An Attitude Adjustment by Dr. Marcus Cosby

Bibles I invite your attention on this Sunday to the Old Testament Book of Psalms my favorite book of the Bible is the book of songs which speaks to us about the breadth of the experiences of humanity the reality with which psalmist's come to those experiences and honestly and powerfully display and convey their concerns their cares to God and the way God tends to the concerns and cares of his people Psalm 73 is one such song Psalm 73 and I'll ask that you'll keep your Bibles open as we look at this passage of Scripture today keep your app unlocked so we might glean some powerful information from Psalm 73 and I want to talk on this Sunday morning from the subject and attitude adjustment you may be seated and the attitude adjustment have you ever had an attitude have you ever been in that space where you couldn't seemingly get it together there's life of a burden to you so tough weight so heavily upon you that you couldn't seem to shake the attitude with which you were dealing to be sure my brothers and sisters despite our years of Christian witness despite the longevity of our service in the Lord's Church despite how much we love God and sing about it right before the sermon the truth of the matter is that in every one of our lives our attitudes can be twisted our attitudes can be shifted from what they should be and at some point along our journey we'll need an attitude adjustment this is not to suggest that an attitude is representative of a lack of salvation or spirituality because save forget attitudes spiritual folk get attitudes folk who ever been in church for a long time get attitudes for who know a whole lot of Scripture get attitude for who pray three times a day toward the east get attitude for who know all the hymns and all the songs of a church yeah added folk serving in ministry folk who love the Lord with their whole hearts get attitudes and at some point along our Christian journey every one of us let me modify at some points along our Christian journey every one of us will need one or two or 12 or 25 attitude adjustments permit me to introduce you to a brother named Asaph Asaph is a unique individual of course his name speaks to his uniqueness Asaph but he staff is a good guy church-going guy brother who loves the Lord speaks of his love for the Lord with out any fear of significant contradiction he sappers a brother who loves to lift up the name of the Lord and does so willingly and does so wholeheartedly Asaph is a gifted individual a grateful individual a god called god-fearing individual he is not too dissimilar from those of us who are in this sacred space called sanctuary or sacred space called Worship Center right now for most of us if not all of us I dare say the majority of us love the Lord God fearing individuals gifted are grateful and have a relationship with God that we adore and appreciate and as we look at this brother its unique brother by the name of Asaph who has written for us Psalm 73 we are called to investigate a brother who has a rich history and as a consequence of what we'll learn today likewise has a rich legacy Asaph is a gifted brother he's a poet a gifted poet at bat and I suspect poet would minimize who he really is and what he really does for he is a psalmist in every sense of the word he writes beautiful music for the glory of God he has allowed that music to be sung in the temple worship he is one who ensures that the people of God hear the words of God from his pen to the paper then sung in the sanctuary of the Living God he is a gifted poet a lyricist if you please a master musician on the order of these gifted individuals who ministered to us every Sunday Asaph has that leon lewis spirit has that willem a sharp spirit that just a dt baldwin spirit that Javon brown spirit he's good at what he does and he lifts the name of the Lord through the music through which he ministers but not only is he a gifted poet he's a grateful parent he is one who's had success raising children in the fear and admonition of the Lord he's had some success along his journey as a matter of fact he's at such success in his parental work that four of his sons follow in his footsteps as psalmist's in the house of the Lord we call them simply the sons of Asaph these are men who lift up their voices who minister the music of God in the house of God to make sure that the people of God are drawn closer to God Asaph is a gifted poet and a grateful parent that God has blessed him to raise these children the fear and admonition of the Lord and they too have a love affair with God in at the same time he's a gifted poet and a grateful parent Asaph is a god-fearing prophet god-fearing God called prophet 2nd chronicles chapter 29 speaks of his god-fearing and God called ways his prophecies are consistently uplifted and he uses his voice as a trumpet in Zion to proclaim what thus saith the Lord he draws people closer to God because he uses the gift that God has given to him to proclaim the good news of God's Word and he'll people to have a closer relationship with him this profit stands between the people and God and he hears from God so that he might speak to the people and he hears from the people so that he might speak their concerns unto God they SEF is a gifted poet a South is a grateful parent and a South is a god-fearing God called prophet he's gifted grateful and god-fearing and at the very same time this poet this parrot this prophet is