Grab your bibles. Turn to Second Corinthians, chapter 10, Two Corinthians, chapter 10. So last week, when Matthew started talking, we looked in this passage here in Second Corinthians 10, and Matthew talked to us about the fact that we are all in a spiritual battle. We are in a spiritual battle at all times in our lives. Some of you get too giddy about being in a spiritual battle. Some of you are ignorant of being in a spiritual battle. The great thing about being in a spiritual battle is we have a God that has weapons that we can fight that battle with. Now, today, what we're going to do is we're going to talk very specifically about a battle that every single person in this room faces. It's a subtle battle, but it's a battle that no matter what stage of life you're in, you will face this battle. You face this every single day of your life. If you're a child, you face this battle. A teenager, a college student, an adult, a parent, a grandparent, a retired person, everybody faces this battle. This battle shows up when you look at yourself in the mirror in the morning. This battle is there when you're getting dressed. It's a battle that when you walk into any room that has people in it, you will face this battle. It's a battle that you will face when you scroll on social media, when you post on social media, when you play sports, when you go to school, in your relationships. And some of you in this room actually faced this battle as you walked into this room today. So what is this sneaky, subtle, spiritual battle that we all face? It's the battle for approval. The battle for approval. A battle to prove that you are worthy and you are valuable and should be accepted. Let's kind of walk back through that list that I just gave now that you know what the battle is. It's a battle that you face when you look in the mirror in the morning. You go, oh, hadn't seen that wrinkle before. Oh, there's another gray hair. I quit counting 20 years ago on that one. But, oh, what do I got to do to fix that so that someone will approve of me? It's a battle when you're in your closet trying to figure out, like, okay, what am I going to wear today so that that person will take notice? What do I need to put on today so that I can get their attention? When you scroll on social media and you start comparing yourself to all these other people that have posted, you go, I just. I just want to be accepted like those people. Or when you post on social media, you check back five minutes later. Does anybody like this? Anybody give me a thumbs up yet? Anybody love this? Anybody commented on this yet? No matter what room you walk in, there's the temptation for you to enter this battle and go, ooh, I'm not quite like them. Oh, I feel better about myself because of them. Right? And again, some of you faced that as you walked into this building today. Oh, their kids seem to have it all together. I wish I could worship like that person. It's a battle we all face, guys. It's a battle that we are all in. But for some of you, it's more than just a battle. It's an addiction where you have worked your whole life around getting approval to get the fix of approval in your life. I know I need to act this way around this group of people because I'll feel better about myself. But when I'm around this group of people over here, I'm gonna have to put on a different mask and act a different way. And there's just this addiction that when you get the approval from a person like, oh, that felt pretty good. Let me do that again. But I think it goes actually deeper than a battle. It goes deeper than an addiction. For some of you in this room, you are enslaved to approval. And I don't use that term lightly. Approval is the master of your life. It controls your life. That's all you think about from the time that you wake up to the time that you go to bed. It rules your day. It drives what you do and what you say and how you think. And its domineering authority affects all areas of your life. And, guys, one of the saddest things for me as a pastor is to know that some of you in this room are enslaved to approval. But you claim that you have the approval of God, but you don't live like it. You claim that you have the approval of God, but your life looks just like other people who don't. The same insecurities that rule your co workers rule you. The same comparison game that your neighbors play is the same game that you play. The same mask that your peers wear are the same masks that you wear as well. So my question for us this morning is, what does it look like to live a life of freedom from approval? How many of you would love to live a life freedom from free from approval? This morning, I want us to see the truth in God's word and let that truth cast a vision for you for what your life could look like if you actually understood the freedom that God's approval offers to you, what does it look like to win this battle, be free from this addiction and not be enslaved and break the chains to this slavery? In order for us to see this kind of vision, what we're going to do is we're going to take a look at a guy's life who did not have the approval of people, but had the approval of God. So if you're in your Bible, Second Corinthians, chapter 10, we're going to see how the Apostle Paul responded when some of the people in the Corinthian church disapproved of him. So let me catch you up. If you haven't been around, we've been marching through Second Corinthians. In Second Corinthians, Paul has defended himself against many of the people in this church that he's planted. He's defended himself for the first seven chapters because they don't think he's legitimate. And then in chapters eight and nine, he kind of took a break from defending himself. And he talked about this collection for the Jerusalem Saints, and we talked about giving and generosity. And then we jump back into chapter 