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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
Hey, Sandals Church. I'm so glad to get to be with you today. My name is Morgan, and I'm your online campus supervisor. I have the honor of getting to serve our global online community. Hey.
Morgan Teruel:If you haven't heard, we're a church that is all about being real, real with ourselves, real with God, real with others. If you are new to Sandals Church today, let us know by going to sandalschurch.com/next, and someone from our team will connect with you. Whether you're a first time watcher or you've been joining us for a while, we are so glad that you're here. In fact, we would love to know where you're watching from. So go ahead and let us know in the chat or comments so that we can say hi.
Morgan Teruel:As we get started, we'd love it if you would share this service with a friend by clicking the share button or going to move.sc/watchwithme. Me. When you share this service, our message and vision have a chance to change lives in ways you may have never expected. Hey, by the way, if you have kids, we want you to know that we have programming just for them. You can go to sandalskids.tv and have them watch right right now or later on.
Morgan Teruel:For now, we're about to get started by singing together and worshiping our awesome God. You may be tuning in with your family, community group, or by yourself, but regardless of who is or isn't in the room with you, we hope that this time will be one in which you feel free to sing and worship as we remember just how good our God is. Let's worship.
Worship Lead 1:Welcome to service, everyone. We're so glad that you joined us. We wanna invite you to worship the lord with us.
Worship Lead 1:God is here in this place, and he's right there where you are right now. So let's worship the lord for his goodness. God is worthy of the praise. Sing unto the lord. Cut your hands, church.
Worship Lead 1:Let's sing. Let praise be you up in that silence saves the enemy. Let praise be you up and that conquers all anxiety.
Morgan Teruel:What an awesome time singing together. How cool is it that although we are in different cities and time zones, God hears our many voices as one collective voice, praising him. You guys, no matter where we are, we truly are the church together. Here in the United States, our election is right around the corner, and pastor Matt is continuing our series all about seeing politics through God's eyes. And today, he will be sharing how we can best prepare for political change.
Morgan Teruel:But before we jump into the message, we do have a quick update to share with you, so watch this.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Hey, guys. Pastor Matt here. I got some exciting news about a momentum update. Now some of you are saying, what is momentum? Our momentum project was literally trying to keep up with momentum financially for the physical growth that Sandals Church had received.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:We've had people coming in from all over the place. We're launching new campuses, and literally I've gotten to watch Sandals go from 1 campus to now 13 campuses. God is doing some incredible things. And so the momentum project was an outside fundraiser to try to raise 1,000,000 of dollars to literally keep up with this growth. And so we had $11,000,000 pledged, and here's the good news, $7,000,000 of that has come in.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Obviously, COVID 19 has been a financial impact on so many people who are giving to the Momentum project. Right now, I'm speaking from our Woodcrest campus, and this is one of the facilities that we purchased with Momentum dollars. We're building patio and outside spaces at Hunter Park, at East Valley, our San Bernardino campus, we're doing some improvements, and I want you to know this, we built a studio. Why is that important? Because literally we are now reaching, as a church, think about this, a little old church that started in Riverside, California, we are reaching over a 120 countries around the world, and over 502,000 people have been reached digitally since we launched the Momentum Project.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:So Sandals Church is not a big church. We're now a big city. That's how much work God has been doing, and that work has been happening because of your contributions. So I just want you to know the story continues. Look.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:I realize that COVID may have disrupted your ability to give to the Momentum Project, and I want you to know that I am grateful for every dollar that you give to Sandals Church. It is literally a miracle that our church has been able to continue to function with the giving that comes into our just normal budget. And I'm so thankful for those of you who have been blessed financially, and you've been able to give to the Momentum Project and fulfill your pledge. So I just wanna invite you, pray with us as we pray that God will continue to help us raise the additional $4,000,000 that's been pledged. And just because you weren't a part of the project or you weren't a part of Sandals Church when we launched this, doesn't mean that you can't participate in it.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:And so I wanna encourage you to find out more information about the Momentum Project, and you can write a check or a gift, anything, trust me, will be welcomely received. And we're so grateful, and we're excited not only about what God has done, but what about God is going to continue continue to do because the story continues. And just the same way that God's story has changed your story, he's going to change other people's stories in the future. Healing marriages, literally, reaching kids who are depressed, so many of the things that have happened in COVID. God is making a difference in the lives of people, and your dollars are helping us do that.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:So thank you so much, and keep praying for our momentum project as we continue to reach people for Christ.
Morgan Teruel:You guys, that is so incredible from all of us here at Sandals Church. Thank you to those of you who have been giving to the momentum project so far. I love being a part of this team and seeing people all over the world get involved by starting groups, volunteering, and giving to what God is doing here. The story continues as people from all over the country and the world are starting to launch Sandals Church Anywhere locations to share this experience with those in their community. Whether you're looking to keep giving towards your pledge or to start giving to this project, you can do that anytime at give.sc or within the Sandals Church app.
