In this classic sermon from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Billy Graham explains Christ’s victory over death and what it can mean for your life.

foreign

1949 a bold and dynamic young preacher

set out on a journey that would have an

impact on every continent for

generations to come

for more than 50 years and to more than

210 million people Billy Graham is

passionately spoken about the certainty

of Hope found in Jesus Christ there are

many things about God that I don’t

understand or comprehend I accept his

revelation of himself by faith he’s

brought races and denominations together

toward a common purpose as he’s preached

in 185 countries around the world Christ

belongs to all people

he belongs to the whole world

stood alongside presidents met with

dignitaries and world leaders and today

Billy Graham is recognized among the

most influential religious leaders in

the history of the world

from our archives the Billy Graham

classics

I’m going to ask you to turn with me to

the third chapter of the Book of Genesis

and at the end of that chapter it says

this and the Lord God said behold

the man has become as one of us to know

good and evil and now lest he put forth

his hand and take also the tree of life

and eat and live forever therefore the

Lord God sent him forth from the Garden

of Eden to tell the ground from which he

had taken

so he drove out the man and he placed at

the east of the Garden of Eden a

cherubim and a flaming sword which

turned everyone to keep the way of the

Tree of Life

in other words God was keeping man away

from the tree of life because if man had

eaten the Tree of Life

he would have lived forever in his sins

without any hope of redemption

suppose for example that a man like

Hitler

came along and ate of the tree of life

and lived forever and we would have

Hitler for thousands of years and many

more Hitlers

and they would control the Earth

and so God sent death along

as a judgment but also a blessing

because every generation comes and dies

and a new generation is born and all the

Hitlers of the world die eventually

and the Bible says in Ecclesiastes 3 2

there’s a time to be born and a time to

die it’s appointed unto man once today

but after that the judgment

but often I find is a clergyman that

people do not wish to talk about death

why

in America 17 year olds

by the time they’re 17 have seen on

average of 15

000 murders on television

and there’s a rash of best sellers on

death right now and some think of death

as a period of life

so Winston Churchill once said

the older you get the more sleep you

need finally you sleep all the time

in life there are many Avenues he said

but all lead to that all embracing death

and I want to ask you tonight are you

prepared to die

have you made any preparation at all for

your death

oh yes maybe financially you have

but what about your spirit your soul

that’s going to live forever

have you made a study of it

oh it occupies a lot of your thinking

I know that

but the loss and the severance of things

you loved

do not like to leave behind family and

friends

and for others it’s not only a time of

life but it’s a question mark

death ushers in so much uncertainty and

we ask ourselves why why why

you see a young man cut down in the

prime of life and you ask why

or you see a boy or a girl

and you ask why

why does all this have to happen

part of it is the terror and the fear of

the unknown

people never like to be unprepared

they’re anxious about the future and I

want to quote one passage from Amos the

fourth chapter that says prepare to meet

thy God

are you prepared if you’re not prepared

and have a doubt about it pick up the

telephone and call the number on your

screen there’ll be counselors there that

will talk to you about how you can

prepare to meet death and judgment

now if we want to soften the reality of

death we don’t want to talk about it

some of us don’t want to think about it

so we have a lot of cosmetics and

facelifts

and the phrenic search for the mythical

Fountain of Youth that goes on

but I don’t want to turn tonight to the

psychologist or the sociologists or the

medical students but to the Bible what

does the Bible say about death

first the Bible says that death is an

enemy

of man and God

Paul calls it an enemy he says First

Corinthians 15 The Last Enemy that shall

be destroyed is death

now it’s an enemy to God because God

never meant for man to die

when he created us he meant for us to

live forever

but we broke his law we rebelled against

him

and he said if you do that you’re going

to die he had to keep his word

neither sin the pain nor disease nor

death were part of God’s original plan

for man death was the penalty for sin

when he said Thou shalt surely die

and the judgment

dust Thou Art and unto dust I shall

return

came after man’s Rebellion

are you prepared

and then secondly the Bible teaches that

this enemy of death is going to be

destroyed

First Corinthians 15 26 The Last Enemy

to be destroyed is death

when we were touring Russia this past

year

and we went to these great Orthodox

Cathedrals and it was my privilege to

preach in them the gospel just like I do

here and in the Soviet Union I had a

theologian

from the theological Academy in

Leningrad

say to me in the car as we were riding

along he said

Mr Graham

he said I would like to see you put more

emphasis on the resurrection of Christ

because he said if Christ be not risen

our faith is in vain

and I thought to myself here I am

learning at the feet of a man

in the Soviet Union about the

resurrection of Jesus Christ

now some people question the

resurrection in this scientific age but

Arnold of rugby

said I know of no fact in history of

mankind which is attested by Fuller and

better evidence of every soul

sedwood Clark the English high court

judge said some time ago the evidence of

the Resurrection I accept unreservedly

as fact over and over again in the high

court I’ve I’ve secured a verdict on

evidence not nearly so compelling

many of our scientists believe

in the resurrection of Jesus Christ

now thirdly the Bible teaches that this

enemy of death has already been defeated

already defeated Paul says o death where

is thy sting o grave where is thy

victory

by death and resurrection of Christ he

said I am he that liveth and was dead

and behold I Am Alive forevermore

and have the keys of hell and death

think of it he has the keys of hell and

the keys of death

now what is this defeat of death Paul

Likens it to a poisonous insect whose

sting has been withdrawn he says the

sting of death is sin

now I want you to think about death

for a person who does not know Christ

for an unbeliever

this Jack is a Reviving that old pop

song of David Clayton Thomas which goes

and when I die I pray there ain’t no

hell

but the Bible teaches there will be a

judgment

and you cannot read the Bible and miss

the references to hell

and I don’t see how a clergyman can

preach without talking about it

because it’s so much in the scriptures

and the one that taught so much about it

is Jesus more than any other person in

the Bible

to be in hell is to be out of the

presence of God what is hell

I’m not going to give you my imagination

I’m not going to do what some have done

in the past and use their imagination to

frighten people we ought to be

frightened but I want to tell you what I

believe the Bible teaches there are

three words that describe hell in the

Bible for me one is fire

for our God is a consuming fire says

Hebrews 12.

