How to Be Better This Year | Sandals Church

hey guys thanks so much for joining us here at sandals Church because here we are all about this vision of being real and if you ever just want to dive deeper into that vision check out our podcast at debrief dot show it's a podcast all about pastor Matt answering tough questions and given real answers but again check that out at debrief dot show and enjoy just what God is doing through being real have a great day welcome welcome to sandals Church man I'm super excited to be here if you are a visitor you came on a great weekend super excited you're here I want to give a quick shout out I forgot last week into sandals Woodcrest let's give them a hand yes man they ran out of parking on their first week that's awesome it's awesome that's how we roll a hundred park every week all right no parking but we're glad you're here we're glad you're here man how many of you guys want to have the best year ever raise your hands yeah most of you usually people like I don't know pastor whatever God's will is if you want to beat me miserable it's like okay whatever captain Christian get out of my way right we won't have a better year we want to have a better year so I want to talk to you today about how to have the best year the best year whatever 2018 was it was learn from it grow from it but get ready to listen to what God has to say how to have a better year this year how to look forward how to change your life how to experience the year that God has for you and he has for me I want you to write this down in your notes I have to decide I have to I have to decide I want to get better you know why most people's lives aren't any better because they don't want a better life they want an easier life man just let that soak this let just just let that soak right right between your ears just let it lay in there this is why so many of us are miserable because we keep asking for an easier life god I don't want to handle my finances I want to win the lottery then I can be stupid full-time right then come on god I don't want a better marriage I want two easier one just change him change him show him he's wrong bless him with your truth right right I don't want a better marriage I want an easier marriage man if you're a young person today oh Lord I want to ease your life no no no pray for a better life because in order for you to have a better life you gotta have a bigger relationship with God it's got to be bigger you got to trust in him you got to believe in him I have to decide circle the word I I have to decide somebody can't want it for you I can pray all day for you but if you don't want a better life my prayers are gonna go Bing Bing bounce right off what do you want what do you want your marriage to look like in 2019 if you don't change it it's gonna look just like 2018 what do you want your finances to look like what do you want your waist to look like yeah smaller amen right we want our wallets bigger and our waist smaller then I have to decide I want to get better I love this story in John 5 Jesus runs into a guy who's been whining for 38 years for 38 years he's complaining I don't understand when am I gonna get my break when am I gonna win the lotto when am I gonna get the job when am I gonna to move from the bridesmaid to the bride when's it happening and Jesus shows up but even if Jesus shows up today if you don't want to get better Jesus gonna walk right on by let me tell you something listen to me I've been a Christian a long time and here's what Christians pray Jesus changed my circumstances here's the Jesus I know he will only change your circumstances when you invite him to change you are you willing to change are you willing to look at life through his eyes are you willing to trust him after where Jesus returned to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish holidays inside the city near the Sheep gate was the Pool of Bethesda now I've been to this been exploring you know as your pastor I'll confess I did some illegal things cross some barriers but it was all in the name of Jesus I promise you okay I promise you had five covered porches now they're not porches anymore they're caves but I wanted to see what this miracle took place and all I found was bats scared me to death right crowds of sick people blind lame or paralyzed laying on the porches and here's why they didn't know why but these pools these places where people came to get water every now and then would circulate and here's what the people believe people believe that every now and then an angel would land on the pool and stir the waters and so when that happened it was the local belief that said if you get into the water if you're the first person into the water after the angel stirs it you'll be healed right and you're like that's ridiculous just as dumb as some of this stuff you believe man the other day I had a headache Tammy's friend attacked me with essential oils I kid you not she attacked me with essential oils to cure my headache I had a tumor growing off the side of my neck where she put the oils I like my headache is gone but now I'm dying all you ladies put some oil on and don't pray about how much right the Angels will stir the oils right we we believe ridiculous things ridiculous things you get a commercial a guy lifting weights next professional athlete you lack in testosterone take this pill we found in Africa okay only the husband payments of $9.99 you two can look like me I'm never gonna look like you do you know why we believe in stupid stuff because we don't actually want to change that's what we believe in stupid stuff because we don't actually want to change we want wine but we don't want to change crowds of sick people blind lame paralyzed lay on the porches of them in lying there had been sick for 38 years 38 years when Jesus saw him he knew he'd been ill for a long time now I don't know if this is something that Jesus knew because he's the son of God or this guy just looked like a mess right you can tell when somebody's been somewhere for a while you can tell they look different he asked him listen this question would you like to get well you see not everybody with a sign that says will work for food is willing to work for food that's too offensive