Luke chapter 23. We come this morning to the 50th verse of this 23rd chapter. We're going to read down to verse 56. Luke chapter 23, verse 50. Now there was a man named Joseph from the Jewish town of Arimathea. He was a member of the council a good and righteous man who had not consented to their decision and action, and he was looking for the kingdom of God. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then he took it down and wrapped it in a linen shroud and laid him in a tomb cut in stone, where no one had ever yet been laid. It was the day of preparation and the Sabbath was beginning. The women who had come with him from Galilee followed and saw the tomb and how his body was laid. Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments. On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment. Let's go to our God together in prayer this morning. Lord, I look out on this congregation of Your people, and I pray that Your sheep are in a healthy condition. I pray, Lord, that our hearts are warm in our affection toward You and our devotion toward You. I pray that our lives represent vigilance, that we're guarding ourselves against all forms of impurity, that we are striving with all of our energy in our pursuit of You and Your Son, our Savior. in pursuit of the truth. And at the same time, Lord, we are standing firm against all of those things that would ruin us. And Lord, I know that these times we have as we gather around Your Word, this is a means that You have ordained for our spiritual health and for our growth. So Lord, this morning as we listen, I pray that we would listen in that way. I pray that we would open our hearts and minds, that we would eagerly approach your word, that we would recognize that what we have in the scriptures does not represent the words of men, but the words of God. Let us listen this morning in that way. And Lord, deal with our hearts and transform our lives. We pray for those in our midst who don't know you. Lord, we long to see many saved in these days. May you pour out salvation in this room and bring men, women, young people of faith in your son Jesus. And I ask for this in Jesus' name. Amen. Why do you think it is that all four gospel accounts carefully give us details about the burial of Jesus? I mean, it's not surprising to us that we would find details about the crucifixion of Jesus. It doesn't surprise me that we would find details about the resurrection of Jesus. Why do you think it is that all four evangelists are careful to give us details about the burial of Jesus? I mean, just at first blush, as you just begin to think about these things, if there was something about the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus that would represent sort of the mundane in terms of details, wouldn't you think it would be the burial of Jesus? Taking the body down from the cross, wrapping it in a shroud with myrrh and aloes and all those sorts of things. I mean, doesn't this represent sort of just the mundane aspects of this whole scene? Yet all four were careful to give us these details. Raises a question that I want us to think about this morning and this evening. I want us to think about why Christ's burial matters. Why Christ's burial matters. Normally, as you know, the best way to preach the Word of God is to do it sequentially, just to follow the order and the form of the text itself. That's how we normally construct our sermons. We just follow the flow and the form of the text itself. And so if we were to approach this passage that way, We would talk about the man Joseph in verses 50 and 51. We would talk about then his actions in verses 52 and 53. We would note the chronological detail that's given to us in verse 54. And then we would look at the actions of the women who followed Christ from Galilee in verses 55 and 56. That's how this text flows. Joseph the man, his actions, chronological note, the actions of the women. But sometimes I think it's better to examine a text of Scripture from the standpoint of its themes, to look at it thematically. And that's what I want us to do today. I want us to think about, as I've already noted, why Christ's burial matters. These are not mundane details. This narrative is vital for the church. That's why it's been preserved for us. So in response to that question, why does Christ's burial matter, I want to offer four answers. If you want to, you can jot these down. We're going to deal with each of these four, one this morning. In fact, just one tonight and we'll come back next Sunday morning and we'll, Lord willing, deal with the final two. Let me give you four of these in advance. First of all, the burial of Jesus matters because it demonstrates the reality of His death. It demonstrates the reality of His death. Second, the burial of Jesus matters because it demonstrates the reward of His death. In these details, we see the reward of Christ's death. Third, the burial of Jesus matters because it demonstrates the reliability of God's Word. The reliability of God's Word. Scripture was being fulfilled in the burial details of Jesus. And then finally, we're going to see that the burial of Jesus matters because it demonstrates the faithfulness of God's love. So the reality of his death, the reward of his death, the reliability of God's Word, and the faithfulness of God's love. And this morning we begin with the first one. The burial of Jesus demonstrates the reality of his death. The fact that