WEBVTT 00:00:01.260 --> 00:00:04.540 If you had the king of the universe standing 00:00:04.540 --> 00:00:08.259 right in front of you, what would you ask for? 00:00:09.419 --> 00:00:13.580 Which dreams would you want him to make a reality? 00:00:14.560 --> 00:00:18.239 Now, imagine that some guy next to you yells 00:00:18.239 --> 00:00:20.739 out to the king of the universe, teacher, tell 00:00:20.739 --> 00:00:23.420 my brother to divide the inheritance with me. 00:00:25.140 --> 00:00:28.679 Dude, what are you doing? He heals people with 00:00:28.679 --> 00:00:31.739 the Word. He proclaims forgiveness. He raises 00:00:31.739 --> 00:00:34.759 the dead and you're asking him for legal advice. 00:00:36.359 --> 00:00:40.000 But let's not laugh too hard. Because this man 00:00:40.000 --> 00:00:44.799 is trapped in his own story. A narrative where 00:00:44.799 --> 00:00:47.939 life is about securing what you believe is yours. 00:00:48.979 --> 00:00:52.840 He's blind to the idea that true life is being 00:00:52.840 --> 00:00:58.200 rich toward God. His dream... is shaped by self 00:00:58.200 --> 00:01:01.859 -interest and the illusion that wealth will secure 00:01:01.859 --> 00:01:05.420 his future. He doesn't realize he's living inside 00:01:05.420 --> 00:01:09.680 of a story that will never save him. And honestly, 00:01:10.760 --> 00:01:15.099 neither do we. This man's request, tell my brother 00:01:15.099 --> 00:01:17.480 to divide the inheritance with me. That's not 00:01:17.480 --> 00:01:21.200 extravagant. It's pretty reasonable. It's fair. 00:01:22.060 --> 00:01:25.689 Maybe his brother really is being unjust. We 00:01:25.689 --> 00:01:28.510 don't know him. He just wants what he thinks 00:01:28.510 --> 00:01:30.510 will make his life easier, more comfortable, 00:01:30.549 --> 00:01:35.209 more secure. But that's the problem. His dream 00:01:35.209 --> 00:01:39.269 is far too small. He's dreaming like a man who 00:01:39.269 --> 00:01:43.090 thinks this life is all there is. He's standing 00:01:43.090 --> 00:01:46.790 in front of the king of the universe, but all 00:01:46.790 --> 00:01:49.750 he can think about is his share of the family 00:01:49.750 --> 00:01:52.310 estate. He's like a man sitting at the gates 00:01:52.310 --> 00:01:55.819 of heaven, But all he wants is a voucher for 00:01:55.819 --> 00:01:59.040 a nicer room at the inn. His eyes are on the 00:01:59.040 --> 00:02:01.420 ground when the skies are opening up right in 00:02:01.420 --> 00:02:07.299 front of him. It's easy to think small when we're 00:02:07.299 --> 00:02:10.800 afraid of losing control. Now imagine for a moment 00:02:10.800 --> 00:02:15.159 that this man's request is the start of his own 00:02:15.159 --> 00:02:19.180 dream sequence. In his mind, life becomes simple. 00:02:19.930 --> 00:02:23.430 Maybe he has read the Ecclesiastes passage and 00:02:23.430 --> 00:02:26.909 grabbed onto the line that says, there is nothing 00:02:26.909 --> 00:02:31.169 better for a person than to eat and drink and 00:02:31.169 --> 00:02:35.310 find enjoyment in his toil. That sounds good, 00:02:35.969 --> 00:02:40.530 right? Work hard, enjoy what you've earned, take 00:02:40.530 --> 00:02:42.930 life as it comes. I just want to be comfortable. 00:02:43.530 --> 00:02:47.509 I'm not asking for much. And that's how the dream 00:02:47.509 --> 00:02:52.439 begins. Ecclesiastes was never meant to be some 00:02:52.439 --> 00:02:56.199 fatalistic, pessimistic, downward, trodden book. 00:02:56.620 --> 00:03:01.080 The Hebrews valued it because it told the truth 00:03:01.080 --> 00:03:05.000 about life's limitations, about how small we 00:03:05.000 --> 00:03:08.740 really are. Luther loved Ecclesiastes for the 00:03:08.740 --> 00:03:13.159 same reason. He saw its joy not as an achievement 00:03:13.159 --> 00:03:17.979 of human effort, but as a gift. from God to be 00:03:17.979 --> 00:03:21.479 received with humility. But when we take that 00:03:21.479 --> 00:03:24.460 wisdom and we twist it into our own little mantra, 00:03:25.379 --> 00:03:29.800 we risk losing its heart. Because if we're honest, 00:03:30.460 --> 00:03:37.139 mantras don't always work. Mantras shift in meaning 00:03:37.139 --> 00:03:41.680 and then they fail. The dream keeps going though, 00:03:42.280 --> 00:03:45.800 and soon it starts to shift. The words, they 00:03:45.800 --> 00:03:50.919 sound the same, but the tone changes. It's not 00:03:50.919 --> 00:03:54.599 Ecclesiastes whispering anymore. Now it's Isaiah. 