When God Ain't Acting Like God by Dr. Marcus Cosby

hey you've already heard the song that is our focus text for the day but I want us to return to it and see if we can glean some helpful insight as we deal with Psalm 13 so I'm 13 the Old Testament book of psalms gives to us a unique picture as we address this last message in this sermon series some 13 from the New International Version reads like this how long O Lord will you forget me forever how long will you hide your face from me how long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart how long will my enemy triumph over me look on me an answer me o Lord my God give light to my eyes so I will sleep in death my enemy will say I have overcome him and my foes will rejoice when I fall but I trust in your unfailing love my heart rejoices in your salvation I will sing to the Lord for he has been good to me he's been good to me amen you may be seated in the presence of the lord I will sing to the Lord for he has been good to me first Sunday dealing with the daunting the second Sunday dealing with devastation the first Sunday dealing with depression on this sunday i want to talk from the subject dealing with the divine dealing with the divine dot dot dot when God ain't acting like God dealing with the divine that that does when God ain't actin like God I must admit to you I thank God for my upbringing at emmanuel baptist church 8301 stop dammit avenue chicago illinois s60 620 whether evan dr. lk carey was my pastor foot was there on south side of Chicago that I learned some things about God I was taught that God was a loving God a caring God a compassionate God a merciful God then I learned some of those big words about God omnipresent omniscient omnipotent that God is everywhere at the same time that God knows everything there is to know about everything and that God has all power to do everything that needs to be done in my life and you like I learned some things about God in your upbringing across the years of your Christian development we've all learned that God is sovereign that God is strong and mighty that God's grace is sufficient we've learned and we've sung right here in this church that God is a prayer hearing and a prayer answering God and I suspect Reverend Dickens who prayed our invocation this morning learn some things right here at this church just like I learned some things at him a deal a person I heard him when he started praying he says you're an eternal god you're a sovereign god you're a merciful God he said right here in this pulpit just a few minutes ago he's the great I am and everything that we need from God God provides it God becomes it that God is the great i am for every one of his children the provider he's the waymaker come on we learned some of those wonderful cliches back in the day he's a bridge over troubled water shelter in the time of stone is there someone in here who who can testify as descriptions justified he's the Rose of Sharon he's the lily of the valley he's the bright and come on and help me bridge you know these things you learn these when you were a child that God can be for us everything that we need God to be if we trust him if we commit ourselves to him he will prove to us there is absolutely nothing too hard for him I learned it when Dinkins learned that many of us in the room learned it many of us are still learning that God is our all and all and that when we pray God hears us and God answers us according to his will and in his own time I know that about God I learned it about god I've experienced it about God I'm not new to this I'm true to this I've experienced this over and over and over again in my life I know who God is I've been taught it I've experienced it I walked with him and he's walked with me and talked with me told me that I was alone and the joy we share as we tarry there none uh I know all the hymns I know all the scriptures I'm supposed to know God is I'm the preacher and you do too you've experienced God for your self and you've experienced how God responds to the needs of his children when you pray you expect God to answer cuz that's what we learned about God that when you pray God answers that's why they made us pray before we ate our food that's why they made us pray before we laid down at night in slumber and repose because they wanted us to know that we had a god to whom we could go in every situation of our lives but church family when I read Psalm 13 I am NOT encountering in my reading the god they taught me about any manual baptist church when I read Psalm 13 I don't get the warm and fuzzy feeling from a wonderful and loving embracing encompassing God that they taught me about that there any manual baptist church when I read Psalm 13 it is what scholars suggest is an individual lament it is a psalmist a person some say it's David who is fussing complaining lamenting about his life circumstance and most laments when you read them in the scriptures most of the mix in the Psalms are this an individual talking to God about what an enemy has done most laments are a purse or other reflections of individuals who are going on and on because something in their life circumstance has diminished their level and quality quality of life to the point that they can't seemingly go on any longer so because of what they're going through they go to God and say Lord handle this that's what a lament is when we have lamentations in the scripture it is somebody who is saying god I don't like what I'm dealing with God I don't like them folk who keep coming at me with no cause god I don't like the fact that I'm dealing with extended circumstances extended frustration extended drama when I got an issue I'm supposed to be able to take my issue to my god but here's my problem what do you do when your issue is God stick with me for a little while don't let your spiritual sensibilities get rubbed the wrong way cuz the psalmist today is not talking specifically about somebody in the community who is getting on his or her nerves the psalmist is not talking about somebody down the street who keeps mex messing up his life's progress the psalmist is trippin cuz God seems to be trippin stay with me stay with me don't