Jesus really died, combats a host of heresies that have arisen during the history of the church. The time in which Jesus died and was raised from the dead, I mean, just immediately there, the day and age in which He was living, during that time, immediately there arose some lying theories about what had happened with His body. Those times are no different than our times. Since the fall of man, it is the nature of man to suppress the truth in unrighteousness. Man is constantly running from the light. He is running from the truth. He is thinking about ways that he can avoid God, that he can avoid his own sinfulness, that he can avoid the truth of a coming judgment. This is what man does. So always pushing the light away, pushing the truth away, looking for ways to avoid the truth. And immediately following the resurrection of Jesus, stories began to be concocted that would explain away the resurrection. In Matthew 28, verse 11, the Bible says this, while they were going, behold, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place about the resurrection of Jesus. about the fact that his body wasn't there. Verse 12, and when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers. This is how the priests deal with the absence of Christ's body. They give money to the soldiers. Here's what they say. And they said, tell people his disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep. And if this comes to the governor's ears, We will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble." So they took the money and did as they were directed. Listen to what Matthew writes, and this story has been spread among the Jews to this day. As Matthew is writing his account, he says, to this day, to the day in which I'm writing, this story is still being spread among the Jews that the body of Jesus was stolen by his disciples. Who started that story? It was started by the chief priests. It was started by people who knew better. They knew it wasn't true, but they didn't want to deal with the truth of the resurrection, and they didn't want other people believing in the resurrection. And so they start this lying theory. Never mind that the tomb had been secured for the express purpose of keeping that from happening. You'll remember in their corrupt minds, you know, I'm sure they thought about what they would do given the death of Jesus if they were a disciple of Jesus. So they were afraid that someone would steal his body. Matthew 27 verse 62, the next day, that is after the day of preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, We remember how that imposter said while he was still alive, after three days I will rise. Just stop and let that sink in. The enemies of Jesus heard the truth of the resurrection before they crucified him. They knew that he had promised a resurrection. We remember how that imposter said while he was still alive, after three days I will rise, therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people he has risen from the dead and the last fraud will be worse than the first. Pilate said to them, you have a guard of soldiers, go make it as secure as you can. So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard. So wait a second, you're already on alert that his body might be stolen from your perspective, you're on alert to that possibility. You actually secure a guard to make sure that doesn't happen and now you're telling these guards to tell the story that they fell asleep and the body was stolen. Doesn't make any sense. That was the very thing you were on the alert for. That's the very thing that you were afraid of. In addition to that, anyone would have known that those guards would have been absolutely vigilant about keeping the tomb secure because it would have been their lives on the line. The New Testament gives us clear examples of the fact that if you were a guard and you were assigned to guard someone or something and you didn't carry out your duty, what you were risking was your very existence. For example, when Peter was released by an angel from prison. In Acts chapter 12, this is recorded. Listen to verse 18. Now, when day came, there was no little disturbance among the soldiers over what had become of Peter. I mean, an angel walks him right out of the prison, opens the doors, walks him out, and now they're wondering what happened to him. Where did he go? Verse 19, and after Herod searched for him and did not find him, he examined the sentries and ordered that they should be put to death. Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea and spent time there. You lost Peter, you lost your life. He walked out of this prison, now you're going to walk to your execution. Or take for example when the Lord released Paul and others from that Philippian jail in Acts chapter 16 verse 26, and suddenly there was a great earthquake so that the foundations of the prison were shaken and immediately all the doors were open and everyone's bonds were unfastened. When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. Why would you kill yourself? Well, because you're going to die. I mean, if the prisoners go free, you're going to die. It was your responsibility to make sure they didn't escape. But Paul cried with a loud voice, do not harm yourself for we are all here. I mean, if there was ever a legitimate excuse, if you're a guard, and there was ever a legitimate excuse for prisoners to escape, I would think an earthquake would represent