Colossians, selected verses from chapter 1, verses 9 and 10. And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will, in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. Thus we read from His Holy Word. Many churches begin their sermons with a quote from the headlines and they go on to preach about current events. Before I begin a quick recap of Paul's letter to the Colossians and the culmination of our 36 messages looking at Colossians, let me give you a headline or two for our context. Have you seen some of these headlines? One, hot off the press, Powerball Multi-State Lottery reaches $300 million, the game's fourth largest prize. U.S. retailers prepared for a crush of ticket buyers even across state lines. People are taking road trips today. You realize that here in Clifton Park, as in many communities, especially in the northeastern United States, 90% of the community will not be in church today. 10% of the community, with any regularity, goes to a church, and of that a very small proportion go to evangelical, Bible-believing churches. Many are out buying their lottery tickets. Second headline, cosmetic surgeries among men is up over 50%. What have I been missing? That includes Botox procedures and plastic surgeries. And here I'm doing it the old-fashioned way. One other headline. And in the rush for more reality TV, CBS is planning a second series of Kids Nation, even while the first is being investigated and criticized. You know that show where they put a bunch of kids off in a place with the TV cameras watching to see what happens? I think I read about that in high school. That book, Lord of the Flies, tells me what would probably happen. What is our culture about? What's happening in the world around us? Well, you know, I know, we live in the world. We're aware of these things and sometimes they make us sick. Sometimes they make us laugh. Sometimes they just make us shake our heads and step back, keep our distance. But in the midst of a fallen and broken world, we're called to live for the glory of God, to follow Jesus Christ, and to navigate and negotiate through these things. If I'm a Christian, should I get a Botox procedure? Should I buy a lottery ticket? How am I different from the world? What should bring me satisfaction? What should help me live a life as pleasing to God? How do these things play? What is the context for living the Christian life? Well, the world is the context. Your life and my life in this broken world has its own challenges, some of them we have in common, some are unique. But the context we face is similar to the context the Christians of old faced. These Christians in this little town of Colossae, when they built the big highway, the little town got eclipsed and is no longer a thriving living community, but this little town called Colossae, was once a place where the gospel came by a ministry of a man named Epaphras. He told them about Jesus Christ, gathered together a little Bible study group, and then formed a church, and then things were going well. But then as these young Christians looked at the context of their community, saw the struggles of pagan religion and other religious pressures, saw the temptations not different from what we face, They looked for some answers. They looked for help. And word of this comes to St. Paul. So St. Paul writes to them. The Spirit inspires him. He writes these four short chapters, one of the shortest letters to a church in the Bible. He tries to help them. You Christians dealing with these particular struggles in the world, hear this. And so he writes this letter. He writes to help them, to encourage them. give them truth, give them hope, and strengthen their faith. What's this letter all about? What's the main point? What should we remember when we look at the book of Colossians? That's a big question. Ever been reading a book and someone walks up and says, hey, what's that book about? If it's a thick novel or some other book, it's hard to explain a whole book sometimes in one sentence. Or you're watching a movie and somebody comes up and says, what's this movie about? Who's that? What's going to happen? Well, it's complex. It's hard to summarize a whole letter of the Bible, a whole book of the Bible in one message. But that's my goal. And since we've been studying it, I hope we can just move quickly through the outline that I placed in the Sunday Worship Bulletin folders. Thinking of summarizing a whole book of the Bible in one message, let me pause to commend to you a couple of books. There's a pastor who's done that, and I think he's done a very good job of it. Both the Old Testament and New Testament. Pastor Mark Dever, D-E-V-E-R, in Washington, D.C. He has two thick books. This one is The Message of the New Testament, and he has one sermon on each of the 39 books of the New Testament. So you can read 39 books, 27 books in the New Testament, 39 in the Old Testament. It's a separate volume. And he tries to pick out the major theme and then tie all the books of each testament together. And it's worth having in your homes to read and try to capture the big picture. As Mark Devers says in the preface, paraphrasing, he says, many Christians are familiar with the trees of scripture, but we