On Tract 22: Trinity Sunday and the Black Dwarf

Athanasius was short black man, who was called the Black Dwarf. He is largely an unknown person to most Protestants and Evangelicals. This is too bad, because Athanasius is one of the true heros of the Church and one of the Church's most influential intellectual minds of all time. He live in the mid-fourth century and was one of the few people with enough courage to stand against the Roman Emperor when he took it upon himself to change Church doctrine. Exile time and again, Athanasius kept returning to confront the established powers about the unchanging nature of the gospel. Athanasius stood firm for the truth of the Trinity and the Divinity of Jesus, and thus he honored by having his name attached to the third and final ecumenical creed, which has been traditionally read in the Church once a year on Trinity Sunday.

In in tract 22, Bishop Newman refers the Athanasian creed as "that noble creed." And he warns of the danger of Church neglecting this bulwark of truth, simply because it dosen't suit the taste and sensibilities of modern people. This year, our church will us the third ecumenical creed in our Trinity Sunday service. In doing so, I hope to help our church take a stand for truth, despite whether it be fashionable or not. Below is a modern translation and guide which I have provided for my people.

Athanasian Creed
The ICET English Language Translation

Whoever wants to be saved should above all cling to the Christian faith. Whoever does not guard it whole and inviolable will doubtless perish eternally. Now this is the Christian faith: We worship one God in Trinity and the Trinity in unity, neither confusing the persons nor dividing the divine being. For the Father is one person, the Son is another, and the Spirit is still another. But the deity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is one, equal in glory, coeternal in majesty. What the Father is, the Son is, and so is the Holy Spirit. Uncreated is the Father; uncreated is the Son; uncreated is the Spirit. The Father is infinite; the Son is infinite; the Holy Spirit is infinite. Eternal is the Father; eternal is the Son; eternal is the Spirit: And yet there are not three eternal beings, but One who is eternal; as there are not three uncreated and unlimited beings, but One who is uncreated and unlimited. Almighty is the Father; almighty is the Son; almighty is the Spirit: And yet there are not three almighty beings, but One who is almighty. Thus the Father is God; the Son is God; the Holy Spirit is God: And yet there are not three gods, but one God. Thus the Father is Lord; the Son is Lord; the Holy Spirit is Lord: And yet there are not three lords, but one Lord. As Christian truth compels us to acknowledge each distinct Person as God and Lord, so Christian religion forbids us to say that there are three gods or lords. The Father was neither made nor created nor begotten; the Son was neither made nor created, but was alone begotten of the Father; the Spirit was neither made nor created, but is proceeding from the Father and the Son. Thus there is one Father, not three fathers; one Son, not three sons; one Holy Spirit, not three spirits. And in this Trinity, no one is before or after, greater or less than the other; but all three persons are in themselves, coeternal and coequal; and so we must worship the Trinity in unity and the one God in three persons. Whoever wants to be saved should think thus about the Trinity. It is necessary for eternal salvation that one also faithfully believe that our Lord Jesus Christ became flesh. For this is the true faith that we believe and confess: That our Lord Jesus Christ, God's Son, is both God and man. He is God, begotten before all worlds from the being of the Father, and he is man, born in the world from the being of his mother -- existing fully as God, and fully as man with a rational soul and a human body; equal to the Father in divinity, subordinate to the Father in humanity. Although he is God and man, he is not divided, but is one Christ. He is united because God has taken humanity into himself; he does not transform deity into humanity. He is completely one in the unity of his person, without confusing his natures. For as the rational soul and body are one person, so the one Christ is God and man. He suffered death for our salvation. He descended into hell and rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead. At his coming all people shall rise bodily to give an account of their own deeds. Those who have done good will enter eternal life, those who have done evil will enter eternal fire. This is the Christian faith. One cannot be saved without believing this firmly and faithfully.

FAQS: Why do we affirm our faith using creeds and affirmations of faith?
Answer: Since at least the early second century (100 A.D. when the Apostle’s creed was written) the Church has considered it important for every Christian to know and to have clarity about the most basic facts of our faith. Creeds and affirmations act as brief but succinct summations of the Christian faith.
What is the difference between a creed and an affirmation of faith?
Answer: Before there were any denominational divisions within the Church (the first occurring in 1054) there was a great deal of unity within the Church. When Christians look back to this time of great unity we recognize a common Christian heritage that belongs to all Christians. This heritage includes patters or worship, an agreement about which writings are considered to be part of the Biblical Canon, authoritative teachers (such as Augustine) and three Ecumenical Creeds (the Apostle’s, the Nicene, and the Athanasian Creed).
What all of these have in common is their consensus about what is and is not Christianity. About these things, Christianity as a whole has never departed from. Thus, around this common heritage, Christians from diverse backgrounds (Evangelicals, Roman Catholics, Charismatics, Anglicans, Protestants, and Eastern Orthodox) can find common ground.
Divisions among Christians have always occurred, not over these central teachings, but over peripheral issues (such as when to Baptize, and details about time prior to Jesus’ return).
When we use affirmations of faith, we do so because we believe them to be both Biblical and true to the basic tenets of the Christian faith. However, they lack the authority of the creeds because they are not part of the collective heritage which is received by worldwide Church.
Who is Athanasius?
Answer: Athanasius was an African bishop who stood firm, when the Roman Empire took it upon itself to begin changing Church doctrine concerning the nature of Jesus Christ, and began to persecute clergy and laity who would not go along with these changes. When this time of persecution came to an end, bishops from around the world came together to articulate what the Church believes about the Trinity. The result was the Athanasian Creed, which was named in honor of the faithful African bishop who stood for truth when doing so was very dangerous.
Traditionally, the Athansian Creed is recited once a year on Trinity Sunday.
What do the words “This is the Christian faith. One cannot be saved without believing this firmly and faithfully” mean?
Answer: These words are not talking people who have never heard the gospel, or people who do not or cannot understand what the Church teaches. These words are primarily about teachers (priests, bishops, pastors, evangelists) who knowing what the Church teaches, have decided to teach something contrary. These words are about making it clear that such teachers do not speak for the Church and are in fact teaching a faith different from Christianity. Thus, such teachers are not to be accepted and are themselves in danger of eternal damnation for trying to change the gospel.

The World's Most Dangerous Situation

Pakistan may be the world's most dangerous situation and Obama administrations worst diplomatic nightmare. For starters, it is dream of fanatics like the Taleban and al-Qaida to topple the government of nation that has at least 100 nuclear weapons. The terrible possibilities this presents for those who thrive best in a climate of chaos cannot be overstated. This means, of course, that the US government cannot sit back on the side lines and simply wait it out. But if you were advising the President or the Chiefs of Staff, what would recommend they do?

The radical insurgents are taking it to the streets, fighting an urban style of warfare. This puts plenty of civilians in the crossfire, and allows the Taleban and al-Qaida to use innocent people as shields. Using our military to "open fire" on the enemy would cause untold casualties among the people of Pakistan, it would erode support from the legitimate government of Pakistan, who would now doubt take the blame for allowing the American military to fire indiscriminately into Pakistan's cities, and could further the descent order in a country we need to be able to count upon as an Ally.

