Transcription
I'm going to ask this vast audience if you can sit patiently for just a few more minutes. Be as quiet as you can. Thousands of people have driven here for many, many miles. In fact, people have come here from the West Coast, from the South, from the East Coast, from all over America to attend this service today. And I think that all of us should be quiet. No one moving. Sit where you are. There's a wonderful breeze, even though it's hot, and it's getting cooler all the time as we go into the late afternoon. What a lovely day this is. And I told a lot of you to bring your umbrellas for rain, but I'm glad you brought them for the sun instead.
Now, today I want you to turn with me for our last message to the 28th verse of the 26th chapter of the book of Acts. The 26th chapter of Acts and the 28th verse, if you have your Bibles. And I hope you brought your Bibles. Here's a very important passage in the book of Acts. Then Agrippa said unto Paul, "Almost thou persuaded me to become a Christian." Almost thou persuaded me to become a Christian.
I want you to get the picture in this passage of Scripture. The Apostle Paul is a prisoner. He is a prisoner of Rome, and he is on trial for his very life. And the Apostle Paul had been brought before King Agrippa, and he had been accused of various things and infringement on the law. At this time of history, Rome was beginning her decline as an empire. In 1887, Edward Gibbon wrote *The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire*. And Rome was a striking parallel to America today, a leader in world affairs, but her leadership was threatened. Rich and prosperous, with an economy that defied collapse, her armies were respected by the nations of the world. But Rome fell. Boulton, clever, sophisticated, shrewd, Rome fell to the barbarian hordes that had far less of material things than Rome had. These pendants from the north were a dedicated, disciplined, hard, atheistic people. And the Romans used to laugh at their ignorance, superstition, and lack of military equipment. And Mr. Gibbon's proved that Rome did not fall because of military superiority of the barbarians. It was internal decadence within the Roman culture.
First, he said, the rapid increase of divorce. Our nation never falls until it starts to decay at the center. And the heart of any nation is the home, which is the core of society. And this infringed on the seventh commandment, which says, "Thou shalt not commit adultery." And we in America have gone on a sex binge that has no parallel in history. And we are guilty as Rome was guilty. Our homes are breaking, our divorce rates are high.
Secondly, Mr. Gibbon said, it was the high rate of taxes, spending public money for free bread and circuses for the populace. The average American has no conception of the disaster that lies ahead with our continued deficit spending.
Thirdly, there's the mad craze for pleasure, said Mr. Gibbon. Four times as much spent for pleasure in America as for religious and welfare benevolence. Our annual tobacco bill exceeds the amount of money spent on education. And Rome, on the decline, demanded more artificial stimulation and more exciting and brutal sports, just as we are doing in the United States today.
Fourthly, Mr. Gibbon said, the decline of Rome was caused by the building of gigantic armaments. Now, we have to have armies. We have to have a defense program in the world in which we live. But we shouldn't trust in it. To say this, I tell you that our armaments alone, without faith in God, will not save us, no matter how powerful they become.
And fifthly, Mr. Gibbon said, the decay of religion. To the rank and file, religion had faded into mere form. It had lost its relevance to life. It held no central legions to the people. And today in America, we have millions going to church, but no deep commitment to Christ, no deep commitment to God, no all-out for Jesus Christ on the part of millions of church members. We play it religious. We serve God with our lips, but our hearts are far from Him.
Here we find the Apostle Paul in the midst of a great empire, preaching this new gospel of Jesus Christ. And in the midst of a declining empire, an empire that is soon to collapse. Paul is going from place to place, preaching Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Paul said, "I'm determined to know nothing among you save Jesus Christ and Him crucified." The Apostle Paul said, "There's only one hope for Rome. There's only one hope for the world, and that is Jesus Christ dying on a cross." But the people of that day laughed. They sneered. They mocked. They made fun. And when you preach the gospel today, people still say that it's impossible. It cannot save the world. But I tell you, the gospel of Jesus Christ is our only hope at this hour.
