We read God's Word this afternoon in the last chapter in the book of John, John chapter 21. John chapter 21, we'll read the entire chapter and the text will be the first 14 verses, which is the third resurrection appearance of Jesus to a number of the disciples. So the text will be the first 14 verses, which we will not reread, but let's read together now the whole chapter, John chapter 21. After these things, that is the things of John chapter 20, of what happened on the first day when Jesus arose from the dead, appearing to the disciples, appearing to Thomas. After these things, Jesus showed himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. And on this wise, showed he himself. They were together Simon Peter and Thomas called Didymus and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee and the sons of Zebedee and two other of his disciples. Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, we also go with thee. They went forth and entered into a ship immediately and that night they caught nothing. But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No. And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes. Therefore, that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, it is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher's coat unto him, for he was naked, and did cast himself into the sea. And the other disciples came in a little ship, for they were not far from land, but as it were 200 cubits, dragging the net with fishes. And as soon as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there and fish laid thereon and bread. Jesus saith unto them, bring of the fish which ye have now caught. Simon Peter went up and drew the net to land full of great fishes, and hundred and fifty and three. And for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken. Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? Knowing that it was the Lord. Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise. This is now the third time that Jesus showed himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from the dead. So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee, He saith unto him, feed my lambs. He saith again to him, again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, feed my sheep. He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things. Thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, feed my sheep. Verily, verily, I say unto thee, when thou wast young, thou girdest thyself, and walkest whither thou wouldest, But when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands and another shall gird thee and carry thee whither thou wouldest not. This spake he signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, follow me. Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following, which also leaned on his breast at supper and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee? Peter, seeing him, saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? Jesus saith unto him, if I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? Follow thou me. "'Then went this saying abroad among the brethren "'that the disciple should not die. "'Yet Jesus said, "'Not unto him he shall not die, "'but if I will that he tarry till I come, "'what is that to thee?' "'This is the disciple which testifieth of these things "'and wrote these things. And we know that his testimony is true. And there are also many other things which Jesus did, which, if they should be written, every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen. Thus far we read God's holy and inspired word. The text this afternoon consisting of this third resurrection appearance, especially the verses 1 through 14. Beloved congregation in our Lord Jesus Christ, Christ rose from the dead on resurrection Sunday morning. He did not immediately ascend up into heaven, but during the course of 40 days, Jesus would show himself alive to his disciples, to the women, and according to 1 Corinthians 15, to above 500 brethren all at once. And we ask, why did Jesus show himself alive after his resurrection? on the first place that there would be eyewitnesses of his resurrection, not only for our sakes, hundreds and thousands of years later, but eyewitnesses for the sake of the spread of the gospel in the immediate days after the resurrection, because as of yet, the New Testament scriptures were not complete. And it was God's good pleasure that as the gospel would be spread to the Gentiles, that the apostles could bring this testimony, and we saw him. We were his disciples. We saw him die and we saw him risen from the dead. He told us he would suffer and die and be risen and that's exactly what happened. And now believe in Jesus Christ for all your salvation. The purpose of Jesus showing himself alive after his resurrection was also so that during the course of these 40 days, Jesus could give final words of instruction to the disciples, namely, that they would go out and preach the gospel to all nations. The Great Commission, baptizing in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. But then also the purpose of Jesus in his resurrection appearances is specifically for us. That we might have this testimony of the Word of God in the Bible and that we might believe it. And that's what the last two verses of the previous chapter, John 