WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.000 Well, good morning, Heights family. Good morning 00:00:03.000 --> 00:00:05.780 to our online family, Pauldin, Baghdad. Love 00:00:05.780 --> 00:00:08.539 that you guys are joining us in worship here 00:00:08.539 --> 00:00:12.019 this morning. My name is Austin. I get to be 00:00:12.019 --> 00:00:14.839 the youth pastor here for our Prescott location. 00:00:15.179 --> 00:00:22.579 And thank you. It has been a while. It has been 00:00:22.579 --> 00:00:24.339 a while since I've been up here. So I'm just 00:00:24.339 --> 00:00:26.500 so grateful, so grateful to be here, so grateful 00:00:26.500 --> 00:00:29.600 to worship together as a family this morning. 00:00:29.899 --> 00:00:32.820 And if you've been with us the last few weeks, 00:00:32.880 --> 00:00:36.380 we are talking about stories as told by Jesus. 00:00:36.990 --> 00:00:39.810 And if you didn't know, Jesus tells a lot of 00:00:39.810 --> 00:00:42.289 stories. We call them parables. And a parable 00:00:42.289 --> 00:00:44.850 is just a short story used to illustrate and 00:00:44.850 --> 00:00:48.750 communicate a deeper biblical principle. Sometimes 00:00:48.750 --> 00:00:52.229 Jesus uses these parables, he uses analogies 00:00:52.229 --> 00:00:56.689 in them to communicate a better and illustrate 00:00:56.689 --> 00:01:00.450 better a biblical principle. Or he uses people. 00:01:01.100 --> 00:01:05.939 To represent God and humans. And so I would love 00:01:05.939 --> 00:01:09.040 to jump right into our story today. It's in Matthew 00:01:09.040 --> 00:01:11.620 25. If you want to turn there, click there, whatever 00:01:11.620 --> 00:01:15.879 it is. Matthew 25. We're going to read the whole 00:01:15.879 --> 00:01:17.780 thing all the way through. Because I need you 00:01:17.780 --> 00:01:21.480 guys to grasp and understand just the story from 00:01:21.480 --> 00:01:23.379 beginning to end. And then we're going to unpack 00:01:23.379 --> 00:01:28.640 it afterwards. So Matthew 25, verse 14. Again. 00:01:29.209 --> 00:01:31.430 It will be like a man going on a journey who 00:01:31.430 --> 00:01:33.870 called his servants and entrusted his wealth 00:01:33.870 --> 00:01:37.109 to them. To one he gave five bags of gold, to 00:01:37.109 --> 00:01:40.109 another two bags, and to another one bag, each 00:01:40.109 --> 00:01:42.469 according to his ability. Then he went on his 00:01:42.469 --> 00:01:45.370 journey. The man who had received five bags of 00:01:45.370 --> 00:01:47.769 gold went out once and put his money to work 00:01:47.769 --> 00:01:51.349 and gained five bags more. So also the one with 00:01:51.349 --> 00:01:54.599 two bags of gold gained two more. But the man 00:01:54.599 --> 00:01:57.659 who received one bag went off, dug a hole in 00:01:57.659 --> 00:02:00.799 the ground, and hid his master's money. After 00:02:00.799 --> 00:02:03.319 a long time, the master of those servants returned 00:02:03.319 --> 00:02:06.299 and settled accounts with them. The man who had 00:02:06.299 --> 00:02:09.080 received five bags of gold brought the other 00:02:09.080 --> 00:02:12.199 five. Master, he said, you entrusted me with 00:02:12.199 --> 00:02:14.900 five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more. 00:02:15.419 --> 00:02:18.360 His master replied, well done, good and faithful 00:02:18.360 --> 00:02:21.150 servant. You have been faithful with a few things. 00:02:21.289 --> 00:02:23.729 I will put you in charge of many things. Come 00:02:23.729 --> 00:02:26.550 and share in your master's happiness. The man 00:02:26.550 --> 00:02:29.330 with two bags of gold also came. Master, he said, 00:02:29.490 --> 00:02:32.069 you entrusted me with two bags of gold. See, 00:02:32.349 --> 00:02:35.629 I have gained two more. His master replied, well 00:02:35.629 --> 00:02:37.650 done, good and faithful servant. You have been 00:02:37.650 --> 00:02:39.870 faithful with a few things. I will put you in 00:02:39.870 --> 00:02:42.210 charge of many things. Come and share in your 00:02:42.210 --> 00:02:45.129 master's happiness. Then the man who'd received 00:02:45.129 --> 00:02:48.770 one bag of gold came. Master, he said, I knew 00:02:48.770 --> 00:02:51.590 that you were a hard man, harvesting where you 00:02:51.590 --> 00:02:53.629 have not sown and gathering where you have not 00:02:53.629 --> 00:02:56.689 scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out 00:02:56.689 --> 00:02:59.669 and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is 00:02:59.669 --> 00:03:02.629 what belongs to you. His master replied, you 00:03:02.629 --> 00:03:06.210 wicked, lazy servant. You knew that I harvest 00:03:06.210 --> 00:03:08.389 where I have not sown and gathered where I have 00:03:08.389 --> 00:03:11.159 not scattered seed? Well, then you should have 00:03:11.159 --> 00:03:13.960 put my money on deposit with the bankers so that 00:03:13.960 --> 00:03:16.439 when I returned, I would have received it back 00:03:16.439 --> 00:03:19.599 with interest. So take the bag of gold from him 00:03:19.599 --> 00:03:22.080 and give it to the one who has 10 bags for whoever 00:03:22.080 --> 00:03:24.539 has will be given more and they will have an 00:03:24.539 --> 00:03:27.319 abundance. Whoever does not have even what they 00:03:27.319 --> 00:03:30.300 have will be taken from them and throw that worthless 00:03:30.300 --> 00:03:32.639 servant outside into the darkness where there 00:03:32.639 --> 00:03:35.879 will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Would 00:03:35.879 --> 00:03:37.819 you guys pray with me as we kind of dive in and 00:03:37.819 --> 00:03:41.060 unpack this story? God, we come before you this 00:03:41.060 --> 00:03:44.000 morning, thankful for the gift of life, thankful 00:03:44.000 --> 00:03:46.879 for just being able to sit here this morning. 