And on this occasion, the Apostle Paul is brought before King Agrippa. And Paul was pleading his case before the king. The king had come in all the pomp and splendor. All the people had gathered around. The officers, the admirals of the navy, the generals of the army, the officials of state were there. And here is this little man, Paul, this great intellect that had sold everything he had for Jesus Christ, stands in front of the king. And the king said, "Paul, you may speak." And when Paul had finished his sermon that day, the king said, "Almost thou persuaded me to commit my life to Jesus Christ." And Paul said, "I would to God that whether in a short or long, thou mightest not only be bound, but also all that hear me this day." Wherefore, as I am altogether, you and I may revolt against the Word of God. We may challenge the call to our conscience. But sooner or later, the question of faith will be demanded of us. Paul said to Agrippa, "Do you believe?" Believe is so. And Agrippa said, "I almost believe. I've almost entered the kingdom of God."
And so we find two men. One, the Apostle Paul, who says, "I know in whom I have believed." And here's King Agrippa saying, "I've almost believed. I'm almost in the kingdom, but not quite." What was it that almost persuaded Agrippa that day? Here was Agrippa on the thin edge of capitulation. It was only one step from one side to the other. The scales of decision were almost even. Why was Agrippa almost persuaded? What caused him to stop and think?
First, because Agrippa already believed in God. There are thousands of you here today that you believe in God intellectually. You say there's a God. In your heart, you know there's a God. Your conscience tells you there's a God. But you're not quite in the kingdom of God. You haven't really committed yourself to Christ. Intellectually, you say yes, but you haven't committed everything you have to Jesus Christ, and you're not in the kingdom of God. This is the tragedy of this crusade. There are thousands of people all over Illinois and all over the Midwest that believe in God, but that's not enough. You've never come to the point in your life when you've repented of your sins and received Christ. You're almost persuaded to believe, but not quite.
Secondly, Agrippa was almost persuaded because he just heard the gospel declared. And that's the fishing reason for any man. There, hearing of the gospel, immediately constitutes a moral obligation to the hearer. When I go to a university campus, students are always asking the question, "Well, what about the heathen? Where did Cain get his wife?" That's none of my business. That's not your business. That's God's business. But let me tell you this, your problem is far more serious. You've heard the gospel of Jesus Christ proclaimed and preached, and you haven't done anything about it. And your responsibility is ten thousand times more than a man that lives in Russia that has never heard the gospel explained. And God will hold you responsible at the judgment for more than a man living in the heart of China who never heard. Paul stood that day and he said to King Agrippa, "King Agrippa, Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins, O King. Majesty, in respect to you, sir, I say that you are a sinner. Whether you're a king or whether you're a pope, whether you're educated or uneducated, you've sinned against God. You need to repent of your sins, and Jesus Christ died publicly and openly on a cross for you. And unless you come to have an encounter with Him, you will be lost. O King Agrippa, I wish you would come to Christ." Oh, the courage of Paul! The fullness that the Holy Spirit gave Paul that day to upon his finger at the king and say, "Come to God." Die. Stand here today as a servant of the Living God, not to preach my message, not to preach my thoughts. I'm praying even while I speak to you that God will give me the words to say to you that will cause you not only to be almost in the kingdom of God, but will it cause you this day to decide to cross over that thin line and say yes to Jesus Christ and let Him change and transform your life and give you a new dimension of living. Yes, he heard the gospel proclaimed, and his responsibility was tremendous.
Thirdly, he was almost persuaded because he had the example of Paul's conversion. He had a living example of a changed life. Paul used to fight Christ. He used to persecute the Christians. He put them in jail. He murdered them. He did all sorts of things. And one day he was going along the road to Damascus, and he was struck down by a blinding light. And he said, "Lord, who is it?" And He said, "I am Jesus whom you persecute." And that day, this brilliant intellectual man was converted on a dusty road to Damascus. I tell you, conversion can take place in a minute. Conversion can take place right here and now in your heart. You don't have to wait till you get to church. You don't have to wait till you get home. It can take place right now in the quietness of your heart, right where you sit. You can say, "Yes, Lord Jesus, I receive You. I trust You." Your life will be changed. Your name will be written in the book of life. Your sins will be forgiven. You can know that you're going to heaven. Agrippa, so the change in Paul's life. Agrippa, believed in God. He heard the gospel preached. He saw the change in Paul's life, and he was almost persuaded to commit himself to Christ, but he didn't do it.