Morgan Teruel:Just be sure to select Momentum from the menu options. Whether you choose today to give to the Momentum Project or to Sandals Church in general, thank you so much for helping us further the ministry of Sandals Church. I can't wait to share more as the story continues. For now, let's hop into the message with pastor Matt.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Man, super excited, super glad you are tuning in.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:I know many of you are anxious this weekend. I know that, there's going to be an election this next week. Many of you are upset and anxious, and if you're watching this too late, shame on you. You should have watched it on time, and maybe this message would have helped you on election night. But I wanna talk to you today about how to prepare for political change.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:If there's one thing constant in life, it's change. Like life changes, friend changes, jobs change, and politicians, leaders, and kings change. And you'd think by now, especially in America, we would be used to preparing for a political change. And yet every 4 years we get it we get all upset and all anxious. Once again, right, this is the most important election ever, and they say that every 4 years.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:They say it every 4 years, and it may be the most important election of all time. But they've been saying that every time. And I just want you to know, God does not want you to survive this election. I truly believe the Lord Jesus Christ wants you to thrive in this election because this election does not determine your outcome, but Jesus Christ has already determined your outcome and we gotta rest in that, we gotta sit in that. And even though Tuesday night may be a long night, it may be a long week, it may be a long month, heck, we could have a rerun of the 2,000 election where we're going 45, 47 days.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:But it doesn't matter how long this election takes or the results take, I want you to know that God has already taken care to just make sure you're okay and he's gonna get you through this. And I want you to rest in him. When everyone else is freaking out, when everyone else is worried, I want you to understand that God wants you to thrive in the midst of this political change. So to prepare for political change and I just want you to know, I told my wife this week, I think maybe I need this sermon. So I'm gonna preach this to myself.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:So to prepare for political change, I must keep my eyes focused on Jesus. K? I gotta keep them focused on Jesus. The news media is gonna wanna direct you to this, to that, to this story, to that story, to this issue, and the media literally are geniuses at taking our attention off God. I want you to look at your phone, maybe not right now unless you're looking at me right now, and I want you to understand that the whole social media, Google, Facebook, Twitter, all of that stuff calls it clickbait for a reason.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:They're trying to get you to click so they can bait you to take your eyes on what off what you know you should be doing to maybe something you had no intention of doing. And all of us, right, have been bait from clicks. We all have. And we gotta remember that we gotta look at God. Psalm 168 says this, I keep my eyes always on the Lord.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. You see, when I take my eyes off God, I take my eyes off stability. And some of you, you're gonna be staring at the TV. You're gonna be looking, you know, who won who won this state?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Who won that state? You know, who's up here? Who's up there? You know, what about the electrical votes? Electoral votes?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:What about my vote? You know, and you're gonna have all this anxiety. And here's the thing, if you want to thrive in this election, keep your eyes on God. If you wanna freak out, if you don't have enough anxiety in your life, you're like, you know what, Pastor Matt, I've been sleeping way too well, then watch the news. Watch the votes, watch the tally, watch the rioting, watch the protests.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:That by definition gets you riled up. If you want peace that surpasses all understanding, keep your eyes on God. So the people of Israel are preparing for political change. For 40 years, they've been wandering in the desert, Moses has led them, now Moses has died. They've been fed every single day by God with manna.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:And the Bible says when they enter into the land of Canaan, God stops feeding them, it's time for them to grow up. Maybe it's time for you to grow up in your faith. You've been living off the faithfulness of your parents. You've been living off the faithfulness of your pastor. You've been living off the faithfulness of your friends.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:It's time for you to grow up. And the people of Israel are no longer going to be fed by manna. They gotta grow up and feed themselves. And so Joshua rose early in the morning, and he set out from Shittim. Amen?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Some of you are stuck in Shittim right now, and if you're tired of that, I want you to rise up, I want to leave where you are, and I want you to follow God. I want you to listen to what the people of God do and how Joshua leads the people of God to prepare for political change. They're gonna leave Shittim, they're gonna invade Canaan, they're no longer gonna be fed by God but they gotta feed themselves. It says and they came to the Jordan. The Jordan River is not a mighty river, it's not a powerful river, but it is a river and Jews can't swim.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:They're desert folk, amen? They're desert folk, water's precious. They're not swimmers. Last time I checked, Israelis hadn't even won an Olympic gold medal in swimming yet, right? It's just not their forte.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:And so water is intimidating, water is scary. That's why in the book of Revelation, John says, hey, amen, Jewish people, there's no sea in the new earth. Praise God, because that's scary. Right? They're a people of the land, that's who they are.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:So they came to the Jordan River, and he and all the people of Israel lodged there before they passed over. So they come right up to the Jordan River, right up to this body of water, and Joshua says, at the end of 3 days, the officers will go through the camp, listen to this, and command the people. So here's the command. Many of you ignore God's commands, which is why you have yet to attain God's peace. Here's the command.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:As soon as you see the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, your God being carried by the Levitical priests, then you shall set out from your place and follow it. Here's what God says. On the eve of political change, right before the biggest election in Israel's history, Joshua commands the people, keep your eyes on God. Keep your eyes on God. You don't move until God moves.