As Christians, we need to pray for our President and his Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton as they deliberate about how to best assist Pakistan. Pakistan has so much as told us to stay out of it. But, this is simply no realistic. Wihtout discrediting, usurping, or undermining the government and people of Pakistan, when push comes to shove, we simply have to ensure that nuclear arms do not fall into the hands of terrorists, or that Pakistan does not so unravel that the whole region is drug into the conflict, which itself could escalate into a nuclear conflict between Pakistan and India. Pray for wisdom for all who have a part in deciding how this situation plays out.

The Foreclosed Soul Part Six

The Foreclosed Soul: Part Eight
“My Obsession”

Rev. Dr. Eddie Bromley Grace Church 24 May 2009
Philippians 4:8-9
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Philippians 4

8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. 9 Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.

L: The word of God for the people of God.
P: Thanks be to God!
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Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), a type of anxiety disorder, is a potentially disabling illness that traps people in endless cycles of repetitive thoughts and behaviors. People with OCD are plagued by recurring and distressing thoughts, fears, or images (obsessions) that they cannot control. The anxiety (nervousness) produced by these thoughts leads to an urgent need to perform certain rituals or routines (compulsions). The compulsive rituals are performed in an attempt to prevent the obsessive thoughts or make them go away.
Although the ritual may make the anxiety go away temporarily, the person must perform the ritual again when the obsessive thoughts return. This OCD cycle can progress to the point of taking up hours of the person's day and significantly interfering with normal activities. People with OCD may be aware that their obsessions and compulsions are senseless or unrealistic, but they cannot stop themselves.
What Are the Symptoms of OCD?
The symptoms of OCD, which are the obsessions and compulsions, may vary. Common obsessions include:
· Fear of dirt or contamination by germs.
· Fear of causing harm to another.
· Fear of making a mistake.
· Fear of being embarrassed or behaving in a socially unacceptable manner.
· Fear of thinking evil or sinful thoughts.
· Need for order, symmetry, or exactness.
· Excessive doubt and the need for constant reassurance.
Common compulsions include:
· Repeatedly bathing, showering, or washing hands.
· Refusing to shake hands or touch doorknobs.
· Repeatedly checking things, such as locks or stoves.
· Constant counting, mentally or aloud, while performing routine tasks.
· Constantly arranging things in a certain way.
· Eating foods in a specific order.
· Being stuck on words, images or thoughts, usually disturbing, that won't go away and can interfere with sleep.
· Repeating specific words, phrases, or prayers.
· Needing to perform tasks a certain number of times.
· Collecting or hoarding items with no apparent value.


What I’ve described may be completely foreign to you. You may have had absolutely no idea that anyone ever experienced such problems. But, there are some of you who know exactly what I’m talking about because it is your everyday experience. It is your every day battle.
And the battle we are talking about this morning is the battle for the mind. E. Stanley Jones once said, “Whatever gets your attention gets you.” And for some of you, your thought life has been taken captive by something.
Let me start by saying, all of us are a little OCD. All of us have at least some area of life about which we obsess. And, some folks who have full blown OCD have learned to make it work for them and it has actually become a good thing. For example, if you are having brain surgery, you want your surgeon to be obsessed about the details. If you have an accountant that is trying to help you through a financial crisis, you want them to be a more than a little obsessed with the details. In fact, these kinds of folks have already learned or discovered some or all of the spiritual principals I am going to give you this morning; because the folks that we want to help this morning are folks for whom OCD has become a prison. You’re trapped in the prison of your own thoughts and it is debilitating and you can’t function, and you can’t stay with things at work, and you can’t keep healthy relationships because you are trapped in the prison of your own mind. Today, if that is you, I want to give you some principals to help you win the battle for your mind.
Start by choosing what you will think about


In some parts of my lawn, the grass is thick and green. In other areas, it's sparse and dry. There are even a few places where the grass is missing entirely.
When I mow the lawn, I notice that where the grass is healthy, there are no weeds. Where the lawn is sparse, there are a few. Where there's no grass, the weeds flourish.
Every time I notice the weedy spots, I think, I really need to pull those things. So I do, but within a few weeks they're back—and I'm pulling them again. One day it hit me: I don't have to pull weeds where the grass is thick. Instead of spending all my time pulling weeds, maybe I [need] to invest time making the grass as healthy as possible. The more grass I had, the fewer weeds I'd have to pull.
The same applies to worry. Worry is like the weeds. God's peace is the grass. Instead of just focusing on eliminating my worries, I [need] to cultivate God's peace.
Mike Bechtle, in an article for Discipleship journal; quoted in the October 21, 2008, entry of Men of Integrity (September/October 2008

The movie A Beautiful Mind traces the life of genius mathematician and Nobel Prize winner John Forbes Nash, Jr. (played by Russell Crowe), who is tortured by paranoid schizophrenia.
Nash was a genius mathematician studying at Princeton, seeking to discover a truly original idea. He explained his concept of equilibrium in his 1950 dissertation, Noncooperative Games, which eventually earned him the 1994 Nobel Prize in Economics. Long before this, while a student at Princeton, Nash began to experience paranoid schizophrenia. Several delusional characters left him unable to discern reality from hallucination.
His paranoia climaxed while Nash worked as a professor in the early 1950s at M.I.T.'s Wheeler Defense Labs. Nash was recruited to decipher Soviet codes for the U.S. government, but following his initial experiences with code breaking, he descended into a delusional world where he continued to work for government agent William Parcher (Ed Harris).
During this time, Nash's wife, Alicia (played by Jennifer Connelly), admitted him to an institution that diagnosed and treated his disease. After shock therapy and medications left him unable to think through math problems, care for his young son, or be intimate with his wife, Nash determined to get off the medications and reason his way through his severe mental illness. His determination to overcome his illness led him to re-establish his relationship with Princeton and eventually to resume teaching.
In 1994 Thomas King (Austin Pendleton) from the Nobel Committee met with Nash to assess his mental state and determine if he would be a suitable Nobel laureate. In their conversation, Nash says to King tongue in cheek, "I am crazy." Then more soberly, "I take the newer medications, but I still see things that are not here. I just choose not to acknowledge them. Like a diet of the mind, I just choose not to indulge certain appetites."
Elapsed time: This scene begins at 2:08:00 and lasts approximately 30 seconds.
Content: A Beautiful Mind is rated PG-13 for profanity and adult content.
A Beautiful Mind (Dreamworks, 2001), rated PG-13, directed by Ron Howard, written by Akiva Goldsman; submitted by Todd Dugard, Ontario, Canada

