Colossians 3:16

The Book of Cossians, chapter 3, we’re focusing on verse 16 this morning for our text in our study. Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts, to the Lord. May God bless to us His sacred and holy word this morning. I grew up in a fundamental Baptist church and we sang all the old, well-known hymns like amazing grace and the old rugged cross and the church’s one foundation and so forth. And I assumed the singing was gone. honoring for most churches sang these old ancient hymns when I went to seminary was the first time that I began to question the songs that were commonly used in worship. I attended a church at the time whose pastor was a seminary professor and at the close of the worship service back in the days when I was growing up in fundamental Baptist churches, they gave it what they called an altar call. And they always closed out the church service singing, open your heart and let him come in. However, this, of course, was in scripture, scriptural, because the Bible says the Lord opened Lydia’s heart that she attended under the things that were taught by Paul. And yet we’re singing and asking the person to open their heart and let Christ in and so forth. How could this be pleasing to the Lord? So I went to the pastor and talked to the pastor and the song director about, about, I said, why are we singing this? What made it worse is this gentleman was the theology professor at the seminary. You think that he would have been. been more knowledgeable about this. But that was the first time I began to look at the songs that were being sung and beginning to question the wording and whether this was biblical or not. And down through the years, I found I had to discard many songs as being unbiblical. This led to a more careful study of scripture and the discovery that the Bible actually has a lot to say about singing in worship. Our text, is certainly a case in point. If one wants to know what God wants us to do when it comes to the worship service and the singing in it, we should study this particular verse because here it is, laid out for us exactly what the Lord would have us do. God gives them through Paul, he gives some specific instructions, sadly which are often ignored. What should be sung by Christians? is commonly divided three categories today. Some sing songs of human composition only. That is probably the most prevalent view. Such as the Broadman hymnal or one of the modern hymnals that you’ll find in many of the churches today. Some sing a mixture of uninspired songs as well as a selection from the Psalter, like the Trinity hymnal that you find in a lot of reformed church. churches. And some sing exclusively scriptural songs, usually the 150 Psalms of the Bible, like we have in our sultan. Today, exclusive psalm singing is rather rare. It’s not as common as it once was many years ago. Some people have never even heard of it. The biblical basis, however, for it is found in this text of Scripture. Let me begin as we look at this text by saying this. God honoring singing is the work of the Holy Spirit in your life. Now, the Holy Spirit produces thanksgiving in your heart, which results in song. Isn’t it interesting? We looked at verse 15 and we were looking at those graces that God provides. the last grace we looked at was thankfulness, wasn’t it? And then he goes into verse 16, and he immediately begins to talk about singing. And so thankfulness should lead to a heart that is willing to sing praises and honor the Lord. You ought to be very thankful for all the material and spiritual blessings that God has given you. And this leads to praise. As the psalmist puts it, he have put a new song in my mouth, even praise to our God. Nothing indicates a fulfilled life, a contented life, a joyful life, more than the expression of a thankful heart to Christ. Now, the world sings about all sorts of things. You know, we have girls and bars and pick up trucks and beer, but the Christian sings the songs of thanksgiving to God. You remember in Exodus chapter 14 when God delivered the Israelites from Egyptian bondage and Pharaoh and his army went after them and they were trapped against the Red Sea and then God divided the Red Sea and they passed through on dry ground and Pharaoh and his army go plunging into the gap there between the sea. as they were separated, following after the Israelites. And of course, God shut the waters up on them and they were drowned, attempting to follow the Israelites. What did Israel immediately do after that? Well, the Bible tells us they came together. They sang a song of thanksgiving to the Lord. It was a Holy Spirit-inspired song. Celebrating their freedom. and redemption and the destruction of their enemies. In the same manner, when we sing, of course, we’re not singing about physical enslavement and our freedom from it, but freedom from spiritual enslavement and the redemption that Christ has provided for us and the destruction of all our enemies that we find in the scriptures, especially in the Psalms. And because of God’s gracious salvation, the Holy Spirit moves us out of a thankful heart to sing