If It Ain't One Thing, It's Another

1:01:32 Come on, clap your hands. Turn with us, hallelujah, to the book of 1 Samuel chapter 30. and while we're turning can we praise god for the one and only the incredibly anointed the reverend reginald wayne sharp jr can we thank god for him no no no we could do better than that you all have one of god's best fellowship so let's try it one more time can we thank god for our beloved pastor and his lovely wife come on let's thank god for the sharps we praise god for them and pastor surprised me this morning he came to the early service i know he's enjoying a time of respite but i thank god he pressed his way it was good to see him this morning and i praise god for what he is doing in his ministry i still believe for reginald wayne sharp jr and for fellowship church that eyes have not seen and ears have not heard the great things that god has prepared for the good people here that love him my lovely wife is here can you help me thank god for her and hallelujah lovely lynn f mackie my baby girl barbara my other two boys were in of the second service amen they say but they ain't all the way delivered so they didn't stay with me all day amen as my baby girl did but i thank god for my father of faith and my father of flesh

1:03:44 pastor eugene mackie from the lily of the valley church amen my dad is going to retire this year after 31 years of service amen and he's going to come out to phoenix and live with us amen so we are looking forward that his last Sunday will be amen the last Sunday in September so you all continue to pray for him and for my home church the Lily of the Valley Baptist Church I want to call your attention today to the book of first Samuel chapter 30 and I want to begin reading at verse 1 look at first Samuel chapter 30 beginning at verse number one thank God for the official staff of this church what a blessing it was to me Eloise Daniels amen our chair lady amen come on first in history amen here at fellowship amen we praise God for her and to all of the the cadre of clergy and those who serve in leadership we praise God for you and thank God for our good friend Pastor Pope amen who is doing come on you all as executive pastor a phenomenal job riding in the second chariot we salute you sir first samuel chapter 30 beginning at verse 1. i'll be reading from the king james version of the holy

1:06:59 amen it's another why don't you look at that neighbor if you don't like them you chose the wrong seat this afternoon well come on shake their hand and say neighbor oh neighbor if it ain't one thing it's another if you know it's true come on put those blessed hands together

1:07:26 and give god great praise it ain't one thing it's another Brothers and sisters, I've learned that the greatest actors and actresses are not in Hollywood. the greatest actors and actresses do not reside in beverly hills the greatest actors and actresses are right here in the church because we look holy on the outside but we're hollow on the inside I mean church people are the greatest actors because they know how to give the right response at the right time I mean church folk know how to smell right I know it's true because when I came in this afternoon my senses were arrested by the fragrances of brute old spice i smell a little obsession come on ladies i smell a little white diamonds smell a little red door some gucci guilty some issey miyaki is somewhere floating around in the room we know how to smell right we even know how to talk right we we haven't even had rehearsal But I bet you that you give the appropriate response when I make certain statements.

1:09:25 Watch this. God is good. And all the time. We know how to talk right. You then ask people what's their testimony. They tell you if it had not been for the Lord on my side. Where would I be? You ask church folk how they doing. They say I'm blessed. see there and I'm I'm a highly favored but but can we take the mask off for just one minute because a lot of us are faking it acting like we feel blessed and highly favored but many of us feel like we're burdened and highly frustrated why because when you look in your life you you change your testimony from if it had not been for the Lord on my side where would I be but now you have another testimony starting with if not if it had not been for the Lord on my side where would I be but your new testimony is if it ain't one thing it's another I mean it isn't amazing that as soon as you fix something on one side all I didn't say that you did all Hades is breaking loose on the other side I mean as soon as you fix the car then something's wrong with the garage door soon as you address the garage door something's wrong with the hot water heater as soon as you address the hot water heater now something's wrong with the plumbing as soon as you address the plumbing then you found you got a leak in the bedroom soon as you address the leak in the bedroom now the air condition wants to go out and then as soon as you affix the air condition now the stove wants to give out as soon as you fix the stove now the washer and dryer wants to give out as soon as you fix the washer and dryer something's wrong with the tv as soon as you see something's wrong with the tv then you gotta go to the doctor and the doctor tells you something is wrong as soon as you address that