Why did not Agrippa come to Christ? For the same reasons that many of you don't come to Christ. First, he might have thought that his way was good enough. Just like a lot of you. The Bible says there is a way that seemeth right unto man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. I had a man that said to me, said, "Well, I'm sincere. And if I live a sincere life, that's enough." No, it's not enough. I told the folks the other night that I saw a man pick up a football once and run 65 yards, and see a man, but he ran the wrong way and lost the game. You can be sincere and be wrong. Many of you say, "Well, I follow my conscience," or you say, "I live up to the Sermon on the Mount," or "The Golden Rule is my religion." But you don't live up to the Golden Rule, the Sermon on the Mount. You don't live up to that. You failed it. You've sinned. And even if you lived up to it, it wouldn't be enough. Jesus turned to Nicodemus and said, "You must be born again." Yes, he might have thought that his way was good enough, but in God's sight, it's not good enough. The road to heaven is narrow. The Bible says the road to hell is broad, and Jesus said, "Many there be that go therein."
Agrippa might also have feared public opinion. He began to ask himself, "What would Caesar say? What would his sister Bernice say? What would his friend say?" And he couldn't pay the price. He feared the cynical, criticizing tongue of man more than he desired the approval of God. And that's your trouble. You're afraid of what people sitting next to you will think if you get up out of your seat and come and receive Christ today. The fear of man is a snare to you. You're afraid to get up out of your seat and declare yourself open there for Christ. You're afraid of what people will say. You're afraid to go back to your office tomorrow morning and tell them that you've become a Christian. You're afraid to go back to your home and say to your wife, "Honey, I've been wrong. I'm sorry for the things I've done to you. I have received Christ, and I'm going to live a different life."
And thirdly, he might have had sin that he would not give up. And that keeps many people from Christ. The sin of pride. Maybe you don't want to give up that woman that you've been going to see that's not your wife. Maybe you don't want to give up that lust in your heart. Maybe you don't want to give up the cheating and the lying that's gaining you some extra money. Maybe you don't want to give up some of those things that you've been doing that are wrong. Agrippa was convicted of the fact that he had sinned against God, and he was holding on to his sins. He didn't want to give them up.
Or he might have postponed the decision. He said, "I'm almost persuaded, Paul, but some of the time." Because that's what Felix the governor had said. Felix the governor said, "In a more convenient time, I'll call on you, Paul." But he never called. The Bible says, "Now is the day. Today is the day of salvation." The Bible says, "Come while you can." You may not have another moment like this. When will you ever see a crowd this great gathered to hear the gospel? When will you ever have a moment like this to come to Christ? As you do at this hour, give your life to Christ while you can. The Bible says, "He that hardeneth his heart, being often reproved, shall suddenly be cut off, and that without remedy." The Bible says, "My Spirit will not always strive with man." You can't come to Christ anytime you want to. You can't just get up out of your seat anytime and come. You can only come when the Spirit of God draws you. You can only come to Christ at a moment when God has prepared your heart and when the gospel has been proclaimed, and you receive Him as your Savior. Yes, Agrippa decided to postpone. But Shakespeare said, "There's a tide in the affairs of men which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune." There's so tired in the affairs of man. I don't believe many of you came here today by accident. I believe every person that is here at this hour was sent here by God. It was designed in heaven that you should be here at this very hour, sitting on this hot day, listening to the gospel and having an opportunity to receive Christ and enter the kingdom of heaven. And you may never have another hour like this as long as you live. This is your moment with God. I'm going to ask you to come and receive Him in a moment.
