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Our Lives Can Be Changed (1 John 3:4-10)
12 Plays8 days ago
Sunday Message recorded 15 December 2024
by Senior Pastor Victor Morrison
First Baptist Church - Columbus, TX, USA
1700 Milam St.
Columbus, TX, USA 78934
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Transcript
Peyton's Influential Testimony
00:00:06
Speaker
Wow, thank you so much, Peyton. I appreciate that. That was such a blessing. And I praise God for what he's been doing in your life. And I had no idea that you'd even prepared your testimony before we asked you. you So anyway, thank you so much for that.
Transformation through Worship
00:00:22
Speaker
You know, Matthew's gospel tells us that the wise men, once they came and worshiped the Lord and encountered him, it says they went home a different way. I believe that everyone who comes to know Christ is changed and he can do that same thing in your life.
00:00:41
Speaker
You know, I don't know if you've noticed, but during the month of December, our theme for our Christmas celebrations is because he came.
December's Theme: 'Because He Came'
00:00:50
Speaker
Josh opened our time with looking at because he came, we can experience the joy of fellowship. There's no doubt that those shepherds experienced joy as they heard about the Savior that had been born.
00:01:06
Speaker
Last time we looked at how because he came we can know the father personally. Do you have a personal relationship with God? What Peyton was describing is very personal with him and the Lord. It can be that way in your life as well. I think it was definitely that way for Joseph. He was led by the Lord in how to protect his family whenever Herod, King Herod was after baby Jesus.
00:01:32
Speaker
But today we're going to see, because He came, our lives can be changed. And that's why I'm so grateful for Peyton sharing his testimony today.
Testimonies of Change
00:01:41
Speaker
And even the songs have reinforced that whole idea. You know, ah Mary's song, if you were to go to Luke's gospel, you would see how she sang about it, that He's changed my life.
00:01:54
Speaker
You know, um I recall Sammy Cox's testimony a few weeks ago. he He said that he was an angry man and an anxious man. But then once he came to know the Lord, the Lord took that away and is beginning to give him victory, slowly but surely.
Discussing 1 John 3:4-10
00:02:11
Speaker
But you know, God changed the heart setting of the writer of this letter. We're going through 1 John. Today we're going to be in 1 John chapter 3 verses 4 through 10.
00:02:23
Speaker
But the rider used to be called a son of thunder, a son of thunder. I think he was called a son of thunder because he had a quick temper. He had strong reactions. But an amazing change happened in his life. Before this change, there was a time when Jesus and his disciples, including John, who wrote this, were going through a village in Samaria, and they rejected Jesus. They rejected the disciples. And they said, you're not welcome here.
00:02:51
Speaker
So John and James, they both said, Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to destroy them? So anyway, hopefully you're not at that level. But I do want to make a comparison to what we're about to read in 1 John 3 verses 4 through 10. to sports, namely to football. Now, ladies, try to go easy on your husbands this time of year because what's happening is we're coming into that time where finals, bowl games, championships, and so forth. I'm so excited, let me just say, for the Columbus Cardinals as they go to play this Thursday for the state championship. So I can't be more prouder of those guys. So anyway, congratulations to you. You're going to be going to Arlington at AT&T Stadium, so congratulations there. But you know, it can be stressful, but it can be joyful, depending on how your team does.
Two Spiritual Teams: Christ vs. Devil
00:03:49
Speaker
So you never know, your husband might be a son of thunder, so you better be careful around him. I'm just kidding. In some ways, this life is like a spiritual bowl.
00:04:00
Speaker
You know, I believe that we're playing on a team, those of us who know Christ, we're on Christ's team, but our team is not the only team. And so our passage today is going to share with us how there are two teams. There are two teams and the teams don't play the game the same way. So would you stand in honor of God's word?
00:04:20
Speaker
I wanna read 1 John 3, 4 through 10, and then we'll get started. It says in 1 John 3, verse 4, everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness. Sin is lawlessness. You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.
00:04:47
Speaker
No one who abides in him keeps on sinning. No one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning.
00:05:12
Speaker
The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.
