Growing in the Lord in the New Year

Good morning. Good morning. Morning. Amen. What an awesome time of worship we've already had. Amen.

Doesn't it just feel good to be in the house of God? Yes. You get to feel the Holy Spirit move. I just love getting to come here with y'all. I don't know if it does this for y'all, but I'm encouraged when we get to sing and worship. Sing about come Jesus, come. It's cool. When we were singing that song, interestingly, 2 Peter 3 where we're going to be going to today. If you got your Bibles and you want to open up there, you can. Or if you got your phone, we're going to be in 2 Peter 3. But interestingly, a lot of 2 Peter 3, just before the passage we're going to read today, it talks about the new heaven and the new earth. And we know, come Jesus, come. He is coming back. Are you excited about that? Praise God. Praise God. Hey, today I just had on my heart a little New Year sermon. You know, we come to the new year and we get ready to flip the page to a new year. It's just for me it's always exciting to think about what God did and what God is going to do. And it's also exciting when we get ready for the new year. Does anybody like to set goals for the new year? Anybody kind of like to plan for the new year? Anybody see a couple hands? No. I know he does.

It's nice to set goals. You know, when I was thinking about setting goals and thinking about planning for the new year, something that comes to my mind is there's many good things to plan for. There's many good things to set goals for. We can set a lot of goals that are good and I certainly think are a good thing to do. We can set goals for our family. We can set goals for our health or for fitness. We can set goals for our job or our career. We can set goals for becoming more financially stable. There's all these things that we can set goals for. Many good things. But you know something scripture speaks about is redeeming the time.

Time is precious. Amen. And we don't know how much time we've got.

More than anything I want to say today, we don't know how much time we've got. God loves you. Make sure you give your life to the Lord today if you've never done because we don't know how much time we've got. God sent his son to the cross for you and for me so there could be a way we could be forgiven when we trust in him. So more than anything as you're approaching the new year, if you've never fully surrendered all to Jesus, I pray you will today. And for us as believers, those of us that have been saved, that have been born again, that have given our life to Jesus, how are we going to redeem the time in the new year. There's many good ways to redeem the time, but I can't think of any better way to redeem the time than on things of God, than on things that are eternal. You know, all this stuff in this world, it's going to go away one day. In fact, 2 Peter 3 talks about that as well. But eternal things, things of God, they're forever. Today, I wanted to take a minute. Who wants to live more for the Lord in the new year? Anybody? Do you want to live a more godly life? I do, too. This passage in 2 Peter 3 talks about that. And it also talks about growing in the Lord. If we're going to live more and more for the Lord, one way we're going to do it is we're going to have to grow in the Lord and rely on the Lord because we got flesh and we're sinners and we're flawed. The title from today's message is Growing in the Lord in the New Year.

Scripture Reading: 2 Peter 3:14-18

Again, we're going to 2 Peter 3. I'm actually going to begin reading in verse 14 of 2 Peter 3. We'll be looking back at some of the verses before this throughout the message, but we're going to begin there. I do invite anybody that would like to stand with me in honor of the reading of the word of God. 2 Peter chapter 3, beginning in verse 14.

There the word of God says, "Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by him in peace, without spot, and blameless. And consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation. As also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you. As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the scriptures. You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and forever. Amen."

God, we love you and we just thank you and praise you for your word. God, today as we look at your word, I pray you speak to our hearts. I pray you convict us where it's needed. You mold us. You shape us more and more into your image. And God, I pray as we worship you. And as we share the truth of the word of God, I pray that if there's anybody in here today that's never fully given their life to you, that's never fully surrendered their life to you, Jesus. Pray today would be the day. And God, for all believers, pray you use your word to shape us and to mold us more and more into your image. It's in Jesus name we pray. All God's people said, amen. Amen.

Grow in Grace and Knowledge

I want to start at the end of this passage and then we're going to go back a little bit to the beginning even before where we read from. But in verse 18, it says, "But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." Do you want to grow in the Lord in the new year? Does anybody want to grow closer to the Lord? It says, "Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."

