The Gospel of Luke 21:12-24 Jerusalem will be trampled
Luke 21:12-24 · Vern Peterman · Aug 14, 2016
Gospel of Luke, No. 82
Holly Hills Bible Church
https://hollyhillsbiblechurch.org/teaching/messages/4926537393287

Transcribed from the recording by SermonAudio, so expect the occasional misheard word.

Good morning. We're going to be stepping into this Luke 21, 12 through 24 passage here. And so you may follow along if you like with the handout. On July 31st, just to step through it, we went through Luke 21, 5 through 11. This is actually kind of a distributed passage of a similar theme. Today we'll be covering Luke 21 12 through 24 and then next Sunday taking a look at Luke 21 25 through 38 and it's through verse 36 that particularly just kind of follows along this same theme Jesus is telling the disciples In the passage that we looked at, are looking at today and will look at next week, about the things that are going to happen from the time that Jesus ascends and the Holy Spirit is given all the way up into the time when Christ comes again.

So he's going to cover a lot of ground. We're looking here at the middle part of this passage. But this all started back in verse 5 with the admiring the temple. Here are the Jews, they're looking at the temple and the disciples particularly looking at what's going on. They're admiring the stones and votive gifts. Votive gifts would be things beyond the stones that were decorative.

Many of them were very beautiful and frankly expensive. A lot of gold work was put into the temple. This would have been a votive gift that would have been very large in scope and scale. It's a set of columns with a vine, a gold vine, all wrapped around it. And you can see from the, this is a model of course, you can see from the size of the priests that are there that this is huge. This is no small little bit of gold plating. This is instead a huge structure many times taller than a man. The temple building itself at the peak was 15 stories tall, so impressive. The temple had been under reconstruction since 20 BC, that's when Herod the Not-So-Great began the work.

It had been continuing to be under reconstruction during the entire lifetime of all of these disciples and during the entire lifetime of Christ in his first earthly ministry here. So it had been ongoing and this would be a good artist's rendering of what that would be like. A gleaming temple, lots of gold work, I mean significant so that you could see it from quite some distance away. And a very impressive structure and it still wasn't done at that. All this very amazing construction was actually looking better and better all the time as they got more and more work done. Kept adding on more gold work and getting these marble stones. They took whatever time it took to do very good work, and the work that was in the inner part of the temple was not something you could assign to any craftsman, because it was a working temple.

You could only have the Levites working on that inner part of that temple, and so they trained 10,000 Levites to do the work on the inner part of the temple. This was a huge undertaking. The impressive upgrades were actually going to continue for 30 more years beyond the time that these guys were already impressed by what the stonework and the votive gifts look like.

Can you imagine that? They're going to work on this thing for three decades. So to project ahead from our time, it's like, this is really impressive. Yeah, but wait a minute. This thing isn't going to be done until 2046 if we were to put it in our own time frame. Isn't that amazing? This is quite a structure. This is a very impressive structure and it's getting more impressive all the time.

So Jesus made a stunning statement to them. As we saw in the passage previous, Jesus told them that all these impressive stones and votive gifts would be torn down, not one stone left on another. And that is in fact what we find there in Jerusalem. The stones were not one stone left upon another, all dumped off the edge and pretty much all shattered. They dropped the stones with such great weight and such a great distance.

So the disciples are asking, wow, when's this going to happen? You know, they're probably looking down at their sundials, right? Anyway, they're asking, when's this going to happen? And what is the sign? Because the Jews are always, as we said, looking for a sign, right? So I'd rather paraphrase it here rather than a quote, but Matthew, Mark, and Luke taken together also tell us that they asked about his coming, so his next coming, and the end of the age.

So this is big questions. So here's Jesus. He is out on the Mount of Olives. He's overlooking where this temple is. You can imagine the scene. It's late in the day. This artist depicts there the moon coming up. It may well be. It's late in the day. They had quite a day there at the temple, but they're looking at the expanse of this whole temple complex there, and Jesus is telling them, you know, not one stone is going to be left on another with this impressive structure getting more impressive by the day in the decade.

