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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
Thanks for tuning in to the Sandals Church podcast. Our vision as a church is to be real with ourselves, God, and others. We're glad you're here, and we hope you enjoy this message.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Hey, guys. Welcome to Sandals Church. And I just wanna say thank you so much for joining us this Easter. I know we have so many guests, so many first time attenders at Sandals Church. Maybe you're watching online for the first time.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Just say I just wanna say thank you from the bottom of my heart that you're joining us today. I know that there's so many things for you to do and I just am so grateful that you've decided to make church a priority this weekend on Easter. You know, we all have family traditions, some that we like, some that we don't like. And, my least favorite, family tradition at Easter is the discussion of politics. Amen?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:I mean, that's I'm just like, I am out of here. So maybe this week you can just throw in, what do you think of global warming and ruin the whole day for your family? But, I'm just so glad you're here. There's all kinds of traditions, you know. Some I get, you know, the Easter bunny, I get the Easter eggs thing.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:This I do not get. So, and if you don't know, it was invented by the Russians. So that's all you need to know about peeps. But But some people love Peeps. I mean, how many of you have a friend that loves Peeps?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Okay. This will never be opened. I will never open this. I tried it once and that was good. But, you know, a couple years ago, they announced do you remember this?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:There's a Peeps shortage. People were panicking. Like, at Easter, I gotta have my Peeps. Amen? You know, I need Jesus, but some of you need peeps.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:And they were super worried about this and they said there's a shortage and so people had to ration peeps. And so, let me say this. There's not a shortage of peeps this year. K? So calm down, relax.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Some of you are right now on Amazon. But you know what there is a shortage of? Faith. There's a huge shortage of faith. And so we're drawn to things at Easter, like the Easter bunny, and Easter eggs, and Peeps, and we're missing out on the whole purpose and reason we're celebrating.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:And that's because something happened 2000 years ago that changed the world forever. And I know some of you you're like, well, I'm not sure. I'm not sure. We're in this series called miracles. And I was talking to one of our pastors who was wearing one of the miracles hats and he was at Home Depot and the guy said, hey, are miracles even real?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:He was reading his hat. He had never considered it. He'd never thought about that. And that's why we're in this series. You see, miracles are where god in heaven meets us in our pain and in our problems on earth.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Miracles are amazing things and I want you to know this, that they are real. They're real. My wife and I, we were having a tough conversation, with our son. And if you're raising kids, just know those conversations never end, you know. And some of you need to have that with your 4 year old that's living at home today.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:But you know what I told my son? And I want you to know this, because if you're joining us for sandals, you're like, is this guy even real? Is can I even trust this guy, Pastor Matt? Here's what I told my son and the same thing I'm gonna tell you. I said, son, the spiritual world is real.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:It's all real and whether you believe it or not you're gonna experience its reality. And some of you right now, you're experiencing its reality. The reason you're depressed, you're overwhelmed, the reason you're not happy, the reason your life is not filled with anything but misery is you are missing out on the miracle of Jesus. And I want you to experience that miracle. So, as a church, we're going through in small groups a book called Everyday a Miracle and I wanna encourage you to get in this book.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Look, if you if you get in a group, it's free. It's absolutely free. 1 of my friends this week, a good friend, a good friend said, you should write a book about the spiritual reality. I said, wow, you're not reading the book because that's in chapter chapter 10. Awkward, you know, it's an awkward moment.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Super close friend, you should write a book. Yeah, it's in chapter 10. So but but here's the thing, is this book is full of real stories. Some of the stories you don't know, some of you never know or never heard that I thought I had cancer. You never heard that story, how I took a vow of silence and didn't talk to Tammy for 10 days.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:I panicked. Right? Whenever you face a crisis, you either face it with fear or or you face it with faith and I and I I faced it with fear, I ran away. I ran away from my wife and our little kids with the word cancer hanging in the ear. You've never heard that story, how I had surgery.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:I had surgery to remove a tumor in my throat. I I thought, God had called me to preach. And when I woke up and I asked the surgeon was the surgery a success? He said no with a smile on his face, which was odd to me. He said there was no tumor.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Whatever it was on the MRI is gone now. And I said to him, how could that be? And my surgeon said, you're the pastor. You tell me. You tell me.