Seeking the Lord's help, I direct
your prayerful attention to the chapter we read, Colossians chapter
three, and reading for our text part of verse one. Colossians chapter three, verse
one. If ye then be risen with Christ. The whole verse reads, if ye
then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above,
where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. And then what follows throughout
this chapter. In the previous chapter, the
apostle has said before the Colossians, great blessing that they have
had of being receiving the things of the Lord Jesus Christ, in
verse 6, as ye have therefore received Christ Jesus, the Lord,
and he exhorts there, so walk ye in him. And then he goes on
to speak of how that they were, in verse 12, buried with him,
in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith
of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. And he speaks of them being identified
with Christ's death, but also with his resurrection. And in view of that, in view
of the life that they have through the Lord Jesus Christ, there
is to be a way that they should walk. It didn't come automatically
that just because they'd got spiritual life through our Lord
that then they would automatically just do and walk in the ways
that were acceptable and right. They needed to be exhorted and
taught the way that they should go. They weren't to expect either
that they'd have no opposition, especially from their old nature,
and that he addresses as well. So, the word of our text, he
says to these Colossians, and he says to us, if ye then be
risen with Christ, If that is the case, then there are exhortations
I have to make to you. There are things that I need
to say to you. And those are what he goes on
throughout this chapter and speaks to them on. So I want to look
with the Lord's help firstly of this, if he then be risen
with Christ, what is it to be risen with Christ? And then secondly, the need of
exhortation to those risen with Christ. And then thirdly, the
exhortations to those risen with Christ that are in this chapter
here, seven of them that are clearly set forth and each can
be summarised in just one or two words in each section of
this letter. It's a practical word but it
is a word that should be of great encouragement to us to get a
realistic view of those that are safe So we don't have a false
expectation or be discouraged when we have those things that
are known and felt within that are so different than what really
is holy and good and Christ-like and can make those that are truly
risen with Christ to feel, well, maybe I'm not. Maybe I'm not
one of the Lord's people at all. It's one of those portions The
Lord may use, and I pray he may, to show those who are the subject
of Christ's work that they indeed are, and that they are encompassed
in this letter to the Colossians, a letter to those that are described
in the second verse in the opening chapter, the saints and faithful
brethren in Christ. which are at Colossae. So firstly
then, what is it to be risen with Christ? Well, there is obviously
not a literal thinking in Christ's day when our Lord died and was
buried. Even the thieves that died at
the same time, or just after, when they were buried, they did
not rise again with Christ. We do read that when the Lord
died, that there was a great earthquake, and that many that
were dead, they, when came out of their graves after the resurrection
and appeared unto many in the city, we do read of that. But
this is not pointing to a literal risen with Christ in that way,
not picturing the last day when the Lord shall ascend with power
and great glory, and the dead in Christ shall rise first, when
there shall be all of the, those that are asleep in Christ, they
shall all rise at once in the same time, bodily resurrection
given a new body, an incorruptible body. It is not speaking of all
of that happening at that one time when Christ rose from the
dead. Well, we were certainly not alive
at that time, not dead in a literal way to be raised at that time. And certainly these Colossians
weren't either, but he, the Apostle Paul is saying of these Colossians
that they were risen with Christ. What does he mean? What is he
pointing back that happened when the Lord Jesus Christ rose again
from the dead? Well, we often make it very clear
that there is only one place and at one time and through one
means that sin was put away. Sin was put away by the sacrifice
of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ at Calvary. There He bore
our sins in His body on the tree. Sins of the people of God that
had lived thousands of years before Christ came, and those
who lived, as we do, thousands of years after He came, the sins
of all of the people of God were laid on him there. God knowing
the sins that were committed, would be committed, every sin
he hath laid on him, we read in Isaiah 53, the iniquity of
us all. In Isaiah 26, the picture of
the pots of different quantities, some large, some small, For all
sins, or in Daniel, he shall be cut off. Messiah shall be
