Divine Power

There can be no doubt that the great need of the Church in the present day is more power. While there is much light and Gospel truth, there is comparatively but little spiritual power. To know the exceeding greatness of God’s power to usward who believe ‘* must be the desire of every true child of God. We all have certain notions as to what this power is”. But these notions may not be exactly Scriptural. We all think we know how this power is to be obtained. But here, it is possible, we may make serious mistakes. Let us consider, first,

WHAT IT IS.

It is not excitement. Perhaps there are some who are inclined to think that without great emotion there can be no power. But spiritual power may be unaccompanied by

any great manifestation of feeling. It may exist without any outward emotion as a calm, irresistible influence.

Again, it is not self -energy. How many associate spiritual power with so much self-effort. So that great effort is regarded as a sure sign of great power. Instead of which it is just the reverse. A little child, by means of great effort, raises a weight which a full-grown man lifts with little or no effort. The struggles of the soul, though evidences of life, are not marks of strength, but signs of weakness*

Again, Power does not mean self-sufficiency. It does not imply that God has made us all-sufficient; that we are strong, that we are now able as of ourselves to overcome. This would be to produce confidence in self — instead of confidence in God.

I. Let us fully recognise the fact that it is GoD*s power. It is always His power. Even when it is being put forth in us, it is God’s power. It is not something we gtifrom Him fitbtne yoisott* 41

to be exercised by us. This would be to make us independent of Him. But we are never so really dependent on Him as when we are fully under the influence of His power. It is then that He works in us ‘* both to will and to do of His good pleasure.” We are then the willing instruments in His hand. We read in Acts xix. 11: God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul.’* Some would have said “Paul wrought special miracles by means of God.” But it was God by Paul — not Paul by God. God was the worker — Paul was only the instrument. So the Apostle said of himself, “I also labour, striving according to His working, which worketh in me mightily” (Col. i. 29). The recognition of this fact, then, that it ’ is not our own, but God’s power, will take away from us all ground of boasting, all occasion for pride. We are never more conscious of its being Gods power than when we are really being carried along by its influence. 2. It is the Power of Christ’s Resurrection,

The power of His life. His risen life. There was a mighty power in His death. It secured for us a full deliverance. But this is the virtue or power of His life — of an endless life; which has nothing before it — no judgment, no death, no cloud. “Christ the power of God.** Having been reconciled by His death we are saved in His life” (Rom. v. lo). It is there we are preserved, garrisoned as in a fortress. Kept in the power of God (i Pet. i. 5). It is to know more of Him as the life, out of death, that the believer prays — “That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection” (Phil. iii. 10).

3. It is the Power of the Holy Ghost, The Holy Ghost is the Spirit of power. “We have not received the Spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.’* To be filled with the Spirit is to be endued with power. To walk in the Spirit is to live in the power of God, and to be kept from being overcome by the power of sin.

HOW IS THIS POWER MANIFESTED?

Not merely in good desires, but in practical results. It is a blessed thing to desire the good; but there is something more blessed still, and that is doing the good. There are many who get as far as good aims and sincere longings after holiness, but how to perform that which is good they find not. If the Gospel brought us simply to this point, — to know God*s will, to desire to do it, but to remain utterly unable to walk in it, then we should be of “all men the most miserable.” But, while we have no sufficiency in ourselves, we have all-sufficiency in God. “I can do all things in Christ.” There is the provision for our obedience — and it is a full provision.

I. Divine Power manifests itself in Faith towards God, A man’s spiritual strength will be in proportion to his faith. A strong man is a man of strong faith. But what does that mean? Simply this. Perfect human weakness resting on Divine Omnipotence, There was a poor woman in Scotland very well known for

her wonderful faith. Some one who went to see her said, “Are you the woman of great faith ?** “No,” she said, “I am the woman of weak faith in a great God.’’ The strength is not in the faith that trusts, but in the Person in whom we trust. That which brings our weakness to rest wholly on Divine strength, is faith — and then it is that God’s power fills us and is put forth through us. Abraham was a man “Strong in faith.” It was through faith that the Old Testament worthies “Subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens” (Heb. xi. 33, 34).

