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[0:00] As the Lord may be pleased to help me, I would ask your direction to Ephesians chapter 5, reading verses 1 and 2.

[0:25] Ephesians chapter 5, verses 1 and 2. Be ye therefore followers of God as dear children, and walk in love as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour.

[1:02] Ephesians chapter 5, verses 1 and 2. Be ye therefore followers of God as dear children, and walk in love as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour.

[1:32] My friends, I believe it is a great exercise and concern to God's living people as to the pathway that they should walk in, how they should walk.

[1:53] For there are so many things which trouble and perplex his children.

[2:04] There are so many evils. The enemy is at work. The devil is at work.

[2:16] He uses whom he will. He uses whom he will.

[2:49] And so, my friends, the word of God here immediately directs us where to look for that direction.

[3:03] We're to be followers of God. The Son of God, Jesus Christ. He came down from heaven.

[3:16] He came upon this earth. He was born in the earth. And my friends, we're to follow his example.

[3:31] My friends, there are times when we look at the Lord Jesus Christ and consider his walk, his spirit.

[3:47] And we are troubled when we see ours. For so often, my friends, we're cold.

[4:03] We're cold. We're indifferent. We haven't got the desires that we would have. There isn't the longings. There isn't the confessions.

[4:15] There isn't the repentance. But my friends, Jesus, the Son of God.

[4:27] He came down upon this earth to do his Father's will. And so, my friends, the word commands.

[4:39] It says, be ye followers of God. We're to follow him. And you will remember, at the age of 12 years, he disappeared from his family, his mother.

[5:05] And he went about his father's business. He's the God of heaven, the Father, not Joseph.

[5:19] My friends, we all know Joseph was not his father. The Lord Jesus was born into this world.

[5:39] It was of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost overshadowed Mary. And so, my friends, the Lord Jesus was holy from the beginning to the end.

[6:00] He never sinned. He came to do his Father's will. He done that which was right in the sight of God.

[6:11] You might say, or the enemy will try and point a finger sometimes and say, But the Lord was disobedient.

[6:24] He went astray. He roamed away. Did he? I know his mother and Joseph sought him sorrowing.

[6:39] They couldn't find him. There were many things they didn't understand. This was something unusual.

[6:51] Something out of the ordinary. Something very wonderful. And the Lord, the Son of God, at 12 years old, he went away.

[7:08] He went aside. And he was found in the temple, communing with the doctors and those that were religious professors.

[7:24] He was doing his Father's will. His Father's business. That was his aim. That was his thoughts.

[7:36] That was his desire. He was doing the right thing. Could be no other thing. Nothing but the right thing. And my friends, that was his desire.

[7:54] That he might do his Father's will. His eye was upon his Father. Yes. How sure we come.

[8:07] In our pathways. In our walk. In our walk. In our conduct. In our desires. My friends. We are to be, therefore, followers of God.

[8:24] As dear children. The Lord Jesus was found continually serving his Father. He was found in the temple.

[8:37] He was found preaching the word of God. He was found speaking and communing with the people of God. How is it with you and I?

[8:49] How often are we found communing one with another of the way? I don't mean of time things. I don't mean the business. I don't mean of all those things.

[9:02] I mean of spiritual things. Our religion. Yes. The things that we fear.

[9:13] The things that we are waiting for. The things that the Lord has done. The things that we are waiting for him to do. I say, how often are we found communing one with another?

[9:29] Oh, my friends. How often are we found rebuking the world?

[9:42] Oh, you say, we don't want to be presumptuous. My friends. My friends, there's a time to speak and a time to be silent. And our Lord Jesus, the Son of God, he rebuked the world.

[9:59] He rebuked. He preached the word. He set forth the truth. He declared the truth. He led the people unto the Lord.

[10:14] Be ye followers of God. As dear children. My friends.

[10:25] We are then to follow him. We're to humble ourselves. We're not to be rebellious. We're not to try and go our own way.

[10:42] We're to be as little children. As dear children. Before God. My friends, it's a very, very important matter.

[10:54] And it's something that pride in the heart will reject in grown men and women.

[11:05] They don't want to be as a little child. But my friends, it is very essential. And when we realize that the way the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ preached the word of God, why?

[11:26] How simple it was in word. How it could be understood. My friends, but or how we then should be as children.

[11:43] That is, we should be humbled under his word. We should take heed to it. We should be broken down.

[11:53] We should admit, acknowledge, confess our guilt, our sins. But do we?

[12:05] Why? How many? And especially in this solemn and evil day, will not bow, will not confess, will not own their guilt, their mistakes.

