1 00:00:14,570 --> 00:00:14,942 Hi, guys. 2 00:00:14,996 --> 00:00:16,154 Welcome to Sandals church. 3 00:00:16,202 --> 00:00:18,922 We are in this series called healthy. 4 00:00:19,066 --> 00:00:24,302 I want you to think about your family, your friends, people that you work with. 5 00:00:24,436 --> 00:00:30,000 When you bring up the word healthy, what's the last thing people think? 6 00:00:31,410 --> 00:00:35,550 Automatically, we immediately run to, oh, I should have joined the gym membership. 7 00:00:36,050 --> 00:00:37,950 I got to get a peloton. 8 00:00:39,050 --> 00:00:39,958 I got to do this. 9 00:00:40,044 --> 00:00:42,486 We run immediately to physical health. 10 00:00:42,668 --> 00:00:46,182 And then last week, we talked about emotional health, and we all realize we're a total 11 00:00:46,236 --> 00:00:47,190 wreck, right? 12 00:00:47,340 --> 00:00:49,602 We left church like, oh, man, I need Jesus. 13 00:00:49,666 --> 00:00:50,920 Yeah, that's the point. 14 00:00:52,650 --> 00:00:58,346 But oftentimes, the thing that determines the most health is the last thing we ever think 15 00:00:58,368 --> 00:00:59,850 of, and that's our souls. 16 00:01:00,350 --> 00:01:05,222 And so one of the things we need to face as Americans, and I realize some of our listeners 17 00:01:05,286 --> 00:01:08,846 watch from other countries, and so I don't know what life is like in your country, but in 18 00:01:08,868 --> 00:01:15,374 America, our souls are shriveling, they're parched, and we continue to run further and 19 00:01:15,412 --> 00:01:19,854 further from God, and we get more and more emotionally unhealthy, more and more physically 20 00:01:19,902 --> 00:01:23,010 unhealthy, and more and more spiritually unhealthy. 21 00:01:24,630 --> 00:01:26,482 Thank you so much for joining our service today. 22 00:01:26,536 --> 00:01:30,466 I want to take a quick second to invite you to give to the work that God is doing in and 23 00:01:30,488 --> 00:01:33,734 through Sandals church to do so you can go to give SC. 24 00:01:33,852 --> 00:01:36,950 And with that, let's get back into our message with Pastor Matt. 25 00:01:38,250 --> 00:01:41,266 And so this year in America is an election. 26 00:01:41,458 --> 00:01:42,310 Yay. 27 00:01:43,770 --> 00:01:49,862 And so, you know, there's more division, more anger, more frustration, and really more 28 00:01:49,916 --> 00:01:51,086 unhealthy. 29 00:01:51,138 --> 00:01:53,034 And so what I want to do is I want to go way back. 30 00:01:53,072 --> 00:01:54,246 I don't want to talk about America. 31 00:01:54,278 --> 00:01:59,166 I want to talk about Israel over 2000 years ago, and they were in a very similar situation 32 00:01:59,268 --> 00:02:00,014 to us. 33 00:02:00,132 --> 00:02:01,760 It was a political year. 34 00:02:02,450 --> 00:02:03,434 They didn't have candidates. 35 00:02:03,482 --> 00:02:06,538 They had kings, but they were just as bad as our leaders. 36 00:02:06,714 --> 00:02:11,874 And there was just this thinking, we really, really need to rely on either Egypt or 37 00:02:11,912 --> 00:02:12,606 Assyria. 38 00:02:12,718 --> 00:02:14,050 Who are we going to go with? 39 00:02:14,200 --> 00:02:15,154 Who's going to help us? 40 00:02:15,192 --> 00:02:16,802 Who's going to save us? 41 00:02:16,936 --> 00:02:20,978 And the prophet Jeremiah says, you guys are focused on the wrong thing. 42 00:02:21,064 --> 00:02:25,254 You're focused on all these physical things, and you're neglecting the spiritual truth of 43 00:02:25,292 --> 00:02:26,086 your relationship with God. 44 00:02:26,108 --> 00:02:30,166 And so in Jeremiah 17 five through eight, I want to start here. 45 00:02:30,268 --> 00:02:31,542 This is what the Lord says. 46 00:02:31,596 --> 00:02:32,982 I just want to park there. 47 00:02:33,116 --> 00:02:34,454 It's not what I say. 48 00:02:34,572 --> 00:02:35,714 These aren't my opinions. 49 00:02:35,762 --> 00:02:36,950 These aren't my thoughts. 50 00:02:37,030 --> 00:02:38,742 This is from the prophet Jeremiah. 51 00:02:38,806 --> 00:02:43,020 And I don't know where you are or who you are, but this is straight from God to your heart. 52 00:02:43,630 --> 00:02:45,130 This is what the Lord says. 53 00:02:45,200 --> 00:02:49,166 Now, this is going to be rough, because a lot of us have a picture of God and of life that 54 00:02:49,188 --> 00:02:50,350 is not biblical. 55 00:02:52,050 --> 00:03:00,482 It says, cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans who rely on human strength and 56 00:03:00,536 --> 00:03:03,010 turn their hearts away from the Lord. 57 00:03:03,670 --> 00:03:07,262 They are like stunted shrubs in the desert. 58 00:03:07,406 --> 00:03:09,250 Come on, SoCal, we can relate. 59 00:03:10,150 --> 00:03:11,234 Listen to this. 60 00:03:11,352 --> 00:03:15,094 With no hope for the future, we got a lot of people running around. 61 00:03:15,132 --> 00:03:15,974 Oh, it's going to be okay. 62 00:03:16,012 --> 00:03:17,800 Well, that depends who you're walking with. 63 00:03:19,530 --> 00:03:22,054 They live in a barren wilderness. 64 00:03:22,102 --> 00:03:23,478 Listen to this language. 65 00:03:23,654 --> 00:03:29,290 In an uninhabited, salty land, it's pretty bleak. 66 00:03:29,950 --> 00:03:36,174 And that's what happens when you trust in the election, when you trust in a candidate, when 67 00:03:36,212 --> 00:03:38,320 you trust in a party or a process. 68 00:03:39,730 --> 00:03:43,022 Man, if you forget God, there's just no hope for you. 69 00:03:43,156 --> 00:03:44,842 You're a stunted shrub. 70 00:03:44,906 --> 00:03:47,066 You will never reach your potential. 71 00:03:47,258 --> 00:03:50,370 Matter of fact, it says you're cursed. 72 00:03:51,350 --> 00:03:54,018 But here's the good news, and we can change this today. 73 00:03:54,104 --> 00:03:58,498 We can change 2024, not for everyone, but for you. 74 00:03:58,664 --> 00:04:05,414 But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and 75 00:04:05,452 --> 00:04:06,230 confidence. 76 00:04:06,730 --> 00:04:07,926 Listen to this. 77 00:04:08,108 --> 00:04:17,240 They are like trees planted along a riverbank with roots that reach deep into the water. 78 00:04:18,650 --> 00:04:25,710 Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long, long months of drought. 79 00:04:26,290 --> 00:04:31,150 Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit. 80 00:04:31,650 --> 00:04:32,990 What a contrast. 81 00:04:33,890 --> 00:04:40,014 What a stark contrast between two types of people, one that pursues God and one that 82 00:04:40,052 --> 00:04:42,130 pursues their own strengths. 83 00:04:42,550 --> 00:04:46,786 And so if you're going to be healthy in 2024, man, you can go to the gym and still be 84 00:04:46,808 --> 00:04:47,650 parched. 85 00:04:48,150 --> 00:04:51,990 You can work out every day and still be starving. 86 00:04:53,370 --> 00:04:54,950 God wants you, listen to this. 87 00:04:55,020 --> 00:04:57,202 To be physically healthy. 88 00:04:57,266 --> 00:05:01,730 He wants you to be emotionally healthy, and he wants you to be spiritually healthy. 89 00:05:01,810 --> 00:05:05,626 That's why Jesus said that the most important commandment is to love the Lord your God with 90 00:05:05,648 --> 00:05:09,450 all your heart, soul, mind and strength. 91 00:05:11,150 --> 00:05:14,410 And here's the thing, barbells won't help you forever. 92 00:05:15,410 --> 00:05:19,470 You need to learn to work out your soul and your spirit. 93 00:05:19,810 --> 00:05:23,982 So what does it look like to pursue spiritual health? 94 00:05:24,116 --> 00:05:25,790 Some of us have no idea. 95 00:05:25,860 --> 00:05:26,286 Right? 96 00:05:26,388 --> 00:05:27,840 We have no idea. 97 00:05:28,370 --> 00:05:31,586 My wife and I, we started working out for the first time together this year. 98 00:05:31,608 --> 00:05:32,306 And pray for us. 99 00:05:32,328 --> 00:05:34,450 We almost got divorced twice. 