Christmas Clarity Prayer
00:05:20
Speaker
No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he's been born of God. By this it is evident.
00:05:35
Speaker
who are the children of God and who are the children of the devil. Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother. Let's go to the father in prayer. Lord, open this passage up to us during this Christmas season and let us once again see a fresh glimpse of why Jesus came.
00:05:58
Speaker
I personally believe based on Peyton Endermell's testimony, based on on the testimony of so many others that could have stood up here today and said, Jesus changed my life.
The Football Metaphor in Faith
00:06:10
Speaker
I believe we'll see today that you came to change lives. So help us to be on the right team. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Thank you. You may be seated.
00:06:24
Speaker
You know, I believe that sports is like a universal language that is spoken. It's understood around the world. And so I want us to look at this passage at the principles of Christ first coming through a football lens. So bear with me if you say, I don't really like football. I love the gospel, but I don't like football. But let me say, I'm going to be preaching the gospel as I go through here. Let's look at verse 10
Aligning with God's Team
00:06:51
Speaker
again.
00:06:52
Speaker
You know, I believe that whenever football teams gather up and square off, there are two teams. Teams that play football are distinguished from one another by, let's say, their uniform, their jersey, maybe their helmet, the color of their uniform, mascot. What about their name? What about their location? Of course, being from here, we're the Columbus Cardinals.
00:07:16
Speaker
But that's how you know who we are. But look at what it says. By this it's evident. So it's evident who the children of God and the children of the devil are. And so there's this evident manifestation of which team we're playing for.
00:07:34
Speaker
It says that by this it is evident. As we go through the message and look at this passage together, you'll see what this means. As we look further in this verse, it says, by this it is evident who are the children of God and who are the children of the devil.
00:07:54
Speaker
You know, in the spiritual dimension, there's really only two teams. Even among us today, I'm so glad you're here. I don't want you to feel we're looking down on you. We're actually trying to reach out to you. We love you. We're glad you're here. But in this group, there are two teams. There are those that are still playing for the devil and those that are playing now for Jesus. And when I say playing, what I mean is living, those who are living for Jesus and those who are still living for the enemy.
00:08:22
Speaker
In John chapter 8, Jesus was speaking to a group of Jews about the difference between truth and those who are abiding in the truth, letting the truth abide in them, and sin, those who are continuing to sin. And so he says, you guys are plotting to kill me.
00:08:40
Speaker
And so he said, I speak of what I've seen with my father and you do what you have heard from your father. And they insisted, hey, wait a minute, we're children of Abraham. Abraham is our father. And he said, no, really, if Abraham was your father, you'd be turning to God with faith and trust and surrender. He said, you were of your father, the devil.
00:09:03
Speaker
So I just wanted to make clear that there's two rosters. Which roster is your name on? Because we have to face that because when we die and we stand before God, they're gonna open a book and either your name is there or it's not there. And we want it to be there. We want you to be with us in God's family. We want you to be with us in heaven.
00:09:25
Speaker
But on each of the two teams, there are quarterbacks. There are people who call the plays. And so each of the spiritual teams is known by this famous quarterback.
Sin, Rebellion, and Jesus' Mission
00:09:37
Speaker
On Jesus' team, of course, he's the quarterback. He's got quite a reputation that we'll look at in a moment. But on the other team, the devil is the quarterback, and he's calling plays. And some people are doing whatever he says.
00:09:51
Speaker
You know, quarterbacks are known for passing. They're known for their rushing. Some of them can run really well. Some are known for wins. Some, unfortunately, are known for interceptions. But the devil has a reputation. What is his reputation? I believe when we look at verse 8,
00:10:10
Speaker
It says, whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil. Why did he say that? For the devil has been sinning from the beginning. That's what he does. That's who he is. What do we mean when we talk about sin?
00:10:25
Speaker
Well, there's two words for sin that are mentioned in 1 John. One word means to fall short. It's hamartia. And so one thing that is meant by sin means God wants you to aim for this target. But we miss the target. We're not living up to who God has actually called us to be.
00:10:46
Speaker
But the other word for sin is actually mentioned in verse four. Did you catch it? Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness. And then he makes this statement, sin is lawlessness. You see, the devil is known for rebellion.
