HANDLING DEPRESSION GOD'S WAY...

HANDLING DEPRESSION GOD’S WAY

PSALM 42:1-11

In Psalms 42 and 43 God gives us the same verse three times (42:5, 11; 43: 5).

“Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.”  (Psalms 42:5)

In each verse there is:

1.     Self Conversation - “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me?

2.     Godward Anticipation -“Hope thou in God…”

3.     Divine Celebration - “…for I shall yet praise him…”

4.     Hopeful Expectation - “…for the help of his countenance.” 

DO NOTE THESE FOUR THINGS IN PSALM 42

1.   THE PSALMIST’S INWARD DEPRESSION (vv 3, 5a, 6a, 7, 9, 10, 11a)

“O my God, my soul is cast down within me: therefore will I remember thee from the land of Jordan, and of the Hermonites, from the hill Mizar. ⁷ Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts: all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me.”  Psalm 42:6-7

(The Psalmist takes himself by the nape of the neck and gives himself a good talking to. In v. 5 he asks "why?" After honestly raising the question and facing the fact he has a problem, he pours out his soul to God, describing the depths of his oppression. He sees himself underneath torrents of water and unable to keep his head above his burdens. The spring thaw allows the snow on Mt. Hermon to melt, the Jordan rolls tempestuously, and he sees himself carried along and beneath it all.)

2.   THE PSALMIST’S GODWARD AGGRESSION (vv 1, 2, 5b, 11b)

“As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.
² My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?” Psalms 42:1-2

(It is good to come to the place where we desperately need the Lord! Does God allow depression in order to get us to a place where there is no where to look, but UP? Too often it is hard for Him to get us to call upon Him! He waits and waits for us to cry out. Jesus stretched out His hand to Peter when he was sinking in the lake, but only after he had cried out, "Lord, save me!"

3.   THE PSALMIST’S BACKWARD RECOLLECTION (vv 4, 6b)

“When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me:
for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house of God,
with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holyday.
⁶ O my God, my soul is cast down within me:
therefore will I remember thee from the land of Jordan, and of the Hermonites, from the hill Mizar.” Psalms 42:4,6

(It is uplifting to recall past blessings. Purposefully we need to reach into our history and remember all the Lord has done for us. "He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" - Romans 8:32)

4.   THE PSALMIST’S FORWARD ANTICIPATION (vv 5b, 8, 11b)

5 “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me?
hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.”

⁸ “Yet the Lord will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life.”

¹¹ “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.” Psalms 42:5-11

(HOPE is essential to mind's well-being! God's promises are multitude for today and for the future. He says, "I will never leave you or forsake you." He is the good Shepherd who leads us through the valley with all manner of goodness and mercy, and, will cap it all with us dwelling in His house forever. Hope builds when we take God at His Word and truly believe in His unfailing care.)

-Dick Christen 

THE BIBLE'S FIVE FOOLS...

                             THE BIBLE’S FIVE FOOLS

PSALM 14:1-7

A FOOL is someone lacking sense, not using his/her reasoning powers, a simpleton, or, someone who is just plain unthinking. It is an individual who forgets God’s truth and launches into life on his own. The Greek word, aphron, means without sense, simple or foolish. Our English word comes from a late Latin word, follis, meaning empty-headed. Probably the harsh word jerk would be a suitable contemporary translation (smile).

THE BIBLE INTRODUCES US TO FIVE FOOLS.

THE ATHEISTIC FOOL – Psalm 14:1-4

​^“The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works,
there is none that doeth good.
² The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men,
to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.
³ They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy:
there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
⁴ Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge?
who eat up my people as they eat bread,
and call not upon the Lord.”

THE EGOTISTIC FOOL – Luke 12:15-20

^“And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. ¹⁶ And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: ¹⁷ And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? ¹⁸ And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. ¹⁹ And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. ²⁰ But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? ²¹ So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

THE RATIONALISTIC FOOL – Luke 24:25-27

^“Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: ²⁶ Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? ²⁷ And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.”

THE RITUALISTIC FOOL – Matthew 23:16-19

“Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor! ¹⁷ Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? ¹⁸ And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty. ¹⁹ Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift? Matthew 23:16-19

THE CHRISTO-CENTRIC FOOL – 1 Corinthians 3:18 -21; 4:10

“Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. ¹⁹ For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. ²⁰ And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain. ²¹ Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours…” (1 Cor. 3:18-21)

“We are fools for Christ's sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye are honourable, but we are despised.” (1 Corinthians 4:10)

-rdc

A QUOTE: “When we find ourselves deficient in wisdom, it is not because the Word of God has pages missing, but because we have not seen all there is on the pages we already have. It is not another book we need, but better attention to the book we have; it is not more knowledge we require, but better vision to see what has already been revealed in Jesus Christ” (Eugene H. Peterson in LIVING THE MESSAGE).

