I've come to say today, that in these days when

we're killing ourselves trying to live.

People still think that they  can find peace of mind in pills.

They try to eat their way to ecstasy. They try to  

drink their way to pleasure. They try  to smoke their way to settled nerves.

They try to puff their way to  popularity and push their way to power.

They try to bully their way to friendship  and bum their way to world peace.

But I've come today to say that I  know where a poor man has a chance.

Where a sick man can get well. Where  an ignorant man can become wise.

A bad man can be made good.

A good man can be made better

And even a dead man can be made  alive. It's in Jesus Christ.

We live unto the Lord, and when  we die, we die unto the Lord.

Yea, the grading for which Christ died  and lived again and lives for always  

is that he might Lord both  of the dead and the living.

Jesus Christ is Lord!

Now this word Lord means:  having power of authority!

The great commission is based on  the claims of our Savior's Lordship.

Jesus came and spake unto them saying;

"All power is given unto me  in heaven and and in earth"

Go ye therefore and teach all  nations baptizing them in the  

name of the Father, the Son and the Holy ghost

and teaching them to observe all  things, whatsoever I have commanded you.

and low I am with you always,  even unto the end of the world.

"Lord" means; Ownership.

His Lordship is based on His ownership.

The earth is the Lord's and it's fullness thereof.

The world and they that dwell therein. For he hath  

founded it upon the sea's and  established it upon the flood.

Now he didn't have to put a signature in  the corner of a sunrise; He's the owner!

He didn't have to put a laundry mark in  the lapel of a meadow; He's the owner!

He didn't have to carve his initials in  the side of the mountain; He's the owner!

He didn't have to put a brand on the  cattle of a thousand hills; He's the owner!

He didn't have to take out a  copyright on the songs that  

He gives the birds to sing; He's the owner!

Beyond the human level, the word Lord  stands as a reverent illusion to God.

Now the orthodox Hebrew in  Jesus' day is in our own.

would not even pronounce the  sacred name; God, Jehova or Yahweh.

Instead, when He read the sacred  and incommunicable name of God

He would simply say; The Lord.

Hear oh Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord.

Now Christians have applied  this title to Christ in the  

latter usage. On either the human or divine level

The title "Lord" is a mark of respect  and implied pledge of obedience.

Once Simon Peter stood before a hostile crowd and  

said' "God has made that same Christ whom  you have crucified both Lord and Christ".

Christ represents the thing  that God hath done to redeem us.

Lord represents what we ought  to do because we are redeemed.

Now we ought to call Him; Owner

because He possesses absolutely our lives.

in Him we live and move and have our being.

We ought to call Him; owner.

We ought to call Him; Father.

and be obedient sons and daughters.

For He's our only hope and He's our only help.

God is our refuge and our strength.

He's a very present help in trouble.

Therefore shall not we fear though the earth  

be removed and though the mountains  be carried in the midst of the sea.

Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled,  

though the mountains shake  with the swellen thereof.

There is a river, the streams whereof shall make  

glad the city of God, the holy place  of the tabernacles of the most High.

God is in the midst of her; she shall not be  moved: God shall help her, and that right early.

The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved:  he uttered his voice, the earth melted.

The Lord of hosts is with us;  the God of Jacob is our refuge.

Come, behold the works of the Lord, what  desolations he hath made in the earth.

He maketh wars to cease unto the end  of the earth; he breaketh the bow,  

and cutteth the spear in sunder;  he burneth the chariot in the fire.

Be still, and know that I am God: I  will be exalted among the heathen,  

I will be exalted among the earth.

The Lord of hosts is with us;  the God of Jacob is our refuge.

Jesus is Lord! because he came  down the stairway of heaven.

Born in Bethlehem. Hid in  Egypt. Brought up in Nazareth

Baptized in Jordan. Tempted in the wilderness.  He performed miracles by the roadside.

He healed multitudes without medicine  and made no charges for his service.

He conquered everything that came  up against him. He took your sins  

and mine and went out on calvary and there died.

While hanging on that cross,  Jesus said several things.

But when the thief taunted him  and said "If you be the Christ,  

come down from the cross  and save yourself and us?"

To that taunt, Jesus never said a mumbling  word. But the silence seemed to have said:  

"You just wait until Sunday Morning"!

And I'll show you...I'll show you that it's better  

to come up out of the grave then  it is to come down from a cross.

and he dropped his head in the  locks of his shoulder and he died!

I mean he really died!

don't pay any attention to  a swoon theory. He died!

Oh he, he died until the sun refused to shine.

He died, until the veil in the temple  was ripped in twain. He died until...

Matthew said the dead got up out of the grave  and walked the streets after the resurrection.

He died!

The centurion said "Surely this  must have been the son of God".

I'm trying to say He died but I don't like...I,  

I, I don't like to stay there  talking about "He died" huh uh!

I like to rush on and say "He was buried in  

Joseph's new tomb". "He was  buried in a borrowed tomb".

Now that used to bother me!

The one who holds the waters  in the hollow of His hand.

and meets out the heavens with a span.

Comprehends the dust and weighs the mountain  and a scale and a hill in a balance.

The one who walked on the brow of nothing and  with a gesture of His hands, words were formed.

Scooped out the seas with the palm of His hand.

Dug deep the gorges, piled up the hills,  and propped up the mountains by His will.

The moon and the stars leaped on His arm.

Being buried in a borrowed tomb.

Well he wasn't going to stay there long..