00:03:46.960 --> 00:03:51.199 God, we come and we ask for you to illuminate 00:03:51.199 --> 00:03:53.500 the dark parts of our hearts that we keep hidden. 00:03:53.580 --> 00:03:56.819 Would you teach us something new here this morning? 00:03:56.939 --> 00:04:01.099 God, we ask these to be your words and from your 00:04:01.099 --> 00:04:04.780 spirit. Spirit, we ask you to guide us as we 00:04:04.780 --> 00:04:07.159 navigate this passage. It's in Jesus' name that 00:04:07.159 --> 00:04:13.490 we ask and we're thankful. Amen. Do you ever 00:04:13.490 --> 00:04:18.970 feel inadequate? Do you ever feel inadequate 00:04:18.970 --> 00:04:21.649 in your life where you're not good enough? Do 00:04:21.649 --> 00:04:24.790 you ever feel angry because maybe something, 00:04:24.829 --> 00:04:29.050 an injustice has been done to you? Or do you 00:04:29.050 --> 00:04:34.310 ever feel so paralyzed by fear and uncertainty 00:04:34.310 --> 00:04:40.819 that you just can't move forward? Or maybe, do 00:04:40.819 --> 00:04:45.399 you ever feel like a plastic bag drifting through 00:04:45.399 --> 00:04:50.120 the wind, wanting to start again? Do you ever 00:04:50.120 --> 00:04:54.860 feel so paper thin, like a house of cards one 00:04:54.860 --> 00:04:58.620 blow from caving in? Do you ever feel already 00:04:58.620 --> 00:05:01.680 buried deep, six feet under screams, but no one 00:05:01.680 --> 00:05:05.079 seems to hear a thing? Do you know that there's 00:05:05.079 --> 00:05:07.699 still a chance for you? Because there's a spark 00:05:07.699 --> 00:05:12.439 in you. And you just got to ignite the light 00:05:12.439 --> 00:05:18.740 and let it shine. And own the night like the 00:05:18.740 --> 00:05:22.500 4th of July. Because baby, you're a firework. 00:05:28.379 --> 00:05:32.660 The best part is seeing the faces going, why 00:05:32.660 --> 00:05:36.759 are they clapping? Why? Who? What just happened? 00:05:38.240 --> 00:05:40.240 I'm just trying to keep you on your toes. But 00:05:40.240 --> 00:05:42.500 also, I was watching some of you guys who had 00:05:42.500 --> 00:05:45.759 no idea that was Katy Perry. All right. Sitting 00:05:45.759 --> 00:05:48.160 there and going, oh, my gosh, preach. I am that 00:05:48.160 --> 00:05:51.019 plastic bag drifting through the wind, wanting 00:05:51.019 --> 00:05:54.019 to start again. Come on, preach it. Man, if that 00:05:54.019 --> 00:05:55.819 is you, I'm just going to say I'll pray for you 00:05:55.819 --> 00:05:59.000 after service because you just resonated with 00:05:59.000 --> 00:06:03.709 Katy Perry. That's all I'm saying. Again, going 00:06:03.709 --> 00:06:05.829 back to those, going back to those first, I wanna 00:06:05.829 --> 00:06:09.930 take a moment to look at the servant with the 00:06:09.930 --> 00:06:12.850 one talent, all right? And you're gonna hear 00:06:12.850 --> 00:06:14.949 me say talent. Just know that bags of gold and 00:06:14.949 --> 00:06:17.910 talents, those are interchangeable because some 00:06:17.910 --> 00:06:20.370 translations use bags of gold, other translations 00:06:20.370 --> 00:06:24.139 use talent. A talent is a measure. All right, 00:06:24.160 --> 00:06:27.180 it's just a measure of money. And so this servant 00:06:27.180 --> 00:06:30.360 had one talent, all right? And so I just had 00:06:30.360 --> 00:06:34.079 to ask, why? Why didn't he go out and multiply 00:06:34.079 --> 00:06:37.800 it? Why, why? And so we look at verse 25, it 00:06:37.800 --> 00:06:40.420 says, master, because I was afraid. And so maybe 00:06:40.420 --> 00:06:43.939 it was fear or maybe, maybe it was anger. Maybe 00:06:43.939 --> 00:06:46.279 he looked at the other two and he goes, why did 00:06:46.279 --> 00:06:49.259 you give him more? Because again, at the beginning, 00:06:49.300 --> 00:06:52.759 it said, the master gave each according. to what 00:06:52.759 --> 00:06:56.759 he thought they could handle. And so he looks, 00:06:56.800 --> 00:06:58.899 he might have gone, you know what, they got more. 00:06:59.019 --> 00:07:01.120 And just to spite him, he might've just buried 00:07:01.120 --> 00:07:03.579 it in the ground. Or maybe he sat there and he 00:07:03.579 --> 00:07:07.720 goes, he felt inadequate. Maybe he felt like 00:07:07.720 --> 00:07:10.500 he wasn't good enough because a talent was about 00:07:10.500 --> 00:07:14.639 6 ,000 denarii. One denarii is one day's worth 00:07:14.639 --> 00:07:19.579 of money, of work. And so that's 6 ,000 days, 00:07:19.720 --> 00:07:22.139 which would have taken him about 20 years. It 00:07:22.139 --> 00:07:24.759 would have taken about 20 years for one worker 00:07:24.759 --> 00:07:29.120 to earn one talent. And so he's given, he's entrusted 00:07:29.120 --> 00:07:31.800 this talent, so 20 years worth of money right 00:07:31.800 --> 00:07:35.019 here in his hands. So maybe it just felt inadequate 00:07:35.019 --> 00:07:37.540 because he goes, I'm not good enough for this. 00:07:37.819 --> 00:07:40.740 Like, I'm not good enough to what you gave me. 00:07:40.800 --> 00:07:44.189 Or maybe it's fear. Maybe it's what really is 00:07:44.189 --> 00:07:46.470 what he said, master, I was afraid of you. And 00:07:46.470 --> 00:07:48.550 maybe it's the fear that stopped him, the fear 00:07:48.550 --> 00:07:51.490 of failure, the fear of letting him down, the 00:07:51.490 --> 00:07:54.050 fear of losing it all. I know that when I was 00:07:54.050 --> 00:07:57.149 younger, I fear of failure stopped me from doing 00:07:57.149 --> 00:08:00.949 a lot of things because I hated, I hated to lose 00:08:00.949 --> 00:08:05.459 and I hated to fail. And so when it came to trying 00:08:05.459 --> 00:08:08.839 new things, I would just stop before I even started. 00:08:09.000 --> 00:08:11.379 I would just say, I don't want to participate. 