Kingdom Values

He was right about that movement. Because if you think about a transvaluation, we have crosses. People wear the cross. Before Christ, the cross was a symbol of shame. You wouldn't speak of the cross. The cross was the most humiliating way to die, one of the most painful ways to die. But because Christ submitted himself to the cross to save a people, the cross took on a new value a new significance. We need to consider the things we value. What kind of ideas do we celebrate? What do we sing about? What do we put before our children? What do we think about with our family meals and what do we read to our children?

Those are the values that we are intentionally saying are most important. You can consider your own values. What is in pen, what is in pencil? I try to make sure I say that at least once a month now. What do you say is most important you write in pen? I must do this. What is in pencil is something that can be changed.

This morning we're going to look at one of the most challenging transvaluations that Jesus taught.

The first shall be last, the last shall be first.

Nietzsche is helpful because he's one of the most consistent atheists. And he's right. Christianity has taught a very different way than power. But if Christ is risen, it's the right way. If Christ is risen, there's a different way than the way of might and power.

One of the significant ways we're gonna have to wrestle with a change of value in the waters we swim in is with the term secular. We live in a secular age. And secular just focuses in on right now, the temporary is all that matters. The word secular refers to time, the now, in my lifetime. What's earthly, what is present.

Jesus pushes us to think about a heavenly kingdom. an eternal kingdom, treasures where moth and rust do not destroy. This morning, we're going to consider Jesus's invitation. Who is invited into his kingdom? How do we come into that kingdom and assures us that his kingdom will come? If you're new with us, we're walking through the book of Matthew. We're in chapter 19. Stories read, if you're taking notes, the first point, Jesus invites all to come to him.

Jesus invites all to come to him

And the emphasis here is that the least of these are invited to Jesus. Jesus invites all to come to him. Picking up in verse 13,

then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them. And pray, the disciples rebuked those people bringing children. But Jesus said, let the little children come to me and do not hinder them. For to such belongs the kingdom of heaven. And he laid his hands on them and went away.

My assumption is parents are bringing their children to Jesus. The people bringing children, I'm assuming are parents. And this seems right. They would want Jesus, the one that has healed people, the one who is teaching with all authority, the one who they are seeing with great esteem, and they want him to bless their children. But the disciples, they start rebuking him. The parents want Jesus to bless their children, and the disciples are saying, no, this isn't worthy of Jesus' time. Don't bring those children to the master. important work to do. If you flip back to Matthew 18 a few weeks ago, we looked at the passage where the disciples asked who would be the greatest in the kingdom.

The idea of greatness, again, a value judgment. And he brings in a little child again and makes them an object lesson of whoever would even come into the kingdom must come like a child. Whoever would be greatest in the kingdom must be humble like a child. The whole focus there in Matthew 18 was that the child was used in an object lesson to show them that they're thinking about the kingdom of heaven all wrong. Because they were hoping that a mighty king was coming to overthrow the mighty power of Rome. But he has come to introduce a new kind of kingdom. The whole idea of coming like a child, being like a child, it doesn't remain childish. It doesn't remain immature. to come dependent upon God, lowly, humble, trusting.

Children in that society were not esteemed and they were not valued in the same way our culture values children. They did not contribute to society. They were not adored. They understood they needed to raise children up to be good citizens so they would eventually contribute to society, but children were not adored in the way our culture looks at children as if their innocence is what we should learn from.

In our text this morning, we actually see a prejudice of the disciples corrected by Jesus. They believe they were not worthy of Jesus' time. It's a wild picture if we think about it. The disciples rebuke adults bringing children to Jesus. That's fairly intense language. And then Jesus corrects his own disciples in front of everyone else.

Let them come to me. Do not hinder them.

Again, we hear that same lesson that he just taught them in Matthew 18.

And the time of this lesson is important. The values of the kingdom are important to establish because in just a few days, we assume because of the chapters, is a triumphal entry. The last week of Jesus' life. He's trying to teach the disciples the ways of the kingdom and the values of the kingdom.

