Sermonette: 10/27/22

(Rough Draft)

Text: Psalm 142:1-7

1—I cry aloud to the Lord; I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy. 

2—I pour out my complaint before him; before him I tell my trouble.

3—When my spirit grows faint within me, it is you who know my way. In the path where I walk men have hidden a snare for me.

4—Look to my right and see; no one is concerned for me. I have no refuge; no one cares for my life.

5—I cry to you, O Lord; I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.”

6—Listen to my cry, for I am in desperate need; rescue me from those who pursue me, for they are too strong for me.

7—Set me free from my prison, that I may praise your name. 

Then the righteous will gather about me because of your goodness to me.

***

This is a Psalm of Dave attributed to the time he was hiding in a cave.

Loneliness…

A.) Example writing in the RamCave…especially on a Friday or Saturday night…In there when the sun is up…come outside after the sun goes down.

Dead quiet.

Family is gone.

Friends are gone.

Youth is gone.

And no one is calling you on the phone.

Sometimes it is the most isolated I have ever felt…even as an introvert who has no problem being alone.

B.) But these are moments for me…this isn’t my life…I’m blessed. But for others, this is their life. Every day, every night…Even if the isolation is understandable or explainable…how is it livable?

C.) How do you keep the enemy’s voice at bay…Failure, worthlessness, abandonment…?

D.) It can be really difficult. You can feel ever so helpless…but there is some action to take.

E.) John Knox, 16th century theologian, said, “A man with God is always in the majority.”

You may have heard it put: You and God are always a majority…There are multiple examples throughout scripture…of God’s person being alone…and they never were never alone.

F.) This is something the believer…those with a believing loyalty in Jesus Christ…must commit to trust—you are never alone.

G.) I’ve done First Corinthians 3:16-17…and there are countless scriptures that essentially declare we are never alone, nor forsaken, or abandoned.

H.) So how how do we make it better?

Mere Church attendance doesn’t fix this. It can quell it, mollify it, simmer it down some…but it can never fix this.

Because for many the Lord has been boxed, ticketed and reserved only for Sundays. He’s a Sunday god…

And because of free will we do have that kind of power when it comes to the Lord’s involvement in our life.

I.) The ICU prayer is not going to take away feelings of loneliness, abandonment, worthlessness…It’s not bad…it’s not wrong…but it’s like picking up the phone to call someone only when you need something…

…And the person on the other end of the line might not be thinking that…But the enemy—speaking to your soul—will attempt to convince you of it.

F.) The casual daily connection with God while driving to work or stuck in traffic will not crush, destroy, or eliminate permanently feelings of loneliness, abandonment, or worthlessness.

G.) So what will?

There’s the physical loneliness and the spiritual/emotional loneliness…

I can’t exactly help you with the physical unless we deal with the spiritual/emotional…but for the spiritual/emotional the daily remedy is found in a daily interaction with the Lord.

(Roll of the eyes)…

We might take time to stop and tell God what our problems are.

We might take time to stop and tell God what he want him to do.

We might take time to shut up and wait in silence for him to tell us what to do.

But we hardly ever take the time to reconsider all that he has done…and then shut up long enough for him to share, relate and help us recall…how much he loves us.

This existence of no time we have now days…is not what the Lord wants for us. Churchianity is just as guilty as the secular world…There’s a balance needing to be struck for work, play, and full stop.

H.) When I’ve felt that isolation…when I sense it about to come upon me…I stop…I recognize the attack…anything that lowers our self-esteem…shrinks us…minimizes…is the enemy.

So I stop. I’m not going to accept it. I put on the brakes and try to go in the other direction…sometimes I can…often I stop and…  

…Go to his Word…I proverbially crawl in his lap like a child and absorb his love…

Hebrews 4:12

For the word of the God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

When those feelings hit…the Word of God comes in and crushes those things that can separate us from him…and attempt to separate us from his love…from his hope…from his joy in us…His joy in us!

This is what lifts me up.

I.) But what about the physical…what about being alone…either in physical isolation or spiritual/worldview isolation…Meaning surrounded by others who are not like-minded with you. What about that?

J.) What did John Knox say?

“A man with God is always in the majority.”

K.) What does John say?

1 John 4:4

“You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater that the one who is in the world.”

Note: The first three verses of chapter four are about testing the spirits…because they speak falsely about Christ in an attempt to diminish the hope that you have in him.

With God you are in the majority.

L.)  What does Paul say?

Galatians 2:20

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

He lives in you! You are not alone! You are the majority!

M.) Do not let the fear we talked about in the past…take you via loneliness. You are not alone…You matter…You are precious to him…and that puts you in the majority.