Giving our mind something to do

2 Corinthians 10
Paul Defends His Authority
1 Now I, Paul, appeal to you with the gentleness and kindness of Christ—though I realize you think I am timid in person and bold only when I write from far away. 2 Well, I am begging you now so that when I come I won’t have to be bold with those who think we act from human motives.
3 We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. 4 [a]We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. 5 We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.
If you have never struggled with OCD or ADD, you will probably want to skip this part; or, if you do read it, you may conclude that the author is crazy. But, if you struggle with either OCD or ADD, you know that it is a little like have extra people living in your mind, who simply want to stay busy. They are not picky, they just want something to do. And without being directed in any positive way, these little guys in the mind have a tendency to grab hold of thoughts that are counter-productive at best and darn right destructive at worst.
An important part of winning the battle with OCD or ADD is taking every thought captive. In other words, we decide what these little guys will work on and think about. (All right, I know they are not actually little people, rather some other phenomenon is really occurring, but the analogy works) For example have one of the little guys working on Spanish vocabulary or piano chords or the names of NFL hall of famers. It really doesn’t matter, so long as you give them something positive to do to keep from ending with them doing and obsessing about something negative.
Another ideas is to have part of your mind constantly meditation upon scripture, or using a breath-prayer like the Eastern Orthodox prayer, “Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.” Or doing something akin to the Rosary.
I know that even prayers can become dysfunctional and a part of the OCD phenomenon. Just remind yourself that your practicing these kinds prayers not because you have to, but because you get to. And hey, I rather have my mind stuck on the Lord’s prayer than thinking about germs, or who may be listening in on a phone call, or some other bizarre obsession.
When the Apostle Paul tells us to take captive every thought, I believe and important part of what he is telling us is to take charge of our thought life. And while I would never discourage professional help or psychotropic medicines, our own choices do play an important role.
Filling the Void
Matthew 12
43 “When an evil[f] spirit leaves a person, it goes into the, seeking rest but finding none. 44 Then it says, ‘I will return to the person I came from.’ So it returns and finds its former home empty, swept, and in order. 45 Then the spirit finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all enter the person and live there. And so that person is worse off than before. That will be the experience of this evil generation.”

It is not enough to rid ourselves of something negative. Simply getting rid of a bad habit or negative obsessive thought; because you are always left with a vacuum, a void and these have a tendency to end up being filled with something. And if we are not intentional about what goes into the empty space, what will end up filling it by chance may end up being for worse than the thing we got rid of in the first place (see the verse above).

This is especially important with folks struggling with addictions. The need for the thing a person is addicted to feeds some felt need. Perhaps the need for excitement is what the addiction feeds. In that case, the person trying to walk away from the substance or behavior they are addicted to, needs to find a positive way to meet the felt need. Perhaps instead crack cocaine or high stakes gambling , the person decides to take up motor cycling or rock climbing. The particulars will be different for each person. What is important to remember is that the negative thing we were obsessing about was meeting some felt need. We cannot simply get rid of it. In its place must go something which will add to life and not diminish it.

And ultimately, the real void, which all human hearts have is God-shaped whole, which only Christ can fill. Until Christ fills that God-shaped whole, every human lives with a deep unmet need which no amount of worldly thoughts or pleasures can ever filll.

The Foreclosed Soul Part Seven

The Foreclosed Soul: Part Seven
“Free from Shame”

Rev. Dr. Eddie Bromley Grace Church 31May 2009
Matthew 26:57-75
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Jesus before the Council
57 Then the people who had arrested Jesus led him to the home of Caiaphas, the high priest, where the teachers of religious law and the elders had gathered. 58 Meanwhile, Peter followed him at a distance and came to the high priest’s courtyard. He went in and sat with the guards and waited to see how it would all end.
59 Inside, the leading priests and the entire high council[i] were trying to find witnesses who would lie about Jesus, so they could put him to death. 60 But even though they found many who agreed to give false witness, they could not use anyone’s testimony. Finally, two men came forward 61 who declared, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the Temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’”
62 Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Well, aren’t you going to answer these charges? What do you have to say for yourself?” 63 But Jesus remained silent. Then the high priest said to him, “I demand in the name of the living God—tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”
64 Jesus replied, “You have said it. And in the future you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand[j] and coming on the clouds of heaven.”[k]
65 Then the high priest tore his clothing to show his horror and said, “Blasphemy! Why do we need other witnesses? You have all heard his blasphemy. 66 What is your verdict?”
“Guilty!” they shouted. “He deserves to die!”
67 Then they began to spit in Jesus’ face and beat him with their fists. And some slapped him, 68 jeering, “Prophesy to us, you Messiah! Who hit you that time?”
Peter Denies Jesus
69 Meanwhile, Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A servant girl came over and said to him, “You were one of those with Jesus the Galilean.”
70 But Peter denied it in front of everyone. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said.
71 Later, out by the gate, another servant girl noticed him and said to those standing around, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.[l]”
72 Again Peter denied it, this time with an oath. “I don’t even know the man,” he said.
73 A little later some of the other bystanders came over to Peter and said, “You must be one of them; we can tell by your Galilean accent.”
74 Peter swore, “A curse on me if I’m lying—I don’t know the man!” And immediately the rooster crowed.
75 Suddenly, Jesus’ words flashed through Peter’s mind: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me.” And he went away, weeping bitterly.
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Some careful distinctions

Guilt is about being in the wrong. When we sin we are guilty before God whether or not we feel guilty. Of course, if we still have a good working conscience, we do feel ashamed of ourselves when we are guilty, and we should. Peter weeps bitterly after his betrayal of Jesus, feeling both guilty and ashamed of his sins. The fact that Peter weeps shows that his moral faculties are still intact. This is good. There is some real spiritual danger in play when sin no longer brings in pain to our souls. But this is not the final word on Peter’s relationship to the Lord. Look with me at John 21 as our reader reads about what happens in Peter’s next encounter with Jesus just after the Lord’s resurrection.
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John 21
Epilogue: Jesus Appears to Seven Disciples
1 Later, Jesus appeared again to the disciples beside the Sea of Galilee.[a] This is how it happened. 2 Several of the disciples were there—Simon Peter, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin),[b] Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples.
3 Simon Peter said, “I’m going fishing.”
“We’ll come, too,” they all said. So they went out in the boat, but they caught nothing all night.
4 At dawn Jesus was standing on the beach, but the disciples couldn’t see who he was. 5 He called out, “Fellows,[c] have you caught any fish?”
“No,” they replied.
6 Then he said, “Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you’ll get some!” So they did, and they couldn’t haul in the net because there were so many fish in it.
7 Then the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, “It’s the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his tunic (for he had stripped for work), jumped into the water, and headed to shore. 8 The others stayed with the boat and pulled the loaded net to the shore, for they were only about a hundred yards[d] from shore. 9 When they got there, they found breakfast waiting for them—fish cooking over a charcoal fire, and some bread.
10 “Bring some of the fish you’ve just caught,” Jesus said. 11 So Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net to the shore. There were 153 large fish, and yet the net hadn’t torn.
12 “Now come and have some breakfast!” Jesus said. None of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Then Jesus served them the bread and the fish. 14 This was the third time Jesus had appeared to his disciples since he had been raised from the dead.
15 After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?[e]”
“Yes, Lord,” Peter replied, “you know I love you.”
“Then feed my lambs,” Jesus told him.
16 Jesus repeated the question: “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
“Yes, Lord,” Peter said, “you know I love you.”
“Then take care of my sheep,” Jesus said.
17 A third time he asked him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep.
L: The word of God for the people of God.
P: Thanks be to God!
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Feelings of guilt serve an important purpose.

I want to make a distinction between feeling guilt over our sins and living with shame or condemnation. In order to do this, I need to point out some important things happening in this story with Peter. I need to do this because I need to show that feelings of guilt serve an important purpose.

