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[0:00] Thank you.

[0:30] Thank you.

[1:00] Thank you. In an earlier part of his teaching in the 11th chapter of Matthew he said, he found the simplicity of what he saved, of what he is saying.

[2:19] There is something very striking about this remark, very understandable and yet it contains a vast beat.

[2:39] There is to be in the work of God the bringing down. There is to be a bringing down to a dependence and a resting upon the Lord Jesus.

[2:58] There has to be taken away from earthly wisdom. There has to be removed pride and independence when we come to consider this subject tonight.

[3:16] There has to be a complete trusting and resting upon the Lord Jesus Christ. This is a burial.

[3:28] One of the words which illuminates this text is the word of the word of Moses when he was dying in his dying utterance. And he uttered those words which relate to this passage underneath are the everlasting arm.

[3:48] The eternal God is thy refuge. We can see here the infant being carried in the arms of God.

[4:04] When we walk as it were on our own two feet constantly we go in the wrong direction. A child when it is carried in his mother's arms relatively is safe.

[4:23] And it grows up it wanders. This is true. All have spiritually there's a solemn and awful wandering.

[4:38] Man walks into bypass meadows and in the solemn paths of disobedience. But when the work of grace is begun when there's a revelation of the spirit in the soul when heavenly wisdom is given when there is a being carried in the arms of Jesus when the eternal God is our refuge and underneath of the everlasting arm then we're safe.

[5:13] God takes us. And you know one of the works of the spirit in bringing us to be his base is to bring us to long to be carried and brought and taken in right path.

[5:31] Because there's coming an hour when in the utmost and solemn an awful weakness which you need to be carried across that Jordan of Death. We shall need one to take us over.

[5:47] And the most blessed path of God's dear children in this world is to be in his arms of love and mercy holy at one with his purposes holy in his arms with our will as his will love and to be made conformable unto the image of that one who did always those things that pleased his father.

[6:16] What a complete union and oneness of spirit and how and soul and mind there was between Christ and his father. Or how he walked this earth in absolute and utter and perfect and entire and complete total obedience.

[6:35] We cannot emphasise it enough or how far short we come of that and how far short we come of that dependence upon him.

[6:49] Dependence of a child upon its parents in its childhood as a babe is entire. It is dependent upon its parents for life for food for water for protection and we come to consider these things.

[7:16] God's dear family are brought to be buried in his arms and there will be a dependence an absolute dependence and you know unlike a child there is in the child of God a realisation of the need of that dependence there is an understanding of what it is and how vital it is to be found in union and in the blessed fellowship to the eternal son of God being made conformable unto his image being brought into that pathway of faith and dependence and a willing obedience and a submission who brought us clay in the hands of the heavenly potter to be made willing in the day of his power and to be brought into the place that is spoken of here in the scriptures to be carried in his arms guided and directed and provided for and to have our priorities right to be brought to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness to be brought to seek his faith to be brought to love and to value and to cherish that bread of heaven and that water of life to have a desire to sit under the ministry of his holy word and to be fed and to be strengthened by it for the word of

[9:10] God to be food to our soul to strengthen our faith to enable us to be still in his hands and to seek his guidance and his leading to be as that clave in the hands of the heavenly potter what a long and deep pathway it is to that place where we are brought to seek his guidance and his strength and his help in everything and to be brought to know our own weakness our own lack of wisdom our own inability to do anything right in and of ourselves and to be brought to be still in his hand under his dealings with us always

[10:15] God's dear children journey on and he deals with them more and more his work the work of the Holy Spirit is to bring us down and down in a knowledge in every developing knowledge of our ignorance our inability our lack of faith our lack of prayer our lack of anything that is right it is to bring us into a knowledge of our poverty and the death that abounds within and to give us earnest desires gracious hungerings and thirstings after himself and he would guide us teach us we are brought as we journey on to confess our ignorance and our death and to seek his blessed wisdom his life in our soul his gracious health Isaac

[11:18] Watts in the first him I believe is in our book said what worthless worms are we dear old Harvey Carr the pastor of Chippenham and walking with some of the butcher farmers and the country lanes used to occasionally in front of them scoot down and pick up a worm and put in the hymn work is the work of God he stood to protect the worm and the hymn writer knew it when he said what worthless worms away the Lord Jesus Christ when he was on earth spoke of the sheep helpless defenseless stupid silly wandering on the mountain side lost needing to be brought and carried on the shoulders of the good shepherd these figures all speak to us of ourselves and you know we need to be brought off those wandering feet that have wandered so far and constantly do and to be carried in the arms of the

