I Will Boast | Tyrone D Jones | No Other Gospel

and get him home safely in Jesus' name, amen. All right, I'm gonna read the passage. We are in the book of Galatians. It is the end of the Galatians series, truthfully. It's hard to see it go. It's been a great series. I'm gonna be closing it out. And so if you'll go to Galatians chapter six, I'm gonna read verse 11 through 18. 11 through 18, if you haven't been here for some of the Galatians series, I can summarize it for you. There's an instructor on this program called Theos Yu that really summarized it this way. Galatians was written for these four reasons you can summarize. Prove the gospel, to refute legalism, meaning to refute the idea that it's rules that can get you saved, to establish doctrine of Christian liberty, to have a better understanding of who we are in Christ and how we can live in that way, and to show superiority of the new covenant, meaning to gain an understanding that it's not the law that we live by, but Jesus fulfilled the law. And so as we come to this closing in chapter six, I'm gonna read verse 11 through 18. And it says this, see with large letters I am writing to you with my own hand.

It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh who would force you to be circumcised and only in order that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. For even those who are circumcised do not themselves keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised so they may boast in your flesh. But far be it to me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world. For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. And as for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy upon them and upon the Israel of God. From now on, let no one cause me trouble for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you, with your spirit, brothers, amen. Lord, we thank you for your word. We ask that you speak to us clearly in Jesus' name, amen. In 2008, a man by the name of Kevin Hart. Not him. Some of you guys are thinking of a little funny black dude and he is funny and he's little and he is black. But I'm talking about a guy named Kevin Hart who played high school football in Northern California. His name was Kevin Hart. He was six foot three, 315 pounds.

He was an offensive and defensive lineman. During his senior year, he was getting a lot of fanfare in his local school, in his local community. And as he started to get that attention and fanfare, it began to get exciting because it was noticeable that many athletes of his stature around the nation were being recruited by college coaches. Kevin Hart began to let the school know the schools that were recruiting him. And when it came down to what we call his signing day, which is when you make a public display of your commitment to a college, where you are going to continue your college football career. They call it a signing day or your commitment ceremony. They were so excited for him to have this guy who's getting these division one offers, who's actually choosing between two different schools after he narrowed down his choices, the University of California and the University of Oregon. And he was excited. They actually even had an assembly at his school where the entire school was in the gym and the local news. And Kevin Hart sat at that table and he emotionally thanked his coaches and his parents and all of his teammates for helping him along the journey. And then he said, I'm gonna continue my college career at the University of California, grabbed a hat, put it on that represented the University of California. Everyone applauded, hugged him.

It was emotional. The news interviewed him. It was an exciting time. One of the people that was a part of the interview, after interviewing him, made a decision. As I gather this story and publicize it, I want to get a quote from his new head coach or who will be his head coach. So when he called the University of California to interview the head coach of the Cal Bears football team, he said, can you comment on the signing of Kevin Hart? And the University of California head coach responded, who? Because you see, the problem is, Kevin Hart had never been offered a scholarship from the University of California. In fact, the University of California wasn't even recruiting Kevin Hart. Kevin Hart, due to the expectations and due to the idea that he wanted to live out the life of someone who was being recruited to play division one football, made a decision to himself, if I can't actually have this, I'm just gonna create this and build this up in my own mind, and hopefully I can sell this in a way that it's believable. Needless to say, he became a bit of a laughingstock in the community and had to come forward and express. that this was a hoax, but this is what we're seeing here in this story. What are we seeing?

We are seeing the publication and the celebration of a lie. The publicizing and the celebration of a lie, going public and being excited and getting everyone else excited about something that's not even true. Now, the truth is, oftentimes we publicize and celebrate lies, and we don't even realize it. Some of the times where I've publicized and celebrated a lie is when there's times in my life when people say, hey, how are you, man? Great. Public and celebrated lie in that moment. Sometimes we do the same thing when it comes to relationships. Sometimes we do the same thing when it comes to maybe our walk with Christ or our career, and the truth is, down to the core, what we're saying isn't even true, but we say it out loud just because it brings just that moment of satisfaction that it doesn't have to be true, but I'm gonna say it simply because the truth hurts more than saying this lie. And at times we even start to, like Kevin Hart in this moment, started to even convince himself of this truth because why would you continue that lie if for some reason there isn't something about you that just thinks, maybe I won't escape this lie and maybe it'll just continue

