2819 Church - WISDOM AND WONDER | They Not Like Us | Matthew 16:5-12 | Brandon Freeman

Episode Date: January 4, 2025

In Season 5, Episode 2 of “WISDOM & WONDER,” Pastor Brandon Freeman unpacks the meaning behind Matthew 16:5-12. Welcome to the official Youtube channel for 2819 Church. This channel features powerful and life-impacting messages from Philip Anthony Mitchell and guest communicators. As you listen to these sound biblical messages you can expect to be challenged, stirred, matured and inspired in your faith and walk with God. For more information about us visit 2819Church.org.

I want to pray and I want to jump right into the word together. I don't have a lot of time, but uh, just lift our hearts in the name of our Lord. As we sing this word of worship, I just ask that you do anything. I just ask that you show up. I ask that you sit on us. Breathe on us. We want to see you. In Jesus' name. Amen. Hallelujah. Hopefully I didn't miss anything. The clock is. And it's moving really fast. All right. Okay. Go with me to the book of Matthew chapter 16. Okay. And if you would oblige me, I'd like to stand for the reading of God's word. Just oblige me for a couple seconds. Sounds just like a mandatory man. You can't get me. You can't get me. Sound just like a tourniquet. 16.

Starting at verse number 5 when you got it, say I got it. If you need help, say I'm gone. And that's because all y'all have androids. Shaloud fell. Green bubble gang ain't got nothing. 16 and 5. I'm reading from the NIV and the word of the Lord declares it like this. When they went across the lake, the disciples, watch this, forgot to take bread.

And then Jesus says to them, be careful. Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees. They discussed this amongst themselves and said, it is because we didn't bring any bread. Aware of their discussion, Jesus, he asked them, you of little faith, why are you talking amongst yourselves about having no bread?

Do you still not understand? Don't you remember the five loaves for the 5,000 and how many basketfuls you gathered? Or the seven loaves for the 4,000 and how many basketfuls you gathered? How is it you don't understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on your guard against the yeast

of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Then they understood that he was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Philip, you gave me the wrong text. It's my assignment to preach to you for the next 36 minutes using this topic. They're not like us. I don't know if you know, but them, they not like us. Father, do it. Amen. Amen.

Here it is. Family, this morning, I'd like to share something with you that you may or may not know concerning your life as a believer. Here is the thing you may not or you may know, but let me just give it to you anyway. Life in Jesus is less about miracles and more about management. I'm gonna say it again because I don't think y'all got it life in Jesus I'm not talking about church I'm talking about Kingdom life in Jesus is less about miracles and more about management see I need you to get this here's why because the key to understand this is because management becomes a necessity to learn when you

realize God will allow you to be in all types of situations that you can't control. And since you can't control, you have to learn the skill of management because the only thing you can do with what you can't control is manage it. The only thing you can do in the season where you don't know where it came from is endure it. And some of us are praying to God to get us out of something that he wants to show himself while you in it. Y'all ain't ready. That's too early. That's why I don't like early services. So you got to develop this skill called management. Watch this. This lesson is so important for you as a believer to understand because contrary to popular belief, God is not in covenant with your comfort. He is not concerned as you think he is with you being comfort.

And let me take it a step further. He's also not in covenant with your convenience. Jesus is the most inconvenient thing about the scripture. So you mean to tell me you're going to say yes to him and then have smiles and Hallmark cards and a red carpet rolled out and valet everywhere you go. Ah, the kingdom ain't Atlanta. You serve a God who's more committed to his word than he is your convenience. And his word, watch this, encompasses his purposes and plans for your life. Now notice, I didn't say your purposes.

And it got quiet. It got quiet because we've created an idol out of our purpose. And what we're doing is adopting purposes that don't include him. And I don't know about you, I don't care how many bags my purpose can get me, I don't want what he don't want me to have. So, when I'm not looking like everybody else, I gotta manage that.

