Billy Graham--Daily Devotional for February

[trukinlady]

Do you feel like you can't pray anymore? Have you ever felt as if you have run out of prayers?

In 1 Kings 19:1-8, Elijah felt much the same way.
We pick up the story of Elijah just after God had vindicated him by fire on Mt. Carmel in front of the prophets of Baal. But now Jezebel has vowed to kill Elijah, and the contrast is incredible. The Bible says, “Elijah was afraid and fled for his life” and ran away to collapse under a broom tree (1 Kings 19:3).
Imagine Elijah as exhausted, lonely, angry, and afraid.

Have Christians ever had a “broom tree experience?” What took us there? Have we ever run away because we were afraid?

When we run into fear, we can inhibit our faith. Fear seems to paralyze us. We can go from faith to fear and end up under a broom tree waiting to die.

But such fear is never final for God's children. It might look and feel as such, but it can lead to a whole new dimension of ministry and experience in prayer.

What Fear Does to Faith

Doubt is faith in distress, and it is very hard to pray when you are doubting God.

The Bible says, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6).
Elijah couldn’t see God anymore, but worse, he could see Jezebel very clearly. And she looked so much bigger than God.

There are two ways of looking at a problem. You can look at your problem through God, or you can look at God through your problem. Put God in front of the problem, and it is insignificant. But if you put God behind the problem, then it seems to dominate everything.


What God’s Presence Does for Us

Do you find it hard to tell God how you feel? Have you ever told God that you’ve had enough?
The first thing to do if you arrive under the broom tree is give yourself permission to collapse. Elijah simply said, “God, I’ve had it!”

Think of a parent dealing with a child who is extremely upset. If only we can get the child talking, we can do something to resolve the issue. God feels like that about His children. It is not that He needs information, just dialogue. It is for our sake, not His, that we tell Him how we feel.
The Lord Jesus never tired of inviting, encouraging, exhorting, even commanding people—especially His disciples—to pray. Luke 18:1 “Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart”.

If you are under the broom tree, that is very hard to do, but at these times, we are not praying intercessory prayers. These are prayers of desperation. Keep talking to the Lord, even if you are mad at Him or doubting His very existence.

1 Kings 19:5-7 says God was there with Elijah in the person of the angel of the Lord. God is always present and waiting to help His exhausted children.

Jesus promised that a sparrow would not fall to the ground without the Father knowing it-- Matthew 10:29.
God is never surprised by our visits to the broom tree. Knowing all things, He waits to strengthen us by the appropriate means, just as He waited for Elijah and had a meal prepared for him. In your broom tree situation, have you sensed an “angel of the Lord’s presence?”

Every time we pray, His presence is as much with us as He was with Elijah through His Holy Spirit. In fact, He dwells within us!

What the Broom Tree Gives to Us

Broom tree experiences introduce us to a new way of praying. It’s not verbal praying but rather total abandonment of ourselves at God’s feet. It is a silent scream for help, in despair. Sometimes we cannot even shout at God. We are spent.

When you run out of prayers, God still hears you. Even though no words are formed, God looks at you and sees the spiritual language of your heart. At that moment, you are the pray-er. So be content just to be a desperate pray-er under your particular broom tree and wait and see what happens.

You may wonder how long you’ll be there. You’ll remain there as long as it takes for you to be strengthened.
Once Elijah was off and running again, God went ahead of him, preparing his future.

If you’re not at the broom tree right now, you may be someday and there is probably someone else there right now. Pray right now for people under the broom tree. Then, pray and ask God about your own pressures, loneliness and exhaustion. Is there a broom tree ahead of you? Spend some time in prayer.

The journey can be great for all of us, for all sorts of reasons. Maybe you have been left to care for a sick person for far too long, with no relief. Or you have been in school and also working to support a family and have burned out. Maybe you have been in a wilderness spiritually, with little or no fellowship for quite some time. There are all sorts of reasons that we may run out of our prayers. Yet, if that happens, God has only just begun!

As Elijah was to find out, God gives more grace, more help, more joy, more hope and more strength to all of us in our weakness than He ever does when we are strong. We just need to believe it.
2 Corinthians 12:9 And He said to me, “My Grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

It was the Lord Jesus--King of Kings and Lord of Lords--who came to Elijah’s aid, and He will fight for us against all our enemies, even the enemies called desperation and depression.

 

[trukinlady]

Jesus likened the gift of the Holy Spirit to a well of living water, which He said would spring up within us and lead to eternal life. Like water to parched ground, the Holy Spirit offers refreshment and help to our weary souls. Jesus offers this water in abundance to all who are thirsty and willing to come to Him and drink.

Just read Jesus’ invitation at the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles: “On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him’” (John 7:37-39).

Jesus promised not merely a stream, but streams. All who drink would have their own artesian well within them. He calls with a loud voice to all who are weary of empty religion, to all who are weary of worldly pursuits.

This gift of the Spirit is given to the thirsty: “If anyone is thirsty.” Those who are spiritually thirsty know the difference between being satisfied with God and being satisfied with the empty watering holes of the world. Tragically, some think they are not thirsty because they eke out a bit of satisfaction from the stagnant streams of sensuality and personal ambition. They do not know that they were born with a raging thirst that only Jesus can satisfy.

The woman who encountered Christ at the well had been married five times and was now living with a sixth man who was not her husband. She could neither depend on a husband nor her friends for comfort and hope. But Christ offered her living water that would spring up to eternal life (John 4:14). She would have inner resources that would bring cleansing to her troubled conscience and help her cope with the pain of her failed marital relationships.

Jesus introduced the ministry of the Holy Spirit to His disciples before His death. They had come to depend on Jesus for everything, and when He announced that He was leaving them, they felt abandoned. Jesus would not be with them to answer their questions, to teach them or to offer solutions to the challenges of their daily lives. They had come to love Him deeply and His absence would be keenly felt.

