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In this week’s episode Pastor Matt, Justin Pardee and Stephanie Keen continue the conversation and dive into Luke 18. They discuss the importance of persistent prayer, having child-like faith, what you may have to to give up to follow Jesus, whether it’s better to be single or married and the difference between a choice and a calling.
Real faith. Real life. Hosted by Pastor Matthew Stephen Brown of Sandals Church, The Debrief Podcast goes beyond Sunday conversations—diving into the questions, stories, and struggles that shape who we are. Thoughtful. Honest. Unfiltered.
And there was like 10 monks there buying Burger King. And one of them had a Burger King hat on, and I couldn't get my my I couldn't get my phone to work, and because I wanted to send a post just monkeying around.
Justin Pardee:Well, hey, everybody and welcome to The Debrief coming at you live from the streets of gold here in the new Earth right outside the pearly gates. I'm your heavenly host, Justin Party.
Matt Brown:Heavenly host.
Stephanie Schaefer:I didn't realize you're in heaven now. It's Stephanie Keane.
Justin Pardee:And you have you no And longer need to
Matt Brown:heavenly host.
Justin Pardee:Once we get to the new Earth, I've been thinking about this all week. If I'm gonna be able to be the pod be able to be a podcast host in the new
Matt Brown:Earth Yes.
Justin Pardee:I think I can make it happen, but I you're gonna be out of a job, dude. Because Yeah. We'll have
Matt Brown:to do Everyone's gonna know their word. Yeah.
Stephanie Schaefer:I don't know what all those type a's are gonna do. Right? Because everyone's just gonna do stuff. Right?
Justin Pardee:Oh, the oh, that's is that what type a means? I
Matt Brown:don't fully understand what
Stephanie Schaefer:type I a think it is a huge generalization
Matt Brown:Type a thinks they do things right.
Stephanie Schaefer:Yeah. We like have a specific way that we think things should go. Maybe that's just being a judger. I don't know. There are lots of personality things.
Stephanie Schaefer:I've told I'm very type a, and I think it's
Justin Pardee:Sounds like a sin. Well, hey, we got a couple of things to Sounds rude. To well, I'm just trying to keep it real. Keep it real. Okay.
Justin Pardee:So I have some great news for those of you guys who are on Android devices trying to listen to our podcast and this might be the first great news that you've ever had as an Android user. Sick burn, bro. Sick burn. Is it truly a sick burn if you got to call it out for your own self? Nope.
Justin Pardee:Anyways I'll help you with that. Alright. Fair enough. So Google Play launched their new music app and the debrief is in there. So if you've got friends who are on Android and they are trying to figure out how to subscribe to the debrief, get that Google Play Music app and you can find the debrief right in there.
Justin Pardee:It should make your lives way better.
Stephanie Schaefer:Or just tell them to get an iPhone
Justin Pardee:next time. Yeah. Switch it over. It's it's definitely easier.
Stephanie Schaefer:It's time.
Justin Pardee:Yeah.
Stephanie Schaefer:Well, cool. Well, we are also really excited because we have some new debrief merch coming out. So we told you last week, we're gonna have some T shirts and stickers and did a little skills of negotiation last week, and we're also gonna have some coffee mugs available for you as well. So you can purchase those at any of our Sandals Church locations. Not only do you get to rock some sweet debrief merchandise, but those will also help us raise money to help improve the show because the debrief is not free.
Justin Pardee:Exactly. It's not the
Stephanie Schaefer:free brief.
Justin Pardee:The the free brief. That is awesome. That'd be a great show like deals, like some some quick quick tips on great deals at Sandals Church. Yeah. Camp discounts are ending at the end of February.
Matt Brown:Stuff like that. I got some killer emails this week, I forgot to tell you guys, just from people that have their lives are being changed by the debrief. And one of the favorite ones, I don't wanna drop their name because she didn't give me permission, but she was talking about her good friend who's struggling in her faith, but has started listening to the debrief. Mhmm. And it's really brought her back to God.
Matt Brown:So here's a person that's, you know, not going to church, literally kind of walked away from their faith, and started listening to the debrief, and now it's reconnected her to God. And I just thought, how amazing is that? And so I just wanna encourage people, know, this is a resource to share with people. It's a very very non threatening way for people to enter into a discussion about Jesus. And so, you know, share this with your friends.
Matt Brown:Share this with your family. Invite them along. Say, hey, let's let's read, you know, the Gospel of Luke together, and let's talk about, you know, Jesus. And Yeah. It's just amazing.
Matt Brown:The power of simply discussing Jesus in the context of his word. Because people talk about Jesus all the time. But if you divorce him from his teaching, you're not really talking about the real Jesus. And so that's important to make sure that we we tie him to his word, and specifically the Gospel of Luke is a story about him. So I I just was really encouraged, and I'll give you guys that email afterwards.
Matt Brown:But it came directly to me. I know how they got my email address, but it was pretty dang cool.
Stephanie Schaefer:That's really cool.
Justin Pardee:Super cool. Well, so one of the things just related to that, we are now up to a hundred and thirty two five star reviews. Friends, thank you for continuing to make those happen. We absolutely love and appreciate that. And two from this last week, this one's from Menor Cross who says, debrief makes my daily commute one of the most enjoyable parts of the day.
Justin Pardee:So right now, we got this person that's out there driving either to or from work. Do you guys have any thoughts to share to this person with their driving?
Matt Brown:Yeah. Keep your eyes on the road and your heart with Jesus.
Justin Pardee:Oh, that was good. Maybe we should get some debrief bumper stickers coming up coming up next. Awesome. And then, Chadon one zero three writes, I love this. Santal sermons and the debrief are incredible spring of spiritual knowledge.
Matt Brown:So
Justin Pardee:maybe we can maybe we can also off offer the debrief spring spring knowledge water bottles.
Stephanie Schaefer:Oh, some water.
Justin Pardee:Like alkaline water.
Stephanie Schaefer:We could just get our own bottled water.
Justin Pardee:Yeah. That'd be awesome.
Matt Brown:Did you see pastor Dan Crowley's tweet this week?
Justin Pardee:It was like being
Matt Brown:personally Yeah. Personally discipled by my pastor. I was like, oh my gosh. I love you even more. I Serious mental raise.
Justin Pardee:Was Yes, dude. Shout out to the father.
Stephanie Schaefer:Well, look at my Twitter game, apparently. Yeah.
Justin Pardee:That's sweet. That's sweet.
Matt Brown:And by the way, if you don't know what a mental raise is, because we these all work for a church, we don't have a lot of cash, so I give out mental raises.
Justin Pardee:Mhmm. Yes.
Matt Brown:And they are awesome. Stephanie, you've gotten a few?
Stephanie Schaefer:I have. I have. It's those are the best days of my life when
Matt Brown:I went back on them. Certainly better than mental firings.
Stephanie Schaefer:Oh, yes. Those have happened too, folks.
Justin Pardee:Yeah. Yeah.
Stephanie Schaefer:Do. But they tend to balance out. So like every three mental raises, I'll get mentally fired and then I'm Right. Just still I still work here and I get paid the same.
Matt Brown:Yeah. The Wigster got his first mental race today. Oh, did? Good job. My new assistant.
Matt Brown:We get this.
Justin Pardee:Good job. Mental races feel so good for like five to six minutes.
Matt Brown:Yeah. It does. It makes your day.
Justin Pardee:Just Yeah. Just just just lives you right up. Yeah. Hey. Speaking of, The Debrief and social media, we have officially launched a Facebook page for The Debrief Podcast where you can, follow us live if you wanna watch the recordings or, stay connected, ask questions over there at facebook.com/thedebriefpodcast.