When I don't feel like everybody else, I gotta manage that. When I'm looking on IG and looking on Facebook and social media got me so strong, that I think I gotta be like everybody else, I gotta manage that when I'm looking on IG and looking on Facebook and social media got me so strong God that I think I got to be like everybody else I got to manage that so now I'm not praying for miracles I'm praying help me I'm not broke I'm just in between seasons right now I help me manage that though I it seems like everybody taking trips and I can't go nowhere. Help me manage that right now.

It seems like everybody's happy and everybody's relationship is on point. And mine's a little tense. Help me manage that. Right? I don't need you to do a miracle because a miracle would exclude me from doing any work. So I'm not asking for a miracle. I'm asking for management. All right, here we go. I'm running real fast. I'm running. I got 33 minutes. Here it is.

Here it is. I am not going to even unpack how you've made an idol out of your own desires. Right? Here's what happens when people read the scriptures who don't understand that this is a book written for you, but not written to you. Okay? What we do is we read the scriptures with this thing I like to call confirmation bias. Which simply means we don't take the scripture for what it's saying. We take the scripture for what we think it's saying to us. Right? So you see something like, be not drunken with wine. See, I got quiet.

I'm not going to even talk about your drinking. That's not what I'm doing. Calm down. But when you read something like, be not drunken, it becomes your validation to go out and do things God is trying to separate you from. I just don't have to get drunk. Right? And I'm not saying nothing about is drinking wrong or right. I'm saying, but what does it profit you? Because you're not doing it just because you're doing it. You're doing it because it brings some acceptance.

You're doing it because you got unresolved issues and unmet needs. So you're a people pleaser. So deep down inside, you really want to say no, but you can't because you don't want to be rejected. Y'all don't want to talk to me. Right? no but you can't because you don't want to be rejected y'all don't want to talk to me right so i'm trying to help you understand you got to learn to manage what you can't control watch this right when you start to think about your plans and purposes when anything goes wrong you are automatically by default responsible for the solution.

Right? When it's your plans and it's your purpose, when it goes wrong, you can fix it. Okay? Watch this. But it also means you will also be responsible and haunted by your own shortcomings. Oh, I'm in the book. Y'all don't even know it. You also will be responsible for your own shortcomings. And this is important because you need to know you will fall short. Why? Because many are your plans, but you choose to neglect

his. Therefore, now the focus is on you and what you can or cannot do despite what you've witnessed god do ain't got time y'all just gotta come back here it is so we see this play out in our text today matthew 16 5 watch this jesus and his disciples stop stop stop stop Jesus and his disciples are in the boat and they're getting ready to go to the other side of the Galilee this is so good they're getting ready to go to the other side of Galilee. They are leaving Jewish territory and going into a pagan land. They are heading towards unfamiliar territory. And then all of a sudden, they realize, wait a minute.

We're getting ready to go on a journey and we didn't bring any bread. All of a sudden, they realize we're getting ready to go on a journey and we didn't bring no bread. And Jesus is saying, we're getting ready to go on a journey and you need to know something. They're getting ready to go on the journey, but they didn't bring no bread. Jesus is saying, we're all going on a journey and you need to know something that's bigger than bread. So he tells them, hey, before we get over here, be careful.

Be careful and be on guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Now, if I was a disciple, I would be saying, hmm, I wonder what he meant by that but instead they say he must be saying this because we didn't bring no bread it's in the text it's in the text and then you can logically deduce from this text he was irritated when they said that. Because the Bible says that he asked the question. But he said something else before he asked this question. He didn't just say, why you think I'm talking about? He said, I see y'all still got a little faith.

You're concerned about bread when you don't know you're rolling with the bread. I see y'all still got a little faith. Because you're worried about being hungry when you don't understand that because you got me. Y'all worried about bread when you don't even know who you're rolling with. Now tell me we ain't been together all this time and you done seen me feed the 5,000 with bread. You done seen me feed the 4,000 with bread. But you tripping over bread?

