What is Your Life About? (Luke 12:13-31)

WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.520 --> 00:00:05.080 Luke, Chapter Twelve, beginning at verse thirteen and continuing on through verse Thirty 2 00:00:05.120 --> 00:00:15.710 One. Look twelve, thirteen, listen out to the word of God. 3 00:00:15.830 --> 00:00:20.309 And one of the company said, unto him, master, speak to my 4 00:00:20.469 --> 00:00:25.179 brother, that he divide the inheritance with me. And he said, unto 5 00:00:25.219 --> 00:00:30.500 him, man who made me a judge or a divider over you? And 6 00:00:30.620 --> 00:00:35.140 he said, unto them, take heed and beware of covetousness, for a 7 00:00:35.219 --> 00:00:40.049 man's life consisted not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. And 8 00:00:40.210 --> 00:00:44.009 he spoke a parable onto them, saying the ground of a certain rich man 9 00:00:44.130 --> 00:00:49.289 brought forth plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying what shall I do, 10 00:00:49.490 --> 00:00:53.799 because I've no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, 11 00:00:53.799 --> 00:00:57.719 this will I do? I will pull down my barns and build greater and 12 00:00:57.920 --> 00:01:02.039 there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods, and I will say 13 00:01:02.079 --> 00:01:06.109 to my soul, soul, thou hast many goods laid up for many years. 14 00:01:06.230 --> 00:01:10.870 Take thy knees, eat, drink and be merry. But God said 15 00:01:10.870 --> 00:01:15.030 to him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of Thee. 16 00:01:15.950 --> 00:01:21.540 Then whose shall those things be which thou hast provided. So is he 17 00:01:21.700 --> 00:01:26.579 that Laith up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God. And he 18 00:01:26.659 --> 00:01:30.540 said unto his disciples. Therefore I say unto you. Take no thought for 19 00:01:30.620 --> 00:01:34.209 your life what you shall eat, neither for the body, what you shall 20 00:01:34.290 --> 00:01:41.129 put on. Life is more than meat and the body is more than raiment. 21 00:01:42.209 --> 00:01:47.519 Consider the Ravens. They neither Snook so nor reap, which neither have 22 00:01:47.959 --> 00:01:53.480 store house nor barn, and God feedeth them. How much more are ye 23 00:01:53.560 --> 00:01:57.480 better than the fowls? and which of you, with taking thought, can 24 00:01:57.519 --> 00:02:02.150 add to his stature one cubit? If Ye, then be not able to 25 00:02:02.269 --> 00:02:07.349 do that thing which is least. Why take ye thought for the rest? 26 00:02:07.469 --> 00:02:12.310 Consider the lilies. How they grow? They toil not, they spin not. 27 00:02:12.469 --> 00:02:15.229 And yet I say and to you, that Solomon, in all his 28 00:02:15.389 --> 00:02:19.580 glory, was not a rayed like one of these. If then, God 29 00:02:19.699 --> 00:02:23.300 so clothe the grass which is to day in the field and tomorrow is cast 30 00:02:23.460 --> 00:02:27.379 into the oven, how much more will he clothe you? o Ye of 31 00:02:27.419 --> 00:02:30.689 little faith, and seek not ye what ye shall eat or what ye shall 32 00:02:30.729 --> 00:02:36.610 drink. Neither be of doubtful mind for all these things do the nations of 33 00:02:36.689 --> 00:02:40.050 the world seek after, and your father knoweth that Ye have need of these 34 00:02:40.169 --> 00:02:46.639 things, but rather seek the Kingdom of God, and all these things shall 35 00:02:46.680 --> 00:02:53.479 be added unto you. Let's pray. Lord. Ye have spoken directly to 36 00:02:53.719 --> 00:02:57.439 us through your word. We ask now, our father, that even as 37 00:02:57.520 --> 00:03:00.550 we preach your word, as your word is heard, that that it would 38 00:03:00.590 --> 00:03:06.110 enter into our hearts and become a part of our lives. This we pray 39 00:03:06.150 --> 00:03:16.740 in Jesus name. Amen, please be seated. We live in a very 40 00:03:16.780 --> 00:03:23.259 successful country. That's not a criticism. Oh, I know people complain about 41 00:03:23.259 --> 00:03:29.169 their salaries, about their living conditions, but I've traveled and I've lived in 42 00:03:29.210 --> 00:03:32.050 the Third World and, believe me, we are a nation and a people 43 00:03:32.090 --> 00:03:39.810 which has experienced great economic blessings. But the deception is that many of us 44 00:03:39.849 --> 00:03:45.840 live here, is that we believe that because we are economically successful, that 45 00:03:45.960 --> 00:03:51.439 we have everything that we need. I think we see that in the drop 46 00:03:51.599 --> 00:03:55.909 in church attendance. You know, they were building new church buildings almost at 47 00:03:55.949 --> 00:04:00.590 a progressive rate in the United States until the year nineteen ninety, and the 48 00:04:00.629 --> 00:04:03.590 in in one thousand nine hundred and ninety, the number of church buildings that 49 00:04:03.710 --> 00:04:09.870 was built leveled off and now it's pretty much stagnant because, yes, there 50 00:04:09.909 --> 00:04:14.699 are some churches building new buildings, but not so many. People don't go 51 00:04:14.780 --> 00:04:19.779 to church because they don't think they need God because they are prosperous. We 52 00:04:19.899 --> 00:04:25.529 see that in the history of Israel. Israel would would sin and God would 53 00:04:25.529 --> 00:04:29.689 send a nation to invade their land and and and that nation would oppressed the 54 00:04:29.810 --> 00:04:32.329 Israelites and and the Israelites would say, oh, we have forgotten about God, 55 00:04:32.850 --> 00:04:36.610 and then they'd cry out to the Lord and say Lord, save us, 56 00:04:36.649 --> 00:04:41.720 and the Lord and his compassion and mercy, would send an army to 57 00:04:42.279 --> 00:04:46.839 or a judge or a king to deliver the people and they would drive out 58 00:04:46.839 --> 00:04:49.160 the enemies. And for a few years they were faithful and then they began 59 00:04:49.279 --> 00:04:56.069 to prosper economically and in other ways, and then slowly they'd forget about the 60 00:04:56.189 --> 00:05:00.110 Lord and they'd get to the place where they didn't call upon him anymore, 61 00:05:00.149 --> 00:05:03.709 and then God would send another army to overrun them and the cycle just goes 62 00:05:03.790 --> 00:05:11.220 over and over again. Well, this passage is a about economic prosperity. 