Justin Pardee:But let's jump right into it with Luke chapter 18. This was a awesome awesome message, from this last weekend and we've got all kinds of great questions because there was so much stuff in Luke chapter 18 that you didn't get to cover. So let's get into Yeah.
Stephanie Schaefer:So Luke 18 starts off with a story about a woman coming to a judge over and over and over again.
Justin Pardee:We just call her Stephanie.
Stephanie Schaefer:Brune. Anyway, she is coming to the judge or the king over and over again, asking for justice. Right. For her accusers. And in verse five, it says, but this woman the judge is saying this, but this woman is driving me crazy.
Stephanie Schaefer:I'm going to see that she gets justice because she's wearing me out with her constant requests. So just a question out of that, do our persistent prayers drive God crazy? Like, does he answer us just begrudgingly to shut us up?
Matt Brown:Yeah. Right. So we have to remember that this is a made up story. This isn't a real story. And most of Jesus' stories have one point.
Matt Brown:So we need to make sure that when we're looking at parables that we don't try to extract multiple points of view. And so, no, our requests do not drive God crazy. God loves His point here is that we need to be persistent in our prayer, because oftentimes, what we're asking for, we're not gonna get the first time we ask. And so we we gotta go back a couple weeks ago to our teaching on prayer, that the purpose of prayer is really to teach me what I really want. And so a lot of times, just like kids, we'll ask for something immediately, but five minutes later they forget about it.
Matt Brown:And so part of the persistence of prayer is teaching us to discover what I really want. And it allows God to change my heart, that in eventually I can pray for what he wants to give me. But he has to adjust my heart in that process. And so what he's saying here is, keep keep praying. Don't give up.
Matt Brown:So here's what a lot of people miss in Luke 18, and I didn't get a chance to to cover this passage in the sermon this week, but when we look back a week ago at the end of 17, he talks about the end. The end is coming. And he seems to indicate, and Luke gives us the first clue that maybe the end is not as immediate as everybody thought. So the first Christians thought that the immediate return of Christ was like months, years Yeah. Maybe a few decades away.
Matt Brown:And so now here we have this gospel, Luke, that's probably written, you know, I don't know, thirty, forty years after, you know, the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And the believers are like, you know, when is Jesus coming? And so he's telling us it's gonna be longer than you think.
Justin Pardee:Mhmm.
Matt Brown:So then look at this in context. So Jesus Christ return is gonna be longer than you think. And what's the very next teaching on? Being persistent in prayer, don't give up. Because what's gonna happen?
Matt Brown:People are gonna give up because Jesus didn't come. And so then we need to be remembered. Let's go all the way back to the Lord's prayer. I don't know if you guys remember how did Jesus teach us how to pray. Our father in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Matt Brown:Listen to these words, thy kingdom come.
Justin Pardee:Yeah.
Matt Brown:Whenever we pray as Christians, what we're ultimately supposed to pray for is the return of Jesus Christ. And most believers aren't praying for that. It's the thing that we should pray for over and over and over again. Because all of your prayer requests will be answered when Christ returns. Everything that you ever want, everything that you ever need, your illnesses, all of your healings, everything will take place upon the return of Christ.
Matt Brown:And so ultimately, we know that everything that we need, everything that ultimately we need will be answered when Christ returns. So we need to ask for what we need here today, give us this day our daily bread, but we need to remember that ultimately, all things are answered when the kingdom comes. And so we have to go back. And so, you know, Jesus' point here is is what he's trying to remind believers is, right, God is good, and we're gonna deal with that when the rich young ruler asks us questions
Stephanie Schaefer:Mhmm.
Matt Brown:In in a couple paragraphs. You know, no one is good but God alone. And so so it God is good. Right? He uses this illustration of a guy who's not good.
Matt Brown:Mhmm. So if a guy who's not good answers your prayers when you're persistent, you should be all that much more persistent. And it's actually I think I don't know what translation you read to me. Do you know what did you use the NLT?
Stephanie Schaefer:Most likely.
Matt Brown:Yeah. She said that he he's he's she's wearing him out. Actually, in the Greek, it's really funky. This is this is what this is what it says in the original language. She's punching me under my eye.
Justin Pardee:Woah. Yeah. Okay.
Matt Brown:Yeah. So she's so there's one of two ways. Right? So this woman is probably not punching a judge. Right.
Matt Brown:So what it probably means That's good. Is it's it's an ancient way of saying, you've given me a black eye. So in other words, she shamed him. And so he he's not doing this because he fears God. Right?
Matt Brown:He he violates both commands. So what's the what's the most important commandment? Jesus says, love the Lord God with their heart, soul, mind, strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. This guy doesn't do either. He neither fears God.
Matt Brown:Right? Doesn't love God with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength, and care about his neighbors. But he does care about being shamed, because he cares about himself. And so so the point here is is even if ugly, nasty, dishonest officials, and we all have this, I mean, town has a dishonest official, not everybody gets involved in politics for the right reasons. Sure.
Matt Brown:Many of them get involved in it for themselves. So just by simply bugging them, you're gonna get what you want. Why then wouldn't you continue to bug God? And and not that he's bugged by us, but that we need to be persistent. That we need to come to him over and over and over again.
Matt Brown:And so Jesus ends with, he says, I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. And what that means is he's going to make things right. Mhmm. And so justice here, the word justice here means two things. One, whatever whatever wrong has been committed, God's gonna make it right.
Matt Brown:And so again, when Jesus Christ returns, all these things where we've been wrong, we've been wounded, we've been hurt, they're all gonna be made right. You know? And then, but listen to his last statement. He says, when the son of man comes, will he find faith on earth?
Justin Pardee:Yeah. What does he mean there?
Matt Brown:Yeah. Because many believers are gonna give up. You know, there's not gonna be Everybody's gonna give up. They're gonna on their own way. They're gonna make things happen for themselves.
Matt Brown:They're gonna quit trusting God. And so we need to remember as believers, we have to persevere in faith. We have to keep praying. We have to keep believing. And so that's why, you know, our message on Luke 17, you know, teaches Lord how to increase our faith.
Matt Brown:And so we talked about what are the things that keep us from, you know, growing in our faith. And so we either are growing in our faith, or we're slipping in our faith. We don't idle in our faith. Mhmm. And so Jesus is saying here, man, you have to be as persistent as a pain in the rear woman about your faith.
Matt Brown:It's gotta be something that you do every single day. You have to be tenacious and never give up. Otherwise, if you're not going forward in persistence, what's happening? You're slipping. And you're gonna fight fall into idleness, and and that's a bad thing.
Justin Pardee:So true. Okay. So the very next story that Jesus is telling you is this parable of the this Pharisee, and then a tax collector. And this is kind of where you kicked off your message from this last weekend. But one of the things that's interesting in verse eleven and twelve, the Pharisees stands up by himself and he's praying, I thank God.
Justin Pardee:I thank you God that I am not a sinner like everyone else. I don't cheat. I don't sin. I don't commit adultery. Certainly not like the tax collector.
Justin Pardee:And really seems to just be monologuing to himself rather than like actually praying to her, having a conversation with God. So here's the kind of this question. Is it is it possible to think that you're praying, but not really be and just kind of be talking to yourself?
Matt Brown:Yeah. Absolutely. I think that, you know, self deception is something that we all struggle with, and and a lot of what we call prayer is just self talk, and we need to make sure. So notice the prayer is not reflected to God at all. It's all about himself.
Matt Brown:It's completely me centered as opposed to God centered. And we talked about this this week, that becoming a Christian is moving your life from a self centered life, which is the American dream. Mhmm. The American dream is self reliance, you know Yeah. You know, self centered, all of these things.
Matt Brown:It's all about you. It's about you. It's about you. And this is why Americans are falling away from the church literally by the millions. Because God would never ask me to change my wants and my desires for him.