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:You don't follow anybody else. You don't run after anybody else. You wait till the priests pick up the Ark of the Covenant, and inside the Ark of the Covenant are the commandments of God. It represents the presence of God. You follow God's movement.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Look, in order to thrive in this political climate, in in order to survive this election, you gotta keep your eyes focused on God. What is God doing? Some of you are so worried about what's happening in individual states, what's happening in individual cities, what's happening on Facebook, what's happening on Google, and you have failed to ask, what's happening in heaven, what is God doing? God is on the move and many of you have not even noticed it. God is moving.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:The author of Hebrews 12 1 and 2 says this, and let us run this race, let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us. You know what election 2020 is all about? It's a race for the White House. That's not your race. You've been called to a different race.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:And some of you are fatigued because you're running in a race that you've not been called. You are focused on an outcome that you cannot control. And you need to stop and you need to ask yourself, have I taken my eyes off the prize? Am I running the wrong race? And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before you.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:God's given you a race, listen to me, you can win. But some of you have chosen to run another race you'll never win. And you're exhausted, you're tired, you're exasperated, and you're wondering why God won't bless the race you're running. And God's trying to tell you you're running the wrong race. You're on the wrong track.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Man, some of you are in the wrong stadium. Come back and let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us. So how do we run this race? We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus. What is Jesus doing?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:What is God doing? And so some so many of us were so worried about what's happening in the political climate in our culture, we have failed to look at what's happening in heaven. What is God doing? God is on the move. God is doing great things.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:To prepare for political change, I must, listen to this, man this is for me, never fear the outcome but always fear the lord. Never fear the outcome. Man, the last election 2016, I don't know about you but I got eye twitch at about 8:30 at night. 8:30 at night, I just started twitching. I was twitching.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:I didn't know what was gonna happen. My wife's like, what's wrong? I'm like, I don't even know. Like, I was like a robot shutting down. Because I realized in 2016, I got all wrapped up in the process and the outcome was terrifying for me.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Now to be totally honest, I was nervous whether Hillary or Trump won. I I mean the whole thing just kinda scared me to death. Right? I mean it worried me. And that's where some of you are.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Right? I mean I saw this bumper sticker that said, any grown mature individual, 2020, right? And that's like where you are, like, oh my gosh, that's me. I saw another bumper sticker that said, vote meteor, it said just ended 2020, right? And that's how some of us feel like, oh my gosh, I'm so anxious.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Because we have these 2 senior citizens running for election. They're the future. They're the future. Amen? My gosh.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:And we're so worried, we're so uptight, we're so anxious. Proverbs 1923, the fear of the Lord leads to life. You know what the fear of political outcomes leads to? Depression, anxiety, worry, fear, suicide. Look at our culture.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:We're more politically active than we've ever been. More people are voting than have ever voted and we're more miserable than we've ever been. The fear of the Lord leads to life. The fear of the Lord leads to life. You know what the fear of Trump leads to?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Depression, sadness, anxiety. You know what the fear of Biden leads to? You're gonna be a mess. You're gonna be a disaster. You and I are called to fear the Lord, that leads to life.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:That's a healthy fear. Right? Healthy fears keep you alive. If you have no fear, you're gonna be stupid and die way too early. You're gonna stand before God.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Well, it must have been my time. The lord's like, no, you're way early. Why? You were stupid. You didn't fear things.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:The fear of the Lord leads to life. Listen to this. Anybody not been sleeping? Anybody been anxious? I don't know about you, but I lay down, my brain wakes up.
Worship Lead 1:Oh, hello.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Here's all the things we didn't think about today. The fear of the lord leads to life. Oh man, listen to this. So that one may sleep satisfied, untouched by evil. You see when you fear the lord, you don't have to fear the dark Because you know the lord is with you.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:God is with you. When's the last time you had a satisfying sleep? Anybody wake up and you feel like nothing happened all night? You're like, good god, what happened? I spent $8,000 on this mattress.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:It doesn't work at all. Right, we got all kinds of mattresses. We got sleep doctors now. We sleep on more and more comfortable things than any relative in your history. Like they used to think, Oh, a nice cool cave, that's comfy.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:And they put their head on a rock. You are lying on on the softest marshmallow ever made by men and you're like, And if you're married, she's got her side, your side, your firmness, her firmness, your temperature, her temperature, and you're just like, it ain't working. You know why? You fear everything but God. You fear everything but God.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:The fear of the Lord puts you to sleep at night because you know God's in control. And I can go to bed, oh Lord, but my marriage, well I'm gonna put it in God's hands, he's stronger than me. Oh God, my kids, I'm gonna put them in God's hands, because he's stronger than me. Oh my job, I'm gonna put my job in God's hands, because he's more powerful than me. You wanna sleep well?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Fear the Lord. You wanna rest well? Fear the Lord. You wanna screw up your life? Be afraid of everything else.