10, and he starts defending himself again. Now, why is he having to defend himself? Because there are people in this church that don't approve of him. So they've started questioning him. They've questioned his ministry, his apostleship, and they're even questioning his faith. And this was driven by a Corinthian culture that approved of leaders based on their status and their looks and their power and their slick communication skills. Their disapproval of Paul was based on what the culture was saying. But what Paul does is he goes, I'm not going to be ruled by your disapproval ratings. I know the truth, and the truth set me free. And Corinthian church, I want you to know the truth so that you can live freely. And for you in this room, my hope is that for Veritas, we can leave here today with a vision of what living in the freedom of God's approval looks like. So, 2nd Corinthians 10:7 says this. Look at what is before your eyes. If anyone is confident that he is Christ, let him remind himself that just as he is Christ, so also are we. He goes, look what's before your eyes. Corinthians, you have all these thoughts about me, but I need you to look at the obvious facts. Look at what's right before you. And he goes, what I'm going to do is I'm going to remind you of truth. You are in this life and you are not approving of me, but let me remind you of truth, because it's obvious. And the truth that he brings out that the Corinthian Church need to be reminded of was that they are Christ's and so are Paul and his ministry partners. The core truth that you need to remember to fight the battle of approval is that you, if you are in Christ, you belong to Christ. You belong to Christ. In this battle against approval and this addiction to it and this slavery to approval, you need to understand that you belong to Christ, that you are His. That's good news. Like, think about it. The God of the universe, almighty, sovereign, holy, righteous God, approves of you because of Christ. You belong to his family. That is incredible news, because some of you don't feel like you belong anywhere, but you belong to the most important one in the world, God Almighty. And guys, this is what I want you to know from the beginning. Belonging to Christ is the way to living in the freedom of God's approval. Belonging to Christ is the way to living in the freedom of God's approval. The key to understanding the approval of God is understanding that you belong to Christ. You have God's approval, and you can live in that type of freedom because of Christ, and only because of Christ, because of him and his work and the fact that Christ now lives in you. For many of you, you have been crucified with Christ. You no longer live, but Christ lives in you. The life you live in the body, you live by faith in the Son of God who gave himself up for you, that's good news. But when we recognize that that's the work of Christ and we couldn't earn that approval on our own, we realize, man, I can't exalt in my own works. I'm not capable of belonging to God on my own. I'm not good enough on my own. I'm not talented enough on my own. I'm not wealthy enough on my own. I'm not gifted enough on my own. I'm not worthy of salvation on my own. But here's the good news. Christ is worthy. God gave out one stamp of approval, and you and I didn't get it. Christ did. Because of faith in Christ, you can experience that same type of approval. Some of you are enslaved to approval because you keep trying to break the shackles on your own, but you're not strong enough. You're not good enough, and you're not wise enough to do it. It Christ is, Christ is. And this gospel truth, this good news, is what makes you belong. Approval doesn't have to be your master, because the Lord is your master. And he's a good father. He's a good father. So what does this look like to live, this type of belonging out? First thing it looks like is confidence. Confidence. Go back to verse seven. Look at what is before your eyes. If anyone is confident that he is Christ, let him remind himself that just as he is Christ, so also are we. So what? The Corinthians. What Paul's trying to say to the Corinthians is this. Corinthians. You have a lot of confidence that you belong to Christ. And for some reason, you keep dismissing me and my ministry partners. So. So as a result of that, like, I need you to know that your confidence is in your belonging to Christ. And so is for us. That's the same thing that's true for us. And the same thing that was true for Paul and his ministry partners is true for you in this room today if you are in Christ. But when it comes to confidence, there's two ditches that we can fall in. The first ditch that you can fall in is to have no confidence at all. Where you've forgotten that you belong to Christ, or you didn't even know you belong to Christ. Or maybe you don't belong to Christ in this room. You haven't trusted in Christ. Some of you have no confidence because you don't belong. If you've forgotten to belong. And what happens as a result? Constant insecurities in your life where you crave other people's approval of you to validate your worth, your success, your value, your significance. And maybe you're struggling with confidence in Christ. If you ask some of these questions. All right, why they look at me that way? Do I look okay? Why haven't they texted me back yet? What are they thinking? Did I do a good job? I wish they would just say I'm valuable and I did a good job. Some of you ask those questions regularly because of insecurities and you've missed your confidence in Christ because you've forgotten that you belong to Christ. Well, I just texted them. Why haven't they texted me back? It's been one minute. It's okay. They don't have to text you back immediately and you'll be okay. But not just because you'll be okay. Like, why do you need their approval immediately? You have the approval