You know, when we hear that, grow in the grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I can't help but think about how full of love, how full of grace, how full of mercy God is to save someone as sinful as me. Do you ever think about that? How full of grace he is to make a way for you to be forgiven. As many bad things as we've done, the Bible says we're like filthy rags, yet he's so full of grace. You know, when I think about growing in the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, one thing I think about is growing in love, growing in mercy, growing in Christ's likeness as believers, wanting to live more for the Lord, and growing in the grace and knowledge, you know, growing understanding God better by being in his word, by being in prayer. Who wants to grow in the Lord in the new year? I want to grow. And I tell you, one reason we should want to grow with all he's done for us, we get an opportunity to worship. We get an opportunity to draw closer to him. But also as we grow, we're helped, aren't we? We're helped.

This life is hard. And just because you become a Christian doesn't mean life on this earth is easy, does it? It might be harder because you got the enemy when you're trying to serve God attacking you. But we should also want to grow because when we do, we're also helped to live more and more for the Lord. We're strengthened to get through the hard times, but we're also as we grow, we are helped to live more for Jesus.

What Does Growth Mean?

I want to speak a little bit about what does that mean to grow in the Lord?

Well, first I just think about that word grow. That word grow, if you look it up or you Google it, it would say something like this, to increase in size. You know, somebody that there's been some really tall people and there's some really short people, aren't there? So part of growing could be for a person like growing in size. Hopefully, we're growing more up than out. But that's one way we grow, we increase in size, we get bigger physically. Or another way we could grow is increase in maturity. When someone grows though or when something grows, there's change. If there's not change, there's not growth. And also, when someone grows, there can be pain. Have y'all ever heard of growing pains? You know, I remember when Gabriel was younger and he was like about fourth grade, he grew in a basketball season and we weren't really, it was so quick. He grew so fast and all of a sudden he started to have growing pains under his knee so bad that he couldn't run. He had to like stop doing anything for about three weeks. Now he says, "God, I'll take the pain if you help me grow." Because he wants to keep doing well with basketball. But there can be growing pains physically when our body grows, right? And I'll tell you something when we think about growing in the Lord in the new year. If we're going to grow in the Lord in the new year, and we might all be at different spots. I mean, you might be at the point where you need to grow by giving your life to Jesus. There's nothing better you can ever do. You might be a brand new Christian and you're just getting started. You might have been a Christian for 50 years. Every single one of us can keep growing. Amen. None of us have arrived. Not one of us. And we better keep growing. We need to keep growing. But to grow in the Lord, it's going to mean change. Something's going to have to change if we're going to grow in maturity in the Lord. Do you want to grow closer to Jesus in 2026? I want to and I'm excited that I know I can keep growing closer to Jesus. I have not arrived. I can keep growing closer to the Lord. I don't know that there's anything better on this earth than to keep seeking after Jesus, to keep worshiping Jesus. Do you want to be a more godly person? A more godly man, a more godly woman, a more godly husband, a more godly wife, a more godly just person. You want to be a more godly example. If we want to be, which I think if we're believers, I would hope we want to be. If we want to be, we need to grow. Because if we're not growing, we're going away from God. We got to be careful if we're not growing.

God's Promises Motivate Growth

If we want to live more for God, we should want to grow in the new year. And I'll tell you what else. I want to go back in 2 Peter 3 beginning around verse 10. That's before where we read from today. We started in verse 14. But if you got it open, open up there. But something we see in 2 Peter 3 is we're reminded of some of God's promises. And one thing I think about is with all God promises believers, we ought to want to grow in the Lord. With the promises God gives to us as believers, we ought to want to grow closer to the Lord. So we can worship the Lord. So we can experience his presence and so we can live more for the Lord. 2 Peter 3, watch what it says in verse 10. The day, this is talking about the day of the Lord. The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise and the elements will melt with fervent heat. Both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. So here Peter under the inspiration of God. He's talking about the end of the earth. He's talking about when the Lord is going to return and all of his wrath is going to be poured out on sinful mankind. But watch what he says down in verse 13 of 2 Peter 3. He says, "Nevertheless, we according to his promise look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells." Yeah, God is going to come out and pour out his wrath. But praise God for God's promises for the believer. That we know what's waiting for us. We got a new heaven and a new earth. And I love what it says in 2 Peter 3:11. What manner of persons ought you to be? In other words, Peter's saying, knowing that the Lord's coming back and also knowing that we got heaven to look forward to if we're a believer, what manner of persons ought you to be? What manner of person should I be? What manner of person should you be? And he goes on to explain we in verse 11, we should be holy in conduct and in godliness.

