Billy Graham - Who is Jesus? - Chicago 1971

He claimed to be the son of God. Was he the son of God? Look at his authority. Jesus came to them and spoke to them saying that all authority has been given to me. I know one thing: He forgave sin and no prophet ever did. that Jesus himself forgave sin said your sins are forgiven you I know that he had authority over nature one day he was in a storm one night the lightning flashed the thunder roared the sea was furious the wind blew the disciples were afraid and Jesus was asleep in the boot and stood up in the boot and said peace, calm down the lightning stopped flashing and the thunder stopped roaring the rain stopped falling and the wind calmed down the sea calmed down and nature obeyed it and our young people believe that today because one of his most listened to songs of the moment is put your hand in the hand of the one who calmed the sea combed the sea had power over nature I flew mounds of cliffs and some of us flew Some time ago I think we were leaving, we won a typhoon leaving the Philippines and just before leaving the typhoon, I was the captain of the plane, he had invited me to sit in the front with him and everything was quite calm, we had a lot of rain and all that was not very strong, but suddenly the plane crashed against something that felt like it had hit a wall, choked it, shook and shuddered and went up and down for about two minutes and then suddenly.

We were immersed in bright sunshine and the captain turned to me with sweat running down his face, he said, you know, he said it was God telling us that there is something up here more powerful than this plane, but Jesus could withstand a storm like that and turn it around he could take the lightning bolt and throw it back into the cloud he has power over nature why because he is the god of nature those are his laws that howl him he had authority over diseases I read the other day where Mao Zedong in China He claims to have cured 80% of all the deaf in China and one of those men who returned to the ping pong team said that Mao Zedong is the Jesus Christ of China today they talk about a cult of personality, it seems to me that they have a whole personality there, but Jesus made the blind see, made the deaf hear, made the mute speak, raised the dead according to the record, had authority over demons, you say, Billy, do you believe in demons?

I surely believe and Jesus faced demons again and again and he could cast them out and the people who were crazy under the powers of the demons would regain their sanity and then look at the death he had. Has a man ever died like Jesus? The lightning flashed and the thunder roared and the earth began to shake and even the soldiers confessed that this must be the Son of God. Anyone who can see Jesus on that cross and not be touched has a heart of stone. First they took off his clothes. then they took off long strips of leather with steel shot or LED Shots on the end and beat him on the back until he could barely stand, then they put a crown of thorns on his forehead and his face was bleeding and they laughed at him. him and they spat at him and mocked him and with a single snap. from his finger 72,000 angels had already drawn their swords ready to come to rescue him and erase this planet from existence in the universe and Jesus said no, for this purpose I was born and he dragged, lifted and dragged that cross and right?

Black people ever forget one thing: the man who helped Jesus carry that cross was a black man and never forget anything else. Jesus belongs to Africa as much as he belongs to Europe and Asia. He was born in that part of the world that he touches. Africa and Asia and Europe and Jesus was not a white man like me nor was he as black as some of you, we don't know what the color of his skin was, but he must have been a dark color like the people of his time because he was a man like them, never say that it is a white man's religion or a black man's religion, it is a world religion, he belongs to the world when he died on that cross and they nailed him, they put the nails in his hands and do you know that?

He said: forgive them, they don't know what they do, forgive them, could you forgive someone who is putting nails in your hands and you know you didn't deserve it? He didn't squirm, he didn't scream, he didn't scream, he just took it. and he said Lord, forgive him, they don't know what they are doing, this is how he faced the violence of his time and then on the cross he said, my God, for what style, he abandoned me and then he lowered his head and said, what I was doing is over. Did he mean that his plan of salvation is finished?

God can now forgive you of all of his sins because Jesus had finished God's plan for his salvation because you say that God knows each of you by name. He has the hairs on his head numbered. God looks. about you as if you were the only person in the entire universe he sees you and only you and on that cross Jesus had the ability to think about you and loved you enough to remain on the cross did such love ever exist? He could have been rescued and taken back to heaven and sat on his throne, but he didn't, he said no, I do it for the joy that is before me because he saw that he would rise from the dead. that they would be a gathering in future generations of a people for his name that would make up his body.

He saw the day when we will reign with him in his kingdom. Yes, they buried him in a tomb and that's where Jesus Christ Superstar. leaves it but in dozens of cities some people took over the rock opera and took it directly to the next step the resurrection and if you don't have the resurrection you don't have any gospel Jesus Christ is alive and when they went out to the tomb that morning they heard the biggest news that the world has ever known he is not here he is risen he is alive today I am what inspired the disciples to turn the world upside down in his days with the resurrection they went everywhere declaring that Jesus is alive, you know, some of We Christians live as if Jesus is dead, he is not dead, he is alive, oh, you are going through your problems, your trials, your temptations, your tests and your pressures, and you are under satanic attack all the time constantly, You know, I think in many ways, in some ways, it's easier not to be a Christian in this world because the devil can leave you alone the moment you receive Christ as Savior, he waits for you unless you live.