00:11:05
Speaker
If you were to go to the Old Testament to Isaiah 14, verses 12 through 14, you would see how the devil became the devil. He became the devil by saying, I will, I will, I will. I think it was about five times. He said it over and over again. He wanted the throne. And so God the Father, of course, he threw him out of heaven, threw him down to this earth. And that's why we face him.
00:11:30
Speaker
And so we have to make a decision, which team will we play for? So when we're born, we're on the devil's team. We're known for rebellion. We're resisting. We're in rebellion against God, just like the devil.
00:11:43
Speaker
But the Son has a different reputation. You want to play for Him? You want to run the plays that the Lord has for you? He's not known for rebellion. He's known for rescue. He's known for rescue. Let's look at the passage again in verse 8. It says, the reason, this is why Jesus came at Christmas, the reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.
00:12:08
Speaker
The word destroy there is an interesting word. It might not mean what you think it means. The word destroy that is used there in the Greek language, the original language the New Testament was written in, is luo. It means to loose. It means to release. It means to set free what is bound.
00:12:29
Speaker
In other words, we were once in bondage to sin. We were once in bondage to Satan. And you know what Jesus said? I can break that bondage. I can come into your life and I can let you be free. And so Jesus said, if you play for me, if you come on my team, I can beat him. I can beat sin that is in your life.
00:12:52
Speaker
The same word is used by Jesus of a man named Lazarus that he raised from the dead. In John 11, verse 44, when he raises this dead man, Lazarus, he's wrapped. And so Jesus says, unbind him.
00:13:07
Speaker
and let Him go. That's the same word as destroy in this passage. It means God is saying through His Son Jesus Christ, I want you to be free.
Life as God's Game
00:13:18
Speaker
I want you to be free of the shackles of sin. I want you to be free of the calls that the devil as the quarterback is trying to be, you know, continuing to call in your life.
00:13:29
Speaker
It's used by Jesus again when a woman was bent over. Have you ever seen anybody kind of bent over? She had been bent over for 18 years and could not straighten up. But then one day she saw Jesus, and Jesus straightened her, and they didn't like it that he straightened her on the Sabbath day. And so he said that Satan had bound this lady should she not have been released from the bond.
00:13:57
Speaker
That's the same word as destroy, released. And so unbind, released, it means you're no longer in bondage anymore. That's what Jesus can do in your life. I want to move to the third principle that I see in this passage. If you'll go back to verse four with me, the rules of the game.
00:14:18
Speaker
You know, if a player is going to play high school football, if a player is going to play college football, if a player is going to play professional football, it doesn't matter. You must play by the rules and to enforce the rules. Let's take college. For example, they have eight men out there that are called referees and these referees enforce the rules. If you don't want to play by the rules, then you'll suffer penalties or you'll even be thrown out of the game. But remember this about life. We think that life is our game. Life is not our game. Life is God's game. He gave each one of you and he gave me life. We're actually playing on his field that he made for us and he gave us the strength, the energy so that we can be a part of life.
00:15:10
Speaker
You know, that's why he has the right to set the rules. This is his universe. This is what he made. And so he has the right to hold you and me, all of us accountable to his rules.
00:15:25
Speaker
So I think to myself, yeah, I think sometimes people assume that because God is a loving God, because God is a merciful, gracious God, forgiving God, He doesn't care about rules anymore. Anything's fine, but that's not what we find here.
00:15:42
Speaker
We assume God's love, and he is love, but he's also holy. He's also just. He's got standards. He has laws and principles how he wants us to live. So who has broken God's laws? Well, that's interesting. Romans 3 verses 9 through 23 is an incredible passage that says everybody. It uses terms like this, all, none.
00:16:08
Speaker
No one, not even one, every, the whole world, no human being. And what is it talking about? Sin. It's talking about how we've broken the rules, God's standards. Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices, what does it say? Lawlessness.
