Rolling cameras, <laugh>.

Hi everyone, my name is Cole Hein. I’m a junior at Thunder Ridge High School. I love playing baseball, golf, and I love spending time with my friends on the weekends. One of the things I look forward to the most is leading the sixth grade small group boys on Sunday mornings. I’m so excited to be here with you all and share with the Lord has put in my heart. As you may have seen in the video

<Laugh>.

My name is Cole Hunt and I’m a junior at Thunder High School. I’ve been a part of Jerry Hill for about three years now and these have truly been some of the best years of my life from having the opportunity to lead a small group to going to camps over the summer where I’ve built great community with the people around me. It’s been an incredible experience through this time. It’s been amazing to see the Lord the work the Lord has done in my own life. If I was asked to give this message just three years ago, I couldn’t imagine myself even standing up here. But through these past years, the Lord has been preparing me for this moment and today I’m so excited to share a Bible story. I feel the Lord has put on my heart the story of the prodigal Son. This story deeply resonates with me because of the way the Father shows such unconditional love to his son who is broken, ashamed, longing to be accepted.

It’s a powerful reminder of the love that the Lord has for me no matter how far I may be, no matter how undeserving I may feel, I’m always within the reach of the Lord. And this is a story many of you may be familiar with, but if not, it was a parable. Jesus gave about two sons and a father. The younger son asks for his father’s inheritance early and then leaves home wasting it all in a distant country. He was oftentimes rebellious, waste, wasteful and ultimately ends up lost and broken. This is seen in Luke chapter 15 verses 12 through 14, and the younger of them said to his father, father, give me the share of property that is coming to me. And he divided his property between them.

Not many days later, the younger son gathered all that he had and took a journey into afar country then while he was away, a large fame and hit the land and he found that he literally had nothing left and was working in Pigpens. And this led to the younger son just becoming more and more desperate in verse 17. But when he came to himself, he said, how many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I parish here in hunger? And this is a powerful turning point. The younger son, he realizes what his father’s servants have compared to his current condition. He’s starving working in pigpens. All he can think about is home, his father.

But the son, he just ultimately felt unworthy to come home. And let me ask you this. How many of you have had days that felt overwhelming? Have you ever felt like you didn’t deserve grace or forgiveness? Well, this happened to me just a few weeks ago. It’s the end of the school year, a busy and stressful time of the year with classes, sports, and even preparing for this message. And one day during lunch, I lost my wallet, my debit cards, my driver’s license, everything. And I thought, man, my dad is gonna be so mad at me. I couldn’t believe I had lost these such important things.

And then when I thought things couldn’t get worse, a week later on the way back to school, I got rear-ended at a stoplight. Thankfully no one was hurt, but then after that I just thought my parents were gonna be so angry and disappointed in me. Within a matter of only seven days, I had lost my wallet and I had gone into an accident. I feel like everywhere I turned I couldn’t do a single thing right? I felt so unworthy of my parents’ trust. But when I came home, both my mom and my dad, they met me with grace. They weren’t mad at all. They were supportive, they were understanding, they were loving through it all. And this reminds me when the younger son is coming back home to his father in Luke chapter 15 verses 18 and 19 where it says, I will arise and go to my father. And I’ll say to him, father, I’ve sinned against heaven and before you I’m no longer worthy. Do you call your son? Treat me as when you’re hired servants. You see the younger son, he’s at rock bottom. He doesn’t even feel worthy be called his father’s son.

But the beautiful thing is, is the story doesn’t stop there in verse 20. And he arose and came to his father. While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And now scripture, it doesn’t say this, but I imagine the father sitting outside every single day in his rocking chair with a cup of fresh, hot coffee waiting and just hoping for the moment he would see his son. And you know, maybe in today’s day and age you would have an air tag on him or an iPhone and you can see when someone’s coming home. But you can just imagine the father had no idea if his son would even come home.

And then when he finally sees someone in the distance, he doesn’t even hesitate. He runs and he finds out that it is his son and he throws his arms around him. And this story just shows the father’s incredible compassion and mercy. And you see the Father, he didn’t have to welcome his son back. He could have pushed him away, punished him. Irving said, you already made your choice, but he didn’t. He ran. He hugged him, he celebrated. And this is the same when you realize your sin and you run back to the Lord. Whether you are coming to the Lord for the first time or you’ve just strayed away, each of us has rebelled and all of us have sinned.