Get on your knees and live by the Scriptures and keep your guard up and have your spiritual armor on at all times because if you fail even one day as a Christian, you will be in trouble the moment you receive Christ and you will see that the whole world is going like this. The way you turn around and start against the grain as a Christian and that's hard, but you know it's hard to be a sinner as you get older because the Bible says the way of the transgressor is hard. Sometimes I watch shows on TV where they have crime.

I have never seen criminals work so hard for the money they get in my life. It seems to me that they could get a legitimate business and have a much easier time getting their money. They work on it, that's according to the script. I am sure that yes in real life Jesus Christ is alive and if he has not risen from the dead if he is not alive then there is no Christianity, we are still in our sins Paul said this is all a farce, forget it. The other night we had a guy here who was a leader of the Black Panthers.

He said that he thought he could change the world through the Black Panther movement, until he said that he met Jesus and said. Jesus changed his life and took out all the hatred. He now he said: I believe the world can be changed, but he said: I believe it can be done with the power of Jesus. That's all. Jesus comes to our hearts. You know, if he didn't have any proof. There is no scientific proof that Jesus existed. I would still trust him for what he has done for me, the joy, peace, security and love that he has given me, the grace of him that he is mine today and then the satisfaction that he gives to those. those who have trusted in our Lord Jesus Christ are you who say you are this is the question that each of you today is going to have to answer who is Jesus if Jesus claimed to be God knowing that he was not God then he is a liar and we will have to say Jesus , you are a liar, you are a fraud and a deceiver and you are the biggest fraud in the history of the human race or if Jesus thought he was God and didn't know the difference then he desperately needed mental health he needed several psychiatrists the third alternative is that He was the one who claims to be God incarnate.

I believe the evidence is overwhelming that he is the one who claims to be the son of the Living God, but I cannot prove it scientifically, but I can prove it by the lives he transforms every day. I can prove it because in my heart I don't say I believe I hope I say I know and you know there is another element in our lives that we don't think about much and that is the element of faith, you think about the faith that you must have every day, you must have faith that your wife didn't put poison in your coffee this morning, you have to have faith in her, she might have felt like doing it.

But she doesn't have to have faith in the bank when she writes a check and signs it. She has money in the bank. She has to have faith that the bank is going to pay it. She has to have faith in the government when she pulls out a dollar bill now. I know it's shrinking, but you have faith it will back you up. It's a dollar that people will accept. It's money. Everything we do now is by faith, for example, when I come to a hill and live in the mountains. In North Carolina we have a lot of hills.

I don't stop my car before I get to the top of the hill, I get out and walk to see if anyone is coming from the other side, the wrong side. I have faith to believe that the drivers will stay on their side faith faith faith everything when you sat in that chair, have you ever sat in that chair before? I bet you didn't pick her up, examine her, and put your hands on her to see if she had restrained you. by faith you just sat on it you had faith that people wouldn't build a chair that wouldn't hold you up everything we do is right by faith take that same faith put it in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and you will do it you know who Jesus is, what you accept by faith and he comes into your life and your heart and you know that he is who he says he is on that road to Damascus that I referred to a moment ago, the apostle Paul said who you are Lord and then Paul asked him another question Paul said what you want me to do Lord and Jesus said get up and go.

I ask you today to arise and come to him now. Some of you may Riddick, some of you may reject it. Others may simply put. Turn it off and say: I will wait until another time or you can accept him as your Lord, your savior and your teacher. I am the son of God and He will enter your heart and forgive your sins and change your life. Jesus Christ. Superstar Judas, don't get me wrong, I just want to know, he said and then the haunting chorus Jesus Christ Superstar, do you think you are what they say you are?

Yes, and more than 10,000 times more than two men in England ever put into those lyrics. Jesus Christ the Son of God and today you are asked to receive it in fact if you are going to go to heaven the Bible teaches you have to receive it if you are going to have your sins forgiven you have to receive it and I am going to ask you to do it today and I am going to to ask them to do it publicly, how do they do it? I'm going to ask hundreds of you to get up from your seats right now and come and stand up. stand in front of this platform in silence and with reverence and say I want Christ in my heart I want him to forgive my sin I want to know that I am going to heaven I want him to change my life I receive him as my Lord and Savior if you' If you are with friends or family or in a delegation, they will wait for you.

If you came on a bus, they will wait for you. Why am I asking you to come forward? Because all the people that Jesus called in the New Testament he called publicly, you come publicly and openly and declare yourself you can be Protestant you can be Catholic you can be Jewish you can be Orthodox or you can have no religion but God has spoken to you today and you know that you need Christ come and make sure of us right now' I'm going to wait and I'm going to ask that no one leaves the service please not at this holy moment I know you want to go through the crowd but don't go just get up and come right now quickly of all parts hundreds of you we will wait for you from all over the stadium while God is speaking you can be in the choir and this could be your last moment with God you may never have another hour so you come you who are watching on television there are hundreds of people who come here to McCormick Place in Chicago to make their commitment to Jesus Christ and accept Him as their Lord, their Savior, as their teacher, as the Son of the living God.

I'm going to ask you to make the same commitment where you are. At home I am praying for you to make that decision. God help you do it and I hope you go to church next Sunday. God bless you.