Jesus come to bless and to help and to heal all who were made in the image of God. Every human made the image of God, male, female, barbarian, Scythian, rich, poor, adult, child. The emphasis here A lowly and the despised and the inconsequential, according to society and culture, he wants them to come to him so that he can bless them. Jesus has come to honor the dishonored and to lift up the lowly. No man is too little that God cannot lift him up. No man has too much pride that God cannot bring him low. No man has too much sin that God cannot forgive him. Look at the end of verse 14.

For to such belong the kingdom of heaven.

For to such little ones, again, not being childish and immature, but to those who would be lowly and those who would be insignificant in this world, those who would come trusting him, humble and dependent. Jesus has come to seek and save sinners. Not those who are self-sufficient already. Jesus comes to seek and to save sinners who would come repenting. That is how all must come to Jesus.

He comes to lift up those who are lowly. That is the upside down kingdom that is captured in that grand declaration,

the first shall be last and the last shall be first.

Those we see as high in society, They may be nobody in the kingdom of God. Those rejected in society, they may be royalty in the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is for those who would come like a child. For such as these, humble, not boasting, not self-assured, but believing they need a savior.

One of the challenges for us church is that we all must recognize we've come as children, fully dependent, fully needing by faith, and that whoever would come to Jesus must come in that same way. But again, the striking contrast here in the text is Jesus is confronting the prejudice that the children were not worthy of Jesus' time.

We must recognize all are called to Jesus. We go out and publicly declare the gospel that all might hear that good news and come to him. We do not get to decide who and who is not worthy. That's the amazing thing about the Lord's Supper before us. It reminds us we all come to be saved by the same Savior. The same death on the cross, the same blood is sufficient for every sinner to forgive us. The same resurrection is sufficient for all of us to be given the new life we need.

Keep the commandments

So that first text, he lays his hands on them, he sent them away, he blesses the children. All can come to Jesus. Jesus calls everyone to come to him. Now the next text is helping us contrast some characters here. The next point, Jesus calls all who come to him to repent. Jesus calls all who come to him to repent.

Notice there verse 16. And behold, we see a new character introduced. We see a man who comes and he starts asking a question. And there's a wonderful foil here. The child that the disciples saw as too lowly, we now see a man who has great possessions. Right, if you're trying to build a kingdom, if you're trying to build an establishment, the children aren't going to help you build that society, but the rich man, he can contribute. The rich man comes.

He asks Jesus a question. This man comes,

what good deed must I do to have eternal life? What good deed must I do to have eternal life?

It sounds like maybe he's looking for a charity to give to. to secure salvation. Our Reformation ears should be tingling a little bit, because he said, what must I do to be saved? And we know that you can only be saved by faith, as Matthew mentioned earlier very clearly from the Galatians text. But he's at least asking a good question.

How am I to be saved? It's almost, what extra deed do I need? What more could I do? It almost sounds like the student who hasn't done any of the work assigned in the syllabus all semester, but then wants extra credit at the end. You know, what do I need? Like, what extra little thing can I do that's special that will kind of push me over the grade barrier to pass to get into heaven?

No, as Jesus normally does, he doesn't actually answer a question directly. Here he does give this man a little bit more credit, but first he says,

why do you ask me about what is good? There's only one who is good.

He's implying here he is that one. He is the one good God who has given the good law. He is the one good God who can save all sinners. Jesus is asking him, why are you asking me? There's only one who is good, and it's him. The good God who has created this rich man, He's acknowledging you're asking me the right question at some level. And he answers them more directly than most.

If you would enter life, keep the commandments. Keep the commandments.

Now, this is true. If someone were to keep God's law perfectly in every way through their whole life, they would enter into eternal life. If Adam would have never sinned, he would have remained alive. He would not have died. If someone were able to do all the commandments all the time in every possible way, you're able to have life and enter into life.

There's a truth to this. Moses is clear.

If you keep my commandments, you will enter the land and you will live forever.

The commandments are good. The law of God brings life. The law of God promotes blessing. Now, again, the rich man, he asked the right question. He's rich because he's learned how to negotiate. He learns how to be specific. Which ones? What a great question.

Which commandments do I need to keep in order to enter into life, give me the bar, give me the measure, let me know what I need to do. Jesus obliges,

you shall not murder, you should not commit adultery, you should not steal, you should not bear false witness. Honor your father and your mother, love your neighbor as yourself.

