Amen. I invite you to take your copy of Scripture this morning and turn to Psalm 111. Psalm 111. We have been in a series in the Psalms for some time now and we come to Psalm 111 this morning. And I'm going to read the passage in its entirety and then we'll pray. and consider God's Word together. If you're using one of the Bibles that we provide for you, you'll find our passage on page 509. And I'd encourage you to grab a copy of Scripture and open up so that you can follow along. Psalm 111. This is God's Word. Praise the Lord. I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart in the company of the upright in the congregation. Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them. Full of splendor and majesty is his work, and his righteousness endures forever. He has caused His wondrous works to be remembered. The Lord is gracious and merciful. He provides food for those who fear Him. He remembers His covenant forever. He has shown His people the power of His works in giving them the inheritance of the nations. The works of His hands are faithful and just. All His precepts are trustworthy. They are established forever and ever to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness. He sent redemption to His people. He has commanded His covenant forever. Holy and awesome is His name. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. All those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever. Amen. Let's go to the Lord in prayer. Father, we pause again to acknowledge what a gift it is to be able to gather Sunday after Sunday and in particular on this Sunday to worship you with one another. And Father, we pray that as we turn to your Word now, that you would speak to us through your Word, that you would meet with us. Lord, we pray that we would fear you as we ought to, and we pray that we would be drawn to worship you and to obey you as you have commanded us to do so. So Lord, meet with us in these moments and speak to us through your Word. And it's through Jesus Christ, our Lord, we ask it. Amen. Well, sometimes psalms come to us in clusters, and this is true actually of the next three psalms we're going to look at, and in particular the next two. So Psalms 111, 112, and 113 all begin with the word hallelujah, which is translated praise the Lord. And if you just scan across the pages there in your Bible, you'll see that. Psalm 111, 112, and 113 all begin with hallelujah, praise the Lord. And then Psalm 111 and Psalm 112 are both acrostic psalms. Now an acrostic psalm is a psalm that follows the Hebrew alphabet. So that each line of the psalm begins with the next letter in the Hebrew alphabet. And there are 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet. So you can imagine this would take a lot of intentionality, take a lot of Skill to do this, to write a poem like this. You can imagine how challenging it might be to write a poem in English in which each line, the next line, follows the next letter in the English alphabet. But that's what we have here in Psalms 111 and 112. Both are acrostic psalms. And then Psalm 111 and Psalm 112 are tied together with a similar theme. And the theme is the fear of the Lord. You notice the last verse in Psalm 111 reads, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. All those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever. Now that's the last verse in Psalm 111 that we're looking at this morning, but then just look ahead to Psalm 112 and you'll notice that the first verse in Psalm 112 states this, praise the Lord, blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in His commandments. And then Psalm 112 will go on to describe the man or the woman who fears the Lord. So this Sunday, we're going to look at Psalm 111, and the title of our message is, The Lord Who Is To Be Feared. And next week, we will look at Psalm 112, and the title of our message will be, The Man Who Fears the Lord. This is the theme that ties these two Psalms together, the fear of the Lord. But what does it mean to fear the Lord? In fact, some object to even the idea of fearing the Lord. Christopher Hitchens, for example, was one of the most influential atheists of the early 21st century. And once he was asked about the possibility of God's existence, and this is how he replied, quote, I think it would be rather awful if it was true. If there was a permanent, total, round-the-clock divine supervision of everything you did, you would never have a waking or sleeping moment when you weren't being watched and controlled and supervised by some celestial entity from the moment of your conception to the moment of your death. It would be like living in North Korea." Or Kanye West, who made a profession of faith in Christ several years ago, but now seems to be distancing himself from Christianity. Recently, Kanye West complained, quote, another thing I don't like about Christianity is the fear of God. If God is love, why should you fear him? End of quote. So what does it mean to fear God? Well, the Bible teaches us that there are different kinds of fear, and there are different ways in which we can fear the Lord. On the one hand, there is a fear of God that we can experience as sinners because we are in rebellion against God, and we refuse His offer of forgiveness, and we refuse to submit our lives to His rule and reign. This kind of fear is a fear of dread, and it pushes us away from God. But there is also a fear of God that is a reverential respect, a worshipful awe that fills us with wonder and even joy as we look to God in faith, as we receive His forgiveness, and as we submit our lives to His rule and reign. This is a fear that draws us near to God and close to Him. So the Bible teaches us that there are these different ways in which we can fear the Lord. In fact, when God appears to Moses and the people of Israel at Mount Sinai, Moses tells the people to simultaneously not fear and to fear. So in Exodus chapter 20 verses 18 to 20 we read these words. Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled. And they stood far off and said to Moses, you speak to us and we will listen, but do not let God speak to us lest we die. And Moses said to the people, do not fear. In other words, don't fear God in the sense of dread, in the sense that you would recoil from Him and withdraw from Him and reject Him. Like, for example, Hitchens or Kanye West. Moses goes on to say, do not fear, and this is what he says, for God has come to test you that the fear of Him may be before you that you may not sin. So Moses says to the people at Mount Sinai, do not fear God because He wants you to fear Him. In other words, don't recoil from Him in dread, but rather revere Him, be in awe of Him, be filled with wonder at His glory and allow your reverence and your wonder and your awe to draw you near to Him. This is the way that the Bible speaks of the different kinds of ways in which we can fear the Lord. And as we'll learn in our text this morning, it is oftentimes the goodness of God, the kindness of God, the overwhelming grace and mercy of God that cause us to fear Him most and to be drawn to Him in love. Michael Reeves in his book on the subject of the fear of God has this to say, quote, now I can tremble in quite different ways. I can shake in terror as a soldier might under heavy fire, but I can also quake in overwhelmed adoration as when the bridegroom first sees his bride." And this is what the psalmist would have us do this morning, to quake before the Lord in overwhelmed adoration. And the psalmist will teach us that this is where real life change happens. So I want us to consider our psalm this morning, the Lord who is to be feared. And I want us to look at our psalm in three parts. First, we'll see a commitment to praise. Secondly, we will see the content of praise. And then third, we will see a life of praise. So a commitment to praise, the content of praise, and a life of praise. First of all, you see a commitment to praise in verse 1. After the initial hallelujah, which is translated there, praise the Lord, the psalmist declares in verse 1, I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart. So here you see the psalmist's commitment to praise the Lord. But notice this commitment to praise the Lord is a commitment to the public gathered worship of God's people. He says, I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart, here it is, in the company of the upright in the congregation. Now that word company there actually conveys the idea of the meeting of close friends or counselors, companions. And the word that follows, the word congregation, refers to the full gathering of God's people like we've gathered together this morning here at Crawford Avenue Baptist Church. One commentator suggests that, quote, the two terms together describe the people of God in their breadth, that is the congregation, and in their close ties of fellowship, that is the company of close friends, the company, the friends of the upright. And we recognize that the church should be characterized by both, right? We are all members of this gathered assembly. But within this gathering of the church, there are webs of personal friendships and relationships of intimacy. And the psalmist declares that it's in this context, in the context of the gathered church and the relational community of the people of God as we come together, that he will give thanks to the Lord with his whole heart. Don Pezzotta preached for us the last couple of weeks, and the first week he preached from Acts chapter 2. And we saw in Acts chapter 2 that the church in Jerusalem was committed to attending the temple together, and breaking bread in their homes, and praising God, and they had favor with all the people. So they were committed in the church in Jerusalem, Acts chapter 2, to gathering together and worshiping the Lord. And then the second week, Don preached from Hebrews chapter 10, and there in Hebrews 10, the author of Hebrews admonishes his readers to not neglect to meet together as is the habit of some. So he's commanding them, he's instructing them, gather together for worship, meet with one another to encourage each other in the Lord. And so in Acts 2 and in Hebrews 10, we see both by example and by command the importance of gathered worship in the Christian's life. But understand, my friends, we don't learn about the importance of gathered worship in the believer's life from just one or two verses in Scripture. Well, it says it in Acts 2, it says it in Hebrews 10, it must be important. And if those were the only two places that we saw it in Scripture, it would be important. Because all of Scripture is important, right? Rather, what we see is that public worship is commanded and it is