The sermon text will be John chapter 5 and verses 30 to 47. We're going to stretch to the end of the chapter here. But we're going to read beginning in verse 19. We'll begin reading in verse 19. John 5, verses 19 to the end of the chapter. This is God's holy word, so give it your diligent attention. John 5, 19 to 47. Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, truly, truly, I say to you, the son can do nothing of himself unless it is something he sees the father doing. For whatever the father does, these things the son also does in like manner. For the father loves the son and shows him all things that he himself is doing. And the father will show him greater works than these so that you will marvel. For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes. For not even the Father judges anyone, but has given all judgment to the Son, so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself. And He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice and will come forth, and those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment. I can do nothing on my own initiative. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I do not seek my own will, but the will of Him who sent me. If I alone testify about myself, my testimony is not true. There is another who testifies of me, and I know that the testimony which he gives about me is true. You have sent to John, and he has testified to the truth. But the testimony which I receive is not from man. But I say these things so that you may be saved. He was the lamp that was burning and was shining, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in His light. But the testimony which I have is greater than the testimony of John. For the works which the Father has given Me to accomplish, the very works that I do, testify about Me that the Father has sent Me. And the Father who sent Me, He has testified of Me. You have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his form. You do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe him whom he sent. You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life. It is these that testify about me, and you are unwilling to come to me so that you may have life. I do not receive glory from men, but I know you, that you do not have the love of God in yourselves. I have come in my Father's name, and you do not receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him. How can you believe when you receive glory from one another and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God? Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father. The one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have set your hope. For if you believe Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words? Thus ends the reading of God's holy word. Let's ask his blessing upon the preaching of it this morning. Our Father in heaven, we thank you for your word. We acknowledge that it is sharper than any two-edged sword. It is quick. It is able to cut to the marrow and to the joints. Lord, we pray that you would grant your word to have its way with us this morning. Would you bless both the hearing and the preaching of it? Give me help as I bring your word to your people. Give me the freedom that I need to proclaim all these things to your people in a way that would cause us all to go from here. blessed and rejoicing at all that you have done and said. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. The title for this morning's sermon is Jesus on Trial. Jesus on Trial is the sermon title. And our text today concludes Jesus' discourse in response to the Sabbath violation. We're going all the way back to that. He has taken the opportunity in the section before us to show talking about 19 to 30 to show his consubstantiality with the father in every way. And as such, as we learn the impossibility of him violating the Sabbath. And we'll see today that Jesus. in light of this previous high-flown discourse that we were in, now lowers himself a bit, if you will. He accommodates himself to the Jews, and he puts himself on trial. He puts himself on trial to be examined by them and by all, even by us today. He will call four witnesses to testify concerning himself in our sermon today. Those witnesses are John the Baptist, Jesus signs the Father and the scriptures. And to verse 30, I can do nothing on my own initiative. As I hear, I judge. And my judgment is just, because I do not seek my own will, but the will of Him who sent me. Verse 30 bookends verse 19 in that section, demonstrating again the unity of His action with the Father. But it also transitions us into our current section. On verse 30, listen to Stephen Duby quoting Chrysostom. He says, John Chrysostom notes that the son does not hear as though needing instruction from someone who knows more than he does or has already made a prior decision. Rather, Jesus makes this statement to convey the concord and identity of the decision. Chrysostom paraphrases Jesus' words. In verse 30 here, saying, thus I judge as if the father himself was the one judging. Chrysostom fittingly applies the same line of reasoning to Jesus' statement that his judgment is just, since he seeks not his own will, but that of the Father. Jesus intends to communicate not that he and the Father must have two distinct wills, but that he wills in unity with the Father. According to Chrysostom, Jesus effectively says, my will is not other than the Father's and proper to me, But if he wills