Christ's people, imitators of him. This message was first preached on April 29, 1855 by Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished. And they took note that these men had been with Jesus. Acts chapter 4, verse 13.

Behold, what a change divine grace will work in a person and in a very short time. That same Peter who when Jesus was arrested only followed Christ from a distance and called down curses on himself and swore that he did not even know him, this same Peter is now found side by side with the loving John, boldly declaring that there is salvation in no other name except that of Jesus Christ, and preaching the resurrection of the dead through the sacrifice of his dying Lord.

The scribes and Pharisees soon discovered the reason of his boldness. They correctly guessed that it rested not in his learning or in his talents. For neither Peter nor John had been educated. They had been trained as fishermen. Their education was a knowledge of the sea, of the fisherman's craft. They had no other skills. Their boldness could not, therefore, spring from the self-sufficiency of knowledge, but from the spirit of the living God.

Nor did they acquire their courage from the standing in their society. For rank will confer a sort of dignity upon a man and make him speak with a feigned authority, even when he has no talent or genius. But these men were, as it says in the original Greek text, idiotai, which would mean private men who stood in no official capacity, men without rank or standing.

When they saw the boldness of Peter and John and perceived that they were unschooled and ordinary individuals, they marveled. And they came to a right conclusion as to the source of this power. They had been living with Jesus. Their conversation with the Prince of Light and the Prince of Glory, and backed up, as they might have also known, by the influence of the Holy Spirit, without which even the eminently holy example of Christ would have been in vain, all this had made them bold for their Master's cause.

O my brethren, it would be good if this proclamation, which was forged from the lips of enemies, could also be compelled by our own example. If we could live like Peter and John, if our lives were living epistles known and read by everybody, if whenever we were seen, men would take note of us, that we had been with Jesus, it would be a wonderful thing for this world and a blessed thing for us.

It is concerning this that I am speaking to you this morning. And as God gives me grace, I will endeavor to stir up in your minds by way of remembrance and urge you also to imitate Jesus Christ, our heavenly pattern, that men may understand that you are disciples of the Holy Son of God.

This morning, I will first tell you what a Christian should be, an imitation of Christ. Secondly, I will tell you when he should imitate Christ. Thirdly, why he should imitate Christ. And then fourthly, how he can imitate Christ.

As God may help us then, first of all, we will speak of what a believer should be, an imitation of Christ. A Christian should be a striking likeness of Jesus Christ. You have read various descriptions of the life of Christ, beautifully and eloquently written. and you have admired the talent of the persons who could write so well. But the best life of Christ is his living biography, written out in the words and actions of his people. If we, my brethren, were what we profess to be, if the spirit of the Lord were in the hearts of all of his children, and if, instead of having an abundance of people who only go through the motions of Christianity, If instead we were all true possessors of that vital grace, then I would tell you not only what we ought to be, but what we should be. We should be pictures of Christ. Yes, such striking representations of him that the world would not have to examine us for hours and then say, well, it seems somewhat of a likeness. Rather they would, when they first looked at us, exclaim, He has been with Jesus. He has been taught of him. He is like him. He has caught the very idea of the holy man of Nazareth and he expands it out into his very life and everyday actions. In enlarging upon this point, it will be necessary to assume that when we affirm that men should be such and such, we refer to the people of God. We do not wish to speak to them in any legal way. We are not under the law, but under grace. Christians are required to keep all of God's commands, but the reason why they do so is not because the law is binding upon them, but rather because the gospel constrains them. They believe that having been redeemed by divine blood, having been purchased by Jesus Christ, they are more compelled to keep his commands than they would have been if they were under the law. They hold themselves to be 10,000 times more in debt to God than they could have been under the Mosaic law. Not of force, not of compulsion, not through fear of the whip, not through legal bondage, but through pure love and gratitude to God, they lay themselves down for his service, seeking to be true Israelites in whom there is nothing false. I have made it a point thus far to declare what I did, to ensure that no one would think that I am preaching works as the way of salvation. I will yield to none of this, for I will always maintain that we are saved by grace and not by ourselves. But I must equally testify that when a person is saved and filled with the grace of God, then good works will always be produced. Again, when I say that a believer should be a striking likeness and picture of Jesus, I do not suppose that any one Christian will perfectly exhibit all the features of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Yet, my brethren, the fact that perfection is beyond our reach should not diminish the eagerness of our desire to attain it. The artist, when he paints, knows very well that he shall not be able to surpass that famous Greek artist Apelles, but that does not discourage him. He carefully uses his brush that he may, at least in some humble measure, resemble the great master. Likewise, the sculptor, though persuaded that he will not rival the celebrated Greek sculptor Praxiteles, he will still chip out the marble and seek to fashion it to be as accurate to the model as possible. In the same way, the Christian, though he feels he never can mount to the heights of complete excellence and perceives that he can never become, on earth, the exact image of Christ, still he holds it up before him as his goal and measures his own deficiencies by the distance between himself and Jesus. This he will do, forgetting all that he has attained. He will press forward, crying, excelsior, forward, advance, going higher still, desiring to be conformed more and more to the image of Christ Jesus. First, then a Christian should be like Christ in his boldness. A Christian should be like Christ in his boldness. There is a virtue nowadays called impudence, which is the quality of being offensively bold. But the grace is equally valuable by whatever name it may be called. I suppose if the Jewish leaders had given a definition of Peter and John, they would have called them impudent fellows. Jesus Christ and his disciples were noted for their courage. The Bible says, When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and took note that these men had been with Jesus.

