Provision

Pentecost means power to live, to labour, to love; power to work, to witness, to wait; power to serve, to stand, to suffer; power “to resist, to insist, to persist”; power, if needs be, to die. “Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.” It means that our Lord’s Divine Power has provided for us all things that pertain to life, godliness and service, and that there is no excuse for barrenness and unfruitfulness. Work done in the energy of the flesh or in the power of mere human enthusiasm will fail, but work done in the power of the Spirit will abide and abound and glorify God; and if we would realise this, and rest entirely for all holiness and all service on the gift of the exalted Christ, our lives would be “satisfied with favour, full with the blessing of the Lord,” and “thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”

On High

Though He sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high, it does not mean that He is inactive or at ease in that exalted position. He ascended as Priest; He abides there as Priest and King. This revelation makes it claim upon us, and is intended to elicit a response of spiritual fellowship. The Ascension means entrance into the holiest, and not only for the Lord, but for us. It means access, liberty, fellowship, power, and blessing; and hence the Epistle to the Hebrews can say: “We have a High Priest; therefore let us draw near, let us hold fast, let us consider one another.” The fact that through the Ascension we have all these privileges and blessings should be the means and incentive to spiritual blessing, spiritual fellowship, and spiritual influence. We rob ourselves of blessing, strength, and joy if we do not see in the fact of the Ascension not merely the opportunity of complete spiritual provision, but an absolute duty to appropriate and use that provision for the illumination and satisfaction of our lives.

Raised to be Lord

His resurrection is a revelation of Absolute Lordship. He was thereby “declared to be the Son of God with power.” The Servant of God becomes the Lord of man, and this revelation makes it claim upon us, and is intended to elicit a response of unquestioning obedience. “To this end, Christ both died and rose again and revived, that he might be Lord.” Through that Resurrection, and because of it, we are to yield Him our allegiance. “Jesus Christ our Lord” is the favourite designation of the Apostle Paul, “My Lord and my God” is the adoring submissive confession of Thomas. “Lord and Saviour” is Peter’s repeated title of his Master. “Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.” So He is; and as we realise this and yield Him our loving loyalty, we shall find peace and joy, the power and blessing of resurrection of Him Whom God hath raised up as the Servant of Jehovah, the Lord of Mankind.

Sacrifice

The Lord’s death is first and foremost an atoning sacrifice, and as such is absolutely unique; but there are aspects of this death which we are called to imitate. As a revelation of love it makes a claim upon us, and is intended to elicit a response of grateful self-sacrifice. “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because He laid His life for us and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” Here is the great obligation, “We ought”; here is the great source of that great obligation, “Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.” In the death of our Lord we have the highest expression of love… That love binds us to Him with cords of devotion. “We love, because He first loved us,” and in loving service even unto death we shall “fill up that which is behind in the afflictions of Christ for His body’s sake, the Church,” and reveal to the world the greatest of all powers, the power of loving self-sacrifice.

Work

Our Lord inaugurated His earthly ministry by His act of consecration in the rite of baptism, with its keynote, “Thus is becometh us to fulfil all righteousness,” and all through the three years, service for God was the dominant note. His preaching, His miracles, His training of the twelve Apostles, all meant work. The entire picture of Jesus in the Gospel of St. John is that of One Whose supreme desire and determination were to do the will of God. “I must work the works of Him that sent Me while it is day” was His constant thought, until at the end He is able to say, “I have finished the work which Thou gavest Me to do.”

This revelation makes its claim upon us, and is intended to elicit a response of whole-hearted consecration. “For their sakes I consecrate Myself, that they may be consecrated through the Truth.” The Lord’s earthly ministry is a call to steadfast purpose, to strenuous endeavor, and to genuine work for our Master.

“That all our powers with all their might,
In His sole glory may unite.”