There was some years ago a Protestant minister named Peale, who was famous for certain ideas. He ended his broadcasts by saying, “As many as received him to them gave him power.” End of message, end of broadcast. And you know it was true, up to a point. But it didn’t go the whole distance.

He does give, “As many as received him, power”, but power for what? Power to become a son, a daughter, of the living God. That’s the power that He gives us. (cut out)

Christmastime, a week to go and it will be Christmas more or less. And so Christmas exists. It exists for many things, but it only really exists because God sent Jesus to be with us. And His birth gave us Christmas—it’s the whole reason, as they say, for the season. And it’s a wonderful time of year for anyone who has not yet done so to become a Christian. I mean, what better? Any day is a good day, obviously. July 1^st is a good day, as you said.

But what better time of year for anyone who hasn’t yet come to Christ to come? Then in the week of Christmas or just before Christmas or at Christmastime, and to become a Christian by recognizing Jesus as the bearer of our sins. He bore our sins in His own body on the tree and receiving Him as our very own Savior personally—not just family—for me, right inside. And asking Him to come into our hearts and into our inner selves to make us His own.

Now, why not? Is this not a good offer? Let me ask you this, and I’m serious about this. If the richest man in Yonkers invited you to his home for dinner some night this week, would you ponder it at some length? Would you hem, would you haw? Would you drag your heels? Would you not be able to make up your mind? Or would you quickly say, “Friday night? At your house? 7:00? I’ll be there.”

I kind of think that you’d say yes pretty quick. It would interest you, and your thumb would be on the buzzer of that door five minutes of 7:00 sharp. The door would open and in you would go to the beautiful feast in the dining room of the richest man in Yonkers.

Well, you know, the offer of Jesus to have us belong to him and as it were feast with him—that is, he says, “I will come in and I’ll have supper with you and you with me”—is a thousand times greater than any conceivable offer that we can receive from any human being on the earth.

Now, maybe someone thinks, yes, that’s right, but I don’t think I have it. I don’t think I can live up to the standards of the Christian life. I don’t think I can maintain that kind of a life. There’s too much else to hinder me, to stop me, to carry me somewhere else.

And let me tell you. That thought has nothing to do with what we’re talking about. If it were up to us, it would be a losing game from the start.

You know, Jesus said, “I did not call to come to good people. I did not come to call good people but sinners to repentance to come to me. He received forgiveness.”

You know, living like a Christian is a real drag. [man: Impossible. Testify to that person.] Yes, you’ve been there. It won’t work.

But become a Christian and then you will start living like a Christian because you are a Christian. It’s a whole different deal. Nobody but nobody lives a Christian life on his own. And no one lives it, except by painful imitation, without being born a second time—what the Bible calls being born again. And short of that, short of being born again, it can’t be done. Don’t even try!

It can’t be done by you, but I have news for you. It can’t be done by me either. I wouldn’t want three days of that. But Christ comes in and He begins to live His life in us and through us.

You know, if you decided that you wanted to live the Christian life and you were serious and you came to me. And I gave you 90 of the best Christian life rules I could possibly think up. Do this and do that. But don’t do this and don’t do that. Thirty of the former and 60 of the latter. And you went out with those in your hand and mind, you wouldn’t last a week. I don’t think you’d last through a day.

It isn’t rules. You know what the Scripture says? We’re not under law but under grace. Now in the Old Testament, there are laws. There are a whole set of rules given by God, and they’re good things for men to live by. And God knew from the first giving it that men couldn’t possibly live up to it. So what did he do? He had the priests sacrificing all the time animals and laying their blood to be poured out. Because the people were failing and failing. And the priests made atonement. They provided a way for forgiveness. And all of that was being done to the time when Jesus would come and die on the cross and lose His blood for our forgiveness.

And He is so ready. I don’t care what anyone has done, He is so ready to come in and forgive us, to cleanse us, to give us a new life.

This is the season for gifts, for giving and receiving. And Jesus is God’s gift to us. Grace is a gift that can’t be earned, but it can be received. You can receive it.

Power to live right is a gift that He gives to us. Not all at once, but every day. Power to live right. And it makes us different than we ever were before Jesus came in.

So here we have it. Jesus has come. He came to save His people from their sins. Have you ever really let Him into your heart in a big way and said, “Yes, I want forgiveness. Yes, I want cleansing. And yes, I want Jesus to be inside me and to live in me.” Well, this is the week. This could be the day.

You can do this just by going to Him privately, on your own, and saying, “Lord, I understand. I’ve heard a lot, but I understand. And I want to be what you want me to be. And I’m saying a big yes to Jesus before Christmas Day comes.” Amen.