Jesus Christ never bowed down to the rich, nor to the great and the noble. He stood erect, a man before men, the prophet of the people, speaking out boldly and freely what he thought. A perfect example of this is found in that mighty deed of his when he went to the city where he had lived and been brought up, knowing that a prophet had no honor in his own country. The sacred scroll was put into his hands. He had only just begun his ministry, yet without a tremor, he unrolled the sacred volume. And what did he take for his text? Most men coming to their own neighborhood would have chosen a subject adapted to the desires of the people in order to earn fame. But what doctrine did Jesus preach that morning? One which in our age is scorned and hated, the doctrine of election.

He opened the scriptures and began to read. There were many widows in Israel in Elijah's time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath, in the region of Sidon. And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet. Yet not one of them was cleansed, only Naaman the Syrian. Then he began to tell how God saves whom he pleases and rescues whom he chooses. Oh, how they gnashed their teeth at him. They dragged him out and would have thrown him off the cliff. Don't you admire his resolute courage? He saw their teeth gnashing. He knew their hearts were hot with hatred while their mouths foamed with revenge and hostility. Still, he stood like the angel who shut the lion's mouth. He did not fear them. Faithfully, he proclaimed what he knew to be the truth of God and still read on, despite them all.

So it was in all of his sermons and messages. If he saw a scribe or a Pharisee in the congregation, he did not hold back any part of the truth. But pointing his finger, he said, woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites. And when one of the experts in the law came saying, teacher, when you say these things, you insult us. He turned around and said, you experts in the law, woe to you because you load people down with burdens they cannot carry. And you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them.

Jesus preached and taught only honest truth. He never knew the fear of man. No one caused him to tremble. He stood out among all of God's chosen ones, careless of man's esteem.