But just like the Father in the parable, God runs towards us not with judgment, but with grace, mercy and love. And only made possible through Jesus’s sacrifice that he made on the cross in Luke chapter 15 verses 22 and 23. But the father said to his servants, bring quickly the best robe and put it on him and put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet and bring the fat and calf and kill it. Let us eat and celebrate. You see, the Father, he threw his celebration, he rejoiced that his son was home. And in the same way when I had had a tough couple of weeks, my parents, they met me with mercy and grace. And scripture tells us that all of heaven rejoices when one sinner comes home.

And I see myself as that son that when I choose to follow the Lord, he’ll always meet me with open arms. And the amazing thing is he desires a relationship with each one of us. In Luke chapter 15, verse 24, for this, by son was dead and is alive again. He was lost and he’s found. So let me ask you this again. How far off do you feel from the Lord today? Do you feel like you’re undeserving of the father’s love? This story is a reminder that no matter how far you’ve gone, God’s arms are always open, he’s always ready to forgive, always ready to extend grace. And most of all, he offers a love that none of us can fully explain. Let’s pray. Dear Lord, just thank you so much for this beautiful day that you provided for us. I just pray it that if there’s anyone in this room that doesn’t know you or straight away that they realize your arms are always open no matter where they’re at on mountaintops or in valley lows, that you would meet them wherein they’re at and that you’ll meet them with the same mercy and grace that the Father showed his younger son.

In Jesus name I pray, amen. And the super cool thing about today is that I’m not the only one speaking before you. Would you turn your attention to the screen as we introduce the next speaker?

That’s pretty

Dope. Hi everyone. My name’s Eva Lorenz and I’m a senior at Mount Vista High School. Next year I’m heading off to Boston to Northeastern University to hopefully study neuroscience. Some of my favorite things are running track and cross country skiing and hanging out with my friends and family. But my favorite part of the week is when I get to come to church and lead small groups here at our student ministry. I’m so excited for the chance to get to talk to you all about God’s word today. Good morning everyone.

Like you just heard in that introduction video. My name is Eva Loren and I’m a senior at Mount Vista High School. I’m so excited for this opportunity to get to share in God’s word with you all. When I was first asked to pick a Bible story or a character to talk about today, I struggled because I’ve never had a particularly pivotal moment in my faith journey. And likewise, I don’t have one specific story that I feel especially connects to my testimony. Instead, growing my relationship with the Lord has been a gradual process, a combination of the many wonderful influences in my life and lots of small personal decisions. Today I felt called to speak on Proverbs 31, a passage that doesn’t speak about a specific moment, but about a way of life. One that’s been especially formative for me as I try to grow my character while approaching adulthood. But before we get into the message, I would love if you would all bow your heads and join me in prayer.

Dear Lord, we thank you so much for this day that we get to gather here in community that we get to learn more about you. Lord, I pray that today these words would be yours and not mine. I pray that you would open up the hearts of everyone in this room to receive exactly what you have for them today. It’s in your name I pray. Amen. So for those of you who aren’t familiar with Proverbs 31, the passage describes a wife and a woman of noble character. This woman is often even considered to be wisdom personified. She’s mentioned throughout the Bible but is described specifically in Proverbs. So if you have your Bibles with you today, I would love if you would flip open to Proverbs 31 verse 10. Verse 10 reads, who can find a wife of noble character? She’s far more precious than Jules.

The heart of her husband trusts in her and he will not lack anything good. She rewards him with good not evil all the days of her life. Verse 15, she rises while it’s still night and provides food for her household and portions for her female servants. She evaluates a field and buys it. She plants a vineyard with her earnings. She draws on her strength and reveals that her arms are strong. Verse 20, her hands reach out to the poor and she extends her hands to the needy. Verse 25, strength and honor are her clothing and she can laugh at the time to come. Her mouth speaks wisdom and loving instruction is on her tongue. She washes over the activities of her household and is never idle. Her children rise up and call her blessed. Her husband also praises her. Many women have done noble deeds, but you surpassed them all.

Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting. But a woman who fears the Lord will be praised, give her the rewards of her labor and let her works. Praise her at the city gates. For many Proverbs 31 has become something to strive to be and to emulate, but it’s also become an unattainable standard that women are often compared to. And in comparison, we all seem to fall short. We do not always rise before dawn. Our arms are not always strong. Loving instruction is most definitely not always on our tongues. And sometimes it feels impossible to laugh at the time to come because of this. Proverbs 31 is often tied up with feelings of shame and shortcoming. People turn away from the passage because they feel it makes them seem inadequate, but that is not what God wants for us. Proverbs 31 is not meant to point out all of our faults, but it’s meant to act as a beautiful instruction of how to build and how to cherish wisdom.