leave me now I know this is not the guards you learned about in Sunday school this is not the guy that you learned about when you were shouting in worship this is a God who seemingly is disconnected seemingly detached as a matter of fact one scholar suggests this is the God who has abandoned his servant and a matter of fact all you have to do he's read the first line of Psalm 13 and you'll understand that that's exactly how the psalmist is feeling the first two words are classic how long there it is I've been dealing with this for entirely too long I've been struggling with this for entirely too long I've been going through this for entirely too long I've been upset about this for entirely too long and you're not doing anything you're not making a difference I thought you were the loving compassionate kind hearted God who was able to turn that thing around I thought you were to God for whom nothing should be called impossible I thought when I called on you you would answer me and the summer says how long will you forget me forever how long will you hide your face for me how long with my bust I wrestle with my folks and every day have sorrow in my heart how long will my enemy triumph over me if you read this text church family doesn't seem like God is acting like that sweet God's you used to that guy and god you're accustomed to the one you were just shouting about a minute ago the one that you always saying thanks thanks i give you things ain't no thanksgiving in this text there's no hallelujah in this text not in verse 1 not in verse 2 or 3 over here in this text the psalmist is complaining as a matter of fact what I like to call this first new point about what verses wanting to is an expression of genuine indignation that just say indignation it is the expression of genuine indignation the psalmist is upset the psalmist is struggling the psalmist is challenged by the reality that God doesn't seem to be acting like God I know who I can go to when my enemies are tripping I know what to do when my boss is getting on my nerves oh I can go to God about that matter of fact I know how to handle it with life circumstances cuz weigh me down when I get bad news from the doctor I know what to do i go to God I have a recourse when life is weighing heavily upon me but who do you go to when your problem is God where do you go how do you handle it child of God what do you do st. how do you handle it member of the wheeler have a new church when you are wrestling with the reality that God is not answering in a timely manner and we don't have to testify about it I'll just figured from the microphone many of us in this place have had that thought go through our mind that God should have shown up by now that God should have responded by now that God should have opened the door by now that God should have made a way by now that God should have healed me by now how long do I have to stay with this sickness in my body how long must I deal with the fact that my family frictions are so significant and severe that we're not talking to each other living in the same house how long must I deal with the fact that this frustration that I'm dealing with that I'm facing right now does not seem to be going away look at how the psalmist depicts his challenge seemingly is an extended challenge in four areas if you if you look at the text away I do he seems to have an extended challenge he's dealing my friends with extended dejection look at his words how long O Lord will you forget me forever I'm dejected I don't seem to be a priority on your list of things to do I don't seem to be on your mind right now I feel dejected not only does he deal with extended dejection he likewise has to deal with extended separation will you hide your face from me forever will you always turn away from me and disallow me to experience the fellowship that I once enjoyed that church family you must understand these are not the words of a novice believer these are not the words of somebody who just showed up in church yesterday these are not the words of somebody who just started walking with God a few weeks ago this is some who has it had an extended fellowship with God and now that extended fellowship has been broken I don't care how long you stay saved you'll have to deal with some moments in your same sanctified life where you don't feel the presence of God like you once felt the presence of God I mean you can be saved preaching in the pulpit singing in a choir Russian on the door hey deacon and on the Deacon boy and still not feel the presence of the Living God psalmist says I'm extent i'm experiencing extended dejection extended separation and now because of this rejection of separation I'm experienced an extended consternation listen to what he says my false a messed up now I'm wrestling with my fault I'm thinking some stuff I never did think about God I'm thinking some stuff I never did think about my relationship with God you don't want to say a man that is just go ahead and internalized you a man and I know you don't want your few partner to know that you had to deal with some thoughts in your mind that weren't necessarily pristine and Christian you can go ahead and say Amen to yourself just tap your foot until you're a man today you don't have to let anybody know that you felt that God should have moved by now kakashi to work this out by now and your mind start playing tricks on you ain't going back to church hey praying no more a reading my Bible this ain't working the way it's supposed to be working extended rejection extended separation extended consternation sorrow is all I'm feeling in my heart and that leads to extended agitation your minds dog playing tricks on you you just get mad at God why you taking my loved one why did you why did you leave me here to deal with this and took somebody who is a sweeter kinda individual than was at mi here in the text child of god the psalmist is wrestling with the reality that God a acting like God you were supposed to move by now I should be in the church shouting you suppose I've answered by now I should be waving my hands they won't he mega way he won't he working out say yeah I should have been celebrating my praise