HE CAME TO SAVE US - John 3:1-21

All right. If you have a Bible, go ahead

and meet me in John chapter 3. John

John 3 · chapter mention John 3 · chapter mention

chapter 3. Over the last couple of

weeks, as we've celebrated the Christmas

season, we've looked into what Christmas

is all about. The fact that Christ came

near, that God came near in his son,

that he put on human flesh, that he

dwelt among us, that he lived the life

we couldn't live. He died the death that

we all deserve. He resurrected from the

grave three days after his death. 40

days after he ascended into heaven and

right now the scripture says he is

seated at the right hand of the father

pleading our case standing in the gap

for us defending the cause not that

there is this cosmic battle between good

and evil there is but not in the way

that we might think not as if evil could

ever win it's not a battle of wits or

strength remember the victory has

already been purchased through the life

death and resurrection of Jesus Christ,

but rather it's a demonstration of God's

faithfulness, of God's justice, of God's

mercy, and God's grace. And make no

mistake, Christ will come again one day.

We don't know when.

We don't know if it's tomorrow. We don't

know if it's 50 years from now. But we

knew, we do know this, that the culture

and the times are always set up in such

a way where his return seems imminent.

And it's done that way so that we can

understand that there is an urgency to

share the gospel. And there's an urg

urgency if you've never made a decision

to say yes to Jesus to repent of your

sins and place your hope, faith, and

trust in him. That as we dive into the

scriptures, that as we have

conversations about the gospel, that as

we gaze upon the beauty of God and see

more of his holiness and the sacredness

that who of who he is, that we would

recognize our desperate need for rescue,

redemption, and salvation.

And we would also understand that his

return is imminent. It could happen at

any moment. And because we don't know

when, we better get our lives set and

ready.

And so this morning as we dive into John

John 3 · chapter mention

chapter 3, we're going to look at a

conversation between a man by the name

of Nicodemus,

who John tells us in his gospel is a

Pharisee and a ruler of the Jews. some

amazing titles that really would not

have fallen on deaf ears in the time

that this gospel was written and the

audience of who it was written to.

Basically, what John is telling us is

that Nic Nicodemus wasn't your average

individual.

He was far from being considered a

pagan. As a matter of fact, if there was

someone that you wanted to model your

life after, the type of father you

wanted to be, the type of husband you

wanted to be, maybe the type of

individual who owned a business or the

way that you dealt with uh the person at

the grocery store or your neighbor,

Nicodemus was the person that you wanted

to model your life after. But what's

interesting is that here in just a

moment though Nicodemus by every

definition of the word good,

Nicodemus was that man.

But even good men can still be far from

God. And this is what Jesus exposes.

Not just for Nicodemus's sake, but for

our sake as well. So maybe we gather in

this place. We thank in the words of

Nacho Libé, "My life is good. Real

good." We've seen a bunch of clips of

that this week. I'm sorry you had to put

up with that.

But we may think our life is really,

really good.

But good doesn't equal saved.

Good doesn't necessarily equal faithful.

And this is what John is exposing here.

What we'll get into in just a moment is

that Jesus reveals before Nicodemus a

freedom that only comes

through him.

A freedom from the penalty of sin. A

freedom from the power of sin. And this

is the hope that we live with. that one

day when Christ returns and the final

consummation takes place, when heaven

and earth meet and we're living in the

new creation, that we will be free from

the presence of sin.

It's a gospel filled with what it means

to walk in liberty and freedom. And

later John will write these words as

Jesus proclaims that when you know the

truth, the truth shall set you what?

>> Free.

And you know, one of the freedoms that

we experience when it sets us free is a

freedom from self.

I don't know about you, but I know me.

My wife knows me better than anyone. I

know what my vices are. I know what my

temptations are. I know the scenarios

and the positions that if I find myself

in, it'll be very difficult for me to

hold on to my Christianity. And you know

that about yourself, too.

And it's about handing it over to Jesus

to experience the freedom from yourself,

from your sinful nature.

As a matter of fact, the scripture time

and time again from the gospels to the

New Testament letters, we see this even

in the Old Testament prophets that we

must deal aggressively with our sin.

It's no secret why the Bible tells us to

deny the flesh and to put it to death.

Paul says this in Galatians chapter 2

Galatians 2 · chapter mention

20. I am crucified with Christ.

Therefore, it is no longer I who live,

but Christ who lives in me. And the life

that I live now at this present moment,

I live by faith in the son of God who

loved me and gave his life for me.