praise and honor to our Savior. Oh, come, let us sing unto the Lord, let us make a joyful noise under the rock of our salvation, Psalm 96, 1 and 2. My friends, if you lack Thanksgiving in your heart, then you have to question whether or not you have been truly redeemed. by the Lord. So the Holy Spirit produces thanksgiving in your heart, which results in song. And so we see the connection to in verse 15 and verse 16. It’s a very easy transition. Notice something else. You can’t honor God in song if you lack grace in your heart. Now, you’ll notice it talks about singing with grace in your heart here. Salvation brings us. change of heart. Grace is active within someone who has been regenerated by the power of God. The Holy Spirit’s work of the new birth makes you a new creature. You’re inwardly changed. You no longer have a heart of stone that’s cold and dead and unthankful to the Lord, but you have a heart of flesh that’s warm and alive and grateful to the Lord. Now, friends, anyone can come to a church, pick up a sultan, and sing out of it the songs of Zion. However, if you have no grace in your heart, then you’re just mouthing the words because your really, your heart isn’t really in it. What do you know about the Lord’s salvation? I want you to look with me, if you hold your place, but look with me in the book of Amos in the Old Testament and Chapter 5, if you would. This is what happened, you know, this is what God charges Israel with doing. Well, the verses 10 to 12 of chapter 5 of Amos, to begin with, here are the sins he charges them with. They hate him that rebuketh in the gate. They abhor him that speaketh uprightly. For as much, therefore, as you’re treading is upon the poor, and you take from him burdens of weak, ye have built houses of eun stone, that ye shall not dwell in them. You have planted pleasant vineyards, but ye shall not drink wine of them. For I know your manifold transgressions and your mighty sins, they afflict the just, they take a bribe, they turn aside the poor in the gate from their right. Now jump down to verse 21. I hate. I despise your feet. peace days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies. Though ye offer me burn offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept them. Neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts. Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs, for I will not hear the melody of thy vials. But let judgment run down as waters and righteousness as a mighty stream. Now, Amos charges Israel here with a multitude of terrible sins, hating the godly, mistreating the poor, perverting justice. Their hearts weren’t right with God. They didn’t have grace in their hearts. And yet, they were regularly worshipping. Weren’t they not? They were coming. They were coming, and bringing their sacrifices to the solemn assembly, and they were singing songs of praise to God. Notice verse 23. He says, take away from me the noise of thy songs. God wasn’t pleased with their singing. Their hearts weren’t right with God. Oh, they were singing with their lips. His praises, but their hearts weren’t right. In effect, God says here, stop singing. Get your heart right with the Lord. I don’t want to hear the noise of your songs. There is a danger of merely lip singing in a sense. Singing without grace in your heart. These people draw near to me with their mouth and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their heart far from me. Isaiah 2913. My friends, you can sing with technical perfection. You may have a beautiful voice, but to be acceptable to God, you have. to have grace in your heart. Even as a Christian, you will not have a true song in your heart unless you’re being led by the Spirit. I will sing with the Spirit, Paul says, in verse Corinthians 1450. If the Spirit does not guide us, how can we sing properly under the Lord? The lesson we can learn from all this is you can’t properly worship God on your own. God has to worship Him. He has put a new song in my mouth. with even praise unto our God. Where did that praise come from? Because God, grace is in the heart. The Holy Spirit is working. So God honoring singing is the result of the work of the Holy Spirit within you. He’s the one that produces Thanksgiving, and he’s the one who produces the praise because he’s working with grace in your heart. Second thing this morning is this. God honoring singer requires. your obedience to two basic principles. And the first is this. You are to sing primarily to the Lord. Singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord, it says. Now singing is an aspect of your worship to God. It’s a commanded activity. The Psalms speak of it repeatedly. Sing praises to the Lord, Psalm 9-11. Sing unto the Lord, oh, you saints of His. Psalm 34. 