Every portrait earth, and full of love divine, perfect and right, and pure and good, a copy, Lord of thine. Thy name, O gracious Lord, impart, Come with me from above. Write thy new name upon my heart, Thy new-made name of love. Shall we come before the Lord in prayer? Shall we all pray? Our gracious God and our loving Father, we give you thanks and praise that you have provided us with a copy of your word, the Bible. We think of all the sacrifices which have been made over the centuries of time, that we might have this wonderful privilege of having a copy of your holy and infallible words in our own language today. We think of the many nations of the world today in which the Bible is banned, where people are forbidden from taking the gospel message out onto the streets. and we do see the lives of many fine brothers and sisters are in jeopardy on a daily basis because they want to follow the Lord Jesus and be obedient to your will and word. We do remember those who are bound as bound with them and we lovingly commend them to your care that you will guide and help your faithful servants in different nations today. We do pray that we might truly cherish the liberties which we enjoy in our own nation. While we have them, we pray that we might be truly thankful to thee, that we can still read your word and come to a service without fear of persecution. We thank you, Father, that we can still share your word with others and knock on doors and go out into the streets and lanes of this city and we can preach in the open air, we do thank you Father so much for the wonderful privilege which is ours. We do pray that we might use it to the full and that we might love to share your word with others and the glorious message of the gospel which is able to save people eternally and to reconcile them unto the Lord. We do pray, Father, that your Holy Spirit will guide us and lead us into all truth today. We pray that we might hear the voice of God speaking to our hearts and that we might be blessed and fed and edified and challenged and reproved and corrected and built up in our most holy faith. that the man of God may be perfect, fully furnished unto every good work, and that we might be useful and fruitful instruments in your hands in the day to come, and that we might be spiritually equipped to face the challenges which may come our way this coming week. Father, we ask all of these mercies with praise and thanksgiving in Jesus, our Saviour's precious and glorious name. Amen. Well, I'd like to turn to that passage of scripture which we read together in John's Gospel and Chapter 12. I'd like to share a few thoughts with you today on the Saviour's Word, where Jesus said in verse 37 and verse 38, But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him, that the saying of Isaiah to the prophets might be fulfilled, which he say, Lord, who have believed our reports, and to whom have the arm of the Lord been revealed? Well, we've just come to the end of another year and doesn't it seem that the time is passing by so quickly. As we look back over the last 12 months and we think of all of the service which we have done for the Lord, we think of all the evangelism that we've done, all the thousands of tracts which we've given out, all the hundreds and hundreds of lengthy conversations which we've had with passers-by about the way of salvation and we have tried to explain to people what they must do in order to be a child of God. We have sought to be active and we have sought to be busy, we have sought to reach out to the community roundabout with the good news of God's salvation and we have sought by God's grace and with God's help to be faithful in this all-important task. During the past 12 months, we've had lots of visitors come along to the church and we praise God for each and every one. Being a church in central London, it's sometimes hard to retain people for any length of time. Maybe about 75 or 80% of the people we speak to on Saturday mornings in our evangelism are tourists. They're just here for a short period of time and they're passing through. Some of the people that we've had worshipping with us during the past few years have only been over here in the UK for maybe a few months at a time and then they've got to go back afterwards to their country of origin when the terms of their visa have expired. We rejoice that they come amongst us and it's a great joy and a great privilege to have them here. But we long that people might come and take this place to be their spiritual home. We long that those people who say that they know the Lord, those people who are interested in following Christ, might come along to a place of worship like this, that they might take it to be their spiritual home, that they might commit themselves to the work and to the service of the Lord in this place. These are the things which we long for. These are the things which we pray for on a regular basis. We long that many precious souls may be added to this church. People might be soundly saved by the matchless grace of God, that they might come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour, and that they would want to follow Him, serving Him in this place. The other thing which is