empty envious and embittered and one at the same time this brother who has so much going on for him who is being used by God to lift God's people to the place where they want to be finds himself in a situation where he is empty drained where he is envious and where he is embittered he says it of himself in Psalm 73 he says he is envious and he says he is embittered you can see that he is drained as he tries to minister to the people of God and this brother as he stands before God's people has to continually uplift the name of God from a space where although he is anointed he still has an attitude I guess I ought to repeat my first question have you ever had an attitude have you ever been in church with some things going for you the way you want him to go but at the same time other things are not going the way they should go have you ever been betwixt and between certain situations and scenes of your life that kept you shaken kept you frustrated kept you in a place where you had to keep on talking to God keep on begging God to move you forward move you in a progressive way there will come sometimes in all of our save spiritual sanctified lives where we stand in this tension we deal with this tension between anoint and attitude always be those moments but we have to keep on lifting up holy hands even though we don't feel like it all the time it will come those times where we have to lift up our voices and celebrate the Savior who has redeemed us with his own precious blood even though we don't feel like it all the time and you don't have to testify about it I'll go ahead and tell you already how many people have felt in time gone by if not at this very moment there's been some times where you had to press your way to church and you didn't feel like being there didn't want to go through the motions didn't feel like if the experience there are some moments where you'd have to press your way because your attitude is not what you wanted to be that's the story of his brother named Asaph but ASAP in the midst of all of this with which he has to deal still understands and proclaims a foundational affirmation that I rest in your hearing today a foundational affirmation that none of us should miss a foundational affirmation that all of us should be able to sing as say or proclaim right along with him it's found in verse 1 of Psalm 73 his foundational affirmation cannot be shaken it will not be thwarted he will not go back on it he will not move to the left or to the right he stands flat-footed and proclaims with everything that is within him truly God is good to Israel and those who are other clean heart is that in your Bible is right there in Psalm 73 at verse 1 he says with with no with no fear of significant contradiction truly surely undoubtedly God is good to Israel brothers and sisters that's a foundational affirmation that all of us must purport that's a foundational affirmation that all of us should use as the place on which we stand the point at which we begin our conversations regarding our situations ouais F says that one thing I'm standing on and I refuse to let it go that is that God is good and today my brothers and sisters I come to affirm with a staff that no matter what's going on in the world no matter how bad times yet no matter how significant your situation may press so heavily upon you you need to rest assured and stand boldly on the fact is that our God is good and somebody today has come into this sanctuary and you've been unable to lift your hands and unable to clap your hands and unable to just put a smile on your faces but I've come to remind you that in everything that you're going through that you serve a God who is good I wish I had wanted to witnesses in here who just helped me affirm it in the midst of every scene of your life God is good even when times are not good God is good even when money is funny God is good even when my help is not what I wanted to be God is good even when family structures and systems are breaking away and falling apart that God is good can I get two witnesses in here who will testify for your pew partner we serve a good guy truly surely undoubtedly God is good when the old preacher would see truly or surely in the Bible the old preacher would say if that only means truly or surely or undoubtedly means show enough showing up every time he saw verily verily he say show enough showing up God is good to Israel that's my word to you child of God God is good the psalmist say it over and over again because they want us to get it into our mind and affirm it from our mouths cuz they'll say things like this all give thanks unto the Lord for he is good for his mercy endures forever over and over again the psalmist wants us to remind ourselves that God is good sometimes you got to talk to yourself and remind yourself that through it all I serve a good guy in spite of it all I've serve a good god in light of it all I serve a good god somebody ought to pat yourself on this shoulder pat yourself on the back and say my car is good so foundational affirmation he's going to affirm that no matter what he's going to make sure everybody who comes here because his Pam understands that God is good in bereavement he's still good in trouble and tragedy he's still good when the pink slippers get put on your desk he's still good help me preach on a Sunday afternoon I need somebody to understand that no matter what you go through no matter what you deal with dude don't you ever think