Now We Go To School : The Stages of Depression (Full Experience)

Have you guys heard that Satan is on Facebook Marketplace? Did you know that? Seriously? I was shocked and he's selling some of his best instruments and some are pretty cheap like pride, envy, lust, anger, but he had one tool in his arsenal that had this ridiculously high price. In fact, people were messaging him and asking him, man, what's the deal? Why is this so expensive? Well, the tool happened to be depression and Satan responded by saying, well, with depression, I can do anything to anyone. That's why it costs so much. Depression, an intense feeling of helplessness and hopelessness that leads to prolonged sadness. I think if the truth were known, all of us, that's right, all of us will deal with depression. We're either pre-depressed, we're either walking in depression or we're coming out of it. I don't say that to throw some doggy downer on this message because this message is going to be a message that gives hope to the hopeless and help to the helpless. We're going to look at a character in the Bible who really dealt with depression in a deep way. And I was floored friends. When I began to study the pages of scripture and see how many people, how many major players in scripture, men and women dealt with depression. Depression is real. Depression doesn't discriminate. Now before I describe the person we're going to talk about in scripture, there are definitely certain dimensions of depression. You'll see them there. Some are circumstantial, others are physical, some are emotional, some are relational, some are spiritual, and they all kind of blend in and bleed together. It's hard to say, well, this depression is just relational or just circumstantial. It's multifaceted and multidimensional.

As I said earlier, the Bible is a book that talks a lot about depression and it kind of breaks down people who dealt with depression. If you're depressed or if you've gone through depression, you're in good company because depression is big in this world and it's big in scripture. There's a guy in the Old Testament named Elijah that we're going to look at because Elijah was a prophet of God in the ninth century. He was in Israel probably during their darkest and most demonic period. He was riding high, so high he was crushing it, and then all of a sudden, life began to crush him. It's almost like as you read about him, you're going, how in the world could a guy like that fall into depression? Elijah? That's one of the things I love about the Bible. People always say in the culture today, keep it real. Can I be real with you? How many times do we say that? And many times we say it, but we don't really want them to be real. Have you noticed that? The Bible though is the most realistic thing out there. And here's what I love about the Bible. And as we talk about Elijah today, we're going to find out about this. Not only does the Bible show the strengths of someone, but also the weaknesses. Now if it just showed the strength and successes, I couldn't relate. But when it gets down to, okay, this guy dealt with depression, this guy struggled with this or that, I can identify with that. Elijah, the Bible says in the book of James, chapter five, verse 17, was a man just like us. I love that. So let's go back again, as I said a second ago, into the ninth century, Elijah, a prophet of God, Elijah was crushing it.

He was on a roll. Let me tell you what he did. Number one, he brought a little boy back to life. Number two, he confronted the evil king and queen, Ahab and Jezebel, and said, hey guys, you need to get it right. If not, it's gonna be drought city, which it was. Then on top of that, he defeats 450 prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. Prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. Baal was a god, lowercase g, of possessions and pleasure and power. It was brought into the Israelite camp because of Jezebel. Ahab, his last decision was, I do, and pretty much Jezebel ran over him. Jezebel is known as one of the most evil people to ever walk on planet Earth. And we're gonna see how she influenced and kicked Elijah into depression. So again, how could someone go from being the toast of the town to being in depression? How could someone go from the mountaintop of Carmel to the desert? Well, we're gonna find out. There's several stages of depression, and this is how to become depressed. Number one, are you ready for it? The exaggeration stage. The exaggeration stage. When I'm depressed, or when you're depressed,

when we're leading into it, the first step I'm gonna take, the first step you will take, generally speaking, is going to be the exaggeration stage. Well, here's what happened. Remember, Elijah had just won this battle. One man versus 450 prophets of Baal. He won. God won. So it's like, yeah! Jezebel found out about it, and she sent him a text. It might be the first text message ever. And this text was from a messenger, and the text basically said, Elijah, your days are numbered. It was a hit out on Elijah. Okay, here's what Elijah should have done. He should have gone, no big deal. I mean, she's just a haters. I mean, I made a phrase up years ago, hate is gonna hate. Did you know I made that up? And she was one woman. She really would not have taken out Elijah, because Elijah had 7,000 faithful people of God in the nation of Israel, but he totally forgot about that. And she would have lost the throne had she killed Elijah. Isn't it true, when I hit the exaggeration stage, when I engage my feelings too much,