My friends, be like Christ in this. If you are true servants of God, be like Jesus Christ. Be bold for your master. Never blush to admit that you are a Christian. Your profession of faith will never disgrace you. Be careful that you never disgrace your faith. Your love of Christ will never dishonor you. Yet it may bring some temporary scorn from your friends or slander from your enemies. But live on. You shall live down their slander. Live on. And you shall stand among the glorified, honored even by those who hissed at you. when Jesus shall come to be glorified by his angels and admired by them that love him. Be like Jesus, very bold for your God, so that when they shall see your boldness, they may say, he has been with Jesus. Just as no one feature will give you a portrait of a man, so the one virtue of boldness will never make you like Christ. There have been some who have been very noble men, but have carried their courage to excess. They have thus been exaggerations of Christ and not portraits of him. We must mix with our boldness the loveliness of Jesus disposition. Let courage be the brass. Let love be the gold. Let us mix the two together so we produce a very rich metal. fit to be manufactured into the beautiful gate of the temple. Let your love and your courage be mingled together. The Christian who is bold may indeed accomplish wonders. John Knox accomplished a lot, but he might have done more if he had a little love. Luther was a conqueror, and we honor his name. Still, we who look upon him from a distance Think that if he had sometimes mixed a little mildness with it, if while he had been resolute in action, he also had been gentler in manner and spoken somewhat more mildly, he might have done even more good than he did. So brethren, while we too are bold, let us always imitate the loving Jesus. The child comes to him. He takes him upon his knee and says, let the little children come to me and do not hinder them. A widow has just lost her only son. Jesus weeps at the funeral and with a word restores life to the dead man. He sees a paralytic, a leper or a bedridden man. He speaks, they rise and are healed. He lived for others, not for himself. His constant labors were without any motive except the good of those who lived in the world. And we all know the mighty sacrifice he made. When he humbled himself by laying down his life for man, when on the cross, trembling with agony and hanging in the shame and suffering of crucifixion, he submitted to death for our sakes that we might be saved. Observe that love is summed up in Christ. He was one mighty pillar of benevolence. As God is love, so Christ is love. Oh, you Christians, you be loving also. Let love and your generosity beam out on all men. Do not say, keep warm and well fed, but rather give food and comfort to all. If you cannot unlock the prison doors, if you cannot visit that sad house of misery, then let each one of you, in your proper sphere of influence, speak kind words, do kind actions. Live out Christ again in the kindness of your life. If there is one virtue which most commends Christians, it is that of kindness. It is to love the people of God, to love the church, to love the world, to love everyone. But oh, how many crabtree Christians are found in our churches who have mixed such a vast amount of vinegar and such a tremendous quantity of rudeness in their dispositions that they can scarcely speak one good word to you. They think it is impossible to defend Christianity except by passionate agitation. They cannot speak for their dishonored master without being angry with their opponent. And if anything is wrong, whether it be in the home, the church, or anywhere else, they conceive it to be their duty to set their faces like flint and to defy everybody. They are like isolated icebergs. No one cares to go near them. They float about on the sea of forgetfulness until at last they are melted and gone. And though they were saved souls, we will be happy to meet them in heaven, and we are precious glad to get rid of them from the earth. They were always so disagreeable in their disposition that we would rather live an eternity with them in heaven than five minutes on earth.

Do not be like them, my brethren. Imitate Christ in your loving spirits. Speak kindly, act kindly, and do kindly, that men may say of you, he has been with Jesus. He has been with Jesus.

Another great feature in the life of Christ was his deep and sincere humility, which we must also imitate. His deep and sincere humility. While we will not cringe or bow, far from it, We are those who are free because the truth sets us free. We walk through this world equal to everyone, inferior to none. Yet we would endeavor to be like Christ, continually humble.

Oh, you proud Christian, for though it is a paradox, there are some Christians who are full of pride. If you are a Christian, I beg you to look at your master. Look at him talking to the children bending from the majesty of his divinity to speak to mankind on earth, living among the peasants of Galilee, and then, yes, we see a depth of condescension that is unparalleled, God washing his disciples' feet and wiping them with a towel after supper. This is your master, whom you profess to worship. This is your Lord, whom you adore, and you, Some of you who count yourselves Christians cannot speak to a person who is not dressed in the same kind of clothing as yourselves, or who does not have exactly the same amount of money per year that you have.

In England, it is true that a gold coin will not speak to a shilling, and a shilling will not notice a sixpence, and a sixpence will sneer at a penny. But it should not be so with Christians. We ought to forget social class, position, and rank when we come into Christ's church. Remember, Christian, who your master was, a man of the poor. He lived with them. He ate with them. And now, will you walk with lofty heads and stiff necks, looking with hateful contempt upon your inferior fellow men? What are you? The meanest of all. because your deceit and adornments make you proud. You are a pitiful, despicable soul. How small you are in God's sight.

Christ was humble. He stooped to do anything which might serve others. He had no pride. He was a humble man, a friend of prostitutes, drunkards, and sinners of all kind, living and walking with them. So Christian, be like your master, one who can stoop. Yes, be one who considers others better than himself and counts it his honor to sit with the poorest of Christ's people and says, if my name is written in the obscurest part of the book of life, it is enough for me. So unworthy am I of his notice. Be like Christ in his humility.