that your God has ceased to be good he's good in every situation it is not just cliche in the sanctuary who's when a worship leader stands up and says God is good somebody oughta holla back all the time and somebody ought to say in all the time that's something you ought to stand on that's a foundational affirmation is that I'm standing on the fact that God is good that's what he says in verse one he's got he's got foundational affirmation he launches his song from the platform of the steadfast goodness of God but got to keep on reading because the psalmist does not conclude the song with just one verse and then the next verse says he begins to talk about his own reality he says although I have to deal with the foundational affirmation that I have just professed he says I also have to deal with the reality that I am embroiled in battered with a formidable agitation a formidable agitation he says my affirmation is that God is good but I had a deal with some agitation that's going on in my life and from verse 2 to verse 15 he begins to talk about the agitation he says but as for me my foot had almost slipped my steps were almost gone when I considered the wicked and the prosperity that they enjoy Oh summers now begins to get real with us he begins to move from his place of spirituality and he begins to talk about his own personal reality he says he says he said my foot had almost slipped my steps were almost gone because I was looking at the news I was reading the paper I was getting updates about the national scene and I could considering how the wicked seem to be prospering and how the righteous seem to be reverting and my mind got all messed up I was looking how seemingly all the things that are not right with the world keep making progress and all the things that I know God and are right with the world seem to be taking a back seat to the rest of the things of life and he's now got a situation with which he's dealing and his mind is messed up and his feet have almost slipped and his steps I will not go he says I've got an issue I've got an issue I've got I've got a problem I got a situation that I can't really handle by myself and I need not me I need to be able to vent my concerns to vent my frustrations to talk about my issues to get it out because it's hurting me if I keep it bottled up inside and he says I need to let this go well I don't know what in the world's gonna happen in my life now I'm pretty sure that you are more spiritual than most folk on your Road so you have never had that kind of situation to creep up in your life I know that your life has always been roses and your life has always been sunshiny days I know that you always had beautiful moments to continually flood your calendar but for the 99.9% of the rest of us in church today we can testify that they have come some days in our lives where the pressures have weighed upon us so heavily that we didn't know how in the world we were gonna make it and we just needed to admit that I need somebody to listen me to help me process these issues with which I'm dealing I need somebody to Linden listening ears because if I keep this to myself ain't no telling what's gonna happen I just might go crazy I need to let it out cuz this agitation is real have you ever been there but agitation was real in your life have you ever been there well you couldn't see merely take two steps forward without taking three steps back have you ever been in that moment in life where it seems like the challenges you had to deal with at the job the challenges you had to deal with coming from the doctor's office the challenge that you had to deal with with the family the challenges that you had to deal with with your finances were so significant that's so severe that you needed to just have a release from the rough realities of your life where the psalmist says that's where I found myself and 4:14 versus the psalmist ventilates from verse 2 all the way to verse 15 he just begins to let it out he begins to talk about his scene in his situation if he has to talk about what's going on in his life he begins to tell anybody who will listen I know you know where he gets that way when he gets real bad you might tell anybody you might find somebody on the street a listen here I'm so sick of my boss I don't know what in the world to do I just got to three witnesses right here who hadn't said a man the whole sermon and now they waving at me is there anybody in here who can testify maybe you're in the worship center and you can testify there come knows moments but you need to get it out he begins to talk about it he begins to let it let it go let it flow he began to tell his reality speak about his agitation only challenge was he said it's only a few folks I can talk to cuz I cuz because you know I'm gifted and you know I'm god-fearing and you're on grief of all the blessings that I've enjoyed but at the same time I'm envious and embittered and empty and everybody can't handle what I'm saying so in verse 15 he says I thought about telling your children but they can't handle it because they so spiritual they think the church for gain devil some had it supposed to have a bad day he says in verse 15 if I Samuel eternity your children I love seeing the generation of him spiritual focus they all might be like that you're gonna be feeling like that just pray just pray I've been praying and I'm not feeling any better I need somebody else to listen to me can I get one witness in