IN 'GRACE' MY LORD HAS ARRANGED....

Apart from grace my heart would be estranged,
   Wayward, rebellious, faithless and lost;
But, oh! in grace my Lord has arranged
   To rescue my soul at infinite cost.

Proud man, reckon that thou art nothing
   Apart from the Christ of matchless grace.
Of this God-Man exuberantly sing
   While proud self-centered thoughts you erase.

-rdc

WHAT IS SAVING FAITH?

         TERMS OF SALVATION – SAVING FAITH

                           

If an UPWARD FAITH (Gr. pistis), generally speaking, is belief or trust in a higher power, then SAVING FAITH is a heart belief or trust in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as personal Lord and Savior, upon the authority of the Bible, God’s holy Word. It is a Holy Spirit wrought conviction of the reality and facts God has revealed concerning His Son, Jesus Christ.

ROMANS 10:1-17

ISRAEL’S FAITH-LESS PREDICAMENT (1-3)

¹ “Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. ² For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. ³ For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.”  (Romans 10:1-3)

     (Israel was very religious, but lost. Very zealous, but lost. With all her religious knowledge she didn't really understand the Messiah's mission. The law was to point up sin in order that the necessity of the Messiah's redemptive purpose in coming to earth would be understood.)

THE GOSPEL’S GRAND FAITH ANNOUNCEMENT (4)

⁴ “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.” (Romans 10:4)

     ("The end" means the end! The rituals of the old economy are finished with the coming of Jesus Christ. His shed blood and imputed righteousness contitute all that is needed to save sinners.)

AN IMPORTANT FAITH/WORKS DISTINGUISHMENT (5-8)

⁵ “For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them. ⁶ But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) ⁷ Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) ⁸ But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach…” (Romans 10:5-8)

     (Miraculous interventions - bringing Christ down again from heaven or re-doing the resurrection - don't matter more than a visit from heaven to the rich man's brothers would give them further advantage to salvation (Luke 16:19ff). The historical and completed work of Christ on the cross and in His resurrection are enough to save sinners. Too many seek to replace the Gospel with something spectacular to reach sinners. This is an affront to the Holy Spirit.)

FAITH’S SAVING PROCEDURAL ARRANGEMENT (9-13)

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. ¹⁰ For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. ¹¹ For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. ¹² For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. ¹³ For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:9-13)

     (Saving faith is not a mere head knowledge, but absorbed knowledge that resides deep in man, in his heart. Believing in this way one calls on the Lord for salvation. The "mouth confession" is the mouth calling out, even crying out, to God repenting of sin and accepting the gift of Jesus Christ. Some may not 'cry out' but quietly express belief in Jesus.)

FAITH’S SPOKEN AND WRITTEN REQUIREMENT (14-17)

¹⁴ “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? ¹⁵ And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! ¹⁶ But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? ¹⁷ So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:14-17)

     (The Church must not substitute telling the good news, whatever the form (preaching, personal witnessing, tract distribution, reasoning discourse, etc.), with noble programming and mere Christian atmosphere.  Christlikeness and charitable deeds are, of course, very important, but, the spoken Word, in whatever manner, is absolutely indispensable because "faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." We cannot stop with mere religious fervor, enthusiasm or programming. Christian music is most valuable because good lyrics effectively communicate saving truth. We must preach the Word, share the Word in some manor, articulating the message of redeeming grace. People must know what they are believing.)

- Dr. Dick Christen

UNGER’S BIBLE DICTIONARY:

“Condition of Salvation. As has been assumed in the foregoing, faith is the condition of salvation. It is not the procuring cause but the condition, or instrumental cause. It is frequently associated in the Scriptures with repentance; thus the conditions of salvation, as commonly stated in Protestant doctrine, are repentance and faith. But in reality true faith and true repentance are not separate or to be distinguished too rigidly from each other. Faith is fundamental. Repentance implies faith. Faith is not saving faith unless it includes repentance. (See Repentance.) Saving faith may therefore be properly defined for those who have the light of the gospel as such belief in the Lord Jesus Christ as leads one to submit completely to the authority of Christ and to put complete and exclusive trust in Him for salvation. (See John 3:14-16.)”

WHEN CHRIST AND HIS CHURCH GET MARRIED...

         TERMS OF SALVATION – GLORIFICATION

       

GLORIFICATION, as it relates to the salvation of sinners, has to do with that momentous experience in the hereafter when Jesus Christ engages in the presentation of His bride to Himself. Note this passage:

(Ephesians 5:25-27)²⁵ “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; ²⁶ That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, ²⁷ That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.”

