In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the need for individuals to trust in Christ as their Savior and believe in Him with all their hearts. He highlights the power of the resurrection and how it can bring victory and freedom from sin and death. The preacher encourages the congregation to set their affections on things above and to spend time with Jesus, treating Him as a living presence in their lives. He concludes by urging everyone to pray for the power of Christ's resurrection to reside in them and to be faithful until Christ's second coming.

This morning I'd like to speak to you from a portion that probably would not ordinarily be used on the Resurrection, yet one which I feel is a key to the Resurrection and which should mean much to us. It's Philippians 3.10, which probably is known by many Christians and I'm sure that you've either seen films on television this week or you've heard messages this week on the actual Resurrection of Jesus Christ. And I, my heart is so thrilled when I know how radiantly this touches the life when we believe that Christ is risen from the dead. We have not one iota of doubt in our hearts, for we can never doubt the Resurrection and be saved. It's impossible, because without the Resurrection, Christ's cross means nothing. So, it's so important that we understand that without Christ's Resurrection from the dead, we have nothing. That Paul says, if Christ be not risen from the dead, your faith is vain and you are yet in your sins. And so, when I read statements by men talking of this Resurrection as though it's nothing, it's always distressing. And if I do have to say so, much of the ministry today doesn't believe in the Resurrection. When a poll was taken of the seminaries recently, and I might say that at present paces in seminaries ten years from now, most seminaries will be empty, including the fundamental seminaries according to statistics. That's how bad things are getting. Very few young men have received the call of God to preach the gospel. It certainly would indicate the last days, there'll be a falling away. Shall the Son of Man find faith upon the earth when he comes? The answer is no. But when we see the statistics, it shocks us that so few believe in the Resurrection that are in cemeteries. Because they have thrown out the virgin birth, I think only I read that just about ten percent believe in the virgin birth. Only two percent believe the Lord is coming again. This is in the largest seminaries in the country. And as far as the Resurrection goes, the bodily resurrection of Christ I'm talking of now, the number would be about twenty percent. So, this is what the future holds. And yet the Resurrection is the key foundation, the cornerstone upon which everything is built in the Church of Jesus Christ. For without that resurrection, as Paul says, there is nothing. Your faith is vain. In other words, if there's anyone here this morning that doesn't believe in the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ, Paul says you don't have anything. You might as well forget it. The Church is a colossal failure. It has nothing to say. Because if Christ be not risen, your faith is vain. You are yet in your sins. Christ's resurrection put the seal of God upon our salvation. Without that, we have only a martyr, not much greater than Lincoln. I believe other men have suffered more than Christ in their deaths. But I know that they never suffered like Christ with the weight of sin upon Him. Physically, other men have suffered just as bad as Jesus Christ in dying. We could show torture deaths that have been ten times more violent than Christ. But the weight of man's sin was upon Jesus Christ. His suffering was because all men's sins were placed upon Him. Now, Philippians 3.10 speaks to us especially about resurrection power. Notice what it says. Paul, of course, is speaking, that I may know Him. Oh, to know Christ. That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection. The power of it. The might of it. The majesty of it. Of His resurrection. And the fellowship of His sufferings being made conformable unto His death. And so here we're told that to know Him is the key. Do you really know Christ this morning? I want to be just as clear as possible on this as I can be. Do you really know Christ this morning in your heart? Are you positive of it? Is the power of the resurrection really part and parcel of you individually? You can know very easily this morning whether the power of the resurrection has descended upon your life. Because you will know that you have experienced the new birth. You have found Christ as your personal Savior. You will know that the Holy Spirit has come to dwell in your heart by faith. You will know that your body is the temple of the living God. And you will know that the burning desire of your heart is to please your Savior. And your incursions into sin are dreadful falls that break your heart. But your life is not a sin for life by habit. A great change has taken place since Christ came to dwell in your breast by faith. And if I might say so in the early church, one of our great problems today is the way the early church developed, if I might put it that way. The early church developed in a peculiar fashion. The resurrection was relegated to one day a year. The Easter season was only regarded in relationship to the resurrection. The resurrection power, although Paul wrote of it, although the epistle spoke of it, although it is mentioned in all of the gospel records, and yet the resurrection was placed in a minor position by the church of Jesus Christ. The early church placed the crucifixion and the crucifix at the top and the resurrection way down at the bottom. They separated the atonement of Jesus Christ from the resurrection. They made it so that Christian eyes were glued upon a crucifix and the dead Christ upon a cross. And as the history of the church went on, all it had to look back to was the memory of a dead Christ, the traditions of the fathers, the looking back and in history knowing that two thousand years ago or near that, Christ died upon a cross and that this was the atonement for men's sins. And continually, mass after mass after mass, the