"I've Got A Lot Going On" Rev. Reginald W. Sharpe Jr. Wednesday, August 24 , 2022

3:13 i've got a lot thank you you may be seated i hope you like who you sat by if you don't like them that's your fault because you sat down beside them or they sat down beside you but look at that neighbor and said neighbor I got to keep it 100 I've got a lot going on I got a lot going on that's the wrong neighbor they trying to be bougie and act like they don't know you so turn around and find somebody else around you said neighbor I'm for real for real I'm for real for real I've got a lot going on. I've got a lot going on. My brothers and sisters, I want to preface this message by sharing that the Psalms, the book of Psalms is the largest book in the Bible. And it really captures the depth, the breadth and the length of every experience that a human will have between the crib and the grave. whether you're having a moment that is worshipful or a moment that is mournful whether you're having a moment that's exhausting or a moment that's filled with ecstasy you can go to a psalm and find a psalm that captures how you feel in that moment if you're having a good day a psalm can capture that if you're having a challenging day a psalm can capture that if you're in the middle of praise and worship you can quote a psalm and it fits that moment and if you're at a funeral you can quote a psalm that will be comforting in that moment and I recommend highly for those of you who want to go deeper in your study of the book of psalms I recommend this book entitled the spirituality of the psalms it was written by a old testament scholar by the name of Walter Brueggemann and Brueggemann suggests that really you can break down the psalms into three categories You have Psalms of orientation. You have Psalms of disorientation. And then you have Psalms of reorientation. And he said, and those categories actually capture the seasons of all of our lives.

5:19 because sometimes you will be in a season of orientation sometimes you'll be in a season of disorientation and sometimes you'll be in a season of reorientation he said the psalms of orientation basically express that God is God all by God's self everything is in order God looks like God God feels like God. There's some order in society and this order that comes spiritually actually orders your world socially. Everything is perfect and pristine and polished. It's a good season when you're in a season of orientation. Everything makes sense. You like who you married. You get along with your family. You're happy to go to church and deal with church members. You are excited to go to work because life for you at that moment is a tiptoe through the tulips and a dazzling dance to the daisies and a rapid run through the roses. Life for you is a scoop of Jenny's ice cream with M&Ms and Twizzlers and all types of sprinkles on top.

6:25 And somebody right now, you're in a season where life is peaceful, pristine and polished, is sweet, is serene, is tranquil. God bless you if you're in those seasons now of orientation. He said, but you won't always stay in a season of orientation because there are other Psalms that lift up disorientation. And these are the Psalms where God doesn't look like God, where you're wondering, Lord, how long is this going to last? It's like Psalm 22 where he says, why has thou forsaken me? And I know I got some super duper deep spiritual people in the room and you eat Genesis for breakfast and Revelation for dinner. and you've never had any theological wrestlings where God did not look like God to you. But for those of us who've endured seasons of disorientation, when you're in that season, you know you believe but you're wondering, God, what you up to? Because your resume is not matching my reality.

7:20 They said that you're a keeper but I feel like I'm falling apart. They said that you're a healer but my mother has cancer. They said that you're a way maker, but I feel stuck and trapped. Have you ever been in a season of disorientation and everybody around you at church seems to be in the mood? They feeling worship, but you saying to yourself, y'all ought to be glad I showed up today because I almost stayed at Bedside Baptist with Pastor Pillow because sometimes you just ain't feeling this thing. We're at a hundred of y'all who can be honest and admit you saved, but you still struggle. You believe, but you still have burdens. You're a worshiper, but you're still worried. You're a praise breaker, but you still are under pressure sometimes. And certain Psalms capture the disorientation. When life is topsy-turvy and the ground beneath your feet is rocky and unsettled. But then, but then, but then, but then he says God doesn't leave you in seasons of disorientation.

8:16 If you keep on saying good morning, if you keep on believing that God answers prayers, you will move over to what Brueggemann calls reorientation. And I like this because when you come into reorientation, now you just don't say God is good all the time. Now you say God is good all the time and all the time. God is good because when God reorient you, something has happened in the middle of your disorientation where you learn something about God that you didn't know why everything was perfect. Oh, you don't learn about God when you got money in the bank, shawty, what you think? No, you learn about God when you're broke and you're wondering how you're going to make it to Friday. You learn about God when folk that you thought had your back put a knife in your back. You learn about God when you run up against challenges and difficulties and turmoil and disenchantment and disillusionment. Can I holler at some real folk who can admit you did not learn about God on the mountain.