miss the forest, we miss the landscape, we miss the panorama, the big picture. Having spent so much time in Colossians, we don't want to forget its message and its help to us. So let's take a look now at the book of Colossians. When Paul writes, he has a primary agenda of teaching first and foremost about the nature of being a Christian. What is it to be a Christian? And his first broad category that he takes up in this book, and really the dominant factor in this book, is the new life that a Christian has begins and ends with God and in God. New life begins and ends with God. But why should that be in question? Believers in Colossae, as we've mentioned on many occasions, were facing some false teachers and some opposing points of view. They would claim to be a Christian, they'd interact with others, some religious, some that would come into the church setting and say, well, Christ is okay, but there's something more. You may be a Christian, but there's more spiritual fullness to be found. Or you may think you are right with God, but there are other practices that you should do. in order to be truly right with God and truly spiritually free before Him. Opponents came in and contested the fact that new life begins and ends in God. They said there is something more and they can provide it. So Paul has a specific goal for these young and challenged Christians. He lays a foundation of sound theology for them. Someone once said, deep theology is the best fuel of devotion. It readily catches fire and once kindled, burns long. If you want power for Christian living, if you want wisdom for particular decisions, don't just flip through the Bible and look for the word Botox should I have a procedure. If you want wisdom, if you want a firm footing under your feet as you face these challenges of daily life, Get to know God. Develop a theology that's deep and rich and biblical. I've given you a little extra detail in the sermon outline here under New Life Begins and Ends with God, just to show you how you see these themes in the book. Let's move quickly through this first point. New life is given by God. If you're a Christian, you're a Christian because God has made you a Christian. That new life is something that's given to you. First term that comes up in Colossians 1 verse 12 is qualified in the English Standard Version. Paul is giving thanks to the Father, God, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in white. God takes the initiative. He qualifies you. He calls you. He looks ahead to you. He predestines you, says Ephesians. He sets his love upon you. and sets out to save you. In verse 13, you see that God is also busy. He has delivered us. He's rescued us from the dominion of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of His beloved God. If you're a Christian, you find yourself walking in newness of life, your sins forgiven, it's because God has delivered and rescued you, not you yourself. Or in verse 14, what has God done? in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sin. He redeems us. He forgives us. God is the great hunter of souls. What did Jesus say when he met the woman at the well and they had this little debate about worship? Jesus said, God is seeking those who will worship Him in spirit and truth. He's on the prowl to gather in not only people to escape hell, but to worship Him, to be redeemed and forgiven, strengthened to serve Him. 1 Corinthians 1.11 mentions something else God has done. May you be strengthened with all power, Paul prays, according to His glorious might. God has power to bring you to Himself and keep you in Himself. The new life begins with God. It also ends with God, if we notice some of the themes that Paul gives in this book. In verse 16, Colossians 1.16, for by Him all things were created in heaven and on earth, thrones, dominions, rulers, authorities, all things were created through Him and, what does it say, for Him. God brings you new life not just to spend on yourself, but to be oriented to Him, to be serving His purposes and designs. You're saved for Him. According to verse 20, through Him, through Christ, you have been reconciled to God, making peace by the blood of His cross. You've been saved for Him. He wants the relationship to be repaired because He wants you. Verse 22, if you continue in the faith, stable, steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation. God is sanctifying you for Himself. He wants to present you holy and blameless before Him. Verse 22 said, He is now reconciled in His body and flesh by His death in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before Him. Why is God at work in your life? Is it to help you sleep better at night? To have a better self-image? Those things may come, but He has saved you for Himself. He sanctifies you and makes you Christ-like for Himself. The new life begins and ends with God. And even several of these verses that end chapter 1. You wonder how Paul's mind moves, and we can't know for certain, but it seems to me that after he presents this new life given by God, we're called to serve Him, called to live for Him, Paul adds this section at the end of chapter 1, how we're to be serving Him. And he talks just a little bit about how Paul is