63 00:05:12.139 --> 00:05:15.019 There's a fellow. It says that he was one of the company. That 64 00:05:15.540 --> 00:05:19.699 then implies that he was a person who was following after Jesus. I mean 65 00:05:19.699 --> 00:05:24.370 he was one of perhaps not one of the twelve disciples, but but one 66 00:05:24.410 --> 00:05:29.810 of that group of people that followed after Jesus. And he says master speak 67 00:05:29.810 --> 00:05:33.689 to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me. Now the temptation 68 00:05:33.850 --> 00:05:38.000 here is to think, well, what does Jesus have to do with dividing 69 00:05:38.040 --> 00:05:43.839 inheritances? I can recommend a few books by rush Duny and some others who 70 00:05:43.839 --> 00:05:47.319 would go on and on about how there are economic implications of the Gospel. 71 00:05:47.399 --> 00:05:51.829 And I've read those books and I don't disagree. Jesus in fact taught a 72 00:05:51.870 --> 00:05:57.069 lot about economics, although not exactly what a lot of people think, but 73 00:05:57.350 --> 00:06:01.709 it but this man wants Jesus to to settle a disagreement between him and his 74 00:06:01.870 --> 00:06:08.540 brother. And once again it's not a bad thing. It would not have 75 00:06:08.660 --> 00:06:13.259 been a bad thing to settle that disagreement, but for whatever reason, our 76 00:06:13.300 --> 00:06:15.779 savior decides not to do so. In fact, he says to him, 77 00:06:16.699 --> 00:06:24.610 man, who made me a judge or a divider over you? Sometimes we 78 00:06:24.769 --> 00:06:30.209 as Christians think that it's our job to settle everybody else's problems. We are 79 00:06:30.290 --> 00:06:34.920 here to help people, yes, but to set ourselves up as judges. 80 00:06:35.839 --> 00:06:40.519 If God has chosen you as a civil magistrate, then it's your job, 81 00:06:41.399 --> 00:06:46.920 but if he hasn't, that wasn't why Jesus came primarily to be a judge 82 00:06:46.920 --> 00:06:53.029 or divider. But Jesus uses this as an opportunity. Look what he says 83 00:06:53.069 --> 00:06:59.389 in Verse Fifteen. He says take heed and beware of covetousness. Once the 84 00:06:59.430 --> 00:07:04.860 last time you heard the word covetousness? Outside of Church and the word covet 85 00:07:05.100 --> 00:07:10.860 when's the last time you heard somebody said a man, I was really bummed 86 00:07:10.899 --> 00:07:13.139 out. I was coveting this morning. I shouldn't have been doing that. 87 00:07:14.980 --> 00:07:18.370 I mean I could think of tenzero words that we use in English, a 88 00:07:18.449 --> 00:07:23.129 lot of sports terms, for example, that that we use all the time. 89 00:07:23.930 --> 00:07:26.970 When's the last time you heard somebody say, ah, I got to 90 00:07:27.050 --> 00:07:33.199 work on being I'm too covetous, I have to admit outside of the church, 91 00:07:34.199 --> 00:07:40.399 and I mean like within the building, I cannot remember somebody using the 92 00:07:40.519 --> 00:07:46.310 word covet we use the word want, but want is not the same. 93 00:07:46.550 --> 00:07:50.470 I want something. It's not quite the same as covetousness. What is covetousness? 94 00:07:51.149 --> 00:07:57.750 Take Heed and beware of covetousness wanting things that don't properly belong to you. 95 00:07:58.470 --> 00:08:01.500 I mean, you work at a job, you get paid, you 96 00:08:01.579 --> 00:08:05.379 expect to get paid. You can say I want to get paid because I've 97 00:08:05.420 --> 00:08:09.540 worked a good day's labor and and that's not covetousness, that's expecting what you 98 00:08:09.660 --> 00:08:15.730 deserve and and so we're not criticizing that. But covetousness is the idea of 99 00:08:16.129 --> 00:08:22.329 of wanting more and more and more. A wait, yeah, that's kind 100 00:08:22.370 --> 00:08:26.529 of America, isn't it? Out in Concho contect? Have you all been 101 00:08:26.569 --> 00:08:30.000 to Concho? It's I'm told it's the center of the UEVER. I see 102 00:08:30.079 --> 00:08:35.360 hands. You've been to Concho. There's nothing in Concho. Okay, they're 103 00:08:35.399 --> 00:08:41.320 there are six thousand people in Greater Concho. There's a Jiffy Mart. There's 104 00:08:41.360 --> 00:08:46.029 not even that supermarket or a market. There's a Jiffy Mart sells gas to 105 00:08:46.029 --> 00:08:50.789 that's and there's two or three little restaurants there. But there's this giant place, 106 00:08:52.110 --> 00:08:54.860 and in fact there's another one down the road. But within Concho Valey 107 00:08:56.139 --> 00:09:01.460 self there's this giant place where people store all the junk they're never ever going 108 00:09:01.539 --> 00:09:03.940 to use again. It's one of those storage areas. If you seen them, 109 00:09:05.340 --> 00:09:09.820 are they any here? Into what where? They didn't have these things. 110 00:09:09.860 --> 00:09:11.970 Thirty years ago, when I was a kid, all my stuff you 111 00:09:13.049 --> 00:09:16.409 could put in my toy chest, I mean all my clothes, might, 112 00:09:16.529 --> 00:09:20.769 everything I had was in my toy chest. It still is, except for 113 00:09:20.850 --> 00:09:26.960 my books. We are Coven as people. I'm sorry, we not you 114 00:09:28.200 --> 00:09:33.039 in particular. Well maybe, but you get when I'm getting at. Jesus 115 00:09:33.120 --> 00:09:37.789 is saying beware of covetousness, for a man's life consistent not in the abundance 116 00:09:37.909 --> 00:09:45.629 of the things which he possesses. Hallo America, we think we need more, 117 00:09:46.669 --> 00:09:50.710 we think we have to have more, we've got to have more, 118 00:09:50.669 --> 00:09:54.580 and it is affecting the Church of Jesus Christ. We Think, Oh, 119 00:09:54.700 --> 00:09:58.539 in order to in order to have a mission, in order to reach out, 120 00:09:58.620 --> 00:10:01.620 we've got