The Power of a Positive No | Billy Graham Classic Sermon

From our archives,

The Billy Graham Classics.

(applause)

In two of the three past years,

the Academy Awards
given in Hollywood

for best motion pictures
of the year

have been British films.

And they’ve been
about two men,

one by the name of Eric Liddell

and the other Gandhi,

who had the force and
the courage under pressure

to say no,

no to themselves,
to discipline themselves.

And tonight,
I want to take as my text

First Corinthians
the 10th chapter

beginning with verse 12.

“Wherefore let him
that thinketh he standeth

“take heed lest he fall.

“There is no temptation,”

Listen to this,

no temptation that you ever face

“but such as is common to man.”

Everybody else faces
the same temptation

at some point in their lives,

“but God is faithful
who will not allow you

“to be tempted above that which
you are able to bear,

“but will with the temptation
make a way to escape.”

In other words,

every temptation that
you ever have,

there’s a way to escape.

God provides it
if you know Christ.

Now, there are
many stories in the Bible

about young people who said
no and changed history.

The first one
I’d like to mention is

one you’ve probably
never heard of.

Her name is Vashti.

She was queen of Persia.

The wife of Xerxes who reigned

all the way from India
to Ethiopia.

Think of all the oil he had
and probably didn’t know it.

One of the richest monarchs
that ever lived.

And he gave a great feast
that lasted for many days.

And at the end in his sort of
drunken stupor,

he ordered his wife, Vashti,

to come and perform a lude dance
before all of his guests.

And she astounded
the entire world of leaders

that had gathered
by refusing.

She said, no,

I will not come and expose
my body to those leering men.

He sent a second message
and the threat was

she would no longer be queen.

She would lose and forfeit
her material luxury

and all of her fame.

But she sent
the same message back.

No, and she changed history

because she was deposed
as queen.

She’s lost in history,
but because of her

Esther became queen and
the Jewish people were saved.

And to this day,
the Jewish people celebrate

a great holiday because
a woman said no

and opened the door

for the salvation of
the Jewish people

because there was
a man like Hitler

that was the prime minister
of the country,

and he had determined
to destroy and to kill the Jews.

Now, the Bible has
a great deal to say about

sensuality and lasciviousness
and lewdness.

The word lasciviousness means

the tendency to incite
lustful desires.

Sensuality means
the planned appeal to

the physical senses
for personal gratification.

The Bible says abstain
from fleshly lust.

That is sensuality,
which war against the soul.

They’re at war against
your soul and your spirit.

And the Bible says
abstain from them,

keep clear of them.

And then the Bible uses
another word, reprobate.

Now these are
the totally deprived people.

Their consciences are
either dead or seared.

They can no longer blush.

They’ve lost the ability
to discern

between good and evil.

And in Romans 1:28 it says,

“And even as they did not
like to retain God

“in their knowledge,

“God gave them over to
a reprobate mind

“to do those things
that are not right.”

In other words,
God gave them up

and said,
go to it.

Have all the lewdness and all
the sex and sexuality you want.

I won’t disturb you.

Not yet,

but be sure your sins are
going to find you out

and you will stand
at the judgment.

And Paul wrote to
young Timothy and said,

“These also resist the truth,
men of corrupt minds

“reprobate concerning
the faith.”

In other words,

they’ve rejected Christ so long
that their conscience is dead

and seared and their hearts
become hard.

And even if the Spirit of God
speaks, they cannot hear.

That’s the reason it’s important

to come to Christ
while you’re young

and it’s important
to come to Christ now,

if the Spirit of God is even
whispering to you,

give your life to Christ,

because there may come
a time when

your conscience will be dead

and you can no longer
hear God speak.

Vashti said, no.

Now Vashti, you’re going
to lose your throne.

You’re going to lose
your riches.

You may lose your life.

She said,
the answer is still no.

What is your answer tonight

to those things that are wrong,

to lying, to lust, to greed,
to racial prejudice?

What is it?

Will you discipline your body?

Will you stand by
the convictions of Christ

and what the Bible teaches,

or are you going to give in

and go on the broad road
that leads to destruction

or will you go through
the narrow gate

and go the narrow road
that leads to eternal life?

Which will it be?

You have a choice tonight.

God will never force
his views upon you.

And then another young man
was named Daniel,

and the scripture says that
Daniel purposed in his heart

that he would not defile himself

with the portion of
the King’s meat.

Nor with the wine
which he drank.

Now Daniel was a young man
with a purpose.

He had been captured
in Jerusalem

when Nebuchadnezzar’s armies
had invaded Jerusalem.

He had been captured and
he was taken 1500 miles

across the fertile Crescent
to Babylon,

15 miles from home,

1500 miles from home now.