20, verses 30 and 31 state. Many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book, but these are written. These resurrection appearances of Jesus are written. Why? That ye might believe. that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing ye might have life through His name. Well last week we read John 20 and we read some of those resurrection appearances. Jesus appearing to Mary Magdalene outside of the tomb. Later that same day Jesus appearing to the 10 disciples. Judas Iscariot dead. Thomas not present. And then the following Sunday Jesus appearing again to the disciples this time with Thomas present. And now we come to John 21 and the entirety of John 21 consists of one resurrection appearance of Jesus to the disciples as Jesus appears to them on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. And here in John chapter 21, there are three different scenes. The first scene that we take is our text, verses 1 through 14. And then we have verses 15 through 19 where Jesus speaks to Peter specifically and encourages him and admonishes him, feed my lambs, feed my sheep. And then verses 20 and following when Peter says to Jesus concerning John, what shall this man do? But the text before us this afternoon verses 1 through 14, that's what we'll consider. And these verses are emphatic that this indeed is a resurrection appearance of Jesus to the disciples. You note that in verse one, it mentions two times that Jesus showed himself. After these things, Jesus showed himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. And on this wise showed he himself. And then the last verse of the text, verse 14, this is now the third time that Jesus showed himself to his disciples after that he was risen from the dead. And the apostle John, as if he can't get over this wonderful reality that Jesus is alive. and that he shows himself to the disciples. That Jesus showed himself means that he manifested himself, he appeared, he made himself visible, and he showed himself not simply physically, but he caused his disciples as well to know that it was him. We take as our theme the risen Jesus at the Sea of Tiberias. Let's note, in the first place, the significant setting. Secondly, the great catch of fishes that we read of. And then finally, the particular disciples that are mentioned here in this passage and the significance of that. The risen Jesus at the Sea of Tiberias. The events of the previous chapter, John 20, Jesus appearing to Mary Magdalene, Jesus appearing to the disciples that same Resurrection Sunday and the following Sunday appearing to them as well, all those events took place in Jerusalem. But now in John 21, there's a transition. Now we move north. The setting of John 21 takes us up north into Galilee, and particularly at the Sea of Galilee. But now we ask the question, why are these disciples, at least the seven that we read of here, why are they now in Galilee? They've moved from Jerusalem to Galilee. And there's a number of different answers to that question. In the first place, this was the direct command of Jesus to the disciples. to go into Galilee. You remember when we were considering the suffering of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane and we read Matthew chapter 26 a number of times, but there in Matthew chapter 26, Jesus tells the disciples, all ye shall be offended because of me this night for it is written, I will smite the shepherd and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. But after I am risen, I will go before you into Galilee. And then also Matthew 28 verse seven, the angel tells the women at the grave, tell the disciples that Jesus is risen from the dead and behold, he goeth before you into Galilee. There shall you see him. And then Matthew 28 verse 16, where it says that the 11 disciples went away into Galilee into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And so we can gather from these verses that the disciples stayed in Jerusalem for at least a week following the resurrection of Jesus, because they were there the week after, now with Thomas being present. But then after that initial week of being in Jerusalem, in the next week or two, we don't know exactly when, but the disciples make their way up into Galilee, and this was obedience to the direct command of Christ before he died, Command of Christ after he was risen, go into Galilee and there you shall see me. We can say more about the setting of Galilee now for this resurrection appearance. In Galilee, Jesus would appear unto them also for the sake of the disciples themselves, because in Jerusalem, there was relative danger for the disciples at present because there was a nasty rumor going around that the disciples had stolen the body of Jesus and had hid it. And the disciples even got together then behind closed doors in Jerusalem. And I take that closed doors, shut doors as meaning they had the doors locked for fear of the Jews. However, up in Galilee, there would be relative safety for the disciples. Up in Galilee, the disciples would be at relative ease. This is where many of the disciples grew up in towns and villages scattered around Galilee. This is where Jesus spent most of his time in his earthly ministry, traveling about Galilee, preaching and performing miracles with the disciples by his side. And now here in the safety and familiarity of Galilee, the disciples will be all the more prepared and receptive to the instruction that the risen Jesus will give them. In Galilee also, because Galilee was as close to the Gentile nations as one could get, Galilee is referred to by the Jews, Matthew 4 verse 15, but Galilee is referred to as Galilee of the Gentiles. Now it was here in Galilee at some point that the risen Jesus is going to take his disciples aside up into a mountain. and he's going to give them the Great Commission. Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit, Matthew chapter 28. But that Jesus chooses Galilee to give them this instruction of the Great Commission is itself a picture of sorts to the disciples that the gospel will now be spread far beyond the boundaries of Jerusalem and Judah. And now here in John 21, Jesus appears to the disciples in Galilee, specifically by the Sea of Galilee. And here John calls it the Sea of Tiberias. as it was also named after one of those Roman emperors, but now using this Gentile name, emphasizing that up here in Galilee, the Gentile factor, and that the gospel would be spread to the Gentile nations. And so the disciples, are here in Galilee. They are also very familiar with the Sea of Galilee. They are on their own home turf, as it were. This is where the feeding of the 5,000 occurred in John 6, where Jesus preached, I am the bread of life. This is where Jesus stilled the storm. This is where Jesus walked on the water. This is where Jesus told Peter, cast your hook into the sea and catch a fish and in the mouth of that fish will be a piece of money and submit that for the tribute for you and for me. On the shores of the Sea of Galilee, this is where Jesus healed those two men possessed with evil spirits roaming around the graveyard and the tombstones in Gennesaret. Now the Sea of Galilee was Chorazin and Bethsaida, where Jesus had spent time, much time, preaching the gospel of the kingdom and performing many miracles. And now this all that they are here now in the Sea of Galilee, this would be assurance for the disciples. Assurance for the disciples that this is really Jesus. Jesus isn't coming to them in some strange place, some foreign place, but rather the disciples can say, we spent so much time with Jesus. We spent so much time with him up here in Galilee, and now he's risen from the dead, and we're in the exact same place, and this is the same Jesus that we know. Verse 4 tells us what time of day it was when Jesus appears to them. But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore. So that it was right at dawn, right at daybreak, one of the earliest resurrection appearances that we read of that Jesus making in the Bible. And Jesus chooses this point to show himself to his disciples, to manifest himself, to make himself visible and known. And so this is the place, the Sea of Tiberias, the Sea of Galilee that Jesus chooses for this third time to manifest himself to the disciples. Further with regard to the setting, it's significant as to what we find the disciples doing. What do we read the disciples doing? Well, the disciples were fishing. Not recreational fishing, not fishing for pleasure. This fishing was their earthly vocation. This is what they knew how to do. This is how they worked to support their families. This was their calling and their work, both before Jesus called them and even now here, they are working at their trade. And insofar as we find the disciples fishing, We don't rush to any hasty conclusions about them. We don't say of them that and view the disciples as somehow becoming impatient with the words of Jesus to go up into Galilee and there I will meet you. So that the disciples say, well, when is Jesus gonna meet with us? Well, we don't know what to do. Let's just pass the time and do some fishing. No. But positively, the disciples are engaged in good, honest, hard work as they wait for further instruction from the risen Christ. And so we see the disciples keeping the fourth commandment. Six days shalt thou do all thy labor. Because after all, the disciples still had to support themselves, they had to support their families, and I trust that many of them, if not all of them, had wives, had families. And besides, they are fishermen. And now they're back in Galilee. They're back at home. They have boats readily accessible. Their nets are at hand. And so they get to work. They're diligent. They're keeping busy as they patiently wait for the Lord Jesus Christ to appear and speak to them. And when Jesus does show himself here in John 21, Jesus doesn't rebuke him as if the disciples are doing something wrong, as if they're neglecting their spiritual calling by going out and fishing. While the point simply being that Jesus chooses this time to reveal himself to the disciples, not when they are sitting idly by, Not when they are twiddling their thumbs, but when they're working. When they're performing hard, honest labor. And even after they've labored the entire night long. And that doesn't strike us as strange because that is the pattern we see in the Bible regarding those whom God calls. We often find these men engaged in heavy labor and they are working hard so that Moses is called by God when he was taking care of his father-in-law's sheep. Elisha was called when he was