So might I continue, dear brethren, speaking of the various characteristics of Christ Jesus. But you can think of them as well as I can. Therefore, I shall not do so. It is easy for you to sit down and paint Jesus Christ, for you have him drawn out here in his word. I find that time would fail me if I were to give you an entire likeness of Jesus. But let me say, Imitate him in his holiness. Was he zealous for his master? So you should be also. Did Jesus always go about doing good? Then do not waste time, it is too precious. Was Jesus self-denying, never looking to his own interest? Then you must also deny yourself. Was he devout? So also should you be fervent in your prayers. Did Jesus obey his father's will? So also you must submit yourselves to him. Was he patient? So you must also learn to endure. And best of all, like the best picture of Jesus, try to forgive your enemies as he did. And let those sublime words of your master, Father, forgive them. for they do not know what they are doing. Let those words always ring in your ears. When you are provoked to revenge, when hot anger starts, control it at once. Remember, anger is temporary insanity. Forgive as you hope to be forgiven. Keep burning coals of fire on the head of your enemy by your kindness to him. Remember, doing good for evil is godlike. Be Godlike then, and in all your ways and by all means, so live that your enemies may say, he has been with Jesus. He has been with Jesus. Now secondly, when should Christians imitate Christ? When should Christians imitate Christ? There is an idea in the world that persons ought to be very religious on a Sunday. but it does not matter what they are on Monday. How many holy preachers are there on a Sunday who are very unholy preachers during the rest of the week? How many are those who come up to a church with solemn appearance, who join in the singing and profess to pray, yet who in reality have no part in the matter, but who are full of bitterness and in the bonds of iniquity? This is true of some of you who are present here today. When should a Christian, then, be like Jesus Christ? Is there a time when he may strip off his uniform, when the warrior may unbuckle his armor and become like other men? Oh no. At all times and in every place, let the Christian be what he professes to be. I remember talking some time ago with a person who said, I do not like visitors who come to my house and introduce religion. I think we ought to have religion on Sunday when we go to church, but not in the living room. I suggested to the individual that we would need to purchase a great number of beds if there would be no religion except in church. How is that was the question. Why I replied, We would need to have beds placed in all of our places of worship, for surely we need religion on our deathbeds, and consequently, everyone would come to die in church. Yes, we all need the comforts of God in our last days, but how can we expect to enjoy them unless we obey the precepts of Christianity during life? My brethren, let me say, be like Christ at all times. Imitate Him in public. Most of us live publicly. Many of us are called to work before our fellow men every day. We are watched. Our words are listened to. Our lives are examined and often taken apart in pieces. The eagle-eyed, vigilant world observes everything we do, and sharp critics come after us. Let us live the life of Christ in public Let us be careful that we exhibit our Master and not ourselves, so that we can say, I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. Be careful that you carry this into the church too, you who are church members. Be like Christ in the church. How many are there of you like theosophies, seeking preeminence? How many are trying to have some dignity and power over their fellow Christians, instead of remembering that it is the fundamental rule of all of our churches that all men are equal, all are brethren, and should be treated as such? Carry out the spirit of Christ then in your churches, wherever you are. Let your fellow members say to you, he has been with Jesus. He has been with Jesus. But most of all, be careful to have Christianity in your homes. Be careful to have Christianity in your homes. A Christian home is the best proof of true devotion. It is not my church, it is my home. It is not my minister, it is my family who can best judge me. It is the child, the wife, the friend that can most clearly discern my real character. A good man will improve his household. Roland Hill once said, he would not believe a man to be a true Christian if his wife, his children, and even the dog and cat were not better off because of him. That is being a true Christian. If your household is not better because of your Christianity, If men cannot say, this is a better house than others, then do not be deceived. You do not have the