Biggie Smalls "Suicidal Thoughts" examined by Pastor
warning possibly explicit content due to lyrics of the song mentioned
Welcome to reformed Ex-mormon, a channel that is meant to Glorify God, edify the saints, and call sinners to the cross. Today we are examining the song; suicidal thoughts by Biggie Smalls. If you are considering suicide today I would plead with you to come to Christ and enter His rest, for His yoke is easy and His burden is light. Cast you burdens and anxieties to the cross and be saved today. If you are needing to talk with someone I would encourage you to be planted in a local solid church, seek fellowship amongst believers, and reach out to the suicide prevention lifeline (800) 273-8255.
God bless and go in peace.
Transcript
Hi there, welcome to Reformed ex -Mormon. I'm Pastor Brayden. I hope you're having a blessed and wonderful day today
We're gonna be doing something a little bit different today. This YouTube channel is meant for glorifying
God Edifying the Saints those that profess Christ as Lord and also for calling sinners to repentance and in all those things
We often look at scripture examine those type of type of things and we also look at what's going on in the world today
And examine it in light of scripture. So that's what we're doing today something a little bit different here recently
I was scrolling through Facebook as you normally would and I came upon a song that I haven't listened to in a long long time and That song is called suicidal thoughts by Biggie Smalls and this
Facebook post that had it in there It said that Biggie had some of the realest bars and it played some of that that song
Suicidal thoughts and so we're gonna examine that today. We're gonna look into those things. And so right here right now
I would warn the listeners that we're gonna be talking about some serious content some possibly explicit language and Just that that language there
So if that's something that you would not like to hear I would encourage you to click away from this video But I will do my best and we talk about these things to substitute some of those words with some more friendly words
But trying not to change the message of Biggie Smalls song in here so a little bit of history about myself
I Before I was born again before I was converted and became a Christian. I really enjoyed listening to Biggie I loved listening to Tupac Tupac was my favorite.
I Enjoyed listening to Andre Nicotina Ice tea ice cube 50 cent some of these these well -known rappers in the last 30 or so years
I really enjoyed listening to and and today I still enjoy listening to rap I don't listen to secular stuff anymore.
I like to listen to stuff that comes from wrath and grace music or a lamp mode something along the lines of Shailene Bizzle cycle those kind of Stephen the
Levite those kind of artists. I really really enjoy listening to today Because I enjoy listening to the the type of music that is rap
I just don't enjoy some of the the cultural things anymore today with using
Explicit words But today what we're gonna be doing, like I said, we're gonna be looking into this song by Biggie Smalls suicidal thoughts
I'm gonna be reading about half of this song in here talking through some of those things and Looking at it in light of Scripture.
Now. You might ask yourself doesn't the Bible say in Matthew chapter 7 verse 1 do not judge
And yes, it does say that but in the context of it. It's talking about being a hypocritical
Unrighteous judge and that is the last thing I want to be doing today In fact in John chapter 7 verse 24, it says that we are to judge
Righteously, we're to actually be a judge, but we should be a righteous judge. And so how are we to be a righteous judge?
well, we need to compare things and Compare what people are doing to the ultimate standard, which is the
Word of God my authority Which is the 66 books of the Bible. And so that is what we're gonna be judging today's
Video with this this this song of Biggie Smalls, and I would also say before we jump into this if you today are considering suicide
I Would encourage you I would plead with you to repent and believe in the gospel come unto
Christ and enter into his rest Because Jesus is rest His yoke when you you come to Christ his yoke is easy and as a burden as light
So if you have anxieties and burdens and sin, that's weighing you down as it does I would plead with you to cast those things to the cross of Calvary Come unto
Christ have a newness of life in him and cast all those worries away I would encourage you to be planted in a solid local church today
Seek fellowship amongst believers and discipleship alongside them And then
I would also encourage you that if you have no one to talk with to reach out to the suicide hotline prevention
Number and I have that listed down below in the in the car in the description So please go there if you are considering any of anything along those lines of harming yourself or another
So let's let's go ahead and jump into this. Like I said, it was a video I found on Facebook I'm gonna have these lyrics in here and the song starts out with P.