But most importantly, it’s not something we have to do on our own. In James chapter one verse five, God promises. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God who gives generously to all without finding fault and it will be given to you. God doesn’t promise us many things. He doesn’t promise you wealth. He doesn’t promise that you’re going to find a spouse and he does not promise you lasting health. But he does promise to generously give wisdom to anyone who asks. His desire is for us to live lives overflowing with godly wisdom. But what does wisdom look like? In Proverbs 31, I’ve found three main encouragement about wisdom. The first thing we learn is that there’s no magical formula that makes us wise all the time. After reading the chapter, it’s clear that wisdom is not a specific decision or action, but it’s a behavior God encourages us to be wise in all the small moments of life in the day to day.

The noble woman is not wise because she knows what stocks to invest in, but because she chooses to glorify the Lord in her everyday tasks, when we practice wisdom in the in the mundane, it becomes a habit and a tool that leads us to make godly decisions for ourselves. Wisdom is like a muscle. The more we train it, the stronger it gets. In Proverbs 31, the woman’s displays of kindness, diligence, strength, charity and intelligence are all standard practice. She’s intentional in all that she does. By emulating this, we make it easier to discern God’s wisdom, not just for the small decisions but in the life changing ones as well. The second encouragement Proverbs 31 provides is that our journey to wisdom is not one that’s meant to be traveled alone. In Proverbs 31, the wise woman cares for and grows her community. In this we can see how community is the best way to grow wisdom in the hearts of others.

In just a few verses, the wife of noble character has an impact not only on her husband and her household, but on her female servants, the spinning staff, the poor, the needy, and all the merchants of the land. Over half of the verses describing wisdom herself are also spent describing her interactions in her community. God is showing us that wisdom is not something that is grown dependently, but that it’s grown in thriving cultures where people take the time to care for one another. The noble woman is a light to those around her and her community does not scrutinize her for her insufficiencies. In fact, verse 28 tells us her children rise up and call her blessed. Her husband also praises her. Proverbs 31 beautifully depicts how the wise care for their community, how the community should care for the wisdom of its people. And lastly, Proverbs 31 points out the necessity of community.

Not only in growing our own wisdom but in pointing towards God’s ultimate love and wisdom. Just as the wise woman is an example to her community and is praised at the city gates, we are called to aid those around us on their journey to the heavenly gates. When I read Proverbs 31, what comes to mind is my mother, my grandmothers and the female small group leaders I’ve had over the years, these women and their wisdom have had generational impacts. When my high school leaders Kendall and Lauren taught me as a middle schooler, they had no idea that their influence would extend beyond me. To Ella, to Lola, to Bryn Marina and all the many other precious eighth grade girls, I now lead.

These women have meant so much to me and it’s only through them and their wisdom that I’ve had the chance to have an influence on others. I’m sure especially coming off of Mother’s Day, everyone in the audience can think of a strong woman in their own life who’s instilled a fear and a love for the Lord in their hearts. God’s wisdom prevails generation after generation and only through it can we grow his kingdom. As a young person, having godly influences in your life is essential to building a strong foundational relationship with the Lord. If we are a community that values wisdom, we will value lifting each other up an act that has no age limit. Whether you’re in sixth grade and wondering about inviting a friend to student ministry or you’re an adult who’s been considering leading a small group or you’re anyone in between, know that the time is now.

In Proverbs 31, the Lord calls us to a virtually impossible task knowing that we will fall short. But Jesus makes up for our inadequacies, covering our shortcomings. If you feel called to serve in your community, but feel anxious about not knowing how to take the correct next steps, remind yourself that through Jesus all things are possible. Even having an 18-year-old speak on the topic of wisdom. When I began serving as a small group leader four years ago, I didn’t know nearly what I know now, which still isn’t much, but the work of the Lord has sustained me and allowed me to pour into these middle school girls. And the Lord will provide each one of you that the with the wisdom you seek as well. So as we wrap up, I’d love if each one of you could ask yourselves, how can I grow God’s wisdom in my community today? And would you all bow your heads and join me in one last prayer.

Dear Lord, I pray that today you would cover us in your wisdom, that you would remind us to be wise in each moment of the day, and that we would lean on each other and 0.1 another to your ultimate love. I pray that every woman in the room would feel uplifted and not ashamed by Proverbs 31, and that every body in the room would remember the importance of supporting and encouraging wisdom in one another. Lord, we thank you for your boundless and gracious wisdom. You’re honored to be in your presence. It’s in your holy name we pray. Amen.

