Break Thou the Bread of Life

What they didn’t expect, they
didn’t expect was the opposite. That from an earthly perspective,
he was going to be weak and unpopular. Ultimately abused and disrespected
and ultimately even killed. They didn’t expect that. And
so Peter’s response essentially forms the immediate context of
the words that we’ll consider this morning. And Peter’s response,
and who knows, maybe Peter, having just heard the words that upon
him Christ was going to build his church, maybe Peter is beginning
to try to assert some kind of authority that he thought he
had. Because his words are bold. They’re bold to the extreme.
Peter took him aside. He took the Lord aside to a private
meeting. In a sense, Peter calls the Lord
into his office. took him aside and began to rebuke
him.” This is Peter who began to rebuke
the Lord, saying, God forbid it, Lord, this shall never happen
to you. Peter wanted to alter the plans that God in eternity
past had crafted. He wanted to alter the plans
that Jesus willingly accepted. The plan of redemption was at
stake. Jesus turned back to Peter, and
he would have none of it. And he said, Get behind me, Satan.
You are a stumbling block to me, for you are not setting your
mind on God’s interest, but man’s. And that forms the immediate
context of the words at hand. It is in precisely this context
that Jesus spoke these following words. And now, if you would,
Luke 9.23. And He was saying to them all,
if anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself and
take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save
his life will lose it. But whoever loses his life for
My sake, he is the one who will save it. For what is a man profited
if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? For
whoever is ashamed of me, in my words, the Son of Man will
be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory.” The glory of the
Father and of the angels. But I say to you truthfully,
there are some of those standing here who will not taste death
until they see the kingdom of God. Peter had boldly, almost
incredibly, tried to stand toe-to-toe with the Master that he had just
acknowledged was the Christ, the Sent One, the Anointed One
of God. And Peter tried to stand toe-to-toe
with this Messiah and correct Him, rebuke Him, change the plans. And essentially what Jesus does
in those following words in the Gospel of Luke, what Jesus does
there, recorded in all three of the synoptic Gospels, is correct
Peter. Peter, no, you have the misconception
of the Messiah’s work, and even a misconception of your own role
in that work. Jesus goes beyond what was just
going to happen to Him personally, and He addresses what every disciple
of Christ can expect. What every follower of Christ
is to be. And people, He wasn’t just talking
about the apostles. He wasn’t just talking about
the twelve. The Gospels in their synthesis record that Jesus began
to speak these words to the greater multitude. This was a call to
true discipleship, and it was every much a call to the rest
of the followers of Christ as it was to the twelve. And by
proxy, it’s every bit as much a call to the rest of us. In
every century, in every day and age, a call to true discipleship. What is a follower of the Lord
Jesus Christ? Jesus. In His reply to Peter,
spoken in the hearing of the twelve, spoken in the hearing
of the rest of the followers of Christ, the would-be followers,
also falls on our ears. And Jesus here gives three distinguishing
marks of a true follower of Jesus Christ. First of all, the life of a true
disciple of Jesus Christ is characterized by a full submission to the Lordship
of Christ. This is not a casual endeavor. This is not an occasional thing. This is not a lighthearted effort.
This is not the half in, half out lifestyle that John Stott
pointed to. This is a complete sellout to
the Lord Jesus Christ. Look at verse 23. He was saying
to them all, if anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny
himself. As I began to study this passage,
I knew it was deep. I’ve known it was deep for some
time. As I began to study this passage, I began to see that
we don’t even have a clue of what discipleship is in our day
and age. We don’t even have an earthly
idea of what it means to truly and fully follow Christ, to fully
deny ourself. And it’s shocking. It’s shocking
how far we are in Christian America from true discipleship. Note
this, anyone in the passage, and it makes the challenge not
only individual, but it broadens it. If anybody thinks that they
are a follower of mine, This is the indication of what his
lifestyle should be. It isn’t just the twelve. It
isn’t just the followers there. It’s for all Christians of every
day of every age. This will always be a true mark
of Christians. Even if the Lord should tarry
another 2,000 years, this will be the mark of a true Christian
in that day and age. Your desire to become His disciple,
if it’s your heart’s will, if it’s truly your desire of heart
to become a follower of Christ, you have to put your interests
and wishes in the background and accept voluntarily. This
is something that you do. Deny yourself. J.C. Ryle, who so characteristically
colors these clear biblical words, he does so again so adeptly.
