Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
At Sandals Church, our vision is to be real with ourselves, God and others. This channel features sermons and teaching from Pastor Matt Brown and other members of the Sandals Church preaching team. You can find sermon notes, videos and more content at http://sandalschurch.com/watch
Welcome to the Sandals Church podcast. My name is McKay, and I'm a part of the online team here at Sandals Church. We are so happy to have you join us today as we listen to this message with pastor Matt, teaching from our series, the gospel of Matthew. If you've enjoyed our content, consider leaving us a rating to help this podcast reach more people. Now, let's get into the message.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:I was watching online this week and one of my favorite comedians actually became a Christian and he was sharing his story. He used to run around telling people he'd say, I'm an atheist. And so finally one day some guy came up to him and said, well, tell me what is it in the bible that you don't believe in? And he said, well, I've never read the bible. And the guy said, well, you're not an atheist.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:You're a moron. And the comedian was like, good point. And so but that began his spiritual journey reaching out for God and seeking God. And here's what the Bible says in Psalm fourteen one. It says, the fool says in his heart there is no God.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:And so here's the thing. The further we get away from God as a society, the dumber we're getting. And what we wanna do as Christians is we wanna jump into God's word and we want God to give us wisdom. And so what I wanna talk about today on Father's Day weekend is asking God for the wisdom I need. How many of you guys have ever made a dumb decision?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Raise your Okay. If your hand is not up, you just made a dumb dumb decision. We've all blown it in life and wisdom is a beautiful beautiful thing that God gives to us to help us navigate the difficulties of life. And so I want you to open your Bibles today to Matthew chapter seven. And I've made a choice today to talk about wisdom, and I'm gonna I'm gonna share why we're talking about wisdom when it seems like Jesus is talking just about prayer.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:And so I want you to open your Bibles to Matthew chapter seven, and we're gonna begin in verse nine. But I'm gonna jump around a little bit because I wanna start with something just because it's Father's Day weekend. So to gain wisdom, look at this, I must learn to ask God to help me trust him as my heavenly father. One of the greatest needs in the world today is for fathers. It's one of the greatest wounds our culture is experiencing, the lack of dads.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Tammy and I were out with some friends this week, and we had a great time. We're just enjoying life out riding bikes. Collectively, we were 200 years old, which I shared that with the group. I'm like, hey, if we add up our ages, we're 200 because I bring joy to events like that. But we went to go do something and my friend didn't show.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:And I asked his wife, I said, where is he? And she said, oh, you got a text message. His dad just died. And so here's the thing is, it wasn't everybody in the room just went awe. And and it wasn't an awe like his dad was a good dad.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:His dad wasn't present. His dad wasn't there for him. One of the greatest wounds of my friend's life is when he needed him the most, his dad wasn't there. And so here's what's interesting. My friend is in his mid fifties.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Listen to me ladies. Even in our mid fifties as men, you know what we still long for? Our dads, Our fathers. It's a wound that doesn't go away. And that's why if you're ever gonna heal, if you're ever gonna grow in wisdom You know, look, counseling's great, but listen, you have a father in heaven who's always there for you.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:And at the moment you needed him the most, he sent his one and only son to rescue you. And so I want you to hear what Jesus says in Matthew seven nine through 11. He says, you parents, raise your hands if your parents. Come on. Jesus is gonna insult you.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:I want you to get this. Okay? You parents, if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? K. Now maybe if you were a parent in the eighties you did, but nowadays we don't.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Or if they ask you for a fish, do you give them a snake? Listen to what Jesus says. Of course not. So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, and by the way, the Greek word is evil, I softened it a little bit, how much more will your heavenly father give good gifts to those who ask him? I want you to think about just for a how different the world would be if every child had a loving, faithful, protective father that met their needs.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:They did a survey about thirty years ago where Hallmark just said, you know what? We're gonna give free cards for Mother's Day to those incarcerated. And almost every it was like 99.9% of people that were incarcerated, men wrote a card for their mother. It was so successful, they said let's do the same thing for Father's Day. Guess how many requests Hallmark got for cards?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Zero. Zero. The world is crying out. The world is longing for a faithful father and here's good news. Every single one of you in this room has one.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Maybe not on earth but you have one in heaven. And the you get that, the wiser you will be. Amen. As that comedian began to unpack his issues with God, his issues weren't about the bible. His issues weren't that he didn't didn't believe in God.