[12:24] mistakes. Yes, even mistakes. My friends, oh, how we need to be delivered from pride and self-righteousness.

[12:36] How we need to be made as children. And what will do it? Why? His blessed spirit will do it.

[12:48] That will break down the barriers. That will humble us when he comes, when he speaks to us.

[13:00] He knew, the Lord knew how to do it in the heart of David. David, the psalmist, was the Lord's, one of his chosen ones, one who was highly favored and blessed of the Lord, but all the deep trials and the tribulations and the things that he had to endure and how he was hated and rejected and hunted and persecuted.

[13:35] But, my friends, the Lord went before him and the Lord was with him. But how he was, my, why, he was a sinful man, a carnal man.

[13:47] Yes, he, he sinned grievously and he was hard. Yes, he had a seared conscience sometimes so that he didn't see his sin.

[14:07] No, my friends, we're just the same until grace intervenes. but the dear Lord doesn't leave his children in that condition.

[14:20] He doesn't leave them with a hard-seared conscience. No, sooner or later he comes, he breaks it all down. Blessed be his name.

[14:33] He came, he looked upon David, he saw where he was going, he saw where he'd sunk, he saw his spirit, he sent Nathan, he sent his servant, yes, to declare his truth, the Lord's truth.

[14:55] The Lord, the blessed spirit, knew how to search him, knew how to bring him to confession. And so those things were spoken and declared to him that stirred David up in a natural way, but then he was charged, charged by the spirit of God.

[15:21] Thou art the man, it's you, it's not that other man, not that other person. And so, my friends, he was broken down, he was brought to confession, and the Lord is the same today.

[15:38] He uses what means he will, but he breaks down all the barriers, and brings his children to his footstool.

[15:50] Be ye followers of God as dear children. Oh, how needful then it is, my friends, to be made as dear children, that we might confess all, yes, all, my friends, there wouldn't be half the trouble there is in the earth today, or in the churches, were men honest, honest.

[16:22] Oh, you say, you're saying sweeping things now, accusing many of being liars, my friends, we have to prove, we have had to prove they are, and we also had to prove that the same sins are in our own heart, yes.

[16:45] we don't like to admit these things when we're wrong, we don't like to confess sin, we don't like to put these things right, but grace will enable, my friend, and the Lord Jesus, my friends, he always spoke the truth, truth, yes, he spoke the truth, whether it hurt or not, or how essential it is, and how much better it would be, I believe, not only in the world, but in our own denomination, if we all spoke the truth one to another, instead of covering things up, instead of deceiving, giving.

[17:45] Oh, my friends, so many today are afraid of offending, but where's the love, where's the love, one to another, where's that blessed love of Christ, that joins his people together, be ye therefore followers of God as dear children, and walk in love.

[18:15] You see, my friends, we have these things here before our very eyes. It is God's word, it is the pathway that we should walk in, we are told how we should walk, how we should react in our life, in our walk, in the things that concern us, we should be followers of God as dear children, and walk in love.

[18:51] Oh, my friends, if only we had more of this spirit, I believe there would be a much closer union union in the churches today, much closer union.

[19:10] There are so many pointing the finger at one another, so many that have that spirit of, oh, I'm holier than thou.

[19:29] Oh, how solemn that is, my friends. I know that you and I so quickly see other people's faults, quicker than our own, but, my friends, when we pause, when we have to consider our own faults, our own sins, our own failings, our own shortcomings, my friends, then I believe we'll be able to make a little allowance for others.

[20:05] Oh, my friends, we are to be as dear children and walk in love, walk in love.

[20:18] Where is love in the churches today? Oh, it is at a very low ebb. love.

[20:30] Yes, natural love and spiritual love combined. Yes, I believe, my friends, both will be seen and felt and known in the churches when the grace of God is in exercise, when his sweet and blessed presence is felt in the midst and in our hearts, in our lives, when there is contact with him in our hearts.

[21:08] Yes, I believe there will be love and it will go out to the Lord's children, the Lord's people, all that we knew more of this in our life, in our hearts, this blessed love one to another.

[21:35] Oh, where is the love of Christ in our hearts? Why, the Lord had love, natural love and spiritual love, I believe, in his heart, to the people.

[21:52] Naturally, he was concerned about the multitudes, he didn't send them away hungry and thirsty and faint, but he commanded that they should sit down and they were fed.

[22:13] Oh, he had compassion upon them. Yes, there was those natural things, such as the feelings of Jesus.

