Parables: Keys to the Kingdom - The Rich Fool

Luke 12:16-21- Kirk Rupprecht 

Commonplace Church exists to glorify God, equip disciples & share the Good News of Jesus. Learn more at commonplacechurch.org

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:33

Good morning, everyone. Um, goodness this morning. Um If Father's Day gift when we're reading some scripture, so that's kind of cool way to start. Um, but yeah, happy fathers, everybody out there. Um if you're visiting today, so glad you guys are with us. Um, as you can see, the the small mission of the church doesn't typically look like the emotion. I mean it should, it's kind of cool. We usually don't have this guy staring over my shoulder here, but we are preparing for VBS this week. And so yesterday we had a great group of volunteers coming out and just set the stage for what's gonna be an incredible week for the students um in this area that we have about almost 70 kids signed up, which is just amazing. So praise God for that. Um if listen, if you're bored this week, looking for something to do, come on, help, come, come hang out with us. A VBS start from 9 to 12, starting tomorrow. So uh join us for that. But today we are gonna continue uh in our series that we've been doing about uh parables, and um before that just want to you know recognize today is is Father's Day, and so just want to send um just just uh grateful for the fathers uh and the spiritual fathers we have in this church. And also want to recognize just like Mother's Day, uh, this could also be uh a day that's filled with just a little bit complicated, right? Filled with some you know many different emotions. Some of our connections may have, you know, to our earthly fathers may have things like grief or disappointment or or just uh longing, right? And and so it's important to just recognize these realities as we uh just like Mother's Day, as we kind of look towards this day. And just reminded this morning, uh where maybe we've seen uh our earthly fathers maybe be challenged or fall, maybe shorten our in our minds. Here's what we were reminded of we do have a perfect father in heaven who just loves us more deeply than we can ever comprehend. So as we move into this next parable, we're actually going to be encountering an aspect of uh the love of a father and the father's love. And now now listen, if we're honest, like if we listen to that parable, it doesn't seem like there's like a lot of like loving uh aspects to it, right? It seems in fact almost like a little bit uh harsh. This man is called a fool in this, right? His life is demanded of him. That doesn't really ring like loving father when you first kind of think about it. But our initial reaction is as much as they might be, you know, sounds this sounds harsh. I think what's what's what's important for us to recognize is the reality of love. Right? Love is not just expressed in one way. One of the characteristics of a loving father, sure, is is simply given the old like, you know, pat on the back, attaboy type thing, right? That's but the role of the father also includes warning. It includes something like caution.

unknown 3:21

Right?

SPEAKER_00 3:21

Right? A loving father doesn't just celebrate his child, he also guards his child. He warrants because he loves. And so, like I said, some of us, this might be difficult to hear because maybe our experience with fathers may have been just dominated by only warning, only by correction, only by punishment, right? And so maybe every conversation did feel stern or feel harsh or critical. So from that experience, it can easily, you know, we can maybe struggle with um hearing fatherly warnings and maybe feeling like those are unloving. But what we're gonna see in this parable, and I love it so much, is Jesus, he's gonna offer this incredible, not from a place of cruelty, right? This warning, these warnings from a place of compassion and love. And so uh what I really want to just invite us into is recognizing the reality of a loving father that Jesus is gonna be talking about here. Because a loving father doesn't remain silent. Or you think about, you know, um parents don't really let their kids run into traffic, right? They they step in because they love them, right? That that's they don't remain silent. And so Jesus offers this parable and he does it to desire and show us good. And so here's what we're gonna look at today. We're gonna look at loving, fatherly warnings. This is what Jesus is gonna draw out for us. Now, before we jump into these parables, I want to make just a quick observation, and it's really in regards to the idea of a parent and a child. And we can add mother, father, it doesn't matter in this moment, but it's the vantage points that typically each sit from, each role. Here's what I mean. Isn't it kind of true that a child tends to, I would say, view life from more of a micro perspective? Whereas maybe you know, something like, well, what do I what do I want right now? What do I feel right now? Right? What problem is directly in front of me? What outcome would make me happy this moment? But but a loving parent does this. They see from more of what's called