00:16:28
Speaker
Sin is the lawlessness. So we're resisting God, rebelling against his rules. We don't want him to tell us what to do. And so we do things the way we want to do. That's what we heard in the testimony today. There came a point where Peyton said, I'm tired of that. I don't want, I don't like what me being at the controls of my life is accomplishing.
00:16:52
Speaker
But all of us are like that. I like what David said in Psalm 130 and verse 3. He said, if you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, Oh Lord, who could stand? Who could stand? Because he says you forgive. But then he goes on to say in that very next verse four, he says, so that we would live in fear of who you are and how you do things. So should we still have this respect and honor for the holiness of God? Should we say, Lord, even during Christmas season, I need to remember I'm still in the game. I'm still accountable to you.
00:17:31
Speaker
Maybe you would say, I'm not on God's team. Well, here's the good news. Verse five, recruitment. The coach is still recruiting. It's still open. Do you know, just a few couple of weeks ago, they had early signing, early signing day when you could sign up for college football teams and so forth. Well, John the Apostle tells us the reason Jesus came was to take away sins.
Recruitment Season: Joining Jesus
00:17:57
Speaker
so that we could be on God's team. God's team is holy in terms of position. Positionally, we're completely holy in Christ, His perfect blood, not in ourselves, but in Christ. And so maybe you're saying, how could I get on His team? Well, this is the good news. Recruitment season is between Christ's first coming and His second coming, between Christ's first coming and His second coming.
00:18:25
Speaker
You see in this passage, let's see which one is mentioned. He said, you know that he appeared, that's past tense, right? You know that he appeared in order to take away sins and in him there is no sin. So that is his first coming.
00:18:42
Speaker
Jesus came at Christmas. He grew up to be a man. He taught wonderful truths. He lived a perfect life. He died on the cross for us in place of our sins to pay the penalty for our sins. He was placed in a tomb and the father said, my son's never sinned. He doesn't deserve death. He deserves life. And so three days later, he raised him from the dead. And so what I'm trying to tell you is this is the season. If you're going to make a decision to join Jesus team, it's time. It's time to do that because you don't know when is going to be the second coming, which the second appearing is mentioned in chapter two. If you look back in chapter two, verse 28, and now little children abide in him, so that
00:19:31
Speaker
when he appears. This is future. It hasn't happened yet. You better abide in him so that when he appears, we may have confidence and not strike, shrink from him in shame at his coming. He's coming back. The scriptures are clear. Are you ready? Are you on the right team? When that happens, it's too late then. You need to say now is the season for recruiting. And you know why Jesus went to the cross? Well, that leads us from the season to the reason. The reason that he's recruiting and the reason that Jesus came first was in order to take away sins. Even John the Baptist said that, right? Do you remember over in John, he says, behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
00:20:23
Speaker
How could he take away your sins in my sins? Because he died in our place. Because he lived a perfect life. You know, this verse goes on to say, he appeared in order to take away sins. And the rest of verse five says, and in him, there's no sin. That's why his death counted. That's why his death can take away your sins. Take away simply means to remove by lifting. He did that on the cross, according to Colossians 2, 15.
00:20:52
Speaker
Maybe he can say, but I don't know, like how can I know he wants me on his team?
00:21:00
Speaker
How can you know that He wants you on His TV? I'll tell you how you can know He came for you. He came for you. That's what Christmas is all about. He came for you. What else would He do other than come for you? He said, I will even be willing to die for you. So He came for you.
Spiritual Assurance and Confidence
00:21:18
Speaker
He will redeem you. He will come back for you.
00:21:22
Speaker
Don't blame Jesus if the if you're not ready to accept Christ and to trust Him and to follow Him and to be saved today. Definitely don't put the blame on Him because the recruitment season is wide open and He came for the reason of getting you on the team.
00:21:39
Speaker
Well, let me go to verse six and nine because it talks about how we run the plays. You know, Daniel Aiken says in Christ-centered exposition commentary that there are four groups that are being addressed. Four groups were gathered together when John was writing this. The first group were those that may be like some of you.