[12:51] Lord Jesus so here our text tells us from the lips of Jesus have you never read this striking fruit out of the mouth of babes and sufferings as they have perfectly prayed prayed so what is the language that comes to the mouth of these babes and sufferings and I would attempt to go through some of the utterances of these babes and sufferings out of their mouths God has perfectly prayed to himself and we begin with this word Lord help me this is God honouring and God glorifying the wisdom that brings the babe and the suppling to utter such a prayer it is a recognition of inability to do anything for ourselves it is a recognition of

[14:11] God himself the Lord is honoured and glorified when his dear children come in sincerity and truth and in vital need under the teaching of the Holy Spirit to cry to him for help what are they asking for well let us put aside everything providential and look at the spiritual side of this that is the vital thing it is not the things that God has promised to add to us it is a seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness righteousness it is the need of that pressure fainting in his blood and robe with his righteousness dying thief asked what here was a babe and a suffering in the kingdom of God brought to the new birth in the very last hour of his life and his words were in absolute simplicity

[15:15] God was glorified in remember me what a circumstance it was that he who had cursed and blasphemed as he was nailed to the cross and cursed Jesus should in the hour of his death be brought to utter that language for there he was a babe in grace a mere suckling and yes God was glorified in this that flesh and blood had not revealed it unto him but his father which is in heaven his eyes had been opened his ears had been opened he had seen the eternal son of God he saw his kingdom he was awakened to his need we indeed juster for this man have done nothing amiss and he was brought to flee for refuge the only refuge in this whole world he was brought to flee for refuge for one who was able to save him to death in that he feared he came with a precious gift of faith and he came to the Lord

[16:41] Jesus Christ and he pleaded and what was he asking for remember me oh he was asking and when we look at that dear friends we can truthfully say yes he was already remembered father I will those who have given me be with me where I am they may behold my glory he was in that everlasting covenant except you become as little children asked what a characteristic even a baby when it can't utter a word asked for its food and its cry cries when it is hungry when it is satisfied it is silent and will sleep but all here we see this and I wonder if some of you have come in the house of God this night hungry and thirsty for the word of God to be made in your heart that blessed strength that food to your soul that which lifts you out of a darkness and death of unbelief liberates your soul in sweet repentance godly sorrow to sin melts your heart down and brings you into that blessed experience of faith in the

[18:22] Lord Jesus Christ to be able to rest in him and to peace which is his and to know to hear from his lips and to know what the dying thief heard today that he shall be with me in paradise there is an earnest desire in the hearts of the children of God to know that the Lord Jesus Christ loves them died for them and will come again and receive and receive them the glory here then is the work of God in the hearts of his dear children out of the mouths of babes and suffering as they have perfected praise sometimes it is the pathway of God in dealing with his dear children to bring them into that place to make them as a little child they are full of rebellion and obstinacy and self will and God deals with them to humble them and to bring them down he did with Jonah he was a man of

[19:39] God a servant of God walking in bold defiance dark rebellion fleeing from the presence of God God dealing the humble we see exactly the same situation with the psalmist David in his great sin of adultery how the Lord brought him in the 51st psalm to be his little child and we see the blessed language of it a broken and a contrite heart oh God they will not despair when we grow older you know we grow proud independent how much easier it is for a child to say sorry than for a grown adult or how much pride often stands in the wire of a word of confession and repentance and the

[20:47] Lord will bring us down he'll bring us to the footstall of mercy and make us as little children there is a bringing down in repentance and godly sorrow and confession for sin and the Lord brings us to that blessed place where pride is taken away and where we bow before the Lord in godly sorrow for sin the arrogance of Jonah was removed in the solemn dealings of god when the weeds were wrapped about his head and when he went down to the death and god does as the hymn writer says bring proud nature down he does indeed and when we see the fruit of the work of god in the heart of his servant Jonah we see some of the work of the spirit and bringing us to be his little children he shut him up in his arms to such a degree that if ever he was to come out alive his god was to do it he shut him up in his hand in such a way that he brought him to his feet in obedience and submission and all what submission and obedience he brought him to out of the valley of hell cried