Matt Brown:And it's like, you don't know God, and you don't know what he's asking you, you know, to do. And that's exactly what he's doing, shifting your life from a self centered life to a God centered life. And ultimately, you know, it's the better life. But even our motivation for following God can't it's we have to be so careful when we present the gospel, because many times, we present the gospel in a self centered way. You don't wanna go to hell.
Matt Brown:Right? That's a self centered gospel. No. I don't wanna go to hell. I want to go to heaven.
Matt Brown:And so we're still pursuing God, placing our faith and trust in Jesus Christ for our self. It's still a problem. And so we have to be very very careful, because so much of religious activity and behavior can be self motivated, which means it's not Christ motivated. Let me go back to your your thing. Yes.
Matt Brown:Certainly, we we can pray and only be talking to ourselves. So how do we know when we're talking to God? When is it God focused?
Justin Pardee:Mhmm.
Matt Brown:So Jesus, teach us how to pray. Our father. Didn't say my father. Immediately, I'm joining in something that's bigger than myself.
Justin Pardee:Mhmm. Okay.
Matt Brown:Our father, you know, hallowed be thy name. So I'm coming with this acknowledgement that there's this humongous moral gap between me and God. Yeah. God is not impressed with my goodness. Right?
Matt Brown:Because even the good things I do are motivated oftentimes by myself. Know? Even even those of us who do good things usually are motivated by one or two things, fear or pride. So I'm going to do the good thing because I don't want to get in trouble. Mhmm.
Matt Brown:Or I'm going to do the good thing because I'm not like these other people that do these bad things. So so right. And neither one of those are godlike. And so, you know, I I remember when I was in when I was in college, I took art appreciation. Right?
Matt Brown:And I hate it. I had to study all this art because I needed to get a good grade. I hated it. Load that we had to go to museums. It was boring.
Matt Brown:Whatever. And for a lot of times, that's what religion is for people. They're doing it because they feel like they have to. Well, I have to do these things because I don't wanna get in trouble, or because this makes me a good person. And then all of a sudden, at some point in my life, I fell in love with art.
Matt Brown:And now I'm not going to museums because I'm forced to, but because I want to. And I'm spending money on music. I'm spending money on art. I'm spending money on museums. And it's not a consequence, but it's actually a pleasure.
Justin Pardee:Mhmm.
Matt Brown:That's when a person's heart has changed. You're not you're not doing things because you have to. Well, I have to I have to be obedient to God. You're doing things because I wanna be obedient to God, because it brings me pleasure, because God has changed my heart. And so it's no longer motivated by self.
Matt Brown:I don't wanna get in trouble, or I don't wanna, you know, be a bad person like this person. It's motivated by love. Mhmm. And so the Pharisee is not motivated by love. He's motivated by self.
Matt Brown:And so we all need to look at that, you know, why am I tithing? You know, like when people write their checks, the Bible says God loves a hilarious giver. He doesn't want people to give to the church who feel forced or coerced. Right? I mean, have you ever gotten a gift like that?
Matt Brown:I had to get you you know, my my wife's family used to do the draw names thing. Mhmm. I hated it.
Justin Pardee:That to you.
Matt Brown:Because the only reason the person is giving me the gift is because they drew my name. They had to. It's like the worst gift ever. I remember years ago, somebody gave me like this fish. Like they they caught a fish and gave it to me, and I was just like, this is this is the most weird thing.
Matt Brown:Tammy had like a weird uncle when he gave me this fish, but it
Stephanie Schaefer:Did he just give you the fish that he caught, or do you say like, I'm gonna go fishing and I'm gonna catch a fish for Matt?
Matt Brown:I don't know. We didn't get into it. It was the most it was literally the most bizarre Christmas I've A fish wrapped in paper. This was wrapped?
Justin Pardee:Yeah. Wrapped.
Matt Brown:Yeah. It was. Not not Christmas wrapping.
Justin Pardee:Just regular brown paper.
Matt Brown:Yeah. And so Like
Stephanie Schaefer:he caught it in Seattle?
Matt Brown:I don't know where he caught it. It was
Stephanie Schaefer:Apparently, really care about this fish.
Justin Pardee:I'll let go. Oh my gosh.
Matt Brown:It it was bizarre. Yeah. So love my wife and her family. So but so that's what we have to do is we have to make sure that we're God focused. And the reality is that's impossible with the state of our heart, which is why we need to always relate to the tax collector, which is, God, change my heart.
Matt Brown:Mhmm. And so this guy talks about all the good things that he's done, and you know, we we are so morally bankrupt in comparison to God. I mean, God is God is is the absolutely quintessential picture of selflessness. So who is God? He empties himself.
Matt Brown:Right? He says, blessed are the poor. He became poor. Mhmm. You know, blessed are those who are persecuted.
Matt Brown:He became persecuted. So if you take the beatitudes, and you flip that and make it Christ focused instead of self focused, Christ did all those things. Every every everything that he talks about, blessed are, you know, Christ did all of those things. It's it's living Christ focused. Or we can look at the beatitude and say, I'm gonna be these ways because I'm going to inherit the earth.
Matt Brown:I'm going to be wealthy. I'm see, it's we have to make it Christ focused, and that that is that is the struggle of of the human race, is we are self focused people. You know, the greatest sin that any of us commit is the sin of the rejection of God. He is the center of the universe. And when we we talked about this in church, just like if this the earth or the moon or Plato or Uranus or Saturn, if they decide in our solar system, I want to be the center of the solar system, what happens?
Matt Brown:It's utterly destroyed.
Justin Pardee:Mhmm.
Matt Brown:Nothing works. The same thing happens in humanity. When Adam and Eve chose to be self centered instead of God centered, I'm going to eat what I want. I'm going to choose the fruit that I want. When that happened, literally all of creation was thrown into chaos.
Matt Brown:Because the world was not made to be anything but God focused. Mhmm. So But again, we we need to fall in love with God, not just simply be afraid of hell. Right. Or choosing him because we want our lives to be better.
Justin Pardee:So let me ask you this, the question on the opposite side of this prayer, where we've got the tax collector. Verse thirteen fourteen says, this tax collector stands at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow saying, oh God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner. So how how do we come to God in prayer or relationship when we feel so ashamed about our sins that like this guy, can't even lift our eyes to heaven?
Matt Brown:Right. And so there's, you know, this this passage of scripture, I just would encourage every person that's reading, just read it over and over and over again. If you call Sandals Church your home, the vision of being real with self is so essential to who we are. And and I believe it is essential to understanding who Jesus is, and and why we need the gospel. This is the only way that we can deal with our self righteousness.
Matt Brown:This guy, Jesus is telling a story of what it actually looks like to be saved. So sometimes he declares it right, your faith has made you well, you're saved. So he declares salvation has occurred. This is a story where we see how it occurs. The actual process.
Matt Brown:And so he says specifically, you know, I can't lift my head. And so when when people feel like they can't come to God because of their sin, I would say in that moment, they're closer to God than they've ever been.
Justin Pardee:Wow.
Matt Brown:Because what they're understanding for the first time in their life is the reality of their sin.
Justin Pardee:Mhmm.
Matt Brown:People who've never been in the position of this tax collector have probably never worshiped God. They have never understood the true nature of who they are. The Bible says that our best deeds are filthy rags before the Lord. And it's one of the grossest verses in the Old Testament. It actually means like used feminine products for a woman when she's on her period.
Matt Brown:That's that's the best we have to offer. Mhmm. Right? It's disgusting, it's gross, it's to be thrown away. That's our very best.
Matt Brown:That's when we try to do good. And so the tax collector, what's happening is he's become real with self. And so listen to what he says though. This this is so powerful. I mean, is the gospel.
