Good evening, everyone. We're going to start our meeting tonight. Has anybody got a favourite hymn they want to sing? Just shout out the number, please. Number seven. I thought we were in the silent order there. Number seven in your hymn book. Number seven in your hymn book. To God be the glory, great things he have done. So loved he the world that he gave us his son, who yielded his life and atonement for sin and opened the life gate that all may go in. The hymn number seven on the page 177, standing as we sing and singing it out to the glory of our savior. Let's stand as we sing. ♪ To God be the glory ♪ ♪ Great names he hath done ♪ ♪ So loved he the world on ♪ ♪ He gave us his Son ♪ ♪ Who healed his mighty one ♪ ♪ Atonement for sin ♪ ♪ And hope in their life came ♪ ♪ Praise the Lord, praise the Lord ♪ ♪ Let the earth hear his voice ♪ ♪ Praise the Lord, praise the Lord ♪ ♪ Let the people hear his voice ♪ ♪ O come to the Father ♪ ♪ Bring Jesus the Son ♪ ♪ And give him the glory ♪ ♪ Great Patriot God ♪ ♪ All her pretensions and virtues combine ♪ ♪ May every believer then know this of God ♪ ♪ That I am a surrenderer who truly believes ♪ ♪ A covenant from Jesus, a covenant is his ♪ ♪ Praise the Lord, praise the Lord ♪ ♪ Let the earth hear his voice ♪ ♪ Praise the Lord, praise the Lord ♪ ♪ Let the people rejoice, oh God, oh God, oh God ♪ Come to the Father, through Jesus the Son, and give Him the glory, making tree of God. Great things ye have wrought us, great things ye have done, and great are rejoicing through Jesus the Son. ♪ A greater will be ♪ ♪ Our wonder, our transport ♪ ♪ When Jesus we see ♪ ♪ Praise the Lord, praise the Lord ♪ ♪ Let the earth hear his voice ♪ ♪ Praise the Lord, praise the Lord ♪ ♪ Let the people rejoice, oh God ♪ Well, will you unite our hearts together in prayer? Let us just look to the Lord this evening, please. Our gracious God, our loving Father in heaven, We bow with thanksgiving tonight, O God, in Thy holy and sacred presence. We come to Thee in and through the merits of the Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior, and our blessed and our only Redeemer. And Father, we thank Thee for the words of this hymn of which we've been singing tonight. How the Hemrider could say, to God be the glory, great things He have done. So loved He the world that He gave us His Son. And Father, we thank Thee for the giving of Thy Son, the giving of Thine only begotten Son, in love and mercy to this sinful world. Father, we thank Thee that He came at Thy appointed time. We thank Thee, Father, for the perfect, spotless life of the Lord Jesus Christ, that He did no sin, He knew no sin. Even His enemies had to say, I find in Him no fault at all. Yet, O God, we thank Thee that He went to the cross to be our sin-bearer. We realize that upon the cross of Calvary, suffered and bled and died and laid down His life as an atonement for sin. And Father, we thank Thee for that cry, it is finished. We thank Thee that all that was needed for our redemption from sin was provided for us, O God, in that once for all a sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. And Father, we thank Thee for His blood that He shed, that blood that cleansed of us from all sin. We thank Thee, Heavenly Father, that when we know and trust Christ as Savior, He is a Savior not only for time, but for all of eternity. And O God, our Father, we just look afresh to Thee tonight to bless our coming together. Lord, it is Thy presence that makes the feast. And from this opening hymn to the final amen, draw near. Lord, I pour thy Holy Spirit upon us. Grant us a real sense, Lord, of thy presence in this meeting house tonight. And may we go home revived and refreshed and quickened by the mighty power of God, knowing of a truth that it was good to be here. For here we met with Thee, our God and our Savior. O God, we pray. Bless all who have gathered this evening. We thank Thee for every head bowed before Thee. Our faces differ, so do our needs. Come, Lord, and meet us at the very point of our need, we pray. Bless each and every believer in Christ in our gathering tonight. Strengthen us in our faith. Strengthen us in our love, O God, for Thee. Give us that fresh zeal for the things of God, the cause of Christ. Give us that fresh burden for the lost and for those that are perishing in sin. Give us that fresh hunger for Thy Word and for Thy truth. And help us, Lord, to cleave unto Thee, even as Joshua and Caleb of old, who fully and wholly followed the Lord. Remember all our homes and our families tonight, and represent and bless our families and our family circles. Do unite them all in the Lord, O God, we pray, where there are particular needs tonight of sickness or illness. Draw near, thou who art the great physician, lay on thy healing hand, and help us day by day as thy people, wherever we might be, just to be a witness, Lord, for thee, that by our life, by our actions, our words, and our deeds, that others might be pointed to the Savior, O God, we ask. Father, we think of those unable to be with us tonight because of age or sickness or infirmity. Lord, bless them. Remember, Lord, those in hospital tonight, minister to their needs, and others who have been bereaved in recent times. We pray that they will know the comforting hand of the Lord. Do you remember our sister tonight, Mrs. Knox, Lord? We commit her to Thee at this time of bereavement