We Are Alone In This World Series

### **Introduction: The Lie We Believe**

Video Ill.: Sermon Bumper 4

Have you ever felt alone in a crowded room?

You are surrounded by people — smiling, laughing, going about their lives — and yet you feel invisible, disconnected… isolated.

https://relevantmagazine.com/faith/church/how-the-church-is-addressing-the-loneliness-epidemic/

https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/surgeon-general-social-connection-advisory.pdf

https://www.psychiatry.org/news-room/news-releases/new-apa-poll-one-in-three-americans-feels-lonely-e

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2023/nov/16/who-declares-loneliness-a-global-public-health-concern

https://katv.com/news/nation-world/loneliness-and-isolation-have-reached-epidemic-level-surgeon-general-says-mental-health-depression-anxiety-social-disconnection-alone-disease-illness-economic-impact-work-school-youth-elderly-marriage-church-community-social-media?photo=2

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2025/05/21/lonely-young-american-men-poll/

If you have ever felt that way, you are not alone. In fact, it turns out, according to US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy in 2023, nearly half of all adults in the United States say they feel that way too — lonely, unseen, forgotten.

You see, in 2023, Dr. Murthy declared loneliness a national public health crisis. Yes, loneliness — not cancer, not COVID — loneliness.

He compared it to smoking 15 cigarettes a day. It can increase your risk of heart disease, dementia, and even early death.

A recent American Psychiatric Association poll found that 30% of U.S. adults feel lonely at least once a week, and 10% feel lonely daily.

And it is not just older adults.

Young men under 35 are now one of the loneliest groups in our country. One in four report feeling lonely most days.

Even more alarming? The place that should be the most connected — the church — is not immune. People come to church every Sunday, sit in pews surrounded by others… and still feel utterly alone.

So here is the question for today:

If God promises to be with us, why do so many people still feel alone?

Today, the world whispers the lie: “You are alone. No one really understands you. No one is coming to help.”

The world tells us that if we are alone, it is because something is wrong with us — that we are not lovable, not enough, not worth sticking around for.

In a world full of broken relationships, isolation, loneliness, and self-sufficiency, it is easy to believe that no one really sees us or cares about us.

But, friends, that is the lie.

And, this morning, we are going to expose that lie… and replace it with truth.

Because God's Word tells us something radically different. In Hebrews 13:5 we hear God speaking these words to us:

5 …“I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13, NKJV)

Folks, the good news is that you are not alone.

You have not been forgotten.

And no matter what this world says — you are deeply known and deeply loved.

Let us walk through that truth together.

### **I. The Weight of Loneliness**

As we begin, loneliness is not just an emotion — something that we feel. It is a silent, heavy burden that many in our world, even in our congregation this morning, carry.

When we carry that burden long enough, we begin to internalize the lies that loneliness tells us:

“I am not worthy of help.”

“I am truly alone.”

“No one is coming.”

So what do we do?

We withdraw. We retreat inward. We pull ourselves into our safe cocoon, and we hide. We put up barriers. We put up walls. We blockade ourselves all to shield our broken hearts and guard our fragile minds.

We convince ourselves that no one wants to hear about our struggles. No one really wants to know that is bothering me. No one really cares about the pain in my heart. No one sees. No one really loves. No one cares about the ache in my heart.

Worse, we assume people only want to judge us. Criticize us. Dismiss us. So we put up walls to protect ourselves—but those walls also keep everyone else out.

In our attempt to survive, we isolate. And in that isolation, we try to numb the ache.

We drown our loneliness in distractions:

Endless doom scrolling on social media

Throwing ourselves into work

Overindulging in hobbies

Turning to alcohol, substances, or hookup culture

The more we hurt, the more we distance ourselves. The more we isolate ourselves.

https://sprc.org/about-suicide/scope-of-the-problem/suicide-by-age/

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/suicide

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/suicide

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_in_the_United_Kingdom

It affects every generation—from teens to the elderly—but it is especially devastating for young men. As I said in the introduction, young men under 35 are reportedly the loneliest people in our country. There’s so many reasons for that, including the erosion of the male role and healthy relationships. Young men feel like they cannot reach out, they cannot seek help, they are not heard, they are not understood. And tragically, that weight of burden has a devastating cost: suicide is one of the leading causes of death among young men of that age.

Folks, we live in a lonely and hurting time.

And that loneliness creeps into our our relationship with God. Spiritually, we begin to feel like God is even distant. We pray and do not feel like God is answering. We look at this broken world and wonder, “Where is God in all of this?” We just know that, like the world, God is just waiting to judge us for all of the things we’ve done. We grow discouraged, distant, and spiritually worn down. We give up and walk away from God because it feels like God, just like the rest of the world, has walked away from us.