to have money. We've got it. We've got a mass 121 00:10:01.740 --> 00:10:07.250 wealth and to use an example, this a little tricky example. You're you're 122 00:10:07.330 --> 00:10:11.090 going to think you understand it until I'm going to throw a there's it's going 123 00:10:11.090 --> 00:10:13.730 to be a curved ball. There was a guy in my church and sent 124 00:10:13.809 --> 00:10:22.120 Anna Spanish speaking and he never came to church, but his wife came every 125 00:10:22.159 --> 00:10:24.919 other Sunday more or less, and his kids came almost every Sunday, and 126 00:10:26.279 --> 00:10:28.399 he was not a believer. So I asked him one day why don't you 127 00:10:28.600 --> 00:10:33.879 come to church? And so he turned it around and he said because all 128 00:10:33.960 --> 00:10:37.029 you want is money. I said what do you mean you? And in 129 00:10:37.190 --> 00:10:39.870 Spanish, when you say you, that's singular, so I knew he was 130 00:10:39.909 --> 00:10:43.149 talking about me in particular. And I said why do you think I want 131 00:10:43.230 --> 00:10:48.789 money? said all your ministers want money, and I said okay, and 132 00:10:48.309 --> 00:10:52.340 his wife went him and said, you know, Steve doesn't get paid to 133 00:10:52.460 --> 00:10:56.580 be a minister. He doesn't receive a salary, and he said yeah, 134 00:10:56.700 --> 00:10:58.500 he must be getting rich. It is. He said, you don't know 135 00:10:58.539 --> 00:11:01.659 how he's getting rich, but he's getting rich some way or another by being 136 00:11:01.700 --> 00:11:05.730 a minister. Now you think you understand the example, don't you? You're 137 00:11:05.730 --> 00:11:11.730 all saying, I get that example. Ah, I'm sympathetic with this guy. 138 00:11:11.769 --> 00:11:16.570 I'm kind of on his side. It was true. I wasn't getting 139 00:11:16.570 --> 00:11:22.480 rich by being a minister, but why did he think this way? Why 140 00:11:22.639 --> 00:11:26.840 did he think that the only reason you would be a minister is to be 141 00:11:26.960 --> 00:11:33.710 get is to get rich? Because that was his experience in Mexico and in 142 00:11:33.750 --> 00:11:39.470 the United States when he saw priests and ministers and those religious people. The 143 00:11:39.710 --> 00:11:43.870 only reason he could imagine that they would want to do that is to get 144 00:11:43.909 --> 00:11:46.740 money. And yes, his wife would turn on the TV and she would 145 00:11:46.740 --> 00:11:52.860 watch all the religious programs and what did they I'm sorry, folks, I 146 00:11:52.019 --> 00:11:56.899 don't mean to offend, but what did they always do on those religious programs? 147 00:11:58.539 --> 00:12:03.889 They'd ask for money. And so it was his idea that the only 148 00:12:03.129 --> 00:12:07.970 reason somebody would want to be a minister is to get rich. Am I 149 00:12:09.090 --> 00:12:16.080 criticizing him? Know, I am criticizing the Church of Jesus Christ because there 150 00:12:16.240 --> 00:12:22.279 is too much covetousness. What did our savior say? By our Savior said 151 00:12:22.480 --> 00:12:26.279 take heed and beware of covetousness, for a man's life consisted not in the 152 00:12:26.360 --> 00:12:31.629 abundance of the things which he possesses. Now, what does this have to 153 00:12:31.669 --> 00:12:35.429 do with the Gospel of Jesus Christ? It's essential, brothers and sisters, 154 00:12:35.509 --> 00:12:43.070 that when we present Jesus, that we present Jesus in some of our churches. 155 00:12:43.149 --> 00:12:46.139 You know, they don't even take offerings. I mean with the ushers 156 00:12:46.179 --> 00:12:50.940 and all that. I'm not saying that's that's bad to take offerings, but 157 00:12:52.620 --> 00:12:56.740 I like the idea because in some of our churches when somebody comes in and 158 00:12:56.860 --> 00:13:01.769 that's their first Sunday and there's a plate pushed in front of him and you 159 00:13:01.850 --> 00:13:03.450 know, they feel embarrassed. It's like Oh, I got to take out 160 00:13:03.490 --> 00:13:09.049 something out of my pocket put in the plate. But in the churches where 161 00:13:09.049 --> 00:13:11.370 they don't do that, then people can feel hey, maybe they're really not 162 00:13:11.570 --> 00:13:18.639 out for my money. So Jesus uses a parable an example. He says, 163 00:13:18.679 --> 00:13:22.519 at the ground of a certain man brought forth plentifully and he thought to 164 00:13:22.559 --> 00:13:26.549 himself, saying, what shall I do, because I've no room where to 165 00:13:28.269 --> 00:13:33.309 put all my fruits. The Lord has blessed him and and he's greatly blessed, 166 00:13:33.870 --> 00:13:37.429 kind of like America, and he said I know what I'll do. 167 00:13:37.549 --> 00:13:43.059 I'll hold on my barns and I'll built greater and there will I bestore all 168 00:13:43.220 --> 00:13:46.379 my fruits and my goods. I'll get richer. He's noticed what it says. 169 00:13:48.740 --> 00:13:52.820 There was a certain rich man. He was already rich and then he 170 00:13:52.940 --> 00:13:56.450 sought to. He thought to himself, well, I'll, I'll become richer 171 00:13:58.610 --> 00:14:05.169 and richer. Dear brothers and sisters, what should he have done? Was 172 00:14:05.250 --> 00:14:09.080 it even biblical? I want you to think about this. Was it even 173 00:14:09.120 --> 00:14:16.320 biblical for him to to be thinking about how he could become richer and richer? 174 00:14:18.879 --> 00:14:22.399 His goal, I don't think, was to make an investment, and 175 00:14:22.559 --> 00:14:26.309 investments is where you gotten buy some more land and still some more land and 176 00:14:26.669 --> 00:14:30.710 and grows some more food. But what should he have done with the excess? 