This is a great lack today in Christians’ lives, not availing themselves of resurrection power. There is a lackthere must be a contract. This is so strong; I haven’t been willing to sign it yet. I’m still turning it over in my mind. You listen to it. CONTRACT: Dear Lord Jesus, all that I, all that I have, all that I ever will be, all that I ever will have, I give to Theeabsolutely, unconditionally, now and forever. May I say to you today, we only gain our life when we give it to Him. We gain our life when we lose it, by turning it over to the living Christ.

People today are looking for an escape mechanism, and a great many people think Christianity is that. And some preachers have lowered to the level of saying, Come to Jesus. He’ll make you happy. He’ll solve all your problems. My brother, I’m here to tell you today that He may not make you happy. And He may give you more problems than you’ve ever had before. They came to David with the same sort of thing. They said to David, David, why don’t you run away and get away from it all? Saul is chasing you. Get away from your problems. David said, In the Lord put I my trust. And I’ll meet my enemies. And I’ll meet the issues of life, and I’ll meet them because I have the power of God. The Spirit of God working in his heart and life, and my Christian friend, we need that today.

The Resurrection is, first of all, a fact. He died for you. He died that you might come to God, and He was raised from the dead that you and I might be justified. Without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, for that was by the Holy Spirit raising Him from the dead, and that same Spirit today can communicate life to you and to me today when we put our faith in Him. He was made sin for us, who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.

Oh, my beloved today, He didn’t come to make us happy, He came to make us holy. He didn’t come to give us a lift, He came to give us life. A new hat is a poor substitute for a new heart. It’s not important that you’re in the Easter Parade. The important thing is do you have resurrection power. Many of us need to exchange a new outfit for a new outlook. Coming to church is not the answer. It means to come to grips with the living Christ today. He was raised 1900 years ago. That’s a fact that can be substantiated, but it means nothing to you until you come to grips with Him and, by faith, accept Him and receive Him as your Savior.

You know the basic problem of life today is sin. That’s your problem. It’s my problem. That has to be settled, and it has to be settled in a right, legitimate, just, righteous way, and God has the only way. God says, I can’t shut my eyes to your sin. I can’t open the back door of heaven and let you in. I can only save you when you trust the One who died for you. He paid the penalty for your sins, and now I accept you in Him, the living, resurrected Christ. Your sins have been forgiven you because He died for you, and you’ve become right with Me.

My beloved, the resurrection of Jesus Christ is an act that has transformed the lives of millions of people. It’s been articulated into modern life today, and it is something that can be meshed into our daily lives. It can walk the streets in shoe leather. It can be geared to our deepest needs, for He finds us where we are today. And this is what He does because He’s different. He’s the man in the glory today, and this man in the glory today communicates life to dead sinners down here. And my beloved, that’s where He finds all of us.

Go ye into all the world, and preach this gospel . Go into all the world and sow the seed. And my business is just sowing seed. It’s the Lord’s business to do the converting. And we believe that the Spirit of God will take the Word of God and make a son of God when a man of God will use it. And that’s all we’re doing is just sowing seed. We’re not harvesting. And a harvest speaks of judgment; speaks of an end of an age. Our business today is sowing seed. And very candidly, I wish I could get us all back doing the thing God’s called us to do today. And the church is to sow seed, which is the Word of God, in the world today.

I think that a man should be very sure that he has a call from God, if he’s going to be in the ministry. If there’s any doubt in his mind, he ought not to go in the ministry. I’ve heard it put like this: that if you can do anything else, why, don’t go in the ministry. Well, I don’t like it quite like that because a great many of us could have done something else, by the way. And might have preferred doing it. The important thing is: Did God call you? And if God has called you, then may I say that we ought not to let anything stand in the way.

For, lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought, who maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, the Lord, the God of hosts, is his name. This is one of the most majestic, one of the most awe-inspiring statements that you’ll find anywhere. He is the Creator; He is the Omnipotent God. He has all power. He is Omniscient. He knows your thought afar off. And you cannot escape Him. He knows you today, and He knows all about you.

Suppose that in the next few minutes you were to be in God’s presence. What about it, friends? This life is past. You maybe lived to please people, tried to keep up with the Joneses. But that’s ended now, you’re in His presence. How are you going to stand before Him? Don’t you know that you can’t stand in your own strength, your own life, your own character? You and I haven’t anything to offer to Him at all. We stand before Him because He was delivered for our offences. He paid the penalty. Now we stand before Him in the righteousness of Christ. And that, my friend, is the only basis that we can stand before Him.