Jesus gave them this reassurance: “And I will ask the Father and He will give you another Helper that He may abide with you forever ... I will not leave you as orphans. I will come to you” (John 14:18). The disciples would not be orphaned; in fact, thanks to the gift of the Spirit, Jesus in effect promised, “I’ll be closer to you than I’ve ever been before.” That promise was fulfilled by the gift of the Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity.

What is your need today? Is it for companionship? The Holy Spirit is with you. Is it for comfort? The Holy Spirit stands ready to help. Do you need an advocate? He is ready to plead your case. And, if your sorrow is so deep that you do not know how to pray, the Holy Spirit will intercede with groaning that is too deep for words (Romans 8:26).

Many Christians entertain false ideas about the Holy Spirit. For example, there are those who think that the Spirit indwells only some Christians but not others. Be assured that all Christians are indwelt by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9, 1 Corinthians 6:19). The indwelling Spirit seals us until the day of redemption and is a guarantee that we are God’s children, assuring us that we will be taken safely to Heaven (Ephesians 1:14, 5:30). However, we will not experience the Spirit’s life and power if we grieve Him with sin that we are neither willing to confess nor forsake.

Although all believers are indwelt by the Spirit, not all believers are filled with the Spirit. To be filled with the Spirit means that we are experiencing the Holy Spirit’s gentle guidance and control in our lives. To be filled with the Spirit means that the Spirit is reproducing His fruit within us. We should never think that the filling of the Spirit is just for those Christians who are the spiritually elite. I like to tell people that the Spirit is not just given to those who “have it all together” but to the rest of us so that we might be able to “get it all together.” The filling of the Spirit is for the most discouraged, failing Christian, but in order for us to enjoy the Spirit’s ministry, we must meet some basic conditions.

We are warned to keep our temple clean through confession of sin and submission to God (1 Corinthians 6:19). Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, and He wants the key to the hidden closets of our hearts. We must not grieve the Spirit by allowing conditions to develop in our hearts that force the Holy Spirit to coexist with unconfessed sin. No one can exaggerate the suffering the Holy Spirit experiences when living in a temple that is unclean. He is grieved because He loves us and knows the damage sin does in our lives. When He is grieved, He does not feel at home in our hearts; His ministry to us is quenched.

To experience the Spirit’s fullness we also need faith. A preacher of another era, F.B. Meyer, told how desperately he sought the filling of the Holy Spirit. He knew he was indwelt by the Spirit, but he could not seem to receive the Spirit’s help for ministry. He said he left a meeting and was walking wearily through the night praying, seeking what he lacked. He said, “Lord, if there is anyone who needs the filling of the Spirit it is I. But I am too tired, too nervously run down to agonize; too weary to tarry, and yet I need the Spirit’s refreshment so desperately.”

Then he said it was as if he heard a voice saying, “As you took forgiveness from the hand of the dying Christ, so you may take the refreshment of the Spirit from the hands of the ascended Christ.” Then in simple faith, he said, “I then took for the first time and have been taking ever since.” We receive the benefits of the cross by faith; we also receive the benefits of the ascension by faith, namely, the fullness of the Spirit.

Don’t think that the Holy Spirit needs to be coaxed to control us. He desires to control us, for that is why He indwells us! He longs to reproduce the life of God within us; He wants to create a holy dwelling place within our souls. There is no reluctance on His part, but there is reluctance on our part because of our unwillingness to part with our sin.

Years ago when archaeologists entered the pyramids, they discovered grain that was 4,000 years old. Yet, incredibly, when they planted it, it grew! The life was present during those centuries, but it did not have the proper conditions to sprout. In warm sunshine and moist soil, the hard shell softened and the life began to grow. When the water of the Spirit and the sunshine of God’s Word combine in our lives, the result is that the life of the Spirit begins to become active within us.

Today the Holy Spirit invites us, saying in effect, “I will develop a sensitive relationship with you; I will help you to walk; I will help you to cope; I will help you through your trial; I will refresh your spirit.” This invitation is for all who have come to know Christ personally. Are you willing? The Spirit is!

No one who has ever walked through a desert says, “One good drink of water is enough for the week!” No, when you are trekking through the desert you need water daily, hourly. When D.L. Moody was asked why he had to be filled with the Spirit so often he said simply, “Because I leak.”

How often do we have to drink of the Spirit? As often as we thirst; as often as we have a need; as often as we leak. Let us come to Christ, not with a cup but with a bucket—believing that He will give us the refreshment He promised.

by Erwin Lutzer

Erwin W. Lutzer has been senior pastor of The Moody Church in Chicago since 1980; he is the featured speaker on the church’s three radio broadcasts—“Running to Win,” “Songs in the Night” and “Moody Church Hour”—and is the author of more than 20 books.

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[trukinlady]

By Billy Graham

Jeremiah said, “For thus says the Lord God of Israel to me: ‘Take this wine cup of fury from My hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send you, to drink it. And they will drink and stagger and go mad because of the sword that I will send among them.’ Then I took the cup from the Lord’s hand, and made all the nations drink” (Jeremiah 25:15-17).

The question comes to us: Has the world been given this drink already? Throughout much of the world there is a defiance of authority, a revolt against law and order, an ungoverned passion to kill.

Today, when we have the highest literacy rates in history and when universities and colleges are crowded with students, the words of Jeremiah the prophet come ringing in our ears once again: “Thus says the Lord, ‘Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man glory in his might, Nor let the rich man glory in his riches; 
But let him who glories glory in this, 
That he understands and knows Me, 
That I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,’ says the Lord” (Jeremiah 9:23-24).

With all his knowledge and wisdom, man seemingly cannot solve his problems. I want to rush out into the streets and shout with Solomon of old, “Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil” (Proverbs 3:7). I want to remind people that “there is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death” (Proverbs 14:12).

The Bible teaches that there are two kinds of wisdom. First, there is a wisdom that is God-given, a wisdom that, after the mind of Christ, views life in terms of eternity.

Of this wisdom the Scripture says, “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy” (James 3:17).

This God-given wisdom is not brash, cynical or high-minded. Its roots are in Christ, and it is characterized by reverence, meekness and faith.