drawn near to Margaret and the family. And may they just know the presence and the nearness and the grace of God. Remember Thy servant also, the Reverend Cook in hospital. We thank Thee for the improvement and continue to lay on Thy healing hand and to raise Thy child up again to health and strength. O God, we ask. Again, Lord, we just pray for our land tonight. that thy blessing shall be upon it, where thy people meet faithfully around the Word of God and around the testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ. Again, we thank Thee for the recent gospel mission here, and thank Thee for the faithful sowing of the gospel seed, and we thank that the gospel is good seed. And Father, we pray that Thou would bless that seed that has been sown in hearts, even through the meetings and though many hearts that were reached in the community through the leaflet distribution, O God, we pray that Thou will pour out Thy Spirit upon the Word of God that was preached and the printed page as well, and that through it even yet many might come to know the Lord and to trust the Lord as Savior. Bless us now, we pray of Thee, do cleanse our hearts afresh in the blood of the Lamb. Outpour Thy Holy Spirit upon us. Bless us around the Word of God. Speak to us from Thy Word tonight. Help us to hide Thy Word in our hearts, that we might not sin against Thee, Give us grace, Lord, to live out the Word of God in our life and in our circumstances day by day. And Lord, give us grace and help to pray how we need the Spirit of God to prompt us, to burden us, to lead us in prayer. And we come to Thee, poor and needy of ourselves, and we come to Thee, Lord, like the disciples of old. And we would say, Lord, teach us to pray and lay upon our hearts those things that thou would have us to pray for tonight. Remember again the children's work and the Sunday school and the youth fellowship at this time. Bless these outreaches, Lord, to the children, to the young people. Even during this holiday season, we pray, do speak on, we ask of thee. And Father, we pray that there'll be children and young people who will come to know the Lord, who will trust the Lord, and grow up to serve the Lord in their day and in their generation. Be with us now, we pray, in everything that is said and done tonight. Bring glory and honor unto our Savior, for it is in his precious and worthy name that we do pray and do ask all these things. Amen. Now, we're going to turn tonight, please, in God's Word to the New Testament book of Colossians, Colossians chapter number 2, Colossians chapter number 2. I want to read some verses with you from this chapter, beginning at the verse number 1. You'll find Colossians just in the middle part of the New Testament. And when you're looking it up, we welcome everyone tonight in the Lord's name. It's good to see each one gathered in this evening. Pray God will bless you around God's word and around the throne of grace and prayer. Do remember the meetings over the weekend. Be much in prayer for them. Youth Fellowship going up to the convention on Friday night. Pray for journeying mercies and that the Lord bless the time there. And then the services on the Lord's day, morning prayer meeting, 1130, morning worship, 12 noon. The evening prayer meeting, 6.30, the evening gospel service at 7. We belong, God willing, to bring God's Word. Pray much for the meetings and plan to join with us and invite and encourage others in. The Sunday school will be off now just for the Easter break. Colossians, chapter number 2, a beginning of reading at the verse number 1. Let us hear God's Word as we read it. together, please. Colossians chapter 2 and the verse number 1. For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you, and for them it lay to see you, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh, that their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father and of Christ, in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. This I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words. For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the Spirit, joying and beholding your order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ. As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him, rooted and built up in him, and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Beware, lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power. And whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, and putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ, buried with him in baptism. Then also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who raised him from the dead. You being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, have he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses. blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, kneeling it to the cross, and having spoiled principalities and powers, He made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it. Amen. We'll end our reading there at verse 15. And we know the Lord will add his own blessing to the reading of his holy and eternal word to all our hearts. And the little verse of scripture I want us to think about and meditate upon before we get down to prayer are the opening words of verse number 10 of Colossians chapter 2. But it simply says, and ye are complete in Him. And ye are complete in Him. In seeking to discourage the believer