30 verse 4. Sing aloud unto God our strength. Psalm 811. I say this because it’s not your purpose when you come to church to sing songs that make you feel good. To stroke your eagle. To somehow heap praise upon yourself. When we come to church and we sing these Psalms, it’s not a time filler to filler to fill up some time so we can get a whole complete hour worth of the service. You are to sing to honor your Lord, the Lord Jesus Christ. You’re to sing to glorify His name. We are to rejoice in the covenant relationship that we have with Jesus Christ. He is our God. And we are his people. In singing, you praise God for who He is. That he’s omnipot, that he’s omniscient, that he’s holy, that he’s righteous, that he’s gracious, that he’s gracious, that he’s gracious, that he’s gracious, loving and so forth. You confess your need of God. You acknowledge that his providence rules over all his creation. How he has saved you from your sins. How dependent you are upon his mercy. All these things. You reflect on how God has preserved his people down through the ages. You confidently sing of God’s judgment. upon the wicked and the church’s victory over all our enemies and his blessing of the righteous. I’ll make this observation. Singing is not to be considered entertainment. It’s not a solo act where there is applause for the singer. It is a corporate act of God’s church singing praise unto him. When I was at seminary, they’d have chapel, services and they’d have different people doing solos or maybe duets or something. And it would really bother me when they got done that the chapel would burst out in applause for the singers. It disturbed me. There’s something seriously wrong when the singing in a supposedly church service ends up bringing praise to men rather than praise to God. We’re to sing under the Lord. So you’re to sing primarily to the Lord. That’s our focus. Secondly, you’re to sing secondarily to edify others. Teaching and admonishing one another. Singing in a sense is like preaching because there is instruction there. There is sometimes rebuke. There’s sometimes warning. There is a building up of the faith. Through singing as a congregation, what you’re supposed to be doing is also encouraging one another in your Christian walk of life. Through what you’re singing. You’re singing praise to God. But in doing that, you’re to encourage the others who are believers around you. You’re stirring each other up to seek the Lord and to trust in his mercies and so forth, in his provisions and promises. teaching. That’s instruction. So when we think Psalm 73, truly God is good to Israel, even to such as of our clean heart, that’s instruction. When we sing Psalm 1, Blessed is the man, whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law doth he meditate day and night, that’s instruction. When we sing our God is in the heavens, he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased. We sing about the power God, that’s instruction. But there’s also admonition. We warn, we rebuke, we admonish in some way. Psalm 32, when we sing this, have you ever thought about this, be not as the horse or the mule, which have no understanding whose mouth must be held in with a bit and bridle lest they come near under thee. Don’t be like some dumb, dumb, ignorant animal. the Lord, oh my soul, and forget not all its benefits. I’m honest, don’t forget all that he’s done for you. And on and on we could go. By singing in unison, we as the people of God are acknowledging these truths most surely believed among us. It provides for the oneness of the church. It speaks to the oneness of our faith. Let me make this observation. A true Christian not only focuses on his own ways, but as far as he’s able, he considers those of his brothers and sisters in Christ as well, teaching and admonishing one another through song. Lone Ranger Christians who think they can worship God on their own are sinning against their fellow believers because they cannot fulfill. fill this verse of Scripture. Why do we have corporate worship? You might say, I can worship God just as well at home as I can here in the gathered worship. Yes, maybe you can, but you can’t worship as God has commanded as the scripture says here. You could read your Bible. You could ponder spiritual truth, but are you admonishing? Are you teaching your fellow believers? Are you singing? Under the Lord in this manner? You see, this is why the Bible calls us to gather together for worship. This is part of the work that we are to do as the people of God toward one another. Teaching and admonishing another in song. The Roman Catholic Church scarcely permits the average churchgoer to really talk about the scriptures, let alone what Paul says here to a teach and admonish one another from the scriptures. See how different things are from what Paul teaches than what they teach. God honoring singer requires that your obedience of two basic principles here. One, you’re singing primarily the Lord, but secondarily, you’re to teach and admonish your fellow believers in Christ so that they are edified. My third point is this. God honoring singing demands your songs be scriptural. Let the Word of Christ dwell in you. Now the Word of Christ here is synonymous with the Word of God. 1.11 we read there. It’s stated that the Spirit of Christ was in the Old Testament prophets testifying beforehand concerning beforehand concerning the sufferings of Christ and the glory which should follow. Now, prominent among