It is the kind of wisdom Solomon referred to when he said, “Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding” (Proverbs 4:7). Godly wisdom pulls all the meaningless pieces of life together and makes them fit. This is what we call understanding.

But worldly wisdom is entirely different. It is cunning, clever, subtle and designing. It schemes, connives and is motivated by animal instincts. A person may have an earned doctorate from the finest university and yet be lacking in basic understanding of the events that are transpiring round about us.

The Bible warns about this kind of wisdom. Isaiah the prophet wrote, “Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes” (Isaiah 5:21). Also, “Therefore the Lord said … ‘For the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, And the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidden.’ Woe to those who seek deep to hide their counsel far from the Lord, And their works are in the dark; 
They say, ‘Who sees us?’ and, ‘Who knows us?’” (Isaiah 29:14-15).

Jeremiah had been given wisdom from God to understand the events of his day. He lived in the midst of a people who were intellectually wise, but they fumbled their God-given opportunity. They laughed at Jeremiah’s warnings. His preaching was not in the intellectual context of his day. It was filled with pessimism and warnings of judgment. He refused to be intimidated or to tickle the ears of his hearers.

The people called him a fanatic and refused to listen. They had forsaken the God of their fathers, and now they were paying the penalty for their folly. They were now slaves and servants of an enemy people.

Jeremiah said, “For my people are foolish, they know me not; they are stupid children, they have no understanding. They are skilled in doing evil, but how to do good they know not” (Jeremiah 4:22 RSV).

Skilled in doing evil—what a picture of the modern person, with his vast array of scientific progress, his genius for organization, his mechanical skill, his unprecedented achievements; and yet with all this a slave of passion, a dupe of appetite—a picture of inner frustration and defeat.

The people of Jeremiah’s day had lost their sense of sin. We moderns have also lost our sense of sin. There are evidences of this lost sense of sin in a thousand facets of our modern life. It is evident in the increase of profanity and obscenity. Our depraved speech is a direct reflection of our depraved lives. Our lost sense of sin is evidenced by our accent on pleasure. We are becoming a nation of playboys and are debasing the wisdom God has given us upon the altars of appetite and desire. We are becoming skilled in doing evil.

Our lost sense of sin is evidenced by our unnatural emphasis upon sex. The sin of impurity does not appear ugly and venomous at first. It comes in the guise of beauty, symmetry and desirability. Satan clothes his goddess of lust as an angel of love, and her appearance has deceived the strongest of men.

God hates this unnatural emphasis on sex in America. It has caused nations to fall. It has over and over ruined the sanctity of the home. It has caused the spiritual downfall of thousands.

Presidents, premiers, kings and rulers are asking, “What is causing all this trouble in the world?” The Scriptures teach that behind the world system in which we live is the supernatural power of Satan himself.

The Bible teaches that Satan is “the god of this age” who has blinded the minds of those who do not believe, “lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them” (2 Corinthians 4:4).

Thus, the world is faced with two kinds of wisdom: the natural wisdom that is implemented by the subtlety and cleverness of Satan, and the wisdom that comes directly from the Spirit of God, who is called the Spirit of Wisdom.

We view things from this world of time and space, but God views us from His throne in the heavens in the light of eternity. We see ourselves as self-sufficient, self-important and self-sustaining; but God sees us as dependent, self-centered and self-deceived.

The Spirit of Wisdom today would point everyone to the cross of Jesus Christ, where there is forgiveness of sin and the solution to the dilemmas and problems that face us corporately and individually.

However, the natural wisdom of this world, encouraged by Satan, is cynical about the cross. It is impossible for the natural man to understand how God, in His grace and mercy, can cleanse sinners from sin, transform individual lives and through these individual lives transform society. The natural man’s worldly wisdom does not understand the workings of God.

God says there is no hope for the world aside from His cross. The world for centuries has rejected God’s method and plan of redemption. Thus, we fight, kill and destroy. Now, because man has refused God’s way, he stands on the threshold of what former Prime Minister MacMillan called “the extinction of civilization itself.”

Man in his pride, stumbling and fumbling, thinks that somehow he will pull out, and that by his own wisdom he can save himself. God warns that this perverted wisdom of man will lead only to destruction and judgment.

The people of Jeremiah’s day hardened their hearts and refused to repent of their sin. Thus, the desolation and judgment came. Jerusalem was destroyed as Jeremiah had predicted.

In Jeremiah’s words, I plead with you before it’s too late, “wash your heart from wickedness, That you may be saved. How long shall your evil thoughts lodge within you?” (Jeremiah 4:14). Let us return unto the Lord and unto our God, for He will have mercy upon us and He will abundantly pardon (Cf. Isaiah 55:7).

 

[trukinlady]

By Billy Graham

Have you ever thought about what the word Christian means? It comes from a Latin word. It means “partisan for Christ.” When you come to Christ, you take sides. You take sides with Christ.
Partisans are never neutral. They never play it safe. They never sit on the fence. They’re never spectators of the struggle of their times. They commit themselves.

What is a Christian? I believe a Christian is three things: A Christian is a person who has made a choice, a person who has accepted a challenge, a person who has been changed through the new birth.
Originally, the word Christian was used in derision. It was a term of reproach. Many people today have a wrong idea of what a Christian is. They think a Christian is someone who prays, or lives by the Golden Rule, or is sincere, or goes to church, or keeps the Ten Commandments. But even if you did all that, you still wouldn’t be a Christian. It’s more than that.

You make a choice. You come to the cross of Christ, and you choose Him. And you say, “Lord, I’m a sinner. Please forgive me. I’m sorry for my sins, and I come to the cross where You shed Your blood for me, and I receive You.”

Adam and Eve made the wrong choice, and that’s why we have so much trouble in the world today, because they handed down the disease of sin from generation to generation. And that’s what’s wrong with our world today.
You pick up a newspaper or watch the television news, and you see all that’s going on in the world. It’s a result of sin. Until we tackle the basic problem of sin, those other problems will continue.
What choices are you making now that will shape your character and determine your destiny? I’m asking you to choose Jesus, to come to Him and make your commitment to Him and say, “Jesus, I want to follow you.”