grace of God. If you happen to have a servant in your house and they left your employment, let them never say, well, this was a strange sort of a religious family. There was no prayer in the morning and there was no prayer at night. I was kept at home all day Sunday. Once every couple of weeks, perhaps, I was allowed to go out in the afternoon when there was no place to go where I could hear the gospel sermon. My master and mistress went to a place where, of course, they heard the blessed gospel of God. That was all for them. As for me, I might be able to find an overworked assistant pastor in the afternoon. Surely Christian men will not act in this way. No. Carry out your godliness in your family. Let everyone say that you have practical Christianity. Let it be known and read in the house as well as in the world. Take care of your character there, for what we are at home, we really are. Our life outside the home is often nothing but the actor's part of a great scene. But at home, the mask is removed, and men are what they seem. Be careful how you live at home. Yet again, my brethren, before I leave this point, imitate Jesus in secret. Imitate Jesus in secret. When no eye sees you except the eye of God, when darkness covers you, when you are shut up from the observation of humanity, even then be like Jesus Christ. Remember His fervent love. his secret devotion, how after preaching all day long, he stole away in the midnight shades to cry for help from his God. Remember how his entire life was constantly sustained by fresh inspirations of the Holy Spirit, derived by prayer. Take care of your secret life. Let it be such that you will not be ashamed to have it exposed at the last great day. Your inner life is written in the book of God, and it shall one day be opened before you. If the entire life of some of you were known, it would be no life at all. It would be a death. Yes, even of some true Christians we may say it is hardly a life at all. It is a dragging on of an existence, one quick prayer a day, one breath, just enough to keep their souls alive, but no more. Oh, my brethren, strive to be more like Jesus Christ. These are times when we need more secret prayer. I have been filled with great fear all this week. I do not know whether it is true, but when I feel such a thing, I like to tell it to those of you who belong to my own church and congregation. I am concerned that you have ceased to pray as earnestly as you once did. I remember your earnest groans and petitions, how you would assemble together in multitudes and cry out to God to help his servant. Do you still pray in private? Have you forgotten me? Have you ceased to cry out to God? Oh, my friends, with all the pleas that a man can use, let me plead with you. Remember who I am and what I am, a child having a small amount of education, a small amount of learning ability and talent. And here I am called upon week after week to preach to this crowd of people. Won't you still plead for me, my beloved? Hasn't God been pleased to hear your prayers 10,000 times? And will you now stop praying? when a mighty revival is taking place in many churches. Will you now stop your petitions? Oh no. Go to your houses, fall upon your knees, cry aloud to God to enable you to still hold up your hands like Moses on the hill, that Joshua below may fight and overcome the Amalekites. Now is the time for victory. Shall we lose it? This is the high tide that will float us over the sandbar. Now let us put out the oars. Let us pull by earnest prayer, crying for God the spirit to fill the sails with his mighty winds. You love God in every church and every true denomination. Wrestle for your ministers, pray for them, asking God to pour out his spirit. What is the reason why we are to be denied revivals? Why not now, this hour, as one mighty gathering, fall down before Him and beg Him for His Son's sake to revive His faltering Church, that all men would discern that we are truly the disciples of Christ? But now, thirdly, why should Christians imitate Christ? Why should Christians imitate Christ? The answer comes very naturally and easily. Christians should be like Christ first for their own sakes, for their own sakes. For the sake of their honesty, let them not be found liars before God and men. If they wish to be kept from sin and preserved from going astray, let them imitate Jesus. For their own happiness sake, if they want to enjoy happy and holy communion with Jesus, If they would be lifted up above the cares and troubles of this world, let them imitate Jesus Christ. Oh, my brethren, there is nothing that can be such an advantage to you like the imitation of Jesus. It will prosper you and assist you and make you rapidly walk towards heaven. So keep your heads upwards towards the sky and your eyes radiant with glory. It is when by the power of the Holy Spirit