isn't it true that I make the small things big, and I take the big things, of course, God, and make it small? That is exactly what happened to Elijah, and that is what can happen to you and me. 1 Kings 19, three says it. Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. That's an understatement. Do you know how far Elijah ran? Over a hundred miles. He and his best friend, his servant, they ran all the way to a place called Beersheba. So again, I want you to think about this. Here's Elijah crushing it, and all of a sudden life is crushing him because of one text. Granted, you know he was physically exhausted. Think about it. He just faced these prophets. Emotionally, he was spent talking to Ahab and Jezebel, and coming off the healing of this child. Think about spiritually. I'm sure he was drained. I mean, he'd given it all in all of these situations. So often, it's the after that we have to watch out for. I want you to think about it. After the big deal, after the windfall, after the wedding, after the sermon, after the surgery, after the lesson, after the game, that, many times, is when we have to watch out

for this exaggeration phase. Isn't it true that we like to take Scripture out of context? Sometimes when I'm exaggerating my feelings, or I'm feeling down, I pull out my version of the Bible. I call it the new perversion version. And I'll read a verse like this, John 8, 32. Ed, you shall know your feelings and surely your feelings will set you free. No, that's not scripture. Scripture is John 8, 32. You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free or will set you free. He should have thought about the source. And usually when we talk about depression, it goes back to something or someone. Think about the source of what's causing you to exaggerate your feelings. Elijah didn't do that. And because of that, he ran 100 miles away from Jezebel to a place called Beersheba. And now we see him going into the second stage of depression. So if you want to get depressed, if I want to get depressed, exaggerate, number one. Number two, then you begin to isolate yourself. Here's a major tactical error that he made in Beersheba. He dropped off his best friend. He's like, hey, you stay in Beersheba. I'm gonna be by myself. And the Bible says he dropped his friend off and he took a long trip into the desert

and found a broom tree. Isn't that interesting? What a name for a tree, a broom tree. A broom tree is a small tree. There's only room for one under a broom tree. He found himself sitting there in the hot boiling sun under a broom tree, having a black tie invitational pity party. I've done that before. I really have. I mean, I can identify. I've exaggerated my feelings before. And maybe you're going, okay, Ed, I have too. I mean, it could be a relational issue. It could be something circumstantial. It could be the death of a loved one. It could be a wayward child. It could be a sickness, whatever. I mean, okay, you exaggerate. Then here's another error that I've made. I'm just gonna be by myself. You know, I'm just gonna be alone. And I can really get in touch with who I am if I'm just totally and completely alone. Don't take that bait. We're built for community. We're built for connectivity. Because when we're alone, yes, our feelings are exaggerated. When we're alone, we think we're the only one.

Oh, I'm the only pastor dealing with this. I'm the only homemaker dealing with this. I'm the only father dealing with this. I'm the only boss dealing with this. I'm the only employee dealing with this. I'm the only teammate dealing with this. It's so true, isn't it? We isolate ourselves. We engage and exaggerate our feelings. And let's pick up this isolation stage. First Kings chapter 19, beginning with verse three. Elijah was afraid and ran for his life, as we said. When he came to Beersheba and Judah, he left his servant there, Reed, his best friend. While he himself, on a day's journey to the wilderness, he came to a broom bush, sat down under it, and prayed that he might die. I'm stunned by the stats on suicide we're seeing in our culture today. So many young people, so many, many students, because of depression and isolation and anxiety, they have suicidal thoughts. And many, many, many, too many, even one is too many, take their lives. It's part of this hellacious process. As I said earlier, depression is multifaceted and multidimensional. We live in a fallen place, ladies and gentlemen. Sin is rampant, and the enemy loves to use depression. Doesn't mean he causes all of it, sometimes he does.

He loves, though, to use it in his arsenal, it's one of his favorite tools, to keep you and me from doing what God desires. And that's what was happening right here with Elijah. And here's what he said. I've had enough, Lord. Last part of verse four. Take my life. I'm no better than my ancestors. Now, let me pause for a second. I wanna ask Elijah, who brought up your ancestors? I mean, he just pulled that from the sky. He's comparing himself to others. And that is one of the things I struggle with when I go on social media, is comparing myself with others. There's certain people that I just can't follow because I began to compare myself. And when I compare myself with someone, I'm making a mockery of God's creative genius. You ever thought about that? But what do we do? We compare, especially online, you know, physiques and figures and cars and clothes and travel and opportunities. And it just goes on and on and on. And suddenly, we're so worrying about other people that we miss what God wants to do. And it will lead to feelings that are exaggerated and it will lead to isolation. And that's what Elijah was dealing with.