Moses, the great Hebrew leader, said, “I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live” (Deuteronomy 30:19).
Joshua, the great military leader of Israel who helped the people take over the country that God had promised to give them, said to all the people, “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve” (Joshua 24:15).

He said this day. Now. Don’t wait. Choose now.

Elijah, in 1 Kings the 18th chapter, came to all the people and said, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him” (verse 21). If Jesus is who He claims to be, follow Him. Give your life to Him.

Jesus Christ said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). He claimed to be the embodiment of all truth. He was either a liar, or He had a tremendous ego, or He was who He claimed to be.

As a teenager in Charlotte, N.C., I made the decision by faith—I couldn’t prove it—by faith I said, “I receive what Jesus said as the truth.” And it gave me life, and it changed my life, and it’s still changing it this very day.

Jesus said, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:13-14). He said there are two ways of life. There’s the broad road. Most people are on that road. That’s where the glamor is, that’s where the drugs are, that’s where the sex is. You can go that road if you want to, or you can go the road that follows Jesus, which is narrow and tough.

It’s not easy to follow Him. He said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24). We don’t like that. When He said, “Take up a cross,” that would be like saying today, “Take up your electric chair and come after me,” because a cross was a place where criminals were executed. He said you have to pay a price if you come.
Somebody asked me, “What is the greatest surprise of your life?” I said, “The greatest surprise of my whole life is the brevity of life—how short it is.” It seems just yesterday that I was in high school. And I’m glad that one night in Charlotte a preacher preached the Gospel and told me that I needed to repent of my sins and receive Christ. And I did, and He changed my life. And now I know if I die, I’m going to Heaven. I know that.

A Christian also is a person who makes a change in the way he lives. If you come to Christ, you’ll have to change some things. Are you ready to pay that price? It’ll cost you. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). The Scripture says that you have to change your mind. You have to change your will so that you say, “I will follow Christ. I will believe in Christ.” It affects your total person.

People change when they come to Christ, because Christ changes them and makes them a new creation, a new creature. Changing from a defeated, problem-oriented person will depend upon first changing your mind and your heart by receiving Christ.

And then, third, a Christian is a person who has accepted a challenge. Will you accept the challenge of Jesus? He challenged the people of His day to come and follow Him. Some fishermen out fishing left their nets, left their fishing, left their businesses and followed Jesus. Jesus would walk down the streets of His day and say, “Follow me,” and they would follow Him. Many of them quit following Him, however, when they learned that He was going to die. You can’t be neutral.

Many people during the Civil War in America tried to be neutral. I read about one man who put on a blue coat and gray trousers because he was not going to take sides. They shot at him from both sides.

You have to make a choice. You have to accept the challenge. And it will cost you. I remember when I received Christ. I went to school the next day and things were different, but I couldn’t tell you what was different. I couldn’t tell you what had happened to me. I knew something had changed, but I didn’t know what. At school, one of the teachers made a remark. She said, “I hear we have a preacher in our midst today.” And several people looked around at me, including a girl I liked a lot. And I knew that I was paying my first price.

You may not be the most popular guy when you take your stand for Christ. You hear some of these great football players and some of these great athletes and some of these great stars talk about knowing Christ. They pay a price that you don’t even hear about, but they’re willing to follow Him and live for Him. Some things will drop off, but other things will come that will last for eternity.

I’m going to ask you to make a decision. I’m going to ask you to say yes to Christ. Say right now, “I’m willing to change my whole life if that’s what it takes. I am willing to follow Christ. I am willing to be His follower.” Come to the cross and say, “Lord, I’m a sinner. I’m sorry for my sins. I believe that You have been raised from the dead and that You are alive, and I give my life to You now.’”

 

[trukinlady]

By Billy Graham

One of the most colorful figures in American history was Robert G. Ingersoll. He was an agnostic who gave dramatic lectures throughout the nation about his doubts concerning the existence of God. One night when he was addressing an audience in a small town in New York, he proclaimed eloquently his doubts about a future judgment and hell.
When he was finished, an old drunk stood up in the rear of the hall and said with thick tongue, “I sure hope you’re right, Brother Bob. I’m counting on that!”


Modern man does not like to think of God in terms of wrath, anger and judgment. He likes to make God according to his own ideas and give God the characteristics he wants Him to possess. Man tries to remake God to conform to his own wishful thinking, so that he can make himself comfortable in his sins.

This modern god has the attributes of love, mercy and forgiveness, but is without justice. Man doesn’t want to be judged and punished for sin. He “reconstructs” God along the lines of tolerance, all-embracing love and universal goodwill.

In this picture of God, there are no laws that demand absolute obedience and no standards to which man must adhere. For example, more than 900 clergymen and students gathered some time ago at Harvard Divinity School to ponder the so-called “new morality” and its significance for the church.

One professor of divinity said that premarital sex between engaged couples was all right, that God would “understand.” A professor at another theological school thought that no sexual relationship should be absolutely condemned by the church. Thus many church leaders continue to reconstruct God according to the secular and humanistic trends of our times.

However, this kind of god would make a preposterous world. It would be chaotic, irresponsible, self-destroying. It would be impossible to live with certainty in that kind of world. To have meaning, life must be based upon law and a lawgiver.

The Psalmist, King David, said: “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes” (Psalm 19:7-8).

The Bible warns that “evil men do not understand justice” (Proverbs 28:5).

Jesus Himself put His stamp of approval on the law when He said, “It is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail” (Luke 16:17). The Law of Moses and the Sermon on the Mount are standards that can never be changed. No clergyman has a right to lower them in the name of God; to do so is to be in danger of defiling the law, blaspheming God and becoming guilty of heresy.

The Bible declares that God is a God of judgment, wrath and anger. Time after time Jesus warned of judgment: “Every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment” (Matthew 12:36).
“The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 13:41-42).
The apostles taught throughout the New Testament that judgment will come. The Apostle Paul said: “He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained” (Acts 17:31).
The author of the Book of Hebrews wrote, “It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).
They “will give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead,” said Peter in 1 Peter 4:5.