You are enabled to walk with Jesus in his very footsteps and tread in his ways that you will be most happy, and you are most known to be the sons of God. For your own sake, my brethren, I say, be like Christ. Be like Christ. Next, for Christianity's sake, strive to imitate Jesus. O poor Christianity, you have been painfully shot at by cruel foes, but you have not been wounded one half as much by them as by your friends. None have hurt you, O Christianity, so much as those who profess to be Christians. Who has made these wounds in your fair hand of godliness? I say the professor of Christianity has done this. Who has not lived up to his profession? the man who with pretenses enters the fold, being nothing but a wolf in sheep's clothing. Such men injure the gospel more than others, more than the laughing atheist, more than the sneering critic. These men profess to love our cause, but actually hurt it by their actions, which contradicts their love. Christian, do you love our cause? Is the name of the dear Redeemer precious to you? Do you want to see the kingdoms of the world become the kingdoms of our Lord and His Christ? Do you wish to see the proud man humbled and the mighty humiliated? Do you long for the souls of perishing sinners and are you desirous to win them and save their souls from the everlasting burning? Would you prevent their fall into the regions of the damned Does your heart yearn over your fellow men? Do you long to see them forgiven? Then be consistent with your Christianity. Walk before God in the land of the living. Behave as an elect man should do. Remember what kind of people we ought to be. We must be people of holy conversation and godliness. This is the best way to convert the world. Yes, such conduct would do more than even the efforts of our missionary agencies, excellent as they are. Just let men see that our conduct is superior to others. Then they will believe there is something in our Christianity. But if they see that our life is contrary to what we profess, what will they say? They will say, these Christian people are no better than others. Why should we join with them? And they will be right in what they say. It is only a common sense judgment. Oh, my friends, if you love Christianity for her sake, be consistent and walk in the love of God. Follow Jesus Christ. Then to put it in the strongest form I can, let me say for Christ's sake, endeavor to be like him. For Christ's sake, endeavor to be like him. Oh, if I could only bring the dying Jesus here and let him speak to you. My own tongue is tied this morning, but I would make his blood, his scars, and his wounds speak. Jesus would stand here, show you his hands this morning, and say, my friends, look at me. These hands were pierced for you, and look here at my side. It was opened as the fountain of your salvation. See my feet. There entered the cruel nails. Each of these bones were dislocated for your sake. These eyes gushed with torrent of tears. This head was crowned with thorns. These cheeks were hit with fists. This beard was plucked out. My body became the center and focus of agony. I hung quivering in the burning sun and all for you, my people. And will you not love me now? I beg you to be like me. Is there any fault in me? Oh, no. You believe that I am fairer than 10,000 and altogether lovely. Have I ever injured you? Rather, haven't I done everything for your salvation? And do I not sit on my Father's throne, and even now intercede on your behalf, if you love me? If you love me, if you love me, keep my commandments. O Christian, let that if be put to you this morning, if you love me. Glorious Redeemer, is it an if at all? You precious bleeding lamb, can there be an if? What, when I see your blood gushing from you, is it an if? Yes, I weep to say it is an if. Oftentimes my thoughts make it an if, and my words make it if. But yet I think my soul feels it is not if. O Christian, can you say, yes, I love you, Jesus? I know that I love you, Lord. Lord, you know all things. You know that I love you. Well then, says Jesus, looking down with a glance of affectionate admiration, since you love me, keep my commandments. Oh, beloved, what mightier reason can I give than this? It is the argument of love and affection. Be like Christ. Such gratitude demands obedience. then the world will know that you have been with Jesus. Then you wept, and I perceive that you felt the force of pity, and some of you are asking, how can I imitate Christ? How can I imitate Christ? It is my business then, before you depart, to tell you how you can become transformed into the image of Christ. In the first place, my beloved friends, in answer to your question, let me say, you must know Christ as your Redeemer before you can follow Him as your example. You must know Christ as your Redeemer before you can follow Him as your example.

