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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
This is the Sandals Church Podcast, a place for real people with real struggles learning to follow Jesus. Wherever you are right now, driving, working, or trying to make it through the day, we are really glad you're here. Let's get into today's message.
Pastor Matt Brown:Hi. My name is Matt Brown, and I wanna welcome you to Sandals Church, and we are starting a new series today at Sandals. We wrapped up Nehemiah. Amen? And we're doing Ezra.
Pastor Matt Brown:So I want you to open your Bibles to the book of Ezra and you're gonna notice that we're doing it in the opposite order of what the Bible says. That's because we're Sandals and we roll how we want. Amen? But we looked at Nehemiah rebuilding our lives, and we're gonna look at one of the major characters in that story that actually has his own book. His name is Ezra.
Pastor Matt Brown:And some of you have never heard of this guy. He's super, super important, right there in the middle of your Bibles. But it's interesting today that the world story is Iran today. Iran and its relationship to Israel, and because of that, its relationship to The United States. So this book is about Iran and about Israel.
Pastor Matt Brown:America didn't exist, but thousands of years ago, before Iran ever heard of a religion called Islam, they were Zoroastrians. It's one of the world's oldest religions where they believed in one God and they believed that they were going to follow him. But something amazing happened. Their king, king Cyrus, decided that there was a God above all the Gods and that God was not their Zoroastrian God. Listen to this.
Pastor Matt Brown:It was the god of the Hebrews that he had conquered, that he had enslaved. And here's what he said, to honor the one true god above all gods, I want to build a temple and allow it to be built in Jerusalem to honor his name because here's what he said, everything that I've had, everything that's been given to me has been given to me by this one Jewish God. Can you believe that? And for thousands of years, Israel and Iran had an incredible relationship. That's why the tension is so great today because there are still Jews, a lot of you don't know that, that live in Iran.
Pastor Matt Brown:They decided not to leave when Iran fell in 1979. But since 1979, when Iran became a radical Islamic Republic, it became very very hostile towards Judaism. And that's why there's that tension there today. But for thousands of years, they were really really close. Really really close.
Pastor Matt Brown:I mean, they actually worshiped the same God for a period of time. And so this is just interesting to me that we're in this book. But there's a character that's literally a slave in Iran, in Persia at that time. And he is so devoted, so resolved that he not only changes his life, but he changes the lives of everyone in this room today. Matter of fact, if you have a bible, I want you to hold it up.
Pastor Matt Brown:Have your bible? Anybody bringing bibles? Sandals Church, supposed to bring your bible. The bible that we have today was canonized in the old testament, the Hebrew scriptures by him. He's the one who decided, hey, these are the books.
Pastor Matt Brown:He's the one that would ultimately tee up Jesus when he said this is the word of God. This guy's a serious guy. And I want you to think, if Ezra had resolve and God used him to do such great things, what could God do in your life if you had some resolve? So here's what I want you to see today. Some of the biggest decisions of your life, listen to me, were never meant to be made by anyone but you.
Pastor Matt Brown:Let me say that again. Some of the biggest decisions in your life were never ever meant to be made by anyone but you. And yet that's exactly the kind of decision that we hand away the fastest. We let our parents' faith stand in for our own. We let a spouse's discipline cover for what we never decided ourselves.
Pastor Matt Brown:We let the loudest voice in the room or the algorithm or the crowd decide for us because deciding is heavier than drifting. God didn't put those decisions in anyone else's hands. He put them in yours. And I wanna talk today about the power of resolve. Because here's the thing, the most important decision you will ever make in your life is whether you choose to believe in Jesus, repent of your sins, and follow him.
Pastor Matt Brown:And here's the scary thing, God gave that choice up to you. Ain't that incredible? That's your choice. That's your decision. And so I wanna challenge you today to unleash the power of resolve in your life.
Pastor Matt Brown:In four quick steps, we're gonna summarize this, and I wanna challenge you to do this. But in order to unleash the power of resolve, I have to be able to define resolve. What is it? A lot of us we think, oh, resolution, a New Year's resolution. Remember the one you didn't keep?
Pastor Matt Brown:Okay. There's a difference between a resolution and resolve. So here's how I remember it. A resolution is a goal. Resolve is the grit that helps you meet the goal.
