TPW 46 Why We Need a Benediction

When I pronounce the Lord's blessing over you, it is rather the declaration of something that God Specifically told his ministers. I want this pronounced by you over the gathered people. In corporate worship.

I want this to be pronounced. I want these words exactly as I've given them to you to be pronounced over them. Welcome to the Protestant Witness. This is Pastor Patrick Hines here at Birtwell Heights Presbyterian Church in Kingsport, Tennessee.

And today I'd like to upload the sermon I preached this past Sunday morning was on Benedictions. Why do reformed churches do benedictions at the end of worship services? I've noticed that a lot of folks aren't quite sure what to do when you come to the benediction.

In fact, I myself wasn't really sure what to do the first time I started attending reformed churches. I was not raised in reformed churches and.

You're.

Inclined to think that benedictions are prayers, but they're really not they're simply the pronouncement of blessings from God's Word over the gathered people of God and There's a lot that goes into These benedictions and there's a lot of theology behind them.

So I hope that you understand this and be edified by it. Pray together for the Lord's blessing on our time in his word. Now, please Father in heaven we do thank you for gathering us here together. It's our great privilege to be in the house of God together with the people of God to listen from your holy word.

The words that you have breathed forth for our edification for our instruction. We pray that we would receive their truths with faith and love lay them up in our hearts and practice them in our lives.

We ask in Christ's name. Amen. Please take your Bibles and turn to Numbers chapter 6. They're in the Old Testament doing a one-week a detour on this communion Sunday. Numbers chapter 6 verses 22 through 27 is our sermon text for this morning.

Numbers chapter 6 verses 22 through 27 and this morning's message is going to be on the topic of what is a benediction? And why do we do them in our worship services? Numbers chapter 6 verses 22 through 27.

This is God's Word. Then the Lord spoke to Moses. Saying speak to Aaron and to his sons saying thus you shall bless the sons of Israel. You shall say to them the Lord blessed you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you.

The Lord lift up his countenance on you and give you peace. So they shall invoke my name on the sons of Israel and then I will bless them. May God bless the reading of his infallible Word. At the end of most services that are part of the Reformation tradition of the Christian Church.

There is an item at the end of the bulletin that simply says Benediction and this morning's message is going to explain three things to you. What is a benediction number one number two. Why do we need benedictions from God and finally the continuity of?

Benedictions from the Old Testament into the New Testament and you'll see those are the three points in your outline there in your bulletin. I've also included some thoughts for Sabbath meditation and discussion.

I would encourage you to go through those with friends or family this afternoon. But number one this morning. What is a benediction? What is a benediction? Noah Webster's 1828 English Dictionary defines the word benediction as the act of blessing a giving praise to God or rendering thanks for his favors a blessing Pronounced.

This is a perfect description of the pronounced blessings that we find throughout Scripture. Today, we don't think much about having the blessing of a parent or of someone in power. But during biblical times the concept of blessing or of a good word Pronounced over you by important people was much much deeper than it is today.

There are several Paternal fatherly blessings given by fathers to children in the book of Genesis. You may recall how Jacob stole Esau's blessing and you remember how upset Esau was about that how he wept bitterly.

And said Lord my father. Do you not have a blessing for me? Oh my father, please. For the longest time. I wondered what what's the big deal? It's not like it's not like Jacob left or his Isaac left Jacob the family camel or a car or something or that he missed Out on something important.

It was just a word from the dad. But Esau was bitterly upset about it. You see to them. It really was important to have the countenance lifted of people who were important to them. Noah pronounced blessings over his two sons and the patriarchs did the same thing with their sons.

But the benedictions or the blessings from God which concern us the most for the purpose of this morning sermon are the ones that are used in corporate worship. The primary one was recorded in Scripture.

Which is the one that I normally use and pronounce it was the one that I memorized for my my first ordination Service. It was the only part of the service that I was doing and I thought I better not mess this up.

I better memorize this and get it right. The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face Shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. And verse 27 says.

So they shall put my name on the children of Israel and I will bless them. Now what could be more comforting words? From God to a broken sinner than those Through a called and ordained servant of God's Word.

