We turn to the Word of God this morning, to the Gospel according to Matthew, Matthew chapter 28. Matthew chapter 28, we'll begin reading in the previous chapter. On Good Friday, we read a good part of chapter 27 of Matthew, and we ended with verse 54. Let's begin reading at Matthew 27, verse 50. And we'll read through the end of chapter 28. And the text is Matthew 28, verses five and six. We begin reading then Matthew 27 verse 50. Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom and the earth did quake and the rocks rent and the graves were opened and many bodies of the saints which slept arose and came out of the graves after his resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared unto many. Now, when the centurion and they that were with him watching Jesus saw the earthquake and those things that were done, they feared greatly saying, truly, this was the Son of God. And many women were there beholding afar off, which followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him, among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary, the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's children. When the evening was come, even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathea named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple. He went to Pilate and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered. And when Joseph had taken the body, he 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 great stone to the door of the sepulcher and departed. And there was Mary Magdalene and the other Mary sitting over against the sepulcher. Now, the next day that followed, the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate saying, sir, we remember that the deceiver said while he was yet alive, after three days I will rise again. Command therefore that the sepulcher be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night and steal him away and say unto the people, he is risen from the dead. So the last error shall be worse than the first. Pilate said unto them, ye have a watch, go your way, make it as sure as ye can. So they went and made the sepulcher sure, sealing the stone and setting a watch. In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn, toward the first day of the week came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulcher. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone from the door and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning and his raiment white as snow. And for fear of him, the keepers did shake and became as dead men. And the angel answered and said unto the women, fear not ye, for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here, for he is risen as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead. And behold, he goeth before you into Galilee. There shall ye see him. Lo, I have told you. And they departed quickly from the sepulcher with fear and great joy. and did run to bring his disciples word. And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them saying, all hail. And they came and held him by the feet and worshiped him. Then said Jesus unto them, be not afraid, go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee and there shall they see me. Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city and showed unto the chief priests all the things that were done. And when they were assembled with the elders and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers saying, say ye, his disciples came by night and stole him away while we slept. And if this come to the governor's ears, we will persuade him and secure you. So they took the money and did as they were taught. And this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day. Then the 11 disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw him, they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and spake unto them saying, all power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. And lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. Thus far we read God's holy and inspired word. The text, verses five and six of chapter 28. And the angel answered and said unto the women, fear not ye. For I know that ye seek Jesus which was crucified. He is not here, for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. Beloved congregation, in our Lord Jesus Christ, on that Sunday morning long ago, the women arrived to the tomb where Jesus had been laid, and the first word of the angel to the women was this, in verse five, fear not ye. Don't be afraid. And then as the women depart from the sepulcher with fear and great joy, they meet Jesus. And Jesus says unto them in verse 10, be not afraid. And then you think of other gospel accounts where there are times when Jesus appeared to the disciples and he greeted them this way, be not afraid, fear not. And that is, at least in part, part of the great gospel of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, be not afraid. And those were good words for the women and for the disciples because they all had reason to fear. And the primary reason for their fear is that Jesus would be dead. their Lord and their Master, whom they had diligently followed for some three years, He whom they confessed to be the Son of God, the Messiah, the Christ, and if Jesus is dead and remains dead, then His words are not true. then the disciples have no hope, no purpose, no meaning in life. He whom they believe