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TITLE: Loneliness

Introduction:

  1. Ancient Mariner - “Alone, all, all alone, Alone on a wide, wide sea: And never a saint takes pit on my soul in agony.”

  2. Milton - “Loneliness is the first thing that God's eye named not good.”

  3. Genesis 2:18 – not good for man to be alone

  4. Job felt abandoned – Job 19:13-19

  5. Elijah felt alone against Jezebel – 1 Kings 19

  6. Jeremiah felt alone in Egypt – Jeremiah 9:1-6

  7. Moses, Jonah, Christ, Paul, Man a pool of Bethesda

Who is Lonely?

  1. All of us have felt lonely at some time in our lives.

  2. Death, divorce, separation from family, lack of communication = causes of loneliness

  3. Those who have been mistreated (abused, raped, assaulted) are not willing to trust others – and will feel alone.

  4. In America last night 22% ate – alone.

  5. 23 million American adults life alone

  6. It hits us all at times

    1. Children – parents work, divorce, abandoned

    2. Teens – not kids, not adults – adolescents are often lonely

    3. College – separation from parents, family, friends

    4. Newly married – new relationships must be formed

    5. Parents – empty nest – children grow up and move to other states

    6. Seniors – loss of friends, family, spouse

What effects can loneliness have on us?

  1. Withdraw – We are lonely, we shut out the world, become depressed

  2. Overactive – to compensate, we take on every activity we can

  3. Develop harmful habits – alcohol, drugs, overeating

How can we cope with loneliness?

  1. Seek to overcome it. We must fight this battle from the inside.

  2. Proverbs 18:24 – To have friends, must show himself friendly

  3. Take some action – outside our comfort zone:

    1. Pick up the phone and call someone

    2. Write a letter to a long lost friend

    3. Go see a family from church

    4. Have a “party” at your home

  4. Turn your loneliness into solitude – study, pray, read, write, play piano

Conclusion:

  1. Loneliness can be a dragon that kills our joy, purpose, contentment

  2. We must learn to be comfortable around ourselves

  3. We must look to the needs of others – not self-centered focus

 

Outline from a tract - “Lonely?” by Allen Webster



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