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:His issues were with his own dad. And as he began to process that, he began to reach out and trust and ask for a real relationship with God. And I want you to know that today, even if it's your time in church, you can have a relationship with your father who is in heaven. John five one says this, everyone who believes, and you can pray about whether or not you're included in everyone, but I guarantee you are. Everyone who believes.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:You know what that means? People that have committed crimes, people who haven't been good dads, absent fathers, poor parents, bad kids, people who were incarcerated. Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has become a child of God and everyone who loves the father loves his children too. Look, it changes our relationship. Look at Galatians four six.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:And because we are his children, so when we believe in Jesus, we become a child of God. And because we are his children, God has sent the spirit of his son into our heart. I love this. Prompting us to call out, Abba, father. One of my favorite things in Israel is when we go on trips and hopefully one day when there's peace in The Middle East, we'll be able to go back and take trips there.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:But I love seeing little kids run up to their daddies and they go, Abba, Abba, Abba. And it's simply the Hebrew word for dad. And that's how when we have Jesus in our hearts, we have Abba in heaven who longs for us and wants to hear from us. And there's so many of you today, you say, well, you know what? If I called my dad, wouldn't answer.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:I want you to know this. If you call on your heavenly father today, he will answer. Amen. He'll answer. Now how many of you know what this is?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Does anybody know what this is? K. If you watched sermon a couple weeks ago, it's the devil. Right? No.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:It's a smartphone. But here's the thing. At night when I go to bed, I put my phone on a lockdown mode where it doesn't receive calls. But do you know what calls come through every single time? My kids.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:They're in my favorites. No matter what time it is, no matter what's going on, no matter where I am in the world, their phone call gets to me. You wanna know why? Because I'm their dad. And what Jesus is talking about today is praying.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:But the reason we don't pray is we don't think of God as our father. We don't cry out to him as Abba, and we need to learn to do that Because the that we do that, it changes our relationship, and it gives us boldness when we pray. So the thing I wanna challenge you on in order to gain wisdom is you've got to understand your relationship to God who's in heaven. He loves you. He sent his son to die for you.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:He cares about you. And listen to me, he wants to hear your prayers and answer them. Amen. But here's the thing. Anybody have a good dad?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Raise your hand if you had a good dad. K? You know what good dads do? They discipline you. Amen?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Whoo, boy. The worst words I could ever hear my mother say is when your father gets home. You know, we weren't gonna greet dad. We were gonna run from dad. Amen?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Whoo. I remember one time my brother tried, I was like, dude, your legs are like half his size. He's gonna get you, and he's gonna be madder when he gets there. But that's the thing is, Fathers, good fathers, listen to me dads, they don't just love, they discipline. They discipline.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:So to gain wisdom, look at this, I gotta trust God even when I am disciplined by him. How many of you have ever wondered why everybody gets away with murder but you always get caught? Let me tell you why. Those people that get away with murder, they're not the Lord's. When you're his child, you get caught and you should praise God you get caught.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:You get caught. I had a great conversation with my son. He said, I don't get away with nothing. So that's good news. It means you're the Lord's.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:It means you're the Lord's. When the Lord loves you, he disciplines you. Amen. In Hebrews twelve seven through nine, as you endure this divine discipline, and we don't think about that. Right?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:So many of us think as God is grandpa. He's not grandpa. Right? Grandpas are just like, it's not that bad. Your fathers are like, come here son.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Come here. But here's the thing. He says, listen. As you endure this divine discipline, we don't think about God as disciplining us, but he does. Remember that God is treating you as his own children.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Look at whoever has heard of a child who is never disciplined by his father. Almost every child today. Can I get an amen? Amen. Can I get an amen?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Parents, you are stronger than your three year old. Demonstrate that strength and put that child down. You don't have to beat them. You can just wear them out slowly. Have you ever seen a parent like the three are like, what am I gonna do?