cut off, but not for himself. He laid down his life, a ransom
for his people. It was a paying the debt. It
was a providing of that blood that was to be required. Without the shedding of blood,
there is no remission. It was a settling of the debt
that was paid. And so with that, all of that
happened when Christ died. So what does it then signify
when Christ rose from the dead? We read that he had given assurance
unto all men in that he hath raised him from the dead. And that assurance is that that
debt is paid. So death could not hold our Lord. The grave could not hold Him. He must rise from that grave. And the same is for all the people
of God. Their debt was charged upon Christ
and He paid that in His death. So in His rising, It is through
His rising that the people of God are justified, or in a legal
sense, counted free from debt. God declaring that the payment
is made, is satisfied, is written off, and it is that which ensures
that in every one of His people's time and way, when they are born
into this world and during the time of grace, the time that
they are here below, they shall rise from being spiritually dead
to spiritual life. By nature we are dead in trespasses
and sins, but we read that the Lord I pass by thee when thou
wast in my blood and when thou wast in my blood I bid thee live. And the reason why Those of God's
children live is because Christ lives. Because I live, ye shall
live also. Because Christ rose, his people
shall rise. They shall rise at the resurrection
of the dead. They shall rise first in a spiritual
way, from being dead in sin to being alive unto God, in the
way that is set forth in our text. risen with Christ. He's speaking of these Galatians
as being risen with Christ, and now they have a life that is
set before them, a new life, new creatures in Christ. Those that once were dead and
now are alive. Once as dead, they knew nothing
of the things spiritually. They didn't have Hearing ears,
that which we read of at the end of every letter to the churches
in the Revelation. He that hath an ear, let him
hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. Those that have
an ear are those that are risen with Christ and He's given them
a hearing ear. Mine ear hast thou opened. They're capable of receiving
instruction, teaching, exhortation, guidance, the desire that the
Apostle Paul had when the Lord met with him on the Damascus
Road. Lord, what wilt thou have me
to do? And he was ready to hear. He
did hear the Lord's instruction, the Lord's direction, but he
needed life first. Without life, he couldn't hear.
If we have someone that's asleep, they can't hear. We need to wake
them first. If someone is in a coma, then
very often they cannot hear. Sometimes they can in a subconscious
way. But we need life first. And that is what is bound up
with Christ. And what the apostle is so clearly
setting forth, if a soul has been given spiritual life, if
they have a spiritual ear, my sheep, they hear my voice, it
is because they have risen with Christ. It's not something just
done in their lifetime, it is in their experience, it is in
how they feel it and how it affects them, But the same as the sins
were dealt with and put away at Calvary, so their life was
given them in Christ, even before they are born. And in the Lord's
time and set way, he bids them live. He comes, as it were, to
their grave, like he did with the Lazarus, and he calls them
forth out of their graves. He bids them live. And these
Colossians, the Apostle were saying, you are risen with Christ. It is really the same thing as
the new birth, you must be born again. It's the same thing as
conversion, except you become converted and become as little
children, you cannot see the kingdom of God. It's the same
thing as regeneration, regenerated by the Spirit of God. It's the
same thing as being made new creatures in Christ. All things
passed away, all things become new. It is the same thing as
what the Apostle knew, as what countless millions of the people
of God have known, that change. the change that God has wrought
in their lives. Our hymn writers, John Newton,
what a remarkable change from a slave trader to one that can
pen some of our most beautiful hymns. Those that know, I personally
experience what it is to be a changed person. converted person, a saved
person, one of the sheep of God that now hears and follows the
Lord. The apostle is not bringing the
if in here to doubt their conversion. We mentioned before how that
he addresses them as the saints and faithful brethren in Christ,
and he gives thanks for them. He says, since we heard of your
faith in Christ Jesus and the love which he have to all the
saints. There's two other evidences of
that being risen with Christ, to have faith in him. They have
love to the saints. We know that we have passed from
death unto life because we love the brethren. These things he
was not in doubt of at all. But there is that then which
follows on from those that are risen with Christ, those that
are converted. He has a word to them. He has
a message to them. He speaks to them. because they