1:11:34 with the doctor now your children want to act like they've lost their ever-loving mind i mean if it ain't one thing it's another i don't know about you all but i feel sometime like my friend pastor mark lewis he said i know all of us got problems but my problems that had babies y'all not helping me in here i mean my problems got problems my burdens come on somebody got burdens My bills got bills. I mean, brothers and sisters, I'm so broke I can't pay attention. I mean, trouble has shown up to my doorstep with suitcases letting me know it plans on staying for a while. Because if it ain't one thing, it's another. And it can cause you to be depressed.

1:12:28 It can cause you to be disenchanted. it can cause you to feel like God has forsaken you but I want to tell you today fellowship don't let discouragement get the best of you I know it feels like you're drowning but can I give y'all some good news although you feel like you're drowning you got to remember that your life God walks on water y'all not helping me in here and every storm eventually runs out of rain because if it ain't one thing it's another look at david brothers and sisters david this sweet psalmist of israel the one who composed in psalm 23 verse 4 that yea though i walk through the valley of the shadow of death here he is going through a valley David first of all if he had the microphone he would tell us the first point he would tell us number one about his devastation can the church shout devastation David is going through because he has been on the run from King Saul for over 15 years and brothers and sisters can I tell you why Saul doesn't like him because Saul heard the ladies in the praise team singing that Saul has killed his thousands but David has killed his ten thousands and Saul looked at David with green eyes for 15 years wanting to harm him and can I tell you something you don't have to do something to somebody for them to dislike you you don't have to do anything for somebody for them to try to pull you down because some people are jealous of the anointing I wish I had some help here that God has placed on your life and brothers and

1:14:35 Sisters, don't you get mad with them. Don't you make them get out of your saved and sanctified self. Don't let them pull you down to their level. Because if you got a problem with me, it ain't my problem. It's yours. Have I got some company in here? Oh, and David, after running from Saul for 15 years, he thought it would be wise for him to join himself as a part of the enemy's camp he became a warrior for the philistines and brothers and sisters king achish took good care of david and his men even gave them their own city a beautiful outpost called ziklag and there david and his men and their family lived in that city all seemed well David received news that he was supposed to fight with the Philistines when he was fighting their people the Israelites and when you read 1 Samuel 29 you will discover that the commanders of the Philistines when they saw David and his men gather in the army they said uh-uh we know who that is that's the one that killed Goliath we're not gonna trust him he may turn on us and it leaves David devastated they say you can't fight with us you have to leave the battlefield he's devastated because Saul is trying to destroy him he's devastated because the commander of the philistines don't even want him but it's all right because i'm going home how many know when you've had a bad day you can at least go home and get some peace and quiet but the bible said to his dismay when he's on making his way home he see that his home has been burned to the ground

1:16:42 it's all right because what makes a house a home is not the furnishings it's the people that live there but the bible said when he looked inside of the house he could not find wives nor children neither his men could find their wives or children either and David is devastated the men are devastated because their loved ones have been taken from them and can i tell you the greatest pain in the world the greatest pain in the world is when loved ones people that you love have been taken away from you yeah i know if you have a job and lose it you can get another job If you have a car and lose it, you can get another car.

1:17:38 But when mama is gone, mama can't be replaced. You can't get another mama. Have I got some help in here? When your wife daddy is gone, you can't replace your wife. Yes, I wish I had some help in here. When your daddy is gone, you can't replace your daddy. have I got some company here that know that some people are just irreplaceable and what does it do it calls us you to weep when you reflect on the fact that big mama and big daddy are nowhere around anymore and that's what these men did David and the men the bible said they wept until they had no more power to weep. I've been there. Coming this September, it will be 10 years that my mom has gone on to glory.