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:And this this this book is full of stories of people, they might be sitting next to you, their life has been changed, they've been transformed by the power of God because God's power is real and it's happening in our church all around us and I don't want you to miss out on that today. So here's the thing, some of you you're like, well, I don't know. So here's the beautiful thing, all I'm gonna do at the end of service is I'm I'm gonna ask you to trust Jesus. And if you do that for the first time we're gonna give you one of these books so you can start your spiritual journey. This book's for free for you.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:We love you as a church. We're here for you today. We want you to have a real miraculous relationship with Jesus Christ and so we'll give this to you for free. And let me just say this to our church members. Everybody who's bought this book, can I just say from the bottom of my heart, thank you?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:We've raised 1,000 upon 1,000 upon 1,000 of dollars to send our kids to church camps. So let's just give a hand for that. Thank you. You know, every week I say, camp's $500 and the whole kids' staff is like, $1,200. $600.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:And they're all, like, texting me, correcting me. And, you know, some of our families have 5, 6 kids. Thank you for growing our church and doing your part. But summer camp is like, you know, they need an insurance policy for it to get all the kids through camp. And if you're a parent here, let me say this, if you want your kid to experience the miraculous power of Jesus, the first time I remember God speaking to me was at summer camp.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:And that's why I'm a big believer in summer camp. I'm I'm a big believer that we gotta get our kids away from this world and we gotta get them alone with Jesus and so make that a priority. Make that a priority. I met a woman in the grocery store this week who said she's new to our church and she said, I moved to California because I'm like, who moves to California? She moved to California so I wanna know why, you know, because everybody's fleeing.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:She said she said, my sister's husband died and I moved here to help her raise my nephews. I said, awesome. Awesome, man. And you know what I told her? This is what I said to her.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:I said, get him to camp. Get them to camp. And I said, if you can't afford it, I'll make sure they get there. Because I want these boys to know that there's a God that loves them. And I'm so sorry for their pain.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:I'm so sorry for their loss. And we can't bring their their dad back but we can introduce them to their heavenly father. Amen? So I want you to know today, Jesus is alive, he's powerful, and he can change your life. Those of you who are working through the book, there's a story at the end of the book in chapter 12 that I wanna share with you because this is where I think a lot of us are as Christians.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:This is where we're stuck. It's the story of Mary and Martha, and their brother Lazarus has died. And I want you to listen to these words. It's not on your notes. I want you to listen to these words.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Jesus says, Mary, Martha, do you believe that I'm the resurrection and the life? Listen to Martha's answer. Of course, Lord, I always have. Stop. Of course, I always have.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:And that's where a lot of us are today. Yeah, yeah, I believe. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I I think Jesus is God. But you've never actually believed. You've confused thinking with believing.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:You've confused thinking or acknowledging with trusting. And so Martha interrupts Jesus, yeah, yeah, I believe and he says, show me where your dead brother is. And the very next line in the bible is she says, no, Lord. No. I wonder how many miracles you're stopping in your life because you say you believe in Jesus but every time he starts to move you say no.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:And you stop him. And you stop him. Some of you are, like, you know, okay, but really, somebody coming back from the dead? Really? That happens?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Really? Miracles are real? I want you to know, I know they're real because I've seen it. I've prayed over a little guy, 18 months old in a hospital surgical room with doctors, surgeons, nurses, anesthesiologists, and listen to me, some Christian, some not Christian. But we had a dead kid.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:And we had a doctor in our church who had faith. Not me, the doctor had faith. And he said, we're not gonna call this kid dead until Pastor Matt prays. And I prayed over this little guy and I want you to hear this, I'm not a magician, I don't have any tricks, I don't have any powers. There's nothing magical about Matt.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:And if you don't believe me, ask my wife. K? There's nothing magical about Matt. And I knew I knew there's nothing I can do. I mean, if you're dying, don't call a pastor, call a paramedic.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Amen? That's what you need to do. Because my CPR is I hope you know Jesus. Right? That's that's what I got, you know?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:So I prayed over this little guy. And I may just tell you, I was so afraid to say amen. I'm a confess that to you. But I said amen and he woke up. And he was fine, healed, whole, and he's never had a problem again.