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:I mean, some of you call yourself Christians, but the devil's smarter than you are. At least he knows he should fear God. Joshua 3:4, he says this, don't move until you see the ark moving. Don't move until you see the priest carrying it. Listen to what he says, yet there shall be a distance between you and it.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:You better stay away. You know why the ark represents God. And you might be the people of God, but you're not God. Yet there shall be a distance between you and it, about 2,000 cubits. You're like, what's a cubit?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:About a half a mile. Half a mile. So many of you Christians, you wrongly believe that when you go to heaven, the first thing you're gonna do is run up and hug Jesus. The first thing you're gonna do is fall on your face and go, oh, my bad. My bad.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Because you've never actually seen him. When the disciples, Peter, James, and John actually saw Jesus, the transfiguration, they didn't know what to do. They were terrified. They were terrified. They weren't sure that they should be there.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:They actually said this, Lord, is it good that we're here? Because I kinda feel like we're gonna die. Because they just saw Jesus for who he really was. Listen to what Joshua says. Don't come near it.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Don't come near it. Make sure you keep a healthy distance. You see, the problem for many of us as Christians is not that we don't believe that God loves us, it's that we have failed to believe that we're supposed to fear him. Yes, God loves you. Yes, God cares for you, but you're called to fear him.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Most people don't run into sin because they forgot about God's love. Most people run into sin because they forgot to fear God. Don't come near it, Joshua says, in order that you may know the way you shall go. Listen to this line, this is incredible, for you've not passed this way before. Here's what God says on the eve of battle, you don't know what you're doing.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:And we're electing a 78 year old or a 74 year old. They don't know what they're doing. They've had plenty of time to prove it. They're almost 80. Let me tell you something, you know why you're anxious, you know why you're worried, you know why you're upset, you don't know the way.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:You don't know the way. Oh my gosh, I remember when my first child was born. Madison, terrified. Do you know why? I didn't know the way.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:I could barely remember to feed our dog. Right? We had a pet rabbit. I accidentally killed it. I am not ready to be a parent.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:And I said, God, I don't know how to be a father. And God said, it's okay, I do. I've always been a father. You don't know the way. And some of you, you got married.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Oh my gosh. I gotta get divorced. I didn't I didn't marry my my my soulmate. It's it's my cellmate. You know what you've learned?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:You don't know the way. Your love is not enough. It's not enough. But god knows the way. God invented marriage.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Oh, she's so different. Yeah. Regenesis. It's right there in the beginning. You don't need to know the way when you're following Jesus.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:You don't need to know the way. And some of you are so upset. You don't need to know the way. And some of you are so upset. And some of you are, woah, Donald Trump.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:I just feel like he screwed up COVID. Let me ask you a question. Which world leader nailed it? I'm open. Send your emails to me.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Send them to me. Let me know which world leader has nailed this because they're shutting down Europe again. Oops. Well, China. Okay.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Let's be China. You wanna be China? Where they can lock citizens in their rooms for months on end? I got an email from a friend of mine. He can only look out the window for 8 weeks, 8 weeks.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Won't China as great? Which world leader's nailing it? Nobody knows what they're doing. Some of you are mad at me. I don't know what I'm doing.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:I've never led through a pandemic. I have a hard time wrapping up a sermon. I don't know why they're laughing. That's true. Preach, pastor.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:You know why you're so arrogant? Because you don't know God. And they're part of the reason some of you are so critical of our leaders is you don't understand they put their pants on the same way you do. They're just as messed up as you are. Some well, I can't believe he said this.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Well, let's follow you around with a microphone. Let's put all the dumb things you say on the Internet for everybody to hear and everybody to criticize. Let me tell you something, Donald Trump's not the way. Joe Biden's not the way. You're right in candidate.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Somebody told me this week, pastor, I'm gonna write your name in. I'm not the way. My my wife wouldn't even vote for me. John 146, listen to these words. Jesus said I'm the way.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:You know why God always knows the way? Because he is the way. He is the way. He's not confused. He's never lost.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:You've heard me say, like we always tell people, well, I found Jesus. He's never been lost. You're lost. You don't know where you're going. Jesus knows the way.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Jesus knows the way and I gotta trust him. I love that line. You've never been this way before. Sometimes we need to ask god to speak the obvious. We need God to speak the obvious to us.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:You've never been this old before. Did you know that? I don't care how old you are. You've never been here before. I mean, how many of you were ready for 2020?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:I wasn't. I wasn't ready. We started off the year with motivated. We should have called it deflated. Right?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:I mean, we didn't know what was coming. God was not surprised by COVID. God was not surprised by all the things that we've seen happen. God knows the way. Here's why so many of you are anxious.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:You're terrified your candidate is going to lose. I want you to know why I'm not afraid. God never loses. He never loses. He's never lost.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:He's undefeated. Even when Satan thought he had god by killing Jesus, Jesus just said count to 3, I'll be back. Right? In boxing, you get a standing 8 count. Jesus said, I'll just take 3.