Refuel Throwback: "Let's Have Some Fun Part 2" Rev. Reginald W. Sharpe Jr. 011023

1:34 Here's what I want to say about this year of fun. Something happened last week that really deeply made me reflect. last week again as I said earlier I was very human the service flow we worship we we cried we we we we embraced our humanity you know it was so many death notices they just buried sister Kim Hollowell woke up that morning there's news of another death in the middle of preparing personally for my aunt's uh funeral and so it was just absolutely overwhelming and so I was told by a couple people you know it almost didn't feel fun on sunday it almost didn't feel fun but then it came around and we got to the fun i want to encourage us fun does not replace your humanity fun does not replace sorrow it does not take the place of grief it does not take the place of real life fun uh complements life fun goes along with life so it's not all heavy so it's not all bad so it's not all grief feel so it's not all stressful fun is a good compliment that goes along with life it does not take the place of reality when you try to use fun or celebration or laughter or smiling to replace your reality and pretend like nothing else is really really going on that is called toxic positivity i want you to open your mouth and say it with me toxic positivity i've been mentioning this a couple times but i want to dig in right here to help you understand it is not the will of god for you to not embrace what is your reality you have to sit with what hurts you what bothers you because often pain in your body physically or in your life emotionally is always an indicator that something needs to change there are people who physically who cannot feel pain and the doctors will tell you that is a dangerous way to live because you

3:43 have no sensors in your body to let you know when you're close to danger you need to feel pain so you can know when something needs to shift i'm talking to the people who want to smile all the time and it's really fake i'm talking to the people when people ask you how you don't oh i'm blessed and highly favored but you mean uh-huh i'm talking to the people who act like they just full of positivity positive this positive that and every time you're in their presence all you get is negative it's called toxic positivity it is not living in reality you need to embrace the fact i hurt you need to embrace the fact I cry you need to embrace the fact I'm human you need to embrace the fact every day is not good and because it's heavy because I sorrow because I grieve because I cry because I have bad days I need a life of celebration I need a life of fun I need a life of laughter. I need a life of adventure to compliment my complications.

4:47 Huh? So when I laugh, it's for real. When I smile, it's for real. When I'm posting positive vibes or good energy, hashtag positive vibes only, it can be for real. I get nervous. I tell my wife all the time, when I see people smiling all the time. People that smile all the time make me nervous. Because ain't nothing in the whole wide world worth smiling about all the time. You just see. How you doing? Oh, I'm fine. Oh, I'm good.

5:32 Oh. Oh. I get nervous when I see people smiling all the time and I don't see people being real. When nobody can admit I hurt, I made a mistake, I'm having a bad day. You are a person that concerns me. But I like the person that has a balance that can say, hey, it's joy and pain. It's like sunshine and rain. See, I like that kind of balance. And in our text today, Philippians chapter 4, that's all I'm trying to say. I got a few minutes. Let me jump in. Philippians chapter 4. Philippians chapter 4. Let me read it again out of the New Revised Standard Version. Philippians chapter 4, verse 4 through 9. and I'm gonna dance around and I want you to get some new insights that you didn't even get last week Philippians 4 verses 4 through 9 out of the new revised standard version is coming up on your screen reads like this rejoice in the Lord always again I will say rejoice let your gentleness be known to who everyone why the Lord is near read it with me come on do not worry about anything but in everything come on by prayer and supplication with what thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus come on let's keep reading verse 8 finally beloved whatever is true whatever is honorable whatever is just whatever is pure whatever is pleasing whatever is commendable if there is any excellence if there is anything worthy of praise think about these things verse 9 keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me and the god of peace will be with you now if you want a recipe for joy if you want a recipe for celebration in your life incorporating this in your life you need these verses but you just don't need the text you need the context Paul is in jail writing to the first church he planted on on European soil the

7:47 church is called the church of Philippi the people are the Philippians the church is the church of Philippi the first church Paul planted on this on European soil and he's writing to the Philippians which are the members and the constituents of the church of philippic am i teaching yet well there's dissension inside the church and there's opposition outside the church and while there's dissension and altercations happening in the church with some members uh-oh sounds familiar there's some issues with some members in the church and then there's some opposition coming from outside the church with false teachers and a culture that was trying to do it their own way and paul is incarcerated and Paul writes in the context rejoice in the Lord always so you don't appreciate the text until you get the context Paul is in jail that's his reality but he's writing about joy and the and watch this they call this the joy letter 11 times he uses the word joy in the book of Philippians. Five times he uses the words interchangeably rejoice or be glad.

9:00 So 16 times you're hearing about joy, be glad, rejoice from a man who's incarcerated. And if he could write imprisoned about joy and about the realities of celebration, what's your excuse? Just because you're going through a bad day. Yes, it's a bad day. Yes, it's a rough season. Yes, people are dying. I mean every day I've got a death notice if it's not a celebrity or somebody you know personally I mean Betty White didn't even make it over into 2022 I said Lord you couldn't let them cross over into the new year all of this stuff is happening updates every day culturally politically socially with the virus how do you make it here's what here's what you got to do if you want to have some fun you got to do this number one re-examine your trust in god re-examine your trust in god verse four says rejoice in the lord verse six says pray to the lord verse seven says that you can get peace from the lord verse eight says you got to watch your thoughts and think on the proper things Verse 9 says, do the things that Paul has instructed us to do and the Lord, the God of peace will be with you.