I need to tell somebody, stop tripping over bread. Huh? Take it how you want to. Bread? Stop tripping because you don't have bread. You with the God who owns the cattle on the side. Okay? Alright. If you don't get nothing else, you heard me say stop tripping over bread. Now watch this. He's concerned with the disciples' revelation of who he is.

Oh, this is so good. Even though they're with him, kicking it with him, chilling with him, been with him, he's still concerned about their revelation of him. Because you can be with me and not know me. You can pray to me and not know me. You can lift your hands

toward heaven but not have a relationship with me. And so he's checking their revelation of who he is. This is why he's irritated. Right? I'm not making this up. It's called

deducing from what you read. You can logically deduce based on his response. He was irritated. He said, I see y'all still don't get it. You have little faith. Because we were just working with bread.

You've seen what I can do with a little bit of bread. So you mean to tell me you trust me to be able to feed the multitude, but not y'all. Because if I'm in the house and I know that I am, there's some of us in here who say, I believe, but help my unbelief because I know you can do it for them, but I don't know if you can do it for me. I've been praying a long time. You still ain't did it. I've been wanting you to for a long time. It's still ain't moved, but I need you to understand don't look at what he's doing with everybody else and look at that as he must not be able to do it for me I learned a long time ago that if he's blessing anybody near me it means he's in the neighborhood so I ain't gonna hate on you I'm gonna shout with you I'm gonna chump you. I'ma shout with you.

I'ma chump with you. I'ma cry with you. Because I want him to see me celebrating even though I ain't got what I want. Right? That ain't what I came to talk about, but here it is. Watch this. He says to them, that ain't what I was talking about. He was warning them to be on guard against the yeast.

Somebody say yeast. Yeast. Ah. Notice, he's not just highlighting the Pharisees and Sadducees. He's more so highlighting the possibility of the influence. He's highlighting the possibility of the interaction with these people, now watch this, watch this, it's important how do you make bread?

well, okay, no baker, I ain't no baker but don't push me so, how do you make bread? any bakers in here? I learned, first you need a little flour need a little flour. Huh? You need a little flour, okay? Then secondly, you got to have some water, right? And then, you know, you need a little salt, kind of a little seasoning, right? You need flour, water, and salt, and you can make bread. No, y'all, this is what I'm saying. Y'all trying to be too deep. You actually can make bread with flour, salt, and water. It will just be unleavened. It'll

be bread though. It may not be bread you prefer but it's gonna be bread y'all miss what i just said because when you take communion it's supposed to be on it's supposed to be bread that y'all missing what i'm saying he actually wants you to take bread you don't prefer. Never mind. Okay. Y'all was way late with that one. All right, let me keep it going. Here it is. So you got flour, you got a little water, you got a little salt, but the thing that makes bread bread is yeast. So what is yeast? Yeast is known as an additive, right? Not only does it help the bread rise it also gives the bread a little flavor and we all like a little flavor oh I'm in the wrong church I'm just gonna talk to you there ain't nothing worse than having something that

ain't got no flavor so all lives, we're looking to only consume things that got flavor. We can't take nothing that ain't got no salt. We can't take nothing that ain't got no pepper. We can't take nothing that ain't got no flavor. But Jesus is saying, be on guard against the flavor. He's saying, watch out for the additives. He's saying, you need to know we're going into a territory where they not like us. And because they not like us, they gonna try to get you to be like

them so be careful when you talk to somebody about I wouldn't stand in that line that long to go to no church if I was you when you tie this building is too hot for me when you talk about people I don't see why you doing all of that for your church when you talk to people why would you give all of your money to that church these are additives because they not like us all right okay so he's telling them hey this ain't about the Pharisees and Sadducees. It's about you. I want you to be aware that the principle of influence is always at work. I want you to be aware that there's no such thing as neutral relationships.

People are only in your life for one or two reasons. To add to it or take from it. Nobody in your life for one or two reasons. You add to it or take from it. Nobody in your life, yep, you heard me say it right, nobody in your life is standing neutral. He is only there to take or give. She is only there to take or give you only there to take or give

so he's saying contextually we are getting ready to go to a territory y'all ain't familiar with but before we get there, let me give you the rules of engagement. Because you're getting ready to come up against something you're not used to fighting.

