(soft music)
- Hey, what's going on, Sandals Church?
My name is Jeff. I'm the
online campus pastor.
Sandals Church, what is happening?
I don't know if you noticed,
but we are all about this
vision of being real,
real with ourselves, God, and others.
So Sandals Church and real,
you guys are Sandals Church real lifers.
That's what I'm gonna call you.
Hey, share this message with a friend.
Invite someone. Let us
know where you are at.
In fact, last week,
Joseph gave us a shout-out
from Switzerland.
Switzerland? Are you kidding me?
Simbarashe, that's a name for you,
Simbarashe gave us a
shout-out from South Africa.
Julia with a shout-out
from Jamaica. Jamaica, man!
And Sharon from Grand Junction, Colorado.
How you doing, Sharon?
Thanks so much for letting us know
where you are coming from.
Man, if this is your first time
clicking in at Sandals Church,
please let us know in the chat
where you are coming from.
You can go to sandalschurch.com/next.
We'd love to know that you're new.
We'd love to know that
we're worshiping with you.
We'd love to connect with you.
God is moving all around the world,
and we're encouraging medical
professionals and hospitals,
taking prayer requests,
feeding those in need,
and reaching people with
the real love of the Lord.
Those people and the
people that participate
in this ministry,
helping people to discover
the vision of being real
are doing so with their
time, their talent,
and their treasure,
and if you want to give
financially, serve globally,
and lend your expertise
to what God is doing,
please go to sandalschurch.com/next.
Well, we are so excited to be
in this series called "Pivot"
and Pastor Matt is gonna
be talking to us today
about how to change
when you don't want to.
Mm-hmm, come on, you know
we're talking to you.
But before we do that, get ready,
because our worship team
is set and ready to go.
It's gonna be poppin' for Jesus.
I'm ready to go. Are you ready to go?
Let's go and worship the Lord.
("We Praise You")
- God, we give you all glory
and all praise for who you are.
We thank you, God, that
you are have freed us
and you've given us victory.
So God, with everything that we have,
we're going to lift our voice.
We're going to sing, because
our praise is a weapon,
our singing is a weapon,
so church, rise and sing.
♪ Let praise be a weapon
that silences the enemy ♪
♪ Let praise be a weapon
that conquers all anxiety ♪
♪ Let it rise ♪
♪ Let praise arise ♪
- We sing.
♪ We sing your name in the dark
and it changes everything ♪
♪ We sing with all we are
all we claim your victory ♪
So let it rise.
♪ So let it rise ♪
Let praise arise.
♪ Let praise arise ♪
Yes, come on.
♪ We'll see you break down every wall ♪
♪ We'll watch the giants fall ♪
♪ 'Cause fear cannot
survive when we praise you ♪
♪ The God of breakthrough's on our side ♪
♪ Forever lift him high ♪
♪ With all creation cry,
God, we praise you ♪
♪ Oh ♪
♪ We praise you ♪
♪ Oh ♪
♪ Let faith be the song that
overcomes the raging sea ♪
♪ Let faith be the song that
calms the storm inside of me ♪
♪ Let it rise ♪
♪ Let praise arise ♪
♪ Let it rise ♪
♪ We'll see you break down every wall ♪
♪ We'll watch the giants fall ♪
♪ Fear cannot survive when we praise you ♪
♪ The God of breakthrough's on our side ♪
♪ Forever lift him high ♪
♪ With all creation cry,
God, we praise you ♪
♪ Oh ♪
♪ We praise you ♪
♪ Oh ♪
♪ We praise you ♪
♪ This is what living looks like ♪
♪ This is what freedom feels like ♪
♪ This is what heaven sounds like ♪
♪ We praise you, we praise you ♪
♪ This is what living looks like ♪
♪ This is what freedom feels like ♪
♪ This is what heaven sounds like ♪
Come on!
♪ We praise you, we praise you ♪
♪ This is what living looks like ♪
♪ This is what freedom feels like ♪
♪ This is what heaven sounds like ♪
♪ We praise you, we praise you ♪
- Come on!
♪ This is what living looks like ♪
♪ This is what freedom feels like ♪
♪ This is what heaven sounds like ♪
♪ Whoa ♪
♪ We praise you, we praise you ♪
♪ We'll see you break down every wall ♪
♪ We'll watch the giants fall ♪
♪ Fear cannot survive when we praise you ♪
♪ The God of breakthrough's on our side ♪
♪ Forever lift him high ♪
♪ With all creation cry,
God, we praise you ♪
♪ Oh ♪
♪ We praise you ♪
♪ Oh ♪
♪ We praise you ♪
♪ Oh ♪
♪ We praise you ♪
♪ Oh ♪
♪ We praise you ♪
Hey, come on, church!
This is the time to praise Him.
Talk to our God.
He's worthy of our praise.
With everything you've got,
let everything that has
breath praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord, church.
He is worthy.
Come on! Let's sing this together.
♪ I've seen you move ♪
♪ You move the mountains ♪
♪ And I believe ♪
♪ I'll see you do it again ♪
♪ You made a way ♪
♪ Where there was no way ♪
♪ And I believe ♪
♪ I'll see you do it again ♪
♪ I've seen you move ♪
♪ You move the mountains ♪
♪ And I believe ♪
♪ I'll see you do it again ♪
♪ You made a way ♪
♪ Where there was no way ♪
♪ And I believe ♪
♪ I'll see you do it again ♪
♪ I've seen you move ♪
♪ I've seen you move ♪
♪ You move the mountains ♪
♪ And I believe ♪
♪ I'll see you do it again ♪
♪ You made a way ♪
♪ Where there was no way ♪
♪ And I believe ♪
♪ I'll see you do it again ♪
♪ I'll see you do it again ♪
♪ I'll see you do it again ♪
♪ I'll see you do it again ♪
♪ I'll see you do it again ♪
♪ Yeah ♪
Come on, church!
- We sing and we worship
a God who is alive
and who is moving.
Thank you for joining with us.