a macro perspective. And and not just what happens today, but what happens tomorrow. Not just what feels good in the moment, but what produces long-term flourishing. Not just what the child wants, but what a child ultimately needs. Now, of course, earthly parents, we all recognize, myself included, we are limited, right? We we don't always see things clearly, we don't always get it right, but God is not limited like we are. In fact, God not only possesses a macro view, but he also uh he has this micro understanding of the details in our lives. It's it's he perfectly holds both, and it's incredible. And so this is what makes him, of course, distinct from us. He's all-knowing. And because of that, when Jesus offers parables like these warnings that sound this morning, um, he's speaking from a perspective that we unfortunately we simply don't possess. Not in our own human understanding. Because he's speaking from a macro view while also he's offering uh the a little bit of a micro view as well, and through these warnings. So throughout this message, you're gonna hear me use those two words a lot, micro and macro. Uh, hopefully you can get used to those, right? Because we're gonna discover the tension as humanity tends to look simply more through a micro lens, while God is lovingly warning us and offering us this macro. Because the rich fool is really this, he's focused on what he can see right in front of him. And God, God sees what lies beyond that. He sees what's what's what's what's beyond. And so, with that framework in mind, let's look at this first warning that Jesus gives. And it says this it's the warning of covetness. Covenantness. Covenantness, something like that, right? You know what the word covet. Uh so in verse 15, here's what Jesus is doing. He responds to this man who finds himself in a dispute over uh the division of an inheritance, okay? We probably have maybe heard of these type of disputes before, right? And so, but rather than settling the argument, here's what Jesus does: He does something unexpected. He then he issues a warning. He says something like this Take care and be on guard against all covenantness. Now notice what Jesus does here, right? He doesn't focus, this man, he's focused on inheritance, right? But Jesus is focused on something different. Jesus is focusing on the heart, right? This man is concerned about what he might gain. Jesus is concerned about what might be gaining control of this man. This is a perfect example of macro and micro perspectives that we're talking about, right? The man sees money. Jesus sees the desire of the man. The man sees a present opportunity, Jesus sees a future danger, right? The man is living from micro. So he wants something now. Something he doesn't currently possess, something he believes is going to improve his life. And Jesus, though, from a macro perspective, sees where unchecked desires like this man has, where that eventually leads. Another way to kind of flesh this out and point this out is describing in the Christian walk the idea of living from the flesh and living from the spirit. Right? The flesh tends to kind of offer this: like, what do I want? What am I missing? What do I want to make me happy right now? Well, the spirit does something different. The spirit invites us to consider the larger. What is God doing in this moment? How is God forming me through this experience? See, Jesus sees that this inheritance dispute is really exposing something deeper. He's it's exposing the the covenantness of this man's heart, right? And if you're not familiar with that word coveting, simply it's this. It means desiring something that we that belongs to someone else. But I but I I I gotta be honest, I don't think we need a definition of this. I think we all might have uh an awareness of of what this is. We probably experienced it. You know the feeling, right? When the guy pulls up in the parking lot, in the church parking lot with a truck you've always wanted but couldn't afford, or when you know, your friend invites you over to their um newly renovated kitchen, and you know that somehow looks exactly like the one you've dreamed about, right? If we're being honest, it's not even that the the the the the renovation bothered you, it was a realization that they got something that you you you wanted, you desired. And suddenly what you don't what you what you don't seem to have isn't is is isn't or what you do have is isn't as satisfying, right? That's coveting. Now, sometimes it's material possessions, sometimes it's uh someone else's success, sometimes it's their opportunities, sometimes it's their relationships, right? Sometimes it's it's their appearance, sometimes it's the things like their gifts or abilities. But at its core, here's what coveting does: coveting is allowing our hearts to become preoccupied with what God has given someone else instead of doing this, instead of being grateful for what he's given us. Now, this isn't a new struggle. In fact, when God delivers his people from slavery in Egypt and he gives them the Ten Commandments, he addresses this very issue. Look at the 10th commandment. It says this you shall not covet