10:18 Well, I can only rejoice in the Lord, pray to the Lord, get peace from the Lord, think about the Lord or rely on the Lord. If I first trust in the Lord. Oh, I'm about to come get you. The foundation of a life of celebration is your indomitable, insurpassable trust in God. that word indomitable means nobody can knock it down it is unbreakable it is unconquerable you have to have a trust in god that's so deep that it doesn't matter what comes it is not enough to shift you because you trust god you trust god on good days you trust god on bad days you trust god with a job you trust god without a job you trust god when life is fair you trust god at the funeral you trust god when you're healthy you trust god when you're sick you trust god when your children are acting like the seed of the hoxtables and when they're acting like the seed of chucky you've got to have enough trust in god to say whatever my lot thou has taught me to say it is well with my soul here's the problem a lot of y'all are churchy but you don't have no good religion you churchy but you don't really trust the god that you sing about that you shout about and that you pray to I need about a hundred of y'all to write in the chat.

11:36 I'm learning how to trust God. And I'm learning how to trust him deeply. You don't just trust God when it's going your way. You got to learn how to trust him when it's not going your way. And you can still say, whatever happens, I still believe you're going to work this thing out for my good. Do I have some witnesses who can testify? You're learning how to trust him. You better learn how to trust him. you got to trust them with your little bit you got to trust them with your lot you got to trust them with your family you have to trust them in your transitions you have to trust them in your confusion you have to trust them in your restlessness you have to trust them in your tiredness you have to trust them in the unknown you have to trust them at the crossroad you have to trust them when people fail you you have to trust them when people betray you because everything is going to work out for your good. So my celebration is not rooted in weed or liquor. My celebration is rooted in the fact that I can trust in the Lord with all my heart, lean not to my own understanding in all my ways acknowledge him.

12:46 And he has promised to direct my path. Now another thing I was told last week is I was teaching last week because I was sitting at the table let me tell you something i can preach sitting down too because i feel a preach sneaking up on me right through here is there anybody in the first two weeks of 2022 who can say god you're teaching me how to trust you all over again anybody got some crazy trust some radical trust some indomitable trust some unconquerable trust i trust in god wherever i may be Tell three people, trust him. Trust him.

13:28 I trust him because he ain't failed me yet. I trust him because he's dependable. I trust him because he can take the heat out of fire. I trust him because he can make a sidewalk in the middle of a sea. I trust him because he'll let me go to sleep on a lion. I trust him because he'll make a way out of no way. I trust him because I've seen too much. Wait, wait, wait, wait. I might not get to anything else I had to tell you because all of these verses simply are screaming at the reader trust God, trust God trust God, wait wait you're missing it, I know you're sick but trust God, I know you don't like the season you're in, you're uncomfortable right now but trust God I know some loved ones have passed and left you heavy and there's a blank hole in your heart trying to get your groove back but you just can't trust god tell somebody around you trust him trust him trust him trust him trust him trust him your your grandmama trusted him yeah yeah yeah yeah your auntie's name trusted him your daddy trusted him listen i told you i was in jamaica and uh i was in jamaica for a wedding and and i'm down there by myself my wife was worried friends were worried because i traveled by myself but i wasn't worried because the bride told me, here's what the bride told me.

14:52 The bride told me, when I land in Jamaica, there's going to be somebody with a sign that says the Richardson and Perrin wedding. All I got to do is look for the sign. Well, y'all, I was nervous, but I trusted her. She said there's been a sign. I said, all right, cool, cool, cool. I walked out, y'all, there was a sign. Man named Marvin. I nicknamed him Deacon Marvin because he took good care of your boy. I was down there drinking conk soup with Marvin. chilling in the jamaican breeze yeah man yeah they told me the next day they were going to send me a covid test in my room all they told me is they're going to meet you in the front lobby at a certain time just go down there somebody's going to have a covid test for you to take i went downstairs at that certain time and the test was there well when i got ready to actually go to the wedding my pickup time i was told was one o'clock. So at one oh two, nobody was outside. I happened to be on the phone with a friend. I said, well, they told me they're going to pick me up at one o'clock, but it's about one oh two, one oh three now. And they said, you ain't worried. I said, no, because every time they told me something was going to happen, it happened. So I trust the bride and I trust the groom. Uh-oh.

16:11 I trust the people who brought me here to keep their promise even if they're running a little late. You're missing it. You're missing it. God has done so much for you. God has kept so many promises for you that sometimes you got to learn how to trust him in a new place, in a new environment, even if he's running a little late. but they that wait wait a minute shall renew their strength they shall mount up somebody holler I'm trusting you Lord I'm out here trusting you I'm out here leaning on you I'm out here depending on you what a fellowship what a joy divine leaning somebody open your mouth for 20 seconds and give God a I trust you praise I trust you with my children I trust you at my career I trust you with my next And if you want to have some fun, you put trust in God at the foundation of your life.

17:33 I think I've said enough today. I think I gave you enough to chew on for the rest of the week. I think. Anybody trust him? Anybody trust him? oh i wish i had a church up in here this morning because i'd ask you to look over that mask and tell somebody whatever happens next god's got it covered whatever happens next You didn't say it from your belly. You didn't say it from your soul. Point at somebody and say, Naaman, whatever happens next, God's already got it. Wait. So.

18:30 This is what I'm going to do. Verse 7 says. And the peace of God. Woo. Which surpasses. All understanding. Are going to usher. At the door of your heart. and your mind in Christ Jesus. Now, I've always read verse 7, but this time I messed around and went down to verse 9. Verse 9 says that Paul reminds this church of Philippi, keep on doing the things you've learned and received and heard and seen in me. Watch this. And the God of peace will be with you. Verse 7, he says, and the peace of God. Verse 9 it said And the God of peace so if I just keep