January Gospel Service: Who Do You Say I Am?

Please note: This transcript is provided as close to verbatim record of the sermon.

“Who Do You Say I Am?” (Matthew 16:13–20; Matthew 27:22; Matthew 16:21)

A very good evening to all of you, brothers and sisters in Christ, as well as visitors to the gospel service that is carried out here every month, usually at the last Sunday of every month. Indeed, for myself it is really nice to be with you all again, to share the good news of God’s salvation which is freely available to everyone and anyone.

Thank you for praying for me with regards to the preparation of sharing God’s Word with you. Once again, I also bring greetings from Bethesda Hall, Depot Walk. Perhaps just before we go any further, we will commit our time to the Lord in prayer once again for the preaching of the gospel.

Opening Prayer

Let’s pray, shall we?

Our Father, we just want to thank Thee and praise Thee once again this evening. How indeed, O God, that we have sung so many titles of the Lord Jesus Christ in the songs that we have gone through just now. We thank Thee, O God, that in the last hymn, in the last song, we are reminded that the Lord Jesus Christ was the one whom John the Baptist would say, “Behold the Lamb of God, which beareth away the sin of the world.”

And indeed, O God, we ask that Thou would just quieten our hearts this evening, even as we behold the Lord Jesus Christ in all His wonder as we read of Him in the gospel. And Father, once again, we thank Thee for all that have come to this gospel meeting, and all those who are also present online through Zoom or through YouTube.

We pray indeed, O God, for those who are still unbelievers amidst us—those who are children, those who are friends and relatives, and those who are trying to find out more who the Lord Jesus Christ is to them. And so once again this evening, we just want to pray that Thou would help us to come to the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Saviour. For neither is there salvation in any other name except the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

And we just want to commit ourselves to Thee, praying all these things in Thy Son’s most precious and worthy name we ask. Amen.

1) The Question That Exposes the Greatest Issue

The topic that was given to me, which is right here in the slide in the screen, is titled: “Who do you say I am?” And this is one of the questions that is actually found in the Bible, which you have heard when our brother Fong was reading from Matthew chapter 16 verses 13 to 20.

Questions are part of our normal everyday interactions as human beings. Generally, we ask questions to seek information, when we want to get advice, or when we needed some help. It is part of our nature to ask questions. Sometimes these questions are genuine. Other times, we just use questions to make conversation, and some of these questions really do not require an answer.

This also happened many times in the Bible when individuals would hold conversations with the Lord Jesus Christ. In the Bible you will find that the Lord Jesus Christ would answer all the questions that are being put to Him by those who would come to listen to Him, or those who would just want to test Him. Some were genuine questions; others were nothing but trick questions—like: “Should we pay our taxes?” “Who is my neighbour?” “What is so and so like in heaven?” The Lord Jesus Christ answered all these questions, especially those that were honest and pressing.

But the most important questions, dear friends, are those that He Himself asked.

The Questions in Matthew 16

I just want us to read once again a few verses, and the first one will be from Matthew chapter 16.

“When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I, the Son of man, am?” (Matthew 16:13)

And then down to verse 15:

“He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?” (Matthew 16:15)

And I just want to add one more verse here. Turn to Matthew chapter 27 verse 22. This is when Pilate was speaking, and then after speaking, he gave his conclusion when he talked to the people:

“Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let Him be crucified.” (Matthew 27:22)

And there’s one verse, if you go back to Matthew chapter 16—our brother Fong read to us up to verse 20—but I want all of us to read verse 21. Verse 21 is one very important verse:

“From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto His disciples, how that He must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.” (Matthew 16:21)

So when the Lord Jesus Christ asked His disciples those two questions—Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? followed by But whom say ye that I am?—later on we read that after that time He would tell His disciples how He must go into Jerusalem, and how He would suffer many things of the elders and the chief priests: how He would be killed, how He would be crucified, as what we read just now in Pilate’s question; and then not only that He would be killed, but He would be raised again the third day.