Pastor Matt Brown:Do you see the difference? A resolution is something we say, resolve is something we do. So let's look at resolve. Resolve is a noun, can be a verb, we're gonna get there in a second, so don't send me an email. It's a firm decision.
Pastor Matt Brown:Firm. It's not wobbly. It's a firm decision to do something. K. I want you on on your notes to circle this word because you're gonna hear this language over and over again.
Pastor Matt Brown:A settled purpose. You're gonna hear settled. You're gonna hear set over and over again in this message. A settled purpose that doesn't move just because circumstances do. That's Resolve.
Pastor Matt Brown:So here it is in a verb form. Resolve, to make up your mind in advance and to stay, underline that, made up. It's not a wish. It's not a feeling. It's not motivation.
Pastor Matt Brown:Put play the Rocky four soundtrack. Right? It's resolve. You see, a feeling is something that shows up for a week and then disappears the first time it's inconvenient. That's why resolutions don't change your life.
Pastor Matt Brown:Resolve is a decision made once that you don't have to keep remaking. Now why is this important? Because Ezra had resolve. We're gonna say, we've never done a series on one verse in our entire existence as a church. This is the first time.
Pastor Matt Brown:Okay? And if it doesn't go well, blame Claude Hickman. Amen? Alright. Ezra had resolved.
Pastor Matt Brown:Here's our verse. For for four weeks, we're gonna be talking about this verse. We're gonna be unpacking this verse. Ezra seven ten. For Ezra, remember that word set settled?
Pastor Matt Brown:Notice. Ezra had set his heart. Think about it, like when you set an alarm. Does it change in the middle of the night while you sleep? No.
Pastor Matt Brown:If it did, you got up and changed it. Amen? When you set an alarm, it's set. For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the Lord and to do it and teach his statutes and rules in Israel. He set his heart to do three things.
Pastor Matt Brown:Study God's word. Here's the important part. Obey it and then teach it. But it's not just Ezra that had resolve. K.
Pastor Matt Brown:We're Christians. Anybody know who we worship? Jesus. That scared me. You paused for a little too long.
Pastor Matt Brown:K. Jesus had resolve. Look at Luke nine fifty one. When the days drew near for him to be taken up. This is this is him getting ready to go to the cross for you.
Pastor Matt Brown:You believing in Jesus is your decision. Him dying for you on the cross? His decision. When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set, do you see the word? He set his face to go to Jerusalem.
Pastor Matt Brown:Aren't you glad the Lord Jesus had resolved? So I want you to see this. Two men, two roads to Jerusalem, same posture. Ezra set his heart. Let's pause there.
Pastor Matt Brown:Some of you, your brokenness is because you've set your heart for someone else. Do you know who will never break your heart? The Lord, because it's already broken. He wants to heal it. Amen?
Pastor Matt Brown:Ezra set his heart. If you're a young person today, listen to me. Before you run off and date and get married, set your heart to fall in love with God because he's the only one that will always bless it. Amen? So Ezra set his heart.
Pastor Matt Brown:What did Jesus do? Jesus set his face. K? So one's an issue of love, Jesus is an issue of determination. Neither of those is a mood.
Pastor Matt Brown:Any moody people in here? Don't point at them. That's a decision made. Here's what's important. Before the road got hard.
Pastor Matt Brown:Because both of them knew that the road was going to be difficult. You see, Resolve is deciding today what you're going to do tomorrow. Before tomorrow talks you out of it. Anybody notice that tomorrow loves to talk you out of things? So let me encourage you through this series.
Pastor Matt Brown:Set your bible next to the coffee maker. Because you know what I don't skip? I don't skip coffee. You wanna have problems with me? Get in the way of my coffee.
Pastor Matt Brown:Can I get an amen? Like I love my wife and my children but not as much as the my coffee in the morning. Okay? Set it there. If you're a person that struggles getting up and going to the gym, you know one of the things that they've taught people like this, set your clothes out beside your bed.
Pastor Matt Brown:Your workout clothes right there. Matter of fact, another thing you could do is just go to bed in it. Go to bed in your sneakers and you just get up, here we go. But resolve is deciding today what I'm gonna do tomorrow. I'm not gonna let tomorrow decide.