Diddy receiving a phone call from from Biggie Smalls and in in here Biggie expresses some things that are going on in his life in this song in this artistic music that he has here and Let's just go ahead and read it and then we'll go ahead and get some thoughts on it afterwards
So like I said starts out with this phone call and Biggie says in there When I die or doing so it says in here doing
So when I die screw it, I want to go to hell because I'm a piece of crap.
It isn't hard to tell Doesn't make sense going to heaven with the goody -goods dressed in white.
I like black Tim's and black hoodies God would probably have me on some real
Strict crap and then once again, I'm changing these these words a little bit to make it a little bit more piable for a
YouTube video But it then goes on to say no no sleeping all day He would say some explicit words here
And then he goes on to say hanging with the goody -goods lounging in paradise screw that crap I want to tote guns and shoot dice all my life.
I've been considered the worst Lying to my mother and even stealing out of her purse
Crime after crime from drugs to extortion. I know my mother wishes. She'd gotten a
Effing abortion. I wonder if I die with tears come to her eyes
Forgive me for my disrespect. Forgive me for my lies Biggie would go on in this this song.
He would go on to talk about how Different ways that he could kill himself shooting himself in the head cutting his wrists
He talks about how he has cheated on his girlfriend house He's had premarital sex and how he has a
Buddha head of this false idol that he has and he's then says
So then after he talks about those different ways that he would kill himself you end up hearing himself Hearing a gunshot in the background of this phone call along with a heartbeat that slowly dims out and fades out
Insinuating that the phone caller the person that's made this phone call has Killed himself or herself and in this context.
He's speaking about himself. So Biggie Biggie Smalls, his real name is Christopher Christopher Wallace.
He died on March 9th in 1997 and a drive -by shooting Which is a terrible way to die and so like I said we're gonna be looking at this in light of scripture and comparing it with what the
Word of God has to say and Before we we jump into right doing that I would say that this song on an unbiased view of this this this
Biggie Smalls was a was an expert artist. He really could utilize rhythm and beat and tone and Even in this context
He had a message that he was getting across in the song and he does so in a very skillful and masterful way
That he works his way through this beat with these lyrics keeping on on key with the the tone of the song and to that Biggie Smalls was created in the image of God.
He had a wonderful mind a creative mind to work through these things The tone of the song though is quite terrible and we're gonna examine some of those things and so he starts off By saying that when he dies
He doesn't want to go to heaven But he actually wants to go to hell and the reasoning that he wants to do this is because he doesn't want to hang
With the goody -goods, but instead he would rather be in hell Doing explicit evil things that he thinks he'll be doing and that he likes these black
Tim's and black hoodies and that Comparative to heaven God would probably have him doing some really strict
Legalistic kind of stuff that he doesn't like that He wouldn't want to be a part of and that he doesn't want to be lounging in paradise
But that he'd rather be in hell having guns and shooting dice And he goes on to talk about how he considers himself the worst and uses examples such as lying and stealing from his mother's purse
That he's done different kinds of crimes like using drugs and extortion he then accuses his mother of Wishing that she would have gotten an abortion so that that he would be better off not have living at all
And then he goes on to ask for forgiveness for his disrespect and for his lies He does not say who he's asking for forgiveness from in this song, but that he's just saying forgive me for my lies
And for my disrespect is what biggie says in here And so like I said the tone of this song is is one that is very sad.
