Let's turn to the Gospel of Luke, chapter 22, as we're drawing to a close. Chapter 22. many, many weeks, many, many months since we started the gospel. Today, you'll hear a few reminders of things we've heard over the last 22 chapters. If you haven't been with us for all that time, I suggest before next Sunday, just go back and read through the Gospel of Luke or this afternoon, it only takes an hour to sit and read this wonderful book. and to see what it would tell us about Jesus. The paragraphs we've come to at the end of this chapter will tell us really what is at the heart of Luke's aim in writing all this down. He's going to get to the heart of who Jesus is. Let me read our text and then we'll introduce the sermon. We're starting in verse 63, and I'm reading from the English Standard Version of God's Holy Word. Now the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking him as they beat him. They also blindfolded him and kept asking him, prophesy, who is it that struck you? And they said many other things against him, blaspheming him. When day came, the assembly of the elders of the people gathered together, both chief priests and scribes. and they led him away to their counsel. And they said, if you are the Christ, tell us. But he said to them, if I tell you, you will not believe. And if I ask you, you will not answer. But from now on, the son of man shall be seated at the right hand of the power of God. So they all said, Are you the son of God then? And he said to them, you say that I am. Then they said, what further testimony do we need? We've heard it ourselves from his own lips. Thus far we read in the gospel of Luke in the word of God. May the Lord bless his word to all who hear, believe and obey it, amen. Sermon title, self-incrimination. And that's how this passage seems to unfold. Jesus, you've walked right into their hands. They're asking if you're the Christ and you say yes. And then they come out with this statement, what further testimony do we need? And their plan to execute him, to execute capital punishment upon him seems to be a done deal. Jesus, what have you done? Americans think of self-incrimination perhaps a little differently. We've got it built into our Constitution. The Fifth Amendment protects citizens. from self-incrimination. That's any act of providing information that could lead to criminal prosecution, whether intentionally or unintentionally. People will take the Fifth Amendment, take the Fifth. I'm not gonna answer. I don't want to incriminate myself. And there's always that push and pull. Well, if you're not guilty of anything, why not talk freely? And taking the fifth is often viewed with suspicion, but it's a right that Americans have as the legal system in our land declares. Jesus here is in the hands of a Jewish court and Jewish leaders who were just trying to find a way to get rid of him. And there was no fifth amendment to take. Jesus on many occasions interacting with the chief priests would speak respectfully. And here he answers them in his own ways. And Luke records this carefully. Luke doesn't have as much of the trial detail as Matthew and Mark. His passage is more brief, but it gets to the heart of the matter. Who is Jesus? Here, Jesus reveals his identity. His hour had fully come. In these paragraphs, he's talking about his identity. Starting the next chapter, Luke is gonna highlight his innocence. So those are two big sections we'll be entering into. This is the Jewish trial with the Jewish leaders, and its purpose is to establish the identity of Jesus. And then before the Romans, who can put him to death, Luke reminds us of his innocence. We'll see that, Lord willing, next week. Jesus does not avoid self-incrimination, but we can't really use the word because he's not guilty of anything wrong. He's guilty of what is true. He is the Son of God. He is the Messiah. Is that incrimination? No, that's revelation. He's just making it plain. He further reveals his identity, but you know what's interesting? Hear me. What's interesting here in this exchange, those questioning and mocking him incriminate themselves. You're a prophet? Ha, ha, ha. Tell us who hit you. Are you the Christ? Tell us plainly. Not that we can worship you. but so that we can put you to death. The result here is they incriminate themselves as Jesus is revealed, which as a pastor, as a preacher, leads me to ask you, as Jesus is revealed in the Bible here today, and as you weigh the evidence, not only of the Bible, but of history and the testimony of those you know to be Christians, where do you stand? Are you among the doubters or the mockers or the believers? We're at a fork in the road, my friends. Let's take a good, good look. We're first gonna look at the verses 63 to 65 in this physical trial. Luke is very succinct here in talking about what was happening. You remember Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane and brought by night to the court of the high priest. He would spend some time with Annas and then with Caiaphas in the middle of the night and then this formal gathering in the morning. And in between those appearances, those pre-trial mockings and questionings, the guards and those who had physical charge of Jesus, according to 63, were mocking him and beating him. Verbal and physical abuse, which is worse? The sinless