Pastor Matt Brown:So to unleash the power of resolve, here's the thing, I must understand why I need it. Because some of you are like, well, don't really need it. I'm not that way. It's not my personality type. Know, I took this test, you know, on the Internet and that's just not me.
Pastor Matt Brown:That's you pastor. Listen to me. Every single one of us needs resolve. Because the world has it every day. They wanna destroy you and beat you up.
Pastor Matt Brown:The devil has it every day. And if you don't have it, you're gonna get run over. Look at what James says. James says, do not waver. That's the opposite of resolve.
Pastor Matt Brown:Do not waver for a person with divided loyalty, look at the word, is as unsettled. So it's the opposite. As unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. That's how some of us are. Whatever culture says, whatever culture believes, whatever people are saying, whatever my algorithm is telling me, right, I'm just gonna go with that.
Pastor Matt Brown:Verse seven is scary. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Now hold on. I know. That's scary.
Pastor Matt Brown:Now the actual issue James is talking about is wisdom. But it works in every scenario. Because here's the thing, when you are praying and asking God for something, why would he ever answer you if you keep changing lanes? And that's what some of you do. Do you realize how dumb that is for the Lord to answer your prayer request when you just keep flipping and changing because your requests are gonna flip and change.
Pastor Matt Brown:If you want to feel the stable love of God in your life, stabilize your life. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Okay. Look at verse eight. Why?
Pastor Matt Brown:Their loyalty is divided between God and the world. They are unstable in everything they do. Look, life hits hard. Anybody notice that? Life hits hard.
Pastor Matt Brown:Okay. I'm watching my daughters take care of little kids, man. It's hitting them hard every day. Every day. And I hold that grandbaby for about five minutes until it hits me hard and then I pass it off.
Pastor Matt Brown:I did my time. Amen? I did my time. It's your time to suffer. There you go.
Pastor Matt Brown:Look, nobody plans to to drift. I got a a text message this week. And it says, is this still Matt Brown's phone number? And let me just tell you, I'm not answering that. That's creepy.
Pastor Matt Brown:Can I can I just say that? And then the next test text message was, you know, that felt a little creepy. This is so and so. You married us twenty years ago. Yeah.
Pastor Matt Brown:Can we talk? And you know, that's never good. And they're getting divorced. It's terrible. But you know what happened?
Pastor Matt Brown:They drifted. They grew apart. Beautiful couple, in love with each other, amazing people. Do you know what happened? They drifted.
Pastor Matt Brown:Away from church, new friends, new finances, new algorithms, new life, not the life they wanted. Listen to me, nobody wakes up and decides. Today, I'm gonna slowly give up on the one thing that mattered most. Nobody does that. You don't wake up in the morning and say, you know what?
Pastor Matt Brown:I'm not gonna be married anymore. I'm not gonna love the Lord anymore. I'm not gonna go to church anymore. It happens slowly over time. Drift doesn't announce itself.
Pastor Matt Brown:K? And let me tell you, as a surfer, it always amazes me. You think I would understand that we drift. It always amazes me. I'll be sitting out there on my board and I'll look up and that's why they put numbers on the lifeguard towers.
Pastor Matt Brown:Because you're sitting there and you're right in front of three and then you look up and you're in front of 33. You're like, what happened? Well, we're gonna we're gonna walk a mile. That's what happened. And that's what some of us think.
Pastor Matt Brown:If I can just kinda maintain, I'll stay. Listen to me. You know what happens when you maintain? You drift. It shows up in a 100 small unmade decisions.
Pastor Matt Brown:And one day you look up and you're nowhere where you were ever meant to be. That's what happens without resolve. A half heart, listen to me, in two directions at once. Unstable, not because you're a bad person, but because you've never actually decided to become the good person God is calling you to. Alright.
Pastor Matt Brown:To unleash the power of resolve. Some of you are still not convinced. Like, you know, I'm never working out. You gotta identify its benefits. Resolve is good for you.
Pastor Matt Brown:One of my favorite characters in the bible, his name is Joshua. And he resolves to serve the Lord. Look at Joshua twenty four fifteen. He says, but as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord. Every one of you is serving something.