It's one that is Coming from biggie understanding who he is and so let's let's compare this in light of scripture
And so we we have this ultimate standard that we are to judge ourselves and others with and that's the
Ten Commandments Of God and so I just wrote out here a couple things that I see in these lyrics
There's no doubt that biggie smalls breaks all ten of these commandments in James chapter 2 10
It says for if you've broken the least of these commandments my brethren you are guilty of them all so we see that every individual that has broken just a single letter of the law is
Guilty of all ten commandments and therefore have fallen short of the glory of God and we'll get into this a little bit later
But looking at this Like I said biggie mentions having a
Buddha head this this this false idol And so that would be the first of the Ten Commandments. He would break
Thou shalt not have any other gods before me He talks about that Buddha head that you shall that you shall have no
Grevin images once again He's broken that by saying that he has this Buddha So he's broken two of the commandments right there the first and the second
It then says in the the third of the Ten Commandments It says that you shall not take the Lord's name in vain in this song
He's talks about how God would probably have me on some real strict crap Biggie often in his songs and then even in this song
Does that he takes the Lord's name in vain? And so that is a very serious thing that it means that he's blaspheming the name of God So he's he's breaking the third commandment with this
The fifth commandment says that you shall honor your mother and your father your father and your mother
When he talks in this song, he very clearly dishonors his mom by saying that She wishes that she would have gotten an abortion and why
I'm not biggie smalls mom everything that I've ever seen that has to do with With Christopher's mom is one that shows her as caring
Not insinuating anything like that. And so you say that he absolutely broke this with saying something like that But he also broke this that when we act in disrespect in this song even itself
We are disrespecting our parents. And so he's broken this commandment the fifth commandment and then says
In in the sixth commandment thou shall not kill He's speaking about committing suicide murdering himself in this the sinful way
He talks about how you would rather have guns and being with God and he's in he's talking Very much.
So about this murder type mentality that he has and so in the New Testament Jesus says that if you hate someone in your heart you have committed murder in your heart.
And so there we have Biggie violating the sixth commandment It would then go on to say in the song that he
Is having this premarital sex that he has a baby mama that he's cheating on his girlfriend
This is fornication and in the New Testament Likewise, Jesus says that anybody that looks with lust in their heart a woman has committed adultery with her in his
Heart and so Biggie Smalls according to Jesus has broken and violated the seventh commandment now shall not commit adultery
And in the eighth of the Ten Commandments it says that you shall not steal and that Biggie very clearly admits to stealing from his mother's purse once again breaking
Commandment five and commandment eight. He is now considered a thief and he even talks about extortion
Here and here. He also talks about how he's lying to his mom once again dishonoring his parents and also
Becoming a liar So he's a thief and a liar according to his own admission. And so without me and judging hypocritically but going off of the words
Himself and in the song suicidal thoughts. It's very clear that that Biggie has violated the
Ten Commandments many of them I think we have the the first commandment the second commandment third the fifth
The sixth the seventh the eighth and the ninth and no doubt he is violated all ten
But just from looking at this superficially and quickly there's been many that he's violated that we can clearly see so like I said according to James 2 chapter 10
Biggie is Violated all the commandments and there's a there's a lyric in here that I would like to address
He says that he he calls those that are in heaven the goody -goods I think that this is a misrepresentation coming from a non
Christians perspective of the Christian Though we could look at something like this and say
Biggie Smalls was a evil sinful human being I would be quick to say I am far worse than Biggie Smalls that I am
Just as sinful as he and I would even consider myself to be more sinful And so I want this video to show that that I'm being humble in this this this approach that I have the same standard to be held by these
Ten Commandments that Biggie Smalls to is going to be held guilty and accountable of and so I think
I have violated all Ten Commandments James 2 10 very clearly, I know that I've violated at least one of them and therefore
I'm guilty of all ten and Romans 3 10 says for there is none righteous.