in it right not everybody now some people but Jesus says are you willing to work with food do you want your life to change are you wanting to get well I don't want my marriage better because I just need to slam him for the rest of my life what am I gonna do right I don't actually want to feel good because then I might have to live good do you want to get well do you want your life to change here's the sad thing about humanity the statistics are in know when you go to the doctor the doctor gives you medication what's the last thing the doctor says to you on your way out make sure you finish what well why did they say that don't we know that if there's 10 pills you take 10 pills do you know why your doctor says that because Americans don't finish their medication many of you don't even go to the pharmacy like what's that guy know he's half my age some make here my Americans don't even go to the pharmacy don't even fulfill the prescription other Americans fulfill the prescription but don't even take it Americans are better at taking care of their pets than we are ourselves Oh Fido needs these pills there you go me I'll be fine I'll be fine would you like to get well we don't even listen to our doctors much less Jesus we just don't so I got to do this I have to decide I want to get better next I have to have the courage and we have sort of that word courage courage is not the absence of fear it is moving forward in spite of it life is scary marriage is scary raising children scary nobody tells you that oh is it you little baby that is the scariest thing you will ever see I'm not afraid of monsters I'm afraid of infants they're terrifying are you breathing oh yes they are now they're screaming I have to I have to have the courage and let me tell you something most Americans don't have this kind of courage I have to have the courage to stop making excuses is this gonna be the year you stop making excuses Jesus says do you want to get well do you want to get well do you want your life to change do you want your finances to be different you want your marriage to be different you want to cure cancer look at the words Jesus says whether the man says to Jesus he doesn't say yes I want to get well what does he say do you see it I can't sir I keep I can't do you want to get well that's a yes or no answer he answers with I can't I can't do it the sick man says I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up when the Angels come I've been here 38 years when the Angels come and here's what happened now we know there are all kinds of underground streams underneath Jerusalem when one of them fills from a rainstorm far away it rushes in and spins the water those aren't even Angels it's a rain storm he says man when the water turns in the angel lands I don't have him there's nobody that will help me he's having a pity party instead of listening to Jesus do you want to get well I can't I can't why I'm single I'm single nobody cares about single people everybody hates single people I'm judged all the time I hear it all the time oh I can't I'm married I'd love to change but my husband is an idiot I can't I'm too old I'm too young I'm too fat I'm too thin I can't write I can't is all I hear this all the time all the reasons that you can't do something this isn't me I want you to know if you're praying for a miracle I want you to know that you're sitting in one right now it's called sandals Church one person it's a miracle it's a miracle how do I know I was there no talent no knowledge no budget no place to work and sandals is one of the biggest churches in the United States you know why not because some angel stirred the waters a bit because I said maybe I can't but you can don't don't tell me you can't don't give me excuses I can't sir the sick man said for I have no one there's no I wasn't raised with a father my mother abandoned me my family hates me I didn't graduate college I'm too young I'm too old man we can come up with all kinds of reasons why we won't let Jesus change our life that's why Jesus asked do you want to get well because what's the answer no I can't stir the sick man said I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up one else always gets there ahead of me oh man right what's the reason you've given yourself why you can't be successful and you can't be better let me tell you something I've learned it's way easier to blame someone else than to get honest with yourself what's the reason what have what excuse have you bought into what excuse have you believed that's not allowing you to live the life God's called you to live well I live the life God called me to live if I had money let me tell you something we'd have any money we started this church no money we have jobs we started the church and got jobs the next week right well I'd have the family life I'd have if we owned a home we didn't own anything for 11 years anything sandals was the largest homeless Church in Riverside I was like Moses and you guys are the people of Israel like yep maybe over there oh no over there oh nope nope our slogan was worship with us if you can find us amen I literally would run into people like I used to go to sandals you guys moved like we did now we're here for a while right I gotta have the courage to stop making excuses I know a lot of our young people are overcoming disabilities and I meet a lot of your children who struggle with ADHD a DD and are dyslexic let me tell you something it's just something that you have to overcome but God will use it to make you better he will use it to make you better when I hugged the young men and young women our church who are battling man they're starting off behind I say listen to me if you're faithful if you trust God God can help you overcome that don't tell me you can't read I couldn't either I couldn't either man I couldn't spell anything anything much less Greek and Hebrew oh that was fun you ever seen Hebrew it looks like a chicken ran across the floor it looks like now try reading it when everything's jumping all over the page man is crazy the only way to make the final fares have everybody else be drunk and they'll see the same thing I see whoa I have to have the courage to stop making excuses next I have to start listening to and obeying