your neighbor's house, you shall not cover your neighbor's wife, his male servant, female servant, his ox, his donkey, anything that is your neighbors. So let's just think about this a moment, right? If God decided to include do not covet in his top 10, right? In his top 10 commandments, it probably tells us something important. It tells us that God understands something about the human heart. He knows. He knows that instead of being grateful for what we have, we often be consumed, we find ourselves consumed with what we we don't. Rather than finding joy in what God has provided, here's what our hearts do. Our hearts drift toward what He's provided someone else. And Jesus is speaking directly into this reality. Now, the context of this morning, it's so fascinating. It's important here, okay? Because Jesus is responding to a question about an inheritance. And while he's certainly addressing covenantness in general, he's he's specifically addressing the covenantness that often surrounds things like money, possessions, and wealth. Because an inheritance can include something like that, right? It can be maybe some cash, maybe property in this culture, in that culture, I'm sorry, livestock, family possessions, anything of significant value. So before Jesus tells this parable, of course, he begins with, be on your guard against all covetousness. Now, now Jesus isn't saying this to be like, don't do this because I said so, right? He has authority to do that, but I think there's something deeper happening. Jesus is using this inheritance dispute to connect with a pattern. Okay, here's the pattern. His Jewish audience would have immediately recognized this. Remember, this is a people who is deeply familiar with the stories of the Old Testament of Genesis. And there's one thing that sticks out, or there's a lot of things, but there's one thing in particular that sticks out that Genesis teaches us. It's that covenantness, and in regards to inheritance, those disputes rarely end well. And we'll give you some examples. Think about Cain and Abel. Cain desired the favor that Abel appeared to receive from God. And his jealousy, his covenantness, eventually led to humanity's first murder. It's heartbreaking. Right? But then consider Abraham's family. The tensions surrounding inheritance and blessing and God's promise created division and conflict between generations that still even exist today. Or think about Jacob and Esau, right? Jacob, he deceives his father and receives the blessing that was intended for Esau. And the result wasn't peace. The result wasn't prosperity and happiness, it was fear, it was separation, broken relationship, years of family division. So again and again, the biblical story demonstrates that when people become so consumed by what belongs to someone else, consequences are devastating. Jesus knows that his audience is going to be familiar with these stories. So he warns them about covenants, covenantness in the context of inheritance. And he's not speaking theoretically here, right? He's speaking from centuries of evidence. And now, if we're honest, not much has changed. I know I've sat with families grieving loss of a parent only to watch that grief turn like really quick into conflict. Arguments emerge over money, over property, over possessions, over who gets what, right? Sometimes people choose a larger portion of an inheritance at the at the sake and expense of a relationship with someone like a sibling or a loved one. Right? The claws come out, sin takes over. That's the danger of covenantness. It does this, it convinces us that gaining something is worth losing someone. It tells us that what we want is more valuable than the people around us. And Jesus knows where that road leads. And he simply tries to warn us. Because here's the thing: often what we thought would satisfy us ultimately leaves us emptier than before. Right now, now this doesn't just apply to like inheritances. Let me give you some more examples. Think about like marriage. How many people have convinced themselves that obtaining a person they desire outside of their marriage will finally make them happy? Right? That highlight real, that other person appealing, that excitement looks worth it, the temptation feels justified, but then often what gets hidden are the consequences. The broken trust, the damaged relationships, the confusion experienced by children, right? The emotional and spiritual wounds left behind. But remember, God sees the macro reality. God sees the entire story, and he sees where something like that leads. And that's why his warning matters so much. And this idea of inheritance here, it's it's stirring up more just of a micro perspective of this man. Now, of course, let me just be clear. Inheritance doesn't exist to be just a negative, right? That's not what Jesus is stating. In fact, Ephesians, Paul, he uh uses the same term. He uses this to describe the inheritance that we as followers of Jesus have in Christ. He says, we have obtained an inheritance that have been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things to the council of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be the