Will you be a fool in God’s eyes or in man’s eyes? “What the world calls foolish, I’m resting my salvation on,” said Billy Graham in his 1982 message from Boise, Idaho. Watch more #MondayNightClassics every Monday at 8 p.m. Eastern. CONNECT with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association: on Facebook: / billygrahamevangelisticassociation
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from our archives the Billy Graham
classic
tonight I want to talk on fools
and I want you to turn with me to the
third chapter First Corinthians
beginning with the 18th verse let no man
deceive himself
If any man among you seemeth to be wise
in this world
let him become a fool that he may be
wise
for the wisdom of this world is
foolishness with God for it is written
he taketh the wise in their own
craftiness
and again the Lord knoweth the thoughts
of the wise that they are vain
a couple years ago Anthony Newley sang
what kind of a fool am I to the top of
the charts
and uh
I looked up in the dictionary to see
what a fool is or one of my associates
did for me
and the Bible has a lot to say about
fools and what a fool is proverbs 10 21
it says fools die for the one of wisdom
Proverbs 1 7 says fools despise wisdom
uh when PT Barnum came to this country
many years ago he said the American
people want to be fooled and I’m here to
fool them he said a fool is born every
minute
and now synonyms that you can find for
the word fool is stupid person bonehead
Blockhead simpleton chump nitwit Goose
sat numbskull ignoramus Beetle head
whatever you want
a one who has been imposed on by others
a stooge a gullible or dupe
now in the Bible it may mean all of this
but it also has a moral meaning in the
Bible and is a very important word in
the Bible and the verses seem almost
paradoxical First Corinthians 3 18 says
let him become a fool and Proverbs 1 7
says fools despise wisdom
and God is speaking from the Divine
standpoint in one passage the fool is an
unthinking thoughtless careless person
without true understanding in the other
passage the word fool is used from the
standpoint of people who have received
Christ because the world laughs at them
and says they’re foolish and ridiculous
they’re fools
so there are unwise fools and their Wise
Foods now Jesus said whoever calls his
brother a fool is in danger of Hellfire
you be very careful how you call another
person a fool I wouldn’t dare use that
name for you or for anybody else
never use the word fool and anger the
Bible says but I’m telling you what God
says about it in certain instances first
there’s the atheistic fool it’s repeated
twice in Psalm 53 1 and Psalm 14 1 the
fool has said in his heart there is no
God but in Hebrew it actually means
there is no God for me
in other words the this fool
deliberately says there is no God for me
he’s not saying there’s no God he’s
saying there’s no God for me
then there’s the Practical atheist
you see there are many people that are
really not atheists but they are
practical atheists in the sense that
they live like an atheist you profess to
believe in God but you don’t live like
you believe in God
you live as though there is no God you
too in a sense are an atheist and there
are hundreds here tonight like that you
believe in god with your mind
you may go to church but you live as
though God does not exist as far as you
are concerned
and so you are an atheist in a sense
and then secondly the Bible talks about
the mocking fool the mucking food
fools make a mock of sin Proverbs 14 9.
here is God and all of his holiness
and the Bible tells us that we’ve sinned
against him we’ve broken his laws and
we’re under the sentence of death
we’re under the sentence of death I saw
a film tonight on television on one of
the news programs telling how many men
and women are on death row in the United
States right now under the sentence of
death
all of us here tonight are under the
sentence of debt the wages of sin is
death and we have all sinned and broken
the laws of God
and so we’re all sentenced to die we are
to die physically
the graveyard’s of full of people that
are there because sin caused death
and then sin also causes spiritual death
your soul is dead your spirit is dead
physically you’re alive but your soul
that lives inside your body is dead
toward God so you’re a walking dead
person under the sentence of death and
the only way that you can have that
sentence lifted is to come to Christ by
repentance of sin and faith in him as
your lord and your savior if you would
like that sentence lifted if you would
like your sins wiped out as though they
had never existed if you would like to
be justified in the sight of God pick up
that telephone right now you that are
watching by television pick it up and
call the number that you see on your
screen and a counselor will answer and
the counselor will talk to you about how
you can come to know Christ as many
people here tonight I hope and believe
and pray will find Christ as their lord
and savior but there are many people
that make a mockery of sins
they mock God’s standards God’s
standards of sex God’s standards of
marriage God’s standards concerning
divorce and ethics and morality and
social justice we make a mockery of it
we laugh at it
the Bible says be sure your sins will
find you out
don’t ever doubt it
your sin your sin will find you out