No airplanes,
no automobiles;

days and weeks of travel.

But he was determined
to serve God.

He couldn’t have been more
than 12 or 15 years of age.

And Nebuchadnezzar,
the great king had taken

captives from Jerusalem
to Babylon

and ordered that
these young men

in whom
there’s no blemish,

but are well favored
and skillful in languages

to be taught and reared
in his court

so he could use them.

He wanted to use
these young Jews

because he knew that
they had a special gift.

And during the period
of training,

they brought the finest wines
and the finest foods

and all the soft living
that you could imagine

in the court of Nebuchadnezzar.

But Daniel said, no,
I don’t want the King’s wine

and I don’t want
the finest foods.

I want to sleep on the floor,
not the feather bed.

I want to lead a very simple,
self-disciplined life.

How different from
those who can’t wait

until they can get
away from home

and live it up,

but not Daniel.

Daniel was far from home
and nobody would know

if he did some of these things.

Nobody would know

if he had a girl
and slept with her.

Nobody would know

if he got drunk
on the King’s wine.

Nobody would know
back there in Jerusalem.

He could have gained popularity
by indulging,

but this early no in his youth

prepared him for the big no when
he was prime minister of Babylon

and was thrown in the lion’s den

because he wouldn’t compromise
his faith in God.

We defile ourselves
by overeating,

drinking too much alcohol,
taking drugs,

spending too much time
watching the television

or going to the films.

In Luke. Jesus said
in the 21st chapter,

“and take head to yourselves

“lest at any time your hearts
be overcharged with surfeiting

“and drunkenness and
the cares of this life

“so that that day come upon you
unawares.”

The apostle Paul said,

“Make no provision of the flesh
to fulfill the lusts thereof.”

Peter said,
“For in times past

“we walked in lasciviousness
and lust,

“an excess of wine,
revelings, banquetings

“and all sorts of evil things.”

The Bible says we’re
to discipline our minds,

we’re to discipline
our bodies.

We’re to discipline our hearts
by their faith in Christ.

And then there was
another young man

by the name of Joseph,

and he was sold into Egypt
by his brothers

and he became a slave to
a man called Potiphar.

And Potiphar had
a very beautiful wife.

Now Joseph was strong
and handsome

and in Genesis,
the 39th chapter

if you want to read the story,

it tells the story of
the temptation of Joseph.

Potiphar’s wife sort of
fell in love with Joseph

because Joseph became
head of the whole household

and managed the affairs
of his master.

And she saw this handsome young,
virile young man

walking through the house
and in the gardens

and in all the business affairs
every day.

And she lusted for him.

She said, “Come
and lie with me.”

He said, “No.”

He said, I cannot disobey
my master who has trusted me

with all of this
to lie with his wife

and I cannot sin against God,
the God of my fathers.

Now he was away from home
way down in Egypt.

Who would know?

But he said, “No.”

And when he said no
on the last time

he ran from her,
when she grabbed him

and left his coat behind

and she began
to scream and yell

and call for the servants

and said he tried
to rape me,

which was not true,
but she said that

and the master Potiphar had
him thrown in prison

and many of you know the story
of how he was in prison

and how through a whole series
of circumstances

he, too, became
the prime minister of Egypt

and ruled Egypt
under Pharaoh.

God watched him
and promoted him

because he had the strength
that God gave him to say no

when he was tempted.

Now sex is not a sin.

Sex was given to us by God
to propagate the human race

and for enjoyment within
the bonds of certain rules

that God laid down
within matrimony

and the marks of
a Christian are

self-control and
self-discipline.

And Paul wrote to Timothy
and said,

“Keep myself pure.”

How can you stay pure
in a world like we live in?

How can you stay pure
and look at the newsstands?

How can you stay pure
and look at the films?

How can you stay pure with all
the temptations thrown at you?

You can’t.

No way, except one.

If Christ is in your heart,

He will give you
the strength and the power

because no temptation will come
to you that’s so strong,

but what He will provide
a way to escape.

Give your life to Christ tonight

and let him take control
of your life

and let him be Lord
of your life

and let him rule that
area of your life,

your mind, and your body
and even your sex.

Let him be Lord
of your sex life.

Then there was another young man
by the name of Moses.

We think often of Moses as being
an old man with a beard,

but it was in his youth that

he made the decisions that
brought him to greatness.

Because the scripture says
by faith, Moses,

when he’d come to years,
maybe 17 or 18 years of age,

refused to be called the son of
Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing.

He had to make a choice
rather to suffer affliction

with the people of God

than to enjoy the pleasures
of sin for a season.

Now notice he was in Egypt,

the son of Pharaoh’s daughter,

heir to the throne of Egypt,

possibly to be the next Pharaoh.

