Quotes
True earnestness and character are essential for a saint, and faith is deliberate confidence in God's character.
Oswald Chambers preaches about the divine perspective on suffering, urging believers not to be discouraged by trials as they are opportunities for God's loving discipline. He emphasizes the importance of patience in maintaining spiritual strength and encourages a focus on imitating the character of Jesus Christ. Chambers highlights the significance of relying on God's creative power in times of despair and the ultimate goal of pursuing holiness over fleeting happiness.
Text
"We say, sorrow, disaster, calamity. God says, chastening and it sounds sweet to him though it is a discord to our ears. Don't faint when you are rebuked, and don't despise the chastening of the Lord. In your patience possess your souls."
"We look upon the enemy of our souls as a conquered foe, so he is, but only to God, not to us."
"Earnestness is not by any means everything; it is very often a subtle form of pious pride because it is obsessed with the method and not with the Master."
"Character in a saint means the disposition of Jesus Christ persistently manifested."
"Books are standing counselors and preachers, always at hand, and always disinterested; having this advantage over oral instructors, that they are ready to repeat their lesson as often as we please."
"The dearest friend on earth is a mere shadow compared to Jesus Christ."
"A good book, in the language of the book-sellers, is a salable one; in that of the curious, a scarce one; in that of men of sense, a useful and instructive one."
"When a man gets to despair he knows that all his thinking will never get him out. He will only get out by the sheer creative effort of God. Consequently he is in the right attitude to receive from God that which he cannot gain for himself."
"Holiness, not happiness, is the chief end of man."
"When it is a question of God's almighty Spirit, never say, I can't."
"Faith is deliberate confidence in the character of God whose ways you may not understand at the time."
Sermon Outline
- I. The Perspective of God
- A. God views trials as chastening
- B. God's perspective is different from ours
- II. The Importance of Patience
- A. Patience is essential for possessing our souls
- B. Fainting and despising God's chastening is not an option
- III. The Nature of Earnestness
- A. Earnestness can be a form of pious pride
- B. True earnestness is focused on the Master
- IV. The Character of a Saint
- A. Character means the disposition of Jesus Christ
- B. Character is persistently manifested in a saint
Key Quotes
“God says, chastening and it sounds sweet to him though it is a discord to our ears.” — Oswald Chambers
“When a man gets to despair he knows that all his thinking will never get him out. He will only get out by the sheer creative effort of God.” — Oswald Chambers
“Faith is deliberate confidence in the character of God whose ways you may not understand at the time.” — Oswald Chambers
Application Points
- We must focus on the Master, not just our method, in our pursuit of earnestness.
- Patience is essential for possessing our souls and receiving God's chastening.
- Our character is the disposition of Jesus Christ persistently manifested, and we must strive to emulate this.