1:18:36 And some days are better than others. Some days I get up and tears are already in my eyes because I miss my mother. I wish somebody knew what I was talking about. Some days I get up in the morning I'm crying for breakfast I'm crying for lunch I'm crying for dinner I try to go to sleep and sleep won't come because the only response sometimes when you've been devastated when loved ones have left you is all you can do is cry your get up and go has gotten up and gone but tell your neighbor if it ain't one thing it's another because not only is David devastated but David is distressed because in verse 6 it said that these same men they were trying to stone David because their loved ones were no longer there with them oh child of God I just have a question what does this word distress mean it's the Hebrew word Yatzeer.

1:19:50 And Yatzeer means to be put into a squeeze. My question to you is, has life ever squeezed something out of you? Has life ever squeezed joy out of you? I'm looking for some witnesses. Has life ever squeezed hope out of you? Has life ever squeezed determination out of you? And whenever you squeeze something, you apply pressure to it. And sometimes that pressure can lead to pain. Have you ever been squeezed by something so severely that it applied pressure to you? It applied pain to you.

1:20:43 And brothers and sisters, the Bible said he has been squeezed. The life has been squeezed out of him because these men have talked about stoning him. Who are these men that's talking about stoning him? When you run through the roses, when you dance through the daffodils, when you tiptoe through the tulips of the scripture and go back eight chapters before, In 1 Samuel chapter number 22, you will discover that these men, when they showed up to David, these were the same men, the Bible says, who were depressed. These were the same men who were in debt. These were the same men that had no direction in their lives.

1:21:41 But David gave his time, effort, and energy and turned these weaklings into warriors. He turned these deplorables into valuables. He turned these liabilities into assets. And here it is. Eight chapters later, these same men that were nothing, these same men that had no direction these same men that were no good eight chapters later they're trying to cause harm and havoc in David's life can I tell you something if you want life to squeeze the joy out of you wait until you help folk and then because you made one mistake I wish I had some help in here because you made one bad decision.

1:22:38 They forget all the stuff you did, all the investments that you made, all the time that you gave them, all the direction that you gave them, and now they're trying to pull you down. Anybody ever been there where you lifted somebody else up and when they got on their feet, they forgot about all the things that you did for them All the time you bailed them out of trouble All the time you picked up the phone and counseled them And now when you try to call them They try to pull you down Brothers and sisters, people are like the weather They will change on you They will hug you today And crucify you tomorrow They'll lift you up today And let you down Anybody ever been there?

1:23:33 they'll let you down tomorrow don't think it's strange because the OJ's had a song that said they'll smile in your face come on you ain't been saved all your life all the while they want to take your place who I'm talking about y'all and big mama said don't let everybody pat you on the back because some folk are marking the spot y'all ain't helping me preach they want to mark the spot where they're going to stab you in your back. And don't think it's strange, but you try to lift folk up and they try to let you down because Peter was close to the Lord. Peter was a disciple and he denied the Lord. Judas was a disciple and he betrayed the Lord. And if Peter can deny him and Judas can betray him, what do you think people would do to you?

1:24:35 have I got some help in here oh he is devastated he is distressed but my last point and I'm gone it's David's determination David can make a determination he can make the decision am I gonna stay distressed or am I gonna do something about my situation brothers and sisters can I tell you something you got a determination to make you got a decision to make am I gonna be overwhelmed or am I gonna be an overcomer can i say it again life can put the squeeze on you so much that you feel like continuing to wallow in despair but you got to make a decision am i gonna stay down here where i am am i gonna stay overwhelmed or am i gonna be an overcomer give your neighbor a low five and say hey you gonna be an over but you need to choose which over you gonna be are you gonna be overwhelmed are you gonna be an overcomer I wish I had some overcomers in the room where are my overcomers that can make some noise at this third service that said yeah I have been devastated yes I have been distressed but I'm making a decision right now that I'm not gonna walk around here overwhelmed because God made me an overcomer where's my overcomers at this third service that can serve notice on the devil you should have killed me when you had the chance because I know if I got breath in my body as long as I got a soul I still have a chance high five your neighbor said neighbor I'm not gonna be overwhelmed I'm gonna be an overcomer I know you feel depressed but there's