That's a crucified life. Well, what is

he crucifying? He's crucifying his

flesh, his sinful nature, the vices, the

temptations, the things that we struggle

with. He deals aggressively with them

and he puts them to death. He eradicates

them. Jesus will say this, "If your hand

causes you to sin, do what? Cut it off.

If your eye causes you to sin, gouge it

out."

He wasn't talking about physically

torturing yourself.

He was talking about dealing

aggressively with our sin. What does

that mean for some of us? For some of

us, that means we need to get rid of

some apps on our phone.

For others, it means you need to put the

computer, the laptop in a public place

away from a private setting where you're

tempted.

It means taking control of the anger and

the bitterness. It means submitting to

the role that the scripture has for you

in your marriage. It means those things

because it's not just about the here and

now.

It's about how our lives model the

holiness of God

and the things that we pursue and the

things that we say and the things that

we think and the things that we do. What

does your life say about the gospel?

You may do good things, but are you

doing faithful things? And maybe you sit

there and you say, "What's the

difference?" Well, this is where John

John 3 · chapter mention

chapter 3 speaks. It's a long passage.

Bear with me and then we'll dive into

some questions that arise from the

passage that Jesus will answer. So John

John 3 · chapter mention

chapter 3 beginning in verse one.

There was a man from the Pharisees named

Nicodemus,

a ruler of the Jews. This is a godly

man. A man who according to worldly

standards is doing everything right.

We would say by worldly definitions,

this is a good man. But watch this.

Verse two. This man came to him at night

and said, "Rabbi,

we know that you are a teacher who has

come from God, for no one could perform

these signs you do unless God were with

him." So, Nicodemus is off to a good

start.

We would say he recognizes

Jesus, the miracles he produces, the way

that he teaches. There's some curiosity

and some interest that is peaked here.

And I don't want us to miss this.

Nicodemus has a genuine interest. His

curiosity indeed has been peaked. And so

he wants to find out more. He wants to

know more. And we'll notice that there's

going to be a contrasting picture here

that John is painting in his gospel,

particularly with the titles that he

gives Nicodemus. This is a good man, but

he is not necessarily a faithful man.

Jesus is going to bring this to life.

And then we'll notice also when did

Nicodemus come to visit Jesus?

At night.

There's a contrasting picture at the end

of our passage how Jesus talks about

coming into the light

and how light takes darkness away. It

chases away the darkness. This is how

John begins his gospel that Jesus is the

light of man and the darkness extinguish

that light. Now notice how Jesus replies

to Nicodemus here in verse three. Jesus

says, "Truly I tell you, unless someone

is born again, he cannot see the kingdom

of God."

So, Nicodemus knows who Jesus is, but

Nicodemus does not recognize his need

for Jesus. Thus, the rest of the

conversation takes place. Verse four,

how can anyone be born when he is old?

Nicodemus is asking, can he enter his

mother's womb a second time and be born?

Jesus answered, "Truly I tell you,

unless someone is born of water and

spirit," and Jesus is quoting Ezekiel

Ezekiel 36 · chapter mention

chapter 36. And in Ezekiel chapter 36,

Ezekiel 36 · chapter mention

Ezekiel talks about how water cleanses

sin and how spirit ushers in life. Very

symbolic here. Unless one is born of

water and spirit, he cannot enter the

kingdom of God. Unless you're cleansed

of your sin, you repent, and you turn to

Jesus, and you're empowered by the Holy

Spirit, you will not walk face to face

with the Lord. This is what Jesus is

declaring. Whatever is born of flesh is

flesh, and whatever is born of spirit is

spirit. Do not be amazed that I told you

that you must be born again. And I love,

we'll unpack this here in just a moment.

I love how Jesus then uses this

illustration of wind.

The wind blows where it pleases and you

hear its sound, but you don't know where

it comes from or where it's going. So it

is with everyone born of the spirit. In

other words, Jesus is declaring, "Hey,

you can't control the wind. You don't

tell the wind where to blow. You don't

know what direction it's heading. That's

the way it is with the spirit." In other

words, salvation is not in your hands.

It's in mine.

You don't control your saving. I deem

your saving. I declare your saving.

And so, what does Nicodemus say? Verse

nine, how can these things be? And I

love Jesus's response.