177 00:14:31.909 --> 00:14:35.830 In the word of God, and yes, this is the word of 178 00:14:35.870 --> 00:14:41.419 God, the people of God were commanded to share what was left over. 179 00:14:41.259 --> 00:14:46.700 We've caught of forgotten about that. In proverbs, Chapter Eleven, Verse Twenty 180 00:14:46.779 --> 00:14:52.889 Six, we read he that withholds corn, the people shall curse him, 181 00:14:52.450 --> 00:14:56.690 but blessing shall be upon the head of him that sells it. He's not 182 00:14:56.809 --> 00:15:00.090 saying you had to give it away, but a guy like this. And 183 00:15:00.129 --> 00:15:05.090 in Luke Chapter Twelve, who's hoarding all this food? What if there were 184 00:15:05.129 --> 00:15:09.200 hungry people who needed to buy it? I was teaching about gleaning in a 185 00:15:09.440 --> 00:15:15.639 Christian school, Christian High School in South Florida, and explained that if somebody 186 00:15:15.720 --> 00:15:20.320 is hungry and they're walking through a field and they grab of an orange and 187 00:15:20.360 --> 00:15:24.909 they eat it. That in God's law. That's not sin. And the 188 00:15:24.990 --> 00:15:30.309 kids were just horrified, horrified, and I said, wait a second. 189 00:15:30.350 --> 00:15:33.269 You know, when the harvest is over and there's all that fruit that's left 190 00:15:33.309 --> 00:15:35.460 over, it's just going to rot. And they were like, but it 191 00:15:35.580 --> 00:15:39.379 belongs to the owner of the field. It's not right for people to come 192 00:15:39.419 --> 00:15:43.500 and take it. And explained in the word of God it says no, 193 00:15:43.500 --> 00:15:48.700 people are allowed and the poor should go through that field. And they were 194 00:15:48.740 --> 00:15:52.450 like, no, it's against the law. I explained that you shouldn't break 195 00:15:52.490 --> 00:15:54.009 the law of the United States. See if there is such a law. 196 00:15:54.690 --> 00:16:00.929 But but wait a second. The Law of God said you're you're supposed to 197 00:16:00.970 --> 00:16:07.840 to share. And and the kids were just angry about this, that whole 198 00:16:07.000 --> 00:16:15.720 idea that God had commanded people to share. And deep brothers and sisters, 199 00:16:15.919 --> 00:16:19.269 we need to be careful about this because we're proclaiming the good news of Jesus 200 00:16:19.309 --> 00:16:25.190 Christ. But if people see us, says avaricious, if they see us 201 00:16:25.230 --> 00:16:30.149 as covetousness, covetous, if they see us as greedy, that's what they're 202 00:16:30.149 --> 00:16:33.779 going to see. And much of the world sees the Church of Jesus Christ 203 00:16:33.179 --> 00:16:40.620 as a business. They look at pastors and pastors who have fancy cars, 204 00:16:41.059 --> 00:16:47.019 pastors who have nice houses, pastors who are living in luxury with with congregations 205 00:16:47.100 --> 00:16:51.970 of people that are poor, and they say to themselves, Hmm, what's 206 00:16:52.009 --> 00:16:57.409 he in this business for? This fool? Here he thinks, I'm going 207 00:16:57.490 --> 00:17:02.720 to tear down my barns and build new ones. And he says, and 208 00:17:02.799 --> 00:17:07.720 I will say to my soul, soul, you have many goods laid up 209 00:17:07.720 --> 00:17:11.480 for many years. Take your ease, eat, drink and be married. 210 00:17:14.839 --> 00:17:23.390 Their brothers and sisters, this man deserved to receive what he got. His 211 00:17:23.589 --> 00:17:32.380 hope was in his possessions. What does God say to him? God says 212 00:17:32.420 --> 00:17:36.140 to him, you fool. Now, if we look at the words of 213 00:17:36.140 --> 00:17:41.500 Jesus, our Savior, there many things were that Jesus says about calling someone 214 00:17:41.539 --> 00:17:48.529 a fool, and yet God does call him a fool. It's a terrible 215 00:17:48.650 --> 00:17:53.769 thing to be a fool. This night, your short soul shall be required 216 00:17:55.369 --> 00:17:59.559 of you. Then who shall these things be? God tells him you're going 217 00:17:59.559 --> 00:18:03.680 to get nothing. If our focus, if our eyes are fixed upon our 218 00:18:03.759 --> 00:18:11.720 possessions. Some day they're all going to disappear. You know those those places 219 00:18:11.839 --> 00:18:15.470 where they store all that stuff, though I don't even know what they're called, 220 00:18:15.509 --> 00:18:18.549 story charts or something. You know what happens? Every couple months they 221 00:18:18.589 --> 00:18:22.509 have auctions. You know, they cut off the lock. People have died, 222 00:18:22.670 --> 00:18:26.710 they go in there, they find all their stuff, they basically give 223 00:18:26.750 --> 00:18:30.059 it all away. You see all these pictures and and and everything that people 224 00:18:30.099 --> 00:18:34.859 have saved and and it's all thrown away because people think, well, I 225 00:18:34.900 --> 00:18:41.809 can amass to myself all kinds of wealth, and in the end they have 226 00:18:41.970 --> 00:18:45.089 nothing. So our Savior says, so is he that lays up treasure for 227 00:18:45.170 --> 00:18:52.569 himself. Think about that. Laying up treasure for yourself for what? So 228 00:18:52.690 --> 00:18:56.319 when you get to heaven you can be rich. None of your treasure is 229 00:18:56.440 --> 00:19:03.119 going to transfer there and it's not rich towards God. And then Jesus says 230 00:19:03.160 --> 00:19:07.720 something that is very difficult for me to understand. In Verse Twenty Two, 231 00:19:07.759 --> 00:19:10.990 he says, therefore, I say to you, take no thought for your 232 00:19:11.069 --> 00:19:14.910 life, what you shall eat, neither for the body, what you shall 233 00:19:14.990 --> 00:19:22.789 put on. I say this is difficult because that's an everybody think about what 234 00:19:22.910 --> 00:19:26.660 am I going to wear, what am I going to eat? And and 235 00:19:27.059 --> 00:19:33.019 I it's difficult for me because I've lived in the Third World and I've traveled 236 00:19:33.059 --> 00:19:37.019 in places that we're even poorer than where I lived, and I've seen people 237 00:19:37.099 --> 00:19:41.450 that were actually hungry. I don't mean that they wanted to have a big 238 00:19:41.569 --> 00:19:45.450 Mac, I don't mean that they wanted to to to go out to the 239 00:19:45.529 --> 00:19:48.769 buffet and and, you know, eat all that they could eat. I 240 00:19:48.890 --> 00:19:53.519 mean they had nothing, literally nothing to eat. And yet our savior says 241 00:19:55.160 --> 00:19:59.160 