00:22:00
Speaker
You are a fully assured Christian. You will not die with fear. You will not die with doubt. You already know He saved you, not because of all the good work you've done. You know He will save you because of the finished work of Christ and you're convinced about it. But there's a second group that John was writing through to through the letter of First John, and that group was Christians struggling over assurance. There were some who were Christians, but they doubted every single day. It's like, what in the world? i I don't know how I can know for sure that I'm on Christ's team.
00:22:36
Speaker
There was a third group, though, that he was writing to, and some say that's who he's writing to in these verses. the first The third group was those who are falsely assured. They're actually not a Christian yet. They can be a Christian, but they assume, I'm OK. I don't need Jesus. I don't need the cross. I don't even like talking about the blood. I don't want to talk about the resurrection of Christ. And so they're falsely assured. I've been good enough.
00:23:04
Speaker
I know I'm a nice person. And because I'm nice, I know I'm already a
Reflecting on Life's Direction
00:23:09
Speaker
Christian. But they're not. They're not. And so there could be some, just like in John's congregation, there could be some in this congregation. And you are falsely assured, even as a non-Christian. And there are others that John was writing to that were called the Gnostics. And they were obviously, openly non-Christian. And they were okay about it.
00:23:33
Speaker
But when we see verses six and nine, we see it all comes down to whose plays are you running? Who's calling the plays in your life? Who's who's directing you in the way you live every single day? All your actions, all your attitudes, all your words. Who's guiding that and who's not guiding that?
00:23:55
Speaker
Well, you can see in this passage, verse 6 and 9 says, no one who abides in him keeps on sinning. It means they they don't ever stop. No one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. Verse 9 says, no one born of God makes a practice of sinning for God's seed abides in him and he cannot keep on sinning because he's been born of God.
00:24:18
Speaker
So that's where we come to this whole thing of change. When you really trust Christ, there's a difference in your life. It changes. And so this group, they were not abiding in Jesus. They were not avoiding sin. They were not accepting God's seed or that new nature that Christ wants to place within us, the inward change.
00:24:40
Speaker
And so I think that John would say, hey, if you claim that Jesus is calling the plays in your life, then why are you running in the wrong direction? Have you ever thought, man, if we were to take a spiritual pulse on some Christians, we would not feel a pulse beat for the Lord Jesus Christ. It's just the flesh. It's just the world. It's whatever the crowd says.
00:25:04
Speaker
That's who they're going to go with. Who's calling the plays? What plays are you running? It leads me to ask a second question here on that same vein is, do you know that we are required at the practices? Look at verse seven and verse 10. How many practices could a football player skip and think I don't i have to go to practice today? How many of those could he skip willingly, intentionally, and still be considered a part of the team?
00:25:32
Speaker
I don't know if it's three, I don't know if it's one, I don't know how many, it might differ from person to person, but all I do know is that the NCAA rules regarding practice, it tells us that drills are very important and that's why they make a certain amount of time and they have to limit the time. So they said a maximum of four hours per day and only one day off per week.
00:25:54
Speaker
all the other times it can happen. So I got to thinking, wow, what if we as Christians put that upon our practice, our application, living out what God is telling us to live out?
Jesus' Scholarship: Justification through Sacrifice
00:26:09
Speaker
You know that there's ah this saying, I wrote it down and I thought, you know,
00:26:14
Speaker
Someday, that ought to be a saying. Somebody ought to put that in a book, you know, but I was just thinking it through in my own life, my own mind, and here's what I wrote down. Successful execution of the plays in a game hinges upon frequent repetition in practice.
00:26:32
Speaker
we You're not going to be able to stand up to the world if you're not practicing it every single day. Every day is a choice. Every day is practice. And the Lord said, get out here and let's see it lived out in your life. That's why He says, whoever practices righteousness,
00:26:52
Speaker
Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God. You're on the wrong team. It's easy to see. Team Jesus is walking toward righteousness. Team Satan is walking in lawlessness. It's easy to see. And it leads to a final one is the relationship with the teammates. Also, those who are on Team Jesus are loving other Christians. Those who are on Team Satan, they hate Christians. They don't even want to be in a Christian place.
00:27:21
Speaker
You know, the purpose for writing this great letter was six purposes. Provide friendship and joy, prevent sin, promote love, proclaim forgiveness, prepare for opposition, and present the basis for assurance. That's what it's all about. And so we have to say, Lord, help me to love other Christians.