but the Bible also teaches that fire is

used symbolically it says our tongues

are set on fire of hell that doesn’t

mean literal combustion in James

it’s symbolic

and Jesus used this symbol over and over

I believe that the fire

is a thirst for almighty God that can

never be quenched you’ll go out into

Eternity thirsting for God and you can

never find him

and you can never find the Fulfillment

that you missed in this life

and then secondly the word Darkness the

Bible says God is light

and Matthew 8 12 says but the children

of the Kingdom shall be cast out into

outer Darkness hell is called out of

Darkness it’s separation from God in

darkness that’s the reason

those that go to hell will not see

anybody else

it’ll be too dark

you’re not going to go down there and

set up a nightclub

and have a big time

and have beautiful golf courses and all

the rest of it as some people think

no

it’s separation from God from Darkness

from from light

and then the third phrase that Jesus

uses is the second death

God is life it is separated from life

and death and hell were cast into the

Lake of Fire this is the second death

Revelation 2014 says

you die the first time naturally your

body dies now your soul your spirit is

still alive

but it’s dead it’s dead toward God just

like it is tonight there are thousands

of people here in this audience in South

Florida tonight whose spirit is dead

toward God

your body is alive you go to church

you’re religious

as most people are around the world

you good Indian you’ll find more

religion in any country in the world

but deep in your heart you don’t really

know Christ you haven’t made your peace

with God

now God doesn’t take any Delight in hell

he didn’t create hell for you

he made hell for the devil and his

angels

but if you persist in going the devil’s

way that’s where you’re going

now when Jesus Christ died on the cross

that was a judgment

God judged Christ in your place and

Jesus being who he was had the capacity

to endure hell for you

and when Christ said my God my God why

hast Thou forsaken me in that terrible

moment

in a way that we cannot possibly fathom

or understand

the Lord Jesus Christ and his father

were separated

and Jesus Took the pangs of hell and he

suffered in that moment everything that

man will ever be called upon to suffer

he did it for you because he loves you

and now God says You must repent of your

sins and receive him into your heart

and if you don’t do it and you persist

in listening to the voice of the devil

who says you have plenty of time or who

tells you that it’s not true or whatever

he’s whispering to you

yes you have to make a choice you have

to make a choice between some things

that are wrong in your life and you have

to make a choice with Christ which will

it be what is your choice

if you want to make a choice tonight for

Christ or if you want to talk about it

pick up the telephone

and call the person that’s on the other

end on that

number that’s on your screen write it

down now you may dial several times and

keep on dialing they’ll be there all

evening

the death of Christ was a judgment and

the scripture says that God’s desire is

that all men should be saved

all women should be saved that’s God’s

desire

he wants it so much that he gave his son

to die on the cross for you

and the words used in those scriptures

are desire and wish not will and purpose

it’s not God’s will

or purpose that you die

it’s his desire that you be saved

and you have a choice

now what about what happens to the

believer so much could be said about

this

I could talk all evening about heaven

and about the joys and the thrill and

the excitement it’s going to be in

heaven for all of us who know Christ

in Christ the judgment is passed

the storm is over

the hell is past if you know Christ

there’ll be no judgment for you

there is therefore now no judgment to

them that are in Christ Jesus there is

no hell for you

you will live eternally with the Lord

Jesus Christ

and with the Saints of all the ages by

his death he destroyed dead

in Christ we no longer regard death as

the king of Terrors Paul said I have a

desire to depart to be with Christ Which

is far better he said to be with Christ

is better than living here and now

I want to be with him said the Apostle

Paul why was it because he worked so