These words are declared to the gathered people of God. And notice that it is not May the Lord bless you. It is rather a statement of fact. The Lord bless you and keep you all who by repentance unto life and faith in Jesus Christ Stand reconciled to God may take those words to be their very own as God's words Directly to them as an individual sinner Redeemed by Christ and bought by his blood Through those words pronounced by a duly appointed minister of God.

God's name is put upon the gathered people. God continues to want his gracious name Put upon his people and he wants the gracious love and favor of his son that was purchased by his bitter crosswork to be pronounced by Servants of the Word of God over his gathered people.

God still wants us to do that. An important point to remember is that benedictions are not prayers. Benedictions are not prayers. The use of a benediction toward the end of the service has very much fallen out of use in many American Protestant churches in our day.

Most services conclude with prayer instead and because of this many who are not used to churches that do Benedictions will bow their heads when they hear the minister say now receive the Lord's blessing because they assume that it's a prayer.

Now you're welcome to bow your head if you'd like, but I just for the sake of Instruction, I'm not praying. When I pronounce the Lord's blessing over you it is rather the declaration of something that God Specifically told his ministers.

I want this pronounced by you over the gathered people in Corporate worship. I want this to be pronounced. I want these words exactly as I've given them to you to be pronounced over them. I'm sure some of you have noticed some people hold out their hands palms facing forward while the benediction is pronounced with their eyes Locked right in on me.

Now. Some people are not comfortable with holding out their hands. It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. You don't have to do that in any way shape or form. But people do that to reflect the stance of their heart.

They are Receiving something directly from the mouth of God to them. The very words of God's blessing being pronounced over them from the text of God's Word now. You're not required to do anything in particular when a benediction is pronounced.

But remember what a biblical benediction is it is the pronouncement of a blessing from the Word of God over God's people gathered in corporate worship and so a benediction pronounced by a minister is not a prayer is the giving of a gift from God a Promise and a blessing from God's own mouth to the gathered worshipers.

All who know true repentance and saving faith are the ones who receive that blessing as true in their hearts. Now secondly, why do we need benedictions? Why do we need the pronouncement of blessings from God?

When it comes to the final verdict of God toward human beings, it may be summed up as follows blessing or curse. Every human being on earth Blessing or curse. Am I a blessed person or am I a cursed? Person in his parable the sheep and the goats.

The Lord Jesus divides Humanity up into those two basic categories the sheep and the goats. I'm Matthew 25 34 then the king will say to those on his right hand. Come you blessed of my father and Then to those on his left.

He says to the goats depart from me you cursed ones. The theme of blessing and curse from God toward every individual human being is prominent throughout the entire Bible. When mankind fell into sin through the sin of Adam in the Garden of Eden God pronounced curses Upon the world and upon us.

So the Lord God said to the serpent because you have done this you are Cursed. And verse 17 then to Adam. He said curse is the ground for your sake and toil. You shall eat of it all the days of your life with thorns and thistles.

It shall bring forth for you and you shall eat the herb of the field and eventually Adam. You're gonna return to the dust from which you were taken. You are going to die now. The result of our disobedience to God is the curse of God.

Adam and Eve were created in the light of God's shining countenance face and blessing. But when the rebellion took place We are now in the realm of the cursed all human beings conceived and born since Adam fell are no longer blessed.

But cursed and this is why the world that we live in has so much pain and sorrow in it. We inflict pain and sorrow on ourselves and on others because we are sinful. Because we no longer reflect the glory and the character of God.

We are now the objects of God's curse. That's specific Hebrew word for cursed has a very interesting pronunciation the Hebrew word for cursed is our are.

Our are.

It means to bind with a curse in other words to ban or exclude from enjoying something. That same verb our are is used in verse 14. Towards the serpent in verse 17 towards the ground which Adam would have to toil in.

Adam will now be banned. He's banned from enjoying the productivity of the ground. He will have to labor toil sweat and get stuck with thorns and thistles and eventually die and turn back into dust. And the ultimate result of sin was simply this saddest verses in Scripture Genesis 3 23.

And therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. So he drove out the man and he placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden and a flaming sword which turned every Way to guard the way to the tree of life.