So what Jesus is going to do is not simply say, okay, here's when the temple is going to be torn apart, but He actually answers a very big question is what's going to happen from the very time that the Holy Spirit is given, and you men are assigned to be not just disciples after me, but apostles, special messenger in the church, right? And He's going to tell them about that, tell them about the time of the destruction of Jerusalem, what is going to happen over the ages beyond that, and what is going to take place all up until Christ's second coming. So that's why this passage here takes three Sundays to cover. So we have the insight from Matthew 24, that's another parallel passage, Mark 13, and then this conversation here in Luke 21.

I put that all together. This took place on the Mount of Olives. They were overlooking the temple and Jerusalem. So from that perspective, looking down on everything, you imagine, here's the temple, it's all together, and it looks gorgeous, and it's getting more beautiful by the year.

And he's going to tell them, it's all going to be gone. Not one stone left on another. But it's worse than that. It's worse than just tearing the building down. He's going to tell them about the coming Roman attack on Jerusalem. He's going to tell them about the coming seven-year tribulation. His own second coming to earth, that's next Sunday, to establish His kingdom.

So here's Luke 21.12, but before all these things, they will lay their hands on you. So before all the things that he's going to talk about with the destruction of Jerusalem and all that, We're going to have some things happen first. They will lay their hands on you and will persecute you, delivering you to the synagogues and prisons, bringing you before kings and governors for my name's sake.

And of course, the apostles are saying, oh boy, right? They're really excited about that. So virtually all of the apostles and their associates and their delegates would be persecuted. When I say delegates, I mean people like Timothy. Timothy was a delegate. He wasn't an apostle. And he wasn't just assigned to be an elder, but he was an apostolic delegate, especially while Paul was in prison. So Jesus is preparing for all of them to expect persecution from the time that is about to come on them. Expect it. It's normative. It's the usual.

We read about it in the book of Acts and the letters from the apostles and their associates. And we also read about it in other historical records. That is exactly what we find that the Apostles were persecuted. There were 10 waves of persecution coming from the Roman government itself starting in the 60s AD, mid 60s. Here is an example in Acts 4, 1 through 4, and as they were speaking to the people, and as the Apostles were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to them. being greatly disturbed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming Jesus and the resurrection from the dead. If you really want to get as sad as you see upset, talk about the resurrection.

That'll work. And they laid hands on them and put them in jail until the next day for it was already evening. Put these guys in the cooler. So this is one example. That was only Acts 4, early on. This was only a matter of a month to months away from the time that the Holy Spirit was given and the church was begun. That's Acts chapter 4. Here's another instance, just a few chapters later.

And they went on stoning Stephen as he called on the Lord and said, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. Stephen had just prior to this talked about seeing the Lord standing in heaven. He had a heavenly vision. Then falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, Lord, do not hold this sin against them. And having said this, he fell asleep." So that's Acts 7, 59 and 60. We can go on.

Here's the Apostle Paul himself, and this is kind of an amazing and astounding turning point. The Apostle Paul said later on that every chance he had, he voted for death. So the very one who brought on the worst of the persecution would now at this turning point on the road to Damascus and then with Ananias, they're meeting with him on the street called Straight in Damascus. The Lord says to Ananias, I will show him how much he must suffer for my namesake.

So Acts 9.16. So this is the turning point. Now the primary severe persecutor was going to turn around and be persecuted. This is the point. And he must suffer for Christ's name. That is, by the way, one of the characteristics of being an apostle. Today you'll have people from time to time claiming to be an apostle. What I don't see them doing is claiming to welcome persecution.

To summarize in the big picture, James would be the first apostle to die and the only death of an apostle recorded in scripture directly. This is Acts 12, 1 and 2. His brother John, the author of the Gospel of John, the Book of Revelation, and three epistles, would be the last one to die. From the written accounts that we have, and they are of varying reliability, the apostles, with the exception of John, would die as far east as India.

That would be Thomas. Thomas, remember the one who said, I will not believe unless I see and touch his wounds. I won't believe. That Thomas. He went as far as Madras, India. And both the extra-biblical records as well as the Christians who lived there will say, yes, Thomas. Thomas was the one who brought the Gospel here. By 86 AD, tombstones in China would have gospel stories carved on the tombstones. The gospel spread far east that way. As far north as southern Europe, we have apostles who died in Rome, in Greece, and in Scythia.

