; my gauntness rises up and testifies against me. God assails me and tears me in his anger and gnashes his teeth at me; my opponent fastens on me his piercing eyes…. God has turned me over to the ungodly and thrown me into the clutches of the wicked. All was well with me, but he shattered me; he seized me by the neck and crushed me. He has made me his target; his archers surround me. Without pity, he pierces my kidneys and spills my gall on the ground. Again and again he bursts upon me; he rushes at me like a warrior. (Job 16:7–14, NIV)

If God is all-knowing, all-present, and all-powerful, why does he allow suffering and evil in the world and in our lives?  Let me begin by turning your attention back to Psalm 139 to focus on who we are before I answer why we suffer.

The Plan for the Suffering

We are told in Psalm 139:13-18 that at the core of our being we are “fearfully and wonderfully made” in the image of God.  The word for fearful is the Hebrew word yare’ which can also be translated “reverent.”  The Hebrew word for wonderful is nip̱lêṯî, which can be translated extraordinary or different.  Literally, verse 14 can be translated: “I am reverently and extraordinarily set apart. 

I believe verse 13 is saying two things.  First, and foremost, the Psalmist is reminding us that all human begins are fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God.  Secondly, the psalmist is reflecting upon what it means to belong to the all-knowing, all-present, and all-powerful Creator as his c

Psalm 42 & 43

Three years ago, I found myself in a difficult season of ministry. Nathan’s condition seemed at an all-time high, and weeks previous, I suffered my worst cycling accident resulting in a fractured pelvis and torn labium in my right hip socket.  One Sunday I came home from church, sat at our granite island in our kitchen, and said to Roimaw: “Life would be easier on everyone if I just died.” I meant what I said.  I was convinced that it would have been easier on everyone in my life if I was dead. 

I want to share with you five things that I have learned about depression and human emotions over the years based on my own personal experience and from those in my life who have suffered from depression:

Depression is a deceiver that will make your problems and circumstances seem much bigger than they really are.Emotions cannot just be turned on and off like a light switch.How you feel is not always a reflection of reality or what is true.   Your ability to feel emotion is a gift from God and a part of your DNA as one who is fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God. No emotion, good, bad, happy, or sad can last forever.   

We live in a broken world where things are not the way it should be.  We are also broken because like all of creation, we are under a curse, which is the curse of sin.  The longing of us all is peace because where peace is, so also is joy.  The word the Bible gives for the kind of peace that brings lasting joy is shalom, and it is this kind of peace we are made for.  One theologian explains: “In the Bible, shalom means universal flourishing, wholeness, and delight…. Shalom… is the way things ought to be.”[1]  However, it is not the way things are.  Sin vandalizes shalom. 

Because things are not the way they ought to be, we experience sorrow.  Sometimes our sorrow can feel overwhelming, and sometimes that sorrow seems inescapable.  Sorrow, after time, can turn into depression.  Disease, unfulfilled expectations or dreams, death, broken relationships can all cause a deep and lasting sorrow that can turn into depression.  This kind of depression is known as situational depression.

There is another kind of depression that is known as clinical depression.  Clinical depression, also known as major depressive disorder, is more severe than situational depression because it often affects a person’s ability to function well.  Sometimes clinical depression is the result of an imbalance in levels of certain chemicals in the brain known as neurotransmitters.  Some of the triggers for clinical depression can include the following:

Genetic factors a person is born with or develops.Major life events such as abuse and other forms of trauma.Alcohol and drug dependence.

Millions of people suffer from clinical depression and almost all people experience situational depression at some point in life in one form or the other.  There are even examples of some very godly people who experienced depression in the Bible such as Elijah the prophet who, after God used him to miraculously out show the false prophets of Baal, he ran and hid in a cave convinced that he was the only prophet of God left on earth (see 1 Kings 19).  Or consider Job who lost just about everything and eventually thought it would have been better if he had never been born (see Job 3).  Another example is found in Jeremiah the “weeping prophet” who wrote out of a broken heart concerning God:

I am the man who has seen affliction under the rod of his wrath; he has driven and brought me into darkness without any light; surely against me he turns his hand again and again the whole day long. He has made my flesh and my skin waste away; he has broken my bones; he has besieged and enveloped me with bitterness and tribulation; he has made me dwell in darkness like the dead of long ago … though I call and cry for help, he shuts out my prayer. (Lamentations 3:1-8)

In other words, “Here I am… stuck in this horrible situation, and

Psalm 139

Loneliness is an epidemic in America and the West according to the Center of Disease Control.  Dr. Vivek Murthy, former Surgeon General of the Unites States, wrote in an article published in the Harvard Business Review: “Loneliness and weak social connections are associated with a reduction in lifespan similar to that caused by smoking 15 cigarettes a day and even greater than that associated with obesity.”  One study listed loneliness as a risk that increases the chances of coronary heart disease and stroke by 30 percent.[1]

Every article and study that I have read all point to the same reality: We are the most technologically advanced and connected people in history and at the same time we are more lonely and isolated than in any time in history.  According to one survey conducted by Cigna, “nearly half of Americans feel alone, isolated, or left out at least some of the time.”  It also reported that, “The nation’s 75 million millennials (ages 23-37) and Generation Z adults (18-22) are lonelier than any other U.S. demographic and report being in worse health than older generations.”[2]  

In her book iGen (those born between 1995 and 2012), Jean Twenge notes that, “iGen’ers look so happy online, making goofy faces on Snapchat and smiling in their pictures on Instagram.  But dig deeper, and reality is not so comforting.  iGen is on the verge of the most severe mental health crisis for young people in decades.”[3]  The root cause of this crisis is loneliness.  In fact, the CDC just released a report revealing a 76 percent increase in teen suicide in the last decade. 

