Intro:

1. No name for Tourette’s Syndrome. (People say to stop or don’t do it, didn’t
know why couldn’t.) (Mom yelling from stands in basketball game to stop
pulling your shorts!). Found out later what it was, everything made sense.
2. No name for Dad’s moodiness. He would sulk in chair not speak to anyone.
Be in angry moods, constantly sad, stay in bed and grumpy. Then switch flip
and he would be exact opposite. Constantly on the go, adventurous, wanting to
do stuff, get stuff, buy stuff.
a. Found out later in his life, he was diagnosed as a Manic depression (Bi-
Polar). Made sense when we found out, wish we would have known
earlier, maybe had more understanding, compassion, help more.
3. As a society and the church in particular, we haven’t done a good job in
dealing with the topic of depression.
a. Culture, it used to be that people would tell others to get over it!
(Moonstruck movie with Cher and Nicolos Cage “Snap out of it!”). Or
you have heard folks say, “You make your own happiness.” For some, it
is that easy…for many it is not.
b. Or as a culture, we have so overused the term that we have reduced it to
just a simple case of the blues, or just a bad day. But not the case.
c. Church, there have been some who have deemed that this is just a
spiritual issue that can be solved with more prayer, more devotion, and
more bible study.
i. A woman by the name of Alexis Ritvalski from Texas was quoted
in an article about the use of counselors and psychologist by
Christians said this: "Our faith is our connection to God. Once we
break that connection, there is no faith. Why do Christians feel a
need to seek the advice or help of another person, when Christ
should be all that we need? We don't need psychiatrists to fix us or
depression medication to relieve us. There is deliverance in the
Word of God. There is breakthrough in the Word of God. There is
healing in the Word of God. Every situation that we endure, there
is a word for us. To seek out these other methods is to not trust
God."
1. Many in the church adhere to that and have made others feel
shameful or less faithful for seeking assistance. It is
nonsensical to tell a depressed person that if he only read his
Bible more or had better quiet times, his depression would
surely be lifted. That would be like telling a diabetic that

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 faith alone will regulate her insulin levels. Faith alone gives
eternal salvation, but in the meantime, God has given us
resources by which to make our temporal existences more
palatable. Depression is certainly healed by the grace of
God, sometimes directly and miraculously, but more often
through the tools of His servants, like pharmacists,
therapists, pastors and friends.
4. We all have known someone who has been impacted by this, and like we said
last week, as a Christian, especially if you have much contact with non-
Christians, they will seek you out because of your care, compassion, grace, and
love.
a. Others may not. They will smile and pretend (Robin Williams)
5. Your friend is in the emotional crisis of depression. This is their darkest
moment. What do you do? How can you help? As with many uncomfortable
situations, our first reaction is to flee, to ignore, to hope someone else tends to
the issue, or to wait for it to pass.
a. However, every example of Christ shows just the opposite; He was
present, fully engaged, always had time for people and deeply cared
about the individual. We can do the same.
6. It helps to know just some general things about what depression is and how it is
treated, also to know what the bible says about depression and how we deal
with it, and lastly, I want to share with you some practical things we as a
Christian friend can do to help walk with someone going through this.
7. As we do, a couple things to keep in mind. You are not a therapist and you are
not a doctor. You are a friend. Your job is to be Christ to that person in your
love and care and to share Christ with them so that they can know His power in
their own life. (Temptation to try to fix people! Spongebob had the Suds and
Patrick tried to fix him)
I. Deeper Look at Depression
1. It's normal to feel down once in a while, but if you're sad most of the time and it
affects your daily life, you may have clinical depression.
2. There are many different types of depression. Events in your life cause some,
and chemical changes in your brain cause others.
3. Major Depression
a. You may hear your doctor call this "major depressive disorder." You
might have this type if you feel depressed most of the time for most days
of the week.

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 b. Some other symptoms you might have are: Loss of interest or pleasure in
your activities
i. Weight loss or gain
ii. Trouble getting to sleep or feeling sleepy during the day
iii. Feelings restless and agitated, or else very sluggish and slowed
down physically or mentally
iv. Being tired and without energy
v. Feeling worthless or guilty
vi. Trouble concentrating or making decisions
vii. Thoughts of suicide
c. Your doctor might diagnose you with major depression if you have five
or more of these symptoms on most days for 2 weeks or longer. At least
one of the symptoms must be a depressed mood or loss of interest in
activities.
4. Persistent Depressive Disorder
a. If you have depression that lasts for 2 years or longer, it's called
persistent depressive disorder.
b. You may have symptoms such as:
i. Change in your appetite (not eating enough or overeating)
ii. Sleep too much or too little
iii. Lack of energy, or fatigue
iv. Low self-esteem
v. Trouble concentrating or making decisions
vi. Feel hopeless
5. Bipolar Disorder
a. Someone with bipolar disorder, which is also sometimes called "manic
depression," has mood episodes that range from extremes of high energy
with an "up" mood to low "depressive" periods
6. Others: Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), Psychotic Depression,
Postpartum depression.
7. What causes depression? The simple answer is that it is so complex that it is
hard to tell. It is amazing to me just how interconnected the body, mind, and
soul are when it comes to our well being and how each is impacted by the other.
a. We know that for many, there is a biological component where there is
an imbalance of several chemicals in the brain, namely serotonin,
dopamine and norepinephrine.
b. Also, we know that events involving losses in life can cause depression,
or be the trigger for it. Death, divorce, disease, etc.

