Despair (2 Corinthians 4:6-9)
Gary McManus, 10/15/2023Part of the Life With Jesus is Better series, preached at a Sunday Morning service
October 15, 2022 2 Corinthians 4:6-9
“Despair”
No one likes to talk about this topic and not talking about
the topic is part of the problem. The problem is suicide.
Suicide in America.
So, let’s talk about NOT talking about suicide first.
[Note: we do have to spend a lot of our time on a
DESCRIPTION of the problem before we talk
about the PRESCRIPTION.]
We don’t want to talk about suicide, but murders are
a major form of entertainment.
Pastor supposes that the only people who are interested
in suicide suffered the loss of a loved one to suicide.
Talking about suicide gives people ideas? NO.
Talking about suicide is a way to prevent suicide.
For suffering people, suicide is never a new idea to them.
Depression is often a part/background to suicide.
Special category of suicide: drug and alcohol deaths.
Statistics in America. . . EVERY YEAR!
Drug overdose, alcohol poisoning, suicide; ALL are
preventable deaths.
We don’t really know how many people ATTEMPT
suicide because that is a different number.
Like a hand-grenade: no one knows how those around
the suicide will be affected.
There is also the human brain. . .
There are reasons that Pastor is talking about suicide here
today: our age and our state.
Clinical Depression is usually a part of the diagnosis of those
who suicide, but not always.
Pastor doesn’t want to talk about this topic either.
Drug overdose, alcohol poisoning, suicides;
considered deaths of despair.
The word “despair” is a Bible word, but only twice.
The word in Greek NT means to be without resource.
The Jesus follower is never without resource.
Resources are only a part of the problem of deaths of
despair. The other factor is pain; psyche ache.
(From grief, failure, sense of failure, lack of control, etc.)
Suicide will never have any one cause.
So, the theory goes, to prevent suicides one of two things
has to happen; decrease the pain or increase the resources.
The new national emergency suicide number is 9-8-8.
The website https://988lifeline.org, or 988indiana.org
The websites will talk about getting and finding resources.
A picture of suicidal thinking. . .
Hopelessness is a real problem for those who are suicidal.
On what basis would a patient try ANOTHER medication?
In one situation Pastor knew, the person couldn’t find
the tools/resources they needed, so the person had to
build/make their own tools.
Often loved ones are surprised by suicides. . .
There are many more people who consider suicide who never
do suicide. Those people have never been studied.
How did they move on from considering suicide?
God is our resource and God is our hope.
We all need to be reminded.
See Job 8:13, Psalms 9:18, Psalm 25:3, Psalm 39:7.
Acts 24:15, 1 Timothy 4:10, finally Peter’s letter:
1 Peter 1:21. Amen.
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