hard for Christ or because he’d suffered

so much

no

he was ready because long ago he had met

Christ on the Damascus Road and had an

experience with the Lord Jesus Christ

and Christ came into his heart

and he had found a fulfillment and a

peace and a joy he found the purpose and

the meaning of his life when he had that

encounter with Christ you can have that

same experience with Christ tonight

right here before you leave here

many people think that it’s a long

process and there may be a process in

which you’re convicted by the spirit of

God

and there may be a process like birth

there’s the moment of conception there’s

the months of gestation then comes birth

and then there comes growing all of

those are different steps and different

processes some may take place almost all

at once we do not know how the Holy

Spirit works at that point in each

individual life sometimes it’s

individual

but tonight you need to take a step to

Christ and make sure if you don’t know

and you’re not certain be sure

many people do not have a date when they

came to Christ

but it’s good for many people to come

and make a date and say yes that was the

night that I became sure

now the conquest of death is the final

great achievement

of what we call Christianity and Judaism

physical death is but a transition from

life on Earth with Christ to eternal

life in heaven with Christ it’s like

going through a door when you die

you leave one room and you enter another

bigger room which is more beautiful and

more wonderful and the transition which

we call death is based on the fact that

Jesus was raised from the dead

for we know that Christ being raised

from the dead will never die again death

no longer has any dominion over him says

Romans 6 for as in Adam all die so also

in Christ shall all be made alive

you’re not going to die alone if you

know Christ I believe as I said in a

book that I wrote on angels that there

is a death angel and that angel comes

and takes you by the hand and leads you

into the presence of Christ

it’s a wonderful thing to die as a

believer

I’ve seen Believers die and I’ve seen

those that did not know Christ die and

there’s a vast difference in the way

they die

today people are so sedated we don’t

have their final words as we used to

have

but I have many memories

of people dying talking about the music

that they hear

talking about who they see my own mother

was one

she seemed as though she could hear and

see

into the future

Jesus said he that believeth on me shall

never die

believeth thou this he meant that you’ll

never die spiritually

an atheist only sees a hopeless end to

life but the Christians sees an endless

hope

we look beyond our present sorrow to the

Triumph of Christ blessed are the Dead

who die in the Lord

but Christ brings a permanent freedom

from Evil to the believer

who dies in him

those that don’t know Christ may not

desire this they may prefer go on living

in your sins you have only a short time

so live it up

as we get older

life is pressing in on us

get all you can out of it now that’s the

philosophy of many

here in South Florida

as well as all over the world

you don’t have long

you’ll be in eternity

and the decision you make tonight may

decide where you’ll be

do you know Christ

the word depart

the Bible uses the word depart

you see the Bible teaches that we’re

citizens of Two Worlds now I’m a citizen

of the United States but I’m also a

citizen of Heaven

I’m a citizen of another world

heaven and that’s where I’m going

and I’ll be there it won’t be too many

months or years before I go

the vast majority of my life has already

been lived my record has already been

made

I don’t have very much longer I know

that

I don’t plan to retire

I feel like I’m 18 years of age but I

know that I’m not

I can look at the x-rays when they take

the x-rays and see

deterioration of a bone here and there

through something that I don’t even know

what it is

I can’t feel it but I know at some point

I’ll feel it that’ll start having its

effect on the body

we all die I’m not going to escape it I

don’t want to escape it I want to go

because to be with Christ is far better

than to be even in Florida

the Bible says we shall be like him for

we shall see him as he is

Napoleon once said I die before my time