to be the Christ, the Son of God, if he lay dead in the grave, has been revealed to be an imposter. And further, there's reason to fear because of what lies in wait for the disciples and the women and for the church because what's going to come next for the church is persecution. What's coming next is prison and flight and being scattered all over the earth. And then we think of what it means for us being a Christian in 2024, and the fear that comes upon our hearts and our souls. We know that this world is becoming more and more anti-Christian. Now we have freedom of religion and we have freedom to worship here in Canada and in the States, but we feel our place is becoming smaller and smaller in this world. And we know that there are some of God's people in other parts of the world who are being persecuted because of their faith in Jesus Christ. And there might be reason to fear when we consider what might be ahead for our children. for our grandchildren, and yet even amidst all this ungodliness and danger, the true Christian believer that we face in the world, we hear the words of Christ, fear not, little flock, for it is your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Why is it that we should not fear? Well, the angel as much gives the answer in the text I know that ye seek Jesus which was crucified, but he's not here in the tomb, and he's not here because he is the resurrection and the life. This Jesus who was crucified is not here because he's risen. Come. See the place where the Lord lay. And there's no reason to fear because the Lord Jesus Christ is the victor over death and the grave. And he's the victor over death and the grave for all those who believe in him. And our calling this morning and all our life is to seek this Jesus, which was crucified and now risen from the dead. And all those who seek by faith shall find and all those who find need no reason to fear. The theme for our sermon this morning entering Jesus' empty tomb. Let's note in the first place, seeking the Lord Jesus. That's what the angel says to the women, I know that you come seeking him. So in the first place, seeking the Lord Jesus. In the second place, finding him, and we note where the women found Jesus, but it wasn't in that empty tomb. And in the final place, receiving great assurance, entering Jesus' empty tomb. After Jesus died on the cross, on Good Friday afternoon, Joseph of Arimathea took the body of Jesus down from the cross. That's what we read here in Matthew, the end of Matthew chapter 27. From the parallel accounts, we know that there was also another man who was involved, Nicodemus. So that those two men, Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, they took the body of Jesus and wrapped the body of Jesus in linen cloths. And they worked very quickly because the Sabbath was about to begin the very next day and they must get the body of Jesus into the grave. The women did not help the men, but they watched and they were standing over against the sepulcher when the body of Jesus was laid in that tomb. But now on Sunday morning, the first day of the week, early in the morning, the women are heading back to the sepulcher. Mary Magdalene was one of them, the other Mary, there were a few others besides, and they wanted to do to Jesus what they were unable to do on Friday afternoon. They wanted to pay their last respects, which they didn't have time to do on Friday. And they came with spices, to anoint the body of Jesus. In short, the women came seeking Jesus, which had been crucified and was buried. And now when we consider the actions of the women and what they were doing on this Sunday morning long ago, from an earthly point of view, we say there wasn't much logic to what they were doing. From an earthly point of view, we might scratch our heads and say, did they really think that they were going to accomplish their desire on that Sunday morning? Because in the first place, and from the parallel accounts, especially in Mark, we read that the women were going to the tomb, and while they were traveling to the tomb in the morning, they asked themselves a very important question. Who's going to roll the stone away from the tomb for us to gain entrance to the body of Jesus? because there was a very heavy, round, circular stone that was sealing the entrance to the tomb. The women knew that they were not strong enough to roll that stone away. It took, at minimum, a few strong men to roll that stone in front of the sepulcher, and it's going to require a whole lot of strength to roll that stone away. And the women knew that they did not have that strength to do it. And yet here we see the women walking in haste to the sepulcher, carrying their spices to pay their last respects to the body of Jesus. But they have no clue how they're even going to get at the body of Jesus. There is this large stone preventing their entrance. And then in the second place, a futile endeavor on the part of the women. We say, from an earthly point of view, also because there were soldiers stationed in front of that tomb. And you can be sure that those soldiers were not going to allow anybody to come in and see the body of Jesus, especially those who were the disciples of Jesus. Because that was the reason they were stationed there in the first place, to keep the disciples away. And that was the fear of the Jews. And they go to Pontius Pilate and they say, we remember