The Great Depression # 2

Illus: A teacher said to her students, "Boys and girls, there is a wonderful example in the life of the ant. Every day the ant goes to work and works hard all day. And at the close of the day, what happens?"

Little Johnny said, "SOMEONE STEPS ON HIM."

Many folks can’t understand why these little ants are so vicious.

Illus: Listen, every day they must talk among themselves about these big humans who have nothing better to do than to walk around stepping on them. THEY GET TIRED OF BEING STEPPED ON!

What are some of the things that crush us day after day?

What has caused so many people to be depressed with life?

(1) SOMETIMES IT IS SIN

Listen, we all know people who we have known for sin and the whole time we have known them they have lived constantly in a life of depression.

Many folks are taking all kinds of medication for depression and it is not doing any good whatsoever.

Why are they living a life of depression?

Because they are living a life of sin and there is no MEDICATION that we can take to solve our sin problem…NONE!

They have a SIN PROBLEM and they are not willing to face up to their sin problems and deal with it.

Illus: They make me think of a very pretty nurse took her troubles to her pastor

• She said to him, "Pastor, you must help me,"

• He said what kind of problem do you have?

• She said, "It has gotten so that every time I date one of the young doctors here, I end up doing things I know the Bible teaches are sin. And then afterward, I feel guilty and depressed for a week."

• "I see," nodded the psychiatrist. "And you want me to tell you how to strengthen your willpower so that you will quit doing these sinful things…right?"

• She said, “No, I want you to fix it so I won't feel guilty and depressed afterward."

The fact is, God made us to feel bad when we sin for a reason, and that reason is so that we will quit doing it.

1 John 1:9 “…confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

But when it come to this sin problem we have to own up to it and confess it is the problem why some folks live with guilt and shame.

But today, many think the answer to living a life of guilt and shame is to continue in sin and get on medication, and walk around like a Zombie and not be able to feel the GUILT THAT COMES FROM A LIFE OF SIN!

I am going to tell you something perhaps you have not heard, the Bible tells us the way of TRANSGRESSOR IS HARD!!!

I know the devil tell you different but SIN WILL DRAG YOU DOWN AND SUCK ALL THE LIFE OUT OF YOU!

Many are living a life of DEPRESSION simply because they have sin in their life and they are not willing to deal with it.

SOMETIMES IT IS BECAUSE OF SIN.

(2) SOMETIMES IT IS FINANCIAL

We have many who are living in a state of depression because of their finances!!!

Illus: A wife was telling her friend about her household budget. She said that she spends…

• 40 percent of her income for food

• 30 percent for shelter

• 30 percent for clothing

• 20 percent for transportation and incidentals

• The friend said, “Wait a minute, that makes 120 percent.”

The woman responded, “DON’T I KNOW!”

Not having enough money to pay our bills can bring on deep depression.

Illus: A businessman was in a great deal of trouble. His business was failing, he had put everything he had into the business, he owed everybody -- it was so bad he was even contemplating suicide.

As a last resort he went to a priest and poured out his heart with tears flowing down his cheeks.

When he had finished, the priest said, "Here's what I want you to do: Put a beach chair and your Bible in your car and drive down to the beach. Take the beach chair and the Bible to the water's edge, sit down in the beach chair, and put the Bible in your lap. Open the Bible; the wind will rifle the pages, but finally the open Bible will come to rest on a page. Look down at the page and read the first thing you see. That will be your answer, that will tell you what to do."

A year later the businessman went back to the priest and brought his wife and children with him. The man was in a new custom-tailored suit, his wife in a mink coat, the children shining. The businessman pulled an envelope stuffed with money out of his pocket, gave it to the priest as a donation in thanks for his advice.