son of God who hadn't done a thing wrong, but had come in grace and kindness into this broken world, is being mocked verbally. He's hearing horrible things said about him. And then he's also being struck and beaten and humiliated. It's a real beat down, by the way. I'm not going to spend time describing it. There are authors who know what the ancient world was like and make that plain. It was a capital offense what they did to Jesus. His body would be bloodied and broken, it would be torn, and the blood would be everywhere. He would be very much hurt from this physical beating. One of the ancient church fathers named Cyril said this, he who in nature and glory transcended the limits of our understanding and our powers of speech, patiently endured those officers when they not only mocked him but also struck him. It would leave Jesus physically weak. It would be difficult for him to move and even to speak in the hours that would follow on that good Friday morning. This physical trial included some specific types of mocking and taunting. In fact, they play this gruesome game, the guessing game. Let's take a look at that. You're a prophet, they say. Look at the nature of their taunts in verse 64. They also blindfolded him and kept asking him. So this is a constant thing throughout the night and leading up to this morning. Kept asking him, prophesy, who is it that struck you? They'd heard Jesus was some sort of prophet. Now just pause for a second. Among the Jews, there are a lot of famous prophets, right? Elijah comes to mind. Or even most recently, not yet alive, he'd been killed a little while ago, John the Baptist, a great prophet and had all the citizens of Israel abuzz. A prophet was typically held in great esteem until he started preaching at you. and people would often turn on the prophets. But these thugs had heard that about Jesus, and rather than inquire or ask sincerely, what can you tell me? No, they're just using it to mock him and to beat him. There's no pursuit of truth here. This is a not at all funny game. Guess who hit you as they blindfolded him? We see it's possible for men and women to become quite violent in their sin. Human beings are capable of gross violence, wickedness, striking a bound and blindfolded man repeatedly and mocking him. We hear headlines from crime waves of horrible things that are done. Men and women given over to sin and wickedness do horrible things, and Jesus was receiving it. Jesus was a prophet. He had done miracles. His ministry looked a lot like those days of Elijah. People were fed, people were raised, people were healed. The crowds attested to that. And these mocking cries really echoed the taunt of Satan himself when Jesus was tried in the wilderness. If you are the son of God, if you are really who you say you are, that's the root of this opposition. It says in the ESV at the end of verse 65, they said many other things against him, blaspheming him. Some people, the Greek word is blasphemo. Some translate it revile. When that word is used of a human being, reviling is what we think of. When someone says those things against God, it's called blasphemy. In your workplace, if you heard somebody cussing out a coworker, that's reviling. If you heard someone cussing out God, that's blasphemy. But here, our translators tell us that this is blasphemy on their part. They're blaspheming because he is the son of God, he is the prophet of God. And it wasn't just reviling, they were sinning at a deeper level in a spiritual way. But let me point out before we move on, as Phil Riken does, the men who abused Jesus would never get the last laugh. Isn't that true? Because Jesus knew exactly who was hitting him. And Jesus knew everything they had ever done. Jesus, the son of God, he knew what was in the heart of a man. I suppose a Hollywood writer would take the verse, tell us who hit you. Well, Jesus is God. He could say, okay, it was you. It was Jesse or we'll give a name and fill it in. But although he knew he did not open his mouth, that wasn't the mission. But Jesus would bring justice to them if they were in their sins, They would pay for their sins. If they came to faith in the Messiah, they'd be forgiven. How great a thing Jesus prayed from the cross later that day. Father, forgive them for they know not what they do. And in Jerusalem in those days, thousands were converted. But we should note too, not only the suffering that they caused, but how their actions fulfilled prophecies. Isn't this ironic? We know that the Savior would come and Isaiah 53 tells us that he would be bruised, he would be wounded, he would be treated this way. We know the Messiah will be treated that way. Jesus had even predicted it back in Luke 18. You may not remember this. One of many times he predicted this. Luke 18 records the following, beginning in verse 31. And taking the 12, he, Jesus, said to them, see, we are going up to Jerusalem and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon. And after flogging him, they will kill him. And on the third day, he will rise. But they, the current disciples, understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from them at that time. The actions of these brutes were fulfilling the prophecies of Jesus. And Luke records it so that we see here fulfilled prophecy. Jesus knows what he's talking