So dear friends, it’s really interesting that when you look into the Word of God, there are numerous Scripture questions you can find right from the beginning of Genesis all the way to Revelation. You will find many, many, many questions.

The first part of our Bible tells us of the first question that was ever asked in Genesis. God would ask the very first question: “Adam, where are you?” And so that makes us aware that God is searching for man for a very long, long time.

And then when you go to the New Testament, it is very interesting that the very first question shows us that man was seeking for Christ. We just finished Christmas less than a month ago, and you will remember the story of how the magi, the wise men, they came and they asked: “Where is He that is born King of the Jews?” We have seen His star in the east, we have come to worship Him.

Many of the questions in the Bible are ordinary questions. But beyond the mundane interactions lie those big questions of life and existence—questions that focus on identity as well as purpose.

And when we come to this 16th chapter of Matthew, we find two pertinent questions asked by the Lord Jesus Christ. These two questions focus on His identity—but not just His identity—because these questions also focus on our life’s greatest issue.

2) “Whom Do Men Say That I Am?”

Many people had different ideas about who the Lord Jesus Christ is while He was here on earth. Some would despise Him and reject Him. Some would accuse our Lord Jesus of blasphemy. They would accuse Him of demon possession, of madness, of lawbreaking. They would accuse Him of being a glutton, a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.

There were those who tried to ignore our Lord Jesus Christ. When people ask around, “Who is this boy Jesus?” they will say, “Oh, He’s a carpenter,” or “He’s a carpenter’s son.”

But you see here, when we come to Matthew chapter 16, Jesus would ask His disciples, “Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?”

The Lord Jesus Christ asked this question not because He was ignorant of what others thought of Him, but because He was trying to get a response from His disciples. And note that here in the first question, there is this title: “the Son of man.” The Lord Jesus Christ used this title which identifies with His humanity. He wants to hear what is the popular worldview that is being held around during His time concerning Him as a man.

And so some said that He was a great prophet like Jeremiah. Others would even say that He is probably John the Baptist raised from the dead, because by then John the Baptist was already beheaded.

But you know what, dear friends? The Lord Jesus Christ is much more than that.

3) “But Whom Say Ye That I Am?”

So He went on to ask one more question, even more personal:

“But whom say ye that I am?”

Peter was the first one to answer. He said:

“Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Peter had seen beyond the Son of man to the Son of the living God. In other words, Peter had recognized that behind the flesh—Jesus’s flesh as a man—there was absolute deity enshrined in all His fullness in this Person known as Jesus.

So dear friends, if you are asked, “Who is Jesus to you personally?”—or “Who do you say that Jesus is?”—what will the answer be?

Is He a myth like some mythological figure that is written by man? Is He a mystery? Or perhaps you have known from your friends or your colleagues who are Christians that to you Jesus is a moral teacher, or a miracle worker, or just a mere man.

Or is He like what Peter would confess: “Thou art the Christ”—that means He is the Messiah.

And so the only reliable and accurate answer comes from God Himself in the Bible. So this evening I will ask all of us again: How do we know Jesus? Do you know? Do you want to know? And if you do not know, do you want to know Jesus Christ, the Son of God?

We can look at what the Bible tells us about Him. But He is really greater and better than all that we can describe or understand.

Once again, dear friends, we are really glad that you have joined us tonight to find out who Jesus is, because at the end of the day, just as what the Bible tells us in the book of John: “that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His name.”

Our salvation depends on Him being not only the Son of man but also the Son of the living God. It is only as such—when the Lord Jesus Christ is both Son of man and Son of the living God—that He could be our Saviour.

And so once again tonight I’d like to ask all of us this very simple and yet pointed question, because it is a question that will focus on each one of us on our greatest need: the destiny of our soul.