No not one None are righteous. And so many non
Christians Accused the Christian of being self -righteous that they are having this holier -than -thou
Complex and to the Christian if you were acting like you were better than the non
Christians You need to stop you need to repent from doing that you are being prideful and that is wrong to be doing
We are to realize that we are just as sinful as everyone else that we're all underneath this this
Tremendous weight of sin from breaking God's law. And so I do not consider myself to be a goody -good
By any means I'm a baddy bad in that way that I I am deserving of hell
We would also see in here that that Biggie Smalls Depicts hell and as being a place where he gets to do what he wants
And that is that is so far from the truth in John chapter 15 It talks about how those that are not abiding in the vine
Jesus Christ that are not in him They will be cast into everlasting fire
We would also see that in the parable the rich man Lazarus that this place of torment is not somewhere that we want to be
That it's not somewhere that we just get to choose to want to do X Y & Z in this place
That's not what hell this is not what what? Punishment and torment is going to be like it is not what it is currently like it's a place of suffering
It's a place of God pouring his righteous wrath out upon a sinner who is willingly disobeyed the one and only triune
God of all Creation and it is therefore since he is eternal. He has an eternal punishment for breaking his eternal
Law and so we would say that Biggie is absolutely according to the song broken
That eternal law of God and therefore would stand condemned unless he be covered by the righteousness of Jesus Christ And so the the
Christian would say that I'm not a goody -good that that in fact in first Timothy 1 15
Paul himself says I am the chief of sinners That that Paul understood himself to be a sinful human being and in flip in fact
Philippians chapter 3 Paul talks about all the ways that he was righteous before being saved and he considers all those self -righteousness is not as Dumb as this filth
Something that he would never boast in Anymore, and so the
Christians responses is is that no, I am NOT a goody -good So looking at something like this
It like I said, you can see the artistic talent of Biggie Smalls in this song but you can see a sinner writing about his own sin and glorifying that which is evil wrong and Against God's holiness against God's law and that's quite worrying
Like I said, Biggie Smalls didn't die from suicide He was shot in a drive -by shooting on March 9th in 1997
And I ultimately I don't know if Biggie Smalls in the final seconds of his life
Accepted Jesus Christ and repented and believed in the gospel Nor do I know that he he died uncovered in in his sins but this is a guarantee in an exhortation that I would say coming from a
Christian perspective on Somebody like Biggie Smalls or even somebody like myself If you go before the throne of God and when you die and you take your final breath and your spirit
Separates from your flesh and you are before God on his throne being our judge if you try to use your own works your own means of Salvation as a way to justify yourself you will stand eternally condemned before and holy
Just God he will cast judgment upon you. He'll cast you'll cast you into a place of torment
Where you will feel the full wrath of this holy God that we're talking about being poured out upon you rightfully so for you have violated the
Word of God and and since Looking at the fruits of this song.
It's sad. It really really is I'm gonna read a
Bible verse here from Matthew chapter 10 or Matthew chapter 11, excuse me in verses 28 through 30
It says in here come to me all who are weary and heavy laden
I will give you rest take my yoke upon you and Learn from me for I am gentle and humble in heart and you shall find rest for your souls
Like I said, this song is titled suicidal thoughts for a reason You will find a rest for your souls in Jesus Christ and nowhere else
No one else and in verse 30 it goes on to say this for my yoke is easy
And my load is light. My burden is light it's easy this this this this coming unto
Christ is one that is entering into a state of rest and Therefore when you've entered into the rest you you see and realize this sin even more
So than what you did when you were unconverted But when you're converted you're born again, you realize your filth
But you also acknowledge the righteousness of Jesus Christ that has covered you
You acknowledge being in that rest of Jesus Christ and and now it's no longer you who live but who
Christ who has Died upon a cursed tree. It is now him who lives in you
I would also like to read from Ephesians chapter 2 We're gonna read verses 1 through 9 in here as I think this is really pertinent for looking at a song like this
Comparing it to Biggie Smalls during this time that he wrote the song and also to anybody that is unconverted it says in verse 1 and you were dead in your transgressions and Sins once again
According to God's law. We fall short of his glory and because we have violated that law and we're sinners
We are dead in our sins and trespasses it goes on to say in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world according to the prince of The power of the air of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience
Among them we to all formally live now pay close attention to what Paul just said in there in verse 2 again in which you formally walked formerly walked
According to the course of this world and in verse 3 it says among them we to all
Formally live so in the past we lived like this in the lust of our flesh
Indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind and we're by nature children of wrath
Even as the rest and so we all when we were born physically
We were all underneath Adam being our federal head and because of this we are children of wrath dead in our sins continually blaspheming
God Continually forsaking that God that is keeping us alive that is giving us breath
We are continually forsaking him and violating his law It's important to remember this sin this this this reality that that you and I are evil
In our core and in our in our original nature. We are evil But it then goes on to say in verse 4 this beautiful but God being rich in Mercy, it does not say man being rich in mercy, but God Being rich in mercy because he loved
With which he because he because of his love with which he loved us
Even when we were dead in our transgressions Made us alive together with Christ by grace
You have been saved so even when we were dead in our sins and transgressions. We've been made alive in Christ And it says and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus in order that in the ages to come he might show us the surpassing riches of His grace and kindness towards us in Christ Jesus For by grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves
It is a gift. It is the gift of God and it says that this gift is not as a result of works that no one should boast if you are watching this video and you are currently a follower and lover of rappers and the world like Biggie Smalls and you are not liking it in the superficial way, but that you were in immersed in this kind of a language and fruit producing this this poisonous fruit producing violating
God's law of work That we see here in in Biggie Smalls song suicidal thoughts if you are a part of that kind of culture
According to this text and other ones that I've talked about and quoted from you are dead in your sins
You are still a child of wrath. I Am far worse than you
But I have come to Jesus Christ Christ has drawn me to himself and he has placed me in his rest
And so like I said, if you are watching this currently in an unconverted way I would encourage you run to the cross of Christ find joy there and there alone and Repent and forsake and leave and this
Depart completely from your former life For you will die one day
And you will stand before a holy God Unjustified if you have not cast yourself upon the rock that saves
Jesus Christ And if you do this He will make you alive together with Christ and it says here in this text that Christ lives in the heavenly
Places right now and that when you have faith in him you have been raised with him in that heavenly place
You are no longer of this world, but you are of Christ You are in Christ and his rest and that is by grace through faith that it is the gift of God that has saved us
So though while I look at Biggie Smalls song and I examine it and I realize that there's this
Artistic expression that is taking place here. I see this song though It be made by image bearer of God in this artistic manner
It is blaspheming the very God that has given him breath to breathe
It is blaspheming God with the very vocal chords that he was blessed with and if you are a lover of this song
You are using the very mind God has given you to worship a man rather than the
Creator and Therefore you are under sin just as Biggie Smalls was just as I am like I said,
I don't know where Biggie Smalls died up with placing his faith and it's not for me to Contemplate those things as I hope he would repent and have had faith in Jesus Christ But if at the time of his last breath, he did not do so He is standing eternally condemned before a holy and just triune
God in in this place of torment today and so If you are currently
Unconverted not born again not placing your faith in Jesus Christ alone for your salvation turn to him today have faith in him be saved and All your anxieties and worries and burdens those things that might even make you consider suicide
Cast those things to the cross of Christ for it is finished The debt has been paid in full
Christ stood in the place of sinners so that the sinner could stand in the place of God as Christ is seen before God his righteousness has now covered you and If you are a
Christian watching this I would encourage you to look into songs like this and exhort your friends and family that love these kind of things and Direct them to the biblical
Jesus the God -man The one that has brought about his righteousness near to us that has dwelt amongst us and lived a perfect life
I would encourage you to point them to him rather to a sinful fallen man, so once again
I Come to Jesus Christ repent believe in his death burial and resurrection be saved today Cast that burden aside
For his yoke is easy and his burden is light. I Hope that you've enjoyed this video
I hope that it was enlightening and I hope it was refreshing looking at something a little bit different than what we normally do
But I would encourage you to go in peace repent and believe the gospel Shout the good news to all your neighbors and friends and family