Stick around, 'cause we've
got an incredible message
from our pastor, Matt Brown.
- [Man] You know, just follow my lead.
Okay, here we go. Pivot!
(upbeat music)
♪ You make it ♪
♪ You, you, you, you make it so good ♪
♪ You make it ♪
♪ You, you, you, you make it so good ♪
♪ You make it ♪
♪ You, you, you, you make it so good ♪
♪ You make it ♪
♪ You, you, you, you make it so good ♪
- [Man] Pivot!
Pivot!
(crowd laughing)
- Hey, Sandals Church!
(congregants applauding and cheering)
Thank you, thank you.
Man, I am glad you are watching,
and man, crazy times in which we live.
We're in a series called "Pivot,"
and the idea of pivoting in basketball,
don't know if we're gonna have basketball,
but in basketball, right,
you can move one foot,
but you have to keep the other
foot locked down in place,
and if you lose that pivot
foot, you're in trouble.
And so we've got all kinds
of things coming at you,
and I know, every single
day, it's something new,
something fresh.
You know, I mean, this, you know,
to quote the poet Vanilla
Ice, from the '90s,
you know, will it ever stop?
I don't know, right?
And so if you don't know
who he is, look him up,
because he was hilarious,
but we just had all this
stuff coming at us, right?
I mean, we've had, you
know, riots, protests,
we've had racial tension,
we've got an election,
we've got the largest
hurricane in 160 years.
I feel like we skipped over
the murder hornets, amen?
We just kinda went right past that,
and we've got all this stuff coming at us,
and here's the thing is,
here's why I think we're
all so drawn to politics.
Politics is the art of
forcing others to change.
Here's why we're opposed to the Gospel.
The Gospel is an invitation
from Jesus for me to change.
You see, I would rather be
focused on what's wrong with you,
you know what I'm saying?
What's wrong with you,
than actually taking a look
at what's wrong with me.
So let's talk about how to
change when you don't want to.
We're all stubborn somewhere,
and if COVID hasn't revealed it, it will.
We're all locked in, stuck
in place, refusing to move,
somewhere in our life.
Where is it that you're stuck?
Where is it that you won't move?
So we've been talking about how to change
when you don't want to,
so this is our third week, and
we're gonna get honest today.
How to change when you don't want to.
Number one, write it down and
never forget it. You can't.
You can't.
If you don't wanna
change, you won't change.
You've got to want to change.
Anybody get frustrated with themselves?
I've been back at the
gym, and I gotta tell you,
the gym has been closed
for a couple of months
and people look a little different.
They haven't gained any muscle,
but they've gained some weight, amen?
Right? I mean, they
look a little different.
Have you found yourself,
like you know, you know
you need to get in shape.
You know this is your year.
You know it.
But you find yourself
staring in the fridge
for no good reason.
Anybody done that?
And your brain says, "What am I doing?"
Your stomach says,
"We're not even hungry."
And when you go, "What does
that have to do with anything,"
and you just keep looking.
(congregants laughing)
You just keep looking.
I mean, that's just what happens.
Here's the deal.
The Apostle Paul says
this is how he got
frustrated with himself.
Think about this.
This guy wrote 13 books
in the New Testament,
and he talks about radical
change, crazy change.
Here's what he says.
He says, "I know that nothing
good lives in me," nothing.
Paul says, "I know the problem
is inside, it's not outside."
He says, "I know there's
nothing good that lives in me,
that is, in my sinful nature."
He says, "I want to do what's right."
Underline this. "But I can't."
Every married man knows this. But I can't.
I want to say the right thing,
I want to do the right thing,
but I can't.
This week, I started a new
membership to a new gym.
My wife said, "Oh, you got
a membership to a new gym.
How much does that cost?"
And I said, "Less money than
the membership you don't use."
Ooh!
Yeah, right?
You can just feel the
air suck out of the room.
I want to say what's right.
I want to say what's right.
I want to do what's right.
But what came out was
filthy, and my wife said,
"That was snarky."
I had to look that word
up, and she was right.
(congregants laughing)
She was right. It was snarky.
You know why? 'Cause that's
what's on the inside.
It's snarky.
Snarky. I wanna do
what's good, but I, what?
I don't.
I don't do what's good.
I don't.
He says, "I don't do what is,"
or, "I want to do,
I don't want do what is wrong,"
sorry, sentence is a
little confusing here.
"But I do it anyway.
I do it anyway."
I don't want to look at
this, but I look at it.
I don't want to scroll through this,
but I scroll through this.
I don't want to experience
this, but I find myself there.
The Lord said, "You can eat
of any tree of the garden,
but don't look at this one,"
and where are Adam and
Eve having a picnic?
By the forbidden fruit.
We gotta make sure we know
where it is at all times.
He says this. "I've discovered
this principle of life."
This is a principle.
"That when I want to do what is right,
I inevitably do what is wrong."
And Paul's not a bad guy.
He's better than you. He's better than me.
He says, "I love God's
law with all my heart."
Oh!
"But there's another power within me
that is at war with my mind.
This power," he says, "makes me a slave
to the sin that's still within me."
Still within me.
And here's the reality.
We all believe that we're
going to vote for change,
we're gonna march for change,
we're gonna do this for change
and here's the problem.
As long as we push the issue out there,
there's never gonna be
a difference in here.
Look, Paul's an activist.
Paul speaks to injustice.
Paul speaks to things that are wrong,
but Paul has discovered
something that many people miss.
The problem isn't out there.
The problem's in here.
The problem's in here.
My wife and I, we were driving
with our family in Idaho,
and in Idaho, if you drive
with California plates,
people notice you.
You stand out, right?
You stand out, and they're a
little judgey because of you.
They're fine with us if
we stay in California,
but you go to Idaho, they
want you to leave quickly.
And so we were driving in Idaho,
and you know what we do in California.
If there's a sign that
says, "Lane closed ahead,"
you drive as fast as you can
all the way up to the front
and cut off everybody who's
waited patiently in line.
You know you do it.
You know you do it.