Jesus often asked questions in his

ministry. Not because he lacked a

knowledge or information. He's all

knowing. He knows everything about

everyone across all generations of time.

Often

when questions like this are asked, it's

meant to draw in the listener, to peique

an interest, to give them a different

perspective, to make them think a little

bit more. And this is precisely what

happens.

In verse 10, Jesus responds with a

rhetorical question.

Are you a teacher of Israel and don't

know these things? Jesus replied, "Truly

I tell you, we speak what we know and we

testify of what we have seen, but you do

not accept our testimony.

If I have told you about earthly things

and you don't believe, how will you

believe if I tell you about heavenly

things? No one has ascended into heaven

except the one who descended from

heaven, the Son of Man."

Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the

wilderness, so the Son of Man must be

lifted up, so that everyone who believes

in him may have eternal life. Now, if

you read that Moses reference, and it's

a little bit confusing, especially in

the midst of this conversation, we're

going to explain what Jesus is doing

here in just a moment. Verse 16, we know

this one. For God loved the world in

this way. He gave his one and only son

so that everyone who believes in him

will not perish but have eternal life.

For God did not send his son into the

world to condemn the world but to save

the world through him. Jesus is

declaring the purpose of his mission.

Why he came? Why he's here. What his

life and ministry is going to be about.

What his death will accomplish. What his

resurrection will seal. what his

ascension and his return will point to.

It's all about saving humanity. And then

he doubles down. I love this in verse

18. Anyone who believes in him is not

condemned, but anyone who does not

believe is already condemned because he

has not believed in the name of the one

and only son of God.

This is judgment.

The light has come into the world and

people loved darkness rather than light.

O

that is a very telling truth

and it's one that exists today.

It's one that is so prevalent in our

world. It's one unfortunately that is

prevalent in churches

and even in a church this size. This

is telling of some of us

that we are more in love with the

darkness of the sin that is our life

than we are with the light and the grace

and the mercy that is so freely offered

through Jesus Christ.

This is why we talk about freedom a

freedom from self.

It's recognizing that my own sin, the

very sin that I willfully and

intentionally commit, that remember is

an insult and an affront to the holiness

of God is the very sin that robs me of

the life Christ destined me for that

robs me of peace, joy, comforts,

and all that God has declared as an

inheritance for his children. People

loved darkness rather than the light

because their deeds were evil. For

everyone who does evil hates the light

and what? Avoids it. You ever been in

that situation before? Someone is

sharing truth with you. You know it's

true. You know it's right. And there's

this conviction in you and you just

don't want to hear it.

That's the Holy Spirit sign

that there is a darkness that is trying

to avoid the light that you need to let

go, repent of, and give to God.

For everyone who does evil hates the

light and avoids it so that his deeds

may not be exposed. But anyone who lives

by the truth

comes to the light so that his works may

be shown to be accomplished by God. And

all God's people said,

>> "Amen. Lord, would you bless your word?

Holy Spirit, would you stir our hearts?"

I got about 20 minutes. It was a long

passage, but here's what we're going to

do. We're going to go back through it,

not in the way that I read it, but in a

way to draw out the answers to some

questions that arise from the passage.

Questions that you've probably had your

entire Christian walk, or perhaps

questions that arose out of our time of

just reading. Now thing that we need to

really understand is that Nicodemus is

not a skeptic. Remember he is a

Pharisee. He's a ruler. He knows

prophecy.

He knows the law. He knows the

traditions. He knows what is expected of

him. He goes to Jesus not to entrap

Jesus. He's not being hostile towards

Jesus. He is genuinely curious. And

what's interesting, if you're wondering,

well, what's the rest of Nicodemus's

story? From the context that we read in

the rest of John's gospel, we're led to

believe that Nicodemus placed his faith

in Jesus.

As a matter of fact, in John chapter 7,

John 7 · chapter mention

he'll defend Jesus

against his friends.

In John chapter 19, he'll bring spices

John 19 · chapter mention

to anoint the body of Jesus after he has

died. The context of what we read in the

gospel shows us that Nicodemus took to

heart what Jesus was telling him and he

responded faithfully. Here's my hope and

my prayer today.

That we take to heart what we've just

read

and that we would respond faithfully to

the truth of the gospel, to who Christ

is.

And I love how Jesus opens with a

statement. It's a statement that cuts

straight to the heart of the matter. He

says, "Unless one is born again, he

cannot see the kingdom of God."