anything, I also will this. And if I will anything, he also wills this. Therefore, just as no one ever would object to the father judging, so neither to me." In this verse, along with the previous section, is all good and right and true. And in itself, it can stand alone as a testimony. It is true because God the Son is the one testifying to his own person and mission. But what's going to take place in the next verse? It will not hold according to old covenant standards. That testimony in and of himself won't hold according to old covenant standards. A testimony is received on the basis of two or three witnesses. And Jesus anticipates that. and willingly puts himself on trial, starting in verse 31. He's in the habit of doing this. This is not uncommon for Jesus to do. saying, if I alone testify about myself, my testimony is not true. Again, we see the language lower a bit. Our feet are brought down nearer to earth, if you will. We were flying at 50,000 feet before, and now we've come down a bit, not quite to the ground as I thought earlier in my study this week, but somewhere around 20,000 feet, let's say. Jesus has calmed down in order that they might believe. He's speaking very plainly to them now. He's speaking according to the law of their scriptures. If I alone testify about myself, my testimony is not true. What to make of this? John Gill puts it well here. He says, Christ's meaning is that his testimony alone, his single witness, how true soever it was, would stand for nothing in their court. And therefore he would not insist upon it, but drop it. For true here is not opposed to that which is false. You get that true is not opposed to what is false, but to that which is not valid in law. Christ's testimony was true in itself, nor could it be any other it coming from him who is truth itself, the amen and faithful witness, but being considered as an human testimony and in his own cause was not to be admitted as sufficient. And this he allows. And having gotten his own witness out of the way, we move on now to our four witnesses. Witness number one of four, John the Baptizer, John the Baptist. Verse 32 says, There is another who testifies of me, and I know that the testimony which he gives about me is true. This verse will be put away until we get to the witness of the father, because this is the reference to the father. This is the father's testimony. In verse 33, You have sent to John, and he has testified to the truth. And what did John testify to? Gil, again, helps us. He says, testified to Christ, who is the truth itself, and to the truth of his person and office, to his dignity and eternity as being before him, though coming after him, and to his divine sonship, the thing now in debate, declaring that he was the son of God. If you remember back in John 1, And to his office, as mediator, point unto him as the Lamb of God, who by his blood and sacrifice takes away. the sins of men. And the language here tells us that John is a certain witness, a complete witness. The language have sent and has testified point them to the permanent and abiding inquiry in witness. He's saying you yourselves sent to him and he testified to the truth. Verse 34, but the testimony which I receive is not from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved. As ought to be obvious from my previous statements and claims, I don't need John's testimony. Though it is true and it is from God, I depend not on it. I am the source of my own testimony. I bring John's witness up for your sake. You think I'm a blasphemer and a Sabbath breaker. Okay, go to John. the one that you rushed out to. His testimony is true. John himself said that he came baptizing with water that Jesus, the one far superior to himself, should be revealed to Israel, should be revealed to them. He's saying, if you won't believe me, consider again, John, that you might, through his witness, believe and be saved. Go to the one who you so eagerly rushed out to with such great zeal and excitement to see and hear. And John was a burning, he was the lamp that was burning and was shining and you were willing to rejoice. You were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. John is a luminary and a luminary in both doctrine and practice. That's what we're to take from this. John is a bright and shining lamp in both doctrine and practice. He is illuminating light concerning the person and work of Christ that he got from the Father. He preached repentance and faith in preparation of Christ's coming. He proclaimed the greatness, as we've discussed, in superiority of Christ's person and work, and he was a light in terms of his conduct. There was no cause for stumbling at his message because John was living a pure and blameless life, not sinless. But folks could not, here's the point, folks could not accuse him of some great sin and reject his message as a result. Some grow up in homes where Christian parents don't conduct themselves in Christian ways. And children go away from the faith and say, see what kind of life you're living and you call yourself a Christian. And that's a great evil in both senses. That parents wouldn't conduct themselves in Christian ways and that kids would blame their parents for their unbelief. It ought not to be. It's lamentable that that is the sad truth. But poor examples are not an excuse for unbelief. At the last day, you won't say, but Lord, you gave me these parents. Whatever. What's the point? They couldn't say that about John. They