of God Almighty. Guys, people who belong to Christ aren't ruled by insecurity. With no confidence but you could fall in another ditch. There's the ditch of no confidence, or there's the ditch of wrong confidence. That you find all your confidence in your upbringing and your background and your status and the things of this world and the things that are fleeting. And what does that lead to? It leads to either temporary satisfaction when you get it. I want the approval of God. I want the approval of people. I need the approval of people. And when you get it, you're like, oh, yeah, I like that. That felt really good. I need it again. And I need it again. And I need it again. It's like you've going on a workout. You got done on your workout. You're really thirsty and you just drink a super sugary drink. Does that quench your thirst? No, it just makes you more thirsty. I need more. I need more. I need more. For some of you, you long for approval and you found it in human approval. And what does it do? It just makes you want more of it. Or if you don't get it, it crushes you because your confidence is in the wrong place. And Paul addressed this actually in a different letter to the Philippian church in Philippians 3. This is what Paul said. For we are the circumcision, so we are the ones set apart by God, who worship by the spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus. And we put no confidence in the flesh, the things that the world really likes, though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. So Paul's saying, listen, you put a lot of confidence in what other people say about you. If there's anybody that could do that. Paul's saying, I could actually do that. Now that sounds arrogant initially, until we finish this. So he says, if anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more. And what he does in verses five and six, it's not on the screen, is he list his credentials. This is the background that I came from. This is my family, this is my heritage, this is my upbringing. This is who I am. So after listing all of his credentials that could gain him approval in verse seven, he says, but whatever gain I had, I count it as what? Loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but. But that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God, that depends on the faith. Paul's saying, listen, if anybody could have man's approval and be confident in it, it would be me. But I count all those things as a loss. In fact, I count it all a loss compared to knowing Christ, the power of his resurrection. If you want to show that you have the freedom of God's approval in your life, live confidently. So what in the world were they disapproving of? We'll see it in starting to see it in verse 8. For even if I boast a little too much of our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for destroying you, I will not be ashamed. So one of the accusations against Paul from the Corinthians were this. Paul, you're boasting a little too much in your authority. Now, the word boast here is really critical because it shows up seven times in the passage that we're looking at this morning. And in Second Corinthians, the word boast actually shows up more times than the word Jesus. So it's really important that we understand this. And it's not a complicated thing. To boast simply means to glory or exalt. To glory or exalt. Now, we're going to come back to this at the end because Paul's going to talk about it a lot later. But there's this accusation against the Corinthians here from. From the Corinthians saying, paul, you boast a little too much in your authority. Now, what Paul is saying is like, yes, I boast somewhat freely in my authority, but let me tell you why I've had to do that. Some of you know, baseball started this past week. How many of you know what a pickle is in baseball? Right? Like four of you. Okay, all right. Pickle is when you're caught in between the bases, all right? You can't get to one base, you can't get to the other, and you're caught in this rundown. All right? Paul is caught in a pickle here. He's stuck. Why? Because the Corinthians have questioned his legitimacy over and over and over. So he's having to defend himself. As he defends himself, they go, oh, look at Paul talking about himself a lot and boasting in himself. So he's caught in this pickle. You're questioning me, so I'm telling you what's true. And now you're telling me that I'm boasting too much. What am I supposed to do here? So he says, let me just tell you what's true. Again, what's true is the fact that my authority is not just about me. My authority is for building you up, not destroying you. But then he ends that verse while saying, I will not be ashamed. Paul wouldn't be put to shame for boasting somewhat freely about his authority. He would not be put to shame as a fraud or as arrogant. He's not going to let someone else's false opinion of him enslave him to shame. Why? Again, he has the full approval of God because he belongs to Christ. What Paul is saying here is, guys, your disapproval of me doesn't really matter. Even if you approve of me, your approval doesn't even matter. What matters is who I belong to. And what God says about me is the most true thing about me. And I'm going to live in that kind of freedom. I'm not going to let you put me to shame. So what else does this life of freedom look like? Verses 9 and 10. I do not want to appear to be frightening you with my letters. For they say his letters are weighty and strong, but his bodily presence is weak and his speech of no account. So here's another accusation against Paul. Paul, when you write letters to us, you seem really impressive and you seem really severe. You even seem kind of violent at times. But when you show up, you don't look very impressive. You don't speak very well. There's not much consistency to your life. Paul. The weight