[22:40] I when thou heardest me there was a sacred confession of sin the lord brought his dear servant to a place where he could truthfully say out of the experience of it salvation is of the lord he was brought to be as a child in the hand of his god and he was brought into the powers of obedience and submission and he was brought to rest and to be still and that dreadful spirit of self and rebellion and disobedience and arrogance was gone forever was humbled and brought down he humbles our proud heart he lays us low at the footstool of mercy and we see in his healings in his own day the characters that were weighted down with their affliction to such a degree that they were brought to be beggars we hear it from the lips of blind by timid jesus thou son of david heaven mercy on them only because he was in the situation he was in did he come with such a prayer had he walked in full health through his sight and all his faculties would never have uttered such a prayer the man who lay for 38 years at

[24:30] Bethesda Paul how dependent he was absolutely dependent and God saw him like a babe and he stooped there were many lying at that Paul it was a place where many lie what is so striking about that case is the sovereign grace of God that he went to that one man where there is a coming together of one in that condition of need and divine electing love and mercy here we see the request that comes from the lips of these babes and sufferings out of their mouth come these blessed requests what wilt they that I shall do unto thee Lord that I might receive my sight I've often felt with that request that according to the Lord's word surely it was obvious yet the

[25:33] Lord wanted to hear from his lips that simple request and in all the heavy weight of his affection he was enabled in the simplicity of truth to bow beneath the Lord to quest and are and you know when the Lord deals with his his own family with these babes and suffering they have the most simple request the most sacred request the most blessed request to put in it is eternal life that they are seeking it is the salvation of their immortal soul it is the work of the spirit in the new birth in that new creature in Christ Jesus to show them what the old creature is in them and it is a new creature that speaks in all the vested work of grace in the heart it is that new man of grace that utters the heavenly request of heavenly wisdom it is from that new man of grace in the soul that there come the blessed request that came from dying people remember this it came from

[26:59] Samson in his dying hour remember me this once only he was brought from being a man of mighty strength to being abased blind highly all his strength gone he was just like a child and you know that and I believe dear friends there is a heavenly principle here that is only from the lips of babes and suffering spiritually so those who have been brought to feel their ruin and their poverty and their need that they come from their names these utterances which redeemed to God honour and glory now let me say what these utterances are not the praise that is spoken of here is not but carnal singing of hymns with loud voices and choirs and anthems long as the

[28:17] Lord shone me in my spirit and I used to go and listen to these things but there was a day when the Lord said to me come out and be separate and open my eyes to what it was I used to go and listen to the Messiah and listen to the hallelujahs and used to think what wonderful music it was until the Lord suddenly showed me that there wasn't an atom of anything godly in it at all it was blasphemy the praise that is spoken of here is that praise which the eye of a heart searching God sees right through it's the praise of a broken hearted sinner it's the praise of a child of God it's the praise of a baby in grave the praise of a dear saint like Hezekiah and the Lord brought him to death in all his poverty and weakness he described his prayer as like a crane or a swallow so did

[29:22] I chatter and yet I tell you this that that prayer echoed in the courts of heaven above perfumed by the merits of Christ as holy totally acceptable to God something which he rejoiced over to hear the voice of a sinner at the throne of grace pleading for the fainting of his precious blood to wash him and came in that's what Hezekiah asked for and in that chapter in Isaiah in the 38th chapter we read of the answer to that prayer that day but he was indeed brought to be as a babe in the Lord's hand absolute weakness under the solemnity of death and eternity before him he pleaded with his God in the simple language for broken hearted sinner remember me undertake for me oh

[30:26] Lord I am oppressed all the weakness the poverty the need the dependence and yet dear friend the strength for he was walking in the right way that leads to everlasting life it was a straight and narrow way he was walking in a bitter way it was a way in which all his sins came before him and he saw the solemnity of eternity and the full weight of his sins were resting upon him the judgment of God was in his heart and he knew it and if God was strict to mark in his he couldn't stand but in that 38th of Isaiah we read of the fullness of the blessing that was his the praise that came we can assess it quite clearly the peace he says

[31:27] I had great bitterness of soul but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption thus cast all my sins behind that bag you see the praise of these babes and sucklings is the praise of sin forgiveness God's perfected praise in their lives in the experience of prayer heard and answered praise is often the praise of glory you believe it was with Samson the answer to his prayer was in a moment in a dying hour it was the same answer with the dying thief God heard his prayer and answered it in a dying hour his praise was in glory but let me add this his praise was upon the cross when he received the promise praise again isn't a language of the lips it's a heart and the praise is the praise of a broken hearted sinner before his God a broken and a contrite heart his liberty his confession his repentance his pardon his peace and you know it's in the walking out of that peace that was praise praise is from the depths of the hearts of a child of