though no one on earth may discover it
you may never be caught
you may never have to pay for it here as
far as you can tell but your sin will
someday be found out no one ever commits
one sin that isn’t found out
everything that you did in the Darkness
every evil thought that you ever had is
going to be found out because it’ll all
be recorded it’s being recorded awaiting
the Judgment Day
it’s being recorded on tape machines far
more sophisticated than anything we have
it’s being recorded
even your thoughts and your sins will
find you out
and it’ll be exposed to the whole
universe
will find you out will it’s only a
question of time the word will is
definite will find you out
find perhaps you’ve deceived everyone
else your wife your family your church
your friends but the Bible says your sin
will definitely find you out a detective
at last after running away so long and
hiding so long God’s hand will come on
your shoulder and say I have found you
you’ve been found out we now know
and then thirdly there’s the slandering
fool the slandering fool he that hideth
hatred with lying lips and he that
others the slander is a fool passing
along an evil story about others
maligning other people’s character
wrecking their reputations by evil
gossip
gossiping is listed in the Bible as one
of the worst of all sins
and yet how frequent that’s done even in
circles that call themselves Christians
it’s a terrible sin in the sight of God
and God says that person is a fool
you wouldn’t think of killing a person
with a gun or a knife
but then many times we assassinate a
character or try to pull someone down or
to get even or because of jealousy by
Whispering innuendos someone told me or
he did thus and so we commit murder By
character assassination worse than
killing a man with a pistol a knife or a
club
he that others the slander the scripture
says is a fool
and then fourthly there’s the Christian
food
the Christian food remember the road to
Emmaus after Jesus Christ had died on
the cross for our sins and he had been
raised again
and remember he was appearing to the
disciples in fact 11 different
appearances after his resurrection and
this is one of them and these two
disciples won the way to Emmaus outside
of Jerusalem they were sad they were
disappointed they were disillusioned
and they were mumbling and groaning
among themselves
and another man joined them
and they didn’t recognize who he was
and he talked to them said why are you
so downcast
they said oh
we thought he was to be the Messiah
haven’t you heard all the happenings in
Jerusalem during the past week
about this Jesus who did wonderful
things we thought he was the Messiah we
thought he’d come to save the world but
he didn’t he disappointed us
they killed him on a cross and now the
third day is passing we heard rumors
that he might be raised from the dead
but we don’t accept that
and then Jesus said oh fools
your foods
then he started expounding to them the
scriptures from Moses through the
prophets as to who he really was and
then he went to spend the evening with
him and he was sitting at the meal in
their home in Emmaus
and all of a sudden their eyes were
opened and they saw it was Jesus
in other words
the Christian fool who has the word of
God in his hand who reads his testimony
and yet doubts the promises of God
Jesus said oh you fools for not
believing the scriptures that he was
going to rise from the dead and someday
he’s coming back
and then fifthly
there’s the Covetous food
and the story is told in Luke the 12th
chapter Jesus told the story about a
rich man in his barns you remember he
built his Barns and he said he was going
to retire because he had made enough
money now probably going to go to
Southern California Florida come here to
Idaho to this beautiful place and retire
he’d made enough money
and he said Soul take thine ease drink
and be merry
and that night he had a heart attack
and when he was dying there was a voice
heard from Heaven that said thou fool
this night thy soul is required of Thee
and the scripture says Jesus said so is
he that layeth up treasure for himself
and is not rich toward God
you see he tried to find happiness
in the wrong place
money
he ignored the power of influence in
that no man liveth unto himself he must
have had a family he disregarded death
he had made no provision for eternity he
had provision for his retirement how
many men and women I know who have
planned for retirement
planned everything
but they haven’t prepared to die and
they die shortly after they retire it’s
amazing
I’ve thought about that
some people announce their retirement
you read two three weeks later that they
drop dead of a heart attack
they thought they were going to have 5
or 10 or 15 or 20 years that they could
just take it easy and enjoy life
but it doesn’t always work out that way
you better be sure that you have
prepared to meet God
every person who is more concerned about
getting some of this world’s Goods
and leaving out the preparation for
eternities of food
or the person who spends their time in
social climbing or having pleasure more
than Eternal things is a fool in the
sight of God if you’re not concerned
about your home in heaven you’re not
concerned about the riches that will
never fail not concerned about laying up
treasure where moth and rust does not