00:08:11.439 --> 00:08:14.360 I don't want to do it. Not because it didn't 00:08:14.360 --> 00:08:17.120 seem fun, but because if I didn't think I could 00:08:17.120 --> 00:08:20.040 be good at it instantly, I wouldn't do it. If 00:08:20.040 --> 00:08:22.639 there was some possibility of failing or losing, 00:08:23.000 --> 00:08:27.420 I wouldn't do it. And so again, because my thought 00:08:27.420 --> 00:08:29.519 was, well, if I don't try, then I can't fail. 00:08:30.379 --> 00:08:32.440 Right? If I don't do anything with it, then at 00:08:32.440 --> 00:08:35.620 least I can't lose because I never started. And 00:08:35.620 --> 00:08:39.200 so whatever the excuse was for this servant, 00:08:39.440 --> 00:08:42.840 all right, we know that he had a fundamental 00:08:42.840 --> 00:08:49.179 misunderstanding of who his master was. See, 00:08:49.240 --> 00:08:55.320 he saw his master, as it says in verse 24. He 00:08:55.320 --> 00:08:57.620 says, I knew that you were a hard man, harvesting 00:08:57.620 --> 00:08:59.659 where you have not sown and gathering where you 00:08:59.659 --> 00:09:02.799 have not scattered seed. So what is he doing? 00:09:02.820 --> 00:09:05.840 He's blaming, he's looking at his master and 00:09:05.840 --> 00:09:08.700 he's going, I'm going to blame you for what I 00:09:08.700 --> 00:09:12.580 chose to do. Isn't that like a lot of humanity? 00:09:13.100 --> 00:09:16.360 We are really, really good at blaming other people 00:09:16.360 --> 00:09:19.159 for our mistakes. We are really, really good 00:09:19.159 --> 00:09:22.440 at putting the blame and the burden on someone 00:09:22.440 --> 00:09:25.820 else, even when it's our fault. right? And so 00:09:25.820 --> 00:09:28.419 if you're a teacher in the room, teachers, you 00:09:28.419 --> 00:09:31.860 understand this really well. Teachers, isn't 00:09:31.860 --> 00:09:34.799 it your fault that the student didn't turn in 00:09:34.799 --> 00:09:38.980 their work, right? You told them 10 times, but 00:09:38.980 --> 00:09:40.899 the 11th time they would have done it for sure, 00:09:41.019 --> 00:09:45.440 right? And parents, you know this. It's your 00:09:45.440 --> 00:09:48.759 fault that your child showed up to the sporting 00:09:48.759 --> 00:09:51.980 event without their sport equipment. Right, even 00:09:51.980 --> 00:09:54.320 though you told them five times to put it in 00:09:54.320 --> 00:09:57.100 the car, but hey, that's six times. So it's your 00:09:57.100 --> 00:10:00.159 fault. It's your fault that they did that, right? 00:10:00.299 --> 00:10:03.340 We see this all the time. We see the blame game 00:10:03.340 --> 00:10:06.360 being played out every single day of our life 00:10:06.360 --> 00:10:08.799 because again, we are really, really good at 00:10:08.799 --> 00:10:11.500 pushing blame to someone else. Just like this 00:10:11.500 --> 00:10:13.720 servant did to his master. He's saying he has 00:10:13.720 --> 00:10:15.980 a misunderstanding of his master's character 00:10:15.980 --> 00:10:19.820 and he uses that to blame his master. And so 00:10:19.820 --> 00:10:22.539 maybe, maybe you're sitting here and maybe it's 00:10:22.539 --> 00:10:25.039 not blame. Maybe it's going, maybe there are 00:10:25.039 --> 00:10:27.320 excuses. It's not blaming someone else. You just 00:10:27.320 --> 00:10:29.419 have an excuse. You have an excuse as to why 00:10:29.419 --> 00:10:32.159 you can't do something, why you can't, just like 00:10:32.159 --> 00:10:35.139 the servant, take the talent and go out and multiply 00:10:35.139 --> 00:10:37.700 it. Maybe it's the excuse of time, right? We 00:10:37.700 --> 00:10:40.000 all love that one. I don't have enough time, 00:10:40.019 --> 00:10:43.440 right? But one day when I get enough time, then 00:10:43.440 --> 00:10:46.120 I'll start doing something. But I just don't 00:10:46.120 --> 00:10:48.600 have enough time now. Maybe it's money. You're 00:10:48.600 --> 00:10:50.580 like, ah, I hear you talking about being generous 00:10:50.580 --> 00:10:54.960 all the time. But one day when I get ahead, then 00:10:54.960 --> 00:10:57.720 I'll start tithing. Then I'll start being generous. 00:10:57.840 --> 00:11:01.120 Can I tell you that if your goals start with 00:11:01.120 --> 00:11:04.700 an if and when, you're not going to ever do them, 00:11:04.759 --> 00:11:07.419 especially when it comes to following Jesus. 00:11:07.879 --> 00:11:10.899 Because again, what is this parable? What is 00:11:10.899 --> 00:11:15.179 this story supposed to illustrate? Jesus is talking. 00:11:15.769 --> 00:11:17.990 to his disciples in this moment, and he's telling 00:11:17.990 --> 00:11:19.990 them about the end of times. He's going, hey, 00:11:20.049 --> 00:11:22.950 these are the signs when the end is coming. And 00:11:22.950 --> 00:11:26.129 they're like, sweet, when is that? And he goes, 00:11:26.190 --> 00:11:29.450 no one knows the day or the hour, which is so 00:11:29.450 --> 00:11:34.509 unhelpful. And so then he uses these parables, 00:11:34.549 --> 00:11:36.990 these two stories, this one being one of them, 00:11:37.029 --> 00:11:40.070 to illustrate his point on going, this is what 00:11:40.070 --> 00:11:41.950 being a good steward of what you've been given 00:11:41.950 --> 00:11:45.600 looks like. And so we looked at the one. The 00:11:45.600 --> 00:11:48.259 one servant who squandered his money, buried 00:11:48.259 --> 00:11:51.460 it in the dirt to hide it because he had a misunderstanding 00:11:51.460 --> 00:11:54.659 of who his master was. Can I tell you that how 00:11:54.659 --> 00:11:59.139 you view God will determine how you live for 00:11:59.139 --> 00:12:05.379 God. How you view God will determine how you 00:12:05.379 --> 00:12:09.159 actually live for God. If you don't believe me, 00:12:09.159 --> 00:12:11.059 let's look at the next servant. So we looked 00:12:11.059 --> 00:12:13.639 at the one servant, the two other servants in 00:12:13.639 --> 00:12:18.009 verse. 