serving Him. I rejoice in my sufferings. He talks in verse 28, Him we proclaim, warning and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all this energy that is so powerfully at work within me. Paul understands why new life has come to him. He is to live for God and serve God. Those themes are also seen in the end of chapter 3 where Paul writes to the believers, whatever you do, Work heartily as for the Lord and not for men. Knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. New life begins and ends with God. That's one of the great messages of Colossians. And know how we need that corrective. We live in a culture where the most commonly read book is a how-to book. Because we want to equip ourselves and live for ourselves in so many ways. The Christian's calling. is to live for God, having been touched by Him with new life. Well, the message of Colossians then unfolds as a beautiful flower in full bloom, where that new life comes from, how it comes to us. New life is ours because of Christ. New life is ours because of Christ. Chapter 1 opens that subject, but all the chapters touch on it. Chapter 1, beginning in verse 15, that great Christological-like, hymn-like passage, He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation, describing the greatness and divinity of Jesus Christ. As Paul wants to let the believers of old and the believers today, you and I know, new life stands upon the work and person of Jesus Christ. Who is this Jesus? Number one, He is supreme. Number two, He is sufficient. You need both. Commonly we describe Jesus as Savior and Lord. We should always speak of both. He is always both. He cannot be one without the other. He cannot be your Lord unless you bow to Him as your Savior. He cannot be your Savior unless you bow to Him as Lord. The first point that emerges from this chapter 1 passage is that Jesus is God. He has all the powers of God. Oh yeah? Well, if Jesus had power, like what? Paul writes to these Colossians who maybe hadn't heard much about Jesus, he says, you know what? Through Him, through Jesus, all things were created. His power to create, because He is God. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit were present at Genesis 1.1. Jesus has the power of God. To remind ourselves that Jesus is God, Jesus is divine, is one of the greatest things we can do for our faith. We're not following an author. We're not following a teacher. We're not following a mere man. We vow, serve, and trust ourselves to and follow the Son of God. Who has power. James Packer said, Jesus' miracles are decisive evidence for all time of who He is and what power He has. Let's not be ashamed of those miracles just because others don't believe they happened. We have records that they happened. We see the evidence of changed lives. We see the empty tomb. We see all the evidence that Jesus is who He claims to be. The passage goes on to talk about the fact that Jesus is central of the universe. All things were created by Him and for Him. It's an easy diagram to draw. You put Christ in the middle and all things revolve around Him. He is to have the preeminence in all things according to chapter 1, verse 18. Or as a recent popular book accurately pointed out, it's not about you. It's about Him. But there's a place for you in that picture. And if you're in that picture, if you're in the church of Jesus Christ, Jesus is the head of the church. Make no mistake about that. When it tells us that here in chapter one, in verse 18, and he is the head of the body, the church. How significant is that to remember? That this organization isn't about me or the other men that lead this organization. It's about Jesus Christ. What is his will for this church? Who should have the authority? Jesus should. And those whom he sent, those apostles, we turn to apostolic doctrine. Christ is the cornerstone of this church. The teaching that his apostles put in this Bible, they are our authority. In the context for Colossians, when they had other false teachers coming up, they said, well, Paul can say what he wants, but we have this opinion. Or someone may come to you and say, oh, your church doesn't have communion every Sunday? You really aren't doing all you can. Oh, your church doesn't practice X, Y, and Z? Oh, you don't fast with a certain regularity? Others may come and submit to you other requirements to be right with God or to be pleasing to God. How are you going to decide between their opinion and, as they would say, Paul's opinion? Well, who was the head of the church? Who sent Paul? who confirmed Paul's teaching through apostolic signs and wonders, who saw the coming together of the Scriptures, even the one who promised his disciples, the Spirit will bring to your remembrance all things that I have taught you. My friends, the headship of Christ is connected to the apostolic authority of this book, the Bible. Apostolic doctrine should settle matters of faith and practice, not the opinions of men. The traditions of men are one of the first things to stray. So one of the things Paul is saying when he writes to the Colossians about the supremacy of Christ, Christ is Lord, Christ should be in the lead, follow Him first and foremost. Follow those that are most closely