about. And his mission is in accord with the word of God. This is happening, this is unfolding as God intended. Things are not going off the rails. God's word, God's plan is being accomplished. It was in Christ, it continues to be. And when Christ comes again, it will be brought to completion. It's also by Christ being silent when he could have answered in return, his silence fulfilled scripture. like a sheep before shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth, Isaiah says. Later on, Peter would write in his first epistle about Jesus, he committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return. When he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. Peter was watching. We're all seeing the Son of God on task for our salvation. Prophecies are being fulfilled even in those ugly moments. And that brings us to verse 66, when day came. This is the Jewish trial. Let's take a look. The Sanhedrin is assembled. That's a word, the name used for the council. There were 70 priests and elders and scribes that comprise this official council of 70. It was dawn so they could legally assemble. The scriptures prohibited nighttime meetings like they had been having. So now they could kind of give a veneer of legality to the proceedings. And so Luke calls it out. He said they were mocking him, and when the day came, the assembly of the elders gathered together, both chief priests and scribes, and they led him away to their council. They now bring Jesus to this event. And as we've said, this is the Jewish trial. When they conclude here, they'll send him off to Pontius Pilate, the Roman civil governor, and Pilate will draw in Herod and all of that will transpire. It'll be the Roman trial. So there've been pre-trials and now the Jewish trial followed by the Roman trial. Notice as they gather their false questions, their false questions. They get to the heart of the matter. We know from the other gospel accounts, they tried to bring witnesses against Jesus. And you know, the witnesses couldn't really agree. Very exasperating for those evildoers when the people they paid to testify couldn't get it right. So Jesus here is asked, if you are the Christ, tell us, verse 67. Well, are they really seeking the answer? Are they asking genuinely so that they might fall down and worship him? The desired of all nations, have you arrived? Were they like Simeon back in the temple, that old guy who said, God said to this old guy, you're not gonna die until you see the Christ. And Simeon saw the baby Jesus, remember in Luke's gospel early on. Is that what these guys were doing? They really wanted to know? Because if you are, man, we'll turn over the reins of power to you. Now, for a long time, they had been plotting his death. They'd already paid off Judas to betray him. They wanted to capture him and kill him. These questions, this proceeding, however it looks on the surface, they're not genuine questions. It's a sham of a trial. And these are false questions. They're not seeking the truth. But that's a common thing in our world. People may ask you about Christianity. People may ask you about Jesus just to kind of keep a conversation going or deflect answering questions themselves. The world is like this. If they're not really walking with God, they really don't want things to do with Jesus. We also see here in the Jewish trial, Disbelief, their unbelief is fixed. It's already established. In verse 67, how does Jesus answer? If you are the Christ, tell us. But he said to them, he's going to answer, but he says something first. If I tell you, you will not believe. And if I ask you, you will not answer. The first thing Jesus does here is clarify that they're not seeking information. This is a moral issue, not a lack of evidence. And you just really, regardless of how I answer, you won't believe. Or if I ask you what you believe, you won't answer. He'd asked them previously about John the Baptist. Is he from God or not? Hmm. If we answer one way, people will be mad at us. If we answer the other way, he'll say, why didn't we? Oh, they just weren't being right or righteous. This was a moral rebuke from Jesus. He's calling them out. Back in verse 63, as the hour of his arrest had arrived, Jesus had actually defined that hour. And he said, I guess it's back earlier, that this is an hour of darkness, 53. This is your hour in the power of darkness. That's still the case. You are not going to believe. Even if I answer you or if I question you, we're not gonna get anywhere. You're predetermined, he knows what's going down. So he puts that out first, he's going to answer, but he's just telling them, you're proud, self-righteous, and wicked. James tells us in his epistle, God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble. What's he going to do with these leaders? The council officially convened to ask these questions for the public record. They're not asking humbly and seeking the truth. Peter would say the same thing later on in his epistle as he spoke to other believers, clothe yourselves all of you with humility toward one another for God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. These guys are acting as enemies of God and enemies of the truth. But Dr. Luke gives us this version of this account in this moment because he wants to bring us to see the identity of Jesus. It