these prophecies are the Psalms. And I remind you of what Peter said in the day of Pentecost in his sermon, David being a prophet, spoke of the Lord, spoke of his death, burial, in his burial and resurrection. So in a special way, it can be said. that the Psalms are the word of Christ. When Jesus says on the day of judgment that he will say to the ungodly professors, depart from me, ye that work iniquity in Matthew 723, is he not using the words of Psalm 6.8? Are they not Christ’s words in Psalm 6.8? The words of Christ’s words of Christ. as he hung dying on the cross my God my God why hast thou forsaken me in Matthew 27 26 are they not the words of Christ in Psalm 22 that we just sang this morning Jesus had said to say I will declare thy name unto my brother and in the midst of the church I will sing praise unto the Hebrews 212 are they not the very words that are taken from Psalm 22. 22. When Jesus said, Father, into thy hands, I commend my spirit in Luke 23, 46, as he’s about to die. He was using the words of Psalm 315 and declaring them as his own words. The words of Psalm 40, sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body thou hast prepared me. Lo, I come to do thy will o God. Quoted in Hebrews 10. verse 5 and verse 9, they are Christ’s words, are they not? Now, I could go on, but this should be sufficient to prove the point that David was prophetically providing for us the very words of Jesus Christ in the Psalms. Do you let the scriptures, the Word of Christ, dwell within you, when you sing uninspired human compositions? In worship? I think not. In fact, the Psalms are so rich in the truths of Christ, and the actual words of Christ that no humanly devised hymn book can compare to it. Martin Luther wrote this in his preface to the Psalms. The Salter ought to be a precious and beloved book. If for no other reason than this, it promises Christ’s death and resurrection so clearly. pictures his kingdom and the condition and nature of all Christendom, that it might well be called a little Bible. It is comprehended most beautifully and briefly, in it is comprehended most beautifully and briefly everything that is in the entire Bible. Now, I tell you that, because a lot of people say, well, that’s Old Testament. It’s the words of Christ, isn’t it? It’s speaking. It’s about his kingdom, isn’t it? It’s speaking about his people and the victory, isn’t it? Luther is right. It’s like a little Bible. Well, you find Christ’s divinity in this book, in Psalms, his eternal sonship, his incarnation, his offices as prophet, priest, and king, his betrayal, his agony in the garden, his trial, his rejection, his rejection, His crucifixion, his burial, his resurrection, his ascension, his coming again, his judgment of the wicked. All of it’s here. It’s all there. You are to let the word of Christ dwell in you, he says. It’s supposed to have a fixed place in your heart. You know, the psalmist says that thy word, if I hid in my heart, that I might not sin, against me. If it’s going to dwell in your heart, it’s something that’s going to stick with you. It’s something you’re going to have constantly. Isn’t this why you were commanded to sing the Psalms? Because it fixes the very words of Christ upon you. Upon your heart. It’s a memory aid. I see Paul and Silas in the New Testament. When they get to Philippi, they’re thrown in jail. They’re feeding stocks. And what are they doing? they’re singing praises unto God in Acts 16. They didn’t have a sultan on them, have a hymn book to open up, but they knew the Psalms by heart and they sang them without Him book. They didn’t need it. Now the Word of Christ is to dwell on you richly in an abundant manner. Singing the Psalms regularly is a way to provide a fullness or a rich treasure. house of the Word of Christ, which will fit every occasion. In all wisdom implies, of course, being instructed by what you’re singing, understanding what you’re singing. 1st Corinthians 14, 15, Paul writes, I will sing with the Spirit, I will sing with the understanding also. So we understand what we’re singing. God would have you and I, gain spiritual wisdom as we sing. As we sing the words of Christ, that we could be edified, that our thoughts may be guided, that we be taught more about Christ, the Savior. So let the word of Christ dwell in you. Now, he says here, you’re to sing Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Now, in modern times, these terms have been, have taken on a definite meaning. Some people will tell us that the Psalms mean the Old Testament Psalms. The hymn, they tell us, can be a man-made composition. And they say that the odes are those lyrical pieces in the Bible, such as the song of Deborah, or perhaps the song of Moses. The real question is, what did Paul mean when he used these words? There are several things I should mention here. These terms are an explanation of what the word of Christ is. It tells you let the word of Christ will on you, and then he tells you to do that by singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. These terms are all defined really as spiritual. In our English here translation, we