could not say that about John. He was a burning and shining lamp, a lamp that was lighted from Jesus, who is the true light, illumined to the truth. And he was zealous and he was a blameless man. There was no reason whatsoever to doubt his message. we should pause and ask ourselves if that's us. Does your conduct give people in your life reason to reject Christianity? If that's the kind of father and husband he is, if that's the kind of wife or mom that she is, what kind of employee he or she is, then I don't want anything to do with that religion. Is that what people say? Let us continually be examining ourselves with regard to our testimony and witness amongst our children, family, friends, co-workers amongst the lost in our community. Take note of these things. One commentator on John being a burning and shining lamp says, it was common with the Jews to call their doctors, who were famous for their knowledge and holiness of life, for their knowledge and holiness of life, lights, burning lights and shining lights, or in words which amount to the same. So this is not, to them, they're gonna hear that and say, yeah, we get you, we understand what you're talking about. That's our language, that's our terminology, is what the Jews should take away here. And this was John, who may even be dead at this point in the narrative, I'm not sure. He might have already been beheaded. And they rejoiced for an hour, Jesus says. They flocked out to Him. They were excited, highly anticipating that a great moment in God's history was upon them and John. But once their hopes for a temporal kingdom were squashed, when they were called to reform themselves rather than Him just agreeing with them, when they were called to reform themselves with repentance, being called a brood of vipers, once this all took place, they lost interest. They were angered, and once they discovered that John was much less significant than they had hoped or that they wanted to label, they essentially grew sick of him. We do similar today. We chase after the flashy, the charismatic, youth, beauty, the eloquent, etc. When it stops giving us what we want, we leave it off. Or rather, when the truth hits, then we no longer care about the charisma and all that, because many, like the Jews, aren't really after the truth. Many aren't after the truth. That's the sad reality. When I was converted and began searching for more substance as a young Christian man, I was brought to Bethlehem Baptist, to the famous John Piper. I was a young Christian, starving for truth, and was so glad to find it. I was so blessed. in those early months there. I had no idea who Piper was. I just knew that there was good preaching and teaching there. He wasn't even there every time I, when I visited the first several times, he wasn't even the main preacher or teacher there. And I hadn't really, as I mentioned, I hadn't really come to understand his celebrity status yet. I had no clue. And after a couple of months, Piper went on a sabbatical. It was probably two or three months I was in, and he goes on a sabbatical. And during that eight-month sabbatical, their attendance and giving decreased, I want to say I'm guessing, but by 40% to 50%. He's on a sabbatical, and their attendance and giving decreased by 40% to 50%. He came out of sabbatical for one Sunday and chastise ripped into him. You know, the people here, you could hear, like, who was going to be preaching, and when they heard, they flocked back. And he said, I'll never forget the words in that sermon. He said, if you're not about this ministry, then keep your money. I don't want it. Stuck with me to that time. But what's the point? What were these folks after that were there? Those folks that were there and then left when John went on sabbatical? I don't know where they went. They weren't after the truth. How do we know? Because the men who filled the pulpit during his sabbatical were still powerfully proclaiming God's word. One of them is a pastor now. I had no, I was ignorant to it. I just was sitting under the preaching of the word and enjoying it. And many others as well. But the word, the truth was still being powerfully proclaimed. Rather than sit humbly under these men, people were grumbling. I remember hearing people literally grumble about these preachers and pastors that were there filling the pulpit, complaining, because they weren't as charismatic as John Piper. They weren't after the truth. And the point is, or the question is, are we after the truth? Are you after the truth? Am I after the truth? Or do I have an agenda or a criteria that I think ought to be met, whether or not it's true or biblical? Is that what my criteria is? Or is it something else? You often hear folks say, what is your children's ministry like? That's the typical question. I don't care if you teach or preach truth. Are your children's ministries good? Most recently, the question about a worship team. Do you have a worship team? My wife and I need to serve on the worship team. I had a phone conversation with a young Christian man who I believe is growing as a young Christian, and they're searching for a church. And they didn't like the Reformed Baptist church they attended because they only sang hymns, he said. Here I'm thinking, you mean they don't even sing psalms? That wasn't even on his radar. They didn't have a worship team. And his wife is musically gifted and needs to be in a church where she can be part of the worship team. So they went