1957 Billy Graham How to live the Christian Life-Full

[Music] and how do you do ladies and gentlemen welcome to Madison Square Garden in the Billy Graham New York crusade tonight's service marks the end at least the closing with tomorrow night's service as well of the 12th week of this crusade and again it's our privilege to present to you the 1500 voice crusade choir with Ted Smith at the piano Paul Mickelson at the organ this great congregation here at Madison Square Garden will be singing for you we have a very special guest - you won't want to miss so why not call a friend now and ask them to share the next 59 minutes with us we'd sure appreciate it if you would and to begin our program we're going to ask America's beloved gospel singer George Beverly Shea to come and sing for us right now all right [Music] there is singing up in heaven such as we have never known where they angel sing the praises of the lamb upon the throne their sweethearts are ever truthful and their voices always all that we might be more like them while we serve a master [Music] is what the angel sing and I expect to help them make the course of heaven but when I sang Redemption school they will [Music] but myself baseball [Music] [Laughter] [Music] yes angel sing and I expected [Music] but when I say rate that some small I will cease to say hey Patrol Oh [Music] a [Music] [Music] Thank You mr. Shay and now everyone here at Madison Square Garden would you take your songbook please and turn to the last one in the book we've been singing for the past few weeks to God be the glory great things he had done now again this evening for all that are sharing this program coast-to-coast by means of television we want to express to them the joy of our hearts as we sing shall we all stand please as we sing together [Music] on the first verse number 71 together [Music] [Music] now let us sing the last verse great things he hath taught us as we sing if you have a song looked at his borrowed word you pass it to the end of the roll please and the ushers will collect them as we sing together on the last verse [Music] [Music] ain't you you maybe secret tonight it's my privilege to present to you folks coast-to-coast and to our many many friends here at Madison Square Garden a lady that has blessed us all and inspired us all by her attendance during the past 12 weeks at this crusade her name is well known she is well known and loved across America her name is Miss Ethel Waters she's been singing in the Altos section of the choir right over there every night but one and she comes to sing for us now with the help of the crusade choir one of the songs that she's best known and loved for across America and around the world after she's sung for you we'll have the message of the evening by mr. gray miss waters it's a joy to welcome you tonight you come and we'll be listening to your message in song [Music] why should I feel discouraged or why should why should my heart be lonely away from heaven and home with Jesus my portion my stint [Music] Oh [Music] and I he watches me so I see [Music] oh yes I see [Music] [Music] and children I know how I know [Music] yes [Music] [Music] [Music] shall we pray our Father and our God we pray that tonight we all might be conscious that thine eye is upon us if God can see the sparrow fall if he has the hairs of our head numbered we know that he watches us there he loves us that he cares for us and we are told in thy word that he cares for us so much that he sent His only begotten Son to the cross to die that we might find forgiveness of our sins we pray tonight that thy Holy Spirit will draw all men unto the Savior for we ask it in his name amen in a way I am slightly embarrassed tonight because I had announced that the crusade was definitely closing on August the 10th and I said in an old good faith because that was the vote of the executive committee that was the feeling of our team and that was our feeling pretz-elle I'm sure the Lord didn't change his mind we just didn't have faith enough to believe here it is into August the worst month of the year for a crusade if we'd chosen the time to come we couldn't have chosen a worse time humanly speaking and psychologically speaking and yet look what the Lord has done the great crowds of people that have come this past week the hundreds and thousands this past week they found Christ the letters the telegrams the telephone calls and there wasn't one voice on our committee or team that felt but what felt that the meeting should go I think it was expressed by Dan Potter Secretary of the Council of Churches when he said this that if the purpose if the purpose of the Church of Christ is to win men to Christ and souls are coming three and four and five and six hundred a night he said we cannot close the crusade and we had to concur that we believed that it was God's will for the crusade to continue until Saturday night August the 31st now we can't get the garden any longer than back but I'm not going to announce that it'll close then I think it will I'm sure it will but I'm not going to announce it the ice show comes in here I think that's the next event in the garden we may have to have meetings all night but I hope that all of you are going to pray as you have never prayed now we need your prayers we we expect that the attendance will drop a bit in the middle of August but we believe that God is going to be here like a lady I heard that called up the National Presbyterian Church in Washington where the president attends church and said is the president going to be there