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:I'll take 3. Not even death not even death could defeat Jesus. He's the way, he's the truth. Oh, and he's the life. He's the life.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:To prepare for political change, I must make sure that I am right before God. I want you to notice this and sit in this. And this is why I wanna encourage you, when you read your Bible, some of you read through it in a year just to say you did it. Sometimes you need to slow down and listen. And there's so much wisdom here in Joshua 3.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Joshua 3 verses 5 through 6, then Joshua said to the people, he says, concentrate yourself for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you. And Joshua said to the priest, take up the Ark of the Covenant and pass on before the people. So they took up the ark of the covenant and they went before the people. Let me ask you a question. How do you how do you consecrate yourself?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:How do you how do you do this? Some of you don't even know what the word means. You're like, I got consecrated once, but then I went and I took some extra lax and I'm fine. No. That's not what the word means.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:How do you consecrate something? You see, here's the problem. We don't know what the word means and we don't know how to do this in our society. That's why if you're single but you live together, you need to listen up. Consecration is important.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:The paper matters. The paper oh, well, we love each other. Our love doesn't need a piece of paper. That's because it's not real love. When it's real love, you sign.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:You sign. You don't adopt a kid. Yeah, we'll just take him home. You can't even adopt a pet without signing in a way, you know? You gotta put your name down.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:I'm gonna feed this animal forever. I'm gonna love this animal. You gotta concentrate yourself. Consecration is an intentional decision that requires a public act. That's why when you get married, it's not enough to say, yeah, we love each other and we're gonna elope.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:It says we love each other and we're gonna stand before my mom, my dad, before my brother, my sister, before my friends, before my church, and before God. And I'm saying this one and no one else. This moment is holy and this person is holy and God has brought us together and I will never forget it. That's consecration. It makes something holy before God by you giving your word.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:And Joshua says you need to consecrate yourselves. You better get ready. You better get ready because God wants to do something wonderful. And let me tell you, the reason many of you have not experienced the wonders of God is because you've never consecrated yourself before him. You've never said, god, purify me.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:God, make me holy. God, I repent of my sin and I turn to you. God, I turn away from everything I do and I turn to everything you wanna do in my life. That's consecration. God, separate me from everyone else.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:It doesn't matter what all the other kids are doing. God, I wanna be one of your kids and I wanna do what you've called me to do. Part of consecration is not just thinking about what you're gonna do, it's thinking about what you are not supposed to do. The book of Ephesians, the Apostle Paul says this, Ephesians 43031, and do not bring sorrow on God's holy spirit by the way you live. Unfortunately, many of you on Facebook and Instagram have brought sorrow to God for the way you live, for what you've posted, for what you've said.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:And I can prove it to you. Because one of the ways we consecrate ourselves is we make our mouths holy. We purify our words. We don't speak like everyone else, and we don't act like everyone else. Some of you have brought sorrow to god for the way you live.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Listen to this. And so Paul says, so get rid of all bitterness. All bitterness. Doesn't matter your race. Doesn't matter your gender.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Doesn't matter your age. Doesn't matter your socioeconomic status. If you call god father, then he calls you son or daughter, and you're called to get rid of all bitterness. Then you're called to get rid of all rage. Isn't it amazing how angry everybody is?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Everybody, left, right, center, everybody's ticked. Everybody's ready to riot. You know why that is? I think as a culture, we value bitterness. I think it's an idol.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:We all want an axe to grind. The problem is the only thing the axe cuts is you. That's the only thing. That's the only thing it destroys. Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, wait for it, Twitter, harsh words.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Harsh words and slander. Can I just tell you something? You don't know Donald Trump personally. You don't. Well, I figured him out.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:No, you haven't. You haven't even figured yourself out. You don't know Donald Trump. You don't know whether he's good or he's bad. All you know is what's been presented to us and the same is true of Joe Biden.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:You don't know Joe. You don't know Joe. You don't know him. And you act like you do and you're so self righteous and you have character assessments of people you've never met. You've not spent five seconds with them and you know, this guy is a dirtbag.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:How? I can tell. What are you, the king of dirtbags? Yes. Wait, I mean, no.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Right? And some of us, we make these assessments up up based upon these people, and we judge them and we're critical of them and we're disgusted by them. Stop slandering people. Don't attack people, attack policies. Attack policies.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:We gotta be careful. It's easy to slander people. But just remember this, Jesus said if you say rocket to your brother, we're pretty sure that's a profanity. Maybe I'll say that for the debrief. It's a profane word.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:If you call your brother a profane word, Jesus says you're in danger of the fires of hell. And let me ask you this, how many of you can't get over some harsh word that was said to you years ago? Maybe the words were 4 eyes, fatso, skinny. Maybe somebody said you're gross, you're ugly. Ain't that amazing?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:You can't remember anything from 2nd grade but those harsh words. Most of us can never remember the day somebody told us we were smart, but we can sure remember the day somebody said we're stupid. Ain't that amazing? That's the power of words. You see words live beyond us.