What Happens When We Refuse to Change | The Gospel Matthew

·41 min·3 clips

A surgeon saw a boy raised from the dead, yet became more cemented in his opposition to God—why miracles don't always lead to repentance.

Pastor Matt of Sandals Church teaches from the Gospel of Matthew, focusing on common misunderstandings about Jesus. He opens by acknowledging the Bible's complexity and states the episode will explore three things people often miss. His first point is that miracles do not automatically lead to repentance, which he illustrates with a personal story. Thirteen years prior, he prayed for an 18-month-old boy who had stopped breathing during cleft palate surgery, and the child immediately revived. A decade later, Pastor Matt interviewed the surgeon involved, Dr. Vien Doan, who had performed the surgery for free. Despite witnessing the same event, the surgeon remained dismissive and unchanged, becoming more cemented in unbelief. Pastor Matt connects this to Matthew 11:20, where Jesus denounces towns like Chorazin and Bethsaida for not repenting despite seeing many miracles. Jesus states that even wicked cities like Tyre and Sidon would have repented if they had witnessed such works. He warns that Capernaum, where he performed miracles, will face judgment worse than Sodom's. The teaching emphasizes that God's kindness and miracles are intended to lead people to repentance, not just to provide a spectacle. Pastor Matt argues that people often explain away divine intervention to avoid changing their lives. He shares a personal anecdote about almost being hit by a speeding SUV, suggesting such everyday protections are unnoticed miracles. The second major point addresses the identity of Jesus, specifically responding to a billboard on the 91 Freeway claiming "Jesus is not God." Pastor Matt cites John 1:1, which states "the Word was God," and Colossians 1:15, calling Jesus "the visible image of the invisible God." He explains that the doctrine of the Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—is supported by Jesus's baptismal command in Matthew 28:19. Pastor Matt contends that groups like Jehovah's Witnesses use altered translations to lower Jesus's divinity, creating a belief in multiple gods. He reads Philippians 2:5-7 to describe Jesus emptying himself and taking human form. The third point explores who Jesus chooses to save, referencing Matthew 11:25-27. Pastor Matt explains that God reveals truth to the childlike, not the wise and clever, making intellectual pride a barrier. He reads Jesus's invitation in Matthew 11:28-30 to all who are weary and burdened, offering rest and a light yoke. This contrasts with religious systems of 613 laws, proposing a way of humility instead of self-justification. The episode concludes with a call to repent, believe in Jesus's death and resurrection, and connect with the church for discipleship. The tone is pastoral, instructional, and conversational, blending personal stories with scriptural exegesis. Listeners interested in biblical teaching, personal testimony, and practical Christian living would appreciate this episode. Those seeking a purely academic or interfaith perspective might find its doctrinal stance too narrow.

As heard by us

A lively sermon that turns confusion about Jesus into a direct question.

The sermon turns a familiar problem into a plain one: if the Bible feels hard to follow, the point is not to smooth it out, but to sit with who Jesus is and what his power asks of people.

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Why you'd press play

If you want Jesus framed as a question you cannot dodge, start here.

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