celebrated throughout the entire Bible. In fact, all of the 150 Psalms that we are working through in the book of Psalms were written for the purpose of gathered worship. And here we see it specifically in Psalm 111, I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart in the company of the upright in the congregation. My friends, because the priority of gathered worship is so pervasive in Scripture, both by example and by command, I hope that each of us will prioritize gathered worship for ourselves, for our families and especially on Sunday mornings. Now I know in many ways I'm preaching to the choir this morning because you are the faithful who show up on the Sunday morning when you lost an hour of sleep. But still I hope that this will be a priority for each of the members of our congregation. And notice that the psalmist is not just content to be present in gathered worship. Rather, the psalmist is determined to be engaged in gathered worship. He says, I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart in the company of the upright in the congregation. You know, this is oftentimes an important step for many in their spiritual growth. Some Christians worship the Lord in their heart, but they are reluctant to go public with their praise. In other words, you might praise the Lord in your time of personal devotion at home. Or you might praise the Lord in your car when you're alone, but you don't feel the freedom to praise God on Sunday mornings when you're in the presence of others. And so you may be present, but disengaged. Perhaps you don't sing, or maybe you just kind of mumble the words. My friends, we've all been there before. But I want to challenge you this morning. Can you ask the Lord? Can you make the psalmist prayer your prayer and ask the Lord to give you the grace to make the commitment that the psalmist makes here in Psalm 111? I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation. My friends, I believe the Lord would delight to answer that prayer. So that your praise is not only private, but as the psalmist declares here, your praise is public and you come to experience the freedom of praising God in the congregation of His people. May this be a pledge and a commitment that each of us make for ourselves and for our families. That we would prioritize gathered worship, and we would not only be present when the church gathers, but we would be engaged with our whole hearts. That we would give thanks to the Lord. Notice secondly in our text, though, the content of praise. So we see the psalmist's commitment to praise, but notice secondly, the content of praise. And this is the largest section of the psalm. It's verses two to nine. And what is the content of the psalmist's praise? What is the content of the praise of the congregation that will gather? Well, the content of their praise is the works of the Lord. The psalmist and the congregation with whom he gathers will praise the Lord for the Lord's works. Do you see this in the passage? Look at verse 2. Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them. Verse 3, full of splendor and majesty is His work, and His righteousness endures forever. Verse 4, He has caused His wondrous works to be remembered. The Lord is gracious and merciful. Verse 6, He has shown His people the power of His works in giving them the inheritance of the nations. Verse 7, the works of His hands are faithful and just. All His precepts are trustworthy. It's repeated again and again and again. The content of their praise will be the works of the Lord. And one of the things this teaches us is that God is not just an abstraction. He's not just kind of a philosophical idea. But rather, the God of the Bible has acted in history, and we can know Him by His works, by the things He has done. Much like an artist, or a lawyer, or an athlete is known by their body of work. An artist is known by the art that he produces. A lawyer is known by his performance in the courtroom. An athlete is known by his accomplishments on the playing field. And the Lord can be known by his works. Now, if we look at verses 2 through 9, we can say that, roughly speaking, the way it's laid out is that in verses 2 and 3, the psalmist describes God's works. Then in verses 4-6, we see God's work of redemption. And then in verses 7-9, we see God's work of revelation. Notice in verses 2-3, we see a description of God's works. Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them. Full of splendor and majesty is His work, and His righteousness endures forever. So the psalmist says here that the works of the Lord are great, that they are full of splendor and majesty, that they are righteous. And it is for this reason that they are studied by all who delight in them. There are those who delight in the works of God, and the way they express their delight in the works of God is that they study them, they want to know them, they want to understand them. I really appreciate what Jim Hamilton says at this point, commenting on this phrase, studied by all who delight in them. Hamilton writes, God's people love what God does. God's people love what God does. And I believe that actually captures so much of the essence of this psalm, of Psalm 111. Because then we go on to see that the psalmist begins to delight in God's work of redemption. You see it there in verses 4 through 6. Now, as we look