in the field plowing with the oxen. Gideon was called. when he was threshing wheat in the winepress of his father. Good encouragement for us to work and to work hard. Jesus comes not to an idle, lazy people, but he comes to his disciples when they are working hard at their occupation of fishing. And that leads us then into the second point, insofar as the disciples were fishing, that leads us to that great catch of fishes. Jesus appears to the disciples not only when they are working, but now specifically when their efforts produce nothing. We read in verse three, that these disciples, these seven disciples, they go out fishing. They've been fishing all night long. And what do we read at the end of verse three? And that night they caught nothing. No fish for these experienced fishermen. Verse four, when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. Why didn't they recognize Jesus at first? It's hard to say exactly. They were a little bit of a distance away from the shore. Verse 8 mentions 200 cubits. That would be about 300 feet. That's close enough a distance to recognize somebody, but still long ways away. Or was it that Jesus appeared in a different form? That the disciples didn't recognize him as Jesus appeared to the travelers to Emmaus? And here it's hard to say why exactly the disciples didn't recognize him at first. But Jesus says in verse five, Children, have ye any meat? A strange and unusual way for a man on shore to address grown men out in the ship as children. But nonetheless, Jesus, in asking this question, simply saying, did you catch any fish to eat? And they answer him, no. And of course here Jesus knows that they didn't catch anything. The purpose of Jesus asking this question was not for the personal knowledge of Jesus, for him to come to something that he didn't know, but the purpose of this question was for the disciples to admit it and to say it out loud for them to understand that in all their own labor, in all their own striving, They weren't able to catch any fish. No fruit upon their labors. And they were experienced fishermen. They weren't beginners out there in a boat blundering about, not knowing what they're doing. They knew what they were doing, and yet for all that, they caught nothing. Verse six, Jesus says unto them, cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. And the disciples obey. They must find something very compelling about this stranger as of yet on shore. They cast their net on the right side, verse six continues, they cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes. And jumping ahead to verse 11 tells us that the net was full. And there were 153 fish. The Bible makes a note of that exact number of 153 fish. Now I don't believe that there was anything significant or any hidden meaning in this number of 153 fish. If there were a thousand fish, perhaps, if there were 666 fish, then there would be some meaning to that number, but the Bible elsewhere doesn't give any special meaning. to this number of 153, and we don't try to force it into meaning something that the scriptures don't make obvious. The point simply being, the disciples are amazed that there are so many fish, that they count all these fish, and there's 153, and that doesn't strike us as strange because If you go out, you catch a few little fish. That's no big deal. That's nothing to write home about. You don't measure them, you don't weigh them, but if you catch a large fish, if you catch many fish, well then you measure them and you weigh them and you know exactly how many fish you caught and you tell others, you won't believe it, this is exactly how many fish I caught and this was their size. Well, that's the disciples here. The disciples are amazed at this great catch of fishes. And so they take the time to count all of them, 153. And 153, not small fishes, not even average size fish, but verse 11, Simon drew the net to land full of great fishes. Great fishes, which means they were all keepers, even larger than that. So what's the meaning of this great catch of fishes? And we can say this very obviously. Jesus is divine. Jesus is the Son of God. He knows everything. He controls everything. The course of the stars in the sky and the swimming of the fish in the sea. Jesus knows. He controls. And he shows that power and that knowledge to his disciples. Absolutely, that's true. And the disciples knew that as well. We can say more about that. There's this as well, that Jesus Christ here on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, that Jesus Christ is teaching the disciples something. He's teaching them in a very masterful way, using this activity of fishing, to teach them that this is what the preaching of the gospel is like. The disciples are already privy to this method of Jesus. Because back in Matthew chapter 4, when Jesus originally calls the disciples, in Matthew 4, when Jesus was walking by this same Sea of Galilee, he calls Andrew and Peter, brothers, to be his disciples. And there Peter and Andrew were on the shore, maybe right off the shore in their boat, casting the net, fishing. And Jesus walks by and Jesus says to them, follow me, you fishermen, and I will make you fishers of men. And then further later in Luke chapter 5, Jesus is teaching the people from Peter's boat. And after Jesus is done teaching