Jesus what is Jesus asking you to do in 2019 that you told him no to in 2018 if you want this year to be better you got to listen to Jesus and you got to do what he says you got to do what he says he's not calling you to write scripture on your body in the form of a tattoo he's calling you to be obedient to the Word of God in the Bible putting it on your skin ain't gonna make you obedient it's not it doesn't help I got to start listening to and obeying Jesus Jesus told him stand up pick up your mat and walk but I'm paralyzed but I'm old but I'm helpless but I can't Jesus I need you to throw me into the water first yeah you'll drown buddy you're paralyzed what I need you to do is be obedient he says stand up pick up your mat and walk that's how you know when it's God when he's calling you to do something you can't do on your own what's God calling you to do what's God calling you to do you want your marriage to be better maybe you need to learn how to forgive I can't I can't say it with me I'm sorry I forgive you I can't pastor I can't write think of all those excuses that we make all the reasons that we give for what we can't do Jesus has a great question for us he says so why do you keep calling me Lord when you don't do what I say they ought to put that on christianmingle.com what is your personal opinion about Luke 6:46 and if there's a oh then they don't know him they don't know when you go out on a date ask him how do you feel about Luke 6:46 my name is not Luke okay we're done we're done right I mean seriously what is Jesus asking you to do what's he calling you to do you want him to change your circumstances he wants to change your soul what's he calling you to do what is he what is he calling you to leave where is an area in your life where you're crippled where Jesus is trying to make you well he's calling you stand up pick up your mat and walk this one is huge man if you want to walk you got to change the people you walk with write this down I got to surround myself with people who love me oh he loves me we met on Christian mingle no no sweetie I love you you may want to use you you know there's a lot of people who want to use you there is there are some people who use you there's even some people who need you like my kids need me I'm there atm they can do nothing without me right we go shopping dad I need this okay you pay for it I don't think I need it right some people use us some people need us some people tolerate us yeah they're sitting next to you they're gonna tell you they're just like amen who are the people in your life that love you we got a single guy in our small group newly divorced has a hard time trusting people that's what happens when you go through divorce in someone cheats it's taken us about six months but now he knows we love him we love them who are the people that love you who are the people that care for you Tammy now we got to get together with some of our missionaries this week and we had Christmas we're just way behind so we had Christmas with them this last week I know it's the middle of January but we Christmas and man it was just it was just great about two months ago I was sitting on the couch and one of their boys he's fascinated with football in the country where they serve there's not American football it doesn't exist he's fascinated with it he looks at me he says pastor Matt one day I want to have a helmet ass easy done so I got him a helmet and got him a Rams helmet yeah amen amen and I realized they may not have any more games left so we had to have Christmas this week they are playing the Saints and that is Jesus's team so I'm just saying how do you against the Saints as a Christian you might need to get your life right at the end of service okay I love you Jesus just not your people so we got him his outfit a little pants little Rams jersey and a helmet on he's trying to eat dinner with his helmet on either I said do you know why we bought you that and he kind of took a step back he's 10 he says um cuz you love me I said yes yes you see people that love you don't want anything from you they just want to bless you I just want to bless you my prayer is that in 2019 you getting a small group of people that love you they love you down out there to use you you they're not there to tolerate you they're there to love you next you know how you find those people they're people that love Jesus they love Jesus you want someone to love you they need to love Jesus because Jesus teaches us how to love he teaches us how to love he teaches us how to love him we like people he teaches us how to love them who are the people in your life you got friends and they say they love you but if they don't love Jesus they don't know how to love you because your friends who don't love Jesus will tell you what you want to hear not what you need to hear a person who loves Jesus rejoices when the truth wins out because that's what the Bible says love is and so they love you and they tell you the truth this next point is huge I got to surround myself with people in 2019 who celebrate my miracle celebrate my miracles praise God man if for some of you if you won the lottery everyone you know it dumped you I just don't understand why God didn't bless me I hate you now if efficiently we're no longer you gonna play pin the tail on the donkey we're gonna play it on you right people are selfish who are the people that celebrate you hey man this is a year I'm gonna lose weight they're like why would you want to do that you're almost dead anyways man it's amazing people don't want you to change because then that makes them feel bad about themselves why cuz they didn't love you in the first place who are the people are gonna celebrate you getting in shape who are the people are gonna celebrate you were you reading your Bible every day who are the people are gonna celebrate your miracles were the people that rejoice with you when you get a win I remember one Sunday I'll never forget this guy comes up to me in the lobby he says pastor Matt I said what he said seven days in a row I said what I thought you gonna say reading his Bible he said without looking at porn I was like way to go but touchdown for Jesus right right in the lobby not quietly seven days right every brain