at these verses, we need to understand that the Bible is kind of like a two-volume book. You have Volume 1, the Old Testament, and you have Volume 2, the New Testament. And God's greatest work of redemption and salvation in the Old Testament was God's deliverance of the nation of Israel, His people, from Egypt. I believe that a careful reading of these verses here, verses 4-6, suggests that this is what the psalmist has in mind when he speaks of God's work of redemption in verses 4-6. Notice in verse 4 we read, He has caused His wondrous works to be remembered. That word remembered can also be translated memorialized. It's likely a reference to the Passover meal that God instructed His people to observe every year as they remembered, as they memorialized His salvation, as He saw the blood of the lambs that they had slaughtered be spread on their doorposts. And as a result, they passed over the houses of the Hebrew homes, the Lord passed over their houses of the Hebrews, of the Israelites, and he visited destruction on Pharaoh and the Egyptians, which resulted in Pharaoh setting them free. Notice there in verse 4, we go on, we see that the psalmist writes, the Lord is gracious and merciful. This is a reference, I believe, to God's revelation of Himself to Moses in Exodus 34, verse 6. So after God delivered Israel from Egypt, He led them to Mount Sinai where He appeared to Moses and the people there. But it was at that time that the people rebelled against God and they began to worship a golden calf. And so God threatened that He would destroy the people, but Moses interceded on their behalf. And after Moses interceded on their behalf, God revealed Himself to Moses in Exodus chapter 34, and He declared, The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. And He spared His people. Then notice in verse 5, the psalmist goes on to write, he provides food for those who fear him. And it is true that generally speaking, the Lord provides and he provides food for his people. But here, this seems to be a specific reference to God's provision for his people as they were delivered from Egypt and they traveled through the wilderness. And the Lord over and over again miraculously provided them with water. and provided them with quail and manna from heaven to eat. He goes on to write in verse 5, He remembers His covenant forever. And of course, God's redemption of Israel from Egyptian slavery, His provision for them as they traveled through the wilderness, was an expression of God's remembrance and commitment to the covenant that He had made to their greater father, Abraham. And then in verse 6 we read, He has shown His people the power of His works and giving them the inheritance of the nations. And this is a reference to the conquest of the land of Canaan and the Lord gifting His people the promised land. In many ways this event marks the end of Israel's experience of slavery and wandering. Now finally they have a land that they themselves possess. Where they are no longer enslaved, where they no longer have to wander, but rather they are free and they can settle. This is the work of God's redemption. His work of redemption through the exodus in the Old Testament. And God's people love what He has done in redemption. And so they praise Him. Notice not only do God's people love what God has done in his work of redemption, but they love what God has done in his work of revelation. We see this in verses seven through nine. The works of his hands are faithful and just. All his precepts and that word precepts is actually used in the Psalms consistently to refer to all of God's scriptures, all of his revelation as he reveals himself to his people. The works of His hands are faithful and just. All His precepts are trustworthy. They, that is His precepts, are established forever and ever to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness. He sent redemption to His people. He has commanded His covenant forever. And where has He commanded His covenant? In the Scriptures. In His Word. And God's people love what God has done in revealing Himself to us through His Word and through His Scriptures. And then notice, after the psalmist has described the works of God in verses 2-3, after he's reflected on God's work of redemption in verses 4-6, and reflected on God's work of revelation in verses 7-9, the psalmist concludes this section with a word of praise. You see it there at the end of verse 9. Holy and awesome is His name. My friends, it's still true today. that God's people love what God has done. We know that the work of God's redemption and salvation that's described here in Psalm 111, as God delivered his people from Egyptian bondage and slavery, we know that this actually produced a blueprint, a pattern of God's salvation, which would then be repeated and ultimately fulfilled in the Lord Jesus. So for example, on the night when Jesus was betrayed, he shared a meal with his disciples. It was the Passover meal. But in that time with his disciples, he transformed the Passover celebration into what we now refer to as the Lord's Supper. So that when the bread is broken and when we take the cup, We are reminded not primarily of the lambs that were slaughtered and the blood that was placed on the doorposts of the houses of the families of Israel, but rather we remember the broken body and shed blood