praise of his glory. In him, you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guaranteed of what? Our inheritance until we acquire possession of it to the praise of his glory. So here's what Paul's offering here. Paul points us to the inheritance that we have in Christ. The idea that that through this gospel of grace, it's an inheritance that cannot be stolen. It's an inheritance that cannot be diminished, it cannot be disputed, it cannot be lost. It's an inheritance secured not by a family name, but by the name of Christ. It's an inheritance rooted not in an earthly standing, but an eternal one. Right before standing in an eternal standing before God. And this is where Jesus' warning becomes so important. Because covetedness is often fueled by a deeper belief, right? We convince ourselves that we we don't what we don't have is the very thing that will finally make us secure. At the core, it's it's security, right? If I had that money, I'd be secure. If I receive that inheritance, I'd be secure. If I had that opportunity, that relationship, that position, that possession, right, then I'd finally be safe. But Jesus, he sees from a macro reality. He knows that none of those things can provide what our souls are actually searching for. It's so true. Because what we ultimately lack apart from him is not money, it's not possessions, it's not status, it's not a larger inheritance. What we lack apart from him is eternal, eternal standing, eternal security. And that's precisely what Jesus came to provide for us. So Jesus begins with this warning about covenantness because he wants us to recognize that our deepest need cannot be satisfied by something like this, by just acquiring more. Our deepest need is satisfied ultimately by receiving Christ. And once we understand that, it leads us directly into this next warning Jesus offers. It's this an abundance of things does not equal an abundant life. So further in verse 15, it says this for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. Now, once again, in that statement, we encounter the loving heart of a father and the warning of a father, right? A warning that calls us from this micro view we might exist in to this understanding of a macro view of life. Because when it comes to what will actually satisfy us, what will actually bring us joy, will make us feel secure, fallen humanity has the tendency to do this, to kind of place its hope in temporary things. We tend to convince ourselves, I know I do, that what we have, what we possess will determine our happiness. That if we we just had a little more money, we just a little more success, a little more comfort, a little more stuff, then then we finally be content. Right? But that's the micro perspective. It's focuses, it's focused on what we can hold today. But Jesus so lovingly offers a macro perspective. He reminds us that while possessions they may provide a temporary sense of security, they're exactly that. They're temporary. Every possession we own has an expiration date. Every dollar, every vehicle, every home, every uh investment, every inheritance, eventually the earthly possessions that'll all be left behind. Right? At death, none of it comes with us. Which means if our search for joy is dependent on our level of earthly possessions, then we're viewing life from really, I would say, just an incredibly small lens. We're evaluating life based on like a upon a brief like few years that we spend here on earth. But Jesus, he continually calls us to remember life is larger than like 80 plus years that we get here, right? And and to remember that life also includes eternity. That's what he's talking about here. The forever reality that awaits every one of us. And so, from that macro perspective of Jesus, he lovingly reminds us that the temporary possessions, they're never gonna do this, they're never gonna satisfy our eternal soul. They weren't designed to. Really, only only God can do that. This is why Jesus repeatedly warns his followers not to place ultimate hope in temporary things. In fact, he often offers this same macro perspective in the gospel of Matthew, what he says this do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy, where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroy, where thieves don't break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. So ultimately, here's what Jesus is acknowledging. It's this danger in only thinking from a micro level. When Jesus Himself has provided us direction from a macro one. So when it comes to this warning, here's what Jesus is ultimately saying don't value earthly riches at the expense of eternal treasures. Don't become so consumed with the temporary that you lose sight of what's eternal. And that leads directly into this parable of the rich fool. We're introduced to a man who receives an abundant harvest, right? Now notice um this how this man obtains his plenty, right? He receives it from where? Well, ultimately, ultimately from God. Right? Through through the providence and grace of God, success has come to this man. Now, certainly, this man he's worked, he's planted, he's prepared, he's labored, he's made decisions. All those