He says, we ought every day to crucify the flesh, to overcome
the world, to resist the devil, to keep our bodies, to bring
them in subjection, to be on guard like soldiers in an enemy’s
country. We ought to fight a daily battle
and war a daily warfare. And you see, most Christians
treat this life in which they live as like some kind of an
adult Disneyland. This is a game. It’s a big joke.
Walk into the Christian bookstore and see the kind of drivel that
is sold by the ton. And you can’t immediately empathize
with his words that we don’t even know what discipleship is
anymore. One Puritan said it this way,
a little formal church going and a decent attendance at a
place of worship can never be the Christianity of which Christ
speaks. Where is our self-denial? A crucified
Savior will never be content to have a self-pleasing, self-indulging,
worldly-minded people. And this goes completely against
our culture, because everything is about self in our culture.
Self-pleasing. Self-healing. Self-discipleship. Everything is about self in our
culture. Jesus lays out the conditions
for being a follower of His. If you’re going to be a true
disciple of Mine, first of all is self-denial. The idol of self
must be crucified. Killed. Done away with. Another Puritan described this
self-denial. What does it look like? Mind
you, before we even get into it, Jesus isn’t saying here,
this is how to become a Christian. This isn’t how to become a Christian.
This is the test of whether you are. This is a test of whether
you really are truly in Christ. This will be exemplary of your
life. This won’t earn you salvation. John Gill said it this way, said,
let him, pardon me, let him deny sinful self. This is the kind
of renunciation that takes place in repentance, and if it was
renounced there at the cross on knees of repentance, it remains
renounced. We don’t bring it forward to
dabble in once again. Let him deny sinful self, ungodliness,
worldly lusts, and part with them as his former sinful companions. If the friends won’t let you
live for Christ, let the friends go, essentially is what he says. He goes on and says, let him
deny righteous self. And this is what the Pharisees
had such difficulty doing because they thought they were good enough
to commend themselves to Almighty God. to somehow attain to His
holy standard by their rigid adherence to the law. Let him
deny his righteous self, renounce all his own works of righteousness
in the business of justification and salvation. Gil goes on to
say, let him deny himself the pleasures and profits of this
world. You see, that’s where so many
people get off track. We’ve talked about it so many
times. Essentially, when those things come into competition
with Christ Himself and Christ loses, you have just honored
self. We’re called to self-denial.
Gil goes on and says, let him drop and banish all his notions
and expectations of an earthly kingdom and worldly grandeur
and think nothing of reproach and persecution and death. This
world isn’t going to get better and better. It’s going to get
worse and worse. And he says, you signed up for
it. If you’re a Christian, this is what you can expect. Not a
crown, but a cross, the crown comes after the cross. If we want to follow Christ,
we’re called to once and for all say no to our old self. The
self that is apart from regenerating grace. The self that exists prior
to Christ. The person that denies himself
and gives up all reliance on whatever he is by nature. Whatever
it is we think that we can do. And there are all kinds of obstacles
in the way. All kinds of things that can
trip us up, aren’t there? A.W. Pink wrote on these matters
as well. And commenting on this specific
verse, he said, the first step before toward a daily following
of Christ is the denial of self. And there is a vast difference,
he says, between denying self and so-called self-denial. You
see, here’s where a lot of Christians get hung up. They think, you
know what? And we used to be in this system
where they practiced Lent, right? The Lent was which for 30 days
or 90, I don’t even remember how long. But for a certain period
of time, you give up something. And that was this supposed to
be this indication of self-denial and a mark of God’s grace. So the popular idea, even with
Christians, even with you and I, we think that we’re really
doing good if we give up Mr. Pibb for a month. Right? We think that we’re really doing
good if something that’s precious to us and it’s a Christian liberty
and there’s nothing wrong with it, but we’re going to go the
extra mile and we’re going to lay it on the cross. We’re going
to give it up for Christ. A.W. Pink says there’s a vast
difference between denying self and so-called self-denial. He
says the popular idea is that of giving up things which we
like. And there’s great diversity of opinion of what should be
given up. The first step towards following Christ is the denial
of self, not simply some of the things that are pleasing to self.