have the last phrase is spiritual songs, but it could easily be translated Psalms, hymns, and songs, spiritual, applying spiritual, to all three of these words in this text of Scripture. These terms are used in the book of Psalms to describe the various compositions that we find there. Somum in the Septuagint, which is the Greek translation of the Salter or the Old Testament and the Sultor, is used for the word Mismore. It is used 67 times in the Psalm titles. And the idea is it’s a religious song sung with a stringed instrument. But there are Psalms that are, you know, called Psalms. You can see it right in the preface. This is a Psalm of David. So forth. Psalms 4 to 9, 11 to 15, 19 to 25 are all mentioned that way. Whomose, whom knows here is the Septuaget translation for the Hebrew Tahila. Issue 6 times in the Salter titles. The idea is a song of praise to the Lord. Psalm 6, Psalm 54. Psalm 55, Psalm 67, Psalm 76. In the English, it says Psalm, but in the Septuagint, it says, Eumnos. It’s interesting. Matthew 26, 30. When Christ introduced the Lord’s Supper, afterwards, it says in our Bible, they sang a hymn. Eumnos, they sang a hymn. What did they sing? What hymn did they sing? Well, the Jews sang on a regular basis. The great Hallel, Psalm 113 to 116, or excuse me, 118, all the time. They were singing a psalm, but it’s called a hymn. It’s interesting. Josephus calls the Levites hym singers as antiquities. He states that David composed songs to God in hymns. And then we have, of course, the word Ode, the last word, a song. In the Septuaget, it’s the word shar, S-H-I-R. She is 29 times in the Psalms themselves, and the idea is a religious song. It’s a general term. But there are Psalms that are classified. In fact, whole sections of Psalms are classified as songs in the Psalms. Psalm 120 through 133, Some of them are called Psalms and Songs in the titles. So there are many times that occurs in the Psalter as well. So what I’m telling you is when these three terms are used, there are actually terms that all refer to the Psalter and the songs that are found there. Now, it must be noted that common literary method among the Jews was to use sometimes a triatic form. For example, in Exodus 34-7, we read Iniquity and transgression and sin. In Deuteronomy 531, we read commandments and statutes and judgments. In Matthew 2237, we read heart, soul, and mind. Colossians 316, we eat Psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. It’s not unreasonable to conclude here that Paul is speaking of the book of Psalms, which of course have the words of Christ. So you are to sing, Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Now let me make a couple of observations. One, you should realize the vital importance of singing Psalms in the church. There is essential connection between Christ’s victory over the world and the singing of Psalms. If your heart and mouth are filled with songs of victory over the world and over the enemies of Christ, then, of course, you will be working to that end as you go through this life and be encouraged that the gates of hell will not prevail against the church. The Psalms are full of conquest. They’re full of victory and God’s sovereignty over all of life. It was the ancient hymn book of the church. The devil would like the church to forget about singing Psalms. He doesn’t want us singing about victory. He doesn’t want us proclaiming Christ destroying the enemy. During the Reformation, it seems that the singing of Psalms pumped new life into the church with regard to the fulfillment of the Great Commission like Psalm 67 talks about. Or as we shall see also in Psalm 37 and others, there’s victory over the enemies that were against them. The church needs to be assured of victory. We need to be reminded that we’re overcome the world through faith. The devil and all the hounds of hell. cannot destroy Christ’s church. Now I realize there are people who are reluctant to sing the imprecatory Psalms that we find. There shouldn’t be any reluctance. There shouldn’t be any hesitation to sing these Psalms. Aren’t they about Christ’s victory? Hey, I peek into the book of Revelation sometime. We win. We win. Christ destroys all the enemies. Is it wrong? sing for Christ to destroy all the enemies? Isn’t part of the model prayer that he gave us? The pray for his kingdom to come, for his will to be done on earth as it is in heaven? If you’re praying that way, you’re going to have to have the enemies of Christ destroyed. My friend, you’re never going to find anything like the imprecatory Psalms in any of the modern hymnals. You won’t find them. The Psalms portray Christ as a mighty king. going forth to destroy the enemies of his bride. And then there’s the marriage supper of the land. Psalm 45, read about it. You see Christ conquering, ruling in the midst of his enemies, bringing them all down. His people being made willing in the day of his power and so forth. Psalm 45 talks about the marriage of Christ and his church. So you should realize the vital importance of the church singing the Psalm. Secondly, you ought to be committed to obeying what