Because in the culture where you come from, we all lift our hands. Y'all are missing what I'm saying. Right? This is your community. This is your family. So everybody don't do what you do. So he's not saying, hey, we got to avoid Pharisees. No, he said, you got to guard yourself against their yeast. What do you mean their yeast? Things that leaven the bread that are meant to be unleavened.

Things that give you flavor that are meant to be unflavored. Things that want you to do something that I told you not to. Things that want you to date him when I said not yet. Things that say I want you. Ah! He said guard yourself. Because ladies, society will have you thinking you're supposed to be single. Y'all be telling on y'all. Y'all should shout anyway. Right?

In a world full of I'm a bad I got this Get in your book and read what happened in Genesis. He saw an old dude named Adam and said, Adam you good But it's just not good For you to be by yourself Now I'm finna make some of y'all real mad

Here it is Rhonda do you got my back Here it is How you gonna say you don't need something you was taken from. Can I go a step further? I don't think God didn't call you woman, Adam did. Read your Bible. He presented Eve to Adam and Adam said, I shall call her woman. Yeah, he's supposed to give you your identity. He's supposed to give you your name, not call you out your name.

He's supposed to name you though. He's supposed to speak over your life. He's supposed to push you forward. He's supposed to tell you about your goals. He's supposed to help you come up. He's supposed to do that. Right? And that just happened because I got ADD.

All right. Here it is. Okay. Let me get through. Let me get through. Here it is. So, we got our bread. And, oh, this.

We got our bread. And now, we are ready to make bread. Here we are. They didn't bring bread and Jesus starts talking to us about bread. I mean it went way. They didn't bring bread which means it was a concern to them it was a concern to them it was a concern to them read your bible

Jesus ain't said nothing about y'all know we're going on a journey right he didn't bring no bread he never says this Y'all know we're going on a journey, right? He didn't bring no bread. He never says this. He says in the middle of you talking about provision, the problem rises is because you still look to yourself for provision.

Man, I'm going to talk to you. We rocking today. The problem comes because you're so inundated with what you don't have and what you didn't do and what you didn't correct that he can't even give you instruction because every time he speaks, you hear yourself.

About 300 of y'all in here need to be delivered from an allegiance to yourself. I hear you. I know what's best for me. I know how to get out of this. I know how to make this work. I know how to put something with something make something happen and God is saying away with you I'm trying to tell you listen the bread you're looking for a way I am you're looking for the light I am the light you need looking for the light? I am the light. You need provision? I am. They call me Yahweh.

You need me to be a provider? I got that. You need me to be a healer? I got that. You need victory? I got that. Everything you need is not found in you. It's all in me. Shout at somebody and say, forget the bread, man. here's why you gotta forget the bread

because when you hungry you'll eat anything and I stopped by all the way from Dallas, Texas to tell some of y'all, you are what you eat. And I meant that. Huh? What are you saying? I'm saying when you yoke yourself up with people,

you sign up to fight demons that weren't assigned to you. Some of y'all are fighting their demons and his demons and her demons. It's like this stuff wasn't even for you, but because of who you yoked up to. I am in the book. He's talking to them about their interactions with people who are not like them. He's talking to them about their interactions with people who are not like them. He's not saying, don't y'all think Jesus is fun? If he didn't want them to be around him, he would have circumvented that. But he says, the gospel is not a gospel of avoidance.

It's a gospel of confrontation. So I'm not gonna take them from you. I'm gonna give you power to be in front of them and be like, no, uh-uh, Matrix. I'm not gonna take them from you. I'm just gonna give you the power to stand in front of their face and say, I'm cool with you, but you're not like me.