It is self itself that is denied. It means in the first place,
abandoning our righteousness, refusing to rest upon our wisdom,
ceasing to insist upon our rights, repudiating self itself. ceasing to consider our own comforts,
our ease, our pleasure, our aggrandizements, our benefits. And you know what? This isn’t just this isn’t the
only passage that calls us to self-denial. It is uttered forth
in a hundred commands in the New Testament in a hundred different
ways. Listen to how the New Testament
calls us to self-denial. Romans 6.12, we’re called to
deny ungodliness and worldly lusts. Proverbs 23, we’re called
to control the appetite. 1 Peter 2.11, abstain from fleshly
lusts. Mark 9.43, we’re called to mortify
sinful lusts. Romans 15.3, we’re called to
no longer please and to live as to please ourselves. 1 Corinthians
10, we’re called to not seek our own profit. 1 Corinthians 10, even lawful things
are to be set aside if it’s for Christ. Taking up the cross and
following Christ, crucifying the flesh. Galatians 5.24, being
crucified with Christ. Romans 6, being crucified to
the world. Romans 6.14, putting off the
old man which is corrupt. Ephesians 4.22, and a hundred
different ways. A hundred different ways we’re
called to deny self. One old Baptist pastor put it
in just plain, bald terms. Christ’s follower denies self. He will not have self for his
ruler or his aim. He determines not to live according
to his own inclinations, but to do and to bear whatever may
be necessary in the course he’s undertaken. He must resolve to
live not for pleasure, but for usefulness. And most people,
this is why I said we’re so far off in our day and age, most
people don’t live for usefulness. They live for what’s in it for
me. It’s not about self-denial. It’s
about self. There are distinguishing marks.
There’s a way that you can look at a person and see if they are
a true follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. The life of a true disciple
of Jesus Christ is characterized not only by a full submission
to the Lordship of Christ, but secondly, by an active embracing
of the sufferings of Christ. And this is a shocking one. Jesus said, if anyone wishes
to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross
daily. This little word. And what I
want to do is just take this phrase essentially one word at
a time. Take up. What is this word? Take
up. It literally means to pick up and to burden oneself with. What here Jesus alludes to is
this custom when criminals were sent to the cross, part of their
punishment was to carry that cross to the place of execution. It was a mark of shame. It was
supposed to shame the rest of the community into fear of committing
any crime. It was a public thing. The same
exact verb is used of Simon of Cyrene, who carried the Lord’s
cross. He was pressed into service to
bear Jesus Christ’s cross. The difference is, what that
prisoner, what that one who was going to execution does under
duress, he’s forced to, even Simon of Cyrene, he wasn’t elected,
he was just almost commanded immediately to carry Christ’s
cross. What he does under duress, what
the prisoner does under duress, the disciple of Christ, the true
follower of Christ does willingly. Take it up! It isn’t forced upon
you. It isn’t laid upon you. You take
it up. Voluntarily, does the disciple. He voluntarily and decisively
accepts the cross that is given to him. Note, secondly, of this
little passage. It’s his cross. It’s his cross. Every person has his own cross
to meet and bear. Every person has a cross that
nobody else can carry. We’ll talk about exactly what
the cross is in a moment, but every one is custom made for
every true disciple of Christ. It’s the result of a person’s
character. It’s what God is trying to do
and shape in his life. And it’s providential. It’s God-given. There’s nothing arbitrary or
willy-nilly about it. It is God-given by God’s sovereign
design for that particular disciple. One pastor said it this way,
like his Lord, each disciple must bear his own cross. We’ll
talk about specifically what the cross is in a moment. But
each cross must be borne by each disciple. Now let’s look, thirdly, we must
take up His cross. Each disciple must take up His
cross daily. This image, we say it and we
know of it so well, this image of the cross that we almost we
become too familiar with it. For these disciples, they were
very familiar with the cross and with the crucifixion, the
whole ordeal of it. But they weren’t casual about
this word, the cross, when Jesus used this illustration, if you
will, it was shocking to them. Take up his cross. What a horrid
image that had to have had for the followers of Christ. Listen
to the history of it. More than 100 years before the
Lord’s ministry, King Alexander Janais crucified 800 rebels in
Jerusalem. Were they familiar with crucifixion?