are alive and they are capable of hearing and listening and
understanding what he is saying to them and they want to do and
want to follow what his advice is. And I hope that is the case
with us. That we may say that, like John
Newton said, that he once was dead but now he's alive. I once
was blind but now I see. They contrast between what we
once were and what we are now. And here the Apostle traces it
all back to a risen Christ, a living Savior, an advocate with the
Father, one appearing in the presence of God for us, one who
has, by his own last will and testament, willed that his people
should have life. I give unto them eternal life. They shall never perish, neither
shall any man pluck them out of mine hand." I'll be very clear,
the work of regeneration, the work of quickening into life
and being born again, is an instantaneous work of God. It is God's work
alone. He gives life and He gives faith
at the same time. And it is perfect, it is not
wanting of anything, the new man of grace is perfect and is
pure. Often like the Psalm 110, how
that the Lord is said there, thy people shall be willing in
the day of thy power. In the beauties of holiness from
the womb of the morning thou hast the dew of thy youth. right
from the very start when the Lord works in His people. You think of the morning, when
the night has been, has been all the dark night, and then
it restarts from the morning, you start to get the light coming
in, and that morning is starting to dawn. Right from that time
with the spiritual life of the people of God, there is a beauty
of holiness. There is the mark that this is
God's work, not man's work. This is pure from heaven. This
is the Spirit's work, the Holy Spirit's work. And thou hast
the dew of thy youth. And very often those that are
first quickened are the most tender, most teachable, and living
close to the Lord. even those being long in the
way sometimes. They're made tender. They have something they've never
had before. They have a life that they never
had before. They see what they've never seen
before. They start hearing what they've never heard before. And
they say, Preacher, you never told us that. I never knew that
was in my Bible. I never knew those hymns before.
We think of one of our members now in glory, Mrs. Jealous. And
she said when the Lord began with her, she said, I had a new
Bible and a new hymn book. They were the same, but the way
that she viewed them, what she saw in them was very, very different. But then when that life is given,
that instantaneous life, then it is the Lord begins to teach
his people. Remember when the Lord brought
his typical people out of Egypt. He brought them out with a high
hand. They didn't have any hand in
that, did they? They couldn't further it about. Nine great trials in Egypt, that
didn't bring them out. It was the Lord that instituted
the Passover. He brought it out. And they were
thrust out. How did they, what hand did they
have in that? What hand did they have in bringing
themselves through the Red Sea? Nothing, the Lord worked that.
It was all a miracle. God's people are miracles of
grace. Not unto us, not unto us, but
unto thy name give glory. And then what did the Lord do
when he brought the children of Israel into wilderness? He
brought them to Sinai. He brought them and He gave them
laws and good laws. And He showed them His perfection. And He showed them things that
they themselves could never fulfill, but it magnified what the Lord
was, a holy and a great God. They broke the laws, the tables
were broken, but the Lord wrote them again and they were put
in the ark. He was to keep the law for them.
And you know many of these epistles, Ephesians, the apostle is telling
believers what they have. He's telling them what has been
done in them. He told the Ephesians that the
same power that was wrought in them that believed was the same
power that wrought Christ up from the dead. This is what is
put forth here. Never think it's a small thing.
or not a powerful thing or not a miracle that raises up a sinner
from the dead, because the Apostle is very, very clear with this,
with the Ephesians. And he says to them in that first
chapter, that the eyes of your understanding being enlightened,
you may know what is the hope of his calling, what the riches
of the glory of his inheritance in the saints. and what is exceeding
greatness of his power to us for to believe according to the
working of his mighty power which he wrought in Christ when he
raised him from the dead and set him at his own right hand
in the heavenly places. This is the rising with Christ. This is the power that is put
forth to make a believer and to cause that they be new creatures
in Christ. is not a small thing, it's a
great thing, it's a miracle of grace. But we do not expect,
when those that are so quickened, and so made alive, that immediately
they automatically walk in every way that is right, do right things,
say right things, act in a right way, no. They're given a hearing
ear, a teachable spirit, and then they need to be instructed.