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 c. Sometimes, it is a spiritual issue. King David was dealing with this after
his affair with Bathsheba and when he was hiding his sin from God and
others. It was unconfessed.
d. More often than this, it is when someone has been sinned against and
they are living with shame of what happened to them. Victims of abuse
commonly experience depression.
8. The viscious cyle of depression. Inactivity leads to depression, leads to
inactivity, etc.
II. The Bible and Depression
1. In the book named for him, Job despairs: “I cannot eat for sighing; my groans
pour out like water. What I always feared has happened to me. What I dreaded
has come to be. I have no peace, no quietness. I have no rest; instead, only
trouble comes …. I will never again experience pleasure … I would rather die
of strangulation than go on and on like this. I hate my life” (Job 3:23-26, 7:11,
15-16, NLT).
2. King David was depressed. In the opening verses of Psalm 13 he writes, “How
long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face
from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow
in my heart?”
3. And David’s son Solomon wrote, “I hated life, because the work that is done
under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the
wind” (Ecclesiastes 2:17).
4. Best example is Elijah. We read his story today and I want to share with you a
bit about why he was a prime candidate to experience depression, and how God
helped him, and this will show us how we can best help ourselves and others.
5. The first things that made Elijah susceptible to being depressed is that he had
was coming off a mountain top experience.
a. He had just defeated 450 prophets of the false god Baal. God had won the
victory, and the people’s hearts were turned back towards the One true
God. Elijah had won and won hands down. What excitement that must
have been, yet that made him vulnerable to being depressed. Now that
sounds odd, that after being on cloud nine you are more susceptible to
depression. Being on top of the mountain is great, but the problem with
being on top is that the only direction you can go is down.
i. Just like many people get depressed after the Christmas holidays,
because there is so much going on, that when the excitement goes,
what do you do? Let me warn you, life is full of ups and downs,
and when you get on those ups don’t expect that you’ll never come
down. Eventually you will and you need to be prepared for that.
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6. The second thing that made Elijah susceptible to being depressed is that he
was physically exhausted.
a. He was wore out. He had just had this day long event, then he went to
wait for the rain, and when the rain first fell, he had run 18 miles to reach
the capital city of Jezreel, as quickly as he could. Then, when Jezebel
threatened him, he turned around and ran again. For most of the next day,
he traveled deep into the desert.
b. He was at the point of near exhaustion...and when you are worn out,
exhausted, your are more likely to succumb to thoughts of depression.
Some of you are so tired, burned out, that you just don’t have the energy
and you need to rest.
7. The third reason Elijah was a prime candidate for depression is that he was
the recipient of bad news.
a. Elijah had a contract on his life. That would depress most people! Elijah
had just won a great victory only to discover that the evil Jezebel was still
out to get him. Instead of repenting, she was more resolved than ever to
spread her wickedness. Instead of getting better, Elijah’s problems had
only gotten worse. Isn’t it funny how Elijah wasn’t afraid of 450 men, yet
one mean woman causes him to run for his life. Yet Jezebel wasn’t just
any ordinary woman. I think the best description I’ve heard of her is that
she was Satan’s wife. And when she said she was going to kill Elijah, she
meant it.
i. Almost always, depression is preceded by some type of bad news.
An old man is sitting on a street corner sobbing uncontrollably. A
guy stops and says, "What’s wrong?" The man says, "I’m 85 years
old, I am married to a 22 year old gorgeous blonde who is madly in
love with me." The guy says, "So why are you crying?" The old
fellow looks up with tears in his eyes and says, "because I can’t
remember where I live!"
b. When something bad happens in your life, you get upset about it.
Especially if it’s one of those dreaded D words, divorce, disease,
disaster, or death. Now its normal to get depressed after one of these
events. In fact it would be odd if someone close to you died and you
weren’t sad about it. There needs to be a normal period of mourning.
i. But there is also a limit. If you or someone you know has gone
through a horrific ordeal, and 6 months later they still haven’t got
back into enjoying life, they still haven’t gotten out of the house,
then there is something wrong there and that person needs help in
the grieving process.