How could Agrippa enter the kingdom of God? First, by repentance of sin. Either choice you make, it'll cost you something. If you remain almost persuaded, it'll be very costly. It'll mean hell and judgment. But if you come totally to Christ, it'll cost you your sin. You're going to have to pay a price. Whatever your decision today, every one of you that I hear have a decision to make before you leave here. It'll be yes. I know if it's yes, it'll cost you your sins, because you have to change your way of living. If it's no, it'll cost you peace of heart, peace of mind, forgiveness of sin, heaven. Either way, you have to pay a price. Which decision is yours? Yes or no? Oh, I know that many of you are church members, maybe most of you, but you've never really come to Christ. I was a member of a church for four years before I ever really came to Christ. I'm asking you today to commit and surrender your life and your heart to Him as you've never done before in your life.
Not only did he have to repent of sin, but Agrippa would have had to turn to God. It is not so much "How shall I find God?" but "Where God is to be found." In a certain direction. And Agrippa was told to turn in that direction. God is in the opposite direction from which mankind is moving. Conversion isn't about faith; it's going in the opposite direction. The world today is eating and drinking and making merry. The Bible says you will have to come out of the world. The Bible says you'll have to turn and go the opposite direction. And when you go home, and go back to your office, and go back to your work, it's going to be difficult. There'll be frictions and problems and difficulties of a thousand sorts. But the Bible says Christ will be with you. The Holy Spirit will live within, and He will give you power and produce in your life the fruit of the Spirit, which is love, joy, and peace. You can have dominion over sin. You can have a new power that you've never known. You can look sin in the face and say, "Sin, you shall no longer conquer me." By giving your life to Christ, but you will have to repent of sin and turn to God. And that can happen right here today.
What did it cost Agrippa to remain almost persuaded? It cost him pardon of his sins. It cost him peace of heart. It cost the life of what it calls him the prospect of heaven. Did it pay Agrippa to remain almost? No. Where is almost Agrippa today? We hardly ever hear of it. Where is all together Paul? The man that said, "I'm all together for Christ." Paul's name is mentioned wherever Christians gather anywhere in the world, and someday we shall see him in heaven. Agrippa said, "Almost thou persuade me to be a Christian." And there are thousands of you here this afternoon that are almost in the kingdom of God, almost persuaded, just about ready to step over the line, but not quite. I'm going to ask you to step over the line.
This past week, our minister in this city came to see me. He said, "Mr. Graham, he said, 'I am a, I believe I'm a Christian. I'm a graduate of one of the finest theological schools in the world. I'm the pastor of a great church in Chicago.'" But he said, "I've been sitting here night after night, and he said, 'The Holy Spirit has made me so miserable because he said, I really am not sure that I've had an encounter with Christ. I've known for years that I was preaching beyond my experience.'" And he said, "I want you to know, I want to know if you will bow and pray with me and let me call this the moment of my conversion. I want a date. I want a moment when I can say, 'This was the moment I crossed over the line.'" We got on our knees, and he got up from his knees with a smile on his face, tears running down his cheeks. He said, "Next Sunday morning, the congregation will have a new minister." Jesus said to Nicodemus, a professor of theology, "You must be born again."
Today, in a church in this town, an invitation was given this morning. Down the aisle walked a gangster in this city. He fell in the front and he said, "God have mercy upon me." When he left here today to come out to the meeting, he had a smile on his face, and he said, "For the first time in years, I have peace in my heart. I believe God is forgiving my sin." The other night, down the aisle at McCormick Place, there came a young fellow that's the head of a gang in this city. And he handed to one of our men his pistol, his knife, and his razor, and he said, "I'm changing my life. I give my life to Christ from this hour on. I want to trust Him." The other day, one of the leading socialites of the North Shore in the Chicago area got up out of his seat at McCormick Place and came forward. That night, he went home. He said to his wife, "Honey, you've got a new husband." I wonder if you'll pray with me. She nearly fainted. She thought he was drunk. They got out the Bible, he read the Bible, and then he got on his knees. He didn't know how to pray, but he prayed. And she said, "We have a new home."