The Apostle John expressed it this way: “The kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?’” (Revelation 6:15-17).

Hundreds of passages point to a time of judgment for every person who has ever lived—none will escape. If you took all the references to judgment out of the Bible, you would have little Bible left.

God has offered His love and mercy and forgiveness to men. From the cross, God has said to the whole world, “I love you.” However, when that love is deliberately rejected, the only alternative is judgment.

The great judgment of sinners is recorded in Revelation 20:11-13, where the Apostle John says, “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened.
And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works.”

Here is the judgment toward which every person outside of Christ is headed. God has already set the date. All people, of all races and nationalities, both past and present, will be there. You may make and break appointments in this life, but this is one appointment you are going to keep.
In “that day” the books will be opened, the Bible says. Those who have not accepted Christ—whether they were rich or poor, titled or common, old or young, healthy or ill, sound of body or crippled, famous or obscure—will be revealed for all to see. What a terrifying moment for millions when the books are opened at the judgment!

This is the day that Jesus referred to in the Sermon on the Mount: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” (Matthew 7:21-23).

Even people who did the work of the Lord will be included. They were busy in the church. They did many wonderful works. But Jesus Himself will say, “I never knew you.” What a dreadful thing! They thought their own good works would save them. It should sober us to realize that some day Jesus Christ will be Judge. “For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son” (John 5:22).


When Warren Candler was a young man practicing law, he defended a man accused of murder. The young lawyer went all out in his effort to clear his client of the charge. There were some extenuating circumstances, and Candler made the most of them in his plea before the jury.
Also, the aged father and mother of the defendant were in the court, and the young lawyer moved on the sympathies and emotions of the jury by frequent references to the God-fearing parents.
In due course, the jury reached a verdict: not guilty. The young lawyer, himself a Christian, had a serious talk with his cleared client. He warned him to steer clear of evil ways and to trust God’s power to keep him straight.
Years passed. Again the man was brought into court. Again the charge was murder. Candler, the lawyer who had defended him at his first trial, was now the judge on the bench. At the conclusion of the trial, the jury rendered its verdict: guilty.
Ordering the condemned man to stand for sentencing, Judge Candler said, “At your first trial I was your lawyer. Today I am your judge. The verdict of the jury makes it mandatory for me to sentence you to be hanged by the neck until you are dead.”

Today Christ is our lawyer, pleading on our behalf. He is our Savior, willing to forgive and cleanse and forget. However, there is coming a fearful day when He will be the Judge.

Are you prepared to meet God? The Prophet Amos, in warning the people of judgment in his day, used the expression, “Prepare to meet your God” (Amos 4:12). Are you prepared to meet God at the judgment? Because, you see, we don’t have very much longer to live.

Even a full life of 70 years is just a moment in eternity. Life is passing fast for all of us. It won’t be long until we stand before God to give an account of how we have lived in this life. Are you prepared?

You ask, “What do I have to do to prepare?” The Bible says that you must repent of your sins. Jesus said, “Unless you repent you will … perish” (Luke 13:3). Second, you must receive Christ as your Lord and Savior.

And you can receive Him right now and trust Him at this moment. The Bible says you are to receive Him now— “Now is the accepted time” (2 Corinthians 6:2). Don’t put it off. Don’t say, “I’ll think about it.” Don’t say, “I’ll do it tomorrow.” Do it right now. At this moment, say yes to Jesus Christ.

 

[trukinlady]

By Franklin Graham (son of Billy Graham)

The Bible says unbelievers who fail to acknowledge and honor God have “their foolish hearts … darkened” (Romans 1:21), and their “understanding [is] darkened” (Ephesians 4:18).

When people reject the Savior, they do so because they prefer to cling to their old, futile ways. “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19).

The preaching of the Gospel brings supernatural, divine light that opens the darkened eyes of the unsaved to the glorious truth of salvation. “For God who said, ‘Light shall shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6).

When Christ crucified and risen is proclaimed, it is the light of the Gospel that opens blind eyes and shines in hearts to bring people to faith and repentance.

People who are alienated and separated from the life of God are reconciled to Him as they hear and respond to the Good News of Christ’s great, redeeming love. That’s the power of the Gospel.

For those who believe, those in whose hearts the “light of the world” (John 9:5) shines, there is pardon for sin and everlasting life. “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1:13-14).

This is the reason your prayers for me and for this evangelistic ministry are so important and powerful. Prayer is the great weapon that we can wield in the battle for souls. After describing the spiritual conflict that is waged against the evil forces of darkness, the Apostle Paul asked the Ephesians for their prayers as he preached God’s mighty Word.

“Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel” (Ephesians 6:19).

The powers of darkness are no match for the power of the Gospel--God's Living Word that
“open(s) their eyes and turn(s) them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins” (Acts 26:18).


Thank you for your prayerful support of all that we do. Thank you for your prayers for our Crusade team, and for me as I preach God’s Gospel. Prayer is absolutely vital to the advance of the Kingdom, and it is a mighty weapon before God for the destruction of the devil’s strongholds.

 

[trukinlady]

by Billy Graham

The Holy Spirit is the great Communicator. Without His supernatural work, there would be no such thing as conversion. Satan puts a veil over the truth, and this can be penetrated only by the power of the Holy Spirit.

It is this Third Person of the Trinity who takes the message and communicates with power to the hearts and minds of men and women. He breaks down the barriers. He convicts of sin. He applies the truth of the Gospel we proclaim. No evangelist can have God’s touch on his ministry until he realizes this reality and preaches in the power of the Holy Spirit. We, as proclaimers of the Gospel, must understand that the natural man cannot accept the truth of Christ. The things of God are foolishness to him. He cannot understand them because they are spiritually discerned (1 Corinthians 2:14).