the people from Luke chapter 5, Jesus says to Peter, launch out into the deep and cast your net, and ye shall find. And Peter says, well, we fished all night, we didn't catch anything, but if you say so, we'll do it. And they launch into the deep, cast the net, And the net is full of fishes. This time the net breaks. Peter beckons for others from shore. Come over and help. And another boat comes and they fill both of the boats with fishes. And the boats are liable to sink. They're so full of fish. And Peter recognizes, this man Jesus is no ordinary man. And in Luke chapter 5, Peter falls down on his knees and says, depart from me, O Lord, for I am a sinful man. And Jesus says to Peter, fear not. From henceforth, you will catch men. Jesus teaching Peter, Jesus teaching the other disciples through their act of fishing, I'm not here to terrify you. I'm here to instruct you. I'm here to teach you that even as you catch fish, but now henceforth I will call you and you will be fishers of men and preachers of the gospel. And that's what's taking place here in John chapter 21. Jesus is teaching the disciples that even as you catch fish, now you will be preachers of the gospel. and you will go out and you will proclaim the message and you will catch men as it were and you will proclaim the message of me, Jesus says, to repent and to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ for all your salvation. And the disciples now being taught, here in John 21, that in this work of them, being fishers of men, being preachers of the gospel, that they must consciously rely upon the Lord Jesus Christ to provide fruit upon all their labor, that they must depend upon his grace and the strength that comes from him alone. So that if the disciples were to think that they are to go out in their own strength, their own supposed strength, then you know what's going to happen? Then they're not gonna catch anything. Just like they didn't catch anything, any fish, all night long. If the disciples go about preaching in their own strength and bring their own message and in that way do their own thing, That would just be an exercise in futility. And it would produce nothing. But when they go forth trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ, giving heed to the words of Jesus and his instruction, then they may know that their work will be fruitful. And then the net, as it were, will be full. And it will be full with the exact number of fishes. And if we want to speak about that number being significant, 153 fishes, it's not so much the number as it is that this number is exact and definite. And that teaches us that as the preaching goes forth by the apostles, As the preaching goes forth down through the New Testament age by faithful servants of Jesus Christ, it's God's good pleasure to use that word of the gospel for the gathering in of all God's people. Every single last one of them will be gathered, a definite and particular number of people, all of God's elect, gathered by the Word and Spirit. And though there be such a great number of God's people, as we consider them all by themselves, as God's elect, such a great number of God's people, and yet for all that, the net will not be broken. The purpose of God in the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ crucified, the purpose of God will be accomplished and not one of them shall fall away. And so comfort for the Church of Jesus Christ in all the New Testament to be diligent in the work of the gospel. to depend upon the Lord Jesus Christ, to labor not in your own strength, but in the labor that comes from above, the strength that comes from above. And we learn here that in this great catch of fishes, learning the call of the gospel, of the power of God to accomplish his purpose, and the preservation of all God's people. And finally, there's a particular word for these specific disciples present here in John 21. And this is being the last point of the sermon. Verse 2 mentions that there are seven disciples total. with only a few of those even mentioned by name. We don't know where the other disciples were. They were present, but nonetheless, there's a word of God to each of these disciples. There's the word of God to Simon Peter. He's mentioned here. And we can now look at some of these disciples who are mentioned for us. and understand a little bit of their character and how Jesus will show himself in this wise to these men in particular and what benefit it will be for them. Simon Peter is mentioned here and we know a little bit about Simon Peter. We know that Simon Peter was a bold man. Simon Peter at times showed himself to be proud Simon Peter at times showed himself to be an impulsive man. And Simon is the one here who speaks on behalf of all of the other disciples in other places in scripture. And here in John 21, he's the one who says to the other disciples, I go a fishing. He's leading the way. He's telling the disciples what he wants to do. And once Peter realizes that The man on shore is Jesus. Peter impulsively throws himself into the sea and swims to shore. Jesus shows himself on this wise to Simon Peter for Peter's benefit. Jesus as much saying, Peter, you're going to be a leader in the church, and you're a man who wants to get things done, but you will have no success as a fisher of men, Peter, if