and strength of Paul's letters didn't match his physical and verbal presence. Now why were they worried about this? Because they were caught up in what the world says. The Corinthian culture said they thought that bold speech must come from a leader who was physically strong with eloquent, lofty and wise speech. But guys, Paul wasn't concerned about his speaking. They were very concerned about his speaking. He's not concerned about it. And we see throughout other letters where Paul talks about, especially to 1 Corinthians. We're not going to look at it right now, but we see Paul talking often like, I didn't come to you with eloquent, wise speech, because if I would have come to you that way, you would have missed the Gospel. You would have. And the cross of Christ would be emptied of its power. So Paul's not coming to them, worried about what he's saying in his writing. He's confident and knows what he's doing. But this is what the Corinthians needed to realize. Verse 11. Let such a person understand that what we say by Letter when absent, we do when present. Corinthians. What you need to understand and you consider is this. The way I act when I'm writing is the same person that I am when I'm present with you. There is integrity in my life. There is consistency in my life. If you want to live a life in the freedom of God's approval, you do it with confidence and you do it with consistency. This was an issue not just for the Corinthian church. This has been an issue forever. Jesus addressed it often, and he addressed it often with religious people when he accused the Pharisees of being hypocrites. And the word hypocrite is the idea of an actor or an actress putting on a mask. Hey, you religious Pharisees, you act one way around these people, but you act a different way around these people. There is no consistency in your life. You're not operating with God's approval. So you're constantly changing who you are and who you need to be based on who you're around and what setting you're in. But for Paul, it's a much deeper issue than just you wearing a mask. There's something going on that makes you want to wear those masks. In fact, in his letter to the Galatians, he addresses this often. In Galatians chapter two, Paul is actually going to have an encounter with Peter. Now, we think of Paul and Peter, these are like pillars of the faith, right? But listen to what Paul has to do with Peter. But when Cephas. Cephas is another name for Peter. Alright, so we're talking about Peter. But when Cephas came to Antioch, I, Paul opposed him to his face. You know this like Paul and Peter like opposing each other because he stood condemned. For before certain men came from James, this was the Jews. He was eating with the Gentiles. But when they came, he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the Gospel, I said to Cephas, before them all, if you though like a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews? What's the point here? Peter is hanging out with a bunch of Gentile believers and he's having a great time. And here comes James and some Jewish believers into the room and Peter goes Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. I can't hang out with the Gentiles anymore. I got to be somebody different for the Jews. And Paul opposes him and rebukes him, and he says, what are you doing, Peter? You're acting like a hypocrite. You put on a mask for the Gentiles, and now you got to put on a mask for the Jews. And because of this, why did they do it? Because Peter was not in step with the truth of the gospel. Not in step with the truth of the Gospel. His rebuke of Peter was not that. You're wearing a mask. You failed to live out the gospel. You have missed the gospel in all of this. Guys, the fear of man does not bring life. It does not bring freedom, and it doesn't bring thought flourishing anywhere in the Scriptures, and it will not bring freedom and flourishing to your life. But because of the Gospel of Christ, you belong to God. You have his full approval. So you don't have to keep changing masks. You can be who God created you to be because you have the approval of God through Christ. Now, why were the Corinthians acting this way? Verse 12. Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves, but when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding. So Paul is saying, listen, we don't operate the way that you guys have been operating, you super apostles. We don't operate that way. Why? Because they measured themselves against each other. And if they found somebody that wasn't as good, they felt great about themselves. If they found somebody that was better than they were, they felt terrible about themselves. And Paul's saying, look, you're not measuring with the right measuring tool. You've missed this. Can you imagine if you're trying to bake a cake and somebody goes, hey, how many inches of flour do you need to bake this cake? That doesn't make sense, right? Yesterday, one of our kids had a birthday. We have a thing on the wall where we measure our kids. Like, what if I walked up to my kid and I said, hey, how many tablespoons tall are you today? That's ridiculous, right? Doesn't make any sense. It's ridiculous for the Corinthians to be measuring themselves against one another and finding their value and worth in comparing themselves to each other. Paul is saying, this is ridiculous because this is not just something happening in corinth in the first century. This happens in America in 2025, where we measure our approval incorrectly with Constant comparison to the wrong things. And we compare ourselves to the wrong things and wrong people. And sometimes it makes us feel better. Oh, look at their struggle. Look how they spend their money. Look how their kids act. Look at their sin. And you know what that leads to? Gross, puffed up pride. Or you look at other people and it doesn't make you feel