Who is Christ to you personally? It’s not a matter of, “Do you know about Christ?” Many of us here would know many things about the Lord Jesus Christ. Many of you even children around here would have gone to Sunday school, and you have learned many things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. Many of you could quote John 3:16 easily: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.” Perhaps many of you know He was born in Bethlehem, His earthly parents were Mary and Joseph, He grew up in Nazareth. You could outline every fact concerning the Lord Jesus Christ.

But that’s not the question.

No matter how much you know about the Lord Jesus Christ tonight, the question is: Who do you say Jesus is? Or put it more plainly: What does the Lord Jesus Christ mean to you personally, dear friends?

Because tonight salvation is not a matter of just attending this church here. Not a matter of having Christian parents who bring you to church every Sunday to attend Sunday school. It’s not a matter of speaking words or repeating the Lord’s prayer, not a matter of carrying a Bible. You may have the fear of God which has marked your life. You may be very honourable, doing all the good things that every moral person should be doing.

But dear friends, that’s not the issue with regards to the salvation of your soul and my soul. It concerns this Person that we have been hearing and reading up tonight, which the Lord Jesus Christ asked: “Who do you say I am?”

4) After 2,000 Years, Still the Centre of Attention

It’s really interesting, dear friends, that even after 2,000 years, the Lord Jesus is still the centre of attention, isn’t He?

He’s hated by millions, but He’s also loved by millions. He’s being ridiculed by the vast majority, and yet there are many individuals around this world—multitudes of people—who would love to sing about Him, to talk about Him, to revel in His name, to appreciate His work. And there are so many of us here right now waiting for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, because He has made the difference in our lives for eternity.

So once again the big question is: Who do you say that Jesus Christ is?

And I just want us to notice a few simple truths concerning this wondrous Person in the next couple of minutes.

5) Truth #1: You Cannot Explain Him in Human Terms

When you come to the Lord Jesus Christ—number one—He is the One that you cannot explain just in human terms. You cannot do it. You can’t interpret the life of the Lord Jesus Christ through any kind of philosophical explanation. Even science cannot explain this, because His amazing life—someone has said—even His biography was planned even before He was born.

Now you cannot apply that to anyone, can you?

Many of us have children. My wife and I, we have two children. Many of us here are parents or grandparents. As we waited for our children to be born, we have many dreams, many hopes. We think about names to call our children before they are even born. But I can tell you with assurance that not a single parent here can write a book about who their little boy or little girl was going to become. If that were to be, it would just be fiction and fantasy.

And yet when we come to this amazing Person, the Lord Jesus Christ—dear friends—His biography was planned before He came into this world.

Seven hundred or eight hundred years before He came—even before man would pick up a pen—it was already predicted and written in the book of Isaiah: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call His name Emmanuel, God with us.” We sang concerning that.

We could ask Isaiah the prophet who wrote this, “Do you understand what you’re writing?” Isaiah probably would say, “No, I can’t understand the depth of it, but I believe it’s true.”

And again Isaiah would write: “A child is born unto us, a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” We sang this just now. Isaiah, do you understand it? Perhaps he would say, “No, I don’t, but I believe it.”

And the very same Isaiah would pick up his pen again and write: “He is despised and rejected of men; a Man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.” And: “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed.” And: “All we like sheep have gone astray… and the LORD hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”

Dear friends, through the prophet Isaiah, the biography of our Lord Jesus Christ was already planned down even before He was born.

And when the fullness of time was come, the Scriptures tell us the virgin brought forth her firstborn Son. Can you understand it? Do I understand it? No, I don’t—because it has never happened before to anyone. Yet into our world would step our mighty Creator, the Father of eternity—yet He was marked by time.

Mary would lay her firstborn Son into the manger, the very first bed of the Lord Jesus. Shepherds would gather around to behold that amazing sight. Then at a later date the wise men would travel miles—and these are grown men—and they would bow the knee before a little child and worship Him, and give Him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh.

Have you ever seen that before? I’ve never seen that.

