Cross Reference
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The Overruling Majesty of Personal Power
(2 Corinthians 5:14)
Paul says he is overruled, overmastered, held as in a vice, by the love of Christ. The majority of us are held only by the constraint of our experience. Very few of us know what it is to be held as in a grip by the sense of the love of God. “For the love of Christ constrains us.” Once that note is heard, you can never mistake it; you know that the Holy Spirit is having unhindered way in that man or woman’s life. Abandon to the love of Christ is the one thing that bears fruit. Personal holiness may easily step over into sanctified Pharisaism, but abandon to the love of God will always leave the impression of the holiness and the power of God. When we are born again of the Spirit the note of our testimony is what God has done for us, and rightly so; but the baptism of the Holy Ghost obliterates that forever. God will never answer our prayer to be baptised by the Holy Ghost for any other reason than to be a witness for Jesus. “Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me” (rv). Not witnesses of what Jesus can do, that is an elementary witness, but “witnesses unto Me; you will be instead of Me, you will take everything that happens, praise or blame, persecution or commendation, as happening to Me.” No one can stand that unless he is constrained by the majesty of the personal power of Jesus. Paul says, “I am constrained by the love of Christ, held as in a fever, gripped as by a disease, that is why I act as I do; you may call me mad or sober, I do not care; I am after only one thing—to persuade men of the judgement seat of Christ and of the love of God.”
The great passion in much of the preaching of to- day is to secure an audience. As workers for God our object is never to secure our audience, but to secure that the Gospel is presented to men. Never presume to preach unless you are mastered by the motive born of the Holy Ghost: “For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.”
Oswald Chambers
(2 Corinthians 5:14)
Paul says he is overruled, overmastered, held as in a vice, by the love of Christ. The majority of us are held only by the constraint of our experience. Very few of us know what it is to be held as in a grip by the sense of the love of God. “For the love of Christ constrains us.” Once that note is heard, you can never mistake it; you know that the Holy Spirit is having unhindered way in that man or woman’s life. Abandon to the love of Christ is the one thing that bears fruit. Personal holiness may easily step over into sanctified Pharisaism, but abandon to the love of God will always leave the impression of the holiness and the power of God. When we are born again of the Spirit the note of our testimony is what God has done for us, and rightly so; but the baptism of the Holy Ghost obliterates that forever. God will never answer our prayer to be baptised by the Holy Ghost for any other reason than to be a witness for Jesus. “Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me” (rv). Not witnesses of what Jesus can do, that is an elementary witness, but “witnesses unto Me; you will be instead of Me, you will take everything that happens, praise or blame, persecution or commendation, as happening to Me.” No one can stand that unless he is constrained by the majesty of the personal power of Jesus. Paul says, “I am constrained by the love of Christ, held as in a fever, gripped as by a disease, that is why I act as I do; you may call me mad or sober, I do not care; I am after only one thing—to persuade men of the judgement seat of Christ and of the love of God.”
The great passion in much of the preaching of to- day is to secure an audience. As workers for God our object is never to secure our audience, but to secure that the Gospel is presented to men. Never presume to preach unless you are mastered by the motive born of the Holy Ghost: “For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.”
Oswald Chambers