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:The Lord Jesus brought him back because I asked in his name. I wonder what could happen in your life today if you started asking for things in his name. Number 1 on your outlines, if you're if you're following along, you can follow along on a smartphone or or the the notes will be up on the screens. But I want you to know this that the miracle of Easter changed the world. Whether you're a Christian, a Jew or a Muslim or an atheist, we divide time because of his life.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:That's how impacted you are by this Jesus. You're not even sure if he's real. And I want you to know, we have more information about Jesus than we have about any other historical figure and it's not even close. There's been more written about Jesus than any other person in history. And today, we're gonna look at the gospel of John, a The gospel written by an eyewitness who saw him, knew him, loved him and wants you and me to know today that he's alive.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:We're gonna start in John 20 and I want you to know that Easter weekend is is both a beautiful and a terrible weekend for us as Christians. It's beautiful because the Lord rose but it's terrible because he died. He was crucified. You see, the Jews were waiting for a messiah that was gonna be a warrior, a conquering hero to throw off those that enslaved them, the Romans, but Jesus came preaching preaching peace. He didn't call for a sword, he said, hey, when a Roman soldier asks you to do something go a second mile.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:He said things like pray for those who persecute you. He said things like this, love your enemies. He came preaching peace and he was murdered for it Because he wasn't the Messiah that they were expecting but he was the Messiah that God sent. He came preaching peace and he died for you. And some of you don't know why as Christians we celebrate on Sundays because on a Sunday, 2000 years ago, life changed forever.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:In John 20 verses 1 through 2, it says, now on the 1st day of the week, Mary of Magdalene, came to the tomb early in the morning while it was still dark. And she saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb, right? She freaked out, oh my gosh something's wrong. The first thing she thinks is the body of her lord has been stolen. He's been vandalized.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:He's been damaged. She's not thinking resurrection, and why is that? How many funerals have you gone to where somebody's like, hey, guys. It doesn't happen but it did. So she ran and she went and got Simon Peter and the other disciple, that's John.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:He doesn't name himself in his own book. The one whom Jesus loved which is, you know, kinda like, you know, you know, you know it's authentic. He's like, I'm not gonna say anything guys but he did love me. Right? The one Jesus loved, he said to them, they have taken the Lord out of the tomb and we don't know where they have laid him.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:We don't know. Think about it. He's he's he's placed before a trial at night. It's a kangaroo court. Not even all the members of the judiciary are present.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:He's declared guilty and crucified and he dies and he's placed in a tomb and now they think, oh my gosh, they've stolen his body. Stolen his body. The empty tomb changed the history of the world. And let me say this for you, the miracle of Easter whether you're a Christian or not, you're a Muslim or or whatever it is that you that you call yourself, the miracle of Easter demands a personal investigation. I mean, some of you are judging a Jesus you've never looked into.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:I mean, the truth is you know more about your favorite sports team than you do about the one that god sent to save your soul. You've never looked into it. You've assumed. Oh, yeah yeah yeah. I know I know I know.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Do know many times people tell me that, oh, I know the bible and all that stuff. I'm like, really? Tell me. Name a book in the bible. And they're like, there's books, plural?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Yeah. 66. So think about that. Have you ever really investigated? And I get it.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Some of you, you've been turned off by church, you've been hurt in the church, and you've given up on God, you've given up on religion. Don't judge Jesus because of someone who wears his uniform. Look, I've been hurt in the church. I've been hurt in this church, but I still worship Jesus because he is the one. He is the Lord.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:He is our savior. And I want you to know, it was religious people who put him on the cross. Religious people are still people. Sometimes, they're worse people. They're just people And it's just a reminder of how much Listen, we need things to be made right.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:So Peter went out with the other disciple and they were going towards the tomb. Both of them were going towards the tomb and both of them were running together. This is how you know the bible's real. Like they gotta say, hey, we were racing. You know, only guys.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Right? Ladies would be like after you, no after you. Guys are like me first. Listen to this, but the other disciple outran Peter. Like, John wants us to know who won the race.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:You know, I'm not bragging, but I'm the disciple who Jesus loved. And by the way, I dusted Peter. You know what I'm saying? But the other disciple outran and he reached the tomb first. And stooping to look in.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:You see, Jewish burial graves are low to the ground. They're basically holes in the ground carved out into the rock. You gotta stoop down to look in. And they saw the linen cloths lying there but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came following him.