in Christ, the devil always tries to get the believer to be focused upon their own faults and failings and shortcomings. And then another aspect to the same strategy of the devil is that he also seeks to get the Christian to be focused upon others, maybe other believers or other people that are unsaved. And by this, the Christian gets disheartened, they get downcast, and thus they stop serving the Lord. You see, the devil's constant aim is to get God's people away from the work of God and away from their witness for Christ. You see, the devil is one who hates the work of God, and the devil is one who hates the gospel, and the devil at every turn will seek to oppose and hinder God's work and oppose the going forth of the gospel of Christ. therefore to counteract this, God's people need to keep their eyes continually focused upon the Lord. When we're talking about their eyes, we're talking about their faith. The eye of faith, so to speak, of the believer must ever be constantly focused upon the Lord. Speaking to the Christian in the book of Isaiah, it says there to the believer, behold your God, and the eye of the believer, the faith of the believer is ever to be focused upon the Lord. And this is what the Apostle Paul is seeking to do with the believers here in the Colossian church as he writes to them here in this chapter in this book at this particular time. You see, at this time, this church at Colossae was under attack. False teachers were attacking this church and seeking to undermine the faith of the believers in this church. They were seeking to undermine the deity of Christ, the very fact that Christ is none other than God manifest in the flesh. And as it were, ward off this attack. Paul, he reminds these Colossian believers that Christ was altogether a sufficient Savior. He reminds them that He was indeed the Son of God, that He was God manifest in the flesh. And He reminds them that He was a sufficient Savior, one that they themselves could constantly and continually look to in life and along their Christian journey. and summing up the sufficiency of Christ for his people, he says here to them in verses 9 and 10 where our text is found tonight, he says, of Christ, for in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and ye are complete in him. which is the head of all principality and powers." He tells them there to these believers regarding Christ their Savior, he says, and ye are complete in him. And dear child of God, by these same words here that Paul penned many years ago, you and I also as believers are encouraged to keep our eyes, to keep our faith, as it were, focused upon the Lord. Yes, in and of ourselves we see vanity, we see weakness, we see sin, but in Christ in whom dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, what do we see? We see a Savior who is altogether sufficient for us. And that's really what has been taught here by Paul in her text regarding Christ when he says, and ye are complete in Him. And Him there refers to Christ. He's speaking here of Christ. And tonight, as we would consider these great words before us very briefly, there are a number of thoughts I want to leave with you. I trust they'll be an encouragement in your faith and in your walk with God. First of all, we can say tonight that the believer is complete in Christ because Christ is his righteousness. The believer is complete in Christ because Christ is his righteousness. Dear believer, when you trusted Christ as your Savior, God blotted out all your sins through the blood of Christ. Notice how Paul reminds us here of this fact in verses 13 and 14 of Colossians 2. He says, "'And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, have ye quickened together with them,' notice it, "'having forgiven you all trespasses, blotting out the handwriting of ordinances.'" In other words, blotting out the charge of sin that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, kneeling it to the cross. There we are told how through the crosswork of Christ, through the blood of Christ, when we trust Christ as Savior, all our sins are forgiven. And never lose sight of that truth, dear believer. Notice those final words there at the end of verse 13. Having forgiven you, it says, all trespasses. But as well as forgiving all your sin, dear believer, when you trusted Christ as Savior, God has imputed to you the robe of Christ's perfect righteousness. He has given you the robe of the spotless righteousness of Christ to your account before Him. Turning your Bible back to Isaiah chapter 61, Isaiah chapter 61. And I want you to go down to verse 10 of that chapter, and mark this verse in your Bible, believer. Isaiah 61, verse 10. Here we have Isaiah before the Lord. He was an Old Testament believer, and as it was with the Old Testament saints, so it is with the New Testament saints. Verse 10 of Isaiah 61, he says, I will greatly rejoice in the Lord. My soul shall be joyful in my God. For he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with jewels." Notice what he says there, he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, and that is the perfect righteousness of Christ, imputed to every believer in Christ, every child of God. And dear Christian tonight in our meeting, as God looks upon you in Christ, He does not see your sin, no. Rather, He sees you as one who is covered with the robe of Christ's perfect righteousness. And