Pastor Matt Brown:For some of you, it's travelable. For some of you, it's your job. For some of you, it's your hobbies. For some of you, it's your passions. Every single one of you has resolved to serve something.
Pastor Matt Brown:The question is what is that something that you're serving? Everybody in this room, everybody watching at every campus gets the same question. What are you about? Resolve is the thing that helps people to actually answer it before anyone else does. Ezra had resolve.
Pastor Matt Brown:He set his heart to study God's word, to obey it, and to teach it. And let me just say that to some of our young bucks in here, before you teach it, you need to study it and obey it. Can I get an amen all people? Yeah. So here's the thing.
Pastor Matt Brown:Joshua said, he said, as for me and my house, we're gonna serve the Lord. Every single one of you is gonna feel peer pressure from other couples to do other things, to constantly revolve your life around their calendar. God is inviting you to revolve your life around his calendar. There's a divine rhythm in this life and it's the rhythm of God. And you can either march to it or go against it.
Pastor Matt Brown:The choice is yours. Ezra decided. He set his heart. He said, this is who I am. This is what I'm gonna be about.
Pastor Matt Brown:And he went to Jerusalem. He said, I'm going. But later on the road when they got out there, guess what happened? It got scary. They didn't have an army.
Pastor Matt Brown:Things got a little messy. Can you imagine traveling thousands of years ago when you're just out there on the road? You know, literally, some of the most dangerous places in the world at that time were in between cities. But he refused to even go back and ask the king for soldiers to protect the caravan. Do you know why?
Pastor Matt Brown:Because he had resolved in his heart, God is with us. And if God is with us, we don't need his support. Even though he was scared, he knew God's hand was on him. Here's what you need to know about Ezra. He made the call before he needed the courage.
Pastor Matt Brown:This is why young couples that are not married yet, before you get married, you have to resolve to make the call of what you're gonna do before you need the courage. It's easy to say I do on a wedding day, right? Everybody looks like a princess and prince. And we all know you're broken, don't have any of that money. But it takes courage to stay married.
Pastor Matt Brown:It takes courage. It takes courage to lead your family. It takes courage to say, we will get up and go to church. So let me go over some of the benefits of having resolve. This is important, especially if you feel like God has a call of leadership in your life.
Pastor Matt Brown:It turns followers into leaders. Ezra became a leader. He just wanted to be a teacher. Guess what happened? He had resolve.
Pastor Matt Brown:Now he's at the front of the caravan. You see, when everyone else is asking what should we do, you are already doing it. That's what a leader does. Next, let me say this. It gives me stability.
Pastor Matt Brown:When I know who I am, I'm not gonna be tossed around by whatever mood or opinion hits me today or whatever you share with me. Now, let me let me just apologize and then I'm gonna talk. Okay? Last weekend I picked on homeschool moms. Okay?
Pastor Matt Brown:Let me say this. I'm sorry. I think homeschool is great. My wife and I were homeschool parents. I forget sometimes that you guys don't know that.
Pastor Matt Brown:K? So when I was making fun of you, was making fun of us. But here's the thing that I encountered in homeschool and this is what I what I meant to to bring up last week. When I when I, know, I sometimes I go a little far. Don't amen that.
Pastor Matt Brown:But we all know it's true. What I encountered in homeschool was this idea that if we just build a wall around our children, they'll be safe. And that's just not true because the problems in this life for your kids aren't just without, they're within. And so let me say this, Homeschool moms, when you're resolved that homeschool is the best thing for your kid, who cares what a stupid pastor says in a joke? Who cares?
Pastor Matt Brown:Because you know what? I don't care. I don't care if you don't like homeschool. We resolved that that was the best decision for our middle kid. I don't care if the whole world says it was dumb.
Pastor Matt Brown:I don't care if America said it was illegal. We resolved that that was the best thing for our middle daughter. Remember the old saying, come hell or high water, we're not changing. That's resolve. And so whether you choose as a parent, public school or private school or homeschool, you need to be resolved as a parent that I'm going to do whatever it takes even if people laugh or make fun or poke fun of the decision I've made.
Pastor Matt Brown:I don't care. That's resolve. But I'm still sorry. It was a bit much. Okay.