2. Divine Power manifests itself in love to our fellow -men. It shows itself not only in what it can do, but in what it can bear. “Beareth all things — endureth all things.” It strengthens us “unto all patience.” Here then is a test

of Spiritual strength — not How much do you know? or How much can you teach? — but How much can you endure for Christ’s sake? Are you meek under rebuke — are you patient when you are misunderstood, misrepresented, or falsely accused? Our answer to this may show us how much we need “to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man.**

3. Again, it manifests itself in our own peace of mind and self-control. We saysf//-control, and yet it is not self after all that controls, but God. It is in fact self surrendered to God. It is God*s peace keeping the heart and mind. Here is an evidence of power — a calm subdued tone of mind, a mind kept well in hand, in God’s hand. Not easily ruffled, not soon carried away by praise, nor cast down and discouraged by censure; but a mind well balanced, calm and restful. Such was the Apostle’s mind who could say, in the prospect of the severest trials, None of these things move me,** Divine power is that which gives depth, solidity and steadiness to the soul.

HOW TO BE IN god’s POWER.

We say how to be in it, rather than how to get it, becaxise it is not a thing to be carried away, to be used and possessed apart from God. It is that which is to carry us — to use us. The reason why we do not enjoy this blessing in greater measure is to be found in certain hindrances that must be got rid of.

I. Cease from self. — How infinite are the forms in which self appears. Some are occupied with good self. They pride themselves on their excellencies. Others are just as much occupied with bad self. They are for ever groaning over their imperfections, and struggling with the flesh as if they hoped in time to improve it. When shall we be convinced it is so utterly bad that it is beyond all recovery? Our experience, upward, in the power of God, is just in proportion to our experience, downward, in ceasing from self.

Is it. Reckon yourself to be weak in reference to sin? No, it is lower than that. Is it. Reckon yourself to be dying? No, lower

still. “Reckon yourself to be dead — (Rom. vi. 6,) — indeed unto sin.” Some believe they are very weak. But what does that imply? That they have some strength. But when a man is dead he has no strength. We must act on the assumption that we are dead in reference to sin.

We shall not then speak of difficulty as to resisting temptation in reference to ourselves. We shall take the lowest place, and say it is impossible. But we shall know that what is impossible with self is possible with God. We shall take our place on the resurrectionside of the Cross, and in so doing we leave behind the old self-life which was crucified with Christ. The Cross thus divides the old self-life from the new Christ-life. To live in Him who is the Life, is to be in the power of God.

2. Yield yourself wholly to God.

We know what yielding to sin means. By so doing we have been brought under its power. Now yield to God and you will know His power.

We have not to make it or to increase it, but to submit to be carried by it. For it is like a mighty tide that flows on with calm but irresistible force. Imagine yourself in a little boat on some broad but rapid river. The current flows on, but you remain in the saone place. I ask you, How is it you make no progress? “You say you cannot tell. You make great efforts by rowing hard to move along, but without success. At last I discover the cause — you are moored to the shore. What you want is not more effort — more struggles at the oars — but being set free from the land. You need to let go your hold of the shore, and to yield yourself to the stream; to abandon yourself to the tide of His conquering power. There may be more than one anchor that needs to be pulled up. But every hindrance must be removed; every rope must be cut before you can know in your own experience the “power of His resurrection.”

3. Trust Him to supply all your need.

A soul wholly yielded is a soul that finds no difficulty in believing. The hindrance to faith is the want of surrender. That hindrance being removed, trust is no longer impossible. To trust is to rest, and to rest is not to carry — but to consent to be carried. It is as we rest in the Lord that we partake of His power. “** In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength” (Isa. xxx. 15).