started even in the mockings, you're a prophet, right? And now the question comes, are you the Christ? This is the heart of the passage. And Jesus is going to answer them and engage using three different titles to further clarify who he is. They've asked, are you the Christ? What does that mean? Well, Christ means anointed one. In Greek, it's Christos. In Hebrew, it's Messiah. means one who's been anointed. In the Old Testament, the designated servant of God would be anointed with oil, either a prophet or a king. Do you remember when David was chosen to be king? They anointed him, where oil was put upon him, showing the favor and selection of God upon a servant, usually a prophet or a king. What did it mean in Jesus' day? It had been hundreds of years since there was a prophet. John the Baptist, we're trying to figure him out. And many people wanted a Messiah to come, but they also kind of defined Messiah for themselves. It was a political title. It was a military title. It was a religious title. So there were zealots on one side and militarists on another side. Yeah, I can't wait till the Messiah gets here because like David, he's gonna beat the Romans in military conquest. He's gonna lead us with a sword. Others knew Isaiah and thought the Messiah would be one who would suffer and lead God's people differently. So Jesus is aware of the various understandings and Jesus will answer very carefully. Again, when they ask, before he answers, he calls out their unbelief. And he goes on from there. Verse 68 or 69. But from now on, the son of man shall be seated at the right hand of the power of God. His answer doesn't include the word Christ, but he does answer. And he's talking about himself. So is Jesus the Christ? What do we make of that question and that title? Is he the Messiah? Yes, of course he's the Christ. We know that if we've been reading the gospel of Luke. Hasn't Luke written these things so that we'd be introduced to Jesus the Christ? Back in chapter two, angels proclaimed, for to you is born this day in the city of David a savior who is? Christ the Lord, that's at the start of the gospel of Luke. And I already mentioned old Simeon at the temple in the end of chapter two. We read this, it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And he's holding Jesus and he's dancing around and just so happy. And it goes on. One of the great chapters in Luke's gospel is chapter nine. I hope you remember that. It's a turning point. A lot of things happen in chapter nine. That's where Peter makes his great confession. Jesus asked the disciples, who do men say that I am? Oh, maybe a prophet, you know, another prophet or something like that. And he asks Peter, who do you say I am? And Peter's answer, you are the Christ, the son of the living God. And Jesus says, yes, God has revealed that to you. So the gospel of Luke is written so that we understand he's the Messiah, he's the Christ. Christ is not the last name of Jesus, it's a title. And Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus from Galilee is the Christ. That's what Luke's been trying to say. And those guys in Jerusalem were just taunting him, trying to figure it out, not to serve him, but to remove him. So in his answer in verse 69, he employs a different title. And why is that? because their definition of Messiah differed, and they weren't genuinely asking, they were sinning in their opposition to him. They weren't looking for an Isaiah 53 Savior, but they were looking for incriminating evidence. So he tries to draw them out further by giving them a second title. He's not saying no, he's agreeing in a sense, and goes on to say even more. But from now on, the Son of Man shall be seated at the right hand of the power of God. So let's look at the second title that Jesus engages with, Son of Man. Oh, isn't every human being the son of a man and a woman? Every born is it just talking about his humanity? No, this title is a special phrase from the Old Testament and it refers to his divinity I know you see son of man and you think humanity But it's kind of capital s capital M a special title. It comes from Daniel chapter 7 We're not going to go back and look at Daniel 7. That's where you read about a godlike figure who's given dominion over the world and And the people in Daniel's day going, wow, that's a God thing. And so Jesus taps into it. Son of man is his favorite title for himself in the gospel. So he's used it time and time again. He was doing a healing back in chapter five. And this guy was terribly incapacitated and Jesus forgave him his sins and they're all laughing. So Jesus said this, but that you may know that the son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins. That's what he had just done. He said to the man who was paralyzed, I said, you rise, pick up your bed and go home. And he did. So Jesus is calling himself the Son of Man with power to forgive and power to heal physical disease. Jesus is claiming to be divine. That's what Son of Man means. Going back to Daniel, as one preacher says, it's one of the best expressions Jesus could use to encapsulate his incarnation as both God and man. Pretty smart. I mean, if somebody just said, yes, I am God come in the flesh, that's, how do you get your hand on it? So he used this phrase, got people thinking about the imagery in Daniel. And