And here's what's interesting. The Lord allowed him to like vent and to quote, spill his guts, unquote, which is kind of a gross phrase, but I'll say it. The Bible says he went to sleep under a broom tree. And then an angel nudged him. And the Bible says, an angel said, get up and eat. He looked around, verse six, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, angel food cake, a jar of water. He ate and drank and then laid down again. And he did this several times. God was ministering to him physically. Sometimes when we're in depression or just doing life, the most spiritual thing we can do is take a nap and eat a good meal. Isn't it great? God's taking care of him physically. He's expressing his angst, his feelings. He's like, I'm the only one left. God, just go ahead and take me out. And the angel said, hey, hey, hey, eat this, rest. Eat this, take rest. I remember as a kid watching Gilligan's Island. Some of you are too young to even know what Gilligan's Island is. You know, the cast on Gilligan's Island went crazy because they were in isolation. That's why they spent so much time trying to make radios out of coconuts.

Now, if you're really young, you remember the movie Castaway, Tom Hanks? He found himself talking to a volleyball. Isolation makes you do crazy things. The church is about community. The church is about connectivity. And as you're going through it, we have so many great support groups here. Grief support groups, parenting support groups, divorce recovery support groups, substance abuse groups. Get involved here. Engage, get to know someone. Don't drop everybody off in Beersheba. So the first stage is the exaggeration stage. The second one is the isolation. And here's the last one, the victimization stage. I'll just play the victim. God was ministering to Elijah and the food and rest gave him the strength. And I could preach about this for hours, but it gave him the strength to take another trip all the way to a place called Mount Horeb. And the Bible says he found himself in a cave. And God's gonna teach us how to behave in a cave because depression can put, and will put all of us in a cave. And some of you are like, Ed, I'm in a cave now. Others of you are like, well, I remember when I was in that cave. Well, 1 Kings 19, verse nine,

there he went into a cave and spent the night and the word of the Lord came to him. What are you doing here? Now, twice, God asked him that question. question. I think that's peculiar. Why is God, who's omniscient, asking Elijah, what are you doing here? Well, God knew what he was doing. And he just wanted Elijah to reason with his reason. Maybe God is asking you, maybe you're at one of our campuses right now. Why are you where you are? Maybe God is saying, what are you doing here? Maybe God's saying to me, Ed, what are you doing here? What are you doing? And it's good that we take a question like that, apply that, and maybe journal the answer. Okay, God, here's where I am. And just begin to think about that and meditate on that. But it continues. What are you doing here, Elijah? And he replied, this is kind of sad in a way, but we've all been there. I've been very zealous for the Lord Almighty. The Israelites, God have rejected your covenant, blaming. And I'm so good at making excuses. I don't know about you, but I'm really good at blaming. I guess I'm the only one, but he's blaming. He said, the Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars. But remember guys, he had a mega church, 7,000 people, 7,000 faithful Israelites that he was not thinking about, right? And they put your prophets to death with the sword. I'm the only one left. And now they're trying to kill me too. Here's what the Lord said. And God, see, God allowed him to express his feelings and revealing your feeling, as you hear me say many times, is the beginning of healing. We reveal our feelings. Okay, I'm isolating, but I'm coming out of that God. I'm in a cave. And now God begins to

minister in a specific way to Elijah. Here's what he said in verse 11, the Lord said, go out and stand on the mountain because I'm going to pass by. Earth, wind and fire came through. And three times God says, you know what? I'm not in the earth, wind and fire. And then the Bible says, but God was in a gentle whisper. God spoke to Elijah. Maybe your translation will say in a still small voice. But if you're like me, I want to, I want to see God in the spectacular. I want to see God in the miracle. So you go to this conference or maybe you hear this speaker and then you go to this, this worship. And that's, that's great. That's great. But more often than not, I've been walking with God now for over 50 years, more often than not, God speaks to me in that gentle whisper, that, that, that, that voice, and we have to be available to listen to him. I remember as a, as a kid riding school buses, you know, the yellow dog, some people call them another one of my friends called it the loser cruiser. I took offense to that because I rode the bus a lot and I have known a number of bus drivers in my life and I've talked to them and they told me that they, that they learned this one thing whenever they would pull up to a train track, a railroad crossing. You've probably heard it. Stop, look and listen. And that is what God is telling Elijah. Stop. All right. Look around and listen. Not here. We say, Oh, I hear you. Hearing is passive. Listening is active. And then check out what God tells them to do. First Kings 19, 15, go return on your way. So after he learned how to behave in a cave, after God fed him and listened to him and dealt with him and spoke to him, we have the E-train Elijah anointing Elisha, his successor who took everything to the next level. So it's truly an amazing story. But again, we have

