The sermon emphasizes the importance of having Christ in our lives, not just as a concept but as a personal possession. It challenges believers to truly let Christ reign within them, impacting every aspect of their lives. The message highlights the need for a deep, abiding relationship with Christ, acknowledging that without Him, we can do nothing of eternal value. It calls for a genuine surrender to Christ, resisting the temptations of the world and prioritizing a life centered on Him.

1 John 5 chapter 11 and 12 and this is the record that God has given to us eternal life and this life is in his son. He that hath the son hath the life and he that hath not the son of God hath not life. So the Christian experience or being a Christian is to have Christ not just a dogma not just a doctrine or not just a nice feeling the heart of the matter is Christ possessing Christ you know we all know what it is to be in under a very strong and emotional emotionally stirring sermon and we say yes I decide for Jesus but you will soon notice that there is no follow-through and you see very little of Jesus Christ at all in the subsequent events that follow in the person's life now that cannot be you know now here the Lord Jesus Christ said he that heareth my voice behold I knock at the door if any man hear my voice I will come in and sup with him you know Fox therefore when the Lord Jesus comes in he just not come in as a casual visitor but I'm afraid we make it so awkward and inconvenient and painful for him in our conversation and the rest of our deminer you know when we let down our hair how are we in the secret of our homes how are we how do we conduct ourselves is the king within you he that had the son has life he that has not the son of God has not life in other words he's a dead man spiritually dead can't do anything you know my dear friends we must not feel palsied or paralyzed in the face of some of the current challenges that we face I like a challenge I like tough situations because that's where you prove Jesus so at this small scene a desperate condition is just the right opportunity for us that's it not when everything is sailing and everything is fine you know people cannot handle a crisis in their emotional life in their family life out in the workaday world they don't seem to be able to handle a crisis but that's normal very often we don't have the strength we don't have the spiritual resources but here we are told he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world he who is in you there's somebody who is working for you somebody who is energizing you somebody who is giving you the motivation and the strength to do that which is right it is Christ in you that's it not just a nice plaque to put on the wall you know there used to be one of these beautiful plaques at dinner tables you know saying Christ is the head of this house a silent listener to every conversation I wonder what he hears he I wonder what he sees Christ in you he that has the Sun has life he that hath not the Son of God hath not life so there you are if we find ourselves so weak need and helpless before temptation what does it mean it just means that Christ is not in you you see it's when you overcome temptation you overcome your own nature I see a lot of failure in Christian character you know we live in a world of opportunism today grab it grab it quick otherwise you lose it you see so you jump at a plum you don't say no does God want me to have this is this the very best thing that God has got for me no when it comes to an opportunity now take a big salary job some job which carries a threefold increase in your earnings but it comes to you with certain disadvantages such as it takes away your Sunday for instance today the Lord's Day it's amazing you know I know it was a very long journey to Washington from where John Adams lived in Braintree and there through the snows on horseback for national emergencies as he was required suddenly he had to undertake those journeys but when it came to the Lord's Day he would stop tether his horse or give it in into the stables and say the Lord's Day such were the men who reverenced God in this country but today what do we see most of our fun things are on Sunday the assumption is as I say sometimes you know I've told this to pastors some of you have your church services by the courtesy of the NFL if the NFL decides to have the football game at 10 o'clock half your congregation or more will instantly disappear what the preaching of God's Word and the worship of God by the courtesy of NFL or somebody else for that matter certainly not you know it is recorded by some of those itinerant preachers that traveled on horseback in those days across this country to remote places to preach the Word they would suddenly happen upon horse races and as they would start preaching the Word of God you know what the recorded in their diaries the horses were given little attention people forgot about the horse race God was real now we have made God just a symbol a sentimental symbol suppose somebody says to a wife no you just be a symbol just stay by my side on formal occasions but as far as my heart goes I'm not your husband you mean nothing to me you're just a symbol sticking by my side which girl with any dignity would want to be the bride or wife of such a person I don't know why and how God tolerates us we make him a symbol we make him an allegory we take away the real person of the Godhead the reality of God is taken away you know what my father and mother showed me was the reality of God on one occasion the assistant director of education you know directing some 50,000 students sorry teachers and she had retired she was a very noble lady who had retired and was our guest in our home this lady was suddenly stricken she was late in her 70s and very feeble and she was stricken with acute appendicitis and she was in such pain and agony and she was our guest not just for a day or two but for a longer stay and we could not bear you see my parents could not to see her suffer and no doctor would take her up for an operation they said she's too feeble too old we can do nothing and here was this lady in such excruciating pain but I saw my dad and mother I was a boy I saw my dad and praying she was healed by the morning she did not require that operation Christ in you he who has the son has life he has not got Christ he has no life is just a kind of living corpse just carrying on from day to day you know our days have become days of drudgery today abject slavery and one begins to wonder what is this is it just the shareholder who holds the gun to our heads and says hey I require that my investment should gain more profit than you're producing so I don't care whether you work 12 hours or 16 hours but I want a good return for my investment in other words greed when greed calls the shots what are we we become a bunch of puppets it's greed that is driving us we must possess this we must have this and the wife at home says oh you're not able to afford my lifestyle so out you go what is the meaning of all this godliness with contentment is great gain says the Bible we don't know how to gain anything we are losers we are losing out in this vital area or arena of family life losing out in that area is a terrible thing when Christ ceases to be first in your life then many slave masters will pull out their whips it won't be just one slave master it'll be many slave masters your flesh will dictate on one hand greed will dictate on the other hand lovelessness will dictate on the third hand he that hath the son hath life now are we fighting against this we don't want Christ to reign over us we don't find him worthy or we don't find the cross worthy of our our response where lies the problem now if we turn to John 15th chapter we will see very clearly John 15 please fourth verse abide in me and I in you it's a question of not just a Sunday morning it's not just a question of glimpsing through a page of your Bible in the morning no it is Christ in you abide in me and I in you it's a twofold abiding imagine the trunk of a tree here in fact I wanted to bring a little plant over this morning imagine the trunk of a lit tree and one branch going out this way and this branch is so full of fruit it gets into an argument with the tree the trunk and says hey you see all this fruit these are mine I've done it all what is the trunk say hey but where are you situated who is supplying all the sap all right go adrift cut yourself off call for a chainsaw and have all the fruit you want what happens by the evening the branch is lying there and most of the leaves have shriveled up and that's the end of its fruit bearing now my dear friends so here it is a twofold relationship isn't it abide I in you and you in me so the tree can say hey listen it's my sap it's my strength it's my abiding it's your abiding in me that does it the last part of the fifth verse for without me you can do nothing nothing well how many of us want to turn up in eternity and say hey Lord I see that my record shows that I have done nothing I've lived 60 70 80 for 90 years but I have done nothing of eternal value nothing for without me you can do nothing you need to be in that relationship and that relationship should not be cut even for a moment my dear friends you know I can't stand by and see people perish them with the promise which God gave my father was a little one shall be a thousand and a small one a strong nation so I believe in the little ones I believe in small families I believe in people whom are written off as being nothing God is able to take them up and use them without me you can do nothing let us let us tell God in our hearts Lord Jesus I have just heard this song chorus sung by the children into my heart into my heart come into my heart Lord Jesus come in today come in to stay come into my heart Lord Jesus yes Lord I want to you to come in and stay to abide with me here our prayer yes tell God I must abide in you I mustn't be carried away by every storm and every wind please Lord let this be our daily hourly experience not just something at the top of our heads but down to earth in our daily life here our prayer in Jesus Holy Name Amen