report should have been on my lips by now but instead I'm angry I'm sitting in touch with my arms folded in my legs cross really don't want to be him a census Sunday I came in cavegirl my mama told me I would have come to church on Sunday I came cuz it isn't right I came cuz I got a title I came could they were expecting me to teach sunday school I came cuz they told me my choir was singing I came cuz my Usher board was Usher and I came because it's just the routine is the ritual it's my religious obligation but I'm mad as I can be what were you thinking what were you thinking so he has to deal with the divine yes talk to God but Mayer please help you understand something my brothers and sisters what I understand and appreciate about this brother even in the midst of his indignation there is the realization that God is still in control don't miss this don't miss this in the midst of his indignation he still realizes that God is in control look who he's talking to he said God when you gonna make this right when you gonna turn this around when are you going to work this out cuz I understand that you're still sovereign and you're still able even though I don't like what I'm dealing with right now I still know you're the only one to whom I can turn you because you're in control of everything and you can shut it down whenever you get ready so the psalmist has to deal with the reality that he's engrossed in in some significant and genuine indignation but keep watching the text because the movements of the texts are significant in my estimation because not only does he have the expression of genuine indignation but right here in Psalm 13 is likewise church family is the expectation of game for illumination now the church say illumination um he's still talking to God when we get to verses 3 and 4 and we get the verses 3 and 4 he says look on me an answer o Lord my God give here it is light to my eyes or I will sleep in death my enemy will say I have overcome him and my Falls will rejoice when I fall he says look on me show to me the illumination that comes when your face is pointed in my direction the Hebrews understood that when God's face was towards you that God would bring a luminescence a brightness a light to you that would with that would diminish the dimness of your circumstance when God's face would be headed in your direction when God would turn to the metaphorical face of God but it would be turned in your direction he would brighten up the dark places that you were having to deal with that when God's face was buzzed in your direction that God would brighten up the corner where you were and he would illuminate the valley that you had to experience he would he would give a light a lift to the burden you were carrying it is revealed isn't it in that benediction you listen to almost every Sunday almost every Sunday you understand the Hebrew notion of the illumination that God gives when his face is in your direction come on you say it with me every Sunday the Lord bless you and keep you will make his face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you the Lord lift the light of his countenance upon you and give you peace they understood that when God face would be in your direction is that the brightness that God gives to us would be able to help us to get through whatever we had to deal with so he says God I just need the light to shine in my direction I need your light to make a difference in my dark dim dank this despairing situation that I'm going through I need you O God to let the night from the lighthouse shine on me is there anybody in here who understands that when you talk to your God you are not talking to somebody who keeps you in the dark dismal places where you can find no light no escape no visible means of assistance that when God is on your side he is light in the dark situations he illumines your pathway unless you know despite what you're going through this fight but you're dealing with trouble will not last well help me prince will you please i only got about six minutes left he says i need the light of the Lord to show me the path that I'm supposed to go look at the protects again he says look on me and asked me what he's really suggesting child of God is God if you don't do anything else just remember hey I'm over here hey hey do you see me here I am look this way if you look this way at least I can see some light shining if you look this way at least I understand that the dark tunnel will soon come to an end if you look this way that is I'll have hope in a hopeless situation if you look this way I won't be depressed always if you look this way my devastation will pass if you look this way I can deal with the daunting just look this hey Here I am and even even with your introspective self there is some days you want to jump up wave your hands and say hey God over here look this way he's grandchildren getting on my nerves I thought it was just the children now is the branch children I'm like Jesus be a fence all around me look this way and lightened up my dark situation I close my little message I'm almost done but I suspect that the Mama and Daddy a Mike Brown on somewhere in Ferguson saying God look this way I suspect they have some hungry brothers and sisters who go come onto our campus this week saying Lord look this way I guess there's some devastated folk not just in this sanctuary but out in the streets of Houston Texas saying Lord look this way and we have to be catalysts of light and change and transformation is to let people know that God is still on their side God is still in control and God is still working miracles is there anybody who can testify I've asked him to look this way and he did exactly what I needed him to do he will lighten up your circumstance what I appreciate about the psalmist in the midst of his request for illumination there is a divine personalization that his instant is associated with the request that he's making in verses 3 and 4 it is not until we get the verses 3 and 4 that he personalizes his relationship with God he says o Lord my God verse 1 him jello Lord he was in an indignant indignant posture but now but he's asked about the illumination of God