This is the heart of our are. The curse we're now banned excluded from enjoying the comfortable presence of God. What a tragic day that was. Imagine it. God's final act of judgment against Adam and Eve is that he drives them out of the garden and places a fearsome Angel at the east of the garden with a sword in his hand.

You see God not man was the first one to ever fashion a weapon of death. God made the first sword why to use against us if need be. That sword was meant to guard the tree of life from the new rebels. Mankind from these cursed rebels who are driven away banned excluded by bound with a curse.

Look around you folks. Welcome to the realm of the cursed ones. We've lived outside the comfortable presence in the garden of Eden ever since all of us were born into the world of the curse the dying the diseased.

The lost.

This is where we all live now. Why do we try to take a brief walk in the evening in our own backyards to enjoy a quiet moment? But we can't because we feel 15 little needles being stuck into our legs by mosquitoes.

Why do we work on things around our houses and then show up to church with band-aids on our fingers sore back sunburns weary bones. Why are a substantial number of people here and at home with sore throats coughs congestion aches pains?

Why do we have to wear sunglasses to protect our eyes from being blinded more quickly by the Sun? Because we live in the domain of the curse. But the world we live in and we ourselves went from blessed to cursed when Adam sinned.

There's a DVD I got Years ago because we were made to watch it when I was in seminary just moving story put out by new tribes missions. And the team of missionaries went to a very small island in Papua New Guinea where a group of people called the Tali Abbo lived and one of those poor people was an elderly woman who was a leper and She lived a couple miles away from the village and the only possession that this woman owned was a tree bark torso covering.

Her feet and her fingers were mangled. She crawled around on the ground because she could not walk that been mangled by the leprosy. People from the village would bring her food once in a while. So she wouldn't die, but she lived for the most part alone and in complete isolation from other human beings when she heard.

That missionaries were there. Delivering a special message to them. She dictated a letter to a young boy that brought her food and her questions were profound. This is a tribe that has had no contact with the outside world.

Here are her exact words as she told that boy to ask those missionaries quote. How this world was formed we do not know. Who was it that planted this food for us that when we eat it, but we still die.

We live with too much grief. We wait for you to explain the story of this world. We do not know why we live. We do not know why we die. Why are we so cursed?

Isn't that amazing?

You almost hear the echo of Adam and Eve outside of the garden and their children and children's children. It's been forgotten what happened and she wants to know why are things like this? Why am I like this?

Why do we die? Why are we cursed? And Tali Abu people as a whole however was not seeking God even when the missionaries got there they were not seeking God. They were only interested in finding a way to live forever.

They knew there was something wrong with death. Something wrong with the way they felt in their souls. But when those missionaries Learned their language and explained the law of God to them that God is the judge of all mankind and that God sees everything at all times the Holy Spirit of God began to move in the hearts of those people and Those people including that leprous woman started to become very nervous.

You see people went out and carried her to the meeting so she could listen. She became nervous thinking the God that made us actually knows what we think about. He knows everything we do. In fact, some of the tribal people began to approach the missionaries privately confessing to their lying.

Their adulteries their stealing and even their murders. And they told the missionaries that they were afraid of going to hell. But when the missionaries finally got to the story of the gospel in the video, you can see their faces.

You can see the relief coming over them. This was the answer God sent a Savior to secure Blessing for those of us who are cursed for repentant sinners. An answer to her most profound question Why are we so cursed.

She saw that she was cursed because of her own sinful evil heart. Out of which preceded evil thoughts and murders adulteries fornications thefts false witness blasphemies. We aren't cursed because of outside influences folks.

We're cursed because of what's in our hearts. We're cursed because we're evil. I'm not a good person and neither are you a scripture indicts us all. Romans 310. There is none righteous. No, not even one.

And it was fascinating to hear those missionaries quote that very verse. To those tribal people in their own language and to see them Doing a double-take. None of us are righteous. No, none of you are and you're all justly under the condemnation of the God that created you.

But now we have good news for you. He has sent a Redeemer to take that curse away so that you're no longer going to be the cursed ones. But the blessed ones and it was an amazing video to watch those tribal people gathering together all their objects of worship and there are cultic talismans and everything else and they burned them on a rock on the river and Some of their shamans became ministers and started writing hymns to Christ that those people started singing.