Matt Brown:Right? Luke is outlining to us how we gotta be saved, and this is gonna carry over into the book of Acts. What must I do to be saved? And here's the formula, repent, believe, be baptized. So repent, believe, be baptized.
Matt Brown:Okay. So baptism is the physical picture of repentance and faith. So listen what he says. He says, God be merciful to me a sinner. Be merciful to me a sinner.
Matt Brown:He beat so there's physical language, he beat his chest. He couldn't look up to heaven, so his body is agreeing with his spirit. Mhmm. They're in unison. And and so let me just say this.
Matt Brown:So this weekend at church, you know, the worship team invited people to kneel
Justin Pardee:Mhmm.
Matt Brown:To pray, to do whatever. And the reality is that's really hard for people. Why? Because they they're not in a place of true worship. They're not understanding that my words and my posture must agree.
Matt Brown:You know, so when we sing words like I kneel down and I don't kneel down, what's happening? There's a hypocrisy there.
Justin Pardee:Mhmm.
Matt Brown:We need to be motivated for our physical actions and our internal self to agree. So his outward actions and his internal heart agree, and he says, God be merciful to me. And so this word merciful is a really really difficult word to translate, and it's only found in the bible two times. Okay. It's found in Let me flip over to the book of Hebrews chapter two verses Let's see.
Matt Brown:Verse 17. So listen to this. It says, for surely it is not of angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. He's talking about who's saved. Therefore, he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, he's talking about Jesus, so that so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God.
Matt Brown:So remember, the guy is crying out, God be merciful to me. Mhmm. To make a propitiation for the sins of people. The word the word is propitiation. Okay.
Matt Brown:And so what the guy is asking for is he's saying, I am I am a terrible sinner. I need you to change my status, And only you can do it, God. Only you so the Pharisee, right, thinks that he can change his status by behavior. The tax collector says, my my status can only be changed by faith. And God, I need you to do this.
Matt Brown:And what's so amazing is Jesus takes on the form of a high priest, so that he can be the propitiation, so that he can make an atonement for, he can give a legal rendering of innocence to us, because he takes the punishment on him for us. And that's what Hebrews is talking about, and that's why we worship Jesus, that's why we pray to Jesus, that's why we love Jesus. Because the very thing that every single human being needs is only found in Jesus. There's only one who can expediate our sins, who can take on our sins, and render forgiveness to us. And so this is why this story is so important, and it's why we all need to be real with self.
Matt Brown:There's nothing I can do to save myself. And so the reality is, right, who's a better person socially? There's no question. It's the Fairy. The Fairy's a better person.
Matt Brown:Everybody wants the Fairy as their neighbor. I mean, he might be a little difficult to have over for a barbecue, he's a little self righteous and arrogant. But in terms of, you know, social decency, right, he's the hero. The tax collector's the cheat. The tax collector's the terrible person.
Matt Brown:He's the thief. He's the drug dealer Yeah. You know, in their culture. But he knows who he is. The Pharisees blind to who he is.
Matt Brown:And it's by being real with self that a person can be saved. And if you are not real with yourself, you cannot be real with Jesus.
Stephanie Schaefer:Mhmm.
Matt Brown:So
Justin Pardee:I was gonna say one thing, and I don't know I don't know what you think about this. I remember this really powerful moment in my life where I felt just like this tax collector guy was and you know, for several years before I ended up dating the girl who's now my wife, I was in a sexually inappropriate relationship while I was here at the church. And after that ended, I kind of like awoke from the cloud and really started to grasp my sin.
Matt Brown:Mhmm.
Justin Pardee:And I remember going through this, it was almost six month period where I was still coming to church and all those things, but I just wasn't I never prayed once during that time. Because I just felt like this, like really ashamed. And I think in some ways, just felt a little bit afraid to come to Mhmm. Come to God. So I wasn't really understanding him.
Justin Pardee:And the thing that changed for me that really helped me get back into really connecting and praying with God was praying with other people. Mhmm. Like I really There was one specific time where some other group leaders came and they were praying in a group and I just was like, you know what? I don't think God will smite me with like 15 other people right there. Mhmm.
Justin Pardee:So I kind of went with them to connect with God as like a gateway thing. And it was it was really helpful to be able to be And then ultimately, I confessed to all those people in that moment and said, can you guys just sit with me while I try and pray to pray to God again? And it was like kind of a real with others time. And I just want to encourage people, if you're in that place, that was one of the best things that I could do to get myself out of that unhelpful rhythm or unhealthy rhythm. It was terrifying to do, like to re pray like start praying to God again after you haven't for a long time is really nerve racking, but
Matt Brown:Well, it's interesting because James, the half brother of Jesus, he says that it's important to pray in groups when you find yourself in sin. Because he says, confess your sins one to another, so that you may be whole and healed, and then pray for one another. Why? Because the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. That's James five sixteen and seventeen.
Matt Brown:Mhmm. And so we can find healing in that. So there's two things I wanna say. Number one, I think it's important that we understand that we need to have a healthy understanding of our sin and of the fear of God, which you had both. So a lot of people minimize sin.
Matt Brown:Well, it's not that bad. What you did was wrong. Mhmm. You knew better. And part of what you were dealing with is the reality that you knew what a righteous life looked like.
Matt Brown:You weren't acting in ignorance, but you were acting in rebellion. Yeah. And those that's different. You know, people who don't know Christ are not acting in rebellion, they're acting in ignorance. They don't know.
Matt Brown:Once we know, the sin is more grievous. Mhmm. Because and and the old testament is very clear about that. That's why it drives me crazy when Christians say stupid things like, all sin is the same. Show me where that is in the bible.
Matt Brown:Because sin is very very unique and very very different. And there's, you know, there's sins of, you know, omission and commission. There's sins that we don't know we commit, and there's sins that we do know that we commit. And we we do it, and God's not a fool. And so, you know, when we as believers fall into sin, man, we have to we have to fear God, but at the same time, we have to acknowledge and trust and thank Jesus Christ, because Jesus takes the wrath of God in our place.
Matt Brown:And so we come to him, and and we confess our sins to God. He's faithful and just to cleanse us of all unrighteousness, first John one nine. And we confess our sins one to another, so that we can be whole and healed, and be reestablished in our relationship with God. And and I tell people it's like this. It's not that I become a Christian, I'm not a Christian, become a Christian, not a Christian.
Matt Brown:That's not what it is. Mhmm. When my wife and I when I sin against my wife, and we're lying in bed, we're still legally married, but we're not together. It's not until Mhmm. I confess my sin to her, and I ask for forgiveness, and she forgives me.
Matt Brown:Right? And and there's a forgiveness is granted, the relationship is healed. We're not right until until that happens. The same is true with God. It's not a question of you're you're not a child of God or you are a child of God because you sinned.
Matt Brown:The question is your relationship with your father is not right. Mhmm. Make it right. And the only right. God never sins.
Matt Brown:So, you know, usually it's me, sometimes it's my wife. But somebody has to come forward and say, hey, man, I blew it. I really need your forgiveness. And so what happens a lot of times is though, is we run from God when we need to run to him. And so run to God when you've blown it.
Matt Brown:And, you know, those places when you when those times when you feel like the last place on earth you deserve to be is in church, is that's the one Sunday or Saturday you better not miss.
Justin Pardee:Mhmm.
Matt Brown:Because that's that's the day when God's gonna meet you.
Justin Pardee:So true.
Stephanie Schaefer:So moving on, there's a whole section there where Jesus is bringing children in and saying, let children come to me. And he tells the group there, I tell you the truth. Anyone who doesn't receive the kingdom of God like a child will never enter it. So how can we be like children in the way that Jesus is talking about?