So that's what I did.
I drove all the way up in the left lane,
so I could get all the way up there,
and some dude with a truck
and a gun in the back
just literally cut me off, cut me off.
It wasn't an accident.
He did it on purpose.
And my oldest daughter says to her father,
who's her pastor, spiritual leader,
mentor and friend, says,
"Dad, what are you gonna do?
What are you gonna do about that, dad?"
I said, "Nothing." She said, "Why?"
I said, "'Cause we're in Idaho,
and he's just killed
something already this morning
and I don't want my
head to be on, you know,
above his fireplace."
(congregants laughing)
Look, man, we all sin, we all know,
and we've all been that other
person waiting patiently
and we judge that person that goes by,
and I would never do that.
But you did it last week.
You just forgot to think
about it this week.
You just got stuck in the right lane.
You really wish you
were in the wrong lane,
and then you just play dumb.
Oh, I didn't know.
I've never seen something
like this before.
When I do that, I always make Tammy
stick her head out the window,
'cause she's cuter than
me, and wave. (giggles)
And I'm just in the corner. (groans)
Let me talk to you about some
things that don't change.
Awareness.
Awareness.
Are you unaware
of some things that
are evil in this world?
We bring awareness.
I just want to bring,
I just want to bring
awareness to homelessness.
It's like, we're aware.
Awareness.
Run up to somebody next time,
"I just want you to be
aware you're a moron."
See how that helps the situation.
I want to bring awareness
to your stupidity.
Let's see. Let's see
how that helps, right?
Sometimes, my wife, through
the power of the Holy Spirit,
will bring awareness to me.
Man, awareness doesn't
always help, does it?
We're aware that a lot of
things are wrong in our world.
We're aware that a lot
of things are broken.
We're aware that a lot
of things are messed up.
Awareness is not the
problem. Sin is the problem.
Sin is the problem,
and oftentimes what we
do, even as Christians,
is we get motivated to address symptoms
and we are unmotivated
to address the cause,
to address the cause.
Next, education.
Oh, we just gotta educate people.
Look, smart people can be evil, too,
and if you don't believe me, read a comic.
The best evil characters in
the comics are mental cases.
Some of you didn't know this.
You know Ted Kaczynski, the
Unabomber, went to Harvard?
Yeah, really smart guy. Still evil.
Last time I checked, the devil was smart.
He debated scripture with Jesus.
Some of you'd have been like,
"Oh, I can't find that, Satan.
I can't find that."
Satan went toe-to-toe with Jesus, right?
Just because you're smart doesn't mean
you can deal with a heart problem.
You see, that's one of the things
that we have to deal with as a society.
Just because somebody's smart
doesn't mean they're good.
Those two things are not the same.
They're not the same.
I remember reading an article from a woman
who attended Harvard,
who was talking about the things
some of the young boys in her class,
her ethics class, were asking her to do.
Some of the smartest
young men in our country
in a class on ethics
were asking her to do
something that was unethical,
immoral, and wrong.
Next, I hear this a lot. We
gotta empower, we gotta empower.
When you take something by force,
you hurt someone with force.
Let me say it again.
When you take something by force,
you hurt someone with force.
Now, I don't care what
your intentions are.
I don't care.
When you use force, you
hurt people with force,
and that's just a reality.
And oftentimes, we hurt the wrong people.
We hurt innocent people.
We hurt people who didn't
have anything to do with it.
Next, experience.
I heard people, I mean,
you guys ever heard this?
Well, they just need to hit bottom.
You know what I've
discovered about people?
Sometimes, they just find
a new level. (laughs)
It's like, I didn't know I had
a basement. (laughs) (splat)
And we run around saying
that. Here's what we mean.
When you get older, you'll grow up.
No, no, no. You're just gonna get older.
You may never grow up.
But we say these things.
You know, we gotta empower,
we gotta experience,
we gotta be aware, we gotta educate.
Come on.
We know these things don't change us.
The reason I want to eat a Twinkie
is not because I'm uneducated,
unaware, unempowered to...
If it's light, you can throw it away.
The problem is not the Twinkie.
The problem is you want it.
That's the problem.
You want it.
You know it.
And some of us are so defeated
because we've tried over and
over and over again to change.
You've battled an addiction.
You've fought in your marriage.
I heard a pastor say this
today on social media.
It's so unsaid but so profound.
He said the greatest threat
to your relationship with your spouse
is losing your relationship with Jesus.
What?
We need Jesus.
When we fight over, you know,
did you put the lid down
or up or down or up?
I get confused. I don't know!
Toilet paper which way? I just want paper!
Right?
And we get caught up in
all these little things,
and the bottom line is,
if Jesus doesn't have
my heart in my marriage
when my wife says that's snarky,
if I don't have Jesus, I
can't go, "You're right.
You're right."
'Cause you know what my
flesh wants to say? (laughs)
You think I'm snarky?
Oh, we're gonna talk about my snarkiness!
Let's bring it all to the table,
and let's lay it all out there, right?
Let's get real, amen?
If I don't have Jesus,
man, something so small as,
"Hey, I felt like that
comment was snarky,"
turns into huge deal,
and it becomes hideously ugly and evil.
So Paul says in Romans 7,
man, the good I wanna do, I don't do,
and the things, man, that I
think I should do, I avoid.
And he's just constantly
confused and he's upset
and he's just tore up.
Here's the good news.
Number two, I can't
change if I don't want to.
Number two, only Jesus
can truly change me.
Paul says this. "Oh, what
a miserable person I am!
Who will free me from this life
that is dominated by sin and death?
Thank God!
Thank God!
The answer is Jesus Christ our Lord."
Can I just be real with you for a second?
I'm so turned off by politics right now,
but some of my highlights
have been people,
particularly people of color,
reminding this great nation
that Jesus is our hope,
that Jesus is our hope.
I was listening to a Black
political activist from Texas
who talked about his program
with those who are incarcerated
and the first step is
always to talk about Jesus,
and there was some pushback
on that, and he said this.