It's an amazing amazing story. What all people must know and recognize is that one day in the future? There will be a resurrection and a summoning forth to appear before God as a judge. On that day God as the judge of all the earth will make a pronouncement.

Concerning each and every individual human being who has ever and will ever lived in the history of mankind. Every single person will have a judgment pronounced by God over them and that pronouncement will be either blessing or cursed justified or condemned saved or lost.

Blessed or cursed. God will make that final pronouncement upon us and our destiny will be sealed for time and eternity. But all of us must recognize is that the curse of God is what all of us justly deserve.

And if we are offended by that if we're offended by that then we simply have not considered seriously. What a heavy burden our sin is if we don't agree with the verdict of God upon us. That can only mean that we're spiritually blind and deaf.

One of the most important teachings that God has revealed to mankind in scripture is this. God would have done the human race. No injustice at all had he decided to allow all of us to continue in sin and go to hell forever.

God would have done nothing unfair had that been his decision. So often when non-christians hear the exclusive claims of Christ in the gospel their thoughts turn immediately to the people of the world who've never heard of Christ and They immediately cry out that's unfair.

That's unfair. That's unjust. How could God allow all these people to die and go to hell? It just can't be true. The simple response to this objection. However is what is unjust or unfair about God condemning sinners for their sins?

Unbelievers. Alaska, so are you saying that God sends people to hell because they've never heard the name of Jesus. I was asked this question just a few weeks ago. God sends people to hell because they've never heard of Jesus.

I said no. God sends people to hell because they hate him and their sinners. That's why he does and They love their sin and wouldn't be redeemed even if given the opportunity. And so yes, indeed. We live in the realm of the cursed ones, but it is very important for people to understand That we are justly under God's curse justly under God's curse.

There's nothing unfair about it. The curse that we're under is because of real guilt of Adam's sin and also real guilt because of the sins that we ourselves commit. Romans 3 19 is a soul-stirring verse.

Now we know that whatever the law says it says to those who are under the law that every mouth may be stopped and all the world become guilty before God and The picture here is that of God as a judge and the defendant Arising and beginning to open his mouth to try to say something in his defense and God shuts his mouth with his hand.

You have nothing to say. You're guilty before me. Yes. Indeed. The bad news is really bad folks. But it's precisely this that makes the blessing of Cod such a glorious and a wondrous thing and it is only those who fully recognize How bad how evil how wicked they really are who are going to find such unspeakable joy and the blessing of God upon them.

Which comes only through the gospel of Christ? The theologian Francis Turreton Speaks of how men flatter themselves by comparing themselves with other men. He points out that this is the primary reason that men do not see the need of Christ's Justifying righteousness turrets and said the biggest problem we have is we compare ourselves with each other.

That's why men don't long for forgiveness and grace. They compare themselves with each other instead of measuring themselves by the holy righteousness of God. Turreton wrote this. Truly while among men the comparison holds good each one supposes he has what is of some worth and value.

But when we rise to the heavenly tribunal and placed before our eyes that supreme judge by whose brightness the stars are darkened At whose strength the mountains melt by whose anger the earth is shaken whose justice not even the angels are equal to bear.

Whose vengeance when once kindled penetrates even the lowest depths of hell then in an instant the vain confidence of men perishes and falls. And Conscience is compelled to confess that it has nothing upon which it can rely before God.

And so it cries out with David Lord if thou mark iniquity who can stand and elsewhere enter not into judgment with thy servant. Because in thy sight no one living is righteous. Charles Spurgeon said he that maketh lightly of sin shall maketh lightly of the Savior.

Jonathan Edwards in his personal narrative said my wickedness as I am and myself have long appeared to me perfectly unable to be expressed in words and Swallowing up all thought and imagination like an infinite deluge or mountains over my head.

I know not how to express better what my sins appear to me to be than by heaping infinite upon infinite and Multiplying infinite by infinite. Do you feel the brokenheartedness of these great Christian people is What they're talking about part of your own experience.

I hope and pray that it is that poor leprous woman who lived in total darkness. God smiled on her when those missionaries came and she asked that all-important question. Why are we so cursed?

Why are we so cursed?