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:And many of us, we forgot what we said negatively or awfully to somebody, but they haven't forgot. James 1 20 through 21 says human anger does not produce the righteousness of God. Listen to me, when I'm angry, I know that is not the time to speak. That is not the time. That's why so many marriages go awry, the only time you ever talk is when you're ticked.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Right? I'm a give you a piece of my mind. No, your mind has left a building. This one he says, human anger does not produce the righteousness of God. So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:You know why we're so fascinated with how filthy and evil Donald Trump or Joe Biden is? Because it makes us feel better about ourselves. And humbly accept the word of God that he's planted in your heart for it has the power to save your souls. God's word has the power to save your soul. Neither candidate even has the power to save your life.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:COVID's proven that. Donald Trump couldn't even protect himself against the virus. First Peter 21. So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and wait for it, all unkind speech.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Anybody sense a theme here? One of the ways you consecrate yourselves is by watching your words. And here's the thing that you know, your words are more honest about where your heart is than you are. Jesus says out of the mouth, the heart speaks. I remember early on when Tammy and I would get in fights, you know, because she's a sinner, and I was trying to, you know, save her soul.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:And I would say things and things would come out of my mouth. And the second they come out of my mouth, I would say this, oh, I didn't mean that. I didn't mean that. What I really needed to say is, I wish I didn't say that. I I wish my heart didn't get get past my mouth.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Amen? Because sometimes in the moment of anger, right, you just have truth and you preach a little sermon that they need to hear. And then you wonder why you're both in hell for the rest of the week, because your heart just got loose. Your heart got loose. You know what Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram prove?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Our heart has always been the problem. The world says follow your heart. God says follow me. Follow me. And some of you, man, you're just so incensed, you're so angry, you're so upset, I'm right there with you.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:I got moments. I got moments. I got moments where I lose my mind, moments where I get frustrated, moments where I get upset, moments where I get angry. Those are not the moments for me to unleash the beast that is my mouth. That's the moment for me to control it.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Because when I let it loose, sometimes I can't get things back. Number 4, here's how this week you can prepare for political change. So the people of God are getting ready to cross the Jordan River. Here's what I wanna challenge you to do. Vote your conscience but trust God's choice.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Trust God's choice. Oh, you need to vote. You say well, why should I vote if God's already chosen? Because God's gonna hold you accountable for your vote. Pray about it.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Think about it. Look at the issues. Do the best you can. I know it's anxious. My family, we already voted.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:We went through all the issues. We looked at the candidates. Right? We talked about them. And it's frustrating.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:The propositions are written intentionally to deceive you. It's horrible. You do the best you can. Listen to what Joshua says. The Lord said today to Joshua, today, I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:God chose his leader. God chooses that they may know that as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. Some of you don't know this and you're you don't know your Bible the way that you should, but Romans, the Apostle Paul says this to the people of God, the Church of God. He said, let every person be subject to governing authorities. Why?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:For there is no authority except from God. And those who have exist those who exist have been instituted by God. That's hard. This is varsity level spirituality. This is varsity level theology.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:This is tough stuff. We vote, God chooses. Candidates campaign, God chooses. God chooses the leader. God is instrumental in the choice.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Do you honestly believe that God is gonna be, you know what, I'll let America have this election on their own. Is the world that safe, that secure, that the world's most powerful nation can have God be like, I'm on vacation, I'm taking the Sabbath? No, God's in charge. And just like he was in charge of the Roman Empire, selecting leaders and rulers and many of them were terrible, evil, awful, God chose. Therefore, whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:And those who will resist will incur judgment. Well, I just I just can't believe in Trump or I can't believe in Biden. No. You can't believe in Jesus. That's your problem.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Your problem is Jesus. Your problem is Jesus. Daniel living as a Jewish person in Babylon, separated from his faith, separated from his people, separated from the land of God. This is what Daniel says, Daniel who was thrown into the lion's den by his leaders. Daniel who was forced and challenged and constantly conspired against by the people of his day, this is what Daniel says in Daniel 2:20.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for he removes kings and he sets up kings. Listen. God appoints his leader. You have the choice to submit to God's appointment. Vote your conscience.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Accept God's choice. Accept god's choice and get on with your mission. And your mission was never to get people elected, it was to get people saved. That was your mission. That was your purpose.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:The reason so many of you are overwhelmed by this election is you're afraid your god might lose. One of the things that bothers me deeply about Barack Obama and Donald Trump is the way that people view them. It scares me. It scares me. Right?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Remember when the people tried to make Jesus king? They tried to make Jesus king and it said he ran from them. He ran from them. The Messiah was never interested in being elected. The Messiah came because he elected you.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:So many of you guys, man, listen to me, you say you worship God. I want to remind you of Good Friday. On Good Friday, the most religious Jewish people of their day condemned Jesus Christ, the son of God to death on a cross, and they yelled at Pilate. They yelled at Pilate. Listen to these words, we have no king but Caesar.