thus God accepts you as His child through Christ, through the righteousness of Christ. Remember what Paul said to the church at Ephesus, he said, of God and of Christ, he says, he has made us accepted in the beloved. You're accepted before God, child of God, in the beloved through Christ, through the righteousness of Christ. And being accepted with God through Christ, believer, you're an heir, an heir to all the blessings of God's family. Romans 8 verse 17 says, you are an heir of God and joint heir with Christ. And child of God, tonight, rejoice, yes, that Christ is your righteousness. He is Jehovah's akin you. The Lord our righteousness. But then we can say, secondly, this evening in connection with our text, that the believer also is complete in Christ. Because Christ is their sanctification. Christ is their sanctification. In 1 Corinthians 1, verse 30, it says there, Christ Jesus, who of God, is made unto us sanctification. And that really means, dear Christian, the Lord, by His power, by His grace, enables you to die to sin and to live a holy life to His honor, to His glory. Turn in your Bible over to 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, 1 Thessalonians chapter number 5, and just go down to the end of that chapter, 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, and go down to the last two verses of the chapter, or verses 22 and 23, rather, of the chapter. And look at the command, the exhortation that Paul gives here to the Christians in Thessalonica, 1 Thessalonians 5, verse 22, he says, abstain, he says, from all appearance of evil. And how were they to do that? How could they do that? Well, look at the answer. Look at the next verse, verse 23. He prays for them through God's grace, he says, and the very God of peace, he says, sanctify you wholly. And I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. And that is how Christ is our sanctification. May the Lord, by His power, by His grace, helps us, enables us to die to sin, to live that life that glorifies God. You and I live in a sinful world, a fallen world. We are beset with sin and temptation all around us as God's people. The Bible says, the whole world lieth in wickedness. The whole world is in the lap of the wicked one. Therefore, child of God, in our daily life, the Lord is the one we need to look to, and He is the one, believer, that can help us to turn away from sin, turn away, as it says there in 1 Thessalonians 5, from all appearance of evil, and live a life to the glory of the Lord. Believer tonight, rejoice that Christ is your sanctification. He is your righteousness. He is your sanctification. Notice something else in connection with our text tonight. We can say further that the believer is complete in Christ because Christ is their wisdom. Christ is their wisdom. You look at what Paul says about the Lord there in verse 3 of Colossians chapter 2. He says, of the Lord, he says, in whom our head, he says, all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. And child of God, by God's grace, you and I have been made wise, the Bible says, unto salvation. And Christian, this has been your wisest choice in life, to choose Christ, to trust Him as Savior. And likewise, as you go on in your Christian life, remember this, that the Lord is still your wisdom all along life's journey. The psalmist says of the Lord, He will be our guide even unto death. In Isaiah 58 verse 11, it says there, the Lord shall guide thee continually. Child of God, by prayer, by the reading of God's Word, you can know God's guidance and wisdom along life's journey. When it comes to making decisions of life, major decisions, when you come, as it were, to a major crossroads in your life, you can know God's wisdom, God's guidance, God's direction through His word. The psalmist could say of the Lord, Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path, and through prayer, you can know God's wisdom and guidance. Turn over there to James chapter 1, James chapter 1. And look with me at verse number 5, and look at this great promise to us and needing wisdom in the choices and the decisions and the crossroads of life. James chapter 1 verse number 5, it says, if any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God that giveth to all men liberally, gives it liberally, graciously, freely, and upbraideth not, and it shall be given." And what a promise to encourage us as believers in the decisions of life. When we come to a crossroads, we don't know which way to turn. We don't know what to do. My, we can look to the Lord because He is our wisdom. And my, His wisdom is perfect wisdom. The hymn writer speaking of the Lord says, Jesus, Savior, pilot me. Over life's tempestuous sea, on unweaves before me roll, hidden rocks and treacherous shoal, chart and compass come from thee. Jesus, Savior, pilot me. Christian, rejoice tonight that the Lord is your wisdom, and his wisdom is perfect. Something else we can say further tonight in connection with this little text, you are complete in him. The believer also is complete in Christ because Christ is their strength. Christ is the strength of His people. Turn back there to Isaiah, Isaiah chapter number 12, back to the Old Testament book of Isaiah, Isaiah chapter number 12, and just go down to verse number 2 of that chapter, and notice the testimony here of Isaiah. And what does he say about the Lord? And it shows us here