Why are my fingers and my feet falling off and I live in pain and shame and nobody will come out here to see me. Why am I so cursed like this? Turretin crying out with the psalmist Lord if you track iniquities if you mark iniquities who can stand Edwards lamenting the infinite abyss of evil in his own heart and The weakness of his repentance for it.

If you're thinking something like this folks, please hear me. If you're thinking man. That's just way over the top. Yeah, I get it. Why. Theologians, you know, they are prone to hyperbole and preachers do that kind of stuff, too.

I Would answer that with Anselm of Canterbury in the 1100s who said you have not yet considered what a heavy burden your sin is. If you think that's over the top. You know John Gerstner one of the greatest living Edwards scholars before he died.

He would preach and preach and preach and preach and try the way Edwards did to pull the rug out from under everything. Pull the rug out from under anything anyone could ever trust in so that the only thing they're left with is Christ.

And Standing at the back of his church Gerstner was shaking people's hands as they were leaving and a woman came up to him and said Pastor Gerstner you make me feel about this big when you preach. And he took his glasses off and said ma 'am.

That's entirely too big. Does it make sense that our gracious God would give us through his words in both Testaments words of blessing? You see the only reason sinners come to recognize that they do indeed live in the city of destruction and In the realm of the curse is because of the illumination of the Holy Spirit of God in their lives.

The law of God is used to crush to slay us to remove hope in ourselves entirely. God shows us a glimpse of just how rotten vile and evil we are in order to draw us to find our salvation. And our justification in Christ alone faith in Jesus Christ Thankfully looks away from ourselves to someone else.

Isn't that so encouraging to know. I look away from me away from the source of murder. Adultery envy and everything that's vile in the world. I look away from that to the righteousness of another as my only hope of going to heaven.

You see that's why we need benedictions because we still have to live with ourselves and we still see all the sin. And we see the the wrong motions of our hearts and The fantasies that play out in the darkness of our minds.

Faith looks away from ourselves to Christ. But even once we're united to Christ and saved we we still live with this profound sense of our own sin. It's for this reason that God has graciously laced his word with.

Benedictions.

With pronouncements of blessing the brokenhearted sinner. The person who arrived here for this service today. Disgusted with themselves for this past week. Disgusted with their lack of progress. That person who sees their own weakness and their sin.

So clearly God knows that their sin-weary soul needs to hear something good from him. He knows that his weak and battered children need to hear a good word. Those who see their sins so clearly need to know that God Loves them in Christ.

The Need for Benedictions in Worship and the Curse of Sin

Point number three the continuity of benedictions into the New Testament worship. The reason the Christian Church continued this practice was because mankind's basic situation hasn't changed. We're still cursed in need of blessing and redemption in Christ.

Our troubled hearts still need words of reassurance. The great benefit that we have today However, is that the benedictions of the New Testament are much more explicit in their focus upon the saving work of Christ.

And the fact that we ought to have a benediction as part of our worship services is not something that we deduce from Scripture.

It's explicit.

It's right there. They're all over the place in the New Testament. The New Testament is shot through with these things. Consider just a few of the many New Testament benedictions and remember when God breathed forth these letters those gathered people in all Those different cities and Thessalonica and Rome and Corinth and Philippi and Colossae.

Those people had these blessings read by apostles or ministers over them. God was blessing them. Romans 15 13 now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in Believing that you may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost.

It's not encouraging the person who comes in here. Disgusted that they lost the battle with their besetting sin this week. God's saying I want you to abound in hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15 5 and 6 now the God of patience. Isn't it wonderful to know that God is patient with us? While we're so impatient with each other God is patient of the God of patience and cost consolation. Grant you to be like-minded one toward another according to Christ Jesus that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify God even the father of our Lord Jesus Christ first.

Thessalonians boy that that poor church in Thessalonica. The Apostles had to leave that place after just a handful of sabbath days because of all the rioting and Paul was so worried about Them he was so concerned about them.

He wrote them two letters and he tucked away in that letter. God the Holy Spirit. Comforting these believers first. Thessalonians 3 11 now God himself and our father and our Lord Jesus Christ direct our way unto you and the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another and Toward all men even as we do toward you to the end that he may establish your heart.