this church who can testify sometimes I don't need the real Pat spiritual Church answers I just need you sit yourself down and let me talk to you until I feel better I don't care if you heard it last week listen to it again so some of us is perched 14 verses for others of us is 14 days sometimes in 14 weeks but you got to get it out got to release that anxiety release that agitation release that aggravation that's the only thing that's gonna make you feel better if you keep that stuff bottled in you'll be walking around with ulcers in your body you'll be walking around where sickness is that you can't even attest to is there anybody in here who testifies that every now and then just talking about if you're just releasing it makes times a little easier now I deliver us from these super spiritual Saints we just want to pour a little prayer on top of everything now I believe prayer works but sometimes I just need to talk I said I believe prayer works but sometimes y'all not be in such a hurry to get to your next spiritual moment that you can't sit down and listen to me because unfortunately we have we have we have we have cultivated a climate of hypocrisy in the church that tells us to let everybody know or think if that everything's all right with us right so we have to always be perfect we have to be always perfectly qualified that's why we take so much time putting that mac makeup on our faces before we come to church because we have to be perfect spotless without blemish we got to look at ourselves 25 times in the mirror before we step outside and then as soon as we get the copy looking in the rearview mirror and it see right before we get out we make sure if they know spinach in our teeth make sure that everything is going alright lipstick all right and make sure our hands done just fine make sure our shoes are shy and we got to make sure everything's all right so somebody asks you how you do it oh I'm saying I'm blessing Lord highly favored hey I didn't ask you how spiritual you are ask you how you do it I know you blessed and highly favored you ain't the only one blessed and highly favored I'm blessed and highly favored - how are you feeling tell me what your heart is feeling hey is your heart hurting right now can anybody say I need to be real I don't do this a lot but turn towards your neighbor say be real it's not being fake phony and fictitious be real be honest be sincere install helped you with an attitude adjustment best way to overcome a problem is admitting you have one that's the only way to make sure that you get past what you're dealing with you can't fix what you won't face you can't conquer what you want confront I just came by to tell some brothers I'm sister keeping 100 and if you do you'll be able to get to the next phase of your life cuz you're having attitude adjustment that was for the contemporary crowd that was for the contemporary crowd and some folks hike by hung okay don't worry about it he says he says I got a formidable agitation I'm fighting with you I'm wrestling with it I'm agitated aggravated angered and I need to get it out try to tell the spiritual folk they got mad so I realized I can't always deal with them and so he found out that there's a way to move from where he was to where he needs to be so ASAP with his with his gifted grateful and and god-fearing self who is likewise at the same time envious embittered and empty he says I was messed up I was I was conflicted I was agitated I was angered 4:17 until oh I love that word right there that just that just made me holler all on the inside he says he says until watch I went into the sanctuary of God that's when my mind got shifted and I began to understand things better by and by watch this child of God he says when I went into the sanctuary there was a mindset that was shifted there was an attitude that was adjusted because something happened when I came to the sanctuary as I could not get just talking in the streets something happened when I walked into the sanctuary is that could not happen just hanging out in the mall hanging out with my friends do just go into the regular Saturday routine there was something that happened on Sunday when I came into the sanctuary on the Sabbath that literally read transformed my mind and he now moves to what I call his a fundamental alteration a fundamental alteration there is an alteration that happens with this psalmist he's been giving with formidable agitation he made it clear that he had a foundational affirmation but now he's got a found a fundamental alteration that is that his mind shifts watch this in the presence of God now see you got to hear this you got to hear this with fresh ears you got to hear this because some of us think that what we do on Sunday when we come to church in simply ritual and routine we were trying we would talk some of us from childhood when sunday comes put your church clothes on and go to church we were trained that we were taught that but what we may have missed is that coming to church is not just some experience not just some ritual or routine but something happens in here you better hear me now something happens in here that can't happen out there I don't know how God does it I don't know how God works it out but you need to understand this is a supernatural thing and healing can take place in here that you could never get just by staying in the bed and being mad at the world all day long there's somebody in here who can hear me testify that