to the place that was far less sound doctrinally so they could express their gifts as we say. Could have their agenda met that has no biblical grounds. Instead of asking, as the Athanasian Creed puts it, do you guys keep the Catholic universal faith whole and unbroken? Right, that's the question you should ask. Do you guys keep the faith whole and unbroken? Do you guard the truth, the great deposit? Or again, you'll hear someone say, here's your hypothetical. Oh, you guys are soft on the Trinity and Christology, but you have a Juana, Children's Church, and a Christmas program, great, we'll join. That's about the extent of what most theological discernment is today, right? Think about the agendas that surround Christmas and Easter. The division and strife that comes around those times. Because we're not doing this or that. This or that furniture isn't in the sanctuary. Or other preferences. I need this or that to enhance my worship. I need a cross up behind. the pulpit so it will enhance my worship. I've heard folks say they need an American flag in their sanctuary. Ask yourself that. When you have preferences or specific agenda, are they preferred because you desire truth, because it will honor God, or just because this is the way I like it or the way I've always done it? You need to remember that the truth is confrontational. The truth The gospel is disruptive. I love that word for the gospel and for the scriptures, disruptive. It's opposed to the remaining flesh, to our remaining sinful flesh. Who came here today to be disrupted by the truth this morning? Did you say that on your way in here? We ought to think that, we ought to desire that. If we're honest with ourselves, we'll see that we can be more like the Jews, in preference over truth, and they're filling out their own agenda, rather than being humbled under the word of the living God. Witness number two, Jesus' works. But the testimony which I have is greater than the testimony of John. For the works which the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I do, testify about me that the Father has set me. If I do a miracle, you must assume that I'm from God, a la Nicodemus. If I do a miracle and then claim to be God, you ought to believe that. The work testifies that the one doing the work can't be lying. My works, what he's saying is my works match my claims. They are equal to each other. If you put them in the scale, they balance out. They show my eternal origin as he showed last time. My eternal going forth from the father. Who turns water into wine? Who restores a boy back to full health? Who makes a man 38 years long paralytic whole? The man born blind got it. He says to the Jews, since the world began, it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind. And as we've learned, these are not performed on borrowed power. They're not performed on borrowed power. He has willed it. He has spoke these things into existence just as he did at creation. Third witness is the father. The father had testified of the son at his baptism. He spoke from heaven, you are my beloved son and you I am well pleased. He would again at his transfiguration. But now, why this seemingly strange statement? I'm not sure if it's a reference to those. Why this seemingly strange statement? It seems out of place. You have neither heard his voice at any time nor seen his form. Listen to Cyril of Alexandria commenting on this. He says, it is the custom of Christ the Savior when he engages in beneficial conversations with the especially ignorant Pharisees, as he often does, to gaze into the depths of their hearts and to examine in a God-befitting way the unspoken lines of thought that are turning and stirring in their minds at that moment. To these thoughts in particular, he gives answers, discourses, and sometimes even accusations regarding the Pharisees. He does not at all keep to the sequence of his own words. That's key there. He does not at all keep to the sequence of his own words, but he shrewdly responds to whatever they are planning and thinking to themselves. And he shows by this that he is by nature God, since he knows what lies in the depths and searches hearts in the inward parts. Jesus goes off the cuff to expose their thinking, to expose their hearts, and eventually to lead into the testimony of the Scriptures. But what is He exposing? What were they thinking is the question. Cyril again says, we know from the Mosaic writings that God descended on Mount Sinai His form was seen by the fathers and his voice, it says, was heard. He spoke to the whole assembly. He knows that they want to run to Moses and Jesus goes and gets there ahead of them, but not on their own accord and not to the text that they're considering or they're thinking. He says, the father who sent me has testified of me. When did the father testify of him? Listen to Deuteronomy 18 and verses 16 to 18. This is according to all that you asked of the Lord your God in Horeb on the day of the assembly saying, let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God. Let me not see this great fire anymore or I will die. The Lord said to me, they have spoken well. I will raise up a prophet from among their countrymen like you and I will put my words in his mouth and he shall speak to them all that I command him. I believe this is the testifying that Jesus is referring to. The Father has testified of me already long ago. It's in your scriptures. But here is the irony. If they had heard his voice at any