you labor in your own strength and you go do your own thing. Peter, be humble. Peter, don't take matters into your own hands, but be confident that I will use you and I will equip you with all that you need for the spread of the gospel. We read of Peter, we read of another disciple. In the second place from verse two we read that Thomas was present. From what we know of Thomas in the gospel accounts is that Thomas was a man who had a rather pessimistic attitude. Thomas was the one who didn't believe the other disciples when they told him that we have seen the Lord, and Thomas says, no. Unless I see for myself, I'm not going to believe. Earlier in Jesus' ministry, when Jesus would go to Jerusalem, And when it was clear that the Jews were there to kill him, Thomas said to the other disciples, well, let's just go with Jesus and we'll die with him there. Thomas was one who had a pessimistic and maybe even at times a fatalistic attitude. Jesus shows himself on this wise to Thomas in John 21, as if to say to Thomas, Thomas, I send you out to preach the gospel. And as you do so, don't be pessimistic. Don't be fatalistic. I know where the fish are, Thomas. I will gather them through the words that I put in your mouth. Thomas, be encouraged and remember this day of my appearance to you and this catch of great fishes. We read of another disciple, Nathaniel. Nathaniel was a man who was very open and honest. He was a man who spoke what was in his heart. In John chapter one, when Jesus was calling the disciples, the disciples, while they find Jesus, they go over and tell Nathanael, we've found the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth. And Nathanael says, well, can any good thing come out of Nazareth? Nathanael walks to Jesus, Jesus says, behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no guile, meaning that in you, Nathanael, there's no deceit in you. And then Nathanael, true to his character, says, well, how do you know me? You've never met me. And Jesus says, I saw you when you were under the fig tree. And Nathanael there is convinced, and Nathanael says, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God, the King of Israel. And Jesus says to Nathanael, Nathanael, this has convinced you? Good, thou shalt see greater things than these. And now Jesus appears on this wise to Nathanael and John 21, so that Nathanael will go forth in the spread of the gospel, and that he will be that open, honest witness of the things that he has heard and seen, and that he has seen the risen Jesus. And finally, the apostle John, He's mentioned here, at least the sons of Zebedee, and we know that John is the one who inspired by the Spirit to write the Gospel of John. The disciple John is the one, and you can't miss it when you read through the book of John, especially these latter chapters, you can't miss it that John is the disciple who is simply smitten with the fact that he is the object of the love of Jesus. You just can't get over that. And so that's why often John doesn't refer to himself by name, but in God's providence he refers to himself as the disciple whom Jesus loved. And Jesus appears to John in this wise, in this resurrection appearance, so that John may be encouraged that as he goes out and preaches the gospel that he personally is the object of the love of God, sinner though he be, and that John therefore would go out and preach that gospel, the gospel of the love of Jesus Christ for all his sheep, and that he loves his people and preserves them and gathers them unto everlasting life. the third resurrection appearance of Jesus to his disciples. Amen. Let us pray. Our Father which art in heaven, we thank thee for thy word. We thank thee for the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior appearing to the disciples for their sakes and for our sakes. for the sake of the further spread of the gospel to the Gentile nations. And we thank thee that that gospel has been spread far and wide so that even we now hear that gospel and love the Lord Jesus Christ who died for all our sins. Keep us in thy care, preserve us in this life, and afterwards receive us to glory. Bless us in the remainder of this Sabbath day. Keep us all the days of this week. We depend upon Thee, our God and our Savior. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. We sing Psalter number 49. Psalter number 49, entitled The Triumphs of the Gospel. Let's sing the three stanzas, all three, psalter number 49. ♪ Praise her unto the Lord in the end ♪ ♪ All creatures of the earth shall know ♪ ♪ And worship him who is risen today ♪ The Lord of Lords, the King of Kings. For it's the King of wisdom bright. He rules the land. All hail to them, their prominent praise, the Lord of Lords, Lord and King of Kings. All hail to them, Shepherds, we pray, we bended knee, Bended itself, and shall proclaim, Good Lord and Son of Man. Glory to him, ever on his praise, the Lord of Lords, and King of Kings. Now I set free the mighty one, Jehovah, God of Israel, for he alone wonders done, yet he did glory let excel. And blessed be his glorious name, long as the ages shall endure, The Lord bless thee and keep thee. The Lord make his face shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee. The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee and give thee peace. Amen.