And then as far south as Ethiopia in Africa, the account that we have for Matthew is that he was being Staked with wooden stakes into the ground as he screamed out the gospel with his last words We have synagogues and prisons and kings and governors that Jesus talks about here Now we think of synagogues oftentimes just sort of Jewish church buildings. Hey, they weren't that in those days they were also places of judgment and punishment and you could receive up to 39 lashes in a synagogue and So that's something to kind of adjust our thinking. So that's what he's talking about synagogues. Synagogues were places where you could get some pretty severe punishments for different things.

The Jews and Romans both had prisons in which to hold people. The Jewish prisons were particularly there actually on the temple grounds. They had a place to hold people and that's where they held the apostles. The Romans, of course, had prisons in various places anywhere they had Roman officials to hold people.

In Acts 24, Paul spoke before Governor Felix. Acts 26, he spoke before King Agrippa. That's the one who said, you almost convinced me to be a Christian, right? And then in 2011, it was announced that the tomb of the Apostle Philip was found. The account that we have says that the Apostles Philip and Bartholomew went to Hierapolis. Hierapolis is the city right across the valley from Laodicea, downstream Laodicea and Hierapolis, both downstream from Colossae, where Colossians, the letter Colossians was written. what happened is philip and bartholomew had a very actually successful uh... evangelistic campaign there in herapolis uh... so much so that that uh... the name was changed to herapolis which means holy city uh... however that really hurt the roman proconsul because his wife became a believer in the proconsul really didn't like it so the account says that he had philip killed cruelly and so Philip was buried there and so just about five years ago that it was believed based on the confluence of evidence that he was in fact buried right there.

We could take a look at other accounts but that kind of gives you a sampling of what took place. We do have a three-page supplement available on the cabinet to the right as you exit this room. And that has some good summaries and even some graphics of what happened to the apostles. So you get the account for each one of them, again briefly. And you may find that of interest. If we run out, let me know. I'll be sure you get one. Luke 21, 13 through 15 reads this way.

It will lead to an opportunity for your testimony. So make up your minds not to prepare beforehand to defend yourselves. for I will give you utterance and wisdom which none of your opponents will be able to resist or refute." were persecuted first by the Jews and later by the Roman authorities. The Jews would persecute them directly, sometimes by turning them over to the Roman authorities, oftentimes with false accusations. So it was a bad thing to lie under the Jewish Ten Commandments system, except if you lied to get a Christian in trouble, that was okay. And then even these times of persecution, however, provided the opportunity for testimony.

And of course, we see here's the Apostle Paul, Acts 23 through 26. He's standing before kings and governors, just as was predicted there. And Paul spoke directly to these, face to face, even not just talking about defending himself, but actually presenting the gospel to these men and women. So, Jesus talks about a ministry from within. Now, this is interesting.

It might seem that what the apostles would say might be something you want to consider carefully. And by the way, I'm not recommending that you don't think before saying something. That's generally not a good idea. Yeah, do think. However, there's a particular ministry that the Lord would have with these apostles where they would not have to think about what would happen, you know, in advance and to think about what their words were that the Holy Spirit would give them, kind of by direct immediate inspiration, the words to say to these people.

I can share one particular instance. This isn't an apostle example, but one time Nancy and I were over at her aunt and uncle's house, and I was amazed one time to have Nancy just sitting there rattling off whole passages of scripture to my aunt, just kind of going, wow, what's she saying? And Nancy doesn't take time to memorize scripture, right? So it's not something that she had invested in, the Lord had just given her all those things to say to my aunt.

And this is a similar kind of thing where the Lord will provide the words that he wants, miraculously. And so the apostles are given this promise. So God intended to give them these words as the opportunities, that's what Jesus calls it, As these opportunities arose, and just like they were given to inspire scripture, they were also given to speak with inspiration at those chosen moments, at those appointed moments before kings and governors.

Now, one of the things that Jesus tells them is that the answers that you'll have will just silence them. They won't be able to refute it, right? And it'll be just according to the example that He had just been showing them that day and that week, up to this point, where they finally came to a point on Wednesday, before His Friday crucifixion, where they just stopped asking questions, and they stopped trying to challenge Him, because they could never catch Him on anything. So Jesus is now telling His disciples that you will have the ability to do just that. But don't plan on what you're going to say. Let Me speak through you. That's what He's telling them.