00:03:55.699 --> 00:03:58.879 A moment when God looks at his people and he 00:03:58.879 --> 00:04:03.680 sees them partying when the city is under siege. 00:04:04.719 --> 00:04:08.460 Judgment is coming upon the whole nation, but 00:04:08.460 --> 00:04:12.240 they say, let us eat and drink, for tomorrow 00:04:12.240 --> 00:04:15.750 we die. Didn't know that was in the Bible, did 00:04:15.750 --> 00:04:20.449 you? The same mantra, but now it's resignation 00:04:20.449 --> 00:04:24.350 disguised as wisdom. The people are just giving 00:04:24.350 --> 00:04:29.389 up. The man doesn't even notice his own shift. 00:04:30.230 --> 00:04:33.990 He thinks he's still being wise, but now his 00:04:33.990 --> 00:04:37.990 enjoyment is just a mask to covered despair. 00:04:39.500 --> 00:04:42.100 We're all doomed anyways, so let's just live 00:04:42.100 --> 00:04:45.699 in our dreams as long as we can and then the 00:04:45.699 --> 00:04:49.680 dream begins to crumble Because now he's alone 00:04:49.680 --> 00:04:52.579 He's looking at his land. He's looking at his 00:04:52.579 --> 00:04:55.019 barns He's looking at all of his plans in Luke 00:04:55.019 --> 00:04:58.779 12 just a few verses later. He becomes the rich 00:04:58.779 --> 00:05:04.779 fool He's building bigger barns and telling himself 00:05:04.779 --> 00:05:09.519 take life easy eat drink be happy He thinks He's 00:05:09.519 --> 00:05:12.620 won. But in the dream, there's a knock on the 00:05:12.620 --> 00:05:16.800 door. And a voice says, you fool, this very night 00:05:16.800 --> 00:05:22.720 your life will be demanded from you. All of His 00:05:22.720 --> 00:05:25.319 plans, all of His striving, they're all gone. 00:05:26.759 --> 00:05:30.839 And that's how mantras shift. They start as humble 00:05:30.839 --> 00:05:35.500 joy in God's gifts, but they become coping mechanisms 00:05:35.500 --> 00:05:40.279 to deal with our despair. They end as little 00:05:40.279 --> 00:05:45.300 self -made traps of false security. And through 00:05:45.300 --> 00:05:49.319 it all, that man doesn't realize that the one 00:05:49.319 --> 00:05:53.180 who can rewrite his dreams is standing right 00:05:53.180 --> 00:06:00.060 in front of him. There was a show. It's called 00:06:00.060 --> 00:06:04.160 The Sandman. It's a dark show, and it deals a 00:06:04.160 --> 00:06:06.759 lot with the sins that are listed in Colossians. 00:06:07.480 --> 00:06:10.420 Be careful before you decide to watch it. But 00:06:10.420 --> 00:06:13.439 even if you haven't watched it, I'm sure you 00:06:13.439 --> 00:06:17.120 know the general idea. People build dreams to 00:06:17.120 --> 00:06:20.000 escape reality. They craft worlds where they 00:06:20.000 --> 00:06:23.300 don't have to face the fear of death. Where they 00:06:23.300 --> 00:06:27.319 control the outcome. Where life's mess doesn't 00:06:27.319 --> 00:06:32.060 reach them. But there's a catch. Because the 00:06:32.060 --> 00:06:35.100 deeper they go into their dreams, the more they 00:06:35.100 --> 00:06:37.279 get trapped in avoiding the truth all around 00:06:37.279 --> 00:06:41.060 them. Because at the heart of those dreams is 00:06:41.060 --> 00:06:44.980 this quiet little voice whispering, this is all 00:06:44.980 --> 00:06:48.639 there is. You can't escape reality, so just ignore 00:06:48.639 --> 00:06:52.199 it in your dreams. And maybe that's what we do. 00:06:53.079 --> 00:06:56.459 We chase the jobs, the relationships, the experiences, 00:06:57.220 --> 