things are very true. But what he didn't give himself were the abilities to do that, right? He didn't he didn't give himself the abilities that allow him to. He didn't create his own intellect, he didn't create his own strength, he didn't create the land, he didn't create the the rain, he didn't create the harvest. All of those things ultimately find their source in who? They find their source in God. And listen, while hard work matters, I agree, success itself is not always guaranteed. Think about it, many people work tirelessly and they never experience the same result as this man, right? Some businesses thrive, others fail. Some investments prosper, others collapse. Some opportunities flourish, others never take off. We've we maybe we probably Seasons where we worked hard towards something that never materialized the way we hoped. Now, why does that happen? I can't give every reason, but I can say that God ultimately allows success according to his purposes. Intentionally here, use the word allows, okay? Because God's allowance of success, don't miss this, is not always the same thing as approval of what one treasures. See, sometimes people desire prosperity more than they desire God. And his sovereignty, God allows them to pursue exactly what their hearts are chasing. Because what happens appears to be prosperity from a micro perspective may actually be a warning from God out of a macro perspective. Because listen, earthly success, no matter how great, has no ability to secure the eternal. It has no ability to do this. It can't forgive sin. It can't conquer death. It can't reconcile us to God. It cannot save, right? And scripture repeatedly reminds us of this reality. One of the clearest examples comes from one of my favorite books in the Bible, the book of Ecclesiastes. We did a series on that a couple years ago. It's so much fun, which sounds weird because it's like super depressing. But um but so anyway, here's what it looks like. We have this uh the preacher, right? And it is we look at him as Solomon, right? And he's reflecting on a life filled with earthly uh just success, right? This dude had uh wealth, he had power, pleasure, influence, achievement, like he had he had everything, right? And if someone could testify that earthly prosperity satisfies, it would be Solomon. Yet if you read Ecclesiastes, right, after surveying everything he accumulated, his conclusion is stock is shocking. He says it's meaningless. The the Hebrew word here is heavel, which means vapor, which means mist. Sometimes what what appears to be substantial for a moment, it's there, but then it vanishes. That's what he's saying, right? Not only does it not last, for Solomon, it doesn't satisfy. And that's part of the warning Jesus is giving in this parable. The rich fool, he's placing his hopes in the treasures that were never designed to carry the weight of his soul. He's asking possessions to provide what only God can provide. He's asking life from things that can't give life. So, yes, God may allow successes. God may even entrust some people with a great abundance, but we must never confuse earthly abundance with true abundance. Ultimately, prosperity is not found in what we possess. Ultimately, prosperity is found in the presence of God. The greatest treasure that's available to humanity. It's not a larger bank account, it's a restored relationship with our heavenly Father. So, look, if God chooses to bless you with earthly success, receive it with gratitude. Steward it well. But don't confuse abundance, abundance of possessions with abundance of life. Because Jesus offers something far greater than material prosperity. John 10, 10, he says this I am the way, I am the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. So once again, this is the way. This is the true path of life. The life Jesus speaks of is found in the presence of God, the Father. And according to Jesus, there's only one path that leads you there. It's through him. Right? Jesus doesn't say fullness of life is found in the size of your home. He doesn't say it's found in the depth of your bank account. He doesn't say it's found in how much you've accumulated or achieved. Those things may be part of life, but they're only micro realities. Jesus continually calls us to macro once. A reality where true life, where abundant life, where eternal life is found in him and him alone. Which means the rich fool here, he he he has he has a problem. And here's the problem: his wealth is increased, his harvest is multiplied, his success is expanding. And now he's he's he's asking the question, but he's asking the wrong question. He doesn't ask, Lord, what would you have me do with what you've entrusted to me? He doesn't ask, God, how can I use this blessing for your purposes? Instead, he asks, how can I keep more for myself? And and so what's the solution? Well, the barns aren't big enough, so I'm gonna tear them down, I'm gonna build bigger ones, more room for more stuff, right? And while that might sound reasonable on the surface, Jesus is exposing something so much deeper. Because the issue isn't the size of the barn there, it's the issue is the condition