We see here there's three categories. First, the prohibitions. In the second tablet, we understand there's prohibitions. Do not execute something that would be opposed to the rights of your neighbor. Do not steal, do not commit adultery, do not murder. Those are the prohibitions. Don't do these.

Then the positive, honor your father and mother. The right relationship from a child to a parent. And then the universal command that really summarizes the entirety of the law, Jesus will teach a little later. Love your neighbor, other human beings, every other image bearer, as you love yourself.

Now, it's interesting. The only commands Jesus lists for the man are what we call the horizontal commands. The commands for each other. So look around, those are the horizontal commands. Your neighbor is the person right next, nobody looked around. Look around. Horizontal, right? Your neighbor that you love, your parents that you honor. Some of you have parents in the room. You should look at them. I'm gonna honor them.

And then you look around and you say, all right, I'm not gonna steal this person's phone. I'm not gonna commit adultery. I'm not gonna commit murder. I'm going to recognize there's rights and privileges that we all have been given by God and those prohibitions are protecting those rights. It's what we call the second tablet, those horizontal commands. didn't mention any of the vertical commands.

You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make a graven image of another god. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your might.

We understand there's two ways, there's two different specific kinds of commands, one that is a relationship with God and other relationship with other human beings.

Why does he only focus on the horizontal? Just for fun, here's some possible answers. I'm not convinced any of them are right, but you can discuss at lunch. Jesus is starting with a low bar of just how you relate to other human beings out of mercy for him, to show him how he's already failed at the most basic human responsibilities. Or maybe Jesus is starting with a lower bar to help him see how far he has to go.

It could be that the man who thinks he's special because he's rich, He wants something special to do. He wants to make a donation. He's helping him see, though, that you need to start here with the right way of living with humans, and then you'll have a right way of relating to God. There's a way in which he's only focused here on the horizontal, though. Now, the answer is pretty interesting. Verse 20.

After hearing the commands that Jesus is specific about, The young man said, oh, I got this.

All these I've kept. What do I still lack? All these I've kept.

That word keep is really important. All these, I got it. I've not done those things and I've honored my parents and I've loved my neighbor. I got this. I've kept all of them for my youth.

We should be wondering what he means by the word keep. It might be interesting to ask his parents, did he always honor you? Maybe he means I gave it my best shot, I gave it my best effort all the time. Maybe he thinks generally I did a good job, I at least did better than Jimmy down the street. I wonder if he wrestled with confidence, just the outward expression of these things.

Because if we really think about what it means to keep the commands, those prohibitions, it means you're not just committing adultery, you're also not having lust in your heart. You're not just murdering, you're not having anger and hatred in your heart. You're not just stealing, you're not coveting other people's goods.

Let's just be honest here, when it comes to our sin, we like to oversimplify it. We like to just focus on our bad behavior or lack of bad behavior. And we'll just say, well, if I have bad behavior, I'm going to pray harder. I'm going to try harder. I make some mistakes. No, sin has infected our very hearts and minds. It's infected the way we desire and the way we think. It's this blurry labyrinth of deception. We simplify our sin, and then we want an oversimplification of the solution. If you want the simple solution to your sin, it's repent of sin and never stop repenting. Looking to Jesus who alone can forgive you.

Come, follow me

But after the confidence to say I've kept all these, what do I still lack? There's gotta be something a little special I can still do. I kinda like this guy. Like he's asking like a good question here. I think I've kept these, what more can I do? Jesus answers him, if you would be perfect, which is what it means to have obeyed the entire law to enter into eternal life,

if you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, and come, follow me.

I'm certain and clear he asked the right question, what more can I do, what do I still lack? He asked the right question and he regrets that at this point.

If you'd be perfect, absolute obedience in every thought, in every desire, in every action, in every motive. If you'd be perfect, then go and sell all you have and give to the poor. What you're lacking is a real love for your neighbor to give to him what God has given to you, to bless others the way God has blessed you. It's important Jesus putting his very surgical precise finger on this man's very precise sin, go and sell all you have. He's putting his surgical diagnosing finger on his primary sin and that he loves money more than God and more than his neighbor.