only function of the church was the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. For man's sins, nothing else. Thus you hear of the dark ages. Why do you think we have the dark ages? Simply because it was all the crucified and dead Christ. Nothing was mentioned about the power of a new life. Nothing was mentioned for hundreds of years about individual believers being filled with the Holy Spirit. Only certain men. And if I were in that day, people would have looked to me as being filled with the Spirit and they outside looking to me to bring them to God. And so the whole history of the early church was involved with the death of Jesus Christ and tradition was handed down upon tradition and the cross was looked at as the center of all worship with a dead Christ upon it. And thus the trials and the burdens came because the new life was not preached. And if you were to read the history of the church, you'll find very few books ever written on the Christ life in the early ages. Here and there a man would stand out, a Thomas Aquinas, or one here or there. So brilliant were they and so different from the men of their age that they had to be placed in book and looked on as unusual men because they spoke of the living presence of Jesus Christ. And so this was some special thing that only could come upon certain men but not upon the people of God, you see. So that the resurrection power was lacking. Notice Paul, that I might know Him and what? The power of His resurrection. Paul says, I not only want to know Him in salvation, I want to know Him in resurrection power. I want to know Him in all of His fullness. And so, beloved, from the early church and the atmosphere of the early church, the atonement became isolated from the resurrection completely and existed by itself. And Easter was a single day upon which they thought of the resurrection of Christ with no thought of the indwelling presence of Christ in our breasts. Even though Jesus said, I go away for a specific purpose. If I go not away, the Holy Spirit shall not come to you. But if I go away, I will send you the Holy Spirit and He will come in unto you and He will abide with you forever. This is the power of the resurrection. Where do we see it manifested today? Beloved, look at your individual lives. Think of the power and the might of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This living Savior, this living Lord coming to dwell in your breasts by faith. How much communion do you have in the inner man with Jesus Christ? Do you still look heavenward to find Jesus? Jesus when He speaks. And Paul when He speaks says, the word is nigh thee even in thy mouth. He has come to dwell within our breasts. We do not have to carry or go over a great myriad of miles to come into the presence of Jesus. But He has come to dwell in our breasts by faith so that He says, what? Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Ghost, who ye are? So that we have the Holy Ghost dwelling in us, the Holy Spirit, and we can turn inward to Him and have great communion within our breasts with the Holy Spirit. Should this not be the great power against sin? How will you win the battle against sin? How will you win the battle against despondency? How will you win the battle against frustration? How will you win the battle against the world? How will you win any battle without Jesus Christ dwelling in you? For Jesus says, without me ye can do how much? Nothing. And so the power of the resurrection is to be manifest in us, the great indwelling presence of Jesus Christ, when we have come, as Paul says, that I might know Him. Beloved, you cannot know the way to God without Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ says, I am the way. I am the truth. I am the life. You cannot know the way to God without Jesus Christ. It is impossible. No moral system, no ethical culture. If I might say, no sectarian group, no church, no organization, not the Baptists, not the Lutherans, not the Presbyterians, not the Romans, no one. Paul says that I might know Him, because to know Jesus Christ, the right, is life eternal. And so this glorious faith we have in Jesus Christ is not based upon the fact that you are sitting in a Baptist church this morning. It is based upon the fact of the Word of God, that God calls upon us to know Christ the right, to really have received Him into our hearts, just as Jesus says, to as many as receive me. To them I give the power to be the sons of God. This is He who came with power and might to save our souls. For He is able to save unto the uttermost all that come unto God by Him. And so, beloved, the early church caused the great trials in the church as it grew. From this beginning, this evolvement there developed in the church then, a communion with Christ that depended upon the memories of others, that's all. It was passed down through history that Christ died upon a cross. I don't marvel that we hear God is dead. It's the fault of the church that we've propounded such a gospel. God is dead, because they see Him on the cross. And that's the whole answer. The theologians who preach God is dead say, God died in history two thousand years ago on the cross. That's the God is dead theology. God is dead. And the power of the resurrection was not preached. Just think how Christ's presence was exhibited. Think of how Christ's presence was exhibited to the people. For instance, look at the Old Testament. Here in the Old Testament, they were better off than we are. If Christ is not risen from the dead and there's no power in the resurrection, much better off than we are. They had the actual presence of God in the temple, the Shekinah glory. We don't. Why their high priest made one sacrifice once a year for the sins of the people. The only way the church could get evidence that Christ was present in the congregation was not because the people were sitting in the church and were indwelt by the very presence of Jesus Christ within their souls, but because the red lamp was lit, which told them that Christ was on the altar. Even though God made it so clear in Hebrews that the building which formerly was, which had the presence of God, has been destroyed. And now the building is our