Unblameable in holiness before God even our father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints. You think that encouraged some of those people there in Thessalonica that day when it was read and when it was read again and again.

You bet it did. Philippians 4 7 and the peace of God. How many anxious people. Anxious Christian people come into church and their hearts are torn in knots. Their stomachs are upside down because of things going on they have no control over and their hearts are wounding them and they can't think straight.

And the peace of God which passes all. Understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4 20 now unto God and our father be glory forever and ever. Amen. Philippians 4 23 the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.

Jude 24 and 25 now unto him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you faultless before his the presence of His glory with exceeding joy to God who is only wise be glory and majesty dominion and power both now and forever.

Amen. Hebrews 13 20 now the God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus that great shepherd of the sheep through the blood of The everlasting covenant make you perfect and every good work to do his will working in you.

That which is well pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ to whom be glory forever and ever. And. There's more go on. Do you notice that most of those benedictions end with amen? That's one of the reasons it's appropriate for us as a whole congregation in response to the pronounced blessing of God.

To sing amen and we sing it three times in response to that good word that blessing that pronouncement of blessing upon us. There is safety and there's joy in doing exactly what the scripture says to do isn't there and why do the ministers?

Sometimes raise their hand or raise both hands. Leviticus 9 22 then Aaron lifted his hand toward the people and blessed them. Aaron lifted his hand toward the people in order to Bless them to pronounce a good word from God upon the gathered worshipers.

He wasn't praying or interceding for them or in their behalf, but rather as a representative official and spokesperson for the Lord. He declared the blessing of God now at the beginning of the Constitution or the Book of Church Order of my former denomination the Bible Presbyterian Church General Synod and also the PCA's Book of Church Order.

There is a very important statement about the nature of church power that's vital to understand here in every Presbyterian Constitution there is a preliminary principle section. Listen to what it says quote all church power.

Whether exercised by the body general or by representation is only ministerial and declarative. Since the Holy Scriptures are the only rule of faith and practice. No church judicatory may make laws to bind the conscience end.

Quote the only thing ministers and church sessions and courts can do is declare What the Word of God says? They have no inherent Authority. I have no authority no inherent authority except to declare what God has said.

And so when I called an ordained servant of the Word pronounces over you what the scriptures say they are exercising only a Declaration of what God has already said in his word since no matter who they are.

They have no inherent authority to bind anyone's conscience to anything. They say and God has given his ministers many verbal blessings that he wants Pronounced over his people and that's why those blessings are there in Scripture.

God wants them to be spoken by his ministers over the gathered people. And what a wondrous thing that the blessing of God would break into the realm of the cursed like this. Where the gospel of Jesus Christ is not loved obeyed and believed and where sorrow for sin and true repentance from sin are not found.

There you will find the cursed ones there. You'll find that poor leprous woman with her tree bark dress Crawling around wondering why why are we so cursed? That's where you find the lost and the deceived when the Holy Spirit of God breaks through the fallowed ground of our hearts and Brings sinners to their knees by his holiness as he once did Isaiah who said woe is me.

I am undone in that moment in which we see our faults and we see our sins. The sins of our hands our hearts our minds our imaginations and our lips. All we can do is pronounce a curse upon ourselves like Isaiah did woe is me.

And that takes us back to where to the cross. You see the woe the horrible curse Which was to fall upon us sinners on the day of judgment. God the Father laid that curse on Jesus on someone else. That terrible awful judgment, which was justly laid on our account God laid upon Christ in our place.

And when Paul defended the glorious gospel of a free justification By faith alone not by works in any way the Holy Spirit of God breathed forth a statement of pure gospel gold. Galatians 3 13. Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law having become a curse in behalf of us the curse of God against our sins fell upon our substitute our Savior our Sacrificial lamb our curse bearer the Lord Jesus.

And this dear friends is why when our sins accuse us as Christians and we feel the weight of them upon us. We must hark back to this wonderful yet terrifying moment in Earth's history and mark 14 32. Then they came to a place which was named Gethsemane.

And he said to his disciples sit here while I pray. And he took Peter James and John with him and he began to be troubled and deeply distressed. Then he said to them my soul was exceedingly sorrowful even to death.