[33:14] God as the Lord visits their soul and pardons their iniquity as they receive the blessed assurance in their soul and the knowledge and experience that the Lord has loved them with an everlasting love out of their hearts comes praise there's no other praise in this world everything else is karma praise stems from the receipt of pardon and peace praise stemmed from the blessed knowledge in assurance of heaven today they shall be with me in paradise that promise that pardon brought such an unutterable peace into the heart of the dying peace we indeed just feel that this man has done nothing amiss all how the

[34:16] Lord was honoured honoured in his confession in the years of God that was praise in the years of God as he listened the Lord Jesus Christ listened to those words he knew God is glorified when the sinner and the dying sinner for we're all dying sinners is brought to rest in Jesus Christ for salvation brought to die leaning upon him brought to die hoping in his mercy hoping in his finished work trusting there or when the soul is brought to a precious realisation that they are resting in their sacred finished work of Christ then there is praise dear

[35:17] John Kennett says children the heavenly king as you journey sweetly sing sing your great redeemer's praise for his in his works and life you're travelling home to God in the way your father tried they are happy now and soon their happiness she shall see God brings the babes and suckling to praise him out of the mouth the babes and suckling have so perfectly praised of our sins and the dealings of our

[36:29] God with us have we gone down as Jonah did into the whale's belly with the wheat wrapped about our head and the hand of God shutting us in completely what have we done of the solemn dealings of God with us in our souls to bring us to the place that Hezekiah came to, under the prayer, under the prayer.

[36:56] Lord, remember me. God, be merciful to me, as I said. Have you ever paced the hospital ward, perhaps?

[37:07] I believe I have pleading with God to appear. And what have we known of deliverance? What have we sweetly known of His appearance?

[37:21] Of the mighty presence of our God stilling the stormy wave? What have we known of the experience and the principle of it of Jonah the fish vomiting us out on dry land? And to come forth with the language of Jonah when he said salvation is of the Lord.

[37:44] What have we known of the experience of the three men in the fiery furnace? Have we ever entered in our experience into a fiery furnace?

[37:56] And known Jesus for the Son. Known His mighty presence. Daniel went down to the den of lions, my God. All how many storms and fiery furnaces, God's children, have to walk in because the scriptures tell us that through much tribulation He should enter the kingdom.

[38:21] The more of these paths we walk in, the more we shall know what it is in the language of our text, that of the maus of babes and supplicants as though perfectly Christ.

[38:36] there is a simplicity, a sincerity, an openness, a frankness in the utterance of little child. They often openly say things you wish they wouldn't say, but they tell the truth.

[38:53] Whereas an adult will cover it up or conceal it or do something deceptively. A child comes out there. boldly. Well, the Lord desires that His dear children shall be brought to that place.

[39:14] Except you become as little children. He shall in no wise enter the kingdom of heaven. He desires sincerity and truth. There is a perfecting of this prayer.

[39:29] If that is the perfecting of it, they that worship Him must worship Him in sincerity and truth. We do believe that in heaven the praise is in sincerity and truth.

[39:46] And it's in this blessed utterance unto Him that loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood.

[39:58] The Lord having brought His church home to heaven listens to those heavenly anthems which are to His honour and glory.

[40:12] As they journey in this life He is so dealing with them that out of their lips will be brought this prayer.

[40:24] out of their lips will come this which is honouring to them. These earnest cries, earnest petitions, humble, broken-hearted prayer in contrition.

[40:44] this that is God-honouring thought they knowest that I love them.

[40:57] Here was a little boy in grace. Not the brave sinner which said I'll go with him today.

[41:09] all the difference. God brings His dear children there. I will not believe unless I see. Well, there was a difference.

[41:25] My Lord and my God. God brings His dear children to His feet and all have His honour inside an utterance.

[41:38] A sinner in confession and in godly sorrow and in humble repentance. Jesus stood to His dear children to lift them up.

[41:54] And this is His desire that they should walk in this way. Out of the mouths of babes and sufferings as they perfectly pray.

[42:12]  Amen.