He's shedding light on how big of a problem the man has who thinks he's done all the things that God has expected him. He's not loved his neighbor. He's not sought to be a blessing to them. He's probably not cared for his parents in the same way. That last statement,

come, follow me.

The man needed to be removed from his love of money so that he could draw near to God and love him. Jesus already taught very clearly,

you cannot love God and money.

This man's love for money is made obvious.

Now for clarity, we have to say that this isn't a universal command. There are universal commands in scripture. Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not bear false witness. Those are universal commands that are always good and true. The command to sell all you have, that's just for this man, and maybe others. But there's folks who've made this the absolute pattern.

Well, we do see this as something the early church was willing to do, but it isn't the primary sin that God calls everyone to do, to repent of. This man has a clear love of money that has caused him to not love God. If I were to expand out this diagnosis, he's not seeing his wealth as a blessing from God in order to steward it to bless others. He's not seeing the wealth that God has given him as a gift of God in order to bless others.

There's something wonderful here about the commands. Law of God helps us see our sin. The law of God should help us to see how we failed to keep God's good commands. We're designed to obey God's law. We're designed to enjoy God's law. We're designed to keep them. God's law will set you free when you actually use it properly. Let's just be clear about this.

God's law says that your spouse is your spouse and it's not to be shared with another. God's law says your stuff is your stuff given to you by God, not to be taken by another. God's law says your life is precious because I've given it to you and it's not to be taken by another. God's law is protective of who you are and what he's given to you. God's law also helps us see how we take what does not belong to us.

That man has a serious problem beyond basic human morality. He has a worship problem. He has a value problem. He loves something good in the wrong way. He loves his money that is a good thing that God gives too much, more than God, more than other humans.

Now, verse 22. Go back to verse 20, sorry.

Jesus said to him, if you would be perfect, go sell all you have, give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, and come follow me. When the young man heard this, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

Verse 22, this is fun to think about. Kinda captures the classic slogan,

mo' money, mo' problems.

He has so much wealth, he's so sorrowful, He cannot do what Jesus has said. We have to remember,

to whom much is given, much is expected.

That's another principle from scripture, from Christ.

I don't think he understood his wealth to be a blessing from God. It was his possession, his precious, his treasure. It was all for him, not for others, not for the poor, not for God's glory. He has sorrow because he has treasured what God has given to him and not sought to honor God with what God has given.

What is so important to you

It's a good time to ask church, what is so important to you that you cannot give it up? If Christ were to put his loving, caring, surgically precise finger on your heart, if he has, what is it you're terrified of giving up? My guess, Christian, is that it's probably something that is generally good. It's probably not some sin that is always wrong, but it's probably something that's good that we value more than we should.

It's something that we love in a way that's out of bounds. My guess is it usually strikes at our illusion of autonomy. That I am going to live my way and this is what God doesn't get to touch. I have decided this is right, this is true, this is mine. It usually strikes at what we spend our most time focused upon and doing. that is outside of what God would say is a good life that orders love.

But with God, all things are possible

Here is this man's money. The rich are an easy target in our culture. Verse 23 presses in this problem. Jesus turns to the disciples.

Truly I say to you, Only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. Again, I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.

That's challenging.

Because most of us in this room are rich. If you drove here using your own transportation, you're rich. If you're not worried about where your next meals are coming from, you're rich. We can see the great wealth of many that can do whatever they want, however they want, but in terms of the world's wealth or the history of the world, most of us have decent clothes, a decent place to stay. We might even have our own transportation. He's talking to us. We're in view right here. It's difficult for us who are rich to enter into eternal life.

He makes it very clear, verse 24, he wants to clarify.

It's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle.

Now at some point, somebody made up a story that there's a gate called the eye of the needle and a camel had to lower itself to go through. It's funny how we like make up stuff to soften Jesus' teachings that are really challenging. That's just not, it's a gate that doesn't exist. What he's done is he's taken the largest known creature in regular life, a camel, and chosen the smallest opening, the eye of a needle, and said it's as easy as putting a camel, the largest creature you know of regularly, and putting it through the smallest opening you know of, the eye of the needle. That's how easy it is for the rich to be saved. It's difficult. It's very difficult for those who are self-sufficient to realize they need to look up to see a savior. He's actually saying it's impossible. It's impossible.