particularly challenging in an area like this is the fact that accommodation locally is so very expensive, particularly in the private sector. And there are some people who come to central London for a time, but then they find they have to move out to the suburbs in order to acquire affordable housing. And we are so thankful for those people who do make a lengthy journey to our fellowship on a weekly basis in order to be part of the work and the witness here. Now sometimes Christian work can be a little discouraging, particularly in the day and age in which we live. Our nation has been going away from God for several decades now, and every year hundreds of churches in the UK close their doors for the last time. We see them all around. churches which have been turned into flats or turned into warehouses or business premises, a place where once people used to gather to worship and praise the Lord, a place where once the Word of God was expounded and prayer was made, but now they're just used for commercial purposes. Yes, there's a great declension in our own nation. Our country is going far away from God. And those people who are serving the Lord, those people who are zealous and diligent and faithful in their work and service for God, do get a little discouraged at times. There may be lots of efforts and lots of activity, but at the end of another year, we might see such little fruits. We longed as many of these empty pews in the church may be filled. We had a funeral service last year and there was about 241 people came along and wasn't it marvellous to see so many people coming along to the place and lots of people up in the gallery as well and a wonderful opportunity to share the gospel with so many folk. We do like a little directory every year of all the people who come along to the church and every year there are some people who've left us and we have to take their names off the list and we praise God that there might be some new names that we can add to the list and some years there's more to come than go. We've just finished another Christmas time, which is supposed to be a time when we especially remember the coming of our Saviour into the world. But when we speak to people about the way of salvation at the end of December, they're no more interested in God than at any other time of the year. Oh, they like that season, they like the trees and the presents and the food and the drink and the television and the time off work, but they've just got no interest in any spiritual dimension to their lives at all. They just do not want to know about the Lord. And Christians who faithfully go out week after week and sharing the gospel with others will come across many folk who faithfully pledge that they'll come along to the place of worship, they ask for directions as to how to get there, they ask for all the times of the services. and maybe we build up our hopes and we're looking forward to seeing them and people do come along to church and they say that they enjoy the service so much and it's just the place where God wants them to be and they long to come and to join us on a regular basis but then shortly afterwards we don't see them anymore. If you go into a Christian bookshop, you will find many Christian books there on the subject of revival. There might be a whole section in the Christian bookshop to do with this particular subject. And we all love to read about great revivals which have happened in the past. Maybe we like to read about the days of Wesley and Whitfield, when they went around and preached to thousands of people in the open air, and many precious souls were saved. We like to read about the 1904 revival in Wales, when lots and lots of souls were saved and new chapels were built, and it's estimated that there may have been 100,000 conversions within the space of a couple of years. Or maybe the great revival which swept through Northern Ireland and Scotland in 1859. Or maybe the revival which took place in the Outer Hebrides and the Isle of Lewis between 1949 and 52. But you know, as we look at the history of the church, we see that revivals are really few and far between. Most Christians by far spend their lifetime serving God so in the seed of God's word, but they never see many souls being saved at the same time. They never see a Pentecost where they preach the word and 3,000 souls are gathered in, or preach the word on another occasion, and 5,000 people are soundly converted. But nobody really wants to write books about these barren times in history. People aren't interested in buying and reading about times of spiritual declension. But when we look at history, we will see that most of God's people by far have lived in very difficult and trying circumstances in days of barrenness and days of indifference. Such characters will not be having any books written about them. They've not become household names. They're not looked upon as being great success stories when it comes to Christian work and service. Many of the Old Testament prophets found that their ministry and their words met with rejection. When Moses sent the spies to spy out the land of Canaan, only two had faith and believed God's words. The others were full of unbelief. And when they came