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8. Elijah was a prime candidate for a battle with depression, and that depression
affected him. First , Elijah wanted to give up. In vs. 4 Elijah says, “I have had
enough, Lord.” Elijah had given it his best, but events only got worse, and there
wasn’t any sign that they were going to get better.
a. Psychologist call this the helpless-hopeless syndrome, and that is when
bad things are happening to you and you feel helpless to stop them, and
you don’t see any sign that the situation will get better in the future, so
you have no hope. So like Eeyore, the say, “Why bother?”
9. Elijah wanted to give up, in fact he got so discouraged that he wanted to end his
life. He prayed, “Lord, take my life.”
a. Charles Spurgeon wrote about how strange it was that a man who would
never die, but be taken into Heaven by a chariot of fire would pray a
prayer asking for God to take his life. I’m sure Elijah was glad that God
didn’t answer that prayer the way Elijah wanted Him to. Yet Elijah had
taken his eyes off of God and onto his problems, and he didn’t see any
hope, and if you don’t have hope…you don’t believe you have a future.
i. Get help right away.
10.Not only did Elijah want to give up, but he began to feel down about
himself. He claimed that he was no better than his ancestors. People who are
depressed tend to think low of themselves. They think that nobody cares, and
that the world would be a better place without them.
a. They see themselves as failures and then look for evidence to match that
belief. I call this “the Charlie Brown Syndrome.” We get so accustomed
to failing that we identify with it.
11.And another effect of Elijah’s depression is that he felt alone. If you feel that
you’ve been left alone and that no one cares about you, then you are a prime
candidate for depression
III. So What do We Say to Someone in our lives who is
Depressed? How can we Help? Share a bit what God did for
Elijah, and what we can do as well.
1. Encourage with understanding. God didn’t scold Elijah but He didn’t allow a
constant pity party either.
a. Engage them. A depressed person will stay home all day every day if
they could, and some do. Invite them to lunch or coffee. This may take a
few tries, but don’t give up. They need to be with others and need the
stimulation of being out and about. Being out in nature is especially
healing.

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 i. On the other hand, if you sense your friend is having a particularly
bad day and just can’t talk, that’s ok. Let them have their space and
call back in a couple of days. You can send texts, emails or cards,
too. Knowing they are loved will help, even at their most unlovely.
2. Listen to them. God allowed Elijah to vent. Biggest thing you can do.
a. As you do, a few things to do:
i. Ask Open ended questions. Open-ended questions don’t have a
"yes" or "no" answer—it requires the speaker to do a little more
searching before answering. In addition, open-ended questions are
intentionally vague so the speaker will need to be a bit more
forthcoming with the answer. If you ask, "How are you today?" the
person may respond, "I'm fine," or something brief like that. If you
say instead, "How are things going?" they are forced to think about
their answer. That question could be answered in a much broader
way—like, "Not so well," or "Ok, I guess," allowing the person
asking the questions to go a little deeper, probing whatever clues
are given.
ii. Challenge the Negative thinking. “I’m totally worthless. I have
nothing to give to anyone.” Ask pointed questions to draw out the
fact that this person does indeed have value.
1. Over the next week prepare a list of ten things you like
about yourself—and three of them have to be physical
characteristics. I will ask you to tell me those ten things.
Very few things are really hopeless, and very few situations
are “all bad.”
3. Help them to Stay Involved. Many battling depression feel unwanted,
unloved, and that they would only be a bother to others. Show them they are
wanted.
a. Remember, Elijah felt alone and God said that there was still 7,000 with
him.
b. God also told Elijah to get up and get busy. Do something for someone
else. Serve others in need.
4. Show them the love and hope of God by Word and Deed.
a. Gently remind them, in whatever creative way you choose, that God
loves and values them more than they know. He is always with them and
has promised to never leave.
b. Likewise, assure them of your unwavering friendship. Many times
this isn’t easy. Depressed people are hard to love sometimes, but
knowing they can always count on you can be their “port in the storm.”

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 c. Assure them of hope. There is hope in God. Theirs is not a permanent
condition. There is healing and light at the end of the darkness. There is
always, always hope.
d. And finally, pray for them. Pray, pray, pray. How many times do you
find yourself praying for people who are physically ill?
i. Pray with the same conviction and fervor for your depressed
friend. They need it so very much and they are probably not able to
ask for it.

Conclusion:
1. Promise of the Gospel is that there is Joy in Christ. It doesn’t mean we
won’t battle depression, but it means there is Hope and there is someone to
journey with us.
2. It reminds us that there is a deeper joy beyond any and all circumstances.
a. Actor Christopher Reeve, paralyzed from the neck down, says one day
his three-year-old son, Will, was on the floor playing when he looked up
and said, “Mommy, Daddy can’t move his arms anymore, can he?” And
his wife, Dana, said, “No, Daddy can’t move his arms anymore.” Then
the three-year-old said, “Mommy, Daddy can’t run around the house
anymore.” And his wife said, “No, Daddy can’t.” Then the little boy
paused and screwed up his face in concentration and burst out happily
and said, “But he can still smile, Mommy.”
3. “Rejoice in the Lord always,” Paul said. “Again I say rejoice.”