You better believe it. It was legend. It was infamous.
All the while, this individual was feasting in public. So it
was not only this shameful thing, it was this mocking thing. Under Atticus Epiphanes, all
kinds of Jews were crucified. There was a revolt which followed
the death of Herod the Great. The Jews revolted and the proconsul,
the one sitting in the chair, essentially crucified 2,000 Jews. Were they familiar with it? This
is four years prior to the onset of Christ’s ministry. Were they familiar with it? They
certainly were. And they wouldn’t have had this casual, silly attitude
about the cross that we so often have in our day and age. See,
if we get a boil, we call it our cross. If we have a bad back,
we call it our cross. If we have an unpleasant mother-in-law,
she’s our cross that we have to bear. That’s not the image
that they had. This isn’t cheapened. They didn’t
cheapen it by applying it to some little minor day-to-day
irritation that we have. Traffic. Not even a major burden. Not
even a major life-ending disease did they see as their cross.
Listen to this. One described it that bearing
a cross after Jesus became a symbol of willingness to endure pain,
shame and persecution for his sake. It’s only those things
that have reference to Christ that are brought about because
of Christ, our persecution, the difficulties that we face. He goes on and challenges. He
says the term cross bearing is not being used properly when
it is made to refer very generally to any kind of affliction visited
upon a person during the course of his earthly life. Did you get that? All this little
petty little stuff that we would say, oh, it’s my cross that I
have to bear. It’s not what they meant. It’s not what Jesus meant. Cross-bearing
can have only one meaning, he concludes, by submissively and
in a sense, even joyfully bearing Christ’s reproach. When we are
put down because of our association with Christ, that is the cross. And it’s only that. When we are
disrespected, when we are harshly treated, when we are, if we even
have ever experienced it, persecuted, That is the cross. And Jesus
wants to wake his apostles up to the fact that they are going
to suffer. This is not going to be a grandiose,
crowning event like so many kings would experience, enrobed in
purple, crowned with glory, sitting on an earthly throne. Not yet. This is going to be difficulty.
This is going to be persecution. This is going to be everything
they feared and nothing that they hoped for. One other person challenged this
thought about the cross, this petty thinking about the cross.
The cross isn’t the ordinary human troubles and sorrows such
as disappointments, disease, death, poverty and the like,
but the things which have to be suffered and endured and lost
in the service of Christ. That’s the cross. It was a nearly identical challenge
that was issued early in Christ’s ministry. Matthew alone records
it in 10.38. He said this, challenging them
to the life of a true disciple. He says, anyone who does not
take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. Jesus hears they were people
who knew. They had seen people take up
their cross. They had seen these individuals dragging this horrific
wooden structure down the dusty paths. They’d seen it. And they
knew that if this guy was carrying this cross, he wasn’t coming
back. That the little band of soldiers
that were with him would take him and nail him to that structure
and there he would die. For them, for these apostles,
for these hearers, they knew that taking up the cross stood
for the utmost in renouncing of self. This person who took
up a cross had to die to a whole way of life. That’s what Jesus calls them
to. But I want to correct. He’s not
saying that we’re saved by martyrdom. There are some people that have
willingly and intentionally put themselves in harm’s way, thinking
that to do so is the taking up of the cross. Jesus wasn’t saying
that martyrdom in and of itself is a way of salvation. Sometimes
it’s just foolishness. Jesus wasn’t saying that they
should go out and try to get killed. They wouldn’t even have
to try. What he says is that essentially
when faced with either life or death, if death means following
Christ, I’m going to choose death. If life means denying Christ.
I’m going to choose death. Not Christ, not death and Christ
and not life without Christ. It goes against our modern day
sentiment, doesn’t it? Our modern day sentiment is protect
self at all cost. Protect our interests, protect
our desires, our plans. Cross-bearing has become a dramatically
unpopular thing. Being willing to suffer for Christ
has become an exceedingly unpopular thing. The average Christian just simply
looks at the cross in such petty and flippant ways that it cheapens
the very cross of Christ. It was that image that Jesus
sought to elicit and any cheapening of it by attributing to anything,
any of our own foolishness or even any of our weaknesses or
any of our infirmities or maladies. It cheapens the cross. One pastor said it this way. The cross, if you want a straightforward
definition of what it is, So, the cross is the expression of
the world’s hatred. And in just proportion, as we
have come out of the world and are in fellowship with Him, so
the world will hate us. And let me be so bold as to say
it this way. I don’t think, I don’t think
the world hates us enough. I don’t think the world hates
Ron Frasco enough. I don’t think, by and large,
the world sees us clearly, knows what we stand for enough to even
dislike us, much less hate us. Secondly, he says, the cross
stands for a life that is voluntarily surrendered to the will of God.