and it can somehow become true. And here's the interesting thing. That is actually what we're seeing at the end of Galatians here. This is the end, not only the end of this chapter, but this is the end of the book of Galatians, and I want to talk about how these people were going around publicizing and celebrating what is a lie. Now, before we dive too far, we're gonna look at verse 11, and you can put verse 11 back on the screen because I love the fact that Paul the writer is making this clear. Oh, I was gonna use the back screen the whole time. I just realized my 40-year-old eyes are not what they used to be. When I was a youth pastor, I could see that. Not anymore. And so, I'll look back there with you guys. Oh, I don't want to see that either, though. I'm gonna look at my screen. The Apostle Paul says this. He says, see with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand. It is very common in this time for the writers of Scripture to use a scribe or a secretary, but in this moment, the Apostle Paul's like, hey, I'm the one writing this. I need you to pay attention.

I'm writing this in large letters. Please, lock in with me. Stay with me as I close out this letter. And he goes into verse 12 and he says, it is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh who would force you to be circumcised. They want to make a good showing in the flesh to force you to be circumcised. The people that he's referring to are what they refer to as Judaizers, which means it's Jewish Christians, Jewish believers, who may have been raised in the law, been raised in Jewish tradition, being raised to where that it's all based on the memorization of Scripture and how many laws you can follow and how you cleanse and how you do this and how you do that, and then came to an understanding of the cross and came to an understanding, even if it's just a head knowledge, of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. And what these guys are doing is they're going out and Paul's wanna make this clear to the people of Galatia, that Galatian region. He said, these guys are going around and they're spreading a mixed message because this is what they're doing. They're going and saying, great, Jesus, death, burial, and resurrection, Savior of all the earth, but also you need to be circumcised.

It's the cross and. Remember, anything that's the cross and isn't the cross. Anything that's mixed, anything that someone says you need Jesus to be saved plus doesn't understand the gospel. That anything, any doctrine or any theology that says that the cross is not enough is a bad and wrong and false theology. And see, what's going on though is these Judaizers are going through and doing this simply because of the idea of mixture and they want to actually keep the people that are still living by Jewish tradition, not what they call followers of the way, which is Jesus, but the people who are keeping Jewish tradition, they actually want to keep them happy. It's like, hey, I want to live this life of Christ, but at the same time, on the outside, I want the people of the Jewish tradition to still know, hey, I'm still down with you guys. Unfortunately, maybe too many of us can confess that when we first started walking with Christ, that was our same mindset. Hey, I'm following Jesus now, but hey, boys, don't worry. I'm still gonna kick it Friday night and we're still gonna do the same things. We're gonna still run around the same way. We're still gonna tell the same jokes, but also you're gonna find me in church on Sunday. Just this mixed idea of, yes, I believe in the cross,

but I'm also holding onto this outside thought, this outside thought that my salvation actually depends on both. That's what these Judaizers are saying. I want to hang onto my old tradition, but I also want to pursue the cross. And they're trying to force this on people, especially the Gentiles in this region of Galatia because it's like, hey, you're a Gentile and now you can follow Jesus. You're not even Jewish, but can we kind of make you look a little Jewish? Can we at least make you look the part of the old tradition? And what makes it worse is Paul goes on to say in verse 12, the second half of verse 12, he says, and only in order that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. They're doing this one to please the old law and to stay linked to tradition, but also they don't wanna be persecuted. Now, when we think of persecution, we often think of people outside of the church, outside of a walk with God, outside of their belief in God. But do you understand this? There's a such thing as, I guess what you can call friendly fire too. Do you realize in the unfortunate part that there's plenty of persecution in the church? Denomination versus denomination,

religion versus religion, mindsets versus mindsets. I don't know if I was gonna make this confession, but sometimes I'm a bit of a troll on TikTok. I don't even use my real name. And I go and argue with people in comments. Anyone who turns off their lights in their church, they're going to hell. What? Arguing with them. How many baptisms did you guys have? I'm just kidding. Kind of. But anyway, it just blows my mind that people who say they serve the same God as you and us will point fingers and say that what you are doing is so ungodly and make a public display of it. Well, here's the thing. The persecution that was going on when it came to that what Paul was discussing was actually people who said they were believers in God. How does Paul know that? How is Paul so confident to be able to say that? Because that was him. Think back to Acts chapter seven, when Stephen was martyred at the beginning of chapter eight, whose feet did they say that they all put their coats down because he was so in approval of the martyrdom of Stephen

for following the way. It was a man by the name of Saul, who later became Paul. Think about it. Even in Acts chapter nine, he was going down the road of Damascus because he wanted to go and bring harm and bring abuse to the next region of those who were following the way. This is a person who had the whole Torah memorized. This is a person who claims he was living by the law, but he himself was persecuting Christians. So Paul is saying it's not that they're afraid of getting persecuted by the outside world. They're afraid of getting persecuted by those who believe in the old traditional ways. And what he's saying, and the reason why he's saying that this is a bad thing that they're avoiding this persecution is because he's basically saying they want to be confessing believers of Jesus, but they don't want what comes with it at times. They don't want the fact that they can lose their social status. They don't want the fact that the things of their circles can change, that they maybe not could get the same jobs that they used to get. They may not be able to have the same influence that they used to have. They want to be people pleasing to the old tradition,

but still a follower of the way. And I think we have to understand something. If we're gonna be true followers of Jesus, we shouldn't look for persecution, we should expect it. And not all persecution is being threatened to be martyred or being threatened to be physically harmed, but here's the truth. A life surrendered to Jesus, it's not affirming of the sinful nature of man. So when you don't affirm the sinful nature of man, there's times you'll be persecuted for that. You'll be called a bigot. You'll be called a hater of people. We should expect at times that it's not socially celebrated in a society built around self-glorification. When we say we give all the glory to God in a society that's designed to bring all glory to self, there's times where we'll be persecuted for that. When we don't celebrate that with others. And of course, becoming more like the world instead of becoming more like Christ is not the life of a Christian. So the less we become like the world, the more people are gonna wonder what's wrong with us. A believer should expect persecution. Here's the interesting thing though, as Paul goes on, which now, just now it's kind of occurring to me. This is a bit of a frustrating rant that he's going through because in verse 13, he says,

even those guys don't even follow the law. He says, even those who are circumcised don't keep the law themselves. Once again, how does he know? He lived that life. He was a part of the Sanhedrin. He lived a life of someone who says, I honor the law and I'm gonna earn my way into heaven because I lived by all of the law. He knew himself that that wasn't possible, but then he later even wrote in Romans chapter three, verse nine through 12, and he says, what then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks are under sin. As it is written, none is righteous. No, not one. No one. Understands no one seeks for God all have turned aside together. They have become worthless. No one does good not even one He says they're not capable of not sinning. They're not capable of living perfectly according the law. I Wasn't they weren't and they're still trying to force you to do something and to become a part of a lifestyle That's not even accurate for them And the second part of verse 13 that he goes on to say but they desire to have you circumcised so they may boast in your flesh Desire to have you circumcised so they can boast in your flesh. This is actually meant in two different ways It's it's it's meant literally which is crazy, which is why I went up to the kids church today and got this little plastic knife Because here's the wild part The commentators say that these Judaizers were basically going around the community saying how many people can we circumcise? How many people can we circumcise? Why because it's basically adding to their statistics of converts

Their statistics of converts. I don't know about you But if someone was coming at Tony somebody's coming up to you like hey, man Do you know Jesus that you know, like if you believe in Jesus, let's prove it, right? Flashing a knife in your face. I'm gonna show you the way to salvation. Come on over buddy. I Can't imagine but see they were adding to their statistics and all of it was for what to Publicize and celebrate a lie The more circumcisions we do the more people that are going to heaven False the more circumcisions we do the more we're reaching the lost false Here's the other thing They are literally trying to boast about that But they're also figuratively boasting to say I'm being used by God. So well, I'm being used by God. So thoroughly I'm being used by God in such a mighty way Because how is it that that that I'm having all of these interactions if God isn't using me in this way There's a there's a Greek word I'm gonna do my best I think it's pronounced kaha my kaha my and it's the word boast and and when I was reading about Boasting because I think to myself we I don't know if anybody in this room has ever boasted in circumcision. I Doubt it but I think we Could admit that in one way or another we all have challenges with boasting in one way or another John Stott gave this this quote. He said it boasting. This is the way he explained it He said it means to boast in to glory in to trust in Rejoice in revel in live for the object of our boast or glory fills our horizons Engross our attention and absorbs our time and energy in a word. Our glory is our obsession And I guess the question is is there anything that we glorify more than the cross of Jesus? Is there anything that we'd rather bring attention to more than the cross of Jesus? Are we guilty of drawing attention to ourselves and then packaging it with the words all glory to God? When we post what we post when we say what we say when we celebrate what what is celebrate when we celebrate accomplishments when we celebrate the

Awards or accolades or the attention or influence we've gained when we celebrate those things Is it so that people can look at us or is it so that people can give glory to God? Here's the truth. No one will ever know besides you and God why because when it comes to boasting It's really comes down to one thing. It's motive Celebration is important I think we're actually at a point where as a society and even as a church a bit our celebration levels are lower than they Should be there's times where we announce like we gave 30 million dollars to an organization. Everyone's like great Beautiful. I think celebration culture should be high. I think it's good to celebrate people I think it's good for their soul and yours But at the same time we're talking about celebrations sometimes you can consider some of these factors place time audience and motive But most importantly when we're looking at this passage we have to think to ourselves Is there anything that I do whether it's in the name of Jesus or whatever else that is actually just me boasting in myself boasting in what I'm accomplishing But Paul in verse 14 makes it clear to us. It's not that we're not supposed to boast at all But there's one boast that's always worthy and he says in verse 14 But there's one boast that's always worthy and he says in verse 14 But far be it to me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ By which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world He's saying you can boast all you want and I will boast day after day, but I'm gonna boast in the cross of Jesus Christ I'm gonna boast in the in the king of all the earth. I will boast but I will boast in the one who saved me I will boast in the one who delivered me. I will boast in the one who rescued me In 1st Corinthians chapter 1 verse 27 through 31. It says but God chose what is I love what Paul's describing? He's describing himself Describing me you can decide if you're part of this as well But it says but God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong God chose what is low and despised in the world even things that Are not to bring to nothing Things that are so that no human being might boast in the presence of God and because of him you are in Christ Jesus Who became who became to us wisdom from God righteousness and sanctification and redemption? So that as is as it is written let the one who boasts boast in the Lord I

Love how when when when Jesus saves us he brings us to the end of ourselves When Jesus saves us Jesus never saves us from a high and lofty place Jesus saves us from a place of brokenness Jesus. How do we know that because we're all being saved from our sinful nature No one in their sinful nature is doing great. No one in their sinful nature is thriving In fact, no one according to Scripture who's living a life separated from God No one who's not living in the purposes of God whose heart isn't surrendered to him No, no, no person can be living out with with a true lasting joy with a true understanding of love but it's when we surrender our life to Jesus that we're finally in alignment and Be be made right, which is the word justification. We're made right with God because of Jesus and And so as we're looking here Paul's Paul's making it clear that We're boasting in the cross We can even boast in our brokenness why because that all returns the glory to God now I I think it's important for us to see that it's very Interesting the way that Paul is saying the cross that we're boasting in the cross because in this time the cross was actually seen especially to this audience and even in the in the in the in the Roman Society at the time a Cross was seen to be very offensive think about it a Cross is where people go to die a cross is normally even when Jesus was was crucified He was crucified amongst criminals. In fact, Jesus took the place when they released Barabbas of a criminal and The person is put to shame They are beaten They are they're nails-driven Some are hung upside down some have bones broken. The cross is a very grotesque thing and So for Paul to be saying I will boast in the cross and I'm gonna say this and this is gonna have a little bit Of shock value, but I think it's important for us to I think it gives us good perspective Paul saying I'm gonna boast in the cross. It's like someone in America saying I'm gonna boast in a noose That's like let's can you imagine someone's going around wearing like a diamond encrusted noose around their neck. Oh I come into your living room. That's nice. I see you got a collection of nooses on the wall That's that that little uncomfortable feeling we're feeling right now that's that's what they're understanding and that's what they're thinking When they're saying you're boasting in the cross

Paul can't say I'm boasting in the cross at dinner because everyone's gonna be like you just made me lose my appetite Just Like the way we feel when I'm saying the word noose when I'm with Paul is saying I'm rejoicing in the lynching I'm Rejoicing in the in the the beating I'm rejoicing in the rejection that he felt in the moment. I'm rejoicing in the brokenness And people are like man that doesn't feel good. It doesn't sound good But he but what he's doing is he's redeeming the understanding of what the cross means now See at the time the cross only stood for brokenness It only stood for shame and it only stood for rejection But now Paul is saying for me the cross means healing the cost means redemption the cross means salvation The cross means joy the cross means love the cross means restoration the cross means salvation in heaven The cross means I no longer have to be a slave to myself The cross means rescue and there's help he's helping them understand this And then I love how He even says at the second part of that verse. He says by The cross of Jesus Christ by which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world What does he mean by that? He's saying at the crucifixion at the crucifixion Jesus paid it all Jesus said it is finished and by me saying yes to him I am finished being a slave to myself. I am finished being a slave to sin I am finished being damned to death hell in the grave. I am finished with that and I am now restored and rescued I am one with Christ. He's actually referring back to what he said in Galatians 2 20 and he says this I have been Crucified with Christ. It's no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me and the life. I now live in the flesh I live by faith and I live in the blood and I live in the blood and I live in the blood I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and game gave himself for me a crucified life It means you're dead to the world, and not dead to the world in a sense that we don't want to reach the lost,

and that we don't want to evangelize, and that we don't want to love on people, but dead to the world, meaning I'm dead to worldly mindsets. I'm dead to worldly, giving into worldly desires. I'm dead to glorifying the world and what the world can do for me in comparison to glorifying God and who he is in my life. When we become one, when we surrender our life to Jesus, and when we live a crucified life, I love how the Bible talks about that we are regenerated. We are transformed. And Paul starts to emphasize that in verse 15 when he says, for neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. He's saying circumcised, uncircumcised, fine. And if your kids are in here today and they don't know what circumcision means, your drive home is gonna be pretty interesting because I've said it about 100 times today, especially if you have daughters. But this is what he's saying. Get it, don't get it. But I want you to understand this. Your salvation isn't hinging on that at all. He said nothing you can do on the outside is gonna affect your salvation. I'm gonna say one more thing

that probably may bother people a little bit. You can come to church all you want and that doesn't save you. You can read the Bible all you want and that doesn't save you. You can pray all you want and that doesn't save you. Are those things important? Absolutely, because what is sanctification? It's becoming more like Jesus. And I believe we are more sanctified as we worship with believers and we read his word and we respond in prayer and we worship. That's part of the sanctification process and it makes us like Jesus, but none of those things save us. We are only saved by surrendering our life to Jesus and declaring him Lord and recognizing his death, burial, and resurrection. That's the only way. The outside things, they can't save you. The outside things can't restore you. So if we ever have this wrong impression that we're saved by our behaviors, I can tell you that's a lie. We're saved by putting our faith and belief in Jesus. And as we believe, he, by way of the Holy Spirit, teaches us how to behave. From the inside out, transform from the inside out. And so he's making it clear that becoming a new creation is what we're aiming for,

not who looks good on the flesh, not who looks good on paper, not who has the good job and all these different things because Paul wants to make it clear and I think we all should be clear on this. There's gonna be times where the outside things, the fancy new car, doesn't look like a fancy new car anymore. And your perfect kids who are great in sports and great at grades, they're not always gonna be that way. And when you first start dating someone, when you marry them, I'm just kidding. They stay the same. But what we have to understand is no matter how nice it flashes, it will come and go and it will truly not do anything for the inside of us, but becoming a new creation is through Jesus and that is worthy of celebration. That is worthy of boasting. That is worthy of understanding greater than anything else. In verse 16 says this, for as for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them and upon the Israel of God. He's saying peace to you if you live by this, grace to you if you live by this. Grace is available to you. Matter of fact, it's grace that landed you here. It's the grace of God that even landed you

to an understanding of Jesus Christ. Not one person that you will ever meet or you ever have met made a decision that they're gonna turn to Jesus. Jesus drew them in and they responded and said yes to his free gift of salvation. And he's saying peace to you, grace to you, grace upon them, mercy upon them, upon the Israel of God. And when he says the Israel of God, he's not meaning the bloodline of Israel, but he's meaning now this new Israel that is people that are surrendered to Jesus. And at the end as he's closing, and team, you guys can come up. Verse 17, he's saying from now on, let no one cause me trouble. For I bear on my body the marks of Jesus. I love this statement. I love this statement. Paul's saying, he's saying all these things. He's giving an understanding of the reality of Jesus and he's giving an understanding of the fact that there's no other gods in there, that it's not the gospel and, but it's the gospel only. And then he's saying, while I'm at it, and this is a phrase we used to use in the hood that I grew up on, check my stripes. Check my stripes. This is bad, because I used to run with some.

I was a bad dude. But check my stripes means, do you know the. fights I've been in, do you know the crimes I've committed, do you know how many times I've been in and out of jail, and that was, we wore that as a badge of honor in the neighborhood that I grew up in, so we would say, check my stripes. Before you question me, check my stripes. But I think a better example of that is actually a military uniform. Check my stripes. Oftentimes in the military, on your uniform, you are given a stripe for duration of service. You're given a stripe for a deployment. You're given a stripe to represent how you've grown in the organization, how you've grown in service, how you've grown in your sacrifice. Check my stripes. And that's what Paul's saying, because at this point, Paul has been beaten, Paul has been stoned, Paul has been rejected, Paul has been kicked out of cities, and he's saying, check my stripes. Look at my body. Look what I've been through. So don't give me a hard time. I'm paying my dues. And I do think he's also giving that as an indicator to us as believers.

Like, hey, if you're following this Jesus and there's nothing about your body that shows for it, there's nothing about your mindset that shows for it, there's nothing about what you've been through that shows for it, I don't know if you're following the same Jesus as me. Paul's making it clear that, like G. Campbell, this quote by G. Campbell Morgan, he says, it's a crucified man that can preach the cross. A crucified man that can preach the cross. What does that mean? Jesus on the cross, when he was crucified, he had marks. He had marks on him. As we see in the New Testament, when he was resurrected, he still had those marks in him. And it's a crucified man that also has marks. Marks on their relationships. Maybe marks on their influence. Marks on their reputation. Who are okay with saying, if you're gonna abuse me, if you're gonna reject me, I'll celebrate that, but check my stripes. I wear these as a badge of honor. It's like we tell the story, often tell the story of Virginia's dad. Virginia's dad being rejected completely by his family, never to see them again when he surrendered his life to Jesus. You know what we call that? Stripes.

People who've said, I had to leave a job because the atmosphere was so pagan, and it was causing me to stumble, so I had to leave. Stripes. Or vice versa. People like Brian Kondracki who's saying, I'm gonna continuously work in a public school system, and being a mentor, and being a leader, and being someone who can influence these young people who may have never heard the name of Jesus. You know what we call that? Stripes. Check my stripes. And lastly, and you can stand. Lastly, he comes to the end, and he says, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, be with your spirit, brothers. Amen. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, be with your spirit, brothers. He's saying, may the grace be with you, because as much as he talks about the cross, he wants to remind, but still, it's not even under your own power that you say yes. It's not even by your own power that you're hearing this message. It's only by his grace that you're hearing this message. It's only by his grace that salvation has been made possible to you.

Grace on you, brothers. Peace on you. Altar team, you can pray. There's certain, you can come forward. There's certain people in the room who, I wanna give you an opportunity to respond. Some of you may be for the first time saying, I've been living in mixture, and I wanna say yes to Jesus once and for all. Some have maybe turned their back and had made a decision before, and life got to you, and the world got to you, and you begin to walk away. Today is your opportunity to say yes to him. The altar team is here. They wanna pray with you. They wanna come alongside you. I think it's important to take this step of faith, even naturally, to say yes to Jesus. I wanna pray for each and every one of you. I wanna make that decision. Here's the other thing. I know a lot of times the service is coming to an end, and we're racing to go get our kids, and we're racing to the parking lot. I promise your kids are safe, and the parking lot is what it is. But can we all take a moment as we close, and we take this moment in worship. We're gonna declare the name of Jesus.

We're gonna talk about, we're gonna sing about the fact that we want nothing else. Nothing is greater than Jesus. And so if you need prayer, I'm gonna give you the opportunity. You can respond, even now you can respond, and for the rest of us, I wanna pray that God activates something in us that reminds us that it's the cross and cross alone. A declaration that we will worship you and you alone. We will make our boast in you and you alone. So Lord, I thank you. I thank you for each and every person that's here today. I thank you, Lord, that your truth is mighty, that your truth is greater than any lies. Lord, I thank you for those here today who are making a decision to serve you for the rest of their lives. I thank you, Lord, for those that are in here today that are rededicating their life to you. Lord, I thank you that our people in this room that are making decisions that I'm no longer gonna be a slave to this. I'm no longer to be a slave to my own boasting. They're making decisions that I'm no longer gonna glorify myself, but I'm gonna glorify you. Lord, we're thankful for your death, burial, and resurrection. We're thankful, God. that by your grace we've been drawn to you we're thankful God that you said yes

to us before we said yes to you so we ask today that you move in our hearts move deep in our spirits you move in our minds help us to have the mind of you help us to have the thoughts of you help us to understand Lord that you came from a low place to a high place from a high place to a low place all because you love us and all because you wanted to give us the opportunity to have salvation in you so Lord I pray that you move on the hearts of the people move on the minds of the people Lord help us to live a life dedicated to you so we can carry out your great commission of making disciples people that are far from you finding life in Christ in Jesus name amen come on let's worship together