Danger of Not Growing

With all of God that God, by the way, you know what God also promises us? He says in Revelation 3:10, and I'm paraphrasing, that he will save us from the hour of wrath. Right? Aren't you thankful for that? Hey, there's going to be a period of time once the church gets taken up that tribulation is going to take all over this earth. Seven years of tribulation and then it'll culminate with what Peter's talking about with the ultimate culmination of the day of the Lord where God will pour out his wrath. But for the believer, he's going to keep us from that. Amen. Watch what it says in 1 Thessalonians 4. A lot of y'all know this passage. What a beautiful passage. What a beautiful promise for the believer, whether we're dead in Christ when the Lord comes back or whether we're still alive. But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep. Talking about those who have died, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God and the dead in Christ will rise first. And then those of us who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore, comfort one another with these words.

God is so God promises us so much as believers. First, we're to be kept from the hour of wrath. Second, when we've trusted in the Lord, we got heaven to look forward to. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. I don't know about y'all, but when I think about God's promises, I'm reminded that ought to kind of do what Peter's saying here, live more godly, right? But to live more godly, we need help. We need help from the Lord. And when we grow in the Lord, we're helped to live more and more for the Lord.

You know something about growing in the Lord in the new year. Something to think about this. Has anybody thought about that they want to grow closer to Jesus this year? Has anybody done that thinking? Good. Something we also you might be sitting here and maybe I haven't thought about it. Maybe I'll just keep going through the same thing. I'll just keep doing the same thing. And this is for no matter where you're at in your walk. Like it's going to take change to grow. Wherever you are at, wherever I am at. If you aren't growing, watch out. You're in danger.

If I'm not growing in the Lord, I'm in danger. Watch what it says in verse 17 of the passage we read. You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware, lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked. Peter just before that had been talking about false teachers twisting scripture. Hey, one thing we got to be aware of is false teachers. Not everybody who's speaking about who's reading the Bible or saying preaching a message. It's not always the truth of the word of God. We need to know the word of God so we know if it's the truth of the word of God. We got to beware. And listen, if we aren't growing, we're going to be more in danger of being led astray.

We've got flesh. One reason we can easily be led astray is we got flesh. Now, praise God. We trust in Jesus. The spirit of God lives inside of us. But if we're just feeding ourselves with worldly things and with fleshly things and that's all we're filling our lives with or primarily what we're doing in our life, if most of what we're doing is just watching ungodly things, thinking ungodly things, not thinking on things of God, then we're not going to be growing and actually we're going to be in danger. You know, have you ever met somebody or maybe you've been there before where you might say, "Well, you know, I'll just sit out of church for a while." Beware. We start sitting out of church. We start sitting out of worship. We think it's no big deal. The enemy loves that. The enemy loves to pounce on somebody just off to the side. Be sober. Be vigilant. Because your adversary, the devil, walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. We start to say, you know, I don't really have time to read the Bible. I don't really have time to pray. You know, I'll go to church sometimes. Beware. Because when we're not growing, we're in danger. We'll start to fall away. We'll start to drift. Have you ever had a time in your life in your Christian life where you've drifted from God?