9:16 You learned about him in the valley. and when you come out of this thing now your faith is stronger your worship is stronger your belief is stronger when you come to church you don't care what nobody do around you you just come out saying every Sunday this is the day matter of fact forget getting in the building I shout in the parking lot when God has shown me who he is and how much he when I've been reoriented my faith is stronger My belief is stronger. And what I like about Brueggemann, he says, and some Psalms have all three in one Psalm. You don't believe me. I can tell by the way you're looking at me. The way you're looking at me says, you don't believe it, Psalm 23. Look at it. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. Doesn't that sound like orientation? He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. Doesn't that sound like orientation? He leads me in the paths of righteousness for his orientation. He leads me in the paths of righteousness for his namesake.

10:12 but here comes the disorientation. Verse 4, I walked through the valley of the shadow of death. I didn't want to go in the valley, but I needed the valley because I'm going to learn something in the valley I didn't see on the mountain. Thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. Here comes the reorientation for 13 of y'all that's going to shout. Thou preparest a table before me, not outside the presence of my enemies, but while them jokers are looking right at me. He anoints my head with oil. Surely, I used to wonder now I can say surely I used to have questions now I can say surely my faith was depleted But now I can say surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life Somebody ought to thank God for your seasons of disorientation Because they taught you how to trust God like you've never trusted him before Go on and take a few seconds and thank God for your challenges Thank God for your tears the songwriter said if I never had a problem I wouldn't know he could solve them and that's what's going on in the text today with the author behind this text is David and to appreciate Psalm 3 up to appreciate this content you've got to understand the context and to appreciate what David is wrestling with the disorientation that David is dealing with in this text you got to go back and 2nd Samuel chapter 15 through chapter 18 because here's what's happened let me drop it real low so you can pick it up light here's what happened his son who he gave birth to is trying to take the kingdom and his son is trying to usurp the kingdom David was anointed to be king of Israel David was appointed to be king of Israel and now his son by the name of Absalom is getting people together gathering the troops together to try to overtake the kingdom the person he gave life to is trying to take his life the person that he helped is trying to hurt him the person that he lost sleep over to make sure they were safe now that person has turned to get you have not been hurt until you've been hurt by somebody you helped oh there's no deeper pain in this world than for somebody

12:20 that you were good to when they were broke you were there for them when they were crying you were there for them and then they have amnesia and forget just how good you had been to them and now they've turned on you have you ever been there before and folk run around to my my enemies my haters no you better watch your family you better watch your friends you worried about the folk out there you better worry about the folk up here because it's the people that know your business that can hurt you and david is wrestling with this thing and david you know i listen i called him last night I said I got a preacher in the morning David and I need you to tell me because it looked like you got a lot going on I read verse one I read verse two I read verse six it felt like ten thousands of people have turned against you you've said many and and I yeah and and he didn't call me back but he but he was kind enough to send me a text message and he said sharp if you just read the text message I'll show you how to survive when you got a lot going on anybody need this word today anybody balancing a lot right now number one this is what david text me he said you got to understand the reality of what's going on somebody said the reality the reality the reality of what's going on it's right there in verse one lord how are they increased that trouble me watch this word many are they that rise up against me verse two many there be which say of my soul there's no help for him or her in god then you get to verse six he said i look around and folk that don't even like each other have gotten together just to hurt me and it feels like 10,000 people have turned against me that's what he says in verse 6 he uses the word many repetitiously because he wants us to understand just how overwhelming it is now if you got two or three things going on in your life you can handle that if you got one trifling co-worker you can handle that if you got a little drama at the house you can handle that if you got one or two bills behind You can handle that if you got some folk that don't like it you can deal with that But what happens when that thing shifts and it's not a few it's not a couple is not one or two is many

14:28 Anybody ever had to deal with many and I know the person sitting right beside you They look so human right now eyebrows on fleek lip gloss popping shoes a shine suit is press has done nails a deer But underneath all that layers somebody sitting up in this sanctuary right now with many things on your mind many expectations many obligations many aggravations many irritations many limitations many trepidations many vacillations many hospitalizations many miscommunications many misrepresentations many temptations somebody shout many if it ain't one thing it's another many somebody said something somebody did something somebody tried something somebody assumed something somebody thought something somebody offended by something somebody plotting something somebody say many sunday night is many calls about a family member monday is many news reports about our ego maniacal narcissistic megalomaniac commander-in-chief who can't even command his thumbs to stop tweeting stupidity into America's atmosphere every week.