this morning and the man that answered the phone said I don't know whether the president is going to be here or not but Christ is going to be here Christ is going to be here what our hallowed spot Madison Square Garden has becomes a thousands of people that have had their lives changed during the past 12 weeks now tonight I want you to turn with me to Acts the book of Acts the 11th chapter find the 26th verse in the latter part of the 26th verse the latter part of the 26th verse of the book of Acts we read these words and the disciples now the word disciple means learner or follower and the disciples were called Christians first at area now Paul and Silas had been in Antioch preaching for many months they've been holding evangelistic crusade getting hundreds of people to receive Christ they established a great church and in derision the people round about them began to call them Christ one Christ followers Christians that's where the word Christian with first coin followers of Jesus Christ now tonight I want to speak the subject how to live the Christian life how to live the Christian life I heard about a girl some years ago that heard as a girl one of Beethoven's sonatas and she possessed a strong desire to learn to play she had real musical ability but 20 years later her neighbours had to endure and had to listen to her as she murdered Beethoven now what had happened she had never struggled with the five finger exercises and scales she had neglected to learn to play tell there are many of you that have a strong desire to live the Christian life you want to be a Christian you want to live the Christian life but you've never learned how to live the Christian life now you've been told that you ought to be a Christian you've been told that you should live the Christian life but you've never been told how I heard about a lady that said that she had a wonderful pastor she said my pastors a wonderful minister he's a wonderful pastor and we all loved him at the church but for the life of me I cannot figure out what he wants us to do well tonight I want us to see something about living the Christian life but first of all first of all I want us to see what is a Christian what is a follower of Jesus Christ oh there are many people that have an idea that if you're born in a Christian country that you're a Christian many people have an idea if you have Christian parents you're automatically a Christian but the Bible says you cannot inherit Christianity it's not my flesh and blood no the will of man there is nothing that you can do to automatically make yourself acceptable to the kingdom of God you can go to church you can live a decent life you can be a good moral virtuous person but that does not make you a Christian you can have Christian characteristics but that doesn't make you a Christian there are thousands of people in America tonight think they're Christians but in actuality they are not Christians in the narrow sense of the term they have never been born again they have never received Christ into their hearts and if they died they would not go to heaven now a Christian is a person that is had a personal encounter with Jesus Christ a Christian is a person that has made a decision for accepting Christ their Savior Lord you've accepted him you've committed your life to him now the first thing is a Christian is a person that is made a choice you've made a decision you've had an encounter with the Living God you've received Christ into your heart that is the first step in being a Christian has that happened to you has there come a moment in your life when you repented of your sins when you acknowledge that you're a sinner when you said oh god I'm willing to turn from my sins and then by faith you received Christ as your Lord and Savior now that's the starting point oh there are many people that are trying to live the Christian life but Christ doesn't live in their heart because a Christian is a person in whom Christ dwells but what would you receive Christ the Holy Spirit comes into your heart and gives you a new moral nature and you have power and you have strength to live the Christian life now no one can live the Christian life until first he's been to the cross and received Christ to see Christ died on the cross Christ shed his blood for our sins but you must come and receive Christ that is an act of your will intellectually you say yes I believe but that's not enough emotionally you might have had emotional experience but that's not enough by your will you must say I will receive Christ I will give my life to Christ but then after that something else must take place the second thing is our change must take place in your life the Bible says old things have passed away behold all things become new there must be a definite change in the way you live a change in your attitude a change in your attitude toward God you must love God supremely you must put God first in all the choices and decisions of your life there must be a change in your attitude toward yourself no longer are you eco senses no longer are you selfish no longer is everything done just for self and to please self there must also be a change in your attitude toward your neighbor you must love your neighbor as yourself and so there must be a change in your life all things pass away behold all things become new I heard about a man one time in the olden days that used to hitch his horse in front of the saloon and he was converted to Christ at a Methodist meeting at the Methodist Church and the next day came to town he hitched his horse in