Loneliness is not just a problem for people 37 years of age or younger, it is a problem for older Americans too.  Studies are also showing that 42.6 million Americans over the age of 45 suffer from chronic loneliness. 

So what is the solution to the crisis of loneliness?  There is a mythology that exists that if you are single and lonely, just get married, find a partner, or hook up and you will not be lonely any more.  If this were true, then why do more than 50% of marriages end in divorce?  According to a recent study published in The Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, the top three reasons of the 2,371 surveyed were:

47% participants said that it was a lack of love or intimacy due to one or both partners falling out of love. The second reasons said it was communication problems.The third reason was a lack of sympathy, respect, or trust. 

In other words, the reason why so many marriages end in divorce is loneliness.  Marriage or having a “partner” will not cure your loneliness.  In fact, if you believe that the answer to your loneliness is romance, you will be disappointed.  J.D. Greear said of lonely people, “After watching a number of marriages come together and break apart over the years, I can confidently say that insecure, lonely single people become insecure, lonely married people.”[4]

What I want to do with our time today is show you two important relationships you were created for that if you pursue those relationships will address your loneliness.  I am going to tell you what those two relationships are first, then we dive into what each of those relationships look like.  So, here we go.

You were made for a relationship with God.You were made for a relationship within a community.

You Were Made for a Relationship with God

We spent a lot of time in Psalm 139 last week.  The foundational conclusions that David made about life were:

God is who he is and there is nothing that I can do to change him.I am who I am because of who God is.

David’s second conclusion does not mean that I am who I am, flaws and all, therefore I can’t change.  Our culture says: “Accept your flaws because they define who you are.”  God says: “You are fearfully and wonderfully made, but your flaws do not define you.”  Do you hear the difference in those two statements?  At the core of your being, you are fearfully and wonderfully made in

Psalm 139

Who are you?  No.  Really.  Who are you?  At the core of your being—that part of you that makes you… you—who are you?  Are you, at your core, a Wyomingite?  Are you, at your core, an American?  Are you African American?  Are you Asian-American? Are you Native-American?  Are you smart?  Are you dumb?  Are you poor?  Are you wealthy?  Who are you?

Permit me to ask you another question: “What sets you apart from the rest of creaturedom?”  Some eastern thought gurus will tell you that you are who you think you are.  Others will tell you that it depends on the socio-economic class you were born into.  Some will tell you that it really depends on the kind of influence you are having or had on society. 

In the day and age we find ourselves in, it seems that you can be whatever you want to be, believe yourself to be, or identify with as being.  Burger King’s slogan used to be: “You can have it your way” but has since switched it to: “Be your way.”  The question I really hope to answer throughout this sermon series is simply: “Who are you?”

When it comes to the big questions of life, we all begin with certain assumptions.  Because not one person here this morning witnessed the birth of the cosmos, you assume one of two things: there is someone/something responsible for its beginning, or it is simply the result of random chance.  The only way I can answer the question: “Who am I?” is that I must begin with the assumption that all of life is either the result of an intelligent Being who created it or all of life is the result of random chance.  So, for the sake of transparency, I want you to know that I am beginning this sermon series with the assumption that the God I read about in the Bible is responsible for the creation and the design of all that exists.  This is the same assumption David had when he wrote Psalm 139. 

Before I unpack Psalm 139 for you this morning, I want to state the two conclusions David reached about life that will serve as the foundation for this sermon series.  So here are David’s two conclusions:

God is who he is and there is nothing that I can do to change him.I am who I am because of who God is. 

Let me warn you that we will spend most of our time on David’s first conclusion, and that it will be theologically dense.  I promise you that if you are willing to go deep with me, you will not only be helped, but you will discover diamonds that will serve you for years to come.  David’s second conclusion will serve as the application for his first conclusion.

God is Who He is and There is Nothing I Can Do to Change Him

There are three characteristics of God that the Psalmist wrestles with that will either cause a person to run from God or to God.  Three characteristics of God that will either be for you bad news or good news.  These three characteristics are seen in verses 1-2, 7-8, and verse 13; consider what these verses are saying about God and about you:

“O LORD, you have searched me and known me!  You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar.” (vv. 1-2)

“Where shall I go from your Spirit?  Or where shall I flee from your presence?  If I ascend to heaven, you are there!  If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!” (vv. 7-8)

“For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.” (v. 13)

The characteristics of God that are described in these verses are the Omniscience, Omnipresence, and Omnipotence of God.  Omniscience is God’s ability to know all things.  Omnipresence is God’s ability to be present everywhere and anywhere at the same time.  Omnipotence is God’s absolute power over all things.  A God who is all knowing, all present, and all powerful is a threat to our desire to be independent.  This is not good news to a culture whose moto is “Be your way.”

One of the treasures of the West is William Ernest Henley’s poem, Invictus:

Out of the night that covers me,      Black as the pit from pole to pole,

Psalm 13

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Questions for Pastor Keith were submitted over the previous weeks, and this Sunday he answered the second group of questions. Check out last week’s message for the first group of questions!

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Questions for Pastor Keith were submitted over the previous week, and this Sunday he answered the first group of questions. Look for next week’s message for the rest of the questions!

The post Q&A with Pastor Keith – Part 1 appeared first on Meadowbrooke Church.

Luke 2

Pastor Keith shares the Good News of the Gospelthat arrived with the birth of Jesus!

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Luke 2:22-38 & 2 Peter 3:1-13

Pastor Keith continues “The Promises of Christmas” series.This week we studied Luke 4:16-30 and Revelation 21:1-8.

The post The Promise of Peace appeared first on Meadowbrooke Church.