a legitimate excuse, yet even though there had been an earthquake, this man is ready to take his own life because he understands if he doesn't keep what has been entrusted to him to guard, he's going to lose his life. It is his life that is at stake. So the idea that you would assign guards to the tomb to make sure that it remains secure and then they would fall asleep, all of them, and that the body is then stolen away by disciples and that this huge stone is rolled away and no one is awakened. It's ludicrous. It's silly. But this demonstrates the degree to which men will suppress the truth in their unrighteousness, the lengths to which they will go to try to escape the light, escape the truth, come up with some other way of thinking about something to avoid what is obvious, in this case, the resurrection, the resurrection of Jesus. Well, here in the verses we've just read, we're given details that destroy two additional theories that have been floated by those who don't want to deal with the reality of the resurrection. Why would God preserve these details for us? Well, one reason he would preserve these details for us is to let us know that Jesus really died. That destroys the theory of resuscitation. Maybe you've heard that. The idea that Jesus didn't really die. Somehow there was this, you know, this fainting that occurred and they place what seemed to be a lifeless body in the tomb, but it wasn't really lifeless. He wasn't really dead. That's how you explain the resurrection. Jesus didn't really die. These details destroy that theory. There's a second theory and that is that on that first Sunday morning following the crucifixion, the women went to the wrong tomb. The reason why there was an empty tomb is because they were mistaken about where to go, and so they went to the wrong tomb. They found an empty tomb, and there began the theory of the resurrection of Jesus. Well, these details destroy both of those theories, but they also destroy some other heresies that have arisen during the time of the history of the church, and we'll talk more about that in just a moment. Let's examine these details by examining the people. First of all, the death of Jesus and the man Joseph. The death of Jesus and the man Joseph. Now there was a man named Joseph from the Jewish town of Arimathea. He was a member of the council, a good and righteous man who had not consented to their decision and action and he was looking for the kingdom of God. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus Then he took it down and wrapped it in a linen shroud and laid him in a tomb cut in stone where no one had ever yet been laid. It was the day of preparation and the Sabbath was beginning." Something interesting, Joseph is named in all four of the gospel accounts. Now, I find that significant because he does not figure prominently in the recorded history of the church from this time forward. He's mentioned in this context and in this context alone. This is what we know of Joseph of Arimathea, right here in these verses. So why give us his name? Why do all four gospel writers give us his name? Well, because this is a man who was not unknown. This is a man who was not without influence. Luke identifies him by the city that he was from so that we don't confuse him with other Josephs. This is the Joseph who's from the Jewish town of Arimathea. He wants us to know who this man is in a specific way. Luke also tells us that he was a member of the council, that is, he was a member of the Sanhedrin. And Mark tells us that not only was he a member of the Sanhedrin, he was a prominent member of the council. Mark 15.43, Joseph of Arimathea came, a prominent member of the council who himself was waiting for the kingdom of God. So Luke tells us of his character, tells us that he was a good and righteous man. tells us that he had not consented to their decision and action. That tells us he was an honest man. He was a just man. Here he is, a member of the Sanhedrin when they condemned Jesus, he did not consent to that. When they were making a mockery of these trials, he did not consent to that. In fact, some have even said perhaps he wasn't even there. Maybe they put this thing together and left him out. You know, sometimes men do that. They want to get a particular result. And they know the members of whatever council they belong to who may not agree with them, and so they just sort of, you know, we're in a hurry, it's during the night, maybe we don't contact him, and we just move forward that way. I don't know whether he was present or not. What I do know is he didn't agree, he didn't consent, he wasn't a part of this condemnation. Luke tells us that, the Spirit of God through Luke. And he was looking for the kingdom of God. So this is also a godly man. This is a genuine believer looking for the kingdom of God. He's a man of honesty and integrity. and he's a prominent member of the council. And then Luke tells us about his conduct that follows the death of Jesus, how he takes the body of Christ off of the cross. He does that with the help of others. We know from John 19 that Nicodemus was there. In fact, this preparation of the body that's being described here, when you talk about the spices that were used, the myrrh, the aloe, Nicodemus is the one who brought that. In fact, he brought 100 pounds of these various spices. And so these two men are the ones who prepare the body of Jesus. They take His body off the