Billy Graham from Tallahassee, FL, 1986
Now you can’t change your past.
But you can determine your destiny by deciding for Christ.
But Christ can change your past.
He died on the cross
so that all the sins you’ve ever committed
all the things you’ve ever done wrong
are forgiven.
What do you have to do?
You have to repent of your sins.
That means to be willing to change your way of living.
You may have no power to do it.
You may not have power to give up some of those habits you know are wrong.
You may not have power to fall in love with your wife again.
You may not have power to change your whole life that you know needs to be changed.
But if you surrender to Christ, he’ll give you the power.
You say, “Well Billy, I don’t know what else to do.”
I’ve been baptized, I joined the church and so forth.
But I don’t really have peace and joy and power in my life
all that you’re talking about.
How do I get it?
Jesus Christ said, “I am the Way.”
Come to Christ!
He will give you a new strength and a new power,
and a new joy and a new peace and a purpose for living.
Every person that ever lived has to make the same choice.
It’s either the world and its pleasures and its gods,
or it’s Christ.
Which is it for you?
Who are you choosing, who are you voting for?
Choosing rather to suffer the affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.
Oh yes…there’s pleasure in sin for a short time.
But it’s soon over.
The hangover comes.
And there’s nothing you can do about it.
It’s going to be there.
Choose Christ!
And there will never be a hangover, except joy and peace
And it’s an urgent decision because to delay makes the right decision harder.
Indecision in itself is a choice.
Not to decide is to decide not to.
If you have a ticket for a flight to Atlanta tonight and can’t decide whether to go or not,
if you wait past the departure time, the choice will have been made.
The plane will take off without you.
Decisions are made whether we make them or not.
Time decides if you will not.
And time always decides against you.
There’s a lonely arena in the depths of your heart where the greatest battle of life must be fought alone.
That’s your decision about Christ.
Your parents can’t make it for you, the church can’t make it for you,
your friends can’t make it for you, your girlfriend, your boyfriend can’t make it for you.
You have to make it yourself.
And you must decide tonight.
There are hundreds of people here tonight that have to decide tonight
and your decision tonight, yes or no,
will decide where you’ll be a hundred years from now.
If you’re not sure that you’re ready to meet God,
if you’re not sure you’re going to heaven, and you’re not sure that your sins are forgiven,
you come and make sure tonight.
I believe that none of you are here by accident tonight.
I believe that you’re here on this particular night because this is the night that you are to meet God in a new way,
and receive him into your heart.