1:26:49 something in the English nomenclature called an anagram which means you take the same words and you reverse those words around and you can get another spelling of another word. And can I tell y'all something? For everybody that's been depressed, if you scrabble the same letters of depressed, guess what it spells? I pressed on. I wish I had some people that's in this church that say, I'm going to play scrabble right now. Said yeah I've been depressed But I'm finna scrabble that thing around When I leave church today Ain't gon' be depressed My new testimony gon' be I pressed on I pressed through the pain I pressed through the line I pressed through the cheating I pressed through the backbite I pressed when they lied on me Is there anybody in here That can jump to your feet And let the devil know I was depressed When I walk in But when I walk out today My testimony is I pressed on I pressed on Through the abuse I pressed on Through the back bite Can somebody high five your neighbor Say neighbor come on now It's time for us to press on Cause there's a blessing In the pressing I need some folk here that can start doing your hand like this To let the devil know I'm pressing I'm pressing through my pain I'm pressing through my low self-esteem I'm pressing toward the mark I wish I could get some folk that could just get up on your feet and start walking around right where you are to let the devil know I pressed on through it.

1:28:57 I pressed on through it because God made me not to be overwhelmed. He made me to be an overcome. no high five the neighbor behind you say God's got too much God's got too much he want to give you that's too much in store for you don't you stay where you are press on I got to keep on going to see what the end will be.

1:29:45 David made a decision, made a determination. He didn't stay in the valley. How did he do it? Because the Bible said he encouraged. himself and some of us our problem is we're waiting for somebody else to encourage us but sometime you can't wait because if you wait you'll be waiting y'all ain't helping me you gonna keep on waiting but I need somebody to say I ain't got to wait on nobody to do it I know how to encourage myself. Look at you. I'm still mad.

1:30:38 Didn't nobody call me when I was sick. I'm still mad when I stubbed my toe. Didn't nobody come and see about me and call the check on me. I got on a new dress. Ain't nobody told me how good I look in my new dress. high five your neighbor say neighbor you got to learn how to encourage yourself if you mad because ain't nobody called you when you were sick can I tell you what I do I hang up my cell phone I pick up my landline I call my own number I leave my own self a voicemail and I say hey it's me encouraging you to let you know everything is going to be all right. And then I hang up the landline.

1:31:31 I pick up my cell phone. I check my own voicemail. I listen to my own self say, self everything is going to be all right. You got to learn how to do it. Do it yourself. You ain't got to tell me how good I look. Folk ain't got to tell you how good you look Don't you got a mirror at home? I wish I had some folk in here. Did nobody tell me how fine I was? I know when God made me, he broke the mold. Have I got some help in here? And when I'm looking good, you ain't got to tell me I look good. I can give my own selfie. Have I got a witness in here? Post it on my own Instagram page. And write in my own comments, you look good with your doggone self. I wish I had some folk in fellowship.

1:32:25 That says sometime you got to do it yourself. Tell that neighbor it's a DIY project, baby. You got to do it yourself. I don't need you to clap for me. I know how to clap for myself. I don't need you to pat me on the back. I know how to pat my own self on the back. I don't need you to walk around here and shout for me. I know how to shout for myself. I don't need you to take me out to lunch I got my own money I can take my own self out to lunch I don't need you to buy me no candy I can buy candy for myself I don't need you to buy me no champagne I can buy champagne for myself You ain't about to buy me no new clothes I know how to buy some clothes myself Take that muumuu off And put on your red dress Y'all ain't helping me Put on your high heels Put on some sweet perfume.

1:33:25 Show look good on you. I don't need no cheerleader to encourage me. I can encourage myself. I'm my own cheerleader. Two bits. Four bits. Six bits a dollar. If you can encourage yourself. Stand up and holler. Is there anybody here in the fellowship church that can pat to yourself? Encourage yourself. Say you gonna make it You gonna pull through God still got work I said I'm looking for some folk that can stand up and holler that can tell the devil I'm still gonna make it I'm still gonna pull through Have I got some help in here?