Peter sinned when he betrayed Jesus. It wasn’t just a poor choice or momentary inconsistency, it was sin. And when the weight of Peter’s sinful choice fell upon him, he felt guilty. We might even say he felt ashamed of what he had done. Though, I want to make a distinction between what I am calling feelings of guilt and feelings of shame. When Peter sinned, he felt guilty and this is good because he was guilty.

And even if Peter had not felt guilty, he would have still been guilty of sin nonetheless. Ultimately feelings have little to do with the rightness or wrongness of an action. Had Peter rationalized his behavior and choice by saying something like, “Well I simply had a case of bad judgment,” or “Anyone in my shoes would have done the same,” or “I just made a mistake,” the fact would be that Peter would still have been guilty of sinning against God. But it is good that Peter does feel guilty because it shows that he regrets what he did. Peter grieves over the choice he made.

We cannot change courses if we don’t ever realize that we have indeed been going the wrong way. And in Peter’s next encounter with Jesus, the Lord gives Peter a chance to change directions. Three times Jesus asks Peter if Peter loves him. See Peter had betrayed Jesus not once but three times. Thus, Jesus gives Peter a verbal or symbolic way to repent of each denial.

Look at the part feeling guilty plays in the two scenes. Guilt alerts Peter to there being something wrong, to there being sin present in his actions. Thus, at Jesus’ invitation, Peter is given a chance to come clean of each denial and to be set free to serve the Lord again.

But something would have been badly wrong if instead of going forth to serve Jesus in freedom and victory Peter had instead gone into a deep depression and felt bad about himself the rest of his life. That would done Peter no good and would have done the church no good, robbing the Christian community of one its strongest pillars.

Look at what Paul says:

Look at 2 Corinthians chapter 7 with me, starting with verse 5.

5 When we arrived in Macedonia, there was no rest for us. We faced conflict from every direction, with battles on the outside and fear on the inside. 6 But God, who encourages those who are discouraged, encouraged us by the arrival of Titus. 7 His presence was a joy, but so was the news he brought of the encouragement he received from you. When he told us how much you long to see me, and how sorry you are for what happened, and how loyal you are to me, I was filled with joy!
8 I am not sorry that I sent that severe letter to you, though I was sorry at first, for I know it was painful to you for a little while. 9 Now I am glad I sent it, not because it hurt you, but because the pain caused you to repent and change your ways. It was the kind of sorrow God wants his people to have, so you were not harmed by us in any way. 10 For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.
In chapter 7 of 2 Corinthians Paul is referring to matter in which he had to confront some members of the church on an issue of sin. This kind of thing is always tough and uncomfortable for all involved, but is necessary if we are going to help each other to grow in the love of grace of God.
Paul acknowledges that being confronted about their sins was painful to the guilty party. The word that is translated hurt, pain, and sorrow, is the Greek word (lupeo lupew) which we might translate as feeling guilty.

But look at the role Paul says the feeling of guilt is suppose to play. Look at verse ten “The kind of sorrow/feelings of guilt God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation.”

Note the patter here. The whole point of feeling guilty is so that we become aware of sin. It is not about punishing us or getting us to punish ourselves. The pain of guilt is like the pain we feel when we touch something that is too hot. The purpose is to get us to pull away from the thing causing the pain. And just as leprosy is a terrible disease because we are unable to feel when something is causing us damage, so is it a spiritual disease when we become jaded and unable to feel guilty when we are engaged in sin. Jesus says that one of the ministries of the Holy Spirit is that he convicts us of sin (John 16:8).


But notice that feelings play an important but limited role. Once the feelings of guilt have got our attention the intended outcome is that we will turn from sin and receive the forgiving, redeeming grace of God. And once that happens, God’s use for guilt is gone. If after we have confessed our sins, turn from them, and have been forgiven, if we are still feeling guilty, this is not a good and healthy thing.

If after you have been forgiven you still feel guilty, the feelings have gone from being something useful to being something harmful. You have moved from feeling guilty to being burdened with shame or condemnation; something Romans 8:1 says no Christian is suppose to have to live with.

Romans 8
Life in the Spirit
1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.

The Greek word for condemnation is (Katakrima kata,krima ) and it literally means to deserve punishment, to be living in a state of guilt – what I like to call shame. Shame is not a fitting way for God’s people to live and here is why.

1. It is calling God a liar. See it is Satan is who called the accuser. He is the one who wants to label us as guilty. Jesus has come to call us forgiven. And if Jesus has said that we are free from the guilt and condemnation of sin, who are we to argue? The Gospel of John says, “If the Son has set you free, you are free indeed (John 8:32).”
2. It is implying that Jesus didn’t pay enough to get the job done. Romans chapter five says that the whole business of sin and guilt before God started with Adam; but that Jesus has reversed all that through his redemptive work on the Cross. When we choose to continue feeling guilty after God has pardoned us, it is implying that price Jesus paid was not enough, that the blood of God’s own Son was not precious enough, that we need to add to the payment because what Jesus did was not adequate.
3. Shame is not fitting because it implies that we can do something deserve God’s love, namely by punishing ourselves. If you haven’t understood it until now, God’s gift of love and salvation is something you do not deserve and cannot earn, and yet something which God desires to give us anyway. If we were to punish ourselves forever, it would not move us one step closer to deserving what God chooses to give us freely.
4. Living in shame is the same as forfeiting or refusing the gift of now and gift of the future God wants to give. Living in shame over something in the past is equivalent to being trapped in the past. But God doesn’t want you living in the past. Isaiah 43:18-19 God says, “Forget about those old things. I want to do something new in your life.” Shame makes us a prisoner of yesterday, forcing us to forfeit what God wants to give us now and in the future.
5. Shame denies what God says about us. When we accept the gift of salvation through Christ, we are given a new identity as child of God. For some of us, we have never gotten use to the idea that we are now one of God’s kids. Internally, some of us still think of ourselves as outsiders, as misfits, as people who really shouldn’t be here, or do not really belong or fit in as one of God’s kids. None the less, we are one of God’s kid’s and shame wants to rob us of that identity.

Pastor Craig Barns tells the following story from his childhood.
When I was a child, my minister father brought home a 12-year-old boy named Roger, whose parents had died from a drug overdose. There was no one to care for Roger, so my folks decided they'd just raise him as if he were one of their own sons.
At first it was quite difficult for Roger to adjust to his new home—an environment free of heroine-addicted adults! Every day, several times a day, I heard my parents saying to Roger:
"No, no. That's not how we behave in this family."
"No, no. You don't have to scream or fight or hurt other people to get what you want."
"No, no, Roger, we expect you to show respect in this family." And in time Roger began to change.
Now, did Roger have to make all those changes in order to become a part of the family? No. He was made a part of the family simply by the grace of my father. But did he then have to do a lot of hard work because he was in the family? You bet he did. It was tough for him to change, and he had to work at it. But he was motivated by gratitude for the incredible love he had received.
Do you have a lot of hard work to do now that the Spirit has adopted you into God's family? Certainly. But not in order to become a son or a daughter of the heavenly Father. No, you make those changes because you are a son or daughter. And every time you start to revert back to the old addictions to sin, the Holy Spirit will say to you, "No, no. That's not how we act in this family." Not to pull us back down into shame, but to teach us how to live in spiritual freedom.
Craig Barnes, author and pastor of National Presbyterian Church, Washington, D.C.; from sermon "The Blessed Trinity" (5-30-99)

Now, unfortunately some of you have been in the habit of living in shame for so long that the way you have heard this sermon is that you should now feel ashamed about feeling ashamed. But that is not what I am saying. See how twisted we become in our thinking when we believe the enemy instead of believing God. A sermon pointing out why you should not be living under the weight of sin ends with you feeling shame about feeling shame. The whole point is that if you are in Christ, there is no more condemnation for you. You can live as if you are loved and forgiven, because you are. And, if you live as if you are loved and forgiven, eventually you’ll feel that way too.