Here's Luke 21, 16 and 17, But you will be betrayed even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death, and you will be hated by all because of My name. Now, issues can arise, of course, between family and friends, and of course, Possible wherever possible work out a resolution and that's the right thing to do but there are biblical principles that apply in such circumstances and But we won't try to address those at this moment the disciples soon-to-be apostles appointed messengers okay are being prepared for a time when they will be betrayed by family and friends why because of the name of Christ and and the gospel of salvation by faith. Do you realize how difficult it is for people to accept the gospel of salvation by faith? Entirely by grace? Grace is not something that's understood in this world, right? So there will be those who reject it, even though it's clearly presented.

And what he's warning them is his friends and family will even betray you, not just, hey, I don't like what you're saying, but actually betray you, especially in view of the background of persecution. So this isn't just a little tension. This isn't we've got some family issues, right? This is a different situation than that. It's not just social tension we're talking about.

It's telling them family and friends will betray them even to the point of death. even to the point of death. So the sentiment among these family and friends won't be just apathy or irritation, it'll be outright hatred. That's the only reason you would turn somebody over, betray them, to the point of death, isn't it?

Here's Luke 21, 18 and 19, Yet not a hair of your head will perish, By your endurance, you will gain your lives. So, let's figure out what Jesus is saying. Okay, you're going to be killed, but you're going to keep all your hair. Hmm. Is that what he means? Right? So let's look at Matthew 10, 28-31. That's actually a passage that will give us the needed insight. What's Jesus talking about here?

And it reads this way, Do not fear those who kill the body, but are unable to kill the soul. are not two sparrows sold for a cent, and yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered, so do not fear, for you are more valuable than many sparrows. Okay, so what's the message here? The truth is that Jesus told them the apostles would be subject to intense persecution and suffering for Christ's name, even to the point of being killed for His name.

So He's told them that. He's not saying nobody's going to be able to touch you. That's not His message. The Father, however, will not take the loss of their life and the end of their ministry casually. The father will not take the end of their life and their loss of ministry casually. They will be brought home at the right time. Will they all be brought home?

Yep. Everyone. And let's ask this about ourselves. Will we all be brought home? Yep. Every one of us, one way or another, at the right time. So, the father sets the time, and the father cares. This isn't, oh, I just had a bad accident. You know, God, what are you doing? No, God knows exactly what he's doing. There's also a point of contrast.

In two days, Jesus is going to deliberately give his life. He's going to deliberately give his life. He's not going to be a victim. He is not simply going to be a martyr for the Christian cause. He is not simply going to be an example. The disciples, on the other hand, were to expect persecution on the one hand, but not to aim for martyrdom.

Can you imagine? Here's Peter. He goes on the day of Pentecost, and he goes out and targets martyrdom. Is that what he's supposed to do? No. They're actually supposed to endure and target every single opportunity the Lord opens up in front of them, but martyrdom is not to be their aim. They're to go out and carry out this, what appears to be a dangerous and risky ministry, and let the Father decide when to bring them home. In fact, just like He does with us. Let the Father decide when to bring them home.

He's going to tell them about Jerusalem, the Jews and the Gentiles. He'll turn from telling the disciples soon to be apostles. This is being spoken about April 1st, and they're going to turn into apostles on May 24th. Jesus will turn from telling disciples soon to be apostles what to expect regarding themselves and their ministries and what will happen to Jerusalem and to the Jews and to the Gentiles.

So just like Jesus did Matthew and Mark, he's going to use in here a literary you. He doesn't mean them personally. And that's important as we read through it, is to understand it's a literary you, not a you, you know, Peter and John and James and all that. These would be representative Jews on into a time that hasn't even happened yet. He's going to talk about you and that's a representative you, not you specifically Peter and John and James and Matthew and all that.

So here's Luke 21 20, but when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies and recognize that her desolation is near. One of the reasons for pointing out this when you see Jerusalem as a literary you is because it appears from any record that we have that none of the apostles were here when this took place so he's speaking as a literary you not you know you Peter and you John and you James and you Matthew and you Bartholomew and etc see the difference there okay when you as a literary you you as a representative Jew see Jerusalem surrounded by armies and recognize their desolation is near So this is the Roman attack on Jerusalem. It started with the Jews rebelling in 66 AD. The Roman army actually came not just once, but in waves of attack, culminating in an attack on Jerusalem in 70 AD.