back with their reports, the congregation embraced the unbelief which was spoken by the two. And one time Elijah stood against the prophets of Baal and there was 450 of them and Elijah felt very much that he was on his own. It seemed as though the whole world was against him. Noah was a preacher of righteousness, but we're not told that he had very much success with his preaching, yet he was preaching faithfully, telling people about God, but apart from his own family, nobody else joined Noah in the ark. Lot, we're told, was a righteous man, he had a righteous soul, and there he was in Sodom, no doubt speaking to people about the Lord, but we don't read that anybody took the slightest bit of notice of him. Jeremiah was also rejected by the people to whom he ministered. And Isaiah says in this particular passage, Lord, who have believed our report? We're telling people about God, we're telling people about God's word and God's law, but you know, people today just don't seem to want to know about it at all. But you know, the greatest preacher who has ever lived is our Lord Jesus Christ himself, who was God incarnate. He came to be the saviour of this world, but when he came, he was despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Even at his birth, which was supposed to be a very happy occasion, Herod sought to destroy him. When he commenced his public ministry, he did many of his wonderful works in those little towns by the Sea of Galilee, like Bethsaida and Capernaum. But these people, though they saw wonderful miracles, they didn't believe on him, they didn't accept him as their Lord and Saviour. When he went back to his hometown of Nazareth, where he was well known, we read that he could not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief. Now the Lord's followers, for the most part, were relatively few and far between. There were times when great multitudes followed him, but sadly they weren't necessarily interested in repenting of their sin and accepting him as their Lord and Saviour. Many of these people wanted to see some type of sign, some type of miracle performed by him. Just like Herod, for instance, the king, when Pilate sent Jesus to Herod, Herod hoped that he might do some type of miracle in order to interest the flesh. There are many people today who follow big names like Maurice Sorello or Benny Hinn, but they may not be interested in turning away from their sins in repentance and accepting and receiving Jesus as their Lord and Saviour, but they're hoping to see some type of sign, some type of wonder, which will interest the flesh. Well, the people in our Lord's generation, for the most part, hated him and they wanted him to be nailed to a cross of wood. Light had come into the world, but men loved darkness more than light because their deeds were evil. We read in verse 37 that though Jesus had done so many wonderful miracles amongst them, yet they did not believe on him. Now, we don't do miracles before people today, but people today do not believe our report. But what is staggering is the fact that many people saw our Lord's notable works, and yet they refused to accept Him and to believe that He was who He said He was. They saw with their own eyes blind people receiving their sights. They saw deaf people having their ears opened. They saw dead people being raised up to life. They saw lame people who could walk. They saw paralysed people who could move. They saw hungry people who were fed in a wonderful, miraculous way. Now, these were not spurious miracles like those you hear about at big crusades where religious charlatans of today hold. No, these were wonderful, mighty, notable works of God which were beyond dispute. Mighty and wonderful signs which proved without a shadow of a doubt the Lord's divinity. All the power and all the fullness of the Godhead dwelt in Him. Yet people didn't believe on Him, people didn't turn away from their sins, and people didn't trust in Him as their Lord and Saviour. And that shows that it's a lie today when people say, if only I can see some type of evidence, if only I can see some type of miracle, then I'll believe, then I'll follow the Lord, which is certainly not true. There are so many people in the Bible who saw wonderful miracles of God, but they didn't repent of their sin, they didn't accept Christ as their saviour at all. Those Israelites who came out of the land of Egypt, they saw with their own eyes all the plagues coming upon the Egyptians. They witnessed the Passover. They witnessed such a glorious event as the opening up of the Red Sea, which they passed through on dry ground. While they were in the wilderness, They noted how God provided a manna for them and how the Lord was able to provide water from the rock. They witnessed these things, which were without dispute. Yet we read that they could not enter into the promised land because of their unbelief. Only Joshua and Caleb, who came out of the land of Egypt, were permitted to go in. When the soldiers came to arrest the Lord Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, he said to them, who are you seeking? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth. And the Lord replied, I am he. But in the Bible, the word he is in italics. The Lord said, I am, identifying himself with the God of the Old Testament. And Jesus just said those words, and we're told that all of these people, armed with their swords and spades, they all went backwards and fell down to the ground. Just two words from the Saviour's lips was able to slay all of these people who were armed to the teeth, who had come to arrest him. They were all rendered powerless in his presence. But the strange thing was that they got up again in order to carry on with their task of arresting him. And then we're told that Peter smoked the ear of Malchus, the high priest, and cut it off. And these people saw these things happen before their very eyes, but Jesus touched the place and healed this man and made him whole. They witnessed this remarkable miracle with their very eyes. But doesn't it show the awful depravity of man that these men still proceeded in their task of apprehending God's Son and bringing him to Caiaphas in order to be tried? Jesus told us the account in the Bible concerning a rich man and Lazarus, who was a poor beggar. The rich man, fed sumptuously every day, was clothed in purple and fine linen. He seemed to have a nice comfortable existence in this life. The poor man, Lazarus, was laid at his gates full of sores, and even the dogs came and licked his sores. And in the passage of time, the poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and he was in hell. He was an unbeliever. He had rejected the laws. And there he was in torment, and he could see Lazarus in the bosom of Abraham afar off. And he said, Father Abraham, is it possible that you can send Lazarus to my five brethren upon the earth, that they might see some wonderful miracle, somebody rising from the dead, and that they might believe in Christ and not come to this place of torment? And Abraham says, well, they've got Moses and the prophets. They've got the scriptures. And the rich man says, yes, but, you know, they're not really interested in the scriptures. If they can see some type of miracle, that might prompt them to believe. And Abraham said that if they will not respond to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, even if they saw somebody rising from the dead. You see, a person can see a wonderful miracle today, but it doesn't make them believe in the Lord. It doesn't make them want to turn away from their sins and embrace Jesus to be their saviour. The apostles of Christ were eyewitnesses to all that he had said and done. They started at Jerusalem, they went out to all the towns and villages round about with their reports, but for the most part, they and their message were rejected. And nearly all of the apostles ended up suffering a martyr's death. And down the centuries of time, God's faithful disciples have been cruelly persecuted by others, all for trying to bring the message of God's salvation to others today. Well, unbelief is the sin that leads a person to a lost eternity. And that's why Christians are always speaking about the importance of faith. We are justified by faith without the deeds of the law. You know, I met somebody yesterday and he said, my religion is being nice to people. I don't need to hear about the Lord Jesus and his step upon the cross. I believe that if I'm nice to others and I live a decent, respectable type of life, then surely God will accept me in the end. The Bible says no. We need to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ in order to be saved. We need to place all our hope and confidence in God's Son. Only the precious blood of Jesus can wash away our sin. And we believe by faith that Jesus died in our place upon the cross and shed his precious blood that our sins might be forgiven. A person can only be saved by God's grace. A person can only be declared righteous by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. So many people today say, well, does it really matter if a person's got faith in Christ? Well, it makes an enormous difference. It's the difference between somebody being saved and somebody being lost. The Israelites in the Old Testament could not enter into the land of Canaan because of their unbelief. And sinners today will not enter into heaven for exactly the same reason. If they reject the Son of God, the Son of God will also reject them. Yet God is so merciful and God is so gracious, no matter what a person's done, they can be forgiven if they sincerely repent. There was forgiveness for those soldiers who spat in the face of the Lord Jesus and hammered the nails into his hands and feet. There was forgiveness for Saul of Tarsus, who cruelly persecuted the Christian faith, who compelled people to blaspheme and consented unto their death. The vilest offender who truly believes that moment from Jesus, a pardon received. But there's no hope for those who continue in their unbelief and reject the only saviour of this world. If a person won't have Christ, then Christ will not have them. A person who hates God and has no time or no interest in his word and in his service Why would such a person be interested in going to heaven anyway? For heaven is a holy place, and the Lamb is all the glory in Emmanuel's land, and for the whole of eternity God's people will