100 00:05:35,830 --> 00:05:38,820 Because it's easy to be married, it's hard to actually do things together. 101 00:05:39,350 --> 00:05:44,566 And so I've been in the gym not my whole life, but for about the last 15 years, I've been a 102 00:05:44,588 --> 00:05:48,406 regular person at the gym, working out, exercising, and I've forgotten what it's like to 103 00:05:48,428 --> 00:05:49,094 start. 104 00:05:49,292 --> 00:05:52,538 I've forgotten what it's like and how intimidating that is. 105 00:05:52,624 --> 00:05:57,418 And so I bring my wife to my gym, and all the women are dressed like they're headed for a 106 00:05:57,424 --> 00:05:59,450 Victoria secret photo shoot. 107 00:06:00,590 --> 00:06:02,970 This is exercise outfits, babe. 108 00:06:04,830 --> 00:06:07,150 She's like, yeah, I see why you want to come to the gym. 109 00:06:09,410 --> 00:06:14,686 But here's the thing is, she's having to learn all kinds of new things, all kinds of new 110 00:06:14,708 --> 00:06:16,026 movements that feel weird. 111 00:06:16,058 --> 00:06:18,266 I mean, some gym equipment is just embarrassing. 112 00:06:18,298 --> 00:06:21,074 Like, if you were just doing these things out on the street, right? 113 00:06:21,112 --> 00:06:22,354 People be like, what's wrong with that person? 114 00:06:22,392 --> 00:06:24,210 But in the gym, it's totally normal. 115 00:06:26,870 --> 00:06:33,830 Here's the thing is, my wife instantly was acutely aware of her lack of physical strength. 116 00:06:34,330 --> 00:06:41,286 There were just some things where the gym didn't have weights that were light enough, and I 117 00:06:41,308 --> 00:06:42,642 just never thought about that. 118 00:06:42,796 --> 00:06:43,850 So here's number one. 119 00:06:43,920 --> 00:06:48,940 If you're going to pursue spiritual health, number one, this is huge. 120 00:06:49,390 --> 00:06:53,930 A person that's pursuing spiritual health is aware of the weakness of their flesh. 121 00:06:56,450 --> 00:07:00,880 The most self righteous people are the least spiritual people. 122 00:07:02,690 --> 00:07:03,882 Super confident. 123 00:07:04,026 --> 00:07:05,214 I'm a great person. 124 00:07:05,332 --> 00:07:06,410 I'm awesome. 125 00:07:06,580 --> 00:07:10,418 I'm incredible, right? 126 00:07:10,504 --> 00:07:14,500 That person is not a spiritually healthy person. 127 00:07:15,270 --> 00:07:18,798 There's a deep awareness of the weakness of my flesh. 128 00:07:18,894 --> 00:07:22,834 Over the years as your pastor, I've not had an affair. 129 00:07:22,882 --> 00:07:24,134 I've not been on the news. 130 00:07:24,252 --> 00:07:25,746 I've not committed crimes. 131 00:07:25,858 --> 00:07:28,262 And that's not because I'm super awesome. 132 00:07:28,396 --> 00:07:30,326 It's just because I'm aware that. 133 00:07:30,348 --> 00:07:32,230 But by the grace of God, there go I. 134 00:07:32,300 --> 00:07:36,314 And I've seen so many of my friends blow it, blow up their ministry, blow up their 135 00:07:36,352 --> 00:07:38,300 marriage, blow up their life. 136 00:07:39,230 --> 00:07:40,378 And here's the thing. 137 00:07:40,464 --> 00:07:43,340 It's because I learned not to trust me. 138 00:07:44,270 --> 00:07:50,766 When my kids were dating, my wife and I, we would watch them like a hawk and like, dad, I 139 00:07:50,788 --> 00:07:51,998 just feel like you don't trust me. 140 00:07:52,004 --> 00:07:53,214 I said, it's not that I don't trust you. 141 00:07:53,252 --> 00:07:57,538 It's just I don't trust your flesh, and you don't know its power. 142 00:07:57,624 --> 00:08:02,420 You don't know how in an instant, it can just throw away your life. 143 00:08:03,030 --> 00:08:07,362 In Matthew 26 41, Jesus says these words. 144 00:08:07,416 --> 00:08:08,370 Listen to this. 145 00:08:08,520 --> 00:08:14,102 To the Navy seals of Christianity, not to you, not to me. 146 00:08:14,236 --> 00:08:15,650 These are the Navy seals. 147 00:08:15,730 --> 00:08:19,670 These are the hand picked disciples of Jesus. 148 00:08:20,170 --> 00:08:22,840 And say, well, he had no, no, Judas is not present. 149 00:08:23,530 --> 00:08:29,674 He says, keep watch and pray so that you will not give into temptation, for the spirit is 150 00:08:29,712 --> 00:08:32,810 willing, but the body is weak. 151 00:08:34,430 --> 00:08:36,234 I mean, some of you, you love Jesus. 152 00:08:36,282 --> 00:08:37,742 Unless you missed your snickers bar. 153 00:08:37,796 --> 00:08:38,666 Amen. 154 00:08:38,858 --> 00:08:42,000 And then you're like, oh, what happened? 155 00:08:42,610 --> 00:08:44,282 The flesh is powerful. 156 00:08:44,426 --> 00:08:46,522 It's a powerful, powerful thing. 157 00:08:46,596 --> 00:08:49,380 In Jeremiah, this is what the Lord says. 158 00:08:49,750 --> 00:08:53,566 Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans. 159 00:08:53,598 --> 00:08:55,182 That idea there is flesh. 160 00:08:55,326 --> 00:08:56,082 Come on. 161 00:08:56,216 --> 00:09:01,358 Who rely on human strength and turn their hearts away from the Lord. 162 00:09:01,454 --> 00:09:03,382 In 2024, you have a decision to make. 163 00:09:03,436 --> 00:09:06,230 Am I going to pursue God or am I going to pursue me? 164 00:09:06,300 --> 00:09:08,134 Come on, man. 165 00:09:08,172 --> 00:09:11,542 I'm on TikTok almost every day, and I see all these people. 166 00:09:11,596 --> 00:09:12,474 This is the year of me. 167 00:09:12,512 --> 00:09:13,226 This is about me. 168 00:09:13,248 --> 00:09:16,650 And I'm like, oh, my gosh, you are headed for disaster. 169 00:09:17,310 --> 00:09:19,130 Absolute disaster. 170 00:09:19,630 --> 00:09:23,770 You see, the flesh pursues comfort and desire. 171 00:09:24,670 --> 00:09:26,410 Comfort and desire. 172 00:09:27,550 --> 00:09:31,406 I mean, part of the reason so many of us are unhealthy is we've made enough money, we can 173 00:09:31,428 --> 00:09:32,042 be comfortable. 174 00:09:32,106 --> 00:09:32,526 Come on. 175 00:09:32,548 --> 00:09:33,022 Now. 176 00:09:33,156 --> 00:09:37,902 One of the guys that I watch and I listen to when it comes to physical health, he says this 177 00:09:37,956 --> 00:09:40,160 comfort is the invitation of age. 178 00:09:41,330 --> 00:09:42,334 Like when you're a kid. 179 00:09:42,372 --> 00:09:42,786 What did you say? 180 00:09:42,808 --> 00:09:43,234 I'm going to eat. 181 00:09:43,272 --> 00:09:43,826 When I grow up. 182 00:09:43,848 --> 00:09:44,866 I'm going to eat whatever I want to. 183 00:09:44,888 --> 00:09:45,346 And guess what? 184 00:09:45,368 --> 00:09:48,114 You do that right. 185 00:09:48,152 --> 00:09:50,600 That little five year old is still driving the bus. 186 00:09:52,250 --> 00:09:55,410 And so you constantly are pursuing comfort. 187 00:09:55,570 --> 00:09:58,710 You're constantly pursuing desire. 188 00:09:59,210 --> 00:10:01,346 That is not the spiritual life. 189 00:10:01,468 --> 00:10:05,450 The spirit invites challenge and correction. 190 00:10:06,990 --> 00:10:08,490 Challenge and correction. 191 00:10:10,030 --> 00:10:15,550 If you are on a spiritual path, you are inviting people to challenge you and to correct 192 00:10:15,620 --> 00:10:16,240 you. 193 00:10:17,330 --> 00:10:19,760 It's a very, very different life. 194 00:10:20,530 --> 00:10:25,920 You see, the evidence of the Holy Spirit in my life is self control. 195 00:10:26,390 --> 00:10:28,194 That's Galatians 522. 196 00:10:28,392 --> 00:10:33,940 If you can't control yourself, then you are not living a spiritual life. 197 00:10:35,190 --> 00:10:39,250 The spirit and the flesh are almost always at odds. 198 00:10:39,830 --> 00:10:41,000 Almost always. 199 00:10:41,370 --> 00:10:42,774 The apostle Paul says this. 200 00:10:42,812 --> 00:10:48,200 I discipline my body like an athlete training it to do what it should. 