"That's what changed me."
Paul says, "Man, that's what changed me."
Do you know the Apostle
Paul was a murderer?
Did you know that?
He didn't shoot somebody
of no consequence.
He didn't shoot somebody of no ability.
Do you know who he killed?
He killed Stephen, the
church's greatest preacher.
He killed the greatest voice of God
the church had at the time.
The Apostle Paul did that.
Do you know why? Do you
know why Stephen was killed?
Because the Apostle Paul,
before he met Jesus,
thought you could change
people with religion.
That's why Saul had to die,
so that he could become Paul.
He could become Paul.
Thank God, thank God, thank God
the answer is Jesus Christ our Lord.
Now, let me challenge you.
I know so many of you are frustrated
on the left, on the right.
Right? Black, white, male, female.
We're all frustrated.
Can I just ask you a question?
When's the last time you
told somebody about Jesus?
Oh, you'll march, you'll protest,
you'll do a Facebook Live.
Have you ever told somebody about Jesus?
Have you?
Have you ever told somebody about the hope
that there is in Jesus?
That's how people change.
Jesus is in the business
of transforming lives,
and it doesn't matter how tore up you are.
He can change. He can change.
Here's the problem.
To truly change, I must be born again.
To truly change, to truly change,
I'm gonna be real with you.
It's online. We can't
change little things.
We have to change everything.
"Now there was a man of the Pharisees."
His name is Nicodemus.
You need to underline that
and understand that
Nicodemus was a powerful man,
both religiously and politically.
Nicodemus would have been a US Senator.
He's a powerful man. He's a political man.
He's somebody to be reckoned with.
He is in the business of
altering and changing lives.
He is an influencer of
influencers. That's who he is.
He's a powerful guy. He
believes he's a good guy.
He believes he's a righteous guy.
He is a ruler of the Jews.
He's a ruler.
"And his man came to Jesus
by night and said to him,
Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher
and that you have come from God,
for no one can do these signs
unless God is with him."
Nicodemus is at least fair.
He doesn't necessarily like Jesus,
but he likes the things
Jesus does to people.
But he still comes at night, amen?
He's not gonna come out and say,
"Look, Jesus isn't that bad."
I mean, how bad can you be, if
you help a blind person see?
If you raise somebody from the dead?
If you turn water into wine, right?
I mean, how bad can you be?
And Jesus answered him and said,
"Truly, truly, I say to you,
unless someone is born again
he cannot see the kingdom of God."
You see, Nicodemus is a smart man.
Nicodemus is a powerful man.
Nicodemus is an intelligent
man. He's an educated man.
Nicodemus has it all, but
he's missing one thing.
He's missing how we get right with God.
Nicodemus said to him,
"How can a man be born when he is old?"
Now, let me just tell you this.
The older you get, the
harder it is to change.
There's a reason the
army wants 18-year-olds
and not 80-year-olds.
You know what an 80-year-old's gonna say?
Nope.
(congregants laugh)
Nope.
Ain't doing that.
You can mold an 18-year-old.
You can influence an 18-year-old.
But an old man, good luck?
How can a man be born when he's old?
You ever notice some of the things
that you know you should
have changed a long time ago,
but you just kinda let 'em linger?
You didn't deal with them in your 20s,
you didn't deal with them in your 30s,
and before you know it,
you're turning into a
grumpy old man or woman.
He says, "How can a man
be born when he is old?
Can he enter a second time
into his mother's womb
and be born?"
And Jesus answered,
"Truly, truly, I say to you,
unless one is born of
water and the Spirit,
he cannot enter the kingdom of God."
I've gotten so many Instagram messages,
and let me be honest,
most of them are positive.
Most of them have been
actual inquisitive and fair questions.
One of them was from a young man.
He said, "Wait a minute.
You're saying good people
don't go to heaven?"
He said, "Then who gets to go to heaven?"
Another was from a young woman
who said, "Wait a minute.
You're saying my sexual
behavior can prohibit me
from becoming a Christian
and following Jesus?"
Listen to what Jesus says.
He says, "That which is
born of flesh is flesh,
and that which is born
of the Spirit is spirit.
Do not marvel," Jesus says.
"You must be born again."
You must be born again.
It's amazing to me that in our culture,
when people die, everybody goes to heaven.
Let me ask you this question.
When you die, how do you get to heaven?
Who gets you there? Who takes you there?
How do you arrive?
You see, if you're going to plan a trip,
and I know it's COVID, and no
one's going anywhere, pastor.
Right? Hawaii's closed,
Europe's closed, fun's closed.
But if you're going to go somewhere,
my first question is going to be
how do you plan on getting there?
Are you driving? Are you flying?
Are you sailing? How are
you going to get there?
But when it comes to heaven,
nobody's interested in transportation.
Let me ask you this question.
How are you gonna get there?
You've never been there. You
don't know how to go there.
You don't even know where it is.
But suddenly, you're dead,
and you're just kinda magically, "Oh!
I'll just follow the crowd."
The Bible says don't do that.
You have to be born again.
Something has to change.
Literally you need a body to live on earth
and you need to be born of
the Spirit to live in heaven.
You see, you're made to live on land.
You can't live in the ocean.
You can't swim in it.
You can't breathe it.
You need to be changed.
Jesus says, "The wind
blows where it wishes,
and you hear its sound,
but you do not know where it
goes or where it comes from."
Being born again is something
that comes out of nowhere
and I've watched it happen over the years.
One of my good friends,
Dan, here at Sandals Church,
actually, it was the last time
I talked about this passage,
he told me, he's been
in our church for years.
He said, "Pastor, I
don't know what happened.
I don't know what happened.
Something came over me in
the middle of your message.
I just stood up and I
gave my life to Jesus,
and I can't explain it."
I have another friend of mine.
She shared her story.
She went to church and the pastor preached
and she said she began
to shake uncontrollably,
trembling and shaking and overwhelmed
with almost no knowledge
of what was happening,
but she knew that
everything had to change,
and that what this guy was
saying was the word of God.