be praising and adoring Almighty God. If a person's got no interest whatsoever in praising and worshipping Almighty God in this life, how would they vainly imagine that they will have an interest in these things in the world to come? Well, the unbelief of these people, Isaiah foretold many years before. He goes on to say that their eyes were blinded, their hearts were hardened, lest they should see with their eyes and understand with their heart and be converted and I should heal them. Now, these people couldn't believe while they were in such a sorry state. For a person to embrace the message of the gospel today, they have to recognise and acknowledge that they are sinners. They've got to see that Jesus Christ is the only mediator between God and man, and they must place their trust and confidence in the Son of God in order to reconcile them unto the Lord. Now, people are blinded to this all-important truth. We're all the time preaching to people what is known as substitutionary atonement. We tell people the way of salvation. We long that people might embrace the old rugged cross and be trusting Christ alone as their Lord and their Saviour. But unless the light of a glorious gospel shines into a person's heart, they just cannot grasp it at all. It is natural for a person to believe that they're good by nature, that they'll go to heaven because of their works. The natural man is loathe to admit that he's a sinner. It's offensive to his pride. He won't acknowledge that he needs salvation and is dependent upon somebody else in order to save him and to pay the price for his sin. Well, we were once in that situation. There was time when we were unconverted and we saw no beauty in Christ that we should desire Him. He was just like a historical figure. We had no time for the Lord, no interest in following Him or serving Him. Our eyes were blinded, our hearts were hardened. But by God's grace, the Lord quickened us. He gave us spiritual life. He opened these blind eyes. The scales fell from them. and he took this heart of stone and he replaced it with a heart of flesh and by his wonderful and sovereign grace we were eternally reconciled to the Lord and we praise God for that happy and glorious event which took place in our lives. The Bible teaches us that salvation is of the Lord from beginning to end. You know you can have two people sitting in a service listening to the message of the gospel, one understands it and responds to it, and embraces this glorious doctrine of substitutionary atonement, no longer are they trusting in their works and their lives, they're trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ, his precious blood and righteousness, in order to reconcile them to God. But the other person doesn't. The other person's left completely unmoved and unaffected by the preaching of God's Word. Now the preacher can explain it to them in 101 different ways, and use all manner of illustrations, but the penny will not drop. And I know people who've been going along to a place of worship for maybe decades, And they may be under a faithful ministry, and they listen to the way of salvation being expounded, but they cannot grasp it, even after coming to church for 20 or 30 years. And you ask them about the way to get to heaven, and they'll speak about trying to live a good life, or doing their best, and hoping that they don't do any harm to anyone, and that will be acceptable in the sight of God. and you realise they've got no understanding of the biblical gospel at all. In fact, most of the professing Christians we speak to during the course of the week, they entertain hopes of going to heaven one day, but when you ask them, are they good enough to go to heaven, the answer nearly always comes back, of course I'm good enough, I'm trying to keep the commandments of God, I'm doing my best, I'm living a decent, respectable type of life. These people go along to church every Sunday, but they've got no understanding of the biblical gospel. A real Christian will not be pleading their own works before God. They will say, of course I'm not good enough. I'm a sinner of the deepest die, but I believe by faith that Jesus Christ died in my place on Calvary. I've placed all my hope and confidence in the Son of God, and I believe that the precious blood of Jesus washes away my sin, so that I am declared righteous in the sight of the holy gods. But only a few professing Christians seem to have been able to grasp this all-important gospel message. I heard of a man once who was going to church from the age of 30 all the way through to past his 100th birthday. He sat in the same place in the church from the age of 30 onwards. He listened to several preachers during the time that he was there. He continued going to that place of worship for the next 70 years. He liked speaking to the people, having a cup of tea afterwards, and he heard the gospel thousands and thousands of times. But when he was a hundred years of age, he was still in his sins and had no understanding of the gospel message. But then when he was a hundred, he heard a message from the Bible which brought him conviction of sin. And he repented and he took the Lord Jesus to be his saviour. He lived for about another