201 00:10:49,450 --> 00:10:50,662 And that's what you got to do. 202 00:10:50,716 --> 00:10:51,750 That's the spiritual life. 203 00:10:51,820 --> 00:10:53,318 I don't trust my heart. 204 00:10:53,484 --> 00:10:54,934 I don't trust my flesh. 205 00:10:54,982 --> 00:10:55,850 I'm trusting God. 206 00:10:55,920 --> 00:10:57,354 I'm following God. 207 00:10:57,472 --> 00:11:01,210 That's what it means to be on a spiritual journey. 208 00:11:02,190 --> 00:11:03,926 2024 is going to be a journey. 209 00:11:03,958 --> 00:11:06,090 One way or another, you just choose your path. 210 00:11:06,770 --> 00:11:12,000 You're going to follow you, you're going to go with you, or are you going to go with God? 211 00:11:13,170 --> 00:11:18,462 A person who wants to be spiritually healthy, number two, trusts that God always comes 212 00:11:18,516 --> 00:11:19,120 through. 213 00:11:19,490 --> 00:11:20,240 Always. 214 00:11:21,410 --> 00:11:23,842 Look, I don't know what you're facing, I don't know what you're going through. 215 00:11:23,896 --> 00:11:24,850 But here's the thing. 216 00:11:24,920 --> 00:11:27,234 If you're trusting God, he's going to come through. 217 00:11:27,432 --> 00:11:29,990 Because whatever God promises, he delivers. 218 00:11:30,410 --> 00:11:31,750 Jeremiah 17 seven. 219 00:11:31,820 --> 00:11:37,542 But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and 220 00:11:37,596 --> 00:11:38,550 confidence. 221 00:11:39,770 --> 00:11:41,480 I learned this long ago. 222 00:11:41,870 --> 00:11:44,890 Where God guides, he provides. 223 00:11:46,270 --> 00:11:47,418 I'm going to say it again. 224 00:11:47,504 --> 00:11:49,610 Where God guides, he provides. 225 00:11:51,150 --> 00:11:55,606 In 2023, we ended the year with a giving campaign, and I got together with our church 226 00:11:55,638 --> 00:11:58,906 leadership, and we came up with a number that I thought was a real stretch. 227 00:11:58,938 --> 00:12:03,630 But I thought if we just trusted God, I thought we could do it. 228 00:12:03,780 --> 00:12:04,794 But it was a stretch. 229 00:12:04,842 --> 00:12:05,866 It was a challenge. 230 00:12:05,978 --> 00:12:06,494 Okay? 231 00:12:06,612 --> 00:12:08,222 And I know things are expensive. 232 00:12:08,286 --> 00:12:09,362 Groceries have gone up. 233 00:12:09,416 --> 00:12:10,370 Everything's gone up. 234 00:12:10,440 --> 00:12:13,860 My automobile insurance went up 30% last year. 235 00:12:14,550 --> 00:12:15,522 30%. 236 00:12:15,656 --> 00:12:20,614 I wanted to set fire to all our cars and send my insurance company the bill. 237 00:12:20,652 --> 00:12:21,622 You know what I'm saying? 238 00:12:21,756 --> 00:12:22,834 Because that's my flesh. 239 00:12:22,882 --> 00:12:23,720 That's me. 240 00:12:25,370 --> 00:12:26,854 But here's the thing. 241 00:12:27,052 --> 00:12:32,390 It was a huge stress for us, a huge, huge stretch for us as a church. 242 00:12:32,810 --> 00:12:33,702 And here's the thing. 243 00:12:33,756 --> 00:12:36,902 Some of you, you are facing financial challenges. 244 00:12:36,966 --> 00:12:38,490 You are facing struggles. 245 00:12:39,630 --> 00:12:42,746 But let me just ask you, are you following God or are you following you? 246 00:12:42,848 --> 00:12:44,460 We're going to talk about that in a second. 247 00:12:44,830 --> 00:12:48,394 And so we wanted to raise an extra $2 million in one month. 248 00:12:48,432 --> 00:12:51,390 So I don't know what your stress is at work, but that was mine. 249 00:12:51,970 --> 00:12:52,382 Okay? 250 00:12:52,436 --> 00:12:55,950 And I know some of you, you have businesses, but look, you get to charge people. 251 00:12:56,020 --> 00:12:57,920 I ask people to pray about it. 252 00:12:58,790 --> 00:12:59,614 Can you imagine? 253 00:12:59,662 --> 00:13:03,220 You got a business, and they're like, how much is, like, you just pray, pray about it. 254 00:13:03,750 --> 00:13:05,700 Because I'd be like the Lord said, free. 255 00:13:09,270 --> 00:13:10,914 And so here's the thing. 256 00:13:11,112 --> 00:13:13,460 It looked like we weren't going to make it. 257 00:13:13,910 --> 00:13:15,574 It looked like we weren't going to make it. 258 00:13:15,692 --> 00:13:18,566 It was going to be really, really close, but it just didn't look like we're going to make 259 00:13:18,588 --> 00:13:18,822 it. 260 00:13:18,876 --> 00:13:23,654 And I shot two videos before Christmas, one congratulating you guys. 261 00:13:23,692 --> 00:13:24,626 Hey, we made our goal. 262 00:13:24,658 --> 00:13:25,286 Can you believe it? 263 00:13:25,308 --> 00:13:25,974 God is so good. 264 00:13:26,012 --> 00:13:26,662 God is so great. 265 00:13:26,716 --> 00:13:28,200 And I shot another video. 266 00:13:29,130 --> 00:13:30,566 Hey, guys, we almost made it. 267 00:13:30,588 --> 00:13:31,494 Thank you so much. 268 00:13:31,612 --> 00:13:33,458 Kind of a wah, wah, wah. 269 00:13:33,634 --> 00:13:33,998 But. 270 00:13:34,044 --> 00:13:45,230 But it came all the way down to the end, and we were $34,000 short of our goal. 271 00:13:46,790 --> 00:13:47,940 34,000. 272 00:13:48,870 --> 00:13:51,746 And DZ, our executive pastor, was texting me. 273 00:13:51,768 --> 00:13:53,540 He's like, man, we're so close. 274 00:13:54,070 --> 00:13:55,460 We're so close. 275 00:13:55,910 --> 00:13:57,746 And I just really wrestled with that. 276 00:13:57,848 --> 00:13:58,500 Okay. 277 00:13:59,050 --> 00:14:01,640 I mean, almost isn't exciting, right? 278 00:14:02,490 --> 00:14:04,790 Honey, I almost bought you a gift. 279 00:14:07,130 --> 00:14:09,480 It just doesn't feel like it should. 280 00:14:10,170 --> 00:14:14,966 And I was super bummed because as a leader, as your spiritual leader, I want to make sure 281 00:14:14,988 --> 00:14:16,118 that I'm hearing from God. 282 00:14:16,204 --> 00:14:19,866 Like, I don't want to be leading you guys in a place where I'm wrong, because that means 283 00:14:19,888 --> 00:14:22,502 we're all wrong and we're all headed in the wrong direction. 284 00:14:22,646 --> 00:14:25,802 And so I was just like, okay, it's kind of exciting. 285 00:14:25,866 --> 00:14:27,758 We almost raised $2 million. 286 00:14:27,924 --> 00:14:28,750 Yay. 287 00:14:30,130 --> 00:14:31,440 But here's the thing. 288 00:14:32,610 --> 00:14:39,986 On New Year's Day, our team went and looked back and checked our online giving, and there 289 00:14:40,008 --> 00:14:41,570 was one final gift. 290 00:14:42,870 --> 00:14:46,770 One final gift from one person in our church. 291 00:14:47,350 --> 00:14:49,794 We were $34,000 short of our goals. 292 00:14:49,842 --> 00:14:53,000 Anybody want to guess how much the one gift was for? 293 00:14:53,930 --> 00:14:55,026 I'm not kidding. 294 00:14:55,138 --> 00:14:58,614 It was for $34,000. 295 00:14:58,812 --> 00:14:59,750 Amen. 296 00:15:04,110 --> 00:15:08,890 So I don't know who gave that, but thank you for listening to Jesus. 297 00:15:09,950 --> 00:15:10,714 Here's the thing. 298 00:15:10,752 --> 00:15:13,290 Where God guides, he provides. 299 00:15:14,370 --> 00:15:17,360 I mean, don't you think God was just showing off a little bit? 300 00:15:18,450 --> 00:15:19,786 Jesus was like, holy spirit. 301 00:15:19,818 --> 00:15:21,146 Watch pastor Matt. 302 00:15:21,338 --> 00:15:22,640 Just watch him. 303 00:15:24,930 --> 00:15:29,780 The exact number we needed was the exact amount that came in. 304 00:15:31,030 --> 00:15:33,650 Where God guides, he provides. 305 00:15:33,990 --> 00:15:35,246 Philippians 419. 306 00:15:35,278 --> 00:15:42,258 And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches 307 00:15:42,354 --> 00:15:45,030 which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. 308 00:15:46,090 --> 00:15:50,790 Listen, God is rarely early, but he's never late. 309 00:15:51,530 --> 00:15:53,130 He is never late. 310 00:15:53,870 --> 00:15:55,226 And here's the thing. 