Billy Graham Quotes - Page 16

The Bible says there is a certain pleasure in sin.However, it is short-lived and fatal.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that because God is love everything is going to be sweet, beautiful, and happy and that no one will be punished for his sins . . . God’s love provided the cross of Jesus, by which we can have forgiveness and cleansing.

God’s purpose for us is that we ought to beconformed to the image of His Son. The world may exert its pressure to deform us, but we are told to “be transformed” [Romans 12:2 NIV].

Children will learn far more by watching than by just listening.

We must practice the Presence of God. Jesus said, “Lo, I am with you always” [Matthew 28:20]. Remember, Christ is always near us.

Our interests are centered in ourselves. We are preoccupied with material things. Our supreme god is technology; our goddess is sex. Most of us are more interested in getting to the moon than in getting to heaven, more concerned about conquering space than about conquering ourselves. We are more dedicated to material security than to inner purity. We give much more thought to what we wear, what we eat, what we drink, and what we can do to relax than we give to what we are. This preoccupation with peripheral things applies to every area of our lives.

Christ did not suffer and die to offer cheap grace. Jesus did not willingly go to the cross so we could have an easy life or offer a faith built on easy-believism. As someone said, “Salvation is free, but not cheap.” It cost Jesus His life.

Peace conferences are held almost daily by governments, civic organizations, and churches. But the Scripture teaches that peace and safety will not come in any lasting way until the Prince of Peace, the Messiah, Jesus Christ, comes and rules and reigns in our world.

Sin is the great clogger, and the blood of Christ is the great cleanser.

The way we live often speaks far louder than our words.

An architect draws the plans for a new building—but it still has to be built. A composer writes a new piece of music—but it still has to be played. A chef devises a new recipe—but the ingredients still have to be cooked. In the same way, God has given us a blueprint for living—but we must know what it is and then put it into action.

Scientific discoveries (not theories) are found more and more to fit into the record God has given us in His Word.

Not only does God give us a new relationship with Himself and make us citizens of His kingdom, but He also gives us a new family—the family of God.

We see the storm clouds gathering and events taking place that herald the second coming of Jesus Christ.

God gives us a glimpse of what heaven will be like for the believer. It will have the characteristics of a happy home, a holy city, a glorious garden, and a beautiful bride. This staggers the imagination!

The Pilgrims had vision and hope because they lived in the dimension of eternity. Their strength of spirit was forged by a personal faith in God, by tough discipline, and by regular habits of devotion.

Some of the happiest Christians I have met have been life-long sufferers. They have had every reason to sigh and complain, being denied so many privileges and pleasures that they see others enjoy, yet they have found greater cause for gratitude and joy than many who are prosperous, vigorous, and strong.

Jesus indicated that there will be a permissive society just before He comes back . . . the world today is on an immoral binge such as has not been known since the days of Rome. We are in a hedonistic society, and what we are seeing is human nature expressing itself without God.

When a husband and wife are concerned only about their own individual desires, the stage is set for conflict.

Today we see social evil, terrorism, and gross immorality throughout the world. Someone has said, “A wrong deed is right if the majority of people declare it not to be wrong.”By this principle we can see our standards shiftingfrom year to year according to the popular vote!This new permissiveness is condoned by intelligent men and women,many of whom are found in the churches.

Some teach “universalism”—that eventually everybody will be saved and the God of love will never send anyone to hell. They believe the words “eternal” or “everlasting” do not actually mean forever. However, the same word which speaks of eternal banishment from God is also used for the eternity of heaven.

Christians should be a foreign influence, a minority group in a pagan world.

What a thrilling future for those of us who know that some day we will populate the kingdom of God.

Much of the world believes little or nothing. People are broad but shallow. Agnosticism, anxiety, emptiness, and meaninglessness have gripped much of the world—and even the church . . . By contrast, our Pilgrim forebears stand as shining examples of men who were narrow but deep, certain of what they believed, unswerving in their loyalty, and passionately dedicated to the God they trusted, and for whom they would willingly have died.

The cross is the only way of salvation. And the cross gives a new purpose to life.

I have not known of too many people who found Christ on their deathbeds. When we come to Christ in our youth, a life is saved. When we come in old age, a soul is salvaged and life eternal is assured; but the opportunity to live a life for Christ has been lost.

A Christian has tremendous responsibilities to his own family. He or she has a responsibility of loving each member of the family.