corrupt and where thieves do not break
through and steal then you’re a fool
if you’d asked this man what is your
name
well he’d say my name’s the rich man
or I’m the prosperous man that you read
about or I’m an imminent man I’m a great
man in the neighborhood or I’m a famous
man my name is in the paper all the time
then ask God lord what is this man’s
name and the answer comes back fool
he’s a fool that’s his name
the rich man knew every name but the
right one
he had been called by his family name
his given name his ranks his titles his
wealth the flatteries of men
but in the sight of God his name was
thou fool
that’s all we know about him that he was
just a rich fool
that laid up Treasures on Earth but laid
up nothing for heaven
and how many of us are in the same
category you may not be rich
in the sense that this man was rich but
everybody in America is Rich compared to
Bangladesh and people that I’ve
where we’ve been in many places of the
world like in Africa or
as Victor was talking about in in
Vietnam
where he was a missionary for some years
very few of you would stir if I would
look out on this audience and say fool
come here I’d like to see you
how many of you get up and come
very few maybe nobody
but the Bible says how are they brought
into desolation as in a moment
quickly
it can all end
your dream house comes tumbling down
trouble in the family
the wealth is gone
here was a man a multi-millionaire
perhaps but standing a hand’s breath
away from his own grave
counting on everything in this life the
happiness the joy that this life could
give him and he’s called in the Bible by
Jesus of food
and then seventhly
there’s another kind of a fool of sixly
the preaching of the cross
is foolishness to them that perish
First Corinthians 1 18 but unto us which
were saved it is the power of God what
the world counts foolish we have rested
our Eternal salvation on
and when you accept Jesus Christ as your
lord and savior
turn your back on the pleasures and the
sensual lust and things of this world
people think
you’re a fool
the world that does not know Christ
looks foolish to me
why can’t they see why can’t they
understand I want to grab everybody I
see on the street and everybody we pass
everybody in the hotel I want to grab
them and say look here Christ could
change your life I see their empty faces
and I I see the I hear the hola laughter
and I see them drinking trying to drink
their themselves into some happiness
or taking the drugs in that Hollister
that they have
and I say oh if I could only just shake
them loose but you see only the Holy
Spirit can do that I cannot do the work
of the holy spirit for him the Holy
Spirit must convict them of sin he must
also lift this Veil that’s over their
minds
and so salvation is of the Lord the
Bible says
if anyone desires wisdom let him take
his place in identification with Jesus
Christ
what the world calls foolish
I’m resting my salvation arm
the Cross of Christ no matter what the
world may think of him or of me we’re
fools for Christ’s sake willing for the
world to look at us as out of our minds
willing to be accounted as the very
upscoring of the Earth because we’ve
turned to Christ
are you one of the devil’s fools
are you willing to be a fool for
Christ’s sake the Bible says in Proverbs
12 the way of a fool is right in his own
eye there is a way that seemeth right
unto man but the end thereof are the
ways of death
which road are you on
the narrow road that leads to eternal
life or the broad road that leads to
destruction you have to make a choice
the scripture says choose you this day
whom you will serve
are you going to continue to be a fool
in the sight of God
are you going to become another kind of
fool
the Christ food
that the world will call a fool
and call foolishness because you see
when you come to Christ there is a price
to pay and one of the prices you pay is
being misunderstood by some members of
your family some people in the community
some people where you work or where you
go to school
and that’s what Jesus meant when he said
come and take up the cross and follow me
you see the cross that you bear
the cross that you bear
is identification with Christ
it’s not some special sickness that you
get or some trouble you get it’s
identifying with Christ and letting
people laugh at you and being willing
for them to make sport of you if
necessary for following Christ that’s
your cross and if you’re not willing to
take that cross
you cannot be his follower he said
are you willing to take that cross
are you willing to turn your life
totally over to Christ some of us have
got one foot
in heaven
and one foot
in hell as it were one foot in the world
one foot
in the kingdom of God and we’re
straddling the fence
God does not allow fence straddlers you
can be a mugwump that’s what a mugwap is
a spence straddler God Christ does not
allow that he allows no neutrality you
can’t not be both
you must come all out
for him and you’ll find that all the way
through the Bible you’ll find it all the
way through the teachings of Jesus a
great crowd who’s following Jesus one
day
and he turned and talked to them about
the fact that he was going to die on the
cross and it said many
followed him no more
why because they couldn’t take this talk
of the cross
do you want Christ in your heart pick up
that telephone right now if you’re