The Foreclosed Soul Part Five

The Foreclosed Soul: Part Five
“Trapped in Addiction”


Rev. Dr. Eddie Bromley Grace Church 17 May 2009
John 8:31-32
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John 8
31 Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. 32 And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

L: The word of God for the people of God.
P: Thanks be to God.
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Of all the conditions that can lead to a foreclosed soul, none is as perplexing as addictions. Whether we are talking about addictions to a behavior like over-eating, gambling, or sex or whether we are talking about substance addiction such as alcohol, illegal drugs, or prescription drugs, addiction is serious business and it is important to get as much help as you can from your family, church, medical advisor and others as you can. This morning, I want to outline the Biblical principles of the 12 step plan as created by Alcoholics Anonymous.

I do so not because getting in AA is all you need to do overcome an addiction. Many have overcome addictions through AA alone, however my purpose in showing the Biblical basis of their plan is to show some of the most vital pieces needed if you or loved one hopes to overcome an addiction.

However, I want you to listen carefully to these steps whether or not you are an addict or whether or not you know someone who is; for we are all recovering sinners and the 12 steps give us a rather clear plan for living spiritually whole lives, no matter where we are this morning.
THE TWELVE STEPS OF ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS
1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol–that our lives had become unmanageable.
Romans chapter seven is about sinner’s helplessness to overcome sin. In chapter seven, Paul is expressing that without power of the Holy Spirit, we are simply unable to redeem and transform our lives.
Some sins are more socially acceptable in polite society than others; thus many who are just as trapped in sin as an alcoholic have never experienced the struggle against sin, because they have never felt the need to change. But an addict knows what it is to be controlled by something more powerful than ourselves. Some Christians have forgotten this struggle because you have been walking with the Lord so long that you have forgotten that he is the one who has enable you live the victorious life. But, the addict knows that if victory is to come, it will have to come from an outside source.
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
Look at Romans 7 with me again and notice how the chapter ends.
24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? 25
Here Paul expresses the thought of the helpless sinner, who realizes that if only there we’re someone to help, they might have a fighting chance. But then when the Gospel becomes clear to the sinner, he/she cries out in joy!
25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.

3. Make a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
God will not change you against your will. God wants to be our shepherd who leads us, not our cowboy who prods us along like stupid cattle. God wants your surrender. He is not interested in making you do what you should. He wants your willing obedience.
Romans 12
A Living Sacrifice to God
1 And so, dear brothers and sisters,[a] I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.
4. Make a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
We can be healed and set free from our sins and until we are willing to call them by name, to acknowledge them for what they really are. We cannot experience redemption from something we are unwilling to call sin.
Lamentations 3
39 Then why should we, mere humans, complain when we are punished for our sins?
40 Instead, let us test and examine our ways. Let us turn back to the Lord.

5. Admitting to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
James 5:16 (New Living Translation)
16 Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.
Here is where a lot of us Evangelicals and Protestants get really messed up in our theology. We look down on Roman Catholics because they go to confession, saying, “I don’t need to tell anybody else, I got Jesus.” That’s true. Jesus can and does forgive us of our sins, but, sometimes we need to spiritual consolation that comes from telling another person and hearing them say the words, you are forgiven. Sometimes, we need another person, so that we don’t play dishonest games with ourselves and God. There is a lot of value in making confession to another person. Now, this has be something we consider with care. Most people are not trustworthy enough to tell our darkest secrets to. But on the other hand, what do I care what people think, if I now have an unburdened soul?
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
This is where the difference comes in between the 12 step plan and a self-help plan. A self-help plan says, you know what the problem is, now fix it boy. The 12 step plan says, you know what the problem is and you know that you have tried again and again to fix it yourself and you can’t. We have got allow God to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves.

James 4:10 (New Living Translation)
10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.

7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
Step seven is about believing that God is willing to do what we need him to do, that he wants to help us. It is stepping out in belief that God has the power to do more than just forgive us, he has the power to transform us.
1 John 1:9 (New Living Translation)
9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.
Steps 1-7 are about peace with ourselves and with God.
Steps 8-10 are about peace with others.

8. Make a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.
Luke 6:31 (New Living Translation)
31 Do to others as you would like them to do to you.
Sin is never a private matter. Sin always has repercussion in our relationships to other people. In a live vain, Christianity is not simply a private matter between us and God. It is instead about loving God and loving our neighbor. Salvation and redemption is something God wants to work out in every aspect of our lives, and most especially in our relationships with others. Redemption in our relationships to other people begins with admitting how we may have wronged others.

9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
Matthew 5:23-24 (New Living Translation)
23 “So if you are presenting a sacrifice[a] at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, 24 leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.
This is not about having to earn our salvation. We are not forgiven by God because we seek to make amends with others. Rather, salvation is about being restored to our original purpose, which is loving God and loving others.
Our desire to make amends with others is evidence that God is working in our lives. Now is necessary for me to make a pastoral word here. When we have wronged people, they are not always interested in us making amends. In some cases it will not be possible to restore the relationship because of the other person’s unwillingness. We have to know this up front and be ready and willing to do what we can, knowing that the other person may not want to have anything else to do with us. But, as to our souls, we must at least make the attempt.
10. Continue to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
Step ten is about maintaining progress in our recovery. We are either moving forward in life or we are moving backward. But, we are never sitting still or remaining the same.
1 Corinthians 10:12 (New Living Translation)
12 If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall.
To continue living victoriously over our former bondage to addiction, we have to remain intentional and diligent in our growth in grace.
11. Seek through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
The only way to have real peace is to walk daily with the Prince of Peace, Christ Jesus.
Colossians 3:16 (New Living Translation)
16 Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
Step twelve is about ministry. We are blessed to be a blessing. We are redeemed to be a part of God’s work of redemption.
Galatians 6
We Harvest What We Plant
1 Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer[a] is overcome by some sin, you who are godly[b] should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself.

A final word

These steps are not a recipe for breaking free of addiction without the help of others. More than most situations in life, addiction reminds us of our need for community, or need for one another. Sadly, we are often scared or ashamed to reach out for help or to make that phone call, because we believe that we are only one who has ever allowed ourselves to get in such a shape.

Irvin Yalom in his book, The Gift of Therapy tells the story of two healers, Joseph and Dion, who live as hermits out in the desert. Though neither new the other, both had heard the reputation of the other man. Both had a reputation for helping people recover wholeness and health. People flocked to them, to have the hermits pray over them and anoint them with oil.