16 and 17. So the man, right, who received 00:12:18.009 --> 00:12:23.110 five bags, he went at once. And then 17, so also 00:12:23.110 --> 00:12:25.750 the one with two bags, right? So they went at 00:12:25.750 --> 00:12:27.909 once. There was urgency. They didn't know when 00:12:27.909 --> 00:12:30.990 their master was coming back. They didn't know 00:12:30.990 --> 00:12:33.970 when they would see him again. So they just didn't 00:12:33.970 --> 00:12:36.549 waste any time. So they went out and they multiplied. 00:12:37.009 --> 00:12:39.730 They went out and took the talents that they 00:12:39.730 --> 00:12:42.539 had. that they were given, that they were entrusted 00:12:42.539 --> 00:12:44.519 with, and they multiplied it. You know, what's 00:12:44.519 --> 00:12:46.779 interesting is we look at the response when the 00:12:46.779 --> 00:12:50.360 master comes back. The response is the same for 00:12:50.360 --> 00:12:52.539 both of them. The master says to both of them, 00:12:52.720 --> 00:12:55.059 he says, well done, good and faithful servant. 00:12:55.220 --> 00:12:57.440 You have been faithful with a few things. I will 00:12:57.440 --> 00:12:59.360 put you in charge of many things. Come share 00:12:59.360 --> 00:13:02.279 in your master's happiness. One servant came 00:13:02.279 --> 00:13:07.279 back with 10 talents. That's like 200 years worth 00:13:07.279 --> 00:13:11.080 of labor and money. The other came back with 00:13:11.080 --> 00:13:14.740 four talents. That's like 80 years of labor and 00:13:14.740 --> 00:13:18.179 money, two very different amounts. But what does 00:13:18.179 --> 00:13:20.259 the master say to both of them? He says, well 00:13:20.259 --> 00:13:22.539 done, good and faithful servant. He doesn't look 00:13:22.539 --> 00:13:26.639 at them and say, wow, you got so much more. Good 00:13:26.639 --> 00:13:30.039 job. I like you better. He doesn't look at the 00:13:30.039 --> 00:13:32.200 second one and go, man, you tried. Thanks for 00:13:32.200 --> 00:13:35.360 trying. He goes, wow, well done. Why? Because 00:13:35.360 --> 00:13:38.740 the point is God is looking at the heart. God 00:13:38.740 --> 00:13:42.120 is looking at the motivation behind what you're 00:13:42.120 --> 00:13:44.659 doing. I think sometimes we stand here and we 00:13:44.659 --> 00:13:50.139 go, gosh, if I only had five talents, then look 00:13:50.139 --> 00:13:52.279 what I could do, right? Because maybe you're 00:13:52.279 --> 00:13:53.919 standing here and you're going, I only have two 00:13:53.919 --> 00:13:57.940 talents worth of time. I only have, you know, 00:13:57.940 --> 00:14:00.480 like I just don't have enough time. I only have 00:14:00.480 --> 00:14:04.600 two talents worth of time. And so, but you're 00:14:04.600 --> 00:14:08.909 going, if, hey, guess what? If I had five, Imagine 00:14:08.909 --> 00:14:11.409 how much more I could do. That's when I'll start 00:14:11.409 --> 00:14:14.669 using my time for God. I think it's interesting 00:14:14.669 --> 00:14:18.090 that Jesus doesn't tell us. We don't know when 00:14:18.090 --> 00:14:20.710 the day or the hour when God's coming back. We 00:14:20.710 --> 00:14:22.669 also don't know the day and the hour of when 00:14:22.669 --> 00:14:26.529 we leave this planet. But we ask, okay, so let's 00:14:26.529 --> 00:14:28.769 play this out. Let's say that we knew that Jesus 00:14:28.769 --> 00:14:31.710 was coming back one year from today. We knew 00:14:31.710 --> 00:14:34.370 that 12 months from now, Jesus would come back. 00:14:34.570 --> 00:14:38.220 Some of us would walk away. and instantly change 00:14:38.220 --> 00:14:41.539 our lives. We would go, shoot, I only got 12 00:14:41.539 --> 00:14:43.600 months. I got to do some stuff. I got to start 00:14:43.600 --> 00:14:47.100 following Jesus. But then some of us, probably 00:14:47.100 --> 00:14:52.220 a majority of us, would go, well, okay, that's 00:14:52.220 --> 00:14:54.779 12 months. I'm going to use about six of those. 00:14:54.899 --> 00:14:56.899 I got some things I really, really want to do 00:14:56.899 --> 00:14:58.799 in my life. I got some things that I really need 00:14:58.799 --> 00:15:01.299 to get done, some loose ends to tie up. And so 00:15:01.299 --> 00:15:03.039 I'm going to spend about six of those 12 months 00:15:03.039 --> 00:15:05.700 really just living for myself because, you know, 00:15:05.740 --> 00:15:09.750 that's... I just got wants and desires. And then 00:15:09.750 --> 00:15:12.169 the other six months, remember the if, like when 00:15:12.169 --> 00:15:15.529 that comes, then I'll do it. Then the other six 00:15:15.529 --> 00:15:19.450 months, I will go and live for Jesus. I guarantee 00:15:19.450 --> 00:15:21.429 you that's what happened. But we don't know the 00:15:21.429 --> 00:15:24.250 day and the hour on purpose because... What Jesus 00:15:24.250 --> 00:15:26.870 is trying to communicate through this story is 00:15:26.870 --> 00:15:29.549 he is trying to say the urgency is important 00:15:29.549 --> 00:15:33.830 because we don't even know when our last day 00:15:33.830 --> 00:15:37.909 and hour will be. And so what are you doing with 00:15:37.909 --> 00:15:41.809 what you've been given? Better yet, how do you 00:15:41.809 --> 00:15:45.070 view God? If you don't know how you view God, 00:15:45.149 --> 00:15:48.850 just look at how you're living for God. Do you 00:15:48.850 --> 00:15:52.610 view God as someone who is harsh and greedy and 00:15:52.610 --> 00:15:56.190 selfish and someone who is just ready to rain 00:15:56.190 --> 00:15:59.429 lightning down at the slightest mistake, like 00:15:59.429 --> 00:16:02.049 the first, the servant with one talent? Or do 00:16:02.049 --> 00:16:04.649 you view God as someone who is good and gracious, 00:16:04.730 --> 00:16:06.789 someone who is ready to forgive, someone who 00:16:06.789 --> 00:16:10.210 is ready to take your mistakes and multiply good 00:16:10.210 --> 00:16:13.629 out of them that only God can do, like the other 00:16:13.629 --> 00:16:16.820 two servants with the five