Much is said today about the example of Jesus, and we scarcely find a man now who does not believe that our Lord was an excellent and holy man. much to be admired. But as excellent as his example was, it would be impossible to imitate it, had he not also been our sacrifice. Do you this morning know that his blood was shed for you? Can you join me in this verse, O the sweet wonders of that cross, where God the Savior loved and died? His noblest life my spirit draws, from his dear wounds and bleeding side.

If so, you are ready to imitate Christ, but do not seek to copy him until you are bathed in the fountain filled with blood drawn from his veins. It is not possible for you to imitate Christ without being washed in his blood. Your passions will be too strong and corrupt, and you will be building without a foundation. a structure which will be about as stable as a dream. You cannot mold your life to his pattern until you have had his spirit, until you have been clothed in his righteousness.

Well, some say, we have been washed in his blood. What shall we do next? We know we have an interest in him, but we are still very aware of our many deficiencies. Well, then I say to you, Let me entreat you to study Christ's character. This poor Bible has become an almost obsolete book, even with some Christians. There are so many magazines, periodicals, and other transitory material that we are in danger of neglecting to search the scriptures.

Christian, do you want to know your master? Look at him. There is a wondrous power about the character of Christ. For the more you gaze on him, the more you will be conformed to him. I look at myself in a mirror. I go away and forget what I look like. Yet I look at Christ and I become like Christ. Look at him. Look at him. Study him in the Gospels. Studiously examine his character.

But, you say, we have done that and we have not proceeded very far. Then in the next place, correct your poor copy every day. At night, try to remember all the actions of the last 24 hours, scrupulously putting them under review. When I have proof sheets sent to me of my writings, I have to make corrections in the margin. I might read them over 50 times, and the printers would still put in the errors if I did not mark them. So you must also do this. If you find any fault at night, make a mark in the margin that you may know where the fault is and tomorrow may correct it. Do this day after day, continually noting your faults one by one so that you may better avoid them in the future.

It was a saying of the old philosophers that three times in the day we should go over our actions. So let us do this. Let us not be forgetful. Let us examine ourselves each night and see where we have gone astray that we may reform our lives.

Lastly, the best advice I can give to you is to seek more of the Spirit of God, for this is the way to become Christlike, to seek more of the Spirit of God. Vain are all your attempts to be like Him until you have sought His Spirit,

Take a cold piece of iron and attempt to hammer it, if you can. Attempt to hammer it into a certain shape. How fruitless will your efforts be? Lay it on the anvil. Grab the blacksmith's hammer with all your might. Let blow after blow fall upon it, and you shall have done nothing. Twist it, turn it, use all of your tools, but you shall not be able to fashion it as you would but put it in the fire. Let it be softened and made malleable, then lay it on the anvil, and each stroke shall have a mighty effect so that you may fashion it into any form that you may desire.

Likewise, take your heart, cold as it is, stony as it is by nature, and put it into the furnace. There let it be molten. and after that it can be shaped like warm wax and fashioned into the image of Jesus Christ.

O my brethren, what can I say now to enforce my text, but that if you are like Christ on earth, you shall be like him in heaven. If by the power of the Spirit you become followers of Jesus, you shall enter glory.

For at heaven's gate there sits an angel, who admits no one who has not the same features as our adorable Lord. There comes a man with a crown on his head. Yes, he says, it is true that you have a crown, but crowns are not the means of access here. Another approaches, dressed in robes of state in the gown of great learning. Yes, says the angel, it may be good. The gowns and learning are not the marks that shall admit you here." Another advances, fair, beautiful, and lovely. Yes, said the angel, that might please men on earth. The beauty is not wanted here. Then comes another who is heralded by fame and desired by all mankind. But the angel says, it may impress men, but you have no right to enter here.

Then there appears another. He had been poor. He had been illiterate. But the angel, as he looks at him, smiles and says, It is Christ again. A second edition of Jesus Christ is there. Come in. Come in. You shall win eternal glory. You are like Christ. You shall sit in heaven because you are like him.

Oh, to be like Christ is to enter heaven but to be unlike Christ is to descend into hell. Those that are alike shall be gathered together in the end. Weeds with weeds, wheat with wheat. If you have sinned with Adam and have died, you shall lie with the spiritually dead forever. However, if you rise in Christ to newness of life, then you shall live with him throughout eternity.

Wheat with wheat, weeds with weeds. Do not be deceived. God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Go away with this one thought, my brethren, that you can test yourselves by Christ. If you are like Christ, you are of Christ and shall be with Christ. If you are unlike him, you have no part in the great inheritance.

May this poor sermon help to fan the floor and reveal the chaff. Yes, may it lead many of you to seek to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light, to the praise of his grace. To him be all honor given. Amen.