connected to Him. Also in chapter 2 verse 15, The supremacy of Christ is brought up in that context when it says, Christ disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame by triumphing over them in Him. Christ is a victor. He's a contender. He'll take on those things that oppose Him. Or in chapter 3, verse 1, that great reminder, where is Christ seated? He is seated at the right hand of God. He is supreme. New life stands on the person and work of Jesus Christ. He is supreme. Secondly, He is sufficient. As a Savior, He is all we need to be right with God. Isn't that one of the pressing questions of the daily Christian life? How can I get through the day? How can I please God? How can I conquer those temptations and sins and be faithful? Is Christ sufficient for me? How can I be pleasing to God? How can I find joy and purpose and meaning in life? Is Christ really the key? The world has a lot of answers to that, and they all begin with, no, there's something more. That's what commercials and advertising are all about. You don't have all that you need. You need this also. The Scriptures set forth Christ as Savior and sufficient for all we need. Chapter 3, verse 11, Christ is all and in all. Chapter 2, verse 20 of Colossians. Paul makes this point. If with Christ you die to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations? It says, life in Christ makes relationship with other things different. So why? Why pursue them when you have the best? These are deep thoughts, and they center on Christ. So that's why Paul spends much time in chapters 1, 2, and 3 unfolding the supremacy and sufficiency of Christ. A third heading, which we'll only briefly go through so we can spend some time on the applications. The third heading is this, new life brings battles. New life brings battles, conflicts. That's one of the realities Paul wanted to write to the Colossians. That's one thing we need to remember. Your battles, your struggles as a Christian in this world aren't unique. They shouldn't be surprising. They're battles of all sorts of things. Some are external and some are internal. Let me mention just a few as we survey Colossians. Number one, do not be captured by bad thinking. There's a large section here in chapter 2 of Colossians, beginning in verse 8, for instance, through verse 12, which talks about this challenge in the battle before them. Paul writes, see to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in Him who is the head of all rule and authority. In Him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands by putting off the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with Him in baptism in which you were also raised with Him through faith in the powerful working of God who raised Him from the dead." And it goes on. If you're a Christian, If you've come to Christ, you're full. And you should be focused on Him. So you should be careful not to be taken captive by bad thinking, bad theology. And it's described here. We had a couple of sermons going through that passage. We have to be discerning. We need to seek wisdom on a daily basis. We need to weigh the ideas and traditions of men, inside and outside the church, and weigh them with the Word of God. Submit them to the Spirit of God. You've got to be careful not to be captured by that. What happens when your thinking is captured? You don't have the satisfaction of a clear relationship with Christ. You have a cluttered way of thinking and He becomes eclipsed. And if Christ is eclipsed, your hope should weaken and your faith will waver. So it is all important to have clear, sound theology. Clear thinking. about who God is and who Christ is and what a Christian is. Realistic thinking. To have the joy and meaning and purpose in life that Christ offers. New life also brings battles when you talk about religious behavior. Paul singles this out with some specifics beginning in chapter 2, 16 and through verse 23. Don't be captured by bad religion. Paul's words are this, Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival, or a new moon, or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by a sensuous mind, and not holding fast to the head. From whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through his joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God. It goes on. Don't be captured by this religion that doesn't revolve around Christ. That's the litmus test. Does this religious practice draw me closer to Christ? Is it consistent with the scriptures? Or does it put the focus on me and my efforts at capturing some righteousness? The third battle is talked about all over the Bible. Don't get bogged down in sin. Whether there were false teachers present or not, there's always your own corruptions, the vestiges of your old nature hanging around to spoil things, that temper, those impulses that don't please God. In chapter 3, Paul speaks to these young Christians. He speaks to us. What is it all about? Putting to death that which is earthly in you, sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these, the wrath of God is coming. That should be a sobering reminder. You too once walked when you were living in them, but now you must put them all away. Anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices, and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its Creator. Don't get bogged down in sin. See the newness. Pursue that and put away the old things as Christ empowers you to do. Notice how even these things come back and stand in the person and work of Christ. The fourth battle we need to be aware of is doing our duties. Don't bungle your duties. I don't know if bungle is a technical term for you or not. It means something to me and it helps with the alliteration here. as we're warned about bad thinking, bad religion, being bogged down in sin and bungling our duties. What duties do we have in mind? Well, if you're a husband, you have duties to your wife. If you're a wife, you have biblical duties to your husband. Children have biblical relationships with their parents spelled out in Scripture. Employees with employers, the way you walk in the world. Paul gets very practical here in chapter 3, right on into chapter 4. There were specific messages here for dads and for moms, for sons and daughters, husbands and wives. We do well to review. And notice how they all pivot on Christ. Wives, submit to your husband as is fitting in the Lord. If you're a Christian, you should be motivated towards these duties and the designs of God. Fathers, do not provoke your children lest they become discouraged. Learn from your Heavenly Father. how to perform your duties. And whatever your duties, according to chapter 3 verse 23, whatever you do, work heartily as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. We all like to get something. I like to work for a reward. You can find out what really encourages a child and set that reward before them and they'll do incredible things to get it. The scriptures often speak of the rewards that are set before us. But how easily we pursue the quick, easy shortcuts the world promises. You want popularity? Buy the crest white strips for your teeth. Or go to the Botox. Or go do this. Or you really want to be happy? You need more money. You read some of the articles about the Powerball. There was a fellow down south that won like $300 million or one of the other big jackpots. I can't remember his name. I know he was dressed all in black with a cowboy hat if you see the video clip. He's shaking his head. Winning the lottery led to family troubles, lawsuits, divorce. He's miserable. He probably still has a bunch of the money left, but he's not happy. He wants people to know that. What rewards do we seek? We often seek them outside of our duties or to the neglect of our duties. We often deny the way God has designed this world to work. Teenagers pursue joy perhaps in flirting or language that presses the boundaries of what's proper. We have to be careful. God says certain pleasures and joys will be rewarded only in the context of marriage, only in relationships that have delineated commitments. to the man or woman in the workplace. How do you pursue your rewards? Well, it's by serving heartily as unto the Lord, whether the employer rewards you properly or not. That's where the true reward lies. You see how your new life in Christ, it will bring these battles and conflicts, but it also shows you the way to the reward, the way to the victory. Colossians is a delightful letter describing this new life we have, the resources we can draw upon, and what waits for us in the end. Let me just give you a few applications and a few encouragements here at the end. I'm going to start from the back of the book and maybe move to the front, hopefully building to a climax here. The first application and point to remember from chapter 4. Be revived and encouraged by believers. See the great value of fellowship and how other Christians play a critical role in encouraging you. There's a list of folks in chapter 4, Tychicus, the encourager, Onesimus, the profitable one, Aristarchus, a fellow prisoner who takes time to send his greetings, Mark, the cousin of Barnabas, others. Paul says, these are among my fellow workers in the kingdom of God and they've been a comfort to me. I'm going to send some of them to you. Share the joy. Do we see other believers as sources of encouragement? We should hear in the voice and presence of other believers that we're not alone. There's somebody else who's following Christ. And they're hanging in there. Every week when you show up it is such an encouragement to me. I think we'd be devastated if we were to find this place empty some Sunday. Believers are an encouragement. They revive us. They strengthen us as they contribute their gifts and their testimonies for our encouragement. And likewise, you do that for others. I think Paul wrote to the Colossians in part to remind them that, hey, you've never met me. I'm way over here. But I send you greetings. I send you some of my choice friends. So that you be encouraged and know you're not in this by yourself. Second application, coming from chapter 3 verse 16, as well as some passages and verses in chapter 1. Chapter 3 verse 16 says, let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. Friends, be ruled by the word of truth. God's word should be our steady diet. and our best tool for daily living. The more time we spend in God's Word, I think the more