Matt Brown:Yeah. And so we talked about this a little bit this weekend is, you know, children have faith, they believe, they trust. You know, whether it's a fat, scary, white guy sliding down your chimney, or you know I
Justin Pardee:was trying to figure out where you were going about that a
Matt Brown:tooth fairy that leaves money under your pillow, right? Kids believe and they trust. And so we have to become like them, and kids are humble, and kids are vulnerable, and kids are real. Right? You're fat.
Matt Brown:Does that just sit on your nose? Right? Kids, there's so many things about kids that are just amazing. I remember we were we were visiting a Mormon settlement on our way to Utah one time, and the lady had this massive cold sore on her mouth, and it was just it was horrific. And right?
Matt Brown:It was like it was really hard to talk to her because it was so big. And my daughter Madison's like three at the time. She's like, what's on your face? You know, you're just like right? Because they don't know not to be truthful.
Matt Brown:Mhmm. You know?
Justin Pardee:Yeah. Totally.
Matt Brown:Remember when I had zits on my face when I was 15? My my cousin, who's about fifteen years younger than me, he's like, what's wrong with your face? It's all red. Those are zits. Thanks for noticing.
Justin Pardee:Yes. You.
Matt Brown:So kids are just right. You know, they they ask questions, they believe. Mhmm.
Stephanie Schaefer:It's pretty before too that like kids ask so many more questions, and as we get older, we stop asking questions.
Matt Brown:Yeah. Especially oh, man. When you look at the research, man, you know, the amount of questions that kids ask in kindergarten versus third grade versus sixth grade, then you get into high school and they have no questions. It's just really really sad. And so, you know, this is why I would say to any parent out there, don't be afraid of questions.
Matt Brown:God is not afraid of your questions. He's not. And so sometimes we don't know the answer, but that doesn't mean God isn't real. So don't be afraid of the question. Cults are afraid of questions.
Matt Brown:Christ is not.
Stephanie Schaefer:Yeah. Well, I think that's what I love about what we get to do here too, or like ask questions that maybe no one's ever asked. Well, I'm sure people have asked these questions, but I'm sure there are people listening, myself included, who've never thought to ask these questions because you feel like you can't. So I love that we get to do this here.
Justin Pardee:Totally. Okay. So the very next thing that happens in Luke 18 is the story of this rich young man who comes to Jesus, and he's like a religious leader or something and he's basically saying, you know, what do I have to do to connect with you, inherit the kingdom of God? And what Jesus says is, there's still one thing that you haven't done, sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven. So there's obviously a lot going on here in this passage, but I I really wonder like is is this just a rich thing?
Justin Pardee:Like this guy's having a hard time being poor or when Jesus says, there's one thing that you haven't done, is there something that each of us have that's kind of that one thing that we have not done that keeps coming up again preventing us from fully connecting with God?
Matt Brown:Yeah. Sure. Money is The love of money is always a problem, and that's why Jesus says, you can't love both. You've got to make a choice. You know, the world says life is about three things, sex, power, and money.
Matt Brown:That's what the world is all about.
Justin Pardee:Totally.
Matt Brown:You know, the Bible says, right, that's self centered. I I'm gonna live my life to gain sex. I'm gonna live my life to gain power. I'm gonna live my life to gain money. The bible says that life is all about God.
Matt Brown:And so I honor God with how I have sex, I honor God with the power that I gain, so I serve. I honor God with the money that I make by tithing and being generous.
Stephanie Schaefer:Mhmm.
Matt Brown:Because when I'm self centered, those things destroy me. When I'm God centered, those things can actually bless me. And so it's really it's really how do you look at it. And so this is this story is super super important, and we need to wrestle through this. It's a difficult story to understand, because the guy's question is how do I get saved?
Matt Brown:That's his question.
Justin Pardee:Right.
Matt Brown:Mhmm. And so this story takes place in the Gospel of Mark, Matthew, and in Luke. So the gospel of Mark says that he was rich. The gospel of Matthew says that he was young, and the gospel of Luke says he was a ruler. So that's where you get the story of the rich, young ruler.
Matt Brown:Got it. So from three different perspectives, they they talk about each of his characteristics and his nature. I think this story is so important because I think this guy is a potential apostle Paul. He is educated, he is well off, he is young. And so he has Right?
Matt Brown:Remember the apostle Paul talks about how quickly he escalated amongst the ranks of the Pharisees. So this guy's ambitious. This guy's a world changer. This guy's a leader. He has great potential.
Matt Brown:Know, think Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach
Justin Pardee:Okay.
Matt Brown:Abednego, the apostle Paul. You know, the 12 disciples are really hillbilly knuckleheads from from the North. This guy has the ability, you know, he's he's gonna work in Downtown Manhattan. Mhmm. He's gonna work in Paris.
Matt Brown:He's gonna he's gonna work in London. This guy is this guy's a game changer. And so he has he's very very confident, and he has done all these things since he's a child. He has been on this track since the age of 12 years old, as he went in his bar mitzvah under the covenant. He says, look, God, Jesus, I've done everything.
Matt Brown:And that's why Jesus says, no one is good but God alone. What's he saying? You're not as good as you think, and let me prove it to you. Mhmm. You want to follow me?
Matt Brown:You think you love God as much as you proclaim? Fine. There's one thing you lack. Sell everything that you have, and come and follow me. And the bible says he couldn't do it because he had much.
Matt Brown:And so the issue is, this isn't something against wealthy people, we need wealthy people. Wealthy people give generously to our church, as long as they're about God. As long as they see their wealth, not for their own benefit, but for the glory of the gospel. As long as they maintain that balance, man, make as much money as you possibly can, because the reality is a wealthy person can make a much bigger difference financing the kingdom of God Sure. Than say a poor person who can barely put food on the table.
Matt Brown:The issue is what do you do with your money, not how much money do you make? And so the guy walks away. He walks away from Jesus. Think about this. This is a cataclysmic, eternal, awful decision.
Matt Brown:He chooses the wealth of this world over eternal wealth with Jesus. Listen to what I love this what though it says in verse 29. It says, when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely upset. Jesus, seeing that he had seeing that he had become sad, how difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God. And I mean, this guy broke Christ's heart.
Matt Brown:The other you know, Luke omits Christ's emotions, but Matthew and Mark noticed that it's not just the rich young ruler that's sad, Jesus is sad. Because this guy just damned himself to hell, because he chose things over God. And Got it. We and that's that's why people ask me, why do you tithe? Because every single week, I want to make sure that I don't choose things over God.
Matt Brown:God is first. And so then Jesus says how difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God. Why? Because wealthy people don't have to trust God nearly as much as poor people do. Mhmm.
Matt Brown:Poor people have to trust him for every paycheck, to pay the rent, to put food on the table, to clothe their kids. They're trusting God every day for their daily bread. Rich people have to choose on a daily basis to not trust wealth, and to trust God. And so he says, for it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.
Justin Pardee:Closing out kind of this story, Jesus says, I assure you that everyone who has given up their house or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will be repaid as many times over in this life, and will have eternal life in the world to come. So this is great. Right? Because Jesus is saying, if you do what this guy didn't do, you're that's how you're gonna be having eternal life. But it seems a little bit interesting to talk about giving up your wife.
Justin Pardee:What is what is he saying here? Because that kind of contradicts like marriage and things like Yeah.
Matt Brown:So what he's talking about here is the future tense. So what you're doing is you're not walking away from your marriage, you're saying no to a future marriage. You're saying no to future kids. You're saying you're saying no to, you
Justin Pardee:know Almost like this rich young guy if he was single at the time.