small groups uncomfortable now but yeah way to go who are the people that celebrate your miracles do you know that that was a major miracle in that young man's life major miracle he made it a week and broke the grip of sexual addiction in his life and that incredible one week next I got to surround myself with people who are not critical of everything well you shouldn't have been looking at porn in the first place Thank You captain positive listen to me a person who's critical of everything is not following Jesus in anything man I don't know what it is about our culture but we just love tearing things down you know what I'm afraid of one day we're gonna be successful and we're gonna miss the good old days of when things were just really not perfect listen to me people who are critical of everything are not following Jesus in anything Jesus said pick up your mat and walk instantly the man was what healed healed he rolled up his sleeping mat and he began walking but this miracle happened on the Sabbath and some people aren't okay with God doing miracles on the day we worship Him so the Jewish leaders objected now I object I don't appreciate people being healed of pornography addiction in the lobby it should happen at the altar right they said to the man who was cured you can't work on the Sabbath the law does not allow you to carry that sleeping mat but he replied the man who healed me told me pick up your mat and walk what's he saying I'm just following Jesus you know what they're saying we don't care we don't care not every person who calls themself a follower of God is actually following God in his any at all interested in you following God he said the man who healed me told me pick up your mat and walk up said such a thing is that God God who said such a thing is that they demanded the man didn't know for Jesus it disappeared into the crowd in that amazing how God works doesn't miracle and don't even take credit who are you surrounding yourself with who are the people that you're with listen to me show me your friends and I'll show you your future show me your friends and I'll show your future singles show me their friends and I'll show you your future no he's just he's a minister to them no sweetie no that's who he really is that's who he really is if you want to change your life you need to change your crowd you better change it it's why when Jesus saves us the first thing he asked us to do after we're saved it's called baptism do you know what baptism is baptism is saying I identify with these knuckleheads who've all been saved this is my new game it's my new crew these are my new people baptism was never something done in private it was always done in public do you know why because you were identifying with his family my people are Jesus people last point and this one's huge if you want the best year of your life and then and then this is this is the heart of our vision this is the heart of our vision the vision of sandless church is to be real in all areas of your life and we measure those areas with God with ourselves and with each other if you want to radically change your life listen to me you got to stop doing what's killing you what's killing me what's killing me listen to what Jesus says afterwards Jesus found him in the temple and he told him listen listen to this we got the miracle that we're all asking for now we get this sermon here's the truth he says now you are well your circumstances have changed now you need to change now you are well so stop sinning or something even worse may happen to you then the man went and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who healed him where's the area in your life where your sinning what are you doing that God is saying stop stop if you continue that behavior it's going to kill you it's going to kill your relationship with God it's gonna kill your relationship with your family and it could even kill you physically think about that we have this amazing miracle we had a man who's been paralyzed for 38 years and the sermon has nothing to do with the miracle but it has to do with the man being called to change his life and listen to me for all of you who call yourself Christians you can have a radical encounter with God and there are still things with your life that need to change stop sinning you see for 38 years this man has been developing a sinful attitude in the way that he used God the way that he viewed himself and the way that he viewed others and that needs to change and why is that James 1:15 these sinful desires James says give birth to sinful actions you see if we don't deal with what's in our heart it will be in our life you can only think about something for so long I tell young men this all the time the only difference between pornography and adultery is one word opportunity opportunity you see you can only do things in your mind so many times before it actually happens in your life and that's what sin does sin that starts in here makes its way out there and it wrecks us it says these desires give birth to sinful actions and when sin is allowed to grow it gives birth to what death sometimes it's the death of a family sometimes it's the death of a career sometimes it's the death of your faith and sometimes it's your death it's your death let me ask you this question what's the one thing you're doing that's killing you what's the one thing you see one of the mistakes we make when we try to change your life is we try to change everything let's start with one thing what is the one thing you need to change in 2019 what's the one thing God's calling you to change man for some of you write this down it's my diet and lack of exercise listen to me if you don't change you won't be here next year and listen to me we can pray all we want but God will not change your circumstances until you change what are you doing what are you doing what are you eating what are you putting in your body stop asking God to bless that he's not gonna bless that it's not blessing that I took that same group of missionary kids went to a basketball game I said we're going to the snack bar and I'm buying that's how you get kids attention we go to the snack bars anything you want and I saw one of the things that I loved as a kid Zimmer