And that's how being born again is.
You don't plan it.
You just get hit by it.
"So it is," Jesus says,
"with everyone who is born of the Spirit."
Can I ask you a question?
Have you ever had a car crash
with the Holy Spirit of God?
Have you ever been run
over by the Spirit of God?
I remember one time,
my wife sent me to do our dry cleaning.
Right? I'm the head of the house.
My wife is the neck, so I
do what she says, right?
So our dry cleaner was this Korean lady.
Her English was broken,
but somehow, she figured
out I was a pastor,
and I went to drop of
shirts, my wife's blouses,
a couple pairs of pants,
and I was expecting her to say, you know,
"You can come back Thursday,"
and she says, "How do
you know God is real?"
I was not prepared for that.
And she could tell I was
hesitant, and she said it again.
She said, "How do you know God is real?"
And here's what I told her.
Because I've been run over by him.
I didn't meet him. We didn't shake hands.
We didn't go to Starbucks.
He ordered a latte.
(congregants laughing)
He ran me over. He ran me over.
And he said, "Your life needs to change."
That's how it is
with everyone who's born
of the Spirit of God.
Some people shake, some people cry,
some people prophesy, some
people speak in tongues,
but when it happens,
you'll never forget it.
Have you been born of the Spirit?
And I gotta be honest with you.
I am convinced that many people
who call themselves
Christians are not born again,
because you look at this election
as though it was the end
of the world either way.
Either way!
If you're born again,
you know the world only
ends when Jesus returns.
I don't care what you
think about Trump or Biden.
Neither of them are in control.
They're not that powerful.
They're just not.
Maybe one of the reasons
you're so frustrated with your life
if you have turned to others to change
what only Jesus can change in you.
Nicodemus had studied the
Bible. He knew the scriptures.
Good guy. Great guy.
Better than you, better than me.
Spent his whole life meticulously
following the word of God,
and Jesus says, "You
have to be born again."
Are you born again?
Why do I need to be born again, Pastor?
Why do I need to be born again?
Why do I have to accept this saying?
Number four.
Being born again allows me
to see the real problem.
Nicodemus said to him,
"How can these things be?
How can these things be?"
And Jesus answered,
"Are you a teacher of Israel
and yet you do not
understand these things?"
What a statement.
You can be a pastor of a
church and not be born again.
Some of you have been
raised to believe in Jesus
your whole life,
but you've never been born again.
Oh, you know about Jesus,
but you've never been run over by Jesus.
Remember the Apostle
Paul, we talked about him.
The good I wanna do, I don't do.
The very things I don't wanna do,
that's what I find myself doing.
And you've been there,
sat at your computer,
not gonna look at porn.
What do you look at?
I'm not gonna comment
on that Facebook post.
What are you doing? Commenting on that.
I'm not gonna get angry
today when I drive.
You lose your mind.
That same guy who said, "Thank
God there's Jesus Christ,"
because that guy realized
the only hope for him
was becoming born again,
and here's what the Apostle
Paul said to you and to me,
if you're born again,
if you're born again.
He said, "Once you were dead
because of your
disobedience and many sins."
And some of you look at the
news, you look at people,
and it doesn't matter
whether you're on the right or the left.
You pick the sins that offend you.
You choose. They're just different ones.
Right? From one side, we
look at people this way.
From another side, we look at it this way.
We pick the sins that offend us,
and there's plenty to choose from, amen?
The Apostle Paul says here's
why you need to be born again,
because once you were dead in your sins,
once you were just like them,
"Following the passionate
desires and inclinations
of our sinful nature."
And as Christians, we're so stupid.
We've been arguing for 50 years
about what's natural and not natural.
The Bible never called you to
follow your natural desires.
It calls you to become
a supernatural person.
"By our very nature we were
subject to God's anger,
just like everyone else."
Here's the truth.
As an old fart, as I watch the news
and I wanna judge this young
generation, here's the truth.
Without Christ, I'd have
been right there with them.
Without Christ, I would have
been right in the midst.
And by the grace of God,
by the grace of God,
I never got hurt.
I was never shot.
I never experienced a wound
in one of those stupid situations.
By the grace of God.
I didn't have control
over where bullets went
or where knives were thrown.
I didn't have control
over where the rock landed
or the bat swung.
By the grace of God.
By the grace of God.
I used to be just like that.
I used to have this frown.
Maybe it's still there.
Just lie to me about it.
It's not there, Pastor.
I used to have this frown,
this horrible frown.
You know why I had that frown?
Because I was in a riot where I got hit.
You say, what'd you get
hit by? I don't know.
Why? I got knocked out.
And I came up with all
kinds of great stories.
I don't know what I was hit
by. I don't know what happened.
All I know is that I had to
have about 11 stitches this way
and about 11 that way,
and some sugar stitches,
and then I had to fabricate
a story the next morning,
because I was in the wrong
place at the wrong time
and I ran into the wrong person.
I was just like them, just like them.
But by the grace of God,
but by the grace of God, Jesus changed me.
And let me just ask you this.
If you have vitriol and you have hatred
for those people who have
not yet changed, have you?
Have you?
You see, being born again allows
me to see the real problem.
It isn't out there.
It's right here.
It's right here.
And some of you say,
"Well, I'm a good person.
I'm just following my heart."
The prophet Jeremiah says
your heart, your heart
is desperately wicked,
and no one really knows how bad it is.
Your heart.
That's why the worst crimes in our country
are usually crimes of passion.
Crimes of passion.
You know what that means?
The heart was involved.
The heart was involved.
It's really easy, it's really easy to see
what everyone else needs to change.
It's why Jesus said,
"Why do you see the speck
in your brother's eye,
but you fail to see the log in your own?"
And the answer is because
the log blinds you,
and only Jesus can remove that.
Number five, being born again allows me
to experience God's real love.
So many people today run around
talking about God is love,
and they have no idea about God,
they have no idea about love,
because they've never been born again.
Remember what the Apostle Paul said?
That you were just like that.