You know, when we look at our newborn child or newborn grandchild in a cot or in a pram, we look with so much joy—but we will never see parents or grandparents bowing down on their knees to worship the child. It will never happen.

But here, grown men came to worship Him. Can you explain that in human terms? We can’t.

And not only that—when the Lord Jesus was at the age of 12, I have to admit when I think back to when I was 12 years old, with my classmates playing around and the things we did that were silly and stupid—you probably can recall what you did when you were 12.

But then translate that into the Lord Jesus Christ. When He was 12 years old, the Bible tells us that there were doctors and lawyers, the intelligent teachers of the day, and the Lord Jesus as a boy of 12 was in the midst of them. They were astonished at the answers that He gave and at the questions that He asked.

Can you explain that in human terms? We can’t.

Dear friend, you cannot explain this Person, Jesus, in terms that we all finite human beings can understand. He is the incomparable Christ.

His words were words of invitation, words of truth. The Bible tells us Jesus was marked by grace and truth. He could say, “Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

He also spoke words that exposed our condition. There was a time when the Lord Jesus met a Samaritan woman by the well. She thought Jesus was just a stranger, and she asked, “Why are you talking to me? You are a Jew, I’m a Samaritan. You’re a man, I’m a woman.” But you know what Jesus said? “Thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband.” Suddenly she knew her own condition, and suddenly she realized this Man is different.

Not only His words, but also His works.

There was a time when the Lord Jesus was standing by a grave. One of His dear friends, Lazarus, was already dead for four days. The stone was rolled back. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, spoke into the cave, and Lazarus who was dead responded to the power of the voice of the Son of God.

There was another time when the Lord Jesus was feeding the 5,000. His disciples said, “Lord, it’s getting late. These people are getting hungry. Tell them to go home.” But the Lord Jesus said, “No—give them food.” They said 200 pennies worth is not going to buy much. Another disciple said, “There is a boy here with a little lunch pack—five loaves and two fishes—what are they amongst so many?”

Guess what? The Lord Jesus took that little lunch from the boy. He bowed His head. He gave thanks. He began to distribute. And the Bible tells us they had as much as they needed—and there were twelve baskets full left over.

Can you explain all these things in human terms? Certainly we can’t.

So this is the unique Christ. And that’s why who do you say Jesus is this evening—and what are you going to do with Him—will determine where you’ll be forever.

And not only that, He said: “I have power to lay down My life, and I have power to take it again.” If anybody today says those words, you would think this is a mad person—because nobody can say that. Nobody can say, “I have power to die, and I have power to rise again.”

He also said, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” He was not speaking about demolishing the temple building—He was speaking of His body.

As the world watched how He was nailed to a cross, and how He breathed His last, that last cry came: “Father, into Thy hands I commend My spirit.” He bowed His head and voluntarily gave up His spirit. He had power to lay down His life—no one took it from Him.

But He also had power to take it again.

When the world watched Him die, they probably shook their heads and scoffed: “That’s the end of this man.” The Jewish leaders and scribes thought, “Here’s the end of Jesus.”

But the story doesn’t end there.

On the first day of the week—what we call Easter Sunday—up from the grave our Lord Jesus Christ arose with a mighty triumph over His foes.

So tonight, dear friends, the One whom we are talking about—Jesus Christ our Lord—He is alive. And one day every knee is going to bow and every tongue is going to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

So the first thing I want to say: when we are asked, “Who do you say that Jesus Christ is?”—He is the One that you cannot explain in human terms.

6) Truth #2: You Cannot Equal Him With Anyone

But there’s something more about this amazing Person called Jesus: you cannot equal Him with anyone else. The Bible tells us He is the incomparable Christ.

You may ask, “In what way is He incomparable?”

(a) He Has No Sin

The first thing is: He has no sin. The sinless perfection of the Lord Jesus Christ makes Him incomparable.

If we look at one another this evening, we come to a conclusion: not one of us is not marked by sin. The Bible tells us: “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” That’s the greatest problem, dear friend—the greatest difficulty and greatest issue in our life as far as God is concerned.