There came a time when Joseph fell ill in mind and spirit. He became filled with despair and thoughts of suicide that he could not shake. Unable to heal himself, he set out on a journey to find Dion and seek his help. While resting in and oasis, he recounted his search to a fellow traveler, who immediately offered his help to find Dion. After many days of continued journey together, the traveler revealed to Joseph that he was, in fact, Dion.

Joseph went home with Dion and found healing under tutelage and care. He continued to live in Dion’s home for many years, eventually becoming his most trusted and valued colleague. For years they worked collaboratively and found great success, far beyond that which either knew on his own.

Then one day Dion fell ill and, bereft of any recovery, called Joseph to his side to make a deathbed confession. He told Joseph that he too, isolated and living alone, had become sick of heart and was on his way to find Joseph when they had met all those years before…

Dion told Joseph how he had been healed of his own sickness by his care for Joseph. Before he died he thanked Joseph for his love and friendship, who expressed the same to Dion.

Only in community can we use these principles to find real freedom.

The Foreclosed Soul Part Four

The Foreclosed Soul: Part Four
“Good Grief”

Rev. Dr. Eddie Bromley Grace Church 10 May 2009
Psalm 34:18; Isaiah 41:10 and Matthew 14:1-13a
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Psalm 34:18
“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted.”

Isaiah 41:10
10 Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

Matthew 14
The Death of John the Baptist

1 When Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee,[a] heard about Jesus, 2 he said to his advisers, “This must be John the Baptist raised from the dead! That is why he can do such miracles.”
3 For Herod had arrested and imprisoned John as a favor to his wife Herodias (the former wife of Herod’s brother Philip). 4 John had been telling Herod, “It is against God’s law for you to marry her.” 5 Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of a riot, because all the people believed John was a prophet.
6 But at a birthday party for Herod, Herodias’s daughter performed a dance that greatly pleased him, 7 so he promised with a vow to give her anything she wanted. 8 At her mother’s urging, the girl said, “I want the head of John the Baptist on a tray!” 9 Then the king regretted what he had said; but because of the vow he had made in front of his guests, he issued the necessary orders. 10 So John was beheaded in the prison, 11 and his head was brought on a tray and given to the girl, who took it to her mother. 12 Later, John’s disciples came for his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus what had happened.

13 As soon as Jesus heard the news, he left in a boat to a remote area to be alone.

L: The word of God for the people of God
P: Thanks be to God!


What is grief?

Today we are talking about grief. Grief is the emotional pain we experience and the process of mental, spiritual, and emotional changes we undergo whenever we lose something or someone of great value to us.

Grief is a universal experience that all of us will experience many times throughout life, if we live long enough. One of my favorite thinkers is my secretary, Malcolm Stewart. One day as we were working, Malcolm made a profound statement about grief that I have thought about many times, since he said it. He said, “If you live long enough, you will eventually have to let go of and say goodbye to everything and everyone dear to you.” And you know he’s right!

We might think of grief as the painful process of recovering from the loss of something important. The loss may be the loss of a home or job, the loss of a loved one or of our health. Whatever, the loss, grief is the painful process of recovering, or healing from the loss.

How many of you have ever had a painful injury to your body? How many of you who have know that sometimes the most painful part of an injury is when it begins to heal. Those nerves come out of shock and begin to come back on line. And as they do, they begin to realize that there has been a real injury, a real loss; and they begin to send signals to the brain informing it of how much damage has really been done.

When we first loose someone or something of significance to us, our minds have a way of shielding us from the full blow. In other words, our minds deal with only as much of it as they can without shutting down. But after the initial shock, the mind has to begin dealing with the loss, piece by piece until we have fully processed what has happened. That process is called grief. It is a healing process, but one that can be tremendously difficult.

One way in which some people deal with grief is through country music. Besides Blues music, country music is probably the best at articulating the pain of loss. Here are just a few real song titles of pieces dealing with loss.

[powerpoint put these up one at a time]

"How Can I Miss You If You Won't Go Away?"
"Drop Kick Me, Jesus, Through The Goalposts of Life"
"I Don't Know Whether to Kill Myself or Go Bowling"
"I Fell in a Pile of You, and Got Love All Over Me"
"I Flushed You From the Toilets of My Heart"
"I'm Just a Bug on the Windshield of Life"
"I'm So Miserable Without You, It's Like Having You Here"
"If You Don't Leave Me Alone, I'll God and Find Someone Else Who Will"
"Thank God and Greyhound She's Gone"

I. Decide to deal with it

The Scripture chosen for this morning topic was chosen with a great deal of care. I wanted to be clear about a number of things. First, God cares about us and the things that break our hearts. God is near to the broken hearted, and God himself knows what it is to grieve over loss. When the son of God became man he exposed himself to the entire human experience, including the experience of grieving. Few people were as close to Jesus as John the Baptist. When Jesus gets word that John has been put to death, he leaves the crowds and finds some time to be alone that he might deal with his grief.

Grief can be put off only so long before we too must deal with it. The process of healing after a major loss is painful. But the process of grief is how we recover and become whole again. The researcher Elisabeth Kübler-Ross in her 1969 book "On Death and Dying," describes a five stage model of the grief process. As we talk about it this morning, you need to know that not everyone experiences all five those stages. And of those who do experience them, not everyone experiences them the same way, or to the same degree, or necessarily in the same order. Kubler-Ross’ model is simply a tool for helping us to better understand grief and deal with better. Let’s look at the stages of grief and how they correspond to Biblical principles.

I. Denial - God has built into our brains a defense mechanism for helping us to not become overwhelmed by traumatic events. When a traumatic event first occurs, it is not unusual for some of what is happening not to sink in. In other words, the brain will simply not be able to deal with it all at once, and will seemingly take some of the information and set aside until later, dealing only with the amount of information we can take at that moment.

Thus when people experience a tremendous loss, it is not unusual for them to say to themselves, this is not happening, or to act as if the loss has not occurred. A person in denial says, “This can’t be happening to me.” Or, “I know their coming back.”

To experience denial is simply to experience the defense mechanism God has placed in our minds to keep a painful experience from fully shutting us down. But eventually, we have to face the facts of what has happened.

John 8:32 (New Living Translation)
32 And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
In quoting this verse, I want to be clear that I am not saying that the experience of denial is really the same as being dishonest or telling ourselves a lie. That is not what is happening in the denial stage. Our brains are simply shielding us from the full brunt of the loss. But at some point we have to look at the loss for what it is and only when we do can we begin experiencing the freedom of healing from our loss.


II. The second stage is Anger.
You know that the anger stage has started when you begin to say things like, “It’s not fair!” Or “Why did this have to happen to me?” Remember when we talked about anger a few weeks ago? Anger is the emotional response we have to discovering that something is wrong. When we have a painful loss, it is natural to experience it as something not being right. This is especially true of death. Now, let me make a clear distinction. Death may be normal but it is not natural.
For the Christian, death is not seen as something that is natural part of life. Look at Romans 8 or 1Corinthians 15. Death, for the Christian, is something foreign that came about as the result of creation being broken by sin. Death was and is not a part of God’s perfect will for his creation. Thus, when we experience death, we should not be surprised if we experience it as something that shouldn’t be. From a Biblical point of view, death should not be; and one day when Christ is revealed in his glory and the Kingdom arrives in all its splendor, death will be no more.
Revelation 21
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. 2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
3 I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them.[a] 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”
But for now death is the normal experience of humankind, something we will all have to face until Christ returns. And we should not be surprised if we experience a great deal of anger when facing it. But we have to be careful with anger because anger can really hurt our relationships to others. For example, if we lose a spouse, we have got to be really careful not expressing resentment and jealousy to those who still have their spouse. To get through this stage successfully, we need some strong folks around us who love us enough to help us deal with our anger. One of these is God. God can handle our anger and help us deal with it.