and my body will be given back to the

Earth

to become the food of worms such as the

Fate soon of the great Napoleon what a

contrast to the words of job he said I

know my redeemer liveth and though after

my skin worms destroy this body yet in

my flesh shall I see God

I’m looking forward to seeing him

face to face

there’s an Old English prayer that says

Lord grant that my last hour may be my

finest hour

Paul said I fought the good fight I

finished the race I’ve kept the faith

an Anglican Bishop of the last century

said I hope when I come to die I shall

not have to say I wish I had loved

Christ more

I’m going to ask you tonight to make

sure that you’re ready

what do you have to do

father mother

senior citizen

boy a girl

we never know in this world in which we

live when anyone is going to go

you get out on these highways and

streets and you never know

are you ready what do I have to do to be

ready first the Bible teaches you must

repent of your sins

and you say well what is repentance

repentance is changing changing your

mind toward God and toward yourself

seeing yourself a sinner and seeing the

Holiness and the righteousness of God

looking at the Cross of Christ and

seeing that he died for you

but it also means a change of living

you’re going to change your habits

from this moment on

you’re going to ask God to help you you

may not be able to you may not have the

strength to

but if you’ll ask God to help you he’ll

help you

and then the second thing you must do is

to believe that word believe means more

than just believing with your mind it

means committing yourself your total

self to Christ

as Savior and law

and then the third thing

you must be willing to follow him

and serve him

are you willing to do that

you say Billy I decided that years ago

did you really

is there a doubt about it

many older people

have been religious

and younger people too because I was

young when I accepted Christ 16 or 17

years of age and vice president of the

young people Society in my church

but I knew that I really didn’t know

Christ

I already knew that

and when they ask people to come and

make it certain I went and I’m so glad

that I did that night

you can make sure tonight

I’m going to ask you to come and stand

in front of this platform as we’ve seen

hundreds every night do I’m asking you

to come publicly he said if you’re not

willing to acknowledge me publicly

before men I’ll not acknowledge you

before my Father which is in heaven

there’s something about coming publicly

that helps settle it and I’m going to

ask you to come if you’re with friends

or relatives they’ll wait

and after you’ve all come I’m going to

say a word to you and have a prayer with

you

give you some litter to her to help you

in your Christian Life

you get up and come we’re going to wait

on you hundreds of you if you come from

this stand back here it’ll take about a

minute maybe a minute and a half this

stand and this one over here close to

two minutes get up and come right now

and after you’ve come we’ll stand here a

few minutes and have a prayer

and then you go back and join your

friends

very simple

but very important

because your whole Eternal future may

hang on what happens tonight

and you that are watching by television

pick up the telephone and call that

number and make your commitment to

Christ as people are already beginning

to come here in this stadium in Fort

Lauderdale Florida

just get up and come now hundreds of you

we’re going to wait on

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just as many hundreds are making their

commitment to Jesus Christ here at

Lockhart Stadium

you can too by calling the telephone

number on your screen right now

this is probably the most important call

you could ever make

so call now

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to you that are watching by television

you can see that here in Fort Lauderdale

Florida

many hundreds of people are coming to

make their commitment to Christ to make

sure

that they know him as their lord and

savior you can make sure where you are

you may be in a hotel room

maybe in your bedroom living room

maybe in a bar somewhere I don’t know

where

you can say yes Lord Jesus Come into my

heart

and be sure and go to church next Sunday

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