We're friends, but you're not like me. We're friends, but you're not like me. We're together, but you're not like me. We work together, but you're not like me. So what can I take? What can I take from these seven scriptures? What can I take from these seven scriptures? You better don't do that. What can I take

from these seven verses? Because I need this to be a Monday message, not a Sunday message. Eleven minutes. I a Sunday message. 11 minutes. I'm almost there. Ooh, I'm doing good. What can I take from these seven verses? One, I can take a word from that.

I may not have the revelation of Jesus, but I think I do. Let me push this in the text they are with him I feel like crying because my unique agitation is not for the lost that's why me and your pastor are so tight we're opposite his unique agitation is extremely evangelistic in nature. I've been called to the people who say there's Christians.

And what breaks my heart with a lot of y'all is, you with him and don't know her. Some people come here, you mean to tell me? Y'all don't know, when people found out I was coming back to Atlanta, so many people were saying this. This is what they said about y'all church. This is what they said about y'all church. I said, hey bro, I'm in the A. I'm in the A. Come check me out. He said, hey, bro, I'm in the A. I'm in the 3-4-4. Come check me out. He said, hey, I've been there a few times, bro. The way that parking is, dog. No, bro, I'll catch you afterwards. The last time I came, that line, I mean, bro, like, additive.

And I know he watching. Additive. and I know he watching because what he thought is I was asking him to come see me I was just inviting you because I know you ain't going to church never. But you need to tell me y'all come here every week and still talk about you forgot bread. You need to tell me you in it. I'm in it. Y'all don't got just on any pastor. Right? I think y'all don't get it because you're in it. I'm on the outside looking at him like, man, this is getting out of control. Y'all are in that church. And you're still worried about how bills are going to get paid? All that good worship.

And you still think therapy is... I... love therapy. I think you need theology and therapy to survive. However, I wouldn't dare put my therapist I just wouldn't. You still talking about your issues?

What you need God to do? He actually in the same boat with you? What Jesus was doing was exposing their lack of revelation. And that's why I came to this moment. It's to expose your lack of revelation of the God you really serve. God is so cold. That he will allow you to meet people you're not supposed to be in covenant with.

I'm getting ready to go into a series at my church in Dallas called Chosen. Because I don't think people understand you serve a God that wants to be chosen. This is the answer to the angel question. God, why do you want me to stay away from that? But you don't take my appetite away.

I just want to give you a little bit. It's because he's saying, I want you to have me and your appetite. And when it comes to the point where you gotta choose one I Want to know if you don't choose me over your appetite? I know you like flavor But I want to know if you're gonna choose my principles and my precepts and what we've been talking about and what we've been discussing. I know that they were once in the single season like you are now.

But just because they booed up don't mean you got permission. Because some of y'all are single on purpose. Don't mess that up. And I'm done. I've sweated enough. If you don't get the picture, let me remind you. Be careful.

Of the East. Of the Pharisees. And Sadducees. And didn't say sinners. of the yeast of the Pharisees in San Jacinto. He didn't say sinners. I ain't got time to really dive into this text like I want to. Because the Pharisees was people who knew the word. You gotta be careful

with people who know the word. Because just because they can speak don't mean they're speaking the same language I am. So be careful with that yeast. Things that make you rise. Jesus! Jesus! We are living

in a society and a culture and a time where deconstructing is growing every day. Listen, God is not intimidated by nobody deconstructing. He's like, you got questions? Ask me. But here's the problem with deconstructing. Most of us, I mean, that's true. Most people, I don't know what that means. Somebody out here thinking about it. Let me expose you a little bit.

The reason why you're thinking about deconstructing is because you're trying to deconstruct a faith that's not centered around Jesus. Right? Which means you have a problem with boundaries. I.e., y'all call them rules and regulations.

They're just really healthy boundaries. Are y'all hearing me? See, when you read the Bible with a confirmation bias and you read about lepers, then you'll think that the king was being cruel to the people who had the disease.

Give us a shot to protect everybody else. We ain't got doctors like that. So I don't want this to spread. And yeast makes bread spread. So be careful. Because I know you like them.