You were running around, carousing,
giving in to your worst instincts,
following your heart,
following your passions.
"But God is so rich in his
mercy and he loved us so much,
that even though we were dead
because of our sins," what?
"He gave us life when he
raised Christ from the dead.
And it is by God's grace
that you've been saved."
Do you know why I'm your
pastor? God's grace.
Do you know why I'm alive? God's grace.
God's grace.
I'm not a Christian because I deserve it.
I'm not a Christian because
I'm better than you.
I'm a Christian because
Jesus is better than me,
and he saw me, a stupid
kid going his own way,
a kid who regularly
risked his life for fun,
a kid who engaged in behaviors and things
that he had been raised
and he knew were wrong,
but he did them anyways.
And do you know why that was?
Because I was a sinner
who needed to be saved.
But here's the good news.
Being born again allows me to be changed.
I gotta be honest with you,
when I was younger, man, if
you'd have come to Sandals
like in the '90s, dude,
I would tell some stories
where you'd be like,
"I don't know if we're coming back,
'cause I don't think the pastor is saved."
But now I'm older, I've got kids,
and sometimes I can tell
they're hearing an old story
or run into somebody else, and they're...
"Dad did that?
Dad, dad, he did that?
Him?"
Him.
And they can't believe it.
You know why?
Because that Matthew died.
He died.
And a new Matthew lives.
Being born again allows me to be changed.
Do you wanna change?
Do you really wanna learn how to pivot?
Then fall on your knees
and invite Jesus Christ into your heart.
And fortunately,
we have this beauty story
in John chapter three,
but we never see Nicodemus
fall on his knees
and pray to receive Christ.
He was aware, he was educated, right?
He had an experience with Jesus.
Nicodemus got a one-on-one
sermon with Jesus.
Can you imagine?
What are you doing today?
I'm going to Starbucks to meet with Jesus.
He got that, and still left unchanged.
But here's the good news.
Colossians 1:6 says this.
"This same Good News that came to you
is going out all over the world.
It is bearing fruit
everywhere by changing lives."
Changing lives.
You know what can change the
hard, dark heart of a racist?
Jesus.
Jesus.
And I know. I've met them.
I've met skinheads who've
fallen in love with Jesus.
I've met Black Muslims who've
fallen in love with Jesus.
I've met criminals.
I open my Bible almost every day,
and I read about a murderer
named Paul, every day,
who, by the way, writes
letters from prison.
Every day, I correspond
with this guy in prison
and he talks to me about
how to have a better life
in Christ Jesus.
"It's bearing fruit
everywhere by changing lives,
just as it changed your lives
from the day you first
heard and understood
the truth about God's wonderful grace."
What's the truth?
You don't deserve it.
You don't.
You don't deserve it.
But God loved you anyways.
And this is how the story ends.
The story ends with probably
the most famous verse
in the entire Bible.
You've seen it at football
games, basketball games,
sporting events.
You've seen it spray painted on a bridge.
You've seen someone
hold it up with a sign,
and it's John 3:16.
It says, "For God so loved the word,
that he gave his only Son,
that whoever, whoever believes in him
should not perish but have eternal life."
That's Democrat, Republican, independent.
Boy, you really need Jesus, right?
I'm independent.
Black, white.
Male, female.
Gay or straight.
Jesus Christ died for you,
and listen to me, "For
God did not send his Son
into the world to condemn it,
but in order that the world
might be saved through him."
Last week, we talked about
how to be less judgmental.
We talked about Jesus catching a woman
in the act of adultery.
Do you remember the last words he said?
"Has no one condemned you?"
She said, "No, Lord."
He said, "Then neither do I.
Now go and sin no more."
Just as Jesus interceded
for her at her worst moment,
Jesus Christ has interceded for you.
He has lived a perfect life,
the life that you could not live,
and he died the perfect death,
the death that you could not live,
that you could not die,
and he did it for you.
"For God so loved the world
that he gave his only begotten Son,
that whosoever should believe
in him should not perish
but have everlasting life."
Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ
is the only one that can
truly change the world,
and he's the only one
that can truly change you.
So I want to close with two things.
Number one, for those of you who continue
to so faithfully give to
our church, thank you.
Jesus Christ is changing
lives all over the world
because of you.
Thank you.
And I know we live in a season
where everyone's asking,
so thank you.
Second question, are you born again?
Are you born again?
Have you ever gotten to the place
where you see the real problem?
It's not out there, but it's in here.
Thank God it's not bad
news. It's good news.
It's great news.
It's the best news,
and it's that Jesus Christ died for you,
and here's all he asks.
All he asks is that you
repent of your sins, right?
What did he tell the woman
who was caught in the act?
Leave your life of sin. Sin no more.
Stop it.
Repent of your sins and believe in him,
and the Bible says you will be saved.
You will be saved.
It's what he told Nicodemus.
Nobody goes to heaven except
he who came down from heaven.
You see, Jesus Christ is the only one
that can transport you
from where you are now
to where God has called you to be.
You can't get to heaven without Jesus,
so let's just stop,
let's just take a moment,
and let's just invite the Holy Spirit.
Let's ask God's Spirit.
God, am I born again?
God, have I been saved?
And if you don't feel
something affirming right now
by the Holy Spirit,
would you just cry out
to God and say, save me.
Save me.
I want to be born again.
I want to start my life over again,
and I'm going to follow Jesus.
(gentle music)
Let's pray together right now.
Heavenly Father, in the
powerful, mighty name of Jesus,
Lord, we all need to be born again,
born anew,
and in this age where we debate endlessly
about how to make the
world a better place,
would you start making
the world a better place
by changing my heart,
by changing our hearts?
Holy Spirit, would you
give us a new spirit,
and if we're born again, would
you give us a new pouring,
with a new passion to share something
that's still the best news
the world has ever heard?
We pray this in Jesus' name.
Amen.
- As Pastor Matt was speaking and praying,
maybe you heard God speaking to you.
Maybe you said yes to Jesus,
or maybe you don't even
know where to start,
but you know you would
like to follow Jesus.