front of the Methodist Church and the bartender came out and said what's the matter you hitched your horse here for 10 years and now you're hitching it over there why he said I was converted last night I received Christ and he said I've changed hitching posts and that's exactly what we should do change hitching posts and if there is no evidence of a change in your life then you better check up the sleep whether you are really a Christian enough because if your life hasn't been changed if you're not bearing the proof that God gives you when you come to Christ then you better start doubting whether you really met Christ or not because the child of God a change has taken place Jesus said by their fruit shall ye know them by their fruits whatever fruits the fruits of the spirit of love and joy and peace and long-suffering and all the others are you living the Christian life have you given yourself to Jesus Christ do you know that you had this encounter with him and has a change taken place in the way you live and in your attitude if not you may not be a Christian you may be living in a food you may think that you're a Christian but you're not because a Christian is a person that has received Christ and a change is taking place in the way he lives thirdly a Christian is a person that has accepted a challenge the challenge of Christ Christ said if any man will come after me let him deny self take up his cross and follow me in Moscow tonight thousands of young people are being challenged I'm glad to say that the American young people as far as I can gather that are there have not accepted the challenge of communism but communism is challenging millions of young people Jesus Christ also offers a challenge he says unless you're willing to accept my challenge and to live for me you cannot be my follow up Oh in our churches today we are busy building astronomical figures to turn in our reports and all of that is fine and good but Jesus was busy eliminating people every time a crowd collected around Jesus and the crowd got too big he said wait a minute he said if you're going to follow me you'll have to deny yourself that eliminated one crowd then if the crowd was still too big he'd say if you're going to follow me you'll have to take up a cross and follow me was that eliminated most of the rest of because they didn't want to go to the cross the cross was the electric chair the cross was the gallows in that day and Jesus said if you're going to follow me you'll have to take up your electric chair you'll have to take up your place of execution the unpopularity that comes with following me and most people are not willing to do that most people are not willing to take their stand for Christ most people are not willing to stand up and be counted when it comes to surrendering to Christ I ask you tonight are you sure that you're a Christian are you sure that your sins are forgiven are you sure if you died you'd go to heaven are you sure that you're ready to meet God in the strictest sense of the term I ask you tonight are you a Christian are you sure if I had a my apart tonight that I was ready to meet God you couldn't drag me out of Madison Square Garden till I'd settled it make sure give your life to Christ tonight come in receiving all right that's a Christian Christ dwelling in the heart a personal encounter with Christ receiving Christ is Tavian Lord that is a Christian but how to live the Christian life that's another thing how to live the Christian life all right how about 14 I think it was 14 years ago I got married for about two years I would my wife and I'll tell you that was some doing to win her I worked hard for two years finally we stood up in front of the ministry now I could have admired my wife which I did but I still wasn't married I could have thought she was lovely and beautiful and believed in her but that didn't make me married to her I had to stand in front of the minister and he said wilt thou have this woman to be thy wedded wife and I said I will and then he pronounced this man and wife then we'll we marriage a public decision I came publicly before a congregation of people with witnesses on every hand had took Ruth to be my wedded wife I said I will it was a matter of the will just believing in her wasn't enough just going and having Sunday dinner at her folks home wasn't enough just loving her wasn't enough I had to say I will I'm just believing in Christ is not enough the Bible says the devil believes in sin just saying he's a wonderful person is not enough just going to Sunday dinner at the church is not enough you must by an act of your will say I will receive him as my own Savior law have you done that but I found out something that a lot of married a lot of kids don't think about the ceremony was only the beginning now when you come and accept Jesus Christ that's only the beginning 10 years 20 years 30 years 40 years 50 years 60 years you live together you work together you plan together your life meshes together and marriage is work it's not a honeymoon all the time mine is but yours I don't think he is most of you now the Christian life is the same way you receive Christ you say to Christ I will and the Bible says you're wedded to Christ he's devised room we'll divide but now there comes the years of following Christ in living for Christ and if you want to grow you must follow certain rules to grow in Christ now the Bible teaches that you start out after you receive Christ you start out as a tiny baby just a tiny little baby you're not a full-grown Christian you walk in church on Sunday morning after receiving Christ and sometimes some of the Christians will say I wonder if he's gonna last wonderful poor little thing will hold out you should do that you should welcome these new people and love them and encourage them and help them that they might grow you're supposed to grow but here's the tragedy in the Christian church today that terrible tragedy when my little boy said his first words he said dad at least I think that's what he said huh I was told that's what he was saying dad dad we were thrilled to death he had learned to talk daddy but suppose 20 years from now he was still come up to me and say jeff fiffie something wrong and yes there are many of you that same way you haven't grown a bit you're still going around after 20 years of being a Christian thing they're dead you've been stunted you haven't grown you go to a prayer meeting and the minister says we'll let everybody say a verse around somebody says John 3:16 you say old she got my verse that's all you knew you haven't learned the Bible and if somebody calls on you to pray you say well I'm sorry I don't I can't pray and yet you claim to be a Christian the Christian life is one of growth we start out in children and we grow in the Grace and knowledge of Christ now some quick rules first the first rule is 1 in prayer we have to spend time every day in prayer the disciples came up to Jesus and they said Lord teach us to pray now you have to learn to walk don't you you have to learn to ride a bicycle don't you you learn to ride a horse all right you have to learn to pray you learn to pray in the same way Lord teach us to pray now remember in living this Christian life you don't have to live it alone the Holy Spirit lives in you but what would you receive Christ as your Savior the Holy Spirit comes to live in you to give you the power the strength the wisdom the courage to live the Christian life now the Holy Spirit also helps in your prayer life the scripture says likewise the spirit also helpeth our infirmities for we know not what we should pray boys we ought with the spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings that cannot be uttered the Holy Spirit helps you to pray now may I make a suggestion there's so many people that say well I don't feel like praying I only pray when I feel like it then you're wrong you should have a this time and place everyday to pray you have an appointment you have an interview with Almighty God suppose you had an interview with President Eisenhower tomorrow more you'd get up and say well I don't feel like seeing the president this morning I'll suppose you were going to be presented to the Queen well I don't feel like it this morning no you'd be there you'd be dressed in your bed you'd go and present yourself to the Queen well every day God the king of kings and Lord of lords is waiting he has given you an audience at any time of the day and you fail to keep your appointment have a definite time that you set aside and pray when you release feel like it the will is involved here too you say I don't feel like it all right you're with your emotion your body says I don't feel like it my mind says I don't feel like praying my will makes me go and spend time in prayer because prayer is work where is work and many times you make yourself keep your appointment with God and out of some of those moments come your most precious moments and some of your greatest answers to prayer and then the second thing is reading the Bible now the purpose of the Bible is to testify of Jesus Christ the Bible from Genesis to Revelation points to Christ on Thursday night of this week I'm going to tell you how to study the Bible how to read the Bible how to understand the bus I only touch on it tonight job said I have esteem the words of his mouth more than my necessary food the Bible says desire the sincere milk of the word that you may grow thereby now the Bible says that not only do we grow physically but down inside of you as a soul [Music] physically you have eyes and ears nose and hands and feet but living inside of you is your personality your soul your mind you your personality that is your soul that is your spirit now if you spend all of your time on your physical development most of you look like you've eaten three pretty good meals today do you have a neglecting eating today have you you didn't neglect dressing looking in the mirror taking care of your physical needs but what about your spiritual needs keep taking care of your physical needs today but none for the soul and the soul is going to live forever the body dies and goes to the grave but the soul lives on and you spent all your time feeding your body but none for the soul how do you feed this up what is the food you give to the soul it is reading the Bible the Word of God and I don't care who you are you cannot live a victorious life if you neglect Bible roots and Bible study every time a person comes to me and says I'm not getting my prayers answered I have no victory in my life I have no joy in my life I don't have the peace in my life that I know I should have as a Christian I asked them one question are you reading your Bible daily and studying your Bible usually the answer they bow their head and say no not very much God has a message for you in this book read it study it meditate on now here's how to read the Bible read it reverently it's an interview with Almighty God read it with expectancy come to the Bible expecting God to speak to you and read till he does speak to you now never you'll only read one verse meditate on that