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Remember he lost the race? And he went into the tomb and he saw the linen cloths lying there. And the face cloth which had been on Jesus's head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in place by itself. That's what I keep telling my son. Godliness is cleanliness.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Amen? Cleanliness. The devil's dirty. Make your bed. Right?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Amen? Come on, parents. Get with me. You know, Jesus died for your sins and made his bed. Why don't you do the same thing?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Then the other disciple whom had reached the tomb first, he also went in. And listen to this, he saw and believed. Believed. Wow. Some of us can I just be honest?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Faith is easy. People ask me, Matt, when did you believe in God? Here's the truth. I always did. For some of us, faith is easy.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:For some of us, we're like Peter and faith is difficult. Here's the thing, it doesn't matter what your journey is like, it just matters that you get there. It just matters that you get there. And so whether faith comes easy to you or faith is a wrestling match. I don't know if you're John or Peter.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:I want you to know this, Jesus loves you. So John saw and believed for as yet they did not under understand the scripture. We don't even know what he believed at this point. He believed something but he doesn't know. He's not sure.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:They didn't know that the scripture said that he must rise from the dead. That this was all a part of God's plan. Listen to me, Jesus didn't die by accident, he died on purpose for you, for me. Then the disciples went back to their homes. Here's what I want you to know today, information is not always enough for faith.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Some of you are gonna sit with loved ones this weekend, you are not gonna argue them into heaven. But you can pray them into heaven. I was getting my haircut this week, looks good. I was trying to look pretty for everybody. And I invited the gal cut cut my hair to church and she said, oh, I don't go to church.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:She said this, but my brother does. She said, I might go to church with him. I said, why does your brother go to church? He said, oh, his life was a mess. It's a mess.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:He got into some bad things, pastor Matt. I didn't know she knew I was a pastor until that moment. She said, yes. He got into some really bad things, and then he met some friends, listened to me, church, that said, can we pray for you? And he said, what do I gotta lose?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:And he let his friends not argue with him, but they started praying for him. And this is what the gal cutting my hair said. She said, he told me he felt instantly different. He said something had changed because people were praying for him. And she said, he is different.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:I wonder if my family will go to church with him this Easter. I said, go with him. Go with him. You know, and if not, sandals, we're available. Amen?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:You know? But, look, I care about her soul, not where she goes on Sundays. And I wanna see her saved. I wanna see her to meet the same Jesus that her brother met that changed his life. So I wanna encourage you, information is not enough.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:You're like, I've given my uncle a a bible track 10 times. Well, stop giving him a bible track and start praying for him. Start praying for him. That's what I've been doing this week. I'm just thinking, oh, lord, all the people that I know that are so far from you.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:I can't save any of them but you can. God, would you just intervene in the lives of these people that are so so lost. And let me just say this, some of you, you've fought your way out of heaven because you can't think your way into heaven. You can only get right with God by faith and faith is not the things that are seen, it's the things that are unseen. So let me just encourage you.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Give Jesus a chance. Give Jesus a chance. Next, the third point is the miracle of Easter can be found in the middle of my pain. Some of you are hurting. Some of you are going through a tough time.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:And I just wanna say, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry for your pain. Psalms 3 418 says this, the lord is near to the brokenhearted. Near to the brokenhearted. Man, God saves those who are crushed in spirit.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:I don't know why you've had to go through the things that you've gone through. I don't know why you've had to experience what you've had to experience but here's the thing I want you to see in the text in the gospel of John that some of you, you've been in church your whole life, you've attended Easter services your whole life and you've missed this truth. You see, some of us have to experience, tears in order to understand truth. When my middle daughter was little, she was fascinated by fire. I don't know if you've noticed but fire is beautiful.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Amen? All the pyro's like, yeah. My daughter wasn't a pyro, she she just thought it was beautiful. She, you know, she's always been artistic. She loves colors and flames can be all kinds of color.