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:I'm like, you're Andre the Giant. Take them down. Anyways, sorry about the side note. He says he says, who has ever heard of a parent that doesn't discipline? If God doesn't discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:So if you get away with murder, you ought to be scared to death right now. If you constantly get away with sinning, constantly get away with lying, and no one ever catches you, it means you're not a child of God and you should repent today at the end of service and get your life right. And that's not my word. That's God's word. It means that you are illegitimate and you are not really his children at all.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:So quit getting mad, Sandals, that everybody else gets away with murder and praise God you get caught. It means you're his. Listen what he says. Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn't we submit even more to the discipline of the father of our spirits and live forever? Look, God loves you so much.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:You've heard me say this so many times if you've been at Sandals Church for years. God is willing to risk your life to save your
Audience:soul. Amen.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Your soul is worth more than your life to God. And so he disciplines us. Now is discipline fun? Come on. Is anybody like, yes, I'm getting disciplined.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Like if your child is like, discipline me father, they need therapy. Right? Know what I'm saying? Like they need therapy ASAP. So I'm not saying we should enjoy it.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:I'm saying we should embrace it. Come on. And some of you guys should celebrate. At least I know God cares about me. And so the reason he keeps disciplining me is he hasn't given up on me.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:He still believes there's a chance for me. To gain wisdom, look at this, I must maintain a healthy fear and respect for God. Our society is losing a healthy fear for respect for everyone, everything. And we as a church need to reestablish. You know what?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:I need to have some healthy respect and fear for the Lord. When my mom said, when your dad gets home, let tell you something, I love my dad, but I also feared him. He was much bigger than me. And and my dad could strike that very very careful tone of being a loving father, but a very very powerful man, and I respected him as both. And many of you, you love God and he's my best friend.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:He's also your father and you need to respect him. Men, I love the Internet. Does anybody love the Internet? You know why I love the Internet? It just reminds me every day, I'm not the dumbest person on earth.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:You know what I'm saying? Like, okay. I'm not that bad. But I love this clip, and it's this teenage girl screaming at her mom. And the reason she's screaming is because her iPad is not charged.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Have you seen it? And the teenager says, the reason I'm so mad is you forgot to charge my iPad. And then the screen goes black. Have you seen it? And then it's a grandma.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:And the grandma says, wake up, pumpkin. Wake up. You forgot who you were talking to. She said, and we're not gonna tolerate that. Now grab a Pepsi.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:K. That's how you know you're old when you call it a Pepsi. Now grab a Pepsi and remember grandma loves you, but you are not gonna talk like that. Grandma knocked out the granddaughter. I love that.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:It's I mean, she forgot who she was talking to. And that's the problem is listen to me parents, you are God ordained. You are the authority in your kid's life. And that's not to abuse children, but it is to discipline them. And we need to have a healthy respect and fear for the Lord.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:In the eighties, there were all these super famous pastors. They started to be on TV, made all kinds of money, and almost all of them blew up. But one of the most influential influential pastors was Jim Baker. And he was asked in prison, what happened? Did you forget God's love?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:He said, no. No. No. I always knew God loved me. He said, what happened is I forgot to fear God.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:He said, that's that's where Satan got me. I forgot to fear the Lord. Let me tell you by God's grace, you wanna know why you haven't seen a scandal about me? Because I because I fear the Lord. I fear the Lord and my wife.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Can I get an amen? She's scary. Beautiful, but scary. But seriously, you know, I I just when I watch these pastors do the things that they do, I just I I don't wanna stand before God and be held accountable for that. And a lot of you Christians, you're running around acting like there's no judgment day.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:You have not read this. The word of God says there's a judgment day and the word of God says even Christians will give an account for their lives. And you're like, well, I'm saved. Yeah. You are saved, but you're still gonna stand before your father.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:And you don't fear him now, but you will on that day. You will on that day. You know, Hollywood loves to make movies about the devil and how scary he is. You ever wonder what scares the devil? Yeah.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:It's the father in heaven, your dad. Your dad. Peter one seventeen. Look at this. And remember that the heavenly father to whom you pray has what?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:No favorites. There are no VIPs in heaven. There's no celebrities in heaven. There's no billionaires in heaven. There's just kids, and the father loves them all.