Isaiah chapter 66, and we'll read together the first four verses. Isaiah chapter 66, verse one. Thus says the Lord, heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool. What is the house that you will build for me? and what is the place of my rest? All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the Lord. And this is the one to whom I will look, he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word. He who slaughters an ox is like one who kills a man. He who sacrifices a lamb like one who breaks a dog's neck. He who presents a grain offering like one who offers pigs blood. He who makes a memorial offering of frankincense like one who blesses an idol. These have chosen their own ways and their soul delights in their abominations. I also will choose harsh treatment for them and bring their fears upon them. Because when I called, no one answered. When I spoke, they did not listen, but they did what was evil in my eyes and chose that in which I did not delight. Amen. Verse 2b. but this is the one to whom I will look, he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word. How to be blessed this coming year. According to Matthew Henry, we have here the contempt God puts upon ceremonial services in comparison with moral duties. And an intimation of his purpose shortly, that is when Jesus the Messiah comes to put an end to the temple and sacrifices and reject those that are dear to them or trusted in them. And in Proverbs 15 verse 8, God has always been saying to his people, the sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord. King David knew this long ago and wrote it down in his great Psalm of Sorrow and Repentance, which we sang from, Psalm 51, where he writes in verse 16, for you will not delight in sacrifice or I would give it. You will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. You see, sacrifice and ritual or mere religion are detestable to God if the heart is not right with God. God is not at all pleased with church going and praying. if the heart is sin-loving and cold. If we want to be blessed, if we want God to look upon us with favour this coming year, then we must be humble and contrite and we must tremble at his word. So, to be blessed this coming year, number one, God must be looking upon you. That's what it says in verse 2b, this is the one to whom I will look. Well, what does that mean? Surely God looks upon everyone. God sees everything, doesn't he? Well, yes and no. Remember when Jesus took all our sin upon himself on the cross, it appears from scripture that God turned his face away from his suffering son. Jesus cried out, didn't he? My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? And hence, Miranda Wright, writing on the internet, says this, if sin caused God to turn his eyes away from Jesus, who was bearing the sins of others, how much more will he turn his eyes away from you and me when you willingly choose to sin? Many times we cry out in our troubles and ask God if he sees our plight. If you are living in open willful sin, the answer is no. He's not looking at your woes because your sins have caused him to turn his face away from you. You see, the wrath of God in most cases is simply this, that because of your sins, God has turned his eyes away from you and the devil knowing this has rushed in to wreak havoc while the shepherd is not looking. Your trouble is your own doing. Isaiah says the same thing in chapter 59, verses one and two. He says, behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened that it cannot save, or his ear dull that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God. And your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he does not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood and your fingers with iniquity, your lips have spoken lies and your tongue mutters wickedness. So it seems there can be times when God isn't looking upon us or watching over us, especially when we are walking in deliberate sin. Sin we have planned and partaken in. Not accidental sin or sin that surprises us, but deliberate and known sin that we often think is okay because lightning hasn't struck us down yet. That's the sin that causes God to turn away, like it did when our Saviour was on the cross. That is who God is not looking upon. Now, if that is you, beware. But also be aware, because as I read in Isaiah, the Lord's hand is not shortened that it cannot save, or his ear dull that it cannot hear. If that is you, reach out to him in prayer, confess your sin, For if we confess our sin, he is faithful and just to forgive our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. And be one of those on whom God does look upon this year. Be one in his favour, one who is not walking in deliberate sin, but one who is winning the fight against the flesh, the world and the devil. the one who he's pleased with, the one who will be blessed this coming year. And what are the blessings? Well, I'll tell you at the end. And if God is looking upon you, you will be blessed. Secondly, if you are humble and contrite. The Good News Bible translates this as humble and repentant. We must repent of our sins. And that which I quoted, well, it's a great encouragement to us, isn't it? That God is faithful, that means he has promised, and just, that means he is right, to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Now, we'll have none of this fanero, gnostic rubbish that real Christians don't sin. That's just not true. The real Apostle John told us in his first letter, verse eight, if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sin, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar. and his word is not in us. No, if your pastor, your apostle, your prophet or your heretic is telling you that you don't sin or can't sin or shouldn't sin, and no you shouldn't, you remind him or her of what the Bible says and what God promises to those who confess they are sinners and confess their sin. No, brothers and sisters, we must be repentant and contrite, not taking it for granted, not thinking like old Israel did. Yes, I've sinned, but I've also made my sacrifices. Or I've also repented and I've prayed and I was singing in the choir on Sunday. And anyway, we're going to get married. We're in love. No, our repentance must be genuine. like David's in that Psalm 51. He says, have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love, according to your abundant mercy. Blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight. Then he says, purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean. Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness. Let the bones that you have broken rejoice. Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Pass me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. You know, at one time I did learn that psalm all the way through and I really do wish I still knew it like then. But you know the song we sang at the beginning is easy, isn't it? To remember. And it's worth repeating to yourself and to God often. It's a good reminder that we are dependent on God for forgiveness, for cleansing, for joy and the blessings of His Holy Spirit. We must be contrite. and humble. Humble means not thinking too much of yourselves, putting others first. When I was about nine years old, I joined the Cub Scouts and the first thing they taught us was this, a Cub Scout always does his best, thinks of others before himself and does a good turn every day. Well, I didn't know it, but that good turn could be a turning away from sin and back to God. Let us be humble, not lovers of ourselves. Think of others before ourselves. Remember what Paul told Timothy. But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty, for people will be lovers of self. And he groups those that love themselves with lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness but denying its power. And what does Paul say? Avoid such people. That's what he tells us. Now, I'm looking at you now. Are you one of those people who puts on your status self-love? Oh yeah, we've all seen it. It's all about me. That's what they write, isn't it? Well, let me tell you, it's not all about you. It's all about Jesus and what he did for others, not himself. Isn't he the classic example? He came as a servant to others. He didn't sit on some big throne, did he, like Mbonye and have people wiping his shoes. Let us be careful of contracting the diseases of worldliness and being like them. Let us be humble. Don't think too highly of ourselves. And let us be contrite in heart. That means live a penitent life, feeling or showing sorrow and regret for having done wrong. For God will look upon you if you are humble and contrite. And lastly, if you will tremble at his word. Now you might be thinking there, who trembles at the word? Why would I do that? Well, let me just say this, that you might not be trembling at it much because you're not reading it enough. If you are cherry picking passages for your edification, that means just picking the best bits you like, well, it's likely that you are reading an imbalanced word of God. And you will only know a little bit about God and his character because you're not reading it all. Think about it like this. Now, some of you first years, you've been taught by me for a semester, and so you know a little bit about me. But then some of you others have been taught by me and heard me preach and even visited my house, and you might know quite a bit about me. But then, of course, there's the faculty, isn't there, who I've known for many years. They know me very much. And then there's Natasha. who has suffered me for over 18 years. Who do you think knows me best? That's right, it's obvious, isn't it? Natasha knows me best. But answer this, who loves me best? Well, apart from God, of course, yeah. Well, I hope you would also agree and see that it's Natasha again, isn't it? The one who knows me best, loves me best. So answer this, who loves God best? Obviously, the one who knows him best. And that would be the one who spends the most time with him, talking to him, learning about him and reading his word, reading his autobiography. And the more we read it, the more we tremble. Why? Well, the more we read it, the more we will see that we are no different to David. My sin is ever before me. I have sinned and done what is evil in your sight. I was brought forth in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me, purge me, wash me. Let me hear joy and gladness. Hide your face from my sins. Blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away. Restore to me the joy of your salvation. These are not happy words, are they? These are not the words of self-love. David isn't having some focusing on me time, is he? No, he's begging God to cleanse him and renew him. He's begging for forgiveness. Ah, you say, yeah, but David committed adultery and murdered Uriah. I haven't done that. That's not me. Haven't you done it? What does the Bible say? You read with me, Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew 5 verse 28 it says, Jesus says, not anyone else, Jesus says this, I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. And if your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. And verse 21, you have heard that it was said to those of old, you shall not murder. And whoever murders will be liable to judgment. But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment. Whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council. And whoever says, you fool, will be liable to the hell of fire. That is why we tremble. That is why we tremble at the word. You see, the word of God opens us up and reveals it to everyone, what is hidden in our hearts. But oh, We confess our sins. He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. No wonder David cried, cleanse me from my sin. We mustn't cherry pick the good bits of the Bible only. We must read it all, the good, the bad and the downright ugly. We must allow the word of God to expose our every sin that we might tremble at the wrath of God so that then we can beg God to forgive our every sin and know His promises are true and right and just and yes and amen. You know, I said, I'd tell you what the blessing is. Well, the blessing is the trembling. And the trembling is the blessing. Because only when you have trembled will you know that you have really prayed to God and asked him to forgive your sins. Because you see, only trembling produces real prayer. Brothers and sisters, pray God looks upon you this coming year. Be humble. Be contrite and tremble at his word. And know this, if you tremble, you are blessed indeed. Amen. Amen. Let's pray. Our Father in heaven, we thank you for bringing us into this new year. And we have many hopes for this year. Some will be thinking about finding someone to get married to. Some will be thinking that they leave here soon and have to go out and find a job. But oh Lord God, let us put those things into perspective and in the right place where they are. And that is below the desire to be trembling at your word this year. to be blessed by the almighty God to have your face looking down upon us and smiling upon us. Help us, oh Lord God, to put away sin, put away to kill besetting sin, and to turn from our sin back to you. Oh, that you would not hide your face from us. Forgive us, we pray. Have mercy upon us. Remember us for good, we ask, and our families too. In Jesus' name, amen.