and two talents? Again, 00:16:16.899 --> 00:16:19.740 how you view God will determine how you live 00:16:19.740 --> 00:16:25.679 for God. So what are you doing with what you've 00:16:25.679 --> 00:16:31.080 been given? And so I want to close out with a 00:16:31.080 --> 00:16:34.620 story to help illustrate this point. Because 00:16:34.620 --> 00:16:36.799 again, I think sometimes we stand here or we 00:16:36.799 --> 00:16:38.960 sit here and we walk out and we go, well, you 00:16:38.960 --> 00:16:41.639 don't understand. I don't have anything. You 00:16:41.639 --> 00:16:44.159 don't understand. I wish I had one talent of 00:16:44.159 --> 00:16:48.590 stuff to use. I wish I had what they had because 00:16:48.590 --> 00:16:51.490 if I had what they had, then I would be so much 00:16:51.490 --> 00:16:54.990 more effective. And so I would love to close 00:16:54.990 --> 00:16:58.409 out with this story. It is Senior Sunday and 00:16:58.409 --> 00:17:02.049 we, so I want to tell a story of one of our leaders. 00:17:02.149 --> 00:17:05.390 His name is Kyle. He's been with us for a long 00:17:05.390 --> 00:17:08.980 time. And I met Kyle eight years ago. When we 00:17:08.980 --> 00:17:11.240 started our fifth and sixth grade ministry, we 00:17:11.240 --> 00:17:14.240 were over in H4 in a tiny, tiny little room. 00:17:14.619 --> 00:17:18.480 And Kyle came in one day and introduced himself. 00:17:19.259 --> 00:17:21.599 And he said, hey, I'm here to serve. Where do 00:17:21.599 --> 00:17:23.079 you want me? And I said, hey, can you be with 00:17:23.079 --> 00:17:26.569 these fifth grade boys? And he said, sure. And 00:17:26.569 --> 00:17:28.930 so I actually don't find out till later, probably 00:17:28.930 --> 00:17:31.849 a year later, that he had told our middle school 00:17:31.849 --> 00:17:34.650 pastor at the time, he had said, hey, I want 00:17:34.650 --> 00:17:36.630 to serve in youth, but I would really love to 00:17:36.630 --> 00:17:40.970 do high school. If I had to, I would do middle 00:17:40.970 --> 00:17:45.109 school, but I will not absolutely ever, ever 00:17:45.109 --> 00:17:50.630 do fifth grade. I didn't know that, but God did. 00:17:51.400 --> 00:17:54.339 And so I put him with fifth graders, not knowing 00:17:54.339 --> 00:17:59.720 any of that. And so he shows up. And one thing 00:17:59.720 --> 00:18:01.359 you need to know about Kyle is when he showed 00:18:01.359 --> 00:18:04.680 up, he was an engineering student at Embry -Riddle. 00:18:05.119 --> 00:18:07.160 And if there's two things that Riddle students 00:18:07.160 --> 00:18:09.240 do not have, especially engineering students, 00:18:09.400 --> 00:18:11.000 they don't have time and they don't have money. 00:18:11.940 --> 00:18:14.680 All right? Like, for real. I walk this with him. 00:18:14.740 --> 00:18:16.480 Like, they don't have time, that's for sure. 00:18:16.500 --> 00:18:18.420 And they for sure don't have money. Loads, mountains 00:18:18.420 --> 00:18:22.910 of... student debt. And so Kyle walks in and 00:18:22.910 --> 00:18:27.950 he doesn't have any of these things. And so he 00:18:27.950 --> 00:18:31.250 shows up. He shows up every single week. We had 00:18:31.250 --> 00:18:35.130 four fifth and sixth grade services every single 00:18:35.130 --> 00:18:38.230 Sunday. We had one fifth and sixth grade youth 00:18:38.230 --> 00:18:41.529 service on Wednesday nights. And Kyle was there 00:18:41.529 --> 00:18:45.089 at every single one of them every single year. 00:18:45.930 --> 00:18:48.470 And so then it came time for his boys to move 00:18:48.470 --> 00:18:50.890 into seventh grade. He had graduated Riddle at 00:18:50.890 --> 00:18:52.670 this time. And so now the question was, what 00:18:52.670 --> 00:18:55.250 is next? And so he asked God, where do you want 00:18:55.250 --> 00:18:58.109 me to go? And God says, I want you to stay here. 00:18:58.430 --> 00:19:00.450 And he didn't have a job. He wasn't promised 00:19:00.450 --> 00:19:02.970 any job, no engineering, anything. He just goes, 00:19:03.109 --> 00:19:05.819 okay, God. I'll trust that you'll provide. And 00:19:05.819 --> 00:19:08.799 so he stays here because God told him that I'm 00:19:08.799 --> 00:19:14.079 not done with you and with your fifth grade boys 00:19:14.079 --> 00:19:16.619 that you started out with. And I want you to 00:19:16.619 --> 00:19:19.480 be faithful and continue to multiply what I have 00:19:19.480 --> 00:19:22.859 given you. And I want you to stay here. And so 00:19:22.859 --> 00:19:28.400 then Kyle then proceeds to walk with those same 00:19:28.400 --> 00:19:31.140 group, those same boys. all the way through middle 00:19:31.140 --> 00:19:35.420 school. And now eight years later, Kyle is still 00:19:35.420 --> 00:19:39.180 here and he gets to watch those fifth grade boys 00:19:39.180 --> 00:19:50.980 graduate this week. I asked him, I asked him 00:19:50.980 --> 00:19:53.000 if I could share this story and he said, only 00:19:53.000 --> 00:19:56.950 if. you make sure that God is the one who gets 00:19:56.950 --> 00:19:58.529 the glory. And I said, don't worry, I'll make 00:19:58.529 --> 00:20:00.589 sure to tell a bunch of bad stories about you 00:20:00.589 --> 00:20:05.150 so they know. Because again, Kyle is not the 00:20:05.150 --> 00:20:09.150 hero of this story. All Kyle did was take what 00:20:09.150 --> 00:20:13.049 little he had, which was not a lot, and he goes, 00:20:13.130 --> 00:20:17.170 God, I'm just going to show up. And God continued 00:20:17.170 --> 00:20:20.630 to use him to multiply. And so the same group 00:20:20.630 --> 00:20:23.950 he started with as fifth grade boys, not only 00:20:23.950 --> 00:20:26.490 did they, most of them stay through their senior 00:20:26.490 --> 00:20:30.950 year, we added so many more along the way. Because 00:20:30.950 --> 00:20:34.549 again, God is the hero. God is the one who actually 00:20:34.549 --> 00:20:37.609 did the work and actually was the one who multiplied. 