The cross stands for obedience, for consecration, for surrender.
A life placed at the disposal of God The cross stands for the
principle of discipleship. And I’m not against the necklace,
the little gold cross necklace necessarily. But what does it
represent? Note finally in this little phrase,
He is to take up, the true disciple is to take up His cross daily. This isn’t supposed to be a one-time
event as so many people think of it. It’s not supposed to be
a good day or a good week for Christianity. This is a lifestyle. This is a day in, day out, complete
lifestyle change. No person is excused. No day
is accepted. It’s total. It’s complete. I said that there were three
distinguishing marks of a true follower of Jesus Christ. The
life of a true disciple of Jesus Christ is characterized, first
of all, by a full submission to the Lordship of Christ. Secondly,
by an active embracing of the sufferings of Christ. And thirdly,
by a determined obedience to the commands of Christ. He’s
a follower. Jesus said, if anyone wishes
to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily,
and follow Me. These weren’t new or radical
words for the disciples. The previous words were self-denial,
cross-bearing. Those were new concepts even
for the apostles. But following. Following wasn’t
new. That’s what the fishermen heard
by the shore. That’s what the tax gatherer
heard at his desk. Follow me. That’s what so many
of the disciples heard the first words of Christ. Follow me. What
did it mean? It means an unquestioned obedience.
It means following and obeying Christ in what He says. One pastor challenged this way
about a hundred years ago. He said there is a class described
in Scripture of whom it is said These are they which follow the
Lamb wherever He goes. But sad to say, there’s another
class and a large class which seem to follow the Lord fitfully,
spasmodically, half-heartedly, occasionally, and distantly. They’re the wandering sheep. They’re the sheep that aren’t
eager to please Christ. They’re the ones that are still
questioning whether He’s worth following. This is one who has said farewell
to his old life. He’s picked up his cross and
he’s set out on a journey. The question is, what road is
he taking? What path? It’s clearly marked out here.
It’s the path that the Lord has taken. It’s following in his
footsteps. And it’s even the form of this
word here, it’s put in such a way that we are to follow and to
keep on following. It’s not just a one time thing.
It’s a lifestyle. I want to save just a moment to
pick up these last few verses, because essentially what verses
24 through 26 present to us is a ladder, if you will, of reason. The support that the Lord Jesus
gives here for these strong statements. I slipped and said Paul because
it’s very much like Paul’s structure. Each thought gets a supporting
statement to buttress it. Look at verse 24, that life here
is either going to be saved by losing it for Christ or lost
by trying to save it for self. Jesus said it this way, whoever
wishes to save his life will lose it. Whoever loses his life for my
sake, he is the one who will save it. Everybody who tries, in a sense,
to selfishly secure this little nest for himself, this little
cushion from the world, pleasure and happiness, Steal himself
from the difficulties of life. Failure to submit to Christ.
Ultimately, he doesn’t find joy. In essence, what Jesus says,
he commits what one called spiritual suicide. He’s not saving his
life at all. He’s saving this thing called
earthly life. He’s somehow created a nice environment
for himself. But ultimately, It’s not saving
himself. What Jesus tells Peter and the
other apostles is don’t plan on a life of ease. Don’t expect
it. And don’t try to create it. Follow
me. And when you follow me, you’re
following it into a life of difficulty and hardship. One aged pastor challenged with
these words. He says it is the common belief
of mankind that he is the happiest who possesses most. Isn’t that
true? That what most people that, you
know, believe if they could just surround themselves with more
stuff, that they would be more happy. It’s the common belief
of mankind that he is happiest who possesses most, and apparently
no amount of experience can uproot this delusion. But to the contrary, he is happiest
who is himself a possession, not a possessor. A possession
possessed by Christ and ready to sacrifice everything, even
life itself, for His sake. Whoever seeks to keep his life
will lose it. Whoever loses his life will preserve
it. Essentially, Paul took the same
thought, 2 Timothy 2.11. It’s a trustworthy statement. If we died with Him, and that’s
a question, have we died with Him? Have we really been crucified
with Christ, as Paul would say in Galatians? If we died with
Him, we will also live with Him. If we endure, we will reign with
Him. If we deny Him, He will deny
us. And that’s the loss. That’s the
losing of the soul. And so the support, if you will,
for verse 24 is provided in verse 25, the motive for life saving. What is the motive for saving
our life in such a unique fashion, contrary to what we would expect?