Pastor Matt Brown:Amen. My wife told me right after the message. She's like, yeah. As a homeschool mom, you need to apologize. I was like, okay.
Pastor Matt Brown:Next, listen to this, it gives me freedom. You know what you know what happens when you know who you are? You're free. You don't have to re litigate every single day the same decision. Every single time it's tested, you know who you are because you already decided.
Pastor Matt Brown:Amen? You know. And let me say this single people, before you go out and somebody to fall in love with you, maybe you need to figure out who you are. It gives you freedom. That's not who I am.
Pastor Matt Brown:I don't have to be that person. Peer pressure doesn't work on me anymore. It actually reinforces who I know I am. My wife laughs at me because when somebody's trying to sell me on something, she's she knows. You're just you're just cementing his decision.
Pastor Matt Brown:Like, it doesn't it doesn't work. Next, listen to this, it gives me influence. Anybody raising kids? Raise your hand if you're raising kids. Okay.
Pastor Matt Brown:Oh my goodness. Just know this, most parents are cowards. Okay? So here's what's gonna happen. Your kids are gonna come to you, hey, everybody's doing this.
Pastor Matt Brown:And you know it's the dumbest, most horrific decision ever. And here's what they say, so and so's parents already approved it. And I can't tell you what I would say about so and so's parents. This is a g rated sermon today. But you know what I told my kids?
Pastor Matt Brown:I don't care if every single parent in the world says it's a good idea for ten 17 year old girls to go to Vegas on their own. You're not going. Well, I'm gonna lose all my friends. I'll be your friend. We can be buddies.
Pastor Matt Brown:And do you know what happened? Parent after parent after parent called me in secret later to say thank you so much. For doing what? What you should have done? For what you should have done?
Pastor Matt Brown:I was like, I'm not your buddy. You're a chicken. And by the way, parents, you're not called to be your kid's friends. You're called to be their parents. And that's what's wrong with this world.
Pastor Matt Brown:All these moms, I wanna be best friends with my daughters. No, you don't. They're crazy. Alright. Joshua's resolve became his household's direction.
Pastor Matt Brown:As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Your resolve becomes permission for the people watching you. Think about that. If you're a young person and you're over at a friend's house and they're watching a movie and there's stuff on there you know you shouldn't be watching. You know what I do?
Pastor Matt Brown:I leave. I excuse myself. This is not for me. This is not what I'm about. One time Tammy and I were in the car with some friends, it was 08:30 in the morning and my friend was driving erratic.
Pastor Matt Brown:It was weird, 08:30 in the morning and I asked him to pull over. We were in a minivan on a vacation and I said, what's going on with you? Didn't know this at the time but he was an alcoholic and he wasn't drinking orange juice, was drinking vodka. Listen to me parents, you know what I told myself? What would I expect my children to do in this situation?
Pastor Matt Brown:Be embarrassed, get out of the car and call me, amen, and I'll come get you. And so you know what I told my friend, you have two choices. You can give me the keys or we can call a cab. Do you hear that sound? That's what the whole minivan sounded like.
Pastor Matt Brown:Because you're not putting me and my wife's life at risk. And guess what happened? Everybody later said, thank you so much. I was so afraid. It gives you influence.
Pastor Matt Brown:Next, it gives you credibility. You wanna have credibility in people's life, be the same person you are all the time. That's resolve. Ezra's authority to teach the law came from having lived it first. Having lived it first.
Pastor Matt Brown:You see resolve earns you the right to speak. You want your wife to listen to you? You want your husband to listen to you? Resolve to become a person worth listening to. Resolve to be a better man, to be a better woman, to be a better friend, to be a better parent.
Pastor Matt Brown:Like, I mean, raise your hand if your parents again. How many guys ever lost it on your kids? Yeah. I don't mean like, I'm gonna call c p s on you. I'm just saying, you know, you had a bad day.
Pastor Matt Brown:You know what I do when I'm those moments? I go back and I apologize first. Hey, the way dad responded was inappropriate and unacceptable. As the father of this home, you deserve better than that. And they would always say, what does that mean I'm not in trouble?
Pastor Matt Brown:I was like, no, you're still in trouble because you still did something stupid, you know. Alright. Last point to unleash the power of resolve. I got to decide it for myself. You can't borrow my resolve.