And this is what is set before us here. So, let us keep in view
first what it is to be risen with Christ, and not mar it by
saying, yes, but you've got to have this, or you've got to have
that, and you've got to understand this, and you've got to be able
to say that. No. That life stands on its own. That comes from heaven. What
God had done for his people and they're united with Christ is
a most powerful work. But then I want to look secondly,
the need of exhortation to those risen with Christ. This is a passage of exhortation. It is not exhorting those that
are dead to make themselves alive. It's not exhorting one to run
that hasn't got legs to run. It is setting before those that
are a people, as we read in Psalm 110, willing in the day of God's
power. They want to be taught. They
are willing to be taught. They want to know the Lord's
way like Paul wanted to know. They're not perfect. They still
have a body of death. They still have an old nature. And really, for the first time
in their lives, they know they've got an old nature. And they feel
its power. And they feel how it strives
against them. And they feel how much it acts
within and how much it walks works within and opposes what
they want to do. The good that I would, says the
Apostle, I do not. The evil that I would not, that
I do. A wretched man that I am, who
shall deliver me from this body of death? That's a language of
one that is risen with Christ, not one that's dead in sin. And so maybe really realise this,
that God's children need instruction, they need guiding, they need
shepherding, they need teaching. And a large part of the Word
of God, a large part of the letters that are sent to the churches,
was the Corinthian church a perfect church? No, it wasn't. Those
churches that are in the Revelation, are they perfect? No. Many things
were written against them. Only two churches, there was
nothing said against them. The others were being reproved.
corrected, warned. And this is what the Lord does
for his people. It doesn't mean that they are
not his people, that they need such teaching and instruction. It is because they are that the
Lord gives them that, that he doesn't just left them. A child
left to itself bringeth his parent or his mother to shame. The Lord
doesn't leave his people to themselves. You read in Hebrews 12 that he
correcteth every son whom he receiveth. And here is the apostle
saying with the Colossians, if ye then be risen with Christ,
there is a way that is to be set before you, there's an exhortations
that are set before you. And I want to look at these then
in our third point, remembering that these are exhortations to
those risen with Christ, and it also gives us, we look at
these points, it gives pictures of what is with a child of God
at the same time as they're truly a child of God, the things that
are going on within, the opposition that they have, it gives a true
picture, it doesn't picture one as being perfect and sinless
and spotless, no, far from it, It pictures those who have a
new nature that loves to do what the Lord would have them to do,
but an old nature that is so much a part of them. It is them. It's their body that they have. And the apostle says, a body
of death. But the great difference is,
instead of that body of death dictating what we do and what
we say and what we think, It is the Spirit of the Lord, the
new nature, that dictates and doesn't let the old nature have
its way. But there is a conflict, and
there have been many times that Child of God falls and does exactly
what the Apostle says, the good that I would, I do not, and the
evil that I would not, that I do. But he said, if I do that which
I would not, There's no more I that do it, but sin that dwells
in me." And maybe be very clear on this. Sometimes we may feel
so down and discouraged and we think, I never shall be right. I shall never gain the mastery
over my old nature. These sins shall always be with
me. Yes, they will. But what the Lord sees, He sees
the struggles and he sees the resistance. And we read in Hebrews
12, you have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against
sin. It gives some picture, doesn't
it? Of how much sin is within us, and how much a child of God's
path is to strive against that sin. Instead of just bowing before
it, and just capitulating and just going along with all that
he's saying and all that he's doing, as if we are a servant
to sin. No, you were the servants of
sin, but now you're servants to righteousness. So let us look
then at the advice, the exhortations that are set before us here.
The first one is in verse one, where our text is. And it's just
this word, seek. Seek. If ye then be risen with Christ,
seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right
hand of God. The Lord has so ordered it that
when he rose from the dead, appeared 40 days to his disciples and
to the witnesses, that then he ascended up into heaven. not to look to any country or
any place on earth, no pilgrimages. In the end, the Lord says, I
will that they whom thou hast given me be with me where I am. And we are directed, while we
are here below, to seek those things that are above. And we're
told here, where Christ sitteth. That's what we're to seek. to
seek it by prayer, to seek it through the ministry, seek it
in the reading, in our meditation, in our affections. That's what
we are to seek. Again, it implies this, it's
not automatically there. If you've lost something, if
you don't know where something is, then you've got to seek it. And if you want to enjoy something,
then you're to seek after that. If we are to enjoy those things
which are above, our conversation, our citizenship above, then those
are the things that we are to seek. The second word is that
found in verse 2, and it comes as verse 2 and 3, and again is
one word, set. Set. If we set something, it's fixing
it, it's making it immovable, making it so that it's not easily
turned about to something else. Set your affection on things
above, not on things on the earth. You think of our affections.
