The way of To cope when the World falls Apart

Intro

Niavety is a terrible affliction. A niaeve person is a crises waiting to happen, they are a ticking time bomb mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

A person who is niave is a person who has an incorrect view or understanding of the world. They live in a delusion, in a lie.

This is not neccessery theiur fault, often the way people are raised plays in huge role.

I remeber reading about a young woman, in her 20’s who was told that all people are good and kind. She truly believed this, and when she left the shelter of her parents, what she found was the most people are cruel, mean, spiteful and petty.

This may not sound like a big deral, but her whole world came crashing down at this, because the world she believed existed and she lived in was a lie. Depression followed her around for years as a rewsult.

I am sad to say, but many people, many christians are niave about life.

Probibly the most common niave delusion that is around today cxan be summerised as follows:

“The purpose of life is to be happy, and life should be easy”.

I think most epople truly believe this. Most wopuld would amen this.

But, the reality is that this is simply not true. Its not true at all.

Why would people believe this?

What would make people niave enbough to think this?

I can thing of 2 big reasons.

1: TV and social media. Tv and social media have spoend decades telling us what life is supposed to look like.

Movies tell us that that in the end the girl always gets the guy.

It tells us that the criminal always gets caught.

It tells us that justice always gets done and happy endings always happen.

Everything is going to work out.

And the reality: You dont get the girl, criminals get away all the time, the doctor does not always save the day while music plays in the background and often, things dont work out.

Derpressing, but reality.

Another reson for niavity is the historical cycle of times of hardship and times of prosperity.

This cycle can be transced back through all human history even to the Word of God.

When a good and godly king was on Israels throne, the whole nations enjoyed times of peace and prosperity. But when an evil, ungodly man was on the throne the whole nations suffered.

Now unless you know and are taught about this cycle, those who are born and rasied under a good king may be disalusioned to believe that peace and prosperity are the norm, but of course, they are not.

You and I are living at the end of a time of peace and prosperity.

In the late 1930’s and early 1940’s, a truly selfless, noble and sacrificial generations rose up and defected a terrible evil.

It was, by and large, that same selfless generation that was tasked to rebuild the world, and by and large the world they rebuilt was good, just and fair.

Most of us have lived our entire lives in that world, in relativce peace and prosperity.

However, times change, and the world is no lon ger in the handfs of selfless men, but rather in the hands of the selfish.

And that time of prosperity has come to an end.

And if you, not knowing history, have believed that peace and prosperity is the norm, then you are niave im afraid.

Niavety is simply believing a lie my friends and the solution to lies is truth.

John 8:32 ESV

32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

So what is the truth?

What is the world and life really like?

1: The world is fallen and under God’s curse.

Genesis 3:17 ESV

17 And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;

Central to this fall and curse is the presence and reality of death.

death reigns over fallen humanity. We will die, money, fame, power, influence, nothing can change that.

A stricking passage in the bible is right afer Adam and Eve;s fall, God records their family history and look how God drives the point home:

Genesis 5:4–14 ESV

4 The days of Adam after he fathered Seth were 800 years; and he had other sons and daughters. 5 Thus all the days that Adam lived were 930 years, and he died. 6 When Seth had lived 105 years, he fathered Enosh. 7 Seth lived after he fathered Enosh 807 years and had other sons and daughters. 8 Thus all the days of Seth were 912 years, and he died. 9 When Enosh had lived 90 years, he fathered Kenan. 10 Enosh lived after he fathered Kenan 815 years and had other sons and daughters. 11 Thus all the days of Enosh were 905 years, and he died. 12 When Kenan had lived 70 years, he fathered Mahalalel. 13 Kenan lived after he fathered Mahalalel 840 years and had other sons and daughters. 14 Thus all the days of Kenan were 910 years, and he died.

I can go on but i think you see God’s point.

You will die, your parents will die and your children will die. You may hope you die before them, but God gives us no such promise.

In your life you will know loss and heartbreack.

2: Humanity is wicked and hostile to God.

Romans 3:9–18 ESV

9 What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, 10 as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; 11 no one understands; no one seeks for God. 12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” 13 “Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” 14 “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” 15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood; 16 in their paths are ruin and misery, 17 and the way of peace they have not known.” 18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

This is not a discription of murders, terrorits or some other people, this is a description of all humanity.

Criminals, violent men and law breackers are offered more protection than those who are innocent.

Abortion is seen as as health care, not very healthy to the baby. Homosexuality is just a lifestyle and pedophillia is just a mental health problem.

Liars are just misunderstood, addcits are just victims and theves are just poor people looking to buy food.

Isaiah 5:20 ESV

20 Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!

3: Voilance is rampant in the human heart.

Genesis 4:8 ESV

8 Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.

The effcts of sin are immediet and clear: Violance and hate are in the human heart.

People will hate you. Even if you have done nothing to them, they will find a reason to hate you. They will be jelous of you and hate you, they will hate you because you are a man or a woman, they will hate you because of the colouyr of your skin, and they will hate you because you are a christian.