The other night at McCormick Place, down the aisle came a husband. On the other side came a woman. They had been divorced two years ago. Neither of them knew that the other one was there. They met in the front. We've seen that happen in several campaigns. They met in the front, they received Christ together, and they're getting remarried. That's what Christ can do. I've seen young people who are valedictorians of their high school classes. I've seen college students come here by the hundreds to receive Jesus Christ as their Savior and have their lives transformed. I'm asking you today to surrender your heart and your life to Jesus Christ and say, "Today, I want my life changed. I want my sins forgiven."
But some of you will remain almost like Agrippa, and you'll never come. In fact, you're closer to the kingdom of God today than you'll ever be in your whole life. You'll never have an hour like this again in your entire life. This is it. And if you don't come today, you may never come. I'm asking you right now to come because the Bible says that in the day of judgment, God did not spare the angels that sinned. And God loved the angels. He made the angels, but He didn't spare them. And God did not spare Israel when Israel sinned. And God did not even spare the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah when they sinned. God did not spare the ancient world. And when Christ was on the cross, God could have rescued Him, but He didn't do it. He was dying in your place, in my place, shedding His blood for us. And the Bible says God spared not His own Son. And at the day of judgment, if you reject Christ this day, I declare unto you, unless you come to a point of repentance and faith, He will not spare you. He loves you. He offers you forgiveness. He offers you grace. But if you reject it, if you spurn it, there is no other way.
Jesus Christ was raised from the dead. He is a living Savior. I offer you a living Christ who wants to walk into your life and take control. It's like an airliner that is flying up in the skies. We've seen several fly over this afternoon. The pilot is out of control, and a captain who knows the plane comes and takes over. He wants to be the pilot of your boat. He wants to take you through the shows. He wants to take you through the storms of life and guide and direct you. And you stay, "Well, I'm almost ready, but not quite." Agrippa was almost. Paul said, "I'm all together." I want to ask you today to be all together, all out, 100% for Christ.
And here's what I'm going to ask you to do. I'm going to ask that not a person leave, please, not at this very important moment. And I'm going to ask hundreds of you to get up out of your seat right now. Just get up out of your seat. And I want you to go forward, down the steps, and stand on the track in front of where you are now seated. Don't come here, but just on the track in front of where you're seated. You won't be far from your friends or your relatives or whoever you're with. I want you to get up. And these people that are down here in front, you get up and come right here in front of the platform and say, "Today, I want to declare myself for Christ. I want to openly acknowledge. I want Him to forgive my sins. I want a new life. I want to receive Him as my Savior." I want you to get up all over the place for the hundred men, women, young people. Now, I'm going to ask you to get up right now and come and stand. You say, "Why is this so important?" Jesus could have said to the man with the withered arm, "Be healed," but He didn't do it. He said, "Stretch it forth." He wanted the man to do something as evidence of his faith. I'm going to ask you to do something. Stretch forth your life right now to Christ and receive Him. I know it's hot, but I'm going to ask you to come right now. If you're not willing to confess Him publicly, He will not confess you before His Father which is in heaven.
Now, I'm going to ask the audience to bow their heads. Just get up out of your seat and come right down on the track right now. I know it'll take a couple moments to do it, but don't you let anything keep you from Christ. Don't you leave here almost, but not quite. You come right down on the track. People are already coming from everywhere now. You come. The choir will sing softly. Nobody leaving, please, because you'll fill the aisles if you start leaving, and people cannot come, and you should not be a hindrance to people who want to come. Christians, I want you to pray. You can bring people with you. Bring somebody to Christ today. What a way to help win someone. Husband and wife can join hands and come together. Whole families can come right now. You come as thousands bow their heads all over the place and pray, and the choir sings softly. You may be a member of the church. You may not be a member of any church, but you need to make sure you want Christ in your heart. You come right now.
[Music]
[Music]
Just come and stand right in front of where you are.