15:37 Many. Tuesday is many thoughts in your head. Do I quit or do I stay? Do I choke them or do I pray for them? Do I cuss them or do I be nice? Do I fire them now or do I let them go later? Do I clap back or do I be still and know they got it? Wednesday, many bills. Thursday, many emails unresponded to. Many voice mails you haven't listened to. Many phone calls. Where you been? I've been calling you, child. If you knew all I've been dealing with, you would apologize for calling me. Friday, many cars on the road trying to find a bed or a bar. Saturday, many invitations and parties and programs and baby showers and weddings and funerals. You got so much going on, you just want to sit down somewhere. look at somebody say many many many and then you come to church and try to act like it's all well no i'm glad that i got a god i ain't got to pretend with the worst thing a preacher ever told a church is fake it till you make it no don't fake it till you make it faith it till you make it you ought to walk in this house and say god let me holler at you for a minute i got a lot going is me oh lord standing can i holler at some real folk who can admit right now lord i need you in my house need you on my job need you with my next pursuits need you with my next vision need you in my bank account you ought to lift your hand and say come holler at me lord come you can sit there if you want to and act like everything is well don't you look at me when I start crying don't you look at me when I get on the altar don't you look at me when snot start coming down because I came to church because I need help with what I got going on Somebody says, I'm just being real.

17:19 Somebody says, I'm just being real. But oh, I love David. Because he don't just leave us hanging with the reality. Number two, he said there's some reassurance. Because right there at the end of verse two, if you just slow down and read, tiptoe through the text. Don't run, you're going to miss it. There's five letter words at the end of verse two. It's S-E-L-A-H. Selah. And you do know that the book of Psalms is the Jewish hymn book. and so when you read the Psalms you're literally reading the lyrics of a song of the Jewish community and it is believed by scholars that the word selah literally meant rest it means pause, stop, think about it and David started thinking verse 1 all I got going on all the people against me they're talking about me they're doing stuff to me they're plotting against me all this is going on I got a lot in my head a lot in my heart dealing with a lot in my home My own son has turned against me.

18:13 But then he stops. Pause. Think about it. And he stopped looking around. And he started looking up. Yeah, because the problem with most of us is we talk too much. Amen, lights. Instagram, talk too much. Facebook, talk too much. Twitter, talk too much. Call on the phone, talk too much. Sometimes you need to get by yourself and have a moment with everything going on and just stop. Pause. Think about it because if you stop, pause and think about it, you'll stop thinking about who's against you and you'll remember who's still for you. Because by the time you get to verse 3, here comes your reassurance and if you don't get happy, I'm going to have to check your faith. David says, but thou, O Lord, are a shield for me, my glory, are your Bibles open? And the lifter of my head, you, O God, are a shield for me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.

19:14 You, O God, are a shield for me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. You, oh God, I don't care what they say. I don't care what they do. I've had a Selah moment and now I'm looking to the hill. You, oh Lord, are a shield for me. My glory and the lift of my head. Church folk don't know in the shack. I said God is your shield. God is your glory. God knows how to lift your head. when he says he's your shield that means he rescues you from harm when it says he's your glory that means he restores your honor when it says he lifts your head it means he recalibrates your head can i back into the verse if i just back into this verse he said he's the lifter of my head you don't appreciate this unless you go back to second samuel 15 because david was so overwhelmed in 2 Samuel chapter 15 that there's a moment in that text where he's literally walking up a hill with a cloak over his head. His head is down and the Bible says he's weeping. When he thought about what his son had done, when he thought about what old friends, how they had turned on him, he's walking up the hill with a cloak over his head and all he can do is weep. His head is down and I don't care how saved you are. You're going to have some moments.