watching by television
talk to that counselor make that call
and if you if it’s a busy signal call
again they’ll be there all evening
all over the country
and you can talk to somebody and receive
Christ into your heart tonight
because you see when Christ died on the
cross
it says that the crowd down below the
mob below ridiculed and laughed
and they said what a fool
you saved others but you cannot save
yourself
and Jesus was hanging there and in
heaven 72 000 Angels ten Legions Drew
their swords ready to come and rescue
him
but he said no I love them
and when he died on the cross he took
your sins
every sin that you’ve ever committed he
took on that cross he took your death
penalty for you and because he was the
son of God and because he was sinless he
could bear your sins and God has
accepted his death as a sin offering for
our sins
so that when God looks at me now he
doesn’t see Billy Graham The Sinner
I am a sinner
I have sinned
but I’ve placed my sins under the blood
of Christ
and the blood that was shed on the cross
washes my sins away
symbolically
in the sight of God
so that when God looks at me he cannot
see my sins
and God has a unique ability that you
don’t have
God can forget and it says that he
forgets your sins in other words the
tapes are erased
from the time you were born till the
time you die
because if one sin ever remained on
those tapes
you’d never make it to heaven
God is righteous and holy
and before you can get into heaven you
must be righteous too and the only way
you can get any righteousness is to be
clothed in the righteousness of Jesus
Christ and he offers you that righteous
clothing Tonight free
you don’t have to pay for it but you
have to do three things
you must repent of your sins
that means you’re willing to change your
way of life
you’re willing to change completely and
put Christ first in your life from this
moment on you may be a member of the
church you may be a Catholic a Mormon
Jewish
Protestant whatever you are
you need Christ
and you want to make that commitment I’m
not asking you to join a church tonight
a specific church I’m asking you to make
sure that your sins are forgiven and
that you’re ready for heaven
first repent second receive him by faith
into your heart
faith means trust total commitment it
means that he becomes the pilot of your
plane or he becomes the driver of your
car of your life you turn all the
decision making over to him and that’s a
wonderful thing you trust him for your
salvation and then the third thing
you’re willing to obey him
study the scriptures and pray and Obey
him and do what he says and be his
follower no matter what the cost
I’m going to ask you to make that
commitment tonight
I’m going to ask you to do what we’ve
seen
hundreds of people at each service do so
far I’m going to ask you to get up out
of your seat
and come and stand in front of the
platform and say by coming I want to
make that commitment I want to know my
sins are forgiven I want to know the
sentence of death has been lifted I want
to know I’m going to heaven
why do I ask you to come forward
publicly because Jesus said if you’re
not willing to acknowledge me before men
I’ll not acknowledge you before my
Father which is in heaven Jesus said now
is the of the scripture says now is the
accepted time today is the day of
salvation nowhere in the Bible does it
promise that there’ll ever be a tomorrow
for you
it’s tonight I believe there are
hundreds of people here tonight that may
never have this moment again in your
whole life in which you’re so close to
the kingdom of God
just get up and come fathers mothers
young people hundreds of you you want
Christ in your heart tonight you want to
make that commitment you get up and come
quickly
as people are coming forward here at the
Coliseum you make that telephone call
right now the number is on your screen
and counselors are standing by ready to
help you
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is
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as hundreds are responding to Mr
Graham’s invitation to make a public
commitment to Jesus Christ you can make
that same commitment right where you are
just pick up the phone and call the
number you see on your screen
special friends are waiting to talk with
you and pray with you about this most
important decision
you that are watching by television can
see that here in Boise Idaho many people
are coming to make this commitment to
Christ tonight
you can make that commitment right now
where you are you may be in a bar room
you may be in a nightclub you may be in
a hotel room you may be in your living
room or in your bedroom
just say yes to Christ and let him come
into your heart
as you can see men and women and boys
and girls from all over the Coliseum
have come forward tonight to commit
their heart and Life to Jesus Christ
this is also a time of decision for many
of you
until then this is Cliff Barrow speaking
for Billy Graham and every member of the
team saying goodbye and may God richly
bless you
if you just prayed that prayer with my
father or if you have any questions
about a relationship with Jesus Christ
I’ll 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
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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
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