the words of this man, this deceiver, how he said on the third day he was going to rise again and lest his disciples come and steal him by night and say that he's risen. May we have a watch, and may there be soldiers stationed to guard the tomb. And Pilate gave permission. But now, from the point of view of the women, did the women know that there were going to be soldiers there at the tomb? More than likely, they did. Were they going to ask the soldiers to move the stone away for them? Well, if they would have done so, the soldiers would have laughed the women away. And so what do we find? We find these women. They have come seeking the Lord Jesus Christ. But from every earthly point of view, we say, how is that going to work? They're on a fool's errand. And they're engaging in an activity with no hope of success. But now let's apply that to us. Because this morning, you and I, you and I, we are like those women in this respect, that we too are called and we do, we are called to seek the Lord Jesus Christ where he may be found. And is there any earthly logic to that? Seeking the Lord Jesus Christ? Seeking the Lord Jesus Christ, after all, it isn't going to improve our earthly lives. There is that false gospel nowadays, that false teaching that goes by the name, the health and wealth gospel. If only you seek the Lord Jesus Christ with a full measure of faith, then God will shower down upon you all manner of physical blessings, wealth and riches and a comfortable lifestyle. And there are other teachings besides that teach that seeking and believing in Jesus will guarantee you a good degree of earthly benefits. But that's not what happens when we seek Jesus. That's not according to the scriptures. Seeking and believing in Jesus does not mean that we are going to become fabulously wealthy and healthy for the rest of our lives. Not at all, but rather God's word teaches many are the afflictions of the righteous. with the implication being that more often than not, the righteous in the Lord Jesus Christ go through more difficulty, more hardship, more trouble in this life than the ungodly. And that was Asaph's observation in Psalm 73. You read Psalm 73, Asaph looks at the world of ungodly, unrighteous people, and his initial reaction was, they prosper. They've got it made. And even when they die, they're not even afraid of death. There are no bans in their death. But Asaph says, but look at me and look at God's people. We're plagued all the day long. And we suffer. And now Asaph's purely earthly observation wasn't altogether incorrect. The people of God often have it much more difficult as compared to the ungodly, but now the point being, what earthly logic can there possibly be to seeking the Lord Jesus Christ? Furthermore, what about the reproach that we must endure as we seek the Lord Jesus Christ? What person in his or her right mind would want to endure that reproach and go through that type of shame. And we bear the reproach of Christ because we necessarily confess that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. And he's the only way. But there's no other way to the Father. But through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the gods of the other religions, therefore, do not provide a different way to the Father. They are false gods. They are false religions. There's only one God and there's only one Savior. And that's the Lord Jesus Christ. But you see, that's not a popular gospel nowadays. That's not being inclusive. So it goes, and that's true. The Christian religion is not inclusive. It does not welcome and gather into its arms all of the gods of the other nations. The Christian religion says there's one God and one Savior between God and the mediator, the Lord Jesus Christ. And that's the message of the gospel. And that's what we preach here at Emmanuel Protestant Reformed Church and in other true churches of Jesus Christ. That's what our children are taught in the catechism room. But that message isn't going to be allowed forever. That message as time goes on will attract the powers that be. And eventually that message will be silenced. And then further, think of how much we have to give up as we seek this Lord Jesus. It means following Him, loving Him. keeping his commandments. Now we do that gladly, we do that gladly, but from an earthly point of view, look at how much Christians have to sacrifice and give up in this life. Opportunities and sometimes even lucrative employment that we have to forego, because that employment would require labor on the Sabbath day. It's the sacrifice of time and financial resources as we bring up our children in the fear and admonition of the Lord, the sacrifice of money as we give to the causes of the kingdom, not only here in our immediate church, but to other causes outside of our own immediate church. And from an earthly point of view, it doesn't make any sense. seeking the Lord Jesus Christ. No promise of earthly blessing, but bearing the reproach of Christ, the sacrifice of time and financial resources and everything else, one would conclude that it's a futile endeavor to seek Jesus, which was crucified. But now look at these women. What are they doing? They are seeking Jesus, which was crucified. See their determination. See their godly resolve. They will not be turned back. They will not be persuaded otherwise. And if you would have said to them, ladies, why don't you stop