Ash Wednesday - Brody Tubaugh - 2/18/26

All right, you know what? I've I'm learning more and more in my life that perspective matters, okay? It matters to how we address almost anything, right? So how many of you have worn shorts in the last week? Okay, it's only 60 But it feels great, right? Now if you flip that and I mean when I went to school in North Carolina Like when it was 60 everybody was freezing. You'd be add layers on and they were cold and it's all perspective Right, it was cold to them. It's warm to us. We get it like three weeks ago was zero perspective perspective works in much bigger bigger parts of our lives So if you know this about me, I have eight-year-old twins and I coach my son's basketball team and They're eight, okay, and sometimes they're good and sometimes they're bad like bad Have you seen eight-year-old basketball? This is rough like sometimes we score 40 points But this last weekend we couldn't score 10 like I don't know what happened I really don't know what happened and it ruined my Saturday. It shouldn't I know it shouldn't But it really did we went we lost two out of three and I was mad all Saturday and it kind of eaked into Sunday I'm taking away too seriously, but my perspective was a little off on Monday I went on a walk with a neighbor and That family had just lost a really close family friend who suddenly died at the age of 19 Some of you may have heard about this a football player from nearby school and Listening to her change my perspective Suddenly losing two out of three and bothering me Right because I started looking at life from a whole different way Today I want you to think about your perspective It matters what's the perspective you're taking to all of the problems or the things you have in your life Because that's really what Lint is about if we get this right tonight We can orient our perspective back towards God and then we can start to understand like how God is calling us to live Perspective matters, okay, we're gonna start with Matthew this text is it's gonna Matthew Do you ever wonder why he would just leave and follow Jesus? If you've listened to the Bible you heard a lot of whole life you just know that yeah You know Peter's a fisherman and he just leaves his whole job to follow Jesus and Matthew's a tax collector And he just decides one day just to follow Jesus that seems a little odd to do something like that to leave the life that you have and Reorient yourself towards Jesus you had to have a perspective change at some point And we don't know exactly what happened to Matthew But I think we can start to put some pieces together. That's what I want to do Matthew is a tax collector. What does that mean? It means he was a sellout Okay, what the Romans would do the Romans were ruling over Israel and the Jewish people at that time And what they do is they would come in and they would find somebody who was pretty smart and Who was also willing to collect taxes and then line their own pockets with their own people's money that was Matthew Nobody liked him nobody wanted him around We talked about Zacchaeus last week. This is that kind of character, okay? And and to do that if you if to do that you have to You have to double down on your actions if you ever done something you know is wrong and somebody calls you out The first thing it does you meet it with anger If you have somebody in your life that you've ever like you realize you said something you didn't know it was gonna be so Touchy and then they like really shoot back at you some type of attitude you stepped on something right something They don't feel comfortable with and so they have to double down on their actions. That's what I expect Matthew to do He has like sold out his family and all of his people for some Jewish I tinder at preacher like Jesus to walk along and say hey leave that and come follow me You would I expect him to say absolutely not do you realize what I've already left in order to have all of this stuff? He does the opposite Because he did have stuff He would have a lot of money. He would have protection. He would have had the opportunity to rise in the ranks Like some future like he Matthew was on a track and he had sold everybody out to get there So what started to change his mind that made him say yes to Jesus? I think maybe he was starting to kind of get over all the glitz in the glamour He was starting to see through it Maybe he was finally realizing that all of the stuff that he had all of the decisions he had made all of the goals He had in life that they were kind of all dust as a theme. We're gonna get to tonight And when I say dust what I mean is like they're not gonna hold up in the hardest of times that Eventually they go away Eventually you spend the money or eventually just wake up one day and realize maybe this all wasn't worth it Have you ever been really motivated towards a goal and get there and then have it kind of feel empty? I mean it was cool in the moment. It was kind of great, but then that was it or Maybe maybe you're really close to a goal right now Like you're you're you're knocking on the door of something and for some reason you're just losing motivation I don't want you to think you're broken. Maybe you're finally just seeing things in this world for what they are They're not something can build your life on now you won't find anybody in your life who is like gonna ask you about your goals and Celebrate them any more than me. Okay. I love it. I want to see you guys do all the things that you want to do But I don't want you to build your life on it because it's dust And you don't know when it will crumble, but eventually it will and As your pastor if I can call myself that I just don't want you to fall very far I want you to know that that that there's there There's something more powerful than the dreams that you have I Think when