Amen. Can we give these students a round of applause?

Just just really an incredible Sunday that it’s been if you were curious, they did all three services. They started in the chapel. They have powered through. And I told them they will finally appreciate the art of a Sunday afternoon nap after today. It was, it will be on them. But I’m so grateful. And, and as we close, I just was thinking about, it’s been exactly three years since our family joined the staff here at Cherry Hills. And I still remember the Sunday we came and visited. At that time we were, I was pastoring a church in Texas. We were so excited for that. We were so excited for what God was doing there. God was doing just an unbelievable work at our church. We were seeing him doing in credible things in front of us. And so when we came and visited, there was really no thought on our mind that one day soon we would be making the move to come here and to join the staff of Cherry Hills.

Now we were blown away by our visit. Definitely we landed there was snow on the ground. Okay, looking back on this moment, it is like if it didn’t feel that obvious that we were tourists at first, but we made a snowman on the side of Lucent. Okay, that’s ’cause that’s where there was snow. And now looking back on it, you definitely knew we were outta place. But I remember that visit and I remember showing up to the church and, and just seeing this gorgeous facility and being like, I need a map. Where, what door do you even go in? I, we are blown away. And we met with Kurt and we just heard so many incredible things about what God had done in his short time here as pastor. And, and as we visited that Sunday, we did what all new people do. We went out on the atrium patio and, and we took pictures with the mountains and then we got locked out on the patio like all new people do.

‘Cause We, we didn’t know. And then we had the coffee both free and purchased and then it’s the same coffee we found out. And so, but new people, they don’t know that. So that’s how we get ’em. So we did all of that and none of that was the moment that God spoke to us and said, Hey, I’m calling you to Cherry Hills. The moment actually came right here in this worship center and we were sitting right over there and I, I remember it so vividly ’cause my wife and I kind of looked at each other at the same moment because as we sat there and we looked across this room, what we saw was genuine, authentic, multi-generational worship taking place. It was absolutely incredible As we looked across this space. Now, I will tell you we were probably a little sensitive to it because we at that moment in our lives had been praying so hard that God would bring something like that to the church that we were pastoring.

It was at that time the greatest burden on our heart was we just wanted to see a room of every age in every stage, praising God for the blessing that it was. And it had been a battle for us that we were just praying and praying through. But more than anything, the reason we desired it is because at that point, 15, 16 years in full-time ministry, here’s what we know. We know that multi-generational churches have a chance. A multi-generational church has a chance to survive. They’ve got a chance to sustain the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. A multi-generational church we knew can sustain the ebbs and flows that come with church life. They’ve got a shot of making it. And we desire to be a part of that and we desired for our kids to be a part of that. And we are so grateful and we are so blessed that this is now our home to be a part of what God has done here.

There’s an old saying that you don’t have to be famous, just faithful. And I think that phrase and that statement has kind of lost some of its luster over time because we exist in a, in, in this instantaneous generation. We exist in, in a society of instantaneous gratification, of instant results, of instant coffee. What a horrible idea. Who would do that? But that’s what we want. And this idea of just being faithful over time, this idea of just, of just walking the journey that God has placed you on day after day and just being faithful with what he’s given you and where he’s placed you. We just don’t see that lifted up much. And that is such a gift of a multi-generational church. There’s a phrase I tell my varsity athletes all the time, just be great where your feet are. And the reality is sometimes we don’t like where our feet are. Sometimes we don’t like the role that our feet are playing. We don’t like the position our feet have been put in. Sometimes we don’t like the feet that our feet are around, right?

But God has us there for a purpose. He has us there for a reason. And the greatest thing that you can do is just be faithful with it. To just be faithful in that moment. Understanding that a legacy isn’t created by flashes in the pan. A legacy isn’t created from someone who jumps from one place to another all over the place. Certainly not a good legacy, but that what God is calling us to do. It says, wherever you are, whatever season you’re in, whatever you’re walking through, just be faithful. And that today, that faithfulness for you might look like just committing to say, we’re gonna get up every Sunday and we’re gonna load up the car and we’re gonna go to church. We’re gonna try to get all the kids ready and all the kids in the car, even though it’s probably easier to land a space shuttle than get our crew to church, but we’re just gonna be faithful in this season.