The hymn writer says, affections wild by sin defiled, of carry
me away. And the apostle says to those that
have this new nature, set your affections on things above, not
on things on the earth, for ye are dead and your life is hid
with Christ in God. Ye are risen, ye are alive, spiritually
alive. So set your affection there. One word, set, but may it remain
with us. Then we have in verses five and
seven, and of course in verse four, we have a further following
on there, when Christ who is our life shall appear, then shall
we appear with him in glory. This is the setting of our affection,
it binds all those three verses together. But then in the third
place, there's this word, mortify. One word. There's so much that
can be remembered, so much direction, in that one word, mortify. Mortify therefore your members
which are upon the earth. I think I've used illustrations
before. are mortified over something,
then we're really ashamed that we haven't got our own way. That
we've had to do something that we did not want to do. We had
to go a contrary way. And so the picture is here, we
have members that are upon earth. We have our old nature, our corrupt,
unholy, vile nature that wants to, with our thoughts, if not
in actual deeds, commit fornication, uncleanness, have inordinate
affections, evil concupiscence or evil sexual desires, covetousness,
which is idolatry. Those things are in our members,
in the members of God's children, in the members of those that
are born again, those things are working and going on and
rising up and trying to get their own way. Job, he says, I have
made a covenant with mine eyes, why then should I think upon
a maid? He knew what it was. And the
exhortation then is, mortify your members. Don't let them
have the upper hand. Don't let them have their own
say. Drive them, as it were, or bring
them, kicking and screaming, to the throne of grace or to
the word of God or to your knees. But don't allow them to have
their say and their will and to do what they want you to do. And this is what he's directing
them. If ye be risen to Christ, The
path that is set before you is not a smooth, easy path at all. It's a path of constant opposition
from an enemy within, your own body, your own flesh. And Paul
speaks of it as this body of death, as it were, and he's carrying
it around with him all the time. This word mortified then, and
this exultation, is followed with some reasons or things to
help us to do it, to want to do it. He says in verse six,
for which things sake the wrath of God cometh on the children
of disobedience. Sometimes Satan can say, well,
you're born again. You won't be punished for this.
You're safe. Let us sin that grace might abound. The apostle says, it's for these
things' sake the wrath of God comes. You don't walk in that.
And then he reminds them, which he also walked sometime when
he lived in them. They once openly walked and lived
in these ways. Maybe they were still in the
habit of it. Maybe those things still. were
liable to entrap them because they'd been used to doing them
before and used to thinking and meditating and going in that
way. So the word is mortifying. It's
followed up with the verses that follow. Then there's another
exaltation. In the fourth place, it's a putting
off. A putting off. like we would
put off our clothing, something that we could, that we are wearing,
and we put it off, we take it off. And so we have this in verse
8. But now you also put off all
these. Anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy,
filthy communication out of your mouth, not lying one to another,
seeing you put off the old man with his deeds, put on the new
man which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created
him. All those things that are to
be put off, that are belonging to the old life, the old nature. Just in the picture, like we
may have been working out in the God and some of you, when
you've gone to an evening service, and you might have been working,
you've got your overalls, and maybe filthy and dirty, and you
put off those things. And then you'd expect it, which
is the next one here, the fifth place, to put on. You're not
naked, not left with nothing. So then you put on your suit
and tie, you put on your clothes to go to the house of God, and
to appear in the house of God. So in verse 12, we have there,
put on, it's spoken of in verse 10 as well, but in verse 12,
put on therefore, as the elect of God, he is introducing another
aspect for these that are risen with Christ, these new creatures,
they're elect. God's elected them. The mark
of election is calling. And he says, put on these things,
holy and beloved, bowels of mercy, kindness, humbleness of mind,
meekness, long-suffering. But you say, Apostle, these are
converted, aren't they? Aren't they automatically merciful
and kind and humble? No. They need to be instructed
for that. They need to be taught. That's
why it's here. Forbearing one another, don't
we automatically do that? No. Forgiving one another, wouldn't
we automatically do that? No. If any man have a quarrel
against any, even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. Above all these, put on, verse
14, charity, which is the bond of perfectness. Practical love,
a real sincere love, not superficial. What a picture, a putting off
and a putting on. And then we have in the sixth
place, and in verse 15 through 16, a let, let. and let the peace of God rule
in your hearts. What is let? Let it happen. You know, when our Lord wanted
to wash Peter's feet, Peter wouldn't let him. He said, thou shalt
never wash my feet. And then the Lord said, if I
wash thee not, thou has no part in me. Then Peter said, not my
feet only, but my head and my hands. But the Lord said, no,
it's only his feet, it's his walk. That was the important
thing that needed to be washed. If one is washed in feet, then
is he whole, clean. But then Peter suffered him,
he let him. And sometimes, you know, We can
have the peace of God come. We can have sweet meditation
on the things of God. We can be thankful. And then other things come in.