But he made a choice

because he knew that
his people, ancient Israel,

were the slaves of
the Egyptians.

And he had to make a choice
at the height of his glory,

at the height of all
that was offered to him.

And he said no to Pharaoh,

I will not be your son.

I will choose to suffer
and die with my people

and serve the true
and the living God.

And that’s exactly
what he did.

And we know Moses today is one
of the great men of all history.

He said, rather than enjoy

the pleasures of sin
for a season.

Now there’s a difference between
pleasure and joy.

“He that loveth pleasure shall
be a poor man,” the Bible says,

and the Bible says
about one man,

“I gave my heart to know
madness, pleasure and folly,

“but this caused
vexation of the spirit,

“but she that liveth in pleasure
is dead while she lives.”

Lovers of pleasure
more than lovers of God.

The Bible says there are people
that love pleasure

more than they love God.

Which are you?

Do you love God more than
you do sinful pleasure?

I’m not talking about sports

and all of these wonderful
things that we have.

I’m talking about
sinful pleasure.

Now, joy is produced
by the Holy Spirit

and there are hundreds of
scriptures that talk about joy.

You can have joy when
you may not have pleasure

because joy runs deep.

The angel said to Mary
on that first Christmas night,

“Fear not, for behold,

“I bring you good tidings
of great joy,

“which shall be to all people.”

And even in suffering,
when you come to Christ,

God doesn’t take away
the suffering

and he doesn’t take away
the problems

and the difficulties of
your life, not at all.

He doesn’t promise
if you’re unemployed

that he’s going to get you
a job tomorrow morning

if you accept Christ tonight.

He promises that

he’ll give grace and strength
and joy through it all.

“Blessed are ye when men shall
hate you,” he said,

“and when they shall separate
you from their company

“and shall reproach you and
cast out your name as evil

“for the son of man’s sake,

“rejoice in that day
and leap for joy.”

He said
when you come to me

and you have trouble
and tribulation

and people even hate you,

he said, jump up and down
for joy.

For behold, your reward is
great in heaven.

For in like manner did their
fathers under the prophets.

“All that live godly in Christ
Jesus shall suffer persecution,”

the Bible says.

There’s going to be suffering.

Jesus said,
if you’re not willing

to take up the cross
and deny self,

you cannot be
my follower.

Moses chose
the joy of following God

rather than
the pleasures of Egypt.

Which are you following?

What is your choice tonight?

And then the last one is Jesus.

Jesus was tempted in
all points like as we are

yet without sin.

Now you mean to tell me that
Jesus was tempted to lie?

Yes.

That Jesus was tempted
to lust.

Yes.

That Jesus was tempted to go
with some woman?

Yes.

That Jesus was tempted
to steal.

Yes.

He was tempted in all points
like as we are yet without sin.

How did he overcome temptation?

The Bible tells us in
the fourth chapter of Matthew

and many other places,

but I’ll just take that one.

The devil came to him

when he was hungry
and tired and thirsty

and said, “If Thou be
the Son of God,

command that these stones
be made bread.”

Notice he tried to put doubts in
Jesus’ mind as to who he was.

You see, Jesus was
the Son of God.

He was the virgin-born
Son of God,

who was raised from the dead
by the power of God

and is alive today.

But the devil put a doubt
in his mind.

He was weak, He was tired,
He was hungry,

He was a man now.

He faced the devil,
not as the Son of God.

He faced him as a man

and he always answered
by quoting scripture.

That’s why we want you
to memorize scripture.

“Man shall not live
by bread alone,

“but by every word

“that proceeded out of
the mouth of God.”

Jesus said, there’s something
more important than

food and sex
and material things.

It’s your spiritual life.

And then he said,

“If thou be the Son of God, cast
yourself down for it is written,

‘He shall give his angels charge
concerning you

“and in their hands
they shall bear you up.”

Jesus answered again,

“It is written, thou shall not
tempt the Lord by God.”

And then the devil took him up
on a high mountain

and showed him
all the future of the world,

all the kingdoms that were
yet to come.

And he said to him,

“If you will bow down your knee
to me and acknowledge me,

“I’ll give you all the kingdoms
of the earth”

from now on.

But Jesus said,
get these hints Satan,

“thou shalt worship
the Lord by God

“and only Him
shalt thou worship.”

So, the devil left him,

and the angels came
and helped him.

Notice how Jesus met the devil
and the temptation.

First, he quoted scripture.

Second, he was filled with
the Holy Spirit,

and third, he was
in the will of God.

Are you willing
to say no

to the temptations of
the tempter?

Are you?

Think about it.

And are you willing to say yes
to the claims of Christ,

that He is the Son of God

and that you want Him
to come into your heart

and forgive your sins
and you want to know it?

Oh, I know many of you have been
baptized and confirmed.