of this man's heart, which leads us to another fatherly warning. When it comes to what God gives us in life, we must be careful not to confuse stewardship with ownership. Stewardship with ownership. You see, the rich fool, he he viewed everything as his my crops, my barn, my grain, my goods, my future, my plants, right? Notice who's missing from uh this conversation. It's God, right? The very one who provided the harvest is never acknowledged. The one who allowed the success is never thanked. The one who gave the abilities to labor, never consulted. Everything revolves around himself. And that's that's the warning, right? Because one of the greatest dangers of success is that we can slowly convince ourselves that we've been entrusted, what we've been entrusted with actually belongs to us. But the macro of macro reality is this everything we have is ultimately God's. Simplest way to put it. Our resources, our abilities, our opportunities, our possessions, even the breath in our lungs. We're not the owners, we're stewards. And when we forget that that distinction, we begin to do this. We begin to build bigger barns as our hearts grow smaller. We begin storing treasures for ourselves while neglecting the purposes to which God has entrusted those treasures in the first place. And that's exactly where Jesus is leading us in this parable. Here's another fatherly warning we encounter. We are called to be generous stewards, not holy hoarders. When we operate from a micro perspective, here's what we do: we tend to adopt what many call a scarcity mindset, okay? We hold on to what we have, we protect what you have, we store up as much as possible because one day, right, the well might run dry. And that's the rich fool solution. It wasn't generosity, it wasn't stewardship, it wasn't gratitude, it was accumulation, it was bigger barns, store more grain, key for myself, just in case. Now, if we're honest, we understand this mindset, right? Think back to the uh pandemic, right? Remember the great toilet paper crisis? People weren't buying one package, right? Dudes had like the garage full, like buying 20, like people were treating toilet paper like I don't know, it'd suddenly become like this rare precious commodity. Maybe maybe it was, I don't know. But what was going on there? That's a scarcity mindset, right? Or maybe you watch the show orders, or perhaps maybe you know someone who can be featured on it. Um, the the the piles, the boxes, right? The the the inability to let anything go, at its core, here's what we're seeing scarcity mindset. Now, listen, before we're too hard on people who struggle with that, it's it's worth acknowledging that sometimes there are real experiences behind it. Um, my grandfather lived through the Great Depression, and as a result, a dude could hoard. Um, not because it was healthy, right? But because when you experience seasons of like profound lack, here's the thing fear can shape the way you relate to your possessions. And so understanding this isn't validating, right? But it does help us, helps us understand why these tendencies can become so powerful. Yet when we turn to scripture, we're reminded of something important about the character of God. What is one of the names that God goes by in the Old Testament? It's this, it's Jehovah Jirah. It means the Lord will provide. The God who provides, the God who saves, the God who knows what his children need, the God who is not surprised by tomorrow. But I'm convicted by how often myself and maybe you as well, we live as those as those provisions ultimately they depend on us. Right? Instead of like stewarding what God has entrusted, we we tend to stockpile. Instead of holding resources with open hands, we we clutch them with closed fists. Instead of trusting God to provide, we attempt to provide ultimate security for ourselves. Why? Because if we're honest, things like generosity, they they tend to reveal the places where we struggle to trust God. The rich fool trusts his barns. God calls them to trust our Father. The rich fool trusted his surplus. God says, calls us to trust provision. The rich fool believed his security was found in what he stored. God says our security is found in him. And so if we're not careful, we can find ourselves in the same same place, right? Living as declared righteous before God, all through the grace of God, yet still living like holy hoarders. Holding back, right? I remember just God challenging me this when I first became a Christian and um recognizing that you know something like generosity and tithing. And I think back, I was like, we we weren't thriving, we were barely surviving, and God wants me to to give. And um, I remember just thinking, looking at you know, the bills and income, and looking like I don't know about this, and um and yet God convicted me and and and began to to tithe. And and what I saw was just this isn't out of prosperity, things like that, but out of provision. God, God provided in so many ways when I just let go, when I just offered what was ultimately his. He is Jehovah Jirah, he's our provider, and that's what this rich fool, this is what he misses. And so here's here's how it