in this verse, and it's going to be repeated later on, take no 242 00:19:59.160 --> 00:20:02.640 thought for your life, which you shall eat, needed for the body, 243 00:20:03.200 --> 00:20:06.319 what you shall put on. Is he saying that we ought not to work? 244 00:20:07.000 --> 00:20:11.470 No, nothing of the sort. But he is saying where's your concern, 245 00:20:12.349 --> 00:20:17.230 where is your worry? And then he uses an example which is actually 246 00:20:17.230 --> 00:20:21.309 a repetition of something that he has said earlier. He says life is more 247 00:20:21.430 --> 00:20:25.500 than meat and the body is more than raiment. Consider the Ravens. They 248 00:20:25.579 --> 00:20:30.220 neither snow so, nor they nor reap, which neither have storehouse nor barn, 249 00:20:30.819 --> 00:20:34.180 and God feeds them. How much more are you better than the fouls 250 00:20:34.769 --> 00:20:38.809 and which of you, with taking thought, can add to a stature one 251 00:20:38.930 --> 00:20:42.890 Cuban? If you then are not able to do that, which is least, 252 00:20:44.089 --> 00:20:47.450 why take you thought? For the rest, what he's telling us is 253 00:20:48.289 --> 00:20:53.079 is go to work, do your job, get paid and be satisfied with 254 00:20:53.279 --> 00:20:57.400 what you have. Now, some people will look at me and say, 255 00:20:57.480 --> 00:21:03.160 well, it's it's not wrong to to to be rich, is it? 256 00:21:03.390 --> 00:21:07.910 Are you saying that we should? Are you saying we should sell everything and 257 00:21:08.509 --> 00:21:18.539 give it to the poor? Well, when Jesus was talking to the rich 258 00:21:18.619 --> 00:21:25.140 young ruler, the rich young ruler said to him all of these things. 259 00:21:25.299 --> 00:21:29.460 That is the word of God, the Law God I've kept since my youth, 260 00:21:30.740 --> 00:21:34.329 and Jesus said one thing, you lack, go and sell all that 261 00:21:34.450 --> 00:21:38.210 you have and give it to the poor and then come and follow me. 262 00:21:40.410 --> 00:21:44.809 Now, when you read all of the commentators about this, every single one, 263 00:21:45.930 --> 00:21:48.880 they gloss over it. Now, what I mean by that is they 264 00:21:48.279 --> 00:21:52.400 take it seriously, but they gloss over it. In other words, they 265 00:21:53.039 --> 00:21:56.920 they read this passage and they say, well, Jesus was trying to teach 266 00:21:56.000 --> 00:22:00.960 this man that he still was covetous, that he still needed to work on 267 00:22:00.079 --> 00:22:04.829 that and so he told him, but only him, go and sell all 268 00:22:04.950 --> 00:22:07.950 that you have and give it to the poor and then come and follow me. 269 00:22:08.990 --> 00:22:11.630 And so the preachers go on to say, now the important thing here 270 00:22:11.670 --> 00:22:15.460 is not to be covetous and to come and follow Jesus. And I agree 271 00:22:15.539 --> 00:22:21.299 with all of that. And then I say to myself, and do I 272 00:22:21.380 --> 00:22:26.740 need to sell everything I have? And somebody's going to say to me, 273 00:22:26.859 --> 00:22:32.410 well, pastor, you're a pastor, you're not rich. So I've never 274 00:22:32.609 --> 00:22:38.930 tried to be rich. I I really I I mean I lived in Philadelphia, 275 00:22:40.130 --> 00:22:45.559 in in a ghetto and I've always lived in in what they call working 276 00:22:45.599 --> 00:22:51.960 class neighborhoods or poor neighborhoods, and I have money. I don't know why. 277 00:22:51.960 --> 00:22:55.640 I just don't know how to be poor. That I haven't learned that 278 00:22:55.680 --> 00:22:59.549 lesson. And so I ask myself the question, do I need to go 279 00:22:59.710 --> 00:23:06.390 and sell all that I have? And I've had to think about it seriously, 280 00:23:07.390 --> 00:23:08.630 and somebody's going to say to me, well, sure, Steve, 281 00:23:08.710 --> 00:23:11.990 you know, yeah, you're going to sell all you have. Okay, 282 00:23:11.150 --> 00:23:15.539 right, but I really have thought about it and I want it. Want 283 00:23:15.619 --> 00:23:18.259 you to think about the fact that I've thought about it. I take the 284 00:23:18.339 --> 00:23:22.180 words of Jesus seriously. I don't think that he is commanding each and every 285 00:23:22.220 --> 00:23:26.140 one of us to go and sell all that we have and give it to 286 00:23:26.180 --> 00:23:30.930 the poor, but Jesus is saying that covetousness, the desire for possessions or 287 00:23:30.049 --> 00:23:36.809 the holding of possessions sometimes is an obstacle between me and the Lord. And 288 00:23:36.970 --> 00:23:38.690 if it's an obstacle between me and the Lord, what do I need to 289 00:23:38.769 --> 00:23:45.839 do with it? What a drunks do? What a drunks do? We're 290 00:23:45.880 --> 00:23:51.519 gonna have the Lord's supper to use grape juice or wine. Oh, the 291 00:23:51.559 --> 00:23:56.750 grape juice in the middle. Why is that? Well, that that's because 292 00:23:56.789 --> 00:24:00.150 there's some drunks that come here. Probably I'm just guessing. I don't know, 293 00:24:00.309 --> 00:24:03.190 but I can guess that there's some people here who drunks. I'm sorry, 294 00:24:03.470 --> 00:24:08.910 alcoholics drunks, and the drunks will tell you they're drunks and they're not 295 00:24:08.950 --> 00:24:11.579 going to take the bind they're going to take the grape juice because it's that's 296 00:24:11.579 --> 00:24:15.859 what's good for them, because it's not good for them to drink alcohol. 