Matt Brown:Yeah. So Yeah. And and let me say that, you know, why that's important, because only Catholics emphasize this nowadays, and it's really a tragedy that the Protestant world, you know, the Protestant world thinks that it's God's will for everybody to be married and have 2.3 kids. That's not what the Bible says. You know, Jeremiah doesn't get married, Jesus didn't get married, and the Apostle Paul chose to not be married.
Matt Brown:Why? So that he could dedicate his life more fully to seeing the gospel spread. Because the reality is when you're single, you know you know, Stephanie's the only single one amongst us, and I always joke with her, what are you gonna do today, Stephanie? And she knows
Stephanie Schaefer:It's whatever I
Matt Brown:want. Whatever she wants, because she's single. And then you ask me, what am I gonna do? And it's whatever my wife wants, because I'm married. And so I have to work my whole life, you know, with the with the reality that it's not just about me.
Matt Brown:So I serve God, but I have to serve God, and you know, make sure that my wife is on board with that. And so I can't do whatever God calls me to do, because I have to bring her along as a part of the process. Mhmm. I, you know, I can't just abandon my children. You know, that's not what God wants me to do.
Matt Brown:And so people must be willing to wrestle with the fact, you know, it might not be God's will for me to be married. I I may need to serve him as a single person for the rest of my life. And oh, by the way, God's best version of happiness isn't a spouse and kids. God's best version of happiness is devotion to him. Jesus.
Matt Brown:Right? That's why Jesus isn't married. He's devoted to God. It's why the apostle Paul isn't married. He's devoted to God.
Matt Brown:That's why Jeremiah stays single. He's devoted to God, and there's beauty in that. And we need to quit looking at singles as second class citizens, and understand that they have an ability to serve the Lord in ways that married couples could never dream of. Mhmm.
Stephanie Schaefer:How would you then so like, right, I'm single, but in in relationship, would love to be married one day. How do you kind of wrestle that, like, and figure out if you are called to be single and go about life that way, or if you were called to step into marriage and all that? Like, do you help single people kind of navigate
Matt Brown:that? So I would say there's two things. So number one, if you're if you're if you're still single, and there are not any suitable people present in your life, then you're called to be single. So here here's the gravest thing that I see single people into is, they want to be married so badly that they will violate the commands of scripture to find a spouse. And so what they do is they choose a relationship over Jesus, and then they find themselves in hell on earth, because they compromise their convictions.
Matt Brown:And here's the other tragedy is, you know, like I meet single people all the time, usually it's women. K. Usually it's not guys, sometimes it's guys, but it's usually it's women. I'm dating this guy, and I totally love him, and I want him to become a believer. And it's like, how's he gonna become a believer?
Matt Brown:Because he's never gonna understand how much Jesus means to you, because Jesus doesn't mean that much to you Right. Because you're violating the commands of Christ. He's not your Lord. This guy is. Mhmm.
Matt Brown:This guy is the center of your life, not Jesus. And so you have to choose Jesus first. And so what I would say is, if you're single, and there are no suitable, you know, Christians in your life, then you're called to be single. And that doesn't mean forever, but it means temporarily. So we're all called to be obedient.
Matt Brown:Then there's a more specific calling where people decide, no, I feel like God has called me for the entirety of my life regardless if I find somebody I'm attracted to, regardless if there's a suitable, you know, mate for me. The apostle Paul, I'm sure had many many options. You know? He is very very, you know, profound. Very I mean, there's gonna be a lot of women that would be attracted to him.
Matt Brown:Same thing with Jesus. It was not his call. Right? His call was to remain solely devoted. And so I think people need to bring that to the Lord, and here's where you need to be careful.
Matt Brown:Just because you have the desire to be married, doesn't mean that God's called you to be married. I have a lot of desires in my life that God has not called me to pursue. And so we gotta be careful with that. So you've really really gotta wrestle through, because, you know, I think God will make it clear eventually, if you submit yourself. I love what David Platt said a couple weeks at our church.
Matt Brown:He said, here's what it means to be a Christian. You take your whole life, and you place it on the table, and you say, God do whatever you will.
Justin Pardee:Mhmm.
Matt Brown:That's that's what it means. And so if that means you wanna bring a person to my life, that's fine. If you want me to remain single for the rest of my life, that's fine. Because my life is yours, God, to do with whatever you want. And so I'm gonna I'm gonna trust you in this process.
Matt Brown:And so that that's what I think in all of us as Christians, married or single, need to place our lives on the table, and not just go with the desires of our heart. I want to be married. Well, there's there's a lot of desires that God may not want us to fulfill in our lives, and so we have we have to look at that. So I don't know if that answers your question.
Stephanie Schaefer:No. I think that totally is.
Justin Pardee:Well, me let me ask this question. You guys both used this this phrase, like, called to be married or called to be single. Is that I mean, say that a lot as Christians, this idea of calling. Is it called, or is it just like a choice?
Matt Brown:Yeah. Well, I I I think it's I think it's both. And so, you know, we got to be very very very careful with the word called, because it can be spiritually manipulative. I'm not called to do that. Like, if a person says, I'm not called to tell people about ridiculous.
Matt Brown:We're all called. And so there there are things that Jesus requires of for all of us to do that we need to do. But when it comes to marriage, you know, we need to look at first Corinthians seven. The apostle Paul talks about married life. And he says, it is better that we remain unmarried.
Matt Brown:That's what he says. That that's the better choice. Singleness is the better choice. However, he says, I don't want you to fall into sin. So if you're struggling, if you cannot control yourself sexually, if, you know, sexual expression is something that you are just unable to not participate in, then he says, then then then choose marriage, so that, you know, you're not sinning.
Matt Brown:Because sex in the context of marriage is not sin. Mhmm. But he says, it is better. It is better to remain unmarried. And he says, I wish that all, you know, were like me, so that they could be fully devoted to Christ.
Matt Brown:But the reality is marriage is also a beautiful thing, and he says, it's not it's not a sin. So your question was, how do we know between calling and a choice? I would say this. Any single person can choose to do either. They all have that choice.
Matt Brown:You you can you can you cannot have the call to be single, and choose to be single. You are honoring God. There's freedom there. But then there are some people specifically, like for example, you know, a homosexual person in our church who has has a desire to express their sexual they are called by God according to scripture to not participate in those desires within the context of of a union. So, you know, at our church, you know, gay marriage is not an option.
Matt Brown:Mhmm. So therefore, they are called. And that, you know, and and and some in the gay community now, they're trying to say, well, you know, it's a calling to choose to remain celibate or not celibate as a gay person. That's not a call. That's not a it's a choice you get to make, but it's the call of scripture is to remain celibate in terms of expressing in that way.
Matt Brown:Mhmm. The outlet that God gives is the outlet of sexual expression within the context of marriage. That that's that's where we are allowed to express our sexuality in a Christ honoring manner. But I think, you know, I I think we need to be careful about the word called, because oftentimes it feels spiritually manipulative. Like, people say to me, well, I'm called to ministry.
Matt Brown:Well, what does that mean? What what they think that means is I need to hire them and pay them to come to church. Well, okay. We're all called to ministry. We're all called to serve God.
Matt Brown:The question is, has God given you the unique gifts and talents to serve the church in that manner in a full time way? So I I just think we need to be very very careful. This is why you need to be in community group. You need to have people discern this. Right.
Matt Brown:You know, and and and I the word called is a loaded weapon. I mean, I've lost friendships over it. I feel called by God to do this, and I'm like, I don't agree, And now they hate me. Mhmm. And so, you know, a calling is not something that God will just speak to you.
Matt Brown:It is something that God will speak in and through your church and your community, and it will be affirmed. It will be affirmed by your community, and it will be affirmed by your pastoral leadership. And and they'll all agree, yep. I see this, and and I agree with this. And so don't work out your calling by yourself.