time or had seen his form, if they had any spiritual insight, they would recognize the word or the voice of the Father and the exact image of the Father standing right in front of them. But they could not. They could not hear it or see it. They had not up until this point. They have no claim to what Israel saw and heard because they have yet to take it in. They needed to go beyond the letter of the scriptures. They needed to go beyond the letter of the scriptures, beyond the flesh, as Origen so wonderfully puts it, pertaining to the scriptures. They are surface readers. They have no substance. That's the problem. They are carnal readers, bare readers of scripture. They never got to the soul, to the spirit of the text. The letter kills, but the spirit gives life, Paul says. You see, if they believed God, which they don't, the veil would be lifted, and they would both hear and see God, and have God's Word in them. Testimony of the Scriptures. You do not have His Word abiding in you, for you do not believe Him whom He sent. They did not have His Word in their hearts. Consider with me this imperfect illustration. Two men are asked to hand copy the Torah. The Torah is the first five books of Moses. The first one hand copies it out in a couple of weeks, a few hours in the morning and a few in the evening. He gets it done with great haste. While the other finishes copying his out in just over a year, two weeks and just over a year for this man. And when asked why it took him so much longer for him to copy out the Torah, he responds, that too often I was caught up in delightful meditation or contemplation of what I was copying, that I would just have to stop and think, and I'd end up quitting for the day. Sometimes I would get through a chapter, but oftentimes no more than several verses. There's so much depth and so much to true on and pray over. That's why it took me so long. It took so long because the Word was finding a home. That's my illustrations over. It took so long because the Word was finding a home in his heart. It was abiding in him. It would be hard for the prophet like Moses to pass by that man like this without catching his serious attention. And that's because Jesus is the scope of the scriptures. Jesus is the scope of the scriptures. Here's your fancy Latin term today, scopus scripturae. Jesus is the bullseye, if you will. Verse 39, you search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life. It is these that testify about me. He's the bullseye. If it's not Jesus you arrive at in the text, you've missed the mark. Luke 24, Jesus tells us it's about his sufferings in glory. It's about his incarnation to exaltation. That's the entirety of the scriptures. And you're unwilling to come to me so that you may have life, verse 40. They are willing to receive a man who comes in his own name, verse 43, but God from God, they will not. And the problem is, as I said, is that they really don't want God. They don't want God. They're not gonna admit that to you, but they don't want him. They don't wanna be disrupted from their way of thinking and living and believing. And again, we're all like that naturally and all like that at times, even as Christians. Again, take note that you never become so callous that the very voice of God will not shake you off some terrible vice, cannot convict you of some sin that you were clinging to. It's a scary place to be. Keep watch over your hearts, brethren. He says, how can you believe when you receive glory from one another and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God? You see, they're merely horizontal in their way of life. That's what it is. Everything is horizontal. They never lift up their thoughts, eyes or hearts to God. to consider His glory in any manner. Is this pleasing to God? Will this glorify Him? Their dealings are entirely amongst themselves. And again, entirely to the letter of Scripture, without any depth, without getting below the surface, into the substance. And now Jesus finally puts them on trial. He puts them on trial. Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father. The one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have set your hope." I've been on trial. Now I'm putting you on trial. They want to be the ones to accuse Jesus, and Jesus permits that. He accommodated that. He gave them exactly what they wanted. He anticipated their objections and ably answered them. Now it's your turn. It's the Jews turn. You go home and open up your Torah and meditate on what your scriptures say. Psalm 4, for meditating your heart upon your bed and be still. Selah. I don't need to accuse you. Your rejection of Moses will do is what he's saying. Jesus is sort of pulling his hands back, if you will. Even though as our previous discourse demonstrates, Jesus is the touchstone, quoting one author, the touchstone determining whether someone lives or dies. He's pulling his hands back in one sense, but he is still the touchstone determining whether someone lives or dies. In this circumstance, he says, Moses accuses you, and therefore you stand condemned. What can you say for yourselves? You hope in Moses. What does Moses say? For if you believe Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. They really don't believe Moses. That's the point. They really don't believe Moses. This is the tragic irony again. The experts on Moses don't actually believe Moses. They read and they knew. They read and they knew the letter. They read and they knew