Maybe you’re a little further down the road and for you it’s just like, hey, they’re preteen or they’re in the student ministry and you just, we’re just gonna be faithful sending them and saying, go find community. Go find accountability even though it’s a battle, even though they don’t want to do that. Maybe for you, faithfulness is serving somewhere, finding a place to serve here at Cherry Hills. Even though you’ve worked a full week and by the time you get to the weekend you’re tired too. Maybe for you faithfulness is saying, I’m just gonna continue to give faithfully so that missions and ministries can continue to happen. Even though you may not have kids in those ministries, even though you may not be planning to go on those trips, I’m just gonna faithfully continue to give. Or maybe for you it’s just, I’m just gonna pray diligently over this church and over that ministry even though I don’t have kids in it.

Or even though I’m not a part of it, I’m just gonna pray because that’s all I can give right now. I will say this, whatever your season is, wherever your feet are, listen to me. God will never waste your faithfulness. He will never waste that season. And so as we close, I just really want to encourage you with three things this morning. The first is this, faithfulness now means an opportunity to be fruitful later when we’re faithful. Now, when we’re faithful in this present, I know we want to see a harvest. Now I know you want to see an answer. Now I know you want results. Now I know you want that cure. Now I know you want reconciliation in that relationship now for God to make a financial way now. But the height of a building is dependent upon the depth of its foundation and it takes time and it’s a journey.

And wherever it is, would you just be faithful? Now, Galatians six verse nine says, let us not become wary in doing good for at the proper time we will reap a harvest. If what if we do not give up? Someone asks us, Hey, what age do you want kids like in programming versus the service and that kind of thing? And and I say, that’s a great question. I just think the word want is in the wrong place. We just want kids. We just want families. We just want you plugged in here, whether they’re coloring in the corner or crawling down the aisle or bouncing on your lap or they’re down the hall in kids men. God has them on a journey and God has you on a journey. And as David said at the beginning, we desire to come alongside the family and serve the family.

Whatever your family looks like, whatever season your family is in, what however your family needs to be served, we desire to come alongside of it. Certainly we had our kids in church at an early age. For most of my kids’ life, I have pastor to church in some capacity. I used to joke with people, Hey, if you want me to not notice you don’t sit in the back because my kids are horsing around on the front row and the only way I can focus is just stare at the back. How my wife did it, I’ll never know. Those kids spent more time and time out in the hallway than they did in the service. And there were a lot of times where we just thought, are they even getting anything out of this? Until they quoted something from my sermon at at at lunch or at dinner until they said, Hey dad, you use us a lot in your sermons.

Do we get a cut of that? Do we get like a portion that seems like cheating? You know, come up with your own material because God was working in their life and he’s working in your kids’ life and he is working in your family’s life and we desire to come alongside of that. And your faithfulness in that season will never be wasted. It will never be wasted because number two, a godly faithfulness produces a fruitfulness and that fruitfulness doesn’t expire. The the fruit that God produces doesn’t have an expiration date. It doesn’t have a shelf life when we are faithful. Now God produces a lasting fruit in our life. He produces this lasting legacy that doesn’t give up when we seek fame. Being famous is about us. Being faithful is about the Lord. Being faithful is about fame has the shelf life. It is short lived is 15 minutes long, but being faithful is about seeing God use you to produce a ripple or to produce a legacy that far outlasts you even when you’re no longer in the picture.

John 15 verse six says, you did not choose me but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit, the fruit that will last so that whatever you ask in my name, the father will give to you. Abraham is such a wonderful example. He never got to see the full picture of the promise, but his faithfulness and his obedience had a ripple that affected all the nations. As we see in scripture, think about Eva’s story reminded me of Timothy. Scripture tells us Timothy came to faith because of who in his life. Do you remember his mother and his grandmother? The character of Timothy has this faith that comes not from characters that are famous, not from characters that we know a lot about, but because someone was faithful, it produced this faithfulness in Timothy. And the third truth is this, that we would trust God to do the work, trust God to multiply that.

If I were to ask you this morning, Hey, where is God calling you to be faithful? If I ask you to just jot that down, Hey, where is God calling you in this season of your life to be faithful? My guess is many of you would say, oh, I know where he’s calling me because he literally calls me every day. I every song, every podcast, every friend, every message. It’s like, I get it, Lord. I know what he’s calling me to do. Others would say, I, I don’t know. I don’t know what string and faithfulness together two days in a row looks like I’m new on this journey or I’m struggling on this journey and I don’t know what God is doing in my life. I hear that from our high school upperclassmen all the time. Like I just want see the whole picture. And I’m just like, I just don’t know that God ever does that.