297 00:24:18.740 --> 00:24:26.490 It's not good for some of us to have money in the same way alcohol 298 00:24:26.569 --> 00:24:30.890 is a tempter for some people. I can drink an alcohol, it taste 299 00:24:30.890 --> 00:24:37.890 terrible. I never do except the Lord's supper, but that's the only time. 300 00:24:40.200 --> 00:24:45.559 There's some people who are just as addicted to money and they're not trusting 301 00:24:45.599 --> 00:24:49.839 in the Lord. They're not looking at the lilies of the field, they're 302 00:24:49.839 --> 00:24:55.710 not looking at the Ravens, they're looking at their bank account maybe on their 303 00:24:56.109 --> 00:25:03.630 well, dear brothers and sisters, Jesus did not tell the rich young ruler 304 00:25:03.670 --> 00:25:07.859 alone to go and sell all that you have and give it to the poor 305 00:25:07.940 --> 00:25:14.740 and come and follow me. He's saying that to everyone who cannot deal with 306 00:25:14.859 --> 00:25:19.660 money and still follow Jesus. And somebody's going to say to me, well, 307 00:25:21.140 --> 00:25:23.970 not me, and the person who is saying to me, not me, 308 00:25:25.650 --> 00:25:30.450 that's probably the person that needs to think about it. Dear brothers and 309 00:25:30.490 --> 00:25:33.690 sisters, God is going to take care of you. Why you're worried? 310 00:25:34.759 --> 00:25:37.839 If God so clothe the grass which is in the today, in the field 311 00:25:37.880 --> 00:25:41.680 and tomorrow is cast in the oven, how much more will he clothe you, 312 00:25:42.160 --> 00:25:48.759 oh ye of little faith. To trust in the Lord means exactly that. 313 00:25:48.960 --> 00:25:52.750 To trust in the Lord, not in what you can do, not 314 00:25:52.150 --> 00:25:57.789 in what you have. Salvation by grace through faith doesn't mean I'm going to 315 00:25:57.910 --> 00:26:02.109 trust in the Lord and I'm going to make sure that I have enough stored 316 00:26:02.190 --> 00:26:10.059 up to to resist the evil days. Jesus says Verse Twenty Nine. Seek 317 00:26:10.180 --> 00:26:14.539 not e which you shall eat or what you shall drink. Neither be of 318 00:26:14.700 --> 00:26:23.490 doubtful mind. People who are preoccupied with possessions are people who do not have 319 00:26:23.849 --> 00:26:29.329 faith in the Lord. That's a strong statement's you know, Steve, you 320 00:26:29.369 --> 00:26:34.160 shouldn't say that. That's okay. I'm going to use an example and if 321 00:26:34.200 --> 00:26:37.599 you want to take your shoes off so I can step on your toes, 322 00:26:37.640 --> 00:26:44.960 that's fine. But why is the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, I'm more or less 323 00:26:45.000 --> 00:26:48.309 pure church. This is going to get a little weird on you and nobody 324 00:26:48.349 --> 00:26:51.269 else is ever going to say this to you, but I'm going to tell 325 00:26:51.269 --> 00:26:55.390 you something that's going to shock you, it's going to surprise you. You'll 326 00:26:55.390 --> 00:26:57.869 figure it out. Even the kids will get this. I went to four 327 00:26:57.910 --> 00:27:02.500 years of college, well more, but to be a minister I had to 328 00:27:02.539 --> 00:27:04.180 go to at least four years of college. I had to go to three 329 00:27:04.180 --> 00:27:11.339 years of seminary well, for but I flunk people. But you have to 330 00:27:11.380 --> 00:27:14.539 go to at least three years of that's seven years of college to be a 331 00:27:14.619 --> 00:27:21.410 minister of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. That's what a lawyer are. A doctor 332 00:27:21.529 --> 00:27:27.730 goes through. Doctors more and and you got to pass exams in Greek and 333 00:27:29.089 --> 00:27:34.480 Hebrew, and Greek was okay, Hebrew, I think you know. And 334 00:27:34.640 --> 00:27:38.960 we hardly get paid very much. Now that's not a complaint. I'm don't 335 00:27:38.960 --> 00:27:44.279 get me wrong. We don't get big salaries in the Orthodox Presbyterian church. 336 00:27:47.269 --> 00:27:51.990 How does that keep us pure? Because of what you want is to get 337 00:27:51.990 --> 00:27:57.190 rich. You'll go to some church that will offer you a better salary and 338 00:27:57.309 --> 00:28:02.660 then the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, even our biggest congregations, except for a few 339 00:28:02.740 --> 00:28:11.460 in California, actually offer rather meager salary and colonial times the best paid people 340 00:28:11.579 --> 00:28:18.130 in the town where the ministers ministers in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church oftentimes, and 341 00:28:18.210 --> 00:28:22.930 I've seen this in my own experience, are the most poorly paid people in 342 00:28:22.089 --> 00:28:30.640 the church. But that's good. Somebody, where's the past? Put Your 343 00:28:30.680 --> 00:28:34.599 hands over here, you beat guys. A Labor is worthy of his hire. 344 00:28:36.160 --> 00:28:38.880 His wife is going to scream at me she's going to Clune my eyes 345 00:28:40.039 --> 00:28:45.029 and she's going to say he doesn't get paid enough and it's your job as 346 00:28:45.069 --> 00:28:48.150 a congregation to pay your pastors that he doesn't have to worry about money so 347 00:28:48.269 --> 00:28:52.829 that he can preach the Gospel. Okay, I said that, but it's 348 00:28:52.910 --> 00:28:59.660 good that we are poorly paid because it means that, instead of fixing our 349 00:28:59.700 --> 00:29:03.099 eyes, the guys who want to get rich, the guys who want to 350 00:29:03.180 --> 00:29:07.140 use the Gospel as a as a, as a means to to wealth, 351 00:29:07.779 --> 00:29:11.609 they're going to go to some other church. And I'm not saying they're going 352 00:29:11.650 --> 00:29:15.730 to become, you know, some really Raunchy or lousy church, but they're 353 00:29:15.769 --> 00:29:19.769 going to go to a nice church which has more or less the same doctrines 354 00:29:19.849 --> 00:29:26.119 but has better salary. Look what it says in verse thirty. For All 355 00:29:26.160 --> 00:29:32.319 these things do the nations of the world seek after? What do they seek 356 00:29:32.319 --> 00:29:37.710 after what they shoull eat and what they shall drink? But look what Jesus 357 00:29:37.750 --> 00:29:42.670 says in verse thirty. Your father knows that you have need of these things. 358 00:29:42.750 --> 00:29:48.789 It's interesting the word father is not used that many times in the Bible. 