You can let us know by going
to sandalschurch.com/next
and click on Follow Jesus,
and we would love to follow up with you.
Me and my team will teach out to you
and help you make that change.
Maybe you heard this
message and you know someone
that you know needs to hear this message.
Share this message with them.
In fact, last week,
people all over gave
their lives to Christ.
A woman named Camily
was invited by her son
to watch the message,
and after watching that message,
she decided to change her
life by following Jesus.
Her son shared the message with her,
and now their lives will
never be the same again.
If you are giving to the work
and ministry of Sandals Church
that means you are directly helping people
to say yes to Jesus.
We would not be able to
do all that we are doing
and being able to be in people's
homes and on their screens
and all over the world
without you helping to make that happen.
Thank you so much for your generosity.
Thank you for partnering
with what God is doing.
If you would like to be a
part of lives being changed,
like Camily,
you can do that right now
through our Sandals Church app,
or by going to give.sc.
Because we know that Jesus saves
and is the only one who can change live,
we, with our worship team,
are gonna sing about that right now.
(gentle music)
♪ There's a table that
you've prepared for me ♪
♪ In the presence of my enemies ♪
♪ It's your body and your
blood you shed for me ♪
♪ This is how I fight my battles ♪
♪ There's a table that
you've prepared for me ♪
♪ In the presence of my enemies ♪
♪ It's your body and your
blood you shed for me ♪
♪ This is how I fight my battles ♪
♪ And I believe you've overcome ♪
♪ And I will lift my song ♪
♪ Of praise for all you've done ♪
♪ This is how I fight my battles ♪
♪ Yeah ♪
♪ With my hands lifted high ♪
♪ This is how I fight my battles ♪
- Oh, with worship in your heart
♪ This is how I fight my battles ♪
♪ Yeah ♪
♪ This is how I fight my battles ♪
♪ Yeah ♪
♪ In the valley I know
that you're with me ♪
♪ And surely your goodness
and your mercy follow me ♪
♪ So my weapons are
praise and thanksgiving ♪
♪ This is how I fight my battles ♪
♪ Oh ♪
♪ And I believe you've overcome ♪
♪ And I will lift my song of
praise for all you've done ♪
♪ This is how I fight my battles ♪
- Come on!
♪ This is how I fight my battles ♪
Lift your voice!
♪ This is how I fight my battles ♪
♪ This is how ♪
♪ This is how I fight my battles ♪
♪ This is how I fight my battles ♪
♪ This is how I fight my battles ♪
♪ This is how ♪
♪ Yeah ♪
♪ It may look like I'm surrounded ♪
♪ But I'm surrounded by you ♪
♪ It may look like I'm surrounded ♪
♪ But I'm surrounded by you ♪
♪ It may look like I'm surrounded ♪
♪ But I'm surrounded by you ♪
♪ This is how I fight my battles ♪
♪ Yeah ♪
♪ I'm gonna fight ♪
♪ Our weapon is worship, Lord ♪
♪ Gonna fight, gonna fight, yeah ♪
Maybe some of you out there,
maybe you've been saying,
that's good for you,
that you can sing and you can shout
and can lift your hands and do all that,
but you might be saying, hey,
that's not my personality.
I can't do that. Just that's not who I am.
Well, I have news for you.
We didn't come to worship
God for who you are.
We came to worship God for who he is.
(cheering)
He's the King of kings.
He's the Lord of lords.
He's the one who died for
us. He's our comforter.
He's our peace, church.
Let's worship him today for who he is.
God is a good God. He's a good God.
Come on, church, sing it together.
♪ And I believe you've overcome ♪
♪ And I will lift my song of
praise for all you've done ♪
♪ This is how I fight my battles ♪
♪ This is how I fight my battles ♪
♪ This is how I fight my battles ♪
♪ This is how ♪
♪ With our hands lifted high ♪
♪ This is how I fight my battles ♪
♪ This is how I fight my battles ♪
♪ This is how I fight my battles ♪
♪ This is how ♪
♪ It may look like I'm surrounded ♪
♪ But I'm surrounded by you ♪
♪ It may look like I'm surrounded ♪
♪ But I'm surrounded by you ♪
♪ I'm surrounded, yeah ♪
♪ It may look like I'm surrounded ♪
♪ But I'm surrounded by you ♪
♪ This is how I fight my battles ♪
♪ Yeah ♪
♪ This is how we fight ♪
♪ How I fight my battles ♪
♪ We give you all the glory ♪
♪ We praise you ♪
♪ All the glory, God ♪
♪ You're so worthy ♪
♪ So worthy, so worthy, so worthy ♪
♪ So worthy ♪
♪ All the praises, God ♪
♪ Lord ♪
♪ So worthy, so worthy ♪
♪ So worthy ♪
- Sing this with me. This is how.
♪ And this is how I fight my battles ♪
♪ Oh, this is how I fight my battles ♪
♪ This is how I fight my battles ♪
♪ This is how ♪
Every voice in the room, sing it out.
♪ This is how I fight my battles ♪
♪ This is how I fight my battles ♪
God is in control!
♪ This is how I fight my battles ♪
♪ This is how ♪
(upbeat music)
We sing because of who he is,
and our hearts should be moved.
If we sing because of who he is,
then we should stand to our feet
and our voice gets louder,
because he's the God of
miracles, he's the God who heals,
he's the God who saves.
Come on, let's sing this together.
Just one word.
♪ Just one word ♪
♪ You calm the storm that surrounds me ♪
Just one word.
♪ Just one word ♪
♪ The darkness has to retreat ♪
This is good news.
Let's sing it together.
♪ Just one touch ♪
♪ I feel the presence of heaven ♪
♪ Just one touch ♪
♪ My eyes were opened to see ♪
♪ My heart can't help but believe ♪
You sing!
♪ There's nothing our God can't do ♪
Come on, a little louder!
♪ There's not a mountain
that he can't move ♪
♪ Oh praise the name that makes a way ♪
♪ There's nothing that our God can't do ♪
Yes.