This is a conversation not about what

Nicodemus needed to do better

or how he needed to add another command

to his life or how his behavior needed

to be modified. Jesus gets to the heart

and he says, "You need to be born again.

You don't need more rules. You don't

need more religion. What you need is

resurrection.

What you need is new life."

Perhaps there's some of us here this

morning that need that as well. So, I

want us to walk through this passage one

more time, and I want us to ask the same

kind of questions that it forces us to

ask. and we're going to look to the

passage to the answers Jesus gives. So,

if you love taking notes, here's the

first question that the passage brings

out. Why do we need saving at all?

If you've been with us over the last

couple weeks as we've dived into our

series during the Christmas holiday,

we've learned that we need saving

because sin came through humanity.

It came through us. [snorts]

We've rebelled against God's holiness.

And because sin was birthed through

humanity, it's humanity that must pay

for sin.

Jesus tells Nicodemus

that it's not a physical birth that he's

speaking of, but it's a birth from

above. It's a spiritual heavenly one.

And I love the language that Christ uses

here in verse three. He says he cannot

see the kingdom of God. Notice that it's

not will not see the kingdom. It's

cannot see kingdom. Well, what does that

tell us?

It tells us

that it's not a matter of effort,

but it's a matter of ability.

We do not have the ability to come face

to face with God apart from ourselves.

to walk hand in hand with him,

to turn to him in and of ourselves. We

lack the ability,

which is why Christ has come into the

world.

Look back with me at verses 4-6.

Nicodemus responds, "How can anyone be

born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked

him, "Can he enter his mother's womb a

second time and be born?" And how does

Jesus respond? I tell you, unless

someone is born of water and spirit, he

cannot enter the kingdom of God.

Whatever is born of flesh is flesh, and

whatever is born of spirit is what? Is

spirit. This is a work of God. It is

solely his.

And often times, maybe like Nicodemus,

we become confused

because we often view this life, this

world from the perspective of the

physical

rather than from the spiritual.

And often times that can get us into a

whole lot of trouble. It could take us

deeper than we want it to take us

because we try our own strength. We try

our own abilities.

According to the passage, we lack

tremendously.

And notice how Jesus brings greater

clarity here in verse 7.

He says, "Do not be amazed."

Why does Jesus start verse seven that

way? Because remember, Nicodemus is a

religious expert.

And as a religious expert, he should

have known what Christ is pointing at.

Do not be amazed that I told you that

you must be born again. The wind blood

pleases and you hear it sound, but you

do not know where it comes from or where

it is going. So it is with everyone born

of the spirits.

The wind is unpredictable.

You can't see it, but you can experience

and feel its effects. We don't control

it. God does. So God does with

salvation.

And we need saving

because apart from him, we cannot save

our selves. And so the question that we

need to to ask ourselves is, am I

trusting in spiritual activity instead

of spiritual life?

Nicodemus was a ruler of the Jews. He

was a Pharisee. He knew the word inside

and out. Remember, he was a good man. We

would say, "He's the father I need to

be. He's the husband I need to model."

But it was not rooted in spiritual life.

Some of us, we do church things

faithfully. We do Christian things

faithfully while at the same time

avoiding surrender to Jesus.

Which begs the question, what is

motivating us? Is it to be seen? Is it

because we genuinely think that we are

in control of our own salvation?

You can be a good and faithful church

member without ever surrendering to

Jesus Christ.

You say, "Well, Roland, how can that

be?" Nicodemus serves as an example. And

Jesus calls him out on it. Here's the

second question that the passage forces

us to answer. How does God actually save

sinners?

And I love this because Jesus starts

with a history lesson. Did you catch

that? Right here in verse 14,

Jesus says, "Just as Moses lifted up the

snake in the wilderness, so the Son of

Man must be lifted up so that everyone

who believes in him may have what?

Eternal life."

If you don't remember that story that

he's referencing in the book of Exodus,

the people of Israel, the Israelites,

judgment had been cast upon them.

They were destined for death. They were

destined for failure. They needed

healing. They needed rescue. They needed

restoration. And so Moses takes that

serpent

and he lifts it high. And everyone that

looks upon him, they discover healing.

They discover rescue. They discover

redemption.

And Jes and Jesus is telling Nicodemus,

judgment, condemnation, it is coming.