two or three years after that before the Lord called him home to glory. But why was it that he became a believer when he was a hundred years of age, even though he had heard the message countless numbers of times? Well, the difference was that when he was a hundred, God opened his blind eyes that he might see how much he needed the Lord Jesus Christ to be his saviour. You see, to us who are Christians, the message of the gospel is something which is very straightforward and something which is very logical. We are the guilty ones. We are the ones who have broken God's law and God's commandment. We deserve to be punished in hell for the sins that we have done. But Jesus came and lived a perfect life and he laid that perfect life down upon the cross and shed his precious blood that we might be saved. He rose triumphant from the dead and now ever lives to make intercession of all those who come to God by him. When we repent and believe, all of our sins are put to his account, and his precious blood washes away them all, and his perfect righteousness is put to our account, so that we will one day be welcomed into heaven. What could be easier or simpler than that? But you know, people today just cannot seem to grasp it. They just cannot grasp it at all. The religious leaders in our Lord's day, the scribes and the Pharisees, were blinded. They just couldn't see their need of Christ at all. They were self-righteous. They thought that they were living decent, respectable type of lives. After all, they weren't like the heathen. They weren't like the tax collectors and the harlots. They were respectable people who went along to the synagogue every Sabbath day. They read the Law of Moses. And they prided themselves on their religious observances. but they just couldn't see their need of Christ to be their saviour because they were loathe to admit that they were sinners on their way to a lost eternity. Jonah was a person in the Old Testament who ran away from the Lord, but the Lord brought him back and he had to acknowledge that salvation is of the Lord. The Lord will have mercy upon whom he will have mercy and whom he will he hardeneth. You see, we are saved by the Lord doing a wonderful and sovereign work of grace and redemption within our hearts. Why is it that you might be converted and people in your family are not? Why is it that you might be the only person in your workplace who is a child of God when everybody else there has got no interest in the gospel? Was it that you were better or brighter than the others? Far from it. You were the object of God's wonderful and matchless grace, the light of the glorious gospel shone into your heart, and you saw your need of Christ to be your Saviour, and therefore you owe your salvation to the matchless grace of the Lord. Jesus once said to his disciples, who do men say that I am? And they replied, well, some people say that you're John the Baptist and other people say maybe Jeremiah or Elijah or one of the prophets. But then he asked, but who do you say that I am? And Simon Peter replied, thou art the Christ, the son of the living God. And Jesus said, flesh and blood has not revealed this unto you, Simon, son of Jonah, but my father, which is in heaven. You didn't discover this all-important truth by yourself. It wasn't down to your natural ability or your cleverness. The Lord has revealed this glorious truth to you that the Lord Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God, the only Saviour of sinners. A wonderful miracle had been wrought in the heart of God's servant Peter. Jesus once prayed to his Father, Father, I thank you that you have hidden these truths from the wise and the prudent and has revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father, so it seemed good in thy sight. Why was it that the scribes and the Pharisees couldn't understand the message of the gospel, yet the unlearned lepers and beggars and tax collectors and harlots could? It was because salvation comes by revelation. God opened their eyes that they might see their need of Christ to be their saviour, because salvation is of the Lord. And because salvation is all of God's grace, the Lord receives all the praise and all the honour and all the glory. Now we get a little discouraged at times. We say, Lord, who has believed our report as if it's down to us? Or to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? as if it's down to some failing on our part that we haven't been able to interest enough people in the way of salvation otherwise they would be converted. But we shouldn't be discouraged. God's task for each one of his servants today is to faithfully impart the message of God's salvation unto others. We need to go out and to tell people the message of the gospel and then we leave it to the lords to do that wonderful hidden work within their hearts. That's why we pray earnestly to God that the Lord would do that work which we are unable to do. People will not be converted by us just using words. We need the Holy Spirit to quicken people and to show people their needs. That's why we always accompany our evangelism with much prayer. Unless the Lord builds the house, they labour in vain that build it. Let us not be discouraged