311 00:15:55,408 --> 00:15:57,126 Where God guides, he provides. 312 00:15:57,158 --> 00:15:58,154 But I want you to hear me. 313 00:15:58,192 --> 00:16:01,660 Where I go alone, I am on my own. 314 00:16:03,150 --> 00:16:05,340 And that's what Jeremiah is talking about. 315 00:16:05,950 --> 00:16:08,090 You guys are all caught up in alliances. 316 00:16:08,510 --> 00:16:10,602 Should we align ourselves with this king or that? 317 00:16:10,656 --> 00:16:10,790 No. 318 00:16:10,800 --> 00:16:14,718 No, you should align yourself with the king of kings and the Lord of lords, because the 319 00:16:14,724 --> 00:16:17,280 only reason you're even in a nation is because of him. 320 00:16:17,970 --> 00:16:19,840 And you've forgotten that. 321 00:16:20,290 --> 00:16:21,860 You've forgotten that. 322 00:16:22,310 --> 00:16:23,346 And so here's the thing. 323 00:16:23,368 --> 00:16:28,386 In 2024, I want you to understand, God does not promise that it will be easy, but he 324 00:16:28,408 --> 00:16:33,222 promises that if you invite him to be there with you and in you, he will be there. 325 00:16:33,356 --> 00:16:34,514 But if you go it alone. 326 00:16:34,562 --> 00:16:35,126 Listen to me. 327 00:16:35,148 --> 00:16:37,430 God calls, but he does not coerce. 328 00:16:38,010 --> 00:16:41,126 He's not going to force you to go the right way. 329 00:16:41,308 --> 00:16:44,220 The scariest thing in life is you get to choose. 330 00:16:45,470 --> 00:16:48,330 As a parent of adult children, that's the scariest thing. 331 00:16:48,400 --> 00:16:50,860 When they were little, I could make them. 332 00:16:51,790 --> 00:16:53,420 I could make them. 333 00:16:54,190 --> 00:16:55,866 You know, I know some of. 334 00:16:55,888 --> 00:16:57,082 You are afraid of a four year old. 335 00:16:57,136 --> 00:16:58,080 I was not. 336 00:16:58,530 --> 00:16:59,840 I was not. 337 00:17:01,090 --> 00:17:03,002 I remember one time we were headed to Disneyland. 338 00:17:03,066 --> 00:17:06,922 My four year old son, I had him sitting on the curb outside in the street. 339 00:17:06,986 --> 00:17:08,494 Some of you church members are driving by. 340 00:17:08,532 --> 00:17:09,534 Ooh, Pastor Matt's mad. 341 00:17:09,582 --> 00:17:10,660 Yes, I was. 342 00:17:13,190 --> 00:17:16,274 Remember one time my oldest daughter told me, dad, you won't stop the car. 343 00:17:16,312 --> 00:17:17,394 You want to know what I did? 344 00:17:17,512 --> 00:17:18,820 I stopped the car. 345 00:17:19,370 --> 00:17:21,000 We had a moment together. 346 00:17:24,250 --> 00:17:25,640 But here's the thing. 347 00:17:26,330 --> 00:17:27,480 Here's the thing. 348 00:17:28,330 --> 00:17:32,860 If you invite God, if you invite him, he will be with you. 349 00:17:33,950 --> 00:17:39,530 And if you listen to him and you follow him where God guides, he provides. 350 00:17:40,830 --> 00:17:43,194 And some of you are missing out on this. 351 00:17:43,392 --> 00:17:45,290 You're missing out on this journey. 352 00:17:46,030 --> 00:17:47,482 I was getting my hair cut. 353 00:17:47,616 --> 00:17:49,626 The lady came up to me, she said, are you Pastor Matt? 354 00:17:49,658 --> 00:17:50,174 She's like, oh, yeah. 355 00:17:50,212 --> 00:17:51,866 She said, oh, my gosh, I love the debrief. 356 00:17:51,898 --> 00:17:52,698 I love sandals church. 357 00:17:52,714 --> 00:17:55,422 She said, I wrote my first tithe check. 358 00:17:55,556 --> 00:17:57,018 I was like, praise the Lord. 359 00:17:57,114 --> 00:17:58,286 What campus do you go to? 360 00:17:58,308 --> 00:17:59,970 She says, oh, I don't go to sandals. 361 00:18:01,270 --> 00:18:02,994 I was like, well, you win some, you lose some. 362 00:18:03,032 --> 00:18:03,940 You know what I'm saying? 363 00:18:04,870 --> 00:18:07,090 Tell your pastor to send me a commission. 364 00:18:09,190 --> 00:18:13,634 But I'm glad that our church is not just blessing our church, but we're blessing other 365 00:18:13,672 --> 00:18:15,010 churches and other congregations. 366 00:18:15,090 --> 00:18:15,382 Right. 367 00:18:15,436 --> 00:18:17,266 It's either about his kingdom or my kingdom. 368 00:18:17,298 --> 00:18:18,486 And my kingdom's a mess. 369 00:18:18,588 --> 00:18:19,478 That's right. 370 00:18:19,644 --> 00:18:20,802 But I was just so glad. 371 00:18:20,866 --> 00:18:25,922 And some of you, you missed out on the opportunity to trust God with your finances. 372 00:18:25,986 --> 00:18:27,454 Well, I don't know, Matt. 373 00:18:27,522 --> 00:18:29,066 I don't know how he's going to do it, man. 374 00:18:29,088 --> 00:18:30,540 I don't know how he does it either. 375 00:18:31,150 --> 00:18:32,460 But I know this. 376 00:18:32,830 --> 00:18:38,560 A $34,000 check came in on the last day, the exact amount. 377 00:18:39,090 --> 00:18:40,366 And we trusted him. 378 00:18:40,468 --> 00:18:42,478 And where God guided, guess what? 379 00:18:42,644 --> 00:18:43,898 He provided. 380 00:18:44,074 --> 00:18:45,386 He provided. 381 00:18:45,578 --> 00:18:47,854 And so I want you to look at your marriage this year. 382 00:18:47,972 --> 00:18:48,750 Are we with God? 383 00:18:48,820 --> 00:18:51,182 I want you to look at your kids this year, are we with God? 384 00:18:51,236 --> 00:18:53,534 I want you to look at your finances this year, are we with God? 385 00:18:53,572 --> 00:18:55,374 And if not, let's course correct. 386 00:18:55,572 --> 00:18:56,510 Let's course correct. 387 00:18:56,580 --> 00:18:57,470 Let's change it. 388 00:18:57,540 --> 00:18:58,710 That's what I heard. 389 00:18:58,900 --> 00:19:03,990 A person who wants to be spiritually healthy, listen to me, makes time with God a priority. 390 00:19:06,410 --> 00:19:07,462 And let's just be honest. 391 00:19:07,516 --> 00:19:09,000 Covid has changed us. 392 00:19:10,090 --> 00:19:15,002 The average person that calls Sandals church home comes once every four weeks to every six 393 00:19:15,056 --> 00:19:15,658 weeks. 394 00:19:15,824 --> 00:19:17,500 Those are our committed people. 395 00:19:20,190 --> 00:19:21,980 Those are our committed people, man. 396 00:19:22,910 --> 00:19:25,706 Always like it when people see me and they're like, oh, man, you cut your hair. 397 00:19:25,738 --> 00:19:26,298 You had long hair. 398 00:19:26,314 --> 00:19:27,840 I was like, yeah, that was ten years ago. 399 00:19:29,970 --> 00:19:31,120 Where have you been? 400 00:19:31,650 --> 00:19:32,880 Where have you been? 401 00:19:34,210 --> 00:19:39,106 They're like, listen to this. 402 00:19:39,288 --> 00:19:40,514 So there's two types of people. 403 00:19:40,552 --> 00:19:42,930 One that's cursed, one that's blessed, the blessed person. 404 00:19:43,000 --> 00:19:46,130 They are like trees planted along a riverbank. 405 00:19:47,670 --> 00:19:49,090 Where are you planted? 406 00:19:50,170 --> 00:19:51,670 Where are you planted? 407 00:19:52,170 --> 00:19:55,880 With roots that reach deep into the water. 408 00:19:57,450 --> 00:19:59,398 Listen, I learned this a long time ago. 409 00:19:59,484 --> 00:20:02,220 I will never become what I occasionally do. 410 00:20:04,270 --> 00:20:04,966 I just won't. 411 00:20:04,998 --> 00:20:06,060 And you won't either. 412 00:20:06,990 --> 00:20:09,500 I will never become what I occasionally do. 413 00:20:11,310 --> 00:20:14,006 And some of you say, well, that's easy, Pastor Matt, because you're so disciplined. 414 00:20:14,038 --> 00:20:15,638 No, I wasn't disciplined. 415 00:20:15,734 --> 00:20:16,860 I was a mess. 416 00:20:17,230 --> 00:20:21,280 And I realized I hated being a mess, and so I disciplined my life. 417 00:20:22,210 --> 00:20:25,360 So here's what I want to challenge you to do in this next year. 418 00:20:25,890 --> 00:20:26,974 I want to challenge you. 419 00:20:27,012 --> 00:20:30,142 We're starting a new series next week, 40 days of prayer. 