Absoluteness of Jesus Christ
The sermon emphasizes the absoluteness of Jesus Christ as our Saviour, and the importance of a supernatural experience marked by the passion of God and the stamp of the Holy Ghost.
Oswald Chambers emphasizes the contrast between the genuine Christian experience described in the New Testament and the superficial movements of today, highlighting the importance of a personal, passionate devotion to Jesus Christ. He points out that true Christian experience involves being born again into the Kingdom where Christ reigns, rather than just following Him as an example. Chambers stresses that Jesus is not only a Pattern or Figurehead, but the very essence of salvation itself, and the Gospel of God. By committing to the revelation in the New Testament, believers receive the Holy Spirit who glorifies Jesus, interpreting His work and applying it personally in their lives.
Text
"He shall glorify Me. John 16:14.
"The pietistic [or emergent, universalist, mystical] movements of to-day have none of the rugged reality of the New Testament about them.... This type of experience is not supernatural nor miraculous, it did not cost the passion of God, it is not dyed in the blood of the Lamb, not stamped with the hall-mark of the Holy Ghost.
It has not that mark on it which makes men say, as they look with awe and wonder--'That is the work of God Almighty.' That and nothing else is what the New Testament talks about.
The type of Christian experience in the New Testament is that of personal, passionate devotion to the Person of Jesus Christ. Every other type of Christian experience, so called, is detached from the Person of Jesus. There is no regeneration, no being born again into the Kingdom in which Christ lives, but only the idea that He is our Pattern.
In the New Testament Jesus Christ is Saviour long before He is Pattern. To-day He is being despatched as the Figurehead of a religion, a mere Example. He is that, but He is infinitely more; He is salvation itself. He is the Gospel of God.
Jesus said--"When He, the Spirit of truth, is come, . . . He shall glorify Me." When I commit myself to the revelation made in the New Testament, I receive from God the gift of the Holy Spirit Who begins to interpret to me what Jesus did, and does in me subjectively what Jesus Christ did for me objectively.
Oswald Chambers, My utmost for his highest : November 29
Sermon Outline
- The Absoluteness of Jesus Christ
- The New Testament's emphasis on the Person of Jesus Christ
- The difference between a supernatural and a natural experience
- The importance of regeneration and being born again
Key Quotes
“He is the Gospel of God.” — Oswald Chambers
“That and nothing else is what the New Testament talks about.” — Oswald Chambers
“He shall glorify Me.” — Oswald Chambers
Application Points
- We must commit ourselves to the revelation made in the New Testament to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
- A supernatural experience is essential for a meaningful Christian life.
- Regeneration and being born again are crucial for being born into the Kingdom in which Christ lives.