of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ Himself, who saves us from the wrath of God and delivers us from the slavery of sin and death. And it is in Jesus that we discover that the Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. It's in Jesus that God keeps His new covenant promises to us and provides for us. It's in Jesus that not only has God promised us the land of Canaan, but far greater, the Lord has promised that when Jesus returns there will be a new heavens and a new earth and we will rule and reign with Him. In all of this, God has revealed to us through His Word, the Scriptures. And still today, God's people love what God has done. Here we see in our text that the psalmist recalls and he meditates on the various works that were included in God's redemption of Israel in the Old Testament. There was the Exodus deliverance. There was the wilderness provision. There was the land gift. There was the Passover celebration. All of these were various parts of God's redemption and salvation of the nation. And as God's people, we do the same today. In one sense, we can speak of our own salvation as one great act of God's work of redemption and salvation. And yet we know that that one act of salvation includes a multitude of various and diverse works. Each one unique and glorious. For example, the work of Jesus' atoning sacrifice. The work of His glorious resurrection. The work of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The work of Jesus' ongoing intercessory ministry on our behalf at the right hand of the Father. And we could go on and on and on. And that, my friends, is why we never run out of songs to sing. We never run out of subjects upon which we can preach. Because the works of God are so multifaceted and diverse and glorious. And the people of God love what God has done. They love His works. And that's why we gather Sunday after Sunday after Sunday. And the attitude in the heart of the people of God is, tell me more! I'm here to hear more. I want to know more. I want to understand more. Help me to see afresh the works of the Lord, the wondrous works of God. Last week, Don preached and at one point in his sermon, he began to sing. At first, I'll have to confess, I was shocked. And then I was like, that's pretty good. And then I quickly determined I will never do that. Not because I thought it was bad, but because if I sang by myself in front of the whole church, you would think it is bad. You would not like it. But at this point, I can't help but think of a hymn that captures the heart of God's people that's described here in Psalm 111. I love to tell the story. to be my theme in glory, to tell the old, old story of Jesus and His love. And the hymn writer goes on to say, I love to tell the story for those who know it best seem hungering and thirsty to hear it like the rest. And my friends, isn't that true? The people of God love what God has done. They love his works, and they're eager to hear them, to hear them over and over and over again. And my friends, understand, we will never move on from telling this story and from celebrating the work of God's grace in Jesus Christ, so that for all eternity, we will sing the song of the Lamb, and we will praise him for his redemption. This is the heart, this is the attitude, this is the disposition of the people of God. They gather together, they are committed to gathering, and they are committed to praising the Lord for this reason. This is the content of their praise. The works of the Lord. What He has done on our behalf to save us as He has revealed in His Word. Third, and finally, notice a life of praise in verse 10, a life of praise. So we've considered a commitment to praise. Secondly, the content of praise. And third, a life of praise. In verse 10, we read, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. All those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever. Now I won't spend much time here, in part because I'm running short on time, and in many ways also because this verse actually is a segue and launches us into Psalm 112, which we will consider next week as we look at the description of the man or the woman who fears the Lord in Psalm 112. But notice here in this last verse in Psalm 111, we encounter here what has been identified as the great motto of wisdom literature. And the motto is right there in verse 10, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Actually, this maxim is repeated in Job 28, verse 28, Proverbs 1, verse 7, Proverbs 9, verse 10, and it's alluded to as well in Ecclesiastes 12, verse 13. And what's being communicated here is that the fear of the Lord is the starting point. It's the first foundational principle of wisdom. Because when we fear the Lord, what happens is that we have a reverential respect. We have a worshipful awe of God that fills us with wonder, that fills us with joy. And it is this reverential fear that then causes us to yield ourselves to His rule and reign in our lives. And this yielding This submission is the essence of biblical wisdom. That's what the psalmist says, right? The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Notice what he goes on to say. All those who practice it have a good understanding. In other words, to fear God is to obey Him. It's not only to know what God has done, It's not only to know what God has said, but it is to do it. It