ding-dongs right do ding-dongs now I can't eat it cuz I'm gluten free but I remember the taste of a ding dong these kids haven't been raised in America they don't know what ding dongs are so I try to sell the ding dong I'm buying it they won't have it have you ever looked at a ding dong like you've never seen a ding dong it looks like a turd I mean that's what it looks like and these kids are like I know you're my spiritual leader bed I think I'm gonna go with the gummy worms right I mean gummy worms look more attractive to a kid than a dingdong and I'm telling how there's good stuff inside when I was terrible I actually bought it and made each one of them trying I'd like I most force it in their mouth I'm like no the white stuff is good here you go here you go they're like some of you guys Lord bless this ding dong he's like you're a ding-dong stop eating that well this next one my relationships I literally got to stop this week I was running late which I'm always late maybe that's one thing Jesus is calling me to change man I was running late ran into a gal she stopped me started crying which means I stopped she told me her story she's in a relationship with a guy who said he was a Christian she just come out of a terrible marriage where this guy was abusive cheated on her and she found out this other guy who goes to sandals with her it's doing the same thing she's broken it's crying I said call the church office we got soul care said I'm running late but I care for you and I got my car is anybody up for super wise later that's me like dude I'm Einstein five minutes after the fact but if I'm on Jeopardy I'm gonna be like I don't know right I mean I just go dumb I can't even press the button so I get in the car and listen to me single people and if you're the gal that I talk to you I love you but this is for you specifically here's my question who keeps picking these guys oh there we go because here's the thing a lot of you ladies are mad at God but God's not the one picking so what's the one thing you need to stop maybe it stopped picking dudes maybe that's it well all men are men okay all four billion of us next maybe it's social media man I had the unfortunate opportunity this week to watch the Kardashians on TV maybe I'm the only one who doesn't get it but I don't get it like watching them have conversations on TV that I wouldn't want to actually be in in real life like if I was stuck in one of those conversations in real life I'd be like oh I need to go and you guys think oh I gotta watch this I don't get it I don't get it how is following people who are richer than you're ever gonna be ain't gonna make you happy oh look another thing I won't have oh look a place I won't visit Oh what are you doing what are you doing just another day of the life I won't have what are you doing get off social media and I Got News for You they're all lyin do not watch people from our church I know your life I know your life and it's not your Instagram life oh we love each other I'm like they got two weeks two weeks max I'm not kidding you man I'm not kidding you and let me say this if they were a train wreck on Monday why are you reading their blog on Friday what did you learn nothing what are you guys doing on social media stop it stop it right see my wife looking at you know these guys they're adventurer chest hair husky dog in Alaska and the closest I'm ever gettin to that is taking a pool the gap right she tells me I'm just following the dog I'm like right right how about your finances any anybody ever get a text message from your bank they think you've been robbed and it's just you as these last 17 purchases were you please text back yes what are you doing like people get mad that like it's god that's spending your money you know the Lord he got ahold of my credit card went through Tyler mall and he was just insane no it wasn't the Lord what are you doing lastly this is just all of us our thought life listen to me no sin that kills you starts anywhere but in your head it's why Jesus said if any man looks at a woman with lust in his heart he's already committed adultery the sin that kills you always starts in your head the first thing that Jesus wants to change this year is the way you think the way you think look some of you you need medication but some of you you just need to change the way you're thinking look we there's a very very fine line between asking our doctors to fix everything and seeing them as Jesus some of you need to turn back to Jesus and trust him you need to give him your mind it's why Jesus said this is the greatest commandment love the Lord your God well your heart soul mind and strength this year can change I believe Jesus wants to do a radical miracle your life if you let him if you let him here's one of the hardest things to understand about God and will close this God is all-powerful and yet he does not force himself on anyone and that amazing if I was God I'd make you change amen thank God I'm not God he wants to change you he's inviting you to change here's this question do you want to get well do you want to get well so we're gonna end with prayer at all of our campuses so I'd like everybody I'm gonna invite everybody to to bow your head and we just do this so you're not looking around everybody else close your eyes you know where you're sitting if there's something that you need to change in your life would you just raise your hand so I can pray over you you know there's something you need to change listen even if you're online would you just raise your hand I can't see it but God can Heavenly Father you see all these hands Lord you know these lives you know their situation God whatever it is would you free them from this grip from this dark power God whatever it is from this fear this anxiety Lord this addiction Lord you are stronger than whatever it is in the powerful mighty name of Jesus we ask for healing in your name Lord we bind the enemy and we invite your spirit to heal and to bring change we pray this in Jesus name Amen

Channel: Sandals Church

Views: 3,896

Keywords: Sandals Church, How to have a better 2019, New Years Resolution, Riverside California Church, Pastor Matt Brown

Id: bs-iJI2ltEs

Length: 43min 9sec (2589 seconds)

Published: Sun Jan 20 2019