if another year has now passed, another Christmas time has come and gone, and we don't seem to have seen an awful lot of fruit during the past 12 months from all of our efforts and activities. The Lord is in control. He is building his church. You know, sometimes people say to us today that the Church of Christ seems to be diminishing, but the Church of Christ never diminishes. He's always been added to. He saves people all the time, but he never, ever, ever loses anybody who has been converted. Of course, every year many saints have now been called home to glory and they're worshipping and praising God in heaven. We're told twice in the New Testament, do not be weary in well-doing. We have to persevere in the work and we have to tell as many souls as we can about God's way of salvation. God wants us to be faithful witnesses today, to be enthusiastic and keen about going out and trying to reach people with the message of the gospel, to be as zealous for the Lord today as we were when we first came to know the Lord, when these wonderful truths came home with power to our hearts. And let us praise God so much that He saved our soul. Let us rejoice that God had mercy upon us when we had no interest and we had no time in Him. The Lord brought us to our knees in repentance and the Lord showed us how important Jesus' death upon the cross was. And we praise God that we've been soundly saved and delivered from the power and penalty of our sin for time and for eternity. And we give God all the praise and all the glory. for His matchless grace. Every saved sinner is a wonderful trophy of grace. You know, sometimes people say, well, does God do miracles today? You can have various meetings with signs and wonders, people go along out of interest. And many of these miracles are spurious, but God does do miracles today. I've seen lives which have been wonderfully transformed by God's grace. I know people who used to be muggers before they were saved. People who used to be alcoholics before they were converted. I know people who used to break into people's homes before they were saved. but now they're on fire for the Lord. These things have long since been repented of and they're serving God and doing God's will and they're shining brightly for the Lord Jesus Christ. They're wonderful miracles of God. The Lord was able to change such a character and to mould them into the type of person that he wanted them to be. Yes, God does miracles today and we praise God for the miracle of God's salvation. May the Lord be pleased to use us this coming year. Whether many are saved or few, nevertheless, let us be by our post and let us be faithful to God. Ezekiel was once told by God when he was first being commissioned that whether they hear or whether they forbear, they will know that the prophet's been amongst them. Ezekiel wasn't told that he had to be a successful prophet, he was told to blow the trumpet and to warn people about the danger which was coming. If he failed to do so, God would hold him accountable. And that's what God calls us to do today, to be faithful in sowing the seed of God's word, being faithful in acquainting others with the message of God's salvation, that's our responsibility and let us go forth from this point on to tell people the wonderful news of God's salvation and may it be pleasing to the Lord to save precious souls, to draw people unto himself for his praise. and for his glory. May the Lord give us much joy and much encouragement at the start of this year and may we be inspired and encouraged to follow the Lord fully and to be on fire for him, full of zeal and full of enthusiasm for his work and service, knowing that our labour in the Lord is never in vain. May the Lord be pleased to bless his word to our hearts this morning. Well, we're going to sing our fourth hymn, which is hymn number 578. Hymn number 578. Hold down my hand, so weak I am and helpless. I dare not take one step without thine aid. Hymn number 578. Hold out my hand, so weak I am and helpless. I dare not take one step without thy name. Hold out my hand, For then, O loving Saviour, no dread of ill shall make my soul afraid. Hold thou my hand, And closer, closer draw thee, To thy dear self my hope, my joy, my all. Hold thou my hand, Lest haply I should wander, And, missing thee, my trembling feet should fall. Hold out my hand, the way is dark before me, without the sunlight of thy face divine. But when by faith I catch his radiant glory What type of joy was raptured from the mind? Hold thou my hand, that when I reach the margin of that stone river, thou didst cross for me. A heavenly light may flash along its waters, And every wave like triple bright shall be. Our greatest God, we do thank you for your wonderful grace and keeping power during the past 12 months. We do pray that you will bless us and use us and encourage us this coming year as you spare us. We pray that we might be faithful in sharing your word with others and we do pray that many people might embrace the way of salvation and be found trusting in Christ as their Lord and Saviour. Now unto him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy. To the only wise God, our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen.