Billy Graham: For God So Loved the World

This video serves as a reminder of the most famous verse in the bible John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Regardless of who you are or what you have done in your life, God loves you.

Transcript

Last year the number one motion picture in the United States, and I suppose throughout the world, that drew the largest box office, was a motion picture that was made just for a small amount of money, nobody ever thought it would amount to much. It was based upon a simple little story and it was called Love Story and a headline in the British papers said, The Greatest Love Story Of The Century. But the greatest love story of all time is summed up in these 25 vs of 25 words that someone is called a miniature Bible, the gospel in a nut shell. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life. The greatest love story ever told. For God, do you ever stop and think about God? Many people thinking about God today because we’ve seen But science does not have an answer to all about problems. We’re seeing that technology can not solve all of our problems. And so thousands of young people in Europe and in America are beginning to talk about God. Some of them are going to India to see if they can find peace in their hearts. Some of them are going and studying yoga and they’re going into all sorts of different sects and groups searching for god. Some of them are going out into the desert in sitting under the stars and watching the stars. Have you ever wondered about God?

Someone asked me at a University one day, can you prove God exists? And I answered, no I cannot put got him a test tube. I cannot put God in a laboratory and say here’s god. How do I know that God exists? All the evidence seems to indicate that He does. I look up in the starry sky and I say there must be a God. I look at the beautiful nature around about me and I say there must be a God. I see the birth of a baby, Gary Player was telling us yesterday how he saw the birth of his last child and he said as I watched that I knew that there had to be a God. But there’s another reason. Deep in your heart you have a conscience and conscience tells there must be a god. Something down inside tells me there must be a God.

and the amazing thing about the human conscience is this, the even if you don’t believe what I’m saying, you believe what I’m saying. That even if you reject the truth of what I’m saying there is rooted inside you a conviction which you can suppress with the years but which is there none the less, telling you that these things are so. And this truth is the truth which the scripture will not let us forget.

And the Bible tells us that this God is the creator of all the universe. In Genesis 1:,1 in the beginning God created The heavens and the earth. Now in that passage in Genesis 1 there is no explanation, there is no attempt to prove God, it just says in the beginning God. Because everybody believes in God. Oh, but you say, I’ve met some atheist. You met some atheist that hadn’t had any real trouble yet. But you find a person who claims he’s an atheist and let someone announced to him that he has terminal cancer and he’ll say, my God help me. Or he’ll get into a battle or get into a difficult spot and he’ll say, my God help me. Yes, all men know there must be a God. He is the creator. By the Word of the Lord were the heavens made.

But the Bible tells us that God is a spirit. God doesn’t have a body like yours. If God had a body like yours he’d have to be in one place at one time. But God doesn’t have a body like you. God is a spirit and God can be in Africa, he can be in Asia. He can be in Europe. He can be in America all at the same time. He can be on a planet. He can be on the moon. I talked to some of those astronauts that went to the moon and they told me that they as they went around the moon, there must be a God. I talk to some of the prisoners of war in Vietnam just a few days before I came on this trip. I talked to those first prisoners that came back to the United States and they told us in those prison cells for 8 years in Vietnam they knew there was a God.

God is a spirit. The Bible tells us that God is unchanging. He never changes. Fashions change. Every part of our culture and life changes and vast changes are underway throughout the world. Jet planes, modern communication have made it impossible fashions changes, culture changes, technology changes, but God never changes. The Bible says, “I am the Lord God, I change not.” The Bible says there is no variableness no shadow of turning with God. God has not changed. In thousands of years, 10,000 times 10,000 years from now, God will be the same.

God is from everlasting to everlasting. God does not change. But the Bible also teaches that God is a God of love. That God loves. I’m glad that’s in the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, that God is a God of love and mercy and grace, and that God loves everybody. I don’t care who you, He has the hairs of your head number. He sees the sparrow fall. He’s interested in you, and he loves you. Now there’s several Greek words that are translated love. Eros, means sensual love, sexual love, phileo means friendship love, the love that I would have for a friend. But when the writers of the New Testament were trying to find a word that would describe the love of God, they invented a new word, Agape, the Divine love. A love that we cannot know outside of God. There is no love that you can think of in human relationships comparable to the love that God has for you and that God has for me. God loves you.

You say, but Billy, I don’t deserve such love, I’m a sinner. I’ve broken God’s law, I failed him a thousand times. I know, that’s the beauty and the greatness and the thrill of God’s love. But no matter what you’ve done, He loves you. For God so loved the world, the black world, the white world, the yellow world, the red world, the rich world, the poor world, the uneducated world, the educated world and He loves us all the same. God loves you. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever believth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

I want us all to say it together. For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. The Gospel is never preached without the working an the operation of the Holy Spirit. You see there’s a little voice thats been speaking to you while I’m speaking. That’s the voice of the Spirit of God and God has been convicted you of you’re sin and God has been convicting you of your need of Jesus Christ. Oh, I know that the majority of you may be members of the church. When I came to Christ many years ago I was a member of the church. I was the president of the young people’s society in my church. Everybody thought I was a wonderful Christian, but deep in my heart, I did not know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Now God loves you. He’s given His son, now what do you have to do? You have to do something. What is it. First you have to repent of your sin. Jesus said, repent ye. The Apostle Paul said, God now commanded all men everywhere to repent. God commands you to repent. Have you ever repented of your sins. Do you remember the moment when you repented. You say, but Billy, what do you really mean by repent. Well, first of all repentance carries with it the idea that you say to the Lord, I’m sorry for my sin. Have you ever said that to God? I’m sorry and you really mean’t it. And then it means that you have to change, you have to turn around, you have to change and quit doing your sin. Change your way of living. All things pass away and all things become new. That’s repentance. I’m sorry for my sins. I’m willing to turn from my sin. Have you ever repented? Jesus said that except that you repent, you will perish. And then secondly, by faith you must receive Christ as your Lord and Savior. That can all be done with repentance. Repentance and faith go hand and hand. You may not understand it all intellectually, you don’t have too. You come by simple child-like faith. The Bible says, for by grace are you saved through faith. The Bible says without faith its impossible to please God. Now that doesn’t mean you do away with your intellect or commit intellectual suicide. Oh no, there’s a logic to the Gospel, but your mind has been affected by sin so that you can no longer really receive spiritual things. So you come by faith and receive Him. And then the third thing, you must confess Him as your Lord and Savior master. Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess before my Father which is in Heaven.