better. It actually helps you get bitter. Look at their house, look at their furniture, look at their cars, look at their clothes. Look at their family. Look at their pictures on social media. And it leads to debilitating bitterness. Paul says, I would not dare to classify or compare myself this way. He doesn't tiptoe near that type of behavior. And we shouldn't either. Because there is an ongoing danger that exists to measure success and value by comparing ourselves to the world, by comparing our church to other churches, by comparing your life to other Christians, or even by comparing yourself to other people in this room. That is a dangerous way to live. This is what you need to know in Christ. Man's disapproval of you can't scar you, and man's approval of you cannot satisfy you. Man's disapproval of you cannot scar you. And man's approval of you cannot satisfy you. There is freedom in Christ because you belong to Christ. You can be confident, you can be consistent, you can be free of comparison. And then finally, you can live with contentment in verses 13 and 14. But we will not boast beyond limits. But we will boast only with regard to the area of influence God assigned to us, to reach even to you. For we are not overextending ourselves as though we did not reach you. For we were the first to come all the way to you with the Gospel of Christ. Now, just reading that really quickly, you're like, I don't get it. I don't understand what that means. The Corinthians are making another accusation against Paul here. And the accusation is this. Paul, we think you're boasting not just too much in your authority, but you're boasting in things outside of your biblical authority. You're boasting in other people's ministry. You kept telling us all about what the Macedonians are doing in this collection. You keep boasting about that, but this is outside of your authority. And Paul, this is his response in my words. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold on, guys. That's not all what I'm doing. I'm not exalting myself when I talk about things happening in other churches. Like, I don't need to boast in someone else's work. I don't need another person's area of influence. I don't need praise that's due to other people. But I will say this Corinthians, our ministry did reach you. In fact, we were the first ones to bring the gospel to you. So we're not boasting in something crazy. This actually happened. And we're really content with the sphere of influence that we have, because, guess where, that's what God's assigned to us right now. We don't need something that isn't ours because there's a deep contentment that Paul ministers with here, and it's so freeing. God gave him that ministry and that place, and he's content doing that kind of work until God moves him elsewhere. What about for you? Do you need more in your life? More stuff to make you feel better, more influence, more recognition, a bigger platform, more prominence, more resources to get there? Guys. Our discontentment in life reveals a much deeper problem. It not only shows that we feel like we need more than what God's given us, but it shows that we're not okay with who Christ says we are, who he's called us to be, and that we're ultimately His. Our discontentment says, I need more. You fill in the blank there. I need more of this to prove that I'm valuable and worthy because God, your approval isn't enough for me. That's not living in the freedom of God's approval. So why does Paul even talk about ministry in other places? Because there's a bigger picture here. Verses 15 and 16. We do not boast beyond limit in the labor of others. Labors of others. But our hope is that as your faith increases, our area of influence among you may be greatly enlarged. Now, some of you are smart and you go, wait a second, that sounds arrogant. That sounds like you want to increase your area of influence. But then he tells them why right after that, verse 16. So that critical two little words there. This is the reason, this is the purpose that I'm saying. I want my area of influence enlarge, that we may preach the gospel in lands beyond you without boasting of work already done in another's area of influence. So what is he saying I'm going to do? I'm content doing ministry in this space, this place, in this season. But my hope is that as we do ministry here, that ministry might expand and we might get to share the gospel in places that other people haven't even gone yet. So he's not saying, I want a bigger Area of influence. What's the purpose behind all this? So that the Gospel would go to more places and that God would be worshipped because he deserves the world's worship. That's the reason Paul is content with where he is, doing ministry where he is. He's content where he is, but he's willing to go wherever God wants to send him. For the glory of God. For the glory of God. Guys, the end of ministry isn't downtown Cedar Rapids for us. Are we content doing ministry in Cedar Rapids? Sure. But if God would increase our area of influence, may he do that? But please, God, do not do that. For Veritas sake. We don't go, hey, look what Veritas did in Urbana. Look what Veritas is doing by sending people to Thailand and Taiwan this summer. Now we go, hey, let me tell you what God's doing. Let me tell you what God's doing in Thailand, what God's doing in Urbana. What God's doing in Taiwan. It's not about Veritas, because this is not for our sake. We don't need it. We have the approval of God. But people need the Gospel, and God deserves the world's worship. So our confidence, our consistency, our lack of comparison, our contentment, they're not about us. So how are we supposed to live? Verses 17 and 18. Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord. For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends. There's that word approved that finally shows up. We've talked about approval the whole morning. How do we get the approval of God? Do we get it by commending ourselves? Nope. Do we get it by thinking about ourselves? Nope. Do we get it by boasting in ourselves? Nope. How do we get the approval of God? For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends. The key to living in the freedom of God's approval is to regard the Lord and boast in Him. So I would add to that statement I gave you at the beginning. Belonging to Christ is the way to living in the freedom of God's approval. And boasting in Christ is the overflow of that freedom. Belonging to Christ is the way to living in the freedom of God's approval. And boasting in Christ is the overflow of that freedom Church. Boast in the one you belong to. Boast in the one you belong to. That's the way to freedom. That's the way to flourishing if you want to show God's approval of you, boast of God's work in you. If you want to show God's approval of you, boast of God's work in you. And where is this coming from? It's coming From Jeremiah chapter 9 says this. Thus says the Lord. Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom. Let not the mighty man boast in his might. Let not the rich man boast in his riches. But let him who boasts boast in this that he understands and knows me that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love and justice and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord. Guys, don't boast in your wisdom. Don't boast in your might. Don't boast in your riches. Boast in in the fact that God Almighty the Lord knows and understands you. The Lord who practices steadfast love knows and understands you. The Lord who practices justice was just by punishing sin and he punished his own son so that you may belong to him. Boast in the one who practices righteousness in the earth. Guys, that's whose approval you have. If you are in Christ, the one who understands and knows you, that's who you belong to. So be confident. Don't be enslaved to insecurity. Live consistently. Don't be enslaved to hypocrisy. Don't compare yourself to those in the world. Be free from that. Be content. Be free from just wanting more. And as you do that, ultimately boast in the Lord. Glorify him, exalt him. Don't live a life that praises yourself. Don't live a life where you feel like you always have to get the last word in. Don't. Don't live a life where you even think and regard yourself. Boast in the Lord. Because you could keep losing the battle for approval. You could keep being self centered or you could trust the one who has won the battle for you. You could keep finding temporary fixes for your approval addiction by being self focused. Or you could trust the only one who can give you a forever solution. You could have a master that continues to enslave you as you regard yourself. Or you could trust in the only one who can lead you to freedom. So what I want you to do. I want you to leave here today. Considering your belonging and considering your boasting. I'm going to give you some questions that I want you to just think about when you consider your belonging. Consider this. Where is your confidence? Ask yourself, where is my confidence? As you consider Your belonging? Ask, is my life consistent in public and private? Are my words and actions consistent? Ask yourself, who am I comparing my life to? Ask yourself, do I need more? Or am I content with where God has me? So consider your belonging and consider your boasting today. Who are you regarding in your life, in your thoughts, in your conversations, in your planning, in your working while you're at home? Who are you thinking about? How often are you just thinking about yourself rather than boasting in the Lord? Guys, imagine what kind of church we would be if we really believed that we belong to Christ. I'm going to give you a way that this could show up in a way that it shouldn't show up. Give you how it shouldn't show up in our lives. Let's not be a church, guys, that when somebody goes, hey, why is your life different? You go, oh man, Veritas has changed my life. Salt company has changed my life. Can we please just agree right now that we'll never say that? Can we just say, oh, I love my church, but let me tell you about my church that introduced me to Jesus, because he's the one that's changed my life. I love Salt company. I would love for you to come with me on Thursday night. But let me tell you what, it's not Salt company that's changed my life. Jesus has changed my life. We're going to be a church. Let's be a church that boasts in the Lord, not in ourselves. So let's not do that. Okay? But what if we could be a church where the world around us said, man, those Veritas people, they can't stop talking about their God. Like, even when people misunderstand them, they keep talking about their God. Those Veritas people, it feels like they have no insecurities at all. They don't feel like they have any need to be known. They're just really content people. And they're really consistent, too. The same person that I watch on a Sunday across the room is the same person that shows up at their kids little league field. It's the same person that shows up. Classic Kirkwood. They're the least hypocritical Christians I've ever known. They just aren't worried about what everybody else thinks of them. In fact, I don't even think they think about themselves often. Those Veritas people, they think about others all the time. And the thing about them is their God just seems to be like the greatest thing in their lives. May that be what the world accuses Veritas Church of. That's the kind of church we want to be. Amen. Let's pray. Father, thank you. Thank you that we have your approval because of Christ. Please help us never to grow accustomed to that. Lord, I pray that our church would live more freely because of that truth. Please help us do that. God, in Jesus name, amen.