00:07:01.339 the security, thinking, if I can just get this 00:07:01.339 --> 00:07:06.240 one thing, I'll be okay. But the dream starts 00:07:06.240 --> 00:07:09.939 to crack. The illusion fades. The world is still 00:07:09.939 --> 00:07:15.740 fragile. We are still fragile. And when it all 00:07:15.740 --> 00:07:18.300 starts falling apart, the world tells us, that's 00:07:18.300 --> 00:07:21.579 just how life is. You just gotta accept it. Grow 00:07:21.579 --> 00:07:25.079 up. Make the best of it, and it'll all be over 00:07:25.079 --> 00:07:30.360 soon. But that's not wisdom. That's just an elegant 00:07:30.360 --> 00:07:34.720 form of despair. It's learning how to beautifully 00:07:34.720 --> 00:07:41.139 give up. Because without Christ, the dream attempts 00:07:41.139 --> 00:07:46.000 to atone for our sins without a Savior. The story 00:07:46.000 --> 00:07:49.100 of the dreams ends only in self -destruction 00:07:49.100 --> 00:07:54.579 and hopelessness. But what if dreams are not 00:07:54.579 --> 00:07:58.000 meant to be an escape from hopelessness? What 00:07:58.000 --> 00:08:03.410 if dreams are meant to actually wake us up? The 00:08:03.410 --> 00:08:05.509 man in Luke 12, he wasn't dreaming too big, he 00:08:05.509 --> 00:08:08.870 was dreaming too small. He stood in front of 00:08:08.870 --> 00:08:10.529 the king of the universe, but all he could think 00:08:10.529 --> 00:08:14.290 about was his inheritance. He wanted what he 00:08:14.290 --> 00:08:18.509 thought would make him happy in that moment. 00:08:19.730 --> 00:08:23.069 But Jesus was ready to offer him something eternal, 00:08:23.870 --> 00:08:26.709 instead of letting him cling to a fading dream. 00:08:27.750 --> 00:08:30.389 It's like he's saying, you're asking for an inheritance? 00:08:30.970 --> 00:08:34.610 but I'm offering you a kingdom. You want to be 00:08:34.610 --> 00:08:37.350 rich for a moment, but I'm offering riches for 00:08:37.350 --> 00:08:41.750 eternity. Because Christ doesn't take away joy 00:08:41.750 --> 00:08:46.830 or life, He's waking us up to the joys that are 00:08:46.830 --> 00:08:51.610 real. Real life. The kind that doesn't fade when 00:08:51.610 --> 00:08:55.990 our dreams may end. And that's where Colossians 00:08:55.990 --> 00:09:00.179 is bringing us. Because Paul writes, set your 00:09:00.179 --> 00:09:03.899 minds on things above, not on earthly things. 00:09:04.200 --> 00:09:08.500 For you died and your life is now hidden with 00:09:08.500 --> 00:09:14.659 Christ. You don't need to escape reality through 00:09:14.659 --> 00:09:19.159 shallow dreams. We are meant to be reborn into 00:09:19.159 --> 00:09:26.679 a greater reality. A redeemed dream. A life hidden 00:09:26.679 --> 00:09:30.429 in Christ. not rich for just a moment, but rich 00:09:30.429 --> 00:09:33.870 for eternity. A life that isn't about grabbing 00:09:33.870 --> 00:09:38.029 what you can before it's gone, but a life that 00:09:38.029 --> 00:09:43.429 is secured eternal, gloriously full in Christ. 00:09:44.830 --> 00:09:49.490 Colossians 3 doesn't deny death. It says you 00:09:49.490 --> 00:09:53.129 have died, and your life is now hidden with Christ 00:09:53.129 --> 00:09:56.940 in God. But it doesn't stop there. It proclaims 00:09:56.940 --> 00:10:01.639 a resurrection life that transforms every part 00:10:01.639 --> 00:10:05.840 of your existence. What you wear, how you love, 00:10:06.299 --> 00:10:09.100 how you eat, how you work, how you serve, how 00:10:09.100 --> 00:10:11.799 you give, how you rejoice, to be better than 00:10:11.799 --> 00:10:17.100 it ever was before. Just like the King of Dreams, 00:10:17.259 --> 00:10:20.620 the man in Luke 12 doesn't need a prettier ending 00:10:20.620 --> 00:10:24.750 to an old story. He needs to be baptized into 00:10:24.750 --> 00:10:28.909 a new one. But here's the thing. Jesus doesn't 00:10:28.909 --> 00:10:31.070 wake the man up from his dream just to leave 00:10:31.070 --> 00:10:34.990 him in the cold, harsh light of reality. He wakes 00:10:34.990 --> 00:10:41.990 him up to redeem the dreams of his life. To baptize 00:10:41.990 --> 00:10:45.909 him. To take what was twisted and broken and 00:10:45.909 --> 00:10:51.389 give them back to him. Whole, new, and alive 00:10:51.389 --> 00:10:54.740 in God. See, that's what Colossians 3 is all 00:10:54.740 --> 00:10:57.779 about. Paul says, put to death therefore whatever 00:10:57.779 --> 00:11:01.700 belongs to your earthly nature. That's Isaiah's 00:11:01.700 --> 00:11:04.039 version of the dream that we're putting to death. 