420 00:20:30,206 --> 00:20:31,778 I want to challenge you this year. 421 00:20:31,864 --> 00:20:33,538 Pray at least one time a day. 422 00:20:33,624 --> 00:20:34,260 Yeah. 423 00:20:35,030 --> 00:20:36,260 Is that too much? 424 00:20:37,110 --> 00:20:38,578 I don't know who you are. 425 00:20:38,744 --> 00:20:43,158 I don't know what it is that you're doing, but if you can't stop and pray once a day, 426 00:20:43,244 --> 00:20:47,560 there's something wrong with your life once a day. 427 00:20:48,010 --> 00:20:49,560 I just want to challenge you. 428 00:20:50,170 --> 00:20:51,880 Talk to God once a day. 429 00:20:52,250 --> 00:20:56,186 We're going to set up a text message thread to remind you, because, look, I get busy, I 430 00:20:56,208 --> 00:21:00,954 make mistakes, but I want to challenge you to just pray once a day. 431 00:21:01,152 --> 00:21:05,018 And we're going to give you a prayer to help you, because I realize it's intimidating and 432 00:21:05,104 --> 00:21:09,142 prayer is scary, and we're going to help you through that. 433 00:21:09,296 --> 00:21:12,010 But we got a series called 40 days of prayer. 434 00:21:12,090 --> 00:21:14,394 40 is a special number if you've read through the bible. 435 00:21:14,442 --> 00:21:17,280 God does amazing things in a period of 40 days. 436 00:21:18,210 --> 00:21:23,154 And I just want you to think about, I want you to imagine your life today, and if it needs 437 00:21:23,192 --> 00:21:26,946 to be different, I want you to imagine what it could look like in 40 days if you just 438 00:21:26,968 --> 00:21:29,220 started talking to God once a day. 439 00:21:30,390 --> 00:21:37,606 And for some of you, maybe it's just, hey, I was talking to a guy at my gym, and he said, 440 00:21:37,628 --> 00:21:38,950 are you Pastor Matt? 441 00:21:39,290 --> 00:21:40,086 And I said, yeah. 442 00:21:40,108 --> 00:21:41,174 He said, I've never met you. 443 00:21:41,212 --> 00:21:45,500 He said, I just got out of prison, but I've been listening to you. 444 00:21:46,270 --> 00:21:48,620 And you said anyone could talk to God. 445 00:21:49,070 --> 00:21:51,100 And so I took you up on that. 446 00:21:51,710 --> 00:21:54,474 He said, I got a stack of letters in my home. 447 00:21:54,672 --> 00:21:57,020 He said, I wrote God a letter every day. 448 00:21:58,190 --> 00:22:01,934 He said, and the first couple letters just said, God, I don't know what to say. 449 00:22:01,972 --> 00:22:05,840 He said, but I kept writing, and now I talk to him every day. 450 00:22:06,870 --> 00:22:09,570 He said, thank you for encouraging me, Pastor Matt. 451 00:22:12,150 --> 00:22:23,800 Listen, if some guy in prison can talk to God, why can't you just think about that? 452 00:22:24,970 --> 00:22:28,680 But some of you, right, we got two plants here. 453 00:22:29,050 --> 00:22:32,906 We got two shrubs here, one that's dying, one that's parched, one that's shrinking, and we 454 00:22:32,928 --> 00:22:35,830 got another one that's blossoming. 455 00:22:35,990 --> 00:22:42,486 I bought these two right after I preached to you guys, and I'm not kidding you, I walked 456 00:22:42,518 --> 00:22:46,700 out of church on Sunday and I bought these two plants at exactly the same time. 457 00:22:47,010 --> 00:22:48,446 Watered this one. 458 00:22:48,628 --> 00:22:50,506 I tried talking to it, but that just feels weird. 459 00:22:50,538 --> 00:22:51,520 You know what I'm saying? 460 00:22:52,050 --> 00:22:53,920 People are like, you're so beautiful. 461 00:22:55,090 --> 00:22:56,538 It just felt weird to me. 462 00:22:56,644 --> 00:22:58,340 And I wasn't like, I hate you. 463 00:22:58,710 --> 00:23:00,260 I wasn't doing that. 464 00:23:02,310 --> 00:23:04,180 Why can't you be more like her? 465 00:23:04,870 --> 00:23:07,140 I wasn't doing that right. 466 00:23:11,210 --> 00:23:16,520 All I did was water this one and not water this one. 467 00:23:17,850 --> 00:23:19,080 That's four days. 468 00:23:21,310 --> 00:23:22,300 Four days. 469 00:23:23,230 --> 00:23:25,162 And some of you say, pastor Matt, that's me. 470 00:23:25,216 --> 00:23:25,914 Okay. 471 00:23:26,112 --> 00:23:27,498 But I got good news. 472 00:23:27,664 --> 00:23:29,100 It's not dead yet. 473 00:23:31,790 --> 00:23:33,980 Do you know what would save this plant today? 474 00:23:34,750 --> 00:23:35,500 Water. 475 00:23:37,390 --> 00:23:40,090 Let me ask you, who's watering your soul? 476 00:23:42,290 --> 00:23:46,910 Because there's only one person who can, and his name is Jesus. 477 00:23:49,910 --> 00:23:51,460 Now, this is four days. 478 00:23:52,310 --> 00:23:56,420 I wonder what this plant would look like 40 days from now without water. 479 00:23:57,830 --> 00:24:02,646 I think, you know, there would be nothing left for us to do to it. 480 00:24:02,668 --> 00:24:03,606 But what? 481 00:24:03,788 --> 00:24:05,000 Throw it away? 482 00:24:05,610 --> 00:24:09,094 Now, imagine this plant with 40 days of water. 483 00:24:09,132 --> 00:24:10,840 It's going to be ready for a new pot. 484 00:24:11,790 --> 00:24:12,586 Come on. 485 00:24:12,688 --> 00:24:18,714 Because it's going to continue to grow 2024. 486 00:24:18,752 --> 00:24:25,836 Your life is going to look like one or two things, and the choice is, are you going to 487 00:24:25,858 --> 00:24:26,584 water your soul? 488 00:24:26,632 --> 00:24:27,660 That's the choice. 489 00:24:32,710 --> 00:24:33,170 Next. 490 00:24:33,240 --> 00:24:34,226 This is huge. 491 00:24:34,408 --> 00:24:35,266 This is huge. 492 00:24:35,368 --> 00:24:38,820 But I'm going to challenge you to attend church once a week. 493 00:24:40,630 --> 00:24:42,770 I want you to pray once a day. 494 00:24:42,840 --> 00:24:44,294 I want you to attend church once a week. 495 00:24:44,332 --> 00:24:48,534 Now, listen, some of you guys, that means a major overhaul of your calendar and your 496 00:24:48,572 --> 00:24:49,010 schedule. 497 00:24:49,090 --> 00:24:50,120 I get it. 498 00:24:50,730 --> 00:24:52,502 We got Saturday night services. 499 00:24:52,636 --> 00:24:54,294 We got Sunday morning services. 500 00:24:54,412 --> 00:24:55,750 We got Sunday night services. 501 00:24:55,820 --> 00:24:58,246 We got campuses all over the place. 502 00:24:58,428 --> 00:24:58,834 Okay? 503 00:24:58,892 --> 00:25:00,198 Some of you are like, oh, sandals church. 504 00:25:00,214 --> 00:25:01,914 I didn't even know there was one there. 505 00:25:01,952 --> 00:25:03,306 Yep, there's one there. 506 00:25:03,488 --> 00:25:04,730 Maybe that's God's sign. 507 00:25:04,800 --> 00:25:06,590 Pull over, get in there and pray. 508 00:25:09,250 --> 00:25:16,000 But listen, all of us need God's word every week. 509 00:25:16,530 --> 00:25:18,378 All of us need spiritual direction. 510 00:25:18,474 --> 00:25:20,186 All of us need a coach. 511 00:25:20,378 --> 00:25:24,818 My wife and I, we've been working out together, and she says this a couple of times a week. 512 00:25:24,904 --> 00:25:26,500 The gym again. 513 00:25:28,390 --> 00:25:30,494 She says, I feel like we just went to the gym. 514 00:25:30,542 --> 00:25:37,560 I'm like, we did just go to the gym, and this is what physically fit people do. 515 00:25:38,250 --> 00:25:40,374 And so some of you are like, church again. 516 00:25:40,492 --> 00:25:42,034 I feel like I just went to church. 517 00:25:42,082 --> 00:25:46,360 Look, this is what spiritually fit people do. 518 00:25:47,050 --> 00:25:49,546 And I ask guys at the gym all the time. 519 00:25:49,568 --> 00:25:51,638 They're all super yoked, super jacked. 520 00:25:51,654 --> 00:25:54,060 I don't know why I think this is going to help me. 521 00:25:54,830 --> 00:26:01,082 And I'm like, hey, you exercise your body ever, every day, but you never even on one day, 522 00:26:01,136 --> 00:26:02,262 exercise your soul. 523 00:26:02,326 --> 00:26:03,398 Come on, come on. 524 00:26:03,504 --> 00:26:05,054 And they're like, well, me and God are good. 525 00:26:05,092 --> 00:26:06,800 I'm like, I don't think so. 526 00:26:07,330 --> 00:26:10,180 And I don't think your soul thinks so. 527 00:26:11,270 --> 00:26:12,702 Your soul is starving. 