Carol Swenson
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Sermon Outlines for Growing Christians
Living with Loneliness
John 16:32
Introduction
We all know what it is like to feel lonely. Loneliness is Friday night with nowhere to go, eating lunch by yourself, saying “no” when everyone else is saying “yes,” having no one to talk to, having the sole responsibility for making an important decision, losing a loved one.
The Bible even portrays Hell as a form of loneliness, as eternal separation from God.
Jesus can help us meet and manage the threat and pain that loneliness can bring to our lives.
I. Jesus understands our loneliness—“You will leave me alone … ”
A. Jesus witnessed the loneliness of others. During His earthly ministry He saw it in the eyes of lepers, heard it in the voices of the blind, and felt it in the touch of the pressing masses.
B. But even further, as our texts reminds us, Jesus Himself was left alone.
1. We do not usually think of Jesus as being alone. We see Him in crowed streets, teaching with multitudes before Him.
2. But we also need to see Him in Gethsemane in prayer, on trial before Pilate, climbing the hill of Calvary. The loneliness of leadership, of not being understood, of being abandoned and rejected—He knew them all.
II. Jesus teaches us the true meaning of loneliness—“You will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone … ”
A. We commonly associate loneliness with isolation. Yet, in this text Jesus distinguishes between the two.
1. We often surround ourselves with crowds to keep from being lonely. But, in reality, crowds can be very lonely places.
2. By the same token, isolation does not necessarily result in loneliness.
B. For the spiritually healthy, solitude provides an occasion to cultivate our relationship with God.
1. Jesus sought the solitude of the desert and the garden to meditate upon the will of God for his life.
2. Paul received revelations in the desert of Arabia.
3. Many saints through the ages have cherished their solitary moments for the opportunities they present to reflect on spiritual things.
C. Why then is the pain of being alone so great for so many people?
1. Is it because of the emotional pain we associate with rejection?
2. Or is it because of the company it leaves us with?
III. Jesus shows us the way to live with loneliness—“ … for the Father is with me.”
A. We, like Jesus, can live with loneliness by abiding in the presence of the Father.
1. By faith, Jesus knew God was with Him even though all others might abandon Him.
2. He promises His own continued presence for those who go forth to serve Him (Matthew 28:20).
B. We can also live with loneliness by sharing in the fellowship of the believing community (Matthew 18:20).
1. The abiding presence of Christ is actualized in the corporate worship of the church. He is there in His word, at His table.
2. The abiding presence of Christ is enjoyed in our personal interaction with those in whose lives the Spirit of Christ dwells.
Conclusion
When the church is what it should be, loving as it should love, ministering as it should minister, there should never be a lonely person in it.
Illustration
Some years ago in the city of Atlanta there was a news report circulated about two lonely women. One of them had spent $35,000 on dancing lessons just so she could be close to someone. The other, though perfectly healthy, went around town in a wheelchair with hope that someone would come along and offer to push her.
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