The disciples, they started asking some perceptive questions. Right after his teaching on marriage and divorce, he said, who is better to be married, right? They're perceiving how challenging Jesus is teaching his new values and the right way in the kingdom. They are very perceptive in their next question, verse 25.

When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished. Who then can be saved?

Oh, they're getting it. This pressure and problem is especially important for us. Again, the rich. God is so blessed. This country, our culture, our society, we're very affluent.

Jesus has showed how great, with great difficulty, it is to be saved. The illustration is pointing out it's impossible, and the disciples are asking it, who can then be saved? Jesus looked at them and says,

with man, this is impossible.

With us, it's impossible.

When your own heart is knotted up, you can't untie it. When you're deceived by your own desires, you cannot come to your own truth or the real truth. No one can keep the laws enough to outdo their bad deeds. No one can wash away the sins that are deep into our heart. No one can fix the heart that actually produces the desires that defile us.

With man, it is impossible.

But with God, Those three words, when they land like this, just always give me chills. It's impossible for man to save himself, but God. That is the foundation of the gospel. The first foundation is, in the beginning was God, and he created everything good. In the beginning was God who spoke all into existence and it was good. And then we have corrupted it all with our sin. And that's why it's impossible for us to save ourselves. We are our own problem. We're dead in our sins and transgressions. We're deceived by our own lies. We're warped with our own thoughts. But God, that is the gospel.

That is so important for us to understand that the foundational ideas you need to have the proper values of who you are and who God is and what he's done.

But with God, all things are possible.

But with God, you can be saved. But with God, you can have eternal life. But with God, you can be in the kingdom. Same words were used for Mary when she was told she'd have a virgin birth and give birth to God.

With God, all things are possible.

You cannot save yourself. If you're here and you're not a Christian this morning, there's nothing you can do to wash away your sin or to do enough to enter into the kingdom. The whole idea of the rich man is that he just needed to do something special in order to please God and that would give him life. That is impossible.

But God, who sees that we cannot do anything to save ourselves, he sent his son to die on the cross in our place so that we can be forgiven. He sent his son to rise again to new life so that we can have his eternal life. God is able to do whatever he wants, and whatever he wants to do is good, right, and true, and he has committed himself to saving sinners who come to Jesus by faith. We have to believe this.

But with God, all things are possible.

Your value change starts right here. He is able. You first must believe he's able to do this. Let's think through what it means that God is able. God is able to save us. He didn't have to save us, but he freely promised. In his own free will, he promised. to save us, and now he is bound according to his own word, and he's able to save us. His power is perfect and complete. Whatever he commits to doing, it's done. God does not forget he saves us. He doesn't lose anybody. He's able to perfectly save us.

God's power to save us from our own sin was costly. His son did have to come and suffer for us. His son did come and pay the perfect price for us. God's power is greater than our sin. Do not believe the lie that your sin somehow is too much for God. There's two important truths you must always remember, Christian. He is able. He has all authority. He is willing, he's promised himself to us. God is able and he is willing. He has done what we need in Jesus Christ to be saved. Our third point, Jesus promises his kingdom will come.

An eternal reward

Peter responds,

see Jesus, we've left everything and followed you, what then shall we have?

He wants some assurances that this call to give up everything, the call to sell whatever we have, the call to deny yourself and follow Jesus, that there's a reward of some sort, there's an assurance. Jesus already invited them to store up treasures in heaven. He's already given to them many teachings that the eternal life is where you want to invest your time and your energy Peter asked a good question What what shall then we have if we've left everything to follow you?

And Jesus gives him a straightforward answer

Truly I say to you in the new world when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne. You shall have You who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or fathers or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life.

There's a few things we need to make sure we see. There's three things here. First, there's an assurance Christ is going to sit on his throne. He's going to complete his work. His mission will have a finality to it. He will enter into his glory and he will bring his people with him. The second thing though is something that's unique just for those disciples, those apostles. When he establishes his kingdom, when he sits on his throne, they will also sit on thrones and they will have a rule. They will be established again as God's image bearers who are exercising a dominion on in his kingdom that is like Adam and what he was supposed to do in the garden. And we see something here that gives a hint. There's something different about the covenant that he's bringing in that's new. Because the 12 apostles are going to judge the 12 tribes. The 12 apostles are going to judge the 12 tribes.