00:20:37.789 --> 00:20:40.210 And Kyle was the one who just said, I'll show 00:20:40.210 --> 00:20:45.029 up. And so as I asked what? What are you doing 00:20:45.029 --> 00:20:47.289 with what you've been given? Because if you actually 00:20:47.289 --> 00:20:50.369 think about it, you've been given so, so much. 00:20:52.529 --> 00:20:55.029 It's not compared to the person next to you. 00:20:55.069 --> 00:20:57.609 It's not compared to the people on Instagram 00:20:57.609 --> 00:21:02.349 because we all know Instagram is real. What has 00:21:02.349 --> 00:21:05.690 God given you this morning? What has he gifted 00:21:05.690 --> 00:21:09.250 you with, whether it's money or time or all of 00:21:09.250 --> 00:21:12.880 the above? Again, what's the step in? Maybe it's, 00:21:12.880 --> 00:21:15.880 I need to serve. I need to step in and serve. 00:21:16.640 --> 00:21:18.460 I'm gonna make the time because we don't just 00:21:18.460 --> 00:21:20.960 have time. I'm gonna give, I'm gonna start giving. 00:21:21.059 --> 00:21:23.119 Even if I don't have a lot, I'm gonna start giving 00:21:23.119 --> 00:21:25.019 because I know that's what I'm supposed to do 00:21:25.019 --> 00:21:28.579 to multiply what I have for the kingdom of God. 00:21:28.660 --> 00:21:31.019 Or maybe it's going, man, I just need to commit 00:21:31.019 --> 00:21:33.880 to a life group. I need to step into a group 00:21:33.880 --> 00:21:36.619 here at Heights and stop just bouncing around 00:21:36.619 --> 00:21:41.509 and being, just a floater wherever I'm at. I 00:21:41.509 --> 00:21:43.490 just want to be committed because I know if you 00:21:43.490 --> 00:21:45.470 ever, if you read the Bible from cover to cover, 00:21:45.529 --> 00:21:49.750 you know that faith is not ever done alone. Following 00:21:49.750 --> 00:21:52.250 Jesus is always, always done within the context 00:21:52.250 --> 00:21:54.470 of community. So maybe it's one of those things, 00:21:54.490 --> 00:21:58.630 or maybe it's actually D, all of the above, which 00:21:58.630 --> 00:22:02.490 is the right answer because When we read this 00:22:02.490 --> 00:22:05.069 parable, Jesus is talking not just about money, 00:22:05.130 --> 00:22:07.430 but he's talking about the things you have and 00:22:07.430 --> 00:22:10.289 what you've been given, what you've been entrusted 00:22:10.289 --> 00:22:14.250 with. That idea of entrust, by the way, it says 00:22:14.250 --> 00:22:17.029 it in 14, it says the master entrusted his wealth. 00:22:17.130 --> 00:22:20.329 That same word in Greek is the same word used 00:22:20.329 --> 00:22:24.990 in the betrayal of Jesus. To entrust means to 00:22:24.990 --> 00:22:28.079 hand over, to deliver. And so it's interesting 00:22:28.079 --> 00:22:30.839 when we talk about this parable, the master handed 00:22:30.839 --> 00:22:34.599 over, delivered his wealth to the servants to 00:22:34.599 --> 00:22:37.880 be stewards of it. What we've been given from 00:22:37.880 --> 00:22:42.079 God was handed over to us to be a good steward 00:22:42.079 --> 00:22:45.240 of what we have, not what they have next to me, 00:22:45.339 --> 00:22:49.640 but what I have. And what am I doing with what 00:22:49.640 --> 00:22:57.670 I've been given? And so, as I said, It is Senior 00:22:57.670 --> 00:23:04.630 Sunday. And this is a hard, hard time because 00:23:04.630 --> 00:23:08.730 every year it's just like losing part of the 00:23:08.730 --> 00:23:11.289 family. It's good. It's all positive because 00:23:11.289 --> 00:23:15.109 they're going out to do things with other parts 00:23:15.109 --> 00:23:17.789 of God's family across the globe. But it's hard, 00:23:17.950 --> 00:23:23.920 especially for this class. We started with parent 00:23:23.920 --> 00:23:26.160 -child dedications and I wanna tell you that 00:23:26.160 --> 00:23:29.920 we have one student with us who was dedicated 00:23:29.920 --> 00:23:33.039 as a baby here at Heights Church and now she 00:23:33.039 --> 00:23:37.180 will graduate here at Heights Church and we can 00:23:37.180 --> 00:23:45.539 celebrate that. And so this is important because 00:23:45.539 --> 00:23:48.420 again, We just prayed and we just agreed as a 00:23:48.420 --> 00:23:50.539 church family, like, hey, we want to help you 00:23:50.539 --> 00:23:55.119 raise your kids. Now I want us to pray for those 00:23:55.119 --> 00:23:59.500 same kids, the ones that we have gotten to watch 00:23:59.500 --> 00:24:02.299 grow up as they go off and they become adults 00:24:02.299 --> 00:24:05.700 outside of high school and in the context of 00:24:05.700 --> 00:24:09.980 the bigger world. And so I want to pray for them 00:24:09.980 --> 00:24:11.660 as we commission them. But first, you need to 00:24:11.660 --> 00:24:17.549 know a few things. This weekend, we honor a group 00:24:17.549 --> 00:24:20.829 that is near and dear to my heart. Eight years 00:24:20.829 --> 00:24:24.990 ago, I started full -time youth ministry here 00:24:24.990 --> 00:24:29.049 at Heights with fifth and sixth graders. I walked 00:24:29.049 --> 00:24:31.670 into a tiny room in our kids' building because 00:24:31.670 --> 00:24:34.269 we didn't have any space elsewhere. I walked 00:24:34.269 --> 00:24:36.769 in having no idea what I was doing, and I just 00:24:36.769 --> 00:24:42.210 hoped that they didn't smell my fear. There was 00:24:42.210 --> 00:24:45.960 a group of fifth graders there. We all bonded 00:24:45.960 --> 00:24:48.160 together over that first year of trial and error, 00:24:48.240 --> 00:24:51.880 making mistakes and learning from them together. 