That is why Jesus said, “When He [the Spirit] has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment” (John 16:8). We can—and must—preach the Gospel, but in the final analysis it is the Spirit who interprets the Word to the hearer and quickens it. We cannot manipulate His sovereign work; and once we understand that the results are in God’s hands, it will give us freedom from anxiety and fear of failure. Jesus told Nicodemus, “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. … The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit” (John 3:5,8). Yes, there is a mystery to the working of the Spirit—but we know that God alone can turn sinners from their sin and bring them to everlasting life.

Again, Jesus explained, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63).

The filling of the Spirit was a prerequisite for power in the ministry of the first evangelists (Acts 1:8). Their Spirit-filled witness began in Jerusalem, then spread to Judea and Samaria, and on to the ends of the earth.

The Spirit’s filling does not “guarantee” the results we would like to see. Peter’s preaching at Pentecost resulted in 3,000 who “gladly received his word” and “were baptized” (Acts 2:41). Peter was equally filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 4:8) when he later preached to a more select group. No converts are recorded here—only antagonism, bewilderment and persecution.

We need to be filled with the Holy Spirit—but what exactly does that mean? Some define it in terms of certain experiences or feelings. But the New Testament stresses that when we are filled with the Spirit we are controlled by the Spirit.
The Apostle Paul illustrated this when he commanded, “Do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18). Instead of being controlled by the wine of the world, we are to be controlled by the Spirit of God. Instead of devil intoxication, it must be divine intoxication. The verb is the present passive imperative—which implies a yieldedness to the Holy Spirit’s control. As we yield, so He fills; as He fills, so He controls. This may be a quiet, unemotional reality—in fact, at times we may not even be conscious of it.
But when we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we renounce our dependence on ourselves and our own strength, and we yield ourselves to His control. As we commit our lives to the Lordship of Jesus Christ each day, the Spirit of God fills us and empowers us for the work God has for us.

The Spirit-filled life is the normal Christian life. It enables the evangelist to speak the Word of God with boldness. When the early Christians received threats that might have diminished their boldness, they had special prayer for a fresh in-filling. God granted their request and, once again, they “spoke the word of God with boldness” (Acts 4:31).

My wife, Ruth, often reminded me that I should always preach from an “overflow.” I know what she meant. To be so filled with Scripture and so filled with the Holy Spirit that day or night I can give a reason for the hope that is within me, or give a Bible exposition, or give an evangelistic sermon (John 7:38-39, 1 Peter 3:15).

This Spirit-filled life was not an option for the early church; neither is it an extra for today. It is essential. The Holy Spirit’s ministry is an indispensable requirement to enable people to be “born of the Spirit.”


There is another reason for us to know the fullness and control of the Holy Spirit. We will encounter supernatural opposition. Beyond human opposition to our work, we can expect spiritual forces of evil (Ephesians 6:12). The “prince of the power of the air … now works in the sons of disobedience” (Ephesians 2:2).

That’s why we cannot convert anyone. We cannot match the power of satan, but we do have authority over him when we call on the power of God’s indwelling Spirit. The supernatural opposition we face is also one reason why one of the most important aspects of evangelism is prayer.

In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul clearly indicated that the evangelistic ministry is a fight, not a frolic. And he realized the need of supportive prayer by God’s people. Paul sought intercessors, prayer partners, among the Ephesian Christians who would pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. “Praying … for me,” he continued, “that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel”
(Ephesians 6:18-19).

The apostles certainly understood the Holy Spirit to be the Third Person of the Godhead—not an ethereal influence but a Person, who is an essential part of evangelism. Their evangelistic task would have been impossible without His indwelling and control.

Finally, the servant of God knows when he is not spiritually prepared to proclaim the Gospel because he has grieved the Holy Spirit by committing sin (Ephesians 4:30). Maybe bitterness has crept into his life, or envy of Christians who seem to have greater blessing. It could be jealousy concerning another evangelist who appears to be more successful. Or anger. Or unkindness. His prayer life may have suffered and his Bible reading may have been neglected.

Even when that which is wrong is confessed and forgiven and cleansed (1 John 1:9), we may be called to walk by faith, not by feeling, as we minister. Some of our most effective service may be accomplished without a consciousness of having been successful and effective. God rewards the faith we place in the power of the Holy Spirit to use Scripture and to bless the witness of even the weakest vessel. His Word will not return empty but will accomplish that which He desires and achieve the purpose for which He sends it (Isaiah 55:11).

Constantly, and in all humility, we need to remind ourselves that “unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it” (Psalm 127:1).

Is your life controlled by the Spirit of God? Or has some sin crept into your life and clogged the channels of His blessing? Turn to Christ for cleansing, and yield your life without reserve to His Lordship. Then in constant dependence upon the Holy Spirit, let Him use you for His glory to touch other lives for Christ.

 

[trukinlady]

by Billy Graham

That question is what universities are all about—searching for truth in the realm of science, philosophy, psychology and many other disciplines. What is truth? How do we get truth? And how do we know it when we have it? The debate that is raging in America now is about truth, and it reveals somewhat of a credibility gap.

Pilate must have faced the same thing 2,000 years ago; he had a credibility gap. He asked Jesus, “What is truth?”

If you look at a Bible, it says “Holy Bible.” Why do we call it a “Holy” Bible? You can’t pick up a book that has any more hate in it, any more killing, any more wars, any more meanness, any more wickedness, any more deceit than the Bible. But it is called holy.
You know why the Bible is called holy? Because it tells the truth. The Bible tells the truth about God. The Bible tells the truth about man. The Bible tells the truth about the devil. The Bible tells the truth about its characters. If this Book had been written by men who were not under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, you would never have heard about their sins and their weaknesses and their failures. But the Bible tells the truth about all of these things.

The First Gap
The Bible tells us that the devil himself created the first credibility gap. I believe that the devil is gathering his legions right now, all over the world, for an intensification of activity on a scale the world has never known, because we are approaching the end of the age. And Satanic activity is greater than it has ever been.
Jesus said a very interesting thing. He said the wheat and the tares will grow together (Matthew 13:26-30). There is a great interest today in Jesus. When you talk about the church, sometimes young people turn you off; but they don’t turn you off when you talk about Jesus. They are interested in the person of Jesus—what He taught, what He believed, what He said, what He did, how He died, how He rose from the dead, what His plan is for the future of the world.