Jesus calls Matthew hey Matthew leave your leave your booth your text letter booth and come follow me I think Matthew had been seeing that there was dust all around him the whole time Pop quiz who won the Super Bowl last year Did take your second I thought about that today and then I realized the only reason I know was because of Cooper Like the only reason that I know that the Eagles won it last year is because of Cooper Dixine And honestly you ask me in like three months. I will forget that the Seahawks won Super Bowl 60 I can't even name one player on their team What I'm saying is that's like the biggest game and we won't remember it like you'll go back in your mind to be like when I was in college Who won Super bowls and you won't remember the Seahawks unless for some odd reason you're a Seahawks fan you're welcome to okay? You get my point here the biggest things in our world like you will have trouble remembering them who played the half-time show two years ago I don't even know Somebody here does good for you, okay? Give my point It's great and it's one of these highest honors that you could ever be asked to do and people can't even repeat it. It's dust Another question. I mean if you've ever read the book in the Bible called Ecclesiastes and would have read this book Yes, what you have that's super cool. It's the weirdest book ever You'll read it be like this is in the Bible Seriously turn there tonight turn Ecclesiastes in history says it's written by King Solomon The wisest man and he's like everything is dust You guys know the song by Kansas like the classic rock song dust in the wind Know that song it totally ripped off the book of Ecclesiastes This is a guy who had everything that he wanted he had all the riches he had all this stuff And he writes this whole book about how it doesn't matter and it all leaves in the end. So what's the use? He's reminding you he's telling you before you set your sights on once I get this I will be happy Check that it's all dust Now this is like the most depressing sermon ever right? I don't think so I actually think this is great Okay Because math you finally follows Jesus when his perspective in life was changed enough But something else had to happen, okay? Because he was seeing everything is sort of worthless and then in walks Jesus How do you think he felt? It's had to be something different about Jesus right? Matthew is seeing that it may be everything doesn't quite add up and what really matters and then here comes this guy and there's something about Jesus that was eternal You don't have to be there yet But I'm telling you the longer you hang out with Jesus the more you can see that this guy has something than not everybody else has He's a savior of the world What's your perspective on life tonight? Do you come in tonight like really happy and think everything's great. That's all that's great. That's wonderful Are you kind of down? Do you wake up this morning and wonder if it all even matters? I'm glad you're here too Because maybe you're closer than you think to actually say maybe it's time to fall for Jesus Maybe it's time to put his goals ahead of my own Because everything is dust except for him Again keep going but what are you building on? Okay Am I saying that the things in the world are bad? Absolutely not Okay, there are like philosophies in our world that will say hey, you know what like everything that is material is like terrible And we should just like become really aesthetic in our minds and then swear off all things of this earth And that's not what Jesus said at all. Jesus went to a lot of dinner parties Jesus says, "Hey Matthew, we're coming over to your house today and we're going to have a bunch of food." Jesus loved life. He just knew that that wasn't what it was all about, that those things are additions. Those things are joyful when they have God's presence in them. And that, see, what does God do with dust? Scripture tells us over and over again. He breathes the breath of life into it. This is super cool. I'm not going to use three stories. But you could find others. Genesis chapter 2. God is creating humans out of the dust of the ground. This is what it says. Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. Then he became, then the man became a living being. Do you see what God does with dust? It's nothing until it's filled with God's life. Like God fills it with His breath. It's not just there. There's a book called "Ezekiel." "Ezekiel is a prophet." "Ezekiel has a dream, like a vision." And he's transported to this valley with a bunch of dry bones in it. Like dust dry baked by the sun, no life in this valley. And God says to him, "Prophesy to the bones." "Tell them to become a living being." And he's equal. It's like, "I don't get it." Listen. Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them dry bones, hear the word of the Lord." This is what the sovereign Lord says. "I will make breath interview and you will come to life." I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin. I will put breath in you and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord. What does God do with dust? With dried out hopeless things in life. Is He brings His breath? He breathes His breath of life into it. And when God's breath enters us, something amazing happens. You think it's bad to be dust. I'm telling you, it's not. Being dust is the prerequisite to having God's life interview. One more. Jesus has died and He's resurrected. Okay? Transport yourself to the end of the lantern. We're celebrating Easter Sunday. This is what happens. This is in John chapter 20. Jesus said, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, I am sending you. And with that, He breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit." I have to be honest. The first thing that makes me feel like is, "Oh my gosh, nobody should