Nothing could be more wrong than the old cliché that says any religion will do just as long as one is sincere. In no other area of life is there so much error, deception, and charlatanism as in religion.

Jesus taught that there is an eternal destiny for each individual—either heaven or hell (John 5:25–29). The eternal destiny of each individual depends on a decision made in this life (Luke 16:19–31)—to be followed by a life of obedience.

Throughout Scripture we read of warnings preceding disaster. Such alerts from God are part of His grace and provision.

Worries flee before a spirit of gratitude.

No matter how much you exercise, no matter how many vitamins or health foods you eat, no matter how low your cholesterol, you will still die—someday. If you knew the moment and manner of your death in advance, would you order your life differently?

While God’s will is that every marriage will endure, man’s sin has poisoned many relationships.

Never forget: Satan’s goal is to turn us away from God.

Our soul is that part of our being which possesses intelligence, conscience, and memory—the real personality. Your body will die, but your soul lives on. And that soul has a “sixth sense”—the ability to believe, to have faith.

In Houston, Texas, a man was born again in one of our meetings. He owned a liquor store. The next morning he had a sign on the front of his door saying, “Out of business.

You need to make the right decision—firmly and decisively—and then stick with it with God’s help.

The human race is called on throughout the Bible to repent of sin and return to God.

Jesus made everything so simple and we have made it so complicated. He spoke to the people in short sentences and everyday words, illustrating His messages with never-to-be forgotten stories.

War is only one facet of the larger problem of evil which has been with the human race since the beginning . . .This same evil tried to destroy the greatest human being who ever lived, nailing Him to a cross.

What happens when lying and stealing and immorality and murder become the norm? The result can be summarized in one word: chaos.

The feet of the Christian need to tread the narrow path that the Savior trod, keeping in step with Him.

Great crowds followed our Lord . . . as He healed the sick, raised the dead, and fed the hungry. However, the moment He started talking about the cross . . . “many . . . no longer followed him” (John 6:66 NIV).

God is not blind. He knows about you and your problems. He knows of those who are suffering . . . and His love for His children will never leave in times of trouble.

You and I, God’s ambassadors, are called to sound the warning, to call sinners to repentance, to point the way to peace with God and the hope that is in Christ.

It is never a question of how much you and I have of the Spirit, but how much He has of us.

A true messenger lives a burdened life. If he is the Lord’s vessel, he carries in his heart a burden for souls none can share but those who know it firsthand.

Although the testimony of my mother’s life helped mold me and taught me how to live, the testimony of her last years and her death gave me insight into how to die.

The architect of popular culture is none other than Satan. He is the chief designer and chief marketer, and he has been branding worldliness since the beginning of time. His methods are shifty and constantly in motion, changing fads and trends to keep the world running in circles, trying to keep up with the latest and greatest.

The greatest roadblock to Satan’s work is the Christian who, above all else, lives for God, walks with integrity, is filled with the Spirit, and is obedient to God’s truth.

Jesus invited us not to a picnic, but to a pilgrimage. He offered us, not an excursion, but an execution. Our Savior said that we would have to be ready to die to self, sin, and the world.

Perversion is considered a biological abnormality rather than a sin. These things are contrary to the teaching of God’s Word. And God has not changed. His standards have not been lowered. God still calls immorality a sin and the Bible says God is going to judge it.

Even when we allow our imaginations to run wild on the joys of heaven, we find that our minds are incapable of conceiving what it will be like.

Preachers are not salesmen, for they have nothing to sell. They are bearers of Good News.

[Christians] are commanded to warn the nations of the world that they must repent and turn to God while there is yet time.

Where do we get the notion that our idea of success and God’s are the same? You have written a book; you are a clever manager and promoter; you are a talented artist; you are independently wealthy; you have achieved fame and fortune. Without the gifts of intelligence, imagination, personality, and physical energy—which are all endowed by God—where would you be?

The Bible condemns the use of any substance which alters or distorts our thinking (including alcohol, which was the most common drug in ancient times).

Extremes should be avoided.

Many parents preach to their children but do not set good examples. Parents want the children to do as they say, not as they do.

The beginning of all pain and suffering in the world started with one act of disobedience. Christian and non-Christian alike have inherited the consequences from our common ancestors, Adam and Eve—our polluted environment and flawed human nature.