for a moment and think about what you're doing, you're not gonna be able to roll the stone away, you know that. You know that there's gonna be soldiers there that more than likely are gonna turn you away. Do you really wanna continue, women? Do you really wanna go this route? And the women would have said, we know all that, but we're going anyways, because there's nothing else we can do. And for us, well, there's no earthly logical reason to seek the Lord Jesus Christ, nevertheless, we do. By God's grace, we search for Him and we look for Him who is our Lord and our Savior. But what's the reason for that? What explains this determination and commitment on the part of the women to seek the Lord Jesus in light of the foolishness of doing so from every earthly point of view? Well, what explains that in the, we can say a number of things here. In the first place, the women and the disciples, they knew who Jesus was. They heard his preaching. They saw his miracles. Never a man spake like this man. And who can do these miracles except he be the son of God? And these women gave the same confession that Peter gave and the other disciples gave. When Jesus sent out to the disciples and the disciples come back, Jesus says, whom do men say that I am? And the disciples say, well, some say you're one of the prophets, Elias or John the Baptist. Jesus says, but whom do you say that I am? We believe that thou art the Christ, the son of the living God. And that was the confession of the women as well. They knew the identity of Jesus, that he was the spiritual seed of Abraham, the son of David, the promised Messiah, the Christ that has come. And so also with us, beloved, we seek him because we know who he is. So that the preaching of Jesus and the miracles that Jesus performed that are recorded for us in sacred scripture, that's a testimony to us. In a sense, we were there when Jesus stilled the storm on the seas of Galilee and when the disciples were amazed and said, what manner of man is this that even the wind and the sea doth obey him? We stand before the Lord Jesus Christ and the power of God, and we say, what manner of man is this who has done all these things, who has saved my soul from destruction? Well, why seek him? Because the light of the world has shined in our hearts, revealing that light, and we know who he is, the Son of God, come in our flesh. In the second place, what explains this determination and the commitment on the part of the women to seek Jesus? Well, because they knew that they needed a savior. You see, that was the main problem for the women and for us. The main problem would be all our sins and all our miseries. And in this regard, remember that we seek not simply Jesus, but Jesus, which was crucified. And this crucifixion is at the heart of the Christian faith. Because when the Lord Jesus Christ, there 2000 years ago on the hill of Golgotha, he took all the handwriting of ordinances that was against us and he nailed it to his cross and he suffered God's wrath for all our sins and when he came down from that cross and rose from the dead, the handwriting of our ordinances remained there on the cross and it cannot follow us around. It can never be attached to us again but forever attached to the cross of Jesus Christ. This is the forgiveness of all our sins, the great blessing of salvation that Jesus earned for us on the cross. And the women long ago, they knew they had this need for forgiveness, and so do we. So that whatever other problems and trials that we face in life, We know that we are sinners. We go against the law of God. We've fallen in our first parents, Adam and Eve, and are at enmity against God. We need someone to deliver us from these sins. And we seek the Lord Jesus Christ, which was crucified, because in Him alone, all our salvation is found. and ultimately the reason why anyone seeks Jesus. It's not found in what we feel, but it's found in the power of God. That's why you and I are here this Sabbath day morning. That's why we pray to God. That's why we do seek the Lord Jesus Christ because of what Jesus says in John 6, verse 44, no man can come unto the Father, can come unto me except that the Father which hath sent me draw him. And this is the powerful work of God's grace in our hearts to take us who would never by nature look for him and now by his power to draw us unto him, so that we do love him and we do seek him, so that Jesus by his word draws us unto him. When Jesus says to us in Matthew chapter 11, come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. And that word of Jesus is powerful so that we do come and that our wills are bent so that we love the Lord Jesus Christ and we want that rest and we desire that peace but always and everywhere drawn by his love, drawn by him who is the light, drawn by his light yoke. and drawn by the forgiveness of our sins and the removal of our guilt, were drawn to him by Jesus Christ himself. And all of this, seeking the Lord Jesus Christ, we can sum up. We can sum up really with one word, and that one word is love. Faith. Seeking the Lord Jesus Christ means faith. Seeking Jesus, looking for him as the women did. that Sunday morning when no earthly logic could explain what they were doing, but there is one word that explains what they were doing, faith. Faith, which is the gift of God that makes us know Him, understand Him, know our need for Him, desire Him, want Him, trust in Him and to believe in Him, the resurrected Jesus, which was crucified, we seek by faith. And the women came to the tomb early that Sunday morning. Did they find him? And that brings us to the second point of the sermon, finding him. The angel says in the text, I know that ye seek Jesus which was crucified. He's not here. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And the answer is yes, the women did find Jesus, but not there, not in that grave, not in the tomb, because the grave, that's the place of the dead. And Jesus was there in the grave. He was there Friday evening. He was there all day Saturday. He was there in the grave for a few hours early Sunday morning. But as the angel now says, he's not here. And you're not going to find him here in the grave. And so also as we seek Jesus Christ, we don't go to the grave to try and find Jesus. We don't go to some ancient sepulcher outside of Jerusalem nowadays and buy some archeological discovery, think we can find perhaps the bones of this man who died long ago. He's not among the dead anymore. But the women will find him, we find him, not as a dead man, but he who is the resurrection and the life, because Jesus arose from the dead. And that ought to be something that we don't overlook. And what a wonderful thing that must have been to be in that sepulcher on that Sunday morning. Now nobody was in that sepulcher to see what it looked like, but what it must have looked like to see the Lord Jesus Christ rise from the dead, so that there is his dead body, so obviously dead that the soldiers did not break the legs of Jesus three days earlier, because they saw that he was dead already, so obviously dead that Joseph of Arimathea begged the body of Jesus, so obviously dead that Joseph and Nicodemus wrapped the body of Jesus, and carried it to the sepulcher and laid it on that stone shelf carved out in the side of the rock. But then early on that Sunday morning, that the body of Jesus Christ arises from the dead. and comes out of those grave clothes. And not that Jesus had to stand up and rip those grave clothes off of him and throw them as a heap on the floor, but that his body simply passed right through those grave clothes. And he doesn't have to move the stone away to get out because he can go right through that rock. But the angel did come to roll the stone away, not to let Jesus out, but to let the women in and to let the disciples in. And we see in the resurrection of Jesus now that he has risen with the same body, but now it's a glorious heavenly body. So that for some 33 years, when Jesus was on the earth, his glory had been veiled. Now, Jesus did show his glory. There were glimpses of his glory. After all, the disciple John says, and we beheld his glory. The glory is of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. There were those times when the glory of Jesus burst forth in his preaching, in his miracles, in the stilling of the storm, in raising Lazarus from the dead. But now on Easter Sunday, Resurrection Sunday, Jesus arose from the dead and one wonders if that whole sepulcher inside that tomb was radiating bright with the light of the risen Lord. And inside that tomb, no more is the body of Jesus, but simply the grave clothes. And there's the napkin wrapped in a place by itself to show that there isn't anything underneath that napkin anymore. But something here has happened that is supernatural, something that there's no earthly explanation for. What happened is that Jesus arose from the dead. And this is our Savior, a Savior who lives. We do not believe in a Savior and we do not seek the living among the dead, but we seek and find Him alive at the right hand of God. We seek Jesus where he may be found in prayer. We seek Jesus where he may be found and heard in the preaching of the gospel. We seek Jesus in the catechism classes where the truth is taught. We seek the Lord Jesus Christ among the living because he's arisen from the dead and he lives. And we seek and we find him by God's grace. And finally, the women who came seeking Jesus early that Sunday morning, they received great assurance. And that assurance did not come to them in the first place when they walked into the empty tomb and saw that there was nobody in the tomb. Now, we'll get to that. That would be assurance, but that was not the first proof. That was not the first way that they were assured on that Sunday morning, but rather it's in the words of the angel in verses five and six, fear not ye, for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here for he is risen, and now especially these words, as he said. First things first, Words of Jesus are sure and steadfast, and you can take Jesus at his word. When Jesus speaks and promises something, you can be sure. Women, my disciples, Church of Jesus Christ, you can be sure those words will come to pass. After all, the Lord Jesus Christ told the disciples very plainly And we sometimes scratch our head at this and say, why did the disciples get it? Jesus said to them, we're going to Jerusalem and I'm going to suffer and die. And the third day I will rise from the dead. And so important and so significant is the veracity of Jesus' words that the first proof the angel gives the women regarding the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is not the empty tomb. The first proof the angel gives is this, as he said. He said it. He's risen from