breathe on me." And then I don't like that. That's kind of weird. But then you realize what He's doing is linking Him all the way back to the beginning. Without me, you're nothing. With me received the very spirit that I created you to have. Ash Wednesday is to remind you that you are dust. But dust. The next thing that happens is it gets filled by God's spirit. I always thought this night was so weird. Growing up, I'd go to Ash Wednesday and get the ashes on my forehead and be like, "Honey, I don't know. They told me that I'm dust and I'm going to die. I don't know if that sounds very encouraging." And then I read these and I realized that really what it's all about is that we can be filled with the right thing. That everything else is dust. Everything else will go away. But it has God's spirit in it and it is good. And that's you. I know this is hard to hear. So the coolest thing about this is what Jesus did for you and me. He's knowing that we're dust. What did Jesus do? But he became dust for our sake. Knowing that we're hopeless without him, he put on human flesh and dwelt among us. The Savior of the world. Instead of just trying its best to make us better, he said, "Why don't I become like you and then join you even to the point of death, death on a cross?" He had his own bones crushed on our behalf. That's the reason that we sing and celebrate who he is. Not because he's some far off God who says, "Well, hopefully they can figure it out." But he came right here to see us as dust and then enter us to bring us to life. You ever heard Holy Communion describe that way before? Holy Communion is when we take the body and blood of Jesus Christ, the bread and the cup. Like, what is this thing we're doing? Well, we're letting his breath, his very life, enter us once again. If you feel empty tonight, this is for you. If you feel full tonight, understand that all that stuff might go away tomorrow, but this never will, the presence of God in you. Here's what it is. It was the night that Jesus gave himself up for us. And he took bread and he gave thanks to God and he blessed it and he broke it and he said, "Take and eat. This is my body broken for you." And he took the cup after supper and he blessed it and he said, "Drink from this all of you. This is my blood of the new covenant. You went for many for the forgiveness of sins. Every time you drink of this, remember me. It's not magic. It's consistent with the whole like tenor of scripture, the whole story of scripture that when God sees that we are lacking, knowing that we are dust, He is the one that fills us. So you're going to come forward tonight and two things are going to happen if you want to. You don't have to, but everybody's invited. The first station right here and right over here be somebody with ash and chapstick. And we're going to make this another cross on your forehead. And we're going to say, "Your dust and to dust, you shall return." It's kind of heavy. It's heavy to remind you that like without God you're nothing. But the next thing we're going to do, the next thing you do is you're going to receive the body of Christ. And the next thing you're going to do is receive the blood of Christ. Why? Because that's what God does. The moment that we feel like we have nothing that we are just normal and like everybody else and maybe not worth it. God breathes His breath, puts His life in you. You should not leave the front of this church tonight the same way as you came up. Your dust. I think God breathes the breath of life in you. Which means you have a purpose so much bigger than your own. Let's pray. God, thank you that we have a big, big purpose. We don't always know what it is. Sometimes we feel like maybe all the goals we have don't matter but God yours does, your kingdom does. And you told us we get to play a part in it. So that's what we're going to do. We're going to listen, we're going to trust you. We're going to come forward and receive the reminder that without you or nothing but with you, we have the breath of life. So now we pray as Jesus taught us saying, our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen. I'm not done yet. Little bit more, just a little bit more, okay, because the story's not over. All right, this part's much faster than the first part. We know there were dust but we have the breath of life, the breath of God in us. But there's more to the Matthew story and we have to talk about it because there was a perspective switch but then there was an invitation. You can't miss the invitation. Remember this invitation, Jesus says, follow me, become my disciple like apprentice under me, learn to do the things that I did, learn to walk in my ways and he says that to the outcast. We've established this. He says this to Matthew of all people, the tax collector that nobody else wanted. And I remind you of that to say that the invitation is for you, is for me. And sometimes that's a hard thing to grasp because we don't know that anybody really wants us to be a part of something great. And I'm here to tell you that this is the greatest thing we can ever be a part of and the invitation is extended to you. Maybe you said yes to that once and maybe you just say yes to it again and something you say yes to every day when Jesus says, follow me. It isn't only the people who have done a certain amount of things. It isn't only the people who have the cross on their forehead. It isn't whatever it is you think that makes you a Christian. Jesus extends the invitation no matter what. The religious elite did not want Matthew. If you read that scripture again, okay, they're like, wait a second, that guy, you know what's going on? You know what he does. That's not somebody you build your kingdom on. And Jesus knew exactly who he was. That was the point. That's exactly who he wanted. Because he knew how to not push anybody else