Maybe today he would say, I don’t really know what that looks like. Then there’s probably a third group in here who says, oh, I know what he’s calling me to do. He and I just disagree on what he’s calling me to do. Sometimes I have to remind the Lord, Hey God, I’m just a C student here. You’re asking a lot outta me. And you would say, Hey, he’s asking me to do something that’s just not possible. He is like, feed the 5,000 with a Lunchable. And I’m just like, God, this can’t be done, but I’ll just tell you that, would you just get this this morning? That the ask from God isn’t for you to have it all figured out. The ask is that you would just be faithful. He will figure it out that if today the whole ask from the Lord on your life, it says, just be faithful where I have you with what I’ve given you.

Ephesians three, verse 20 says this Now to him, who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine according to his power that is at work in us. I was so blessed to grow up in the same town as my grandparents. You may be cool grandparents. I don’t know. My grandparents were really cool. My granddad was a World War ii, purple Heart recipient. He was a golden gloves boxing champion. And he told so many awesome stories my mom hated for him to tell us. It was awesome. She’d be like, where did you learn that? My grandma, she was awesome too. She’s a public school teacher. She kept my granddad in line. She could throw a football way further than any of you can. I promise.

My mom was number seven of eight. So there were always like 30 grandkids just hanging around. It was somebody’s birthday in our family. Like every day there were so many of us. So we were always at our grandparents’ house. I just thought that was normal. There were always opportunities for us to spend the night, but my grandparents were so consistent. If we spent the night they took us to church. I don’t know how they did that. Like six, seven grandkids all running around. My grandma trying to get us all in the Buick and like, you’re going to church, okay, you need Jesus. That’s what she would tell us a lot. And I remember just watching them live out their faith for everyone that they came in contact with. But I remember a particular dinner, they came over to our house. They were so excited. They had, they had like just come from this meeting at their church and their church had decided that they were gonna start a campaign to build a youth building, like a youth center.

And my granddad, he’s like hitting all the sales pitch. Like he had already memorized it, it’s gonna do this, we’re gonna host this, it’s gonna do all these things for students. And I was like, dad, dad, you’re 70 man, you’re, you’re too that. That’s not, that building’s not for you. What are you so excited about? And he was fired up. And my grandparents believed in that building so much that they actually left their entire inheritance to that capital campaign. That church, if you ever find yourself driving I 40, about halfway between the Cadillac Ranch and the big Texan just south of I 40, you can can still see that church with that youth building on the end. You know, my mom was seven of eight, so my grandparents didn’t live to see me get married. They didn’t get to see the, the man I became. They didn’t get to see me have kids and to see what those kids have became. But here’s what they did do. They faithfully raised the eight kids who went on to faithfully raise up families of their own. Who today are working to faithfully raise up families of aro.

For my wife and I, we’ve known can never be perfect parents. We just desire to be purposeful parents trying to be faithful in the season that God has given us. I don’t know what God may be calling you to invest in today. I don’t know where he may be calling you to be faithful, but I hope you understand the power and the impact that your legacy and a ripple effect can have that you’re serving somewhere may see a future elder or pastor at Cherry Hills come to know Jesus. That your prayers may have an impact on your great grandkids. That your faithful giving might bless a ministry for decades to come. Here’s what I hope you get this morning. And in order for Cherry Hills to make it, in order for us to continue to thrive, here’s what has to happen. We’ve gotta invest like crazy in that generation of kids that has just led us this morning. And on this end, those of us who aren’t that young anymore, those of you who are down the road, you’ve gotta continue to run the race and you’ve got to faithfully finish. Well, that is very different than just finishing,

But you’ve gotta finish well. And those of us in between have to be so faithful in the space that God has placed us to pass the baton as we continue to run this journey ahead. My prayer, my desire is that we would be a church who is faithful now trusting God through it all, investing in what God is doing, trusting him with the future this morning, would we be a people? Would we be a church who, wherever God has you says, I will be faithful now trusting him to produce fruit later. Would you pray with me?

Lord? Lord, would you just help us be faithful today? Would you help us be so faithful with the little that you’ve given us? And would you turn it into much Lord? Would we just trust you? Lord? Would you just turn our obedience? Would you just turn our faithful obedience into a legacy that we could never leave into, an impact that we could never create and and above everything else, would you turn our faithful obedience here at Cherry Hills Community Church? Would you turn it into all glory for your name, both now and forever? Father, would you continue as you have so faithfully to do a mighty work here with your bride? Would we just be faithful to follow along? It’s in the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.