the Scriptures command regarding worship. Now, the biblical teaching is clear enough. The church’s job is not to innovate and create new forms of worship, but simply to obey what God commands. Think about this. If God has given us a book of Psalms for singing in worship, commanded us to sing the Psalms in worship, then what right does the church have to decide that they’re going to write new songs for worship. No evidence in the Bible that the people of God ever sang a song that was not inspired by God. God has committed his people to sing the Psalms in worship, and no one can honestly deny that basic truth. And yet few, it seems, are willing to practice it. Is there not a danger of rejecting the commandment of God, let the Word Word of Christ well in you richly, while you pursue the traditions of men and sing out of a man-made hymn book? Can we not realize the problem here? You know, the scripture says in Deuteronomy 1232, what things soever I command you observe to do it, thou shalt not add there to nor diminish from it. We call this the regulative principle of worship. If God commands us to sing the Psalms, we don’t have a right to compose our own. Sing this! So you ought to be committed to obeying what the Scriptures command regarding worship. The third point is this. You should realize the Psalms are without error. Without a doubt, you know, some Christians have written very beautiful and lovely songs. Amazing Grace is a wonderful song. However, humanly composed Psalms, are not inerent. Only God’s inspired hymn book is inerrant and preserved by God himself to be that way. For it is the Word of Christ. One of the better hymn books produced is the Trinity hymnal, it’s used by many reformed people. Have you ever examined a Trinity hymble carefully? Look at all the alterations and corrections that are listed at the top or the bottom throughout that hymnal. And let me say this. Not all the songs have all the corrections made that are necessary to be made. There are some of them that still aren’t correct. These changes were made necessary. And sometimes on every verse there was a change made. Some of these changes, all these changes are made necessary and deem necessary. In order to make these hymns even singable for the Reformed Church. Think about that amendment. Because they’re full of doctrinal error. Some Armenianism. In their original condition. My friends, it’s not just sporadic changes. There’s changes almost on every single song. Did you know there are Roman Catholic hymn writers in the Trinity hymnal? Psalm 134 is by Pope Gregory. I always found this ironic. In our confession of faith, we say the Pope is the Antichrist. But when we sing, we sing Pope Gregory’s song. Now, you figure that one out. I’ll leave that up to you. Frederick Farber, faith of our fathers, is a Roman Catholic. Now, it’s convenient that we cut out the third verse, where it talks about Mary’s prayers, winning the country back to God. But it doesn’t change the fact. that this is, it’s, it’s, why are we doing this? Aren’t we reform people? A prolific, prolific hymn writer is Isaac Watts. Who could not adhere to the doctrine of the Trinity? And so you, you’re asking yourself, well, why are we singing his songs then if he’s not sure about this doctrine of the Trinity? John and Charles Wesley were strongly Armenian. They railed against Calvinism. They strongly opposed the Westminster and London Confession to Face and the teaching the doctrines in it. Why are we singing Charles Wesley’s songs? Oh, yeah, we made our changes to them, but why are we singing them? I could go on. But why should the church find itself in this such a foolish position? Why don’t we just do what God tells us to do? It’s a well-known fact that many man-made, hymns have sown air in the minds of men. People quote hymns as if they were the Word of God because they’re so ingrained in their minds because they’ve sung them for so many years. And they could be singing air for so many years and it just sticks in her mind. Why are we singing the words of Christ? Let that stick in your mind. Kelvin said this. Now what Augustine says is true, namely that no one can sing anything worthy of God which he has not received from him. that is a tremendous statement. Therefore, even after we have carefully searched everywhere, we shall not find better or more appropriate songs to this end than the Psalms of David inspired by the Holy Spirit. And for this reason, when we sing them, we are assured that God puts the words in our mouth as if he himself were singing through us to exalt his glory. That has a great paragraph on the singing of songs. Well, let me close. God honoring singing requires obedience to our text, I think. And it behooves the church to follow the regulatory principle of worship. Regardless of what tradition is, we should follow what God says. And God says, we’re to sing Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. and as I hope we can understand, these word terms all refer to the Psalter and nothing else, because they’re the ones that contain, that’s what contains the Word of Christ. Let’s close with Lord.