to come his way he makes it personal he said I've been with you too long for you to trip on me like this been in relationship with you too long for you not to work things out the way I know you're able to work things out he has now personalized his relationship with God and watch the text church family because as he has now personalized his relationship with God his whole tone changes in verses 5 and 6 indicative vs 12 inquiring about God's illumination in verses 3 and 4 by the time we get the verses 5 and 6 we see the exposure of a God word inclination the exposure of a God word inclination listen again to what the psalmist says you remember he was mad in verse 1 y'all remember that you and me he's like hey hey look over here in verse 3 or 4 you'll remember that but look at in verse in in verses five or six but I trust in your unfailing love my heart rejoices in your salvation I will sing to the Lord for he has been good to me oh you just missed your shot you I may be taking knows maybe you just try to jot it down but get the deeper DVD series he looked up at me he says listen here I was mad five minutes ago yeah I've been angry for the last three weeks I've been trying to figure out when you gonna move for the last six months black I trust you and I'm gonna keep trusting you cuz this ain't the first time I've been through something i will keep trusting you there's not the first time i had to have some frustration in my life I'm gonna keep trusting you because I know that if you did it for me last time last year last month you are able to do it again since I'm gonna keep on trusting you even though you ain't acting like a god I'm used to help me freak I still trust you even when I can't trace you I still trust you even when I can't track you down I still trust you hear when you're not talking to me may I please remind you judge family in all of the six verses of some 13 god never says a word in all six verses God maintains conspicuous silence but despite the conspicuous silence as the psalmist says I got too much history with you who for me to be tripping right through here I too much of a track record with youth and for me to throw in the towel and wave the white flag of surrender and say forgetting this whole godly routine I got a god word inclination I'm trusting in your unfailing love he literally says i'm trusting god's character you got a king james version you know that that word for unfailing love is mercy there's God's mercy endures forever so I'm trusting in your unfailing love I'm trusting in your steadfast love I'm trusting in your mercy that is new every single morning even if you don't say anything just keep me in God even if you don't talk back to me just let me know you still God you still have mercy that endures forever I'm trusting in God's character but the same time I'm trusting in God's care he said my heart rejoices in your salvation he said my heart Rajotte never what he's really doing church family is not talking about his current complaint he's talking about his past provisions he's literally saying God has already brought me through some stuff that I never thought I'd get through I mean I cried back in 1985 and thought I'd never stop crying but some kind of way he dried my tears he restored my joy he renewed my hope and I'm trusting that the Salvation I've already experienced will be the salvation that I experienced again so instead of lamenting instead of complaining I'll learn how to rejoice now I like this cuz this is this is the God for grown-ups this ain't the God for wimps children of God has eight the God for somebody who just has to have everything go your way this is not the entitled folk right now this is the God for grown-ups this is the god who's been walking with the Lord for a little while this is the god you don't have to have everything go your way for you to still give God praise he says I'm gonna rejoice even though you ain't said nothing back to me I'm gonna rejoice even though it still hasn't shifted I'm gonna rejoice even those circumstances have nothing panned out the way I planned them to and I need two or three folk in here to go ahead and rejoice while the thorn is still in your flesh and he took three broken here to rejoice while burdens are still on your shoulders and he wanted to vote in here who got no confidence in God to go ahead and rejoice even in bereavement even in sickness even in trouble even in disaster somebody oughta let your heart go ahead and out of the overflow of what God has already done rejoice in his salvation his care has been consistent yeah is that I'm trusting in God's character I'm trusting in God's care and I'm trusting in God's consistency I will test a consistency you said it when I was reading it I didn't have to read it aloud as you said it for my for me in the midst of my reading at the early part of this worship the last line of the verse the last line of song says God has been whoa I'm done you just preach the rest of the message God has been good to me that church family you got to hold on to that when circumstances are not going in your didn't your favor you gotta hold on to that when you don't think that your situation is ever gonna turn around you just got to look back over your life and testify he's know the summers and start singing about it God has been good to me somebody oughta sing today just because he's God's been on your side God's been making away God's been working it out he ain't acting like God right now but he's still God did you hear what I just said Oh help me Hank Neil he ain't acting like God right now but God is still got me into anybody in here who knows he's still on the throne he still fights so battle he still makes ways he's still up lift your head he still gives you peace he still gives you joy he is still God he's been good he's been good he's been good you gotta deal with the divine child of God even when God ain't acting like God God is still gone

Channel: ROHO

Views: 51,743

Rating: 4.7601295 out of 5

Keywords: sermon, Psalm 13, anger, disappointment, rejection, worry, lament, indignation, presence, trust, depression

Id: f7rorRJiwaM

Length: 32min 48sec (1968 seconds)

Published: Wed Nov 28 2018