cross. They prepare His body for burial. And then they place Him in a tomb, cut into the face of the rock, laid Him in a tomb, cut in stone, where no one had ever yet been laid. And we know from the other accounts, this tomb was Joseph's own tomb. Joseph of Arimathea provided the tomb for the body of Jesus, and it was his own. Joseph was a rich man. The Bible tells us that about him also. He was a rich man. And so he had a tomb for himself, hewn into the face of the rock. It had never been used. It was nearby Golgotha. That's one of the reasons why they used it as well. As we're told in verse 54, the day of preparation, it's the day of preparation, the Sabbath was beginning, we're getting to the end of the evening of the day, the Sabbath is about to start. They don't have time to transport the body elsewhere and so they put this body, the body of Jesus into the tomb of Joseph. Matthew 27.57 says, when it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him and Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth and laid it in his own new tomb which he had hewn out in the rock and he rolled a large stone against the entrance of the tomb and went away." What does all of this point to? It points to the reality of the death of Jesus. This man doesn't behave in this way. He's a credible witness, isn't he? He's a prominent member of the Sanhedrin. I mean, you have a member of that body of men who condemned Jesus who would now be able to testify that Jesus really died. He's a man of influence. He's a man of wealth. He's well respected. He's a man of integrity. He doesn't consent to the death of Jesus. He's not a part of the injustice. This is a man you can believe and he's the man who took the body off the cross. He's the man who prepared the body for burial. He's the man who put the body into his own tomb which he owned. This is a man who can tell us that Jesus really died. But in these details, we not only have Joseph's testimony to the reality of the death of Jesus, because he had to get permission to get the body. He goes to Pilate, verse 52, this man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. The Roman historian Tacitus tells us that when the Romans executed someone, the people that were being executed were no longer considered as having the right to be buried. So sometimes even if they had family, the bodies would not be granted to the families. They were often cast into common graves, into open graves. It was a way to send a message about rebellion against the Roman government. So there was no guarantee that Pilate would grant the body to Joseph. He was under no obligation to do that. And Mark's account tells us that, in fact, Pilate was initially skeptical when Joseph comes to him. Pilate was surprised because, remember, Jesus has only been on the cross for six hours. And crucifixion represented a long, grueling death, and it was that way by design. That was the horror of it. You didn't die quickly. So when Joseph comes, it's only been six hours, and he asks for the body of Jesus, Pilate is, he's like, are we sure he's dead? In fact, he wanted someone to confirm that. Mark chapter 15 verse 44, Pilate wondered if he was dead by this time, and summoning the centurion, He questioned him as to whether he was already dead. And ascertaining this from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph. So you see the timeline there. Joseph comes, asks for the body of Jesus. Pilate says, I'm not sure he's dead. Send the centurion to me. I want to be sure that he's dead. Centurion comes, gives testimony that in fact Jesus is dead. Then he grants the body to Joseph. Next verse, Joseph bought a linen cloth, brought a linen cloth, took him down, wrapped him in the linen cloth, and laid him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock, and he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb." So if we take all of this together, there can be no doubt that the death of Jesus was a real death. Joseph confirms it. Nicodemus in John 19 confirms it. Pilate confirms it. A Roman centurion confirms it. And as a result, any resuscitation theory is destroyed. And all four gospel writers give us the names of the people involved so that if there's any doubt about this during the immediate time surrounding the events, it's easy enough to confirm it. Do you doubt that Jesus died? Joseph knows. Nicodemus knows. Pilate knows. The centurion knows. Jesus really died. But I mentioned earlier not only this theory about, you know, that tries to avoid the truth of the resurrection, there have also been heresies that have arisen during the history of the church that are destroyed by this account. The idea, when we talk about, for example, Gnosticism, the idea that Jesus wasn't really human. The idea that what you had in Jesus of Nazareth was not really someone who was fully God and fully human. I'll say to you this way, if you have a real death, then you have a real man. Only a real man could die, could experience a real death. So if you have a real death, you have a real man. Now those of us living here in the state of Texas and perhaps you've grown up in the church, you've spent all your time in the Lord's church, grown up in a Christian family, maybe this doesn't even resonate with you. You say, well, is that even an issue? Well, it was in the early years of the church. It was a battle they had to face with the Gnostics. And you see sort of a pre-Gnosticism at work in the book of 1 John. I read this morning from 1 John chapter 5. If you just take one step back to chapter 4, listen to verse 1. Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God. Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God. And every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of Antichrist which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. There was this idea that deity was was so pure that there couldn't be any contact with the material world. And so even the world was created through a series of lesser gods, and finally this lesser God created the material world. And so the idea that in Jesus of Nazareth you have God in human flesh, unthinkable. So some denied that Jesus the Messiah was really human. Well, if you have a real death, you have a real man. And so God in His wisdom gives us details that destroy theories that would deny the resurrection and He gives us details that demonstrate that in Jesus you have real humanity. He really died. And you cannot have faith in the biblical Jesus. You cannot be saved by the real Jesus unless you embrace the real Jesus and the real Jesus is the God-man. Fully God, fully human. But these details also put away another lying theory. The idea that on that first Sunday morning following the crucifixion, the women somehow arrived at the wrong tomb. Notice what it says in verse 55, the women who had come with Him from Galilee followed and saw the tomb. and how his body was laid. Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments. On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment." What Joseph and what Nicodemus did, it was not private. It was not secret. It was a very public thing that they did, caring for the body of Jesus. It was a courageous thing that they did. These women who were watching from a distance, remember last week we saw that group of people who stood there and watched from a distance, these women who had followed Him from Galilee, now they follow all the way to the tomb where the body of Jesus was laid to rest. They saw the preparation that these two men gave to the body of Jesus. Now remember, Though Joseph and Nicodemus, what they're doing is loving, and it is sacrificial, and it represents giving, it is still somewhat rushed. They didn't have much time. The beginning of the Sabbath that evening was quickly approaching, so they have to get this done. Sort of a rushed job of preparing his body. And so these women are witnessing this, and they determine that they're going to come back after the Sabbath, and they're going to finish what the men started. They're going to further prepare the body of Jesus. So away with the theory that the body was stolen away by the disciples, not in our text, but we've already talked about why that's silly. Away with the theory that Jesus wasn't really dead, and now we see away with the theory that these women didn't know where His body was laid, and somehow visited the wrong tomb on the morning of the resurrection. And again, maybe you say to yourself, well, I've never even heard that. Well, it's out there. Read several accounts this week of people who argue that they visited the wrong tomb. And one of the reasons why that...there are many reasons why that's silly. Go ahead and read the rest of the story and these women meet with an angel and they meet with an explanation and they see the linen there still in the tomb. I mean, they were at the right place. But even if you didn't know any of that, can you imagine these women who are so devoted to Jesus. They followed Him from Galilee. They stand and witness His crucifixion. When everyone else is dispersing, they remain there gazing with broken hearts. Now they follow the preparation of His body all the way to the place of the tomb and they witness where His body is being laid. Can you imagine these women forgetting, forgetting where His body is at? It makes no sense, does it? Matthew 27 verse 59, and Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock and rolled a large stone against the entrance of the tomb and went away. And Mary Magdalene was there and the other Mary sitting opposite the grave. They have sat themselves down. They are witnessing this entire scene. They're watching as this stone is rolled in front of the entrance. They know exactly where the body of Jesus is. No mistake was made. And none of these people, the details are given to us in such a way that we realize, none of these people would have participated in a hoax. None of these people would have participated in what was suggested by the chief priest, that the body of Jesus was stolen by his disciples. None of these people would have participated in something like that. Joseph was a good and righteous man. He did not consent to injustice and to dishonesty. He was looking for the kingdom of God. And these women, in the midst of their heartbreak, still are careful to observe the Sabbath. Verse 56, they returned and prepared spices and ointments on the Sabbath. They rested according to the commandment. These are devout women. These are godly women. These people who follow Jesus are following the true Savior of the world. They're following the true God. These are godly people. They would not participate in any kind of lie. But I want to end on this note this morning. I want us to see that neither Joseph nor these women demonstrate any hope in the immediate resurrection of Jesus, do they? As we are given these burial details, do you see any