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Bright reds, you know, a powerful oranges, sometimes a fiery yellow and then every now and then a gorgeous blue. And she was so little and she just loved it and when kids are little they don't know, right? They wanna touch things. And I would tell her, honey, don't touch the fire. I would say, it's hot.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Don't touch it, it's hot. And she would say it back to me, don't touch, it's hot, daddy. Don't touch. But you know what she did? When daddy wasn't looking, she touched.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:She touched the flame and it burned her and she had little blisters on all of her fingers and big old tears running down her face. And I remember saying, daddy, it's so hot. I touched daddy, it's so hot. You see, she couldn't listen to her father. She had to experience the flame.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:I want you to know, it's not your father in heaven who's sending the flames. Guys, I know some of you, right before church, you were scrolling on the internet. Oh, she's so hot. Listen to me. So is hell.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Stop scrolling. Stop scrolling. Guys, in nature whenever something is beautiful it's poisonous. Go play with the ugly animal. Amen?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:It's safe. It's safe. But let me tell you something. Easter is not about hell. Jesus doesn't want anyone to go there.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:And here's the thing that breaks my heart. Some of you are already in it. You're already in it And Jesus needs to deliver you today. And here's the beautiful news. In the gospel of John, he singles out one woman and her story.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:We know from the other gospels that there were multiple women present at the tomb but John wants to focus on one woman. He wants us to know about one story because listen to me, every story matters to God. But Mary stood weeping. Not crying, sobbing uncontrollably. In the Greek, the original language of the bible is written in, it means uncontrollable weeping.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Anybody ever been there? Mary stood outside the tomb weeping. Right? Peter and John, they'd run-in. They outran her.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:They forgot her. And they just went and looked. And then she wept and she stooped and she looked into the tomb. And I want you to see this. And she saw 2 angels in white in white sitting where the body of Jesus had been.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:1 at the head and one at the feet. And they said to her, woman, why are you weeping? And she said to them, they have taken away my Lord and I do not know where they have laid him. Anybody notice? She's talking to angels.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:And she missed it. Oh, Some of you have spoken with angels and you've missed it. The lord's been pursuing you your whole life and you're so focused on why god, why god, why god, you're missing out the gods right there in your midst. Don't let your tears be the end of your story. Don't let your pain have the last, chapter in your book.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Let there be a resurrection. Let there be a moment where things are changed. And here's the thing that's so scary. You know why Mary missed the angels? Because she wasn't looking for it.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:The reason many of you are missing God is you're not looking for him. Even though he's right there in front of you. And the good news though, anybody ever miss a moment? Husbands, oh my gosh. Literally, my wife and I, we had a we had a power conversation this week.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:And I literally before before we had it, I was like, okay. I'm not gonna yell. I'm not gonna get intense. I'm gonna be listening. I'm gonna be like Jesus.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:And, like, 2 minutes in, I'm like. I was telling one of my friends, I actually fail even when I try. You ever miss a moment? You ever miss a moment? Oh, man.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:As a parent, that's why I pay for counseling for my kids. I'm like, it's on me. It's on me. Let me tell you, maybe maybe you didn't miss your God moment. May maybe your life has been a series of terrible moments.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:The good news is Jesus is alive and ready to give you, listen to me, another chance. Another chance. For those of you who know the story of Mary Magdalene, she's a mess. Do you know that she's mentioned in the gospels more than most of the disciples? She's mentioned 12 times.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:There are 12 apostles she's mentioned 12 times. The Bible said she had 7 demons. Anybody got a friend like that? Yeah. Don't look at them.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:But you know what I'm saying. Don't make eye contact. She was a mess. She was absolute mess. Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:There's powerful language here that many of us meant that many of us miss. There's a word in the bible called repentance and what it means is to turn around. Maybe the reason you don't see God is you're looking in the wrong direction. Maybe the reason you've given up on God is you're headed in the wrong direction. What if today you turned around and saw Jesus?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:There he is standing, listen to this, but she didn't know it was him. And we can't blame her. Do you know why? He was pummeled. He was beaten.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:His beard was ripped out. He had a crown of thorns placed on his head. He was a mess. He's a mess. This week, I was watching the news that took place with the terrorist attacks in Russia.