wisdom we have to use to navigate this world. It's interesting, in chapter 1, verse 5, Paul's writing to the Colossians, he says, you began with this word of truth, quote-unquote, the gospel, it brought them to faith, it gave them hope, yet the gospel is just the beginning. Make use of the whole word of God. Don't just receive the news of escape from hell and wrath of God, and now you're right with God. Don't just take the gospel as that message of salvation from judgment, but take the whole word of God as your guide. What does Psalm 119, 105 say? Thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. How can a young man keep his way pure, it says in the first stanza of Psalm 119? The answer, by guarding it according to your word. Your word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee. God spoke to Joshua in chapter 1. Meditate on this word. Be strong and courageous. Do according to all that is written in this book. I'll be with you. I'll bless you and prosper you. Christians, be ruled by the Word of Truth, not by traditions, not just by the spiritual momentum you get from listening to praise music. Know the Word. Know Truth. May it be your guide and your guard. Also, learn from mature believers. We need to mention that here. Do you notice how chapter 1, verse 7, Paul knows that Epaphras brought them the Gospel, but he encourages them to say, you learned from Epaphras. We should keep learning. from one another. Keep learning from those who could teach us the Word of God. And why even does Paul send them this letter? So that they have the Word of God from the Apostle of God. A third application from the beginning of chapter 3. Be right-minded about heaven and earth. Be right-minded about heaven and earth. I looked over some of the sermons that were preached over the last year. We started last fall in August, September sometime in Colossians. A couple of The most poignant for me personally came at the beginning of chapter 3. That was back in March of 2007, I believe. One sermon at the right hand of God in Colossians 3, verses 1 and 2, and then after that, a second sermon. One of the points made there, if Christians are not heavenly minded, they're no earthly good. Contrary to the popular slogan that is often thrown at us. We need to understand such things. Paul says at the beginning of chapter 3, if then you have been raised with Christ, so he's speaking to Christians, seek the things that are above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are here on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ and God. These are things that we need to be constantly aware about. We need to be right-minded about heaven and earth to keep the priorities straight, the temporal and the eternal. If you have been raised with Christ, well, have you? Where is Christ taking you? Where is your home? Where are you but a pilgrim and a sojourner? And where are you a son? Where are you storing your stuff? Where are you headed? Such heavenly mindedness It says a lot about cosmetic surgery choices, doesn't it? You put these things into perspective, a lot of issues are really just non-issues for us. We need to remember the battles that new life brings. We need to be engaged, knowing that these battles here on earth will be ended in heaven. The final application on this warm summer Sunday from the book of Colossians is to be rooted in the person and work of Jesus Christ. He is supreme. He is sufficient. As Paul wrote in perhaps the most famous verses of Colossians chapter 2 verses 6 and 7, Therefore as you receive Christ Jesus as Lord, so walk in Him. Rooted and built up in Him. Established in the faith just as you were taught. And abounding with thanksgiving. Be rooted. Be walking. Be based on Christ. The Christian life isn't simply about copying others or staying away from worldly images. It's about being rooted in Christ. being fruitful for Him. That's why Paul prayed back in chapter 1, verses 9 and 10, that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will and all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work. That's what Paul prays for us. That's what I pray for myself and for you. that because of who Christ is and what He has done, we would live lives to His glory, that we would be fruitful, not stagnant, not stymied, not entangled, but free in Christ, full in Christ, satisfied in Christ and serving Him. My friends, in the name of Jesus Christ, I charge you to remember the message of His Word through Paul to the Colossians and to us. Let's pray. Almighty God, our Heavenly Father, we thank you for this precious faith delivered to the saints through the hands of your apostles such as Paul. We thank you for his faithfulness. We thank you for his boldness, for his clarity in writing these things. May we be faithful doers of the Word and not hearers only. And this day may we acknowledge that you have taught us and taught us well. You've moved our soul many times in this past year as we've listened to your Word expounded. You've been patient, watching and waiting for fruit. May it come. May we walk in a manner worthy of this great Lord and Savior whom we profess, whom we love. Do these things in us and through us for Your glory. We now pray, in Jesus' name, Amen.