Matt Brown:Work it out in in the context of spiritual community, because you might just, you know, evade a burrito and have gas and be wrong. So
Stephanie Schaefer:That's super encouraging. Thank you.
Matt Brown:The burrito and gas part? No. Yeah.
Justin Pardee:Never It was encouraging to me.
Stephanie Schaefer:Oh, I'm glad it was encouraging for addressing the prior statement about the fact that we can work out and figure out what our calling is in the context of community. It's really encouraging.
Matt Brown:Yeah. And I would encourage people to use language like this. I think God's calling me too. Don't come to me with a definitive statement, God has called me, because now what you're doing is you're pinning me against God and what you believe you've heard. And and people do that, and that's called spiritual manipulation.
Justin Pardee:Right.
Matt Brown:Mhmm. And I've good friendships, because they heard God say. And it's like, man, that needs to be affirmed within the context of the church. I mean, the Holy Spirit doesn't just speak to you, he speaks through leadership. You know, and and Sandals is not a church that's trying to repress or hold people back.
Matt Brown:We're encouraging people to follow God's call on And their so, you know, some churches I think, you know, might be a little negative to anything that you feel like God is saying. But man, in my tradition, Southern Baptist life, they're way the other way. They affirm everybody's call.
Justin Pardee:Mhmm.
Matt Brown:You know? And you know, people say, well, God's called me to sing. Yeah. But you can't sing. So, you know, I would hope that God, if he called you to sing, would give you a voice to sing.
Matt Brown:So
Justin Pardee:That sounds like it would be wise.
Stephanie Schaefer:Alright. So then Jesus moves on in talking about this, he tells the disciples basically, I'm going to be killed. They're going to persecute me. I'm going to be beaten. I will die.
Stephanie Schaefer:I will rise three days later. And verse 34 says, but they didn't understand any of this. The significance of his words was hidden from them, and they failed to grasp what he was talking about. It seemed like, in this verse, Jesus is talking really plainly. I think we all see what's happening.
Stephanie Schaefer:Why like, how did the disciples not understand this, and why was it actually hidden from them?
Matt Brown:Yeah. Well, there there's two things. Number one, I think it was it was hidden from them because there just there was no room in their minds for the possible outcome that the Messiah would be crucified. They just for Jews, that's the way you know it's not. So when the Messiah whenever whoever claims to be Christ gets killed, that's when you know, oh, that that's they weren't Because the the Messiah will rule and reign forever.
Matt Brown:And so there's just no room in their minds for, you know, him being killed. And there also was a veil that was placed over it, because when we fast forward to Luke 24, it's not until after he rises from the dead that he speaks the truth to them, and he unlocks their eyes, and they see, oh, this is what you were saying. They just didn't they just didn't get it. And right, we all say this, right, hindsight is twenty twenty. Mhmm.
Matt Brown:And so there are many things that we miss when people initially say something, but we we realize later. So that's happening, and Jesus opens their eyes. And he teaches them the scripture, and he shows them how everything in Moses, the first five books, everything in the prophets, you know, the major prophets, the minor prophets, everything in the Psalms, Ecclesiastes, Psalms, Song of Solomon, he says, it's all it's all pointing to me. Mhmm. Every every everything in scripture is pointing to me and they go, oh.
Matt Brown:And that's, you know, when they figure it out and they're like, they changed the world.
Justin Pardee:Yeah. I can almost imagine Luke as he's interviewing the people to get get all this content, like talking to one of the the apostles that was there, and they're like, yeah, man. Jesus said all this stuff to us. We had no idea what he was talking about. Yeah.
Justin Pardee:Yeah. And then it happened.
Matt Brown:And that's the thing I want to share for, you know, those maybe that are listening that are not Christians. You have to remember, the disciples had to be converted. They had to come to faith. They they had more questions than you do. They didn't understand this.
Matt Brown:When Jesus Christ is crucified, they all ran. It's over, man.
Justin Pardee:We are
Matt Brown:It's over. Our candidate just lost in the worst way possible. Right? You know, they cast their votes, and they did not vote for him, they killed him. They fled.
Matt Brown:They were absolutely terrified. They didn't know what to do. And then all of a sudden, something you know, Jesus starts appearing everywhere, and all these Jews who killed him on Friday, literally within a period of what, fifty days at Pentecost? Mhmm. Hundreds of thousands of people are coming to faith in Christ, and Judaism is forever split and changed.
Justin Pardee:Mhmm.
Matt Brown:I mean, this isn't like a fairy tale. This is a reality of history, and it forever changed history. Human history, if you put your faith and trust in him.
Justin Pardee:Okay. So this whole chapter closes with another one of these healing moments with Jesus, and he heals this blind beggar. And verses 41 to 42, Jesus, I love this question. He says, what do you want me to do for you? Lord, the beggar says, I want to see.
Justin Pardee:And Jesus said, alright, receive your sight. Your faith has healed you. So over and over, Jesus has been saying all throughout Luke, your faith has healed you. Your faith has made you well. Your faith has saved you.
Justin Pardee:And people are getting healed. What about people who just keep asking for healing and don't receive it? Is this saying something about their faith like people in our church now?
Matt Brown:Yeah. Absolutely. So, you know, I think that this is a very very difficult thing for us to move through in life. And let me just say say this, man, I have seen I have seen prayer bring people back from the dead, the little boy in Vietnam. I mean, I saw that happened completely healed, completely restored.
Matt Brown:Happened right in front of me in a Surgical room in the hospital. So I'm surrounded by doctors, not like Vietnamese doctors, no no, you know, negativity against them, but they're not as well trained
Justin Pardee:Mhmm.
Matt Brown:As our American doctors. And literally, I've I've seen it. Just recently with Natasha, you know? Yeah. I don't know if you guys got to see her latest MRI, but she was given just literally a few months to live.
Matt Brown:And right here in this room where we're recording, you know, praying with her, and I remember her crying out, God, I don't wanna die. I don't wanna die, and I hope she's okay with me sharing that, but I love you, Sasha. And when she sent me her MRI scan, you know, and and the cancer's almost completely gone. So she went from almost completely dead to almost completely gone, and she said the doctor doesn't even know how to respond to that, because most people need 16 treatments. Mhmm.
Matt Brown:She said two.
Justin Pardee:Mhmm.
Matt Brown:And you know, it's it's out of her bones. I mean, was just amazing. Just this last week, I prayed for a dear friend who, you know, had a free ultrasound. They worked for the city of Riverside, and they were giving free body scans Mhmm. To make sure you have a tumor, and they said you need to go to the hospital immediately.
Matt Brown:There's a mass on your kidney, and it was really really bad. And she was told that she needed to go immediately. And of course, they're freaking out because it was probably kidney cancer. And I text my friend in our church, and I said I literally said this, I'm praying that it's nothing. Which is an impossibility, right, because the ultrasound saw a mass, a huge mass on our kidney.
Matt Brown:And the CAT scan came back, it's nothing. So so what do you believe? What do you choose to believe? I choose to believe that God answered that prayer. Now here's the issue.
Matt Brown:The church, when we get to the book of Acts, they pray for the healing of James and the healing of Peter. They they pray for both of them to be saved. It's a great story. We'll get to it. Apostle Peter's knocking on the door because he's been released while the church is praying, and they don't even know that it's him.
Matt Brown:Because they're praying for his release, he's at the door, no one won't let him in. God does this miracle and frees Peter, but James' head gets cut off. So we're not God, and we don't know why God chooses to free Peter and allows James' head to be cut off. We don't know that. And there's just some things in life that you're going to have to remind yourself.
Matt Brown:Listen to the Lord's prayer. Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. So God, I'm gonna ask for what I want. I'm gonna ask for what I think I need, but you are God, you are sovereign, you get to act freely according to how you choose and your wisdom.