But there is also an intensification of evil in the world. Never before have we seen such cruelty, such widespread hunger, such killings and wars. And have you ever read of so much crime—horrible crime, terrible crime—where people kill just seemingly for the joy of killing? Evil has intensified its activities. Jesus said the wheat and the tares will grow together.

The Devil is Real
The Bible teaches that behind all this evil is a real devil. There is a devil; there is a force of evil that is stirring up the evil in the hearts of people. Jesus never spared any adjectives in describing the devil; Jesus called him a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44). He said the devil is the god of this world (John 14:30), the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2). The devil is behind all the deception and delusion that is going on in the world today.
In the second chapter of Genesis, we read about a tree of which God said, “In the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Genesis 2:17). Man was in a perfect paradise. No sin had ever been committed. There was no murder, no lust, no hate, no war, no poverty, no pollution. Everything was perfect, and God said, “It is all yours. You will enjoy it forever, but don’t take of that one tree.” Why? God was testing man, because God gave man the freedom of choice.
The Bible says the devil came to Adam and Eve and tempted them. He said: “You know God says that if you eat of that tree, you are going to die. But I am going to tell you something: You are not going to die; God is jealous of you. God knows that when you eat of that tree, you will be like God. Go ahead; eat of that tree. You don’t have to obey God. Listen to me” (Cf. Genesis 3:4-5).
They listened to the devil; they believed a lie instead of the truth of God. Man rebelled against God, and all the troubles and all the sufferings and all the wars of all history have come about as a result of the fact that man is in rebellion against God. The devil created the first credibility gap. And ever since that time, men have been stealing and lying and killing and hating and lusting and all the rest of it.

A Spiritual Disease
We can inherit physical diseases from our parents. But we also inherit a spiritual disease called sin. And behind sin, the Bible says, is the devil.
The Bible says that man believes a lie rather than the truth, and that we exchange the truth of God for the devil’s lies. For example, the Bible teaches that any sex outside of marriage is sin. But young people are hearing on every side that the only way to have happiness is to have sex outside of marriage.
Well, I want to tell you what the Bible says: “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). And you can never commit one sexual sin and get away with it. God will see to it that you will be caught, and you will pay for it.
Young people try drugs, alcohol and permissive sex in order to find peace and joy and happiness and purpose and meaning in their lives. But they find none of those. Why not? It is the devil’s lie. The devil is telling you a lie. He says, “You will be like gods. This is the way to pleasure, this is the way to happiness, this is the way to have a good time.” The Bible says there is pleasure in sin— “for a season” (Hebrews 11:25). But then comes the kickback: “The wages of sin is death.”
Jesus said, “Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). What is truth? Jesus said, “I am the Truth” (John 14:6). He is the ultimate Truth, and He also told the truth.

The Truth
Jesus told the truth about love. The Bible says, “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son” (John 3:16). God loves you! The greatest love story in the universe is God’s love for man: “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). And the greatest picture of love is on the cross, where Christ died in your place. That’s how much God loved you. He laid down the life of His Son. When Jesus cried, “My God, why have You forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46), in that terrible moment Jesus suffered the agonies of hell and judgment for you. Jesus took your sins on that cross and died in your place.
Jesus told the truth about conversion. Don’t let that word throw you. That word converted means changed. You must be converted—not to a system, not to a philosophy, not to a church. You must be converted to the Person of Jesus Christ, so that Jesus Christ is your Savior and your Lord and your Master. Has that taken place in your life?
Jesus said, “Unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3). Have you been converted? Are you sure of it? Has there been a time in your life when you repented of your sins?
Jesus said, “The truth shall make you free.” Free from what? Free from the penalty of sin; you will never have to go to hell. Free from the power of sin. And someday you can be free from the very presence of sin, because when you die and go to Heaven, there won’t be any sin there. Have you been set free?
Jesus is the Truth; the devil is the liar. You have to choose. I am going to ask you today to choose Jesus. Choose Christ and say, “I will receive Jesus Christ as my Lord and my Master and my Savior. I want to follow Him and serve Him.”

 

[trukinlady]

By Franklin Graham

In the 13th chapter of Luke, Jesus responds to a question that all of us have wrestled with: Why does God allow seemingly innocent people to suffer?

He was asked about a barbaric act in which Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor, had slaughtered a number of Galileans—people from Jesus’ homeland—and desecrated the Jerusalem temple with human blood. That tragedy perhaps reminded Jesus of a disaster in Siloam, where 18 people died in the collapse of a tower.

In His response, Jesus did not try to explain or justify the suffering and death. He did not question God or blame the victims. Instead, He used the occasion to issue and repeat a solemn warning: “Unless you repent, you too will all perish” (Luke 13:3, NIV).

I doubt that anybody listening to Jesus expected such an answer. Repentance—turning away from sin to God—was the heart of His message.

There are no guarantees in this life. Some people die in infancy, others live to a ripe age. Some die in excruciating pain from disease, while others pass quietly. While in Scripture there are many references to how or at what age people died, Scripture is very clear that the ultimate issue is what happens when you die. Are you ready to face God? Have you turned away from the futility of sin and turned to the Savior in saving faith?

According to 2 Peter 3:9, the Lord is “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” John 3:16 makes a similar distinction: “that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

In the world we live in, death is inevitable, at least until the Lord returns. Yet Jesus makes it clear that there is an eternal difference between a body dying and a soul perishing. If we are born again, we don’t have to fear the second death—eternal separation from God in hell, the ultimate place of unending suffering.

In all the worldwide ministries of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, we make it clear to individuals that repentance—turning away from sin toward the cross of Jesus Christ—is essential to salvation.

All who listen will have experienced some degree of suffering—physical, emotional, relational. The Suffering Servant and Savior, Jesus Christ, understands our sinful plight, and through the cross provides reconciliation and redemption. Though we still face tribulation in this world, we have the Lord’s mighty help and comfort (John 16:33).