And this is the final desolation that Jesus talks about. The saddest thing here, and of course it's all sad, is that the worst of it came about from Jew fighting Jew. If a Jew refused to fight the Romans, they were slaughtered by their fellow Jews. So if you said, no, I don't want to participate in this thing, that's it for you. And you were done in. So that slaughter was actually worse than what the Romans did.

So, interestingly, the Christians in Jerusalem got out before the Romans came and positioned themselves around Jerusalem, most of them escaping to the city of Pella on the east side of the Jordan. Here is Pella. It's across the river from Beth Shean that we visited just last year. So here's Pella on the east side of the Jordan. And that's where the Christians escaped to, most of them, in the city of Pella. And so they escaped all of it. We have no record that any of the apostles lost their lives. And as a matter of fact, no significant record, nothing that remains with us, that says Christians lost their lives in this attack on Jerusalem.

Alright, so here's Luke 21, 21-22. Then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains, those who are in the midst of the city must leave, and those who are in the country must not enter the city, because these are days of vengeance, so that all things which are written will be fulfilled. So basically the message is, get out of Jerusalem! Right? Get out of Jerusalem.

So as we saw here, the Christians did get out, and they actually listened to this. So it's interesting, Jesus' warning here, actually, even though the apostles themselves do not appear to have been in Jerusalem at all, in fact, none of them, so far as we know, that the warning did get across to the Christians, and they got out in time. From any record that we have, the Christians did escape, most of them to Pella. So they avoided the starvation inside the walls, they avoid the slaughter of Jews by fellow Jews, they avoid the ruin and all the killing and capture by the Romans. So Jesus' warning actually appears to have been listened to and responded to rather well by the Christians who were in and around Jerusalem.

So all those inside the walls, and even many elsewhere in Israel's cities and towns, were killed or captured. In the north, Magdala was the last holdout in the Galilee area. And when the Romans finally broke through at Magdala, they just killed everyone. And that was another place of slaughter there.

They flooded the slave markets. There were so many slaves that Deuteronomy 28 was fulfilled that you will be sold, but no one will buy you. The price went way down because they just couldn't sell that many slaves. So here's Luke 21, 23 and 24. Woe to those who are pregnant and those who are nursing babies in those days, for there will be great distress upon the land and wrath to this people. And they will fall by the edge of the sword. They will be led captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

So one of the things we see is a rather consistent pattern of words in the Old Testament on into the New. For Israel, the land referred to the land of Israel. If it just says the land, that's what it's almost certainly referring to. This people referred to the people of Israel who are in the land So that's the common terminology and the understanding there Now pregnancy and delivery and nursing of babies are wonderful things and of God's own design And so that's why even here baby is born and we you know celebrate it.

Yeah, and we're glad for it However, when it's in the middle of a siege, when there's starvation and slaughter, then it's a terrible thing. It makes what's awful even worse, right? So the details are recorded about how horrible that was. I won't repeat it here. Just know that things were recorded about this event regarding pregnancy and delivery and nursing of babies that are sad indeed.

It's clear, however, that Jesus' warning was not overstated. Jesus did not exaggerate and overstate when he gave the warning here. His warning was true, and those who listened to the warning were in fact saved from this great harm. It came upon Jews and some of the descendants of Esau who volunteered to help them. it did not appear to come up upon the Christians having been worn by Jesus less than 40 years earlier so falling by the sword led captive and trampled the death toll is estimated by Josephus at 1,100,000 in this catastrophic event at the hand of the Jews and the Romans again remembering that the Jews attack their fellow Jews if they refuse to fight So many were led captive, 97,000, that the slave market was glutted and the price of slaves was depressed.

And Jesus said they were led into other nations. They didn't try to sell them to any surviving Jews in the land. They took them to other places, like Egypt. So all the records we have are that they did, in fact, take them to other nations, just like Jesus predicted. So many so that even taking them to other nations there were way more slaves than they could sell at a reasonable price and so they sold them at bargain prices. The Jews lost the Jerusalem to Israel as they had known it. The Gentiles would control the city of Jerusalem for many centuries. The times of the Gentiles even now are not done. Jerusalem Is it simply under the control of the Jews now?

No. If you go to Jerusalem, you'll find that there are different quarters, right? Up in the northern part, there's the Muslim quarter, right? And you go in another part, and there's the Christian quarter, many of whom are not Jews. And then you get the Jewish quarter, and then you get the Armenian quarter, and different quarters. But the Jews cannot go on top of the Temple Mount, the platform where their temple had been. It's not allowed. It's not allowed.