out. He was humble enough to realize that he had fallen short of the glory of God and he needed a savior. Jesus says, I didn't come for the healthy. I came for the sick. I don't even know if I want to hear that all the time. I don't know if that's the team I would put together from being honest. I think I'd probably find like the best people and like the highest recruits and all that kind of stuff and we put together the best team because that's the way that we would do it. But we're not Jesus. Jesus is better. He says, you know what? I'm going to find the people that everybody forgets about and I'm going to have a real redemption story. I know exactly who Matthew is and that's the guy I'm inviting. He knows exactly who you are and you're the person he's inviting. Not once you get cleaned up. Right now. And I guarantee you at the end of 40 days of following him you will not be the same as when you walked in the doors. Truth is you had other invitations tonight. You could have been other places. You could have been at other schools. You could be in a library. You could be over at a friend's apartment. You could be somewhere else and you decided to be here. Maybe somewhere deep inside your weight for this invitation. And Jesus has extended it. Some of those places you could be are good. Some of them aren't. Doesn't matter. He chose to be here, so I think you know. But you still get to choose if you say yes or not. That's what Lent is about. Follow Jesus. Follow Jesus. Change your perspective. Realize everything is dust except for what you build him on. Then what he is building you up in. And then realize that he's calling you to be a part of this. What does it mean to follow him? It means to put nothing else ahead of him. Doesn't mean to be perfect. I'm going to show you a quick video, a quick scene from the chosen. How many have you ever watched the chosen? You haven't. OK? It's pretty good. Almost always based on Scripture. But sometimes they add cool little plotlines. And this is one of those cool plotlines. They're going to show you. Matthew is the guy in the tax collector's booth. He has his Roman official who would guard him because a lot of people wanted to kill him to make sure that he was OK. And Jesus comes walking through the market that day. And they kind of connect to eyes. And Jesus stops. And this is when he calls them. And what you're going to see is the Roman official cannot believe that he would leave. And Peter is the one arguing with Jesus saying anybody but him. In the end, what I want to ask you is which are you? Maybe you feel like Matthew tonight. And Jesus is calling you and you can't believe it. But you're ready to say yes. Maybe you're Peter. And you're not sure you want everybody to be involved. Either way, it's Jesus' way, not ours. Here we go. Let's check it out. We live in the same world, Matthew. Next. Besides, what else are you going to do with a mind like yours? Matthew. Matthew's son of Alphius. Yes? Follow me. Me? Yes. You. Whoa, whoa, whoa. What are you doing? You want me to join you? Keep moving street preacher. Do you have any idea what this guy has done? Do you think no one? Yes. Listen, I said to you. What are you doing? What do you think you're going, guys? Let me go. If you've lost your mind, you have money. Quintess protects you. No Jew lives as good as you. You're going to throw it all away. Yes. I don't get it. If you didn't get it, then I chose you either. This is different. I'm not a text collector. Get used to different. You glad we passed by your booth today, Matthew? Yes. Shall we? We have a celebration to prepare for. You will regret this, Matthew. What's the tablet for? I grabbed it without thinking. No, no, no, no, no. Keep it. You may get fine use for it. Where are we going? We didn't party. I'm not welcome at dinner parties. That's not going to be a problem tonight. You're the host. If you do watch it, put on subtitles. It's kind of hard to understand. Did you catch it? Peter wanted nothing to do with him. That isn't who we wanted on his team. I don't blame him. Peter had a taxi-vasion problem. He and Matthew weren't the best friends. The truth is, I look out of all of you tonight. This is quite the group. I don't know all of you. You bring different gifts to the table. You aren't the same at all. Where else can you find that? Some of you are a part of teams. It's a lot of people that are really similar. This is a whole different crew. You won't find this anywhere else. The thing you all have in common is that you have ashes on your foreheads. It looks pretty goofy. But it's your all-dust. For God has breathed his breath of life into you. And nothing is impossible. It's a pretty cool team to be a part of. You know what we will never do? We'll never guard the door and say somebody can't come in. If we want to be the fullness of the body of Christ, then everybody has to be here. Otherwise we're missing something. Do you know Matthew left a lot of stuff? But do you know what I got to see? He got to see people who were laying there on a mat, unable to walk, pick up their mat and leave at the words of Jesus. He got to see a little bit of food, feed 5,000 people. And he couldn't explain it. He just wrote it down. He got to hear Jesus' teach in ways that just floored people. He left a lot. But what he gained was far better. Do not think for one second if you say yes to following Jesus. And you really get after it that you're going to live some sad poor life. You're going to see things you couldn't think or imagine. Like 280 kids show up on Ash Wednesday. You're not kids. Sorry. It's pretty cool. You're part of a great team. See where it takes you. Gracious God, we love you a lot. We're ready to go where you want us to go. And we trust that what we're going to see is far greater than we could think or imagine. We love you. Thank you for Jesus. Amen.