South Whidbey Assembly

06/01/2026

"How Do I Trust Again?" - Pastor Matt Chambers - May 31, 2026

Speaker: Matt Chambers May 31, 2026

05/31/2026

SWAG Sunday Morning Gathering

05/30/2026

Matt's Thoughts - 5.29.2026 - Trees not Weeds

There are few things in life that I “I hate …” One thing I hate, I blame on Adam and Eve and their disobedience in the Garden of Eden. “Adam and Eve what have you done?”

Because of them eating the forbidden fruit in disobedience, God curses the ground and creates weeds! To Adam God said, “Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you. … It will grow thorns and thistles for you…” Genesis 3:17-18 (NLT)

I hate weeds! Some of you enjoy getting down on your knees, digging in the dirt and extracting weeds. NOT ME! I don’t see it as therapeutic, but as a waste of time. I hate weeds!

Weeds grow fast. They grow so fast that they rob the surrounding valuable plants of badly needed water and nutrients. Many grass weeds live only one season. They come up in the spring and die in the fall and winter.

Scripture likens people who trust in human institutions, ingenuity, intelligence, and power to weeds.
This is what the LORD says: “Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans, who rely on human strength and turn their hearts away from the LORD. They are like stunted shrubs in the desert, with no hope for the future. They will live in the barren wilderness, in an uninhabited salty land.” Jeremiah 17:5-6 (NLT)

Trees are different from weeds and take years to grow. Trees have so many benefits to creation that survival in a world without trees would be nearly impossible.

Scripture describes those who trust in God, like a tree. The Lord spoke through the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah saying: “… blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.” Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NLT)

Those who trust in the Lord and make Him their hope and confidence thrive. They send out deep roots the sustain them no matter what happens. The leaves of their life stay green and keep producing spiritual fruit.

Jesus wants His followers to be TREES and not WEEDS. Weeds sprout up quickly and then are gone. Trees take years to grow. Faithfully following Jesus is a long, slow process of growing roots deep into the water.

Eugene Peterson described following Jesus as “a long obedience in the same direction.” Commit yourself to a long obedience in the same direction. The growth will be slow, but the roots will go deep into the wellspring of living water.

Matt

05/27/2026

Pastor Matt Chambers - "When Trust Has Been Compromised" - May 24, 2026
https://www.swagchurch.com/when-trust-has-been-compromised/

05/24/2026

SWAG Sunday Morning Gathering

05/24/2026

Matt's Thoughts - 5.23.2026 - Immanence and Transcendance

Psalm 131 is a song that was sung by the people of God when they were traveling to Jerusalem. Multiple times a year, pilgrims would travel to Jerusalem for the different Jewish holidays. These were “road trips” or maybe better, “foot trips.” As the pilgrim families and individuals walked toward Jerusalem, they would sing some of the Psalms to pass the time and miles.

“LORD, my heart is not proud; my eyes are not haughty.
I don’t concern myself with matters too great or too awesome for me to grasp.
Instead, I have calmed and quieted myself, like a weaned child who no longer cries for its mother’s milk.
Yes, like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, put your hope in the LORD—now and always.”
Psalms 131 (NLT)

The song describes two truths about God. I’m going to use a couple of theological terms you might not have heard: “immanence” and “transcendence.”

Immanence describes God as being close. He knows every detail of our lives. He knows the hairs on our heads and when we lose them. (Luke 12:7, Matthew 10:30) He knows “when you stand up and sit down.” (Psalm 139:2) He knows when you are at home and when you are traveling. (Psalm 139:3) There isn’t anything He doesn’t know about you and me.

Transcendence describes God as being separate from and above everything. “He is the God who made the world and everything in it.” Acts 17:24 (NLT)

His thoughts are bigger, and His ways are incomprehensible to mortal men. “Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways! For who can know the LORD’s thoughts? Who knows enough to give him advice?” Romans 11:33-34 (NLT)

These two truths about God create awe in my heart. I’m in awe that God knows everything about me and still loves me and is at work in my life.

Matt

05/19/2026

"When Trust is Broken" - May 17, 2026 - Pastor Matt Chambers

May 17, 2026 https://www.swagchurch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/May17-2026.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadWhat's your reaction?0Cool0Upset0Love0Lol

05/17/2026

SWAG Sunday Morning Gathering

05/16/2026

Matt's Thoughts - 5.15.2026

People like to think they can understand why certain things in life happen and others don’t. Some who can’t figure out a satisfactory answer turn their backs on God in anger and confusion. God never promised to explain everything to people. Instead, He said people will struggle to understand, and there are things they’ll never understand.

“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts. And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9 (NLT)

Everyone reading this has experienced events and seasons when they have asked, “Why?” I have experienced a few of my own. Each Spring the anniversary of the deaths of two extremely important people in my life occurs. People who died way too early. The memory of those events takes me right back to the resounding question of “Why?”

When I reflect on my own faith journey, I return to one of the first questions I had for God: “Why me?” Why did you reach down into my life and draw me so dramatically to yourself?” Different people have thrown out their best guesses to answer my question. None of their reasons have satisfied me.

I have found comfort and strength from the words of the great 19th Century pastor Charles Spurgeon, “We cannot always trace God’s hand, but we can always trust God’s heart.”

God revealed Himself to Moses, declaring, “I will make all my goodness pass before you … I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will show compassion to anyone I choose.” Exodus 33:19 (NLT)

Here are two other thoughts that have comforted and strengthened me. I hope they will encourage you too.
“I will trust Him. Whatever, wherever I am. … If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him; in perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him; if I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him. My sickness, or perplexity, or sorrow may be necessary causes of some great end, which is quite beyond us. He does nothing in vain.” John Henry Newman

“I am sure that God keeps no one waiting unless He sees that it is good for him to wait.” C.S. Lewis
Trust Him when the “Why” still resounds. In fact, nothing short of following and obeying Him when we don’t have the “Why?” questions answered is trusting Him.

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5 (NLT)

Matt