But just as the Israelites gazed and

looked upon Moses and the serpent that

was lifted high and were saved, so will

those who look upward at the Lord. So

often we look inward.

So often we look outward and we try to

find contentment. We try to find

healing. We try to find satisfaction.

And Jesus, it only comes from one place.

It comes from looking upward at who I

am. the lamb of God who takes away the

sins of the world.

And I love this because if you recognize

this history lesson that Jesus is

giving, it really paints a a great

picture and I think one that continues

to speak relevance into our lives today.

Because in Exodus, though they were

healed, though they were rescued,

consequences from their actions weren't

removed immediately.

They still had to deal with the effects

of the rebellion against the Lord,

but God nonetheless offered rescue in

the midst of it. And so salvation is

accomplished not by moral improvement

but by substitution

by looking to Jesus. So the question

then is where am I looking?

Where am I searching for salvation?

Am I looking inward? Am I looking

outward? Or am I looking upward? Here's

a third question. Who is salvation

really for?

Who did Christ come to save?

Now, this gets into a whole theological

debate, even amongst the church.

And while we don't have the time to

really unpack what all that entails and

the nuances and get into the weeds

regarding the different doctrines about

salvation and how God saves and how man

responds and who initiates and all of

this, what we do know is what verse 16

tells us. One of the most powerful

verses in all of scripture. Go back with

me. Verse 16.

For God loved the world in this way

that he gave his one and only son. So we

see a couple of things taking place

here. We see God's love.

We see God giving God's sacrifice. We

see that love, his character moves him

to action. Because of who God is, we see

what God does. That's very important,

not just for the message, but for our

lives.

When we recognize who God is, creator,

gracious, merciful, loving, just,

then we position ourselves to see what

God does. And maybe, just maybe, I'm

going off script here. Maybe, just

maybe,

you've not seen God moving. You've not

experienced God working. Maybe it's

because you have yet to fully gaze upon

who God is.

and see him in all his holiness.

One of my favorite passages is Isaiah

Isaiah 6 · chapter mention

chapter 6 verse one.

It says that Isaiah was given a glimpse

into heaven.

He saw the Lord seated on his throne

high and lifted up

and the train of his robe filled the

temple and the saraphim surrounded him

declaring his holiness.

And only when Isaiah was able to see who

God is, was he able to experience and be

included in what God does.

Church, God's wanting to do a miraculous

work here. We have seen some incredible

things this season.

We have baptized over a dozen people

this year. In the last month alone,

we've experienced two of our highest

Sunday morning attendances

absent of Easter or Christmas Eve. We

had over 500 people here on Christmas

Eve. FYI, that's 500 people who heard

the gospel message. Now, I say this

often, numbers aren't everything, but

numbers represent families. They

represent souls. They represent people

who are hearing the gospel message

who in our experience are responding to

the gospel message.

We have baptisms planned in January. If

God stirring you to walk in faithfulness

and obedience into the baptismal waters,

we invite you as well.

But who who is salvation really for?

world. The scripture tells us here that

God so loved the world

that he gave his one and only son that

everyone who believes in him will not

perish but have eternal life. That word

world that is used here, it does not

mean everyone is automatically saved.

But what it does mean as is that the

invitation is wide and the way is

singular.

The invitation is there. And God's love,

it's not a vague statement.

It's not just letters on a page that

will make us feel good, that will make

us feel worthy. It's not a vague

statement. It's a costly one. It's a

sacrificial one. This is what God has

done for the glory of his name and for

the good of his people.

He gave his son

to die,

to sacrifice himself for the sins of the

world.

Salvation, here's what's important. This

is the picture that's being painted with

Nicodemus. That salvation's not offered

to the worthy

because worldly speaking, Nicodemus was

worthy.

But it's offered to the believing.

It's not offered to those who clean

themselves up,

but to those who trust what God has

done. And when John uses the word belief

here, when Jesus speaks the word

believes,

it's not a momentary nod of agreement.

It's saying yes, not just in the moment,

but what it demonstrates, this picture

that it's painting, is ongoing reliance.

To truly believe means that there is

ongoing connection, discipline, growth,

effort, energy to receive and grow in

all that God has done in acco in Jesus.

And so the question is,

do I think I'm an exception because I'm

good?

And do I think I'm disqualified because

I'm bad?

And here's what we need to confront. The

gospel offends our pride. Absolutely.

But it also invites us in our

brokenness.