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Remember that as you pray. So many of you guys and and, I mean, I'm glad to pray for you after church and when I ran in run into you in in the community. But here's the thing, the reason you asked me to pray for you is you forgot who you are. You see, the heavenly father listens to my prayers just like he listens to your prayers. And think about how different your life would be if you learn to pray believing that you are as important as any pastor, as any priest, as any Christian celebrity.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:God cares for you. So let's finish the verse. And remember that the heavenly father to whom you pray has no favorites, he will judge or reward you according to what you do. Listen. So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time as temporary residents.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Temporary residents. And we gotta remember that. So remember the fool has said in his heart, there is no God. Proverbs nine ten says this, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. The beginning of wisdom.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Now how many of you know a Christian that's an idiot? Don't point at them. So here's what it says, it's the beginning of wisdom. It doesn't mean you've mastered it, it means you're starting out, you're JV. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and the knowledge of the holy one is insight.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Do you see the word insight? Now if you go back to last week and you listen to the message, what is discernment? Discernment is insight. It's the ability to navigate truth when it's hard to see. Let me tell you what the word of God will help you do.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:The word of God will give you insight and it will help you navigate life. Does anybody know this? Life is difficult. And here's the thing young people, it doesn't get easier. It gets harder the older you get.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:So you need as much wisdom as you can possibly get. So to gain wisdom, look at this, I've got to learn to ask God to share his wisdom with me. Now why are we talking about wisdom? Because when you look at Matthew seven nine through 12, as you look at it says ask, seek, knock, whatever you ask for you will receive. And you're like, wait a minute.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Pastor Matt, this is a passage on prayer. Yes, it is. But we have to as we're studying the book of Matthew, we can't just read scripture in isolation. We have to look at it in its context. So what was last week about?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Do not judge because the standard you use in judging will be used against you. take the log out of your eye before you help someone with the speck in their own eye. Do not throw what is holy or sacred to the dogs and do not cast pearl before swine. And then Jesus says, ask and you will receive. So last week Jesus is talking about discernment and here's the point is, what are we supposed to do when he says don't judge lest you be judged?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Take the log out of your own eye before you help someone else and and don't throw what is holy to the dogs, and don't throw what is beautiful before swine. What is he saying? You need discernment. You need wisdom. You need to grow an insight.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:And then what's the next verse? Ask. Ask. Jesus is telling us to ask God for wisdom. Now this is what Jesus' half brother says, James.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Why is he half brother? They have different dads. Amen? Right? If you need wisdom How many of you need wisdom?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Come on. If your hands not up, both should be up. If you need wisdom, ask our generous God and he will give it to you. I love this. He will not rebuke you for asking.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:He will not rebuke you for asking. Now here's the problem with life. We go into kindergarten, we ask too many questions. Anybody met a five year old? Why?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Why? Why? Why? And then you shut them up, because I said so. And then they're in high school, they lost their why.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:They quit asking. Same thing happens in church. The longer you've been in church, you quit asking. Matthew seven seven and eight. Keep on asking.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Stay curious, Sandals Church. Don't give up. Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. But what are we supposed to be asking for in context? Wisdom.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Not just whatever I want. Lord, give me the answers to the lottery. You know what the Lord is gonna say? Be better with your money before you ask me for more. Well, don't like that answer.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Keep on asking and you will receive what you ask for. But what are we supposed to be asking for in context? Wisdom. Keep on seeking. What are we supposed to seek for in context?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Wisdom. And you will find it. Keep on knocking and the door will be opened to you. You wanna know why wisdom is not easy and you can't microwave it? But listen to Jesus.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:For everyone who asks, what? Receives. Everyone who asks receives. I wonder what he's talking about. It's a powerful, powerful verse, but it's been often misquoted and taken out of context.