It's still the times of the Gentiles. Still the times of the Gentiles. Now some of the things to take a look at in terms of ourselves, we're not the apostles of course. They got a warning about coming persecution. And we've enjoyed many years of freedom. That freedom seems to be diminishing. The freedom and protections that we've had as Christians appear to be diminishing. Persecution could be around the corner. And it's important for us to keep in mind. Would you come to church if it might be a little risky? Or would you meet elsewhere? Maybe so. Persecution or not, we're not going to stay here on this planet in these bodies.

There will be a way and a time that the Father calls every one of us. Even if it's, and I hope it's true, even if it's, I'm alive when the Lord takes me to be with Him. Even if it's that, the Father calls the time. Because the Father will tell the Son, go get your bride. And that will be the time. I hope it's today.

So more than 19 centuries have passed since Jesus said these words. As a matter of fact, 724,412 days since Jesus said these things. Oh, you chuckle, right? No, that's a specific number of days. Nancy and I have been married 15,606 days. Keep track of things like that. Okay.

The apostles have long since gone from the earth, right? the destruction of Jerusalem took place just as Jesus said more than 19 centuries ago so what Jesus has said so far is all in the past except for the times of the Gentiles in this passage here that has not ended that is not ended so the times of the Gentiles still continuing even now has not ended the next event on God's prophetic calendar is the rapture, when the church will be taken up to be with the Lord, when Christ comes to take us home to be with Him.

And by the way, if you're a believer in Christ, going all the way back to the apostles' times, up until now, until the time the Lord comes to take us home, and I hope it's today, nobody who's a believer in Christ will miss the rapture. You won't miss it. So don't worry about, oh, I missed it. Nobody is going to miss it if you're a believer in Christ. We'll meet Him in the air, 1 Thessalonians 4, 13-18. We'll be changed in a moment, 1 Corinthians 15. We will be like Christ in every respect except His deity. Forever we'll be with the Lord wherever He is. Now we're going to shift. And then I'll pray afterwards.

We're going to be looking at the baptism that's just about to take place here. And the scenario will go like this. I'll teach a little bit more on baptism. You have on page four, Believer's Baptism Basics. And we're going to just kind of step our way quickly through that. Then the music team will come up and they will be leading us in one song and then the screen will go up and we'll have a baptism. I think there are four being baptized here today.

So let's take a look at Believer's Baptism Basics. This baptism that we're about to do does not accomplish something spiritually. That's important to recognize. There are churches within Christendom who teach that a baptism accomplishes something spiritually, and we don't think biblically that that's the case. So we're doing this baptism not to do something spiritually to people, but to recognize what God has already done. And you think about it, what do we do to be made in Christ? All we did was believe.

And God says, that's it, I'll take it from there. So it's really picturing what God has already done because the four young people that we'll be baptizing today have put their trust in Christ for salvation. They believe that Christ died for their sins, was buried, and rose again. And on that basis, God says, that's it. That's all I need. I'll do the rest. And so all we're doing is picturing in a baptism what God has already accomplished in the lives of these four young people, and in fact in our own lives as well.

And so what we find is baptism is then a picture of our own having been baptized into Christ. We've been baptized into His death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and seating, right? So that is one of the things that baptism pictures are having been placed into Christ in those five things. Secondly, our baptism also pictures are having been placed by the Holy Spirit into the body of Christ.

This comes out of 1 Corinthians chapter 12. So we've been placed into the body of Christ. by as a work of the Holy Spirit so those two things are pictured in baptism and so as we carry out this baptism here we're doing exactly that we're making a living picture of what God has already accomplished spiritually and making a public proclamation of that that's what this means And so we'll do that right after the music team comes up.

So I'll ask them to come up here and I'll pray. And Lord, we do thank you that as we look at this passage that we do have great hope. And we also thank you for this opportunity of baptism that we have. here, just right before us, and the opportunity to picture in each individual life what you have accomplished in each of us who believes, and that we are identified with Christ in His death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and seeding, and that we have been placed into the body of Christ as a work of the Holy Spirit. And we thank you for that. We thank you for this this living picture that you've brought about. And so we look forward to that today. We pray in Jesus name. Amen.