[22:28] Why? You remember, we read on that very special occasion that the Lord Jesus wept, wept.

[22:44] Why did he weep? Because he loved them. he loved them. He saw what sorrow and grief they were in.

[22:57] As they wept, he wept, wept with them. And my friends, we are commanded in the word of God to weep with those that weep and rejoice with those that rejoice.

[23:12] How much of it is there today in the churches. My friends, it should, these things don't only have to be in the churches, but in the world also.

[23:28] But we are particularly concerned about the churches, which we are part of, which we have to give an account to, unto the Lord, for our walk, our conduct.

[23:49] Oh, my friends, do we weep with those that weep and rejoice with those that rejoice? or do we point the finger?

[24:02] Do we say, oh, you deserve that? That's the fruits of your sin and many other things may be thought and said, but my friends, oh, he said, no mercy.

[24:19] My friends, sometimes we're staggered, staggered at the hardness of the heart, staggered because with some men there is no mercy, but my friends, we sometimes come to this, well, they don't understand, they don't know, don't know what the Lord has said.

[24:48] My friends, there is much blindness. There, we think of a Stephen, that deacon that was martyred, why, my friends, they couldn't see what he saw.

[25:07] No. He was having a sweet, blessed communion with his master, with the Lord Jesus Christ. He was preaching the word.

[25:21] Yes, he was speaking of those wonderful things that had taken place in the word. And my friends, they rejected him, they stoned him to death.

[25:42] But, my friends, oh, how he prayed, that it may not be laid to their charge.

[25:53] My friends, oh, how the Lord brings his children down into those humble places where he enables them at times to pray for their enemies.

[26:14] Have you and I ever been brought there? all my friends, we shall find enemies. There'll be enemies.

[26:25] There'll be enemies in the world. There'll be enemies in the church of God. And my friends, there will be sometimes even God's own dear children that will not understand us.

[26:44] And they will stand in our way. But my friends, the Lord knows those things that you and I do in our ignorance.

[27:01] He knows those things where we do not understand why we have to prove often that we need wisdom and understanding to do his will.

[27:17] There are so many things you and I do not understand. And the hymn writer, he was brought to that place where he had to confess God moves in a mysterious way his wonders to perform and plants his footsteps in the sea and rise upon the storm.

[27:40] He's above the storm. why so there are those times when you and I come into these storms as we are walking in his ways, as we are being obedient to him in his command, whatever it be.

[28:00] My friends, the Lord calls his children alone, apart, to walk in his ways, in his paths, to follow him.

[28:12] my friends, the Lord has said, follow the lamb whitherso ever he goeth.

[28:24] Oh, my friends, the Lord will lead you and I into those paths.

[28:36] Yes, he'll draw, draw by his power, by his love, follow the lamb, follow him. Yes, my friends, if we're his children, we shall have to follow him in many ways, in many paths, many things that we read of and see that the dear Lord had to pass through.

[29:06] we, likewise, will have to pass through many things in some small measure. But my friends, oh, we have our blessed master, the Lord Jesus Christ, that has gone before us.

[29:27] We have one that understands us, one that we can plead with, one that has walked in those paths that we have to taste of, and many things that we do not understand, why we have to walk in them, and have to endure these things.

[29:50] paths, and yet we find, as we are unable to look at the Lord Jesus Christ, we find that he walked in many of these paths ways.

[30:03] We find, too, regarding temptations, that he was in all points tempted, such as you and I. He was driven of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil, forty days and forty nights.

[30:24] Yes, it was according to the will of God, he was driven of the Spirit. My friends, you and I at times will be driven of the Spirit into various paths, various things, where we are to suffer.

[30:45] Yes, we have no control over it. God's love, oh, that we might be able to follow the Lord and say, thy will be done.

[30:58] Oh, the dear Lord had a bitter cup to drink. He suffered many things. He was tormented, but all my friends, he was willing.

[31:13] He drunk the cup, all of it. Oh, how my friends, we need to consider these things.

[31:24] Be ye therefore followers of God as dear children. We're to follow then in this same pathway. We're not to reject the pathway.

[31:37] We're not to be rebellious. all you say, but I don't seem to have any control over these things.

[31:49] They're inside me. They come out. They come out so quickly. Sometimes there seems no warning, and within seconds, I regret it.

[32:00] My friends, oh, we are to tell the Lord. we're to take these things to him. We're to be as children.

[32:12] Yes, we're to seek forgiveness. We're to ask the Lord to control our mouth, our minds. Yes, our mouth, our voice.