just kind of close this out, right? The the rich fool, he he kind of sits back and he looks at a surplus and everything, and he says, the barns are full, the accounts are healthy, right? Future looks secure. And he says to himself, okay, soul, you have ample goods, lay it up for many years, do this, relax, eat, drink, be merry. And and here's what happens: this rich fool somehow has shifted his dependence and and forgets that the reality that our possessions will one day leave us. And the reality is Christ, Christ won't, right? And and and this man is just he's just worried about his eternal, his, his, his he's not worried about his eternal condition, he's just worried about what is taking place now. And the reality is God says, you fool. He says, You fool. Who put you in control? Who put you in control of your life? Right? Who's given you the role that you play of the hours, of the days? He's missed, he's missed the reality that it that it's God who gives us these. It's God that at any moment he desires can give, the Lord can also take away. It's it's like this if you were um gonna get married, right? And you decided that you were gonna put all of your efforts just on that incredible wedding day, right? That whole celebration. And so you you you you went all in, right? And yet what happened is you never just took consideration of marriage, what comes after that wedding day. And typically, if that happens, it can be a little bit challenging, right? Because one day the marriage doesn't take place at the venue, right? It's it's not at that wedding hall, it's it's a reflection of it. But ultimately there's something greater. And the same is true here with with with how we live, right? This temporary time on earth, it's it's that, it's temporary. And and I think it's kind of like if we just focus on that that wedding ceremony without recognizing what's to come, because what's to come is eternity. And so as we close, I just want to encourage and offer um the reality that there's more, right? There's more beyond. And it doesn't mean we don't care about what we have here, what we do here, what God's given, how we steward it, but if that's our only focus, once again, we're just focusing on the ceremony. We're not we're not focusing on the fullness of what's to come. And what I love about Jesus, one of the things I love about Jesus is he's so invitational that no matter where you find yourself today, no matter what you're bringing with you, whether you feel worthy, not whatever it is, maybe you just showed up today and you just you're just checking this out, whatever it is, he is so invitational. And what he wants for you is he wants to offer you eternal life. He wants to offer forgiveness of your sin. He wants to wipe that away. He wants to restore the relationship with the God who created you, the God who loves you. And here's how it happens: it's it's not anything we can do. I I can't do anything to receive this. Like my good works are never gonna cut it. God is way too holy, it's way too perfect. What we can do is humble ourselves and receive it by grace. It's a gift. It's an incredible reality of a God who loves. And what we see through loving God, the ultimate picture of God's love is Christ on the cross. We see God sending his one and only Son to take on what we deserve, and he dies for our sins. But that's at the end of the story. Jesus, he rises again, he puts death to death. It's an incredible thing. And as a result, he invites us to receive life. Once again, it's it's it's yes, it's life in abundance here, but it's eternal life. It's it's life, and it's hard for us to conceptualize. I get it. But it's true. Even if we can't conceptualize, it doesn't make it less true. So I just want to pray. Um if you feel that that is something you desire to receive in your life, I'm just gonna lead us through that. And I'm gonna why don't you just join me in in that moment now and have the band come up. God, we uh we thank you for your warnings of love, God. These these loving cautions and these loving uh just recognitions, God, that um Lord, you you want us to focus on the things that that truly matter, Lord. Um Lord, I just recognize how often my own journey the the micro takes the space of the macro, Lord, and would you just forgive me of that, God? And Lord, would you uh just remind us of the beauty of how you see, Lord, and and the life you offer. And and Lord, I just pray for just anyone here today who's never just taken the step towards you, God, that you are, Jesus, you are so invitational. Lord, you you desire, Lord, all people to be in relationship with you. You desire all people to come to know salvation, Lord. Every person, Lord. And so I don't know, God, I just pray anyone who desires that now, God, that would just repent, turn of sin, Lord, and just turn to you and just receive, God. It's the the beauty of the gospel is receiving. And Lord, from that, from that reception, Lord, would you allow us to respond? Respond in following you, Lord Jesus, you becoming Lord of our lives. We're surrendering to you, God, because you are worthy. Only you are worthy, Jesus. So we ask these things in your name, amen.