20:44 where your head drops down. When you lose a loved one, that makes your head drop. When you get an unexpected phone call about some negative news, that makes your head drop. When you look at the news and listen to anything your president says, it makes your head drop. When you go to church and think you're going to run into loving, forgiving, and compassionate people, and some of the meanest, messiest folk you ever meet in your life go to church. Not fellowship. I'm talking about the church down the street. it'll make your head drop but the text does not say God's going to help you lift your head the text says God will lift your head and when you don't have the strength to look up again he'll lift it up for you and that's what's happening right now in the sanctuary you walked into heaven but you're going to leave out light because God is lifting your head and where you're going to look I will lift up my eyes to the hills from which cometh my help.

21:44 Not some, but all. All my help. He recalibrates my head. But let's keep on backing into that verse because he said he's my glory. And when you look at that, that does not mean that he's going to give you his glory. But the word there is he's going to restore your honor because some seasons is so much going on, you don't even feel like you anymore. You look in the mirror and don't even recognize that person. You used to laugh. You used to smile. You used to be nice to people. Now you walk in church looking like you're smelling chitlins every Sunday. You're just mean. You don't have patience. You're snappy. You got an attitude with folk that never done anything to you. You lost yourself. You went through that valley and now you don't feel like you anymore. You used to wear heels. Now you're just in flats. You used to give attention to your toenails and your fingernails. Now your feet look like Build-A-Bear because you don't feel like yourself. You used to go get a haircut.

22:36 Now you need a line up. You need some chapstick because you just don't feel like yourself. If you feel dry and depleted and tired, can't get out to bed. God says that when I get through with you, I'm going to restore your honor. I'm going to give you your swag back. I'm going to give you your smile back. I'm going to give you your energy back. I will restore not just time but years. That the canker worm, I'm preaching better than y'all acting. That the canker worm and the palmer worm and the caterpillar have to anybody glad God can restore.

23:10 Go on and high five somebody. Say, I'm getting it back. Yeah, the devil took some of my energy. The devil took some of my dreams. The devil took some of my joy. But before I leave fellowship, I'm going to get some of my stuff back. I'm going to feel like myself again. He'll restore your honor. Oh, but the text doesn't finish there. It says God is your shield.

23:37 Dr. Miles Jones, former professor at the Virginia Union of preaching homiletics, he told his class, people shout over trash and get silent on truth. Yeah, yeah, thou, O Lord, are shielded. thou oh Lord are shield yeah you gonna get it in a minute thou oh Lord are shield I think y'all getting it now thou oh Lord sometimes you got a shadow with a scripture you don't need no height just thank God for his work God just don't give you a shield God is your shield and And whatever anybody's trying to throw at you, they got to come through God before it hits you. Oh, this text means something different to me now.

24:39 Because life will reveal stuff about what God's word is really talking about. I told Refuel, I told 8 o'clock service about two weeks ago, my aunt was in Atlanta minding her business, driving to eat breakfast. And she drove through a gang-infested area. And they were over there fighting. And they pulled out guns on each other. neither one of them got shot but the stray bullet came in my aunt's car hit her in the neck and she had just enough strength to get to a gas station get in the ambulance and they took her and they immediately took her into automatic emergency surgery because they didn't know the damage that had been done the neck is one of the most sensitive areas so i get a call in chicago about what's going on in Atlanta. Anxiety, angst, trepidation, fear grips my body and I get down on my knees with tears coming down my face. I said God, you've handled harder things than this.

25:38 I'm going to preach for me now. I said God, I've heard about you and you've handled harder things than this. Save my auntie. About two hours later my mama calls and says auntie is doing fire if the bullet had moved over a couple millimeters she would have hit a major artery but it fell in a muscle they got the bullet out and now she's healing i told you church folk don't know in the shop because she should have been dead but right now she's alive oh but that ain't the shop they found her car a couple days later because the investigators wanted to know what happened with the bullet how did it enter the car and this is what they discovered the bullet went through the windshield hit the dashboard bounced up and hit her neck therefore she was not really hit or shot she was grazed But if the bullet had gone through the window, my aunt, we would have been having her funeral.

26:47 But because it hit the windshield first, it took some impact.