bodies. And Christ comes into this church only when you come in with Him in your hearts. You will not find Christ here. He's not here when this building is empty. It's just a building. Christ comes into this place when He comes in, beloved, in your hearts because of that faith that you have in His resurrection. You know, when I read Paul in Romans 10, 9 and 10, how he says this, if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, notice, and believe in thy heart that God has raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. So somebody says immediately, ah, that's what I believe. So I don't have to believe in the cross then. But you see what God is saying is this, once the heart has accepted Christ's physical resurrection from the dead, you are acknowledging Him as the Son of God. For Paul says Jesus Christ was declared to be the Son of God when He arose from the dead. And then alone, he says Jesus Christ was not the Son of God because He claimed a virgin birth or because of the death on the cross of Calvary. He was declared the Son of God when He arose from the dead. And since you have accepted that, that He is God in flesh, then you will also have to accept when He said, I give my life as a ransom for your soul. To as many as receive me, to them I give the power to be the sons of God. Hebrews, He suffered death for every man that He might bring us to God. Oh, that we might sense the power of the resurrection here this morning, that it might come into every breast, every single one, young and old, that you might really know Christ in your heart as your personal Savior, that you might recognize that there's only one possible place to be cleansed from sin, and that's at the cross of Jesus Christ. For the Hebrew epistle says He tasted death for every man that He might bring us to God. He is able to save unto the uttermost all that come unto God by Him. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. And oh, my beloved friends, that you might know Christ this morning, that I might know who? Him. And the power of His resurrection. What is the power behind that resurrection? Listen to Paul. I am not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes, to the Jew and to the Gentile. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Paul says He broke down the wall of partition between the Jew and the Gentile and made one new man in Christ Jesus. Resurrection power. There is to be this tremendous power come into our hearts. Have you sensed it, beloved? Are you really redeemed this morning? Have you sensed the power of the resurrection? Jesus' indwelling presence in your breast, moment by moment by moment, giving you the power, giving you the possibility of walking in this world circumspectly because you trusted Jesus as your Savior and He has come to dwell in you. That I might know Him. Not that I might know, beloved, anything else but that. Not that I might know religion. Not that I might know some sectarian group. Oh, how it breaks a preacher's heart who preaches the gospel when I hear someone say, who will come to me sometime and say to me, we're Baptists, as though to say this puts us right in heaven itself. I have to say, beloved, there's never been a Baptist who went to heaven because he was a Baptist. The only possibility of entrance is through the blood of Jesus Christ. For the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanses us from all sin. You can't know the way to God except you come by Jesus Christ. You can't come to the Father except you come by Jesus Christ. No man comes to the Father but by Me, Jesus says. You can't call God your Father until you become a son. And you can't be a son until you've received His Son. The most blessed and wonderful thing for us to know is that we become sons of God because His Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us by faith. And the great difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament isn't that the Son of God didn't exist in the Old Testament. We have the pre-incarnate Christ in the Old Testament speaking to the prophets, but He was Spirit. God is Spirit. At His incarnation, He took upon Himself the form of a man and was made lower than the angels, it says, so that He might suffer the death of the cross. And the only difference in the Old and the New Testament is they were saved by the same method of salvation, by believing. And the Word of God spoke to them and Jesus was the Word. In the New Testament, we have a completely new dispensation of God because the man Christ Jesus is raised from the dead. I used to think when I first was saved, I'd read that verse that says, God is going to judge the secrets of all men by this one man, Christ Jesus. And in my heart, I used to always substitute Lord. I used to substitute in my mind the Son of God. But I realize now that I have a glorified man in heaven, that He was made like me. But when He came and He rose from the dead, He came back to His disciples and they said, it's His Spirit. And He said, no, it's not. His Spirit has flesh and bones like ye see me have. I'm going to glorify you just like I'm glorified. Touch me and see, He says. Give me fish to eat. He's a man, glorified, Son of God and Son of Man. In the Old Testament, as Son of God, He dealt with them. In the New Testament, He comes as both Son of God and Son of Man. And as a man, He arises from the dead, glorified. Remember what the Scripture says in Hebrews? By one offering, this man, notice that, this man sanctified forever those that are saved. In Hebrews, notice what He says. He says, He looks at all of them around Him and He says, I'm not ashamed to call you my brethren. Why? Because He's the glorified man. He's the first born of many brethren. There is a man in glory. God says in another place, I'm going to judge the secrets of all men by this one man, Christ Jesus. And so there's a glorified man. In the Old Testament, He had His essence would deal with the hearts of men in spiritual power. In the New Testament, it's completely changed. He arises as a man. He has been formed like a man. And He arises and sends His Holy Spirit to us to assure us that the same Spirit that raised up Christ from the dead shall also raise your mortal