The Church is a glorious bride, “prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Revelation 21:2). What is her preparation? All the riches of glory in Christ Jesus. He is made unto her all the beauties of the 13 terms of salvation which He has bestowed upon her. In this moment of presentation she stands before her groom: 1. saved 2. justified 3. sanctified 4. reconciled 5. repentant 6. converted 7. regenerated 8. redeemed 9. propitiated 10. hopeful 11. adopted 12. glorified, all because, by the grace of God, she 13. believed in Jesus Christ as personal Savior and Lord. The sum total of all these riches of grace bestowed upon her add up to her resplendence of glory when presented to Jesus as His bride. Thus, the glorification of the Church. Note Jude’s benediction thereunto: (Jude vv.24,25)

²⁴ Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, ²⁵ To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.”

THE HISTORICAL AND ESCHATOLOGICAL SEQUENCE LEADING TO THIS MOMENT OF GLORIFICATION:

1.   John the Baptist refers to Christ as “the bridegroom.”

John 3:29,30 ²⁹ “He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled. ³⁰ He must increase, but I must decrease.”

2.   In seeking the sanctification of God’s people, Paul spoke of the believers as a bride being prepared for her lover. 2 Corinthians 11:2,3:

“For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. ³ But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.”

3.   The rapture of the Church is Jesus, the bridegroom, coming to catch away His bride, the Church.

John 14:1-3 ​¹ “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. ² In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”

4.   The marriage takes place in heaven right after the rapture and just before the great tribulation (the last 3 ½ years of the 7 years of tribulation). An angel shows John Jesus’ bride and speaks of her as “the Lamb’s wife.” (This sounds like they are already married. Jesus has presented His bride to Himself, probably before the Father and the hosts of heaven. See again Ephesians 5:25-27.)

Revelation 21:9 ⁹ “And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife.”

-rdc

WAS JOHN THE BAPTIST ELIJAH?

QUESTION ASKED: Matthew Chapter 3 has an account of the baptism of Christ and the implication is that John recognized Christ as the Messiah. John 1:33-36 also attests to that. Yet in Matthew Chapter 11 John has been arrested and send his own disciples to ask Jesus If he is the one or are they to expect someone else. In John 11:21 John declares himself not to be Elijah but in Matthew 11:13-15 Jesus says that he is. Do you know if there is a specific reason for this or is this just a case of John not seeing himself as Christ saw him ?

LET ME MULL: I believe John the Baptist clearly knew who Jesus was. He probably played with him as a child and heard the family account of how Mary came to his mother and the babe, John himself, leaped in her womb. He also pointed to Jesus and preached that He is the Lamb of God. He baptized Jesus and spoke prophetically of Who Christ is and how special He is. And then, hard times come. He's thrown into prison. And John slips into a funk. He hears of all the wonders Jesus is doing and wonders why he, faithful proclaimer that he is, is not miraculously delivered. Did Jesus forget him? "If He is the Messiah why doesn't he save me from my horrid circumstances?" Typical depression, but severe. So, he sends inquiringly. Lesson to be learned? Jesus (GOD) sovereignly dispenses His power and circumstantial control. He CAN heal and change anything He wants. But, He also uses tough things to nurture His own, as with Job and as with Paul, etc., etc. Jesus really gave no clear answer to John's disciples just as God gave no clear response to Job. Just a display of omnipotence (a whirlwind for Job; all the reports of phenomenal miracles for John). And, Job and Paul and John and we must take it from there. God is God and will do whatever He wishes, and it is ours to trust Him when things are good and the miracles happen, and when things are hard and God seems distant. This is my interpretation. 

     Our understanding of whether or not John was Elijah must begin with the O.T. passage in Malachi 4.  “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. ⁶ He will  restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse” Malachi 4:5-6.

     Elijah's coming precedes "the great and terrible day of the Lord." I take this to mean the seven year Tribulation Period, yet future. Is he one of the two prophets mentioned in Revelation who appear and testify during the Tribulation Period? Just as he and Moses appeared on the Mt. of Transfiguration, do they appear for this witness during the "great and terrible day of the Lord?" Perhaps. And just possibly Elijah appears "before" the Tribulation Period in a special ministry to Israel and then continues on with Moses in a wider ministry to the world? Perhaps. Hard to be to fixed on this, except that Malachi does say Elijah will come at that time. In Jesus' time I believe Elijah was present in spirit, namely, the spirit of John himself. He was like Elijah in that he thundered forth the message and stood staunchly for truth. He was powerful, like Elijah and therefore, shared the spirit of Elijah. It was not Elijah as John, in actual personhood, but Elijah in spirit in the person and work of John. And so, John was in once sense but he wasn't Elijah in another. Does this make sense? In other words, John was Elijah figuratively speaking, but in actuality, no.

     At least this is how I see it and hope it proves helpful to you.

Dick Christen