359 00:29:48.309 --> 00:29:52.299 For God, of course, in the Lord's prayer, which is called 360 00:29:52.380 --> 00:29:59.180 our father. At times we use the word our father, but it's interesting 361 00:29:59.259 --> 00:30:03.700 when it is used, and in this context. Look what it says. 362 00:30:03.500 --> 00:30:08.769 Your father knows that you've needed these things. Your Daddy knows what you need. 363 00:30:08.809 --> 00:30:15.210 And I'm not at all being blasphemous. Our Daddy has gone and he 364 00:30:15.410 --> 00:30:18.529 knows he's not going to you know, you go to your father and say, 365 00:30:18.569 --> 00:30:22.279 Daddy, I'm hungry. Any good father is going to say, I'm 366 00:30:22.319 --> 00:30:26.119 going to take care of you, and he will. That is what our 367 00:30:26.240 --> 00:30:30.279 father is like. He is going to take care of us. So why 368 00:30:30.319 --> 00:30:33.240 are we worried? Our eyes would be should be fixed on Jesus, and 369 00:30:33.400 --> 00:30:38.589 I'm proclaiming his name and living for him and and teaching our children to do 370 00:30:38.750 --> 00:30:45.309 the same. And and when we're given opportunities to make more money and to 371 00:30:45.470 --> 00:30:51.660 neglect serving Jesus, what are we going to do? I worked as a 372 00:30:51.779 --> 00:30:57.980 school teacher, don't throw rocks or the Public School, and it wasn't always 373 00:30:59.059 --> 00:31:03.099 easy, but but oftentimes there are opportunities to make extra money. They would 374 00:31:03.140 --> 00:31:07.410 have these conferences in these seminars and you'd go to the holiday in and and 375 00:31:07.650 --> 00:31:14.490 eat food and listen to Blah Blah and and and get paid three hundred dollars 376 00:31:14.490 --> 00:31:19.400 a day and I turn these opportunities down. And people would look at me 377 00:31:19.440 --> 00:31:22.119 and say, Steve, what's wrong with you? Can make money, and 378 00:31:22.240 --> 00:31:26.359 I'd say, but you could spend the time with your kids, couldn't you? 379 00:31:26.599 --> 00:31:30.920 And they'd be like they're okay, and and the kids were almost like 380 00:31:32.559 --> 00:31:36.349 an afterthought it. And then these kids who grow up in these kids would 381 00:31:36.349 --> 00:31:37.670 be terrible and I'd say, you know, maybe you should have spent more 382 00:31:37.750 --> 00:31:41.109 time with your kids and be like no, no, no, no, 383 00:31:41.269 --> 00:31:42.990 that wasn't it. And it's because, blah, blah, blah, blah. 384 00:31:45.029 --> 00:31:51.140 Dear brothers and sisters, seek first the Kingdom of God. Jesus is 385 00:31:51.339 --> 00:31:56.579 very clear. Seek the Kingdom of God and all these things will be added. 386 00:31:56.660 --> 00:32:04.490 Unto You, what America needs to do is to buy less and spend 387 00:32:04.569 --> 00:32:13.210 more time with the Lord and with their families and with others. Okay, 388 00:32:13.329 --> 00:32:16.119 my mother's Mexican. I have Mexican customs in some ways. I go and 389 00:32:16.160 --> 00:32:19.880 visit people. Yes, as a minister I go and visit people, but 390 00:32:20.240 --> 00:32:22.799 I like visiting people. I would drop by people's houses, and we do 391 00:32:22.960 --> 00:32:25.319 this all the time. We'd sit in front of the House and we just 392 00:32:25.400 --> 00:32:30.029 sit and talk and and I get to know them. Twenty years ago, 393 00:32:30.109 --> 00:32:34.269 in front of my house on my street, which is, you know, 394 00:32:34.349 --> 00:32:37.390 all Mexican, all the time my street, people used to do that. 395 00:32:37.990 --> 00:32:44.190 Nobody does that anymore. Are All busy working, watching television, playing games, 396 00:32:44.579 --> 00:32:49.740 doing stuff. The brothers and sisters, how are you spending your time? 397 00:32:50.779 --> 00:32:54.180 How are you spending your life? Somebody's going to say to me, 398 00:32:54.259 --> 00:32:58.099 AH, but you know, I've got to I've got to make money to 399 00:32:58.650 --> 00:33:01.009 get that retirement program all set and I've got to make money in order to 400 00:33:01.049 --> 00:33:05.089 do this and I've got to make money in order to do that. What 401 00:33:05.250 --> 00:33:07.690 you mean by that is that you, if you make money, you can 402 00:33:07.890 --> 00:33:15.160 do these things. But, dear brothers and sisters, how much do we 403 00:33:15.279 --> 00:33:21.920 need? There's never been, in my judgment, a country which is as 404 00:33:22.039 --> 00:33:27.390 prosperous as the United States is today. We have all that we need and 405 00:33:27.589 --> 00:33:30.150 more. Yes, there are poor people, yes, there are people who 406 00:33:30.150 --> 00:33:36.069 are suffering, but for the law, by and large, most Americans are 407 00:33:36.269 --> 00:33:42.700 and most of you here today have far more than you need. What are 408 00:33:42.700 --> 00:33:49.339 you doing with your lives? Jesus is is speaking to his disciples and he's 409 00:33:49.339 --> 00:33:54.500 saying to them, beware of covetousness, beware of this desire to gain all 410 00:33:54.700 --> 00:34:00.009 that you can. We began this passage with the with the guy who went 411 00:34:00.089 --> 00:34:07.130 to Jesus and he said he wanted Jesus to arbitrate a dispute with some other 412 00:34:07.210 --> 00:34:10.360 guy. Oh who was that guy, by the way? Oh, he 413 00:34:10.880 --> 00:34:16.719 says, master speak to my brother that he may divide the inheritance with me. 414 00:34:16.800 --> 00:34:22.199 It's the in Greek. It's the common word for brother. Think about 415 00:34:22.239 --> 00:34:30.110 that for a minute. WHO's this argument with? Who is who is he 416 00:34:30.190 --> 00:34:35.469 angry with? Who Does he want Jesus to solve the problem? With? 417 00:34:36.869 --> 00:34:39.860 His brother? I don't think it's an allegorical use of the word brother. 418 00:34:39.980 --> 00:34:44.900 I think it's a literal use, and that is he's talking about the the 419 00:34:45.099 --> 00:34:52.219 same the guy who has the same mother and father his brother and he's so 420 00:34:52.420 --> 00:34:58.010 concerned about money that he's willing to go to Jesus, the Great Healer and 421 00:34:58.090 --> 00:35:01.849 Prophet, and have Jesus interfere and their family life so that he can get 422 00:35:01.889 --> 00:35:10.159 more stuff from his brother. They're people like that. There are people who, 423 00:35:10.440 --> 00:35:14.960 no matter what the relationship is, they're willing to sacrifice it to get 424 00:35:15.000 --> 00:35:21.750 some more. Our first relationship is with the Lord, and many people, 425 00:35:22.710 --> 00:35:27.949 many people in our country, have sacrificed their relationship with Lord in order to 426 00:35:28.030 --> 00:35:32.469 get more. And many others have sacrificed the relationship with their brothers and their 427 00:35:32.510 --> 00:35:38.739 sisters and their parents and their children to get more. They brothers and sisters. 