learned how to walk in depression. I mean, if you want to be depressed, you exaggerate, you isolate, and then you play the victim card. That's how I do it. And that's how You can do it. But but but we just read God wants to reverse it. He wants us literally and we can to walk it back. In other words, instead of victimization, take responsibility for your life. Take responsibility for your life. What does that mean? That means to realize who you are before God. Realize your identity. Realize that you're one of a kind, that you're forgiven, that you're acceptable, that you're a child of God, and you're unique. You're one of a kind. You be you. If you aren't you, there will be a hole in history, a gap in God's creative order. So own that fact and take responsibility for your life before God. We have to take responsibility to become a follower of Christ. God, I'm responsible. I'm a sinner. You ever thought about that? I turn from my sins and turn to you. And as a responsible human made in your image, I ask you, Jesus, to infiltrate my life. So that's the first step of getting out of depression. The second step is instead of isolation, connect and have community. That could mean walking into a Christian counselor's office. That could mean talking to a physician. That could mean being open to the great medications that are out there. It's a multi-sensory, multi-pronged approach as we begin to heal from this. So instead of victimization, we take responsibility. Instead of isolation, we connect and have community. Let me say it again. I've already said it. Just take a step like Elijah did into community, into one of our groups, into a friendship. Don't isolate. Lean in to the right they. And many times the right they is someone who's a Christian counselor or physician, etc. Also, instead of exaggeration, look at your life. Look at the truth. Elijah missed the truth, didn't he? Man, God, I'm your prophet. God, you, you used me to bring a child back to life. God, you used me to, to, to warn Ahab and Jezebel. God, I mean, you, you secured a victory through me against 450 prophets of Baal. I mean, God, Jezebel, I mean, she's, she's the queen and all that, but she's not going to come after me. You see, those were truisms that, that he didn't really own. So it's my prayer that this message has been a help for the helpless. And I pray it's given hope to the hopeless. And the good news is we need to validate our feelings, but realize God is in control and God can bring you through because he's brought me through depression. Here's your homework. Most of us are going to have lunch, right?

Here's something I want you to discuss, and you can take a picture of this. We're going to keep it up long enough. Lunch conversation. You ready for this? This will be fun. Where am I exaggerating? I mean, I can think about several issues already this week in my life that I've exaggerated some things. Convicting. Where am I isolating? Do you find yourself, I don't mean complete and total isolation every day, but do you find yourself sometimes just getting away? Now we have to get away. I'm not saying you don't have to spend time alone with God, but I'm talking about withdrawing from the right people. Also, where am I playing the victim? What would reality, community, and responsibility look like instead? This is going to be some great conversation. I mean, amongst siblings and spouses and friends, but it's going to be amazing. I promise you what God will do through this conversation. dialogue. So depression is real. It's brutal. But the good news is, God will take us through it. And God wants to replace the stages with what he knows will take us to the level where he has for each and every one of us. That, friends, is depression. And that's how to deal with depression. Let's bow for prayer as we pray about this. Father, I know, in a room like this, in different environments like this, so many of us come from so many circumstances and situations. I pray, God, that only your Holy Spirit, which is the answer, will move and touch and comfort and convict and help us to walk back these these stages. And maybe just maybe we find ourselves in the exaggeration stage right at the beginning of it. Maybe we find ourselves in isolation or playing the victim. Father, we want to reverse field and we can you can replace what the enemy is trying to put in our face with your matchless grace. And I pray over that. I pray over our lunch conversations. And I pray now if you're here and you've never ever bowed the knee to Jesus, you never said, Lord, take control of my life. I pray that you would just say this prayer.

Just say, God, I take responsibility for my life. I'm not perfect. I've sinned. And I believe my sins have separated me from you. I believe you bridge the gap. You arrange the sins of the world to fall upon your shoulders, Jesus. I turn from my sins. Just say that. And I turn to you, Jesus Christ, come into my life. I give you all that I am and all that I'll ever be. Lord, thank you for your word. Thank you for keeping it real. In Christ's name. Amen.