To be in the tribe of Israel was very important. You needed to be in the genealogies. You need to be part of the covenant promised people that were by birth in the Old Testament. You're looking for one's sons to be born. The genealogies are extremely important in that old covenant.

But Matthew's gospel, it opens with the last genealogy because a son's finally born. It's no longer being born in the right family, it's being under the apostolic teaching. The apostles introduce a new covenant with a new kind of unity. We're not born into this covenant.

You're born again by believing what Jesus gave to the disciples in the gospel. The second part is for everybody. Everyone who's left behind earthly comforts and stabilities and privileges, home, wife, children, land, Whatever you leave behind, you'll be given a hundredfold in eternal life. Those things aren't necessarily sinful again. God designed us to be married. God designed us to have children. God designed us to take land and to exercise His dominion over it.

But whatever you give up, you're not losing. You're investing for heavenly treasure. Notice there, something significant. You're either living in the now or you're living for eternity. Again, secular means we're focused on the now. Jesus is saying if you've left what is now and temporary and you're investing in the future, you'll receive it a hundredfold in eternal life. If Jesus has called you to follow him, it means you will have to deny yourself.

The most obvious thing is sin, but there are many who have to deny themselves things that are good in this world for the sake of the gospel. For the sake of making Christ and his name great. It's a different way of living because it's a different kind of value. For some, they're coming to Christ or being faithful to Christ means not being blessed and loving by their families. That's hard. There's many folks around the world that when they come to Christ, they're persecuted by their parents because their parents do not believe in Jesus. There's many who come to Christ and they lose their inheritance, they lose whatever privileges and benefits they had in this world.

The key phrase, for my name's sake, whatever you have forsaken or lost for my name's sake, I am promising you there is an eternal reward for whatever you lose for my name's sake. We all have to be making some kind of sacrifices for the kingdom. Every Christian makes sacrifices. Earlier we took up the offering that was you sacrificing for the kingdom. Recognizing that God has blessed you and you're giving over to bless others and to bless the church and to bless missions and to train up pastors. You could buy a boat or you could use your wealth to bless others. We see all that God has given to us is to be stewarded.

He gives a promise you can invest for eternal rewards where rust and moth do not destroy. I want to free you from something, and that is the demand of now. Not being able to look past your own nose. The now demand for your life is going to always be present. Christ is giving you a free way of living, looking up and toward his eternity. A couple ways this might work out. Your job will regularly want to demand more of you than you should give. Your job will regularly want to take more of you than allows you to be a good husband, father, wife, mother, churchman.

You have to learn to say no in order to be faithful to all that God has said. There's a lie out there that I must correct. You can't have it all. You can't have it all. We're way too limited with our time and energy. We must learn to value what God has made most clear in his commandments.

Now, a lot of folks would look at this and would say, you need to be careful not to be so heavily minded you're no earthly good. I've never met that person. I dare you to try. I dare you to think about how you can be so heavenly minded, you might actually become no earthly good, because I think it's impossible.

Because what you'll be doing is bringing the blessing of the kingdom of heaven into this world, which is the most earthly good you could ever do. If you're heavenly minded in the way that Christ has taught, you're ushering in and stewarding the blessings of heaven. into this earth, and there is no better good than you can bring.

The first shall be last. The last shall be first.

The great things of this world are nothing of the kingdom. The things that we think of nothing in this world are going to be great in the kingdom. There's a change of value. To summarize this best, we'll close with the words of Jim Elliott.

He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose. He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.

Will you pray with me? Father, we thank you that you have not left us and the impossible problem of our own sin. We thank you that you even bless us in the midst of our being sinful and taking all of your gifts and using them in a perverted way for perverted purposes outside of your will. We thank you that you are the great God of blessing with whom nothing is impossible. We thank you that you're the great God who changes who we are by your grace, We thank you, dearly God, who saves us. And not just saves us, but calls us into your kingdom. And calls us to bless others with your heavenly blessing. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.