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:And here's the thing, a lot of people are atheists because they read this verse and they asked for something that God would never give and they got mad. This is not a guarantee that everything you ask for you get. That's right. Sometimes we ask for grandma and grandpa to get better and they die. And parents, if you teach your children not to interpret scripture in a wise way, they'll get bitter at God and angry at God and they'll walk away from God.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:God does not promise that we never suffer. God does not promise that we don't die. God does not promise that we don't face difficulty. What God promises that if we ask for wisdom, we can navigate it. For everyone who asks receives and everyone who seeks finds.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. That means we don't have to be dumb forever. Can I get an amen? Oh my gosh. We don't have to be this way forever.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:We just have to keep trusting God. We have to keep seeking God. We have to keep knocking. Lord, Lord, I don't know how to be a husband. Lord, I'm afraid to
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:be a father. Lord, I'm afraid to get married. Lord, I'm afraid to go to work. God, I'm afraid I'm
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:not smart enough. They're all these things. Lord, I need help. I need your guidance. I need your wisdom.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Here's the answer every time you ask for it. Yes. Yes. So let's talk about life. I wanna talk about three things.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Take a look at perfection. You know what perfection is? Never making a mistake. And if that's you, you are in the wrong church. Right?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:This is this is not us. Perfection is never making a mistake. Look at this. Experience is learning from your mistakes. Now if you're a young person and you don't have a person in your life who's over 40 and you're not asking them for things, you're a moron.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:You wanna know what's stupid when you're 20 asking other 20 year olds for collective wisdom? That's stupid. Why don't you go ask somebody who's made some mistakes? Amen, old people? But you know what?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:They're 23, and I'm 20, and they're so much more advanced than me. You know what a 93 year old doesn't do? Ask a 96 year old for their wisdom. You're three years older. They're in their nineties.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:It's the same. Okay. So perfection is never making a mistake. Wisdom is learning from your mistakes. Look at this.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Excuse me. Experience is learning from your mistakes. Wisdom is knowing how to avoid mistakes. You ever read the bible and wonder how these idiots are the ones that made it in the book? It's so you don't have to make those mistakes.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Here's the key to life, understanding you don't know what you need to know. So there's a couple famous kings in Israel's history. The most famous is David. David has a son, his name is Solomon. David dies, Solomon becomes king.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:And here's what Solomon says, listen to me young people. He says, I'm a child. That's what Solomon said. He said, I don't know what to do. And the Lord says, ask me for anything and I will give it to you.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:And here's what Solomon asked for, wisdom. And here's what the Lord says, because you ask for wisdom, I'll give you everything. You see wisdom, biblical wisdom, godly wisdom is the secret to life. So what should I ask God wisdom for? Look at this.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:I must ask God for wisdom for what I don't know about myself. I went to the grocery store yesterday, and of course the gal behind the counter works at sand or doesn't work at sandals, attend sandals. And she said she said, I don't mean this in any negative way. I'm like, oh, man. She said, but you look tired pastor Rad.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:But you know here's the thing is, I hadn't thought about how tired I was until she said it. Do you know the person we're most blind to sometimes? It's ourselves. You ever had somebody ask you why you're angry? I'm not angry.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:I don't know why everyone keeps asking me if I'm angry. Sometimes the last person to know the truth about yourself is yourself. Look at look at what the scripture says in Psalm fifty one six. So if you're new to Sandals, this is one of the most important verses in our history right here. People always say, well, why is the vision of Sandals Church to be real with self?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Psalm fifty one six. But you desire who's you? God. God desires honesty from the womb, teaching me wisdom even there. Now here's what it means.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:In the deepest parts of me that I don't understand, God wants to teach me who I am. That's what it means. In the most mysterious compartments of my life, Even when I am hidden in my mom's womb. Even in there, God can teach me something about myself. Amen.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:So now think about this in last week's sermon. That's why Jesus says, take the log out of your eye, but isn't it interesting we can't see it? I can see all of your specs, room full of specs, but I can't see my log. I need I need help. I need help.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:And let me just say this, for those of you who get married. One of the biggest problems in marriage is your spouse can see the log that you're oblivious to. And do you know how hard that is? When you're like, it's right there.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:And they're like, I don't see it. I don't I don't know.