428 00:35:39.659 --> 00:35:45.500 All that you need, God will provide. Your father knows what you 429 00:35:45.579 --> 00:35:50.849 have. Need of these things and he'll provide for these things. Rather, 430 00:35:50.969 --> 00:35:57.889 he says, seek the Kingdom of God. Ask yourself the question at every 431 00:35:58.050 --> 00:36:02.329 point in your life. How am I following after Jesus Christ by doing this? 432 00:36:05.199 --> 00:36:08.360 How am I serving Jesus Christ by doing what I'm planning to do? 433 00:36:10.360 --> 00:36:14.920 Your boss says, can you work over time? Your wife is waiting at 434 00:36:14.960 --> 00:36:19.230 home, the kids are waiting at home, it's dinner time and you're thinking 435 00:36:19.269 --> 00:36:23.030 to yourself, time and a half or spend time with my family as a 436 00:36:23.150 --> 00:36:30.510 godly father and husband, what should I be doing? Should I be getting 437 00:36:30.510 --> 00:36:34.460 that time and a half so I could provide better for my family, or 438 00:36:34.539 --> 00:36:38.699 should I go home and actually be with my family? People want rules, 439 00:36:38.820 --> 00:36:43.139 people want somebody to get up here and say sell all that you have and 440 00:36:43.179 --> 00:36:45.219 give to the poor and come and follow me and that that would be an 441 00:36:45.300 --> 00:36:49.489 easy rule, by the way, because then we'd have a rule and we 442 00:36:49.489 --> 00:36:52.010 would all sell everything and we'd give to the poor and we'd see what would 443 00:36:52.010 --> 00:36:57.610 happen. But Jesus doesn't say that we have to all do that. I 444 00:36:57.889 --> 00:37:02.239 cannot tell you whether you should work that extra hour or two and get time 445 00:37:02.320 --> 00:37:05.639 and a half or where they should go home and be with your family. 446 00:37:06.159 --> 00:37:08.840 I cannot set that down as a rule and I'm not going to do that. 447 00:37:09.079 --> 00:37:12.320 Don't go away from here saying, well, he said I had to 448 00:37:12.400 --> 00:37:17.869 do that. But think about it. Our Savior said seek first the Kingdom 449 00:37:19.309 --> 00:37:23.150 of God. If you trust in Jesus for your salvation, if he is 450 00:37:23.150 --> 00:37:29.030 your hope and your life, if he is all that you're about, then 451 00:37:29.070 --> 00:37:32.860 that's going to change every perspective in your life. The boss is going to 452 00:37:32.900 --> 00:37:37.739 say you can get paid more if you stay late, and then you can 453 00:37:37.179 --> 00:37:40.900 return to him and say, but I can spend more time with my family 454 00:37:40.940 --> 00:37:45.489 if I leave now, and he's got to look at you like you're so 455 00:37:45.690 --> 00:37:52.130 weird, and that'll be fine too. We follow after Jesus. We seek 456 00:37:52.210 --> 00:37:55.170 first the Kingdom of God, and all these things will be added unto us. 457 00:37:55.250 --> 00:38:00.559 Do we need all these things that we have? No, is it 458 00:38:00.599 --> 00:38:05.400 nice to have them. Sometimes. Is it sin to have this stuff? 459 00:38:05.960 --> 00:38:10.079 It's not sin. But, dear brothers and sisters, it becomes sin when 460 00:38:10.119 --> 00:38:15.989 we begin to think that we need these things. All we need, all 461 00:38:16.150 --> 00:38:22.150 we need, is Jesus, because if we have Jesus, he would provide 462 00:38:22.989 --> 00:38:30.900 everything else. He will provide for all of our needs. Dear brothers and 463 00:38:30.980 --> 00:38:36.260 sisters, seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness. That's all we 464 00:38:36.420 --> 00:38:45.849 need to do. Let's pray, our Lord, in our God. The 465 00:38:45.929 --> 00:38:50.690 words of our Savior, Jesus, in this passage are so clear. He 466 00:38:50.769 --> 00:38:55.079 has commanded us to seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and he has 467 00:38:55.199 --> 00:39:00.559 told us that you will provide for all of our needs. But, Lord, 468 00:39:00.679 --> 00:39:02.880 I confess that there are so many times in my life when I've been 469 00:39:04.000 --> 00:39:09.190 so concerned about money and not spending and saving and all those other things. 470 00:39:10.550 --> 00:39:15.190 So, Lord, I ask you to forgive me, but I would also 471 00:39:15.309 --> 00:39:19.869 ask o Lord, that you would teach everyone in this congregation about the priorities 472 00:39:19.869 --> 00:39:24.500 in their lives, about how they should avoid covetousness and instead seek after you, 473 00:39:25.699 --> 00:39:30.300 to show to love you with all of their hearts and to show your 474 00:39:30.420 --> 00:39:35.380 love towards others. Lord, we ask that you would apply this passage now 475 00:39:35.539 --> 00:39:37.769 to us. We would ask as well, our father, that you would 476 00:39:37.769 --> 00:39:42.929 be with those who are assembled at the General Assembly this this week. We 477 00:39:43.130 --> 00:39:46.570 ask that, even as they come to decisions about the future of our church, 478 00:39:46.730 --> 00:39:51.130 that they would do so in a way that brings glory and honor to 479 00:39:51.170 --> 00:39:55.000 your name. We pray for this particular congregation here in Tucson. We ask, 480 00:39:55.079 --> 00:39:58.360 our father, that you would bless them in a mighty way, that 481 00:39:58.920 --> 00:40:02.440 the name of Jesus Christ would be proclaimed and that his gospel would go forth 482 00:40:02.559 --> 00:40:07.630 from this place. We ask this now, our father, in the name 483 00:40:07.630 --> 00:40:08.230 of Jesus Christ, our Savior,