00:11:04.480 --> 00:11:08.120 The fatalism, the despair that we try to ignore 00:11:08.120 --> 00:11:11.679 and numb by living out every vice and sin that 00:11:11.679 --> 00:11:14.940 we know will only destroy us because that's all 00:11:14.940 --> 00:11:19.620 that those sins ever do is just numb us. Jesus 00:11:19.620 --> 00:11:22.759 doesn't tell us to numb ourselves to the feelings. 00:11:23.559 --> 00:11:27.759 He tells us to crucify it, to be done with it. 00:11:28.740 --> 00:11:31.919 He's already faced all of those at the cross 00:11:31.919 --> 00:11:37.899 and won. Paul says, take off your old self with 00:11:37.899 --> 00:11:43.460 its practices and put on the new self. That's 00:11:43.460 --> 00:11:47.139 Luke's part in the stream. The bigger barns... 00:11:47.200 --> 00:11:50.559 the illusion of control. Paul says, take it off. 00:11:52.000 --> 00:11:54.299 It's like an old ragged coke. Do you really want 00:11:54.299 --> 00:11:56.360 to wear that to the party? That's not who you 00:11:56.360 --> 00:11:59.940 are anymore. Paul says, whatever you do, whether 00:11:59.940 --> 00:12:02.480 in word or deed, do it all in the name of the 00:12:02.480 --> 00:12:05.440 Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through 00:12:05.440 --> 00:12:10.419 Him. That's what Ecclesiastes truly means about 00:12:10.419 --> 00:12:15.799 our dreams. But now they're redeemed. The eating, 00:12:16.019 --> 00:12:18.419 the drinking, the working, the giving, the rejoicing, 00:12:18.500 --> 00:12:23.179 the serving, but no longer hollow. It's worship. 00:12:24.399 --> 00:12:29.419 It's sacred. Because Christ doesn't erase the 00:12:29.419 --> 00:12:34.299 dreams. He resurrects them and makes them new. 00:12:35.379 --> 00:12:37.179 Instead of seeing the treasures we have been 00:12:37.179 --> 00:12:40.039 blessed with as a way to avoid life and just 00:12:40.039 --> 00:12:45.610 revel in more pleasures, we can actually do things 00:12:45.610 --> 00:12:48.009 with what we've been given that can benefit the 00:12:48.009 --> 00:12:51.769 kingdom of God that we live in. A kingdom that 00:12:51.769 --> 00:12:55.850 is eternal, not elusive. Instead of setting aside 00:12:55.850 --> 00:12:58.490 our treasures hoping that maybe we can use them 00:12:58.490 --> 00:13:02.090 someday, we can give them toward what matters 00:13:02.090 --> 00:13:06.309 today and help others while trusting that God 00:13:06.309 --> 00:13:09.970 will provide for us as well. See, Christ doesn't 00:13:09.970 --> 00:13:13.070 tell the man, in Luke 12 to stop desiring good 00:13:13.070 --> 00:13:16.889 things, He invites him to desire something greater. 00:13:18.649 --> 00:13:22.230 To be rich toward God, to live a life where joy, 00:13:22.850 --> 00:13:27.929 it's not a last meal just before the end, but 00:13:27.929 --> 00:13:30.309 rather a daily feast in the presence of a God 00:13:30.309 --> 00:13:35.860 who provides, redeems, and reigns. In Colossians, 00:13:35.899 --> 00:13:39.080 Paul is not giving us a list of do's and don'ts. 00:13:39.080 --> 00:13:41.360 Do all these things, you'll be good. Don't do 00:13:41.360 --> 00:13:44.600 those or you'll be bad. He's giving us a picture 00:13:44.600 --> 00:13:47.639 of what it looks like when your dreams have been 00:13:47.639 --> 00:13:51.360 baptized into His life. A real life that lasts 00:13:51.360 --> 00:13:54.559 forever in Christ. When your old self has died 00:13:54.559 --> 00:13:59.379 with Christ and your new self is raised with 00:13:59.379 --> 00:14:03.299 Him. That's the dream Jesus wants for this man. 00:14:03.820 --> 00:14:07.879 And it's the dream that He wants for us. Christ 00:14:07.879 --> 00:14:11.399 is not the King of escapist dreams. He's the 00:14:11.399 --> 00:14:15.580 King of the renewed universe. He doesn't offer 00:14:15.580 --> 00:14:19.419 us fantasy. He offers resurrected life that brings 00:14:19.419 --> 00:14:23.840 beauty, fullness, the very things that we try 00:14:23.840 --> 00:14:28.159 to escape from, but instead turn toward His goals 00:14:28.159 --> 00:14:31.779 and purposes. Because you have died and your 00:14:31.779 --> 00:14:37.149 life is now hidden. in Christ. The old dreams 00:14:37.149 --> 00:14:40.649 die but now you're clothed in a new self and 00:14:40.649 --> 00:14:44.029 dreaming the dreams that God has given to you. 00:14:45.070 --> 00:14:49.149 There's an old Japanese art called Kintsugi where 00:14:49.149 --> 00:14:52.570 broken pottery is repaired with gold. The cracks 00:14:52.570 --> 00:14:56.649 are not hidden. They're actually standing out 00:14:56.649 --> 00:14:59.940 but made beautiful. The pot becomes stronger 00:14:59.940 --> 00:15:02.220 and more precious where it was once broken. And 00:15:02.220 --> 00:15:05.080 that's what Christ does with our dreams. The 00:15:05.080 --> 00:15:08.259 old ones. He doesn't throw them away. He redeems 00:15:08.259 --> 00:15:12.440 them. Changes them. Sanctifies them. Changes 00:15:12.440 --> 00:15:16.960 them to be part of a bigger story. Let's go back 00:15:16.960 --> 00:15:21.700 to that man. He came to Jesus with a simple request. 00:15:22.399 --> 00:15:24.220 Tell my brother to divide the inheritance with 00:15:24.220 --> 00:15:29.100 me. That was his dream. That was a story he thought 00:15:29.100 --> 00:15:32.779 he was living in. Get what's fair, secure a little 00:15:32.779 --> 00:15:36.440 comfort, make life a little easier. But standing 00:15:36.440 --> 00:15:40.440 in front of him wasn't a judge. It was the King 00:15:40.440 --> 00:15:42.879 of the universe inviting him into a kingdom. 00:15:44.059 --> 00:15:50.200 And I wonder, in that moment, was Jesus just 00:15:50.200 --> 00:15:54.399 hearing a demand? Or what if he was hearing a 00:15:54.399 --> 00:16:00.059 cry? A cry from a man tired of striving, of being 00:16:00.059 --> 00:16:02.799 afraid, of pretending that grabbing a few coins 00:16:02.799 --> 00:16:07.179 would somehow make him whole. Because friends, 00:16:07.220 --> 00:16:11.840 we are that man. Every time we reduce life to 00:16:11.840 --> 00:16:15.700 what we can earn, secure, control, hold onto, 00:16:16.000 --> 00:16:18.200 we're standing in front of Jesus and asking Him 00:16:18.200 --> 00:16:23.340 to bless our small dreams. But Jesus loves us 00:16:23.340 --> 00:16:31.169 too much. to settle for that. Jesus is not here 00:16:31.169 --> 00:16:34.110 to help you build a bigger barn. He's here to 00:16:34.110 --> 00:16:38.370 give you a bigger life. A life hidden with Him. 00:16:38.690 --> 00:16:41.370 Clothed in compassion, humility, kindness. A 00:16:41.370 --> 00:16:43.710 life that is rich not in things, but in Him. 00:16:44.669 --> 00:16:48.190 Christ is here to baptize you, dreams and all. 00:16:49.190 --> 00:16:53.279 To crucify what needs to die. to sanctify what 00:16:53.279 --> 00:16:57.059 He has given you, to resurrect you into His Kingdom. 00:16:58.379 --> 00:17:02.059 And the invitation is open today. So will you 00:17:02.059 --> 00:17:06.019 keep chasing the dreams that fade? Or will you 00:17:06.019 --> 00:17:08.779 let Christ redeem you in everything that you 00:17:08.779 --> 00:17:12.119 could dream and give you a life that will never 00:17:12.119 --> 00:17:19.559 fade? Eat, drink, rejoice. But do it as one who 00:17:19.559 --> 00:17:23.809 is rich with God. Because that's the dream that 00:17:23.809 --> 00:17:28.130 is truly worth living. Thanks be to God.