the dead. And that word of Jesus Christ is so sure that whether or not you women even go into the tomb to see that there's no body in there, you can be assured that Jesus Christ is risen from the dead as He said. What a comfort that is for you and for me, this is a comfort that runs deep in the word of God for us, that we can take Jesus at his word to know that his words are true and steadfast. Jesus said, on the third day, I will rise again from the dead. We can believe that word. But Jesus also spoke other words. What else did Jesus say? Jesus said, I will save you from your sins, as he said. What else did Jesus say? I will send a comforter who will lead and guide you into all truth, as he said. What else did Jesus say? Jesus says, I go to prepare a place for you that where I am, there ye may be also. As he said, I lay down my life for the sheep. I come to do the will of my father. And so many beautiful words that Jesus spoke And he spoke those words, not as a well-meaning friend who has good intentions, but is never strong and powerful enough to see those good intentions through, no, but Jesus spoke those words as the Son of God, full of power, full of glory. Powerful to do that which he says he will do. And you can even stake your life on that word. You can live your life in that word. You can put all your trust, all your confidence, your very existence in those words of Jesus Christ. Because the words that Jesus speaks are sure and steadfast. That's the first thing the angel says to the women before they even go into the tomb. He's not here for he's risen as he said. But now that assurance is added to as the women go into the tomb. The angel says, come, see the place where the Lord lay. And the women go inside that tomb and they see with their own eyes that that tomb is empty. That's not a place, though, that one would normally want to go, to enter into the cemetery, to enter literally, as the women were, into the grave. After all, only a few weeks earlier, Martha says to Jesus, you don't want to go inside that tomb and unseal that tomb of my brother, Lazarus, because by this time he stinketh. The grave is that which contains death and corruption. And that's the reality of death. That's the reality of the grave. The grave is that place of corruption. The angel says, though, come see this place. Take a full look at this place where the Lord lay. A place that we would otherwise not want to look. Because in the grave you see ugliness and rottenness. In the grave you see corruption. and death. And as the women look, and as the disciples later look, they don't see death. They don't see corruption. They see an empty tomb. He's not there. Now there's evidence he was there, but no one now is there. So that awful sepulcher to the women on Friday afternoon, Now it becomes an occasion of great joy for them on Sunday morning because that tomb is empty. The Savior lives. Comfort for you and for me and for our loved ones who fall asleep in the Lord Jesus Christ. And we'll experience that shortly as a congregation. That grave looks awful. From an earthly point of view, it is. It's the place of corruption. and our bodies return to the dust, but that grave has been changed by the Lord Jesus Christ. He went into that grave, He lay in that grave, and He came out. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? And the Lord Jesus Christ by his resurrection from the dead changes the grave for you and for me so that now it's not the place of eternal corruption, but it becomes simply a holding place for our bodies until that day when Jesus raises our bodies from the dead. Comfort and assurance in the words of Jesus and in that empty tomb. And so all of this really brings us back full circle then to the very beginning. To the very beginning then of what the angel said to the women, fear not, fear not ye. To the women, fear not that your savior is dead. Fear not what things will come upon the church. And to us as saints in the Lord Jesus Christ, fear not over the circumstances in life. Fear not even over the prospect of your own death or the death of loved ones. Fear not. You seek Jesus which was crucified. No need for fear. Praise be to God. Jesus is risen from the dead. Amen. Let us pray. Our Father, which art in heaven, we thank Thee for Thy word to us this morning. We thank Thee for the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, our Savior, our Lord, powerful, who could not be held of death, so that there is no sting left in sin and no victory in the grave. but victory was found in our Savior. Apply this word to our hearts, may it take deep root and bear good fruit. We pray this in Jesus' name alone, amen. We sing Psalter number 29. entitled Immortality and Resurrection, a Versification of Psalm 16. Let's sing the three stanzas, all three, Psalter number 29. To Thee, O Lord, I cry, and on my health depend. Thou art my Lord and people's guide, through Thou my soul defend. I praise the Lord above. His counsel guides the right. Thy heart is justly in His law in seasons of the night. At my right hand he guards the hill, and I shall not be moved. My heart is glad and blest, my soul its joy shall tell. ♪ Where hope shall rest and still in safety dwell ♪ ♪ My soul, in that time filled with joy and gladness ♪ O'er earth, ship, and hill, fly free. ♪ King of kings ♪ The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be and abide with you all. Amen.