Psalm 22
For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be sung to the tune “Doe of the Dawn.”
1 My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far away when I groan for help?
Psalms like Psalm 22 are an invitation from God to bring our anger to Him trusting that he can help us work through it.

III. The third stage is bargaining.
Wikipedia’s description of this stage says, Psychologically, the person is saying, "I understand I will die, but if I could just have more time..." [1]
Example - "Just let me live to see my children graduate."; "I'll do anything for a few more years."; "I will give my life savings if..."



Luke 22
39 Then, accompanied by the disciples, Jesus left the upstairs room and went as usual to the Mount of Olives. 40 There he told them, “Pray that you will not give in to temptation.”
41 He walked away, about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, 42 “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” 43 Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened him. 44 He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood.[e]
45 At last he stood up again and returned to the disciples, only to find them asleep, exhausted from grief. 46 “Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation.”
When I said that becoming human, Jesus opened himself to the full experience of being human this included the experience of the deepest depths of grief. Though Jesus had come for the very purpose of facing the cross of Calvary, the human experience was that if it were at all possible, Jesus would have preferred to accomplished the work of salvation for us another way. Thus he asked his heavenly father to take away the cup if it was possible to do so and still save the world.
Unfortunately, this quickly leads to the fourth stage which is IV. Despair.
This is what the disciples were experiencing. Having wrestled with the grief of loosing Jesus as long as they could, they simply collapsed from physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion. When we get to this point in our working through grief we need to be surrounded by people who really love us, to have the support of a loving community or group of friends.
Now, I need to say a pastoral word here. In order for there to be those kinds of relationships around when you need them, you have to do some major investing into friendships and relationships to others. I’ve seen this over and over again throughout the years, people who are loners, or who are so caught up in their own life that they have no time or interest in building deep friendships with anyone else; and when their time of need comes, they are so surprised that no one is there for them. Please, make the decision to invest in others; not simply so you will have someone when you need them. Do it even if you knew that the people you are supporting will not be there to support you. Do it because it’s the right thing to do. But let me tell you, if you do, the chances are good that when you need someone, the people that you were there for, at least some of them will be there for you.
Galatians 6:2 says to “share each other’s burdens.” Why is this important? Because there are times when we just can’t make it on our own – grief is hard work. It takes a toll on us and leaves us flat. At times like this, we simply have to depend on other people.
V. The final stage is acceptance.
After struggling in prayer before his heavenly father, Jesus finally says, “Not my will but yours be done.” There comes a place at which we simply trust God, no matter what may come our way, and in doing so, find that He can be trusted.
I think that is why, in grief, so many Christians turn to the 23rd Psalm. I think that it is why it is read at so many Christian funerals. It isn’t read because by the time the funeral comes, we are already to place of acceptance. Sometimes that may be the case. But for many, by the time the funeral comes, we still haven’t gotten past denial. But the 23rd Psalm articulates that place of rest, that place of healing, that place of trust and acceptance that we know that God can bring us to.
Psalm 23
1The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

The Foreclosed Soul Part Three

The Foreclosed Soul: Part Three
“Climbing Out of Depression”

Rev. Dr. Eddie Bromley Grace Church 3 May 2008
Psalm 43:5; 1Kings 19:1-10
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Psalm 43:5

5 Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again— my Savior and my God!


1 Kings 19

Elijah Flees to Sinai
1 When Ahab got home, he told Jezebel everything Elijah had done, including the way he had killed all the prophets of Baal. 2 So Jezebel sent this message to Elijah: “May the gods strike me and even kill me if by this time tomorrow I have not killed you just as you killed them.”
3 Elijah was afraid and fled for his life. He went to Beersheba, a town in Judah, and he left his servant there. 4 Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day. He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died.”
5 Then he lay down and slept under the broom tree. But as he was sleeping, an angel touched him and told him, “Get up and eat!” 6 He looked around and there beside his head was some bread baked on hot stones and a jar of water! So he ate and drank and lay down again.
7 Then the angel of the Lord came again and touched him and said, “Get up and eat some more, or the journey ahead will be too much for you.”
8 So he got up and ate and drank, and the food gave him enough strength to travel forty days and forty nights to Mount Sinai,[a] the mountain of God. 9 There he came to a cave, where he spent the night.
The Lord Speaks to Elijah
But the Lord said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
10 Elijah replied, “I have zealously served the Lord God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.”

L: The word of God for the people of God.
P: Thanks be to God!
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The prophet Elijah lived at a time when the very heart and soul of God’s people was being contended for. A hostile, foreign presence had infiltrated the northern kingdom of Israel and was working insidiously to hijack the culture and to steal the faith and love of the people away from the Lord.

Elijah was the key leader, working to combat this menacing presence that was undermining the culture and faith of his people. And Elijah was no frail creature. He was mighty prophet and warrior for God. But even mighty men have limits. Just shortly after winning a decisive battle, Elijah found himself emotionally drained and unable to stand against the mounting forces assembling against him. Fleeing from the authorities, Elijah traveled to a deserted area, where he slumped might be merciful enough to let him die.

Elijah plummeted to the lowest depths of depression and did not know how to climb out of it. I wonder if have ever known the pain that Elijah felt that day?

“Lord Jesus Christ, you are for me medicine when I am sick; you are my strength when I need help; you are life itself when I fear death; you are the way when I long for heaven; you are light when all is dark; you are my food when I need nourishment.”-Ambrose of Milan (340-397)

What is depression?
Writing for Christianity Today, Kathryn Greene-McCreight says,

“Depression is not just sadness or sorrow. Depression is not just negative thinking. Depression is not just being ‘down.’ It’s [emotionally] walking barefoot on broken glass; the weight of one’s body grinding the glass in further with every movement…[One] cannot simply shrug it off or pull out of it.” –Kathryn Greene-McCreight.

Some experts estimate that nearly 1/5 of us will suffer from clinical depression sometime in our life and that at least that many show some signs of clinical depression at any given time. That means, as you look around this congregation this morning; if there are about 80-90 adults in attendance, it means that it is likely that 10-15 people here are having or have had some problems with depression. If you are one of these folks, please know that you are not alone in your struggle.

And contrary to the popular saying, we are not too blessed to be depressed. Whoever came up with that saying ought to be kicked. Depression is not sign that you lack faith or that God doesn’t love you. Depression is a result of either too much strain emotionally or a sign that we are biologically predisposed to being less able to handle routine emotional and mental stress.