00:27:44
Speaker
A few weeks ago, I was listening to a podcast by this lady named Ali Beth Stuckey. And I believe she was sounding a legitimate alarm today. She was saying that there are people who are trying to take advantage of Christians and of our compassion. And she said, while we're being what's happening is we're being deceived by toxic empathy. Sometimes what we consider to be love, it's not real love. It's not holy love, God's love.
00:28:11
Speaker
But I got to thinking about this whole thing and all these different you know comparisons to a ball game and until also to bowl games and college football especially. And I thought about 1 John 2 verses 1 and 2. 1 John 2 says, my little children, I'm writing these things to you.
00:28:32
Speaker
so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
Embracing Life Change through Christ
00:28:47
Speaker
Have you ever heard of something called a full-ride scholarship?
00:28:51
Speaker
where somebody can see an athlete and they say, I want you on our team so badly that we'll pay all the bills. We'll give you a full ride. we will We will not charge you. We'll pay for it ourselves. Isn't that what Jesus did for us? It's like Jesus said, I want you on the team so bad, I will pour out my precious blood and my blood will satisfy the wrath of God. My blood will satisfy the justice of God because God is holy. He's just, he has to punish sin.
00:29:32
Speaker
And so Jesus said, I'll take it. I will pay what they owe. And that's what that word, that long word propitiation means. It means He covered our debt that we owe. And it turns it into favor so that we can play on Christ's team. Our lives can be changed because He came.
00:29:53
Speaker
And Second Corinthians 517 describes in a very succinct way. If you're looking for a memory verse for next year that you want to live by, how about Second Corinthians 517?
Final Invitation to Trust in Jesus
00:30:04
Speaker
Second Corinthians 517 talks about life change that comes through Christ. It says, therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he's a new creation. The old has passed away. you The old and new has come.
00:30:24
Speaker
You see, it's not perfection, but it's direction. Which way are you walking in your life? It tells us a lot about who you are, about where you stand, whose team you're on, which quarterback is calling the plays in your life.
00:30:40
Speaker
But you know, it can all turn around today if you'll say, I want to be in Christ. I want to be on his team. I realize that he paid a full ride scholarship so that I could be on that team. If you've never done that, today's the day. Why don't we all stand together? I want to ask our musicians if they would come and take their places. We're going to have a closing song.
00:31:04
Speaker
And we're going to sing about how you can have that opportunity to trust Jesus Christ. So let's pray together and I'll be standing down here if you want to trust Jesus as your Lord and Savior. I'd be happy to get that conversation started.
00:31:19
Speaker
Lord, thank you so much for the book, The Little Letter of First John. It's just short, so short compared to, well, let's say Isaiah, a book with 66 chapters. This one only has five. It's so short, but it is so powerful. It's so packed. some Someone here may be like that group that John was talking to, and they don't have assurance of their salvation.
00:31:45
Speaker
Maybe they don't have assurance of their salvation because they're not standing on the promises. I don't know why it is. Others have that assurance, so help them, Lord, as we sing this closing song of invitation to pray for those who do not. But others are putting their hope not in Christ, but they're putting their hope in how nice a person they are, how good a person they are. They're putting their hope in maybe they've always come to church.
00:32:14
Speaker
And they need to put their hope in one thing and one thing only. the finished blood, finished work, perfect blood of Jesus Christ. His sacrifice for us, that will give them assurance, not a false assurance, but a true assurance. And maybe someone came in today and they were openly defiant to the gospel. they they did They've never been interested in Jesus or salvation. They've never been interested interested in having their lives changed like Peyton Intermel talked about earlier.
00:32:47
Speaker
but you're waiting. And you would say even to them, would you come? Would you come? To the Lord Jesus Christ and let him totally change her life. Let him save you and you'll be born again. So Lord, please be Lord over this invitation. In Jesus name we pray, amen.
00:33:08
Speaker
This is a ministry of First Baptist Church, located at 1700 Milam Street, Columbus, Texas.