bodies and fashion them like unto the body of Jesus Christ. Do you know the power of His resurrection? Christian, I want to ask you something this morning. Do you really believe that? Do you honestly believe in your heart that the power of the resurrection involves the glorification of your body, fashioned like unto the body of Jesus Christ? Because if you don't, you don't understand the purpose of salvation. If in this life only you have hope in Christ, Paul says, you're miserable. How terrible it would be to go through this life and come down to the grave and nothing. He says, you're miserable. But the thing is that this life is the stepstone to heaven. The Holy Spirit was given to us as the guarantee, the seal of God, that one day He's going to fulfill His will for us. And that is that we're going to be His children, sons and daughters in glory forever and ever with glorified bodies fashioned like unto the body of Jesus Christ. And Philippians tells us He will change this vile body and fashion it like unto His glorious body. Now, this is faith in Christ as Savior. And anything less is not faith, because you do not believe in the resurrection of Christ bodily. And if you don't, you're lost. I don't think anything could be clearer. If Christ be not risen from the dead, your faith is what? Vain. And you are yet in your sins. Has the power of the resurrection descended upon your heart this morning? Have you sensed its dynamic? Does it throb in your breast, my Christian beloved friend? Are you having victory over sin? Is Christ living through you and breathing through you? It says, in Him we live and breathe and have our being. Is it Christ in you, your hope of glory? Is that power, tremendous power, dwelling in your breast? And are you walking about triumphantly Christian? Paul says we always walk about in triumph, for we are more than conquerors through Him that loves us and gave Himself for our sins. Oh, the power of Christ! Now, I pray this for everyone here this morning, not that you just know the atonement. Lots of people are happy about sins forgiven. That's very nice. But I want to tell you, unless the resurrection power of Jesus Christ, Paul says, I want to know Him, oh, that I might know Him. But I want to know the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings being made conformable to His death. I die directly, he says, to this world of sin, because the victorious One, the vanquisher of sin and death, is my Savior, my Lord. And He occupies His temple, and I've given it to Him. Oh, partake of it? You know, some people have an idea, if I partake of all this, I won't have any fun. Don't fool yourself. I want to tell you something. When Christ is victorious in your life as the risen Savior, the power of His resurrection, you'll have the deepest and holiest joy of heart you ever knew in your life, and you won't need the world and all of its allurements and all of its attractions to do one thing for you, because your eyes will be so glued on Jesus and His beauty, for He is the very beauty of perfection, the Scripture says, that your affections will be set on things above where Christ dwells, and whatsoever things are pure and lovely and of good report, these will be the things that consume your heart. Have you got it? Depressed? Frustrated? Life's got you upset? Well, let me tell you something. Get to know Him. Spend time with Him. Not that one-minute prayer at night, God bless us while we all go to sleep. God bless the family. God bless the world. Just begin to talk to Jesus a little bit, huh, about your heart and your burdens and your needs, and when you begin to do something, treat Him like He's alive, because He is. He's risen. Thanks be unto God. Let us pray. Father, thank Thee for Thy blessed word this morning, blessed to our hearts. Lord, let us sense the power of the resurrection. We know how difficult it was. It hasn't been easy. Had to come all the way down to the Reformation to break away into the power of the resurrection. Father, we pray that we may sense it this morning. It's been fading again. History seems to repeat itself, and our nation seems to be plunging headlong into a relationship that is far off from God. Now, Father, may the power of the resurrection descend on this people, because you don't need great numbers. What you need are hearts, just like a congregation like this, to really trust Christ as their Savior, to really believe on Him with all their hearts, and then to have that power of the resurrection life reside within them, that victory might be theirs. We remember Paul says, thanks be unto God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and the law of death. Father, we pray that that victory might be the portion of each one here this morning. May this Easter Sunday be a brand new beginning for many hearts. And if any have come in, anyone at all, Lord, I'm not going to ask for a show of hands, but possibly your heart is saying, oh, I want Christ just as this is spoken of this morning. I want to know Him, and I want to know the power of His resurrection. Lord, I can't help but feel that every single heart is saying, I want the power of His resurrection if they're Christians, but there may be some that have to first come to know Him. Lord, you touch their hearts right now by thy Holy Spirit. That they may truly know thee. In Christ's name, amen. All right, let us sing in closing, hymn number 124. Then you will notice after the benediction that you will remain standing, and then our choir will sing the Alleluia Chorus from Handel's Messiah, and then silent prayer right after that, and then you're dismissed. Let's rise as we sing. This precious morning we've had together, Lord, apply thy word to our hearts. Have we really sensed the power of Christ's resurrection, His indwelling presence? We pray that every heart this morning, as they leave, might have but one prayer. Lord, may thy power reside in me. Give me victory in life, that when I see thee face to face, thou mayest say to me, well done, thou good and faithful servant. And as we wait for Christ coming again, Lord, make us faithful in every way. In Christ's precious name, amen. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.