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:And I don't know if you saw it, but the captured terrorists were standing before trial in a Russian court. And if you look at their faces, every single one of them is unrecognizable because they've been pummeled. Now, deservedly so, but pummeled unrecognizable. Their faces were distorted. That's what your lord and savior looked like and he didn't come to commit an act of terror.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:He came to save you from a life of terror. So that's why she doesn't recognize him. She's looking for a mess, not a savior. She's looking for a broken body, listen to me, not a risen body. But Jesus said to her, woman, why are you weeping?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:And then listen to this line, whom are you seeking? Man, that's a great question. What are you looking for today? You ever seen a dog that chases cars? I always wonder, what's the dog gonna do if he catches it?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:And some of you are like that dog. You're chasing the wrong thing. And here's the thing, you're so afraid you're not gonna catch it. What if you do? What if you do?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Jesus says, what are you seeking? Whom are you seeking? You see, life is about what we pursue. What we pursue and our world, America, we're pursuing anything and everything but Jesus and we wonder why things are getting so bad. You wanna know why?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Because we're catching what we're chasing. We're catching what we're chasing. This is what I told my children when they would make mistakes. I said, listen to me, if you're not careful decisions and mistakes become character. If you're not careful, your choices will become you.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:I got a pastor friend who says it this way, when we're born we look like our parents and when we die we look like our choices. Man, here's the scary thing about life. We tend to find what we're looking for. Man, some of you, God's all around you, but you don't see him because you're not really interested. You're not really interested in a Lord because you have one.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:It's you. And let me just ask you, how's it working? How's it working? Isaiah 556 says this, Isaiah was a prophet in Israel who was frustrated with the political times, he was frustrated with the faith of the people, and here's what he said. Here's the sermon that he preached that's recorded in his book.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:It says, seek the lord while you can find him. You see, there are moments, Sandals Church, when the lord is near, and there's moments when he's gone. If the Lord is near today, listen to me. Listen to what Isaiah says, call on him now while he is near. So many I meet so many young people.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Well, I'll get I'll get serious about God when I get married. I'll get serious about God when I have kids. I'll get serious with God when How do you know you get a win? What if this is your now? What if this is your moment?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:This last week, I did the 1st memorial service for a college friend. My first college friend that died. And it was tough. It's tough. And I listened to her daughter share.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:I just I just wish my mom who drove me crazy, right? I just wish she was here. I would hug him. I I would squeeze I'd squeeze her. I wouldn't let her go.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:You see, they missed her. Don't miss Jesus when he's near. For some of you, this Easter is your moment, and you may never have another one. You might, I don't know. I'm not the Lord.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:He doesn't text me when it's your moment. Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, sir, you get it? She still doesn't know who she's talking to. Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him and I will take him away. And Jesus said to her, Mary, man, I don't know if you've ever felt this, but you've ever felt when God speaks your name.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:It's so powerful. Mary. Mary. The Lord is gonna speak some of your names today and he's gonna call you. He's gonna call you to himself and it's up to you to respond.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:And listen to this. Remember that word repentance? She turned and said to him in Aramaic, Rabboni, which means teacher. I know some of you are going through some tough times. I know some of your stories are a lot like Mary of Magdalene, but Jesus can change that story.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Tammy and I, we we we have bucket list that we talk about, things that we wanna do and and one of the things that's on my bucket list that wasn't on hers is I wanted to go and hear Andrea Boschelli sing. And if you've never heard him sing, I discovered him in my thirties when I was going through depression. And, I don't know why I can't speak Italian, you know, I I spaghetti. That's all I got, you know. But there's something about his voice that ministers to my soul.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:And his voice got me through some tough times. And so we went to see him sing. And we got to hear him sing. A friend of mine, Ken, got us tickets and he got us great tickets and I just I just told everybody. I just I just just preemptively said, I'm going to cry.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Okay. I want everyone to know I'm okay. I don't need help. I just need to weep when Andrea sings, amen? Because he's ministered to me.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:But I gotta tell you, I got very nervous and very anxious Because Andrea Bocelli is aging and so he can't just do a whole concert. So he invites other people out to sing with him and I was so nervous for every person. Let me tell you what I don't wanna do in life. Sing next to Andrea Bocelli. Okay?