evidence in these burial details that these people were expecting Jesus to be raised from the dead three days later? No evidence that Joseph expected that, no evidence that these women expected that. What you see are heartbroken people, people taking courage to make sure that Jesus' body is treated with dignity, and then people who prepare His body just like you would prepare any other body for burial. John 19.40, in fact, gives us this note. So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen wrappings with spices. Statement follows, as is the burial custom of the Jews. As is the burial custom of the Jews. No, they're just burying a body. What does that say? It says he was really dead. says he was really dead, they can't see past the reality of this dead body. No evidence of any hope in the resurrection. Therefore, the explanation for the absence of the body of Jesus from that tomb On that Sunday morning following the crucifixion, the explanation for the absence of the body is exactly what Jesus said it would be. As we'll see in the next chapter, He was raised from the dead. His body wasn't stolen, wasn't resuscitation. They didn't end up at the wrong tomb. They didn't even expect a resurrection. And they're not thinking about perpetrating this grand hoax. They're preparing a body with broken hearts. But come Sunday morning, the body is gone. Because Jesus is alive. Jesus has been raised from the dead. And the burial details testify to that fact, testifies to the reality of his humanity, testifies to the reality of his death, therefore it testifies to the reality of his resurrection. How else do you explain the body not being there? The question is what will we do with these facts? Does the burial of Jesus matter? It speaks to the reality of the resurrection. Now what do we do with a living Jesus? Raised from the dead, as we'll read and learn, appears to His disciples after His resurrection, eventually ascends back into heaven. And now the Spirit of God with the gospel of God in hand through the church of God testifies to this world that there's only one Savior given to mankind, only one way to be reconciled to holy God, only one way to be forgiven of all of your sins and His name is Jesus. He died for sinners and three days later was raised from the dead, and now he is the way in the presence of God. He is the way to be reconciled to God. He's entrusted to us the word of reconciliation. We declare to the world, be reconciled to God. Have you been reconciled to God? Have your sins been forgiven? Do you know this one who has been raised from the dead? Can you say, as Peter writes, that though we have not seen Him, we love Him and rejoice in Him? A kind of joy that's full of inexpressible glory. Have you known the reality of regeneration, the reality of the new birth? Do you have eternal life? Do you have fellowship with Christ, a fellowship that has ushered us into fellowship with God? What have you done with this Jesus? They're not going to find His body in a tomb. He's not there because He was raised from the dead and it is proof that He is who He claimed to be. What will you do with Him? We'll look at it more this evening. His burial is also a testimony to our own condition because we have been buried with Him and we now have been given new lives if we know Jesus. You know, burial speaks of the end of something, doesn't it? The end of something. And our being united with Christ not only in His death but in His burial. says that as He has been raised from the dead, so have we in Jesus. We are new creations. We have new life in Jesus Christ. Salvation is not a reformation of people. It's not a reworking of your old life. It is a brand new life in Him. Have you known spiritual resurrection? It speaks of the of the hope of your future physical resurrection? Have you known that new life in Christ? Does your life testify to it? So the good news is that Jesus is exactly who He claimed to be and eternal life is found in Him. And I exhort you to look to Him, to believe in Him, to trust in Him, to embrace Him and be saved. And then, child of God, live for Him. Live for your risen Savior. He's coming again. One day we'll see Him face to face. We haven't seen Him yet, but we love Him. We rejoice in Him with joy inexpressible and full of glory. That's our story. Let's pray. Our Father in Heaven, we thank You that every text of Scripture has been breathed out by you and it is vital for the health, the well-being of your church. I thank you that in your eternal wisdom, you have provided passages like this one that destroy lying theories, that destroy heresies. If men would just be willing to look and listen. And I pray for us, Lord, that we would not only read these things and take them into our hearts, but we would allow these truths to transform our lives and to infuse our hearts with the joy of the knowledge that we are in the truth, that what we've been given doesn't represent lies, it doesn't represent nice thoughts that we embrace because we want to embrace them. Lord, You have given us the truth. Thank You for giving us the truth and thank You, Lord, for opening our eyes and bringing us into the truth. And again, we pray for anyone in this room who doesn't know Jesus who is the truth. Oh, Lord, save them. Let these things we've seen this morning, Lord, let them ring true in their hearts and bring them to a true and saving faith in Your Son. We ask for these things in Jesus' name. Amen.