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:They got political and they lost their minds. They got political and they killed god's son. They were more interested in personal power than they were ever interested in personal surrender. And that's you. That's you.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:And I'm not trying to condemn you, I'm trying to speak to you so you can be saved. Some of you are gonna stand before God on judgment day, and you're gonna find yourself in hell with a bunch of other Republicans who worshiped the wrong God, or you're gonna find yourself in hell with a bunch of other Democrats who worshiped the wrong God. It's why John ends his letter in first John with these words, little children, stay away from anything that takes God's place in your heart. And some of us in our self righteousness, we say we've turned away from sexual sin. We've turned away, you know, from from money, but we've turned to politics in the name of God and in that we've turned from the name of God.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:We have no God, but Caesar. And some of you, what you say is we have no God, but Trump, or we have no God, but Biden. Listen to me, you need to say I have no God but Jesus. And I got news for you. If he can rise from the dead, he can work with either candidate.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:You think Jesus is in heaven, oh, my gosh, they elected Biden. What are we gonna do, dad? What are we gonna do? Right? And some of you, oh, my gosh, Donald Trump again.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:What are we gonna do? Heavenly father, how could you do this? The Trump train ran us over. God's gonna say, you worship the wrong God. Listen to me, if God can work through Cyrus the king, if God can work through Nero, if God can work in the midst of Hitler and neither of our candidates are him.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Do you know what God was doing in the midst of Adolf Hitler? He was working in the man named Dietrich Bonhoeffer. We don't get Dietrich without Hitler. God's moving. Nothing can stop the Jesus train.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Nothing. Amen. Nothing. Not even death. Not even death could hold him.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:But the reason you're so overwhelmed by November 3rd is maybe you're underwhelmed by December 25th. God sent a king who came, who lived and died to save your soul. In order to prepare for political change, the last point, I gotta trust that God's gonna get me through this. Amen? I just gotta be honest with you, 2020, I think is worse than 09.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:I thought nothing could be worse than 09, my hair fell out, people left the church, you know, our giving was cut by 40% and we built our 1st building for $11,000,000. I thought I was gonna die. I actually thought death would be awesome because I knew you guys wouldn't let me quit, but if God killed me, you gotta let me go. Seriously. But 2020 has been worse.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:It's been more challenging. Economic challenges, personnel challenges, family challenges, health challenges. I mean, I gotta be honest with you. I thought I had COVID like 5 times. Like, anybody else that's it.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:That's it. It's been a tough year. But that's why Psalms 23 is the most famous song. Even though I walk to the valley of the shadow of death, thou art with me. Maybe there had to be a 2020 so you could be with Jesus in eternity.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Can I just challenge you if you're right with God? Have you shared this sermon series with any of your friends? Oh, you'll post something Trump says, Biden says, but you won't share with any of your friends what Jesus is saying. And I gotta be honest with you, I don't know of any church that's saying what we're saying. Who in your life needs to hear this?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Who in your life is this close to just losing it? Who in your life needs Jesus so that he can save him from this mess? Joshua 38 says this, give this command to the priests. Carry the Ark of the Covenant. And when you reach the banks of the Jordan River, take a few steps into the river and stop.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:This is amazing. You know why this text is amazing? Because the Bible says that the Jordan was at flood stages. There probably isn't an Israelite that can swim. It's terrifying.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:The water's moving. You're watching trees fall into the river. You're watching logs go down. You're thinking we're all done. Listen to this, God tells the people of Israel to step into the water and just stop.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:I wish God would've just said, on the count of 3, go. Go. Right? I don't wanna just sit there. I don't wanna sit there.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Like if I ever jump out of an airplane, we're not counting, just throw me out. The worst part of it for me would be this, God says, I want you to sit in the floodwaters and I want you to stop there. Oh, God. I don't know why you're doing this because God wants you to stop long enough so you look to Him. God needs to convince you you can't swim.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:There's always an idiot. I can make it. No, you can't, Fred. Stop there. I want you to stop.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:I want you to look at this situation. I want you to look at your marriage. I want you to look at your kids. I want you to look at your finances. I want you to look at your health.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:I want you to look at what the doctor said. I want you to stop there And I want you to realize you cannot save yourself. You never could. Now choose 12 men from the tribes of Israel. Twelve men, like the 12 spies, remember, who went and said we can't do it.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:We can't go there. The people of Canaan are powerful. Choose 12 men. Now choose 12 men from the tribes of Israel, 1 from each tribe. And the priest will carry the ark of the lord, the lord of all the earth, the lord of 2020, the lord of this election, the lord of the United States of America, the lord of every country on earth.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:And as soon as their feet touch the water, the flow of water will be cut off upstream, and the river will stand up like a wall. Listen to me. God doesn't just tear down walls. Sometimes he sends one to save you. He's sending he's sending one to save you.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Look, I know some of you are passionate about Trump or Biden or some of you are passionate that it's neither. I want you to know there's only one man on earth who can block for you, and his name is Jesus. He wants to block so you can pass through the waters. I don't know what you're going through. Some of you feel like life is at flood stage.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:I know some of you like me, you're feeling pretty good in May. Okay. We're gonna get through this. You could see the end. You could see light at the tunnel.