528 00:26:12,766 --> 00:26:15,570 It's parched, it's dry, it's stuck. 529 00:26:16,630 --> 00:26:19,134 Paul says this in first Thessalonians. 530 00:26:19,262 --> 00:26:24,360 He says, dear brothers and sisters, honor those who are in the Lord's work. 531 00:26:25,130 --> 00:26:28,050 See, and that's not for you to give me props. 532 00:26:28,210 --> 00:26:31,350 We just live in a culture that's forgotten how to honor. 533 00:26:31,850 --> 00:26:33,682 I'm a big Chicago Bulls fan. 534 00:26:33,746 --> 00:26:37,606 1990s, they were able to win six championships. 535 00:26:37,718 --> 00:26:43,482 And do you know that they were honoring some of those players, the GM and the coach that 536 00:26:43,536 --> 00:26:46,006 gave Chicago six championships. 537 00:26:46,038 --> 00:26:47,900 And by the way, they haven't won since. 538 00:26:48,670 --> 00:26:50,506 But they have a very unpopular character. 539 00:26:50,538 --> 00:26:52,410 His name is Jerry Krause, but he's dead. 540 00:26:52,570 --> 00:26:54,122 So they brought his wife. 541 00:26:54,266 --> 00:26:57,520 And do you know the fans in Chicago booed her? 542 00:26:57,970 --> 00:26:59,600 She's 80 years old. 543 00:27:00,050 --> 00:27:01,006 She started crying. 544 00:27:01,038 --> 00:27:02,286 You can watch it on the Internet. 545 00:27:02,398 --> 00:27:02,962 Not now. 546 00:27:03,016 --> 00:27:04,820 Watch me, but you can watch it. 547 00:27:05,830 --> 00:27:07,860 And I just thought, listen to me. 548 00:27:08,550 --> 00:27:11,374 We've forgotten how to honor in our society. 549 00:27:11,422 --> 00:27:12,174 Even I've forgotten. 550 00:27:12,222 --> 00:27:13,134 I got a new assistant. 551 00:27:13,182 --> 00:27:14,290 She's from Texas. 552 00:27:15,370 --> 00:27:18,360 She calls me pastor Matt all the time, and it just feels wrong. 553 00:27:18,890 --> 00:27:20,882 I'm like, who's pastor Matt? 554 00:27:20,946 --> 00:27:21,960 Oh, it's me. 555 00:27:22,970 --> 00:27:27,978 But here's the thing is, our society has forgotten how to honor, and we've forgotten how to 556 00:27:27,984 --> 00:27:29,530 honor our spiritual leaders. 557 00:27:30,190 --> 00:27:31,482 So he says, honor them? 558 00:27:31,536 --> 00:27:31,898 Why? 559 00:27:31,984 --> 00:27:34,490 Because they work hard among you. 560 00:27:34,560 --> 00:27:35,146 Listen to this. 561 00:27:35,168 --> 00:27:37,130 To give you spiritual guidance. 562 00:27:38,030 --> 00:27:39,766 To give you spiritual guidance. 563 00:27:39,958 --> 00:27:45,006 Some of the rift between my wife and I at the gym is when I'm telling her what to do, 564 00:27:45,108 --> 00:27:47,422 because she doesn't know how to do it. 565 00:27:47,476 --> 00:27:50,030 Sometimes she's facing the wrong way on the machine. 566 00:27:50,190 --> 00:27:51,966 I'm like, that's embarrassing. 567 00:27:52,158 --> 00:27:53,380 You're with me. 568 00:27:53,750 --> 00:27:54,980 You're with me. 569 00:27:56,150 --> 00:27:57,940 Let me show you how to do it. 570 00:27:58,310 --> 00:27:59,966 And she's like, I don't need direction. 571 00:27:59,998 --> 00:28:02,914 I'm like, yes, you do. 572 00:28:03,112 --> 00:28:06,680 And that's how some of us, when we come to church, well, I know God's word. 573 00:28:07,130 --> 00:28:11,426 Do you people quote me stuff all the time that's not in the Bible. 574 00:28:11,618 --> 00:28:17,030 I'm like, that was Mark Twain, not Jesus. 575 00:28:17,190 --> 00:28:19,260 I know they seem similar. 576 00:28:20,910 --> 00:28:26,246 Okay, so pray once a day, come to church once a week, rearrange your schedule, and here's 577 00:28:26,278 --> 00:28:26,522 why. 578 00:28:26,576 --> 00:28:29,082 Do you know why we come to church once a week? 579 00:28:29,136 --> 00:28:31,120 It's to practice for our future. 580 00:28:32,210 --> 00:28:34,942 It's to say, look, my life doesn't have to suck every day. 581 00:28:35,076 --> 00:28:41,330 One day a week, I'm going to remind myself that this all ends and it gets better next. 582 00:28:41,400 --> 00:28:42,194 This is huge. 583 00:28:42,312 --> 00:28:45,540 Talk about the message with at least one other person. 584 00:28:47,030 --> 00:28:49,758 Now, we call it small group, community group in our church. 585 00:28:49,854 --> 00:28:51,220 But here's the thing. 586 00:28:52,150 --> 00:28:54,500 We don't grow if we don't talk about it. 587 00:28:55,110 --> 00:28:57,958 We don't grow, we don't change if we don't talk about it. 588 00:28:58,044 --> 00:29:03,094 Matter of fact, you're going to forget 90% of what I've said ten minutes after I've said 589 00:29:03,132 --> 00:29:03,720 it. 590 00:29:04,990 --> 00:29:08,298 Some of you won't even be able to find the Bible verses we're talking about. 591 00:29:08,384 --> 00:29:10,940 We've been in Jeremiah 17 the whole time. 592 00:29:13,310 --> 00:29:14,362 Listen to this. 593 00:29:14,496 --> 00:29:15,660 This is key. 594 00:29:16,690 --> 00:29:21,070 They are like trees, plural. 595 00:29:21,970 --> 00:29:24,110 It's not a tree by itself, right? 596 00:29:24,180 --> 00:29:28,302 I'm just doing my quiet time with the Lord, sucking up all this wonderful water. 597 00:29:28,356 --> 00:29:30,110 No, they are trees. 598 00:29:31,010 --> 00:29:34,466 Because you want to know what happens when it gets hot outside, when it gets windy outside? 599 00:29:34,568 --> 00:29:45,320 We need each other's roots to hold us, to connect us, to remind us we need each other. 600 00:29:45,850 --> 00:29:51,174 My wife got super irritated at me when I was training her, and here's what she said. 601 00:29:51,372 --> 00:29:53,400 She said, I just got to say something. 602 00:29:55,390 --> 00:29:59,660 She said, I want to know why you don't do what you're telling me to do. 603 00:30:01,550 --> 00:30:04,650 And at first, I was like, you know what, Mrs. 604 00:30:07,490 --> 00:30:09,600 I'm Pastor Matt and you. 605 00:30:10,210 --> 00:30:11,598 But listen to me. 606 00:30:11,684 --> 00:30:12,414 She had a point. 607 00:30:12,452 --> 00:30:13,726 You know what she's saying? 608 00:30:13,908 --> 00:30:16,670 You're not practicing what you're preaching. 609 00:30:17,410 --> 00:30:18,206 And here's why. 610 00:30:18,228 --> 00:30:20,226 I've been going to the gym for a long time, and you know what? 611 00:30:20,248 --> 00:30:23,010 I've developed some bad habits. 612 00:30:23,590 --> 00:30:26,178 And so I'm telling her how to have proper form. 613 00:30:26,264 --> 00:30:28,020 And then when I do it, I'm like. 614 00:30:30,550 --> 00:30:32,740 And I'm squirming all over the place. 615 00:30:33,510 --> 00:30:34,626 You know what she said to me? 616 00:30:34,648 --> 00:30:37,938 She said, maybe that's why your back hurts, because you're not doing it the way you're 617 00:30:37,954 --> 00:30:39,240 teaching me to do it. 618 00:30:40,650 --> 00:30:41,702 And so here's the thing. 619 00:30:41,756 --> 00:30:44,310 Why do you need small group Captain Christian? 620 00:30:44,730 --> 00:30:47,818 Maybe you know the right things, but you're not living them. 621 00:30:47,984 --> 00:30:52,666 And you're telling everyone else, proper form, but you have forgotten proper form for your 622 00:30:52,688 --> 00:30:53,420 own life. 623 00:30:54,670 --> 00:30:56,330 They are like trees. 624 00:30:56,750 --> 00:30:59,260 Talk about this with someone else. 625 00:30:59,650 --> 00:31:02,606 And if you don't know anyone else, ask somebody to listen to the message and say, could we 626 00:31:02,628 --> 00:31:03,520 talk about this? 627 00:31:04,370 --> 00:31:07,520 Because I feel like God's speaking to me. 628 00:31:08,050 --> 00:31:09,394 And you know why you feel that way? 629 00:31:09,432 --> 00:31:10,420 Because he is. 630 00:31:11,430 --> 00:31:12,878 They are like trees. 