that the Lord is the strength of his people. He says, Behold, God is my salvation. I will trust and not be afraid, for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song. He also is become my salvation. Notice those words, he says, the Lord Jehovah is my strength." That was Isaiah's portion. And child of God, that's your portion tonight also in this prayer meeting. The Lord's your strength. And believer in times of sickness, the Lord is your strength. Believer in times of sorrow, the Lord is your strength. But even in times of stress and anxiety, the Lord is your strength. In times of Christian service and the work of the Lord, the Lord is your strength. Whatever the predicament is, whatever the perplexity is. Always remember, believer, the Lord is your strength. Think of the great promise the Lord gives to you and I as people. In 2 Corinthians 12, verse 9, he says, My grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect and weakness. Believer in Christ, in our weakness, in your weakness and in our weakness, Always remember this, that the Lord is our strength. And remember, child of God, there is no limit to the Lord's strength, because the Lord is almighty. He is all-powerful. You go back there to Colossians chapter 1, Colossians chapter 1, and just go down to verse number 11. Notice there what Paul prayed for these believers. He prayed that they'd be strengthened by the Lord. Colossians 1, verse 11, they were being attacked. Their faith was being attacked. The devil was having a go at them. And he prays that the Lord would strengthen them here in verse 11 of Colossians 1. He prays, he says, strengthened with all might, he says, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness. He was praying that the Lord would strengthen the Colossian church. And believer, that's something you can pray for day by day in your own Christian life, that the Lord will strengthen you in your faith and strengthen you in the battle for God. That is something you can pray for regarding your fellow Christian. Maybe some Christian you know has gone through a time of trial, time of need. Maybe somebody serving the Lord far from home. Pray that they would be strengthened by the Lord. Yes, child of God, tonight rejoice that Christ is your strength. What a strength He is. My, He is our high tower. He is our rock. He is our refuge. Notice one final thought just in connection with this little text tonight which says you are complete in Him. We can say in the final place tonight, The believer is complete in Christ because Christ is their redemption. Christ is their redemption. It says there in 1 Corinthians 1 verse 30, it says, Christ Jesus is made unto us redemption. And what we want to emphasize in this word redemption is really, if you like, the final part of the believer's redemption. And the final part of redemption for all God's people, what is it? It's deliverance from death. It's the glorification of their soul and their body in heaven. And child of God, this is what Christ has secured for you by His own death and by His own resurrection from the dead. Notice what Paul says here to these Christians in Colossians 2, verse number 12. Notice what he says to them. He says, regarding these Christians and their union with Christ, he says, buried with them in baptism. wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who have raised him from the dead. Dear believer, by virtue of your union with Christ, Christ has defeated death for you and I and all God's people. What does it say in 1 Corinthians 15 verse 55? It says, O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? And my Christ has taken the sting of death away for the believer. He has taken away the victory of the grave for the believer. And child of God, when your soul leaves your body, it will go immediately into heaven's glory forevermore. 1 Corinthians 5 verse 8 says, your soul shall be absent from the body and present with the Lord. And then when Christ returns, our bodies as believers will be raised from the dead, raised in a glorious state, a sinless state, a state of immortality, and be reunited with our glorified souls in heaven forevermore. Notice what Paul says to these Christians there in Colossians chapter 3, in the verse number 4, he says, when Christ, who is our life, shall appear," speaking of the coming of the Lord, he says, "'Then shall ye,' also notice it, "'appear with him in glory.'" My, when the Lord comes back again, He's going to gather all His people to glory. The Bible says, "'So shall we ever be with the Lord.'" Turn back there to 1 Corinthians 15. the great resurrection chapter and go down to verse number 51 and 52. And this here is what will happen to the believer when the Lord comes back again. It says in verse 51 and verse 52 of 1 Corinthians 15, Paul says, Behold, I show you a mystery. We shall not all sleep. In other words, we'll not all die. There'll be believers alive when Christ returns. But he says, but we shall all be changed. Every believer will be changed from glory into glory. Verse 52 says, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. Think of how quickly your eye twinkles. Something that happens that you can't really even see or notice. It shows us the great power of the Lord and the great things that will happen when Christ returns. He says, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump, for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. What