1:34:17 Gotta learn how to encourage yourself. But is there something else in the text and I'm gone. The book didn't just say encourage yourself mama. It said encourage yourself in the Lord.

1:34:41 Okay, okay, that sound good, but what does that mean? Tell your neighbor, what does that mean? What does that mean to encourage yourself in the Lord? some people think it means that you ought to talk to yourself and uh that's nothing wrong tell your neighbor that's that's nothing wrong with with talking to yourself can i tell you sometime i talk to myself when i want to have an intelligent conversation now now now it becomes problem when you answer yourself amen But it's all right. Talk to yourself. What does this mean? Some people say it means to speak over yourself. Right?

1:35:35 You know, we heard the song, sometimes you have to encourage yourself. Sometimes you have to speak a word over yourself. But can I tell you what three theologians say? Charles Simeon says it. David Guzik says it. Thomas Evans, Tony Evans says it. These three theologians agree that to encourage yourself in the Lord. Y'all ready for it? It means to press the rewind button.

1:36:06 Look back over your life, over your God's past deliverances. Look back over your life, over how the times God brought you out. And when you look at what he has done, it gives you the faith to believe what he'll do right now. Because if he did it before, I wish I had some help here. He'll do it again. Same God right now. Same God back then. Somebody said, my soul looks back and wonder how I made it over. But high five your neighbor and say baby My soul ain't got to look back and wonder How I made it over I know how I made it over It was nobody but the Lord Because where I am he brought me What I know he taught me What I have he gave me Who I am he made me It was nobody but Jesus Because if he did it before He's able to do it again If he made a way before He can make a way again If he opened the door before He can open the door again If he can give me a job before He can give me a job again If he gave me joy before He can give me joy again If he gave me peace before He can give me peace again If he gave me understanding before he can do it again can I get somebody that can say he's able to do it again but you gotta look back over your life because when I think I wish I had help here I said when I think of the goodness of Jesus and all he's done for me my soul cries out I said my soul cries out hallelujah thank God for saving me I'm going to my seat but brothers and

1:38:25 sisters right here in Chicago there's a preacher called Dr. D. Darrell Griffin that pastors right around the corner and Dr. Griffin said when he first got to his church every time he would start preaching good, an old mother would get up and turn her back on him. I mean, just when the sermon got good, she wouldn't get up until he started preaching good, and she would turn her back on him. And so that thing got next to him. He said, mama, why is it that you put your back on me? Every time I start preaching good, mama looked at him and said, baby, when I turn my back on you, I ain't turning my back because I don't like what you're saying. But when I turn my back, all I'm doing is looking back over my life and seeing all the hills, seeing all the mountains, seeing all the storms that the Lord has brought me through. And I wish I had some folk that can be like that old mother that can get up on your feet right now and turn your back toward me.

1:39:40 But when you turn your back toward me, lift up your hands like that mother D and say, thank you, Lord, for everything you've done for me. Thank you, Lord, for being a blessing to me. I don't see y'all thanking him Somebody here ought to look back over your life Over all the hills Over all the mountains Over all the valleys Over all the storms He brought you through And my mama said If somebody does something good The least you can do Is tell them thank you And if he ever made a way for you You ought to lift up your voice and tell him thank you. If he's ever put food on your table, you ought to be lifting up your hands and telling God thank you.

1:40:41 If he saved your soul, you ought to be lifting up your hands and telling him thank you. Can you do me a favor, please? Grab somebody by the hand and don't shake your hand. Like God ain't been good to you. But shake that hand. Like he woke you up this morning. I don't see y'all shaking in the bathroom. I said shake that hand. Like he started you. On your way. Shake that hand. Like God's blessing you. Like he's doing it right now. And say neighbor. Excuse me if I holler. Say neighbor. neighbor excuse me if i run but i said neighbor for every mountain he brought me over

1:41:38 for every storm you see me through for every place