Well, the previous chapter, chapter
four, which we ended before the virus episode took place, really
speaks to us and exhorts us to the unity and to holiness and
to love. And quite clearly, this fifth
chapter continues the same theme. And as of course we know, There
were no chapters in the original, so it would just have flown through.
And so here we have this statement, be you therefore followers of
God as dear children. Well, what a gracious and important
word that is for us to think that we as sinners of the earth
are exhorted to be followers of God. And we know that God
is righteous and holy and merciful, and full of goodness, and forgiving,
and forgiving everything, injuries, offenses, and in freely distributing
to the necessities of the saints. So we have a very wonderful example
in the glory of God to think that here we are exhorted to
be a follower of God and then He speaks as dear children. What
a blessing if you and I are the children of God. This is so important
for us to have the evidence that we are a child of God. And therefore, if we are a child
of God, we're really a follower of our Father, our great and
glorious Father in heaven, and how we might consider the enormity
of such a statement. and our utter inability so to
do. But nonetheless, it is a gracious
exhortation for us. We have a wonderful example in
the holiness and greatness of God, separate from sinners, and
we should desire to walk in that same way. And then he comes on
in the second verse, and he tells us, and walk in love as Christ
also hath loved us. So the Apostle moves now to the
glory of the Savior and we are therefore to walk in love in
our journey through this world, this sinful world in which we
find ourselves living in the present time. We are to be found
walking in it and we are to be found walking in it in love. And that is qualified by this
great statement, as Christ also hath loved us. And that is a
very amazing thought. It's a very amazing truth to
think that Christ has loved us, loved us in eternity past. It's
utterly beyond our natural mind to appreciate therefore the greatness
of God. And way back, way back, the Trinity
should agree to love such sinners as we are. What a mercy, as Christ
also has loved us. We have such an example because
we don't deserve to be loved. All we have is sin and iniquity
and disobedience. We can't claim to be better than
our forefathers, the Israelites, as they journeyed through this
world. We're often disobedient, not following the gracious commands
of God. We're today now following their
footsteps. We have a wonderful Bible to
follow, which instructs us in how we should walk, in what we
should do, and yet how we fail so often. And so how good it
is that the Word of God instructs us in this way and says, and
walk in love as Christ also has loved us. Well, I'm sure if you
and I know anything of Christ's love toward us, it will be utterly
amazing. think he loved us with our everlasting
love, and that he loved us so much, so much, he took us in
hand, unworthy sinners, and called us out of darkness into the glorious
light of the everlasting gospel. And so we have this exhortation
then tonight to walk in love, that's in love to God that's
in love, to the brethren that's in love, to those that we come
across and communicate with day by day. We're not to have malice. We're not to walk in a wrong
spirit. We are instructed graciously
to walk in love. And if we doubt the reason for
that, the answer is given, as Christ also has loved us. And then he goes on to say, and
have given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God
for a sweet smelling savour. What a blessing and what a favour
to think that this glorious saviour loved us so much that he gave
himself as an offering, as a sacrifice satisfy the demands of the Holy
Law of God to take away all our sin, every sin, so that we stand
complete in Him. We don't stand for ourselves
in what we've done, but we stand upon what Christ has done, given
Himself. He gave Himself. He gave Himself. the second person in the Trinity,
the great God who gave himself for us. What an amazing truth
that is. And may it truly touch our hearts
to think this great God gave himself for us. And think that
you and I are part of this us. We're not excluded, but we're
within this covenant ordered in all things and sure and he
offered himself gave himself totally completely in order to
redeem our soul and of course that sacrifice meant the death
of the savior the sacrifice meant uh the shedding of the blood
of his blood most valuable most precious in this sacrifice that
he did for us And as we reached to God, it was a sweet, smelly
savour. The sacrifices in Old Testament
times, as they were offered up upon the altar, those animals,
as far as possible without spot, were offered up and it was, as
the smoke ascended, it was a sweet, smelly savour to God. But how
much more so? The Lord Jesus Christ is that
one sacrifice for sin forever. Yes, he died as our sin bearer
upon that cross to take away all our sins. And it is because
he loved us, also hath loved us. And therefore he gave himself
for us an offering and the sacrifice to God. So God was satisfied
with that glorious offering and sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. He kept the law. He made it honorable
on our behalf. And so we are complete in him. Do we come tonight and say from
our heart, oh, what a savior. Because what a glorious saviour
he is. What a glorious saviour to us,
if we have the evidence that we are amongst those that he
gave his life for. And therefore, one day, by his
grace, we shall be with him in glory. That is a wonderful thought,
isn't it? It's a glorious prospect to think
when we finished our little life on this earth, it will be to
go and to be with Christ, which is far better. And surely with
that wonderful prospect before us, we should be concerned to
hear these words which are set before us tonight, be you therefore
followers of God. As dear children, children of
God, desiring to do the will of our God, desiring to do that
which is pleasing in his sight, and to walk in love. May we have these true desires
in our heart so that we may be able to thank God that there
is in his word such words to direct us and to instruct us
as we pass on through this life with this glorious instruction
for us so that we may be a true follower of our blessed God. well and the lord blesses these
few comments to the benefit of our souls and help now and i'll
bring that we're seeing the second hymn first hymn number nine