Here's the fourth question. We're almost

done. Did Jesus come to judge or rescue?

And maybe you've heard it this way.

I can't believe in a God that would send

people to hell.

I can't believe in a God that would let

people suffer for all eternity. Now, go

with me to verse 17.

Jesus follows up verse 16 with with this

truth.

For God did not send his son into the

world to condemn the world, but to what?

But to save the world through him. So

quick verse to have in your pocket to

engage this discussion. Always in love,

never in judgment or bitterness. I can't

believe in a God that would send people

to hell. Let's go to verse 17. God did

not send Jesus into the world to condemn

the world.

He sent Jesus into the world to rescue

the world. Now, make no mistake, and I

don't want us to miss this, there will

will come a moment where God sends Jesus

when Jesus returns to earth to bring

judgment.

But the judgment will not be for his

children who have placed hope, faith,

and trust in him. It will be for those

who are already condemned because of

their rebellion against the Lord.

Because of their lack of faith in the

Lord. This is what Jesus is telling us.

Verse 18, anyone who believes in him is

not condemned, but anyone who does not

believe is already condemned. You've

done it to yourself because he has not

believed in the name of the one and only

son of God.

To reject Christ is not to remain

neutral.

It's to remain condemned.

And this this really gets to the heart

of the question because this is grace

and it's not casual. It's it's mercy

with urgency. And so the question is am

I responding to the grace of God? Have I

received Lord as savior or am I

postponing it? Am

I trusting more in the time that I think

I may have as opposed to trusting in the

Lord?

Final question that we look at.

If Jesus indeed comes to rescue

and Jesus invites us in and calls us his

own

and Jesus sees all the good things and

he sees all the evil that is your life

and my life and he knows our rebellion

and he knows the chaos that is our lives

and yet despite all of that his love

prevails and he invites us in and

extends his grace and extends his mercy.

Why in all of that do people reject the

very salvation that they need?

And Jesus makes it absolutely clear

right here in verse 19.

This is the judgment.

Light has come into the world and people

loved darkness rather than light.

It's an issue of devotion.

It's an issue of love, or should I say

rather in the case of the unbeliever,

false love.

And there's a preference. There is a

preference for evil and sin rather than

goodness, holiness, and love.

And the overwhelming majority of people

would never get up and say, "I prefer

evil and sin over grace, mercy, peace,

love, comfort, and joy and hope."

But you live a life that says that

you live a life that indicates that.

And so the question is, if you've never

given your life to Jesus, why?

It's because you love your sin more than

the gospel.

Verse 20, for everyone who does evil

hates the light and avoids it so that

his deeds may not be exposed.

That's that contrasting picture here.

When did Nicodemus come to Jesus? At

night,

anyone who lives by the truth comes to

the light so that his works may be shown

to be accomplished by God.

How can I live for the truth? You must

be born again.

Repent from your sin. Turn to Jesus. And

let 2026

be the year that you begin to walk in

new life. Would you pray with me?

Lord, thank you for your word.

Thank you for how you move and how you

work continuously

in the life of your people. We thank you

for Jesus and the truth of the gospel

and how in it and through it there's

life change.

I pray Lord that as we close our

service, as we lift up your name,

Lord, that if you are stirring hearts

today towards salvation, towards greater

greater obedience, towards marriage

restoration,

whatever it may be, Lord, that that

today would be the day of salvation.

Today would be the day that we submit to

your will, that we say no to ourselves,

that we experience freedom from self,

that we crucify the flesh, that we deal

aggressively with [music] our sin, that

we repent, repent and turn to you. In

Christ's name we pray. All [music] God's

people said, amen. Hey, would you stand

to your feet with me? We're going to

sing together. Let this be the prayer of

your hearts. This is a time of response.

That means our altar is open. If you

need prayer this morning, if you want to

pray on behalf of someone or or you need

prayer for yourself, Pastor Eric and

[music] myself will be available. We'd

love to pray with you. If you'd love to

celebrate a victory and thank God for a

blessing in your life, we'd love to

celebrate that blessing as well. Or if

you just want to come and have some

one-on-one time with the Lord, our

altar's open. This is for you to have a

moment with God. Surely, [music]

you can absolutely do that from where

you are. But I find there's something

unique and special that [music] takes

place when we invite the church body in

to join us. And as you see people up

here, would [music] you be praying for

them as well? Let's call upon the name

of the Lord together. I love you,

church.