is to put it into practice. Most colleges and universities will allow you to audit a class, and this means that you're allowed to sit in on a class. You can listen to the lectures, but you don't take any of the quizzes or tests. You don't have to do any of the projects. You just get to be present and listen. My friends, we do not want to be auditors of the Word of God. Listening, taking good notes, but not remembering or putting it into action. What the psalmist says here is that the wise man, the wise woman who fears the Lord puts God's Word into practice. They do it. Listen to what Charles Spurgeon says at this point. Obedience to God proves that our judgment is sound. Why should he not be obeyed? Does not reason itself claim obedience for the Lord of all? Only a man void of understanding will ever justify rebellion against the holy God. Practical godliness is the test of wisdom. Men may know and be very orthodox, they may talk and be very eloquent, they may speculate and be very profound, but the best proof of their intelligence must be found in their actually doing the will of the Lord. The former part of the psalm taught us the doctrine of God's nature and character by describing His works. The second part supplies the practical lesson by drawing the inference that to worship and obey Him is the dictate of true wisdom." So to fear the Lord is to actually put into practice what He instructs and commands. So do you see how Psalm 111 works? We've considered a commitment to praise, the content of praise, a life of praise. You see, it's as we praise God for the wonder and the glory of His works, for His works of redemption and salvation, for the work of His word, that we come to fear Him. That is, we're filled with reverential awe, we're filled with reverential wonder, and our hearts yield to Him. in worship obedience, and we become wise according to His Word. So the more we consider and praise God for His good works, the more we fear. And the more we fear, the more we obey. And the more we obey, the more we grow in wisdom, interchanged by the Lord. According to Psalm 111, this is how life change happens. Joyful praise for his good works results in reverential fear, which results in the wisdom of submission and obedience. I believe this principle is beautifully illustrated in the account of Jesus and the disciples when Jesus calms the storm. Many of you know the account, Jesus and his disciples are at sea and there's a fierce windstorm that arises and the disciples panic. Jesus is asleep in the stern of the boat. The disciples believe they're going to die, so they wake Jesus up. And with two words, it's actually three words in the English, two in the original language, but with two words, Jesus calms the sea. He says, peace, be still. And Mark records, and the wind ceased and there was a great calm. And how did the disciples respond? We read, and they were filled with great fear and said to one another, who then is this that even the wind and the seas obey him? And understand, my friends, in that moment when they feared, they weren't afraid that Jesus was going to crush them, that Jesus was going to destroy them. He had just delivered them. Rather, they were filled with reverential awe as the undeserving beneficiaries of His awesome might and power and grace. And they feared Him. And as a result, they were all the more ready to follow and to obey and to yield to Him. And this, my friends, is the essence of biblical wisdom. We can imagine that later on, as the apostles had seen Jesus die and He was raised from the dead and spent time with Him and then ascended to the heavens, we can imagine that later on, as they reflected upon Jesus' greatest work of salvation and redemption, that they would have been filled with even greater wonder and fear and reverence and awe. as they reflected upon Jesus' death on the cross and His resurrection from the dead. Which again is captured so beautifully in a song, actually in an old Negro spiritual that many of you probably know. Were you there when they crucified my Lord? Were you there when they crucified my Lord? Oh, sometimes it causes me, what? To tremble. Tremble. Tremble. Were you there when they crucified My Lord? Were you there when God raised Him from the tomb? Were you there when God raised Him from the tomb? Oh, sometimes it causes me what? To tremble. Tremble. Tremble. Were you there when God raised Him from the tomb? My friends, this is why we gather Sunday after Sunday to consider the wondrous works of God, in particular in his salvation and redemption of his people. And as we do so, we are struck with reverential fear. With awe and wonder. And as our hearts are filled with wonder and joy, we are all the more inclined to yield, to submit, to joyfully obey. And this is the essence of biblical wisdom. To walk in the ways of the Lord. In response to the fear of God. Let's pray and ask that he would do that work among us. Father, we thank you and praise you for your word. We thank you for your salvation and your redemption. We thank you, Lord, for your glorious works. And Lord, we confess as your people, we love all that you have done to save us and to redeem us and to make us your own. Father, fill us with godly fear, with reverent awe and wonder, that we may walk in your ways all the days of our life. And it's through Jesus Christ, our Lord, we pray. Amen.