If you are struggling with depression, or know someone who is, I want to say a number of things to you today. First, you are not a spiritual wimp for having these struggles. Being depressed does not make you an inferior Christian. Second, treating depression successfully includes a holistic approach, which includes, exercise, a healthy diet, a regular sleeping pattern, an intentional commitment to not avoiding friends, family, and other important relationships, prayer, and perhaps a talk with your family health provider. But what I want to offer today are some spiritual resources for this holistic approach. For these, let us turn to God’s word.

Romans 8

18 Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. 19 For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. 20 Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, 21 the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. 22 For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children,[j] including the new bodies he has promised us. 24 We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope[k] for it. 25 But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.)

The power of hope

If there has been a Biblical idea that has truly been watered down it is the Biblical idea of hope. Biblically speaking, hope is more than optimism, or the idea that everything in the end will somehow work out. It is also much more than wishful thinking. When my kids realize it is Friday, they begin hoping. They hope I’ll take them to the movies. They hope I will take them to the toy store. Some of you have been sitting around hoping a better job might come around, hoping that your checking account might balance itself, hoping that you marriage might get better by accident, hoping that all of these things might happen if you are just lucky enough. But all of this is not what the Bible means by hope. Hope is not making wishes. Hope is about what we really believe about the future. Hope, or the lack there of, about how we believe this story is going to be finished.

In Romans 8 Paul is addressing the hope of the resurrection, the belief that through Jesus, God is redeeming all of creation; the hope that life, not death, will have the final word in history. Hope is about what we believe God is capable of doing, about what we believe God is going to do.

Here is how hope and faith are related. Faith is about trust and the One we trust. Hope is about what we believe the One we trust is going to do.
In Romans 8 Paul is saying, despite the suffering of the present time, we do not believe that suffering will go on forever. In spite of the world’s brokenness, we do not believe creation will always be broken. In spite of all the wickedness of history, we do not believe that evil can trump goodness. Despite the emotional struggles some of are facing, we do not believe that we have to give up or forfeit our spiritual birthright of having a full, joyful, and abundant life. And we have this hope because of our faith in the One who conquered death and suffering on the cross and rose again to give us life eternal.

In 1 Thessalonians 4:13, Paul is talking about death and grieving and says, that we as Christians, “do not grieve as those who have no hope.” That is, Paul is not saying that we don’t hurt and cry and feel sad when a love one dies. He is just saying that as we put grandma, or dad, or little brother’s body in the ground, we don’t believe that that’s the end of them. We know that same body that went the ground will be called back to life when Jesus returns in all his glory. We don’t say I hope there’s a heaven, as some wishful bit of thinking. We know there is a heaven and so in hope we say, I know that dad, Aunt Sally, or little sister is now with Jesus.

The assurance of God’s presence.

In Hebrews 13:5 we hear repeated an Old Testament promise from God, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” This promise is not dependent upon us. It is not dependent upon how we feel. God has promised that he will stay by our side, no matter what. No matter how we feel or what we are going through, God has promised that we will never be asked to go through it alone. God is with us.

In his book The Pressure's Off, psychologist Larry Crabb uses a story from his childhood to illustrate our need to delight in God through adversity:
One Saturday afternoon, I decided I was a big boy and could use the bathroom without anyone's help. So I climbed the stairs, closed and locked the door behind me, and for the next few minutes felt very self-sufficient.
Then it was time to leave. I couldn't unlock the door. I tried with every ounce of my three-year-old strength, but I couldn't do it. I panicked. I felt again like a very little boy as the thought went through my head, "I might spend the rest of my life in this bathroom."
My parents—and likely the neighbors—heard my desperate scream.
"Are you okay?" Mother shouted through the door she couldn't open from the outside. "Did you fall? Have you hit your head?"
"I can't unlock the door!" I yelled. "Get me out of here!"
I wasn't aware of it right then, but Dad raced down the stairs, ran to the garage to find the ladder, hauled it off the hooks, and leaned it against the side of the house just beneath the bedroom window. With adult strength, he pried it open, then climbed into my prison, walked past me, and with that same strength, turned the lock and opened the door.
"Thanks, Dad," I said—and ran out to play.
That's how I thought the Christian life was supposed to work. When I get stuck in a tight place, I should do all I can to free myself. When I can't, I should pray. Then God shows up. He hears my cry—"Get me out of here! I want to play!"—and unlocks the door to the blessings I desire.
Sometimes he does. But now, no longer three years old and approaching sixty, I'm realizing the Christian life doesn't work that way. And I wonder, are any of us content with God? Do we even like him when he doesn't open the door we most want opened—when a marriage doesn't heal, when rebellious kids still rebel, when friends betray, when financial reverses threaten our comfortable way of life, when the prospect of terrorism looms, when health worsens despite much prayer, when loneliness intensifies and depression deepens, when ministries die?
God has climbed through the small window into my dark room. But he doesn't walk by me to turn the lock that I couldn't budge. Instead, he sits down on the bathroom floor and says, "Come sit with me!" He seems to think that climbing into the room to be with me matters more than letting me out to play.
I don't always see it that way. "Get me out of here!" I scream. "If you love me, unlock the door!"
Dear friend, the choice is ours. Either we can keep asking him to give us what we think will make us happy—to escape our dark room and run to the playground of blessings—or we can accept his invitation to sit with him, for now, perhaps, in darkness, and to seize the opportunity to know him better and represent him well in this difficult world.
Larry Crabb, The Pressure's Off (WaterBrook Press, 2002); pp. 222-223; submitted by John Beukema, Chambersburg, Pennsylvania

Memorial Day 2009

I would like to begin today with a rather extensive quote from former president Herbert Hoover, who talking about George Washington and the troops he commanded as they spent the winter at Valley Forge, said this of these men:
George Washington and his men at any moment could have surrendered their ideas to the widespread spirit of despair and discouragement. They could have abandoned their claims to freedom. They could have deserted their hopes and forsaken their faith.
[At Valley Forge] Washington and his little band of hungry and almost naked patriots kept alive the spark of liberty in the world. They met…the deepest crisis of the Revolution, with steadfast fortitude; they conserved their strength; they husbanded their resources, they seized the opportunity which, with the turn of the tide, led on to victory. It was a triumph of character and idealism. Here was one of those moral victories that are the glory of the human race… It is this spirit which has made po0ssible the success of our great democratic experiment….
This peculiar significance of Valley Forge should strike with especial force in this particular moment of our national life. To each and every one of us it is an hour of unusual stress and trial. The nation is beset with difficulties and confusion. ..
Many have doubt and grave concern for the future. But no one who reviews the past and realizes the vast strength of our people can doubt that this, like a score of similar experiences in our history, is a passing trial. From this knowledge must come the courage and wisdom to improve and strengthen us for the future.
This speech was given by the former president on Washington’s birthday in 1958. But who among us can deny the relevance and the power of the words for our contemporary situation? Our nation struggles with division within, a sagging economy, and determined enemies abroad. But as we remember the men and women who gave their lives for our freedom, let us have no doubt that the toughest trials we face today can be overcome with victory, if we but hold on to our faith with courage, and be willing to pay whatever price is required that the light of liberty is not lost in our generation.

We remember this Memorial day those who fought the good fight in past generations, while thanking the men and women who fight it in our generation. And as the great men and women are memorialized this day, how can we do anything less than give all that is called for from us, that America may remain the Land of Liberty.