Matt Brown:We can't pray like we're God. We have to pray like he's God, and we're the servant. And so I think that we can pray with great faith, and people can die. And I think we can pray with great faith, and people are saved. And why is that?
Matt Brown:Because God knows what's best. And in his sovereign will, in his sovereign way, he will choose to answer our prayer for a miracle in the affirmative, or he will choose to not answer our prayer, and it was that person's time.
Justin Pardee:Mhmm.
Matt Brown:We're all going to die. It's going to happen. You're gonna die. Stephanie's gonna die. I'm gonna die.
Matt Brown:And right? I mean, life goes perfectly, I'll die first, then it will be you, and then it will be Stephanie because of her age. But it doesn't work that way. Stephanie might go first, and you go, why? Oh, we don't know.
Matt Brown:We don't know. We're not God. The apostle Paul says we see things now in a dimly lit mirror. So we don't understand. We don't understand everything.
Matt Brown:And it's not our job to understand everything. It's our job, like a child, to have faith. Children don't understand everything, but they have faith.
Justin Pardee:Mhmm.
Matt Brown:They have faith. And so, you know, I just buried, you know, my my grandmother this last weekend, and I miss her terribly. She was a wonderful sweet woman, and I just I take great comfort in knowing that she's with God, and it was her time, and God called her home, and and that's his will. And part of moving from a self centered life to a God centered life is whatever decision God makes is the best, regardless of how that does not make sense from my self centered perspective. Mhmm.
Matt Brown:I trust him. And so God, you know, heals this guy, you know, Bartimaeus, he's recorded in in the other gospels that gives us his name. And he cries out, and it says that the people on the street told him to shut up. They told him to shut up, because they didn't believe that he deserved a healing.
Justin Pardee:Mhmm.
Matt Brown:And so, right, the believers got it wrong there. Shut up, be quiet. Jesus is busy. And Jesus heals the one that nobody thought deserved a healing. Mhmm.
Matt Brown:But he does. And so God is sovereign, and he gets to act and heal, and do what he he wants to do. You know, right? What's the accusation with him on the cross? He saved others, let him save himself.
Matt Brown:He could've, but he didn't. Why? Because of the sovereign will of God, it was for Christ to die on the cross for our sins. And so there's a purpose for everything. And, you know, some people say, well, it all makes sense in heaven.
Matt Brown:I don't know that God owes us an explanation even in heaven. I think in heaven what we're gonna know is, he's God, he chooses. You know, I didn't choose to be made, and I I don't get to choose, you know, with you know, without, you know, suicide or recklessness when I die. Both my birth and my death are in the hands of God. And ultimately, as Christians, right, that's our position.
Matt Brown:We don't want to preemptively end life in any way shape or manner, you know, in people's lives. We want God ultimately to choose that.
Justin Pardee:Man, I just want to read really quick something I saw on Facebook. This is from the mom of a little girl in our church. Her name is Jessica, she's just battling. She's not I think she's not even two. And she's just battling horrible horrible just really nasty brain cancer.
Matt Brown:Mhmm.
Justin Pardee:And as you were talking, I just was thinking, this is literally the way that her mom and her family has been praying. And I feel like it honors this whole persistent widow, keep asking, keep asking. But then also the faith of the child. This is what she wrote to close out one of her most recent posts. We're praying that something that we're doing works, but no matter what, we'll be no matter what we do, we know that God is the ultimate decision maker and we will be okay knowing we did everything we possibly could to keep our little princess here through treatment and prayers.
Justin Pardee:God, we give you all the glory and praise and are so thankful how well Jessica is doing despite their tumor. May your will be done and help us to not be selfish. And that last part just Yeah. Totally gets me. It's such a good example of what it looks like to both be persistent, I think, and have that faith Mhmm.
Justin Pardee:But then also not be like ex expectant like the the tax collector, you know, having the humility in there. Anyways, I I just think it's so cool.
Matt Brown:Yeah. And it's just so important. And again, you know, for those of you who are are not reading the Gospel of Luke, you're not following along with us, you will never understand God unless you begin to understand Jesus. And you just have to understand. So we worship a god that is so radically different from any god that's ever been worshipped in the history of the world.
Matt Brown:He is radically different. So the ancient gods were for the rich, the powerful, and the mighty. Who is who is our god for? The widow, the orphan, the poor, and the weak? It is completely upside down.
Matt Brown:We don't worship a god who doesn't understand suffering, but we worship a god who became human and suffered. He knows what it's like to hurt, to cry, to feel. He knows everything that we're going through. And when we ask, how could God ever take the life of a child? God knows exactly what it's like to lose a child.
Matt Brown:Mhmm. The most horrific suffering that anyone and I've heard this, I haven't lost a kid, but I I don't think I need to experience it to agree with it. Mhmm. I think the greatest grief that anyone could ever go through is that of losing a child. And what is it that God does to redeem mankind?
Justin Pardee:Mhmm.
Matt Brown:He loses his one and only son, there is no other, and there will never be. His only child, he gave up for us so that he could be with us forever. So he gave up Jesus so that he could be with us forever. That's his love. And we need to trust his goodness, and we need to trust his mercy, and and those parents need to know that if Jessica dies, she will be in a better place.
Matt Brown:Mhmm. And she will be there when they arrive there, if they place their faith and trust in Jesus Christ, and it's a beautiful thing.
Justin Pardee:Totally. Man, this has been a great episode. I absolutely love what we get to do here every single week. And if you've got questions, if you know somebody who's got questions
Stephanie Schaefer:Yeah. If this episode has spawned more questions Right. That's great. We want to hear them.
Justin Pardee:Yeah. Absolutely. You can send in your questions to us here or even share the podcast or whatever all online at sandalssearch.com/thedebrief or you can find us on our Facebook page, The Debrief Podcast. We'd love to get your questions here on the show. Let's close it out.
Matt Brown:Oh, yes. That.
Justin Pardee:A little inspirational Inspirational quote. Pastor Mike, you ready to drop some thoughts on this inspiration? Here's what here's what I'm hoping. We're gonna take some inspiration that Stephanie throws and then you Inspirate it. Yeah.
Justin Pardee:You Back. Even more.
Stephanie Schaefer:So no pressure.
Matt Brown:But I might be able to perspirate it.
Justin Pardee:Oh, there you go. I'll take either.
Stephanie Schaefer:I'll stay over here away from the perspiration. Alright. This week's quote, if you want to make an omelet, you have to break some eggs.
Matt Brown:That's very true. I think you guys are getting better at this.
Stephanie Schaefer:Oh, thank you.
Justin Pardee:So you accept the inspiration?
Matt Brown:Yeah. Except for me, it has to duck eggs because I'm allergic to chicken eggs.
Justin Pardee:In what way is this inspiring you?
Stephanie Schaefer:I think it's saying because I think it's speaking more beyond just cooking, you guys. I don't know if you you picked up on that. But you wanna accomplish something, you're gonna have to maybe damage some stuff. Those little eggs are all
Matt Brown:perfectly in
Justin Pardee:their shell. See, that doesn't sound very like Yeah. Doesn't sound
Matt Brown:very Christ like.
Stephanie Schaefer:Oh, well, that's that's my read on it, apparently.
Justin Pardee:I'm not Yeah. You wanna do some things in life, you gotta damage some stuff.
Stephanie Schaefer:Well, that's why I think you wanna make an omelet, you gotta break some eggs. I'm just gonna start saying Dang.
Justin Pardee:Well, that's the kind of wisdom you'll get when Stephanie launches her podcast, The She Brief.
Matt Brown:The She
Stephanie Schaefer:Good lord.
Justin Pardee:Alright. We love you guys. Thanks for tuning in. Don't forget, five star reviews. Bring them to us, people.