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:And you don't right? You come on married people. Be like, you don't see it. I mean, you're not evil. You're not like, this is who I am.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Just deal with it. You you don't you don't see it. And that's why we fight. And that's why your spouse is exasperated because it's obvious. It's obvious, but we need the Lord.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:K? So I must ask God for wisdom when dealing with difficult relationships. Anybody had one of those? People in the studio are doing this. Some of you wanna go like, James three seventeen, but the wisdom from above is of all pure.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. Now listen to this. The wisdom of God is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. So it shows no favoritism and it's always sincere. So what is the wisdom of God help us do?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Navigate relationships. And listen to me young people, you you you think high school was hard. Get married. Get a mother-in-law. Those are super fun.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Right? Get a father-in-law. Just I mean, just just think about your family and just, like, you know, go out, like, just go out and just think about the nut jobs that are in your you know what I'm saying? Some of you gotta go out a little bit, but they're there. It's family's tough.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:And the older you get, relationships get more challenging. And listen to me parents. I mean, some of you, you got toddlers, you think they're tough. Try counseling a 20 year old. They're bigger.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:They can just walk away. A two year old can't be like, I'm out of here. You know? Where are they gonna go? They can't even they don't even know the code.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:You know what I'm saying? So so let me give you this little nugget of wisdom that's just sandwiched in this teaching. So there's two things that I want you to know if you're new to Christianity. So everything that Jesus says is God's word. Okay?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:So it's God's word. But here's one of the things that you need to learn. It's not just how it's said that is God's word. Listen to me carefully. It's how it's organized.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:So Matthew is teaching taking the teachings of Jesus that are God's word and he's organizing them in such a way that is also God's word. So in this teaching on wisdom sandwiched right in the middle of it is one of the most important teachings ever given. Matthew seven twelve. Do you see it? Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets. This is how I memorized that as a kid. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Does anybody know the name of that law? The rule?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:It's the golden rule. Why is it called the golden rule? Because it's priceless. You see, Right in the middle of this, there's wisdom. Well, how on earth do I am I not judgy?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:I was I was at a a wedding this week and and the groom just told me, he's like, was so convicted. You know? He's like, it's so easy to judge people. I was like, yeah, it is. It is.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:So how on earth do I navigate that, the golden rule? I treat people the way that I would wanna be treated. How many of you need grace? Yeah. And so we extend that to others.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Okay? Look at this next one. So I must ask God for wisdom when facing a tough decision. How many of you guys have ever had a tough decision? You're either coming out of one or going into one.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:The decisions don't get easier. And let me tell you this, if you're a young person, this is why people are not all equally successful. Because not everybody navigates difficult decisions as well as others. And many people don't learn from their poor choices. They keep making the same mistake and blaming God.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Like, why are you doing this God? And God's like, I would like to ask you the same question. I remember years ago there was a woman in our church, and this is back when I was young and had not mastered counseling yet, but a woman was on our marriage and she said, what on earth is wrong with men? I said, or your picker. So she was called to another church after that.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:But you know what I'm saying? I mean, it gives us wisdom in navigating difficult decisions. Titus two twelve. And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasure. So so what is my natural bent?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:My natural bent and desire is to choose things that I want and are good for me and not the things that God has called me to. See, a wise person does not trust their motives. A wise person trusts God's word. And and this is the and they they they don't often agree. Here's one of the things that I had to learn as I you know, when Sandals started, I didn't have a lot of authority.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:I didn't have a lot of power. And then all of sudden, it started to grow, and I had to become very, very leery of the power that I had. Woah. Okay. That's dangerous.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:And I had to watch that because it it I I've seen a lot of guys fall. So we have to be very, very careful and understand that wisdom is the ability to check ourselves and question our motives. And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures, and we should live in this evil world with what? Do you see it? Wisdom.