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Then we had George Floyd. 2020 is the worst birthday I've ever had in my life. Right? June 2nd when everybody posted black. That's my birthday.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:This is the darkest day of my life. We had the race riots and we've seen the COVID uptick. We've seen the economic collapse. I've prayed for people in our church who've lost everything, everything. Some of you are up to your neck.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:You know, like, lord, I I can't take anymore. God has you right where he wants you because that's when you surrender. You know, sometimes god's let us gotta let us drown so he can save our soul. Jonah doesn't cry out to God until the seaweed wraps around his ankles. Ain't that sad?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:That sometimes God almost has to end our life so that he can save our souls. Here's the good news. The second you trust him, the second you follow him, the second you surrender him to him, the second he stops the water. He stops it. The water stopped and it walled up.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:And the people of Israel walked across the Jordan River on dry land when the river was at flood stage. Flood stage. I know some of you, we at our Sandals Anywhere, we got campuses now in Louisiana. My apologies. Gosh, this is like your 80th storm.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:They're on z. They're on z. Isn't that crazy? Z. Remember the good old days when it was just Andrew?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:You know? We were in the a's. We were in the vowels. We're on z. I want you to know that the same Jesus who spoke to the wind and the waves and he said, stop.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:And it did and the disciples said, who is this that commands even the wind and the waves? Who is this? His name is Jesus. His name is Jesus. And, sometimes, he sends a storm to save our souls.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:What you need to do right now is surrender to Jesus. He wants to give you peace that surpasses all understanding. He doesn't want you to vote for for Trump or Biden. He wants you to vote for him because he's already voted for you. He's already elected you.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:He's already chosen you. His hand is already out ready to save your soul. He's gonna start with your soul, then we'll get to the marriage. He's gonna start with your soul, then we'll get to the finances. He's gonna start with your soul, then we'll get to your kids.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:He's gonna start with your soul, and then we'll get to your job. But he's gotta save that in your life that is in the most danger. And it's your soul. God doesn't want you to survive this election. He wants you to thrive.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:And the only way you thrive is by inviting Jesus Christ to be the lord of your life. Let's pray. Heavenly father god, we pray in the mighty powerful name of Jesus, the one who is, who was, and is to come. And we ask, god, right now, as we see the floods, as we see the water, as we see the current, as we lose hope, as we are overwhelmed with anxiety, we invite you, Jesus, into our lives. And just as Joshua said, consecrate yourselves, dedicate yourselves, purify yourselves.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:We, at Sandals Church, consecrate ourselves and we rededicate ourselves to putting our focus and attention on you. We surrender to you and we ask for your peace that surpasses all understanding. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.
Morgan Teruel:What a beautiful and convicting space to sit in for a second. Where do you need to just stop and look to God? What is he calling you to surrender even right now? As pastor Matt said, God wants to start with our souls. If that is sitting heavy for you right now and you're feeling God prompting you to take a next step, I want to encourage you to make a decision to follow Jesus and surrender to him right now.
Morgan Teruel:Please go to sandalschurch.com/next and share your decision to follow Jesus with us so we can be praying for you and celebrating with you. It's in following him that we find that peace that surpasses all understanding. If you're already following Jesus, maybe there's a person you can share this service with that will be encouraged or challenged. Can I just ask you to pause for a second and ask God who in your life needs to hear this? Share this message with them and let them know that you love them and are praying for them.
Morgan Teruel:It might just be the thing they need to hear in the season of fatigue and anxiety. You can share this by pressing the share button or going to move.sc/watchwithme. We're going to step into some more time of worship together now. I just wanna encourage you, lift your burdens to God and commit to letting him become the firm foundation of your life as you worship.
Worship Lead 2:Church, there's only one foundation that we can build our lives upon, and that is Jesus. Everything else is sinking sand. No matter what happens, God is in control. And I believe right now, God is saying to us, fear not, for I am with you. When you walk through the fire, you won't be burned.
Worship Lead 2:When you walk through the flood, you won't be drowned. Be bold, be strong, and be courageous. So let's just take a few minutes right now, and during this moment of worship, let's just re surrender, recommit our lives to God, knowing that he is the King of kings and the Lord of lords.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:We live for you.
Worship Lead 2:Jesus, the name above every other name.
Worship Lead 1:We love you so much. And, god, you love us. You gave us your precious holy spirit to lead us, to guide us, to direct us, to protect us, to comfort us. So for those that need comfort, whatever you're going through, the holy spirit is right there with you, and the holy spirit wants an invitation. And when we worship the lord and we open our mouths and we sing words that touch the heart of god, it's an invitation for the holy spirit to come in and do a work that no man can do.
Worship Lead 1:Do you need a miracle? Do you need something only god can do? Let's invite the holy spirit to come and fill our room, fill our houses, fill our cars, fill our office spaces, to fill our hearts. Holy spirit, you're welcome in this place. You're welcome in this place.
Worship Lead 3:Thankful that you fill every room, each and every room this week. God, would you flood every house, every heart, every family with your goodness, with your presence, with your love, and with your mercy. Thank you for your peace that just passes all understanding and guards us, Lord, as we live, as we walk, as we live and breathe. We thank you, God. In your mighty name, amen.
Morgan Teruel:I pray right now that you feel the presence of God in your home, your community, wherever you are. Know that as you go today, we love you and we are praying for you. May we be the hands and feet of Jesus this week as we represent his church. We'll see you right back here next week, friends.