They not like us. And in this encounter, either I'm going to influence them to be like me, or they going to influence me to be like them. So, my prayer for each and every person in this room is that in your daily encounters, maybe in your day to day,

that you would beware of the fact that Jesus is not the only person sending you to your life. Y'all need to start praying about your friendships. Atlanta is such a community social place. We call it network. But the enemy will use your network to hang something around your neck and that yeast will pull you further further away

small stuff just little seeds and I mean just it goes from being at church faithfully every week to come to brunch with us you can miss one I mean you can miss one week you're right Lord knows my heart and ladies and gentlemen that's the problem he knows your heart and your heart so jacked up you better not miss a week

I want to pray for you my prayer is that this little Easter speech really did something to help revolutionize your tomorrow. People of 2819, don't be around the water and refuse to get wet. Don't be around the water and refuse to get wet. Oh, God, hear my heart. I commend you for being brave and pressing me away week in and week out and filling this room

and even in the overflow. I commend that. And don't do all of that. And have a whole lot of activity but no intimacy. All over the room we're standing. I want I'm not going to do nothing deep I just want everybody to lift your hands and I want you to hear me say this

this gathering is not about you. It's all about him. I'm coming back to you. I'm coming back to you. But it's all about you. It's all about you. It's all about you, Jesus. I'm sorry, Lord, for the things I've been in.

And it's all about you. It's all about you, Jesus. Open the eyes of my heart. Open the eyes of my heart. I want to see. Can you see nobody else? I want to see. So please open the eyes of my heart.

It's for him. Open the eyes of my heart. I want to see you. I want to see

you. To see you, to see you high and lifted up. Shining in the light of your glory. Pour out your power in love. Like angels. As we sing, holy, holy, holy. I want to see you. I don't want to see nobody else. I don't come here to see nobody else.

I came to see you and you alone. So Father, I pray for every person under the sound of my voice. That the posture of our hearts would be a posture that says, I will press my way to the gathering to give you what I haven't given you all week. I will press my way to the gathering to lift my hands because you're worthy. To lift my voice because you all week. I will press my way to the gathering to lift my hands because you're worthy to lift my voice because you're worthy to be a community with people who feel just that I do that if you haven't done anything else for us, the simple fact that I have breath in my lungs and activity of my limbs and health in my body is enough to say that you are worthy of all praise, glory, and honor. and now father i pray that as you pour out your power and love

that i have enough sense and wherewithal to be careful and guard myself against the yeast of this world. In Jesus' name. Listen, before you sit down, we're going to get ready to give. We're going to get ready to give. I want to share this with y'all. I am right now standing in the need. We're believing God. I mean, way more than this amount, but I'm believing God for $2,400 to finish my degree.

And I have been putting this off for a long time. I was like, man, I'm not going to do it. I'm not going to do it. I'm not going to do it. And then finally, when I go to the school and I really felt like God was like, yeah, this is the one I want you to finish it. I tried to get my transcripts and it was like, ah, you got a hold because you owe the university $2,400. And in my head, I said, that's crazy. I don't even have $2,400. Lord, all I do is for you. I start tripping. And then I start thinking.

And I start thinking. Here's the principle I've always lived in. I need a blessing. I'd be a blessing. So, I don't know how. I gotta have him by the 30th, and I don't know how, but I'm showing him it is. Because I'm telling God, this ain't enough anyway. What I need from you is so much bigger than this. And when you're in a gathering like this, it's easy to be inundated with what you need. But I just want to help you today. When you need a blessing, be a blessing.

Amen. So I want you to give. And today we're going to give with a culture of generosity. All over the world. In church. This is known as the lean months. We're going to break that lie. It may be lean for some people. It won't be lean for 2819.

So I'm going to pray over your giving. And then you give how you normally give. Father, I thank you for each and every giver in this world. I thank you for everything that you've given us week in and week out. Maybe we live paycheck to paycheck, but at least we got one. Maybe we don't have enough, but at least we got some. And Father, I pray right now, because we need a blessing, the posture of our hearts will be to be a blessing,

not only to this house, but to your kingdom. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.