[32:26] How often, my friends, some of us speak unadvisably with our lips. Oh, my friends, our dear Lord Jesus Christ never spake unadvisably with his lips.

[32:46] We're to be followers of God. Oh, how we need, then, mercy. How we need forgiveness.

[32:59] How we need to ponder, to think upon our actions and our thoughts. How we need to try and reframe from speaking quickly and unadvisably and with a wrong spirit.

[33:26] How we need to be as children. How we need to think and ponder first. Why, my friends, I believe it is a good thing if we could only hold our peace for a while until we have had time to consider, time to sometimes cool down in our spirits.

[34:00] When someone perhaps has spoken perhaps unadvisably or in anger or with said something which is not true.

[34:18] Oh, many things, my friends, there are that stir us up suddenly and quickly but be ye followers of God as dear children and walk in love.

[34:39] Oh, if only, my friends, we could take heed and to carry these things out, it would save us much pain, much trouble, yes, much sorrow, much grief.

[34:56] Why, my friends, we find this, there are many things we have said and done, we can't undo them. As long as we live, we can't undo them.

[35:11] But, my friends, as enabled, we can, we can express our sorrow, our grief, or our mistakes.

[35:28] Oh, that we might have a right spirit then, that we might be as children and walk in love.

[35:41] My friends, the Lord knows your pathway and mind, he knows our dispositions. I know we have all got different dispositions.

[35:56] Some of us are more hastier than others. Some rise up much quicker than others. Some are much more humble. But, my friends, the Lord knows how to deal with each case, and he knows how to humble.

[36:14] he knows how to teach, as I have already brought to our notice David, and how the Lord humbled him.

[36:29] And so, my friends, the Lord is not at a loss. He knows how to humble both you and I, and has not he done so on many occasions.

[36:46] Haven't there been those times when we have been determined to go in various paths and do various things, but the Lord has stopped us.

[36:59] He's made us willing to go in his paths. He has made us to do the very opposite, to what we said or thought.

[37:15] Oh, my friends, it's very humbling to a hard rebellious sinners, but oh, that we might have that blessed spirit to be as children and to walk in love.

[37:35] Oh, it is a blessed place to be found in. Blessed pathway. Oh, I wish I knew more of it, my friends. But this is the pathway that we are commanded to walk in.

[37:52] We're to be followers of God, followers of him. We are to be as children and walk in love.

[38:03] the dear Lord Jesus, my friends. He took the lowest place. If I might say it with a right spirit, reverently, he was, he walked as dear children.

[38:25] Yes. On that occasion, particularly when he took a towel and girded himself and washed the disciples' feet, he took a servant's place, he took the lowest place.

[38:40] The Son of God, this was, our blessed Redeemer. Why, my friends, we're to follow him, we're to consider these things.

[38:53] you and I don't like to take the lowest place, but we're to follow God, we're to follow the Lord Jesus Christ.

[39:04] We're not to put ourselves up above others and sit upon a pedestal and make ourselves more holier than anyone else. Oh, my friends, all that you and I might have then a right spirit, that we might be enabled to be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children and walk in love.

[39:37] Oh, my friends, there are many things I feel that might be spoken were one enabled and given the light where we should follow the Lord.

[39:56] Oh, there are many commandments that the Lord has given. He has given to his children and he has walked in obedience, he has kept all those commandments but my friends, you and I have failed.

[40:22] We have failed to keep his commandments. Ah, my friends, there are many things that we might think we haven't done, but when the Lord shines, when he searches, when he interprets his word, we find that we are guilty.

[40:44] If not guilty in action, guilty in thought. Well, my friends, may the Lord use these things, may put those desires in our hearts that we might pray unto him, pray for this blessed spirit, for this strength, for this ability, that we might be enabled to follow him and walk as their children, in love, or in the ordinances of his house.

[41:31] Why, my friends, I believe this should be the very motive in our hearts, when we are constrained by his spirit, it will be to follow God.

[41:47] Yes, follow God, the Lord Jesus Christ. He walked in that ordinance himself, the Son of God. He was immersed in Jordan, baptized.

[42:03] Yes, we are to follow him as dear children, and walk in love. And it is that spirit of love that will enable us, my friends, to follow him in that despised ordinance.

[42:21] For it is despised. There are so many, my friends, that want to serve the Lord, that want to be blessed of him, but they often draw back when there is a pathway to be walked out in the way of an open profession.

[42:43] They are afraid. They are, there isn't the love in the deep exercise that will overcome all these difficulties.

[43:00]  Walk in love. I'll leave a few things. May the Lord bless his word to us. Amen. Amen.