verse maybe you'll read a whole chapter meditate on that chapter come with expectancy that every time you open the scriptures God has a message for you and then read it with dependence the Holy Spirit inspired the writing of this book and the Holy Spirit can interpret this book to you and I have come to many points in the Bible that I did not understand and I would get on my knees and I say Lord show it to me and I found the meaning of that passage on my knees by the Holy Spirit and then take adequate adequate time with the Bible don't just to read a verse and do it as a duty and as a ritual and close the Bible take time take 15 20 30 minutes and you also do it every morning before you leave your room in the morning but before you leave the house spend a half an hour in prayer and Bible study and Bible reading and I'll tell you the day will go totally different you'll be walking on air there will be a joy in your soul there'll be a spring in your step they'll be a smile on your face there'll be a total different attitude toward life if you will get in the habit of reading your Bible and spending time in prayer every morning and then thirdly if you're going to live the Christian life there must be discipline in your life it's a way of discipline the Christian life is a way of renunciation in hardship jesus said Mara is the gate that leads to eternal life the Bible tells us that a Christian is a soldier who must suffer hardship thou therefore endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ said Paul to Timothy the Christian is likened to a boxer who masters his own body and practices self-restraint and all the way through the New Testament you'll read words like this describing the Christian life fight wrestle run work suffer endure resist agonize president all of these are New Testament words describing the Christian life it is to be a disciplined life we have to discipline our minds the things that we read the things that we think no evil thoughts that they come into our minds and if they do they're to be expelled immediately our minds to be disciplined so that we don't spend our time reading trash and literature that does not develop the mind in developer soul watching the role types the television program we don't throw our time away we don't let our minds run idle our minds the disciplines our tongues our discipline - we say set a watch ol Lord before my mouth our time is discipline we redeem the time because the days are evil these little minutes those these little bits of jewels that God gives us every day these little jewels they can never be recalled they're to be dedicated to Christ this body of mine is the temple of the Holy Spirit which is in me the Bible says it with my body there is to be self-control self-control business blessed are the meek said Jesus that's what meekness means it means temperance self-control I'm to live a disciplined life Oh today how little discipline we have in the way we live how little discipline we have in our Christian experience and our Christian life and that's the reason thousands of Christians are failing there is no discipline there must be discipline and then next in the Christian life there is the church you've heard of Robinson Crusoe Christians haven't you trying to live solitary Christian lives I tell you the Bible doesn't know anything about it the Christian Fellowship is not optional it's essential it's commanded we are not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together the Bible teaches that the church is like a vine with its many branches it's like living stones built together members of the body of Christ all knit together now the church may have its local churches well you say I'm a member of the great universal Church but I'm not a member of any local church or assembly that's like saying well I'm in the Navy but I'm not going to go to any ship like the United Nations I was over at the United Nations on Monday and had a wonderful talk with mr. hammer she and I looked out of the window and saw those flags of the United Nations and I said here's one organization but it has its many local constituencies all over the world in the form of nations and states here we have the great church the body of Christ but it has its local branches all over and one may be called Lutheran one may be Baptist one may be Presbyterians whatever the name may be if it's a place where Christ is preached if it's a quaint where Christ is exalted we have to go there and give it everything we have in the work of the church the church is to worship together it's a place where we give our tithes and offerings to the work of the Lord I hope you'll go to church tomorrow this is Saturday night that's all of us be in the Lord's place of worship tomorrow all across America let's go to church God is commended it and I want to tell you you cannot live a victorious Christian life and have the peace and the joy in your heart without faithfulness in the church stand with your church oh there's some people that say well I'm looking for a perfect church then you'll never find it because if you joined it if you found the perfect church and you joined it it would be imperfect you'll never find a perfect church all right travels all over the world and I've seen hundreds of different types of churches and I have never seen a perfect one yet and this side of glory they never will be Jesus had a little band of men with him twelve others it was imperfect you just betrayed him Peter denied him when the chips were down it's across the rest of them for Sookie there is no such thing as a perfect body on earth get into the church and get to work for Christ and then last of all the Christian is to witness for Christ now how do you witness you witness by the way you live the smile the courtesy the thoughtfulness the graciousness you're witnessing for Christ and if you live a change life in which Christ is living in you and radiating out through you other people will be attracted to you and they'll say what's your secret and you say I know Jesus Christ and you have an opportunity to witness for Christ witness in the home witness in your daily work we are not to be slothful in business fervent in spirit serving the Lord we are to witness by the way we perform our work we are to work faithfully if you're a worker in a factory use to do it faithfully as unto the Lord you don't work just for the employer you don't work just for the Union to make them happy you work for the law if you're an employee you work for Christ he is the one that you're responsible to if you're a Christian the Bible says that Christians are pilgrims here we are ambassadors for Christ the Bible says we are peculiar people set apart under Christ and we had to be shining witnesses in a perverse and wicked generation all around we see lying and hypocrisy and dishonesty and lust and we see world in its own every size men taken up with materialism oh give your life to Jesus Christ and let him live in you and be a shining witness for Christ become salt in your community become a light in your community let the people know where you stand for Christ live a clean and honest and pure and wholesome life I want to ask you tonight are you a Christian are you living that kind of a life oh I'm not asking do you have Christian influence I'm not asking are you a member of certain church I'm asking you tonight have you had this encounter with right has this change taking place in your life have you accepted the challenge of following Christ are you living a faithful life under him if not you can start tonight right now right now you can stay long I give you my life I give you my heart I give you my soul I want Christ to come in and forgive my sins in my famous I want to follow him serve him I want to know my sins are forgiven I want to know that I'm going to heaven I want a change in my life and in my home I want a change in the place I work I want to become a light for Christ I want to become a witness for Christ I want the joy of living for Christ how many people claim to be Christians but they don't have any peace in their life there's no joy there's no love in their life there's no walk with Christ there's no thrill they get angry quickly they're sensitive they're jealous they're filled with pride I tell you the Christian life was never meant to be that way give your life to Christ and make sure that it is in your heart some of you give your life to Christ tonight for the first time others of you can come and rededicate your life and say tonight I'm going to surrender my life to Christ on you in a fresh I'm going to give myself to him all over this place God is speaking to hundreds and thousands of people all of you that will come tonight and receive Christ and say I'm going to begin I give myself to him I come to the foot of his cross renouncing my sins and failures and coming and give myself to him as Savior Lord I'm going to ask you to come I'm going to ask you to come out of your seats from all over this great building from up in the balconies all around you come and stand quietly right here in front and say tonight I give myself to Christ if you're with friends and relatives they'll wait on me if you're in a delegation they'll wait on you but I'm going to ask you to come right now while every head is bowed in every eyes closed and the choir sings softly just as I am men women young people and I'm going to warn you about something you cannot come to Christ anytime you want to you can only come when the Spirit of God is speaking and tonight the Spirit of God is speaking to hundreds of people here he's speaking to you there you can give your life to Christ right now and say tonight I give myself to it many of you at church members many of you are Christians but you need to rededicate your life to God you need to promise God that from now on you're going to live the right kind of a Christian life you're going to be the right type of a Christian I'm going to ask you to give your life to him now from all over the building hundreds of you you come and stand here right now just get up out of your seat right now and come and say tonight I give myself to Christ we're going to wait after you've come we're going to have a moment of Prayer a verse of scripture say a word to you before you come or before you go and if you with friends or relatives they'll wait you can go back and join them but you come now and stand here as an indication that you're saying to God I will I will trust Christ the choir is going to sing while they're singing you come right now [Music] that's right quickly right up out of your seat everywhere you come [Music] say yes right letting come into your life and make you a new person change the whole direction of your life you can do it right now god bless you [Music] [Music] [Music]

Channel: Alaskalive.net 4 Steps to Peace with God-Videos

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Keywords: Billy, Graham, How, Live, Christian, Life, Jesus Christ, Sermon, Message, God, alaskalive

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Length: 51min 28sec (3088 seconds)

Published: Fri Dec 14 2012