a hope we have as God's people. What a prize there is before the people of God. A home in glory. We shall see Christ as He is. And the Bible says we shall be like Him, glorified in heaven forevermore. The Hemrider speaks of heaven and says, there's a land of pure delight where saints and mortalry and infinite day excludes the night. and pleasures banish pain. What a hope we have as the people of God. Think again of our text here tonight, dear people of God. It says, and ye are complete in him. Paul here was reminding these Christians of all the blessings they had in Christ who was altogether sufficient. People were attacking them, attacking their faith, their belief, and saying that Christ wasn't sufficient. Mahi reminds them here that Christ was altogether sufficient. And always remember that, child of God. No matter what others say, no matter who they are, you always remember this as a believer. As it says in the Word of God, you are complete in Him. You have a sufficient Savior who saves and keeps not only for time, but for all of eternity. Child of God, rejoice tonight in your glorious Savior. Confide in him more and more, and do all you can in your life to commend him to others. Praise God, tonight we are complete in Christ. May God write his word in these thoughts upon our hearts. and our souls tonight for Jesus' sake. We're going to turn again in our hymn book, please, to the hymn number 382. 382 in your hymn book. Who can cheer the heart like Jesus? By his presence all divine, through and tender, pure and precious. Oh, how blessed to call him mine. All that thrills my soul is Jesus. He is more than life to me and the fairest of 10,000 in my blessed Lord I see. Great hymn, great hymn of truth regarding the wonderful sufficiency of Christ for his people. Standing as we sing, singing it with all of our heart, 382. Let's stand as we sing. Good and sheer thou art by Jesus, by his presence all divine. Good and ever pure and precious, born and blessed all in thine. ♪ Oh, that with my soul as Jesus ♪ ♪ It is born and died to me ♪ ♪ And the fairest of them was he ♪ ♪ In my blessed Lord I see ♪ ♪ A love of Christ so freely giving ♪ ♪ Peace upon the undefeated ♪ ♪ Mercy fired from the heavens ♪ ♪ Fever from the deepest sea ♪ ♪ All that threatens my soul is Jesus ♪ ♪ He is worth the fight ♪ ♪ There is nothing I see ♪ ♪ In my blessed Lord I see ♪ ♪ What a wonderful creation ♪ ♪ I never can a mortal know ♪ ♪ I myself know that my creation ♪ ♪ And be my heart understood ♪ ♪ God rest my soul in Jesus ♪ ♪ He is more than life to me ♪ ♪ And with fairest love divine ♪ ♪ Sing in my blissed heart I sing ♪ ♪ Every need is unsurpassed, yee ♪ ♪ Every good in my seeing ♪ ♪ All in strength divine relying ♪ ♪ Thee is all I long to be ♪ ♪ All that drifts my soul is Jesus ♪ This world I'd like to be, and the fairest of them comes in, in my blessed Lord I see. And forever, and forever, praise the Lord. ♪ All I thirst, my soul, is Jesus ♪ ♪ He is more than life to me ♪ ♪ And the fairest of them all I'll sing ♪ ♪ In my blessed Lord I sing ♪ Well, we'll just get down to our time of prayer. I encourage as many as possible to pray, to take part, men and women alike, just as the Lord leads by His Spirit in our meeting tonight. I pray for the meetings over the weekend. And do remember also the Sabbath school children's work, the youth fellowship off over the holiday season. There'll be much in prayer for the meetings on the Lord's day. The Lord will draw in visitors, strangers, passers-by, bring in you and young families, and that the Lord would save precious souls. Pray on for the seed sown and the mission that God would bless it. and speak on through the word that was preached and the literature given out. Remember the convention meetings as well, and the martyrs over this weekend, Friday night, Saturday night, and then on the Monday night, be much in prayer for the meetings and those who administer God's word. Do remember also the sick and the elderly in your prayers, and remember the Reverend Cook is still in hospital but is improving. and is off oxygen now, so that's very encouraging. So I pray the Lord will raise him up and soon he'll be home again. Do remember Mrs. Margaret Knox as well, who lost her sister-in-law, passed away yesterday. Pray for Margaret and her family, that they'll know the comfort of the Lord. And do remember also our missionaries at home and abroad. Maybe you could remember those laboring for the Lord in North America, many of them in small congregations, that the Lord will bless them, strengthen them. And also remember that assisted suicide bill going before Parliament, that the Lord even would intervene and it might be prevented from coming to pass. And thank you for prayer for a Sunday night pass down at the Mission Hall in Kells, it was 10 in, and just pray for that. And that the Lord will bless the witness there over the coming months and the men who had preached that they'd know the blessing of the Lord and the Lord would lead and guide and direct in that. in the days that lie ahead." Well, we'll get down to prayer. Maybe to ask our brother, Mr. Raymond Beddell, to lead us off in prayer, and then maybe also our brother, Mr. John Dean, and then one after the other, as the Lord would lead, please, just in the time that is left. Our brother Raymond, then John, and one after another then.