Pastor Matt Brown:I can't loan it to you. I can't give it to you. You have to decide. Galatians six five. For we are each responsible for our own conduct.
Pastor Matt Brown:So on the day of judgment, don't be looking at me. I'll be like, I told you. I told you. Listen, nobody can resolve this for you. Not your parents faith, not your spouse's discipline.
Pastor Matt Brown:Not your pastor standing up here talking about it. Ezra's decision in chapter seven was his. Now listen, the whole community benefited from it. But he's the one who set his heart before anyone else signed on. And this is the part we dodge.
Pastor Matt Brown:It's not that we refuse God's will. It's that we quietly hand the decision to someone else and call it humility or busyness or I'll figure it out later. But God didn't put your marriage, your integrity, your faith, your finish line in your small group's hands or in your parents hands or in your spouse's hands. Listen to me, he put it in yours. We all love that song, Jesus take the wheel.
Pastor Matt Brown:You don't wanna pray that if you're the one driving. Can I get an amen? Because the Lord is like, I'm not answering that prayer, you're driving. This is your decision. Listen, whatever you're waiting on someone else to decide for you, that's the thing you actually have to decide for yourself.
Pastor Matt Brown:So this looks very, very different for different people. So let's talk about parents. You have to decide on your own to raise your kids in faith. That's your decision. School's not gonna support that.
Pastor Matt Brown:Sports are not gonna support that. Your friends are not gonna support that. You have to decide how are we gonna raise this kid. And by the way, if you're a single parent, you might have to do this alone without the support of your former spouse or partner. You don't get a pass on the day of judgment.
Pastor Matt Brown:Well, my husband or my wife or my ex didn't support me. God's gonna say, it was your choice. You decided. And let me say this parents, God gave you the authority to choose. Next, young people.
Pastor Matt Brown:You gotta make a decision about abstinence in a culture built to talk you out of it. To talk you out of it. Listen, you gotta decide, is sex sacred or not? Is it or isn't it? Once you've decided that, it's going to drive every decision.
Pastor Matt Brown:You're going to choose. The world is not going to agree with it. They're not going to applaud it. They're gonna call you old fashioned, out of touch, hypocritical, whatever. You decide.
Pastor Matt Brown:You resolve. And if you're dating somebody and they don't have the same resolve, stop dating. Stop dating. You're like, well, I'm praying for them pastor. Well, I'm praying for you to break up.
Pastor Matt Brown:Alright, older folks, you don't have to raise your hands. We know who you are. Hey. Just so you know, our seniors groups at Sandals Church is 50 It's called fifty five plusers. Guess who gets in now?
Pastor Matt Brown:Yeah. This guy. Yeah. Woo. Okay.
Pastor Matt Brown:Listen, older folks. I wanna challenge you to commit to finishing strong instead of coasting the last few miles. I don't think there's ever been a point in the world's history where we needed wisdom as much and experiences as we do today. Then there are timeless issues that require resolve. Okay.
Pastor Matt Brown:Look at this one. Homeschool moms? You you have to forgive me. I'm sorry. You know?
Pastor Matt Brown:We all have to do this. Right? It's what we do. You have to resolve. As a Christian who's been forgiven, I'm going to practice forgiveness.
Pastor Matt Brown:Does that mean it's easy? No. That's where resolve comes in. We don't need resolve I don't need to resolve that I'm gonna drink coffee every day. I don't have to pray about that.
Pastor Matt Brown:I don't have to ask you. I need you guys to encourage me to get my coffee in the morning. Resolve is what we need for the difficult things in life. Next, look at this one, money. Man, I mean things get more and more expensive every day.
Pastor Matt Brown:I I can't believe it. But I've resolved that I'm going to choose to tithe even when my money's tight. That's not easy. But I'm deciding today how I'm gonna spend my money tomorrow. And some of you are the exact opposite.
Pastor Matt Brown:You say, well I'm gonna give God whatever's left over. Guess what's left over? Nothing. That's why when you read in the bible, God wants the first part of your income. Because he knows what happens when you get the last part.