[Music]
Mr. Pyatt informs me that they had prepared to have all of you come here in front of the platform. And if you would like to come and stand here in front of the platform with these many that are coming, you get up and come and join them here at the platform. There'll be plenty of time for you to go back and join your friends, but you come either in front where you are, in front of the steps there, or down here, one of the two. But come. And counselors, you can go back if you like to all of these places around so that we have counselors all the way around. But you come from the stands and everywhere. Hundreds of people are coming. This is your moment and your hour with God. Don't you miss it.
This is a historic rally in Chicago, and you come. It's been about three hours since the benediction was pronounced, and I've come back here to Soldier Field to talk to you. When the appeal was given, about 2,000 people came forward to receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Now the stadium is empty. The breeze is blowing. I think this afternoon was the hottest that I have ever preached in, the sense of temperature, because the temperature in the stadium was just about a hundred. And I don't think I ever came and in Europe passing out during a sermon. I remember I sort of almost held onto the pulpit one time and found myself quoting a verse of scripture. I don't know whether you could sense that when you were watching on your screen, but that didn't do away with the burden upon our hearts for the people here in Chicago.
And now we come to the end of this great crusade. We've come to the end of these five telecasts across America. These telecasts have been carried on over a hundred and sixty stations, more than we have ever carried before. We took this as a gigantic step of faith. We are depending on your support and your prayers. I hope you write to us and let us know that you're standing with us. But more important is your own personal relationship to Jesus Christ.
This afternoon, I talked on Agrippa almost being persuaded to follow Christ. Some of you during this week have almost been persuaded to give your life to Jesus Christ, but you haven't done it. You're sitting down in the quietness of your home. You may be in a bar. You may be in some unique place that I don't even know about, watching right now. And God has spoken to you as you've seen the great crowd and as you heard the sermon and heard the singing. The Spirit of God spoke to your heart. The Bible teaches that we have two sets of ears. You have physical ears, but you also have ears in your soul. And while I was speaking here this afternoon, God was speaking to your soul. And as this stadium is empty now, your own heart is empty, and yet Christ is willing to come in and fill it, to bring you a peace, a joy, and a satisfaction that you've never known before. But more than that, to adopt you into His family. You become a child of God. The Bible teaches that history is going to a definite objective, and that objective is the reign of Jesus Christ. His kingdom is ultimately going to triumph, as I talked about the other night. And you can be a part of it. And the decision, the stepping over the line, can be right now as you give your heart and your life to Jesus Christ.
But just as Agrippa neglected or refused to repent and turn to God, so many of you are in danger of doing the same. But I'm going to ask you right now to do it. You don't have to be here in this big stadium. There's nothing about the mechanics of coming forward that saves anybody. So coming forward is an open acknowledgment and a testimony of an inward experience that you have with Christ. But this inward experience with Christ, this encounter, is the most important thing, and that could happen to you right now, wherever you are, whatever your condition, whatever your circumstances.
Oh, but you say, "Billy, I'm really too great a sinner. I, I've just been too bad. I've done too many things. I'm too big a hypocrite." No, you're not too much a sinner. There's no sin too bad but what Christ can forgive. When He died on that cross, He was dying for you. He took your place. Your sins were put on Him, not just the sins of this big crowd that we had today at Soldier Field, but your sin, your own sins were placed on Him. And now, if by faith you will receive Him into your heart, He will forgive them sins. And then you can know something of the power of His own resurrection. The same power that raised up Jesus Christ from the dead is available to you right now to help you live a new life, if you will put your confidence and your faith in Him. And as you saw these people come forward this afternoon, so in your heart, you can come forward right now. You don't have to be in a church or a stadium. Just now, you can make you a commitment to Christ.
I remember when I came forward to receive Christ. I remember that the newspaper the next day said that not very much happened, perhaps an emotional experience. But did you know from that one group of people that came forward that night, I know eleven men in the ministry right now? We never know what happens to one person coming to Jesus Christ. Your life can be transformed and changed. Perhaps you won't sense this change so much until the next year or two years, but as you read your Bible and pray and witness for Christ and get into the church, you will be able to sense a tremendous transformation. And if you make you a decision now, go talk to your minister. Goodbye, and may the Lord bless you.