♪ Just one word ♪
♪ You heal what's broken inside me ♪
♪ Just one word ♪
♪ Just one word ♪
♪ And you revive every dream ♪
♪ Oh, what a dream, what a dream ♪
♪ Just one touch ♪
♪ I feel the power of heaven ♪
♪ Just one touch ♪
♪ My eyes were opened to see ♪
♪ My heart can't help but believe ♪
♪ There's nothing that our God can't do ♪
♪ There's not a mountain
that he can't move ♪
♪ Oh praise the name that makes a way ♪
♪ There's nothing that our God can't do ♪
Let's sing that again. There's
nothing that he can't do.
♪ There's nothing that our God can't do ♪
No prison wall!
♪ There's not a prison wall
he can't break through ♪
♪ Oh praise the name that makes a way ♪
♪ There's nothing that our God can't do ♪
♪ Oh ♪
We feed our faith when we worship
and when we sing out to him,
so join in this song.
Let's sing this together.
I will believe.
♪ I will believe for greater things ♪
♪ There's no power like
the power of Jesus ♪
♪ Let faith arise ♪
♪ Let all agree ♪
♪ There's no power like
the power of Jesus ♪
♪ I will believe for greater things ♪
♪ There's no power like
the power of Jesus ♪
Lift your faith arise!
♪ Let faith arise ♪
♪ Let all agree ♪
♪ There's no power like
the power of Jesus ♪
If you need faith today,
come on, shout it out.
I will believe!
♪ I will believe for greater things ♪
♪ There's no power like
the power of Jesus ♪
♪ Let faith arise ♪
♪ Let all agree ♪
♪ There's no power like his power ♪
♪ There's nothing that our God can't do ♪
♪ There's not a mountain
that he can't move ♪
Come on, oh praise!
♪ Oh praise the name that makes a way ♪
♪ There's nothing that our God can't do ♪
♪ There's nothing that our God can't do ♪
♪ There's not a prison wall
he can't break through ♪
♪ Oh praise the name that makes a way ♪
♪ There's nothing that our God can't do ♪
♪ Oh ♪
♪ Oh oh, oh oh, oh oh ♪
♪ Oh ♪
♪ Oh oh, oh oh, oh oh ♪
♪ Let's praise now ♪
♪ Oh oh, oh oh, oh oh ♪
♪ I believe, I believe, I believe, yeah ♪
♪ Oh oh, oh oh, oh oh ♪
♪ I will believe ♪
♪ I will believe for greater things ♪
♪ There's no power like
the power of Jesus ♪
♪ Let faith arise ♪
♪ Let all agree ♪
♪ There's no power like
the power of Jesus ♪
Yes, amen!
- Praise God!
- There's no power like Jesus!
(cheering)
- Church, we have a brand new
song to share with you today.
This is a homegrown Sandals original,
and we are so pumped.
(gentle music)
It's a song about the story of Jesus.
He got nailed to a cross
and all of our sin and our
shame got crucified with him,
but the good news about
that is that when he rose,
so did we,
and it's so beautiful that we get to stand
and we get to sing with
the angels of heaven
singing all honor, all
glory, all power to him,
because he is worthy.
So I want you to join in,
whenever you feel comfortable.
We hope you enjoy this new song.
Come on, let's sing this out.
Lord Jesus, all the honor is yours.
♪ Oh ♪
You carried a cross.
♪ You carried a cross of shame ♪
♪ Climbed up Calvary ♪
♪ And all of hell had gathered ♪
♪ Thinking they had victory ♪
♪ And they drove those rusty nails ♪
♪ Into your hands and feet ♪
♪ A crown of thorns for a King ♪
♪ The mockery complete ♪
Sing it.
♪ Death could not hold you down ♪
♪ The grave has been denied ♪
♪ All my sin and shame crucified ♪
♪ You walked out of that tomb ♪
♪ With healing in your wings ♪
♪ The God above all gods ♪
♪ King above all kings ♪
♪ Jesus you are ♪
♪ Almighty God ♪
♪ Almighty God ♪
Upon a throne.
♪ Upon a throne of grace ♪
♪ Enemies under your feet ♪
♪ And all the nations bow ♪
♪ Declaring your victory ♪
♪ And they sing unending praise ♪
♪ Unto one name alone ♪
♪ All glory and honor ♪
♪ Power and praise ♪
♪ To Jesus on the throne ♪
♪ Death could not hold you down ♪
♪ The grave has been denied ♪
♪ And all my sin and shame crucified ♪
♪ Oh, you're seated, Lord ♪
♪ You're seated on the throne ♪
♪ And all creation sings ♪
♪ To the God above all gods ♪
♪ King above all kings ♪
♪ All honor to you ♪
♪ All power to you ♪
♪ Worthy of all praise ♪
♪ Jesus you reign ♪
♪ All honor ♪
♪ All honor to you ♪
♪ All power to you ♪
♪ Worthy of all praise ♪
♪ Jesus you reign ♪
♪ Death could not hold you down ♪
♪ The grave has been denied ♪
♪ All my sin and shame crucified ♪
♪ You're seated on the throne ♪
♪ And all creation sings ♪
♪ To the God above all gods ♪
♪ King above all kings ♪
♪ Yeah ♪
♪ All honor to you ♪
♪ All power to you ♪
♪ Worthy of all praise ♪
♪ Jesus you reign ♪
♪ All honor ♪
♪ Oh ♪
♪ All honor to you ♪
♪ All power to you ♪
♪ Worthy of all praise ♪
♪ Jesus you reign ♪
♪ Jesus you reign ♪
♪ Jesus you reign ♪
♪ Jesus you reign ♪
♪ Jesus you reign ♪
♪ Oh, you reign, Lord ♪
You made it so good for
us to worship together,
and we're so honored to be able to share
new, original music with you.
You can check out that song
wherever you stream music.
That is available and ready for you.
Hey, thank you so much for joining us.
We will see you right back here next week.