so his answer here, he says, you're going to see the son of man seated at the right hand of the power of God. What's the most important word there? Perhaps seated at the right hand of God. Son of man, he's used before and they're onto him and they know it's a special title. But he said he'd be seated at the right hand of God. Nobody sits in the presence of God, no less at the right hand of God. Who do you think you are? Jesus knew who he was. And he's trying to tell them, I am the Messiah. I'm the son of God. I'm the son of man. Is Jesus the divine son of man? Yes. Luke's gospel has that from the angel who talked to Mary. The angel said, God will give him the throne of his father, David. He'll be called the son of the most high. That's been in the gospel for chapter upon chapter. In chapter three, when Jesus was being baptized, there was a voice from heaven, this is my beloved son with whom I am well pleased. And again, at the Mount of Transfiguration, hello, Luke has been making this case all along. For three years in the public ministry of Jesus, he's been called the Christ, he's claimed to be the son of man, and God has claimed him as his son. So these guys aren't looking for information, they're just looking for a way to get him to say something they can twist and deny and put him to death. One scholar said, they understood him to be claiming virtual equality with God, both in position and power, and they were delighted with the statement because to them, it was the height of blasphemy, and it gave them ample grounds for having him executed. Isn't that how it ends? What further testimony do we need? Well, that's coming. Jesus said, you'll see the son of man seated at the right hand of the power of God. So verse 70, they asked, they all said, are you the son of God then? I think these guys practically rose out of their chairs when they heard about seated in heaven. Are you the son of God then? They're coming after him. And he says, yes. How does he say it? He said to them, you say that I am. It's his way of saying yes. So hear me now, because sometimes our modern ears, we hear this and it sounds like an evasion. He's not trying to back away. He's not trying to hide anymore. You know, earlier when he'd heal somebody, he said, don't talk about it, just go on your way. Because Jesus had a timeline. But the hour had now come, he's gonna be crucified, it's good Friday morning, no turning back. No messianic secrecy anymore. Yes, it is as you say. He's saying yes, it's an affirmation, it is true. That's what Jesus says. But by saying it this way, he does more. Remember those who were mocking him, how they fulfilled scripture? And Jesus really knew what was going on. He will judge them. Here, he had said, even if I tell you, you won't believe, he's saying, you've just made this confession with your mouth and you don't believe it. So where are we? He's dealing with these wicked men in their spiritual blindness and rebellion. You have just confessed it even though you don't believe it. That's what Jesus is continuing to press them with. His claim to be Christ, to be divine, is owned. It's out there. There's no turning back. But Jesus, really in control of the whole process says, yes, it is as you say, even though they don't believe it. With the testimony of Jesus here, they are the guilty ones. You've said it, but you don't believe it. You've turned away from the one and only savior offered to men. It's the one on trial, the one being judged, who is actually the judge, and he puts it into the official record, you have said it so, but you're going to put me to death. How great a sin is hypocrisy? To say one thing and to live differently, yikes. That's true of a lot of Americans, a lot of our neighbors, maybe some here. We say one thing, but we don't really believe it because we live not as Jesus was king, but I'm king. There's a grave irony here, isn't there? And this is what's being illustrated. As Jesus' own identity is given out, Those around him who know that he's a prophet, who have heard that he's the Christ, the Son of God, they're just not believing it. And although it looks like he is now caught red-handed, it's really them who will have Christ's blood on their hands and be guilty of the gravest rebellion. Peter will bring that up in Acts chapter 2. Later on, a few weeks later, after the resurrection, he'll be preaching on Pentecost Sunday, Peter's first big sermon. This is what he'll say to those in Jerusalem, men of Israel, hear these words, Jesus of Nazareth, A man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst as you yourselves know, says Peter. This Jesus delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. Do you see how he's unfolding that? Jesus was known as the Savior. His miracles and many wonders and signs attested to that, as you yourselves know. People know the truth, they just won't believe it. And these guys are going to act against Jesus. They're going the whole way. The one being judged is actually the judge. Jesus is actually trying to warn them. I may be bloodied and disfigured and perhaps bound as I stand before the Sanhedrin today, but you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of God. I will be your judge. Be careful with what you say and do regarding me. This is climactic. Good Friday morning, and Luke has brought