A paradox, if you will. that we’re going to lose our
life to Christ and thereby save our souls. What’s the motive
for that? Verse 25, the value of the soul. What is a man profited if he
gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? Matthew
and Mark both add an astounding assertion. What will a man give
in exchange for his soul? Is there any price for which
any man at any time would try to give in exchange for his soul?
You know, the Catholic Church for years taught this. Taught
this theory of indulgences where you could purchase somebody’s
soul out of purgatory. Foolish. There’s no price. No value. God accepts no credit
cards on this account. This offering of gaining the
whole world. Remember, that was part of the
challenge that Christ faced in his own temptation. And if the
perfect man, Jesus, wouldn’t allow himself to be tempted with
the offering of owning the whole world, why should we? Because
there’s no way that we’ll ever own all. At the very most, we’ll
own a small portion. Right? This life, this soul, is an exceedingly
valuable thing. What will a man give in exchange
for his soul? John Gill said this. He said,
life is a valuable thing. And all that a man has, he will
give for it, if he could. Self-preservation is a principle
in nature and it becomes every man to take all lawful methods
to save his life. When it is threatened or it’s
in danger, but whoever is willing to save it when it is called
to be laid down for Christ’s sake, rather lay it down. I’ve
said this before, it astounds me, the health food industry,
you would think that of all people, they would be the most eager
people. The most concerned about their
souls. From what I’ve seen, they’re the most casual about their souls. They’re more concerned about
their flesh, their bodies, that are going to die no matter what
shampoo they use, no matter what vitamins they eat, no matter
what pesticide is put on their rutabaga. They’re going to die.
They will die. J.C. Ryle said it this way, note
the unspeakable value of the soul, the possession of the whole
world and all that it contains would never make a man happy.
Its pleasures are false and deceptive, its riches rank and honors have
no power to satisfy the heart. And so long as we have not acquired
them, they glitter and sparkle and seem desirable. The moment
we have them, we find that they are empty bubbles and they cannot
make us feel content. We cannot keep them. Death comes
and separates us from our property forever. Such is the world for
the sake of which millions every year are destroying their souls.
What a horrifying thought. Horrifying thought. The support
for that is given in verse 26. Life is either saved or lost. Saved by losing it for Christ. It’s lost by ignoring Christ. The motive of that is the value
of the soul. And the means of that salvation is the saving
of self. Look at verse 26. Saving or losing. Whoever is ashamed of me and
my words. This is a mark of a disciple.
If we’re afraid to let people know that we love Christ, that
we love His way, that we love His doctrines, we love His rule,
we love His sacrifice, we love His people, we love His ordinances.
If we’re ashamed of that, we’re already guilty. We don’t want
people to know we’re a Christian. It’s a proof of unbelief. It
shows that we care more for the praise of men than for the the
opinion of Christ. What a privilege it is to have
His Word laid before us. To have the privilege of feasting
upon those same challenges that were issued to the Apostle Paul.
If anyone, if anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself,
take up his cross, and follow me. Let’s examine our hearts
before the Lord. a gracious God. We sadly say amen to the statement
that there are many in our culture who seem to be covered just with
a thin paint job of Christianity. They have made profession, but
as we examine their lives, we who know you can shake our heads
sadly and wonder at all if they are truly regenerated. Father,
may it not be so with us. Keep us examining our hearts. Keep us examining our pursuit
of You. Father, may it be said of us
that we truly are those who have denied ourselves, taken up our
various crosses, and are in hard pursuit of You. May You be glorified
in us. For Christ’s sake, in Jesus’
name we pray, Amen.