Yet there was a Man—this Man is the Lord Jesus—without equal because He has no sin. The Bible tells us the Lord Jesus knew no sin, He did no sin, and in Him is no sin.

The more you look at one another—the more sin you’re going to find. The more imperfection we see in ourselves and in people around us, the more disappointment we get. But dear friend, tonight the more you look at Christ, the more beauty and perfection you will discover, because the Lord Jesus Christ is without equal.

Even His enemies declared there was no sin in Him. Judas, who betrayed Him, said: “I have sinned… I have betrayed innocent blood.” Pilate said three times: “I find no fault in this man.” One of the thieves said: “This man hath done nothing amiss.” And the Roman centurion said: “Certainly this was the Son of God… certainly this was a righteous man.” By saying that, the centurion gave credence to the fact that Pilate made the most disastrous judgment error of all time: crucifying a Man who had never sinned.

(b) He Has Power Over Death

Not only power over sin—we find the Lord Jesus has power over death. I’ve referred to Lazarus. And if you put the Lord Jesus alongside other moral religious rulers, every one of them is still in death except the Lord Jesus Christ—because we have heard about the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

You can read many books of religious men and women, but they are still in death. But tonight, dear friends, you can go to the empty tomb—the empty tomb where the Lord Jesus Christ was laid when He died more than 2,000 years ago—and it is empty. We have a risen Christ. We have an ascended Lord who had power over death.

(c) The Passion of His Love

Another thing you cannot equal Him to is the passion of His love. The Bible tells us that the love of Jesus is a love that many waters could not quench.

We live in a world where love has its limits. Sad to say, partners come to tragic moments where they say, “Sorry, I don’t love you anymore. I’m out of this relationship.” When love is tested, you discover there is an end.

But when you come to the Lord Jesus Christ, His love is marked by a love that many waters cannot quench.

The Bible tells us: “God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” While we were shaking our fists in the face of the Lord Jesus—while we were crying out, “Crucify Him, crucify Him”—while we were saying to the very heart of God, “I don’t want Your Son”—God commanded His love toward us: Christ died for us.

And Paul the apostle understood who the Lord Jesus Christ is to him, and he could write: “The Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me.”

So Jesus is the One you cannot equal. He is without equal.

7) Truth #3: You Cannot Escape Him

But I want to stress another thing about Jesus. Tonight I want to remind you that this wondrous Person Jesus Christ is not only One whom you cannot explain in human terms, not only One whom you cannot equal with anybody else, but He is also the One that you cannot escape—He is the inescapable Christ.

Perhaps this evening the Lord Jesus Christ is speaking to someone here who has not responded to Him. Perhaps you have attended many gospel meetings. Many of your friends have spoken to you about the importance of trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour. Perhaps you will say, “I’ve got no time for Him. I’ve got no time for Jesus.” Perhaps you say, “It is not the right time now.”

But dear friend, I want to tell you: you cannot exclude the Lord Jesus Christ from your life, because He will keep pressing on you. The Bible tells us: “The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

If you listen to testimonies of those who have gotten saved, they will tell you the Lord Jesus Christ spoke to them—here, there—and they will say, “I was lost, but the Lord Jesus searched me.”

So tonight, dear friend, Jesus is the One you cannot escape. He is pursuing you wherever you are. And you have to make a choice.

Even if you make a choice to keep Him out of your life, you won’t be able to escape Him. Because when we come to the last book of the Bible, John writes: “I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away…” And: “I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened…”

Small and great, dear friend—there will come a time when everyone who has not trusted the Lord Jesus Christ will be there whether you like it or not. Prime ministers, presidents, monarchs, kings, queens—renowned individuals who never trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ—will be there. And also those who are hardly known—those who lived meaningful lives, honest lives, moral lives—and those who are criminals who have gone down in the gutter of sin. Small and great will stand before the Lord Jesus Christ if they have not trusted Him as their personal Saviour.