00:24:52.900 --> 00:24:55.940 I'll never forget my first winter camp that year 00:24:55.940 --> 00:24:58.720 as being the pastor in charge, the one in charge 00:24:58.720 --> 00:25:03.160 of our church. That year, one of our leaders, 00:25:03.359 --> 00:25:10.599 Kyle, put a hole in the chapel wall. We had our 00:25:10.599 --> 00:25:13.849 boys students. Drink over 50 shots of coffee 00:25:13.849 --> 00:25:19.569 creamer. We stayed up until 2 to 3 a .m. with 00:25:19.569 --> 00:25:21.750 those same boys who were puking up the coffee 00:25:21.750 --> 00:25:25.650 creamer. We had to send some kids home because 00:25:25.650 --> 00:25:29.190 they were just homesick. But we had students 00:25:29.190 --> 00:25:33.069 give their lives to Jesus. And we created a strong 00:25:33.069 --> 00:25:38.089 beginning together. Since then, We have hopped 00:25:38.089 --> 00:25:40.289 around to different rooms and buildings here 00:25:40.289 --> 00:25:43.589 on our Prescott location. Unplanned, I became 00:25:43.589 --> 00:25:45.670 the middle school pastor, and I followed those 00:25:45.670 --> 00:25:48.190 same fifth graders up when they entered their 00:25:48.190 --> 00:25:52.069 seventh grade year. Their last Sunday as eighth 00:25:52.069 --> 00:25:54.809 graders, I remember one of them saying, I'll 00:25:54.809 --> 00:25:58.910 see you in high school. And I said, no, you won't. 00:26:01.069 --> 00:26:03.470 Two months later, there I was, the high school 00:26:03.470 --> 00:26:14.150 pastor. Four years since then, we are here watching 00:26:14.150 --> 00:26:20.190 the same 10 -year -olds that I once knew grow 00:26:20.190 --> 00:26:23.950 into incredible young men and women about to 00:26:23.950 --> 00:26:26.049 graduate high school and move on to the next 00:26:26.049 --> 00:26:33.109 chapter of their lives. Eight years since beginning 00:26:33.109 --> 00:26:36.289 this journey with these seniors, we have been 00:26:36.289 --> 00:26:39.049 through a lot. We have seen a lot. We have grown 00:26:39.049 --> 00:26:42.130 a lot together. We've made many mistakes along 00:26:42.130 --> 00:26:45.029 the way, said things we shouldn't have, done 00:26:45.029 --> 00:26:47.490 things we shouldn't have, but we made it. We 00:26:47.490 --> 00:26:52.230 made it together. Together this last Wednesday, 00:26:52.430 --> 00:26:57.809 the seniors' final youth night, we were able 00:26:57.809 --> 00:27:00.490 to witness over 300 middle school and high school 00:27:00.490 --> 00:27:13.180 students worship together in this room. Let me 00:27:13.180 --> 00:27:16.640 tell you, it was a party. This time, though, 00:27:16.700 --> 00:27:19.380 no coffee creamers, no broken walls, and no puking. 00:27:20.880 --> 00:27:25.460 But it was a night we'll never forget. It just 00:27:25.460 --> 00:27:28.039 goes to show what can happen when you trust God 00:27:28.039 --> 00:27:35.019 and let him multiply what he's given you. And 00:27:35.019 --> 00:27:38.000 so four years ago, when I became the high school 00:27:38.000 --> 00:27:40.200 pastor, I started this tradition of writing a 00:27:40.200 --> 00:27:47.930 letter. writing a letter to the graduating senior 00:27:47.930 --> 00:27:50.410 class and reading it from stage. I'm not sure 00:27:50.410 --> 00:27:54.670 why I chose to do that. But I'm going to read 00:27:54.670 --> 00:27:56.569 it because a lot of them are sitting in front 00:27:56.569 --> 00:28:01.170 of me now, their last weekend as high school 00:28:01.170 --> 00:28:07.069 students in our main service. And so if you would 00:28:07.069 --> 00:28:15.049 just bear with me, here we go. Remember how it 00:28:15.049 --> 00:28:19.430 all began. Entering fifth and sixth grade, thinking 00:28:19.430 --> 00:28:22.930 the finish line was so far away that you'd never 00:28:22.930 --> 00:28:26.029 make it. Seeing the seniors and thinking how 00:28:26.029 --> 00:28:31.089 big they were. Now you're here, the big scary 00:28:31.089 --> 00:28:36.150 seniors. And time flew by, didn't it? It wasn't 00:28:36.150 --> 00:28:41.589 as long as you thought. For me, it doesn't feel 00:28:41.589 --> 00:28:47.160 quite real. You've been a part of every ministry 00:28:47.160 --> 00:28:51.339 I've led for the last eight years. Every Wednesday 00:28:51.339 --> 00:28:54.539 you were there. Every Sunday you were there. 00:28:56.099 --> 00:28:58.940 When we came back from summer break, I knew you 00:28:58.940 --> 00:29:04.240 would be there just another year older. And now 00:29:04.240 --> 00:29:08.220 the time has come for you to move forward onto 00:29:08.220 --> 00:29:10.380 the next stage of your journey that we call life. 00:29:11.460 --> 00:29:14.930 I've so enjoyed our last years together. Last 00:29:14.930 --> 00:29:18.230 first day of school, last turkey bowling event, 00:29:18.430 --> 00:29:22.869 last gingerbread house making contest, last winter 00:29:22.869 --> 00:29:28.430 camp, and last youth night. Next school year 00:29:28.430 --> 00:29:33.390 will be so different. I'm not sure what to expect. 00:29:34.349 --> 00:29:37.170 I'm so excited for the classes behind you, but 00:29:37.170 --> 00:29:41.170 it won't be the same without you. Over the years, 00:29:41.190 --> 00:29:43.470 I've probably done more learning from you than 00:29:43.470 --> 00:29:47.589 you have me. I've learned how to persevere. You've 00:29:47.589 --> 00:29:49.390 taught me how to move forward even when times 00:29:49.390 --> 00:29:53.450 got tough. If you remember, not all of our times 00:29:53.450 --> 00:29:56.569 together were perfect. That first year was tough. 00:29:57.910 --> 00:30:01.730 Many times I wasn't sure if I had what it took 00:30:01.730 --> 00:30:06.230 to lead you. But you guys continue to show up 00:30:06.230 --> 00:30:11.289 and believe in our youth family. I've learned 00:30:11.289 --> 00:30:14.029 the real definition of family. From day one, 00:30:14.049 --> 00:30:17.950 you chose to make youth group your family. Whether 00:30:17.950 --> 00:30:20.589 day one was eight years ago in fifth grade or 00:30:20.589 --> 00:30:23.509 somewhere along the way, thank you for showing 00:30:23.509 --> 00:30:29.990 up and showing me what family is and how to continue 00:30:29.990 --> 00:30:32.950 to show up for your family week in and week out. 00:30:34.130 --> 00:30:37.789 I've learned the value of honesty. If there's 00:30:37.789 --> 00:30:40.680 one thing I know, you guys were honest. even 00:30:40.680 --> 00:30:45.119 at my expense. But I always knew what you were 00:30:45.119 --> 00:30:47.019 thinking and how you felt, and that brought me 00:30:47.019 --> 00:30:50.079 so much comfort. You've taught me to never settle. 