631 00:31:13,054 --> 00:31:13,986 Listen to me. 632 00:31:14,088 --> 00:31:20,494 Someone who is seriously interested in spiritual growth will realize they need authentic 633 00:31:20,542 --> 00:31:21,720 spiritual community. 634 00:31:23,210 --> 00:31:25,320 What's the first thing Jesus did? 635 00:31:26,330 --> 00:31:28,120 He created a spiritual community. 636 00:31:30,250 --> 00:31:36,554 If he thought he needed one, what does he think you need now? 637 00:31:36,592 --> 00:31:37,626 Here's the next point. 638 00:31:37,728 --> 00:31:40,060 If you weren't convicted yet, prepare yourself. 639 00:31:41,790 --> 00:31:42,906 Find one way. 640 00:31:43,008 --> 00:31:45,610 One way to serve at church. 641 00:31:46,030 --> 00:31:47,802 What if I just went to the gym? 642 00:31:47,946 --> 00:31:49,486 I just showed up. 643 00:31:49,668 --> 00:31:55,166 I just walked around, said hi to some people, had some coffee, watched people use the 644 00:31:55,188 --> 00:31:55,870 machine. 645 00:31:56,210 --> 00:31:57,710 Wow, that looks heavy. 646 00:31:59,730 --> 00:32:01,986 Listened to an instructor give a talk. 647 00:32:02,088 --> 00:32:03,586 You should work out. 648 00:32:03,688 --> 00:32:04,610 Amen. 649 00:32:05,590 --> 00:32:06,820 And then I left. 650 00:32:07,830 --> 00:32:09,262 I just show up to the gym. 651 00:32:09,326 --> 00:32:14,840 I watch people work out, I watch them exercise, but I never do anything. 652 00:32:15,210 --> 00:32:17,442 That is far too many people at Santa's church. 653 00:32:17,506 --> 00:32:23,190 And you wonder why you're not growing because you're not exercising your soul. 654 00:32:23,630 --> 00:32:27,690 How is it that you worship a servant but you don't serve? 655 00:32:28,910 --> 00:32:30,220 How does that work? 656 00:32:32,990 --> 00:32:39,840 You cannot connect with the servant Jesus if you were unwilling to serve alongside him. 657 00:32:41,570 --> 00:32:45,360 Listen, couples, families, serve together. 658 00:32:46,450 --> 00:32:47,440 Serve together. 659 00:32:49,330 --> 00:32:50,226 Do that together. 660 00:32:50,328 --> 00:32:51,314 Work in the parking lot. 661 00:32:51,352 --> 00:32:52,494 Team be greeters. 662 00:32:52,622 --> 00:32:53,780 Work with kids. 663 00:32:55,110 --> 00:32:55,570 Man. 664 00:32:55,640 --> 00:32:58,210 If you're bored in your life, work the front desk. 665 00:32:59,110 --> 00:32:59,474 Man. 666 00:32:59,512 --> 00:33:05,830 If you watch Jerry Springer work the front desk, you can see all the excitement. 667 00:33:08,330 --> 00:33:10,520 You need a little pep in your life. 668 00:33:11,290 --> 00:33:12,834 Answer our phones. 669 00:33:12,962 --> 00:33:14,300 It's a lot of fun. 670 00:33:17,390 --> 00:33:22,154 Listen, just find one way to serve and don't put it on us. 671 00:33:22,192 --> 00:33:23,046 Where should I serve? 672 00:33:23,078 --> 00:33:23,802 No, stop. 673 00:33:23,856 --> 00:33:25,180 Don't put that on me. 674 00:33:25,810 --> 00:33:29,822 You figure out a place to serve next. 675 00:33:29,876 --> 00:33:34,830 A person who wants to be spiritually healthy embraces life's challenges. 676 00:33:35,890 --> 00:33:37,630 Life doesn't go as planned. 677 00:33:38,130 --> 00:33:39,466 It just doesn't. 678 00:33:39,658 --> 00:33:41,282 And I was preaching this message. 679 00:33:41,416 --> 00:33:44,066 The fire alarms went off and we had to stop this whole thing. 680 00:33:44,088 --> 00:33:48,450 I had to stand here for like ten minutes just looking swole. 681 00:33:52,390 --> 00:33:54,470 Does life ever go as it plans. 682 00:33:54,890 --> 00:33:55,782 Listen to me. 683 00:33:55,836 --> 00:33:57,794 You want to know why your marriage stinks? 684 00:33:57,842 --> 00:33:59,490 Because you had unhealthy plans. 685 00:33:59,570 --> 00:34:01,218 You had unhealthy expectations. 686 00:34:01,314 --> 00:34:03,074 You've been watching too many hallmark movies. 687 00:34:03,122 --> 00:34:04,620 That's not how life is. 688 00:34:05,630 --> 00:34:08,102 Life never goes as it plans. 689 00:34:08,246 --> 00:34:09,740 Embrace it. 690 00:34:10,350 --> 00:34:11,706 Embrace it. 691 00:34:11,888 --> 00:34:17,706 Because the plant is not nurtured by its environment, but by its roots and the water that 692 00:34:17,728 --> 00:34:19,020 it's sucking up. 693 00:34:19,490 --> 00:34:23,854 Both of these were in the same place, experiencing the same things, but there's a different 694 00:34:23,892 --> 00:34:25,882 result because one had water and one didn't. 695 00:34:25,946 --> 00:34:26,366 Come on. 696 00:34:26,388 --> 00:34:26,960 Now. 697 00:34:27,970 --> 00:34:28,720 Wow. 698 00:34:29,590 --> 00:34:34,062 Some of you guys, men, you've already given up on your New Year's resolution. 699 00:34:34,126 --> 00:34:35,234 Like, okay, 2025. 700 00:34:35,272 --> 00:34:36,260 That's my year. 701 00:34:40,390 --> 00:34:41,154 Listen to me. 702 00:34:41,192 --> 00:34:42,260 Life happens. 703 00:34:42,630 --> 00:34:43,700 It happens. 704 00:34:44,150 --> 00:34:45,460 It's not easy. 705 00:34:47,350 --> 00:34:49,526 When my daughter was in high school, she's on the mountain bike team. 706 00:34:49,548 --> 00:34:54,006 I told all my kids, look, you don't have to play the sport I choose, but you have to play a 707 00:34:54,028 --> 00:34:55,640 sport, or I will choose. 708 00:34:56,650 --> 00:34:58,314 And so my daughter didn't choose. 709 00:34:58,352 --> 00:34:59,846 So we picked mountain biking. 710 00:35:00,038 --> 00:35:00,874 And it was hard. 711 00:35:00,912 --> 00:35:01,642 It was difficult. 712 00:35:01,776 --> 00:35:07,440 And she told me, tears in her eyes one day she said, dad, mountain biking is hard. 713 00:35:07,810 --> 00:35:09,870 That's how a teenage girl communicates. 714 00:35:11,090 --> 00:35:11,726 And you know what? 715 00:35:11,748 --> 00:35:12,142 I said? 716 00:35:12,196 --> 00:35:12,942 Life is hard. 717 00:35:12,996 --> 00:35:13,614 Suck it up. 718 00:35:13,652 --> 00:35:14,670 You're going to race. 719 00:35:16,690 --> 00:35:17,920 Because it is. 720 00:35:18,530 --> 00:35:21,522 Tammy and I, we celebrated New Year's together. 721 00:35:21,656 --> 00:35:22,002 Okay? 722 00:35:22,056 --> 00:35:24,466 When you're old, you celebrate at 09:00 right? 723 00:35:24,568 --> 00:35:25,620 That's what you. 724 00:35:26,230 --> 00:35:26,930 You just. 725 00:35:27,000 --> 00:35:27,794 We're with New York. 726 00:35:27,832 --> 00:35:29,220 We're on New York Times. 727 00:35:30,390 --> 00:35:34,034 So we celebrate at 09:00 we come home relaxing. 728 00:35:34,082 --> 00:35:34,834 Everything's chill. 729 00:35:34,882 --> 00:35:35,986 We get in a jacuzzi. 730 00:35:36,018 --> 00:35:40,120 I'm hopeful, right? 731 00:35:44,990 --> 00:35:46,090 A man can hope. 732 00:35:46,160 --> 00:35:47,180 He can hope. 733 00:35:49,790 --> 00:35:51,770 I hear my dog bark. 734 00:35:53,710 --> 00:35:56,880 I smell a distinct odor in the air. 735 00:35:58,450 --> 00:35:59,920 1158. 736 00:36:00,530 --> 00:36:03,920 My dog got juiced right in the face. 737 00:36:05,010 --> 00:36:07,920 And like a genius, I brought her inside. 738 00:36:09,410 --> 00:36:12,322 And for those of you who've smelled the skunk from a distance, it's bad. 739 00:36:12,376 --> 00:36:13,860 Listen to me up close. 740 00:36:14,630 --> 00:36:16,930 It smells like spiritual warfare. 741 00:36:17,990 --> 00:36:20,482 It feels like the devil farted in your face. 742 00:36:20,616 --> 00:36:22,280 That's what it feels like. 743 00:36:24,330 --> 00:36:26,150 My wife, my own wife. 744 00:36:26,890 --> 00:36:28,034 Our plans are ruined. 745 00:36:28,082 --> 00:36:29,542 She's like, I can't even stay here. 746 00:36:29,596 --> 00:36:31,800 She's like, I cannot be in this house. 747 00:36:32,570 --> 00:36:34,998 It smelled awful. 