us these truths about the identity of Jesus. Oh, that we would hear them clearly and plainly. Let me say a few things in closing. I often come up with three. That's the way we are. There's more than three, but these are important. So let's revisit them. Number one, God's purposes are not defeated by evil deeds or suffering. Maybe you saw that self-incrimination and you see Jesus, oh, he's gonna say that, they're gonna get him. He's not running from anyone. He's not guilty of anything wrong. He is here to lay down his life. No one takes my life from me. The purposes of God are not thwarted by the hands of evil men. What's the greatest evil ever perpetrated on planet earth? Here. Doesn't knock the plan of God one inch out of line. It is the plan of God. As Peter would preach, this Jesus delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God. You crucified. They're guilty even though it was God's plan. We're guilty if our moral choices transgress God's laws. But God has his purposes and they're not defeated by evil deeds and suffering is often part of God's plan. Jesus double-checked that in the Garden of Gethsemane. If it's possible, let this cup, the cup of God's wrath, this painful experience pass from me. I don't really want to drink it, but nevertheless, not my will, but thy will be done. God uses suffering. Anybody here suffering? God uses that. It's not against his plan, it is something he uses. God loves his people, God loves his son, his beloved son. And there was not one gram of useless abuse that fell on Christ. That wasn't part of the plan. Christ's suffering, his taking our place wasn't only at the cross at the moment of his death, but it had begun when he was born. And it intensifies as he is reviled and suffering at the hands of sinful men. God's purposes are not defeated. You remember that hymn, that old hymn that has a beautiful line, though the wrong seems off so strong, God is the ruler yet. This is my father's world. There's another application to be made too. Jesus suffered all these things for us. Jesus suffered all these things for his people, for our salvation. Let's not forget it. He does it with you and me in mind to take our place. Hebrews talks about Jesus. It's like a little theology book about the person and work of Jesus. In Hebrews chapter two, verse nine, we read this, but we see him, Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God, he might taste death for everyone. God's plan. and we see its greatness and its purpose for our salvation. This is for us. You did all that for me. We need to be provoked to remember that when we take communion, when we hold a piece of bread. There's something real about that in flesh-like. And we see the red fruit of the grape He did all that for us. What we could not do for ourselves. What a God, what a Savior, amazing. And we could go on to talk about his example. He suffered this way and he says that Christians will suffer. This is a good model. Entrust yourself to a faithful God. Some things are gonna be out of your control. Entrust yourselves to the Father in heaven as Jesus did. And the final question, that's the big question, the final application. Jesus has made his identity known. Do you doubt or believe? Isn't that the bottom line here? Jesus came, he answered these questions, he didn't turn from his path of revealing God and his miracles and his teachings, he owns it. Yes, I am the Messiah, I am the Savior, I'll be coming back to rule the world from the throne of heaven. Do you believe him or not? And we're not here just to know about Jesus, we're here to know him. The Old Testament with its shadows and figures and types said, oh, there's going to be a sacrifice. Oh, there's going to be a prophet. Oh, that we'd have a king. We get it all in Jesus. Do you believe that? Or do you just kind of believe it up here, but then you live for yourself? Yeah, send him to Pilate. I'm just going to go do what I want to do. That's what a lot of nominal Christians do, a nominal Christian, in name only. No newness of heart. Christians, we're all works in progress. We have our ups and downs, our weak moments, our strong moments. But do you believe? Keep believing. Jesus did this for us. What further evidence do you need? Let's pray. Oh, Heavenly Father, we thank you for the Gospels, for the New Testament. We thank you for Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and how they show us the life and ministry, the death and the resurrection of Jesus for us to believe. And Father, we thank you that for centuries, for 2000 years, people have been reading, seeing, and believing. People have been meeting the risen Christ by coming to faith in him. Father, we thank you for that. I thank you for all the Christians in this room. But Father, it is our prayer along with Dr. Luke who recorded these things. that those who are on the fence, those who doubt, might come to faith in Christ. He is your son. He is our savior. He is the risen one who's conquered sin and death and is able to save to the uttermost those who come by faith to him. Father, make it so, we pray. Give power to your word and a vibrancy to the witnessing of your people, to the work of this church and the task before us. May we with confidence see Christ on the throne and live for him until he returns. In Jesus' name we pray, amen, amen.