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:I didn't wanna barely sing in church. That's why we have the music so loud, so we don't have to hear you. Okay? That's why. Okay?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:I thought there could be nothing more beautiful than his voice. Oh, but I was wrong. Towards the end of the concert, he called somebody out to join him and to sing with him. It was his son. Do you know what his son's name is?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Matthew. Oh, yeah. I was weeping. He said, Mateo, and his son joined him. Let me tell you something.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:I didn't think there could ever be anything more beautiful than hearing Andrea Bocelli sing, but I am here to tell you when I heard him sing with his child, I was so moved. I was so moved. You know what would make your life better today? If instead of trying to sing a solo, you joined your life today and you sang with your heavenly father? I know life I know life is hard.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:I know it's tough and I know it doesn't always make sense, but your heavenly father has been singing a song from all eternity before you were ever born for you. A song of peace, a song of hope, a song of love. Listen to me, a song of redemption. But in order to feel that song, you have to sing back. You have to respond back.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Jesus said to her, do not cling to me. Now, this is one of the hardest passages to interpret. What I think it means is settle down. Settle down. But can you imagine if your loved ones, someone you love, someone you cared cared for was dead, and then they're alive?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Who would tackle them? I would. Absolutely tackle them. He says, for I have not yet ascended to my father, but I go to my but go to my brothers and say to them I'm ascending to my father, to your father, to my God and your God. And Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, I have seen the lord.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:He lives. He lives. And that he had said these things to her. Can I just tell you today the miracle of Easter can change your life and my life today, today? You know why Easter is a beautiful day?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Easter is a day to let things die, amen? Married couples, amen? Some things need to die. A conversation, your past, right? Some of you are trying some of you are trying to raise a corpse.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Just let it die. Colossians 35 says this, so put to death the sinful earthly things lurking. Oh, I love that word. Lurking within you. What's lurking within you today?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Pride? Oh, I don't need god. Unforgiveness? How can we call ourselves Christians who've been forgiven by for everything we've ever done, but we can't forgive a slight? We can't forgive something mildly offensive.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:We should be the best at forgiving. How about anger? Let it die. Let it die. How about slander?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:How about slander? How about gossip? How about sexual sin? And I'm not trying to call you out. I've committed all of these and here's the thing, Jesus crucified those things in me.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:And he can kill him in you. The things you can't defeat today, addiction, you can't overcome, he can do it. He can do it. Easter is a day where you can be forgiven of your past. Man, Oh Romans 4:7 says, oh a joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Is forgiven. Whose sins are put out of sight. You wanna know what's going on in Israel today? You have 1000 of years of unforgiveness. 1000 of years of what this tribe did to that tribe and what Jews did here and Muslims did there.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:And that's why it just keeps going on because the world needs Jesus. The world needs Jesus. But here's the good news, Easter is a day where you can start fresh. You can start fresh. Psalms 18/20 says this, god made my life complete.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Listen to this. I love this translation, when I placed all the pieces of my life before him. Even if your life's in pieces even if your life's in pieces, you can give it to God. And listen to this, and he gave me a fresh start. But to have faith in Jesus, you got to do a couple things.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Number 1, you gotta believe that Jesus died for your sins. Some of you are like, yeah, there's some people in here that need Jesus. Yeah. That people is you. It's you.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:You need Jesus. Can I just be honest? I can't even meet my own standards, much less God's standards. I had so many goals when I got married, blew them. So many goals when we had kids.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:We're gonna raise perfect little children. We're gonna be like Jesus. Follow me, I'll be like Moses. It was a mess. A mess.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:We all have sinned and we all need to be forgiven. And we need to believe that Jesus died, listen to me, for our sins. I hate it when Christians say, I don't have a testimony. If you don't have a testimony, you don't have Jesus. 1st Corinthians 1533, I pass on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Listen to me, Christ died for our sins. Do you hear that, church? Our sins. Us. Faith in Jesus requires, number 2, listen to this, this is so important, that you believe that he was raised to life by God's power.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:That has been the testimony. We don't worship a dead Jesus, we worship a living Jesus who is alive and is powerful and he can change your life. And I don't know what Jesus will do in your life but I know this, when I prayed over a little guy, 18 months old who who had been been been killed by an accidental mistake of a surgeon, I prayed over him in Jesus name with no power in me but all the power came through him. He's alive. That same Jesus can change your life, can change your marriage, can free you from addiction.