748 00:36:35,174 --> 00:36:36,010 Awful. 749 00:36:36,510 --> 00:36:37,766 That's how my New Year's began. 750 00:36:37,798 --> 00:36:41,420 I'm like, great lord, you don't love me at all. 751 00:36:41,950 --> 00:36:43,740 You don't care for me at all. 752 00:36:45,070 --> 00:36:45,814 You know what? 753 00:36:45,872 --> 00:36:46,800 Embrace it. 754 00:36:47,170 --> 00:36:48,494 Jeremiah 17 eight. 755 00:36:48,532 --> 00:36:55,246 They are like trees planted along a riverbank with roots that reach deep into the water. 756 00:36:55,348 --> 00:37:02,126 Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried about long months of drought or a skunk 757 00:37:02,158 --> 00:37:02,850 fart. 758 00:37:04,070 --> 00:37:04,766 Their leaves. 759 00:37:04,798 --> 00:37:05,266 Listen to me. 760 00:37:05,288 --> 00:37:10,050 Their leaves stay green, but they never stop producing fruit. 761 00:37:11,770 --> 00:37:17,670 Look, when I'm emotionally wiped out, it might not be my emotions. 762 00:37:18,490 --> 00:37:21,750 When I'm physically exhausted, it might not be my body. 763 00:37:21,820 --> 00:37:23,590 I could be spiritually dry. 764 00:37:24,650 --> 00:37:26,082 You see life's challenges. 765 00:37:26,146 --> 00:37:26,694 Listen to me. 766 00:37:26,732 --> 00:37:28,540 They help me go deeper with God. 767 00:37:29,310 --> 00:37:30,602 I follow this guy online. 768 00:37:30,656 --> 00:37:32,070 His name's Jocko Willink. 769 00:37:32,150 --> 00:37:33,942 This dude's the toughest dude in heaven. 770 00:37:34,006 --> 00:37:36,060 If you're looking for me, I'm going to look like him. 771 00:37:36,430 --> 00:37:37,846 Is that Pastor Matt or Jocko? 772 00:37:37,878 --> 00:37:38,780 It's both. 773 00:37:39,890 --> 00:37:42,240 But he has this talk that he gives. 774 00:37:42,770 --> 00:37:48,094 No matter what goes wrong, no matter what comes at you, no matter what happens, no matter 775 00:37:48,132 --> 00:37:53,780 how bad it is or how TikTok you are, you respond with one word, good. 776 00:37:55,830 --> 00:37:58,020 You got fired, good. 777 00:37:58,790 --> 00:38:01,460 You got an argument with your spouse, good. 778 00:38:03,110 --> 00:38:05,080 You have tension, good. 779 00:38:05,610 --> 00:38:06,834 You didn't get the sale. 780 00:38:06,882 --> 00:38:07,574 Good. 781 00:38:07,772 --> 00:38:08,838 Why is that? 782 00:38:08,924 --> 00:38:10,374 Because it's going to make you better. 783 00:38:10,492 --> 00:38:11,430 So bring it. 784 00:38:11,500 --> 00:38:12,422 And here's what he says. 785 00:38:12,476 --> 00:38:14,198 As long as you're breathing, you're still alive. 786 00:38:14,294 --> 00:38:15,660 So say, good. 787 00:38:16,190 --> 00:38:17,340 Say, good. 788 00:38:17,870 --> 00:38:23,820 And when that skunk sprayed my dog, I did not say good. 789 00:38:24,830 --> 00:38:26,560 I said, what's going on? 790 00:38:28,530 --> 00:38:29,920 What's going on? 791 00:38:30,690 --> 00:38:32,414 I went to bed with my wife that night. 792 00:38:32,452 --> 00:38:40,020 She's gagging, gagging in our bed, six pillows over her face. 793 00:38:40,390 --> 00:38:42,180 It's like, lord, you did this. 794 00:38:42,870 --> 00:38:44,526 I didn't create the skunk. 795 00:38:44,638 --> 00:38:46,100 Wasn't my idea. 796 00:38:47,910 --> 00:38:55,286 Listen, Romans 828, and we know that God causes everything to work together. 797 00:38:55,388 --> 00:39:03,126 Listen to it for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for 798 00:39:03,148 --> 00:39:03,574 them. 799 00:39:03,692 --> 00:39:06,060 Look, I don't know what life will bring this year. 800 00:39:07,790 --> 00:39:12,220 I don't know what's going to come at you, but I know it's going to come at you. 801 00:39:14,030 --> 00:39:17,710 And you don't get to choose your surroundings. 802 00:39:18,130 --> 00:39:20,080 You don't always get to choose your health. 803 00:39:21,010 --> 00:39:28,590 You don't always get to choose your emotions, but you do have a choice to water your soul. 804 00:39:30,390 --> 00:39:32,340 And here's what God is saying. 805 00:39:34,230 --> 00:39:35,042 Come to me. 806 00:39:35,096 --> 00:39:36,020 Trust me. 807 00:39:36,550 --> 00:39:37,700 Follow me. 808 00:39:38,550 --> 00:39:40,340 I know your marriage is hard. 809 00:39:40,970 --> 00:39:43,030 I know finances are rough. 810 00:39:43,530 --> 00:39:45,366 I know your kids are crazy. 811 00:39:45,548 --> 00:39:47,560 God's like, that's why I just had one. 812 00:39:52,810 --> 00:39:57,020 That's not actually true if you're new to church, I just made that up. 813 00:39:57,950 --> 00:39:59,340 But here's the thing. 814 00:40:00,270 --> 00:40:05,462 You ever wonder why Jesus was just so chill sitting on the boat? 815 00:40:05,526 --> 00:40:07,134 Disciples are like, don't you even care? 816 00:40:07,172 --> 00:40:07,946 We're going to die. 817 00:40:07,978 --> 00:40:11,738 And he's sleeping because this is Jesus. 818 00:40:11,834 --> 00:40:12,590 Come on. 819 00:40:12,740 --> 00:40:14,350 And these were the disciples. 820 00:40:15,970 --> 00:40:17,374 This is your year. 821 00:40:17,572 --> 00:40:19,194 This is the year where you plant. 822 00:40:19,242 --> 00:40:21,250 This is the year where you go deep. 823 00:40:21,990 --> 00:40:24,770 Maybe this is the year where you actually pray. 824 00:40:25,350 --> 00:40:28,062 This is the year you actually go to your spiritual gym. 825 00:40:28,126 --> 00:40:29,358 It's called a church. 826 00:40:29,454 --> 00:40:30,260 Come on. 827 00:40:30,890 --> 00:40:35,320 This is a year where you get in community and you say, you know what? 828 00:40:36,810 --> 00:40:38,040 People are hard. 829 00:40:38,730 --> 00:40:43,560 Good christians aren't always holy good. 830 00:40:44,090 --> 00:40:47,114 And you get in a group and you start talking about the sermon and you say, you know what? 831 00:40:47,152 --> 00:40:48,140 I'm going to grow. 832 00:40:48,670 --> 00:40:50,022 I'm going to plant. 833 00:40:50,166 --> 00:40:52,300 I'm going to be with Jesus this year. 834 00:40:53,550 --> 00:40:59,360 I just want you to imagine January 1 of 2025. 835 00:41:01,010 --> 00:41:02,414 Who will you be? 836 00:41:02,612 --> 00:41:05,600 This or a year of this? 837 00:41:06,130 --> 00:41:07,630 The choice is yours. 838 00:41:08,050 --> 00:41:11,154 God's water is free, and he's always there for you. 839 00:41:11,272 --> 00:41:13,330 The choice is yours. 840 00:41:13,910 --> 00:41:15,038 Let's pray. 841 00:41:15,214 --> 00:41:23,140 Heavenly Father, we pray in the name of Jesus, Lord, that we would pursue spiritual health. 842 00:41:23,750 --> 00:41:27,746 Lord, gyms are for our bodies and the church is for our soul. 843 00:41:27,938 --> 00:41:32,680 And some of us have not exercised in the way that we should. 844 00:41:33,850 --> 00:41:35,660 Lord, I know it's going to be difficult. 845 00:41:36,350 --> 00:41:42,490 It's going to feel, Lord, awkward at first, but we're going to start praying. 846 00:41:43,150 --> 00:41:48,106 We're going to make church a habit this year, and we're going to start talking to somebody 847 00:41:48,208 --> 00:41:50,220 about these messages that we hear. 848 00:41:51,070 --> 00:41:53,770 And Lord, we're going to start serving. 849 00:41:54,190 --> 00:41:57,834 We're going to start listening to the messages and applying them in our lives. 850 00:41:58,032 --> 00:41:58,418 And. 851 00:41:58,464 --> 00:42:05,554 And, God, we look forward to how you're going to bless us, to how our leaves will stay 852 00:42:05,592 --> 00:42:06,946 green in 2024. 853 00:42:07,048 --> 00:42:12,820 That no matter what comes at us, because you are with us, God, we are going to be okay. 854 00:42:13,190 --> 00:42:14,322 Better than okay. 855 00:42:14,456 --> 00:42:16,178 We're going to thrive in Jesus name. 856 00:42:16,264 --> 00:42:17,554 We pray it in his name. 857 00:42:17,672 --> 00:42:18,530 Amen.