00:30:51.279 --> 00:30:53.259 You guys were always telling me how we could 00:30:53.259 --> 00:30:55.319 get better, how we could be more impactful, and 00:30:55.319 --> 00:30:57.119 how we could be more faithful with the gifts 00:30:57.119 --> 00:31:00.039 God has given. You've shown me that your real 00:31:00.039 --> 00:31:03.660 self is your best self. In a world filled with 00:31:03.660 --> 00:31:06.640 facades, you were always great at showing your 00:31:06.640 --> 00:31:09.839 real selves. I am so beyond blessed to have been 00:31:09.839 --> 00:31:13.579 a small part of your journey, and I'm so excited 00:31:13.579 --> 00:31:16.160 to see where the Holy Spirit leads you after 00:31:16.160 --> 00:31:19.539 high school. My encouragement to you is always 00:31:19.539 --> 00:31:22.259 surround yourself with positive family. Our faith 00:31:22.259 --> 00:31:24.619 was never meant to be practiced alone, so find 00:31:24.619 --> 00:31:26.960 a community of people who love Jesus and constantly 00:31:26.960 --> 00:31:30.799 surround yourself with them. Never settle. Paul 00:31:30.799 --> 00:31:33.740 says to run your race to win. Always persevere 00:31:33.740 --> 00:31:36.019 and allow God to pick you back up. You're only 00:31:36.019 --> 00:31:39.910 out when you quit. So never quit. Always be your 00:31:39.910 --> 00:31:42.069 real authentic self and don't settle for anything 00:31:42.069 --> 00:31:46.089 less. Forgive often. Forgive yourselves and others 00:31:46.089 --> 00:31:48.609 often. Forgiveness is the best path forward, 00:31:48.769 --> 00:31:52.869 always. Prioritize your relationship with Jesus 00:31:52.869 --> 00:31:56.210 above all else. Jesus is your rock, your God, 00:31:56.269 --> 00:31:58.789 and your savior. It's because of him that you 00:31:58.789 --> 00:32:00.509 have life and it's because of him that you have 00:32:00.509 --> 00:32:05.740 hope. Lean into that hope, always. I love you 00:32:05.740 --> 00:32:09.759 all so very much. While we may not see each other 00:32:09.759 --> 00:32:12.680 as much as we used to, we are still family and 00:32:12.680 --> 00:32:17.880 you will always have a home here. To our senior 00:32:17.880 --> 00:32:20.019 leaders, thank you so much for the impact and 00:32:20.019 --> 00:32:21.980 faithfulness you have had in these senior lives. 00:32:22.440 --> 00:32:25.500 You may not see it now, but trust me, it's there. 00:32:25.660 --> 00:32:28.240 Thank you for always showing up and fielding 00:32:28.240 --> 00:32:30.240 those late night phone calls and texts from your 00:32:30.240 --> 00:32:33.759 students. Your love for Jesus and his kids are 00:32:33.759 --> 00:32:46.099 evident through your actions. So thank you. Kyle, 00:32:46.359 --> 00:32:52.240 I know you didn't do this for recognition, but 00:32:52.240 --> 00:32:55.420 thank you for the bottom of my soul to be on 00:32:55.420 --> 00:32:57.799 this journey with me and these senior boys. Thank 00:32:57.799 --> 00:32:59.640 you for holding me accountable and calling me 00:32:59.640 --> 00:33:02.170 out when I needed it. You have become one of 00:33:02.170 --> 00:33:04.210 my closest friends, and I'm so grateful for these 00:33:04.210 --> 00:33:10.390 eight years. As I said before, seniors, whether 00:33:10.390 --> 00:33:13.349 you've been with us from the beginning or have 00:33:13.349 --> 00:33:16.349 joined us somewhere along the way, I'm so grateful 00:33:16.349 --> 00:33:20.890 you chose to be a part of our youth family. At 00:33:20.890 --> 00:33:23.049 this time, I'd like to close by commissioning 00:33:23.049 --> 00:33:26.329 and praying for our seniors. So if you would 00:33:26.329 --> 00:33:29.730 just pray with me. God, thank you. Thank you 00:33:29.730 --> 00:33:32.950 for this group. that you have brought into our 00:33:32.950 --> 00:33:35.809 lives. Thank you for this senior class that you 00:33:35.809 --> 00:33:39.769 have made family here. God, we ask for your blessing 00:33:39.769 --> 00:33:43.970 and your power to go among them and outward as 00:33:43.970 --> 00:33:49.630 they walk out of these walls onto their next 00:33:49.630 --> 00:33:55.190 phase of life. And so God, we're just so grateful. 00:33:55.799 --> 00:33:58.079 So grateful that we have a church family to surround. 00:33:58.259 --> 00:34:01.299 And so God, we ask that you would bring your 00:34:01.299 --> 00:34:04.019 church family from across the globe to surround 00:34:04.019 --> 00:34:07.940 these students as they take the next steps in 00:34:07.940 --> 00:34:12.900 their lives, wherever they find themselves. God, 00:34:12.960 --> 00:34:14.960 thank you for the blessing that they are in my 00:34:14.960 --> 00:34:18.480 life and the lives of this church family. And 00:34:18.480 --> 00:34:22.050 so God, we just pray. We ask that your spirit 00:34:22.050 --> 00:34:24.309 would go make their paths straight before them. 00:34:24.389 --> 00:34:27.809 Would you continue to guide and lead them? And 00:34:27.809 --> 00:34:30.210 Father, I pray for our church family in this 00:34:30.210 --> 00:34:35.230 room and online. God, as we go out, as we are 00:34:35.230 --> 00:34:37.250 challenged with what we have been given, God, 00:34:37.369 --> 00:34:41.269 would you empower us to be better stewards of 00:34:41.269 --> 00:34:44.840 what we have? And God, would we stop making excuses 00:34:44.840 --> 00:34:48.619 and live fully for you right here, right now. 00:34:48.659 --> 00:34:51.559 We ask this, God, in Jesus' name. Amen.