John 15:18 ESV

18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.

and finally:

4: Life is Hard

Part of the curse is:

Genesis 3:17–19 ESV

17 And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; 18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. 19 By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

We will work our fingers to the bone. We will sweat and we will labour.

Even Jesus himself told us:

John 16:33 ESV

33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

We will sow, but the rians will not come. We will reap but the cancer worm will devour. We will expect a harvet but the lo cuts will sawrm and rob us.

This is the reality of life.

Depressing

Now you might ,not like this, but its reality. This is how the world is.

Its not God’s fault, He made it perfect. Sin did this. And you may very well conclude that if this is truew, then life is depressing.

And you would be 100% correct. Life is suffering.

This is exacally what the writer of Ecclesiatis concluded about life as well.

Ecclesiastes 1:1–11 ESV

1 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. 2 Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity. 3 What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun? 4 A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever. 5 The sun rises, and the sun goes down, and hastens to the place where it rises. 6 The wind blows to the south and goes around to the north; around and around goes the wind, and on its circuits the wind returns. 7 All streams run to the sea, but the sea is not full; to the place where the streams flow, there they flow again. 8 All things are full of weariness; a man cannot utter it; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. 9 What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. 10 Is there a thing of which it is said, “See, this is new”? It has been already in the ages before us. 11 There is no remembrance of former things, nor will there be any remembrance of later things yet to be among those who come after.

How does this help?

How does this help you? Well in once sence it does not really help you but in another it solves the mystery.

Knwoing that creation is fallen, knowing than humanity is wicked, knowing that death rules and knowing that life is hard - knowing thses things to be true may be depressing but at least you are not niaeve and life makes more sense.

The voilence, corruption and sensless murder of innocmet people makes sense.

Sickness, deasese, cancer, cobvid 19, they make sense.

Being betrayed, lied about and stolen from make sense.

As i said, you may be properly depressed but at least you are not niave.

Solution.

So is there any hope in this meaningless, hard life?

Of course! And the solution to life is not niaevity, the solution is the Nativity - ie: Its Jesus.

In this hard, difficult life Jesus said:

John 10:10 ESV

10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

Every harsh reality of life is “redeemed” by Jesus for those who love him.

Jesus takes this bleak reality and transformes it into a life of Joy, peace and Hope.

How?

1: He removed the curse.

Genesis tells us that as a result of sin, God’s curse was proncounced. But because Jesus:

Galatians 3:13 ESV

13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—

As we saw part of that curse was that death rules and everyone who was born died and death took away those whom we loved and cared for.

Jesus has solved that.

2 Timothy 1:10 ESV

10 and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,

Now because of Jesus:

John 11:25 ESV

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,

Jesus paid trhe price for us sins and took the death penalty on our behalf. Yet our mortal bodies will still expire but then we inheart a glorified body to live with in Heaven for all etenity.

We will still miss our departed loved ones but we know they are safe in the arms of Jesus and we shall see them again when we are promoted to glory.

2: Jesus redeemed our hearts and brings peace with God.

we saw how humanity is wicked and hates God.

Jesus tranbsformes us into his image and gives us a love for God.

Ezekiel 36:26 ESV

26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

He gives us a new heart, a heart that delights in good and hates what is evil.

And instead of lusting after evil, now we hunger and thirast for righteousness.

3: Jesus puts love in Hearts

No one can transform a human being like Jesus can.

Paul is a prime example.

Before he was the Apostle Paul, he was known as murderous Saul.

A man feared by christians, locking them up, tourtering them, killing them.

Acts 8:1 ESV

1 And Saul approved of his execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.

Saul was a man of voilance and hatred.

But after Jesus touched him, he was no longer Saul, he was Paul, a man of such love and compassion that he gladly gave his life for Jesus.

A man who would weep regulary for the church and christians in distressed.

A man who emmdured beatings, stoneing and prison all out of love.

Jesus can take a racist and was the evil ut of his or her eyes so they see the in each person the value of a a human created in the image of God.

Jesus can take your sexism, flush it out of your herart and see a huiman being who needs the love of Jesus and not discrimination.

Galatians 3:28 ESV

28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

4: Jesus makes life sweet.

Life is hard but does Jesus make life easier?

That is a tricky question to answer because the the answer is both no and yes.

Here is how it works.

Imagine life as a road, but a bad road, full of potholes, gravel, dips, hill and obsticals.

Now if i try to drive that road in my little Hyndaie i20 it will be a nightmarem, i would struggle and battle and get stuck.

Now i may be tempted to ask Jesus to fix the road so that it would be easier, but thats not what he does. The road stays the same. What he does if upgrade my car, to a 4x4 with off road tyers and high suspension.

The road is just as hard, but i now am more equippoed to face it.

Thats what Jesus does with us.

He does not make life any easier, but He supplies us with the grace we need to be more than conquers.

Jesus supplies and equops us with strength, hope, courage, peace, joy, patience - everything we need to live Godly lives is given to us by Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 1:3 ESV

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,

Conclusion

The last year has shocked many people. Confused more and wrecked countless.

Life is hard. People are cruel.

But dispite all this: God is Good.