Good evening. I am here this evening by God's grace to tell you what great things the Lord has done for me. I count it an honour to recall those events and trust clearly to bring them before you this evening. The purpose of the meeting is that the Lord Jesus Christ would be exalted. There are two verses I would like to read to you from 1 Corinthians 15 verses 3 and 4. Paul is speaking of the gospel concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. He says, For I delivered unto you, first of all, that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sin according to the Scripture, and that He was buried, and He arose again the third day according to the Scripture. These words are indeed the gospel in a nutshell concerning the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. They contain the truth of his death, burial and thank God for his resurrection. As you may guess or know from my accent, I do not come from this area, but I was born in Belfast in Northern Ireland. And I was saved at the age of 14 on the 18th of November 1942, almost 76 years ago. I thank God this evening for his saving and his keeping power. I had the privilege of being born into a Christian home. I mean by that, my father and mother were both believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. It wasn't nominally Christian, but of power and of glory. They were saved before I was born. And as you may guess, I heard the word of God and was taught the word of God from my youth. I, like Timothy from a child, had known the holy scriptures which are able to make one wise unto salvation. Being born into a Christian home, I was taught the Word of God from my earliest day. I was taken to Sunday school as a baby because my godly mother had a Sunday school class and she nursed me as she brought before that class things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. I was taught to memorize the Word of God. I was taken to many gospel meetings week after week. I was taken to many testimony meetings because in Northern Ireland in those days, many people gave their testimony at the gospel meeting. So I heard and I knew God's way of salvation. Although I had that privilege of being born into a home of believers, yet that did not stand me in any stead regarding salvation. I was a sinner, just as the other boys in the street were also. for there is no difference for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Romans 3 and 23 Romans 5 and 12 tells us wherefore as by one man sin entered into the world and death by sin so that death passed upon all. for that all have sinned. There's no difference. We're born sinners. We're born with our back toward God and our face toward eternity and destruction. And it is only by the grace of God that we can be delivered from this situation and know God as our Father and Heaven as our home. Eventually I became an age and I went to Belfast Technical College for a couple of years. I remember the first day there and we were sorted out into our various classes and various prayers that we set aside. It was my fortune to sit beside another young boy called William Wilson. But he was different from all in the class. He, as a younger child, had accepted Christ as his Saviour and he made it known. His life and his testimony were evident in the class. And due to that boy's testimony, including myself, there were seven boys saved during that first year. Seven boys came to the knowledge of sins forgiven. I spoke often to William and he told me the way of salvation, a way which I already knew but did not grasp. Then later in life, I was about 11 or 12, I was on holiday in a little seaside resort near Belfast in Northern Ireland with my two cousins and our mother. We were really excited on that first day as we arrived and went to the house in which we were staying. And immediately we went out to the shore. The tide was out. We walked through the rocks. We had a wonderful time. And time did not dawn upon us. We played a lot in the rocks, or on the rocks. And then we decided it was time that we should go back again to our home that we were staying in. To our amazement, the tide had surrounded the rocks. And we were very undecided what we should do. But we decided that we would walk ashore. It was quite a distance, but as we walked, the tide got deeper and deeper, and soon we were up to our chest in the water and could not go any further. We talked about being saved if we were rescued from this situation, but rescue seemed a long way off. But thank God who was watching over us. There was a man in his garden some way back and he was scanning the seashore and the sea through binoculars as he was a boat owner. We were frantically waving and shouting to try and draw attention to people on the shore. This man at first thought we were just playing around and having fun. But then he could see that we were in danger and in distress. And thank God that he sent his son and two other men with him in a boat. We could see that boat coming towards us and our hopes were high. I can remember as clearly today as it was then being lifted into the boat, the three of us being lifted into the boat and taken to the shore. Our mothers had to be restrained from trying to come in to help us out because there had been deaths there in the same spot the year before. But thank God we were in the welcome arms of our mothers, brought into the house, changed and had a hot drink. God saved and protected us from danger. When we were in the water, we thought if we got out of this situation, we would get saved. That would be our aim and our object. We went the following day to those who rescued us and gave them our thanks and shook hands with them. We were very grateful indeed. I can recall that event very clearly even now. But soon the holiday was over and we were back to our homes again. and we forgot about her promise. We forgot about, behold, now is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation. We needed God's salvation, but procrastinated. We put it aside to her later death. But being in that class with William Wilson and hearing the words of salvation time and again, I began to get an interest in my eternal welfare. It was either heaven or hell. I began reading the Bible in earnest in different portions that I had known. I began reading books, spiritual books, testimony books, books about God's servants and how they served Him in other land, and how clearly they brought the message to them, and I was searching for salvation. Then one day It was that day, the 18th of November, 1942. That's many years, more than the age of many here this evening. I decided that today I wanted to receive. I wanted to know my sins forgiven. But I went to bed My father was working late. When he came in from work, I called him up and said that I wanted to be saved and I wanted to be saved tonight. He had been marvelously rescued from a drunken life. Through the torn page of a Bible, that contained the words that we read, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, that he was buried in the third day, he rose again according to the scripture. He quoted me these verses. He quoted me John 3.16, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. He quoted me John 5.24, he that heareth my word, and believeth in him that sent me, hath everlasting life. He that believeth not hath not life. I realized my situation before God that evening was either life or death, and I had a choice to make. I was young in years, but I was at the years of responsibility and that I knew the way of salvation clearly. I got down on my knees in my bed. I said, Father, I believe that Thy Son died for me. I acknowledge before thee that I am a sinner, for all have sinned. And I believe that thy Son gave his life for me. He made that sacrifice and paid the price of my redemption, and immediately I passed from death unto life. My sins were forgiven, and I was on my way to heaven. And through the grace of God, he has kept me going on in a measure over these 76 years, for which I give God thanks and pray. God has preserved and protected me throughout my long years from death. He preserved and protected me at birth. He preserved and protected me in the seaside town of my life. and he preserved and protected me in Belfast shipyard. It's my desire as a boy and others to be a shipyard man. That was fulfilled and I went to work there and then I made, one day I made a foolish But for the quick thought and action of my work colleague, I would have been killed. I would have been beheaded. But God's hand was evident, and that He was with me. I thank God this evening for the opportunity to bring simply before thee God's way of salvation. And may we say, O happy day that fixed my choice. And may my Saviour and my God, well may this glowing heart rejoice until its rapture all abroad. Amen.