Probably what happened when you drifted from God? You might have had some sin and you weren't living for God. And also, you might have just gotten out of church. You might have started just not really being in the Bible. You might even not be doing any sin, but you're not spending any time in the word. You're not spending any time in prayer. You're more just thinking about worldly things. Beware cuz it's not just we should grow because we want to live more for Lord. That's why we should do it. But if we're not growing, you better watch out cuz the enemy is waiting. The enemy loves it when we're not pursuing God. If we're not You've heard the phrase, if you're not growing, you're dying in business. Or if you're not growing as a believer, you are in danger. And I'll tell you, I think most of us I think most of us, if we trust in the Lord, want to grow closer to Jesus. One more time is do if you're a believer, do you want to grow closer to Jesus? I want to grow. I think most of us do, but I think we can struggle. One reason we can struggle is we've got flesh. Another reason is the enemy.

Disciplines for Growth

If we want to grow, how can we be helped? I saw a lot of hands going up and I bet there's others, too. How can we be helped to grow in the Lord? If you want to grow in the Lord in the new year, how can you be helped? How can I be helped? You know, when I think about that, I think about a plant. You know, a plant needs certain things to grow, doesn't it? You know, for a plant to grow, it needs good soil. It needs good soil with good nutrients or it's not going to have a chance to grow. Also though, for a plant to grow, it needs light. It needs sun. Also, for a plant to grow, it needs water. It needs rain. If it doesn't have sun, if it doesn't have rain, if it doesn't have good soil, if it doesn't have air, and if it doesn't have room, it's not going to grow. And just like a plant, you know what it's going to do if it doesn't have those things? It's going to die. It's going to wither. And similarly for us as Christians, we need some things to grow. We'll be in danger of dying. We'll be in danger of drifting from if we don't have them in our life. We're going to be in trouble. We can think we're strong. We can think we're tough. But we're in a battle. We're in a spiritual battle. We need help spiritually from God. We don't battle against flesh and blood, but against principalities and against powers and against the rulers of the darkness of this age. We need help from God to grow in the Lord. I just want to speak and I don't mean this to be just an exhaustive list of things that can help us to grow, but I think these are some critical things like the plant needs water, like the plant needs soil, like the plant needs sun, like the plant needs air, like the plant needs root. We need some things, too. But one thing I'll tell you before we get into some disciplines I think that can help us is to grow in the Lord. You must be steadfast. You must be disciplined. You must be committed. And I got to be honest. We should with all God's done for us. I should with all God's done for us be willing to be committed to the Lord. Right. And he's saved me.

To grow in the Lord, we got to be steadfast. We've got to be dedicated. And when I think about that, I think about disciplines. I think about spiritual disciplines.

Discipline of Prayer

One discipline I think we need to grow in the Lord is we need the discipline of prayer. If we want to grow in the Lord in the new year, we need to have prayer interwoven into our lives. I've learned I need help from God. I need help from God every single day. And I'm so thankful I've got God to go to in prayer. Over and over in the Bible, there's so many Bible verses on prayer, but a few that I'm going to read out, they kind of remind us of the need to pray regularly, the need to pray daily, the need to have prayer interwoven in our lives. 1 Thessalonians 5:17, pray without ceasing. Romans 12:12, continue steadfastly in prayer. Ephesians 6:18, praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit. Colossians 4:2, continue earnestly in prayer. If we want to grow in the new year in the Lord, we need to be a people of prayer. I think something that would do me good, probably do you good, probably do all of us good is take some time this afternoon or as soon as you can and just ask yourself, how is your prayer life? If you want to grow in the Lord, take some time when you get away, just you and God, and be honest. How is my prayer life? And is there a way I could be more disciplined in my prayer life to help me grow in the Lord? I would submit to you this. I believe every single one of us could grow closer to the Lord if we grow in our prayer life. I believe everyone in this room, I believe every human being. I believe all of us. I know I can grow in the Lord if I keep growing in my prayer life. And by the way, it's pretty awesome to spend time in prayer. I mean, it's healing. It blesses us. And God will make a way to get all the other things done. We say, "I don't have time." We do have time. Hey, it might be sacrifice. It might be, you know, watching a little less TV. I can sure watch less TV at night and spend more time in prayer. Anybody else? It might be less time on the phone. You know what I mean? We will not regret time spent with the Lord in prayer. We won't. But I do believe we're going to regret time we don't spend with the Lord.

Discipline of the Word

Another one to grow in the Lord, we need the discipline of being in the word of God. When it says grow in the grace and knowledge, you know, I think about to grow in the grace and live more for Christ and grow in knowledge of God. I really think about the word of God. And in the Bible, there's so many great Bible verses on the importance of the word of God. I love what Joshua 1:8 says. This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night. Then you will make your way prosperous and then you will have good success. When's the last time you just sat down with the word and just pondered and sat with God's word? We shouldn't be rushing through God's word. We need to make time to sit in God's word. And again, when we do that, it blesses us. We feel God's presence. The Holy Spirit teaches us. 2 Timothy 3:16-17. All scripture is given by inspiration of God. The Bible's not like any other book. It's inspired by God. It's written by men, but breathed by God. It's worth taking time to be in God's word. And if we're going to grow in the Lord, we need to be in the word. Because as we grow in the word, we're hearing from God. We're thinking more like God. And it says, "All scripture is given by inspiration to God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." And in Psalm 119:105, many of y'all know your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. I think another thing we would benefit from is I think we would benefit going home again this afternoon or this week, maybe you got a little downtime and just saying, "How am I doing with my time in the word?" Probably most of us, maybe not all, but probably most of us sadly would find that we spend more time on TV or technology or phones than we do in the word of God. And hey, listen, phones is another way to read the Bible. Just be on guard. The enemy loves anything to distract us and a notification pop up in a minute when you're on your phone. Just be on guard. Not saying the phone's a technology is a great resource, but I know the devil does all kinds of things when we're trying to get in the word to try to distract us. We need time alone with God in his word.

Discipline of Worship and Fellowship

Another discipline to grow in the Lord. We need the discipline of worship. I don't know about y'all, but I am blessed every time service starts. I tell you, we're really blessed. I mean, we've got a great worship team. And I know we don't have every instrument and this and that. By the way, if you play an instrument, you want to honor God, we'd love to have you. You want to sing, we'd love to have you. But I tell you what, I'm blessed every Sunday just with worship. I'm blessed by it and I'm blessed where we start service off with songs and with worship and I tell you we need the discipline of worship. Some people a lot of people will say and I'm not trying to judge anybody. I mean I'm just we need God left his church here for a reason. So we can try to say I'm not going to go to church or this or that. But there's a reason God's word says not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together. God does know what's best. Sometimes somebody might say, "I don't need church." You know, if we want to grow in the Lord, we do. If we start getting out of church, we're going to easily start to be on our own and be isolated. The enemy will attack. Sometimes somebody now something really hard could happen to somebody at church, so I'm not really talking about that here. But somebody might say, "Well, you know, somebody said something mean to me at church." Well, somebody says something mean to you at Walmart probably, too, but you still go back. Or you know, there's too many hypocrites there. Well, we are very flawed, every one of us. But that doesn't change that God's plan is for his people to be a part of the church. And by the way, when we think about that song, come Jesus, come. Oh, that just blessed me. Did that bless y'all? Loved it. I heard someone starting to clap it. I'm clapping that right now, man. Come Jesus, come. Like, the Holy Spirit was moving. And when I think about come Jesus come, man, I just think about the fact that man, he could come anytime. We don't know when he's going to come. He might come on Sunday when we're worshiping. But we definitely need Hebrews, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another and so much the more as you see the day approaching. The day approaching is the Lord coming back. In other words, in the word of God, we're told to gather all the more. Do you know in the early church they gathered daily, but we're told to gather all the more. And guys, if we want to grow in the Lord, we need that discipline of worship. So when the enemy is trying to keep you out of church, does the enemy ever try to keep you out Sunday? Aren't you glad when you end up coming? Aren't you glad? Don't you isn't your cup filled? And we got other times to gather, too. But try to if you want to grow this year, try to be committed to being in worship. It will bless you. Wherever God's got you, I hope it's here, but wherever God is leading you to, a church that's preaching the word and you can worship, be committed to that.

Discipline of Serving

And I'll tell you what else. To grow in the Lord, we need the discipline of serving. We shouldn't just take take. We should put our faith in action. Amen. And think about what Jesus said, what it says in the word about the Lord. For even the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many. The Lord gave us the ultimate example of serving. And when we serve, we're strengthened. When we serve the Lord, we are helped to grow in the Lord. And I tell you what else, when we serve, that change can start to happen. It can happen in the word. It can happen in prayer. But there's something about stepping out in faith, when God calls you to something and it's new and it might be a little scary, but you know God's telling you to do it that it stretches you and it changes you in a good way. I remember when I was a new believer, I had an opportunity to teach youth Sunday school. I wasn't a pastor. I had never taught the Bible. I really had no idea what I was doing. But God helped me. And I remember how I grew. When you serve the Lord in the way God's doing to you, it helps you grow. Man, I remember when God called me to preach. I was scared. I didn't understand it. I didn't know who would ever call me to be a pastor. I wondered how I'd ever go to seminary and now I'm graduated after 12 years. All these things I wondered about and I was scared about and I said, "How do I take care of my family? I won't have a job. I got to give up my job. How will I even take care of my family?" God worked it all out. But let me tell you, it stretched me. It didn't mean all that stretching wasn't easy. There could be growing pains when you're growing in the Lord, right? But I praise God that God helped me cuz when I did it, it helped strengthen my faith and my trust in him. So another thing to grow in the Lord, the word, prayer, being in worship in fellowship with the saints and serving. Maybe go home today, tomorrow, this week also, and just ask, "How can I serve God in the new year?" When we serve God, it strengthens us. It gives us joy, and we're helped to grow.

Discipline of Living for the Lord

And I just want to close by saying to grow in the Lord, we need the discipline of living for the Lord. You know, I believe Peter talks about being holy, being blameless. It says that question, what manner of person ought you to be knowing that the Lord's coming back? In other words, Peter saying we ought to be godly. We ought to be striving to live more for God. But I love how the passage ends in verse 18. It's as if it's saying how we can be more godly, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

When we grow close to the Lord, we're going to be helped to live more for the Lord. When I think about living for the Lord, one passage I think about is the fruit of the spirit. You ever read that and be like, man, I need to do better. You know, praise God, he's forgiven me. None of us are perfect. But when we're going to grow in the Lord, we need to be living for the Lord. We don't we're not meant to live in sin. We're not meant to live in the old man. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he's a new creation. Old things are passed away. All things have become new.

Closing Challenge and Prayer

And I just the challenge I give myself, the challenge I just want to challenge our church with, and I hope we all want to do this, is let's be committed to grow in the Lord in the new year. Let's take time tonight, tomorrow. Don't let it slip by. Take time to think about how can I grow where God's got me today. Looking at Danny A back there, I've been a Christian a long time. Taught the Bible probably as many years as I am old. But Danny A knows he can still grow in the Lord. Amen. We can all keep growing. How can I keep growing in the Lord? Take some time to pray to God about it. How can I improve my prayer life so I can grow? What can I do to keep growing in the word? Oh, by the way, those things will bless us when we're growing in prayer in the word. You know, how can I be more active in my church? How can I serve better? And I do know that when God's people are committed and acting on growing in the Lord, God is going to work in our lives. He's going to do the work. He's going to work mightily and he's going to work in the life of this church family.

God, we love you. Thank you for sending your son Jesus down from heaven to this earth, born of a virgin and born with a purpose. Jesus, thank you for coming. Emmanuel, God with us, God in the flesh. Thank you for going to the cross. Thank you for allowing them to beat you for our sins. Thank you for suffering and dying on the cross so that there could be a way all of us could be forgiven of sins through your perfect sinless sacrifice. And thank you, Jesus, for rising on the third day. And we now know that whoever believes in you will be saved. God, I pray with all you've done for us, it causes us to want to live more for you and to want to be committed to growing closer to you so we can. Lord, please right now as we have a time of response and invitation, I just pray the Holy Spirit to move. I pray if there's anybody in need of salvation, rededication, they'd respond to you today. And I pray you would help us all, Lord, as believers to be molded into your image. It's in Jesus name we pray. Amen.