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:This is what we need with wisdom, with righteousness, and devotion to God. Here's what you need to ask for. Here's what you need to seek. Here's at the end of service what I want you knocking on the gates of heaven. God, give me your wisdom.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Give me your wisdom. How many of us are going to marriage counseling because we haven't gone to God for wisdom? Wisdom. Come on husbands, there's gonna be moments where you're like, I don't know what to say. Give me wisdom, Lord.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Guys, just do that. Just drop on your knees right in front of your wife in front of a fight and just be like, give me wisdom. Your wife won't even know what to do. She'll be like, don't you go getting God on your side. But just do it.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:God, I need wisdom. I need wisdom. I don't know what to do. I must ask God for wisdom when I don't understand something about God. Oh my gosh.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Oh, I one of the hardest questions I ever got was by a four year old at our church. Their parents brought him up. He has a question. And it was about God, and he asked it, and I was like, I've never even thought about that. Either he's a genius or I'm dumb.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Amen. One of the two. But you know what I told the family? I said, I don't know, but I can find out. And the next week, they came back and we talked about it.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:And here's the thing, is don't be afraid to say I don't know, and then go to God and say, I don't understand this about you. I don't understand. Ephesians one seventeen, asking God the glorious father. Anybody see a theme? The glorious father of our Lord Jesus Christ to give you spiritual wisdom.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:What is discernment? Insight. Spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. Here's what's so crazy about God is he will help you understand him. Ain't that amazing?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:If you ask. If you ask. And then look at this one. I must ask God for wisdom when helping someone else with a tough decision. Can I just counsel you?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Give wisdom slowly and carefully and if you don't know for the love of Jesus and all that is holy, shut up. Amen? And there are Christians running around flapping their lips. You haven't prayed about it, you haven't thought about it, and you don't know, but you're given advice. Stop and pray.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Don't be afraid to say, I don't know. I don't know. You know, a lot of you guys, you listen to the debrief and I'm so grateful and, people all the time, they go, I just I just I don't understand how you answer those questions so easily, and it's because they give them to me before. And I research them, and I pray about them, and I think about them, and you should go and do as well in your life. So listen, Colossians three sixteen.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Let the message about Christ in all its richness. So what does that mean? It means there's more than just elementary understanding. There's a lot there. Let the message about Christ in all of its richness fill your lives, teach, and counsel each other with all the wisdom who gives.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:He gives. He gives. So here's the good news. If you don't know what to do in your marriage, you know who does? He does.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:If you don't know what to do with your kids, you know who does? He does. If you don't know what to do with your finances, you know who does? He does. And here's what Jesus is challenging us right now, right here in this moment.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:You don't know what to do. Ask. Seek. Knock. Now let me give it to you in the Greek.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Keep asking. Keep on seeking. Don't stop knocking. And if you do, it will be given to you. Amen?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:It will be given to you. And some of are like, well I asked once. Keep asking. Keep asking. So let's close in prayer.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:I don't know what it is in your life that you need wisdom for. For some of you it's a friendship, a relationship, finances, health issue. Where is it that you need heavenly wisdom right now, right here in this place? Let's ask. Let's seek.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Let's knock together, and let's invite the Holy Spirit to give us wisdom. Amen? Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we come right now in the name of Jesus doing what he commanded, Lord. We ask, we seek, and we knock, and we say, Lord, we don't know what to do in this issue.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Would you reveal to us the answer, and would you give us your wisdom? Lord, enlighten us, and give us insight, and give us your wisdom. We pray this in Jesus' holy name, and all God's people said, amen.
Pastor Fredo Ramos:So I wanna take a moment to say thank you so much for joining us here today at Sandals Church online and we pray that you would continue to pursue God in prayer, asking and seeking and knocking for wisdom. And listen, if our church has continued to bless you in your journey of follow following Jesus, would you consider supporting the work that we are doing here at Sandals Church? To do so, can go to sandalschurch.com/support. Grace and peace. We'll see you next week.
Morgan Teruel:Thank you so much for tuning in today. If you want more content from this series, we have the YouTube playlist linked in the description. And if you want more information about who we are and what we do, you can go to sandalschurch.com.