YES!!!

He just went down in that grave and stayed  in the grave long enough to clean it out.

and make it a pleasant place  to wait for the resurrection.

and on schedule he got up with every form  of power in the orbit of His omnipotence!

Jesus Christ is Lord!

You know men are thinking that maybe one of  these days His power is going to fail him.

They're thinking that one of these days that  somebody will wrestle His power from Him.

Some have in mind they're  going to destroy His power.

Well brother, if you're going to destroy His  power, what are you going to use for power?

If you try to destroy Him by  fire, he'll refuse to burn!

If you try to destroy Him by  water, He'll walk on the water!

If you try to destroy Him by strong wind,  

the tempest will lick His  hand and lay down at His feet!

If you try to destroy Him by  law, You'll find no fault in Him!

If you try to destroy Him by seal  of an empire, He'll break it!

If you try to destroy Him by  putting Him in a grave, He'll rise!

soon you'll hear a still small voice saying  "Behold I stand at the door and knock"

If a man will open the door, I'll come  in and sup with him, and he with me.

Jesus Christ is Lord!

Jesus is the pearl from paradise,  He's the gem from the glory land!

He's truth's fairest Jewel and  He's time's choicest theme!

He's life's strongest chord  and He's lights clearest ray!

He's purer as white's peak.  He's joy's deepest tide.

His name stands as a synonym for free  healing, friendly help and full salvation.

His blessed name is like honey to the  taste. Its like harmony to the ear. It's  

like help to the soul. It's  like hope to the heart!

He's higher then the heaven of heaven's  and He's holier then the holy of holies.

In His birth is our significance.  In His life is our example. In His  

cross is our redemption and in  His resurrection is our hope.

At his birth, men came from the east  and at his death men came from the west.

And the east and the west met in Him,  hallelujah the Lord God omnipotent Reigneth!

And at His name, to His name, in  His name, every knee is going to  

bow and every tongue should confess that Jesus  Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father!

Every Knee!

The young knee. Every knee.  The old knee. Every knee. The  

white knee Every knee. The black knee. Every knee.

Wounded knee, EVERY KNEE is going to bow and every  

tongue is going to confess  that Jesus Christ is Lord!

You know many say "I've got a lot of living to do,  

I'll accept Him as savior and I'll acknowledge  Him as Lord but I've got a lot of living to do"

You don't really live until you  come to Him who said "I am come  

that you might have life and that  you might have it more abundantly".

And then some I hear praying "Lord,  

when I must go somewhere and crawl up  in a dying bed and learn how to die"

Brother, who told you, you  were going anywhere else?

and who told you, you were going to have the  strength or the time to crawl up in a dying bed?

and who told you, you had to learn how to die?  You learn how to live, and as you live so you die.

But I'm not going to wait because  border-line salvation is better  

then being lost but that's to dangerous to risk.

That's the reason the prophet said:  

"Seek Ye the Lord while He may be  found, call on Him while He is near.

"Let the wicked forsake his way and  the unrighteous man his thoughts and  

He will have mercy to our God  for He will abundantly pardon"

I'm not going to wait. I  acknowledge Him as my Lord NOW!

The Lord is love and His  love is stronger then sin,  

it's deeper then sorrow and  it's mightier then death!

The Lord is my light. The Lord is my strength.  The Lord is my salvation, The Lord is my rock.

The Lord is my fortress. The Lord  is my deliverer. The Lord is my  

high tower. The Lord is my shield and my buckler.

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

You know this old world is a wilderness of want.

We're always wanting something.

A man will break his health  down trying to get well.

and then he'll turn around, spend his  wealth trying to get his health back.

If it isn't one thing it's another. From  the rocking in the cradle to the folding  

in the grave something is always running out.

If your bank account get's low then  your blood pressure get's high.

If you got money, your health breaks down.  If you got a job, your eyesight get's dim.

and if you got food on your  table, your faith get's weak.

If it's not your enemies bothering  you, it's your so called "friends".

If it's not your kin-folk mooching  off of you; it's your church-folk.

And while you're building up over  here, it's falling apart over there.

but the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

A little girl was asked to recite this verse  

and she said "The Lord is my  shepherd and that's ALL I want"

They said she's wrong. I say she's right! "The  Lord is my shepherd and that's all I want"

I shall not want for rest, for He  maketh me to lie down in green pastures.

I shall not want for refreshment, for  He leadeth me beside the still waters.

I shall not want for forgiveness,  for he restoreth my soul.

I shall not want for guidance, for He leadeth  me in paths of righteousness for His names sake.

I shall not want for companionship,  for yea though I walk through the  

valley of the shadow of death I'll  fear no evil for thou art with me.

I shall not want for comfort, for thy  rod and thy staff they comfort me.

I shall not want for sustenance or provision,  

for thou preparest a table before  me in the presence of my own enemies

I shall not want for joy for thine annointest  my head with oil, my cup runneth over.

I shall not want for anything  in this life. For goodness and  

mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.

and I shall not want for  anything in the life to come,  

for I'll dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

I didn't say I would camp or tent or tabernacle  but I'll DWELL in the house of the Lord forever!

I'll dwell in a land where we'll never  grow old. I'll dwell out there where  

the silence of eternity is interpreted by love.

I'll dwell in the sun-kissed  regions of an unclouded day.

Dwell in a city that hath foundation  whose buildings maker is God.

Dwell in the house of the Lord forever!

Jesus Christ is Lord!