when you come into the house of the Lord something begins to shift in your perspective he's shifting your mindset and shifting your spirit and that lets you know what the whole folk used to say it's trouble don't laugh Oh will you hear me somebody better listen to me on a Sunday afternoon and I'm trying to tell you that God is moving while you sitting in that seat that God is up to something why you got that Bible in your lap that God is doing something while you taking notes on the preacher sermon and somebody ought to hear me then why are you trying to figure it out he's already worked it can I give you some Bible for that when you get a chance read Isaiah chapter 6 I said 7 6 verse 1 says in the year king of Zhai died I saw also the Lord seated on his throne high and lifted up and his train filled the temple oh you missed it let me give it to you again Isaiah chapter 6 verse 1 says in the year king of Zhai died I saw also the Lord seated on his throne high and lifted up and his train filled the temple I appreciated knew the master version but King James Version which was which I grew up it says in a year King as I died I saw also the Lord seated on his throne high and lifted up your King as I died abroad personal and political tragedy in the kingdom Isaiah had a close relationship with Isaiah who had a personal situation that hurt his heart and in a year he goes I doubt he has some tragedy the nation was in uproar because of the political tragedy that they found in the death of king of Zhai but King James Version inserts a four letter word that you are not missed when you read the scriptures because the text says although I saw what happened with Isaiah Isaiah said I saw also the Lord and he was seated on his throne high and lifted up and his train filled the temple you must understand it when as I died Isaiah went into the chapel and when he went into the temple he saw God seated on his throne high and lifted up and his train filled the temple seat it means he was in total of 40 high and lifted up is that he was the king of all majesty and his glory filled in several minute every way you're an inch an everyday way you move you're booked into his glory and into his majesty his weight was being thrown all around the room and all I came to tell somebody today is that in the same year that Freddie gray died in the year that Big Mike died hear that Trayvon Martin died in the year that Eric garner died and I saw the personal and political tragedy and had I've been empty about that stuff man I've been envious I've been in bitter day but I'm thankful that I came to the house of the Lord and I saw also the Lord and I found out he's seated in full control he's high and lifted up he's got Majesty that outnumbers anybody else and the glory of the Lord fills this place and so I've come to testify but although I've seen some negative stuff here I also see some positive stuff and I came to testify that God is still in control oh you better encourage yourself child of God you better also see the Lord don't you just focus on these negative situations you better also see the Lord don't you just focus on what's going wrong in your life you better also see that God is still on the throne in control maybe that's why the psalmist says I was glad when they said unto me let's go to the house of the Lord cuz if I stay where I am I'll always stay where I am I'm not talking about geography now if I stay where I am I'll miss what's going on in the house of God and I just might miss my blessing because while God is working I'm in the wrong space they said I got to get to church I know we all have hectic schedules but don't let the weekend come and you find everything else to do instead of getting to the house to the look you never know what you're going to need to get you ready for your next week you never know what you're gonna need make you help you get over what you had to deal with last week and something bout beat up in here I don't know what it just something about being on these pews something bout being an old seats across the way something about being in the sacred space I'm about seeing somebody else who's going through some situations and now they got a testimony letting you know is that if they could get through it you can get through it to who when I came into the sanctuary my mind got changed I understood had an adjustment had an adjustment my mind got changed and he says you've set them in Slippery places I like that I like that Church family because what he does now is it reminds us of his testimony in verse 2 he said in verse 2 to his foot had almost slipped but when he gets down to verse 17 18 19 and following here to testify that got the real foe who is slipping and don't even know it on a wicked folk because God's only gonna let this stuff go down for so long and in his own time and according to his will he's gonna flip the strip he's gonna turn the situation around I need some folk who walk by faith in here to help me right through here could everybody doesn't understand this faith walk we work we have to endure but somebody in here who walks by faith can testify I believe there's some kind of way God's gonna make away guys gonna turn it around God's gonna give me victory God's gonna lift my head above my enemy and he's gonna let me know that this too shall help me preach on a Sunday afternoon amount of time I like that I like that every now and then you just gotta call it even when you're not energy you