And as it were, we ourselves don't let us go down that track. We hinder it. We stop it. We resist that spirit and those
blessings of God. But the Apostle says, no, let
it be so. Suffer it to be so. Don't resist
the Spirit. Verse 16, let the word of Christ
dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one
another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. Sing with grace
in your hearts to the Lord. You think, surely those that
are quickened and risen with Christ and called by grace, they're
not going to be pushing away the grace and the blessings and
the spirit of truth, are they? They're exhorted here in a way
that, yes, they could very well do that. Very well quench the
spirit. Very well, instead of going along
that way. Think, oh, the Lord softened
my heart, drawn me to the Word of God, and I haven't felt this
for a long while. I really would love to sit down,
but oh, look at the time, and I've got to do this, and I've
got to do that, and Martha, like, we become so cumbered that we
can't sit at the feet and hear the Lord. and the advice here, the exhortation,
let these things, let the blessed things of the Spirit and the
Word of God dwell richly in us. And then lastly, it's encompassed
in the Word of 17, really flows through to the end of the chapter,
whatsoever you do. And that's, then there's all
the advice regarding wives and husbands, Father's servants,
and then in verse 23 again, whatsoever ye do, do it heartily as to the
Lord and not unto men. So whatsoever ye do in word or
deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to
God and the Father by Him. I once puzzled and I thought,
you know, with the people of God, one of the greatest enemies
is our pride. But when we're doing our work,
when we're doing things, whether you're doing things for your
parents or doing things in the home, if you found someone that,
speaking in the way the world would speak, that didn't take
any pride in their work, you say, that's a bad thing, because
they're just shoddy, they don't care, they don't do it properly,
anything will matter. We need to take pride in our
work. But when we put it as this way, that whatsoever you do,
you do all in the name of the Lord, working as to the Lord
and not to men. If we were told, well, the king
is going to come round to tea, he's going to come round to our
house, you'd look round and you'd think, well, I'd better tidy
some things up, I'd better make it look very nice, and you did
your best to do it, but then you looked at it all and you
think, That's still not very good. I've done my best, but
it's not really that good. What about if we're working for
the King of Kings and Lord of Lords? Shall not we say is what
we are bidden to say? We've only done that which was
our duty to do. We are unprofitable servants. And yet what we have done, we've
done what we could. And so here, whatsoever you do,
and we think of all of our lives, whether we're young, whether
we're still at home with the parents, whether we're working,
whether we're a husband, a wife, or a servant, or children, obey
your parents in all things. Whatsoever you do, you're doing
in the name of the Lord. you're doing it heartily as to
the Lord and not unto men. And so it's a very practical
chapter, but it's a chapter that speaks and shows the reality
of what a warfare, what different things are going on in the heart
of the people of God, the true people of God, and how needful
it is that through the word He are clean through the word that
I have spoken unto you. The washing of water by the word,
this is what is here. And it's a blessed thing if we
receive the word, we acknowledge and feel all of those things
that we are to mortify and to put right through the word. And
we seek by God's grace and help so to do it. and to realise the
blessedness of being risen with Christ. May it be that through
the word this evening that some of you realise that yes, I've
been trying to aim for perfection. I thought God's children were
perfect, that they never had this old nature, that they never
needed to be exhorted like this. But now I see that that is not
the case. The Lord has begun with me. He
has quickened me. He has given me a hearing ear.
It may have been encouragement to set the seal that these Colossians
and you are not so much different. And what is beautifully said
of them may be said of you as well. Those that are faithful
in Christ Jesus, those who have been quickened into life and
risen again with our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.