And one day, all who have believed in His Name will live eternally in the beauty of Heaven. “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying; and there shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4).

 

[trukinlady]

by Billy Graham

We are living in a generation in which people try to forget death. We try to cope with death by pretending it does not exist. We even try to change the appearance of death with word games. We change undertaker to mortician, coffin to casket, cemetery to memorial park. We want to soften the reality of death.

Young people have told me that they will not go to a funeral—they don’t want even to think about death. They think, Everybody else is going to die, but I’m not. Someone else may have a motorcycle accident, but I won’t.

Yet everybody is dying. From the moment we are born we start to die. Death is the most democratic experience in life, for we all participate in it. I stood at the emergency entrance to a hospital once and watched the ambulances as they rolled up. Doors were opened, and hospital personnel brought in people who had been involved in an accident or had been shot, knifed or mugged. Others were cardiac patients. I thought, How quickly death comes—like the snap of a finger!

If we can understand death and get a proper perspective on it, it will help us to live. I want you to look at death through the eyes of the Bible, and learn what God’s Word has to say about it.

Death is an Enemy
First, the Bible teaches that death is an enemy of mankind and God. I am not speaking of the weakness and fear and pain and distress, I am speaking of death itself. It is an enemy. It snatches away people in the prime of life, when they are still needed by their family, their work, their nation. It leaves behind the sorrowing widow or widower and children.

God never meant that men and women should die. There was no death in the Garden of Eden, no pain, no tears, no suffering. No military or police forces were needed; mankind was perfect in a perfect environment. But men and women had a will of their own, and they rebelled against God. That rebellion is called sin. The Bible teaches that because of sin death came, and death reigns today over the whole human race. It is a judgment upon mankind because of our sin. We sinners are all under the sentence of death.

Death will be Destroyed
Second, the Bible teaches that this enemy, death, will ultimately be destroyed forever. The day is coming when Jesus Christ will reign as King of kings and Lord of lords. Everything that resists the will of God will be destroyed, and the last enemy to be destroyed is death (1 Corinthians 15:26).

Those who are in Jesus Christ will participate in the resurrection and will be given new bodies. These bodies will be glorious, powerful, spiritual, immortal, imperishable, sin-proof, age-proof and death-proof.

Death Has Already Been Defeated
Third, the Bible teaches that death has already been defeated. It was defeated at the cross and at the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The final destruction of death lies in the future and the fight with death continues at this present hour, but death was defeated in the past, at the cross and the Resurrection. Today, death doesn’t seem to be defeated. We read in the obituary columns of people who are no longer with us. But Paul says the sting of death has been withdrawn.

One of the reasons we fear death is that the Bible teaches that after death comes judgment. In tribes all over the world there exists an innate belief that we are going to a judgment. We are afraid of that judgment because we have a sense of guilt. We know we have offended God. That is the reason every culture practices some form of blood atonement. I majored in anthropology in college, and I learned that there is not a tribe or a people anywhere that at some time in history has not practiced blood sacrifice.

Death is the Reason for the Cross
Scripture says that without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness, and that is why Jesus died on the cross. In the First Letter of John we are told, “The blood of Jesus Christ [God’s] Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). Apart from that blood there is no cleansing; apart from that death there is no conquest of death. Jesus had to die so that we could live; and He removed the sting of death by taking away the fear of judgment. As the Scripture teaches, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).

When I preach at a funeral I say to the mourners, “Go ahead and cry.” There is nothing wrong with shedding tears over the passing of a loved one. But Scripture says we are not to sorrow like those without hope. “Happy are the dead who die in the Lord” (Cf. Revelation 14:13). Those who have gone to Heaven in Christ are a lot happier than we are; they wouldn’t come back for anything in the world.

The death of an unbeliever was well described by Samuel Johnson as he witnessed the passing of a friend: “I felt a sensation never known to me before, a confusion, a passion, an awful stillness and sorrow, a gloomy terror without a name.” Somerset Maugham, the novelist, said, “Dying is a hellish experience.”

Death Brings Freedom
But what happens to a believer, to a person who has faith? First, death brings permanent freedom from evil. Those of us who have tasted the delights of God’s righteousness have a longing to be totally pure. We long to live in a society that is holy, in which there is no lying, cheating, hatred or crime.

As long as we live on this earth, that will not be attained, for you cannot build a perfect society on the cracked foundation of human nature.

When I die in Christ, the Bible says I go immediately into the presence of Christ, into a new world that is free from the pull of sin and pain and care and anxiety. Paul uses the word depart, carrying with it the idea of sailing away on a ship, or the freeing of a slave, or the solving of a great problem, or of going home. That is part of what death brings to the Christian.

Death Conforms Us to Jesus
It also means that the believer will be like Jesus. Death brings a final perfection to that sanctification of the believer that is begun on earth. The Apostle Paul calls it a “crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day” (2 Timothy 4:8). The thought to me is almost breathtaking. Crowned with righteousness! We have only tasted it here. I’m so excited about the moment when I will have the privilege of being crowned with righteousness that sometimes I can hardly bear it.

Some time ago a columnist suggested five things that ought to be done about death. He said, “First, accept the fact that you will die; second, make arrangements, if you are past 50 years, for the mechanics of dying; third, make provision for those you are leaving behind (check your insurance); fourth, make a will. Fifth,” he said, “make an appointment with God, but I don’t know how to suggest you do that.”

Death Can be Faced
Well, I want to make a suggestion about how to do it. Repent of your sins and receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. You can do it now. It’s more than making an appointment with God; you have to know Jesus Christ.

It’s more than being a member of the church, more than being baptized, more than just living a good life. It is an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ in which you have become willing to take up your cross and follow Him; you have become willing to deny self and make Him your Lord and Master and Savior.

I am asking you to make sure that Jesus Christ is in your heart and that you are ready to face the last great enemy of mankind—death. Are you ready to go through the valley of the shadow of death, fearing no evil? Will His rod and staff comfort you? Do you know that? Is Christ yours? Will He be in that room with you when your last moment comes?