got a couple as an actor face somebody's struggling right now I dare you to haul out victory the quads just signed it because of Calvary we got victory and if you know Jesus died but rose again you are to testify that I've got victory in Jesus Christ somebody hollered who you believe in victory but he says what's this that what he's dealing with is not really an issue of location it's an issue of proximity hear me now he thought it was just about coming to the searcher / Church there's something that happens when you enter the sanctuary but it's not just about the location because those of us who have a broader understanding of God know that God is not a localized God he's not a parochial eyes guy here is not only God that you can experience in the sanctuary you can experience God at your house you can experience God in your car you can experience God wherever you are he says then the issue is proximity and so in verses 23 to 28 he begins to say it's good for me to draw close to God draw near to God he says it is more an issue of my heart than it is an issue of where I am personally and as my heart draws close closer to God my attitude begins to be adjusted all the more and then I end up with a testimony that can't nobody do me like God can let me give you again my time is out I'm really through with the message but can't give us you one more time because now he begins to talk to us about a faithful approximation a faithful approximation he says I've got to get closer to God I have a loud watch this I have allowed my issue my embitterment my my envious nest my my emptiness to soak up the space between God and me I've allowed too much stuff to get between God and me so I need to clear out the space between God and me and the closer I get to God the more joy I have the more peace I have four more contentment I have the more I know that God is working things out for my good I'm done did you hear what I just said I said the closer you get to God removing the clutter that stands between you and God the more joy you'll have for more peace you'll have the more contentment you're have the more you'll have to fake a praise you just release a praise the more you don't have to do a worship you engage in worship when you get closer to God you begin to testify he really is able to do exceeding abundantly above all I can ask or think and I close the message today by asking is there anybody in this church today who can testify when you've allowed God to get clone you without your self get closer to God you found out that Gok in turn gets closer to you the closer you get to him the closer he gets to you and the reason I keep coming to church sipping my seeking and lifting up holy hands even when my heart is aching even when my mind is filled with burdens and I cannot seem to shake it because the closer I get to him the closer he gets to me before I've seen God will make a way somehow the more I see him making away somehow the wall I keep reciting the Lord is my shepherd I shall not want the more I see him providing me for besides green pastures and him and making my table to be right there before my enemies and I'm anointed my head with oil and my cup keeps running over is there anybody any who can testify you have a shepherd who takes care of all of your needs and today on this Sunday afternoon I came to testify but if you get closer to him and he'll get closer to you and he'll rock in the cradle of his arms even though you've been battered by the storm is there anybody in huge hell I gotta get closer to him and I'll allow too much stuff to get between me and my god and on this Sunday afternoon I'm making a formal declaration that I'm gonna draw nearer nearer blessed Lord to the cross where thou has died draw me nearer blessed Lord to that precious bleeding side and somebody who can testify when you get near to him you'll change the song you've been singing you'll no longer have weeping that endures for a night but now you'll find out the choice comes in the morning who's waiting no morning time and because you believe it's on the way by faith you'll begin to clap your hands and by fate you'll begin to put a smile on your face bat faith your pet your feet you'll nod your head and you'll believe that God will and make a way somehow I came to tell somebody that the reason I'm preaching this message is because yesterday and the days before I was empty I was I was embittered but when I got to church last night I came into this holy space and he began to turn my life around this morning my clothes all made my way to the eleven o'clock service and sat down in my seat and although I came with tears in my eyes and he's trying my tears over although I came in broken I'm going out blessed I came in down - I'm caught out delivered I came in upset I'm going up out up lifted is there anybody in church who believes a change is on the way and even if the chains hadn't come yet I believe God will make a way somehow God will turn my mourning into dancing God will turn my sorrow into joy God will turn my midnight in the midday I believe that this too shall pass trouble laughs always weeping may endure for a night but by faith I beg you to reach for some joy and say sure it's coming it's all the way say yeah

Channel: ROHO

Views: 34,621

Keywords: sermon, Psalm 73, attitude, Asaph, anointing, release, talk, honesty, presence, peace, faithfulness, worship

Id: cwsjKCMy1nk

Length: 40min 13sec (2413 seconds)

Published: Wed Nov 28 2018