Pastor Matt Brown:Next, look at this one. Pride. Oh my gosh. Apparently the Lord thought my sermon was a little weak this week. So I was at the gym and I don't know if you guys work at the gym, but people will set their things and then be gone for a year.
Pastor Matt Brown:Like, you know, like, I've had a birthday in between their sets. And this woman had set her things there and so I I mean, I had done like I was on my third set and she came back and she said, can I get my stuff? And I was like, oh were you using this? She goes, I was. And I could I could just feel the karate kid inside of me.
Pastor Matt Brown:Was just like and the Lord was like, remember your point on pride? And I was like, I'm so sorry. And I I wasn't. You know what I'm saying? I was just like, I was like, what is your problem?
Pastor Matt Brown:You know? You know and she took her you know her little 10 gallon container full of water that she's not even drinking. Know she took that with her and she's like, oh my gosh. You know. But you know in my heart it was like, look I'm a member here too.
Pastor Matt Brown:Right? Oh my gosh. And the Lord's like, you need to work on pride. And I was like, know. I know.
Pastor Matt Brown:Alright, current issues that require resolve. Politics man. This one's not going away. Listen to me, this can't become your number one. Here's here's what Ezra teaches us.
Pastor Matt Brown:Listen to me all my doom and gloom Christians. Here's what Ezra teaches us. God is in control. Even when his people are not. Let me say that again.
Pastor Matt Brown:God is in control even when his people are not. The Jews were not in control but the Jewish God still was and Cyrus the Great said so. So just remember that. No matter what happens with elections, no matter which way it goes, just know this, God is still working. Alright.
Pastor Matt Brown:Next one, identity. Your identity is in Christ. Colossians three three, for you died to this life. Your real life is hidden with Christ and God. I hope you know that.
Pastor Matt Brown:Listen to me, if you had an affair, that's not who you are. Your real life is hidden with Christ and God. Listen to me, even if you're an alcoholic and I know you go to AA and I'm not trying to change what they say, hi, my name is Listen to me, you're in Christ, you're a new creation. You're a new creation. You're not your mistakes.
Pastor Matt Brown:You are like your Messiah. Amen? Perfect in the eyes of God. Next, social media. I know.
Pastor Matt Brown:What I consume and how I let it control me. Ezra seven ten, study it, obey it, teach it. That's the order because that's always the order. Nobody accidentally becomes the kind of person Ezra was. He decided first and then Jerusalem happened later.
Pastor Matt Brown:Amen? Somewhere in your life right now, there's a decision sitting in someone else's hands that God actually put in yours. You don't need 10 resolves today. Please don't have a list in small group. Here's the 27 things I've resolved.
Pastor Matt Brown:If you have 27 things, then you've resolved nothing. You don't need 10 resolves. You don't need 27 resolves today. Here's my challenge. You need one.
Pastor Matt Brown:What's the thing you've been waiting for someone else to decide or waiting to feel ready. Something that you actually just need to pick yourself up, set your face, set your heart, and you need to do it whether you have the courage or not. Can I get an amen? Amen. So let me say this.
Pastor Matt Brown:Some of you, you need to set your heart today to fix your marriage. Some of you need to set your heart today to make church a priority. Some of you need to set your heart today. Look, your whole life, you think this whole Christianity thing's a joke. You need to set your heart today to decide for yourself if there's really a God and you need to really pursue it because it's in your hands.
Pastor Matt Brown:And then some of you need to set your heart today because you know there's a God. You know you need to repent and you know you need to be saved. You need to get your life right with Christ today. And it doesn't matter whether there's an invitation or not. It doesn't matter whether anyone goes for it or not.
Pastor Matt Brown:What matters is, are you ready to set your heart and give your life to Christ today? Amen? And you need to do that. So let's all bow our heads and let's pray. Let's just ask God, what's the one thing?
Pastor Matt Brown:What's the one thing I need to resolve today? The one thing that no one else can decide. The one thing that's not in anyone else's hands. The one thing that God has put in your hands. Holy Spirit, we pray right now that you would reveal this one thing to us.
Pastor Matt Brown:And give us the resolve, the grit to make a firm settled decision. And to move forward with confidence like Ezra did, like Jesus did, like Joshua did. Help us to resolve to follow you. We pray this in Jesus name and all God's people said, amen.