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:It can set you free through Christ. Listen to this, you have come to trust in God and you have placed your faith and hope in God because he raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory. My kids were telling me there's a very famous church that's not gonna talk about the resurrection at Easter and then I'm like, well then why have Easter? If there's no resurrection we're doomed, there's no hope. We believe in what?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:A dead guy with good teaching? No, we believe in a living lord. A living lord who defeated death and he can help you defeat your sin. Next, faith in Jesus requires that you are ready to follow him and trust him as your lord. Man, there's a lot of you today, you think, oh, yeah, I think Jesus is God.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Are you following him as God? Jesus says this, so why do you keep calling me Lord and you don't do what I say? Maybe it's because he's not your lord. Maybe. And you're like, well, I believe in Jesus.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:That's great. So does the devil. So does the devil. The devil is a firm believer in Jesus, You know? Because Jesus kicks his butt every day.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:He believes in him, but he does not follow him. And some of you have never followed Jesus. You've never followed Jesus and you need to do that today. So here's what you do. All All you need to do to be saved today is thank Jesus for dying for your sins.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:That's it. Jesus, thank you for dying for my sins on the cross. Next, listen, I believe you rose from the dead and I am ready, listen, to start trusting you with my life. I am ready to become a Christian and to start living the life you've called me to live. You don't have to live your life anymore, you can live the life that God has for you.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Remember that funeral I told you I did, that memorial? My college friends, you wanna know how we met? We met at a party in college where we were all drunk. And I know you're gonna have a hard time believing this but my mouth got me into trouble. At a party, this is a true story.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:If my mouth got me into a trouble at a party and got in a fight with 5 guys. K? And I was £25 lighter than I am right now. I was gonna lose. And my friend Greg was at that party.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:I didn't even know him. He walked out of the party and listened to me. This is what he said prophetically. He said, the Lord's hand is on that man's life. God has a call for him.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Anyone who touches him, I'm gonna touch with my fist. This is the first sermon I really listened to. You know what I'm saying? And here's the thing, at the memorial service, I said, Greg, thank you for saving my life. And here's what he said.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:He said, thank you for living out the life that God's called you to live. There's 30 years from that stupid party to me doing the funeral for his wife. I'm so grateful that I repented of my sins. I'm so grateful that I believed in Jesus. I'm so grateful for the ride that God has had me on.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:If you're ready to start that ride today, if you're ready to believe, all I want you to do, all I'm gonna ask you to do is raise your hand. If you're outside, if you're at home, man, if if you're listening in your car right now, raise your hand. Let everybody see you. Raise your hand wherever you are and just say, I'm ready to believe. K?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:I'm ready to believe. And you just put your hand up right now and I'm gonna pray over you in just a second. But put your hand up high cause I wanna be able to see it. I want everyone to know you're ready to trust in Jesus. Amen?
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Put your hand up as high as you can. This is between you and your Lord. I'm ready to change. I'm ready to follow. I'm ready to believe.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:I'm ready to trust. Let's give a hand, you guys, for everyone whose hands are up. Let's clap for them. Come on now. Amen.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Christian, we love you. You don't have to do this alone. So I'm gonna I wanna ask you to to bow your head and I I want you to just let me pray over you. I'm gonna pray the Holy spirit over you right now. I'm gonna pray that God changes your life and then your campus pastor, if you had a campus, is gonna come up and tell you what to do next.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:But we love you, God loves you. And if you reached out to God today, I want you to know, he reached out to you and he will never ever let you go. Amen? Let's pray together, church. Father, we pray for every single person who's received Christ today.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:Holy Spirit, we ask that you just descend upon them, that you empower them and that you fill them and that you seal them, Lord, forever by the blood of your son, Jesus Christ, Lord, who died on the cross. Spirit, fill them, empower them and change them. Help them, Lord, to live the new and awesome life you called them to live. We pray this in Jesus' name, amen. We're so grateful that you joined us this Easter here at Sandals Church online.
Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown:We'd love for you to contribute to the work that God is doing here at Sandals Church. To do that, you can go to give dot sc. We hope you have an incredible day. Grace and peace.