Most of you perhaps are
members of some church

or you’re identified with
a church,

or maybe you go to church
two or three times a year.

I don’t know whether
you do or not,

but I’m sure a lot of you do.

But you’re not sure.

You couldn’t stand here tonight
and say,

“I know my sins are forgiven.
I know I’m going to heaven.”

God is willing to forgive
all your past tonight

because of the cross.

God is willing to say,

I forgive you
because he loves you

and God is interested in you

as though you were the only
person in the whole world.

And you can receive him tonight.

You say,
what do I have to do?

You have to be willing first
to repent of your sin.

That was the first sermon Jesus
ever preached was repentance

and the word repentance
means to change,

to change your mind,

to change
your way of living,

to let Christ come
and help you change.

Are you willing to do that?

You can’t change yourself,
but he’ll help you to change.

It doesn’t mean that
you become perfect.

It means that you turn around
and start in a new direction

and he’s there with you
to help you

as you live from
day to day for Christ.

Oh, you’ll fail,
and you’ll make mistakes.

You won’t be perfect,

but Christ will be with you,
if you’re willing to repent.

You say to God tonight,

I have sinned and I’m sorry
and I’m willing to change.

And then the second thing is
by faith you receive Him.

Notice Cliff said a moment ago,

you cannot think your way
all the way.

There are certain things that
you can think your way through,

but there are many things
in the beginning you cannot.

You come like a little child
and say,

Lord, I don’t understand it all,

but I do receive you
into my heart tonight by faith,

“For by faith are you saved
through faith

and that not of works,
lest any man should boast.”

For by grace are you saved.

And then the third thing,

you’re willing to leave here
tonight saying,

I’m going to follow Him and
serve Him as best I know how.

You know, in our meeting
in Bristol a few weeks ago

there was a 17-year-old boy

and he had a driving lesson
that night

and he asked his instructor
to drop him off at Ashton Gate,

the stadium.

And in that great crowd,
he located his family

who had been given tickets
for the evening

and at the invitation
he and his sister both did

what I’m going to
ask you to do.

They came forward and stood
in front of the platform

to signify that they were
giving their lives to Christ.

One week later, this young boy,
17-year-old boy, was killed

after a tunnel of sand collapsed
on him on the beach.

You probably read about it
in the paper.

He said yes to Christ,
never dreaming that

within just a few days
he’d be in heaven

and we’ll see him in heaven.

Do you know if that happened to
you tonight where you’d go?

You can make sure
before you leave here,

I’m going to ask you to leave
your seat right now.

Hundreds,
maybe thousands of you

and come and stand here
on this pitch

quietly and reverently
and say, by coming,

“I want to repent of my sins.

“I want to receive Christ
into my heart.

“I want to know
my sins are forgiven.

“I want to know
I’m going to heaven

“and I want
this new life.”

Jesus died publicly for you,
naked, bleeding and dying

in front of that mob
for you

certain you can come on
this beautiful pitch tonight

and declare yourself for Christ.

Not only young people.

You may be
70 or 80 years old

and God has spoken to you
tonight, get up and come.

We’re going to wait on you.

Tonight, as you watch
the thousands make their way

out of the stands here
at the stadium

to come to the platform

to indicate their desire

to commit their heart
and life to Jesus Christ.

So the Spirit of God is
speaking to you.

Perhaps you’d like to talk to
someone right now.

A counselor is standing by

ready to talk with you
about your need,

about your spiritual problem.

Call the number
that’s on your screen.

If the line is busy,

just wait a few moments
and call again.

Counselors will be standing by
waiting to take your call.

Give your life to Christ tonight

and make the decision that
these people are making

these hundreds of people.

We’ve seen more than 3000
every night this week

come out on this pitch to make
their commitment to Christ.

You join them where you are
and make that commitment to him.

God help you to make
that decision tonight

and be sure and go to church
next Sunday.

If you just prayed that prayer
with my father

or if you have any questions

about a relationship with
Jesus Christ,

why don’t you just call
that number

that is on the screen.

There’ll be someone there
to talk with you,

pray with you and
answer those questions.

And remember,
God loves you.

If you would like to commit
your life to Jesus Christ,

please call us right now,
toll free at 1-877-772-4559.

That’s 1-877-772-4559

or you can write to us at:

Billy Graham

One Billy Graham Parkway

Department C

Charlotte, North Carolina, 28201

or you can contact us
on the web 24/7 at

PeaceWithGod.tv.

We’ll get the same helps to you
that we give to everyone

who responds at the invitation.

On behalf of Franklin Graham

and the Billy Graham
Evangelistic Association.

Thank you for watching

and thank you for your prayers.

(Billy Graham)
There’s only one way,
only one hope.

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