Why? Because the Lord Jesus Christ is the inescapable Christ.

So you can disregard Him, but there will be a day when every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

So once again, dear friend: Who do you think Christ is? Who do you say I am? The Lord Jesus Christ is pointing this question to you. What’s your appraisal of Him?

But I also want to tell you: He is the One you cannot escape, the One you cannot equal, the One you cannot explain—but He is the One you can enjoy. He is the One you can embrace, because He is the One who has made the difference in our lives when He has forgiven us of our sins.

8) The Christ You Can Embrace: Forgiveness and Peace With God

The Bible tells us: “Through this Man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins.” That simply means you can leave this meeting tonight rejoicing when you put your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ—when you know your sins have been forgiven.

It’s not a process. It is something instantaneous when you trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour. You don’t have to go through weeks and weeks of gospel meetings. You just need to respond to this Man, Jesus.

Would you like to have your sins forgiven, dear friend? Because the Bible tells us: “Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The moment you put your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ—accept Him as your personal Lord and Saviour—your sins are blotted out, your sins are forgiven, and you begin a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ until He comes again. From that moment you trust in Him, you enjoy that relationship with the Saviour. We have eternal life. We have hope beyond the grave.

And that, dear friend, is just the beginning of the plentiful and numerous blessings found in this wondrous Person. The Bible tells us we are blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus when we have accepted Him and trusted Him as our Saviour.

So once again: Who do you think Christ is? Who do you say the Lord Jesus is to you? There are many young people here this evening—what does Christ mean to you? There are also many of us here who are elderly—again, this is a question of appraisal: Who do you say Christ is to you?

9) The Question of Response: “What Then Shall I Do With Jesus?”

Tonight I close with a question of response, which we read earlier on when we read about Pilate:

“What then shall I do with Jesus which is called Christ?”

Pilate asked a very searching question to himself, and yet he couldn’t answer it, and he lost that opportunity. He knew the Lord Jesus Christ was without fault. He knew the Lord Jesus Christ was the Just One. And yet when he said, “What then shall I do with Jesus which is called Christ?” the Bible tells us he allowed the Lord Jesus to be crucified. He didn’t believe in Jesus.

So dear friend, you’re going to respond one way or another tonight.

Who do you say Jesus Christ is? That’s number one.
Number two: What are you going to do with Christ?

Because if you’re going to do something, it’s going to make a difference in your life. It’s going to make a difference in death. It’s also going to make a difference for all eternity.

And that’s why tonight this very important question—“Who do you say I am?”—is not only pointed to the disciples. It is also pointed to you and I.

For those of us who have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ, all the songs that we have sung this evening will mean very much to us. But for those of us who are still unbelievers—those of you who still have not come to trust the Lord Jesus and rest upon Him as your Saviour—we just want to pray that you will truly accept Him gladly as your Saviour and rejoice.

Closing Prayer

Let’s pray, shall we?

Our Father, we just want to thank Thee and praise Thee once again this evening for the message of the gospel that has been given out. We continue to thank Thee, O God, that when we look at the words of Scripture, there’s so much that we are being informed concerning this Person called Jesus.

And Father, even as the Lord Jesus Christ asked His disciples, “Who do you say I am?” Father, we pray, O God, that those here who have not trusted in Thy Son as their own personal Lord and Saviour, they would really take home with them this question—that this question would cause them to think about their sinful condition, and that only by trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ will they receive the forgiveness of sins and eternal life.

For those of us who have trusted in our Lord Jesus Christ, we thank Thee, O God, that we can sing so many beautiful titles of Him just now, and we could continue to marvel in the wondrous Person of Thy Son.

And so, Father, we want to thank Thee once again for the privilege to share the Word of God this evening in the gospel. We ask, O God, that Thou will bring us back home in safety as we leave this place, and continue to help us to have conversations one with another concerning Thy Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray, amen.