the letter, but knew and had nothing of the substance, but did not know or have anything to do with the substance. That's what's going on. They're chasing shadows while the very substance of every single shadow in the Old Testament is right in front of them. But all they want is the shadows. For he wrote about me. Where did Moses write about Jesus? Everywhere. All throughout the first five books, all throughout the Pentateuch. Here's a book that every household should have. the glory and fullness of Jesus Christ in the most remarkable types, figures, allegories of the Old Testament by William McEwan. And he basically goes through and he looks at persons, things, and places, and shows how they all point to the glory of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Predominantly, it doesn't just stay in the Decalogue, but predominantly it stays there. But typical persons, Where does Moses write about me? Typical persons, Christ and Adam compared, Noah, Melchizedek, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, the priesthood. How about typical things? Jacob's ladder, the burning bush, the pillar of cloud and fire, the manna, the rock in the wilderness, the brazen serpent, thoughts on the veil of Moses, the sacrifices, the ordinance of the Passover, the ordinance of the scapegoat, of the red heifer, the year of Jubilee, the law of the leper, the law of the near kinsmen, the nation of Israel, the victory over the nations of Canaan, Hagar and Sarah. How about typical places? Cities of refuge, the tabernacle, The ordinance of the ark and the mercy seat, the golden table, golden candlestick, golden altar, brazen altar, brazen laver, anointing oil, the land of Canaan, the feast of tabernacles, the atonement, first fruits in Pentecost, new moon, and the priesthood of all Christians. That's where Roses wrote about me everywhere. Verse 47, but if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words? Here I am, the substance of what Moses wrote, but you don't believe him. You never did. How could you believe my words? It's impossible is what he's saying. Something needs to radically change. We'll conclude with three points of application. Point number one, does the word of God abide in you this morning is the question we should ask. Does the love of God possess you? Are you seeking the applause and approval of men? Are you seeking your own agenda? Are you living your life in an exclusively or merely horizontal way? These are questions all of us need to ask and contemplate. Number two, once again with this gospel, none of us are able to go away from here. Neutral observer here. You've just stood in the courtroom of God and of his Christ. The verdict is determined that he is the Christ, the son of God. It's here so that you might believe and that believing you might have life in his name. Believe it and have life. You cannot go away. What you cannot do is go away saying to each his own. The word either abides in you. or stands as your judge. The word either abides in you or stands as your judge. You either believe or you will try to snuff Jesus out of your life and become further hardened like the Jews in this narrative. May that not be the case for any of us this morning. And point number three, if you are in Christ, let your assurance of faith be increased, your hope built up, your longing for glory strengthened. Because what he said 2000 years ago was just spoken in your midst as if for the first time with the same power, the same beauty, the same clarity for witnesses saying the same thing about Jesus, who is our only hope. Jesus himself, as we know, is here this morning by his spirit speaking these very words to us. He's in the midst of us here today. Our prayers for divine presence and blessing are not just wishful thinking. We pray for what God has promised. We pray for what God has promised and he grants it. He hears when the faithful call because he has covenant with us, with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, that we would all know him. We know him. this morning, and his word is in us. The new covenant believer has an intimate acquaintance with the triune God even now. By this knowledge, we do believe the Son and have the love of the Father in us. We do have the forgiveness of all of our iniquities and in through the Lamb of God. We have rivers of living water in us by his Holy Spirit, welling up to eternal life even now. Let this gospel news build us up. And again, let all of us go away not only believing this is true in general, But for me, it's true for me personally, that I have salvation in Christ and will be kept both body and soul until glory. Amen. Please pray with me. Our Father in heaven, we give you thanks once again for the the wonders and marvels of your word. We thank you for the beauty and glory of your son, our Lord Jesus Christ. We thank you for your Holy Spirit, who has come into those who belong to you, come into our minds and hearts. You have caused us to be born again. You have regenerated us. You have made us new creatures. You have shown us the gospel and given us to say yes and amen. That is what I need. I am that sinful man, and he is that perfect man that lived and died for me. We thank you for this, Lord. And for those that don't know you, Lord, would you give them to call upon you for that new heart, for that new birth? Lord, we all know we can't, but you can. Lord, give what you command. Grant it this day. We pray all these things in Jesus name. Amen.